Tenwek Storytelling Training

 “And the local people showed us unusually kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us feel welcome…” Acts 28:2

Last week we facilitated a Simply the Story Bible storytelling training at Tenwek Hospital. “We” included a great team: Pastor Zackery (a Kenyan facilitator), Scott Rambo (WGM Uganda), CT (WGM Uganda), Matt Burke (WGM Uganda), Whitney Smith (WGM South Sudan), Tim Conaway (WGM South Sudan) and myself (Billy). The participants were key women Bible study leaders working with Linda Spriegel and Tabitha Ministry as well as Ben Roberts and the Tenwek eye team.

Overall the training went well and we praise Jesus for the opportunity to discover alongside others the joy of using storytelling to communicate the Good News of Scripture.

Thursday night, the WGM missionaries gathered together for a dessert hosted by Linda Spriegel and Jenny Roberts. Missionaries from Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan were all together and it was both humbling and exciting to be a part of such a gathering of men and women.

During the training on Friday morning, I ended up with the story from Acts 28:1-6 which is just a sliver of the shipwreck adventure that nearly claims Paul's life at the end of Acts. As myself and one other American, plus four Kipsigis women were working through the story, I found God talking to my heart on several issues. One is the brutality of life - Paul endures a two week storm, only to be shipwrecked. He mangages to survive the sea only to have a snake bite his hand. All that he has to hang onto beside wreckage is the promise of God that he would stand trail before Caesar. Somehow that simple combination of storms, shipwrecks and snake bites really validated a lot what I feel like our hearts have been through over the last few months.

Yet in between the shipwreck and the snake bite, there appear these "local people," offering hospitality to the survivors. What popped into my head was the Tenwek missionaries we had been with the night before. We, the facilitator team, wash up on the Tenwek hospital shore and they graciously welcomed us; inviting us around their "fire," extending unusually kindness. We were thankful to be a part of such company.

This week as we celebrate the generosity of a heavenly Father, I am particularly grateful for the "local people" in our family's lives over the last year. We have seen them "around fires" at Tenwek, on "beach shores" here in Arua, Kampala and Jinja. We have also experienced unusually kindness from so many churches and champions back in the States. We are grateful to Jesus, amidst the storms, shipwrecks and snake bites of raising a young missionary family, so many have been "local people" to us. We want you to know we are grateful.

May His Word be trustworthy these days amidst your own storms and shipwrecks,

Happy Thanksgiving
Billy Coppedge for the Coppedge Clan