J: The Light

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Romans 12:15

My days in Dondo slip by quickly like I am a passenger on an express train watching the landscape readily disappear from a window's misty frame. Each day's events are dramatic and customary imitating the ebb and flow of labor pains. I am laughing with the activistas as we walk to serve soup and within seconds I am holding a young man who is sobbing uncontrollably because his young wife with AIDS just passed away.

With his two-month-old ailing twin strapped to his back, Domingo was relieved to see us as we approached the Banco Soccoro - or emergency room. He is the guard at Pastor Jeronimo's farm. His wife Margarida left him with three children and he was beside himself with grief. As I held him and prayed, my tears flowed but I wanted to scream. When will this insanity that is as dark as the night give birth to the light of day? We took him home and within 24 hours performed the funeral. It was one more God-given opportunity to sow His seed of Hope.

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They are a light in the land of darkness. We attended the Savane church plant on Sunday; what a tremendous blessing to see the building closer to completion. The door was not on, the window frames and grates weren't all in, the reboco on the walls was not completed...but they were worshiping in their new building! There were no red ants on the floor and the breeze through the large windows was refreshing. This larger and better building accommodated new faces. What a joy to witness this story! As we stood outside shaking hands after the service, I studied the new faces before me. The full side of one woman's face was black and blue; a testimony to the common tragedy of wife abuse. Cuts and patterned scars were on another woman's face revealing the past work of a witchdoctor. Old and young were there with an opportunity to harvest the Bread of Life.

THANK YOU to all of YOU who are a light in this darkness as you donate to help these projects.