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December Prayer Letter Update
December 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We love celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It really is because of HIM and His saving grace that we do all that we do. This letter will give you a brief update about our family, our ministry and our trip to Colombia. If you’d like to stay even more connected with us, please visit our website and blog at: http://www.BeMagnified.org.
click here to download our prayer letter (with pictures!)
Amira is growing like crazy (they tell me that’s what babies do). She will be about 9 months old by the time many of you will get this letter. She’s saying all sorts of baby words (including the most important “mama” and “dada!”), and she’s learning how to get around pretty well. We also had a great time visiting my brother Zach at Pensacola Christian College with my family over Thanksgiving. He is a freshman there.
Things continue to go well at Iglesia Bautista El Faro (the Spanish Church in Georgia that I pastor). In October we worked a booth for 10 days at the County Fair where quite a few from our church turned out to help distribute literature and witness to people. We later celebrated our 4th Anniversary and the Lord blessed in incredible ways. In December we hosted our first Annual Family Conference with Ronald Tubillas preaching in three special services. I believe this upcoming year will be the best yet at El Faro.
Our upcoming survey trip to Colombia, South America is less than 2 months away! We have our tickets and are extremely excited to finally see this land that the Lord has called us to. God has miraculously provided most of the funds needed, and he has used many of you to do this. If you would like to have a part in sending us to Colombia, there’s still a chance. We still lack about $700 and every little bit helps. You can make a check out to Lighthouse Baptist Church and mark it “Vance Colombia Trip” and send it to the address below. This gift is tax-deductible. Also, please be praying for the people of Colombia during this time. They’ve had an unusually strong rainy season this year that has left over 1.7 million people homeless throughout the whole country and 223 souls have died. The need is great! Thank you, and may God continue to bless you and your family.
May Christ Be Magnified,
Aaron, Aubrie & Amira Vance
Philippians 1:20-21
We Have Our Tickets!!
Praise the Lord! We have just purchased the tickets for our Colombia Survey Trip coming up in February! Thanks to all of you who have given toward this cause. God has worked in ways only He can, and he has done it through you. If you’re still thinking about making a tax-deductible contribution, there’s still time! We only lack about $770 of our total goal and you can be a part by clicking here.
Our official dates for the trip are now February 10 – February 22, 2011
Flooding In Colombia!
Colombia has been the victim of severe flooding recently. Many people have died, even more have lost their homes. These are people that need Christ! Will you pray with me over this situation?
Here’s the news article:
Colombia Declares State Of Public Calamity Over Rains
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday declared a state of public calamity in 28 of the country’s 32 departments to deal with emergencies caused by this year’s rainy season that caused the death of 136 Colombians so far.
The government plans to decree other measures in the coming days that will help authorities to release emergency funds for the victims of floods and landslides that damages the houses or land of 1.3 million people.
The United States government on Thursday announced to pay $50 thousand as the first of a number of payments to help Colombia deal with what is called the worst rainy season in 60 years.
Earlier this week, Santos warned that the Colombian government has reached its financial limits to assess the emergencies and called on the international community and private sector to donate money for victim relief.
This rainy season started in March and is expected to last until 2011. According to meteorologists, the prolonged rains are the result of meteorological phenomenon “La Niña.”
Have You Considered Adoption?
Image via Wikipedia
My wife and I have been interested in adoption since before we even met. If the Lord sees fit, we would love to be able to adopt sometime down the road, either domestically or internationally. What a wonderful depiction of the Love of God. Just think of how many Bible verses describe His relationship with us in adoption terms:
- “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains:” Psalm 68:5-6
- “Thou art the helper of the fatherless. LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.” Psalm 10:14,17-18
- “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Romans 8:14-16
- “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27
Here’s an article from the popular Colombian newspaper EL TIEMPO that relates the need for adoption in Colombia. There are more and more children being abandoned by their families in not just this country but around the world! They need a family. Will you be their family?
http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/boyaca/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-8281940.html
Halfway There!
Praise the Lord, we now have over half of our needed support for our survey trip to Colombia coming up in February 2011! Thanks to many of you that have already given.
If would still like to partner with us, here’s how.
The Vance Family 