Update from Paul and Marty Law - April 2009

May 3, 2009

Dear Friends,

Recently was our Annual Women’s Conference downtown in Lodja. (We live at Diengenga, the mission, which is 12 kilometers away.)

On Monday, we were given an 11:30 slot for 6 of the children to quote the whole Book of James for the conference. We arrived at 11:00 but by 3:30 we still had not been able to have the children perform. With our smallest boy getting sick with hunger we returned home to the mission having given up. Schedules really have no part of this society!

Not only were the children hungry but we were all stifling with the sweltering heat. We are in the ‘transition time’ between rainy and dry season and during that time the humidity is at the limit except there is no rain and no relief.

Early the next morning the President of the Women came to the mission asking us to return which we did Tuesday afternoon. Once we arrived they immediately quit their business meeting and gave us the platform.

Each child had a portion of the Book of James that they were to quote. Each did with gestures which really gave the scriptures life. The women loved it!

We then asked the women if any of them could do the same. Of course, the answer was, ‘NO’.

Paul then shared a story about Mama Dundja who in the early sixities lived near Lomela, north of here. She could neither read nor write yet when she saw someone passing by her village with a pen in their pocket she would ask them to read a portion of the New Testament to her. Over the years, she learned many parts of the New Testament by heart!

Of course, the point of the story is that you do not have to read nor write (which a majority of the women do not) in order to memorzie the scriptures. What you need is a hunger and thirst for the Word of God.

The President of the Women then told each of the leaders that when they return to their respective villages the should encourage their women to begin to memorize the scriptures!

Then that evening Pastor Kitambala returned and showed the “Jesus” Film. He showed it outside the church and with the hundreds of women at the conference and hundreds from the neighborhood there was a thousand or more. Many of the women wept when Jesus received his beating. Most were impacted with the message of the film.

Paul was in the forest several days last week sawing logs into lumber in this direct hot humid heat for church structures and many other needs. He has about 6 men that work with him. Please pray for their protection as they all work with what is dangerous equipment. It is hard exhausting work.

This weekend Paul and Pastor Kitambala have traveled to Katako Kombe to see what condition the camp meeting site is in since we left that project three years ago. Our intentions are to return in three weeks to finish it after all of these years and hold another camp meeting the middle of June.

Paul will be preaching at the main station church there this morning.

Last evening, Pastor Kitambala showed the ‘Jesus Film’ while there and on their way home this evening they will stop and show it again.

Please pray for us in each of our respective ministries.

Blessings, Marty

P.S. A side note: Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day cutting up the filet and hind quarters of a waterbuck antelope for fresh meat. I froze what I could but then had to sear and can much of the meat which took me hours on our wood stove. At least now, we have fresh meat which we do not often have!

P.P.S. If there are those of you who would like to be removed from our e-mail list then please contact the home office at this e-mail address: paulandmarty@appointmentcongo.com

The pictures are of our children quoting the Book of James.
1. Mama Tete
2. Emory in the process of bowing at the end of reciting his portion of scripture.