ICAT Open House: People

The ICAT Open House (Part 1, 2, 3, 4)was a great opportunity to met and get to know people who are connected to the Bible Institute in some way.

The Kitchen Crew

Gaby and Hartmut Beyer - German Missionary co-workers. Gaby works with the Bible Correspondence Course ministry. Hartmut is a Bible Institute professor.

Jordan, Kaylee, and Ben were at the Open House, but played in the BI apartment the whole time. They enjoyed watching from the windows throughout the afternoon.

Yes, yes...I know this picture isn't of a person...BUT...I will never forget what my seminary president always said,

"The library is the other professor on the faculty".

Lord willing, next semester, I will be tackling the library as a personal ministry project. There is much to be done (cleaning shelves, organizing books, managing, updating, repairing books, and promoting the need for more resources). Look for updates on this project in the coming months.

Prospective students Omar and Rodrigo U.

Some BI male students: Oscar, Walter, Mario, and Manuel

Mauren Cespedes - current BI student

Daryl Thompson with Lily Castillo (the BI secretary)

Daryl and Earlynne Thompson (GMSA co-workers, our mentors, and ICAT Director)

In the next and final post, we will have some closing thoughts and observations on the current needs and vision of the Bible Institute ministry.

Chilean Vistas and Traditions

We invite you to watch a few videos about Chile set to typical Chilean music.



A look at Chile's diverse geography.



A look at beautiful Southern Chile.



A look at some Chilean traditions.

ICAT Open House: Program

After all the prep work, guided tour, and meal was completed, the program started.

Pastor Ivan Reyes was the MC and read a passage of Scripture to start the program.


Several testimonies were given from past and current BI students. The testimonies reinforced the need for the BI ministry and the impact it has and can have in a person's life.

Above: Mauren C. gave an excellent testimony of God's call and provision in her life. She also shared some hurdles and barriers that she has experienced during her time studying at the BI. Her testimony was very impacting to those in attendance.

Pastor Claudio V. shared a powerpoint that effectively reminded others of the great need for the Bible Institute ministry in the advancement of local churches in Chile. I will share more of this information in a future post.

After the powerpoint presentation, the group was asked to stand and pray for the BI ministry and the many many needs and challenges that it currently has to keep the ministry going. After the prayer time, as everyone started to sit down, several men just started talking out loud with ideas and commitments to support the BI. We praise the Lord for a renewed enthusiasm for supporting the BI ministry. Pray that this enthusiasm will continue and come to fruition in practical ways (financial support, participation, and maintenance).

Daryl Thompson (the current director of ICAT) gave a short devotional to close the program. The banquet and program was a big success and there is talk that ICAT should do it more often.

In the next post we will introduce you to the people connected to ICAT.

San Ramón Update: Father's Day

Since we have been spending the last several Sunday's up in Lautaro, we haven't been to the San Ramón ministry for a while. The members of the 21 de Mayo church have continued to serve faithfully there and we were pleased to hear the report of what happened on Father's Day.

There was much to be thankful for due to the fact that seventeen children, four fathers, and one mother from San Ramón were in attendance. With the increased numbers, come increased opportunities to share the Gospel and Biblical Truth.





The children had prepared songs and verses to share with the parents who were in attendance.

Continue to pray for the new work in San Ramón. Making contacts with fathers is key and last Sunday was a good step in developing relationships with several more families.

ICAT Open House: Banquet

After all the preparations, the day of the Open House arrived. We had prepared for 80 people and around 70+ were in attendance. After the guided tour through the Bible Institute property, everyone sat in the meeting hall for lunch.

Feeding 70+ people is no small matter! There was a small crew of ladies cooking in the kitchen. Kristi and I are still amazed at how Chileans can cook such a good meal, for such a large number, on wood stoves.

The menu for the day was chicken, rice, and salad. Absolutely delightful!

Since the food was cooked in another building, all of the pots were moved to the kitchen of the small apartment (affectionately called Alaska, since it's always cold) since it was closer to the meeting hall. From that kitchen, each plate was dished up and served hot to the 70+ in attendance.

Pastors, professors, lay leaders, current and former BI students were all in attendance. It was another great opportunity for Kristi and I to meet new people and strengthen relationships with others.

Kristi and I volunteered to help in anything that came up during the day. All of the current BI students were assigned certain tasks, but we would fill in the gaps, if needed. I helped by splitting some firewood, keeping the fire going, and taking video and pictures. Kristi helped serve the food and coffee.

Kristi and Mauren (BI student) serving the plates of food.

After the meal was done, Kristi and I helped pick up all of the empty dishes from the tables and served dessert.

After serving the food, all of the BI students were able to eat as well.

Of course, you can't serve 70+ people without producing a HUGE pile of dirty dishes.

Several BI students helped with washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

Once the tables were cleared, it was time for the program. You'll have to come back tomorrow to read about what that entailed.

ICAT Open House: History & Purpose

Read Part One

A friend of mine once told me that rarely do we take a backward glance through our personal history where we don't realize that what we possess, in actuality, has been transmitted by others.

That in a nutshell, is the purpose of the Temuco Bible Institute. 2 Timothy 2:2 states that, "...what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

In recent years, support and participation in the Bible Institute has declined. This is a problem, because as well as the local church, the BI is a training center for the next generation of Chilean pastors and leaders.

For this open house and anniversary celebration, there was an emphasis on the BI's history as well as vision for the future. Lily (the BI's secretary) and other helpers, spent many hours making posters of old pictures from the BI. It was to remind everyone of why and how the BI was founded.

The pictures helped many to realize that, in years past, many current pastors, pastor's wives, and church leaders had studied at the Temuco BI.















































































There was a guided tour of the BI facilities that gave commentary on the history of the BI ministry. Some in attendance had never been to the BI property. The tour was a big hit and it accomplished the goal of reminding and informing many of why the BI ministry is important for the Chilean church.

Above: Pastor Ivan I. and Pastor Claudio V. (former BI students and now pastors and BI professors) looking at the pictures of former students at the Temuco Bible Institute.

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"If you're planting for a year, plant grain.
If you're planting for a decade, plant trees.
But if you're planting for a lifetime, plant people."
--Old Chinese Proverb

Come back again tomorrow for the continuation of the ICAT Open House series.

ICAT Open House: Preparations

Last Saturday, the Temuco Bible Institute held their Anniversary Banquet and Open House. This was a big event for the Institute, and it took time and effort to prepare. Here's a short glimpse of what needed to be done to host the open house.

The big meeting room upstairs had to be cleaned, mopped, and painted. Many of the BI students helped get this project done.

Daryl resurrected the old stove and got that up and running to help heat the room where the banquet would be held.

Daryl and I found, moved, and set up enough tables to sit the expected guests. They just don't make tables here like in the States. Some where too big to go through doorways, so we had to punt and take them out through windows.


The room was decorated and the tables were set.

I helped Lily, the BI secretary, make a few additional Powerpoint slides for the closing presentation. Above: All of the current BI students.

After days and hours of preparation, everything was ready (well...almost everything).

Come back tomorrow for Part 2 of the ICAT Open House series.

Responding to Questions #4

Continuing with our "Responding to Questions" series (One, Two, & Three)...

Alisha asked the following questions...
What is Kristi's typical day like?

One word answer: Busy

A normal day would include the following (in chronological order):

*Getting breakfast ready
*Breakfast clean up
*Getting ready for the day
*Homeschooling the boys
*Getting lunch ready
*Lunch clean up
*Finish up homeschool
*Laundry
*Getting supper ready
*Clean up from supper
*Getting the kids ready for bed
*Down time (reading, watching TV, or talking with David)

Throughout the week there are various evening things that Kristi attends or does that are inserted to the above schedule.

Mondays - Typically our "go to the grocery store" afternoon or evening
Tuesdays - Kid's bath night
Wednesdays - Attend Bible Study at church (7:30 - 9:00)
Thursdays - Attend Missionary Prayer Gathering (4:00 - 5:15)
Fridays - Attend Prayer meeting at church (7:30 - 9:00)
Saturdays - Attends a Ladies Bible Study at church (3:30 - 5:00); also kid's bath night

As you can see, Kristi manages to stay busy with home, family, and ministry responsibilities. When the baby comes in August, she will have yet another plate spinning! Of course, dad steps in and helps in the above schedule. Please pray for Kristi in the next year as she will need strength and wisdom to manage her time, home, and ministry.

Has Kristi found a good panadería (bread store) close to the house?

Yes. There are a couple of small villa (neighborhood) stores just a short walk down from our house. There is a little fruit and produce store (on the right in the picture), a small botillería (where you buy soda and other drinks), and two little "general" stores that sell bread.

Kristi has found that one of the general stores is a little better than the other one. Around five days out of the week, Kristi walks down to buy bread. She often takes one of the kids with her, which has been a door opener for short conversations with the owners. There is a larger breadstore around 8 blocks away, but it has been more convenient to give our business the closer store. It probably is a hair more expensive, but we value the contact with the same neighborhood owners and customers. I plan to start making those bread runs after the baby is born to not only help Kristi out, but to start using my Spanish more and making my physical presence known in our villa.

Pray for these contacts with our neighborhood. It takes time for people to get over the fact that we are here to stay and not just some random "gringo tourist family" that just so happened to need something to buy.

How is the homeschooling going?

There are good days and bad days. Since there are later bedtimes here in Chile, due to later church service starting times, we start school a little later in the morning than we would, say if we lived in the States.

Some days are a struggle due to many factors:
*Both boys have different personalities, study needs, and mood swings.
*Kristi tends to get tired quicker due to her pregnancy.
*Kaylee wants to join in, but is at times a distraction.

Some days are a blessing due to:
*The flexibility of the nature of homeschool. For example, something comes up each week where our family needs to go downtown, or travel out of town.
*No one comes to the door asking for something, trying to sell something, or asking to provide a service.

One of the challenges of homeschooling on the mission field is ordering the next year's materials early enough to have them:
1. Shipped to our missions office in FL
2. Put with a shipment to Chile through a Chilean Christian bookstore contact
3. Picked up at the Christian bookstore in Santiago by a co-worker
4. Finally, arrange either a trip up to Santiago to pick up the material, or have someone bring it down with them if traveling to Temuco.

All of this takes time.

What differences do you notice between Santiago and Temuco?

Santiago:
*Dirty smog
*Cosmopolitan feel
*More European influence
*Unbearable traffic
*Dry and Dusty
*Everything is pretty much available
*Crime
*People are uptight and stressed

Temuco:
*Smoky, but from all of the wood stoves to heat homes.
*Small town feel, despite being a major Chilean city
*More Mapuche (indigenous) influence
*Bearable traffic as long as you know where to avoid at certain times
*Rain and Humidity
*Items are somewhat limited in quantity and/or quality
*Less crime
*People are more laid back and relaxed