Kokubun Konexión: Deputation

Adventures Abroad

8:12 PM

It was 3:47am in the morning, and I had just woken up. I woke with a start! Today was the day we had been waiting for for so long! We were going to Peru! We had things packed up and ready to go by 4:30am. We were about to set out on a very long adventure! After getting only 3 hours of sleep, I was sure it was going to be a LONG day! We had 3 flights, and a 20 hour trip! Of course we knew it would be worth every minute of it later.
Everything was fine until we left Miami. At least we thought it was... Leaving Miami, we let them take our carry-ons down to the "checked baggage." We didn't think anything of it until we landed in Columbia. Once we landed we immediately felt the "third world country syndrom." Everyone was speaking Spanish~the Columbian way. I immediately started asking for our carry-ons while the airport security was funneling us downstairs. We had another international flight which meant we had to go through security again, and check our already secure items. :) We waited and waited, and finally made it through security. Once through security, the only place for us to go was back upstairs, where our next gate was. Dan kept reminding me that we needed our baggage. I kept looking and wondering where they meant we would find it. (I served as the translator for this trip.) Once upstairs, I realized there was no way to walk back downstairs, and we weren't going to get our carry-on baggage. I started asking the Columbian airport personnel until I finally found a lady who had pity on me. She hesitantly walked Dan and I through some doors she probably shouldn't have,(the bright orange vest says you can do anything, right??) and helped us get downstairs where we had to go through the Columbian immigration and customs to go get our carry-ons. We realized we would have to completely leave the airport, and come back in the front door in order to get and keep our carry-ons! Once downstairs, we finally found our carry-ons. However, we didn't find only our carry-ons... ALL our luggage was scattered around the room in the baggage claim! We were shocked! Somewhere between frustration about how in the world we were going to put all our baggage back on the new flight and seeing the just found carry-ons, it hit me like a load of bricks! If we hadn't "lost" our carry-ons, all of our luggage would be stuck in Columbia, and we would have lost ALL of it! God is SO good! He didn't let us lose a single piece! We still had to return upstairs, sign in for our flight, show every kind of proof to the lady at the counter that we had already paid our $360 for luggage (and didn't need to pay again) before being allowed to board our next plane :) The good news is that the next flight went smoothly, and so did getting through customs in Peru! We safely arrived at the country we call our home.

Daniel's Ordination

11:59 AM

A week ago Wednesday, Daniel was ordained at First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana. We were thrilled to be a part of this exciting event! Seven of the other men from the team also got ordained. Here are some pictures from the event.

Our team leader, Pastor Hubbard, with his sweet family.

Bro Hubbard praying over Daniel

Dr. Schaap praying over Daniel

All 9 of the Team Peru men

Even in the Valley, God is Good

8:07 AM

In the hospital? What? I just saw him yesterday! Is he okay? What's going on with your husband? Is he sick? How bad is it? All of these were common questions just a few days ago. He seemed great one day, yet the next he was completely down. Let me say first of all, my husband is the best faker I have ever met. I thought I had friends who were good fakers- and they were... but I've never seen someone work so hard at faking in my life. He is my hero.

Daniel has a colon condition called ulcerative colitis. It's hard to explain, but each year around spring time for the past 4 years, he has had a difficult time with his health. Most the time in college, he was able to fake it with hardly anyone knowing what was going on. This time we thought he could fake it, but he unfortunately took a turn for the worse. He struggled for about 6 days before I took him to be admitted to the hospital. Without going into too many details, during those 6 days he didn't eat at all, and we were struggling to get liquids or keep liquids in him.

These few days were extremely difficult for me. Being newly-wed, this was my first real encounter with nursing a severe illness. It was discouraging, because he wasn't getting any better, and I was doing everything I could to make him better. You know, I praise God for that time. Because it is in the hard times, that God gets extremely close. It's in those times when you HAVE to go before God in tears, begging him to heal your husband, that God makes himself known to you. I wouldn't trade that closeness for the world.

My husbands attitude, through this whole time, has been remarkable. When you're dating, I think it's impossible to tell how a person would react when trials hit. (Unless, obviously, the trials come while you're dating.) Dan did not necessarily have huge trials in college, so I didn't exactly know what to expect. I could not be more proud of the character of the man I married. I don't think I've heard him complaining once. His attitude has been, "If God wants to take it away from me, I know He will. Until He takes it away, I'll pick up my cross and follow my King." Watching him suffer, yet have a phenomenal attitude has challenged my own personal walk and challenged me immensely.

We're home from the hospital, and God let me husband be ordained Wednesday. It was a special time, and I feel God gave him a special grace and healing to be there. We are blessed. Although he's home, he hasn't been cured. We're still praying about which medications to use and where to go from here; but for today, we're glad to be back to real life~ enjoying the journey!

Accidents?

2:06 PM

Yesterday morning, I drove back to the hospital from which my husband had just been released. I was a little annoyed at myself for leaving some of his medicine there, because I had to drive back and pick them up.
I got there just fine, found the medicine, thanked his nurse and left quickly. (I don't know why hospitals make me so queezy- but I just want to pass out walking in the doors!)

As I was driving out of the hospital parking lot, I saw three what looked to be teenagers sitting on the curb. Immediately it hit me- I needed to go talk to them. I pulled up my car, grabbed three tracts, and jumped out. Handing each of them a tract, I asked them if they knew where they would spend eternity. "Yes," the girl answered, "I do." After several minutes, they admitted they really didn't know if they were going to heaven or hell but wanted to know. I got to share the precious story of Jesus Christ, and how He paid the penalty for our sins. I told them that they needed to simply admit they were sinners and believe that Jesus died for those sins and they could be saved.

When I asked them if they would like to be saved, the young man stopped me and said, "I don't think I should pray right now.... I'm sure I'll sin again before I die." Isn't it awesome that God already thought of that? I was able to share with him that Jesus didn't only die for the sins he had already committed, but his future sins. Obviously, we shouldn't abuse it, but God's grace is sufficient for ALL our sins. When he understood, he smiled at me and said, "Yes, I'd like to ask Jesus to save me."
All three of them bowed their heads, and asked Jesus to save them. I also had the privilege to pray with them for their mom who was having surgery at the present time.

I drove away that day, amazed once again at God- and His grace for us. It hit me... For every excuse we have, for every issue in life- God has already thought up a solution.

So... maybe we were dismissed from the hospital late at night....

so that maybe I would forget the medicine....

so maybe I'd have to drive back to the hospital..

so I'd get to meet these 3 priceless souls. Maybe it wasn't such an accident after all!

May Day!

12:30 PM

Happy May! We are thrilled and excited to get to be in one place for a WHOLE month! I’ve never been so happy to be able to unpack things J and use shelves and drawers!! On Monday I even got to go grocery shopping! Do you know how happy this makes me?? Whoopee! I get to cook for a while J I get to wake up in the same bed, and not ask myself each day where I am! I get to have a (semi-normal) schedule! Life’s never been better! (Ok, that might be a slight exaggerator) But seriously, I LOVE my life!
                Many people have been asking us questions like, “Where are you living this month? What are you doing? Why are you in Indiana? When are you leaving for Peru?” So the intent of this post is to answer some of those questions!
                We are living in Indiana! The sweetest couple have opened up their home to us, and they have a spare bedroom in their basement where they are allowing us to stay! It is a beautiful home, and we feel very much ‘at home’ there. The colors are some of my favorites in our bedroom, and the hosts are amazing! They keep telling us to help ourselves to anything and everything. I’ve heard the phrase, “Mi casa es tu casa” or “My home is your home” many times! (They are American people by the way, they just think it sounds cool to say it that way!)
                Daniel is very busy this month, attending planning meetings with the other men from Team Peru each day. Some of the days, I get to go to take notes during their meetings! They are planning for our team launch in Peru! It is very exciting to get to be in some of the meetings and here about the future of our team.
                We are planning on leaving for Peru the second of July! I am eagerly awaiting purchasing our tickets so I can start the official count-down. We have started looking at apartments in Lima online…. And can’t wait till time gets closer, and we get down there to purchase our apartment! I bought the last few things we will need for our kitchen recently- including a Kitchen Aid, [(!!!!) Can you hear my excitement? which Victory Hills Baptist Church graciously provided.] We get to load the container of boxes going by boat to Peru on the 14^th of this month.
                During June, we’ll have one more week of training, spend a couple of weeks with our families, and prepare to fly out! Thanks for your prayers!

There's No Place Like Home

4:22 PM

There's no place like home! We see it on signs, we hear it being said, and Ah! How true that phrase is. In college I would hear people say, "Remember, home is wherever your husband is. And I would think, yes, of course it is; it's wherever the two of you are together. Yet I did not understand or have any idea of how true that statement would become in my life.

My husband has reminded me of this several times over these past 7 months. Most the time traveling lots feels like an extended honeymoon- but I'd be lying to say there haven't been days where I've just wanted to go "home." But where is home? Home for most people is indeed, a real place. For us, it's been a journey- and I've learned that home is, wherever my husband is.

Hebrews 13:5 b says, "Be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Learning to be content traveling has been a journey. It has not always been easy for me to not have a home. But I must say that after 7 months, it has become more of a life-style. God has given more than enough grace to get me through this season of life, and for that, I'm forever grateful.

For now, I'm learning to love being "home" wherever that may be across the United States. Someday soon I know, I'll wake up in the same bed, day after day, and wonder what happened to all the sweet traveling nights we had- exploring hotels, meeting amazing people, and staying in different cities and states. Perhaps it really doesn't matter so much where you are, but that you're together. After all, there is no place like home.

When I Grow Up

12:38 PM

This morning, my husband was asked to preach at chapel for Bailey's Grove Christian Schools. I was excited to get to go along. I love hearing my husband preach! I'm always amazed at the many ways God is uses him. He preached a great message to the Jr High and High School concerning profit. "What are you giving back to God?" Was the main theme. Heart were convicted and the altar was flooded as these young people humbly sought the face of God. I love seeing the Holy Spirit working in our lives!

After chapel we were asked to stay for lunch with the kids. As we were walking out of chapel a young lady named Megan walked up to me with a huge grin on her face. "Hi!" She blurted out. "Are YOU his WIFE?" She asked, as if that was the greatest thing ever. "I AM." I replied, totally excited to claim him as my husband. (It is, by the way, the best thing ever :)) "Wow!" she said. "You're missionaries, aren't you?" she asked in amazement. "Yes, we are." I excitedly answered. "I want to be a missionary when I grow up." She proudly told me. I happily told her that all my life, I wanted to be a missionary and go to the mission field, and now God was making my dream come true. I also got to share about how God brought Daniel into my life, and gave him the exact same passion so we could go to the mission field together. I got to tell her that God could make her dreams come true. He has mine!

Later on, after we had visited with a number of kids and eaten lunch in the cafeteria, we were about to leave and my husband was talking to the principal. A shy 7th grade girl walked up to me and whispered, "Can I ask you a question????" "Of course," I whispered back. She motioned for me to walk to the corner of the room where no one else could hear. I followed her, and when I got there she looked up at me, and asked, "How do you know if you are called by God?" I did my best to explain to her, and share that God is able to use anyone who is willing, all we have to do is give Him our all, and He'll use us. She smiled and said "thanks!" She turned and hurried away to class as she whispered in her precious little voice, "Someday, I want to be a MISSIONARY!"

Pleasant Surprises

8:00 AM

It was 5:15pm, Wednesday, March 7th, 2012. Our missions conference started in 45 minutes. We were checking into our hotel, to change quickly and head over to the church. Through some complications of our hotel reservations, the receptionist began listing the names of the missionaries who were staying in the hotel. Then I heard the name, "Bob Bowen". My mouth dropped! Bro. Bowen is here? I thought???? My husband looked at me, like 'what in the world just happened to you'? "The Bowen's are here!" I exclaimed. "He's my hero and they're missionaries in Thailand! But they're.... HERE!" Just a few moments later, Bro. and Mrs. Bowen came into the hotel lobby.

It was 2007. I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico at an orphanage. I was a single girl, serving God where He had placed me. During the time I was there, Bro. Bowen came down to Guadalajara and preached at a missions conference for my Pastor at the time, Missionary Robert Murillo. The missions conference was such a blessing to me personally. I was struggling with homesickness and trying to learn a new culture. Then God sent me a white man. :-) It was refreshing to my soul to hear Bro. Bowen preach in English. While he down in Mexico, he asked me to sign my name in the back of his Bible. I had never signed anyone's Bible before, so I was excited that He wanted me to sign. As I was signing his Bible he told me that he was going to pray for me. He was going to pray that God would send me a Godly husband so we could serve God together. I felt very special that he would be pray this specifically for me.

It's 2012. We were standing in the hotel lobby. There in the flesh was Bro. Bowen's answer to prayer- my husband. We told them that we were on deputation, and headed to the mission field of Peru. I was thrilled to introduce the Bowen's to Daniel. It was awesome to think that standing before us was my husband, Bro. Bowen's answer to prayer!

I am continually amazed at the goodness of God! He never fails. He gives us the desires of our hearts beyond our wildest dreams!

Bro. and Mrs. Bowen and I at the missions conference this week

To Bro. Bowen:Thanks for praying for me and believing that God wanted to do something great with my life. My husband and I are happily married now, because of your prayers; and can't wait to serve the Lord together in Peru!

I am Loved!

1:44 PM

Several weeks ago in our many travels, my husband dropped me off at Bojangles to grab our lunch, while he filled the car with gas. It was one of those long days in the car, and I needed a little lift. As my husband dropped me off, I asked him what he wanted to eat. He told me, and then said, "If the Lord wills, you might get me a boberry biscuit too! Of course the Lord wills, I thought! Boberry biscuits are the BEST! I went inside, went through the line, and ordered our meal. As I was waiting on the meal and filling our drinks, I realized I forgot to order the boberry biscuits! As the lady handed me the food to go, I told her I had forgotten the boberry biscuits, and asked if she could add them to my total. Just as I was pulling out my wallet, the manager walked by and said, "Don't worry about it- they're on the house today!" I was so excited and couldn't believe their kindness. This was a for sure sign that God wanted to give us the boberry biscuits! I thanked the lady who added the biscuits to my bag of food, and ran outside to jump in the car where my husband was waiting. I was so excited to tell him about how God wanted us to have the boberry biscuits! As I told him, I opened the box- and this is what I found!

I believe God wanted us to have those biscuits- and not only that, He wanted to remind me of His love for me! What a kind God! I'm so glad He cares about every detail of our lives! By the way, if you've never tried Bojangles, it's a definite must!

Una Semana de Español

10:25 AM

Ever thought you were going somewhere, but ended up lost? Thanks to our great maps app online, we ended up at a dead end on our way to a missions conference in Georgia. It actually ended up being on the same street, but we had to find a different route to get there. :) Don't you just love a good adventure? Maybe not when you're late somewhere, huh? Lol. I kept trying to convince my husband that we'd be there in perfect time: Spanish time. For those of you who don't know, the Spanish culture is quite laid back, and usually if you say something is going to start at 4, it starts a half hour later or more. Thankfully, we were able to find our way to the church, and were welcomed by the many spanish people who awaited us. They eagerly served us a delicious dinner of authentic mexican food. We were treated all week to a host of different delicious mexican meals! I am going to try making Sopes sometime this week. :) They just happen to be Dan's favorite.

This was the most involved missions conference we've ever been in. Every night they had 3 sessions. In the first two of the sessions, they had classes for 4-5 yrs, 6-7 yrs, 8-10, young men, ladies, and men. The third session they had the children's classes still divided, and the adults were all together for preaching. My husband got to preach 8 times! He got to teach all age groups. I got to teach twice, once to the ladies and the other to the teen girls, both of which I taught in spanish. Studying was quite a challenge, as I wanted to be sure my spanish was correct when I taught. The only words I forgot when I was teaching were "stressed out" and "magazines." At least I didn't forget something super important. :)

Usually at night after the last session of preaching they would have dinner for us. Nights were late, but fun. I love Spanish people, and we had lots of good fellowship time! My husband and I got to stay with the song leader and his wife, who graciously opened up their home to us. We loved getting to know Luis, Elizabeth, and their adorable 2 year old son, Enoch. They have an incredible desire to serve and love God in everything they do. Elizabeth was a great blessing to my heart personally. She has a very real walk with God, and I enjoyed bonding with her throughout the week.

On Monday, it was time to leave. This time, I almost didn't want to leave our new friends. We did enjoy a nice meal with several of the other team families at McDonalds before we left town though. As we loaded up in our car once again and prayed for safety, we headed off to North Carolina.

Flow

10:08 AM

One of the things I've learned from deputation is that God has always been working in my life since day one. God's sovereignty amazes me more and more as we explore what He has for our lives. So many time we talk about God's Will. Especially when I was a young person, God's Will seemed to be the theme of conferences, camps, and services. The longer I live the more that I am humbled and perplexed that God would even show an interest in my life.

My wife and I have come to call God's sovereign working in our life flow. Let me briefly explain. God's Will is basically what God wants for you life. The Bible tells us that before God ever said "...let there be light..." He planned your life. Not just your life in general, but every single detail of your every day; who you would meet, what you would hear, what you would see, what you would experience, who you were born to, etc....

God Sovereign Will has been more rich in my life as recent. I was reminded again as we met my former high school soccer coach for dinner Saturday night. What a delightful time we had as we remembered old times. You see, If Alan Rydman had never followed God's leading to move from Michigan to Liberty Baptist Church about twelve years ago, he would have never been my soccer coach. If he had never been my soccer coach, I would have never known him. If Alan Rydman had not followed God's leading again to return north about two years ago to take a pastorate, I would not be at his church.

You see when I was a young person, I had no idea that I would be a missionary on deputation. I had no idea how God was working even then to meet my needs today.

God's sovereignty is working every day all around us. Many times we do not take the time to notice how God is moving in our lives. Example: I played the piano as a young person for our Spanish church for six years. God subtly was preparing me for working with Spanish people one day. I had no idea that every Sunday I walked into the auditorium to play the piano while the congregation sang in an unfamiliar tongue that one day I would one day I would be learning their language. God was mildly exposing me to their culture.

My wife spent about a year in and out of Peru and Mexico before she went to college where we met. She became fluent in the Spanish language. She had no idea that she would one day be with a team of missionaries going back to the country of Peru on an hours flight north of where she served.

Both my wife and I had the privilege of traveling on singing groups across the country in college, as we recruited kids for school. Little did we know that now, the friendships that we made those summers, would be the pastor's that we would go back an visit on our deputation journey.

God is working in each every one of your lives every day! So many times I'll look at my wife when something "coincidental" happens and say,"You know what you call that?" She'll look back at me with smile on here face and say, "Flow." We need to take a moment and recognize God in our day. He is working. He wants to be noticed. And He wants your praise and glory for how He is molding your life. - Did you know that the reason and motive for every thing He does in your life is because He loves you? (That's another topic for another day) -

How is God flowing in your life? Give Him some recognition today!

- Dan -

I Love Popcorn!

9:31 AM

I LOVE popcorn! It's one of my favorite snacks in the whole entire world! Growing up, every time we visited my grandparents, my grandpa would pop home made popcorn for us right when we arrived. It has always been a family favorite! During my teenage years, it was my specialty. Whenever we sat down to watch a movie, or play games, I would make several big bowls of popcorn!

One time, when I was about 4 (this is an estimated guess) My mom made popcorn out of our electric popper. Instead of popping it to eat, however, she set the popper in the middle of the room, left the lid off, and let the popcorn go EVERYWHERE! We ran around the room chasing the popcorn and thought it was the coolest thing EVER! My mom always had great ideas for new ways to have fun. So now you have a little better understanding of why popcorn is so special to me.

Saturday night, I saw THIS! We were at the Rydmans house on deputation in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Mr. Rydman had been Daniel's soccer coach in high school, and now is pastoring Central Baptist Church.

At first, when I saw the big container of popcorn, I thought maybe it was for looks, but then after supper they asked if we liked popcorn. They said they eat it every night, and actually order it in 50lb bags! When they pulled out their well used kettle, I was psyched! They make their popcorn the exact same way we do! It totally made my night!!!

Missions in Michigan

1:30 PM

What an incredible time we've had so far in Michigan! We arrived at our destination on Saturday night, and had the privilege of staying with one of Dan's friends from college, Todd Vaperzan. Todd and his wife Katie are the Youth Pastor and Youth Pastor's wife at Metro Baptist Church.

We had a great time meeting the people at Metro Baptist Church on Sunday. Sunday morning, Dan got to preach to the 2nd-6th grade boys! Metro has an awesome bus ministry, and in the boys class alone there were over 30 attending. We enjoyed the evening service as well. After Sunday night church, Todd and Katie had several couples over to their house for food, fellowship, fun, and did I mention the Superbowl? Even though the Patriots lost, we still had an awesome time. :)

(Dan preaching to the 2nd-6th graders at Metro Baptist Church)

Bro. Dan Martin was the evangelist that spoke all week. He was reached by Metro Baptist Church, and left about 16 years ago to become a full time evangelist. He is a great man of God, and we were touched numerous times last week by His messages.

On Wednesday afternoon we got to go soul winning with the teens from Metro Baptist. It's always encouraging for me to see teens eager to tell others what God did for them, and that He can do the same in the other's life. Josh, a 14 year old bus kid from Detroit really latched on to Daniel during the week because he wants to be a missionary someday. I was able to connect with a bus girl as well, who said goodbye last night in tears.

I think the most touching part of the conference was at the end, when they had the missionaries and evangelist stand up at the front of the auditorium. The people then could walk by and either shake hands, or give money to us. It was extremely humbling as even children gave what they had to the work of the Lord. The people were very generous, and it was incredible to see the cheerful giver first hand.

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE my life? I love what we get to do! It's amazing to see God's hand of blessing upon us as we follow His will. Thanks for reading! Until next time, Heather

Roller Skates to Pearly Gates

2:39 PM

My heart filled with emotion, as a young man named Larry walked up to my husband this morning after church. "I just want to thank you for all you've done for me these past few days," he said. "You've changed my life and helped me get back on track, thanks." You could see from Larry's heart that he was very sincere, and a changed teenager.

Wednesday evening, Larry came into church with his step sister. As soon as I saw him I recognized him. He was one of the boys that used to go to Skate World all the time. About 5 years ago, I worked there, and befriended a number of kids whose parents would randomly drop them off at Skate World nearly every weekend. When I saw Larry, I told Daniel about his situation. I asked him(Daniel) if he could share Jesus with him. After our service, Daniel walked up to him and shared the gospel with him. Daniel told Larry about Jesus and His precious love for Larry, even though he was a sinner. He told Larry about his need for a Savior. That evening Larry chose to accept Christ as His Savior.

The very next day, Larry's Dad died. Through difficult circumstances, Daniel was able to be there for him that same day. Daniel also got to take Larry out that next Saturday and talk about his new life as a Christian. I love seeing how God is willing to use us! Larry also spoke about getting his brother to come to church! Praise God for what He is doing in this family!

What's So Thrilling About Hay?!

9:57 AM

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of praying with a lady from my home church. They minister to troubled kids through their ranch. They teach children about caring for horses, and at the same time share Jesus with them. She told me that they were praying the Lord would provide hay for their horses. I suppose once you have so many horses, hay can become quite expensive. She shared that they had been praying and God had brought them hay several times. I decided to take her prayer request seriously, and asked God to give them more hay. In fact, every time I saw hay (which happens to be quite frequently in Oklahoma) I would pray that God would give their family hay. I saw her and her husband several days ago, and was so excited to hear about how things were going that I blurted out, "Do you have hay?" as soon as I saw them! I told them I had been praying for it every time I saw hay. She smiled as her husband looked at me and said, "yes!" They had just recently received a phone call from a man who told them that he had hay for them. He told them he would bring them 2 bails a day, and then whenever they needed more he would bring it over!

What's so thrilling about hay? Not much, but I love the awesome God who made the hay, and is willing to listen to a simple person like me. :) Just a simple request from one girl in this world, and the great God of heaven chose to answer. Wow! What a God!! Now every time I see hay, I'm gonna thank God for hay!

You Never Know

9:52 AM

You never know how God is going to use you. Last Wednesday we were at my wife's home church for their prayer meeting. As we took our seats a young teenage boy walked in and sat a couple rows in front of us. I had never seen him before and naturally assumed that he was a visitor. During the announcements my wife leaned over to me and said, "I know him. When he was a kid he used to come into the skating rink were I used to work all the time. His dad used to drop him and his brother off." After preacher's Bible study we all got together for a time of prayer. I made my way over to the young man and introduced myself. After we got done praying, we got to talked for a while after church. He told me that he wanted to get his life straightened out. His dad was in the Hospital with cancer and he was going though a tough time. I had the wonderful privilege of leading this young man to the Lord. After he accepted Jesus as his Savior, I got to introduce him to the pastor. You should have seen the big smile on his face. That was Wednesday...

Thursday morning his father passed away. I got news of his father's death Sunday night. Rushing over to the house to pray with the family was a sobering experience. Who would have guessed that his father would pass away the morning after his salvation.
You never know how God is going to use you in someone else life. Remember what you do affects those around you.

The Mission Hallway

10:31 AM

Sunday, January 22, we had the awesome opportunity to be at Maranatha Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. It was a sweet and short trip over there from Ponca City, so we jumped in the car with our frappiccino and headed off. Upon arriving at the church we found the sweetest people. You know you can always tell when you have like-minded Christians around. We felt at home right away, and began practicing for our special music.

The service was great! We enjoyed special music, lots of singing, and Daniel’s preaching. At the conclusion of the service, Daniel and I found a special hallway in the church. In it, there are over 130 (we counted) missionary letters with each family’s prayer letter and picture. It was quite obvious that the heart of this church was missions. Daniel and I stood there in amazement as we looked at the pictures and read the letters of the missionaries in that hallway. The strange thing? We didn’t know but 2 of those missionary families. Sometimes I think it’s good to see that there are more people reaching the world than we think!

What an encouragement it was to fellowship with the pastor afterwards, and hear that 7 of his church members have left to go start their own churches both here in the States, and abroad. We left that night blessed, challenged, and pumped to continue on this journey that God has so wisely planned for us.

Enjoying the Journey

10:02 AM

Deputation! We’ve heard so many things about that word, including the question: What is deputation? Deputation is a simple word for traveling around the country presenting our work in churches in hopes that churches will catch the vision for our mission, and either prayerfully or financially support us in that mission.

Deputation for me? Is the journey God has me on today. People ask, Where do you live? I say, wherever God has me on that day. Home? It’s where my husband is for the moment. I guess practically speaking you could say our home is our sweet lil red honda civic, and yet- there’s so much more to a home than even our car can contain.

How many people have the opportunity to travel the country and sight see? Not many, and with deputation, we get to! I heard of one family calling their deputation, depuvacation- putting the words deputation and vacation together. I believe it’s true tho- with an positive outlook on everything you get to do, deputation can be a whole lot of fun!!

My personal favorite part is that I get to spend all day long with my husband! I never have to say good-bye. Aren’t I spoiled??? I am, I really am. Whenever I think about us having a long car drive, I always remind myself- Heather, you get to spend the whole day with the Love of your life! How many people would love to have the whole day with their love?

Finally, deputation is a season. It’s a once in a life opportunity we have to travel around to different churches, and share with them the burden God has given us to reach South America. What a gift! At times I do get anxious to have my own place, a house where my husband and I can relax and share, but until then, I’m determined to enjoy the journey! - Heather

About me

Heather Kokubun enjoys living the dream in Lima, Peru. The fulfillment of her childhood dream to serve the Lord on the mission field in South America became a reality after she met Daniel in Bible college and they were married in August of 2011. The following year, they moved to Peru with Team Peru, and Daniel became the youth pastor for Iglesia Bautista Internacional. After nearly three fruitful years of service, Daniel was called home to Heaven on May 5, 2015. Heather continues serving in Lima, seeking to love God best and serve Him most through the people of Peru. She delights in God's handwritten story for her life and chooses to never stop living His dream.