María Luisa, along with her two boys, elderly parents, and a young niece, stayed with us for ten days in November. The Lord gave many opportunities to teach, help, and encourage this needy family. During these days we were encouraged to see Maria taking more of an interest in life, as she chatted with Paulino’s teenage daughter, made bead necklaces with Kathy, and even went on several short hikes. The believers in this area were very friendly to the family, bringing gifts of food, inviting them to a cow butchering, and even helping them with a financial loan! Paulino spent time encouraging them to trust in the Lord, and not live in helpless fear of their foes—María’s angry husband, the evil spirits, and the reputed hex from the shaman. It was a special blessing to us to hear the gentle and loving way he counseled and prayed with them--not discarding the validity of what they have faced, but reminding them that God is bigger.
María’s family really struggles with feeling hopeless in the face of the size of the struggles they are experiencing. As we sat down with them each day to go through the Exodus account of Moses’ life, our prayer was that God would ‘grow’ in their minds. He is the Almighty God---He was certainly able to handle mighty Pharoah and the army of Egypt! While the family listened carefully with many nods and comments of agreement, we found it hard to know if they were truly taking it all to heart for their own situation. The true test for them will come as they head back home and face the difficulties again. As they packed up to leave, however, it did seem like their overall perspective was a bit more encouraged. Please pray with us that they will be reminded daily that HE IS ABLE!There are several colds and viruses going around our area as the cold winds and rain settle in for the rainy season. Many Awa have been sick, and we’ve taken our turn as well! Thankfully, we are now feeling much better, and pray that our friends will, also.
Thanks for joining us in prayer!
- We are missing our two college kids! But we are thankful to see how God is working out their plans for the Christmas break. Keilah is making plans to stay at NTBI over most of Christmas, as she has a house-sitting job for part of the break. Kenny is hoping to travel northwest to spend a few days with Keilah, as well as with his girlfriend’s family, the Meyers. The Meyer family, good friends of ours since Bible School days, continue to seek the Lord as they deal with their son Benjamin’s cancer.
- Humberto is trying to buy land in our area, in order to live closer to us and the fellowship of the other believers. Sadly, his first deal to buy land has now fallen through. Milton is quite determined to help Humberto out, in spite of some opposition from folks in our area. Please pray that Humberto will lean on God’s strength during this difficult time, and that he’ll be able to find a good piece of land to buy.
Because He is able,
Kevin & Kathy
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