Well…there nothing like a little self-pity to generate some e-mail traffic. =) Thanks to all of you who wrote and said nice things and told me you were praying for me. I actually had a moment last night when it felt like I could physically sense that people were praying. It was encouraging for sure! I had a Bible study with a group of the guys (which was okay) but then afterwards one of the guys stayed, and asked me a bunch of questions about what he was reading in the Bible. He’s an astute kid and he’s reading through the Old Testament. So I was scrambling a bit to come up with answers to his questions and preserve my “Youth Pastors Know All” status (Yea, yea I know…that ship sailed a long time ago, but still…I try). It was fun though. We had a good conversation about what’s happening spiritually in his life and how important it is to make that heart connection with God and not just a surface “change my actions and make everyone happy” decision. We prayed together and it was a good moment. The pastor at the home actually mentioned him later too in a conversation, and said that he’d noticed a growing passion in this young guy and that he’s been a real help to him (the pastor). I’ll write more another day about this guy (his name is Ernesto) but for now, please pray for him.

I also found out a bit more about Jose Miguel (the fellow who left). The pastor was telling me that everything seemed fine and that there was no indication that he had plans to leave. He thinks something may have happened with one of the other guys and in a moment of frustration, Jose Miguel gave into the temptation and left. It’s sad really. The problem is, when he left, he stole some things from some of the other guys (which is fairly common here…the guy leaving needs money). Unfortunately, that makes it very difficult for the guy who left to come back. Not only do they have to face whatever consequence or punishment there might be from the staff, he has to face the boys he stole from. So…that makes it a bit unlikely that Jose Miguel will be back any time soon. But please pray for him. I keep thinking that God’s not finished with him yet and despite everything, he may still decide to return to the home.

And…I still have to deal with the situation with the guys in my house and the fellows who decided it was a good idea to put up posters of naked women on their wall. =) Yep…it’s bound to be an interesting evening. Feel free to pray about that as well.

But some good news. I may have found a house for the new home. It’s a bit more than I had planned to pay, but the flip side is that it’s worth a lot more than what they’re asking. I’m not sure if I’ve explained this before, but my plan is to get a house with something we call “Anticredico” here. Basically you pay a portion of the value of the house and then have use of the property for a year or two (depending on your contract with the owner). When the contract is fulfilled and the time is up, you get all your initial money back. So you have use of the house while the owner has use of your money. It’s a very common legal practice here. So far I’ve been looking for houses in the $10,000 to $15,000 range, but unfortunately they’ve all been too small or in bad neighborhoods. This house is actually $20,000 but should probably be closer to $30,000 or $35,000. It’s a bit farther out from the centre of town which is why it’s a bit cheaper I think. But wow…is it nice! Just what we’re looking for. There are other people interested as well, however. So please pray that the owner finds favour with the gringo!! And also that the extra money we need will come in.

On that note, as well…thanks so much to those of you who have committed to sponsoring one of the guys this year. We’re about at the halfway mark with having funds for all the guys for this first year. I’m going to put together a letter with pictures and a bit of a testimony of each of the guys, so you’ll better know who they are…but if you feel that God is leading you to sponsor one of the guys, it’d be great to hear from you. =) We need to start paying for classes in February and classes start the beginning of March, so time is becoming a bit of a factor. Please pray for these guys as well. I can sense that there’s definitely a spiritual battle happening in some of their lives right now. I’m sure it’s related to this new step they’ll be taking, and it’d be good for them to know that people are praying for them.

I’m having lunch tomorrow with the fellow I mentioned yesterday, Julio. Please pray that it goes well and that I have wisdom in what I say. I’m not really sure what the answers are for him right now, so I need some direction. But I’m looking forward to reconnecting more with him. He’s a great kid.

I’m in an internet café right now and there’s another gringo having a LOUD conversation with someone over the internet. It’s kind of entertaining. Not sure he realizes that he’s including everyone in the building…

Lots of prayer requests here. Thanks for praying! It’s definitely needed. Corina’s letter is below…  Next time I’ll tell you about my latest “nearly getting killed on a bus” story. It’s kind of funny….

Miss you all. Don’t miss the -50 C.

Luego,

Ken