Quick update

Hey guys just a quick update for you all. No super funny or crazy stories to report but rather an answer to prayer and a new prayer request. First off thank you for your prayers, I have gotten back to 100% health so that is awesome! And now I ask that you would pray for Tim, he has obtained a stomach bacteria of some kind and now has a stomach ache, head ache, fever and is just all around not feeling good. We went to the hospital last night so now he has antibiotics, but for the next week he probably wont be doing much and has a specific diet he has to follow. So if you could pray for a speedy recovery that'd be awesome.

And I guess on quick story couldn't hurt. Last night at the hospital while we were waiting for Tim's test results, I pulled out my Ipod and was listening to some music, then Tonchi (our pastor and the guy to took us to the hospital) saw it was was immediately interested. Now one thing you must know, Apple is not big down here and Ipod's are basically no where so this is a pretty new thing for a lot of people. Anyways, Tonchi saw it and was like a kid in a candy store. He continued asking me to show him different games and apps and was loving every single one, he literally turned into a little kid, it was awesome. Then we went to the music, he was so impressed with my music collection and continued to say over and over that he "needed all of my music, all of it". Anyways that's the short story it sure brightened my day even though the situation was not awesome it still made for a good time.

Oh also one other quick note, I am reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan right now, if you have not read it, I would recommend it highly, amazing insights and it really makes you think long and hard about your faith, awesome book.

Anyways thanks again for praying, love you all.

Shalom and God Bless,
Michael

God is Good

So this past week God has been good. Well actually He has been great! And no, he didn’t do anything miraculous and not much has changed, but I guess it’s more that I have changed and realized God’s goodness which has always been there. That being said He has answered some of my prayer requests. For those of you who read my past blog you will have read about a boy named Christian, well he is now in school so praise God for that! We have also been quickly improving in our Spanish which is awesome! Sadly I still feel sick, but that is no reason to doubt God’s goodness. He is an awesome God! And although I still feel sick, it has not stopped me from doing anything yet so praise God for that!

So anyways, this week was good, we went to Talita Cumi, El Jordan, did Spanish, and Ken left and all was good. This week had its fair share of interesting moments however. First off we learned that catching a bus in the rain is easier said than done, they run a lot less and are often too full to get on. We worked through it however and made it to our destination, even if we were over 40 minutes late… Secondly we went to the plaza on Thursday and Ivan showed us this place where you can get frappuchinos, which were only the best thing ever! Then we watched a live band play which was super fun. And finally we played with a monkey, that’s right a monkey.

Now to explain, El Jordan have just bought a baby spider monkey for their property outside the city, but right now it’s just a baby so it is staying and Corina’s house. But on Friday we were heading out to the property to do some prep for a game day with the kids (which was supposed to be today but sadly it has rained a lot and so it was cancelled) and we got to bring the monkey along. So while we were setting up for things, we carried the baby monkey in our monkey murse as we have coined it, super cool. Then once we were done we were able to take the monkey out and hold it which I thoroughly enjoyed. And come on it’s pretty cool how many people get to carry a monkey around just because? Not many.

Anyways those are a few of the highlight from the week, but outside of those we still had lots of fun. Lots of playing with kids, teaching guitar, playing soccer, things like that! So yes, God it very good! And now for some prayer requests:

1. Praise God that Christian was able to get into school
2. Continued prayer for me as I am still sick. Also that no matter how I feel, I would be able to continue down here with joy.
3. That as we continue at various ministries that God would be working through us, not us working for our own desires.
4. That I would be able to clearly know what I am supposed to do next year, as right now I have no idea and I am a little worried about not knowing.
5. Praise God for our ability to learn Spanish so far and for continued understanding
6. And finally, that we would have opportunities each day to grow and teach others.

Gracias Y Dios Bendice

It's A Wonderful Life

Hola all, and Como Estas? First off, sorry about how long it's been since I last posted, it's been a busy week! Now where to start... Well I guess I give you some highlights of the week. The week started off with lots of Spanish lessons and hanging out at Ken's place, but along with that we did some errands including going to Talita Cumi for the first time to visit. Then on Tuesday we had a professional chef from church come and cook for us which was super cool and really tasty. And then on Wednesday we worked at El Jordan and did a lot of odd jobs for them, including cleaning out their water tank which took a good 5 hours to do! Side note, the water tank is on their roof and it was a really sunny day so in the end both Tim and I burnt our backs.

Then on Friday we spent our first full day at Talita Cumi which was super awesome! We mostly did odd jobs for them that day, but we are now going every Monday and Wednesday for full days so we are getting to do a lot more. Monday was our first full day there with a routine and it was a blast! We taught Guitar and Physical Education to three of the kids who had learning disabilities and don't go to school so that was super fun and I know they loved it which was good. So now we'll be doing that every Monday and Wednesday morning with them! In the afternoon we did some work projects and played with the kids, including taking all the boys to the park. It was a really good time where they were able to run off some energy which the full time staff at Talita Cumi was appreciative of. All in all Talita Cumi is a place we are quickly falling in love with and we can't wait to work there more!

Then today, Tuesday, Ken left for Canada, so we are now living at Ken's place for the next six weeks while he is gone, hopefully that all works out and that Ken's trip goes well! Please pray for him as he is going home to fund raise for a building project for his ministry. They really need to build a new home for the guys but it will cost about 200,000 dollars which he obviously does not have. Anyways it is all in God's hand so it will work out.

On a note outside of mission work, on Sunday afternoon while a lot of you were watching the Superbowl, I was watching a different game. Tim and I along with some of the guys from Ken's place went to the Classico, which is a professional soccer game where both teams from Santa Cruz are playing each other. The teams are Oriente and Blooming, and I was cheering for Blooming. Unfortunately Blooming lost 2-0 even though they played better than Oriente, which caused the crowd to get rowdy and start a little bit of a stampede, which is why there are the police with riot gear in attendance at the game. In the end from what we could tell, two people were taken away in ambulance, but hopefully they are okay.  All that being said the game was super fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and coming home to find out the Packers won made it just a little bit better :).

So anyways that was my week, thanks for reading! But finally a few prayer requests:

1. For Christian who is a boy from the family we helped his family build a house. He is extremely smart and was ahead in school but since they moved they are having difficulty getting him into classes since there is no room, which is a big issue here. So as of right now he is not in school. So just pray that that would all work out.
2. For me as I have been feeling a bit under the weather. Pray for a quick recovery from whatever I have and that it would not hinder my ministry down here.
3. For Ken as he is in Canada, that his trip would be safe and a welcomed rest and that he would be able to raise the funds he needs.
4. That as we continue at various ministries that God would be working through us, not us working for our own desires.
5. That I would be able to clearly know what I am supposed to do next year, as right now I have no idea and I am a little worried about not knowing.
6. For the ability to quickly get a hang of the Spanish language.
7. That we would have opportunities each day to grow and teach others.

 Gracias Y Dios Bendice