WE ARE FAMILY!

“AND HIS MERCY IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.” - LUKE 1:50

Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot about life and one thing that was instilled in us was that your friends will be your friends, but your family will always be your family. I grew up loving family gatherings, a reunion, a birthday, a holiday, or whatever the occasion, the opportunity has always been wonderful. To hear the different generations share their respective stories, challenges and victories does the soul well and makes us better for it.

Something that we teach in Ecuador, is that the family is the first “religious institution” that God set up. It happened when He noticed that it was not good for Adam to be alone. There is such power in family unity and for that reason, our adversary will do all he can to stop it.

In the jungle we make sure the churches we plant are much more than just about a building and a weekly gathering, those bodies of believers become a spiritual family. One that should share their stories of God’s faithfulness and His goodness. 
Over the last several months we have had many “family get-togethers”. Baptismal services where those who are 9 to 90 years-old could make their public proclamation to join the “family of God.” VBS where for almost 10 years running we have ministered to our extended spiritual families all over the jungle, this year alone we will hold 20 VBS outreaches and we expect more than 3000 kids in total to attend. And finally just this last week, Leah had the opportunity to lead a VBS in the village we went to, 18 years ago, while we were still on our honeymoon. She not only taught about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but she also performed the first baby dedication in the village’s history. Over 30 newborns and babies were placed into the Father’s hands for safekeeping, their parents agreed to raise them in the “fear and admonition of the Lord.” These stories have me humming the lines of the old song,

I’m so glad I’m part of the Family of God
I’ve been washed in fountain and cleansed by His blood
Joint heirs with Jesus, as we travel this sod
For I’m part of the family, the Family of God

Often when we write an update, you know that we are reaching villages or certain rivers with the message of eternity, but today we want you to know that due to your prayers and giving we are bringing in generations of natives into our spiritual family. One day, sooner than ever, we will gather for the biggest family gathering ever, around the Father’s throne, to celebrate what Jesus and the Holy Spirit did for us. Thank you for being a part of this amazing family that God has given us.


May He always keep you in his hands,

Your Missionaries,
Joil and Leah Marbut
Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan

A CITY SET ON A HILL

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

STAYING IN BUSINESS!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

God has been working through the Ecuador Hope House like never before in the last 10 years. We have more girls than ever, our staff is the best we have ever had and the number of girls waiting to come in is the greatest we have ever seen. But in the midst of all that is positive we find ourselves confronting one of our greatest challenges. How do we take advantage of these incredible opportunities and move forward when we lack the monthly support needed to feed, cloth, educate, and pay medical bills for these little girls that call the Hope House home? We have been praying for a few weeks and asking God, "Should we move forward or should we just freeze everything?" We had not shared this need with many, only our immediate family. But just a few days ago we received our answer in the form of a letter. It was sent from a group of young girls called "Missionettes" from northern Kentucky, you can see the letter above, but I will share the translation.

"To the hope house girls, We did a bake sale and we saved 80 dollars for you so you would stay in business God loves you."

Because of that letter we feel like we should do nothing except move forward and offer hope like never before. If it were not for those of you who help us monthly, Jessica (class of 2015) would not be in University, Ela would not be in Sensitive country as missionary (class of 2013) and Lucy would not have a full time job (class of 2014).

But we need more "Friends of the Hope House" that will help us move forward and continue to change the future of little girls in the jungle. Would you consider making a monthly commitment to help us move forward? Every $6.94 pledged monthly helps us care for one girl for one day. That means $69.40 covers one girl for 10 days, $694.00 covers a girl for 100 days and $6940.00 will cover three girls for a year. What is so amazing is to think that if only 1 out of every 24 people that receive this would pledge $69.40 a month we would have our goal. At this point we need $2400.00 a month to make up our short fall and keep moving forward. Pray about partnering with us on a monthly basis or through a one-time gift. Many of you support our family on a monthly basis, and for that we are thankful, but would you consider picking up the Hope House? Will you be a part of helping us "stay in business"?

Thank you for being part of this journey and amazing ministry! We feel so blessed to be able to work with these young girls and could not do it without you!

Blessings,
Joil and Leah Marbut

STRIKE A MATCH

Until you spend the night in a remote jungle village that is devoid of city lights, you may never understand the true power of darkness. It intimidates you with its sounds and lack of vision. It can fool you into making wrong decisions or better yet, doing nothing due to fear. It dominates everything around it, until you strike a simple match and suddenly it's mysterious power is broken.

Many of you know the story of Ela, the first girl we encountered in the jungle who desperately needed hope. She would become the first member of the Ecuador Hope House. You may know that she confessed a desire to be a missionary to a sensitive country just months after arriving on our doorstep. She labored intensely to complete her high school and then she took a large step and entered Bible School where she has completed her studies. Each one of these have been a match in the darkness. In a culture that does not appreciate girls and where they have no opportunities, she is helping to light a candle that is inspiring other little girls.

We now hope to use that candle to light a beacon, because next week her dream of more than 10 years will become a reality when she steps foot on a plane headed east to that country that has been calling her heart. She will be able to work with a wonderful team of missionaries and take another step in her miraculous life. But we need your help to make this happen. Her cost of visa, ticket and work budget far exceed the funds she has been able to raise here in Ecuador. Would you "strike a match" today and click on the link below and give? Thank you for being a part of our "daily miracles".

We extreme gratitude,

Joil and Leah Marbut

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE!

"ONCE IN OUR WORLD, A STABLE HAD SOMETHING IN IT THAT WAS BIGGER THAN OUR WHOLE WORLD." -C.S. LEWIS

We just finished watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and although we know the outcome, it never gets old. Many of us, like George Bailey can quickly find ourselves in a world that is falling apart. It can seem like the world has gone crazy. Tonight while watching the very familiar film, it made us ask, what would our world look like today if Jesus had never been born?

Imagine just for a minute how much more drab our world would seem, if we would have never heard that the "angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid".

Or how much more suffering there would be today, if that angel never would have proclaimed to the shepherds, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"?

Or just how much uglier the world would be if "a multitude of the heavenly host praising God" would have never appeared with that angel? 
And just how unbearably hopeless our world would be today if the first Christmas song "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" was never sung?

What would our corner of the earth where we work look like, if you had never been born? Well things would be more drab, they would be more suffering, it would be less beautiful and it would be filled with hopelessness. But thanks be to God that Jesus was born! And thanks be to God that you were too! And you have decided to partner with us and change eternity. It truly is a "Wonderful Life" and we are privileged to share it with you! Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

The Marbut's
Joil, Leah, Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan

THINKING OF YOU!

"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

SHAREHOLDERS IN THE HARVEST

"...The one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest..." 1 Corinthians 9

I want to ask you to take a moment and pray. Pray for a harvest of souls this week as we begin VBS in the jungle. Over the last 5 summers, we have seen over 7,000 kids attend VBS and needless to say, hundreds of salvations. We have seen these kids integrate in local churches and grow in their faith. It is amazing to see kids that just five years ago, when they were 14 and 15 years old, are now working to teach in VBS and even some studying to be pastors! This week, with the help of a group of 55 youth from Alabama AIM, we will be sharing the gospel in four different corners of our jungle town. 

We also ask for your prayers as we transition into our time in the USA starting next week. This is always a hard time as we say our "hasta pronto" (see you later) and leave our hearts behind, yet we are confident in the Lord and his timing and know that before long we will return, ready to move forward in His great work. However, we are also very excited to be able to share what the Lord has done in these five years on the field with all those who have made it possible.

Here's a little recap of our last term.

• In five years we have as a family...

• Grown by one with James Aidan! We are now a family of 6.

• Grown a total of more than 5 feet in height.

• Gained more than 100 lbs. (I am not telling who)

• Completed 12 school grades.

In five years as our shareholders in harvest we have...

• Had more than 40 girls in the new expansion of Hope House.

• Served 35,000 meals in Ecuador Hope House.

• Provided more than 5,000 hours of tutoring in Hope House.

• Planted 15 new churches in Shuar jungle villages.

• Trained 25 new native pastors.

• Baptized more than 700 new believers.

• Built over 200 linear feet of bridges in isolated communities.

• Provided clean drinking water to over 3,000 people.

• Had more than 30 Jungle Missionary Interns (JMI).

• Built a center for training missionaries to reach the unreached.

From June of 2015 until June of 2016 we will be stateside raising our new budget for our next term in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador. Although our time is limited we hope we get the chance to see you and share with you all that you have help us accomplish.

May the Blessing our our Lord be continually with you,

Joil and Leah Marbut
Drew, Will, Emelia and Aidan

GRACE AND OBEDIENCE

Ephesians 2:7 "So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus."

Well here I am looking at a backpack and a pair of boots, eating a 'before 4am' peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast but also knowing that God has not only transformed an entire village by His grace but also through our obedience.

The drive to the where the road ends will be several hours as we cross the last mountains leading to the Amazon basin. Then rather than "arriving" we will have only just begun, our canoes will take anywhere from 6 to who knows how many hours, our last trip, the motor needed to push us up the stiff current making the trip anything but pleasant. But by weeks end despite the lack of sleep, food challenges, struggles in transportation and any other inconvenience that may be dreamed up, there will be a church. A church in a village that only one year earlier had the blessing of hearing of Jesus' first coming for the very first time. A community transformed all because of His grace and our obedience.

We will then skip over to another village to install community wells and latrines. This may not seem like much until you bury 3 or 4 kids due to dysentery, then it becomes a big deal. One well for the community and one well for the school that serves about 100 kids. One bathroom for the community and one bathroom for the school. And at the end of the week another community transformed all because of His grace and our obedience.

Would you take a minute and send up prayers for this two week endeavor? We have two teams of volunteers who are lending a hand, one from Franklin, TN and another from Vincent, AL. Pray for safety, protection, wisdom, health but most of all harvest!

Leah and I appreciate your obedience in your partnership with us as we push toward the goal of reaching the unreached in the jungles of Ecuador and by God's grace we will continue to see transformation.

Blessings,
Joil