The Recognition of TRUTH

So I want to introduce you to a fun group of ladies.  Earlier in the year we were introduced through some of our contacts to a “Nomad” family that lives on the other side of town.  Since then we have gone sometimes pretty regularly, sometimes not.  However, we have become pretty good friends through it all.

There are about five women who live at this house full time.  Then they are two women who have traveled to the capitol because of medical needs.  They have been staying at the house for a few months now.  Now these women really have incredible entrepreneurial skills.  Whenever we go to the house they are always making something in order to sell it.  They sell goats milk from their goats.  They buy fish in market and cook it to sell.  They sell little fried treats.  They burn wood and make charcoal to sell.  They chop wood and sell it for cooking fires.  They make a crazy amount of porridge every afternoon to sell to the neighbors.  And truly, I could go on and on.  So for these reasons I will call them “The Sellers.”

Well a few weeks ago we decided we needed another house for testing.  When we test we play the first recording of the story and we ask questions to confirm comprehension.  All the questions are usually pretty specific.  If the story is misunderstood we make note of it.  It does not necessarily mean that the story is wrong, but it could mean the story is just not as clear as it should be.  Also, there are many synonyms is the “Nomad” language so we make sure the most understood words are used.

About 2 weeks ago we went and asked if we could share a story with them.  The oldest lady in the house, who is in the capitol for medical reasons, asked if she could listen to the story first.  She took us into one of the rooms and began to listen.  There was no doubt in my mind that she was listening so that she could approve the story before the other women listened to it.  The story she listened to was Creation and she enjoyed it so much.  As soon as it was over, she told us how much she enjoyed it and that we could now go outside to play it for the other women.

We went outside the room into the courtyard.  All homes here have a courtyard.  This is where the majority of the living takes place.  They cook and socialize in the courtyard.  They do this mostly because it is too hot to stay inside their houses.  Pretty much the only thing they do inside is sleep and that’s only if it’s not too hot.

Well, we played the story again in the courtyard with about three more women present.  After it was finished they told us to walk across the courtyard and play it for another woman who was cooking.  After all the people in the courtyard had heard the story, we asked if we could ask them questions about the story.  The oldest woman was excited and immediately answered, “Yes, that will be very good.”  The other women shook their heads in agreement.

We began asking questions and answers started coming from all directions.  You see, everyone in the courtyard had heard the story and most were eager to share their thoughts.  However, some of the women weren’t as sure.  So the oldest woman empowered them saying, “It’s easy you just listen to the story and questions.  Then you answer the questions.”  We finished our testing questions in no time.  And probably with the most in depth answers we have heard.

As we were finishing up one of the woman arrived home and asked what we were doing.  We told her told her that we were listening to stories from God’s Word.  She immediately asked if she could hear the story too and of course we agreed.  This specific woman, who came in after the fact, was extremely excited about the stories and wanted to know if we had more.  We told that we would return with more stories.  All of the women told us, “These stories are very good to us!”  This is a very African thing to say.  And we of course told them, “Their help was very good to us!”

As I sit here writing this I am thinking how neat it is that the stories are not even near finished but people are already hearing God’s Word.  After these stories are tested they must be edited and then a final recording must be made.  We are still months out from having the finished product.  However, people are hungry for God’s Word NOW.

Pr@y that the Father would lead us to the seekers.

Pr@y that as testers hear these stories that they would recognize them as Truth.  Pr@y that they would share these stories with their friends.

Pr@y that they would not be able to get these stories out of their heads.

Pr@y that they would kept awake at night as they ponder these stories.

Remember in Isaiah 55:11: So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The Father’s Word is going out among the “Nomads” and we cling to God’s Promise that it will not return empty.

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