A Wet But Wonderful Weekend

Despite the relentless rain over the past week (which aided in our discovery of several leaks in the roof of the home we are renting) the Lord blessed with well attended services at church. Jason Holt gives the weekend update.

A Payment Plan For Your Groceries

“Con cuotas o sin cuotas?” is one of the first phrases you learn when shopping in Chile. You are asked that question any time you make a purchase with a credit card. Here is my paraphrased interpretation of the above question: “Would you like to pay for this week’s grocery bill over the next 24 weeks?” It is not enough to put off payment for a purchased item until the end of the month, but with cuotas you can make an arrangement with the retailer so that they will break up the charge to your credit card over 6, 12, 24 or however many months. Imagine that - paying on clothes as if they were a car. At least with a car you will still fit into it in a year or two.


With the never ending barrage of credit offers, and the overwhelming temptation to quick-fix a financial crunch with the plastic (sounds like the American & Chilean families have much in common!) it is easy to find oneself in a financial mess. When it comes to financial troubles in the Christian realm I believe Missions suffers the most at the hands of the “credit card bill.” Here are my observations:


1) Most churches support missions with the “extra” offering. In the average family there is little or no extra to give.
2) Mission trips are valuable opportunities to stir the hearts of God’s people to a greater level of involvement and commitment toward missions. A lack of funds is usually the culprit behind the “maybe next time” excuse.
3) Surrendering to the mission field is not possible for many families because they are living proof that “the borrower is servant to the lender.” Too many bills cause paralysis of the will. Simply put - we could never make such a huge life change.


Where did all this come from? I guess it’s because Jason Holt has been teaching on the family over the few months in Sunday school and the last two lessons have dealt with the family and finances. It must have stirred me up a little.

A Day In The Water

Yesterday was a holiday in Chile called Día de las Glorias Navales or Navy Day. Yesterday was a day off from language school, and a day off from work for most people. So the plan was to have several men meet at the church for a work day that consisted in painting the children's church. To every ones surprise our arrival found that the last two days of rain combined with a piece of roofing that had dislodged caused part of the ceiling to collapse. Well anyway, "the rains came down and the floods came up." The floor of the church was soaked. That turned our attention away from painting toward the urgent needs of cleaning, hanging Sheetrock, and fixing leaks.

What a way to spend Navy Day - in the water!

15 And Counting

You guys both look great! Have you lost the standard 15 lbs everyone seems to
loose when they get to their field?

This was a comment left on our blog after posting the picture of Jenny and I, and it just needs some follow up. First off, the comment was left by friends of ours, the Andrzejewski's (I had to keep peeking to make sure that was spelled right. For those unsure of the pronunciation just read Andrew Jet Skis) They have five kids; four girls and the youngest a boy. So their similarity, yet opposite-ness of our family instantly created a friendship.

Yes, we have lost the standard 15 lbs plus some, but it comes after gaining what missionaries call the "deputation 20". That is weight gained because of the time spent traveling around the States prior to leaving for the field and stopping at about every fast food drive-thru because you have a time crunch. I have lost the mere 15, but Jenny has lost 32lbs! What a great diet plan! Move to another country, face another culture, and always be unsure of exactly what you may have ordered. The great part about this diet is you can eat all you want, but the new surroundings, stress, and busyness keeps you from wanting to eat a lot. I think we will write a new diet plan book - keep your eyes on Amazon.com

Who Are You People?

I haven't posted a picture of both Jenny and I in some time mostly because I am usually the one behind the camera. Here is a recent one:

Following is a story from Saturday visitation:

After our Saturday morning Spanish exam is the church’s outreach time where we go into the neighborhood to share the gospel, invite folks to visit the church, and follow up on previous week’s visitors. (I must be transparent and admit that after some exams my attitude and mental drain leave me being the one that could use a visit) But today after receiving a pleasing grade on today’s exam Jason Holt, one of the teenagers, and I took off to do a bit of visiting.
What do you call a pair of North American guys walking around in a Latin American country? Around here they call them Mormons or at least that is what they assume you must be. That is what a family who had visited the church a few weeks ago said was there first impression when they heard about the church from a neighbor. “No we’re not Mormons” Holt explained; “We’re Baptist.” The wife’s response was a “what’s that? so does that mean you follow the teachings of John the Baptist?” Holt than gave a crash church history course about where the name Baptist originated.

Coming from the Atlanta area you take for granted that everyone has seen, or has heard of, or knows someone who attends a Baptist church (although arguably they are not all the same). Show up in a different country and have “Baptist” on your church sign and some may be unsure of this new “religious affiliation.”

Of course the important thing is the reconciling of a sinner to God through a relationship with Christ. The denominational stuff will be taken care of through discipleship. Anyway to make a long post short, after Holt thoroughly shared the gospel with the couple the wife prayed and asked Christ to be her Savior. The husbands response was a “not ready”, but with two neighbors who are faithful families in the church it is only a matter of time as the Lord continues to work on his heart through their testimonies.

George Muller's Insights On Preaching

Recently there has been a surge in my reading of books and listening to lectures of “heroes” of the faith. The current lecture I am listening to is about the life and ministry of John Bunyan, and the current book is the autobiography of George Muller. The lives, sacrifices, and ministries of these men are extraordinary examples of the impact that takes place when the power of God meets a humble servant of Jesus Christ.

Here are some of George Muller’s insights on preaching:

1. “The Lord always helps me when I preach, provided I have earnestly sought Him in private.”

2. “I seldom use any other study aids besides the Scriptures and some good translations in other languages.” (Muller mastered six languages – Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, French, and English. He read and understood Dutch and two or three Oriental languages.)

3. “Expounding the Scriptures is most beneficial…it encourages the congregation to bring their Bibles to church, and everything that leads believers to value the Scriptures is important.”

4. “Expounding Scripture...leads the teacher to consider portions of the Word which he might otherwise overlook. This keeps him from speaking too much on favorite subjects and leaning too much to particular parts of truth.”

5. “It is unlikely that he (the preacher) will benefit the hearers unless he uses plain speech.”

6. “My chief help is prayer…neither eloquence nor depth of thought makes a truly great preacher. Only a life of prayer and meditation will render him a vessel ready for the Master’s use…”

7. After describing an attempt to preach in his own strength without the power of God Muller wrote; “After I continued a little longer, I felt the same and therefore ended my sermon and proposed that we have a meeting for prayer. We did so…”

Volcano Pictures

Check out this picture of the volcano in Chile. Click here for others.