February 2010

Dear Praying Brethren,

I came back to the States in November to be with my mother when she underwent heart surgery. She went through it just fine and is recovering in her home. While on furlough we happened to be in Missouri in January when the doctors diagnosed my father-in-law, John Pursselley with lymphoma. Sadly there were no treatment options for him and he was sent home. The family had the privilege of caring for this godly saint in his last days. Though we feel his absence terribly, Pa is enjoying his reward with the Lord and we know we will be with him again. Krista’s mother is recovering from stage 4 lymphoma and is spending time in Colorado with her eldest daughter. We appreciate your prayers for “Moofy.”

Krista and I are on the road for the few months of our furlough and will return to Nicaragua at the end of April. We are enjoying the visits to the churches that have been supporting our ministry. How good it is to see those who have been praying for us and sacrificing so that we can take the Gospel to the Nicaraguan people. We also are presenting our work in new churches. This is a vital thing to do as our support has had a sharp drop in recent months. We are thankful that there are some who are committing themselves to us and will soon add us to their missionary families.

In our last letter I mentioned that we are trying to raise the $38,000.00 that is left on the mortgage of our church building in Nejapa. Since I’ve been in the States we have received some help and the amount left is down to $27,500.00. Praise the Lord! Getting this paid off will be a great help as we are getting new works started.

We have been getting some great reports back from Nicaragua. For example, a couple of weeks ago, an entire family was baptized in our church in Nejapa. Also, Cory and Rachel have begun a work in Cristo el Rey, which is a squatters village north of Managua. There are thousands of the poorest of the poor living in deplorable conditions. They have no churches or schools available. The Barkers took some of the folks from our work in Nejapa to invite the people to a Bible Study. In just the second week they had 40 people come to hear the Word with 3 teenagers accepting Christ. They also are starting a literacy center for these folks and are seeing children and adults alike eagerly learning to read. What a joy it will be when they can start reading the Bible for themselves.

Julio, the 13-year-old Nicaraguan boy who lives with us, is doing well. He is staying with our daughter’s family while we are in the States. We are pleased that he is applying himself to his studies and he was able to skip the 6th grade. Furthermore he was one of a couple of 7th graders who were invited to a national math competition. He wasn’t sure he wanted to do it but when we learned that scholarships are available, we assured him that he does want to do it! Julio loves the Lord and is a joy to have in our family.

Thank you for your prayers and support while we minister the Gospel in Nicaragua,

Ken and Krista Dowell