Download the January 2014 Beans' Talk with photos here.

Two gifts to mention

The work we do couldn’t be done without outside support. Some of you have financially supported us for years. But, what about the ten men working with us who represent the five Quechua languages we’re translating for? Who covers their expenses?

#1 - The Seed Company picks up the tab. They cover the full-time salary of the three men who’ve worked with us every day in Huanuco as well as a stipend for those who help in translation part time. The Seed Company also covers other expenses the guys incur, like their transportation to and from workshops, food consumed during workshops, and lodging when we have to pay for it. The Seed Company gets all their funds from the donations of generous people. We haven’t publicly (in a Beans’talk) thanked The Seed Company for a long time. Thank you, Seed Company!

#2 - Another big gift comes from Larry & Sandy Rockwell in Huaraz with Mission to the World. They welcome all of us at their mission center when we hold workshops over there. They lodge all of us, provide a big meeting room, and give us free reign in a group kitchen. And they don't charge us anything! It is all a gift. Plus, Larry gives books. Earlier he gave each of the men a Spanish copy of Desiring God. Mark took time to work through parts of it with the team during devotionals each morning. This past workshop, Larry gave everyone a copy in Spanish of The Peacemaker about resolving conflict. Mark is now helping the men work through that. Thank you, Larry & Sandy!

Christmas…not celebrated

When in Huanuco on a Friday afternoon, I (Patti) often attend the women’s group at a local church. Some Fridays are set aside for two hours of solid prayer. Other Fridays are Bible study. And yet other weeks they may have a health lesson, cooking lesson or craft lesson.

In October, it was my turn to lead something. I chose to talk about ways families can celebrate Jesus’ birthday. I especially wanted to talk about this after noticing how little activity and instruction surrounded Jesus’ birth at the church last year. I also had suggestions for taking advantage of the holiday to tell others the importance of Christ’s birth. While I was prepared with different Advent themes and samples of things kids can do, I was not prepared for my audience.

I was surprised at how strongly most of them objected to doing anything that would celebrate Jesus’s arrival on earth. In wanting to distance themselves from their Catholic background, it seems like they have thrown THE BABY out with the bath water.

Some women understand that it is possible to honor Jesus’ birth, yet say that to do so would cause others to stumble. They quoted from 1 Corinthians 10, only instead of refraining from eating meat sacrificed to idols, they intend to refrain from celebrating Jesus’ birth. The same argument applies to Good Friday and Easter. While I am sad for all they are missing I recognize that I cannot truly appreciate the struggles they have.

For the perfect holiday dinner

Missing that one special item to make your Christmas dinner a success? I've seen piggies in the market, but not shrink wrapped like this before. This is now possible because of the modern grocery stores that moved into town this year. It's hard to imagine trying to cram one into a standard oven. Here in Peru one can ask the local baker to bake the turkey or ...in this case, the pig in his big earth oven.

Praises and Prayer Requests

Praise God for The Seed Company, the Rockwells, and many many others who've generously supported us and this work over the years.

Pray for our annual retreat with colleagues January 13 through 17th.

Pray for our next translation workshop which will begin January 27th here in Huanuco.

Thanking God for his indescribable gift!

Mark & Patti