February 7, 2009

Today is a light day here in Yambio. A bible study on the Sunday lessons this morning, and the rest of the day is free for the students to do homework, laundry, and R&R.

Today, I'd like to ask you to pray for two things: a pastor's wife named Ann, and the students by name.

Ann is the wife of one of the pastors in the area, and he was at the bible study this morning. After the study, he stood up and asked us to pray for his wife. He said she was attacked 2 days ago near their home. It was an attack by a form of satanic witchcraft called Soro. After the study, I talked to him about it. Soro is practiced locally here by some in the Zande tribe.... however it is widespread in eastern central Africa they say.

Apparently, Ann was outside her home sitting and talking to some women of the area, and a man walked by, greeted them, and then waved at them. In that action of waving and greeting, a demon is released and it attacked Ann. (The man was intentionally targetting Ann.) It made her throat swell and gave her chest pains. Without local treatment, they believe she would have died. She could not open her mouth, she had chest pains, and her arms did not work. The women she was with immediately made some sort of leafy tea and tried to get her to drink it. But she could not open her mouth. Finally, they forced it open and she drank, and they think that is how she recovered. The pastor believes that God worked through the medicine to save his wife.

The man who did this to Ann apparently gets some sort of power from Ann and will use it to kill animals, since it is a hunting ritual. They say that Soro has the power to kill people. Apparently this is a wide spread and somewhat common event. They say it happens at the market frequently. If someone is suspected of practicing Soro, the police can arrest them, they said, and he is beaten with sticks until he confesses!

This is serious enough where this trained pastor took 2 days off work to be with his wife, and asked all of us to pray for her. The Zande students here believe it is very real also; and those outside the Zande tribe acknoweldge that it is real and satanic. I told the pastor (his name is Peter) that I would ask you to pray for Ann also.

{Note: As I re-read what I just wrote, I can hardly believe I am writing this! But this is a totallly different culture! To us, this is very much a superstitious event. The Semianry President (from Kenya) told me privately that he dismissed it also as local superstition. However, it is real to Pastor Peter and his wife Ann. I don't know what to make of it. Anyway, we can certainly pray for Ann and thank the Lord that He spared her from any further harm.)

The second prayer request is for the studnets of the seminary. These men are making huge sacrifices to be here. All but one are married with lots of children. One has 13 kids! They are away from their familes for a long time. One of the interesting things is that when they introduced themselves to me, everyone of the married men said somethign like this: "My name is ____; and I am the husband of one wife." Afterwards I asked them about it, and apparently polygymy is widespread here. Being "the husband of one wife" sets them apart as Chrsitians in this culture.

These men all know English, in fact all children are trained all the way through school to know Englsih. English is the common language among all the various tribal languages that are also spoken. They are converant in English, can read it, and understand it when spoken. It is not like most of us with Spanish, in that we know a few words or phrases. I do not have to speak slowly or use simple words when teaching.

We meet for classes in the church on the seminary campus, that also worships on Sunday with about 400 people. ( I will see worship for the first time tomorrw, as I am preaching at that church.) It is a brick building with shutters for windows and no electricy. They sit on homemade wood benches that have a 12" inch wide table for them to write and set their books. I have a little stand and a chalkboard to use for teaching. We meet Monday -- Friday from 9am -1pm for the first session; break for lunch, and then back in class from 2:00-4:00pm. Then they are to study until it gets dark, around 7:30pm. Since the generator has been broken, anything later than 7:30 is by candle light. (The seminary president and I have kerosene lamps. However, they attact the bugs and then the bats!)

Here are the names of the seminary students. Please pray for each by name:

Charles Kazmilio
Simon Tor
Thomas Gooniko
Philmisio Yaari
Jackson Afash
Daniel Wakinako
Gabriel Mayik Yor
David Majuang Dieng
Gibson Oliver
Thomas Nassia
Ezra Elisama
Twinomugisha David
Nelson Samuel
Abel Aret