“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”  -- Colossians 4:12

 At the end of his letter to the Colossians, Paul mentions a man by the name of Epaphras and his contribution to the Colossi church.  As you read from the above verse, it was not mentioned that this man was a dynamite pastor, on-fire evangelist, or super servant.  What is mentioned here is his devotion of prayer towards the believers in Colossi that they may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.  Only Heaven knows the impact of his diligence to pray for the Colossians.  Thank all of you so much for your labor of love towards us and those we ask you to pray for. 

As I write this letter there is a new believer that is very heavy on my heart and I ask that you pray for her steadfastness in the Lord, her maturity, and continued assurance of her salvation.  Her name is Awilda and she has been coming to the new church plant in Juan Dolio.  Awilda was saved just 2 months ago through the medical clinic ministry of SCORE.  God used a sickness in her life to bring her to the clinic where she heard the gospel of Jesus Christ in the waiting room by the receptionist.  She came to church the following Sunday and I had the privilege of meeting her there.    The Lord laid her on the hearts of Erica Jude (another missionary here) and I to begin meeting with her for discipleship.  Awilda was very receptive and excited about the study. Awilda does not have any church background. She is such a babe in Christ that we had to teach her how to look up verses in the Bible.  Can you imagine looking at John 3:16 and having no idea how to find it?  Awilda is a quick learner and is eating up the Word of God right now.  The Holy Spirit is also at work mightily in her life as she is under great conviction for some of the lifestyle practices she is involved in.  Please pray specifically for Awilda that she would make choices that will please the Lord and not grieve the Holy Spirit.  Pray that the Lord would bring a way for her to provide income for herself so that she would not be dependent on a non-believing boyfriend for her needs.  Her boyfriend currently lives in Italy, but will be returning to the DR for the summer shortly.  Pray that Awilda would be pure in her relations with her boyfriend and that he too would receive the Word of God and accept Jesus Christ as His Savior.  Pray also that she would continue to hunger for the Lord’s righteousness. 

Please pray for Ryan as he works with Tim Craiger in handling the details of the daily ministry of the hotel and groups.  Pray for both of them in their decision making concerning the ministry. The busy season is soon approaching us so may we not get lost in the busyness of the ministry and neglect our time with the Lord. 

Wow I could keep telling you of all the requests we have here, but I do not want to overwhelm you so I will cease now.  Praise the One Who knows what we need even before we ask. 

In our last letter to you I shared about the village of Los Montones and the people there.  Well this week a group is here to construct a church building for the village!  Praise the Lord for His provision, His continued concern for His young flock, and encouragement to the pastor there. 

Thank you again for your prayers & love for us.  I look forward to sharing with Awilda of her very own “Epaphras” who is praying for her without even knowing her.