More than anything I wanted to personally connect with each of the Christian families during this trip. To that end we went to each families home, met their whole family, spent time visiting and getting to know them, sharing a portion of scripture, and praying with them for their needs. It was such a blessing to see how encouraged they were by a gesture as simple as going to their homes and spending time with them, granted some of their homes were quite a hike! Here are the families we had the privilege to get to know this time.
Rufino and Teresa were the first people we visited. Rufino was just about to leave when we got there. He was on his way down to the river, a two hour hike to where they can get dry firewood. Even so he spent a little time talking with us and introducing us to his family. After he left we talked with his wife Teresa about their family, work, and their faith in God. She asked for prayer for the safety and health of her family.
Maria Luisa
After visiting with Teresa we continued on, under the guidance of Adrian, to Maria Luisa’s house. Maria Luisa’s house was a 45 minute walk from Gavilanes. When we arrived Maria Luisa gave us all hugs and blessing for going all the way out to her house. Maria Luisa was the first believer in Gavilanes back in the 60s. Maria Luisa has one leg that is shorter than the other and has great difficulty walking which makes it impossible for her to go to the church meetings. Life is very hard for this small family, Maria Luisa is a widow, Josefa’s husband left her when Adrian was young, and Adrian is still trying to finish the Prepa (high school). We spent most of the morning with them, learning about their lives and faith and encouraging them. They asked for us to pray that God would continue to provide for them and protect them since they live so far out of town.
Jose
At Pascual’s request we went to visit his cousin Jose who had stopped coming to the prayer meetings almost two years ago. Jose and his wife live in a small cluster of rooms near the Secondary school with their children, daughter in laws, and grandchildren. They all gathered together to visit with us and to be honest I think they expected me to confront them about not going to church. We heard some of their stories and looked through some of their photos of when Jose and his son Geovani were working in Colorado. I shared with them from Ephesians where it tells us that we are called to one God and Father, one hope and salvation, that we are bound together in Jesus and I encouraged them to return to the prayer meetings. That evening they were the first family to show up! We ended our time with Jose by praying for God’s provision and protection from accidents as they are out working.
Crecencio
When we arrived at Crecencio’s house he was building a brick wall for the kitchen. From looking at his work he really seems to know what he is doing. He invited us in to their small bedroom since it was getting pretty hot outside. One of the first things you notice about Crecencio is that he has a hard time walking. A number of years ago he began experiencing more and more pain in his lower back. The doctors never did find out a concrete reason for the pain and difficulty walking and at one point suggested amputating his feet. He did not go back to the doctors after that. His wife Juaquina was working at the primary school at a job God had blessed her with. We prayed for Crecencio’s family for God’s provision and for heath for their children.
Roberta
Roberta’s home is on the side of the hill overlooking the town of Gavilanes. I do not believe that she speaks much Spanish because her daughter Ceneida translated everything to her and she never spoke to us directly. She told us about her children and grandchildren. She shared that even though her husband was not a believer he didn’t discourage them from going to the church meeting. She gave me a picture of her daughter Rosalina who had left her husband and children last year after a big fight. They do not know where she is and would very much like to hear from her. We also prayed that Ceneida would get a job they have at the local clinic to help support her family.
Lorenzo
I had met Eduardo, Lorenzo’s son, on our trip back in December. Since that time he and his mother Lorenza have been attending the prayer meetings pretty regularly. Lorenza and Eduardo sat outside their house to talk with us while Lorenzo stayed inside. I really sensed a heaviness and depression while talking with them. Their answers to our questions were short and quiet. After sharing the scripture with them we spent a long time praying for their health and for God to encourage them as a family. We prayed for them again that evening when they came to Pascual’s house for the meeting.
Pascual
As we usually do we stayed at Pascual’s house. Even though he and his wife Lina had to work two of the days we were there we found a lot of time to visit with them. Their two oldest children had just returned from attending Prepa in Durango so it was a pretty full house. During our visit Pascual told us that about two weeks ago they were return home around dusk to find three men pounding on the door where they have a small store. As Pascual and Lina approached the men turned, holding rifles and their faces covered with bandanas. They began shouting for them to hand over the money from the store and then began shooting from about 10’-15’ away. Lina had pulled Pascual back and then behind her and she began praying. As she was praying the three men took off running. This incident was very unsettling for them and they ask a number of times for us to pray for their safety.
Please pray for our brothers in Gavilanes. Pray for safety, provisions and health. As well, pray for a boldness to share their faith and the word of God to their families. Pray that God will open the hearts and minds of the people so that they will see the truth and believe in Jesus. Pray for miracles for our brothers in Gavilanes!
