Dear Victorious Saints:

            It is SUCH a blessing and confidence to know we ARE over-comers.  Thank you for your prayers, interest, notes and support.  Together we can do great things for the Kingdom.  What appears logically impossible is do-able for those who walk in faith and who are encouraged by the Body of Christ.

            I have been drawn over and over again to the life of Noah.  The ark was a phenomenal (impossible) achievement but it is the man´s heart that astounds me.   Noah caught the eye of God because he walked, lived and breathed faith in the Most High. 

            Noah´s name means “rest”.  Noah´s father believed in the Lord, because he asked in faith that the Lord would work through Noah to provide rest from the labors of farming.  But something happened in the ensuing 500 years to change the entire atmosphere of the planet.  The Word says all of creation was corrupted.  Satan really worked hard to bring the joy of God´s heart to destruction, but there was a promise that the devil could not undo:  “And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;  He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”   Satan thought that if he could make God disgusted enough,  mankind would be obliterated and that promise would not be fulfilled, and therefore, Satan would not be destroyed by humankind. 

            But Noah.   He lived at the same time as Enosh, Adam´s grandson, and could have heard the wondrous stories of creation, the fall, the curse on the earth and The Promise.  His father probably explained the reason for his name in relation to the curse, but Noah hung on more to The Promise;  to the belief that Creator God loved him and the creation and one day, GOD would overcome the growing evil.  That is what faith is:  believing in what we cannot see, which are the promises the Lord has given to us. 

            Noah´s faith caused him to walk in honesty when all around him were lies and deceit.  He was a just man, being careful to treat others correctly even though they would stab him in the back.  He worshiped God with all his heart and gave God his offerings all alone.  There was no fellowship, no encouragement.  His commitment to God was so devout, so uncompromising that his faith actually caused GOD (think about it) to stop in His plan and change His mind.  Is my life so focused on God and His Kingdom that my prayers will cause Him to reconsider His punishment on a nation, a people group, city or a person?   Noah´s faith not only brought him prosperity but it saved his life and opened a door for the salvation of others.

            We have seen how the Lord joyously rewards our faith in amazing ways.   Two weeks ago, our county School Supervisor called to say he was going to visit the school with other supervisors for an inspection.  He warned me that all of the school´s documents needed to be in order as well as anything else the group might want to pick through.  Since we are an “experimental” school, our norms are not theirs but I do comply in all that I can.  My prayer for the visit was that the administrators would have their minds and hearts touched by the peace of God and attitude of the children. 

Last week, they came.  I am not sure what happened to the “others” but only two men showed up at our door.   Our Supervisor is a dear man who has befriended us and really helped the school with the Ministry of Education for these nine years.  The younger man was a stranger and just said to call him by his first name – not at all the norm.   I enthusiastically showed them all they could handle in the classrooms and then the children sang, danced and prayed over them.  Before they left, the younger man shared with our Counselor, Mayra, some very personal thoughts.  He had been beaten as a child by parents and teachers and as an adult he had repeated the cycle.  His eyes got teary as God downloaded an amazing revelation to him.  These children, he said, have broken the cycle of their parents and their culture.  They will be the leaders of their generation.  Then he mentioned he would like to bring all of his teachers to our school to see this very different form of education.  Wow.  After the men had left, I asked Mayra who the younger man was.  She said he is going to replace our Supervisor who retires this June. 

Like Noah, I believe that our faith to do what God has put in our hands to do has now opened a new door and opportunity to touch the educational administration.  Praise the Lord with us.

This weekend, we will be driving the 10-hour trip to the poorest county in Ecuador which is on the coast.  With us will be 8 children from our school to share their testimonies, praise, dance and pray in the church that has accepted the responsibility of having a school.   Please pray for us.

Together for the Kingdom,

 Dave, Sharman, Erland and Kjersti Injerd

Praise:

·God´s goodness and joy make us more alive every day.

·God´s light is shining in Tambo and Guabug.

·Construction of the office is advancing.

·Dave is involved in a counseling ministry in Quito.

·Health and safety.

Requests:

·Kjersti´s visa is still in process.

·That we grow in Faith.

·Discernment to hire God´s director and teachers in the new school.

·Dave´s back to heal completely.

·Erland makes wise decisions with the construction, that he continue to move forward and bless the workers.

·The program this Saturday and Sunday (March 3-4) with the children in the province of Manabi.

·Health and safety.