Feb 2014 News letter - Return to Amazonas

Well, here we are back in Leticia, Amazonas Colombia.  We arrived Saturday January 25^th and thought that we had at least 1 more week before school started.  We soon found out that school was starting early due to some political question and that we needed to be ready on Monday the 27^th to begin school.

Between uniforms, schedules and cleaning a very dirty house that had been sitting for almost 3 months, my hands were full to say the least.  Neivy is now in her routine of school and I am begining to discover what God has for me to do here in Leticia.

In the beginning of February, I met with Pastor Pacheco of the Mission Ministry Church.  We discussed what God has put on my heart in relation to discipleship teaching in the church.  He asked me what was on my heart.  I expressed the concern that has been on my heart for a long time. The way to mobilize people to reach the nations has to be based in the knowledge and understanding of how much God loves mankind.  To have a clear understanding of the story of the Bible from a covenant perspective in chronological order (God's relationship with man from creation) is the motivation needed to persuade the church to accomplish the task that Jesus left with us to Go and make disciples.  Pastor Pacheco seemed excited and stated that it had long been a desire of his to have someone who could present this teaching to his congregation. He is looking at how to schedule this as seminar teachings throughout the year.  He also asked if I could teach music and English classes.  Music, because it is not much taught in the churches and is a very important part of worship.  English, because there are many people that come from other ministries that work with their church that only speak English.  These two classes will mostly be for the leadership but also, open to the public and will be a donation paid position for me to augment my support.

This is definitely a year of adventure for me.  I am excited because I will have the opportunity to use gifts and talents that I have studied and trained in most of my life.  I am looking forward to seeing the souls that God is going to change and the results of the discipleship training that will take place this year.  Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to advance the Kingdom of God in the Amazon.  Remember that discipleship is a long-term endeavor and you are part of the process. 

Many of you know that part of the reason for the trip to the states was to meet with the AFAMMS board.  Due to various family changes and commitments, it was agreed to continue with AFAMMS until the end of this year of 2014 as a 501c3.  I will continue to work here in Colombia as an independent missionary.  You may continue to send your support as usual.  For those of you who will desire to continue supporting me and Neivy here in 2015, I will be sending out information as to how you can do this but, your donation will no longer be tax-deductible in 2015.  This will be more of a walk of faith for Neivy and me but, I know that those of you who have visited and know my heart for ministry here in the Amazon will continue to faithfully pray and financially support us here in Leticia.

Thank you for the prayers and support financially and the encouragement that many of you freely gave to Neivy and me while we were in the states.  Even though it was very cold we enjoyed our time visiting with you and meeting new brothers and sisters in Christ.  Thank you again!

Adventuring with Christ,

Orchidy T Boyd

December News Letter

Here we are in the Motor City (Detroit) experiencing a true Michigan winter.  The fun of seeing Neivy's face as she saw snow for the first time, the joy of throwing her first snowball and her realization that her concept of cold was not like anything she knew.  I thank God for the Winter coat and boots that were brought to the house for her.  God knew what she needed to outlast a Detroit Thanksgiving Parade on a snowy day.  Thank you friends and family for your heart of giving. You are blessing us! 

After the challenges of traveling on Spirit Airlines, extra airline fees for arriving late to Bogota on LAN, having to stay in Bogota for 3 extra days, no food for a whole day of travel (Spirit does not serve meals on international flights), lost luggage for 4 days and realizing that the cell phone number that I had just bought on the previous trip had been given away to someone else, one could justify having a bad attitude.  BUT, for the grace of God!!!! We are on an adventure and you gotta take the good with the bad.  That's what builds character.  If anyone needs to call me, I am on Skype and Facebook and gmail as long as I have internet access.

Just an update on the outreach ministry with the group from Trinidad and Tobago. FANTASTICO!! The Trini culture is very happy and free.  We literally had a Holy Ghost party in the city plaza.  There were many who came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Assembly of God Faith church was initiated with the new converts and we celebrated with many of the pastors from the Assembly churches in both Leticia and Tabatinga.  The pastor of the new church networks with the church that Neivy and I are now attending and I believe that God wants me to work with them both this next year.  I am excited about the move of God in these churches in the Amazon.

This trip has 3 purposes.  The first is to give Neivy and I a chance to know one another better without outside interference of well meaning family and friends.  We are working on her English and she is having the opportunity  to learn about my culture.  We need your prayers because this is a challenge for us both.  I need God's wisdom in helping her through the culture shock to get to a point of enjoyment.  We have had some breakthroughs Praise God!  The second purpose is to get some much needed rest for both of us.  This past year has been a challenge. Neivy leaving her home, going to a new school, and getting a new mother all at once.  Me becoming a single parent mother of a teenager, changes in ministry focus and location, working through how to organize my life with Fibromyalgia and physical recovery of tendons and muscles in my legs and right foot. (As some of you may remember my visits last year for fund raising, that I was traveling with a recently fallen arch).  BY the grace of God, we made it through! And, the third purpose is to deal with some important AFAMMS Board issues.

I would like for you all to consider this holiday season giving a special offering that will go towards some of those extra costs of living in the states as a family of two (which is much different than when I traveled by myself).  This will help with some transportation costs and living expenses. I do not know all the things that God wants to do with us on this trip but, through your giving you will be making a impact in the life of a young girl.  Some of you do year end giving for tax purposes.  This is a way of blessing your missionaries. So, even if you are giving to different missionaries... give.  May God bless you all more abundantly above all that you can ask or think!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Donations by check or money order:

AFAMMS (do not put my name on the check)

PO Box 39803

Redford, MI   48239-0803

Donations by Paypal

safricanamericanmobilization@yahoo.com

Adventuring with Christ,

Min. Orchidy T Boyd

October News Letter

The question is “How does God work?” I came to the Amazon 5 years ago.  The goal was to take the Yaguas off the unreached people group list.  How could I know what that meant?  There are various definitions of who are reached and who are not reached.  There are different understandings of what it means to reach a specific people group.  Since I have been here in the Amazon I have seen many short-term outreach groups come to do various things.  They have come to visit communities and do little presentations for the children, share their testimonies with the people, bring humanitarian aid such as medical, clothing, and toys.  Each group coming and doing some type of activity and leaving some type of material “blessing.”  The problem has been that each group came with good intentions to leave a mark with the same people who the group before visited.  Between Leticia and Puerto Narino, Amazonas, every community has been reached at least once but, none has been discipled.  This has created a subculture here in the Amazon.  The belief system of the general indigenous population is that one needs to have a “patron” (person from the outside) who can get material items for them if they can convince them of their loyalty.  This works with tourist and missionaries. The message is rarely as important as the objects that they can get (i.e. Saw, hammer, boat, motor, clothes, toys, food, money, etc.).  Everyone gains something out of the deal and all depart happy and content that they have “blessed” or were “blessed.” 

I have come to the conclusion that the Yaguas in this area have been reached many times over and over.  To be discipled one must consent to the training or teaching of the discipler.  The Yaguas have not been discipled and as long as the priority of the Yaguas is to receive material things, the spiritual condition of the Yaguas cannot change.  There are a few believers among the Yagua Nation but they are in great need of discipleship.  The doors have closed for me in the communities where I have been working.  They have realized that I am not a rich North American who can get them things.  The group where I worked before have let the other group know this and have discouraged them from working with me.  My question is “How does God work?”

I have often noted in the Bible that God takes one person out of their family situation and uses this separation as a time of training and equipping them with physical and spiritual skills and abilities that will enable them to be more effective in the geographical location where that person will live.  Often, like Abraham and Sarah, they make their own plans to help God complete His word spoken to them.  For their lack of faith, they act in their own power and knowledge and understanding of the situations in which they find themselves.  These actions result in kings that desire to marry sisters that really are wives and an Ismael that is not the promised child of God. (Genesis 20 and 21) The desire for building a training school has to be realized in God's timing.  I will wait on Him.

There is a silent pressure for “missionaries” to “produce” and to show the world what they have done to advance the Kingdom of God.  (Putting myself in this category) We send out news letters as often as possible with pictures, statistics, dates and anything else that can convince the readers that we really are doing the work of the ministry so that they can pray and send financial support. My questions are: Which of these works are Ismaels and which of these works are Isaacs? What really is the work of the ministry?  And, which is the work of God?  The king came to know and fear the God of Abraham.  Ismael also, became a great  nation.  The verses that have been a consistent companion to me over the last few years are Proverbs 3:5 and 6.

  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

    In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

The key is trust in God!  As a result of learning to trust God with all my heart, He has gifted me a daughter.  She is from the Yagua tribe and is now 14 years old.  She loves the Word of God and is growing in her personal walk with God.  Her family often visits and calls.  We pray a lot for their spiritual growth and look forward to the day when they too will all be saved.  Neivy is my Isaac.  I do not yet know what God is doing with us.  For right now, I am learning to be a single parent of a teenage Yagua girl.  Right now I have legal custody of her and we are praying about adoption.  This year has brought many changes in my life and ministry.  Because of the situation in her community, we cannot return and minister for her safety.  The people with whom I had been working in the Yagua community have rejected the gospel for tourism.  Please keep them in your prayers. 

Last week we received a six month visa from the Embassy of the USA to come to the states.  It will be her first visit.  Because of all the changes, I need to meet with the AFAMMS Board to put many things in order for the state of Michigan.  We will be in the states from November 18 through the end of January during her school break.  In the meantime, I am teaching Spanish, English, and music classes.  I am using them with the purpose of witnessing the Gospel and making money to pay for our daily needs.  I certainly feel for those of you who have more than one teenager at a time.  They eat a lot and always have another school project.  They are a blessing!  We have started attending Mission Ministries Church here in Leticia.  They have a good youth group and teach the Word.  They are very mission active and focused in discipleship training.  October 10, 11 and 12, 2013 we will be networking with other missionaries to have a three day evangelistic crusade in the city amphitheater.  I will be helping with the music.  Please be in prayer for the souls that will be touched and the follow-up.  What is God doing?  He is allowing me and you to take part in His plan for the Amazon region of the three frontiers. Keep Praying! Keep Supporting! And, feel free to come and visit us :)! See some of you soon in the US.

Adventuring with Christ,

Min. Orchidy T. Boyd

Visa

Sept. 17 we go to Bogota for our visa appointment. Please pray for finances and favor with the embassy. we are excited!