Dear Praying Partners,

I told Darryl yesterday, before our area prayer meeting, to please not let me go to bed without sending out an update. Obviously he did! I told myself this morning that I would not let this day get by without sending out an update. It is 11:00 P.M., so I still have an hour left. However, if I ramble, or don't make any sense in this update, I am going to blame it on the hour.

We were looking at our calendar this weekend and noticed that from now until August we only have a couple of weeks where we aren't working with any teams or keeping guests at the guest house. Needless to say, we are entering a very busy time of the year! We have guests in the house until February 26th, and then we have three mission teams that we are coordinating right in a row. As time gets closer, we will send out more specific prayer requests, but for now we just ask that we would see the Lord's guidance as we put the finishing touches on the three teams that are coming. Pray also for good time management in the next two weeks as we get things finalized for these three teams.

We just got our downstairs bathroom remodeled, and now we are in the process of repainting it and trying to get it ready by Wednesday when we have the next wave of guests coming. Please pray that all will go smoothly and that we will get everything done in time to facilitate our guests.

We had a serious incident happen in the prison several weeks ago that involved three of the girls that attend our Bible study and are also a part of the card making ministry. The incident involved a dispute between two girls who are in a lesbian relationship. One of the girls is married and there was an altercation between her husband and the girl that she is involved with in prison. The altercation resulted in the husband getting stabbed by a friend of the two girls during a time when the prisoner was open to visitors. The saddest part is that there has been no remorse shown by any of the three girls, so we felt that we had to suspend them from making cards for a period of time until they had undergone some discipleship. They were not willing to do that, and as of last week none of them are even attending the Bible study anymore. My heart was broken over the situation because I have come to have a very good relationship with all three of the girls involved. This is a tough ministry. and I sometimes wonder what we are doing there. I have to believe that seeds are being planted in El Inca each week, and we just have to trust God to take care of the rest. Please pray for Juana, Nelcy, Andrea and Maryorie. The first three were the ones involved. Maryorie is a good friend of theirs who is just mad and has quit attending Bible study to support her friends. Pray that through this situation, these four girls will see the unconditional love of Christ and be drawn back to him. Pray also for our ministry team. We are meeting tomorrow from 9 until 4 here at the guest house to discuss this issue, pray and plan for the upcoming months.

Courtney has entered basketball season. She is a co-captain of the team, and we have been very proud of her leadership on the court. She is playing with a very inexperienced group of girls, so please pray that she will not only be a good example for them, but that she will be filled with patience as she helps the members of her team get better. Alliance Academy is hosting the American schools tournament this week on Thursday and Friday. We will be keeping five players from Guayaquil during the tournament. Alliance is the only Christian school out of the five American schools, so pray that the kids from Alliance will reflect Christ well during the tournament.

It has been a while since we have heard from Josh. One of the hardest things about being a missionary is being so far away from your college-age kids. Please continue to pray for Josh and his walk with the Lord. I know he is struggling with that area of his life. Pray also that we will be able to find a way to get in touch with him to make sure he is alright.

This Saturday Cindy Tankersly, my mom and I are hosting a special day for the women of five churches. Most of the women attending will be Indian women who come from very poor situations. The theme is "Extravagant Love". We will have some praise and worship, a short message, some prayer time and an arts and crafts activity. I got "voted" on to give the message, which as you know, is a big stresser for me. How I keep getting picked to speak in public is totally beyond me! Please keep us in your prayers this Saturday. Pray for our travel safety as well as our time with the women. Please pray that they will understand and experience God's extravagant love for them and that they will leave feeling encouraged and motivated to go out and show that love to others.

Well, it is now almost midnight, and I have an exercise date with my mom tomorrow at 6:45 A.M. Yuck! (to the time, not the activity) I will close for now, but not without wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day on Saturday. Our prayer for each of you is that you, too, will experience God's extravagant love, and that you will pass it on to others!

Serving the King,
Kelly, for the Chambers