Fall 2011 Report

We’re thankful for your prayers and concern for what God is doing in Uruguay. And we’re thankful for your interest in our family and for the ways that you continue to encourage us as we prepare for work there. We’re currently in Greenville, South Carolina, and are enjoying being in one location for a sustained time! During September John Mark spent three focused weeks in Alaska, where he made or renewed contact with about a dozen churches or pastors. Then in October and November for nearly six weeks we did the same as a family, this time seeing churches, friends, and extended family along a route between South Carolina and Edmonton, Alberta.

At the end of a year it is often profitable to look back gratefully at what God has done to carry us to this point. Perhaps doing so now will serve as a helpful reminder and will fill in details for those we’ve only recently met.

Three years ago, at the end of December of 2008, we were accepted as missionaries with EMU International. For over a year we continued to work jobs in Greenville, though we were able to make progress by preparing information for presentation, scheduling future meetings, and presenting our anticipated ministry in several churches during this time. John Mark taught a semester-long church music course in a local Hispanic church’s Bible-college ministry (spring of 2009), and we also spent a month in Uruguay, where he taught similar material at a family camp and an EMU workers’ conference (February of 2010).

In May of 2010 we left our jobs and began full-time preparation for a permanent move to Uruguay. During that first year the Lord abundantly supplied our needs, and our level of financial support rose from 9% to 42% of EMU’s goal for us. The Lord also gave us our second child, Daniel James Matías. Then from late May to late August of 2011 we helped oversee the ministry of Maranatha Bible Church, a church being planted by Déborah’s father in Uruguay. After returning from Uruguay we began what is essentially our second year of full-time travel.

The job of a missionary teacher or evangelist is, of course, to make disciples and to equip Christians by preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible. Ideally this happens largely in the context of relationships. It is our desire to serve in this way now among North American churches—in preparation for doing the same in Uruguay. We have the added privilege of telling about God’s works in Uruguay and of requesting prayer. These activities then serve a secondary purpose—that of giving God’s people opportunity to evaluate their sense of God’s calling and of our qualifications. The result is their acknowledgement of God’s leading and in various ways helping to send us. We are presently maintaining contact and fellowship with 40 to 50 churches, while seven churches and six individuals have partnered with us in regular financial support, prayer, and accountability.

We plan to continue this deputation process until the Lord opens the door for our move, knowing that if we are not yet in Uruguay it is because He has something genuinely better for us and for the churches there . . . at least for now. However, please ask Him to put us in Uruguay permanently this next year! Plans for the next several months include participating in a wedding in Uruguay. (We plan to post details and updates on our trip here.) In January John Mark will be preaching in a conference in Ohio and taking two weeks of classes at BJU. Déborah expects to teach a college course in Spanish grammar. Pray for us as we continue to schedule meetings, visit churches, and organize our belongings with a forward look toward our transition to Uruguay. Thank you!

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Why North America?

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a group of students interested in God’s work among the nations. Before the meeting someone asked me, “Why Uruguay?” This is a question that we regularly try to answer, and that I’ll try to review here in the near future.

But we’re not in Uruguay yet. It’s been helpful to me to work through a philosophy of why we’re doing what we’re doing right now, before making a permanent move to Uruguay. The full answer takes much more space, but here’s an attempt to summarize in a hundred words:

As a missionary teacher, my work is preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible, with the goal of strengthening Christians and churches. We are currently trying to serve in this way among a group of North American churches and Christian friends in preparation for doing the same in Uruguay. We have the added opportunity of recounting God’s works in Uruguay and requesting prayer. These activities then serve a secondary purpose of giving people opportunity to evaluate their sense of God’s calling and of our qualifications, resulting in their sending us (in various ways) and thus confirming God’s calling and leading.

(“And who is sufficient for these things?”)

BJU

It is not outside the purpose of this blog to mention at least once that I hope to be among the large group of BJU graduates who feel secure:

They’re secure enough on the one hand not to look for their identity in a school or movement, because they recognize there is a much greater Cause—that of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, and His gospel. They don’t follow Jesus as well as they should, but they’re sure they want to. And they have experienced God’s grace to help them do so.

They’re secure enough on the other hand not to grasp for position with others by looking for ways to criticize the school. Not everyone who openly criticizes does so from self-seeking motives; but the group I’m talking about is absolutely sure they don’t want that kind of politics. They see enough love of self in their own hearts, and they despise it—especially when it uses other Christians to push an agenda.

This is a group of people, I think, who have never thought their school was perfect, but who continue to support and appreciate BJU; and who honor the many faithful servants who directly and indirectly taught them.

Bob Jones University’s core values

Post by Deborah: "Beginning Year Two"

Mid-May of last year was a time of great emotion, reminiscent of high school or college commencement; we stood at a defining moment made up of an end as well as a beginning. We were leaving the predictability of life as we had known it in the Upstate to begin full-time travel, preparing for full-time ministry in Uruguay. Originally, our goal was to be in Uruguay in April 2011. We continue to trust God for His perfect timing...

In mid-May of this year, we were preparing to fly to Uruguay as short-term “furlough replacements” for my dad and stepmom. We returned from Uruguay in late August and began Year Two of full-time travel in September. We are currently at 43% of our targeted support level and prayerfully plan to be in Uruguay in mid-2012.

Year One was undoubtedly filled with “stretching” and learning opportunities. Our experiences have been – for the most part! – encouraging and enjoyable. I say “for the most part” because traveling with a four-year-old (now five) and newborn (now one) has certainly provided an array of often unexpected challenges. We continually find our Good Shepherd to be faithful for each step of the way; He is blessing us and providing our every need. His people have been very good to us, and we have enjoyed reconnecting with friends as well as forming new friendships with like-minded brothers and sisters who now pray specifically for us and for the ministry in Uruguay.

Our most recent travels took us from SC through the Mid-West to churches in CO, UT, ID, Alberta, and back through MT, UT, CO, and IA. After that last week of thirty hours in the car, we’re especially thankful for God’s grace and protection. And we’re content to be “sojourning” in South Carolina once again!

Elizabeth gets excited about real-life geography lessons!

(I do plan to post pictures of our trip – as time and the demands of getting resettled allow!)

As we continue this stage of our ministry, we recognize more than ever our need for God’s grace. Each day on the road offers new challenges, new opportunities for growth, and new mercies – all from the hand of our perfect and loving Shepherd. We’re thankful for His promises!

Will you pray for us?