FEBRUARY – IT’S ‘CARNAVAL’ TIME!

The happy sounds of children laughing and playing fills the air in these days of ‘Carnaval’ holiday-time. All across Ecuador, people enjoy this season by splashing water—and often other much stickier substances like eggs, borojó fruit, and brightly colored powders---on each other. These are the days of fun and celebration before Ash Wednesday February 26th, which began the more serious 40 days of Lent countdown until Easter week.

But in some ways the happy sounds are only a superficial mask to the darkness that reigns in so many homes here in AwaLand. As we get caught up on the local news, tales of immorality are rampant, unhappy homes and broken relationships. My heart was saddened this week as I sat with V., one of my Awa friends, and he openly shared with me that he no longer wanted to follow God. “I’ve watched the ones who supposedly are following God,” he said, “and I’ve seen their poor testimonies and immorality. And God took Paulino early, when he was young still. I’m just not wanting to follow that path anymore.” Please pray for V. – we know that God is not finished with him yet.

We are reminded of the seriousness of the spiritual battle that is taking place here in these mountains, a battle for the hearts and minds of the Awa. Please pray that, like Peter in the storm, our eyes would stay focused on our Father God!

Your prayers do make a difference! One way we have seen God at work answering those prayers (right in the midst of the battle!) is in Paulino’s family. During the last 8 months since their father’s death they have had many struggles, but we have seen signs that they are turning to God even in those trials. Last Sunday, while daughter Anaí said the six memory verses from Romans to our coworker Andy (and so earned her new Bible story book!), another daughter, Martha, came to me to ask about being baptized, along with older sister Monica and brother Rómulo.

Another one of Paulino’s sons, Abraham, bravely decided to attend the Mission’s Carnaval youth camp, even though he was the only Awa going! Our German Impact helper Lucas has been a great encouragement to both Abraham and Rómulo, encouraging them to follow God.
In HIS grip, Kevin & Kathy Bruce

                                                             Picture of the month:

2 Thess. 3:2-3 “…For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful….”

We are back in Ecuador!

Thanks for your prayers for our trip; God was gracious to help us along the way with His mighty hand. Goodbyes are always hard, and even harder, we are learning, with a little grandson to leave behind! But even there we felt our Father’s comfort. And truly we had much to be thankful for along the way: The big pile of heavy suitcases didn’t break our backs :-) and even though Kathy got the ‘red’ light and had to go through customs, there was no problem with any of the suitcases and she wasn’t delayed more than five minutes. We even had an empty seat beside us on the flight from Atlanta to Quito and were able to stretch out a little more!

Adjustments are always in order as we switch worlds: first back into Ecuadorian life, catching up on what is going on in the country and wrapping our tongues around Spanish; and then on into AwaLand, and thinking and speaking as our Awa friends do. We were joyful to see many of our co-workers and friends in this first week here! The Shaubs and the Awa church had planned a special Sunday for us, with a delicious lunch of chicken soup, lentils, rice, yucca, and plantains. We were received with much love and even a few hugs, which means much when coming from our rather stoic people.

In 2 Corinthians chapter one, Paul calls our God the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” and goes on to comment that God comforts us in our struggles so that we will be able to pass on that comfort to others who may be in need of it. As we look back on our six months there in the USA, Kathy and I felt that comfort and encouragement from so many of you! Please pray with us that as we jump into life here that we would be able to pass on to our friends here that same comfort, mercy, and encouragement.

A few prayer requests:
    • For God’s guidance as we join with our coworkers Andy & Chrissy to make up a ministry plan for 2020
    • For new Liebenzell missionaries Marcel & Faith as they adjust to Ecuador and begin Spanish studies
    • For the pastor of the Cotacachi church, Walter and his wife Pamela, as they face some difficult decisions concerning their future
    • For wisdom and unity as I re-join the leadership team here
    • That we would face the challenges of ministry with our hearts resting in our Sovereign God

In HIS grip,
Kevin & Kathy

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