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Friday, August 1, 2008

transformation


Yesterday we had another surprise. One of the students was up early and in the classroom studying so we took team meeting outside. We had been hoping to see some monkeys like the other teams but we were greeted by….three calves. Yes, you read that right…three calves. They walked right up our driveway and into our meeting. They licked one team member’s leg, and licked some of our clothing. They would wander in and out of our circle. If the presence of the cows weren’t enough, the dogs were going crazy. We ended up stopping early. I could not compete with three curious calves!

Last night we had a celebration for one of our students who will be leaving us tonight. Ricardo is going home. He has been here for five weeks, while his wife and a young son wait for him. Although he would like to stay, responsibilities call him away. The cooks made him a delicious cake, the team and students pitched in to get snacks and we watched a movie. It was a bittersweet time as we prayed for him and his future ministry with the knowledge that in less than 24 hours we would be saying goodbye.

One of the most surprising aspects of a missions trip is what God seems to do in the lives of the team. I am always asking them to be paying attention to what God is doing in them, how He is speaking to them. Yesterday in team meeting, two members shared what they think He might be doing in them. One talked about beginning to grasp that God and others could really love her. Another talked about how there is a lot of tough stuff going on at home and surprisingly, here, she has a sense of peace. She senses that God is asking her to give up control and surrender these situations to Him.

Another way that we hear God speaking is through scripture cards we read every morning. A wonderful woman, at Living Word, makes cards for each team member, one for each day we are here. There is a verse on the front of the card and a personal message from her on the back. It is amazing how often the verse or her message speaks exactly to what we may be experiencing that day or may be exactly what we need to hear. I know it is an incredible investment of time and energy but it is so meaningful to all of us…thank you, Cindy!

We are enjoying every minute we have here. Thank you all for your prayers.
Love,
Deb

1 comments:

todd and mona said...

Hey, Miss Sue was it your leg that got licked by the calf? I know the animals love you!!! Hope you are having a great time, miss you and
praying for the team. ~Love ya Mona