May 3rd, 2023
Well, hello there, I didn’t know if you would make it back today with us! Glad you are here—this is Africa.
At no other time, on no other trip has that saying rang more true. Africa is different, in Africa you must expect the unexpected.
Today was to be our last day out in the villages, and this visit today, to the village of Nasedegu is near and dear to many who are here now, and who have come previously.
We have been blessed to be with many of these people since the time that church was under the Mango tree. We have been with the church through it ups and its down.
Our time today would close out our visits, for the most part on this trip. We discussed leaving everything we have in us, on the field. We do not want to return home with regrets of things we should have said or done.
This morning we find out that not only was Ovi sick and not going out with us, but Doreen AND Stanley are sick as well. Strep is the issue with them, not malaria.
So, it would be just the team, Misozi and Samuel. Bright spot though, my wonderful wife was not to be held back. She was not going to waste her last day in bed, so off she went with us, dizziness, and rumbling intestinal tract and all.
When we arrived, we met with the pastor, Jonah, and proceeded to head out on visits. Our first stop was symbolic of all the obstacles we have faced, before and during our trip.
As we are starting our conversation heading into sharing the gospel, you can hear a lamb in the distance, Baa, Baa. Noting unusual, many animals here.
But this seems to be getting louder and louder, BAA, BAA. The lamb is running towards us as we are seated on the front porch of the house. Louder and louder, it gets.
When the lamb makes it to the group, it stops dead in the middle of us, looks at us and BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It wouldn’t stop.
It ran all the way to us, stopped dead in its tracks and continues yelling at us. Thankfully Jonah’s mom was there, she walked over and grabbed this hefty, little lamb, carries it upside down by the legs all while it continues to yell at us.
It got softer and softer, until we hear a thud, I think she tossed it in a pen, and then silence. Satan will do anything he can think of to prevent the spread of the gospel. We actually saw a goat disguised as a lamb!
But hey, this is Africa!
On to the next visit, this was a young woman that had stopped coming to church and started running with the wrong crowd. When we arrived, she wasn’t home, but her mom and dad were.
Mom went out looking for her and we were informed she wasn’t coming because she drank alcohol. That is also when we found out that mom and dad were Muslim.
We were able to have a great conversation with them both. Dad knows little about the Muslim faith, he told us Mohammed came to bring the Arabic language, that’s all. They have both heard the gospel before, so I asked if he would mind if we just talked, and he said sure.
We talked about God; he thinks the Christian God and Allah are the same. We discussed how God created Mohammed, and Mohammed is dead, just a pile of dust.
We talked about Jesus, the Son of God, who created not only Mohammed but the heavens and the earth, all that we see.
We talked about the exclusivity of the gospel, and the assurance of the gospel, as he said he wasn’t sure if he would be saved when he died. All the while his wife is sitting there listening to us.
We hit Romans 3:10, 23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-10 and John 14:6. Much discussion happened with this man and his wife.
Then his wife says; “I would like Jesus to save me”! Mind you I’m sharing with her husband, I almost said, “say what?”
We confirmed what she said, and asked her husband point blank if he wanted Christ as his Savior as well. He said he couldn’t make that decision right now.
We told the wife [Katherine] that she would have to change churches, attend a different church than her husband, was she okay with that, was he? Both were. She prayed herself. Said she had heard the gospel that we shared many times before, but now she knows Jesus is the only way.
Some plant, some water…
We talked with the husband [Thomas] more and he said he understood fully that Jesus was the only way to heaven. Understand there was no prompt for that response, he just came out and said it.
But he couldn’t switch, and do you know why, because he couldn’t leave all his relatives, his mom and dad who had died as Muslims, it would be disrespectful. He said he knew he would be in hell, but that was better than leaving those that passed on before him.
His cloud of witness is condemning him.
Jonah will be back to visit Thomas; he is open to talking more. His wife, Katherine, will start attending Hope Baptist Church, Nasedegu.
This is Africa, culture runs deep, has impacts we would never know if we were not as deeply involved as we have been blessed to be.
Afterwards Jonah wife made a delicious lunch and then we had men’s ministry, and women’ ministry. Both with many participants, such a joy to be able to share with them.
We made it back to the mission house safe and sound. Janine did well and seems to be on the road to recovery.
Sadly, Lita now has Malaria, This is Africa. Have I said that yet? She has stage one and is on medication as well and would not allow us to cook so she could rest. The Cornea’s are warriors, warriors for Christ, in Africa.
And this year during their time here they have faced more trials and adversity than they have in the past years. But still they press on, forgetting what lies behind.
Pray for them, I know you will.
Make sure you check out the ladies blogs for a woman’s view on todays events. Only two more days and we have to head home.
It will hurt, it always does. Until tomorrow
Brother Ed