A "Good" Day

This past week has been a good week, but for very different reasons than I am used to! Alyssa and I were talking tonight while we were eating dinner that we have plenty of good days here but it is getting harder and harder for us to explain the things that make a day "good."

Here are some good things that have happened this week:

-We have met with our new language helper for two days straight and have learned some useful things! I know this is small in comparison with others who are in language school for hours every week but this is a big deal for us! We are focusing on the biblical story of Cain and Abel and the story of Noah in our story groups this week so John has taught us some sentences and vocabulary from these stories so that we can follow along as it's being translated in the group.

-There have been no more snakes in my tukel. Need I say more?

-We made lentils, sauteed vegetables and rice for dinner tonight and everything was delicious. You know how sometimes things are cooked juuuust right? That was our rice tonight. Perfect.

-Almost 30 women from nearby villages came to our compound this afternoon for our ladies-only story group. Alyssa told the story of Cain and Abel, then had them help her re-tell the story. They were really listening because one lady even remembered the part where God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door. I told the story of Noah and then the ladies took turns filling in the blanks when I told the story the second time. They all clapped for themselves when they remembered all the different things that went into the ark!

It is SO encouraging to see how interested these ladies have been in the stories recently. We can tell by their facial expressions during the story (looks of horror when bad things happen), the number of ladies who join in the re-telling of the story and their ability to remember details as they re-tell it that they are really listening. Tomorrow some of these ladies are going with us to Lomayen to help us tell the women in those villages about Cain, Abel and Noah.

As you are praying for the Toposa, remember these ladies and ask God to help them understand the stories they are hearing. Pray that they will tell their friends these stories from God's Word. Also, join us in thanking God for bringing us another language helper. We don't know how long this one will be with us, but temporary help is better than none!

I believe I've mentioned before that the Toposa like to jump (karot). You're not "in" until you jump with them. I dare you to jump in a circle around someone else for 60 seconds and tell me you're not tired.