Weekend Update

Back to school! Yes, those of you in America may think we are running a bit behind, but actually, the Benin kids start there school Oct 10th (“summer break” months of Aug/Sept). Since we homeschool, we are getting a jump and starting tomorrow. Kelly has been preparing our schoolroom during her “in-service” this past week and everything is ready! Tori will start 1st grade. She is very excited! We’ll try and post some pictures of the first day of school (like all of our American friends did back in August!)

Today is our day off (school is Tues-Sat). We treat this as best we can as our Sabbath day…a day of rest. It’s a challenge with 4 kids to find “quiet time” in the day, but we certainly enjoy the day without any ministry responsibilities. Our minds need the rest! We try our best to incorporate prayer and Bible study into our rest day; as well, allowing ourselves the freedom to enjoy whatever offers our body and mind true rest and relaxation (yes, naps count...).

This is our second day with no electrical power. For a few hours yesterday the water was off as well. Thankfully the water is now back on and we can cool off and clean up with showers!

Today is a little different. We have been invited to a lunch at our friend Sossa’s house. He and his wife just had a baby and we were given the honor of naming the baby. A few weeks ago, just after the delivery, they came asking for a name to put on the birth certificate. Today, we have been invited to a more ceremonial opportunity to pronounce the name, and more importantly, its significance. We chose the name André (from Andrew in English). Most Christians really want their baby names to come from Scripture so we went there as our source. Kelly of course has a fondness for the name…her youngest brother is Andy. Then we thought more of the example Andrew is in Scripture. (1) A man of missionary conviction: from John 1.41, we see it was because of Andrew’s evangelistic heart that Peter was shown the Messiah. As someone once said, “while Peter was spiritual father to the many disciples at Pentecost, it was Andrew who was their spiritual grandfather.” A good example of when we introduce Jesus to just one person, we never know how many people that one disciple will lead to Jesus! (2) A man of optimistic faith: when Jesus faces daunting task of feeding the crowd of thousands, it is Philip (Jn 6.7) who first offers a pessimistic outlook on the situation (“it’d take 8 months’ wages…”). When asked by the Lord to “go and see” how many loaves the disciples could find (Mk 6.38), it is Andrew (Jn 6.8) who returns with 5 loaves and then a couple of fish on top of that! (3) A man of abandoned discipleship: from Mk 1.16-18, we see the characteristic describing many of the disciples, “at once they…followed him.” It is always a privilege to participate in such an intimate responsibility as naming someone else’s child!

Some day I’ll post about the first time I named a child here…short version: my former teammate and I inadvertently give a girl’s name to a boy! (We were so new, how were we to know?!) Reminded me of the ol’ Johnny Cash song, “Boy Named Sue.”

We had a busy weekend, but a good one. Our monthly leaders’ meeting went really well. Two or three leaders (or those aspiring to be) from each of the congregations attended. We study the Word, talk about problems in the churches, share prayer requests, handle administrative stuff, and usually share a meal together (thanks Kelly!) Saturday, I added a new dimension: pastoral counsel training in a case study format. Like most missionaries, I have hundreds of “cases” in my head file that I could draw from over the years of ministry. I chose a recent one (based on a recent question from a church leader in a different region). I then gave the leaders at the meeting some time to mull over the dilemma facing the Christians in the presented simulation. For almost 2 hours, these guys shared thoughts from Scripture (some knowing actual verses; some just knowing the idea was in the Word) or personal experiences/testimonies that helped the group formulate a response to our case study. I was very impressed, not only with their resultant response, but super impressed with the PROCESS of getting there (very communal which encouraged me; everyone participated, not just a few dominate personalities). We’ll add this dimension to our leaders’ meetings from now on. I think it is good training. If you missionaries out there care to offer other suggestions on how to offer good real-life pastoral training, please pass them along!!

Sunday was our monthly all-church cluster worship (all 5 congregations worshipping together). It was a big event and seemed to encourage everybody. These monthly gatherings are important, especially for the congregations who may only have 20 Christians in their village….but to meet with hundreds of others once a month, it’s like fuel for their soul! But it ain’t no drive-through service! We started just after 10am and I got home just before 4pm! We were also thrilled to have a great big crowd from the village of Gbotayidohoue (I call it “bow-tie” for short). We are real close there and I believe we’ll have a large group decide to follow Jesus there real soon (probably in the next couple of weeks). That’ll be our 6th congregation in this cluster! Praise God for His Spirit moving among the Aja people!!

-RV

PS: All you RHCC folks out there...be on the lookout for our teammates, the Prices. They arrive at DFW tonight to begin their furlough. Shower them with love for us!