We thank you so much for every time this year that you have prayed and fasted for God’s ministry through us in Chile.  God/Jesus never promised us that his kingdom work would be easy or trouble-free—quite the opposite–but he does say to not be troubled, as he has overcome the world.  We are exhorted in 1 Thes. 5:16-18 to Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Eph. 6:10 and following speaks of the spiritual nature of the battle that comes with all kingdom work; verse 18 reads, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The point?  It is evident that prayer plays a vital part in kingdom work and that kingdom work in turn is designed by God to work with our prayers and not without them.  On the heels of Thanksgiving Day we give God thanks for his kingdom work and for your steady prayers—we both appreciate and need them.  God receives the glory for it all when he answers them.

In December

• Continue to pray for the well-being and God’s protection of the children taken from our residence in October.  We have no news to report about them at present, but hope to have something to share next month.  Pray also for the continued peace of mind and shared expectations of our residence staff toward a reshaping and renewing 2014.
• Pray for the successful processing of our submitted papers for our children’s work to become a legal Foundation in Chile.  The papers were submitted going into November and the process normally takes from four to six months.  This important step will benefit the work in several ways, among them to provide shared direction of the work through a board of five—Janine and I, with three Chileans, all top-notch in different ways.  Foundation status will also give us standing in seeking funding sources and donations within Chile.
• Pray that God would prepare an office or store front space for the church to rent going into 2014.  It is likely that such a space will be more reasonably priced in or near San Bernardo, a decent-sized town south of our present location, but still very accessible by public transportation.  Such a space will also provide a recognized location for Christian teaching and groups, for our “English Club”, and other activities designed to build relationship and draw people to the church.
• In general, Chileans worship and pray to Mary, mother of Jesus.  Pray that this December would bring many more Chileans to worship Jesus Christ and give thanks for his birth as God’s Very Son.
• Lastly, pray that God would use December to prepare those planning on coming to Chile in 2014 to experience and help in our work, and to speak to and best guide all those contemplating cross-cultural internships in 2014.  We met some of these college students at the recent annual missions conference (ICOM) of the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and such a decision is not easy with so many good options to choose between.  This year’s conference was excellent!

Thank you for helping up the value of prayer and fasting for the work of all our churches and missionaries!

Praising, praying, and fasting with you in our Prayer-Designing and Answering, Born God,

Jack & Janine