Dearest Friends,
LEFT AT THE SHRUB
We just came home from the most incredible place!!!! The following report is only Part 1!
This is one of the most remote areas that I have ever worked. We are deep in the bush, hours from anywhere. To reach the children, we turn left at a shrub that looks like every other bush. Sometimes, it is a tree that marks our path. All of these trees look the same to me. The grass is taller than the large Land Rover which is one of the two vehicles we are using.
Suddenly, a clearing will open and we see a school. It is always a surprise! At night, we often make wrong turns as we travel to little churches. They all have dirt floors. One had only straw walls and a torn blue tarp for a roof. Another little church was very nice with brick walls and a metal roof. They also had a dirt floor and only holes for windows. No one here has electricity or indoor bathrooms. We have left the world we know and discovered a beautiful place. The night sky explodes with stars. We listened to precious singing in a language we do not speak, but I was weeping as my spirit bore witness with their spirit.
Best of all each night, we see people put their trust in Jesus. One evening, we met a blind man who had put his trust in Jesus only last year.
These people have nothing and are so grateful to God. They come to the churches at night, in the dark. They do not expect the comforts we demand and then take for granted.
Every evening we shared as flashlights lit up the space where we were standing. Our friend, Todd Smith, preached every evening. Words fail me in describing the wonder and delight of sitting under an African starry sky and worshipping in English and Tonga. God has exploded my soul with joy!
In Jesus, Linda for Kelsey, Drake, Jess, Leslie, Rina, Todd and Kim Smith