It is hard to believe we are half way through November! October seems to have just flown by on us. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving in less than two weeks, we can’t help but reflect on all that we have to be thankful for and you are definitely at the top of the list. If you were not allowing God to use you to help pray, support, encourage, etc. we would not be here. You are an invaluable part of our team and we are so grateful for each of you. Our fall prayer letter will be completed soon, so I won’t go into too much detail and spoil it for you but here are a few updates and prayer requests:
SPECIAL VISITORS: In October, we were blessed to have several visitors. The Schwaabs, friends from our supporting church in Anchorage came down and braved the heat to help us paint most of our house. They were such a joy and encouragement to our family as they helped make our house seem much more like a home and were able to see firsthand what the Lord is doing here. The day after they headed back to Alaska, we had a group from another supporting church in Baltimore come and provide a wonderful evangelism and discipleship workshop using the evangacube. It’s thrilling to see people excited to have such a practical tool for sharing the Gospel with others and using them. A huge thank you to Warren, Jack, Ruth and Rich for their hard work and workshop presentations!(More stories about this and pictures will be in our prayer letter.)
CELL GROUP: In our last update, we were praising the Lord for Pedro’s willingness to start leading the Bible study portion of our time and asked prayer for him as he was going to be doing that for the first time. He did a wonderful job and continues to improve and grow in confidence as he shares the Word. Please, continue to pray for him and for our group. We recently had a meeting of all the core members from the 4 different groups and it was encouraging to see some of the wonderful results but there is still so much to do and so many who are still in darkness. Please pray for boldness and opportunities to invite unsaved friends, neighbors and co-workers as well as open hearts for those being invited.
YOUTH GROUP: Thank you so much for praying the Lord to provide co- leaders for the youth group. There is a newer couple in our church who is very willing to help. This is great news however; they may have no choice but to move at the end of the month back to the mainland. The economic situation in the states has affected many here. This couple was relocated here about a year ago for work but his job may have to move him elsewhere since the project he was brought over for has been put on hold due to funding problems. Please pray with them and us that if it is the Lord’s will that they would be able to stay.
FAMILY NEWS: The room is done…almost! J Thank you so much for your prayers. There are still a few things that need to be finished but we were able to move our furniture in this past weekend. (We ended up having to move in because the room is shorter than the others and the kids’ bunk beds would not fit very well.) Over the course of the next week or so, in our spare time we will be painting and moving the boys to their new room finishing up with painting their current room where Abby will be staying with a new roommate….Luke! (We think she is excited about this as she is always so eager to be mommy’s helper with him.) Thank you also for praying regarding the raising of our rent with the room’s completion…in answer to your prayers, our landlords graciously accepted only a $100 increase rather than the $250 increase they originally had mentioned. While the extra room helps in the short term towards our space problem, we appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom and guidance as to what the future might hold.
With overflowing and thankful hearts,
The Eager Family
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Baja Update...what's happening
CELL GROUP:
Pedro and Irene, a couple from our cell group, had been attending Iglesia Emanuel for several years but had never become members or involved beyond attending. Several months before initiating the new cell group outreach, they felt the Lord working in their hearts and approached our co-workers and essentially said that they knew they needed to stop being parasites…they needed to become members and more than that, to be involved in ministry and outreach. Since their commitment to be involved, it has been wonderful to watch them grow. Their excitement at inviting friends, neighbors and co-workers to cell group meetings and especially seeing their friends, Edgar and Lala, attending our cell group is great. Pedro has also committed to helping lead the studies for our group. Up until now, Phil has been leading the studies. While he does not mind leading the studies, we feel it is more beneficial if a national can lead them. Pedro is nervous as he has never done anything like this before, but we know that he is able and only lacks confidence. Please, pray with us for him as he will be giving his first study tonight.
One of the major benefits of the small group setting is that you have a chance to get to know people on a more personal level than at church on Sundays. You also are able to be more involved in each other’s lives in deeper ways. Last week, Irene shared with us that their visitors, Edgar and Lala, are not legally married even though they have been together for years and have two children aged 6 and 4. (This is very common here…people will be introduced as husband and wife when in reality they are not.) The wonderful thing is that they have decided to get married and asked Irene and Pedro to be their witnesses. While Edgar and Lala have not yet made any professions of faith, we are thrilled to see that they are being influenced to start making correct decisions in their personal lives. Please pray for their family to continue to make God honoring decisions and most importantly yield their hearts and lives to Him.
YOUTH GROUP:
We greatly appreciate your prayers for the youth group. Because of over-commitment, the couple who was helping to lead the youth has had to resign. Please pray for another couple to help lead the youth alongside us as well as determining a clear vision for the future. We are holding a meeting with the parents and helpers later this month to discuss this. Please pray that a clear vision and plan for the future to be developed that everyone can take ownership of.
WOMEN’S STUDY:
Pattie has helped take over leading the women’s study and has really enjoyed the times of study and fellowship with the women. There seems to be consistently 6 or 7 women although the exact women who attend often change. There would probably be 12-14 if everyone came at the same time. Our greatest desire is to instill a hunger and thirst for studying and applying the Word among the women which will be contagious. Thank you for your prayers!
We can never say enough how grateful we are for each of you who make up part of our team. Without you, we could not be doing what we are doing! God bless you this coming month as you continue to serve Him.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
Pedro and Irene, a couple from our cell group, had been attending Iglesia Emanuel for several years but had never become members or involved beyond attending. Several months before initiating the new cell group outreach, they felt the Lord working in their hearts and approached our co-workers and essentially said that they knew they needed to stop being parasites…they needed to become members and more than that, to be involved in ministry and outreach. Since their commitment to be involved, it has been wonderful to watch them grow. Their excitement at inviting friends, neighbors and co-workers to cell group meetings and especially seeing their friends, Edgar and Lala, attending our cell group is great. Pedro has also committed to helping lead the studies for our group. Up until now, Phil has been leading the studies. While he does not mind leading the studies, we feel it is more beneficial if a national can lead them. Pedro is nervous as he has never done anything like this before, but we know that he is able and only lacks confidence. Please, pray with us for him as he will be giving his first study tonight.
One of the major benefits of the small group setting is that you have a chance to get to know people on a more personal level than at church on Sundays. You also are able to be more involved in each other’s lives in deeper ways. Last week, Irene shared with us that their visitors, Edgar and Lala, are not legally married even though they have been together for years and have two children aged 6 and 4. (This is very common here…people will be introduced as husband and wife when in reality they are not.) The wonderful thing is that they have decided to get married and asked Irene and Pedro to be their witnesses. While Edgar and Lala have not yet made any professions of faith, we are thrilled to see that they are being influenced to start making correct decisions in their personal lives. Please pray for their family to continue to make God honoring decisions and most importantly yield their hearts and lives to Him.
YOUTH GROUP:
We greatly appreciate your prayers for the youth group. Because of over-commitment, the couple who was helping to lead the youth has had to resign. Please pray for another couple to help lead the youth alongside us as well as determining a clear vision for the future. We are holding a meeting with the parents and helpers later this month to discuss this. Please pray that a clear vision and plan for the future to be developed that everyone can take ownership of.
WOMEN’S STUDY:
Pattie has helped take over leading the women’s study and has really enjoyed the times of study and fellowship with the women. There seems to be consistently 6 or 7 women although the exact women who attend often change. There would probably be 12-14 if everyone came at the same time. Our greatest desire is to instill a hunger and thirst for studying and applying the Word among the women which will be contagious. Thank you for your prayers!
We can never say enough how grateful we are for each of you who make up part of our team. Without you, we could not be doing what we are doing! God bless you this coming month as you continue to serve Him.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Abby's Song
One of the things that I love most about being a parent is witnessing my kids' creative sides emerge more every day. I also love the simple faith and love that a child has. We adults so often complicate things. I think that sometimes, we need to be more like a child when it comes to faith and love.
Below is a song written by our daughter Abby. It did my heart good to hear her sing it to me and I wanted to share it with you.
(Note: It's typed exactly as written in her journal)
Abby's Song
I love you God.
I love you God.
Win I'm alon
and I love you in the rane
and I love you in the sun
and I love you God
becus you are so pawrful
and I love you Lord
and I love you God
the Eend
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
E-mail update~03 September 2008
Please forgive us for not sending out an update sooner. We have been kept very busy these days. Below is a brief update on recent items we have requested prayer.
Thank you so much for praying for Cher! We are happy to report that the initial results of the cancer not having spread were confirmed. Please, continue to pray as she heals from the surgery and for wisdom as they will be meeting with several doctors in the coming weeks to determine the next steps of treatment.
Housing....Unfortunately, the house we mentioned in our last e-mail will not work so we continue the search. Thank you for praying for this as well. In the meanwhile, we are praying that our landlord will complete the addition to this house which began in May. Our landlord has also informed us that when the new room is completed, they would like an additional $250 in rent a month which is more than we had anticipated. According to them, it is open for discussion. Please pray for us as we try to negotiate with them regarding the increase. It is becoming clear that we need to move and possibly purchase as the cost of renting a larger house are astronomical here and purchasing seems a wiser investment.
Ministry...Please, pray for the people we have invited to our cell group. There were several weeks in a row without any visitors which has been discouraging, however, we knew that there would be ups and downs. We can definitely see how the Lord is using the cell group to mature the members of our group as one of the men has stepped forward to help lead the studies, alternating with Phil. It is exciting to see people taking more ownership of the ministry and using their gifts as never before. We were praising the Lord last week when one of the families returned to the cell group who had visited previously. The other groups have had some great turn outs which we are so thankful for. We are especially thrilled with several of our youth who have become more involved and interested in participating in the groups.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
We are also posting the latest edition of our prayer letter, Eager Steps, at the link to the left.
Thank you so much for praying for Cher! We are happy to report that the initial results of the cancer not having spread were confirmed. Please, continue to pray as she heals from the surgery and for wisdom as they will be meeting with several doctors in the coming weeks to determine the next steps of treatment.
Housing....Unfortunately, the house we mentioned in our last e-mail will not work so we continue the search. Thank you for praying for this as well. In the meanwhile, we are praying that our landlord will complete the addition to this house which began in May. Our landlord has also informed us that when the new room is completed, they would like an additional $250 in rent a month which is more than we had anticipated. According to them, it is open for discussion. Please pray for us as we try to negotiate with them regarding the increase. It is becoming clear that we need to move and possibly purchase as the cost of renting a larger house are astronomical here and purchasing seems a wiser investment.
Ministry...Please, pray for the people we have invited to our cell group. There were several weeks in a row without any visitors which has been discouraging, however, we knew that there would be ups and downs. We can definitely see how the Lord is using the cell group to mature the members of our group as one of the men has stepped forward to help lead the studies, alternating with Phil. It is exciting to see people taking more ownership of the ministry and using their gifts as never before. We were praising the Lord last week when one of the families returned to the cell group who had visited previously. The other groups have had some great turn outs which we are so thankful for. We are especially thrilled with several of our youth who have become more involved and interested in participating in the groups.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
We are also posting the latest edition of our prayer letter, Eager Steps, at the link to the left.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Here, There and Back Again!
*The following is an e-mail update sent out last Monday, Aug. 4th that we did not have time to post before our conference.*
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST: Before we begin to update you on what has been happening with us the past month, we have a very important prayer request. Our good friend and fellow TEAM missionary in La Paz, Cher Gatto, needs your prayer. Without going into all the details, she was flown back to the states last week with some health issues and today it was discovered that she has a cancerous tumor. Surgery to remove the tumor is scheduled for this coming Thursday at which time they will know how far it has progressed. Please pray with us for Cher, her husband Pete and their five children as they go through this very difficult time.
HERE…
Before leaving for our trip to the states to visit with family as well as several supporting churches, we were beginning to see some of the first fruits of our new cell group outreach. Here is a brief summary of some of the exciting results from our first three months of meetings:
~We are seeing believers take more ownership of the ministry and maturing in their faith.
~We are seeing our members become more aware of the needs around them.
~We have had approximately 70 adults & 58 children visit the 4 different cell groups during the initial 3 months of meetings.
~We have had an increase of visitors to our Sunday service from the cell groups.
~We have had 3 professions of faith.
THERE…
While in the states, we had the privilege of travelling to Alaska to update supporters on our ministry as well as spend some wonderful time with Phil’s family. It had been almost four years since our last visit and it was a special blessing that all of Phil’s immediate family could be together, including his brother and family who are missionaries in Poland. We were able to make a lot of good memories with them as well as share with the church during a special fiesta night and in an adult Sunday school class. During our travels, we were also able to connect with Pattie’s family in Arizona and California and Phil’s aunts in southern California. As always, the time with family and good friends goes by fast. Our last Sunday in the states, we were sitting in a church before giving a report and Micah looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I want to go home. When can we go back to Mexico?” We were all ready to get back into our own home and routine.
AND BACK AGAIN…
Thank you so much for your prayers as we travelled the many miles in such a short time. God’s hand of protection was on us as we drove, especially on our travel down the Baja when a tractor trailer dumped half its over packed load of hay bales right in front of us. It was a very tense few minutes for all of us but we definitely knew that the Lord was with us and know He protected us from what could have been a very tragic accident.
We are happy to be back and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. It was great to be back in church on Sunday and greet all of our dear brothers and sisters here as well as worship with them again.
Please pray for the cell groups. Summer can be a hard time to get people to come, especially with the heat. Please be in prayer for two families in particular that have attended our cell group in the past: Edgar & LaLa and Juan & Judy.
We leave again today for our field’s annual conference of missionaries where we give our reports on various ministry areas throughout Mexico. TEAM’s director has also come to help us work through a field vision and purpose. We are excited to hear what the Lord has been doing the past year in other ministry areas as well as clarify the vision for our field so that we can more effectively minister and work better as a team.
As always, we are overflowing with gratitude for your faithfulness in praying for us and supporting the ministry here. We pray for you as well and enjoy hearing how things are going with you and how we can pray for you!
By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie
PS-We will send out some pictures soon!
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST: Before we begin to update you on what has been happening with us the past month, we have a very important prayer request. Our good friend and fellow TEAM missionary in La Paz, Cher Gatto, needs your prayer. Without going into all the details, she was flown back to the states last week with some health issues and today it was discovered that she has a cancerous tumor. Surgery to remove the tumor is scheduled for this coming Thursday at which time they will know how far it has progressed. Please pray with us for Cher, her husband Pete and their five children as they go through this very difficult time.
HERE…
Before leaving for our trip to the states to visit with family as well as several supporting churches, we were beginning to see some of the first fruits of our new cell group outreach. Here is a brief summary of some of the exciting results from our first three months of meetings:
~We are seeing believers take more ownership of the ministry and maturing in their faith.
~We are seeing our members become more aware of the needs around them.
~We have had approximately 70 adults & 58 children visit the 4 different cell groups during the initial 3 months of meetings.
~We have had an increase of visitors to our Sunday service from the cell groups.
~We have had 3 professions of faith.
THERE…
While in the states, we had the privilege of travelling to Alaska to update supporters on our ministry as well as spend some wonderful time with Phil’s family. It had been almost four years since our last visit and it was a special blessing that all of Phil’s immediate family could be together, including his brother and family who are missionaries in Poland. We were able to make a lot of good memories with them as well as share with the church during a special fiesta night and in an adult Sunday school class. During our travels, we were also able to connect with Pattie’s family in Arizona and California and Phil’s aunts in southern California. As always, the time with family and good friends goes by fast. Our last Sunday in the states, we were sitting in a church before giving a report and Micah looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I want to go home. When can we go back to Mexico?” We were all ready to get back into our own home and routine.
AND BACK AGAIN…
Thank you so much for your prayers as we travelled the many miles in such a short time. God’s hand of protection was on us as we drove, especially on our travel down the Baja when a tractor trailer dumped half its over packed load of hay bales right in front of us. It was a very tense few minutes for all of us but we definitely knew that the Lord was with us and know He protected us from what could have been a very tragic accident.
We are happy to be back and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. It was great to be back in church on Sunday and greet all of our dear brothers and sisters here as well as worship with them again.
Please pray for the cell groups. Summer can be a hard time to get people to come, especially with the heat. Please be in prayer for two families in particular that have attended our cell group in the past: Edgar & LaLa and Juan & Judy.
We leave again today for our field’s annual conference of missionaries where we give our reports on various ministry areas throughout Mexico. TEAM’s director has also come to help us work through a field vision and purpose. We are excited to hear what the Lord has been doing the past year in other ministry areas as well as clarify the vision for our field so that we can more effectively minister and work better as a team.
As always, we are overflowing with gratitude for your faithfulness in praying for us and supporting the ministry here. We pray for you as well and enjoy hearing how things are going with you and how we can pray for you!
By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie
PS-We will send out some pictures soon!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Continue Praying for "M"
The following is our most recent e-mail update sent out last week on June 12th. Sorry it is late in getting posted.
Greetings from a cooler Baja. We enjoyed an unexpected break from the heat yesterday with a fairly cloudy and cooler day which was a definite blessing for us. We hope that all is going well with you in whatever part of the world the Lord has placed you today!
A brief update on our friend "M"...we recently received the sad news that she attempted suicide and has been admitted to a facility by the govt. agency our people have already been in contact with. More information has come to light regarding her situation. The man who allegedly attacked her is claiming that those are lies and that she is a drug addict. It is really difficult to know who to believe. Regardless, we know that she is a very lost and hurting young woman and there is only one person who can truly heal the wounds she has. Please, pray with us for opportunities to reach out and help show Jesus to her. Pattie is hoping to visit her soon with at least one of the ladies from the cell group. Pray for wisdom and for her to see His love in them as well as her need for Him.
While our particular cell group has fluctuated in our attendance, we are seeing some maturity in our core group of believers. One of the results of the situation with "M" has been that they have acknowledged that they have become closed in with regards to only having friends in the church or what they said were "good folks". They are seeing that there is a lost and hurting world outside the walls of their homes and the church and are becoming motivated to do more to reach them. This is incredibly exciting for us and a huge answer to prayer as we had mentioned previously, the church having become so ingrown. Wonderful things are happening through the new cell group ministry and it is a great place to see the Lord working in the lives of our church people but also their friends, neighbors, co-workers and families as they reach out to invite them to the groups. This past Sunday we had 7 new visitors in church from the cell groups. We have also had three professions of faith. Tomorrow night, the leaders of the groups will be presenting the Gospel message and giving an invitation. We would appreciate your prayers especially that those we have invited will come and that their hearts will be open to the message.
Please, continue to pray as we seek to reach this city and surrounding area with the Light it so desperately needs.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
Greetings from a cooler Baja. We enjoyed an unexpected break from the heat yesterday with a fairly cloudy and cooler day which was a definite blessing for us. We hope that all is going well with you in whatever part of the world the Lord has placed you today!
A brief update on our friend "M"...we recently received the sad news that she attempted suicide and has been admitted to a facility by the govt. agency our people have already been in contact with. More information has come to light regarding her situation. The man who allegedly attacked her is claiming that those are lies and that she is a drug addict. It is really difficult to know who to believe. Regardless, we know that she is a very lost and hurting young woman and there is only one person who can truly heal the wounds she has. Please, pray with us for opportunities to reach out and help show Jesus to her. Pattie is hoping to visit her soon with at least one of the ladies from the cell group. Pray for wisdom and for her to see His love in them as well as her need for Him.
While our particular cell group has fluctuated in our attendance, we are seeing some maturity in our core group of believers. One of the results of the situation with "M" has been that they have acknowledged that they have become closed in with regards to only having friends in the church or what they said were "good folks". They are seeing that there is a lost and hurting world outside the walls of their homes and the church and are becoming motivated to do more to reach them. This is incredibly exciting for us and a huge answer to prayer as we had mentioned previously, the church having become so ingrown. Wonderful things are happening through the new cell group ministry and it is a great place to see the Lord working in the lives of our church people but also their friends, neighbors, co-workers and families as they reach out to invite them to the groups. This past Sunday we had 7 new visitors in church from the cell groups. We have also had three professions of faith. Tomorrow night, the leaders of the groups will be presenting the Gospel message and giving an invitation. We would appreciate your prayers especially that those we have invited will come and that their hearts will be open to the message.
Please, continue to pray as we seek to reach this city and surrounding area with the Light it so desperately needs.
By His Grace,
The Eager Family
Monday, May 19, 2008
Keep Praying
Below you will find the most recent update we sent out via e-mail.
Thank you so much for the notes telling us you are praying for the situation with our new friend “M”. We appreciate all the prayers so much. We wanted to give you an update and ask for your continued prayers for this situation.
She is a very scared young lady right now and unfortunately is not thinking too straight as a result. She decided amidst their protest to leave the house of the family from our cell group because she knows that the man knows where they live and she is afraid because of that. She has chosen instead to spend some nights sleeping in one of the Catholic churches which really is like being on the street or has stayed with other friends from work. She has also made comments that lead us to believe that she is suicidal. The two sisters from our group, Lina and Irene, pleaded with her on Saturday to come back and stay with them when she returned for some clothes she had left behind but she would not. They are very torn for “M” as they really care for her, yet they cannot force her to stay with them either. So, this is where we are at with “M” right now. Please, pray for her safety and for more clarity in her thinking. Pray that she will realize most of all her need for the Lord and that we can continue to minister to her as she will allow.
The Lord has brought another sad situation into focus through our cell group. Lina had invited another woman from her work to our cell group this past Friday. When she went to pick up the woman and her children for the group, her abusive husband had returned to the home (he had left the family a few weeks ago) and asserted his control over the family, making many threats to his wife, children and Lina. Please, pray with us for Lina’s friend “I” and her children. That He would protect them and that she would have the strength and resolve to remove herself and her children from such a dangerous situation. Pray for Lina and our group to have wisdom in how best to reach out to this family.
Our hearts are so saddened by what we have been a witness to these past couple of weeks…the evil that people will do to others. It definitely gives us motivation to keep doing what we are doing yet is also frustrating because we wish we could do so much more. Would you please also pray with us that the Lord might bring more people to work in the harvest here? There is a great need, especially for a shelter ministering to abused women and children in this area like our co-workers in La Paz helped to begin there. It would be such a blessing if we could have that to offer to women like “M” and “I”….a safe place where they can be ministered to and experience Jesus’ love in tangible ways.
Thank you for your continued prayers….we firmly believe it is no accident that the Lord brought these ladies into our lives and we will seek to show them Jesus as much as we are able. By His Grace, Phil and Pattie
Thank you so much for the notes telling us you are praying for the situation with our new friend “M”. We appreciate all the prayers so much. We wanted to give you an update and ask for your continued prayers for this situation.
She is a very scared young lady right now and unfortunately is not thinking too straight as a result. She decided amidst their protest to leave the house of the family from our cell group because she knows that the man knows where they live and she is afraid because of that. She has chosen instead to spend some nights sleeping in one of the Catholic churches which really is like being on the street or has stayed with other friends from work. She has also made comments that lead us to believe that she is suicidal. The two sisters from our group, Lina and Irene, pleaded with her on Saturday to come back and stay with them when she returned for some clothes she had left behind but she would not. They are very torn for “M” as they really care for her, yet they cannot force her to stay with them either. So, this is where we are at with “M” right now. Please, pray for her safety and for more clarity in her thinking. Pray that she will realize most of all her need for the Lord and that we can continue to minister to her as she will allow.
The Lord has brought another sad situation into focus through our cell group. Lina had invited another woman from her work to our cell group this past Friday. When she went to pick up the woman and her children for the group, her abusive husband had returned to the home (he had left the family a few weeks ago) and asserted his control over the family, making many threats to his wife, children and Lina. Please, pray with us for Lina’s friend “I” and her children. That He would protect them and that she would have the strength and resolve to remove herself and her children from such a dangerous situation. Pray for Lina and our group to have wisdom in how best to reach out to this family.
Our hearts are so saddened by what we have been a witness to these past couple of weeks…the evil that people will do to others. It definitely gives us motivation to keep doing what we are doing yet is also frustrating because we wish we could do so much more. Would you please also pray with us that the Lord might bring more people to work in the harvest here? There is a great need, especially for a shelter ministering to abused women and children in this area like our co-workers in La Paz helped to begin there. It would be such a blessing if we could have that to offer to women like “M” and “I”….a safe place where they can be ministered to and experience Jesus’ love in tangible ways.
Thank you for your continued prayers….we firmly believe it is no accident that the Lord brought these ladies into our lives and we will seek to show them Jesus as much as we are able. By His Grace, Phil and Pattie
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Urgent Prayer Need
The following is an e-mail we just sent out this morning. We appreciate your prayers.
Dear Praying Friends,
We apologize for not getting an update out sooner. We are working on our Spring prayer letter which we hope to finish soon.
We have a more urgent prayer need right now that we want to share with you. We don’t want to go into all the details but we need prayer for a young single gal, “M”, who has visited our cell group and is a co-worker of one of our members. She was living on the mainland with her mother in a very sheltered existence (her mother had taken her out of grade school to have her help make and sell blankets). Her mother got cancer and died recently and “M” decided to come here to get work. Upon her arrival, she was not met at the airport by the people she was to work with and so took a taxi to a neighborhood where she was told that she could find a room to rent. After walking with her suitcase for much of that day, she found a house where the lady rented her a room. It turned out to be a very bad situation as the lady’s brother (whom she believed at the time was the lady’s husband) began to show inappropriate interest in her and became very possessive of “M”. We found out about this when she tried to come to cell group for the second time and he would not allow her. Our group immediately began praying for her and seeking how we could help her. The family, who had invited her, ended up taking her into their own home to help her escape such a potentially dangerous situation. (In reality, having been so sheltered, “M” probably did not really understand how dangerous it was.) Tuesday night, while we were meeting at the house to plan for the next cell group meeting, the lady from whom she had rented the room came by the house and asked for “M” to come out and talk with her in the car. “M” went to talk with the lady and she drove off with her. This poor girl was taken to the man and spent that evening being violated by him. Please, pray for her. This situation grieves us all so deeply and we fully believe that the Lord brought her into our paths so we can minister to her in such a horrible time in her life. Right now, all she wants to do is get her money from work and go back to her hometown which could be another dangerous situation as well since she has no family to be looking out for her. Please pray for wisdom as we minister to “M” and most importantly that she will accept Christ into her heart who is the only one who can truly begin to heal the wounds she has. Thank you so much for praying with us!
By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4
Dear Praying Friends,
We apologize for not getting an update out sooner. We are working on our Spring prayer letter which we hope to finish soon.
We have a more urgent prayer need right now that we want to share with you. We don’t want to go into all the details but we need prayer for a young single gal, “M”, who has visited our cell group and is a co-worker of one of our members. She was living on the mainland with her mother in a very sheltered existence (her mother had taken her out of grade school to have her help make and sell blankets). Her mother got cancer and died recently and “M” decided to come here to get work. Upon her arrival, she was not met at the airport by the people she was to work with and so took a taxi to a neighborhood where she was told that she could find a room to rent. After walking with her suitcase for much of that day, she found a house where the lady rented her a room. It turned out to be a very bad situation as the lady’s brother (whom she believed at the time was the lady’s husband) began to show inappropriate interest in her and became very possessive of “M”. We found out about this when she tried to come to cell group for the second time and he would not allow her. Our group immediately began praying for her and seeking how we could help her. The family, who had invited her, ended up taking her into their own home to help her escape such a potentially dangerous situation. (In reality, having been so sheltered, “M” probably did not really understand how dangerous it was.) Tuesday night, while we were meeting at the house to plan for the next cell group meeting, the lady from whom she had rented the room came by the house and asked for “M” to come out and talk with her in the car. “M” went to talk with the lady and she drove off with her. This poor girl was taken to the man and spent that evening being violated by him. Please, pray for her. This situation grieves us all so deeply and we fully believe that the Lord brought her into our paths so we can minister to her in such a horrible time in her life. Right now, all she wants to do is get her money from work and go back to her hometown which could be another dangerous situation as well since she has no family to be looking out for her. Please pray for wisdom as we minister to “M” and most importantly that she will accept Christ into her heart who is the only one who can truly begin to heal the wounds she has. Thank you so much for praying with us!
By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4
Monday, April 21, 2008
"Profound" Thoughts Inspired by Our 4 Year Old
Yesterday, we took the youth group to the beach for an impromptu youth activity. As we were leaving, Micah was walking with me back to the car as he had on the way out. However, this time, I was carrying Luke so I could not hold his hand like when we came. He kept walking behind me instead of beside me like before when I we arrived. So I asked him to come up and walk beside me. He replied, "But I want to step in your prints." As we got to a stretch of sand where people often park their cars, the sand was more packed down and he was frustrated because he could no longer see my prints in order to follow and complained about it. When we got to deeper sand again, he was very happy to be able to walk in my prints again. This got me thinking about life and how often we follow where God is leading but sometimes, it is hard to see His "prints" but I can trust Him that He is there even when I can't see His "prints"! Micah's comment also made me stop and think about being a mom or dad and the huge responsibiltiy it is. My children are following in my steps and learning from me and will be shaped by me...the good and the bad. How important my example is to them and my need to live moment by moment for His glory so that my children have good footprints to follow! "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3
Friday, April 18, 2008
New Family Picture
Here is a new picture taken by our co-worker yesterday with the whole Eager family. Hope you enjoy!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Cell Group Commissioning & Family Fun
Earlier this week, during our Sunday service, we had a commissioning for those involved in the new cell group outreach of Iglesia Emanuel. They will be starting up this week and all the groups will be meeting on Friday evenings. As mentioned previously, each person of the 7-8 member team for each cell group has a responsibilty within the group (ie: leader, assistant leader, worship, children, etc.). They will also be required to invite at least one non-Christian a week. Each team will be meeting on Tuesday evenings for a brief planning meeting for the cell group as well as to pray for those unbelievers who each member has or will be inviting to the Friday study. We covet your prayers as we initiate this new ministry in an effort to assist our members to be more active in using their gifts as well as evangelism.
Please pray for Pattie as she will be seeking out several of our youth girls in order to begin a new ministry of discipleship with them. With the addition of Luke and her other family and ministry responsibilities, she has had to step back from her regular involvement in Sat. evening youth group, however she will be able to spend some time with several of the girls throughout the week in order to disciple them. She is excited to be starting this new aspect of her ministry. Her main goal is to encrouage the girls to be in the Word and applying it to their lives. As this happens, her prayer is that their lives will be transformed for His glory.
On a family note....Luke continues to grow and is awake more often. We look forward to seeing how his personality develops. The others have adjusted very well to a new little brother and often want to be Mommy and Daddy's helpers which is a blessing. Sometimes our kids come up with some funny and interesting ideas and we thought we would share a few of their recent ones that made us laugh....The other morning in church as we were getting ready for the offering time, I was explaining again to Micah that the coins I was giving him were not for him but to put into the offering bag...that they were for God. He turned to me with a very serious look on his face and asked, "so, what do they do with it then....do they just throw it up there to Him?" Needless to say, we all had a good chuckle. We have been reading in Genesis for school these past few weeks and last week when we were reading about Jacob returning home after his exile, we asked the kids why Jacob was worried to be going home....why his brother Esau was mad at him. Well, Abby replied, "because he (Jacob) stole his (Esau's) beer-right." Now, what do you say to that?!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Bits from the Baja Email update 3/28/2008
The following is a copy of our most recent email update.
WE'VE GOT OUR VISAS!!!
Thank you so much for praying for us as we traveled to Mexico City for our visa appointment. We were really blessed that a friend from Moody and her husband (Aubrey and Marco Murillo) were able to help us during our time there. They not only picked us up at the airport, they hosted us and drove us to the appointment. Considering the traffic there and trying to maneuver in an unfamiliar and HUGE city with 4 children, we are so grateful for their help. We will now be able to be more public than before without fear of problems with the immigration office here which tends to be a little more antagonistic than in other areas. We will also no longer need to leave the country every 6 months which was disruptive to our ministry as well as family. We will miss the extra opportunities we had to connect with our supporters and family in CA and AZ but welcome anyone who would like to come down and see first hand what the Lord is doing here.
SEMANA SANTA (HOLY/EASTER WEEK) YOUTH RETREAT
Phil had the privilege to take a group of 15 youth to a retreat organized by our friend in La Paz, Alejandra, who attended the seminary part of our language school in TX. It is wonderful to see the Lord using her in ministry and we look forward to watching her continue to grow and possibly one day be a missionary in a difficult access country somewhere in Asia or the Middle East. The theme for the retreat was Transformers and the youth were encouraged to "be transformed" (Romans 12:1-2). We are praising the Lord for 10 who made professions of faith (two of which were visitors with our group) as well as other commitments made to follow Christ more closely. Phil and our youth came back home tired but excited. We are also happy to report that one of the young men who came with our group as a visitor who accepted Christ (Luis) came to our Wed. evening Bible Study this past week and plans to start attending our youth group regularly.
IGLESIA EMANUEL to START CELL GROUPS
After much prayer, our missionary team as well as the church leadership feel that this is the direction God would have us take and will be starting this new ministry the week of April 14th. Our church plant has a problem many churches do, it has become ingrown with a few who are maturing and serving but many who are only attending. In an effort to encourage evangelism, involve more people in serving and see people put their faith into action, we are implementing a new cell group ministry. The model we will implementing is based on a model used in Korea that has proved very effective in other parts of Mexico. A main component of the group is evangelism and accountability as every member is asked to invite one new person every week and will be held accountable by the group. There will be 4 groups strategically located in different neighborhoods. Phil will be leading our group along with an assistant leader in whose home we will be meeting. I will be helping as well in the leadership of the group, possibly helping lead the worship time. We would appreciate your prayers as this new ministry begins, that the Lord would use it for His glory and to grow His kingdom.
SPECIAL REQUEST
A critical need on our hearts a lot right now involves one of our youth and her family. Please pray for this family as she is 14 and going through a period of rebellion against her parents and the Lord. There has been some indication that there may even be some involvement with the occult. We are reminded that this is not a physical but a very spiritual battle and are enlisting as many as possible to join in the battle through their prayers on her behalf as well as for her parents-that they would have wisdom to know what boundaries to put into place.
FAMILY NEWS
Several have asked us about our housing situation. Unfortunately, not much has changed. We have set up several meetings to discuss building on with our landlords but our landlord has yet to show up. In the meantime, we have decided to keep looking into other options but have not had much success. We try not to let it discourage us, but really feel the need for more space, especially with Luke sleeping in our living room and Abby really needing a separate room from her brothers. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for this need. It is not a dire situation by any stretch, but having a bit more space would eliminate some frustrations.
Luke is doing really well. He has been gaining weight and growing long. The other kids continue to be excited about their new baby brother and are great little helpers too which has been a blessing.
In order to be better connected with you and to keep you more informed, we have started a blog online we hope to update on a weekly basis with news and pictures of both our ministry and family. If you are interested, you can visit it at www.eagersteps.blogspot.com. It currently has more basic information, but as time goes on, we plan to add more.
Thank you for being a part of our team and what the Lord is doing in Mexico. If you are interested or a group in your church is interested in coming down to see the ministry and take part in a missions trip here, we would love to have you!
The Eager Family
Thank you so much for praying for us as we traveled to Mexico City for our visa appointment. We were really blessed that a friend from Moody and her husband (Aubrey and Marco Murillo) were able to help us during our time there. They not only picked us up at the airport, they hosted us and drove us to the appointment. Considering the traffic there and trying to maneuver in an unfamiliar and HUGE city with 4 children, we are so grateful for their help. We will now be able to be more public than before without fear of problems with the immigration office here which tends to be a little more antagonistic than in other areas. We will also no longer need to leave the country every 6 months which was disruptive to our ministry as well as family. We will miss the extra opportunities we had to connect with our supporters and family in CA and AZ but welcome anyone who would like to come down and see first hand what the Lord is doing here.
SEMANA SANTA (HOLY/EASTER WEEK) YOUTH RETREAT
Phil had the privilege to take a group of 15 youth to a retreat organized by our friend in La Paz, Alejandra, who attended the seminary part of our language school in TX. It is wonderful to see the Lord using her in ministry and we look forward to watching her continue to grow and possibly one day be a missionary in a difficult access country somewhere in Asia or the Middle East. The theme for the retreat was Transformers and the youth were encouraged to "be transformed" (Romans 12:1-2). We are praising the Lord for 10 who made professions of faith (two of which were visitors with our group) as well as other commitments made to follow Christ more closely. Phil and our youth came back home tired but excited. We are also happy to report that one of the young men who came with our group as a visitor who accepted Christ (Luis) came to our Wed. evening Bible Study this past week and plans to start attending our youth group regularly.
IGLESIA EMANUEL to START CELL GROUPS
After much prayer, our missionary team as well as the church leadership feel that this is the direction God would have us take and will be starting this new ministry the week of April 14th. Our church plant has a problem many churches do, it has become ingrown with a few who are maturing and serving but many who are only attending. In an effort to encourage evangelism, involve more people in serving and see people put their faith into action, we are implementing a new cell group ministry. The model we will implementing is based on a model used in Korea that has proved very effective in other parts of Mexico. A main component of the group is evangelism and accountability as every member is asked to invite one new person every week and will be held accountable by the group. There will be 4 groups strategically located in different neighborhoods. Phil will be leading our group along with an assistant leader in whose home we will be meeting. I will be helping as well in the leadership of the group, possibly helping lead the worship time. We would appreciate your prayers as this new ministry begins, that the Lord would use it for His glory and to grow His kingdom.
SPECIAL REQUEST
A critical need on our hearts a lot right now involves one of our youth and her family. Please pray for this family as she is 14 and going through a period of rebellion against her parents and the Lord. There has been some indication that there may even be some involvement with the occult. We are reminded that this is not a physical but a very spiritual battle and are enlisting as many as possible to join in the battle through their prayers on her behalf as well as for her parents-that they would have wisdom to know what boundaries to put into place.
FAMILY NEWS
Several have asked us about our housing situation. Unfortunately, not much has changed. We have set up several meetings to discuss building on with our landlords but our landlord has yet to show up. In the meantime, we have decided to keep looking into other options but have not had much success. We try not to let it discourage us, but really feel the need for more space, especially with Luke sleeping in our living room and Abby really needing a separate room from her brothers. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for this need. It is not a dire situation by any stretch, but having a bit more space would eliminate some frustrations.
Luke is doing really well. He has been gaining weight and growing long. The other kids continue to be excited about their new baby brother and are great little helpers too which has been a blessing.
In order to be better connected with you and to keep you more informed, we have started a blog online we hope to update on a weekly basis with news and pictures of both our ministry and family. If you are interested, you can visit it at www.eagersteps.blogspot.com. It currently has more basic information, but as time goes on, we plan to add more.
Thank you for being a part of our team and what the Lord is doing in Mexico. If you are interested or a group in your church is interested in coming down to see the ministry and take part in a missions trip here, we would love to have you!
The Eager Family
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!
We had a good Easter Service at church although Phil was a bit on the tired side after having taken our youth to a retreat from Wed. through Sat. and I was tired from being solo for the four days. Thankfully, we all survived and the youth retreat was awesome according to everyone you ask. The most wonderful fact being that 10 youth from the various churches made professions of faith and now understand more deeply the significance of why we commemorate this day. Two of these youth were visitors in our group and we look forward to following up with them. Please, pray for them. The theme for the retreat was Transformers and being transformed by Christ and they were all challenged to be transformed from the inside out. We are praising the Lord for all who made commitments to walk more deeply with the Lord as well.
Today we are giving thanks for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us!
[On a family note, you may notice that there is a person missing in our picture. Luke Darryl Eager was born on Jan. 15 a month and a half early. We were told that he would probably have to be in an incubator for at least a week or two. We praise the Lord that he was born healthy and fine and did not spend any time in an incubator. He weighed in around 6 pounds and was 20 inches long. He is growing longer and longer all the time. As soon as possible, we will get a family picture on here for you to see us all together.]
Today we are giving thanks for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us!
[On a family note, you may notice that there is a person missing in our picture. Luke Darryl Eager was born on Jan. 15 a month and a half early. We were told that he would probably have to be in an incubator for at least a week or two. We praise the Lord that he was born healthy and fine and did not spend any time in an incubator. He weighed in around 6 pounds and was 20 inches long. He is growing longer and longer all the time. As soon as possible, we will get a family picture on here for you to see us all together.]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
