Discipling, Evangelizing

Anael with 5 youth from the church

 Many of you that have visited here know Anael. Some of you have helped make his education possible, and some are making it possible for him now to do what he does....disciple new believers and reach out to the mountain villages with the Proclaimer project. Anael turned down a paying job on graduation, not wanting to leave the community and the fledgling group of young believers. He keeps them busy maintaining church property, studying the Word with the New Life in Christ series we provide him, and learning to share the gospel in mountain villages.

Attentive group of mountain students

After several forays into this village of Las Ballas, Anael returned with John an some others this Thursday with a well-prepared outreach into the local gradeschool, where they welcomed him with open arms. He has been invited back to form a "listening group" of about 20 who want to listen to the audio-Bible, the Proclaimer. He will return with John this Tuesday and do that while John hosts a Woman's Health Clinic next door in the Health Department.

Last Sunday, Christie and Rigo, long-time missionaries here that work partly with the hospital, partly in another ministry (including teaching at the Margarita Church) decided it was time for some fun and games for the church, to just share time picnicking.  So they bought and prepared the meat for grilling, and we fired up the grills after AM service and had an enjoyable time eating and visiting together. Its times like this that we are more aware than ever of the tremendous blessing this piece of forested property is to the congregation!

At times we experience a sense of defeat when we have friends/patients that suffer from illnesses that would have been easily preventable in the US, either because of lack of communication or understanding, or because of lack of funds and resourses. I drove Erminio and his wife over to Ceiba last week for  a good eye exam, as he is going blind. He was convinced it was due to a blunt hit above his eye with the handle of his machete 6 years ago and wanted to know if there was an surgery available. Turned out he has advanced glaucoma- he had had several recorded visits to clinics where he was told he had high pressure in his eyes and was advised to go to a specialist.  Never will know what went wrong in that chain of communication- he is using eye drops to hopefully arrest the disease in one eye but is too late for the other. Sad. He is a new believer- pray for him. 4 of the 5 young people being discipled by Anael are his children!

John has been unusually busy, as he has made 2 trips to Satal in 2 weeks, and will be 2 to another mountain clinic also. He is undaunted by the terrible roads!  Anael took a video of the trip thursday and I could not even watch it! Roads like that are not meant to be driven on! We've had 15 deliveries so far this month, and are both really enjoying that.

We have slightly changed our upcoming plans for returning to the US: we feel  that taking a Sabbatical is a better idea, so with support from both Loma de Luz and our sending board, Cornerstone International, we will begin that oct. 19 for an undetermined time, with the expectation of returning in less than 6 months. We have much to do in the US that demands being there, but much left undone here! We both have more peace about this decision. Our position with Cornerstone International is official: Part-time, longterm.  We are enjoying a season of great peace and stability right now, and do want to be sensitive to the Lord's timing.

Next blog will hopefully have pics of a new grandson, John Axel.  Dan and Nikki are expecting around Dan's 27th birthday, Sept. 9.  Stay tuned!

Under the trees grilling for the group of 50

Erminio and his wife Dinora