Check It Out!

Be sure to check out our family update and pictures after the GAP update!

GAP Update - Fellowship Community Church

We just finished up a great week of work with 22 team members from the Fellowship Community Church of Salem, VA. This is one of our partner churches with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. This team worked with the GAP project in doing a “follow-up sweep” through the Old City of Montevideo. This was a strategic decision made by our fellow missionaries Arnold and Lucy, as they felt a need to follow up with several decisions and contacts made during the recent Franklin Graham Crusade. This part of the city is very transient and we discovered many new people we had never talked to before.

This was an unusual week and God blessed in many ways. The team started without Pam and me; Kaitlyn arrived a day before the team to serve as a translator and led the team with Alfredo (a fellow translator) till we could arrive a few days later. They did a great job and we are proud of how Kaitlyn rose to the occasion.

The team distributed 4,000 Gospels of John. These are the new Gospels which your Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings provide for GAP! These Gospels include pictures of Uruguay and personalized information on salvation and discipleship. We are thankful for your partnership with us through your sacrificial giving to our foreign missions offering.

We had a very interesting Evangelistic Event. We had more people than we could handle so the program did not go quite as planned, but it was a great event. We made contact with over 150 people and feel it was a good touch into the community.

We praise the Lord for at least one salvation decision during the week and the many prospects discovered in the streets and homes of the Old City. We have several who have expressed an interest in seeing new Bible studies started in their homes!

GAP Pictures from Fellowship Community Church

Team #1

Team #2

Team #3

Team #4

Taking it to the streets.

Jacob and Jessica were not intimidated...they shared Jesus without fear.

John and his new friend. He was ready to take her home! Pray for this baby...she and her mother are in need of a permanent home.

You feel so small when the chair is so big.

Bri, working fast and furiously on the Gospels of John.

Like father, like son. Chuck and his two sons Brad and Dirk.

Kaitlyn and her Uruguayan partners...ready to serve.

Family Update...a lot has happened!

Our family is doing very well and a lot has happened in the last few months. Kristin and Aaron (and grandbaby Rachel) are now in Vancouver for Urban Mission Training with the IMB. In August they plan to move to Costa Rica for language school, after a year of language studies they will be serving in Chile with a people group I cannot mention (for security reasons). They are doing well and are excited about their future work. Pray for protection and guidance during this time of transition in their lives.

Kasey is now married! On March 27th Kasey was married to Kelly Conrad in Spokane, WA. She is an awesome girl and we are very happy for how God has worked in their lives. Kasey will graduate from his mission aviation major in May. Kasey and Kelly then hope to do a two month internship in Alaska with a mission organization called SEND. Please pray for God’s wisdom and love as they establish their new home together. Also pray for God’s provision as they begin raising support for their internship.

Kaitlyn will be graduating from High School in May (she just finished up her work). Because she returned with us to Uruguay, she will not get to attend her graduation at South High School. She is planning to attend Liberty University in the fall. She is hoping to major in missionary nursing.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family.

We are back in Uruguay!

We are now back in Uruguay! We have just returned after eight months in the states for our stateside assignment (formerly known as furlough). Our time in the states was an awesome experience and we are thankful our mission allowed us to do this. Much of our time was spent speaking in churches and conferences, recruiting future volunteer teams, working on training material for the IMB, visiting with family and friends, and catching up on the cultural changes that have occurred while we had been on the field. Needless to say, we have been very busy.

We want to thank everyone that helped us during our time in the states. We are grateful for Colonial Heights Baptist Church for allowing us to live in their mission house. Our home church also helped us in many ways and we are appreciative for such a loving and caring fellowship. We are thankful to Vic Davis for lending us a great car for our travels. And finally, we want to thank the many churches for their hospitality and allowing us to share our story; several of these churches helped us financially through honorariums and love offerings. To all of you we say, “Thanks!”

Below are some pictures that highlight some of our special times with our family during these past seven months.

Kasey and Kelly Sheaffer - congratulations!


Rachel...ready for the wedding.


Kasey and his best man Matt.



....going to the chapel...and...going to get married...

Ready for the wedding!

Rachel...definitely the cutest grandbaby in the world!

Kasey shows us one of his projects.

Happy to be with "Nana" and "Baba"...Baba is short for Abuelo

Fun in the sun.

Aaron, Kristin and Rachel.



Family Vacation

International World Changers Comes To Uruguay

The week of June 14-21 was an exciting one here in Montevideo, Uruguay. Fifty four high school and college students, including their leaders, arrived to do the first International World Changers project in Uruguay. It was a huge endeavor but they were definitely up for the challenge.

Throughout the week the students were divided into six separate teams. Each team worked in a specific area in Montevideo. During the morning, every group participated in the GAP project. Part of their work involved prayer walking a specific neighborhood, where they later distributed gospels of John. Working together, the teams were able to distribute over 5000 gospels. In the afternoons, each team worked on a ministry project. These teams were able to minister through a specific project determined by their giftedness. During the week they led children’s clubs, performed a street drama “The Redeemer”, put a new roof on a nursing home in the city, and built tables and benches for a sports club in the Old City. The days were long and hard, but the students were dedicated to the task at hand.

Another highlight of the week was a coffee house that the group hosted on Thursday and Friday night. They distributed invitations throughout the week and had over 70 in attendance for the event. During these two nights, they were able to see two people pray to receive Christ. The team also made some good contacts as a result of the people they met there, and several have expressed interest in being part of a small group.

We want to say a big “thank you” to all those who sacrificed to come and were willing to spend a week of their summer working with us in Montevideo. We also especially want to thank our other IMB missionaries who gave their time to be part of this week. International World Changers was a huge project to take on and we never could have hosted it without your help.

Here is another web page with information about IWC in Uruguay - www.iwcuruguay.blogspot.com

IWC 2008 Uruguay Pictues (click to enlarge)

Sunday Worship with the local church.

Carrying the Gospel to the people of Montevideo.

Nursing home ministry.

Exactly what is Kaitlyn's job here?

The Redeemer Drama in the coffee house.


Sport's Club - reaching to the children of the Old City.


Touching lives of all ages.

Kid's Club on the Rambla.

Taking the Gospel to the streets.

A captive audience...listening to the Gospel!

Post, Texas Returns!

We were so thankful to have a group from First Baptist Church, Post Texas, return to Montevideo last week. This same group came last June to work with GAP in the Old City. This year, they worked with the same church group, doing GAP in the Prado neighborhood of Montevideo. It was a tremendous blessing for the two churches to be reunited and work alongside one another again.

This was the first time for GAP in this particular area of the city. It was a new experience but the group was definitely up for the challenge. Many of the youth from our Amor church group helped throughout the week. It was amazing to see God at work as the groups served together, in spite the grief and hurt both groups were experiencing. For the youth here, it was a huge part of the healing process as they began to minister again after two very hard weeks following Pablo’s death. The Post team was such a wonderful encouragement and strength to the entire church body. God’s timing was perfect in bringing “old friends” at a time that they were needed the most.

Throughout the week, the team distributed more than 2000 gospels of John. They worked long days without complaining. We definitely saw God answering their prayers as the people of the neighborhood were receptive and open. During the week, one of the team members, Wendell, was able to share his faith with a man he met on the street. The man prayed to receive Christ on the spot.

At the end of the week, the team hosted an evangelistic film at a private school in the neighborhood. There were 25 new people who attended, as well as many youth from the church and some of their friends. At the end of the film, 4 people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.

On Sunday morning, before the Texas team headed home, they attended a worship service with the Amor church group. It was exciting to see two of the people who had attended the film, return for the church service. During that service, one of those people (a 16 year old girl) also prayed to receive Christ. The biggest blessing for us personally was to see Pablo’s younger brother, as well as Sadia’s mom receive Christ during that service. God is definitely at work and we can see His hand even in the midst of suffering.

We want to say “thank you” again to our friends from Post, Texas, for your hard work and the tremendous encouragement you were to all of us in Montevideo. God knew exactly what was needed here and we are thankful for your willingness to allow Him to use you to bless others.

First Baptist, Post TX Pictures

The Post Texas Team

The Best Team?

Or is this one?
All of teams this week were great.

Evangelistic Event...4 prayed to receive Christ.

Taking it to the streets once again.

Sharing the Gospel is what it is all about.

There is power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Touching lives.

"The Pony Man", he came to both our event and church on Sunday!

Some of the youth hanging out.

Morning devotions...so look pretty bored!

Missionaries - Arnold, Lucy, Pam, and yours truly.

Our youth group and translators...God is strengthening day by day.

Worship team...missing Pablo but "keeping on".

He Finished Well

On May 25th our church and family lost a dear friend. Pablo was only 20 years old when he died, but he lived many “lifetimes” in his short time here on the Earth. If you knew Pablo you know exactly what I mean; he lived life to the fullest. He died while serving the Lord and ministering to underprivileged children in the Old City part of Montevideo through a horrible accident. He will be greatly missed and we will never forget his smile, devotion, and passion for Christ.

Though we do not fully understand this tragedy at this moment, we know that God is in control and we believe Pablo is with the Lord in Glory. We have all been challenged through this experience; hopefully Pablo’s life will encourage us all to “finish well” as he did at such a young age.

Please pray for Pablo’s family, girlfriend (Sadia), and church family.

The following pictures may give you a glimpse into the life of a young man who lived life to the fullest.

West Colonial Hills Returns for Basketball Camp

See Pictures Below

During the week of May 10-17, we had the privilege of having West Colonial Hills Baptist Church from Kingsport, TN, working in Uruguay. It was a special blessing for our family because this is our home church in the states. The team of 9 members planned and carried out a basketball camp in the Old City area of Montevideo. This same church had been here last year working with GAP in the same part of the city and wanted to come back and work with the children again.

Throughout the week there were over 70 kids who participated in the camp. Jerry Taylor did a great job organizing and teaching the basic skills of basketball to kids who have never had an opportunity to be a part of such an event. It was also an awesome experience for the youth of our church to take part and work along side the team from WCH. There were 11 youth who came to work and many of them were able to be there every day. It was as much of a blessing for them as for the kids in the Old City.

During the week, there was a time each day for a testimony from one of team members. The children were very attentive during this time and we rejoice that 13 prayed to receive Christ during the week. The group also took time during their lunch break to share their faith on the streets and tell people the reason they were in Uruguay. On the final day, the parents were invited to watch their children compete in tournaments. Many attended and they too were able to hear the gospel message.

In the weeks that have followed, many of the children have continued to come on Sunday afternoons to a children’s club in the Old City that the youth from the church provide. They have been able to have continued contact with some of the mothers as well. Last Sunday, one of the youth, Pablo Barreda, who worked in the camp, was killed tragically at the children’s club. His life had had a great impact on the children and families who live in the Old City. He died doing what he loved – serving God through his work with the kids. Many of the children and their mothers attended his funeral yesterday. Please pray that through his life’s testimony, and the work that was able to be accomplished during this basketball camp, many will come to know Christ.

Pictures from the Camp

Team at Tri-Cities Airport - Vic & Jan, Wayne & Melissa, Randy, Becky, Jon, and Jerry & Brenda

Pam greets Jan and Brenda.

The team had a great opportunity to see Uruguay's Soccer Classic. Penerol won!

Team members inviting kids wherever they could find them.

The WMU...oops. The snack crew.

Vic and Sadia make new friends.

Brenda did a great job with the kids.

Kaitlyn with our record keeper - Eliza.

Our coaching staff.

Randy's team...it was a great week.

Vic instructing kids in basketball, but more importantly, showing them the love of Christ.

Jerry and Alfredo (his translator) - both had a great heart for the kids.

Coach Wayne...need we say more.

Jan showed great love to some of the kids who had some special needs.

Paul and Jerry...what a week!

Coach Jon...along with his helpers Pablo and Julio.

The Uruguayan youth group made a huge impact on the kids of Ciudad Vieja.

Basketball Camp 2008

We had a great week, with a great team!

Getting Out of the Boat

We were blessed to have a team from Rosedale Baptist Church in Abington, VA here last week. Their GAP focus was in Malvin, a small residential area in Montevideo. It was a small team of seven people but they worked hard and very well to together, and were able to see God do some amazing things.

For several of the team members, this was their first mission experience. They were very excited to be here and ready to work in whatever way God led. The pastor challenged the local Uruguayan believers as well as his team members to “Get out of the Boat” on the first Sunday after they arrived in country. He challenged them to trust God to use them in whatever way He desired throughout the week. It was exciting to see many of the Uruguayan believers work alongside the team from Virginia throughout the week in all the different aspects of GAP.

We began the week with two days of prayerwalking and the group took this time very seriously. God definitely used that time to prepare our hearts as well as those of the people within their target area. During the week the team was able to distribute over 3300 gospels of John. This was an amazing effort for a small team. In the afternoons they also conducted World View interviews with the people who live in the Malvin area. They were able to use the information they gleaned from these interviews to lead a discussion on Uruguayan culture and their own American culture on Friday night. Fifteen people, whom the group had personally invited throughout the week, attended the event. At the end of the night, one of Rosedale's team members was able to lead a young lawyer named Monica to Christ; this was a tremendous blessing!

This was a busy week without much down time. The team worked long hours and without complaining. God blessed their efforts, and on Tuesday night after the team left, five new people attended an Alpha Course (a study that introduces nonbelievers to the truths of Christianity and challenges them to have a personal relationship with Christ). We want to personally thank Rosedale Baptist Church for the sacrifices that they made in coming here and allowing God to work through them to reach out to the people of Malvin.

Special Note – we just received word that four people accepted Christ at the end of the Alpha course that was started from the efforts of the Southwestern Team in Pocitos. To God be the glory!

Pictures from Rosedale Baptist in Malvin

I love this picture! The Gospel can set everyone free, whether young or old.

Rosedale Baptist Church Team from Abington, VA

"Soccer ball Evangelism"

Praying...without it we lack power!

Wes makes some new friends. Of course the soccer ball helped!

Dave and Judy with a new friend. Monica (left) accepted Christ as her Savior this week.

Receiving the Gospel brings smiles.

Darius and Judy enjoy our "stuffing party"...looks fun!

Pastor Don and Dave (the cowboy) work to get the Gospels ready.

Pam, serving as usual. Thanks Pam!

The Oasis Church members helped with our GAP team. We are grateful when our Uruguayan partners join us!

Team #1 - Pastor Don, Bill, Alfredo, and Teena.

Team #2 - Kaitlyn, Darius, and Judy.

Team #3 - Liz, Pedro, Ana, Dave, and Wes.

Kaitlyn and Ana, probably the most wanted girls in Uruguay!

Bill (center) with two new friends at our evangelistic event.

"The Mate Boys"

Paul and Pam with the Rosedale Team.

Pedro, the Master Chef. Yes, we ate it all!

The Unexpected

Please check out the photos after this article!

When the GAP team from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met for their orientation, we prayed that God would “do the unexpected” during their time in Uruguay. The team was going to be working in the Pocitos area of the city and they knew it would be a difficult task to reach the wealthy of Montevideo with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Historically, the people of Pocitos have been obstinate and closed to conversations about Christ or spiritual matters. This past week we saw Go do the unexpected in many ways.

It is at this point I must emphasize why God was able to do such a great work. The answer – prayer! The Southwestern team was very serious about their time in prayer throughout the week and especially during the days of prayer walking. They unashamedly prayed out loud in the parks, streets, and plazas. It was not for show (most watching would have no idea they were praying), they truly were entreating God to move in and through them to make an impact on Montevideo for the Kingdom of Christ.

The following is just a brief description of all that happened this past week. We praise God for His faithfulness.

• The team passed out over 3,700 Gospels of John to homes and apartments along the coast in Pocitos.
  
• God opened doors for us to reach a high percentage of high-rise apartments. The guards were very helpful and actually helped us deliver many of the Gospels. We received a call from an individual who received the Gospel and read the entire book the night he received it. God was truly working!
  
• Seven homeless people prayed to receive Christ outside of the hotel where we were staying. By the end of the week they were having Bible studies in a grassy field on the corner across from the hotel.
  
• The team passed out hundreds of Gospel tracts and had opportunities to share their faith with several people on a deep basis.
  
• A "person of peace" was discovered in one of the apartment buildings that is willing to open his home for Bible studies.
  
• The Southwestern team held “worldview interviews” with the people of Pocitos. This was a tool to help better understand the mindset of those we were trying to reach. It also provided an excellent opportunity to invite the participants to an event where we shared an introduction to our culture along with an invitation to better understand the Gospel.
  
• Nineteen guests attended our reception for our worldview participants!! This was huge, as thirteen of the individuals signed up to be involved in an Alpha Course. Pray that these participants would come to understand true Christianity and accept Christ as their Savior.
  
• Throughout the week, the team talked with atheists, Buddhists, agnostics, Catholics, Jews, spiritists, pantheists, teenagers, senior adults, rich, poor, businessmen, maids, and homeless people. The Gospel was shared with many people. Pray for their salvation.

Thanks for your prayer support for this team. We continue to be amazed at all God is doing through GAP. Please pray that God will guide the future and that more teams will come to help us share the Gospel with the people of Uruguay. We need your help!

Through the Lense Perspective

Southwestern Seminary sent a professional photojournalist to cover their team's experience in Montevideo. Matt Miller did an excellent job capturing the team's ministry experience throughout the week. Watch for an article in Southwestern's school magazine about this teams trip to Uruguay. Thanks Matt for capturing the heart of Montevideo. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Tina praying for the city.

Prayerwalking.

Preparing the Gospels for distribution.

Sharing.

A Life Transformed.

A Team's Perspective (photos from the Southwestern team)

Click to Enlarge.

Team Members from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Team 1 - Glenda, Alfredo, Mark, and Danny

Team 2 - Chad, Keith, Ana, and Stephanie

Team 3 - Kaitlyn, Ron, Shawnda, and Wes

Team 4 - Charles, Tina, Ian, Art, and Karen

Not much time with so much to do!

Just part of the 3,700 Gospels of John.

Carry what? Where?

Sunrise near our hotel.

Chicas rule!

Kaitlyn's youth group gave her a surprise birthday party last week. She never saw it coming and it was a great night. Happy Sixteenth Birthday Kaitlyn.