November 2024 Prayer Letter
As we reflect on the past several weeks, our hearts are filled with a blend of gratitude and resilience. This period has been marked by both celebration and hardship, involving experiences from witnessing the dedication of like-minded ministries to enduring the challenges brought by Hurricane Helene.
We had the opportunity to visit the ministry responsible for printing our Guaraní John and Romans scripture portions. The director took time to guide us through the process, showing us how the scripture moves from the computer to the printer, then to the binder and trimmer, and finally into the box. It was especially interesting for my children, as they were able to witness a side of the process they had never seen before. They have always observed scripture arriving at our home or in containers but had never understood the origins of that scripture or the ministries dedicated to spreading God’s word globally. Their favorite part was watching the press as it printed and folded the various segments. During our visit, we also gathered the necessary details to send to the copyright holders for the required changes to proceed with printing.
The challenging moments can be summed up in two words: Hurricane Helene. Our hometown lies in the heart of some of the worst-affected areas of North Carolina, just minutes from the Bat Cave and Chimney Rock regions that many of you saw in photographs. At the time the hurricane struck, we were away visiting the press. With the main roads washed out, and the back roads deemed impassable, we were prevented from returning home right away. It took about three days before we heard from all our family members, and thankfully, they are all safe. None of their houses were destroyed, but Jessica’s sister's home is uninhabitable due to water damage. Once we managed to find a route home, a supporting church helped us gather supplies. So many supplies in fact, that I had to enlist others to help us deliver them. Once home Jessica and her family focused on mucking out her sister's house and drying it out, while I assisted our home church and another supporting church with disaster relief. Our home church has been involved in disaster relief for about 35 years and has extensive experience. It has been a joy to re-engage in this work, reminding us of times before moving to Bolivia. Witnessing God’s people unite in support has been truly remarkable, especially as many of you who personally support us have reached out during this time. We have even seen supporting churches assist each other without realizing they are both part of our ministry.
Please continue to pray for our region. Although the media spotlight has dimmed and outside help has decreased, there are still significant needs, and our community is growing weary. Our church has been working long hours, six to seven days a week, for over a month to keep up with the demands. For those accustomed to receiving our email updates, this explains why we missed last month's letter; there simply was not enough time to produce it as usual.
In other news, a brief update on the vehicle fund: the storm has impacted our efforts, leading to the cancellation of several meetings. While we are still making progress toward our goal, it has been much slower than anticipated. We continue to trust the Lord to meet our needs.
Lastly, we are excited to have had the privilege of witnessing multiple people being saved over the last couple of months. Some were reached through disaster relief efforts while others were in the church services we have been in. No matter what God uses to bring people to Himself, it never gets old watching people draw close to Him! It has been an honor to be a small part of what He has done.
We appreciate your ongoing prayers and thank everyone who has been there for us during this challenging time. We have truly seen God work through His people.
