I Do Not Know Who Pulled Me Out

Last month we wrote about Patricio.  His father, Raul, is a waiter at our favorite cafe, the Magic Bean.  I was at the Bean when Raul got the call that his son had been run over by a bus.  So many of you have prayed for Patricio that I thought you would like to hear, the rest of the story.

When Raul got off of the morning shift, this morning, I picked him up and we went to see his son.  Patricio was receiving physical therapy when we got there.  It was painful just to watch!  When the therapist left, Raul introduced me.  He remembered me being at the Emergency Room and praying for him before he was transported to the hospital.

He told me that he is strangely thankful for what happened because it has given him a chance to "get closer to God."  We spoke about where he was with God and he said that he was closer, but did not really know Him.  I had the chance to share with him this afternoon. Let me tell you that Patricio now knows that he knows God and that God knows him!

The second picture is of Raul, Patricio's wife Piedad and their son Tommy.  As we were getting ready to leave, Patricio said that God was merciful.  He let him see that he needed God and gave him the chance.  "Only the front wheel of the bus ran over my legs.  If the back ones had run over me, I would be dead. But somebody pulled me out before the back wheels passed by.  When I looked around, all of the people were away from me and I do not know who pulled me out.  But I think I know."

PS  The final picture is what my kids call a "Proof of life" photo.  They say I should throw one in from time to time just to prove I am still around.

Write Up in the Arkansas Baptist Paper

Following the mission trip over Christmas and New Years, the Arkansas Baptist Paper wrote a story about the work in Quito.  Go to http://www.arkansasbaptist.org/

Good News for the Kyrios School / Maranatha Baptist Church

There is good news for the Kyrios School.  This week they received government permission to expand their program to Junior High School.  They had already begun holding 7th Grade classes provisionally, but now can go through 9th! They are also expanding from 100 to 150 children in their ministry through Compassion International.

Feeding is Not Just For Today

Our friends from Arkansas did their final day of ministry on Tuesday.  At the Atacucho Baptist Church, they fed families once again, provided instant family portraits and shared Christ.

Does this kind of ministry have eternal value?  The people dressed in robes are a family that trusted Christ a year ago when the same group was here.  New Years Day, they publicly identified with Christ.  

The older son received a surgery thanks to this Arkansas group in August.  Ricardo was crushed in an accident but today he no longer wears a catheter.  A doctor from the United States operated on him and three others with similar problems and Ricardo is enjoying a normal life once again.

Ministries that feed people and clothe them or provide other tangible results are great.  Greater still is when the message gets through that our motivation is from Jesus.  That we care about people because Jesus cares about people.

Thank you for giving and going.