TRUSTING GOD DURING THE SPIRITUAL WAR

God is in Control here in Cuenca, . Although things are not ideal all the time, God is doing great and wonderful things in peoples’ lives. As we know that our battle is not carnal but spiritual (Ephesians 6:12), we continue to trust our High King in everyday living, including the following situations:

Safety in Crash

My family and I were transporting a visiting missionary to one of our churches where he was teaching Hermeneutics. As we made our way, we were startled by a tremendous “Bang!” followed by flying glass fragments.

I thought we had been shot, or that a large rock had entered the back of the vehicle! I feared the worse for my dear wife and children, as they were in the back of the vehicle, and covered with glass! I pulled over and asked repeatedly if everybody was OK.

Once I came to my senses, I realized that we had been hit in the rear end by a big truck. That truck was rapidly fleeing the scene!  When I caught up with him he accused me of crashing into his vehicle (No small task as my vehicle’s rear end was smashed!)!

Both cars were impounded by the police until he agreed to cover the damages. Now his insurance is working on authorizing repair.

It looks like the situation will be resolved soon. I thank the Lord that everybody survived without even a scratch. The glass particles in our hair were easily washed away! God is in control!

Leftist, Anti American President Elected In

As a Christian American, what would you call a leader who claimed your American president is worse than the Devil, promised that in 2008 he will oust the American Airbase in the north of his country, a man who kicked the World Bank out of his country, refused to sign the Free Trade Agreement with the US, and is a very good friend and admirer of Venezuela’s Chavez and Cuba’s Castro? I call him the president of the Republic of Ecuador. As the situation is rapidly becoming anti-American I wonder if, like and , it will become anti-missionary.

Please pray for political stability in as the President leads in his quest to re-write ’s Constitution. He and his cabinet have ousted 51 Congress members (who voted against his plan-where’s the democracy!) and have attempted to have some of them jailed. A few of them have fled the country.

The ensuing riots and violence and vigilantism have been shocking.

Please put this link in your browser for a clear explanation:

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr23/0,4670,EcuadorConstitutionalCrisis,00.html

Please PRAY for President Correa.

Please pray for us as we serve in this country which so desperately needs to hear and receive the Gospel Message. That’s why we are here!

Good Friday Service Answer to Prayer

Good Friday is the day which is most reflected upon here in Cuenca, on Easter Weekend. Resurrection Sunday is lackluster in comparison.  Cuenca is extremely Catholic and extremely traditional. Expanding upon that, Cuenca is more observant of Good Friday due to the fact that the risen Savior is not the focus. The "Divine Boy”, and the Crucifix (with Christ still hanging lifeless on the Cross) are two major symbols prevalent here.

Cuenca is so "religious" on Good Friday! For example, most people visit seven churches on Good Friday. Confession Booths serve long lines the day before Good Friday. Most even make a religious soup, called fanesca.

FOUR YEARS AGO we decided to take advantage of this for the Lord. We decided to have a major focus on Good Friday, hoping to share the Gospel with many. However we have NEVER seen a relevant attendance at our Good Friday services. I almost decided to give the idea up, as I had tried flyers, signs, and other advertisements to get the word out. But I am stubborn! (I have a stubborn faith in God’s desire to make this church plant flourish!)

This year I decided to make it a major prayer issue. Furthermore I began announcing the service to my people a month and a half ahead of time so that they would invite people. (I was really just hoping that at least my core group would make attendance a priorityJ!)

In summary, we held an evangelistic service 8:00 PM. This meant that the devout Catholics would be able to attend our service after visiting their 7 Catholic Churches. And those considered “not so devout”, which actually work on this major holiday, would not be stopped by their job.

I praise the Lord that after four years of attempting a Good Friday Service, we had 37 people who attended. (Last year I had just 5 regulars and 0 new people!) We have had 5 NEW people who attended the Good Friday Service return to church regularly.

Five new people for this church plant means allot! I am very excited for this, because we finally were blessed by the Lord with a well attended Good Friday Service after so many failed attempts! And my new people, now infants in Christ, are a major item of praise for us all!

New People Attending

Please pray for our new attendees who have started to come regularly. What a blessing to see God’s hand at work! We praise God for precious new names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

BUILDING NEEDED FOR CHURCH PLANT

Our Building Fund for the church plant is just over $10K. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all of you who have given, as you have shared in our passion for souls here.

We need $60K for a suitable lot and building. Please pray that Ecuadorians will continue to give sacrificially. I trust you know that I continue to joyfully give sacrificially. And I am committed to continue this indefinitely.

I ask everybody who reads this letter to prayerfully consider joining us in this worthy cause. Your help will make an eternal impact down here for the Lord. We are starting a church that, Lord willing, will endure until the end.

YOU can get involved! You can have an impact for the Gospel’s sake in Ecuador! Please mark your gift for our building fund as you send it to Baptist Mid Missions, and it will be used in its ENTIRETY for the church plant’s (Iglesia Bautista Trinidad) building/land project.

Biblical Counseling Continues

Please pray for the couples and singles which God has led us to, as I counsel them with God’s all sufficient Word. People are getting saved and God is changing lives! Please pray specifically for Milton and Naomi. This unsaved couple faces the reality that their marriage has almost completely disintegrated. I am privileged to witness to them and formally counsel them, weekly, in their marriage. I have been helping them since January, and they are still resistant to the Gospel. Your prayers are needed.

Counseling Classes Continue

I thank the Lord for the opportunity to pass on all that I have learned to students who wish to be used of the Lord as Biblical counselors (2 Timothy 2:2). I am enjoying the privilege of teaching leaders from different churches how to use the Bible to confront and have victory over the diverse problems people face. Please pray that many people will be helped with permanent, effective, Biblical change as these Biblical Counseling Students apply what they are learning in real life counseling situations.

Prayer Requests/ Praise

Praise: We have a very nice water system installed at camp now! Thank you for your years of prayer and support for this vital benefit at our Christian Camp here.

Prayer: Please pray for a positive outcome as I am working on my Ecuadorian Residency. This is something which will be a huge benefit for us.

Prayer: We are moving. In January, the owners of the house I am renting stated that they intend to sell this house. (At a very high price, I might add!) We hold church services here, so this is a double issue. We should be moving this month, and we are considering purchasing a home, rather than losing so much money as we pay rent.

Prayer:

Two volcanoes have shown a significant amount of violent activity recently. Peoples’ lives are devastated by the huge amounts of ash spewed by these giant cones. (Ash tends to kill harvests, livestock, and cave in or completely cover houses.) Most people in those areas are poor, Indigenous, Quichua speaking folk. We want to reach them with the Gospel.

Prayer:

We are starting 1.) a youth group and 2.) a kids’ club very soon. Please pray for many souls to be saved in the months to come.

Praise:

One of our churches (Iglesia Bautista La Gracia) has obtained land in a very accessible area. La Gracia was started in 1989. I fondly remember helping as a missionary student in 1990/1991! So this is a very special and wonderful accomplishment as they work at becoming totally nationalized.

Prayer: For the salvation of the following unsaved friends I have recently made: Dr. Italo, Angel, Dr. Jenaro, Dr. Patricio, Rosario, Eduardo, Dr. Hernan, Henry, Carlos, Adrian, Pablo, Jose, Donaldo, Eddie, Andres, Patricio B., and their families.

Prayer:

For three different cases of people who have come to me for prayer as they have been involved in santeria and witchcraft. One of them (Byron) may have accepted Jesus into his heart recently. Even new believers here are duped into using a Shaman (witch doctor).

THANK YOU for all of your prayers and support. Please pray that we will continue to be effective witnesses for His Glory as we serve on this spiritual battlefield.

Your Missionaries;

The Murray Family

David, Sonia, Dave, Andrea, and Joshua

www.ecuamurray.org/portal