A Little Bit of Everything

Note from Katie (sent in via USB)

9.15 P.M. Sunday, April 3, 2011.

Another great day; very different from yesterday, but both great. I can really tell many people are praying for me.  I feel like I go from victory to victory. What a great season of life to be in. My days start and end with prayer, and it is sprinkled all through the day. That is so key:  constant communication with GOD.

I had been reading Jeremiah after I had previously read Isaiah. Now for my personal study of The Word, I have jumped to 1 Peter, for a change of pace.

Friday I stopped by Rosemary’s house to chat for a while.  She attends the Wednesday afternoon Bible study I have at her aunt Candelaria’s house. On Friday,  Rosemary was telling me her husband is out of town for a while.  He went to work on a ranch. He left mad at her, because she was upset with his drinking. He is known in town for being a mal boracho (a bad drunk). When he is drunk, he’s mean. And he may continue drinking for days if others offer it to him. Just that morning I had read 1 Peter 3 about believing wives who are married to non-believers. At the risk of it sounding trite, I told her 1 Peter 3 has something to do with her situation. She was content I brought up 1 Peter! She told me she just started reading 1 Peter too THAT MORNING! I believe her. She likes to read. I gave her a book by Nancy Lee DeMoss, and every now and then I ask her about it, and she will give me a little book report. Pray for Rosemary.

Yesterday morning at 6:30 after my time in prayer, and feeding my duck & chickens ;-) I headed over to Hernan and Maryluz’s yard to sit and have our regular morning mate  (pronounced “mah tay”) with them.  They have only been part of the church a few years, but since I have been in San Fernando they are an integral part of the small body of believers. In the mornings we talk about everything from God, to Japan, to baseball, to the problem of alcoholism in the town. Pray for them.  They are in the Monday and Friday afternoon study in the church for the few strong believers, on the Doctrines of Salvation.

After a half hour or so, when I had came back to the house I had breakfast with Paola. Then we opened again to Psalm 139, which after studying together nearly every morning for the last month, we both know very well.  We compared it to Joshua 1:9.  I hope and pray that God’s word is truly sinking down into her heart, and that she will apply it to her life. She is not a Christian yet, but a very nice girl who seems interested in the things of God.  Our month has been “without event”. Calm and lovely PRAISE GOD IN HEAVEN WHO IS ALSO VERY PRESENT WITH US! We have breakfast together, then devotions. I do the dishes, sweep, wash my clothes and do whatever needs to be done.  She does her homework. Her school classes are in the afternoon from 1:30-5:30.  I make lunch.  Sometimes she will stay and eat with me, sometimes she goes over to her aunt and uncle's house to eat with them.

Yesterday, a little bit later in the morning, Candelaria came over. She needed to see which glasses worked best for her. She and I had been studying the Bible together before Christmas but it was always hard for her to see.  NOT ANYMORE!!!! PRAISE GOD! IT’S REALLY SO COOL! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SENT READING GLASSES DOWN HERE! THEY ARE A HUGE BLESSING.  Tomorrow morning another older woman is coming to my house to get some reading glasses! She wants to read the Bible too! AMEN! I LOVE THIS!

After Candelaria had gone home, it started to rain.  It rained the rest of the day. It was a calm day that I spent mostly in my room… rain is permission to stay home. In the evening it seemed like it would rain again, so I didn’t have a youth service, but the little neighbor kids came over anyway. So on my larger lap top I showed Prince of Egypt. That was fun. One of the girls, Elana, knew the story. She is a very smart 13 year old girl who lives near by. She and Paola are first cousins, through their mothers.

This morning, after mate' with the neighbors, I got ready for Sunday school and the church service but it started to rain. I was going to teach the kids--sitting on benches behind the church--today, and Bella was going to lead the others in a study on Luke 8:22-28, but how things change! We were supposed to start at 8:15, and finish at 9:00, so they could go to the town meeting, but no kids came and a few adults sprinkled in at 8:45. Bella saved her study until the evening (which was great because it was packed tonight, about 40 people!) and this morning I shared Ephesians 6:1-4, and Colossians 3:20-22. At the end of our little devotional together, in attendance were Bella, Hernan and his wife, and also another couple who have started coming to the church regulary since January (PRAISE GOD!). They all seemed to be very content to hear these passages and to pray about applying them. It was nice.

This afternoon I went visiting, which is always enjoyable. Later on we had our evening service.  Many “non-churched” women, men, kids and youth came.  PRAY FOR CHANGED LIVES. Wednesday we had visitors:  the missionary pilot, Greg, had brought a few other missionaries for a visit. So our Wednesday night prayer service was WELL attended by curious San Fernando folks, ~30 kids, 18 women (age 12-40ish), and ~20 men(age 12-40ish). Greg shared a very clear message on prayer, then we broke up into 3 groups and we prayed . It was AWESOME. PRAY FOR LIVES TO BE CHANGED, AND PEOPLE TO TRULY BEGIN TO FOLLOW CHRIST. It is such a struggle. It’s now 10:45 at night and I can hear music in the distance… music late at night means some one found a battery that works for their radio and men or youth are drinking.

This struggle is not against flesh and blood……..