OK Team

Traveling to the East Coast of this country brings us crazy stories once again.  However this time we took seven Americans and three nationals with us.  :)

A college team from OKBU came to serve for about three weeks here in SL.  They spent the first couple of days in a training, learning all about sharing with others, how to find people of peace, and what we do here.  We then hopped on a train and journeyed out to the east.  As I've written before, the east coast is tough.  This area has a large concentration of Mus. people, was a large part of the countries war that recently ended, and was hit hard by the tsunami back in 04.  Life is different over there.  Time moves at a completely different speed.  For example one day will feel like 3 days all in one.  We were there for 8... This team was tough and helped us reach so many more families than we can with just two of us.  They also reminded me of why I'm here and our calling as followers of Christ.  Despite the fact that we were exhausted after they left, we were so thankful for this team and their hard work.  

Our days on the east were spent prayer walking and searching for people of peace.  Our large group was split up and between all of us, we covered several different districts and got to share good news in many many homes.  I was amazed again by how God works and how He uses us in so many ways that we don't even know.  I was expecting to get into homes...but how God leads us into those homes shows you that His way is best.  For example, one evening we decided to go to the beach with the team.  The day before one of the teams had kindly been asked to leave a certain town that is 100%mus.  Blah blah blah, you're not welcome here...that kind of thing.  That puts a damper on your trip, especially because we had about 4 days left on the east and everyone was looking to Ashley and I for directions of what to do next.  As we got to the beach, Ash and I began to talk to a mus family that was there.  Through our Tam-glish and their "little little" English we were having a conversation when their daughter began to drown in the water behind us.  The mother began to panic as the uncle of the little girl ran to go get her.  (random fact, most sl-ians cannot swim at all, so going swimming to them means wading in the water).  As they dragged this little one out of the water, one of the guys on our team began yelling that he was lifeguard.  The crowd that had assembled parted, and allowed this guy to help the little girl and her family.  She began to breathe and the family was so thankful that they welcomed us to come to their house the next day.  Their house that was in the exact area that we had been kicked out of earlier that week.  As the family began walking down the road, waving as they left, a large group of boys wanted to know all about the large group of Americans and what we were doing.  This led to testimonies, to invites into homes, to gospel sharing...see what I mean?  Only God can turn something as scary as a little girl drowning into a crowd of people waiting to hear good news.

However, I think one of the neatest experiences that I got to have was watching a brand new believer get baptized in a swimming pool.  He grew up Mus and about a month ago decided that He wanted to follow Jesus.  He knew a handful of bible stories and decided he wanted to be baptized.  To hear this guy's testimony is a wake up call.  He can't tell his family yet because of fear of what they will do to him.  Despite all of that fear, he has no doubts.  He's learning and soaking up everything and wanting to share with everyone he comes into contact with.  *head waggle* "I have to the gift of gab no? So I tell my friends and they can have this too" *head waggle*.  Love it.  I think God has given me the gift of gab as well.  :)