Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The following update is extracted from Barbara Singerman's newsletter:

A.B. Sawyer and I, in separate vehicles, drove up to Glazoue (glah-zoo-aye) on Thursday to meet with church leaders and wives from among the Maxi people. Most of these church leaders are lay people who'd transferred to the Maxi area from other areas of Benin, who'd been trained in Baptist churches and upon arriving in the Maxi area, discovered the great lack of evangelical work. They, themselves, started work! This is just so awesome! Thursday night we met and shared a devotional. Friday morning at 9:00 we dove into our teachings. A.B. with the men, me with the women. I spoke mainly in French for the lessons were translated then into Maxi, Fon, Chabe and Yoruba--which greatly complicated things! We sat outside, under a tree, with crying babies, and very young children causing continual uproar, another great teaching challenge. We delved into three stories, Abraham and Sarah (a husband and his wife being called), Elijah being fed by a bird and the widow woman's flour and oil (faith!), Hannah and Samuel (how to train children to be godly); along with a teaching on how God heals our hurts.

The first day was very difficult with all the commotion and translations that I couldn't sense if the teachings were being effective or not. The next day the pastor of the host church shared with me that he and his wife were awake until 4:00 am discussing what she'd learned! Praise God! His Word works even when our feelings don't! One thing to realize, these were all new Biblical truths for these women. They are all young in Christ and without previous teaching about being a pastor's wife.

Saturday morning was equally challenging as we moved into the exterior bamboo building with a tin roof as a massive rain storm hit. Ever try to yell out Biblical truths over the pounding rain and fussy children?? God worked, in spite of the conditions.

A.B. sensed that the fruit born of his teaching was abundant. Hopefully we'll be able to have him write more on the results of his time among the Maxi when he returns. He is actually still working with the Maxi right now in evangelization, visitation and prayer walking.