The Adventure

"Brother, can you spare a dime?"

2012-02-09T17:40:00.001-06:00

If ever there was a time when I wished I could write my emotions accurately, it is now.

When I drive to the girls' school, I pass a beggar woman. She usually has a child asleep on her shoulder that looks about Violet's age and another girl hanging about who looks to be around 5 years old. They are filthy. No one has shoes. She looks blind in her left eye.

This past week I have given her the coins that are in the car. She always says thank you and smiles and then she asks for clothes. But today, I was the first in line at the red-light and I smiled at her to indicate I wanted to give. I cleaned out my coin purse & the loose change Greg keeps in the ashtray and held my arm out the window. She thanked me. Again with a grateful smile.

We started talking. Her name is Maria and the little one on her shoulder is Ruth. The one at her side is Tania and she introduced me to her son, but I can't remember his name. Maria has 6 kids. 3 boys & 3 girls. I told her how many I have and the light turned green.

Tears moistened my eyes as I drove away. It was such a brief encounter but so dynamic at the same time. I don't know how many drivers stop to look her in the eye and engage with her. I can't wait to spend time with Maria again. I'd like to go early and sit with her. She has a story. She has a purpose. She has a Savior.

Will you please pray for me as I struggle to speak her language and am learning to be sensitive to her culture? I will try to post a picture when I can. For now, I'm going through our closets.

TO BE CONTINUED...

My Case in Point

2012-01-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

I rapidly walked past the 5 drunks in the street as I entered the birth center this morning with Violet on my hip. If I look up, they approach me and ask for money or try to speak English to me.

Estela, my friend and monitrice at Casa Compasiva, told me this story morning:
She and her husband hired a contractor to do a job that was supposed to take a couple of months. He was going to be with them for the long-haul.
On Saturday, Estela´s husband opened up his Bible and shared the gospel with the contractor. He accepted Jesus. He believes! Praise God!

On Tuesday, he died.

He is now looking face to face with his Savior.

See? We are in a race for their souls!

Now, who´s going to do something about those drunks in the street? It isn´t safe for me to go alone. Greg or other men need to talk with them. Like I said, they are approachable.

On your mark... get set... GO!

"We are in a race for their souls!"

2012-01-17T13:15:00.004-06:00

As I looked over the photos of the shipwreck in Italy last night, I thanked God none of us were on it. Then I prayed for the people who lost loved ones and prayed for the (unlikely) lost survivors. I showed Jill the photos, told her of the mortality rate, and her response was, "Well, I hope that they were Christians."

I like the way she thinks. Her initial reaction was of the rejoicing in Heaven over the ones who are now seeing the face of their savior.

Like some, I viewed videos on CNN this morning and learned that the captain of the ship got on a lifeboat before the ship was cleared. He could face 15 years in prison if found guilty. There are 100 witnesses and it doesn't look good in his favor. But really, the guy was just trying to save himself. I'd be scared out of my wits, too.

So I keep thinking. When Jesus comes back, there will be wrecks all over the world because all that believe in Him ("For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16) will be taken up ("At that time the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Matthew 24: 30-31 ). But we are to pray for His return:
"This, then is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:9.

I don't want people to die. God doesn't want people to die all the more. No one knows the hour or the day in which Jesus will come back.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Matthew 24:36

My friend and fellow missionary, Jim Loker put it best:

"We are in a race for their souls!"

I can't help this feeling of urgency. Can you? People are dying! And I don't mean just physically. Their souls, the very ones Jesus died for, are suffering unnecessarily because they don't believe in Him.

What are you doing about it? Do you talk to people? Are you being salt & light?

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt looses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can not be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5: 13-16

Are you earnestly seeking His Kingdom?

Give them Jesus.

Posted by Jenny

Worshiping Together Seperately: Searching for a Mexican Home-Church

2012-01-08T09:41:00.000-06:00

One thing that is very important to us is to find a church. Since we are still learning the language, the sermon content isn't as important to us right now, but we do want a home-church where we can build community and the girls can grow & make quality friends. Although it is in Spanish, worship time is important, too.

Over the past 4 monthswe have visited 4 different churches. We keep praying as Greg and I ask each other each Sunday, "Which church do you want to do to today?" Our Mexican friends don't understand the concept of church-shopping. We aren't trying to be picky.

So as you gather to worship our King of kings today, please think of us. We would really like to find a church home, too. We can worship together separately our mighty God!

Gracias!

Great News!

2012-01-03T15:11:00.000-06:00

Yesterday at Casa Comapasiva, in walks Baby Iyari in the arms of her parents. She is a normal, healthy 4 month old baby girl now. They showed us her scar from where she had brain surgery. Iyari “talks”, plays, nurses and keeps an eye on her mama like any 4 month old would do. There is no evidence of her physiological jaundice. As I held her, I held in the tears. To think, this baby almost didn’t make it but for the powerful prayers of 4 churches and many, many people, she is here. Her parents are going to bring in a photo of her to share. I will post it when I get it. I promise.

Thank you for praying for her and for all of us who were involved in her care. God is GOOD.

They gave us each a gift.

4 Months

2011-12-30T06:00:00.002-06:00

We have been here in Oaxaca almost 4 months now. I so expected to be full on Spanish speaking, homeschooling, maintenance guy, ministerial extraordinaire. We are just now coming out of the break in stage of getting settled. It is now time to start our real work. Real work? Wow. If I am not able to homeschool 3 kids and play with a lil girl while just taking care of our house and getting settled in, what am I going to do when I really need to put in some hard days? Well, glad you asked! (See letter below). We are enrolling the bigs in a private Christian school: Oaxaca Christian School (OCS). They will be able to attend the last part of the year and experience school life. Doing this will allow Violet and I to tackle the hard stuff. Spanish is slow, little by little I have plenty of materials from my month of classes to keep me occupied; I just need to study more. I have done nothing at the birth center and am not looking forward to it. Why, You ask? It frustrates me to work without tools to do a job correctly. I know, I should be able to do so much with so little. We have a large remodel project coming up for 2012 to bring an area of the center to code with the Mexican health department so they will consider us a legitimate facility. We, the Casa, have received a small grant from out of Switzerland. The monies are designated for the facility. “yah buddy”! I hope tooling is included in there somewhere.

Yes, a work project is coming. I know a few of you that have expressed interest in such things.

Remember the tool inventory from last months newsletter?
It hasn't changed.

Ahh, nuestro camionetta...

2011-12-29T14:16:00.000-06:00

Ahh, our SUV,how wonderful you asked. We definitely need your prayers for provisions fortransmission repairs on our Ford Explorer. A band in the reverse gear cameapart and sent a piece of metal floating around in the gear box. This causeddamage to third gear clutches and a pump inside. After driving it around overChristmas at no more than 20 mph (service mode) I took it to Ford for anestimate. $4800 US dollars to replace with rebuild. Ouch! A mechanic frienddown the street recommended a transmission shop nearby. It is down there as wespeak the bill is up to $1300 US dollars for repairs. I visited today to seehow the patient was doing. As I made my way to the back of the dirt floor shop I could not help but wonder how they stuffed my suv in the corner it was in. Seeing the guts laid out in a large pan and the reston an operating table table I honestly did not think it was going to live. He assured me itwould be fine and held out his hand for $5000 pesos to pay for parts. I had dug into the FM3visa savings for these repairs earlier and I gladly handed it over.

Higher Education...

2011-12-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

Dear family & friends,

Over the past several months we have been praying about a Christian school in Oaxaca to enroll Jill, Natalie and Emily into. As you may know, we have been homeschooling themfor their entire academic learning their whole lives. But each of them have demonstrated aneagerness to attend classes and would like to try a half year to see if it is agood fit for each of them. We have foundOaxaca Christian School (OCS) where many of the other missionary kidsattend. This school also offers a solid christian foundation, many resources and Spanishclasses, so our girls will be able to learn the language faster.

OCS was designed for missionaries where both parents have a ministry and need to make sure their children have quality education. That's us! Our girls will go to school with other MK's who are experiencing the same culture transitions that they are; along with veteran MK's.

The unfortunate part is that we have not had a line item inour budget for their tuition costs. This year the fees are $1500 per student, peryear. About $2700 will cover tuition forall three for spring 2012 semester, which begins January 9^th. If they do well and we find that thisdecision has been a good one, they will continue next fall for the 2012-13 schoolyear maybe slightly higher. This will also depend on Gods provision for their tuitions and yourprayers. Praises to our God for provisions already for this spring 2012.

We are asking for sponsors for each of our girls (notViolet) for their tuition for fall 2012-spring 2013.

Will youplease pray and consider helping?

Thank you!

Greg , Jenny & girls

Where is my muse?

2011-12-27T22:15:00.000-06:00

Donde Esta?

It has been hard to want to sit down and blog lately, wellactually for the last four months. I have done exactly what I said I did notwant to do and forget about everyone who is interested in our lives, leavin emout in the cold, literally for all you who are in the mid of winter right now.I find myself coming up with excuse after excuse, “No one reads our blog”, “Poorme what a miserable day”, I am too tired”,“No one wants to hear about how hard it has been to adjust to life in anothercountry” and the list goes on and on. Seriously, life has been so up and down I wouldn’teven want to hear about it. I always wanted to be the one with all the greatand wonderful things going on in life. Not “That guy”, you know him, the onethat has one problem after another. You know the type, the one that you pretty muchhave to stop being friends with because he brings you down every time he’saround. Well maybe it’s not that bad, but it feels like it. However deep insideI know that my problems are small and insignificant compared to many othershere and around the world. It’s hard to pull my head out of my hole in the harddirt here and say to myself “It could be worse, a lot worse”. Does this happen to anyone else? It must.

On that note. It is time to keep the world informed on a daily basis, I'll see what I can do...

How bout some fotos?

Our view of the Oaxacan Valley from Monte Alban

L-R Natalie, Emily, Emily S, Jill.
Fiesta anyone?

I don't know why but this is one of my favorite views of our property

This young lady is almost 11

Emily and Kitty

We love her

Sunny days

Crazy days...

Building Community

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Directly across the street from our home is a home where the lady of the house has created a tiny bakery. She has a commercial oven and bakes about every Thursday. Her name is Paulina and she is just about one of the happiest people I've met. One day she stopped me and told me she was going to bake cookies for our girls. That next Thursday I saw her bakery door open and her 'breads for sale' sign was out. So I grabbed my pesos and headed over. Sure enough, among her breads & other goods she was pulling fresh chocolate chip cookies from the top oven. She placed them into a bag and gave them to us as a gift. We try to go get our fresh baked goods from her whenever we can.

The bakery & home from the street

Humble little, 1 room bakery
Open for business on Thursdays... usually

Fresh from the oven, Mexican sweet breads

Paulina in action

Paulina & her daughter
who has a little boy who is Violet's age

Prayer Shoes

2011-10-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

A few day before we left the US bound for Oaxaca, the elders & wives and church staff took us out to lunch. it was a cold afternoon but we enjoyed BBQ lunch in Redmond, Oregon.

One of the pastors is a former MK (missionary kid) and really pressed upon us how he understands what we would be encountering. It's nice to know that we have someone on our team who gets it.

At the end of the meal we gathered in a sunny spot so they could pray for us. Of course, our kids had their shoes off. Then, I did. Then someone else. Someone had even been wrapped in a Mexican blanket.

We held hands in a circle around our shoes praying to the One who started it all.

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross and rising again.

Dressers!

2011-10-22T16:09:00.001-05:00

Before

During

Oh the creativity!

Careful to get each edge

Serious business

Can be be any cuter?

Bubblegum Pink

I helping

Yep

Jenny being crafty. A rare sight!

Letting them dry

The final products!

Violet's is purple, yellow, pink & green

Emily's is pink

Natalie's is bright green

Jill's is blue

Their bedroom is much more colorful now and we finally unpacked the last suitcase as each child has her own space to put her clothes.

Today We Went to the Mountains

2011-10-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Our friends took us way up into the mountains to have lunch. It was a restaurant which has it's own fish hatchery.

Natalie & Darian

Corn Field

Stopping for a local drink of Tejate

Emily & Gaby enjoying Tejate

A Church on the way up the mountain

Natalie, Jill & Emily at the restaurant entrance

Jenny, Greg, Violet, Gabriel & Estela

Gregorio

Natalie eating trout

Gaby & Violet looking at a caged fox. They eat fox here.

Fish Hatchery

Trying to catch fish by hand

Estela & Jenny

Palms

Our new friends speak only Spanish so we got to practice a lot. It was a great day. Breaking bread together & cultivating new friendships!

Perspective

2011-09-13T11:55:00.000-05:00

At 12:15am I settled into my uncomfortable bed trying to get cozy and decided to be thankful I wasn't on the tile floor. Although I like it here in Oaxaca, it doesn't feel like home yet. I have to remind myself that it's only been 12 days. I yearn to make these (super nice) houses we live in, homes but we have to budget carefully. And that's okay. It really is. These piles of things that we have no place to put them is driving me crazy. I'm done with living out of a bin for my dresser and digging to the bottom to find my socks. We don't even have a couch.

And then something happened...

Last night we had a young couple at the birth center. It had taken them over an hour to get there and they had to take a public bus, packed with people, waiting to get to their stop to then walk to the birth center all while having contractions. Scared, they arrived. The trip cost them much of their money. They are a very meek couple who were extremely grateful to be with us. Since she needed help beyond what we could give her, we eventually had to take her to the hospital. I piled her humble parents & husband along with herself into my 2002 Ford Explorer and it seemed like an oxymoron. Here I am an American transporting very poor Mexicans to the hospital to bring forth life. Who's really poor here? I have roses in my garden but no purse to hold my car keys & we aren't even sure if this couple has electricity. Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

So, thank you to all you who are supporting us. Thank you to the mother who sends us $5 a month. To the dad who is quitting tobacco and sending us the money to be a good example to his children and to all the many, many prayer warriors out there who go before the throne of God on our behalf.

We are here. Watching the hummingbird's flitter, hearing the thunder roll, listening to the horns honk at all hours, thinking of you. We worship with you in Spirit from a far, hearts joined. Praise the Lord on high!

Love.

A Few Things to Say

2011-08-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

For the past week I keep thinking about things I want to blog about to tell you guys and now that I'm sitting here, my mind is blank, of course. But it's really my story of this past month. I'm forgetful and scatterbrained. There is just so much stuff to think about. So as to not waste your time, I will start with some blessings that have come along our way. Hopefully by then I will be on a blogging roll...

*****
I can't remember the last time I was told I love you by so many different people. Leaving the country for an extended period of time really gets folks thinking (myself included). And you know what? Love is really what it boils down to.

People have been generous with their time and gifts to us and our children. It's overwhelming and humbling.

The ladies at my Bible study are a constant rock of support. I know that they are praying for us and it helps!

The girls have been handling our future time of foreign transition pretty well. Praise God!

*****
Our cell phones will be disconnected tomorrow, Wednesday.

*****
We are often asked what we are most looking forward to when we move. The girls will tell you that they are looking forward to the plane right the most (I... am not). Greg is looking forward to setting up a home again. I can't wait to do the work God has called us to do there. We're all pretty excited.

*****
Lila (our partner in Oaxaca) has been bustin' her hump to find us a place to live. We have thought we have had a place several times only to be disappointed. So, when we arrive on Thursday we are going to stay at the Casa (the birth center). Prayerfully we will find a home within 2 weeks.

Sunday we go car shopping. please pray with us that we find one that suits us, is in our meager price range, isn't a lemon and... (clears throat)... isn't a mini van. Now that I wrote that, that is probably what we will end up with. Noooo!

*****
We would love to squeeze your neck one last time! Yep. That's right, I'm talking to YOU. We are scheduled to leave RDM at 5:45 AM on Thursday. If you'd like to come send us off, please join the ~~crowds~~, ~~all our fans~~, us at 5. After that we will be through security. If you are near PDX, stop by! We land at 6:30AM and depart at 8:30. We will see you at the security gate at 7:30. After that, we will be prepping to board.

*****
Thank you again to all our supporters both financial & prayer. We couldn't have done it without you. We consider you part of our team! You may have noticed that we are slowly changing from N5forHim to NFM. And that's because of all our team members. N70059874298415forHim is too long to say.

Blessings,
Jenny

I Smell Like Calone

2011-08-24T01:17:00.000-05:00

Sunday was Missions Sunday at our church. After hearing stories from the 3 mission trips that have returned in the past month, our pastor sent us off.

Heart-felt well wishes.

Prayers of security.

Deep sighs of goodbyes.

And many, many, many hugs.
Little friends, women & men. Each of our church family lined up to give us a squeeze. Walking to our car I noticed that I have a little bit of each person's scent on me. And a lot of love in my heart.

The Countdown Has Begun

2011-08-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

As we finish our last days here in the US and near our move to Mexico, we have much to do.

Our plans, subject to change are:
We are going to Medford to say goodbye to Greg's side of the family followed by a quick cousin camping trip at Fish Lake.

We come home for about a week regroup & pack.

Then we go to Portland to say goodbye to my side of the family.

We come back to Redmond, pack and fly out on Thursday, September 1st.

Of course we want to see friends before we go. Please contact us!

God is Good. It's just who He is.

I Had a Dream

2011-07-24T17:53:00.000-05:00

It is not secret that I am a vivid dreamer. Sweet dreams, scary dreams, dreams of nonsense and some of significance. Sometimes satan will sneak in and disturb my slumber. When I wake up (or sometimes in the actual dream) I speak the powerful name of Jesus and all is better. I like to picture the flood of angels who rush in to my defense. God is mighty!

The other night I woke from a dream that seemed very real. I was in a long hallway; a door at either end. I came from one door trying to get to the other. In that hallway was just satan and me. We were wrestling. I would gain a little and then he would come back at me trying to look scarier each time. With each of his attacks, I would speak, "Jesus" and satan backed down. I never felt scared. I knew that I had the power of Jesus with me.

I made it to the other door.

This spiritual warfare we are in... it's for real.

In dreams.
In school.
At home.
On the mission field.
At work.
At church.
At a restaurant.

This is the battleground. We are living in it.

BUT FEAR NOT! It is already won! Satan is defeated!

NFM video

2011-07-08T00:13:00.000-05:00

BUSTED!

2011-06-19T00:41:00.000-05:00

I can't think of a good way to open this post. I have been sitting here trying to think of something clever... or funny. But I can't sugar-coat it. (mmm, sugar) So here it is, I'm just going to lay it on the line.

I like where we're living. A lot. It is nice and the girls are having a ball. The trampoline. The horses. The 4-wheelers. Our weekly Friday night socials. I mean really, tonight I soaked in a claw-foot bathtub. It's fun. All of it.

But I have lost track of my Prize.

And God reminded me of it this week. (Ahhh, that gentle, loving nudge from our Holy Father.) I'm getting too comfortable here. If we continue on like this, we are going to run out of our small savings. This isn't where He wants us to live. It is a temporary dwelling while we raise funds. Let me say that again in case you missed it because, like I said, I lost track and maybe you did too: while. we. raise. funds.

Ouch.

I have to get back to work. I have to heed the advice of our many wise advisers and pick up the phone and call people and ask them for money.

It is actually easier for me to ask folks face-to-face than over the phone. A couple of weeks ago I asked two acquaintances I ran into at different times at Fred Meyer for support. It is that important.

So here I go. Refocused & forgiven. Onward with His mission!

Wanted- partners & investors for hidden treasure expedition!

2011-06-06T19:27:00.000-05:00

Mathew 13:44-45 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has to buy that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls and upon finding one pearl of great value he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A comment from the latest book Majestic Destiny by Curtis H. Tucker

“The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price teach us of the importance of the coming kingdom of Christ. The glorious kingdom is worth every sacrifice necessary to obtain it. While eternal salvation is a gift from God which we receive fully by faith alone the kingdom is something to be obtained by faithful stewardship and sacrifice. The action required, the sacrifices demanded, are of little in value in comparison to the value of the prize: the kingdom. Seek the kingdom and His righteousness. It is worth it!”

Wanted- partners & investors for hidden treasure expedition!

We are seeking treasure hunter partners/investors in our ministry and family. For this expedition the qualified candidates should be God fearing however we would never discriminate those who have a heart for the humanitarian aspect of this mission. Should have a sense for adventure and possess traits of integrity. We are seeking to make disciples of nations as stated in the great commission. We desire to provide a safe, loving experience in prenatal, labor, and post-partum phase.

This is the expedition we seek

Tres Generations

Our focus is the unreached people of Oaxaca Mexico. The plan is partnering with long time missionaries Ellie and Lila Quezada operating a birth center Casa Compasiva with the midwifery model of care. This is the conduit to present the gospel. Not only gently leading those to Christ but nurturing them through their relationship with Christ. We have already sold most everything we own so you don't have to. We want to give you the chance to be a part of it all for the kingdom.

Clues

Pronounced Wuh-hock-uh
The City of Oaxaca is located within the state of Oaxaca, Mexico 900 miles below the tip of Texas
The population is about 255,000
The Birthrate for Mexico 19.13 per 1000
The cesarean section surgery rate is nearly 50% The standards recommend not exceeding a maximum of 15%
The predominant language is Spanish but there are over 130 different dialects in state of Oaxaca
The predominant religion is 89% Roman Catholic, 47% attend church services weekly and many combine Catholic practices with native tradition.
Women giving birth within the government medical system are often subjected to trauma through complete isolation from friends and loved ones, racial prejudice, over-crowded conditions and highly invasive and often unnecessary obstetric practices.
Many thousands of people in Oaxaca remain isolated from medical care, and even those who have access to government-staffed clinics often receive inadequate services.

Casa staff with out Jenny

Casa Compasiva

At Casa Compasiva we will work to provide a safe, natural birth environment that is respectful of the Oaxacan people while utilizing essential midwifery and medical knowledge to provide quality care and to save lives. We will be doing our own set up and ongoing maintenance for this facility training individuals and hosting other short term teams. Your monthly support will provide a full time midwife (Jenny) and maintenance coordinator (Greg) to a much needed ministry in Oaxaca, Mexico.

About Us

Greg and Jenny Norris

Jill, Natalie, Emily, Violet

We started serving in the Latin mission field while living in Central Oregon. Greg is originally from Medford and Jenny from Portland. We began our lives together in Portland where we received our first blessing, Jill. We then moved to Redmond, Oregon there God blessed us with three more beautiful blessings, Natalie, Emily & Violet. He gave us a passion for people of Latin culture and strengthened our theology. For Jenny the Lord ignited a passion for natural maternal healthcare, inspired her to become a doula and later to be a midwife. In the midst of all that, He also softened both of our hearts for missions and would send us out to help fulfill the great commission. During a missionary furlough to our home church we viewed a slides showing two pregnant women, then two women holding just one child. They had to travel 2 days down river to birth at the nearest town only to return home with just one child. We traveled to Nicaragua year after year, from suburb pueblos of Managua to many 2 day dugout canoe trips up and down the Rio Coco, to reach Miskito indians in the jungle to show the love of Christ to His people.

Opportunities

Pray

For us and building of faith to rely on God and His provisions for the following years
That Casa Compasiva will meet the needs of the community it serves
For this mission to placed on the hearts of many in prayer and financial giving
For comfort of family and friends that we normally spend time with frequently
That the passion for our ministries in Oaxaca spread like a wild fire

Give

Monthly support for the Norris family
Promise Certificate
One-time gift to help wherever is needed

Serve

Fundraising
Short term medical team (coming soon)
Short term ministry team (coming soon)
Short term work team (coming soon)
Daily prayer for all ministries

One time gifts and monthly support should be sent to:

Redmond Community Church

237 NW 9th Street

Redmond, Oregon 97756

Make checks payable to

Redmond Community Church or RCC

Please note” n f m” on the memo line

If you would like your donation to fund a specific project please indicate that on the memo line as well.

Yes, This is the treasure we seek! Please join us, It's that important!

Love,

Greg and Jenny

Promise Certificate

I will take the road less traveled...

2011-05-06T11:32:00.000-05:00

Another fork in the road. Which way do we go? I Look over at my co-pilot for direction and a shrug of the shoulders is her safe response. So we look for signs, road signs. At first there is nothing and a feeling of being lost in a strange place starts to consume us from the inside out. "Give me something Lord, a guide and informational sign please". Patiently waiting they come into view, there’s one way up there and it gets closer and closer, a regulatory sign says to slow to 60km. Then a warning sign says, caution curves ahead; a marker sign says what route we are on,

a recreation and cultural attraction sign, "wow that looks interesting." All these signs and when you start putting them together they tell a wonderful story. For instance, how about the sign that says, "I'm gonna give you a heart for missions," says the Lord. What!? The 'Relocate' sign: Nicaragua 1,000,000 Miles. The 'Move Your Family to the Philippines' sign: Caution Abrupt Edge. Don't forget the 'Run a Guest Ranch/ Bed & Breakfast sign: Turn Around Ahead. What about the 'Work at a Granite Company in Sisters' sign: No Outlet?

Which brings us to the 'You are Hardcore Unemployable' sign: Stop. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. That’s a great sign! Couple that with your wife says, "I think something big is going to happen" sign. I think we might be on the right road!

Do you see the attraction to signs? They are the mile

markers in our lives. They help us stay on course and try to understand what God has planned for our lives.

So in the last few miles we have seen the 'Opportunity to Serve at a New Birth Center in Oaxaca, Mexico' sign. Then a 'You Guys Should Come Down Here and Check Out the Birth Center' sign: Attraction Ahead. Then when our tank was on empty the 'Last Chance For Gas' sign, we received some cash for Christmas and our pastor said that going down to Oaxaca sounded great and, "we will pay for one of your tickets, can you come up with some money for the other?". We just looked at each other in

amazement. We looked up to the horizon to see a Construction sign ahead that said, 'New

Smooth Pavement' and '3% Downgrade' until the next road sign. Once in Oaxaca, we met our soon to be new partners in missions and felt like we had known them forever. The days to come would be filled with the expectation that our lives would mesh and secretly hoping they would not have some strange legalistic doctrine or be hardcore weird misfits that God had placed in Mexico to get them away from the general population.

They turned out to be quite the opposite, uniquely placed where they are at, to what I would consider to be, the conduit to shine His light there in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. At the end of our visit we had decided that if it is His plan for us we would relocate to Oaxaca to reach the unreached.

The following months would prove to be a rocky road with no signs to warn us about the rough terrain ahead. Trials to strengthen our patience, perseverance, and our faith. Oh, the obstacles to overcome. We needed to formulate a plan, but we both had very different ideas on how to accomplish the goal. For years it has been up to me to provide for my family, to take care of things on my own. The things that I always thought would be shared in a marriage my wife really did not want any thing to do with. Finances,house remodeling, yard care, automotive servicing and naturally I had to assume the role as spiritual leader for our family which I was clearly not ready for. This is not a bad thing it just meant in these areas I would go at it alone. It was time to learn how to share the burden with God, seek wise council and let go of my material possessions. Until I did these things I was irritable depressed and was not pleasurable to associate with. So enough of that, you get the point. We will save it for a book or something down the road. The new signs to come would be support by our immediate families although they would rather see us stay here and may never fully understand why we will do what we do. We updated our contact list and sent out our first support letter. Our church elder board approved our decision and has taken on the role of sending us out under their umbrella. We did not know what to do with our pets in this process and have since found a wonderful country hone for our cat and our dog has past away. One of our cars sold days before our house that we have had on the market for almost 2 years finally closed. We sent out a follow-up letter and prayer card recently to encourage interaction with our friends and family. Our church men's bible study group has decided to mentor and help me through this time with wise council and prayer for our family to succeed. We just completed a successful sale of all the rest of our belongings that we did not need to live for the next few months while waiting for relocation. Each one of these things are road signs to help us along the way. We will keep on looking and praying for the encouraging ones and dealing with the undesirable ones. I will continue to post upcoming signs in the future and I think we are on the right course, wherever He may lead us...

Transition Update

2011-05-02T00:55:00.000-05:00

Hoooo lolly! Since we moved out of our home nearly 3 weeks ago now it has been a delightful whirlwind of generosity and blessing.

1. We went to Medford to visit family over the Easter holiday for 10 days. It had been nine whole months since we went there last and it felt so good to hug the necks of our family, to hear their voices and reconnect face to face.

The 2's. We came back to Greg's parents home with 2 immediate goals to fill: prepare for our Good Stuff Sale fundraiser and to find a more permanent place to reside. With God's great help, both goals were accomplished!
The sale was a wild success with generous donations and help from friends and the BBQ from the men's Bible study. Each person who made a purchase felt like they got a bargain and we were equally blessed. It was a win/win! Check our site here to view our financial progress. It is updated each Monday.
Greg's mentor & friend has a large home on 40 acres which will become vacant (and is partially furnished) this week. And, you guessed it, he offered it to us for at least 2 months. Yes! We will be move in by this weekend.

3. The girls are taking everything in stride. Homeschooling is progressing and that makes for some good stability.

Which leads me to number...
4. I talked to Lila today. She was on her way to pick up a doctor landing in OAX from Hood River, OR who is conducting a 3 day course on how to use our ultrasound machine at Casa Compasiva. I am delighted that there will be trained people who can now offer another service to the women we serve.
Last week there was a client of ours who's water broke in the middle of the night. Knowing there was no one at the birth center, she went to the health clinic to be seen. They wouldn't let her leave and she had to deliver with them. It was the THIRD mama/baby that this has happened to. Lila again expressed the great need for us to be there. More hands to be on-hand for laboring women!

5. God is so good to us.
I'm not going to expand on that because, well... He just is.

I'm Restless

2011-04-27T03:05:00.000-05:00

For most of my life I have had an interest in foreign missions but it has been only in the past 4 years that I have actually been able to participate. Over these years I have learned a few things (I'm so glad!). The one that really presses on me is that it is not my job to convince people to be involved in missions. Whatever the involvement, going on a short-term trip, helping with fund raising, financial supporting or prayer support, it's God's job, not mine to convince people to participate. This lesson didn't come quickly to me and I'm sure I bothered a many along the way of coming to realize this (ahem... this is my apology to you whom I have pressured into joining me on a trip *blush).

Being certified and trained as a doula and now as I step into being a midwife, encouraging people is what I do: "you are a good pusher", "your body was designed to have this baby", "I know it hurts but you can do this", "your wife is amazing at birth" are all phrases I use to help a mother through that wonderful journey in bringing her baby into the world. Now I find myself at a juxtaposition... how do I tell others about our mission and ask for support all the while keeping in mind that it's God's job and not mine to move their hearts to giving? Even though we will be living completely on the obedience and generosity of others for our daily living. I'm restless in waiting to get to Oaxaca & my midwifery partner there is waiting for me. This makes me want to beg for money all the more. Then God rushes in and reminds me; it's God's job, not mine. Delightfully, I give up the struggle I have with myself to take over His job, and turn it back to Him. He'll do a much better job at it than I would anyway.

Sunday I learned a song by Audrey Assad that really has hit home and has helped me:

Still my heart, hold me close

Let me hear a still small voice

Let it grow, let it rise

Into a shout, into a cry

And I am restless, I'm restless

'Till I rest in you, let me rest in You

And I'm restless, so restless

'Till I rest in You, 'till I rest in You

Oh God, let me rest in You

Jesus is the Prince of Peace so that is where I will rest. "Do Your stuff, oh my God. I will just rest in You and watch Your glory. I will pray for Your children here and those in Oaxaca. I will rest in You."

God knows just how badly we want to get to Mexico and he also knows how greatly we are needed there. In His timing, we will get there!

Why I Wore Ear Rings & a Necklace on Moving Day

2011-04-17T17:37:00.000-05:00

I'd like to say that I wore them to celebrate our long-awaited moving. But that's not why.

I'd like to say that I wore them because I knew I'd misplace my Bible and have to rely on the Word I have hidden in my heart until I found it (which I still haven't). But that's not why either.

I'd like to say that I wore them to help make myself feel pretty while I was nurturing two {TWO} children who were throwing up that moving morning and thus, on me, while I was packing. But that wasn't the reason.

I'd like to say it was to look a little nicer for the wonderful friends who unselfishingly showed up on our door step with their truck or trailer to load boxes for us. But, no. That wasn't why.

I'd like to say that I was trying to appear organized enough to be put together and hide the fact that I wouldn't be able to locate the homeschooling box to educate our children. Yeah... no.

I'd like to say the reason I wore ear rings & a necklace on moving day was because it was a little piece of girly-ness as we entered into ~~homelessness~~ the vagabond season of our mission. Nope.

The real reason I wore ear rings and a necklace on moving day was because as I went to pack up the last of our master bathroom...
they were sitting there.
Alone. Unpacked. Ready to be lost.

So I put them on.

Mothers Helping Mothers

2011-04-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

What do you give to the mother who has everything for Mother's Day? How about a donation in her name to help the birthing mothers of Oaxaca? A gift of any amount will help women who would otherwise be subject to traumatic care during labor & delivery of her baby to get compassionate, loving care in a safe, clean environment all while hearing the life-saving Gospel. Your gift will also help new mothers succeed in breastfeeding, get teaching about nutrition and much, much more. Each woman who comes to Casa Compasiva receives information about her pregnancy, is invited to our weekly Bible study and is prayed over.

To donate on behalf of your mother, grandmother, aunt, your children's mother,one of the mother's at La Casa or for a baby shower gift, click here. Your donation will help us get to Mexico to help these mother's and their babies. Together we can help each mother to have the best Mother's Day ever!

Who's desire is it anyway?

2011-03-06T16:08:00.000-06:00

Often the things that muse and inspire me to write are other people, their concerns, thoughts and feelings. I was inspired to respond to an e-mail recently, very similar to Jenny's last post. I thought that this would answer a bit of the "Where is Greg, what is he doing, whats he thinking taking those little girls to Mexico?". I am pleased to hear feedback from my side of the family, anyone for that matter, so long as it is genuine, from the heart and not selfishly demised from "Well we will just pray that they don't get funding and that they stay right here in the United States where it is all cozy wozy". We are grateful for all wise counsel and it is fully appreciated. We are seeking it from all. Yes- we know that it is His will and His timing. We have been experiencing this for sometime now, most notably the last four going on five years, of the desire and willingness to be long term foreign missionaries. We have witnessed His hand in every part of our lives. We have seen doors open and we have seen doors closed. From our first love, Nicaragua, to possibly relocating to the Philippines for midwifery school. From Running the B&B at Long Hollow Ranch in Sisters, Oregon, to promising jobs in the valley. In each and every one of the life changing opportunities that we have experienced we've prayed that it be His will and not our own. We also pray that He shut the door quickly so that we may discern His guidance and He has been faithful in doing so. We are fully prepared in the event that this move is not according to His plan or time. God has never failed our expectations of providing for our every need and I do not expect He will ever fail according to His plan for our lives. In trying to discern his plan for our lives we can pray, get to know Him through the study of His word, seek wise council and knock on doors. If those doors are opened, we walk through and we will keep going as long as it is clear. Oaxaca was not my first choice of all the places I would like to be a missionary but if God says to go I say, "Only if you are going with me Lord." The Mexico mission adventure is no different than any other opportunity except that there has been more clear and concise things happening in our lives to point us in this direction. If everyone that knows of this adventure prays for His will and not our own, amazing things are going to happen and you will all be a part of it. Thanks for listening, reading or whatever it is that is happening within your heart right now. Remember God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called. May you and yours be blessed fully beyond your imaginations... Greg

Thank You

2011-03-06T01:43:00.000-06:00

Thank you to you few folks who have voiced your opposition about us moving to Oaxaca. Some have chosen to ignore the whole situation altogether. It warms our hearts that you care enough for us to try to talk us out of it. We love you too!

Our decision was not made lightly. We didn't put on rose-colored glasses when we looked into this mission. We poured prayer over it individually as well as together. We contacted our pastor and he prayed. We went to him and our associate pastor after we returned home from our visit there and we each prayed. Our church's elder board is meeting this week to discuss it as well. God continues to open the doors and we walk through them as He leads. We feel that this is God's timing and doing. We thank Him that He trusts us enough to lead people to Him in this fashion. We continue to seek wise council.
1 Thessalonians 5: 21- "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;"

We are aware of the country and its problems we are relocating to. We are aware of the situations we can run into. We know that this won't be an extended vacation time in Mexico. I won't go into the fact that the US has the exact same problems that Mexico does. {sigh} We live is a fallen world.
Matthew 9:37 -"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few"

Sadly, we will miss birthdays, births, deaths, celebrations, weddings, holidays and good old extended family traditions by moving. Our girls will miss growing up with close cousins. It is bittersweet as we don't look forward to missing these events either. Hold on... I have to get the tears off my keyboard... Our adjustment period will take time as we settle into a routine and learn a second language and another culture as we maintain that delicate balance between the ministry that is family and ministry outside the home (mission work). As we disengage from life here and engage to life there, we won't forget whom we have left. That's where the homesickness we will feel will hopefully bind us closer together to the One who gave us our first breath. Jesus. Without your prayer support it will be harder.
2 Corinthians 6:16b- 'As God said: "I will live with them ans walk among them, and I will be their God, an they will be my people."'

As I was thinking about writing this blog tonight, I was serenaded my our 8 year old singing a song that just seems to fit.

Darrell Evans \ Trading My Sorrows

I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen!

Prep Work

2011-02-26T20:32:00.000-06:00

While we were in Mitla, Oaxaca, we stayed at the Wycliffe center. We had a complete 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. It was clean and fully furnished. We wanted for nothing. There were even laundry facilities there at the top of the hill on the other side of the property. I'm tellin' ya, the place was immaculate. Not a speck of dust to be found (which is saying a lot because Mitla is full of dust).

Then, one night coming home late, we saw a spider. Let me comfort you in knowing it was OUTSIDE, but on our screen door. I won't go into detail on how big it was or what species it was (to save my sister's stomach) but it wasn't a Daddy Long Leg. "Okay, okay, we are in Mexico after all.", I thought. No big deal. Greg shewed it away with a stick and it didn't fight. I was in a mosey-type mood.

So I check under the beds and put the baby to sleep still keeping my "no big deal attitude" close. Until I remembered that I left all the cloth diapers in the washer at the laundry. All of them. They had to go into the dryer that night as we were leaving early the next morning for The Casa.

Hesitantly I put on my shoes and grabbed my headlamp even though I wouldn't need it as the whole center is lighted to the hilt. It is like a little subdivision (a few missionaries live there full time and there is a weekly youth group that meets in one of the meeting halls).

I went out the front door... Listening intently to every. little. sound. There were none.

Then something caught my eye! GASP! What was that! (passing lit porch lights, trying to look calm) I saw it. It was... my shadow. Just take that in a minute, will you? I was frightened by my own shadow. Oh brother.
It was then that God reminded me that He has prepared me for this: "I took you safely into and out of the jungles of Nicaragua more than once. Surely I will protect you here in Mexico to ~~gather diapers~~ catch babies and spread My Word."

I love Jesus. I will follow where He leads me. Even to the laundry room.

Seismophobia

2011-02-25T14:18:00.000-06:00

Why God called us to serve Him in a rattly, unstable ground country is beyond me. This morning there was a 5.7 earthquake that shook parts of Oaxaca.

Earthquakes are a phobia of mine. As a matter of fact, I hate even talking about them.

Definitions of phobia on the Web:

an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations; "phobic disorder is a general term for all phobias"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
A phobia (from the φόβος, phóbos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear") is an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared stimulus. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobia

Needless to say, just typing this post is making me nervous. But in order to keep myself off a missionary pedestal, I must humble myself and ask you for your prayer. I get sweaty, paralized with fear and have a hard time sleeping when I'm in EQ territory. Satan, as you can imagine, uses this to his advantage.

From http://countrystudies.us/mexico/49.htm:
Situated atop three of the large tectonic plates that constitute the earth's surface, Mexico is one of the most seismologically active regions on earth. The motion of these plates causes earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Volcanoes I can live with. Those are cool. But jolting from slumber to God shaking your bed violently is not my idea of sweet dreams.

So there you go. I'm laying it out there. Thanks for your prayers, friends.

{sniff}

2011-02-14T13:21:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to lie. Moving is emotional. What? You already knew that? Well thanks for letting me know.

We are ever so thrilled that God has shown us this direction He has planned for our lives. But as we sit late into the night addressing envelopes to send each of you a letter detailing our plans, our minds begin to wander... We think of each of you. We pray for each of you. We think of memories and holidays we will miss by being in a different country. We will be starting new traditions and hoping for visitors from our homeland. (hint, hint) We will be learning a new language, new culture, meeting new friends an creating new family within the body of Christ.

We know He loves us with a deep current that can never stop flowing. We know that the Jesus who hung on that cross is still thinking of us even now for He knows the sorrow and joy of leaving His home and His Father to further His Kingdom. In this, we cling onto Him and press on.

As it gets harder to hold in the water works, I continue to pray for you. Loving you. From Central Oregon to Oaxaca, Praise His holy Name!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans for hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Avoiding the Word "Money"

2011-02-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

God never said that this life would be easy.

It is hard to leave our families.

It is hard to leave our friends.

It is hard to leave our church.

But...

It will be worth it!

We don't live to succeed here on Earth. It's not what we are called to do.

We know God wants us to tell others about Him. Because He loves everybody so much.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Right now I'm stuck as to where to begin. Our target move date is anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Meaning, we might leave as early as May or as late as August. Or earlier. Or later. However God directs. Our job is to be ready. How do I make us ready?? We have to be debt free (ooo... we are so close) and we need relocation funds and we also need monthly supporters lined up. For me, packing boxes and taking pictures off the walls is the easy part compared to writing that support letter. I've been putting it off. (Notice you haven't gotten one yet?) Thank you to those who have already offered your financial contribution. Thank you to each prayer warrior who has sent out prayers on our behalf.

As I attempt to tackle our letter I ask for your prayer and leave you with this:

I Will Follow

The words simply fit our family right now. Love to you each...

Official Announcement

2011-01-30T22:34:00.000-06:00

After much counsel and even more prayer, we have decided to answer the call of the Lord to serve full-time as missionaries in Mexico.

WE ARE MOVING TO OAXACA!!

The funny thing is that it's not news to anyone. Seriously. Everyone we tell is like, "We thought so!" It's like God has prepared the way or something. He's kind of amazing like that.

As you can imagine, this is a major decision. One that comes with major changes. We hope to stuff as much extended family (& friend!) time in as much as we can before we go. We need to decide what is going into storage (our really great bed) and what we are going to give away. We will pray with our children and answer their questions as they are excited and have many. We will rely totally on Jesus.

Our target move date is between 3 to 6 months. We will covet your prayers as we begin...

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:5

We thank the Lord for a safe trip. It is wonderful to be back together as a family. Everyone was well cared for. Violet is really practicing her walking and turns one on Tuesday. {gasp!}

Love you all...

The End is Near

2011-01-27T21:35:00.000-06:00

I have photos and a fun post to write and tell you all. But it'll have to wait. I just laid VERY sleepy Violet to bed and we are stuffing things back into suitcases for our 5:30 drive to the airport tomorrow morning.

As we travel back to the land of the free and the home of the brave, please be in prayer with us for:

Peacefulness between us
Swiftness through customs
Smooth flights (I HATE turbulence)
That our luggage arrives with us
That we can continue our mission of being servants of the One who sent us
God's protection

Thank you again to our family hosts, Ellie & Lila Quesada for welcoming us into their lives and for helping us with Violet when we struggled to manage working and parenting simultaneousnessly.

Onward and Upward ho!

Wednesday

2011-01-26T23:27:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of days my time has been spent meeting with the 2 doctors who are helping with Casa Compasiva Birth Center. We ironed out birth kits, protocol and learned from each other the birth differences between Mexico & the US. At 3 o'clock today we had our first potential client prenatal today. La Casa officially has it's first client! She is due in May and it is very exciting.
The birth room is set up upstairs. As much as we don't want it to happen, we do need to teach how to handle a possible transport to the hospital. We are pleased to announce that during rills, there were no causalities or fatalities!

From the bed to the stretcher

And out to the car

GREG on the other hand has been working up a sweat working on the electrical... still. Really, this guy is a machine. Except the detour he took to go to the dentist he has been non-stop. And speaking of detours, Greg took a detour from his electrical job to help fix the washing machine. Did you know that when the water hose on the back wiggles off that the entire laundry room, kitchen, stairs, entryway and front entrance patio flood? It does.

Let's make sure THAT doesn't happen again.

He moved the stove to the correct and today we had gas for it!

Violet continues to brighten everyone with her smile and energy. She misses her sisters and really likes seeing them on Skype.

First cookie

With Lydia, one of our assistants

Apple Dumplin'

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy

2011-01-23T21:04:00.000-06:00

The above verse is one of the 10 commandments from the book of Exodus in the Bible. God is very serious on making sure His kids get, and take, a break every week. Today we went to the market at the ruins. Very touristy, we had a good time relaxing. Greg bought me some totally cute flip flops and has had trouble finding any shoe that fits his American sized feet. Violet was along for the free ride.

They are uber comfy, too!

I also got one of these.

Bigfoot & papoose

Violet called the chicken a dog.

Now we settle in for another night's sleep.

Tomorrow it's back to work.

Midwife's House

2011-01-23T14:00:00.000-06:00

Friday afternoon we saw the house that is rented for us should we chose to move here. We aren't obligated to take it, but it would make our transition here easier as it is waiting for us.

Ellie in the courtyard just off the kitchen

The new hot water heater outside the kitchen door

The kitchen leading to the living room

Living room

The hallway that leads to 3 bedrooms and holds the bathroom sink

Bedroom 1

The entry complete with shrine alcove

The sidewalk in front

Greg in the front 'garden'

Frontal view

Everyone utilizes their roof tops here

The laundry room, complete with

cabinets

Across the street rooftop view

Another rooftop view

And yet another

This is a room just off the roof accessible via dizzying winding staircase

Rooftop room

Cistern

The first 3 days

2011-01-22T00:10:00.000-06:00

We are here in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico! Violet did tremendously well while we traveled and had our 6 hour layover in Houston, Texas. Loathing turbulence, Jenny prayed hard for smooth flights and God delivered us softly. Going through customs was a breeze and we were not searched not fined any duties for our items. Praise God!

Catching some Zzz's at the airport.

Sleepy head learning to sleep with noise.

Happy Traveler!

Meeting our hosts was like being reunited with friends. Ellie and Lila are wonderful. They brought us to their home at 10pm, fed us and then took us to the home they had arranged for us to stay at while we are here just down the road. The missionaries who live there are on furlough in Belize. But the next morning greeted us with no water in their tank so we are settled nicely just down the hill in a Wycliffe 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath house. We feel at home in this gated, clean community.

The architecture of our first house. Before we left, a hummingbird dined at the feeder.

Violet playing with the youngest two children of our hosts.

We are here to decide if God is indeed calling us to help start and run a birth center called Casa Compasiva (Compassion House). Here mothers and families will be treated with compassion during their prenatal, intrapartem (laboring) and postnatal care while being shown the love of Christ.

The first day we were here we recovered from our trip and allowed the baby to catch up on her sleep. Our second and third days have been full, however and it has been wonderful to be serving our King. Jenny has been teaching along with the certified professional licensed midwife (CPM, LM), Sherry, who is serving with us here from Montana and Lila has been translating. Jenny arrived for the last 2 days of the 7 day long doula training. (Here the term doula is not used like it is in the rest of the world. Here a doula is a midwifery assistant but the verbage for 'midwifery assistant' is too long in Spanish so 'doula' it is unless we can think of another term that is suitable.)

Learning how to take a BP.

Saving the leftovers

Violet is a welcome distraction at the birth center. Her job is to play!

Learning & teaching

Break time snack

Sherry pretending she is in labor for roll-playing during training

The legal driving age in Oaxaca is quite low.

Sherry relaxing in the sunlight after a full day of teaching

Thank you to everyone who donated supplies! It's a start.

Greg has a big job ahead of him to make the birth center up to date. Today he and Ellie and another missionary did wiring for the electrical of the house. Now we know what each light switch goes to and the down stairs switches don't bother the upstairs lights! Great job guys!

Mr. Maintenance Man

This group volunteered to help clean the birth center. Thank you for all your joyful help in washing the windows.

Funky chair at the birth center

The other missionaries here are great, too. It's like never meeting a stranger. We are in the minority with having the fewest children of 4. We haven't met anyone who has less than 7 kids. Most of them home school them, too. But we did tour OCS where we met other MK (missionary kids).

Getting ready for tacos. Did you know that Oaxaca is the culinary capital of Mexico?

Lila and Ellie, our hosts & friends

More to come in the days ahead. We feel your prayers and would appreciate more as we serve and make decisions. Please keep our girls in your prayers, too. We hear they are having a blast with family.

And Then Something Good Happened

2011-01-19T11:36:00.000-06:00

Well, several things, actually.

We have too many bags. Since this trip is to help start a birth center, we have books, scrubs, instruments, tools, not to mention our personal things. So we paid in advance to have an extra bag and upon arriving in Portland, had to add another one. At check-in, we were told that Violet actually DOES get to check a bag for free! (she doesn't have a paying seat but her tax payment covered the cost.) Praise God!

So with Violet on my hip while I'm pulling a ~~carry-on~~ personal item, Greg pulling our 2 carry-ons and has a full hiking backpack slung over his shoulder we are standing at the gate when Mr. Check-in says he can check one of our carry-ons in for free and it will meet us in Oaxaca. Another blessing!

The baby backpack so I can wear Violet that my girls got me for Christmas has proved invaluable.

We love you all and feel your prayers.

Something Bad Happened

2011-01-19T11:27:00.000-06:00

We are all packed up, loaded to the brim. We travel from Redmond to Portland to my sister's house bringing in only the minimalist amount of items into the house with us to ease the early morning commute: Violet's diapers, blanket and a change of clothes. After a yummy dinner and kissing the girls goodbye, we fell into bed.

We woke at 3 am for our flight and then... here's the bad part... we left our toothbrushes packed in our luggage!

So there is Greg UNpacking the car to find them.

Minty freshness!

John 14:3

2011-01-16T12:00:00.000-06:00

There is so much to say and so little time. Let me 'splain... no... there is too much. Let me sum up.

Greg and I were contacted to relocate to Oaxaca, Mexico to help start a birth center and midwifery training center. We fly out on Tuesday to meet the missionaries with whom we will be working, see our perspective new home and help set up. We will fellowship and pray together.

We have someone watching our house.

As you can imagine, we are all a-buzz planning and praying and packing. We have soaked in family time as the 3 eldest children aren't traveling with us this trip. Still, one little member has teared up with the idea of her parents being away from her for a few days even though she will have a blast with the people and activities lined up for her.

So we sat down together and had a heart to heart.

I taught her a verse I learned when I was her age:

"For if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself. That where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3

Jesus said this to His disciples before He was betrayed. They couldn't understand why they couldn't go with Him. I told her that we are going to do just that. We are going to prepare a place for her to bring her there with us. Now, I know I am not Jesus and that Oaxaca is not Heaven or the Kingdom; but in her 6 year old mind, her dad and I are right up there. She dried her eyes. God is good all the time.

As we are separated from half of our family, will you please be in prayer for us each?

Let us keep on running the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

A Lot on My Mind

2010-08-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

As I lay in bed finding sleep, many, many thought run through my mind. But missions stands out the most.
It's on our hearts.
It's in our blood.
It's what we are called to do.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

While we were in Nicaragua in November, we met a young missionary couple stationed there. Fifo and Ellen B. and I ended up in the cab of their truck on our way to the coast for some R & R. Naturally, we began talking and I learned all about them and how they individually went to Nicaragua, met and married all in 6 months time. I told them my heart of being a missionary-midwife.

In February our fourth child pushed her way into our lives. Violet Catherine has evened up our N5 team to make us N5 +1 for Him. We eventually will change our team name to something better. We are daily entertained by her and her ~~sisters~~ other mothers adore her. God is good to us to give us another blessing.

Greg is now employed! He has taken over for someone who is heading to Uganda in missions. See? Missions surround us even when we aren't trying. Solid Rock Granite is located in Sisters and if/when ever our house sells, we hope to move there to be closer to his work. We will still keep our lives here in Redmond. It's only 20 minutes.

Speaking of our house... We are on our 5th offer of our short-sale. Hopefully the bank will accept this one in a timely manner. The other 4 offers were pulled before the bank progressed. Offer #1 found a bigger house at a cheaper price. Offer #2 found out she has brain cancer. Offer #3 unexpectedly lost his job. Offer #4 pulled for family problems. With prayer, this offer won't cause demise for their family!
"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'" John 8:12

We are now on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=795652611&v=wall&story_fbid=137121442990472&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/pages/N5-1-for-Him-Missions/107706005950258?ref=ts

Many of you have asked about the midwifery school we had applied to in the Philippines last year. Through continued prayer and information and advice from graduates, it was revealed that the school was not for us. I have been continuing my studies through the traditional method of working directly with a midwife.

This leads me into more about missions. But you were expecting that, wren't you? Earlier this year Ellen contacted me saying she and Fifo are now working with an organization to help mothers and children of a village about an hour away form the Perkins and would I be interested in coming down to teach their midwives? Er... excuse me? Did you just ask me to do what my prayer has been for the past 4 years?! YES, YES, YES!!! Praise God! Thank you Jesus! I would like to go down in September to assess the learning curve of the midwives, do a small class and come home and fully prepare a curriculum, if you will, and lead a team. The immediate problem is that we STILL don't have Violet's birth certificate to apply for her passport. Please pray with us as we are actively working to secure these documents.

So when is this mission, you ask? What about Greg and the girls? Please allow me to reveal our next adventure:

Pools, Babies and Hand Puppets

Mission

Men: The Perkins need a pool. I know it sounds like a luxury. But when you have been in the field all day in 103 degree heat with 100% humidity, you need to cool off. Need! So, if you are hard working and like refreshment at the end of your project, contact Greg for more info about how you can help. The cost of this project is estimated at $10,000.

Ladies: Like to hold babies? Bring your willing arms to Nicaragua! We will visit the village with Ellen and provide love and support where needed. We possibly will go with Lisa and Kaia to The House of Hope where they serve women working to build a life off the streets. The cost is mostly for midwifery supplies and is estimated at $100 per person.

Kids: We will help the Perkins with their feeding program. The kids there really enjoy hand puppets! Grab your favorite and come feed some kids. It'll be lunch and a show. The cost of this is 2 hand puppets.

Others: If you are unable to travel but still want to be a part of this opportunity, here are some ideas for you: 1. We all need prayer. No one wants to go ahead of the Almighty. We wish to let this be all about Him and Him alone.
2. You can sponsor a missionary. If you have transferable air miles or if God leads you to financially donate, this is appreciated. Monies donated are tax deductible.
3. You can help facilitate a fundraiser. I have lots of ideas and you can help out by making any of them happen.

Details and Logistics: As you can see, this trip is really for the whole family. Our trip is planned for February. Dates are yet to be set. The price is subject to change but is roughly $1000 per person. This includes airfare, ground transportation, all meals, lodging at the Perkins in one of their new apartments. We will have a day of shopping. Please provide your own spending money. Passports are required, shots are not. Your commitment and airfare is due in October. We will pray for you as you pray about joining us.
"Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

From Central Oregon to Central America...

Praise His Holy Name!

-Jenny

Better Than a Hallelujah

2010-06-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

From the way back of the Suburban I hear her. It's Natalie, our 7 year old:

"You know, I really like sharing the Gospel with people who don't know."

My heart sings!

Postponed!

2010-06-09T14:54:00.000-05:00

The aforementioned mission has been postponed to February.

During the next 7 months we will be doing a lot of team building, group fundraising and prayer. This team is going to rock for Jesus!

This is a perfect time for you to pray about joining us. We have one whole family committed to going and two teachers lining up subs.

Lame excuses not to join us:

"I can't afford it."

Never fear! We will be fundraising collectively and will have a meeting on letter-writing for support.

"I don't have a passport."

Uh, yeah. You still have time.

"I can't take the time off."

Talk to God about that. He has 7 months to open your schedule. Will you let Him?

From Central Oregon to Central America, Praise His Holy Name!

Our Agenda

2010-06-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Subject to change:

July 4^th: Arrive J

5^th: Visit San Marcos

6^th: House of Hope

7^th: House of Hope @ La Quinta

8^th: Feeding program

9^th:

10^th: Shopping & rest

11^th: Depart L

{sigh}

2010-06-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

In a little more than a month, a team is scheduled to go to Nicaragua. Jill, Violent and I are a part of that team.

Hopefully.

We have yet to receive Baby's birth certificate and social security card and I can't apply for her passport without them. I spent a better part of the day making calls, being on hold and traveling into Bend trying to get her papers sorted out. Prayerfully I can get her passport applied for in 2 weeks... leaving 2 weeks for it to arrive. More money.

Please pray for the trip and the team. We all appreciate it.

A Little Story

2010-05-16T01:18:00.000-05:00

A short time ago, I heard of a story a pastor told during his sermon. It goes something like this:

A woman who had recently been baptised told two of her friends about her life changing experience. One of the friends wanted to hear more about this Jesus. She was excited. The other woman wasn't. "I work at Starbucks right across the street from a church. Sundays are the worst days to work. When the church-goers come in they are rude! And Christians are lousy tippers. I don't want to hear anything about how to become a Christian."

Ouch!

This is our mission field, folks. Every morning you wake up, you are on the mission field. To your family, to your spouse, to your children, to the gas attendant, to the barista, to the guy who took your turn at the 4-way intersection, to your boss, to the neighbor who's dog barks at all hours, to the social worker helping you sign-up for welfare... Each person you come in contact with is someone whom God loves. Someone Christ died on the cross for.

So go ahead. tip a little extravagantly. Say thank you. And as my friend Tim always says, "Give 'em Heaven!"

Mother/Daughter trip on the calendar!

2010-05-04T15:52:00.000-05:00

Ladies! This is your chance to Pamper Prostitutes. ( I bet you thought you'd never get to, huh?)

Lisa and Kaia Perkins have been ministering to the prostitutes at Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope) teaching them the vocational skill of jewelry making to help them get off the streets. The Casa ministers to over 300 women weekly. We will minister to just some of these women, mothers, and girls with pedicures, facials and a good hearty meal; showing the God's love for them. The women we will pamper long for connection with other women who live a life off the streets.

Logistics:
We will stay at the Perkins farm, La Quinta Beth-El. Everyone will have a bed in one of their new apartments. Hammock sleeping is optional.

Pricing includes: meals (if you haven't tasted their gourmet cooking, you are in for a treat!), ground transportation, flight, organization and apartment. All this for $1100 per person.

Travel dates are July 4th - 11th.

Passports are required, vaccinations are not.

If you are not a mother or have no daughter but would like to join us, we'd love to have you!
Please contact me directly for more information. We will have a meeting in the next week.

From Central Oregon to Central America... Praise His Holy Name!
-Jenny

Brotherly Kindness

2010-04-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

As I stood in the lobby, I watched the people surrounding me. Some were standing with others catching up on the weeks happenings and some were moving about to their next destination while simply nodding at their passers-by giving a friendly nod and a smile as if to say, "Hi! Good to see you." all in a single gesture, without stopping.

A gentle crash captured my attention. Two elderly men were standing near a table. One of them I could see had a handicap and the other, being slightly older, relied on a cane. The cane had fallen. They both reached for it. But the crippled man- quicker the his friend- bent down and said, "Let me get that for you." and handed him his cane.

I pondered this all day. He was not obligated to do this. He had a disability. Nor was he pressured by society. Or to impress someone watching- for he did not know I was doing so.
It was his reflex. His natural knee-jerk reaction. He simply wanted to help his neighbor.

Thank you for that life lesson, sir. You brought some more joy to my life in one. simple. act.

Nicaragua, what we do...

2009-12-07T08:35:00.000-06:00

The November 09 trip to Nicaragua turned out to be the first trip Jenny and I served together as a couple. We have been down individually several times and as a family of 5 once for a month. It was a pleasure serving with her in this way. The rest of our crew turned out to be father-son combination's. Someone commented that my son just was not old enough to come by him self so his mom brought him. That works for me. No we still do not know whether it is a boy or girl, its a baby a person a real life kicking and punching little person in there.

Rod and Jared

Ed and Eddie

Curtis, Carson and Cooper
(Kaia and Ellis Perkins in the green and pink)

On this trip for the most part our focus was to help construct the 2nd phase guest house, reach out to the local villages and love on, encourage and support our ministers that the Lord has put in place there.

Jenny's heart belongs to the young women and girls and would spend days caring for, ministering to and teaching them about the body that God gave them to treat like a temple in His name. She was able to get in a few good days this time.

On Monday, Jenny Lisa and Kaia spent time loving, beading and teaching them skills for life with a group of ladies young and old at The House of Hope. These know no other life than that of selling their own innocence to live and survive. Most just do it because their moms do it and their grandmother does it and so on. A generational selling.

On Friday, Jenny assisted Elisabeth Buzbee at La Chureca (the city dump); home to approximately 1500 people living and paying rent on a piece of land with tin and wood structures to shelter them from the elements, as if it would help.

In Nicaragua the socialistic medicine doesn't provide healthcare that is quality. Mothers may get an ultrasound, but receive no photos and never get to hear their baby's heart beat. Jenny was able to take down a doppler and women lined up to get a chance to listen to their unborn baby... beating away inside them. Smiles and questions soon followed. It was a bridge that opened a door to trust.

For the last couple of years the Perkins have been feeding and nourishing spiritually and nutritionally children under the age of 10 in the neighboring village of Monte Fresco. In that period of time we have supplied meals to about 90 children 3 times a week on a regular basis. Their prayers for the feeding program where that of "God is this what you want us to do here? Feed Little Kids?" Over time and through economic down turns the program has been reduced to about 30 children the most malnourished 1 time a week. However Gods plan revealed the seeking out of people (nationals) who are willing to make a difference in their community, the achievers, the critical thinkers. These are the people that will ultimately make changes in lives for the next generations. Melba a local woman with a heart for God has been given the opportunity through a training program with The Nehemiah Center. This center equips local training teams, who in turn teach local community leaders about disease prevention, nutrition, and agriculture, along with the basics of faith in Christ, Bible study, and outreach. These local leaders form a committee which reaches out to its neighbors while facilitating community education and evangelism. Staff work alongside these local leaders and community members, promoting the truth that even the poorest communities have valuable resources which can be put to work to change their situation.
The feeding program is now based at Melba's house, the cooking is done there, tables are in place to feed children with out food going back home to feed fathers and mothers etc. as would happen in the past. It is a place for these kids to come and be nourished physically, mentally and spiritually. Praise God!

Good job Michael and Lisa, keep up the faith and good works...

Worship and prayer

Beautiful smiles

Cooper & Melba's 2 week old daughter

Cooking Stove

More Prayer

Lisa showing Melba how to use Baby Bjourn

Christmas Dinner?

Cheers,
Greg

Nicaragua, where we go...

2009-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Masonry and steel work for next phase guest rooms

First phase guest rooms

Rancho, guest kitchen, dining and commons area

Perkins Residence

La Quinta Beth El

Los Cedros, Nicaragua

The Perkins Family have relocated to Los Cedros, Nicaragua. Their mission appropriately named The Mustard Seed Missions is ministering to the beautiful people of Nicaragua permanently. From here we are able to reach out to surrounding areas in His name.

Back in the saddle...

2009-12-04T12:17:00.001-06:00

When I would come home from adventures in the past whether it be a mission, or tropical vacation I would find my self slipping and sliding towards real depression. I would be confused for days. It does not help to live at a latitude that sports short days and uncomfortable coldness in the winter. It seems that we would always return from said adventures during those times. It has long been one of my goals to live life in a tropical climate. Some day when I reach that goal, I am still not sure if it will be every thing that I have dreamed about.
We have been back from Nicaragua 3 days. Yes I have found that every thing I left here, is in fact still here. Nobody dumped a ton a cash into the ole bank account, the suburban still needs new rubber, the ranch still has not produced a lease agreement, let alone financial books for for the guest services, I picked up at the food pantry today at church instead of the usual drop off, nor has B of A called and said “ Its ok why don’t you just live in your house for free a couple more years we wouldn't mind at all”. However God is good, He is always here, He knows our troubles, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." He will always do things for the good of those. Some times we just do not know what "the good of those" looks like. For instance I was uncertain of leaving on a missions trip in our financial situation at this time. We could not really come up with a good reason not to go; I had just finished our major project out at the ranch, my next tile job would not start for two weeks and He had provided all provisions but $700 at that time. God had indeed a short mission for us; to encourage our long term ministers he has put in place there now and to reveal to us areas in our lives that we are currently meditating upon. I am pretty confident that this is true and once again and have decided that I will just sit at His feet looking up to Him in anticipation of His instructions for my life. It has taken years to get to this point but it works, and it works well. I have found that He truly does carry the burden for me, it's still there but He has promised that we can be free from stress and anxiety and we can take that to the bank.
Cheers,
Greg

Nicaragua Here We Come!

2009-11-04T09:56:00.000-06:00

Greg and I have a wonderful opportunity to go serve in Nicaragua again! We got the call yesterday morning that airfare was down for a short time for a reasonable price.

The girls will be celebrating Thanksgiving with the extended Norris family. They are overjoyed to see their cousins and sleep in their Grandparents motor home.

While down there, our group of 10 will be building an apartment at La Quinta Beth-El for the Perkins. And I will also be taking my midwifery bag, naturally.

We still have some money in our mission fund but we need your help too, of course. We leave on November 23rd and need a mere $600 to complete the funding for Greg and Jenny.

$600. That's it! Can you help us with this? We have 3 weeks before we depart. That's just 6 people offering $100. Or 12 at $50...

Tax deductible donations can be sent directly to:

Redmond Community Church

237 NW 9th Street

Redmond, Oregon 97756

BE SURE TO WRITE N5 FOR HIM MISSIONS ON THE MEMO LINE!!

We love to hear positive comments from you- whether here on our blog or by phone or by letter. We are blessed to be able to serve out of our country again. Thank you for your prayer support. We don't know when we will get another chance like this...

you know you are a missionary when...

2009-10-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

You are frantically searching the crevices of your car for your child's AWANA dues and keep finding coins from other countries.

faith

2009-09-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

Noah surrendered his life to build something that, to his inner perspective, seemed foolish. His life was spared, blessed and praised because of his obedience.

Greg and I have been praying about our, hopeful, mission to the Philippines. Our application is in and we have been contacted for a face-to-face interview. We are excited.

But there was this nagging...

I was wondering how I could nurture a newborn while at the clinic and classes and so was Greg. Then one day he said to me, "You know, I just don't think I can do the Philippines with an infant."

Wow. He said it. Out loud. Selfishly I immediately wanted to say "Sure you can!" but God pulled on me and I kept my mouth shut. I'm glad I did. After all, I couldn't do it either...

So, we contacted the director and told her our thoughts. We want to think healthy and realistically:

We still feel called to attend NewLife.

We are still praying that we are accepted.

We just have to wait a year.

So, we asked them if they would still be willing to proceed with our application with the understanding that we will go in 2011. They said yes. The process is still underway...

Aside from the new baby, we need to begin fundraising. This is a HUGE undertaking for a family of 6. We can't start until we know we are accepted. So we wait to learn if we are going.

The good thing is that we are not disheartened. We feel a great Peace and are comfortable where God is leading us.

It took Noah 120 years to build that ark. So I guess another year for us is nothing, right?

Keep us in your prayers. Please leave us a comment. We are very grateful that Newlife is extending this to us.

sacrifice

2009-09-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

This morning as I bring my offering to You, I recognize that You are watching. You are watching my heart. It's not the amount I give, it's the affection that moves you. So give me the grace to give my whole heart to You. As I give, give me the grace to be an extravagant giver.

Lessons from Mary

2009-09-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

It's amazing that when someone mentions 'Mary' we, who know the Bible, know just which Mary we are talking about.

Mary.

A plain name.

A Woman from a plain place.

An amazing heart.

Julie wrote about this on her blog and I just couldn't resist. While we wait to her from Mercy Maternity, this is what I hide in my heart (beside the "oh please, oh please, oh please accept us" prayer).

1) she went to the feet of Jesus for instruction-
Even though her sister Martha was busy making dinner, Mary knew where she should be.

Greg and I couldn't do anything with out His instruction. We seek Biblical and wise council on major decisions. But when it all comes down to it, we end up on our knees and talk.

2) she went to the feet of Jesus for comfort-
When her brother Lazarus died. Jesus wept! (even though He was to bring him back to life)

What if we don't get in? What if we actually do? Where will all the money come from. Oh wait. We have to BE STILL. Thanks Jesus. What would we do without you, our Great Comforter? And really, what do people do without you? I can't even imagine...

3) she went to the feet of Jesus for worship-
She poured expensive perfume over his feet (she gave her best to Him)

Jesus. Great and Might is He. Thank you for you are Majestic! Thank you that we can come to You! You are to be praised for eternity!

Until next time,

Jenny & Co.

The waiting is the hardest part

2009-09-09T23:11:00.001-05:00

Have you ever hoped for something so much that you just couldn't contain yourself? Every hour or more I check my e-mail waiting to hear back from Mercy Maternity. It is a good reminder for me to keep praying and leaning on Him. Like hunger pains are to fasting, so my eagerness is to patience.

The other night I had a dream that we were in the Philippines. It was hot, there were bugs and we were right where God called us to be. It was a great dream!

If you would keep us in your prayers, we would really appreciate it. Pray for a quick response from the school. Pray that fundraising will go well, when we do. Pray that Greg and I will continue to have a STRONG marriage that grows stronger. Please pray for the director and her husband, Matt & Krystina to follow what God is telling them, too.

We love to hear from you. Please leave a comment letting us know you stopped by.

Blessings,

Jenny & Co.

Honored

2009-09-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

I met her on a clinic day. I bent down and asked, "?Como se llama?" ("What is your name?").

Her mother spoke for her saying her name is Jennifer. Hey! That's MY name, too! We formed a bond. Her mother couldn't take her eyes off me the rest of the visit.

The evening before we left for SumaPipi, Jennifer's mother sought me out amongst the kids packing around the porch of the bodega where I was sitting. She asked me to be Jennifer's God mother!
Honored, I told her I would pray about it and let her know in 2 days when we got back. I spent those two day in prayer and asking the residents what being a godmother in Nicaragua entails. What are my expectations are.

Upon returning, I heard the translator calling through the crowd: "Where is Jennifer's mother?" She was looking for me.
Jennifer was freshly washed and pressed. She smelled of coconut oil and had curls in her hair (I still have no idea how she did it). Jennifer handed me a plastic box full of freshly baked corn bread. It was delicious. I shared it with the rest of the team as Jennifer sat the rest of the evening on my lap.

Apparently I had agreed to be this sweet, poverty stricken, parasite infested girls godmother.

I hugged her and kissed her goodbye. It'll be at least a year before I see her again.

I still pray for Jennifer.
7 months later another team went down (I'm not able to go up the river for my pregnancy) and there was Jennifer looking for me all dolled up again. Michael Folsom took this photo for me. Thanks Michael. She looks great.

please note

2009-09-06T00:13:00.001-05:00

On the right side of your blog are two other blogs of folks we have been following and been in touch with who are currently serving in the Philippines. Feel free to read and be blessed by their adventures as we have been. There they are able to share with us a lot on the daily life of missionary-midwives and their families.

The Germain Gang

The Adventures of Tim and Bethany

Until later,
Jenny & Co.

no news

2009-09-04T10:57:00.001-05:00

The Philippines has received our application. We don't know if we are accepted or when we will know.

Patiently & excitedly waiting,

Jenny & Co.

today is the day

2009-09-01T18:02:00.000-05:00

I submitted our application to NISM/Mercy Maternity.

Now we wait.

7 days and counting...

2009-08-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

In 7 short days, we will be sending in our application to Mercy Maternity in the Philippines.

We ask that you take this week to pray with us. Not out of selfish fears. Not for what the world says is secure. But for His Kingdom to come. For us to live out the freedom He gave us on the cross.

We truly desire to follow the Lord. Wherever He leads us.

We'll let you know the response we get when we know...

God bless,
The N5 Team

progress

2009-07-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

Jenny applied for the Fall 2010 semester for New Life/ Mercy Maternity. After sending in the application, we got a message that NISM (Newlife International School of Midwifery) will review for that semester in January. We asked if they ever review them earlier for families (like us of soon to be 6). They said yes! We will resubmit in September for review and, prayerfully, acceptance.

Our house will officially be on the market tomorrow, pending paperwork.

We already have a couple who have asked to support us. We are quite excited... we love seeing how God shines His glory.

We leave you with this:

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Oh the excitement of seeing what God will do!

2009-07-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

If you haven't viewed out website lately, please do here! There is another blog there.

There has been a lot of mission orientated prayer around the N5 lately. We feel God pulling Jenny directly into midwifery and she needs training to become a full-blown midwife. So we hit our knees first, the Internet second. With fervent prayer and active looking, God directed us to exactly what we had been praying for.

Mercy Maternity offers women and families the opportunity to "Earn a degree in midwifery while serving on the mission field" and since we want to be in full time ministry during training and we are able to do this through Mercy while being enrolled at Newlife International School of Midwifery. It is "A Christian Mission-Based School For Direct Entry Midwife Students". There are no other midwifery training programs that are Christian based or that offer women the opportunity to serve while learning.

If accepted we will be gone for two years in the Philippines. We would leave in early June 2010. We have applied and are requesting early approval in September.

Here are our prayer requests:

1. That we are accepted

2. That we will continue to have spiritual and emotional support

3. That we will be able to raise all of our funds. We will need on-going as well as 1-time gifts

4. That we will be able to sell our house promptly. It's going on the market today

Please pray with us. This is an amazing adventure that we are overjoyed about. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16b

Please feel free to leave a comment or to call us directly. We love to hear from you!

Big News!

2009-06-10T13:14:00.001-05:00

In February we will be adding another member to our team! That's right... we will soon be N6 for Him.

We are super excited about having a baby. Jenny won't be able to go up the Río Coco in August and January with the teams; but it's a small price to pay for a great reward of a new little life to love and teach! Am I right? Of course!

Thank you for helping us welcome this blessing!

We have a new website!

2009-05-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

Here Greg and I are taking a break at the butterfly garden in St. Maarten, Caribbean Islands.

Please stop by often at www.n5forhim.com as we will fill in our calendar and update you on our ministry interests and happenings.

Of course, you can always read about our adventures and stories here on our blog.

some more photos of the last trip

2009-04-11T00:40:00.000-05:00

Look at the size of that organic carrot!This is where we put in on the Rio Coco.
Always a welcome sight after a 5 to 8 hour truck ride: "Welcome to Wiwili".

...especially after having to fight traffic.

I took this because I like the "artistry" of it. It reads: Bathrooms.

Okay, this sign cracks me up. It's at our first stop on the way to Wiwili. This sign basically says: Do not pee in the garden. Keep it looking nice for other people. The funny part? It is IN FRONT of the bathroom door. Thus, for those who can not wait for their turn in line and really have to go. Apparently the garden is a pleasant spot to pee.

Women's Retreat

2009-04-10T00:35:00.000-05:00

If you are a woman, I encourage you to join us at RCC on May 1st and 2nd. We are having a conference and the price is a mere $10.

The theme is JOY! Doesn't that just lighten your heart right up?

Jenny has been asked to speak at a round table discussion on serving. Her journey into serving the Lord and how you can too.

Registration is easy. Just leave a comment and I'll get the information to you. Okay... you can also contact the church: www.redmondcc.org

See you there, ladies!

no post does not mean there is no adventure

2009-03-29T02:26:00.001-05:00

Greetings everyone! Please forgive the gap in postings.

There has been a pull in my heart lately to go back to Nicaragua. Presently I am praying to see if it's His true calling. I don't want my desire to get in the way! There is a team traveling to Walakitang in September and I have been welcomed to join them. It is with the Open Hearts missionaries (the Buzbee's).

Will you pray with me?

strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord

2009-02-05T18:59:00.000-06:00

After we had done 4 clinic days and traveled to and from Suma Pipi, we were able to rest and clean up. Several of us were excited to hike to the swimming hole.

The swimming hole is a 45 minute hike above the village of Walakitang into the jungle. We walk over a felled tree and conquer many a muddy slope. I foolishly did it again in Crocs. Silly me. I KNOW better!

We had a great time swimming in the natural pool. Swinging from vines and playing in the falls. It was a great reward.

After we had cooled off, the rain forest came down with, what else, rain. Beautiful, sweet, God-given rain. We gathered our things for the wet hike back to our shanty.

Covered with mud after several slides down muddy slopes, holding my Crocs (so, I was barefoot), I had another hill to climb. Luckily I was still in good spirits but tired. Bracing myself halfway, I said out loud "The joy of the Lord is my strength!"

God IS Joy. It's who He is. Therefore, I can and will find my strength in HIM!

I got up the hill.

(Photos to follow)

it was actually a bonding time for me

2009-01-31T22:53:00.000-06:00

As you may have learned, several of us got sick on this trip. To dispel the rumor, it was only a handful of us - not the whole team.

I was one of the sick ones. And you know what? I don't feel the slightest bit negative about it at all. And I'll tell you why:

1. I got to see God work.
Satan would love to see me fail and give up. He wants to squelch my desire to serve the Lord. The night I got sick, the team gathered around my hammock (and Kaia's too) and laid hands on us and prayed. It was a time to lift sisters in Christ up before the Holy Healer. God was using this as something for good. Romans 8:28 teaches us "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him , who have been called according to His purpose."

2. It gave the sister-women around me a time to serve.
The next morning I needed help to get myself together. The women went into action. They made sure that my needs were met and I never had to ask for a thing. Even my hammock was put away for me. I have yet to find the words to express my deep love and gratitude for them and their help. Thank you.

3. It drew me into the Lord's presence.
I prayed and prayed that night. Just God and me. Lying in that hammock suspended in a shanty/kitchen, miles from home... I knew I wasn't alone. He was holding me.

I won't back down.

laughter is the best medicine

2009-01-30T19:06:00.000-06:00

During every trip there is a night where we as a team CRACK UP while we are all nestled into our hammocks late at night. There is even a place along the Rio that we dubbed "The Laughing Village" because we laughed at everything and nothing there once for 45 solid minutes. Something random strikes a chord with all of us that we can't stop giggling.

Sometimes it comes after a hard day. Sometimes out of the blue.

This trip was no exception. I actually prayed for it again this year. God delivered.

It was our first night in Sumapipi and there was a double feature being projected from the laptop onto a white sheet that was duct-taped between two bamboo poles cut for the purpose. The generator was roaring. Finding Nemo & Journey to the Center of the Earth ended late.

After the AV guys packed everything up, we brushed our teeth and jumped into our hammocks (some of us quite literally, had to jump).

I'm not sure how it got started but the chuckle-fest was centered around Brinson Buzbee quoting a stand-up comic on his sketch about Hot Pockets.

Now, Hot Pockets aren't necessarily funny in and of themselves. But when you are in a remote part of the world, living for God with all your strength and surviving chiggers and risking snake bites -Hot Pockets are a riot.

"Introducing the vegetation Hot Pocket. For those who don't want meat, but still want diarrhea."

The laughing time is always a team-builder. Laughter is something we all do very well. A God-given endowment that I am truly thankful for.

I wonder what next year's topic will be...

some photos

2009-01-28T19:01:00.001-06:00

such a beautiful country

2009-01-26T23:21:00.000-06:00

poem

2009-01-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

I saw an iguana swimming in the river
I saw six caymen
I saw fireflies lighting up the riverbank
I saw brotherly love
I saw sisterhood bonding
I saw miracles happen
I saw worship from the heart
I saw team-mates face their fears
I saw God glorified

I heard praises sung
I heard prayer in three different languages
I heard the sound of mud
I heard satan rebuked
I heard heartfelt thanks
I heard love spoken
I heard my family's voice 2000 miles away
I heard the sounds of the jungle come alive
I heard the Mighty come softly
I heard Scripture

I spoke the Truth
I practiced Patience
I felt Love
I trusted Christ

My life is to experience God with all my senses. I want to see Him, feel Him, hear Him, taste Him, speak Him and know Him.
God is speaking to my heart, can you hear him speaking to yours?
Please tell us how God is working in YOUR life.

the final pack-up

2009-01-23T18:17:00.000-06:00

Tonight we pack up for the last time. It's bittersweet.

When we landed in Managua 2 weeks ago, I couldn't help but singing "This is Home". And today Marilyn asked Dr. Randy how it feels for him to be here for the 4th time. He said the same thing: "You know, it feels more like home the more we come. It isn't so much a forein country anymore."

We are all really missing our families very much and that's the pull homeward. To touch, see and hear and feel our own people. To nuzzle children's love and sleep in our own beds. This is home too.

So with hearts filled and bags packed, we kiss our hosts who are now more like brothers and sisters here in the Perkins and head off to our American-based families. Pray for our final leg of the journey and keep the Perkins in your prayers. We'll see you on Saturday night.

-The Rio Coco Medical Mission Team

work hard. pray harder. live it up!

2009-01-22T17:29:00.000-06:00

At dawn I could hear the slap of bacon hit the pan.
Tssss....

But it wasn't untul after sunrise that I actually got off my cot.

We headed to Reyes Norte to do our final clinic. Fewer people in this village and we were done in only 3 hours today.

We prayed with the local church and sang a worship song together in Spanish.
Beautiful.

After we packed up and got home we dawned our swimwear. Following a paver road built by the Sandinistas and turing onto a dirt road and beyond the sugar cane fields we arrive to the Pacific paradise of Monte Le Mar. We played for a couple of hours in the warm ocean and relaxed in the Buzbee's rancho.

Like I said, work hard, pray harder and live it up!

roosters and cows and pigs, oh my!

2009-01-21T19:37:00.000-06:00

I spent the night on the porch of Pastor Victor's home; hanging from the rafters and posts that hold up the roof. Across the "street" is the bodega that serves as our dressing room/ meeting house/ storage. Suspended there are 3 other team members sleeping.

Waking before sunrise I peek over the mosquito netting of my very uncomfortable hammock. There are 10 cows resting between the two shacks. Two cows are actually nosing their way into the neighbor's front door.

The night's rest was wakeful at times. The local pigs jockyed for position directly underneith my hammock. All. Night. Long. Did you know that pigs have like 150 different grunts and squeals? It's true.

Roosters don't only crow at dawn. They begin their loud cock-a-doodle-dooing at around 11pm or when the village sighs it's final yawn of the day. They are like boys in a belching contest. One will start and it's like a challenge for the others to beat him with a louder crow. Again. All. Night. Long. After a night of that, the jokes begin about wanting to eat rooster for dinner. But they aren't really jokes. We really would if the oppertunity presented it's self for a peacful night sleep.

Now the pigs we really do eat.

Hello from Managua!

2009-01-21T07:42:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for your prayers! We are back at La Quinta Beth-El (the Perkins place) just outside of Managua in Los Cedros.

There are many, many blessings to tell you and I will try to do so as the days go by. I can tell you that one of the highlights of this trip for me was when a small handful of us literally blazed a new trail in the thick of the jungle. Just as the sun was setting, we had to head back to Suma Pipi dor safety as the night creatures were waking up. We were looking for the spring that provides fresh water to the village. We walked 2 miles. It was AMAZING to see just a tiny bit of the wonderfulness God has created; knowing that only a handful of people in the world would ever get to see it.

Everyone who was sick is now healthy. PRAISE GOD for antibiotics and Imodium.

We are resting today and I hope to sneak away and go visit my friends at La Quinta Allyson apartments where we stayed when then entire N5 family-team stayed here a month.

Tomorrow we are doing yet another clinic in Reys Norte. Please pray for that and that we have enough of the right medicine.

Still joyfully serving,
Jenny

More prayer...

2009-01-17T21:39:00.000-06:00

The group will be arriving in Managua on Tuesday. Michael asked specifically for prayer for endurance..the trip has been a little tough with some team members getting sick. Luckily, they have a first rate doctor with them and plenty of meds...Dr. Visser is not only helping the locals, but the team as well.

Latest update from the Rio

2009-01-17T15:44:00.000-06:00

As of Friday evening they are now in Somo Pipi which is north of Walakitang along the Honduran border. Michael reported that everyone was doing great, and they all are happy to be in Somo Pipi where the villagers had built them a nice home and kitchen to use during their stay. The last time they had visited this village, they were busy evacuating the people from their homes because of a massive flood which forced them to seek much higher ground. I am happy to report that their stay so far has been uneventful compared to last year.

They are making great time travelling and are finishing the work that God has for them on this trip. They will stay in Somo Pipi for a few nights and will head to Walakitang on Sunday to start their journey back to Managua early Monday morning. We are coordinating their pick up for Tuesday afternoon, and they will hopefully arrive in Managua that evening where running water, hot showers, fresh vegetables and freshly baked chocolate chips cookies (we hope...) will be waiting for them...I also listened to a message from Jenny friday evening, singing happy birthday to Natalie and she sounds very content, go figure.

Update 2009

2009-01-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

Just a short note to let you all know that the team is getting ready to start the next phase of their journey in the comforts or two dugout canoes.

They left Monday morning very early (4 am, 2 am Oregon time) after a long day of traveling from the United States to Nicaragua. Due to the recent rain in the north, they were able to depart from Wiwili. They will have traveled all of Monday and a good part of Tuesday before arriving in Walakitang sometime in the afternoon.

Here are the names of the team so you may cover them personally with your prayers:

Randy and Terri Visser
Jen Owens
Jenny Norris
Marilyn Watkins
Ryan Mackenzie
Dakota Nicholson
Brinson Buzbee
Michael Folsom
Susanna Sheats
Byron Crawford
Kaia Perkins
Michael Perkins

Thank you all for your prayers for this group. As I hear news from the river, I will pass it along to you.

Please also pray for a group of 25 pastors who will be leaving from the Rio Coco to attend a pastoral conference on the east coast. The group has blessed the pastors by providing for their passage and some food.
Wednesday morning Michael called, they are now in the village of Walakitang. They had made great time, and arrived Tuesday afternoon. I am sure they started with the medical clinics. Everyone was doing well, although there may be some on the group who are not feeling very well. Please continue to pray for their health, safety and the wonderful work they are doing on the Rio Coco. They are sharing the love of Christ with so many along the river.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch Thing are faring well although trying weld two totally different schedules together has been challenging this time. Every thing is go, go, go, I am hoping for a slowdown this weekend

Thank you again for your support and prayers!!!
Greg, Jill, Natalie, and Emily

we're here!

2009-01-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

Flights were uneventful.

Baggage was kept together.

Leave for the river at 4am Monday morning (2am Oregon time)

DEPARTURE DAY!

2009-01-10T11:02:00.000-06:00

THIS is the day that the LORD has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Please feel free to leave comments to the team directly on this site. It's easy. None of us will see out e-mail for 2 weeks now.

We love you all and God loves you more! Stay tuned to see what God is going to do....

And as always...

FROM CENTRAL OREGON TO CENTRAL AMERICA... PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!

tying up last minute details

2009-01-09T14:01:00.000-06:00

We fly out from PDX tomorrow. We are meeting there at 9pm and today is the final prep day while still on American soil.

Today we will:
Clip our nails, remove wedding rings (In case of snake bite- swelling), finalize packing and run any left over errands, photo copy our passports and spend quality time with our loved ones.

And speaking of loved ones, I have had such a great our-pouring of love from so many people this week... from my church, friends, colleagues and family. It is so nice to know that one is loved.

I will TRY to update this blog while in Nicaragua. Please feel free to click the "subscribe" button there on the right and a notice will be e-mailed to you if and when I do.

So, I leave you with these two verses. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Revelation 5:9b ...and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

From Central Oregon to Central America... Praise His Holy Name!

a little about us: Kaia

2009-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

Kaia is nine years old and fluent in English and Spanish. This will be her first Rio Coco trip. Kaia has lived in Nicaragua for three years and enjoys teams coming to visit and serve. Especially when there are teen girls!

A bright girl, Kaia is eager to serve, smiles a lot and has a peaceful disposition. A genuine friend.

Welcome to the team, Kaia! We're glad you are joining us.

the itinerary

2009-01-08T09:55:00.000-06:00

Jan. 11 mid day - Arrive in Managuaprayer meeting, packing, load trucks, try to eat and rest drive to La Quinta Beth-El
Jan. 12 leave at 4AM to arrive in Wiwili by 10AM Load boats and leave by 12-noon Goal is to reach San Andreas by nightfall
Jan. 13 Dawn departure for SumoPipi
Jan. 14 All day clinic in SumoPipi
Jan. 15 morning clinic, mid day pack and head to Walakitang
Jan. 16—17 all day clinic in Walakitang
Jan. 18 free day, hike to swimming’ hole? (AKA: suffering for Jesus)
Jan. 19 Dawn departure for San Andreas
Jan. 20 Dawn departure for Wiwili
Jan. 21 Wiwili to La Quinta Beth-El
Jan. 22 eat, sleep, pack, shop, free day
Jan. 24 Depart mid-morning for airport

We must continue to pray for security on the river and in the northern part of Nicaragua. The country is going through some tough times and people are becoming desperate. Pray that we may pass through as light and truth; leaving a trail of hope and encouragement. We don’t want to be “seen” as gringos. Every trip is different I pray the Holy Spirit to use us this time in an incredible way, again!! {from Michael Perkins

a little about us: Jen

2009-01-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a homeschooling mom. A daughter of the High King. I'm filled with a passion and love for my Lord and Saviour and I want to share him with the world. I started with missions when I was 14 traveling to 9 countries in one Summer sharing the love of God. My life changed, when a young girl in Scotland saw in me the Love of Jesus and asked if she could know that Love as well. We held hands, we cried, we prayed, she became my sister that I will see again in heaven one day. From that moment I fully understood and experienced the heart of a missionary. So many years later, my dear friend Jenny returned from a previous Rio Coco mission trip and shared her experience and pictures with me. Pictures truly do tell a story and I fell in love with these people. People I have never met, people I never thought I'd get the opportunity to meet. I started praying for them and continued to wait on the Lord to use me. Two years later, God has given me the honor of joining the Nicaragua team.

a little about us: Jenny

2009-01-06T16:54:00.000-06:00

I am an aspiring midwife.

I love the Río people.

I love the Lord.

I love mission work.
Hot, sweaty, dirty, exhausting, life-changing, Kingdom building, glorious mission work.

{Photo of The Rio Coco river, North border between Nicaragua and Honduras}

I had a reawakening to mission work 2 years ago. I was shown a photo of 3 women who,in labor, to a trek to their closest hospital which was 3 days away from their village. Only one of them came back with her baby. I thought to myself, "That should never happen!" From that moment on God rekindled inside me my passion for missions. I had been called when I was just a girl. I have prayed for my husband throughout our marriage about being missionaries. He's heard the Lord speak to his heart as well and together we listen.

So here I am. Answering His call and making my third trip into the remote jungles of Central America.

Bliss!

Encouragement from Ryan

2009-01-06T16:21:00.000-06:00

Hi Team,

I just want to say that as the time gets closer and the details come into place, I get more and more excited about the trip.

I was reading a book the other day called Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper. He said something that really hit me because it touched the very purpose of why we are going on this trip to Nicaragua. He said...

"...any good-hearted goal, without the desire to give people eternal joy in God, is condemnation with a kind face...This single passion--to see that Christ be glorified as perishing people become eternally satisfied in Him--drives the great global enterprise we call world missions." -John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, pp159.

In other words, good works without the accompaniment of the Gospel of Jesus, is simply making earth a better place to go to hell from. Then I thought, "how can I share the good news of the gospel with others if its not alive in me?"

Thus, I prayed, "Father, please make the Gospel alive in my life so that I may show and speak it to others in a way that glorifies You." God has been answering this prayer over the last few weeks. Basic truths that I've heard my whole life and the simplicity of the Gospel are becoming more real in my life.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21.

God, we pray that you would make the Gospel alive in our lives, that we might be able to share the good news with others. May living a God glorifying life that points to you be the purpose of this trip and our very existence. We recognize that we are nothing without you. We don't ask you to simply bless our plans, but that you would direct them as we walk with you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

a little about us: Randy

2009-01-01T10:12:00.000-06:00

I was raised in Las Vegas, went to med school in Missouri, finished medicine residency at St. Vincent hospital, Portland 1996. I have been in Redmond since 12/99 and was saved 11/2000, been going to City Center since then and count Pastor Greg Laury on the Calvary station as one of my favorite teachers. I have been REALLY living for Christ since I read the Purpose Driven Life in summer of 2003, went on my first mission tip, to MX, 12/2003 and dedicated myself to His service since. I have been on 11 missions so far, 5 of them medical/evangelical in nature and I began a mission for God in Redmond in 2/05 w/ the City Care Clinic. My favorite book in the Bible is Ecclesiastes as, when I start to think to highly of myself, my accomplishments or create my own goals, I think back to the wisest man that God created and set myself straight. My long term purpose is long term mission work on God's timing. I understand I am in training and must be patient and humble.
Randy Visser, DO

a little about us: Ryan

2008-12-31T11:17:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Ryan MacKenzie. I'm originally from Redmond, Oregon, but I spent the last four years in Newberg attending George Fox University. While at George Fox, I studied biology as well as taking part in campus ministries, playing soccer for four years, and running track for one. I recently graduated in May of 2008, and I'm now a research assistant in a leukemia lab at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. My future goals are to get into medical school, become a doctor, and to use my skills to bless others at home and overseas. I have been on a number of service oriented missions trips, but never one that is medically focused. This trip to Nicaragua will be a good experience for me to learn and to see what a medically oriented trip is like. I am excited to learn, to serve, and to share the gospel in a practical way.

Thanks,
Ryan

you responded

2008-12-31T11:05:00.001-06:00

And thank you! Since the last post, several of you have obeyed the pull at your heart and we have receives half of the amount needed for the medicine for the villagers!

A whopping $570!

Thank you! If you haven't sent your gift in, there is still time. The deadline is January 8th. Sending TODAY (12/31) will still get you the tax deduction for this year.

All donations are tax deductible. Please remember to put N5 for Him on the memo line.

From Central Oregon to Central America... Praise His Holy Name!

{btw: we love comments on this blog}

Urgent Need

2008-12-23T11:23:00.000-06:00

The Visser’s were able to get a large portion of the meds we need through a non-profit Dr. Randy found for a $200 donation.
We still have about $1,000 worth of meds to buy.
Suzanna (nurse/missionary in Nicaragua) will purchase them for us there and we will reimburse her when we get there.
So far we have received no donations for the meds.
Please put the word out there!
Maybe you have friends or family looking for a last minute tax deduction?
Anything would help.

Please make donations directly to:
Redmond Community Church
237 NW 9th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
Be sure to put N5 Medical Mission on the memo line!!!
We depart January 10th.

Thanks you so much on behalf the villagers receiving the medication.

frost bite to sunblock

2008-12-15T00:19:00.000-06:00

(Photo of Mrs. Lisa Perkins)

The high tomorrow in Redmond, Oregon (where most of us are from) is supposed to be
13 degrees Fahrenheit. The high in Managua, Nicaragua is supposed to be 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Quite a marked difference, I'd say.

It's the dry season in Central America right now. The Rio Coco that we travel on is very low. Normally, we depart in our canoes from the little town of Wiwilli. We may have to drive a couple more hours up river at Las Pierdas (not sure I spelled that right) and put in there. I have the feeling we will be doing a lot of jungle hikes again this trip. When the river is to low, the boat can't carry us.

So, we walk.

Miles.

Ahh... the rain forest.

*****************
We are having another prayer meeting on Tuesday, 12/15 at 7p.m. Pray with us, will ya?

The medical team leaves in 26 days.

As always... from Central Oregon to Central America... Praise His Holy name!

{Comments on this blog are always appreciated}

God is on the move. Can YOU feel Him?

2008-12-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

I love it how God works. Never in our timing and never the way we expect. I guess it is so we don't ever figure Him out and therefore think we can be as good as Him. And you know what? I'm glad of that.

One of our team members for the upcoming medical mission has been pouring prayer into her fund raising. Through an error over a month ago, she was blessed to discover that she over paid their mortgage payment. The amount? The exact amount she needs to make the trip. A coincidence? I don't think so.

This trip, I asked our worship pastor, Michael Kuhlman, to create a CD so we could all worship and meditate in the same music when we are apart from each other. We have all been blessed by this. Worship is so very important. For the Lord and for us. If you haven't worshiped in any way (prayer, singing, quiet meditation, etc.) please take a moment to reverence our Heavenly Father. He's always worth it and you won't regret the time well spent.

God is working. If you aren't feeling Him, be patient. He will move you in HIS timing, my friend.

Blessings.

Walakitang, Here We Come!

2008-12-01T23:32:00.001-06:00

Our tickets are all purchased! Our travel dates are January 10th through the 24th.

And now, let me introduce to you the team from the States:

Randy Visser - Village Physician - 3rd trip up the river
Teri Visser - Pharmacy - 3rd trip
Marilyn - OB Nurse - 1st trip
Jennifer Owens - Pharmacy - 1st trip
Jenny Norris - Midwifery student - 3rd trip
Ryan MacKenzie - assist where led - 1st trip

At-home team:
Brian Long Van Driver Brian has been a wonderful "behind the scenes" part of our teams. He drives us to and from the airport.
John Ragland is aiding in the driving this trip, too. We are so glad you are!

...and YOU {insert your name here}!! We really can't go forth without tons of prayer before us, around us and behind us. Each canoe ride is a major event. We need God to guide us and we need to have clear ears to hear. We really want this trip to be God focused for the team and the people we will be serving.

And apparently traveler's insurance doesn't cover "war (declared or not, acts of war..." So we are no-go on the insurance. Oh well.

not nice nicaragua

2008-11-30T23:48:00.000-06:00

The first week in November Nicaragua held elections, just like the US.

With any election, there is a winner and a loser.

There are those in Nicaragua that are angry. There is rioting & stealing. And it's getting dangerous. It's hard-pressed finding any reports on it all. Looking I can find nothing on the FSLN that is current. But what you don't know can hurt you.

We have missionary friends, the Postma's, living there who have come back to the US for a time until things (hopefully) calm down. We have other friends, the Perkins, who are praying that they don't have to come back, too. The Perkins live outside of Managua, the capital, where the danger is while the Postma's live in Managua (aka: MGA).

As you know, there is a medical team planning on traveling down there in January. As a matter of fact, we leave January 10th. I'm going to get traveler's insurance on my ticket in case we have to cancel or postpone our trip. We will continue to pray for His Divine Providence.

Maybe this is the very reason God put the N5 on hold for our two-month stint there. Because we would have been leaving 10 days if our plans hadn't changed. He's our protector. Can I get an 'amen'?!

Please. Don't let out of sight, out of mind snare you. Nicaragua needs your prayer. The Perkins need your prayer. The medical team needs your prayer.

The Holiday Approacheth

2008-11-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

We had Thanksgiving in Nicaragua last year. It's been a year already. Can you believe it? Yeah. Neither can we.

Greg and the girls had a classic paradise holiday by the pool at the Buzbee's. There was shrimp on the BBQ, bat mitten, swimming, feeding the monkey and all sorts of fun accompanied with music. They didn't miss me at all.

I was on the river. The day after Thanksgiving, I had pig roasted in the ground with banana leaves. We had stopped in Honduras the day before our arrival to Walakitang and paid for a 250 pound "chancho". This guy was huge. And mean. He chased Pastor Antonio (of course he did poke him with a stick).

It was about 90 degrees that day in Managua, the capital city. What a far cry from the US with football in the snow, turkey and egg nog, eh?

We wouldn't change these memories for any money in the World...