Thursday, June 18, 2020

Immeasurably more than they asked or imagined

Dear Friends and Family:

Shortly after the Paraguayan government initially ordered people to not go to work in March, the approximately 70 men, women and children of the Yvapovondy Ava Guaraní community found themselves without food. Your support enabled Margarita and me to gather provisions to cover them for a couple of weeks; however, they were concerned about how they were going to make it through the quarantine. The participants of the community’s house church asked God for help, and He responded immeasurably more than they imagined. Although there are still relatively few COVID-19 cases and the quarantine is being phased out, please pray for Paraguay's protection.
Your support helps provide three weekly meals to children in Zeballos Cue (pictured here waiting in a socially-distanced line at the church).
Last month we wrote about the Zeballos Cue Ava community, which was in a similar, desperate situation. We have since teamed up with the nearby “Jesús Mi Salvador” Baptist Church to provide three lunches a week not only for all of the Ava children, but also for the neighboring shantytown. Interestingly enough, this is one of at least six new partnerships with local churches that have emerged during this difficult season. We’re additionally starting Bible studies with Ava and Mbya groups in three different locations, including Zeballos Cue. Ask God to work through these Bible studies to impact the urban Ava and Mbya communities. Also, pray for a young Mbya man named “O.” who is seeking to know his Creator.

Since Margarita and I began engaging urban Mbya and Ava communities in 2017, I have not regularly visited any of the prisons where I previously taught Bible studies. I recently ran into three former inmates with whom I worked, and I keep in touch with one inmate leader. Give thanks that they are living out their changed lives as well as are serving in ministry.  Moreover, last month’s issue of Social Sciences and Missions featured an article I wrote about one of the prisons. You can find it at https://brill.com/view/journals/ssm/33/1-2/ssm.33.issue-1-2.xml.
We passed out Bibles in Guarani after the meal in the Villeta Mbya-Ava community.
After the Yvapovondy house church asked God for help, they’ve continuously received enough food donations from different sources to fill two storehouses and their own personal pantries. They decided to donate the food our ministry designated for them it to the Villeta Native community, where, in our last few visits, we've witnessed at least six people place their faith in Jesus. One couple from Yvapovondy now joins us on our weekly visits to Villeta to help us serve a meal and share devotionals. Yvapovondy’s story teaches us that God truly opens the door to those who knock.

Yours truly,
Tim, Margarita, Ana, Antoine and Gabrielli Revett
Ana is now a 4th grader!