Our goal for the Church in Eyene for this year, which ends July 2019, is for the church to take on more and more responsibility.  In other words, we want to work ourselves out of a job.  We realize they may not be a fully functioning church able to stand on their own feet by July 2019, but we keep that goal ever before us.

So you can imagine our delight when we (minus me) were out in the village for a shorter than normal visit, and discovered what the Manguisa Church in Eyene was doing.  

Mama Clair's sister-in-law recently died.  Her older brother had died some years ago, and now his widow is gone.  They lived in the Manguisa village where Mama Clair was born and raised.  It is approximately four miles from Eyene.   On Friday the family sent a car into Eyene to pick up Mama Clair.  She spent the night with her side of the house.  But today, Saturday, the day of the burial, five men from the Church in Eyene accompanied Papa Pollycarp to the funeral.  All of these men are baptized believers who are active in the church.  What's more,  on their own they decided to give Mama Clair 10.000 F (approximately $20) from church offering money.  

Three of these men comprise a finance committee.  There is an offering box which is kept inside the house.  People know where it is and are free to give an offering or not, as they wish.  After the church service the finance committee open the locked offering box, count and record the money, and then give it to one man for safekeeping.  This is their system, their idea, their way of doing things.  They have the Holy Spirit.  They do not need us imposing Western ideas on them.  We give them teaching from God's Word, but the Spirit guides them into all truth.

In addition to the monetary gift to help with Mama Clair's financial obligations to a family funeral, the church leadership also decided to rent a car in which to transport Papa Pollycarp. This group of men hiked out to we don't know where to rent the car and then came back into the village with the car to pick up Papa Pollycarp.

This may not seem like much to Western ears, but this is HUGE.  We are humbled at what God is doing.  No outsider, not even Damien who is with them weekly, suggested they do this.  

God's Word says that it is by our love for one another that other will know that we are His true followers.  The Church in Eyene's love for Papa Pollycarp and Mama Clair was on display today for all the world to see!  We are humbled to have front row seats to this unfolding miracle.