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

Light for Lautaro, and Beyond!

Greetings, Friends, from this cold and rainy valley in Southern Chile!  At this time of year in Lautaro at night, it is common to need to drive under 5 mph, due to thick fog. This makes us very grateful for fog lights on our car, as well as on other cars driving the roads! The importance of being able to see cannot be overstated, right? So, inspired by the thought of light shining into the darkness, here are some of the main happenings over this past month:

A Light for the City:

Two more short-term teams came this past month, one from Thousand Oaks, CA, and one from Yuma, AZ!  Gus continued working with both teams in construction projects for the church and school! More walls, roofing and siding have been going up! You can feel the excitement more and more with each team, as the completed project can now be more easily visualized by all: Shining His light through hard work toward better children’s education.

(construction progress on the school)

Some of the team members that came from Thousand Oaks are professional musicians, so one activity was to put on a worship clinic one Sunday afternoon! Gus helped organize that event and also contributed by playing drums and translating for our visitors. It was a great time full of wonderful music, practical tips and encouraging words: Shining His light through excellence in worship.

(worship clinic)

The ladies from the team from Yuma had a craft evening with the local women, which was a fun time for all. In addition, Karissa has shared with the leader of the women’s ministries here that several women in the church have communicated the need for a regular women’s Bible study. So plans are being made to launch that at the end of September, and Karissa will be teaching the class for the first couple of months at least, to set a standard, encourage the ladies and help them deepen in their understanding and application of scriptural truths to their daily lives. Shining His light through fellowship & the teaching of the Word.

(Women’s craft evening with ladies from Yuma)

A Light for the Region:

Another rainwater harvesting system was installed for a family in the countryside, and Gus was able to go be a part of that installation! He was able to spend quality time sharing with the man of the house, Alex, who has invited us all back as a family to visit them (we will do that once the rain calms down a bit, since our van doesn’t handle well in this weather). We are looking forward to developing a relationship with Alex’s family: Shining His light through friendship.

Gus also went with one of the teams to visit the school in the rural area called Galvarino where a harvesting system was installed last year, and this gave him the opportunity to visit at length with the school’s director and several of the teachers. Gus offered the director a free music workshop for their students later this year, and he loved the idea, so there is a definite open door to deepening those relationships!  Our small group is also planning to serve the neighboring villages in specific ways, the first of which will be next Saturday when we go to Jose’s home as a group so that our guys can build their family a green-house for their garden and the women & children can visit with his wife & kids: Shining His light through community service.

(Jose’s son)

A Light for the World:

The purpose of this church in Lautaro has always been to bring light, to disciple believers to take the love & truth of Jesus to their neighborhoods, to this region and beyond the borders of Chile to the nations!

So, this past week the church here happily sent out the first (in several years) short-term missions team to Peru! The group is comprised of several of the church’s youth and young adults, two young married couples and two older ladies. Over the past couple of months we’ve been able to advise the team leaders on how to prepare their team before the missions trip, Karissa contributed baked goodies for support-raising dessert sales and Gus helped organize a “café concert” with three bands participating (including one Gus played with) to raise funds for the short-term team as well: Shining His light through raising awareness for international needs.

(café concert fundraiser)

The team is now in Peru: they’ve been helping with a few small construction projects there and doing some outreach events for children in the church as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. They will be returning home this Sunday, so we are excited to hear how everything went on this cross-cultural venture: Shining His light through missions-training.

(Peru short-term team sent from Lautaro)

Our organization has several missionaries and church-plants in Ecuador: ever since the strong earthquake suffered there in April, those churches have been sending aid by building homes and other relief efforts. The silver lining in that tragedy has been the openness to help and the receptiveness to the gospel in those affected areas. As new needs are coming up, one of the missionary couples (close friends of ours) have invited Gus to go to Ecuador for a couple of weeks in September in order to teach both drums and a basic sound engineering clinic! We are excited for this opportunity for him to go serve our sister churches there! Shining His light through international workshops.

To Finish, A Lesson from Lampposts:

The church in Lautaro is located at the top of a hill, right off of the freeway on the outskirts of the city! It’s a beautiful location, with the potential of being visible to the many, many passersby on that main thoroughfare. However, there aren’t good street-lights in that area, so it’s very dark, especially now in the winter with the shorter, rainier days. So, the solution currently being worked on is better lighting on the property in the form of lampposts installed by the last three short-term teams (Simpson, Thousand Oaks & Yuma): These sources of light provide safety for the care-takers and others on the land at night while at the same time drawing attention to the church, gym and school construction. Because the point isn’t just to have fun activities, a good worship time and great fellowship with other church members (though all of that is good), but also to draw in those who are seeking the true source of Light:

(new lampposts on church property)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB)  

Thank you for continuing to faithfully partner with us (through financial support, prayers & short-term teams) in this work in Lautaro, reaching this city and beyond its borders with the Light of Jesus!

Because of His Glorious Light,

Gustavo, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

Family Matters

Well, hello there!

We hope all the daddies out there had a great Father’s Day this past weekend! At the same time, we know that there are also many who struggle at this time because they miss fathers who have passed on or are hurt by broken relationships with their fathers or children… Family matters affect us deeply, and God made us that way. Ultimately, our joy is in the knowledge that we have a perfect Heavenly Father who loves, guides strengthens & cares for us...

Last Friday we had a special dinner at church to celebrate the fathers in the congregation. I (Karissa) was able to help by making a compilation of photos and video greetings from their children (both younger ones and adults) that everyone enjoyed! Well, Gus helped me with the more technical stuff. (wink) It was fun to see different generations represented, as well as the positive impact that a few of the fathers especially have had on their children and grandchildren. For example, Carlos, a Mapuche man, and his wife Ely are the caretakers of the church and have been members since it was planted. He is an example of grace, love & service, which was seen clearly in the heart-felt messages his children sent him for Friday’s special dinner. These stories are important, because families matter in the church.

(Carlos & Ely [top left] with most of their children and grandchildren.)

We are seeing more & more opportunities to serve the church here, as issues come up in our small group and other conversations, anything from theology to music to multi-media to marriage to parenting… As a couple we look forward to serving together in couples’ counseling and marriage classes, as those have come up as needs in the church and community here! So, there is a plan in the works to have a marriage seminar in the church before the end of the year, to encourage couples already attending and to draw new people in, because couples matter to the God who created relationships.

Our children continue to become more immersed in the church body, in relationships with children & adults, in conversations with members on short-term teams that come to serve (especially with those that stay in our home)...  It is wonderful to see all four of the kids growing, learning, thriving, enjoying classes (for the most part!) and having lots of fun! Because children’s wellbeing matters:

(family game of monopoly)

(Diego's first tooth)

(Jeremy has been helping with the lyrics powerpoint for worship the past few Sundays)

As a family, we all had a bout with colds a couple of weeks ago and now have some sort of stomach bug, though nothing too serious. It seems most people at church have been sick with some bug or another recently, so it’s just that time of year. We greatly appreciate your continued prayers for all of our health, energy and adaptation to the climate here as winter officially begins… because family health matters too!

This past week, we also celebrated Gus’ birthday and our 10^th wedding anniversary!  It was a very busy week between normal life and ministry stuff as well as getting ready for Friday’s dinner and another team’s arrival last Saturday (Gus is working with them all this week). But a friend offered to watch the kids for several hours so we could go on a special date to a nearby natural hot-springs! It was such a blessing to get away for the day, disconnect from work and daily routine, and just spend fun time as a couple in a beautiful place and remember all of the highlights of this past decade together! Because marriage is His beautiful design as the foundation for family.

(Volcano Villarrica on our way to the hot springs for our 10th anniversary)

We believe that God has created each of us with a need for community and drawn us into relationships. Sometimes those will be good, strong, biological families and sometimes only spiritual families, but ideally it will be a combination of both. We are praying that God use us as a whole family to bless whole family units in this church, in this city, and in this region. To draw individuals and their loved ones into healthy relationships, corporate worship, accountability, spiritual growth, pure enjoyment, molding of character…  Because God’s family, His church, matters most of all…

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1) Thank you for continuing to faithfully walk alongside us on this journey! Though we can’t see it yet, our Loving Father already sees the beautiful, complete family portrait currently being created, with people from every tribe, tongue & nation!

In His Love,

~Karissa & Gus, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

A Little Bit of Everything...

Hola Amigos!

Cool autumn greetings from way down south! It’s been a busy season in Lautaro, Chile! Here is some of what has been happening and what is coming up:

- The Board meeting for the mission organization in Santiago a couple of weeks ago went well! Thank you so much for praying for Gus’ trip as well as for the kids & myself at home that week. Gus was also able to take advantage of being in town to visit his aging grandmother, run a few errands and then bring a carful of items we had needed to leave there back in February for lack of space. It’s so good to have access to those items again, especially some school supplies that got left behind (though I will admit I have mixed feelings about having the exercise bike here now… we have a love-hate relationship…)  😉

-         - Gus’ adoptive parents, Doug & Shelly, stayed a couple of nights with us on their way to other meetings last month! The kids were thrilled to get some good play time with Grandma & Grandpa all day long, including going out to eat at the mall in the nearby bigger city, getting some new cold-weather clothes and playing several arcade-style games. 😊

-         -  All four kids are feeling more and more comfortable in the church here in Lautaro, have made a few friends and even enjoy talking with some of the adults too!  Diego gets passed around from person to person during most services and special events, so I don’t get to hold him much when we’re there. 😉  Elizabeth and Cristina enjoy singing and dancing around to the worship songs they know in the services.  When Gus isn’t playing drums, Jeremy likes to go “help” Daddy operate the sound board. He informed me last Sunday after the worship service that he was watching how the person projecting the lyrics was using the computer to do that and he’d like to help with that sometime, since he “knows pretty much all the songs and can read well and the computer is easy to use”. 😉

-         -  The church’s weekly home groups have started up again and it’s a blessing to be a part of one of them! That time on Thursday evenings provides another good opportunity to connect regularly with families and individuals, study the Word, answer discussion questions together, share prayer requests, sing some worship songs, and eat yummy food! Usually it’s just light snacky stuff that is shared, but a couple of weeks ago Gus and I offered to do home-made pizzas for the group, and those were a big hit! 

-          - The couple that hosts the home group, Andrés & Tita, are some of our closest friends here. It’s been good to be able to encourage them as a couple as they lead a home group for the first time, as well as be able to challenge them to keep growing in other areas of life and ministry. We really enjoy spending time with them as a family (they have a 5-year-old boy and an 8-month-old baby girl) and the kids have a blast together! Jeremy has even joined the soccer team that their son, Gabriel, plays on, so that’s another fun weekly connection and way to burn off some extra energy! 😊

-          - For Mother’s Day weekend, there was a special dinner at the church, prepared and served by our husbands! It was delicious, the conversation was pleasant, and a good time was had by the twenty moms who were present.  I am also getting more involved in the church’s women’s ministry, as a part of the team that prepares events for the next few months as well as planning home visits to encourage and pray for several different ladies.

-         -  Music classes are going well for Gus as he got straight A’s this first quarter and was peer-elected representative or spokesperson each time the class was assigned to break up into work groups! It is a blessings to see how his leadership qualities and work ethic visibly draw others in and encourage people to do well in completely different contexts. God uses us to be a light wherever we are!  They now have a two-week break from the academy, which is good, because:

-          - We are currently starting the second week hosting another team of students from Simpson University in Redding, CA!   (This is the same school that sent two teams to help us with the soccer camps in Melilla and a team to do construction and sports two years ago here in Chile.) This year there are some construction and maintenance projects at the church, some opportunities to go out into the community to connect with people, and a few outreach events at the church. The team has been a huge blessing so far, as their work ethic and attitudes have been great!

-          - Last Saturday, the team and church hosted a recreational afternoon for kids! Turnout was great, with close to 80 kids (and their parents) present! All of the volunteers (both from the team and the church) were split up to cover different roles and lead activities, from face-painting to greeters to bouncy castle supervisors to balloon animals to craft table leaders to competition judges to kitchen help to making the parents feel welcome…. Personally, I was able to mingle and share with several moms & dads as we supervised our kids playing. We had many good, and even a couple of deeper spiritual, conversations!

-          - Now Gus is in the middle of another busy week with the team: construction projects at church, visiting a girls’ home for those socially at-risk, going out to one of the daughter church-plants in another town, and then another outreach event and activities at church this weekend, followed by more projects next week too. So the rest of the month is going to be full! We are hopeful that this would be a time of encouragement for the local believers in the church, a time of seekers being drawn into what’s going on and touched by God’s love, and a time of vision for those on the team who are getting a new perspective on missions and on being God’s hands and feet around the world…

Please pray for:

-          - A good, productive second week of projects and activities with the team from Simpson University,

-          - Growing & deepening relationships in the community around us,

-          - An inexpensive (but effective) solution for recurring car trouble we’ve been having lately,

-          - Good health for the six of us, as several on the team and at church have pretty bad colds right now,

-          - Energy to continue well with activities & responsibilities this month,

-          - Time to connect well as a couple and family in the midst of the busyness of work & school.

Thank you so much for your continued love, care & concern, shown through your faithful prayers, support & messages!  We are honored to work with you in this partnership to reach the lost in Lautaro, in the Araucanía region of Chile and beyond!

Because He is Faithful,

Gustavo, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

  

The Sound of Music

Dear Friends,

Music really speaks to people! This is a very obvious and universal truth: All over the world and all throughout history, every civilization, culture, tribe and socio-economic group has expressed itself through music. We use music to express our joy, our sorrow, our creativity, our struggles, our relationships, our love for God... It is a wonderful, essential tool, intrinsically woven into the fabric of all of our lives, whether we directly recognize it or not.

As was the case in both Melilla and in Santiago, Gus continues here in Lautaro to be very involved in music ministry and we are blessed to see how it can encourage and challenge believers in their walk with Jesus, as well as how it can touch non-believers & seekers, drawing them in...

Since moving to Lautaro two months ago, Gus has played the drums during worship every other Sunday, including for the church's special anniversary celebration! His participation has been so encouraging to the other musicians on the worship team (as many of you know from experience, it really changes the dynamics and flow of the songs when you have a good, consistent drummer setting the pace, literally 😉).

My talented husband has also been able to re-wire the sound system at church as well as research new equipment options and train the young sound guy. Those technical details are ones that we might take for granted on Sunday mornings, but are so important and, trust me, you can tell when they aren't working like they should!  Over the past couple of weeks, we have both received many comments from church members about how blessed they've been by the worship services and how much improvement they have heard in the rest of the musicians and in the overall quality of the sound! 😊

(Sunday Worship Team)

A couple of the guys from the worship team have started getting together recently with Gus and some non-believing friends and family members to form a blues-style band!  They are rehearsing once a week at the church, having a great time sharing and enjoying good music. This again has emphasized to Gus the strategic importance of designing a well-set up rehearsal room at the church as a way of drawing in the many gifted young musicians in this region.

There are also several people in church and in the surrounding community that we know of that would like to learn to play an instrument or learn more about music, and it seems this area of ministry will continue to be more and more of an open door into people's lives. So, as a couple, we decided that Gus should take advantage of a special study program at a music academy in the nearby bigger city of Temuco. This program lasts one year and will deepen his understanding of music theory while at the same time emphasizing teaching techniques. Upon completion, he will receive an official diploma that will allow him to teach music workshops around the country and, in approved scenarios, even teach music class in schools!

Our team leader (Miguel) has communicated that he wants this first year for us here to be one of adapting as a family and slowly getting more and more involved in the church ministries and community as everyone gets to know us better, so Miguel is thrilled about this opportunity for Gus to become better prepared in the area of music which fits so well into the overall vision for Lautaro and this region of Chile. So, Gus is all signed up and these past two Saturdays has had classes all day at the academy in Temuco!

(Back in school!)

Over this past week Gus has already had a couple of opportunities to teach some of what he learned at that first class, with our kids and with one of the youth from church! ☺️ The teaching program is not an expensive program, especially for all of what he is able to get out of it, but it does make our monthly finances a bit more tight. However, we are convinced this is a good investment for future ministry and work possibilities, so this year of adaptation is the perfect time for it and will be well worth tightening our belt buckles! 😉

Thank you for your continue prayers:

• For the kids and I here at home as Gus travels to Santiago this coming Monday-Friday for our mission organization's board meeting,
• For continued good relationships in the church of Lautaro,
• For wisdom in decisions for this year,
• For open doors in the secular community,
• For good progress to continue in the work on the school and other community services being carried out by teams that come to serve (three teams were hosted over the past month, and another few teams will be coming in the next months),
• For financial provision for our family and ministry needs,
• For good health for the six of us,
• For adaptation to the colder weather that is coming,
• And for music to continue being used by God to reach the people of Lautaro with His love & truth!

(Diego is 6 months old now!)

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:16-17).

Thank you for continuing on this exciting journey with us!  We appreciate your partnership so much!

For the Glory of His Name,

The Guevaras

Easter Morning Follows Lonely Saturday

Dear Friends,

Happy Easter!  Our Lord is Risen!  The phrase, "He is risen" has been said millions of times in hundreds of languages, but remains so incredibly powerful. And the fact that Jesus is no longer dead is what drives us all to keep working to extend His eternal Kingdom, by His grace and in His strength.

We will write a new ministry and family blog post later this week, but had just wanted to wish everyone a blessed Sunday!  (I [Karissa] am actually staying home this morning with a sinus infection, while Gus takes the older three kids to the church service.  We appreciate prayers that this sickness passes quickly and that no one else gets it.)

I know that some of you might not be in the "Easter mood" today...  Perhaps you've had a rough week or month or year so far, and you're not really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet.  I wrote something yesterday to share on Facebook, and wanted to share it here too, in case it might encourage you:

"That Saturday must have been beyond horrible... Their best friend and teacher was dead, their hopes completely dashed.

John had stood there by the cross the day before, crying, watching his close friend and leader die. But Peter had an even worse memory: the last look he had seen on Jesus' face was the pain of betrayal as Peter denied Him for the third time.

Maybe if he hadn't behaved like such a coward things could have ended differently, he thinks. But then again, Peter is still baffled by the fact that Jesus didn't let him defend Him with the sword He had told Peter to buy....

What a terrible day of shattered hope, that lonely Saturday.

Are you living through a season of regrets or confusion?
Do you feel like God has not answered in a way you could understand?
Or do you think that after your latest rebellion or failure there is no way He could still forgive you, let alone love you?

There are things at work in places you wouldn't believe right now. It may seem eerily quiet & lonely, but soon dawn will break, the stone will be rolled away and the One who was dead will rise victorious. He hasn't given up on you!"

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. 

May God continue to bless & encourage you today and every day. 

Because of His Death & Resurrection,

~ The Guevara Family