Faith to Follow - October 2020

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive

as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

~ Hebrews 11:8 ~

We continue to grow in our understanding of this passage as we prepare for Ecuador. We don’t know where we will live. We don’t know who we will meet. We don’t know what struggles, enjoyments and experiences we will encounter. As Abraham obeyed in faith and went out in faith, we also need to have faith that God will care for us and provide for us as we go. As we have seen His faithfulness in the past, we trust Him and anticipate what He will do in the future. Praise God that we can have faith in a faithful God.

It is hard to believe that we are actually in November. Texas temperatures continue to surprise us! Last month, the average temperature was 91°. Thankfully, temperatures are decreasing to the mid 80s. It is also difficult to believe that November is our last full month at RGBI. Lord-willing and COVID-permitting, graduation is Tuesday, December 8th, and our desire is to leave Texas the following day. With only 5 weeks remaining, we find it challenging to balance our focus between the present and the near future.

We continue to make progress in our Spanish - Lisa, through her ICS classes, and Jeff, through his Bible classes. We are thankful for the opportunity that Jeff has to study the books of Acts and Romans, in addition to several branches of theology. These classes assist him in developing his vocabulary and further preparing him to teach in Ecuador. For her public speaking class, Lisa presented a devotional and also shared the Gospel in Spanish. These projects are challenging, but they provide practical, profitable learning opportunities as we prepare to serve in Ecuador. We praise God for these opportunities to learn!

We recently enjoyed a week of fall break. We took some time to rest and refresh, but we also worked ahead on several upcoming projects. RGBI hosted a Bible conference on Biblical archeology, and how it proves that the Bible is true. The conference was very interesting and beneficial. For the past two Saturdays, Lisa has had the opportunity to help with a kids program called Zona Kids. She does anything from teaching a Bible verse to helping with songs. Because of the Spanish culture, she is learning that it is important to be flexible and ready to help in any way needed.

We are thrilled to share that we have purchased our plane tickets for Ecuador! Due to COVID, the prices were fairly reasonable, so we praise the Lord for His provision in that way. Lord-willing, we will fly to Ecuador on Wednesday, February 17th. Please pray with us that the flight will not be canceled due to complications with the virus. We have a tentative schedule HERE. This is subject to change, as the Lord further establishes our steps.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support. It is exciting to see the end, but also the beginning, in sight.

In His service and yours,

Jeff, Lisa, & Simon

Mayfield

Simon Says:

This month I learned so many new words! I surprised Mom and Dad by counting to 10 in English and by counting to 5 in Spanish. I am glad that the weather is cooler because I can play outside more. I went to the San Antonio Zoo during fall break. I loved seeing the many different animals that God has made.