A week for the record books

This morning when I walked down the street to get bread, this is what it looked like. Ordinarily we can see mountains and buildings in the distance but today, only dust. It began yesterday afternoon and this morning everything was covered, both inside and out! There is so much to tell you about the past week that I hardly know where to start but I'll give it a try...
We have had 10 people living in our house for the week and 4 students staying with other team members. They all eat 3 meals a day here however. I'm sure I have made at least 25 large pots of sweet, strong tea over the past 5 days. And I never knew there existed such large trays & pots. I bought the biggest I could find in town. Between preparing 3 meals a day & AM and PM coffee breaks, it has kept me hopping. But the laughter, the stories, the tears, the deep sharing has been so rewarding. Darrell has had a workout too, teaching 8 hours a day, Romans & All. Doctrine. Needless to say, we both fall into bed exhausted by 10PM, even though our living room is still alive with people talking late into the night!
In the middle of the week, 2 of the students decided they wanted to be baptized. Since there is no water anywhere near here, we went and bought a kids' pool and had the baptism in our front yard. What a great time of celebration it was, followed by a pizza party around the pool. Of the 11 students that attended the short term classes, 6 of them were from another background. The fellowship around the table and in the living room has been so special to see as these brothers bond together. Some of them have suffered terribly because of their faith. Some are in deep pain even now as they struggle to survive in a hostile environment. We feel privileged to have a small part in the training of these fine leaders. We will miss them when they leave tomorrow. Tonight will be a final farewell dinner at a restaurant & they will all leave to go back to their homes in the morning. Thank you to all of you who have helped to make this week possible!