Monday, July 16, 2012

Where the Grass is Green

     On Thursday of this week, we were sitting in a field when some “shepherd” boys came up to enjoy the shade and listen to our Bible stories on the radio. Cameron, Olivia, and I sat there enjoying the shade while the kids huddled around our little speakers. Every now and then, one of the boys would realize that a few of the goats and sheep they were in charge of was feasting on the millet plants in the fields and would have to run over to corral them.
    As this was a clear hindrance to the boys’ listening and understanding the stories, Olivia and I ended up taking a couple of sauras (the sticks they use for herding) and keeping an eye on the flock. This proved actually very entertaining for us; in heavy Southern accents we would scold the animals who were constantly trying to escape our set boundaries and venture into a field, threatening to put them in time out or throw our “javelins” at them. At one point, Olivia said, “I see you trying to get away, goat! Why don’t you just be happy where you’re at?! There’s plenty of green stuff right here!”
     Between Olivia and me there has been a significant amount of discussion on how to know where God wants you to be serving and what our potential futures will look like. This conversation is not necessarily unhealthy, but as it is, we are in West Africa working in a village with around 500 lost Fulani people. It’s true that the plants in the field are good for eating, but right now, the Shepherd has us in a place with plenty to eat. How foolish would it be for me to starve standing in the middle of a field gazing over into a place that I simply cannot walk into?!
     In the latest of our beloved David Platt podcasts, he cites what Paul says in verse 20 and of I Cor. 7: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” So, we began praying that we would be fully present with the people here and not miss the opportunity He has given us through this summer. In answer to that prayer, I have been given a deep love for these people that I had not experienced before. I genuinely look forward to spending time in the bush, and when I’m not there, I can’t wait to get back to those people to let them teach me their language and all about their families and themselves as I try to teach them about Christ.
    One of these people for whom our hearts absolutely break is a deaf man, Ibraheim, that we met last week. We are fully aware that not every single person in our village will come to know and accept Jesus; however, we at least want to give everyone the chance to hear to Gospel so that they can respond one way or another. “Abundant seed sowing” has been one of our primary purposes from the start. But how will this man ever hear? He doesn’t seem to have any solid method of communication; obviously, American Sign Language is not an option (not that any of the three of us know how to sign anyway). We honestly don’t have an answer but are praying that the Lord would somehow allow his ears – spiritually and/or physically – to be opened.
We have many other friends who we have also been praying for as Olivia and I are finally capable to communicate well enough to branch off from Cameron and sometimes each other to do our own sharing. Thus far, that has gone well. We haven’t seen any conversions, and may not while we are here, but we are certain that the Lord is working in this region and are sincerely thankful for the chance to join Him in that.
Prayer requests:

The Housa team: The 18 summer missionaries we met are broken up into teams of three, so they cover six different towns in addition to helping with clinics twice a week in the main town where their supervisors live. Pray that God would continually be working in each of their hearts (encouragement, love for the people, etc.) and bodies (many of them have suffered various minor illnesses lately) and that their respective ministries would be effective and fruitful.
Our hearts: We are beginning to truly walk in the love of Christ toward these people, but it is still a challenge when we have people ask for material things daily and even steal things from our hut. Pray that we would continue to be transformed into His image and that it would truly be Christ who lives in us.
Our ministry: Though most are open to listening to our tracks, we are unsure of how many are actually listening and understanding. We recently had some women excuse themselves from the area where we are sharing the Good News for prayer time to Allah. Pray that the Word would not simply be falling on deaf ears and that we would have discernment to know who is actually interested so that we can be more effective with our time.
Language: As we seek to build more relationships with the people here and share with them more, language is becoming more important. We would love to be able to actually discuss with them what they are hearing when we share our pre-recorded tracks. Pray that the Lord would grant us increasing understanding of and ability to use the language for His glory.
Ibraheim and his family: When we actually went to the compound of the deaf man, we found that his wife is also sick. We asked around the village and got no conclusive answer as to what is wrong, but she had an enormously swollen eye and laid inside her hut while we were visiting with her three young sons and their friends outside. Of course, there are obvious physical needs in this situation, but the spiritual needs are greater. Pray that God would have mercy on this family and bring healing both spiritual and physical.