November 2015: It's been 20 Years...

Dear Family and Friends:

Margarita and I reached out to about 600 new at-risk students in public schools—witnessing many decisions to follow Jesus—and worked closely each week with an additional 300 youth in our community.  Over 200 inmates in the Tacumbu and Esperanza prisons completed Bible studies taught by inmate-leaders (some of whom have since left prison and are serving in local churches) with nearly all of them deciding to follow Christ.  We participated in other projects like a soccer ministry, children’s outreach, missions conferences, a mission trip and a medical clinic.  We saw churches grow as well as the nation experience one of its best economic years.  We thank God for this year in Paraguay.  We also thank him for you because of your partnership in the gospel.  

October and November were filled with preparations for our trip to the U.S.  We finished up grades, wrote up reports, suspended some ministry activities and made sure others were left in charge by colleagues who will carry them out in our absence.  Right before we left, we celebrated Antoine’s first birthday.  We’re thankful for him and are on alert because he now knows how to run.

We arrived in Texas last week.  We’ve rested and spent lots of time with family.  It was Tim’s first time in twenty years to celebrate Thanksgiving with his mother and brother in Amarillo. We also played in New Mexico for a few days.  Antoine experienced snow for the first time.  Ana made lots of snow-angels.

Our plans are to continue introducing Northwest Texas to Margarita’s mother, Agustina, through December 15^th.  We’ll additionally be thanking all of our ministry partners in the area and sharing about what God has been doing in Paraguay at youth groups, fellowship meals, small groups and congregations.  If you or your group would like to hear from us, please let us know. 

Then, we’ll begin our trek through Arizona and California on the way to the Pacific Northwest, where we’ll spend the month of January.  Please keep our travels in your prayers.  And, join us in giving thanks to God this season for he is good; his love endures forever.   

Happy Thanksgiving!             

Tim, Margarita, Ana and Antoine Revett    

*Amarillo Folks:  Please come to our going away party at the Blue Sky restaurant on I-40 and Western during the evening of December 14th.  A percentage of all the sales will go to help finish the construction on our house in Paraguay.  (Just say "This is for the Revett Family missionaries" when you make your purchase.)

October 2015: Coming Soon to Your Area...

Dear Friends and Family:

Margarita taught Ernesto from pre-school through first grade.  Last month, at 16 years of age, Ernesto was on his motorcycle delivering food for his job when a truck hit him at high speed.  Instead of helping Ernesto, the motorist proceeded to the nearest police station and “worked something out.”  Ernesto died a few days later.  Despite the testimony of witnesses and security camera footage of the hit-and-run accident, there has still been no response to Ernesto’s family’s plea for justice. 

The people of our city face a challenge in making a just decision in the current mayor elections.  The incumbent mayor, Cardenas, is under indictment for taking school lunch program funds and for providing faulty construction to a high school that resulted in a roof collapsing and seriously injuring students.  His opponent, Gomez, is under investigation for money laundering. 

Margarita and I wish we could say there have been improvements in cleaning up the corruption in Paraguay during 2015.  Transparency International continues to rank the nation as the second-most corrupt in Latin America.  Pray for a new generation of “good shepherds” who will truly care for the people of Paraguay.  

The New Horizon School is getting ready to have its third graduating class.  The majority of the previous graduates study in universities and many serve in churches.  We recently graduated one more class from the “¿Quién es Jesús?” course inside the Tacumbu Prison (*see the video on Tim's Facebook page of the inmates giving thanks).  Over half of the group confessed to not know Christ at the start of the study, but since made decisions to follow him.   This year alone, more than one hundred inmates completed the course.  Give thanks to God for these men, and pray that they share what they have learned with other inmates and with their families.

The CDE Mission Team

During last month’s Ciudad del Este mission trip a handful of new decisions to follow Christ were made.  The local church was strengthened and encouraged.  At one point, the mission team took the local youth group out to interact with and pray for people on the streets.  Through this activity the youth gained a practical experience in outreach, and the church now has a dozen or so people for follow-up.  Thank God for his work during the mission trip.  Please pray for the churches in Ciudad del Este.

Ernesto’s tragic death and the widespread corruption bare evidence of intentions to harm the people of Paraguay.  Yet, we can see God’s intentions for good through the saving of souls in Ciudad del Este and the Tacumbu Prison as well as through the hope in the New Horizon students.

Yours truly,     

Tim, Margarita, Ana and Antoine Revett

                                                

*We'll be in the United States soon, accompanied by Margarita's mother, Agustina.  Here is our itinerary:

November 18th-December 15th:  Northwest Texas

December 16th-17th:  Arizona

December 18th-21st:  Southern California

December 22nd-23rd:  Northern California

December 24th-February 2nd:  Oregon/Washington

February 3rd-9th:  New York/Boston

February 10th:  Houston, Texas

February 11th:  Paraguay