First draft from printer

Today I received the first draft from the printer for us to check that the book is all OK. It looks great and we are really excited that this project is becoming a reality.

This is the first book that we are printing, however hopefully not the last. Our aim in printing this book is to provide people in Equipping Servants and others in Ecuador to have the opportunity to read about justification.

We have already been through a draft and made some corrections to typo's, and so having this version will hopefully mean that we can go to print afterwards. Lord willing, the books will be finished in early September, ready for the ESI group who will need them then.

And how does your child get to school?

Flag the school bus, this is a cool way to get to school. Just kinda glad it's not one of my kids.

Bible study in Bethlehem

Bethlehem is a suburb at the entrance to Loja.  As you arrive from the airport and hit the outskirts of Loja, then start descending into the valley, you know you are close. And when you see the pigs heads hanging on hooks in the eateries on the side of the road, you know you are in Bethlehem, in spanish otherwise known as Belen.

I was asked a while ago to help a family who goes to our church with leading some bible studies for a couple of months. We made our way through a compilation of studies that our pastor and I had developed as an introduction for new believers in the church. Over seven studies, it covers things like new birth, security of salvation, stewardship and how to make biblical decisions. It is a good little book for helping those new in the church understand some important aspects of the Christian life and how to approach these areas in a biblical way. Many ideas that people have are generally things they have heard culturally or what they have previously been taught growing up in the catholic church, without having investigated for themselves what the bible says about these things. This book in a small way helps with developing biblical ideas, rather than perhaps just ‘not-catholic’ ideas in their new found faith.

This family, like many in Loja, have grandparents, children and grandchildren all living in the same house or very close to each other and they were keen to invite neighbours along who aren’t christians too. My arrival at the house was a cue that bible study was happening that night and it was time to go round people up. 

The discussions over time have been interesting. One evening as we talked about new birth, the grandfather brought up the fact that we need to not idolise Maria. True, but maybe not so welcoming to the catholic lady he was sitting opposite to. 

And another time I headed up the hill to Bethlehem and I found myself in the lounge room playing marbles with the grandson, listening to the grandfather play the guitar and the grandmother in the kitchen cooking tortillas de maize. We then sat around eating fresh tortillas, which were much appreciated as being of a superior quality to those you can buy in the market. After all of these preliminaries, we then got stuck into the next study. It was an event not to be missed. So in the midst of it all I stopped myself from playing with the marbles long enough to take these photos.

I realised as we went along that there is still a lack of clarity for these guys in what the gospel actually is. And for those neighbours who aren’t christians, they need to hear more of Jesus. For now, we are having a break from the studies, but perhaps next on the agenda will be something like Simply Christianity, discovering together who Jesus is and the difference he makes. 

Personally I find that being able to enter someone’s house and share God’s word and build them up in the faith they have is a real encouragement to me. Even though sometimes I would rather be at home on Friday nights relaxing, it has definitely been worth it.  

Before leaving Bethlehem, and descending back down the valley, it’s worthwhile to pause and look up. The sky is immense and full of bright stars. It reminds me we serve a mighty God who by his Spirit will continue to make himself known to this family and their neighbours. It’s a process of learning we are all involved in. 

Holiday Bible Club

I've had a fun week with the kids at the Holiday Bible Club this week. 160 kids over 5 days coming to have some fun playing games, doing craft and learning about the Lord. We taught about different aspects of God's character as demonstrated in the lives of different kings of the bible....King Joash and how God has a plan, King David and God's power, King Solomon and God's wisdom and King Jesus and God's victory.

I now know 4 more memory verses in spanish, have remembered the spanish word for slug (on the day I was filling in time by getting the kids to guess which animal I was) and got sweaty playing freeze tag.

We sang some great songs with lots of movement (still didn't understand all of the words by the last day but certainly did a lot of spinning and jumping at the right time) and got to love on kids and tell them a bit more about our great God.

One of the groups of kids that I taught with Paola, they were lovely

Paola and me at our fruit kebab stand on the Saturday morning fair

This is how Mattias spent alot of his time during the big group time, practising his fighting moves with his mates

We had ice cream to celebrate the end of the week

 The word for slug is babosa.

Charlas and the like

What’s kept me busy lately has been the preparation of a few charlas (talks) to 2 completely different audiences but essentially the same message - that only in Christ will we find true contentment and peace with God that will last an eternity rather than just for the passing of this life.

The first talk was for a friend who works at a local primary school. It was their overnight camp out at school and I spoke after they had been hanging out at school since the previous morning. I was pretty stoked to see different kids listening at different times. Even one of the kids that was doing head stands was listening at different points!

I spoke about how it was impossible for rich people to enter into God’s kingdom, even more so than a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Somewhere along the way, someone had given us a little toy camel. It came in handy! 

I made up a big key and talked about how Jesus was the only key that existed that could open the door into heaven. 

In God’s grace, I trust that some seeds where planted, and that God will use many more people in these kids lives so that some might enter into his kingdom. 

Rocio, my friend, who organised the overnight camp for the kids

The other talks were for the women’s retreat for the church plants and bible study groups in the Loja province that fellow SIM-ers, Chandra and Amanda, look after. Nancy and myself both shared over the weekend and the hard work was worth it! So thankful for my very patient spanish teacher who helped me correct all my grammar mistakes prior to the event. 

I had such a nice time hanging out for a weekend with these women and it was good to be thinking through what true contentment looks like for those in Christ. 

Fun times out at Gonzanamá

I felt like I had a holiday on the Monday afterwards, not having to think about preparation for talks at all! 

NO ESTACIONAR

Language learning can be a daunting process for anyone. I think that the persistence needed to learn a language as an adult is terrifying and at the same time exciting. You feel the need to crawl up into a ball and hide when you talk and everyone around you says, 'What did you say!' Yet at other times you communicate some truth about God's word and you have it repeated back to you and as far as you can tell you communicated the truth correctly.

Today, after six years of life in Loja I realise that language learning doesn't always give you everything you need. For example, I stopped on the side of the road while Karine got out to buy some ice cream and saw the sign, 'NO ESTACIONAR' (NO PARKING) and thought to myself, I really do not understand what they are trying to say here, because for me, no parking means that I can park here for two minutes whilst remaining within three meters of the car (see RTA for more info), however on the other hand there is also the 'NO STOPPING' signs that means don't stop under any circumstance.

So while I understand this in Australia, or perhaps even within NSW, there is no difference between the two here in Loja. So while I read 'no parking' I feel I need to treat it as 'no stopping'. You may have guessed that I have been booked for this as I picked up three passengers who came to visit me one day, yet I see many people since that day get out of their car and buy bread or milk, or stop to say hi to someone they have come across in their daily drive and what people do depends on where the ranger who is wearing a bright yellow jersey is in relation to the offender.

So this is my confusion, in what way should I interpret the sign? Do I culturally obey the sign, meaning that I ignore it while their are no rangers around? Or do I obey in my own mind's eye that the sign reads no parking, but treat it as no stopping. A hard decision, but I guess I will have to obey what I think is right, yet in those desperate moments of dropping things off in a no parking area I will ahead to keep my eye pealed for those bright yellow shirts.

Saved by Grace Alone

A while ago Oswaldo asked me to share at his church on the topic of Salvation by Grace. Wow, what a theme to teach, there is so much to say and he said I had forty minutes to do it in. By the end of the night, an hour and a half later, we were done and they were a little bit more aware of what their friends here in Loja and what people in times past believed about Grace and we finished off with what salvation by grace is from a reformed perspective. What a great night.

I started off thinking that I would spend ten minutes explaining other positions and then presenting what their church believed. I wasn't ready for all their questions regarding other positions, but they were great questions, and thankfully my Bruce Demarest purchase (The Cross and Salvation)  many years ago helped me to get a good grasp on this area and provided the much needed background for the many questions.

I love these opportunities to teach and I think nowadays it is much easier than we first started here. Mainly because my spanish is much better and I am able to clearly understand the questions, or I'm able to say that I don't understand the question. I find that the more you understand a language the more you are able to say that you don't understand, you can understand all the words, but the idea or what they are actually trying to say is beyond you.

Thankfully this didn't happen too much during the night, and with the use of a T-shirt I managed to explain all these different positions of grace and they understood and were encouraged.

Let me know if you work out how the T-shirt was used for my explanations.

Walking up a mountain

Once again we managed to get out and into the Andean mountains with the kids. We had done this walk twice before with the kids and the first time was with Annalise on John's back nearly the whole walk. Not this time.
The kids were marvellous with Mattias running at every small stretch of walk that wasn't a climb and Evie singing and talkingth e whole way, and Annalise jumping and walking with the odd carry here and there.
We do love getting out into the mountains to see some of nature and hear the things that the kids are learning at school, especially as they are learning all this in Spanish and therefore find it easier to explain in Spanish rather than English. Who would have thought family outings turn into Spanish lessons for us parents!
We are back at home now, have filled the outdoor pool with warm water for them to have a relax and play for a while.
Here are some photos of the journey, Mattias helped by taking some as well.

Eight years to go

If you knew that you only had 8 years left in ministry, what would you spend it doing? Preaching to your friends? Training potential leaders? Building a library? Creating a trust portfolio that would leave scholarships for years to come? Or just going crazy in your neighbourhood evangelising anyone and everyone, because for you, the end is near!

When I think of people involved in missions and their longevity, I have to say that it is like we only have 8 years left to live. The average life span of a long term missionary in SIM at the moment is roughly 8 years. That means you have 8 years to learn language, build some sort of ministry, maintain a family at high stress levels and give glowing reports to your supporters, and then..... Dead! Well at least you're gone.

Stated so bluntly, this may sound a bit crude, but I think the point is clear, there is a massive investment in creating and supporting a missionary to get onto the field and if we are not thinking strategically about the roles we take and the legacy we leave then we might as well only have 8 years to live!

There is often a lot of flexibility in the way a missionary structures their time and what their ministry looks like. And so there is a need to think carefully about the activities we get involved in and the reason for doing it....how is it bringing glory to God? Is this a sustainable ministry for local believers to continue or I am creating something beyond their reach? Is this an appropriate activity for a season with a specific goal, or is it better not to pursue a particular idea? There needs to be some sort of framework for decision making.

For me personally, I like to have my plan sorted out, I have my vision and I have a few strategies to help me get there. Sometimes I need to stop and wait on God for an answer, in fact, if I'm honest I have to chain myself down, but as time goes on depending and waiting on God is getting easier and easier.

I would say to fellow and potential missionaries to explore the options for a few years, get some good friends and then send roots down that will leave a lasting legacy. Get the local church on board, if there is one, and help them with their goals, if they let you. If there is no church, plant one and let them take over sooner rather than later. And whilst doing all this, wait on God and learn to wait on God, because he will bring his purposes to fruition.

For His glory.

Kids song in spanish

Want to see a funny song being sung by Evie and Tijs? Check this out....Evie says it´s called 'me subo a la mesa' What a hoot!

A new license

I started yesterday to get a new license, well really I tried to start last week by going to the transit police to see what was needed. I had my list! I went to pay at a place close to our house and at didn't work so had to go back up to the police and pay there, however the system didn't let me give them my passport number as it includes a letter, so I had to go to a bank in the middle of town and pay. I got to that yesterday.
Today I got in the line and thought all was good, however there were around 45 people in front of me, a long wait. I was two people away from being served and their system went down, and it went down another 4 times before I finished the process.
I got to the place where they revise all paperwork and say that everything is fine, and that's when they said I had unpaid fines. Woops. So had to go to another bank in order to continue on with the process. I didn't know about the fines as they never gave me a ticket and they also never send reminders. They were from 2009 and 2011!! So a late fee was necessary.
With the payment done, I went and took the exam that is compulsory for every renewal, and managed without studying to get 95%, one error was because I had to say what the vehicle classes D and F were, but had to guess them both!! At least I got one right!!!
Here is a copy of the license...

The one thing I am glad about is that it is for five years, which means I don't have to do this process for a long time. Talk about a happy boy.

New group for Equipping Servants (ESI)

So far three groups have started ESI, two men's groups (have completed one year) and one women's group (just finished 6 months). It has been wonderful to see the relationships that have been formed in this time, not just for us, but for all in the group making life-long relationships with people they can visit just around the corner. It has been a pleasure to watch them grow and learn to read their bible with an increased understanding and be able to read a theological book and interact with it at a deeper level than prior to starting the course.

We have recently received a donation which has enabled us to open another group and this is wonderful news for us. In the photos below you will see a number of men keen to start this course after the introduction night.

This week coming all four groups will be commencing after a break of about 4 weeks.
Pray for continued energy for Tomas who will be leading them and for those who attend that they will continue to have the energy to go deeper into God's word.

A visit from Grandparents!

Skype is great, but not so great when your internet can be a little sketchy, email is good, sending through photos is great, but being in the same room as loved ones is better. 

In early March we had a visit from Karine's parents. After an epic trip, they made it to Loja late on a Saturday night. 

It was so nice to share some life together and for the kids to have some grandparent time. 

John and Arie made it out to Zamora and beyond to the Nangaritza river for some tropical adventure. 

 We tried some good local food and juices.

 We admired the animals at the zoo.

And celebrated John's birthday.

What a privilege to be able to enjoy some face to face time with family. 

Thanking God for this blessing.

Which way?

We were off to a pool and a relaxing day when we were told by the man directing traffic to wait on the side of the road. It was then that one starts to worry about what is going to happen, big bulldozer in front and something very close behind, I guess the idea of closing the road to complete the work wasn't an option, but it was certainly nice to have a close look at a some road construction.

Enjoying the coast at Curia

The school calendar changed this year to two semesters, thus no holidays at Christmas time but in February. Quite a nice change as it's the sunny season down on the coast.

We made it to Guayaquil for a few days to sort out Mattias' australian passport renewal and then wound our way to the coast.

Curia is a great little spot, quiet and relatively peaceful apart from the dogs and the horses and the fishing boats and cyclists and cars driving on the beach.

Went out at low tide, took us 2 swims to realise it wasn't a good idea....John was stung by a ray both times.

Got the kids to take some photos on the way home to keep them somewhat occupied. Travelling from sea level up to 4000m and down to 2100m makes it an impressive trip, through countless banana, rice and cocoa plantations, up through the cloud forest, the páramo and then winding along through the Andes back to Loja.

Green banana anyone?

Need anything from the butcher?

Plant life at 4000m

Stunning sunsets from the balcony at Curia

Can books change a culture?

If you know the ministry that we have here, then clearly I think that the answer to this is yes. With a library of over 500 books and a bookshop to sustain it, we believe that getting books into people's hands can help to change a culture and build up God's church.

Take a read of this quote from Spurgeon's sermon on 2 Timothy 4:13, "When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments."

Even an apostle must read. Some of our very ultra Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who comes up into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot, and talks any quantity of nonsense, is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men's brains—oh! that is the preacher. How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, "Give thyself unto reading." The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master's service. Paul cries, "Bring the books"—join in the cry.

I pray that we can continue to make available the numerous resources that are available to Latin American Christians in any way we can. And by God's grace, may he use those resources to help people grow and change and become more like Jesus.

To read the rest of Spurgeon's sermon click here.

Happy New Year

Went for a little walk down to the market on New Year's Eve to stock up on some essentials like mangoes and bananas.

It was mayhem as everyone else was stocking up on their essentials....12 grapes to eat at midnight to bring good luck for the new year,

yellow underwear or red depending on what you're hoping for in the new year,

a mask for your paper person to burn at midnight to farewell the year that has been, and fireworks galore.

From our place we had a good view of fireworks all over the city and little bonfires up and down the street and across the valley as people lit their Año Viejos to jump over.

Happy New Year to you!