We came home from the most memorable village visit of a lifetime to turn around and re-wash/re-pack for our next village adventure. We brought one of the boys with us to visit our student’s home. This was such a treat for all of us to spend time together like family. This boy calls us his brother and his sister-in-law, and we are blessed to have that bond with him. We traveled by bus about 9 hours north of where we live to visit our student and his family. We had no idea what to expect, so we brought our tent and camping gear in preparation to sleep outside. It turned out that our student’s sister was out of town, so we were able to stay in her room. This was such a blessing because it rained the majority of the time we were there. Our student lives with his parents and his grandfather in an antique farmhouse his father constructed by hand. They have a stall for their pigs that recently gave birth to the most adorable baby piglets. They also raise chickens and pigeons, and they have a garden of a variety of vegetables. This village was much closer to a nearby town than the last village we visited. We were able to walk to town in about 45 minutes. We were shocked to see an actual dairy plant located in his village with dairy cows for milk production and homemade cheese! This particular village was engulfed in extreme idolatry. They had their own temple, and each house was covered with superstitious items meant for protection and hope for prosperity. Dried garlic flowers were nailed to each doorframe to protect them from evil spirits.
This family and the complete emptiness they emitted deeply burdened us. They were not joyful people. Instead, you could feel how much they trudge through the mundane tasks of their daily life with very little emotion. They had little hope. Their interactions together as family were very minimal and silent. Dark oppression is blanketed over this entire village, and this family exhibits its effects. We ask in the name of the Son to shed His light on this village and wake the sleepers of darkness. Our desire is for this family and their neighbors to experience true life and joy in their daily tasks. This village is nested in the midst of grand mountains crafted by our Creator. We deeply desire for these villagers to open their eyes and see all of the beauty Father has surrounded them with. Our cry is for them to place their hope in the lightness of Him and turn away from the darkness of idolatry.
Perched on top of the pig stalls was a real live turkey! Our student knew how much we loved and missed eating turkey after he experienced his first Thanksgiving in our home last year. Turkeys are extremely rare in this country, and nonexistent in the town we live in. He bought one of 3 turkeys in his town to give us as a gift. This was by far the best love offering we have ever received! This particular student is one of the most kind, sweet, and mindful boys we have ever spent time with. We absolutely love doing life with him as well as the others back on campus.
Nobody in town knew how to cook a turkey, so Chris was able to teach the boys and some visitors how to cook it on an open fire. They spent an entire day killing it, cleaning it, and roasting it all on their own! We enjoyed the most unique meal of thanksgiving with our student and his family we might ever have. Turkey has never tasted so delicious! This was such a great opportunity for the boys to work together, serve each other, and for us to pry Father’s blessings over this boy and his family. We are beyond grateful for this moment of the visit and we know it spiritually impacted his family. His parents had never seen anybody pry before you could tell that they were feeling the unity of the HS at the table.
Picking Garlic
Picking Corn
Picking Green Beans
Each night, we sat on the porch and played cards while it rained. We had great intentional conversations with the boys. They talked about how much they have changed over the last couple of years and how they have matured. Chris shared stories about his personal experiences in high school and college, and showed them how much he has changed because of his relationship with the Father. Our continuous pryer for these boys is for them to intimately know the Father and trust in Him with their life. They have acknowledged the work of the Father in their life and they see that he is real, but they have yet to make a commitment to follow Him. We lift our hands and openly submit to the timing of the Father. As much as we want for these boys’ lives to be transformed, He is the ultimate Transformer. Our job is to continue to love and support them while living life by their side.
{One of the last moments we spent with this family was fishing out of a handmade boat. Soon after our visit, our student’s grandfather passed away. Our hearts sunk when we heard the news. It was a privilege to meet this man before his passing and to pry over him. Ultimately we surrender to the Father in times like this because we know that His will surpasses any of our own understanding. Now, we are focusing on how we can comfort our student and continue to pry for his family back home.}
Our time with our student and his family came to an end and we spent a few extra days traveling with the boy who joined us. This was a unique opportunity in itself because he had never experienced a vacation. It was his first time to stay in a hostel, and he had never encountered so many foreigners who were backpacking before in his life. It was interesting to watch his interactions with them. We befriended a young man from Israel and had great conversations together. We enjoyed rock climbing, eating Western food, and playing games.
On our way home, we had dinner with our Hani Sweet Spot friend. This was a powerful moment of our trip because this boy was able to meet a believer who is not a foreigner. Most people here assume that all foreigners are believers, so for them to encounter local family members is an incredible impact to their perception of life with the Son. Our Hani Sweet Spot man asked this boy why he hasn’t decided to follow the Son. His response was that he wants to follow Him someday, and He wants to keep learning more. His response was such a gift of hope for us to hear. We were subtly reminded to keep going and not to give up… that Father is drawing this boy to Him.