NLAI Central America Conference 2007

We returned yesterday from our first New Life Advance International conference for our Central American ministries. It was a wonderful time of getting to know our fellow NLAI missionaries better, as well as some good time to relax on Lake Atitlan. (Compare the picture above to the picture of the broken chair from the previous weekend, and you can get a pretty good clue of how much we enjoyed ourselves.)

Aside from the relaxation and good food, it was such an encouragement to us to hear about what the Lord is doing through New Life's ministries in Latin America and all around the world. Our president and his wife, Dave and Sue Depew, came down from Houston to spend the weekend with us (pictured left). Dave gave us a report on wonderful things that are happening with our missionaries in the middle east, Sri Lanka, India, and other places. It's a privilege to get to be part of an organization like this, and especially to serve under leadership like Dave & Sue who have been on the mission field themselves (in Thailand for many years) and who have an obvious love for the Lord and their coworkers.

We also got to hear what God is doing through our colleagues here in Guatemala. Mike & Terri McComb work with church planting and leadership development with tribal people in Nebaj, in northern Guatemala. Tony & Carrie Taylor also work in training pastors at different levels of education in Chichicastenango and the surrounding villages. Our NLAI folks in Guatemala are people of tremendous faith and courage, and we're thankful to have the opportunity to know and work with them.

Another important part of the trip was that we celebrated Kara's birthday there with everyone else. If we couldn't be home with family, there wasn't any better place that we could be (although it was a little sad that she didn't get to have the kids sing to her here).