Spreading life

In Holland we have the saying: “April 1st, a frog in your butt.” (that rhymes in our language) But Arjan actually had this experience on May 1st. It happened again during a late-night visit to the bathroom. Suddenly, he felt something jump against his bottom. A frog was comfortably sitting in its “private jacuzzi” and was suddenly disturbed by two buttocks appearing above it. That was a bit too much.

After the mission school in the south, we traveled back up to Villarrica, a medium-sized city known for its culture and universities. A lively city with a village feel. We were invited to attend a meeting on healing and deliverance and ended up in a house with a special group of people. Somehow, the Lord had brought together about 30 people from 11 different nationalities. Very special. People who want to walk more closely with God. There were also four young women from the U.S., Canada, and Argentina who, just like us, have no fixed address and go where the Lord tells them to go. We were able to encourage and build each other up with our experiences with God. It seems that God is sending out more and more of His children to go in faith and let His light shine wherever they go.

A pastor in Villarrica heard about us and invited us to speak at a Bible study and a Sunday service. He wants to encourage his church to follow Jesus more actively in their daily lives. How wonderful that we can help with that! The Lord makes these connections at exactly the right time. The Lord is at work.

On this side of the equator, winter is approaching, and here that can be a bit of a rollercoaster. Sometimes it can be 30 degrees (85 F) one day and just 14 (55 F) two days later. Then you see many people walking around in thick coats and hats, even in church. That’s because the houses here have only a single wall and thin glass. But luckily, the sun often shines. So you can warm up in the sun for a bit, just like a meerkat. There are no fewer than 300 days of sunshine here each year. So we make the most of it.

During our final week in Paraguay, we had another meeting scheduled. We visited the English missionaries Peter and Evi Ratcliffe, who have been working among the indigenous people for 11 years. Their goal is to reach the more than 800 indigenous communities in Paraguay with the good news and bring hope to the hopeless. This ethnic group is greatly despised by the Paraguayans. They have little education and therefore few jobs. Their lives are quite hopeless.
Peter and Evi have now reached one-third of them. They often go on outreach trips with their family to share the gospel and to further teach new believers. We spent a day with Peter and visited six villages in the bush.

We arrived after bumping along brick-red dirt roads. The greeting in this culture involves raising both hands—as if you’re being held at gunpoint. First, permission is sought from the village chief to ensure we’re welcome. Then everyone is called together. And in a simple way, the good news of Jesus is shared, and prayers are offered for the sick.
That’s how we saw the Lord heal a young man of hearing loss. After the prayer, a test was done, and he reacted immediately when fingers were snapped, and he became emotional. We heard that these people don’t easily show their emotions. But praise God—what joy to have your hearing restored!
We also distributed food and hoes for working the land. Normally, no one looks out for them. So these gifts show them even more that God loves them.
If you’d like to learn more about the wonderful work Peter and Evi are doing, you can read more here.

Our time in Paraguay came to an end all too soon. We met many wonderful new people, and we’ll see how the Lord continues to work through this.
Our next mission is a visit to the Netherlands—and for a special reason. Arjan’s parents will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary at the end of May, and that calls for a celebration.

In the meantime, we’re staying with friends in Brazil for a bit and we’re seeing God work powerfully here as well. For instance, someone in Paraguay asked us to pray for a severe hernia. Over the phone, the hernia was rebuked and God’s healing was declared. The result was a surprised young woman. It had completely disappeared. God’s love is so great and knows no limits!