Awa Conference 2011!

Thanks for your prayers! This year the conference had a very different feel.  For one, the place was different, as we held it here at the Outpost. The food was different, as it was all planned and cooked by the local believers. Instead of us providing hospitality, the Awa took care of it themselves. In fact some of the visitors from the lowlands stayed in different houses during the three nights up here because of so many wanting them to come and stay with them!  It was a real answer to prayer to see the maturity of the believers as they took ownership and responsibility for the conference to a new level. Wow!

This year Doug and Milton taught through the first part of Daniel, as Doug just recently completed the first draft translation of that important OT book.  Those familiar testimonies of faith and faithfulness—like Daniel in the lions’ den-- were heard for the first time by many that came.  In the afternoons I taught some simple principles of money and debt from a Biblical perspective, as easy credit and loans have become an increasing problem here in these mountains. Paulino led us on Sunday morning as we remembered Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.  This was followed by the official recognition of Paulino and Milton as elders among the Awa believers.

Paulino and Milton both demonstrated their leadership in so many ways during the conference. The maturity and wisdom they displayed in the planning was incredible, even in such simple areas as the food. Each morning they discussed with the ladies what should be cooked, and made sure there was what was needed. They organized men to carry water up from the spring. They waited until last to be fed, to make sure there was enough food for all. Milton even helped to serve food one day, a definite ladies’ job! They earnestly taught, admonished, and encouraged their fellow believers. One of the highlights for me was overhearing Milton in deep conversation with Alfonso, Meregildo’s neighbor, about what it means to be saved. As Alfonso expressed his worries (he can’t read, he can’t help getting drunk), Milton patiently encouraged him and reminded him that salvation rests in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Both Alfonso and his wife, along with their adult son (Manuel), all made a public show of their trust in Christ on Sunday.

Ok, I want to get this off, so I’ll close off for now, so you can praise the Lord with us for His wonderful work in the hearts and lives of the Awa people.

In HIS grip,

Kevin & Kathy

 P.S. For you prayer warriors, here are some more specific answers to your prayers!

• ·         Conference supply run:  Both of our trucks were still stuck on this side of the landslides on Wednesday; so along with Porfidio and Cecilia, who came along to help, we hiked over past the landslides and caught a local truck down to Lita, and a bus out to Ibarra. We borrowed the Mission truck to bring the supplies back, and by that evening the road was open, so we only had to carry the heavy load the 10 minutes to our houses.  (The landslide fell again later that night, but then was opened back up again the next day.)
• ·         We had wondered how the hospitality would go, for the Awa coming from afar. Meregildo butchered a calf at his house, left his wife preparing a feast, and hiked over and waited for five hours at the end of the road until the folks arrived. He even loaned his boots out to one girl who arrived in flip-flops, and rode back on his horse, barefoot, holding two of their kids! The huge grin on his face told of his joy in serving them.
• ·         The Lord’s provision in great weather during the whole conference.  There was a noticeable 3-day lull in the heavy rains!
• ·         The Lord’s grace and love in dealing with up to 65 people here at the Outpost! For the most part, the children played cheerfully, without leaving too wide a path of destruction behind them. J The water supply here is tight with so many—but the ladies doing the cooking were real troopers.
• ·         More than sufficient food! (We started off Friday morning butchering a cow out back!) It was a true feast! On Sunday many made the comment that they were going home full!
• ·         Thursday afternoon we heard a huge clap of thunder and soon realized a lightning strike had taken out the electricity for most of the valley. Friday we survived on battery power (for showing the Jesus movie) and were amazed to have it return Friday evening. The electric company had come, hiked up, and fixed it---a real miracle on a holiday weekend! (Kathy says maybe they were angels in hardhats! ;)

Cicada Sonata

As I sit here and type this morning the sound of singing is almost deafening. ‘Tis the season again, and the little teal-green bugs are everywhere. The chickens, dogs, and even cats are happy as they consider the cicadas a great snack. The persistent cicadas’ song grows louder and louder as the morning sun warms things up. Unlike their cousins in the US that come out every seven years, these guys are annual critters. Each year they arrive like clockwork in March, sing their songs, and then disappear about Easter time. Their choruses are over, and their offspring live underground….until next year!

It is also the time of year we begin planning and preparing for the Awa Believers’ Conference. Thirteen years ago, when we began the conference, we missionaries did everything. We set the schedule, we taught, we bought the food. All the believers had to do was come. Gradually we have tried to involve the Awa more. Over the years in Lita, it was exciting to see many helping with setting up and cleaning, several ladies lending a hand in the kitchen, and even Milton beginning to help with the teaching!

We want the conference to be something that the believers can do even long after we are gone. It seemed like it was time for our Awa brothers and sisters to take over even more of the vision. So, this year we sat down with the believers and asked them what they thought about the conference. Was it worth continuing? Where should it be held? More importantly, how could the conference become their conference?

After voicing a unanimous ‘Yes!’ to our question about whether the conference was worth continuing, the Awa went on to discuss the location. In the past, some had mentioned the idea of having it here in this community, and the believers decided to give it a trial run this year. This really puts the ‘ball’ in their ‘home court’, so to speak, as housing and cooking will have to be done much more native-style. As word of this decision was spread to the believers in other communities, there was some grumbling and doubts voiced about food and housing for those who would come from afar. So far we have seen much maturity in handling this, but I’m sure it will continue to be one of the most stretching factors for the believers here.

Please pray for Milton, Paulino, and Meregildo as they carry more of the weight of conference planning this year. All are involved in gathering food, and are offering their homes for hosting any believers that come from farther away. Paulino has mentioned the book of Daniel as being a good topic for teaching. Milton has located a beef cow for butchering. Gloria has offered to provide plantains from her garden nearby. Other folks are talking about which pots can be used for cooking for such large crowds. Pray for us to know when to come alongside in a discipleship role, and when to keep our hands off. It would be easy for us to be the bail-out guys! But just as that isn’t always the thing that helps our children grow to maturity, neither is it always the best answer to helping our Awa brothers mature spiritually.

So as the cicadas sing their sonata, we are praying that come Easter weekend (April 21st -24th) the believers will also sing out with loud voices in praise as we gather together to worship our Savior!

We have succeeded again in being anything but brief, so I’ll sign off here. There are a few updates and news bullets down below if you are interested.

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy


News Bullets
• Thank you for the many who have been praying for Nestor and Silvia with their little baby Esteban. The baby has continued to be in and out of the hospital. Nestor and Silvia are getting weary in the battle to keep the little one alive. A direct answer to prayer has been seeing all the Christians that God has placed in their path during this battle. At the hospital they ran into a lady from one of the Liebenzell churches in the city, who even invited them to stay at her house, all the while sharing God’s truth with them. Another week they spent an anxious night in Lita with little Esteban fighting to breathe, with our co-workers, the Millans and Collohauso families. Nestor asked them to pray for Esteban that night, and they called up and told us to pray as well. That next morning, the little one was still hanging in there. Many are encouraging Nestor and Silvia to walk in God’s path, but they still have not yet made that commitment. Please continue to pray for them.
• We have two friends, David and Mark, from Whitefield, NH, coming down next month for a short trip. Pray for the Lord’s grace and strength as we travel together, and reach out to one of the Awa communities. Our plan is to fix up the electric installation in their community center building as an act of Christ’s love.
• In May I plan to make a quick trip to the USA to attend Kenny’s graduation from NTBI in Wisconsin. I will also be dropping Keilah and her cousin Laura off in Missouri to work at a Christian camp for the summer. We’d appreciate your prayers for these travels! Kathy and Kimberly will remain here in Ecuador.
• Praise for Kenny being accepted to Liberty University in VA! This is a huge answer to prayer as God led him to this decision step by step, and even provided for the scholarships and aid to make it possible. He plans to work again for the summer in order to save up for beginning there in the fall.

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION

Contrasting worlds

As we pulled on our rubber boots, the early morning moist air swirled around us. We donned our packs and headed out. The leaves were still dripping from the night's rain and heavy mist that still clung to the earth that morning. The trail was slick, to say the least. If the first few steps were any indication, our trip today would be long and difficult.

We were on our way to a community to the south of us, our destination being the community center and school. One of the Awa teachers there had asked us to help by teaching some simple English for their 6^th and 7^th grade class. We agreed to help, since our hearts were truly excited by the opportunity the class provided for teaching the Bible as well.

As we hiked on, it was like taking a step back in time. The trail we were on was not used by motorized vehicles. All travel here was done on foot or horseback. Horses' feet tend to land in the same places, which leave deep ruts. Many stretches of the trail look as if someone made a ditch across it every foot or so. The challenge is to stay on top of the slippery nubs between them, and not slip off into the deep notches. The brackish water cradled in them is not something you desire to have sloshing around inside your boot!

About half way there we faced another challenge. A bunch of Awa fellows from the community there were working on repairing the bridge we had to cross. The suspension bridge, wide enough for a horse to cross, that far from any roads is a marvel to behold, but that day the men were replacing the rotten boards with freshly cut ones. For us this meant shimmying across a narrow beam laid across a couple of swinging sections where the old boards had been removed. I was fine with it, but Kathy was a bit more apprehensive, as you might imagine. You certainly don't want to look down too long at the raging muddy river below, as it throws your sense of balance off. It was good to greet all our friends there, some of whom were showing up carrying the new planks down the muddy hill on their backs. These planks were free-hand carved out of a hardwood tree with a chainsaw, each plank weighing in around 80 to 100 lbs.

From there on the trail was even harder. Not only was there a marked increase in the amount of mud to slog through, it was mostly uphill the rest of the way. Slowly we worked our way over the mountainside, finally arriving at the community center just over 3 hours after leaving home. We were wet, mostly from sweat, not rain, and the mud had crept up our boots and on our pants past our knees. I'm sure we were not a pretty sight. Thankfully the community has water piped in from a stream up above, so we quickly cleaned up our muddy pants and boots and changed our shirts. Yep, ready to go now!

One of the things I was struck with that day were the sharp contrasts of old and new. Even though our trip up there was like a step back in time, the community had electric lines strung up between all the buildings. A year and a half ago they had lugged light poles, transformers, and wire all the way up the muddy trails and so were now finally connected to 'the grid.' After we taught the English and Bible classes, we also taught some of the teens of the community how to use a computer, type a letter, and make copies on a multifunction color printer. (All of which arrived there on horseback!) Later that evening, we were invited to watch a DVD. In fact many of the houses had DVD players and TVs. To top it off, one house further away from the community had a Direct TV satellite dish outside. When I later talked with the owner of that house, he said, “Yeah, it's only the dish for now since I haven't finished paying yet.” But he excitedly told me he was sure looking forward to being able to watch the news!

All of these 'technological advances' can be used for good.....or evil. We were pleased to bring up a disk with a bunch of mp3 recordings of Bible teaching in the Awa language for one of the believers, but saddened to hear that the lights and big sound systems have provided new opportunities for all-night drunken dances in the community. I am afraid that many of the 'advances' will only be a noise and distraction from the good news of the gospel for the Awa people, much like they are back home in the USA. Please continue to pray for the advancement of the kingdom of God among the Awa. Greater is HE who is in us than he who is in the world!

Although this was anything but brief, we want to thank you for your part in the ministry. We highly value your prayers, support, and, most of all, your friendship! Thank you.

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

for a printable copy click here

Bridge with repairs made (on our return trip)

Computer class 101

High tech Awa home

Update on Nestor's Baby

Thanks for praying! Friday we met Nestor and his wife, Silvia with their baby. The baby being much better was released from the hospital and they were able to come home. We were thrilled to see them. The family had just expected the baby to die, and even Nestor himself was just telling people that the baby was probably just going to die. They steel themselves to that, so that it doesn’t hurt as much when it happens, I think. Anyhow, we pray that the baby is well on the way to full recovery and that he doesn’t have a relapse. This cold rainy weather is very hard on babies when the parents hike on the trails, they don’t really have a good way to keep the babies dry and they get so cold and wet.

Please pray that God will work in Nestor’s heart, as he is one of our closest neighbors but hasn’t shown very much interest in the Bible teaching at all, but when we talked to Nestor on the trail yesterday he said he would come to church on Sunday, but he did not come. :-(

As a family we are enjoying a short visit from Kenny these days. It has been a year and a half since he was here in Ecuador, and he is enjoying familiar sights, sounds and flavors! ;-)

In Christ,
Kevin

A Complicated Journey

Wherein a simple trip becomes a day-long adventure.

A true story

Written by Kenny Bruce

And inspired by the creativity and humor of Davey Jank

“Are you sure you won't fall off? Be careful...” Our friend's mom worried for about the fourth time. The six of us kids were sitting in the back of a pickup truck while both sets of parents rode inside. Rather, we were sitting around the rim of the bed of the pickup – we couldn't have sat in it because that was all full of the various cargo we were planning on hauling up the mountain. I guess we looked precarious to their mom – or maybe it was just that we were so obviously unconcerned with the possibility of bouncing out of the back and getting our clothes all muddy on the dirt road. Mothers can be like that.

“We're fine,” we insisted for the fourth time. As the adults seated themselves in the safe, boring interior of the truck, I wondered aloud what she was worried about.

“After all, we're MKs,” I opined. “Next best thing to superman.”

The trip continued smoothly for something like half an hour. By 'smoothly', of course, I mean that none of the bounces were enough to shake us out of the truck, and none of the mudholes in the road were bad enough that we had to hop out and push. We were all having a grand time in the back. It was the first time the six of us had been reunited in a year and a half, since Andy and I now had embarked on the grand adventure that is college in the US of A, each leaving two younger sisters behind here in Ecuador. We were happily reminiscing about all the most miserable moments we had spent together growing up, when suddenly the pickup rolled to a halt.

Looking up, I quickly came to the conclusion that our unscheduled deceleration had something to do with the mass of red-brown clay that had decided to spend the day rather squishily encamped upon the road, leaving no way to get the vehicle, and all our stuff, to our destination. Having concluded this remarkably astute observation, I proceeded to wonder why the bright yellow bulldozer sitting near the landslide was, err, sitting. Lunch break, perhaps?

A quick consultation between the national worker sitting on the bulldozer and the dads soon revealed the nature of the problem. I overheard something about 'transmission'. Apparently something important had choked with the strain of coercing the placid mud to make its squishy home somewhere else, and the part wouldn't be here until possibly later in the day, they said, which of course meant next week.

However, all was not lost. Although we had too much stuff with us to carry all the way to our house several hours walk distant, we would be able to shift it all over the landslide by the simple expedient of all the boys making several trips to carry all the heavy stuff. There there was a truck which had been caught on the other side (thereby unexpectedly finding itself in the very monetarily profitable position of being the only vehicle in working condition on that side of the road) and while it was too full to take us and our pile of stuff at the moment, the driver assured us that he would be happy to return and take us and our belongings as soon as possible. So far so good.

In the meantime, our spirits remained high, and as soon as the work of transporting the pile of items to the far side of the landslide had been accomplished, we set out to amuse ourselves. Although Andy wanted to lead an expedition across the river to investigate a large mudslide that had utterly devastated several hundred feet of a ravine over there, no one else felt much like adding a couple hours hiking through the jungle to our journey, what with the scorching tropical sun and all. Instead, we passed the time throwing rocks (and spears), weaving baskets, splashing in the nearby creek, and finally by sitting around Andy's emergency reflective blanket and playing cards.

My uncle, who was waiting at the other end of the road (or rather, at the next impassable part of it) with the horses called us via cell phone several times, mostly to tell us that the truck driver seemed to be in no particular hurry to turn around.(In fact, he was stuck in a further landslide – my uncle ended up helping to push him through it) Although this wasn't particularly encouraging news, it was still all just an adventure, and I proceeded to unconcernedly lose a game of rook as badly as I ever have in my life. I think Andy won. Eventually, the truck did turn around, and after some time, arrived back at our end. We all crammed ourselves and our stuff (“watch out, this pack has eggs on top!”) into the back, which was covered by a heavy black tarp effectively obscuring the view. Finally, we all – sort of – fit (my dad was standing on the back hanging on) and the driver eased the vehicle along the narrow road towards our destination. This trip wasn't quite as lighthearted as the previous one – we were more tired, and the invigorating possibility of falling off was deplorably absent (except for my dad, who did nearly fall off at least once). However, soon we were passing all the stuff out the back, and as the truck drove off my uncle arrived with the two horses.

View from the back of the pickup ;-)

The rest of our hike trip up was unremarkable – that is, the sun was hot and we didn't see very many snakes. Actually, that's not entirely true – there was one interesting bit as we passed the school (the local community center) and the locals were apparently becoming 'cultured' for they had adopted the national custom for this particular few days of January of putting on bird masks and requesting money by swarming around unfortunate passers-by and holding out a cup as they made trilling noises. Andy gave them a dollar and then stood menacingly with the various knives he had stuck through his belt plainly visible as the rest of us passed by. Anyways, eventually we made it to the houses – only to find that in our absence an invading army was conducting search and destroy operations throughout them. The vicious but tiny commandos had pursued their enemy into the wooden structures and were aggressively cornering them, and then hacking them into small pieces and carrying them off as provisions. Army ants are fun to watch -- especially when they catch cockroaches. However, they also bite, so as we tried to get ourselves cleaned up from the hot, muddy hike, we had to constantly watch our feet so as not to hinder their maneuvers.

Anyways, the day did eventually wind down, leaving us all rather more tired than we had anticipated. However, in a sense, we weren't surprised – the road is a dangerous thing, and when has once set his foot to the road, there's no telling what adventures might befall him ere again he rests his feet.

Please pray

Saludos de Ecuador! /Greetings from Ecuador/

We would like you to hold up in prayer our neighbors. In our Bruce Brief in November we mentioned that Nestor and his wife had finally had their first baby after many years of miscarriages. The baby now just over a month old is very sick and in the hospital with pneumonia, and the the prognosis is not good. Please pray that they would be able to save the baby's life, and for patience of the parents as they wait at the hospital.

As a side note, another couple from this area also have their baby in the same hospital, in fact they are sharing the same room. Their baby is doing much better and they expect to be release soon. Because of the intense rains right now, many baby's get sick because of being wet when they are carried on their mom's back from place to place.

Thanks so much for your prayers! May you enjoy the blessing of knowing EMANUEL this Christmas season!

In His grip,

Kevin & Kathy

Christmas letter

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