Greatest Birthday Gift

The goodness of our God amazes me every day! At this moment I am sitting in Hollywood Florida at my Aunt Betty Lou's house listening to my sister catch up with our cousin Phyllis (they're the same age and grew up together). We haven't seen them for more than 30 years. I am so blessed and at peace seeing Aunt Betty as she is living right next to her other daughter Crystal whom we have met for the first time.
In all we do if we recognize His goodness and seek His will in all things He never fails to bring blessings in abundance. I never imagined I'd be seeing my aunt again.
The way to pace and victory is to accept every circumstance and every trial as being straight from the hand of our loving Father; to live "with Him in heavenly realms" (Eph 2:6), above the clouds, in the very presence of His throne; and to look down from glory on our circumstances as being lovingly and divinely appointed."
This day I pray you: Draw on His strength, Bask in His presence, Becoming a vessel where His Light will shine like a beacon in the night for all the world to know and every tongue and tribe to believe on the One who died for us on that cold dark night on Calvary.

Sacariaz Receives His New Wheels

What a story we have about this wheelchair donated by P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Ministry!  The South Tampa Medical Team brought the chair with them for which we had planned to have them put it together and present it to Sacariaz the following Friday of their arrival.  Sacariaz is an 18 year old university student who lost his left leg to polio. This PET chair offers him the mobility to not only get around town but to attend his classes without having to walk with his crutch or take motortaxis.
The main part of the chair arrived with the team but the suitcase that had the other tires and tools remained in Atlanta only to be flown all the way to London then back to Atlanta then finally to Lima but not in time for the team presentation.  Thankfully, Angel was able to go with Jeff, the team leader, to customs the night the team was returning to the states and with much pleading was allowed to bring the suitcase back to Moyobamba with him.  Saturday, July 3rd, we presented Sacariaz with his new set of wheels and a bible.  He was so excited and truly blessed by this chair.  We were abundantly blessed to be able to present him with it and thank PET ministry and STF for bringing it to Peru.
We ask that you pray for us to come up with a solution in being able to provide customs with the new paperwork available with the signatures they are requesting from now on.  It will require someone going to Lima before each team to claim what is coming into the country. Not an easy task, costly for us missionaries and will not only affect us but the rest of MVI missionaries in Peru.  We believe God for favor and quick answers to this potential problem.

We also ask your prayers in something our Lord laid on Karen's heart for their return...to start a bible study with the recipients of these chairs. Looking forward to what our Lord has in store for His special ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G0S3DcewN0    
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHcChs_nsQc

This week has been amazing for us as we have been able to be a conduit of blessing for so many. October of 2009, we had a team come to serve in Nuevo Progreso while the women on the team held a health workshop for the women of Moyobamba. During that time we visited a village called Yantelo and planned on holding a baby workshop for young teenage moms but due to the lack of follow through on the clinic's part we returned to Moyobamba with a suitcase full of gifts and educational books on caring for your baby during and after pregnancy.

During the Medical clinic we recently held in Nuevo Progreso and Santa Catalina we had the team give out the gifts and books to any first time moms. Yet we returned with a half a suitcase of books and gifts.Today we went to the hospital and had the great joy of delivering some more of the gifts and books to the new moms and blessed the hospital with what was left to give to future moms. The director of the maternity ward was so happy to receive these gifts and loved the books called "Mama y Bebe" .."Mother and Baby"..and said he would like to use one of the books to have a meeting with the other obstetricians to share the information on nutrition and how to encourage the mothers to understand the birthing process and what to expect the first year of the baby's life.What a great day in the Lord as we not only handed out the gifts but were able to pray for each one of these new moms and their precious treasures. God's name was lifted high and we were walking on clouds! I am always blessed to be such a conduit for His love!

Of course none of this would happen without the donations we receive from our partners and teams who come to visit and labor in the loveof                                           our Lord with us. To God be all the glory!

After the Team

Our friends from South Tampa Fellowship have arrived safely home and are not returning back to the normalcy of life after a week of canoes, hiking & laying hands on the sick.  What an amazing team! All totaled they ministered to 500 patients between the two villages and saw  30 commitments made to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We have yet to rest, except for our one day in Tarapoto where Angel was blessed by his lovely wife (me) with a wonderful massage that rendered him asleep on the table and sawing wood!  Upon our arrival home the fun of washing donated clothing, disinfecting & putting up all the plates, utensils, cups, and separating the leftover meds to be donated was priority on our list.

We were able to donate medicines and scrubs to the San Lucas Clinic near our home and as many of  you know we have a passion for the police officers who bravely serve in Moyobamba and were blessed to be able to bring them some medications, fungus salves, ibuprophen, eye drops etc to fill their medicine cabinet which is virtually empty.

We also had the pleasure of blessing two of the female officers, who are pregnant, each with a 9 month supply of prenatal vitamins. 

What a day we've had today!

A Child's Cry!

This week we have been so busy with the South Tampa Fellowship Medical Team that came to serve with us in two villages; Nuevo Progreso and Santa Catalina. They have been touching so many lives with the love of Christ through the medical attention, free medicines and time of fun, games and even polaroid pictures some patients even got to keep. The pictures were a real treat since most of the villagers have never had access to a camera before let alone printed pictures.
Monday morning Lily Marilu came for a doctor visit.  Some of you may recall our picture of her last year.  Lily is a 16 year old mentally retarded girl being raised by her 70 plus year old grandparents.  Monday it appeared that her mother was with her which was surprising since we didn't realize she even lived in Nuevo Progreso.  Well sadly, Lily Marilu became the rape victim of a young man who has since disappeared and she became pregnant giving birth to a little girl.  Her baby is 2 months old but Lily has not been breast feeding her regularly and the poor baby is starving.  One of our nurses, Jenny, took the time and patiently showed Lily how to feed the baby. Lily's mother was right there. She told Angel that Lily isn't producing enough milk for the baby. Jenny explained that the more Lily breast feeds the more milk will be produced.  Angel shared with Lily's mother that if the baby isn't getting the breast milk she would need to buy the baby formula to give her to which she responded that the canned formula was too expensive. Angel looked her in the eye and shared with her that in the way they buy other things this needs to be a priority or the baby will die.  Lily's mom shrugged her shoulders as if to say ,'then she dies'.
We believe since it was a rape, they could care less if the baby lives or dies.  We ask that you intercede for ,this baby's life, for Lily Marilu that someone will take her under their wing to care for that baby, and for her family that they will be convicted of this blatant abuse.

The team arrives from the villages today!  Will be updating pictures soon.

July 13, 2009

We are preparing to leave for the airport. Heading to Lima. I want to share my devotional today...written by E.A. Kilbourne:



"He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, Iwill come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)



Faith grows during storms. these are just four little words, but what significance they have to someone who has endured life-threatening storms!
Faith is that God-given ability that, when exercised, brings the unseen into plain view. It deals with the supernatural and makes impossible things possible. And yes, it grows during the storms--that is, it grows through disturbances in the spiritual atmosphere. Storms are caused by conflicts between the physical elements , and the storms of the spiritural world are conflicts with the supernatural, hostile elements. And it is in this atmosphere of conflict that faith finds its most fertile soil and grows most rapidly to maturity.
the strongest trees are found not in the thick shelter of the forest but out in the open, where winds from every direction bear down upon them. The fierce winds bend and twist them until become giant in stature. These are the trees that toolmakers seek for handles for their tools, because of the wood's great strenth.
It is the same in the spiritual world. Remember, when you see a person of great spiritual stature, the road you must travel to walk with him is not one where the sun alway shines and wildflowers always bloom. Instead, the way is a steep, rocky , and narrow pathe, where the winds of hell will try to knock you off your feet, and where sharp rocks will cut you, prickly thorns will scratch your face, and poisonous sncakes will slither and hiss all around you.
the path of fait is one of sorrow and joy, suffering and healing comfort, tears and smiles, trials and victories, conflicts and triumphs, and also hardships, dangers, beatings, persecutions, misunderstanding, trouble, and distress. Yet "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37)
yes, "in all these"--even during storms, when the winds are the most intense--"we are more than conquerors." You may be tempted to run from the ordeal of a fierce storm of testing, but head straight for it! God is there to meet you in the center of each trial. And He will whisper to you His secrets, which will bring you out with a radiant face and such an invincible faith that all the demons of hell will never be able to shake it.
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I pray this message blesses you as much as it has blessed me....Have a great day and rejoice in it for it is the day our Lord has made!

July 12, 2009

We've started our journey to the states...left Moyobamba and are now in Tarapoto...tomorrow we leave for Lima and then Tues for florida....hate traveling but love when we make it to our destination.

We start our doctor visits right away...please be in prayer for Angel's doctor's reports to come out good so we can continue forward....we don't know what we'd do if we'd have to return to the states...we love where we are living and there is nothing like living on pure faith trusting God for all your needs. Each day His Spirit guides you and you get to see the miraculous wonders He creates just for you. we have so much to do when we get back. We are going to be helping a church develop a youth ministry...angel will be starting to visit tribal villages...I am going to start an English school at the house, teaching cooking once a month and Lord willing starting an outreach in the Yantelo area for the young mothers with babies.

Sometimes I get anxious and begin to worry about Angel..especially when he gets tired so easily, something he never did. But the one thing I have come to know is that as I run to the lap of my everlasting Father's arms, He comforts me and brings peace to my soul. We are in His hands...and whatever the outcome it will be for our good and for His glory!