Final Update

I could make excuses about why I was so bad about keeping up with this blog, but I'll skip to the important things!

Here are a few of the blessings God allowed us to be a part of this year:

An 18-year-old young man, pseudonym David, began attending our Bible study in late April. He had been invited by another attendee. David stayed after Bible study several times to talk one-on-one with Luigi, another translator who was with us for several weeks. David received the Gospel as truth and came back to Bible study each week. We baptized David in June and saw amazing spiritual growth in him throughout the remainder of our time there. He immediately began reading the Bible we gave him on his own. A couple weeks after he'd started attending, David shared that he had read the entire book of Job that week. I asked him what it had taught him, and he said, "God is right in everything he does, even when we don't understand why." Some of his friends with whom he'd shared his faith wanted to come to Bible study, but they were too shy. He asked us to pray that they would come. I told him, "We will pray that they will come, but know that you have the Holy Spirit and you have all the power you need to share what you learn in God's Word with them." David brought a younger friend of his to Bible study several times while we were there, who also listened carefully. I was amazed at David's answers to discussion questions during Bible study, which showed his God-given understanding. I saw that it is God who teaches the hearts of his children through His word and gives understanding to those who seek it. I believe God is going to use David to lead many others to grow in Christ. Seeing the spiritual hunger and growth God gave David reminded me of this verse: "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it break forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

I was so glad to stay with two of our Bible study attendees every time we went to their village and see the spiritual growth in them and how God was working in their family. I'll call them Dana and Peter here. Dana read her Bible often, even as she was working in her store. Sometimes, we witnessed Peter and Dana reading their Bible together. Dana shared the Gospel with many people, including her entire family, many of whom were resistant. Before we left, though, her daughter-in-law had attended Bible study several times. Although she seemed skeptical, she kept coming back and would read along with us and offer answers to our questions. Dana's cousin also expressed interest and wanted a Bible, which we gave to Dana to give to him. Dana's daughters, who usually could not attend Bible study because they were away at school, wrote a note to Jael and me before we left. They wrote, "Thank you for teaching the Bible to both of our parents. We can really see how the Lord change the life of my mother and father. We also see how God changes our life too. We really desire that our Bible Study will continue."

In the smallest village we went to, there were six ladies who regularly attended Bible study. It was a joy for us to see their joy in meeting together and how they faithfully read the Word on their own. Sometimes, during our Bible studies, I would get lost from the discussion, because the ladies were eagerly discussing among themselves, leaving no time for my translator to translate back to me. I was excited to see this, because it showed how they were becoming one as a group and carrying the discussion without me, learning from each other! Each Bible study, we would encourage them to share with others what they learned. One lady said to me, "That is hard for me. I am a very shy woman." (I will call her Nancy.) I was able to say to her honestly, "I'm shy too, but as you see, God strengthens me to teach others! He can do the same in you." Just as I thought might happen, Nancy seemed to be the most faithful in sharing with others. Every week, she would share what she learned in Bible study with her mother, who could not come to Bible study because of her health. Nancy would also share what was discussed with others who missed Bible study. Before we left, we discussed who would lead their group when we were gone. All the ladies were willing to take turns leading.

The family we stayed with on Fridays was a huge blessing to us. They lovingly treated us like family and were so eager to learn and grow in their faith. They loved to joke and we had many laughs with them. The youngest daughter of the family read her Bible a lot on her own, and though she was very shy, she wanted to start a Bible study at her school. She discussed this with Jael outside of Bible study. She brought two friends to Bible study who believed and were baptized. Another man, with whom the father of the family shared the Gospel, believed and was baptized also.

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Some funny moments...

One very early and rainy morning, I was getting on the boat, and it finally happened. The boat tipped, and I fell off. I was in no danger, as I could have stood in the water where I was. However, the lady behind me was crying for help and trying to rescue me by pulling me out of the water by my hair. Meanwhile, I was more concerned for my cell phone, so I was trying to hand my bag up to her on the boat, but I couldn't get it over my head because she was holding on to my hair. Finally, she stopped calling for help long enough that I could say, "Could you take this please?" Then I climbed onto the boat. My cell phone was fine, and so was I. Jael enjoyed telling everyone about this for the next few days.

  I was collecting prayer requests after one of our Bible studies. One lady wanted to pray that God would heal her cough. When Luigi translated "cough," it sounded like he said "calf." I was very confused at first, and everyone laughed when I told them what I had been about to pray for!

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Looking back over the last six months, I feel beyond blessed. I didn't enjoy every moment. There were times I just wanted to go and be introverted me in a hole somewhere. I missed my friends and family. When people asked me what I missed most about home, I always said it was having close friends nearby. I definitely missed American food, but I did get to discover lots of new things I liked! Now, I miss the delicious, fresh rice. And Jael's cooking. These last six months weren't without hardship, but I was doing what God made me to do: sharing the love Jesus has for every person he created with people who have been waiting for their chance to hear about it. And I came to love people and a place that I'd never even heard of a year ago. I am ETERNALLY grateful for a God who not only created us but has adopted us as his own children and poured out his love into our hearts.