the crescendo

So the difficult week is essentially over.  tomorrow we are going to a state park with Noel for safari.  We’re leaving at 4am – so 7pm thursday for you.  I’m definitely sleeping on the long drive there.  I’m excited to spend some more time with Noel.

Kadisha died last night.  It was not a surprise – but it is still sad.  I wish there was something I could do – but I’m glad I did what I did.

Two days ago we went to an orphanage for disabled children and adults.  It was really tough.

Today we went to a mobile clinic.  It travels from neighborhood to neighborhood helping mainly ex-prostitutes and their children.  They give out some AIDS medication and some vitamins and cough syrup for children.  The children were amazing.  I had so much fun playing with them.  But they were all pretty sad and sick.

We also went to a prison.  I shared some incarnation of a testimony and the people seemed very blessed by it – the spiritual development here is probably about where Fowler would expect a 10-year-old to be – there are blessings to this and difficulties.  Alot of their spirituality is based on avoiding punishment and everything is fairly simple.  Add to that the fact that it seems that the majority of missionaries here have brought some brand of fundamentalism – so I have been preaching and teaching just one small step beyond that – baby steps.  But it has been good.

Yesterday we went to a college Christian fellowship group.  They wanted us to teach about “impacting your generation for Christ” ie how to do it.  My answer was that, as in the case of Jesus, it will take a life time.  It will take everything you do – and even how you fail.  It will take listening to the lives of others and loving them in their times of distress.  The president of the fellowship thanked me – and even sent me an email today.  He said that these words were revoltionary to him and that they were “delicious.”  Praise God for surprising wonders.  I really didn’t want to preach here, but I think that I have been a blessing – much to my surprise – and I have sought to be subversive to what people have asked – but so slylu and gently that they haven’t even noticed – they have simply been blessed.  Wow.  I didn’t think I could do that!

Anyway, at the end of the service at the prison, they began singing and dancing.  It was crazy!  And there is nothing standing between us and the crowd of over 600 genocide perpatrators. And they watned me to dance with them.  I didn’t think I could forgive them.  I didn’y think I could really love them.  And, as you know, I DO NOT DANCE!  And yet, there I was, hugging them, singing with them, dancing with them, laughing with them.  Again, God is good.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Finally, next week I will not be working with the street kids nad ex-prostitutes after all – but this, I think, is good.  I will be able to spend an additional week with Noel, Anastase, and Joseph – and their families.  They have been a great blessing.  Anastase is perhaps one of the greatest people I have met in my life.  So, I know that this week will be good.

I am looking forward, also, to returning home – though I don’t know what that will look like.  I don’t know if I have a job.  I don’t know how tired I will be.  I don’t know how I will re-adjust.  I don’t know how much I will have been changed.  So, please, continue to pray for me and also pray for Kadisha’s family.

This is probably my last post before I get home as the rest of my team – whose computers I have been using – are leaving on Saturday afternoon.

Thank you for keeping tabs.  I love you all.