February 2014
Dear Friends and Family:
Margarita’s interviews with
the New Horizon School students’ parents reveal that complications in childbirth
can lead to learning difficulties. “José,” for instance, was born with a hernia
due to a difficult delivery. His
four-year time on the surgery waiting list extended into pre-school. José couldn’t play soccer or other active
games with his classmates. He was the only
student who wore a diaper, which his family had him use in order to brace his
abdomen. The mental and social effects
of his hernia encumbered his integration into class and affected his learning. Eventually, José received the awaited
surgery. He currently is in kindergarten
and works with Margarita to overcome the challenges he experienced during
pre-school. Please pray for Margarita and her colleagues as they detect and treat early
on the learning difficulties affecting the New Horizon pre-school and
kindergarten students.
As much as Margarita and I
wanted to visit you all in the U.S. this past Christmas-New Year Season, we know
it was right that we stayed in Paraguay.
Margarita and I dedicated much of December to praying for and working
toward the revival of the Fuente de Vida Church college-age ministry. During 2013 the number of participants had
dropped to five. At the end of December we began to see a turn-around. For
example, two brothers who recently made professions of faith started regularly
attending and helping in the services. So
far this year, the average attendance has been around 25. Pray that
these youth would continue to devote time to communion and scripture study in
2014.
In January Margarita, Ana and
I made our longest road trip yet in South America to see a friend’s wedding in Montevideo,
Uruguay. We spent the days following the
wedding getting to know the area (especially the beach), including a few
churches and ministries. Agnosticism is
Uruguay’s most widely-accepted belief system.
Missionaries and pastors spoke about discouraging results from years of
work. However, a seminary director told
us that last year he sensed the environment beginning to open up to the gospel. Please
pray for Uruguay and for our hope to lead a group of Paraguayan youth there for
a short term mission trip, perhaps as early as 2015.
While we were in Uruguay, the
Tacumbu Prison was on the verge of what the warden called a massacre. Prison guards went on strike, which created
chaos inside the prison. Groups of inmates
attempted to pillage the storerooms of different cell blocks. Authorities reported one death when someone climbed
on a roof to confront inmates who were trying to descend into and ransack his cell
block. A week after the chaos subsided,
I entered to complete the “Who is Jesus?” course. This month we will celebrate the graduation
of fifteen inmates from the course. Keep these graduates in your prayers as
they will soon be teaching the course to others inside the prison.
Last month the New Horizon
School started its 14th academic year with over 700 students. I teach nine English and two Christian
Education classes at the middle and high school levels. Additionally I serve on
the chaplain staff. Margarita focuses on early elementary learning disabilities and early childhood academic stimulation. Meanwhile, Ana will spend three mornings a
week at a daycare across the street. Pray for us to have a great school year. In addition, please pray for a workshop on
small group evangelism and discipleship that the Evangelism and Missions Ministry
is organizing on March 14th.
Margarita and I very much
appreciate your support and prayers. We want to make a special invitation for 31
people to devote one day a month to pray for us and for Paraguay. If you are interested in being one of the 31
people, please let us know. Prayer
is one means to maintain solidarity in God’s family. Prayer is also the means by which everyone is
invited to approach God’s throne of grace…so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We pray that all of you will know and thrive in this grace.
Yours truly,
