A lot has happened since we last updated. Back in Embangweni I was asked to preach at the Loudon CCAP Presbyterian congregation, the church at the center of Embangweni mission station. At first it was a bit stressful. I had to type my notes for the sermon out on 3 separate computers, and there was only one printer in the entire station that finally worked. I spent the better part of one day walking around trying to find a computer and a printer that would work together. Yet the Lord was faithful in helping me preach clearly and energetically on Sunday morning. The church is quite large, with no sound amplification expect for the stone floors. So I had to shout the sermon at such high volume that I felt I was a televangelist. Being the loving, amazing wife she is, Jan Scott sat in the church on Saturday and listened to the sermon twice to help with my volume control. Ultimately, I think the message was clear and faithful to the text. I preached on 1 Corinthians 12, discussing the importance of unity in the body of Christ.
Tuesday we found out last minute that there was going to be a free ride from Embangweni to Mzuzu, on an ambulance of all things. So we hopped in the back of the ambulance (which is a big Land Cruiser 4x4 here) and rode to Mzuzu over bumpy dirt roads. When we got to Mzuzu, our clothes were covered in dust. We looked as if we had been rolling around in a ditch.
We had the blessing of briefly meeting Paul and Darlene Heller at the Crisis Nursery in Mzuzu. This was a wonderful place to rest after our bumpy journey. We washed our hands and took off our shoes before entering the nursery, which is home to 12 babies, ages 0 to 18 months. Most of the families of these babies are temporarily unable to care for the infants, either because of financial reasons, sickness, or death in the family. The best news is that while most babies stay here until they are roughly 1 ½, many return to their families afterwards. The babies were really cute indeed. Jan Scott was clearly in baby heaven, and there were a few that wooed me as well. It was amazing to see how even at such a young age, babies have such distinct personalities. We will be going back there later this week, so more on the Crisis Nursery later.
We caught a ride to Ekwendeni from Mzuzu with Jodi McGill, our missionary friend who we had met in Atlanta! We really enjoyed getting to catch up with her, and we look forward to spending more time with her and Jim next week back in Mzuzu.
We arrived in Ekwendeni last night. We are still getting acclimated, but have really enjoyed it so far. There is only one physician here, a Dutch woman, but I enjoyed shadowing her today. The saddest thing was seeing the number of small children with really severe burns, in severe pain. Apparently this is quite common here in villages, as the poor have no other way to stay warm in the cold season than to light a fire right next to their beds at night. There was also a drunk guy who was about to die with a blood sugar level of 0. They gave him an I.V. of glucose, and he recovered quickly. We have met several other British medical students in our guest house as well, and have quickly made friends. Today Jan Scott weighed babies (meaning she wrapped them in sarongs and put them on a hook scale exactly like the ones we weight vegetables on in grocery stores!) and organized drugs to be handed out to AIDS patients.
We thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We hope to write again soon!
Love,
Luke and JS
Luke congrats on the sermon! I bet you were a huge hit. :) -Amelia
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading your blogs. It must be fascinating. My prayers and thoughs continue to be with you.
ReplyDeleteInez
Luke,
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. When I arrived in the tiny Jordanian village of Smakieh several years ago, they suddenly announced that in forty five minutes there would be a worship service for the whole village and that I would be the speaker. I had no clue I would be speaking at all in my visit, let alone in just 45 minutes. I had no notes and no computer, just a Bible...I asked for some privacy and prayed my heart out and then thought I'll just find some verse that has a lot of phrases I could exposit one by one. I hit upon Ephesians 4:4-5 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
I went through a Joycean stream of consciousness meander through each one of "the ones" in those verses with the help of a very bewildered interpreter. The only light moment came when a goat ran through the sanctuary in the middle of the sermon.
I'm sure your sermon was a lot better than mine.
Blessings and prayers,
Vic Pentz