July Aug 2026

 

July ~ August 2026
A busy summer and a faithful God

 
As we looked ahead at the summer months, the calendar looked very full. Lord, we desperately need Your help and strength to face the coming weeks!

 

July and almost half of August are now in the past, and we are thankful for His enabling grace along the way, through VBS and other ministry events, the days of medical caravan, many hours on the road, the weeks with the summer interns, several Mission gatherings, and two highschool graduations. Somewhere in the midst of the busy days, our truck broke a leaf spring and needed towing to the shop. But God was faithful to help. Thanks for your prayers! We have much to thank Him for.

We are thankful for our three summer interns, Rissa, Lexi, and Tyson. They spent many hours plastifying Bible story pictures, cutting out VBS materials, and helping along the way. We pray that they were able to get a better grasp of what mission work looks like in different settings.
 
One event stands out in our minds. Right at the end of the medical caravan, we heard the news that little 11-year-old Magaly had drowned in the river in the community of Palmira. Just a couple of weeks before, she had attended Sunday School with her little sister Celena. We were in the initial stages of planning ahead for VBS, and God impressed upon us the importance of this coming opportunity to share His word with the Awa children.

Two weeks later VBS was upon us! The Lord sent us about 40 children in Rio Verde community and 50 in Palmira. We sang together, taught the kids some English, played games, laughed and enjoyed the kids had so much fun! But mostly importantly, we had the chance to learn about Jesus together.  The last day the lesson was on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Pray with us for God to help these young minds and hearts understand the simple but important message of His love for them.

 

As we write this brief, we are finishing up a 9-day trip to VA and KY. We flew in to participate in the board meeting and missionary gathering for World Ministry Partners, Keilah and Jeremy’s mission board. We were also blessed to see some of our children and grandchildren during this short stay. God is good!  We are currently in the air heading back to the beautiful mountains of Ecuador. Please pray that we can get into a good routine in the days ahead. Pray for balance between the Awa ministry of teaching and translation and our leadership responsibilities on the field as whole.
 
Also keep the country of Colombia in your prayers as they recently suffered a large earthquake. Our coworkers and the Awa in northern Ecuador even felt the earth shake from it as well! One little Awa girl neighbor said that she was so scared that she prayed and prayed. Although in Ecuador we have heard of no major damage, there are many in Colombia who have suffered loss and injury. There is even a search and rescue team on this flight going there to help. Thanks for your prayers!

In His grip,