Jan 2024 - Rain and Sunshine

 

Rain and Sunshine -- January 2024

The rainy season began early and in earnest this year! In both November and December we received almost 2 feet of rainfall each month! January is so far promising to be just as wet. The Awa are happily planting their crops of bananas and plantains, naranjilla fruit, and yucca root. The rain also brings challenges in travel, as mudslides aboun!. In between our house and the community of Palmira there is a place where mud comes down each night with the rain; we are thankful that so far we’ve been able to get by each Friday and Sunday for ministry there! God knows how to open the way before us. 😊
 
We are thankful for each sunny day, those moments to get our laundry dry and to get outdoor work done! Like those welcome rays of sunshine, God has also sent us moments of joy in ministry. To share a few of those moment with you:

•  Seeing Meregildo, wearing a big smile!, waiting beside the road on Sundays to accompany us to the service in Palmira. 😊Years ago Meregildo and his family regularly attended church, but were much hurt by church leader Milton’s unfaithfulness to follow God. But after eight years, Meregildo is beginning to come again….and yes, with that big smile of joy on his face!
• Little 10 year old Nixon, with his brother and three cousins in tow, shouting out Proverbs 3:5-6, our latest memory verse. Nixon and cousin Ronni each proudly recited the verses in both Awa and Spanish and earned two prizes!!
• Getting a big “thank you!” hug from Mindy and sister Yumi last Sunday when they received their Sunday attendance prize. Last fall Kathy began a challenge with the Sunday School kids in Palmira putting stickers on a chart to encourage more faithful attendance. Each Sunday the kids excitedly count their ‘points’ and how much they lack to earn the next prize!
• Seeing mother Nancy show up for church for the third Sunday in a row! Her two children have come regularly for several years, but Nancy has been slow to join them. But little by little she is being drawn in, and it was a joy to see her happily joining in the busy visiting and chatter these last few weeks.

And with the new year arriving, it’s time to draw out a plan for 2024! Please pray for God’s wisdom as we make a few changes and additions to our schedule. We are adding a special youth Saturday each month, a time to gather for fun, food, and Bible teaching. And while we do faithfully teach God’s truth each Sunday, we’d like to put more emphasis on one-on-one discipleship this year. Thanks for praying for God’s help in putting this desire into real tangible moments of purposeful sharing.
 
One last prayer request: Ecuador has been suffering through an intense wave of violence as new President Noboa seeks to corral the rising drug-related gang and cartel presence here. Pray for wisdom for the police, military, and government in this difficult time, for many to turn to God in the uncertainty and fear of these times.
 
Happy new year!! May God encourage your hearts to see His ‘rays of sunshine’ even on those rainy days in 2024. May His faithfulness uphold you in the coming months.
 
In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

December 2023

 

Beach blessings in November and the Light of Life this December

“Can you feel the world is broken?”

We love Andrew Peterson’s music (and his books!) There’s a line from one of his songs “Do you know that all the darkness won’t stop the Light from getting through?” that resonates in our hearts. Doesn’t the world seem like a dark place in many ways these days? Troubles around the globe, and so many that are suffering. Here in AwaLand we do feel that darkness, in hurting families and in aching hearts:

• Our neighbor’s 15 year old daughter recently ran away from home; she’s home again but rebellious and defiant.
• Another young neighbor recently stood on our porch with tears running down his face, telling us about the ugly words his brother and mother had spoken to him, because they were jealous of his new job.
• One young woman who comes to church faithfully each Sunday is dealing with a husband who now has another girl he is also spending time with.
• Many of the Awa men are working at the gold mine now, for 21-day shifts, earning a good wage but leaving behind children who miss their fathers.  
• And so much more…the drunkenness, the broken families, the hopeless faces.

But…Christmas-time is here!

I’ve just begun reading the book of John, and am fascinated anew by verses 4 and 5 of chapter 1: “in Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it…” (Amplified)
 
Please pray that we would shine that Light to the Awa this Christmas. How we wish for the hurting to find hope in their darkness! We have programs this coming Sunday the 10^th and the 24^th. Many will come, hoping for candy and cookies; pray that we can offer them the more lasting Light of Life!
 
We are thankful for your prayers! We had a wonderful visit with our daughter Keilah and family in November, and were able to take some vacation days at the beach with them. Such joy! Our Kichwa friend Angel covered one Sunday for us here in AwaLand, and his heart for ministering to the Awa is also a blessing to us.

May God bless you with His Light this holiday season!!
 
In His grip,

 

Is He worthy?  He is!

October 2023

Sowing Generously and Reaping Abundantly

Reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul reminds the people that “he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly….” (Amplified),  but that the one who sows generously and in order to bring a blessing, will also reap a generous harvest.
 
We find these verses to be a good reminder that we do want to use God’s precious “seed” to generously scatter abroad here among the Awa! Please pray with us that God will bring about that abundant crop of righteousness and blessing in the lives of many here in these mountains.
 
God provides opportunities and fertile soil on many levels:

• Teaching God’s word of truth on Sundays. Going through the life of Joseph has been such a clear and practical way to sow God’s truth, especially into the young lives of the youth and the children. We’ve been happy to see good understanding and responses each Sunday! The children are showing a better aptitude to learn new concepts (God didn’t forget Joseph, but instead He had a plan for Joseph’s life!) and it is a joy to hear young men like Jeison and Christian really tracking with Joseph’s responses in the face of temptation.
• Practical community help. Two Saturdays in September we hosted a large group of Paulino’s extended family here at the Outpost. Some unfriendly neighbors had set fire to their gate and made ugly threats; the family was wanting to discuss the issue together and come up with a solution that would help to resolve the problem. I helped with the meeting when possible, (and entertained a passel of kids!) while Kathy cooked big lunches to feed the hungry crew. We were blessed to see the way the family, many of whom are believers, work together to come up with a good solution, and we pray it will be carried out in a way that honors God.
• Godly counsel and encouragement one on one as we live and interact in these Awa communities. God provides many openings on a daily basis! Young mother Graciela recently came to visit Kathy, talking about the recent sightings of dead Awa and evil spirits that are bringing fear to many. What a blessing to be able to remind her that God’s presence in us is the best cure for such fear! On another occasion, Miguel was clearing jungle trees and had a big limb hit him on the head and knock him unconscious. I spent that afternoon and evening driving him to the emergency room at the hospital in Ibarra. Although Miguel, a baptized believer, has not been walking with God, he did recognize God’s grace in saving his life. I was thankful for another opportunity to not only show care and compassion for him, but to also remind him how important it is to be in a right relationship with God.

Pray for us, that our ‘sowing’ would not be marked by a grudging sparseness 😊
but rather by a generosity and a bringing of blessing to the Awa people!
 
We thank God for:

• For each of you! Many of you remind us of your support and prayers. You are a blessing!

• A peaceful election day this last month, electing Daniel Noboa as the youngest president in the history of Ecuador.
• His perfect plan for the ages, even as we see the turmoil and groaning of the world around us, especially in the recent invasion of Israel and the continuing war, as well as the earthquake in Afghanistan.
• His abundant grace given to us so that we are well-supplied to pour out to others. (2 Cor. 9:8)

 

We love seeing the big grins on these little faces! These four little cousins are regulars in Kathy’s Sunday School class in Palmira.
 
In His grip,

 

September 2023

 

“Who is my neighbor?” and Opportunities to Show Mercy

 
In Luke 10, Jesus encouraged a lawyer to love God and to love his neighbor. In return, the lawyer asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37) Afterwards Jesus asked the lawyer which of the men passing by proved to be a neighbor to the injured man. “The one who showed mercy,” was the lawyer’s answer. To which Jesus replied, “Go and do the same.”
 
Living here in the mountains among the Awa people, God often seems to bring into our lives many “good Samaritan” moments, opportunities to show care and mercy to our many ‘neighbors’. Sometimes these moments come when we are weary, or when we are hoping for a quiet afternoon. We greatly appreciate your prayers that God would continually renew our hearts with His mercy so that we can pass that on to the needy. Pray that we would not become weary or worn out as we interact with the people!
 
A few of these opportunities God has brought into our paths over the last few days:

• An Awa grandma came asking for food for her little 1 yr old grandson, who she said was crying with hunger as his mother is gone undergoing surgery at the hospital in Ibarra.
• Our neighbor Porfidio coming with hand cut on sharp rocks; we were glad to be able to help him with a pain pill and ointment and bandages.
• Neighbor boys coming by hot and sweaty after school begging for haircuts for their thick hair!
• Paulino & Manuela’s daughter Mónica is struggling in her marriage; this last weekend Manuela, and three other Awa believers came along with me to make a trip to visit Mónica and her husband and in-laws. I was encouraged by their gracious words to Mónica’s wayward husband, as we together encouraged him to do what is right. We went down some narrow and steep backroads and I was thankful to make it home safely that evening! Please pray for Mónica and husband Jesús.
• 10 year old Edgar showed up (at 6 AM! ) asking for homework help for his page of long division. His older sisters had tried to help but weren’t able to do the division. He was thankful for Kathy’s help!
• We mentioned Fermin’s death in our August letter. His widow came to visit one day asking for financial help; we offered to help her three youngest children with their school supplies as classes began. The youngest of the three, 10 yr old Alicia, was delighted to receive her notebooks and other items! Each Sunday since then Alicia has been waiting by the bridge in San Francisco to ride up with us for Sunday services in Palmira. Alicia is very quiet but the big smile on her face shows how much she is enjoying her Sunday school class.

We thank God for:

• A good retreat the last week of August with the rest of our Liebenzell Mission of Ecuador pastors and coworkers!
• God’s strength for the first month with our coworkers gone.
• Gloria is teaching her Sunday School class with passion and vigor each Sunday!
• Our mechanic in Ibarra has worked hard to keep our truck running despite the difficult road trips we often make!

In His grip,

August 2023

Summer is winding down! June and July had us going at fullspeed…. even more so than we had originally planned. We felt like God opened doors for added activities and occasions and pray that He was accomplishing His purposes through our sometimes-weary efforts. Thanks for your prayers; we can truly say that it was His strength that upheld us!

Occasions of happiness:
•    Doing VBS programs in two Awa communities and in one local Ecuadorian church was a lot of fun! This year our VBS programs highlighted Noah and the flood; the kids had big smiles as we sang, learned about God, and made backpacks together. 

•    Three of Paulino’s children graduated from high school in the first gradua-tion in the Awa community of Palmira! It was a joy to accompany Paulino’s widow Manuela and Rómulo, Abraham, and Anahí on this special day.

•    Four Liebenzell USA summer interns accompanied us for the month of July: Marlys, Javier, Annkathrin, and Molly. We were thankful for their help (es-pecially for the VBS programs!) and enjoyed spending some sightseeing days with them as well.

•    After two years of wanting to re-roof our house in AwaLand (and living with a permanent drip bucket in our upstairs), the week of July 24 our Kichwa friend Angel came with a crew and CHANGED OUR ROOF!! We thank God for His provision and safety!

 

But also, some sad days:
•    July 6th, we watched the first joyful graduation in the Awa community of Palmira; less than a month later one of the recent graduates, Gloria’s nephew Steven, died after a night of heavy drinking. Steven’s family has spent the last years making a living from selling liquor, and he was often drunk. Years before, Steven sometimes came to Sunday School and was a bright and intelligent young fellow with much potential. Steven was just 19 years old.
•    I was recently called to pray at the bedside of an Awa fellow on his death-bed. We have known Fermin for years but neither he nor his family have had a desire to listen to God’s word. We ache for this family who have suf-fered poverty and drunkenness, a son committing suicide, and now the death of their father without the mercy and comfort of having a God Who sees and helps.
And we remember why God has us here:  as His ambassadors to offer His words of Life. Thank you for your prayers; thank you for participating with us here in the joys… and the sorrows… of walking alongside the Awa folks here in Ecuador.

We’d especially appreciate your prayers for us as we anticipate the next five months without our coworkers! After passing his final language check (Yay!!), Andy and Chrissy are taking a short time of home assignment to visit their churches and have time with family. They will fly mid-August and plan to return in January. Pray with us that God will help us make the needed adjustments during these months it is just Kathy and I here at the Awa Outpost.

In His grip,

Kevin & Kathy

April 2023 He is Risen!!

 

The Awa Easter conference has come and gone! Thanks for many of you who were praying! We feel blessed to report that all went well, and we had a truly joyful celebration of Jesus’ resurrection together with the Awa people. Each day somewhere between 100-150 people joined us for singing, the Bible teaching, games, and lunch. Four of the Impact youth helped us with the children, taking them down to the Palmira school soccer field for their Bible lesson and games. We enjoyed the more peaceful teaching time with the older youth and adults. 🙂 A few highlights of our time together: •    Gloria’s son David wrote a song based on the last lesson of the King of Glo-ry course and sang it for us not once, but twice! “When the King returns” was the theme of his song. •    The Bible course youth showed up in full force (I counted 33 of them the first day) and how much fun they had laughing and visiting, singing and playing the guitars, and helping to cook! •    We had the graduation for the older children’s Bible course with thirteen 10–12-year-olds. What big proud smiles they had on their faces as they re-ceived their diplomas and prizes! Almost all of these children come to church on their own, without their parents. •    Five of the King of Glory course youth joined us in celebration of the Lord’s supper for the first time. •    The ladies all eagerly jumped in to help cook, crowding the kitchen with happy smiles and a willingness to do whatever was needed! Feeding 150 people the first day (more than we expected) was a bit of a stretch but in the end there was enough food for all.  •    Humberto came with his family from an Awa community further west and were shown overnight hospitality by Manuela and family. Daniel & Cornel-ia Hahlen, our past coworkers from Lita days, also joined us for one day and were enthusiastically greeted by old Awa friends! •    A landslide blocked the road between our houses and Palmira one morn-ing, but even this turned into a blessing as all the conference-goers chipped in to clear away the mud and help our trucks to get by. Fellowship and fun can be found even in working together!  There were many other joyful moments that brought smiles to our faces. Seeing God at work in the hearts of the believers is such a joy, erasing the tiredness of the many intense days of preparation. We are thankful that Jesus is alive and at work calling out His own. May you also be blessed as you rejoice in the new life of His resurrection and spring-time! In HIS grip, Full house Visitors, helpers & friends Practicing a new song! Rio Verde graduation Landslides not stopping us! Special music in Swiss German (the Hahlens) Spontaneous jam sessions Enthusiastic kids

February travel…and ‘March’ing ahead in Awaland!

 

Visit to Paraguay

We have just returned from a much-enjoyed trip to Paraguay to visit our daughter Keilah & Jeremy and family! What fun it was to see firsthand where they are living, understand the challenges they face as they settle in and learn language, and get to know Paraguay a little! Playing with our grandkids was also a delight. 😊 While we were there heavy rains caused the close river to flood; we woke up at 5 a.m. early one morning to quickly rising water in the yard! We quickly packed up to leave for higher ground, but in God’s grace He stopped the water just a few inches from entering the house. Returning to Ecuador became a bit challenging with one small bridge out, but God was faithful to open the way before us and we returned on schedule.
Some pictures from our visit:

Wide open countryside!	Treats at the mall!
The trail to the river IS the river!	The back yard became a lake
Ronin keeping an eye on the water level	Getting to the city became a challenge

 

 

Unrest in Ecuador

Please pray for the country of Ecuador as there are again rumors of strikes and demonstrations. We pray that continued dialogues will help find some resolution as many are increasingly disillusioned  with the present administration. Last week a native leader opposing petroleum mining was killed, adding to the unrest.

Visits in March

In just a few days our Liebenzell USA director Chris Matthews and a young couple, Steven & Gwen Anderson and their two young sons, will be visiting us here in order to see the ministry firsthand. Steven & Gwen are interested in perhaps joining us in the Awa work; how we appreciate your prayers for wisdom and God’s leading for them as they experience Ecuador and AwaLand in person. We’d also appreciate your prayers for open roads during the time they are here!
 
Whether we face floods or political unrest, we are so thankful for a God who hears our prayers and invites us with open access to the throne of grace. What a relief to “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 ESV
 
Thank you for your prayers; we also pray for you, knowing that life brings many challenges and trials. May you also find grace from Him in your time of need.
 
In HIS grip,