a trip through the desert

We left for our long trek to the south of the country right on time at 7AM. We thought there were 8 people going but when they all showed up, we were 9 so every seat in our 9 passenger van was taken. The goal of our trip was to meet with and follow-up people along the way who had shown interest in the good news; some had had several visits and others just one or none. As is the case with most things here, there was not a clear plan and we kind of “flew by the seat of our pants” most of the time. The first stop was after about 5 hours. We pulled up to a literal hole in the wall and one of the guys said “this is a great restaurant”. It was right by the side of the road, very dusty and dirty but they served huge chicken sandwiches that were pretty good and very cheap. After lunch the guys met with a man who had been waiting for 3 years for a visit (he’s a very influential man in the place of worship & extremely fearful of anyone finding out about his interest) and the women met with a young mother and her 2 year old son. Her story was heart-breaking and so much like others I have heard over the years; abuse and mistreatment of the worst kind and all in front of her young son. She firmly believes in our message and says she would have lost her mind or committed suicide had she not had this faith. She cannot leave the situation, though she has every right to, because she would lose her son. We had a good time of encouraging her and praying for her. We didn’t leave that town until after 5PM and wanted to make the ferry before dark to get to an island we were going to. We arrived just in time, took the ferry across and drove another hour to a town where we would spend the night. The hotel was about a 2-Star and very clean. Breakfast was pretty good, though the coffee was like black car oil! We went next door to a coffee shop and got delicious coffee later. By the time we got around to eating dinner it was about 9PM. In this town, there’s a guy who’s made a decision and gone under the water and growing. He joined us and brought a friend. He was so happy we were there; starved for fellowship. The next morning he showed up at the hotel and took us around town. The day seemed kind of without purpose and wasted because the other 2 contacts who knew we were coming had closed their telephones, obviously not wanting to meet with us. They say this happens all the time! They sometimes drive for 4-5 hours to make a visit and the person closes their phone. The day was redeemed when our friend showed up with 4 other friends and we went out to the beach (yes, 13 in our van) to sit and talk and drink coffee. It turned into an incredible time of sharing our message from beginning to end with these young guys. The 13 of us were crowded into a small area of the coffee shop, talking in whispered tones for almost 3 hours! Finally at 10PM we said we could continue our conversation around dinner. We found a nice fast-food place and ordered our food. I really hate eating at 11PM but what could we do? It was well after midnight when we finally got back to the hotel. If all these young men would come to faith, there would be a nice nucleus on that island to work with. It is a very dark place and just a handful of workers. The next morning after breakfast we went on to the next stop which was 2 hours further south. This hotel was a minus 1-Star hotel. It cost $7/person/night so we couldn’t complain. We got settled and went over to visit a center where they buy & distribute food to refugees from the country next door where all the fighting is. There are 40,000 of them in this little town. We pooled our money and gave them a donation to buy more food. (actually the guys went with them and bought the food) The people of this town have all opened their homes and are keeping 6-10 people as they have no money and no place to go. They come to this center every day and get bread & basic foods. They were thinking it would be for a month but now it has stretched into 4! While sitting around the center, all 9 of us, big bowls of food started appearing and we realized they were serving us lunch. They put out a beautiful spread of food and invited us all to sit around a table right in the middle of the warehouse, surrounded by cases of oil, milk, macaroni, etc. I think they were honored that we came to visit and encourage them in the great work they’re doing. We went home and had a rest in the afternoon as it was well over 100 degrees and the town was kind of shut down. It came back to life again around 6PM and we went out to walk around. The guys went back to the center and we girls went for a walk to find a coffee shop and see who we might be able to talk to. We walked for ages and finally stopped a young girl to ask where we might find a “mixed” coffee shop. (most are just for men) She started to explain and then said “I’ll walk with you”. We literally walked a couple of miles and then came to an outdoor place where there were tables to sit at and moms & children at a playground. This girl that came with us stayed and we enjoyed getting to know her. She said she believed that it was a “divine encounter” that she met us. We found out her house was nowhere near the coffee shop but she had walked all that way to be with us. This town has absolutely NO witness of any kind and is incredibly dark. It was overwhelming to think of the needs there. We went up on the mountain overlooking the city and had coffee at sunset, then went back down to the town and ate dinner at 8. Sleep was hard to come by with our saggy mattresses, bright street lights and no air-conditioning! Breakfast the next morning was a piece of pound cake wrapped in foil (some of which were moldy) and a cup of tea. We again went and found a coffee shop next door. We left for our long trip home at 8AM. The highways are SO dangerous and it was stressful driving (Darrell and I split the driving). 1,350 km later, we arrived home at 4:30PM, praising God for his protection and help. The needs are huge and way too few workers. But we serve a very BIG God and we have to believe that he can multiply our efforts and prayers to fulfill his purposes.
Photos: the entrance to our -1 star hotel. an old village remade into a tourist spot