The Kautz Family

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

2012-01-27T12:39:00.000-05:00

A little background...
When I was 12 years old I began volunteering at a local daycare center. In ninth grade, the director hired me as an employee and I continued to work there until I left for college. Those first few years, as a young teen, the center I worked at was far from "up to code". Well before becoming a legal adult, I was given many responsibilities that went totally against state mandated requirements. The first time I realized this was when the director came rushing in my room and pretended to be the teacher. The more I learned, the more I realized this center did nothing according to code - child/teacher ratios, nutritious meals, the fact a teenager was given responsibility over entire classrooms of children, etc., etc. Eventually, the center was bought by a company who literally tore down the existing center and started from scratch, making everything state-of-the-art and well within state mandates. They trained me in what was appropriate and permissible as a daycare provider and I could recite forwards and backwards all of the state regulations, not because we were rushing to try to make them look like realities, but because we were expected to fulfill them on a daily basis. The rules and expectations were drilled into my head. Once my kids were toddlers, I worked at another center for a year before we moved on to missions work and was given an assistant director position along with a teaching position because I was so committed to "keeping to the code".

It just so happens, I love babies!
Wherever we go, my kids will spy the tiniest child, nudge me and say, "Hey, mom, I bet you want to hold that baby, huh?" Which I generally respond to with giggles and "awws". Besides my long history in daycare, I also carry with me a past and a testimony of giving birth at just 18 years old. While to this day some people judge me for that experience, I know God has taken something that I did out of his will, changed me and used it to take me places I never could have imagined. I believe that it's not something He wants me to sweep under the rug, but to use to bless others. So for some time I have wanted to work with pregnant teens. It hasn't just been a "wish" but one of those things that nags at your heart constantly until you do something about it.

Through a series of new introductions, I was introduced to a foundation that runs a home for pregnant teens. I told them I'd love to help with whatever they needed, hoping that even if I could only sweep the floors, with time I'd be given an opportunity to help the expectant and new moms as well as the babies. They asked from the start if I could help with the babies. Maggie asked if she could help, too, so this week we ventured off for our first days of diaper duty.

What I saw that first day stunned me.
The nursery is one room. It had four or five bouncy seats or infant car seats sitting around the floors - all of them dirty and broken. There was one crib with no side rails and two playpens, one full of toys and just, well, stuff. There were toys scattered on the floor, but not those that you would see in a typical infant/toddler room. Barbie doll arms, legs, tiny blocks, tons of itty bitty pieces. Those old state regulations flew through my mind like a ticker - choking hazards EVERYWHERE! The room was dirty, unorganized and completely inappropriate for babies and toddlers, mostly ranging from a couple of months to 2 years old.

Maggie and I entered the room, thinking we'd be helping out a staff member or two with taking care of the babies. Turns out, we were the only staff. We were suddenly alone in a room with five babies. We didn't know their names, their schedules, their personalities. There were no diapers, no bottles, no food, no rocking chairs - or any chairs, for that matter.

A quick panic swept over me. Back in my daycare days, every child had a portfolio. I'd write down when they ate, slept, were changed, cried for long periods of time - basically every move they made. But here, I didn't even know their names. Looking around at what we had just gotten ourselves into, I thought, "I handled similar situations when I was 12. We can do this." And we got to work, juggling babies and, as more came in, asking their names whenever someone passed by. By the end of our short three hour shift, we had cared for 10 babies and we were exhausted!

That was Tuesday. On Thursday, we asked Alex to come with us. I'm so glad he did! When we arrived, one of the foundation teachers asked if I would take over watching some of the babies in the pool. It was no big deal to them that my two teenagers be left in a room with a bunch of babies while I went to monitor four others in a wading pool. At least I could see Alex and Maggie from the pool area. After getting the babies dressed in dry clothes, I joined Alex and Maggie in the nursery and we spent the new few hours caring for them. At one point we had 12 babies, but at least there were three of us.

For a short time, the foundation teacher came in. I asked him, "Do you have other volunteers that come when we're not here?" He said, "No." I asked, "What do you do?" He said, "I take care of them." I asked, "How???" He said, "With lots and lots of patience." Life is so different here in Latin America.

We found silly tricks to get the kids to stop crying. By the end of our shift we had all but one of them sleeping - victory! Again, we left exhausted. They say, "be careful what you ask for, you just might get it." That is how I feel about taking care of these babies. It's exactly what I wanted to do, although I never considered how far from my ideas reality would be, but I think there are great things ahead as we bond with the babies and with the moms. I can already see Alex and Maggie learning so much about taking care of others and adapting in difficult situations. I'm sure you'll be hearing many more stories from our baby adventures!

~Tona

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!! We kicked off this year with a giant bang! There were fireworks going off all over the city for hours and hours. We finally went to bed at 4am and they were still going! We enjoyed a nice New Year's Eve at a fellow missionary's house and left so content. We met two other missionary families here in the city, one who has been here for over 20 years and one who just arrived three months ago. It was a joy to my heart to see more kids close to Alex and Maggie in age, as I've been praying for more friends here in the city for them. It was also exciting to talk about our heart for Medellín and realize God was using a New Year's Eve party to help us make connections in ministry. We literally spent hours connecting with fellow missionaries who have created a solid foundation in ministry and talking about how we could work together to reach the youth and train youth leaders. I expect exciting collaborations ahead!

I think this is the most talked about new year since Y2K. "Will 2012 be our last? Will Jesus come back this year? Will the economy totally collapse this year?" I hear a lot of negative, fearful talk about 2012. I've got to say, I am so excited for this year! If Jesus comes back, there could be nothing more awesome, but if he doesn't this year and the economy collapses or things go horrifically bad or incredibly good - I am excited about this year! Whatever is in store, we know it's not a surprise to God. He knows exactly how each and every day will go, who will cross our paths, who we need to impact. This year I will listen more, act more, obey more. I am giddy at the prospect of how many people in this city have yet to know they have a heavenly father who loves them. I can't wait to share how awesome God is with hurting people everywhere and show them love the way that Jesus loves me.

While I don't live in fear, I live knowing that big challenges may come our way this year and I am determined from today, this first day of 2012, to live each and every day to its fullest, as if it were my last. I don't want to find myself at the end of things saying, "Oh, I guess I should have done more." This year is going to be awesome!

We're praying for you! May this year be blessed and amazing and may God use you in unexpected ways!
~Tona

Recapping the End of 2011

2011-12-31T10:36:00.108-05:00

We've had a lot going on these last few months. Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to...

In October we visited a drug rehab center. The site as it sits now has a rough dorm house and small overhangs outside that serve as the dining hall. Corey is working with the pastor who is in charge of the oversight of the rehab center as well as an American evangelist to begin improving the grounds. Step one is to build a recreation field/court so that there is somewhere for a physical outlet for the men (and teen boys) to work out as they go through the difficult detox process. They're working on further plans for better dorms, kitchen and workshops that will hopefully one day make this a very comfortable place to leave drugs behind and find God.

In October we also celebrated Maggie's 14th birthday and our "Colombian sons" came to visit and celebrate with her! Juan David and Jonathan have been dear to us for many years now and we have kept in contact while we were stateside. They are so special to us and Maggie's only birthday wish was to have her "brothers" with her, so they brought an overnight bus to Medellin and spent a few days with us while their classes were suspended due to protests. We're very proud of these boys. Juan David has been teaching kids in Bogotá how to play in a worship band and is in the process of releasing a kids' praise worship album with them. He is studying to be an orchestra conductor. Jonathan is in school studying to be a psychologist and is also working in the children's ministries at the church in Bogotá.

At the end of October, we helped fellow missionaries with a visiting team from Iowa. This was a week of "Supernatural School". They taught pastors about the Holy Spirit, preached all over the city and ended with a city-wide rally. So many miracles happened in the services. One girl came forward with a special brace over her teeth. She told us that her teeth never fully grew or rooted, so they were always at risk of falling out. She couldn't eat an apple and many other foods threatened to cause her teeth to crumble. She described her situation as having floating teeth. We prayed over her and God did something incredible. After we prayed, she removed her brace and tried to wiggle her teeth. They were firmly planted in her mouth! We saw her a few days later and she was so joyful because she said God had strengthened her teeth! That same day Corey prayed with a man who was wearing hearing aids. Even with the hearing aids, he couldn't hear what Corey was saying. They prayed and as Corey finished praying, the man took out his hearing aids and said he could fully hear! He never replaced them and went around the church having normal conversations without any problems! There were so many stories of healing during the visit from this team and the emphasis on the supernatural from the Holy Spirit. It was truly a blessing to have them here in Colombia.

In November, Corey and Alex traveled to the countryside to help film a short video for the Bible School. They had quite an adventure on location and quite a journey trying to find their way home! The man in this picture is the first Assemblies of God pastor in the state of Antioquia. He has planted and harvested so many souls for the Kingdom.

The end of November kicked off the Christmas season here in Medellín. We've found they really like to celebrate Christmas around here! One of the important staples of the season is the food and buñuelos and natilla are a very important part of that tradition. Buñuelos are a ball of fried dough with a white cheese inside. This happens to be one of Alex's very favorite foods! Natilla is kind of like a cross between flan and pudding. It comes in a few flavors, but carmel flavored with cinnamon sprinkled on top seems to be the favorite at least among our friends. Friends in our small group taught me how to make the natilla.

The beginning of December brought our Regional Directors, Dick and Cynthia Nicholson, to visit. They came to do a two day marriage seminar for pastors and church leaders. It was a beautiful weekend filled with information for pastors to go back and counsel their congregations as well as help improve their own marriages. There was a beautiful elegant, romantic dinner on the roof terrace of the hotel with music and laughter at the end of the first night.

In December we held an outreach and concert at one of the local parks. It was a night of bands, a theater group and preaching. The first night it downpoured, but 26 people gave their hearts to Christ. The second night was clear and more made a decision for Christ. We took packets of cookies attached to information about God and the local church to the streets, passing them out as people walked by. The park is in a popular location for youth and young adults to hang out. There were few walking around without beer bottles in hand. We saw many getting high and drunk on the outskirts of the park. This was the first time this local church had done such an outreach, but the people were excited to see what an impact it could make and I expect to see many more in the future!

We've been inviting several people to our house who are learning English and need somewhere to practice. We hosted a Christmas party with our friends and enjoyed a night of fellowship playing games to help them use their English! It's been a fun group that continues to grow. When the large part of the group went home, some stayed behind to play Wii for the first time!

On Christmas Day we celebrated together in the morning. In the evening, we ventured out to see one of Medellín's most proud accomplishments. Medellín was selected as one of the top 10 Christmas light displays in the world! All over the city there are big light displays and along the river that runs through the city stands the main attraction...a long expanse of lights over and next to the river. It was really very beautiful to see and an exciting night as people were out, various street artists were performing and everyone celebrated Christmas day!

So I think that brings us mostly up to date. One of my resolutions for 2012 will be to blog more and keep you more up to date on what's been happening here in Colombia. We're expecting great things in this upcoming year!

Blessings,

Tona

Winding Down 2011

2011-12-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

My greatest apologies to those who do read this blog. With the addition of Facebook groups, it's been so easy to post a photo album or quick update in a few seconds and neglect really writing things out here on the blog. My last goal of 2011 will be to update this week a few key things that have happened over the last months. You can always pop over to our group page ~ (http://www.facebook.com/groups/KautzFamily) ~ to get the fast food version of what's been going on.

Every new year people all over the US make resolutions for the upcoming year. I have for many years been opposed to making resolutions because I never expect to accomplish them, but as 2011 comes to a close and 2012 is before us, I find myself wanting to really evaluate where I am, what I've done and where I want to go.

Corey and I have been having conversations with a friend about 2012 and all of the end of the world predictions, collapse of the economy, doomsday, etc. The question was asked "What would you do differently if you knew that 2012 really is the last year for us on the earth?" Our answer, "Hopefully nothing. We try to live every day like we would want to live our last." But the more I've thought about it, of course, there are things I would change, improve, areas I want to grow, characteristics I want to decrease, disciplines to increase.

In years past, at the last second when people ask, "What are your resolutions this year?" I would think quickly, throw a few random things out and never really reflect on them again. This year, I'm working on getting a head start. Should 2012 be our last or 2013, 2020...whenever, I want to be living to the fullest. I want to be as pleasing as possible to God. I want to know that I have done everything possible to share Christ's love with those who do not know Him or who have rejected Him because of "Christians" who have forgotten to show love. I want to be at peace that I have taught my children well about a true relationship with Christ. There are many more, so this week I will take lots of time to pray and seek, ask God to show me the parts of me I might not even realize are out of line and begin to write my goals, my desires and the steps I can take to become the person God wants me to be.

2011 has been an interesting year, but not without disappointment and frustration with myself. Here's to making 2012 one to be proud of, one to make my heavenly father pleased and proud!

What are your goals for 2012?

~Tona

El Peñol de Guatapé

2011-09-22T10:29:00.002-05:00

"You have to go to the rock!"
Me, "Huh? Okay."

I had no idea what a friend was talking about when she told me we had to go to the rock. So, we went to see the rock and what resulted was a day where we learned so much about Colombian history and saw some amazing things! Here's a glimpse of some of what we saw (before my camera battery gave up and died.)

Let me start with the journey ~
So many parts of the roads were washed out and blocked by landslides. I think the road crews have unlimited job security.

About an hour out of the city we finally saw El Peñol boasting from the ground.

It reminded me of Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia until I realized there was no cable car to the top, or train like in Bogotá ~ this was going to be a challenge ~ 635 steps to the top and then another 40 to the top of the observatory. A friend with us said, "That doesn't sound like a lot until you get to step 50 and realize how much more you have to go." So true. I made several stops along the way and was huffing and puffing at the top. I'm not ashamed to admit that. I made it. That's what matters!

Daunting, to say the least.

The view at the top was a 360* view of lakes and mountains all around.

We spent a while at the top with our friends. From left to right: Alex, Tona, Corey, Maggie, Pastor Alberto, Kelly (Pastor's daughter), John (Kelly's husband) and David (Kelly and John's friend visiting from Australia).

We walked back down the stairs, which resulted in very shaky legs and knees by the time we got back down. At the base, Jaime, a guide we had met earlier in the day, told us he had a boat and would take us out to see some things around the lake. Jaime has a pretty fascinating story himself. I'll get to that in a little bit.

On the lake we saw this house said to be owned by a famous Colombian actress.

This house below is said to be owned by a mafia boss who is currently in prison.

Then we came upon a bit of Colombian history, not their proud history, but history nonetheless. This picture below is of a nightclub built by Pablo Escobar. Now it stands in ruins, having been abandoned many years ago.

Just down the lake a little bit further we came upon what was once one of Pablo Escobar's houses, La Manuela. If you don't know that name, Pablo Escobar, he was a drug king, specializing in trafficking cocaine. He is regarded as the richest and most successful criminal in world history. I'll be honest, although I don't have respect for Pablo Escobar, walking through a piece of history was pretty incredible. This was no museum tour. We just wandered through the remains of what was once a haven for a criminal.

As told to us by Jaime, this house was bombed early in Pablo's career by the Cali Cartel. He said they dropped bombs from small aircraft. It was then ransacked by others looking for the money and drugs left behind. The government now owns the house, but they left it to deteriorate.

We walked around the property for a short time. I wonder what all of this looked like before the destruction. I believe it was probably pretty spectacular.

The pool is full of water. Some say they think there is treasure to be found under the pool.

There was a dark and scary hallway to the basement where a lot of things were dug up.

The view as we left, the main house on the right and the pool house on the left.

A little further down the lake we saw this tunnel, the dark circle in the center of the picture. This tunnel runs from Pablo's house and was an escape route for him to use when he was attacked.

Moving on from Pablo's house we learned something fascinating about the lake we were boating on. This lake was once an entire town. Here's a picture from what it looked like in the 70s.

The construction of a hydroelectric dam left the entire town underwater. They have built a replica of the town close by, and these pictures come from the museum that now is housed by the only building left standing from the town. We went by this cross, which shoots out of the water where the church stood. It is incredible to think that an entire town that was bustling, as a friend said, "where people got married, had kids and lived their lives," is now totally underwater. This dam now supplies over 30% of Colombia's electricity.

Our last stop on our way back to the mainland was to "Fantasy Island". This island is a small island with several little cabins, like the one below, that you can rent for about $40 a night. It's a quiet, simple island, but it would be a great place to go for a quiet weekend with God.

We never found "Tattoo" saying "De Plane, De Plane" but we did come upon this little monster that Alex was brave enough to hold. Fortunately, because the climate here is a little bit cooler than tropical, he's very docile (the snake, that is).

I was a little freaked out when they put him on the ground and he kept staring at John like he was dinner, but he stayed in his little spot and didn't hurt anybody.

When we got back to land we walked around the town, Guatapé. This pueblo is so pretty. All through the streets the houses and storefronts are painted with three dimensional decorations that portray local life and nature. Here is where my camera began to die and I am so sad that I couldn't get more pictures of this beautiful little town.

I managed to grab one more at night with the street lamps lit. We walked through the streets where people were out walking and talking outside the stores and restaurants.

We ended our day, exhausted, but so full of new information, new sights and new understanding of Colombian history. We stopped for dinner at a little restaurant along the main street (trout being the local specialty).

Jaime, the boat operator, spent the rest of the day with us and even came to dinner. His story was fascinating. He grew up along the coast and left home at 12. He went place to place doing odd jobs and even for a while went door to door representing a foundation (that didn't exist) to collect clothes so that he could go and sell them. Kind hearted people would give him shirts and pants for needy children and he would turn around and sell them somewhere else for $1 -$3 per piece. He did this to survive. For a while he would go to the parks in Bogotá and tell stories. People would leave him money for his stories. He (by requirement) joined the military and in the southern parts of Colombia ended up shot in the leg. He was discharged after some surgeries to put plates and rods in his leg. He said he goes wherever there is work. His job right now, taking people out on a boat and showing them what he showed us. Jaime's personality is captivating. He's a natural salesman, not because he's pushy but because he's the kind of person you just meet and enjoy spending the day with. He's had a wild life, but you just want to see him succeed.

On Wednesday, Jaime was in Medellín and came to church. He seemed to really enjoy it and said he'd be back. I hope he returns. There are some opportunities that others are working on to open doors to a stable job. Keep him in your prayers. I don't believe our meeting Jaime was a chance encounter, but a divine encounter.

~Tona

Time to Catch Up

2011-09-04T16:44:00.017-05:00

Wow, I apologize for so much time passing since our last post. So much has happened and we're just now getting to a point where we can take a minute and catch up on what's been going on. This is probably a good time to throw in a link to our Facebook Group page where we post quick updates fairly often.

If you didn't get it in your mailbox, you can click here to go to our most recent newsletter.

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In a nutshell, we said our goodbyes in Costa Rica, made our way to the States and covered Michigan, Georgia and Illinois in a crazy rush to get our visas to live in Colombia, have our ordination service and ship our belongings out to Colombia. It was insane, to say the least, but at the end of May we arrived in Colombia, spending a day in Bogotá before heading to Medellín.

These first few months in the country have been a whirlwind. It took a while for us to be able to move into our own apartment. Imagine someone entering the States with no credit history and no references. That was us, here in Colombia. Just when we felt we had exhausted every avenue, God intervened in an amazing way, placing a landlord in our path who is Colombian, but lives in the States and attends one of our supporting churches. Not only was she willing to rent her apartment to us at an extremely discounted rate, but it is a beautiful apartment that we really love.

Another step has been getting to know the pastors, churches and the wonderful people who attend them. We visited several churches and are in the works of collaborating to launch ministries. We have found a church to call home and base ourselves, which is a huge blessing. One of the biggest challenges for us through itineration is feeling disconnected from a home base because of constant travel. We have missed being able to plug into a church, join ministry teams and create a family with brothers and sisters we see regularly. We have found a wonderful church where Alex is working on the media team, Corey and I will be helping with youth ministry and Maggie has been asked to help with the children's ministry. On top of that, the pastoral staff has a vision that matches so well with what we feel God has called us to do, we are excited to join forces and spread the gospel through Medellín.

We'll be sharing more as we go along. We have learned so much and are continuing every day to learn more about the city, the people, the culture and what God has for us.

Blessings!
~Tona

And The Farewells Begin

2011-04-05T23:40:00.001-05:00

We know the end of our time here is near because our calendar is beginning to fill up with farewell luncheons, banquets, dinners, etc. Today was the ladies farewell luncheon, which was a nice treat to spend some time with all of the ladies here at Cincel. We enjoyed delicious food, great conversation and a wonderful time of prayer. This is a really wonderful group of women who will be making an impact all over the world!

Sojourners

2011-04-04T20:08:00.001-05:00

I remember as a child we moved twice. The first time was when I was in fourth grade and we switched school districts. The second, in middle school, was just to another neighborhood within the same school district. Although they were small moves, I remember feeling sad that I didn't have friends I had known from kindergarten through graduation as many of my friends did. I told myself that when I had kids we would buy a "forever" house and never move. Well, God sure is laughing at me now, huh?

Today they were recognized along with several other students who are leaving Sojourn to go on to their countries of ministry. We chuckled that they have now been through at least five commissioning services, but really it's a blessing. Each time they have been commissioned it has sent them on to a new chapter of their journey, whether it was itineration, Costa Rica or Colombia. It's pretty great that they end and begin each place with a covering of prayer. Please keep them in your prayers as we begin to pack for another move. Packing isn't the hard part, it's the saying goodbye and brand new hellos that are the most difficult. We appreciate your prayers!

Sunday Sunday

2011-04-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

As our timing is winding down here in Costa Rica we cherish friends and church that has become so special to us. Sundays are usually pretty relaxing and today was no exception. It's been a great day! Here's a glimpse at what we did today ~

We've been attending a church called "Dimensión Cristiana" and we have LOVED it! The people are so kind, worship is amazing and the pastor is not only understandable, but a wonderful teacher. Here's a sample of what worship is like on a typical Sunday morning ~

Most Sundays we visit one of the many small restaurants that surround the church. Today we tried "The Hamburger Grill". Alex was impressed with the giant can of 7UP.

Walking through a park we came across a man in a truck hanging up coconut shells for a tree full of squirrels.

Alex was invited to a birthday party at the park. Since it would cost about $8 in a taxi to drop him off and pick him up, we hung around and played cards with Maggie until more friends showed up and we spent the afternoon chatting with friends.

Maggie may have gotten a little bored during the day.

Parks are busy on the weekends! Everyone enjoys the outdoors!

As the sun was going down we finally pulled Alex away from his friends. It is a big cultural no-no to put an end time on any event, so parties can go forever - or until the last person is ready to leave! (Alex was at this party for four hours.)

~Tona

Insane? Maybe.

2011-04-02T21:45:00.005-05:00

Thanks to a nice tax return, we have planned two little weekend getaways. When we asked Alex and Maggie where they wanted to go, it was a no-brainer - of course, the beach is always top of our list, but they wanted to go back to Volcan Arenal, an active volcano about 90KM outside of San Jose. We visited in 2006 when the lava was flowing consistently. According to locals, the volcano was very active at the end of 2010, but has been quiet since the beginning of this year. We were disappointed to not see "the show" but we had a wonderful weekend. We filled out weekend with a canopy tour, horseback riding, relaxing in thermal pools and hiking up mountains to get the best views. We came home exhausted!

It crossed my mind on several occasions and came up in a few conversations how insane this seems. We're sleeping at the base of an active volcano. How wise is this?!? As we went through the canopy tour, at one point I looked down (which I don't recommend doing!) Our highest point was 160meters - that's 480 feet high! I looked down and a sudden panic hit me that if our cable should break it was a loooong way down! The little straps wrapped around my body weren't all that comforting! However, we were safe all weekend and enjoyed our adventure. We were blessed to have this opportunity and we made memories I'm sure we'll be telling stories about for years and years to come!

Here's a few pictures of our weekend ~

Alex zipping through the forest

Two of the 11 lines passed in front of a waterfall ~ simply amazing!

A native of the Maleku village tells us about his tribe, their history and artwork.

Maggie's favorite thing to do ~ ride horses!

Alex relaxing in the "cool pool" with the volcano looming behind. Most of the pools are thermal springs with warm to scalding hot water. This is the only one that's kept cool.

Maggie, Corey and Alex relaxing in a thermal pool.

Beautiful Arenal Volcano. Although there is no lava visible right now, you can see the steam blowing out of the top.

A beautiful day with a clear view of the volcano.

After a very tough 2km uphill climb we arrived at the observatory...but the clouds moved in ahead of us. At least it was a good workout! My legs were shaking from exhaustion by the time we got back to the bottom.

Maggie getting some froggy kisses!

We'll take our second getaway next weekend as we go to the beach to celebrate the end of language school!
~Tona

A Little Bit of Language School

2011-04-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the long time between posts. Honestly, in language school there isn't a lot to write home about - unless you're interested in hearing a new rule of the subjunctive tenses or the latest vocabulary list we're learning! With only two weeks of classes left, I thought I'd throw a couple of highlights in of what we've been doing over the last several weeks.

Valentine's Day was a pretty low-key day for us, but Corey and I grabbed lunch at La Fabrica, an Italian restaurant we used to love to go to when we lived here in 2006. It was just as wonderful as we remembered!
A new translation of the Bible in Spanish was released. It's called "la Palabra" which means "the Word". We went to a lecture on the new translation to find out what makes it new and special. Honestly, anything other than Reina Valera makes us happy. Reina Valera is like reading our King James version - a lot of "old" Spanish used. Imagine trying to read the KJV if English wasn't your first language. Yeah...that's what it feels like for us reading the Reina Valera. La Palabra is supposed to have been translated from the original texts (not from English translations or previous Spanish translations) but in more modern wording.

One week each trimester is dedicated to AGTS (Assemblies of God Theological Seminary) classes. This trimester Professor Johan Mostert taught us in the class "Counseling Special Populations." It was a fascinating class studying differences in culture and how we relate to people alike and different from us.

We are in Costa Rica on 90-day tourist visas, so we had to take a few days and go to Panama in order to renew our visas in Costa Rica. That sounds complicated, but basically we're required to spend 72 hours out of the country in order to renew our visas for another 90 days. We took an 8 hour bus ride from San Jose to the city of David, Panama. It was nice to have a little bit of relaxation. We enjoyed exploring and a visit to the beach!

A great cafe called Momentos ~ very yummy food and ice coffees!

We spent a few hours at the beach with great waves! Corey, Alex and Maggie took full advantage of the opportunity to boogie board!

All of the students had a "cultural field trip" to the Costa Rican National Museum to learn about the history and culture of this country. The museum used to be a fort. It is now filled with a butterfly garden and stories of what life was like years ago.

Standing where generals and presidents have stood before to address people below.

The 2011 Cincel students and teachers

Need a mug? This was a neat cafe where we stopped to grab coffee after the trip to the museum.

Once a month we have an English service where all of the local missionaries as well as the students gather for an evening of praise, worship and preaching in our native language.

Our chapel services on Wednesday are always in Spanish. As part of our preaching class, both Corey and I had to take a Wednesday and preach in Spanish - quite nerve-wracking, but we both survived!

Alex went through a bit of a transformation

~Tona

February Update

2011-02-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

Last month we boarded a plane for San José, Costa Rica. We will spend the next few months here fine-tuning our Spanish so that we can arrive in Colombia in May ready to hit the ground running! It didn't take long to get back into the groove of language school life. While returning to a familiar place, so much has changed not only in what we have encountered, but also in ourselves since last time we were here. I've looked through our blog and re-read some of our posts from early 2006 when we first arrived and I can remember the awe of a new country, the fear of figuring it all out and the look on Corey and the kids' faces when they were dropped into a world of a strange language. This time around, however, everyone has entered with confidence knowing where to go, how to communicate and just what to expect in general. It has made this transition much less stressful than the time before and, for that, we are so grateful!

Alex and Maggie have returned to Sojourn Academy for the next quarter of their 9th and 7th grade years, respectively. They are both taking part in after-school soccer and enjoying time with old and new friends.

Corey is in Spanish classes full-time and Tona is alternating between Spanish courses and helping tutor an English student from Chile who is preparing to become a missionary to India.

Prayer Requests

Please keep Alex and Maggie's education in your prayers. They will complete the third quarter of the school year here in Costa Rica, but we are trying to formulate a plan for the fourth quarter as we transition to Colombia. Also, we are still lacking enough funding for them to attend a school in Colombia, so please pray for provision and favor for them to be able to enroll when we arrive.
Please pray that we will maximize every opportunity while we are here in Costa Rica. Although we are here for a short time, we want to serve and be a blessing in any way possible.
Please pray for good health for our family. We have all been dealing with allergy issues since we arrived.

Everybody's Gotta Eat

2011-01-09T22:44:00.004-05:00

One of the biggest adjustments we must make in moving out of the USA is how we shop and eat. Since we have no car, gone are the days of running through to grab food through the drive through. That's not bad, though. Our options for healthier fare are ever increasing. Yesterday we went to the "feria" which is just a Spanish word to describe the farmer's market. The picture above shows all of the goodies we brought home, including beautiful flowers, all for a whopping $33.54. We will definitely be filling up on our share of vitamin C and more!

Today, as part of our outing with the other students, our director took us to McDonald's. While it's a very familiar place to be, the menu is slightly different. I'll be honest, as much as I thought I might miss McDonald's, the more fresh food we eat, the less I'm intrigued with processed, greasy items. Here's hoping we'll lose a few pounds, get a little healthier and start better eating habits this year! (Especially after two years on the road with tons of fast food, this is a wonderful new reality!) Of course, if we should get desperate, Burger King, McDonald's, Papa John's, as well as many other popular American restaurants will deliver to us on a motorcycle....the fries just might be a little cold.

~Tona

The First Week

2011-01-07T22:03:00.017-05:00

Happy New Year! We pray 2011 will be full of amazing blessings for you and your family! This year has started with a bang for us and we are off and running on the field. Here's a quick timeline to show you how this first week of January has gone down...

Saturday, January 1 - We brought in the new year with our moms, Tona's sister and Corey's brother. We stayed up most of the night playing Wii games and spent the day crashed out from staying up so late! Corey spent the day watching our poor teams, Michigan and Michigan State lose miserably in their respective bowl games.

Sunday, January 2 - We enjoyed our last morning worship service at Mount Hope Church in Grand Blanc. After church we opened up the house for an afternoon of fun with friends to say our final farewells. We had a wonderful time, but of course it was hard to say those goodbyes.

Monday, January 3 - With the holidays over and just days from leaving, we spent Monday packing away!

Thanks to my sister, Josi, we had a lot of help shoving things in suitcases and closing up the house! We also took time to celebrate Tona's mom's 60th birthday since we'd all be gone when it actually came. We gave her a gold necklace with a tree holding all of our birthstones.

Tuesday, January 4 - We took Josi and our nephew, David, to the train station in the morning for their return home to Chicago. It's always very difficult to say goodbye to my beloved sister. We spent the day scurrying for new tennis shoes, saying goodbye to the kids' dogs and cleaning up mom's house as we emptied out the rooms. We had our "last supper" at Red Robin - Tona's favorite - before our moms drove us to the airport hotel in Detroit. Our final goodbyes were said as they left to return to Flint.

When we got to Detroit we thought we'd catch an early bedtime since we had a 3:30am wakeup call, but when there was a glitch checking in for our flight, we ended up on the phone until midnight. There had been a problem with our booking and instead of showing one continuous travel, they had booked each leg as a separate travel experience and wanted us to pay double for baggage fees (which would have been $1400) as well as go through the check-in process at the next stop (with only an hour layover). We would have missed our connecting flight. After a lot of chaos and fear we would not be able to take our flight or be out a ton of money, all of the kinks were worked out at the last minute and just after 1am we were snuggled in our beds for the next two and a half hours.

Wednesday, January 5th - THE BIG DAY!! Up before the sun we waited for the 4am shuttle to pick us

up. We were traveling with 12 suitcases, 3 carry-ons and 4 backpack/computer bags. The shuttle driver was not too thrilled with us when he came to pick us up. We tipped him well, though, so hopefully we didn't ruin his day! When we got to the line for the airline, the computers were down and they were doing everything by hand. It was a little humorous to see the panic of doing things without computers - just makes you realize how much we all depend on them! Just as we were about to go to the counter, they came back up making our check-in go very smoothly. Travel went very well. As we waited in our gate at Fort Lauderdale we looked around and were surrounded by gates going to Colombia - Armenia, Bogota and Medellin. I won't lie, we were tempted to sneak onto another plane!

We made it safely into San Jose and through customs with no problem. This time around it is a million times easier with the kids being bigger and able to help with all the luggage! Along the drive to our apartment we began to remember experiences and places as we passed things that once again became familiar. Although leaving is hard, the kids were very excited to be back in Latin America. Exhausted, we unpacked, took a break for a pizza party for the new students and came back and crashed!

Thursday, January 6th - Corey and I celebrated our 15th anniversary the same way we did our 10th - getting set up

in language school! Corey had to take a Spanish placement written test and interview. Kind of cruel, if you ask me...we were running on very little sleep and just overwhelmed with transition and he was desperately trying to pull out his Spanish brain!

Alex and Maggie were off first thing in the morning back to school, but only for new student orientation where they were given cultural instructions and an introduction to the school.

When everyone was finished we went to the grocery store. I had forgotten what an ordeal grocery shopping can be. It's a long uphill walk to the store. We were surprised to see many more American items than last time we were here, but they come at a steep price, so we'll be sticking to mostly Costa Rican dishes while we're here. We were so tired after the walk back, we spent the evening at home. The kids from next door, another missionary family, came over and watched movies while we relaxed.

Friday, January 7th - This morning Corey and I had orientation and got lots of answers to questions we'd been forming since our arrival. The kids had another day of orientation as well. Theirs included a trip to the Children's Museum. While they were at school, Corey and I made a trip to Hipermas (sounds like eep-er-mahs), which is actually owned by Walmart and in general resembles a typical Walmart store. Prices are better there and we were able to pick up a few household items much cheaper than the local grocery store. This was also our first taxi ride this trip and I'm glad to say we survived!

With the adjustment and pressure to use my Spanish, I found myself at the crashing point this afternoon and thought I'd take a quick nap. I slept for hours! I woke up feeling much better and we headed over to another missionary's house for taco night with all of the students. It's great to be surrounded by wonderful people who are going through the exact same things we are.

As I write this, I can't believe this is only the end of the first week of the year. I feel like we've spanned a few lifetimes just in the last few days, but I am so glad that we are finally on our next step to Colombia. I can't begin to express the gratitude we have for everyone who has supported us along this way. I know so many of you have been through very challenging situations and yet you stay faithful to help us in this journey. Monday we will begin "real life" as school starts all around for everyone.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

~Tona

December Update

2010-12-04T21:39:00.002-05:00

Can you believe we're coming up on the end of 2010? What a fast year this has been. We send this message in the midst of chaos and excitement as packing is underway as well as preparation for the holidays and ultimately our farewell to the USA for the next three years. We are so excited to tell you that we have our tickets in hand for a January 5th departure. We will be heading to Costa Rica for four months of language learning and in May we will be settling into Medellín for our new term. Expectations are high as we look towards the fulfillment of all we've been working and praying for. Our gratitude is overwhelming for all of you who have given once, every month, sent gifts and notes of encouragement and - most of all - prayed for our ministry to Colombia.

Maggie's Mission

If you read our blog, you may have seen me mention over these last two years that Maggie and Alex are determined to be much more active in ministry this term than they were the last. God has been working in both of their hearts to develop ministry skills and ideas that they can do themselves. Maggie has been burdened for some time to collect blankets, shampoo and soaps for kids all over the world who are cold at night and do not have the resources to be clean. If you click here or on the picture to the left, you will find her mission in her own words. If you'd like to help, please give us a call or email to tona@kautzfamily.org.

If You'd Like to Give...

As the year draws to a close, this is a wonderful time to give your final charitable donations for 2010. While we have raised enough funds to go the field, at this point we are not able to go fully funded. That means we've made several cuts to our budget in order to be able to leave, but we're praying that God will supply what has been taken out so that we go with every necessary tool and not stripped down to a bare bones budget. If you'd like to become a monthly support partner and help us raise the remainder of those funds, please click here to access an online monthly commitment form. You can also make a one-time donation at this link.

A Gift We Hope Everyone Will Give

On October 8th, Pastor Cameron and Rachel King lost their four year old daughter, Makiah, in a tragic car accident. In her blog, Rachel tells a beautiful story about Makiah's heart for children without water. A project has been launched to buy a well for children in Africa. You can help by purchasing a well charm. When 600 have been purchased, it will be possible for a well to be dug to supply water in Makiah's honor and will be commemorated with a plaque in her memory. Please continue to pray for Pastor Cameron and Rachel. Amidst their grief they are expecting twins in the next few months. Click here to purchase a well charm in Makiah's honor.

100% (enter jumping and cheering here!)

2010-10-19T09:01:00.003-05:00

Not too long ago we lost a dear friend, Mrs. Becky Brumbalow, who was a sweet and tiny lady with a whole lot of spunk about her! One of her favorite things to say was "Today is a great day for a miracle!" This past week, every day has been a great day for a miracle! Since our post on October 12th, every day more and more support has poured in and I am so excited to tell you that we have reached 100% of our required monthly pledges to go to the field!!

So now what? Well, we have to go back to language school for one trimester to refresh on our Spanish, so we should be leaving on a plane the first week of January for the flight to Costa Rica. Between now and then we will continue to raise funds because although we have reached 100%, it is of our bare-bones, slimmed-down, trimmed-down budget. We cut a lot of things out of our budget in order to be able to go, so between now and the end of December we will continue to raise funds in hopes of putting some meat back on those bare bones, but regardless of how much "meat" we can raise, we will be leaving in January!!

We have so many people to thank for praying, for giving, for spreading the word and getting their friends on board! It has been incredible each day seeing our updates and how many people have come alongside our ministry to Colombia. We are so touched by your love!

Keep praying! There's lots to do between now and the first week of January to close up this itineration and move on to our term! We are full of excitement and ready for this next chapter!

Blessings,

Tona

Maggie is 13!!

2010-10-17T08:37:00.000-05:00

Our baby, our little girl, our Magaroo...has become a teenager. We did not give her permission to do that, but she went ahead and grew up anyway! While it's hard to see how fast she is growing, we are so very proud of her! She is a beautiful girl and so grounded in her faith. This weekend we had a party with some of her closest friends.

As an early gift, a few weeks ago I took her to see her favorite band, Tenth Avenue North, where amazingly she got everything she was hoping for!

We were in the front row.

She got her guitar signed by the entire band!

And the highlight of her night was meeting her favorite guitarist, Jeff Owen!

She is a blessed girl and we are blessed to have her in our family!

~Tona

"For I Know The Plans I Have For You"

2010-10-12T09:56:00.002-05:00

When Joseph was 17 God gave him two dreams that he knew meant that one day his brothers would be bowing before him, that he would be in a place of power. It wasn't until he was 30 that those dreams began to take shape and even closer to 40 when his brothers bowed before him. In those years between 17 and 30, so many obstacles and troubles makes me wonder if Joseph doubted the dreams God had given him. When he was sitting in prison did he still believe that he would one day be in power?

God has plans for us. God has plans for you. One of the most difficult aspect of dealing with those plans is when we feel like we're on a rabbit trail along the way or when we can't see how to get from where we are to the outcome He's called us to.

We have been raising funds for 22 months. We thought we'd be done in 12, but things don't always go like we plan. Last week, on Thursday, we received a call from headquarters to tell us that we are out of time. We have used every possible extension of time and are now down to the last days. Next Tuesday the Executive Committee will review our file and there is a very big possibility they will cut us from the missions program if we do not have our funds in by then.

When we received the call on Thursday we were just over $1000 short on our budget. We update a lot on Facebook, so let me paste in here just how this journey has gone so far...

October 7th - We need a miracle in the next 7 days. Please read and help if you are able. We need 100 monthly supporters at $10/month. Could you sacrifice $10/month to help us build schools and help give hope and a future to the poverty stricken youth and children of Colombia?

October 8th - KEEP PRAYING! Thank you so much to everyone who has reposted our need! As of this morning $70 in new support has come in. Anyone who filled out the form online last night or this morning will be reported to us tomorrow morning. Please keep praying and posting! WE NEED 93 MORE PEOPLE AT $10/MONTH IN SIX DAYS!! God created everything in six days - we know he can provide for this!!

October 9th - We're down to 5 days and $900 in monthly support left to raise. Can you give $10 a month? We'll get our next update on Tuesday. Thank you for getting the word out and please help keep it going.

October 11th - Great morning! Corey drove in at 5:30AM!! Woohoo!! Quick update - we are (unofficially) down to needing $781 more in new monthly support - that's 78 more individuals or churches committed to $10/month!! Keep praying - we only have a few days left!

October 12th - Our latest update ~ Unofficially we need $581 more in monthly support - down to 58 individuals or churches at $10/month! Can you help us impact the lives of kids in Colombia?

I cannot believe the calls and emails we have gotten from friends, churches, strangers, etc. showing support and sending in commitment forms. When we first got the call I felt desperate, panic stricken, unbelievably stressed out, but then I thought about Joseph and what he endured between the call and the fulfillment and I remembered that God knows the path from point A to point B. I remembered that the way is not always easy, but that God knows the plans that He has for the Kautz family and I remembered that God unequivocally called us to Colombia. Knowing He called us, we know He has the plan to get us there!

Please pray! Support is pouring in and we know that God is providing, but we appreciate your prayers and your passing on of our info. We praise God for the work He is doing in our spirits during this time of pressure and know that when we step on the field in Colombia we will be doing so fully prepared.

James 1:2-4 (The Message)

^2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

~Tona

Overwhelming Hope

2010-07-27T16:24:00.002-05:00

Ever have an experience where you have an overwhelming day where everything points to the contrary of success but a rush of overwhelming hope overtakes you? That happened to me today. We're just five weeks away from stepping on an airplane and beginning our first term as fully appointed missionaries...but at the moment, the numbers don't add up, the approvals are not in place and it looks like a long shot. That's kind of been the case for a while, but today although the outside stayed the same, my insides did a 180!

Corey and I started the day going through our budget, deciding what we could live without - minimizing our personal allowance, halving the things we think we can find a way to cut corners on, marking things within our budget that we hate to cut out, but at this point we are willing to do. Then we called headquarters and began the discussion, basically telling them we will do whatever it takes to be on that plane Sept. 1st. We are awaiting approvals on our cut budget, but as we left to continue our duties of the day, I felt like my spirit was going to explode! I looked at Corey and chuckled because I recognized that no matter what happens, the hope I am holding onto is bursting. God will work this all out. I am ready. Corey is ready. The kids are ready. It's time to board the plane and get back to spreading the gospel to all nations!

Please pray with us and for us. We need 60 new monthly supporters at $60/month to reach our full funding. I am praying that we will leave fully funded so that we can use every opportunity and means to reach the youth and children of Colombia. However, I am also praying that we will be given permission to lower our budget drastically in order to close out this time of itineration and buy our plane tickets. I am confident. I am trusting in the Lord. I am overwhelmed by hope!

Praise God!

~Tona

When You See It In Writing...

2010-07-14T22:53:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday, but since I've passed the 27 mark (a few years ago now), I've stopped counting and the day passes mostly like any other day. Today, however, was different. I've enjoyed the wonder of Facebook for a few years now, but I don't think any as much as I've enjoyed it today. Over a hundred friends left me birthday messages (116 at our last count!) and I spent the day laughing over shared memories and marveling at the many different walks I have encountered all of these friends. Some go back to high school, some even further to my childhood church leaders and friends. Messages from former partners in youth ministry, youth, missionary friends from all over the world and new friends we've met through itineration have popped up today. I marvel at how amazing God is, at the people he brings in our path at the perfect time.

Lately a few different groups of these friends have talked about the "glory years" where everything just seemed perfect. I've had those times a few times in my lifetime, where for a season we had a support group, a bond that held us tight, a perfect meshing of our paths, but at some point everyone had to part and move on to the next season. That doesn't diminish those relationships, but to look back at those friends in those precious times who helped us through different circumstances can only be the orchestration of our Creator. He is so good!

There were several messages that brought me to tears today - those from our precious kids in Colombia. Our "glory years" with them were just beginning when we returned to the States and there are more to come - I have no doubt about that! They wrote such sweet sentiments and how much they missed us. My heart aches to be back in Colombia - to finish the work God had started with us and to embark on new ministries to reach more.

As we continue this journey, please keep us in your prayers. There is no greater birthday wish I have than to be in Colombia, preferably tomorrow, but anytime in the very near future would be wonderful!

Thank you dear friends for making this day so special!

Blessings,

Tona

Alex is 14!!

2010-06-28T22:46:00.005-05:00

It has been a CRAZY month!! We have been in Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and Florida over the last four weeks. We have traveled well over 40 hours in the car and have been home for one day this entire month. In the midst of all the travel, last Saturday (the 26th) Alex turned 14!! We were in Orlando for his birthday and took the day to visit Downtown Disney! What a great day as we watched Toy Story 3 and took Alex to the T-Rex Cafe for his birthday lunch and cake ~ "Chocolate Extinction." It's hard to believe Alex is already 14, but we are so proud of the young man he has become. As he looked through souvenir shops at all the silly and crazy items he could have picked out, he found a key chain with the "Footprints" poem on it - the first time he had ever read it. That was all he wanted. We are so blessed with a wonderful son! Thank you to everyone who sent cards and gifts! Alex sure felt loved!

~Tona

June Update

2010-06-15T21:26:00.002-05:00

(Every month we send out an email update to keep everyone up to date on where we are. In an effort to streamline our connections with everyone, I will start posting it here as well so that no one is left out.)

We've got a very important update for you this month. If you remember back in March we told you that April 1st was our deadline. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach our budget, but we were granted a three month extension. That extension expires on July 1st, leaving us just about two weeks to finish our fundraising. Once again we are praying for a miracle with a very quick deadline. Here is the update on where we stand.

Our monthly support budget is at 60%. We have about $3,500 left to raise. You may be thinking, $3,500 in two weeks is impossible. I'd agree, but fortunately we serve a big God who dwells in the impossible and we are trusting that it will come together. Although it seems like a huge number still to raise, my heart has been nagging me that it only takes 100 new supporters at $35/month. Now, 100 individuals and churches seems like a lot, but consider this:
This newsletter goes out to almost 300 people. Less than a third of those are already monthly supporters, leaving about 200 recipients who have not yet made a commitment. If just half of those would fill out a faith promise of $35/month in the next two weeks, we would enter our review with complete confidence that our support has been raised!!

It doesn't seem quite so impossible now, does it? Can you be one of our 100? This link will take you to our online commitment form. Please fill it out and then send us an email at tona@kautzfamily.org letting us know that you have made a commitment. (That will help us make sure headquarters records it.)

Our cash budget is also at 60%. We have about $10,000 left to raise. If we had all of our monthly support in place, it would take less than two months to fulfill our cash budget, not to mention the offerings we're receiving weekly.

If you're already a monthly supporter, first of all we thank you! We couldn't have made it this far without you. Would you please pray specifically for the need we have listed here. If we are all in agreement in prayer on this matter, I have no doubt that God will bring forth the support we need. We are so ready to get to Colombia and reach souls for the Kingdom. Please keep this in your prayers. You can also help by spreading the word to other friends and pastors who don't yet know us or support us.

June Update

It's been a bit crazy as we've traveled and tried to get the word out about the needs in Colombia! In fact, this month Corey preached services in Michigan (with the kids) while Tona spoke in Georgia. We were able to reunite in Michigan to celebrate our nephew's high school graduation and open house and now we're preparing for another journey. We'll leave on Thursday to travel from Michigan to Florida with stops and meetings in Ohio and Georgia. Did I say it's a bit crazy?!?

Alex and Maggie completed school on June 3rd and are enjoying summer break visiting with friends and family. They are very excited to return to Colombia. In fact, just recently Maggie stood before a room full of pastors and asked them to help us. If you know Maggie, you'd know that she barely speaks at home - she's very quiet and shy, but she was convinced that we're not doing enough so she stood up to speak for herself! God has called our entire family - there's no doubt about that!

May you be greatly blessed. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support.

Blessings,

Corey, Tona, Alex and Maggie Kautz

Coincidence? I Think Not!

2010-03-12T10:40:00.004-05:00

Psalm 37:23 (King James Version)

²³The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

"It's a small world." I hear that again and again when we cross paths with new friends who know old friends. Just recently, while in Michigan, we were staying with a family who had opened their home from the local church. As we chatted they talked about a friend of their son and as they described him we knew exactly that they were talking about Brandon - an MK to Belgium whose parents are from Georgia but who we had actually met in Springfield, MO because he was Alex's camp counselor. We laughed at the irony that in the home of new friends we were connected to a young man who had never been to Michigan.

Recently I've seen God make connections for us that are so much more than coincidental. A few weeks ago I took Maggie to the orthodontist. With anxiety after I had heard friends talk about how expensive braces are, we went at the dentist's request to see if Maggie needed braces. Knowing no particular orthodontist, we called the clinic they referred us to and took the first available appointment. I was very surprised when it turned out our orthodontist was from Colombia! What was even more incredible was that he understood our plans to move to Colombia and instead of trying to start treatment on Maggie he explained to me that it would be much less expensive in Colombia - and he connected me with an orthodontist in Medellin who had studied right here at Georgia Tech! Now when we arrive I will not have to worry about getting this all figured out as the orthodontist in Colombia is expecting us and is making a treatment plan alongside the orthodontist we saw here. Small detail, yes, but such a relief that it's one less thing to worry about.

As we travel around it's always a blessing to meet new people, but one connection we recently made had God's fingerprints all over it. We were in Michigan for just a week and my sister asked me to meet a girl visiting from Costa Rica. She's a physical therapist and was brought to the U.S. to help a patient after surgery. She didn't really have anyone around who spoke Spanish so we visited for an evening and had a great time getting to know one another and talking about Costa Rica. I was sad to leave Michigan because we had started a great friendship but we had to get back to Atlanta for services. Just a couple of days after we arrived in Atlanta I received an anxious call from my sister. My new friend unexpectedly has to travel back to Costa Rica and the only flight she could get left her with an almost twelve hour overnight layover in Atlanta. Along with dealing with the stress of leaving unexpectedly she was very nervous about staying alone all night in the Atlanta airport. Fortunately, now that I'm in Atlanta, I can go get her tonight and give her a comfortable and safe bed to sleep in and get her back to the airport in the morning.

Isn't God amazing?!? All of these little encounters along the way are not just in passing. God leads us - orders our steps - so that we can be a blessing to others walk in His love and so that we can be blessed as we open our hearts and lives to others.

~Tona

How Great Is Our God!

2010-02-09T12:32:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe it is February already! As you probably know, our target date to leave for the field is in April. We still have quite an amount of monthly support to raise, so while we are praying for a miracle to leave in April, we are planning our itineration through June.

At the beginning of last week as I sat down to set my plans and goals for the week I realized we would need to raise about $250 in new support every week to raise the remainder our support by the end of June. I started the week optimistic, realizing that's a lot of support in one week, but also knowing that God has our supporters out there, we just have to wait on His timing.

To be honest, some days are tough. We make LOTS of phone calls and maybe get one or two services booked. Every day I ask God to direct us in who we are calling and also that He will help those who have us under consideration to remember us and be moved to support. It can be hard sometimes to have to depend on the help of others to get us to Colombia. Our hearts are there and we can't wait to get back, but we must wait until all of the support is received.

So by midweek we had $100 in new monthly support come in and I was excited that we were making progress, but then I was amazed by the end of the week that over $400 in new support had come in - going well above and beyond our $250 goal. As we begin a new week, we are excited for what lies ahead this week and once again we are asking for $250 in new monthly supporters, but hopeful that God will again blow our goal out of the water with His plan!

Along with the excitement of new monthly supporters, our Sunday morning service was incredible as well. The Spirit was so present and we had a wonderful service. In a church of about 100 to 150, we were stunned when they gave us an offering check of $4200!!! Simply amazing! Not only did God go above and beyond in new monthly supporters, but that offering will make a great push in our cash budget as well.

We are so very blessed and excited to see what more God will do. Like I said, we're planning through June but we have not given up hope that God will work some miracles to have us on the field in April. Should that not work out, however, we will not be discouraged because we know His timing is perfect and whenever we depart we will know it is because we have finished the work He has for us here in the States and are now prepared to work in Colombia.

Have a blessed day!

~Tona

Winter 2010 Newsletter

2010-02-01T20:45:00.003-05:00

Our winter newsletter is ready to go. Click here or on the thumbnail to see it in full screen.
~Tona

LIFE and Kindness

2010-01-29T11:09:00.003-05:00

Another wonderful night last night with the LIFE tour. Maggie and I left in the afternoon to make the four hour journey from Atlanta to Meigs, Georgia. We had a wonderful night with the pastors and ladies of the Moultrie Section. At the end of the evening we packed up the car and drove home - a long day of driving, but we had an exciting morning to get back to!

We were blessed with the opportunity to share this morning in the Middle School chapel at Wesleyan School. It's International Week and the topic was kindness. The Wesleyan School is a beautiful place. The campus resembles a small university campus.

Beyond the beauty of the campus, the students were so impressive! The entire Middle School recited Psalms 40. In honor of International Week, the 5th and 6th grade chorus group sang a wonderful song in eight languages. One student read the week's scripture in French and three students led the school in reciting the Lord's Prayer in Latin. One student also gave the benediction in Spanish. Corey and I had the opportunity to share with them about Colombia and challenge them to do random acts of kindness.

The students were so respectful and kind already! This was an extra special event for us because the director of the chapel, as well as one of the 7th grade teachers, is Mrs. Joanna Schuerman. We were blessed many years ago to know Joanna as a young teenager in the youth group. We've watched her become a beautiful lady and are so proud of her. Watching her in action - as a grown up - makes us feel a little bit old but most of all makes us so proud of what a great job she is doing at the school and with her students! We will cherish this experience for a very long time!

~Tona

1 Timothy 4:12

2010-01-27T23:10:00.004-05:00

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

I have pretty amazing kids. Sometimes people assume that our whole walk into missions is just about Corey and I and that the kids are just tagging along. That couldn't be further than the truth! Alex and Maggie are each very strong in their faith and seeking to fulfill God's call on their lives. Today they finished their first ever Daniel fast. For 10 days they denied themselves meat, sweets and dairy - the three very staples of their existence -to focus on getting closer to God. While I am proud of this accomplishment, there are many characteristics that I see in them that bring me joy to have them as my children.

The picture above is a letter we sent out with our Christmas cards this year. (You can click on it to see it in full view.) Maggie has asked us for a while if she could be the one to call pastors and explain to them how important it is that she get back to Colombia, that Colombia is home to her and she has children to help. I realized that most pastors would probably think it was a prank if she called, so I told her to write a letter and I would send it. The above letter is straight out of her mouth, no parent censoring or guidance involved - although you can see from her plea that she has heard us ask for support many times!

Maggie is in sixth grade. This is a transitional year, her first official year in youth. Because we've been youth leaders pretty much since she was born, Maggie has grown up in the youth group her whole life, but now she is of age that she is a legitimate member. When we first returned to Atlanta she was concerned about the youth group because there are no other middle school girls there. Because of itineration we were bouncing around most Wednesdays anyway but she and Alex kind of adopted a new youth group that had a strong presence of middle schoolers and homeschoolers - people who could relate to them. When in Michigan they have a youth group that they love dearly and Maggie began to come out of her shell and find her place along with the rest. All through this I've seen her develop into quite a worshipper and someone who walks through the doors seeking an encounter with God. It was not about friends or the games, she's all about finding God. Just about every service she goes to she comes home with a song that she looks up and adds to her own personal praise list on her iPod.

As a parent it's an exciting time to see her developing this faith, but it has also been heartbreaking wanting to see her thrive in a youth group but having a hard time juggling our home church with itineration and other churches that have people in her age group. Our home church youth group has been without an official youth pastor for a while and we feel a burden to help as much as we can. (Tonight a new youth pastor began and we are expecting some growth and excitement over the next year.) A few weeks ago Maggie came to me and said, "I know what God wants me to do right now." While I thought she might say something like God wanted her to pray more or read her Bible more, she said, "I know I'm the youngest in this youth group by far, but I know that God wants me to help this youth group and be an example." This conviction was a personal answer to prayer. We have rearranged our schedule so that most Wednesdays the kids will be able to be there where Maggie feels called to make a difference. Although she is shy and because of her age difference no one really speaks to her, she bravely walks through the door each week and goes forward for worship, singing to her Lord and not worrying about what's going on around her. Still a little nervous, she has me by her side so she doesn't have to sit alone, but I am so proud of the wisdom and maturity I see developed in her. She is quite amazing.

Alex is on a mission, too. If you see his facebook status updates you'll see that he is not shy one bit about posting pleas for people to know God, to open their hearts to Jesus. He has developed websites and groups to connect believers and invite curious people to learn about God. Last year while he was in public school right off the bat he worked to start a Bible study and a Bible club in the middle school. I, personally, am a much less in your face kind of person, but Alex has no fear of presenting the gospel on the spot and calling people into question. He is not offensive in his approach, but he is bold, clearly on a mission to reach as many as he can with the Word. He constantly carries a small journal where he gathers names and emails of new friends who he keeps in touch with and reaches out to. His concerns are often about friends who are living in lifestyles well beyond their years. He's told me he feels like he'll be a missionary when he grows up because he can't imagine doing anything different with his life.

Now I am not so naive to think that my kids aren't going to face challenges to their faith, their purity and their lives in the upcoming years, but I thank God that at 12 and 13 while many of their peers are texting about boyfriends, girlfriends, breakups and broken hearts, they have their hearts set on Jesus. Their number one priority is loving God and that's a start to the teenage years that I think sets them up for much more success in their walks and their lives. They do not let their youth discourage them from being examples, from doing what they feel is right. I am blessed with amazing kids!

~Tona

LIFE Tour Begins

2010-01-26T09:28:00.003-05:00

In December, the world lost one of its finest. Miss Becky Brumbalow was an incredible woman and a beautiful example of love and compassion to everyone. She had the biggest heart for missions and went out of her way to make sure all the missionaries who crossed her path were well taken care of and loved. She will be greatly missed.

Every year the Georgia Women's Ministry raises money for the L.I.F.E. fund, designated gifts that help missionaries with various needs. This year, it has been renamed "Becky For Life" in rememberance of this dear lady.

I had the priveledge last night to speak at the Griffin section. It was a beautiful time with all of the ladies of Griffin. They are a fine group! I was able to share our heart for Colombia and get to know so many wonderful women of the faith. Georgia is blessed with amazing ladies with very caring hearts.

On a family note, Maggie came along with me so that I would not have to drive alone. She ended up being my tech helper for the night. She did a great job running the powerpoint and video. I was a very proud mommy and am now convinced I should take her everywhere! We make a great team!

~Tona

Friends Like These

2010-01-25T09:40:00.004-05:00

This is our car, our one and only - a black 2003 Aztek - after another trek from Michigan to Atlanta at the beginning of this month. To say this car has been through a lot is a great understatement. We pile on hundreds and hundreds of miles every month, take it through snow, sleet, rain and it rarely complains. Last week, however, it decided enough was enough!

We had just finished a weekend in Macon, GA and drove to Mableton, GA where a dear friend of ours, Nerissa, was keeping Maggie. As we pulled in her driveway we talked about how we were nearly home and we were looking forward to an evening in our sweats, watching TV, playing games and relaxing. We all piled back into the car and when Corey started to leave the driveway the car made some weird noises and plumes of smoke started puffing out of the hood. Uh-oh! I thought at first that Corey was just playing with the brakes, testing them out since it was a rainy day, but in fact what happened was that the brake line had just ruptured.

We put it in park and headed into Nerissa's home to figure out what to do next. This was the beginning of a realization that we have the most incredible friends. We called AAA to send a tow truck and laid out a plan while we waited. That evening, Nerissa fed us and the kids, drove us to pick up Corey from the auto shop, helped us run errands so that we wouldn't have to spend extra money and was willing to drive us down to the airport to get a rental car. That wouldn't be necessary, though. While we were out running all over town, Joyce, another dear friend and Nerissa's mom, was on the phone calling people from Calvary Church asking if anyone had a car. While we were out and about figuring out the best plan of action, Miss Joyce called and told us that a family from the church, John and Lena, had a car for us to borrow. It just so happened we were right in the area of where they lived!

We went to their house to pick up the car and I was a bit stunned when they pulled out their BMW for us to use! I thought that was incredibly generous especially because they knew we had to drive another great distance the next day yet they were willing to entrust us with thier car. We finally got home that night with relief and assurance from the auto shop that the car would be fixed in the morning and it would cost us about $250.

But then...the next morning as we were finishing up a service in McDonough, GA, Corey got a call from the auto shop saying they could not fix the car, that we'd have to take it to a dealer. That felt like a pretty major setback. We headed home to figure out what to do next, knowing we'd have to pay for another tow truck driver, pay the auto shop for the inspection and now pay a dealer probably much more for repairs. Our friend, Jason, happened to call and Corey told him what had happened. Turns out Jason has a friend who drives a tow truck and a friend who is a mechanic.

The next day Jason picked up Corey and took him to take care of the car. (I should mention that all of these friends live somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 miles away from us - these were not short jumps over). The first auto shop did not charge us anything because they felt bad about telling us they could fix it and then not being able to. That was a relief! Then because of Jason's friend we got a discounted rate on the tow to the next shop. Corey and Jason got the car dropped off at the new mechanic's shop and from there we waited. Two days later we got a call that the car was ready and it was only going to cost $150! Now we just had to get to it! Mr. Steve, another great friend and the missions director at Calvary, took time out of his work day to pick Corey up and drive him to the other side of town to get the car. Such a kind sacrifice.

In the end, our car was fixed for less than we originally expected and once again we were shown God's faithfulness in keeping us safe in all of these travels. Had that line ruptured 15 minutes before or after it did, we would have been on a major Atlanta interstate amidst lots of traffic on a rainy day. That could have been disasterous. We were also reminded that we have dear, dear friends who are willing to put their schedules aside to help a friend in need. We are so grateful!

Thank you, Nerissa, Joyce, John, Lena, Jason and Mr. Steve. You are our heroes! We also need to thank Pastor Shell and Missy. They were checking on us all along, contacting their friends and offering their support. We are truly grateful for your friendship.

~Tona

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T23:42:00.004-05:00

Praying everyone has had a safe and wonderful start to 2010. We are trusting God for amazing works this year both here in the States and in Colombia. May you be blessed as you look ahead to everything awaiting you this year.
~Tona

Wrapping It Up

2009-12-09T09:13:00.003-05:00

(Josi (Tona's sister), Corey, Maggie, Tona, David (our nephew) and Alex on Thanksgiving)

It's hard to believe it's already December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We drove up to Michigan to spend Thanksgiving with our families. We'll be here for a few more weeks to itinerate and enjoy Christmas with our loved ones.

As this year comes to a close we'd like to ask for your help. First and foremost we need your prayers. Our initial hope was that at this time we'd be packing up to leave for Colombia, but this year has proved difficult to raise the support necessary in order to do so and we find ourselves delayed. We need you to stand in agreement with us petitioning God to work a few miracles in our fundraising finances.

We need churches and individuals to join with us in this mission. If you are not already a monthly partner with us would you please consider joining us now? We cannot leave for the field until we have raised 100 percent of our monthly support. Our biggest need right now is to raise up monthly support so that we can get to the field.

If you already support us, we thank you so much. Would you please pass on our information to your friends, pastors or others who might be interested in knowing more or helping out?

You can click on these links or go to the "How Can I Help" tab on the left side of this page to make a donation.

For a one-time donation click here

To become a monthly partner click here

Thank you so much. We are praying for a Christmas miracle, that we will see huge strides forward in our support raising. I hope to post a few more blogs with updates of great success! Can you believe for a miracle with us?

Merry Christmas!

~Tona

Unexpected Blessings

2009-10-22T14:55:00.004-05:00

We have been blessed so much. I'd like to share a few of the stories with you on how we have been touched by churches, pastors and friends throughout these last weeks.

A couple of weeks ago we spent a weekend in Tennessee for the Tri-Cities Missions Convention, which I must take a moment to brag on. The Tri-Cities section had a 100% participation - all of the churches in the section took part in the convention where we were able to share our burden for Colombia with all of the pastors in a rally Saturday night and then on Sunday all of the missionaries were dispersed throughout the churches to minister. We had three services on Sunday - one in Spanish - and then a wonderful breakfast on Monday. We were so touched by the openness and kindness that all of the pastors showed us and their enormous hearts for missions.

The following weekend we packed up again and headed to Panama City, Florida. Again, we were blessed so unexpectedly. They put us in a beautiful hotel the night before our service. On Sunday we were able to share our heart for Colombia in both the English and the Spanish service. After the morning service they gave us information to go to a resort on Panama City Beach. They set up for us to stay for two nights! I failed to mention that Corey was on the road at least five days every week throughout September, so after going to Tennessee and then driving to Florida, we were running pretty close to empty! We spent Monday and Tuesday, just the four of us, taking time to enjoy a relaxing break. It had been three years since we had been on a trip where we just rested together as a family. We have been on trips with extended family or conferences in beautiful places, but it's been three years since the four of us could take a vacation on our own. We savored every moment of it!

The rest of October has been going so wonderfully. In one service, God's perfect timing put us in a church the week their pastor was sick and unable to preach. In another, we were able to visit Pastor Dennis and Miss Sue's church (the Pastors who originally sent us out as missionaries) where it was not only a wonderful blessing to be with them but also to watch as our darling Rachel, one of our former youth, led the adults with her amazing gifts! It's so cool to see our "kids" all grown up and in ministry.

So much more has happened and I could write a book with all that we've seen and our experiences, but one more that stands out was a visit we had just this last Sunday. We were scheduled for an evening service at a church we haven't visited before. We have mutual friends with the pastor, but we didn't know much more about the church. That's common, but I'll be honest here. One of the hurdles of itineration is that we spend a lot of time in the pulpit preaching and teaching and giving our all to be a blessing to the people we visit, but there are times when we do not do enough to refill our own spirits. We have devotions in our house every morning before we start our day where we all read our own devotional or study and then we come together for prayer, but sometimes that's not enough to sustain our spirits after all of the traveling, school, meetings, etc. that go on.

When we walked through the doors of the church I'd have to say we were spiritually tired, but we went in with our game faces on, ready to give whatever we had left. Our goal was to make it through service and crash and recover on Monday. Well, God was having none of that. Worship started - and they were an awesome group of worship leaders. They sang "How He Loves", which happens to be one of my favorite worship songs right now - that whole story is for another blog, another time. As they sang, the Holy Spirit began to move through that church. There were probably 30 of us there and most of the people flooded the altar. At one point a man came forward and threw away his cigarettes, not because of a sermon or a call to do that, just because the Spirit had moved him to get rid of it. I found myself praising and tears falling down my cheeks. It was such a sweet and refreshing atmosphere.

The pastor called us forward. Churches pray over us often, but this was different. This time was not to pray over our ministry or support, etc. He gave us a specific word for the state of our spirits and the prayer was direct and intentional to restore us and refill what we had poured out. He said he sensed our heaviness and weariness and as he prayed I was so grateful that we were in a place where we could be real, give it all to God and let him refresh our exhausted spirits. It's difficult to explain the whole experience in a blog, but that was such an unusual service where I felt the Lord tear off my "game face" and remind me to be real, that sometimes I need to be the one in the altar, not just the one praying for those who come forward. When it came time to share about Colombia I had a tough time keeping it together. God really rocked me that night, but I left that church different - and better - than when I had walked through the doors and that is one of the best blessings to receive!

~Tona

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

2009-10-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

Maggie is 12 years old today!

Fall Update

2009-10-02T14:31:00.001-05:00

Our Fall Update is available for your viewing pleasure! Click on the picture for a larger view.

~Tona

Monthly Updates

2009-09-11T15:43:00.020-05:00

We just started using a new email service to get a monthly update out to our friends, supporters and anyone interested in what's going on as we prepare for our return to Colombia. If you didn't receive an email and you'd like to, please fill out this form to join our mailing list.

~Tona

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Kautz Academy of Ugly Toed Zebras

2009-09-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

That's what we...or maybe just I...considered naming our homeschool when we had to declare a name for our new home study program. We went with Kautz Academy. The kids thought it was really cool that they got to do their first day of school barefoot. We went through a few names and realized we're really just simple people and a simple name was fitting!

We embarked on this new adventure in homeschooling and so far it's going well...of course we've only completed one day. Fortunately I've been able to connect with several moms who are homeschooling and it's been a blessing to get their wisdom. We are so new to all of this. I'd love to hear any insight or ideas you might have to help us make this year a great one. Please keep us in your prayers as we work out the details and take on this new year!
~Tona

Where Do You Do Church?

2009-09-01T15:12:00.002-05:00

One of the most exciting parts of itineration is seeing the diversity among all the of the churches we visit. We've seen many cultures within the walls of the church, worship and music that spans generations and styles. Even more interesting is where we've seen all of this happening.

We've been in some churches that are very large with coffee stands in the foyer, stadium seating and state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment. We've been in churches that remind me of the church I grew up in, a "traditional" style church, with the piano and organ on stage, pews and the same communion table that says "This do till He comes." We've seen some that are just like the church where my grandparents pastor - smaller in size but big in the way of a "church family" atmosphere. Someone told me recently that I should start a blog to chronicle the many churches and people we have encountered along the way. There would definitely be some moving experiences but there would also be a lot of funny stories to share and many instances where a song, a circumstance or a person instantly transports our minds to a childhood memory. (I've even actually run into my childhood Sunday School teachers along the way!) I'm getting off track...

One of the coolest things we've seen outside of all of the actual church buildings are innovative places where people are creating church. We've visited churches in elementary schools, middle schools, community centers, the Country Inn and Suites!! It's so amazing to see people who just want to worship God - no matter where that happens to be. That is not to say anything against congregations who meet in an actual church building, I'm just so impressed by the dedication it takes for pastors and their teams to show up with their trucks, cars or trailers and every Sunday completely set up chairs, audio, visual, instruments, make-shift nurseries, etc...everything they need to have church. There's something so cool about worshipping in a place where you know the next day it will be filled with children or people in the community who don't have a relationship with Christ. They may not realize where they are entering, but they are stepping into buildings where the Holy Spirit has been invited, where prayers were lifted up for them. I love thinking about the people unknowingly walking into the presence of God. It makes me wonder what kind of a difference it makes. I know they're all just buildings but I still believe it makes an impact.

In a few weeks we'll be visiting a church that meets in a movie theater. Awesome! I can't wait to see what that's like! One day all of these churches will probably have their own building and that will give them a chance to create more time for services and specific ministries for youth, etc. but I'm glad we are able to witness how amazing church is wherever it may be!

~Tona

Prayer Requests

2009-08-18T12:50:00.002-05:00

Hello friends,
We have settled into Atlanta and have been busy on the road raising support. I'd like to send out a couple of prayer requests for your consideration.

1. We have been given a deadline of support that must be raised by the end of each month. This month we are behind and have received the "dreaded" phone call from Springfield telling us that we need to get more support ASAP. Obviously we are trying to get all our support ASAP, but with deadlines in place and support lagging, we need your prayers for new monthly supporters to emerge. If you'd like to be real specific, please pray that pastors will answer their doors and phones and that their hearts will be opened to our ministry in Colombia.

2. We are embarking on our first year of homeschooling. We have not yet begun but will in the next week or two and as this is a new adventure for all of us we really need your prayers.

3. The Colombian Missionary Fellowship has been hit hard with health needs. Praise God one of our families, Jack and Delores Simon, have gained victories over their illnesses and will be returning to the field in the next month. However, please pray for Steve and Judy Graner who are both facing very serious illnesses. Also, please pray for baby Sibila Jordan, our newest Colombian missionary who was born with some digestive difficulties and a heart problem. Praise God she is getting stronger but still needs your prayers as she continues treatments. And of course, her parents Ryan and Caitlyn, need your prayers as they go through this time.

Be blessed,
Tona Kautz

On the Move

2009-07-28T23:43:00.003-05:00

One week to the day after driving from Springfield to Michigan we hit the road again, but this time with a moving truck, and made the journey from Michigan to Georgia. We'll spend the next six to eight months itinerating throughout Georgia and Florida. The week in between our long drives we scurried to clean out our house, purge all the extras and pack up what traveled with us. It's been a crazy busy summer so far, but as I write this we are unpacked in our new apartment and itineration in Georgia has started off very well. Please keep us in your prayers over these next few months as we work to get back to Colombia as soon as possible. Be blessed!

~Tona

Commissioning

2009-07-27T23:20:00.001-05:00

On July 2nd we were officially commissioned by the Assemblies of God. It was such a special night! Our class performed our choir song, "We Will Remember" and for as much as we were dreading our choir debut, it turned out to be a very powerful moment.
Pastor Lacy was our prayer partner for the commissioning service. He presented us with a Bible and then prayed over our family. We are so honored that he was with us for this very special time.Our friends, Jeff and Karen Hlavin, were also at the commissioning service. Jeff is the Secretary-Treasurer for the Michigan District and also over Michigan missions. He has been such a blessing to us as we've been itinerating in Michigan.
We're so excited to "officially" be part of the Latin America/Carribean team. Dick and Cynthia Nicholson are our Regional Directors. We have wonderful leadership!And like all things in Springfield seem to end, we said our goodbyes at Andy's Frozen Custard! There are many more pictures from this special night and the rest of our time in Springfield. You can see them at this link - Pictures.

~Tona

To Each His Own

2009-06-30T22:31:00.002-05:00

When I was in middle school and high school my favorite time of year was track season. I enjoyed running but I loved the days when the weather was nice. As you looked over the track and field you saw people everywhere in groups working on their events. The high jumpers were taking their turns and chatting while they waited, the sprinters were flying around one side of the track while the hurdlers were jumping on the other. Every corner of the grounds had something going on and when the weather was nice most everyone was in good spirits. When it got really close to summer there'd be other teams around practicing and sometimes the marching band getting started for the next season. I still love spring and being in places where there's lots of activity and energy through a crowd.

Today was one of those days that reminded me of spring. Every morning this week we've had services designed to encourage and build up all of the missionaries. As the service was coming to a close I looked around and just took in the sights around me. Some were chatting and laughing in the back, happy to see friends for the first time in years. Some were singing. Some were praying. Some were crying. So much was going on in that one room. People were unloading burdens, reconnecting, having quiet time, lost in praise...you get the picture. My heart swelled with peace being in the midst of all of the activity and energy racing through this incredible crowd of people. What an amazing place to be!

~Tona

Missionary Renewal

2009-06-29T21:59:00.003-05:00

We've begun our last week here in Springfield. This week is Missionary Renewal. All of the missionaries who are on furlough have joined us this week. It's an exciting time. We 're haing out with friends from Colombia, friends from language school and the new friends we've made over the past two weeks. Alex and Maggie have the opportunity to spend time with friends they haven't seen in three years. It's been a lot of fun!

Our schedule is a little different this week as the focus leans much more towards encouragement instead of informational. In the morning we have services and the afternoons we have regional studies, focusing on the challenges and needs in Latin America. We have a little bit of free time in the evenings to get to know the other missionaries better.

On Thursday we will have our commissioning service. We're very excited for that step as we complete our time here in Springfield and leave here prepared to go to the field - as soon as we finish raising our funds!

Today we were blessed by Convoy of Hope. They had an open house so we could see the warehouses where they keep all of the supplies for the relief efforts they send out. They gave us food and gifts and had raffles for lots of great prizes. We had a great time!

~Tona

Missionary Training Ends

2009-06-26T23:19:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a crazy two weeks this has been! There are a couple of updates to tell you about. I've posted a picture or two below, but below the headings are links to full photo albums.

Alex and Maggie Survived Mu Kappa!

Full photo album ~ click here

Mu Kappa is a survival camp they were at Sunday through Thursday. They went with the bare minimum - a few outfits, a pillow and a bar of soap. They spent five days with the most basic of tools. Unfortunately this happens to be one of the hottest weeks of the year - the heat index sitting around 105* every day, which made their trip extra miserable. This camp isn't necessarily about having a great time, though. The point is to prepare them for whatever they might face on the field and to show them that they have a lot of strength and skills necessary to take care of themselves but also to learn to work with others. There was no bathroom, just a palette with a hole below it. The river served as their shower. They slept in hammocks hung between trees with a small tarp to protect them from rain.

When they first left I expected them to have an adventure, but the heat really stirred things up. On Tuesday night we were taken out to the camp for parent's night. When we arrived both kids were drenched in sweat. The minute Maggie saw me her lip started to quiver and she was on the verge of tears or crying the whole night. She told me she was having a very hard time at night. We were put through the same process they had been through - getting through border guards, customs agents, etc. We were able to visit their camp and see just how incredibly primitive it was. There was a nice service with the whole group and Bwana Chad, the MK director, talked about how each kid is a missionary with a purpose for where they're going. We prayed as families and then suddenly it was time for us to leave. This is when things got really tough. Maggie began sobbing, begging us not to go. To make matters worse, her leader was sick and had to leave that night, too. Fortunately there are a couple of the older girls at camp who took her under their wing and helped her get back to camp, although she told me she ended up getting sick that particular night because she was so upset.

In the end, they survived. And actually, although being at camp was very tough, they were rescued a couple of times because of the heat index. They were able to leave camp and go to a movie and a waterpark the last two days when the heat was too dangerous to be out all day. The final treat was a trip to Branson to see a Chinese acrobat show, which they both said was amazing!

Alex and Maggie Graduated From the MK Program

Full Photo Album ~ Click here

After arriving home from Mu Kappa camp on Thursday afternoon they had a chance to grab lunch and shower before getting ready for the MK Graduation. They went on stage with the whole Bootcamp group and received a few items upon graduation. First, they received a trophy for their achievement. They also received an honor bead. All through the program they earn beads to mark what they've accomplished like eating strange foods, airplane rides, crawling through the cave, etc. The blue bead is the coveted bead that they earn for doing everything. Finally, they received a swiss army knife with ISMK engraved on it. (You should have seen Alex's face light up when they announced they'd be receiving it!)

Alex Became A Teenager

Today is Alex's birthday. He's 13! It just seems impossible to believe that much time has passed since he was born, but it's true. I'm looking forward to his teen years. We've seen his relationship with God deepen greatly this year and his maturity grow in great amounts. I'm excited to see him transition from boy to man over these next few years. I would be lying, though, if I said it didn't make me a little sad to make this transition, but you can't keep them little forever...or so they tell me! I'm still slightly taller than him and although he's been stronger than me since he was about three, I count my height as the slightest edge. Soon he'll spike above me and his voice will deepen but I pray that he will never stop wanting to have open conversations with me and will always be willing to hug his mommy!

~Tona

So Blessed!

2009-06-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

We love it when we are invited to speak at churches where you walk in the door and know from the first greeting that they love missions! Yesterday we were overwhelmed with the generosity of one such church. All of the new missionaries were invited to visit Park Crest Assembly of God in Springfield. From the minute we got out of the car we were showered with love. We were greeted several times as we walked through the doors. They had set up an area of donuts and juice for all of us, which was especially a blessing since the cafeteria where we are staying is closed for the weekend.

We started off with all of the missionary families - 42 of us (families) - on stage as the 9am service started. Pastor Ted, the senior pastor, told the congregation that we were all new missionaries and that they were excited to bless us. During the meet and greet time each of us was assigned to a Sunday School class where we could share our missions story. Corey and I were assigned to the Junior High class. Let me tell you, they were a great group of kids! They listened intently while we and two other missionary families shared about our countries. They asked questions and were very respectful. We were impressed with our group!

At the beginning of the second service we were seated in the balcony and enjoyed praise and worship and a short message from the pastor. When he was finished we were all paraded into the sanctuary. As you can see in the picture above, they had a lot in store for us! Every missionary was given a gift! They drew names for every gift and there were some incredible ones in there! There were gift certificates, luggage, telephones, digital cameras, video cameras, a projector, a monitor, printer, netbooks, a full laptop...lots of incredible gifts! Every child also received a gift but a few won bonus prizes - Nintendo DS systems! This congregation had put together amazing gifts for every family and child! It was incredible! I know I keep repeating myself, but this is something I have never seen anywhere else and we were blown away! Along with the gifts, every family was given a very nice display banner with our names on it that we will be able to use all along the way as we fundraise.

After the service we were treated to a fabulous lunch. It wasn't just the tangible things that were such a blessing - it was the love that every person we met poured over us. Thank you, Park Crest, for your heart for missions and your incredible generosity. We will never forget what you did for all of us!

~Tona

A Day To Relax!

2009-06-20T20:46:00.002-05:00

It's been a week of all-day-long sessions, lots of information and not a lot of time to relax. It's been a great time - learning a lot about our countries and regions of the world, getting to know our directors better, meeting other new missionaries and really just having a different frame of mind this week. We've thouroughly enjoyed it.

Today, however, we had a day off! It's been in the 90s almost every day this week, so we could think of nothing more enjoyable to do than head to where the water is! We went with friends to a water park a little ways out of Springfield and had a wonderful time playing with the kids - who made me go on some water slides that completely freaked me out! There was a wave pool, lazy river and several different kinds of slides. We had so much fun, but also time to just lay in the sun and rest. You know it's a good day when all of the kids fall asleep on the way home because they've just expended so much energy!

It was so nice to have a day off. Tomorrow we get back to work. Alex and Maggie's will leave in the morning for Mukappa - camp for the next five days. It's a "Survivor" style camp where they have no bathrooms except for trees, they will bathe in the river and sleep in hammocks. They're not allowed to bring shampoo or deodorant along with pretty much anything else - at least they can take toothbrushes and toothpaste! It's sure to be a week of crazy adventure for them. Keep them in your prayers!

Corey and I are speaking along with the other missionaries at a local church in the morning, so with all the excitement that lies ahead, we're off to bed early tonight. God bless you!

~Tona

If I Sing A Song, Will You Sing Along?

2009-06-19T15:21:00.004-05:00

It is a powerful feeling to be sitting in a room full of people who are passionate about living for God! Yesterday we were sitting in the campus chapel with all of the missionaries. One of the many tasks we have while we're here in training is to be part of a choir that sings during our commissioning service. This is mandatory - not an option. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that Corey and I may have grumbled a little in the beginning about having to be part of a choir, but it's been amazing!

It has all been coming together pretty well very quickly and yesterday as we sang through our song the presence of God was so strong. The truth of the matter is, this is a very emotionally charged time for a lot of reasons. We are fortunate to have been through this process before and know what's going to happen, know what it's like to live in another country, etc., but I remember feeling the way so many of the new missionaries are feeling - worried about the changes, stressed out by the uncertainties and the questions you don't have answers to, or even more the questions you don't know you need to ask. We've had four days of constant sessions, our brains being overloaded with information and those of us with kids are watching our kids have fun yet be exhausted and a little overwhelmed themselves. Put all that together and then put all of those emotions in a room of people feeling the exact same way and you've got a room of people who just want to get to work for God, but are feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of what lies ahead.

As we began to sing the song the first time through one of the soloist got choked up and couldn't finish her part. We made it through the song, did it again and the second time we got through it, by the end we were all praising God...forgetting that we were supposed to be practicing. From there the Spirit just moved through the crowd. What was just a routine practice became an intense prayer session and a time to encourage one another. We know from the last time we went through training that what many say is true - the connections we make during these few weeks are relationships that will become so important to us over the years. There are times when only another person in the same boat as you can understand the struggles you may be having or understand the victory of a small cultural accomplishment. A bond is formed here that we will carry with us as we all go throughout the world.

In perfect timing, last night we had a special guest for our service and again we found ourselves lingering over and hour past when we were supposed to end. We had a very powerful service with a beautiful prayer time and a wonderful time of refreshing and renewal. I personally felt such a lift after stressing out about our budget issues and all of the information we had been given.

On a praise report note, we have had $200 in new pledges come in, half way to what we need to raise by the end of next week! Keep it in your prayers, please! We know God has great things ahead! It's time for another choir practice and I, for one, can't wait to get there! Be blessed!

~Tona

p.s. The picture above cracks me up because one of our new missionaries is named Charlie Brown!

We Need Your Prayers and Help

2009-06-18T07:17:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends,
As I write this I'm sitting in a college dorm room at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. We are in the midst of three weeks of Missionary Training.

Yesterday we met with our financial counselors and got an update on where we are in our fundraising. We have probably told you along the way that we want to be back on the field in January of 2010, but we found out yesterday that we are behind in reaching that goal.

We need to raise $400 in monthly support by the end of June to get back on track. We need your help! First and foremost we need your prayers that we will be able to raise this amount but also that our monthly fundraising will continue to increase throughout the rest of the year.

Second, please consider becoming a monthly financial partner with us. What does that mean? That means we're asking you to commit to donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100...any amount that is possible each month to get us to Colombia and keep us there. We know we are in tough economic times so if you feel like there is absolutely nothing you can do, please consider taking a step of faith and promising just $5 a month. We trust God will bless you for your sacrifice.

Again, most of all we need your prayers that we will be able to reach this deadline. If you'd like to become a financial partner, please send me a message (tona@kautzfamily.org) or call my cell phone - (810) 597-7629 and I will make sure we get it set up right away!

God bless you! Thank you for taking interest in our mission. We are anxious to get back to work reaching the youth and children of Colombia!

Blessings,
Tona Kautz

Global Pride

2009-06-15T22:08:00.002-05:00

One of the most incredible things about being in a room with a bunch of missionaries is the incredible span of cultural experiences that are contained in one room. Yesterday, as the staff for all of the Missionary Kid programs were introduced, I was touched by each of the workers as they said their name and their background. The majority of the staff are missionary kids themselves who are now in college, so as they went down the line they stated their name and the country they were from. As I looked down the line at these seemingly "normal" American teenagers I realized that each one had amazing stories to tell of their life outside of what most would experience - the types of foods they were used to eating, the many languages spoken among them, how they interact with other people. Hearing them list off the countries they had lived in was almost overwhelming, realizing we had a true global presence gathered together in one place. It's an incredible blessing that they are willing to spend their summer pouring into the lives of other kids who are embarking on the same types of journeys. They are able to share an insight that few are able to give to each of the children in the program.

We were very happily surprised when we found out that one of the staff is one of our favorite Colombian MKs! Miss Alicia babysat Alex and Maggie often while we were in Colombia and is someone Maggie likes to model herself after. She even became a vegetarian for a day, inspired by Alicia...however, her love of meat overcame her and that faded fast! It was a nice comfort to see a very familiar face.

In our final session tonight we sat through 3 minute presentations by many of the missionaries here. It's an opportunity for everyone to practice their presentation and receive critiques, but as a member of the audience we are given a window into the areas all over the world that will soon be reached by new missionaries. It's a very inspiring time as we hear about the needs and the dreams to reach them. Again we realize that we are sitting in the middle of something very extraordinary and love that as we see these new friends in years to come we will learn more about cultures we didn't even know existed and miracles that God is doing throughout the world. These are exciting times!

~Tona

Toss In A Little Trauma...For Good Measure

2009-06-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

We have survived the first day of Missionary Training...and it was only check-in! In all honesty, it was not that big of a deal for Corey and I, but Maggie and Alex got put through the ringer today! I should note that Maggie was already not feeling real well. She had been upset leaving Michigan so quickly after school ending and didn't want to leave her dog behind for three weeks. She ended up sick a good deal of the journey from Michigan to Missouri. Then when we arrived she was very nervous about going to "Bootcamp", the Missionary Kid program for middle schoolers and high schoolers. See, last time we went through this they were in the elementary program, which has lots of adventure but a little less challenge to it. Knowing bits and pieces of what is to come over the next three weeks made her very nervous that she wouldn't be up to it.

We spent the morning encouraging her that everything was going to be fine...then we arrived for check-in where one of the first items of action involved needles! Alex and Maggie had to have blood drawn and TB tests done. We had not even been on campus for 30 minutes before they were sitting nervously waiting their turn. Maggie has quite the history of extreme strength when faced with needles and impressive lungs, but being that she is older now we thought she'd deal much better this time. We were wrong.

I walked into the room with her and Corey stayed behind with Alex. When the nurse began explaining what she was going to do Maggie looked at me very calmly and said, "I need you to get daddy." I switched places with Corey, and it's a good thing I did. She knew she was going to fall apart. She began screaming and pulling her arm away. She was yelling at the nurses "Don't hurt me!" The poor nurses were feeling guilty but trying their best to keep her still. It became quite an ordeal until Corey could finally hold her in place for them to get it done. Alex followed and was fine until he saw Maggie screaming and then he got nervous. Fortunately he was able to keep calm and get through it but he told me Maggie had completely freaked him out.

So we survived the medical process (at least for that day...they have doctor appointments this week) and went on to MK Orientation. The notebook said this would be a meeting for the kids and parents to tell us what's going to be going on during camp...but as the MKs will learn in probably any country they go, things rarely go as planned. They told the "bootcampers" they were going to leave immediately, without their parents, and off they went. They were entered into a crazy bazaar. I will describe this as best as I can and maybe one of the kids can jump on here later and explain more. They said it was a dark room with only blacklights, people dressed as military hauling some of them off to jail, some people begging, some people trying to make them bow down and worship someone...absolute chaos. The point is to help them learn how to cope with culture shock. Given Maggie's already weakened emotional state I was very nervous knowing what she was going into, but both she and Alex left completely excited and happy so they made it through no problem.

As I write this today they are crawling through caves where they've been told there are snakes, bats and all other kinds of creatures that they will have to avoid to get through it. Again Maggie leaves nervous and Alex leaves stoked for the challenge. I have no doubt they will come back tonight proud of their accomplishments and at the end of these three weeks they will be so much stronger for all of the trauma they have been through! :)

Oh, in case you were worried about Corey and I...we're sitting through meetings just facing the challenge of staying awake! Haha...actually we're getting great information it's just not as fun to write about as what Alex and Maggie are up to!

~Tona

Crazy With A Side Order of Chaos

2009-06-13T11:25:00.006-05:00

Can you believe 2009 is almost half-way over? We just passed the year mark since our return to the States. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since we said goodbye to such dear people and left behind a country that has become a second home to us!

This year has been wonderful, however. It's been the first time that Alex and Maggie have lived near grandparents and aunts and uncles. We've had lots of time to enjoy the company of friends and family while we travel through Michigan.

The school year has just come to a close. Alex and Maggie finished school on Friday. After a couple of weekends and weeknights of soccer tournaments, end of the school year field trips, recognition ceremonies - Maggie just finished her last year of elementary school - and goodbye parties, it's time to hit the road! There will be no lazy days of summer here...at least not yet!

As school came to a close on Friday we were busy packing our bags, closing up our house and getting ready to hit the road first thing on Saturday to head to Springfield, Missouri where we will spend the next three weeks in Missionary Training. I'll keep you updated as we go along so you can get a glimpse of what it's like to go through this process. I have to be honest, this is a much more fun adventure for Alex and Maggie than it is for Corey and I, but it's a time for us to get prepared for our time in Colombia and we are grateful to have this time with other missionaries and our leaders.

~Tona

Spring Newsletter

2009-04-21T15:48:00.003-05:00

To read the latest newsletter, click here. You should be receiving a hard copy in your mail soon!
Blessings,
Tona

God's Economy

2009-03-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

It seems that everywhere we turn today we are bombarded with warnings and stories about our failing economy. Many are nervous about losing their houses, jobs or savings as a spirit of fear overwhelms our nation. Several verses come to mind as we walk through these difficult times. The first is James 1:2,3 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (NIV) Becoming a Christian does not exempt us from facing trials, but how we face them is what sets us apart.
As we’ve had the blessing to visit churches and meet pastors we have seen firsthand what happens when congregations choose not to put their faith in what the TV commentators are saying, but rather in God’s promises. God is doing amazing things right here in the US! We’ve seen churches that are growing, not only in attendance but in missions giving; friends that have seen their jobs preserved; generosity poured out to communities from people who are not afraid to share what they have. That brings me to the second verse that’s become a mantra in my life. 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (NKJV) It’s time for all of us to stand up against fear, put our trust in God and make wise decisions. We are praying for you, your job, your church and your family that God will bless you and meet all of your needs.
Some have said, “Wow, what a horrible time to be a missionary raising funds!” But as one pastor said recently, “God doesn’t look at the Dow before he makes a decision.” We know that God has not put the Great Commission – to go into all the world and make disciples – on hold until our economy recovers. We are persevering and trusting that God will provide the funding we need to get to Colombia. Souls are at stake and we will not give up and lose hope!

This weekend we had the honor of getting to know the people at Living Hope Assembly of God. Pastor Sanders and his team realized after looking at the numbers that they had been able to triple their missions giving in the last few years. His revelation - "All we did was give!" When we stop depending on what the news is telling us is our future and start depending on God and his promises, we are going to see incredible things happen! I hope today you won't spend your time stressing about the bills you have to pay, but that you'll seek God's will for your finances and find ways to be generous to those around you.

~Tona

A Day Off

2009-03-27T07:21:00.002-05:00

I recently had a conversation with a missionary who told me she was asked the same questions we've been asked - "What do you do when you're stateside? Do you just relax and watch TV and stuff?" Today that might be somewhat true, but most days that is not the case.

Last night Corey and I finished touring the Michigan District through Sectional Councils. What does that mean? We drove to different parts of the state of Michigan on nine afternoons to meet all the pastors in those areas. These councils - from the time we arrived at the venue until the time we left - lasted about five and a half hours each night (plus a drive of anywhere between one to three hours each way). During the business portion of the meetings we were given a two minute window to present our ministry. One of my favorite parts of sectional tours is the time we get to spend with other missionaries and ministry leaders. By the end of the nine nights we all had each others presentations memorized as well as the main presentation. We joked that should anything happen to anyone presenting there were plenty of understudies ready to step in and keep the meetings going!

That's just a portion of what's been going on. March has been incredibly busy for us. Outside of sectional councils we've been speaking in churches on the weekends and Wednesday evenings. Outside of driving and meeting new congregations we spend hours calling pastors trying to book more services, sending out newsletters and follow-up correspondence, etc. I assure you, we are not just sitting around watching TV! Today, however, may be an exception. Today is the only day in an eight day span that we are not adding another 100 plus miles to the car and we have no speaking engagement. We'll do some follow-up, take some time to get the house back in order since it quickly falls apart when we're constantly running in and out and catch up on the paperwork sitting on our desks before the kids get home from a half day of school. Then, we will spend this day relaxing and renewing for a weekend of travel and speaking engagements.
~Tona

Rethinking

2009-03-19T11:52:00.005-05:00

First of all, let me add a few more thank yous to new monthly supporters:
Biker's Church - Mason, MI
Christian Life Church - Chambersburg, PA
Justin Moore
First Assembly of God - Warner Robins

Itineration is going very well. To say we are busy would be a great understatement, but God is blessing us with open doors to share our burden for Colombia and bringing new supporters into our path. We have met so many new missionaries, pastors and people who are so encouraging. We've been blessed to see what God is doing here in the US as new ministries are developing.

This blog has been a center of prayer for me lately. My original intention was to open up our lives so that others could see firsthand what it's like to be a missionary and our supporters could keep up with what God is doing with the resources they are sending in on our behalf. I found myself letting large gaps appear here because I felt like there wasn't much to tell, but God's been laying it on my heart that it's not just the events that I should be writing about but also the day to day works he's doing in our lives and those around us. So my intention is to share with you a little bit of what is happening every day, not just on the outside, but on the inside in each of us as well. I welcome your questions, insights or thoughts on what you read and hopefully this will just all the more help connect you to missions!

~Tona

Thank You!

2009-02-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

We are making great progress in our itineration and fundraising! We want to thank the following individuals and churches for joining our monthly support team!

Faith Assembly of God - Orlando, FL
First ASsembly of God - Athens, GA
Harvest Assembly of God - Cleveland, GA
Trinity Temple Assembly of God - Columbus, GA
Christ Community Church - Cumming, GA
J.D. & Denise Moor
Josalyn Spivey
First Assembly of God - Griffin, GA
Radiant Life Assembly of God - Marietta, GA
Christian Life Center - Moultrie, GA
Patricia Green
Roswell Assembly of God - Roswell, GA
Trinity Fellowship Assembly of God - Sharpsburg, GA
Faith Assembly of God - Valdosta, GA
Josi Martinez
Cindy Truesdail
Mount Hope Church - Lansing, MI
John & Beverly Porter
Brandi Bucci
Brian & Brenda Johnson

Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are praying that God multiplies your giving through blessings for you and your families.
~Tona

Our Southern Homecoming!

2009-01-27T14:45:00.001-05:00

In June of 2005 the kids and I said our goodbyes to dear friends in Atlanta. Since then, some moved to Florida, some to Minnesota and other parts of the state. Our home church has changed its entire pastoral staff and the kids who were once in our children's church are now in youth and all taller than me ~ I know, that's not saying a lot, but still! We had an incredible week visiting our old stomping grounds, getting to know our new pastors and seeing familiar faces once again. We also had the honor of seeing a dear friend get married and, because of the wedding, those scattered friends were all in town, too.

Itineration has officially kicked off, the traveling, speaking, etc. and it's so exciting to go back to the places who have been at our side for years before we were even called to be missionaries and have kept up with us along the way.

Here are just a few pictures of our adventure.
~Tona

Wonders of Winter

2009-01-11T00:00:00.002-05:00

The wheels are moving as we fully begin our itineration. Corey and I spend most days calling pastors, setting up appointments, meeting with pastors and preparing for sermons and presentations. For our prayer partners, right now our most specific prayer is that doors will be opened to speak in churches and hearts will be moved to support us. We are reminded daily that God is in control and that he will supply our needs.

Apart from the "business" side of things, it's definitely been an interesting time being with family and living in Michigan. As predicted, after a few weeks of winter the kids are getting a little tired of being cold all the time! However, we had a beautiful white Christmas and that was wonderful!

I've posted a few pictures to show you some of what's going on in our daily lives. Alex and Maggie both decided to jump all in and get involved in school activities. In the pictures above you will see that Alex is in the 7th grade band, following his cousin's footsteps into percussion. It worked out that his cousin, David, who is in a specialized high school band, played together with the middle schoolers in a special winter concert. We got a 2-for-1 special watching both boys play!

Alex and Maggie both took part in school plays. Maggie's was a fun musical about pirates. It was very silly and cute. Alex's took another direction and did a scene from The Diary of Anne Frank. To be honest, we all kind of left depressed, but Alex did an excellent job and had me near tears. He had a lot of emotion in his role. It's always incredible to see them step out of "normal" and show sides we don't always see at home! Alex is also in student council this year.

We were blessed with some pretty amazing Christmas presents this year. Corey's mom took me, Maggie, Corey's sister and her two girls to Chicago for a weekend to visit American Girl Place. We took the train from Flint to Chicago and spent the weekend in the city. Winter hit in full force, but we had an amazing time both at the store and just getting to know the city.

Dear friends of ours took us to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert which was incredible. We had great seats and it was Alex and Maggie's first time to a real stadium concert. We had so much fun! If you look way back in this blog, one of the last things we did before going to Costa Rica was go to the TSO concert and we were so excited to have another opportunity to experience a powerful Christmas show!

We are definitely very blessed. We've been able to have cookie nights with both grandmas, special dinners with everyone, time to sit by the fire and just have relaxing time together. It's a real treat to be around family for the holidays!

So there's a glimpse into what's new for you. Soon I'll begin to post our progress as we raise funds. Again, please add this to your prayer list. We need as many intercessors as possible to pray for all the pieces to come together in this process of fundraising. We are anxious to get back to Colombia!

God bless you.
~Tona

This Must Be a Hurdles Race

2008-11-20T15:30:00.002-05:00

The race is on! You may have read a couple of weeks ago that we have received our official approval as Candidate Missionaries. We're on the phone setting up meetings and services to raise our budget as quickly as possible so we can get back to the field. However, it seems this may be a race with lots of hurdles.

The last night with the tour I became very ill. Fortunately Danny, the speaker, is a doctor and gave me some medication to help me feel better, but as I traveled home and once I got back I continued to be sick. It turns out I've got gall stones and the doctor wants to remove my pesky little gall bladder next week to take care of this problem once and for all. I'm doing pretty well right now. The pain subsided and I'm being very careful about what I eat so that it stays away but a meeting with the surgeon confirmed that it must be taken out.

A few months ago we began work on the house we are currently living in. My mom bought it so that we could fix it up and rent it while we were here. The inside work is all pretty much done, but an inspector was not happy with some things on the outside, so Corey now has the wonderful task of residing the house. Did I mention we're in Michigan so it's between 20 - 30 degrees and snowing most days? If you know Corey you know he's a work horse and he does everything with precision and perfection.

So between those two things my plans of us both sitting on the phone all day booking services and getting our year lined out hasn't come together quite so easily. This week I'm feeling a bit better and am back to calling pastors. I drag Corey in on occassion to make some calls, but I know he won't be able to focus until he gets the current task finished so I try to just let him work as much as possible so when he's done he can take on the bulk of the calls.

Unexpected things have crept into our schedules but I know this is a long race and we must stay focused on the ultimate goal of getting back to the field. I have no doubt that more hurdles will come our way but I trust that God will help us to overcome all of them and get back to Colombia ASAP!!
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ The End

2008-11-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, they are off and on their way back to El Salvador. Many tears were shed today as the time drew near for the kids to get on their plane. Never a dull moment we took them to Cinnabon to grab a little snack before taking off. While eating they began to goof off and sing. I was amused and recorded a few minutes of their "performance". When I turned around I realized people were gathering outside of Cinnabon to listen to them! Never very shy, they went on to sing a little more before we headed for the gateway.

Hugs goodbye were heartbreaking as they began to cry. I don't know what lies ahead for them in life, but I hope this trip has been impacting to them in many ways. They have learned what it is to be in ministry, to share their dreams and to have hope for what God can do in their lives. Please pray for them as they go home and return hopefully with new strength to the challenges that await them.

And with that, I will end here the journey of the LACC California Choir Tour featuring the El Salvador Choir.
Blessings,
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Ten

2008-11-10T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today was the last full day for the kids to be in the U.S. My three girls were eager to get up early and take advantage of the swimming pool! They had lots of fun swimming in the morning and then we took off to drive about four hours back to Southern California. I should put a little commercial in here. Our director was able to secure some of the best hotel rooms for incredibly low prices through Priceline. They kids were able to stay in places like the Holiday Inn and the Hilton for around $50 a night! After our drive we arrived at the Hilton. We went out for a last dinner at Carl's Jr.

We were talking to the kids and guessing how many had packed on a few extra pounds. When one of the leaders asked the boy who always eats double, "Why do you eat so much?" He said, "Teacher, I never get to eat pizza or burgers. I come from a very poor family and we don't always have food." It brought back the reality of just how difficult the lives of these children are. Many of them have told me their stories whether it's living in a horrible area, dangerous places, homes where there is abuse, alchoholism or extreme poverty, they have all come through so much.

Once we returned to the hotel it was time for one last shot at pool fun! The kids all swam until it was almost time to close.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Nine

2008-11-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of performances. The kids did an excellent job finishing up the tour. We started in Watsonville this morning and then drove a couple of hours to Winton, near Modesto. The service in Winton was a great way to end. It was a small service with incredibly kind people. The kids, because of encore requests, were able to sing every song they had and finish in the midst of a very loving crowd. One sweet man gave us money to buy dinner for everyone so the kids enjoyed In-N-Out Burger one last time. After dinner we drove to Fresno where I now sit writing this while my three girls are enjoying some coffee and cartoons after a long day. I may regret the whole coffee thing a few hours from now, but they're just so cute, how can I say no?? :)

The girls are happy to be done, but the boys were chanting "otro mes" or "one more month" while we were in the car. I think they would be happy to do this forever! We were laughing today as we looked at their pictures from just before they came to now and some of those boys have put away loads of food and now carry it proudly in their waistlines!

I was sad to watch their last performance, but I am so proud of each and every one of these children. They have done an amazing job. Tonight before the service we talked to them about putting all their strength into this last performance and the purpose of their ministry. Some of them teared up while we discussed the many ways that God has used them to raise up sponsors for their friends back in school but also how they have touched the lives of so many people. The pastor this morning said it well when he said that LACC was started to touch the lives of children in Latin America and now here they stood touching the lives of those in America. The relationships we've made along this journey have left imprints in the lives of the children and the lives of the congregations. It has truly been a blessing to have been part of this experience.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Eight

2008-11-08T17:55:00.004-05:00

Today we had the day to spend with our host families. Ours took us to Moss Beach where the girls enjoyed playing in the freezing cold rough waters!! We experienced a very smelly but pleasant surprise as we were walking to a restaurant when we came upon a dock full of sea lions! It was quite a sight to see!

Tonight the kids performed at the Green Valley Christian Center. We'll stay another night with host families and they will perform at the church again in the morning before we move on to another part of California.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Seven

2008-11-07T21:40:00.001-05:00

Today the kids performed for the chapel of the Christian School in Watsonville, CA. At the end of their performance the kids cheered so much the principal asked them to do one more song. I was pleasantly surprised when they did a song I hadn’t seen yet that was interactive with the crowd and got everyone moving again.

After the presentation the kids grabbed some lunch, looked around a Target store and then headed for a park. I made the mistake of pushing two of the girls on the tire swing and suddenly I became the designated pusher! I definitely got my exercise! We had a lot of fun at the park.

We returned to the church because for the next two days we are broken into four groups staying with families from the church. I am with three of the girls and we’re staying with a couple and their nine year old daughter. We had a good time playing Life. I had no idea how much translation is required to play Life! As I write the girls are creating jewelry masterpieces and will soon be off to bed.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Six

2008-11-06T22:25:00.003-05:00

There's not a lot to write today. We had a long journey today from Long Beach to Watsonville, but we all made it safe and sound. The kids are enjoying the hotel pool and a ton of pizza right now. This is a nice evening for them to rest before a very busy weekend!
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Five

2008-11-05T23:02:00.001-05:00

I woke up at 2am this morning so incredibly sick! Fortunately today the leaders were given the morning off until 3pm to rest up for tomorrow when we will be driving all day to Northern California. I had great plans for my day, like going to see the Queen Mary that is within walking distance from our hotel, but all of that changed at 2am. I ended up in bed all day in misery unable to eat or move. Fortunately by about 10am the worst had subsided, but I stayed in bed feeling weak and achy. As 3pm drew near I got up and began to get ready. As I went to meet the van I ran into Danny, our speaker, and he, too, had been up all night super sick. My part in the presentation is to translate for Danny as he gives his testimony so we were both hoping that neither of us got sick on the platform or collapsed from weakness! Praise God, we made it through! I know many of you were praying for us and I am so grateful for that.

The kids performed at Arleta Assembly of God. Again, they did a great job. This church has a wonderful heart for missions and 13 more children now have new sponsors!

I will ask you to keep the kids in your prayers. Some of the girls, especially, are beginning to get homesick. They return to El Salvador on Tuesday, so we are in the final leg, but I think they're all getting a bit tired and when one started to cry it had a trickling effect through the rest of them. They've having a great time but they've been here now four weeks and I think they're all missing mom and dad a bit.

One of the girls, Raquel, had her birthday today. We wanted to celebrate so after the service we headed to Baskin Robbins to buy an ice cream cake. The plan was to take the kids in for a snack and celebration all in one, but when we went to get the cake the lady inside said she was closing the store and we couldn't stay inside to eat it. This became one of those silly scenes that I'm sure Raquel will never forget. We took the cake back to a bench in front of where the vans were parked. We had the cake and some plates. We quickly realized that we didn't have a knife or silverware. Lee, the director, found something like a Swiss Army Knife and used it to cut the pieces. It was quite a sight to see a group of 18 standing on the sidewalk of the streets of LA eating an ice cream cake with thier hands. I'm glad it happened that way, though. It was one of those times that although the situation was just crazy, we were all laughing about it and I'm sure it will be one of my fondest moments of this trip.
~Tona

It's Official!!

2008-11-04T23:22:00.002-05:00

Let me take a moment here to break away from all the LACC updates and give you exciting news! Today Corey received the call that we have passed all the screening and application process and are officially Candidate Missionaries! Although to most it may seem just a change in title, to us it is much more and we are very proud to have made it to this milestone and look forward to this new chapter in our missions journey.

I should note - we are officially approved to return to Colombia at the end of our itineration!! Corey and I, as well as Alex and Maggie, are thrilled and anxious to raise our funds and get back to the country we so dearly love! Please keep us in your prayers as we begin filling our schedule with services and seeking supporters to help us get back to the field. Let us know if you'd like us to visit your church or if you'd like more information on becoming a support partner with us.

Blessings,
Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Four

2008-11-04T22:54:00.003-05:00

Today the kids had a chance to perform for a Christian school's chapel. The best word I can use to describe today's performance is electric! There were 320 kids clapping and cheering! Of course the choir did another excellent job. It was great to see the school kids humming the songs and completely energized as they walked out of the auditorium.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Three

2008-11-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

Today the kids were invited to perform at Carson Street Elementary School. They were supposed to perform for one fifth grade class. The teacher had been at church on Sunday and invited them, but when we arrived all of the fifth grade classes wanted to take part, so the presentation was moved to the auditorium. Again, the children did an excellent job and Danny shared how his faith in God helped him become a doctor.

In the afternoon it was time for some relaxation! We headed for Newport Beach where the water was a bit chilly but that didn't stop the kids from diving in! They took advantage of every minute available to play. As the sun set and they began to freeze we loaded up and headed back to base.
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day Two

2008-11-02T22:39:00.004-05:00

This morning I watched the choir perform at Christian Life Church here in Long Beach, California. They were amazing! Here's one of their songs ...

Danny Gonzalez also shared his testimony. He was a student in Costa Rica who has fulfilled his dream of becoming a doctor. Here is his testimony ...

After the service several members of the church took us all out for pizza. This church has been amazingly generous and allowed the kids to stay at the church throughout their time here in California when have been in this area. Not wanting to interrupt events going on at the church during the afternoon we found ourselves searching for things to do to keep the kids occupied. We came upon a shopping center that had almost every store that various ones were requesting to visit.

I went with a group of girls and we had a blast in a Payless Shoe store! I think each girl tried on about 15 pairs of shoes and we started a shoe fashion shoe in the middle of the store! They were so funny, posing and rushing to get out of one pair and try on another. I should note they were wonderful about putting each pair back where it belonged before pulling out another. As we left the store to meet everyone for dinner they were laughing and chattering about their photo shoot and the poor boys were overwhelmed with five girls all at once trying to tell them about it. One boy said, "Talk slower. I have no idea what you're saying!" which really just led them to start over and talk all over each other again.

It was another great day. Tomorrow they have been invited to sing in a public school. Thank you for your prayers!
~Tona

LACC Choir Tour ~ Day One

2008-11-01T23:19:00.002-05:00

I woke up at 4 o'clock this morning and made my way out the door to start a very long and exciting day. I hopped on a plane to Atlanta and from there one to Los Angeles. It was just before noon when I landed in LA thanks to a three hour time difference. After a quick run to drop my bags at the hotel and something to eat I made my way to Disneyland to meet up with the LACC choir who is here from El Salvador.

They are 12 amazing kids from El Salvador and their three chaperones. They arrived in Southern California three weeks ago on a mission to use music and testimonies to share what God is doing throughout Latin America in their schools and to seek new sponsors.

Thanks to the very generous Christian Life Church they were given a day of Disney bliss and they had a blast! The girls were thrilled to see all the princesses and the boys couldn't get enough of the thrill rides. We were blessed with a perfect day not only because of nice weather but also because we went the day after Halloween and it seems everyone else was either too tired after a night of trick-or-treating or just too sick from candy to go to Disneyland, so the lines were short and the kids were able to do everything they wanted to.

My favorite part of the day, or I guess night, was watching them watch the fireworks show and listening to their oohs and ahhs. It was the perfect end to a long but wonderful day. As I write this it is now 11PM in California which means I have been on the run for 22 hours. I'm tired but so excited about the next 10 days that I get to spend with these amazing kids as they close out the tour and head back to El
Salvador. Please keep them in your prayers as they finish out these last weeks.
~Tona

Reborn

2008-09-07T20:39:00.002-05:00

Today was such a special day! Alex and Maggie were baptized today and we as parents are so proud of the relationship we see each of them forming with Christ. Someone this morning asked me if I knew what the age limit was for baptism. I said I didn't and she asked me how I decided when they could be baptized. I told her it was when they came to me and asked to be baptized. Both Alex and Maggie asked Jesus into their hearts a few years ago now but it wasn't until now that they have truly understood the meaning of baptism. When the pastor a few weeks ago announced there would be a baptismal service, Alex leaned over and whispered to me that he'd like to get baptized. While talking with him one evening about what that meant and making sure he truly understood Maggie listened too and said she also wanted to be baptized. We've spent the last few weeks reinforcing their desire to be baptized by talking about their decision.

If you read this and are wondering about why we baptize them now instead of as infants, let me explain. We believe baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It is how we declare our Christianity in a physical way after accepting Jesus as our Savior and the Son of God. We believe that baptism represents a death and rebirth - as your body goes under the water it is a burial of the "old self", the part of us that seeks to primarily please ourselves. When you are brought back out of the water it represents our new birth in Christ, the new person who has committed themselves to live for God.

The service today was incredible! I think Pastor John said something like 15 people signed up to be baptized, but at the end of the group that had signed up he said that if anyone who had heard his sermon, which was on baptism, and had accepted Christ as their Savior, desired to be baptized that they could come forward. A couple of people came up to the front. As they were being baptized a few more came up and the line was continuously refilled with more and more people wanting to make that declaration. Some were brand new to the church within the last month and said they had found Jesus just recently. Others had been away for some time and were recommitting their lives to Christ and starting new. When Alex and Maggie went up they were the only children who went up, but several kids their age went up during the service wanting to be baptized.

It was just incredible the response. At least the people who had signed up had come ready in clothes with towels and clothes to change into, but the people who were moved to that decision during service came up in their street clothes. It was an amazing sight as people were recycling towels and pulling blankets out of the nursery and anywhere they could find them to help the people dry off afterwards. My words cannot explain the excitement and awe of God's power in that service today. The only word I can think of to describe the whole morning is powerful! As Wendy, the pastor's wife, said, "This is one of those services we'll be talking about for a long time...and then we'll get to heaven and talk about it some more!"
~Tona

A New Season

2008-09-02T12:46:00.006-05:00

Today Alex and Maggie boarded the big yellow twinkies for their first day of school. At this point the first day of school shouldn't be that big of a deal with Alex being in 7th and Maggie in 5th but Alex especially is about to experience a brand new culture! Coming out of a small school with a class of 14 into a huge building with something like 1200 students, well, let's just say he was a little nervous about finding his first class! We did a lot of practice run throughs and highlighted maps to help him find his way. I know, what a mom thing to do to make her kid look like a dork, but truth be told, he appreciated it and we did things in a clandestine way so that no one should know how much effort he put into seeming normal in this giant school!

I've gotten a few emails about not blogging and for that I truly apologize! I felt that my last blog was kind of a bookend and I wasn't sure how to start the next story of our lives. But here I am. Summer is over. The kids had an incredible 13 1/2 week summer vacation - I'm pretty sure the longest in history! So in honor of school starting I thought I'd write a "What I did over summer vacation" blog for you!

Since coming back we had great times with family. We were home in time for Corey's family reunion which is always such a treat. With my mom, stepdad and sister we took a vacation to Florida for a little relaxation after a couple of weeks of readjustment. I won't write the whole story here, but we had a really cool experience this summer. My sister owns a time share and so when you stay in the condo you have to sit through the little spiel about buying a time share. I know everyone dreads this part, but God placed an amazing young man in our path who was seeking a new relationship with God and it turned out to be a really cool match up as we answered questions, talked about raising children in Christian home, etc. It's just a reminder that any situation can be an opportunity for a God connection. Let me say this, too, the Orlando and Tampa area have some great churches that are on fire for God!

Corey and I took a road trip to Springfield, Missouri. We are in an exciting process of transitioning from our position of Missionary Associates - a kind of apprentice position - to Fully Appointed Missionaries. We went to Springfield for medical and personality testing and interview. It was also a great time to meet with our Latin America Childcare leaders and get a feel for our new positions.

Let me explain that a little bit. We will be working fully with Latin America Childcare. Corey will be working with the construction side throughout Latin America. He'll be coordinating teams from churches - maybe yours - to help build schools throughout the many countries of Latin America. I, Tona, will be working with the various Latin America Childcare Choirs as they prepare and visit churches throughout the United States to bring awareness to the many children who still need sponsors. I look forward to expanding on this a bit more once we really get rolling and should have tour pictures coming up soon since the first tour will begin in October!

Besides those main events we have had time as a family to rediscover American candy, reconnect with family and have many adventures in our new surroundings. So the new season begins, our season of fundraising, transitioning in position and sharing with our dear supporters all that we have done. We hope to see you soon!
~Tona

Broken Hearted Goodbyes

2008-07-31T10:53:00.001-05:00

It has been a whirlwind of a month. I'll be honest, it was so hard for me to sit down and write this blog because my emotions were just running too high to write without my heart breaking all over again. We are back stateside for our year of furlough after an amazing term in Colombia. Since our last post about the earthquake I don't think we had a single day without youth staying with us as we prepared to return to the States. I have to be honest, in all the advice and encouragement we've received from veteran missionaries, no one prepared us for how hard it would be to step into an airplane and leave a country that has become home and has stolen our hearts! In our last weeks we were given a bunch of farewells in services, in dinners, parties, etc. We left feeling so incredibly honored to have worked with the precious people who have become like family.

I've posted some pictures of those last few weeks. There is much work ahead for the future and we are in the process now of getting the details set to share with you soon of our next endeavor. We ask that you continue to pray for our family as we transition through a time of missing what we've left behind but rejoicing at the same time for a little bit of time with family and friends. We'll keep you updated on all that is coming as we are so excited about the ministry God is placing in our hands!
~Tona

EARTHQUAKE!!!!

2008-05-24T21:12:00.005-05:00

We've had an exciting day! I was on the phone upstairs in my bedroom today chatting with my sister. Our roof is a fiberglass roof, so when the wind blows a lot of times you can hear creaking and different noises. I noticed the normal sounds but all of a sudden realized that the room was moving. Meanwhile, Maggie was downstairs thinking she was accidentally shaking the desk and our friend Nate was playing Mario Dance, Dance Revolution and thought it was part of the game! It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening and while still on the phone I ran downstairs where Maggie, Corey and Nate were and asked, "Is this an earthquake??" Corey said it was and I told my sister, "I've got to go. There's an earthquake!" and threw down the phone. Corey first said to get in the doorways and then we thought for a second about the poor renovations and construction the landlady had done to this house and he shouted to get out of the house. We all went outside. They say it only lasted a minute or so, but it felt like much longer than that! We stood in the yard all feeling dizzy, like in a funhouse when the floor is moving. It wasn't the violent shaking I thought it would be. Instead, it felt like the ground was rolling. The trees were swaying back and forth even though there was no wind and the puddles of water in our backyard were moving side to side. It was such a strange experience. Everything was just kind of swaying.

After a minute or so it ended and we rushed inside to get a hold of Alex, who was staying at a friend's house. The phone lines were all down for a while, first because of the earthquake and then because of the overload of people trying to make calls. I made sure to call my sister back who I was sure was probably having her own little heart attack after my frantic hangup. I did eventually get a hold of Alex and all was fine there as well.

I'm so happy to say that we're all fine and it seems that for the most part the quake wasn't too destructive. A few buildings had damage so far as has been reported. Sadly, six people lost their lives on the road between the epicenter and Bogotá because of falling rock and landslides. The official strength is listed at 5.7 on the richter scale. The epicenter is less than 35 miles from our house.

Here's Maggie's account of the situation...
"It was my first earthquake and at first I thought that I was just shaking the desk on accident, but then when I took the headphones off, my dad and a friend were walking around and my dad said, "Get out of the house!" and that's when I started getting worried because everything was moving back and forth a lot. I think God protected me in that earthquake because if it would have been stronger, the desk could have fallen on top of me because it was swaying so much." ~Maggie

~Tona

Bogotá Bible Fellowship

2008-05-09T11:50:00.002-05:00

Another term of Bible study has come to an end. This year we studied Beth Moore's "Jesus The One and Only." We've learned so much, not only about the Word, but about each other. It has been such a privilege studying with these ladies. They are so diverse and each one with an incredible life story. They have lived all over the world, been through incredible challenges including cancer and husbands who were kidnapped. My life has been enriched by their insight, wisdom and often humorous views of life. To you fine ladies, thank you. I will miss you!
~Tona

Campamento Juvenil 2008

2008-05-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

We love camp!! Every one has been so different. We've done children's camps and middle school camps, but this camp was "youth", which meant anyone between the ages of 13 and 25. I have to admit, I was a bit stressed out before we left. It's a long story, but basically two days before camp I was given the task to prepare a sermon to fill up TWO HOURS for this 12 year age gap revolving around stewardship in work, dating, with your body, etc. etc. All sorts of doubt and frustration crept in. I had been looking so forward to this camp because we thought all we had to do was lead a group and hang out with the kids - pretty stress free and fun!! However, no matter how much I tried to get out of it, it was to no avail. I preached that first kick off service and, guess what, I got through it! Anyway, that was the drama that ensued leading up to camp, but camp itself was absolutely amazing. Corey and I have been out of youth ministry for the most part since being here in Colombia and I was very nervous as I looked at our group ranging from 10 year old Maggie through David, a 20 year old guy. God knows just how to work things out and we had an incredible group. Of course, being camp there was plenty of goofing off time, games, team challenges and very intense altar times. I left feeling so renewed in the Lord.

A lot of changes are coming up soon and we are preparing to leave the field in just a few weeks to finish our term working from LACC headquarters stateside. I'll write a separate blog about those details later, but during this camp we had time to spend with kids we've been sharing our lives with for nearly two years now and some we just got to know over the weekend. The whole thought of leaving has been making me feel pretty sad, but I have to be honest, I felt a desperation of not wanting to leave throughout this weekend. I found myself asking God to extend our time. Several of the girls as we were leaving came to me in tears, literally hanging onto my shirt or my arms, and asked us not to go. There is such a swirl of emotions. I feel like we have established much here in the sense of relationships and that brings me joy, but then comes the immense sorrow of the reality that these kids don't all have internet or telephones that make it easy to communicate once we leave which makes me face that some of them I may never see or contact again.

I've gotten away from the topic at hand. Ultimately camp was incredible. With the exception of the lack of sleep, I would have stayed a month rather than three days! But now I must go. Some of those beloved jovenes are on their way over now and I don't want to waste a moment!

~Tona

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

2008-04-26T13:03:00.001-05:00

Things have been very busy! Here's a glimpse at a few odd and end things that have been going on:
- The church held a leadership conference for everyone who works in a ministry within the church. Much competition ensued between each group over who could be the most exuberant!
- I (Tona) took an art class with Alex. My creation was a tray. I'm now done with art class!! Alex had two incredible creations. One is being finished and the other is posted on our website. (Corey is the keeper of the photos and I'm not sure where it disappeared to!)
- Maggie has found a new passion for reading The Word and especially learning about Stephen. She shared her insights with her dog!
- Alex and Maggie are both in a great cooking phase! They've been making waffles, pancakes, french toast, empanadas and on this very delicious evening...crepes with strawberries, bananas and chocolate sauce!! YUMMY!!
- The dogs are doing well...and are incredibly tolerant of all the kids do to them!
- The kids had Día Del Idioma (Language Day) at school where Maggie did a skit on Colombian culture and Alex sang "Colombia Es Pasión" with his class.
- Alex recently found out he has the Martinez eyes and got to pick out some new spectacles.
- Maggie has learned a new way of knitting with her hands and has made a whole collection. Oops...guess everyone knows what they're getting for Christmas!!

And that's a wrap up of some of the odd and ends going on. Check out the kids blog - http://kautzkids.blogspot.com - to see more about what they've been up to.
~Tona

So Precious!

2008-04-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

Here's just a few of the many wonderful LACC kids! To sponsor a child, please visit www.lacc4hope.org and choose Colombia as your country selection on the left-hand side of the screen!
~Tona

A Visit From The Church At Chapel Hill

2008-04-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

The Church at Chapel Hill from Douglasville, Georgia came down for a week of work! Corey helped with half of the team who spent the week working on construction of the new school for Liceo Nueva Vida. The other half of the team spent the week in schools doing evangelism. The pictures above are from their day at Liceo Nueva Vida. The kids did a presentation for them with songs, Colombian dances and lots of enthusiasm! The team, in turn, did skits, songs and object lessons. Of course the kids went crazy for all the attention!!

We'd like to personally give the group a great big thanks not only for bringing down the school supplies, but for taking back a bunch of our belongings to the States. As our furlough approaches, this was a HUGE help!!! You all were awesome! Thanks a ton!

~Tona

When just a cup of water isn't enough...

2008-04-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

LACC ran a campaign to raise school supplies for the students and we want to thank so many people who took part in this campaign. It's always great to see a collaborative effort come together! For these school supplies it began with Josi, who visited her sponsored child here in Colombia and went home on fire to help him and the school however she could. When this campaign was announced, she took the ball and ran with it! Together with other sponsors, friends from work, church and family, they were able to put together 280 packets!

Shipping to Colombia is not an easy task, so when the Church at Chapel Hill from Douglasville, Georgia planned a trip to come down, they were more than generous in agreeing to bring down the boxes of supplies. Once in Colombia, they helped sort and prepare the packets, added to them and then handed them out to the kids.

Without each and every person's participation this never could have happened! Thank you so much to everyone who played a part in the completion of this project. The kids were overjoyed! They rarely receive gifts and they were ecstatic to receive so many utensils for school!

The school was also blessed with balls and extra supplies. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity in showing love to the students of Liceo Nueva Vida!
~Tona

Angie's Easter

2008-04-03T14:36:00.002-05:00

We have wonderful sponsors for the children in Colombia! This is one example of a very blessed little girl! Angie is one of 10 children. Seven of the kids, along with mom, live in a tiny house on the side of the mountain. To say they are needy is an incredible understatement! Angie's sponsors, Brian and Deb, wanted to send her a gift for Easter. Her mother said, "They have been so wonderful and sent so many wonderful gifts to her, but what she really needs are things to take care of herself - soap, shampoo, underwear...a blanket. It's really cold in our house." There are two beds for nine people! They day I took the gift to Angie she was thrilled! She was so excited about the shampoo and soap and, yes, even the underwear! She received a giant warm blanket. I spoke to her a couple of days later and asked if she was using her gifts. She wanted me to smell her hair to see how good it smelled. It's amazing what may be simple to us can bring overwhelming joy to a child! Thank you, Brian and Deb, and all of the sponsors who so lovingly write letters, send birthday gifts, and most of all sponsor monthly these beloved children.

If you'd like to sponsor a child, please go to www.lacc4hope.org and choose Colombia in the menu on the left. You, too, can make a big difference in a child's life!
~Tona

Willy's Wedding

2008-04-01T13:31:00.003-05:00

We recently attended our first Colombian wedding. We left the house early for the 2pm service, but when we got near the chapel we were almost a half an hour early, so we decided to stop in a nearby store and waste some time. Now we often face the Latin time schedules where one time really means another, but since this was a wedding and the invitation said "2pm on the dot" we made sure we left the store to get there on time. As we pulled up we realized we were pushing it a bit and we'd need to book it up the four stories of stairs to make it on time. The kids and I took off to get seats while Corey parked the car. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the chapel and we were the first guests!! The caterers were just beginning to put out the cakes and there were a few ladies that were working on covering the chairs. The groom was strolling around checking on everything. We laughed at ourselves for rushing and decided to help cover chairs. Within about 15 minutes or so the minister strolled in. After 45 minutes a couple of people straggled in and we were worrying that they had a whole lot of chairs for just a few people. Fifty minutes after the start time a load of people came in - all at the same time! I wondered if we had missed the memo! It seemed all the guests came in at the same time and within just a couple of minutes the bride was on her way down the aisle! There were similarities and differences between their ceremony and an American ceremony, but at the end a bunch of people told me their ceremony was very uncustomary so I guess we'll be waiting for the next one to see what is considered "normal". It was beautiful nonetheless and our dear friend, Willy, is now a very happy husband!
~Tona

Decisions - Part 1

2008-03-20T00:39:00.004-05:00

We are coming to the end of our first missionary journey pretty soon. With the unsure future ahead of us, we are in transition. Our first missionary assignment was as Missionary Associates. As of now, our application is at headquarters for us to become Career Missionaries. You might be asking what the difference is between the two, not much, just a slight promotion as we are now ministers. There are a lot of decisions to start making. Our approval to begin fund raising for our next term won't come until the end of October/ early November. So what do we do until then? Up until this week, that was about the only stressful decision we had in front of us. When you pray for direction for some seemingly easy decisions, God has a tendency of answering in his own way. What do you do when the answer brings more decisions to be made?

We have been on missions trips to several countries and are missionaries currently serving in Colombia. Our plan has been to return to Colombia as fully appointed Missionaries, but God has been really pushing us to keep an open mind for the plan he has for us. We were told to expect a list of countries needing missionaries when we would attend our orientation in October. Unless God changes our mind with one of those options, we are planning to return to Colombia. We did not expect the offers to arrive this week! The Director of Latin America Child Care turned our week upside down as he has emailed and called us several times. There are several positions to be filled throughout Latin America. There is one position in particular he has in mind for us. I'm almost afraid to ask God for direction with this one as I may be opening a can of worms. We try to think of it as one decision at a time, but God has a plan already in mind so the decisions are his to make.

I want all of my decisions to be what God's heart desires for me. And if I'm truly in sync with God, they aren't decisions at all, just following his path. A friend also put it, "God wants us to have the desires of our hearts!" My heart's desire is to be pleasing to God in all that I do.

If you want to know what God is directing us to do, you will have to be patient.

Miracles or normal life?

2008-03-14T22:32:00.003-05:00

I was talking to a friend today about miracles in ministry. Why is it that when we see miracles, we are amazed at God's power? I brought this up because kids witnessing the same miracles think nothing of it. Are the children of today just not impressed by the power of God? This brought more light to one of my favorite scriptures (Matthew 18:1-4)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

We as adults have been conditioned through the years to remove imagination from our lives. We see miracles and are in awe. A child witnessing the same miracles is not surprised. It's not that they can't see the power of God, but they didn't doubt that God would do what he said he would do. I recall reading stories as a child and years later Hollywood tried to make a movie out of the same story. I was disappointed. My imagination had no boundaries, but the adults of Hollywood were constrained. When the Bible says that a boy killed a Giant, do you imagine a young man getting lucky against a man slightly taller than his friends or can you imagine a 10-12 year old boy opposing a monster of a man, towering over all others? Kids don't try to water down the Bible, they read and imagine and BELIEVE. So when Jesus heals the sick, restores the paralyzed, raises the dead, and takes away the sins of our lives, why can't his commissioned followers do the same? They can! ...if they truly believe and follow Matthew 18:4. If Jesus says expect miracles, what should we expect? It seems so obvious, but do you really expect miracles? Kids do!

The faith of a mustard seed will move mountains. Imagine it as a child would and believe.

Until we meet again!

2008-03-06T08:39:00.004-05:00

A friend of ours was just promoted into heaven, which motivates us to search our own lives. Brother Wilkerson lived a full life. He was always a voice of encouragement and would seek out as many opportunities to preach God's word as possible. He had the body of an elder and the heart of a teenager. Even though he was well into retirement his passion after God's own heart could never be quenched. What a powerful thing it is to be able to fulfill 2 Timothy 4:7&8.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

I can only hope that one day my life will hold the same truth.

Often we want to mourn the passing of our family and friends. I will miss him, but I don't get sad when I think of his passing. The impact he had on my life and the lives of most people he knew brings a smile to my face every time I think of him. Besides, I know where he is and I'm a bit jealous. Not that I'm ready to stop fighting or running, but I can see the prize and it is wonderful. God calls each of us to fulfill 2 Timothy 4:7&8. Of course, how we each can fulfill it will be different and God is the only righteous Judge. Run your race, fight a good fight, and we will all be together singing the praises of our Lord and Savior.

And so, Brother Wilkerson, a pastor, a brother in Christ, and a great friend, I will miss you.

Until we meet again!

Here is Brother Wilkerson's obituary - so you can see just how amazing he was!
James R. Wilkinson was born in the small town of LaCrosse, Virginia to John and Bena Wilkinson on September 8, 1924 with humble beginnings on a large tobacco farm. He was one of ten children. Two evangelists came to town and presented the gospel to James at which time his life was transformed forever. It was on the tobacco field that James was called into full-time ministry at the age of seventeen. Shortly after he attended Bible college where he met his beloved Betty.

James and Betty Wilkinson were in ministry for over 56 years with the Assemblies of God in more 6 states. They hosted a number of tours to the Mid-East, Europe, Africa and Asia. A trip to Kenya, East Africa included presenting the Gospel message in the rural Nairobi.

After Betty's death in 2002, James continued in part-time ministry. Recently, James was privileged to participate in missions trips to Buenos Aires, Argentina/Quito and Succua, Ecuador/Santiago,Chili and the City of Refuge in Jamaica. James brought forth the Word of God to the Shuar Indians in Succua, Ecuador and folks in Conchali, Chili resulting in many salvations and lives being changed forever. During his ministry, James has seen many converts entering full-time ministry as pastors, evangelists, chaplains and missionaries.

Some of James' pastimes were ministering to people, spending time with his great grandchildren, playing Skip-bo & Scrabble and watching the news & Wheel of Fortune.

Everybody take a deep breath!

2008-03-04T14:55:00.002-05:00

Colombia needs your prayers. South America needs your prayers. We know that in everything God has purpose and in this moment we are anxious to see what direction that will lead Colombia. If you haven't seen the news, let me give you a quick rundown of my understanding - although I would highly advise reading the news yourself since it all gets kind of confusing and lots of supposition is involved.

First of all, FARC is the leftist rebel group, the guerillas, who are known for having hundreds of kidnapping victims in the jungles. These include some very prominent people including three Americans. Their conditions are reported to be horrible and many are sick or injured and forced to exist in extreme conditions.

On Sunday night the Colombian army attacked a FARC camp and killed the #2 leader. However, apparently this attack took place a mile within the Ecuadorian border. That angered Ecuador and Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president. At this moment Ecuador and Venezuela are sending hundreds of the troops to the border. Why? Well, they're both seemingly good buddies with the FARC. President Uribe, of Colombia, is going the route of getting international courts involved. Things are just a little bit loco around here as threats and angry rants are being thrown around as more and more evidence surfaces of governments funding and protecting the FARC.

Here is where one wonders what God is doing right now. It seems crazy to me that world leaders can be so irrational. FARC is a terrorist group. They kidnap people. They kill people. They have terrorized this country for decades. Why would anyone support them? But as more information comes out we find they have several presidential friends throughout the world to empower them. As I've talked to Colombians and Americans it seems in light of all of this conflict and impending potential of war that many are holding out for a change for the better for Colombia. Finally the world will see (hopefully) what has been going on here for years. Finally the FARC will have to be confronted one way or another. We wonder if war will come or if it is already here. We wonder if lives will be lost. Will the captives be set free? Could something so drastic lead this country back to God? Oh, to have God's panoramic view.

I write this less in worry and more in wonder of what the future holds. The tensions and expectations of something big weigh on us, but could it be that God is bringing restoration to Colombia?

Please pray for Colombia and all of the leaders of our world, especially at this point in time for the leaders throughout Latin America who seem to be making choices for the left or the right. Pray for wisdom. Pray for God to take over thier hearts, especially the ones who seem out of control on a power high and are just looking for a fight.
~Tona

Back To School!!

2008-02-29T21:28:00.003-05:00

School has kicked back into gear here in Colombia. It's been exciting and fun to visit the kids and see how much they've grown in just a couple of months of vacations! New children are being added to the rolls as classes begin again. Check out www.lacc4hope.org to sponsor one of these new kids!
~Tona

Waiting on the Lord! - part 2

2008-02-14T11:07:00.003-05:00

We started out on our first missionary journey in January of 2006. With both excitement and nervousness at an all time high we plunged into the unknown. God has shown us time and time again that he has already gone before us and prepared the way. He has allowed me to do more for him than I could ever have imagined just a few years back. Am I greedy to want more? As I learn more and do more, I find that my life is photo mosaic art. You can almost make out a grand picture but there is too much missing still. All I can do is surge forward in hopes that the picture of my life can be a masterpiece, good and pleasing to God. Tona and I have been pushing through our Bible classes towards the licensed minister requirements. Our goal is to return to the States as licensed ministers waiting on our ordination and preparing for our next missionary term. So, we arrived to Colombia in what seems like last week. The time has flown by as we start the initial stages of preparation of our return to the States. We are looking toward the unknown once again. We are scheduled to return in July of this year. Making the transition from Missionary Associate to Fully Appointed Missionaries is the plan, but we will be playing the waiting game. Our application has been submitted and so we wait. With approval to proceed, we will be given an evaluation date in August to go to Springfield, MO. Psychological and physical exams are first and if/when we pass we will return again for orientation in October. So, in October, the same time we learn if we can return to Colombia, would be when I can start trying to schedule services and start raising our new budget. With our fate in the hands of the Board of Missions, we wait.

I will be preaching for the first time to adults (Colombians) this Sunday in a poor area on top of the mountain overlooking Bogotá. And most of March through July, I will be preaching to youth. And preaching retreats for youth and children. And I'm designing a new school. Who says I can't have fun while we wait?

Waiting on the Lord!

2008-02-14T08:47:00.004-05:00

Once again I find myself seeking fervently for God's timing. Do I doubt? How could I after he's proven himself to me over and over? What God has always shown me is "In my timing not yours". So once again I find myself waiting patiently for the Lord.

When we arrived in Colombia sometime ago, we were planning a 2-3 year assignment. We raised our budget in a long adventure of selling all of our belongings (house, cars, furniture...) and danced from church to church all over the Eastern United States (Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan). Here is where the fun begins. When we arrived in Colombia, one dollar was worth more than 2400 Colombian Pesos. You feel pretty wealthy when the rent on your house is over a million (pesos). Well, unfortunately the U.S. dollar has taken some abuse in the past couple years. After our first year the dollar was just under 2000 pesos and today is below 1900 pesos. What does that mean? We are now down to 78% of our original budget. The other bouncing factor is our U.S. income. Our income is based on churches and individuals pledging to support us on a monthly basis and sending in those pledges each month. We had a great December, bringing in more than our projected budget. The overage goes into our rainy day account for the not so strong months. Unlucky for us, January had been a monsoon. On top of everything else, 2007 was a painful time of unexpected doctors expenses and other surprises. What do you do with a maxed out Credit Card, 22% of your budget shot (peso-dollar), and a suffering income? Praise the Lord! A miracle wouldn't be a miracle without a need. God has always met our needs.

Here is the emotional process that I have been dealing with:

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV)

Although I don't have control over the economy or pocketbooks of others, am I failing my family and myself? If God is my provider, is he not also that for my family? What is my responsibility to my family? ...to God? As the spiritual leader of my home and missionary, did I not offer up myself and my family to God as a sacrifice?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1

I had a secular job and it paid well, but I did not provide that job for myself or my family. God provided the job and money to teach me that he will always provide for me so that I may provide for my family.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

1 Timothy 6:16-18 (NIV)

So once again I find myself waiting patiently for the Lord.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Hebrews 6:15

For I will ask nothing of the Lord that he does not want for me but I will ask for ALL that he wants of me.

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Genesis 22:14

How cool is my job?

2008-02-06T23:54:00.000-05:00

I love my job! I mean, how cool is it when you get to tear down a drug house and build a school? My latest project is in a very poor and a bit dangerous area southwest of Bogota. The city is called Cazuca and is on top of a mountain that overlooks Bogota. Although the school is an existing LACC School it is in need of major improvements and I get the honor of designing/redesigning an addition to the school. While visiting the school to take measurements and evaluate the task ahead, the school's director was talking about the past occupants of the neighboring houses. He pointed to the house that shares a wall with the school and said that a drug dealer lived there for many years and was a drain on the community. The property now belongs to the school and the first order of business is to destroy that house. What once emprisoned the community will now provide a free education to the poor. God is good! Well, I'll stop typing for now and get back to the designs. Did I mention that I love my job?

Colombians Take A Stand

2008-02-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

It started on Facebook. A group was formed for 1,000,000 voices against FARC. FARC is the leading guerilla force in Colombia that is responsible for kidnapping many people. Based on what recent captives released have said, the conditions are horrible as they hide out in the jungles. The country is tired of violence and fear of kidnappings. So this group decided to name a day to hold a protest. Somehow, it became a worldwide event.

I watched the news today as they showed cities throughout Colombia and through the world where people had gathered to chant things like "Freedom", "No more FARC", "No more kidnappings", etc. In the show above you can see pictures from Alex and Maggie's school as they went out to march and pictures from gatherings all over the world. Below is one of the news articles written on today's events...

Colombia Marches Against Rebels

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Hundreds of thousands of Colombians wearing white T-shirts marched in their homeland and abroad Monday to demand the country's largest rebel group stop kidnapping people and release those it holds.

The idea of the protests against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, was born less than a month ago on the social networking Web site Facebook, and nearly 100,000 people in 165 cities around the world confirmed their participation.

The protests were concentrated in Colombia and Latin American capitals, though there were smaller protests in other places including Sweden, Hungary, France, Italy, India and Miami.

In Colombia's capital, the protest swelled, with long lines of people shouting "Freedom! Freedom!" marching along Bogota's main thoroughfare. Television channels suspended normal programming to broadcast marches around the country, and anchors wore white the T-shirts symbolizing peace. In between reports, the channels aired proof of life videos of hostages who remain captive in the FARC's camps in the jungle.

Crowd estimates in Colombia varied wildly, with estimates at the Bogota march ranging from 500,000 to 2 million. "I hope the FARC is listening," said former hostage Clara Rojas, who took

part in the march. She was freed last month after nearly six years in captivity.

Colombia's government says the FARC is holding more than 700 hostages, including three U.S. military contractors and former French-Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, whom it is trying to swap for imprisoned rebels. Talks brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently led to the release of two hostages, including Rojas.

The FARC have called the march an attempt to bolster the political fortunes of its enemy, President Alvaro Uribe. "If the suffering of those in captivity has been unjustifiably prolonged ... this has been because of the inhuman intransigence and worthless pride of President Uribe," rebel leaders said in a statement released Friday.

Uribe addressed a packed public square in the northeastern city of Valledupar on Monday.
"To our fellow countrymen who live abroad, and who today have united with the rest of their compatriots, we want to extend our gratitude," he said.

In neighboring Venezuela, more than 2,000 people wearing white T-shirts marched in Caracas. In Panama, hundreds of Colombians demonstrated, while some 400 people shouted anti-FARC slogans in Argentina. In Mexico City, about 200 people gathered in front of the Angel of Independence monument.

In Stockholm, protesters bowed their heads for a minute of silence, while a couple dozen people in Hungary protested for an hour outside parliament. Television images showed Colombians and Americans at rallies in Washington, New York and Miami. Others joined events in Paris and Madrid.

Inside Colombia, the mobilization has exposed deep divisions over how to end the decades-long conflict that preceded the nation's cocaine wars, Latin America's oldest and strongest leftist insurgency.

For weeks, invitations to the march flew through cyberspace, mainly among the young and relatively wealthy who use Facebook in a country where about one in four can afford to use the Internet regularly. But as momentum grew, so did criticism of the march's narrow focus.
Many relatives of hostages fear the protests could endanger their loved ones, while others argue the march should denounce all violent groups, including the far-right militias critics say are backed by politicians in Uribe's camp.

On Saturday, Colombian news organizations received a statement from the rebels promising to release three more ailing hostages. No date was set.

Updates, updates, updates!!

2008-01-02T22:04:00.000-05:00

From time to time we fall behind on this blog, but all is now caught up. Want to see what Alex and Maggie have been up to? You can see their blog at http://www.kautzkids.blogspot.com/ and sign up if you want updates there, too.
~Tona

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2008-01-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

May your 2008 be blessed! I cannot believe another year has passed so quickly. As we packed up our Christmas decorations we were faced with packing in two sets - what stays and what goes. We're beginning the process of looking ahead to furlough while keeping up with ministry today. Some of our goals this year are to finish our ordination level of credentialing, prepare our projects for our next term, improve our Spanish and, of course, the good old lose weight and get into shape! This will be an exciting year as we wrap up our first term and return to the States to see our wonderful supporters, friends and family! We'll see you soon!
~Tona

Most Embarrassing Moment

2007-12-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had that feeling of humiliation so deep that you thought you were going to get sick - right there? I had that the other night. Our church was having a teen talent showcase night. They had told us about it weeks ago and we bought tickets right away, marked it on our calendar and left the tickets in the car so we made sure we'd have them the day we needed them. When the day came we spent it doing various things, running around, etc. We knew we needed to be at the church at 4PM so our day was planned around that. Now any other time that we are at a church event I am always dressed up. I wear dresses or black pants with a nice shirt and the rest of the leadership and the youth are always in jeans and t-shirts. We had one day where they had told us something was formal and I dressed in a nice dress along with two or three other girls and for the rest it just meant wearing black jeans instead of blue. So this day as we're getting ready I say to Corey, "You know, every time we go somewhere I'm the overdressed old lady. Tonight is all about the youth, let's dress 'youthy'." So we put on our comfy jeans and t-shirts and head out the door excited to see all our kids show what they can play and sing, etc. As we pull up to the church I notice a guy in a suit. I jokingly say, "Watch everyone else be dressed up," thinking it an impossibility because they NEVER dress up. And as we get out of the car I see many familiar faces...in very unfamiliar clothes. The guys are all in suits, the girls in really, really nice dresses. "What in the world is going on?" I think and prepare to run back into the car and head home for a change - except it would be at least an hour to return home and come back. Too late, they've seen us and we have to go in. I see one of the leaders looking incredibly beautiful and I sheepishly say, "Um, no one told us this was a formal event." She laughs as she shows us on the ticket where (not too clearly in my own defense) it says "no jeans, no tennis shoes, etc." How did we miss this very important detail??? As we walk in the church it is all candlelit and it looks as if we're going to a wedding. EVERYONE is dressed up - even the guy who wears the same shirt every week to church!! They usher us to the third row because they consider us a guest of honor. As I am sinking into my chair, that sick feeling rushing over, a young man comes to talk to Corey to make sure he pronounces our names right when they announce we're there. My stomach is now completely rolling and I'm sure everyone is saying, "Look how disrespectful the missionaries are wearing jeans!!" Fortunately when they call on us it's just to stand up and wave. The room is fairly dark so we do a quick wave and smile and hope they're all looking at our faces! After a few minutes of what must have been an extremely horrified look on my face Corey looked over and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. We're here. Let's enjoy the night and support the kids." So we did. They were awesome and before long I forgot about how ridiculous we looked in that crowd. The kids one after another through the night crashed in our row to chat and never once made a comment about our clothes. We made a fairly quick exit at the end, saying only the necessary goodbyes, but we survived our most embarrassing moment so far!

On another note, the kids did awesome! I wish I could tell you about each one. One that is very dear to our hearts is Juan David. You've seen pictures on other posts if you've looked back through some of our older stuff. He's just the biggest sweetheart and he is the reason Maggie now enjoys going to church. He is a very loving person who takes time for everyone. He leads praise and worship for the kids and often bounces between playing keyboard in "big church" and children's church. We're always impressed with his incredible servant's heart but I learned something new that I hadn't known. He was sitting next to me and I asked him if he was doing anything else during the show - he had played with a couple of different bands. He told me he was presenting his school of music. At that moment they announced he was coming up with his school and he got really nervous! When it was their turn there were two groups, the first was a pretty beginner group who played "Yes, Lord," and the second a more advanced group that played a very popular song here. Juan David had taught these kids to play drums, keyboard, bass and guitar. It was incredible. He just turned 16 years old and here he is not only doing a million things for the church but taking time to teach kids how to play so they can one day play for praise and worship and honor God with their talents. I was in awe as I realized this young man was not nervous about messing up himself, but nervous for all of his students that had to perform in front of a crowd. He's just an incredible kid, and just one of many that pour their lives into the church and ministry at an age when they are expcted to be lazy and directionless.
~Tona

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-25T16:33:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! We hope you've had a blessed one. Once again Alex and Maggie were showered with very nice gifts grom Grandmas and other family members. Thank you for remembering us!
~Tona

The End of a Year

2007-12-23T11:36:00.000-05:00

This Sunday the adolescent group celebrated the end of a successful year, their first as a separate group from regular youth. They watched slideshows of the year and all that they had done, played a tongue twister game that we could not keep up with and enjoyed refreshments. In the show above you'll also see pictures of the Children's Church celebrating Christmas. Because all of the kids are on summer break until February there is also a break for adolescent services.
~Tona

Reverend?

2007-12-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

Do I look different? I don’t feel different. I do everything the same as before. What is in a title? Can God use me more now? Reverend, Pastor, or Missionary? Does this title demand respect or just make some people act differently? Ultimately, I don’t care what you call me (Corey, Mr. Kautz, Brother Kautz, Señor, Pedro, Pastor, Missionary, or even hey you). God uses a person, not a name. If a title opens more doors to me, that’s politics and yes God can work with that. We are on the pursuit of becoming ordained ministers, not to change what we do, but to expand what we can do. As a certified minister, I can do many things and others will watch and see if I succeed or fail. As an ordained minister, I can do the same things and others will ask to help. Does a title change a person or the perception of the person? I think a little of both. The studies and pursuit of a greater knowledge of our Lord will definitely change a person and the result may change one’s title. Knowing that a person has pledged their life to seeking God and his will earns respect that can also be noted with a title. Can God use me more with a change of title? Sure! For he has not called me to do anything by myself, but to plant a seed. I can sow a field but God will send others to help and more for the harvest.

Teacher of the Word of God in words and in actions.

You can call me what ever you'd like but God calls me his child.

Fundacón Amparo

2007-12-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

This year our women's Bible study sponsored Fundación Amparo, a home for pregnant teenage girls. The girls come to the home when they find themselves in a difficult situation and their families cannot or will not help them. While at the home they receive a basic education, learn trade skills like baking or cosmotology and have times of devotions, studying the Bible and counseling. Technically they are allowed to stay as long as they want after the baby is born, but most through the training feel empowered and within a year ready to return to the world to stand on their own two feet. It really is a blessed ministry and we were all very touched by our visits with the girls and their adorable babies. All of the moms received pajamas and lotions. The babies received various gifts including clothes, toys, blankets, etc. Again, most of them will not receive much for Christmas, only what comes through strangers wanting to bless them. This was a very moving experience for me and a ministry that I would one day love to do. Please keep these girls in your prayers as they go through these tough times some at very, very young ages and, of course, for their beloved babies.
~Tona

Christmas for Angie

2007-12-11T11:19:00.000-05:00

Working with LACC is always a blessing! This year I had a special privilege of doing the Christmas shopping for a few of our sponsors. This is Angie, one of the sweetest little girls in the poorest school in Bogota. She was very excited to receive so many nice gifts! Once she opened them all she would not go anywhere without carrying everything with her. She especially loved the teddy bear that she was constantly smelling and hugging. These gifts are most likely the only ones she will receive this Christmas. She was beaming the whole day! Thank you to her dear sponsors who have supported and given so many blessings to her!
~Tona

Clueless, Exhausted, or Moved by God

2007-12-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

We were just at a camp for early youth. Tona and I were the leaders of one of four teams and we tag-teamed on preaching the Call of God on Sunday morning. I felt God tell me to throw away my notes and speak from my heart and so I did. Is my Spanish great? No. Was I nervous? The night before and the whole morning leading up to the service, I was, but at that moment I put it in God’s hands and trusted that he could do this. I started by preaching on the Call to Salvation (Acts 9:1-9) and then the immediate Call of God (Acts 9:10-19). God’s call to salvation comes in many ways as he shows in the life of Saul (Paul) and also in my own life. He also calls us to reach out to our enemies as shows with Ananias (the immediate call). Did they understand me? They were either clueless, exhausted, or moved by God. As I finished and turned it over to Tona this group of 12 to 16 year old kids were speechless and motionless. Did they understand my Spanish? Was I effective? Tona continued with the call God has for each of our lives. God is calling all of his children into a form of ministry whether it’s pastor, missionary, teacher, doctor or whatever you hear from God. We all want to serve the same Lord and allow him to use us however he chooses. There was no doubt that they understood Tona as they rushed forward for the altar call. God is good! To see hope in the eyes of a child that in many cases has one or no parents or unwanted, is a powerful experience. Did they understand me? Maybe, maybe not, but they understood Tona and they definitely understood that God has a plan for every one of them.

Can I preach? Maybe. Can Tona? Yes. Does God show his glory? Always!