Hey everybody! It's Cedric here to post on behalf of the team (yes, while everybody is hard at work, I'm busy playing on the computer...bahahahaha). Well, it's been a few days since any of us have last posted, so we just wanted to let you know that God has been very good to us and it's been quite exciting!
First, we'd like to announce very proudly that we have been able to find the necessary materials to actually build this water filter system! See, originally, we didn't think we would be able to build ANY of the filters because we thought it would take too long to actually find the appropriate materials. Yesterday, Hang Kit and Simon went out on a bit of an adventure with Don and a local pastor to go check out some of the sand, and it seems to be exactly the sand we need for the filters! It's really so amazing to see this whole thing come together, and God is really providing for everything we didn't even think we could accomplish this year, and we are so grateful to see that our work is actually resulting in something VERY tangible. Last night, Hang Kit mentioned how cool it would be if we checked back here in about 3 years and found that everybody in this region has clean water because of the work we have done here in just these three weeks!
***That is all for now because we are out of electricity
AAAAAAND we're back...4 days later =P
So there's a perfect demonstration of how electricity is really a luxury that we just can't take for granted =) It's definitely been tough at times, but God has taught us to really be content with what we have been blessed with. Our electricity back at Pédé really depends on how much sunlight we've gotten throughout the day, since we are using solar panels, and there have been nights where we haven't had electricity because it was cloudy or raining during the day, so we couldn't store the energy in the truck batteries we installed. It's been soooo interesting to see how God really changed our attitudes since we arrived in Pédé, and God has really opened our eyes to many things.
One of the things God has really opened our eyes to is the reality of spirtual warfare. The other day, one of the local pastors, Pastor Samuel, shared about his experiences since he has received Christ. He told us that poisonous potions from witchdoctors are often planted in his fields by those who oppose him and his stand for Christ. We were also told about how in some other areas, some witchdoctors can literally change their form into an animal so that they can sneak into a house to plant poison in foods with the intention to kill, but when they are rebuked in the name of Jesus, they turn away! Personally, I am really glad that I haven't had to deal with anything that real just yet, but we have seen a demon possessed man, and it is very sad to see. He approached Jim (because they were good friends before this man became possessed), and he spoke very angrily with Jim, threatening to have him thrown in jail for preaching Jesus. Every time Jim told him that Jesus loves him, the man had to back away - what amazing power is in the name of Christ!
So far, we have been quite task-oriented, but we have still made many relationships with children who visit us and even want to join in helping us to do all our work. It has been such a blessing to receive both the help we need, and to build the relationships to help Don and Erin's ministries along. However, we plan on making more relationships and really being bold in speaking with people over the next few days, so much more has yet to come!
We are very grateful that God has been helping us and using us in His kingdom work, but there is still much more work and praying to be done. Right now, there are many complications that we have to deal with, and we hope God will help us through it all. First of all, Erin is fighting off some sort of infection, and this sort of news is never good for a pregnant lady, so she has been staying in Parakou to rest. Just a few days ago, Don had to return to Parakou to take care of Erin, so we are without his leadership for the rest of this trip. On top of that, Haley (their baby) is teething and is therefore difficult to handle. Just two days ago, Jim stepped on a nail and pierced almst halfway into his foot. Although our leaders may be going through a tough time, we trust that God can keep us strong to do his work through the remainder of this trip, and do it well. Please pray that we would be bold in our work and never get discouraged.
That is all for now, because I am being pressured to leave =P Share more when we get back!
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