June/July 2013 Update

Faith or foolishness? Matthew 17:20...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. " One of my favorite movies of all time is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  This is Indy's passionate pursuit for the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.  In one particularly tense scene in the movie, Indy is confronted with crossing a huge chasm with seemingly no way to get across.  Desperately needing to cross, he remembers back to something his dad told him about taking a step of faith.  So Indy closes his eyes tightly knowing his next step might be his last and he does what seemingly seems like a terrible idea.  He steps where there is no step.  Amazingly, his faith is rewarded and one appears under his foot and his path is made safe. To many on the outside looking in, following Jesus is like doing what Indy did, taking a huge step into nothingness.  They look at us like we are idiots for stepping where there is seemingly no ground.  Even some Christians look at other Christians and think these blind steps of faith are absurd because they fly in the face of our North-American scientific, planned out, logistically planned lives.  We want to live by faith, but for added measure we do all that we can possibly do to make sure our "faith" doesn't fail us.  We trust that God is enough on one level, but for added measure, we work hard on our end too just to make sure.  Now I'm not saying a thoughtful and prudent approach to life is wrong.  But every now and again maybe God wants us to leave all our preconceived ideas about how He works and does things, and just follow Him. Totally empty and devoid of ourselves and our ideas, and just follow.  Sounds scary right? So... here's what happened.  A group of 11 South Africans traveling through South America and the Islands recently appeared in Santa Marta.  They were traveling with an organization called Global Challenge which basically sets groups loose all over the world with basically the clothes on their back, very little provisions for food and transportation, and they basically say, "God we're available, you can have us, but you're going to need to provide the rest!"... Crazy right?  Parents raise your hand if you'd let your kid travel a foreign land without plans, without knowing where you'd sleep or what you'd eat or how you'd even get there.   Any takers?  I didn't think so.  We take comfort in our plans.  Our plan is what protects us and keeps us safe.  Our plan is what makes sure we have food in our bellies and keeps us warm at night.   But this group of 11 stretched me.. Man did they stretch my faith.  They ranged in ages from 18-28 but each one of them had something very real... a child-like faith that God is who He says is.  Time after time I saw this group minister to people at such a heart level with the people of Colombia and I just stood back and watched God transform lives.  God used this group in so many different ways with the people, but God used them in my life in a dramatic way.  I don't want to put God in a box.  I want God to show off.  I want to live my life expecting God to do great things, but never losing that child-like enthusiasm and excitement of when He does something spectacular.  I have small dreams, because I'm so me-centered.  I want a God-sized vision for my life and the life of my family.  I want to be apart of something so huge that only God can pull it off.  I want to continually have front-row seats and watch God do only what God can do, change lives. So many thanks to all of you who are joining us in this journey.  Through your sacrificial support, people are hearing the good news.  Thanks for being apart of God changing the lives of the people here.  God is blessing us weekly with so many opportunities to share the gospel with hurt and broken people.  This past Sunday Amanda and I were in charge of the Sunday School lesson, and this always brings some fear into our hearts as the kids aren't always super responsive.  We have recently had an influx of new kids into our church, so we thought it was a good time to go over the gospel and what Jesus has done for us.  We have some great tracts called "Como tener Paz con Dios" (how to have peace with God).  It's a very clear explanation of the gospel and how much Jesus loves us and desires a relationship with us.  The exciting part of this for us was that two of the boys that I have been working with took this tract to our neighbors and went through it again with them!  I wasn't there so I'm not sure if a decision was made, but I'm so thankful for their love for their friends and their desire that their friends know the truth.  Please continue to pray for opportunities to share the gospel and the many opportunities we have to train people to share the gospel. Praises We have a friend from S.C. who is coming to help us with #4 baby in September.. Yay! Thankful for the many things that God is doing in lives of the Colombians. Praise God for the people that have heard and responded to the Gospel. God has blessed us with a great team here.  We are thankful for the love and encouragement that we receive through them. God has blessed me with the opportunity to serve on the Elder board of our church. Prayer Requests Please pray that God would continue to provide financially for us.  We are praying for more families that would partner with us to see God's word proclaimed in Colombia. We are getting ready for a steady stream of teams.  Pray that God would effectively use them . Pray for Amanda as we coming closer to the end of the pregnancy.   Pray for peace and love in the body. Pray that God would heal the pain that conflict has created in the body here. Kendall's 8th B-day     Logan lounging @ the beach

Evangelistic Outreach

April 2013 Update

Partnering Together

 

Ahhhhh, that was awesome!! That's how we felt after hosting two teams that came from South Carolina to minister with us during the first two weeks of March. One of our desires in coming to Colombia has been that we wanted to be used by God to help others come and see what God is doing here and how they can be used to reach the nations the with gospel. 

It's so interesting and incredible to see how our God worked in a very personal way in each of their lives giving them exactly what they needed. It reminds me of John 4 and the woman at the well and how Christ's promise to us is that when we "drink" from Him, we will never thirst again. Now I realize that what Jesus is referring to here is more than an experience, but a new life that can only be found in Him.  Though sometimes God gives us a double shot of that living water and lets us see glimpses of Himself that encourages us and changes us in ways that we never dreamed were possible.

Cienaga, Colombia

Many of you might not know that God used an organization called E3 partners to help train me in evangelism and discipleship right here in Colombia. It was through my trips with them that God allowed me to see how the people here are ready and waiting to hear the gospel. I was able to use what I learned during those trips to help lead our first solely evangelistic team since coming to Colombia. Even before the team arrived, we went to the city of Cienaga to help train a church in how to share their faith using the Evangecube. Let me just say that before this trip my thoughts about this city were extremely negative. I had heard so many bad things about this city that it made me somewhat apprehensive about taking a team there and working for an entire week. But once again, God changed my perspective 180 degrees. To say that this week was impactful would be a huge understatement. 

Opportunity to share Christ at a public school

What I had thought to be a cold and spiritually oppressive city turned out to be one of the most open and hospitable places that I have been in Colombia. I expected closed doors and an unwelcoming people who would only talk to us through the doors, but what we found over and over again was a warm and welcoming people that over and over again welcomed us to share the Great News that Jesus loves them. It was so great to see our American friends working arm in arm with our Colombian brothers and sisters to share Jesus with so many people over the course of the week. Now, not everyone who we shared with accepted Christ, but I believe with all of my heart that many of the people who we shared with truly put their faith in Jesus and His sacrificial work on the cross. The team and myself developed many relationships in the community and the church that we will forever treasure. We are praying that God will use this trip in the life of the church to encourage them to keep pressing on and sharing Christ with their community and their families. 

She received Jesus!

 One of the things that God has taught me over the years is that when someone puts the full weight of their trust in Christ that it is so much fun to celebrate with them what they have just done. I have the distinct privilege to tell them that they are now a child of the KING! I even get to tell them great news that we are now family! (I hope they think this is good news because I surely do).  In the photo to the left, the lady standing beside me put her faith in Jesus and is now apart of the family of God.  She is now able to share that great news with her daughters and the rest of her family.  Please pray for Leydis that she would continue to follow Jesus. 

Breaking the Ice

I've started working on the campus of one of the local universities because there are so many students that are willing and ready to hear the gospel. Last week I went with one of the students from our church who is extremely gifted in sharing her faith. It is so much fun to walk around and to pray and seek opportunities and to work shoulder to shoulder with another believer. One thing that I've come to understand is that evangelism and discipleship are so enjoyable when done in a team.  In the photo, we are using a group of 50 photos called Solarium.  The purpose of the photos is to get people talking about their lives and about who they think God is.  These young girls opened up and shared about their desire to know God personally!  Please continue to pray for this time that we have every week in the University.  Pray that God would lead us to the people who are ready and waiting to hear the Good News.    

 

God is blessing our family with another little man who is coming the later part of August.  With this bundle of joy, comes an increase in medical and other expenses for which we have the opportunity to trust God.  Please pray with us as we seek and pray for more folks that have a vision and desire to see God reach the people of Colombia.  If you would like to know more about what God is doing here or you are interested in how you can support us through prayer or financially, please send us an email at jahoward@southamericamission.org or give us a call at 803-572-4396.

 

Prayer Requests:

 

1.  Pray for the people that we are discipling in small groups.

 

2.  Pray that we would be able to integrate new believers and new members of our church into a discipleship group

 

3.  Pray that our church would function in harmony and peace and that we would love each other with the love of Christ.

 

4.  Pray that God would continue to lead us to people that are ready to hear the gospel.

 

5.  We are praying that God would provide someone to come and help us for a few months after the baby comes in late August.

 

Praises:

 

1.  God continues to sustain us and give us grace to do what He's called us to do.

 

2.  We are seeing many people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

 

3.  Our children as growing in their faith and wanting to express it to others.

 

4.  We are so thankful for all those that have been faithful in their giving and prayers for our family.

March 2013

Over the next two weeks our Colombian SAM team will be hosting 2 teams from churches in South Carolina.  The first team will be working in the northern part of Colombia constructing a dining room for a theological school (CENFO) that serves the Wayuu indian students that are studying to become pastors and leaders.  They will be living just like the Wayuu for 4 days as they sleep in hammocks and endure the tough living conditions as they work.

The second team will be working with a daughter church in a town called Cienega (Swamp in Spanish) sharing the gospel in schools and with people that live in close proximity to the church.  I will be working closely with this team as we use the Evangecube to share about how much Jesus loves us.  For the last couple of months I have been working to prepare the Colombians in the church how to share their faith using the cube.  This has been a blast getting to know fellow believers that have a passion for the gospel.  I'm so excited to work shoulder to shoulder with them.   

Please be praying for both of these teams as God will be working in them and through them.  It can be a tough adjustment entering into the Colombian climate, so please pray that God will give them the strength to do what God has called them to do.  Also, pray for our team and the Colombian nationals that we will be working with.  Short term teams can have a tremendous impact on the Colombian church and we are praying for great things to happen over the next two weeks.

Please pray for those that will hear the gospel for the very first time over the next two weeks.  We have a tremendous opportunity to see God change lives and to watch people pass from death to life.  Please stand with us.  

Prayer Requests:

1.  That we would proclaim the name of Jesus loud and clear.

2.  For all the details and logistics as we host both of these teams.

3.  Pray for the members of the teams that God would speak clearing to them in a very personal way.

4.  Pray that the Colombian church would be encouraged and would understand that we are here because of how much God loves them.

5.  Pray for safety as we travel and as the team eats things that maybe their stomachs have never tried.

Praises:

1.  We serve a God that goes before us - we never have to worry or doubt.

2.  That God has provided the resources not only for us to be here but for others as well to minister and encourage the Colombian church.

3.  Baby #4 is still growing and Amanda is feeling better than she was during the first several weeks. 

4.  Our ministries are seeing fruit and we have seen two women recently come to a saving faith in Christ... Praise God!

5.  God is allowing us to deepen some important relationships with the youth in the church.  

Finally, thank you for all of your prayers and your sacrificial support.  We are so thankful for each and every one of you that God has put in our lives. 

End of Year 2012

Greetings Friends! This is the short version of this article.  If you would like to see the entire end of year article with lots of pictures and captions, you can download it  here   We are so grateful that God has allowed us to minister among the beautiful people of Colombia, and we are so thankful for all of you who have blessed our lives through your fervent prayers and sacrificial giving.  Without your love and support, we would be unable to serve here in Santa Marta.  We are humbled that God has allowed us to be apart of His work here in Colombia. We have two main areas of ministry where we are focusing our time and effort.  We are working as the leaders of the youth ministry at the Esperanza church discipling and training the youth and working to equip the volunteer leaders who work with the youth.  Another couple from the church has joined us in sharing the leadership responsibilities and we are thankful for them as they have been a blessing to us.  Our other main area of focus is working with a church plant in a part of the city that is comprised mainly of families where the father works in either the Police or in the Colombian Army.  This has proven to be a tough area, but we are thankful for the grace that He has shown as we are seeing lives changed.  The last few months Amanda worked with 3 girls from the youth group on a weekly basis as they studied the lies that many young Christians believe.  This was a beneficial time for both Amanda and the girls.  Amanda was blessed by the girls who came and learned, and the girls were blessed as they grew in their faith.   Amanda is also an integral part of leading and directing the children's ministry for the church plant.  God has blessed Amanda with the gifts necessary to help lead this ministry.  She has been involved in the teaching, planning, and executing of the weekly meetings.   Amanda is also working very hard home-schooling our oldest two, Kendall and Parker. I (Jon) had the pleasure of working with 8 of the young men from our group.  Every time I am with them, I am reminded of how important this time is in their lives.  They are struggling to understand how God has made them to be and how they fit in this world.  Their lives seems to be a roller coaster of emotions, but by God's grace they are growing and being transformed into His image.  My responsibilities in the youth ministry include, teaching at least twice a month, helping to facilitate the leadership meetings, planning and executing the training and other major events. My role in the church plant has been exciting as well.  I am working alongside of the pastor of the Esperanza, Julio Caesar, to help reach this community.  Pastor Julio has allowed me to have a strong voice in the leadership of the church, and I am thankful for his trust and confidence.  This past September we started an initiative to be more proactive in the meeting and the sharing of the gospel with the community in which God has placed us.  This has been both a challenge and a blessing.  We have to keep in mind that the process of making disciples can many times be a very slow process.  We are confident in the fact that God is actively drawing people to Himself and changing them. Prayer Requests:  Pray for us as we are involved in the care of the lives of the students.  Pray that God would give us wisdom as we help lead the church plant's ministries. Pray that God would open the hearts and eyes of the people that we are discipling and sharing the gospel with.  Pray for unity in our church.  Right now we are suffering a severe attack and their is disunity among the leadership about the vision of the church.  Pray for us as we are expecting #4.  We will need to raise more funds.  Pray that God would protect and strengthen our marriage and family.  Living in a foreign country away from close friends and family can be difficult at times. Praises:  God is working in the lives of many people here!  For the new life God has blessed our family with.  For the teams that came this past year to help us advance the gospel We have been blessed to be surrounded by a loving and caring community of believers. One of the kids from Ciudadela - Our Church Plant The kids presenting what they've learned Teaching the kids how to share their faith using the Evangecube Vamos Colombia!! Cheering for Colombia's Soccer Team

Our church plant team serving lunch to the neighborhood

September 2012

Back in the Saddle

There is always a period of adjustment when you leave something and you come back to try to plug back in where you left off.  It's a blessing when the ministries that you had the blessing of serving in have not only survived but have moved forward.  We are constantly reminded that Jesus is the builder of the church and we are given the opportunity to be involved in that process.  We are thankful that it's up to Him!  Getting back in to the swing of things has been challenging and fun.  

 

Renewing friendships and meeting new people has been so encouraging.  It's been exciting to see how people have warmly received us into their fellowship again.  This feels like the home that we remembered.  We are excited about what God is doing here and we look forward to seeing what He will do.  We have finally gotten our discipleship groups back together and we are looking forward to helping these young people learn what it means to walk with Jesus.

  

Two young believers who I have the pleasure of discipling have shown a great desire in ministering to other young people.  While they have had their stuggles, it's been a joy to see them not just hungry to learn, but they have a hunger to share what Jesus has done for them.  They want to know how to tell others about Jesus and see people become children of God.  With the help of another member of our church, they have developed a ministry to young people using their passion of soccer to attract the young people of a very poor neighborhood called Once de Noviember (November 11th).  Their ministry is exploding with kids!!  Seeing their hunger has encouraged me so much because often times you see people make a profession of faith and there is very little evidence of any kind of desire to know and serve.  But I am so thankful for what God is doing in their lives and we pray that God might use them in a mighty way now and in the future.  

 

One other quick note about our ministry.  The church plant (Ciudadela) that we are working with has been sort of a roller coaster over the past year and half.  We have seen some growth but it's been up and down.  Our ministry to the kids has been consistent and has seen some good fruit over the past year, but the ministry to the adults is another story. This past week we have finally determined in our hearts that we need to do more.  This past week we had 2 teams that went from house to house to explain why we are in their neighborhood starting a church and if there was an opportunity, we would share the gospel.  And praise God there was an opportunity to share the gospel with several people in our area.  

 

One of the parents of the kids (see picture below of his son) that we work with on a regular basis got to hear a clear presentation of the gospel, and on Wednesday, September 19th, he became a son of God.  What made this so exciting was that he instantly had the desire to know more and to grow spiritually!  We are excited to go back and start the process of showing him how to study the Bible and learn about who God is and what he has done.  God is so good!  Please pray as we continue to work and share in this area about how much Jesus loves them.  This is an exciting time in our ministry and we are so thankful for all of you who make this possible.  Through your faithful giving and prayers we are able to see the lives of people changed.

 

His Dad now knows Jesus!!!

  

Amor y Amistad (Love and Friendship) - Is basically our equivalent of Valentines Day in the Latin world.  I like the fact that emphasis isn't just on romantic love, but the love between friends as well.  We live in a culture that is obsessed with romantic love and the outworkings of that love and we lose sight sometimes of how amazing the love and support of a friend can be in our life and ministry.  

Over the years, God has blessed both Amanda and I with people in our lives who we have been able to share the hard things of life with.  It's hard to imagine living life without those people God has sovereignly put into our lives to love and strengthen us when we need it most.  It's easy to love those people who walk with you and share your burdens.  All of us can probably think of one person like that in our lives. The hallmark of the Christian life is love.  It's our love for each other that Jesus said would be recognizable to those people on the outside.  But let's be honest, this can be a tough one. Whether we have close friends, acquaintances, or people that we don't even know, we have been called to love everyone.    

I know that I'm not always very love-able and we all know some people who are just down right hard to love.  Some people in our lives and ministries just really know how to push our buttons and rub us the wrong way.  Right now I can think of at least one person who has been a struggle to love. There are some people who are just "life-takers".  It's like when we see them or even think of them, we can hear this giant sucking sound as they suck the joy right out of us and dare I say the love as well.  It's a shame how often this scene takes place in our churches.    

God continually brings back 1 Corinthians 13 to us.  The first 3 verses gives a description of great and mighty things that can be done by an individual, but as Paul writes, without love, these things are just an obnoxious noise.  We are still learning what it means to love others with the love of Christ, and our hope is that while we are here they will see that love of Christ within our lives and in our ministries.  We recently had a fellow missionary leave the field to return home and begin a new phase of his life.  Sam was one of those people whose love for people and for God was unmistakeable.  I'm not sure how much of his ministry will continue on after leaving, only God knows that, but what I am sure of is the way in which he loved others with the love of Christ will last and be remembered.  I pray that others will see that love of Christ permeating our lives and our ministries.  We pray that our work here would not be the sound of a clanging symbol but as 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  I pray that we would smell like Christ!! :) 

Below are some picture of our Amor and Amistad Celebration!

After seeing this pic of myself, I'm thankful for the love of my wife

 

Some of the young ladies of our group

 

Angel helping get the food ready

Worshiping together

Prayer Requests 

1.  Please pray for our church plant in Ciudadela as we share the gospel and make disciples.  We want to meet people who are ready to hear.  

2.  Please pray for us as we continue to work with the youth.  There are several in our group who are having some real struggles and we need wisdom as we walk with them through these hard times.

3.  Please lift up Amanda and the kids as they do home school.  

4.  Pray that as a team we would demonstrate unity and harmony.

 

5.  Please pray for Amanda and her family as they mourn the loss of their beloved Grandfather and father, Stanley Calvert.  He has been a huge blessing to our family and we will miss him dearly.   

Praises:

 

1.  We are here!!!

2.  We have been blessed with working with another couple in our church.  This is an answer to prayer.

3.  Thankful for new life in Christ and those who have placed their trust in Him

4.  We are thankful for all of those people and churches that makes it possible for us to be here serving!! Thank you all!!!

July 2012 Update

  We had just finished packing and we were looking forward to getting back home to Colombia when Kendall started to complain of stomach pain and that she wanted to go to bed.  We didn't think much of it and we sent her to bed because we'd be getting up early to make our flights.  Well, the pain didn't subside and only got worse.  The pain was localized to her lower right abdomen and Amanda immediately thinks... Appendicitis. 

Now, I love my wife dearly, but sometimes I think she jumps too quickly to thinking of the worst possible scenario.  We watched Kendall carefully through the night and the pain and the vomiting only got worse.  I must make a confession.  I love my daughter greatly, but there was just this looming feeling that this is going to be really expensive and we are going to miss our flights back home which was heart-breaking to think about.  Amanda and I made the hard decision that if she had something serious, that I would take Parker and just he and I would go back to Santa Marta. Talk about feeling like a bad dad, but we had a commitment to a youth team that would be in our city on the 20th, so we did what we thought was best.  Well, Amanda was right.  Our little girl did have appendicitis and they took her in immediately for surgery.   

There are times when it feels like God's timing really stinks.  We are just about to get back home to do the things we love to do, and Kendall gets sick.  I'm not very smart sometimes because as we look back God demonstrated so much love to us by allowing this to happen before we got on a plane.  That truly would have been a nightmare that God, in His great love, allowed us to avoid.  Kendall has recuperated well with lots of love and ice cream, but she and Amanda and Logan are ready to get back home.  Thank you to everyone that prayed for us during this time.  Another shocker was the tickets that we thought we had, we didn't have them.  Avianca had no record of our tickets so Amanda and the kids missed their flights on the 30th of July.  Long story short, Amanda was able to get her tickets changed after and agonizing ordeal with Avianca who charged us $500 to change our tickets to the 9th, but they have tickets.  I will see them shortly!!!!           
  

Youth team from S.C.

The picture to the left is the reason that Parker and I went back home alone to Santa Marta.  We had the real pleasure of hosting for the first time a church (Fellowship Bible, Columbia, S.C.) that loves and supports us.  The team was comprised of 9 adults and 9 youth who came equipped to do bible clubs with our ministries here. 

 

I can't express how proud I was/am of this team.  They worked so hard at preparing their activities that when they got here it was just like they had been doing it for years.  They were prepared to do a drama, music, and teach several bible lessons.  I know lots of work went into preparing, and we are thankful for all they did. They visited 3 of the main areas that we work and each time they shared the gospel, there were many kids that received Jesus as their savior.  Praise God!!  Probably one of the coolest moments of the trip is when one of the young ladies of the group ministered to the school with 2 songs.  She did the first song in English and it was amazing... but then she did a song in Spanish.  I looked around at everyone in the building and their jaws had dropped.  It was so cool not just because it sounded beautiful, but it ministered to them because it showed them love that she would work hard to learn a song in Spanish.  Thank you Allison for that!!    

 

They helped encourage not only the national church, but the missionaries as well.  They did things without complaint even if that meant helping me clean our house to get ready for a birthday party. Whatever we asked, they did so with a joyful heart.  To me, they are a great example of what it means to lead by serving.  We are hopeful that God will bring them back sometime in the future.  

 

 E3 Partners is a mission agency that holds a very special place in my heart.  It was through my trips with them that God implanted a love of Colombia in our hearts.  So it was a big surprise when I found out that right after the youth team left, a team of Canadians was in our city to help spread the gospel with the hopes of planting new churches here.  

 

So Parker and I spent almost the entire week with them going door to door telling people about how much Jesus loves them.  The process is really cool in that it uses the testimonies of the North Americans to open the door to people's homes because they are interested in why an American is there, and then the Colombians share the gospel using a great tool called the Evangecube.  It's an incredibly effective method of sharing the gospel.  I have yet to meet a Colombian that was afraid to share their faith as we go from house to house.  What an encouragement!!  

It was so touching to see people's hearts broken and to see the tears of joy as they understood that they are now a child of the King!  There is not greater joy in this world (in my opinion) to see someone pass from death to life.  So thankful that I was given the opportunity to share the Great News with the people that I love.  

 

One last thing I want to mention here.  I never would have considered taking Parker with me to many of these things if Amanda would have been here.  But my little buddy went with me wherever I went and did what I did.  He got to hear my testimony many times and he got to hear the gospel many many times.  We were gone all day in the heat and walking, but he never complained.  I did have to perk him up sometimes with a little Coke and and a lollipop, but I'm thankful that God allowed him and I to have this time together.  At the beginning of the week he was incredibly shy, but by the end of the week, he was playing with every kid whose house we had the privilege to go to.  This is just another blessing of God's timing.  I don't doubt that God used this time in a tremendous way in his life.   

Thank You for all of you prayers and support.  It is because of you faithfulness that we are able to be apart of the gospel going out to those who have never heard and to equip those we pray will grow into faithful proclaimers of the gospel here in Colombia.  We are praying for you as well.  We are thankful for your partnership.    

June Update

 Over the past several years we have learned a couple of things about God...  His timing is perfect, and sometimes that timing doesn't always match up with our plans.  But we can rejoice in the fact that our present and our future is secure and sovereignly guided by our loving Savior. 

We weren't able to fly back to Colombia as we had hoped, but we have chosen July 18th as our next date that we are praying for in faith.  We have been blessed by several families that have enabled us to get even closer to our goal.  We now need only about $500 in monthly support.  Praise God!  We are thankful for the many ways that God has blessed our family through others.  We are thankful for each of you that has so generously blessed us through your prayers and your financial support.  We would greatly appreciate any help that would connect us to others that might be interested in supporting God's work in another country.  If you would like to join our family as we minister in Colombia, please send us an email, or call us at 910-670-8348.    

Right before we left to return home, Amanda and I were blessed to be a part of children's outreach in a community where our church, the Esperanza, is trying to start a church.  The area consists mainly of men that work in the military and the police so this can be a very difficult area to minister.  Before leaving, with the help of our Colombian brothers and sisters, we offered a children's club where we helped them understand the true meaning of why Jesus came as a baby and died for our sins.  The response was tremendous and I have since been back with a team of teenagers to minister to the same area and the response was even better.  

People are hungry to hear about the freedom that we only can have through Jesus.  The people in the community keep asking when we are coming back.  The students in the Esperanza church and school are also asking, "When are the Howards coming back?"  We are so thankful that God gave us the opportunity to be a part of their lives and we are eager and ready to go back and be with them again and help them understand who God has created them to be.  We are desperate that they understand that a loving God desires to free them from the bondage of sin and they can have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. 

Please continue to join us in prayer as we are eager to return back to Santa Marta to continue our work with the Esperanza church developing youth ministries and planting a church in an area that desperately needs one.  We know in our hearts that this is where God would have us to use our passions and gifts to His glory.    

In Him,

April Update

Calvary Team  This past week I had the privilege of being with 14 really great kids from Calvary Church in Charlotte as they came to Santa Marta to experience a different culture and to see what God is doing in another part of the world.  There is something incredible about seeing kids who don't speak the same language communicate in ways that they never even knew were possible.  It was so cute when one boy from the group proudly proclaimed, "I made a new friend!!!".  One thing that was confirmed for me during this trip, Colombians love Americans. They love the language and the culture, so any chance they can get to rub shoulders with americans, they usually take it. God used this group of students to help encourage the Colombians, the missionaries, and our ministries.  I believe with all of my heart that what most people need is just an opportunity to see.  It's not until we can actually see the needs, both spiritual and physical, that we will be moved in our hearts to actually do something about it.  Please pray that God would use this trip in every aspect to His glory. Through my time in Colombia this week, God reaffirmed for me my love of Colombia.  It seemed like everyone that I talked to was anxious for us to come back, and we are too!  I'm thankful for the love that was expressed to me this week by our friends.

We will be back on the road again hoping to meet with folks and share about the ministry that God has blessed us with in Santa Marta.  We are up against the clock somewhat since Amanda and the children's visas will expire in June if we don't meet our required support level.  Please pray that God, in His timing, would provide all that we need to return.  We have a significant amount of support to raise over the next several weeks.  We are praying for families that will join us both in prayer and financially as we seek to continue ministering in Santa Marta.  We are praying that God would provide 15 families at $50/month, 10 families at $30/month, and 4 families at $75/month.  We need your fervent prayers and your help pointing us to others who have resources to steward toward God's work in the world.  We know that God is faithful to accomplish all that He desires.  We are thankful that we have partnered with many people over the last few years, and we are excited that God will bring new people into our lives to work together to see the gospel proclaimed.  If you would like to know more about our ministry and how you could partner with us either through prayer or financially, please send us an email at jahoward@samlink.org.   We are thankful for each and everyone one of you that has been praying for us and supporting us during this journey.

Our Ministry:  God has given us a passion for standing with young people and their families as they learn, grow, and even wrestle with their faith.  He has blessed us with many opportunities in Santa Marta to fulfill those passions as we work in a church, a school, and growing church plant reaching out to those that don't know Him, and equipping those that do.

New Opportunities

Well, we have been back in the US for almost 2 and half months now and our desire to go back to Colombia is only getting stronger.  The more we are here, the more we realize that this is not our home anymore.  The other night, Parker prayed that we could return home.  When I asked him what he meant, he said our home is in Colombia.  This made Amanda and I very happy to hear this.  Hearing things like this reminds us of how flexible kids can be even though their life is significantly less comfortable here than there, they recognize where home is.

During our time here we have had the opportunity to share about our ministry, preach, teach, hang out with some amazing youth from Providence Bible Church, and make new friends.  I am preaching more during the month of March at my parents' church in Fayetteville, and then we are returning to where I was youth pastor to preach at Fellowship Bible Church in Columbia on March 11th.  It's a privilege to share what God has allowed us to do in Colombia and share with other believers.  At the end of the month, I will be helping lead a group of 15 young adults from Calvary Church in Charlotte to Santa Marta where they will have a chance to see and be apart of what God is doing.  I'm excited for this opportunity to help others go and see.  This is exactly how God grabbed our hearts and we pray that God will do the same in the hearts of these young believers.

Group of future short-term missionaries

We are still praying that God will lead us to people who will prayerfully consider partnering with us in ministry.  We still have to raise over $1,000 monthly to be able to return to Colombia.  We aren't sure how this is going to happen, but God does.  Please join us in praying that God woud provide a way so we can get back to making disciples and sharing the gospel.  We are also praying that God will provide several people who would be committed to praying for our family on a regular basis.  We are anxious to return to where we know God has called us.  If God has laid it on your heart to either support us in prayer or financially, please send us an email at Jahoward@southamericamission.org.  Thanks to all of you who have loved and supported us both in Colombia and here in the States.

Spending some special time with Poppy, Amanda's grandfather

We are thankful for our happy little man

Going to ride horses with our new friends the Browns

Taking a Deeper Look

As our year comes to a close here in Santa Marta, we have many things to be thankful for and excited about.  One of our ministries here in helping plant a church in a local neighborhood. The area is made up of middle-class families, many of which are in the local police. One of the ladies at our church named Jasmine felt the urging of the Lord to begin a small group in her home. She has such a heart for her neighbors and wants them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  We have been working with our pastor, our teammate Sam, and another couple in the church to reach this area.

Over the past year, we have been working through a discipleship program with those who attend (mainly women).  We have had a recent desire to begin more purposeful outreaches in the community.  It has been somewhat of a challenge to minister in this area mainly because of the lack of interest on the part of the men.  Since many of them work long hours during the week, they want to be a home on Sundays.  At the end of September, we had a movie night that was attended by more than 40 people, plus kids. We were greatly encouraged by this and are excited to see how this will increase the attendance in our group. Two days before the event, our team walked around and handed out invitations to the people in the neighborhood. Kendall, Parker, and Logan all participated too. It is such a blessing to see your kids be a part of ministry at such a young age. The two older ones love talking in Spanish and in many ways are a bridge for us to share the gospel with people. Many people cannot understand why we would leave the United States, with three little ones, to live in Colombia. Well, the answer is easy--we want to be a part of what God is doing here.

After we watched the movie "Letters to God," we had small group discussions about how God has a purpose for each one of us and wants to have a personal relationship with us. The conversations were very positive.  There was a new energy in the house as everyone was talking. In addition to the adults, we had a kids movie, popcorn, and coloring activities for the little ones.

Over the next two months we plan on having another outreach primarily for children. Please join us in prayer as we try to come up with interesting and relevant ways to introduce people to Jesus, the Savior of the world.

We continue to work with the youth at the church. Jon and I have both started small group Bible studies in our home with several of the youth. Jon has two groups (one on Thursday and one on Saturday) and I have one on Thursday too.  The girls and I are studying a book that talks about the lies that Satan and the world uses to distract teen girls from their faith.  The boys are studying basic principles of faith.

Prayer Requests:
1) Our main prayer request right now is that our support level has dropped over the past 6 months or so.  We are seeking the Lord's wisdom as we decide whether or not to travel back home for a few months to raise more funds. With the poor economy and an increase in our insurance costs, we have had less support coming in.  We are, however, so thankful for those who continue to give to us sacrificially every month.
2) Pray for our children's outreach in the next few weeks as we plan and prepare of this. Pray that many kids will come to hear about Christ and that it will be a way to reach their parents too.
3) Jon is preaching next Sunday as part of Missions Month. He plans to talk about how we should be excited to join with God in His work and that we need to take an active role in furthering His Kingdom. Pray for clarity of thought and flow as he his putting his ideas together. Pray that those in the church would be excited about missions and that they would be open to God's leading in this area of their lives.
4)Pray for the Bible studies of the youth. Pray that they would prepare in advance and that they would allow God to work in their hearts in areas they might need to change.