updateoctober08

"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 2008

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example
for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
1 Timothy 4: 12

Greetings from Trinidad-Beni, Bolivia!

A lot has been happening since the last update – there has been a lot to give thanks to God for and also many issues
arising for which we ask for your prayers. This weekend, 15 teenagers from the Freedom Kids ministry will be going to a
Christian youth camp in the jungle, about 85 kilometres from Trinidad. Another 16 girls from a discipleship group for girls
in the Foundation’s basketball team (run by KC Ingram) and the church “El Jireh, will also be attending.
We’re really encouraged to have 31 young people participating in this camp and would ask for your prayers for them as
they spend the weekend away from home, learning more about the Lord and having the chance to make new friends, play
and enjoy themselves in a safe, Christian environment. They leave on Friday 31st October and come back on Monday 3rd
November.

Almost all these young people have been working on the first bible study from the Emmaus Bible Correspondence
Courses, called “The Word of God”, which takes you through the book of John. Many of the teenagers have now finished
the study and are on to their second book, which has been really encouraging.

We want to give God thanks for four new members of his family. This month Ingrid and Lucero (both 14 years old),
Luisa (12) and Arnold (15), who attend the Freedom Kids classes, made the decision to accept the Lord Jesus in their
hearts, after completing the Bible study. Please pray for Ingrid, Lucero, Luisa and Arnold as they start their new lives in
God’s family and grow in their relationship with Him. Please continue to pray for all the other young people, that God will
speak to them as they study the Bible and listen to the teaching at camp this weekend, and that they’ll really be impacted
by what they hear.

The diesel crisis seems to be over, for the moment at least, and classes have been back to normal, after missing 4 days,
when the bus had no diesel to bring the children out of the prison. The children’s behaviour is still one of the biggest
problems we encounter in the classes. We see each group of children for about 5 hours a week, and the rest of the time
they are in the prison receiving VERY different views on how to act and treat others than what they hear in classes. The
influence of growing up in a prison, where morals and values are almost non-existent, really does affect them so much.
Please pray for Laura and I as we spend time with the children each week and encourage them to read their Bibles, trust
in the Lord and to stand out and be different to the examples that they see daily in the prison.

This month we made salvation bracelets with different coloured beads to represent the story of salvation: God (Yellow)
is all powerful and the creator of the world (Blue - creation) but His perfect creation was ruined by sin (Black) and
because of our sin, we're separated from God. Since he loved us so much he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for
us (Red - Jesus' blood) so that if we trust in him we can have our sins forgiven and be clean (White). Then we read the
Bible and pray to be able to grow (Green) in our relationship with him.

Please pray that the children will use the bracelets to remember God's plan of salvation for us and will share the story
with their families. The children also made crosses with the same colours and their name on the back to remind them that
Jesus died for them..

There have been a couple of cases this month where Nelly, a
patient from the nearby community, and Adelina, the mum of
one the girls from our class, have needed blood transfusions,
because of severe anemia. There is now a blood bank in
town, but to receive a unit of blood for a transfusion, you
need to take at least one (they ask for 2) donors to replace
the blood they’re giving you! Interesting system, don’t you
think? Once Nelly was in hospital ready for the transfusion,
the folks at the blood bank gave me a polystyrene thermos,
with 2 units of blood inside (with a block of ice), to take to the
hospital and give to the nurses! I have been known to
transport all sorts of people, children, animals and furniture in
the truck, but a thermos of blood would have to be the most
unusual passenger I’ve had! Here people tend to be scared
to donate blood and it can be very hard to find willing donors,
even in people’s own families. We are very grateful that a
few workers at Fundación Totai volunteered to donate blood
so that these ladies could receive their transfusions. Please
pray for Nelly and Adelina and their health, and also Nelly’s
daughter, Daniela, who is also suffering from severe anemia,
and may need a transfusion also, if her current treatment is
unsuccessful.

Romi, the mum of 3 children who come to class, was in a motorbike
accident and broke her ankle last week. The taxi driver that hit her
left the scene and left her there lying on the ground. She has just
had surgery on her ankle, but since she was admitted on Friday
night, nothing could be done until Monday because the orthopedic
specialist (or any other specialist) doesn’t work at weekends, she
couldn’t have an EKG to see if she was fit for surgery because the
cardiac unit was closed and the hospital pharmacy was also closed
– I now realise that you have to try your best to get ill during the
week, and NOT at weekends! For her surgery, we were given a list
of things the doctor would need and across the road in the
pharmacy they sold me anesthetic, needles, syringes, injectable
pain killers and everything she needed for the surgery – you even
have to buy the thread for stitches! Until all this is bought, the
surgery cannot take place. It really lets you see the difference in
healthcare between the developed and developing world and would
make critics of the NHS think again I’m sure! Please remember Romi
in prayer also, as she recovers from her surgery. She was in
hospital for a week and is now back at home with her 4 children and
grandson, but will be unable to move about freely for a while. She
also started an Emmaus Bible Study while in hospital.

The construction continues and hopefully the roof will
be finished by December, before the rainy season
starts. This would mean that in the March, when the
Freedom Kids start back after the holiday break, we
could move to the multi-purpose classroom with the
prison children and have all our cupboards and
drawers with class materials nearby, as well as the
toilets and a kitchen to prepare their snacks. Once
the roof is on, it will be a bare room with a lot of work
still needing done, like putting in the bathrooms, lights,
fans, plugs, tiling the floor, rendering the walls, etc…
so please keep praying for finance to complete the
construction and have a finished room where we can
work with not just the prison children, but also the
mums and teenagers, and it will also be able to be
used by other areas of Fundación Totaí for various
activities.

Hernan, Rigoberto and Ruben with their bracelets

Yarita and Luisa with their coloured crosses

Thank you to everyone who prays for us and the ministry, and especially to those who pray for a specific child as part
of the Prayer Partner Programme. There are a few new children who still need an “auntie” or “uncle” to pray for them
and for them to write to and send photos, so if you are interested in becoming involved in this way, please click here or
on the icon below (become a prayer partner) to send us your details.

Thank you to you all for your support!

Teenagers from the Freedom Kids ministry

Girls from the basketball discipleship group

Nelly and Daniela (middle) with the family

The class that the Freedom Kids ministry will be able to
use is upstairs, on the right

Romi and family, after her surgery