Greetings, once again, from Virginia,

I arrived home from South America on Thursday, June 11, with a special surprise. Matt had come to do some work in the area. He is here for a couple of weeks pushing dents from a hail storm that caused my flight to be delayed to Uruguay (which was June 3.)

I boarded the flight on June 3, and then we sat on the runway in the airplane for nearly 5 hours waiting for the storm to pass. I arrived in Miami too late to catch my connecting flight to Montevideo. So, I spent the night in a Miami hotel, and flew out at 11 PM the next night.

I arrived in Montevideo on Friday afternoon, rested briefly, and then met with the leaders and wives of the Mennonite Church there. After the leaders meeting, we went to the new building that they have purchased, and I took part in a prayer meeting. It was a long two days, and I had just begun.

On Saturday, we went to Colony Delta, which is northwest of the city about an hour and a half drive. One of the leaders there was celebrating a silver anniversary, so we attended a special church meeting, and then a reception dinner. We arrived home in time for me to speak to about sixty or seventy vibrant Mennonite youth on Saturday night at the church building. My subject was embracing character traits of Soldiers, Athletes and Farmers from Paul’s second letter to Timothy.

On Sunday morning, I spoke at the Spanish service at the church on the parable of the Good Samaritan. After the service, I went to Romi and Lilo Hennig’s home, where they gathered their family and a handful of youth for a meal. I spent some time with the family, and then met with some youth who had committed to pray for government leaders and influential people in Uruguay. After this, I went to the home of Hans Marten and Rosi Specht for another meeting with both adult and youth leaders of the church.

On Monday, I spent most of the day with Ricardo and Mirta Horack, who serve as the house parents for Mennonite college students. Ricardo took me on a tour of the Mennonite student residence. It is a huge, very old building, which previously housed the Mennonite congregation, too. I came home to spend time with Rainer’s sister, and then walked down the street to spend the evening with Helmut Bachman and his family.  And this is the way it went for the rest of my time there. I met at several homes with a number of people, who I relate with in some manner. Most of these meetings were informal, but rich in fellowship. The time was very full, and extremely rewarding to me. I deeply appreciate the hospitality and reception I receive in Uruguay, and especially the gracious hosting of Rainer and Andrea Kunze. Rainer serves as the pastor of the Mennonite congregation in Montevideo, and through his leadership they have entered into a new and exciting era. My trip home was much better, no delays or missed flights, and topped off by Matt being here when I arrived. On Friday night, Kathy, Matt and I had supper with Sean and Wendy and the family, and that was a great blessing.

On Sundays at Harvest we are going through the rewrite of my book, * Sonship: The Path to Fatherhood. We went through chapter 5, and then Kathy, Matt and I spent the afternoon and evening with Jim and Debbie Matthias. Jim and Debbie have joined us at Harvest, and provide some genuine experience to our leadership. Jim has been a pastor and church planter for more than thirty years, so it is a wonderful blessing to have them.

*[For your information, the rewrite of my book is available on a new website set up by Sean. The web address is www.becomingsons.com When you have opportunity, check it out and let me know what you think.]

So, today I have tried to catch my breath and get back into a routine. I have had some quality time with Matt this afternoon, as well.

I have no immediate plans for travel at this time, but Kathy and I will be working on the summer calendar now. I have set the date for the next trip into Zacatecas, Mexico. I hope to take a team down for a week beginning on Friday, July 31. Let me know if you would be interested in joining me on this trip.

It is through the grace of God, along with your faithful prayers and financial support that I am able to make these ministry trips. I am indebted to you, and thank you for all you have done for me. You remain regularly in my prayers. May God bless you richly…

In Christ,

Jim