How God makes things work on a shoestring

Greetings in the love of Christ to everybody from Chile.

It has been a tremendous three weeks of work since I arrived in mid-October. So much has happened, it’s going to be hard to do it justice. God has blessed in very unexpected ways.



So, let’s get the bad news out of the way. The mission is suffering some very hard times financially. I was not able to pay my Chilean coworkers their honoraria for October, and won’t be able to in November, unless something very unexpected happens.12 Miguel Clavet at work.jpg Our average income from the gifts of supporting churches and individuals averaged $2700 per month for the first 6 months of 2010, but has dropped to an average $1500 per month the last three months.

I know that resources are very tight right now in the US, but I am sending a plea that if you have the funds available and feel the call of God to support “just a little bit more”, I know that a lot of people will breathe easier here in Chile.

The good news is that I am officially a temporary resident of Chile, with a shiny new visa. With the visa I can get my identity card. Without an identity card, I simply can’t do anything official in Chile. Of course, getting the identity card should be simple, now that I have the visa. However, welcome to Chile. I just finished week number 2 chasing down errors in the system that produced rejections of my application. But it’s done.

Also I officially have a new company in Chile, “Colegio Cristiano Conosur”, all duly registered in Chile’s IRS so I can pay taxes. Yay!

Detail work continues toward completing the house on our property to be used as offices, workshops and teacher work area. I’ve included a few pictures.











We are also hot on the trail of getting the architecture finished for the school. After some difficulties with our previous architect, we have contracted a firm that is very professional, and because of the nature of our project are giving us a very good deal. Also, we have begun to solve problems – there are always some little problems – for instance, a “phantom subdivision” in our property that appeared recently in a plot map in a municipal office. After multiple visits to the town hall, everything is in movement toward a simple solution.

It’s just fun to watch God work.

Tomorrow, through a brother in the church in Ciudad Satélite, I will be meeting with two big empresarios to see if they are interested in financing the school. Please pray that God would show himself through us.

I hope to have some exciting news very soon that I so much want to talk about, but it’s just a little early. Please just remember to pray that our meeting with the business leaders will produce fruit for the kingdom of God.

Richest blessings to everybody!

Watching God's Timing

Greetings in Jesus' name to everyone as the Fall season begins. It's a time of transition for our ministry in Chile, as we begin the next steps forward to establish our K-12 Christian school, Colegio Cristiano Conosur. Your prayers and support continue to move the project as we see God's will a little bit clearer each day.

Thanks to all who spent a special time of prayer during the 40 days between July 12 and August 20. You may remember that within three days of beginning the 40 days of prayer, our site was robbed of about $5000 worth of tools. The Accuser of the Brothers (Rev. 12:10) continues to believe that he can destroy our faith in God's purposes by introducing physical loss into our lives. Won't happen. It's obviously a setback, but God will provide.

Another difficulty we are facing is that income has dropped dramatically as we approach the finish line on renovation of our 5800-sqft house to be used as offices. As a result, I had to tell my Chilean coworkers that their monthly aid from the mission was about to come to an end. These people are indispensable to the progress of the the school project. We have been helping two of the three with university costs, but in truth they all are working for a fraction of what they are worth. Within a day of my warning to them, we received very generous gifts from a Hillcrest Christian School family and from a church, allowing us to continue forward for two months. Again, all this occurred during the 40 days of prayer. Prayer changes things.

Sadly, we have come up short on the funds to finish the house. We are about 90% done, but the architect underestimated the total cost. We will have to finish each sub-project as the funds become available. This is how missions work, and while we are a bit grumpy with the development, we are confident that God will provide everything we need when he is ready. Jesus said that we should count the cost of our projects before beginning (which we did), but at the same time we must go forward in faith (which we are doing).

I'll give a testimony to what I'm saying. (if you get bored, just skip down to the last paragraph). When Cheryl and I wondered whether God was calling us to Chile, we decided to make a trip to test the waters. We didn't have the $4000 for tickets, but we had our airplane up for sale. It had been on the market for a month with not one call. I was in my office in the labs at Unocal Research and prayed, "Lord, if this is your will, it would be great if you would sell our airplane. And even better if you would sell it for a little more than we expected." Fleecing God 8-) Well, 30 minutes later our agent called to tell me we had a buyer. Bottom line, after commission, taxes, etc, the bottom line was $4066 more than we had expected. The $66 went for airport fees. Not bad, huh?

Another testimony... When the time came to buy a building for our rapidly-growing Chilean church in 1996, the mission had no money. Sensing that the time was "now", Cheryl and I sold our last possession in the US, our house. We used the $50,000 to buy the building, a unit at the end of a small strip mall. Obviously, we had family plans for that money, but God had put the church in our hearts. Two years later, we were traveling through the back roads of Oklahoma on a tour of supporting churches, without enough money to pay tolls on the main highway. As the bugs splashed on the windshield, I suddenly had this strong sense that God was going to replace a part of the funds. I even told Cheryl what I felt. Long story short, on our visit in Phoenix, the church took us to lunch, and for dessert gave us a check for $80,000! Our mission gave us permission to replace our funds and put the rest into savings. In 2000, the extra $30,000 went toward the purchase of the church's second building, asking price $100,000, purchase price $40,000. Another move of God, but I won't bore you with details, hehe.

So, you can see why we remain confident that God will provide for the school and our workers. Cheryl and I are into it to the tune of $250,000 - how could we resist when we sensed God's call to put in that money? He has been faithful to provide our needs in the past, we have no reason to doubt that he will in the future.

At the same time, I do not think it is a lack of faith to ask you to participate financially with us in making this school a reality for the families of Chile who desperately need a high quality Christian education. As one of our church leader friends put it, our total need for the next two years would be met by 200 people setting aside $1 per day for the two years. Perhaps God is making a special call on you right now to participate with us. But if not, please keep the school and mission in prayer. God will provide.

Hoping that our God will bless you to overflowing!

We need a prayer Commitment!

Fourth of July holiday greetings to everybody! Hope you all have been blessed as we remember in the US our struggle for independence and freedom. Our short-term mission team just got back from Chile, where we had a wonderful and wet experience. Along with Jim and Cheryl, the team consisted of Robby and Jason Kennedy (a father-son team of Hillcrest Christian School fame), Kaitlyn Brochu (Hillcrest senior 2011), and Andrew Green (Greens' grandson, Chile native, Palmdale High junior). We built a cover for a dry play area for Chilean earthquake victims still living in the small houses, distributed lots of really cool rain boots to kids, and later did welding and plumbing work on the house that will be offices in the future school. Pictures at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=10517&id=100000797428280

The house looks good and is 85% done. It appears that we have enough to finish its conversion to offices. That's the good news.

Now the bad news. (Well, only if you believe that God won't provide!) With all the costs of personnel, advertising, maintenance, and other details, we basically need to have available $5000 per month for the next 18 months.

The purpose of this letter is NOT to ask you for more money. Rather, I'm asking for something we haven't been very diligent about.

WE NEED TO KNOW THAT THIS MINISTRY IS COVERED IN PRAYER EVERY WAKING HOUR. People close to the school project have been praying, we know. But who knows if "we" have the words and wisdom that God is wanting to hear? There are gifted prayer warriors out there.

SO, WOULD YOU DO 'TWO' THINGS RIGHT NOW?

1. Please click on http://www.christianstandard.com/articledisplay.asp?id=1565 and read the article. It was a bit eerie for me, since the need mentioned in the article was $2.5 million in capital within six months. That is where we stand, also needing $2.5 million in six months in order to open in March 2012!

After, and only after, you have read the article...

2. Please hit "REPLY" to this email and state a date beginning on July 12 and ending on August 20. We are asking you to pray for 30 seconds or more at the top of each waking hour on the date you choose, e.g. 8:00, 9:00, etc. Please pray that God would show you all the "great and unsearchable things" (Jeremiah 33:3) he has in mind for the work of our school in Chile. Pray EXPECTING ANSWERS. Let us know what it you are learning. For those who call on him, he promises "healing and abundant peace" after the time of struggle (Jeremiah 33:6). Right now I pray that God would do all that for you.

We can't set up a sign-up sheet with everybody so spread out, so we'll depend on the Holy Spirit to cover all the dates. With about 300 on our email list, we should have every day covered with at least 7 people.

WILL YOU DO IT? Please do. Hit 'REPLY' right now.
We need you and the blessing you can provide through your prayer.God bless you richly!

Special Edition: School News for April

Hello again everybody, I don't want to flood your computers with e-mails, but I have a couple of developments in our K-12 school Colegio Cristiano Conosur that I wanted to share without delay.

First, I want to thank some young people who have made sacrificial gifts to the work in Chile. Marcus Winn and Joshua Clark, two third grade students at Hillcrest Christian School, recently set up a stand in front of their house to sell lemons. After a day's work, they donated $10.21 to the mission. Another Hillcrest student, Everett Lopez, collected all his money from doing chores and getting good grades, donating the entire amount $141 to the mission. Finally, Katie Hunter's ninth-grade class at Whittier Christian High School in La Habra, sold breakfast burritos at school for four months, resulting in their contribution of $717.59.

These kids are really modeling the generosity that God calls all of his children to.

Second, I have to say that we have fallen about $6000 behind on our ability to pay the remodeling of the 5800-sqft house on the school property. This is a result of a slight deficit each month in funds to pay our Chilean coworkers who are managing the project. In addition, for the month of March and most of April our emphasis has been getting funds to the earthquake and tsunami-stricken people in Constitución, Chile. We are doing our best to stretch every dollar and still get everything done. Please pray about our deficit, and if you feel moved in your spirit, consider a special gift. Thanks to all of you who have been so generous.

Third, God sent us an angel to help finish cleaning the land on the school property. We have been fretting about the costs of removing all the trunks, stumps, branches, leaves, trash, etc. from the property. At one time, we had an estimate of $13.000 to do it. The men of the church in Chile (http://www.icisa.cl/) stepped in and did much of the work, but much heavy-duty work remained, such as removing stumps. We have been resigned to doing slowly what we can, hoping that when building begins on the school itself, we will have the equipment to do the work.Then day-before-yesterday, a man named Alejandro Hernández was driving down the road and noticed our gate was open. He decided to check out to see if there was any work. He said he was on his way to another job at the time. He offered to buy our firewood for a fairly good price. In the middle of the conversation, it came out that we are Christians building a school. He said that he, too, is a Christian and that he was certain that God had opened that gate to bring him here. As a result, he offered to clean and smooth all the property, carry off all the trash, cut down remaining trees, trim the dead fronds from our palm trees, and remove stumps. He offered us the free use of two chain saws, a backhoe, and the workers to do the work. And he offered to haul away the trash at a price about 1/2 the best we have ever seen. As a result, we are getting the work done for about $500. Without delay, yesterday he began the work and made very rapid progress.So, my concerns about the account being short about $6000 perhaps are misplaced. God continues to surprise at the most opportune moments.


These are fotos of the work that Alejandro has already done.

God bless you all in the upcoming days.

Victory set in motion: Your Participation in Earthqueake Relief in Chile

Spring greetings to everyone supporting the work of our ministry in Jesus' name!

It has been a sobering and enriching month and a half since 3:37am on February 27.

As you may recall, at that moment Chile began to shake under the 5th largest earthquake ever recorded. The dual epicenters(!) were onshore and offshore about 300 km (180 mi) south of Santiago. The offshore quake produced a tsunami that devastated about 100 miles of coastline, leaving many inhabitants with absolutely nothing, with their homes and all belongings washed out to sea.





Our U.S. mission (www.ccmchile.org) and Chilean Church (www.icisa.cl) has been involved in relief, and thanks to your generosity and that of our Chilean Christian counterparts, we can report to you that we have a plan for continuing help for a refugee camp in Constitución, Chile, about 250 km (180 mi) south of Santiago.

As we considered the enormity of the destruction, the question was, "Where do we start?" We began in our own Chilean congregation. One member, Elsa Garrido, has extended family in the town of Constitución. So we began with those families. First, the church sent Elsa down with a load of medical and food supplies on a mission to discover the next step. She reported that her family are living in a refugee camp ('campamento') after losing everything. Her family suggested 9 families more who have some leadership potential in the campamento.

Next we began raising funds for that campamento (27 de febrero "La Esperanza"). The mission diverted all new funds received into the relief effort, putting fundraising for the school in Talagante on hold for the month of March. Thanks to your generosity we raised $9653 in March, and were able to deliver help totaling $10,520, delivered by a team of 14 people from the US and from the Chilean church, as follows:

12 cookstoves; 12 kerosene heating stoves; 12 single beds; blankets and comforters; tables and chairs; assorted flashlights, tents, etc.; good quality clothing, shoes; and much more.
Travel expenses from Santiago to Constitución for the contingent of 14, along with a truck to deliver the goods;

$2,000 to a sister mission to help rebuild a pastor's house which was totally destroyed in El Monte, just west of our school property; and

$400 to help Lilian Monsalves, another member of our church, who led a group of psychologists and social workers for physically handicapped people in the town of Quirihue.
We would still welcome designated contributions to cover the $900 shortfall.

The campamento is located on a hill overlooking the Rio Maule, the same river where the people lived who lost their homes and belongings. The river acted like a funnel, magnifying the series of tsunami waves to a height of 45 ft(!). You can see the bark ripped off trees which survived, marking the destructive maximum height. The 40 families of the campamento are living in wooden shacks, provided by a private charity called "A Roof for Chile" (The government has provided very little help, only last week finally passing a bill to authorized spending in the area, now 7 weeks after the earthquake). The shacks, called 'mediaguas' are 9ft x 18ft, with no electricity or water. Non-potable water is shipped in by the army and must be boiled before use. There are only chemical toilets. Obviously, dishwashing and many other chores must be done outside.




We have all gone camping and none of this may seem that bad; however, the current estimate is that the people will have to remain in the campamento for one year, an estimate that probably means at least 18 months. Winter is coming in June with temperatures near freezing and heavy rains. Imagine your camping trip under constant cold rain, and you can't go home. The plight of these people is borderline desperate.

The team of 14 who went in April distributed the goods; visited with, and ministered to, the families; held a short worship service and prayed with the people. In the service, Juan Carlos, our Chilean pastor, Jim, and Madi Abourched (see below) offered a firm commitment to the people not to leave them without continuing help. Several of the people said that these were the first words of hope they had received in 7 weeks.




So, how will we provide this help? Governing all our efforts, we realize that we cannot be in all places at once, so we will concentrate our efforts in the campamento "La Esperanza" in Constitución.

First, the church in Chile will make monthly runs for the next year, carrying food, clothing, and shelter as needed. While the church can handle the cost of goods, it needs a good-quality pickup to transport them. We are seeking donations totaling $10,000 for that purchase.

Second, we will send down workers June 14-28 to do building work to help the families of the campamento have better protection from the elements. Hillcrest Christian School senior Madi Abourched, ex-student of Cheryl (3rd grade) and Jim (10th grade), along with her mother and father María and Moe, and two cousins has formed a new organization dedicated to helping earthquake victims. We are really proud of Madi and family. The organization is called "The Emely Movement." ( In Arabic, the word "emely" basically means "hope.") They have already had one event raising funds for the continuing help for Constitución. The construction of real bathrooms will total approximately $15,000. We need your help now to make this a reality. June is very close.

Over the long run, Conosur Christian Ministries and Emely Movement working together will provide ongoing aid and if all works well, to buy property large enough to subdivide and offer to the residents of the campamento at low cost. Then, with subsidies from the government, these families will be able to build homes with dignity. With a church and community center, the property becomes a complete "planned community." We intend to keep God's will in the plan!

Please visit the Emely Movement right now at www.emelymovement.blogspot.com. You could even help us test the system by hitting the "DONATE" button and making a donation! Until we change the system, you will be directed to the Conosur Christian Ministries Paypal site, but your contribution to Chile earthquake relief will definitely go to the Emely Movement. Conosur and Emely are working together as a unit for this aid project!

Thank you all for your great generosity toward people in need. NOW, please don't forget Colegio Cristiano Conosur! This is a project that will provide long-term benefits to poorer families in Chile. Again, your generosity has made it possible to begin the conversion of the 5800-sqft house into offices and enrichment workshops. But the daunting need to raise $2.5 million ($1.5 million in the next year) remains as a looming challenge. We need to know if there are large potential donors out there who might love this project. Please keep this in mind and in prayer.

Richest blessings!

Urgent Needs Continue in Earthquake-Stricken Chile

Greetings in Jesus' name to our friends who love the ministry in Chile.

We are now two weeks into the disaster that has stricken a wide area of Chile. The aftershocks continue. Our Chilean friends are at the end of their nerves, as the ground continues to shake, it seems, almost continually.

We are collecting funds to help the people of Constitución, Chile, where our church in Ciudad Satélite, Maipú, have extended family. Practically in an instant, in the 8.8 earthquake and tsunami 15 minutes later, these families lost everything, literally with only a water meter to mark where their homes were. There are no groceries or potable water, few refuges. We need to get tents, sleeping bags and pads, clothes, and medicines.





We welcome the cooperation of the EMELY MOVEMENT (http://emelymovement.blogspot.com/), spearheaded by Madelline Abourched, a student at Hillcrest Christian School who went last year to Chile on a short-term mission. "Emely" is arabic for "Hope." Her organization, with the support of her family, was formed to provide help to earthquake-damaged locations, such as Haiti and Chile. Madi, her mom, and two cousins will be going to Chile with Cheryl and me on April 2 to deliver some goods and to film a documentary to be used in an event later in April. More information to come on that. Pay a visit to the Emely Movement blog! And please pray for a successful trip.

The Chileans in the midst of suffering are showing resolve to rise up from the rubble. Even if you can't understand Spanish, I URGE you to spend 7 minutes watching the impromptu TV interview of a 7-year-old boy in the earthquake zone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1PHZL2gzj4. This young boy will fill you with hope. A reporter spotted him with his sleeping pad in the rubble. He volunteers to take the reporter on a tour of what used to be his school. He shows the reporter what used to be the dining room. He allows as how the food really was pretty tasteless. He shows what formerly was 3rd and 4th grade rooms. He reports that he really doesn't like school all that much, including girls. All the while keeping his foam pad close at hand. This is spirit.

We continue to ask you to open your hearts with love to a people who love us here in the US. Your gift will reach "ground zero" with no overhead - all funds will serve those who are in need. We welcome thankfully your contributions via check to CCM, 37747 Bristol Court, Palmdale, CA 93550 or invite you to donate online at www.ccmchile.org. Also, you are invited to join us traveling to Chile April 2 and June 14 (you choose how long to stay).

God bless,

CHILE AFIRE IN JANUARY 2010

Greetings to everyone in the midst of summer wildfires in Chile. Just like California, Chile has dry summers and dry brushy hillsides. And we're in the middle of summer here. Since I (Jim) arrived on the fifth, there have been fires about every other day. A few days ago, a wildfire in Valparaiso on the coast destroyed 13 homes. It's sad, because the people here who live on the outskirts of the cities generally can't afford any kind of insurance. On the other hand, the government will almost certainly take the place of the insurance in helping people rebuild.

Not all the fires have been bad ones, however. To my great pleasure, upon arriving I found that five men of our Chilean church have been working hard to clear the land of weeds and useless trees. The men have burned literally tons of brush, having cut down 70 trees. We will have lots of firewood to sell for the benefit of the church, which has provided so much help. Again I say, the students and families of Colegio Cristiano Conosur are going to have a beautiful tranquil campus where they can excel.

I've had the pleasure of working alongside the men a couple of days. Last Tuesday we had lunch in a "picada camionera" a rickety shed on the side of the road with outdoor tables where truckers stop to eat. The food was great and cheap, and the flies and local dog Fifi came at no extra cost! Afterward, we had a big watermelon. The watermelon in Chile is the best I have ever tasted, and I consider myself a connoisseur (Conosur?) of watermelon.


We are within days of beginning the restoration of the 5800-sqft house that will be the administrative offices and community center for the new school. The house has lots of windows. The bad news is that the best estimate for windows in the house came to $48,000, or almost half the entire budget of $110,000 for remodeling the house.



The good news is that 15 minutes ago, I completed the deal to buy all the windows AND doors, AND hardware, AND just about everything else that used to be in the house, for the sum of $13,600. What a blessing! The previous occupant of the house had removed all the windows, doors, banisters, railings, etc, and put them into storage. To those of you who knew of this problem, thanks for your prayers. There is a bunch of stuff we won't need, so it may be time to introduce the concept of the YARD SALE to Chile.

Everything in the house was top-quality. To give an example, our architect Andrés tells me that each of the 15 or so doorknobs in the house is worth $70 new. Please pray that we will come in under budget, using the excess funds as the seed for the bigger needs coming up.

The church will have a big barbecue on the school parcela on Saturday to celebrate the beginning of tangible work toward the school. The pool is almost ready to go, with new paint and, we hope, a new pump. The parrillas are prepared to receive the steaks and sausages. The tables are rented. It will be a great time of prayer and thanksgiving.

We are in good shape financially to do the restoration of the house, 100% supported by people like you. THANK YOU! We have a long way to go in raising the funds for the second phase, building the classes and infrastructure for K-5 students. We need $1.5 million to pull the trigger. We achieve this simply by 150 donations of $10,000 each. We have received several donations like that, so it's not crazy. Please join with us in prayer and fasting (if you feel so moved) to seek God's direction. Selfishly, I pray that God will move quickly, because we lose a year if we don't see the funds by end of US spring. But we are committed to allowing God to lead this project to an end that glorifies him in Chile and in your hearts.

James & Cheryl Green