April showers

April is here, complete with rain showers! We are thankful that while it is raining steadily here, the rainy season hasn't brought major damage to our area. Parts of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia have suffered with much heavier rain, causing flooding and mudslides, and many casualties. Some predictions call for continued rain into May, delaying the beginning of dry season.

Easter and the annual Awa Conference (April 14-16) are just around the corner, and we are preparing all that accompanies this time....Bible lessons for kids and adults, memory verses, crafts, music, the Jesus movie, fun games, as well as a project for the men (making a folding wooden chair) and for the women (making banana cake over a campfire). Andy and Chrissy Shaub are gathering the food we need from the store (like rice, lentils, and beans), and the Awa will all help bring what they can from their farms—bananas, yucca, lemons, homemade sugarcane sugar, and chickens.

Our hope is that our Awa friends will gain a deeper understanding of Jesus' death for them, and respond with open hearts to love our Risen Savior. Thanks for joining us in prayer for this special time together!

Milton continues to come to Friday Bible study, and to most Sunday meetings. We would ask for prayer that his heart would be softened towards God's word; and that he would grow in a deeper repentance. (He sometimes points the finger of blame at others, including his wife Delia.) Yesterday, on Palm Sunday, the baby that he fathered with his sister-in-law Elvia was born...another healthy little boy. (We got to be the ambulance and made a very fast trip to the hospital, and Kathy accompanied her doing the birth.) Elvia now has her hands full with 18 month old Benjamin as well as a newborn, and only her elderly parents to help. We continue to pray for Elvia's continued repentance. Since December, when Milton had chosen to step away from the relationship, she had been quite angry with us for our part in that decision. Recently she has been much more open towards us.

 We continue teaching in both Palm and Rio Verde community schools, and it is a joy to get to know the children and their families. Learning the names of over 200 kids is a challenge we are still working on! Each teaching day is an exercise in flexibility as we never quite know what situation to expect—disorganization abounds! :-) We appreciate your prayers for great patience and wise teaching skills! But each of these kids has great worth in God's eyes, and we are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives. Many of these same children come to Sunday church as well, many without their parents.

In  HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy