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.