A Reminder for Patience

I get frustrated with Muki.  One day, it seems like he is finally understanding what he is reading, that it is penetrating that heart of his, and then the next day, he comes back with something that shows he has not understood at all.  Or perhaps whatever it was that was getting inside his heart has gotten pushed out again.  One day he talks like we have the same king, the next day he talks like we follow very different masters.  It has gone on and on like this for a year now.  Glimmers of hope followed by moments of disappointment.  It has been painfully slow.

Back to the river after fasting month

Sometimes I wonder if he only comes for what he can get.  His coffee, some breakfast, and the obligatory ask for something.  It seems like he doesn’t feel like he can leave the house without asking for something.  Give me a dollar.  Give me some ibuprofen.  Give me some cooking oil.  Give me some rice.  Every time, something.   Sometimes it feels like such a downer—to have a good study and then to have him turn with a “that’s done” sort of attitude and say “now, this is what I need.”  As if his studying were payment for his request.  I often pray that that would never be the case.  I never want it to be that he feels he must study with me to get something—but how can I know his heart?

The month of fasting had me wondering.  We hardly studied at all during the month of fasting.  Could it be because he knew there would be no coffee and snacks for him?  Perhaps… At the same time, the month of fasting is so disruptive to routines, everyone is tired all the time, either buying or selling, cooking or sleeping—I don’t know that I can blame them for not feeling up to studying.  It is one of the many things we don’t like about the month of fasting.

Last week, with the end of the month of fasting, Muki came over for his coffee and his snack and to study.  We had been reading the stories of Moses, so we picked up where we had left off.  A staff became a snake.  The court magicians did the same by their magic, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other snakes.  It’s a good story—but that could not explain Muki’s joy at reading it.  His whole face lit up.  He raved about how this story was so wise, and there was so much for us to gain from it—but that too did not really explain where his joy was coming from.  But I knew.  It was the joy of a soul that had been starved for an entire month—feasting on the nourishment it longed for.  “As a deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you.”  Muki certainly loves his coffee and snacks, but there was no doubt that he loves to study as well.

The next day, a funny thing happened.  As we were talking about life and politics before our study time, he said to me, “So, there’s Africa…and there’s Europe…and America…America is part of Europe, right?”  I got out a globe—it’s really just a ball with a map of the world on it, but it shows the continents.  I pointed out to him the different continents—Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America—“So there’s 2 Americas?”  he said to me.  

Celebrating our 15 year old!

It was a reminder to me.  I get frustrated with how slowly he understands.  I lose patience with him.  How can he seem to understand the good news one day, and then the next day say just the opposite?  But here is a man whose world has been quite small.  He has no sense of the world outside his islands.  Before meeting us, he had probably never met a foreigner—certainly no one who could speak his language and explain to him the things of light and truth and love. Is it any surprise that it’s going to take a while for him to learn and understand these things?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
So glad to have our older kids with us.  We had a wonderful time celebrating our son’s birthday and then, later in the week making a trip to our favorite waterfall.  We are thankful to see that people who were studying before the month of fasting are willing to come back and start studying again.  We’re thankful that Bako is feeling better. Women’s gathering this week and we made a plan to celebrate the holiday all together coming up in two weeks.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for our family time together, that we would balance work and community and fun well.  Pray for Mtsa who is having money troubles.  He has a number of debts that he needs to pay and doesn’t know how he will pay for them.  Pray for Muki, that his love for studying would result in actions of obedience.  A friend of one of our colleagues has been coming around asking Megan lots of questions.  Pray that Megan could guide her towards life.  Pray for our daughter’s healing from her rheumatoid arthritis.

Eids Through the Years!

 Today is the biggest holiday of the island year. Most holidays are tied into the local faith and so we don’t usually celebrate them, but the Eid at the end of the month of fasting is different. It is a time of community. It is the only holiday where people go around and greet all their neighbors, friends and family, sharing treats and blessings. The men and children dress up and go around to different homes, while the women and older girls stay at home to receive the visiting men and children, handing out candy and homemade baked goods.

First Eid on Clove Island

We have been on the islands for many years now. When we first got here, we saw Eid as a great chance to establish ourselves in the community. Tom would take the kids and walk around the neigborhood and go into any open door that they saw— meeting some neighbors for the first time, making connections that we hadn’t realized (that certain people we saw around the neighborhood were all one family or connecting a person to the house they lived in).

Back together again just in time for Eid!

We used to wake up early, anxious to be all ready before the first visitors came. Our kids were excited to start going out, remembering from previous years all the candy and treats that they would accumulate through the long morning of walking all over the place.

As I woke up this morning I realized how things has changed. For one thing we have teenagers, who are not as enticed by candy and more excited about sleeping in longer. Not to mention that our two older kids only got home late yesterday afternoon after three days of travel! We didn’t rush to get our door open or to get outside. We took our time and even told some early kids to come later, that we weren’t ready yet. Tom and the boys headed out, but they went to the people we know. They went to both our current and old neighborhoods, but still it wasn’t super long before they came home to rest before a second short outing. In many ways, I think we are more like other islanders now. Going to every single house in the neighborhood is usually only for the kids who want to get as much candy as possible, filling their bags as fast as they can. We don’t feel the pressure to establish ourselves and are content on reaffirming the relationships we have, which is what most islanders do on Eid. It isn’t usually about new connections but more about strengthening the ones you have….. and maybe also about eating lots of yummy treats!

Sampling of this Eid's hoard

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Thank you for praying for the islands during the month of fasting— we were encouraged by the increased chances to share truth and plant seeds of the good news. Our two older kids made it safely home (on our older son’s birthday). The travel was long and all three of their flight times were moved later, but God sustained them and brought their bags along too! We’re thankful to have them home. We are thankful for our son’s 15 years and all the ways that he has grown and matured and we look forward to celebrating properly after Eid. Tom and the boys had a good time visiting friends and neighbors this morning for Eid.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the islands as we transition back to the non-fasting rhythms of life. Pray that the seeds planted during the month of fasting would not be forgotten but would be nutured and grow. Pray that our two older kids would be able to rest and recover from their travels and have a good break at home. Pray that we can have some good family time together.  Bako has been sick this week, nothing serious, but a chance to for Tom pray with him for his healing.  Pray that he would know where his healing comes from. 

Testing

 We were recently reading the famous story of Abraham and Isaac.  As you may know, it says that one day God decided to test Abraham.  He told Abraham to take his son, his only son, up on a mountain and there, sacrifice him to God.  Abraham agrees and is about to kill his son when God intervenes and stops him.  Abraham sees a ram in the bushes and sacrifices that instead of his son.  Then God blesses Abraham for his faith and obedience.

A calm day on the islands

Whenever we’ve read this story with islanders, they have latched onto the very first words of the story.  The part about the test.

“Life is a test,” they will say.  “We only have this life, and God is testing us.  If we pass the test, we will go to heaven.  If we fail, we will go to hell.  All of life is a test.”

We have heard this reply from so many different islanders that it is seemingly part of their world view.  And every time we hear it, it rubs us the wrong way.  Why?  What is wrong with their assessment?  Doesn’t it say that God tested Abraham?  We couldn’t put our finger on it, but it just sounded off in some way.  Not exactly wrong, but not exactly right.  But how can you explain what it is wrong, when it says it right there in the story—Abraham was tested?

Why does it seem wrong-headed to think of life as one big test? It all has to do with the test.  What happens if you prepare for the wrong test? like reading Moby Dick to prepare for a Calculus exam; or learning to crotchet for a cooking evaluation?  All your preparation will be wasted for the actual test.  In islanders’ minds, the test of life is assumed to be answering the question, “Have you qualified for paradise?” But this is the wrong question—the wrong test!

Secondly, tests are always linked to the test-giver.  Why are they giving the test?  In an ideal sense, teachers say we give tests to evaluate the student and the teacher— reveal what is lacking  so the student can learn better and the teacher can teach better.  The goal is learning, understanding, wisdom, flourishing.  But in reality, tests and teachers often serve as bouncers—who is allowed in and who isn’t.  In the worst case scenario, the teacher cares nothing of the student, learning or wisdom, only the final score—pass or fail—are they in or are they out? What kind of a test-giver is God?  In the minds of most islanders, he is the bouncer—weighing up your balances, and impersonally deciding whether you are in or out.

But as we think about Abraham, we think differently about the test and the test-giver.  First of all, the test-giver is not impersonal.  He speaks to Abraham personally, just as he has spoken to him many times before.  He never mentions the outcome of the test.  He does not give him promises of rewards or threats for failure.  This is clearly not the bouncer.  This is the teacher who wants to see his student learning, growing, flourishing.  He is both gentle and challenging.  He knows what his student is capable of.  Have you ever thought about that?  God knew what Abraham was capable of before this test.  He knew what the outcome would be. So why do it?  A good test draws out the best in a student and puts it on display, as this drew out the best in Abraham.

And as for the test itself—paradise in never mentioned.  The test is not about his worthiness for paradise.  Actually, if we were to sum up the test in a question it would be, “Do you trust me?”  Could this be the test God has been asking each of us through the ages, again and again?

Tom and our son working on meal prep

“Do you trust me?” is a very different kind of test.  You prepare for it by getting to know the one you will put your trust in.  You prepare for it by putting your trust in them again and again and seeing they are faithful.  But passing this test is not based on how much you’ve studied, or learned, or achieved.  Passing this test happens when we put our life in the hands of the one whom we have trusted.  

As we thought about testing some more, the Word’s favorite way to talk about testing is not in terms of school exams, but in terms of refining—burning away the dross to reveal the purest gold.  That fits with our understanding of the test-giver.  He is not waiting to decide our fate—he knows it already.  Instead, He is lovingly working to refine and enhance the best in us and remove the worst.  Do we trust him?  Will we let him cut away the dross—even when it hurts?  Will we put our life in his hands?

 “Life is a test,” they say.  “We only have this life, and God is testing us.  If we pass the test we will go to heaven.  If we fail we will go to hell.  All of life is a test.”

Is life a test?  Perhaps the answer is yes—but not the way you think my friend.  It is not the bouncer asking, “Do you have what it takes for me to let you in?”  It is a loving father, wanting to draw out the best in us by asking, “Do you trust me?”

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Thank you for your prayers for our daughter.  She has been feeling progressively stronger and in less pain.  She has been able to participate close-to-fully in school activities which are pretty busy with the end of term.  Thank you for praying for our meal with Muki, Mtsa and Mtsa’s family.  We had a wonderful time together.  At the end of the meal we read 1 Cor 13.  Mtsa insisted we read through it line by line and consider the implications of each verse.  His wife, sister, and daughters weren’t overly engaged, but they were listening.  His daughter seemed pleased and surprised when I told her she could keep the paper with the passage on it. Megan had a good catch-up and talk with Ma Imani.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We are entering the final week of the month of fasting.  Pray for continued opportunities to share the difference between fasting for points and fasting out of love.  Two island friends, Bako and Sahé, both recently had deaths in their families.  Pray that loss would open up possibilities for life.  During this final week there is a special night called the “Night of Power” when many believe fervent devotion to prayers all night can result in receiving the thing you most want.  Pray that they would discover the one they most need instead. Our two older kids travel back the islands at the end of the week— pray for smooth travels and that traveling wouldn’t be too exhausting for them.  We are entering the final week of the month of fasting, but it is not too late to join us in prayer for the islands. If you want to get a special weekly email with ways to pray, let us know.

What’s Happening to the Islands?

When bad things happen, word gets around on these islands.  And it feels like recently, there has been more bad stuff than usual.  The islands have no big cities like Johannesburg or Nairobi.  Life works on a system of who you know—and everybody knows everybody.  As annoying as this can sometimes be, it is a great crime deterrent.  I can remember the time many years ago when a friend from the other side of the island came to visit.  I asked him what he was doing on our side of the island.  He said his motorcycle had been stolen and he had tracked down who had taken it and where it was!  I remember being amazed.  It’s hard to get away with things when everybody knows what everybody else is doing.  

Chatting about news after breaking fast

But in recent days we have heard some of the kinds of stories that we never used to hear on the islands.  I don’t want to be alarmist.  I still believe our islands are a safe place to live.  But some of the things that have happened in the last 6 months were virtually unheard of before.  They are still isolated cases at this point, but just the fact that they have occurred sets minds uneasy.  In the past few months, 3 armed robberies, a kidnapping, a murder and a rape have all been widely-known stories.  People on the islands are talking and there are signs of more fear setting in.

It was our teammate who noticed it.  When we first came to the islands we would have said that people here have an open door policy.  Front doors are always open and everyone is always welcome.  But our teammate told us that this was no longer true.  If they live on the ground floor, now islanders keep their door closed.  The fact is, you don’t know who might come in your house.  We confirmed with others, people don’t leave their doors open like they used to.

A podcast I was listening to reminded me that cities and  perhaps countries go through phases—times when crime rises and times when crime falls.  Not surprisingly, it is very difficult to know what causes these changes.  So we cannot say what the asnwer is, but we are aware of some factors that might contribute.  The capital city on the big island has grown a lot in the past few years, due in part to a centralization of government.  Its growth has certainly contributed to the possibility of anonymity for would-be criminals. Signs of increased crime are worst in the capital.

Chatting on our porch

Another factor may be the French island.  For years, islanders have been sending their children to live on the French island, putting them into the hands of distant relatives or even the state, hoping that they would find a better life.  But a majority of these children, without parents watching out for them, fell through the cracks, don’t go to school, might become servant slaves in households and are in danger of all kinds of abuse.  Gangs now plague the French island. Many would say it is a result of all these children growing up parent-less.  Islanders look at the crime on the French Island and shake their heads and blame the French government for being soft on crime.  But now the French Island was ravaged by a cyclone and lots of people left there to come back to these islands.  Could some of those lost and forgotten ones who have learned the ways of gangs and crime, be bringing the only life they know back to the islands?  

Or could it be caused by the slow deterioration of justice bubbling over as the local government withholds the rights of its citizens with increasing regularity?  Or is it the slow grind of economic forces—people desperate to get by as prices climb and the basics of life get more difficult to possess?  

Things are not better off than they were 5 years ago.  We perceive the change and although we aren’t trying to be alarmist and we don’t suddenly feel unsafe, we all wonder, “Will it get better or will it get worse?” No one knows. We join islanders in lamenting the changes for the worse and the accompanying increase in crime and the more serious types of crimes being committed.

One of our friends said, “And it’s just terrible that these [crimes] are happening during the month of fasting!”  Many in the group nodded their heads.  Then one young man turned to the first and wisely said, “It’s terrible that things like this happen any time.”  Amen.  

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The weather cleared and our colleague from the medical team flew safely back to Clove Island and got her bag too (after a couple days). Praise that power has improved this past week with fewer long outages (which means we have fans for more of the day). Megan got to share the story that was studied at the women's gathering with one of the island sisters that didn’t make it last week. Tom is co-teaching a new English course and it led to him getting to share truth with some new people. Another former student contacted Tom asking where he could read about the good news.  All of us continue to get more chances to share the good news as people ask us, “Are you fasting?”

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the islands— that whatever the factors, there would be an end to this rise in crime!  Our daughter is in a middle of a flare-up of her rheumatoid arthritis and they are in the last two weeks of her school term, which are full and more stressful. Pray for her healing and for encouragement for her heart. We are planning to break the fast with Muki and Mtsa and Mtsa’s family. Pray that this would be a good opportunity to deepen relationship with them. Our older kids’ school in mainland Africa jus posted their staffing needs for next year— pray that God would call the people to serve there. Keep praying for the increased chances to share during the month of fasting. We are already halfway through the month, but it is not too late to join us in prayer for the islands. If you want to get a special weekly email with ways to pray, let us know.

Let the Little Children

This morning I read the famous words, “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them,” and as I reflected I was momentarily sad that we don’t do more with kids here.  

Megan and friend's daughter last night

In this part of the world, foreigners exerting too much influence on children is seen as highly suspect. So in our effort to be above reproach we don’t focus on children too much, and instead we make a point of focusing on engaging with adults mostly.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have interactions with kids. We see kids all the time. Our home is right next to a school, so every morning, midday and late afternoon there is a whole wave of kids walking down the street right in front of our house. Islanders have lots of kids. On the islands, it is actually considered a religious obligation to have children and households are mostly multi-generational. So any time we visit an island home, there are usually kids around.

Some kids are kept at home and are given a lot of attention and parenting. Other island kids are left to their own devices most of the time and might even wander the streets with their friends, potentially from as young an age as 7 or younger if they are boys.

Everpresent groups of kids in the background

In big households, kids are often used as messengers. There are a handful of kids that are regulars at our doorstep simply because they are constantly sent to our house with messages or requests by their moms or grandmas.

Some island kids are deathly afraid of foreigners (in villages the ‘white person’ is sometimes the boogey man in scary stories). We’ve even heard parents say, “Look, here come the white people, they’re coming to take you away!” Island kids are also sometimes taught in school that people that don’t follow the majority faith here are bad. I remember our kids coming home upset one day because their friends after one such lesson had asked our kids, “So is your dad a bad man?” Still, in spite of this, there are plenty of island kids that are drawn to us because we are outsiders and different. They will run after us in the streets in the hopes of touching us or giving us a high five. They will yell out greetings from inside their houses as we pass, seeing their chance to practice their French or English if they have it.

Probably our biggest fans are our friends’ kids. They will yell our names, run up and give us hugs. One little boy makes his mom climb the flight of stairs to see us anytime they pass by our house.

English Club after breaking fast meal

As I kept reflecting this morning, I realized that for many of these kids, we may be the only foreigner, the only person of a different faith that they have had significant interactions with. We’re here and they can see us, touch us, and sense that we are not bad people. We are members of their community and real people, not just subjects of scary stories.

Sometimes knowing a person that is different can have a powerful potential to tear down stereotypes and misperceptions. So as I reflected this morning, I was encouraged. We can trust that our presence here is having an impact on the children with whom we interact, and even removing barriers and hindrances from these kids’ paths. Let the little children come to him and do not hinder them.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Women’s gathering went well. The month of fasting meant we met earlier than normal so the heat kept some people away, but those that came were engaged.  We have gotten some rain which has brought some needed relief to the heat. Megan got her skin biopsy results— two were fine with no problems, the doctor is seeking a second opinion for the third biopsy but it looks okay so far. Thanks for praying. We had a nice visit from our colleague from the big island and she made it back there safely. Tom had a particularly good study with Mtsa today and was encouraged. We got to break the fast with a bunch of people from our English Club and had fun with some of their kids too.
 
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that we could be a positive and loving presence in the lives of many island children. Pray that we would have chances to share with their parents and them. Our daughter caught a cold and had to pause her immunosuppressant medications that are treating her rheumatoid arthritis. Last time she did this she had a bad flare-up in her arthritis. Pray that this would not happen this time, that she would be healthy, painfree and not have any flare-ups. We are catching the edges of a cyclone (that is well south of us), so it has been a rainy and windy day. It means that a colleague from the medical team was not able to fly back to Clove today, pray that the weather clears so that she can make it back. Continue to pray with us and for the islands during the month of fasting. If you want to get special emails with ways to pray this month, let us know— it’s not too late!

Standing Firm During the Fast

 The month of fasting is upon us and with it a whole host of questions.  How should we conduct ourselves?  How should our brothers and sisters live?  How do we answer the constant question of “Are you fasting?”  How do we answer the question from an island friends, “Should I fast?”  Before you jump to an answer, take a moment to ponder what life is like during this time.

Crescent new moon starts month of fasting

EVERYONE is fasting.  If you were to eat or drink in public you could be arrested.  If your family is part of the majority faith then they are all fasting.  That means they are waking up in the middle of the night to eat and drink before sunrise.  Will you get up with them?  Will you eat with them?  In the morning and during the day, there will be no breakfast or lunch prepared for you even if you wanted it.  If you were to prepare breakfast for yourself, the smells of cooking and the sight of you eating would be a cruel and unwelcomed temptation for those fasting around you.  How could you do it in such a way that would not be offensive?  Then as evening comes and everyone with great relief begins to eat and drink, could you celebrate with them, if you were not fasting along side them?

And yet, in your heart you know you are free.  You know that no amount fasting will forgive your sins.  You know that the action is futile as a points towards heaven and an undue burden.  Do you take on this burden as well for their sakes?  Is this what it means to become all things to all people?  Yet all around you are people who think their fasting is paving their way to paradise—they are even proud of it.   In your efforts to honor and respect them, it would appear that you are no different—that you agree with their fasting—even support it.  In your efforts to respect have you simply hidden your light under a bushel?  Can you stand by and do nothing when you see so many suffering needlessly?  Can you do nothing, say nothing?  Either the truth will burn inside you until it bursts forth, or you will feel the fire inside you smolder and die.   

Snuck in river trip before fasting started

It’s easier for a foreigner, or for a family.  What you do in the privacy of your own home is your own business.   No one expects a foreigner to fast, but they ask us all the time if we are.  They try to compel us and cajole. “Try one day! Just give it a try.  It’s good for the body.  You live here, don’t you?  You speak our language.  You wear our clothes.  Why don't you fast with us?”  

Often they mock us, “Oh you can’t do it, can you?  It’s too difficult for you.  You’re too weak.”  Implying at the same time that we are weak in spirit as well as body—that a true follower would be strong in such disciplines.  The ones like this very rarely listen to our thoughtful heartfelt responses, but rather just laugh at us—those poor foreigners.  If this is the reaction to foreigners, what might it be to a local.  I fear a much nastier answer would be given, along with insults and threats.

It is no easy thing to navigate this month.  Just today our house helper brought her seven year old daughter to work with her.  Why?  To force her to fast.  They feel it is time for her to learn to fast—even if just for a few days and they don’t trust her.  So she has to be watched. They even follow her into the bathroom to make sure she’s not sneaking any water.  The days have been hot—miserably hot.  She’s a seven year old girl.  We feel for her.  We wouldn’t go so far as to offer her a drink against her mother’s wishes, but if we caught her drinking while her mom wasn’t around—we wouldn’t say anything.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Muki and Mtsa have been eager to keep studying even during the month of fasting! All of our colleagues on the small island made it safely back! Our older kids had a choir concert and our daughter had a solo, we’re thankful that the school was able to livestream it so we could enjoy the performance. We removed the stitches and Megan’s skin biopsy incisions are healing well (no biopsy results yet). Our island sister Elewa just had a opportunity to share and answer questions with 12 women in her community— may it bear great fruit!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Pray for our island brothers and sisters as they navigate this month of fasting. Pray for the women’s gathering as we start a new study— pray that women still come in spite of the heat and the month of fasting. Pray for some rains— it is miserably hot right now and didn’t rain all week. We have a worker from the big island visiting, pray that her visit might be mutually encouraging. Pray for our friends on the French Island, crime has been increasing there and a few mentally ill men have become violent and destructive in their neighborhood, leading to some scary incidents. Pray for peace (both spiritually and physically) and for the continued post-cyclone recovery of that island.

Coming Home Surprises

You never know what you will come back to after a time away from your island home.

Our plants are alive!

When we’re gone a long time, we have come to expect that we’ll find something gross or unpleasant on our return. Once it was a dessicated rat that had been trapped in the room with our belongings and had obviously starved to death after trying various inedible things in the room. Sometimes it is to find that clothes or other fabrics have mildewed in the tropical climate. Other times we return home to signs of different infestations (whether ant, cockroach, mice or rat). We have come to expect that our plants will be dead (sometimes from lack of water, sometimes from over-watering).

But this time we hadn’t been gone that long. I can’t say we were expecting any real surprises. There was the pleasant surprise that our plants looked okay (it was long enough for them to suffer). Some of our rooms smelled a bit musty, but opened windows and doors helped sort that out.

It wasn’t until I opened our kitchen door that the surprise came. It took me a little while to understand what I was seeing. Across the wall was a splattering of red, dramatically across our kitchen knives, but it wasn’t just that one spot. Extending all the way to the opposite corner, spots of dried red could be seen. I quickly turned to our pantry shelf and discovered ground zero. What was left of the canned tomatoes was sitting in a tarlike substance with remnants of canned tomatoes on everything in the vicinty.

On closer inspection it became clear that one can had ruptured, but another had completely exploded with force. The can’s pull back lid was completely blown off, the impact on the ceiling of the shelf showed the impact and a bottle of oil had been knocked to the floor. Three of our four kitchen walls were splattered with tomato remains.

Unfortunately for us, it must have happened early in our time away, because if it wasn’t dried on, it was sitting in putrified layers on our kitchen shelves.

As we cleaned, we had to marvel… we’ve gotten used to coming-home surprises, but we hadn’t expected this one!

Ground zero

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We had a good week at our kids’ boarding school, getting to see their life there while our youngest got his annual standardized testing done and we were given more help and strategies for homeschooling.  We are so thankful for the school our kids go to and for all the people in our organization who work hard to make sure our kids are thriving and that we are teaching them well in homeschool.  It was very encouraging.  Our youngest had a great week hanging out with other kids his age, which was nice to see.  We managed to get back home without too much hassle about our daughter’s medicine.  Our daughter seems to be feeling better this week.  We also managed to clean up the tomato explosion without too much trouble. Our former teammate had a baby this week!  Her little girl is beautiful and mom and baby are doing well.  

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for us as we get back into island life and into our normal routines of homeschool, studying with friends, and everyday life in a very hot place!  Megan seems to be healing well, but pray that her skin biopsies will all come back negative.  One of our colleauges missed their flight.  Pray they wouldn’t have too much trouble finding their way back to the islands.  We’ve had some very saddening news from an expat family on the big island.  We don’t know this family well, but they have the same heart for the islands as we do.  The wife and mother of three little children has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Join us in praying for miraculous healing.  

MONTH OF FASTING: The month of fasting will begin this coming weekend— if you would like to get special emails about how to pray during the month or links to a website dedicated to praying for the islands, let us know (those of you on our newsletter mailing list will get an email invitation soon).