Joyce Update May 14, 2009

To all my friends and family,  Thank you for your prayers.  It is comforting to know that people are praying for me.  The excitement this month is the fact that Mark and Mark Alan arrived finally.  It is such a blessing that my whole family is together in Ecuador.  I honestly had times that I thought it would not happen.  I am thankful for each day that we have together.  I got to take a trip to the orphanage with Mark Alan.  It was a special time for me to be able to show him all the sights, and spend time with him.  Also that day I got to visit with the missionary pilots wife.  I met her once before, but have never been able to visit much with her.  I spent 2 hours sharing with her in English.  I felt like I had a week's vacation.  It was so nice to sit at her table with coffee.  They live next to the air field, so I got to see lots of planes take off.  They have been in Ecuador for 30 years. 

The embarrassment of the month came on a hot, sunny day.  We decided to go down to the river to go swimming.  I had a hat on.  On the bus the wind coming in the window blew my hat off, and it hit the policeman sitting behind me and landed on his lap.  I wished I was anywhere but there at that moment.  I had to turn around and get it back.  To make it worse, school had just gotten out and the bus was full of high schoolers and they were all laughing.  I was just thankful the policeman was so nice.  I was laughing later.

On the important side of thing, God has been doing a work in my heart lately.  It is very difficult to ask God for His help in letting me die to myself.  The difficulty is in the receiving.  As I write this, I just had an incident that makes me realize my flesh is alive and well.  I am thankful for His never ending mercy.  I know if I don't quit I will get there someday. 

There is a village named Costa Azul.  God has given me a vision for it.  Please pray that I can go there soon and pass out tracts.  Also, on the 24th of this month we are going to a town named Pano to pass out tracts.  When we first came here in November we met a boy from that town, and we told him we would be there on that day.  I'm not quite sure how it all came about, but we trust it is from God, and he wants us there that day.

I am discouraged with the Spanish learning.  I feel that after 6 months I should know much more than I do.  I hesitate to tell people I want to learn Quechua, when I am struggling to learn Spanish so much.  I need to give it to God and trust Him.

Praise His holy name...Joyce