We all need some fixing—since sin marred our perfection.
Even though we are broken and feel worthless, Christ foresaw potential in each of us and was willing to pay an unimaginable price for our redemption. If He calls us to service, He will form us into a tool that fits His hands and, faithful to all His promises, will send His angels to watch over us. Meanwhile, the enemy will try to take us away from our loving and merciful Fixer. What we must do is to trust Christ with our lives—He will surely fix us so that we will fit in His heavenly kingdom.
Such are the wonderful lessons we are learning as we settle in our new location. It has not been easy, but we are thankful to God for His help.
Unlike Fria, Guinea, where we had a comfortably-sized house with all amenities and a courtyard, in Kono we had to rent two three-bedroom apartments, both housed in one structure, to have enough space for our family. We negotiated with the landlord to remodel it at our expense and asked him to provide us with the names of people who could do the work.
In each apartment, only two of the bedrooms had access to the living room. The third bedroom was accessed only from the front porch. This arrangement was neither convenient nor safe. There were also no inside kitchens nor dining rooms, and the only bathroom in each apartment was inside a bedroom. Although the electrical wiring and plumbing had been installed, the units had no electricity or running water. To charge our laptops and phones, we visited the local telecenter and paid a fee. And to cook, clean, wash and flush, we drew water from a public well 150 meters (492 feet) away.
Being permitted to convert the two apartments into one unit allowed us to move walls. We sealed the external entrances to the third bedrooms and opened them to the living rooms. We remodeled one of the bedrooms into an interior kitchen and the other into a dining room. Now we have a house with four bedrooms—two with bathrooms (one for the girls and one for my wife and me). Of the remaining two bedrooms, one is an office and the other a bedroom for the boys. The courtyard is vast with a toilet building for guests and an outdoor kitchen which we have transformed into a storehouse. This remodel is now a safer and more convenient arrangement.
We negotiated with the landlord on the cost of installing our own well. Three weeks later, we had one within our courtyard. It is still difficult to draw water, but it is close.
Electricity is another matter. The community has electric poles with cables running to various houses, but our rental was not connected, delaying our move of the children from Guinea. Patricia is attending an online academy, so she needs stable power and internet. Florence attends a traditional academy using textbooks.
We shared our challenges with our field supervisors, who have been serving with AFM since 2012. They quickly responded with prayer and encouragement, suggesting we look into purchasing and installing solar power, a submersible water pump and a water tank. After we did the research, our supervisors were quick to have funds transferred for the purchases. Now we can continuously power our electronics, the refrigerator and the pump so we can have water available inside the house.
Though the landlord had built a wall around the house with two small entrances and one larger main entrance, he had not installed strong gates. After all the installation, thieves broke into the courtyard, cut the power cable between the water pump and the house, broke the lock on the well and opened it. The sound awakened us, and I shouted, “Who is there?” convincing them to run out of the courtyard. We praise God they were not able to get away with the pump.
The following morning we called the landlord, but he was not in town. So I purchased and installed a new cable, a switch, and a better lock for the well, plus brought home two puppies as security alarms. I also had to modify my sleeping pattern for a while, going to bed by 8:00 p.m. and setting my alarm for 1:00 a.m. But, praise the Lord, a welder has already repaired the two small gates. Now, we are just waiting for the main entrance to be finished.
As you lift our family and project up in prayer, please pray for the protection of our home and that Christ protects us for eternity by fixing our characters through His righteousness.
