July 24, 2023 – Update From Sharon and Faith
Hello from the jungles!
And we might add here, a still, very, very wet jungle! Yesterday it literally rained buckets of rain on us for a good hour, with a wild wind throwing the raindrops everywhere! And leaving behind lots of mud puddles and a saturated ground! We know, because right after the rain stopped, it was time to head down to our brother, Michael’s place, for our 4 to 5:00 time of fellowshipping over coffee. And it was hard not to get our shoes wet. Yep, it is certainly time for us to get rubber boots!
The village just got over doing a mini conference that was supposed to only be for the tribe called Ye’kuana. But because everyone is hungry all over the jungle, when word got out, we had people coming from all over! Thankfully the conference lasted only 4 days, and everything went really well. So, it was a huge answer to prayer and we saw how encouraged everyone was when they were leaving. Seeds were sown, hearts were encouraged, and lives were changed. Praise the Lord!
You know, so often we tend to get caught up in the daily grind of life and what is really the most important things, get pushed to the background. We missionaries get discouraged too, not to mention getting overwhelmed… But praise the Lord, He knows all this, and He always works things out, that in times like these, everyone is blessed and given a hope inside, a renewed hope, that gives us the strength we need to continue on. We serve a good, good God!
Now, our village is doing a huge soccer tournament. We have 16 different teams from all over the jungle, here. There are teams living everywhere! Even out in David and Milaide’s cookhouse! Good thing it is only for a week… Please be praying for us, that the village will continue to uphold a good testimony. And that even in these games, that people will see the reflection of Christ in our lives and choose to give their hearts to Him. We were hoping that the games would be canceled, due to the hunger issues, but they are on, so like the saying goes, “can’t fight city hall…’ We do feel bad though for our senior citizens and the children. They reap what their children and parents sow.
We are planning to do a big supply run, to get up food, fuel, and some equipment for working in the yard, like wheelbarrows, rakes, etc… we really need a lawn mower too, but at the moment, David, Faith’s son, Boyca, her son in law, and 2 guys that work for us, so they can get “stuff” for their families, have been chopping the grass with machetes. David’s 15-year-old son had been working side by side with his dad, but then he got sick, and well, it’s been hard for him to get back into it. I told them one day, when we were talking about needing to get a lawnmower, how their Grandmother Millie, used to “mow” the grass when she was little. Her and her sisters got out and, on their hands, and knees, cut the grass with scissors! So, to be thankful for machetes! 🙂 We do have a really big yard though, so I do feel for them…
But to get back to what we were talking about… The supply run will be done in September., IF we can bring in the funds… I asked our buyer in town, if he could give us an estimation of what the cost will be, and this is how it was cut down. We are really wanting to get back into feeding our senior citizens and the children again. But to do this, we have to have extra come in. We can’t take it from our kids, as we faced 3 very hungry months, a few months ago. And it was a horrible time for all of us. We lost two of our watch dogs during this time of famine, and it was very painful watching them slowly starve to death…. And too, the people always want to trade. So, we thought we would carry on Mom and Dad’s legacy, in how they always made food available for the people. We serve a mighty God, and if He is in what we are wanting to do, He will lay this request on your all’s hearts to give.
If you would like to give to us for these causes, here is the address on where to send to:
Mission Padamo Aviation and Support
P.O. Box 644
Island Lake, IL 60042
Phone number – 847-250-1701
Make the checks out to Mission Padamo Aviation and Support and then on the memo who and what it is for. For instance:
For the ministry of Faith Dawson, and the ministry of Sharon Dawson, for food, (or whatever it is you want to give towards)
Below is the breakdown:
| FOOD | $10,000 – We are buying 10 sacks of each, (one sack is 24 kilos – which is 50 some pounds) such as 10 sacks of rice, 10 of flour, 10 of cornmeal, 10 of spaghetti, etc.. etc.. |
| 2 Stoves | $300 each |
| FUEL | $2,100 (for 6 barrels) |
| Generator | $2000 |
| Miscellaneous items for the house: (electrical wire to rewire houses, yard stuff, etc, etc) | $2000 |
| Clothes for the children | $1,500 |
Thank you for allowing us to partner with you.
Sharon and Faith and lots of kids!