One of our fun Christmas favorites

Ministry Prayer Needs:

Over the past few months it’s been exciting to work with many LAM missionaries and associate ministries as they seek to respond to God’s call. The following are a few items that I would ask you to lift up in prayer:

• I am exploring how to send a pastor working in the US and his family back Panama to continue working with, and ministering to fledgling churches of the Embera tribe (his tribe of birth). This tribe was used as actors in order to portray the Auca tribe of Ecuador involved in the martyrdom of young missionaries including Jim Elliot in the movie End of the Spear. Please pray for wisdom and key partnerships in Panama that will allow this to move forward.
• Since I was blacklisted by the Cuban government a few years back I have continued to encourage our associate ministries throughout Latin America in their own involvement in Cuba. I am excited about the possibility of having someone who has worked on these projects with me in the past return to the MSO next year in order to dedicate themselves full time to these projects. Please pray for this person (name withheld for their security) as they finish up studies, and raise their support. Please pray for me as I renew contacts and lay the groundwork for this ministry, preparing to increase LAM’s involvement in Cuba.
• I’ve had the privilege to assist one of our missionary families working in Brazil recently. We believe the Lord has strategically placed them through their ministry, and LAM through our partnerships to help prepare local churches for the 2014 World Cup Soccer Games and 2016 Olympics that Brazil will be hosting. Brazil has a complicate past in dealing with Children at Risk (street kids) and Women at Risk (primarily prostitutes). LAM works with multiple ministries throughout Latin America, many of which have already expressed interest in working together to not only help minimize the damage and abuse to these groups of people during these events, but to share eternal hope and immediate help with those who know neither of these. Please pray for wisdom for all involved in what will undoubtedly be a massive project incorporating partners from throughout Latin America, North America and around the globe.
• We have various missionaries in transition at this point, some of whom are changing ministries in the same country, others changing countries but with the same ministry focus (children, church planting, Christian camping, Biblical/Theological education, etc), all of whom need assistance from the ministry department in order to re-engage them in serving the Latin Church or reaching the lost with the Good News as quickly as possible. Please pray for the Ministry Department at LAM where I serve as we provide guidance, assistance and in some cases healing to these other missionaries in transition.

Christmas is coming!

Depending on how you look at Christmas this thought can cause debilitating anxiety or overwhelming Joy. This year, my anticipation of Christmas began before Thanksgiving and that’s not just because Christmas items hit the stores in August this year (Costco already had one Christmas isle the last few days of August, “Christmas in July isn’t a joke anymore!). Our church has spent the past few months going through the book of Nehemiah, and I was particularly impacted not only in God’s faithfulness to his many promises including the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, but the preparation that Israel went through in order to celebrate his faithfulness (Giving Thanks) and worship Him as Lord, Savior and Redeemer (See Neh. 12:27-47). Anyone can flippantly say “thanks”, but true, worshipful THANKSGIVING takes not only heart and mind, but physical preparation. Israel literally built tent cities to house all those who were preparing to worship the Lord.

I want to approach Christmas with a similar preparation. Not a running around franticly checking things off my list, but in reflecting on God’s faithfulness. We just celebrated a national Holiday (Holy-Day) dedicated to reflecting on God’s faithfulness and giving Thanks. Is there any other act more worthy of awe and thanksgiving in all of history (make that eternity) than God becoming flesh for the purpose of dying for the sins of His very own creation? In the words of one of my favorite songwriters: “Redemption ripped through the surface of time in the cry of a tiny baby”.

So, even as Claudia does the daily work of homeschooling two high energy boys, as I make phone calls, respond to e-mails and assist missionaries, Latin ministries and US churches, as we go about our daily, sometimes monotonous routines I try to keep the manger, and the cross in the forefront of my mind and give thanks that it’s because of those reality changing acts that there is purpose, beauty and joy (despite circumstances) to the life we’ve been given.

Happy Thanksgiving and a joyous anticipation of Christmas to you!

praise, prayer and partnership opportunities:

Prayer about Monthly Support: As many of our supporters wrestle with financial difficulty, we have seen our own monthly support suffer. Ultimately we look to the Lord to provide for our needs, and He has done so at times in truly miraculous ways. We however recognize that the primary way has been in His providing for our supporters who in turn include our ministry in their plan for stewarding what they have received. Please join us in praying for the Lord’s blessing and provision for our prayer and financial supporters (which may even include your own family!), but especially for those who are being faced with difficult financial decisions and have had to reduce their donations. Also, please pray for those who would be able to “stand in the gap” of those who currently cannot continue their support.

To make a contribution, please visit:
Link to a Printable Donation Form. (click link for mail in donation form)

Link to Online Donation page (click link for online credit/debit card donation)

Lessons We’ve learned from our kids#16

Basic Life Skills Classes:

We’re trying to instill a “work first and then play” understanding in the boys. It seems to be working at least with Jeremy: “Daddy, after I clean my bedroom, can I get a tattoo?”

Listening AND Understanding: At Costco: "You two can stay here and watch the video while I get what we need, just DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASSES there. Do you understand?" In unison both Jeremy and Nico answer: "Yes daddy"…also in unison, before the last syllable leaves their lips, they both pick up the glasses to try them on.

Outdoors skills: After three unsuccessful fishing trips Jeremy finally caught his first fish, a pretty good sized bass, which apparently instantly made him an expert: “Daddy, I know why you haven't caught a fish, you’re casting past where the fish are.”

Cause and Effect: "Nico, if you keep doing that you're going to hurt yourself." Nico:"I know, that's why I'm doing it".

Health Education: Nico: “It’s OK if we go swimming daddy, we can’t get sick, we’ve already got colds!”

-For Previous “Lessons” installments, please visit our “Lesson Plan”.

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!

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

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.

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.

Tegucigalpa Ministry trip travel clips

Last week I was in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with Matt Allen. We were getting to know the radio and church planting ministry "El Camino de la Vida" for the Allen's future deployment. My job is in helping set up the official partnership between LAM and the Partner ministry as well as making sure that our missionaries are well placed and well set up. The great part is that I LOVE getting to know what the Lord is doing through some amazing ministries and encouraging our own missionaries as they seek the Lord and walk through what He's called them to. Please keep me, the ministries department and all the other LAM missionaries in your prayers.

Ministry Trip Tegucigalpa 8-2010

facebook Kevin Abegg 5:36pm Aug 28th Ministry Trip Tegucigalpa 8-2010 Toabeggloveletters@blogger.com   Pictures from my LAM ministries department trip to Tegucigalpa. log on to Facebook to see pix!

The coyote

As a California native, this is just "too close to home":

California: The Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out, bites the Governor and attacks his dog.

1. The Governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie "Bambi" and then realizes he should stop; the coyote is only doing what is natural.

2. He calls animal control. Animal Control captures coyote and bills the State $200 testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it.

3. He calls a veterinarian. The vet collects the dead dog and bills the State $200 testing it for diseases.

4. The Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for diseases from the coyote and on getting his bite wound bandaged.

5. The running trail gets shut down for 6 months while Fish & Game conducts a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is free of dangerous animals.

6. The Governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a "coyote awareness" program for residents of the area.

7. The State Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat rabies and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world.

8. The Governor's security agent is fired for not stopping the attack somehow and for letting the Governor attempt to intervene.

9. Additional cost to State of California: $75,000 to hire and train a new security agent with additional special training re: the nature of coyotes.

10. PETA protests the coyote's relocation and files suit against the State, costing the taxpayers another $100,000. in related legal expenses.

Total cost to the state: $2,329,400


Arizona: The Governor of Arizona is jogging with her dog along a nature trail. A Coyote jumps out and attacks her dog.

1. The Governor shoots the coyote with her State-issued pistol and keeps jogging. The Governor has spent $0.50 on a .45 ACP hollow point cartridge.

2. The Buzzards eat the dead coyote.

And that's why California is broke.

Have your Passport ready in case you need to travel abroad (or to Miami)

We are hoping to attend Claudia’s youngest sister’s wedding in Chile in just a few weeks, but realized that Jeremy’s passport will soon expire. (I didn’t even have a passport until college, but we’re already on Jeremy’s second!)

So, Claudia spent hours online and by phone only to find that a child’s passport cannot be renewed by mail, and that both parents must be present to renew. She then phoned all over Miami and found that the only “drop in” office in the city (all others had a month+ waiting list) opened at 10:00 AM. So there we were at 9:30 the next morning only to be told that yes, the passport desk opens at 10:00 but we needed to be there at 8:00 in order to get on the day’s list, which was already full for the day. (Why they left out that one vital detail when we called is beyond me). So, Claudia went back home with the kids, I went back to work and returned at 7:15 the next morning to find two people already in line (probably still there from the day before).

True to what we’d been told (the second time around), a gentleman arrived to open the post office at 8:00, but when we asked him for the passport appointment list he flatly informed us: “We don’t have a list; the passport desk opens at 10:00”. Deaf to our protests he opened a few doors, moved a box or two then had a cup of coffee, leaving us standing in front of the passport counter for 45 minutes. Finally, coffee gone, he casually walked over to the passport desk and produced the very clipboard and list we had been asking for! Everyone in line (there was now a small crowd) stared at him in disbelief, muttering descriptive words just out of his earshot so as not to jeopardize their chances any further. I confess that I myself found it rather difficult to “assume the best” of this civil servant at that particular moment as well.

So, the two men in front of me filled in the 10:00 and 10:30 slots and I took the 11:00. Not wanting to assume anything at this point I asked if that meant I could now go to work and return with the family for our 11:00 AM appointment. Not surprisingly he said “no” and explained that the times do not mean anything but that everyone in line (now about 20 adults, most with fidgety children making the entire post office look something like a sugar hyped, chocolate factory daycare) had to stay until their names were called starting at 10:00. (Flashback to the stunned disbelief and descriptive words from a few minutes earlier.)

“What’s the point in having time slots?” I asked.
“It works better this way” he said as I watched one of the kids spill sticky grape juice all over the floor.

So…Claudia and the boys joined me in line before 10:00. We were the second party to be attended since the first person in line left before 10:00 (possibly having a nervous breakdown). And Jeremy’s passport should arrive within a week.

It makes me proud to be an American and know our government handles these things with such dedication and efficiency. Maybe, once Jeremy has his passport, we’ll actually cross the boarder from Miami and visit the US one of these days!

Prayer

Simple and straight forward: WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Some of you have been praying for the Abegg family for years. Thank you…a true, from the bottom of the heart, THANK YOU! We receive support in numerous ways including monthly monetary donations, emotional support through letters, phone calls or e-mails, and spiritual support through prayer and intercession. Right now I want to emphasize the importance of these prayers and ask each of you to pray and petition the Lord in a few specific ways:

For the MSO (Miami Service Office) where we serve with LAM:

• Software transition and the finance department: The MSO is responsible for receiving and receipting all gifts for all missionaries as well as any projects they or their associate ministry are doing. On any given month one family may receive 20 to 50 gifts of varying amounts. Multiply this by 100 and you have only the missionary part of the equation without considering the hundreds of associate ministries we serve. This must all be sent internationally and again, receipted. The software we were using has been on it’s last legs, so a month ago we began the training and supposedly “seamless” transition. Unfortunately the seam has come unraveled in Grand Canyon proportions essentially paralyzing that department and taxing the IT department in unprecedented ways. Yet even in this, God provided. By His design, Rob Johnson was visiting from Phoenix for a few days, and one of his many expertise is in assisting with problematic software transitions. He came for a few days but stayed a month. We are still not fully out of the woods, but we can see daylight. Please pray and intercede for the transition process to come to completion and the ability for the finance department to then catch up on all receipts (if you’ve given toward our account recently and have not received a receipt, please know that it will be generated and sent out soon).

• Helping Missionaries stay on the field: The downturn in the economy has hit nearly everyone hard, but missionaries have had an especially difficult time as partnering families or churches face their own struggles and need to lower their support. This however becomes an extremely problematic situation when a faithfully serving missionary family must contemplate returning home for lack of support. In order to prevent this we at the MSO are helping missionaries communicate better through websites, social networking sites and even Youtube. Yet the software problems I mentioned above have slowed these efforts in many ways. Please pray and intercede for the missionaries in general (ourselves included) as they seek to keep their support at a level that will keep them on the field. Also pray that the work of those at the MSO would be fruitful in our attempts to assist them.

For the Abegg Family:

• We recently received news that one of our main supporting churches is going through the tough times I described above resulting in lowering our support by about $400/month. We fully understand their reasons and know it was a difficult decision to make. We are praying for all of our supporters, be they families, individuals or churches and appreciate immensely the sacrificial giving in allowing us to serve the many Latin ministries we are involved with. Right now we realistically need to replace that support as well as others who have had to lower or discontinue their gifts over the past year. Please pray and intercede for supporters and churches that are suffering financially, and for others to “step into the gap” and help us cover the monthly needs in order to keep serving the church throughout Latin America. If you would like to consider partnering with us you can easily do so through online donations or a printable donation form.

Link to a Printable Donation Form. (click link for mail in donation form)

Link to Online Donation page (click link for online credit/debit card

Thank you for your prayers. We know the Lord will answer and we pray He blesses you as well.

"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

2 Corinthians 1:10-12

Lessons we've learned from our kids #15

Another Economics Lesson:

Nico: "Daddy, I need one of those cards you pay for things at the store so I can buy a car."

Daddy: "You know, those cards are the same as money, it just comes out of our bank account instead of my wallet."

Nico: "That takes our money?!"...OK then I'll just get a car from the internet so we don't have to pay!"

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Zoology lessons via our pet water turtles:

• "Daddy, did you know you can't pull turtles out of thier shell?"
• "Since turtles live in water they have to drink glasses of air when they're thirsty."
• Said while choking back sobs: "The bigger turtles get the harder they bite!"

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At the movies we discovered that 5 and 6 year olds have the uncanny ability to whisper as loud as an adult can yell.

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For Previous “Lessons” installments, please visit our “Lesson Plan”.

Relationships (It's What We Do)

Over the past six months of overseeing the ministries department at Latin America Mission I’ve come to appreciate the concept of partnerships and real relationships. LAM does not have our own projects on the field but rather we rely on “partnerships” with the Latin Church by strategically placing missionaries under and along side existing, national Latin ministries. This approach is culturally and linguistically difficult in many ways, but enters into a relationship of trust. Obviously these partnerships are of extreme importance for the care of the missionaries, but also for the health, growth and expansion of the Gospel in Latin America. As in the Church, poor relationships and a lack of care poorly reflect the Gospel on the mission field as well, whereas strong, trusting, Christ centered and caring relationships better reflect and personify the Gospel message.

The LAM ministries department is responsible for approximately 100 missionary units (families or singles) and their partnerships or “ministry covenants” with the ministries they serve, be that a children’s home in Costa Rica such as Roble Alto, a seminary in Colombia such as the Biblical Theological Seminary or a Church Planting and pastoral care ministry in Mexico. But as you know, a true relationship is not maintained through a business contract, but regular communication, heartfelt involvement and tangible expressions of care. As I stepped into the ministries department six months ago I was tempted to “just get the paperwork done” and assume in a staunch, business like manner that the partnership was then in place. But a signed document does not a friend make. Relationship building takes time, energy and involvement. It’s slow going, but very much worth it. Please pray for me, the ministries department and the LAM as we seek to better serve those that we have a history of partnership with and those we are getting to know on the road to new partnerships. This is a time of change with the mission, a time of diving in deeper with those we serve along side of throughout Latin America. It’s an exciting time. I’ll share more of this in future entries, but for now I ask you and thank you for your prayers.

God bless!

Roof Repaired! (Room flooded)

Many of you know that we’ve had struggles with our roof for a long time. We discovered a few years ago that the reason our AC ran 24/7 during the summer in order to “cool” the house to 85 degrees was that our solid, cement slab ceiling/roof had no insulation between the cement and the black asphalt roof. You know how a black car heats up in the sun? Yep, that was our house with the ceiling running a 95degree fever all summer! Then during the rainy season (spring & summer) we consistently had 6” of standing water that the tree frogs loved to fill with millions of pollywogs. Eventually our roof lake started leaking into the house little by little, so after three years, multiple estimates, one refinancing, various gifts (thank you to those who helped in this way!) and a no interest loan from a dear friend, we were able to re-roof almost before the rainy season. I say almost because while Claudia was in Costa Rica for her dental work (see CR trip post), the boys and I came home one evening to their bedroom ankle deep in water, requiring the gutting of everything. Their furniture and most of their belongings were salvageable but the floor had to go down to the cement slab, which we discovered was not covered by insurance due to a previous claim for minor flooding in the same area which was applied to the roof repair. For now the boys have rubber matting and a throw rug, but thankfully no more water entry after two years of buckets!

For the roof we used a company that does “spray on foam roofing” see: http://www.coolroof.biz which provides insulation and a solid, rubberized membrane that covers the entire roof (before & after below).

As I said, we were blessed by a friend with a no interest loan to complete the roof job, but our desire is to return the remaining amount of $4000 as soon as possible and then complete repairs to the boys room. If you would like to assist in this way through a tax deductible donation, please see our support page:

Link to a Printable Donation Form. (click link for mail in donation form)
Link to Online Donation page (click link for online credit/debit card

Thank you for your prayers and the many ways you have and continue to assist us over the years.

God bless!

LAM Missionaries- Baptisms and Funerals

With my position in the Ministries Department and LAM I have the priviledge to corespond with our Latin partner ministries as well as all of our missionaries, which means I get to here the "Good News" (AKA the Gospel) at work. Here's another example of what LAM missionaries are doing:

From: Mirna Sotomayor y Diana Garrett

I´m racking my brain in the midst of all the noise to write down the words of the Costa Rican national anthem. Beside me is an 11 year old boy who is looking at me with nervous intensity. "Are you sure you want to do this?", I ask. "Yes. For my mother´s sake," he answers, and controls a sob.It was his mother´s funeral. Carlos is the only child of a single mother who just died of cancer the day before. His mother was Costa Rican by birth, and he wanted to honour her. So that is how his aunt, Mirna, Carlos and I sang the Costa Rican national anthem at a Mexican funeral yesterday. I was the only one who really knew it, and I was thanking the Lord for my Costa Rican upbringing.

It seemed hard to believe that just one week ago, on Sunday, Mirna and I baptised another of Carlos´s aunts in the beautiful Tuxpan ocean. Lupe received Jesus, along with her two sisters as a result of the team from Costa Rica that came during Holy Week. One of the team members from Costa Rica is a cousin of theirs and the Lord used the relationship to bring Jesus into their lives. Lupe asked to be baptised last Sunday because she was going to be operated on, also because of cancer, on Friday. She had the surgery on Friday and on Saturday her sister passed away, leaving their third sister, Marta, holding the fort.

Just before we stood up to sing the anthem, Mirna took advantage to share the Gospel to the extended family, many of whom were hearing the Good News for the first time. We were a handful of evangelical Christians that surrounded this family in their distress, and helped them set their hope in their newly found faith. We beg your prayers for the Mora family during this very difficult time, as Lupe is recuperating from surgery and metastasis of cancer to other organs in her body, as the grandmother is ill in a home, and as young Carlos hits his teenage years without his mother. And please don´t forget to pray for Marta, her husband and two children who have been buffetted on all sides, and seek to follow the Lord.

Thank you for your prayers and support for me as I provide support for others!

Partnerships, LAM and Missions to the World

A few weeks ago LAM president Steve Johnson and I had the opportunity to attend a Cross Global Link Conference in Chicago which proved to be very encouraging and challenging at the same time. The conference was entitled “Becoming Globally Friendly” and focused on the changing face of world missions including how a traditional North American missions approach much change to remain relevant and continue impacting the world with the Gospel.

On a personal note, I was very encouraged to see that I am not alone in what I have been wrestling with over the past few years concerning the role of church & parachurch organizations (such as LAM) in world evangelism and missions. There was a general understanding that parachurch organizations have unintentionally damaged the N. American missions by removing much of the care of missionaries from the hands of the sending church and we must now encourage, and in some cases show the church how to re-engage in their own missions calling beyond simply being a financial engine for the missions movement. The local church MUST be both the foundation as well as the goal of missions (evangelism must lead to long term discipleship in a local body), and parachurch organizations must assist in this role, not take it over completely. (For more thoughts on this see my other poorly maintained blog: MISsionUNDERSTANDINGS).

On another level Steve and I came away very encouraged that the Lord has prepared Latin America Mission for an already underway historical change in world missions movements. For over a century North American missions has consisted of the sending of missionaries FROM North America TO the rest of the world, but now countries that were traditionally seen as the mission field have a strong enough church to not only evangelize their own country, but send their own missionaries to other countries as well. In the ‘70s LAM was lead to make the difficult decision of turning over all of their individual ministries, projects and even property that had been managed from North America to Latin ministries. This was unthinkable at the time, but exemplified LAM's vision of partnership WITH and not OVER ministries in Latin America. Since that time our practice has been to place missionaries under Latin leadership and to provide assistance to Latin ministries as they request it. It’s not as clean, simple and concise as simply having one focus be that children at risk or seminary education, but it’s empowered the church in these countries to take ownership of their individual call to proclaim the gospel, care for the needy and strengthen the church.

In the first session of the conference, Steve and I were blessed to hear the speaker name LAM as a ministry that has been doing for decades what many other ministries are now trying to figure out how to do, partnering with the international, indigenous church. As I survey the ministries department and consider the many, long term partnerships we currently have, I’m excited to consider the possibilities for the future. We have been able to walk along side many of these ministries for over 40 years and now we have the opportunity to assist them as they continue ministering to those within arms reach, but also lift their eyes up beyond their boarders and consider where the Lord would lead them next.

Please pray for LAM, the Miami Service Office where I am assigned and specifically the Ministries Department I oversee. Because of all of you who pray for us and assist us financially, I am able to serve many, many others throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean and parts of North America as they further the Gospel. Your prayers and gifts are literally touching and encouraging hundreds of ministries in the Spanish & Portugese speaking countries, and now, little by little from there to the rest of the world.

Thank you for your love, prayers and support!

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Luke 10:2

• Link to a Printable Donation Form. (click link for mail in donation form)
• Link to Online Donation page (click link for online credit/debit card

Help on the way

STOP!

That’s what I had to tell myself as I got into the office this AM and dove right into e-mails, phone messages and ministry agreements. I’m saying this because I’ve wanted to provide some updates for the past three weeks as to what’s going on at Latin America Mission and with the Abegg family, but simply haven’t had the chance. So, my goal is to take a few minutes every AM and post at least one update… so for today lets start easy, I’ve got help on the way!!!

Since I stepped in to coordinate the ministries department at Latin America Mission, it’s been obvious that one person cannot manage everything. LAM has just under 100 missionary “units” (families or individuals) on the field, nearly as many active "ministry partners" (Latin ministries we work with through our missionaries or in various projects) and over 250 partner ministries that are awaiting missionaries, projects or assistance in some form. What this means is that my previous assignment in assisting associate ministries to Cuba has expanded to all of Latin America, Spain and even a few ministries in the US. It’s felt like swimming against the current since in order to move forward (develop new partnerships, match new missionaries to their assignments and weigh in on possible projects) I first have to make sure that the daily needs of missionaries and ministries are covered. At one point last week my e-mail in box toped 250 and that doesn't include any spam!


So where does the help come in? Ms. Heather Braden is a missionary “appointee” (accepted as a missionary and preparing to deploy once all her support is raised) headed for El Salvador. She will be joining the ministries department starting Thursday and has committed to helping for the next 6 months as she works on her Spanish, completes her support raising and prepares for “deployment”. Heather is an answer to many prayers and given all the work involved in my current position, will help keep me sane (although some say it’s too late). Please keep Heather in your prayers as well as the whole minisries department as we seek to help the hundreds of partner ministries we partner with throughout Latin America.

Click the link to follow Heather’s blog which includes my letter to some of her supporting churches.

God bless!

Update on NGO Worker arrested in Cuba

I forget who I was talking to reciently, but they mentioned that they had not heard about the NGO worker in Cuba arrested under spy charges many months ago. Anyway, here's an update:

US has visited man nabbed by Cuba as a 'spy' (AFP)

DATELINE: Washington, June 2 2010

US authorities have been able to visit on five occasions the American contractor arrested in Cuba in December whom Havana claims is a spy, despite a US denial, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday.

"We have been granted access to Alan Gross in Cuba five times, the most recent consular access being on May 25th," spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. "And we continue to ask that Mr Gross be released immediately, on humanitarian grounds, and be al-lowed to return to his family," the US spokesman said.

Gross worked for an NGO contracted by the State Department to supply computer and communications material to civil society groups on the island, according to the United States. Cuba insists however he is a spy who had sophisticated communications equipment for dissidents in the Americas' only one-party Communist regime.

The US company that employed the contractor, Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), also denied the es-pionage charges. Gross was arrested December 5, reportedly while distributing cell phones, laptops and other communications equipment.

For more updates click this link.

Veteran’s Day

To those who have served and those who continue to serve, the Abegg Family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. You have and do live out Christ’s command:

“Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12

Thank you!

-Kevin, Claudia, Jeremy and Nicholas

CHILE RELIEF PROJECT

On February 27, an 8.8 earthquake (the 5^th largest in recorded world history) hit off the coast of Chile destroying structures and creating tsunamis that swept away entire villages. Second and third quakes measuring 6.7 and 6.0 hit only minutes later. Over the next month and even now aftershocks continue to rattle lives and threaten buildings. The death toll is just under 800, yet nearly 80% of the countries population has been affected, and hundreds of thousands remain homeless as the Southern Hemisphere’s winter approaches.

Chile’s central regions were hardest hit, including Claudia’s hometown of Rancagua. We have been in contact with the leadership (Pastor Juan, Pastor Roberto and others) of Renuevo, our church in Rancagua, monitoring their progress and considering ways to assist them as they seek to assist those in the surrounding communities and rural areas that have yet to receive aid.

As the weather gets colder and rain arrives the most urgent needs are:

• Prefabricated Emergency Homes: In the 6^th region alone there is an urgent need for 20,000 emergency homes which allows a homeless family to remain near work, property and their support systems as opposed abandoning all they have to seek winter shelter. Each of these insulated, heated, emergency homes has a cost of $1000.00. Renuevo hopes to purchase a minimum of 10 for immediate delivery and construction.
• Emergency Food: With the destruction of homes and businesses, thousands have lost the means to support themselves. Renuevo is distributing boxes of non-perishable food costing $5.00 per box. They hope to provide between 100 to 200 units immediately and then assess further need in the outlying areas.
• Blankets: Basic, cheap ($5.00 each) and easy means to provide immediate warmth and comfort from the cold. They hope to distribute 200 immediately and then assess further need.

Latin America Mission is partnering with Renuevo in order to meet these immediate needs. Over the years many of friends and supporters have traveled to Chile in order to work alongside Renuevo or receive from their amazing hospitality. Please consider assisting this church in caring for the immediate needs around them and communicating Christ’s love in both word and deed.

If you would like more information on this project don’t hesitate to contact us at Latin America Mission (1800-275-8410) or via e-mail.

To make an online donation toward the Chile relief project please visit the LAM donations page, enter the amount you desire to give in the “LAM General Fund” section and indicate “Chile Relief Project” in the notes section. Your donation will be credited to the proper account and you will receive a tax deductible receipt.

If you prefer to mail in a donation please make checks payable to “Latin America Mission” and indicate “Chile Relief Project” on a separate piece of paper (not in the memo section) in order to have it properly credited. Mail your donation to:

Latin America Mission - Chile Relief

PO Box 52-7900

Miami, Fl 33152-7900

You will receive a tax deductible receipt.

Map of world's biggest quakes

This last quake in Chile recorded as #5 in history.
The #1 world's largest quake was also in chile.
Check out CNN's map of the top 10 largest quakes on record.

Rest assured, this is NOT A SCAM

Below is a standard scam trying to get me to send money. What I found really funny was the "Note" included at the bottom. I just don't know what I would have thought if they hadn't included that!
-------

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Claudia in CostaRica & Daddy hanging with the Boys

As you may know from earlier reports, Claudia flew to Costa Rica on Sunday and started a week of intensive work on her teeth yesterday. The original plan was for four crowns in three days and return on Thursday. It became apparent yesterday that that’s not going to be the case as they began a root canal but quickly decided to refer her to a specialist starting tomorrow to complete it. Thankfully the crowns have diminished by one, but with the delay due to the root canal the earliest it appears she will be able to fly back would be Saturday. One problem, there are no Spirit Air flights on weekends! So now we’re looking at a possible Monday return. Thankfully she is staying with two wonderful LAM missionaries and has made various other friends (including a Chilean neighbor who made her cheese empanadas on Monday!) Please keep her in your prayers as this is a painful process but one we hope will take care of various problems for years to come.

As for daddy and the boys, I am using up various flex days to be home with them, but it may come to some juggling by weeks end or Monday if it gets pushed that far out. The first 2 ½ days have gone well. Monday they got to celebrate a friend’s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheeses and I was at the office. They had a blast although it may take the birthday parents a little longer to recover. I’m familiarizing myself with the week-day meals, chores, home school, piano lessons, etc routine which I helped Claudia put together on paper, but had never actually walked it through prior to this. All I can say is that my wife is a saint (and I want her back!). Jeremy, Nicholas and I are enjoying the time together and they ask me each morning if it’s “church day” because weekends are the only time I’m home two days in a row.

OK, I’ve got to hit the sack before I fall asleep on the keyboard. Please continue praying for Chile, for Claudia’s dental work and for the boys and I as we try to make it through this week without mommy’s amazing care for each of us.

God bless!

Chile Quake updates

I just got off the phone with "Obispo Sanchez" of the Free Methodist Church in Chile. He reported to me on many of their buildings having been destroyed and "entire costal towns swept away" by the resulting tidal waves from Saturday's Earth Quake. Despite the suffering he did aproach this with a faith filled humor in telling me: "We have been raising funds to rebuild one of our churches and were about half way to our goal before the quake. But the Lord must want us to do it faster, because He decided to tear the old building down ahead of our schedule!".

I also received an very brief e-mail from our home church in Rancagua, Renuevo. They report that "various families have lost their homes" but thankfully they did not report any loss of life. Please keep Chile, the pastors and the churches in your prayers. Pray for faith and strength for the pastors as they care for their congregations and pray for that same faith and strength for the congregations as they seek to express the Lord's love to the surrounding community.

Sunami Story & Photo Montage

Sunami washes away surifing resort in Pichilemu (Where Claudia and I served and have many friends).

A quick update on the Abeggs.

Claudia to Costa Rica and Kevin as Mr. Mom (pray for the kids!)
This coming Sunday Claudia will be flying to Costa Rica for some “Dental Tourism”. She will be in San Jose through Thursday in order to get four crowns as well as some other work. Some have asked “Why Costa Rica?”. The answer is that even though we have to pay for airlines, room and board, we will still come out minimally $2000. ahead instead of having the work done here in the States. That’s $2000 we don’t have to come up with or can be used in other ways. Thankfully LAM has numerous missionaries, ministry partners and friends there to help if needed, and she may even be able to meet up with a short term team from Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church on Sunday before she’s had her work done. Please keep her in your prayers as daddy and the boys won’t be there to comfort and care for her in the evenings. Also keep Kevin, Jeremy and Nicholas in your prayers as we’ll be having a guy’s week on our own. Daddy will be attempting to fill mommy’s amazing role of home school teacher, primary guidance councilor and overall house manager.

Rotating Jobs at Latin America Mission
This week in between responding to calls/emails from missionaries and various Chilean pastors or ministries realing from the EQ, I’m also in the process of slowly moving offices. As you know my primary job at the LAM “Cuba desk” has been expanded to the "Ministries Department" and got a jump start with my Tijuana trip last month. Since then my inbox has exploded with correspondence from LAM missionaries and our ministry partners. My primary responsibility at this point is to maintain and develop the depth LAM’s relationships with our partner ministries. A few weeks ago (prior to the Chile EQ blogs) I included a couple of entries on some of these ministries and will continue to do so in the future in the hopes of sharing some of the international (and eternal) good news you don’t usually get to hear on your evening news.

That’s probably one of the things I like best about my current position. I get a spectacular vantage point for what God is doing throughout Latin America through Latin ministries in general and missionaries associated with the LAM. God is doing some exciting things especially in the area of equipping Latinos for ministry both in their own countries as well as abroad. LAM is involved with numerous seminaries, Bible schools and training programs throughout Central and South America as well as entire international denominations that take very seriously the need to have well equipped pastors, teachers and trainers in order to have well equipped healthy churches ministering to entire populations in need of the Gospel. Please keep these ministries in your prayers, and I personally ask for your prayers to manage well the responsibilities and quantity of work the Lord has placed before me.

As you know, this is a “temporary assignment” until we find the right person to fill this position. Similar to when LAM was seeking a new president and the Lord finally brought Steve Johnson to us, I ask you to be praying for the Lord to bring the right person to fill this position. In the mean time I ask for your prayers as I survey the Ministries department, consider changes with the LAM guidance team and seek the Lord for how He would have us position this branch of the ministry for the future. Once the Lord does provide the right person for this I will be able to step back into the role I had for a few weeks of developing the North American Ministries (NAM) department of LAM, something that is very close to my heart as well.

In the midst of what I could perceive as a detour on the road to the NAM work I desire to do, I see the Lord once again educating me. The NAM responsibilities will essentially be as a “match maker” or in essence “marriage counselor” assisting the North American churches to develop and deepen their relationships with their missionaries as well as the ministry partners they are working with in the field. How better to get to know the ins and outs of this than to first do similar work between these very missionaries and their Latin ministry partners? I may be slow, but I’m starting to expect the Lord to prepare me for what only He knows comes next!

What an amazing God we serve!

What an amazing adventure He has us all on!

Thank you for your partnership with us and your willingness to be used by Him both internationally and the daily ways He uses you to accomplish His purposes in this World.

God bless!

Chile Update

Again, thank you to all who have been calling, e-mailing and praying. Claudia's family is well. We managed to talk to Cristy on Sunday and Barbara today and Claudia got to web chat with Chabe a little while ago. We haven't been able to talk with her parents yet but know they are fine. We are also trying to get news from Reneuvo, our church in Rancagua. The YWAM base in Pichilemu is fine although we have reports that the waves caused by the quake devistated the lower lying areas. Please continue to pray for the needs in Chile, but do not forget the needs in Haiti. Although the quake was 500 times the strength of Haitis, the Chilean death toll is under 800 thus far. We grieve for those who have lost loved ones but thank the Lord for his mercy in sparing life. More soon.

For some of the pictures of the damage in Chile see CNN's site.

Earthquake in Chile

First we want to thank every one of you who have called and written over the past few days. We managed to comunicate with Claudia's family yesterday and they are all well. We'll try to post more tomorrow. God bless!

Rd to Carretas

The next three entries are of Carretas, a squatter settlement on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mx. It is one of many places that LAM missionaries such as Megan Riggott along with Greg and Kathy Saracoff of are serving. I had the priveledge of visiting them a few weeks ago to iron out a few details of LAM's partnerships with our partner ministries.
The first clip is of the "scenery" as we entered into Carretas. This visit was one of those great combinations of ministry, four wheeling and hiking, but the bottom line is that the Gospel is being preached AND ministered in the form of meeting physical needs of children and thier families as they learn about a God who loves and cares for the needs of their souls and thier bodies.

Walking down from the Children's Ministry in Carretas

I'm carefully walking behind Greg as we descend from the multi purpose ministry building where Chella heads up the Carretas outreach. From the small red house they provide tutoring, kids club programs, meals, dental care and many other means of meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the children and their families. (Pardon the unstable camera, I didnt have my hiking boots on!).

Decending from Carretas

As Greg and I drove down from Carretas we had some tongue in cheek fun considering the difference between a tragedy and an opportunity. I could attempt to spiritualize my comments knowing that God is sovereign...but I wont. Enjoy the scenery of one of the many places LAM is working!

The Gospel presented through Open Arms

In my new position at LAM I not only have the priveledge of assisting with ministries in Cuba, but I also get to assist other LAM missionaries as they work alongside of, and serve through local Latin ministries. I want to share with you a video of one of the ministries that LAM missionaries are working with in Medellin, CO.:

The Open Arms Foundation from Open Arms Foundation on Vimeo.

Francis Pineda is completing his seminary studies at "Seminario Biblico de Colombia" en Medellin. This is the same seminary I visited over a year ago when we brought pastors from Cuba to receive extensive training on managing a ministry. Nicole George de Pineda is curently assisting at the ministry of Open Arms. If you're interested in learning more please check out their Blog at: http://alexisandnicole.wordpress.com

God bless!
-Kevin

Equipo Tijuana en Accion

I arrived in San Diego yesterday afternoon and I am thankful that my luggage made it before 1 AM today rather than not at all. I crossed the border with Greg Saracoff (LAM missionary with his wife Kathy and their two kids) this AM and had the privilege to visit various ministries associated with “Equipo Tijuana en Acción” also known as Team Tijuana in English, an associate ministry of Latin America Mission. Our first stop was “Esperanza” (Hope) an amazing drug rehab program where the participants learn practical skills such as welding, glass work, brick making, carpentry and auto repair which will allow them to not only earn an income but keeps them busy, a must for those trying to leave the drug lifestyle. To my pleasant surprise it is run by Javier, a Godly man whom I had the privilege of meeting during the “Instituto Forum Latinum” conference I attended with some Cuban Pastors in Colombia last year. I had forgotten that he was here in TJ and enjoyed catching up with him and seeing his fantastic ministry first hand.

From there we visited Campo de Fe, a ministry that takes in the injured individuals that nobody else cares for and the hospitals won’t accept. “Rosa” runs this ministry high on a hill above TJ where some of the poorest of the poor who have been gravely injured in various ways are brought to heal or die in loving surroundings with people who minister to their body and soul. One of the men I spoke to recently had his middle left toe amputated due to complications of diabetes. Now my dad had a toe amputated (he chose to have the doctor do this rather than chopping it off himself, but that’s another story) and he came home from the hospital with it nicely sewn and bandaged up. Not so here. I’m not a doctor, but what I was looking at seemed more like the chicken meet that Claudia chops up. There was a literal hole where his toe used to be with various parts hanging out that I think should have been inside. He thought the doctors had done a good job, so I just smiled and prayed for him as he dabbed the open wound with some gauze. Wow!

Next we had a meeting with some of the leaders of the ministries associated with Team Tijuana and I get to meet a few of the pastors and leaders I will be sharing more with over the next few days. Please pray for wisdom as I seek to encourage some of them in working together as a team and considering themselves as parts of the body of Christ instead of their own independent, unattached ministries. Pray for a sensitivity to the spirit and a sharpness of mind as I listen and respond to their own concerns, needs and desires for the ministries they are involved in. Also please continue praying for Claudia and the boys back at home continuing with their normal routine while I’m away. Thank you for your prayers and support. I’ll add more in a day or so.

God bless!