Awa Conference

The 20th annual Awa Believers' Conference has come and gone! Thanks for your prayers! We were thankful for the energy and strength that God gave us during the days. And we were also thankful for much collaboration from the Awa themselves. Everyone participated in bringing food. Paulino, along with sister Gloria, were a blessing during the days as they helped organize the ladies to peel potatoes and yucca and corn, and to cook the big pots of rice. Paulino even arrived before 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday in order to get the lemongrass tea boiling bright and early! Digna was the first to arrive on Sunday, so she made the tea that day. The many children who came were also cheerful helpers, wanting to carry food and dishes for each meal, and anything else we would let them carry (especially if it had anything to do with games!)





Together we watched the “John” version of the life of Jesus (taken directly from the book of John), a good visual reminder of Jesus' suffering and death for us. Sunday morning we watched the final moments, showing the resurrection. I taught the adults from James chapter 1, and we learned Matthew 22:37 as a memory verse together: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” In contrast to several years back, when memorizing verses was a new and rather strange exercise, this time the children learned the verse so quickly! That was fun!

The continuing situation with Milton made for some difficult moments, however. Palm Sunday Milton's wife's sister had the baby, another little boy. While Milton had decided to stop the relationship with his sister-in-law back in December, the birth of the baby brought many ugly attitudes to the surface again. Harsh and hurtful words were said, and as a result Milton didn't come to Conference Friday or Saturday. I skipped lunch on Saturday to find Milton (hanging out at the market down by the Rio Verde school) and talk with him. Milton was hurt, upset, and quite angry. I came back to Conference with a heavy heart, really not knowing how to handle the situation (except to again ask God for wisdom!) At that point we decided not to have the Lord's Supper together the next morning, as is our yearly tradition, as there were many ugly attitudes being displayed. I just told the group that we were postponing having the Lord's Supper for a month.

And then Sunday morning Milton showed up! He was still hurt and short-tempered, but at least he was here! Paulino and Gloria received him kindly (despite his surliness). Gloria told us later that while God is helping her to understand what forgiveness means, her sisters and sisters-in-law still don't understand. She told us, “They just aren't hearing God's word and understanding it. The answer is in John chapter 8! [the story of the Pharisees bringing to Jesus the woman caught in adultery] Jesus said to the woman, 'Go and sin no more,' and that is what Milton is wanting to do now, leave the sin behind. But they don't know how to support and help and encourage our brother to do what is right. They still just want to punish him by saying really bad words to him. How can we help my sisters to understand?”

We would appreciate your prayers over the next few weeks as we seek to work through the ugly words that have been said, and teach how God wants us to use our words to edify and encourage others. For many weeks we have prayed that God would prepare Milton to confess to the church at large (with a humble, repentant heart) and that the body of believers would join Gloria and Paulino in forgiving him. We are asking God for much wisdom (as per James chapter 1!) and believing that He is able to do this mighty work.

We also want to ask for your patience in our communications as our connection to the internet from Rio Verde quit working about two weeks ago. Usually we are in the city every two to three weeks, and we are thankful to have those opportunities to catch up on email. We do have a 'smart' phone, but as we are on the fringe of cell coverage, what we can do with it is limited. For some time now we have been trying unsuccessfully to find other options for internet service; there aren’t too many potential customers where we live. :-) Anyhow, thanks for your understanding and patience with us!

And thanks for participating with us in the ministry here! We treasure your prayers, encouragement, and your notes and emails; what a blessing the Body of Christ is to us!

In HIS grip,

Kevin & Kathy

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