Lindy and Carol Drake your connection to tribal missions Praise: Barry had a phone conversation with Gustavo. He gave us a very positive report concerning the work of God among the Guananos where we used to live in Colombia. Gustavo is now village leader, and he has encouraged the entire village, believers and unbelievers, to give up weekend drinking parties which are so deeply ingrained in Guanano culture. He says the village has been dry since December, and there are fewer inter-family quarrels since they started living this way. He is using the NTM From Creation to Christ curriculum in a Bible study for unbelievers. They are currently in the story of Joseph at the end of Genesis.
Pray: I can imagine how this change of lifestyle has impacted nearby Guanano villages and beyond. This has never been done before in a Guanano village. Everyone is certainly watching to see if this change is a good one or a bad one, whether it will last, or crash and burn. If the Lord saves more village members, and they join the small group of believers who are taking this kind of stand, then their position will certainly be strengthened against the weight of tradition and culture. Please pray that the Lord would protect this small band of Christ followers and help them to win and to hold new ground against the spiritual darkness.
Praise: We are teaching the book of Titus. The believers are growing. There has been progress in their understanding of how important it is to live the Gospel, not just believe it.
Pray: Soon we will be teaching 1 and 2 Thessalonians and then Revelation. God wants us to know what he has in store for us in the future and how his salvation story ends. He hasn’t taken all the mystery out of it. We can still study Revelation and scratch our heads and wonder, "What does that mean?" But the big issues are clear. Satan loses. We win, because we belong to Jesus. Pray that the believers will be encouraged in the midst of their daily struggles here. "Look up! Your redemption is near at hand!"
Pray: This past month was party month in this Brazilian town as many saints are honored on their special day. Delfina has two young teenage daughters, Maggy 13 and Irley 14. In school, all of their friends were super excited about getting out of school and going to a party with their boyfriends. One told Maggy, "It’s fun to drink with the others. It doesn’t matter if I get pregnant, my Mom will take care of the baby." Of course, Maggy and Irley received many invitations from their friends to get in on the fun. Tempting, but they came straight home. They talked with Delfina about what their friends were saying and doing. It was an opportunity for Delfina to reinforce for them what they already knew. She told her girls: "God has made a great difference in our lives. For many years we lived however we wanted and we suffered terrible consequences for it. Now we belong to God and he has filled our hearts with joy and purpose. The path your friends have chosen may look like fun, but it will only lead to disaster and painful memories. Let’s be strong and walk in the light!"
Thank you for your participation in the Guanano work through prayer.
