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."