Prayer letter Feb 20th

After an extended time in the States to update supporting churches on the work of the Lord and tend to my mom I am again back in Peru and ready to continue to minister to the villages that the Lord has had us concentrate on namely Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina.  This past year these precious new believers took great strides of commitment to the Lord and I am believing for even greater strides this year.  Therefore I will be traveling to these communities to continue in their discipleship from Saturday, February 23 to Tuesday, March 5.  Would you join with me in praying for the Holy Spirit to touch these lives with greater comprehension and application of the Word of God as they hear it and divine wisdom for us to know the best way to present it.  Please join with me in prayer for the following points so that we can see the Kingdom of God established in these hearts and lives:

 

1)    Safety as we travel.  Thankfully the river is very high right now due to the rainy season and so that means less trouble getting in and a quicker ride.  However, it also means that the river current will be very strong and will probably have more floating and submerged branches, logs and trees that can be very dangerous if not seen immediately.  Please pray that the boat drivers will be alert and cautious as they drive so that there are no accidents.

 

2)    Clarity of the Word of God as it is presented so that it can be understood, received and applied to daily life of everyone who hears it.

 

3)    Wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to move as He directs in order to accomplish His full will.

 

4)    Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart.

 

I want to thank you so very much in advance for your support of the ministry in this way.  I am truly honored to be able to join with you to see the Kingdom of God established in this part of the world.  What a privilege we have to be able to be a part of it!  God bless each of you mightily as you follow the Lord for His will for your lives.

 

With Loving and Deep Appreciation,

Sharon Malcolm

Prayer request for village travel

Dear Prayer Warriors,

 

I am very happy to report that the last trip to the Shishinahua River proved to be most successful.  As a medical team we saw about 480 patients while working in four different locations and had the opportunity to pray with several at each clinic.  We showed Christian films and had church services each night after the clinic allowing people to see and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Gloriously many people were ministered to both physically and spiritually as a result of this outreach and I know that many seeds of Life were planted in people´s hearts from all that was done.

 

We did however, have a few challenges that I feel is worth mentioning so that we are aware of spiritual warfare that we are engaged in.  They are as follows:

 

1)    The first village that we went to refused us entry and did not want to have us do a medical clinic in their community even though prior arrangements to do so had been made.  We graciously respected their decision, slept on the boat that night and left at dawn the next day to another village.
 

2)    The boat driver that was sent to us by the mayor did not want to finish the task of taking us to the different villages and then back to Yurimaguas (our starting point) and so left us in the last village while he himself started to head back to Yurimaguas.  Fortunately for us the other boat driver that he assured us was coming to take his place did not come and so he was forced to return in order to finish the trip (thank you Lord that he came back!).
 

3)    At the last village the night before leaving to return to Yurimaguas, two men from the community tried to steal our equipment.  The men didn´t realize that two women from the Peruvian team that were with us and with whom I´ve been traveling with for some time now, were sleeping in the building where our things were being stored.  When the women heard the noise they came out to investigate and the men to ran away.  Thankfully nothing was stolen.

 

I will be going back on the river with the Peruvian team that has been traveling with me to visit the three villages that we have been concentrating on:  Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and Yarina.  Our dates are November 20 to 29.  Please keep us in prayer during this time and for these points:

 

1. Safety as we travel on the river.
2. Wide open hearts and minds as we disciple the new believers and continue to present the Gospel to those who have not come into the Kingdom as yet.
3. Wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as we minister so that all of our meetings will be anointed and powerful to bring down strongholds.
4. Anything else that the Lord has you pray.

 

I want to thank you so very much for your ministry of prayer and please be encouraged that it is because we are joining together in this work through faith the Lord is blessing it mightily.  The Lord be with you in all that you do.

 

Reaping the Harvest Together,

Sharon Malcolm

Sharon´s prayer letter Oct 25th

Dear Prayer Warriors,

I want to thank you again so very much for standing with me in prayer for the villages of the Shishinahua River.  Because of our combined intercession many people have accepted Christ and many have chosen to learn how to walk out their new life with Christ through our discipleship classes.  I am so thrilled, as I trust you are, to be a part of what the Lord is doing in these precious lives.

I am excited to tell you that we are planning another trip to minister to these villages beginning October 30 to November 7 but this time it will be with a team from Calvary Chapel in Aurora, Colorado.  We will be holding free medical clinics in four locations along the Shishinahua River to make sure that every village will have the opportunity to receive the medical attention they need for their situation.

This will be a wonderful way to not only meet some very real physical needs but more importantly, some very real spiritual needs as well.  I have not worked with several of these villages for a number of years and so this will provide a great opportunity to reconnect with them.  I am praying that the Lord will open their hearts to receive the ministry of the Word so that they will experience a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ as we have.  Will you join me in praying for this outreach for the following points?

1. Gloriously we have started the rainy season and so the rivers are high enough for us to travel without any delays.  However, this also means that the river current is much stronger and there is more debris in the water such as branches, logs, and submerged tree stumps making it difficult to navigate the large boat we will traveling in.  Therefore prayer for safe travel is extremely important.  Please stand in prayer with us for this need as we travel during the dates of October 30 to November 7.

2. That every person will be open to the Gospel and prayer as it´s provided during the medical clinic and in the evening services so that the Lord can do a mighty work in each heart.

3. That the medical clinics will run smoothly and efficiently so that everyone who needs help will receive it well.

4. So the villages that I will be reconnecting with will be open and receptive to me and to the ministry that we are bringing them.

5. Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart to pray for.

I want to thank you in advance for your willingness to pray for this outreach to see the Lord move in behalf of these who have yet to come into the Kingdom.  God bless each of you in all that you do in glorious and unexpected ways.

Your Co-laborer in the Faith,

Sharon Malcolm

Prayer letter Jul 26th

Dear Prayer Warriors,

            I want to thank you so very much for praying for us on this last trip to the Shishinahua River to visit Yarina, Santa Rosa and Santa Clara.  The trip proved to be a glorious answer to prayer with nine more people accepting Christ in the village of Yarina (although some have prayed for the second time), strong attendance to the discipleship classes and church meetings and the completion of seven of the nine water filters for the families of Yarina.  In the village of Santa Clara two more people accepted Christ with a desire to be water baptized and in Santa Rosa a strong attendance to our afternoon meeting to hear the Word of God.  The Lord is truly moving mightily among these villages to bring the light of His truth to these families.

            Another village named Paraiso (Paradise) that I had been working in for quite a while and then had to suspend visits due to lack of interest has just recently met with me again to strongly ask me to re-visit them to teach them the Word of God.  We will gladly plan to do that when there is sufficient water in the river to travel.  I tell you all of this to encourage you to keep standing with me in faith for the establishment of the Kingdom of God in these communities.  It is so vital, especially now that people are responding so strongly, that we stay firm in our intercession to see to the end what the Lord has started in these lives.  I am so very grateful for your prayer support in these endeavors to reach the lost and train up new believers.  I pray that you are encouraged as you read what the Lord is doing through our combined intercession in all of these communities.

            In the month of August I will be in the States helping to care for my mom who had a stroke this past November.  We, as a family, are taking turns coming in from wherever we live to help with this great need and so I will be spending this time in the States to do so.  Meanwhile would you stand with me in prayer for the following prayer needs?

1)    That every person that has accepted the Lord in all three villages will continue to grow in their relationship with God.

2)    That strong, committed leaders will be raised up in these communities that can take the charge of helping their people grow in their faith and understanding of the Word of God.

3)    Wisdom and direction as I care for my mom in dealing with doctors, nurses and nurses aids.

4)    Safety as I travel to and from the States.

Thank you so very much for all that you have done to advance the work of the Lord and I pray His blessing on you in every area of your lives.

Yours in Christ,

Sharon Malcolm

Prayer letter for Sharon May 24th

Dear Fellow Prayer Warriors,

I am thrilled to update you on the last river trip and to let you know that as a result of our combined intercession the Lord has brought six people into the Kingdom!  They are from the small, 10-family village of Yarina who were Seventh Day Adventists but now are "Seven Day/24 hour Kingdom dwellers"!  This is a village that is about a 25-minute walk from Santa Rosa.  Over a year ago they asked me to come and preach the Word of God which I gladly did and then continued with follow-up visits afterward until there was no longer any response from those that had originally asked.  Now, this year they´ve asked again but this time six people came to know the Lord and so, needless to say, we will be going back to them again to do discipleship classes and pray with them to help them grow in their faith.

On this trip, which will be from Friday, May 25 to Sunday, June 3 we will be ministering in Santa Clara, Santa Rosa and now, briefly in Yarina.  We will be doing a water filter project in Yarina in June with a team from the States which will give us the opportunity to spend more time with the people and minister the Word of God to them each night but this visit will be shorter.  Would you stand with me in prayer for the following prayer requests?

1)    Safety on the river every time we have to travel.

2)    Enough rain (but only at night) to fill the river so we can travel and not have to push the boat.

3)    Every heart be open to all that the Lord wants to do in each person.

4)    Passion for the things of God so that the villagers will pursue God with all their hearts.

5)    Clear understanding of how to study the Bible as per our instruction and a desire to try it on their own.

6)    Anything else that the Lord puts on your hearts to pray.

We are making huge inroads into what was once enemy territory and it is because of faithful, consistent and combined prayer.  I want to encourage you to not stop interceding for this work.  People are literally being snatched out of hell´s fire and are coming into the Kingdom to experience all that the Lord has for them and they want it!  Let´s keep moving forward to establish the Kingdom of God in every place that will receive it.  Thank you so much for joining with me in this endeavor and rejoicing in seeing the fruit of what the Lord is doing.  God bless you mightily.

Together in Bringing in the Harvest,

Sharon Malcolm

Prayer and NewsLetter

I am excited to write and share with you about how the Lord moved on the last river trip in the village of Santa Clara. He truly answered prayer and confirmed His love for them again by bringing several people from the village into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Rejoice with me as you read and please keep us in prayer as we travel again to visit the two communities of Santa Clara and Santa Rosa. God bless you and be with you mightily in all that you do.

“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” John 4:35

Pastor Algusto sharing the Word of God to the people of Santa Clara

This scripture couldn’t be more true for the people in the village of Santa Clara as the Lord gloriously brought ten more of His loved ones into the Kingdom! This last trip to visit the two villages of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara proved to be an incredibly fruitful one, especially for this village.

Santa Clara is a small village of 11 families, several of which are the village leader’s children and their families. The women in this village speak more Spanish than others and so they have had the advantage of hearing the Gospel presented in both Spanish and more recently in Shawi, several times over the past four years. Since November, however, they have been able to hear the Gospel in their own language on various occasions through the Shawi pastors who have been traveling with me since then. Although the Word has continued to go forth through the pastors’ preaching, Christian films and an audio dramatized version of the Bible the hearts of these villagers were not moved enough to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ…that is until Monday, March 14.

On this night we showed a Christian film as we had done in the past, followed by a brief preaching by Pastor Algusto, whom they have heard before. When it was time to close the meeting Pastor Algusto asked me if I had anything that I would like to share and so feeling prompted by the Holy Spirit I asked if anyone would like to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Although we had done this before as well this time something of what they heard in the preaching clicked and before I could finish the invitation several hands went up! I thought for sure they couldn’t have understood my Spanish so I repeated it again but this time with more detail and again before I could finish hands went up wanting to know Jesus!

Finally convinced that this was real we invited those who raised their hands to come forward so that we could pray with them individually and to my amazement it wasn’t the men who responded at all. It was the women and the children! I knew I had seen a miracle in Santa Rosa when the first person to respond to a salvation message was a woman but this was just as incredible. A total of ten people, consisting of women and children finally came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the village of Santa Clara! God is truly at work in these villages and the time is now for the harvest to be brought in.

Villagers of Santa Clara joyfully feasting on a wild boar with boiled plantains

The next day the village leader (upper left hand corner in white tee shirt) and his son-in-law (blue tee shirt squating next to him) came back from hunting in the jungle all day with a wild boar and some other animals they had killed and invited us along with the rest of the village to feast on the kill. It was a special and joyful time since this much meat meant that everyone could have at least one healthy meal for the week (or weeks to come).

The impact of the Word of God was so great on these people that as we were preparing

to leave several people strongly asked the pastors if they would please stay in the village to teach them the Word of God. Even some of the teenage girls asked Pastor Jonas’ daughter to live with them so that she could teach them about God! The hunger is so great in these communities and their hearts are so open to receive all that the Lord has for them. Our goal is to provide them with discipleship training and material that can be left for them to continue studying when the river is too dry for us to get in. As the Lord leads you please keep the villages of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara in your prayers so that leaders can be raised up from within the communities that can pastor their people.

With that in mind we are planning another trip to these same two villages on Tuesday, March 19 until Monday, March 26. My prayer is that since so many families have been impacted with the Truth of God that this Easter will have a deeper meaning to them. Please join with me in praying for these new believers and for this trip according to the following points:

• Safety as we travel on the river.
• Wisdom to know how to minister according to the needs of the people as the Lord directs.
• The hearts and minds of the people will continue to be open and hungry for more of God.
• No opposition from the enemy in any form that would hinder God’s Word from going forth.
• Anything else that the Lord lays on your heart to pray.

I want to thank you so very much for being such a vital part of this work. My prayer is that as you join with me in sharing Christ’s joy over our new Shawi brothers and sisters that you will be filled with His presence as you partake of the reward of His suffering.

Blessings Abundantly

Your co-laborer in the Harvest,

Sharon Malcolm

Villages

Below I have written a brief description of the villages that we will be ministering to so that you can pray with more understanding.

Paraiso, or Paradise in English, is a Mestizo village (more Spanish decent than Indian) of about 20 families. About 2 1/2 years ago they asked me to help start a church in their community and I responded to their request over Easter weekend last year. I have been back since then and am now making another follow-up visit. Several people have already accepted the Lord here. Spiritually people are open although there are several people that are indifferent to the gospel or hard to it. Santa Clara is a Shawi Indian village of about 11 families. Most of the adults do not read well or read at all and so leaving material to do Bible studies on their own becomes a challenge. They are open to the gospel and several have already accepted the Lord. Recently some Mestizos workers from the outside have moved in temporarily to harvest wood. Unfortunately, they drink which encourages the village to drink and the more they drink the less responsive they are to the gospel. Santa Rosa is a Shawi Indian village of about 14 families. Most of the adults do not read well or read at all and many of the older women do not speak Spanish. Although the people seemed to be open to the gospel and a few have accepted Jesus as Lord spiritually this village is dark. There are spiritual forces here that are fueled by drunkenness and by their own Shawi belief practices. Prayer Focus: Safe travel to and from the villages. Powerful, anointed ministry resulting in salvations and transformed lives. Unity among the groups that will be traveling. Break the spiritual bondages in the villages of worship of other gods, drunkenness and resistance to the gospel in any way. Anything else that the Lord shows you. I want to thank you again for your prayer commitment to see these villages come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I feel so much has happened in the spirit already as a result of our joining together that nothing will be impossible for us who believe! God bless each of you and know that I am praying for you daily. Together for the Kingdom, Sharon Malcolm