For those of you who don’t know, a very good friend of ours in Ecuador, Ruben Rocha, the Camp Administrator, is in the hospital with an acute pancreatitis. Please pray for his quick recovery and that it is not an indicator for a larger problem. Medical bills and Ruben being out of commission are two things that they can’t afford, let alone the fear over his health condition.
Pray for Ruben!
Categories: Ministry, Prayer Requests, Santo Domingo, Updates
Tags: Ecuador, Friends, IPEE, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Santo Domingo, The Rocha Family, Updates
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Updated Ministry Calendar
- September 22: Northwest Covenant Church, Mt. Prospect, IL
- September 29: New Hope Church, Richland, MI
- October 20: Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN (Missions Night service)
- November 3: St. John’s Church, Millsersburg, OH
- November 16: Bay Evangelical Covenant Church, Green Bay, WI
- November 17: Zion Covenant Church, Sheboygan, WI
- November 24: New Harvest Christian Church, Oregon, OH
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, IPEE, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Praise the Lord!
We have a huge answer to prayer to share with you all.
We sold our house!!!!!!
For some of you that are newer to following our ministry, your immediate reaction maybe “huh???” But others that have known us for a long time know this as a long-standing prayer request.
Here’s the deal: The beauty of a house (sarcasm intended) pictured below was purchased by me (Joel) in 2000 in Marion, IN as an initial home/renovation project. I lived in it for only a little over year before I felt the call to start Seminary and moved to Chicago. During that year, I poured a lot of time and work into it to get it fixed up and it was actually in fairly decent shape considering what it had started out as. At that time, I decided to rent it out to Indiana Wesleyan college students to see if it could be a profitable business for me.
I was able to rent it out for a little while and make a little bit of money off it. However, I learned quickly that in a couple of years by not living in Marion, it was very hard to keep the tenants happy and them paying on-time. I did eventually have a rental manager that was able to help me but over time, I realized that with all of the expenses I was having, I was turning very little profit. And it was just a lot of work and stress trying to deal with issues with the house, especially when I didn’t living in Marion.
It quickly became obvious to me that I needed to get out of the rental business; that it wasn’t for me so I decided to try to sell it. Well, one big thing that I haven’t shared yet happened during the course of me renting it out: the housing market collapsed. I found out very quickly that I couldn’t sell it even if I wanted to. The only people that I could find that were interested were folks that wanted to make a quick buck off my misfortune. The biggest offer I received for the house was $3,000. Now, I did only pay $15,0000 for it but that was a huge loss to take, especially with someone with so little money to begin with.
So, I decided to hold on to it longer and try to rent it out longer to try to give the business aspect to it another shot. And I did find a professional rental manager that was able to help me out. But really, in the end, the same story ensued. We had a lot of problems with the renters (one time a drug bust actually occurred in the house) and every year, very little, if any, money was being made. The house continued to deteriorate and we were making very little money off of it.
This continued all the way up through when we returned from Ecuador. After coming back from Ecuador for our first Home Assignment, the house was vacant and so I decided to go take a look at it to try to figure out what to do with it. I was shocked to see what had become of it. When walking in it for the first time, I was actually reminded of when I first purchased it and the condition that it was in. It had really gotten into terrible shape and I said to myself that “I couldn’t let anyone live in this house.” I’m not a slumlord! I decided that I had to do one of two things: 1) get rid of the house and cut my losses or 2) invest probably another $5,000 – $7,000 to get it fixed up again. It didn’t take me long and talking with Kim that we decided that we had had enough with the house and we were going to try to sell it and cut our losses and we listed it with a local real estate agent.
Here is the tremendous blessing. Our realtor was able to find a buyer and the price that we agreed upon is only a slight loss of what I originally paid. I thought for sure, taking into account my previous experience, that I would only be selling the house at a huge loss. On Wednesday, Simeon and I traveled down to Marion and I signed the closing paperwork to sell the house. Everything is being done in cash payments so there will not be any bank or lawyer involved so the amount of fees will be kept to a minimum.
This is a long story but a good one in sharing how good God is in working all of this out in the end. I thank so many of you all so much for all of your prayers for this over the years. I know that many of you have been extremely faithful in praying for it.
Categories: Family Fun, Home Assignment, Prayer Requests, Reflections, Updates
Tags: Answered prayers, Home Assignment, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Reflections, Updates
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But… I don’t WANT TO God!
I’m sure I can’t be the ONLY mom out there who worries about their kid. I suppose that is a normal thing. Like I said, I know I’m probably not alone. There are incidences that sometimes make you more aware of the bad things that COULD happen as well. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had a close call with your kiddo where you realize how close you were to something hurting or happening to them. RIGHT? Please tell me I’m not the only one… I’m typically not a control freak. Not someone who has to do it all myself. But I feel when it comes to Simeon, WE as his parents, are the ones who are supposed to protect him and keep him safe. I KNEW in my head that God was with him and protecting him, but when it comes to GIVING them to Jesus, putting them in God’s hands, do we do that? I keep thinking I can do it better until I realize… I can’t! A few months ago, I had one of those ‘close calls’ and realized just how close we came to Simeon getting hurt. I worried, I lost sleep, I worried, I cried and I was SO overcome with a feeling of fear and worry, that I couldn’t concentrate at work or on anything else I was doing because I was so afraid. It seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake the fear that something would happen. Now, in all honesty, I’m sure this is perpetuated by the fact that I used to work in the pediatric ICU where I saw the kids and families who were in the midst of bad things happening. THEY were experiencing those worst fears coming true. So, it’s not like I’m naive enough to think those things can’t happen. That makes it worse. Before we had Simeon, I remember hearing multiple times that when you have kids, you make a choice, knowing that at some time that child will hurt, you will see them hurt, in different ways and you don’t know what will happen to them. I remember making a conscious choice to have kids. But, I don’t think as a parent you understand the risk that is taken with that. You don’t KNOW what will happen. You aren’t guaranteed to have a perfectly healthy child or that you will outlive your child or that bad things won’t happen to them. I think most of the time, for me, I put that out of my mind, probably subconsciously because I don’t want to think about that. The same time that I heard that having kids is a choice you make, not knowing what will happen, I also remember hearing that our children are not ours. God literally GIVES them to us to care for and nurture. We aren’t guaranteed to always get it right, we aren’t guaranteed how long they will be with us or what they will grow up to be or do. You would think that wouldn’t give much comfort to a mom or dad who worries and has sleepless nights about their kids and what can happen. But it is such a good reminder to me that JESUS LOVES MY KID MORE THAN ME! HE LOVED HIM FIRST, before I did. Am I really so crazy to think that for a moment God lets him our of His sight? He is always with him, when I can’t be. THAT IS COMFORT! …
Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.… -Psalm 139: 12-14
Psalm 91 One that I just absolutely love and hold on to when I worry and feel anxious and overwhelmed for protection for Simeon. My Refuge and My Fortress 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge[b]— 10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Thank-you Faith Covenant and Ceresco Covenant!
We just want to give a big THANK-YOU to Pastor Jim and Karen Ressigue and Faith Covenant Church of Essex, IA and also Pastor Jodi and Ben Moore of Ceresco Covenant Church of Ceresco, NE. It was wonderful to be with you all this past week! You all have been some of our most supportive and caring congregations that have been our ministry partners over the years of ministry in Ecuador! Thank you for the opportunity to be with you all this past week! We felt the love and support like we have always felt from you all! God bless!
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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New Updated Ministry Calendar
- September 22: Northwest Covenant Church, Mt. Prospect, IL
- September 29: New Hope Church, Richland, MI
- October 20: Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN (Missions Night service)
- November 3: St. John’s Church, Millsersburg, OH
- November 24: New Harvest Christian Church, Oregon, OH
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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A traveling we will go…
We’ll be taking off this week as our travels take us to Nebraska and Iowa. We are very excited to be visiting a couple of our long-time supporting churches when we go to visit Faith Covenant Church of Essex, IA and the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ceresco, NE. Besides time with our home church, Northwest Covenant, and Trinity United Methodist, the two churches we are visiting this week are the only churches that we visited before we left for Ecuador in 2010 and they both have been supporting us ever since. Their pastors, Jim Ressigue and Jodi Moore, were both Seminary classmates with Joel and we consider them and their spouses very good friends, so we are very much looking forward to time with them this week.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Trips, Updates
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Picture Highlight of Simeon’s Summer in the States
Enjoying an Oreo ice cream sandwich.
- Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday.
- He loves playgrounds in the States!
- He likes mowing.
- He loves this kind of mowing.
- The bigger tractor the better.
- His first roller coaster.
- He finally got to drive.
- Trying to scratch a seal’s belly.
- His first baseball game.
- He loved the the hot dogs at the game.
- Fishing is now his favorite sport!
Updated Ministry Calendar
- August 23: Faith Covenant Church, Essex, IA
- August 25: Evangelical Covenant Church, Ceresco, NE
- September 22: Northwest Covenant Church, Mt. Prospect, IL
- September 29: New Hope Church, Richland, MI
- October 20: Pleasant View Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN (Missions Night service)
- November 3: St. John’s Church, Millsersburg, OH
- November 24: New Harvest Christian Church, Oregon, OH
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Thank you ECC Donaldson!!!
We want to give a shout out to the Evangelical Covenant Church in Donaldson, IN for their recent invitation and hospitality. Safe to say we felt instantly at home with our visit and had a great time with you all! We were with them for two weeks, Joel preached the first Sunday and we shared during the second. We just really, really appreciated your invitation and the time we had together. May God bless you all as you go forward in ministry.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Reflections, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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The Santiago Partnership