Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Chile Trip
This is a fast turnaround for me. After quickly submitting some reports and various follow up necessities at LAM, the Abegg family is flying to Chile this Thursday (Thanksgiving) to finally visit Claudia’s family and many of our friends after 4 long years away. Our itinerary will take us first to Lima, Peru for one night and then arriving in Santiago, Chile around 5 PM on Friday. We are looking forward to time with family and finally introducing Nicholas to his abuelo de Chile (Chilean grandpa) and three tias (aunts). Please pray for safety and health in travel, time with family and that the boys (as well as mommy and daddy) would embrace the challenge of improving their Spanish on this trip. Pray that we would be sensitive to the Lord’s leading with family as well as anyone we encounter, and for much needed rest for each of us.
Abegg Finances & Christmas Gift Opertunity
Over the past year, we have had to be creative in order to maintain our income. I have been taking one day a week away from LAM in order to use my home repair and construction abilities which has helped cover the bills to varying degrees. Claudia has also been blessed with an new way to supplement our income as a Lia Sophia representative selling jewelry. As you begin your Christmas shopping, may I suggest that you take a look at her page online? Any purchases will directly assist our finances, (and it’s really nice jewelry too with a lifetime guarantee! www.liasophia.com/claudiaabegg ).
Pastor’s Conference Report
Obviously I didn’t get the update out that I had intended prior to my departure for Medellin, Colombia and the 10 day training conference that LAM put on at the Seminario Biblico de Colombia. I thought I had everything planned out well before hand, including two relaxed evenings at home with Claudia and the boys before I would be gone for a week. That was until I noticed the water in the garage and traced it to our water heater. There went my last two, nights. In fact I finished sweating the last two pipes together and turned the water on at 3:00 AM giving me a few very needed hours of rest before leaving home at five hours later. I do thank the Lord that this happened before I left and could repair it myself instead of having to pay a plumber & electrician to do the job. God is good even (and I would say especially) in our trials.
Hot water at home and I was off to Colombia. I want to thank each of you who have been praying for the training conference over the past six months. We had twenty-nine attendees from nine different countries and eighteen ministries in attendance, including two Cubans. Over the past six months I have been working with partners in Colombia and Cuba to bring what we hoped would be 8 pastors from three Cuban denominations to this training. Just the process of applying for a Cuban exit visa (permission from the Cuban government to travel outside of the country) encompasses a minimum of two visits to the capital (difficult if you live the other side of the country in Santiago) and four to five hundred dollars in fees, travel expenses aside from airline tickets. All of this must be paid in advance with NO GUARENTEE of approval to leave the country. In the end, only two of our pastors were allowed to travel. We are making sure that the materials from the conference arrive in the hands of the other six who worked so hard but were denied access, and thanks to the donations of many of you we are covering their astronomical application expenses so as not to leave that unbearable burden in place since most of these pastors earn as little as $22 a month.
The two who did attend were from different denominations, and returned to Cuba excited to share and implement the many things they learned and worked on including: administrative training, discipleship methods, project development and management, volunteer care, financial administration, development and sustainability of vision and much more. Following the conference we planned an extra 5 days in order to discuss how their ministry was going, focus on projects and simply enjoy the fellowship that the Lord provided since I’ve known them both for nearly nine years. With only the two of them there, we had extra time for sight seeing and a couple of nice meals that they enjoyed immensely, again thanks to your gifts and support. One of the pastors mentioned that he had not had a piece of beef since his last trip abroad in 2005. Watching him savor each bight of churazco con chimichuri brought joy to my heart.
For me personally, this was my first trip to Medellin, and I would love to return with Claudia and the boys given the chance. I was VERY impressed with the mountainous scenery (we miss mountains here in Miami), the deep gorges, thick forests, friendly people and general layout of Medellin. For a mere 75 cents we could get on a bus at the seminary (think stereotypical-brightly colored-diesel smelling-virgin Marry hanging from one mirror-outline of a scantly clad not so virgin hanging from the other-“will the breaks hold?”-type bus), ride 10 minutes to the metro (think modern, clean, glass, 1st world rapid transit), ride the metro from one end of the city to the other and transfer in two separate places to gondolas (think 8 person high speed ski type transportation up the mountain) that take people up the steep ravine to stops on the poverty stricken hillside. ALL THIS FOR THE SAME 75 CENTS! I was amazed that even the gondola system was specifically made as transportation to and from the poorer sections of the city (up the mountainsides), and not for the tourists to ride up to a vantage point after paying $25, although there is obviously the market there. The parks and museums were just as impressive, and despite the drug cartel fame of a decade ago, I never felt concerned for our safety. In fact Medellin is now considered the safest city in Colombia, as well as a center for international fashion shows and trade. OK, enough of the commercial, suffice to say I liked it and would love to go back given the opportunity.
The conference was a big success overall, but after so much work, it is tempting for me to bemoan that we only had two Cuban pastors there and give myself permission to direct my anger at their governmental system and restrictions. Still, I have seen enough over the years to know that the Lord works in ways quite different to my own (even if in my pride I think He should consult me for future plans). He had the two pastors there that He wanted, and He continues to work in their hearts and minds as well as my own.
LAM does these conferences every two years, so we’ll start praying now for the next opportunity!
Hot water at home and I was off to Colombia. I want to thank each of you who have been praying for the training conference over the past six months. We had twenty-nine attendees from nine different countries and eighteen ministries in attendance, including two Cubans. Over the past six months I have been working with partners in Colombia and Cuba to bring what we hoped would be 8 pastors from three Cuban denominations to this training. Just the process of applying for a Cuban exit visa (permission from the Cuban government to travel outside of the country) encompasses a minimum of two visits to the capital (difficult if you live the other side of the country in Santiago) and four to five hundred dollars in fees, travel expenses aside from airline tickets. All of this must be paid in advance with NO GUARENTEE of approval to leave the country. In the end, only two of our pastors were allowed to travel. We are making sure that the materials from the conference arrive in the hands of the other six who worked so hard but were denied access, and thanks to the donations of many of you we are covering their astronomical application expenses so as not to leave that unbearable burden in place since most of these pastors earn as little as $22 a month.
The two who did attend were from different denominations, and returned to Cuba excited to share and implement the many things they learned and worked on including: administrative training, discipleship methods, project development and management, volunteer care, financial administration, development and sustainability of vision and much more. Following the conference we planned an extra 5 days in order to discuss how their ministry was going, focus on projects and simply enjoy the fellowship that the Lord provided since I’ve known them both for nearly nine years. With only the two of them there, we had extra time for sight seeing and a couple of nice meals that they enjoyed immensely, again thanks to your gifts and support. One of the pastors mentioned that he had not had a piece of beef since his last trip abroad in 2005. Watching him savor each bight of churazco con chimichuri brought joy to my heart.
For me personally, this was my first trip to Medellin, and I would love to return with Claudia and the boys given the chance. I was VERY impressed with the mountainous scenery (we miss mountains here in Miami), the deep gorges, thick forests, friendly people and general layout of Medellin. For a mere 75 cents we could get on a bus at the seminary (think stereotypical-brightly colored-diesel smelling-virgin Marry hanging from one mirror-outline of a scantly clad not so virgin hanging from the other-“will the breaks hold?”-type bus), ride 10 minutes to the metro (think modern, clean, glass, 1st world rapid transit), ride the metro from one end of the city to the other and transfer in two separate places to gondolas (think 8 person high speed ski type transportation up the mountain) that take people up the steep ravine to stops on the poverty stricken hillside. ALL THIS FOR THE SAME 75 CENTS! I was amazed that even the gondola system was specifically made as transportation to and from the poorer sections of the city (up the mountainsides), and not for the tourists to ride up to a vantage point after paying $25, although there is obviously the market there. The parks and museums were just as impressive, and despite the drug cartel fame of a decade ago, I never felt concerned for our safety. In fact Medellin is now considered the safest city in Colombia, as well as a center for international fashion shows and trade. OK, enough of the commercial, suffice to say I liked it and would love to go back given the opportunity.
The conference was a big success overall, but after so much work, it is tempting for me to bemoan that we only had two Cuban pastors there and give myself permission to direct my anger at their governmental system and restrictions. Still, I have seen enough over the years to know that the Lord works in ways quite different to my own (even if in my pride I think He should consult me for future plans). He had the two pastors there that He wanted, and He continues to work in their hearts and minds as well as my own.
LAM does these conferences every two years, so we’ll start praying now for the next opportunity!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Recient Outtings
I realize I've been amiss at providing recient photos, (Sorry to Grandma, Grandpa, Abuelo y Abuela). Some of our latest outtings:
Pumpkin Patch:
Trick or Treats on "Reformation Day"?
Day At the Beach!
Pumpkin Patch:
Trick or Treats on "Reformation Day"? Day At the Beach!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)