A Marriage Song

Last Sunday, we held the first official marriage training for approximately 40 believers. 12 Christian couples, some Christian women with unbelieving husbands and some whose husbands didn't come at all, several men without their wives and a group of singles who hope to be married in the years to come. Another SIM missionary couple experienced in marriage training in Ethiopia led the sesson after church. Four hours of interactive biblical marriage teaching for 1st generation believers. We hope that it will be the stepping stone for many more teaching times.

Imagine having no godly couple to set an example for you. Imagine having little concept of what love looks like. Imagine never sharing with your spouse what you actually need from him or her. There was laughter, questions, songs, nods of understanding and hope. Hope that marriage could be something beautiful.

Marriage songs abound in Gumuz culture. In fact they are second only to songs sung against enemies. But believers are singing a new marriage song. A song that shares what biblical marriage is all about. Last year, we wrote a song from Colossians 3:18 and Ephesians 5:28 and it emphasized the very teaching that was being given. To me, it is a marriage song. A song that should be sung daily in the homes of believers because marriages are constantly under attack.

You women live well in the sight of God.
Accept your husbands.

You men, love your wives
Do not live in bitterness.

You men love your wives as you love yourself.
Do not live in bitterness.
Love your wives.

The words are pretty basic but if you ask Gumuz men what the number one problem is in their marriage, it is that their wives don't accept them/their words. If you ask Gumuz women, what the number one problem is in their marriage it is that their husbands don't love them. The women work from sunrise to sunset with little or no help from their husbands. They don't share their money and they don't tell them things.

Accepting...respecting....loving....helping....they seem so basic but they are so hard...in every culture. Yet here there is an added challenge. Women don't readily accept their husbands because they are not protected by them. If the marriage goes badly, she is sent home. If she can't bear children, she is sent home. If someone accuses her of being an evil spirit (which has just happened recently), she is taken home. Every woman needs to know they are loved and protected.

So another song was sung from 1 John 4:7-8 Love is from God.

Let us love each other. Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who do not love, do not know God.

And so as the first group of believing couples among all these villages around us, these couples have the opportunity not only to have a godly marriage and family but to show all those around them that they love. They love because their are children of God. This love is lasting. This love is selfless. This love fights off fear and bitterness and pain. Let us love because love comes from God.

A Baby Lives

When a malnourished child is brought to my front door, I admit that my heart drops. By the time, this child is brought to my door, it is usually after the family has visited the witchdoctor and attempted to use medicine rather than food to bring healing. Malnourishment is often brought on as a result of being weaned abruptly because a new born enters the family. Then, the mother's love and care for the infant takes priority over the one or two year old whose nutrition begins to decline. Families who have goats or cows would be able to continue giving that child much needed milk, but such families are few.

The situation worsens when a mother dies in childbirth. This was the case with the little boy who came to my door. Not only was his mother deceased, his father was also and he was now in the care of his aged grandmother who comes from one of the poorest villages around us.

I took one look at this 10 month old baby and thought to myself, "It will be a miracle if this child lives." But I couldn't close my door. Though the child's eyes were sunken and the bones seemed to protrude from his loosened skin; though there was no strength in his muscles and no life in his eyes; I knew I had to give what I had. I offered to give milk powder on a weekly basis. This 80 lb grandmother, stooped with age, seemed barely to have strength enough to care for her own needs but when I handed her the mixture of milk powder and sugar, she said, "I will return each week as you asked." And she has.

That first day, I handed her a tiny cup of milk and she fed this little boy sip by sip. He couldn't even finish 1/4 cup; the effort was too much. Week after week, this grandmother returned and it seemed the effort was meaningless. No weight gain. No strength. How could it be that this child was not any stronger!?

2 months later, I asked the grandmother if she had seen any change. "Oh yes! He is much stronger than before. He is starting to talk and play and hold the cup by himself." And it was true. He was now able to finish the small cup full of milk without falling asleep. He had a spark in his eye. The improvement seemed very slow but we continued. Then he fell headfirst into a fire and his face was covered in burns. They took a month to heal.

6 months of milk added to a Gumuz diet of porridge and beans and this little boy crawls with great speed. He laughs and talks and stands and is full of spunk. His grandmother was told to visit the witchdoctor because he was more than a year and still not walking. She answered, "Look how strong he is, why should I give a goat when I know he will soon walk!" And it is true. He is taking his first steps. And all who see him are amazed.

And I wonder. Has God kept this child alive for a purpose? Will he one day be one who shares the gospel with his people, his village and beyond? After all, God saved Moses against all odds. He gave Hannah, Samuel and He gave Elizabeth, John. Against all odds, God uses those who are weak to do great things. Because of a faithful grandmother, because the Lord has a purpose, this little boy who was on the brink of death is filled with laughter and strength.

The Spirit moves on Easter Sunday

On Easter morning, we were expectant. We believe that God is using the Gumuz believers on Gesses mountain to bring the good news to the villages around us. Two weeks earlier, Rolf had encouraged the leadership team to plan to celebrate Easter by inviting unbelievers to the church, by bringing the gospel songs into the village and by celebrating with goat meat and coffee or keya. We left for a week in Addis and returned just two days before Easter. We were disappointed to hear that the leadership team had not planned anything and in addition most of them were absent! Rolf spoke with the remaining elder of the church encouraging him to use this holiday to share the gospel and to fellowship together.

On the eve of Easter and again Easter morning, Rolf and I committed the Easter service to the Lord. We truly desired to see glory come to God whatever that looked like. We prayed that the Spirit would lead the Gumuz to celebrate Easter the way that He desired. And so we arrived at church expectant.

Church was filled with 80-100 men, women and children and the singing began. As the second song began, two women were called to pick up the drum pole standing against the wall and lifted up the large drum that was being drummed. Then the song leader led us out of the building, out of the church property and out on the road. Several women and children came running to join in the singing. We continued to move along singing the Gumuz Easter worship songs as we walked. More men, women and children joined us and our group grew. 

We walked to the edge of an unreached village and spent 1/2 hour singing songs of praises and the song of Jericho. The walls were coming down.  

Gumuz who have never entered a church building heard the songs of praise. The Spirit led the believers to boldly and joyfully enter villages worshipping and they were received gladly. And as we walked, our numbers increased and we returned to the church double in number. 

Two goats had been prepared and the meat was unusually plentiful. Coffee was served and all who came not only heard the gospel but their stomachs were satisfied. May the Spirit continue to lead Gumuz to take the gospel into villages that have not heard of the One who Saves.

Yes, even the little ones enjoyed goat meat this Easter.

My warrior boy

My warrior boy.  He may not think like Gumuz boys do.  He may not have a mother who allows him to spend his days in the bush instead of the classroom.  He will never fully integrate into Gumuz culture but he does like hunting.  He is quite proud of his Gumuz bow and arrows and makes sure that our guards help him fix them when they break.  He has his weapons close at hand.

It was a proud day when my warrior boy got his first kill.  It might not be large but it did take precision.  It was dusk when my boy caught sight of this rat.  He ran to get his bow, took aim and was delighted to see that he had not only hit it but killed it.  And on this day, the Gumuz were proud.
A white boy who knows how to shoot as well as their own.

Now Gumuz children love to eat their rat kills and Joel was sorely disappointed when I vetoed the idea.   It was nearly dark.  It involved building a fire, roasting the rat over a fire and worst of all consuming it.  In hindsight, I should have let him had the pleasure of enjoying his first kill.  (But I am sure there are some among you who could understand my lack of enthusiasm).  Maybe by the time, he manages to hit the next one, this momma will be ready to say yes.