Subject: Blog, July 15, 2012
INTENSE DAY, WITH MORE PRAYERS ANSWERED
Missions is spelled WORK and this week has been no exception.
With Eric in Pemba for 2 days with our outgoing visitors, the work load was non-stop for those of us at the base.
My big challenge on Monday was that the maize mill wore out the grinding shaft and parts are not available to buy.
Since we mill over 1.5 tons a week to feed 350+ orphans every Thursday, our corn had to be quickly taken to a public mill.
As Eric was preparing to leave for his Pemba trip at noon on Monday, his mechanical genius kicked in, providing a solution.
He took the worn out mill part to a marine machine shop at the port in Pemba where all the ships are repaired.
They hope to rebuild the part and have it for us this Wed. when Eric returns to Pemba to fetch Dale Meindertsma, arriving from Michigan.
PRAY FOR DALE’S TRIP AS HE FLIES OUT MONDAY, JULY 16TH FOR SOUTH AFRICA.
FRIDAY A VERY WILD DAY
We were notified on Thursday afternoon that a SECOND inspection team was in town to continue the inspections that team #1 didn’t finish.
This included us. Thursday night we went to war in the heavenlies with prayer, asking the Lord to divert these inspectors from Balama.
Stress#1: 6a.m. to 8a.m. found us in a “dusting and de=cobwebbing” frenzy in preparation for a “surprise” inspection.
We were told that after a “heated discussion” the inspectors decided to go elsewhere, omitting Balama from their list.
No doubts that there was divine intervention on this one! PHEW! Thank you Jesus!
Stress #2 My goat managers called at 6:30a.m. to tell me that a Spitting Cobra bit one of my mother goats while she slept in the barn Thursday night. The snake tract was very clear in the dirt but the culprit wasn’t found. After 2 days, she is looking healthy, although limping on 3 legs. All looks good for her survival. My pastors laid hands on her and prayed for her. God saves animals too!
Stress #3: Our Construction Manager came to Eric and I asking us to remove a drunk bricklayer’s assistant from our work site who refused to go home. This worker had hidden his drukenness at morning devotions, so none of my top staff realized he was drunk until the team started work. Dealing with a stubborn, violent drunk is never a pleasant ordeal. The village chief was present, so he was dismissed legally. After 20 minutes of listening to his crazy ravings while he slowly stripped off his uniform and threw it at us, he finally left and work continued. Life is never easy when dealing with the unsaved, no matter where you live.
Stress #4: At noon Friday, my favourite baby goat died very rapidly after licking a poisonous bug while out with the herd. (Human babies are not the only ones who put everything in their mouth.) These poisonous bugs are only found on the grass during the “morning dew” time and leave as soon as the grass dries up. Our herders only take the goats out after the grass is dry to avoid this risk.
No one can explain why this 1 bug didn’t hibernate once the grass dried up. This little female had a rough 3 weeks of life as her mother’s milk wasn’t enough to sustain her. I’d made several trips last weekend to give her additional milk formula via a syringe, as she wasn’t able to grasp a “human” baby bottle, which was all I had to feed her with. She had regained her strength this week as the mother’s milk had finally come through. This little one RAN beside her mother that morning as they left the corral (she was always carried before).
Curiosity and a freak incident caused her demise, making all of us very sad.
This has been my week and now I’m off to the Namara church in a few minutes.
Our internet keeps kicking me off and is non-existend in the afternoons, so I will send an additional blog on church happenings later today if possible.
Thank you for all your prayers and for sharing your love with our kids through your love gifts.
Blessings, BBB and the Balama team
No comments:
Post a Comment