Mayo 24, 2009

Dear friends, 

When I emailed Mrs. Karen I forgot to ask her not to forward this to all of you. I really didn't want to pass on that info especially because we don't know exactly what is really going on. I wanted her to pray for us but I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily. Still, in God's providence, you all got my last email; I trust the Lord used your prayers about these things. So, thank you for praying for us!! 

Today after after the service we met with a brother from our church who knows well how to deal with people from the background these girls and their friends and partners (and drug dealers and pimps!!) come from. It was very helpful to meet with him. He enlightened us further about the neighborhood where these girls live and how to go about it when we visit them and/or go pick them up. We've also decided not to go every week and not always go on Fridays but alternate between different days of the week. That way we won't expose ourselves unnecessarily and jeopardize the work we're doing. Please pray not only for wisdom but for courage also. As I said on my last note, we are invading Satan's strongholds. The "guest house" where four or five of the girls live is a place where I really think there are evil spirits busy at work to keep them in bondage. Most of the men who live there don't work, but rather spend the day in drugs and doing all sorts of things to fund their drugs. One of the girls is pregnant, and her husband doesn't work. She's 6 months pregnant and she's the one who works (as a prostitute....); this makes me both angry and sad! He stays in the guest house making sure no one steals the stuff they have inside their "home," the room where they live. All that to say, Satan has done a pretty good job in trying to destroy these lives, in deceiving them, offering false hopes and we know he is not happy and is opposing the work of God. We pray God would bring salvation and light through the awesome power of His gospel. 

I found these two quotes on The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. 

“The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.”—Luther

“The devil . . the proud spirit . . cannot endure to be mocked.”—Thomas More

We pray for grace to mock the devil's power driven by the knowledge (and the JOY) that our God and Him alone is Almighty. We know the devil is powerful; we know all he is doing is destroying lives. We are not ignoring or denying that. But may we not forget how much greater, and kinder and powerful and willing is the Lord of Hosts, whom we serve. Please pray for us!

A.M.