The ability to adapt is necessary on the mission field

The ability to adapt is necessary on the mission field   The day was one where we were able to move close to our original plan. First was to take it easy after about 36 hours of travel. I woke up at 8:30 … a full 8 hours of sleep. Others began to wake up shortly afterwards. We had broke our fast of about 9 hours … I prepared my own meal … a bagget (type of French bread) and coffee … I put peanut butter on the bread and hot water in my instant coffee. Buddy dined on fresh strawberries … in the pop tart!   We stopped by the hospital to make a doc happy. Dr. Conte and the Anethiologist (spelling … the one who puts you to sleep for surgery). Dr. Brad and Dr. Brian sent a gadget that measures your oxygen … not sure how something on your finger does that! While there I got the chance to meet Fatu, the young girl who the Drs operated on while here, I hope to get a picture of the hand before leaving. Pastor Ngore had brought her to change her dressing.   We had to engineer means to get the blog posted. We will try a different way tomorrow. Once that was done and our shoppers returned … Jefferson and Joseph had purchased food and notebooks for the seminars at Dialangdinghoto. We traveled out. Expecting to find them ready to start.   Buddy, learned another lesson today. Things can be changed. After visiting a bit, we were invited in to have a meal of fish and rice. It was tasty but it did not take a lot to have sufficient for me. Buddy … who could tell that he had a stomach problem on Monday!!! We visited quit a bit and discussed plans. I encouraged them to consider starting a new work some place. Using the example that an African woman is not complete until she has a child (if she does not … her problem or not … she can be sent back to her family in shame). I compared that to a church that does not give birth to a mission … such a church is not complete to what the Father desires. That is when Pastor Paul Mendy shared that they were visiting every Monday one of two locations. (alternating between them each Monday). Bona where there are 5 believers and Touba where there at two believers. So I volunteered Pastor Roger and Pastor Scott Gordon to go with them on Monday, May 2, to visit which ever preaching village they are doing that Monday. We will do additional planning tomorrow.   Before going over to church, Buddy decided to help a young girl break open peanuts. I later learned that these are for planting. Jefferson said that they will put together up to one ton of peanuts to plant! The girl was picking up the peanut with her fingers and breaking the shell open on the ground. I will try to post the picture … needless to say you can see for yourself once we are able to post the picture.....he was not doing as well as she was. I seems that we cut potatoes to grow them. To grow peanuts you need to break the shell so it can grow.   Afterwards, we went to the church for a prayer meeting and discussions. We wound up praying for the local leaders and them praying for Buddy and myself. We went out to the well after the meeting and were in time to pull a man out of the well … about 50 plus feet. They had a problem with the old well and have to put another in … being dug by hand. This team is from Guinea Bissau. Pastor is going to see how much they charge for doing a well. I told Joseph that we should put him in the well as his name sake was done.  Roy Bradford suggested that if we did, he might have to feed the nation!   This evening Antoine came over for a visit. He is going to Ziginchor tomorrow but wanted to see us before he left. He did not know if he would be back before we returned or not. We had a great visit. I shared that Pastor Roger was hoping to come to his village and share about Christ. It seems that Antoine is the only believer in the whole village.   Tomorrow we will try to get out to the church by 9:30 to begin our teaching. Buddy will do church membership and leadership. I am going to do some lessons dealing with theological issues that they face. Our time is shortened because we missed two sessions at least today, but I am convinced we will get across all that the Father wants taught.   Our goal is not teaching subjects to students, but training believers to understand their faith and how to put it into practice within their lives. Teaching African believers is exciting because they are willing to listen and put into practice what they understand the Bible teaches. They generally do not have the concept of "MEism". Hopefully, we will not teach them by "blessing" some and not others with material things so that jealousy and selfishness sets in.   Bro. Sam