Day 9
Watching the village wake up this morning was especially inspiring because of a low-level fog in the hills from a recent storm and the sky was clear so the sun’s rays poked through the fog.
At 8:45, a big old bell (the same one Marilyn rang 40 years ago) began ringing on the hill behind us announcing to the village that church would be starting soon. People started coming from all directions.
When Americans come to church, it is packed. All the choirs sing and it is extra special. The kids sang, the women sang, the girls did a drama and it was quite the show. Each person on our team spoke and greeted the congregation. And to top it all off, Tony delivered the message. It was great.
One thing that Marilyn and Shirley did was to teach the village to rest on Sunday. The village takes resting on Sunday very seriously. Everyone goes home and it’s pretty quiet.
Earlier in the day, I was handed a note from the chief of the Maiyoe Clan. It just said “We the Maiyoe Clan, the Land Owners, request a meeting at 4:00 on Sunday.”
Before dinner, I met with one of the clans, the Maiyoe Clan, who legally owns all the land under the entire village. Even though it was pouring and you could barely hear anyone, we had some very good communication. We talked about how the land was allowed to be used by Marilyn way back in 1967 as told by her videos and various things that have happened through the years. I listened to their concerns making sure they were heard, understood, and respected. The meeting lasted for a little over an hour and was a good one. Every single time I come here I learn a little bit more about village life, village politics, the way of their ancestors, and how things work today under the surface.
When we got back to the Big House, we watched Mountain of Light, Marilyn’s original movie, which was shot in the mid 70’s. This was my first time watching this video while sitting in the village. It was fun to have people in the room point to the screen and identify their grandpa or grandma or even themselves as babies.
After dinner we found a more private room to discuss all of the issues of the day away from curious listening ears. It was a lively two hours of discussion as we tried to discern what God would have us to do in these last two full days in the village. I’m thankful that God has assembled this team for just a time such as this.
Please continue to pray for us.