A New Beginning

Cris Ann and I are doing very well. She is really amazing in many ways but most of all she is able and willing to apply Gospel truth to her life and our marriage.

Jr, the orphan from town, is doing very good. He really enjoys going to school with Cris Ann everyday and he is progessing in his education as a result. We have given him chores to do every day to teach him the importance of work. He washes the dishes after every meal, waxes the floor with a coconut husk and keeps the children's room clean. We give him an allowance for his work so he can buy his own snacks and coffee during the week. We sat down with him and taught him how to budget using envelops just as I was taught by my parents. He is really excited to work for his money and save it so he can buy himself new jeans.

It is no easy task taking careof Jr though,  because we do not have anyone who supports what we are doing with him. We have had several people, including family that expressed their displeasure in us taking in an orphan.  This makes it difficult, especially because they say it to Cris Ann, not me. But we try not to let that affect us and stay rooted in what the Lord thinks not man.

After a month of praying we decided to start a Sunday school here at the house. Almost all of the kids here do not attend the U-Turn church. Many of the parents do not allow them to go because they do not want to deal with the local priest harassing them and threatening them. Other kids just do not have enough interest to travel to the next village and get bored after a two hour service. Whatever the reason, only two of the kids from our village go to church on Sunday which leaves like 80 kids without. So we decided to start a Sunday school because of the need. We let the word out on Saturday that we would be doing a Sunday school and we had 20 to 30 kids show up with note books and pencils in hand. This number could easily double next week as the word spreads, but it was really cool because a lot of the kids that showed up were not the usual kids. Many of these kids have never been to the church in the next village or a Christian Church at all, but their parents were willing to allow them to come to our home and learn about Jesus. The Lord has worked in the hearts of the people here and granted us acceptance like no other Christians have experienced. This is allowing us to reach those who have never been reached.

There is also a need for the adults to have a service on Sunday. We are planning on having a potluck style fellowship Sunday morning. We will fellowship over food and I will teach with my wife translating. We are so excited and looking forward to seeing who shows up. Just like the kids, I am expecting some adults to join who have never participated in a Christian fellowship before. This could be the start of us really having a serious impact on this village. We will give the adults a chance to hear the Word and experience the love and care of a Christian fellowship.

Prayer Needs:

1. We are still planning on starting an Internet cafe which will serve the needs of the students that attend the college that is right up the street. Several variables need to work in our favour to get this business up and running. If we do succeed we will be able to support the new ministries in Sunday and I will be able to meet the needs of my family.

2. We need prayer about starting a new Sunday fellowship for adults