On the Road Again

Today we are hitting the road on our way to Chile.  It is quite a long trip, so we ask for your prayers that things would go smoothly with the children, luggage, buses, taxis, etc.  We have decided to go by bus, since it is considerably cheaper than flying.  It is a very long trip, however, so we have chosen to break it up a bit.   First we will take a bus to the Peruvian border city of Tacna.  We will spend a night there to recover from that 19 hour ride, before crossing into Chile and getting on another bus that will take us on the approximately 24 hour bus ride to Santiago.  From there we will catch a third bus that will take us to our final destination of Pichilemu.  So it should definitely be an adventure, and we just pray for patience and good health for everyone.  Our next post should be from Chile!  We are all excited to get there and find out what awaits us.  We don't really know much about the details of what these next few months will entail, so it should be interesting.  We'll be sure to keep you posted on what happens next.

A Bunch of Grapes

We have good news.  God has opened the doors for us to go to a Discipleship Training School in Chile.  We have been in contact with many YWAM bases in South America, and finally found one in Pichilemu, Chile, that has enough room for our family.  So we are very excited to report that in about 2 weeks we will be heading down there.  We have recently sent out a letter updating our friends on our situation.  If you did not receive a letter from us, it is probably because we don’t have your mailing address.  If you are interested in reading it, see the next post.  The main thing left to do before we begin our classes (besides finding tickets to get there) is to raise the remaining support that we need.  It is truly a humbling experience to be asking people to send you money, when so many people are in need all over the world.  We know, however, that God can work through any means he desires to provide for his children.  God recently reminded me in a simple way about his provision in our lives.  We went to the market to buy fruit, and as we finished making our purchases, the owner of the fruit stall gave us a large bunch of grapes.  She told us that since we were “servants of God” she wanted to give us those grapes.  I’m not sure why she chose to call us that.  We had mentioned in passing that we were Christians, but hadn’t said any more than that.  She didn’t know that we are preparing to go to a training school, or praying about working with YWAM.  She simply wanted to bless us with what she had.  It was just a small thing, but it really made an impact on me.  Her simple act of generosity reminded me that God can bless us in ways that we never even expected.   He knows our needs and he is looking out for us wherever we go. 

Besides the plans for YWAM, we have also been keeping busy in other activities.  Junior had the opportunity to preach at his dad’s church one Sunday.  That was a special time of sharing and feeling God’s presence among the people.  He has also been to a small church up in the mountains outside of Lima.  There is no pastor in that town, only an itinerate pastor that comes when he can.  So Junior went up with him one day to preach and spend time with the brothers and sister in the town of Culpe.   

Making frosting with a drill!



Diego recently celebrated his 8^th birthday.  Making his birthday cake here was a bit of an adventure since it isn’t my kitchen with the normal appliances, pans, ingredients, etc.   Junior's mom’s mixer had recently stopped working, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to make the frosting.  But my creative husband had the idea of using their electric drill to mix the frosting.  So he hooked one of the beaters to the drill and helped me whip up the butter and powdered sugar.  What a mess!  But the cake turned out pretty good despite it all, and Diego had an enjoyable birthday. 



Happy Birthday Diego!



Finally, Jonathan got his first haircut.   His hair was beginning to hang into his eyes and over his ears, so we cut off the baby curls. 



Before....



....After



In case you didn't get our prayer letter...

March, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from sunny Peru!  A lot has changed in our lives since we wrote you last, so we wanted to give everyone a quick update of where we are now.  In July we wrote asking for prayer as we were trying to sell our house.  Shortly after we sent out that letter, we received an offer on the house.  We praise the Lord that everything went smoothly and quickly throughout the whole process.  We truly count it as God’s work in our lives that we were able to sell our house during the current conditions.  We moved out at the end of November.  God is so good that He miraculously provided a house for us to stay in for the month of December as we transitioned out of our previous home and packed up for our trip to Peru.  It also gave us the opportunity to be able to stay in the US to spend Christmas with my family.  This house clearly was God’s provision in our lives, because the situation was so perfect for what we needed. The house was available for exactly the dates we would need it, nothing more and nothing less.  An added benefit is that the house was only about 6 blocks from my parents' house, so it was the perfect place to be for the holidays.  Praise the Lord because He knows what we need even better than we do ourselves.  This has served as a good reminder to us, that through it all, we need to trust him.  He has something better in mind for us, than even we are thinking of. 

The Lord opened the doors for us to leave the US on January 1, 2011.  The start of a new year seemed like a fitting time to begin this new journey in our lives as well.  We have spent the past 2 months visiting with Junior’s family, adjusting to life in Peru, preaching in several churches, and sharing the gospel with taxi drivers wherever we go.  We have also been waiting on the Lord to open the door for us to go to a YWAM training school.  The schools that we had thought were options, didn’t work out for various reasons, so we have been seeking another place to go. God has opened a door in Chile for a class that starts the 25th of March. So we are applying for that school, looking forward to the possibility of going there and praying that God will continue to lead us. It is a bit scary because we don’t really know what the living situation or childcare will be like. But as we look back at how God has taken care of us so far, we know that His plans are for our good.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your financial support.  It is humbling to see God working in our lives.  So far we have raised  1/4 of the total estimated cost of our room, board, tuition and transportation for all seven of us during the five month period.  We have already seen that God is faithful, and He gives us exactly what we need, when we need it.  So we are excitedly waiting to see how He will continue to provide for us as we step out in faith and obedience to Him.  Please keep praying with us for God’s provision, our time in Chile, and His guidance in our lives.

We would love to keep in touch with all of you. Since we will be moving around a lot in the next few months, e-mail is probably the best way to get in touch with us.  We will also be updating our blog as we are able.  We do have a permanent US address (my parent’s house) where we can receive mail as well as donations.  Also, please let us know how God is working in your lives and how we can be praying for each of you.

 

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.”  Isaiah 12:2

Trusting Him,

Junior, Kristen, Alexis, Diego, Lucas, Joshua and Jonathan

  

Box Day

Praise the Lord because our shipment has finally arrived.  The boat arrived on the 14th and it took ten days for the boxes to get unloaded, taken to the warehouse, and for us to do the necessary paperwork.  It was quite an ordeal, with Junior going down to the port everyday to work on paperwork.  But we praise the Lord that he helped us to get everything completed as quickly as possible without having to pay too much money.  The shipping companies try to charge you for every little thing.  There is a charge for lifting your load, opening it, printing your receipt or whatever else they can think of.  But it is all here now.  It was fun to open the boxes and see familiar stuff.  We had finished all the school work that we brought with us, and we had taken a week off.  But now it will be back to school for us since all of our school books are here in one place.



Boxes, boxes everywhere


So we thank the Lord for helping us with the shipment.  We also thank him for the possibility of a school that starts in Chile in about a month.  We have been contacting YWAM bases all over South America and finally found one open to receiving our family.  So we are in contact with them, and will see if God continues to open the doors for us to go next month.  Thanks for your prayers for God's guidance in our lives.

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."  Col. 4:2

School Books!

That verse made me think that I should be watchful so that I can notice God's blessings in my life and thank him for them.  I read in my devotional book that, "a grateful heart protects you from negative thinking."  I must admit that I  fall victim to negative thinking and grumbling in my heart.  So for each day I want to seek things to be thankful for, purposefully watching for them, and then thank the Lord for them.  Being grateful for the arrival of the shipment is easy, but I also pray that I can have a grateful heart in situations that are difficult.


"Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I Thess. 5:18 

Quietness and Trust

Lucas has been helping me take some pictures of Jonathan to show how he is growing up.  He is now 10 months old and enjoys pulling himself up, trying to stand, scooting around in his walker, and playing in water.  His hair is getting long, and is a bit curly in this hot, humid weather.  Once we get his first haircut, however, I think all the curls will be cut off.  He is just learning to wave hello and loves it when people wave back at him.



We have also done the necessary paperwork (which in Peru can be tedious) to get the kids their peruvian citizenship.  This makes it possible for them to be able to live in Peru as long as they want without having to hassle with visas.  The kids all have dual citizenship.  



A lot of passports

This week we ask for prayer as we are doing more paperwork to get our shipment.  Since we homeschool, we had a lot of books that we wanted to bring down to Peru and they didn't all fit in our suitcases.  So we decided to send a shipment with a few boxes of books.  Well, the amount of things we decided to ship quickly grew once we started packing.  It was easy to think, "Oh, this won't take up much room."  But each little thing added up.  We delivered it to the warehouse just before we left for Peru and are excited to learn that our ship came in yesterday.  So now we have to go all over town getting papers stamped, signed, etc.  Then make our way to customs to complete all they paperwork for them.  As mentioned above, paperwork in Peru can get very tedious.  So we pray that things will go smoothly, and that we won't have to pay a lot of money for customs, taxes, fees, etc. 

We also ask for your prayers in the next step in our lives.  We continue looking for YWAM schools that would be able to accomodate our family.  It seems like every base we contact, however, has no room for us.  So we continue to look and wait.  We had a very encouraging visit with the director of one of the YWAM schools here in Peru.  Although their school is already full to capacity, it was good to get to know each other a bit and see that we share a common desire for ministry.  God will make connections and open doors at the right time.  We have a few possiblities still, and the most likely is that we will attend a school that doesn't start until July.  So we are praying for guidance as to what to do in the meantime.  The Lord has been speaking to both of us about waiting and trusting.  It is so hard to be still and feel like we aren't doing anything, but maybe that is just what we need to do so God can accomplish his work.  When we are still and quiet, his strength can show through.  So please continue to pray for us, that we would be still and rest in him.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:  'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.'"  Isaiah 30:15

"Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."  Zech. 2:13 

Water!

I would just like to praise the Lord for his amazing creation of water.  About a week ago we were without water for almost 24 hours.  That occassionally happens here in Peru, so we did have a small barrel of water reserved.  None the less, it really is true that abscence makes the heart grow fonder.  You really get a new appreciation for something when you no longer have it, especially something as important as water.  In those 24 hours, there was no water to mop up spilled juice, take a shower (it was about 90 degrees in our room), wash your hands before meals, brush your teeth, etc, etc.  We sparingly used the water in the barrel to wash dishes, not knowing when the water would get turned back on.  Thankfully we had bottled water that we could drink.  When the water came back, I appreciated my shower so much more than on a normal day.  Water is an amazing thing, and so helpful in washing and cleaning.  If physical water is so useful, it makes me think how precious God's living water is.  "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  John 4:10 Praise God for his gift of living water.  



Cooling off in a bath of refreshing water



Thankful for water!



Baptism

Here are a few shots from our past week.  I didn't post them last week, because we have started homeschool again and things have gotten a little busier.  But I just thought I'd give you all a quick update.  Junior had the honor of baptizing his mother.  Because of health issues she wasn't able to be baptized at church, so the family had a small service together to baptize her.  It was a beautiful testimony to her faith in Jesus and her decision to live for Him.  We came to Peru with a desire to follow Jesus' command to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Mt. 28:19)   What a beautiful surprise it was to begin our time here by doing exactly that for his mother.  Junior also continues to witness to and pray with taxi drivers and other that we meet.  We look forward to and continue to pray for God's direction for the next step in our lives.

Cousins Alexis and Daniela



Jonathan getting to know his abuelo