God sent His Son
They called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives
What a joy it was to celebrate this past Resurrection Sunday in the midst of fellow believers from all walks of life, and various countries. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!
We tend to become comfortable in our little oasis so far out of town, and forget that we are located at the end of the only road in or out of our part of the jungle and over the Andes Mountains to the capitol and civilization. This becomes apparent and felt when the local populace decides that the only way their voice will be heard is to shut down the only road for supplies to come in, and strike and riot in the streets, effectively shutting down all commerce. They burn tires and throw tacks in the roads just in case anyone thought that they might like to get anywhere for any reason, they’d be stopped in their tracks while the strikers throw bricks at their windows. Vandalism and the spirit of anarchy reign during these times, and God help the few police officers that do try to keep the peace. This was all about taxes, the ever-rising price of electricity and propane gas, and the government trying to put restrictions on deforestation. It lasted for two weeks, and now a truce has been called and the strike postponed while the government “works on a solution”. Of course, this was not the longest or the worst strike we’ve experienced here, but it is a reminder that peace is a fragile thing, and freedom is easy to lose.
The children stayed home from school and completed all of their work at home via email. This pleases me to no end – I love having my kiddos home with me! Thank God we are so far out of town away from the mess, and we enjoyed the temporary, and unusual peace and quiet. No one could come over other than our neighbors, but another missionary’s short-term missions team from Georgia did come over for a day. They were shuttled out here via SAM Air who brought them safely out from the Pucallpa airport! We were so blessed by them!
The first days of this month saw the last of our shingles put on the roof of this mission house! There is a small section of the roof still unfinished because we were short on shingles, but it won’t stay that way for long. Vann is working on ordering a few more from the capitol – but of course they will be of a different brand and color. Our precious SAM Air neighbors came for another workday to help us advance with the roof and the walls! We are so super blessed by our neighbors who demonstrate the beauty of belonging to the body of Christ by so willingly helping us.
Vann has finished the exterior walls of the house with exception of the siding, which has to happen after the installation of the windows and doors. So, he has begun with the windows this week! He had the frames made already, and now has to cut and weld the steel for the grates, and install them in the sash frames, paint it all, and install the double panes of glass. Handmade windows! This is fun. Truly, progress is exciting! Our hope and goal is to have the house dried in by the time we leave in June to go to the States. That means the roof, walls, windows, doors, and siding and trim finished. We’ll see what God has in mind for our timetable because as we know so well, “man makes his plans, but the Lord directs his steps”.
We are very much looking forward to our time in the States this summer, and the opportunity to visit our churches and with some of you! We need to raise more monthly support, and trust that God will provide! Here is a tentative sketch of our schedule so far. If any of you would like to see us, please contact us soon so that we can schedule something. This will be a whirlwind trip!
June 6th- July 5th – Georgia
July 6th – 20th – Oregon
July 22nd - 28th - Maryland
July 29th – Aug. 6th – Florida
Aug. 7th – 14th – Georgia
August 15th – Flight to Lima, Peru
My health is still fragile, but I am doing so much better. Swimming every day is such a key for my survival, but I still struggle through so many of my days. When I “over do” I spend the next several days feeling like I have the flu, but gratefully without the stomach issues. After some research, I have started a diet to help me sleep better at night. With better sleep, my body has a chance to heal. I am encouraged that there is some hope that I may be able to participate normally in life again.
Thank you to all of you who prayed for precious baby Sofia. She is well and back at home with her mother and going to school! God is kind and merciful. Thank you also for your prayers and support for us, and this mission. God is doing great things! We serve a risen Savior, and He is worth it all! May the Lord bless each of you as you follow Him!
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives