February Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy February! I feel like January flew by. It’s hard to believe we’re already over a month into 2021. I hope that so far it’s been a good year for each of you, and that the month of January was one of blessing and growth in our sweet Lord.

As I wrote in my last update, we have our cafe! Taza de Gozo really has been a source of joy for us over this last month. A couple weekends were fairly slow, but we also had a couple weekends that were plenty busy and full of movement and life and laughter. My favorite kinds of nights are those ones— the ones with so much laughter it’s hard to hear anything else. For the most part, we’ve had good enough business, praise Jesus, that the hope of having something more professional (currently it’s just a little outdoor space, completely unprotected from any kind of weather and requiring us to set up and pack up every time we open) and having the space to really reach the whole village through events and nights of worship and Bible studies and games and all kinds of things, really seems realistic and pleasing to the Lord. We also hope for the business to grow enough to be able to hire people and provide jobs for at least some of the locals. At this point, it’s pretty much just paying for itself… but Lord willing it will be a way for us to increase ministry and do community dinners and buy materials for studies in the future. All in God’s timing and for His glory!

Aside from being busy with the cafe, we’ve been trying to really work on developing better our rhythm of life and being intentional in our day to day, each day having it’s focus between church, youth group (which Mario with our friend, Eduardo, just recently took on and kicked off the new year with), Bible study (we’ll be starting Acts this next week and will dive into what it looks like to live out being the Church— so excited!), and meeting with the individuals we’re each doing discipleship with. We also just started a Bible college course with some of our community. It’s called INSTE and is completely relationship-focused, accessible for anyone who is willing to put in the work, and totally reflects the values that we want to have solidified in our ministry. It’s a daily study, and we’ll have a meeting every week with the people we’re studying with. When the door to YWAM closed due to Covid and all those complications, I had peace knowing that God is in complete control, but was definitely disappointed over not getting to be in that atmosphere of studying and learning and growing, so when God opened the door to INSTE and we looked into it, it was such an encouragement and we couldn’t wait to get started! Please be praying for us with that, with our group we’ll study with, and for each of our daily activities and business, that it may all be glorifying to Jesus and be a way that God establishes His Kingdom here on earth.

As always, we thank you each so much for the way you support us, both financial and in prayer. I really don’t have the words to describe the gratitude that I feel. Thank you.

My last prayer request in this update is Mario’s sister, Bibian. As I’ve mentioned before, she’s sick and we’ve been in a long process of trying to get her better. It’s now been a year since the very beginning of her health going downhill and honestly I haven’t seen any improvement over the last many months. We’re all discouraged and disappointed and wishing to see her strong and healthy and full of life and joy. Please be praying for her in all those areas, and even more so for healing in her heart. Please be praying for the family as well as I’d honestly say it’s been as hard on a lot of them as it has been for her. Thank you for your prayers.

May the Lord bless you and guide you and fill you with His Spirit. Blessings to each of you!

Katie and Mario