 Looking at the crowd of Awa standing around the burial
site made my heart sad. Their faces were not just drawn and tired, but
also dark and hopeless. Two nights of ‘velorio’ (the wake) had been
exhausting as the family needed to stay awake all night. Some were
drunk, dealing with their sadness in the only way they know how. One
drunken nephew wept loudly; he had been close to his uncle who now lay
in the casket ready to be buried. The widow had her head buried in her
hands, crying and moaning softly.
Such was the scene that we were called to a few weeks ago. The family,
feeling the need to be ‘proper’, had called me as well as the Catholic
priest from Lita to make sure some good religious words were spoken
over the dead man before he was buried. I shared about a God Who sees
them and Who calls to them to come to Him. A few of the family and
those gathered around listened half-heartedly. Exhaustion,
discouragement, and hunger kept many unable to hear the very message
they truly needed.
 But unlike the crowd, Kathy and I did feel hope…hope
that our friend Marco had understood the Gospel. Years before, Marco
had been quite sick and left to die, not eating or drinking for many
days. By the time we were heard the news and were called to take him to
the hospital, his kidneys were damaged from dehydration. From that day
on Marco needed weekly kidney dialysis in order to stay alive. As we
helped Marco navigate the dialysis treatments, he started attending
church services each Sunday in Palmira. He sometimes listened--and
sometimes slept--through the service. On several occasions I sat beside
him and shared the Gospel as simply as I could, while Marco would voice
his agreement with my words. Did he truly understand God’s love and
sacrifice for him? Only God knows! But God did lengthen his days,
giving him the chance to hear and believe.
 But the crowd of people there burying Marco still need
to hear that message. Pray for our hearts and the hearts of the Awa
believers to be tender to these hopeless ones. Pray for good
opportunities in the days to come to share the hope of the
Resurrection!
Over the last few weeks we are thankful to have finished several
projects that have been on my To-Do list for quite some time! We now
have a gate on our driveway to keep out roaming horses and cows, and
the church in Palmira has a fresh coat of paint. We are still in the
process of installing the septic for the bathroom there, but thanks to
Abraham and his older brother, the hole is now dug!
We would appreciate your prayers for the annual Awa Easter Conference,
just around the corner! Good Friday and Saturday, March 29-30, we are
planning two days at the Mission property in Lita; so far sixty Awa
have signed up to join us there. Easter Sunday we will be back in the
mountains to hold our regular services. Pray for wisdom in planning and
preparing the teaching and other activities. And pray that God will
prepare hearts to share and take part and learn and grow.
And pray for the many Awa who still need Jesus! At least one couple
signed up to join us for Conference are not believers, but sent word
that they want to “listen a little bit”. Pray that the Holy Spirit will
open their minds to understand what they hear.
May you be blessed with hope as you celebrate the resurrection! What a
blessing it is to know the hope of the resurrection!
In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy
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