Our nieces Kara and Japhia came to visit for the month of August. They both jumped right into life here in the mountains, helping with the literacy course and with the children on Sundays. For a fun day, we took them and Lee and Liana Shaub up to visit the Mojanda lakes, up high above Otavalo. From the lakes, we hiked up the side of one of the overlooking mountains for a picnic. What an awesome view from 4,000 m (13,000+feet)!
(Lee, Kathy, Japhia, Liana & Kara)
September has been a month of sickness here. Paulino spent a week in the hospital with a pancreatic infection, and was told that his gall bladder is also needing surgery. Gloria has been suffering with infections on her hands and feet, complicated by her auto-immune disorder (scleroderma). Our neighbor Porfidio spent two weeks with an infected finger, which he attributed to a bite from one of the invisible snakes the Awa believe inhabit these mountains. Many have suffered from a stomach flu, and a tough cold is also making its rounds. Kathy and I have not been immune! We ask that you would pray that God would bring His comfort to each in the midst of sickness, and that our hearts would be tender toward the suffering around us.
On Sundays we have been teaching through the book of James, bringing up some important truths for our group. We pray the believers are learning and growing as they listen; we know we certainly have had our hearts taught as we have studied! Normally on Sundays about 15-20 adults attend, many of which are the regular believers who will listen and take part in the teaching. Others include several elderly grandmas and grandpas (who often doze off...!) and also several earnest 'listeners'. The Awa find it difficult to articulate what they are learning; they will quickly say that what they are hearing is 'good' but (especially with the newcomers) we often don't know what their thoughts are on a deeper level. Segundo & Rosario are one couple that have been attending most Sundays for about a year, listening intently; recently Segundo brought his elderly parents for a visit. Grandma Delfina often comes with a passel of grandkids. Marco Aurelio, who continues to need dialysis three times a week, usually joins us on Sundays with his young daughter Carmen and his grandson Jefferson. Thanks for praying with us that these 'listeners' would clearly understand God's love for them; and pray with us for opportunities to see where their hearts are at and find ways to communicate the truths they perhaps have not yet clearly understood.
In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy