Today is, August 20, 2017. We bow our heads together and pray on the front porch before we begin our hike to LaGlah village in the rain. We have a late start because so many patients came this morning making it difficult to eat our breakfast and pack the medicine. Our backpacks are a bit lighter this day because now there are three of us to share the load!
Climbing such steep places in the rain make you too hot to wear the cheap plastic raincoat, but it is raining too hard to take it off. To carry an umbrella is too much for me to navigate the steep descents. At any rate you get wet inside and out on a day like this. The last half of our journey leads us on a steep downhill jungle footpath. As we push our way through the tangle of weeds overspreading the pathway, we become aware of hurrying leeches large and small, all desperately waving their way up our boots to our legs, or any piece of flesh they can latch onto. It is impossible to get rid of them all. Finally we stand in a stream and work on detaching and launching them one by one. But more take their place as we resume our hike. BletJhaw said it is safe to say that each of us got at least 30 to 40 leeches on this walk.
We pass a small green snake in the mountain rice.
By now we are all starving hungry because of the exertion, and it is already 1:30 p.m.
We never know how many people will be in this village. Many people go to their gardens and work all day. I am praying that we will get to have a Bible study with PahJew, but we are told that he went on a trip somewhere.
Many patients come for treatment as soon as they see us enter a house in the village. We are wet and cold, shivering in the breezes of the front porch where we are treating the patients. The grandma is cooking us a meal – how wonderful to eat the noodles, chili and rice that she has prepared – now we have strength to carry on!
We are asked to visit an old lady and her son who are too sick to come to us. Yes, they both have a dreadful case of amebic dysentery! The son is worse. His bloody diarrhea has continued for 9 days. His BP is 80/60. It is a helpless feeling to be faced with the critically ill when the rain and mud has you locked in. We cannot take him anywhere and I have no IV solution to help them rehydrate. We must try to coax them to drink the rehydration water (ORS). They are extremely poor, mainly because they are both hopelessly addicted to opium. My heart aches with pity as I see that the 2 sick ones are staying in a tiny shelter with a dirt floor. A pot is sitting on a small fire on the ground, heating up some kind of didrty water with weeds in it. They will drink their ORS with that water, out of a dirty, bent, tin can that has been cut in half and black with soot. (Can you see it on the floor picture)? Trash is all around. We stand there and pray for them. Oh if the rich could see how the poor have to live, if they could put themselves in their shoes. I am just now trying to do just that!
Now we go to PahJew’s house. He has returned and some of his relatives are also there. We can have worship with them all! My heart is cheered as I see how eager they are to learn more about God! We sing, we pray, and I review all the things that we have studied with them in the past. To my delight they remember and obey each one!
The Bible
The trinity
The truth about Satan
Second Coming and heaven
The 7th day Sabbath
The 10 Commandments
Baptism
Health (They have stopped eating unclean meats, they do not drink, smoke, do beetle nut, or opium)
Jewelry (The wife has taken off all ornaments)
The state of the dead
I am listing all these things out here because it is so unusually awesome for these people to so readily agree and make the changes in their lives! How thrilling!
Today we talk about tithe. It is very positive. Because giving to God does not bring poverty. Malachi 3:10! We illustrate with a story of how God blessed a family when they gave a faithful tithe. Next visit we will talk about hell, and then I do not see anything else hindering them from being baptized!!
PaJew, his wife, and 2 children. Beautiful little family. Please pray for them.
The hike back home is just as strenuous, just as challenging, but I hardly notice it because my heart is singing all the way, and my voice is singing also:
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus my blessed Redeemer
Sing ye saints! His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him hail Him! Highest archangels in glory,
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long.
CHORUS
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness,
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!
Oh Jesus! Dear Jesus! How wonderful You are! Some more people will join with You in heaven because You are doing such great things in their hearts!