Well its Monday, I think...not much sleep over the last two days..like 3-4 hours. We are all in Iquitos Peru and had an Alligator and Pichee Lunch. We were going to do some shopping in prep for the trip but no one has anything left in them.
We meet a young Mennonite Missionary last night in the airport and we all got together and prayed for Bobby and his little girl...Don't worry brother we will have 200+ Pastors and leaders praying for you in a couple of days......
We had the absolute most hilarious thing happen in security this morning..sorry but every way I could think of wording it, I just couldn't put the two words together and have it sound right. You will just have to ask one of the returning team members to relay the story....Just to tease you it had to do with Mike, Lucho and the possibility of .........
I'm planning on getting this phone to send data from the jungle but haven't got it wired yet..everyone is doing well and blending as a team
Continue to pray
Tom
New day, everyone is getting along great. The thing that impressed me today is the amazing amount of generosity and compassion is outpouring from this group. Many people offered to pay for the extra luggage, food and other items. We are truly working as a great team.
Lucho was MIA until we reached Lima. His phone was down and we had no contact, finally, I looked at Starbucks in Limas Airport....Lucho! He said that "he didn't know when we would get in but he knew that if he hung around Starbucks long enough that I would show up!"
Be praying......We couldn't find one of our team members that was expected to meet us in Lima, we had him paged, no response..finally we went to Continental desk and we found out that he didn't get on the plane. I checked E-mail and found that his daughter is really sick and he had to stay home.....Pray!!!!
More soon... we are really tired and have another 20 hours to stay up.....
Lucho was MIA until we reached Lima. His phone was down and we had no contact, finally, I looked at Starbucks in Limas Airport....Lucho! He said that "he didn't know when we would get in but he knew that if he hung around Starbucks long enough that I would show up!"
Be praying......We couldn't find one of our team members that was expected to meet us in Lima, we had him paged, no response..finally we went to Continental desk and we found out that he didn't get on the plane. I checked E-mail and found that his daughter is really sick and he had to stay home.....Pray!!!!
More soon... we are really tired and have another 20 hours to stay up.....
First Day on the way to the jungle.
Have you ever tried sticking 5 pounds of stuff in a 3 pound bag? That would be what getting all of our gear into the two vehicles was like for our trip from Bellingham to Seattle. I guess I should have a real limit on what people can bring, I always start out by saying "don't bring more than you can carry" then we end up somewhere nearer to "how may porters do we have?".... But with all of the special needs, we ended up way more bags than I hoped, Not since Orellana traversed the Amazon has so much been taken into the jungle by so few.
In the morning we break at 4am and head to the airport, flight out at 7:10 am, we will meet two more of the team in Houston, then off to Lima.....
Some bumps as the Extroverts out number the Introverts by lots, pray as we continue to grow as a team....
Have you ever tried sticking 5 pounds of stuff in a 3 pound bag? That would be what getting all of our gear into the two vehicles was like for our trip from Bellingham to Seattle. I guess I should have a real limit on what people can bring, I always start out by saying "don't bring more than you can carry" then we end up somewhere nearer to "how may porters do we have?".... But with all of the special needs, we ended up way more bags than I hoped, Not since Orellana traversed the Amazon has so much been taken into the jungle by so few.
In the morning we break at 4am and head to the airport, flight out at 7:10 am, we will meet two more of the team in Houston, then off to Lima.....
Some bumps as the Extroverts out number the Introverts by lots, pray as we continue to grow as a team....
Wow, we are ready (almost) I have just finished our taxes as I won't be home before the "15th". I got a long ways on the wiring job for the new boat I'm helping my friend Pat build. All of the arrangements are finished for this trip and the next. We head for Seattle Sunday afternoon and will be flying out early Monday......Keep in touch as I hope to post from the jungle via my satellite phone......
I'm not delusional, I don't think people care about what I'm making for dinner or if I ran around lake Padden today...yet I discovered some people are reading this...I think its more about what Gods doing in the Amazon and not about me or what I'm up too....I'll be more careful what I write here though......
Beyond all that, I'm continuing to be blown away at what Gods doing.. we have just found out that there will be 250 Pastors and leaders at the seminar we are holding in the jungle next week. The only other Ministry that was on the river supporting the local church has pulled out....JungleMaster is IT in a 200 mile radius.......WOW.
Secondly we have Pastor Jorge Arevalo going to the jungle with us, Jorge has an amazing background in leadership, he is running for Mayor in Barranco, a district of Lima, and has the connections to get our Bible Institute up and going and accreditation available for local jungle pastors.Double WOW!!....JungleMaster will have a fully operational Mission sending and training center in the remote Amazon really soon...We will train and equip local leaders for ministry in the most remote parts of the jungle.
Even as God is setting up an amazing ministry through JungleMaster; as things are ramping up at an amazing rate, I still don't see the foundational support coming in to allow us to get all of this done. I know He provides where He calls. JungleMaster is an unmistakable miraculous movement of the hand of God. Only God could have pulled all of this together. So....if you have ever wanted to get involved in what Gods doing now is the time and this is the place. (that means you can give $) It may be time to stop thinking and get on board!
Ok....off the soapbox. Great meeting with the team going in May..tomorrow night is the last meeting with the April team, its a fantastic group, lots of type "A's"...Doing a major video project during the trip that 360 productions is putting together for us. Well drilling, clean water and more.
Way too busy, I continue to aim for my feet and pull the trigger...I don't have time for one on ones to raise funds, I have to concentrate on cash projects to pay bills and finish closing my business. By the time I take the April group and the May group we will be out of funds and no job..........sorry if this talk is to raw for a Missionary candidate (?) Maybe I should only talk about all the amazing blessings and out pouring of Gods hand...all true but there is the reality of where my minds at too. We chose to trust in God and His call, that says we know that he will provide.......
Looking forward to sharing our facilities in the jungle with these next two groups, I'm not looking forward to the flights..once in the jungle I'm out of harms way and feel relaxed though...Keep Praying!
Beyond all that, I'm continuing to be blown away at what Gods doing.. we have just found out that there will be 250 Pastors and leaders at the seminar we are holding in the jungle next week. The only other Ministry that was on the river supporting the local church has pulled out....JungleMaster is IT in a 200 mile radius.......WOW.
Secondly we have Pastor Jorge Arevalo going to the jungle with us, Jorge has an amazing background in leadership, he is running for Mayor in Barranco, a district of Lima, and has the connections to get our Bible Institute up and going and accreditation available for local jungle pastors.Double WOW!!....JungleMaster will have a fully operational Mission sending and training center in the remote Amazon really soon...We will train and equip local leaders for ministry in the most remote parts of the jungle.
Even as God is setting up an amazing ministry through JungleMaster; as things are ramping up at an amazing rate, I still don't see the foundational support coming in to allow us to get all of this done. I know He provides where He calls. JungleMaster is an unmistakable miraculous movement of the hand of God. Only God could have pulled all of this together. So....if you have ever wanted to get involved in what Gods doing now is the time and this is the place. (that means you can give $) It may be time to stop thinking and get on board!
Ok....off the soapbox. Great meeting with the team going in May..tomorrow night is the last meeting with the April team, its a fantastic group, lots of type "A's"...Doing a major video project during the trip that 360 productions is putting together for us. Well drilling, clean water and more.
Way too busy, I continue to aim for my feet and pull the trigger...I don't have time for one on ones to raise funds, I have to concentrate on cash projects to pay bills and finish closing my business. By the time I take the April group and the May group we will be out of funds and no job..........sorry if this talk is to raw for a Missionary candidate (?) Maybe I should only talk about all the amazing blessings and out pouring of Gods hand...all true but there is the reality of where my minds at too. We chose to trust in God and His call, that says we know that he will provide.......
Looking forward to sharing our facilities in the jungle with these next two groups, I'm not looking forward to the flights..once in the jungle I'm out of harms way and feel relaxed though...Keep Praying!
Today all I have to do is; Meet with Mike for a video interview, pick-up parts at Redden, drop off pistons at Reed Machine, order parts for the volvo, work on the 32 footer for 8 hours, take checks by Larrys, May team meeting at 7pm. Start assembling the block for the 350 Chev, pick up program for taxes, start taxes, start prayerletter to get sent before I go, notify team of the meeting tonight and on Weds...............Leave for Peru in 6 days.....
I've noticed that its been a long time since I have posted anything. I'll do better.....
In the last few years I've been working towards full-time missions. As of the first of day of 2010 my wife and I decided to pursue full-time ministry....so what does that mean? On one hand its a lot of trusting in God to provide when all else seems to say "this is a stupid idea".....the other side is "why would God have blessed so much of what we have done in the jungle if He didn't intend to provide for its completion?"
We've been killing ourselves working what has been essentially two full time jobs. Fixing boats and doing ministry. So we needed to make a change, but how do we raise funds? How do I "work" to provide for my family, "Work" to raise funds, and still manage the ministry and take groups to the jungle?
Everything I do; I shoot myself in the foot. If I'm turning a wrench to make money I'm not raising the long term support that I need to do this ministry full-time, If I'm raising funds, I'm not paying my bills. If I'm not 100% pursuing ministry, am I really trusting God?
This is my journey, It may be a bit too raw for the weak but is reality....
I leave for the jungle again in a week, before I go I have a 32 foot fishing boat to wire and install the engine, a 350 chev to rebuild and taxes to get done.................
How did I get to this financial black hole? Its a long story..... but between ministry, businesses that have failed and faltered, kids in college and a lot of bad decisions, here we are.
My wife and I are working at getting this all straightened around, we have a plan....God has a plan......its just being faithful.
In the last few years I've been working towards full-time missions. As of the first of day of 2010 my wife and I decided to pursue full-time ministry....so what does that mean? On one hand its a lot of trusting in God to provide when all else seems to say "this is a stupid idea".....the other side is "why would God have blessed so much of what we have done in the jungle if He didn't intend to provide for its completion?"
We've been killing ourselves working what has been essentially two full time jobs. Fixing boats and doing ministry. So we needed to make a change, but how do we raise funds? How do I "work" to provide for my family, "Work" to raise funds, and still manage the ministry and take groups to the jungle?
Everything I do; I shoot myself in the foot. If I'm turning a wrench to make money I'm not raising the long term support that I need to do this ministry full-time, If I'm raising funds, I'm not paying my bills. If I'm not 100% pursuing ministry, am I really trusting God?
This is my journey, It may be a bit too raw for the weak but is reality....
I leave for the jungle again in a week, before I go I have a 32 foot fishing boat to wire and install the engine, a 350 chev to rebuild and taxes to get done.................
How did I get to this financial black hole? Its a long story..... but between ministry, businesses that have failed and faltered, kids in college and a lot of bad decisions, here we are.
My wife and I are working at getting this all straightened around, we have a plan....God has a plan......its just being faithful.
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