We got another email from Sheri! How exciting it is that we can receive reports so quickly all the way from the African mission field! What an awesome God we serve! Thank You, Lord Jesus!
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| Sheri Graham |
Friday night 8/8:
I had dinner Friday w/Carlos, founder of Rubatano
(AIDS ministry). I will be working with
him 1-2 days per week to see AIDS patients, attend an Orphan Workshop, and do
some teaching at 1 or 2 Workers’ Workshops including some basic wound care. Carlos & Pascaul are grieving the recent
loss of their 8 month old daughter. Although there are fewer mosquitos this
season due to the drought, the winter wasn’t cold enough to kill them off, so
Malaria is present. There were 2 new cases last week, one being Carlos’ son,
but he looks good although tired. Enrique seems to really have a heart for the
orphans. I want to get him & Carlos together to discuss Carlos’ 3-service
model. Cecil & Enrique had good visit w/Roy & Trish while I was at
Carlos’.
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| Repairing the old well |
Saturday 8/9:
Steph, Enrique & I went to town to shop for
materials & supplies for the clinic. Cecil went with Roy to tour the well
and campus watering system/lines. After lunch we helped Roy run a new line down
the old well, trying to get more water, which I guess didn’t work. We all 3
then worked on the clinic doors, lights, and prepared one room for paint.
Nanna arrived
this evening! She looks great! She visited
for just a moment, as she was overwhelmed with all her Maforga family welcoming
her back. It’s truly a miracle she has
returned, as everyone had expected her to pass after hip surgery complications.
Steph played a recording for me of a
woman’s first-hand account of the abuse at the local hospital. Several women & newborns have died because
they didn’t have money to pay [bribe] the delivery nurse. The nurse was
recently fired, but not imprisoned since there is no hard evidence.
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| Nanna and Sheri from the 2013 trip |
Dinner was with
Roy and Trish and awesome fellowship! We gave them the well money and pix of
CLC [Christian Life Center]. They are so thankful for CCM [Calvary Chapel
Mesquite] answering their prayers for a new well, and they were awed by God
placing the desire to bless Maforga in CLC’s hearts. They ask that we email
thanks, blessings and pictures of Maforga back to CLC, which we will do when we
get some good pix.
Trish seemed generally discouraged at first, as she
talked about the weariness of all the little things that go wrong every day,
making it hard to get through just one day. And how investing in the lives of
the children & many times seeing them fall away is very discouraging. But
as we encouraged her, she told us how the “prodigals are coming home.” One
orphan girl that was constant trouble at Maforga ended up pregnant a while ago,
but has now returned married w/3 kids, and working at the orphanage – Trish
said the turn-around is stunning (come to think of it…this girl should give her
testimony at church!). She also knows of several Maforga orphans that have
since gone on to open mini-orphanages, where they secure a home for themselves
and bring a few orphans into their home. Evil & wickedness are definitely
out there, but we see God moving even more intensely!
Sun 8/10/14:
Roy had asked each of us last night if we’d share at
church Sun am. Cecil & Enrique said they weren’t ready, so I said I would.
I prepared a message using Isa 17:5-8 since they’re in a severe drought. Early
this A.M., I realized I had taught that scripture last year at the Women’s
Conference. So I instead prepped a lesson on Discouragement, which was my
morning’s daily devotional reading. I was playing worship music this am while
preparing; Enrique was then given boldness & decided he was ready to share.
The 1st hour of church was worship African style – so much fun, and awesome to
hear the Lord worshipped in different tongues!
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| Enrique sharing his heart at church in Maforga |
Enrique
shared how the Lord put Maforga on his heart and what he hoped to accomplish
during his visit. Then I did my lesson on continuing our journey in the Lord’s
strength, not growing weary or discouraged. A little boy had attached himself
to Enrique during the service and sat on his lap most of the time. Suddenly he
realized his leg was warm & wet! He didn’t know what to do, but finally a
young lady noticed the urine dripping onto the floor, and released Enrique so
he could leave to change his pants!
Cecil was very encouraged by the entire service and
said he will share in the next week or 2. Cec is really social & I think he
would do great teaching the older boys how to do maintenance work on the
grounds, make it fun, and teach the boys to respect themselves and all the Lord
has blessed them with. A few of the teenage boys have been drawn to Enrique, so
I hope they can maybe dinner together later this week if it’s ok w/Sarah &
Kees. They manage the older boys campus of Maforga, about a mile away from the
“farm” campus where everything else is (church, clinic, children & older
girls orphanage, saw mill, garden, livestock) & where we are staying. Lunched
@ Stephanie’s with Sarah & Daniel (they manage 0-6yo orphans) and their 3
girls. Great food and great fellowship!
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| The Art of Sleeping on a Plane: Cecil and Enrique on the flight to Africa. (Enrique is under the red blanket) |
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| Stephanie and her cat, Smitty! |
For more information
on the ministries at Maforga, go to:
Roy
and Trish Perkins - http://www.maforgamission.com/
Kees
and Sarah Tanis - http://www.keesandsarah.com/maforga-christian-mission/
Stephanie
Williams - http://midwife4jesus.blogspot.com/
Let us be praying for our team for peace, protection and strength as they prepare for this next week of serving our dear Lord and those He calls them to serve . Let us also be lifting up those who serve in Maforga full time for encouragement and spiritual refreshment.
Africa Prayer Calendar: Week 5
Excerpts are taken
from Neal Pirolo’s book “Serving As Senders Today.”
“…being fruitful unto every good work.”
Colossians
1:10
There are
two considerations for prayer here:
1 That your missionary will be involved
in “good work.” Unfortunately, there are thousands of man-hours of effort that
aren’t even aimed at decisive points of battle. Your prayers of intercession
will open his eyes to where to spend his energy and that he knows he has the
energy and ability to do it. Your prayers will release the Spirit’s guidance in
developing a specific strategy “unto every good work” for your missionary.
2 Thus, being involved in good works,
you and your worker are interested in seeing “fruit that remains.” To birth a
child is (to say the least) hard work! Yet, the Word says, “for the joy that a
man is born, the pain is forgotten (John 16:21). To raise a child in godliness
is incomparably more difficult.
To be used of the Spirit to birth a child spiritually and
cross-culturally is hard work! To nurture that child to maturity demands the
patient endurance of years.
It is true that one sows, another waters, but the Lord gives the increase
(1 Corinthians 3:6). The only “good work” for a missionary is not just the
salvation of the lost. Pulling a drunken “baby” Christian out of the ditch and
have him vomit on your missionary can require your prayers to keep him joyfully
serving the Lord.
