almost here

We are amazed at God's faithfulness and goodness. We are excitedly wrapping things up here in cold Chicago and getting ready for the journey down to Tenancingo and settling into life on the other side of the border.

When Matthew stopped working at the end of August, we had 58% of our monthly support pledged and now we have 85%. We are still waiting to hear from a number of folks on a) whether or not they will be able to make a monthly commitment and b) how much they will pledge. Our estimate is that we are a little over 90% pledged. Throughout this past year the one time contributions that have been received as well as monthly donations which begun as early as March, 2007 have exceeded our budget for the transition expenses. The excess can be spread out over two years and should get us very close to 100% of budget.

During the last few months we have established contact with a few churches and families which might eventually develop into support partnerships in future months or years. We are very excited about getting started with the actual work and ministry we've been talking about for so long and so excited to have around 70 donors who are partnering with their generous financial support. In addition, there are many who have assured us of their desire to be praying for us as well as some who have made an occasional contribution - tangible reminders of God's faithful provision for each need.

As we go
we need prayer for:

• Diligence, clear minds and strength to pack and tie loose ends.
  
• God's favor @ the Mexican consulate in Chicago next Tuesday (11/25) 11 AM CST
• Travel safety - we'll be driving around 45 hours between Wheeling, IL and Tenancingo, Mexico in a span of 12 days.
• Good memories to be created on the long hours in the van.
  
• Safety on the Mexican roads, both for the vehicles and ill-inclined people.
• Quick adaptation to life in Mexico and acceptance in the community.

we praise God for:

• A supportive home church - they sent us out last Sunday with a special prayer time during the service. Our pastor ended the prayer time for us with these words: "... the Lord your God has commissioned you and has sent you forth and we as a church stand behind you in prayer and we bless you in the name of Jesus. Go forth in His power, in His strength, in His anointing, not in the flesh, but in the power of God for safekeeping until we meet again and God bless you in Jesus' name, Amen"
• Faithful provisions of the finances to go and to stay.
• The mom's group from Peoria who so generously provided many helpful things for our children and the long journey down.
• Friends who have helped construct and detail our trailer to be filled with boxes for the move.
• A co-worker who has patiently waited for the right time to take over our lease.
  
• Children who are not only at ease, but excited about this upcoming change.
  

Countdown

As we have been meeting with people and talking the last few weeks, both Lina and I have a sense that we will be able to leave late November. Jason and Katie Huff, our friends and supporters near Houston TX, have invited us to spend thanksgiving with them on our drive down to Mexico. We are making plans around that, meaning we would leave Chicagoland on Monday, November 24th.




This means there are many different things that must come to pass. We are needing pledges for one third of our support to come in. Based on average giving per person so far, we will need about 25 more families to make regular financial pledges. Around ten families have given a verbal confirmation they will contribute monthly, but we don´t know how much. This means another 15 families are needed. With under seven weeks to go, that´s slightly higher than 2 new pledges per week. We´d also love to see one or two more churches get behind us as a local body.

Over one month ago, I (Matthew) stopped working my regular job at Hewitt so that I could spend time sharing more with people and inviting them to prayerfully consider joining our support team. Since then, the economy has been on a roller-coaster and surely many are more concerned than ever about their family budget and making ends meet. We definitely understand that for us to incorporate ourselves into a family´s already tight budget at this time poses clear challenges. Yet we are confident that God Himself will draw the exact people into the work that He has called us to.

Please join us in dedicated prayer for the next six weeks as we plan in faith to pack up, sell, donate or give away our furniture and other possessions as we head down to join the work in Tenancingo. Pray that we will be faithful sharing what God is doing and how we´re being led to join those efforts and that we will increase our trust and dependence on His provision.

... stay tuned ...

Trailer is ready!

Here's what our new van and trailer look like. We just need to get it painted and we'll be ready to go. Now we have definite dimensions for what gets to come with us to Mexico. Either it fits in that wooden box and blue steel van you see in the picture, or it gets donated, gifted, sold or thrown out.

There are other logistical steps that need to get taken care of such as legal paperwork for Matthew to enter Mexico, registring the van there, getting addresses updated (thanks to our friends the Spencers who will be allowing us to use their US based address) and many other little details some of which are related to the kids' education and all of our healthcare.

One more round down south...

On Friday, September 5th we took off on a 10 day journey through Peoria, Atlanta, Columbia...


C A M P I N G

We left Chicago after picking up Samuel from his school (first grade) and found a campground near Ottawa, IL. This was the first time we had spent the night in a tent as a family and we had a lot of fun and realized we were not fully prepared for camping. Now we know that having a working flashlight is very handy. We also learned that when you bring a stove and propane, its also good to bring matches. The best part was looking up at the stars as we lay on our sleeping bags in the tent where 80% is net (we didn't put on the rain/wind cover). The next morning, Rebeca and Matthew were the first to get up so they took a walk and got this picture.




Then Samuel went for a bike ride and we got this one.

P E O R I A

Stayed with our friends Jeff and Kristine Davidson for a few days while we visited their church and shared with them about Mexico. We also had opportunity to briefly share at a "mommy" group that Kristine is involved with as she is looking to broaden their focus on missions both local and global. On other big news, God's timing would have it so that our van would completely become unsafe for driving, right when we were there. Through a set of circumstances, we were able to trade it in and get a seven-year upgrade on our Dodge Caravan. The new 2005 van is a safer and sturdier vehicle for our trip to Mexico and for ministry use while we are down there. Praise God for His generous provision!

C O L U M B I A

After picking up my mom at my grandmother's place near Atlanta, we drove to Columbia where we stayed with John and Bethany Reed, my younger brother. That night we put up the tent again in John's back yard and my older brother Jamie brought his two oldest kids and the two of us spent the night in the tent with the four kids. Fun memory-building times with the cousins.

We had an opportunity to share about Mexico with a few of John's friends in an informal setting right in their living room. We were also able to see my mom sing with the Columbia International University 60th anniversary Ambassador's choir, where she had been the pianist during college days in the late 60's, early 70's. My brother Tim and Craig and their families got together with us for supper and then the next day we had a picnic with Fran (my dad's sister) and Judy (my dad's brother's wife) who were in town.

A T L A N T A

The group who had gone to Ecuador in July had a picture party and we were able to join them on Saturday to reminisce. It was great to see over half of the 23 who went and great to introduce them to Lina and the kids. They also were gracious to let us share our vision and heart about Mexico and an opportunity to invite them to join our support team. We stayed with Kirk and Connie Johnson (she's running a marathon in November, so the next morning ran 12 miles!!). We then went to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, which had sponsored the Ecuador trip and met my aunt Joan and Chuck and the family for a quick lunch before heading on our trip to Chicago.

Wrapping up Hewitt days (Matthew)

As of this coming Thursday, our wings of faith will be tested. Matthew will end his work at Hewitt after nearly 9 years. Lina will continue working there three days a week and we will begin to take on a small salary from International Teams, based on what is already coming in. We are entering what we hope and pray will be the last push to discover 40% of our ongoing monthly support. Our aim is to have all of the pledges by October so we can begin our travels early November. From Tuesday August 26, this is a mere 10 WEEKS!!

While in Tenancingo, the leadership team there helped outline a two-year plan for us. We liked the fact that we're being viewed as missionaries-in-training as this will allow a certain level of "weight" off our shoulders as we hope to be seen as folks who are gradually getting into the work being done there and in no way possessing any sort of mastery on the job. There will be a lot of reading, writing and practical ministry opportunities for both of us and we look forward to this aspect there. Stay tuned!

Many people have heard our story, our vision, our desire to bring the saving grace of Jesus to the lives of many in Tenancingo. Now, we are praying that decisions will be made by individuals, couples and families to get behind us and commit to a regular ongoing financial and prayer support. We need 25 more solid commitments. There have been some encouraging propositions which we will be addressing in September. Two involve churches, and in three occasions we will gather with multiple families and couples who might be inclined to join our team. Please keep us in prayer for this. Will you, reader, be willing to pray about your part?

Twin cities weekend

This past weekend I (Matthew) was in Minnesota visiting friends, family and a church in the Twin Cities area. It was a great opportunity to share more about our vision and excitement about going to Mexico and what we will be doing. Friday I shared a few meals with family and long-time friends. Then Saturday I got to visit a close friend of my deceased grandmother, who is a dear friend of our family. We had a nice time over coffee with banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. On a personal note, it was special to learn a story or two about my dad that I didn't know. For example, she shared that back when he was maybe seven years old and the family was visiting from Colombia, he was in her Sunday school class. They had all bought a Bible and gave it to him as a gift. She gave it to him and he said thank you for giving me the Bible. She said, "No, Jimmy, the Sunday school class gave it to you." To which he replied, "No you gave it to me!" Since she had been the one to physically hand it to him. She still got a kick out of that as she recounted the over 50 year old experience.



Saturday evening and Sunday morning were spent at Meadow Creek Church where they had a special focus on Missionaries. On Saturday there was a "Taste of the Nations" during which guests received a 'passport' and got that signed at any of twelve tables which had representative decorations, sample-size food and information about ministries in various parts of the world. People who were attending those tables had either lived there, visited there or currently were serving in those countries/regions.

Sunday between services, I had a booth for International Teams where I had our powerpoint going and the opportunity to hand out some of our information and share conversationally with a number of individuals and families. Hopefully some will decide to partner with us in prayer and financial support.