This is a new Lingala phrase we’ve picked up. It means to take courage, be strong, don’t give up. That’s a good phrase for us. We are 15 months into our first term, and sometimes staying the course and keeping courage can be a challenge. Everyday life can be difficult, and the medical work here is more complicated than in the United States.
Some examples from everyday life...
...making bread but sifting the flour for bugs first...
...teaching home school then having home school interrupted by someone trying to kill a poisonous snake in your yard (then letting it get away!)...
...not having a dishwasher or a washing machine...
...going to the market (on a bicycle) trying to find produce, not succeeding, and then going back again to try again...
...making supper only to have the bottled gas go out without any replacement for several months...
...having internet go in and out, cutting of reliable communication with family and supporters...
From the medical side...
...wanting a consult and not having one...
...making a diagnosis and saying “you need a surgeon” and then realizing that it’s you...
...fighting to keep parents from taking their kids out of the hospital to soon because (a)they don’t want to pay the bill, (b) they want to try a fetish at home, (c) the dad wants the mom to come back home...
...receiving sick patients and realizing that if you only had “one more thing” or more organization or something, you had a shot at saving the patient...
...watching patients die and wondering what you could have done differently...
...doing all of this in a different language and culture...
Then there are other things...
...hearing your kids say Sunday is their least favorite day because they take the malaria medicine and have to go to church in a language they do not understand...
...trying to explain the peace that comes from the Prince of Peace to someone who is too scared to listen...
...being exposed to communicable diseases regularly...
Yet, God is proving that He is more than faithful:
The kids are seeing a culture that makes them evaluate their own; they are seeing God answer prayer; they are happy and healthy.
We see babies start to breathe who would not be resuscitated in the past;
we speak love into downtrodden forgotten women;
we see God answer prayer; and with that we can say, “Yika mpiko.”
You have a part. Your gifts, your prayers keep us going, keep us determined to follow Jesus wherever He is and to bring light into an area of darkness in the world. So we say to you, “Yika mpiko.” Keep praying, keep giving, and keep in touch.
Right now we can use prayers for: family health, reliable internet communication, team unity, for a medical container to clear customs, and for a better understanding of the gospel for ourselves and the people around us.
Thanks,
Stephen
1 comment:
Thank you so much for loving God and obeying Him by serving....I know it is so difficult. Cling to Him!!!
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