day 7

we're about to head to the other side of island #3 - normally a 6 hr trip on bumpy roads but apparently recent rains have made the roads even worse...!  woohoo!

several highlights to share from the past couple of days:

-we had the chance to visit a local market.  lots and lots of stalls crammed next to each other under low tin roofs.  we went in after a heavy rain and the ground/floors were pretty wet/muddy.  as it turned out our point of entry was the meat section.  it was late in the day, and what was left was some chicken and a bunch a fish, all covered with flies.  nasty.  our friend who led us in there stopped and began chatting with one of the sellers and next thing we knew she turned to us and and said, "ok, they're ready to hear a story..."  as in a testimony.  dick was the bold one, and started telling his story to this lady while our friend translated and added contextually appropriate commentary.  before we knew it a dozen or so folks came over and got to hear dick's story of faith.  amazing.  one woman in particular was standing close, holding her hands together over her heart and smiling and nodding as she listened.  we didn't get her name however...

-yesterday we had the chance to meet several of the national workers who partner with our friends here.  their stories are amazing.  one of the guys told how as a 9-yr old boy one day as he was attending to his prayers he heard a voice tell him to read the red holy book.  the very next day he saw that one of his infidel friends had a holy book with red letters in it.  he asked to borrow it and his friend gave it to him.  later that next night he was wondering where to start and a voice told him to read john 14.6.  that very night he began following the One Who is the Way.  two of the other workers told us how they left their families to marry infidels and in the process of becoming believers had been subject to repeated beatings and abuse and torture by their families.  these precious faithful servants have become our heroes.  the price they pay is beyond anything we can come close to.

-we also got to visit the local house of worship where the leader wanted to be sure that we knew that theirs is a religion of peace.  such irony.

-one other story: we had the chance to visit a local village and observe some local customs and rituals.  as we sat there watching, one of our friends began chatting with a couple of kids and started telling them a crafted story from the Book.  it wasn't long before she was surrounded by more than 20 kids, all totally caught up in the story.  the expression on their faces was priceless.  with parents close by she couldn't go very far, but as we left we were struck with how open these people are, especially the kids.  so many villages and towns with not one believer - who will tell these ones, these little ones?

please remember us today as we travel and as we continue to visit with local workers.  they tell us that it means so much to them that we have come so far to visit with and encourage them.  thank you...