Well Openings

Wow, its been a while since I've posted anything; I've got lots to catch up on. For those of you who follow my email updates, you know that October and November were busy with well stuff. The wells had been drilled earlier this year, but due to rainy season and the month of fasting, we had to wait til October to finish putting in cement platforms and installing the pumps.

By mid-November we were able to start opening the pumps for the villages to use. As each pump was ready, we wanted to hold a special meeting or ceremony (it kind of depended on the village) to share a bit about why we have come and given them wells, as well as to emphasize the importance of keeping the wells maintained, and continuing good sanitation practices (each of these villages had also been involved in a community sanitation project that our team coordinated).

The first villages to use the pumps was a cluster of three villages, so we decided to hold the opening "ceremony" at the middle village. Scott and I arrived around 9, for a 10am meeting. Although the village knew to prepare for us, they weren't. A couple women swept the ground under a tree, and after a while we finally got someone to bring some mats and a carpet for everyone to sit on. By 11:30, the leaders from the three villages had arrived. We invited a couple local officials, including the Sultan of the T people, but none of them showed. Here are the local village leaders who came:

I'm so thankful for Scott who can speak French, English, T and Arabic. He did most of the talking, but I took the opportunity at each opening to share some things from God's Book, including the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and the Living Water. They listened very attentively; please be praying that the Spirit works through His Word to bear eternal fruit.

Although the first couple villages didn't really have their act together, we did get some very warm welcomes at the others. Often we were served tea with peanuts or other beverages. One village gave us two chickens, another wanted to kill a goat for us to eat with them. Unfortunately we were on a tight schedule that day and had to decline, so they sent the goat home with us!

In some of the villages we actually had women present, which was great, especially as they are the primary users of the wells. Here are some that gathered at the last village:

In this last village, after I had finished sharing the story of the Samaritan woman, one of the men repeated back some of the things I said, affirming them as good and true, and saying that they had never heard some of these things before. He also was very thankful for all the work we have done, and said we are welcome to come back anytime for any other work, and also to share God's Word. Please pray for this man, and his village, Dongé, that the seeds of faith might take root and grow into a large tree like the one in Matthew 13:32.

If you were here....

If you were here with me this last week, here are a few bits of my life you might have witnessed...

Saturday morning around 8 am I headed down the street to join in the festivities of celebrating a baby's baby naming. First stop, the dark room of the new mother and baby, where congratulations are given, we found out his name, and the obligatory scented oils must be rubbed on your hands and hair. This time we (the four of us who arrived around the same time) were also served breakfast.

After that, festivities translates into food preparation and lively conversation! I found myself a spot on a mat in the "middle-aged" group of women. They are probably only 5-10 years older than me, but are also probably all grandmothers. Also, they're not yet considered the "old women" of the town by any means. We prepped sweet potatoes, peeled garlic, washed lettuce, and all the while a near steady stream of chatter was going on around me as the women talked about recent happenings involving different ones in the community. Every once in a while conversation would be directed at me, but for the most part they were quite happy to let me just listen, and I did my best to follow along, often getting quite lost but enjoying it nonetheless.

Sunday, after a lively service with the southern believers in French, I stopped to visit my friend Say on my way home. I discovered her sick in bed with no energy and throwing up! Uh oh. I headed off to find her some medicine, and then came back and had the privilege of helping her out around the house until late afternoon. I was only a little scared when she said...Margit, you're going to have to make the okra sauce all by yourself, there's no way I can stay in the kitchen anymore. (She insisted on making food for her husband...no McD's to send him to for supper.)

Monday, Wednesday and Fridays you might sit with me on a mat at the clinic, weighing kids, doling out medicine for various illnesses, and chatting with their moms.

Today we took a bit of an off-road adventure. Scott and I were headed out to talk to a village about preparing for the mason to come and work at the well site. Scott's sister and three hired workers were heading out to their fields, "a little past" the village we were going to. So everyone hopped into the Land Cruiser and off we went. We reached the village with little mishap; the road was relatively visible in most places, and not too sandy.

As we left the village, we had to wander down to the wadi to locate Scott's sister who had taken off to find a man who could make her some "kokim" -- these are blades with wooden handles for cutting the millet. Here's a picture of the kokim maker who set up shop under a tree in the river bed.

The next part of our journey was far from what I would call "a little past" the village we had visited. We encountered every type of road imaginable, except of course paved road! Faint tire tracks in the grass, wadi crossings in deep sand requiring four wheel drive, no road, rocky bits, not to mention the traffic of people, motos, cows, goats and camels...and nearly an hour later we were driving through millet fields. Then we had to get out and walk through said millet, nearly as high as a camel's eye, and rife with all kinds of prickly plants that get caught in your skirts.

When we finally reached our destination, Scott and I were ready to turn around and head home, when the discussions about the laborers' wages began.  Come to find out, agreement could not be had, and so EVERYONE piled back into the car for a ride back to town! At least we had been able to drop off some food for Scott's brother who was already hard and work and looking forward to some reinforcements. I guess he'll be waiting a little longer.


Now, can I talk anyone into planning their next relaxing vacation in G-town?

Well in Use

Not of this world

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  ~ Matthew 5:4
As I read this verse today, for I'm sure the umpteenth time, I was struck again by how it epitomizes the counter-cultural, flesh-defying life we are called to, yes, invited into, in the Kingdom of God. Think about it: Jesus is saying that people who grieve are blessed. What? Why? Because they will be comforted. Hmm. That must be some pretty sweet comfort, if we can consider even a state of mourning to be blessing. Indeed, it is blessing, if it means we get to experience "the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort" comforting us in our trials and afflictions (2 Corinthians 1).

The Word is replete with other invitations to experience fullness of joy in the Kingdom in ways that the world considers topsy-turvy. Consider the apostles who rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus (Acts). Consider Paul who could rejoice in his weaknesses so that Christ's power might rest upon him (2 Corinthians 12). Consider the rest of Matthew 5, such as the reminder that being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is good…we will know satisfaction of those desires! Or 1 Peter calling us to rejoice in our trials, that our faith might be refined purer than gold, and that we might endure til we see Jesus face to face! Yet another is Paul's exhortation that we might encounter tribulation, danger, nakedness, sword, even death, and yet none of these can separate us from God's love. In other words, as long as we've got His love, we're good to go...no need to sweat the rest of it!

All around me, and I'm sure all around you, are people who live without the blessing of Kingdom perspective. The human perspective is often and loudly touted here: "God's ways are so difficult." (Jesus says, "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.") "Fasting is such suffering." (Man doesn't live by bread alone, right?)  "Kids are a nuisance with no manners." (Jesus said that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are child-like.)

Sometimes its so easy to nod and smile, or say the appropriate response in agreement with statements like these. Yet I don't want to do that. I want to boldly proclaim the glories of a Kingdom that turns the world upside down, the paradoxical way of life that is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God. May that Spirit open our mouths to proclaim this mystery over and over and over.

Three of the kids living at the orphanage, waiting to be adopted.

Abdullah



Sayido



Amira

Eid Visitors

These little guys were too cute to pass up a photo op. The matching ones I call Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They are H's youngest (twins). The other is the son of another neighbor.

Ever since I was a little girl light shining through the clouds makes me thing of heaven. This skyscape last week led me to consider the glory of our Lord's returning, and I marveled that when He comes, it will be even more magnificent. Come Lord Jesus, come.

More greenery