The Willcocks, May 20, 2018 PM

Ministry in Latin America and Church Planting Background

So, what's happened, I'm not a columbian, Hannah was born in, in the picture, yeah. I talk Spanish, I'm gonna try, yeah, yeah. And then, because Hannah went to work in health issues, particularly, when I was 38.

Sometime, possibly next year, you see a picture there, which was actually taken in February, while Rachel and I were there, later. And then, that is the church building, he worked in town, there were a few believers, put a church together, if you like, planted a church there, in the town of Chalming.

When we left there, they had bought a plot of land, which you see there, is their church building now. They've put up, mainly grew corn, sweet corn, or field corn, I guess. Do I need to stop moving around, just to say this?

Yeah, so that's, yeah, some of it in a little more of a heart. So, people learn tribal languages, and so on, and church planting strategy, and that type of thing. So, that's what we did in Panama, Mexico, and helped with their consultant program.

And so, that's what we did. And so, we were there in, then, 2013 years, is what we thought, taking care of, or going through school system, is very different from the year, and it would have been fair for him to go back to England for one year, and do two, four, and then, he wanted to study in England.

And so, we decided we'll stay in England for three years, get him through high school, see what we're gonna do. So, we were looking at different parts of the North Coast, and neither of us really wanted to do that, particularly in Latin America, as much as we could, particularly, healthcare, don't, and not get insurance.

Okay, how are we going to make this work? So, a guy who's a friend of mine, has been for a long time, ever since he was working alongside him in Latin America, and like I say, he's a, we were in Columbia,.

Together.

The only detail is that Latin America and the UK are kind of a long way apart. For us to be, to maintain a residency in the US, somewhere that we could call our own, somewhere that, you know, if the government asked us, we could say, yeah, that, when things go wrong, I have to fix it, or, it's, yeah, it's a great system.

So, we're considering the possibilities, so he didn't laugh at us, but we can point to it and say, look, there's our salary. So, the mortgage, and so, we walked out and we've seen that the pieces have to fall into place.

Don't fall into places. We had a provider, so we had to have, like, maybe, so we saw that, and now, which is a real mouthful, you know, ask me, so what, but we travel, we do, not just the countries we've lived in, but being in the training programs that we have there, with the people that are learning, tribal languages, other consultants, to do that, don't have to go around, that's more than one person can do.

Recent Trip to Colombia and a Tribal Languages Conference

To give you something of an idea, of the types of things we do, I'm gonna tell you about our last trip. Facebook, you've probably seen more pictures in your care to say, and so on. So, you have some, hopefully, give you updates.

So, we were in Columbia for 10 weeks. And, during that time, for us, and during that time, we had this inter-tribal groups, that traveled from all over Panama. There were about 70 people there, and they, and then, they expect, that's their common language.

Now, but I'm smart enough to know that, today, for five days, so I didn't talk for about an hour each.

We did,.

Is, if you'd like, the theme of the conference was, and so, the introduction, then I said, what does the church do? The word of God, you know, what does the church do in its name? And then, how about discipleship?

How are areas open? The church is different, lots of questions, around 140 questions. So, they would answer those questions, and each church, then, would stand up and give a report. The challenges that they were facing, and some of the exciting things that they were seeing, challenges, the things that they were dealing with.

And then, after lunch, but differently, so the churches were now all split up, and, you know, like, people in the same group, their discussion was challenges. And so, there was a lot, and then, so, we, again, reported, came up with a list of, effectively, had an action plan to go back and work on.

So, it was, we knew a lot of the church leaders. This is gonna, I forgot.

There you go.

So, five different tribal groups. The guy, I'm not Indian, but he's one of them. He, how you normally think of the catering, because there was gonna be some other meetings, and so on, after our conference.

And so, and, of course, we ate a lot of it, as well. See, the, came from Pukuroto, and those of you with long memories, back in 92, or 93, church there. Really, because I'd been talking to their church leaders, and hearing about the challenges.

So, anyway, on the way, this is one of them. As, as one does. In those types of climates, so they didn't kill it, they kept it alive. I know, but we just don't know. For seven, well, it was just like, because I didn't have it all the time.

And then, just one bowl, and that's, you know, they cooked what they used to eat. So, yeah, that's, that was, it was like a little, one of the animals there, and then that's a bunch of. So, I just want to mention when we first moved into Piriati, their house, they weren't living in it anymore.

They'd built another house, and we moved because they'd borrowed them, and they knew we, just as we moved in, law, you know, which was, that's all it was. But anyway, we lived close to them, really quite good friends with them.

We would share food, you know, we'd exchange food very well with Sitra. Even, she doesn't speak much Spanish. She kind of does, obviously, she prefers Embera. Having some marriage for about a week, one of the church leaders, and I think in a lot of, before the conference, and with Sitra, she was asking for prayer.

You know, she said, oh, you know, we need help, and so on, because of, you know, some of these issues. Then, I'll sit with you. Keeping warm, can you believe that? In the evening, I mean, 65, sometimes.

So, but anyway, I want to mention them, just, you know, particularly for those of you that are on your list of people to pray for, yeah? To help with the, but, and we went, one of the main things, or to help with two tribal teams, was the Hukak, who changed in 92.

Didn't have clothes, or very, monolingual, so they didn't speak Spanish, doing work, and in town, a lot of them, sick clothes, and going on in that work. Helping them in another tribal group, town, or city, and work with both of them, one tribe over that way.

Both of them learn, and also, be on the left of both of those pictures, and I was helping. So, she's been working at a higher level. Okay, two more people I'd like to use. Diana Pimpidiati, the house we moved into, we lived in it for a while, and then we moved to Hermes Land, the guy that I showed you at the beginning, and Irwin is one of Hermes' sons.

Missionary Training, Family Updates, and Prayer Requests

Okay, so after we left, a couple of years after we left, Irwin and Diana moved into our house. She's trained as a schoolteacher. Now, in the program, training as missionaries. They've just done the two years of Bible school, and now they're starting their missionary training.

So, it's really cool to see how much, their desire to reach their own people, they also want to reach the MNR believers. There are a few, but very few, and so, the opportunity in Colombia to do that is supported.

There are some missionaries, for them to do other things, quite discouraging to them. So, you can pray for them, pray that God will encourage them, and in different ways. Well, they have no children. Well, since they've been in the training, she's had three miscarriages.

So, that's been hard. You know, just another, and her dad died as well, just over a year ago. So, again, that was hard. But they're very much resolved to continue on. And then, in Colombia, we spent at the National Training Program.

They say National Training Program, but that's kind of a misnomer, because they're training Colombians, and Venezuelans, and Peruvians, and Mexicans, and then, of course, Panamanians. So, we were there for a couple of weeks, and, yeah, they gave me classes, a couple in cultural investigation.

And, if we had, excited about that stuff. But, taught classes, we, those teachers will teach those classes. And, one last couple, for you to be proud of, Ramirez. They had an accident, I think it was a car accident or something, wasn't it?

And, he hurt his back. He's got cracked vertebrae, which basically means he can no longer work out, where rough, you just can't get suspension. And, anyway, they now work in the trainers. But, this year, well, while we were there, we're not going to support them, because they're not directly involved.

So, their support is really gonna drop. And, if they can't get support, then they'll have a history. And, if anybody felt so led to actually support them, then you can do that. Be proud for them. They're a great couple.

Decided to understand the students. Being that bit closer in age than some of the staff there, as well. And, yeah, they're just a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun with them. Ate with them a couple of times.

What could possibly be wrong with that? But, that's really, we do appreciate all the love, the support, and so on, that you give to us. When we lived in Mexico, and we had children in Branson, yeah, it was always a good time on the way.

We don't have that now. Obviously, this is a very quick visit, just in two weeks of meetings. And, I have three more weeks of meetings coming up. The grandchildren, and their parents, of course. But, yeah, so we do appreciate.

We're glad to be here. So, I don't know if you have questions.

Questions About the Children and Their Plans

Yes.

She usually tells me what I'm supposed to say.

That's right. Okay.

You want me to do that, Rachel? Jack, obviously, is the youngest. This year, he took a year's short version. He got mugged in classes. So, he's been helping in the finance office at the New Tribes headquarters there in England this year.

He, so he'll go to university again in September. Math Masters. It's a four-year program. James is currently studying in the same university as Jack. He's doing modern languages, media, but he's gonna take an extra year.

He'll go to Japan for a year. He's been talking about becoming a missionary, but more in a closed access type of a situation, training will be good for him. Yeah, it'll feed right into it. Hannah is married in September, end of September.

Like him.

Sorry?

She's in England. Yeah, working in England. Then, Carys is here. Currently living in Lawton. Her husband is in the Marines. So, he's doing artillery training at the moment in Fort Selle, just down the road from here.

They'll be in North Carolina. But, and then Thomas and Jodie, the university there, Science and Technology. Kind of like to. You can pray that Thomas can find it that works well for them as a short version for you.

The ones that are here. History lessons. Rachel's here.

There you go.

Support Needs, Travel, and Ministry Challenges

Training, we used, so I came from England. Mates with Beth Howe, but it was a really fun.

But, we, one of the, and he said, well, no, it's a disaster. They reached out, it's a bit more noticeable. They don't have the problems with them. That came in, you need to check out through England.

Yes, I'm at the area there.

You know, for us as a couple. But, it's amazed me almost more over the last two years. Anyway, I think like last year, I was in. And, because sometimes you don't have much warning. So, you need to provide for us.

Sometimes a field will pay for my ticket, but they're not, don't have those types of funds. And so, we don't want that to be a hindrance to seeing the work go forward. And, the only thing stopping it is the price of a plane ticket.

Then, we'll buy the plane ticket to provide, you know, it's his last year of life. How on earth?

There is one veteran that I mentioned in Paris, of mission, he does have that extra job as well. He's got missionaries in different places. And, if something happens, and being in, if you like, a group, trying to cross-body crisis management, in our prelators, because it's not like training field in England.

As well. Yeah. We've been robbed a few times.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, we have dreaded. When we were in Mexico,.

I,.

For different incidents there.

For a week and things like that. So, he had to work. There's always the health issues. He's, the last time I went to the doctor, that's why he's probably gonna need another open heart surgery. There, she puts the tests in the times that we're back in England.

And then, she's gonna get together after August with a group of specialists and discuss when they think that he's also gonna need another, the one, the valve that has already been replaced, that's gonna need to be, to have it redone.

But, so, they're trying to decide. I mean, he seems fit enough, so it's almost like,.

Oh. So.

I've seen how he does his plumbing.

Plumbing. Oh.

This step.

Oh.

That was set up, that was. You can pray. Traveling and doing, just like, to give you an example, I went to Columbia for a week, by day. So, I got in a day late. And so, I literally, land me things. Three day at the end.

And then, I'm, that doesn't happen all the time. But, it's quite possible, often, where I'm going through a particular issue, and then, you know, for stamina, you know, with that, that we need to, as well.

Our experience.

Things are difficult.

Things are a bit more difficult than James'. It's, it defies the, every Sunday. And they've talked about doing church plants, they've talked about, they've done a couple of church plants, as well. And, you know, there's other churches who are just in a, citing things going on.

They have two services, because it's where that's definitely the case. The country where the Christianity, I mean, it's just sort of a,.

The,.

Baker's Day wedding. Now, you know, that was all over the papers, and people, Christians. And so, you have that, that same environment is working.

Our faith,.

And antagonistic themselves. I think, you know, that's one of the, that we're seeing is, say, well, you know, there's a lot of, a lot of immigrants in England. A lot of, with, just doesn't make the news.

You guys need to be,.

Look at us, to remind people what he wants us to do. But, let's just, I wanna pray for you, please lead us in prayer.

Prayer for Safe Travel, Gospel Ministry, and Faithfulness

Father, we thank you for this couple, helping their ministry along. And Father, we just pray,.

Might be,.

Further safe as they travel, that you, help them read the gospel of your son, the Lord, help others to do that. You're making training of others, and then ministering to others' faith, that you give them, as they mentioned, where there's love.

So, spread. Pray that we, be faithful to continue prayers, courage.