Faithful prayers for Faithful work!!
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 1:2-3
It’s almost impossible to measure the importance of mutual thanks and on-going prayer for one another. Paul opens his letter to the Thessalonian Christians with thanks and an encouraging reminder of his faithful prayer support for their ongoing work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope—all brought about by Jesus Christ. It’s not a coincidence that Paul opens 10 of his 13 recorded letters to persons and churches with thanks for them with on-going prayers. Many churches and individuals supported him financially as well, and it is clearly apparent that extending Jesus was NUMBER ONE on the docket.
We, too, give God thanks for you and for your faithful, on-going prayers and financial support as we also pray for you. Like Paul, we too have been sent out from Jesus’ Church to extend him in Chile and we take nothing for granted. Prayer should never be an “add-on” for any of us Christians, but rather, together with God’s Word, our source of God’s Holy Spirit Power. It’s MUTUAL and we THANK YOU!!
SANTIAGO
—We’ve been keeping you up-to-date these last two months on the impending brain surgery of Catalina’s mother, Julia. She did meet with the surgeon, known for his expertise doing removal of tumors on the pitutitary gland, and he has set a date of June 3rd for her surgery. All of her exam results are current. We know that it is a complicated surgery. God is in charge. Again, thank you for praying with us for her.
—As we have reported earlier, among those that have arrived for free lodging at our Santiago ministry site are Bruno and his sister Norma from southern most Chile. He has bone cancer and they arrived in late October of this past year when he received a bone marrow transplant from her. Despite some setbacks he is now looking at being released to return home and we are all grateful for God’s powerful, healing touch.
In another situation, earier this year Calixto (who is in his 60s) arrived to be evaluated to receive a head implant to help with the effects of his Parkinson’s Disease. He was sent home to northern Chile to improve his general health and now has returned to Santiago for his surgery, scheduled for any day now. These types of implants help the person with their balance in walking. One important note… when sent back to northern Chile Calixto became very depressed. Listening to the radio, he decided to find a church and there he found love and encouragement and God’s teaching. He was baptized and now walks with the Lord! AND he and Trinidad will be married in July. Thus, regardless of the implant blessing, he has a whole new purpose to live as he shares his Jesus testimony with others. PTL!!
In the above cases of both men and others who have stayed in our Santiago Casa de Acogida, our prayers and gratitude have joined yours and those of others and God responds! Our on-going interactions and support for all who arrive give God glory.
—We have joined Julián & Catalina in following up on developing a relationship with our new church contacts in Santiago through inviting others to our ministry site. It’s been a blessing and we look forward to working with them in different ways to strengthen God’s work through us.
One such important new contact came by way of a friend who introduced us to a Chilean businessman who has a successful 3-D printing business. As a result, he is currently re-designing and printing the colorful tri-folds that we leave with and send to hospitals & clinics and churches to describe our work with people. He also is part of the WYAM (Youth with a Mission) support team in Chile and as such is setting up a meeting to be held in the afternoon of April 6th with young people and couples that might go to help Abraham & Catalina develop our property in middle Chile into a Christian Camp and Retreat Center. We have been asking for your prayers for additional teammates for Abraham & Catalina and we very much ask for your prayers for those that might respond to this impending meeting. We know that God IS the “DOOR OPENER” in all of his purposes throughout the world!
—With regard to new teammates for Abraham & Catalina, through advertising this big need via Facebook Abraham has received responses from two couples, whom we also hope to meet with during the weekend of April 6 & 7. Thank you for joining us in praying for this planned, upcoming encounter!
–Another main prayer request for the weekend of April 6 & 7: Our Foundation board will again meet to look over progress made by the ministry in all areas during 2023 and also to define main goals for 2024. We will look at both progress made and challenges and need for improvement. There is plenty to talk over and pray about in striving to work with excellence.
In addition, Abraham & Catalina have decided to move into the town of Cabrero instead of remaining on the mission property with winter rains approaching. You may remember that last year heavy rains left their one and only road to & from the property totally non-passable in parts and now with two small children they need to be able to get in and out to Cabrero, approximately 30 minutes away. This May will mark four full years of their living on the property and they remain dedicated to the mission’s continuing development of our land. Unfortunately, the government body responsible for improving the one and only public access road through our area has let Abraham know that they are committed to re-routing and improving the road, but that it may be a process over two years to get it done. Welcome to Chile!
—Julián has again written the Foundation’s attorney to check on the approval of our legal changes and steps that we applied for and should have been completed by now. Thanks for your prayers about this.
FINALLY, we have four special photos to share with you and they all speak to our 1 Thess. 1:2-3 passage!
ONE is a photo of Julián praying on top of the hill where we will erect CAMPO VIVO’s open air chapel. It speaks of Faithful Prayer.
The above SECOND & THIRD PHOTOS go hand in hand! We recently attended Ivan’s & Paola’s 25th wedding anniversary held at the Christian live-in drug & alcohol center where Jack did devotionals for 25 years leading up to the COVID pandemic in 2020. We remain in touch with the center and we also attended the wedding of Ivan & Paola in 1999. Ivan came to Christ and was freed from drug and alcohol addiction in the early 1990s, before he came to help manage the center in Santiago, becoming its director in the early 2000s. What a great testimony of God’s healing touch and good purposes!! We thank you for helping pray for this center during these past years in Chile. Ivan & Paola have two beautiful adult daughters also committed to following and serving Jesus.
The second photo shows us with Ivan & Paola, marking their 25 years of Blessed Marriage in Faithful service to the Lord.
The third photo shows them with us, marking our own almost 53 years of Blessed Marriage in Faithful service to the Lord. Our anniversary is April 17th. WOW! and TYL!!
We ALL know that NONE of this would have been made possible without our Faithful God!!
The FOURTH PHOTO was taken days ago during the annual INT’L YOUTH CONFERENCE in Córdoba, Argentina that we are participating in during Holy Week before returning to Santiago on April 3rd. Thousands of young people attend this conference every year and the photo speaks of the Faithful Work of the Church in calling and preparing the next generation of Jesus’ disciples to be SENT OUT by his church. Great conference!!
As we return to the States….
We are scheduled to fly into LA, California on April 10th. Our plan is to remain in CA through May 30th, when our oldest granddaughter Bella graduates from high school. Meanwhile there will be several end-of-school year activities of grandchildren for us to attend.
The first week of June we plan on returning to the Midwest to sell our house in Cedar Lake. There is a lot to do, but most of it relates to emptying it of furniture and items that we stored in it when we sold our Crete house to become missionaries in 1992. WHEW, where did that time go?!
Either both of us or Janine will return to Chile in August, and in the meantime we still seek every opportunity possible to represent our work to churches and individuals. This coming U.S. fall will be an ideal time to visit supporting churches as well.
Please continue to pray with us for God-blessed contacts and visits for us during our up-coming time in the States amongst existing and new supporting churches and individuals. We seek funds:
- To support two more couples to work alongside Abraham & Catalina, at roughly $800 per couple per month.
- For the preparation of land for and construction of additional buildings, including 4 large cabins, a dining room and kitchen, and our open-air chapel.
As mentioned last month, we are SO GRATEFUL to have funds for the construction of our two-story workshop & storage building!!
We also are very much looking for church groups and groups of individuals that would like to plan a short-term mission trip to help us in 2025! Please contact us at our cell #949-394-8282 or at chilemission1@gmail.com to arrange for a visit from us or to talk about the possibilities. We and Abraham would VERY MUCH APPRECIATE your help!!
Thank you SO MUCH for praying for ALL of the above Chile Mission issues and needs!!
Praising, praying, fasting through our One Christ, Calling us to be Faithful GOD,
Chile Mission 