"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." - G.K. Chesterton
It is the time of the year when we all sit around our tables full of food and family to remember all the reasons that we are thankful. Most of us can collectively say that we are thankful for friends, for health, for freedom, for faith, for Jesus, for our church, for our job, for our car, for the roof over our head, etc. This year, in addition to these things, we are thankful for the challenges we face planting new churches in the jungle, it has meant facing threats and mobilization issues, but these challenges mean we are making progress. We are thankful that we have had to add two new Bible School extensions in the last 6 months, this has meant finding more teachers and shifting our work calendar, however, this means we have more pastors and leaders who need to be trained. We are thankful for the additional funds we need for the Ecuador Hope House 2015-16 budget, because it means we are growing. We are thankful that we get to wait in lines and we get to wait for days to get the permits to operate a bus, thanks to Speed the Light, because it means our girls will no longer have to walk to school. And we are thankful for you, our partner in the journey. We are grateful for your sacrifice that makes what we do possible. We can see that even in the midst of the greatest frustrations, we all have something to be thankful for, but many times it takes effort to find it.
May this holiday season be full of joy and thanksgiving in every way!
Blessings,
Joil and Leah Marbut
Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan