Ephesians 2:7 "So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus."
Well here I am looking at a backpack and a pair of boots, eating a 'before 4am' peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast but also knowing that God has not only transformed an entire village by His grace but also through our obedience.
The drive to the where the road ends will be several hours as we cross the last mountains leading to the Amazon basin. Then rather than "arriving" we will have only just begun, our canoes will take anywhere from 6 to who knows how many hours, our last trip, the motor needed to push us up the stiff current making the trip anything but pleasant. But by weeks end despite the lack of sleep, food challenges, struggles in transportation and any other inconvenience that may be dreamed up, there will be a church. A church in a village that only one year earlier had the blessing of hearing of Jesus' first coming for the very first time. A community transformed all because of His grace and our obedience.
We will then skip over to another village to install community wells and latrines. This may not seem like much until you bury 3 or 4 kids due to dysentery, then it becomes a big deal. One well for the community and one well for the school that serves about 100 kids. One bathroom for the community and one bathroom for the school. And at the end of the week another community transformed all because of His grace and our obedience.
Would you take a minute and send up prayers for this two week endeavor? We have two teams of volunteers who are lending a hand, one from Franklin, TN and another from Vincent, AL. Pray for safety, protection, wisdom, health but most of all harvest!
Leah and I appreciate your obedience in your partnership with us as we push toward the goal of reaching the unreached in the jungles of Ecuador and by God's grace we will continue to see transformation.
Blessings,
Joil
Merry Christmas!
"And the only way to do great work is to love what you do"-Steve Jobs
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."-Paul
So many challenges face us each year. There is not a month that passes that is not filled with ups and downs. Whether it is finding a way to provide the basic needs of the dozens of girls in the Ecuador Hope House or looking better ways to share the Gospel to the hundreds of Shuar villages that are waiting to hear the Gospel. But in spite of the seeming daily challenges or the fact that our rhythm does not provide us with many opportunities to rest, there is one thing that is true, WE LOVE OUR LIFE!!!!
This past year we have expanded the Hope House, by the end of the new construction we will have doubled our floor space, and that is good news, since we are full with 30 girls. We have planted new works in five villages that were unreached, but now have vibrant fellowships of believers. To top it off we are in up to our elbows with the construction of the Project Reach training center just outside of Sucúa. In less than one month it will be filled with missionaries from all over Latin America who will receive advanced training to reach the unreached people groups around the continent.
We (Joil and Leah) are doing well, we are coming up on 15 years of marriage and it is only getting better! Drew is now 11 and he is showing signs of out growing us all, he is a very talented singer on our worship team in Sucúa. Will is 9 and he is the most dedicated Sunday school teacher you have ever seen, every Sunday morning he works from 8-10:30am with about 30 kids. Emelia is now 6, she is reading and she can hold her on with her brothers, she loves to draw and is a born runner. Aidan is 3 and in underwear!!! We have determined that when he grows up he will either be the Hulk, Capt. America, a garbage truck driver, professional wrestler, cowboy or a missionary.
Finally, we wanted to let you know how much we love and appreciate your friendship and partnership. You have been with us through the challenges and incredible growth we have seen in our ministry and family. We pray that God would bless you in 2015 and that you would continue to live for what God has "prepared beforehand".
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Joil and Leah Marbut
Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan
CHIGGER-BIT AND TRANSFORMED
"Did you ever walk through a village notorious for its drunkenness and profanity? ...Have you ever looked into the houses of the people, and beheld them as dens of iniquity, at which your soul stood aghast? Have you ever seen the poverty and degradation and the misery of the inhabitants and sighed over it? ...But was it ever your privilege to walk through that village again, in the years when the Gospel had been preached there? It has been mine." C.H. Spurgeon
It has been our privilege to see God's process of transformation take place, not once or twice but dozens and dozens of times in villages spread over the Amazon jungle in Ecuador. While I am writing to you this evening, my small backpack of 20lbs. that is loaded with everything I will need for next week, is staring at me from my kitchen table, because in the morning I have the honor of being able to see this process start again.
Our evangelistic team of four (our newest missionary Seth McDonald, two Shuar pastors and myself) will drive 3 hours early tomorrow morning to where the road ends, there we will pick up a small trail that will serve as our path for the next 6-8 hours. During this hike, we can be guaranteed of a few things, hot and humid weather, deep mud and chiggers (some of our non-Southern friends my need to Google that). Although the path will lead us straight through the heart of the dense jungle, we will not be seeking exotic animals or unknown plants, but rather souls. You see the purpose of our trip is to make our first evangelistic contact with the village of Namaka. This village has no church and realistically no hope eternally. But by the grace of God and with your help that will soon change!
By faith, we have targeted six "new" villages, which have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, where we will be endeavoring to plant churches over the next year. Some are closer than others, our trip in November will be a 4-hour drive followed by a two-day walk into the village, another will be a 3-hour drive and 8 hour canoe trip. The reason for this letter is two fold. First we want to invite you to pray for a harvest of souls and for our team's protection (my boys asked me tonight as I tucked them in with prayer if it was safe, my response "I don't know, but we know God is with us"). Second, would you consider making a commitment to help cover the cost of planting these "new" works? Realistically, we are willing to go as far and as deep into the jungle as we need to go, but we can only go as far as you are willing to send us. We are projecting the cost to be $3500 to plant each church. That amount covers the first year of evangelism and discipleship materials, as well as eventually training a leader/pastor from the community in our Bible school in Sucúa. So many of you do so much already, but would you just pray and if God leads you, then partner with us to help start this process of transformation?
Thank you for helping to change eternity,
Joil and Leah Marbut
WE LOVE VBS IN ECUADOR!
"He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth..." Isaiah 42
We have just surfaced from an unprecedented whirlwind of activity. In only two months we have held VBS in 14 different communities, with more than 2500 kids and 800 adults who attended. This year we have danced, sang silly songs, memorized the "Ten Commandments" with the accompanying hand motions, packed cookies, counted candy, played games, glued, cut and colored more times than I would like to remember. It was worth is all to see the smiles and more than that to see the kids respond to the eternal message of God's promise of forgiveness and eternal life.
In the middle of this "VBS-fest" we took a step of faith to begin expansion of the Hope House. We are adding 12 new girls this fall, which is a new high for us, but we need more space. Since May we have had help with not only VBS, but also the new construction with volunteer teams from Guntersville, AL., Southeastern University, Panama City, FL., Vincent, AL., Montgomery, AL., Raleigh, NC. and Franklin, TN. We will continue to the expansion into January, in total we are adding approximately 50% more floor space.
We wanted to take a second, in the middle of letting the dust settle, to let you know just how thankful we are for being of part of God's eternal plan for Ecuador. You can take five minutes and watch the attached video and get a taste of our VBS work this year and if you want the full effect, then turn off you're A/C and go out into the sunshine.
THAT'S WHY WE GO! (PSALM 8)
Our oldest son Drew is now 9 years old. Just two weeks back he was able to accompany me (Joil) on a hike into a distant jungle village, the trip included a bonus two-night stay. He was helping me with a team of MAPS volunteers from Southeastern University. In addition to our backpacks full of all the basic necessities, we had to haul in a roof for a health clinic, nails, lice shampoo and medicines for about 150 people and materials for three days of VBS. During the hike Drew and I were talking about music, school, basketball, etc..., I was trying to keep his mind off of the "pain" of the trail. After more than a solid hour of hiking, I decided to make sure that he fully grasped the difficulty of the situation we were about to be in, I asked him "Can you imagine having to walk down this muddy, horrible path to go to school? Or just to get an aspirin for a headache or a fever? Or living in a village that has only had the gospel for about 5 years and thus has no children's church or Sunday school for kids your age?" I expected a "Wow" or "Oh my", but my son did not even slow down his hiking pace or even change his matter of fact tone, when he answered "Papa, that's why we go!"
As soon as we returned I was notified that a dear sister, Margerita, was in serious condition after an extended bout with cancer. I meet her a few months back, due to her family's invitation to come and visit her on her sickbed. I remember so clearly walking into the small wooden floor hut, where she was laid. The small space smelled strongly, as a result of no indoor plumbing, no basic ventilation and no electricity, it was a mix of all the wrong smells one could imagine. She had been bed ridden for 5 years, slowing withering away because of her sickness. She appeared to be at least 50 lbs. underweight, her cheeks and eyes sunk deep into her head. After some light conversation, I purposefully turned our focus towards eternity and the Good News. Within just a few minutes as she was weeping tears of joy, tears of true repentance after hearing the Gospel for the first time in her 44 years of life. I was able to visit her a few more times, before I received the visit advising of her feeble condition. At the hospital I was greeted by the family, who immediately informed me that she had lost all ability to communicate and was not responding to anyone, I confirmed all this with her attending doctor. But I wanted to pray with her one last time, so when I entered in to see her she was wearing an oxygen mask, with her eyes closed. I leaned in tight to whisper a prayer into her ear and quote her the 23 Psalm, but when I was finished something amazing happened, she moved around, opened her eyes and yanked off her breathing mask, all because she had to tell me one last thing. She said in her native language, "Pastor, I am not afraid". She closed her eyes and died within the hour, when I walked out of the hospital I was reminded of Drew's words, "That's why we go!"
For more than a dozen years you have help us to "Go" into the far away places, isolated places, the smelly places and the hard to reach places. We have had but one simple goal, to share Jesus with a lost and dying world. Soon we will begin to train others through Project Reach, to "Go" into those same areas, but not only in Ecuador, but the entire Amazon region of South America. I am writing you this letter from the final stretch of our land purchase. We only lack 3500 meters at only $3 a meter! So many of you have generously helped us take this step of faith, but we lack just a bit more. We now have three weeks left to complete our transaction, one last time I will ask you. Can you help us with Project Reach? One last push and we will be ready to begin construction. We appreciate you helping us to "Go!" Click here to donate online now!
Many blessings,
Joil & Leah
Drew, Will, Emelia & Aidan
NO RESERVES, NO RETREATS, NO REGRETS
Recently I was reminded of the sacrifice of William Borden. After completing his university studies at Yale he left his family fortune and gave his life on the mission field. These three phrases "No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets" were found scrawled in the back of his well-worn bible at his death. This speaks to us today in the 21st century, if we truly want to reach the unreached that continue to live in utter darkness. "No Reserves", we must hold nothing back for the cause of reaching the unreached. "No Retreats", we must continue pressing and never fall into the comfort zone called success. And "No Regrets", we must live this life knowing that it is all we have been given, we must make it count for eternity and not settle for materialistic substitutes.
It is in this spirit that Leah and I feel an urgency to launch Project Reach. We want to train a literal army of young missionaries from around Ecuador and Latin America, who will continue to press into the darkness. Yes, we have our hands full with our existing ministries and raising four kids. Yes, we have been "successful", you have helped us reach 50+ villages with the gospel and our girls' home (Ecuador Hope House) is thriving, as are the mother church and all of our other social outreaches (medical and community water). And yes, we could probably try to slow down, but there is something inside that compels us..."No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets".
Last month so many of you responded to our plea to help us purchase the land needed to launch the campus for Project Reach. With your help we have now purchased 12,000 of the 20,000 meters. But that leaves us with only 8000 meters to go. Once more I would like to ask you to partner with us as we "push the limits". The cost is $3 per meter and we need you to help us with 10 meters, 100 meters, or even 1000 meters. You may Click Here to Donate Online Now! (Indicate Class 60 for #14788 Project Reach in the comments section of the form).
We have been given until mid-July to complete the purchase. Together we are changing eternity.
"No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets"
Joil and Leah Marbut
GOD NEVER LEFT NO-MAN'S LAND
I am drinking my first cup of what will be many cups of coffee today. I have beaten the sunrise by several hours. My bag is packed, my water bottle is filled, and my boots are ready. By the time you receive this letter our team will be headed into one of the hottest spots, both physically and politically, in the Amazon jungle. Our trip will require us to cross a literally "No-man's" land, an area that has been highly volatile over the last several months. Over one period just a few weeks ago there were four houses burned down and several locals killed over land disputes. Up until just 14 days ago the entrance into the area was prohibited to everyone, not just outsiders.
We will be driving down to where the road ends into the massive Rio Morona. Upon arrival we will be changing our mode of travel from 4x4 to dugout canoes. After a few hours of being tossed about on the large river, we will fork off onto a small and rocky tributary called the Kusumi. The last time we visited this particular area we had the privilege of pushing our canoe for 9 hours all the way to our destination. Our three days are planned accordingly, VBS for the kids, Bible school for the leaders, and nightly evangelistic campaigns. Then we will repeat the whole process, until we are back with our wives and children in our jungle outpost of Sucua.
It is at times like these that we do not simple "request" your prayers, but we "covet" them. Safe travels, favor with locals, protection for our families, but most of all open hearts to the message of Christ. We can make this journey and will continue to do so, not for money, or fame. But because we know that even though everyone else has fled the area, He never left.
Your Missionaries,
Joil and Leah Marbut
EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY
From the very beginning over 2000 years ago Christianity has been unique. Our faith is made firm by looking back and remembering God's faithfulness towards His people, but it has to be "lived out" looking forward to the future knowing that He will also faithfully fulfill His promises.
Every year when we sit down to look back it causes our faith to grow, just imagine over the course of 12 months we have...
•Renovated the Children's church of the Sucua Christian Center and installed a new pavilion that will eventually serve as the main sanctuary
•Started the second phase of Ecuador Hope House, because this year we have filled up the first phase to capacity with 18 young ladies
•Completed the construction of 4 churches in Shuar communities
•Installed wells for drinking water
•Hosted more than 2500 kids for VBS in 8 communities
•Treated over 2000 patients in medical clinics
•Started two new Bible Institute extensions
•Started a new University level extension with 25 students
•Distributed more than 700 bibles to new believers and those who did not have access to the Word of God
These are just to name a few. What we have learned over the years is that the fruit of our labor comes from faithfulness, God's, yours and ours. It is a powerful partnership when we are all "doing our thing".
Just this past week we all paused and thanked God for His faithfulness, but today we would like to pause and thank you for yours. If not for your prayers and support we could not continue the work we do in the jungles of Ecuador. And looking forward we can see that more than 500 Shuar villages are still waiting for the Gospel, thousands of young ladies are waiting for hope that will break the cycles of exploitation, dozens of young men and women are waiting to be prepared to work in the harvest and this "waiting list" of needs could go on and on.
We do not look at it with dread or fear, but rather with the hopeful expectation that God will fulfill His promises. The Apostle Peter said although we have never "seen Him" we "love" and "believe in Him", but at the end of 2012 we can look back on our partnership and confess that we, just like the disciples have been "eyewitnesses to His majesty".
Thank you for being a part of what we do.
Joil and Leah Marbut
Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan