Joy and sadness….

About a week and a half ago Roxane took "Paula" to her court appointment and she was awarded the custody of her kids again. They have been in the foster system for just over a year. What an exciting day! A lot has changed in the year that they were gone. "Paula" was saved in July and has been a regular at church and Bible study. She spends lots of time just reading the Word and we have enjoyed seeing her grow in the Lord. In the meantime her children have been exposed to some not-so-good influences in the different homes they have lived in during the past year. Now there is the challenge of helping the kids to adapt to the way of life their mom has chosen, and lots of prayer that their hearts will be softened. There are many challenging days ahead for her.

At times we are overwhelmed with a sense of sadness as we think of the oppression here. Since the ceremonial time has begun in the villages, we hear the beat of the drums from inside the house and the chanting when we step outside. We hear many stories of people around us that are struggling, such as those that are sorting out the confusing messages they get from different people regarding what it means to turn and walk with the Lord. Then there’s the story of a 13 year old foster girl having a baby, with questions as to who the father of the child is. Another mother that we met recently is about to loose her children permanently to adoption if she doesn’t comply with the orders of the court in cleaning up her life. She has expressed a sincere desire to change, but then falls into the same traps again and again. She has attended one Bible study recently, but has not made any other steps toward letting God transform her life.

We are thankful for the opportunities we are given to interact with the people here, but at the same time it brings sadness and heavy hearts. We are so glad for the your prayers for our family and on behalf of the work here.