Computer Classes!

Last year we asked you to pray for a good way to reach out to the many Awa youth in the community of Palmira. God gave us the idea to offer a computer course, and so we gathered several old laptops and last fall I taught a 10-week course, with 22 students attending (in two classes). We enjoyed the opportunity to get to know these young folks, and we had a lot of fun teaching them some computer basics!

Over the next few weeks we gathered more laptops (donated by many of you! Thank you!) and prepared for another class, this time here at our house so that we could help the students learn about the Internet. We just finished this class, with nine students attending. Again it was a great time of building relationships! As I shared with these students about the wealth of good information out there on the Internet, as well as the presence of much that is evil, it offered a good opportunity to encourage them to recognize that we need God’s help in knowing what is right and what is wrong. Psalm 119:66 was our theme verse for these classes. The students were thrilled to each create their own email account (with most of them promptly forgetting their passwords! Thankfully we had written them all down.) We found a site with information and videos showing Ecuador’s wildlife, which they loved, and we practiced finding information about some of the different animals.

One of the students, Fermin, asked for help accessing the website where he needed to take the practice exam for high school graduation. He had tried on several occasions in Lita, only to be confused by how to log onto the website. Fermin and his brother have come several Saturday mornings now to take the practice test, and last Saturday brought another two young men with them. It was a blessing to see these four young fellows practicing the test out on our porch, one with a dictionary in his hand, another with scrap paper working out math problems. It is a joy to spend time with these young folks and to be able to help them with the challenges they face as they branch out into a world of technology.

We had hoped for a chance to speak to the local communities about the situation concerning Milton, clearly but graciously sharing that he has not been walking in God’s ways. The meeting we had asked you to pray for on February 9th was canceled. On March 23rd I was finally able to speak in the community meeting. I pray that my words were God-honoring and gracious. Guillermo, the community president and a fellow believer, spoke after I did. He reiterated some of what I had said, especially emphasizing that while Milton has done wrong, if he will repent and return to God, forgiveness is available to him. As Guillermo and I finished speaking, Fermin (mentioned above) spoke up as well, publicly thanking me for all the help I have given him with the computer class and the high-school test practice time. We don’t often hear such words of gratefulness, so this was a special encouragement, especially in light of the difficult topic I was addressing.

On the coming calendar:   
    • This coming week we are painting the outside of God’s House of Prayer in Palmira.
    • April 14th we hope to take a group of Awa to the 25th anniversary celebration of our Mission church in Atuntaqui; we pray this will be a blessing to those who go!
    • We are preparing for the annual Awa conference over the Easter weekend (April 19-21) with a theme of Jesus’ words in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”


In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Ittal time!

It’s that time of year!

Yes, it’s the time of year for ‘ittal’ ants again! The Awa children are quite happy as they walk to school each day, as they can gather them on their way and arrive with pockets full of these plump squirming ants, perfect for snacking on during the day! Sonia, one of Kathy’s Sunday School children, shared a handful of ‘ittal’ with us this last week, a very generous gift.

Pray for Paulino

In January we asked Paulino if he would be willing to help teach the children’s lesson each Sunday. He’s been very happy to do so, although he feels rather

inadequate as he can’t read. Each week I am spending some time with him going over the next Sunday’s lesson; this has been a good time of fellowship and prayer together. Paulino is very humble as he teaches: “You know, I am still learning myself, and I can’t read God’s Word. But I want to get prepared well, and I also want to learn more myself.”

At the same time, Paulino is going through a real time of hardship and testing. He has been struggling in a land border dispute with another Palmira family. This family has repeatedly spread ugly gossip about Paulino and his family, saying “Those Christ-believers are always doing bad things!” On top of that, Paulino’s oldest son, Salomon (who has never chosen to follow God) recently has taken a local girl, Beatriz, as his wife. As is Awa custom, Salomon brought Beatriz home to live with his family. Normally the young couple would work very hard to prove themselves to the family, but in this case Salomon and Beatriz have not done that. Rather, this young couple have been partying and drinking and have already had much discord in their relationship. Now Beatriz and her family are accusing Paulino & wife Manuela of being the cause of all their troubles. Paulino & Manuela are heart-broken over all of this. Paulino has told us repeatedly that he wants to be a good testimony for God, and not to get angry, but struggles to find the right way to react when he is wrongly accused. Will you join us in praying for Paulino & Manuela during this time of trial, that they would cling tightly to our God and look to Him for help? We did notice that these two issues seem to surface at the same time as Paulino began to help teach on Sundays, making it clear that the enemy Satan is wanting to discourage him. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” says Romans 8:31.

And we are making plans…

...for heading to the USA later this year! We will fly in mid-July, arriving in St. Louis, MO just in time for Kimberly and Zach’s wedding on July 20^th. We are thankful to have a loaner van from Righteous Rides (a ministry providing care and cars to missionaries based out of St. Louis) for the time we will be in the USA. After a few weeks in Missouri and Oklahoma, we will head for parts further north in August, and plan to settle in New England for the fall months. Our return to Ecuador is scheduled for mid-January 2020, giving us exactly six months there in the USA. We would love to see as many of you as possible, so please contact us if you’d like us to stop by!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Happy New Year!

As the new year begins, the annual rainy season has also redoubled its efforts...engendering more mud. That means some extra clean-up, especially after a rainy Sunday! But it also brings a time of intensified growth for the banana trees, and a freshness and greenness to the mountainsides around us. Our garden is also growing happily!

On Sunday we recently studied the parable of the sower, from Matthew chapter 13. As Jesus later explained to His disciples, the ‘seed’ is the Word of God, which falls on different types of soils (or hearts). As an agricultural people, the Awa readily understand such language! Please continue to pray for those who hear the teaching each Sunday, that the Word of God would grow and bring forth fruit in their lives.

Oso and Jose and Marco Aurelio are three older fellows we have mentioned before who are in church most Sundays, sometimes falling asleep :-) but often listening carefully. Recently God has given me opportunities to talk with each of them; pray that these conversations will help clarify in their minds the message of the Gospel.

The church is also facing anew the challenge of dealing with Milton, as we found out that he has again been involved with his sister-in-law. Through a series of events in which God answered prayer for truth to be revealed, Milton admitted to lying to us and continuing to pursue a relationship with his wife’s sister.

In the midst of our disappointment and discouragement with this on-going sin, God has been at work. Over the last few years God has changed the hearts of many of the believers, and this time we have seen a completely different reaction from them. Paulino shared with us his great sadness over his brother’s sin, and even went to talk with Milton, this time without anger but with clarity and truth.

Gloria also responded without anger, “God is helping me not to be so discouraged about this, but to pray for my brother.” Guillermo came along with me to talk to Milton, calmly and kindly calling to Milton to leave off his sin and to return to walk with God and to do what is right. As a congregation we have sought to put into practice Jesus’ words in Matthew 18, and have used other verses (2 Timothy 2:24-26) to help shape our words as we talk with Milton. We do appreciate your prayers that God’s honor and glory would be upheld here among the Awa communities. Specifically pray for me February 9^th, as I will speak about this situation before the Palmira community. I want my words to honor God’s holiness, and to also be a call to the community members to recognize their own need of God’s sacrifice and grace.

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Immanuel - God with us!

Immanuel

We walked home in the dusk with our neighbor Pablo and his little daughter Gabriela. He was drunk, and could hardly walk up the hill, so he leaned on Gabriela as she held his hand and pulled him. Pablo was crying as he stumbled along. Not being able to see clearly in the fading light, he called out to me, “Arturo, is that you? Can you hear me? I am really sad tonight, as my wife just took off and left me. Now I’m alone with my kids and they are crying too.”

As we arrived at the top of the hill, I put my arm around Pablo, acknowledging with him that he certainly was in a sad place, and really needed God’s help. “Pablo, you used to follow God. Don’t you think you are needing him now?”

“Arturo, you’re right, I used to follow God. Maybe another day I’ll return to Him and follow again,” said Pablo. I prayed for him right there, a lost soul in need of a Savior, one so close to a knowledge of God (living next door as our neighbor!) and yet really so far away.

Immanuel, “God with us”, a truth we celebrate each Christmas. What a miracle, that God would take on flesh and come so near to us!

Sometimes at Christmas, more than ever, we sense the darkness that so many of our Awa friends and neighbors live in. They do not understand Immanuel. Just yesterday many of the Awa waited for hours for “Christmas” to arrive (meaning a group bringing bags of animal crackers and candies). But they waited to no avail, as the group stopped at another community first and ran out of the cookie bags. So as dusk descended on Christmas Eve, the people meandered home disappointed, with empty hands. Many such groups come each year, handing out cookies or small gifts; some come with plenty but others come with only a little, not enough to go around.

On Sunday we talked with the Awa who came to church, “You know, you don’t have to wait for groups to bring you “Christmas”; Christmas is Jesus being born, and that has truly happened! You can gather with your family and celebrate together. You can thank God for sending His Son to be born, to later die for us so we can be saved.” Some of the faces in the crowd nodded in agreement, but many looked at me with unbelieving eyes, thinking something along the lines of “This guy says such strange things!” :-) To so many of them, Christmas means little more than a few cookie bags that are soon gone.

There is a joy in our hearts as we celebrate Immanuel—God coming near to us in the form of a baby. There is also a sadness as we see so many who still do not understand. And yet God is not far from them, as Paul said in his sermon in Athens many years ago, “...The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things, and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;...” Acts 17:24-27 NASB

Thank you for joining us across the miles as we stand here, near to the Awa. Please pray with us that the Awa people would come to know Immanuel, the One who has come near to them.

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord...” Psalm 92:1

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to the Most High! Today, the 21^st of November, in remembering the old national holiday in Germany (the Day of Repentance and Prayer), the Liebenzell Mission has called for a day of fasting and prayer. As the day before our own country’s historic holiday of Thanksgiving, it is certainly an appropriate time to come before the throne of the Most High God. As we join together with folks from around the globe, we are finding much to be thankful for:


 

For a full church this last Sunday as we gathered both congregations together, and a good time of fellowship and food with the people.	Manuela starting to cook corn and yucca
Angel and Mesias	A special week with our Quichua friends as they finished the spackling both inside and outside of the church building in Palmira. Painting is next on the list!
An encouraging day spent with Paulino and wife and daughter attending the 40th anniversary of a Quichua church. Paulino and family were amazed: “So many Quichua wanting to follow God! Perhaps one day just as many Awa will gather to worship!”	A crowd of Quichua believers

 

Oscar invited us to pick corn	For an open door to remain here and work among the Awa; for many opportunities to interact and live alongside these people.
For each of you—our family and friends, as well as those who pray for us and the Awa, and those of you who share financially.	Ronin is now 5 months old
Sundays we are going through the book of Matthew	For the Lord’s daily grace, truth, encouragement, and strength; and the rest He gives as we bring our burdens to Him.

There are only a few American holidays that we celebrate here in Ecuador, but Thanksgiving is definitely on the top of the list! The turkey is thawing in the refrigerator, and salads and pumpkin and apple pies are on the menu. We are enjoying our last few days with our coworkers (and family!) Andy and Chrissy Shaub, and Lee and Liana, before they return to the USA for a six-month time of home assignment the first week of December. We do appreciate your prayers as we make the adjustments to a smaller ministry team (as in, just Kathy and I!) over the next months.

And may you also find tomorrow a day of thankfulness and blessing as you find your rest in our God Most High!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy
 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me...” (Matthew 19:14)

The Lita River valley is home to seven community schools and about 400 children, a majority of whom are Awa. We often find ourselves involved in these schools in different ways: last week we handed out pencils and school supplies to the children in the La Colonia school. These kids are the next generation, a generation growing up in changing times as roads, electricity, and technology make their way into these mountains. We find it easy to love these little ones, and how we long to see them growing up with a knowledge of God. Would you pray along with us that in each of our interactions we could be a part of bringing these young ones to Jesus?

We continue to hold two services most Sundays, in Rio Verde as well as in Palmira. Our goal is to have a “united Sunday” once a month where we gather both groups for the service and a lunch meal together. Attendance dropped over the summer months as many Awa spent more time at their outlying farms, but some have returned since the beginning of the school year. The regular Sunday soccer games in Palmira have resumed, creating an area of conflict for many: how hard it is to choose to attend church when a rousing soccer game is on! Paulino’s wife Manuela also finds this difficult, as she cooks and sells “empanadas” (fried breads) and other food to the hungry soccer players. This has been a source of conflict for Paulino as he would love to see his whole family in church each Sunday. “But I can’t drag them here by force!” he says. Sound familiar? Yes, this struggle seems to be the same challenge in many cultures! Please pray with Paulino that his family and friends would treasure God above all else.

Our good friends and co-workers Andreas and Donata Schiller, along with daughters Noemí and Mattea, have recently returned to Germany to investigate some serious health concerns for Donata. The Schillers work with young people in ministries in and around Ibarra, especially with college-age youth. Please pray for the Schillers as they seek to find medical help. We would love to have them return to work with the team here in Ecuador, but overall our desire is to have them right where God would have them to be.

We appreciate your prayers! Here are a few prayer updates:

• Gloria is doing much better health-wise! She has more medical exams in November, but for the moment is happy to be able to eat more of a normal diet. (The picture shows Gloria with two of her five grandchildren.)
• The new internet connection has continued (mostly!) stable and we have been very thankful for the easier access.
• Milton continues to come most weeks for Bible study and also Sundays for church, although he often struggles with discouragement. We have wanted to help him to re-connect with his extended family, so that they are able to see that he desires to walk in obedience to God. Please pray with us that he would understand how to live in honesty and transparency before them.

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

September happenings

Computers are fun!

For some time we've hoped to find a way to reach out to the youth in the community of Palmira. After thinking, praying, and talking to the community, we decided to offer a basic computer course. Over 30 young folks quickly signed up! We gathered several older laptops and bought some Spanish keyboards, loaded them up with a Linux operating system, and two weeks ago began the classes. The world of technology is new and intriguing; these young folks really want to learn! Paulino's three older sons—Salomon, Romulo, and Abram are among the students, along with several of the community leaders who need to be able to type up letters and paperwork.

    • Please pray that the classes would be a good avenue for building friendships, and a beginning step in opening hearts to consider following God.

The week of September 10th we had the joy of attending the Global Member Care Network conference just outside of Quito. There we met many folks from around the world who work in the area of missionary member care. We attended many workshops and sessions. A special emphasis of the conference this year dealt with the member care of our Latin American co-workers, a topic of special interest to us as we are privileged to work alongside a dedicated team of Ecuadorian pastors, missionaries, and young folks (many of them the children of our Ecuadorian families) who God is raising up to reach and disciple the lost in this country!

    • Our Liebenzell Ecuador team at our yearly retreat in August; please pray that we would work together in love and unity as we minister here in the different areas of northern Ecuador.

Our long-time Awa friend Gloria has joined Kathy in helping to teach the children's class on Sundays in Palmira! Gloria loves to emphasize to the kids the importance of following God, often sharing parts of her own testimony. After being hospitalized in July with complications from an auto-immune disorder (scleroderma), she is now feeling stronger but continues on a liquid-only diet. She has many doctor appointments and exams scheduled this month; through all of this her attitude has remained cheerful and upbeat as she thanks God for His daily help.

    • Thanks for praying for Gloria's health, as the doctors are considering the possibility of a surgery to widen her esophagus.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We appreciate your standing with us as we work here among the Awa.

(helping a friend move his sugar cane on our way home from church)
 

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy