Dear Friends and Family:
When Margarita and I saw the Ava Guaraní chief’s
grandson, Damián, who is the same age as our daughter, Gabrielli, we could tell
right away that he suffered some sort of illness. He couldn’t stand on his own or keep food down.
His bones were showing. Aside from crying, Damián made no sounds normal for
his age. Margarita and I offered to bring him and his parents to the pediatric
hospital. However, after experiencing two months of racial discrimination at expensive
doctor visits that resulted in frustration for them and no benefit to their
son, Damián’s parents had already decided to take him to an Ava shaman. So, we
prayed. Some of you prayed too.
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| Damian and his parents on the way to the hospital. |
The Gospel of Mark talks about a woman who, for
twelve years, “suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had
spent all she had, yet, instead of getting better she grew worse” (5:26).
Margarita and I shared this passage with Damián’s parents at the hospital where
he is now receiving good care. The doctors are still administering studies
to see what his diagnosis is, but said that if his parents had waited two more
days to bring him in, he could’ve died. Give God thanks for Damián’s treatment and
gradual recovery, and please keep him in your prayers.
Last August, I began praying for an open relational
door with Damian’s father. Since the hospitalization, he and I have had good
conversations and I’ve talked with him about trusting in Jesus. He and I are
now studying the Scriptures together. Pray for Damian’s father, who is a key
person in the Ava community and someone God might be calling to reach his people.
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| Antoine and his friends, Daniela and Eliseo, on the first day of school. |
Antoine, along with thousands of other students in
Paraguay, started school in February (Ana’s school started the day after our
return from the U.S.). For Margarita and
me, February was a month of preparation and reconnecting. We visited most of
the Ava and Mbya communities that we worked in last year. The chief at the main Mbya community was excited
for us to return, and asked us to continue helping at their school. Right
after that conversation, we found a young woman with a Gideon’s New
Testament. She, as well as at least one other woman in the same community, said that they want to
study the Bible with Margarita. Pray
that God will open doors among the Mbya.
In January, one urban Ava community and one urban Mbya
community joined together and moved to a new location outside of
Asunción. The Mbya chief asked us to help with their children’s educational
needs. The Ava chief, who attended a church in his youth, wants help starting a
Bible study and prayer time. Praise God
for the trust extended to us by them, and pray for wisdom for us as we reach
out to this community.
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| Mbya Guarani Chess Club |
Sincerely,
Tim, Margarita, Ana, Antoine and Gabrielli
