mmisionari: June 25, 2017- Day 8

Sunday morning. Having church in the chapel with the resident children. Bill and Alfie talked about serving one another and about washing one another's feet. Bill washed Patrick's feet. It was beautiful.

After that, Victoria wanted each child individually prayed for, so we spent some time doing that, praying for whomever we felt lead to pray for. I prayed for Erick, holding him in my arms as he snuggled in to me. Patrick. Wilson. Each so precious. Then, I felt lead to pray for Emily. And I wept, praying hard for protection. She laid her head in my lap ad I stroked her head and her cheek. Maybe my emotions are from PMS, but I'd like to think they're not....

After church, we headed to the waterfall so the kids could go swimming. It was quite a hike/walk to get there, but sooo worth it! It was beautiful! Somewhere along the course of the day, I decided to sponsor Emily. Victoria said she doesn't have many sponsors (each child needs 4 to be fully sponsored). She shared that Emily was living with her grandma, but that her grandma is very sick and close to dying. EOFO is trying to get custody of Emily, because if her grandmother dies before they have custody, she will go into the hands of her grandfather, and that will be very, very bad for her. Perhaps that is why I felt so strongly to pray for protection for her....I pray that EOFO is able to get custody of her....

On the way back from the waterfall, we took the road, rather than cut through the high, itchy grass. It was quiet as we walked. Hand-in-hand with Emily, I asked her if she knew any songs we could sing. Quietly, she said yes. She began to sing "There is power, in the name of Jesus...to break every chain...." I sang with her. When we got to the part about there being an army rising up, tears came to my eyes. We are that army. She is that army. I am that army. We can bring the freedom of Christ to others around us....

After the waterfall, we had lunch. At 2:00, a group came for food distribution. What a humbling experience that was. There was a lady who had lost her fingers to leprosy. Another had a large hole in her face due to cancer. Others were blind. One had lost his leg and his prosthetic leg was broken. This man said he came 9-10 miles to get food. Others came 7 miles or more. They come to get around 30 lbs. of beans and maize that hopefully will last them a month if they ration it out properly. After coming 7 or more miles, they then put their 30 lbs. of food on their backs or heads and then begin the 7 or more miles back home. One blind man who had come 9-10 miles carried his food on his head. And I thought I had things to complain about?

God, let this not just be an experience. Let all I see and hear and do here be forever life-changing.

The people who came today....I wanted to help them carry their food...but I couldn't. Some of them would be walking in the dark, which is not a good time of day. And having food with them makes them very vulnerable....

In church this morning, I loved singing "How He Loves" with my brothers and sisters. Singing to our Baba together is simply amazing.

I give my testimony tomorrow. I think I'll talk about how He is a good Baba-not at all like our earthly parents. And He promises never ever to leave us. He is with us in the hard and dark valley times, and in the good mountain times.

Before dinner tonight, we distributed clothes to the girls and boys who live here at EOFO. After that, we walked 10-15 minutes to Moses's house to visit his grandmother. Moses's story is amazing, with his grandmother playing an integral part. So it was wonderful to get to meet this amazing woman.

Today when we distributed food, while waiting for the gal who is in charge of it to arrive, I had the opportunity to pray for many of the women who came. They all had various pains and I was privileged to pray for them all. The woman, Theresa, with the hole in her face-I felt the Lord wanted her to know that she is beautiful and that there is no shame. Moses was there, so I had him come over and asked him to translate. He did, and when she heard that she was beautiful, a sound came out of her mouth, like a half laugh, that sounded as if she had never been told she was beautiful before, and couldn't believe someone was saying she was. It was as if she didn't believe it. It was the last thing she was probably expecting to hear that day....

Alfie told me a little bit of Purity's story. It's a sad story, but God will get the glory some day. She also told me that many of the girls here have endured female genital mutilation. They go home on breaks from school, and it happens then. Their families shave their heads and force them to work in the fields or on the shambas (farms). I just can't imagine....

Lord, why do you want me here? I have no doubt that you do, but why? What do you want to do here?