Mark feeding a Giraffe!
Mark
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Cobra, Cobra!!! A "Faster than Folgers" wake up call!
It’s Saturday and we just finished another morning with the developmentally disabled children’s choir. “Developmentally Disabled” is the politically correct term nowadays for handicapped. You could say, “physically challenged” as well, but I don’t normally use that word because ever since I hit 40 and put on that extra 15 pounds I seem to be pretty physically challenged myself. Sometimes just getting out of bed is physically challenging.
Anyways, we’re seeing new faces each Saturday as the Lord just keeps sending more kids in. We’ve got a choir of about 40 kids now, but I think only about 20 of them would really be ready to sing in a performance. That’s ok though, our purpose isn’t really to “perform,” but to provide them a place where they can feel God’s presence, learn about how God sees them, and feel part of a peer group where they aren’t looked down upon, but are equal.
The greater number means more mouths to feed as well. Kim was asking how they were going to continue feeding all the kids after we leave on furlough. It’s costing almost $50.00 each practice for light snacks as it is. I don’t know at this point, but I’m so convinced that what we’re doing is so pleasing to the Lord that He will provide.
It was a good morning and a good time of singing. Better start than yesterday, that’s for sure. Yesterday I was awakened to: “Daddy, daddy, get up, quick! There’s a cobra in the yard. Hurry! It’s a spitting cobra.
I jumped out of that bed and ran outside, grabbing a shovel on the way. What I saw was even more shocking than how I was awakened. There was Kim out there, about 6 feet away from the snake, throwing rocks at it, trying to kill the thing. By the time I got there, she had just about knocked the thing senseless, so it took very little effort on my part to finish it off. As bad as she had pummeled it, I think I’d call my part a “mercy killing.”
I asked her, “What in the world are you doing, taking on a cobra?” and she responded, “You think I’m gonna let that thing loose in our yard?”
Now, that’s the difference between a woman who’s been if Africa 7 months, and one who’s been here for 7 years. Donna (our neighbor) is just as bad. She’s keeping it in a jar for her kids’ science project - dissect a spitting cobra.
Our travel plans to Malange, Ndalatango, and other cities in the provinces have been blocked right now and this is a really important prayer concern.
The reason we can’t travel is because the generator on our campus burnt up and to leave our houses empty without security lighting would be an open invitation for thieves to have their way. Already, someone has stolen about 250 gallons of gas from our storage tanks before we were able to weld a locking mechanism on the tank to lock up the remainder of our fuel.
A new generator here for the 3 houses would cost $20,000.00. So far, $8000.00 has been raised. Please pray on this one. Without this generator we can’t go into the provinces to reach the lost and it is dangerous at night.
If your heart is touched by this, and you want to respond, please let me know. Once again, we leave on furlough in May and we were planning on using these last months to travel around and do ministry in the provinces. Without a working generator here to keep our families safe, we’re stuck in Luanda.
To visit our website online, copy and follow this link:
http://ag.org/top/missionary_directory/world/world.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM01A3
To donate to this ministry online, copy and follow this link:
https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/detail.cfm?LedgerID=331751C2-1949-4AC1-B3D8-4044B2EEEBDC
Anyways, we’re seeing new faces each Saturday as the Lord just keeps sending more kids in. We’ve got a choir of about 40 kids now, but I think only about 20 of them would really be ready to sing in a performance. That’s ok though, our purpose isn’t really to “perform,” but to provide them a place where they can feel God’s presence, learn about how God sees them, and feel part of a peer group where they aren’t looked down upon, but are equal.
The greater number means more mouths to feed as well. Kim was asking how they were going to continue feeding all the kids after we leave on furlough. It’s costing almost $50.00 each practice for light snacks as it is. I don’t know at this point, but I’m so convinced that what we’re doing is so pleasing to the Lord that He will provide.
It was a good morning and a good time of singing. Better start than yesterday, that’s for sure. Yesterday I was awakened to: “Daddy, daddy, get up, quick! There’s a cobra in the yard. Hurry! It’s a spitting cobra.
I jumped out of that bed and ran outside, grabbing a shovel on the way. What I saw was even more shocking than how I was awakened. There was Kim out there, about 6 feet away from the snake, throwing rocks at it, trying to kill the thing. By the time I got there, she had just about knocked the thing senseless, so it took very little effort on my part to finish it off. As bad as she had pummeled it, I think I’d call my part a “mercy killing.”
I asked her, “What in the world are you doing, taking on a cobra?” and she responded, “You think I’m gonna let that thing loose in our yard?”
Now, that’s the difference between a woman who’s been if Africa 7 months, and one who’s been here for 7 years. Donna (our neighbor) is just as bad. She’s keeping it in a jar for her kids’ science project - dissect a spitting cobra.
Our travel plans to Malange, Ndalatango, and other cities in the provinces have been blocked right now and this is a really important prayer concern.
The reason we can’t travel is because the generator on our campus burnt up and to leave our houses empty without security lighting would be an open invitation for thieves to have their way. Already, someone has stolen about 250 gallons of gas from our storage tanks before we were able to weld a locking mechanism on the tank to lock up the remainder of our fuel.
A new generator here for the 3 houses would cost $20,000.00. So far, $8000.00 has been raised. Please pray on this one. Without this generator we can’t go into the provinces to reach the lost and it is dangerous at night.
If your heart is touched by this, and you want to respond, please let me know. Once again, we leave on furlough in May and we were planning on using these last months to travel around and do ministry in the provinces. Without a working generator here to keep our families safe, we’re stuck in Luanda.
To visit our website online, copy and follow this link:
http://ag.org/top/missionary_directory/world/world.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM01A3
To donate to this ministry online, copy and follow this link:
https://secure1.ag.org/contributions/detail.cfm?LedgerID=331751C2-1949-4AC1-B3D8-4044B2EEEBDC
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Back from Namibia
Well, it's the beginning of February and we're back from Namibia. About 50 hours of driving, whoah! The trip down wasn't so bad. We stopped along the way to minister to children at the Teen Challenge Center in Benguela, and then we stayed almost a week in Lubongo, training leaders in children's ministries and distributing resources (puppets, books, etc.)
Then, we went down to Namibia and spent almost another week in Otjiwarango where we did a Children's Christmas Festival for the local children. It was great. God spoke to people's hearts to give to our ministry, so we were able to really able to do it up right, buying bicycles and cd diskmans as prizes, doing lots of fun games, and some great crafts. The programs we did spoke about the gifts that God gives us. The best gift, His Son, and also the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The drive going down wasn't so bad because it was broken up, but the drive back we did just about straight through and it was a killer. The last day I just couldn't drive any further. I got so sick we had to stop and I just laid down. I know people were praying for me because after about 2 hours, all the symptoms went away and I felt fine and was able to drive the rest of the way. I do appreciate Brother Paul for taking the wheel those two hours that I was out.
My knee is getting better. Slowly but surely. I opted out of the surgery, trusting God for a slow, but complete healing.
Thanks for your continued prayers over this.
Next week we go into Kwanza North and up into Malange to put in a church foundation, as well as to do children's ministry workshops, preach, and show the Jesus film. Next Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Thanks for keeping us in prayer.
-Mark
Then, we went down to Namibia and spent almost another week in Otjiwarango where we did a Children's Christmas Festival for the local children. It was great. God spoke to people's hearts to give to our ministry, so we were able to really able to do it up right, buying bicycles and cd diskmans as prizes, doing lots of fun games, and some great crafts. The programs we did spoke about the gifts that God gives us. The best gift, His Son, and also the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The drive going down wasn't so bad because it was broken up, but the drive back we did just about straight through and it was a killer. The last day I just couldn't drive any further. I got so sick we had to stop and I just laid down. I know people were praying for me because after about 2 hours, all the symptoms went away and I felt fine and was able to drive the rest of the way. I do appreciate Brother Paul for taking the wheel those two hours that I was out.
My knee is getting better. Slowly but surely. I opted out of the surgery, trusting God for a slow, but complete healing.
Thanks for your continued prayers over this.
Next week we go into Kwanza North and up into Malange to put in a church foundation, as well as to do children's ministry workshops, preach, and show the Jesus film. Next Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Thanks for keeping us in prayer.
-Mark
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