The Perils of Re-Entry

Back in the 60's (for you younger than generation-x people, I mean the 1960's), when space travel was very uncharted water for the human race, each launch was followed by a "re-entry" into Earth's atmosphere in a tiny capsule after it had been to the moon. The same thing happens with the shuttle now, just on a larger scale. You know the drill: Come in too shallow and you will skip off the earth's atmosphere never to be recovered... Come in too direct and the sheer friction of the air burns your tiny barrel into ashes and you inside of it. I won't go into the math involved in that, but it can be a bit complex.

So it is with re-entry into North American culture. Even a year away in another context gives you a bit of a "I have been to another planet, and I am now coming back" feeling. Your legs shake when you get out of the capsule, you feel familiar and confused all at the same time. Just the re-enrollment of our multiple cross-cultural kids into Vickie's "normal" teacher health insurance plans is a challenge. See, for our family, when someone says they need application forms, birth certificates, social security cards, etc., for all our kids, it sounds simple enough, until they find out there are many who are adopted...
"Ohhhhh, well we need the adoption decrees as well." Really? So the russian birth certificate, the english translation pages of the russian birth certificate, the back of the russian birth certificate with all the official stamps, the back of the translated birth certificate with all the official stamps, and then 12 or 14 pages of a russian and english translation of the adoption decree all go on the copier at Kinko's, manually, for each kid separately, I might add. Half of the documents are sewn together with a little thread and a seal, so this makes the people in line behind you there really love you. I sent a massive packet off to Montgomery after doing all this copying and assembling for 9 children. Thankfully the Lord gave grace for them to be accepted and approved! 

Oh, and this copier trip didn't cover the needed copies of tax forms, utility bills and property tax forms for the last two years and the proof of life insurance and car insurance on one of our daughters to prove that she was actually an Alabama tax paying resident for the university's residential requirements paperwork.
Which brings up the IRS...yep. When you need financial aid for college for multiple kids there, you use this system called FAFSA. Well FAFSA always wants data from the IRS. Well, when the IRS gets my tax forms in the summer instead of in April, then FAFSA can't talk to the IRS computer, which means, you guessed it, no student financial aid either! Still praying and working on this little adversity, along with a few others!

Then there is the weird dynamic of being in the grocery store, or the optometry shop, and getting those questions, "Hey, Chris is that you? I thought you were in Ecuador. How long are you home for?" Or, the better one is "Hey, why did ya'll come home, was it just a one year thing?"
Knowing that the whole complex story is one that cannot always be entrusted to everyone, or understood by everyone, where do you begin and end? My usual answer is, "Well, it appears that the Lord has brought us here for now, for the gospel's sake in our complicated cross-cultural family, to focus on some items He has shown us in the last part of the year in Ecuador. We are thankful God gave us clear answers to prayer." This is usually followed by a puzzled silence on their behalf. 

But sometimes, when time allows, and we get to share further, it is yet another opportunity to discuss the messy business of the gospel, and how the light momentary affliction of this time produces heavy glory, glory to the King over us as we submit to His purpose and will.
All praise to His glorious name...


Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
(Psalm 111:1 ESV)

Touch, fold, sort, pack, clean, repeat...

Due to a mechanical delay in Atlanta (that is a whole other story)- I arrived in Quito last Monday morning at around 4:00 AM. (pause)
Monday at 7:30 AM I began a 4 day packing adventure that ended with a challenging airport experience on Thursday evening where I checked 10 bags, and hand carried two bags, as I made my way back to US soil in the night journey from Quito to Atlanta to Birmingham. This one sentence summary would be what I call a massive understatement, of both the packing and sorting process that got me to the airport, and then the incredible miracles by God to allow me to actually check 10 bags in the middle of what the airlines call the "embargo season" in Quito's Mariscal Sucre Airport.
The Lord changed several minds that night in answer to prayer, and cleared a fog delay that had the potential to have me sleeping in the airport there with all that luggage.

As you know, (see the previous blog) for the temporary time's sake of those we love in the gospel, and those we are charged with leading well in the gospel, Vickie and I are transitioning back to Birmingham to engage further in some of the innate challenges of our older adopted children.

On Thursday morning, as I got up at 5AM to make sure that every final item had a time slot in the day before I left for the airport that night, I found out within a couple of hours of the alarm that Vickie's Dad had passed away in a nursing home in Florence, Alabama. 

Friday was a blur of sleepy arrival, unpacking, and preparation to share a gospel message in his graveside service on Saturday morning. One day in the book I hopefully can pen out, I will tell of the unique person that John Pickens was, and how his thinking shaped many people... I worked with John for 8 years, and was a son-in-law to him for almost 24 years before he passed away this past week.

After sharing on Saturday morning in front of John's casket, I was and am now more convinced than ever that the Gospel is the only comfort we have this side of eternity. Not that God gives things to comfort us, but God gave, and God currently gives, comfort to us, and He is all there is, or possibly if you want to split hairs you could also say that it is also His life in others that ministers to us as well. Nonetheless- it is all from Him...

Please pray for us as we continue this transition, for His name's sake and His glory's sake.
Blessings!
Chris


The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
(Psalm 145:18-19 ESV)

For the sake of people that I do...

I gained an unsettling insight about a man once as I sat in a meeting and heard him say, "Well, I wouldn't work a job I didn't love, or at least not for long." As I thought for a minute on that statement, I felt compelled to look him in the face and say, "I would take exception to that statement. I have done many things that I did not love for the sake of the people that I do..."


So it is now that one of those times comes along for us. For the sake of the ones entrusted to us by Christ to lead as parents, and for the sake of the picture of the gospel that our family gives out to the world each day, we believe that the Lord is leading us to remain in the US for this season of life, and so we will not be returning to Quito for the fall semester. 
Vickie and I have been in much prayer and searching over the last several weeks, and it seems as though the Lord is giving us clearance to transition back to Birmingham to focus on the most immediate needs of our unique set of 9 children. It is definitely not because we love leaving where we have invested for the last year of our life. He has been, as He always is, gracious in allowing us to see fruit and change and growth where we have been serving the world in the last 12 months in Ecuador. His gospel is that good, His word is that powerful, His provision for us is that constant. And now we see His gracious way as we gain clarity about the need to stay here at this time.


Our hearts are expressing joyful thanksgiving to Christ for His sustaining power in us, and for His care and clear presence in leading us, and for His incredible grace expressed to us through so many of you as we have been on this journey of disciple-making in another context. Right now we would ask for you to join us in praying for wisdom and sustenance for the gospel's sake as we officially re-enter the culture in Birmingham, Alabama. Pray for our school and for teachers and administrators and friends there in Quito- for the men and women we have been living life alongside of there. Pray for me (Chris) as I travel this weekend to wrap up details with our apartment and offices and belongings and for Vickie as she cares for our family while I am gone! Ask God to provide for the church in Ecuador, to raise up leaders, and to send Ecuadorians out to share the gospel. We thank God for all of you. He has led us out to Ecuador; He has now led us home.


Bendiciones!
Chris and Vickie

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit... 1 Peter 3:18

Caps and Gowns and Concrete Dust

Well I need to ask forgiveness from you all. I know we have been blogging at a slow crawl, and some of you may have even thought we stopped altogether, but honestly we've got some good reasons for the delays. Honestly our hearts are full as we reflect for a minute...
 A few weeks back our firstborn daughter graduated from Mississippi State University. Wow we must be getting older with a college grad in our family! Then just days ago, our son Karson graduated from Hoover High School- quite an accomplishment after beginning his schooling in Orphanage 21 in Kiev, Ukraine. Then, last night, our daughter Kyndal graduated from Alliance Academy International in Quito, Ecuador! (Yep- she chose to give up attending her senior year at a wonderful US High School in obedience to Christ as we transitioned here last year)
We praise God, through His Son Jesus Christ, for all these gifts of His grace toward us. 
Pray along with us as we hold their hands gently, and as other loving people out of our spiritual community back in Birmingham, AL hold their hands gently, while these beautiful kids take next steps in school or work. We are asking that their lives would be used to spread His incredible joy and glory to the world as they enter new phases. This was my prayer last night at the commencement service, that He would use the class of 2012 to spread His glory in every corner of the Earth. Honestly, I am having to pause a moment as I write this while my eyes stop watering...


What else? Well - there has been no shortage of pulse-quickening adventure in the work in AAI and the Quito area. With Kelsey and Kirby being here in Quito for the last few days, it has been incredibly fun, and funny to share life in Ecuador with my two oldest daughters for a few days. I (Chris) have been a bit toward the "overwhelmed" side as I work to fill Chaplain team roles and counseling roles here at the school, and as I continue in talking with exhausted students, and teachers, and administrators here at year end, and as God gives moment after moment to lead people here toward greater trust in Christ and in His word. The motto that God showed us clearly back in 2009 as we adopted 3 older children in has become our ongoing theme. "Talk less, pray more." Vickie would agree. Some days, we are praying just so that we can put one foot in front of the other and continue up and down the mountains. Believe me that spiritual opposition to spreading the gospel is as real and serious as I can possibly communicate here, so when you bend your knees before the Lord, ask Him for sustenance from Christ for all of us here.


Last note...So we have this construction work going on in my office area here, in order to consolidate the Chaplains and counselors and HR team in more of a unified office environment. And we don't build much with wood and sheetrock here, but we do use concrete...blocks, that is.
So each day on the other side of a wood door, these amazing Ecuadorians have been beating and banging and sawing and placing concrete blocks...and I am enjoying the dust from all of it. It creeps outside and then comes in my windows, and it crawls under our doorways, too. This little distraction is just one of the many here to choose from as we seek the best ways to make disciples in kids and adults from 30 countries, all gathered in one school.


Looking forward to being able to pray face to face with all of you not too many days from now. We are so grateful for our loving friends and family in the USA: we believe that you are the strong earthly foundation of our ministry here in the other hemisphere. 


Chris and Vickie and family


"Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." 
Psalm 2:8

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
(Galatians 4:3-7 ESV)


Let's just say this, I haven't mentioned "adoption" specifically in this blog in a while, and I am not preaching a sermon right now about it. But let me dispel any doubt about adoption as a warm and fuzzy miracle that comes along and brings joy ever after. In my case, Christ adopted me into His family as a self-centered, wrong-thinking sinner. He has been continually, sometimes painfully, converting my nature to look like His family and His son ever since... So you can take what I just said, apply it to yourself and see what raw materials and missing parts Christ began with in your own heart. Now take this thought, and realize that with us bringing 5 adopted children into our own family, we are continually asking Him, desperately asking Him, to continually convert their nature to His as well.
So if you are looking for things to pray for this morning, I just gave you 9 of them, that is 5 by adoption and 4 by birth.


Happy graduation day to my beautiful and smart firstborn daughter who today graduates from MSU! May God bless you as He has blessed us by allowing us to be your parents. May you inherit all His glory one day, may you be satisfied now in His unending love, may Christ get praise for Himself through all your life.


Love,
Mom and Dad

Gospel Endurance needed...

It is somewhat disorienting, when it is cloudy and 48 degrees, for lawn mowers to be running outside on the tiny ten-foot square plots of grass in our neighborhood. Because there is no real change of season, or actually when you have 4 seasons in one day, it just seems odd to hear the small engine clacking when it feels like November outside…

Isn’t it supposed to be warm, and humid, with the smell of grass being so thick that you can almost feel it before you crank a lawn mower? Or at least that is probably how it is where you are now, back in Alabama, or somewhere in the other hemisphere, but not so here in Quito…

Lots of things, lots of things... have transpired in the last 30 days. Some we'll mention here and some we won't. Kole and Kory have been doing a great job of JV soccer at the school, and it has been fun to watch one of our house church members coach them from a cross-cultural and gospel perspective. Vickie has been leading the JV basketball to multiple wins, and teaching them about the character of Christ in winning or losing.

We concluded a Young Men’s “Man-Up” discipleship retreat a few weekends ago, where teachers and coaches and dads taught and demonstrated the gospel to 37 young men in grades 9-12 for two days straight thru. It was exhausting but powerful, and we want to be able to make this an annual event! We enjoyed a brief visit from Bob and Suzy from BH, but it was not exactly the relaxing ministry visit you would expect due to a smack-down stomach bug that descended on Bob while they were here at our apartment for a few days.

Weekend before last, our family and another family from our house church made the trip just outside Quito on Sunday morning to see our brothers and sisters in Christ in Calderon, a small town north of the city. I had the chance to share from Ephesians 5 about… yes- you guessed it, marriage! God used His word to speak to the group in some powerful ways, prompting a couple of people to stand up and publicly repent in tears at the end of our time together for not obeying the commands of His word in how they treated each other in their marriage relationship. We were humbled by the response, and encouraged by God to see His work through His word!

This morning I shared at our secondary chapel time about Adoption and the picture it gives of the Gospel, or maybe it would be better if I said the Gospel, and the picture it gives to adoption… then, back to back I had the chance to share a message with middle school students in the afternoon about God’s Word and our vital need for it.

On a personal note… please continue to pray for us. We desperately want His Spirit to be at work through us, and in and through our family, and in our surrounding community. Parenting is a tall order. Parenting is an incredibly tall order when there are 9 kids. Parenting is, well, borderline insanity with 9 kids across three continents. Also, pray for my Mom and Dad in the US (Chris’s parents). They have been through a real struggle in health needs and so we would ask for grace in that situation.

Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday

I pray for grace for each of you this day, that you will understand more about our unshakeable kingdom in the name of Jesus Christ, our hope, and our Savior.

Last weekend we had an incredible chance to partner with some of our house church members in doing a little relationship building. We came alongside a small church out in the blue-collar community of Calderon (where there is, by the way, a gaping valley in the earth near the location of the new airport here) to do a community improvement project with them, to teach some English for their kids, and to gather with them again on Palm Sunday morning as we shared the word with these wonderful people. I was able to speak with them (obviously through the translation work of my good friend Marcello), and to challenge them to see what authentic worship looks like based on Hebrews 12:28-13:21, that is, worship of God by obedience to Christ in every way-especially in making disciples!

One of the incredible points was to share in communion with these brothers and sisters in Christ, and to be invited back to share again later this month, so be asking for great grace to speak in a way that points to the glory of God in our marriages and our families. Check out the photos... We are enjoying a couple of days out of school for the Easter break, and our house church time today was based on the question, “Does the modern church really believe in the resurrection?” We used texts from Matthew 26, 27, and 28 and Ephesians 1.

 

Pray for next weekend as we take young men from grades 9-12 at Alliance Academy out in the countryside for a gospel centered leadership building experience.

Pray for us as we persevere, plan, parent, and proclaim the gospel in word and deed.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

(Hebrews 13:14-16 ESV)

The Nichols Family

All Over the Map

 Since we talked last… well, where to start? Okay, so the Ecuadorian stomach bug lasted a few more days than I anticipated. Still sparing you the details, but I am thinking of marketing it as a quick weight loss plan. If I could just predict how each person would react if I pass along the bug through some simple method, you know, like a capsule or some tasty sugar wafers?

Last weekend we got the chance to visit briefly with the Brook Hills’ student mission team that spent the week out in Conocoto. Vickie and I obviously had school responsibilities each day here in the city, but it was great to get to see them last Sunday afternoon, and to enjoy a meal in a Quito mall on Friday night before they headed through the mystic portal into international airspace.

Just FYI- Vickie is the complete JV girls basketball guru on the AAI Campus. I think she is totally in her element doing cross-cultural basketball coaching. Volleyball season is coming this fall...

During mid-week, the Lord gave opportunity for me to teach at our senior high chapel meeting at Alliance Academy on Wednesday morning. We were doing a series called “back to basics” and I had the chance to share about, what else? Yes- about His Word! Anytime I can challenge the status quo when it comes to learning and memorizing His word, and especially when I can challenge some of the leaders in the crowd to dive into his word I will take the opportunity!

We did a silent start, using slides to get the kids to do various things as they “listened” to what was written in front of them on the screens. I had a hymn played on the piano to demonstrate that spoken words are not always needed as we “hear” from God. This led into a teaching time, and we finished by having kids stand in certain numbers as they got a  visual representation of people groups in the world with no copy of the gospel in their language. 

On Saturday afternoon, I was blessed to be able to tag along as one of our house church members led a group of kids and adolescents from a lower economic area called Calderon (north of the city) in some time in the word.

These kids are beautiful, smiling, and they were so attentive to what my bi-lingual Ecuadorian brother had to share. Of course, snack time was an obvious highlight after the teaching time finished.

As we bounced back toward Quito in the chilly fog, my friend Juan asked if I could teach in their church gathering this coming Sunday. So, how could I refuse? Please pray as I get to share the Word with the adult portion of the church this coming weekend. I am humbled to have this opportunity, so ask that God would give grace for preparation and speaking there.

Today I had the chance to be the “resident expert” on careers in Engineering since it was basically Career Day at Alliance. After 3 seminars, both my voice and my handouts were gone. It was kind of fun to re-live some old days of Engineering in the midst of vocational ministry work. For a few minutes, I actually missed my days at ATT...

We finished out our day today with 2 walking trips to a small doctor’s office down the mountain near a place called Pollo Gus (pronounced poy-o goose- yep- it sounds like you are saying chicken goose). Our intent was to get medicine prescription refills, but we followed the simple visit with a marathon walking trip to 3 different pharmacies in order to actually get the medicine. I am sitting here blogging tonight and wondering if I can really stand up if I move from this spot on the couch.

Blessedly tired in the gospel,

The Nichols

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
(1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)

Wide Perspective

So this past week has been a breathless run, and we are honestly thankful that a weekend has finally arrived.
Let me spell it out for you:


1) We were thrilled to host three college girls and a mom (exploring opportunities in the city of Quito) starting last Saturday night and ending Thursday night. Blessings to Nicole, Kirsten, Melissa, and Donna Kaye as they head back to the US and process all that they have seen. Just FYI, they are gigantic fans of humitas and spicy aji. We are praying that they come back soon and get an even larger viewpoint on Ecuador and the disciple-making opportunities here.


2) For some reason, and I am certain it is/was for my further sanctification, the raging Ecuador stomach bug bit me with a snarling vengeance on Wednesday and visited for part of Thursday and today too. I'll skip the details. You'll be glad I did...


3) Kelsey (our oldest daughter), who is just a couple of months from graduation from MSU as an official Bulldog alumni, is coming down tonight from the US, and we are really excited to see her, even though we will be working all week. So, she is going to get to practice some of her Spanish in getting around on her on!


4) Today- yep- professional development day at the school. Fascinating. No- I really mean it! The morning session helped us understand some of the cross cultural kids in our school better, and I do mean cross culture. There are Corfan tribe kids who are in our school that live in the pristine rain forest about 7 hours from real civilization, who have their own indigenous language, and who are here to sort of spy out the adversary (the westernizers) and keep a safe distance...


5) Vickie is having a chance to make disciples through coaching JV girls basketball here, so pray for continual opportunity to 'be the gospel" to the young ladies that she coaches.


6) Ask God for wisdom as I work with our leadership team in seeking to place people in the best possible spots for disciple-making!


More details to come, but let me say that gospel opportunity is found in every moment lately, in our own family, in our school, and in this community. Pray that we show Him well!
Chris

Go Whole Hog ?

Sometimes pictures are just better than words at describing life. When you think you are settled in to a very "citified" routine here in the nation's capitol, and you take a different direction one day, then you somehow run across something memorable like this. Yep- see my oven roasted friend next to the avocados here at right. >>>>


Maybe this is a subtle dinner suggestion... just like your local Publix store there in Birmingham. I can see the small sign on the counter... "just whip up some hog head and guacamole sauce for tonight's post soccer game family dinner" Ouch- No thanks, I will stick to the rice, meat, fruit, and humitas and aji sauce, with maybe some soup or ceviche to spice it up if I feel brave.

We are thankful for you all, and we praise God as we think of your friendship and the work of the Gospel in Birmingham and around the world because of your submission to Christ as King!  Please pray for the conclusion of Spiritual Emphasis Week here at AAI in Quito, and for God to give great results as we embark on a "back to basics" chapel series starting next Wednesday. 


Ask God for great grace for us to lead well: in the staff, in the school, in the community, and ultimately in the world through obedience to His word. 
So many prayer needs...so little time. Praise God for His answers to prayer for His Name's sake.
Blessings!
The Nichols Family in Ecuador


Matthew 10:24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a servant above his master."

The Gospel and El Parque de la Carolina

El Parque de la Carolina (in the sunshine!!!)

Thank you for praying for us and for the myriad of needs that you know about for us, and also for the things that your hearts have a burden for to ask on our behalf. Our little house church has grown a bit in recent days, so ask the Father for us to be wise in disciple making! We send this group back into the school and into the culture here each week to hopefully re-teach with the encouragement from meeting together around the Word. Pray for our group to remember and obey His word well by His Spirit’s work in us.

Sometimes, like today, after our house church meeting on Sunday, our family takes a long walk down the inclined street nearby called Villalengua, picking our way past multiple tripping hazards and perilous multi-way intersections, (think about the “Frogger” game for a good visual), and then we turn right on the very flat road called Diez de Agosto for a few blocks. As we go past the small tiendas and vendors selling fake sunglasses or belts, we try to sniff but not stop by the small bread store that seems to always be open. A few potholes and step downs later we are in front of a Chinese variety shop, where we laugh at the odd things they set out front for sale (think plastic pink pigs and huge red silk light fixtures.) Now it’s time for a sharp left turn across 6 lanes and a median onto Naciones Unidas, where we walk through the center of two rows of gigantic palm trees until we get to one end of Parque La Carolina. This is a place where several hundred Ecuadorians are playing court soccer or basketball, or people watching while others play on one of the innumerable small dirt fields or concrete pads there every afternoon. If you want to get into a pickup game, or just watch people here, this is the place to do it. 

Today it was also a day to get an earful of Carnaval music (sort of the Ecuadorian equivalent to Mardi Gras).

Our 2 blond-haired and blue-eyed boys are quite a novelty in this culture and seem to be able to find their way into games easily. We have to be a bit cautious since this park area can be dangerous if you are not vigilant, but the Lord is fully aware of our circumstances. Many of the boys and men (and girls) are playing ball in street shoes and jeans, while some are in soccer clothes, or even skirts! Now is when I am wishing my language were really strong because conversation start-ups would be really simple at this point. People are everywhere! Pray for our Spanish to take a real upswing. Teaching and working in an English school can really slow the process down for us and we want to learn more quickly.


The walk home was quite interesting today when the afternoon rains began. After stopping by several stores on the way back to avoid getting soaked by brief showers, the heavens finally opened full scale and we saw ice and rain fall for at least 20 minutes straight. What to do? We attempted to flag taxis for quite a while till finally we just headed out, thinking it was about stopped, only to find that we would need to wade through multiple locations where the cold rainwater was so deep it covered the curbs- which made for ankle deep walking for us as we crossed each street. Needless to say our feet were blue and our clothes were soaked by the time we made it up the mountain to the house.

We have a group of 3 college girls and one mom headed our way during March who are considering serving Christ in Ecuador next year, so ask the Lord to give clarity for them and also for Him to arrange travel, lodging, and logistical details on the ground here that will bless them and be of value. Also pray for one of our house church families as they serve a church in a poor area north of the city, and that our church and our family would be wise about how to invest there.

If you think of it, continue to ask the Lord’s favor in making disciples through Alliance Academy students and parents in the days ahead. Also, especially pray for us as parents to be wise and Spirit filled as we lead and love our family both here and in other places via text and Skype!

         This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

(Joshua 1:8 ESV)

On our Knees...

Right out of the gate I need to ask your forgiveness for my long delay in a blog post update. Just to be honest, from the time the aircraft wheels splashed down in cold and rainy Quito a few days ago from my whirlwind opportunity to go visit and encourage brothers and sisters in Port au Prince, Haiti, we have all been running hard here. 

(More details later as I have time to process, but just know that Haiti is clearly a place of much need...spiritual, physical, you name it...much need.)

When you come back from another place, you sort of hit the proverbial wall for a day or two. You know what I mean. There is the usual catch-up curve on the events and items that you missed out on, and then the normal beginning of the month items that are always fun to work thru in Ecuador. One example is paying your rent here… First you need to get an all Spanish words deposit slip from the local Banco Pichincha, then fill it out with absolutely no writing mistakes, then wait in line while some guy in a motorcycle helmet pays bills or makes deposits for about 10 people at one time, and then, when it is your turn, you give it to the smiling Ecuadorian teller behind the bullet proof glass along with a pile of cash that you have withdrawn over a couple of days at the nearby ATM. Now-wait for the receipt, pray that it has the right account number that you just deposited into on there, and then you’re done till next month.

Next item for February is to start on the bill payments for water, electric, telephone, etc. Well, you get the picture…

So can I tell you about the recent process for a knee repair surgery for my adopted daughter, Kayla? Okay, when she blew the ACL on her knee back in November, we put off the inevitable until she could finish semester number one here at AAI. We did not have surgery in the US because our missionary health policy is geared to overseas healthcare. This means you pay for any procedure up front (before you leave the hospital!), and then you submit it to see if you can recover some of the cost. We are thankful- very thankful- to have any type of help for medicals! So many people in Ecuador and across the world have absolutely nothing to help them at all when it comes to medical expenses. Last Monday we went in for pre-op, thinking we had a mid-day surgery slot, only to get a 7PM Monday night call to see if we could be there at 7AM on Tuesday morning. I really should devote an entire blog entry to the surgery day on Tuesday (and I probably will soon), but overall let me say that it was really, really good despite a really long day at the hospital for us all. Our doctor is quite competent and very helpful and kind, but even my smart Ecuadorian friends still say that the surgery discharge group and nursing staff can use a little additional customer service training. More on that later…

It’s late so I want to give you ways to pray:

-For the resources of heaven for the task He has given us to do.

-For Chris’s Dad- much needed healing and strength as he recovers from multiple complications from a hip replacement this past October.

-For Kayla’s recovery- she developed a spinal fluid leak from the epidural procedure right after her knee surgery and she has been violently ill from the headaches and nausea that follow this problem.

-For us to have incredible wisdom from God in making disciples and leading at AAI and in other places nearby here in Quito

-For God to sustain us in the midst of language learning and some really time consuming and intense training we are adding into our life in order to be CPOE certified (Christian Philosophy of Education)

-For God to bring like-minded laborers to fill spots at AAI that are needed

-For 9 children across 3 continents and in particular the multitude of blessings and challenges that we walk through daily via skype or email which drive us to kneel in great desperation to God

As always, we are incredibly thankful for all of you!

Kneeling in humble submission to our King-

Chris and Vickie and family

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them."

Joshua 1:5-6

hello- from haiti

I left our chilly Quito apartment at 3:45 AM on Thursday morning. After the normal day of travel, first to Miami, then landing in Port au Prince Haiti, we met our smiling host amidst a crumbling pile of what used to be an airport. Right now it is a maze of temporary air conditioned glass and steel corridors, and corrugated steel sheets that hide the broken glass and drooping concrete, ending in an ancient warehouse that you could call a baggage claim area, with wooden immigration kiosks that honestly must have come from an old court show like Perry Mason or something.

These desks are shoved around with no pattern of traffic flow, and beyond this there is a receiving line of smiling Haitians wanting to drive you, help you, or carry your bags for you. (how do you say no-thank you in French Creole?) The warm dusty air burned my nose and made me cough as we rode, or really as we shook and bounced our way toward the QCS (Quisqueya Christian School). I have been in some poor places before, but even two years after the earthquake that rocked this island it is still humbling to feel and see conditions here. People, who are formed in the image of God and designed for the glory of God, are living in tents or in boxes made of tarp and tin as they scrounge up what they can to share or cook or sell.

I will give more details soon, but suffice to say that it has been an eye opener in several ways, especially to see the current situation that so many are facing. Some progress, yes, but a long way to go!

We were able to walk thru the campus of QCS here with the director, and to hear of not only how it served as an amazing base for humanitarian relief after the quake, but how there are neighbors in the streets here who saw Christ displayed through the Christians that work at the school and have since believed the gospel because of it. Imagine eternal impact in people because of an humble, dusty, Christian school campus here in the city. Just to be honest, it felt a little like an Indiana Jones movie as we waited in front of the school gate while dozens of Haitians walked by our car, staring at us, and offering to sell us anything they had in hand until the school gate finally opened and we drove in.

More info later about this, but let it suffice to say we thank God right now for the people that are serving the world in this difficult context. Since I have been here, I have seen hope and despair in the same 100 yard stretch, with untouched houses next to 5 story buildings that are still a sandwich of rubble today, and I have seen the road that leads to the mass grave where maybe as many as 200,000 people are buried on the outskirts of town, all of whom were killed in the quake, but I also have seen some incredible work by gospel-believing Christians that is at least helping people have water, and food, and covering. However, the adversary would be completely satisfied with well-fed, clean, educated Haitian people that have no gospel. So there is much work to be done. More later about this time here. Please pray for the lord to sustain Vickie and the kids while I am gone from Quito, pray for healing for my Dad back in the US, pray for my friend from Ecuador named Patrick who represents parents from our school, and for our school director Dr. Wells while we seek to encourage these co-laborers here and to have insight for coming alongside brothers and sisters here for the gospel’s sake. 

Blessings!

Chris

Looking Back

Looking back on the last few weeks drives me to express something to each person who might read this blog. By God's generosity through many people, some who read this blog faithfully, our family had the incredible chance to fly home December 18 for time with our children, our extended family, and especially with our spiritual community of friends at the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Even though we have been back on track working (either in the US or in Ecuador) for several days now, we cannot go further without reflecting on the sweetness of that time together. So many of you, and you know who you are, anonymously or semi-anonomously decorated the townhouse, planned dinners and fixed food (incredible food-southern food), slipped us secret cash in a stocking for some spending money for the holiday time, and picked us up and dropped us off at airports without batting an eye. You encouraged us with dinner conversation together, filled us with coffee and stories, and you asked genuine questions about how things are going. This is a tiny description of what has come to us through your love and faith.
And for this we offer great praise and thanksgiving to Christ who gives hearts full of His grace that act with real love toward us and thus toward the world also. Vickie and I have had many opportunities through the years to speak with many of you about what the church really looks like, and it is clear to us that you have not only listened but responded in ways we could not even see coming. So- all that to say- we all are grateful.

1 Thessalonians 2:19
"For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?"

3 way conversations

So yesterday I met for the second time with two Latin American men here at school about the upcoming Haiti mission. One of them, a sharp dressed and articulate gentleman with a political background and kids who are doctors or scientists, is mostly a Spanish speaker, and one of them is an outgoing businessman with a great sense of humor. So as I talked with my well dressed travel companion about how we cannot distance good deeds from the gospel there in Haiti, and how before and during this trip we need to seek God to show us how to display the gospel beside brothers and sisters there as we prepare for a later team to go, he began to ask questions...
Some questions were typical for a believer to ask who has not been on mission, but some questions struck me as those an unbeliever might ask. Either way, for the next hour the door was wide open for me to talk about the gospel in full detail! I answered questions, praying continually that God would work through my weak answers with the power of His Spirit. It was midstream of this conversation that it hit me how strong this picture of re-teaching looks at this moment in time. I realized with full force that everything I said to the bilingual brother was immediately being re-taught from English to Spanish in the Spanish only brother. It may usually take weeks or months for this message to pass from one to another but this was taking only seconds, so it pressed me more than ever that what I say better not be my opinions. When you have opportunity to speak of God, of what happens to lost people, and of the clear need for our salvation in Christ, but also for the incredible gift of a salvation that we can never earn, let it always be a Biblical gospel!
So next time you are in a 3 way conversation...what will they re-teach from your mouth?
Chris (and Vickie in Birmingham)

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves."
 2 Corinthians 4:7 NASV

More Prayer

Many of you know my Dad has been through the wringer in the last several weeks and months due to an infection that developed in his hip joint this past fall after a clear period of good health for over one year. After a full removal of the hip prosthesis, and then a full hip replacement 10 weeks later, the infection reappeared at Christmas. So again the artificial hip has been removed, and again they are doing antibiotic therapy and possibly another opening of the incision tomorrow to place more antibiotic capsules in the tissue there. Once this happens, he will remain without a hip joint for several weeks and then, Lord willing, be taken back for a prayerfully clean re-installation. Really asking for miraculous sustenance through all of this and for my Dad's testimony of Christ to be shown to every caregiver in Hughston Clinic Hospital.

Pray for leading wisely, pray for my Haiti trip at the end of this month, and for the Lord to continually give clarity for His gospel in us and through us here and in Birmingham as Vickie works there for now in helping Kyle.

It was incredible to see all of you at Christmas and to sense the Lord's ministry to us through all of you.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Chris (and Vickie from Birmingham)

Back in the Saddle

Thought you might like this dandy photo of our second adopted son Karson back during Thanksgiving week as he makes an attempt at horseback riding on the flat spot on the side of a very tall volcano. He was a great sport about the whole experience. “Note to self,” he likely says in his head, “never wear shorts for horseback riding at 13,000 feet.”

See the puzzled look on the horse’s face as well. It is clear that he knows there is a Ukrainian high school kid aboard who cannot find both stirrups. See the friendly Ecuatoriano man trying to help him avoid injury from the first attempt to get in the saddle. See the jagged cliffs in the background that make your stomach queasy and your knees shake while taking it all in. See what a story a single photo tells.

So- our big family is split into at least two major places right now. I am officially back in the swing in Quito, Ecuador as of Sunday night about midnight. Things are underway at Alliance Academy. My beautiful bride Vickie is officially still in Birmingham for several more days working on solutions for our oldest adopted son as we walk through the reality of transition to adulthood for one of our kids whose biological parents did not love them well because they abused alcohol and drugs when these kids were embryos. So if I can say this, and if you will hear it, let it soak in right now. Your sins, and my sins, no matter how small or large they are, will affect people in ways beyond what you can ever imagine. Let me plead with you to turn to Christ to save you from the final and eternal horrific effect of sin if you have never done so, and if you have already done this let me plead with you to continually seek Christ to continually strengthen you with His life and lead you away from sin and it's effects. The same gospel that saves you, is the same gospel that strengthens you. Do this for the sake of the glory of God in someone you may not even know right now, and for the sake of all of us who are connected together in the family of the great King! 

If you would pray for us and with us in the following ways, we would consider it an honor to have you do so for the glory of His name in us, and ultimately in the entire world.

-Pray for the gospel message to be clear in our lives and on our lips in the midst of difficulty of various types

-Pray for my Dad (Chris’s Dad) as he recovers from yet another hip surgery, and ask for miracles of healing of a persistent infection and endurance to make it through further treatment and hopefully a final surgery in another few weeks from now.

-Pray for my Mom and sister/brother-in-law and brother as they help and deal with lengthy hospital stays and issues.

-Pray for Vickie as she leads in modeling the gospel toward our family in Birmingham in the next few crucial days while seeking wise solutions for our adult child’s unique needs.

-Pray that God supplies resources for these days in many ways, and for my leadership toward our kids here and the school here for the next several days as I practice single parenting on this end.

-Pray for an upcoming opportunity to take an Ecuadorian brother along to Haiti at the end of January- that God would use this time greatly and provide resources for our trip.

-Pray for wisdom for all of us as we seek Christ to further conform our lives to His gospel for the sake of salvation to the nations!

Psalm 72: 18-19 "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory!

Amen and Amen."

Chris and Vickie