As we speak, the beautiful bass tones of distant thunder reaches my ears. Such a melodic sound. A sound so beautiful and welcome. My skin tingles with anticipation that maybe it will rain. It hasn’t rained here in many weeks, quite possibly a month or more. April is the hottest and driest time of the year, and this year was no exception. We’ve seen temperatures over a 100 degrees for as long as I can remember, or so it seems. Along with the dry season comes the fires. Here its common procedure to cut and burn fields in preparation for the rains and the next planting. Most fires get started and somehow get out of control. Thousands of acres are prone to turn into blackened char with nothing to stop it. The atmosphere fills with smoke and turns the brilliant blue sky into a grey smog that hangs over us for weeks. Lots of people all over the country have been sick from the smoke. This season we’ve had two huge fires that burned in a bee line towards homes in the village. So far though, I’ve only heard that one abandoned house burned, though others came dangerously close to going up in smoke.
A work team from a dear congregation in Ohio sent three men to help with some projects around here. They arrived, got settled and the following day were put to work out a large fire at the end of the runway. We were so grateful for their help and fellowship. They accomplished a lot of projects, though the main one was re-plumbing and repairing a well that had been caving in.
The job complete! We have this exact project for the hospital’s well coming up soon.
We’ve begun to see spiritual growth in the men here in Rus Rus. The pastoral conference held here back in March has caused some of them to read the Bible in a new light and to glean a better understanding of God. Oh, the power of our Lord!
One of the days while the team was here we had an emergency patient who showed up in our village with a snakebite from a highly venous snake. He was a young man who had been working out on a farm, gotten bit and time was ticking for him. I was very curious when I saw that he had a blanket covering his head, but since he was laying in the back of the pickup, I though maybe it was to keep the sun out of his eyes. However when they helped him get from the truck to the airplane a bit later and it was still draped over his head it piqued my curiosity. It felt very strange to have this random person in our midst and not even know what he looked like. Later I asked Brad about the blanket.
“People are extremely superstitious about snakes and Mosquito people believe that if someone looks at the face of a person with a snake bite they will be cursed, their wife will lose her baby if she’s expecting….”
He wore the blanket over his head during the whole flight. It’s a belief that was started in the past and still is believed to this day. It’s hard to imagine, and to comprehend how a superstition like that can still exist in 2023 but yet it does. Satan still has a grip on people here, there is a lot more work to be done. Though they say they are Christian some are still in bondage and we are praying for God to move mightily, in our community and those around us! Next month we have another group coming to Rus Rus to teach techniques to Bible memorization. Please keep us in your prayers and be praying for fertile soil in the hearts of all who come.
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I had young wife and rented her upstairs apartment, my paternal grandmother tell her, don’t look a criip neighbor man born with no hands, just A couple fingers on each hand. Or your baby will be crippled too. Right here in Englewood, Ohio.