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

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