Village Problems and Provision

Recently we took a trip to a large village in our area down a very bumpy sand road, and met with some church members there.  The village itself has an interesting story as it has become 95% Christian since an indigenous pastor went to live there a generation ago, and now has two growing churches.  We got to ask the women in the group a lot of questions about their daily challenges.  One of the common themes was that the money they get from selling their crops at harvest time isn’t enough to last them through the year, especially after they pay the school fees to make sure their children get an education.  When asked about where they get food after the harvest money is gone, they talked about doing odd jobs here and there and how God would just provide through neighbors and friends.  

As we sat on rough benches under a shade tree, we asked about some of their joys as well, and were astonished to hear that the women from this church donate the money to pay for two evangelists to work in other villages and they would like to add a third!  Then we learned that our small partner church has 81 evangelists, most of whom are supported through women's groups. These evangelists are doing the vital work of telling people in the poorest rural areas about God’s love for them in Jesus and doing what they can to make that love tangible.  It's awesome to see how God provides even in the most unlikely places!  Even as we’re in the midst of language school we look forward to how we can be a part of this outreach the church is doing and help them enhance it with what they need for an effective literacy ministry in these same villages.