Oh, where to start? It's now 9:45pm Monday night, the 20th. Yes, my dear Marylin Rhoads, I have been here in the city eight days. In contrast to quiet little San Fernando, Santa Cruz feels like the United States of America on the 4th of July... every day and night!
but...
GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!!!!
I don't understand prayer or God totally, which is good: that is where faith comes in. But I know that somehow our prayers motivate God to move in a way that is undeniable.
BIG ANSWER TO PRAYER: BETH BROWN FROM KANSAS CITY WILL FLY BACK TO SAN FERNANDO WITH ME on December 30th, and accompany me for a month, at least.
Beth Brown- Lovely, joyful, willing. A single, 60-year-old woman from Kansas City, who felt God calling her to serve Him in Bolivia for six months... She has been here three months already. She has two grown children, four grandchildren, MUCH life experience and a HUGE heart. I am so thrilled about BETH BROWN, and what God is going to do in and through her in San Fernando!!!!!!
NEXT BIG PRAYER REQUEST: I hope and PRAY Dina is able to join me/us in San Fernando in February . She has to finish her seminary thesis about San Fernando, pay a $500 Seminary debt before she can come back, and have her church support her for ministry in S.F.)
There are one million things I want to tell all of you about the last 4-6 months in San Fernando, and about my time here in Santa Cruz.
For those of you who are "bottom line" folks... here it is:
6 MONTH MINISTRY OVERVIEW in SAN FERNANDO, BOLIVIA
*To God be the Glory: He was heard, seen, shared, and worshiped.
*Children, youth, women and men have turned to Christ.
*6 Believers are being discipled to understand God more deeply: Bella, Pastora, Rosmary, Adela, Maryluz, and Hernan.
* 4 Believers are CURRENTLY rotating the responsibility of leading the Bible studies in our absence: Wilber, Pastora, Bella and Hernan.
*11 families of non-believers have been visited on a regular basis.
* 6 Bibles have been given to non-church-going families who have asked for them, and agreed to have a Bible study in their homes.
*4 weekly church services have been held: Wednesday night Prayer service, Thursday Kids Club, Saturday night Youth service, Sunday morning Sunday school, and Sunday night Bible study.
* 3 mornings a week I have taught English or Art in the town school.
CROSS-CULTURAL COUNTRY LIVING OVERVIEW
*Cross-cultural communication is about WAY more than just knowing the language. It has so many layers I was TOTALLY UNAWARE OF, even after the month-long intensive class I took on cross-cultural communication at the JAARS/WYCLIFF center in North Carolina.
*My Spanish: I had daily reminders that my Spanish is far from perfect. What an amazingly HUMBLING thing it is to be the only North American in a place. I've had to lay down the ways I talk, think, reason, and do things, for a different way of the people in a country that is not my own. Jimena and Dina have taugh me much--both intentionally and unintentionally. The three of us did learn to function as a team.
*We did use our mud oven to bake a cake and to roast a goat.
* Our garden has green beans, cucumberish things and Chaya (spinach-like in nutrition) which WE ARE EATING! My onions, carrots, tomatoes, and squash are not doing well. I'm taking seeds back, and look forward to retilling and adding WAY MORE compost/fertilizer to the soil and starting again in some areas.
*Yes, the little dog we got in September died in October. But my sweet cat is doing great. In the last four months we have not had any mice or snakes in or near the house PRAISE GOD. He has brought middle-sized lizards inside, in his month to show us, which we shooed out with him, and he ate outside.
*Yes, we have tarantulas. Our kitty does not kill them, because they shoot out their hairs when threatened that cause you to itch all over (not fun), BUT they are not hard to kill, and now I can kill them without screaming ( a great improvement!)
* I don't think I'll get another dog, but I am considering chickens. ;-) And possibly a horse! One of our neighbors was walking past when I was outside cutting weeds in the church lot near our garden the week before we came back to Santa Cruz. He had four lovely large horses and one baby horse that I made a joke about wanting to buy. He laughed, but stopped and gave me a price of $140. He could "house it", or what ever you call that... He said it would possibly be ready to ride in a year...hmm...we will see.
* Jimena and I went horse-back riding to a local ranch twice, for a total of eight hours riding. I think I've got it.
*I drink Mate all the time with San Fernando people. It's almost becoming part of me.
* Women do not exercise, other than the very few who play volley ball with the youth on Sunday afternoons ( I think I'm getting better... they are all very good). Girls seldom play soccer, which is too bad, BUT THE ROAD that goes out of town and into the DEEP forest goes right past our house. On my early morning runs I've seen small tree monkeys, Hochy (large rodent), rabbits, one small snake, large parrots (blue, red, and green), toucans, and many other birds that I still don't know the names of.
OK, it's late. Sorry this doesn't have pictures... Hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for reading, and for being part of this great adventure of making Jesus famous in San Fernando.
OH, ONE MORE THING!
I NOW HAVE A PROJECTOR! I hope to use it a lot to show the words to songs, and show movies once a week. THAT IS A HUGE ANSWER TO PRAYER. SAMAIR BOUGHT IT. IF YOU EVER WANT TO DONATE TO THEM, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THEY ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO BE A GREAT SUPPORT FOR ME!
OK, MORE LATER
Seek Jesus,
Katie Wells
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Woo HOo Glad to hear all the good news. Mrs. Brown is an answer to prayer. WOw Later, my dear. nite.
ReplyDeleteLove, Marylin