The last nine months have been very hard work as we opened the school. Long hours every day and near exhaustion sometimes make us question if we should keep this up. What makes it all worth it, though, is seeing our students’ families begin attending church. In the last couple weeks, we have had a few families join us in worship. Our church is very excited to have them!
Connections we have made through the school have opened up other new opportunities as well. Our Pnong housekeeper, who has started attending church, asked us if we would come see her brother in the hospital after church one Sabbath. He seemed to be struggling with demon possession. We prayed for him at the hospital with the local church planter. The following week, the church planter went with us to visit him in his home. After we talked with him, his wife and his sister, he and his wife decided to give Jesus a try. So we all prayed together, asking Jesus to be with them and heal the man of his demonic affliction. He told us that when he is feeling well enough, he will come and worship at the church with his sister.
A while ago, a friend shared a quote with me from Ellen White’s writings: “In most fields the work goes hard and slow in the beginning. The time of greatest difficulty is the time for the believers to bend their shoulders to the load, and do all in their power to carry forward the work. Advance they must, although the Red Sea be before them, and impassable mountains on either side. God has been with His people in the past, and has blessed their efforts. They must go forward by faith. ‘The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.’ The missionary must pray, believe that his prayers are answered, and then work and trust. He should remember that there must be a beginning before there can be great advancement. ‘First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.’ The work may start in weakness, and its progress may for a time be slow; yet if it is begun in a healthy manner, there will be a steady and substantial gain” (R&H, April 14, 1910, p. 5).
Please pray that we will have more witnessing opportunities with our students’ families, and that we will have wisdom when those opportunities arise. We will continue to press forward with the promise that one day we will reap great results.
