One of the things we did this week was to make prayer cards. We used pictures from years past and I wrote out some descriptions of the people and some ways to pray for them. As I got to relive some of the moments and spend time thinking/praying about friends who I have not seen in months, I was challenged and encouraged by the faith of many of them. I want to share some about my friends with you.
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| Exerton and Sarita and Baby Miraflores |
This family lives near the village of Mira Flores and they are believers.
They made a trip up the river everyday to listen to the Word and to play soccer with the
villagers. Exerton had a hurt toe when we were there and it was probably
infected. I got to help with some antibiotics and a bandaid, which wasn't much, but it definitely encouraged me to keep pursuing a medical future. This family was very sweet and it was awesome to see their desire to know more about the Lord.
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| Left - Segundo Angel Right - Edwin Miraflores |
Edwin is one of the most service oriented people I have ever met. He welcomed us with open arms and was so grateful to us every day. Edwin never failed to come see us, bring us platanos and bananas and fish from his field, and made sure we were provided for at every turn. His wife was wonderful as well. Lucinda is her name and she LOVES to laugh. Edwin and his son even took us alligator hunting and fishing. I am quite sure they laughed at us and told ridiculous stories about the grinkgos later on, but hey. We sure did try.
He has an incredible faith that was challenging to me. He received a Bible from one of the first teams and takes great care of it, keeping it wrapped up in plastic. His faith will challenge you and his desire to know more about the Lord is humbling.
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| Merida, Myra and Daniel Pobre y Alegre |
The girls. The kids in this village were great. They
did not take too much time to warm up to us, and often gave us a way to talk to
the parents. The love to play games and laugh and make faces. The two girls
here are cousins and are best friends. They enjoy taking pictures and seeing
themselves on the camera. They are the oldest in their large families and often
have to take care of their younger siblings. They have many responsibilities
and are around 10 years old. They do not know much about the Lord, if anything.
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| Gloria, Neli, and Ester Santa Rosa |
These women are very welcoming and have a faith in God. The
first on the left is Gloria. She is Niterson’s wife. Her daughter is in her
lap. She has been saved for about 2 years now and accepted Christ on her own.
The woman in the middle is named Neli. She accepted Christ 2 years ago and last
year, her daughter accepted Him as well. She cannot read and its hard for her
to really hear the Bible more. The woman on the right is Ester. She is a very,
very sweet believer and is married to Moises, the leader of Santa Rosa. She has
a strong faith, but her husband does not. She always asks us to stay in the
village forever so she can learn more.
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| Yellow Shirt - Niterson Blue shirt to the left, his son Gender |
This is Niterson and his son Gender. They have an incredible
faith. The first year the team came, Gender accepted Christ. Each year as we
returned we found he had grown in his faith and he is a really smart kid. He
reads his Bible and really knows his stuff. He has no one to teach him the
deeper parts of faith though. His father finally accepted Christ this year and
has stepped up as “head” of the church in Santa Rosa. He is young in his faith,
but his faith is very real. This picture is of Niterson just before he was
baptized.
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| Pedro, Golda, Ruth (baby), Segundo (son) |
This is Pedro, Golda, Ruth, and Segundo. Pedro travels with
our team and is our pecky driver. He loves to laugh and try to learn English.
He has a strong faith in God and protects our team from the bats. Pedro’s
favorite part of the Bible is in Revelation when John writes about the New
Earth that will come. He looks forward to being with Christ, but is completely
content to be where the Lord takes him, even if that means he will be away from
his family for weeks. His brother is Roque.
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| Roque (Rocky), his wife Milagros, and their daughter Genesis |
This is Roque, Milagros, and Genesis. Roque’s testimony is
incredible and he has gone on dangerous night missions to share the Word of
God. He is a constant encourager and gave up everything to follow the Lord.
EVERYTHING. His faith is strong, although his life is hard. He is the pastor of
Santa Amelia and most of his family is not saved. Pedro is his brother. Roque
does a great job taking care of our team and often laughs when we try to do
something the wrong way before taking it out of our hands. His heart is broken
for the lost members of his family and village. His favorite Bible verse is
found in 2 Cor 5:17 where Paul writes about the new creation we are in Christ.
I am reminded tonight how blessed I am to have so much access to the Word and to learn about it. I am also reminded of how strong the Lord is, and how even He has not forgotten the people of the jungle and continues to move among them. I would love to tell you more, so if you have questions, please ask.
I cannot wait to see these wonderful people again some day soon. Its also amazing to know one day we will be worshiping the King together....and hopefully you will be there too.
Revelation 7:9 "After this I looked, and there before me was a
great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe,
people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."
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