Africa, Day Seven

The crowd had been following us all through the village. We were giving out vitamins and goodwill through prayer. As we walked through the village we met up with a little boy named Solomon. He has been been very sick for two weeks. He is becoming dehydrated due to what is occurring with the sickness. There were many villagers there as I laid my hands on this little boy and prayed for God to heal him so that the people could know His power. I prayed that through the healing others would recognize the One True God we serve through Jesus Christ. In darkness it only takes a small light to grab one's attention. May God heal that little boy so that hearts and minds could be oopen to the gospel long after we are gone.

The day was hot and dusty and the wind was kicking up sand so that the sun cast a red hue over the desert. The family of one of our interpreters was cutting up the remainder of the sacrificial meat to give away to friends and needy so we waited a little for him to finish. We gathered in the truck and set off to pick him up along the way. We crossed the river today and water is still amazing in the desert...every time. I was riding in the back today and i told Chuck he was in charge of pictures as we traveled and he snapped a great one of the river as we crossed over.

Komba is a moderate village about 45 minutes away. You can still see Niamey from the village but travel takes a while in this country. As much washboard as we drove over I would think we should be as clean as laundry day in the 1800's. I digress. We arrived and met with the chief to greet and receive his blessing. He was very happy to see us and we soon were on our way to the clinic a few hundred feet away. We set up shop a little different, though still under a tree, today. We made a circle out of the storage boxes and tables to insure that Pete has his personal space properly marked. This helps the people stay out of the area for safety. These people were very good to work with. He was able to minister to 25 people and pull 51 teeth. While he was doing this Chuck was able to do his demonstration.

We moved the steer to the other side of the compound and got started. There were about 25 or so going over to watch him. They ranged in age from about 6 to 20. Everyday he shares his story and the kids are enthralled. He masterfully weaves roping and theology together to share the greatest story of all. After lunch he and worked together to plainly share the gospel and ask for response. We really felt that God was working in this village, whether today or another, and we wanted to move on the compulsion we were feeling. I spoke with Nassi after it was over and he seemed interested but not in front of the peer group. I do believe he is close. Please pray for him.

While Pete and Bill were running the clinic, Chuck, Kris, and I went to the village to walk through and pray. We took some vitamins and passed them out to the kids. You would have thought we were Willy Wonka himself having descended from the chocolate factory to pass out bags of goodness! The kids swarmed, we ran out, and the mob frenzy began to take affect. I believe we all sent up silent prayers and soon the crowd dispersed and the rest calmed down. We began to walk through the village and were given opportunity to pray for several people. We felt the presence of God on several occasions while we prayed. I hope that through a healing that they will see the Light and choose Jesus. I pray that God will be glorified through this act and many come to salvation!

We went home dry dusty and worn out, but excited about how God worked through they day. We are out without electricity or water for the next four days. I will send a new blog on Sunday. Here is a peek into our world on this seventh day:

Make a Smilebox photobook

Make a Smilebox photobook

Make a Smilebox photobook