The Abegg Love Letters

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ; mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. -Jude 1:1


As Regional Leaders with United World Mission, we serve in Latin America to provide support & training to missionaries on the field. We work with Latin Partner Ministries that focus on everything from theological education to medical care, from children’s homes to retirement homes. Our goal is to come along side organizations & amplify their impact for good and the Gospel.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Where’s Waldo Now?

Where am I? While traveling from Miami to Martinez to Santa Cruz to San Diego and now in Tijuana, I’ve managed to sleep as best I could in six different beds over an eight night spread. I was going to title this entry “Missionaries who Sleep Around” but figured I’d get in trouble somehow, so just pretend you didn't read that potential title :-) !

The Abegg family breezed through my parents house Th. Night, but got to spend the weekend with them and Walnut Creek Pres at their fall conference in Mt. Hermon, CA. Claudia, the kids and I describe Mt. Hermon as “Our favorite place on earth”. I grew up going to conferences and counseling Jr. High and High school camps there while going to UCSC (go banana slugs!). There’s something about the trees, rivers and mountains that nourish our souls, and each time we visit we make a point of taking a family picture in the chapel where I proposed to Claudia.

OK, enough memory lane, what am I doing in Tijuana? After visiting with many old friends in Santa Cruz I headed to Tijuana as Claudia and the boys got to spend the day at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. The bulk of Wed was used to visit Team Tijuana ministries with LAM missionary Greg Saracoff before attending an evening service at a church plant in the slums of Tijuana where another LAM missionary Meagan Riggot is serving at a church plant being spearheaded by Pastor Giovanni Hernandez (who's kitchen I slept in last night. I had a few more meetings this morning (starting at 5AM) and then back North of the boarder in a few hours.


Thank you for your prayers!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Open House In Santa Cruz

For those in Santa Cruz: This Sunday, Sept 19 at 6:00 PM - Open House for the Abeggs at Tom and Heath Havlick’s in Felton near Santa Cruz . We’ll have snacks, feel free to bring something. 182 View Circle , Felton 95018 From Felton: Hwy 9 South to Glengarry, then two very quick rights to View Circle . (FYI: Don’t let a GPS take you to View Drive !) my cell: 786-457-3340

Friday, September 10, 2010

Nehemiah

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the book of Nehemiah lately. We’re working through it at church, it was the theme of LAM’s day of prayer last Wednesday, and the Lord has been speaking to my heart in seeing how His hand moves through history to accomplish His purposes.



The book of Nehemiah has opened my eyes in new ways to:


  • God’s perfect timing

  • God’s perfect plan

  • God’s perfect provision

Consider that news of Jerusalem’s destitute state arrived to Nehemiah while he was in captivity, and his response was uncontrollable grief, repentance of sin (both personal and for his people) and seeking the Lord for months (not minutes as I too often do). In God’s providence, Nehemiah had been placed as cupbearer to the most powerful ruler (and enemy to the Jews) at that time, Artaxerxes. The very man who had ordered Jerusalem not be rebuilt decades earlier (see Ezra 4:21-23). Yet God planted a seed in Nehemiah’s heart, nurtured it and at the perfect time gained not only Artaxerxes permission, but protection and the materials necessary for building Jerusalem’s walls once again. Even before Nehemiah came before the Lord with his broken heart, God had put in motion His plan to provide for His people by placing Nehemiah in the King’s service. Absolutely amazing!

Over the past year, as I have responded to the call to head up the ministries department at LAM, I have had an unprecedented and admittedly sometimes unwelcome view of the needs throughtout Latin America. Needs that frankly break my heart. From young, hopeless, pregnant mothers in Costa Rica to the churches in rural Cuba with no Bibles or pastors to lead them. From street kids not expected to survive past the age of twelve to the addict crumpled on the corner, or the “no name” being cared for after being shot and left for dead. It can be overwhelming. But then I get to see the other side of the story as well. Those who, like Nehemiah are rebuilding the walls of broken lives through Christ’s eternal and tangible love and His church.

Michelle Stockman: Building a girls home in Belize to care for orphans and seek out families for adoption.
Matt and Jennifer Allen preparing to leave a comfortable job to work alongside a Honduran pastor as he plants churches and disciples lay leaders and pastors to minister where the only gospel voice is through Radio.
Greg and Cathy Saracoff giving guidance and care to ministries that in turn care for those caught in the middle of Tijuana, Mx. crime, drug wars and poverty.
Megan Riggott helping plant a church in the slums of Tijuana
Lenni Barber who has managed a home and shared the Gospel with young mothers that have no place to turn, or means to care for their children in Costa Rica.

and literally hundreds of others working through seminaries, mercy clinics, schools, Christian camping, Church planting and outreach ministries. God is rebuilding the walls of broken lives and is giving His people both an eternal hope and immediate purpose. Just as building the wall was dangerous, exhausting and impossible aside from God’s provision and protection, so it is with those who respond to God’s call in the many ministries the LAM serves. It is truly a privilege to serve partner ministries and missionaries in the way He has allowed me to. I see how His perfect, patient hand has moved me and my family from the San Francisco Bay Area to working in a small seaside town in Chile, then in Cuba an now in South Florida focusing on all of Latin America. His faithfulness and care throughout miles and trials is faith building, and we trust in His continued perfect timing, direction and provision to continue doing so.

Thank you to all who have been and continue to be partners on this journey!For online donations please visit The Abegg’s LAM page.

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Abegg Family is heading to California

This is visit will be a mixture of joy and sadness at we pause to celebrate the life and mourn the death of my dear grandmother Martha Stevens. Yet we look forward to gathering with may of our friends and supporters as well. We're working on an itinerary and will have it posted soon, but here's what we know:
  • Fri Sept 17th – Sun Sept 19th –WCPC Fall Retreat at Mt. Hermon near Santa Cruz
  • Wed Sept 22 - Fri Sept 24 -Kevin to San Diego/Tijuana visiting LAM missionaries & Ministries.
  • Sun Sept 26th -Kevin's Grandma’s memorial (see below).
  • Th. Sept 30 – Oct 3rd WCPC missions conference @ Walnut Creek, Ca.
  • Tue Oct. 5th Flight SFO - Miami
We would love to set up a few "open house" times while out there, so if you think you could help in this, please let us know.

More next week! 

In Loving Memory of Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, "Mor-mor" -Martha Stevens

Her name was Martha, but she was "Mor-mor" (Swedish for "mother's mother") to me as well as to Claudia and the boys. We so enjoyed her and we will so miss her. Thank you to all who have expressed sympathy.

We will be having a memorial on Sunday September 26th at 3:00 PM in the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church Sanctuary (see www.wcpres.org for directions). This will be followed by a reception in the sanctuary. All are invited. Claudia, the boys and I will be in attendance and would love to see you.