It seems that each day, or at least several times per week, we are seeing, killing or trying to kill snakes. When we burned our rice field to prepare it for planting, the snakes fled the area and concentrated in other parts of the property, such as our commercial produce garden.

Just yesterday we had a good laugh mingled with gratitude for God’s protection. The guys were picking chili in the garden. Since the chili grows low to the ground, Joel was sitting in the dirt, scooting backwards as he picked. As he moved back, not watching where he was going, he felt something under him. Thinking it was just branches or weeds, he didn’t pay much attention to it. But when he stood up, he discovered a dead viper! Unknowingly, he had killed it by sitting on it. When he told the story at our Wednesday-night prayer meeting, we all had a good laugh and praised God for protecting him.

Another day when they were picking okra, Ernest saw a viper coiled under an okra plant just as Joel was about to step there. They were able to kill it.

One day last year I was collecting nuts. I went back to the house and poured them into a bowl, and out came a very small, thin viper. Thankfully I have cats, and they grabbed it, and in one minute they had eaten the whole thing.

Every morning, we pray that God will watch over all of us—the workers, local children, animals and missionaries. We praise God for the protection he gives us every day.

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