One Down, Two to Go

Next week we will draw our first trimester to a close.  It has definitely flown by!  We have final exams in every class this week, and as we review what we’ve learned since September, it’s amazing to see our progress.  By the grace of God alone, we have been able to learn a ton in a relatively short period of time.  When we arrived, Nafisa knew no Spanish and can now have some conversations as well as take the kids to the doctor by herself.  Trevor knew some Spanish when he arrived, but he can now understand most of every conversation or sermon he hears.  We are very excited about what God is allowing us to accomplish because it is essential that we can speak well when we go to Ecuador in order to be able to build relationships with the people there.  We value everyone’s prayers because this is certainly not easy.  There are still some days that prove to be very frustrating!

                The kids are doing well and looking forward to the Christmas break.  This past weekend, we were blessed to have a visit from our good friends, the Burtons, and they surprised us by bringing Kylor.  We had a great time together.  Nafisa’s dad was able to visit back in October and everyone enjoyed his visit as well.  Cana is just starting to crawl.  Her brothers better start picking up their toys because she tries to steal them!  She loves watching her brothers play. 

                We enjoyed Lane’s Christmas program at school  - he was a shepherd.  The program was bilingual and it’s great to see them speaking/singing in both languages.  Cole’s program is Friday and will be great as well.

 As we draw closer to Christmas, let’s remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  We’ve already been given the greatest gift of all and we’ve been commanded to tell others about Him!  

Spanglish

                This is what happens when you speak English and then are learning to speak Spanish.  Phrases come out in English that have a Spanish sentence structure (Ex. Look at that dog black with the collar red.) , and words are said that are not correct in either language!  This tends to happen quite a bit, and sometimes we even mix in some Spanish in our conversations with one another.  We have been in language school for a month now and are learning a ton, thanks to much study and God’s grace.

                Trevor was able to preach last Sunday at our church since our pastor had to be away.  He used an interpreter and did great!  (It’s a bit hard to preach when you have to stop after every sentence for it to be translated!)  We are enjoying our church; the people there are very friendly, and the kids all enjoy their classes. 

We are slowly but surely understanding more and being able to carry on more conversations.  The boys are also starting to pick up some Spanish.    Lane was watching one of the Toy Story movies the other night, and there’s a part where Buzz Lightyear gets switched to Spanish mode.  Lane exclaimed, “Whoa!  This is in Spanish!”  He’s so funny.  The boys  also watch cartoons in Spanish.  As they’re exposed to it, they just soak up new words.  If only it were that easy for adults!      

Trevor watched the boys today so I could go to a Tico cooking class.  I had a great time and was amazed that I could understand a good deal even though the class was taught in Spanish.  I learned how to make several things including Arroz con Pollo and Tres Leches.  I’m really excited to try making them on my own! 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  Remember baby Cana this week – we’re taking her to downtown San Jose on Tuesday to get her next round of baby vaccinations.  Also, please continue to pray that we will learn the language well so that we can effectively build relationships with the people of Ecuador.  

Shopping, Earthquakes, and Spanish Language School...Surviving Costa Rica

Hola from Costa Rica!  Well, we’ve have gotten settled in our new home in San Francisco de Dos Rios, Costa Rica and are beginning to get acquainted with our neighborhood.  There is no one-stop shopping here, so we are figuring out where to go to buy different things (groceries, diapers, cleaners, etc.)  Since we don’t have a car, we walk to all of the stores.  We get quite a workout sometimes!  The boys are enjoying the park across the street from our house.  They love to run around, play ball, and slide there. 

It’s been a big adjustment to move to another country, but we are very excited to be here.  This is our second week of Spanish classes, and we have already learned so much!  Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like we’re making much progress.  Then, we’ll have a conversation with someone in Spanish and realize that we wouldn’t have been able to communicate in Spanish at all a month ago!    We are also hoping to get connected (through the language school) with some ministry opportunities.  It will give us practice in Spanish, and we’ll be able to serve while we are here. 

The second day of classes, we experienced our first earthquake.  It measured 7.6 with the epicenter being just off the coast of Costa Rica.  It was quite a shock, but praise God, everyone was safe and no damage was done.  I ran to check on our kids as soon as the initial tremors stopped, and they were perfectly fine.  Their teachers were very well-trained in how to quickly and calmly evacuate the kids to a safe place outside.  Hopefully, we won’t experience another one anytime soon. 

We want to thank you again for your continued support and prayers.  You are making it possible for us to learn Spanish well, so that we can effectively share the gospel with the people of southern Ecuador.  Please pray that we will stay well so that we can attend school regularly; we have passed the flu around our house, but I think we are well for now!  May God bless you as you help us “make disciples of all nations.” 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. “  Matthew 28:19-20

-Nafisa

Language School in San Jose, Costa Rica; We Made It

Thanks to everyone for their prayers!  We had a good trip here – Lane and Cana slept during most of the flight.  We had no problems clearing immigration and customs or getting to our house.  The main difficulty has been the noise at night.  Lots of young people hang out at the park across the street until late.  Plus, guys drive motorcycles very loudly down the street right in front of our house.  We’re getting used to it though.  The last two nights neither of the boys has been awakened by the noise. 

We are slowly but surely getting settled in here in Costa Rica.  We’re blessed to now have hot water (we didn’t for the first week.)  We all were excited to take a warm shower!  We’ve made trips to several stores (there’s no one-stop shopping here) in order to stock our house.  There wasn’t much here when we arrived!  We’ve gotten most of what we need, but it’s difficult when you have to either walk or take taxis to get to a store. 

We made a trip on Saturday morning to the local farmer’s market; it’s held every Saturday.  We got a lot of good, inexpensive fruits and veggies.  Our family is eating much healthier as a result, but it does take more time to prepare meals.  We have enjoyed trying new foods, even the boys!  Below is a picture of a mamon chino – one of the new fruits we all enjoy. 

 

Our family also enjoyed going to church in Aserri on Sunday.   Brother Jairo Bonilla (the Director of Missions for the BMA of Costa Rica) picked us up, and we spent the day with his family.  We really appreciate their hospitality and all of the good food they prepared for us!  We look forward to learning more Spanish so that we can understand the services better.  Trevor will be preaching (with an interpreter) this Sunday. 

Please pray for us and the kids as we start orientation at the language school next week.  It will probably be difficult for them to be dropped off in an unfamiliar place, but we know they will do fine.  Pray that we learn the language well.  After all, we have the most important thing in the world to share with others!      

Short Video Regarding Our Work

My Recent Trip...

My recent trip to Ecuador we a profitable one.  I spent a week in Cuenca, familiarizing myself with the city that we will be living in, just trying to get a feel for the rhythm of life there in the city.  I learned a ton about the place and the people, and it’s amazing how much Spanish you can learn when you have no one to translate for you! 

                While we were there, it happened to be a time of great festivity since they were celebrating the Festival of Corpus Christie.  There were special events in the central plaza such as live music, entertainment, and lots of homemade candies .  This event attracted huge crowds, including many young families.  It was exciting to see that the fields are indeed ripe for harvest, and we will have plenty of work to do when we arrive. 

                We are excited about beginning our language studies next month; we will leave for Costa Rica in mid-August.  We have secured a house for our family to live in while we are in school, and it’s perfect considering that it is across the street from a park and only half-a-mile’s walk to the language school. 

                Please continue to pray for our family as our travels for deputation are drawing to a close.  It is sometimes overwhelming to consider all of the last-minute details that must be taken care of before we move, but God is always good to allow us to accomplish just what needs to be done, one task at a time. 

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”   Mark 10:29-31 

Our Travels:

                We have been busy so far on deputation, but the Lord has truly blessed us as we raise support for our work in Ecuador.   We have had great visits at churches in Forney, Canton, Lubbock, and Levelland, Texas as well as in Quitman and Greenbrier, Arkansas.  We are looking forward to our visits to other churches in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas in the coming weeks.  Everyone’s friendliness and hospitality has been greatly appreciated as we’ve traveled with our family.  It has certainly been an adventure! 

                At the same time, we are steadily making last minute preparations as we prepare to leave for language school in two months.  There are vaccination appointments, shopping for items we will need to take, and lots and lots of paperwork!  Trevor will be leaving tomorrow for Ecuador in order to spend more time in Cuenca and its surrounding towns and villages.  We are hopeful that this trip will give us more information about the area and the people we are trying to reach. 

                Please pray that God will grant Trevor a safe and productive trip and also continue to pray for the people of Ecuador – that God would open their hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ.   

On The Road

We had a wonderful last Sunday with our church on April 29 and have now begun traveling for deputation.  During this exciting time, we will be traveling to churches throughout Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma to share the vision for Ecuador that God has laid on our hearts. 

                God continues to open doors and remove barriers along the way.  In fact, this past week we were blessed to close on the sale of our home, and since we will only be taking what will fit in our suitcases, everything’s been packed in boxes to donate and garage sale.  Now, we are ready to move to Costa Rica in August. We have already enrolled in language school there and have signed the kids up for school/daycare at the same facility. 

                Looking ahead, Trevor will be making another trip to Ecuador next month for some meetings.  We are hoping that this visit will produce the necessary contacts in order to receive a religious visa to the country.  This is essential for us to be able to do long-term missions work in Ecuador.

 

                During the coming months, please pray that God would open people’s hearts to partner with us in reaching the people of southern Ecuador with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Willing to Go: A Wife's Perspective

Mark 10:28-30: Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”


29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Willing to Go: A Wife’s Perspective

As wives, it is our responsibility to lovingly and respectfully submit to our husbands and to follow them wherever God calls them. However, I know from my experience, that God speaks to women just as clearly as he speaks to men. God also reveals his will - not just to husbands, but to wives as well.


I did not feel God speak to me about his plans for our future until I was willing to go wherever he called us. Then, one night as I was praying, one word almost audibly came to my mind – “Ecuador.” I prayed for awhile longer and dwelled on it for quite some time. It was so odd because Trevor and I had never before discussed this country. In fact, I wasn’t even sure where it was! The very next day, after a meeting with the executive director of BMAA Missions, Trevor sent me a text that read, “You’ll never guess the first country he mentioned that we (the BMA) did not have any missionaries in.” Luckily, I was able to call him, and I found out that not only had Trevor been feeling called to go to Ecuador, but our association currently had no missionaries in the country either. Since that time, God has continued to affirm to both of us that he wants us to move our family to southern Ecuador in order to tell others about Jesus and to teach them to obey him.

Those that have gone before us

As I sit in the hospital with my sweet wife thinking about our future, I am reminded that today marks the 56th anniversary of the death of five men who have gone before us.  Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Flemming, and Roger Youderian were all men of God who left the comforts and safety of home and took their families to Ecuador.  Their life mission was to reach the Auca Indians (head hunters) with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, they were killed by the very people whom they were trying to reach, but their work was not in vain.  I say fortunately because these brave and obedient men paved the way for people like us to proclaim the gospel in Ecuador.   Check out the following articles on their work in Ecuador.

http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2009/01/08/today-jim-elliot-was-killed-1956/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1459532/posts

Trevor

God Said Ecuador

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?-2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Nafisa and I have always expected that God would call us to foreign missions.  I don’t know why, but let’s just say we just expected it and embraced the idea. 

God Pressing:

But I started to notice in about September of 2010, God really beginning to press on me.  At first I really couldn’t put my finger on what He was doing or what I was feeling.  It was like He was creating some sort of dissatisfaction within me, but a good dissatisfaction, a godly one. I knew God had called me to Pastor and preach, so I wasn’t questioning that call.  It was as if God wanted to create a dissatisfaction within me so that I could see that He was calling me to other things.  I just knew that God was moving in me and speaking to me and I had to figure out what it was he wanted.  I would pray relentlessly over this asking God to show me what He wanted and to give me clarity in this.

Why we're moving to Ecuador!

Many of you know by now that we are moving to Cuenca, Ecuador as missionaries.  Most of you have expressed your support, even though some of you think we're crazy.  We've started this blog to chronicle this journey that started in January 2010 and that will last until God sends us home or calls us to glory.  Over the next few weeks we'll recap some of the events that had taken us this far.  But for now we'll share our vision, the reason we're moving to Ecuador...