Prayer Items for Camp Chetek

On Monday (July 2nd), we will be traveling over to Chetek, WI to minister at Camp Chetek for the week. We have been given the one hour slot before dinner to challenge the families about missions, also teaching the small children during the evening sessions.


Here are some prayer items to focus on during this next week:

1. To stay faithful to the text and to be effective in communication of the Gospel and Biblical Truth.
2. That this week will be life changing...not only for our family, but for all the families in attendance at Family Camp.
3. Strength & Endurance
4. Wisdom & Discernment
5. A great week of family time (extended activities with our children)
6. Personal Holiness
7. To capitalize on chances to befriend families through fellowship and conversation.

Continue to check back with the blog, as we will be posting from camp and sharing what God is doing in this vital ministry of camping. Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support.

Chilean Cuisine - Porotos (New Series)

I am starting a new series of posts in the coming weeks and months that will give you a taste (pun intended) of Chilean cuisine. Each post will include a recipe and a picture for your family to make and taste why we love Chilean food so much. The goal is to make dinnertime not only a time to pray for the missionaries, but to eat like them as well.
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POROTOS (Chilean Bean Dish)

1/2 lb. pinto beans
6 ears, uncooked grated corn
1/2 c. onions, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 c. whole basil leaves
1/4 lb. chorizo or Italian sausage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the beans and soak them overnight. Simmer the beans with salt, bay leaves and pepper, using 2 parts of water and 1 part of beans. Slow cook for approximately 1 hour or until tender (most of water should be gone).

In a frying pan, saute the onions and chorizo. Add to the beans and cook for 15 minutes.

1/2 hour before serving, add the fresh grated corn and basil leaf and cook covered until thick, approximately 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread and tomato salad.

Santiago Garbage, & Spiritual Sanitation

A recent online article stated that...
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Santiago residents worried about air pollution must now watch where they step: tons of garbage are piling up on city streets one day after garbage collectors began their strike. All household garbage collection has stopped and activity at numerous landfill sites is blocked.

The 18,000 sanitation workers are upset that the mayors of greater Santiago have not fulfilled previously agreed upon commitments. “The work stoppage is for 72 hours and is to protest their failure to meet the various obligations we negotiated (in recent contracts),” said labor leader Armando Soto.

The workers began their strike after last minute negotiations between city officials and Soto failed.

Only the mayors of four Santiago suburbs have honored the agreements made in 2003 between the city and the sanitation workers, Soto said.

The workers’ main demands include formalizing their contracts so that certain benefits are guaranteed in writing. These include guarantees related to the availability of hygiene services and facilities.

In Santiago’s working-class Maipu neighborhood streets are already incredibly dirty, with garbage piling up on street corners and certain plazas doubling as giant garbage bins.

Chile’s waste production made headlines earlier this year when a survey by Chile’s Ministry of Health found that only 14 of the country’s 156 garbage dumps complied with ministry regulations. To combat the problem, Chile’s National Environmental Commission is promoting a switch from open-pit dumps to covered landfill sites.

SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
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Ministry Implications for the Flinck Family:
-Sin will be everywhere (in piles out in the open and hidden in corners)
-It will stink and will be messy.
-The spiritual cleanup is possible through the finished work of Christ on the cross.
-Our supporting churches and individuals must not go "on strike", but continue to pray and participate in the greatest clean-up project ever created (The Plan of Salvation or The Gospel).
-As we prepare to go to Chile and serve, pray that we will continue to see the big picture of God's plan of salvation and life changing power, and not be side-tracked by all the stinky piles of spiritual garbage right in front of us.

Chilean Women Highest Smoking Rate

A recent article I read stated that...
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A recent World Health Organization study of 193 nations determined that 36.8 percent of Chile’s female population smokes an average of eight cigarettes daily, giving Chile the highest percentage of women smokers in the world. The study found that three out of every ten females under the age of 15 in Chile are addicted to tobacco.

The study, attributed female smoking addiction to successful PR efforts by the tobacco industry, aimed at making female smoking “en vogue” and related to women’s liberty and sexual freedoms. While young female smokers may start for those reasons, after several years cigarettes become a form of stress relief, a way to escape anxiety or tension, and, oftentimes, an addiction.

The rise of women smokers in Chile has had a major impact on health. The number of female deaths due to pulmonary cancer has almost doubled in the last 15 years, says the Ministry of Health. Cases of brain aneurysms, hypertension, and throat cancer - all statistically linked to smoking - have increased significantly as well. There are 14,000 deaths each year (male and female) related to tobacco smoking.

While Chile may have the world’s greatest percent of women smokers, even more Chilean men than women smoke. Nearly half - 48.3 percent – of the nation’s male population smokes, ranking Chile 21 in terms of male smokers. Indonesia, with 69 percent, and Armenia with 67.5 percent, topped the list. Statistics tracking male smokers suggest that the number of male smokers is decreasing.

Chile’s public health authorities said a publicity campaign is planned for the second half o this year to discourage teenage smoking. Certain aspects of the recently passed anti-smoking laws also target a younger demographic. For example, tobacco cannot be sold within 100 meters of a primary school, and shops selling tobacco within 300 meters of secondary schools cannot advertise their product. Additionally, bars that choose to allow smoking must enforce a strict 18 and over rule.

SOURCE: LA TERCERA
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Ministry Implications:
-Satan's unbroken cycle of sin manifests itself in many different forms and habits.
-Sin's effects on the human body are numerous.
-The Gospel and victory through Christ alone is the only answer for sin.

Continue to pray for our family to be effective testimonies and witnesses of the Gospel and Christ's power to change lives.

My Fatherhood, My Father, & Chilean Fathers

I read this weekend Dr. Al Mohler's blog post entitled "Fathers Are Not Fungible - Why Fathers Matter" and the first sentence jumped out at me, when he said, "Father's Day is fast becoming America's most socially awkward holiday. The reason is very simple -- the culture increasingly sees fathers as accessories, not as necessities."

Dr. Mohler goes on in the article (which I would suggest you read as well) to shed some light on a recent study by W. Bradford Wilcox (University of Virginia) that argues that fathers play an essential role in the raising of children.

"Wilcox pointed to four key findings of his research.

1. Children living with their fathers in an intact, married home are almost 50 percent less likely to be sexually abused than children living in a single-parent home.

2. Boys who grow up with their fathers in an intact, married home are 50 percent less likely to end up in prison as young adults than children living in a single-parent or step-family.

3. Girls who grow up apart from their fathers typically experience the onset of puberty at an earlier age and have sex at an earlier age than girls who grow up with their fathers in an intact, married home. They are also three times more likely to become young, unwed mothers.

4. Communities with large numbers of fatherless households are significantly more likely to experience high levels of murder and robbery.

The Christian understanding of the role and importance of fathers is established in the Bible, not in social science. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note the expanding number of credible studies that point, like Bradford Wilcox, to the importance of fathers and to the social and personal costs of marginalizing fatherhood in the culture."
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Justin Taylor also points to Joe Carter's statistical findings about the crucial role of fathers.

They include:
1. Fathers’ religiosity is linked to higher quality of parent-child relationships. (Source)

2. Fathers who regularly attend religious services are more likely to be engaged in one-on-one activities with their children. (Source)

3. Civically active fathers are more likely to participate in youth-related activities. (Source)

4. Fathers’ engagement in their children’s activities was linked to higher academic performance. (Source)

5. Among adolescent boys, those who receive more parenting from their fathers are less likely to exhibit anti-social and delinquent behaviors. (Source)

6. Among adolescent girls, those who have a strong relationship with their fathers are less likely to report experiencing depression. (Source)

7. Close father-adolescent bonds protect against the negative influence of peer drug use. (Source)

8. Adolescent girls who have a close relationship with their fathers are more likely to delay sexual activity. (Source)

9. Adolescent girls whose fathers were present during their childhood are less likely to become pregnant. (Source)

10. Adolescent males who report a close relationship with their fathers are more likely to anticipate having a stable marriage in the future. (Source)
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So on this Father's Day weekend I conclude with the following statements:
-I am thankful to my father, for his example to me in parenting and living the walk of faith.
-I am daily humbled by the weighty responsibility to pass on to my three children a Godly example of a life lived for Christ.
-I am even more conviced that the key to cross cultural church planting and establishment is praying for Chilean fathers. For their salvation, sanctification, and sacrifical service in the local church and in their homes. (Deut. 6 & Ps. 78)

Coleman, WI - VBS (Part 3)

5th & 6th Grade Group


3rd & 4th Grade Group


1st & 2nd Grade Group (Jordan's class)


K-4 & K-5 Group (Ben's class)











Did someone say ice cream?
Jordan's favorite food group.


Take a wild guess at which carnival games I liked best.





During the closing time with the parents on Friday night, I summarized the whole week of teaching in several paragraphs, encouraged the parents to connect with the local church throughout the whole year, and shared the Gospel.

We had a GREAT week serving and getting to know the people of Section 8 Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Pound, WI.
Exhausting?...yes.
Warm?...yes.
Worth it?...U Bet!

Pray for our family as we are home now for two weeks to recharge our batteries and prepare for our next ministry opportunity speaking to families at Camp Chetek during Family Camp in Chetek, WI (July 2-6).

Coleman, WI - VBS (Part 2)

This week's VBS theme has been "Rescue Zone". Each day there has been a special visit by the local fire, police, and EMT stations.

Ben & Kaylee enjoying their time in the ambulance. Let's hope this is their one and only time to be in one.


Having the local "Rescue Squads" here each day has been a good experience for the kids to hear from and ask questions to the firemen, police, and EMTs.










Prayer Items for the Conclusion of VBS:
-The follow up ministry with all the children by the churches (Section 8 & First Baptist Church). Our prayer is that families will continue or start to attend SS and church services on a weekly basis.
-Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send forth more laborers into His ready harvest from this group of children. Each one has a great potential to live for God and serve Him with their lives.
-We travel home on Saturday, after a long and tiring week. Pray that we can recharge our batteries while at home for the next two weeks.

Come back again for the third and final post from this week at VBS in Coleman, WI.

Coleman, WI - VBS (Part 1)

Jordan & Ben during the opening time of songs and skits. Both are having so much fun making new friends and learning their Bible stories and verses. My favorite part of each day this week is after they get in bed and I ask them to tell me about their day at VBS. To listen to them retell the Bible stories is truly comical but for the most part they get the plot right. Yesterday, Ben was telling me about the story of the three young Jewish men who were put into the fiery furnace. One phrase that Ben said that made me laugh was, "And then the king hotted up the oven seven times."

As parents, we are thankful that our children are able to attend so many VBS weeks this summer. Their teachers are doing a wonderful job of teaching Biblical truth about God.


There isn't a class for little Kaylee & Brooklyn so they get to be pushed around by volunteers or other VBS workers.


I teach the "Mission's Time" for 25 minutes to each age group (1st & 2nd grade, 3rd & 4th grade, & 5th & 6th grade) This is a real joy to me to talk about what God is doing in the world. He has a plan for the whole world and we can be a part of that plan. With a mix of geography quizzes, props, pictures on powerpoint, and a daily Bible verse, I challenge each child to be a witness of the Gospel.


Each day the attendance has grown (39, 56, 63). I am challenging the children to bring their friends everyday, but especially on Thursday as I will take them on a plane trip to Chile on my laptop via Google Earth.


Yesterday, we told the children about Chilean Cowboys and how they are different from American Cowboys. They were able to dress up like a "Huaso" and try to catch the cow (played by me).


Kristi, Brooklyn, & Kaylee during the opening time. Kristi has also helped by taking pictures and handing out props during the mission's time.

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Prayer Items for the remainder of VBS:
-Strength and Energy
-Effective communication of truth and the Gospel
-On Friday, I have been asked to speak to all the parents of the children at the closing time. It will be a 15 minute Gospel challenge and summary of all that we have been teaching the children this week. Many of the children are not "church kids" and their parents and grandparents will be there for the Carnival Night. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will work through the text of Scripture and through me in the challenge to them to realize the huge responsibility to train their children in spiritual things.


Thanks for checking in on our blog and come back again for Part 2 of this VBS week.

Picnic outside of Pound, WI

Even though our week of VBS has been busy and draining, we spent some time Tues. morning and afternoon at a nearby county park for hiking and swimming with the kids.

Kaylee got the best seat of us all on top of Kristi's back.

Pastor Barker's family came with us (four kids and three other of his sister's kids). Quite a handful trying to coral all the kids down the wilderness trails.



Group shot on the bridge.

Temps were in the high 80's so the swim time was refreshing. Jordan and Ben loved playing on the sandy beach.

Kaylee, on the other hand, didn't enjoy the water so much until right at the end.

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Thanks for checking in with our family's adventure in serving on deputation. Come back again soon for our next post explaining about our time here in Coleman, WI serving with VBS.

Now That's a Good Empanada !!

Tonight I ran across an ABC Nightline report in the series "Taste of the World" about Chile's favorite "fast food" - The Empanada.

Click to read or watch the ABC news piece about Chilean Empanadas.


Above is one of the many empanadas I eat while in Chile in Jan.

Coffee Break Spanish

For those out there who are interested in learning Spanish, I recently found a 15 minute radio program online called "Coffee Break Spanish" that might interest you.
I just subscribed to the podcast in my iTunes media player so I can listen to the program even when traveling.

The show is hosted by Mark (the teacher) & Kara (the student). Not only is the show educational, but is also entertaining, since both Mark and Kara are from Scotland, thus having hilarious accents. Man, I wish I could talk like that!



Personal Comments:
-Coffee Break Spanish is taught from a "Spain" Spanish perspective, thus has a little different pronunciation for some words.
-The iTunes podcast format is great for families to listen to at their convenience.
-Currently, there are 29 lessons availible (and more to come).
-Coffee Break Spanish is designed for beginners.

11 Ways to Encourage Traveling Missionaries

The following was sent to us by a pastor's wife of a supporting church. I thought it was well written and helps even our family know how to be more sensitive to traveling missionaries at our home church in MN when we are home.
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Pre-field and supported missionaries travel many hours, take great effort, and exert much energy in ministering to churches. Encourage traveling missionaries by extending the following acts of kindness:

1. Prepare for their arrival by praying for their ministry, knowing their names, meeting them at church on time, and having a display table ready and technology assistance available.

2. Welcome them with a basket containing snacks, drinks, fruits, maps of the city and church building, a detailed schedule, expectations of meetings, list of contact numbers (cell phone #s).

3. Pay for their hotel lodging, especially if they have small children.

4. Provide a local map featuring locations of the church, post office, discount stores, library, parks, mall, free Internet access, coffee and sandwich shops, and special attractions.

5. Stretch their dollars by providing prepaid credit cards, gas cards, restaurant cards, and discount-store cards (such as Target or Wal-Mart).

6. Outfit them with over-the-counter medicine that have long-term expiration dates.

7. Supply church and/or school curriculum and teaching aids; for example, workbooks, flannelgraph, maps, flashcard stories, craft kits, and posters.

8. Provide gift certificates to local museums, professional ball games, beauty shops, Christian bookstores, bowling lanes, golf courses, or indoor/outdoor swimming pools.

9. Pack a picnic, blanket, and directions to a local park so they can enjoy a relaxed lunch (not every meal needs to be Martha Stewart caliber).

10. Provide travel kits for children, including items such as non-messy snacks, juice boxes, wet-wipes, travel games, Aquadoodle toys, color/activity books, crayons, magnet pictures, and Old Maid/Go Fish cards.

11. Send them off with a wrapped surprise box (to be opened after they've traveled fifty miles) containing non-messy snacks, fruits, drinks, candy, gum, restaurant and gas cards, a Christian CD, granola bars, and lotion.

Online Source: Deb Hindal, GARBC International Ministries

June 9-16 Ministry Prayer Items

We leave Saturday afternoon for Pound, WI to help with a week of VBS. This will be our first of six weeks of VBS this summer!



Specific Prayer & Praise Items for This Week:

-Strength & Energy (VBS weeks are very draining)
-To be effective in communicating the Gospel & Biblical Truth to children
-To be a blessing to the pastor and family, and others in the local church
-Joy & Happiness in the van traveling
-Future laborers for the ready harvest field
-Praise! - Our projecter arrived by Fed-Ex this morning, after getting fixed under warranty, just in time for tomorrow's departure.

"That the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,

so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments."

Psalm 78:6-7

Blinding Smog & Spiritual Blindness

(taken from a recent online article...)

Santiago residents faced this year’s first environmental “pre-emergency” situation last month, as air contamination reached its highest level since 1999. The Particle Quality Index (ICAP) hit 409, well above the 300 that is required for the government to declare a pre-emergency. While levels had returned to normal, environmentalists are concerned that the capital’s new public transport system is not living up to its promises of safer, cleaner air for its residents.


During pre-emergency situations, the elderly and the very young are advised to stay indoors because of their weak lungs.

The effects of smog include:
-Inflamed breathing passages
-Decrease of the lungs’ working capacity
-Shortness of breath
-Pain when inhaling deeply
-Wheezing and coughing
-Eye and nose irritation and drying out the protective membranes of the nose and throat
-Interference with the body's ability to fight infection, increasing susceptibility to illness
-Prolonged exposure to contaminated air can cause asthma and cancer.

What’s more, the bad news came on the back of a visit by former U.S. presidential candidate and environmental poster boy Al Gore. His aim was to raise awareness about climate change and impending environmental disasters throughout Chile and Latin America.
If the government declares an alert, it can restrict the use of vehicles without catalytic converters, which are main sources of contamination in the region. Last month, more than 100 people were fined for driving in spite of vehicle restrictions. However, many of them said they were unaware that any such restriction was in place.

One of the most recent measures taken to combat air contamination in the capital was the public transport overhaul, the Transantiago. Before the system’s inauguration, government officials promised that contamination would be reduced by 75 percent under the Transantiago, and that states of alert and pre-emergency would become a thing of the past. It seems, however, that this is not the case. Although this is the first pre-emergency this year, smog levels tend to rise during the coldest months of June and July, and more alerts are expected.

During the event held in Santiago, Gore gave the presentation on climate change that featured in his Oscar-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

“Chile is in the part of the world that is going to be experiencing a lot more heat waves,” said Gore after the presentation.

President Bachelet closed the event with a reference to Gore’s presentation and a promise to speed up action to prevent climate change in Chile.

“The implementation of solutions to this problem needs to go ahead more quickly,” said Bachelet. “The time to act has arrived.”

SOURCES: Cate Setterfield
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Ministry Implications:

This article about the blinding smog got me thinking about how Chile is also struggling with the effects of spiritual blindness.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Satan has blinded the eyes of Chileans to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Chile is in the part of the world that is going to be experiencing a lot more spiritual blindness (emphasis mine).

The implementation of the solution (Salvation) to this problem (the sin nature) needs to go ahead more quickly. The time to act is at hand.

Prayer & Praise Items:

-Thank the Lord for His Word, which is able to pierce this blindness and remove the "spiritual smog" from Chilean's hearts and lives and reveal the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
-Pray for our family to maximize witnessing opportunities and be effective in sharing the Gospel and Biblical truth.

What Did You Eat This Week?

Since one of the goals of this blog is to stimulate conversation about missions in the home, I would like to shed some light on a book that I just ran across. Author Faith D'Aluisio and photographer Peter Menzel produced a book called Hungry Planet - What the World Eats
. Looking through the pictures today, I was amazed by the subject of the book and thought it would be great springboard for discussion with your family about missions, other cultures, and not taking what we have for granted. The premise of the book is this: One picture of an entire family and all the food they consume in one week's time.

Here are some examples from the book:

The Revis family of North Carolina, USA
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken


The Aboubakar family of Breidjing, Chad
Food expenditure for one week: $1.23 US or 685 CFA Francs
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat


The Dong family of Beijing, China
Food expenditure for one week: $155.06 US or 1,233.76 Yuan
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce


The Ahmed family of Cairo, Egypt
Food expenditure for one week: $68.53 US or 387.85 Egyptian Pounds
Favorite Foods: Okra and mutton
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To view 12 additional pictures of families, click HERE

Discussion questions to use to talk about these pictures with your family:
1. What countries seem to eat more vegetables than the USA?
2. Why was the German family's cost for food so expensive?
3. How much does our family spend on food each week?
4. Which family photos surprized you? And Why?

Sources for this article (Here, Here, and Here )