Our time in Chile is winding
down quickly! The 9 weeks of Spanish classes
are over and now we're in the process of
saying our good-byes and packing our
suitcases once again. We've enjoyed
discovering a little bit of Chile and making
many new friends. Chile is a beautiful
country with beautiful people.
Whenever people ask us how the Spanish is
coming along, we respond that we're trying
to keep the long-term perspective. Day to
day progress isn't super encouraging, but we
have to keep thinking how much better we'll
be able to communicate and understand, in
let's say, a year from now. That is the only
kind of thinking that keeps us encouraged to
keep up the daily effort. I've been reminded
of the encouraging example of Jesus, "who
for the joy set before him, endured the
cross, scorning it's shame."
We are grateful for the many people who have
sent messages of encouragement during our
stay here. There was a period of several
weeks when we were battling colds and
respiratory ailments. Thank you for your
prayers. We're sorry that we have not
responded to everyone who wrote.
We met many people from around the world at
our language school, and it was a joy to
share with them how God is working in our
lives. We could sense a hunger in so many
who are looking for a life with purpose. One
special young lady from the Netherlands,
Lydia, has become a dear friend. It is a joy
to see her growing in her faith in Jesus and
we are amazed at how God has used her to
share with other Dutch students about a
purposeful life through Jesus. Friends,
let's not keep the Good News to ourselves!
On Wednesday (11/15), we fly to Peru! Once
again, we'll be challenged to adjust to a
new land, new cultures and peoples. Our
immediate task will be settling into a home.
Thanks to those we'll be working with, we
won't have to search for a place to rent.
They have found a suitable place for us (we
have seen it in pictures sent through
cyberspace). We look forward to showing you
pictures of our new home in a few weeks!
We rejoice that all the funds needed to
purchase a vehicle have been provided! We
thank everyone who so generously responded
in prayer and in giving!! It is an amazing
testimony to God's faithfulness!
As we go through all our adjustments, house
repairs, and continued language studies
please pray that we would keep the long-term
perspective in mind. All beginnings are
difficult, but, thankfully, they don't last
forever. Please pray for patience, for
relationships, and especially for our
spiritual walk, because Jesus is the who has
called us to Peru and He is the one who will
equip us for all of the challenges ahead.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and
support as you partner with us to invest in
people's lives for the long term. We'll
write next time from Peru!
In Christ,
J.R. & Becky Crouse
--
J.R. & Becky Crouse
jr_crouse@fastmail.us
