(Note: This letter somehow got lost in the shuffle of summer activities and never was finished. We decided to post what we have on our website instead of sending “old news” out snail mail. We are in the process of writing our next letter to share about the LBT Crossroads trip that took place at the end of July. Hope you enjoy what we have in its uncompleted form.)
Dear Friends,
Water play and summer fun are almost synonymous. There is nothing like a dip in the pool on a hot summer day or welcoming the dawn sitting in a fishing boat. Summertime in our part of the world brings water to a parched land. And it gave us a new water experience—the emptying of the cistern.
Many of you know that rain that falls on our roof during the rainy season is channeled into a cistern. Here our water supply is stored so we can use it in our home throughout the year. This year we decided to empty all the water out and do a thorough cleaning. As always, there were lessons to be learned.
DON’T GIVE UP: We pumped water out of the cistern using the pump that fills our uptank (it’s our little water tower). It’s not a super powerful pump and it took 3 days to pump all the water that could be removed with the pump. If you walked into the bathroom or kitchen, the water was turned on full blast to empty the uptank so there was room for more water.
Finally, all the water reached by the pipe was pumped out. There was still more water inside. This had to be bucketed out by hand. This was labor intensive as Nathan and 3 other men worked for 2 days to accomplish this. One person stood in the dark tank below and filled the bucket while the other 3 took turns pulling up the rope and dumping the water. Karissa and Annaka sat in a strategic position so they would get diluged with water. The water looked good and so did the integrity of the tank. We were thinking this might be a waste of time. The men were exhausted, and we thought that maybe what we’d done was good enough. Then we reached the “ick” at the bottom.
Our last ½ day of bucketing pulled up bucket after bucket of black, slimy water. (Don’t worry—Karissa and Annaka didn’t sit in for this action.) As this dark substance was poured out again and again, a picture came to my mind of what the sin looks like that lies in the deep areas of our lives. Jesus does not give up on us, and if we let him, he will continue his purifying work in our lives to get rid of sin’s muck. The process isn’t easy or pleasant, but don’t give up. Jesus hasn’t.
COMPASSION: Our own need can increase our awareness of others’ needs-- The cistern was finally completely empty. We even soaked up the last water with an old foam mattress cushion. Being down in the tank was cool, damp, and echo-y. It reminded us of a racketball court except that you entered through the top, and it was dark. We also got a taste of what Joseph might have experienced when his brothers put him in the empty cistern. Of course, we had a ladder to lead us out and light from the opening above, amenities that Joseph probably didn’t enjoy.
We were ready for rain to refill the tank. We waited. We waited some more. We ran out of water in our uptank and had to carry water from the nearby well. We prayed. We waited. We carried more water. My neck was a little sore from carrying buckets of water on my head, and I didn’t even carry that many compared to the girls who helped me. We waited and prayed more.
We weren’t the only one praying for rain to come. The Komba in our area were also anxious. They needed to get their crops in. The longer it took, meant the longer they would have to wait for food to grow and replenish their dwindling stores. Rumors reached our ears that some were already going hungry. Our need for water increased our awareness for their need. We couldn’t pass through a barren field without praying for rain. Finally, after 3 weeks, the rain came. Oh, we were happy!
A Word of Wisdom
“You don’t pour away the water you have in your pot because it is going to rain.” Can you figure out what this Ghanaian proverb means?
Wisdom Explained:
Just because you know something will be coming to you in the future, you don’t waste what you have at the present time. After all, the future can be a long way off.
(We couldn’t resist including this proverb since we emptied our “pot” of a cistern.)
A Visit from our Supervisor
June not only brought us more rain but also a visit from our LBT supervisor Jim Laesch. Meetings were held, issues debated, options weighed, and plans formulated. We are weary from challenges that plague this translation and literacy work among the Komba. Please keep praying for wisdom for the overall plan and all the little details that make it up. God promises in James 1:5 that “If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him…”
Other Praise and Prayer Items.
-Ghana Crossroads, LBT’s annual recruitment trip, will be coming to Ghana at the end of July. Please pray for the many preparations that need to be done, both in the U.S. and here in Ghana. Also pray for those considering joining the work of LBT—that they will be sensitive to God’s leading and that financial needs will be met for their involvement in this trip.
-Pray for Nathan’s uncle Paul who was diagnosed with advanced brain and spinal cancer. Pray that God’s presence and love would be felt by the family during this extremely difficult time.
-Pray for our marriage and family life—that we would stand firm in Christ and demonstrate His love to each other as a witness to others. We know we are under attack spiritually as Satan toils to keep His Word from being clear to the Komba
Drinking deeply from the Water of Life,
Sarah for Nathan, Karissa, and Annaka
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