Report from Antonia

Recent Events

Tribal Villages

I have been teaching ‘Firm in Christ’ and we are up to lesson 4 – the sin of Adam that separated man from God, but in Christ we are accepted by Him. It is motivating to see how the young people are responding in a practical way to the teaching they are receiving. We are able to see how God has been working in the life of Adolfo. Adolfo is a young disabled man but he is the one who is most involved in the ministry. He directs the praise time and is in charge of receiving the offerings. Other young people are dedicated to serving the refreshments to the younger ones in the children’s dining hall.

Victor helps with taking the children to their homes and is able to visit sick people and to pray for them. Victor Soto has been coming and supporting us in the teaching programme in two of the communities, teaching religious studies in two schools and when we leave for Lima he continues with the tasks he has been given. 

Zila helps us with teaching 30 children from 1-5 years old. She is teaching Genesis from chapter 1 to 28. The children are starting to memorize bible verses, which they use in different situations. Zila has a 5 year old who asked, “Mum, is all that I have because God has given it to me?”  She answered “yes, my son, God has given you all that you have”.  The boy is confident and knows that God looks after him and provides all his needs.

Zila is one of our translators and when we travel to other communities to teach religious studies she comes with us with her boy without worrying about the rain or heat. Sometimes her husband comes with us and he is the photographer. He takes a lot of photos, some photos we are able to use.

In November I stayed by myself in the community because there wasn’t anyone that could accompany me into the community. I have been able to experience the mercy of God in sending me Zila and her family who have been in my house keeping me company during one week. 

Dining Hall - "Oasis de Amor" (Oasis of Love)

God has been faithful during 2016. We had from 18-20 children having lunch on Mondays – Fridays. After their school classes they come to have lunch. This year we could see God’s provision every day although our faith was tested as we didn't always have the resources available to buy the food needed. 

Home Construction

The young people of IACYM of Lince travelled to build three homes for two old people from Aoti and the house of a widow in another community (the families were involved in helping with the construction). The young people also put down the floor to form a creche at the Aoti church and put up a wall in my home which now allows me to have a way to store things with more security. 

The old people were very grateful and the widow said “pasonki tasorentsi” which means  “Thank God”. She also added thanks to the pastor Kokys for making the house so beautiful. They are very happy and grateful to God for the help they have received.

Christmas campaign

All of this campaign was an act of faith. The desire of my heart was to bless four communities but I didn’t know where the resources were going to come from. But God, who knows everything, started to provide from different places, putting it in the hearts of different people to help with the Christmas campaign.  

God in His infinite goodness provided the resources to travel to a community where there are two different ethnic groups and where there isn’t a church. The chief of this community opened the community house so we could teach the Word to the children where some of the teachers also attended and parents of the families. It was very touching to see the faces of some of the adults so touched to hear for the first time about God. We distributed new toys and also served them a hot chocolate drink. Oscar, the president of Segadores, came with us on this trip and all of the team who work with children in the community where we live. 

The young people of IACYM of Lince travelled with us to help with the hot chocolate drink and they brought 200 gifts for the children in the community. We had to hurry as we had to get to the church to start the event we had planned.

The horn is a drum and with the sound of the drum approximately 200 children arrive, also the young people and some adults. One of the young people of the group taught about the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:27–2:25) and another young person of the team did a workshop about the changes that they see in our country. Later the children had a glass of chocolate milk and distributing the toys to the children we saw their faces with smiles, they were full of joy.

Pampa Mercado: The rain was very strong so the car came to take up the team and all the things. We gave thanks to God for the car because ‘los comuneros’ and the president of the Aoti church were in the community. There was approximately 70 people including the children. Fredy and Zila helped us with the translating. The themes were the same in all of the communities. The children formed two lines, one line of girls and the other boys with the smallest at the front. 

We distributed the toys and at the end the chocolate drink. It is so good to see the children’s happy faces and we give thanks to God for being able to count on a team who helped us to take the word of God to these little ones and see their happiness.

Christmas programme in the fourth community: God had put it in my heart to go to this community but the ability to get there is difficult. The same day we were due to go there the driver said he wasn’t able to take us and cancelled the service. My translator, Zila, her husband and their baby had arrived at my home ready to go to this place. We prayed to God asking for His guidance and we waited for Him to provide a way of getting there. After a little while a transport driver came to my house and was going to the community. He took us and charged us nothing for the service. Zila’s husband is seeing how God answers our prayers. 

When we arrived in the community the teacher opened the doors of the school and got together all of the different classes so we could teach them from the Word of God. We taught them about the creation of Adam and Eve. Later the children had a chocolate drink with milk and they received their toys. We saw the hand of God multiplying what we had once again as nobody missed out. We were surprised and grateful to God for doing this.

To return home the teacher offered to take me on his motorbike. He didn’t know that I have back problems but God who knows everything and nothing escapes Him, provided this means of transport for me. 

Sewing and crafts workshop

There are few responsible people left to carry on the workshop, they are however still producing items. In the workshop with the women the bible teaching continues and this has continued with the help of Zila, our interpreter. 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) We are holding meetings with the young people once a week and we need to buy chairs.  
2) Help for church with the discipleship and the communion with the pastor.
3) For the economical support for Victor, this year he is starting to go more frequently to help with an Asheninka church and other communities around them.
4) That God will renew our physical and spiritual strength to continue to make disciples.
5) That God will raise up missionaries with the desire to live in the community and in this way be able to reach the other communities in the area before the second coming of Christ.
6) That God will supply the financial resources needed to be able to work with the children in the church and the dining room of abandoned children.
7) That God will provide the funds needed for the prosthetic leg for Adolfo.
8) That God will provide the funds for the school needs for the abandoned children.

Comments

I give thanks to our good God for putting on the heart of each one of you to pray and collaborate with the task God has commended me which is to take the Word to those who as yet haven’t heard about the unique and true God. Thanks to you all because in different ways you are involved with reaching the less reached people of the Peruvian jungle.