Saylla: Saylla needs a lot of prayer. The adults are tapering off little by little. Some are losing interest and making work a priority and therefore not attending church services or even discipleship classes. The boys have been encouraged by the children who are super firm. The children are always there and seem to come out of nowhere. Eli and I are hoping to connect with their parents here in the near future. However, they did have one lady baptized this month in Saylla which was encouraging. Attendance: 24
Oropesa: Eli and I are ready to receive six members within the first couple weeks of December. We had two people baptized this month as well who will be two members. They have some really firm people here, few but firm. They are also really excited about the enthusiasm these people are showing. They want to do events already and are people who have good standing in the community and will be able to have a big impact on their friends and family. Attendance: 10
Urcos: Eli and I had one person baptized from Urcos but seven came to watch and support them. It looks like three more will be baptized this next month. We do have a lot of firm people, some firm families who have showed a lot of progress this month. We are very impressed with a young man named Wilson who is only 15 and very determined. His whole family has this same attitude and Eli and I are excited to see where it leads. Attendance: 19
Eli and I met a woman named Marta (Wilson’s mom) in the street one day and she invited them to her home. They began discipleship classes with her and she has shown and increased interest in studying the Bible. She reads the bible with her kids and teaches them what she learns from the classes each week. Her son Wilson finished all seven lessons in one week. We’ve been at the house when Marta has yelled up to her son Wilson “Wilson, what are you doing up there?” he responds “Mom, leave me alone, I’m talking to God!”
One day Marta needed to take a trip to visit her mother and collect her salary. She needed to go to another town about five hours from where she lived but had little money to get there. There was no bus so she sat down in the plaza of Urcos and began to pray. She prayed and prayed for a bus to pass by and that the bus would have open seats so she wouldn’t have to stand for the whole journey. Then, all the sudden, a bus showed up with open seats. She praised God for sending it and prayed the whole trip there. When she arrived she still had no money and needed to get yet another bus to get her to her destination. Everyone was telling her that there were no more cars that day. She prayed while she was walking and looked down to find 60 soles on the ground. She praised God for the money saying “now I have the money I just need another bus” and another bus came.
The man she had to collect money from has always insulted her and she has always insulted him back, they have always argued. This time she said she wanted to respond not by arguing but with a better attitude. She let him insult her, got her salary and left without saying anything regrettable. After receiving her money she left to visit her elderly mother. She heard God telling her, that he blessed her with that money so she could bless others. So, she gave 20 soles to her mother, 20 to her uncle and kept 20 for her return trip home.
We have never met someone with so much faith. She wants to apply everything she’s learned from the Bible and has faith in God that he will take care of every situation.
