Cooling Tower

Things continue to move forward at the house and we hope to see the last of the roof go on soon. The are starting to work on our "cooling tower,"  that forms almost a third floor. The picture shows the grating they're starting to put in for it. It's intend to allow the cool breezes caught by the tower to drop down into the house and let hot escape upwards. We intend to put clay pots with water up there to help humidify, cooling it further as it drops down into the house.

Insufficient for the Task?

It has been an intense week with lots of power cuts and friends leaving the country (unfortunately both are just facts of life here). In fact I am writing this at 3am simply because the power is finally stable and I can’t sleep. We are told that the power cuts are due to work on the lines and we are grateful that they have been way better than a year ago at this time (when we were lucky to have an hour or two a day), but it is still frustrating when you are trying to get work done and you can’t. Our situation is also complicated by the fact that when the power is out for extended periods of time our water is cut (because the water tower needs electricity to power the pumps that keep the water pressure going), so it gets to be a vicious cycle.

We have had cause to rejoice in hearing that at least part of the team will be coming in August! Thanks to those who have been praying about this. Please keep praying for them as they have to get their paperwork together and have lots of decisions to make.

Please pray for Dave as he tries to finish up his marking for the bible school and preparing for the student’s defense of their final papers, in addition to getting ready to take a couple classes himself this summer and his usual jobs (like taking a turn preaching this Sunday). Pray that he would be able to make the most of his time and focus on the task at hand regardless of the circumstances.

Please pray for me that I would be able to get accomplished what I need to for the courses that I am taking this summer and be able to balance that with the needs of family and ministry.

Please also pray for the great people that are ending their time of ministry here:  that God would be directing them to what He has in store for the next stage of their lives. They will be deeply missed and it is hard to say goodbye.  Pray for the gaps that they leave behind that others would come along to fill them. Pray that others would come to work alongside us. We recognise that we are insufficient for the task, but thankfully God supplies all our needs.

Obstacles or Barriers

So many times in life we face difficulties and most often those are the defining moments in our life. Will we choose to rail against God, have a pity party, or see those situations as one more growing experience? I think I usually fall into the "all of the above" category, but thankfully God is always faithful to see me through.

What I find really tough is knowing when the obstacles that are coming my way are just that: obstacles for me to over come or barriers that are God's way of saying no, this isn't my plan for you. We are supposed to be having a team coming this summer but they have been facing problem after problem and trying to know whether this is another hurtle along the way or God's way of letting them know that they need to reconsider. It is a tough call and one that they will have to make for themselves. I have found that when the obstacles boil down to fear, then that usually isn't God (based on 2 Timothy 1:7). Not to make light of fear, there are things in life that deserve a healthy dose of fear and should be taken seriously, but scripture tells us that that is not how God operates. More often than not when I get caught up in fear it is someone else that is playing with me, not God. Philippians 4:6 & 7 is usually how I deal  with those issues: giving my anxious thoughts to God and looking for his peace. Will you pray with me for this team that they will know what God has planned for them and that He will direct them in His perfect peace?

Testing

The last full week of classes before the regular exams had a few unexpected surprises that came with it. There were two days when the school closed down because of university student protests that got out of hand. You would think that this would be a good thing for us (the time off not the rioting!) because we would be saved the one hour round trip to school; that we could sleep in and take life at a slower pace. But, no... it just so happened that Cole was writing IGCSE exams on both of those afternoons so even though school was closed he had to get in there to write his exams, thankfully God took care of us and although we saw signs of the commotion all around town and a number of burning tires we didn't run into any problems on the road. Instead of being able to use my day off teaching to mark and do some work around the house, I had three extra bodies to manoeuvre around and meals that needed to be timed so that the commute across town could be done. I must admit that I did appreciate the opportunity to sleep in, even if my body doesn't know what to do with that and gets up anyway. We are truly grateful for the number of people that prayed for our safety at the time and to God for answering those prayers.

This week Ben has started his final exams and Cole will have his 13th and final exam next week. They would appreciate your prayers.

We were told this week that there might be some complications for the remainder of the team coming in August. I am hoping and praying that they would be able to come, it would really mean a lot to us (even just to see faces from home) but I am afraid that God might be closing that door for some reason. Please pray that God's will would be done in these circumstances and that the building project would move ahead whether this team comes to help or not.

Too much for one weekend

This was another really crazy weekend in the Wright house. The craziness started a little earlier than I was prepared for. Friday morning when I arrived at school, I was shocked to hear that one of the French teacher's sisters died in the night. She was 23 with three small children: a three-year-old daughter and twins that are three weeks. It came as a shock to everyone because there were no real signs of her being ill until the night before. This tragedy had a ripple affect because that French teacher is set to marry the school secretary in a few week's time, putting a serious damper on what should be a joyous time for them. It also caused a few others on staff to be reminded once again of their recent loss of family members.

Please pray for this situation, for the family dealing with such a tragic loss. For the husband left without a wife. for these children left without a mother, that God would work in a mighty way in their lives and fill in this gap. For the staff at Sahel that we would be able to support this couple in their grief and help them celebrate and find joy as they start a new family together. And for those that are still grieving their own losses that have happened over the year.

Part of the craziness of this weekend was something I had been looking forward to for a long time: General Conference for the FMCIC. I had been praying for the event for awhile and even though I was disappointed that I couldn't be there in person, I had hoped to reconnect to the church at home as I tuned into the live stream broadcast and catch glimpses of friends and family. I got up super early on Saturday morning and tried to log on to the website to see what had happened on Friday night, but the internet didn't seem to want to cooperate. Later in the morning the page would come up but it would cut in and out as the internet/computer tried to handle the download and by early afternoon when the next session started we had to give up. The website wouldn't load because there were too many video connections on it for the internet to download. (Or at least that is what we think happened.) I was really frustrated that I couldn't even be a part of things from afar. I pray that it was a blessing to all who attended and I look forward to being there in person in 2017!

In addition to the funeral on Saturday and trying to catch part of conference, Dave had to help with the church board meeting on Sunday after the morning service. (He has been helping the leadership to develop their vision for the ministry of the church and to understand their roles on the board.) Then in the evening he spoke (probably the first time in a year because he likes to let others in the missions' community have the opportunity and only fills in when there is a great need) and lead communion in the English worship service. It was probably too much for one weekend and I am afraid that I am still trying to recover from it all.

We also received news from home that Dave's uncle and our renter are both receiving radiation treatments this week and that Dave's sister-in-law's mom is in the hospital with water around her heart. Please pray for these situations and for us as we try to love and support from a distance.