They built a house…for the worms they found…and then got mad when the worm wouldn’t go through the door.
Cows are an important part of Lopit culture. Cows are used to settle disputes, pay debts and most importantly, pay dowry. Bride price is often dependent on the woman’s beauty and her ability to cook, work and especially haul water. When it’s time for a marriage, there is a huge negotiation process involved in determining a girl’s worth. Women sometimes marry as young as 16, but normally they’re somewhere between 18 and 22. The man will sometimes give a “down payment” toward the total bride price for the wedding to take place, and continue paying them as he is able to. However, if he does not pay them quickly enough, the woman’s family will sometimes take her back, and remarry her to someone else.
Paul, the pastor that Justin has been discipling, wasn’t even in his village when he got married. He returned to the village, after attending school in Uganda, and found that his family had paid the cows for a wife for him when he was gone. At the time he was an altar boy in a Catholic church and was told by the priest that he should love his wife, stay committed to her, and not to take anymore wives, so that’s exactly what he did. After nine years of being married, going to witchdoctors and other local rituals, Paul and Issaye were unable to conceive. When they heard the gospel and believed on Jesus for salvation, they publicly denounced all tribal rituals and said told the community that they were just going to ask God for a baby. Two years later, they had a baby!
I don’t think anyone anticipated 6 months ago that the world would be shut down this spring because of a pandemic. Justin left for South Sudan and Uganda, from the US, on February 12. I knew, in my heart, that something catastrophic was going to happen. I certainly didn’t anticipate it being in the US! I have to say, however, we really have enjoyed our time at home. Even for this extrovert, it was a relief not to have to go anywhere! Since Justin’s return, we’ve made weekly nature hikes (normally a part of homeschooling) a tradition for the whole family. It’s been super fun to do this with the four of us together!
We’d previously asked, in our newsletter, if anyone had connections to missionary housing. We are praising the Lord that not only did we find a duplex WITH 4 and 7 yr old boys in the neighborhood (the exact ages of our boys!!), but God also provided someone who paid half of our rent! So whoever you are, THANK YOU. We were not asking, nor do we deserve this kind of a blessing, but we are tremendously grateful for it.
Morning Bible time
We are truly grateful for all of you who are supporting us, both in prayer and financially. We truly could not do any of this without you. We pray that God shows you the depth of his mercy, kindness, and great love toward you. If there is any way we can pray for you, please let us know!
Amy, Justin, Ezekiel and Caleb Culp
