2016 in Review

Dear Friends & Family,

As 2016 draws to a close, we consider all of the blessings we have received as a family this year:

• Moving four hundred miles south from Santiago to this city of Lautaro in February with our family of six: Maybe moving with children doesn’t sound like a blessing, but in this case, knowing that we are doing what God is calling us to, it definitely has been! We do miss family and friends in Santiago, but continue to be excited about the things that God is doing here and how He desires to use us in this vision as a part of this team, to reach this region of Chile and beyond, for His glory and the furthering of His Kingdom!

(there are dozens of indigenous Mapuche communities surrounding Lautaro)

• Getting plugged into church and project responsibilities right away, including: hosting & working with the many short-term teams that have come down this past year, helping to restructure the sound & worship ministries, being an active part of a home group on a weekly basis, teaching a marriage seminar, participating in the women’s group and teaching the women's Bible study, setting an example of practical service through food preparation & cleaning before and after church activities…. This past month, Gus was asked to design the new sign for the church building, which was put up two weeks ago!  

(new official sign on the church building)

 (Gus translating the sermon for Kevin, a short-term team members from Canyon Hills)

(good times learning different food preparations & encouraging the women's group)

(switching it up a bit by playing electric guitar instead of drums during Sunday worship!)

(the ladies surprised me with an early birthday cake & gift at our last Bible study meeting!)

• Ever-growing opportunities to serve, share with others, and fellowship outside of our “assigned” responsibilities: We are blessed through the deepening friendships with local families and the opportunity to share important moments together. Just a few examples from this past month: I was asked to share a special song at a baby shower for two church members, Gus shared his testimony with a trainer at the gym he just joined, we have mourned with several church members who have lost loved ones recently, and celebrated birthdays and other special occasions with local friends…

 (sharing "Mary, Did You Know?" in Spanish at a baby shower)

 (Cristina's 4th birthday party!)

 (having too much fun at a friend's birthday party!)

• Missions & Training: As plans move forward towards setting up the missions-training center here in Lautaro, we continue to teach others in different areas of ministry as well as receive more training ourselves! Gus was blessed to travel to Ecuador on a great missions trip in September, as well as attend the excellent missions-wide conference in Santiago last month. The speakers at the conference were very encouraging, the material was uplifting & practical, and we are excited about being able to implement these new tools in our personal lives and ministry! 

 (great time of fellowship and learning at the conference)

(Gus helped out with percussion during one of the days' worship time)

• A good homeschool year: Jeremy took his final exams a few weeks ago (we are waiting to hear back the official results next week), and we are very proud of the progress he and his siblings have all made this year, in adapting to a different house, church, city, while becoming more fluent in the language! I, as their teacher, continue to learn through trial and error what is the best way to teach each of them, but the great thing is that it’s all adaptable to our current reality and family needs! 

(The school where Jeremy took his exams: We're so proud of his hard work & focus this year!)

• A productive year of studies for Gus as well: After working hard all year on the assignments and class projects, Gus finished up his music teaching degree, and the graduation ceremony was last Saturday! He was even chosen to be the spokesperson for his class, giving the closing speech! 

 (getting his diploma from the owner & director of the Academy, Don Guido)

 ("We did it!!" There was even a nun in Gus' class! )

(So proud of my guy's hard work and accomplishments this year!)

• A couple of good visits with Gus’ Grandma María since she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August. María is still enjoying life and happy for each new day: She always says that the first thing she does each morning after waking up is get a drink of water and thank God for another day of life! 

(a short visit with Grandma Maria in November before the conference)

• Continued faithful monthly support and special one-time gifts: We have been sooooo blessed by generous financial gifts that have helped us so much over these past few months, as well as being ever grateful for those who give faithfully month after month to support our family and ministry. Thank you all so much!!! Last month the kids also received a special early Christmas gift of new tennis shoes from a couple of close friends here. Here's a picture of all the kids with new footwear, accompanied by our friend, Marisol: 

This Month Please Pray For:

• This Sunday as Gus preaches his first sermon here in Lautaro (now that we’ve almost finished our first year here, he will be on the preaching rotation about every 6 weeks).
• This next Friday the 23^rd as we drive up to Santiago to spend Christmas and New Year’s with extended family there as well as to process Diego’s U.S. citizenship at the Embassy there, for a safe drive and a good visit with loved ones!
• Time to relax and replenish as a family before starting off the next year of ministry mid-January.
• Wisdom and unity for the leadership team here in Lautaro as we all start organizing and planning priorities, focuses, and special events for the church in 2017.
• God’s leading in the things that we do and say, that He would be glorified through our lives, service and example, both in public and in private.
• God’s blessing on our health & wellness, as we are taking new steps to become healthier as a couple and as a family.
• Continued financial provision for family & ministry needs.

Thank you for your generosity, your prayers, your words of encouragement, your willingness to come serve on short-term teams, and your desire to see God’s Kingdom continue to expand, that all may hear and come to a saving knowledge of His Love & Truth! This Christmas Season, in the midst of the busyness, the shopping, the cooking, the end-of-the-year parties, may you always embrace the Joy & Peace brought to us by our Emmanuel, God with us.   

A Very Merry Christmas & Happy 2017, From Our Family To Yours!!

Because His Birth Changed Everything,

Gustavo, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

November Greetings from Lautaro!

Dear Partners,

We hope you and your families are all doing well. We know there has been a lot of division in the U.S. pre- and post-election, and so we pray that God would use each of you to be instruments of His peace, sharing the grace, love and truth of Jesus in this time!

There has been a lot going on lately in Lautaro, so here is a recap of some of that:

Gus spent most of these past couple of weeks working with a short-term team from Canyon Hills Community Church in the Seattle, WA area! They were good, hard workers with great attitudes! With their help, construction on the school building continued, installment of a rain-water harvesting system in a Mapuche community in the countryside was completed, and a greenhouse was built for a home for girls from social-risk situations.  Gus was also able to go to Melipeuco with the team to see the land the church there is in the process of purchasing, which was encouraging to all!  As a family we were able to host a couple of the guys in our home, and that was a blessing!  

(Team from Canyon Hills in front of school building being constructed)

One of the women on the team is originally from Pakistan and enjoys cooking, so she had offered to do a special meal for the women of the church! So one of the local women’s ministry leader's and I (Karissa) organized that meal last Friday, which over 20 women attended! The food was wonderful and we were able to hear the testimonies of all three women on the short-term team, which were all encouraging to the local women and led to good group conversation:

(Pakistani dinner!)

The women’s Bible study I've been teaching just wrapped up this first 6-week cycle!  Participation throughout the study has been great, with about twenty women attending regularly and another five or so that can’t attend requesting the audio recordings weekly to study at home! They are all asking when we are starting up the next series. (smile)  My prayer is that these women are all encouraged and challenged not just to come and participate, but more than that to become more involved in serving and blessing others around them in practical ways with what they are learning!
 
This past Sunday one of the ladies in our church family here, Tia Paty, lost her husband to a sudden heart attack. It was unexpected and has made for a very somber past few days here. So many people attended the open casket viewing and services, as she and her husband are both well known and loved by many in our small city. It was encouraging to see basically the whole church at her house for the main service. A couple ladies and I had gone back and forth about whether to postpone the final women's Bible study meeting out of respect for Tia Paty, but decided there was no other day it could really work in the near future, so went ahead and had it on Tuesday thinking it might be a much smaller group. But there were 18 of us there and it was a really good study & sharing time! And, Tia Paty was the first person to message me later asking for the audio so she could listen to the study. I hope that is an encouragement for her in this hard time.... 

As an update on our finances, we have really been blown away as a couple by those of you who have given one-time gifts and offered support in this season of financial struggles. We are humbled by God’s goodness and provision through your generosity, and are just so thankful for all of the help! We have been able to pay off some of that accumulated debt this month, and that is a huge blessing! There is still a remaining debt amount, but it is such a relief to be able to take steps toward that and visualize the light at the end of the tunnel! Continued help and contributions in this area are still very much appreciated! A big THANK YOU to all who have given and those who support us regularly on a monthly basis!!  

This Month, Please Pray For:

·        A conference for leaders in our mission organization that Gus will be attending outside of Santiago on November 14th-17th, as well as for the kids and I as we’re home without him during those days.

·        Gus’ Grandma María, who is living with one of his aunts and now needs a wheelchair to get around, but it still in good spirits. She has gotten a couple of colds in this changing springtime weather, but has been able to bounce back from them. Gus plans to visit with her when he goes to the conference.

·        Jeremy’s final exams to validate completion of this home-school year, taking place November 21^st and 22^nd. He is really nervous about them, so prayers for him to be calm and just enjoy this experience.

·        Gus’ last few weeks of music classes before completing his certification the first week of December.

·        The financial provision to pay off our remaining debt amounts.

·        Our health as a family in the changing weather, as Diego currently has a cold.

·        Continued deepening of relationships with local friends, inside and outside of the church. 

-

-Thank you for your continued prayers for our family and for the ministry here in the south of Chile! We appreciate your faithful support and pray that He would continue to bless you as you bless others.

Because He Is On The Throne,

Gus, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

Spring-time Answers To Prayer

Dear Partners, 

Thank you for praying over these couple of weeks! Here's an update on the few requests from last month: 

- Cristina's blood tests came back yesterday, negative for Celiac disease! So, we're slowly incorporating gluten back into her diet. It's a relief to know that's not an issue in that way at least! Thank you for your continued prayers for her health, as well as all of ours.

(our big, brave girl after having her blood drawn, enjoying a special trip to the mall!)

- The women's Bible study continues going well! The second meeting there were 22 women again, and then yesterday due to the rain and illnesses, there were only 13, but considering this group hasn't had anything this regular in many years, attendance has been great! All the ladies continue excited, the feedback is good and the dynamic has been fun and yet deep at the same time! Thank you for praying for this group to continue well! 

(small group discussion question time after the Bible study)

- Gus' music academy put on a special anniversary event last Saturday, which Gus was peer-elected to direct!  It was a huge hit! The academy director was thrilled, as the event was great publicity for his school. It was really fun to see Gus in that role and was just a great, musically-diverse event! 

(Gus giving the final "thank you's" after the anniversary event with all of his fellow students)

- On the way driving to the event on Saturday, our left rear tire blew out on the freeway! So, we needed to replace both of the back ones, just one month after replacing the front ones (the mechanic had said we had another year at least on the back ones, but apparently not!). So, that was another unexpected expense, but the good thing was that it happened while Gus was driving! (The plan had been for him to borrow a friend's car to go earlier, and then I would go later with the kids... We're so glad that didn't happen and that I wasn't stuck on the freeway with four kids in the dark with a blown tire!). So, God is good, all the time! And now we have 4 new tires, so all is well... :)

 

- We have been blessed by responses from several of you giving one-time gifts, and even a couple of you wanting to support monthly for a year! It is humbling and an answer to prayer in the midst of this time of increased financial burden... We so appreciate the faithful prayers, support and encouragement from so many! Thank you for being a blessing!  

This Month's Prayer Requests: 

- Gus' academy classes, as this Saturday he has a couple of third-quarter final exams.

- The Women's Bible Study, as we continue to meet and share each Tuesday night.

- The church here in Lautaro and the relationships that are constantly being built and strengthened, that we would be able to encourage, help and train well in the areas we are serving & counseling.

- The last month of our homeschool year, as sometime in November (they haven't given a date yet) Jeremy will need to take the year-end exam that would be the equivalent of him passing of first grade in the Chilean system.

- Additional financial support: Gus continues promoting and seeking out opportunities to teach drum classes to make ends meet, and the door remains open to any new supporters who would like to give a one-time gift or join our support team on a monthly basis! 

May God continue to provide for all of your needs and give you strength, energy & conviction to keep serving Him in the ways He has called you!

(a view of Temuco on Saturday before the academy's music event)

Blessings,

Gus & Karissa, 

Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

Pictures & Prayer Requests

Dear Friends,

Spring is almost here on this side of the world! And I'll admit that I'm ready for all that entails (except maybe allergies!). Though all in all, this has been a good first winter for us in the south of Chile!

Gustavo will be home in six days, Lord willing, so sometime after that we'll write more of a newsletter, but today we mostly just wanted to share some photos from the past few weeks as well as some prayer requests at the end of the update:

(View of the Andes from Melipeuco)

The time in Melipeuco, the town in the mountains, at the end of August was a huge blessing to us as a family, to those from our small group in Lautaro who went, as well as to the local church in Melipeuco! We were honored to be able to teach a marriage seminar for several couples, all of whom seemed really encouraged by it. The pastor has asked that we consider coming back to teach the seminar again sometime next year when the church is at their new location and hopefully has grown more!

(The kids had lots of fun too during the marriage seminar!)

 Gus' Grandma Maria is now "home" living with one of his aunts! Though all of her physical complications remain (and will not be treated), she is visibly happier and more relaxed. We pray that she would be able to fully enjoy the rest of life God blesses her with on this earth:

Gus' time in Ecuador has been busy and really good! He has been putting on a drums workshop and a sound workshop, both at two of the churches in our movement, one in Sanborondon and one in El Recreo.  The students are making progress and encouraged by this opportunity to learn: 

He has also been able to meet and share with other friends of his hosts, as well as visit different locations and see some of the cultural sights:

(spontaneous jam session)

(fresh fruit is a big deal in Ecuador... this is at 8:00a.m.!)

Meanwhile, here in Lautaro, the kids and I have been missing Daddy and trying to keep busy! :) We had a special visit from friends that drove all the way down from Santiago just to spend a few days with us! The weather was great for two of the days they were here, so we even got to take the kids to the Train Museam in the nearby bigger city of Temuco:

This past week I've had several visits from friends here in town too; they've been good opportunities to share and try to encourage them in different areas of life, which is always encouraging to me as well! This next Sunday, the pastor has asked me to sing the translated version of "Blessings" by Laura Story as a part of his sermon on Lazarus. It is an honor to be able to contribute in that way.  

At the same time, I continue to prepare for the women's Bible study that will be starting on Sept. 27th, so most of my "down" time is going into that, though I do need to remember to rest enough, especially during these couple weeks that I'm on my own! Despite this being one of the longer times that Gus has been gone, it has been a good time thus far, the kids have done well overall considering missing Daddy, and the house hasn't descended into total chaos yet, so I'm calling it a win! (wink)

Prayer Requests:

- For Grandma Maria to continue well, relaxed, at peace and enjoying life! 

- For these last six days for Gus in Ecuador, that God would use him to be a blessing and then bring him home safely!

- For the kids and I to continue doing well here (and staying healthy!) in his absence. 

- For the song on Sunday to really bless and touch those that need to hear its message.

- For Gus upon returning as he'll need to jump right in again with his classes on Saturdays as well as responsibilities at the church, for strength and energy.

- For wisdom for me as I prepare the women's Bible study, that it would be a blessing, encouragement and challenge for these women, and that as a group we would grow through this process.

- For good moments for all of us to stop being busy and enjoy the gifts we have right now!

Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers and your financial support! Your partnership is fundamental in this work and we are so grateful for you!

In Him,

~Karissa & Gus

Leaving Comfort Zones

Dear Friends & Family,

You’ve heard from us several times over this week about Gus’ grandma, so we’ll start off this newsletter with an update on her: 

We are so incredibly grateful to all who have been praying for Grandma María! She is recovering well, her levels are up closer to where they should be, and the doctors are pleased with her progress! And, today is her 88^th birthday!!! Spending it in a hospital isn’t ideal or comfortable, but the blessing is that she continues improving and gets to celebrate this special day with several family members who are there during visiting hours this afternoon (and receive voice & video messages from others far away)!

(the recovering birthday girl!)

Changing the subject now from family to church ministry:

Last Saturday, quite a few church members here in Lautaro worked all day in the building, working on the roof as well as cleaning & prepping a (mostly) finished new meeting room for Sunday services!

(working to get the new meeting room ready)

The old meeting room was too small for the group and also has significant leakage problems, so with all of the rain we’ve been having the carpeting has been soaked in half of the room… Not a good situation with electrical equipment and children running around. So, it was a lot of work last weekend, and there is still much more to be done (like actually seal it off better so it’s not freezing in there), but it’s dry and we had a great first service last Sunday! Some people don’t really like change (I’m sure you’ve experienced that too) but everyone has agreed that this is for the best, even if it’s not really “comfortable” yet... It was a very good time of worship & fellowship! 

(Sunday service in new room)

It was actually a special breakfast service (that happens the second Sunday of each month at the church here), and rather than having a sermon, the short term team members that had gone to Peru were able to share about their cross-cultural experiences!

They were all incredibly moved by the trip, the generosity of the Peruvians, and the very tangible needs in another part of the world. Most of them also communicated that they now feel more compelled to become more active in their own community here, to step out of their comfort zones to serve and reach others….

(Peru short-term team members each sharing last Sunday)

And speaking of actively serving, most of our home group is in Melipeuco right now, working on small projects for the church there and planning this evening’s youth outreach event! This is wayyy out of the comfort zone for several of them, so it is very encouraging to see them working hard to serve in this way, despite their personal feelings and timidity!

(work today at Melipeuco)

Gus had music classes all day today and is also responsible for leaving the sound set up this evening here in Lautaro for church tomorrow, so we as a family will head up to Melipeuco tomorrow!

Please pray: for our small group's youth event this evening, for our 2-hour drive as a family (possibly with some snow!) early tomorrow morning, for our car to make it (!), that God would bless the Melipeuco church service in the morning and the marriage seminar we’ll be teaching in the afternoon!  (We don’t know most of the couples who will be attending, so in a way that is out of our “comfort zone” as in the past we have usually taught and worked with couples we know personally... But we know God wants us to be an example, serving in this way with our small group!)

Your prayers, encouraging words & financial support are so important to the work here. It is a tremendous blessing to be connected, partnering with you in this ministry! We are blessed through you, and pray that you would be blessed and encouraged to step outside of what seems “normal” or comfortable as well, for His sake.

Because He left His comfort zone first,

Gustavo, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego Guevara

The Honeymoon is Over!

Dear Friends,

Hola desde Lautaro!  Yes, it’s true: We have now reached the 6-month mark since moving here to the south from Santiago!  So now the “honeymoon” period is over, real life has set in and we are in the groove!  Though there are still some minor adjustments to be made, we feel well acclimated to this place and as part of the local church body.  As a family we are very grateful to be serving here and continue to be excited about what is going on in ministry in this region! Speaking of which:

This past weekend our small group went to José’s home about ½ an hour away in the countryside area called Juan Bautista, to help him set up their new & improved green-house:

It was a great time of serving and spending time encouraging him, his wife Ingrid, their four children, and Ingrid’s sister Paula! Our group took some food up and they had some to share as well, so Gus was on barbecue duty for lunch:

(cooking the delicious "choripanes")

This all-day outing was the first time our small group has served together! It was a very good experience and everyone is really excited about the next scheduled event, which will be August 20^th – 21^st: we will be going to serve the daughter church in Melipeuco (a town about two hours away in the mountains) with some youth activities that Saturday, a few small projects around the church property, and a marriage seminar for church members and their invited guests!

Interestingly, the pastor of the church there, Luis, is the brother of Paula & Ingrid, the ones whose home we were just at for the greenhouse project this past Saturday! Pastor Luis just happened to be in Santiago last November the weekend we had the marriage seminar there and since he heard good feedback from church members, he has asked if we as a couple could teach that material to their group as a way of reaching out to other married couples in their surrounding community! So, we are thrilled with this opportunity to serve in Melipeuco as a family with the whole home group from Lautaro!

This month, please pray for:

·        - José, Ingrid and their children in Juan Bautista, that they would desire to deepen their relationship with God as well as seek fellowship in the church in Lautaro, as at this point they are only nominally “believers”.

·         - The weekend of Aug. 20^th & 21^st at the church-plant in the town of Melipeuco, that our small group would be a blessing and an encouragement to the church there and that the event for youth and the seminar for couples would be well-received.

·         - Clarity as we as a couple seek to give wise counsel to a few couples and singles in the church here in Lautaro who have shared individually with us about their diverse concerns & struggles.

      - A solution for our car: it is having lots of mechanical problems, we can't seem to pin-point the cause and the potential needed repairs look to be expensive... It would be excellent to be able to purchase a vehicle with 4-wheel-drive capabilities for all of the countryside and rainy weather visits, but right now we're barely making it by on a monthly basis with basic needs, so haven't been able to save anything towards that. So, prayers for needed funds are very much appreciated!

·         - Good health as a family! Yes, we’ve shared this need every time we’ve written, but local friends have informed us that “August is always the worst month here as far as illnesses go”…  So, please keep the six of us in your prayers as we continue to battle colds along with the rest of this city.

God bless you and your families! Thank you for faithfully holding us up in prayer and for your financial support for our family and the ministry in the Araucania region of Chile.

We are very grateful and humbled to be in this partnership with you!

(On a fun date last week, overlooking the neighboring larger city of Temuco: our honeymoon as a couple ended a long time ago, but that’s OK because normal life together on a daily basis is much more fun, exciting and rewarding!J )

Blessings,

Gus & Karissa & kiddos