Joel and Kaleigh Griffin and girls
"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..." Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Since returning to Luau in July, the Lord has certainly granted us help. The trip went smoothly, and we found everything in excellent order upon arriving. We were able to get our A/C unit installed, as well as an antenna that has made a noticeable improvement to our internet and cellular services in the house. The girls are well and are about one month into Grade 3, Grade 2, and Kindergarten under Kaleigh's tutelage.
Kaleigh has been helping a little boy with severely infected shins, and we are thankful for excellent progress. The poor lad had the condition for two years without respite. Please pray with us that the stubborn infection in Mucaso's shins will not return and that this healing will be a testimony to God's love and power before his parents, who are not yet saved. Recently, Mucaso's parents have been attending some of the Gospel meetings.
We are still praying for our carpenter friend, Francisco Saude, and his wife, that they would receive Christ. Their children are regular attendees of the youth and children's meetings and the regular Gospel meeting. Please pray with us for a mighty work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and for genuine conversion for the glory of God.
I have started preparing the lessons for the children in the Chokwe language. An elderly Christian man helps me transcribe the lesson to Chokwe from Portuguese. A younger Christian man helps me practice the pronunciation and presentation of the lesson, and then during the meeting, I read the lesson to the kids with as much expression as I can muster! The kids answer the quiz questions quite well, so the message must be getting across by some miracle!
The four home Bible studies currently held on Thursday mornings and afternoons are running with good attendance, and we are thankful for evident hunger for the Scriptures. One new student received William Macdonald's 'In the World but not of the World' as a gift, and had it fully read and annotated by the next Thursday afternoon in addition to all his other Bible study homework! May he be preserved to become a teacher of the Lord's people. Recently the house and yard have been crammed with way over 100 young people at the weekly youth outreach event. We pray for God's work in hearts!
After Saturdays and Sundays, we are exhausted but supremely thankful for the sacred trust of speaking the Gospel to many. Several children and young people have professed to be saved over the last couple of months. Praise the Lord!
Last week was a special province-wide Bible conference for ladies, held in a mango grove a few kilometers from our home. On Sunday, we had the responsibility of preaching the Gospel to the audience of over 1500 people. Saude's wife attended along with her daughter, and to our knowledge, this is the first time she has attended a Gospel meeting. During the week, many of the sisters took advantage of the book and Bible sales as well as the opportunity to purchase reading glasses. The Christians frequently express their thankfulness for the availability of the literature and the reasonableness of the prices.
Spring 2020 Written by Joel and Kaleigh Griffin - Angola