In the eye of the storm.

How marvelous are the works of our King Jesus!  Have you ever stopped to think about His blessings to us? No matter what circumstance we find ourselves, we can still look around and see God’s love and care for us. We love Him because He first loved us. His mercy is great, and His grace abounds! As I dealt with some severe aggravations this morning, I began to become consumed with negativity. I couldn’t seem to find anything that was working right, and it seemed that everywhere I turned, things were in need of repair. Suddenly, it dawned on me that all of the items needing repair and maintenance were all given to me by my Father in heaven.  That is one thing that I think is more evident to those of us in full-time ministry – though it really is true for all of us. All that we have, He has allowed us to have. How then can I be proud of a possession, or angry at failing equipment?  I shouldn’t be, but I suppose that’s why we need all that mercy and grace, huh?

Our family just returned from a really nice time on the beach in northern Peru. It was our first family vacation in 4 years, so it was time.  I began to pass a kidney stone on our second night there, so for me, it really wasn’t so much a physically relaxing trip as a mental one. We came back home with renewed vision and energy, ready to finish this house.

The work here is going well. The majority of our time is spent on the house construction. We have put a goal of being finished by the end of 2014. Don’t know if we can make it, but we’re going to try.  We have had 2 large camps this year and saw a lot of kids make decisions for Christ, and have 2 camps planned for this summer already. Some of the businessmen we used to work with in our integrity classes have offered to help us with fund raising ideas for the camp buildings and infrastructure. We are planning to do a “barbeque” type event very soon. 

Vanessa is faithfully home-schooling our children. In the afternoon she comes out to help me with the building of the house.  Her energy levels fluctuate quite a bit. The meds she is taking need constant adjusting, but seem to be helping to keep her upright for the majority of the day.  Thank you for your prayers for her.

Speaking of prayers, we have a few requests we would like your help in praying for. We are praying about placing our kids in school here. It would take a lot of stress off of Vanessa, but she really wants to continue to teach them at home. We also would need approximately 1500 dollars more support per month to cover the cost of school and transportation should we to decide to send them. We know that God will supply where he leads, so help us to find His will in this decision. 

We are also in need of a new lawn mower. 4 years ago, a supporter donated a 2004 L100 John Deere rider that has served us well. It wasn’t really designed to cut as much grass as we cut weekly, and we have probably added 50 pounds of weight in welding it back together over the years. It is nearing un-repairable, so we are looking for another. My desire would be a commercial zero turn mower with at least a 60” cut. We have been able to find some really nice used ones in Florida on craigslist for around 5000, but don’t yet have that to spend. We will need to also raise the money for shipping and customs.

Thank you all for you faithful prayers and financial support. Your faithfulness to our Lord makes this work in Peru possible. May God bless you as we continue to serve Him together.

~Vann, Vanessa, Corynn, Ethan, and Clara