Amazing Missionaries

One of the fun things about praying for my church's missionaries is that I hear such amazing news about these great people.  Richard and Ruth Dix are a couple of senior citizens (I don't know their age, but they are at least in their 70s) who are hard at work in the Congo with Samaritan's Purse rebuilding a hospital after it was destroyed in that country's brutal civil war.  Below is their email of May 26th to their prayer supporters.  To more fully appreciate this, you should also know that Ruth had a stroke about nine months ago and is now fully recovered.  When I grow up, I want to be like Richard and Ruth.

Rich has been very busy this month-doing what??  He has to keep the various crews working, supplies ready such as cement, sand, and gravel, fix the planer that would not start one afternoon, design furniture for the carpenters to make, and lay out the pathways for the masons to prepare and pour for examples. In the middle of such tasks, the pickup driver comes with a bill for stones and gravel, so Rich runs up to the house on his ATV to get the dollar cash which is the currency we use for all expenses.  Then the head nurse of pediatrics comes to him and needs power from the new solar system (which generates a lot of electricity) to run the oxygen concentrator for a child with pneumonia just admitted who also needs a transfusion.  Time is critical to keep the child alive.  Rich does have a couple of assistants who help a lot, but still he can not seem to get to the finish plumbing and the epoxy coating on the floors that he must do or at least get started.  We promise to send photos of the finished building inside and outside next month.  Continue to PRAY for stamina to finish well.

Ruth continues to feel well, see patients in the dispensary during the morning hours with one of the younger doctors so she can also be teaching.  We have been blessed at home to have visits from several of the Wolcott family with whom we lived and worked in our earlier years here.  Ruth will complete the study of John’s gospel in two weeks with the group of staff doctors.  We will host a two day spiritual retreat for Samaritan’s Purse staff from Bunia and Nyankunde in early June.  PRAY for each of these activities.

We  praise the Lord for the influence Rich’s forest lumber cutting crew has had on the local community where they have their base and sleep at night called Ofai.  When the men started two and a half years ago, there was a small church with about 20-30 people in attendance on a Sunday morning.  Through the active witness of the men there are now 150-200 hearing the Word of God each week.  Three of the crew-Mandala, Manganga, and Safari preach some times and have also have devotions daily with the entire team.  The “church building” is just poles with a metal roof and is too small for those who come!  PRAY for more people to trust Christ and be taught.