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
No comments:
Post a Comment