The croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets lulled us to sleep. Darkness enveloped us. But I was suddenly jolted awake when something furry landed on my face. Instinctively, I yelled and threw the animal off of me. Unfortunately, it landed on Arnold whose violent reaction sent it airborne again. Then we heard the soft meows of a cat.

From time to time, Arnold and I do research on territories where AFM has not worked. This time we were in the sandy coastal area of Mozambique. Arriving at our lodging, we met a domesticated feral cat. She was very affectionate and followed me everywhere. When night started to fall, I was readying myself for bed when I heard scratching above me in the thatch-roofed ceiling. I watched anxiously to see what would emerge, and I chuckled when my feline friend appeared. She tiptoed across the top of our mosquito net and then curled up on the end above our feet. I told Arnold that she might be there to protect us from resident snakes and rats.

It was this precious kitty that landed on my face in the middle of the night. No doubt she was as scared by the incident as I was. I was just thankful it had been her and not something less harmless.

We want to thank you all for your prayers. They buoy us during hard times and when random creatures land on us and jolt us awake. We thank you for your love and encouragement that inspire us to continue working. We thank you for your sacrificial giving that enables us to serve. You are amazing and faithful teammates!

May the Lord bless, guide and keep you throughout 2019.

• Twitter