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Strout InformaFishers of men together for Him |
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Jason & Ita Strout update Posted By: jason (3/25/2009 12:51:07 PM) 3.19.09 Dear Friends I’m sure that you have been thinking that you have not heard from us for some time now and you are absolutely correct it has been too long. So there are many things to share so in this update we will keep the details short. Technical problem One of our biggest set back since our last update has been that the only computer that we have stop working and it will cost 600 dollars to fix. So why is this such a set back? With the computer we designed all of our church tracks, invitations, fliers, greeting cards and more. Also, we use it to keep two web pages updated. As you know we have www.stroutinforma.com, and we just started one for the ministry here in Santa Rosa which is all in Spanish but you can take a look at it if you would like. www.unionmisioneraevangelica.com So at the moment we are using a borrowed computer, but we will have to replace ours. Pray that we will be able to have the finances to replace the computer so we can keep on working. Ministry. During this month we have been going around the neighborhood of the church and knocking on doors with the excuse of doing a spiritual poll of the neighborhood. With the questions in the poll we get them thinking about there spiritual life and we invite them to learn more and come to church or one of our activities. This have opened some doors and it has helped the neighborhood know that we are there. Pray that the neighborhood will see their spiritual need and come to find Christ As of this month we are having a youth and ladies time, to see if some one will come. The first ladies get together was Saturday March 14th and there were 4 ladies out and 3 of them had never come before. For the youth get together we have 2 young adults that come one of these does not come to church. Pray that people will come to the new activity and not only hear but receive the Gospel. In addition to the youth time (twice a month) and the Ladies (once a month) we are going to offer English in action which is a simple English course which uses Bible stories to teach English. There are many interested in the course that we will be giving. Pray that they will not only come to learn English but learn about Jesus Christ. Family At the moment we are all just getting over colds, but we are doing good. Support at this time we are at 84 percent and we are lacking 306 dollars on a monthly basis to be at the recommended level for living here in Argentina. We have been like this for about 6 months now which has put us in a financial tight spot. The mission board has not asked us to go home to raise support but they may. With how things are going in the world today we ask that you p ray that He will supply our financially needs for us as a family and the church. Nicolas is getting bigger and following his brother in everything Jonathan does. The other day he was running out the center where we have our activities and some ladies were watching him. So Ita and my Mom (Melissa) started talking to them and they said that they were interested in coming. So Nicolas even does his part in ministry. Lucy our dog is just as terrible as she was before. Yes, she still gets out of the house once in a while and we get to know a new neighbor as they try to help us catch her. Jonathan started kindergarten and he really likes it. The Kindergarten that he went to last year moved and we had to find another one. So he had to get used of the new teacher and kids. It is helping him talk more. He has been blessed with a good teacher that really is trying to get him to communicate. Thank you for the birthday cards and others things that you have done for Ita, and Jonathan on their birthdays. Ita’s family including her sister and family came up as a surprise, so we did have a full house for Ita’s birthday. Jonathan had a good birthday too, he had some neighbors and friends come. Although that same night we had to take him to the hospital because of a bad fever that he had and they had to give him a shot. In all, he had a good birthday. Pray that God will keep us safe and that God will use us in our neighborhood. Thank you for your support, and friendship. Jason, Ita, Jonathan & Nicolas Jason & Ita Strout Update 12.29.08 Posted By: jason (1/25/2009 3:04:18 PM) Hi everyone: So it has been a long time since our last update and there is so much to share that I thought I would get it all in this update. So I will try to be as concise as possible in each subject. Family. We are all doing well here, and we feel at home here in Santa Rosa. The kids are doing well; Nicolas is learning to walk and Jonathan is learning how to talk. Both of them are growing up fast. Our new member of the family is our new dog Lucy. The kids really like her and she is really good with them, although the three of them are always getting into trouble. For many years we have asked for the salvation of Ita’s parents. Well this year on Mother’s Day (October in Argentina) Ita’s mom Graciela received the Lord. We are thankful for her salvation and your prayers. It has been a blessing for us to see her grow in the Lord. Please pray for the rest of the family and Graciela’s testimony. Ministry Since our last update we have had a team from Palermo, Buenos Aires come and do a drama show for kids in a nearby park. From there we started a VBS on Saturdays to share the gospel and keep in contact with the kids. Eventually none of the kids from the park came to the VBS but 3 neighbors have been coming. During this month we had a Christmas musical put on by Daniel and Valerie, and on the 21st we also had a Christmas meeting which includes a short film for kids. So at this time we are still making contacts in the city and making friends with the people that we meet. Also we have meetings on Wednesday, Sunday, and the VBS on Saturday. Santa Rosa has proven to be a hard place to start a church. We have found that the people are convinced that a empty religion is the only thing that they need. As we share the gospel with the people they really do not see the spiritual need that they have. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will move in the hearts of the people and that the gospel will grow in their hearts. At the moment we ask for prayer for Gladys, Vanesa, Raul, Angela, and the kids of VBS. Pray for the kids and Raul’s salvation and the spiritual growth of saved. Thank you Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are thankful to know that we have a reliable team, you, that supports us spiritually and physically. We would not be here if it were not for you. Once again we wish you a Merry Christmas and have a blessed New Year. God Bless Jason, Ita, Jonathan, and Nicolas. Christmas in Argentina. This Christmas we are going to travel over 500 miles “one way” to spend Christmas with Ita’s Parents. It has been two years since the last time that we spent Christmas with them. Here in Argentina most or all the celebration is done on Christmas Eve. Here we get together at someone’s home late on the 24th and have something to eat, talk, and spend time together until 12:00 am. Then it’s officially Christmas and Fireworks start going off and people great each other and go outside to visit with other people, watch fireworks, or throw some of their own. By the time you have done all of this and gone to visit and wish Merry Christmas to your friends it usually is about 5:00 am by the time you get to bed. So things are a little different here but we enjoy it very much. Update 9.2.08 Posted By: jason (9/20/2008 7:13:30 AM) Hi everyone: It is great to update you once again. We trust that you will find this update a great encouragement. We are in Santa Rosa. We are all doing well in the city of Santa Rosa. We are learning all the names of the streets and getting to know the city. There is not much to do outside of the city, so the city has a lot on parks and special events. So Jonathan and Nicolas have been enjoying going for walks and spending time at the parks. Our new home. We have been very busy moving in to our new home. As you remember, the mission bought a home for us and there were some problems in getting it and moving in. Well, as of the 4th of August we have been in our new place and we have been fixing it up. We are very thankful for your prayers concerning our housing situation. It is great to have a place to call home after living out of suitcases for 5 months. Kids Today we went to get Jonathan’s hair cut. His curls were getting out of control. As we mentioned the kids really like the parks and being outside. Jonathan is riding his bike of course with training wheels and he really likes going to the park and do his site seeing. Nicolas has his two first front teeth and he is starting to crawl and trying to walk. They are growing up, I guess. Our team As you remember, my parents were already here and we had arrived in mid-July but the Longhin family was still in Buenos Aires. Now, we are all here and complete as a team. We are planning on having our first official meeting on the 5th of October. Church Building. It’s with great excitement that we inform you that we have found a place to rent to start the ministry. The place was a store and it has been divided into small apartments. So what we are renting is a one-room apartment with bathroom and kitchen, and a big open room also with kitchen, bathroom, and office. The place also has a nice patio where we can play games with the kids and have diferent activities. This gives us a nice open area as a meeting place, and the other office and rooms we can use as classrooms. Exciting times We are excited to see how God has been at work with our housing and church situation. God has been leading us in many ways. Not only with the housing but also with the people of Santa Rosa. We trust that you also are excited about the new church here in Santa Rosa. We will be sending out a team update with more information about the church location and more details. Thank you We are very thankful for your prayers, support and help with the purchase of the car. We hope that you will never forget that we really appreciate everything you have done for us and that you are part of the ministry here in Santa Rosa. Thank you for your prayers and support. Jason, Ita, Jonathan, and Nicolas Strout Update 5.20.08 Posted By: jason (5/22/2008 3:31:43 PM) Hi Everyone: It has been three weeks since the last update so we thought that we would let you know what is going on. Volcano Chaiten Probably many of you have heard about the Chilean Volcano Chaiten which erupted the beginning of May. We are about 700 kilometer, and down wind from the volcano. This has brought volcanic ash to our area which has caused flight cancelations for days, and many respiratory problems. Nicolas has a scratchy throat and a very dry cough. So the days when there is a lot ash we try to keep the kids inside. Car situation. With winter approaching and with volcanic ash in the air from a volcano that erupted and continues to be active. We have step out in faith and ordered a car. We have to order a car because there are none in stock as they are ordered direct from the factory which usually take about 30 days. We were told that our car may arrive within the first weeks of June. We were told that we could get financing here (interest of 40%), but we cannot get credit because we do not have any credit history here. Of course, they told us that after we ordered the car. So at this point we have $9000 dollars and we are lacking $11000 dollars to pay for the car. Once again, if some wanted to help with the purchase of the car, simply send in your donation to Avant specifying that the money is for Jason & Ita’s car. Keeping busy During this month we have been celebrating the Missions conference, and anniversary of the church. So we have been busy helping with all the activities. Also, we are getting ready to share in Sunday School the concept of working together as a team. Please pray that God will give us the right words to us to motivate the people to work together in ministry. Santa Rosa. Well none of the houses have sold yet so we are still here in Trelew waiting. We are praying for the homes to sell so we can move. Also, if we can get a home in Santa Rosa before our things arrive by boat we can have them delivered directly to Santa Rosa. The kids papers We have started the process of paper work, Nicolas needs some papers from the US and he only has 40 days left to get it all done. So please pray, that we can get everything done and we will not have to travel out of the country and come back in. Thank you for your prayers and support. We will keep you updated. We trust that you will find this update helpful and please pass it one to anyone that is interested. Thank you Jason, Ita, Jonathan, and Nicolas. 5.1.08 Update Posted By: jason (5/22/2008 3:28:34 PM) Hi Everyone: Housing. We are still in Trelew although there are some prospects of buyers for the house here. When this house sells we will be one step closer to going to Santa Rosa. Please continue to pray that all 3 houses that the mission has for sale will sell around the same time. As right now, we are staying with my parents , if the house here in Trelew sells that will leave two families without a house and only enough money to buy one home in Santa Rosa. Important Notice. Please pass this notice on to everyone that you know that communicates with us or supports us. Our mailing address for the US is now Avant Ministries, 10000 N Oak Trfwy, Kansas City, MO 64155. We no longer use our old address. Any mail or support must be sent to the home office at Avant Ministries. Car We have found a car that will be good for ministry. It is between a car and a van. It is a very common car here in Argentina, and one advantage is that some changes have been done to the model and now it will seat seven. This makes it great to travel and to carry people for the ministry. Also, unlike the most expensive minivans that run around $55,000 US dollars this vehicle cost $22,000 US dollars. So when will be able to get the car? Well to get the car we need to at least make a down payment of $10,000 and then pay the rest on a monthly basis. Would you please pray with us that we would be able to raise the $10,000 for the down payment. If you would like to help with the purchase of the car you can do so by sending your donation to Avant Ministries, 10000 N Oak Trfwy Kansas City, MO 64155. Any help would be extremely appreciated. Please earmark your gift for Jason and Ita Stout’s car fund. Documents. Thank you for your prayers concerning the paper work that we need to do. Slowly we have been finding out what we need to get Jonathan and Nicolas registered as residents here in Argentina. Unfortunately some papers will be needed from the US, which makes things complicated considering we are here in Argentina. Thank you for your prayers and support. We trust that you will find our updates helpful in knowing how we are doing and our needs. We are excited to be here and we are waiting to start the church plant in Santa Rosa. We will keep everyone updated. Thank you Jason, Ita, Jonathan, and Nicolas |
| Strout Informa: Fishers of men together for Him |
