December 2022

 

We wish each of you a very blessed Christmas! For many of us December is full of programs, preparation of presents, cookies, and songs, and gathering with friends and family. Outside our surroundings are a bit different, with the sun shining on bright green mountains and the lively songs of toucans and ani cuckoo birds, but here in AwaLand we are also in the midst of celebrating the Christmas season! What a privilege to join with you and so many others around the world as with different languages and different cultures we all rejoice together over God’s very special gift to us in the person of Jesus!

December 4th the Impact team did an evangelistic drama in both Río Verde and Palmira. We loved seeing the faces of our Awa friends as they followed the story of a disheartened young man who finally found Jesus. This Saturday we are going with a group to Humberto’s village to teach and share the traditional Ecuadorian cookie bags. We appreciate your prayers for an invitation we’ve received to go to Middle Río Verde community for a program on Friday, December 23rd. Marco Antonio, a teacher in the school there, invited us for this day, saying, “The people in this community need to hear what the true meaning of Christmas is, that it is really about the coming of Jesus!” While perhaps Marco is saying what he knows we like to hear :-) we do appreciate the opportunity in this community to “share the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor 4:4).

 

We had a beautiful day for the baptism of Christian and his wife Ana Patricia and young Jeison on November 5th. A good crowd gathered at the Lita River near Jeison’s grandpa’s house, and after the baptism we shared a picnic lunch together on the nearby rocks. One surprise for us was that Ana Patricia’s father and mother and sister joined us for the day! Ana is the first believer in her family, but she was not ashamed to stand before them on this day publicly declaring her faith.

Gloria continues to struggle to heal from her surgery. Her finger is not healing quickly, and she is still dealing with a fair amount of pain. She is home but has had to make the trip back to Ibarra each week for continued doctor appointments. Pray for a full healing for her hand, and that she will be strengthened in her faith during this trial.

Thank you for joining us in the celebration of Jesus, and for being a part of shining the Light here in the darkness! Merry Christmas!

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

November 2022 Thanksgiving is just around the corner! We have a fat turkey residing in the freezer and plans to celebrate with some of our fellow co-workers later this month. And our hearts are thankful for a faithful God who daily walks with us in the ups and downs of life and sees both our discouragements and our joys in life and ministry.   The last few weeks have given us much to be thankful for: A good visit in the USA in September and the first part of October! God blessed us with a wonderful time with our families; we greatly enjoyed catching up face to face with my family in NH, our son Kenny & Sophia in VA, our daughter Kimberly & Zach in MO, and Kathy’s family in OK! A highlight of the trip was spending several days with our grandson Miles, who at almost 1 ½ years old is a happy and loveable little guy!

   With Kenny & Sofia and Miles in VA              With Kimberly and Zach in MO

• Faithful coworkers Andy & Chrissy who kept things going while we were gone! It isn’t easy dealing with the daily Awa visits and requests for help, as well as managing Sundays with a large crowd of energetic children. 😁
• For a safe return to AwaLand! Arriving back meant clearing out the cobwebs in our house, wrapping our tongues around Awa words and phrases again, and pulling many weeds in our garden! But seeing the faces of our Awa friends brought smiles to our faces, we do miss them when we are away.
• Three young folks who are getting baptized this coming Saturday: Christian and wife Ana Patricia, and Jeison. Both Christian and Jeison are Paulino’s nephews and have been greatly impacted by his testimony. Two years ago we shared with you how Christian & Ana Patricia had a fight, and Ana drank poison in the night….since then they have had a great hunger for God’s word and have shown a good understanding of salvation. Fifteen-year-old Jeison has come faithfully to the Bible teacher training days, and recently asked for guitar and cajón lessons so he could help with singing on Sundays. We appreciate your prayers for these three young folks for a faithfulness in seeking God in the coming days.
• And another fruitful Bible teacher (& helper) class on the 22^nd of October! Two couples and four young folks joined us and soaked in the extra Bible teaching. We had asked the adults to begin teaching the lessons they have heard with someone else. Humberto has begun teaching his whole family while Gloria has found a large family in the community of San Francisco that wants the Bible teaching (Gloria’s older sister and clan). We are very excited to see their desire to teach others!

 

And we’d like to end with a special prayer request: Today our dear Awa friend Gloria is in the hospital in Ibarra as she is struggling with a flare-up of her medical condition (scleroderma). For the second time she lost a part of a finger to infection. For many months she has been struggling with her hands being stiff and has not been able to do many household chores. She’s been through a hard month with this latest infection, and yet has faithfully come to church each Sunday to teach the children with a big smile on her face. Thanks for praying for her as she recovers from her surgery today!

 
“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story--those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands….Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:2,3,8,9 NIV)
 
In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

September 2022

This last month was filled with joyous moments, including an annual retreat with our Ecuador field coworkers and a visit from one of our good friends and home church pastors and wife, Tom & Leslie. Both times we found to be full of good fellowship and encouragement as we continue to work as God’s ambassadors here in AwaLand. How we need God’s enablement to keep on keeping on, seeking to love each person God puts in our pathway with His compassion and truth!
 
Another highlight over the last month was spending two different Saturdays with a special group of Awa….those who desire to be involved in Bible teaching to their own people.
 
Humberto, a believer from a community further west of us, has been asking for some time for a course to help him become a Bible teacher. With our coworkers the Shaubs, we planned to begin this course in mid-August. We also asked the believers in our area if anyone else was interested. To our surprise, 15-year-old Jeison quickly spoke up, saying he would like to come to the course. Later two teenage sisters, Graciela and Isabela, also showed interest in attending. Our good friend Gloria, who helps teach the children in Palmira each week, also promised to join us.
 
Asking God for His wisdom and help, we planned a Saturday to begin the training. Humberto agreed to come on his motorcycle and to spend the weekend with us. Thus, on August 13^th we sat down with six of the believers and began the class. We discussed together why God’s word is so important as a sturdy foundation for our lives.
 
 
Three of the youth participants--Jeison, Graciela, and Isabela (along with cousin Daniela)--have started helping on Sundays with the children’s Sunday School in Rio Verde. This is definitely a new development and we are blessed by their willingness to take part!
 
Early in September we spent another day together, Humberto arriving this time with his grown son Orlando. We were blessed to go over Genesis chapters one and two with them, discussing how God spoke into being the world, and how He created Adam and Eve. This weekend Humberto and Orlando had more urgency in returning to their families Saturday before dark, so after helping with some motorcycle repairs, they took off.
 
Please pray for these precious brothers and sisters in Christ who have tasted of the goodness of God’s truth and desire to share it with their people! This week Humberto had a difficult experience when he was taken hostage overnight by some ‘bad guys’ in his area. We feared for his life, but the next morning he was returned apparently unharmed. At this point we are not sure what truly happened but sense the opposition of the enemy in stopping Humberto from teaching God’s word. Thanks for upholding him and the other course participants in prayer; pray for courage and for God’s protection.
 
We are writing this from an airport in Pennsylvania today, as we are traveling to the USA for a short visit. We will be helping Kevin’s parents who are in the process of putting their home in NH for sale, as well as making a visit to see our children and grandson who are Stateside. Kathy will also have a checkup with her doctor.  Lord willing, we may even be blessed to see some of you in person! 😊
 
In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Pastor Tom & Leslie

Sweet times of fellowship

Our Ecuador Field Retreat (We have a multi-national team representing 10 different churches and ministries here in the north of Ecuador!)

Teaching those who want to teach

Who knew motorcycle repairs were part of the missionary job requirements!

Thank you for your prayers!

👀Looking back at July 2022 👀

By God’s grace we just finished the busiest month of summer 2022! With the strikes lifted the end of June, we were able to put on the calendar many different outings and events. And yes! Looking back over the last few weeks we definitely see God’s hand of provision and strength making each day possible. Here’s a bit of a picture book so you can see what we’ve been up to:

July 6th the interns from Liebenzell USA arrived for their month here in Ecuador.

July is also the month of our anniversary: God has blessed us with 33 years together!

July 10th, we had a full house for the graduation of the King of Glory course students.

Much fun was had at the beach outing for the graduated students and their children.

We had a beautiful day with our mission coworkers as we gathered to say farewell to our German Impact team and the Ruf family (leaving for a year of home assignment in Germany).

The last week of July we had three crazy days of VBS programs….
8:00 a.m. each day in Rio Verde and 11:00 in Palmira.

What a good crowd of kids we had, totaling about 100 in Rio Verde and 50 in Palmira. The kids (along with us as well!) had so much fun! Some of the kids invited their mothers to come; one mother commented to us, “The kids just laughed and smiled and played so much!” We pray that the Bible truths that we taught take root in their young hearts.

A special farewell at the hot springs for Michael and Morriah (along with Faith & Marcel Friess, who work in the town of Atuntaqui and have helped with the interns the last two summers). Michael is from Guam and Morriah is my cousin’s daughter, which made the summer extra fun!

I started the month of July hobbling on my crutches as my broken ankle was still healing. By God’s grace I made it through the busy month, squeezing in my physical therapy sessions wherever they fit in our busy schedule. Thankfully I am now able to get around well, although I continue to do more exercises to strengthen my ankle and leg muscles. I’m now working on losing the limp. Thanks for your prayers for continued recovery!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

June Happenings 2022

 

The toucans are singing loudly outside my window as I sit down to write this letter, a fitting song for a day of answered prayer in Ecuador. Many prayers have been lifted before our Father’s throne for this country that has been suffering much. After almost three weeks of protests and strikes, this afternoon we heard the good news that an agreement has been reached between the indigenous organization (CONAIE) and the Ecuadorian government. We are rejoicing at the news, relieved to see the country freed up to get back to normal. Strikes in Ecuador mean the roads are closed, gasoline is scarce, grocery stores are empty, getting to the airport is next to impossible, and many families are hungry as moms and dads lose their daily wages.

We thank God for His help during these last weeks! Despite the inconvenience of being stuck on the road waiting to get through road blocks, hobbling around on my crutches, God did help us manage to get to where we needed to be each day. He helped us continue with church services each Sunday, and it seemed that He stretched the gasoline in our pickup’s tank on several occasions! We missed a few of my physical therapy sessions, but earlier this week God helped us to make it to the clinic for the second surgery (removing the long screw holding my broken ankle bone in place while it healed.) Dealing with the uncertainty of road closings, gasoline shortages, availability of supplies, and cancelling meetings and other events is definitely wearing; we are thankful that God has carried us through. Thank you for your prayers!

And yes…the broken ankle recovery continues! After removing the screw, the doctor cleared me to begin rehabilitation. At the first session, I thought the therapist was quite optimistic about what I can do 😊 so please pray that I’ll be able to keep up with the exercises and re-condition my ankle as I begin to walk again.

Re-scheduling dates…July sees us re-scheduling several dates, specifically the graduation for the 36 youth who finished the “King of Glory” course and our outing to the beach. Kathy had hoped to take our Awa friend Gloria to a ladies’ conference but that has now been re-scheduled for September. The two Liebenzell USA Journey Ecuador interns arrive this week and we are so thankful the road to the airport should be open again for their arrival! Later this month we hope to have two VBS programs with the help of the interns, one here in Rio Verde community and one in Palmira community.

Thank you so much for your prayers upholding the ministry here. As we face each new challenge, we are taking heart in the fact that the LORD holds our right hand!



In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

April & May 2022

 A Motorcycle Fall, Fractured Ankle, and Recovery   May 7th I was on my motorcycle heading down a steep hill on my way to Lita when I met a truck coming around a blind curve. As I braked to pull tighter into the inside of the curve, my bike slipped on loose gravel and went down. The full weight of the motorcycle landed on my ankle, fracturing the tibia bone. One young fellow from the truck helped lift the motorcycle off my leg, and somehow I managed to go on to Lita and return home, all the while thinking my ankle sure was painful! Kathy helped me to our bedroom and I didn’t move much for the next few days. 😳

Kathy and the Shaubs managed to do the two church services and both of the youth classes with 30 students in attendance that next day. By Monday I was recovered enough from all the scrapes and jolts to be able to travel, and we were becoming more convinced that my ankle was broken. Co-worker Andy Shaub drove us out to the city of Ibarra on Tuesday. Wednesday the doctor confirmed the fracture and put a cast on my foot and surgery was planned for Friday. We are thankful for a successful surgery as the doctor put nine screws and a metal plate in to hold the fracture in place. Whew! On the bright side, Dr. Villalba assures me that I have strong bones and should make a full recovery! ! Using crutches during mud season in AwaLand is definitely going to be a challenge. We need much help from God to make it through the next few weeks; we greatly appreciate your prayers.

Awa Conference 2022   We are so thankful for a great conference this year! With good weather and an average of 100 in attendance, God blessed us with a truly enjoyable time together. We were especially appreciative of a good crew of youth and adults listening attentively to the daily teaching. This year’s theme was “Jesus, the Lamb of God” and we went over the Old Testament examples of sacrifice and ended up Sunday morning recognizing Jesus’ death as our sacrificial Lamb. What joy it brings to our hearts to see an understanding growing in many of the young people, specifically the youth going through the Bible course we are doing now.

Sandra & Jaime   In March we introduced you to Milton Jr and Mónica Esthela, two of the young students. One of the young couples doing the course is Paulino’s oldest daughter Sandra and husband Jaime. They have faithfully attended Sunday after Sunday, and show a good understanding of what we are studying as they answer questions and do the worksheets. On Sundays Sandra and Jaime sit in the front of the church and we are blessed to watch them encouraging their children to sing and pay attention to the teaching. During Conference, Sandra and Jaime came up to say the memory verse together, holding hands and with big smiles on their faces. Their two daughters, Sarela and Mariuxi, also said the verse in front of the whole church! Sandra and Jaime struggle with their handicapped daughter Liseth, as she is very weak and sickly, and would greatly appreciate your prayers on Liseth’s behalf.

Rainy Season   The heavy rains continue, as well as the mudslides and travelling challenges. God kept the road open for the Conference days, but on April 18th, the following Monday, a big mudslide fell on the road near our house and carried one of the truck drivers down with the mud. Early the next morning our Awa neighbors found his body, quite battered by the mud and rocks, carried quite a way down the mountain. That was a sad day for Rio Verde. We do thank God for opening the road Sunday after Sunday as we make the trek up to Palmira for the service there.

Thanks for your partnership and prayers! As we look out at the world situation (and at my multi-colored ankle!) we are reminded how much we need to lean on God, our dependable, sturdy Rock.

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

for the King of Glory!

 March 2022

Thanks for praying for the youth doing the “King of Glory” course! This month we gave away the last book to 15-year-old Maria in Palmira, making a total of 36 youth doing the class! We have worked out a system for ‘make-up’ days if they miss the Sunday class: the youth come on Saturdays in Rio Verde community and on Friday afternoons in Palmira. Often the one-on-one classes give special opportunities to really talk over the truths being taught.

Among the students in Palmira are three young couples: Jaime & Sandra, Lorena & Oscar, and David & Ana. Between the couples they have 10 little busy children, so coworker Chrissy Shaub is working hard to keep the kids busy so mom & dad can attend the class! These young folks are all in their 20s and bring a more mature understanding to the class. We’ve now separated the students in Palmira into two groups, in order to teach more effectively on each level. Pray specifically for these young couples as they are really enjoying the classes and soaking it all in readily!
 

We’d like to introduce you to two of our Rio Verde youth:

For many years we’ve affectionately called him “Ainki Milton” (Little Milton) to distinguish him from his father, but these days he’s not so ‘little’ anymore! At 15 he’s getting taller and broader. At a time of life when his father’s influence is greatly needed, his dad has been mostly absent. Ainki quit school during the pandemic (there wasn’t much happening anyways!) and doesn’t hang out with friends, so mostly wanders around looking quite bored. Recently he made a little money by selling naranjilla fruit and was able to buy a motorcycle. Ainki parks his motorcycle in the church, so now we participate in repairs, loan tools, give mechanical advice (that would be Kevin), and try to look knowledgeable while being shown broken parts (Kathy). 😊 Doing the “King of Glory” course brings Ainki to church each Sunday, but he sometimes seems to be present in body but perhaps less so in spirit. Pray that he will allow these truths to make their way to his heart.

Monica Esthela comes every Sunday with grandpa Oso and absolutely loves doing the ‘King of Glory’ course! She is our champion memory verse girl, having learned every verse and earned every prize we’ve offered over the last few years. I’m not sure who Monica’s father is (she may not know either) but she lives in a small wooden house with her mom and stepdad and several half brothers and sisters. Monica has finished all the school years that were offered and is one of our best readers. At 15 years old, there’s not much left for her in Awa culture other than to marry and have a family. Her cousins her age go to parties and hang out with different guys, but Monica doesn’t seem to want that kind of life. We often pray that God will give her a Christian husband in the right time!
 

Family News

Grandson Miles just turned 10 months old and is now walking! He keeps Kenny & Sophia quite busy! We see their house is now filled with gates and barriers. 😊 Keilah & Jeremy, along with Ronin and Amaris, are gearing up to head out to Paraguay this summer. They’d appreciate your prayers for all the final details to fall into place as they begin to think about packing suitcases. Their lives have been filled with support raising and paperwork over the last few months. (For more of their news, visit their website here: https://jkwindler.com/)
Kimberly & Zach continue living in Missouri and just celebrated their 24th birthdays by spending a few days in Virginia with Kenny & Sophia. We do enjoy the many pictures that arrive on a daily basis, keeping us feeling connected!

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Roads, Rain and Sowing the Good Seed

 

January & February 2022 Roads and Rain

We are SO thankful that the road to the city of Ibarra is mostly open again! After the engineers examined the area and gave the gloomy pronouncement of six months before the road could be open again, the regional tractor drivers courageously just went to work and managed to clear a pathway through the rockslide in just a month. At the point where the roadbed fell, the crew used dynamite to make a narrow passageway just wide enough for one vehicle to pass. This past week rain continues to fall and more mud and rocks have fallen in various places along the 50 mile stretch of highway, so there are days when the road is closed again (like today). These days travel at night, with the heavy rains, is not a good option. For the most part though, we are back in business, and we are grateful for the much shorter and more direct trip to the city. Thanks for your prayers!
 

Sowing the Good Seed

In our last Bruce Brief we asked for prayer for recently widowed Oso. We are pleased to report that he continues to come to the church service each Sunday and, yes, he continues to bring a pack of grandchildren with him. The first Sunday he returned, we asked him how he was doing, to which he replied somewhat dismally, “Well, I’m not dead yet.” We recognize the reality of the sad loneliness he is experiencing in these days, and therefore we are glad to see him seeking out the comfort of the truth of God’s word.  Thank you for your continued prayers for him, that the “God of hope would fill [him] with all joy and peace in believing” (Rom 15:13) until that day when God does call him home.

We’ve been going to visit Paulino’s elderly parents, José and Senovia. They are less mobile now and are not able to come to church, so Kathy & I take my guitar and sing and go over a short Bible lesson together with them. Grandsons Jeison (14 yrs) and José Freddy (13) are there listening as well. Please pray for these two young fellows who have lived with their mother and grandparents since their father Alfredo was killed in a drunken fight many years ago. Pray that the good seed of God’s word would be an encouragement to José and Senovia, and that Jeison and Jose Freddy would allow the truth they hear to truly take root their hearts.

With continuing covid sickness, school continues to be ‘hit or miss’ for youth in our valley. With the boredom that comes from not much going on, these young folks are open for Bible study! 😊 Just recently the last three (Avelino, Aida, and Emma, pictured above) finished the Samaritan’s Bible study book, making for a total of 25 youth who have done this study. And there are 26 young folks signed up for the new Bible study we’ll begin this coming Sunday, February 6th! Pray that this book Rey de Gloria (King of Glory, a panoramic overview of the Bible) will be like that good seed in Jesus’ parable of the sower. Pray that the seeds sown will bring forth a harvest of much fruit in these young people’s lives.

Thankful for your partnership in prayer,
Kevin & Kathy

If you are interested in checking out the King of Glory material in many different languages, you can find it here: www.king-of-glory.com.