“By all this we were encouraged. In addition to our encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.”
~ 2 Corinthians 7:13
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to get good news? Your grandmaa and grandpaa like to get good news. Your grandpaa thinks that most guys, gals and kids like to get good news. If you have not heard how a kid is who you know who has been sick, what would you do? If you have not heard from a kid who you know who is traveling with his folks as to whether or not he or she has arrived safely where he or she is going, what would you do? Would you worry? Would you try to find out if the kid who you know who has been sick has gotten better? Would you try to find out if the kid who you know who has been traveling with his or her folks has arrived at where he or she was going? Your grandmaa and grandpaa helped to start a training center or un centro de capacitación in Concepción, Bolivia the last year of their first four year term in Bolivia. The first time that your grandmaa and grandpaa traveled to Concepción in a pickup, it took your grandmaa and grandpaa over eight hours to make the trip. If your grandmaa and grandpaa had flown in a small plane to Concepción, it would have taken about an hour for the Cessna to make the flight. Your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in a couple of rooms that are in the back of the evangelical church that is in Concepción. Your dad went to a New Tribes boarding school – called Tambo, the last three years that he was in Bolivia. Your Aunt Lynn went to Tambo the last year of the first term that your grandmaa and grandpaa were in Bolivia. When Tambo had their week long spring break, your dad and your Aunt Lynn flew in the Cessna to Concepción to spend the week with your grandmaa and grandpaa. When it was time for your dad and your Aunt Lynn to head back to Tambo, the Cessna flew from Santa Cruz to pick up your dad and your Aunt Lynn in Concepción and to fly them to Santa Cruz. It had been raining a lot. It was very cloudy. The el centro de capacitación teacher who had just finishing teaching a two week class module really wanted to get back to Santa Cruz. This teacher was nearly blind. The guy talked the pilot of the small plane into leaving for Santa Cruz even though it was still very cloudy and rainy. As the Cessna was taking off, the small plane flew right into a rain shower. The Cessna disappeared for a few seconds and then your grandmaa and grandpaa saw it again. Saying good-bye to your dad and your Aunt Lynn was always difficult for your grandmaa and grandpaa to do. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were really worried this time about your dad and your Aunt Lynn as to whether or not they would make it to Santa Cruz. Your grandpaa after an hour or so went to check with the guy at the Concepción airstrip to find out if he had heard if the Cessna had arrived in Santa Cruz. When the guy told your grandpaa that he had not heard anything, your grandpaa went to a guy who your grandpaa knew had a gas generator and a two way radio. Even though the guy who had the gas generator and the two way radio had already finished making all his calls, the guy immediately when your grandpaa asked him for help started up his gas generator and called the mission base that South America Mission has in Santa Cruz to find out if your dad and your Aunt Lynn had arrived safely in Santa Cruz. The guy could tell how really worried your grandpaa was. The guy really wanted to help your grandpaa. It sure was a relief to hear the good news that the Cessna carrying your dad and your Aunt Lynn had arrived safely in Santa Cruz.
Your grandmaa and grandpaa just helped with a five day retreat. The retreat was for the guys who graduated from a Bible education programs called P.E.B. that your grandmaa and grandpaa helped to start here in Guatemala. This five day retreat was also for the wives and the kids of the guys who graduated from the Xalbal P.E.B. and from the Nueva Esperanza P.E.B. programs. Proselito is Nueva Esperanza P.E.B. graduate. Proselito and Guadelupe have three kids. When Proselito and Guadelupe arrived at the retreat, they had only two boys with them. Your grandpaa thought that maybe he was mistaken thinking that Proselito and Guadelupe had three kids. When your grandpaa asked Proselito and Guadelupe about their kids, Proselito and Guadelupe told your grandpaa that their oldest kid was living with an aunt. Their aunt lives in a town called Chimaltenango. Chimaltenago is a long ways away from where Proselito and Guadelupe live with their two other kids. Their aunt was living all alone. Proselito and Guadelupe’s oldest kid is just eight years old. Proselito and Guadelupe’s oldest kid is able to go to school while he is living with his aunt in Chimaltenango. In a good number of countries in order to go to school, a kid has to leave his or her ma and dad to go to a town where he or she has a relative – to live with that relative, and where there is a school.
Paul writes about a time when he was hoping for good news. Paul had written a letter to a church. It had been a difficult letter for Paul to write. Paul had felt that he needed to tell the Corinth Church that they needed to stop a guy from doing something which would be a sinful thing for anyone to be doing. Paul had Titus go to Corinth with the letter. Paul – in 2 Corinthians 7, tells his readers how he had been feeling while he had waited for Titus to get back from Corinth. Paul had been anxiously waiting to hear how the Corinth Church Christ-followers had accepted his letter. Paul had wanted to help the Corinth Church Christ-followers. Paul has been worried that his first letter would upset them. This letter is a follow up letter to the Corinth Church Christ-followers. Paul – in verse 13, is telling the Corinth Church Christ-followers how he feels. “By all this we were encouraged. In addition to our encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” Is there good news that you are hoping to get today? Do you have good news that you can pass on to your kid friends?
2 Corinthians 7 (48)