The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
This is a challenging and maybe sometimes even a fearful time for all of us. At fifty -four days of shelter-in-place and counting, hopefully we will soon come out of this wilderness of Covid-19, and into the LIGHT! Recently Pr. Brian told us that the best defense for this dark time is to go on the offense and charge forth in praise and worship of our mighty God, as He wants to give us rest and peace.
Most certainly life itself has changed dramatically both here and around the world. Although news sources constantly report international news and updates as well as our local news, we may tend to forget that world-wide it’s also dark and fearful. To adapt, one of our major changes is shelter-in-place communication. Thankfully with various forms of technology we can be ‘in church’ as well as stay in touch with family and friends. Zoom appears to be our new means of doing business, school, and all types of organizational meetings and projects.
This is the means that our SPARK International Missions now uses to move forward in planning and implementing our service in Ecuador and other International initiatives.
As one of Faith Lutheran Church’s partner organizations, SPARK International Missions works directly with Dr. Manuel Avila of Cuenca, Ecuador. He addresses the spiritual as well as the physical needs of the poor of his Country. Under his direction, we currently work among the Quichua people in the upper Andes Mountains. Our team is scheduled to be serving there with Dr. Manuel July 25 – Aug. 1.
Yet currently Ecuador is on lockdown with curfews imposed and airports closed. As we pray and wait, our Team continues preparation to go. In addition to Biblical teaching for children, women, and men our Team also includes medical and vision clinic and provides all medications and glasses.
It will soon be necessary for our Team to make a final decision as to whether they can safely travel and work there. Though they may not be able to go and share God’s word with the Quichua people, we can and will, ensure that the pharmaceuticals will be shipped at this critical time. This shipment’s retail value of thousands of dollars will shine as beacon of God’s LIGHT to the Quichua people in this time of Covid-19 darkness. As we partner with Faith Lutheran Church….which is YOU, we are thankful for your help in bringing health-care, hope and LIGHT to the poor in Ecuador.
I have come into the world as a light so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46
Therefore, my dear brother and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:28
And in this ‘Wilderness’ time let’s all charge forth and be His light to all those around us!
Jan Pritts