South America!
“My food,” Jesus said, “is to do the will of him who sent me.” John 4:34
When we were commissioned to go on this trip, I really had no idea what to expect, yet I knew God was sending us. Initially, we thought we were going to Honduras, but God clearly re-directed us to Uruguay and Chile, starting with how Jeff met Cristian here in Kona. After spending several days together, Cristian invited us to his base in La Paloma, Uruguay and his father’s base in Pichilemu, Chile. Even though it is impossible to truly convey all that God has done (and it has been A LOT), I will try to share as much as I can to give you a sense of how God is orchestrating something bigger than just a two week trip. This will be a picture journey in hopes that you feel like you are able to imagine some of what we experienced.
Joe and Beth Catanzaro are the parents of Tim who was a house parent at The Mission (where we took families at the beginning of the year in Mexico). Tim introduced us to them, and they decided to join us in South America! They were such a blessing to have with us.
LA PALOMA, URUGUAY
The first day, we arrived during a windy, rainy cyclone at the base Cristian and Kathe pioneered eight years ago. The small base was the first home built in La Paloma and sits on the highest point of the mostly flat, coastal area. Their family and staff gave us the warmest welcome I have ever received, and it immediately felt like coming home to family.
We spent five days learning about their impact on the community which includes a surf ministry, kids’ ministry, running Discipleship Training Schools, helping families in the area and reaching out to many in need.
They have been renting this property for eight years, and in the last month, the owners listed this property for public sale. Please join us in praying for a miracle so that they can purchase this land and continue to minister to the surrounding community.
YWAM La Paloma
Cristian’s wife (Kathe), her mom (Hermencia), her two daughters (Sofia and Hanna) and Beth on night one. Such lovely people!!!!!!!
Cristobal (YWAM Staff) and Jeff in front of the beach hut that was recently built for the purpose of surf ministry.
Cristian leading exercises before heading out to the water.
Luci and Gabriel are the mama and papa of the surf school and share a message with the kids before every session.
Cristian handing out boards that have been donated by the community. The wetsuits and uniform rash guards (to see who is part of the school) were also donated. Some of these kids have been part of this school since it began in 2018 and have become solid believers and surfers as a result!
Jeff teaches his guy how to catch some waves.
Anita and Renata (Ywam La Paloma Staff), and Beth and I decided to avoid the cold water and help the kids as they came back from surfing.
Cristian and Jeff couldn’t pull this kiddo out of the water! He stayed in for a couple hours and just kept at it. Such perseverance!
Kings’ Kids ministry – game time
Feeling strong after an obstacle course
Playing on the swing is way more fun than the obstacle course for this cutie!
No kids’ camp in Uruguay is complete without soccer!
Team obstacle course talk
More fun on the swing
The soccer game winners!
Holding his brand new Bible after Beth and I shared
Every time the kids come, they get a full family-style meal.
Closing in prayer with Kathe – the kids do not love when King’s Kids comes to a close because this is such a safe, fun place to be each week.
We got to drop several kids off at their homes. These siblings wanted us to see their favorite family member.
Cristian and Kathe’s daughter Hanna. I couldn’t resist sharing this adorable picture!!!!
The next day, Cristian and Kathe took us to the border of Uruguay and Brazil. Cristian is like a Chilean Jeff with all the same energy and passion for the Lord. It was fun to watch them grow closer as friends.
Repairing the damaged roof! Lots of dripping rain invaded and decided to give Jeff and me a couple of wet nights as we slept. Don’t feel sad for us, we laughed!!! It’s good to get it taken care of though.
If you have a power washer, you might as well….
The light spots are the patched places.
Our room. We enjoyed our time at La Paloma so much!
Every time I think of Renata and Ana, I think of them laughing and having fun. These gals have HUGE hearts and love to bless others with their amazing cooking, beautiful voices and love for Jesus.
Feeling happy to have Bibles we brought them to distribute as needed.
Their hopes and dreams at JUCUM (YWAM) La Paloma:
- To own the land where the base currently is
- To expand their sports ministry (surf and soccer) and reach young people
- To foster and adopt
- To grow their King’s Kids Ministry and bring parents in as well
- To have a safe place where families can heal
Our farewell notes. It was HARD to leave. When you bond with others in such a short time because they feel like family, it makes it really tough to walk away. La Paloma is now my (Tori’s) favorite away-from-home place I’ve ever visited because their vision and our vision are so similar!!
PICHILEMU, CHILE
Cristian accompanied us to his father’s base in Chile. We had the privilege of flying over the Andes before landing in Santiago. It was spectacular!
At one point, we were flying at what felt like the same height as the peak of Aconcagua which stands at 22,800 feet. Pictures just can’t do it justice.
JUCUM (YWAM in Spanish) – Juventud Con Una Misión
The first structure built on the YWAM Pichilemu base was this Olympic size pool. Serving the community was and still is a priority here.
They also have a community school and gym. Many scholarships are given in order for children to get a good education here. Community members come to the base all day, every day to enjoy its amenities and fellowship.
Jeff and I got to share with their staff what Family DTS is. This two hour conversation was the most unexpected part, and we feel confident God orchestrated it all. They have been wanting to minister more to families and just weren’t sure how to go about starting something. The pieces we shared really encouraged them, and we are hoping to bring families back for outreach in April and May to help them launch a Family ministry on their base. The way God connected us has been such a beautiful thing for everyone involved. Sharing with these precious people was one of my highlights!
Gary and Marcela – Leaders of the Surf and Sport DTS. The Pichilemu base has several different DTS strands and many leaders.
Jeff and I were invited to share our family’s story at a home church in Santa Cruz which resulted in a major heart and life switch for several people. One man walked in while we were sharing and later told us that he and his wife had fought the night before because she felt called to foster children, and he didn’t want to. He walked in as we began to tell about the call we felt in our life to bring in our four children and, despite the fact that it was and continues to be challenging, we see God’s blessing and hand on us. We have learned to trust him in all things. This man immediately felt his heart soften and asked for prayer to take the next step and do what is really difficult – foster children.
Our first time at YWAM in 2019, God began to move deeply in Jeff’s heart and told him to follow his tears. I am sharing this photo for those of you who miss this wonderful part of Jeff.
The next night, the power went out, but they still wanted to hear Jeff speak. In the above picture, the translator stopped interpreting because she was moved to tears by what Jeff was saying. He shared about what it means to be family and to sacrifice our own comforts in order to love others. It was a powerful night with only flashlights illuminating us all. The acoustic worship was one of the most anointed ways I’ve ever been ushered into the presence of Jesus. Truly, it was beautiful to worship together and to be part of many people, again, committing to bringing in children who are without parents. We had NO IDEA this would be the ongoing theme of the week, but Cristian kept inviting us to share. We see now that it was no accident that we went to South America at this exact time.
We also had the opportunity to help a couple move! It was easy for us and a huge blessing to them. It’s such a good reminder that it doesn’t take much to lighten the load of another person.
School of counseling with dorms below and classrooms above where Cristian’s parents have their ministry.
Before saying goodbye to Cristian, his family and South America, we shared typical Chilean food with them at their favorite restaurant during Independence Day celebrations. This family is incredible!!!!
Their hopes and dreams in JUCUM Pichilemu:
- To start Family DTS
- To have Foundation School for the children of staff and DTS students
- To be a haven for foster and adopted children
- To continue their current ministries with passion and love for Jesus
- To make discipleship their ongoing priority
Beautiful Pichilemu, Chile
Our time in South America really expanded our vision for the future. We hope to continue to partner with these bases as they seek to build and establish family ministries. We have no idea what that could or will look like, but it is something that we’d love for you to pray about with us.
THE SWAN CHILDREN
Thank you for praying for our kids and Abii. They did great! We are SO THANKFUL for Abii and her ability to keep everything going the way we would. She is such a huge blessing everywhere she goes, and our only regret is that we didn’t get to hang out with her like our kids did!
Abii took them on all kinds of adventures, and they even got their Junior Ranger badges for the local national parks.
She also took their “First Day of School” pictures (minus Zech’s because he wasn’t feeling well).
She actually has been doing school for two years straight with almost no break, so this was just for fun.
Although this was taken August 10, not September 5.
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR JEFF AND TORI
We begin leadership training this week (it is September 24th as I write this). We will work together as a team to solidify our unity, to organize the practicals of our upcoming DTS and to plan ahead for our outreach phase. We also will be teaching in Foundation School, teaching and sharing during leadership track, and discipling those who have work duty in our building. This next season will continue to be full, but we sincerely love what we are doing.
If you are interested in supporting us, here’s the link to do so. THANK YOU SO MUCH for partnering with us as we step out in faith to do what we feel God calling us to do.
https://ywamkona.my.site.com/staff/s/donate?id=6938
We love you all so much!!!
Jeff, Tori and the younger Swans
You may notice someone extra in this picture. We welcome our friends and family to come visit!!!!