MeDeLeGwee

MeDeLeGwee is a small village.  It is approximately one and a half hours walk from our home.  As we struggled up the steep mountain path in the heat of the day, I thought about the man and his wife that always invite us in their home to treat the sick.  Just like every village we visit, they always prepare immediately to feed us, putting a pot of rice on the open fire, and finding something to put with it. The man, always asks us to pray with them and then brings out the Bible that we gave him.  BletJaw tells the man about the 10 commandments and the love of God for us all.  The wife has been very ill with chronic gastritis.  The last time we visited I had explained an entire program for her so that her stomach could heal.  I wondered if she followed the treatment plan and gotten relief from her constant pain.  It had been quite a while since we had been there and I could hardly wait to see them again.The visit was just as usual.  The sick were treated, the meal eaten, and now we gathered together to talk about God.  Just then one of the sons and his friend came in.  The son acted drunk.  He swung around the raised level in the middle of the house, taking his shirt off and scratching his arms and chest vigorously.  He talked loudly.  I thought he needed something for skin irritation, but then I found out that he wanted to quit using opium.  This sounds like real good news to me!Now there is a rather strong medication that can be used for opium withdrawal, but I do not carry it.  As BletJaw spoke to this young man, it was obvious that he was under the effects of opium right then, and he wanted medicine right away.  BletJaw told him that if he wanted the strong medication, he could go to the hospital, but if he wanted us to help him, we would help him follow  a program  that has helped others stop opium and we wanted to pray with him.This man was upset that we did not give him the strong medicine.Because it was the end of the day, we gathered as usual with the old man and woman, and other family members to talk about the Bible and pray.  As I was talking about the great God of heaven who made the world and the people in it, this man became agitated.  I continued to tell them about the war between Jesus and Satan, that only Jesus can keep us safe against the lies of the devil and free us from habits that harm our bodies.Somehow about that time his friend began to talk.  He said that he likes the devil.  He likes to go to the yearly festivals to worship the devil.  You see, in this area, at his time of year the rice has been harvested and they thank the devil for the good crop!  They kill the pig, drink the alcohol and in every way that they can think of, they praise and thank the devil!!I continued to speak after that but was interrupted soon thereafter with another comment from the friend.  He asked the question:“Isn’t God married to the devil?  I heard it like that!”"Oh dear Saviour teach these people about Yourself," I cried out in silence!As I continued to talk, the son got up loudly, threw his shirt down and stomped out of the room.  We had not given him the desired medication and he had no more use for us.  The other man soon followed.Now that these 2 men were gone,  a peace settled down in this house and my words came easily.  The prayer at the end seemed to vibrate through the room and straight to the Father’s heart!Yes, the great controversy is working upon the hearts of the people here.  This young man, though he was high on opium and though the devil had a hold on him, I believe that in his innermost soul, he was crying out for help.  I cannot wait to return to that village and help the people there.