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"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can
boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."October 23, 2003 The Word of the Lord... Ephesians 2:8-10 ...Pray that God will be the Teacher...
This is the theme verse for the talks I will be giving (Lord
willing!) to a group of "jovenes" in a city called Abancay this weekend
(the 24th-26th). "Jovenes" basically means "youth group", which here in
Peru includes ages 15-30. This will be a type of youth retreat at the
church, and I have spent several months working on 4 talks, then
translating them into Spanish, and all the while praying that God will
give me what I need to convey his message in another language. We will be
looking at what Scripture says about Salvation, Grace, and why we behave
the way we do. I have two young men traveling with me: Jorge, who will be
leading the music and will hold a music workshop, and Nathan, the newest
member of our missions team here in Cusco. Jorge also speaks very good
English and will be able to help me with translation when I am faltering.
Please pray for all of us, that we will have safe travel and that God
will be the teacher this weekend. Please pray for this group of youth,
that God will go out ahead of us and be working in their hearts....Pray that God will Captivate our Hearts...
All of the missions teams in Peru will be undergoing
evaluations in the next 6 months to be sure that we are all in line with
the vision of MTW and church planting. I'm sure all of us will have some
areas of weakness or areas that need change. Please pray for good
evaluation criteria, that our hearts will be ready to accept any
criticism or need for changes, and that God will continue to use us all
to accomplish his work here in Peru....Pray that God will be working through our teams and outreach...
This week we have a team here from Nashville TN to work with
our church and 2 other evangelical churches in Cusco. I have so
appreciated their focus on wanting to encourage and build up the church
here. They are holding English classes at night as an evangelical
outreach. During the days, they are holding Computer, Music, and
Spiritual Gifts classes for the church members. It has been a great week
so far and I think everyone has been encouraged. I have been helping with
the computer classes, and it makes me remember why I love
ministry!!!! Please pray that God will continue to use our short term
teams to support and build up the local church....Pray for our Peruvian Leadership...
We have plans to hold 4 times of intense discipleship (with
small groups meeting in between) with our group of Peruvian leaders in
the church here in Cusco over the next 4-5 months. Our desire is not just
to have a "training session", but to focus on true discipleship and the
heart. Please pray for this time, both for us as
teachers/leaders/learners, and for our Peruvian brothers and sisters as
we seek to be conduits for God's work in their hearts....Pray that our Prayers will be Communion with God...
So often my time of "prayer" is like a Christmas list. "Dear
Lord, please do this, do that, give me this, let me have that, change
this...."Yah yah yah. Sound familiar? Why do I forget that my time with
God is my communication with my Father, not a time for me to present my
wishes and demands? Please pray that my prayer time (and maybe yours!)
would reflect a heart that loves God and desires just to be in his presence....Pray for the Wonderful Supports God has given me...
I am so thankful for my friends, family, and supporters (many
of whom fit more than one category!). I still do not have renters for my
house, so please continue to lift that up. Still, I have been overwhelmed
with the generosity of friends and family who are giving their time and
efforts to help me out when I am so far away. Thank you, Chris Long, for
organizing the group to paint my empty house. Thank you Catherine, my
sister, for agreeing to wallpaper the bathroom, even though I know your
time is so full with family and work. Thank you Mom and Dad, for the
endless phone calls you are making on my behalf to make things go
smoothly when I come home for a visit. Thank you to all my friends who
write, remember me and pray for me, even though I (who used to be the
Queen of Email) have been slacking off with my email lately!! Thank you
to all of my supporters and supporting churches who are making it
possible for me to be here! It is such a privilege to be here and working
in the presence of the Peruvian people. Please don't forget that I am
praying for you all, for God's love and mercy in your lives and for you
to grow closer to him every day.I hope to have some photos next time! God Bless!!! Laura Deadwyler Casilla 985 Cuzco, Peru 011-51-84-25-36-58 EMAIL: ldeadwyler@mtwla.org WEBSITE: http://www.mtwla.org/people/ldeadwyler.htm Date - November 1, 2003
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