Children's Christmas Outreach

Our Christmas children’s outreach event was a huge success.  Thanks to everyone that donated to make this special day possible!  We hosted 80 children and their families.  Each child and their family received a simple lunch and enjoyed games with a clown.  They all heard a simple presentation of the gospel, and each child went home with a small gift, bag of candy and cookies, and a piece of Passover bread (a Christmas tradition here.)  (Passover bread is sweet bread with raisins and sprinkles.)  There were a lot of happy kids!

It was also a blessing to see the people of our mission serving the Lord eagerly.  They helped to decorate, make and serve the lunch, organize gifts, and pass them out.  Then they all stayed to help us clean up afterward.  It’s exciting to see our friends serving their community gladly.  We also discussed our plans for Christmas Eve.  Everyone from our mission will be gathering at our house to have Christmas dinner together.  What an incredible honor to be able to have more than 30 Ecuadorian friends here to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, after being here for only 3 short months.  God is good!  May you focus on the greatest gift at this time of year – Christ gave us himself!  Merry Christmas!

First Worship Service

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we hosted our first worship service here in our home.  We had 13 people here plus our family and our good friends, Christie and Preston Burton, and their children.  We sang a couple of Spanish worship songs together with the help of Youtube, and Trevor preached a message about the atoning work of Jesus.  He also translated it into English for our friends.  At the end, two people, a brother and sister, both committed their lives to Christ.  Their mother is already a believer, and we are praying fervently that their father (who regularly attends our Bible studies) will also place his faith in Jesus.  It was an exciting time here at Misión Bautista de Santa Ana de Los Cuatro Ríos. 

After our service, we put up our Christmas tree (our friends had asked to help) and decorated it.  It was interesting since Christmas lights here do not have outlet plugs at both ends, so we had to figure out how to get the end of each strand plugged in to a power strip on the floor!  Afterward, we all sat down and had a big meal together and enjoyed visiting. 

It is also exciting to see our people taking an active role in ministry.  Two of the men in our church here met a young lady at the market whose family had fallen into very difficult times.  They initiated and planned how and when to help this family.  Yesterday, Trevor went with them as they delivered grocery items to the family and one of our men was able to share the gospel with the family.  We will be visiting this family again soon.

The coming weeks will be a busy time for us.  On December 21, we have a large outreach planned to distribute gifts, candy, and cookies to needy children here but most importantly, to share the gospel with them and their parents.  Please pray that God would use this time to help us serve the community and to be able to meet more people here. 

I Love to Tell The Story, The Old, Old, Story

Last night we held our second Bible study here in Cuenca and things went very well.  We were blessed to have 10 adults in total.  We ate, we prayed, and we studied the Bible. And of course, we use the Orality or Bible Storying method of teaching.

For those of you not familiar with this method of teaching I'll give you a quick run down.  We teach the Bible through story.  We do not read the story, we tell the story with passion and emotion.  Yes, we actually take the time to memorize the story...and yes in Spanish.

One of us stands up and tells the story, which always captivates (people will listen to you tell a story long before they will listen to you read).  Then the entire group rebuilds the story together.  Following that, everyone breaks up into pairs and practices telling each other the story and correcting mistakes.  Once we are done, someone else gets to stand up and share the story with the group.  Now, at this point every person in the room has at the very least heard or told the story 5 times.  After 5 times, it sticks...I promise.

It get's even better when we choose someone else to present the story for the following week.  That means they have to spend the entire week reading, studying, and practicing the Bible story...oh yeah, they also have to practice it by telling the story to anyone who will listen all week.

Then we use a series of 8 questions to help us study the story.  We use the same 8 questions so that our people memorize them too.  And guess what?  Within no time, everyone in the group has a set of Bible Stories memorized and a list of questions used to develop a biblical worldview, expose sin, convict our hearts, and reveal the gospel.  Our disciples are now equipped to make disciples who make disciples...just like Jesus commanded us.

Give it a try sometime!  We've been doing it for 3 years, and it's the most reproducible thing we've ever done.

Here are some pictures of our group here in Cuenca listening, rebuilding, and telling the story.

Tomatoes, Puppies, Crocs, and Fresh Goat's Milk

We are getting settled in here in Cuenca and really love our house.  The location is also really good.  We’re located just a block from the largest, open-air market in Cuenca and it's open 7 days a week.  They sell tons of different things including fresh produce, kitchen items, chickens, puppies, birds, shoes, sweaters, spices, meat, watches, toys, and even fresh goats milk (they milk the goats right in front of you and hand you a cup full).    The boys enjoy going there and looking at all the different animals, and Lane enjoys picking out toys!  Cole went with Nafisa one day and in exchange for carrying things, she bought him a grilled banana with cheese (one of her favorite snack items here.)  There’s also a small grocery store within walking distance, but now that we have a vehicle, we have a little more freedom to shop at other stores as well.

Cole and Lane began homeschool this past week, and it’s going well.  Lane also began going to a preschool in the mornings (mainly to relearn Spanish.)  Plus it gives Cole some time to do schoolwork with only one little one running around.  (Cana enjoys playing and coloring during this time.  She just has to be monitored to make sure she only colors on her paper.)  Cole started going to the same school Lane goes to (but in the afternoon.)  They host an after-school program, so Cole is able to play with other kids his age, he takes Tae Kwon Do twice a week, and he is taking guitar lessons.   

Trevor was able to buy a van this week.  This is a huge praise since we’ve been without a car for over a year.  This will make life a lot easier and will enable us to reach more people.  We can’t say thank you enough to our supporters who made this possible!

Please continue to pray that we meet people and have the opportunity to share the gospel message with them.  This past Monday night, we had two Ecuadorian families over for dinner.  Things went really well and we hope to get together when them again soon.  We are having dinner with another family tomorrow night and would really appreciate your prayers.  Please pray that we would continue to build relationships with the people of Ecuador and that the Lord would open doors for us to share the good news of Jesus Christ here.  

Friends, Family, and Fried Okra

We are currently enjoying spending time with friends and family in Texas while we are in the process of obtaining our visas to Ecuador.  Thank you for all your prayers during the last year!  God has been gracious to us in helping us to learn Spanish, and we are finished with our studies in Costa Rica.  We eagerly look forward to beginning our work in Cuenca, Ecuador.  We are waiting to receive two more documents in the mail with the special seal from the Texas government, and then we will be able to drive to Houston to go to the Ecuadorian consulate there.  If all goes well, we will be able to leave there with our religious visas in hand.  You can pray that we’re granted a two-year visa.  If we only get a one-year visa, it won’t be long after we get to Ecuador before we have to start the long process again. 

We are enjoying some of the things we missed in Costa Rica like peace and quiet (it was always noisy there), Mexican food, and fried okra.  On the way home from the airport, Nafisa chose to stop and pick up food from Taco Bueno while Trevor just wanted to stop for a Dr. Pepper!  On a serious note, it really has been great being able to visit with some of our friends and family during our stay here.  The kids all got to go to Vacation Bible School, and the boys went to the beach with Grammy.  We all took a brief trip to San Antonio to visit our good friends Preston and Christie Burton and went to the Alamo and the Rainforest Café.  The boys also got to go to Legoland with their Uncle Shahzad.  Cole and Lane have spent a lot of their time playing outside – swimming, riding their bikes, and catching bugs.  Cana also likes to play outside early in the morning (or whenever it’s not too hot!), and she talks almost nonstop.  She’s growing up quickly.  Trevor got the opportunity to preach at Union Hill Baptist Church, and he spoke at Fellowship Baptist Church in Forney.  It’s such a blessing to have friends and family that support us and our ministry.    

The Home Stretch

Thank you to everyone who prayed for our trip to Ecuador.  We spent a week there at the beginning of the month, and it was very productive.  Things were a bit chaotic since we decided the day before we left for Ecuador to send all of the kids back to Texas with Trevor’s parents.  Cana’s allergic reaction got so severe that her hands, feet, and face were swollen, so we decided it would be better if she saw a specialist in Texas.  Fortunately, after a few weeks of doctor’s visits and tests, her allergist is confident all of her problems were caused by the vaccines she received at the end of May.  We feel blessed that we finally have an answer to what caused her reaction and that it’s not serious.  God is good!

We spent the first two days of our trip in Quito, the capitol of Ecuador.  We met with an Ecuadorian pastor there to receive some documents necessary for our religious visas.  It was exhausting to converse the entire day in Spanish, but God was gracious to us.  We had no difficulty understanding or communicating in Spanish.  Everything went really well, and we got the required documents.

 

We then moved on to Cuenca and went shopping so we will know where to go to buy furniture, appliances, and everything else we need to furnish our house in September.  We didn’t want to have to drag the kids to all of those different stores to compare prices when we arrive, so we did that during our trip.  We also looked at some houses and were incredibly blessed to find a home to rent!  It’s ideal for our family and for ministry.  We are very excited to have found a house much more suitable for our family than the one we had in Costa Rica. 

Nafisa is now back in Texas with all the babies, and Trevor will be returning late next week.  It has been a difficult year at times, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.  God has used our time in Costa Rica to teach us many valuable lessons.  After all, it’s usually not the good times that draw us closer to the Lord or make us more like him. 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  James 1:2-3

Estamos en Cuenca! (We're in Cuenca!)

What a busy week we’ve had!  A few weeks ago, Cana developed an allergy to something.  After switching detergents and removing potentially allergenic foods, her rash continued to get worse.  The day before we left for our trip to Ecuador, her hands, feet, and face were becoming swollen.  After taking her to the doctor in Costa Rica, we decided to send her home with Trevor’s parents so that she could get medical attention.  The boys also went back to Texas with them.  Please pray for this transition time and that doctors would discover the cause(s) of Cana’s allergy.

We have had a very productive time so far in Ecuador.  We spent a day in Quito and stayed with an Ecuadorian pastor and his family in order to obtain the required documents for our visas.  It was also a good test of our Spanish, but by the grace of God, we had no problems communicating.  It was a good visit, and Quito was beautiful.  We arrived here in Cuenca on Wednesday afternoon and have spent a lot of time walking all around the city trying to familiarize ourselves with the different areas.  We’re also looking at some houses while we’re here and hoping to find the right one for our family and for our ministry.  Please pray for us during this time that God would guide and direct our decisions.  

We will return to Costa Rica next week to finish our time in language school.  Praise the Lord we will finish August 8th. 

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”  Psalm 96:3

Sovereign in All Things

After you’ve been out of the country for almost a year, it’s amazing how quickly you lose touch with the latest movies and songs in the U.S.   Chris Tomlin is one of our favorite singers, and we didn’t realize he’d put out a new album until Nafisa saw someone post a link to one of the songs on Facebook.  Compliments of YouTube, we now can listen to it.  We especially like the song “Sovereign.”  We know and trust in God’s complete sovereignty in all things, but sometimes, it’s necessary and refreshing to have a reminder that our Lord is sovereign in all things – not just the good things.  Sometimes, it’s important to be reminded that he’s also sovereign over the difficult things and the hard things.

 We were studying the story of Esther with the kiddos; what a great picture of God’s complete sovereignty!  Imagine getting the news – an official edict from your country’s ruler – a notice of your imminent murder, and not just your’s, but the complete annihilation of your people.  They seemed doomed.  The situation seemed hopeless, but they didn't lose hope.  They trusted.  They fasted, and they prayed.  And God delivered in the most unusual of ways – through a Jewish girl that became queen. 

Even during the difficult times, we can rest in the hope that nothing that happens to us surprises God.  He allows it all for our good and his glory. As many of you know, we have had a rough few weeks as far as illness and injury – chicken pox, parasites, stitches, and most recently, Trevor had to have a minor procedure.  We should get partial ownership in the private hospital here!  But we rest in the knowledge that none of this came as a surprise to our Lord – we’re in the process of developing perseverance!  But please continue to pray for our health and safety as we finish out our year here in language school and prepare to move to Ecuador. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4 

A Refuge and Shelter

It has been a rough couple of weeks for the Morris children, but we are constantly reminded of God’s protection and presence in our lives in the midst of difficulties.  Both boys had a stomach virus the same day (but it hit Cole far worse than Lane.)  Luckily, Cana escaped getting sick but did her share of getting into things while Nafisa was busy tending to the boys and Trevor was at school.  They fortunately recovered quickly.  A few days later, the boys were playing and little Lane fell and hit his head on the wall.  It made a small cut in his head that bled quite a bit!  Luckily, it was just a small cut, so we decided to just keep an eye on it.  It is healing well on its own.  The next day, less than an hour after starting his first class, Trevor got a call that Cole was not feeling well.  By the time he arrived, Cole had already gotten sick to his stomach.  Fortunately, it was short-lived and he never got sick again.  Instead, he enjoyed the day off with Cana and Lane.

However, the following day, (this past Tuesday), we had taken all the kiddos and the dog to the park.  They were having a good time, and we were preparing to leave when Cole tripped while running.  He landed face-first on the metal handlebar of a seesaw.  Many stitches (internal and external) later, he is doing alright.  The plastic surgeon that was called in to sew him up told Trevor that the gash in his forehead and nose went all the way to his skull.  We hate that this happened, but I am amazed by how many circumstances fell into place that only the Lord could arrange.  We happened to be together so that one of us could stay with Cole and the other could take the rest of the kiddos home.  We happened to be at the park across the street from a friend’s house who happened to have a car (most of our friends, like us, do not) and who happened to be home and able to drive Cole and Trevor to the emergency room.  (Here in Costa Rica, it would have taken about 30 minutes to get an ambulance there…if it actually showed up.)  When Trevor realized that he didn’t have his wallet with him, we had another friend who was able to take it to him and go back to pick them both up when Cole was finished getting stitched up.  Our family doctor here happened to be leaving the hospital at the same time, so our friend that drove the guys to the hospital was able to stop him.  He consulted with the E.R. doctor and they decided to call in the specialist.  And finally, it’s no small blessing that if Cole had fallen just slightly differently, he would have lost an eye.  We are also thankful for social media that allowed us to quickly convey to our friends and family what happened so they could be praying for Cole.  In this whole ordeal, our kiddos (and us!) have been able to see another awesome example of the power of prayer. 

In light of times like these, we are reminded that God is indeed our refuge and help in times of trouble.  Praise the Lord!

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Psalms 91:2

Yo Quiero Taco Bell

            We mentioned to a couple of friends that we miss Mexican food.  There are only a couple of Mexican restaurants that we’ve found, and only one of them is decent.  Unfortunately, it’s widely known here and a bit pricey.  Our friends expressed surprise since they assumed that Costa Rican food is the same as Mexican food.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  First of all, the food is not at all spicy; most typical Costa Rican foods are very bland.  While they do eat rice and beans frequently, it’s not spicy Spanish rice and refried beans that they eat.  Costa Ricans typically eat plain white rice with either red or black beans.  A typical rice and beans dish is gallo pinto which contains a little bit of onion and bell pepper too.

                Plantains are also very popular.  Ripe plantains taste sweet when fried.  Our favorite, though, twice-fried green plantains, called patacones.  Luckily, Nafisa has learned how to make these.  They are great with ground black beans and cheese.

                Yucca is also popular here.  It can be boiled and mashed and used in a casserole.  This way, it tastes like mashed potatoes.  It can also be boiled then fried and tastes similar to French fries. 

                A great dish for using leftovers is called arroz con pollo.  It consists of rice, any type of cooked chicken, and whatever leftover vegetables you have already cooked in the fridge.  You simply sauté them with a bit of oil and cebollin (the green part of the onion), and you’ve got a one-dish meal.

                We also really like a dessert here called arroz con leche which is very similar to a thick, rice pudding.  It has rice, milk, and cinnamon in it. 

                Fortunately, necessity is the mother of all invention.  Nafisa has learned to make red enchilada sauce from scratch for those times when we’re craving Mexican food.  Nachos are also a favorite of the kids.  They are super excited when we have those for dinner!  And the next time you are at Mercado’s or your favorite Mexican restaurant, you can eat an enchilada or chile relleno for us!  

Spanish, Spanish, Spanish

Many of you prayed with us regarding Cole’s school situation for this semester.  After much prayer and discussion, we placed Cole in a public, Spanish-speaking school.  We were prepared for a difficult transition.  After all, changing schools is difficult for any child, but much more so when that child doesn't understand what anyone is saying!  However, God blessed us richly by allowing Cole to make friends immediately and he is learning more Spanish every day!  Here is a picture of Cole in his school uniform:

We also recently celebrated Cana’s first birthday.  We were reminded again of God’s grace since Nafisa’s water broke three months early with Cana, but now she is a happy and perfectly healthy one-year-old.  She can walk if holding onto the sofa or coffee table and is getting into everything.  We have to keep a close eye on her!  She smiles all the time, and loves the “B-I-B-L-E” song, especially when her brothers sing it to her. 

Lane is also doing well and is soaking up Spanish like a sponge.  He’s been off of all of his asthma medication for a couple of weeks, and so far, he’s doing really well – another huge blessing.  For about a month, he was taking as many as 6 different medications, including breathing treatments.  We’re glad he’s doing well without any medication. 

Please continue to pray for us as we’re learning Spanish.  Our classes start to become mundane at this point, but everything we learn is essential to us being able to speak the language well and to be able to communicate on a deep level with the people of southern Ecuador.