The Problem with Being Determined

Note from Katie (sent in via USB)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011 3:41p.m.

From the last time I wrote, I feel like the conclusion was basically that prayer is good and necessary… and needs to be constant.

It had been months since I had visited the two families on the other side of the river. They have the canoe, so they need to be with me to cross, or I need to go down to the bank and yell. I asked Paola how to yell; I knew there must be a special way. She could not accompany me because she had classes in the afternoon. The way to yell is “WHOOOOOOOOOOOO”.
 I saw the younger couple on Sunday in the “town” and they asked when I was going to come over. In the dry season when we could walk across, I went often to visit them and their aging parents, whom I truly enjoy and respect. Soooo, today I determined would be my day to pack my little bag of things they might need… Ibuprofen and new glasses and since it looked like it could rain I grabbed my umbrella. I locked up the church and went on my way. There is a longer way to go on the main town road, or a little path behind the church.  I took the little path, which is mostly used by cows. I didn’t pray about going; I just went. I didn’t stop to seek God first. Sure, this morning I prayed that God would lead me to go where he wanted me to go, but I HAD PLANNED to cross the river today. Well, I got down to the bank and my “WHOOOO” worked.  I saw a little person very far off, up on the other bank but way back in by their house.  They “whooooo”ed back, I “whooooo”ed again, so I guess I made contact. As I waited for them to come down…far-off thunder got louder and louder and the wind picked up. There was a window of time that someone could have come and got me and I could have spent the afternoon with them…. But my very-pregnant friend who I finally saw on the other side up on the bank waved but didn’t go down to the canoe… She was too far away to yell any actually words like “ Tomorrow”.  As I turned around to head back to the church, up the path, the rain started. Soon my little path was a little stream. The wet weeds that were across the path plastered my old thin blue jeans to my legs. My umbrella helped some to keep the rest of me dry. If I prayed about going first before I set off, would I have sensed God leading me not to go? I may have gone back to Hermana Bella's house.

I went over to Bella's for a lite dinner last night, with hopes of afterwards learning more songs she knows, so that I can sing them in church.  We had a nice visit, but the mosquitos were too bad, and the lack of light was not condusive to anything else but eating together and talking a little while. Bella is the oldest believer in the church, and is seen as the church leader. I came to San Fernando to help her, and the church. I believe we have been effective here, strengthening the believers and evangelizing the rest of the town. I realize lasting change does not come quickly.

The last few weeks I have had the wonderful privilege of giving people SIGHT! In the church services I always talk about “spiritual sight” when we sing the song “Open the eyes of my heart Lord”. Well, I can not open their spiritual eyes--that is only between them and God, but I can give them GLASSES!

I have enjoyed helping the SLOW stream of people who have come to my house. First it was 3 of the 4 ladies who are believers in the Monday/Friday discipleship class on The Doctrines of Salvation. I love when they come to study:  they all have their glasses on, and every one can read. They are all in their 40’s. Candelaria, a women I’ve been reaching out to came to get reading glasses on Sunday SO WE CAN STUDY THE BIBLE TOGETHER. What is better than that??? Nothing. It is so fun to find the right "number" of prescription that helps them see the best. Yesterday another four ladies came because the word is getting around, and I have plenty of reading glasses to go around.  THANK YOU TO SO MANY WONDERFUL FOLKS LIKE YOU WHO SENT THESE GLASSES DOWN! Those four ladies are not believers and not in any of my Bible studies, but I know them, and have visited with them in their homes. After they got glasses which fit them, I prayed for them. It was nice. God will speak to their hearts in his time. This morning Paola’s Aunt Crespa (which is really her nick name, I don’t know her real name… Crespa means curly.  Yes her hair is VERY curly ;-)  ) and her Uncle Pepe came to get glasses. It really is a joyful thing helping someone SEE! I have two sight tests:   reading the Bible, Psalm 27; and the ladies thread a needle. I pray God blesses them all, and they in return bless him with lives that honor him.  It’s all in God’s perfect timing as to when people truly turn from pleasing themselves, to truly living for God.

After living with Paola for a month now, and having daily devotions from Psalm 139 and Joshua 1:9, just this morning I got talking about how we can have two birthdays, by being “born again” and what that means. Also I explained why the evangelical church and I believe in adult baptism. Paola’s cousin Elaina was with us this morning for breakfast and devotions. I’ve gone with them both to a few evening Mass services in the Catholic church, out of curiosity. I am very glad I went.  Every child is baptized in the catholic church, most children of San Fernando know what to do in the Masses. Through recited prayers they have asked for their sins to be forgiven MANY times. With the exception of the 4 families of believers, all of the adults, youth and  children who come to our church services also go to Mass.  What are they thinking? Are some starting to see, know, and feel the difference? Pray for THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPEAK TO QUESTIONING HEARTS AND MINDS:  that the truth would be clear. I need more Bibles. Everyone wants a Bible in their home. It is great. Through the grape vine I hear how people are changing.  It’s slow.

Ok the rain has stopped.  It’s 4:44 p.m.  I am going over to visit with Bella again. I would  LOVE to learn a new song and make guitar chords to go with it, so I can play and sing it in church. A new song to me, mind you, will be an old and comfortable song to them, a song which they all know.

 Oh, to be transparent, as you are praying for all that I have mentioned…please  also pray for my heart’s desire to be married. I know that must not be any surprise to you. In whatever direction God leads you to pray. I desire what God has for me. If that is to never marry, pray for contentment and joy if that is God’s perfect plan. Currently I am praying God would prepare me to be the best wife and mother possible. I have loved having Paola in my house this last month. It has been good "mother practice". I also pray God is preparing my husband… if indeed he exists ;-) God’s timing is perfect.

Walking in Faith together.

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…….. 

En La Manana

28 de Marzo 2011, 11.45 A.M.

      Chicken in one hand, yucca in the other, along with a bag full of corn, sugar cane and chitimoya. I am walking back to my house.  It’s been a good morning, though the sweat is rolling down my face and arms. My goal: showing people Jesus loves them.
      One family lives a ways outside of the town.  The matriarch of the family is named Mercedes (yes, like the car). A while ago she asked if I could bring her some size14 sewing machine needles. I wanted to bring her the needles that had come in with Greg's last flight a week ago. I also had a few more things I wanted to give them. She and her two grown daughters were out in their field. I went out to join them. They have a little shelter to rest in, between working and chasing birds from their corn. We had a lovely visit. They are pleasant folks, who smile and laugh easily. They asked me how much the needles cost.  I told them I had asked Tom Throssel the SAM missionary Aviation Mechanic (also  my boss) who bought the needles how much they were, and he told me they were so cheap, that I could just give them away. When I told Mercedes that, rather than be happy, she insisted on paying me.  She gave me 10 bolivianos. On top of that, I  left with my bag full of corn to eat and to give to my chickens.  We had such a nice visit, and talked about many things. She asked about my mother. I am always so blessed when people ask me about my family or how I am doing. I can ask them about their families, their feelings, their lives but they share little with me until they see me as a person, and truly trust me. I truly enjoy visiting people in their homes, seeing into their lives, sharing time and a laugh together. Every one in town knows who I am, though they might not know my name, they call me “Hermana".  I am everyone's sister. They know I teach in the evangelical church. The children see me at school when I teach art, Bible, and English. I enjoy visiting all the families of the town. Some families I visit more frequently than others. It always blesses me when I visit a family, and they have many questions for me about my life. Then, in following days, I see them at the church service! I love it when people come for the first time when I didn’t even ask or beg them to come. They know when the services are, and I expressed interest in their lives, then… they come. If people don’t come to the service I am NEVER offended. It’s only the Holy Spirit who prompts people to come. That is His job. Other folks want to come, but can’t leave their home at night due to many reasons. I am always surprised to see older youth come to the services. I know they are the same guys who drink when there is a party of any sort. When I share God’s Word I spare NO PUNCHES, and direct much at them. I find myself speaking in a very loud voice when talking about true repentance, and God’s desire to bless those who seek Him truly with their whole lives. God’s way is best. "The devil desires destruction and death," I share as loud as I can.  Alcoholism is very prevalent here. Children go hungry due to their fathers spending all their money on liquor.  Women are beaten when their husbands are drunk and angry. When I visit peoples homes I share God’s love, and often pray for them before I leave, but I do not share very "heavily"… it’s in the church services… when people choose to come to the church that I speak black and white, very clearly with the  authority God has given me to share the truth. The last few days and weeks I can feel the power of God flowing through me. There is nothing better. Now I must put this little computer away and get ready for the discipleship class I have at 2 p.p. in my house. Five believers from the church will come and we will study a little booklet (one of seven) on the Doctrines of Salvation.  This current booklet is on the Doctrine of Faith.  Thanks for your prayers.