A Wow Moment

So many times already in our short ministry God has done very specific things where it was as though He was telling us, "Yep that's what I want." It usually comes after something that breaks our stride and we think, "What?... That wasn't supposed to happen."

Jimmy got a phone call from Newspring yesterday and found out that someone had anonymously given the rest of the money for our ministry micro bus! They wanted us to know before we left. Now in February we will be able to purchase one and start having CHURCH services at our house.

If you know from previous posts, CHURCH is not a word we are allowed to use in New Horizon. We have been very restricted and the threat of being kicked out has always been held over our heads to keep us and everybody coming to our Bible Studies in fear of saying something wrong. It wasn't unbearable, but it affected every conversation and activity. For over two years we tried to show respect for the community's laws, always getting permission from the town council and never crossing any of the boundaries they set up. That is why we were so shocked when we were falsely accused by one of our 'friends' and kicked out last September without a chance to speak or defend ourselves.

It was discouraging to think that we had invested the time, energy and resources into something, only for everything to abruptly come to an end. We tried to look at the positive aspects in our personal lives of no longer having to minister in such a dark, oppressive place, but with that our hearts broke to think of the victories God had given us and the many people there that are so close to making a decision for Christ.

We believed God had given us the vision to invest in a Micro and we understood all the benefits of meeting at our house, but $15,000 is a lot of money. Very quickly NewSpring responded, providing half of the money. Even though God had provided half in only two days, we still had thoughts that it might take us all year to get the rest to actually be able to minister again.

So we weren't expecting the phone call yesterday. It was one of those moments where you get chills realizing God's perfect timing. It was assurance that we are on the right track and that God will provide for everything He has called us to. We also received the peace that God wasn't done with New Horizon just yet. He hadn't closed the door to work there; He was expanding our ministry and squashing opposition at the same time.

We will start with a core group of those who have accepted Christ. We will study again the fundamental doctrines of the Bible and conclude this study with a Baptismal service to form the church. Then we will open it up to visitors. If we start by inviting everybody who wants to come, we will have a Micro full of people who want a free ride to our town to go shopping and a free ride home, but nobody who will attend our services. With the core group we can be specific and without too many distractions.

So now we go MicroBus shopping. Pray for wisdom. We have a close friend who knows a lot about them and evaluating their working condition. We've never had a diesel and we both have rusty manual transmission skills. In addition to serving as a CHURCH (love that word!) bus on Sundays, the Micro will be a safe family vehicle with room for car seats and friends for ministry in Santa Rita, a team vehicle for our 7 teams this year, and save us $1.50/gallon in fuel costs.

We hope that the Anonymous Blesser along with everyone else who has given reads our Blog. We are so thankful for your gifts of love and investment in our ministry. Every victory from the CHURCH in New Horizon will be because of your sacrifices.

Open House

Invitations had already been sent out for a shower for us back in September when my doctor told me I was not going to be able to travel to KS (little did we know he was right). So Melissa had an open house for everyone to come meet Jonah and Silas before we left this past weekend.

Pretty Food!

There were many people who came that have been so supportive of us and our ministry in Guatemala. We are so thankful for them!

Leslie came down with the Newspring team to Guatemala. She found out that her and her husband were pregnant soon after we did... and with a boy!! She has a brilliantly creative mind, I love keeping in touch with her and seeing all of her creations.

She and her mom tie-dyed t-shirts for the boys all the way up through 12 months in wonderfully vivid colors. They even made a shirt for me!

I loved this photo because we were all enjoying the boys!

Thank you to everyone who came!

Silas' Turn

Silas started smiling the next day. It makes you melt!

All Smiles

Jonah started smiling yesterday! His smiles could entertain for hours. I can't get enough!

Since they were 2 months early we aren't sure when their normal milestones will be. I guess this usually happens at around 6 weeks. We had to wait a little longer for it, but technically he is only 4.5 weeks past his due date. Silas has smiled at Daddy, but it doesn't count until it's at Mommy!

Tickets Are Bought

We have received Silas and Jonah's passports and have purchased our plane tickets. Jimmy and his dad are flying back next Wednesday. They are going to make sure everything is functional for when the boys get there, like vehicles, power, and water, and that all the bugs inside our house are dead. Then his mom and I will fly with the boys on Saturday. Home is so close I can taste it! I cannot wait to see my doggies!!

CRAZY ITEM OF THE DAY: Getting passports for the boys was an ordeal. We had everything that the passport application form said we needed before we left for the post office (in the ice and snow) with our boys. Well when we arrived there was a sign on the door that said we needed a photocopy of the passport customer's ID and that they do not make copies there. So we soon returned (in the ice and snow) with our boys and with photocopies of their birth certificates. This time we made it to the counter, but the lady did not like the photos Walgreens had taken of them. So we soon returned a third time (in the ice and snow) with our boys and improved photos. This time the lady behind the counter said, "A birth certificate is not a form of ID." Jimmy said, "Well is there ID you can get for a baby?" And here is my favorite part that reminded me this was run by our extremely efficient and competent government. "Yes," she replied, "... a passport!"

Special Time of Dedication

Newspring has one special service each year when they do baby dedications. Since we will be in Guatemala, pastor Hoover had a special prayer of dedication for them Wednesday night. It was a beautiful moment. He spent some time explaining the Biblical basis behind this and then asked for us and our family to come up on stage. Even Jimmy's Grandparents were there to pray with us. It was not a dedication of the boys as much as it was a dedication of us as parents to raise our boys to be Christ followers.

CRAZY ITEM OF THE DAY: Jimmy picked up some baby wipe refills from the store, only thing is he left them in the van over night. They were frozen solid the next morning. We thawed them out on the floor vents. Thankfully we will not have this problem in Petén!

Ministry Micro

You all are aware that we have been “kicked out” of New Horizon, one of the ex-guerrilla communities in which we have been working for the last 2 years. The process to get back in will take anywhere from 6-10 months and is not a definite one, so in the meantime we want to continue working with the people in this community.

Our solution is to buy a used Micro-bus. With this we would be able to pick the people of New Horizon up on the highway, outside of the community, and nobody in the community would have any authority. We would bring the group to our house to have services. Doing this would also allow us to baptize and form a church, rather than just the Bible Study as it has been.

This “Micro” would also serve our teams, thus reducing the cost and eliminating the need to hire a driver. After selling our unreliable SUV, a used one will cost us around $15,000.

We mentioned this need in our latest update. Since then our home church in KS has already sent us half of the amount needed and other individuals have given as well. We are so thankful! I posted a thermometer on the side of the blog to keep track of funds we have received. Please be in prayer with us for this need so that we can soon find and purchase this ministry vehicle.