Monday, February 02, 2009
Dear Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for your prayers for the retreat in Mazan and Mangua. The Lord truly blessed abundantly!

Monday (1/26) I left Iquitos with seven deaf and three hearing young people, plus a mountain of luggage, including costumes, props, foodstuffs, and handcrafts, as well as bedding and clothes for each one. Everyone pulled together as a team to load and unload and to haul everything up the final hill to Pastor Marcial Murayari’s home and church. This is a rainy time of year, but the Lord kept the rain away during the daytime of the four days of the retreat. However, it was cloudy so we did not get too hot. It was perfect!
There in Mazan Marta Murayari helped to gather three of the seven deaf who live there – Pedrito, Daniel, and Melicita. The first two dramas were held there in The Way Baptist Church – Creation of Adam and Eve and their sin and Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Then we headed Tuesday noon (1/27) to Mangua, a five-hour boat trip down the Napo River. In Mangua we were given the community center and an empty house to use for living quarters and meetings. It all worked out well. We already knew the four deaf adults who live there, three of whom are professing believers – Keyla, Edvin, and Audicio. Susan had recently moved there to be with Audicio and is not a believer yet. Two little deaf girls, Luz Margarita and Jaijaira, came to the meetings on Wednesday (1/28). The dramas there included Moses and the Passover lamb, Moses and the Law and the tabernacle sacrifices, and the birth, ministry, and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One interesting incident in Mangua is how the Lord provided us with meat to eat. None of the residents would sell us any of their chickens or ducks. Keyla and Audicio brought us two ducks from their farm but that doesn’t go very far for 30 people. I went as part of the committee to look for meat. We finally met a man returning from a hunting trip in the jungle, and he agreed to sell us some of his meat. What had he shot? A giant anteater, was his reply. The others looked to me for my reaction. What God created is good to eat if received with thanksgiving, I told them. So we enjoyed a delicious meal the next day (1/29) on the boat returning to Mazan. That trip took over 8 hours, but it was a lovely overcast day. That last night in Mazan we presented the drama of the great white throne judgment and the Book of Life, showing that those whose names are not found there are cast into the lake of fire. Afterwards, 5 precious deaf friends indicated their desire to follow Christ as their Savior. Pray for Julio, Daniel, Pedrito, Erick, and Luigi to truly understand this step of faith they have taken and to continue firm in the faith. Lord willing, we will visit Mazan on a monthly basis this year to help the Murayari family to minister to the deaf in their church. Marta is the one who will have charge of this ministry.


Pray for us this week as evangelist Jim Sloan is here and will be having evening meetings with the deaf at the institute Tuesday night and then at the Efata Baptist Church from Wednesday to Sunday. Our administrator, Bob Trout, is also here, and we are having meetings with him during the day through Thursday. Never a dull moment . . .

Lord willing, the Bible institute classes begin the middle of March, and I will be teaching Introduction to the Bible and Bible Geography on Monday and Thursday nights. Ruth Ferrer and David Silva have expressed interest in working with me on this class. Please pray for wisdom as we and others prepare to teach.

May the Lord Jesus continually guide us in doing our Heavenly Father’s will. Wait on the Lord for His mercy endures forever. Praise Him!

Your sister in Christ,
Lynn Porter