M.O.V.E. Forum

We have arrived back in the US! After a 5 hour bus ride and a 10 hour flight from Santigo we landed in Dallas. All made it through security and are either on their flight home or waiting to board their plane. Through the wonders of wi-fi on airplanes I’m writing this blog on board a flight from Dallas to Seattle.
This was an awesome trip… The church is nearly completed and we had our dedication service Tuesday night. It was a time of rich blessings as we all joined together in the new church for the first time. Turning the church over to the pastors and congregation is a huge time of celebration for both the local congregation and the MOVE team. We were so blessed to have the opportunity to come to know the people of Chile and build a church for them too!
If you get an opportunity to speak with an MOVE team member about this trip take advantage of it and ask them about the time they shared with the people of Chile… You will be blessed by the stories you will hear!
More pictures will be posted to the gallery on the MOVE website (www.moveministries.org) during the next couple of days.
Thank you for your prayers of support… They REALLY make a difference!
God Bless!

I just wanted to post a quick update this morning… Last night there was a 6.0 earthquake south of Conception. Though we felt it here in Chillan there was no damage, it was just a “roller” here. All is well as HE is in control!
I’ll try to post a more indepth update tonight about how all else is going.
Keep praying as we near completion!

First, Sorry for the lack of posting… the days have been long and the nights short as we work hard to complete this small but complex church. Much has been happening since I last posted. The walls and the gable ends are built. the bond beams and columns are poured (that was a difficult day!) and today the trusses are up waiting for the purlins, plywood and roof tin on Monday and Tuesday.
We enjoyed a great day off, with white water rafting, paintball and of course , more food, at the base of the Andes Mountains. I even got a chance to fish for a couple of hours on Rio Nuble… What fun! Though the day off was fun, there wasn’t much rest as it was an active day that ended at 10:30 when we arrived at the hotel.
There has been much joining together in prayer for our families and issues here on the church. The men are all awesome and it is such a joy to watch how each man, chosen by the Lord, fit’s into the picture, both on the construction and spiritual side. Another perfect mix of men… we shouldn’t be surprised, just in awe of our Lord at work!
We had our “Rookie Night” on Wednesday and enjoyed the “entertainment” from Mike, Casey, Chuck and Carey. All I will say is it WAS entertaining! Great job guys and welcome to the brotherhood of MOVE!
Tonight we were blessed to have Pastor and Pastora Leiva join us for dinner at the hotel. They shared of their history of ministry, vision for the future and love for each man on the team. They are truly a humble, awesome couple who bless everyone they meet!
s we draw nearer to completing this church, please continue to pray for the men, the church and the Pastors and congregation of this church. Each person involved , whether home or on the trip can make a huge difference with prayer!
Be sure to check out the pictures at http://www.moveministries.org/index.php/gallery/11.

Blessings from the men of MOVE

Greetings from Chile!
Sunday Update: Yesterday was a great day for just relaxing. Most of the men went to the market to do some shopping and wandered around Chillan. we went to the church service in Coihueco at 7:30. What a great service with some sharing by Dave and Don, a solo by Mike Kosoff and a great sermon by Pastor Don Porter. We shared a wonderful time of prayer with the MOVE brothers stepping in to pray over several local people. The Lord was present, no doubt, as we had church in their temporary facility with them for perhaps the last time.
Monday Update: Today was one of what will be several LONG days as we hit crunch time on the building phase of the trip. We formed the columns today and will complete that tomorrow and begin forming the bond beams. Wednesday will be a big concrete pour as we fill the columns and beams. The guys worked really hard today… a 12 hour day. We’ll probably see a couple more just like that
! We got back to the hotel about 7:45 and had dinner. Then we had a short time of sharing. it’s awesome to hear from the men why they come on these trips. The stories all come back to one thing, precious time with the Lord and their MOVE brothers as well as a time to help others as we serve HIM! This is a special time for those who have been on several MOVE trips as well as the rookies who are experiencing this for the first time.

Have a blessed day and remember to pray for the men in Chile as well as the local people here!

Another good day at the Church. The last of the block before the bond beam were placed (Well, just a FEW more!), the forms for the columns are nearly all assembled and the truss guys have tacked together the first truss. Monday will be a busy day with the forms for the columns being put in place and all of the columns will be poured. Tomorrow though is a day off with church at 7:30PM. It will be a free day to wander around Chillan shopping, or just looking around. Maybe a day of just resting for some.
We had a real treat today when Pastora brought out the guitars and a banjo (I think!!). They began playing Gospel songs that blessed us all. Rodrigo, our interpreter accompanied them on the guitar too. All in all another great day in Chile!
Please continue to lift up the crew in prayer as we move forward towards completion.

Be sure to check out the pictures under the “Gallery” tab at www.moveministries.org .

Whew! Warm today!!
We are getting a lot of block up and the trusses are about ready to weld together. The rebar cages are stacking up too. A lot of changes will really be evident in the building over the next couple of days of construction. All of the block should be done to truss level by tomorrow. Then the columns, bond beams and trusses. A group of us (11) stayed late to unload 375 blocks. We would make an excellent bucket brigade!
It’s a wonderful sight to see men from all areas of the country who do all different kinds of work pull together as a team to accomplish the same goal in an amazingly short time. The desire to complete what they were called here to do is deep in all of these men, not just to build the building but to serve however they are called by the Lord.
Thank you for following us as we serve in Chile and praying for us…. At this time prayer is our greatest need!
Blessings from the men Chile!

See our pictures in the gallery at www.moveministries.org

First day “under our belt”! The weather is warm and the work went well. A lot of block put up today, trusses being planned and the pieces cut to weld together.

Pastor and Pastora Leiva (the pastors of the church MOVE is building) are such wonderful, humble people. They and their congregation have welcomed us and are caring for the men….. so well that few were able to eat all the food they prepared for lunch today! I don’t think the guys will come home with any weight losses!

We were visited today by Pastor Torres, his family and several other members of Open Bible in Chile. Pastor Torres is the Open Bible director in Chile.

We had a great time of sharing tonight, the Lord was present as several men shared their hearts about special memories of previous MOVE trips and their needs followed by a time of prayer. These are the best times of a MOVE trip, when the men can share their heart.

Please continue to pray for the men here, their safety and the people of Coihueco. We value your prayers….They make a difference!

Don

So begins the MOVE project to Coihueco Chile… 23 men will be building, along with our brothers and sisters in Chile a new church in Coihueco to replace the one destroyed in the earthquake of February 2010.

Three of our crew members are in Chile now… Dave Bethany, Steve Kline and Steve Drake. The rest of our crew is enroute to Dallas where we will meet up and fly on to Santiago tonight arriving at 5:15 PST Wednesday morning.

Please be in prayer for safe flights and work over the next two weeks and that each of us will be used according to God’s will to make a difference on this trip.