Tios Xabaj (which means holy god of the rock) is a small village almost two hours from us here in Canilla. At this time of year, when the rains come daily and heavily, it is a challenging trip. We had a trip planned for last Thursday. The day started with almost nothing going well...two of our translators didn't come. We had no one to give the message and pray. It had rained during the night and we were not sure that we would be able to get through an area which is always precarious (where part of the mountain kind of continually slides downward). After some phone calls and some confusion about whether or not the village was ready for us, we set out. Starting in a new village, building relationships is always difficult. It takes about a year to actually gain the trust of the people. And when the physical obstacles are so great, it is easy to question whether or not it is God's plan for us to go. But we are persevering....


This little village is fairly isolated and has not ever been evangelized - at least that we know of. The community leaders have asked us to come, and we are very clear from the beginning that with the medical treatment comes prayer and evangelism. Their body language speaks loudly and clearly. They listen with arms folded, frowns on their faces, and then they begin to ridicule whoever is speaking. But the people are open....wide open. Several have already said "yes" to Jesus.

So we pray for strength to continue just as Paul prayed for the Colossians in chapter 1:10 - That we might live a life worthy of the Lord and might please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God....(my paraphrase).