Day 4 – Yei

Before I tell you what is happening here, I want to let you know the team in Terekeka do not have Internet connection as good as we have it here.  Plus, there may be some limits on the plan up there which restricts them a bit as well.  But we have been in contact with them, and they are doing well (as their previous posts report).  Continue to pray for them as they are dealing with extreme temperatures.  But what an experience they are having which I am sure will bless you when they get the opportunity to share.

Here in Yei, we are beginning day 5 (I think).  I want to give you a little taste of some of the things I experienced yesterday.  VBS has been a lot of fun.  First, if you know me, you would laugh if someone told you I were going to be involved in a VBS any where.  But here, I have been able to help my wife (Kristie) with the crafts, I have been able to help Todd with the opening song (that fun version of Happy and You Know It), and I have had the opportunity to lead the Interlude (which I had never before done until this week.)  The only way I can describe any of this is to say AWESOME!!! It chokes me up just thinking about it all.  Yesterday, I went to the back of the group to lead the Interlude so that I could be dancing with the cool boys who behave much like our cool boys back home and don’t participate.  But they started getting into it with me.

We spent the afternoon digging more holes for posts (Todd, me, and some boys), painting posts (Todd and Mindy), working with the house Mama’s (Terry, Kristie, Karen and Mindy), and hiding from Todd (me).  😉  While it is hot here, it is nothing like they are reporting in Terekeka.  So, we are able to work without too much problem from the sun.  Todd also repaired a few drawers from dressers and even a dresser itself.  His biggest moment was repairing the door handles to the Payette!  He’s very handy that way.

After dinner, we all got to go to different home cells.  A home cell is basically a small group led by students.  Completely led by students.  At the one Kristie and I attended, it was a family.  They were about 4 older people and 12 kids or so.  It was fun giving them candy.  They are either very polite and respectful children, or they are very shy.  They don’t rush at you as soon as they see you have candy.  They simply wait their turn, and take one or two pieces.  It was awesome to see! We also got to bless the family with some meat.  Prepackaged meat, but meat nonetheless.  I suppose it is a very good thing we have learned to do meat this way because it lasts longer and is transportable across an ocean.

Then, came the biggest part of my week so far (and maybe for our whole time here.)  Pastor Pooshani asked Karen and me to lead worship during the Tuesday prayer meeting.  I only know 4 songs well on the guitar, so, those are the songs we did since Karen is awesome everywhere.   Every Move I Make, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord, and Amazing Grace.  The kids knew them all well already.  So, by the time we got started, it didn’t matter if I knew how to play them or not because they were leading us.  AWESOME!!!  By the way … you should hear these kids pray.

It’s time to close.  I’m not sure who our next blogger will be, but whoever it is, I can assure you they will have a great story to tell.  It’s impossible to be here and not have a great story.  If you are one of those considering, my encouragement comes from a John Piper quote about missions.  He says there are only 3 responses to missions.  “Go, send, or disobey!”.  I say, “Go, send always, go when you can on short term opportunities, or disobey!”  How about that.  Just get on one of these and get over here.  God will open your eyes like never before!

Go with God,
Donald