En el dia del bien goza del bien; y en el dia de la adversidad considera. Dios hizo tanto lo uno como lo otro, a fin de que el hombre nada halle despues de el. Ecl. 7:14
God lets us know through His word that good and bad will be a part of our lives, but He is there for both and a part of both so we need to remember that and call on His name in all stages of our lives.
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Our Mission
2) Guayllabamba, Ecuador - Tulcanza Family - Local Missionary Church with three outreach locations
3) El Batan Missionary Alliance Church - Ninos de la calle en riesgo
4) Just For Kids Orphanage - Valle de los Chillos, Ecuador
5) Home of Hope - Malawi, Africa, Canadian Missionaries
6) Missionaries and mission trips that God plants in our hearts - Renee in Pak especially
Steve sits in front of the temporary church building in Chimburlo where
we saw 50 people give their hearts to Christ in a place with no other church influence.
Contact us if you are interested in helping out or participating!
Contact us at cathleen_carpenter@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery
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This is our favorite hummingbird that we still can't identify!
If you have any ideas, let us know.
Steve enjoys the view from the Monserate and the colorful streets of Bogota
The Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota
To
follow God's will for our lives so that we can serve Him in all we do,
go wherever He leads, and share His amazing love with those around us.
Continue
to support foreign missions around the world:
1)
Cusco, Peru - Romulo Tupa - Local Missionary; Lima, Peru - Pace family
and their school2) Guayllabamba, Ecuador - Tulcanza Family - Local Missionary Church with three outreach locations
3) El Batan Missionary Alliance Church - Ninos de la calle en riesgo
4) Just For Kids Orphanage - Valle de los Chillos, Ecuador
5) Home of Hope - Malawi, Africa, Canadian Missionaries
6) Missionaries and mission trips that God plants in our hearts - Renee in Pak especially
MISSION OPPORTUNITY
Steve sits in front of the temporary church building in Chimburlo where
we saw 50 people give their hearts to Christ in a place with no other church influence.
Over
the Christmas break, we spent 10 days in Ecuador working
with pastors there to determine the need in that area. We are planning
a church building trip in July 2008 if we can raise the resources to
help them. The pastor has two church plants started and a third in the
works, all with pastors in the wings being trained in the bible
institute at the main church. We are looking to build the first stage
with them so they can continue to grow on their own. We need $9,000 to
complete the job from start to finish with all the materials. Labor
will be provided by the church and any teams or individuals that would
like to come to help. Airfare, room and board run around $1200 total
per person. If you've never been on a mission trip, it is an incredible
life changing experience you'll never forget.
Contact us if you are interested in helping out or participating!
Contact us at cathleen_carpenter@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery
The Plaza de Toros in
Bogota
You don't have to have a car to park here!
This is our favorite hummingbird that we still can't identify!
If you have any ideas, let us know.
Steve enjoys the view from the Monserate and the colorful streets of Bogota
The Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota
Monthly
News
This cemetery on the way to the beach in Ecuador looked very unique and interesting.
An old hacienda in the countryside
Steve started his new job today and is
again working for Ingersoll Rand here in South America. He will be
traveling in Central America, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. He
is excited and of course we are all jealous that we don't get to travel
as we head back to school tomorrow. After a month off, I know I'll have
to think about all the names again! The weather is back to summer days
as it seems the rainy season has finally given us a break after three
months of rain, rain, and more rain.
The inside of the temporary church in Chimburlo and a group praying to receive Christ.
If there are any projects you would like to help or be a part of, contributions can be mailed to our home church, to Steve or Cathy Carpenter, and they will put the money our our account. Write in the memo section: For Carps On A Mission account.
Chestnut Mountain Church 4903 Chestnut Mountain Circle, Flowery Branch, GA 30542
We enjoyed our time in Quito and still feel called to work in the mission field there because opportunities continue to present themselves. Colombia has been nice though and has a lot of positives as well. I'm still incredulous that the president of Venezula would take a role in negociating with terrorists and say that he is good for Colombia as well. President Uribe has done a great job for Colomiba in turning things around and improving the image.
People in Chimburlo had really been open to hear God's word
in a place where there has been little to no Christian influence
Prayer Requests and
Praises
Prayer
Arturo at
the Montebello School in Valle de los Chillos who was shot by robbers
who stole his cab and left him to die; he is in the hospital in serious
condition
The
new mission church in Chimburlo that is reaching out to a community
that is ready to listen!
Funding to start the two church plants and get them off the ground in
Ecuador - $9,000 each
Our friend in the Middle East is hosting a conference of workers and
church planters and we pray for open doors and willing servants
My sister in law Lynda for her health problems and healing for her
body;
my cousin Howard for a miraculous healing of his lungs and CF; my
brother in law Dave's health and back problems
A mission team to come and partner with us this July to get these seed
churches on their way
Praise
Steve's new job position
with IR that will broaden our opportunities in South and Central
America
The opportunity to go to Ecuador and partner with them on three church
plant projects in the works
Safe travel and health over the holidays
Continued
safety living here in Colombia
return to home page
This cemetery on the way to the beach in Ecuador looked very unique and interesting.
I think the beach is an appealing place
for me because the feeling of God always seems to be stronger to me
when I'm surrounded by nature. For years I used to collect shells and
label my collections when we would visit my grandparents in Florida. In
past years, there have been no shells to be had because of tourists and
construction. However in Ecuador, it was like God had laid out an
exhibition of art with all the beautiful colors and shapes and we could
just wander through it and enjoy.
An old hacienda in the countryside
The inside of the temporary church in Chimburlo and a group praying to receive Christ.
If there are any projects you would like to help or be a part of, contributions can be mailed to our home church, to Steve or Cathy Carpenter, and they will put the money our our account. Write in the memo section: For Carps On A Mission account.
Chestnut Mountain Church 4903 Chestnut Mountain Circle, Flowery Branch, GA 30542
We enjoyed our time in Quito and still feel called to work in the mission field there because opportunities continue to present themselves. Colombia has been nice though and has a lot of positives as well. I'm still incredulous that the president of Venezula would take a role in negociating with terrorists and say that he is good for Colombia as well. President Uribe has done a great job for Colomiba in turning things around and improving the image.
People in Chimburlo had really been open to hear God's word
in a place where there has been little to no Christian influence
While we were in Quito,
we participated with the Ninos en Riesgo in their Christmas program.
Each of the street kids in the program invited a friend from the
streets to participate for the day. The kids have to stay off drugs,
alcohol, and out of trouble to be able to participate in the program.
They have a place four nights a week to shower, eat a hot meal, and
hear God's word. The church is looking to set up a permanent transition
home for street kids to help break the cycle of poverty. We would love
to be able to give them all the money they need to build the compound,
but our lottery ticket hasn't hit yet! $180,000 gives them everything
they need to train the students in a skill, a place to live and sleep,
food, and a start on the right path.
Several groups performed for the kids from other programs in town
We served over 150 meals and gave out a bag of candy/cookies to each child with a small gift. I am always amazed at the little that most people in the world receive at Christmas time compared to my family and friends back in the states. The pastor and his family in Guayllabamba were just thankful to be together and without debts as they went into 2008 and even the kids were okay with nothing under the tree. We took them to Burger King for a meal and a cone at McDonalds and you would have thought we'd gone out on the town.
One of the free thrills in Armenia and several other cities in Colombia are the incredible Christmas decorations. If you've ever seen a "Magical Night of Lights" display, it is like that but better because it is everywhere and you can walk through it! It is amazing how elaborate and big they are as you can see by the "Steve scale" in the pictures!
Of course, the baby Jesus doesn't show up until the 25th! I love Christmas and pray that the spirit of the season opens peoples' hearts to the true message of salvation and the best gift of all. I also pray to be more aware in the new year of the opportunities God puts in my life to reach people for Him and to act on those. I was thinking the other day about being in Heaven and how I so want to see the people I pray for constantly that I've met throughout my life there. Always remember that your example could be the turning point for someone that you didn't even know was at that point or influenced by you.
As we look ahead, we never look too far because I don't want to lose sight of the day to day opportunities and as the Bible says, there is no guarantee for tomorrow so don't wish the time away or waste your life. I was reading a good book a friend of ours gave us in Quito that shared a story about a man that was 66 years old when he finally developed a relationship with Christ. Even though he was saved, all he could think about was how much time he had wasted up until that point when he could have been a witness for Christ.
If I've learned nothing else by trying to follow God's will for my life, I've learned that even though it involves challenge, change, and trial and error, along with a direction and a comfort zone few might find comfortable, He will never give me more than I can bear and I will never be alone. My goal is to do my part to deserve that love even though I know I can never be worthy enough, but I'm saved because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ covers over all my sins. I'm going to keep trying my best though and muddle through when necessary and lead the parade when I can to let the light shine!
Cathy and Steve
Several groups performed for the kids from other programs in town
We served over 150 meals and gave out a bag of candy/cookies to each child with a small gift. I am always amazed at the little that most people in the world receive at Christmas time compared to my family and friends back in the states. The pastor and his family in Guayllabamba were just thankful to be together and without debts as they went into 2008 and even the kids were okay with nothing under the tree. We took them to Burger King for a meal and a cone at McDonalds and you would have thought we'd gone out on the town.
One of the free thrills in Armenia and several other cities in Colombia are the incredible Christmas decorations. If you've ever seen a "Magical Night of Lights" display, it is like that but better because it is everywhere and you can walk through it! It is amazing how elaborate and big they are as you can see by the "Steve scale" in the pictures!
Of course, the baby Jesus doesn't show up until the 25th! I love Christmas and pray that the spirit of the season opens peoples' hearts to the true message of salvation and the best gift of all. I also pray to be more aware in the new year of the opportunities God puts in my life to reach people for Him and to act on those. I was thinking the other day about being in Heaven and how I so want to see the people I pray for constantly that I've met throughout my life there. Always remember that your example could be the turning point for someone that you didn't even know was at that point or influenced by you.
We were able to buy 21
pairs of shoes that the pastor took to Chimburlo the next Saturday for
the really needy kids. You can see one of the kids in the first
pictures on this page that we were able to help! I really believe you
have to met people's physical needs in order for them to be in a place
to trust you with their spiritual needs.
It is amazing to me that it takes so little money to complete all that is required of a church building in Ecuador in comparison to the states, but what a difference it makes in bringing in more people and creating a focus for the community. We're talking four concrete block walls, a plastic corregated roof, and a door so the elements don't become an issue. When you have to walk a couple miles to fellowship with other Christians after working 10-12 hours a day it is a little more difficult to stay focused when you are sitting outside in the cold and rain!
It is amazing to me that it takes so little money to complete all that is required of a church building in Ecuador in comparison to the states, but what a difference it makes in bringing in more people and creating a focus for the community. We're talking four concrete block walls, a plastic corregated roof, and a door so the elements don't become an issue. When you have to walk a couple miles to fellowship with other Christians after working 10-12 hours a day it is a little more difficult to stay focused when you are sitting outside in the cold and rain!
Our newest nephew, Jason Clark, rests
comfortably with grand-dad
We definitely got our "kid fix" while we
were home over the holidays as we had 15 available nieces and nephews
to pick from. Our life has been different but no less complete for us
without children and I truly believe God set us on the path we are
without them because He knew there were kids that would need us in
other ways that we could help. As we look ahead, we never look too far because I don't want to lose sight of the day to day opportunities and as the Bible says, there is no guarantee for tomorrow so don't wish the time away or waste your life. I was reading a good book a friend of ours gave us in Quito that shared a story about a man that was 66 years old when he finally developed a relationship with Christ. Even though he was saved, all he could think about was how much time he had wasted up until that point when he could have been a witness for Christ.
If I've learned nothing else by trying to follow God's will for my life, I've learned that even though it involves challenge, change, and trial and error, along with a direction and a comfort zone few might find comfortable, He will never give me more than I can bear and I will never be alone. My goal is to do my part to deserve that love even though I know I can never be worthy enough, but I'm saved because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ covers over all my sins. I'm going to keep trying my best though and muddle through when necessary and lead the parade when I can to let the light shine!
Cathy and Steve
Arturo at
the Montebello School in Valle de los Chillos who was shot by robbers
who stole his cab and left him to die; he is in the hospital in serious
condition The
new mission church in Chimburlo that is reaching out to a community
that is ready to listen!
Funding to start the two church plants and get them off the ground in
Ecuador - $9,000 each
Our friend in the Middle East is hosting a conference of workers and
church planters and we pray for open doors and willing servants
My sister in law Lynda for her health problems and healing for her
body;
my cousin Howard for a miraculous healing of his lungs and CF; my
brother in law Dave's health and back problems
A mission team to come and partner with us this July to get these seed
churches on their wayPraise
Steve's new job position
with IR that will broaden our opportunities in South and Central
America
The opportunity to go to Ecuador and partner with them on three church
plant projects in the works
Safe travel and health over the holidays
Continued
safety living here in Colombiareturn to home page