Today
was an amazing, exciting, and miraculous day, because God once again proved
that He really does answer prayer! For months, our team members and prayer
partners have been praying that the villages would be receptive to the Gospel,
and that God would be glorified. Well in the small village of Cochas, God is waging
a heavenly war against the forces of spiritual darkness. And soon, I believe,
He is going to bring the victory.
Ephesians
6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against
the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” The people of
Cochas have been enslaved to darkness for so long that Satan probably believes
the place invincible. For God, however, nothing is impossible. Our visit today
started at the community school, a small place teeming with teeming with
laughing, excited children. And from there, our groups went out, and the
results are encouraging and exciting!
On
particular group had a wonderful experience, so I’ll nickname it group 1. Group
1 included: Jill Dowling, Mom, Maria, andPablo.
Together,
Mrs. Jill and Mom were able (With the help of Pablo the translator) to spend
the time before lunch engaging all of the children of the school. They played
duck-duck goose, sang songs, and built up relationships so that they could
share the light of Jesus Christ. After gaining the children’s trust and
endearment, group 1 was able to give every child a bible and a tract and
explain the Word of God. Many had never seen a non-Catholic bible before, and most
were very interested and excited. From that point on, children could be seen
throughout the community reading the bibles or analyzing the tracts. Hopefully
seeds have been planted, and God will give the growth!
After
lunch, group 1 went prayer-walking throughout the community, and the results
were amazing. God answered three distinct, independent prayers through that one
time of ministry. Group 1 had decided to go to a cluster of houses in one
direction, but a girl was walking home from school in a different direction. They
decided to ask if they could go visit her house and she agreed. Once they
arrived there, they found out that the girl’s grandmother had been saved for 5
years, and the mother had been saved for 1 year but just got baptized last
week. Together, they had been praying that God would make them and their household
a light for God in the community of 218 families, but they did not know how to
be that light. So recently, they had been waking up at midnight (YES, 12:00 AM)
to prayer-walk their village. Praise the Lord! So once the group arrived and
shared with them Gabriel’s (the local missionary we are working with) desire to
start a bible study, they eagerly desired their home to be the host. So right
there, that’s two prayers answered: the native’s prayer to be a light and our
team and prayer partners’ prayers that a person of peace willing to host a
bible study would be found. Glory be to God, for through those women God may be
bringing a revival to the village of Cochas! The third prayer is that Mom and
Mrs. Jill have been praying that they would be able to experience another
worship service with a group of local believers. Near the end of the time of
visit, the people wanted to sing songs and worship God together. So group 1 and
the local believers sang ‘Open the eyes of my heart’ together in Spanish, and
the believers there were so excited that they ran and got a notepad and wrote
down the lyrics. God is so good, and He brings together believers of every
nation, tribe, and tongue! Please pray for those women specifically, because
they will need much strength in the coming days to carry God’s word to people
who are possibly hostile or resistant to it. Pray that God will work and guide
them, and that He will receive the Glory!
Group 1’s
experience is extremely exciting, and my group (Myself, Sarah, Mr. Greg, and
Alfredo) had an experience that demonstrates that God is working in Cachos,
although the situation needs a lot of specific prayer. We met a woman named
Margarita who was very interested in the Gospel. She has been pondering and
yearning, and she said that she wants to become a Christian. However, there is
a hindrance. Margarita owns a small store, and it provides enough income for her
to live. Unfortunately, one of the main sources of income in the store is the alcohol.
Although she knows that she could become a Christian, she also knows that
entering into that relationship with Christ means that she will be changed and
could no longer sell the alcohol with a clear heart. She is scared. Scared,
because turning to God means giving up her security and her livelihood. Our
group was able to pray with/for her, and Mr. Greg explained that, like Abraham,
she may have to take the step of faith before God shows her the blessing of His
provision. Please join with us in prayer for Margarita, that God will soften
her heart and show her that He will be her protector and provider. Oh God, be
with her!
The last group (Scotty and Jadison Hayes, Patricia, and
Gabriel) also had a number of good visits. Although the spiritual darkness has
caused confusion (One person refused to take the bible because it wasn’t
catholic, another thought they were Jehova’s Witnesses), God is beginning to
shed His light on the place. Gabriel was able to connect with several families,
and there was a definite openness to the Gospel and the possibility of a bible
study beginning soon. In fact, Gabriel has said that one day he would like to
build a church in the village. So please, remember the village of Cochas in
your prayers. God is moving their, and I am excited to see the growth that He
will bring!
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