We are grateful to our God for helping us this past semester in the ministry. During this time, we have been able to reach more than 60 children in two different native communities surrounding Atalaya and more than 15 adults who continue to show a lot of interest in learning about the Word of God.
This gives us lots of joy and satisfaction in the Lord, because we see the work of God in their lives. On the other hand, the Lord always provides for us through other believers enabling us to travel to the places where we have our meetings, and also to be able to provide some refreshments for the children which is made up of some bread with butter, jam, oat drink with milk, and barley.
We were blessed with a donation of workbooks and coloured pencils for the kids. The kids were really grateful to God, and happy for the gift, and the donors were happy too.
We hold one of the meetings on Fridays between 7.00pm and 8.30pm. To get to the meeting place we only have to travel 10 minutes in a car to a place called New Fort. Once there, although there is a shortage of seats for the kids, they fill in their tasks in their workbooks to the best of their ability as you can see in the photos.
The other meeting that we have is with the believers in the Ashaninca native community in Sausa. This community is 20 minutes from Atalaya by car, we go there three times a week, and the believers are really happy and grateful to God for the support that we are giving them.
Two of the meetings are at night, and one in the morning. Although there is no electricity the believers and the children come to these meetings. As you can see, we make lighting using empty jars filled with petrol. Although it is a bit annoying to have a class under these conditions, inhaling smoke, we are grateful to God that we are doing it the best we can.
Halfway through the month of June we are going to start a Sunday school among the children of Sausa. We have noticed that there are no teachers for the children.
These past months I have seen, once again, the hand of God move in a very special way in my life, helping me to know Him better through His Word and also through His economic provision for our needs. This encourages and comforts me because it makes me realise that we are in the will of God. God has been and will be faithful towards me and my family until He sees fit.
I continue to get to know him and to try and stay faithful to Him and also to give myself fully to Him. We have been praying for the resources needed for my wife’s operation and God made it possible through believers who helped us to this end.
We are conscious that God has called us to fulfil His purposes and that is to take His Word. We are learning to love the people we work with and we see just how much need there is in them to know God. Until now God has continued to show us His faithfulness through His promises, never will He leave us without His protection.
God continues to work on my character. I am learning to have self-control. Sometimes there are moments when I feel uncomfortable to see things I do that I don’t feel I should be doing, afterwards I reflect on and meditate about the things and ask God that He will help me, afterwards I become calm and tranquil. Only God can do this in my life and I am grateful for this process and the teachings I am receiving from Him in my growth and spiritual maturity.
I have had moments of discouragement, in the middle of the situation God has been with me to help me remember His Word. “Don’t fear because I am with you, don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Truly God is so marvellous with me, He wants to continue moulding my life. Every time I say, Lord have your will in my life, He shows me the area I need to change. The desire of my heart is to put into practice what He is teaching me.
Before my return to the mission field I had a strong pain in my waist área, this was due to a bad movement I did when getting into a vehicle to return home after I had been shopping. The pain got worse and I had to go to the neurologist to be examined. After some examinations the results were that I have a muscle injury in the left leg. I am currently having physiotherapy.
In November last year my wife had an operation on her uterus and so far her recuperation has been favourable. We exit one situation and enter into another as the doctors have detected decalcification in the bones in her back and hip, and arthritis in her hands and legs. The week of her operation, my wife’s father had an accident and fractured his back and hand, having to have an immediate operation. God has control of all situations that we encounter. There is never anything that we go through unless God permits it.
He says in His Word; “all things work together for good…” Lots of times we get discouraged but at the same time God’s words come to mind, encouraging and strengthening us saying “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness…” What marvellous words these are, they give me encouragement to continue ahead in spite of sickness. God works in His time and in the meantime I hope to have the strength and the health to serve God, we will do this as long as He gives us strength to do it.
Thanks be to God that Luci is recuperating well, little by little. In spite of the state of her health we continue doing the work that we are immersed in, teaching the Word of God to children and adults in and around Atalaya.
Brother and sisters, we are praying to the Lord that He would provide a washing machine now that my wife has been told not to wash clothing by hand because the detergents are too strong and cause harm to her hands.
God willing, the end of June we should travel to Chiclayo, Luci and I, for our respective health checks.
Stephanie: She is in her eighth semester in her computer and information university course. The Lord has helped her to date and she has passed, satisfactory, her exams. She is one year away from finishing her university studies.
We are really happy that Stephanie is involved in Bible teaching children in the Sunday school that she attends. We have seen a closeness to God in her spiritual life and she is taking some courses in the church. It’s our longing that she would continue preparing herself for good works. She is also inviting her university friends to church. Last year one of her friends decided to follow Jesus and in March was baptised. This made Stephanie very happy indeed. We continue to pray that God would continue to use her where she is studying.
Sue Abigail: In December 2015 she finished her secondary studies in Atalaya where she accompanied us to three years ago for our ministry. Now she is based in the city of Chiclayo along with her sister, to continue with tertiary studies. She continues attending the church in Chiclayo, again, along with her sister.
We pray that God would continue to speak to her and mould her character as she obeys and loves God.
1) That God would give us wisdom, clarity, skill, ability and creativity in teaching both the children and the adults the Word of God.
2) For Stephanie and Sue Abigail’s spiritual life, that they would continue to know God better and to love Him more.
3) That God would increase our financial support so that our needs are covered and that our ministry would continue to develop in the Atalaya area.
4) Pray that the Word of God would take hold of the minds and the hearts of the children and the adults that are receiving Bible teaching, and that, at the right time, they would bear fruit and abundant fruit.
5) Pray for my father-in-law’s recuperation back to good health.
6) That God would help our daughters to get used to being together as they study a long way from us.
7) For the strengthening and the recuperation of our health (Manuel and Luci).
8) For the economic provision in order to travel to Chiclayo, for our medical check-ups (Manuel and Luci).
We are grateful to God and to you, dear fellow believers, for your prayers and your offerings because through them we are able to fulfil the missionary work that God has commended us to. We would not be able to do anything if it were not for the effort you make. We work for a common cause, which is to establish the kingdom of God in places where there is a high need to hear the Gospel.
May God guard you and bless you and make His face shine upon you, so that the name of the Lord would be made known in the earth.
For the advance of the Gospel
Manuel, Luci, Stephanie and Sue-Abigail Salazar