“GOD wants NO ONE to perish!!”

 The Bible urges us to pray for everything (Phil. 4:4-7) and even to pray continually (1 Thess. 5:16-18).  Let us share a Chile story with you centered on one of the children, Carla, who lived on our Santiago mission site in 2012 & 2013 in one of our houses with Chilean house parents. We began receiving children “of the state” in the first part of 2010 and did so through most of 2013, when our ministry to these children was abruptly terminated by two Chilean judges. At the time nine children lived between two of our houses. The judges never did talk with us or any of our staff.  As it came out, Carla was instrumental in the ending of the ministry, using lies and other false allegations to misrepresent life here.

Recently, Carla asked Janine to be her friend on Facebook.  Janine wrote back with the question, Why??  After all, in looking at Carla’s major role is shutting down the Children’s Residence with lies and bad intentions, there was no reason to be friends.  Carla’s response was that she was “so sorry!”  She acknowledged her actions and said that when she lived here she was a child not knowing bad from good, and that now as an adult she does know that difference. She has spent a rough 8 years living on the street, etc.  She recounted several good memories of her time at the mission site.  The photo on the left is of Carla at 12 years old and others of the nine children living in mission houses on the Chile Mission site in 2012. Carla is on the far left. The photo on the right was taken when she visited us a few weeks ago.

We know that Carla and the other children experienced Jesus in several different ways during their few years with us.  We still regularly pray for them and their openness to the gospel and we hope to see Carla and others of them in the future.  On-going prayer truly does matter and brings God glory, as we join him in his love and search for every single person that do not now believe in Jesus..

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  –2 Peter 3:8-9

The truth is that we all know others that continue to shut Jesus out.  Our contacts with them and our on-going prayers for them will always be worth it!

January

IN SANTIAGO we have been meeting with Paola about legal papers needing to be signed for the Foundation.  Also, when the municipality officially registered our new Foundation name “Misión Chile” they made a typographical error in its spelling that they needed to correct.  We DID receive news on the 31^st that all was finished and correctly spelled! (Sigh J ) That’s a big praise and TYL!!  Thanks again for your prayers!

We have also been looking with Paola at hours actually worked on the mission site this past year by those we have on contract, as hours worked do not line up with hours paid.  Please pray that God will both guide and bless these hard discussions.  We are sure that God’s wisdom is needed in ALL bi and multi-cultural works in the world.

A BIG PRAISE TO SHARE is that our houses have been quite full in recent months with those coming to Santiago for complicated medical conditions of their children.

We met in January here on our mission site with a Samaritan’s Purse representative about their having meeting space and he liked what he saw.  He is now back in contact with his Chilean team to receive direction.  Another prayer issue!

We are also pleased to announce that our worker Joherlit and Esteban were married in a civil ceremony on January 28, with their church wedding set for February 4.  Esteban is a Christian man and will make a great husband and we wish them God’s blessing in “tackling life” together.  We are actively seeking a replacement for Joherlit here on the mission site and in the meantime Paola will fill all necessary duties.  Thank you for praying for our search for her replacement.  It’s a timely issue for Chile Mission!

IN RURAL CHILE AT THE CAMP PROPERTY we met with Abraham over various issues and “next” steps, as we walked the land to decide on the location for the 2-story workshop/storage/parking structure we will be building this year.  Abraham & Janine also decided to first build an additional bathroom & bedroom onto the side of his house, but with an exterior entrance.  It’s needed to better accommodate one or more people working on the property.

While at their house we and Abraham had a zoom phone meeting with the newly-elected congresswoman from the district in which the camp property is located.  She is a Christian and is very much interested in helping in one way or another in the development of our camp.  The meeting went very well as an introduction to us and the work, as Abraham was able to upload and show her photos of the property during the call.

MOVING INTO FEBRUARY

IN SANTIAGO we will be working with Paola to put into practice straight-forward, measurable criteria that all workers will follow in completing their work.  We and Paola also need to come to final decisions on work hours still owed by some.  Your prayers are VERY much appreciated!  .

Finding a replacement of Joherlit is of top importance.  Feelers had been put out as early as December to possible candidates and we’ve had some responses, but none went forward.  We contacted churches in January and will be following up with them and other churches and organizations.  We know that God leads!

Another weighty matter has to do with the APEM pro-life pregnancy center.  We do not charge rent on their house, knowing that it is super expensive to rent adequate space in Santiago.  They do however pay their share of utilities and site upkeep.  At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 they were behind on those payments and because they could not be here due to strict gov’t covid restrictions, Jack told them to hold off in paying those shared expenses.  (a definite mistake! J )  We are now in contact with them to re-establish their payments going back to when they were paying.  We see this issue as resolvable, and ask for your prayers.  Their ministry work with women is very needed and worthwhile!

IN RURAL CHILE AT THE CAMP PROPERTY Abraham will begin building the additional bathroom & bedroom mentioned earlier.  A rough time frame for completion of the addition is three months.  Janine will also continue working with Abraham this month in trimming the overgrown trees and plan for future cultivation.

A February goal with Abraham is to be able to decide on both the surveyor and the architect that the Foundation will use on the property.  It seems like these choices have no end, but charges for such services are very variable and we need to do a complete search.  Thanks for your prayers.

Praising, praying, fasting, and giving thanks to God, who wants NO ONE to perish !!

Jack & Janine 

“Our HEART PLANS – God’s STEPS PLANS”

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps – Proverbs 16:9

We can be assured that as we live out the plans that God sets in our hearts, he will faithfully also determine our steps and the order and timing of those steps.  We, our family, and Chile Mission give thanks for you and for your prayers, wishing you a blessed 2022 in God’s continuing presence and leading!!  Our mutual prayers centered in him are vital to the plans of our hearts and his leading them forward and we’re grateful to serve the Lord with you!   We wanted to recap our victories and headway made possible during 2021 in no small way through your prayer partnership with us, along with continuing initiatives starting out in 2022, for which we equally solicit your prayers.  Thank you!!

2021 has ended

2021 was a significant year for several reasons for Chile Mission.  Because of covid-related Chile restrictions we did not spend as much time in Chile as we had planned to, but did communicate via regular video Whatsup calls with both Paola in Santiago and with Abraham & Catalina in middle Chile.

Key 2021 Santiago highlights:

• In January Jack met with Domingo & Sandra (with whom we’ve partnered in past years to offer summer VBS “camps” to children in the area near their house in the country), and it was decided to keep our two Foundations apart and remain friends. This was the best decision, as our two approaches were different as far as leadership was concerned.
• Paola moved to our ministry site to be part of the day-to-day routine with our “casa de acogida,” in carrying out our ministry to parents arriving for housing during visits to Santiago for the medical treatments of their children. We have seen much need with the migrant population, too, and have accommodated some of them, too, when we have vacancies.
• A long-time friend and partner in Christian ministries, Patricio Curinao, will be assuming the role on the board of our foundation. Patricio is an excellent person to have on any Christian board of directors.

Key 2021 Rural camp land highlights:

• Abraham hired an excavator to clear the intended lake area of our camp land, in addition to making additional roads within the property along with two additional entrances from the public access        road.

• In January Jack paid for and signed the final contract with the Coelcha electric company to remove and relocate their electric lines and poles from our intended lake area for the camp. It wasn’t until just before the end of 2021 that they completed the work with the exception of one cement pole, which they now promise to remove in early 2022. J
• Abraham & Catalina formed close relationships with neighbors (within 2 miles J) close to the camp property. This has been a blessing in many ways as they continue to look to ways to enlarge their circle of friends.
• Abraham, along with other key neighbors, met with the mayor of Quillón, the municipality responsible for the area in which our camp property in located. The mayor promised to send road graders to improve the most difficult segments of the public access road that allows for traffic in and out of our area.  This was important, as in the June to Sept. winter part of the year, heavy rains make the road almost impassable.  He proved true to his promise as machines arrived two times in 2021 to improve the road.  TYL!!
• Abraham also constructed a covered parking area behind their house, complete with a covered deck to sit on and enjoy the surrounding area.
• Abraham connected with a Chilean landscape architect, to use our EMI plans and final report to design the structures we will need to construct along with their final placement on the land. We and Abraham also met with him twice on the camp property and are waiting for his final recommendations.  We will need to decide to continue working with him or find a different architect at less cost.  We hope to begin construction of our first structure—a two-story workshop, office/living space with extra bathrooms–in the beginning of 2022.

Key 2021 U.S. highlights:

• We purchased a home in CA as a location nearer to Jonathan and Jordan and their families when we are not in Chile. The house is located roughly two hours from Los Angeles and we still need to do improvements to the house to make it livable.
• Both Julian & Devyn and Jayme & Malia had baby additions in 2021. For Julian & Devyn, Lyon is their first child and for Jayme & Malia, Sophia joins Havalah & Matthias.  Thank you for helping pray for the two pregnancies & births!
• Our participation in the annual ICOM missions conference in the States is always an important part of our missionary work! Thanks so much for your prayers for its impact!

2022 has arrived

We are grateful to be back in Chile for these next two months and look forward to making the most of our time in Santiago and in rural Chile at the camp property.  Thank you again for your prayers!

In Santiago we have already begun to talk with Paola about 2022:

–Putting the mission properties in the name of the foundation for future use and projects.

—The Spanish website development can also now go forward under the Foundation’s new name.

—Joherit will be leaving her duties on our mission site at the end of this month to get married, making it necessary for Paola to find a replacement for her.  This is no small task, as that new person must arrive with a “missionary mindset” of concentrating on the work of Chile Mission and not just living here to “help out”.

—We need to fine tune the procedures on the Santiago property to better maintain it and also in carrying out the daily work with the arrival of our “clients.”

—We hope to meet on our mission site this first week of January with a representative of Samaritan’s Purse about their use of our “House 2” (currently only occupied by the APEM pregnancy center) for office and meeting space.  The house has 4 upstairs bedrooms, three of which will now be available as office spaces for different foundations in need, and our goal for 2022 is to have all three of those bedrooms occupied.  The fourth bedroom is used for dads of hospitalized children that need housing.  The foundation will in turn coordinate the use of the downstairs common space for meetings, etc. via a schedule according to times and days needed.

On the camp land in rural Chile we will be concentrating this year on:

–Adding an exterior bathroom to Abraham’s house for use by workers and groups that are working on the property.  (Our one existing bathroom is in Abraham’s house!!)

—We hope to soon decide with Abraham this month or next on the architect that we will work with to draw up final designs and plans for the camp’s buildings and structures.  The goal is to have the garage/workshop area started and possibly finished by June when Abraham and his family come to the U.S. to visit similar type camps with us.

— Abraham, with Paola’s help, continues to make contacts to receive Chilean-based financial help in designing and digging our planned camp lake.  That help may very well come from the huge lumber company owning almost all the timber in the area in order to help them fight common summer forest fires.

—We hope by the end of the year to be able to begin accommodating small work groups to aid in needed developmental work of the property.  This may possibly include groups from the U.S.

We look forward to initiating summer children’s and youth camps in 2023 under Abraham’s direction.

Praising, praying, fasting, and giving thanks to God, the GRAND PLANNER of the steps of his children!!

Jack & Janine