Dearest Friends,
SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
In our last email, we asked you to pray for our visit to a place for special needs children. Yesterday, God answered your prayers. We did 2 programs, one for orphans and one for a group of children that lived at home, but came daily for special help. We were very cautious to say everything in a way that all the children would understand. Also, we had to be careful not to be too loud as loud sounds bother the children. We have a very large bear puppet that requires 2 puppeteers to operate. So that the children would not be frightened, we introduced him, paws first. Slowly, he raised his big head, peeping shyly from behind the curtains.
Children with a wide variety of problems came to the programs. You could tell that some were better fed and dressed. We were told that they were all severely handicapped, but that is not what we saw. Some were very responsive. We were given many smiles, from the children and adults. The staff was especially grateful for our presence, though they were not believers. The children and the adults all heard clearly how they could be forgiven and find hope in knowing Jesus Christ.
As Toby’s puppet played the guitar, one little boy stood and played along. Another little boy stood up and started to dance. One child was deaf, but he loved colors and movement, so he enjoyed the program. An older teenage girl who sat in a wheelchair had grown up in institutions. She was very conversational, and I wondered what her life had been like. Though this place was unusually clean and bright, it was still an institution that didn’t have much love.
The reality is that many of the children could understand what we were saying. When Jesus calmed that storm in the story, they responded with big smiles. I have been in an ocean of these places. No one really knows what these children can understand. I fully expect to see so many of them in heaven. Then, when the Father has healed their bodies, I expect them to tell us that they understood.
All of us considered today a special gift. We were very grateful for the time that we spent loving these children in Jesus’ name. Naomi and Toby had never visited one of these places, but were very blessed.
A FRENCH TEACHER
Each day, I am so grateful for the Father’s many promises and how He pours His love on my life. Yesterday, I talked with a French teacher who had lost her job and began working with the special needs children. She was very unhappy with her job and bitter about the death of her husband 10 years ago. As we talked, I saw such brokenness and ached for her. In her I saw the person I would have been after Mike’s death except for faith in Jesus Christ. He fills me with hope. I know that Mike and I will be together again. She has no hope. Please pray for her to come to faith!
SNOW
Yesterday afternoon, Silvana told us that she had seen a weather report that promised snow for the evening. When she told us, the sky was blue and the day was so warm that we had abandoned our coats. None of us believed her. We returned to the Bible Institute and began to teach. A couple of hours into the class, we opened the door and saw snow.
It was freezing outside, but no one cared. As soon as we finished class, we had multiple snowball fights. I was very happy to have successfully lured Sam outside so that the entire team could ambush him from behind the van.
SPECIAL PRAYER
Calah’s mother, Melissa, called early yesterday to tell us that Calah’s grandfather, Melissa’s father, had died. Please hold Calah and the entire Sager family in your prayers. Calah is staying in Romania with us.
GRANDCHILDREN
I am very excited to announce that my oldest son, Josh, and his dear wife Teresa are their second child. I am so happy!!!! Please begin to pray for this little one and ask the Father to call him or her to faith in Jesus as a small child. God is so good!
In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Toby Simmons
Naomi Armstrong