Greetings to you in the Name of the Savior.  We are just coming out of an email blackout, of sorts, where our server has been down for over a week...it is sure nice to be in touch once again.  We talk to the oldtimers here on the field who tell us stories of the old days, before email, where mail usually took months to get here.  It helps to remind us how truly blessed we are.  All of last week was very cold here...we even had a several day stretch of killing frost.  Compared to Canada that's peanuts, but it sure seems cold I guess when your not used to it.  Anyway, then this weekend our temperature soared to 100 degrees...which was somewhat of a shock. 

Tomorrow I (Bill) am leaving on a short trip, with three other Guarani believers,for 4 days to visit the very remote village of Tentayapi (the name means "the last house" and is fitting as it is truly at the end of the path). We have an invitation to go there, which we would like to follow up on...up to recently this village was very closed to outsiders and consequently is a village without any school, church, health facilities, etc...  We are going with the intention to begin developing relationships with them and hopefully teach some of the foundational Bible lessons that have been developed in Simba/Guarani.  This is a village where little if any Spanish is spoken and no one can read or write, but there are possibly a couple believers there who we very much want to follow up and try to get a better idea just where they are at.  I am very much looking forward to it as it should be excellent language exposure as well as a good opportunity to understand more of the more traditional cultural beliefs.  But more than that, the opportunity of reaching one of the darkest Simba villages this side of the Pilcomayo river with the word of God.  We very much covet your prayers...for a positive reception, interest in teaching, and good health.  Tonight another rather cold front has blown in, so we may very well find ourselves a little on the shivery side  :)

Here in Taperillas we have been just plugging away at the language...the Lord seems to have opened a door with a family of unbelievers just down the river from us.  The family patriarch is an older man, probably in his 60's who is one of three or four local witchdoctors (but according to most of the locals, "not one of the 'bad' ones").  Anyway, he really enjoys telling stories of his life and has expressed the desire that I come and tape his stories.  Mostly they are all hunting stories, but every now and again he lets out a real cultural nugget of something I was unaware of.  Please pray for him...his name is Juanito.  I would so love to see even a spark of interest in him to learn about his Maker.

We will be here in Taperillas until the 29th of this month when we will be heading to Tambo for a few days...the boys will be taking part in the school's three days of track and field fun and competition.  While there we are also hoping to get some minor repairs on our truck (looks like a bad transfer case).  After we get back from that, we should be able to stay in the tribe until sometime into the new year.  Before we leave, though, we are scheduled for several days of meetings (beginning Sept. 24th) with our field leadership, where we will be better defining our overall Simba team strategy and goals and how each of us fits into reaching those goals.  We really want to know the heart of the Lord in how He wants this tribe to be reached.

Well that is most of the news from this side of the vineyard.  We hope you are all well and at rest in the grace of God.

Love in Christ,
Bill and Kathleen Mann