Perspective

With all the needs and burdens in the world and in your own lives, you are so dear to keep checking on and praying for me. I'm grateful.

It's a broken world we live in, for sure! Besides the big issues our media choose to tell us about, there are the "quiet" crises that also rip lives apart. In southeastern Colombia, two subversive groups are at war over the drugs being raised in the region, and the people living there are caught in the middle. Teenaged kids are kidnapped on their way to school and sent to battle. The people's cattle are stolen by the subversives, thousands of heads, so food is becoming scarce. Rural churches have been forcibly closed, and even home meetings are not allowed. Mass graves are dug daily. I didn't know about this until yesterday. Now I want to pray faithfully for those dear people who are suffering so much.

Nearby, in Ecuador, another "battle" is going on, though not so publicly. Many of the families (all poor) who have bravely helped start small home churches are being attacked personally. One had his mechanics' tools stolen--his only means of livelihood. Another was fired because he wrecked the company car when he swerved to avoid hitting a woman in the street, and he couldn't get the cash to pay for the repairs. Another owned some land where he planned to put some desperately needed social ministries for the poor of the community. But now some unscrupulous "land brokers" have "sold" plots of his land to to hundreds of squatters, and neither police nor legal protection is available to him.

I know no way to help any of these situations, except to pray. But isn't it amazing that we can pray! For these, and for the news, and for our personal cares--we can pray!

I'm feeling well and looking forward to good fellowship with friends this weekend. Then sweet kemo on Monday. (Maybe if I talk nice it'll behave better!?)

Blessings,
Carol