Day 5 - Worship with the Awa

Dear friends and family,

One of the biggest treats for this year's team was to worship with the Awa people at their new church building.  It was built about two years ago, and is located adjacent to the homes of the missionaries with whom we work - Kevin and Kathy Bruce, and Andy and Krissy Shaub.  These two families live on a ridge, high above the community of middle Rio Verde where the team holds its clinics for the past several years.  It used to be that the only way to get to the ridge top was by walking (See Trail of Mud), but now there is a road of packed dirt and rock that can be traveled by truck.

And so it was that our team of twenty (ten Kentuckians and ten Galilea church members from Otavalo) joined the missionaries and about sixty Awa in worship on Sunday morning.  Kevin played guitar, and Andy played flute, while Kathy led the singing.  We had song books with both the Spanish as well as the Awa words to the songs.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was strong as people of three languages lifted up praises to our Father.  I especially enjoyed the song "Family of God". The views from the ridge were majestic.

Interestingly, the verse of the week was Colossians 1:17, which we at TCAT have been studying as well.  Some of the teaching was given by Awa leaders, and the sermon was given by Kevin, taken from the book of Hebrews.

After church, all of us enjoyed a meal in the missionaries home. It was great. Afterwards, the team provided dental, medical and optometric care for all the church down at the Rio Verde clinic.

Blessed to be a part of the family of God,
Drs. Tim and Kim