This week I (Shari) had the opportunity to travel out to the village with a nurse and a couple of volunteers for an overnight immunization trip. Last summer when we had just returned from our one-year home assignment, there was a measles epidemic in our area and several people died as a result. Many times when immunizations have been given at the health center located several hours down the valley, the people from this village and others have missed out on them because there was not enough vaccines to go around. So we were glad to be able to give our community priority this time. We started giving immunizations around 11:00 A.M. and were working nonstop until about 4:00. It was a real blessing to have several Simbari people helping with the process, and when every name and immunization was recorded, we were pleased to see that about 270 men, women, and children were now covered for measles, tetanus, polio, and other childhood diseases. Needless to say, there were a lot of very sore people that evening!
After it rained for a couple of hours, the moon and stars appeared as well as a group of believers who wanted to sit around the fire pit with us for a time of singing and fellowship. What a precious time we enjoyed together as we talked and sang about the hope we have in Christ and the fact that we are pilgrims on this earth, looking forward to our eternal home where there will be no more separation, pain, or sorrow.
Not only was this trip about helping them in physical ways, but more importantly being able to encourage the hearts of the believers by delivering to them the latest five New Testament books and another Bible lesson booklet which we recently had printed for them.
Please continue to pray that they would be faithful to read, study, and apply the new truths they will be learning!
