Village Report

All groups arrived safely back in Ibele yesterday (Monday). Everyone claims their time was "fantastic" and "the best". It was very encouraging to hear everyone share together about their experiences. Here is a report from one of the groups that was in one of the villages over the weekend:

The Kid's Club went really well. The drama was of the Good Samaritan. The pastor translated the story from Indonesian into Dani. It was very effective. They loved the singing, the memorizing of the Bible verse and the colouring of the picture to go with the story. The games were a hit and everyone got involved.

The showing of the Jesus Film went very well. The kids did a great job setting up the equipment. Two other surrounding villages joined this village - they came hiking in to see the Film. After the showing was over, it started pouring rain. The group felt really sorry for the people of the 2 villages who then had to hike back in the rain and the dark. But the people said it didn't matter as they really wanted to see the Film and they got what they came for. Thanks to everyone for praying – God heard your/our prayers.

The girls slept in the women's hut and the boys slept in the men's hut. It was comfortable and a very good experience. Some did get flea bites… The girls also had a "freak" experience – when a mouse ran over and around them and got them all riled up! It took them a while to calm down and go back to sleep!

The girls worked with the women in the gardens. Sometime during the weekend (I did not catch when), the villagers held a pig feast for the group. They were all so humbled that the villagers wanted to do this because they do not have many pigs. They all felt loved and were blessed to be able to return their love to them.

The other groups also had very good experiences. Due to communication issues – we will most likely have to wait to hear about them when they come back. But know that it was great and they were blessed.