Changes Coming!

As you can tell, we have not done a good job at keeping up with our blog. We are working on getting our site/blog up and going again in the new year. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we hope to make many improvements.

We send out monthly (sometimes bi-weekly) e-mail updates and quarterly prayer letter updates via e-mail. If you are not on our list and interested in receiving those, please, let us know at philandpattie@hotmail.com We are also both on Facebook and post many updates, prayer requests and pics on our pages so feel free to look us up on there too. Thank you again for your understanding.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday season. See you in the new year!

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: May 6, 2012

"Felipe, what do I need to do?" asked M at their weekly Bible study just after Easter. It has been a real joy to witness the process of God drawing both M and his wife. Please continue to pray for them as they seek the Truth. God's promise to Israel still holds true, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:13) While he and his wife did not make a commitment that day, we trust that as this precious family seeks God and His Word, they will find Him. We are excited to see how He will use them. Please pray with us that they will make the all important decision to give their hearts and lives to the Lord.

In our last update, we asked prayer for the Easter week youth camp. Thank you so much for your prayers. 130 youth from more than 5 churches in 3 cities participated in the camp. The youth from Iglesia Emanuel attended. It was a HUGE blessing to spend time with so many of them for the week. It was beautiful to see two of our youth serving on the worship team during the camp. Each evening, the Bible lesson dealt with the different relationships in their lives and each night, they were asked to consider posting their name on a wall of commitment. Please pray for those youth to remain firm in those commitments to honor Him in all their relationships. Please also pray for those who committed their lives to the Lord for the first time, that they will continue to grow in their faith and that people will come along side them to help disciple them.

We just closed out the Spring cycle of our Saturday morning horse ministry. It was such a joy for me to see several of the youth who seemed so hardened starting to come out of their shells. It is beautiful to see how the horses really help build a bridge into their lives and hearts. Please continue to pray for those children and youth who attended. Pray that they will remember the lessons and verses but most of all how much loved they are by God.

The temperatures are already starting to rise here in Southern Baja which means summer is on its way! This will be our first summer here in La Paz and to experience the internship program that Rancho El Camino runs as well as helping host numerous short term teams. Phil will be mainly responsible for the aspects regarding VBS and outreach programs in the MDL neighborhood. Please pray as he works with coordinating the teams and with any other projects where he may be needed. Please praise the Lord with us for continued growth in relationships with several key people in the neighborhood. We can see how the Lord is going before us and opening doors to us. We are excited about several possible partnerships with the local schools and our continued partnership with the government agency for the family (DIF).
Another first for this summer is that Pattie is coordinating our field's annual conference for all of TEAM Mexico missionaries. Please pray for her and her team as they work out all the details. There are still a few key elements up in the air and she would appreciate prayers that all the details fall into place. Please pray that it will be a time of renewal and refreshment as all the missionaries come together to share what God has been doing in their respective ministries as well as hold business meetings.

Our Spring letter is in process and will be coming out soon with plenty of photos but we wanted to share one from the youth camp. It's a shot of us with the youth from Iglesia Emanuel. Thank you so much for being a part of our ministry here!

By His Grace,
The Eager Family

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: April 2, 1012

The worship leader walking with one of the youth.

Our coworker, Pete, with his group preparing their horse for riding.

One of the groups waiting to ride their horse.

One of the youth taking her turn riding.

"G" taking a turn riding.

Greetings this Semana Santa (Holy Week),

Today starts the annual Semana Santa youth retreat out at Rancho el Camino. The theme for the week is True Repentance. The messages will all surround this theme of calling the youth to what it means to truly follow Christ. Please pray for safety during the many activities that will be going on throughout the week and especially for the Lord to move in the lives of the youth who attend. There will be youth attending from many different churches in Southern Baja including our youth group from our church in San Jose del Cabo. As you can imagine, we are very excited about the opportunity to see them again. Josh will also be attending this year as he is now officially a youth here. That seems so strange to us but we are excited for this new phase of life for him as well.

Phil began a bible study last week with a young man from the MDL neighborhood. Our coworker, Pete, and Phil have had the opportunity to share the gospel with "M.A." before but he wanted to wait until his whole family could hear as well. M.A. seems very open to spiritual things. Please pray with us that he and his family will embrace the Truth and find freedom in the Lord this Easter season.

After a short delay, we will be starting up the Spring cycle of the horse ministry Saturday, April 14th. Please pray for those who attend and for the leaders as we share Jesus with them. One of the reasons for the delay was that we had a request to host a group of "At risk" youth at the ranch a couple weeks ago. Several of them are from MDL and its surrounding neighborhoods. Our worship leader at the church here is also a police officer and part of a program they have working with these youth. He asked to bring the group out to the ranch to do some work projects as well as work with and ride the horses. (See photos of their visit above.) Two of the adult chaperones in attendance were a psychologist who works with the police department and his wife. The wife, "G", spent some time sharing a little of her heart with us: "I am so excited that you are doing this for the children and youth of MDL. Many people here don't value helping them. It is a neighborhood with so much need. My husband and I want to help out as much as we are able with what you are doing here. It is so very important." It is exciting to see all of the ways the Lord continues to open doors to minister to the community using the ranch and the horses. Please pray as we continue to develop this relationship with the local police department.

As always, we are so grateful for you and your ministry to us through prayer, support and encouragement. We pray you have a wonderful week of remembering the wonderful gift and sacrifice of Christ for us.

By His grace,
The Eager family

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: February 18, 2012

Greetings from Southern Baja!

Much has happened since our last update and we hope to get our winter edition of our prayer letter out to you soon so that you can be filled in on more of the details. We want to share some quick highlights from the past few months and items to pray for in the coming weeks.

Highlights:

• We closed out the fall/winter cycle of the horse club ministry with a living nativity. Many of the participants were from the Marquez de Leon (MDL) neighborhood where we hope to start the new church. It was a blessing to share with this children, youth and their families about the real meaning of Christmas-Emanuel, God with us. So many still do not grasp this amazing truth that Love came down, lived among us and sacrificed Himself for us. Please continue to pray for open hearts to this message and opportunities to share it.
• We made a quick trip to the states in order to renew our visas. Lord willing, we will be able to get our more permanent visas renewed soon so we do not have to leave the country every 6 months with temporary visas. Please pray for the paperwork to proceed quickly and for favor with the officials. We praise God for another safe drive up and down the Baja peninsula. We were able to spend Christmas with family which is highly unusual but a HUGE blessing.
• A team from the states helped with some work projects at the ranch in the mornings and held a VBS program during the afternoons in MDL earlier this month. Some more great contact were made and Lord willing, Phil and our co-worker, Pete, will be starting a Bible study there soon.

Prayer Items:

• Our team has prayerfully put together a vision and strategy for the new church plant in MDL. Our prayer is that this will be a joint work with our Mexican brothers and sisters from the La Paz de Cristo church. Please pray for the Lord to bring together His people for the church plant team. We are excited to move forward.
• Next month, we will be starting the Spring cycle of the horse club minstry at the ranch. Please pray as we seek to make it even more effective in reaching the families of MDL and pouring into the lives of those who attend.
• As summer quickly approaches, there will be more teams coming and the summer internship program will be starting up. Please pray that in the midst of a very busy summer, that He will always receive the glory and many hearts will be touched for His kingdom. If you are or know a high schooler or young adult who would be interested in a life changing summer internship, please let us know and we will get you more information.

As always, our hearts are overflowing with grattitude for you, our team, who upholds us in your prayers, sends us encouraging notes and supports us so that we can be here to help extend His kingdom. We pray you had a wonderful finish to your year celebrating His birth and that in this year, you draw closer and closer to Him.

By His Grace,
The Eager Family

Bits from the Baja: E-mail Update 11/14/2011

Dear Friends,
Please forgive the delay in communication. We are working on our combined summer/fall newsletter which will be full of pictures and information on our new home and ministry. Lord willing, it will be in your inbox and on its way to the post office by the end of the week. Thank you so much for your patience and for your prayers during this time of transition.

As you may recall, we had a team come from Fresno, CA last month to help with building bunk beds for the dormitory at the ranch and to hold health workshops (see photos above and descriptions below). We are so grateful for all that the team was able to accomplish in the short time they were here. The workshops in the Marquéz de Leon (MDL) neighborhood where we are planning the new church plant went really well. We are praising God for the new contacts that were made and the relationships developed with the director of the DIF center. (DIF is the agency responsible for the development of the family in Mexico.) DIF is thrilled to have the support and assistance in helping this very needy community.

This past weekend, there was an evangelistic festival held in La Paz. The theme was Saving the Family. As you are aware, the family is under attack everywhere and especially in Mexico. There is a 70% divorce rate and a high abuse rate here. Only Christ can transform lives and families. The event was a combined effort by the evangelical churches in La Paz. It was beautiful to see so many brothers and sisters working together. We look forward to seeing how the Lord brings fruit from this special outreach.

Next weekend, we will be kicking off the Saturday horse ministry at the ranch for this fall/winter. Please pray for us as we help out our coworkers, Pete and Cher Gatto and for the Lord to use this in the lives of all the children, youth and families who participate. There are some pressing needs at the ranch including the need for more corrals to be built. Please pray with us for the Lord’s provision for this urgent need.

Phil has been developing a relationship with our neighbor “S”. He walks every morning and has invited Phil to join him whenever he is able. Phil has had the opportunity to get to know him better through their walks. Please pray that “S” will see his need for a personal relationship with Jesus and find freedom from the lie that he needs to do things to earn his salvation.

As Thanksgiving draws near, we cannot help but be reminded once again of all the blessings the Lord has poured out upon us. You are among His greatest blessings to our family as you pray, support and encourage us in His work here. We pray you have a very blessed time celebrating all He has done for you and your families.

By His Grace,

The Eager Family

Photo Descriptions:

First photo: during the workshop
Remaning photos: We were responsible for the children’s program. These are from that portion of our time with them-playing games and getting to know them.

Bits from the Baja: E-mail Update 10/14/2011

Saludos! (Greetings!)

We trust you are enjoying the change of seasons in the states. We are grateful to feel some change in the weather here. The tempuratures have lowered below the 100's. It is amazing what a 10 degree difference can do!
We are also grateful for a short term missions team from Fresno, CA that arrived yesterday. They will be helping to build some much needed bunk beds for the dormitory at the ranch. Please pray for safety and energy for those who are part of the construction team. If you are on Facebook, be sure to check out the ranch's page-Rancho El Camino in La Paz, BCS. It has a lot of great pictures from a recent baptism service, a group of at risk kids who visited the ranch with several members of the local police and much more. The team will also be holding some health related workshops in Marquez de Leon (MDL), the neighborhood we hope to start the new church plant. There will be a total of four workshops held tomorrow-two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Personal testimonies and the Gospel will be shared along with the workshops. Phil will helping head up the children's activities while adults and youth attend the workshops. Please pray for a great turnout and that the Lord will use this opportunity mightily in the lives of all who attend to build His Kingdom in MDL.

On a personal note, we have moved in all our furniture and unpacked many of our boxes. Eager Academy (our home school) just completed its 3rd week for this school year. It is nice to be getting into a routine again. We hope to finish unpacking and getting the last pieces settled soon. We continue to be in awe of how the Lord moved and provided this house for us. The Lord has already provided some neat connections with our neighbors. Please be in prayer as we reach out to them, especially for "M" a grandmotherly lady who always stops to greet us when she walks by and for "S" with whom Phil was invited to walk with in the mornings.

We hope to get a summer and fall prayer letter out to you soon. We appreciate your patience during this time of transition to a new city and ministry. As always, we are so thankful for your partnership with us.

By His Grace,
The Eager Family

What's in your cup?

"If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted." Amy Carmichael

I read the above quote several years ago and it had a pretty convicting impact on me at the time. We were undergoing the usual stresses involved with being in a different culture and balancing all the demands of family and ministry. The Lord has continued to bring this quote to mind on numerous occasions and I have often paused to think, "What is spilling out of my cup right now....is it bitter or sweet water?"

The path to becoming more like Christ is a journey....day by day, laying aside our selfishness and pride, allowing sweet water to flow from us even when we are suddenly jolted rather than bitter water, even when we can justify lashing out from a human stanpoint. Here's to the journey....may we all overflow with sweet water no matter what jolts we experience in this earthly life-kids misbehaving, being misunderstood, sickness or death of loved ones...whatever it might be.

Grateful for His grace,
Pattie

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: September 15, 2011

Greetings from La Paz!

We wanted to thank you all for praying for us as we searched for a house. If you keep up with us on Facebook or our blog then you already know that great news of God's provision of a rental house literally within the first few days of our arrival. If you want the full story with all the details, check out the post below titled "Why Am I Surprised?" Please, continue to pray for us as we unpack and get more settled in. We are anxious to be done with unpacking and begin to focus more on ministry.

We have already met several times as a team with our new co-workers, Pete and Cher Gatto as well as others who are involved with the ministry here. It has been a blessing to be filled in all that God is already doing through the ranch ministry and making connections in the Marquez de Leon (MDL) neighborhood. Please pray with us that relationships already begun with individuals and families in MDL through the ranch's horse ministry and special outreaches will bear much fruit for the Kingdom. A team from California will be coming next month. They will be working with the health center/clinic in MDL and also hope to share some health related workshops in the school. They also plan to construct 16 much needed bunk beds for the ranch's dormitory. It is a blessing to have teams come to serve the Lord and the community. Please pray for safety and more connections to be made for sharing the Gospel and making disciples. An urgent need at the ranch is the completion of a roof for the bunk house. Please pray with us for the Lord's provision for this special need. If you want to get a better picture of what the Lord is doing through the ranch ministry, check out the website (link below) and read the blog postings by the summer interns. It will excite you what the Lord is doing!

Until we are ready to begin a more formal work in MDL, we will be attending TEAM's church plant here called La Paz de Cristo. They are holding an annual outreach tonight for Mexico's Independence Day. Please pray that the Lord will use this event to bring people closer to him. Please also pray for wisdom as there are many opportunities for ministering but we want to be sensitive to exactly what the Lord has for us and want to keep ourselves free to minister with the ranch and church planting in MDL.

Thank you once again for faithfully praying for us. We felt your prayers as we travelled back down the Baja and as we searched for the house the Lord had for us here. We are blessed to have you as our team.

By His grace,
The Eager family

Why am I Surprised?

I had promised on Facebook more details on our house hunt and the house the Lord has provided. I decided I should also share the story here as well for those who are not on Facebook. I think I will just copy from my journal entry last night below to make it easier for me.

Disclaimer: It is fairly long so if you don't have the time to read all the details, the "Reader's Digest" version is that the Lord led us to just the right people at the right timing to a house that is VERY close to the neighborhood we plan to be working in and the ranch where our coworkers live. The owner also attends TEAM's church plan here in La Paz as well which we did not know until she got out of her car to show the house to us. :)

Now for the LONG version with all the details....

Matthew 7: 9-11 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

As I reflect over the last few days since our arrival in La Paz, I can't help but be overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in the best possible way at the goodness of God and the way He has ordered each step! So much so that I would love to blast some worship music right now. Seeing as it is almost 11pm though, I better not!

Earlier this evening, the Lord brought the verses to mind from Matthew 7. The Lord has been teaching me so much about prayer this past year and once again, I see I have so much to learn. It should not have surprised me how quickly He moved on our behalf for a house when so many scattered around the world were praying for that very thing!

On Tuesday, when we started our hunt, it was frustrating for so many reasons. Even though we've been here many times for meetings and conferences, we still don't really "know" the city-its streets, its neighborhoods, etc. Just when Phil and I were feeling discouraged about driving around seeming aimlessly, our good friend Alejandra called my cel and asked what we were doing. (She is from La Paz and has been a good friend since we were in language school. She was attending the seminary part of the school while we were there. Our family loves her and she has been a tremendous blessing to us.) She offered to help us. She helped with looking in the paper with us, making calls on our behalf regarding potential houses, narrowing down what parts of the city would be most ideally located for our ministry, etc.

That afternoon, we decided to drop Phil and the kids off back where we were staying so that Alejandra and I could drive around some and go to an appointment to see a house later. While driving around a neighborhood she felt would be a good one for our family, we saw a couple of larger houses that appeared to be empty but with no for rent signs posted. She suggested we stop and ask some of the neighbors. We met a mother and her son who is in his late 20's. They were both very helpful and the son asked us many questions about what we needed, what part of the city, etc. He then told us he had a friend whose family had moved to other parts and had two houses and perhaps we might be able to rent one. He offered to call her for us and arranged for us to meet up the next day to meet his friend and see her house.

Fast forward to the next day...Alejandra and I had seen some pretty dismal houses and my expectations were decreasing rapidly. I had resigned myself to the fact that probably any house we rent will need a lot of work. So, when followed the young man to his friend's house, I was instantly struck by how nice and well-kept it was from the outside. I even loved the color of it-a nice shade of green! When the owner arrived and got out of her car, Alejandra says to me in surprise, "I know her! She attends my church, La Paz de Cristo." At that moment, my spirit felt in awe because it seemed way too much of a "coincidence". It sure seemed as if the Lord was confirming that this was the place. It is a beautiful house-not perfect-but really well cared for and with three large bedrooms and patios outside. Plenty of room for the kids to play and to have people over.

Of course, the more analytical side of me started to take over later and I started to doubt. Maybe this is too quick. Maybe we should look more. Are we rushing God?, etc. So, that night, we had a really good talk with the kids and a time of prayer about the houses we had seen. There were two others that were ok but one of them would need some work before we could move in and the other was farther away from the part of the city we wanted to be in. We all felt that the green house was the best option in spite of the fact that it had only 1 bathroom. :) Phil suggested that we pray very specifically about it and for the Lord's confirmation. We decided to do a Gideon type of thing. We prayed that if this was the right house, that when we got the day's paper again that there would be no new ads that would fit our needs and that a lady who was also trying to find a house for us would not have found any options. Yesterday morning, there were no new ads and the lady did not have any housing options for us. It felt like total confirmation-just like when Gideon put the fleece out.

We went and saw the house one more time last night and ask the owner some of the questions we had thought of since our initial meeting with her. At the end, we had decided to offer the young man who had helped arrange it all some money for his expenses for gas and his cel phone but her refused it. Alejandra pointed out that it was perhaps another confirmation from the Lord because he was sincerely just trying to help out without expectation of monetary reward-truly a gift sent to us from the Lord...just like the house!

One of the best parts for me is that our kids got to be such an integral part in the whole process. I pray this has been a tremendous faith building lesson in each of their lives as well.

Bits from the Baja: E-mail Update 8/23/11

Greetings from a very hot La Paz! We were told that it started to really heat up here last week. What a thoughtful welcome!

"Lord, put your angels around our tires. Surround our van right now. Be with Phil as he drives," was a repeated prayer during our second day of driving. We hit a couple of nasty stretches of construction where the road was completely torn up and blowing out our tires a very real concern. Thank you so much for praying us down. We sensed your prayers throughout the drive and we have no doubts that they contributed greatly to our safe arrival here in La Paz yesterday evening.

We would greatly appreciate your continued prayers as we search for just the right house for our family. We were able to check out several houses today and already have several appointments lined up for tomorrow. We are trusting that the Lord has just the right one out there for our family and we want to be sensitive to His leading.

By His Grace,
The Eager Family

Home Assignment Happenings (E-mail update): FINAL Edition for this Home assignment 8/18/11

Greetings from near the border!

We are excited to let you know that we are on our way back to Mexico! We plan to cross the border early tomorrow (Friday) morning. Our home assignment has been full of so many blessings. It has been wonderful visiting with many of you over the course of the year and share firsthand what the Lord has been doing in Mexico. We are so grateful for the wonderful support team God has provided for us. Your prayers and encouragement keep us going! God is faithful and has provided all we were lacking for our return to ministry in the Baja. We praise Him especially for our newest partners, Leona Valley Community Church. They provided a home church for us during the second half of our home assignment and have been His hands and feet to our family.

As we return to Baja, here are some specific prayer requests:

· Smooth and safe travel down the peninsula to La Paz. Lord willing, we should arrive there on Sunday or Monday.

· Dealing with the transition well. We all made some wonderful friends during home assignment and miss them yet are excited to be returning to our adopted home in Mexico. Living in close proximity to so much family the past several months has also been a HUGE blessing that we are now missing as well. Emotions for everyone are going up and down quite a bit. Just tonight, while getting the kids into bed, Luke (3 yrs.) kept saying over and over, “Me want go home, me want go home.” Even in his little heart and mind, he senses the changes coming and wants the security of the home he knows at the camp. Pray that we will have wisdom and sensitivity to help each of our children through the transition well.

· Housing. We will be in a temporary housing arrangement and hope to find a house for rent as quickly as possible. Please pray with us that we find a great fit for our family and ministry needs. Ideally, we would love to find something and get moved in before the first of September so we can avoid the monthly rental fee on the storage unit where our furniture has been while on home assignment.

· Open doors for ministry. God continues to confirm to us that La Paz is the place He has for us right now. We are excited for the many opportunities He will provide for ministry.

Thank you again for your partnership with our family.

By His Grace,

The Eager Family

May Baptism Pics-See details in post below

Home Assignment Happenings E-mail Update: 5/12/2011

Warm Greetings from California!

We are excited to share the news that 9 teens and adults from Iglesia Emanuel were baptized on May 1^st.
(Pictures posted above-courtsey of the Reyes')

Our co-workers from San Jose report -

Each person has a unique story of how he or she came to know Jesus:

Samuel from Russia was led to Christ by his Mexican stepfather. Ricardo, a former drug addict, learned about Christ from Amarildo who was baptized last year. (Ricardo is second-from-the-left in the third photo. Two of the men are from his cell group and two are former alcoholics who have faithfully encouraged him.)

Daniel and Sinthia's mother told me to tell Art that they were interested in becoming Christians-could I ask Art to talk with them? (That is a VERY Latin way to communicate!) Their older sister was baptized with them. She had received Christ in her cell group last year.

It never gets tiring to see people following Christ and making this public commitment! We are especially excited that many youth took the next step in obedience. It is also thrilling to witness more fruit from Amarildo’s life and testimony. The three siblings mentioned are from a family whose initial contact was made through an outreach using EvangeCubes, a special tool for sharing the Gospel.

Iglesia Emanuel continues to grow in number and spiritually. The congregation voted to approve hiring a young Mexican pastor to come and co-pastor alongside our co-worker, Art Reyes. They are awaiting his response. Please pray as the church continues to move towards a completely nationally led congregation. It is wonderful to see them growing in so many ways.

Next week (May 16-20) is our field’s annual conference for the missionaries. Since we are based in Southern California for the remainder of our home assignment, we have decided to attend the conference as well as make a short visit to San Jose afterwards. In light of the growth of Iglesia Emanuel and the reality that it is transitioning to national leadership, this places us in a position of asking the Lord, “What’s next?” We have been praying and have been dialoguing with those at TEAM’s headquarters but we look forward to the opportunity to discuss all of the potential opportunities with our fellow teammates at the conference. It will also be a great pleasure to hear reports from all of the various ministries TEAM has in Mexico of what God is doing. Please pray for all of us who will be participating in the conference and that we would receive clear direction for our future ministry. We would also greatly appreciate your prayers for safety and an uneventful drive down and back.

Our goal remains to finish up our home assignment and return to the field in late July or early August. We praise the Lord for increase in our support level and trusting Him for the remainder as we continue to visit with several more churches in Southern California.

Thank you for your prayers and partnering with us!

The Eager Family

Where Do You Live?

For most people, this question doesn’t generate any anxiety, concern, confusion or related emotions. However, for our family right now, it is an especially hard question. With all the transitions we have faced and continue to face on the mission field, here on home assignment right now and as we plan and prepare for our return to Mexico, it becomes increasingly more difficult. Our seven year old, Micah, summed it up really well a few weeks ago when he cheerfully and matter of factly said, “We don’t live anywhere, we live everywhere!”

In all honesty, at the time, I did not know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh because it is comical in a sense all of the places we’ve been. Cry because I know he is lacking something I had growing up-the sense of security and permanence that living in one house for most of your growing up years can provide. It also reminded me of the Bible’s teaching about the reality that this world is NOT our home. But, oh, at times, it is still hard to not long for that sense of security and permanence that a fixed address seems to provide.

Recent events in our lives have had me pondering these issues once again…where do you live? At this point in our lives and ministry, there seem to be more questions than answers regarding our future. I confess that I am what I like to call a “recovering control freak” as step by shaky step, I am learning to yield control over to the Lord-it was really always His anyways, right?! So, you can imagine that unknowns tend to stress me out. Well, I have just been through several experiences that have filled me with such peace that I KNOW could ONLY come from Him. This recovering control freak could never have mustered this sense of deep, abiding peace on her own-that is for sure!

You see, as our world, some of our dreams were shaken the other day and we felt blind sided-He showed up in such a powerful and undeniable way for me. This experience with my Savior has been such a growing, testing one and at times painful but oh so worth it for the glimpses of Him and His enfolding embrace I felt and continue to feel.

As I sat contemplating where we will live, He brought me to a quote that I felt He placed for me to find at just the right moment to bear fruit in my life. For you see, the idea was not all that new or profound but it was for me at that moment. The quote is, “Make God your permanent residence. Everything else is just temporary.” I don’t even know who said it first but oh the profound truth for me in that moment. That longing for security and permanence-fulfilled when I chose to make Him my PERMANENT residence. My tears over what felt like a lost dream turned to peace and joy knowing that the dream lost wasn’t lost at all-for HE is my one hope and my dream-everything else truly is temporary.

Then we went to church in the morning and every song was like a resounding confirmation to TRUST completely in Him and to LIVE in Him. God knew I needed that extra reminder of what He’d shown me the night before. Those songs had been planned days, perhaps weeks, before but He knew exactly what I needed that morning.

Blessed Be Your Name reminded me that even though He gives and takes away, I still need to choose to praise Him and it reminded me of what a pastor once spoke about that song-how if we cling too tightly to something, then our hands cannot be open to receive what God wants to give us in its place. So, while that dream had looked so good, I am now expectant and excited for the new one He will give.

Another song spoke of how sweet it is to trust in Jesus and I think, in that moment, I finally understood completely what those lyrics meant even though I’d been singing that hymn practically since I learned to speak.

Finally, another old hymn held such power and meaning as never before-I Surrender All. O Father, I do surrender it all-our future, my control freak ways… EVERYTHING! Towards the end of the song, it actually says, “In His presence daily live.” I can’t say that the line ever held such meaning to me before.

So, back to the original question, where do you live?

Home Assignment Happenings (E-mail update): March 2, 2011

Warm greetings from the Phoenix area!

We left California this past weekend just before the camp we are staying at was to be hit by a snow storm. The kids were a bit disappointed but we were grateful to have escaped. We realized after the first two snows there that we are no longer used to the cold and especially snow! However, we are thankful that our kids' prayers for snow to play in have been answered! (I will attach a picture of them.)

We are currently participating in a missions conference in Sun City, Arizona. It has been a wonderful time of teaching and encouragement. We love sharing what God is doing in Mexico and we absolutely love hearing what He is doing all over the world as well. We greatly appreciate your continued prayers for safety when we need to travel in order to visit churches and individuals.

We have not had a lot to report the past several months. Much of our time has been spent settling in to the trailer we are living in at the camp and connecting with people and churches. We are grateful for the continued opportunities the Lord has provided for us to share what the He is doing in Mexico. We feel especially blessed by the Lord's guidance to a nearby church for us to attend while living there. It reminds us a lot of our church in Mexico because of how warm and welcoming everyone is.

Before closing out, we want to share a bit from a report we received from our co-workers in San Jose del Cabo. We are praising the Lord that several newer youth have accepted Christ. Please pray with us that they will continue to grow spiritually and become leaders within the youth group and the church. They have also asked prayer for several who are struggling spiritually. Please pray particularly for one young lady who is choosing to marry later this month against the wishes of her family and for another young man who has decided he wants nothing more to do with his faith. We know that the prayers of God's people are powerful and effective. Thank you for rejoicing with us for those who have come to know Him and for standing with us in prayer for those in need.

By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie

Home Assignment Happenings (E-mail update): Nov. 8, 2010

Greetings from Iowa!

No, we have not fallen off the face of the earth but have driven well over 3000 miles since our last update and over 7000 since the start of our Home Assignment in June. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers as we travel. We continue to praise the Lord for no major difficulties throughout the many miles. It has been a tremendous blessing to be able to reconnect with so many of you as we have visited in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York the past few months. What a joy to be able to share what God is doing in Mexico with so many people! We will be finishing up our time in the Midwest just after Thanksgiving. We will be heading for warmer climates to visit in Texas and ultimately finishing the final half of our home assignment in California. We look forward to continuing to speak in churches and share with many more people.

We would greatly appreciate your continued prayers for safety as we travel as well as for the challenges we face with home schooling in the midst of the many transitions. The kids have been wonderful troopers through it all and have really enjoyed being able to participate in Awana even while we are on the road. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and excitement for committing the Word of God to memory. There have also been some great opportunities for field trips in many places including: Philadelphia, Washington DC and Chicago which have helped bring to life what they have been learning in their classes.

Meanwhile in Mexico...

· Several of our youth and their families have been going through some difficult times. Please pray that God would be honored and put first.

· Amarildo continues to share the gospel and has earned the nickname of the church evangelist. It is wonderful to hear that he is so passionate about following Christ and sharing Him with those the Lord brings across his path.

· Please pray for Phil's friend, Manuel, with whom he was meeting weekly with for Bible study. Phil has been unable to reach him by phone because his phone has been disconnected and it appears the restaurant where he was working is closed so no one is sure where he is right now. We know that the Lord knows where he is and are praying that he continues to study the Word and seek the Lord and fellowship with other believers.

· Praise God with us that Iglesia Emanuel continues to grow!

Thank you never seems enough to express how grateful we are for your partnership with us....God bless you for the sacrifices you make both in time (your prayers and encouraging notes) and financially.

By His Grace,

Phil and Pattie

Home Assignment Happenings (E-mail update): Aug. 13, 2010

Greetings from Indiana!
We are about to embark on the next part of our Home Assignment Journey to the East. After leaving California, we headed to TEAM headquarters in the Chicago area in order to have a time of debrief in the office, medical checks and a special TEAM conference for missionaries who are on home assignment as well as visit friends and churches in the area. It was a very full, but wonderful month! We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to reconnect with so many already and this is just the beginning. The Lord has provided some excellent friendships for our children along the way which is an added blessing for them. We are excited to continue reconnecting with many of you as we travel to various regions.

Many of you already have heard via Facebook: I (Pattie) took a nasty fall from the back of our van while we were loading up to leave California, requiring a visit to the ER, some stitches and quite a bit of pain. We just wanted to make sure you knew that I am doing really well now and pretty much all healed. Thank you for your prayers as we travel, we really appreciate them so much and know that this particular incident could have been much worse if not for many people praying. I have been joking that there seems to almost always be one ER visit during our trips so it is good we got it out of the way at the beginning this time!

We recently received an e-mail with excellent news from our coworkers, Art and Vicki Reyes. We have asked prayer for Amarildo in the past who we first got to know in our cell group. He had stopped by our home various times as well, asking for prayers and counsel about some difficult family situations andd his struggles with alcoholism. Phil had been able to encourage him and share with him the SALT discipleship materials we have found very helpful. Before our departure, we could see much growth and enthusiasm about his new and growing faith. I am going to share an excerpt (bolded) from our coworker's e-mail about Amarildo. We felt like dancing with joy when we read it and we hope it encourages you as well. It reminded us that often, God uses many people and circumstances in a person's life to bring them to faith and to help them grow just like is happening in Amarildo's life.

"Art, would you come over? I am trying to explain the Gospel to Ricardo, but I need some help!" Amarildo called at 10:30 pm last Friday night.

Amarildo has just recently understood that salvation is by faith, not by good works. He is very excited and is trying to evangelize his world! Ricardo did decide to follow Christ. Now, Amarildo wants to disciple him.

Yesterday, Amarildo knocked on our gate. He had two young women with him. They were looking for work. I gave them some breakfast and groceries and began to explain how the Lord uses hard times so that we seek Him.

"I was planning to talk to them about God," Amarildo pulled out a Bible. "Let them eat their breakfast, and I will tell them. You can go back to whatever you are doing."

I was a little shocked, but quite amused!

Please pray for Rosa and Angelica who heard the Gospel yesterday.

Amarildo plans to be baptized in two weeks.

Thank you again for your partnership with sharing the Good News in Mexico and being a part of the chain that helped bring Amarildo to faith and those he will in turn lead to the Lord. Please continue to pray for him and for healing in his family in the days ahead. Please also continue to keep our youth in your prayers. There are several who are really struggling with obedience to their parents. Please pray for wisdom for the parents and that the youth would seek to glorify God above ALL else in their lives.

By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie

Bits from the Border E-mail Update: June 22, 2010

Greetings from Southern California!

After departing San Jose del Cabo a day and a half later than planned and some very long days driving, we crossed the border and arrived here late Saturday evening. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement as we finished up the difficult task of packing up our entire house for storage or to bring with us and the emotional process of saying goodbyes for the time being. We are extremely grateful for Phil's sister, Karen, who helped us so much in caring for our kids so we could complete packing and clearing out our house. Without her help, we would probably still be there working. Thank you as well for your prayers for safety in our travels. We are grateful to have had a fairly uneventful trip up the Baja.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for our children with the continuing transitions as we travel to many different places. It was esepcially difficult for Josh and Abby to say goodbye to their close friends in Mexico. We are also discovering that while Micah and Luke are not as verbal about their struggles, they are finding other ways to demonstrate the stress they are experiencing. Please pray that we would have wisdom in how best to support and help them through all fo these transitions and that we would maintain healthy, God honoring balances during our home assignment.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you while we travel. After visiting a supporting church in the LA area this coming Sunday, we will start the trip across the states that will have us ending up at TEAM's headquarters in the Chicago area around July 11th. From there, we will be making trips East, throughout the Midwest and finally through Texas before heading back to California to set up a home base for the remainder of our home assignment. We are so grateful for one of our supporting churches here in Southern California (FCC of El Centro) who gave our van a complete tune up for the next phase of our journey. What a HUGE blessing!

Please keep our youth leadership team and the adults who will be supervising them at Iglesia Emanuel in your prayers. We know that they are very capable of leading the group and are so proud of them though it was hard to say goodbye. Pray that they would continue to grow and flourish in their faith and reach out to their friends with Christ's love. Please also pray for Manuel who Phil has been meeting with weekly for Bible studies. He is so hungry to learn and filled with many questions. Pray that he will connect well with the man the church leadership decides to have continue meeting with him. The picture is of Phil with Manuel.

Thank you again for all of your love, prayers and encouragement. We could never say enough how much you all mean to us and express fully how your partnership has enabled us to serve in Mexico. Gracias!

By His Grace,

Phil and Pattie

Thoughts & Excerpts from today's My Utmost for His Highest reading by Oswald Chambers

My sister gifted me with a copy of this little devotional booklet when I was a senior in high school(1992). I have red through it many times since then and it never ceases to amaze me the depth of insight God gave this godly man and how He continues to use these words to work in my life. I just wanted to share a little of what challenged me this morning.

"It is not a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to manifest the life of the Son of God in our mortal flesh, and it is the disagreeable things which make us exhibit whether or not we are manifesting His life...You must keep yourself fit to let the life of the Son of God be manifested, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means of manifesting how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure the Son of God is...Keep your soul fit to manifest the life of the Son of Gd. Never live on memories; let the word of God be always living and active in you."

O Lord, it is so easy to give way to self pity, especially when we feel we are entitled to something we did not receive or something happens that we feel we did not deserve. Help us to always live in You and Your Word and not in experiences which can change so dramatically from one day to the next. O Lord, I thank you that even when everything might be changing around us, You and Your Word will NEVER change.

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: May 12, 2010

“It was ‘T’ that was pulling us and encouraging us to come to church,” explained a mother of one of our youth group members who began attending around the beginning of the year. They had invited us over for carne asada (steak) tacos about a week ago. She went on to explain to Pattie how much their daughter loved coming to youth group and how she never wanted to miss. She continued with sharing how most of their family enjoyed attending church when they could, however, asked us to pray for their son who is 10 years old does not like it and tries to make excuses not to go. Please pray for this family. While they are living as a family, the man and woman are not legally married and struggling in their relationship. Please pray that ‘B’ and ‘C’ would come to know the Lord in a personal way and then seek to obey Him in their relationship and as a family. From a human perspective, it is a very messy and complicated situation but isn’t it wonderful how our God delights in taking messes and making them beautiful for His glory?!

We are also thrilled to mention that we had six people desire to follow in obedience and be baptized last month (photos above). The mother, uncle and grandmother of one of our youth were part of the group as well as two of our youth. Both Josué and Arturo are part of our youth leadership team as well. We cannot even begin to describe the emotions we feel as we continue to see many of the youth growing and maturing in their faith. We will miss them dearly while away for our home assignment.

In a few hours Phil’s sister, Karen, will start her journey from Alaska arriving here tomorrow afternoon. She has graciously offered to come and help us out as we prepare for our upcoming home assignment. The days seem to be flying by and June 16th seems way too soon. We appreciate your prayers as we determine what to pack to take with us, what to leave behind, etc. We look forward to reconnecting with so many of you first hand while we will be back in the states. Please also continue to pray for our kids as the reality and emotions of leaving behind home continue to surface more and more as the date draws closer. Pray that we would have the wisdom and sensitivity they need right now as they process through this transition.

Delighting with you in the One who renews and restores!
Phil and Pattie