Adventures in Poite

Bible studies in Poite continue to go well. God is so faithful! At the most recent one, we noticed more participation by the attendees, so that was an answer to prayer! We still have much more progress to make in that area, but little by little I trust that more will feel free to participate in the discussions.

Making the trip to Poite each week is always an adventure. It isn't a short trip... We leave around four in the evening, and return around 11:30 p.m. We usually have a crowd that goes along, which provides good fellowship in our travels. One night we saw an ocelot on the way home!

No, we didn't get a picture of it, but I found this picture to give you an idea.

A couple of Fridays ago, we came across some not so interesting creatures... Fleas! Roaming "local" pigs that are kept by villagers tend to spread fleas in dusty areas. Evidently Clifford walked through an area with a bunch of them, and he spent the ending of the Bible study trying to get rid of them. After Bible study ended a group of children joined his efforts, while the rest of us watched. These fleas quickly dig into the skin, where they will eventually lay eggs. And I mean quickly! Within minutes of walking through them, there were already digging into Clifford's toes and ankles. A few days later, both Magdalena's little daughter and Clifford had "treasures" to dig out of their feet - fleas that had been missed in the initial search. Ah well, the "joys" of ministering to others. We have to be willing to sacrifice and be uncomfortable in order to reach out to those who need it the most.

The next Sunday, Big Falls Church of the Nazarene planned a trip to Poite. We all decided to jump on the bus they chartered and go along, since it IS the closest to me! Wow... I realized again how blessed we are to be able to travel with the pickup. The bus was loaded, and the trip was slooooooowww!!! I know it takes us a long time to get there, but the bus went slower, and had to make more stops for "rest breaks."

Nonetheless, we finally made it and had a wonderful service! I should have snapped some pictures for you. The children sitting on a bench along the wall were adorable, and I wish you could have seen them. Pastor Andres gave Bro. Martin (the lay pastor in Poite) a local minister's license, there was much singing, testimonies, and a good sermon. What wonderful fellowship! To top it all off, the members at Poite had prepared a meal for all of us. Delicious chicken, turkey, and pork caldo (all separate, of course) was served along with poch (a sort of meatless tamale, kind of :) or fresh corn tortillas. In true Poite fashion, the food contained plenty of spicy pepper! It was a blessed day!

I have several more stories I want to share, but I will space them out over the next few days... I think I will even try to include a video in a post coming up soon. So stay tuned! Most of all, we covet your continued prayers for the work.