As I flushed the toilet, three small creatures sprang out toward me. I
jumped back against the wall with a shriek, eyes wide and heart
pounding. “Mommy! Mommy! Are you okay?” Abby burst into the bathroom.
Speechless, I pointed to the green tree frogs clinging to the wall.
“Lissa!” Abby called, “Come see what jumped out of the toilet!”
Cautiously, Lissa entered, “Oh! can we keep them?”
This was the first of many surprises during our mission service at Davis Indian Industrial College in Paurima, Guyana.
As our family walked down a grassy path to breakfast one morning, I felt
suddenly compelled to leap aside. Turning around, I scanned the ground
behind me, and my heart skipped a beat. There in the grass lay a
poisonous snake in the spot where I had been about to step. “Abby and
Alissa, watch out!” John warned them as he proceeded to kill the snake
with a stick. As we continued on our way, we all thanked God for His
care and protection.
It was Friday morning in Paurima, and everything seemed to be going
wrong. Bedding and clothes hung damp on the line where I had put them
two days earlier. The rest of our clothes lay in a dirty pile on the
floor, and I was headed out to help build a water line. What was I going
to do? Though I prefer to do things myself, John suggested hiring a
girl from the community to do our laundry, and I gave in. Late that
afternoon when we returned from our work in the village, I discovered
the clothes on the line were completely dry. What a relief! God is so
good.
Whether it is a funny experience, life-threatening danger or just
everyday practical needs, God is always there to help us through each
day. When we are in Papua New Guinea, I know God will be there with us,
too, no matter what we encounter.
