Thanks so much for your continued prayers for us. Here are a few current things to praise and pray for:
PRAISES:- That Lori’s surgery went well last week, and that we have the help of two sisters from our home church in PA. Many people have been such a blessing to us during this time of need. We praise the Lord that Lori got her stitches out today, and is healing well
- God has kept our family healthy and away from all the bugs that are going around right now – this has been a blessing with Lori’s surgery and recovery
- For a clear opportunity Bryan had to share the Gospel with a doctor at a blood bank here in Queretaro. Pray that this doctor might come to Christ
PRAYER:- Lori’s continued recovery from her surgery and regaining of her strength
- Paty, a mother of three, including a baby, whose 36-year-old husband passed away last Thursday. She is a dear believer who has been through so much. If you are interested in reading the whole story see below. Some may remember us mentioning her for prayer in the past
- For our “Children’s Day” service at church this Sunday – they celebrate children here in Mexico on April 30, so we will have a special service for them on April 26
Your prayers are a blessing!
Bryan, Lori, Kendra, Tara, & Ben
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Paty’s StoryFriday morning when I arrived home from the hospital after spending the night with Lori I got a message on our answering machine from Jose Luis and Estrella. They asked me to call them back ASAP. When I called they informed me that Paty’s 36-year-old husband, Mario, had died of a massive heart attack the previous evening. To make a very long story short, Mario had a history of abusing Paty and their children in many ways. She is a believer, and if you read 1 Peter 3:1-6 you will see a beautiful picture of the way she has been toward her unbelieving husband for many years. Paty had been in a group Bible study that I taught about 6 years ago. She and her daughters had been going to our church, but stopped going to church because he did not allow them to attend anymore. I could give countless stories of the way he ridiculed and abused them. I had even counseled her to separate from him for a time for her own protection, and that of their children. She remained quietly and faithfully with him. After MANY opportunities to come to Christ, God said enough is enough. We can only hope that in his last moments he came to the foot of the cross.
Now the rest of the story – Jose Luis asked me if I could possibly accompany him to the funeral home where the vigil was being held. Because these two sisters were caring for Lori in the hospital and our kids at home, I was able to go. When I arrived at the vigil Paty was sitting in the back of the little chapel all alone while his family, staunch Catholics, were doing the chants and prayers for the dead soul. I pulled Paty and her daughters to another corner of the room and Jose Luis and Estrella arrived a short time later. We cried, we prayed, we read some Psalms, and we encouraged and comforted Paty and her daughters as best we could with God’s comfort. God was so gracious! It was also an excellent opportunity to mentor Jose Luis, a budding church leader, in how to handle these types of ministry situations. We talked about the stark contrast between the two groups in the little funeral chapel. This contrast is often seen at a funeral in Mexico. Our focus was life – comforting the family, praying for the salvation of the lost, reading the living Word of God. We gave Paty two evangelistic “Life Kits” to share with whomever she wanted of the unsaved family and friends and a love offering to help this widow in her time of need. Their focus was death – praying for Mario, that God would show him mercy, that the virgin of Guadalupe would be his intercessor, and that he would soon be able to be released into God’s presence. The singing was sad, without hope, without life. The prayers were meaningless repetition.
We heard Paty bare her soul as she shared about her husband – she felt guilty because not long ago she had prayed to God that He would remove any obstacles in her life that were not allowing her to serve Him and love Him. Now her husband was gone, and she felt the guilt. We assured her that she did not need to feel guilty. God is sovereign and in control. We knew how she had been a 1 Peter 3 wife to her unbelieving husband. She shared how he had eaten lunch with them that day, something he rarely did, and how he had asked to hold their baby boy, just born a few months ago, so that he could spend some time with him – something else he rarely did. He asked Paty to iron his shirts because he had an appointment somewhere that day at 6:00. He died at 6:05. Lori later reflected that for that appointment it didn’t matter how nicely ironed his shirt was if his soul was un- ironed and wrinkly. At one point during our time Paty asked if there is a vacancy in a ministry at church – maybe in the nursery or Sunday School. She has a burning desire to serve the Lord and can’t wait to get involved in church again.
Paty and her children, Andrea (16), Mariana (11), and Marioni (months), need our prayers.
