Pirenópolis

This is a video of the trip that Kay and I made to Pirenóplis to celebrate our 9th anniversary.

Video Blog 1 - Goiânia

Check out this video about the church in Goiânia.

Jesus: On Being a Missionary

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
   taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to death—
      even death on a cross! Phil 2:5-8

There truly is no greater example of self-sacrifice, humility and obedience than that of our Lord, Jesus Christ! He "made himself nothing" and Paul here in Ephesians calls us to have the same attitude! I am humbled by the man Jesus and even more than the man Jesus, our God and Savior Jesus. He had every reason to come as a King or any other way he might have chosen, and yet he made himself nothing. 

This concept of Jesus as the first and ultimate missionary on this earth is a great inspiration for me. I wanted to share just a few of the scriptures that I have found on the subject. 

• Jesus knew exactly why he had come. He was clear and determined in his purpose..

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! Luke 12:49

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” John 9:39

• He was extremely generous and held nothing back...

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isa 53:12

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full! John 10:10

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

• What drove his decisions and guided his words was his determination to do God's will above all else...

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. John 6:38

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. John 8:28

Jesus' determination, his generosity and his submission to the will of his Father are just a few examples of how Jesus was truly the ultimate missionary. I am inspired by the way he walked and talked and lived on this earth. He calls us to a different standard of self-sacrifice and his humility is almost shocking. I pray that our lives will emulate his on this earth, our mission field.

The Learning Curve

A learning curve is a graphical representation of the changing rate of learning (in the average person) for a given activity or tool. Typically, the increase in retention of information is sharpest after the initial attempts, and then gradually evens out, meaning that less and less new information is retained after each repetition. (Wikipedia)

The learning curve shoots up pretty high moving your life and family to another country, culture, church, environment and language. I am grateful that the Spirit of God is the power that is at work within us, because without his strength it would just be too overwhelming. We thought maybe some people would want to know about the little details in our learning curve, so here goes..

The first set of details involve lots of paperwork and generally lots of waiting. The process of obtaining a missionary visa we started a few months before leaving the US and God graciously granted us along with Rita those visas right before we left. Upon arriving there are is work to do in getting the visa registered through the International Police. The next big necessity is getting a CPF (equivelant to SSN in US).  Once those things are squared away it is off to the races...looking for an apartment, trying to get a bank account(which is still in the works), finding health insurance, and the like. We have gotten through much of it surprisingly fast though.

We found an apartment very quickly and were able to move in within a couple weeks of arriving in Brasilia! Thank you LORD! It is a great apartment with 3 bedrooms so that Rita can have a room. We live very close to the University which is a blessing. Along with getting an apartment comes finding all of the little things in order to live, like beds and a table. In apartments here the major appliances are not included, so we bought a fridge, stove and washing machine fairly quickly. All of the little stuff we are getting as we go, like dishes, pots and pans, hangers, etc. We brought sheets and towels and a few other things that were helpful in getting started. 

Maya and John's Room

Soon after getting in to our apartment began the search for a school for Maya. We started praying about this before we got here because it is a huge adjustment for her now that she is 5 and knows a lot more than when we moved to the States from Chile. We looked at a few different schools and got advice from people here and found a great school that is about a 5 minute drive from our house. We can walk there in about 40 minutes. The school has an arts focus which is so much fun for Maya. She is learning Portuguese quickly mainly because she has to as the school is completely in Portuguese. Her teachers are helpful and loving with her and her friends have been very patient with her. I was able to go with her to school for the first week for a few hours everyday for an adjustment period that all of the new students get.

So, that is probably enough detail for now, the language aquisition is a whole process that hopefully we will write about at some point. We are so grateful for God's strength through this period of change and adjustment.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14

Maya  getting ready to go off to school.

John's first sunday sermon in Portuguese

I got to preach this past Sunday and decided that for the first time I would preach in Portuguese. I've been studying and living here now in Brazil for two months and felt ready to make the jump. I think it was a good first attempt and I trust and pray that with the Spirit's help it will only get better.

The Pure in Heart Will See God!

It was the Annual HOPE conference in 2011 that began Rita dreaming and planning to serve God in South America. After months of prayer that God would use her to be a servant and ambassador for him in whatever way he desired, Rita started thinking about moving down to La Paz, Bolivia to be apart of the incredible work that HOPE Worldwide is doing with the Arco Iris hospital. With much prayer and seeking God's will it seemed that was not the right place for her at the moment, but within a few months we started talking with her about joining us on the mission field in Brazil. Almost immediately, she began to make preparations to move along with us! After over 20 years in her home, she put it up for rent and started getting everything in order to take this huge leap of faith. God opened doors and allowed her home to be rented and allowed  her to obtain a missionary visa along with ours so that she can stay for an extended period of time.

More than anything else, Rita is a woman who prays. Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." It is so evident that her heart for God has opened up her eyes to see him and allow others to see him as well. As a grandmother and incredible mentor to our children, she has wrapped her arms around them and helped them to transition smoothly in to this new world. We feel very blessed that our kids have such a special opportunity to be with "Gramma Rita." The women in Brasilia are also immensely grateful for Rita's heart to come and give and serve here in the church. She is leading a small group bible study in our home for moms called "mães em treinamento" (mothers in training). The women are eager to hear her heart and spiritual thoughts about raising  Godly children. She has also started working on plans to help the church in its quest to serve orphaned and underprivileged children in the community here. Moving to Brazil has also meant tackling a completely new language. She has prayed earnestly and will begin courses soon to be able to serve in even greater ways. 

The Bible says in Proverbs 31 to "honor her for all that her hands have done" and Rita is certainly worthy of honor for her sacrifice and work for God. 

Welcome To Brasília

Well its been about two and a half weeks since we've arrived here in Brasilia and we're just getting settled down enough to write about all that has happened. These days have been a blur but the overall sensation is one of being tremendously blessed by God not only to be living here but also in so many of the small details of life. 

We were greeted at the airport by a joyful group of christians singing "O happy day" and holding a huge welcome sign for us. We were overwhelmed by the joy and love that was expressed by the church that day. 

After that we moved into a hotel which would become our temporary home while we looked for apartments. The disciples took care of us and encouraged us that it would probably only be four to six weeks that we'd be in the hotel. The first day we were confronted not by tropical summer heat as expected but by cool air and rain all day. We found out that we are in the middle of the rainy season and some times it rains continuously for days. That didn't stop us as we got started on the incredibly long list of things to do to get life setup here in Brazil. 

Jorge Bittencourt, the brother who has been the main leader of the church here took 10 of his vacation days to take us around to look for apartments, buy furniture etc. Thank you Jorge, we could not have done it without you!!

On just the second day of being here we identified apartments, looked at a few and decided on one. Jorge told us it would still take a few weeks to get all the documents arranged. But, in just one of the many examples of God's grace on us, we were able to secure the apartment and start moving in after just one week!! We are so grateful for the place God has given us as it has ample space for our family and is located just a 10 minute walk from the University of Brasilia (UnB) campus. 

One week after arriving we were able to have the privilege of receiving a visit from my old college roommate Vernon Harris and his wife Muthoni.  For 6 months they are traveling around the world, taking in the sights and encouraging as many disciples as possible. I hadn't seen Vernon for over 5 year so it was crazy to meet here in Brazil. We showed them around our new home city and had a great time as they helped us move into our apartment. You can click here if you want to read more about their adventures. 

The main hallway at UnB

The last thing I want to share about is the "Bate- Papo" (Bible discussion) that we've been able to participate in at UnB. The university has around 30,000 students and is recognized as one of the best in Brazil. Many students come to UnB hoping to get good government jobs. Our main focus in being here is to reach out to these students and teach them about the Gospel. Currently our group consists of Pedro, Hamilton, Ana Cristina and Kay and I. Another sister also works at the university and is able to participate some times. Yesterday we went out to invite people (our first time in portuguese) and were able to see a few students come out. By the end twelve people were talking about Jesus and their lives. It gave us a great vision for what God will do in the future at UnB. 

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us and encouraged us. Please keep us in your prayers, that we may learn portuguese and that our lives can bring much glory to God here in Brazil. Até mais!!

Missionary Supporters

Today I want to take a few minutes just to lift up all of those who are Missionary Supporters. There are numerous people that in the last few weeks have helped us immensely and made our departure to Brazil possible. Certainly God calls all of us who are disciples of Jesus to be involved in teaching others the Gospel, but these few have recently gone above and beyond. 

I want to thank all the people who have housed us. We moved out of our house on December 18 and have since then been able to count on the hospitality and love of the following special people: Grandma and Grandpa (Jim & Dottie) Allison in Oregon, Ian & Crystal Scott in Gainesville, Colleen Parramoure, and Mike and Maritza Swabb in Orlando, Bob & Barb Owens  and  Denice Janis in Broward Al & Mimi Gonzalez (the best next-door neighbors ever), Ralph & Aileen Ojeda and Thomas & Tina Allison in Palm Beach. Its a bit of a scary feeling to not have a place you can call "home", but because of each of you we have felt at home even in this time of transition. THANK YOU!!

There are others who have supported us either financially or in special way through prayer and friendship. I want to thank Chris Overstreet for her special love from Gainesville, and Loni Charters, Evelyn Clayton, Cindy Whitaker and Dot Nelson for their support from Orlando. We know that you and many others wish to remain unnamed and unnoticed, but we want you to know that we could not do this without you.

Finally there is our family. While we have grown accustomed to their support through out the years, they have been so amazingly helpful in the recent times. I'm not going to name them because they know who they are, but we could not have done this without your help through the myriad of details, errands and decisions of the past few weeks. We love you and are so, so grateful for each of you. 

Certainly there are many more that I have left out that have served us, loved us, encouraged us and taught us more about God. I hope that whether you have "only" said a prayer for us (maybe the biggest contribution) or sacrificed money and living space for us, you can feel a part of what God is doing in our lives and in South America. May it be as it was for our first century brothers and sisters:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. Acts 5:32-34

2011 Year in Review

As 2012 begins, now seems like a good time to remember a few things from 2011.

First of all I am so thankful to God for how he did "immeasurably more" than we could have imagined. Especially with our campus ministry in Palm Beach, God showed himself to be powerful, faithful and loving in so many ways. I rejoice for the 9 students who were added to D.O.C. and for how new leaders were raised up. I also rejoice (and will miss dearly) the family that was created in the ministry. Through good and bad and lots of fun we learned to love each other in a deeper way. Also, the first year of the G.O. Program got started in Asunción, Paraguay with 4 amazing students. I'm so grateful how God used those 7 weeks to radically impact their lives.

I'm also so grateful for the spiritual lessons that God taught me throughout the year. I think one of the main things I saw this year was that God answers prayer. Over and over he answered prayer after prayer. Some He answered the way I had hoped and others he answered in different ways. But He answered. One of the most recent answered prayers was that my mom was able to obtain her Missionary Visa to Brazil. This is a huge deal because it allows her to stay as long as she wants and not to have to worry about lots of things related to her coming with us to Brazil.

Finally, I thank God for my family. Today I got to say goodbye to my Dad, my Grandma Betty, and my aunts Susie and Dottie in Orlando. It was a nice way to begin the year and I am grateful for their support. Last week we were able to spend time with Dan and Mary, Thomas Tina and Leila, and my mom in Ellijay, Georgia (Many thanks to Al & Mimi Gonzalez and their "Casa de Luz"). It was an amazing time to enjoy nature, play games, relax and recharge spiritually. We had nightly devotionals meditating on the character of Jesus and I think that we will carry with us the lessons throughout 2012. I can't thank God enough for surrounding me with people who want to love God and love one another. And most importantly, I thank God for my amazing, beautiful and patient wife and beautiful children. It had been my dream ever since I can remember to have a John Wesley Hoyt IV and this year God gave me a son who already surpasses my dreams.

So now 2012 begins. Thank you to everyone who made 2011 a special year for me and my family. I hope that through this blog we can not only give you a glimpse of our life and the missionary adventure that we are on but also relate the joy of following Jesus together as a family.

A very special day

Today was a memorable day!!

Today we had our annual All-Church service for the South Florida Church of Christ. We had great worship, an inspiring sermon and encouraging fellowship. Those things are to be expected.

One "out of the ordinary" thing that happened today was that our friends, Marcus and Amy Overstreet were appointed Evangelist and Women's Ministry Leader. This is the first appointment of this type in over 10 years in the SFCC. Years ago, growing up in the church we all aspired to be Evangelists. Over time the role has come to be seen in a different light. But today was a victorious day because Marcus and Amy were recognized for the great work they've been doing for the past 5 years here in the SFCC. We are especially proud of them, their perseverance and their focus on God in the midst of hard times. Congratulations Marcus and Amy!!

The second very special part of today was the announcement of our move to Brasília, Brazil in January 2012. Its a move we've been contemplating now for a while and we are grateful that the announcement came the same day as our friends were appointed Evangelist and WML.

In the crowd were Thomas and Tina Allison,  Troy and Kim Criss, Ian and Crystal Scott, Bob Mitchell and Chris Overstreet. Each of these people have supported us and the Overstreets in amazing ways in the recent years. We are so grateful for how God brought us together in Gainesville and has since sent us out, literally to all parts of the world.

"A blessing to all nations" was the theme for today's service and it is our hope and prayer that God will allow us to truly be this wherever we go in the world.

Summer Travels

So its been a while since we've been updating our blog, but I think its time to start writing again.

I'm really excited about all that this summer has in store. I have the opportunity to travel to South America not once, but TWICE!! Not having been there for over a year has made me appreciate the countries, the people and the experiences that God has given us there.

My first trip will be to Asunción, Paraguay. I'm taking four students to be interns in the church there. I will be spending two weeks, the interns six weeks. I believe that this trip will be life changing for all of us. I've never been to Paraguay, but I'm really looking forward to meeting the brothers and sisters there as well as helping the interns to have the greatest impact possible. Below is a picture of three of the four interns. You can follow their adventures at GOsouthamerica.tumblr.com.

Cristina Aguilar, Beto Figueroa, Allan Mena - GO Interns

My second trip will be a return trip to Brasília, the capital of Brazil. We first met the church there in February of last year when our family went to speak at the retreat they had during the carnaval season. We have since built a good friendship with the main couple, Jorge and Ana Cristina. I will be speaking to the church (maybe in Portuguese), spending time with the leadership and possibly visiting a handful of disciples that live outside the city in a smaller area called Goiania.

Brasília

Please pray that God will be glorified in these trips.

One Year!

Today marks one year since we've posted anything on our blog. Its been quite an interesting year. There's no way to describe the emotions that we've gone through in the past year, but I can summarize the main events that have happened in our lives.

First of all, we moved from Santiago, Chile back to the United States to West Palm Beach, Florida. God orchestrated our path so that as things were needing to change in our lives and in Chile a place opened up for us here in Florida. We moved back and have been serving the Palm Beach Region of the South Florida Church of Christ.

The second major thing that happened is that we got the great news that Kay was pregnant with our second child. As time has gone by we found out that he is going to be a boy and we've decided to call him John Wesley Hoyt IV. Its a special name with family significance so we like it. John should be arriving sometime in the beginning of April.

Finally God has brought us into the position to work with campus students at Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College. This has been an exciting shift and we've already enjoyed getting to know these great hearted brothers and sisters.

We dream to return to South America one day. Only God knows the path he has laid out for us. Until then, we'll continue to keep in mind Philippians 1:21: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Chile Update March 2

Thank you to all of our brothers and sisters around the world who are praying for the disciples and the entire country of Chile.  We continue to need your prayers. Here’s an update of news from today:

Adriana was found!! Thanks so much for praying for her. Her bus stopped in a smaller city between Santiago and Concepción and she was unharmed by the earthquake.

Our list of uncontacted disciples is down to 5. Today members of the church were able to locate and talk to about ten more brothers and sisters. Thank God that little by little everyone is being found.

Christian Amestoy traveled today to Concepción. He left Santiago at 2 pm so he should be arriving right around midnight. A trip that normally takes 6 hours now takes 10 due to detours, road outages etc. He is carrying a truck full of food, water and other provisions to our brothers and sisters in Concepción. He spoke with them again today and they are all fine. They have food and water for the next 3 to 4 days.

In both Santiago and Concepción the situation has become more dangerous. In various neighborhoods in Santiago armed bands are threatening to loot homes that have been damaged by the quake. Some disciples have had to work together with their neighbors to protect their homes. Also in Concepción the looting has gotten worse. Supermarkets and other stores have been attacked and looted. Also vehicles that have entered Concepción have been attacked.

Please continue to pray for the disciples in all three churches. Pray also for Christian and that he may have a safe and encouraging trip to Concepción.  Pray also for Claudio and Leslie, another couple that is traveling to Concepción to locate and help their family.

If you or your church wishes to donate financially to help in the recovery you can donate at www.HOPEww.org or you can contact me directly, John.Hoyt3@gmail.com. 

Chile Update March 1

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the Earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Truly God has been our refuge and strength in these difficult times and we have witnessed how his has protected us as his children. Here is a report on the conditions of the churches in Chile.

Santiago -  Of about 200 members in the church, only 15 are still unaccounted for. We have been calling and trying to communicate, but there are still many parts of the city without electricity or phone service. Although the cell phones are working, the service is not constant. There is special concern for one of the sisters, Adriana, who was traveling to Concepción in a bus on Saturday morning when the quake struck. Please pray for her as there is no news of her yet.

As we’ve talked with the disciples, there have been no major injuries. Most of the damage has been to the houses and apartments. A handful of disciples’ houses have suffered severe damage such as walls collapsing, large cracks etc. Two apartments of disciples have been declared unlivable, one because of structural damage and the other due to flooding.

In Santiago, the general situation is calm. In some neighborhoods there has been looting of supermarkets and homes. As far as we know, no disciples have been directly affected by these events. Stores continue operating as well as most other businesses. 

Viña del Mar – All of the disciples are safe and accounted for. None have suffered injuries. One couple’s apartment suffered severe damage. They spent two nights with family and are coming today to Santiago to seek housing with other family members. Viña is very close to Valparaiso, one of the older cities in Chile. The buildings there suffered a lot of damage due to the weak construction and age.

Concepción – Almost 300 miles south of Santiago, this is the region of Chile that has suffered the most. The earthquake struck about 70 miles to the north of the city and has affected the entire region. Our church there has 13 disciples and as of today we have confirmation that all are ok. One young couple with a baby spent two nights on a nearby hill without water or light, but have now been united with the rest of the disciples. 10 of the 13 are staying together in one household. Tomorrow, Christian Amestoy, one of the leaders from Santiago and the founding minister of the church in Concepción, will travel there to bring food, water and other supplies to the disciples.  I will write another update as soon as possible with information from his trip.

Needs -   Right now the greatest need is prayer. Although the situation has been devastating in the south of Chile, God has protected us in so many ways. In the next few days as more needs surface we will continue to communicate them. Please pray for the safety of all the disciples. Pray for Adriana to be located and for communication to be restored with the rest of the disciples. Finally please pray for us to be the light of the world in these dark moments.

Thank you to all those who have sent emails, Facebook messages, phone calls etc. We greatly appreciate your concern and support.

Indescribable!

Video from our trip to Patagonia, Chile with Dan, Mary and Rita

A little bit about our lives...

Recently Justin, an 11 year-old from the U.S. asked me the following questions and I thought the answers might be interesting to post:

What is your church like? Why did you become a missionary? What is life like in Chile?

Our church is made up of about 200 members. About one hundred of those are married couples. The other hundred are singles, campus students and teens. My wife and I lead the campus ministry. We have about 20 students. It is a great church that is very devoted to God.. The people are very hard working and are faithful to God. They have a great sense of respect for God and his will. We meet together on Sundays and Wednesdays. With the campus group we get together on Friday nights to have devotionals. Every one speaks Spanish. The church is made up of people who live all over Santiago, some travel more than one hour (in bus) to come to services.

I became a missionary because God put it on my heart and then opened the door for me to do it. I started studying Spanish my freshman year of high school and I had become a christian right before that. That same year I got to travel to Brazil and be part of a conference with our church. The next year I went to Mexico City also with our church. Both of those experiences opened my eyes to what God was doing all over the world. As I studied Spanish the desire grew in my heart to help in Latin America. My wife and I actually met on that trip I took to Mexico City and we both had the desire to be missionaries. As we dated in college and then got married it had always been a dream of ours. We expressed this dream to friends and leaders in our church in the U.S. and one day one of the ministers asked us if we'd be willing to move to South America to help the churches. After a lot of prayer and seeking advice we said yes. God brought us down to Santiago, Chile in July of 2007 and we've been living a great adventure since then.

Life in Chile is great. Santiago is the capital and the biggest city with over 6 million people. We live in the very center, near the downtown business district. There's a lot of smog and traffic, but that's normal for a big city. Chileans are warm, friendly people. The love to talk especially if they can do it over a cup of coffee or a meal. We've adapted to the chilean eating schedule. In the morning we have coffee or tea with a sandwich of some kind (ham & cheese, butter & jelly etc). At lunch (around 2pm) we have a big meal (sorta like dinner in the US) of something like spaghetti, rice and meat, soup or chicken. The food here is not spicy. They eat a lot of vegetables with their lunch. Then in the evening the normal meal is "once", coffee or tea with a pastry or sandwich.

Life here is a little more simple, not so much technology and very few people have cars. In the church about 25 of the 200 have cars. We walk or take the bus or the subway everywhere. We've learned a lot about the chilean people in our time here and they've also taught us a lot about ourselves. Relationships here are more important than tasks. People are almost always late to any kind of gathering.

We thank God every day for the opportunity He's given us to live our dreams.

Fun time with family and friends

We had a great time visiting with family and friends during our September trip back to the States. Here a couple of highlight pictures.

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Neh 4:14

Have you ever felt like you need to make a change in your life, but don't know how? Recently here in Santiago a few brothers have been talking about that very question. One brother decided he wanted to do something radical and he invited a few people to go along with him. The challenge: 52 days of meeting at 6 am to study the book of Nehemiah and pray together. As of today, we've made it to day 13 and God is already working in amazing ways.

Each morning we hear from God's word, pray in small groups and decide on two challenges for the day. For some the challenge has been to call and encourage another brother. For others, to dedicate more time to their families. And for others to share what God has done in their life with someone who doesn’t know God. For me, two big challenges have surfaced. One is to be a champion of unity in the church. I've come to see that many times for me and others, we tend to back away from telling the difficult truth and let disunity exist in the body of Christ. I've decided to face some of my fears and fight to bring God's children together no matter how hard it may be. The second challenge is to believe again in the incredible power of God. God has worked in many ways here in Santiago, but I've seen that my faith in God has not been where it needs to be. Through excepting these challenges and praying with the brothers, God has been working to fill my heart with faith again.

We've only come a quarter of the way, but already I can tell that God is moving and Satan is counter-attacking. Please pray for us and the God's mighty hand will be made known and have great impact on the church, the lost and the entire country of Chile.

For pictures and more information including the daily devotionals (in Spanish), check out http://levantandolamuralla.blogspot.com

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness (2 Cor 3:18)

We are just getting back from a great trip in the States visiting family and friends, enjoying great food and even participating in some very memorable events. As soon as we got in to Florida, we spent some time with John's family and it was wonderful. Rita offered to keep Maya with her as we flew quickly out to Denver for a church leadership conference for a few days. Then we drove down to South Florida to see my family and then back up to Orlando for two days of great rest at the beach. We finished off the trip with an incredible reunion in Gainesville celebrating 10 years since we went on the mission team in 1999.

What I wanted to do is share a few of the lessons the I took away from the conference and the time in Florida...

• Do not let fear drive me, "perfect love drives our fear!" If my fears are driving me than the Spirit is not.

(It is difficult for me to not act or react out of fear, mainly fear of what others think of me or even of what I think of myself. Love is so motivating and truly drives out insecurity and fear, not only loving others but also knowing God's love for me.)

• Pray hard, step up, be determined...let the Spirit work in my to make me indignant about unrighteousness

(We had a very inspiring and yet convicting time with some of our spiritual mentors John and Sylvia Reus. These are some of the things that John challenged us with.)

• "NRM" - Never Resign on Monday!

(Danesh George from India did a great lesson and shared this as a little side point to ministers. Sometimes we are just tired and the week before was rough. Monday isn't the right time to bring everything in to question :)

• We are vulnerable when our unity is not a priority...a perfect example of unity/harmony is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (not competitive, always in sync)

(Peter Garcia from LA was incredibly open and honest about the difficulties that come about when we are not fighting for unity. Then Arturo from Mexico talked about how the Trinity is a great example to study in order to learn about cooperation and unity)

• Pray always, pray in every meeting...build a prayer culture

(One of the biggest challenges that I think I have seen in church building is maintaining a God-centered church and Christianity. It is so easy for things to veer ever so slightly in a humanistic direction. We must keep God/Jesus/the Spirit as the center and focus of all we do)

• Jesus' best story was his last story...the stories of the past are great, but am I going to stop there or will I keep living my faith?

• Jesus has loved me faithfully, genuinely, consistently, graciously, sacrificially, deeply, patiently and unconditionally...let his love compel me (2 Cor 5:14) compel- holds me tightly together, constrains me, forces me into action

So, these are a few of the lessons that I took away from our trip. There are many more, but I figure we shouldn't try to fix everything all at once. I pray that God will mold us continually and use all of these lessons to make us more like his Son.

Here is the link to the pictures from our trip picasaweb.google.com/kayhoyt/September09Trip

I just saw a report of the ILC in Denver and it had a small clip of Kay sharing. I thought you all might like to check it out. You can see it at ICOC Hot News or just click here. Here is the link to the the online streaming of the classes at the conference dtoday.tv You have to click the menu button and look for the "Women's Program Friday Sept 4". Her sharing starts at about 02:12.