On Mission in Muletown

Here’s just a quick note to catch you up on some of the details of our transitions.

Updates and Answered Prayers
The past few months have been a whirlwind of goodbyes, hellos, celebrations, challenges, and readjustments. Meanwhile in the midst of the move from Chile to Columbia, TN, Steve’s travel and MTW ministry workload have been steadily increasing. We have been up and down, overwhelmed and encouraged, happy and sad and everything in between. The constants have been our desperate need for Jesus in everything we are and do as well as His sufficiency and faithful, extravagant provision without fail in every single situation. You all as ministry partners are a significant instrument in His provision, and we are so grateful for your specific prayers and your generous support.

In preparing to leave Chile we had many meaningful encounters with ministry partners and believing friends as well as final evangelistic opportunities with moms from Johnny’s old school. Regarding travel details, our required government papers arrived just in time, our separate departures (first Steve with luggage to Nashville and then Amy with dog to Miami) both worked out to be times of social interaction and prayer right up to the airport security gate, and our sweet Maya traveled safely and economically.  Regarding the details of life in Columbia, TN, Johnny has re-integrated smoothly into junior year of US high school, driver’s license issues resolved quickly (some have said miraculously), the empty rental house has been comfortably accommodated by furniture given and lent by our church family at Zion Presbyterian in Columbia, TN, and we already have been able to reconnect during several weekends with our college kids Joseph and Mary Beth. As far as ministry, Steve continues to work steadily as MTW’s International Director for the Americas, and I have enjoyed both helping to organize virtual panels for MTW women and participating in virtual training and support for Mexican and Chilean partners through the ministry of Parakaleo. Even though I shouldn’t be surprised by now at God’s provisions, I feel much wonder and gratitude for where we are and how God brought us here as well as expectancy for what he will do during this season of extended transitions.

We also have exciting news both from Guadalajara, Mexico, where we served locally for many years, and from Concón, Chile, our most recent home! On Palm Sunday weekend, Steve preached the ordination and installation service of our Mexican pastor Toño Barrera at Iglesia Cristo Rey Eterno in Guadalajara. Toño has served faithfully there as pastor alongside a leadership team since our departure in 2015, and his completion of all the assignments and written and oral exams required for presbytery ordination is a huge answer to prayer. And last Sunday in Concón, Chile, the church plant where we served locally, Iglesia Trinidad de Reñaca, officially launched public worship services in its daughter congregation Iglesia Trinidad de Concón.

As a reminder, last fall Steve began to serve as MTW’s International Director for the Americas (South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, Indigenous Peoples ministry in Canada and US) providing both pastoral and logistical leadership and oversight for our 120+ missionaries serving in these regions. This involves a lot of prayer and study, planning and development meetings with various leadership teams, interface and coordination with other missions organizations in order to work together in kingdom advancement, pastoral counseling with many individual missionaries as needs arise, and the facilitation of meaningful interaction between various MTW home office teams and the foreign field, among other responsibilities which he is still learning. Aside from prayer and study of Scripture and current cultural issues, the job requires many hours of video conferencing, counseling/problem-solving, and regular travel to local ministry sites across the Americas. We hope that Tennessee will be both a practical and strategic home base for our family for the next 18 months as Johnny finishes high school and as Joseph and Mary Beth navigate the transitions of college and young adulthood at UAH in nearby Huntsville, AL. Then the plan will be for me and Steve to return to a centrally located ministry site in Latin America to continue serving in regional MTW leadership from the context of a local church planting team. We will try to visit supporting churches and participate in missions conferences as much as we are able in these months, but the focus will be more on international ministry than it would be during a typical home missions assignment (HMA).