January 8th Email from Joanna Thelander:
Today was an exciting day at Bongolo!!!
The fun started at 2 pm this afternoon. Mel and LaVon (visitors from Ft. Wayne, Indiana) started digging under the 40 foot container that was placed in front of 2 apartment buildings 3 years ago that was needed back then to store materials. We have prayed and prayed for a truck with a crane big enough to move it and Mel and LaVon were inspired to move this themselves by sliding and pulling it. They have planned on doing this project since their last visit and Mel’s hobby is moving houses and barns so this 40 ft. container was nothing for them!
They dug under it, jacked it up, put a long “sled” under it and then the fun began. At around 6 pm tonight (as it was getting dark) they started the slow movements to pull this 8,000 lb. e yesore to its final resting place (down a STEEP hill).
The sun set, it was getting dark and at one point they needed more weight in the dump truck that was pulling it since the wheels kept spinning in the soft, muddy grass. So about 10 of us jumped in the dump truck (praying for a smooth ride and that the chain would not snap or we would not get ejected from the dump truck). I was not really excited about climbing in the back of this dump truck and helping in this way, but honestly I thought, I have prayed and prayed and lots of you have prayed too that we would find a way to move this container. I know it takes prayer (and we had lots of people praying), but it takes faith as well and that faith sometimes requires action. So, I thought it was time for me to get in to the action and DO something. So I climbed in the truck (with my heart racing)- praying the whole time. Keir was in there too, so I figured we would at least die together, but then I thought of our kids…. OK it was a risk, but it wasn’t THAT risky.
We successfully drug the container around 3 SHARP corners (sparks flying behind the container and almost taking out some steps) and down a STEEP hill and at 7:30 pm it was sitting, off the road, ready to be pulled into its final resting place on concrete footers next.
So, it was quite a day!
We praise the LORD that no one was hurt in the process. God is good, all the time.
Thank you for your prayers. They were answered today.
Love from the jungle,
Joanna
