Falling Into Place

Dear Partners, 

We hope you and your loved ones are doing well! Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support for our family and the ministry here in the South of Chile. 

It is now fall here in Chile, the days are getting shorter and much cooler, and life seems to get busier and busier! As we have preferred posting short updates on Facebook and over email, it´s been a very long time since we've posted on this blog! But we've had a busy past month and haven't sent out an email update, so thought it would be good to share a several photos and explanations about what has been going on here in ministry: 

The first weekend in March, we held a worship workshop at church, after the normal service and a quick lunch together. It was a fun and encouraging time with several friends who want to become more involved in that ministry! Two of the teenage girls who participated that day have each been on the worship team one Sunday since then, and other participants are lined up to join in soon as well. Please pray for these good steps of growth! 

Three weeks ago, our friend Isabel was hit head-on in her car while driving her daughter and a friend to school. They´ve had some physical complications but nothing broken or terribly bad. Her car, however, is in bad shape. For now we are lending her the 5-passenger car the mission organization gifted us, and are helping to organize a raffle for the end of April to raise funds toward her car repair. Pray for Isabel and her car situation, which she needs for her work deliveries. 

Gus spent a couple weeks in Melipeuco this month, helping with the 2nd stage of the church construction there! It was a very productive time and the church is looking fantastic! Thank you, Lord! And thank you, friends, for your prayers! 

While Gus was gone, I was busy getting into back-to-school routines with the kids, and we had a couple of outings too: church, the park, Temuco, and even up to Melipeuco to help the team there for a day! 

Last Saturday was our daughter Liz' 12th birthday, so we had a fun party with lots of friends here at our home! 

Then Sunday was a busy day with the regular church service, and most of the kids in Sunday School had practiced a short play (Daniel in the lion's den) to show the congregation after Gus gave sermon on Daniel! It was very special, as most of these kids had never been in a Bible story play before! 

And now we have guests here for a week, a family from Santiago who are good friends of ours and wanted to spend part of their vacation time with us! And since the man is also a sound tech guy, he´s going to help Gus get a new soundboard set up for the church in Lautaro! Yay for opening up new doors in ministry with technology! 

Ok, that's it for now! Life has felt crazy busy lately, but in mostly good ways. And we are just grateful how God has been working out even the complicated details of life and ministry and allowing things to ‘fall’ into place well and providing for every need… 

Thank you for reading this update, friends, and for praying with us for the needs mentioned and for our family! We are blessed to be in partnership with you!! 

In His Love, 

Gus, Karissa, Jeremy, Liz, Cristina and Diego

September News and Prayer Requests

 Dear Friends,

We pray that you and your loved ones are doing well, in the midst of this very different year. It is already September, and many people have been expressing that 2020 has felt very long, but also flown by, simultaneously! It is a strange phenomenon with so many things still up in the air, and yet new opportunities each day to praise God, enjoy peace in Him, and share His love with others...

Over the past few weeks we have started having some friends and families over as the weather is getting nicer and people are feeling better about interacting with some outside of their immediate family. And a couple weeks ago we all were able to go to Melipeuco and spend some time with Luis and Andrea after Gus had a meeting with an engineer. (We even got to play in the snow for ½ an hour!) It is very encouraging for all of us to get out and about a little bit, and mostly just to be able to do more things in person with friends!  

(going to Melipeuco!)

Gus continues to connect on a weekly basis with other missionary guys here in the south over Zoom in a couple different meetings, to encourage and build each other up. And I just recently started doing the same with the missionary ladies/wives. We are also regularly messaging back and forth with or calling local friends and acquaintances who are going through hard times and need help, counsel or just a listening ear, some of whom have come over to our home for a couple hours to share their hearts. I’ve been able to go to two different friends’ houses in the past couple weeks to hear what they are going through physically and spiritually, and pray for them. These are opportunities we don’t take for granted anymore!

Besides ministry, it has been good to keep busy physically this past month with different projects: Gus built shelves for our closet and desk/shelves combos for our bedroom (the kids and I helped sand and paint them), and on the sunnier days we’ve all been working together outside, fixing up the property little by little, and prepping for building the fence in October, hopefully. Our continued desire is that this would be a fun, relaxing and rejuvenating place for guests who need to recharge or even reconnect with their Creator!

(our neighbors' turkeys decided to come say "good morning" the other day)

Here are some specific prayer requests for September:

- Next week (Sept. 6th-14th) we will have a missionary family of five coming to stay with us. Please pray that it would be an encouraging time for all, that relationships would continue to be strengthened and that they would continue to adapt well to ministry in the south of Chile (even as ministry looks so different this year!).

-  Please continue to pray for Agustina, a 9-year old girl who has been struggling for a couple months with spiritual and psychological issues, and who was just diagnosed a week ago with thyroid cancer. Please pray for healing for her and for wisdom & peace for the whole family as they go through this treatment process.

- Thank you for your prayers for Simón, a teenage young man who has had really bad digestive pain. Thankfully, testing came back negative for stomach ulcers, praise God! Please pray for him to make good choices in his eating habits and pray that God would heal him and his family from the damage apparently caused when the father left them (which has led to enormous emotional stress and anxiety).

- Pray for a few different friends who used to attend church (most even served in different ministries), but left a couple or a few years ago after feeling misused, misled or abandoned in different ways. Right now they are each struggling in their faith and reaching out for help and spiritual friendship. Pray that God would use us to point these friends back to Him, not covering up the wrong done, but showing through our words and example that God’s love never fails.

- Pray for a team bonding/retreat day planned for September 26th (Lord willing). All 4 other missionary families here in the south of Chile will be coming to spend the day at our house, so we can all get to know each other better in person and encourage/challenge one another in this work. It looks like restrictions on travel and private gatherings groups of more than 10 should be over at that point, so prayers appreciated that everything works out, as this opportunity to all get together in person would be a big energy and spiritual boost right now for the team!

- Please pray that the regular weekly zoom meetings would continue to be an encouragement and healthy challenge for all of us engaged in those.

- Please continue to pray for the kids and I as there are a couple months left in the school year (and as we have increased visitors we’ll need to get more creative with class schedule).

- Thank you for praying for our health as a family! We are all doing well and feeling great (maybe just some sore muscles from the outdoor work this week!), none of us have been sick at all the past few months, and we know that this is a blessing!

As always, we are so very grateful that you stand in the gap for our family and the ministry here, partnering through your prayers, financial support, and encouragement! There is a deep purpose in everything that is going on and we are honored to serve in this work alongside you!! 

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Please let us know how we can be praying for YOU this month as well!

In His Hands,

Gus, Karissa, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego

Working While Waiting

Dear Friends,

We are coming up on the two-month mark since social distancing officially started, at least here in the south of Chile. “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1) It is strange that to some degree or another, this verse has applied to so many different cities all over the world in the past several weeks...

Do you, like us, feel like you’re in a waiting period right now? Many important tasks or decisions are on hold, some of them indefinitely. Family life, work, studies, ministry, relationships, etc., are at very different places than “normal”, and no one really knows when (or if) if those will go back to how they were before....

Personally, we have been trying to buy a small, used car for Gus to get better gas mileage when traveling for work to Melipeuco, Ralco and Los Angeles, which would also allow me to have the family car when he’s gone in case the kids & I need to go anywhere.  Though there are available, affordable vehicles for sale in the nearby city of Temuco (30 miles away), we haven’t been able to go see them because without a medical appointment or other emergency, no one is allowed to travel into the city of Temuco: it is quarantined off because of the virus. So, the car purchase is on hold for now.

Under normal circumstances, social events, hosting people in our home (one of the main reasons we wanted a nice, big house in the countryside!), and deepening relationships with friends are very active parts of our weekly life and ministry as a family. And yet right now none of those “in-person” times can happen and almost all communication is over messages or calls. A couple of people close to us are needing treatment for serious health conditions and it is very hard to not be able to be with them physically through this difficult time in their lives.  Gus was able to take one of those friends to the hospital in Temuco for some tests a few weeks ago, but in most practical ways, doing “life” with our friends and with our community is definitely on hold. And that is tough.

For work meetings, we are using Zoom & Whatsapp, as are many others around the world now.  However, our monthly Internet wi-fi package is not large enough to cover all of these new conference-call needs.  We have been trying to purchase a larger Internet package, but the Internet company’s phone numbers aren’t working and the online forms aren’t going through. We could place the order in person at the company’s office, but it’s in Temuco (again, we can’t go because that city is quarantined). So, we are juggling our Internet usage, prioritizing work meetings and completely eliminating school videos or online family entertainment. Some things just have to wait.  

A couple of friends here have asked Gus to help them record some worship songs to use for the encouragement of the local church through social media, so he has been involved in that the past few days. Yesterday, however, his computer’s hard drive completely crashed. They were able to work around that and continued recording with one of their computers (albeit a less efficient system). However, Gus needs a working computer and right now he can’t take his into the shop (because, guess where that is? Yep, in Temuco...). So, he’s investigating and trying to order parts online and then see what else can be done. That will most likely imply waiting for weeks to have a clear solution, but right now it looks like we may need to nix the idea of buying a small, used car this year and instead use those funds to purchase a computer, which is a bummer.

Even though this is a time of being “on hold” in so many ways, we are trying to be creative & active:

- We took some cookies and handmade notes to a few families on Easter Sunday,

- Gus has a weekly Zoom group meeting with the leaders he works with from Melipeuco, Ralco and Los Angeles, in an effort to unite and focus the churches in the South toward common goals,

- We’ve purchased many goods from local friends to help their business ventures as they’ve struggled to make ends meet in these strange times,

- Gus took flowers to a few mom-friends of ours for Mother’s Day, as a special show of appreciation despite this time of social distancing,

- I send regular voice messages to encourage & challenge local ladies who have said that they would like to receive those,

- Gus started a weekly virtual drum class to raise money for food baskets to bless needy families in Melipeuco and Ralco,

- The kids are having a good homeschool year so far and Gus has even been able to help teach some of their classes too, since he is mostly working from home,

- We have been tackling projects and activities together as a family to be active, productive and get those healthy rays of sunshine and fresh air when weather allows being outdoors!

In the midst of all this craziness and uncertainty, it is SO reassuring to know who holds our futures, isn’t it?? None of this surprises God at all; He’s not caught off guard by current events!

I think if we are willing to look at this time we are living in as an opportunity and plough through the challenges with perseverance and patience, God will bless & use us in new ways. No matter what our current struggles are, we are still called to be joyful, to love & pray for our neighbors and for our enemies, to be a shining light for Jesus especially when it is dark or confusing around us. Right now people really need hope and a secure place to take their fears, frustrations and disappointments... God is the only real Security there is and He calls us to be instruments of His Love in the lives of others!

So as we wait to find out what is the next step in this “new normal” for each of us in all aspects of life, let us cling to God, because He is unchanging in the midst of this chaos.  Let us work hard and find creative ways to encourage others, even as we wait patiently for answers. And let us be thankful for all of God’s blessings! “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16)

Thank you so much for your prayers, your words of encouragement and your financial support for our family and work here in the south of Chile. Partnering with you in this ministry is a privilege that we don’t take for granted! May the Lord bless you and supply all your needs, giving you wisdom and perseverance to navigate these unique times we are all traversing together...

Because He is our Firm Foundation,

Gus & Karissa,

Jeremy, Liz, Cristina & Diego

2019 In Photos

Hello Dear Friends & Family!

We hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Savior! What a life-changing, hope-granting Gift!

Well, 2019 is almost over! I feel like we say this every December, but this year seemed to fly by, right?  Here’s a recap of many of this past year’s highlights for us (it's so easy to forget all that's gone on in 12 months!), and then we'll close with prayer requests for the next months:

January - 

Technically, this photo is from December 2018, but we did ring in the New Year too with Karissa’s family in the U.S, even though there's no photo to prove it (wink):

Helped with the VIVE conference, at a retreat center just south of Santiago:

Lots of packing... and moved into our new home in the countryside:

February - 

Moved furniture and people around in our unfinished home as construction/installations were being completed:

Gus worked in Melipeuco with a couple teams that month:

Karissa made her first batches of homemade jams and preserves:

March - 

Adopted an abandoned mommy dog and her puppies:

Gus went to teach a sound workshop in Santiago:

There was a blazing wildfire that came within yards of our home: 

We celebrated Liz’ 9th birthday on that same day anyway:

April - 

We finished building our woodshed:

Gus helped with a music team in Santiago:

We celebrated Easter in Melipeuco:

May - 

Lots of apple-picking and relationship-building with a very kind neighbor:

(We had many visitors at our house, both human and animal😉: 

Spent a weekend in Ralco and Los Angeles for ministry meetings:

June - 

Gus played a concert with a secular band in a city further south:

(We went to Melipeuco as a family for leadership meetings and a women’s Bible study:

Celebrated Gus' birthday & our anniversary: 

Gus worked with a team in Ralco:

Taught a worship workshop in Los Ángeles:

Karissa & the kids dug the100-foot trench for the waterline while Gus was away as a surprise:

July - 

Karissa got a special day away with some friends to a hot springs:

Gus worked with another team in Ralco: 

We celebrated Jeremy’s 11th birthday: 

Prepared a birthday bbq for Amador in Ralco:

Road and water problems on the land:

Finally got the well running:

August - 

Karissa & kids went to Melipeuco with a couple friends for a women’s Bible study:

We had several weekend guests: 

Traveled to Ecuador as a family to serve at the VIVE conference and meet our sponsored girls:

September - 

The “18 de Septiembre”, Chile’s independence day:

Several different families came to stay for a couple of nights throughout the month:

We spent another Sunday in Melipeuco:

October - 

We celebrated Diego’s 4th birthday with the family in Santiago:

Gus went on a missions trip to Iraq:

Our neighbor helped Karissa & kiddos plant our first vegetable garden:

A social crisis explodes in Santiago, affecting all of Chile... Unrest, violence & lack of unity still continue in many regions more than 2 months later:

November - 

We celebrated Karissa’s birthday:

Gus worked in Melipeuco again with a short-term team:

Kids took their final exams to wrap up our home-school year:

We celebrated Cristina’s 7th birthday:

December - 

Attended a special lunch celebrating a rural waterline that hundreds of families (including us) will be beneficiaries of this next year:

 Building & painting shelves: 

Baking & delivering cookies together:

Special Pre-Christmas service & lunch in Melipeuco:

And yesterday we attended a neighbor’s birthday, where we were the only non-family members invited:

Prayer Requests for 2020:

- Please continue to pray for the socio-political situation in Chile: there is most likely an impending recession, there have been thousands of jobs lost, and this affects everyone here in Chile, directly or indirectly. Some are waiting for the perfect solution or a savior of sorts, but we know politics are messy, people tend to be greedy and selfish, and Jesus is the only one who can really save, bring justice and real freedom. Please pray for peace, generosity and love to be shown especially by believers in this country!

- Gus will have strategic planning meetings for 2020 with leaders in Melipeuco, Ralco and Los Ángeles in the next few weeks. Prayers for wisdom & guidance in starting off this new year well in all three of those locations!

- We will be traveling to Santiago in a couple weeks for the VIVE 2020 Conference (taking place January 15th-18th). Please pray for safe trips for all of those who are traveling to be there and for God’s leading in all that takes place that week.

- After VIVE, we’ll be hosting several guests in our home. Pray that those would be relaxing times for these families to get away from their normal routine and enjoy the countryside in the south.

- In February Gus will be working with at least two short-term teams in Melipeuco and Ralco. Please pray for the construction and evangelistic projects they will be carrying out, Lord willing.

- Please pray for Pastor Geovanni & his family (from Ecuador) as they are currently preparing to move down here to the south of Chile in March! We look forward to working as a team with them in this region after their period of adaptation.

- Pray for continued relationship-building over the summer months: As weather is nice and kids are out of school, there are many opportunities to get to know and deepen friendships with neighbors!

- Prayers appreciated for good health for our family over the summer. This month we’ve dealt with bouts of heatstroke, a flu bug and some seasonal allergies too... Please pray that all 6 of us would have good health and energy for everything going on in January and February!

Thank you so much for your prayers: we feel uplifted & protected knowing that you are standing in the gap for our family. Thank you for your words of encouragement: hearing from you means so much to us and seems to close the physical distance gap! And thank you for your regular monthly support, as well as your one-time gifts sent to help with specific needs this year: we are humbled & honored to be able to serve in this region, and your faithful partnership allows that to happen!!

It may sound really cliche, but one of the best ways we could sum up 2019 is with: #blessed.  In spite of the manifold changes and challenges, it was a truly, extraordinarily blessed year...and we are so grateful to YOU for joining us in this work and being a part of our international family.

So, bring on 2020! In His grip and in partnership with you, we are ready for any craziness this year brings!

Happy New Year, from our family to yours!!!

Because His mercies are new every morning (and each year),

Gustavo & Karissa, 

Jeremy, Elizabeth, Cristina & Diego