Happy New Year

After a joyful week of Christmas with our kids, we now find ourselves with full and thankful hearts as we look ahead to a new year. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have been a part of our lives, sharing with us the joys and sorrows of this last year. We are truly honored and blessed to serve alongside you in that great Kingdom work of sharing God's wonderful message of HOPE to the world around us.

Now, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope! (Rom 15:13)

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

November News

Rest & Renewal

The last few months have been filled with a busy calendar and many miles of travel. Meeting with so many of you who share the vision of reaching the Awa (and the world!) has been a great encouragement to our hearts. We find it truly amazing that so many of you pray for the Awa, know many of the believers by name, and actually read these long, rambling prayer letters we write. May God richly bless you!! :-)

The month of November began with a gentle and refreshing time of ‘rest’ as we attended a SonScape retreat in Colorado. During the week-long retreat there were times of encouraging teaching, good fellowship in worship and meals together with our hosts, as well as many quiet hours for prayer and reflection. We felt the heavy burdens, losses, and worries of this last term fading as we were able to focus on the One who calls to us: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

(Matthew 11:28 NIV) In our September letter we had mentioned our prayer that God would show us how to find a heart-rest for the burden of ministry we have struggled under. We are incredibly thankful for how God is teaching our hearts to “Be still and know that I am God!” right in the midst of stormy seas, crumbling mountains, and raging nations. (see Psalm 46) We also see His provision as He renews a passion in us for ‘God-worship’ among the Awa people.

November also finds us settled here in New Hampshire, where we are blessed to be able to stay in my parents’ house while they head out to spend the winter in Florida. This week we saw the first few snowflakes of the season floating down, making us thankful for the boxes of winter clothes we found in the attic! This month includes eye-clinic, chiropractor, and doctor visits for us, as well as the joy of being more involved at our home church here in Spofford, NH.

As the Thanksgiving season comes upon us, we are thankful for..

• safety in many miles of travel in our Righteous Rides van.
• our daughter Keilah doing well after the snakebite; your prayers and concern have been so greatly appreciated!
• the strikes and riots in Ecuador calming down.
• God’s provision of strength for the Shaubs as they minister to the Awa children, youth, and adults.
• the blessing of attending the SonScape retreat.
• our God who made us, knows us, and sees our hearts (as David said in Psalm 139).

 

We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving! 

May you, along with us, be thankful that as His children we are….

...in His grip, Kevin & Kathy

September and October travels and adventures...

Wow, last month went by so fast we failed to get a letter out to you all! :-) This week finds us unexpectedly in the state of Missouri (more on that below), enjoying the last warmth of the summer before fall arrives.

Yes, we have been busy...but such enjoyable busy-ness!! Kathy and I often remark that we are greatly blessed as we travel to give ministry updates to the different churches and folks that support us because we get to see firsthand so many who are spiritually alive, doing the work of the Kingdom. We find ourselves greatly encouraged to see God at work through you...rubbing shoulders with so many of you is certainly a great privilege!

And yes, we have traveled far and wide, logging in over 7000 miles. A big THANK YOU to all who have provided hospitality to us along the way (and to those who are planning on receiving us in the future). Thank you also for praying that we can be a blessing wherever we go as we share about Jesus' gift of 'grace upon grace' (John 1:16).

Being here in Missouri this week was a bit unexpected! A week ago Sunday our daughter Keilah was bitten by a large copperhead snake while she and Jeremy were heading out for a swim at the lake here at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) where they are students. Keilah was in front, pushing our grandson Ronin in the stroller, and they were just arriving at the lakeside when she felt the snake bite her (none of them saw it til afterwards). We are thankful Jeremy was able to rush Keilah to the hospital right away, as she went through several hours of miserable pain and vomiting before being released the next day. Over the next few days the redness and swelling increased, but now, a week later, Keilah is recovering remarkably well. We are glad that we were able to travel down here to be with her and Jeremy as she recovers from this traumatic event. Of course we always enjoy the time with little Ronin as well! We thank God that the snake did not bite one of the many children who were around that day (including Ronin in the stroller!) as the bite of a copperhead, though rarely fatal to adults, can be to children. Today, just over a week later, Keilah was even able to attend classes here at the MTC! 

This week has been a tumultuous week in Ecuador. The government announced that it could no longer afford to keep the nation’s fuel subsidies in place.

This news caused the transportation companies to call for a country-wide protest and strike, blockading the roads and marching in the streets. The government then declared a state of emergency in order to have the authority to clear the roads and provide safety to the citizens. It is sad because some of the ruffians often take advantage of such chaos to loot the stores and markets. After two days the transportation strike was called off, but the uprising has been carried on by the many rural indigenous groups.

Some protests have turned violent, and there has been one reported death. Please pray for the country of Ecuador, that peace and stability can return. Our missionary coworkers down there have all been okay, although they have had to lay low during the unrest, and food and gasoline are in short supply.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our coworkers the Shaubs and the Awa ministry. Life in the mountains remains mostly calm, even when the political problems in the city escalate. There are advantages to working in a remote village as opposed to urban life!

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Picture credits: Kevin preaching: Dick McCreight, Ecuador road blocks: www.teleSurTV.net

Rest & Renewal

“Come unto Me, all you who are weary...”

One of our prayers for this time here in the USA is that the Lord would help us to have a time of rest – not just a physical rest, but also a time of heart-rest as we allow Him to renew our strength and passion for His work. We are often reminded of Jesus’ words from Matthew 11:28, written in Awa on the wall-hanging at the back of the church in Palmira:
 

Jesús kaizta: Na u kwaizkulninnanash.

(Jesus said: “I will give you rest.”)

We are thankful to our Heavenly Father for wonderful times with so many family and friends along the way thus far! We are presently relaxing in northern Maine with my parents at their cabin. We are thankful for the beauty of vivid sunsets

, as well as the wildflowers and trees of the woods, and the moments of peacefulness when we hear just the wind, waves, and warbled cries of the loons.

Thanks to so many of you who have helped us make the connections needed to get our calendar scheduled for the next few months! (For those who would like to see where we are each Sunday, here is our fall schedule.)

Thanks also for your continued prayers for our coworkers Andy and Chrissy Shaub, as they hold down the fort in Ecuador. They have already faced many challenges in the ministry, including the funeral for an older Awa friend, Alfonso. Pray that God will give them daily strength and that they would sense His guidance in each situation that comes up.

In His grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Greetings to all from the USA!

Greetings to all from the USA!

We arrived here (complete with 250 beautiful roses from Ecuador!) ten days ago, just in time for all the busyness of wedding preparations for Kimberly and Zach. We thank the Lord for many helping hands that joined in to make July 20^th a very special day! We enjoyed meeting Zach’s parents Greg and Tina Burt, who work in Thailand, along with several of their coworkers. The day was especially joyful as we not only joined two families, but also appreciated the fellowship of gathering with many other friends, the greater family of God.

 Presenting Mr & Mrs Burt!

 And now begins our six-month time here in the USA! For the moment we are staying at the Ethnos 360 Missionary Training Center in Missouri with Keilah and Jeremy, who are just finishing their first year here. We are having great fun practicing being Grandma and Grandpa with Ronin, who recently turned 1 year old! Many of Kathy’s family also live in this area, so we are enjoying the chance to see many of them (the last time we were here in this area was five years ago!) Mid-August we will head for parts further north and east, and some vacation time in Maine with my family.

 

Please pray for Andy and Chrissy Shaub back in Ecuador, holding down the fort while we are gone. In the last few weeks before we left, the Ecuadorian police and military made a big push to clear out the illegal miners from the gold mine near the village of Buenos Aires. The authorities escorted over 5,000 people out of the mining area, while many others fled on their own. We trust that our faithful God will use this effort to bring a more peaceful atmosphere to our region. News sources are saying that this gold deposit is likely the biggest in all of South America, perhaps the second largest in the world. We foresee big changes in the future for the Awa people and our quiet mountains.

 

Illegal Mining – Photo Ministry of Environment

 

We are blessed by your participation in our lives and in the ministry with the Awa. What joy it brings us to be able to see so many of you in the next few weeks and months!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

Wedding photo credits: Morgan Humphrey

June in review

We are wrapping up our time here in Ecuador as we prepare for a six-month home assignment there in the USA! It seems that June has been a full month…

...We joyfully welcomed Andy & Chrissy Shaub back from their time States-side. Spending six months without them was certainly a lesson in co-worker appreciation! :-) Please pray for them as they experience this next six months here in AwaLand without us. We are thankful for Lukas, one of the German Impact program youth who spent the last year helping out here in Ecuador, who has decided to stay another year in order to help out with the Awa work. Lukas not only can help Andy with the physical work of mountaintop living, but also has a heart to start a youth group with the Awa young people.

...Many of the young Awa folks that we have helped this year to learn to use a computer and to practice the high school equivalency test, took their exams on June 19th and 20th. We haven’t yet heard how many passed this GED-type test, but it was a joy to be able to help them in this way and to build relationships along the way!

...Paulino’s wife Manuela and children continue to grieve the loss of their father and husband, but we have been encouraged to see her standing firm in her desire to follow God and to take care of her family. She has cows and pastures to take care of, fish ponds to keep the water running to, clearing and planting crops to tend to, as well as a large family to feed. Thanks for praying for her in this difficult time, and pray that as a church we would continue to find  helpful ways to accompany her in this time of need.

...Medical Caravan 2019 just finished up this week, with over 400 Awa from three Awa communities receiving help. This year was our first year to go to Rio Verde Medio, a small community where some of the poorest Awa in our area live. Along with the medical treatment there, a VBS program was held for the children, and some of our friends gave something like 70+ haircuts! We pray that we were able to show a love and compassion for these folks that testifies of who our God is.

...and I rounded out the month with a men’s retreat with the Kichwa from the church in Chirihuasi. Our friend Angel, who helped with the Palmira church construction, headed up this retreat and invited me to help with the teaching (in Spanish). What a blessing it is to spend time with these men, brothers in Christ and part of His family.  Even though I don’t speak Kichwa, I enjoyed hearing them sharing, giving testimonies, and singing in their own native tongue.

Next job is to pack up our house here in AwaLand and finalize those suitcases. We continue to work on our itinerary for the months we will be there in the USA, so do contact us if you would like to get a visit on the calendar. Thanks again for being a part of the ministry here!

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

unless a grain of wheat...

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

 

Sunday May 19th was a happy day, as we gathered for worship in Palmira in Diosta Paikum Yal (God’s House of Prayer.) About 70 Awa came, and we noticed specifically that it was about half kids and half adults attending that day. During the service, as he always did, Paulino joined us singing at the front, playing the tambourine, and then later continued the story of the life of Joseph for the children. He animatedly told about how Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt to buy food, and found themselves bowing right in front of (unbeknownst to them) their own brother, Joseph, just like God had said they would in Joseph’s earlier dream. Paulino also reminded the congregation how important God’s word is: to listen to it and to pay attention. Later, after the service was over, we laughed and talked together, and ate chickens, boiled plantains, and rice; a good time of fellowship for all.

Sunday May 26th, exactly a week later, we gathered with over two hundred Awa to put Paulino’s earthly body to rest in a hole dug on Paulino’s own land, a small knoll overlooking the San Francisco river. There was much sadness, and many tears were shed. A few days before Paulino had made a trip to Ibarra, where he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and had died Friday evening in the hospital in Quito.

From the first phone call with news that Paulino was in the hospital, Kathy and I had a verse come to mind--John 12:23, Jesus’ words as He contemplated His coming death: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (We later received an email, also sharing this verse, and had others tell us that this was a verse that also came to their minds.)

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone…

 

The last four years have been a low point in the Awa ministry, as we first lost church leader Milton to the sin of adultery, and others made a choice to walk away from God. On Sundays as I lead the services, Paulino has been literally the only Awa man who has had the courage to stand with me and help to sing and teach from the front. During these last four years, Paulino’s heart ached for his oldest son, Salomon, and the many in his community of Palmira who week after week chose not to listen to the teaching and not to follow God.

And so God used this verse to prepare our hearts for what was coming. Paulino, 51 years old, entered the presence of His Savior on Friday evening. His casket was in Palmira by 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The next 30 hours was the ‘velorio’ (wake), with perhaps around 400 Awa and Ecuadorians coming and going. Some were crying, some were stoic, some were drunk, but all had words of appreciation for Paulino. During the night, we sang songs, played music, and showed the 4 hours of the Matthew version of the Jesus movie. Many watched from beginning to end. A year and half before, I had recorded a video of Paulino singing a song he had written and we played the video several times. Projected on the front wall right over his casket, large for all to see, Paulino’s image sang for his family and his people: “Kwisha watkultus, Dioskasa ɨrɨnash, pailta payukima, nane mintuchish,” (I am very happy, I am going with God forever, I am not worried).

...but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

 

We wondered if God knew what He was doing! Paulino, the only church leader we have…how can we continue the ministry without him?
And then we begin to see God at work:
    • Meregildo, fallen away from God and the church, crying on Paulino’s casket: “Oh, my brother, I’ve been so far away, but I want to return.”
    • Sandra telling us that her husband Jaime has been asking for several weeks now, “How would I study God’s word more? I want to be a Bible teacher. Are there schools for that?”
    • Romulo, Paulino’s 17 year old son, “I want to become just like my father and follow God strongly. And I want to be baptized.”
    • Gloria, telling us that her daughter Lorena wants to be baptized.
    • Cecilia, telling us: “For the first time my husband Porfidio pulled out his cell phone with the Awa New Testament and taught God’s word to our family.”
    • Milton, calling Kevin on the phone with words of apology, saying he would like to sit down and talk in the coming days.

This is just four days’ worth! Thanks for your prayers. There are still many tears being shed, as Paulino’s wife Manuela and the 12 children adjust to life without their husband and father. Will you pray with us that many hearts will be softened, and changed, and the ‘seed’ of Paulino’s life will bear an abundant harvest of fruit among the Awa people?

Paulino leaves behind wife Manuela (47) and 12 children: His oldest four kids are married, the first three have children of their own, for a total of 6 grandkids. The children are: Sandra (27, married to Jaime, with 4 kids), Diana (26, married to Patricio, with 1 little boy), Monica (24, married to Jesus, with 1 little boy), Salomon (21, 'shacked up' with Pacha, not sure if this relationship will last), Martha (19), Romulo (17), Abraham (15), Anai (13), Karina (11), Franklin (9), Maycol (7), Logan (4). Six boys and six girls; and six grandkids: three girls and three boys!

Thank you for your prayers!
In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy