July 16. It wasn’t cool when we got up this morning, but was a bit rainy; and we could feel the damp chill in the air. So Daddy started the fire in the wood stove, and it burned all day. I thought it was going to be rainy all morning, but it stopped raining, and there was even a little bit of sunshine later, but not much warmth.
We were late getting to nap again, because the students wanted this and that. I had just started doing some grading after nap when Miriam Jevin came in. She had not darkened our doorway for over two years and had avoided me on the road whenever our paths would have crossed. She hugged me and wept for quite a while. I wept too, mostly because it made me so sad to think that she (and the rest of the family) are so fearful of one man that they have treated us as enemies. She had a new baby with her, about a month old, another girl. They now have four girls and just the one boy, Jerry. I had her bring a chair close to mine, and we talked for a while, mostly about family things. Frina goes to school in Aziana, and is in 7th grade. Jerry is in 4th grade here, and Judy is in prep. Nazareth is about two years old, and the new baby is Caesarea. Miriam stayed quite a while, so I didn’t get cookies made for Daddy as planned. People are more important, however.
Please be in special prayer for Miriam and her family.
As soon as the generator went on this evening, Sunny and Graham came to work and have their computer lessons. There was quite a pile of lessons for them to correct this evening. Esau also came. (He had left me a note after school saying that he would be coming to talk to me in the evening.) I wondered what he wanted to talk about. He said that things are going well with his new wife, and he continues to teach her God’s Word and pray for her salvation. He has a great burden on his heart to be used of the Lord. He is so grateful to God for His salvation and forgiveness and for the joy that God has given him. He would really like to be an itinerant preacher and wondered if there was some way we could help him learn to preach. We will certainly see what we can do in the short time that we have. I pray that he will not lose that vision for going out with the Gospel; and that... others will encourage him and help him to become what God’s wants him to be. After we talked, we prayed together, and then he went to the other room to finish his math lesson.
After Sunny and Graham did dishes, they had their computer lesson, and I graded most of the lessons they had corrected and recorded the grades. Didn’t get the math lessons done. That took quite a while.
MAF called Daddy today and told him they cannot get him on Monday after all. The man who had booked the plane didn’t have any money to pay for it. And we certainly don’t have money to charter the twin otter just to take him to town. They said they will see about getting him on Wednesday. That will shorten his shopping time quite a bit, and there is a lot of shopping to do -- for ourselves, for the school students, and for the church farewell get-together. We have committed that into the Lord’s hands to give Daddy the strength and enablement that he needs whenever he gets there and however much time he has.
“And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:28
July 17. Another damp, chilly, cloudy day with cold, strong winds. Home fires have been kept burning again.
Heard a rat in the office before I got up this morning, and in the silver paper in our bedroom too, but we couldn’t locate it to get a swat at it. Then at the beginning of school, Daddy heard it in the office again and tried to chase it out of the silver paper with a broom. I saw it run across the pole at the top of the outside wall in the schoolroom and hollered at Daddy to come in there. Some of the boys took the broom from Daddy and tried to hit the rat which kept running along the pole and even tried to come down the wall. Eventually it disappeared into the wall.
In Bible class after prayer and verse memorization, we practiced “Bilip long God” (Trust in God) a couple more times, and then started learning “Bai Mi Bilip” (I Will Believe or perhaps I Will Trust) It is just a short chorus, but with a good message and a challenge for the students. We practiced all the parts several times each.
They have worked hard all week on their math so we didn’t do anything in math class today other than play a math review game. Then they had their spelling quiz, and I read the little stories they wrote yesterday in which they described themselves. The other students were to guess whose story it was. We all had a good laugh when I read Phinehas’s story. One thing he wrote was, “I have long hears.” A lot of times they will put “h” on a word that begins with a vowel so I figured he meant ears. So I read it, “I have long ears.” I told him I didn’t know he had long ears.
“No, no,” he said, “I have long hairs.” Poor Phinehas just doesn’t know how to spell. Yes, he really could use a hair cut.
After a little break, we finished discussing the history lesson we had been working on, about missionary James Chalmers. Much food for thought. Then they started answering the questions that go with the lesson. The lesson is long so we had only read half. Will read the other half next week.
Finished a little bit early today, but still didn’t get to nap any earlier. The students wanted this ‘n’ that again.
I did get Daddy’s cookies made today after nap – some brownies. Then I worked on lesson plans for next week’s math. Had already done plans for Bible and phonics. We had leftover rice and veggies for supper. Then Kristina came and cried a while and said she had just heard that we were leaving. That’s another family that makes us feel so sad because they are unwilling to take a stand for what is right. They have just tried to stay in the middle of the road. By the time she left, Daddy was outside starting the generator. I hurried and sorted out the clothes and got the first load into the washing machine before Daddy came back inside.
Now it is almost 8:30. Daddy is in Bible school, and I need to have a snack and then put water on to heat for dishes.
Now it is raining. (The Lord sent us a pretty hard rain which started just before Bible school ended so the students stayed around quite a while afterward until the rain let up enough for them to go home.)
“7How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9