The Cornucopia

Elysian days are here again in Nakaale. Things are bustling and busy around the mission these days, and I’m very happy to see it so. Just south of us in Karamoja, there is a game reserve, Pian Upe, which the government is hoping to make into a destination for tourism. Bob has been contracted to do some of the construction and install the water system there, which means that we’ve got several young men digging trenches every day. We’re finally able to move around fairly freely, so we’re buying sand at the river and crushed stone from a nearby village to use in our various construction projects.

For the past two weeks, we’ve been re-roofing several of our bandas (round brick houses), so we’ve been purchasing dried grass from anyone who will bring it to the gate and we’ve hired ten women to thatch. It’s been wonderful to put money into the hands of people who are willing to work. In contrast to so much of what we’ve come to expect, these men and women have been working hard and have not quarreled with us over wages. Even morning devotions seem to find our workers well-engaged and interested in what is being said.

Last of all, we’ve been blessed to hear in the church the confession of Lokwii David, who had decided to take a second wife. In the end, the family of the woman was making moves to take her back because he was not paying in a timely manner, but he’s also repented and realized his sin. It was wonderful to hear recently that he’s sat down with the girl and asked for her forgiveness; he has also sat down with the girl’s parents and explained that he now considers what he had done to be wrong and has made clear his desire to make everything right as best as he is able. As a result of all of this, he (while he hasn’t been hired again as a translator) has been around the mission much more frequently and in a more buoyant spirit.

We give thanks to God for blessing us with times like these in our ministry, times when it seems that the Word is going forth with potency, when the work we are doing from the diaconal side of things appears to be helping people who are genuinely in need and wanting to work, when the life of the church seems vital. Even the heat of the dry season doesn’t seem so bad (ok, yes it does). God is merciful to us in our frustration and unbelief and reminds us now that he is working according to his own holy counsel to bring to good ends our own stumbling efforts.