Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. –Deut. 7:9
God’s words through Moses to the Israelites before entering the Promised Land, and through Jesus, we too now receive the same love and faithfulness of the Lord. We are so grateful for your supporting prayers month after month and year after year, as we are convinced that mutual prayer and prayers “in common” are powerful. There are so many biblical examples of this, especially when combined with fasting.
Our time in the States with family, friends, and churches was rich and blessed indeed. Below is our 2015 family Christmas photo—the one day, as it turned out, that we were all together. January’s Bible verse speaks of “a thousand generations”. Our family now contains four generations and we’d like to think that our smiles reflect the real relationship with God we have through Jesus. Many of you remember the Swanson family as we departed for language school and Chile with 2-year-old Jayme, 5-year-old Julian, 8-year-old Jordan, and 14-year-old Jonathan. To see the photo “full-size” just click on it.
This month’s gratitude is for God and for his faithfulness and covenant of love to all generations of Christians. It doesn’t mean the end of “messy” life complete with very hard circumstances, but it does mean that he is right there with us, to strengthen and heal. His faithfulness and love call us to respond in like kind. What a good and right way to enter the new year, as God doesn’t dwell on the past, but is a God of all time that lives and works and reaches and heals and renews always, in us and through us.
Please especially pray this month for:
- The readying of the property in mid-Chile to host “day” camps for children in February (Chilean summer). This involves contacts within the community to introduce ourselves and ask for donations of food, supplies, and other needs; the building of some outdoor activity equipment, such as a short swinging bridge to cross a gully; and the finalization of leadership and those youth willing to help guide children, etc. There is much to do, but with a unified team effort it is possible.
- Initial feelers in seeking the right Chilean Christian woman to direct our work with abandoned children. We would like to re-commence with children as early in 2016 as is possible.
- Initial seeking of a house for us to live in somewhere close to our mission property.
- A successful, good visit to Santiago of Millarae and her twin sister, Ana, who will be spending two weeks with us this month in Santiago during their summer vacation.
- The on-going preparations of Todd to arrive and work with us full-time as a new missionary. He is concentrating on church support contacts in Florida. Please contact us with suggestions.
Praising, praying, and fasting as we all serve The One and Only Faithful, Loving, True God together,
Chile Mission 