One of the things that make me stand in amazement of the Gospel is the continual evidence that proves that it is true. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are as Paul wrote "the power of God unto salvation". One of the many byproducts that proves this is the value, reassurance, and confidence that it adds to the lives of all who receive it, even the most marginalized and under-appreciated.
Working with an extremely poor and underserved population that is more marginalized than normal, strictly because of the geography of their present location, it makes this dynamic much more visible. But there is always the marginalized of the marginalized, one group that the outcast society deems more expendable and less valuable. Here in the Amazon region of Ecuador that group is made up of the woman and girls who live in the hundreds of villages in our area.
If we pause just a moment we can see that it was the same situation in Jesus' time here on earth. And he always seemed to find time to show them the value they had in his eyes. Mary, Martha, the woman with the issue of blood, the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the Canannite woman and list could go on and on. These women were broken, abused, hurting, confused, depressed, and thought to have no purpose, but Jesus changed all that with a simple home visit, a miracle or maybe in some cases just listening to their stories
Last week was filled with tears, smiles and laughter as our annual ladies only team invaded the jungle valley we call home. A group of twelve ladies from five different states of the USA took time to visit hundreds of women in their communities, each receiving special attention in the women's medical clinic and to top it all off we took time to listen to those woman and girls who have been pushed out by society. Our greatest prayer was that they would find salvation, but with that they would know that they are truly valuable.
Thank you for being a part of this great adventure!
With love,
Joil and Leah Marbut with Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan