Soon we were finally back in our village home. Here's a picture of the Himalayas taken from our village, Devauli. We and the Tharu people lived in the Terai, the southern flat part of Nepal. But you could still see the mountains....even when there was fog.
You know the expression, "What can go wrong will go wrong." Well, I was beginning to see a pattern and sense that God had called me to bring Him honor, not through "what went wrong", but through His faithfulness in physical suffering. It is Father who holds my life, and each day and hour, in His Hands. I only know that each moment of suffering draws me to His heart and His Heart is good. And THAT is what goes right…every time.
We arrived at the village with more challenges, after driving through rivers and dirt roads. From my journal:
During these days I had “a vivid and colorful dream last night—that we had another baby girl with a natural and easy delivery. She had a large nose, dark hair, and her name was Joyanna Adelle Leal.” It would be another year before her life would begin.
Meanwhile, we continued to see healings in the village. Continuing my journal:
Kissan's parents and family we also loved and prayed for daily. The picture shows his mom and dad. Dad was 81 and that's pretty old for a Tharu to live. He was quite a character!
It was a financially rough time too. We were learning more about faith and living on His daily provision. Then
You know the expression, "What can go wrong will go wrong." Well, I was beginning to see a pattern and sense that God had called me to bring Him honor, not through "what went wrong", but through His faithfulness in physical suffering. It is Father who holds my life, and each day and hour, in His Hands. I only know that each moment of suffering draws me to His heart and His Heart is good. And THAT is what goes right…every time.
We arrived at the village with more challenges, after driving through rivers and dirt roads. From my journal:
2 days after the bumpiest tractor ride ever—and most expensive, Then Bill got the flu, plus burned his arm hair off in the incinerator explosion from petrol and Kunti seems to have amoebic dysentery….. and Jon and Jenny have been squabbling and cranky, and I sprained my ankle and am confined to inside. It’s festival time and so much noise all night, besides the mice and dirt are everywhere. Yet all is perfect as I choose to give Him thanks and praise.We spent Thanksgiving in the village and gave thanks for a small kerosene refrigerator to keep our milk cool. What a blessing! I found myself worshiping the Lord and giving thanks for His goodness to us.
During these days I had “a vivid and colorful dream last night—that we had another baby girl with a natural and easy delivery. She had a large nose, dark hair, and her name was Joyanna Adelle Leal.” It would be another year before her life would begin.
Meanwhile, we continued to see healings in the village. Continuing my journal:
A mother and daughter came. The girl had a high fever, paralyzed left leg and much pain. We didn’t know how or what to do. I felt strongly that we should bind the powers of evil on her body and ask for healing, so we laid hands, prayed and she was healed. She came back the next day, paid us 10 paisa [about one cent US] and said she was well after we prayed for her. Praise God. Glory, honor and power be unto Him.We knew friends back home were praying. Here is our prayer card we shared with those who prayed.
The next morning after this healing, Jenny woke up at 4:30 with a high fever and racing heart. We recognized signs of a bladder infection and began to treat her with sulfa. We were feeling under attack, with some very strange things happening, like marbles rolling around upstairs when no one there. The next night Jenny work up screaming hysterically and arching her whole body and nothing would calm her. It was frightening. This went on for 6 hours. It was warfare-out and out-and the oppression was severe. Today we are fasting and praying. He told us to look only at Him, and believe, though exhausted we hold up the shield of faith. The battle just changes shades, though the victory and love of Jesus changes never.
Then for 2 days it was Jon’s turn to be deathly ill with strep throat and tonsillitis, coughing and choking like I’ve never seen. I’ve begun giving Jon large doses of penicillin shots. We feel we began medication in the nick of time. I had to open my palm again, and leave all in His Hands. I know so little, but nothing can separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus.Below is Ethan's interpretation of my giving Jonathan the shot and how Jonathan felt about the needle and big syringe. Jonathan has always hated needles and still does!
Kissan's parents and family we also loved and prayed for daily. The picture shows his mom and dad. Dad was 81 and that's pretty old for a Tharu to live. He was quite a character!
It was a financially rough time too. We were learning more about faith and living on His daily provision. Then
I had a lovely dream last night—of shopping and losing my purse and money and searching everywhere to no avail. Then sitting outside, Kunti offered me her 2 pennies, and I had 4. We put them together and suddenly there were many, at least 100. Then the pennies turned into dimes, quarters, and 50 cent pieces before my eyes, and we had much more than I had lost. Then people came to watch and try to steal, but the Lord put an invisible ring around us and those who tried to attack us a received an electric shock from this ring and so none were able. We went home, and the food was still warm, though I think we had been away 2 days.The dream not only spoke of the Lord's provision for use, but of the future and the many Tharus who would come to follow Jesus in the decades following our living there. He assured us that He was with us always. Here's a couple of pics from those days.
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