Angels’ Applause Heard At Baptism

From a worker in Africa

After his baptism S told me, “When I put my head under the water, I heard something like ‘wooooo’, and when my head was lifted my head out of the water, I heard the sound of many hands clapping. It scared me, because you were the only one that clapped as I came out of the water.” Continue reading

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Desert Rain

From a friend in the Middle East

“He waters the land from His upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of His work.” Psalm 104:13.

Rain is a wonderful thing. We have been waiting for it for months. The clouds have been growing and soaring by barrenly for weeks. Today, they were gathering, grey and suggestive, and the smell of rain in the air made my students crazy. Here, rain smells like dust: rainstorms stir up dust from the earth, and bring down all the dust suspended in the air, and so we smelled it and thought, “Rain!”. I suppose wet dust smells different from dry dust. Continue reading

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A Little Present of Beauty

From a teacher in the Middle East

Life is busy, and God is good. The weeks are hurtling by at their usual rate. Students are learningincluding myself. Yes, I’m a student again, studying Arabic three days a week. Sometimes it feels like a little too much, but it’s encouraging to be able to say what I want to more clearly. Continue reading

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Don’t Know What to Say? God Does.

From a worker in Asia

I had an interesting experience this week. I went out to get vegetables and was greeted by the sight of about forty men sitting and standing around a dead body. This was quite unexpected. Usually the sound of women wailing alerts us long before anyone gathers for a wake, but we had not heard anything. Rather awkwardly, I managed to exit the building and returned some time later with my produce. Continue reading

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Short Termer Visits School for Street Children

From a short-term worker in Asia

Some of my friends here have a school for street children that they began several years ago. I’ve been visiting it this past week. The streets that lead to the school building are lined with trash matted to the dirt. Women call out greetings to my friends; they’ve known them for years. Turbaned men steer bikes over the rocky road. I walk into the schoolroom, increasingly aware of the issues that the children face. Continue reading

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What Holds You Back?

By Karli, a WEC Trekker at Betel UK

With officially one week into the trip I still feel as though I just got here, but also as if I have lived here forever. Hopping in the car as a passenger on the left hand side is no longer foreign, and I have quickly adjusted to drinking tea at least 3 times a day (no complaints there). Continue reading

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Get out of here NOW

From a worker in Africa

I stopped to greet some important religious leaders who sat in the shade along the street. I had just asked if they would like to buy a scripture calendar when a Muslim religious teacher came up and told me to, “Get out of here NOW.” (Well, good morning to you, too, brother!) Continue reading

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Firsts

A blog post from Emily, a WEC Trekker

  • I was called “Sir” for the first time in my life a couple weeks ago, and it wasn’t someone trying to be funny; he was actually trying to be respectful. In Mandinka (not sure about all the other languages) there is no differentiation between he, she, and it. Those pronouns are all the same word. For this reason, men get called “her” and women get called “him” on a very frequent basis. I usually hear this mistake several times every day. Continue reading
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A Linguistical Pot Pourri

From Kathy Lewis

Greetings from sunny Brikama, Gambia! We’re in the middle of the dry season, so it hasn’t rained in about four months. The nights are cool enough to make sleeping comfortable, but midday out in the sun can be pretty scorching. When the wind blows, everything gets covered with dust. Continue reading

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Doctors Patch Up Wounded Soldiers

Dr Nancy Wood writing from Bunia:

On his recent trip, my husband [Dr. Philip Wood] spent one long evening repairing about nine holes in someone’s abdomen, and just as he was leaving to come home he dealt with a soldier who had wounds in his back and backside from a bomb. All of these injuries are evidence that there are elements of insecurity by those who live and create havoc right on the border of Congo near the foot of Mt Rwenzori. Here in the Bunia market we notice there is no rice from Oicha/Beni being sold, nor are there any lemons.

In Philip’s absence Dr Sami had his own patient with gunshot wounds to the chest and both thighs but none of the bullets went inside the patient.

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