CCj Now: The Search...

The house hunt is officially on. After experiencing many problems with our neighbor along with rising utility cost in Jaco, we have accepted the reality that we need to find a new, cheaper place to live. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE the house that we are in now. But, it has become increasingly stressful to live here. It's sad because this is a great home and location. But utility cost are huge. We feel it would be sinful to keep paying what we are for utilities. Since we have moved to Jaco, the utility prices have doubled 3 times. That means that we pay 6 times more for the same electric usage. CRAZY! The electric company gets rich but everyone else...

Did I mention that we love this house? The neighbor situation has gotten out of hand. He is bent on trying to force us to get rid of our dogs. That is not currently an option. You see, we were robbed in our old house 2 times. Once while Revae & the girls were home alone at about 7 pm. After those 2 incidents we decided  that we needed to get a "deterrence". We always trust in the Lord first and after much prayer felt peace about getting a dog. That house seemed to be very secure with bars on every window and door. Yet, they still found a way in. Fast forward, in the home we live in now, there are NO BARS on anything! Not doors, not windows, nothing. This is what we would call "a sitting duck". Since acquiring 2 "Cane Corso" as rescue dogs, we have had zero break-in attempts at this home. Funny what effect two 100 pound Italian Mastiffs (Cane Corso) have on thieves. They seemingly are not as willing to attempt to break-in. They are also excellent with the kids. They are often called "gentle giants".

Anyways, this isn't about dogs, it's about our search for a new place to call home. We currently are looking for a place to rent buy would love to purchase if the Lord provides for that. We have found a cheaper home, but it is much smaller. This means I will no longer be able to use the third bedroom as an office because it is only 2 rooms. That creates another problem, I need a place to work out of. So, the search is on. Please pray for wisdom to know where to go and also for willingness to be content wherever the Lord leads. Even if I must lose out on an office.

Here are some photos of our dogs (They are actually a mother and her 2 year old pup.) Here are some generic breed photos... 1, 2.

CCj Now: The Search...

Lawrence Missionary Page

CCj Now: Twitter Followup

One month ago, I wrote a blog entry stating that I would be trying out "Twitter" as a way to keep people informed of all that is happening in Jaco. It would serve as a way to offer quick updates between blog entries and newsletters. I figured that at least it would serve as a way to keep me on track with my time usage. Well, I wanted to post a follow up to that entry letting you know what I think so far.

"Twitter"... what an amazing little tool it has turned out to be. It has been a blessing to me in more ways than I imagined. First, it has served as a great way to let people see what happens to us day to day. While some of these entries may seem insignificant, they show you what everyday life is like on the mission field. Second, it has served as a great way to tell you about the ministry opportunities that happen each day. Third, it has served as a great way to follow some of you (if you are on "Twitter"). It is fun to see what you are up to, and it only takes a few seconds to check it, then go about the day. This has caused the last way that I have been blessed by using "Twitter". I have been quite challenged by seeing some of your daily routines. I've been particularly challenged through Pastor Pedro Garcia's Twitter entries. Pastor Pedro is the Pastor of Calvary Chapel Kendall, in S. Florida. They support us to be here on the mission field. He is a great guy who is the same age as me and has a young family as well. To top it off, he also Pastor's a large, growing church (does he ever sleep? :) ). Seeing his entries have challenged me in positive ways.

So, there you have it. For now, we have seen many benefits and uses for "Twitter". I hope you have enjoyed following us on it. If you do not follow us, but would like to, simply go to "Twitter's" web site and sign up for a free account. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can even add entries from your device.

In His Grace,

Mike

CCj Now: Twitter Followup

Lawrence Missionary Page

CCFj Now: The Conquerors Strength Team: Jaco Crusade 2009

GO TO PHOTO GALLERY >

This is a long overdue update. Thank you for your patience.

We landed in Jaco the first week of February and set to work right away putting the finishing touches on the planning for our first large scale community wide outreach! We were asked in the summer of 2008 to host The Conquerors International Strength Team, a team of men and women who travel the world spreading the Gospel through their show of extraordinary feats of strength.  The Conquerors were planning a trip in conjunction with The Book of Hope: a ministry whose goal is to see every child in every nation with a bible. BOH has produced a “magazine-like” tract that shares the gospel with children at three age levels by presenting the four gospels in story like form.  This was a project that required many volunteers, and praise God for them. God used this opportunity to unite the local churches in Jaco. We met with the local pastors and mapped out a plan to involve all of the churches for one common goal, to see Jaco reached for Christ!  We planned a week filled with touring all of the local schools in the Jaco area bringing a shortened version of the Conqueror’s stage show, and the distribution of the Books of Hope and a wordless bracelet to each of the children in the schools. We presented to nearly 1000 kids! The doors were opened wide to the gospel in both the local public elementary and secondary schools. 

The week ended with an evangelistic crusade in Jaco’s newly completed central park. The Conquerors presented their show and the gospel to a crowd of about 1500 smack in the middle of the two most popular bars and prostitution spots in town. After their show, they spent almost two hours ministering to the crowd with lines of people waiting to pray personally with the guys and local pastors. They witnessed people being healed and receiving Christ! The local churches, along with Calvary Chapel, provided a team of volunteers throughout the crowd doing everything from serving free water and empanadas, to prayer walks through the crowd, and even picking up trash. It was truly a group effort. The crusade saw about 200 people pray to receive Christ. We were so in awe of how God worked. Pray for further opportunities in the community to continue reaching out to the people of Jaco. Pray for the people who received Christ to be plugged in to a local fellowship of believers.

CCFj Now: The Conquerors Strength Team: Jaco Crusade 2009

Lawrence Mission Page