December 24, Dear Praying Friends and Partners in this work,

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1 December 24, Dear Praying Friends and Partners in this work, We are back...where to start? Well, I could tell you about the rain, but I mean, how much can you say about rain. I guess I could mention the rain pellets so large and so hard that it felt like I was being sand blasted with buck shot, but what would be the use? I could then tell you about the lighting and thunder blasting us in the darkness, causing our poor eyes to almost shut down from it's brilliance, but again, what would be the use? The waves with whitecaps almost swamping our boat, but I would probably bore you. Anyway, we sit huddled in our boat shivering and shaking in the high humidity of the rainforest roaring up the river in the dark and then, it really started to storm! We finally made it to the village of Bodomawä. We were disappointed in the response to our message and very disappointed in the seemly lack of interest in the Jesus Movie. Normally it is watched with hardly an eye blinking. Then, in the Passion part, you can hear people crying as they watch the horrible beating of Jesus. But in this village, the people started laughing. It was strange. The next morning, we again held meetings and only a few people showed up for it. Right in the middle of Timoteo's preaching a guy got up, took down his dope stick and had a boy blow dope up his nose not 10 feet from where Timo was preaching. Very strange response like I said. We were disappointed. On our way back down river the guys with me shared their disappointment. I reminded them that we were only sowers. We sowed the Word. It is God who gives the increase. But it is hard not to feel badly people have such a blindness to things of the Lord and where they are going to spend eternity. So true the words found in 2Corinthians 4:3-4, But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. We got home late yesterday evening.. We left Bodomawä at noon, traveled all night and got home yesterday evening. With the full moon, we traveled all night. The Lord blessed us with two tapirs on the way home, thereby providing meat for our families. It is good to be home.

2 Thank you for your partnership with us in this ministry. Michael, Keila and Mia Our mailing address is: MPAS PO Box 466 Lurray, VA 22835

3 December 18,2018 Merry Christmas! Dear Praying Friends, During this Christmas season I am so thankful for all God has done for us. In spite of a country imploding and spiraling downward at an alarming rate, we continue to see HIM building HIS church here. We are thankful for the small part God has given us in this small corner of the world and we are so thankful to have such great friends, family and the list of blessings could go on and on. Thanks to each of you who have made this a great year! Merry Christmas all! I know, during the Christmas season, one's letters should be upbeat and reflect the joy that we have in the fact that our Savior has come and Joy to the World and while I am not trying to take away from this joyous time our hearts are burdened here for the many who have yet to hear of this Savior and also, the many here in Yanomamö land who have had tragedy strike them this season. There have been so many deaths here due to malaria and TB that

4 it is hard to recover from the last one when we are facing another one. When death hits the family of our friends here it hits us as well. I just walked up from Arturo's house where they burned the body of his little 8 year old daughter. This has been a hard couple of weeks for this family. First, his little sister died and then, last Saturday a cousin died leaving 3 small children. Pray for Nando, Casique and Arturo and their families. They are really hurting. In late November, we made an outreach trip to the village of Shijobuwei. We showed the Jesus / Passion Movie and had three days of meetings encouraging the church there. I so enjoy these outreach trips especially where we have a small church established. The people are always so appreciative and we always leave them more encouraged than we arrived. We are planning on heading up the Ocamo and Juluta Rivers. We should have left two weeks ago, but I had purchased a generator from a man in Puerto Ayacucho who told me with his contacts, he could have it flown to La Esmeralda. For the last two weeks, it has supposed to be flown up "mañana," but sad to say, tomorrow has not come yet, so we are still waiting for it. I don't dare not be there when it arrives, as they will just leave it on the tarmac and who knows who would pick it up, so we have to keep waiting. This country is in deep trouble and every day is interesting to say the least. With inflation up in the hundreds of thousands percent for the year, we struggle just to stay on top of things. It has gotten so now, no one wants to be paid in bolivares, but in $, which has made this one of the most expensive countries in the world, at least up in our neck of the woods. Since we have to purchase everything we need to function as a mission base up here on the parallel market, it has gotten so we find ourselves worrying about what the next month is going to bring. Just our fuel cost alone is scary. We see on the news that France is

5 burning because, due to added taxes to combat global warming, their fuel got up to $7 a gallon. I would love to see fuel at $7 a gallon. The highest we have had to pay has been a bit over $17 a gallon and we average 9.50 a gallon, but let me hasten to affirm that God continues to faithfully provide for our every need. I started this letter yesterday, and today, we decided we were not going to wait for the generator as we are pretty sure there is not going to be any flights to Esmeralda until after Christmas, so we are leaving tomorrow. I am heading up the Jölöta River with some of the church leaders to visit a village we have never been in before. We have had students in our seminar from there, but neither Gary nor I have ever been to this village. I had told one of the students from that village that when we were able to find enough gasoline to do the trip, I would come and show the Jesus / Passion Movie to his village. With them being so far away, we have had very little contact with anyone from that entire area but just last week two guys from there showed up here. We were able to confirm that we were coming, so I am sure the entire village will be waiting to see this movie. This, I am sure, will be the first movie most of them have ever seen so we are praying they will have their hearts open and their minds clear to understand the work that Christ did to purchase their salvation. Once again, thanks so much for your partnership in this work. We remain humbled to be part of this team that God has put together to reach the Yanomamö with HIS glorious Gospel. Michael, Keila and Mia