A Letter from Gladis

Macuma, Ecuador
January 18,1958

Dear Friends

May this be a year when many souls are won to Christ through your efforts there and ours here. Maybe this will be the year that the Lord will come. Again, we want to tell you , "thank you" for your faithful monthly support. We value your prayers and your friendship. If at any time we could be of help to you friends by writing a letter or article, we would be only too happy to cooperate.

We were happy to have our little Shirley come home from school for almost three weeks. She was so happy with her baby sister and all the things she can do now. Now she is back in Quito for another four months of school. And the Lord keeps on giving us grace each day for the separation. When Bill left here, her last words were, "Send Mommy as soon as you get home." As you know that is impossible, but I do hope to pay a short visit in Feb, Lord willing. We would be glad for your prayers for Shirley as she goes to school.

We have cause to rejoice because some have come to know the Lord in the past few weeks. Some who seemed so hard and given to witchcraft that they seemed impossible to be reached. But God is able to do the impossible. Petsain had the most evil looking eyes and was so hard. One day he got sick and thought he was going to die. After treatment, he got better and started really listening to God's Word and at Christmas, he gave his heart to the Lord, or as they say "I took God's road and now I am very happy." He needs prayer because the only way he has to grow is to come to church and listen to the messages. There is no Bible for him to read and besides he doesn't know how to read.

Last week I had to play dentist again. Up to that time I had pulled about eight teeth. On Thursday a woman came with a big molar to be pulled. After four tries I gave up for the day, and she was ready to rest also. Friday she came again and I was still unable to extract that tooth. So she went home miserable and I stayed here miserable. She endured that pulling with only aspirin and did not once cry out. I was weak from the effort of trying to get it out.

Now she will have to wait until a doctor can come and if the rood is around the jawbone she will have more trouble. Imagine living where there are no dentists. She was grateful that I tried to relieve her misery. She has other troubles. A long time ago, a man bought her and her little daughter for his wives. She was his wife and raised several children. Now the daughter is grown up and the mother is thrown away while the daughter has become the favorite wife. Women's lives here are very sad. Some day the power of the Gospel will free them. There are so few of us to do what needs to be done. Pray that more come and help us.

On Monday, Lord willing, Bill and I will fly down to the Atshuaras. Bill has promised that I will come with medicine. It should be a real trip for me. These indians took years to contact on a friendly basis, now they want us to visit. I will write you about it next week.

Sincerely, Gladis Gibson
Letter to "Friends of Sooner"

Your Birth Verse

I found an interesting little website today called Birth Verse. What they have done is to assign a bible verse to each day of the year. There is an online form to enter your birth date (you can enter other birth dates too) and then they will show you your "birth verse".

There is also this nice little affirmation: You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Cherish your birthverse.

It's pretty cool. This is the link to the website is www.mybirthverse.com. I entered my birth date, and this is the verse I got:

“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take."

~Nehemiah 9:19 NIV

Amazon Parrot

When I was growing up, we always had parrots. Often, they were traded for medicine. Today I found this article about amazon parrots, and found it interesting. I thought you all might enjoy it too.

Amazon Parrot
by Dane Stanton

The amazon parrot is a large green parrot that lives in South America and the Caribbean. They usually have accenting colors, depending on the type of species. The most common species of amazon have a shade of yellow across their breast. An amazon parrot like all parrots have four toes on each foot, with two at the front and two at the back allowing them to balance easily on treat branches in the wild.

Lots of amazon parrots are kept in households as pets due to they are lovable nature and they are amazing ability to mimic human words. They are also very loyal and have the ability to live for a great many years. No one really knows why parrots live for so long. It is often said that their intelligence is a key factor for this unusual trait.

However the occasional amazon parrot during a mating period may become strangely aggressive, therefore it is necessary to keep them well under control and in good company all of the time. The best way to do this is to have a second amazon parrot so they can communicate with one another during the periods when human company is unavailable. This will stop them from getting bored which can happen very easily!

Every amazon parrot likes to destroy things, some more than others! In the wild they tend to chew on wood often, which breaks down their cavities and helps keep their teeth nice and strong. Make sure you have lots of destructible toys for your amazon parrot to chew on throughout the day. Having these toys also stops them from becoming aggressive as they always have something to amuse themselves with.

It is important to realise that an amazon parrot requires more attention and care than any other domestic pet such as cats and dogs. It is recommended that before you buy an amazon parrot, you should first purchase a smaller bird that is easier to care for so you gain some valuable experience. Perhaps starting off with a budgerigar would be a good idea just until you have enough experience to handle a real amazon parrot.

An amazon parrot is a very serious animal and requires a lot of attention. Only experienced bird handlers have the ability to care for such magnificent creatures. This is the number one golden rule that all likely amazon parrot owners must abide by before owning these beautiful bird as pets.

-oOo-

About the Author:
Dane Stanton is the owner of ParrotTrainingReview.com which is an extensive review of the top parrot training courses on the internet. Find which course is best for you and your parrot!

Big Smiles

A cheerful heart is a good medicine.
Proverbs 17:22

Shuar children posing for a picture.
Ecuador 1954,
photo by Bill Gibson

This picture is one of my personal favorites. The children loved to have their pictures taken, and they loved Bill Gibson. He was gentle, and funny, always loving and kind with them. They loved the attention he gave them, and crowded eagerly around whenever he brought out his camera.

Bill's Message for Today

There seems to be in the heart of each of us a desire to be with others. There are a few who like to be left alone, but most of us like company. Children like to be with children. We all like to be with others of the same background.

It isn't very much fun to be left alone. A man needs a wife and a woman needs a man. We need to have the companionship of being together. The Lord said to Adam in the garden of Eden, "It's not good for man to be alone." So he made a help-mate for Adam, and Eve came, and then children.

Jesus enjoyed being with his disciples. Every place He went He had them with Him, to teach them, to love them, to eat with them. He knew that shortly He would leave them and they would feel alone, so He made a promise. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

Jesus knew what it was to be lonely. He knew that shortly He would know what to be forsaken would be.

It was the night of the Last Supper. Jesus had enjoyed sitting at the table with His disciples. He knew that in a few short hours He would suffer. He took Peter, James, and John and went up the mountain to pray. They slept while He prayed that the cup might pass, nevertheless "Thy will be done."

Later, they took Him and put Him on a cross and the Father abandoned Him. He suffered there alone. He took upon himself all the sin, the shame, and gave His life alone so that you and I might never ever be alone again. After three days He arose victorious from the grave and one day we will, all of us who have repented and believed in Him, might be with Him forever.

Why will you die without Christ? Why prefer to die and be alone in eternity, forever alone without him? He loved you enough to die for you so that you would forever be with Him and not alone without Him.

The decision is yours. You can say this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe you did this for me and I now receive you
as my Saviour and my God.

Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Rest Home
El Paso, Texas
02/10/02

Riobamba - Slide Show

Riobamba is a city in central Ecuador. It is the capital of Chimborazo Province, in the Chambo River Valley in the Andes Mountains, near the volcano of Chimborazo. It is an important road junction on the main railroad from Quito to Guayaquil. Riobamba is the trade center of the surrounding cattle-ranching area.

Manufactured products include textiles, handicrafts, leather goods, beer, and dairy products. A colorful Native American marketplace is in the city.

Also located in the city is a university-level polytechnic school (1969). Founded about 1534, Riobamba was destroyed by earthquake in 1797 and rebuilt 14 km (9 mi) from the original site. Population (1996 estimate) 114,322.

The images for this slide show were collected from various sources, most of them fairly recent. They should give you an idea of the flavor of this small city. I hope you enjoy it.

Text from Microsoft Encarta