Prayer Update - October/November 2006

"It is for freedom that Chist has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" Galations 5 : 1

Prayer Update - October/November 2006

"Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your
conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer
everyone." Colossians 4 : 5-6

This month, we have had to say goodbye to 10 children from the prison who have
been actively participating in the Freedom Kids programmes. It is great to see these
children moving out of the prison, which is obviously not the sort of environment that
any child should grow up in, but it’s hard not to have feelings of sadness and loss,
as these children move away. We would ask your prayer for these 4 families as
they start a new life outside the prison walls. Maria Elena (10), Alvaro (7) and Nayeli
(4) have been coming to church, Awana and the classes in our home since we got
back here in June and all three of them received perfect attendance certificates in
September and October. We found out they were leaving the day before they left
town and were able to have them here in the house for a few hours, with their dad,
to have dinner together and chat, before taking them to the bus station. They are
moving back to Cochabamba, where they come from, and we have a phone number
and address for them, and intend to keep in touch and visit them also. Maria Elena
and Alvaro were doing really well in the Awana club and were learning their memory
verses and are keen to keep going, so we’re trying to find them a church with an
Awana club in Cochabamba where they can continue to learn more about the Lord.
Please pray that they would be able to settle back into life in Cochabamba and find
a church where they can become involved in the children’s ministries.

The Franco Mamani family before leaving for
Cochabamba

Pray also for Pamela (4) and Camila (5) who left a couple of weeks ago when their dad was released from prison. They also headed to
Cochabamba to visit relatives and then plan to move to Santa Cruz where their dad hopes to work. Santa Cruz is an overnight bus trip from here
and we regularly visit the children there, so we hope to add these little girls to our list. They are lovely little girls who won the hearts of everyone at
church and Awana and there were a lot of sad faces when they heard the news of their departure.

Just last week a family who we’ve known for a couple of years moved to Cotoca, half an hour from Santa Cruz. There have been problems between
their mum and dad and their mum has moved out of the prison, taking her 5 children with her. Indira (13), Deglis (11) and Dilker (9) will also be very
much missed. The boys have been really enthusiastic in learning bible stories and have a lot of bible knowledge, and we would ask for prayer that
they would take the step of faith in Jesus Christ. They used to study in an evangelical school when they lived in Cotoca and assisted the church
there, and we’re praying that they will go back to that church and be able to study at that school when classes again start in February.

Yosi (11) and Yazmin (9) were the last two to leave the prison, after being in the prison with their dad for just a few months. Chicho used to play
football with their dad a few years ago so we’ve known the family for a while. They also moved back to Santa Cruz and we hope to visit them at the
end of this month.

Please pray for these three families and especially the children, who we’ve been working alongside. People always laugh at me because I cry
when children leave the prison! Although it’s hard to see them go, we can pray for them, and pray that the seeds sown here in their time at
church will grow and that they will find people to nurture them where they currently live and that they will remember how much God loves them,
and continue to sing the songs they sang with such enthusiasm, telling of God’s love and faithfulness. To have children in class one minute and
then have to say goodbye to them the next day, without warning, really makes you realise that you never know how much time you will have with
people and like the verse in Colossians says, you have to "make the most of every opportunity" because you never know if it'll be your last
chance to see that person or tell them about the Lord.

Pamela and Camila with their parents at the
bus station

The Cartagena Pedraza family at our house before going to
Santa Cruz

We have had some transport problems with the truck this month. It seems that the people who fixed the fuel injection last year did a bad job
and there were parts missing! We were a week without transport and realized how important transport is in this work with the children. We’re
hoping to have everything fixed with the truck to be able to put it up for sale this month. We are very grateful to God for answered prayer and
now have half the money we need for a mini-bus and with the sale of the truck, we will have the finances necessary to make the purchase. We’
re hoping to travel to Santa Cruz later in the month to do the paperwork for the mini-bus which will be used for the freedom kids ministry and
also for other areas of work in the Totaí Foundation where we work. Please pray for speed and efficiency of paperwork and for a safe trip back
to Trinidad with the bus (It’s a 10 hour trip!)

This month, all the staff at the Foundation have been busy making their annual operational plan for 2007. The plan for the community area,
where we are involved has now been completed and we would ask for prayer as we make plans and seek God’s guidance for the ministry next
year and how we can give our very best to Him and serve Him in all we do.

At the beginning of October we were able to go out to the cinema with all the children we visit in Santa Cruz, and their mums too! We all went
to see "Monster House" with Coca Cola and popcorn and the kids (and Chicho) all enjoyed it. I wasn't impressed by the film (a cartoon about a
house that eats people!), but I did like the popcorn! We also had another birthday outing and went out for dinner with the girls from the
children's home to celebrate the birthdays of four of the girls who were all born in October. It was another good opportunity to chat with these
girls outside the home and on a more informal basis and get to know them better and it was a really enjoyable night.

The birthday girls!

Santa Cruz Cinema Trip!!

There’s not the same hype surrounding Christmas here as there is back home, but I can imagine that shops are filled with Christmas
decorations and everything is geared towards Christmas already! We’re also looking forward to the Christmas season…. not to go shopping,
but to arrange a Christmas programme for the children. For the first 3 weeks of December, the church will be holding a special programme
for 2 hours each morning. School here finishes at the end of November for the summer holidays so all the children are free in December.
Chicho and I will be helping in this programme, alongside the pastor and other young people from the church, and we will be bringing our
children along every morning to join with the local children from the neighbourhood, church, and Awana club. Please pray for all the leaders
involved in the planning of the activities, crafts, songs, dramas – that God would guide us in the best way to teach these children the real
message of Christmas and it’s importance. Gabriela has plans to do a painting class with the older children from the prison in the afternoons,
to paint a picture with a bible verse on wood, so December will be busy! The children will be involved in a Christmas presentation just before
Christmas and we hope to get permission to go into the prison as well and have the children share with their parents in the prison, through
songs and drama, what Christmas is all about.

We were asked to visit the woman's prison recently by one of the mums in the men's prison who had a friend in the woman's jail who wanted her
children to come to church with us. There are 7 children between the ages of 4 and 12, and a couple of babies, living with their mums in jail.
None of them are going to school at the moment. After visiting, there was a very positive response and all the mums are keen on their children
coming to church and classes and have asked for help enrolling their children in school after the summer holidays. Please pray for the women
and children in this prison also. With more children, we still need more prayer partners. Click here or on the link below to find out more about
praying for a specific child. If you have empty space on your fridge, let us know and we'll send you a prayer card magnet to fill up the space, with
a beautiful photo of your special child to remember in prayer every day!

Please keep remembering the various areas of the Foundation in your prayers – health, sports, education and community, all the children’s
activities in the run up to Christmas, and the families who've moved away. Click here for detailed prayer points.

May everything we’re involved over the next month bring glory to God and proclaim the birth of Jesus, just as the angels did on that first
Christmas.

Love Rachel and Chicho xxx

AWANA club small group time

We’re coming to the end of the AWANA year. We’ll be having a games fair
and prize giving for all the children who have been participating in the club
on the 2nd and 3rd of December. It’s been an encouraging few months,
with a team of 11 leaders and 8 helpers working alongside 40 children
between the ages of 4 and 12. The club runs according to the school
year, so it should start back up again next year in February, when the
schools go back after the summer holidays. We’re looking forward to
having a full year to really encourage these children to learn their verses
and complete the activities in their manuals, with the aim of leading
children to make a decision to follow Christ and discipling those who have
already made that choice. Please pray for guidance and wisdom for the
leaders as they plan next year's children's activities, for the special events
at the beginning of December and also for the children’s parents, who
have been invited to come along to church to the prize giving.