August 2014: Quell Fear in Latin America

[Last Month's Graduates from the "Quien es Jesus?" Course in the Tacumbu Penitentiary]

Dear Friends and Family:

60% of Paraguayans “tremble” as they step out of their homes for fear of assault and robbery, especially at night, according to La Nación.  The same newspaper reports that 70% of robberies in Paraguay are committed by teenagers.  Through praying, financially giving and raising awareness for Margarita’s and my work in education and spiritual formation among Paraguay’s youth, you are helping fight against the plague of delinquency, which is the principle social concern of most Latin Americans (Latinobarómetro, 2012).  Thank you for your partnership, and please pray for God to heal the region of this plague.

One cause of delinquency is a lack of education.  When school attendance and studies occupy teens’ days, they generally have less time to be involved in criminal activity.  Additionally, through education—whether in a school, stable home or church—youth learn about morally appropriate participation in society. “Miguel,” an inmate in the Tacumbu Prison, lived on the streets since he was 8 and rarely attended school.  No one taught him a way of life that wasn’t fraught with violence, robbery or substance abuse until he entered the Remar Christian Rehab cell block inside the prison.  There, he studied the Bible, gave his life to Christ and now disciples new inmates who grew up in similar circumstances. 

Your partnership with me directly confronts delinquency by ministering to past and present Tacumbu inmates like Miguel.  Last month, 26 inmates graduated from the “¿Quién es Jesús?” course.   All of them placed their faith in Christ and accepted the challenge to teach the course to other inmates.  In fact, 6 of them are currently team-teaching the 20 new participants who started the course this month.  With the discipleship becoming more inmate-led, there is the possibility of me teaching it in other prisons.  Pray for God to guide His ministries in Paraguay in the transformation of the lives of the thousands of incarcerated men and women.

Un-treated learning disabilities also contribute to delinquency because they can frustrate students who, in turn, might drop out of school.  Your partnership with Margarita as she diagnoses and treats early-detected learning disabilities opens the door for many young students to have a long-term, positive educational experience as well as an increased hope of a positive future.  Margarita will soon begin to wind down her activities due to the approaching birth of Antoine Samuel.  We thank God that she and the baby are healthy.  We ask you to keep them in your prayers. 

Likewise, please keep our financial situation in your prayers.  We are asking individuals and churches to give $25 or $50 a month, or make a one-time donation, in order to enable us to continue our work here through 2015.  Please visit www.uwm.org/missionaries/tim-revett if you are able to give. 

Miguel saw the death and destruction that comes as a result of delinquency.  He’s also since learned that there are choices that lead to life and prosperity.  Indeed, these are promises for anyone who chooses to love God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

Yours truly,

                                Tim, Margarita, Ana and Antoine Revett

We praise God for "Princess" Ana's 3rd year of life!

July 2014: A Youthful Harvest

Ana hanging out with the big girls before one of the presentations.

Dear Family and Friends:

Last month Margarita and I asked you to pray for the short-term mission visit by Montavilla Baptist Church from Portland, Oregon.  Here are some numbers from their week in Paraguay:

• 8 schools visited
• 20 presentations
• 5 classrooms painted at the Avamba’e Public School
• 1 game of “death ball” (Paraguayan dodge-ball) with the Avamba’e faculty
• 3,000 students  saw and heard about Jesus’ love for them
• 1,000-1,500 students made decisions to follow Jesus
• 4 local churches connected with the schools for follow-up 
• 100% of the schools invited us to return and present again.

We also asked you to pray for the youth lock-in at the Fuente de Vida Church, which proved to be the highlight of our winter vacation from teaching at the New Horizon School.  30 teens and college-aged youth stayed for the whole 24 hours.  Another fifteen or so came and went, depending on their work and school schedules.  There were no accidents (a few did wake up in the morning with marker or toothpaste on their faces).  The group came away with a greater sense of unity.  One visitor, with tears in his eyes, shared that prior to the event he had been spiritually dry and felt the absence of a community who cared for him.  He sensed that God began to change his situation during the lock-in.

Seeing these results, Margarita and I assume you prayed.  Please take a moment to think about just these two recent activities that you were involved in through your prayers, financial support and encouraging messages.  Give thanks to God for the impact He is making in the lives of these youth.

Paraguay has the youngest population of South America with almost 75% of its inhabitants being under the age of 40.  Reaching out to the Paraguayan youth is reaching out to the nation’s majority.  Additionally, reaching out to the youth with the Gospel is giving hope for future Christ-centered, societal transformation. Margarita and I are privileged to have many opportunities to work with the beautiful and talented children through young adults of this country.   With a decrease in giving and a baby on the way, our financial situation may not afford us the ability to continue working into next year without having to pause for fundraising.  If you are not giving and are able to become a monthly supporter or make a contribution to our mission work, please visit www.uwm.org/missionaries/tim-revett or contact us at timothyrevett@gmail.com or margaritacohene@hotmail.com.

Years ago we were taught that it’s okay to brag when writing an update from the mission field.  Our intention here is not to boast about any work that we are doing, but rather to boast in the Lord.  Without Him, nothing mentioned above would have been possible.   He protected the mission team during their visit and the youth during the lock-in.  It was He who touched the hearts of those thousands of youth.  He calls all of us to join Him.  All we need to do is say “yes.”

Sincerely,    

Tim, Margarita, Ana and Antoine

The Happiest Country in the World

Dear Family and Friends:

According to the Gallup World Poll, Paraguay is the happiest country in the world.  This seems misleading when considering the impoverished and violence-stricken slums in which hundreds of thousands of people here live.  On the other hand, upon visiting these slums, one can hear laughter and children singing. 

Topographically and socially speaking, the Avamba’e Public School sits at the bottom of its neighborhood.  The gang-related graffiti adorning the few standing sections of the school grounds’ walls and piles of garbage decorating the recess area aesthetically match the surrounding residential area nicknamed, “Pantanal,” or “swamp.”  Despite the violence, addictions and poverty around Avamba’e, the school is filled with precious elementary school children and junior high adolescents who are eager to learn. Last month I sat in an English class taught there by a missionary intern, Alex.   He concluded the class by teaching the students the chorus of a Dave Crowder Band song.  It was powerful to hear the school’s halls filled with their voices singing “He loves us, oh, how He loves us, oh, how He loves…”  Despite the conditions in which the Avamba’e students live it still stands true that neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Pray that the students, their families and neighbors will personally know the Giver of this love.  Also, please pray for the short term mission team from Montavilla Baptist Church in Portland, who will be working in schools like Avamba’e at the end of June and beginning of July.

The families of many Paraguayan students struggle to provide school supplies for their children.  Years ago, when I was teaching in a public middle school in Northeast Portland  I collected all the pencils, pens, notebooks, calculators and other school supplies that the students left behind at the end of the school year.  The amount of items that were still in almost new condition surprised me. I selected enough to fill two medium-sized boxes, which I sent to a school in Paraguay.   Although used school supplies may seem valueless, Margarita and I have the opportunity to share Christ’s love in un-churched areas of Paraguay through distributing such items. Would you like to help us?

We are not asking for money or for you to buy new supplies.  As the U.S. school year comes to an end, please talk to students and teachers about gathering usable school supplies left in their classrooms to send to Paraguay.  When you have a box ready, please contact me and I will guide you in the best way to send it here.

Through your continued prayers and support, Margarita and I see a part of the great love the Father has lavished on us. We thank you and, with Fathers’ Day in mind, thank God for his love, which, is freely given to all of us. 

Happy Fathers’ Day!          
                
Tim, Margarita and Ana

April 2014: New Life in Paraguay

Dear Friends and Family:

One of my 7^th grade students recently wrote me the following prayer request:

“Pray that I can go live with my mother and that there would be no more shouting.”

Most New Horizon School students live with serious domestic problems.  Their families have been separated by infidelity, domestic violence, death and migrant labor.  There have been cases of sexual abuse and suicide attempts.  Many students have experienced physical abuse and neglect.  Additionally, some students face pressure to give up school and start working.

As Margarita works with the pre-school and kindergarten students trying to detect early onset of learning difficulties, she witnesses students behaving aggressively in one moment and then overly sensitive in the next.  For example, one student was not completing his assignment.  When the teacher called him over to help him, he broke out in tears.  While such behaviors are being seen in the classroom, at home more than half of these students’ parents are separated or going through divorce.  How can Margarita and I, along with the rest of the New Horizon School faculty, help these children—Paraguay’s very plentiful and most valuable resource?

For most students, the 4-6 hours that they spend at school are the most nurturing moments of their day.  They receive attention.  They are prayed for and encouraged to achieve.  Their education not only supports them now, but also supports the hope for them and a future generation to not have to endure similar situations.  Moreover, as the faculty delivers a comprehensive education, we do so with our eyes fixed on Christ, who promises that he will make all things new, even the corrupted world in which our students live.

Please pray for the students at the New Horizon School.  Likewise, pray for the faculty, that we would be renewed daily in our work with the students and their families.

Margarita and I greatly appreciate your prayers during the previous month.  The Fuente de Vida youth ministry grows, and this month we are launching mid-week meetings in homes and at empanada stands. Regarding the Missions and Evangelism Ministry, many people attended the evangelism workshop.  Most returned the following night to help the host church with an outreach event, during which a few visitors accepted Jesus’ invitation to new life.

Give thanks to God for his work in Paraguay.  Please pray that my two former prison discipleship students, “Ignacio” and “Gustavo,” live out their new lives after their release.

Symbols of new life surround us all during Easter season.  This Sunday, as we contemplate Jesus’ resurrection, let’s also give thanks to God, who, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, will raise up with Christ anyone who believes in him.

Happy Easter!

Tim, Margarita and Ana Revett

P.S.:  Speaking of new life, Margarita and I are expecting our second child in November! Please pray for Margarita and the baby’s health.

Summer's End in Paraguay

 

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 14^th.

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,

Tim, Margarita and Ana Revett

 

Dear Friends and Family:

I recently entered Paraguay’s Tacumbu Penitentiary with Ysidro, a former inmate who I mentioned in our October update.   A group of Ysidro’s past partners-in-crime walked alongside us, catching him up on the latest news.   Suddenly, someone ran by me, followed by Ysidro sprinting after him.  Behind them trailed a prison guard, yelling and waving his night stick.  They weaved through the crowd of inmates and turned a corner.  I was very pleased to soon after see Ysidro return unharmed.  He recovered his necklace, which had been snatched off his neck by the inmate whom he chased.

Ysidro’s return to Tacumbu as a visitor and not re-offender stands as a testimony to God’s work in the penitentiary’s Remar rehabilitation pavilion, where I conduct a weekly discipleship.  A local newspaper reported that while recidivism reaches as high as 70% among the prison’s general population, only 10% of those who pass through Remar return to prison (Ultima Hora 11/18/13).  When Ysidro was released, I began a Bible study with him and three other Remar graduates in his neighborhood to help support them during their transition.  Their entire neighborhood now is wondering how these men have changed so dramatically, which presents us with a great opportunity to share about the Lord’s ability to transform lives.  Please pray that Ysidro and the other men would continuously seek God’s counsel in their lives.

Another recent event that testifies of God’s power was the New Horizon School’s first senior class graduation.  The majority of the graduates, if not all, plan to enroll in colleges next year.  This is outstanding considering that most Paraguayans don’t complete high school.   Margarita’s young students also made achievements toward overcoming their learning disabilities.  Although she believes they will probably need to continue treatment the following school year, Margarita has seen many improvements and they all finished with passing grades—quite a contrast from the beginning of this year.  Margarita is planning to spend some of her time next year working with parents on early childhood stimulation to help them prepare their children for pre-school.  Give thanks with us to our mighty God for his work among the New Horizon School students this year.

In addition, we are thankful for God’s everlasting presence in times of victory as well as the setbacks.  The Puerto Falcon outreach event in early November was suspended due to rain; however, we are satisfied that the small church, as well as the two nearby assisting churches, were prepared and motivated to carry out their own small events this month.  Likewise, our first year as youth ministers concluded with the graduation of 14 active teenage participants who will move on to the college-aged ministry.  Please keep the Fuente de Vida Church youth in your prayers.

Finally, we request prayer for safe travels as we drive to Montevideo, Uruguay next month.  Our activities there will include participating in a friend’s wedding, vacationing, and visiting different ministries to possibly organize a future short-term mission trip there with Paraguayan youth.  We also will purchase learning disability materials, as they are difficult to find in Paraguay.  These purchases are made possible by the generous Christmas donations of many of you.  Thank you!

Christmas gift-giving reflects the awesome gift given to all of us: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  When we choose to accept this gift, who is Jesus, we also receive many other great blessings such as God’s counsel, power, presence and peace.  May you and your loved ones experience these blessings this Christmas Season and throughout 2014.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Tim, Margarita and Ana Revett

Christmas gift alternatives for globally- or ministry-minded loved ones...

• Didactic games, diagonistic tests and other educational materials for Paraguayan children from poverty-stricken and dysfunctional homes who struggle with learning disabilities.
• Printing, photocopying and binding of discipleship materials for inmates inside one of South America’s most notorious prisons.
• Jerseys, balls, goals and equipment for an emerging middle school and high school boys’ and girls’ basketball program.
• Christmas 2014 in the U.S. for a missionary family.

A donation can be made in any amount. The funds go to the project of your choice (not to Tim and Margarita’s living expenses). A card with a photo of the project will be sent to the person in whose name the donation is made.

 

Here’s the gift process…

1. Make a donation to Latin America Mission in the name of your loved one.
        A.  Online: -Go to www.lam.org/missionaries/tim-and-margarita-revett
                              -Select “Support this missionary.”
                              -Where it says “Use my gift for” select “Ministry Funds”
          
        B.  By Mail:  E-mail us and we will send you the form and directions.

2. E-mail us (trevett@latinamericamission.org) to identify which project you donate to with the address of the person in whose name you give.    *If you do this by November 24^th, we will be able to send the card and photo to your loved one by Christmas.

Please review the following information and share it with your friends, church, small group, Sunday school class, or whoever you think would be interested.

Special Education Paraguayan students who have learning disabilities often drop out of school due to few resources available to them.  Additionally, kindergartners start at a disadvantage since most Paraguayan families haven’t learned about early educational stimulation.  Margarita provides both of these services to students of low-income families for a very small, nominal fee.  However, diagnostic tools and didactic games are scarce and expensive.  Goal:  $300 (1 year of support for all of Margarita’s students)

New Horizon School Basketball Program The New Horizon School’s mission is to provide an integral education for a new generation of Paraguayan leaders.  Most of the school’s students come from low income families.  There has been a recent surge in excitement among students to form boys’ and girls’ basketball teams; yet, there are few funds and materials to support this new program.  *Material donations are also accepted. Cost:  $25 per player (covers a ball, jersey and extra expenses)

 

Christmas 2014 in the U.S. Ana, Margarita and Tim hope to spend Christmas 2014 in the U.S. They are saving up monthly for this trip; though, visa fees and airline fares are very expensive. Cost: $1 for every 2 miles of travel (4,500 miles in total)

 

 

Prison Ministry The Tacumbu Penitentiary was built for a capacity of 800 men, but now houses over 3,600.  Christmas donations in 2012 enabled Tim to provide photocopies of discipleship materials for 100’s of inmates.  Graduates are rewarded with certificates and become teachers of the discipleship.   After they leave the prison, their certificate can help them enter a ministry position. Cost:  $15 per month