David looked out the window at the deluge. A shifty looking man caught his eye. “Stop!” David yelled. He could see the guy taking off down the street with our laundry tubs. “Get back here with my tubs!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I wanted water” the man said as he quickly put the tubs down and ran out the gate.

In shock that the thief left our tubs, David went to get the guard. I ran out the door in hot pursuit; skirt blowing behind me, rain soaking me to the skin, “Get back here you thief! Stop that thief! Thief! Thief! Thief!” I yelled. Down the street and around the corner I ran. {David and the guard weren’t very quick in catching up.} Surprisingly, the man stopped. He came back. I yelled at him until he took his hat off and was begging for forgiveness. “No, I’m not forgiving you!” I yelled. “You’re a thief and a liar. You stole our laundry tubs. You thief!” If I forgave him that also meant I would not seek retribution or restitution. I didn’t want to let him “off the hook” until David and the guard arrived. Besides, I wanted to shame him in front of the people who stopped to watch this bizarre scene unfold. {And, by-the-way, I would have paid good money to see myself running through the streets, yelling, in hot pursuit of a crazy man.}

David and the guard arrive. More yelling ensues. More requests for forgiveness. We threaten to take the man to the police. It is obvious he is drunk and our guard says he’s a known drug dealer; stealing and selling all of his families’ possessions to support his habit. David finally agrees to forgive the man and we walk home, soaking wet, in the cool afternoon rain.

The next time, skirt or no skirt, I think I’m going to beat the man with my shoe until he cries. {Which will take a very long time as I wear flip flops.} And then I’ll hog tie him and leave him in the street with a sign that says, “I’m a terrible thief.” And then I’ll take him to the police.

Or maybe not… because my husband is too gracious, and kind, and forgiving. No, probably not, because I doubt that’s what Christ would have done. And am I here to defend myself and my things, or am I here to promote Christ and His Word?

Because each water bottle takes about 8 minutes to fill, I continually overflow water bottles. Like, daily. I step away to change a diaper, put dishes away, build a “tall, tall, block tower,” or a million other things. And then I forget about the water being filtered. And then I end up with a small lake on the kitchen floor. After three bottles overflowed onto the floor today, I thought, “Sure wish my life overflowed with the presence of the Holy Spirit as often as I overflow these water bottles.”

And then I thought, “My whole life is overflowing lately. The dishes in the kitchen sink are overflowing, the garbage is overflowing, the laundry is overflowing, my schedule is overflowing, and my anger and impatience have been overflowing…” Uh huh. But the overflowing grace, mercy, and goodness of the Lord are also overflowing in my life. Yes. That’s deep theology for floor cleaning. Just what I needed to refocus to finish the day well.

How has your life overflowed lately? How has God met you despite your mess?

Mrs. B. has seven children, one boy and six girls. Her son is in his late teens and her youngest two children are twin girls the same age as Amelie and Annika. She and her five girls sleep together on the floor in one room of their multifamily home. None of them had blankets until two days ago when I gave them two lovely quilts made by women in my home church.

Mr. B chose a very American colored quilt made by the same ladies for his bed. He currently has two very old, tattered, and dry-rotted quilts that are in such disrepair it would have been futile for me to piece them back together. Mr. B told me this morning that he gave his quilt to his son who did not have a blanket. I am not entirely sure of Mr. B’s salvation, and I know his wife and children subscribe to the religious beliefs of the Fulbe people; but acts of love like this surely draw their hearts closer to knowing Christ.

Please pray with me this week as David and I give another quilt to a neighbor who does not have a blanket. David will also share the Good News with her.

Drew filming at the crest of Saala Falls {a 200+ ft drop}

And this clip shows our team leader talking a little about solar panels:

We will be sure to share our documentary with you when Drew is finished with it. Please pray for Drew as he is flying back to the US today.

Tomorrow, we will be assisting in an eyeglass clinic in a nearby town.  During the clinic, people will receive vision screenings and receive glasses.  Even more important, they will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and receive Scripture.  Please pray that God would open their eyes to his truth.

I forget I’m in Guinea.

Because it almost feels like paradise.

The beginning of the month we escaped to Kassa, an island off the coast of Conakry for a prayer retreat.

Rumor has it that Kassa Island used to be a hideout for pirates.

Three days of fun in the sun and time to meditate on God’s Word with co-workers.

The girls overcame their fears of jumping in the pool and swimming in the Atlantic.

They made new friends.

We discovered weaver bird nests.

They didn’t want to leave. Neither did I.

It was wonderful.

{via}

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17248741

Please pray for those impacted by this deadly accident.

The 2012 OSAC Crime and Safety Reports were recently published. Here is what they have to say about road safety in Guinea:

Guinea’s road networks, both paved and unpaved, are underdeveloped and unsafe. Roads and vehicles are poorly maintained and there are few traffic signs. Livestock and pedestrians create constant road hazards.

Drivers are poorly trained and road safety rules are routinely ignored. Nighttime travel is not advisable because of the large number of animals and people on the roads. Further, most roadways have no street lights, and vehicles frequently operate without headlights.

Defensive driving is crucial, as drivers commonly pull in front of other vehicles or stop abruptly without warning. Equipment on many local vehicles and taxis do not function, such as turn signals, mirrors, headlights, tail lights. Be alert to motorcycles when changing lanes or when you are stopped in traffic. Drivers should pay attention to side streets, and honk the horn when approaching intersections during the day to avoid being hit from the side. When making cross-lane turns, always check rearview mirrors. It is not uncommon for traffic to pass on the side you are turning, even when you are using turn signals.

Public transportation vehicles are both unsafe and overcrowded. The embassy strongly discourages Americans from using public transportation. There are reports of passengers being attacked and robbed. Beware of taxis and mini-buses pulled over to the side of a road. Drivers often re-enter the roadway without looking.

We are particularly aware of the need to be defensive drivers. As the report states, a large number of animals and people are always on the roads, even the main thoroughfare that runs from our town to Conakry. David and I call it the “village mentality.” People and animals don’t look before running out into the road. In a small village with no vehicles present, why would they?

Just last month as we returned home from team meetings, we were driving through a village situated on the main road. The road was nicely paved at that point, so we were moving quickly {about 60 mph} and as we crested a hill, a young boy ran out in front of us without looking. It was the grace of God he didn’t die. Although it all happened so fast, I saw life in slow motion. The boy ran out, and then I looked at his father who threw his hands in the air with clenched fists before bringing them to his mouth. He stood there biting his knuckles while I looked back at the boy and said, “We’re gonna hit him.” David simultaneously slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn.  We missed him by an inch. God spared his life at the last minute by making him take a single step toward the shoulder of the road. It is the grace of God’s that he is still alive.

It seems as though we have countless stories about tractor trailers missing us by mere centimeters and the lives of people and livestock miraculously spared. I believe it is because of faithful supporters who cover us in prayer. Thank you for keeping us safe.

A runaway truck crashed into a home in Conakry.
There were no reported injuries.

“The girls sure are cute, aren’t they?” David interrupted my stream of consciousness.

“Yep.” I smiled. He asks me that question every day.

“I love it when they giggle. They giggle all the time. You kiss ‘em, they giggle. You chase them and they giggle.”

Little girl giggles are sweet.

My thoughts were carried to a distant village and the scene of a tragedy last week. In my mind’s eye, I could see a gravel courtyard with women washing clothing, pounding millet, and drawing water from a deep well. Brad, a colleague rode his bike past the courtyard. He takes the same bumpy dirt road every day, passes the same houses, says hello to the same people. As he passed the house with the women, he heard a frantic woman screaming for help. Someone had fallen. Brad stopped his bike and tried to piece together what had happened. If someone had broken a bone, he could use his police and EMT training to help.

As a crowd gathered around an opening to a well, Brad realized that a lady had fallen into it. He and other men quickly grabbed a bucket, threw it down to her and pulled her to safety. Once out of the well, Brad saw the woman was about 5 months pregnant. Slipping into and out of consciousness, he checked her vitals and wrapped her cuts. Once she was safely on her way to the hospital, Brad began talking to the other ladies in the compound. The woman hadn’t fallen into the well. She waited until she was alone in the courtyard and jumped headlong into it. She saw no other covering for the shame she felt for being pregnant out of wedlock.

Brad writes,

“As Americans, we don’t always fully grasp the power shame has over a person. We understand the concept of shame and the effects it can have on people, but shame is a living part of this culture. This woman would have rather died than carry the burden of shame in her family. But if only she knew the depth of God’s love for her and the forgiveness she can find in Him. Christ tells us that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” God has given us this way out through Christ!

Though the woman survived this trial, unfortunately, her baby did not. Pray that God will begin to speak these truths into her life and that she will begin to see His light in this dark place. Pray also that we can be examples of this light in her life as we go and visit and show her that there is nothing she could do that could separate her from the love of God.”

I thought a lot about the sweet giggles that family will never hear. I thought, “Lord, I would have taken that baby. There are so many people who would have taken that baby.” Had she known the love of Christ, she may have found solace in Him instead of suffering in her situation.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39

Enjoy reading about our team, and enjoy your weekend!