It was a treat having Esther’s and Simon’s whole dorm come for a visit during Easter. They were here for five days and helped us with some work on the airstrip as well as some other jobs that needed done. They also enjoyed a picnic at the swimming hole and a longer hike to another village. It was great having them join us for a time of worship with the Simbari believers on Easter Sunday as we remembered the Lord’s death and resurrection together. We had such a good time and were sad to see them go and they they would have liked to stay longer too. It was nice for Shari to be able to give the dorm mom a break from the cooking as it is a big job keeping up with the appetites of so many kids. The dorm parents, Stu and Rhonda Hunter and their family have been a real blessing to our kids for the last two years at school and we will miss them a lot this next year as they move on to a different ministry.
Update On School Situation
There are only a few more weeks left before the end of the school year and our dorm parent situation has never been so critical as it is now. (We heard recently that the other family who are dorm parents will also be moving on) For this next school year there will only be one dorm available for 11th and 12th grade girls but it won’t be open till the second school term so Esther will be living with another family the first little while until they can get a new dorm up and running again. Because of the dorm parent shortage there won’t be enough space for all the kids so some, like Simon, are waiting for home placements with families who live at the school. If arrangements can’t be made he will have to come home and study by correspondence. Our two older kids really love it at NCA (Numonohi Christian Academy) so it would be hard for Simon to have to study at home without teachers and his friends around. But we know that the Lord will give the grace for whatever He allows and we just want what is best for our kids. Thanks for praying!
New Outreach Starting
Tomorrow, May 2nd, we will be starting a new outreach to the community here. We will be teaching the Creation to Christ evangelism lessons in a public area of the village at 7:30 each weekday morning for the next two months. We and the Simbari believers are very excited about this outreach and are praying that God would do a real work in people’s hearts, drawing them to Himself. We would also appreciate prayer for good weather in the mornings as we will be sitting outside in the open. Also pray that those who come to hear the lessons will come faithfully so they can hear the WHOLE story and not just bits and pieces. After we are done in this village, we have been invited to have an outreach in another village farther away. So God is doing some neat things in people’s hearts and we are thrilled to be a part of it.
Thank you so much for being a part of what God is doing here too by praying for us and the Simbari people.
In His love,
David and Shari