Saints in Santa Elena

This past week, I was able to visit Santa Elena, a small village up in the mountains. I wish I could impart to you the views!! It was beautiful. We gave Bibles to the church up there—the whole church only had 4 broken Bibles, and the vast majority of the congregants don’t have Bibles. So now they have Bibles! We also brought food to the family of Dona Julia. Julia has two children who are unable to walk due to what appears to be a hereditary disease. She has been to a traveling medical clinic, but said they didn’t tell her anything and can’t read the papers that they did give her and so is uncertain—what fear that can entail—knowing your children have something, but feeling unable to know what it is or what you can do. Also, she had another child with the same disease, and he has died. She lives in fear and will not leave her two children alone (Argentina is 18 and Edwin is 14) in case something, something might happen. Lack of food and malnutrition does not help—we brought some food and some encouragement. Julia goes to church irregularly, but doesn’t have a peace from God. 

Please pray for peace with God, for faith, for healing, for provision. 

Please pray for the others in poverty—I just read an article that two children died from hunger in a small village in Honduras on Friday.

·         65% of population below poverty level of $2 USD per day (3)

·         “One of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere with extraordinarily unequal distribution of wealth and massive unemployment” (3)

·         Unemployment rate is 27.8%

·         1 out of 3 persons (about 2 million people) suffer from critical hunger.

Pray that God will meet their physical needs. Paul was confident that God would do so. Both Ph. 4:19 and 2 Cor. 9:8-11 talk about the PHYSICAL and monetary needs.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Ph. 4;19). 

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘He has scatted abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seeds to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of see and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor. 9:8-11). 

Pray that those Christians who are financially blessed will share, acting as the body of Christ and showing the unity of love. 

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:17-18). 

Pray for justice.

“But with righteousness [the Messiah] will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions to the poor of the earth” (Is. 11:4). 

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy” (Ps. 140:12). 

Pray that their eyes may be opened to their greater riches in Christ; or if they are not saved, that they will realize the incredible riches of God’s grace that He holds out to us in Christ Jesus. Pray that their poverty will be a source of blessing to them and to the universal church. (Rev. 2:9; Eph. 1:17-19).