Maria Luisa

     The end of May, Maria Luisa was bit by a snake on her hand. Her family immediately took her to the hospital, but the doctors found no sign of venom in her body, so she was sent home. From our Western point of view, that might seem like the end of this story. But for the Awa, this is only the beginning. Snakebites are incredibly complex to them, and involve much more than just the venom.
Since the snakebite, Maria has been sick. She can feel the snake rise up inside her, travelling from her hand to her throat and chest. At times she feels like the snake is curled up on her chest. She is weak and bedridden, has no appetite, and occasionally faints.

     Maria’s story goes back three years to when she was a beautiful young girl of 18. At that time she took a husband from the neighboring Chachi village. She proudly brought her Chachi husband, Nestor, to our next Conference, and over the following years we did our best to teach him from God’s Word in Spanish, since he doesn’t understand the Awa language. At first Nestor showed some signs of being interested in the teaching, but slowly lapsed back into indifference. Now Maria and her two children are suffering as Nestor has not been a good worker or provider—at least by Awa standards. Her Awa culture is clashing with his Chachi ways; and although she desires to live as a believer, Nestor is just not that interested.
     Now back to the snakebite:  Several weeks ago Nestor decided to take her to a Chachi shaman, a powerful witchdoctor that his own people consider to be able to cure such sicknesses. Maria’s family, mostly believers, rejected this as witchcraft. One day her brother, Luis, had a punching knock-down bloody fight with Nestor over this issue. Now Nestor says Maria might as well die, he doesn’t care.
So…Maria’s father Alfonso and her brother Luis put her children in the care of her mother Julia, and, gathering several hundred dollars from different family members, have taken Maria to a far Awa community for a different type of curer—an Awa herbalist ‘curandero’. To their Awa minds, this is an acceptable alternative, although the herbalist will use many of the same tactics as the shaman, like blowing smoke over her and early morning ritual bathing, along with his herbs, for ‘curing’. The family expects that Maria, Alfonso, and Luis will be gone for several weeks.
     This is a difficult situation for us to sort through---and a tremendous trial of faith for Maria and her family. Please pray for them! Our prayer has been that they will turn to God for help, and that His Spirit in them will bear witness to what is of Him and what is of Satan. And that in the end they will be able to see God’s hand in what has happened, and give the glory to Him. Maria Luisa also faces a huge challenge in living as a believer in her marriage. We are reminded that God is well able to provide the help she needs, even in this difficult time. Pray that she will throw herself on His merciful arms.
     And I’ll close with a quick update on our family:  We are definitely in the nomadic stage! With Kenny beginning his second year at Liberty University in VA, and Keilah finishing up the camp season in Missouri and getting ready to study at New Tribes Bible Institute in Wisconsin, it would seem we are pulled in many directions.  In August we will be spending three weeks in NH with both of them, as well as a few of those days with Hannah Meyer, Kenny’s girlfriend. August 16th we’ll put Kenny, Hannah, and Keilah on the train to each head off to their respective schools….and return to Ecuador on August 22nd with just Kimberly in tow! (Or maybe she’ll be towing us after those three busy weeks!) :-)

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

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