« September 2004 | Main | November 2004 »
Oct 28, 2004
October 2004 Update
PROVISION -
The Lord has truly blessed us in many ways over the last year and a half. We've seen Him bring over 35 people to salvation through Bible Studies & outreaches we have held. We’ve seen Him bring these new believers together into a new local New Testament assembly in our home. We have also seen the Lord faithfully take care of our family’s health & basic needs. God is SO good!
Nevertheless, most of you know that we receive less than $1,000 per month in financial fellowship. Admittedly, it is not easy to take care of a family AND carry out ministry efforts on that amount of money each month. But the Lord always provides just when we need it, and our family never truly lacks.
In relation to that, some of you have wondered why we do not make specific appeals for funds for our personal support. Or, why we do not return to the States to go on "deputation" in order to raise additional commitments for monthly support. The reason is simple. A thorough search of the Scriptures reveals NO New Testament precedent whatsoever for a missionary or Gospel worker to publish their personal needs or to appeal for funds for themselves.
The prime example of this is the Apostle Paul. He and those who worked with him are the Lord's example and model of how missionary work should be carried out. Paul often reminded God's people of the needs of others (Romans 15:26-27; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5). But he never once suggested that he personally had needs which money could meet.
Instead, Paul was willing supported by those who sent him and by those to whom he ministered. (Romans 15:24; 1 Corinthians 16:5-6; 2 Corinthians 11:8-9; Philippians 4:10-19) Moreover, there was no form of agreement as to any of this -- no salary, no pledge, no promise.
In addition, in Thessalonica, Paul supported himself and those with him by working in his learned trade of tent making (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9). He did this to be an example to the new believers of how they should work to support themselves and not depend on the church to support them. Indeed, the church is to support qualified widows and the truly poor among its number, not those who can work.
One hundred and seventy years ago there was a devoted servant of God named Anthony Norris Groves. He was determined to set out from England to Baghdad without any salary and simply trust God to meet his needs as they arose. Groves and his family lived for many years trusting God amid the most trying circumstances. Yet they found God utterly faithful. Groves literally lived by faith.
It was from the Scriptural example of Groves that George Müller was prompted to trust God alone for the supply of several large orphanages in Bristol, England, 17 missionary journeys, and the Scriptural Knowledge Institution which distributed more than 100 million Scriptural books, pamphlets and tracts.
It was from Müller's example that James Hudson Taylor was prompted to set forth the faith principles of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), which became the first of many "faith missions. Sadly, these principles have been so "improved" upon that there is very little of the simplicity of trusting God left in much of "modern" mission work around the world today.
So, with the example & witness of numerous faithful servants of the Lord in both modern times in the Scriptures, we are convinced that our approach to our personal financial support is purposing to do “God’s work in God’s way.”
Does this mean that we do not want the financial support of our friends and like-minded brethren? NO! We simply want it done according to God’s plan & in His will.
As always, we earnestly covet your prayers for us. If, while in prayer for us, the Lord burdens you with a desire to fellowship with us financially, then we are confident that the Lord will also lead you as to an aount to give. Those funds will then be exactly what the Lord wants us to have, not what we think we should have.
Do you see the difference? God’s way is totally by faith and glorifies Him alone. Man’s way glorifies the method instead (i.e. the better the appeal, the more people are moved by it). We trust this makes it clear as to why we don’t solicit funds for our own personal needs.
On the other hand, we DO feel it is appropriate to share with you the needs of the outreach ministries our family and the local assembly are carrying out. In that regard, here are the current projects we would ask you to pray about. Not just for possible finances, but for their completion & fruitful outcome.
PROJECTS –
- Puppet Show - This month we have been busy building props, making new puppets & finishing the audio for a new Puppet Show we will be putting on at New Tribes Mission's annual conference at the end of November. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into one of these shows. But it is worth it as each show has a strong Biblical message & can be performed many times over.
- Vacation Bible School - We are also beginning to gear up for Vacation Bible School. We are planning on holding it the week of January 10, 2005. Last year we had more than 60 kids attend, with 8 trusting Christ as their Savior. We are praying for at least that many to attend this year. The theme is African Safari, & like last year, we are developing all the lessons, handcrafts, games, activities & snacks ourselves due to the high price of pre-packaged VBS material.
- Lending Library - Another project that is in the works is the Lending Library. Good, Biblically-sound books are difficult to find in Spanish. Even here in a Spanish-speaking country. We have searched high & low on the Internet and have found several publishers of excellent Spanish-language fundamental books. In the Lord’s timing we are trusting that we will be able to purchase them all & ship them down so that this project may move forward.
As always, thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying for us. Without your fellowship with us, our work for the Lord would greatly suffer.
Yours in His Service,
PRAYER REQUESTS
OUR FAMILY:
- David - Increasing proficiency in Spanish. Wisdom in teaching the believers in the assembly meeting in our home. Guidance in planning additional outreaches.
- Sherri - Patience & wisdom in preparing various aspects of the upcoming puppet show & Vacation Bible School. Grace & wisdom in continuing to disciple the women in the assembly. (Eight ladies just finished a 25 lesson series with Sherri that lasted 6 months. 100% of those that started finished the course!)
- Cameron - Endurance, safety, grace & wisdom as he works full time and pursues his flight training. (Cameron recently soloed & will soon make his first cross-country flight by himself.)
- Autumn - Grace to finish her Senor year, take the SAT test, & prepare to move to the States to attend Bible college next year. Guidance as she helps with the puppet ministry & VBS.
- Bethany & Matthew - Perseverance in their schoolwork, ever-increasing dependence & growth in the Lord, & grace as they help in the various ministries.
MINISTRIES:
- Assembly Meetings - Faithful attendance by all the believers, and their spiritual growth to continue.
- Puppet Ministry - Grace & resources to finish preparing the puppet show we've been asked to perform at the New Tribes Mission conference here at the end of November.
- Vacation Bible School - Wisdom & creativity in preparing for VBS the week of January 10th, 2005.
- Lending Library - Last month we shared with you our burden to build a library of Biblically-sound books in Spanish to help disciple the believers here. Pray for the Lord's provision for this project.
BELIEVERS:
- Luis & Grego – This couple had lived together for several years before they both accepted Christ last year. Through the teaching of the Word, they have realized they need to be legally married & have a clean testimony. Pray that they will soon be able to earn the money necessary to take this God-honoring step (Luis doesn’t have a steady job). They have set a tentative date of late November.
- Deo - She's delaying forsaking an improper relationship with her unsaved boyfriend. As a result, we've had to ask her to stop attending the assembly meetings. She's in the middle trimester of her pregnancy (which started before her salvation) & keeps hoping that her boyfriend will eventually marry her. However, he shows no interest in committing to her in any way. This is very typical here in Paraguay. Pray that the Lord will convict this young Christian of her need to do His will in this matter.
- Ramon & Sonia - Another couple we've had to ask to stop attending the church meetings due to their failure to commit to either stop living together or to get married. Pray that the Lord will get hold of their hearts & help them see the damage this is doing to both their testimonies and the Lord's Name.
THE LOST:
There are 17 people on our prayer list for salvation. We will mention specific ones from time to time for special prayer. Here is one we’ve mentioned before who is greatly on our hearts:
- Lazaro - The atheist Cuban husband of Andrea, one of the first believers in the assembly. He has asked that Sherri & I teach them English. This is a tremendous opportunity to build a relationship & begin to share the Gospel with him. Please pray that the Lord will open Lazaro's heart to the Truth.
Posted by David Pryor in Prayer & Praise | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Oct 18, 2004
Some Thoughts on Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd
That's Relationship!I shall not want
That's Supply!He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
That's Rest!He leadeth me beside the still waters
That's Refreshment!He restoreth my soul
That' s Healing!He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
That's Guidance!For His name sake
That's Purpose!Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
That's Testing!I will fear no evil
That' s Protection!For Thou art with me
That's Faithfulness!Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me
That's Discipline!Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
That's Hope!Thou annointest my head with oil
That's Consecration!My cup runneth over
That's Abundance!Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
That's Blessing!And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
That's Security!Forever
That's Eternity!- Author Unknown
* This article may be freely reprinted provided it is used in its entirety without modification and includes the following sentence:
Article reprinted from Pryors of Paraguay [http://pryors.net/] - Gods Work in Gods Way! The Pryors are missionaries to Paraguay, South America who are purposed to pursue the Biblical plan for missions and prove that New Testament principles still work today.
Posted by David Pryor in Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Oct 14, 2004
Rainbow
There is a change in the air
An earthy smell so very rare
Breeze blows cooler on my face
Tall grass rustles with such graceI know what’s coming before I hear
The distant thunder growing near
Rumbling gently from the clouds
Its warning call it deeply houndsSmall pricks upon my skin
Tell me the drops have come again
Rain is falling slowly here
Dotting dry ground with a tearSoon it’s pouring down I see
Parched soil soaking up with glee
The raindrops dropping all around
Giving new life to the groundWilted flowers raise their heads
Grasses all moist in their beds
The rain has brought with its fall
A fresher breath to us allAnd as I peer into the sky
Clouds are now looking to be dry
There are colors bright and grand
Across the sky in sparkling band***
When I think my life is parched
Struggles before me solemnly marched
And then when I feel wilted and dry
Wanting to just simply give up and cryOut of the stillness comes the breeze
Refreshing my heart with simplest ease
Quenching the thirst with drops of love
Rest comes from my Savior aboveAs my troubles disappear
I realize that He is very near
And never again will I fear a drought
For His rain will come to let me outAnd as I peer into the sky
My hopes in Him are very high
Up across the heavens I see
A rainbow, a promise to me- by Autumn Pryor (age 17)
Posted by Autumn Pryor in Poetry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Crime Wave Rattles Paraguayans
By PEDRO SERVIN
Associated Press WriterASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) - Gunmen abduct the daughter of a former Paraguayan president in a blaze of gunfire. The body of a kidnapped 10-year-old boy is found mutilated. A well-known businesswoman is still missing, long after her family paid a ransom for her release.
Paraguayans have been gripped by a string of high-profile kidnappings that have many worried a crime wave sweeping much of Latin America may now be reaching into this landlocked country of 6 million people. The kidnappings have dominated headlines and provoked a climate of insecurity in this impoverished South American country.
"There is a sense that robberies, assaults and kidnappings are quickly becoming everyday occurrences,'' said Antonio Lopez, a 30-year-old pharmaceutical salesman.
Paraguay is battling a protracted recession brought on in part by financial troubles in neighboring Argentina. And events in Paraguay mirror similar kidnapping waves experienced by Mexico and Argentina when they suffered economic meltdowns in the mid-1990s and 2002, respectively.
Paraguay has also been wracked by sporadic upheaval and many consider corruption even more of a scourge than the poverty that afflicts over 60 percent of the population.
Paraguayans have followed in detail the story of Cecilia Cubas, the 31-year-old daughter of former President Raul Cubas. She was kidnapped Sept. 21 on the outskirts of Asuncion in a commando-style ambush.
Police and her family say the younger Cubas was grabbed from her car as she was driving near her home, her car pocked with bullets by gunmen who blocked her path.
The operation took seconds, but the shock has continued to ripple through this country. Authorities have reported no leads in the case, and her family said they had one contact with the captors but no ransom request.
Police, meanwhile, have reported no motive in the abduction of the daughter of Cubas, who served as president from August 1998 until March 1999. Cubas was forced to resign when the assassination of his vice president triggered rioting and political turmoil.
On Wednesday, Paraguayans were stunned by the discovery of the body of the 10-year-old son of a tobacco magnate. The boy was taken captive two days ago as he left the Asuncion elementary school he attended.
Local reports quoted authorities as saying they found the body of Armin Anibal Riquelme Seif disfigured and severely bruised on the outskirts of the Asuncion, the third recent high-profile kidnapping.
"We are totally unprotected, we're at the mercy of bandits,'' cried Armin's mother, Yamili Seif.
In August of 2003, gunmen abducted Gilda Vargas, an Asuncion businesswoman. Local reports say her family eventually paid a hefty ransom, but she remains missing.
The kidnappings have put the 14-month-old government of President Nicanor Duarte in motion.
Forced to act while traveling in Europe, Duarte ordered 1,000 more police out onto the streets. On Wednesday he also fired his interior minister, Orlando Fiorotto, and a top police chief while ordering his aides to draw up a new national security plan.
Security experts say the surge in kidnappings in Paraguay also reflects a larger regional trend. Latin America accounts for 75 percent of the world's abductions, according to London-based business risk consultancy Control Risks Group.
The insurance industry estimates more than 7,500 kidnappings a year in Latin America, but analysts say those statistics and governments' counts aren't reliable because so few kidnappings are reported - only 1 in 10 by some estimates.
"What's happening in Paraguay is not out of step with what's happening in the rest of Latin America. It's spiraling everywhere,'' said Frank Holder, a New York-based consultant with security firm Kroll Inc.
Holder, who previously headed the firm's Latin American division, said kidnappings can prompt others to follow suit.
"Once someone is successful a couple of times at this, you have copycats and it tends to grow'' if not fought aggressively, he cautioned.
Several government officials and at least one former president were taking no chances.
"I've got my own bodyguards and I'm avoiding standing out,'' said former President Juan Carlos Wasmosy, who served from 1993 to 1998.
[Editor's Note: Poverty & desperation breed crime. Corruption in the ranks of the National Police helps ensure that criminal action goes unpunished. Criminal activity increases as it becomes obvious that the chance for success far outweighs any potential consequences. This is the situation we are facing now in Paraguay. Please pray for President Duarte (a believer) as he works to lead Paraguay out of this crisis. He ordered his staff to create a new national security plan today in order to try to put a stop to rampant crime. Also pray that the insecurity here will cause people to turn to the Lord.]
* This article may be freely reprinted provided it is used in its entirety without modification and includes the following sentence:
Article reprinted from Pryors of Paraguay [http://pryors.net/] - Gods Work in Gods Way! The Pryors are missionaries to Paraguay, South America who are purposed to pursue the Biblical plan for missions and prove that New Testament principles still work today.
Posted by David Pryor in In The News, Paraguay | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Oct 03, 2004
Paraguay Tri-Border Area Is Terror Haven
AP Finds Tri-Border Area in Paraguay Serves As Meeting Point for Islamic Terrorist Fund Raising
The Associated PressCIUDAD DEL ESTE, Paraguay Oct. 3, 2004 — In this gritty border town known as a haven for drug smugglers, arms dealers and counterfeiters, stacks of money change hands in the open on every corner and thousands of people each day stream across Friendship Bridge into Ciudad del Este. They carry packages on their backs, in wheelbarrows or on carts, and border police stop few.
Such chaotic scenes give life to the city's reputation of lawlessness and U.S. officials' description of the tri-border area where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet as a key South American point for Islamic terrorist fund raising to the tune of $100 million a year. Yet few arrests have been made or assets frozen, and local officials told The Associated Press they are ill-prepared to fully track financial movements and they discount terror links.
"We need more resources and greater controls," said Juan Carlos Duarte, a district attorney in Ciudad del Este who recently carried out several raids on currency exchange houses. "Frequently, it's difficult for even the Paraguayan Central Bank to track these movements. To get to bottom of this we need more staff. We won't be able to solve anything without more help."
Paraguay, Latin America's second-poorest country after Bolivia, is in the throes of a financial crisis that has left basics like computers for government offices hard to come by.
The raids carried out this spring are aimed, in part, at snuffing out illegal transactions and helping investigators piece together a money trail used by drug runners and counterfeiters and other purported businesses operating in Ciudad del Este, Duarte said.
Dozens of exchange houses some little more than one-room offices crowd alleyways offering to send money as far away as Asia and the Middle East. On street corners, money changers' fanny packs bulge with U.S. dollars, euros, Brazilian reals, Paraguayan guaranis and Argentina pesos. Store owners open cash tills brimming with bills.
Coming off Friendship Bridge, which connects Ciudad del Este with sister city Foz do Iguacu in Brazil, people load and unload boxes, carts, even trash bags filled with knockoff brands of televisions, underwear, diapers, leather jackets, and watches.
Meanwhile, street vendors and middlemen shout into cell phones and walkie-talkies. Private security officers, some clutching rifles, stand alongside armored trucks. It all is testament to this region's reputation as South America's contraband and smuggling capital a place where anything from drugs to arms to pirated software reputedly can be had.
That reputation brought U.S. scrutiny in the post-Sept. 11 era. Much of the focus has fallen on the 25,000-strong Muslim community in the area built up by former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner during the 1970s as a trading hub for his iron-fisted regime.
Yet after more than three years under U.S. watch, American and some regional officials remain divided over the potential for terrorist links, and unregulated trade flourishes.
U.S. officials suspect as much as $100 million a year flows out of the region, much of it diverted to Islamic militants linked to Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Authorities in Ciudad del Este say many among the Middle Eastern immigrant community send money home, but it is difficult to determine where the funds end up. Contributions to religious groups are even harder to trace.
U.S. officials say much of the money is sent back through an assortment of difficult-to-trace means via couriers, complex wire transfers, some hand-carried.
"We are concerned about material support emanating from the area and its weaknesses: the ability to move people, goods, and money in a way that goes largely untracked," said Juan Zarate, the U.S. Treasury Department's deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes.
In June, the Bush administration ordered U.S. banks to freeze any assets found belonging to a Ciudad del Este-based businessman. The Treasury Department accused Assad Ahmad Barakat of using his electronics store as a cover for Hezbollah fund raising, saying he mortgaged his import-export business to borrow from a bank in a fraud scheme and "coerced" other Arab merchants into making Hezbollah contributions.
However, some regional officials question assertions of terrorism links and maintain that fund raising for Hezbollah is legal here since it is recognized as a political party.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Leila Rachid recently told the Argentine newspaper, La Nacion, that the fact that Hezbollah supporters send part of their salaries to the political party in Lebanon "does not mean there are terrorist cells" in the tri-border area.
Many in the Arab community have expressed outrage over increased scrutiny of the community, saying most are traders and small business owners from Syria and Lebanon.
At the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad, the main mosque in Ciudad del Este, several people gathering for Friday prayers recently complained of unfair treatment.
"They say there are terrorists here or terrorist support only because they think there must be with so many Arabs living in one place," said Hassan Ali, an electronic salesman. "But where is the proof? Not one person has been convicted of terrorism here."
Yet, U.S. and Argentine officials point to arrests, including Barakat's, that they say prove the area has been a base for several people with alleged links to Hezbollah and other groups.
Another arrest involved Mohammed Ali Hassan Mokhlis, an Egyptian who reportedly spent time in the tri-border area, according to regional intelligence officials.
A suspected planner of the 1997 Luxor massacre of 58 foreign tourists at the Temple of Hatshepsut in southern Egypt, he was extradited to Egypt from Uruguay last year after he tried to cross into Brazil using a false Malaysian passport. Four Muslim militants also were killed.
Still, Brazilian and Paraguayan law enforcement see the main problems as drug and contraband trafficking. U.S. officials, who believe the terrorist risk is real, say they are helping train Paraguayan authorities to better monitor financial transfers and bolster border controls.
Meantime, the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu across the river from Ciudad del Este is fighting to improve the tri-border image. Last year, the city launched an advertising campaign in Latin American newspapers trying a lighthearted touch to play down claims of terror links.
Hoping to attract more tourists to a region that includes the world-famous Iguazu waterfalls, the city ran full-page ads featuring a photograph of fugitive al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and the caption: "If bin Laden would ever risk a visit to Foz do Iguazu, it's only because it's worth it."
[Editor's Note: We hear many rumors about terrorist activity in the Tri-Border Region around Ciudad del Este. Whether or not they turn out to be accurate or not, one thing is certain. That city is definatly riddled with crime. The top of which is smuggling and money laundering. Never the less, it is a tremendous mission field in which may be reached not only Paraguayans, but also Lebanese & Koreans. Pray that those working in that city will have God's grace and boldness to reach these people so in need of the Gospel.]
* This article may be freely reprinted provided it is used in its entirety without modification and includes the following sentence:
Article reprinted from Pryors of Paraguay [http://pryors.net/] - Gods Work in Gods Way! The Pryors are missionaries to Paraguay, South America who are purposed to pursue the Biblical plan for missions and prove that New Testament principles still work today.
Posted by David Pryor in In The News, Paraguay | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
