WE'VE BEEN IN ARMENIA, COLOMBIA FOR A YEAR!!

1 Year Anniversary
A year ago today, August 15, 2019, we arrived in Armenia, Colombia. Hard to believe. These are pictures of us leaving the US on our flight here.

Thank you for your prayers for us this past year! Throughout our family's journey through life when Chris was in the military, when we were preparing to go to the mission field, and now serving as missionaries, my motto became, "Expect the unexpected and Trust God in the process!" Because honestly, it seems like life is just full of unexpected experiences and situations. Things just never seem to go as we plan or anticipate. I guess that is why James wrote in James 4:13-15, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” And I believe that in and through those unexpected moments, experiences, or situations, God teaches us more about Himself and more about trusting Him. I recently taught a ladies devotional to our ladies group here from Mark 4:35-41 about the disciples in the boat with Jesus during the storm. That storm was certainly an unexpected twist for the disciples and must have been quite a terrible storm since the disciples, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were terrified. But God used that storm to teach the disciples more about who Jesus was so they could learn to have more faith in Him. Well, there have certainly been some unexpected twists and turns our first year here in Armenia, and we have seen God in it every step of the way!!

Last night Jorge and Kristina Orozco came over with a cake to celebrate our year anniversary! So sweet! We are super blessed to be working with them and to have their friendship! We love them!

A Year of Watching God Work in Our Lives and in the Lives of Others Together we talked about our first year here and what a blessing it has been! We discussed how we talk about things now as 'before Covid' and 'after Covid' as I am sure many of you do too. Before Covid, our first 7 months here, we had some amazing ministry experiences at La Iglesia Nueva Esperanza and Fundacion Manos de Esperanza and had begun developing relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ here, had experienced some fun adventures and seen beautiful sights in the department of Quindio, and shared some great times with the Orozco family, our partners in ministry and friends. (I will be posting some of the stories and pictures from our first year here on this blog later this week.) After Covid came, ministry changed drastically as we have been in quarantine since the end of March. Over the past 5 months ministry has been different, but we, along with the Orozcos have continued to minister to the people through a Whatsapp church group and ladies ministry group posting audio sermons, devotionals, worship music, encouraging messages, and prayer. We have also ministered in practical ways helping to provide food and necessities for families in need. The foundation has also been able to be a resource for some of the children and young people in the church who need to use the wifi to be able to do their studies. Chris and Pastor Jorge have recently begun discipling two young men in the church. And we have seen the people of the church grow in their faith and creative service too. Right before Covid shut everything down, we completed Book one of a discipleship course, ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’ with the ladies, men, college age students, and youth. The college age students helped lead the discipleship course with the youth. It was a 6 week course. We were getting ready to start Book two in the discipleship course when Covid shut everything down. But though Covid shut down ministry in the church, it couldn’t shut down the gospel being proclaimed. Last week, we found out that one of the ladies in the church, Diana, held a small group study in her home to introduce Jesus to members of her family and a friend by leading them through Book one of the discipleship course that she had completed in the church!! How exciting to see her passion to share Jesus!! This is the ultimate goal of discipleship, as people are discipled, they are able to disciple others. And how exciting to see more people learn about Jesus through completion of this discipleship course! Here are some pictures Diana shared of the people who went through the discipleship course doing the study and receiving their certificates of ompletion.

She had a little party with them to celebrate completing the course. How fun!

She's excited to disciple them through the next book, so we're getting ready to do the study with her so she's ready to teach it. Pray for Diana and her family members and friend that she's discipling. Praise God! Prayer Requests Please continue to pray for our church family and for the people in Los Quindos where the church is located and the surrounding neighborhoods. Pastor Jorge shared that there is much hunger here as we remain in quarantine and it is difficult for people to work. Fortunately some have been able to go back to work, but it is still hard, and Covid continues to expand here in Colombia. Our church family longs to be back together worshipping, but the plans to start services the middle of this month, as in this coming week, were put on hold. The green light that was given was delayed due to rising cases throughout our region. Recently more restrictions have been put in place including nighttime curfews and blocades set up in the town center restricting the flow of car and foot traffic. That doesn't affect as much as we don't live close to the city center. Restrictions on when we can go out to shop remain in place. The kids enjoy getting to go walk 3x a week outside our housing community and playing just outside our house. Please pray for the members of our church for patience and continued spiritual growth. Please continue to pray for us as we seek ways to reach out to the people spiritually and physically. Jorge, Kristina, and Chris will be delivering eggs next week and saying hello to the people. Pastor Jorge continues to make sure that people know if they need to talk or need spiritual counseling, we are all available for them. And the people continue to reach out to him.

Please continue to pray for Jorge and Kristina and Foundation Manos de Esperanza. Before covid, they lost some of their financial partners, and it has been a struggle to find new partners in the midst of Covid. Pray that they will receive the funding they need to continue ministering through the Foundation. Also, pray for Kristina as she continues to wait for her much needed surgery. She's had all her pre-op appointments, and we are hoping that she receives word of a surgery date this coming week.

That's our update for Year One in Armenia, Colombia. We are excited to see what the rest of this year holds and how God is going to move!! Covid can't stop God's work. He is still working, still moving in hearts, and still transforming lives. We cherish your prayers. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. God bless you all.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

If you'd like to be part of our work down here, you can join us as a financial partner at https://southamericamission.org/donate/missionaries/chris-cristi-haylett/

If you'd like to be a part of helping fund the Orozco's ministry, Fundacion Manos de Esperanza that we work with, contact us and we will let you know how to set that up.