We should begin with the event that rightfully made international news. One Sunday in November, an explosive was detonated killing 6, and injuring 81. We heard nothing at the time and were informed through social media what had happened. We were in no immediate danger. What a tragedy! Six were killed, mothers, fathers, and two daughters of nine and fifteen. Pray for all the grieving families who lost those dear to them.
PRAY that God’s protection will remain on our team nationwide and the people here. As our teammate has said, elections are coming up in June 2023 and locals will be extra cautious. In the past, these situations have happened often and go hand in hand with elections. We PRAY this will not be so in this season. So we are aware of the potential danger. Our language teacher cautioned us to avoid popular crowded places for ten days. She didn’t charge extra for the advice.
Our city has proven to be busy and eventful. It has been an interesting process but we are settling into our apartment. We live in neighbourhood amongst the local people and so far it seems that we are the only foreigners. We like our neighborhood and are beginning to meet neighbours and shopkeepers. Our team members here, all live relatively close by, so it’s nice to enjoy the close connections.
PRAY that the Holy Spirit would lead us to those we are to meet in our neighbourhood.
Maureen and I began formally studying the language, starting in October. The average class lasts three hours but riding the bus makes it a six-hour venture. So goes urban living.
Our in-class lessons move along quickly. To be transparent, I ‘feel’ behind most of the time. Last week I watched most of my classmates respond to the lessons positively. However, I was lost. After class, I reflected on how I felt and rejoiced. Why? Simply because love overcomes fleshly feelings. Learning the language of a people Jesus loves is not subject to how we feel. We are here because of love; language is just one of many challenges to be overcome.
Despite this revelation, when our teacher asks the class, “Is this language easy?” Maureen and I honestly answer, ‘no, it’s difficult!” It is challenging for sure but we are slowly beginning to understand words and are beginning to speak them ourselves.
PRAY for a supernatural ability to learn the language and to communicate with the people.
And please PRAY for our permission to stay in the country—it could take up to 6 weeks to hear about our approval results.
