On A Better Note...

Since I was a bit of a Debby Downer in my last post, I thought it best to share some of the exciting things that are happening here.  We've been going to visit the K one to two times every week.  As you might know, I've been trying to start a 'cultural sharing' group with the ladies.  One week, I will share something women in America like to do (a craft or recipe), as well as a story about what I believe (aka Bible stories) and the next week, they will share something they like to do and a story about their beliefs.  Well, it's been frustrating getting this organized.  Many of the women tell me they want to do this, but when it comes down to the actual day, they cannot.  Part of the trouble comes in having a consistent time/place to meet, part of the trouble comes in that they honestly have so much work to do each day they don't feel they can come, and part of the trouble comes from the fact that there are many different groups of women that they don't all necessarily want to do things at the same time.  Even though I've planned many of these get-togethers with them, only one has come to fruition!  Something always comes up the day of.  We still go to their village and visit with them, but it's more on an individual basis.  I'll end up just staying at one lady's house and visiting with her and maybe a few of her neighbors.  Every day when we get back in our truck to come home, both Nick and I sigh and say it was an unproductive day in that we didn't accomplish what we set out to, but it was a productive day as our relationships with certain individuals really deepened and we learned more about them and what they believe.  

Nick spends most of his time with some of the key K men, doing whatever it is they are doing - whether that be sitting on the porch, milking cows, picking mangoes, or building a house.  He has been able to have a few positive spiritual conversations recently and was able to open up the Bible to key Roman verses on two separate occasions with two different men.  We are definitely identifying those who are more open to the things we have to say.

These people have truly opened up their hearts and homes to us and we feel so welcomed each week when we drive into their village.  They've invited us to special occasions and want to continue building our relationships.  They love on our children and have accepted them as their own.  I honestly won't see Carter for hours, but I know he's running around with their children and maybe even eating lunch in someone's home.  (Don't worry, Nick and I both keep tabs on who he is actually with, haha).  And Oliver is of course spoiled rotten there, as there is always a set of arms ready and willing to hold him and bounce around with him.  

There is a church in Georgia who have sort of' 'adopted' the K people.  They are sending a group of 7-8 people 2-4 times a year for a week each.  They were here the first week of September and offered many things, such as veterinary care for both livestock and pets, house visits with a nurse, English classes for the children, football with boys, nail painting and crafts with the girls, and jewelry making with the women.  One evening, we showed a film and had a short gospel presentation.  Now there has been a little backlash to this from the K leadership, but many were exposed to the truth and we hope this opens many more doors.  Overall though, all of the people were so happy to have this group come visit them and are already asking when they'll be back again.

Yes, it's slow work, but things are happening.  We are trying our best to be wise and strategic in our visits and not miss opportunities to share, but also not wanting to push too hard, too fast and not be allowed back.  It's definitely a balancing act!