FEBRUARY UPDATE
The big event of this month was the special lunch and evangelistic video we showed on the 26th. Thank you
all for your prayers for that event. We had an American-style turkey dinner (with corn casserole, stuffing, gravy & mashed potatoes!) and we showed this video: http://www.thehopeproject.com/
Bogota Bulletin 14
Thanks so much to all of you who were praying as we started up the new church plant. Johnny & Susan Bolin are working with us to start the new church and help lead. They have about 30 years of experience in church planting. We are so grateful to be working alongside them and learning from them.
On the first Wednesday night we had several people come. A local pastor came to bring some contacts he had that lived near us. His church is much further away and he believed they might be able to come more regularly to our small group. The first meeting went well and basically set the tone for what our small group meetings would be like. We sang, shared praises about what God is doing in our lives, shared a few prayer requests, had prayer time and finally the bible study. As we have continued to meet, the meetings have had as many as six visitors (other than the Bolins and us) and as few as none. We continue to reach out to these people, knowing that it is God who draws them, not us.
Please pray specifically for Carlos and Ganesh, Sandra, Cristian, Olga and Adriana.
Thank you so much for partnering with us in all of this!
So many of you are fighting with us. You are upholding us with your prayers. You are continually bringing us before the throne of God, asking that He give us strength, wisdom, perserverance, and faithfulness as we fight the spiritual darkness of Bogota.
Tonight was just one example, but such a good example that I feel I must share it with you. As many of you know, we work to build relationships with people and look for the opportunity through those friendships to share the light of the Truth. One such relationship is with a man named Edgar. Edgar approached Daniel at a park a few weeks ago and began to speak (faltering) English to him. His main interest was to develop his English language skills, but as they continued to talk, Edgar became interested in our faith. He has visited the church a couple of times on Sundays but tonight was the first time he attended a Wednesday evening prayer service. He had spent about two hours that afternoon with Daniel, talking some in English, but mostly discussing Catholocism and the other religious interests that he has. Namely the Moonies and the DaVinci Code. (If you can call that "religion.")
You can imagine the stir that was caused when he stood up after several men of the church had prayed and asked if he could say a prayer. Not knowing what he intended, no one stopped him. Edgar began to pray to the Virgin Mary and the Saints! After a moment of shocked silence, the deacon stood and interrupted him and started right into the bible lesson. I believe Edgar thinks that he did not do anything wrong or offensive. He says that there should be "tolerance" for different religious "opinions." We continued to talk after church for about 30 more minutes. While we continued to state and reiterate that we base everything we believe and do on what the Bible says, Edgar kept referring to his heart and his feelings. When we pointed out that the Bible doesn't teach that Mary is a part of the Holy Trinity (which he does believe - although I'm sure trinity refers to only 3 persons, right?), Edgar interrupted and actually said that Mary is his co-redeemer.
We are spiritually exhausted from this conversation. It is good for us to defend our faith, but we want Edgar to know that we love him even though we disagree with him. We need to be more ready to give that answer for our faith and we need to have God's word on the tips of our tongues because it is His words, not ours, that can pierce the heart.
Please pray for Edgar and all those here in Bogota that he represents who are so spiritually blinded. People who believe that they should follow their heart. People who believe more in philosophers or priests than in the Holy Word of God. People who base their total faith on things that are mere custom and man-made tradition with little or no scriptural basis. People who recieve "direct revelations" from a god that cannot be our God.
Praise God that we have an effective Advocate before God the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Life here has been so very crazy lately. We have been juggling many things... and trying to manage it all!
To begin with, we have been hunting for an apartment. There have been several apartments that we have been interested in and even made "offers" on. (The monthly rent is usually negotiable.) But so far we feel that we have just been running into closed doors. Over the weekend we both felt that we should pursue one apartment that we originally did not have peace about. Once we contacted the office, we were told that the apartment had already been rented. Within an hour or so the agent who was showing the apartment called to tell us that the paperwork fell through on the guy who had tried to rent it... so would we like to see it again? Our emotions went from up to down to up again within 24 hours. Let me pause this story to tell you about the things lost...
We've been very blessed to have a lot of visitors lately! Last week Daniel's grandmother (Joyce Wyatt) and sister (Karen Mee) came and spent several days with us. It was so fun to spend time with family. Eliana especially loved the extra attention. Then this weekend we had a visit from Laura Carter and her daughter Makayla. They were involved in a gymnastics meet here in Bogota and had come to our house to stay. I was so busy baking and enjoying all that hostessing involves... and then came the phone call from a friend to tell me she had found some free stuff (in another post I will tell you all about my free "blessings" from the Lord!) So I jumped in the car with her and we rushed off to find the treasures... and then I had to rush back home to host 10 missionaries for lunch... and then when everything finally died down we realized that I didn't know where my wedding ring was. Lost.
Last I could remember I had taken the ring off while I was rolling the dough for snickerdoodle cookies. Very messy. And I remembered placing the rings on the counter. But we searched and we searched and I kept feeling more and more sick to my stomach. We even went through two large trash bags of kitchen refuse, making sure it hadn't accidentally gotten thrown away in a napkin. (Like my retainer did about 10 years ago.)
At one point between sobs and tears I asked Daniel, "Is God in control of little things like lost rings?" He assured me that yes, God knows exactly where that ring is. God uses trials like these to test our faith... and I was reminded of that woman Jesus told about who lost one of those coins (probably from her wedding veil) and how she swept the whole house looking for it... and when she found it, she rejoiced and told all her friends.
Well, we had to stop looking for the ring because we had another appointment to see that apartment. This time, we looked past the things that needed repairing and thought of all the good assets, and we started to get really excited. Until the realtor told us that the price was not negotiable and that the landlord would not come down. Again my emotions plummeted. Daniel reminded me on the way out to the car, that God works through things like this too. Since we are begging Him to show us where He wants us to live, He will lead us there. He already has people lined up that He wants us to know and build relationships with and tell about Him. He knows we are seeking Him and His will with our whole hearts. He will not let us get the wrong apartment. So if the landlord really won't come down just $25 more dollars a month on the rent, then perhaps that's God's way of keeping us from making a mistake. And if the landlord changed his mind, then perhaps that's the open door we've been looking for.
So we arrived back home with saddened hearts (reminding ourselves to hope in God) and troubled minds (where could that ring be!!!) and an overtired, hungry, cute, but oh-so-whiney baby.
After praying together, eating a bite, putting the little One down for the night... I began to straighten up the house we are staying in, praying as I picked up items and put away the folded clothes. I straightened up the back patio where I had been sanding and staining some of the free "blessings" from God... and when I moved an unused piece of sandpaper... there was my ring! My heart stopped. And started again. And I said, "Thank you, God!" I had taken it off so that it wouldn't get wood "sand" or stain on it.
We are still anxious to hear from the realtor tomorrow... but I am reminded that God knows, doesn't He? He knew where my ring was. I believe He led me to it... and He knows where the apartment is that He wants us to live in. He knows and has plans for us that are good. We will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
Thanks for your prayers!
Jen
MAY UPDATE
During the month of May we have continued to work on building the relationships we spoke of in the last prayer letter. Thank you to so many of you who responded to that letter, encouraging us to continue building those relationships and assuring us of your prayers and support! Truly, our work here would not be nearly as effective were it not for the prayers that you offer up on our behalf.
APRIL UPDATE
As we shared with you last month, we are now involved in the ministry at the church in Pontevedra. Daniel has had several opportunities to preach and will begin teaching a two-month block on Jeremiah in the Sunday School hour. We have enjoyed deepening the relationships with the people in the church. We try to have at least one family over every week.
I have been able to start a bible study with a new member of the church and her mother. It is a blessing to see spiritual growth and a desire to learn more.
When we were in language school in Costa Rica, we felt as though it was a stepping stone into the spanish-speaking culture. Each of these countries in Central and South America have differences unique to them. For instance, in Costa Rica, everyone says, "Pura Vida!" (Good life! or more loosely translated, it's just their way of saying "It's all good.") But in Colombia, everyone says, "Chevere!" (We would say, "Cool!")
At the language school, the teachers and mentors told us multiple times, "It's not wrong, its just different." While I have to mention that there are times when cultural differences cross the line into moral issues, there are times when, as Americans, we tend to think that the way we do things is THE right way.
Really I think it should be Daniel telling this story, but I'll do my best to get all the facts somewhat straight. So this is the story about how Daniel met the guy who USED to own his bike...
I really must apologize to all my readers for the lapse in recent blogs... Let me sum up some of the past three weeks' events: First Eliana started teething! We had a rough couple of days with fevers and general grumpiness. Just when she was feeling better, she caught a nasty cold bug. It stayed with her for almost a week, resulting in nights with a humidifier and mommy in the room to try to help her breathe and sleep and exhausting clingy days. Thank the Lord she is all better now. Three teeth are showing every time she grins.
We have finished the visiting phase of our orientation process...
Just so you don't worry throughout the entire blog, we did make it home safe and sound. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing this blog! 
Not knowing exactly what you will need when you get there, or what you might need before the shipment arrives, how do you know what to pack, what to store, what to keep, and what to get rid of?
“Withal, praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ… That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” Col 4:3-4
This is our desire! Pray fervently for us that God would use us daily to spread the gospel and to bring glory to His name!
Some of you may know what its like to experience a break-in. Some of you may have had things stolen. Some of you may have an alarm system on your house. But I'm sure that the majority of you just have one door with a dead-lock on it. And you feel safe in your house....
It has been a busy week. We are currently in what our field team calls "orientation." This process includes a lot of practical things like getting our cedulas (Colombian identification cards), driver's license, processing the things we are shipping, etc. All of these things take a lot of time, a lot of paperwork and a lot of patience...
Cheese in your hot chocolate? Toilets without seats? Full steak dinner for $8.00? So many different things we are experiencing, learning, and enjoying!
We left the states on January 6th. I know this is the December newsletter, but surely you will forgive me for including a few of the events of the past week and a half. We said tearful goodbyes to all our family members and lots of friends and church family. It is hard to think that when we return, Eliana will be 3 years old!
We arrived in Bogota late Thursday evening. Again, having a little baby in a Latin culture can be very advantageous. We were escorted around 300-some passengers right up to a counter for customs. It took us hardly 15 minutes to get our visas stamped, get our bags and exit the airport! We were greeted by some of the missionaries on our “team” here in Bogota. We have spent some time with them over the past few days as they have shown us around the city. We have a lot of things to learn here. It can be an overwhelming thought to think of all the new things we have to learn like cooking at a 9000 ft. altitude, shopping in markets and new stores with different foods, finding doctors, getting documents and paperwork done, learning how to drive in a place where the road and traffic laws are different but you’re responsible for them even if the road isn’t marked, and just life in general. Pray that God will give us grace and strength as we learn all these things.
Also pray that we will be able to find the cultural keys to unlock the hearts of these people so that we may develop relationships that lead to friendships, opportunities to share the gospel and ultimately, discipleship.
For the past two years you all have sustained us with your prayers throughout the pre-field process and language school. But that was just the beginning. Now more than ever we need your prayers, your encouragement and your support. Thank you so much for taking part in what God is doing here in Colombia!
We awoke to a drizzle... not really a "sun"-day. We were picked up by the Trouts in their little red 1980-something Chevy Spirit and we visited the church out in Tunal, about 30 minutes from the seminary where we are staying. The church, which meets in an old theatre building, is pastored by a national pastor. Bob Trout, our field director, was invited to speak in their services. When we drove up, the first thing I noticed was the "salmon" and "aqua" paint job. (Some people might just say "pink" and "blue.") The next thing I noticed was that there was no parking lot. We just kindof parked on a sort of sidewalk area right in front of the building. Most of the 300-some congregation walks to church, so there is no real need for parking! Inside, the building was large and neatly kept, also with the same aqua and salmon decor. The chairs were the white plastic type most Americans use on their back porches. The chill and the draft didn't seem to deter the faithful. Most of the congregation simply wore their coats, scarves and gloves throughout the entire service. The worship service began around 9:45. Around 10:45 we had a break in which women came around with steaming plastic cups of what I think was Chamomile tea. The second service (all the people stayed for both services) had more singing and anouncements and then the preaching again. This service lasted until a little after 1:00. Because it was the Sunday after the Day of the Kings (the day the wisemen brought gifts to the Christchild) we were served Christmas Tamales wrapped in banana leaves accompanied with hot chocolate. We enjoyed meeting the people, who were all so friendly and the pastor and his wife. This church was started by a missionary who was killed 15-20 years ago. The pastor who is now pastoring the church was being discipled by that missionary at the time of his death. It is so neat to see how God has blessed this church.
Eliana is definitely our key to relationships here. Please pray that God will continue to use her sweet smile and blue eyes as an open door to building relationships that will develop. Everywhere we go whether to church, the market, the store, or just walking down the street, she invites comments like, "Que belleza!" or "Ay, que linda!" (What a beauty! or Oh, how cute!) Pray that as we get to know the people in the market and in the bread stores, etc., we may have conversations that lead to sharing the gospel with these people.
Colombia is beautiful! The room we are in right now is cold. (But we now have plastic and some tape to cover the high window in the bathroom that doesn't have glass or a screen.) We are comfortable (in layers and sweaters) and at times lonely for home. Really, there is everything here that we need in order to survive... and comfortably. Of course we miss family and friends, but as we catch glimpses of the work that God is doing here in Bogota building His church, we feel the fire of excitement kindling inside of us and we can hardly wait to see where He will have us fit in to His work here. Pray that we will be faithful, that we won't give up or give in, that we will love Him more than anything else.
I woke up this morning to the soft, hazy sunlight peeking through the crisscrossed iron bars on the windows. The air was nippy and my nose was cold as I got up to face the first day in Bogota.
We arrived last night around 10:00. Our flights were smooth with no delays and no fussing baby. Eliana slept through almost all of both flights. This time there were no blow-outs, no spit-ups and no scream fests! On the almost-five-hour flight from Houston to Bogota, God had arranged for us to have an empty seat next to us, so Eliana got to sleep on the seat for no extra charge!
In Bogota, as in most Latin countries, families with small children get extra-special preferential treatment. So, we sailed past the snaking line of maybe 300 passengers waiting to go through customs and were escorted right up to a window. After we found our four suitcases, we juggled them and our three carry-ons, diaper bag and baby as we exited the airport. There was another stop where they review your customs entry form and supposedly inspect your bags. Again, we were just waved on through.We praise the Lord for allowing us to have such an easy experience this time.
We were met just outside of the airport by the Wheelers, their son Josh, our field director Bob Trout and Heidi Gott, a single missionary. They brought us white roses and welcomed us like family! We arrived at the seminary building and unloaded our luggage. We fell into bed thanking God for bringing us here safely and for allowing us to begin the next phase of our life here.
So after I figured out where I was when I woke up this morning, Daniel and I shared our first breakfast in Bogota together. The seminary building has a kitchen downstairs that we are able to use. As I drank what I later discovered to be not orange juice but an orange-flavored soy drink, I looked around at the tile floors and the cement walls and the chipped paint that is so characteristic of a Latin country, and I felt strangely at home. Things here are different and often far-removed from the easy comfort of the American lifestyle, but I resolve not to constantly compare but rather to revel in the beauty of the small things, like the gorgeous wooden roof in our room that looks like it should be the flooring not the ceiling! Or the delicious fruit drinks (the ones made from real fruit not soy) and fresh yummy bread.
Thank you all for praying for us and being a part of our ministry in this way. I know He hears your prayers. The ease of our travels yesterday can only be explained by your intercessory prayers for us. Please pray that as we adjust and learn about the cuilture here that God would cause us to love Him more and more. Pray that He would be the sole reason that we are serving here, so that when we get tired of the food or we miss American things or when we get frustrated with the culture and certain behaviors, we will continue to serve faithfully... because we love Him more than the food or the people or whatever.
NOVEMBER NEWS!
This was our last full month here in Costa Rica. We have had no “fall” weather here and no colorful leaves. Everything here remains lush and green year round. When it came time to celebrate Thanksgiving, we felt odd that it was warm outside and the leaves were still green! We did enjoy turkey for Thanksgiving with our American friends and about 10 unsaved Ticos who were invited to join us. We pray that our time together was one of testimony and example to those people. (By the way, we had class on Thanksgiving Day since it is not a recognized holiday here!)
OCTOBER NEWS!
Again, this month flew by with all of its activities. My birthday was on the 13th, and Daniel’s parents came to visit us on the 14th. They were here almost a week and it was wonderful to spend time with them.
We are excited to share that we have tickets home on December 10th with a 3- week “layover” and arrival in Bogota on January 6th. Please pray that our visa process will go smoothly and that there will be no need to change our tickets!
Also, we have our “final” exam on November 26th. We will take a written exam as well as an oral exam to determine our level of proficiency. After the exam we still continue to have classes until graduation on December 10th.
