Dearest Friends,
You will love this report! We did four shows today and at each one, we saw God do something wonderful. Tomorrow, I will give you the last show’s report.
A Remote Village
Our friends called the village an "interior" village. We ran out of paved road pretty fast as we continued on a very rough dirt road. Sometimes, the road seemed consumed by the potholes which filled with water and resembled lakes. You had the feeling that if you closed your eyes for just a few minutes all of the trees and vines would race across the road and it would disappear entirely. Cocoa trees and banana trees were every where. We also saw the trees that they make into matches.
When we arrived at the village, our friends warned us that the school was very bad. They said that you would not want to keep your goats in it. They told the truth. The children carried benches into the yard and the village quickly gathered. Old people, young people, everyone came to watch the puppet show. It was like a big party. Everything that we did was something new to them, something that they had never seen.
So many children trusted in Jesus. This was a very special time for all of us. Please hold these children in your prayers. Most all of the children had open sores or felt warm to touch. One little boy got very sick during the show. Malaria is a big problem here. In this life, these children have nothing. Pray that they hold onto Jesus!
Teenagers and Sticks
We arrived very late for our second show despite our best efforts. All of us prayed, asking the Lord to cause the school’s leadership to give us permission. When they told us that we could go ahead and do the program, we set up as fast as we could. I took the sticks off of several teachers before we started. One of the teenagers clapped and others began to whisper. By the time we started, all of the teenagers were curious as to why we would protect them. We were delighted to hear many teenagers praying out loud, asking Jesus to rescue them. God used the teacher’s unkindness to soften the teenager’s hearts to the Gospel.
The Fence
We arrived at one school and were surprised to see the children hanging over a fence constructed of wooden slabs. They were so excited that we came! As I entered the fenced area, they were hitting the children. I collected all their sticks, boards, and canes and tried to encourage the teachers to use kindness in dealing with the children. Some of the teachers seemed to listen, but one continued to hit the children with her hand and yell at them. You just can not really understand how awful it is for children here, especially in public schools like this one.
I wished you could have seen the way they listened to the Bible story. These children are so hungry to hear about love and hope. They prayed loudly, eager to meet Jesus.
Heather, Mykayla, and Paige
I can not say enough about the sacrificial efforts of these Godly young women. Despite the heat and their own discomfort, they have never complained. They put their eyes on Jesus and focused on the children’s desperate need to hear about God’s love. It has been an honor to serve with them in Nigeria. I encourage you to pray for them and ask God to give them direction in where they should serve when they graduate from university.
In Jesus,
Linda for Mykayla, Paige, and Heather