Archive for August 1st, 2007
Yesterday evening as I stood on our front porch, watching the rain pour down in torrents, I just wanted to praise the Lord. The older boy Samuel was bringing out all the water barrels to fill with rain water; Cindy was hugging her little brother Gary Jr.; Enoch Jr. was trying to float a paper boat in a stream of rushing rainwater; while Gary, Enoch Sr. and I were looking on.
On that day most of my bath towels had been washed by hand and securely attached to the line with clothes pins. By now the clothes were all swinging rapidly from the storm, thoroughly drenched with rain water. “Wow, God; You just gave the towels a second rinsing! Tomorrow I will hang them all back up again, praying for at least one hour of sunshine.”
Yep, you guessed right; Liberia is in the rainy season, so when it rains it pours! It is so awesome to watch God shower the land with His tears of joy; it makes me just want to praise the Lord!
August 1st, 2007
Partially finished homes line the dirt road and dot the land on either side. Many families have converted a part of their front porch into a small shop where pedestrians can buy small amounts of spices, hot peppers, homemade balls of laundry soap, or palm oil. Some of the woman even grow cassava leaves in their front yard. Cassava leaves are ground for “soup” to serve over rice. The roots are roasted—-or boiled, pounded, and fermented to make “fufu”.
The other day as I was searching for boxed cheese wedges, I met a charming neighborhood family with a pet monkey. After greeting each person, I noticed two small coconuts in their front porch shop. “Oh, I so hungry for coconut, o! How much you sell it for?” I asked.
“Ten dollars” [Liberian dollars], the old man responded.
“Please wait small. I go and I come with the money, yah.”
” The coconut on me, o! It for you.”
“For true?”
“Yeh, o!” the old man laughed.
“Thank you, thank you!” I smiled with delight. “I go home straight to drink coconut milk! Bye.”
August 1st, 2007
Satan has desired to sift you as wheat; but I (Jesus) have prayed for you ! Luke 22:31
This morning I woke up, feeling like I had been sifted as wheat during the night. In my dream I had literally been dragged through the streets. Sensing in my spirit that a spiritual battle had gone on during the night, I asked Gary to pray for me. Almost immediately my strength was renewed.
As I sat at the breakfast table this morning, I heard from Doris and Enoch that indeed, a spiritual battle had gone on while we were in bed. Rogues trying to enter our home, had caused a diversion to bring one of us outside. Shining a flashlight on and off continuously into Enoch’s vehicle, they had hoped someone would unlock the front door and come out to check the family car. That way the thieves planned to easily rush into our house.
But God ’s Holy Spirit showed Enoch the deception and advised min to remain inside. Thus our entire family, including Gary and I, were protected from danger! All glory and honor and praise be to Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lord and the King of Kings!
PS. I just found out this afternoon as I was chatting with Wesah, my Christian brother, that at approximately the same time last night as myself, he too had felt the presence of evil in his dream. So he immediately began crying out the name of Jesus until the “old ma” of the house came running into his room to pray for him. The rest of the night was spent immersed in the Word of God and singing praises to Jesus. Truly, all of us could say of that night�”Greater is He (Jesus) Who is in us, than he (Satan) who is in the world!” I John 4:4, I John 2:14, and Revelation 12:11
August 1st, 2007
Little Meow is our household kitty cat; she is very lovable and playful. Always she lingers around any family member who is cooking, pushing her little head against our legs. She stares at the coal pot, anxiously anticipating any scrap of food we may give her. One morning she was nowhere to be found. Where was cute little Meow?
Then Doris told me the story?. “While it was still dark this morning, I was in the kitchen cooking when I heard a loud banging on my outside door. ‘Who is it?’ I demanded. But no one answered. Then I saw a hand coming through the decorative opening of my closed in porch. This hand grabbed one of my empty pot, rattling it against the wall to make me think that a thief had gotten into my house. The next thing I heard was my kitty cat screaming as someone grabbed her from outside and ran. I sensed there must be a group of robbers, just waiting for me to open the back door ; so I remained inside. But my heart cried as I listened to helpless Meow’s pitiful screeches of pain and fear>” Doris concluded.
Our household was very sad that morning—no little Meow around. What had the robbers done to her? Beaten her? Killed her? Eaten her? We did not know? Then suddenly that afternoon Meow reappeared. Enoch Jr. found her hiding in the branches of a tree, trembling. Gently he brought her down out of the tree and carried her into the house. “Meow is back; she is alive!” Enoch Jr. laughed as he rushed in the front room. I ran to welcome Meow back home, watching with relief as the children lovingly fed her scraps of food. But the more I observed, the more I noticed that little Meow was not the same Meow that I had known yesterday.
Instead, our spunky kitty ate solemnly and did not stay around to cuddle or play, but slowly dragged herself, head hung low and tail between her legs, to a lonely retreat. I saw her slip into a dark closet to bury herself between bags of rice. There she remained for two days, rarely coming out. My heart ached for Meow because I knew she was in shock from the crisis she had recently endured And so my heart aches even more for the youth of Liberia who have suffered through fifteen years of civil war. I know they are still trying to heal from their trauma of pain. Please pray for the CHILDREN OF LIBERIA.
August 1st, 2007
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