Working in Lourdes

There is a team here from Ohio and for the past two days they have been working in Lourdes to help finish the new sanctuary in time for the dedication this Sunday.  Stephen, Jeff and Paula have been working with them.  Since I have been teaching, I haven't been able to go.  Here are a few pictures from their work yesterday:

Back on the Grid

Sitting here in my living room with two working computers!  As I said before, we're thanking God that Ryan Blackstock, missionary and friend, was a techie extraordinaire in his former life.  Thanks to him we have a new hard drive and copy of Windows on my computer and Stephen has a restored hard drive on his computer.

Even as I speak, I am backing up my computer with my new on-line backup service.  I'm not afraid to say that I've learned from this experience.  In addition to the on-line backup, I'm copying all of my financial reports/records to a jump drive.

It's great to be back!

Jon's Trip Across the Country

I thought I should post a separate story about Jon's trip across the US.  While in Kansas City in January, he traded in our Accord for a 2001 Tacoma pickup.  He's very happy with it and excited about using it for work.  The only drawback is driving it from KC to Santa Cruz . . . . he started the trip on Friday morning . . . driving to Alamosa, Colorado.  He spent the night with family of some friends just outside Sand Dunes National Park.  On Sunday, he drove to Albuquerque to stay with a college friend.  He arrived about 6:00 p.m., and parked his loaded truck on the street in front of his friend's house.  They went to dinner, returning to the house about 10:00 p.m. to find the driver's window on the truck broken.  His backpack, computer and several other things were stolen!  Thank the Lord, they didn't take everything in the truck!  He was unable to get the window repaired on Sunday, so he covered it with plastic and headed out this morning.  He will camp tonight in Mohave National Park and then drive in to Sunnyvale, CA, on Tuesday.

Please pray for a safe and uneventful trip over the next couple of days!  We really can't afford any more losses . . . . as we will have to pay for the window repair (have a $1000 deductible) and to replace his computer.

Technology Limps Along

As you know, my computer hard drive crashed two weeks ago.  Unbelievably, Stephen's computer crashed on Saturday, so we were completely without a computer this weekend.  The computer hard drive and new copy of Windows that I ordered arrived, via the team from Ohio, on Sunday.  I delivered both computers to Ryan at church on Sunday.  He promised to get started on them right away.  He called last night to say that Stephen's computer was ready so I picked it up on the way to school this morning.  Unfortunately, it still wouldn't boot up for me unless in safe mode.  I am going to try to restore it (again) to an earlier date and see if that will work.

Nevertheless, one slightly sick computer is better than no computer at all!  At least I can pay my bills online and communicate with the rest of the world if I need to!

The Sewing Machines are Here!

Last Saturday we "re-started" the Hilo, Aguja y Biblia ministry.  We were excited to unpack the 5 older-model sewing machines which the Prayer Quilt Ministry of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, California, donated to us.  In addition to the two boxes of fabric I brought home when we visited Valley in August, each of the 5 machines was packed with fabric.

We have changed our vision for 2013 from making useful items for ourselves to sewing quilts and pillowcases for the kids at the Remar Orphanage.  We can begin to tackle the job of making quilts now that we have sewing machines for the ladies to use during "class."   We had two tasks on Saturday.  First, some of the women sorted the donated fabric.  They found 30 different individual quilt panels that we can use as we begin our work.  Second, four or five of the ladies set up and tested the sewing machines.  There are a couple of machines that appear to need some minor repairs (likely from being treated as baggage on the flight down to El Salvador) and we are scheduling someone to look at them next Saturday.

Ena, Isabel and Malena explained our new vision to the group, including how each of the women will be able to be a part of delivering the quilts to the kids.

Spreadsheets and Receipts

Today was a day to catch-up on a month's worth of paperwork.  I hate it when I get this far behind, but it's so difficult to stay on top of things while in the states.  It felt good to get everything entered for December . . . but still have to set up the new spreadsheet for 2013 and get started on January

I did get some pictures of Jon's truck so here they are!

Double Good News Today

First, I can't say enough to thank, Ryan Blackstock, fellow missionary and former techie, who was able to copy almost all of the contents of my hard drive onto an external hard drive!  He couldn't save the drive--somehow it was physically damaged, but I'm so grateful to have my files back!  My new hard drive and new copy of Windows are being shipped to Ohio, even as I type.  Why Ohio, you ask?  There's a team coming down next Saturday to help finalize the construction of the new sanctuary in Lourdes.

Second, we are happy for our our son, Jon, who is the proud owner of a used Toyota Tacoma.  As he now knows, it is quite a process to trade-in a car when the owners are in El Salvador.  However, with perseverance, friends/family, a patient car dealer and the awesome people at Honda Finance who express faxed (within 15 minutes) the lien release for the Honda Accord he was trading in, he did it.  I'm waiting, but not holding my breath, for a picture. 

Residency Cards in Hand

Unbelievably, Immigration called the church yesterday and told them our cards were ready.  So, it was a busy  Tuesday . . . after a full day of teaching we headed to the Immigration Office to pick up our "permanent" cards.   Now before you think that it's as easy as walking in and picking up our cards, let me explain.  There's the line where you wait to explain why you're there and then there's the waiting with your number in the area where they pass out the cards.  Of course, there were more than 10 numbers ahead of us when we made our way to the seating area.  About 45 minutes later, they called "17" and we stepped up to the counter.  She easily located Stephen's paperwork and new card.  She verified his passport; he signed the documents and he was done.  I was not so lucky . . . . she searched in every box, but couldn't find my card, so she called for backup!  We sat back down and she told we had two choices . . . . wait another 20 minutes or come back tomorrow.  Just over 50 minutes later and right before the office closed, I got my card.  It's hard to get too excited because these cards expire in just over 5 months and we will need to start the process all over again.

Home Again

We arrived home yesterday about 2:30 p.m. and found time to Skype with Daniel for his birthday (1 day late) and talk to Shannon, Maleia and Josiah.  We also Skyped with Jon in Boston.  So thankful for technology!

Well, not so thankful for the hard drive of my computer which crashed while we were in Guatemala City.  I have no idea what happened, but it won't boot up and Windows auto repair won't fix it.  So, although I certainly should have known better, I have no external backup--YIKES.  I'm begging for help to recover the most important files (taxes, financial reports, newsletters) as soon as possible.  Please contact me if you have any ideas (parrisinelvador@gmail.com.)  In the meantime, Stephen and I are sharing his computer.

Tomorrow we start our regular routine . . . . teaching classes, band practice, church on Thursday, Hilo, Aguja y Biblia ministry on Saturday and church on Sunday.

Here are a few pictures of our week in Guatemala.  There were more than 300 professions of faith, many of them in the private neighborhoods we visited on Saturday, Sunday and Friday night.  Follow-up has already started with a new Bible study last night in Jardines de Arrozal where we shared a week ago.

 Stephen sharing in the Central Park, downtown Guatemala City

 Great crowd at the Family Festival on Sunday evening.

 Friends from the church in Guatemala City and San Salvador

 Team picture with Faith Baptist, Youngsville, NC, and Salvadorans/Guatemaltecos

 Playing and singing on Wednesday night.

Love me my clown friend, Choco!

Day 7 in Guatemala City

We have had a fantastic week with the team from Faith Baptist Church, Youngsville, North Carolina.  They have such a heart for missions.  Over dinner last night, we all discussed how quickly the week has past and how so many of them are not quite ready to go home.

This morning we head back to the Central Park; this evening we are going to another rather exclusive private neighborhood where we are not allowed to go door-to-door.  However, the neighborhood organization has sent out an email letting the residents know about the Family Festival this evening.  Please pray along with us that God will open the doors of the houses and bring the people out.  We will be having live music, clowns, hot chocolate, a drama, movie and a gospel presentation.

When the evening is over, the gringos are taking the translators (both Salvadorans and Guatemalans) out for dinner.  It will be a sweet time of sharing and saying goodbye.

We are so blessed to be able to work with this great group!

PS  Happy, happy birthday to our oldest son, Daniel.  We can hardly believe that it has been 33 years since we first met.  We are so proud of the Godly man and father he has become!

Day 3 in Guatemala City

We've been busy since we arrived in Guatemala City (by bus) on Saturday afternoon.  We barely had time to check into the hotel before we left for the evening campaign.  Because Pastor Nelson had secured permission to enter an inclusive private neighborhood (one he had been trying to enter for the past 4 years), we held a Family Festival which started at 4:00 p.m.  The festival featured live jazz (Nelson, Kenneth and Gabriel), refreshments (hot chocolate and cake), a clown show (Claudia, Diego and Francisco), a short movie entitled the Third Option which focused on restoring broken family relationships, the Everything drama presented by the youth and, finally, a short gospel presentation.  Everyone who made a decision or who expressed an interest was invited to a Bible study beginning next Saturday evening in the neighborhood.

Sunday morning we were so excited to welcome our teachers from Antigua--Nancy and Corina (and her family)--to Guatemala City.  The 7 of them left Antigua by bus at 8:00 a.m. to come to the city--they arrived about 10:30 a.m. just as the preaching was about to start.  While Nancy is a Christian, Corina and her girls are Catholics.  Although I shared the gospel with her last summer, she did not make a profession of faith.  Anyway, God knew what he was doing all the time, because Sunday morning, she raised her hand during the invitation.  Praise the Lord!  I only wish I was available to disciple her, but El Salvador is a bit too far.

We were able to take them to lunch and then go to the nearby mall.  None of her 4 girls had ever been to Guatemala City so they were amazed by the tall buildings.  It was so much fun to watch them learn to ride the escalators!. They could have done it all afternoon!  After ice cream, it was time for us to go our separate ways.  Please pray for Corina Valle .  . . . pray she will be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as she grows in her faith and pray for her to have the courage to share her decision with her daughters and her extended family.

Sunday  night we held the same type of activity in another private neighborhood.  Even though it was quite cold by the time the evening ended, the crowd was large and interested in the message.  We believe that Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva Guatemala will see much fruit from these initial campaigns in these areas.

This morning we shared the gospel one-on-one in the central park in Guatemala City.  There are always many, many people walking through the park or just sitting and waiting for "something" to happen.  We had enough translators for Stephen and me to have our own.  Please pray for Efraim and Bryan, both new brothers in Christ, and for Julio, who redicated his life!  We were blessed to be able to share the good news with them.

I have taken many pictures, but since I don't have Internet access in the room (costs $15 per day), I don't have a way to upload them.  Unless I can find a cafe with free wi-fi, guess that will have to wait until we get back home on Saturday.

Please continue to pray for the campaign which goes through Friday night!

Here 1 Day, Gone Tomorrow

Landed in El Salvador at 12:30 p.m. and it was 92 degrees when we got off the plane.  Yep--we knew we were back home!

It was a short afternoon with time to unpack and do a couple of loads of laundry, time for a quick stop at the grocery store and time for a trip to the bank to pay our January rent.

This evening we packed our bags for the trip to Guatemala in the morning.  Please pray for the team going from El Salvador and the team coming from the US.  This is the first time we've held a campaign in January--we are going to take the gospel to private neighborhoods which we have never visited.  Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the people and provide a harvest with fruit that remains.

 

Thankful

Today, I'm thankful for:  

1)  Living 1 hour from the airport. Airport check-in at 4:30 for 6:00 a.m. flight. Spending the night with a brother who lives 12 minutes from the airport and delivers you curbside--priceless. Thanks, Ron, Jane and Liz.  

2)  Eleven days we got to spend with Daniel, Shannon and our precious grandkids in California.

3)  Cross country (San Francisco to Kansas City) driving with our son, Jonathan.  It's been a long time since we took a road trip together.  Great dinner at the modern diner in Albuquerque.

4)  Thirteen days in Kansas City.  Even though the winter weather was brutal, we wouldn't have wanted to miss the opportunity to spend time with our families/friends and visit Abundant Life Baptist.

5)  Ministry (and warmer climate) that awaits us as we head back to El Salvador and then to Guatemala tomorrow.

Love the life we have!

January 1, 2013

Here's to a new year beginning . . . . In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.


Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of 2012.  Help us remember to put you first as we begin 2013.