Kingdom Advances

It's strange to say, but in only a few months, our time in Chile will come to a close. From day one, our desire has been to follow God's lead and live for the Kingdom. Of course, this remains, and will remain, our desire.

Living in Denver, working with the refugee resettlement program, I often considered how dark and ugly our world can be. The things people will do to one another in the name of race or religion, politics or ethnicity, are almost unthinkable. But you know, it only took one generation after Adam and Eve disobeyed their Maker for this junk to start. Cain gets ticked when God calls him on the fact he was playing religious games and made an offering just to make an offering, while his brother pleases God with an offering of the first and best of his flock. God warns Cain that sin is crouching at his door and that he must master it. Instead, Cain marches off and murders his own brother. And we're off to the races. Just ask the Karen people of Burma, or young men and women from northwest Sudan, or a Somali family caught in the midst of warlord power wrangling. So, connecting the dots, we see that it was sin that was crouching at Cain's door, desiring to have him. He could not master it, nor can you or I outside of the power of Jesus Christ. To change things, serious core heart change is needed. Thus, here we are in Chile trying to share about how God does that...because He does.

You see, this post is not about sin, it's about the Gospel...the best news you or I have ever been told.

"God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him 

we might become the righteousness of God."

II Corinthians 5:21

Last Friday two of our teammates, David and Linda Hinds, faithfully set out for Tirúa. This is one of the cities on the coast that was hit hard by the tsunami after our earthquake on Feb. 27th. There we were able to put up a few of the shelters we built, and afterward start a Bible study with these families, which Trent and David have been leading. Despite all the enemy would throw at David last Friday -- he was sick, they had a flat which caused them to be late, they had to wait while Juan's wife Sonia went to find him since he'd given up waiting on them, during the evangelistic film the computer shut down, all making for a late evening in a town over two hours from home, leaving David (who was having as he says, "a bad Spanish night") wondering whether to share the Gospel and invite them to respond or not -- God's word proved true in His ability to make His power perfect in weakness and use the weak things of the world to shame the strong (2 Cor. 12, 1 Cor. 1) and we are celebrating two new followers of Jesus: Juan and Sonia!

This is Juan (the one on the left!)

Remembering Ramiro, a teen who prayed to accept Christ in Tubúl (see post 3/21/10 for more on Tubúl); Antonio from Cañete who also joined the family (see post 4/2/10); Beatrice who accepted Christ at a Lord's Supper service this past weekend; and Ana Luisa & Glorinda, the precious abuelitas from Nueve de Julio (see post 12/18/09), one can see that the Lord has been working here in southern Chile. To say that all of this is directly related to us would be far from the truth. While I could tell you little pieces of the puzzle I have been used to contribute, I wasn't the one to sit and pray with any of these folks. Many of you can say the same. Thanks to relief teams, prayer partners, local believers, faithful contributors, and so on, Kingdom work continues to see fruit. And of course we know - one may plant, another may water, but it is the Lord who brings the increase!

Perhaps you will be encouraged that our Lord still fixes up the broken and heals sin-darkened hearts. Maybe you'll remember to stand by these new believers in prayer. In any case, we delight to report that our Lord Jesus is up to something and we're caught up in it!

Curacautin: Raul & Evelyn

We'd like you to meet Raul & Evelyn (far right and far left, respectively; pictured in the center are Mario and Estela and their girl Emily). They have three children: Álvaro (9), Elizabet (4) & Estefani (16 mos.). When we say we are heading out to Curacautin, this is who we're off to see.

Raul and Evelyn moved to this plot in the country from up in the mountains so they could be nearer to Raul's dad. They are neat believers with a heart to see Jesus lifted up among their neighbors and in their new community. So we have begun working with them to help encourage them toward that end. We have begun by studying the Bible (novel idea), and reviewing the basics of what it is we believe; all with an intentional focus on how they might be able to do the same. Raul's parents, Segundo and Marcela, have been participating as well. This is a precious family. Pray for them. Pray that God would continue to grow their knowledge and desire so that they might fulfill His desire, which has become theirs, to make disciples.

Here are a few pictures of them and their place.

Estefani

Elizabet

Álvaro

 Evelyn

 Raul & the kids

 The group - left to right: Marcela, Segundo, Álvaro, Mario, Elizabet, Evelyn, Anders, Raul, Emily, Estela

My parking spot

Álvaro's world cup aspirations

 Raul's country living realities

Our Firstborn

Adrielle Diana Snyder was born on June 4th, five years ago. Now look at her. My how time flies (I know, everyone says it!).

We were more than pleased to celebrate with her this weekend. One of our burgeoning family traditions is decorating for the birthday boy or girl after they go to bed so they wake up first thing to a birthday wonderland!

So Friday was just a sweet family kind of day. A special breakfast of doughnut muffins (a new experience for us all) and cheesey eggs, compliments of Mommy. A table full of presents to open after breakfast (thanks to all who sent packages; and to those whose haven't arrived, we're excited to get them and extend the celebration!). Birthday shopping at the mall (Adrielle paid with her birthday money at the register all by herself). Lunch at Pizza Hut. A Tinker Bell movie on the projected 'big screen' right at home. And cake and candles after dinner!

We saved the real party for today (Sunday) so we could invite our team and some of our Chilean buddies. We reserved the community room at our apartments and, since we're in Chile, that includes a huge parilla (grill) for asado (a.k.a. 'grillin out'). So, we asked Joel, a Chilean self-proclaimed grill master, to help us pull it off. We were not disappointed! Check it out! (and that's not even all of it!)

Besides the good eats, we also tried to be sure the kids had a good time...indoors (today was a true Temuco-style fall/winter day: gray, cloudy, foggy, drizzly, cold & wet). Homemade playdough play time, a dress-up station, a princess piñata, pin the crown on the princess ( a la pin the tail on the donkey), and musical chairs...prizes and all.

So, as you see, the way we figure, a birthday is to celebrate that the Lord gave a precious life, and the way to praise the Lord for doing so is to have a genuine celebration. Thank you Jesus for Adrielle.