Missionary Report December 2018

Ministry

During the last 6 months of 2018 we continued to teach the Word of God in the Ashaninca community of Maucayapi using the chronological method of studying the Bible through Firm Foundations for the children. We give thanks to God that we are advancing in the teaching of the Bible to the children in this community and we are seeing a great interest in knowing God through His word. This has been made possible through the donation of illustrated Bibles that we have received from Segadores. This has encouraged the children to be more interested in the teachings of the Bible. Despite all that they lack in life the children continue to come to the Sunday school classes every Sunday.

We are grateful to God because the work in Maucayapi is advancing. The number of children attending has increased from 20 children to more than 50 and recently one of the ladies said to Amalia that she wants to participate in the bible lessons and the community leader of Maucayapi.

In regards to the construction of the three new classrooms, we haven’t been able to advance these due to the lack of economic resources and because of various factors: the men weren’t in the community and there was no one to do the work, and the rains and flooding came faster than we expected, the river has grown and the machinery hasn’t been able to take out the sand. So there was a lack of sand in all of Atalaya for some weeks.

We have seen blessings with two solar panels received by the management of the Segadores institution. This has made it possible for us to have meetings during the week at night time in the Maucayapi community.

Every Sunday after the Sunday school we continue sharing out refreshments for the children, this is possible through the support of Christians who contribute to the ministry. We are grateful to our God who puts it on the hearts of those brothers and sisters to support the ministry and through this it allows growth in the knowledge of God and His word for these children.

As the psalmist David said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.   

Teaching Adults

Our work is not limited to just children; we are also teaching the adults. They are fewer but with the Lord’s help in these last few months the number of people has increased with new people.  I am taking Bible studies and also the young people are in regards to subjects that are pertinent to the different age groups. It is difficult to motivate the adults to read the bible and to have a living and practical prayer life. As they are people from an oral culture they don’t have the custom of reading even though they have the Bible in Spanish and the new testament in Ashaninka. The difficulty is that most of the older believers don’t know how to read, which holds back their spiritual growth. We are praying that God will help us to get a PowerPoint or something audio of the New Testament in Ashaninka and in this way they can listen to the Word of God.  

Travel by the Tambo River

As part of the support we provide to the indigenous communities, in August 2018 I made a trip to the Ashaninca community of Sharahuaja, three hours by boat from the city of Atalaya, with the goal of sharing the Word of God. Here people from various rural villages meet together, communities like Cheni, Selva Verde, Shevoja amongst others. It was a beautiful time. There was a lot of concern from parents for their families, especially for their children and for their physical and spiritual growth. 

New Strength

The Lord has allowed us to again help with the Bible teaching in the suburb of Nueva Fortaleza. Here we have continued to use the Firm Foundations material every Friday. Also we have been able to share with the children after their homework with refreshments which are a cup of hot chocolate, oats or a refreshment of two portions of bread with butter or jam.

End of the year event

At the end of the year, thanks to the help of Christians from the churches who we know and the Segadores ministry, we could celebrate with the children in the Maucayapi community. We were able to give each child from the Sunday school a gift for coming consistently. They were very happy.

The Missionary Base in Atalaya

All that we were able to do in 2018 with the materials we had have been done. We were able to put the glass into the windows, change the installation of water, put power into the first floor and put in posts and cables for power for a distance of more than 400 metres. We have had many difficulties but we give thanks to God for solutions in everything. 

What we need to do in 2019 is to finish the plastering and painting, buy and install inside doors, put in the window surrounds and furnish the missionary house for them to use. We are only talking about the first floor. Once we have finished this floor we have the great challenge to complete the second floor. We want to take advantage of the space for rooms and a storeroom. For now there is nothing done we need to start from scratch.

We are thinking that the next summer we will start the first missionary training course for workers. We are praying that God will help us culminate this work and provide the necessary funds.

Family

We are grateful to God for the blessing He continues to give us as a family. Our God has said we should be content with His goodness and wonders. Our daughter Sue Abigail is studying at the University in Atalaya towards a career in Accountancy with the help of God and she is doing well.

Our daughter, Stephanie, lives with her grandma (86 years old). My in-laws are also old, she is 80 and he is 84 years old. My father-in-law isn’t well with diabetes, Alzheimer’s and can’t walk. He is in a wheelchair and is always taking trips to the emergency hospital. So as we receive blessings we also have difficulties and testings that we need to overcome with the Lord’s help.  

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That God will give strength to the people who are looking after my father-in-law.
2) That the children and adults in the Maucayapi community continue faithfully following the Lord.
3) That the Lord continue to give us knowledge in teaching the children and adults in the communities of Maucayapi and Nueva Fortaleza.

Comments

We give thanks once again to God and yourselves for the great blessing that it has been to be part of the ministry through your prayers and your support during the year, this action in reality has made it possible for us to bless the lives of many people and some people in the Maucayapi community.

You continue to play a very important part in the ministry we are developing in the extension of the Kingdom of God in the Atalaya area. 

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19

Manuel, Lucy, Stephanie and Sue Abigail Salazar