boys will be boys

The night before last, Bud planned a trip for the Mattaw boys to go up Mount Elgon and camp for a night. The house dads and Austin helped out too. It was a great trip for them. They left around lunch time on Monday and came back a bit before lunch on Tuesday. They hiked up into caves, saw animals, and looked over peaks. It was a great experience for all our boys. Nothin like boys bonding while hiking and over a campfire. They came back to our house for lunch Tuesday. Our living room spelt quite awful! Happy to have them here for lunch though and to hear their experience. They didn't seem very tired and were extatic to share their experience. First thing they tell me? They ate a snake. WHAT?! Yep, Ian and some of the boys were walking around a creek by the campsite and came across a snake. When Austin heard, he ran over, and first thing he did? Stomps on the head while it curls up his leg, then whips out his knife and cuts the head off. EEEK! Then he says "lets eat it!" to which all the mattaw boys cheer and say yeah! The only downside is that in this culture, people that are involved with witchcraft eat snakes SOOO they had to teach them that it was not witchcraft and snakes have absolute no power over us. Especially a dead one. As the phrase goes "the only good snake, is a dead snake"! They also heard leopards at night. While around the fire, one of our boys Kelvin, decided he was going to be the brave one and stay up during the night to be security. Then when hearing the leopard he asked Caleb "is that coming from inside the park?" and Caleb replied "yes, and we ARE inside the park". Kelvin's eyes got big and he quickly went to bed! So it was full of adventure and fun, what every little boy desires.

Over the past week there's been quite a bit of spiritual warfare felt around Mattaw. Some threats, some of our kids having bad dreams, people from the states being awoken to pray, people given scriptures to give us concerning our victory in Jesus. Interesting to me though, it's nothing internally that we are battling but more so on the outside. Make sense? Ephesians 6:12 "our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities and powers of darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm". I've lived in Africa 6 years and spiritual warfare aint no new thing. It's real. BUT what I have learned more time and time again is the enemy has no power, duh, and when we renew our minds with the truths of God's word, it overcomes the lies and fear the enemy tries to inflict on us during intense times. He might be trying to attack around us, but our anchor is in Jesus and we can rest. "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest" Exodus 14:14. Jesus has given us all the tools we need to overcome. Mainly resting in Him and who we are in Him and Him in us. The word of God is our sword (eph 6:17). So we rest in Him and decree his truths. Would you pray too? We sometimes will walk around the property at Mattaw (or just praying at home) and ask Holy Spirit to reveal what is going on and give us a word of knowledge to combat the tension. Ask in faith and you will receive. Faith isn't asking for something we need but coming into the reality of what we already have! What a load off and no need to strive! So He gives it, and then gives us decrees of knowledge and scriptures and we pray them and rest. The flavor of faith is rest. We know Jesus holds our Mattaw babies. We just need to have the faith (reality) of it! A few things prophesied over us from the state side today"

Romans 8:27-37

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whot have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."t No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

And also this word of encouragement:

Satan despises what you two are doing - Ha! The very stuff of the gospels! Caring for orphans! He is so mean and is out to destroy. Each time we are attacked we remind each other that it is because the kingdom of darkness is diminishing by whatever we afe doing. Attack is so hard, but it helps knowing why it is coming - you can almost celebrate it since you know the devil is threatened. JESUS wins!!! His covenant with you and Bud is sure!!!!

Take a little break from work and kids and go PLAY soon - a day together of play will help you!!!!

Just thought I'd share in case someone else needs to hear it too! Cause I know you are out there :-).

and p.s... a HUGE thanks to those that have expressed interest in raising funds for a basketball court at Mattaw!