SLAM! That door closed

Tonight, one of the daughters from my Sunday afternoon study went to the Thursday study and asked Johnny to tell me not to come back. The mother is afraid that the landlady will kick them out if they have a Bible study. They have lived and worked in this rented building for years.

I am discouraged, frustrated, and literally, in tears. On Sunday, they were eager for the Word, and asked me to come earlier next Sunday so we could have more time to study. Now- SLAM! The door is closed. Their fear is real. When the local believers were looking for a place to rent to meet, they had difficulty because many people refused to rent to them. Many people in Guano are hostile to Christians.

This family is hungry for the Word. They want to follow Christ. I know that God is faithful and He will finish the work He began in them. Some of them can attend the Thursday night study, but several can't.

Right now, all I can do is pray for Anita, Yolanda, Marta, Rosa, Luis, Freddy, and Fanny.

God surprised me!

The people of Guano have long been closed to the Gospel. We have been working there for 9 years, and no group has lasted. On Sunday afternoons, Johnny and other believers meet at a house in Guano for Bible study. Sunday is a big day for the businesses that depend on tourism, so the owners and workers are not free then. Instead of attending the study, I spend that time visiting the businesses and building relationships.

The small shop had rugs and tapestries on display. Large wooden looms were set up against the walls. The owners, like many families in the town of Guano, made their living making and selling hand-knotted rugs. I greeted the wife and her two adult daughters and invited them to the film and Bible study on Thursday. One daughter began to ask me questions about God and the Bible. I sat down, opened a Bible and we had an unplanned Bible study right there! During the study, a daughter-in-law came in and joined us. They asked me to come back the next Sunday afternoon. That Thursday, the mother, Anita, and a daughter, Yolanda, came to the film.

I went to the shop yesterday expecting to lead a Bible study with three women. The mother, her two daughters, and a nephew were waiting for me. We sat beside the loom and I taught about salvation and grace. Later, the daughter-in-law came in. Then, a son and his wife joined us. I love to see people’s faces light up when they understand what Christ has done for them! They asked me to come every Sunday.

We’ve been praying that God would work in people’s hearts in Guano. Why was I surprised to see seven people gathered to study His Word with me?

to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Acts 26:18 (ESV)