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