CT News August 2024
August 2024
Dear praying family!
Most of what we want to say and can’t put in writing, can be seen by clicking HERE:
One Sunday I was assigned to address the assembly with the theme of “Generational Sins and Its Consequences.” As I wrestled to admit sinful patterns from the past I might still carry in my own life, I detected its deadly “A” cycle. Everyone in a generation decides to Absorb, Adopt, Adapt, Amplify, and Alimentar (to feed—in English) wrong ways of living we are practicing now. Beginning with the initial disobedience that took place in the garden, the picture is grim and overwhelming for all. Aiming to present relief, hope, and peace was my daily prayer. Our brother Paul, the apostle, gives us a simple and most effective cure captained by the Spirit of the Lord. Any time one feels like giving in to our old ways, he commands us to Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. When that evil desire comes, we take one step … the desire comes back, we take another step … and so on. Let’s plan our lives to always be in Spirit motion. I finally presented the message to the assembly. If you are interested, you can listen to it here!
Providentially, through my message prep, the Lord was anticipating our need to be more spiritually alert and walk with His Spirit. The two main ministries associated with the assembly that we are a part of were facing serious challenges.
As the students from “The Elliot School” came back from their mid semester break, our staff got bombarded with severe cases of rebellion and parental discontentment in multiple grades. Many of the recent efforts to deter these attitudes seemed fruitless on the surface. Sadly, some parents do not see us as their allies in tackling these issues, but rather give the impression of blaming our staff for not anticipating them. We are committing to sit down once a week with needy families to begin looking for solutions in the Lord.
A few miles away at “Hogar de Esperanza,” we are currently working on reviving a spirit of unity and solidarity with our workers. Differences of opinions over how to handle a serious case with one of the children has brought to the surface a sense of discontentment which we are begging the Lord to allow us to treat in fairness and love. Also, you might recall our on-going legal land issues. Things are moving strangely slowly with unfavorable winds. Anything we present gets questioned with threats that we might get our case thrown out. What we feared was true, the DA is on the side of our opponent. We requested he be removed and that got him very upset. We are appealing our case to his immediate supervisors and pray we are heard. Our lawyer is advising us to go to the media. We wait and see, asking your prayers on this matter.
On brighter news, two key events created a sense of excitement in August: our assembly hosting a national retreat for young people and us hosting brother Iggi Choi and his son Jordan in our home. We had a great team working diligently to resume the youth event after a long hiatus since the pandemic. We sensed the Lord moving His people and preparing them for this magnus occasion. Please go see our pictures and navigate with us our month-long set of activities and ministry.
Prayer & praise
· For the Shawi brethren in Nuevo Cajamarca in need of leaders in the likes of our brother Walter who passed away. You can see him and the work we did with them building a facility a few years ago by clicking here.
· For new believer James in the village of Callanayacu. He abandoned our initiative to help him treat his damaged arm. His move led villagers to question whether we really intended to help him. Pray that we work in tandem with the leadership of the little assembly and bring this thing to a spiritual understanding.
· Thankful for a great youth retreat with 13 churches from the mountains, jungle, and coast.
· Pray that both the Elliot School and Hogar de Esperanza be protected from the enemy’s attack to bring chaos and discontentment.
· May the Lord lead us to find a vehicle suitable to the needs of the orphanage. We are going to invest some time in September to look for a replacement for our stolen unit. Thank the Lord for moving His people to help us do so.
· Please pray for Sarah and Hannah as they may be traveling in October. As we pursue Hannah’s post-high school plans, it seems necessary to visit (and audition at) a few Christian universities.
· Selah will be turning 15 on Sept. 18th. Please pray for her as she continues growing in the Lord!
Thank you for your loving prayers and thoughtful fellowship in the Lord!
Pablo & Sarah CT
