It has been a long and winding road but we are in Bolivia. (Ok, its a reference to Beatles song...believe it or not here in La Paz there is a place that has Beatles Karaoke...who would have guessed it). All glory to God. Rhonda and I and many of you have been praying for this for the last 3 to 4 years and now God has brought it to pass. There has been many obstacles thrown in front of us but God has taken us through!
We are living in a boarding house with a woman named Gloria and her husband Rene and their daughter Andrea and also with a young woman from Holland and another from Japan. We have our own room and SAm has his own room. This is home for the next 10 weeks!
When we flew into La Paz at 6am on the 3rd of September all of the mountains surrounding the city were covered in snow. It was a beautiful site through very tired eyes. It does not snow in the city which is a good thing because the streets are very very steep in all directions. We reached our new home and quickly began taking measures to fight the effects of the altitude. WE have been doing well but it is very exhausting to walk to the places we need to be.
As many of you know I was hoping for a shower in our home. Well I am glad to report we have one that we share and it even has hot water....sometimes. The house does not have heat but we sleep under several layers of wool blankets and we do stay warm. The food has been good too with soup twice a day with the meal. So, things are better than we hoped.
We began our classes in Spanish and Aymara and that is taking alot of brain power. Sam is taking off with both languages. The main man we are working with is Pastor Angel. He met us at the airport and has already begun working with us for our VISA extension. This is a lot of work with many steps. PLEASE friends, partners and all readers of this blog, pray that we have favor and that our paperwork goes through.
Unexpectedly, we have already begun sharing the gospel. I say unexpectedly because last night the young lady from Holland and her sister began asking me questions about the Christian life. I didn´t think that I would come to Bolivia to share the love of God with people from Holland. It was a lengthy conversation that ended with them saying that I had given them something to think about. They said they had really never heard the gospel before. It was a blessed hour. Keep them in your prayers, too.
Rhonda is great, leading Sam and I with her knowledge of Spanish. She is just as charming in Spanish as she is in English. Everyone loves to talk to her. WE love all of you and we will continue to update as we can. Pictures to come soon, too.
KEEP READING AND PRAYING Diosampiki (God bless you in Aymara)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
To Bolivia and beyond...
Hello dear friends,
Well the next leg of our adventure begins one week from today. We leave for La Paz from Chicago O’Hare on September 2nd and arrive early the next morning. We are very busy with the final details of getting our VISA’s approved, packing and a host of other last minute things.
First, the VISA’s; we found out last week that we would not be able to stay for a year if we entered the country with a tourist VISA. We thought we could apply for all the paperwork we needed once we got to La Paz but this is not the case. You see, once you enter the country with one type of VISA (i.e. Tourist) it cannot be changed to another kind of VISA (i.e. work, student, specific purpose, etc). So we had to send our Passports and other important documents to Miami to get the Specific Purpose Visa. It took some time to get the stuff back and it made us nervous to send our passports, money orders, invitation letters, shot records etc in the mail. But when we got the paperwork returned we found that we had been denied. This was very discouraging. We called the other Consulate in Washington DC and they spoke much better English so we were able to understand what was needed. So, on Monday this week we sent our paperwork again but this time to DC. Please pray it is returned promptly AND that it is approved. We leave TN on Friday. If we do not have the paperwork back by then we will have to drive to DC before going to Chicago. This would be time consuming AND expensive.
The packing has been very difficult. We each can only bring two bags of 50lbs each. We are not able to bring extra bags and pay a fee, 2 is all we get. It is very difficult to pack a whole years worth of living in 2 suitcases. We have clothes, school books and ministry materials to take. It seems that we are constantly picking away at what we have to reduce it.
It has been getting harder emotionally as we say good-bye to loved ones. I know that we will be back in a year but still, it is hard. One highlight is that we were invited to the home of the Mathis’s. They are the family who now have Cocoa. It was such a blessing to see how happy and healthy and loved she is. They are such a wonderful family and it gives me great joy to see Cocoa become part of their family. Figaro is still with Ma in Chicago so we will be able to say good-bye to him too.
The house has not sold yet but we are trusting in our God. We have prayed and determined that nothing will stand in the way of the calling that God has placed in our hearts and minds. “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”. We have signed over Power of Attorney to a dear friend who will be able to negotiate and sign papers on our behalf.
We have been in contact with our friends in Bolivia and are already planning a trip to the Altiplano to minister to the Aymara. God is truly putting things in position for our travel, our arrival and His ministry to the Aymara.
We love you all and will continue to be in prayer for you. Please pray in agreement with us for open doors to share the freedom in Christ to the people of Bolivia. We will try to update the blog once a week to share with you what God is doing and how He is blessing us.
Please pray for these needs;
3- 1 Year Visa’s $1,050 each year for 2-3years
Truck/Van/Jeep to reach the villages $4,000-$6,000
Transport and house engineer to dig well $300-$500 per trip from Santa Cruz
Supplies to dig well $200 per well
Housing for Haynes family $250 per month
AT&T Prepaid minutes for Bolivian Cell Phone $30 per calling card
Food, gasoline, insurance, licenses, taxes etc Currently unknown
Village gifts, gas, transportation $100-$200 per village
Partners $25 per month
Thank you
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” Phil 1:3-4
Missionaries:
Mark & Bev Chandler
Elaine Wilburn
Brian & Mary Chamberlin
Churches:
Light for the Nations Church of God
Living Word Church
Centerpoint Baptist Church
Flint Springs Cumberland Presbyterian
Abundant Life Church
Shiloh Baptist Church
The Rock Church
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Straightway Baptist Church
Steelville 1st Assembly of God
Tennessee Valley Community Church
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Celebration Baptist Church
Immanuel Lutheran Church
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Oregon Trail
Dear Friends,
We just flew in from
We had a great time with Ryan, Brad, Chase and the whole gang! We flew out to
You may be wondering why Chase is singing
After the graduation we had a party at Ryan and Brad's new house. We loved the house. It is so comfortable and beautiful! On Sunday we went to church and then to downtown
At Powell’s, I got this great book by Steve Saint called “The Great Omission.” Really, a great book. I already finished it. Steve Saint is the son of Missionary Nate Saint who was martyred in
Monday was Ron's birthday. Thank you all for your phone calls and Facebook notes. It really meant a lot that you remembered Ron on this day. This was another great day! :) Ron and Brad laid some trim for the wood floor Brad had put in. It really put the finishing touches on the house. It looks so good! Ryan made a really yummy lasagna for dinner. We all ate too much and laughed a lot.
Tuesday was a sad day...we had to leave. It was such a blessing to be able to travel to
Sam was not able to go so he held down the fort in
We are now in preparation mode. We are preparing to hit the open road for
Please continue to pray for the sale of our house. Please pray that God will use us to share His love everyday...right now, right here.
We will be sending out one more newsletter before we leave for
God bless you all!
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Dog Gone...
Dear friends...
Sorry we haven’t written for a while, we have not had much access to Internet.
It is a sad day. We have been struggling about what to do with our dog Figaro. At first we thought of course he would come to Bolivia with us...he is part of the family. But as we began our travels we found that he was having a hard time with it. He is a stay-at-home kind of dog. He likes to relax and sit on the couch. He likes lots of hugs and lots of petting and even some kisses. He was a not a very happy dog on the road. Also, he picked up this habit of barking that really was becoming a problem. Everywhere we traveled it seemed that he was in the way of our hosts. So after much prayer and buckets of tears, we took Figaro to Chicago to live with Ron’s mom. As you can see from the picture, Ma and Figaro are pretty happy about this new arrangement. However, we cried all the way back to St. Louis. We know this is best for Figaro, and good for Ma too, she needs the company.
Many of you have commented how hard it must be to give up our house, our stuff, our jobs...nope, not hard. Giving up our doggy...HARD. So please pray for us and for our little Figaro. He is a little depressed and not eating too well but he'll snap out of it. He really loves Ma!
This whole situation has made me consider the words of Jesus ""If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." When I have thought about this verse in the past I wasn’t really seeing the "deny himself" as active, as an action. The writer of Hebrews says that we must "throw off everything that hinders". I love Figaro, but he was becoming an obstacle to the work God has called us too. I want to follow Jesus, I do not always want to deny myself, and it is not pleasant sometimes throwing off things in our lives to walk the Jesus Way. But, this is what we are called to; this is what I am called to do. Figaro is a good little doggy. We will miss him so much. But we know that we have done the right thing, we know that God will bless him and Ma and us too.
Recently we had an awesome opportunity to visit with some college friends that I (Rhonda) haven’t seen in 23 years. It was such a great time catching up and seeing what everyone was doing now…how we have changed and how we haven’t. We had such a great time. I hope it doesn’t take 23 years for me to see them all again. We laughed and joked and ate. It was so fun. I thank God for the opportunity to see them all and share the afternoon.
Sorry we haven’t written for a while, we have not had much access to Internet.
It is a sad day. We have been struggling about what to do with our dog Figaro. At first we thought of course he would come to Bolivia with us...he is part of the family. But as we began our travels we found that he was having a hard time with it. He is a stay-at-home kind of dog. He likes to relax and sit on the couch. He likes lots of hugs and lots of petting and even some kisses. He was a not a very happy dog on the road. Also, he picked up this habit of barking that really was becoming a problem. Everywhere we traveled it seemed that he was in the way of our hosts. So after much prayer and buckets of tears, we took Figaro to Chicago to live with Ron’s mom. As you can see from the picture, Ma and Figaro are pretty happy about this new arrangement. However, we cried all the way back to St. Louis. We know this is best for Figaro, and good for Ma too, she needs the company.
Many of you have commented how hard it must be to give up our house, our stuff, our jobs...nope, not hard. Giving up our doggy...HARD. So please pray for us and for our little Figaro. He is a little depressed and not eating too well but he'll snap out of it. He really loves Ma!
This whole situation has made me consider the words of Jesus ""If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." When I have thought about this verse in the past I wasn’t really seeing the "deny himself" as active, as an action. The writer of Hebrews says that we must "throw off everything that hinders". I love Figaro, but he was becoming an obstacle to the work God has called us too. I want to follow Jesus, I do not always want to deny myself, and it is not pleasant sometimes throwing off things in our lives to walk the Jesus Way. But, this is what we are called to; this is what I am called to do. Figaro is a good little doggy. We will miss him so much. But we know that we have done the right thing, we know that God will bless him and Ma and us too.
Recently we had an awesome opportunity to visit with some college friends that I (Rhonda) haven’t seen in 23 years. It was such a great time catching up and seeing what everyone was doing now…how we have changed and how we haven’t. We had such a great time. I hope it doesn’t take 23 years for me to see them all again. We laughed and joked and ate. It was so fun. I thank God for the opportunity to see them all and share the afternoon.
We spent a great week in Nebraska with Nathan. We visited with him, we relaxed, we prayed, we studied Spanish and we played our guitars. WOW, it was a much needed break for all the rush rush rush. We have been so blessed by our pop-up camper. Ron Moore and the Moore family...YOU ROCK! Thanks for the blessing.
Our next stop is Oregon. Our daughter Ryan is graduating from College so we will be spending about 4 or 5 days with her, Brad and our grandson Chase. YIPEEE! We are so excited! After we return from Oregon we will be traveling to Gallup New Mexico to work with some missionary friends Mark & Bev Chandler.
PLEASE PRAY!!!
>The house needs to be sold!
>God's provision
>Safety as we travel
>for our faith to increase
>the enemy IS defeated in all his attacks against us
Please know we are praying for all of you as well. We miss you and we love you!
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
Friday, May 22, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Well it has been a week of warfare for the Lovely Feet team! Sorry for the delay in posting.
Rhonda had great fun playing trumpet with her brother Rich at Brass Ensemble at Immanuel Lutheran church in St. Charles MO. (Picture 1)
While here in St Louis we were blessed to be a part of a small group Bible Study that was a great encouragement to us. This is sweet group of brothers and sisters from Southwest Christian Church (http://www.swccmo.org/ ) (Picture 2)
The week started off with an amazing MIRACLE! We have been praying for the son of some friends of ours. He had a grand mal seizure. He has had many many tests trying to determine the cause. We have all been waiting for the results of these tests for some weeks. The prognosis was extremely grim. However, the family stood in faith praying against this prognosis and believing that God would heal. Our friend called us on the boys birthday with the news that the tests came back completely NORMAL…there was no sign of the two dark spots on his brain that has showed up on prior tests. We praise God our healer for this great miracle!
Then the enemy showed up! The enemy has been working overtime to discourage and depress us. We have different ways that we confront this battle. Ron has determined to rush the gates of the enemy by smacking him over the head with Youtube and Tangle videos. He has posted three of them. One is a take off on the new movie Twilight that all the kids are talking about. Another is Ron turning his face into a puppet and the last is Ron preaching the defeat of Satan in every book of the New Testament.
Rhonda has been spending a lot of time reading her Bible, praying and listening to praise and worship music with a little guitar practice on the side. (and helping Ron get his videos ready for posting).
We have been fasting and praying for direction and next steps. We have contacted over 100 ministries for open doors to minister…but doors have not opened. We were not sure why? We thought we had a plan. We thought that we were doing what God wanted. We thought…we…we? Could it be that “we” were being distracted by plans we had made or tried to make instead of hearing from God? We were becoming discouraged and frustrated until we realized that this discouragement and frustration were obstacles to the next steps that God had for us. We were allowing the enemy to distract us with the “why’s” of “the plan” not working. The Lord opened our eyes and we confessed to Him our short-sightedness. We confessed that these frustrations were not going to be a vehicle to share the Gospel with the Aymara or with anyone else and we laid all those emotions and frustrations down at the feet of Jesus. Whew! What a relief! How freeing!
Later that very night we had the opportunity to talk with some missionaries in New Mexico. Mark & Bev Chandler minister to the Navajo Nation. They contacted us some months ago by email (Lance & Michelle shared with a friend about us who shared with Mark and Bev). We had emailed back and forth a couple of times and finally got on the phone together. They shared their calling with us and guess what…? It was so very similar to ours. Isn’t God cool? We shared on the phone for over and hour. At the end of the conversation we prayed together but not before Mark and Bev invited us to New Mexico to share in the work of the Lord with the Navajo. WOW! How amazing is our God? What a glorious wonderful opportunity.
The Navajo are First Nations people just like the Aymara. I (Rhonda) just finished an AMAZING book that I highly recommend to all. It is by Richard Twiss a brother from the Lakota/Sioux. It is called One Church, Many Tribes. (http://store.fastcommerce.com/WiconiResources/prod-ff808081175e96dc01176560dfb87a2a.html) God has given us such a burden for the First Nations people. While there are many differences from the Navajo to the Lakota/Sioux to the Aymara there are many similarities amongst these First Nations people (“a term denoting original habitation by sovereign people or nations”). We hope and pray that God will continue to lift the veil from our eyes about worshiping Him in Spirit and truth and not following after the traditions of man. It seems that “Form” and “Substance” are reoccurring themes that keep coming up regarding our Worship of our Father God. Anyway, read this book! So it is amazing that here I was reading this book and then “coincidently” we talk with Mark and Bev who invite to come and minister with them to the Navajo.
We are greatly encouraged and excited about this opportunity. Please partner with us in prayer about this.
This weekend we will be spending time with family at Rhonda’s cousin’s daughter’s High School graduation on Friday. Saturday is a time for old High School friends. On Sunday we will be attending the Baptism of Chriss and Tony’s son Will. Later on Sunday we go to Rich’s (Rhonda’s Brother) for a BBQ with Lynda. (Rhonda’s step-mom).
Well it has been a week of warfare for the Lovely Feet team! Sorry for the delay in posting.
Rhonda had great fun playing trumpet with her brother Rich at Brass Ensemble at Immanuel Lutheran church in St. Charles MO. (Picture 1)
While here in St Louis we were blessed to be a part of a small group Bible Study that was a great encouragement to us. This is sweet group of brothers and sisters from Southwest Christian Church (http://www.swccmo.org/ ) (Picture 2)
The week started off with an amazing MIRACLE! We have been praying for the son of some friends of ours. He had a grand mal seizure. He has had many many tests trying to determine the cause. We have all been waiting for the results of these tests for some weeks. The prognosis was extremely grim. However, the family stood in faith praying against this prognosis and believing that God would heal. Our friend called us on the boys birthday with the news that the tests came back completely NORMAL…there was no sign of the two dark spots on his brain that has showed up on prior tests. We praise God our healer for this great miracle!
Then the enemy showed up! The enemy has been working overtime to discourage and depress us. We have different ways that we confront this battle. Ron has determined to rush the gates of the enemy by smacking him over the head with Youtube and Tangle videos. He has posted three of them. One is a take off on the new movie Twilight that all the kids are talking about. Another is Ron turning his face into a puppet and the last is Ron preaching the defeat of Satan in every book of the New Testament.
Rhonda has been spending a lot of time reading her Bible, praying and listening to praise and worship music with a little guitar practice on the side. (and helping Ron get his videos ready for posting).
We have been fasting and praying for direction and next steps. We have contacted over 100 ministries for open doors to minister…but doors have not opened. We were not sure why? We thought we had a plan. We thought that we were doing what God wanted. We thought…we…we? Could it be that “we” were being distracted by plans we had made or tried to make instead of hearing from God? We were becoming discouraged and frustrated until we realized that this discouragement and frustration were obstacles to the next steps that God had for us. We were allowing the enemy to distract us with the “why’s” of “the plan” not working. The Lord opened our eyes and we confessed to Him our short-sightedness. We confessed that these frustrations were not going to be a vehicle to share the Gospel with the Aymara or with anyone else and we laid all those emotions and frustrations down at the feet of Jesus. Whew! What a relief! How freeing!
Later that very night we had the opportunity to talk with some missionaries in New Mexico. Mark & Bev Chandler minister to the Navajo Nation. They contacted us some months ago by email (Lance & Michelle shared with a friend about us who shared with Mark and Bev). We had emailed back and forth a couple of times and finally got on the phone together. They shared their calling with us and guess what…? It was so very similar to ours. Isn’t God cool? We shared on the phone for over and hour. At the end of the conversation we prayed together but not before Mark and Bev invited us to New Mexico to share in the work of the Lord with the Navajo. WOW! How amazing is our God? What a glorious wonderful opportunity.
The Navajo are First Nations people just like the Aymara. I (Rhonda) just finished an AMAZING book that I highly recommend to all. It is by Richard Twiss a brother from the Lakota/Sioux. It is called One Church, Many Tribes. (http://store.fastcommerce.com/WiconiResources/prod-ff808081175e96dc01176560dfb87a2a.html) God has given us such a burden for the First Nations people. While there are many differences from the Navajo to the Lakota/Sioux to the Aymara there are many similarities amongst these First Nations people (“a term denoting original habitation by sovereign people or nations”). We hope and pray that God will continue to lift the veil from our eyes about worshiping Him in Spirit and truth and not following after the traditions of man. It seems that “Form” and “Substance” are reoccurring themes that keep coming up regarding our Worship of our Father God. Anyway, read this book! So it is amazing that here I was reading this book and then “coincidently” we talk with Mark and Bev who invite to come and minister with them to the Navajo.
We are greatly encouraged and excited about this opportunity. Please partner with us in prayer about this.
This weekend we will be spending time with family at Rhonda’s cousin’s daughter’s High School graduation on Friday. Saturday is a time for old High School friends. On Sunday we will be attending the Baptism of Chriss and Tony’s son Will. Later on Sunday we go to Rich’s (Rhonda’s Brother) for a BBQ with Lynda. (Rhonda’s step-mom).
We love you all and pray for you...
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ …that [we] may proclaim it clearly, as [we] should.” Col 4:3,4
Diosampiki,
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
Ron and Sam's videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttthQKJ360k Ron's puppet face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd0ZjETb8cw Satan's defeat part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JIPBOZ5b1E Satan's defeat part 2
Monday, May 11, 2009
Greetings Brothers and Sisters,
And so begins another week on the great adventure God has called us to!
We had a great week! We spent most of the week catching up on rest, reading, studying and spending time with Lord and our friends. Tony and Chriss are such a blessing to us!
Wednesday night we went to an awesome Bible Study. Frankly I (Rhonda) was not having a good day. I needed to get into the Word...I needed me some Jesus, some Word and some fellowship with believers! I was like junkie I needed it so bad! As usual, the Lord blessed beyond measure. My nephew Jake invited us to the adult Bible Study of Southwest Christian Church. Sam and Jake went to youth and Ron and showed up at Pastor Loren's house. Pastor Loren and Julie Copp welcomed us in like they had known us for a hundred years. Brother Eric lead the Bible Study and we just had the best time learning and sharing about the Lord. Brother Eric asked first where/when we remembered experiencing God's presence in a real and tangible way. It was a really interesting opening. Everyone had a different story to share and only one actually shared an experience that happened in Church.
So what about you? Where have you experienced God in your life where you KNOW that you know that you know He was there with you, touching you? Respond to this Blog with your answer. I will compile them anonymously and post them. We need to look for God everyone. God says to us “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Let’s encourage one another with our word of testimony!
So, we had a GREAT time with the brothers at Southwest Christian Church (http://www.swccmo.org ). We plan to return this Wednesday night and Lord willing, attend this Sunday.
Sam had a tremendous opportunity this past weekend. He was able to attend a youth rally called FM419. This name is based on Matthew 4:19 Jesus said, "Come and Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19. ”Youth [have]…a weekend of high-energy music and life-changing training. [Youth] Get down to the basics of what [they] believe, find power to live what [they] say, and learn how to share [their] faith with others” ( http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883230?bctid=18737868001 ) The band “The Afters” were there. They sing “Never going back to Okay”. Sam and his two cousins went and they had a great time. Ron took some video footage after the event asking Kids who Jesus was to them. Look forward to a short U-Tube of this footage. It is pretty cool! Sam was blessed by the event and I believe it gave him a better comfort level in sharing his faith. Of course the enemy has been at him a little. He is a little blue…missing his friends…his life is so different. PLEASE pray for Sam. Call him, email him…encourage him. (sam@lovelyfeet.org)
Saturday afternoon we got a call that someone was interested in seeing the house. We were so happy. I told the girl on the phone that of course they could come and look at the house and that they should invite all their friends to come too. (she thought I was a little crazy…huh…imagine). You may have heard that the sale of the home fell through. We were disappointed but we know God is sovereign and that He has something else in mind. We know that He has a better house suited for the Johnson’s and a buyer who is looking for exactly what our house has to offer. Please partner in prayer with us about this. God will bring the buyer in His time.
Yesterday we had a GREAT day. Of course it was Mothers Day and that was great. Sam got me the most beautiful pair of earrings. They are silver doves. I LOVE THEM! I heard from all of the other 5 kids as well and basically felt like I must be the best Mom ever. Thanks kids! I love you all so much!!! (especially you…you are my favorite…you know who you are…)
The pictures posted above are from Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles MO. My brother Rich was able to work with his Pastor in giving us the opportunity to share about God’s work in Bolivia. We were given 5 minutes to share (you all know Ron…this was HARD…but he was able to say what God had him to say in 6 ½ minutes…a new record for Mr. Haynes!). We had so many people stop at the table and ask questions. Someone wanted to know when they could come to Bolivia and help in God’s work there. We were so blessed! To see the interest and compassion in these dear brothers and sisters was so amazing!!!
For dinner Chriss spear-headed the kids efforts and we had a great time visiting, eating, visiting, eating and visiting.
We leave you with this blessing…
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
We love you all!
Diosampiki,
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
Monday, May 4, 2009
Meet me in St. Louis...
Dear Brothers,
Greetings from St. Louis MO! (and surrounding areas)
We arrived in St. Louis late Friday night (May Day). We brought with us the blessing given us by Brother Ron Moore, a pop-up camper. Bullet (our truck) had no problem pulling the pop-up. In fact we got much much better gas mileage! We are very thankful to God for this blessing. You would be surprised how much it holds. We were thinking we would have to leave a lot of our things behind in Chicago but were so grateful to find that almost everything fit! We had to leave two things behind...Rhonda's Bike and Ron's bass guitar. However, one other blessing is that Ron's brother Buddy let him borrow his bass guitar which is much smaller and lighter. Therefore Ron does have a bass, just not "his" bass. So we are thankful. Also we were able to bring Ron and Sam's bikes so if Rhonda wants a bike to ride she does have access.
We had a great day on Saturday. We went to Rhonda's brother's praise band practice; Rhonda even got to sing a long. It was a great time of worship and fun. Rich introduced Rhonda to everyone adding that she was going on a "mission trip" to Bolivia. Rhonda had to point out that her dear brother was still in a little bit of denial about the whole thing. Rhonda pointed out that we are MOVING to South America not taking a short term mission trip. Rich grinned and we all had a bit of a laugh at his expense. It is hard for a big brother.
Sunday we were so blessed to minister in two churches in Steelville MO. Steelville is about an hour and a half from St. Louis. We left early Sunday morning for Center Point Baptist Church. The Pastor, Matt Cook, is married to Rhonda's cousin Sharon. The congregation was so welcoming! They treated us just like family. Well I guess we kind of are...Rhonda's aunt and uncle have been members of this church for about 300 years so, we felt right at home. Ron preached an anointed message and we praised and thanked the Lord. We talked afterward with several people. Rhonda shared with some really cool teens who were very interested to hear more about the mission. One girl Hannah Banana is home-schooled and seemed especially interested. We thank God that He is moving in the hearts of our youth and preparing them for their calling.
After church we had a great lunch and visit with Rhonda's family. We all shared stories of times past. Later Uncle Terry took us over to the Meramac Baptist Assoc Camp Grounds and showed us around. We are hoping to take the pop-up down there and park for a week or so to rest and spend sometime together as a family and with the Lord.
Sunday evening we were invited to Straightway Baptist also in Steelville. How awesome to be invited by Christian brothers and sisters we haven’t even met! God is good all the time! Pastor Mike and the whole congregation invited us in with open arms. We had the best time singing some old time favorites and then Pastor Mike turned the pulpit over to Ron. WOW, Ron was on FIRE! He preached from Mark 2 and shared about the Aymara. The Lord really moved. The congregation was so generous in every respect. One brother spoke up and made a motion to for the church to make a donation to the mission to the Aymara and it was quickly seconded and past. Another brother was ready to sign up to come and minister and work on a short time mission trip. This brother (Brad) wanted to plan a trip and bring his 13 year old daughter. We hope to spend more time with Pastor Mike and his wife as well as Rhonda’s family while there camping.
It was such an encouragement to see these two bodies of believers so on fire for the Gospel! We were greatly blessed! We pray that they were blessed by our sharing as well.
Today we wait to hear if the deal will go through on our home sale. There have been a few hic-ups but we know that God is sovereign and faithful and that He will sell our home at the right time to the right people and the He will greatly bless us and the buyers in the process. We are so thankful for our new friend and Real Estate agent Karen Miller. She and Jessica Smith have worked so hard for us. We feel more like they are friends than agents. We are thankful to God for them and for our new friendship.
Please be in prayer for the final steps of selling our home. Also please continue to pray that God will open doors for us to minister. We are overwhelmed by the church’s desire to hear more about the Aymara. It is amazing how the people want to know more and help more to spread the Gospel. We trust God to open doors that no man can shut and to direct our paths.
Thank you, thank you for all your prayers for us. We feel them and God answers them!
Diosampiki!
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
We had a great day on Saturday. We went to Rhonda's brother's praise band practice; Rhonda even got to sing a long. It was a great time of worship and fun. Rich introduced Rhonda to everyone adding that she was going on a "mission trip" to Bolivia. Rhonda had to point out that her dear brother was still in a little bit of denial about the whole thing. Rhonda pointed out that we are MOVING to South America not taking a short term mission trip. Rich grinned and we all had a bit of a laugh at his expense. It is hard for a big brother.
Sunday we were so blessed to minister in two churches in Steelville MO. Steelville is about an hour and a half from St. Louis. We left early Sunday morning for Center Point Baptist Church. The Pastor, Matt Cook, is married to Rhonda's cousin Sharon. The congregation was so welcoming! They treated us just like family. Well I guess we kind of are...Rhonda's aunt and uncle have been members of this church for about 300 years so, we felt right at home. Ron preached an anointed message and we praised and thanked the Lord. We talked afterward with several people. Rhonda shared with some really cool teens who were very interested to hear more about the mission. One girl Hannah Banana is home-schooled and seemed especially interested. We thank God that He is moving in the hearts of our youth and preparing them for their calling.
After church we had a great lunch and visit with Rhonda's family. We all shared stories of times past. Later Uncle Terry took us over to the Meramac Baptist Assoc Camp Grounds and showed us around. We are hoping to take the pop-up down there and park for a week or so to rest and spend sometime together as a family and with the Lord.
Sunday evening we were invited to Straightway Baptist also in Steelville. How awesome to be invited by Christian brothers and sisters we haven’t even met! God is good all the time! Pastor Mike and the whole congregation invited us in with open arms. We had the best time singing some old time favorites and then Pastor Mike turned the pulpit over to Ron. WOW, Ron was on FIRE! He preached from Mark 2 and shared about the Aymara. The Lord really moved. The congregation was so generous in every respect. One brother spoke up and made a motion to for the church to make a donation to the mission to the Aymara and it was quickly seconded and past. Another brother was ready to sign up to come and minister and work on a short time mission trip. This brother (Brad) wanted to plan a trip and bring his 13 year old daughter. We hope to spend more time with Pastor Mike and his wife as well as Rhonda’s family while there camping.
It was such an encouragement to see these two bodies of believers so on fire for the Gospel! We were greatly blessed! We pray that they were blessed by our sharing as well.
Today we wait to hear if the deal will go through on our home sale. There have been a few hic-ups but we know that God is sovereign and faithful and that He will sell our home at the right time to the right people and the He will greatly bless us and the buyers in the process. We are so thankful for our new friend and Real Estate agent Karen Miller. She and Jessica Smith have worked so hard for us. We feel more like they are friends than agents. We are thankful to God for them and for our new friendship.
Please be in prayer for the final steps of selling our home. Also please continue to pray that God will open doors for us to minister. We are overwhelmed by the church’s desire to hear more about the Aymara. It is amazing how the people want to know more and help more to spread the Gospel. We trust God to open doors that no man can shut and to direct our paths.
Thank you, thank you for all your prayers for us. We feel them and God answers them!
Diosampiki!
Ron, Rhonda and Sam
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