Dearest Friends,
Cameroon…The Island
In the 29 years that we have been doing puppet ministry, we have never worked on an island off the coast of Africa… until now. Two days before we left, we all climbed into a questionable boat and headed for an island. It was populated by Nigerians and it was an incredible experience. Even many of the adults came to the puppet show!
We did the show in a little church that had a dirt floor. There were no windows or doors. Someone had painted “Jesus is King” on the back wall of the church. They had never seen puppets before or storytelling or balloon tying or really anything that we had with us. I still can not believe that we loaded everything into a boat. It was a wonderful, crazy adventure!
To thank us, they cooked fresh fish over palm fronds that they served with fried potatoes and plantains. The chief of the island came to meet us. He even wrote a special speech that he read, signed and presented to us. Even though I had to climb up to the front of the boat and jump off the gun whale onto the beach, I would not have traded this trip it for anything. I loved telling these children about Jesus! I love the adventure of following Jesus!
Missouri…And So It Begins!
We are traveling across the US this summer, sharing Jesus in places we have never been. Our first stop was in St. Louis and as always, it was an adventure. The children struggled to listen through the opening and the first puppet song. They were unbelievably loud. I was praying constantly and finally as we got into the story, they began to listen.
I finished presenting God’s rescue plan to the children. When I told the children that they could pray with me or watch me pray, one little boy did something incredible! He raised his hand and said, “I will pray with you, ma’m . “ His simple statement of faith made me instantly forget about all of the trouble that we had. More, as he had the courage to pray, others followed his good example. Later, he hugged me, thanked me, and we had our picture taken together. We also gave him a Jesus Storybook Bible. I told him that he could grow up to be a great man of God! He lives in a place where encouragement and vision is not usually offered. Please hold “Sir”, yes that is his name, in your prayers. Please pray for all of these children.
In Jesus, Linda for Kelsey, Drake, Ian , Erin, and Catelin