Sunday, October 28, 2007

Office and Contracts

The contracts for our apartments and the office we rent near the university's humanities campus all seem to have an inexplicable skill of hiding; we can't find any of them. (Please pray that we do.)

There are also new developments with the office. The landlord wants to raise the rent. The office is actually a house, and I've just learned that we legally are only renting 3 bedrooms and not the whole lower level of the office as it appeared. It apparently has made for some issues in the past when the owner has come to stay in the 4th/final room as his vacation house. Pray that in the process of renegotiating the rent, that we may be able to negotiate having the whole lower level at a low price.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

First Bible Study

Simon and I decided to colead one of the bible studies this semester. We'll have our first study on Friday. Pray that guys would show up and the Simon and I could work out a time to meet beforehand.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Lavish Apartment

I've mentioned before that we're in the process of looking for an apartment. Silly as it is, I really hope we find a place that has a natural spot to hang a hammock. Whether that's a patio, there's already hooks in a room, or whatever, I just really desire to have a hammock in our new apartment. Hammocks are relatively common, and I really enjoyed them when I was here on summer project two years ago. It seems a little silly to ask for something so arbitrary that's ultimately a luxury. On the other hand, scripture talks about God giving us the desires of our heart and knowing how to give good gifts. So I'm asking, and would love for you to ask for it too.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Starting Bible Studies

We'll finally be starting up bible studies next week. I personally would like to help with two of them. There are two guys, Simon and J.J., that have been in the ministry for years and could each potentially co-lead. However, I feel like both of them have the ability to lead on their own. At this point I don't know if it would be better to have two bible studies and lead with them, or have four with each leading our own. Two studies might allow me to help hone their leadership while they help with my Spanish. Four studies could feasibly serve more people, and allow us to involve other less experienced students in co-leader roles. Please pray for discernment, direction, and wisdom in the decision process. The studies are expected to start next week after being announced at Wednesday's weekly meeting.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Meeting with the Landlord

I'll be meeting tomorrow (Thursday) with our landlord. He originally said he wants to sell the guys' apartment, and it's been a little bit of a mess. With my Spanish where it is, I've been having trouble catching everything he's been saying so Sarah and Claudia will be coming along tomorrow for extra ears and better Spanish. Pray for a clear understanding of what is actually happening and that the eventual outcome is an affordable, comfortable, reliable (meaning well-kept) apartment for the guys to live in for the rest of the year.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Day with the Lord

Tomorrow (Tuesday) the team is taking a 'day with the Lord.' Basically it consists of unplugging from anything remotely work related and spending the day with God. I'm planning to do a little hiking, and would appreciate some prayer for safety, protection from bugs, and most importantly some solid connection with God. I think I'm kind of hoping He'll show me something new about myself, though I'm not exactly sure what I mean by that...

Friday, October 12, 2007

Fiesta

We have a fiesta tomorrow night at 5pm. Pray that it goes well, that we can build relationships there, and that God would use Claudia's testimony which she'll be giving.

September Prayer Letter


Half the adventure was getting here…
Dear Friends,
A month ago, I boarded a plane with my new team, finally embarking on this adventure of serving God here in Merida, Venezuela. We arrived in Caracas late Sept 12th and learned that one of my bags had been left in Atlanta. After much assurance that it would follow me to Merida (it did a week later), we left the airport for our hotel. The next day, we successfully navigated baggage check, airport tax, and security before boarding. As we then accelerated down the tarmac, the cabin pressure suddenly changed. I looked up just in time to see the emergency door topple inward four rows in front of me! A passenger next to it jumped up and pounded on the cabin door until the pilots managed to slow the plane to a stop, aborting the lift-off. Several pictures, a few hours, and a new plane later, we were once again airborne. However, a mid-flight announcement of an airport rain closure rerouted us to a nearby airport and resulted in an hour long taxi ride into Merida. When we arrived, Claudia, our Venezuelan teammate, let the rest of us (L to R below: Me, Chelsea, Amanda, Sarah, and Ivan) into our apartments, finally concluding our journey to our new home.

And the other half has been adjusting and starting ministry…
The weeks since arriving have been full of adjustments and new things, both positive and negative. Among the good is waking up to a majestic view of the Andes out my bedroom window. Among the less pleasant are the car alarms. In their abundance, they seem determined to allow no more than 3 minutes of quiet at a time. However, they are pretty entertaining in the heavy storms as large cracks of thunder tend to trigger them all at once, creating a symphony of wailing, chirping, and blaring. The storms are nearly daily since it’s rainy season, but there are many enjoyable stretches of blue sky and tropical temperature in between the sudden torrential downpours (and the occasional accompanying power outage).
Though somewhat expected, Spanish is probably the biggest adjustment. After two weeks of intensive language school, various bill-paying experiences, and time sharing with students on various campuses, I’ve seen that I still need to improve. In general, students are quite warm and open to spiritual discussion. Last week when I was on the technical campus with Jatniel, a student in the ministry, we sat down and talked with a student named Alexangel. The day before he’d been intrigued by a verse on his friend’s shirt and decided he needed to start studying the bible to see what it said. Jatniel answered Alexangel’s many deep questions more quickly and thoroughly than I could have hoped to do with my level of Spanish, and Alexangel decided to put his trust in Jesus Christ. In that conversation and others, I am really encouraged by the evidence of God’s orchestration, and I am looking forward to seeing His continued work. ~In His hands, Eben

Please pray for:
-The spiritual growth of Alexangel and the other new believers of the past weeks.
-Merida Retreat (Nov. 23-25). We’re praying for 80 students and still need to do a lot of planning.
-Team health to continue. Beyond some initial intestinal issues, our team has been healthy.
-Continued improvement in Spanish (understanding and speaking) for our entire team.
-Wisdom and clear communication in my role as team administrator (in charge of finances).
-A new apartment. We recently learned our landlord will be selling our current place.