It's deja vu all over again

We had our first Kindness Outreach event this weekend. I was introduced to this concept of outreach through an Alliance pastor/friend for whom I designed his first kindness card (Jeff if you read this, you will recognize the card design). It's reassuring how God uses the events of our past to form our present abilities and future opportunities. "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way" Psalm 37:23.

We gave away 144 bottles of flavored mineral water (which are popular here). It was priceless to see the excitement in the church members as they realized they were truly giving something away that people readily received. Alfredo told me, "Pastor I had my doubts about standing on the corner giving drinks away. I thought we would be there for hours. But we did it in 20 minutes! I was mistaken." The excitement and joy of the group I was ministering with was a huge encouragement to me. And the reactions of the people in the cars were great. In this culture everyone expects that someone is going to try and sell you something at every red light (that's just the way it is). So, when the people realized they were really getting something for free it was a positive cultural shock for them. Today I walked across the street after church and spoke with one of the neighbors I'm reaching out to (by the way, you can be praying for Jose Felix), and he told me that the neighborhood was very interested in our "action of grace." He said that his doctor/neighbor got in the car and drove up just to get whatever it was that we were handing out and later told him that "the church is really sharing love."

In the church we are ministering at I've become the temporary Sunday School director. For the past two Sunday's I've been observing to have a better feel for our game plan. I'll be presenting my ideas to the teachers this Wednesday evening. Be in prayer that my thoughts are in line with and are an encouragement to the teachers. Today we gave out these photos to the kids so that they can take them home and present them to their parents and/or caregivers. We are trusting that the kids understand that they are loved and that their parents are impacted by our love is well.

This evening Karen shared the second session of an 8-week course on leading cell groups. I take care of Jeffrey and Jasmine during this time so I'm not able to sit in on the session. She told me after the class that she struggled with her ability to speak Spanish tonight. Karen is doing really well in Spanish (I think better than I am). However, at times we have those moments when we just can't communicate well. Continue to pray for us both in this regard.

Urgent Prayer Request

Thanks for upholding us in prayer.

This week Karen finally received notice of her interview for citizenship. The date for the interview is April 2. Our dilema is that baby Jasmine does not have her paperwork (birth certificate and passport for travel). Currently our marriage certificate is in Venezuela for certification (it's a long story... but it has to do with us being married in Trinidad). We can't get a passport without that certificate. Please be in prayer that the missionaries in Venezuela can extract our papers out of the process there and DHL them to us here. We will then use them for the passport and DHL them back to Venezuela.

Imagine what it would be like if mother had to leave her two-month old baby for two weeks with her husband and 3 year old son. Jasmine is breastfeeding... and last I looked (well, that's enough imagery).

Seriously, WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

Thankyou for being our partners.

Love,

The Spurlings (J, Karen, Jeffrey, and Jasmine)

It's not the first time a whirlwind was a blessing

2 Kings 2:11

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity and a blessing. I told Daniel, the pastor with whom we are ministering, that “Más o menos hemos estado observando la iglesia desde llegamos acá, pero ahora es el tiempo para más acción (más ministerio).” Which is meant to say: "More or less we have been observing the church since we arrived, but now is the time for more action (more ministry).” This past week I met with the Sunday School teachers and we began dialoging how to improve our program on Sunday mornings (everyone agrees that this is an area that needs attention). Be praying for our team of Sunday School teachers as we plan, recruit and minister. Also I’m leading a study on Wednesday nights prior to our prayer time. The study helps the participants discover how God has uniquely created them to minister in the church. They are learning to recognize their passions, their Spiritual gifts and their personal styles (the study is called “Network”, published by Willow Creek). Leading this study entails translating all the materials into Spanish every week (if anyone knows of this study in Spanish and wants to send it to me, I would happily receive it). This week we began our Cell group training as well. Currently we are modeling cell ministry to nine leaders within our church. On Thursday evenings we hold our “model” cell and then on Sunday evenings we hold our cell training (Karen is leading the training on Sunday evenings). The significance of this is that my work load is a bit more as I'm preparing a cell study for the Thursday evening cell and I’m helping Karen by translating a participants workbook that she is using on Sunday evenings (the study is put out by CellGroup Resources and is called “Cell Group Leader Training”). So, as you can see it is a whirlwind of activity, with most of the activity being translation. When all is said and done we will have some very useful resources for the church.

We are being very purposeful in our activity. While pastoring in the states I became familiar with Christian Schwartz’s Natural Church Development: Eight Characteristics of a Healthy Church (link). “Through scientific research in Christian churches of various denominations in over 100 countries, it has been discovered that every healthy, growing church has eight characteristics in common. These characteristics are: Empowering Leadership, Functional Structures, Gift-Oriented Ministry, Holistic Small Groups, Inspiring Worship, Loving Relationships, Need-Oriented Evangelism, and Passionate Spirituality.” The focus we are placing currently on Sunday School and on Wednesday night deals directly with Functional Structures and Gift-Oriented Ministry. While Cell Group ministry touches on every point of Schwarz’s findings.

These are exciting times for us. We are seeing many aspects of our spiritual development coming together for this ministry challenge. Our faith remains strong that God is going to do incredible things within this church and this community for His glory. One thing I know for sure, Satan is not happy. We feel his presense… we know he his currently battling against us because he knows theres a lot at stake here. So, please join us in prayer. Pray that God would have his way in our lives, in the life of the church here in Asuncion, in the life of the fellow leaders who have come alongside us, and in the lives of the people who God desires to add to His kingdom.

If you can, pray specifically for our potential Cell leaders: Alfredo, Adriana, Hilda, Joanna, Daniel and Eunice, Jorge, Nelly, and Clara.

Thank you for being there for us. The battle is won when we are supported by your prayers.

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” Colossians 1:13.

“Open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me” Acts 26:18

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12

Just When We Thought It Was Safe To Go Back...

We've been here in Paraguay now for five months. We felt like we had a handle on things. Things were beginning to settle down from our transition and I was ready and looking forward to taking on more responsibility in our ministry. And then she arrived... baby Jasmine. She is a blessing. She is so adorable, as you can see. She is also a new member of our family. And with this new member we are again experiencing transition (just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water).

Seriously, this Tuesday will mark three weeks since Jasmine arrived and there are signs that we are gaining control of this situation as well. We won't try and fool you by saying we've been in complete control through it all.

Karen has been experiencing the normal post partum struggles that many of you might be familiar with. I've been so impressed with Karen, because I know if it were me in a similiar situation (not likely possible) I would not be handling it nearly as well. We would appreciate your prayers for Karen as she continues to heal up from the pregnancy.

I've realized that my familial duties have increased. Jeffrey has become the ward of J. For those of you who do not know Jeffrey well, my "boy wonder" is a handfull. But I have to say, I am enjoying the extra time that I'm spending with him. He's been running errands with dad in the mornings. And he's been getting more formal swim lessons in the evenings (he'll be swimming solo without floatation devices before you know it). We do have a helper (Hilda) who spends time with Jeffrey as well. I'm back to the point where I'm eager to step up the responsibilities and involvement in the church. Beginning February 15th we will be starting cell groups (a ministry of which I will be in charge). We would appreciate your prayers concerning this as it will be the main focus of our ministry platform. It will include: our evangelism ministry, leadership development ministry, prayer ministry, youth ministry, and discipleship ministry.

Many people have been asking, "How is Jeffrey doing with his new sister?" If we would allow Jeffrey, he would swing her 360 degrees around in her baby swing, he would crush her feet with his idea of tickling, he would yell "Stop It" at decibles well over the acceptable norm every time she cries. But, we don't let Jeffrey do those things. That being the case, Jeffrey really doesn't take a whole lot of interest in her, other than a passing "hola baby" as he runs off to his next activity. We always appreciate your prayers for Jeffrey. Just pray that he continues to enjoy himself and develop naturally as a little boy ought. (Here is a video file you can link to if you would like to see just how well Jeffrey is doing).

During the past couple of weeks I've been able to fit in a couple of extra activities above and beyond Jeffrey. This past Wednesday I lead prayer service. And then today, I preached for the second time here in Paraguay (in Spanish). You can follow this link if you would like to hear the results of one year of language school (Audio). We would appreciate your continued prayers for our language learning process. Karen and I both would like to become fluent in the language so as to have the greatest impact possible for the ministry God has called us to.

Thank you all for your many encouraging e-mails and phone calls over the past couple of weeks. And especially thank you for your prayers. Keep them coming.