Dear Cherished Interested’s,                                                                                         February 11^th, 2024

Found an honest mechanic for the stupid little truck, thanks to Mohamad.  It was gone for over a week, so we got some major walking in.  Still no 4wd.  Parts extremely hard to come by.  Mechanic was sent multiple sets of bad, non-working, parts as nearly everything here is taken from wrecks. 

Mechanic is still looking.  He is also waiting for an extremely knowledgeable electronic and electrical systems engineer to return from cancer treatments in India sometime soon.  Perhaps, some of the old junk can be gone through with the right knowledge and equipment.

However: All four doors open from both the outside and the inside.  All four windows go down and up.  The driver’s door has finally been repaired and closes with ease, two fingers only.  Significant good start on front end re-bush.  One cracked lower wishbone replaced too.  The bed of the truck was held on by only one remaining bolt and threatening to stay behind with every bump which is indescribably often.  It is now solid with the frame once more.

I refuse to get rid of the truck in the condition I received it.  Right now the truck is getting better.

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This morning we went to English service at the Cathedral in Usa.  Faces of little ones, we haven’t seen for nearly a year, were peeking around corners at us. 

This is blessing we could not believe.  Our Sunday-School students from Silverleaf Academy were there for English service with one precious indomitable Mama/Teacher. 

Only God.

We sat amongst them and helped them to follow liturgy.  I stood and introduced them at the request of the Mama, who trusts my English more than her own.  This is a gift we did not expect.  This is an affirmation we desperately needed.  40 or so littles in school uniform, some of the girls from a remote non-Christian tribe out by a lake far away.  About 30 knew us and were so happy to see us that the new 10 or so simply accepted us. 

Unbelievable..

This is the school where the administration of elite ones, both local and significantly foreign people, decided we were to be excised from campus after a year of serving free at the parents, students, and teachers requests. 

This morning we were supposed to see that our efforts were not in vain.  We were supposed to see that we were still trusted.  We were supposed to see those littles and that Mama/Teacher coming to church and finding us, and being happy about finding us. 

This is important because:

The administration of elite ones, both local and significantly foreign people, at The Children’s village have chosen to ban us from the Children’s Village after two and a half years.  This they have chosen due to VISA’s. 

The Visa’s we now have were gotten through a contact provided by one of those in charge at the Children’s Village and we were assured that they were the appropriate Visa’s.

If they were, they are no longer.  We fear we have too few funds to chase yet other Visa’s but we will see. 

We took the message written for the Mama’s at The Children’s Village up and handed it through the gate to the guard who happily ran it up to the Mama’s.  Yes, my head is shaking as I write this.

Local people whose focus is the welfare of the children still trust and want us.  Those from overseas and the locals who cater to those foreign interests have consistently shown cowardice, dissembling and manipulation, of course, calling it something else.  

Yes, I am being hard.  I am also being realistic and praying I can lose some of that realism again in the light of God’s gift to us at English service this morning.  That was beautiful!

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Starting tomorrow we should have two brilliant young Pentecostal women here assisting with editing a bi-lingual book.  A book we could never afford to print in the USA.  A book that many have insisted get printed and I had hoped to have it done before last Christmas.  Life got in the way.

Well, life has given us many troubles, like everyone else.  Life has also given us these two brilliant young women who we can help train to become editors using what ICT (information and computer Technology) we have here.  Their brilliance fills where my Swahili comprehension is missing.

Their heart for scripture binds us together in this work.

They are also typical young ones who know scripture from a phone app.  I am a stinker.  I make them learn to look the books, chapters, and verses up in a non-power-dependent format, a Bible. 

Cross fingers and pray, pray, pray, that we are doing right.

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Every local one, we feel needs to know we are not long for here, barring another miracle from God, sits with us and weeps upon hearing.  It is heartbreaking.  This is not a place where people weep openly.  It tells you about who they are though. Good decent people are still with us as we battle the lost abusive ones.  Pray we battle in love.  Sometimes we don’t want to.    

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Still working the problem that we think will likely see us heading home to America in a couple to few months.  We are doing the best we can.  We are able because of God.  God is listening to each of you.

You who read and pray and suffer along with us.  Please believe what we get to see.  Thank you for praying our strength and guidance for each moment with each face.   Folks like you are beyond precious.  vwilliamson@sprynet.com

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Really blessed while deeply under attack..  all of it is spiritual..  I wish I could teach that to everyone so they could truly know it.  I didn’t know it for far too long. 

Please keep crumpling us up and throwing us at God.  That is where we need to be.  God will sort us out.

One day at a time.  Just like how you each live.  Just one day at a time. 

Thank you, each of you.

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What to Pray for:

Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole world round, all of Gods kids -

All the tough and blessing expressed above –

The love of folks –

Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –

For our children and grand-children who miss us.. 

For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students, programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –

For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –

For those who have braved the donate button to discover Kajun Crofton, our daughter who helps getting each one of your donations to us and every blogpost to where you can read it -

For each and every one of you –

Each and every one of your prayers, your precious conversations with God –

Prayers, Your Prayer, Even your groaning prayers makes all the difference..

Vern W

May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life – May Heart be as Life to your Music