This morning had an early start doing some chores and helping around the house. We cleaned shoes, raked the lawn, cleaned the porch, and set the table for breakfast. After this, we joined together for our morning devotions around the outside coffee table with Wilbert. We had some great conversations about bold prayers and praying about healing before we headed off to breakfast and ate a well-made meal. After breakfast we loaded into the cars to go to our home visits.

Our home visits consisted of going house to house and visiting the children and families of the school. Many of the people we visited were not in school yet, as they needed books or supplies that they didn’t yet have. A number of the children or family members were Muslim, and we were able to pray over them and talk about Jesus with them. The most prominent visit for me was a child named Vanessa, whose house (more accurately described as a shelter) collapsed and destroyed their belongings. When we talked to Vanessa, she didn’t speak—she just looked at us while tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t have been older than 13 or 14. Another prominent visit was a woman who was working down by the lake on her field. Her knee was injured, and we had the opportunity to pray for healing. She said it felt different as we left, and she later told Jumba there was a significant change in the pain. This was a huge encouragement to the team.

After the home visits, we headed back to eat lunch and talk, though not much talking happened after seeing everything this morning. We helped clean up and do dishes before heading to one last home visit with Pastor John. We then drove to the fish market and landing. We parked a ways away and began our walk, where Patrick took a tumble and hurt his leg (he is fine!!) We walked to the cliffs and saw the lake and the islands before going to the landing. The landing and the market were full of working men and women. The market felt slightly less easygoing towards us. We got rained out before we could explore too much here, but we still saw a lot, and I got to see some familiar faces from last time I was here. Seeing some of the conditions here is always something that stays in your heart and mind. We heard the story of a lady whose son she had worked hard for many years to pay for college. The son graduated only to be murdered a few months later. The people here have little but give everything and live in the face of adversity daily.

We then returned to the house, and Drew and I went to see Wilberd’s house he is building. We also saw his friends, who made bricks, kept fish, had cattle, and had a tight-knit community. We returned to the house for coffee time and dinner.

Today has been a day of reflection and heavy hearts but good experiences and things that will stick with us. We are grateful to be here and experience the things we are seeing and doing, and we are trying to be as helpful as we can be to the students and Jumba.