Sincerely, Kristin

Hebrews 11:24,25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…

It was great to read all the farm stories! (click here to read them)

Be sure to “attend” this week’s Bible study: Working Together as the Body of Christ

Thanks for all the book and music recommendations!

BOOKS:

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action by Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun by Paul Hattaway

Safely Home by Randy C. Alcorn

and those from the following authors: Karen Kingsbury, Ted Dekker, Francine Rivers, and Brock and Bodie Thoene

MUSIC:

the album, Legacy…Hymns and Faith by Amy Grant, which includes “My Father’s World” and “What a Friend We Have In Jesus”

many of the old hymns, including “It Is Well With My Soul”, “Be Thou My Vision”, “In the Garden”, and “Because He Lives”

“Say the Name” by Margaret Becker

“Hold Me Jesus” by Rich Mullins

Sorry, I could not find a couple of the recommendations (that were suggested by Mary and Lynn), but I did find an album from The White Sisters, Bonnie! – click here

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

In the times of my life where things are unknown or seem to be uncertain, I cling to songs and Bible verses that remind me of His faithfulness and help me to refocus my mind, heart, and soul on Him instead of the circumstance(s). The following is one of the songs that I revisit during those times. (Just to let you know, I hesitated to display the picture of the album cover, but then figured it would offer a good laugh at those “late 80’s” hairstyles!)

May you be drawn into His peaceful presence as you read these words. (more…)

I thought I would pass along my recommendation for this book by Randy Alcorn. I read it some time ago, but it affected me so much that I still think about its contents quite often. The way he portrayed one’s purpose here on earth (as we have been looking at in our Bible study), heaven and the afterlife, as well as the underground church in China, was powerful and challenging. (more…)

Here are some things we experienced as we traveled and spent a few days in the southern part of the country, just a bit southeast from the city of Valdivia (see map):

We traveled on the same road for 9 straight hours. (Chile only has one highway that runs north and south.)

We had to pay $60 in tolls and $190 in gas to make the trip there and back.

We drove during the daylight hours so we could enjoy the sights of the magnificant volcanoes, the snow-capped Andes mountains, and the endless rich green pastures filled with livestock.

We needed to slow down more than once to allow the cows and sheep to cross the road

Our evening barbeque at the campground didn’t even start until 9:00pm. (And we were the first ones to leave…at midnight!)

After asking the horse rancher if we could ride again the next day at 10:30am, he wondered if that would still be too early in the morning for us to get up and get ready to ride. (As you can tell, their daily time clocks run a little different from those of North America. Everything runs a little bit later in the day than what we were used to in the US. Our family motto still runs true: It’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different!)

We traveled the farthest south in the world than we have ever traveled before! (And as you can see from the map, there is still a lot more of the south to explore!!)

(more…)

Hebrews 11:24,25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…

Wow, what a time of refreshment we had as a family this past week, both here in Santiago as well as down south! Thanks for all your prayers. I missed our time of communication together, but I am looking forward to telling you all about our past week. These pictures can give you a sneak peek! (more…)

Instead of “Happy 4th of July!”, here in Chile we are hearing “¡Felices Fiestas Patrias!”, which is in celebration of their national independence day. Many have left the city and have traveled to the ocean beaches, to the warmer climate in the north, or to the beautiful lakes in the south. It is actually kind of nice to stick around and enjoy a quieter Santiago for a few days before we head south as well. Our next-door neighbors invited us to join them for a few days at a campground located about 10 hours south of Santiago, so we will be leaving tomorrow, in the early morning hours.

I will look forward to ‘giving you the scoop’ of all our activities when we get back! Because of the fact that the location does not have internet access, I will not be able to write to you again until next Monday. However, I just posted the new Bible study (week 3), so you will still have opportunity to study together by leaving your comments and responses to the discussion questions. I’ll join in when I get home!

Please be in prayer for traveling safety as well as for our neighbors, Exequiel and Paola (and their two little daughters, Kata and Trini), who are searching for the Truth.

Thanks!

Okay, all you moms out there, what did you feel as you read this title? Did your ‘mama protective claws’ come out?

This was one of my reasons for requesting your prayers last week. Addison was getting picked on by some of the neighborhood boys. My first reaction was to get upset and want to go have a ‘chat’ with those boys. Then, after sleeping on it, Max and I realized we just needed to take the time to talk to Addison about it and let him know that we are proud of him and are praying for him.

We think the reasons for the name calling included both cultural and personality issues. Addison is a good-looking, blond-haired, blue-eyed ‘gringo’ who all the girls seem to like. That means he is a threat to the good-looking chilean boys that live in the neighborhood. Also, Addison is not used to having to stick up for himself. Being the first-born, he hasn’t had to do that (unlike Isaac and Jacob, whom we have no doubt will be just fine with sticking up for themselves!). (more…)

Hebrews 11:24,25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…

What a joy to see how, in my weakness, His strength is shown. The Lord knew that others needed to read Psalm 77. He knew that we needed each other for encouragement and prayer. Thank you for the privilege of being prayed for as well as having the opportunity to pray for many of you in that specific way. And thank you, Sheryl, for sharing that passage from Oswald Chambers, reminding us, once again, to rely only upon our Constant One amidst the uncertainty of life. (See Asking for Prayer)

Thanks for all the “eating me out of house and home” stories! .

You have one more day to leave a response to this week’s Bible study, Perspective and Purpose.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

This has been a rough week personally – both mentally and emotionally – and I want to ask you simply to pray for me today. Please pray specifically with regard to my role as a missionary and my role as a mom. I am praying for peace and wisdom.

Psalm 77 has been my solace throughout the week. (more…)

We were in the middle of eating lunch and Max quietly stood up while grabbing his bowl off the dining room table. I could already tell where he was headed to, but I didn’t say anything to stop him from continuing his trek. I watched him walk into the kitchen – my smile growing bigger as he got closer. He stopped in front of the stove, unconsciously picked up the serving spoon sitting in the pan in which the macaroni and cheese had been prepared, and tried to scoop more into his bowl. All of a sudden, he looked inside and saw the reason for his failed attempt to get a second helping. There was no more left! (more…)

Tonight at our church, we had a “pastor appreciation” service. Pastor Eduardo and his wife, Lorena, have been such examples to both Max and me. Let me tell you a little bit about them:

Eduardo (35) and Lorena (33) are a young pastoral couple that began pastoring this church 2 years ago. They have four young children, 3 girls and 1 boy, ranging from 4-12 years of age. They live about seven houses down from the church – in the poorest area of this city. Eduardo works at a secular job downtown 40+ hours a week, Monday through Friday. Many nights, he arrives home about 8:00pm, eats dinner, and then goes to visit someone from the church/community or attends a church function.

On the way home tonight, I asked Max how much Eduardo receives as salary from his secular job. He replied, “Well, when he gets paid, he earns about $700 per month.” So that makes it about $8,400 a year (although he has not received that amount because his job is so unstable). At times, he has been offered other employment that would pay him significantly more, yet he has turned them down. Do you know why? He said he could not take those jobs because, if he did, they would demand even more time away from the work of the church. Do you know how much this man receives financially from the church? Nothing. No salary. The people cannot afford to pay a pastor. They can hardly pay utility bills and ministry expenses, let alone pay someone a salary. (more…)

Hebrews 11:24,25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…

Our Bible study group has been meeting since this past Tuesday and is going great! Thanks to all that have been sharing in the discussion so far.
[NOTE to SK subscribers: I just want to let you know that you will not receive any Bible study lessons by email. This is because the subscription program only sends out newly published posts, not pages(the table of contents at the top of this page). You will need to come and visit the site in order to see the updated Bible study material.]

So far, at our dream dinner buffet, we will be serving chicken fajita omelets, Philly cheesesteaks, whoopie pies, and Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese. For dessert, we will enjoy homemade ice cream and donuts. Do you want to add to our menu? Just add a comment by clicking here.

Remember, God is our Constant One!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

We were so excited as a family to see the sign for Dunkin’ Donuts™ as we were traveling downtown one day. Wow, a little taste of ‘home’! “Let’s go in and get a dozen to take home and enjoy!”

As we walked into the store, we all just stopped and savored the aroma we were smelling. “Oh, that smells sooooo good!” There were not quite as many flavor options as there are in the States, but that was just fine with us. All six sets of eyes began scanning the bins behind the counter.
“What kinds do they have?”
“Which one should I choose?”
“Do we have to wait until we get home to try one?”
“Daddy, Daddy, can I pick out two?”
“Mommy, can I get that kind? The one with the chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles on top?”

I began to smile as I thought, “It’s amazing what you take for granted until you don’t have it for awhile!” In the town we lived in before moving to Chile, there was a Dunkin’ Donuts™ right on the main street. Much too frequently, we would stop by and quickly grab a 1/2 dozen donuts or so, not thinking twice about it. However, after almost a year without that taste in our mouths, the tastebuds were beginning to salivate. (more…)

Things change.
People change.
Circumstances change.
Jobs change.
Feelings change.
Times change.

God never changes.

This song helps to remind me that God is my constant One. I pray that you are encouraged today as you remember that God is your constant One. (more…)

Our 8-week Bible study begins tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4th. I am looking forward to studying God’s word together as well as hearing all the discussion throughout each week. I want to encourage you to invite others to join us as well. In fact, one of our SK friends wrote to me and said,

I always get excited when my mail shows “Sincerely Kristin” in the mail box!! I sent the link to just about every woman in my address book. I love it, I can always read your words like I am hearing you speak. You share so from the heart that it inspires us to share also.

For information on the format of this online study, please click here.

‘See ya’ tomorrow!