In the meantime...

While you're waiting for more photos of the family visit, I want to show you this great video/sermon. It was filmed here with our SP Uganda team just two weeks ago. It shows the work God is doing in Uganda through Samaritan's Purse. Enjoy!

http://www.elevationchurch.org/sermons

our Loved Ones came

Where to begin?

Thank you, Lord - for bringing our families together - in Africa.

This long pause is finally broken. I have so much to tell you. I'll need to do this in segments, so please bare with me.

Earlier this month, Phil and I were blessed with a visit from our parents. Three sets. None of whom had been to Africa. Mine never having been across the Atlantic. Exciting to say the least. We are still amazed and grateful that everyone was willing and able to come - at the same time. This could only be God.

So here we are...outside of Phil's office in Nairobi on a warm, sunny day. An answer to so many prayers.

(Phil and I, Buzz and Linda, LaNea and Steve, Lynne and Tim)

Everyone arrived safely. Bags intact - all 20 of them - seriously. Though we were happiest just having them "with us", they came bearing gifts. They blessed us and almost the entirety of Kenya and Uganda - such generous hearts. Thanks again!!

Here's a picture of us SO happy to see LaNea and Steve at the airport. I love the smile on Phil's face, hugging his dad. There are a few of the many bags in the background. :)

Here's a picture of my mom and I at the airport - again - SO happy to see each other.

Fortunately there was space enough for everyone to stay together at Phil's apartment in Nairobi. So, our first morning together, we were able to stay "home" and make breakfast together. It was fun and gave everyone some time to ease their way into it all.

So this was our happy beginning. I know it doesn't really look like everyone's in Africa yet, but soon. We did ease them in, you know. Though they didn't really need it. I'll be posting more details and pictures in the days to come. And just maybe, Phil will be posting pictures as well. ;)

God desires to be with you.

"Come now, my love. My lovely one, come.

For you, the winter has passed, the snows are over and gone, the flowers appear in the land, the season of joyful songs has come. The cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Come now, my love. My beloved, come.

Let me see your face. And let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is beautiful.

Come now, my love, my lovely one, come."

Song 2:10-14 NJB

Fallen

Today I saw a pair of 1 dollar sandals stolen from a dying man's feet.

I saw people vandalizing a wrecked lorry without regard to the dying man laying in the grass within their view.

I saw people taking pictures of his wounded head with their cell phones instead of calling for help.

I saw a lathargic group of health workers try to avoid treating him.

Today I caressed the hand and arm of a suffering man - praying that he was saved - praying that he would die - so that his suffering could cease.

I am reminded that we live in a fallen world.

I hope with all my heart that this man is in Heaven with our Saviour tonight.

Cooking with Jane: Premier

When I first arrived in Uganda I wondered, "Why do they pick their bananas when they're still so green? And how come I can't find huge 'yellow' bananas on the market like that? Where do they all go?"

Yeah, they were plantains.

So Jane is teaching me how to make matoke (aka banana mush) these days. Actually it's made from plantains. You can't peel them with your fingers like our sweet yellow bananas. You must peel them like a potato with a knife. (They actually taste more like a potato too.) It's fun peeling with Jane. She's a great teacher!

So after you peal, you simply boil till soft and then mush. Just like mashed potatoes, but a bit more rubbery and no additives needed.

I do enjoy matoke - even prefer it to rice. But only at our teamhouse. No one else makes it as good as Jane.

The beginning of Moses' story

Moses is a very special child in Buremba. He has no blood-relatives here, but he is more famous than any other child. He was brought to Buremba with his mother when he was still a nursing baby.

Community members from Buremba found Moses' mom laying helplessly along the dirt road that led to their village. They say that she was obviously very ill - both physically and mentally. She had Moses in her arms, so they picked both of them up and took them to the local health clinic.

Moses' mom wasn't in the clinic for 24 hours when she died. Moses was still attached to her breast feeding when they found that she had stopped breathing. She obviously loved her precious son until her last breath - making sure she cared for him until the last moment of their lives together.

No one can say exactly why Moses' mom died, nor what caused her health issues because no one knew her. They can't even tell me her name. She was not from Buremba. They just found her and Moses and tried to help them before she died. It was a blessed act of kindness - particularly for Moses.

The clinic advertised in the community when Moses was orphaned. They asked that someone come and care for him, despite his lack of relatives. Unfortunately, he was already malnourished and sickly. It was unlikely that anyone would take him in such a condition (the community explained this to me.) However, Mary saw Moses and desired to care for him. With Mary's care and the help of the community, Moses became a healthy little boy within a couple years. And today he is absolutely vibrant!

So that's the beginning of his story. God miraculously saved Moses' life.

Please continue to pray for him and his caretaker, Mary. That God would re-light that mother's love into her heart - that she would properly care for this precious boy - that even now, Moses would be growing into a strong man of God.

I will be posting more on Moses in the coming weeks...

Richard - my Rich man

I attended a local government meeting regarding water and sanitation, today. I met a lot of new people. Here's one of my more entertaining conversations.

"Have I met you? Who are you?"

"No. I'm Melanie. I work for Samaritan's Purse."

"I'm Richard. You're very lucky to have met me. I am from Kahunge. Do you know Kahuge?"

"Somehow. I have been to that place, but I do not know your people there."

"You really are a very lucky woman to have met me. I am the richest man in Kahunge. You have just met a very rich man!! Aren't you happy?"

"Yes, of course." (I hold back an eye roll. I think.)

"Yes. I am so rich. I will tell you my forture. I own 4 goats! They all belong to me. I take care of them all myself."

Then I laughed along with others who were listening to our conversation. I realized I found a comedian. We live in the land of cattle. Many of these people are "rich" by village standards - because of their many cattle. But goats (though valuable) do not make people rich here. It just makes for a good laugh. Thanks, Richard.

Prayer

(Children praying after our Hygiene Fair this week - precious)

I love praying with my team. We pray every morning together, before and after our devotions. We pray for our project, our community, other projects and offices all over the world. We even pray for you. And we especially enjoy praying for one another. It binds us together. God binds us together.

"In Him we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:22

I feel God's presence dwelling with us here in Buremba. I know that His hand is all over this project. And I know it is a response to our prayers - all of ours - yours included. Thank you so much for praying with us. Thank you for being so near in heart.

"In Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brough near, through the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13

It's really amazing that any of us can have a relationship with God. It is only Christ who has brought us near to God. And it is only Christ that brings you near to me.

I wish I could be praying under the same roof as you today, but I am comforted knowing that someday, we will all be together again. Someday, there will be no more goodbyes. For those of us who know Jesus as our Saviour.

Please, spend time with Jesus today. Talk to Him. Pray. He's anxious to be with you. He loves you so much.

Amos and Justine

(Amos teaching children about good health and hygiene, two days ago)

Please pray for my friends Amos and Justine. For the past six months, we've been rejoicing about Justine's pregnancy. When I visited her last week, I commented on how healthy she seemed. So active and glowing. Justine went into the hospital yesterday to deliver their baby boy. Sadly, their little boy died the same day. The reason is still unknown. This is the third child that they've lost in their three years of marriage. Amos and Justine are heartbroken. Please pray.

More on bugs...

It is indeed the rainy season as I've said before. This means that I have extra rats and bugs at my house/office in the village. Above are some pictures of my new friends. They are the most annoying friends I think I've ever had. That's why we decided to roast some of them for a little snack. You can see Jane preparing our termites for a crunchy delicacy above. Unfortunately, we weren't able to eat them all. The guy on the middle right is poisonous would scream every time I tried to remove him from my mosquito net. Seriously - he screamed. It was weird. (And I should correct myself, it was William who was removing him from my mosquito net.) That moth in the upper right was so big that I thought he was a small bat flying around in my office.

I must say, it is nice having other ladies around. Jane and Juliet (both pictured above) don't like these bugs either. We've had some fun jumping, screaming, and cooking them together. Maybe God is using these bugs to develop some closer friendships ... I'd like to think there's some good reason for them...

'Bans don't cut abortion rates'

This is an interesting article. It doesn't come from a Christian source, nor does it use the bible for its foundation. Therefore, please do not take this and run too far with it. However, I like the author's view of women's freedom. It's not about giving women freedom to chose to have an abortion. It's about a woman's freedom to chose to become pregnant or not - before conception. Particularly in developing or less-developed countries I think this is crucial.

I admit, I am not giving this blog post enough time. But regardless, it's food for thought.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8305217.stm

But to be clear - I do support bans against abortion.

No accident, no problem

"Hey William - can you come check this thing out? It looks like a spider nest or something. But there's no web. But I think I see a big spider growing in there. Seriously Big."

"Oh Melan, it's no problem. If there's an accident, you die. But no accident, no problem."

"Kill it, William - seriously!!"

"Haha. No problem, Melan."

Spider dies.

Melan sleeps.

Life is good.

Planting seeds

(Church in Oru Tabo)

This weekend our Household Water Team was invited to preach and show the Jesus film in two of our communities where they had been constructing water filters, sharing bible stories and praying.

Over the past three days, we shared the Jesus film with more than 500 community members. On Friday, they showed the film and spent all night praying with the village of Oru Tabo. On Saturday they remained in this village to continue sharing with them and on Sunday they shared the Jesus film with more than 300 men, women, and children from a neighboring village named Omun Tebe.

Many of our men shared with me this morning about the amazing work God was doing. They spoke of healings and new committments to Jesus. One man said, "The people of Oru Tabo couldn't believe that our organization would bring this message to them. But I responded, it isn't our organization that brings this message - it is God."

"It is as if they know the Bible, but they have never understood it. This message was new to them. Salvation through Christ - not through works."

Please pray that God would grow the seeds that have been planted. Pray that many will place their faith in Christ for their salvation - not in their works. And please pray that God would receive all the praise and glory for the great work that's being done - physically and spiritually.

Shallow wells and public health

"During the dry seaon, our old water source would dry up or any water remaining was extremely muddy. We would have to walk as many as 2 hours (one-way) to find another source that could be boiled for drinking. But now, this well is so deep! It supplies us drinking water - even during the dry season. And it only takes 5 minutes to walk there" Wilson says.

Wilson and his family (pictured on left) live in a community we serve. They have worked very hard to dig and construct a new shallow well for their village. We came along side them and provided the technical expertise and a few expensive materials that were needed to complete their work. Since this well has been functioning, many community members say that their families are experiencing less (if any) sickness.

In addition to having a clean water source, they have been taught how to keep their families healthy by storing their water safely and practicing good hygiene. Gadson (pictured bottom right) is one of our Public Health Educators who works hard to improve the health of our community members through education and demonstrations.

Next week, Gadson and I will be visiting a nearby village that has been suffering from a recent Cholera outbreak. (Cholera is a preventable disease (acute diarrhea) resulting from poor sanitation. It is rapidly fatal - infected persons can die within hours.) Gadson will be training trainers how to properly educate this community about good hygiene and sanitation practices - in order to prevent any further cases. Please pray that the Cholera is controlled, and that those identified cases will be successfully treated.

Heaven

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. God, who is seated on the throne, says to us "I am making all things new!" Revelation 21:3-5

Steve Murphy has gone to Heaven to live with His beloved Saviour.

Please pray for His family, as they will be dearly missing him here on earth.

www.prayforian.blogspot.com

Thank you.

Happy Sunday

"Praise the Lord, oh my soul. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God - even with my dying breath.

He is the one who made heaven and earth - the sea and everything in it. He is the one who keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and sets the prisoner free.

Praise the Lord, oh my soul. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God - even with my dying breath.

He is the one who feeds the hungry - opens the eyes of the blind. He lifts up the burdens of those beneath heavy loads. The stranger He protects and the righteous one he loves.

Praise the Lord, oh my soul. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God - even with my dying breath.

The Lord will reign forever! Our God is king to all generations. The Lord will reign forever - our God.

We will praise the Lord - oh my soul. We will praise the Lord as long as we live. We will sing praises to our God - even with our dying breath."

A great reminder of who our God is ... praising Him with you! Happy Sunday!

Oh the joys of Kampala...

My pick-up truck is beautiful again (after her accident) and ready for me to take out to the field. So, I had to come back to Kampala to pick her up. While I'm here, it's great to be enjoying some of the finer things of life...

• Friends at the house (Lily and Ryan - they're both new and I love them already!)
• Speaking "American" English (and having people understand me)
• Bowls of cereal
• Hot falling-water showers
• Clean bedroom, clean bathroom, clean kitchen, clean dishes ....
• Washing machine
• Pleasant streets for jogging
• Flowers
• Supermarkets
• Fridgerators
• Salads

And I've only been here for 12 hours. Ahhh...it's just so wonderful....thank you, Lord!

Rainy Season

(Bihanga rains - one brave and strong little girl)

This poor little girl got stuck in the rain yesterday. Man, she's a trooper! Those yellow jerrycans of water are seriously heavy (25 lbs/ea maybe) and this rain was coming down like something fierce. I wish I could have invited her in for some hot cocoa...

So it's rainy season again in Uganda. We get two rainy seasons a year in the West - an amazing blessing. That is why we can grow a ridiculous amount of bananas, and why we eat matoke (plaintain mush) for every meal. It rains for about 30 minutes to 1 hour a day, maybe three or four times a week. In between rains, are blue skies. This is so different from Liberia where it would rain for days - even weeks on end - without even a speck of blue on the horizon.

These rains are so important for our people right now. If it is a good season, then a good harvest can be expected and water sources should be more plentiful. If it is a bad season, then "people will suffer." Living here makes me very aware of the importance of rain to ensure a healthy livelihood - specifically for our team and little Moses.

Feel free to pray with us for the rain. Trusting that God will provide exactly the amount that He knows we need...

Cotton tail for dinner

As we were driving home, we were having a serious conversation about being thankful to God for keeping the cockroaches out of our noses and spiders out of our ears. And then all of a sudden, Julius starts swerving the Landcruiser pickup all over the road chanting "meat, meat, meat!" I started screaming "no, no, noooo!" We felt a little thump and quickly shifted into reverse to either find a big rock, or our dinner. It was dinner, and I was sad. We just hit an innocent little rabbit. Julius jumps out of the truck to throw him in the bed. We raced home, and the guys fried up our little cotton tail. I have to admit, he did taste pretty good.

A couple great buys

Today we had lots of fun shopping at the outdoor market in Buremba. It has been getting cold here in the evenings (~ 60 degrees) and all Moses ever wears is a t-shirt. So, we went to get him some pants (or "trousers".) I was able to buy these fun cargos and his new sandals for a total of 4,000 UGS ~ $2.00. He looks like such a little man now!! And he was so pleased with himself. Isn't he seriously the cutest guy? Sure, we have to work on the runny nose, but baby steps ... we are in Africa you know. :)

So after shopping we came back to the office and I had to work. Moses wanted to work too, so he asks for a pen. (He has a piece of paper in his hand.) "What do you want the pen for, Moses?" ... "I want to write" ... "What are you going to write?" ... "I want to write to God." Pretty good response, I thought. So I gave him the pen and let him scribble like crazy for a little while. Fun times in the village...

More on Moses

"Agandi, Mary. How are you today?"

"I'm good, Melanie. How are you? How is life? How is this place?"

"It's good. But Mary, you know, Moses - he is still sick. He has had cough for more than 1 month."

"Bombay. I know. I have tablets."

"Where are they, Mary?" *She looks for about 2 minutes before she finds them.* "Have you been giving them to Moses?"

"Not yet."

*I look at them closer and am somewhat relieved. They look like aspirine.*

"Mary, you know, Moses. He is sick everytime I am here. We need to find out why. I'd like you to take him for a TB test at the government clinic - just to be sure. It is free. "

"You take him , Melanie. It's okay."

"No, Mary. Moses is yours. You must take him. Will you take him today, please?"

"But I am so tired. I was at a party this morning. I am just too tired. You take him. He loves you so much."

"No, Mary. You must take him. Tomorrow - will you take him tomorrow?"

"Yes. I will. I will do each and every thing. But tomorrow. I am too tired today."

Mary didn't take Moses for his free TB test. And she refuses to buy him medication because of money. However, Mary is one of the smartest (nicest looking) women in the village.

I want to help Moses, but I must be careful. The more I do for Moses, the less responsibility Mary takes for him. If I am not careful he will be worse-off after I leave then when I arrived. My goal right now is to get him healthy and involve Mary as much as possible along the way. Please pray that our Lord would heal Moses' body, and soften Mary's heart to love him deeply - with a genuine mother's love. Pray that I would be given wisdom as I care for him. I'm open to advice.

Photos for you

Last weekend I hopped over to Kenya to visit my wonderful boyfriend. That's us at the park. :) We had a great time, though still lamenting over the fact that the Steelers and the Seahwawks lost. We didn't get to watch the games on television, but we did get to watch the scores tick by on the internet - almost just as much fun.

So when I got to Kenya, Phil gave me a gift that I think we are all going to love ... a new camera! It is absolutely fantastic. So you can thank Phil for the following photo spread....enjoy....

One of our community water sources - so sad - this is why we have a water filtration project here.

These are the biosand water filters that we help the community members construct. When used and maintained properly, they filter out 99% of the germs and bacteria from contaminated water sources like the one you see above.

This is my awesome team from Kagaramira! From left to right they are - Herbert, Apolo, Stephen, Basil, and in front Boaz. They work with the community, teaching them how to construct, use, and properly maintain their water filters.

And this is one of my Village Health Team members from Oru Tabo. He is a volunteer who has been taught about good health and hygiene. He now teaches his neighbors what he learned and encourages them to make simple changes to their lifestyles (like washing their hands, fencing their animals, and using a latrine) that will improve their family's health.

This is a precious little boy from Kagaramira that stole my heart. Now you can enjoy him and pray for him with me. He has downsyndrome and will struggle to receive proper care.

These are my comedians from Bwizi - community members who are constructing filters for their families.

This is a beautiful mother who built a filter for her family. She glows.

These are my guys from the teamhouse where I live. From left to right - William my protector aka. security guard, Julius my musically-gifted driver, and Mark my super-organized Worksite Supervisor. They all do an awesome job. I'm so blessed to have them on our team.

This is a cute little math message I received on my sidewalk yesterday. Funny sidenote: no one can really say my name over here. They actually think I'm "Meran" and the "ie" part is just to sound cute. Like Tom and Tommy. So "Marneh" up there was their nice attempt to spell Melanie.

Kids in front of a local church hanging out.

My backyard and wonderful "Gen" - Generous. Gen is our cook. She's in the back there, working on the little charcoal stove. She makes some delicious guacamole and chipati. And she's an amazing woman of God.

This is a local butcher. Want to come over for dinner? Gen really is a great cook.

And last but not least a few more members of our team - left to right - Julius my fun driver again, Rachael our Public Health Educator, and August one of our filter specialists - he didn't want me to take his picture.

So here's a bigger glimpse than usual into our project and into life in the village. Thank you for all of your prayers and support as we live this out together. I appreciate you so much.

Salvation for Herbert!

Humble. Hardworking. Family man. Were my first impressions of Herbert. He was one of my only staff members who brought his family to live with him at his worksite, rather than leave them behind in another village. I was immediately impressed by his love for them. Because of his hardwork ethic, and great attitude (never an ounce of complaint) I promoted him the first chance I got. Everyone on the team celebrated because they knew he deserved it.

Honestly, I would have boasted Herbert as one of our most devoted Christians because he was such a good man. It never crossed my mind that he may not know Jesus.

So just a couple weeks ago we had our ministry conference in Kampala. I was allowed to take 15 of my staff members - but only "payroll." Fortunately, due to Herbert's recent promotion, he was eligible.

In Kampala, our staff were blessed with 2 days of wonderful teaching from a Ugandan pastor. He talked about what it meant to live in the Presence of God. Everyone listened intently everyday and even wished for him to preach longer. At the end of our last night together, our Pastor gave an invitation for anyone who wanted a relationship with Christ to come forth. But no one was to open their eyes. I wanted so badly to see if any of my staff went forward, but I couldn't open my eyes and breach their trust. So I remained anxiously in the dark.

Then we gathered in small groups to pray and encourage each other afterwards.

As I was walking back to my room, my friend Jodi yelled for me. She had tears in her eyes and started telling me about Herbert. She was in his small group and he gently told everyone that he had accepted Christ for the first time. He said, "I have worked for SP for 5 years now, but I never really understood what it was all about -- until tonight."

God opened Herbert's heart to the gospel that night. Herbert is now saved and enjoying a relationship with Jesus - forever! Please pray for him and his family as they begin this journey together. May his wife and children accept Christ, may he be rooted in a strong church, may Godly men come around him in encouragement, and may Herbert continue to love our Lord more and more each day!

This is what it's all about, my friends.

To God be all the Glory!


PS. This was also a good reminder that it doesn't matter how good anyone is. Before Herbert accepted Christ, his salvation was not secure. Also, everyone working for us should be a Christian, but because Christianity is so nominal here, it is often hard to know for sure.

Late for Bowling

During our ministry retreat in Kampala, we had the opportunity to take our staff out for a night of bowling. Most of my staff had no idea what bowling was, so it was quite the treat. Too much fun, I tell you!! We piled into vehicles (approximately 100 of us) and were headed into town, when we encountered THE jam. "Oh man, we're going to be late for bowling" ... "stupid riot" ... "let's drive through and see what's really going on." ... were our sentiments, which I assure you the latter we did not act upon. We ended up arriving safely at the bowling alley and safely back to our retreat center - even safely back to all of our field sites. We are praising God for his protection and provisions for all of us.

Sadly and more seriously, here are Uganda's latest headlines. Please pray for this nation.

Riots in Uganda In whose interest?
Sep 17th 2009 KAMPALA From The Economist print edition

Museveni, Qaddafi and the mysterious protests

"RIOTS rocked Kampala in support of the king of the Baganda, the country’s largest ethnic group. Shops in the capital were looted, cars burned. Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, who hails from the much smaller Ankole group, ordered police and soldiers onto the streets. At least 24 people were killed in and around the city; most were shot. The government says the rioters themselves had guns. In fact, it seems likely that the armed forces fired into the crowds. The main Bagandan radio station was closed. Some journalists were arrested and charged with sedition.

Events would have spun further out of control had the Bagandan king, or kabaka, Ronald Mutebi, not cancelled a planned trip to the north of the city. Mr Museveni’s aides told the kabaka he would be held responsible for further bloodshed. So he was kept in his palace. Many of his people were enraged by this apparent humiliation.

Buganda is the largest of Uganda’s five ancient kingdoms banned under the presidencies of Milton Obote and Idi Amin but revived by Mr Museveni. The Baganda make up 17% of Ugandans. They are not generally averse to Mr Museveni and his political party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). A majority of them voted for him in the last election, in 2006. The vice-president and numerous ministers and MPs are Baganda, along with many civil servants doing the NRM’s bidding. So why are Mr Museveni and the Baganda now at loggerheads, especially as the president is seeking re-election in 2011?

Mr Museveni thinks the Baganda have been getting uppity. Though their kingdom is the largest and was once the most powerful, it is now a ghostly fiction, with no sovereignty and little wealth. Mr Museveni is especially weary of persistent Bagandan demands for a return of a swathe of claimed ancestral lands that were long ago distributed to pastoralists or pilfered by officials—and are most unlikely ever to be given back. Besides, generosity to Buganda would aggravate the other kingdoms, particularly neighbouring Bunyoro, whose land includes Uganda’s new-found oilfields.

Mr Museveni may calculate that he can treat the Baganda harshly now, but retain their votes by granting them concessions nearer the election. He has been adept at dividing and conquering the electorate, using carrots and sticks. He dishes out jobs to loyalists but harasses businessmen suspected of helping the fractured opposition. He says he will limit the kabaka’s power and chastises “meddlers” harming Uganda’s prospects.

Mr Museveni’s people say they have identified another villain of the piece: Libya’s president, Muammar Qaddafi, whom they accuse of giving cash to the Baganda. For several years Mr Qaddafi has subsidised Uganda’s kings and their cultural institutions as part of an exotic plan to unify Africa in a web of chiefs and kings. But his latest dollops of cash, say Mr Museveni’s friends, were meant to stir up trouble, because Mr Qaddafi has fallen out with Mr Museveni, despite helping him to win a bush war that brought him to power two decades ago.

Mr Museveni has ridiculed Mr Qaddafi’s swaggering “king of kings” approach, preferring to build up Africa with regional trade blocs such as the East African Community. Still, it is odd that Mr Qaddafi should want to poke Mr Museveni in the eye by funding riots, since the recent oil discoveries in Uganda should make its president more attractive as a friend. Libya, for instance, hopes to tender for a big oil refinery that Mr Museveni wants to build. "

safari photos

Our beautiful lioness
~photo courtesy of J. Blackham Photography ~

A romantic evening for two
~photo courtesy of Cory the Intern~

Farewell for now...
~photo courtesy of Cory the Intern~

Bush camping

This weekend I went on a safari camping trip at Murchison Falls with my fellow ex-pats from every corner of Uganda (Kampala, Karamoja, Lira, and Kamwenge.) It was a great adventure for all of us.

We set-up camp on the delta of the Nile river - amidst hippos, elephants, buffalo and lions. No fences or animal deterent systems - except our strategically parked Landcruisers. Our first night, we went on a game drive only 2 kilometers from our camp site and stopped for a herd of more than a dozen elephants. As we were anxiously watching them eat their dinner, we also noticed hippos and crocodiles rolling around in the swamp across the road. And buffalo were starring us down in the distance. It was unbelievable!

That night we slept nervously off and on. We happily awoke at sunrise to no major nightly activities. Our guide talked about a lion's roar in the distance, and having to chase off a herd of buffalo. But we didn't think too much about it.

That afternoon, a few more friends joined us after seeing a pride of 6 lions cross the road as they entered the park. They also saw a lioness relaxing under a shade bush just a few kilometers away. We excitedly jumped in and on the Landcruiser to check her out. Yep - "on" - meaning we were sitting on top of the SUV holding on for dear life (quite literally, once we saw the lioness.) She was in the exact location that our friends described and she was gorgeous. I admit, I was scared out of my mind sitting on top of the landcruiser when she stood up to walk around us to find a new, more private bush to relax in. Not sure what we were thinking sitting up there. But it was definitely an adrenaline rush.

After seeing our cat, we were all excited and content. We ate a great dinner around our campfire and enjoyed each other's company late into the evening. None of us get a lot of social time out in the field since we all work in separate locations, so this was really precious. We went to bed expecting that the biggest adventures were over.

Then at 4am, one our friends Brian wakes us to some loud noises at our camp. It was a couple elephants! And one had just stepped on one of our chairs. But more importantly, they were crazy close to our tents and could easily trample any of us. Fortunately, the elephants decided to get back on an easier track - the road - and therefore, left our campsite. But we woke up to a broken chair, huge muddy foots prints on our mats, and a great story to tell.

I'll get you guys some pictures soon...sorry for the lack of visuals. But I'm sure your imaginations can conjure up a pretty accurate image of what we saw. A few more highlights to end with:

• Great MPI (mountain pie iron) egg sandwiches
• Running giraffes
• Hippos visiting our campsite
• The massive and turbulent falls

It was an awesome trip, and great fellowship. I can't wait to take all of you, someday - some sooner than others...can't wait to see you in November! We're going to have a GREAT time!!

You just give

(a cute old mosai)

We were deep in the banana forest, constructing our new worksite. Laying cement between the eucalyptus poles. Beads of sweat running down the faces of Dativah and Innocent.

"Nice work, Dativ and Inno!", I yelled with a smile. "Tu gende..." (Let's go...)

They smiled back, we packed up and loaded ourselves into the Pajero for the ride home.

As I was trying to crawl up into our big car, an old Mosai (old man) was trying to ask me something. It seemed as if he wanted money. He would tug at my shirt - tilt his head - hold out his hands and say, "Muzungu" (white woman). His breath smelled of alcohol, so I was a bit nervous. I was compassionate only so far as to not close his arms in the door.

Then, Akankwasa reached into his pocket, pulled out 200 shillings (10 cents) and said "roll down your window." He gave the bit of money to the old Mosai, with a big shiny smile.

"How do you know who to give to Akankwasa?" I said. "I mean..."

He interrupted and said, "You just give, manager (melanie)."

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me and whatever you did not do for them, you did not do for me" Jesus said.
Matthew 25:31-46

"Several ways to make yourself miserable" ... Way #8 ... "don't fall into any compassion traps - the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own."
- Elizabeth Elliot

God, give us hearts for the poor and needy. Give us compassion. Enable us to give of ourselves. For your sake. For your pleasure. For your glory.

I learned a simple lesson from Akankwasa. It can be simple.

Get out!

"We're not saying another word..." - Mel and Cory

It seems like every time we make one of those "I could handle this, but not that" comments, THAT happens. For example...

"I can handle mice in my house, just not rats." - Mel

• We have rats, not mice. (They're growing big and hairy.)

"I can handle a mouse in my room, just not ON me." - Mel

• I woke up to a rat in bed with me on Thursday night. Seriously.

"I can handle a rat in my room, just not a snake." - Cory

• Cory woke up to a snake in his room last night. He killed it like a champ, but we're both still scarred.

What's up with this crazy zoo we're livin in? God, help us!

Cory and I are learning a new meaning and application to ... only by God's grace...

(We're laughing....but still very serious.)

Please Pray for Steve Murphy and his family

Good morning, friends.

Will you please pray for Steve Murphy and his family: http://www.prayforian.com/. Steve was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor yesterday. He has a large, wonderful family in Indiana, PA of whom his oldest son's name is Ian. You may have prayed for Ian before. He was in an accident three years ago where God miraculously spared his life. Ian was comatozed for many months and is still recovering. Please continue to pray for his complete healing as well.

This family knows and deeply loves our Lord. They have been walking bravely through hardships and sufferings for many years already - glorifying and praising God each step of the way. I don't know their needs intimately right now, but I do know that they need God. Please pray for them as God leads you. His wife's name is Mary and children's names are Ian and Larissa, Ben and Jan, Caleb, Devon, and Lydia. Today is Devon's birthday.

An encouragement from Steve as you pray...

(Steve wrote this after Ian's accident - I inserted Steve's name beside Ian's)

He Is So Good
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse him. He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. (Matthew 9:9-13)

I read this passage in my devotions the other day and was greatly encouraged by it. What struck me most was how eager Jesus was to do good to the man with the withered hand. The Pharisees were slaves to their own laws. All they cared about was obedience to their man-made laws regarding the Sabbath. They could have cared less about the man with the withered hand. But not so with Jesus. Oh how deeply he loved the man with the shriveled hand. How disgusting that hand must have looked! A shriveled and shrunken hand that probably had not been used in years would not have been a pretty sight. But He valued the man with the withered hand and longed to do good to Him. Jesus is absolutely bursting with goodness. Like a ripe orange that is simply bursting with juice, so the Savior is full of goodness. He longs to do good to His people.

Jesus greatly values (Steve) Ian Murphy as well. Not because of anything good or meritorious that (Steve) Ian has done, but because of the cross. (Steve) Ian is saved and is therefore covered in the precious, valuable blood of Jesus. God delights in (Steve) Ian and longs to do good to him because (Steve) Ian is washed in the blood of Jesus. Let this encourage us to pray boldly! Jesus is longing to do good to (Steve) Ian. He is longing to bless Him and pour out mercy on Him. Let us appeal to our good and generous Savior to heal and restore (Steve) Ian, full of faith that He longs to do good.

For His glory alone...
-Stephen A

Words from the Wise

(Jinja scene)

"It is not the level of our spirituality that we can depend on. It is God. And nothing less than God. For the work is God's and the call is God's and everything is summoned by Him and to His purpose, the whole scene, the whole mess, the whole package -- our bravery and cowardice, our love and selfishness, our strengths and our weaknesses."

Elizabeth Elliot

Tidbits of life....

I'm currently planning our future water projects for the southwest region of Uganda. Next year we will be providing 18,000 more people - mostly children - with access to clean water. They will also get to hear about the Living Water offered through Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!

I think my new favorite meal in the village is fried cabbage and matoke (plantain mush) with a side of guac and chipati. Quite tastey.

We are getting loads of rain in Buremba right now - making for happy farmers, peaceful evenings, and fast runs to the latrine.

The rains have also brought a beloved mouse problem into our teamhouse. After Liberia, mice don't really bother me. But it's funny to see Cory all up on his chair about it.

Yesterday I saw Generous and Julius (two of my married staff members) reading the bible together. We are going through the story of Joseph in devos and they were talking about it, laughing, and truly enjoying God's word. A precious moment.

I got to talk to my family for an entire hour on Sunday. It was so wonderful!! Thanks guys. :)

And right now I'm enjoying Moses' laugh around the corner. But he just knocked over a baby...so now we're both listening to her cry. Way to go Moses...

Looking forward to a 7 hour ride back to Kampala this weekend...because I don't have to drive and once I get there, I have some hazelnut creamer waiting for me. Thanks mom!

Just another glimpse into life on this side.

Hope you're having a great day!

Boasting damage-free driving

(Tea fields on our way to Buremba)

We managed an almost-record-time, 6.5 hours, from Kampala to Buremba today. And I was the driver, baby! Sounds like a funny thing to boast about (it is), but I typically have a driver, Julius. However, Julius had wedding things to take care of this weekend, so I hit the road without him. I must say, Ugandan roads are a little .... unpredictable. For those of you who have traveled anywhere outside the States like Mexico, Zambia, Egypt think about your crazy car rides and your funny stories. Yeah, most of you know exactly what I mean by "unpredictable". ;) I don't have any cool stories, except for the fact that we made it damage-free. And that makes me really happy.

So now I'm back in Buremba, safe and sound. I was greeted by beloved Moses and his caretaker Mary as soon as I arrived. A wonderful blessing. I was also happy to see my neighbor Alex. He and his wife just had a baby and asked me to name her. We now have a new Hope in our village. :) Sounds nice, doesn't it.

I really want to thank you all for your many prayers and encouragements. They have meant so much to me. God hears you and responds. He continues to give us grace sufficient for each day.

Have a blessed day!

Comfort

(Buremba children having some fun)

Tomorrow morning I drive out to the village to be with my team again. I've been in Nairobi and Kampala for the past few days. Buremba seems a world away. But we're on our way...

I had a wonderful, unexpected blessing today. I spent some time with a family visiting from the States. They should have been strangers to me, but instead God truly blessed our time together and made it comfortable. It was so refreshing to sit around and chit chat. I don't think they realized how much they were caring for me by just sharing a bit of their family warmth. It felt like I was close to "home" for a couple hours.

So now it's time to pack my bag again. I have a little checklist in my head these days...headlamp - favorite toilet paper - buff - iPod - SP shirts - good to go!

I'll be honest, it's a bit hard to get excited about going back out. I feel guilty about it sometimes. I know God has me in the village for this time in my life and that He wants me to persevere. I trust His motives and His goodness. But then that desire for comfort creeps in.

Tonight I'm reminded that comfort is a gift. Something that we should praise and thank God for! And something that we should hold with an open hand. Willing to give it up. For His sake.

I'm so thankful for the gift of comfort I had tonight and during my time in Nairobi. God is so kind to us. He is so good at caring for us.

I am also in prayer tonight - that God would help me/us to willingly give up that comfort - so that I/you may serve Him with a joyful heart - no matter how uncomfortable or difficult the circumstances.

More to celebrate!

(Dana and Sarah)

Aren't my two best friends beautiful? :)

I know that this photo seems a little late. Since Sarah's wedding was about two months ago. But I am in the wedding mood, so it actually fits perfectly. It is the perfect excuse to announce that...

Dana is getting married!

To her lover, Ryan.

Congratulations, Dana and Ryan!!

I love you guys. And I can't wait to be with you again soon.

Oh Happy Days - Enjoy it!!

Come

(Buremba sunrise)

I am exhausted and craving God's spirit to come be with me tonight. I am back in the village and our team is struggling, spiritually. We are begging for unity that is rooted in God's love. Begging for God to give us depth to our faith. Begging for Christ-like character.

Fortunately....

"I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your presence. If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.



If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10

May God's presence - His peace - envelope us all tonight.

Three times

The poor lady had to wash my hair three times to get all the dust out. In my own defense, it is the dry season here in Uganda. And I swear that I wash my hair in the field. Though I admit, as much as I try to get clean, I know I still have a layer of village dirt on me even after my basin baths. And my hair is no exception.

Friday was a mini-milestone day for me and a little slice of heaven. I travelled back to Kampala and got a professional haircut! It's been over two years since I've had a professional haircut. You see, I taught my best friend Sarah how to cut it - to save money. And I've been using her ever since. But since I won't be seeing Sarah for at least 8 more months, I decided it was time to move on - or I was going to begin looking a little too "bush".

After about 20 minutes of hairwashing and head massaging (oh la la), I sat down for my South African friend to start chopping. We laughed and laughed because my hair was so crooked and crazy. Like a good beautician, she was really happy that I was finally taking proper care of my locks. But honestly, I still miss Sarah's crazy cuts.

Miss you, Sarah!

Negative!

Praise the Lord!! Moses tested negative for HIV today. Thank you so much for praying.

God is good to have had mercy on Moses. To have spare him from this sickness. In a nation where so many are suffering. In Uganda, we believe more than 10% of the population is infected with HIV. And more than 1 million children have been orphaned.

It's difficult to imagine such a situation. Even living here, it's hard to believe. But in many ways I live it with my Ugandan brothers and sisters. There is so much death here. So much sickness. Every week, one of my staff is down because of "malaria" or is attending a burial. Every week.

I pray that God will keep us sensitive to the things of this world that pain Him - even as they occur so often. May we all develop a holy compassion for the sick, the lost, and the hurting. And may we never stop praising Him for the amazing work that He has done to deliver us all - for eternity.

So tonight we're praising God for his work in Moses' life! And for the redeeming work He completed for us on the cross.

Thank you, Jesus.

Sundays in the village

Cory and Moses -- especially for Cory's dad ;)

We all slept in. And it felt so good. Then we had a laundry competition. After three packages of OMO (way too much) I had my clothes smelling like roses and my whites were glowing. I declared myself the winner, much to the dismay of Cory.



After washing clothes, I decided to wash Moses. I plopped him down in a basin and scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed that dirty little body. He laughed and played and then sat stiff as a board on a chair for five minutes to dry in the sun. I was proud of him. Then he jumped down in the dirt and was filthy from head to toe within 5 minutes.



Tomorrow Moses' HIV test is scheduled for 10am. Cory and I are going to take him and Mary (Moses' caretaker) to a private clinic in the village. We are continuing to pray that he is negative. We should know within minutes. It's similar to a pregnancy test, but using blood on the little strip. Honestly, we are really nervous. Please pray with us.



On a bright note, Moses has been playing all day long with his "shoebox". He was one of the blessed recipients in the village. I taught him how to use his new toothbrush and paste today -- washed him up with his new soap -- and we played with his new phone, motocar, and tops. He loves it all! :)



It's amazing to be staying in the village where we distributed. The children have been more active in the past 24 hrs than I've seen them in the past 4 months. To everyone that has ever put a shoebox together - please know that God does indeed bless the labor of your hands. These children heard of God's love for them yesterday and they continue to experience His love as they play with their toys. God has worked through you to give them so much joy! On behalf of the village, "Thank you so much!!"



Finally, I listened to a sermon on my iPod while Moses took a nap. I don't attend church every Sunday because I don't speak the local language and therefore, find it difficult to be nourished. Trust me, I miss my church family and teaching so much. But for now, God has me here - in the village - on Sundays. Please pray that I will be growing more and more in my love for Him. I am praying this prayer for you too.

the ideal home

Today I went on a two hour long motorbike ride deep within the countryside to visit one of our Village Health Teams. Gadson is training them about good health and hygiene practices so that they can go and train their respective villages. Today, we talked about their "ideal home". It consisted of a water source, latrine, garden, main home and animal home, dish rack, rubbish pit, and lots of people. It's interesting to compare that to what our response would be, eh.

During our ride back to Buremba, Gad stopped at his home to treat me to some pineapple. It truly is the best in the world! Wow - so sweet. He also shared his uncle's poetry with me. It was a nice break.

Now I'm back to my village home in Buremba. We're preparing for another shoebox distribution that will be held tomorrow. We're praying that it'll be a blessing to our community. That they will understand that it's an expression of God's love to them.

We have the opportunity to bring the Jesus film to our community as well - if we want. I'm praying about this opportunity. Will you please join me? I'm really seeking wisdom as to if and when and for whom...all that jazz.

By the way, the banana bread turned out pretty good yesterday...you should all come over for a little visit and I'll serve you some with tea. :)

And the picture above is one that I took on a journey back to Kampala. If you look closely, you can see the Rwenzori mountains in the background. This countryside truly is beautiful!

God is amazing to have created all of this, right. But as Keith would say, it's a garbage can compared to what God has waiting for us up in Heaven. I mean it only took six days to create all this and He's been working on heaven for over 2000 years. I'm looking forward to Heaven, I tell you!

Please pray for His presence to be with us tomorrow. We don't want to do any of this without Him.

Thank you so much. Know that I care about you and I'm missing you guys.

A typical day

When I was in the states, I was asked a great question. "Mel, can you tell us about a typical day in your life?" It took about 30 minutes to reply and I felt like I did a bad job, so here's another shot at some details.

Today feels like a typical day, so here we go....

I woke up to dogs fighting in the mid of the night and then to roosters crowing at about 6:30. Then little Moses came around my door singing his version of "This is the Day" at the top of his lungs and yelling my name so that I would come out. :)

I ate some chapati. Checked some emails. We prayed as a team. And then I had a staff member arrive who drove over an hour to get supplies that weren't urgent. I had a nice stern conversation with him about good stewardship of our fuel. I think he understand about 50% of what I said.

I waited for about 2 hours for some staff to arrive so that I could take them to the bank to get their money. I love waiting.

Now I'm in a town called Kamwenge and we got a ton of work accomplished! We purchased supplies for Child Hygiene Fairs and for water filter construction. I paid our transportation guy his millions. Bought some bibles - Baibuli Erikwera - in the local language. And I purchased about two dozen eggs -- mmmm, I can't wait to eat them. :) Now we can have something new for breakfast and I can try to make some banana bread over hot coals tonight. Oh la la!

I'm getting ready for another hour car ride back to Buremba. On our way here I was reading some "Water Stories" from the bible that we want to incorporate into our project. We want to entertain our audience at the workshop with more than water filters. We want to entertain them with stories about Living Water. To remind them that,

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water Jesus gives them will never thirst. Indeed, the water Jesus gives will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" John 4:13-14

Please pray with us that our community will accept the living water offered by Jesus.

So this is a little glimpse into a typical day. The photos above are of our community members constructing filters, being educated about good health and hygiene and drinking some clean water. This stuff also goes on everyday. :)

By the way, we haven't tested Moses for HIV yet. His caregiver is very sick with malaria, so we want to wait until she is well so that she can receive the counseling with Moses. I'll keep you up-to-date on them. Thanks for your prayers.

Know that I'm missing you, my friends! Let me know your prayer requests. I'd love to be praying with you as well.

A little update

The past two weeks have been packed full of great experiences and challenging ones. Here's a few my praises and a couple prayer requests.

Praise God, our team and community members are working hard constructing filters and installing filters. Together, we have provided clean water for more than 1600 people in Buremba in just a few short months!

God has also been good to give me an intern for the next three months! Cory is back on the HWP team. Everyone enjoys his company and he is doing some really great work for us - helping the team to write good impact stories and helping me to improve our Public Health Education curriculum. He's doing awesome in the field - everyone loves him. He brings a lot of joy to the team!

One of my challenges has been dealing with a very serious moral issue with one of my most valuable staff members. I had to issue a warning letter to him, and we are trying hard to re-build trust. I am concerned about his relationship with Christ. And his influence on our team and within our community. Please pray for him.

Finally a HUGE blessing I have here in Buremba is Moses aka Arsenal. His picture is above. :) I will write you Moses' story in post specifically dedicated to him. However, in the meantime know that he is an orphan-child that I love very much. Moses is often sick - we are concerned about his HIV status. We are getting him tested today. PLEASE pray that he is negative. Please join me in placing his life in our Father's hands today. Our loving, caring, healing Father.

Know that I love you all very much. And I miss you.

May we all be praising God today! And giving our lives to Him.

15,000 miles and back again

It was wonderful! I went back to the States for my best friend's wedding. She is now Mrs. Sarah Dugan.

The wedding was perfect. Beautiful. Elegant. Traditional. Awesome make-up, Bobbie. Incredible music. Relaxed and a lot of fun! The most amazing part was that my best friend married the love of her life. The man that makes her happier than I've ever seen. And a man that loves the Lord. I'm so happy for you, Mr. and Mrs. Dugan! I miss you, Sarah. Thank you for helping me to come home to see you and to experience one of the happiest days of your life with you. Jonathan - I'm still jealous. :)

I was home for only three days, but in those three days I ate at the beloved Aladdins and then hung out in West Virginia with my Mom, Dad, and Brother Ben and his girlfriend, Courtney. We went to Wal-mart, Cabellas, and some great restaurant that had a goat cheese salade - mmm!

Then I went to the Burgh just in time to watch the Pens win the Stanley Cup...woohooo!!! Pittsburgh is now officially the greatest sport city in the world. :) I watched the last two seconds with Dane-girl and we were so excited that my mom swore there had to be at least ten of us in the room from all the hooting and hollering she heard on the phone.

Then the wedding day. :) Sarah woke up crazy-excited, then got crazy-nervous, and then excited again. It was hilarious! She was perfect!

Then I went to Providence for church and a little pre-sermon Panera Bread. Thank YOU so much, Behrens Family, Q family, Rick and Viv, and all the others who gave a little something for my team here in Uganda. We're already enjoying your gifts!! :) Thanks Kayte Bell for being around - man I miss you. Thanks, Mike for an awesome sermon that refreshed me as I left.

Know that I miss all of you. It was definitely worth the jet-lag to see you for a few days and/or hours.

Photos to follow....another day....sorry.

Do you want to help?

We have a few very practical needs/wants out here for which we have no budget. I would love to give you the opportunity to contribute. I am coming back to the states in just one more week for a very short time. I'll be at my best friend's wedding on the 13th! And Providence Church on Sunday the 14th. :) If you think you'll see me there and you want to contribute something small, here's our list of needs/wants:

• new or lightly-used bibles
• small book of guitar cords
• laminated copies (20) of praise songs
• bible study leader's guide - smaller the better
• End of the Spear movie

Spiritual nourishment is our goal. :) We would love your help! If you have any questions, feel free to email me: melanie.scherf@gmail.com.

Webale manonge! (Thank you very much!)

How far would you go?

I drove 5 hours round trip with my Buremba teamhouse mates for a toasted ham and cheese sandwich today. And it was worth it! Expensive. Wouldn't even put it on my top 5 favorite foods list. Only been in Buremba for one week. But still worth it.

Why?

Because we drove into the Kibale Forest, past the Rwenzori mountains, and through bright green tea fields. We stopped along the road to buy jack fruit, watermelon, some red pepper-looking fruit, and the best pineapple in the world - all for under $3. We looked through my latest Life magazine with the World's Wonders in it and each decided where we most wanted to go. And I flipped through the pages of our Vietnam Lonely Planet to dream about the next big trip.

It was a nice deep breath - a nice day of rest! God is so good. :)

Happy

I walked into our dining area from my office to find a strange young woman sitting at our coffee table eating some fresh pineapple. I'm not alarmed by strangers in my house/office anymore. But it's still weird. I introduced myself and asked for her name.

"Happy" she replied without hesistating.

I was encouraged. She understood my english. We could have a conversation.

I asked why she was in our dining area and she told me that she wanted to know what we were doing in their community. I ushered her into the office and started to explain the water project. As I was telling her about filters and clean water, I glanced up at our new picture. It's a photo of a beautiful young girl catching rain water in Malawo. It includes our mission statement which is about sharing the love of Christ. I stopped talking about water and started talking about Jesus. I told her we were there to share the love of Jesus Christ.

"Are you saved?" she asked.

"Yes" I replied. "I am a follower of Jesus Christ - I love him very much."

"Well I am not saved" she said bluntly. I was surprised. I didn't even ask. I assumed she would say that she was.

So we started talking about Jesus. She explained that she goes to church, but she isn't saved yet. She says that it just isn't her time. I tried to explain to her why she shouldn't wait. But I felt like I was being too persuasive. I didn't want her to simply accept my point of view. I wanted her to accept Christ. So we continued talking about Jesus and loving Him and living our lives for Him. Eventually she said that she wants to be saved. I told her that she can be saved today. But she wasn't quite ready for that yet. So I simply told her that I hoped to see her again tomorrow.

She was Happy. And I am hopeful!

Please pray for her. That God would do a mighty work in her heart. And that He would give me wisdom and a great love for her.