August '09 - Back in Iquitos - Post DTS 2009

Hey guys, I know it has been forever. I am so sorry. I have been on outreach with the DTS these past 3 months, traveling through the countries of Peru, Chile, Argentina & Bolivia. When we arrived in Chile and I was getting ready to get my newsletter out, my MAC completely died. No response no nothing. Ugh! But, I have had this baby for roughly 6-7 years. It has served me well. I am happy. And, Geoff Blair, I have it all backed up! Yeah, learned that one the hard way right! So, that is my poor excuse for not getting this out sooner. I could have sent some stuff out via gmail on the web, but I didn’t have the majority of your e-mails out there. So, those of you that have been out on facebook, I tried to get on every once in a while to let you know I was alive! Basically we have been ministering in churches, street impacts, children’s ministry, art-in-missions seminars, construction projects... 3 months. Basically we worked from Wednesdays through Sunday, tried to take Mondays off (didn’t always work out) and travel on Tuesdays. This was al traveled by bus. Lots of amazing time with the team! We were a total of 30 people traveling together. Within that number we were 4 leaders. We divided up in 2 groups, white and red. I COULD go into detail on each week, but I might bore some of you with the details. We had our amazing weeks, cool weeks, COLD weeks, FREEZING weeks, weeks full of conflicts and weeks that brought us together. I have lead in different kinds of outreaches but I always had someone to turn to that was leading me and they had only delegated parts of the leadership to me. Along with my Co-Leader Rob, this was a new experience for me. The other thing that added a different element to the mix was having a family of 6 (the 4 kids being from the age of 3 to 10) with us. I had never experienced that either. At the beginning of the outreach, quite frankly, I didn’t want to be there. I didn’t want to focus and just wanted to be back in Iquitos doing other things. But something changed. Something changed along the way and it all turned around. It started about the 3rd week which was in Arica, Chile and by the 4^th & 5^th week in Los Andes, Chile, I knew I was supposed to be nowhere but exactly where I was. God started to show me amazing things. In leadership and in my personal life. I wish I could explain it all, but it was all things God was doing inside me and is still doing. Like I said, we had some weeks that were not very easy, either because it was really cold (the kind of cold that you are wearing 3 pairs of socks, 5-6 layers on top, thermals, pajamas & sweat pants) or simply dealing with unity issues. One of the weeks, in Los Andes, was particularly special. It didn’t start out that way. We were walking together as a team, but we had not link arms. We were not a family. Through different times that week and inner ministry, God broke through all those barriers and gave us more than we could have ever hoped for. I thank Him for the whole outreach, but I know that those weeks were key for us as a new family and me personally. Thank you for your prayers in all of this!

Physical needs:

1. I have been sick off and on. Two of the weeks before outreach, I was not sure if I could go. I was really sick. Then two weeks on outreach were really hard. Constantly going in and out of the cold was hard on my system. Please pray that I can completely kick this!
   
2. In light of the funeral of my dear MAC, I am in need of a replacement. I DON’T WANT MY MONTHLY SUPPORTERS TO READ THIS. If there is anyone else that would like to help me with the project, please let me know. I am looking at many different options, but want to act fast, because it is hard doing ministry from down here without what I need.

Prayer Requests:

1. My brother, Keith, is going to China this fall. Hmmm. During our trip last year he met and amazing young lady and they have been corresponding since. Her name is Lu and I love her. He is going there for about a month and then she is coming here! So, please pray for their travels and for all the VISA situations that they are facing.


2. God has lead me to focus in on the type of ministry that I have been longing for. Children & Teens in the Arts. There is a YWAM school in Bucarmanga, Colombia that has a school that is exactly that. It is linked with King’s Kids, if that rings any bells for anyone. I will be going to that school in September through January and finishing out my outreach here in Iquitos, starting my project – The Arts School. So excited to finally seeing a date and being able to set the goal for that. Please keep all this in your prayers and all the details that go on behind the scenes in order to make this all work!
   

Bless you guys so much and hope to hear from you soon! With Love,

Sylvia