Summer is a-brewin'

April 25th, 2011

Letter

Dear loved ones,

I hope you have had a sanctifying Easter season and that Christ’s passion has once again made itself more meaningful to you this year. I have found myself reflecting not only on a resurrected Christ, but also on a God-Man who suffered and was willing to become part of this humanity that hated Him. As a peer of mine pointed out today, His incarnation is highlighted in light of the fact that we sometime are not even willing to walk on the same sidewalk of those we dislike, yet he still came.

I write to share with you again a slice of my life and invite you to pray with me as I take another stride in life.

I am in the process of tying up the details for my internship in Mexico this summer. I will be working alongside some missionaries who are pastoring a church in Ixtapaluca, a town south of Mexico City. For my major I am required to study and prepare Bible lessons and sermons and share them with others. Along with this I will be working with some other ministries in the church such as their sports, youth and ESL programs. One of the best parts of all this will probably be meeting and spending time with the people there. I plan to be leaving the third week of May and stay for six weeks. I am already getting really excited as I start planning my lessons.

After the internship, I plan to go visit my family back home, which I cannot wait to do. If you get a chance to think of these things, please pray that I may be an effective and humble servant to the church I will be serving and that the God may use this experience to confirm in me if teaching is the type of ministry he wants me in. Trusting in his provision and protection, I hope this internship serves its function in molding and shaping me into a better servant of His.

Once again I thank you in advance for your past and ongoing prayer. I thank God for guiding me and giving me peace about these steps in front of me.

I am eager to see what God is brewing in the coming months and am glad to know that I have encouraging brothers and sisters like you with whom I can share this cup of tea.

Yours truly,

Robert

Canvas of Life

January 16th, 2011.

Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

I have wanted to write all of you for a while now, but have in some way continued putting it off.

I heard some wonderful advice from a friend the other day saying that it’s a good idea to get your friends involved in praying for your life. I write you to simply tell you a little bit about my life and ask you to pray with me as I explore consecutive chapters in my life.  

I just finished the first week of my 6^th semester in college, and once again it is great when the weekend arrives. Again this year, it has also been great to be reminded why I am here studying and that the Lord still has plenty to teach me. Some academic highlights of this past semester have been listening to lectures given in my historical theology class and taking a preaching class.

On a side note, the same professor who taught historical theology led me and thirty other students on a study abroad trip in Europe this past summer. I had the amazing opportunity of traveling and taking classes with friend I knew, friends I would make and Moody professors. Some of my favorite experiences were enjoying Bavarian scenery and spending a day in the Alps. Traveling the same roads that Paul would have traveled in Rome and Naples, as well as studying the Reformation in Wittenberg and Geneva categorically blew my mind. There is so much more I wish I could tell you about, but that would make this letter two long.

Some other highlights from the past few months have been continuing to lead Bible studies with the Jr. High boys at church and being involved in their lives. I am very thankful for the church where God has placed me, providing opportunities to minister and be ministered to in one of Chicago’s largest Hispanic neighborhoods.

Looking toward the future, I am excited to see what this summer will be like. Currently I am on the lookout for an internship. Being a Biblical Studies major, I am required to practice the skills and tools that I am learning (i.e. teaching and/or preaching Bible lessons). Currently I am praying about 3 possibilities. During Missions Conference this past October I was able to connect with some missionaries to Mexico who could help me meet the internship requirements through a church plant. I am also looking at a ministry in Bolivia. And, of course, I have the option of going to my beloved Paraguay as well.

One of my main requests is that you pray with me about my internship, and that the Lord direct me to where He wants me. Along with that, please be in prayer for my ministry with the Jr. High boys, specifically that we may see lives changed and that more kids start coming. Lastly, I want to ask you to pray for my upcoming semester: that my studies will be profitable and that they may be useful to bring me closer to the Lord.

With this New Year and its resolutions, I will be trying to update the saints and share with you how God has been painting on the canvas of my life.

I am glad that you are part of this picture and that we can together enjoy our Savior’s blessings.

Yours truly,

Robert