6.9.08
Well, another weekend has gone quickly by! The heat has been a killer as we try to function in basic, everyday tasks. Tracy (another missionary staying at Mel and Paul’s house with me) and I often find ourselves needing a nap in the middle of the day because we are so exhausted from the amount and intensity of the sun here and the way the heat drains you. Over the weekend we reached temperatures of 109 degrees!
On Sunday we decided to split the kids into two “classes” to teach and instituted a number system for the nursery kids that would alleviate the parent’s need to constantly check on their children throughout the service and give the nursery workers a more discreet way of letting parents know if they were needed. I was asked to put a skit together of the story of Job to perform during the time of kids worship before we broke the kids up into two different age groups. It was so much fun to dress some of the team up to perform for the kids…they were great sports! It seems to be a time of trying out different strategies and ideas to see what will work best for this fast growing ministry! I feel so blessed to be a part of it at this time. It is always such a blessing to see His little ones learning the truth and getting excited about Him.
After the service a group of us headed over to the hospital. We first went to the dieing ward of the cancer hospital to visit with the patients there. Although we could not find the women we had been speaking to previously, we did have the opportunity to talk to another woman who was so excited to have company because “no one ever comes to visit her.” We were able to share the truth with her. We gave her a Bible and she said she would read it. It is so amazing to me how many things we take for granted in America that are foreign concepts here. Many people have never had a Bible, much less read anything from the Bible. Many have never heard of John 3:16 or know who Jesus is. And when they say they will read something, they mean that they will really read and consider it! This is truly pioneering work..
Sadly, what they do know about Christianity stems from the church of Jesus Christ. Members from this church will go through the hospitals handing out pamphlets of their doctrine and pray in tongues over people. Much of what they preach is the “name it claim it” and wealth and prosperity theology. They believe that men have a right to divorce their wives if they have the “spirit of Jezebel” (if they do not clean or cook enough, among other trivial issues) and do not preach eternal security in salvation. Needless to say there are many broken and hurting people who have come from that church and are seeking healing at Calvary Chapel. Many do not understand grace or true forgiveness and are very confused in their belief about Jesus and what He teaches. In addition to that, we will often talk with people who have been given a misguided representation of Jesus and His heart for people. It has been such a privilege to be a part of His work and showing who He really is and His love for people.
After speaking with that woman for 20 min it was noticeable that she was exhausted from the effort it took to carry on even a short conversation, so we left and went into the children’s building and asked if we could go outside in the yard and play with some of the kids who were sitting out there (and looking very bored). Surprisingly, they said yes and allowed us to go and play with them. We sang songs with several of them, taught them “Head and shoulders knees and toes” to them in English, and they taught it to us in Kyrgyz, and had fun being silly with them. What a beautiful sound to hear them laugh at our silly accents and to see smiles on their faces amidst their suffering and pain.
Their limited resources here never cease to amaze me. Many die unnecessarily because they do not have basic things. If a baby is born prematurely, it is very unlikely they will survive because they do not have incubators or even masks small enough to fit on a preme. The only thing they have are heating pads that they will lay the babies on, and hope they make it. And if grants are given to supply a village with an incubator, many doctors have such limited training that they don’t know what to use it for and end up covering it with a table cloth and placing a vase of flowers on it to use as decoration in their offices. I will forever look at things differently from my experience being here. I pray that God would continue to allow me to be affected by the great need here and the affluence that I take for granted at home.
Well, another weekend has gone quickly by! The heat has been a killer as we try to function in basic, everyday tasks. Tracy (another missionary staying at Mel and Paul’s house with me) and I often find ourselves needing a nap in the middle of the day because we are so exhausted from the amount and intensity of the sun here and the way the heat drains you. Over the weekend we reached temperatures of 109 degrees!
On Sunday we decided to split the kids into two “classes” to teach and instituted a number system for the nursery kids that would alleviate the parent’s need to constantly check on their children throughout the service and give the nursery workers a more discreet way of letting parents know if they were needed. I was asked to put a skit together of the story of Job to perform during the time of kids worship before we broke the kids up into two different age groups. It was so much fun to dress some of the team up to perform for the kids…they were great sports! It seems to be a time of trying out different strategies and ideas to see what will work best for this fast growing ministry! I feel so blessed to be a part of it at this time. It is always such a blessing to see His little ones learning the truth and getting excited about Him.
After the service a group of us headed over to the hospital. We first went to the dieing ward of the cancer hospital to visit with the patients there. Although we could not find the women we had been speaking to previously, we did have the opportunity to talk to another woman who was so excited to have company because “no one ever comes to visit her.” We were able to share the truth with her. We gave her a Bible and she said she would read it. It is so amazing to me how many things we take for granted in America that are foreign concepts here. Many people have never had a Bible, much less read anything from the Bible. Many have never heard of John 3:16 or know who Jesus is. And when they say they will read something, they mean that they will really read and consider it! This is truly pioneering work..
Sadly, what they do know about Christianity stems from the church of Jesus Christ. Members from this church will go through the hospitals handing out pamphlets of their doctrine and pray in tongues over people. Much of what they preach is the “name it claim it” and wealth and prosperity theology. They believe that men have a right to divorce their wives if they have the “spirit of Jezebel” (if they do not clean or cook enough, among other trivial issues) and do not preach eternal security in salvation. Needless to say there are many broken and hurting people who have come from that church and are seeking healing at Calvary Chapel. Many do not understand grace or true forgiveness and are very confused in their belief about Jesus and what He teaches. In addition to that, we will often talk with people who have been given a misguided representation of Jesus and His heart for people. It has been such a privilege to be a part of His work and showing who He really is and His love for people.
After speaking with that woman for 20 min it was noticeable that she was exhausted from the effort it took to carry on even a short conversation, so we left and went into the children’s building and asked if we could go outside in the yard and play with some of the kids who were sitting out there (and looking very bored). Surprisingly, they said yes and allowed us to go and play with them. We sang songs with several of them, taught them “Head and shoulders knees and toes” to them in English, and they taught it to us in Kyrgyz, and had fun being silly with them. What a beautiful sound to hear them laugh at our silly accents and to see smiles on their faces amidst their suffering and pain.
Their limited resources here never cease to amaze me. Many die unnecessarily because they do not have basic things. If a baby is born prematurely, it is very unlikely they will survive because they do not have incubators or even masks small enough to fit on a preme. The only thing they have are heating pads that they will lay the babies on, and hope they make it. And if grants are given to supply a village with an incubator, many doctors have such limited training that they don’t know what to use it for and end up covering it with a table cloth and placing a vase of flowers on it to use as decoration in their offices. I will forever look at things differently from my experience being here. I pray that God would continue to allow me to be affected by the great need here and the affluence that I take for granted at home.
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