“JOY WITH PURPOSE: Reconciled & Renewed Life”

Either way, Christ’s love controls us.  Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves.  Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.  –2 Cor. 5:14-15 NLT    In verses 16 through 21 Paul goes on to identify us all as “new creations and as Christ’s ambassadors.

The above verses taken from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is a perfect way to enter April and commemorate and give REAL thanks for Jesus’ once-for-all time sacrifice of himself for all who believe in him to restore our relationship with God!  He then conquered eternal death for us all with his resurrection back to life three days later.  What an incredible achievement on both counts, and also what an incredible reason to give our lives back to him that he would reach and change others through us.  Paul’s words thus resonate with our chief calling and purpose in this world.

In our case, God was already preparing us to be missionaries before we knew Jesus as Lord through a variety of experiences, people, and friendships and, thus, we give him thanks for these past 31 years of extending Jesus in Chile together with our Misión Chile Team.  All of you who support Chile Mission in the States with your prayers and contributions and mission trips are Chile Teammates as well, and we are SUPER GRATEFUL!!  Sharing our relationship with Jesus in the best way possible will always be the bottom-line calling of Misión Chile!!

—Speaking of mission trips, the 11-member team of First Christian Church of Wilmington have arrived!  They’ll be here eight days, dividing their time between Santiago and the camp property in middle Chile.  Their team t-shirts really “hit the nail on the head” for ALL CHURCHES, don’t you think?!  On Sunday, their first full day here when they sang “Lord we lift your name on High” in the Chilean church we attended.  They also didn’t waste any time helping on the camp property when we arrived.  Thank you for praying for them and their trip!!

—Thank you for praying with us for some time for the best type of additional help to get projected buildings constructed on the camp property.  We and Abraham are convinced that we will need outside competent help to be contracted to build our first building, a 2-story metal maintenance/storage/workshop structure with an apartment on the second floor.  Unfortunately, none of us have any experience in building metal buildings.  SOOOO–Abraham has been making contacts these past several months to find such a company without result.  In Chile it is not nearly as possible as in the United States to find reasonably-priced, proven and competent construction companies.  Two weeks ago Abraham contacted an acquaintance working in the electric company who, in turn, gave him a good reference on a construction company that had built several metal buildings for them.

Abraham and Jack met with that construction company owner two weeks ago at one of the structures that his company had built and he now has the plans for our planned 2-story metal building and will be getting back to us with a projected total cost in these next couple weeks after his engineer/architect looks at them.  His company’s specialty is the construction of metal buildings and structures.  Please join us in praying for this significant step forward!!   And at a price we can afford!!

—Abraham’s neighbor Raquel is back in the hospital in her battle against liver cancer, and it appears that she is not eating and declining quickly.  We continue to pray for both her and her family in this tough time and we are grateful that they are a close family.  Abraham and Catalina are also close to the family and have shared Jesus and have prayed with them several times.  The whole family has recently been regularly attending the church that Abraham and Catalina attend.

In Santiago

—Teresa, the wife of Carlos, one of our long-time maintenance workers at our Santiago site, has recovered from her surgery to remove her gall bladder.  TYL!! and thank you for praying for her!  She does continue to have doctor appointments for certain heart irregularities.

—Our Santiago site is currently hosting Marta and her daughter for a couple weeks.  She came to Santiago for surgery to remove a tumor from her pituitary gland (Cushing’s syndrome) and is now staying at our ministry site with her daughter waiting to be released to return home.  Her situation is very similar to that of Catalina’s mother Julia, who also had successful surgery several months ago.  Both women were diagnosed with Cushing’s Syndrome.  Julia has almost fully recovered from the effects of the syndrome.  Like with Julia, we appreciate your prayers for Marta.

–Last month we were able to send you a photo of Nallely and her brother Jorshua, taken when Jorshua came with her to visit Janine here at our Santiago site.  Please reread our March letter to reconnect with their visit.

One week ago, Juan, another of our past children came to visit.  We called him Juanito, because he had just turned 7years old when Janine and Fabiola (a psychologist we hired to work full time with the children who came to live here) went to find Juan—the half-brother of Alberto, who already was living in our children’s residence.  How cool that the brothers could live together!  We are planning on having a get-together with several of the children this month.

Juan is now 20-years-old, is stable as a young person and has a good job working for an office supply company.  When he saves enough money he would like to pursue studies in a university, and he’s even a ping pong champion. J  Unfortunately, as with many of the other children, he has no good adult counsel.  His mother has mental problems and his dad is an alcoholic.  Our hearts break for all of the children with no good guidance for helping them with their futures.  In addition, Juan’s and Alberto’s extended family is not healthy for them.  We plan on helping him further in different ways and Fabiola wants to work with him “virtually” using the internet.  During his visit Janine was able to fill in a lot of his background and time with us in answering many questions he had.  As you can see from the photo, he’s as cute as a button, and we, along with Fabiola, hope to again be a good influence in his life.  Thank you for joining us in praying for him!

We wish you an extra-special JESUS Easter!!   Hard to believe we are already in April!!

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to our “Reconciled, Renewed Life” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“Partnerships made in heaven”

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

That’s a super beginning in chapter 1:3-6 of Paul’s letter to the Philippians!  Several other letters of Paul to churches and to Philemon begin with thanksgiving, which well describes our own thankfulness for each of you in our partnership in Chile.  We, too, are right to feel this way as we share needs for prayer, receive financial support, and also receive encouragement and work teams to help with the development of CAMPO VIVO, a much-needed CHRISTIAN camp and retreat center in the middle of the country to extend the love and message of Jesus Christ!  WOW are we (like Paul 🙂 ) blessed!!

Of course, God’s good saving work in us goes forward in each of us until our last breath, which is even more reason to rejoice.  We also thank him for his steady blessing over the on-going development of the ministries of Chile Mission that he has entrusted us with, along with your own ministries he has placed in each of you.  Again, Thank You partners and Thank You Lord!

Here below are Chile Mission answers to prayer and continuing needs for prayer….

One big thank you is for the recent formerly unplanned 10-day visit of another Ultra young women’s group from the Mennonite mission based in Bogota, Colombia. They removed tools and storage units from our two storerooms so that a concrete base could be poured.  They also tackled our personal kitchen which had been used for kitchen storage upon our move to the ministry site about seven years ago and then never organized.  They cleaned the shelves and put back dishes, pans, and utensils of different kinds so that the room can be used as a kitchen.  Finally, they cleaned the kitchen in the office building and also did gardening.

Their time in Santiago was additionally blessed in getting to know several young people their age from the Christian Church in Ciudad Satélite, a church we’ve had a strong relationship with for many years.  They are led by Lucas, the oldest son of Pastor Patricio Curinao, who we brought to the States with us one year to attend the ICOM missions conference with us.  We are hopeful that several of them will serve in our summer camps as counselors.

After all of that, the girls spent two & one half days on the camp property helping Abraham & Catalina in a variety of ways, pruning trees, clearing the tent-camping area, and painting metal posts to be used in rebuilding the platform/structure behind Abraham’s house.  TYL!!

More news on Abraham’s neighbor Raquel, who as we have reported these last months, has liver cancer.  She is now hospitalized with liver problems and we were sad to learn that her cancer continues to spread in her body.  Thank you for praying for her and giving thanks with us, knowing that our All-Powerful God without limits can be trusted in ALL situations.  No matter the outcome, he loves us all so very much and he is there with her.  The six Ultra team members even had the opportunity to pray with and sing for her.

Abraham has been able to keep working on the new platform structure taking shape behind their house, following up on the metal support poles put in place by the mission team from Dover First Christian Church team that was here in late January.  As seen in this photo, the metal supporting rods for flooring for the upper area of the structure are mostly soldered in place and the next step will be to add the wooden flooring.  TYL!!

The mission team of eleven from First Christian Church in Wilmington, IL is set to arrive in Chile on March 29 and we will have plenty for them to help with as well.  Thank you for helping us pray forward their preparations and safe arrival!  As we and Abraham continue to pray for and look for more Chilean partners to help with construction, we keep our eyes on the Creator Enabling God of it all.

In Santiago

We had the blessing in February of being able to pray for and serve several sets of persons staying on our mission site with serious medical situations:

• The parents of 14-year-old Elias with brain cancer receiving two additional surgeries to remove malignant tumors from his brain.
• Hugo, an adult coming to Santiago to undergo a bone marrow transplant using his own cells instead of receiving them from a donor. His transplant surgery was carried out on February 19^th and he is scheduled to remain hospitalized in isolation for roughly three months.
• Bruno and his sister Norma were back with us for a couple days in February for him to have another two-month checkup, after receiving a bone marrow transplant from her at the end of 2023 to combat bone cancer. The tests came back fine and they returned to southern Chile for another two months.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to come alongside of such families and couples and very much appreciate your accompanying prayers for them.

Teresa, the wife of Carlos, one of our long-time maintenance workers at our Santiago site, recently had surgery to remove her gall bladder.  She also suffers from certain heart conditions.  The surgery went well and we ask for prayers for them and their family.  Carlos has worked with us for many years and while he believes in God, he says that “he likes to keep an open mind” about such things.  We continually look for opportunities to specifically share Jesus with him.

We have one more photo to share and give thanks for.  It’s of Janine with Nallely and her brother Jorshua.  They were two of the nine children that lived in two of our ministry site houses with Chilean Christian parents for just over two years ending in October 2013.  Nallely, now 23, came back to visit us last year to say thanks for Janine’s influence in her life.  This past month of February she called again and came with her brother Jorshua, who in 2012 and 2013 was a teenage con artist in manipulating anything and almost anyone to get what he wanted.  He, now 24 years old, became a Christian this past year and God is transforming him from the inside out.  He also has a good job.  TYL!!  It was good to see him again and we ask you to pray with us for him and his steady Christian growth.  God has truly begun “a good work” in Jorshua!

Jack continues to this day to pray for all nine of these “now adult” children.  WOW what good news!

Our first Foundation Board of Directors meeting in February went well and our next meeting is scheduled for mid-March.  Still not completed are the opening of a checking account in the name of the Foundation and the re-design of Chile Mission’s trifold publicity pamphlets.  Please pray for the completion of the many details that accompany our work with the mission.  Part of that is working with the team to move forward, taking more and more responsibility from us.

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to our “Partnership-Making” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“Rejoicing, praying, & giving thanks”

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  –1 Thess 5:16-18

We’ve used the above real encouragement in the past, but each time we see it, it speaks volumes of the importance of well-balanced prayer in the life of every believer and missionary as well.  As you know from our monthly prayer needs and gratitudes letters, we are constantly praying for groups from churches and from other missions (both from the U.S. and from Chile & other countries) to come for short periods of time to help in the development of our large tract of land in rural Chile into a Christian camp and retreat center.  Jesus deeply desires for Chilean children, teens, youth, & adults to know and follow him!

As a result of our and your prayers set in the middle of God’s eternal purposes in Chile, Dover First Christian Church did respond and their 9-member team did deliver BIG TIME in terms of precisely the types of work that was before us at the time of their 8-day visit ending on January 30.  Almost all of what they did involved their use of our excavator and the laser transit that they brought with them to leave with Abraham for use in perfectly leveling ground.  Sixteen 20’ long 4” x 4” steel posts were erected in the rebuilding of the parking, storage, platform behind Abraham’s & Catalina’s house, and this time it will be constructed to include a bedroom with bunkbeds for housing of workers.  Some of their team even repaired a few items in the house and others organized Abraham’s work bench area.  Janine did most of the cooking (with help for the chopping tasks).  Her arm is better but lacks strength.  She now has a few Chilean recipes in her repertoire. 🙂

The second from the right bottom photo is of all of us on their last day and the bottom right photo shows them praying and giving thanks–the same way they started day 1.  You can left-click on any photo and it will enlarge in size and then simply hit the left arrow on the top left of your screen to return to our post.

Also accomplished was the finishing of the retaining wall of the septic field, the pruning of many fruit trees, clearing in the proposed camping area with two chain saws, and the leveling of ground on the site for construction of the metal 2-story maintenance building.  The group would have liked to have begun construction of that building, but due to their attentiveness in looking over the plans for the structure, it is being redesigned in a much better way.  BUT as we’ve written above, there were many other important tasks to do anyway.  Thanks, Dover!!  Abraham still hopes to hire a Chilean construction team in February to put up the building and we, too, will go back to the property to help think it through.  God is always in charge of timing and we ARE rejoicing in the Lord and giving him thanks.

Prayers are POWERFUL and IMPORTANT in all we would hope to realize in the Lord, as they draw on God’s faithfulness and limitless power.  He loves to receive our rejoicing, prayers, and thanksgiving and we give you many thanks for your partnership with Chile Mission!

We are praying all for all future work teams, giving God thanks for them and praying for all preparations, travel, and time in Chile and we SO appreciate your accompanying prayers for them!!  First Christian Church in Wilmington, IL is set to arrive the last week of March.  We’re VERY grateful as we pray forward their arrival.

Please continue praying for our three months in Chile.  On the docket are:

• Two or more meetings of the Foundation’s Board of Directors
• Signing one or more documents for the Foundation’s attorney
• Opening a checking account in the name of the Foundation
• Re-designing and printing trifold publicity for the Foundation’s ministries
• Spending more time with Abraham on the camp property
• Purchasing more tools and supplies that he will need.

We have asked for prayer for Raquel, diagnosed a month ago with liver cancer.  She and her husband Pedro are good friends and neighbors of Abraham & Catalina living near our camp property.  She is now waiting for the beginning of chemo treatments, set to start in the coming weeks.  Please continue praying with us for a miracle through God’s touch. 

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to our “ALL DESERVING” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“New Every Morning”

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are NEW EVERY MORNING; GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.”  –Lamentations 3: 22-24

There are many references in the Bible to both how God/Jesus makes all things new and also how our own decision to die to our old person (through baptism) through Jesus’ crucifixion and raise up our new person as he was raised from the dead makes us a “NEW CREATION” with a new purpose in life.  Both are equally important as we all enter 2025!

The prophet Jeremiah (also referred to as the “Weeping Prophet”) was charged by God to bring warnings to the kings of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  In fulfilling that charge he experienced countless hardships, including being thrown into a deep well and having a yoke put around his neck.  The O.T. book of Lamentations recounts his constant laments, but even more God’s deep lament for the disobedience and fall of his Chosen People of Judah.  As we read above in chapter 3, in spite of it all Jeremiah always looked to the Lord.  With God the dawn always follows the dark night.

We and our Chile Mission team wish you all a “God making new every morning” 2025!!  There are so many, many victories to celebrate and at the same time, God’s great love and compassion carry us all through so many challenges and hard circumstances to live through and recover from.  Our mutual prayers are SO POWERFUL and IMPORTANT in all we would hope to realize in the Lord, as they draw on God’s faithfulness and limitless power.  Thank you so much for your steady prayers for us and for Chile Mission in 2024, as we now enter 2025 together!!

Speaking of how dawn always follows the dark night, we have a great Chile story to share….

In May 2023 we posted a photo of Jordan & Laura holding their sick baby boy.  Matías was 6 months old, but was the size of a 2-month-old baby.  He was being seen in Santiago for a rare virus and then died shortly thereafter.  It was a tragic loss for them to be sure.  We now have received the good news that Laura recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl and we are excited for them.  Here below is the original photo of them with baby Matthias and alongside is the new photo of their baby girl.  Every life is valuable!

We continue to be grateful for our ministry to those staying at our Santiago mission site while they or their children are being treated for serious medical conditions.  The opportunity to pray with them, make them welcome, and help them in other ways go a long way through the power and movement of the Holy Spirit.

In looking back at 2024 and those years before, we and our entire Chile Mission Team again thank you for helping take Chile Mission forward with your prayers!!

In middle Chile Abraham, Catalina, Abril, & Facundo are in the process of moving back to the camp property house, where they intend to stay instead of living in the nearest town (30 minutes away) for the winter as they did this past year.  We really can’t say enough of Abraham’s capabilities in heading up the development of our large 90-acre land into a much needed Christian Camp & Retreat Center!  He in turn will be CAMPO VIVO’S first director.

We so look forward to three church mission teams’ visits in January to April this new year to help with construction, but first we now have the blessing of having a yet another team of six helping through the Mennonite Mission headquartered in Columbia.  WOW and TYL!!

Shown here on the left of Abraham are Josh, Chris, Leroy, Jack, Triston, & Rodney.  They arrived on December 28^th and plan to be with Abraham through the first week of January.  Several of the team have had construction experience, so imagine the value of “18 more willing and able hands” to help get things done! J

For our part we travel to Chile on January 15^th to spend three months divided between Santiago and the camp property.  While we are able to stay up-to-date with our Chilean teammates through cell phone video calls, our physical time with them is so worth it in connecting to converse and pray and share in person.

We next look forward to the arrival of a team of 9 from Dover First Christian Church in Ohio.  They are due to arrive in Santiago on January 22^nd for 8 days and we give God another TYL!! for them.  Our summer time in Chile will definitely be busy!!

Meanwhile, Abraham will be working with a small Chilean construction team these first weeks of January to put in place the footings and other technical preparations needed for the construction of our maintenance building that the Dover team will help work on.

We are praying all for all of the work teams, giving God thanks for them and praying for all preparations, travel, and time in Chile and we SO appreciate YOUR ACCOMPANYING PRAYERS as well!!

We asked last month for prayer for Raquel, diagnosed recently with liver cancer.  She and her husband Pedro are good friends and neighbors of Abraham & Catalina living near our camp property.  She just recently had an exploratory surgery and the surgeon decided not to take out her tumors, as they are in other parts of her body as well.  Instead, she now in January starts chemotherapy treatments.  That was hard news for Raquel & Pedro to end 2024 with.  Please continue praying with us for a miracle through God’s touch.

God truly does make every morning new and GREAT is his faithfulness!!

Praying, fasting, and giving thanks to our “NEW EVERY MORNING” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“JOY TO THE WORLD”

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

For Christians, John 3:16-17 will always be the “Bottom-line, Un-worldly” reason to celebrate Christmas!  Jesus IS God’s Ultimate Gift of Love that purchased our true freedom and renewed relationship with God by sacrificing his own Heavenly position and life for every single person that believes in and follows him.  An encouragement to us all: Love is not love until it is given away to others!

Merry Christmas to One and All!!

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support for CHILE MISSION as we pray for you as well, that we all might be worthy of God’s calling of us as we together extend God’s love through Jesus to all people.  Thank you!!

We have much to give God thanks for this month—all of it with Jesus in the middle….

2024 ICOM

This year’s ICOM missions conference was excellent as always, as its purpose is focused on extending Jesus in a full way to the whole world.  In addition to exhibitors and speakers, roughly 7,200 attended the 2 ½ day conference and our main blessing for participating with our Chile Mission booth came in the form of interactions with many special people we either saw at our booth or had meetings with.  Our Chile-made marble products also sold well, which provides profits to use for Chile Mission’s ministries and camp property development project.  As you can see, Janine’s broken arm/shoulder replacement didn’t dampen her participation and enthusiasm at all. 🙂

JANINE’S ARM & SHOULDER

Thank you for praying for Janine’s broken upper right arm.  She had surgery on November 4^th, and because she shattered the ball of her right humerus bone where it connected to her shoulder socket, the surgery turned out to be a “total reverse shoulder replacement”.  All went well and she exercises her arm/shoulder area daily.  Her recovery should take several months, but she can see slow but steady progress every day.

THANKSGIVING IN FAMILY

We had a very special family Thanksgiving week with all of our immediate family together, along with Janine’s brother and sister-in-law at their house in Flagstaff, AZ.  We only get to be together once per year, so it’s quite a special gathering.  In Chile, relationships and family gatherings are extremely important, especially during certain holidays such as Christmas.  Families usually gather on Christmas Eve with a late evening dinner and the opening of gifts, etc. into the very early morning.  Christmas morning is used for sleep and rest.  Christians, making up a minority of Chilean families, have services on Christmas Eve and then gather in family like other Chileans.  May God bless your family relationships as well.

OUR CHILEAN TEAMMATES

Abraham, Catalina, Abril, & Facundo….

Abraham & Catalina will be using December to prepare for moving back permanently to the camp property from Cabrero (30 minutes away). Their plan is to home school their children.  In the meantime, we are grateful for Abraham’s ability to do more and more required maintenance on the excavator, as well as for his knowledge in redoing the reinforcement of the sides of the septic system for the house on the property.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated for his preparations for the pouring of the cement footings for the construction of the maintenance/workshop/storage building to be built beginning in January.  These preparations mostly include the placement of water, sewage, and electric lines for the building, and for capable persons to help him.

We’re very grateful for the three short-term teams formed from different U.S. churches due to come to Chile between January and March to help with construction and we ask for your prayers for God’s blessing and protection over each person planning on being a part.  There presently are other churches seriously considering short trips as well, and we pray for God’s blessing on turning their intentions into reality.

We have an urgent prayer request for Pedro & Raquel, neighbors that live near to our camp property.  They are great neighbors and friends of Abraham & Catalina.  Raquel was just recently diagnosed with liver cancer and is currently hospitalized awaiting the results from one more test result and possible surgery.

Julián, Carolina, Abdías, & Esteban in Santiago….

We are grateful for Julián’s ongoing coordination of legal steps and filings in opening up new opportunities for our Chile Mission Foundation as it operates in Chile.  We are also grateful for medical test results for Julián, who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, treatable with diet changes and medication.  He was losing weight with no idea as to why, so these results are much better than being diagnosed with a more serious disease or condition.

In addition, we continue to be grateful for Carolina’s dedication in coordinating our Casa de Acogida (Rest House) for those needing housing in Santiago while in town for needed, complicated medical conditions.  There is always more that can be done to widen our circle of hospital social worker contacts, but Carolina handles each visitor with personal care and interest.  Most of those who come to our property don’t know Jesus, so this is our opportunity to share Christ’s love with them.

Jesus Christ will ALWAYS be the Reason for the Season!!

Praying, fasting, and giving thanks to our “JOY TO THE WORLD” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“TRIPLE-Directional Prayer”

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;  praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned. –Col. 4:2-3  -NASB1995

We SO appreciate and need your prayers!  There’s no substitute for TRIPLE-directional prayer:

• We pray in all things to God, our total enabler/provider, with thanksgiving
• We pray for ourselves in all things
• We pray for each other to be able to best extend and proclaim Jesus in all things

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support for CHILE MISSION as we pray for you as well, that we all might be worthy of God’s calling of us as we together extend God’s love through Jesus to all people.  Thank you!!

PRAYERS & PRAISES MIXED TOGETHER

CAMPO VIVO: 

• Abraham & his family have been living in the nearest town to our camp property (30 minutes away) during the rainy Chilean winter months (U.S. summer months) to avoid being closed in by the impassable public access road due to flooding. Chile is now in spring (YAY! 🙂 ) and they will be moving back to the property in early January, as he continues to seek another helper to join them on the property to help with the work. 
• Here below is a photo description of the maintenance/workshop/storage bldg. to be built on our camp property in early 2025. We don’t expect to be able to finish all of its interior before June, but if it is at least erected, we can work on the interior during the rainy season. We love and are grateful for progress!
• The second development/construction goal for the first part of 2025 is the final clearing of trees and brush in the tent camping area of the property, along with the construction of two back-to-back bathrooms and showers, with sinks. It will be tremendous if both of the above two projects can be accomplished before the start of the June winter rains.

U.S. WORK TEAMS:

We are very excited to report that there are three U.S. mission work teams set to help on the camp property in early 2025, along with more teams in development for future visits to Chile.  The need is real and so many have both the experience and skill to make a tremendous impact!  As always, you can write us at chilemission1@gmail.com

SANTIAGO:

• Julián, the husband of Carolina, is going through tests to see why his weight continues to drop lately. It could be something serious and they appreciate your prayers.
• We also seem to be making better progress with the Foundation’s attorney regarding the finalization of needed revision of our statutes.

STATESIDE IN THE USA:

We’ve had an unexpected medical challenge as of late to deal with, as on Wednesday, Oct. 23^rd Janine tripped on a cord she didn’t see and broke the upper part of her right arm’s humerus bone where it enters her shoulder socket. (:  

As the bone shattered, she will be having a “reverse total shoulder” surgery on Monday, November 4^th.  It’s scheduled as an outpatient surgery and then, barring complications, will begin with rehab therapy on that Wednesday, the 6^th.  It’s been an unwelcome painful ordeal for her, but she’s now doing better and in much less pain.  On the plus side, we have been greatly blessed with some super neighbors and close by friends who have helped tremendously to supply all of her needs.

Given their help, Jack left on Wednesday October 30th for churches starting in Ohio on his way to the ICOM missions conference in Lexington, KY, but due to Janine’s surgeon’s concern (and the concern of others who have gone through shoulder surgery) over the constant care she will need both before and after her surgery, he returned home to be with her.  Our hope is that Janine will be able to travel with him to Lexington and ICOM on November 13^th.  Thanks for your prayers!

Our U.S. teammate Donn Urban and Jack loaded the mission van for ICOM with Janine supervising. 🙂 

We have highlighted the ICOM these past two months in our letter to you and we really do highly encourage anyone and everyone to attend.  It will be held in the Rupp Arena convention center in Lexington November 14^th thru Saturday the 16^th.  It’s the one, annual conference hosted by the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ in the U.S. focused entirely on the church’s Great Commission in the world.

A STATESIDE EXTRA PRAYER NEED:

One of our supporting churches, Blue Ridge Christian Church, is located just outside of Asheville, NC and they are very involved in the huge recovery operation going on in that area after the devastating destruction of the recent hurricane.  IDES is another ministry organization involved. 

In addition to praying, should anyone wish to send funds in their on-going effort, Blue Ridge’s contact information is as follows:

147 Oren Dr, Mills River, NC 28759, USA

brian@blueridgechristian.church

(828) 687-7826

Thanks and blessings again to you all!  Triple-directional prayer really does make a huge difference!!

Praying, fasting, and giving thanks to our “ALL-directional” One, True God,

Jack & Janine

“Jesus’ Mission = Our Commission”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  –John 3:16-18

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

Until we are able to put these two short passages together, we will never be able to fully live our Christian identity, no matter where we live.  In everyday language God himself willingly suffered and died for every one of us in order to bring us back to himself forever, if only we will believe in and follow his son.  Sadly, those that choose to not accept this free gift of pardon will be lost into eternity.  That makes Jesus’ commissioning of Christians to bring others to himself is so important, as God does not want to lose even one person to eternal darkness and punishment.

It’s no wonder then why we are transforming land into a Christian Camp for children, youth, and adults in middle Chile and are receiving parents and other adults in our Santiago mission site.  Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support for CHILE MISSION as we pray for you as well, that we all might be worthy of God’s calling of us as we together extend God’s love to all people.  Thank you!!

SPECIFIC OCTOBER GRATITUDE

CAMPO VIVO: 

• The construction engineer has finished the drawings for our first camp building—the two story workshop/storage/maintenance building. That means that we can start digging holes to pour concrete foundations, etc. for the beginning of its construction.  This important step has been a while in the making and we are very excited and grateful.  TYL!!  The building will be roughly 10 x 18 meters in size.  For those of you that don’t know metric measurements, check it out!
• There are now two separate church groups set to come to help in the work on the camp property early this next year, with various other groups in formation process for a future trip. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL and Praise the Lord for his moving and enabling!  This in addition to at least one Chilean church group committed to coming and helping in early 2025.  We in the U.S. have so many giftings and skills to offer God’s wider Kingdom. Why not join us and plan a short-term trip to Chile??!!

SANTIAGO:

• The Foundation’s attorney has now submitted our signed (with our electronic signatures no less! 🙂 ) papers to recognize our five current board members and our board positions. This is a praise, due to the seemingly extra-long time it takes for legal steps to take place.  The board consists of Jack & Janine, our long-time worker Juan, Abraham, and Julián the husband of Carolina.
• Joherlit is well under way toward the formation of our Chilean Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Thank you for praying and giving thanks for these areas of progress!!  We remain dedicated and committed to the on-going development and moving forward of all parts and directions of CHILE MISSION, knowing that it is GOD who REALLY enables and moves everything forward!

SPECIFIC OCTOBER PRAYER NEEDS

CAMPO VIVO:

• We continue to pray for more groups—both from the U.S. and from within Chile to come and help with the wide variety of work on the camp property. All contacts and opportunities are appreciated!  Our contact information remains chilemission1@gmail.com and cellphone 949-394-8282.  We have both WhatsApp and Facebook and you can message our cellphone and leave a voicemail message if we’re not able to answer.  We are happy to travel your direction to help with planning.  THANKS!!
• As we shared last month, Eduardo will not be able to continue working with Abraham at the Camp property due to his family situation in Santiago. The cycle of spending two weeks on the property (roughly six hours south of Santiago) and one week at home has been tough on them.  We’re grateful for the time he has spent with Abraham and wish them the best.  In the meantime, Abraham continues to search for someone from the surrounding area to help and live on the property.
• We still need to finish the clearing of trees and brush from the area designated for tent camping and finalize the specific location of the two bathrooms and washing area to be built for campers.
• We also continue to stress the importance for Abraham & Family to visit at least one new church once a month in order to broaden relationships and make known the development work on the camp property. These increased relationships will also be a blessing once we begin receiving groups of children in the not-too-distant future, and hopefully result in a source of additional needed help.

SANTIAGO:

• Please pray with us that Carolina would continue to improve in her resolve to contact and visit more hospitals & clinics in order to bring in a more steady flow of people to find needed housing on our Santiago mission site. She’s very conscientious in doing her job, but it remains difficult for her to go out to other places even though public transportation in Santiago is extensive and easy to use.  Janine has encouraged her in different ways and we’ve suggested a monthly calendar to help in planning.  She is capable and very good with people.
• As with Abraham & Family we likewise are asking Julián & Carolina to visit at least one other church once a month on behalf of the Casa de Acogida (Refuge House) to broaden their contacts and enable area churches to help in different ways in the Refuge House ministry.

STATESIDE IN THE USA:

We annually put in a plug for the ICOM annual November Conference on Missions.  Mentioned last month, we travel to and participate in it every year with our Chile booth, and this year it will be held November 14-16 (Thursday thru Saturday) at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.  It’s a conference specifically

dedicated to connecting the CHURCH to Jesus’ Great Commission.  Teens attending have their own speakers, music, and on-site mission project to be a part of.  After all, Christian Churches ARE Jesus’ body in the world to jointly extend hope and him to peoples’ real needs and salvation.

Please give real thought to making the trip to Lexington this year with a small group from your church.  Not only that, but we know of a certain CHILE MISSION booth that will love to welcome you with our extremely large display of ‘for sale’ Chilean made and hand-painted marble figures and sets. 🙂

SUMMARY

We constantly give the Lord thanks for CHILE MISSION and also for our partnership with each of you churches and special individuals in our work in Chile.  We are EXTREMELY grateful FOR YOUR PRAYERS as we go forward together!!  THANK YOU!!

It all comes back to salvation and life with Jesus.  He truly IS the Hope of the entire world and our one and only SAVIOR and LORD.  May we all connect and reconnect together to his love-based Kingdom Mission and our Kingdom Commission! 

Great are you Lord

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore every heart that is broken
And great are You, Lord

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only

All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
Great are You, Lord!

Praising, praying, and fasting to Our One & Only JESUS’ MISSION = OUR COMMISSION God,   

Jack & Janine

“TRANSFORMED LIVING SACRIFICES ”

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  –Romans 12:1-2

Jack’s Chilean coffee mug fits right in with this month’s encouragement to us all.  “Quién conquista su mente conquista su vida” translates to “Whoever conquers their mind conquers their life”.  It seems so easy to fit our life into the world instead of transforming our minds to God first and letting him lead us forward in the way he’s prepared our lives to best serve him.  Add praying for each other to the mix and you get a SUPER POWERFULL JESUS IN MOTION!!  Many thanks for your steady prayers for us and for CHILE MISSION!!  Except for Romans 12:1-2 CHILE MISSION would not exist.

Our 2-1/2 week Chile visit is now at a close, and God as always used it to his glory, including our university visitor, Elena, and her time with us as well.  She is living Romans 12:1-2 as she continues in her studies and uses her summers working with children and exploring options as to where God would send her.  Here are two photos from her jam-packed 10 days with us.  The first selfie photo we took on a Santiago metro trip, and the second is of us with a church in Lota, Chile two hours southwest of the camp property where Abraham was invited to preach.  The church has many young adults and teenage members, and they are looking to come to the camp property this coming Chilean summer (Jan-Mar) to help work.  TYL!!

As we re-enter the States to travel to churches and visit individuals on the part of CHILE MISSION we would love to visit you this fall to explore the possibility of your making a mission trip to our camp property in 2025 to help work/construct/plant/prune/clear trees and otherwise help make progress in our development of the property.  We are also very much praying for and seeking persons that will be able to make a large one-time financial donation to CHILE MISSION toward this huge project.  We have already been overwhelmingly blessed by the extra financial support of many of you and we are exceedingly grateful!!  Our email is chilemission1@gmail.com and our phone number is 949-394-8282.  Thanks, and thanks for your continued prayers as we move ahead!!

During our Chilean time much progress was made inside of our Chilean team and also as a board of directors of our Foundation Misión Chile.  Thank you to all who prayed for our trip and details to be accomplished!

IN SANTIAGO

The Foundation board met and it’s good to know that several recent changes to the Foundation’s statutes will be forthcoming from the attorney.  We now need to name the positions of our five board members and the board will be able to open a checking account in the name of the Foundation in January when we will be returning to Chile for an extended period of time.  Lastly, we talked about the need for Abraham & family and Julián & family to visit other churches at least once per month in order for more churches to know about the work of CHILE MISSION and participate in it in different ways.  It has been difficult for them to see the need for more community contact and development of our networking possibilities.  Thanks for your prayers about this!

The board also met with the newest member of the Chile team, Eduardo, working two of every three weeks in rural Chile helping Abraham with the development of the camp property.  Spending so much time away from his family has been too hard of an adjustment, so he will continue to work with us through November as we look for a person to replace him.  We take nothing for granted when it comes to our relationships as a CHILE team and we again thank you all for your prayers on behalf of our team dynamics and health!

We met with Joherlit, a former team member who is helping set up social media accounts with Instragram and with FaceBook and we’re grateful for her help!

The Chile mission Santiago site also continues forward with some good news to share:

Bruno is doing better health-wise (leukemia) and was released at the end of August to go home to southern Chile.  He does have a monthly checkup to come to Santiago for, but it was so good to see how well he’s doing and pray with him while we were there.

You also might remember the new-born boy, Dominíc, who was born at the end of August, 2022.  At that time his parents were told to “say good-bye to him” as he would be dying shortly.  That was over two years ago and as you can see from the photo, he is still “as cute as a button”!  He was born with many of his internal organs mixed up in wrong places and the prognosis is that his malfunctioning heart will not keep up with his growth.  At some point in his young life his heart will thus give out, and there is nothing that surgeries will be able to correct.  That may be true, but these extra years have given them as a family more time to love each other and be together.

God tells us in Romans 8 to not worry about how or what to pray for, as “the Holy Spirit pleads of us believers in harmony with God’s own will”.  It is God that gets all glory in answering prayer, even when that answer falls short of our own expectations and Dominíc’s final chapter is yet to be written.  Praise God and thank you for your prayers for him!

We are pleased to share that Catalina’s mother, Julia’s, blood test numbers are back to normal, almost three months after her surgery to have a tumor removed from her brain.  The tumor led to Cushing’s Disease which caused her health to rapidly deteriorate.  As she had a very serious case of the disease it has taken these months for her to begin to return to normal, but we are all extremely grateful for God’s touch!

Our and your prayers for all of the above are more powerful than we know and as we titled last month’s Prayer Needs & Gratitude Letter, it is HE who will always be capable of doing IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine!!

PROPERTY IN RURAL CHILE

During a recent week on the camp property Eduardo was able to attend a meeting of those who live in the general area of our property.  The police announced that they are adding police (including women of course J) on motorcycles to help patrol the area for the safety of the residents.  We’re grateful!

Abraham also recently met an excavator operator, Luís, who took a look at our excavator and gave Abraham good advice with regard to some needed maintenance.  Luís has been clearing land near ours and as it turns out, that contract ends this first week of September.  The wage he charges for his time is reasonable and it looks like he will be able to do some projects for us, which will be a blessing that hopefully will lead to his continuing to help in the clearing and leveling of our land.  Thanks for praying these possibilities forward with us!

In two other important developments Abraham has been able to make more progress in the upcoming construction plans of our first building in early 2025 (a great reason for short-term work trips to Chile if you’re able to plan for early 2025!! 🙂 )  through his meetings with our construction engineer to plan design and materials to be used.  Also, the surveyor who is outlaying the subdivision of the northern 1/3 of our land (30 acres of 90 in total) received government approval for his amended plans submitted early this year.  That means that he might be ready to physically outline the lots to be sold in the coming years.  Both of these developments are praises for God’s plans in motion!

STATESIDE

These next months in the States leading up to this year’s ICOM (Int’l Conference on Missions) held in Lexington, KY the 14^th through the 16^th of November are bound to go by quickly.  With God’s blessing our annual CHILE MISSION booth will be busy as ever, alongside the hundreds of booths of other world-wide missions represented, and excellent main session speakers will encourage and inform all in attendance.  The conference also sponsors a wide variety of good workshops for churches, individuals, and missionaries alike.  The conference brings special energy to Kingdom Work!  If you are able to go, please stop by our CHILE MISSION booth to see us.  We’d love to both chat with you and also sell you some of our popular Chile-made marble figures and sets! (marblepeople.com)

Praising, praying, and fasting to Our One & Only TRANSFORMING LIVING SACRIFICES God,   

Jack & Janine

“IMMEASURABLY MORE”

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout ALL GENERATIONS, forever and ever!  Amen.  –Ephesians 3:20-21 

What an extraordinary, limitless encouragement to ALL Christian Churches and Christians sent out by Christ’s body throughout the world, virtually raising us to the same level of ministry that Jesus himself was called to during his life and mission in the world!!  God’s power and purposes in our world ARE limitless, but it is we his church and we Christians called to extend Jesus’ hope in the world that limit him!  What do we have to fear except our own lack of faith and tendency to guard what we deem is ours to control.  So many people everywhere need to know his touch.

He will always be our power source and we appreciate your prayer and financial support as we strive to extend Jesus in Chile just as you do here.  THANK YOU!!  How would it have been possible to buy 90 acres in the middle of Chile and have as a goal its transformation into a badly needed evangelistic Christian camp, except for the immeasurable power of God.

GIVING MORE THANKS….

—The very next week after the four young women came and helped work in Santiago and on the camp property for almost two weeks in July, the Columbia-based Mennonite mission sent us five young men to do the same.  What a blessing!  As you see from the second photo, one of them even knew how to operate our excavator. J

—Those two visits are exactly what we are asking God to duplicate through individuals in U.S. churches this next year of 2025, especially when they can avoid the Chilean winter rains and cold in June, July, & August.  Here is a repeat portion of one of our prayer petitions mentioned in our June Prayer Needs letter to you:

We again implore you to pray for all possible teams of individuals and churches to plan a mission trip to come to Chile in 2025 and help especially in our physical development of the camp property.  We would love to talk with you more and visit you as well this year to put such a mission trip in motion.  We will be in the Chicago area and in the eastern states this fall, and we also are willing to fly to other locations. In addition to making a short work trip to help us in Chile, perhaps someone reading this or someone you know would consider a large one-time donation as well.  Our email is chilemission1@gmail.com and our phone number is 949-394-8282.  Thanks, and thanks for your prayers!!

—While Catalina’s mother Julia is still not realizing marked improvement with her total lack of energy and periodic dizziness, she now is able to eat without becoming nauseous and for that she is very grateful.  Her doctor/surgeon who removed the tumor from her pituitary gland in June explained the she has a very aggressive form of Cushing’s Syndrome and more treatment may be needed. In the meantime, she is scheduled for another blood test in mid-August.  Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

—Also in Santiago, we are pleased to report that Bruno, who has leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from his sister in October, was released from the hospital again and is doing much better health-wise.   Thanks for your prayers for him.

—Please also pray for our upcoming trip to Chile, arriving in Santiago on Wednesday, August 14^th through Friday, August 30^th.  Our time will be split between Santiago and the camp property in middle Chile and in both locations we will sign documents needed in the (seemingly endless) on-going legal steps of Chile Mission.  Being in Chile is also important relationship-wise with our Chilean teammates, giving us the opportunity to meet and pray together.  As we have mentioned in recent Prayer Letters, we will be accompanied in Chile by Elena, a university student we met at the Christian camp in Ohio last summer who has a real interest in being a missionary herself.  Thank you for accompanying us on this trip in prayer for ALL that God will have in store for us !!

We would like to end this letter with a “thanks to the Lord for the life of Millarai”.  She and her twin sister Ana were among the several “Wards of the State” Chilean children who lived on our Santiago mission site from 2012 through 2019.  She ended up contracting osteoporosis (bone cancer) and died on July 29, 2016.  She was fifteen at the time, but in coming to know Jesus during her time with us in Santiago it was a believing, baptized Milla that went to her eternal, celebration life with God. PTL!!  Janine accompanied her to many doctors’ visits while spending extended time in a Santiago hospital, and several others of us also regularly visited her.  It was Milla’s life and circumstance that gave birth to the need to help and extend Jesus to the many parents of children also hospitalized for long periods of time in Santiago hospitals.  This effort in turn led to our Casa de Acogida “Dulce Refugio” (special care house “Sweet Refuge”) housed on our mission site in Santiago.  Most of those who come to stay in one of our houses do not know Jesus when they arrive, but we give God thanks for the prayer and care we’re able to share with them!

Praising, praying, and fasting to Our One & Only IMMEASURABLY MORE God,   

Jack & Janine

“TRULY FREE”

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”     “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”  –John 8:31-32,36  (NLT)

July 4^th is upon us with freedom at its center.  We join you in thanking God for the United States, for even with its many challenges and faults, it continues to strive for freedom for all.  At the same time, freedom can be so elusive of a goal for so many in the USA and for so many around the world, and the bigger spiritual truth is that freedom has everything to do with Jesus Christ as the ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE FREEDOM AND HOPE that ALL people of the world have.

Extending this same Jesus and his love is what gives us meaning and purpose and what gives our mission in all the world life and breath.  We and Chile Mission VERY MUCH need and appreciate your prayer and financial support as we strive to do just that.  THANK YOU!! 

—We have been blessed that another “ULTRA” mission team of four young women is with us for the last two weeks of June, helping in both Santiago and on the camp property in rural Chile.  This same mission based in Columbia sent us three different teams last year and we are very grateful!  Some of their teams are just women or men and some are mixed, but they ALL come with youthful energy and serving hearts.

—We had wanted to send you an attachment containing a short “drone” video taken of the camp property by one of their teams this past October, but we received back a message that the attachment made the email too large for sending, so we will continue looking for a way to send it.

—Speaking of the camp property and of Chile in general, much rain fell this past month already and we have just entered winter.  As a result, the one public road into the camp’s rural surroundings has at times been totally flooded and impassable, making the government’s impending and promised repair and rerouting of the road even more important.  Abraham continues to be in contact with those officials and we appreciate your continuing prayers for action.  Other nearby neighbors are equally affected by the impassable road conditions.  Two vehicles recently got stuck in the mud and had to be towed out.

—Abraham also ordered a needed hose for the engine of the excavator and one end of the hose that came wasn’t the right size according to the specifications given by him, so they re-ordered, and the new hose just arrived.  Makes us think of all the times we’ve had to send back Amazon-ordered items! 🙂 🙂

 —We are so grateful for Eduardo’s joining our Chile Mission team, as he has already been effective in his work on the camp property and in Santiago as well.  Thank you for your prayers in our search for new Chilean teammates Eduardo and family.  Eduardo’s help is a great blessing in the moving forward of the camp project.  Winter is very unpredictable for the camp work due to the weather and ongoing projects thus need a lot of planning to have materials ready to work around the heavy regular rains.

—We have an update on Catalina’s mother Julia and her brain surgery to remove the tumor from the pituitary gland.  The procedure was successfully performed on June 3^rd, but did not fully eliminate the ill effects of her Cushings Syndrome.  She continues to lack energy and is frequently nauseous and sometimes dizzy.  Her doctor/surgeon explained the she has a very aggressive form of the condition and more treatment may be needed. In the meantime, her situation will be sent back to the public system, which could be detrimental in her situation.  Please keep her and her family in your prayers as she waits for blood tests in mid-July.

—In Santiago, Bruno, who has leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant from his sister in October, returned to Santiago in June for a scheduled exam and he contracted pneumonia and is again in intensive care.  His immune system is quite low and we ask for prayers for him and his sister, who has accompanied him to Santiago.

If you find our prayer letter updates helpful in “connecting” to the work of Chile Mission and are interested in further supporting the Mission’s work, please don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange for us to visit.  Perhaps someone reading this or someone you know would consider a large one-time donation as well.  Our email is chilemission1@gmail.com and our phone number is 949-394-8282.   Thanks, and thanks for your prayers!!

Lastly, we know the summer just got here but it may not be too early to consider a trip to ICOM in mid November.  You won’t be sorry and you’ll even be able to come by a certain CHILE BOOTH run by certain “Chilean Gringos”! 🙂

Praising, praying, and fasting to Our One & Only Source of “TRUE FREEDOM” Jesus,   

Jack & Janine