Saturday, June 12, 2010

Updates Updates

Things are moving...maybe slower than we would like, but I think both of us can see the Lord's purpose in it as things come together. Already it has been a wonderful and exciting journey, learning more about Chile and what help they need, how we can be Christ to people and serve and love on them, and what it means to be "missionaries." I think that the Lord is teaching us so much through experiences and trials we have gone through even in the past few months. There is always more to learn about marriage, and being unified in the Spirit!

At this point we are still waiting to hear back from the church in Tome. Our pastors sent them a letter requesting a bit more information about what their expectations are of us, how we can come alongside them, and letting them know that our home church of Riversgate is behind us in prayer and support. This was exciting to send down there, but it does take awhile for mail to travel to Chile, so now we must be patient. :)

I recently received an email from Alejandra, our initial contact in Tome. Her and her husband actually left Chile shortly after the earthquake, and will now be going to seminary in the United States. Exciting for them, but it does make our trip a little different now that we don't have them to be our "go to" people. We are praying about someone in the church in Tome to kind of step in as mentor and guide for us, a person who is involved and knows the church well enough to be able to help us get integrated, as well as just be someone we can meet with weekly/bi-monthly to check-in and pray with.

Our tentative leave date is still late-August, but like all things this is very open and flexible. It is hard to not be down there right now, as winter is setting in and people are really in need of housing. The Lord's timing is much better than our own, however, and I'm sure we will get down there just in time for whatever He has planned for us. Just another reason to be praying for the people of Chile, and all that they have ahead of them in terms of reconstruction. If you are interested in donating toward materials for the reconstruction of Tome and Dichato, a nearby town, go to the 2010 for 88 website.

Thanks for your prayers for us and our brothers and sisters in Chile, we are excited for all that the Lord has in store, and how He wants to pour out His love on the Chilean people!

- Missy