16th Conference!

Greetings from the Outpost! Thanks to all of those who prayed for the Believers’ Conference! This year was the 16th year we have gotten together for three days of Bible teaching, meals and fun on Easter weekend with our Awa brothers and sisters. The picture below is of those brave enough to pose on the last day. :-)

We saw the Lord answer many prayers this year! The elders took an active role in planning, preparing, and teaching during the conference. Paulino helped in teaching the meaning of the colors of the ‘wordless book’ which we made in the form of a cross, and Milton taught about the death and resurrection of Christ. Before the Conference, Milton worked diligently to prepare the ‘outdoor’ kitchen area by sawing the boards needed and enclosing it with a floor, walls, and gate (to keep the dogs out), as well as benches and shelves. It was a special blessing to see Milton’s wife, Delia, take charge of cooking the lunches each day. This is a difficult responsibility in the Awa culture as it opens one up to the possibility of much criticism if the food doesn’t taste good, or if there isn’t enough to go around. Other ladies pitched in, but she carried the load of responsibility. The last day when Delia was feeling tired and discouraged, Milton encouraged her that she was doing the Lord’s work, not just being a cook! We were amazed to see her happy smile later on as she finished up! Seeing her being such a servant is an answer to our prayers that she would become a Godly help-mate for Milton in the ministry. It truly felt like we had new co-workers!

Kevin also taught on child-rearing and marriage.  We had some great discussions as several folks shared about family problems they were facing, and we talked together on how to apply the teaching in God’s word to their lives. Milton and Paulino were also able to share practical help from what God has taught them over the years in their own homes. We were also encouraged to see several new Awa stand to associate themselves with the believers—Ramiro, Jaime, Fermin and his wife Ana, and Manuel’s wife Maria. (With the Awa, spoken testimonies take many years to form—so going forward to take Communion with the believers is often the first step we see the new believers take. They don’t do it lightly!)

Another cool answer to prayer was the weather. For several weeks before, the rains had been heavy with little sunshine. We had a tractor come to clear and level an area for the tent, but the ground was a soggy mess.  Thank the Lord He sent us beautiful sunny weather a few days before conference to dry things out, and then continually during the three days as well. The nights were even bright with the full moon! We praise the Lord for His grace and mercy shown to us in this and many other ways!

We do truly appreciate your prayers. The two weeks before the conference were crazy (as usual). Our friend José finally managed to find time to put tile on the lower outside walls of our Ibarra apartment – a project we’d been talking about for several months.  Kimberly and her cousin Elena both got their wisdom teeth taken out.  Both of those things meant several extra trips and days in Ibarra, when we really wanted to be here in the mountains preparing. Here at the Outpost there were some bad colds going around among the Awa, some disagreements arose, money was tight among the believers for paying for the pig, and Meregildo was facing some heavy discouragement on several fronts. Kathy and I struggled to find adequate time to prepare the teaching for the sessions. But it was a blessing to us to see the Lord resolve each issue, one by one. In the end, the pig was fully paid for, we were ready for teaching, the disagreements were resolved, and Meregildo’s smile returned. We did miss Humberto and family, as they were not able to attend because of much sickness in their family.

Thanks for taking part in the work here! We pray that you also will rejoice with us in seeing the Lord’s grace at work.

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

<for a printable version click here>

PS: Here is a link to the Shaub's blog for their report and pictures