Happy October!

 

We joined Keilah & Jeremy and big brother Ronin in welcoming baby Amaris Ember into the world on September 17th. We may be a little prejudiced, but she’s a cutie! What a joy to be there and see each of our children as well as my family there in New Hampshire. :-) Our three-week visit was quite full with two weeks of quarantining (and welcoming baby Amaris the end of the first week) and then trying to squeeze everything else into that last week. We thank God for helping us through the complications of the last few days as returning to Ecuador required having negative corona-virus test results in hand and Kevin’s results were delayed in getting to us. Our flight was also canceled, then re-scheduled for a day later….but God worked out the details and we arrived safely in Ecuador early Saturday morning October 3rd and still were able to have church services Sunday October 4th in Rio Verde and Palmira. A bit of a whirlwind! but we were thankful for God’s strength for each moment. Thanks for your prayers!

Back in AwaLand…

Gloria and Guillermo joyfully received us, with everything in good order here at the Outpost. Guillermo caught us up on the local happenings, including the fact that he was again made president of the Palmira community. He shared with us the exciting news that work will soon begin on the new road heading past Palmira to the Toctemí River, which means the tractor will be working on the presently very muddy trail that passes by the church in Palmira. Guillermo also helped us with the delivery of new roofing for the houses here in Rio Verde, so we’ve got some work to do in the next few weeks. We thank the Lord for this couple who have cheerfully come alongside to be such a help to us!

A few special blessings as we returned: different Awa visiting us with words of welcome and with gifts of bananas, plantains, sugarcane syrup, and milk; the president of Rio Verde community, Pablo, coming by for some paperwork help but also asking us if his daughters could please attend church; and Paulino’s son Abraham greeting us Sunday with a big smile: “I cleaned the church so it would be ready for the ‘culto’ (service) this morning!”

Thanks again for your prayers as we settle back into ministry here in AwaLand! Please pray also for both of our daughters as they are struggling with some health concerns—Keilah after Amaris’ birth, and Kimberly with some type of infection (we are suspicious that she may have Lyme’s disease or perhaps some Ecuadorian equivalent, she was able to go to the doctor yesterday for some preliminary tests.) It was difficult to return knowing they were both struggling health-wise; we are thankful for an omnipresent Father who is with them!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy