Trusting God

At the end of our time in Alaska this summer a terrible tragedy occurred.  Our nephew, Elliott, was killed in a tragic accidental shooting.  Our family is devastated.  As we grieve the loss of this amazing young man, please pray for God's love, wisdom, and strength for the family.  The lyrics of Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "I Will Trust You" express much of what we feel at this time.

I don't even wanna breathe right now
All I wanna do is close my eyes
But I don't wanna open them again
Until I'm standing on the other side

I don't even wanna be right now
I don't wanna think another thought
And I don't wanna feel this pain I feel
And right now, pain is all I've got

It feels like it's all I've got, but I know it's not
No, I know You're all I've got
And I will trust You, I'll trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand, even then I will say again
You are my God, and I will trust You

God, I'm longing for the day to come
When this cloudy glass I'm looking through
Is shattered in a million pieces
And finally I can just see You

God, You know I believe it's true
I know I will see You
But until the day I do

I will trust You, trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again

You are my God, and I'll trust You
And with every breath I take
And for every day that breaks
I will trust You
I will trust You
And when nothing is making sense
Even then I will say again

God, I trust You
I will trust You
I know Your heart is good
I know Your love is strong
And I know Your plans for me
Are much better than my own

So I will trust You, trust You
I trust You, God, I do
Even when I can't see the end
And I will trust You
I will trust You, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again

I will trust You, I will trust You, I will
I know Your heart is good,
Your love is strong,
Your plans for me are better than my own
Yeah, Your heart is good
Your love is strong
Your plans for me are better than my own
And I trust You
You are my God
And I will trust You

ALASKA

Although we have been away for many years, Alaska still feels like home.   When we return for a visit, we are in awe of God's majestic beauty found here in Alaska. As we drove to my dad's home this weekend,  the beauty of the snow capped mountains left us breathless.  


Another highlight has been visiting with our families.  Being several thousand miles apart, we rarely see our sisters, nephews and nieces.  It brings joy to our hearts to be with them!!!! :-)

Jim had the privilege of preaching at Kenai Lake Baptist church which is nestled between an emerald green lake and a towering mountain peak.  We've also been meeting with individuals and church leaders to share the vision of our strategic ministry of equipping pastors and leaders in Latin America.  We're convinced God has provided us with sovereign appointments which will help advance God's kingdom work.  This trip has reminded us of God's awesome, creative wonders as well as His wonderful, sovereign wisdom.

While riding bicycles through a local park, we came upon this mama moose and her little calf. We were able to watch them for several minutes while we waited for the baby to join the mother.  With mama on one side of the path, and baby on the other, we didn't dare ride between them for fear of being charged.

MTI - LANGUAGE ACQUISITION TECHNIQUES

We began the summer by attending a two-week language acquisition course at Mission Training International located just north of Colorado Springs.  The course is designed to prepare us for language learning.  We definitely had a new experience learning how to make bilabial fricatives, glottal stops, and many new phonetic sounds not found in English.  Haven't worked with those lately have you?  :-)  Our perspective on language learning was broadened, and we returned home with a "toolbox" of activities to help us learn Spanish more quickly and with deeper comprehension.  We left with a sense of excitement about language learning

One of the most thrilling parts of the experience was meeting fellow missionaries going to all parts of the world.  Sometimes we feel hopeless and inadequate at reaching the world.  After hearing about ministries to Muslims, to tribes in remote areas, and to many other places, we came away excited by the mighty way God is working throughout the world.

(Thanks to Katie & Jonathan for the photos!)

Please pray with us as we begin our support team building in earnest.  We know God will provide, and we try not to worry too often about the task.  If all finances are in place by the end of the year, we hope to arrive in Costa Rica for language school in January 2011.

Costa Rica

REACHGLOBAL CHURCH PLANTING CONFERENCE
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica


We were privileged to travel to Costa Rica in November to partcipate in a ReachGlobal Church Planting conference. The conference was sponsored by ReachGlobal, and it was exciting to see the teaching being done mostly by Latin Americans. Latino pastors and church leaders from all over Latin America were present, and we were thrlled to see people from so many countries working and learning together.

While at the conference, we met many of our ReachGlobal Latin American team members. Meeting with our team leaders helped us gain a clearer vision for the work being accomplished, and the urgent need for training church leaders.

While helping the ladies cook for the event, I had "Spanish lessons. " Needless to say I provided much entertainment with my poor pronunciations.



TICO LADIES PREPARING FOR CHILDREN'S EVENT

The conference was held at a church camp located in a beautiful mountain valley. Words cannot describe the beauty of the Costa Rican moutains and the lush vegetation. We were surrounded by mountains covered with coffee and banana plantations. The Orosi River flowed beside the campground, and it's rushing waters put us to sleep each night. Every day we had fresh "limonade" made with limes plucked just that morning.

OROSI RIVER


Jim was able to stay an additional two days in San Jose. Touring the language school we will attend was a highlight of this portion of his trip.

THE SPANISH INSTITUTE

http://thespanishinstitute.com/index.html

Please pray for us as we begin the support team building process in earnest. God has blessed us with several team members, and we are thankful for their faithful support as we raise our monthly and one time support needs.