Dear friends!
Is it Fall where you are? As I live in the country that claims to have "13 months of sunshine," I may have forgotten what seasons are!
Anyway, thanks for encouraging, emailing, partnering and praying for me, the S-people and all that is happening here!
Clinic Chronicles
The Father continues healing many, body and spirit, at our three weekly clinics. Since my last update, a little girl who had been incapacitated by TB and other complications began walking!!! (And there is a longer, even more exciting story about how the Father is working in and through her family to take the good news to a far away village!!) This week, like many weeks, we saw a baby who had been severely malnourished come back to us smiling and more alert!!
Last Friday, a girl came who had a severe infection in her eye, causing to eye-ball to come out and ooze profusely. It was shocking and terrible. Her dad was in tears and distraught and didn't know what to do because he couldn't afford surgery. My co-workers were able to get her admitted to a local hospital where she was given IV antibiotics and surgery was performed to remove the far-gone eye. But on the way to the hospital they also shared the story on hope with the girl's dad, and he said "Yes."
Earlier this week I was reading the story in Luke about when J**** raises a widow's son from the dead. It struck me how this one event, that occurred just in passing from one place to the next, showed both His tender compassion for the widow's suffering AND His awesome power even over death. Of course we never want to see people suffer, but we praise the Father that He redeems these moments of suffering to show Himself strong and to give people from far away the opportunity to hear about HOPE that cannot die.
Ask with us that the Father will continue transforming lives by healing and giving hope and that He will show us how we can be a part offering that.
The Windy City
At the beginning of September, Becca and I had the opportunity to visit a nearby city for a 5-day language immersion. (We'll call it the Windy City because it was gloriously cool and breezy.) Although it is only a 2 hour drive (or in our case a 20 minute flight) away, our people group are the majority there and have greater influence on the general culture. It was amazing to see how using S-language for every greeting, conversation, and market transaction truly helped sharpen my ears' and tongue's abilities! We had only spent one night in the city before so we had very few contacts there. The Father blessed us with a free ride from the airport to our guesthouse, dinner with friends we hadn't expected to run into, a new friend who gave us free access to her kitchen and lovely porch at the guesthouse, and beautiful, crisp weather.
During our walks around the city we had both fun and meaningful conversations with women we met along the road and in the market. One morning we came up to two older women sitting in the shade outside their compound and told them we were interested in learning their language. Then we sat with them, chatted and heard their stories; after a while they were introducing us to everyone who walked by!
Before we went to the Windy City, we had specifically asked the Father to allow us into a home and He answered when a young woman, who we met on another walk, invited us back to her home. We spent quite a while talking with her whole extended family including some spiritual conversations. Right now there is no full-time outreach work in the Windy City and very few followers. Ask that the Father will draw many of the people to Himself, use those who already follow Him to be a bold witness to their friends and neighbors, and give us and others guidance on if and how we should pursue more opportunities for work in that area in the future.
This and That:
Here's a few other praises, requests and random updates:
- Memphis is visiting us right now!! Mr. Greg has already fixed a plumbing problem that had stumped us for months, and it just great to have friends here to laugh and talk and eat with who know where we came from! (a special shout-out to Angela, Ashley, Becky, my mom and others who sent an amazing load of goodies this way.)
- In three weeks, I will gain two new roommates who are at the beginning of their 2-year commitment! I'm looking forward to having a full house again and it will be fun to help them get adjusted. Ask that they will have a smooth transition and that they will have just the right language helper.
- Sadly, at the same time, Becca will return to the States for a 3-month stint to straighten out some logistical issues with health insurance. She will be missed for sure, but I pr*y that the time at home is refreshing and motivating!
- Ask with our team that the Father will bring us new followers who are ready to be trained, and that through them there will be a growing movement. (Becca and I had a blast training a teenage girl over the summer but now that school has started back she no longer has time to continue.)
until next time!
with love,
leigh
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