I am not even sure how to start my blog this week. I fully believe that God has plans for Paraguay and is working hard through us and because of this there seems to be nonstop attacks on the Paraguay Mission Team. Looking back over my recent blog posts I can see an underlying theme consisting of a ton of roadblocks, a lot work with not a lot of results, and yet in the midst of it all there is a lot of good stuff happening.
On Tuesdays we have been visiting a home for older men who fought in the war. These men are all very old and can hardly understand what we are saying but they are very happy when we come and visit them. It is great that we are able to share a little bit of Gods Word with them as we are there but I think one of my favorite things is knowing that this ministry opportunity was started by one of the contacts I have been working with. They had a desire to share with these men and they decided to follow that dream and took me along with them. It has been such a huge blessing.
The Tuesday Cell Groups, there are 2 groups, have been consistent and I believe that good things are happening there. One group is with a family who I am blessed to say were actually all there for the first time this past week. This family has been through a lot and yet I am happy to tell you that I am able to see the small changes God is making in their lives. My second small group is with a woman from the church. She has a huge vision for the small group in her house and it is for it to grow and people to come to know Christ. Well this past Tuesday we are finally seeing the fruit of this desire happening! We had four new people in the group who accepted Christ for the first time, Praise the Lord!!!
What is happening here in Paraguay are some huge victories and yet as I said in the opening these victories come with many and multiple attacks. These past couple weeks have been really hard weeks not only for me but the rest of my team also. Everyone has been having trouble sleeping along with there being a lot of stress. In the midst of these attacks there is a great praise in that Leon's partner finally got here. His name is Juliano and he is from Brasil. So be in prayer as Leon and the rest of the Team grow together as they continue this work. As we praise the arrival of this new teammate we also said goodbye to my original partner, Yoli, who after much prayer and discussion went home to continue her walk of faith in an environment that she can really grow and achieve all God desires for her. Because of everything surrounding all these activities I found myself very discouraged and tired – physically, mentally, and spiritually. And if all that wasn’t enough, it seemed like it was “transportation versus” me this week. Normally I don’t have much of a problem getting from here to there, but this week transportation was just one of those things that didn't go right. This only added to my discouragement as I had trouble making it to my cell groups on time.
Praises:
The ministry with the men at the veteran home has been such a blessing and is the fruit of a contact.
Leon’s partner, Juliano, which allows that component of our team to work to their fullest potential
The Tuesday Cell Groups are showing signs of growth as God works in the individuals’ life within the cell goups.
Prayers:
Rest and relieve from the stress we are being attacked by
Pray also for the Team as a whole as we continue to grow together to carry out God’s plan for us
Pray for me as I am without a partner for the time being as my partner went home. Please pray Yoli, who went home, and also be in prayer for the partner God has been preparing to replace her here on the team.
Prayer also would be greatly appreciated for me in the area of finding encouragement in the midst of all the attacks all the way around me. Help me to see God at work in and around all that is going on here in Paraguay.
No comments:
Post a Comment