January 30, 2012

Not Losing Rhythm

We went to Mr S’s home again on Friday. Once again, we had to go up the hill on foot, in the rain and mud.  We had not been sure if we would have our bible study this week. I have been adjusting to another unexpected season of deafness and his daughter is recovering from surgery. The family insisted that we not lose rhythm. They want to follow Jesus. We will not be a discouragement.

Mr S’s daughter is doing well, with a small bandage on her head, just like I had a few months ago. She was happy to see us and already excited about what is to come.

Shortly after we arrived, we got a phone call with some bad news. Really bad news. The kind that either sends you into fervent prayer or into despair. We just could not go forward with a regular inductive bible study (oral style), so we just read Psalm 90 and prayed. We prayed a lot.

Then the children put on a cd of praise. Mr S’s daughter danced. She can feel the rhythm. I believe she can also feel the newness of spirit that has overcome her family. Without a word, she praises.

Pray for us. We are in the midst of the storm.

January 23, 2012

Mr S’s Daughter

On the 24th, Mr S’s daughter is having her cochlear implant surgery. We met with the family on my birthday, Friday the 20th, for prayer. I went deaf again that morning. You’ve read about that kind of struggle on this blog before, I am sure.

This time, I will not post hearing updates here, rather I will post them on http://smy2ci.blogspot.com My cochlear implant blog. Please be in prayer for the both of us.

Instead of telling a story, this time, we made an agreement to read psalm 119 with our families over the next three weeks. Eight verses a day. We will talk about them and find a way to put them in practice.

January 13, 2012

Baptisms and Mr S’s Family

Yesterday, my family and I returned to Mr S’s house. We had to skip several weeks as his family travelled. When we arrived we were excited to see that the family has been walking together in the ways of Jesus.

In fact, one of his sons decided on his own that he needed to be baptized. He found a foursquare gospel church not terribly far from their home and is scheduled to be baptized there in February. Because of this all of their Mr S’s children went to that church last night. We stayed in the home with just the parents.

I told the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian. (By the way,  I discovered last night, that I have been pronouncing ‘Ethiopian’ wrong for the past 9 years) After we talked about the story as we always do, Mr S commented how similar it was to their situation. They planned to decide as a family about baptism and make a plan  for what they will do before next week.

Perhaps the family will all seek to join the Foursquare Gospel church and be baptized there. Perhaps they will ask me to baptize them and start a new church in their home. We don’t know yet. Pray for their wisdom.

In the midst of all this, their youngest daughter, who is deaf, will have a cochlear implant surgery on January 24th. The same doctor who did my surgery will do hers. Pray for her success.