A Sad and Happy Week

Candidates for baptism

January 2.  God is good!  We praise Him for a good week of hearing the Word.  We praise Him for two souls saved and one receiving assurance of salvation.  We are thankful for all those who came to the meetings.  A number of unsaved people were here this week.  Today there were many visitors from Marivo.  Perhaps they came to Owena today for the funeral.  This morning was the last of the New Year meetings.  We had planned to have the baptism this afternoon; but this afternoon, they buried Martin’s body.  So the baptism has been postponed until Sunday afternoon.  It was both a sad and happy week - sad because of Martin’s death and happy because of God’s Word being preached.

            The Lord gave us lovely weather all through the meetings too.  Then this afternoon, He sent a big rain.

            First thing this morning, a group of church folks went down to visit Martin’s family.  They sang for them, read a few Bible verses, prayed, and presented them with a gift - money, food, and other goods.
 
           After they sang with the church group down below, the school kids came up here to practice their number for today.  Then they went off to wash before the meeting.  They did a good job this morning on their song (Ye Must Be Born Again), and once again the Lord’s hand was with me to help in the playing.  Daddy’s preaching this morning covered the Great White Throne Judgment. 

            It was 12:00 when the meeting was done.  Some people hung around for a while and talked.  We warmed up the leftover rice for dinner and a can of creamed corn to go with it since there were no cooked veggies left.  Then we had our nap.  I was hoping to get a good nap today, but the flies were making pests of themselves.  With the door opening so much with people going in and out of the meetings, many flies have worked their way into the house. 


            After nap, I worked on lesson plans for next week.  Already had Bible class and phonics/reading class lessons done.  Got math and English/science plans finished this afternoon.

            Late this afternoon, Dallas and Phinehas came by to see about keyboard class this week.  I asked them if they had had time to practice since last week.  They hadn’t so we decided to wait until next Thursday.  There were a bunch of other teenage boys hanging around with them.  While they were here talking, it started raining really hard so they hung around on the porch waiting for the rain to let up.  When the rain didn’t seem to be letting up, we asked them if they wanted to wait inside.  They did.  They were here all through our supper time and while I was doing dishes and were singing some of the choir numbers they had been learning and singing.  It was a joy to hear them singing together.

            “23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.  25For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?  26For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”  Luke 9:23-26