Missionary Report from Antonia Yalta April 2022

Thank you very much for your prayers on my behalf. I feel so blessed to have you around and to know that I can count on your prayers. When my soul wants to faint, his words of encouragement encourage me greatly. 

Recent Events

Activities

In the month of January, when we left the community to return to Lima, there was a lot of pain in our hearts seeing the spiritual need and Satan's efforts to take us away from our work. The enemy's intentions were to close the door on us so as not to continue working in the community.

Many times we prayed with Brother Victor Soto about the situation of the church, trying to encourage him when his family motivated him to resign and go somewhere else to better serve the Lord. God worked in a very special way and placed him as the head pastor of the local church. 

He is the person in charge and serves the Lord with passion and devotion. While I am in Lima, I continue to teach by cell phone on Tuesdays and thank God that the number of attendees has increased.

In an extraordinary way, God's Word extends to other places, far from the community. One of these sites is Ayacucho. God opened the doors in Ayacucho, through a girl from the community who married a young Ayacucho man, and they went to live there. They have an interest in hearing the Word and, by the grace of God, twice a week they receive biblical teaching. 

Melvin Aguilar in Lima

Melvin, former head of the community, met God during the pandemic and was baptized in June 2021. In the Christmas campaigns he helped us with all the trips to different communities and that is where he heard the cry of one of the teachers when she told us: "Sisters, come and teach us the word of God; here we have never heard of God." 

In response to this cry, Melvin began his theological studies with distance learning this year in Lima. 

Deysi Soto, the daughter of Brother Victor who helps us in working with children, also undertook her studies in Pastoral Counselling of Childhood and Adolescence, at the SEL, via Zoom. 

Native Workers

Two Shipibos workers work at carrying the gospel down the rivers far away. On one of the trips, they were infected with COVID and there were no medicines at the health centre. In order for them to improve, one of them had to be evacuated by boat to Contamana and there he was treated. The doctor prescribed several medications and put him on a drip, as he was seriously ill and his body very weak.

These workers called us asking for prayer for their situation and we mobilized to buy them medicines and send them. As there is quite a need in their villages and people ask them for medicines, what they receive they share with others. 

In this difficult time, God has been faithful in providing food and school supplies for orphaned children of three ethnicities. In this way the children were taken care of and their needs met. 

Teresa, the wife of the Yanesha worker we support, spoke to me one day and said, "Sister, we need kitchen supplies for the church we pastor because we don't have enough. The offerings my church collects is to help build temples elsewhere." I have to be willing to listen to the workers of different ethnicities and pray with them and for them and encourage them to continue to serve the Lord with what they have. When God provides the money, we help them knowing that in this way we contribute to the advancement of His kingdom.

In the month of March I went on vacation. I travelled to Amazonas (my land) and was in several villages. God provided me with funds to buy food for widows and pastors in those areas. I was very moved to see one of the pastors cry with gratitude and the widows who did not know how to thank God. 

I thank God for his economic provision to be able to meet some of the needs of the native workers and of the orphaned children and widows. Thanks to the One who heard our prayers by putting Brother Victor Soto as pastor.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) May God give wisdom to Brother Victor to pastor the churches.
2) May God supply the needs of the native workers.
3) May God help me and provide what I need to finish the construction of my small house in Amazonas (when my strength no longer gives me the ability to be in the countryside, I plan to return to my land).
4) May God give me wisdom for my next trip to the communities.

May God bless each of you every day.

Antonia Yalta