We pray that you will share our joy and our experience when you look at our photo report and a message from the president. Our hearts continue to ache for the children at Wisdom Community School. We know that the Lord is their Hope, both in their community and in their lives. We do not see any other forces at work to improve their situation. Our return mission trips are bringing a sense of optimism and continuity. We now see acceptance of our presence in the community instead of suspicion. Both the children and the community welcome us! What a delight to see them running to meet us!
Watching the joy of these children brought us even greater joy - learning to use puppets to tell a story, jumping to their feet to belt out a song we taught them last year, their exhilaration in playing new games, standing in line for seconds as we feed them lunch every day, the wonder of using paint and brushes to create a butterfly, and the broad smiles and hugs for us.
The joys of seeing God at work far outweigh the stress we experience. We saw God at work as He fit together our team of 18. We had harmony throughout the trip, even though the team came from three different churches/denominations and many did not know each other. Every single person on the team was essential to fulfilling God’s mission! We could not have completed the mission without them all. You sent a great team; we thank you for your support financially and with prayers.
When we take a mission trip to Africa, we emphasize to our team - Be flexible! Our need for flexibility started before we left. One of our team members began having debilitating back pain just days before we left. The doctor said “no trip” the day before we left. We called upon a team member from last year who was not scheduled for this trip, “Norma, Karen can’t go. Do you want to take her place if we can change the ticket? You have an hour to think and pray.” She prayed and told the Lord that if we could arrange it, she would go. As one of our team members said, “God knew we needed a cook.” She cooked at least 650 meals in 5 days!
One of our great joys is seeing team members who experience Africa for the first time. The testimony of one of our “newbies,” What was the top experience of the entire trip - finally I had to stop and think and quantify and rank my experiences - what a task! I answered "hands down, going to church in Africa was the most amazing experience - it made the entire trip worthwhile." …. These humble, gracious, selfless, kind people have blessed me exceedingly beyond anything I could have imagined. I am glad to be home with loved ones, but so sad to be away from a culture that fosters continual dependence on God - what an amazing way to live!
Your prayers and support strengthened us throughout the trip. Thank you for your continued support through prayers and donations. We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!
Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. For more pictures and stories of the mission, please connect with a site we created to share our experiences.
