Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,
The flowers are dying of envy!
On March 22, my wife celebrated her 33rd birthday in Lima, Peru. She enjoyed a great haircut and a wonderful meal. I told her she looked very pretty. She smiled and said, “Really, you think so?” “Yes, Honey, I do.”
A few days later, we were coming back from soul winning with the church, and we made an impromptu stop at the flower market near our house. I asked her to pick whichever flowers she wanted, and she gladly agreed. An armful of flowers later, we were headed back home but not before we stopped at my favorite bakery. As I finished paying for my bread, I turn around to see my kiddos and my wife talking to Jose, a nice elderly man who has taken a liking to my family and me since the first time we met. He asked us about our day, and we made small talk for a good 3-5 minutes. He complemented Faby on her flowers and told her they were beautiful but that they were dying of envy (Spanish: Se están muriendo de envidia.) She smiled, I smiled, he smiled, and then we all said good bye. Faby looked at me as we walked back home and said, “What does that mean? ‘They are dying of envy’.?” So I explained to it her. “Honey, he says that you are prettier than the flowers.” I smiled and then said, “See, I told you you’re pretty” :) Oh, my wife, she was given a compliment and didn’t even realize it. Hey, wait a minute! That elderly man was flirting with my wife!
Can you help me?
Lucas is one of the boys who has been with the church almost since day one. I remember the day he walked through the doors of the bus we had rented to house our Junior Church. I remember leading him to the Lord that day. But on this Sunday evening he raised his hand during the invitation. I walked over to him and asked if he knew why he raised his hand. He said, “I don’t know if I’m really saved. Can you help me?” I walked Lucas over to some empty chairs so that we could talk. I could tell he was embarrassed. I started to make small talk with him to put him at ease. I started showing him Scriptures on eternal security, and I started to give him an illustration. I could tell he was “getting it” when he cut me off and started to give me illustrations from my Sunday school class. He would say, “Oh, right! Like when you said in class . . . .” He went on and on for a good five minutes giving
me illustrations he had learned from Sunday school. I sat back in my chair with a smile as he said, “Don’t worry, Bro. Abraham, I am saved. Thank you for helping me remember.” We finished praying, and he walked away. I stood by the now empty chair for a few seconds and thought, He talked longer than I did and gave me more illustrations than I gave him. What did I do? Whatever it is I did, I thank God for giving me a Lucas in my class who listened carefully during the teachings. I pray he continues to pay close attention to the lessons in Sunday school and the sermons from Pastor Hubbard.
To be continued . . .
I’d like to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. Please know that you are also being prayed for by our family. We love and appreciate you very much.
Prayer Requests:
- Safety for our family, our team leader Dan Hubbard, and the other families of Team Peru
- Additional monthly financial support
New Contact Information
Abraham Avila (To avoid problems with our courier, correspondence must state my name and not “Avila family.”)
Caminos del Inca 2780, Block-C (Street name and house number)
Departamento #504 (Apartment number)
Urb. Prolongación Benavides (Residential zone)
Surco, Lima 15039 Perú (District, city, zip code, country)
219-378-8617
Thank you once again for your prayers and support.
Your co-laborers to Peru,
Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, & Joaquin Avila
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