Written August 2, 2013
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though it's waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still am know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
This Psalm caught my eye yesterday. I brought both my ESV and my NIV84 - and I had a sticky note in my NIV that a dear friend (who has since passed away) gave to me about 3 years ago. Psalm 46 was written on the note (along with a few others). So out of curiosity- I flipped there. Oh how this Psalm applies to us.
God is in control. Why should we fear?
God lifts his voice.. And the earth melts. (God is all powerful)
God declares that He will be exalted in the Nations. (God wants to be glorified)
God's grace is so abundant. I can't even begin to explain or understand the depths of his grace.
I feel like grace has been the theme of this trip... At least for me. God is sovereign and good - and He deserves all glory and honor. What an amazing lesson.
Khadijah and Salaamo (the 2 I said may believe in Christ) came to us today. We found out via Sarah that Khadijah does confess Christ and has for awhile. Khadijah said her husband has too. While its hard to tell if this is true - it seems legit. Salaamo - on the other hand is very quiet - and is Khadijah's friend. Khadijah said she first heard of Christ though things that Jody and Sarah had been doing - I guess she just didn't come forth. Pray that Salaamo might understand - and for Khadijah - that she might grow in her faith. Maryama also seems very interested and needs prayer. There are so many who seem interested - buy there are so many who refuse to listen. Sometimes I'm not quite sure if they're laughing (when we ask if we can tell a story about Jesus) because of our Zarma, or because of Christ. I think it might be both - sometimes one - sometimes another. It's so nice to see some fruit. Honestly I wasn't expecting to see any fruit from this trip directly - and there's really no reason why we should. What a blessing!
On another note - Anamarie (Apolonair's mom) said she has confessed Christ since she was Apolonair's age (8? - Apolonair is a believer as well) - and there are many churches in Burkina Faso (another country in Africa). She seems to know what she's talking about - but needs to grow in her faith. Pray for her. Also, she's pregnant - and it's not uncommon for babies to pass away.
One of our believers (Sakenia) had a baby - and the baby died very quickly - I'm not sure if the baby was stillborn or not. She was having a bit of a hard time with this. Pray for her.
I apologize for the butchered spelling of these African names - I had to ask Odette how to spell my own - and she's not here to ask!
On that note - this was our first week without Odette (our translator) and while it is challenging - we know more Zarma than I thought we did. April and Caitlin are awesome with Zarma. I.. On the other hand... Am not so good. Almost all Zarma words sound the same to me.
Thank you for praying. Keep on praying! And continue to pray even after I leave for April, Caitlin, Logan, and Thomas (they leave on the 20th). Keep Jody and Sarah - and the rest of the Songhai team in your prayers as well. Especially their children who haven't come to the faith yet.
Thank you for praying for Caitlin and Jody who had malaria - it stays in your system for a good while, but they are feeling better. :)
Pray for God to work this week. I love y'all - and I'll see you soon!
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