Update from Sharon & Faith for August 2022
Update from the jungle:
It is way past time for an update from us, and we are sorry that this is so late in coming. We were just talking about how it seems that every time an update is due, we are going through some severe testing’s, and well.. I think this one has all the others beat, for sure!
Our family faced a tragedy, the last part of July, when our nephew, Shawn Dawson, lost his wife. She had severe complications after having a miscarriage, and though we called for the plane to come, it couldn’t make it due to bad weather. And she didn’t make it … Please keep Shawn and his 2 little ones in prayer.
Our internet was turned off suddenly and unexpectedly one day. We had bought a Spot X for emergencies like this, so sent a message letting family know we had been cut off. Come to find out, the company wanted more money and wouldn’t turn us back on until we paid out more. We decided that $300 a month was more than enough to pay, and it wasn’t very reliable anyway… and since Mike had gotten his internet set up, that is reliable, we decided to say no, and just wait until we can get set up with one like Mike’s. But….. it is very difficult to not have internet at the house. We used it in everything. To check up a medicine we didn’t know what was for or how to use it. To talk to doctors and find out how to care for a patient, etc…. It is really hard to find time in the day to walk down to Mike’s to get on. It isn’t like their house is far away, because it isn’t. But it may as well be miles away! Faith and I literally are swamped with things to do! We have 14 little kids that are with us from the time they wake up in the morning, to the time we go to bed at night. We have people coming in at all hours of the day, whether it is asking for food, wanting to barter, talking about a sick person, or coming to get medicine themselves…. And this too, goes on all day long! We have a really big village! And then there are those from other villages that come through out the day, as well. So, like I said, we are always on the go, always on demand. And finding very little time that we can actually call our own. We do have that early in the morning over coffee. And we are grateful for this!
Then the generator that was on loan to us, from Mike, quit running. We found out that a hose, had exploded and its pieces went through everything! The boys have been bleeding it, and cleaning it. But still nothing. This was 2 weeks ago. Living without internet in the house, is hard, but living without a generator is even harder! We get so used to having lights throughout the entire house, we get used to having cold water… we get used to throwing the laundry into the washing machine, turning it on, and walking away, come back later to it being done… Mike did loan us another little generator that runs on gasoline. With it we can run our fridge, and a little freezer. So, we do have cold water again! Yay! And then if we unplug these two things, we can plug in a little semi-automatic washing machine. So, praise the Lord, we don’t have to do our laundry by hand! We still are very blessed! Extension cords running in the house, but we are learning to step over them. It has been hard at night, only being able to turn on one light. With so much rain and not a lot of sun at this time, our batteries to the inverters aren’t being charged up and the sun, is the only means of being able to charge them.
We still have a jungle full of hungry people. Now due to the fact that we are without food ourselves, has been hard. We were able to get in some mañoco from another tribe that is here. They live up the river from us, and we traded clothes for 9 sacks. Each sack is 36 kilos. We have given out all but 2! This has become our main diet now as well. A diet that is certain for one to lose weight!
There is a flight coming up on the 30th of this month, and we will be having food come up on it. And we are so very grateful to brothers and sisters in the Lord who by God’s leading, led them to give us a generous gift, so that we can fill that plane up! Blessed be the Name of the Lord! There is also a merchant who has gotten in touch with us, with quite a bit of food as well. And we are praying about this too, so we can help the people here out. It makes it hard when we get in food, but not enough to share with them… so, if anyone would like to help out with this, it would be appreciated!
We had been telling you all about the situation brewing up in the headwaters of our river, and how miners were wanting to mine up there, and bring in their machines with mercury and how the people were all against it, and even willing to go to war over it. But in the end, the pressure was too strong, the leaders caved and granted them 5 months to work up there. Sad to say now, our jungle is being destroyed. The people in the village where they are working at, are getting angry because when the “visitors” came in, they brought in gifts and medicine, as they were trying to buy the people off…. Now that they have gotten in, they are showing their true colors and wanting everything for themselves. Stories coming down from there aren’t very encouraging to us here. But we have taken this before the Lord, asking Him to deliver us from them and to not allow our jungle and rivers to be ruined… And we know that God is in full control and HE doesn’t make mistakes. He knows what is going on. So again, we just trust in Him, knowing He is for us, so who can be against us! We are praying that the Lord will rise up a horrible fear to overtake them and cause them to leave in terror, like He did so many times in Bible times. He never changes! But then again, maybe He wants us to through these very difficult times, so that our faith can continue to grow…
We love the verse that says, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him. And in these past few months, the enemy has hit us hard and at times we are brought low in our spirits. But praise the Lord, He is faithful and He will bring deliverance! Our eyes remain on Him!
Please though, we do covet your prayers!
Partnering with you all,
Sharon and Faith and lots of kids!