Shutting the Lions' Mouths

You really think I would have learned by now that God answers prayer or not doubt that He will. Last night I had the opportunity to witness this in a very tangible way.

We had two visitors to our cell group last night who I immedeately felt the need to pray for since they had very obviously been drinking. One of them actually gave me the sense of having evil intensions. Maybe it was just me, I don't know. He just seemed very in your face at times. He gave me a very uneasy feeling and I discovered later that I was not the only one who sensed that after hearing comments made by some of the other ladies. While we were having our opening prayer time when Phil had opened for requests and praises, they jumped right in and often would interrupt when others were trying to share...it was interesting to say the least. I was very proud of Phil for the patience and grace he handled the situation. I was a little concerned about if they kept it up when Phil was to do the Bible study though since I knew it would be hard to try teaching with all the extra talking, interruptions, etc. and they really needed to hear the lesson. God put in my mind the story of Daniel and the lions and immediately I began to pray, "Lord, you shut the mouths of the lions for Daniel, please, shut the mouths of these men and open their ears and hearts to listen.Take away the effects of the alcohol and give them clarity of thought and understanding of Your Word." To be honest, I was not sure what would happen (o me of little faith) because I also know that God does not always answer our prayers as we see fit....He ALWAYS answers, just not always in the WAY we would expect or want. When Phil gave the lesson, neither one said a word, NOT A SINGLE WORD the ENTIRE time!!! They also appeared to be very attentive to the lesson on why Jesus came...to die for us which is the real meaning of Christmas.

God is so good, reminding me once again that all it takes is a little faith....because that is what I had. He is so much greater than my human mind can wrap itself around even though I often try to confine Him to the box of my reality or my understanding. Merry Christmas! I pray that we experience Him in new and exciting ways this year.

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: Nov. 2009

No power and mold infestation in our bedroom were part of the unpleasant welcome we received upon our return home after about a month of travel to the states and back. I (Pattie) remember reading something a while ago that said something to the effect that our reaction to difficulties will reveal instantly upon whom we rely. I wish I could say that I was totally at peace about things but I would be lying to you. It was really hard at first and many tears of frustration fell. However, in the midst of that, I also knew that God was using this to reaffirm things we had learned in the SALT workshops (discipleship materials) we had attended in Phoenix while in the states. Don't you love how God helps make what you are learning so practical?! He loves to provide us with opportunities to put into practice what He is teaching us. In the midst of the clean up and my tears, I could sense His still small voice saying, "it will be ok. This hurts so much because underneath it all, you were made for more. You were made with a longing for perfection and completeness that only I can give to you. You WILL experience it one day...in Heaven." So for now, I am so grateful for His loving reminder that it is ok to not be satisfied with this life and that He made us for something so much more...Heaven seems sweeter and sweeter all the time, doesn't it?

While in the states, we were blessed with the opportunity to not only attend the very helpful workshops already mentioned but to also spend some precious time with family, friends and several supporting churches. I was also able to see a Dermatologist about a cyst located on my jaw line which has been growing. We are very thankful that he confirmed that it is not cancerous. Unfortunately, he was not able to remove it but a plastic surgeon will need to perform the procedure. We did not have enough time left in the states to get it taken care of. Because we were cautioned that it was important to have it removed as soon as possible because as it grows, it will get more difficult to remove, we are investigating the possibility of a quick trip up for myself in January to have it taken care of. Please, pray that we will be able to locate a plastic surgeon in the Fresno area that will be able to perform the procedure and be sympathetic to my need to be in the states for as little time as possible. (We are hoping it will only be 7-10 days.)

As Thanksgiving approaches in a week, like probably many of you, we are focusing more and more of all we have to be thankful for. We are so grateful for you all. Your interest in what God is doing in the lives of the people here, your prayers, your notes, etc. are what help keep us going. Thank you for allowing God to use you in our lives and ministry. We are also thankful for...

• Manuel who has such a deep desire to know and understand the Word who Phil has been studying the Bible with. We are trusting that He will choose to follow Christ.


• We are thankful for the youth on our youth leadership team who are maturing and using their gifts and who helped run youth group smoothly while we were gone.


• We are thankful for Karina, one of the older, college age youth who has an interest in going to Bible school to study music and youth ministry.


• We are thankful for the ladies in the women's Bible study who are studying the Word, growing and starting to help lead as well.


• We are thankful for the couples attending the monthly marriage seminars our coworkers are providing who want to improve and grow their marriage for His glory.

Most of all, we are thankful for Jesus. When all is said and done, it is ALL about Him and for Him anyways. Isn't it amazing to be a part of what He is doing?!

With Grateful Hearts,

The Eager Family

The picture above is one taken of our family in the mountains while we were visiting the states.

I love my kids...

...Not that there was any doubt but I just had to share something that happened yesterday.

We started the One Verse Sonlight Project this week. It is a program to help build awareness for the need to translate the Bible into languages that do not have one and the many that do not have even one verse in their language. Part of the project is to save money to help translate at least one verse. They figure the cost of translating one verse is approximately $26. When I first mentioned it (before watching the videos, reading the story and seeing the slide show) both of our oldest were asking if we were going to make them give their own money. I told them no, only if they felt led to give but that as a family we could maybe make a special jar to save up money and see if we could at least raise enough for one or two verses. Well, after going through all the materials online, I simply told them to think and pray about two things: If they feel that God is leading them to give and if so, how much. I also reminded them that this was not required and that we were not forcing them to give anything.

A couple hours later, Josh comes up to me and says, "You know mom, I already have a leapster. I don't REALLY need the Nintendo DSI I have been saving for. I want to pay for a verse all on my own out of the money I have saved up." What you need to understand is that he has been saving up his Christmas money, birthday money and weekly allowances for literally months now with the hopes of saving enough by the time we go to the states next month so he can buy one there where it costs a lot less. He has talked a lot about this and was really excited about it. I know that for him this is a sacrifice but I am so proud of his decision. Shortly after this, Abby came to me and told me she wanted to pay for a verse out of the money she has been saving to buy a camera of her own. Once again, doubly proud momma here!

It also has gotten me thinking about those things that maybe I don't REALLY need and how I can be more giving and sacrifical. I love how our children can teach us so much sometimes.

Summer 2009 Edition of Eager Steps Now Available

Hot and humid greetings from the Baja!

While many of you may be feeling the start of fall weather and possibly never felt like you had much of a summer, we are still in the midst of summer weather here. Today's temperature was 95 with 36% humidity and heat index of 98. It hardly feels like the Midwestern Fall weather I am used to growing up! I just keep reminding myself that come December and January, I will be happy for our weather here.

This is to let you know that our most recent edition of our prayer letter "Eager Steps" is ready. All you need to do is click on the link to the left for our prayer letters to read it. It is in PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free at www.adobe.com.

We apologize for the delay in completing our summer letter. We had several weeks with one thing after the other happen, starting with Hurricane Jimena. Our most recent "adventure" was with van problems which left us stranded for a few days in the capital of La Paz over the weekend. We were dropping off items collected by our churches here for hurricane relief in one of the cities North of us. We hope that you enjoy reading about what God is doing in Southern Baja and are able to pray for the individuals mentioned in our letter.

Please, keep us updated on your lives and ministries when you are able. We count it a privilege to pray for you as well.

By His Grace,
Pattie

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: Sept. 5, 2009

Greetings once again!

Thank you so much for your prayers! We are happy to report that Hurricane Jimena did not hit us directly and did not cause the damage which a category 4 hurricane would typically do. We received quite a bit of rain, some wind, and a little loss of power (only about 5 hours) but nothing bad. Further up the coast, it was a different story. We would appreciate your prayers for these areas, especially Ciudad Constitución, which have quite a bit of rebuilding to do. Please pray for wisdom in how best we can serve and help with the needs they are experiencing.

We are praising God for quite a large number at our cell group last night, especially children (18!). There is a newer visitor who is bringing many from her neighborhood. Please pray with us that the parents would desire to come as well, to study the Bible and learn more about God. It was wonderful to see Jaime's friend "G" return. Please pray with us that he would continue to seek the truth and would find freedom from his alcoholism.

Tomorrow, Iglesia Emanuel will begin a series of monthly, workshops to help build marriages. Considering that the last statistics we read reported the divorce rate here as 70%, this is definitely a great need. Please pray that the couples attending would have their marriages strengthened and be shining testimonies of God's grace at work in their personal lives and as a couple.

Thank you once again for your prayers during the storm and your continued prayers, encouragement and support for our ministry.

By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: Hurricane Jimena Edition (August 31, 2009)

Greetings from a cloudy Baja!

This will probably be short since it is starting to sprinkle and we have been having issues with losing our power when it rains. You may already be aware of Hurricane Jimena that is heading our way. Every other hurricane has turned back out to sea when it got close since we have been here, however, it does not appear that it will be happening this time around. We would especially like to ask prayer for those who are living in little more than shacks and the potentially devastating effects this could have here. The economy was already struggling greatly due to the economic crisis and the swine flu but this will add yet another blow to the people here who are already struggling. Please pray that these difficult times will not drive people to desperation but to seek the only true and lasting hope in Jesus. Please pray that Iglesia Emanuel will continue to be a light in the community in the midst of the darkness.

Quick update on Phil's study with "M"...he showed much interest in knowing more about the Bible and spiritual things. It is obvious he has some knowledge but also misinformation as well. It is very encouraging to see someone hunger and thirst to know more though and we are praising God for this opportunity. There are other stories we could tell about what the Lord is doing but you will have to wait for our prayer letter which will hopefully be completed and sent out soon.

On a personal note, we have had sickness hitting one family member or another almost the entire summer but this month it has been a flu bug that has been pretty nasty. Everyone has had it except for Pattie (because Mommas aren't allowed to get sick, right?). Unfortunately, it appears the Luke may be entering round 2 with it so we would also greatly appreciate your prayers for health right now. He was up early this morning with a fever and we hope to get him in to the Dr. this morning before the weather worsens because he may need an antibiotic.

As always, thank you for partnering with us and for your prayers.
By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie

Bits from the Baja E-mail Update: August 27, 2009

“Jaime died! Jaime died last night!” was Lina and Irene’s greeting to us a couple weeks ago on Sunday morning at church. (Jaime is “J” who has been attending our cell group and for whom we have been asking prayer regarding his struggle with alcoholism.) Since he was alone and poor, there was no family to claim the body (this process includes paying the govt. a fairly large sum). As a church body, we felt it important to claim the body and hold a memorial service since he had been attending our cell group regularly in spite of his ongoing personal struggles. This provided an opportunity in the community and among his friends (many of whom are struggling alcoholics, including “G”) to share the Gospel as well as a powerful testimony. Please, continue to pray for his friend “G” as well as many others who attended the memorial service and have expressed interest in turning their lives around. A resulting blessing for us has been to see several in our cell group determine to reach out more to Jaime’s friends, visiting them and sharing with them. They have seen the need and are doing something about it.

Right on the heels of Jaime's death, our field was holding its annual conference of missionaries where the various ministry areas report on what the Lord is doing, discuss future plans as well as business matters and have a special time of encouragement through a special speaker. This year, we had the added blessing of one of our supporting churches, FCC of El Centro, California send a team who helped minister to all of the missionary families. They ministered to our children and youth as well as cooking our meals during the conference. We are so grateful for their willingness to come and serve our families.

We would like special prayer today for Phil as he will be meeting with a gentleman to begin a bible study this afternoon. “M” is a waiter at a local taco place. Over time, we have been able to develop a relationship with him and have invited him to our cell group and church. Unfortunately, his work schedule has made it difficult to attend either. However, the last time we were there, he told us that he has a bible someone gave him and has tried to read it but does not understand it and wants help. Phil will begin meeting with him today to do a series of studies. Please pray for Phil to be able to explain clearly and for “M” to understand.

Once again, we are overwhelmed with your love, concern and prayers for us. Your partnership with us is such a blessing. Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of our ministry team.

By His Grace,
Phil and Pattie