Hello and greetings from the warm side of the globe! We pray that all is well and that our Lord is blessing you and your family in a great way. Once again we begin a new year, and what expectations we have for it! It’s been several months since my trip to the US, and we are in full force preparing to launch the new church in Santa Cruz.
God is so Good!
God did such an amazing work during my (Jason’s) trip to the USA. It wasn’t easy. A week before my return to Santa Cruz we were only 1/3 of the way to our minimum goal of $36,000. In a moment of total honesty with God, after 5 weeks of frustration trying to raise funds, I told God that we would go forward no matter what. We knew that without reaching that goal, we would not be able to begin the church in the way that we felt God had called us. It’s amazing how God tests our faith and our will. I believe that God sometimes tests us to know if we truly trust His promises. He gave the call and the promise, but He would have to supply. Within the next few weeks, we saw the fulfillment of His promise in a way that we will never forget. By the time I was on the plane back to Bolivia, we had met 80% of our goal, and we passed it two weeks later!
Of course, God used YOU to fulfill His promise. What most touched us, were the sacrifices that so many of you made. God touches SO MANY PEOPLE, and He challenges them to trust in Him – in the same way that Norah and I have to trust in Him to provide. That opens the door for God to test and teach each of us. It’s not easy, but if our faith doesn’t fail (it will waiver sometimes, but we can’t let go), we will see His hand and miracles in each of our lives. That’s God’s circle of faith!
Progress With The Santa Cruz Church
After arriving in Santa Cruz, it took awhile to get things going. We began construction of the roof on December 9 and hope to finish on January 23. We have officially set our launch date as Sunday, March 7. During the next month we will prepare the building, advertize, and all that is needed for that first service. We will hold a retreat with those who are currently in our small groups from Feb 13-16 to minister and prepare them for the great things that God has called us to do this year. Please pray with us often during this time. Also, we will post pictures, our full strategy and progress on our website (hohnet.com) and through regular e-mails. If you do not get our e-mails, please send your address to jasonskipper@gmail.com so that we can keep you updated!
Other News
Our family is doing well. Both Erynn & Jordan love the English School that they attend. You can read more about it at their website http://www.scclc.org. Jordan is also working with a speech therapist, which is helping him greatly! That is so nice, since in Sucre we didn’t have access to anyone who could help him. Jordan will be 6 years old on Friday the 15th. Derrick is in his terrible twos… and if that “terrible” means ornery, then he has hit it full force! J Norah and I are doing very well… we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary last week. Isn’t that amazing?! We plan to travel bi-monthly this year to Sucre to continue monitoring the progress of that church. Thank God, they are doing well without us.
MUSIC FEST!!!
Bluegrass & Southern Gospel Music Fest at Alpine Lake Resort! Have a fun evening on Saturday, January 30, from 5 pm – 9 pm while supporting our work here in Bolivia! The Savage Family, Crosscut, Faith Praise & Worship, Cindy Sites and Dean & Karen Ullery, and Heaven’s Mountain Band will perform. No admission fee! There will be a freewill donation in support of our ministry in Bolivia. (PRAY FOR GOOD WEATHER TOO!)
Please keep us in your prayers continually and know that we appreciate you tremendously. May God bless you richly! We ask that you remain faithful with your support, because that is what we live on and work with. You are so important to God’s work here. If God challenges you to sow more, please do! Our goal of $36,000 was a minimum, and we still need many things that will drastically help strengthen our impact during the first few months as a church! It’s not too late to get in God’s circle of faith! We love you!