Only God knew the common bond that would draw Suacara and I together…our adoptions. Suacara’s mother died when she was still a baby. Her aunt raised her. Life changed when she met the missionaries. Although fearful at meeting a white person, she quickly adapted to life in the village. It was through the mission outreach that she came to know the Lord. Although language is a barrier for Suacara and I, we work hard at understanding each other. We share a grief that some of our family members never ONCE heard of Jesus Christ and are lost for all eternity. We also share the joy of knowing Jesus and being a part of the family of God. Together we look forward to Eternity where language and culture will no longer be a barrier.

Written by Chabela

I met Jmanai when we were eight years old.  We did the normal things boys do here although we were from two different cultures.  Playing with slingshots, making wooden airplanes and swimming in the lagoon were some favorites. We encouraged him to accept Jesus as his Savior and as boys we were happy he prayed a prayer.

When he was ten, his family moved to Bolivia where he learned the vice of “ sniffing gasoline.”  Thankfully he came back to Paraguay when he was a teenager and got away from that. He hunted with my brother and I.  We had bicycles so he learned to ride on ours. Then he bought his own.

At that time he grew very interested in girls. By then the Gospel had affected tribal thinking so much that the tribal elders frowned on “chasing girls for nothing.”  So Jmanai married when he was 15 years old. Marriage life was not easy. After two wives, he finally settled down and has remained with his current wife.

Since those early years, he has learned how to drive tractors, mend fences, and ride motorbikes among a list of other things. Although those are good things to know, more importantly he has had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. After we returned in January, I saw him at a Bible class. He seemed so involved in what was going on. I asked him when he got saved and he said about two years ago while we were stateside.

Jmanai is now part of a group of men in the village who are intentionally and purposefully working their way through the Bible lessons to teach their own people. He is very upbeat and excited about the lessons.

Prayer Request: Pray for God’s Word to powerfully work in these men’s lives. Pray they will be able to effectively communicate God’s Word to their people.

The sun is low in the sky but the shadows refuse to lesson the muggy tropical heat as a young Banwaon mother carries her tiny baby deep into the jungle. “ He’s too small to survive” they urged her. “You must let him die.” Hesitantly, she places the naked baby, still sticky from birth, on the dirt and walks away. The infant cries weakly, unaware it will soon be his last. Predators are already watching, waiting.

But another sound appears. A man is searching. The baby’s uncle pities the child, takes him as his own, and teaches him the old ways.

Now, a grown man, Batsun has heard the gospel and put his faith in Jesus Christ. “Just as you pulled me from the jungle, I want to pull you from the spirits’ ways.” Batsun urges his old uncle. “Believe in Jesus. Trust Him, not the spirits. One day we will live together in God’s house.”