First Day of School

This is our beautiful Isabella on her first day of 2nd Grade at Nate Saint Memorial School herein Shell.  She looks so grown-up in these pictures-  It is hard to believe she is already seven and a half.  

Life Begins

 

I know it must  seem strange that I am posting this after we have already been here 3 years, but even after more than 3 years there are times we still feel the strains and aches of living in a foreign country and I'm afraid we always will to some extent.  We will always stick out everywhere we go, we will always (well everyone except Joe) sound like a foreigner when we speak and we will always have questions about cultural issues.....and some days that is just more than you want to deal with. Some days that is just irritating and/or overwhelming.  But (and yes, this is a big but), that is part of being here and (apart from how it feels some days) that is a small part of our lives here.  We pray that those things that Satan uses to overwhelm us fall into the background noise so that we hear God leading us-  leading us to follow him and do what he has calls us to.  So, yes, Life does begin at the end of our comfort zones, because within your comfort zone, you are the one doing things.  It is only outside of your comfort zone that God is able to take over and lead us to the things that amaze, enlighten and make us more like Him.

Newsletter for September

Attached is our latest newsletter.  If you would like to receive it by email, please either email me (tmartin@hcjb.org) or leave your email address in a comment.

Parkview Trip Continues

 The beginning of the retaining wall.

 

Our son after trying to catch small fish in the pond.

The entire group posing on the last day of work.

 Starting on the huge pile of rocks.

Scraping paint-  Yes we literally scraped off all the paint ...... on every wall........ completely....... Some of us were a little more creative with scraping than others......

And then we re-painted with water-based paint.  We learned who had skills and who didn't.  

Parkview in the Jungle (or at least the Edge)

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We have been so amazingly busy the  last few months.  I know, everyone says they are busy.  It's the most common mantra, so I hate to say it, but there is just no other way to say it.  School got out on the 5th of June and our church group arrived June 10th.  We weren't sure what to expect from our first group, but I am happy to say we all survived and I might even be bold enough to say more was accomplished than we ever expected.  There are a mountain of amazing pictures and I will share them over the next few posts.  I hope you enjoy

The group of 21 Parkview Baptist youth and adults came down to Shell to work with our Church.  We have been attending a Waroni church for the last year and they have just recently bought some land to (one day) build a church on.  The group worked on the new property building a retaining wall and in the current church building (the 3rd story apartment of a building in Puyo) scraping paint and repainting.  The group was (re)introduced to the Waroni and their role in the lives of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian and where the ministry to this indigenous group is today.  We (Joe and Tracy) do not work directly with the Waroni but feel called to be more involved with this group and are excited to see what else God has in store for us. 

This is the now famous retaining wall most of the group worked on all week alongside Waroni youth.  They put together the cages and then filled them with rocks.  IT was amazing that in a place that receives over 200 inches of rain a year, the sky was bright and cloudless.  Everyone found out that you really are closer to the sun on the equator. 

On the left is Norma who we fortunatly let out of the cage -  She always has this huge smile and a heart for God.  On the right is the mudslide the kids created that lands in the small pond behind property.

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Back With A Purpose

Thanks to anyone who is still here with us.  Things have been complicated, busy and hard for us over the last few months.  So, thanks for sticking with us and still supporting us even through our silence. We are currently working on a newsletter and yes, we are aware that they are not supposed to be annual newsletters..... but it seems to be working out that way lately, huh?
We have lots to fill you in on
               School finishing
               The Amazing Parkview group coming
               Jody and Nancie Yarbro's Visit (featuring lots of adventurous eating)
               Vacation Time with Family
               Sebastiao's 10th Birthday
               Tracy as Labratory Director
                Homeschooling Sebastiao
                School Starting
               Tracy not Labratory Director
               A Wedding
              New Doctor Family in Shell  plus our search for direction and the need to lean on God's grace, bounty and faithfullness even when you just want to pack your bags and get the next flight home.

So, if you promise to check back soon, we promise to provide more and hopefully make you smile or even chuckle outloud as you read about our adventures.

You Just Never Know.....

You just never know what or who God is going to put in front of you.  Whether you live in the same town you have always lived in or are halfway around the world or in our case a little further south than where you began, you can always be amazed at how BIG our God is and how small our world can be.  Friday while Joe was at the hospital, an expatriate patient from Puyo came by to introduce him to a college student who is in EC for a few months studying botany.  The student is a new Christian who was looking for fellow Christians to fellowship with.  Joe spoke with her a little and then invited her to go to church with us.  After talking with this delightful young lady, I was amazed at the paths God takes us on.  She has been a Christian for only 6 months and is so excited about what God wants to do in her life and so committed to learning more and growing.  She does not come from a Christian home, but has such a wonderful perspective on her family's view of her new life and is praying for God to send co-workers into their lives to help them understand she isn't the only "crazy" one out there.  I got excited talking with her and hearing how mature she already is in seeking God's purpose for her life.  Past that, however, I was thinking that if I had been discipling her in the states, I probably would have been very nervous about her stepping out on a 6 month journey to a new country and culture all alone, but the Lord had put her on that path and we are very fortunate he chose to use us, even for a day to be an encouragement.