Dearest Friends,
AN AWESOME ANSWER
God wonderfully answered all of our prayers! Let me explain what happened.
In our last email, we asked you to pray about the translators as we could not find people who could translate the story and testimonies properly. It is very important that we do not teach a child the wrong thing about how to trust in Jesus. We want the message to be clear and easy to understand.
We traveled to a small village and did a program in the square. We still did not have a good translator and the program was okay, but far from what it could have been. I had practiced with her for 2 hours, but still we had problems. My heart broke as I knew that those children did not really hear the truth. More, our new team was beginning to wonder if storytelling could work. They loved the puppets, but did not believe that the program could be effective. I have with me the Brazilian directors and the team leaders for another team in Peru. We all knew that God could use these tools to bring glory to His name, but we needed a good translator.
My friend, Pastor Alfredo, made an announcement that we would return to that place in the late afternoon. A dear friend, Aricelly, which we had met on a previous trip to Peru, changed her whole schedule and agreed to come and translate for us. Together we told the story of Joseph. WE spoke about the forgiveness that only Jesus gives. Almost every child that had come to the first show, came to the second show. Praise God! Aricelly did an incredible job! God blessed beyond all that we could have hoped or dreamed. The children delighted in the program, but best of all, dozens of them called on Jesus to be their Savior and King. Our friends were equally delighted!
Anytime that many lives are touched for the cross, you should expect some opposistion. We ahd set up beside a large Catholic church. This particular church had been teaching the children that anyone could go to heaven by being good. They were very unhappy with our presence there and did their best to make it difficult for the children to hear. They turned off the outside lights and played music on outside speakers so loud that it hurt your ears. We used a truck’s lights.
Two of our friends went and asked them to reconsider. They pointed out to them what we agreed on in scripture. However, when the nun asked if we put our trust in the holy father in Rome, we could only answer no.
We later found out that that the earlier show must have gone better than we had thought, because some of the people had become afraid and called for the nun to come that night. The funny thing is that nothing seemed to bother the children. I heard the music, but I do not think that they did! They listened with their ears and their hearts and trusted in Jesus! Rejoice and keep praying!
PLAZA DE SAN FRANCISCO
I wish that you could have seen what I saw on Sunday afternoon! A crowd of 500 plus people gathered in a plaza for a street show. They really enjoyed the program, but best of all, many prayed out loud asking Jesus to save them. I stand in awe of God our Father! One lady brought me a lily to thank me for all that she had heard.
SUNDAY MORNING
At our first program, we had to translate English into Spanish into Quechua. Pastor Alfredo wore his native clothes and added my American Indian headdress to his wardrobe. He was incredible. When something happened in the story that he really liked, he would lead the church in shouting “Amen”. His enthusiasm for the Gospel is boundless!
We heard children praying in Spanish and in Quechua, asking Jesus to be their Savior! It was wonderful! At our second show, so many children trusted in Jesus. One little girl gave me a red rose. I wore it in my hat the rest of the day.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please pray for us as tomorrow evening, we leave for a place that is far away where there are many witches. Also, I fell in the street last night when my cane went through a grate. It is hard to see and I was watching, but I would appreciate your prayers as I am sore. Thankyou for praying!
In Jesus, Linda for the Team