A vast majority of the people here are Roman Catholic and know very little of the Bible. The good news is that they believe the Bible is true, and once we teach them they are willing to accept truth. They see that their idols and traditions are sinful and powerless, and most are willing to acknowledge their sin and are happy to accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Our translator Luigi tells us that the two villages we have been to have been more receptive to the gospel than any of the villages that were visited last summer. We know from Romans 9:16 that this does not depend on us at all, but on God's mercy. So please keep praying! It has been clear that God has been hearing and faithfully answering all prayers!
Personally, I have become more aware and sensitive to the work and voice of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit I have been given boldness, words to speak, and seen answers to prayer in different situations. There have been multiple times when I have read a passage of scripture that was a perfect answer to a question later that day. In one instance, I was given boldness to speak the truth in a Bible study with the village witch doctor. I was able to show him that what he was doing wasn't right according to the Word of God. One time, a woman shared with us that her husband was unwilling to come to the Bible study and had issues with anger and abuse. We prayed, and the next night he came to the Bible study and accepted Christ as his Savior and Redeemer! Praise God! I am confident that all these things have come by the Spirit working through my weakness, as it says in Romans 8:26.
I come to see more and more each day how powerful prayer is, and how essential it is to our mission, and to every mission. We have seen evidence of prayer and work of the Holy Spirit in both of the barangays we have visited so far. We have seen it in continued team unity, safety, health, and most importantly, in receptiveness to the gospel and the name of Jesus.
I pray and have faith that God will water, grow, and multiply every seed that has been planted. I pray, and urgently ask for you to continue to pray, that more and more people will come to know the greatest thing they could ever know - Christ Jesus their Lord!