Hello, Dear Friends!
As
most of you approach summer and we approach winter, we hope you are doing well
and filled with hope in Jesus!
(morning frost on this chilly, autumn morning)
It has been a few months since we have written a
full newsletter, so hopefully this catches you up on what is going on here in
southern Chile:
Regional Work
This year, Gustavo has been easing into his role of
coordinating the work in Melipeuco, Los Ángeles and Ralco. Each of those
projects look so different from each other and require distinct approaches, so
Gus is constantly communicating with the local leaders in each location to
define goals, needs, plans, teaching, training, etc.
- The church in Melipeuco is now meeting in the new church
building (1st stage completed) and Pastor Luis & his family are living in
their recently-finished home! We are working to encourage the leadership to
define new, fresh ways of reaching out and meeting the spiritual needs of the
community around them in a place that seems spiritually heavy and blinded in
many ways.
(Easter Sunday School Class in Melipeuco)
- The group in Los Ángeles is small and has struggled through the
instability of the past couple of years (for a variety of reasons), so Gus is
currently providing tools and guidance as needed toward goal-setting, defined
vision, passion and relevancy. The potential in that city is huge as it is a
university hub with lots of students and young couples/families forming who are
turned off by traditional churches and the hypocrisy they have seen from
“religious” people... We are stepping in faith toward the growth that we
believe God will bring over the coming months and years to the Los Ángeles
church!
- Amador and his family have been in the town of Ralco for a
couple of months now and feel that they are beginning to understand how the
culture and society in that mountain community works. With that in mind, he and
Gus are currently defining strategies for reaching out with the hope of Jesus
in a place where broken families, abuse, neglect, discrimination and
misunderstandings are a dime a dozen... They are excited that the first
short-term team from the US will be going to Ralco for a few days in June to do
some work on the church building and community outreach!
(picturesque drive to the town of Ralco up in the mountains)
Please pray for all three of those locations, with their
unique challenges and blessings, that God would grant clarity, wisdom and unity
in decision-making for the leaders involved to motivate the believers to be the
salt & light, to reach out to the lost in their communities!
(We were blessed in April to receive a couple of one-time
gifts to help with gas expenses for us to travel to these locations during this
month. That has been a tremendous help, so we ask that you would please
continue to pray with us that this financial need would be covered in the
months to come as well, and if God lays it on your heart to give toward that
need, we are very grateful for any and all help!)
Countryside Home
We have been living in the countryside outside of Lautaro
for over three months now, and what a different life it is! Besides the beautiful views of volcanoes to
the east, we routinely see an array of various animals, including (but not
limited to): horses, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, lizards, frogs, and so
many different kinds of birds & insects... The kids are loving the zoo-like
experience!
(pigs looking for dinner, with a volcano backdrop)
(our neighbors' flock of geese...)
(...and their sheep)
There have been numerous challenges, like getting working electricity,
running water and a usable internet connection. At the end of March a wildfire
came very close to our house, which required help from several neighbors,
firetrucks and even two planes spraying fire deterrent and water! Thankfully no
one was hurt and there was no damage to our property nor anyone else’s... only
fields of wheat chaff and dry grass were burnt up, some bushes and a few trees.
God’s protection was over us and our neighbors!!
(yes, that is our front porch to the right, with fire right across the road!)
(Gus explaining to the neighbors where the fire came from)
Besides the obvious challenges of another move with kids and
getting set up in a new house (in addition to building a woodshed, operating a
generator and digging a well, among other things!), this change has been such a
blessing for all of us. The kids are loving the outdoor space, the new house,
the views, the animals... Homeschooling motivation is different when they can
run around outside for hours after finishing their books!
(hands-on learning opportunities!)
(completed woodshed!)
(ready for winter)
(digging the well)
(about 15 feet dug so far... hopefully not too much further to go!)
We’ve been over to a neighbor’s to pick apples and deliver
cookies/brownies a couple times, and the kids have had lots of fun playing with
some neighbor boys on the weekends. Besides the families that have lived in
this area for generations, there are ten lots about 500 yards from us that have
recently sold, and the new owners are starting to build their fences, dig wells
and start their house constructions! So, probably by next summer, there will be
several more families out here that we're looking forward to meeting and
getting to know! We firmly believe that God opened up the door to purchase this
property and move here for a purpose...
We are excited to show His love to families in this area as He allows
those new relationships to begin to develop!
(picking apples, chestnuts and quince at our neighbor's)
(awww, so much cuteness!)
(recently cleared out lots across the main street from us, now sold and starting to be developed)
There is still a bit of work to do inside and outside, and it’s been somewhat awkward at times to
have friends over when electricity and water issues are not 100% nailed down yet.
But despite that, we have still been blessed to have over 30 different guests
over for at least a meal since we moved here, and 7 or 8 of those guests have
stayed the night!
(friends over for Liz' 9th birthday)
Hosting is something that is so fun for all of us (the kids
really love having guests over!) and it is such a blessing to have the space to
do that well in a beautiful area where guests can relax, unplug a bit from
their daily grind, seek counseling if needed or just enjoy themselves. That is
something we have always desired our home to be: a warm, rejuvenating place
where friends from near and far feel welcome and at-home. So, please come visit
us! That’s an open invitation!! 😊
VIVE Ecuador
As we reach out to our “Jerusalem” (the people in this
countryside area where we now live and our friends in Lautaro) as well as to
our “Judea and Samaria” (Melipeuco, Los Ángeles and Ralco), God continues to
push us to serve “to the ends of the earth” as well!
At the end of August, Lord willing, our Mission will be
putting on a
conference in Ecuador (similar to the VIVE conference this past
January near Santiago), and the organizers have asked us as a couple to teach a
marriage class there. That type of teaching opportunity is something we are very
passionate about, and ever since Gus and Jeremy went on a missions team to
Ecuador two years ago, we have been hoping and praying we could go some day as
a family!
(Gus leading one of the prayer times at the VIVE conference this past January)
Honestly though, at this time we are living with an
extremely tight budget after construction expenses, so the $4,000 needed for
our family to make a trip like that is completely beyond our financial
capacities. Having said that, we believe that if God desires for us to
encourage couples at this conference, He can miraculously provide those funds:
So, we humbly ask you to pray with us that God would provide if that is His
will, and if He puts in on your heart, please give toward that missions trip! (If
so, please let us know that is what your gift is for so we can designate
properly!)
God’s Timing
The first five months of 2019 have had many moments of
excitement, disappointment, hope, frustration, joy, and many other emotions...
for us, and probably for you as well. There have been times we wished one day
or week would be over soon, and others we wished would linger longer! That is
life, though, isn’t it? Everything is not quite enough, and many times we are
not quite what we wish to be either... We won’t be completely satisfied until
we are in God’s presence without the stain of sin to continually mess things
up. But until that day, there are so many who don’t know Him, who have never
felt peace, never experienced His forgiveness, never been filled with true
joy...
(Gus captured this photo of the full moon a couple months ago!)
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything,
that God makes everything beautiful in its time, and that “He has set eternity
in the human heart.” There is something deep inside each person that longs for
and knows that there is more. You and I already know who that “more” is, so
let’s show those who don’t know, not just with words but with love and
truth-filled actions. And when the time is right, they will respond. But let’s
be ready with that message of Hope, wherever God has us now!
Thank you so much for
your encouragement, prayers and financial support. We are so blessed and
honored to partner in this Kingdom work with you!!
Because His name is Beautiful
and His timing is Perfect,
The Guevara Family
(in Melipeuco at Conguillio National Park, with the Volcano Llaima in the background)
