This week
Beloved brothers and sisters,
Greetings to you in the name of Our Lord Jesus!
The last two weeks have not been much fun for me. Gine is in the States for a few days. She will return in a couple of days and I cannot wait. I feel like I am functioning without my arms and even sometimes without my head. I am surviving. My joy in all of this is that the days are not static. They move.
This week I took time to observe many of our students. The teenagers blow my mind. Some of them came here as first graders. They were cute little girls and fun little boys. Now they are teenagers. Some are taller than I am. I can overhear them talking about a boy friend or girl friend and I realize certainly time flies. I could have added “when you are having fun,” but it was not fun all the way. So whether we acknowledge it or not, time flies. Kids don’t stay kids. They grow up. How does that happen, I don’t know, but the truth is they grow up. Those we had as teenagers are now men and women. Some of them are married and have their own family. Scary, isn’t it? One thing that does to me is that it makes me treat them well. They will be my leaders, my boss, my advisers, my doctors, who knows what?
This week, brother Rosemond went to the classrooms and took pictures. There are many I could select for this e-mail. I chose the one with Caleb. Caleb is a lively boy, a bright boy. Caleb is an orphan. No mother. No father. The grandma who was rearing him and who brought Caleb to Living Water died shortly after. Now Caleb is in 3rd grade. He lives with an aunt, a very personable gal. She is busy trying to make ends meet. I love Caleb. I always like to stop to receive his handshake, his mischievous smile when he is doing something he knows he was not supposed to do. I am curious to see what Caleb will be doing in life. I am positive that the end of the story will be very happy. I thank God for his sponsors and for all those who have chosen to support a child in our school. Thanks to you.
Also this week, Rosemond took a number of pictures at the cafeteria. You know, some of the students testify that they don’t welcome Saturday or days off really. They mean they will miss this hot meal. I have heard a lot of moving stories that make me so grateful to all those who give toward RBK. Things that make me greatly appreciate our partners and supporters. Of course, they may think that they are making an insignificant contribution, but they could not be farther from the truth. They are giving a piece of peace to parents, teachers, staffs and more directly students. The peace is that they have enough to eat and this may well result in the peace of mind with God. God works in mysterious ways. So none of us know the full scope of the story.
This week we started with different worship services. Last Sunday we had over 700 people in the services. In the adult church the worship team did a very good job. Everyone did: worship leader, musicians and the rest. The children’s service was lively. They were not stingy when they were singing to God. I preached in the adult services. We were looking at different plots that the Pharisees and their friends orchestrated against Jesus, yet “No one took His life, He gave it” (John 10:18-19). He gave it for you and me. He gave it to reunite all His sheep as one flock. Those of us who are in, let us stay in. Those who are not in yet need to surrender and give their lives to Jesus, then they will be in. Life at that point will be really life.
May God bless you as this week. May He help you to live for HIM! May He give you the strength you need. May He give you the healing you are praying for. May He guide each and everyone of your steps.
In Christ,
Salonique and team