Dear Friends,

We hope that you are enjoying your Summer, or whatever season it is where you live!  Here,  in Chile, we are in Winter.  Iquique’s Winter is usually  mild,  cool, but not cold by anyone’s standards and a light jacket or sweater suffices.  But this has been an unusual Winter for us.  There have been quite a few cloudy days where the sun has not come out at all and it has actually looked like it might rain.  It has rained twice in the 6 years we have lived here.   

Besides the weather, several unusual events have occurred in the past few months.  On July 4th, Sammy, our 10 year old, developed what started as an itchy skin rash that took him twice to the emergency room and continued to bother him for the next 3 weeks.  He had a severe allergic reaction whose causes are still to be determined.  He will be having an allergy test sometime in the near future.    

A few days ago, a 14 year old girl disobeyed her mother and left their home at midnight to accompany some friends on a joy ride.  A half an hour later she was dead.  Before the news was published, Lee and I knew that a fatal accident had occurred because we stepped over blood on the sidewalk where we take our morning walks.  The quantity of blood that was still visible after the clean-up and the police tape let us know.  The day after the accident, someone put up a make-shift shrine (animita) in the middle of the pavement where the girl’s body landed and had lit some candles around it.  Today on my walk I saw 2 young men and a young lady, all under 20 years of age, huddled around the shrine.  It was obvious that they had been there all night and that they had been drinking alcohol.  They still had beers that they were drinking and this was before 10am.  They weren’t crying and didn’t look particularly distressed, so I assume that they didn’t know the girl, Javiera, personally, that they just came to pray to her spirit.  They had their guitars and maracas and were playing strange music even as I passed by.   This is the worship of the animitas (minor spirits) which is the most popular religion in Chile, the one the most Chileans actually participate in.  Lee and I didn’t know Javiera personally either, but now we will think of her since we pass by that spot every day.  It will be a reminder of how much spiritual darkness still exists here and how much work there is still to be done. 

Winter vacation is always a difficult time for us because it is the time of the Festival of La Tirana.  But this year was especially difficult for us because of Sammy’s illness.  Also, it was a discouraging time because of the number of people that we know personally that attended the Festival of La Tirana, people with whom we have talked about the spiritual significance of it.  Lee talked yesterday with Luis about putting God first in his and his family’s life.  Luis and Vicki were baptized last year and have let their careers push out their spiritual life.  Please pray we would be faithful to the message God gives us and that we would know how to encourage the believers in their faith.  We only have one month before we leave for Montevideo and we do want to use the time wisely.

The school that the boys attend is suffering some tough times.  The owner of the school, Amelia, had a heart attack and was hospitalized.  She is now at home and is trying to sell the school.  Obviously, this has us concerned, for her health and for the future of the school.  We have all really enjoyed our experience there.  It would be a serious challenge to find another school that we like here in Iquique.  Also, the school’s English teacher, Ruth, will be travelling next week to Santiago for cancer treatment.

Lee travels to Antofagasta (six hours south)on August 11 and will be there until August 13.  He will meet with our supervisor, Jerry, and also with Hernan, our first disciple.  Please pray that this time will be fruitful and that Hernan, Jerry and Lee will all be encouraged. 

PLEASE ALSO PRAY FOR:

Sammy’s allergy test.

Situation at the school and our opportunities to be light and salt with the administration, teachers and parents.

Safety of travel for Cathy’s parents who will leave the states on August 25th and will arrive here on the 26th.

Wisdom for our preparation to leave for Montevideo for six months.

Continued prayers for the family of Arcadio and Patricia, for their marriage and children, Isber and Jorge.

*If you desire to receive our prayer e-mails, please write us at zwink@vtr.net and we’ll put you on our mailing list.*

Love and Blessings,
Cathy & Lee

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