Prayer in a very real world...

This morning during our daily staff devotion time, I asked one of our older women what she would do if I were to tell her that she was about to have another baby. Her look of “you must be out of your cotton picking mind” brought peals of laughter from everyone…just exactly what I wanted. It was, of course, a set up for the story of Abram and Sarai. But when I got to the application question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” the room suddenly became quiet. One of our clergy finally broke the silence to say that people had been praying for an end to the war in South Sudan – a war that has been raging on and off in some way or another since the late 1950’s – and they were concerned that the recent fragile peace agreement would not hold. Another woman then related what had happened just the night before in a town to the south of Gambela. Cattle raiders from across the border had come during the night and they had not only stolen cattle, but had also killed several people and had abducted three children, one of whom is a six-month old baby. No one was laughing now. I suggested we spend some time in prayer, lifting up the impossible to the God who is greater than the impossible. We didn’t need to understand the words being lifted up to the throne of grace…the tone and the voice said it all. I ended the time with a reading from Hebrews 11:13-16. Quite a day.

And so his son died...

And so his son died…

And so his son died…

One death among so many;

One unmarked, unmourned

Save in his father’s gaunt and haunted face.

And so his son died…

This man, barely eight years a Christian

Now straining to grasp the hope of the resurrection

While thrashing about in the raging sea of despair.

And so his son died…

One day smiling, laughing –

The next, unresponsive, comatose…

They never knew what took him – they just let him die.

And so his son died…

His pulse was normal – his temperature fine…

Was there some other force at work here?

Would that explain his sudden decline?

And so his son died…

They rushed him to the clinic – on to hospital from there…

He needed more money they said…“Wait!” he replied and ran to get more…

But he died anyway.

And so his son died…

He wrapped the body in his only bed sheet

And buried him at home.

We gave him another one…an empty one.

And so his son died…

We prayed, we loved, we hugged, we cried…

He was like a man winded…stunned…

As if rendered naked by death’s untimely theft of his son.

And so his son died…

Death is no stranger here, but unwelcome nonetheless.

Weeping does not last long here, but that makes no difference to the wound.

We have the living…but we have the dead too…

His son is dead and yet alive.

Johann van der Bijl © 2015

Breathless...

My heart is so full. It has been said that life in Gambela is either very high or very low, but rarely in between. The stench of death, disease, and despair hangs in the air like a sulfurous fume from the pit and, if we are not careful, it can suck us in and rob us of the joy we have in Jesus. It is especially hard when those close to us are suffering…like when the teenage son of our Opo guard, Joseph, unexpectedly died of unknown causes recently.

But at the same time, the Lord is doing great things that we have, up until now, only read about in Acts and in books on revival. People regularly cry out in services, falling down on their knees weeping as the Holy Spirit touches their hearts. Demons too cry out, throwing their hosts to the ground, but they are dealt with swiftly in the Name of Jesus. The Anuak are using the Jesus Film in their revival meetings and evangelistic services to great effect.

The Spirit is moving and we have the best seats in the house!

We recently heard about a man in a nearby village who served as a “priest” of a familiar spirit by the name of Wiu. This spirit is well known in the Gambela People’s Region as a powerful force for good (so-called) and for evil. The man has two wives, the youngest of whom is a Christian. His children too are Christians. In the past he was respected by many and feared by all, as he was very powerful. But bad things were beginning to happen to his family. From late 2014 to the recent present ten family members died of unnatural causes. So this past weekend, his children went to beg him to denounce the demon and to follow Jesus. At first the man resisted – he too feared the power of this spirit – but after being convinced of the truth of the Gospel and the power of Jesus, he rejected the demon and publicly burned all the fetishes, sacrificial spears, and cultic instruments in his possession. But not only was this one man set free from Satan’s clutches, but many of those who feared and revered him also turned to Jesus, including his first wife!

This is just one story among many. The folks in the Anglican Church here are advancing into areas previously untouched by the Gospel. (There is so much work, especially to the south of us, but we do not have enough trained leaders!) Pray especially for the continuing outreach work among the Majenger and the Tamakoi people groups. Pray also for the many showings of the Jesus Film and pray for our church members, that they may grow to maturity in the faith.

We have also just said goodbye to a wonderful team from South Carolina…and before that, to a team from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. Both teams helped teach at the Clergy and Mother’s Union Training days in January and February respectively. The latter team taught on the power of prayer and we saw healings taking place as the clergy prayed for each other, crossing both tribal and language barriers as they did so.

This team also had a librarian with them and Barbara taught Louise and Dugassa the Dewey Decimal system – in short, she taught them how to run our library! This has been sorely needed as we now have over 4,000 books in our theological library alone!

IVP UK also graciously donated over 140 kgs of books for our library!!! These books are at present all in the UK so if you know of anyone coming to Ethiopia from the UK, please let us know if they can bring a suitcase full of books with them! We also have books left behind in the US, so the same applies for any of you coming from the US!

We now have application forms out for prospective students. Pray for those whom the Lord has called to be at St Frumentius Anglican Theological College (affectionately known as SFATC) this year!

More prayer requests:

* Pray that we master the Anuak language soon. While we are trying to learn Amharic and Nuer as well, both Louise and I feel the need to concentrate on Anuak, but it is slow going and we are growing anxious to communicate beyond greetings and pleasantries with the community all around us.

* Pray for our own spiritual development and growth. We do not have much input in English save our own personal Bible readings and prayer. Running “dry” will not be good…without Him we can do nothing.

* Pray for our growing relationship with the local kids. We have a sports and library program for all the children in the area and Louise and I are beginning to get to know a few very well. While the language barrier is still a problem, we continue to communicate in signs and wonders. We make signs and they wonder what we mean. (Don McClure said that about his attempts to communicate in Arabic while serving in Khartoum many years ago.)

We are hoping to introduce a film night in the near future, so if any of you have used and unwanted DVD’s (especially those of Richard Attenborough, animated movies like the Lion King or Madagascar, or musicals such as the Sound of Music – while they may not always understand the language they can follow the pictures and the music!) please let us know and we will gratefully take them off your hands. We also like to have personal movie nights when we unwind with Bishop Grant and Doctor Wendy, so any DVD’s are welcome!

* Pray for my teaching on missions at a church retreat during the last week in March.

Louise and I will probably stay in Gambela during the hottest time of the year…February through March (over 130 F/over 50 C!)...before we go to teach at this retreat, so pray that we can handle this! Pray for enough water and electricity during this time as a cool shower and the fans help us sleep at night.

We are also in the planning stages of a trip to the US…pray for wisdom as we try to fit in the unfittable!

Please know that you are never far from our hearts. We remain, as always, grateful for your partnership, your love, support, and prayers.

P. S. I highly recommend “Adventure in Africa: The Story of Don McClure – From Khartoum to Addis Ababa in Five Decades” by Charles Partee

Much love and tons of blessings

Johann and Louise