Greetings from Buff Bay, Jamaica!
We just wanted to shoot you a quick note and let you all know we have arrived safely and are kind of settled in. We are staying at a church-owned complex called the GLOBE until we have house supplies. Yesterday was a day of shopping and buying some furniture for the house, which was delivered TODAY (you can't say that for stores in the States!!!).
We were welcomed by the Women's League (the ladies' fellowship group of the church) with a decorated home, a great meal, and a key to the city of Buff Bay! God has been faithful in preparing the hearts of the church for our arrival. The town is pretty small, so finding our way around has been pretty easy. We are looking forward to tomorrow night's youth fellowship where we will be able to see the youth group again.
Please continue to pray for us as we try to get accustomed and used to living in a new culture. We will certainly post more stories, details, and pictures in the days to come. Until then, much love!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Up, Up, and AWAY!!!
Well, the time has come to sleep our last night in the states for awhile! Today was an incredible blessing at church as we were commissioned to go out as an extension of our church to minister in Buff Bay. We thank all of you for your encouragement and for being a tremendous blessing in our lives. You all have been tangible evidence of God's goodness and faithfulness!
Please pray for us tomorrow for a nice ticketing person as our bags are a little heavy, energy throughout the day to actually make it to Buff Bay before midnight tomorrow, and God's great peace to wrap us up as we officially enter the next stage!
We love you and will update you as soon as we can...
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Please pray for us tomorrow for a nice ticketing person as our bags are a little heavy, energy throughout the day to actually make it to Buff Bay before midnight tomorrow, and God's great peace to wrap us up as we officially enter the next stage!
We love you and will update you as soon as we can...
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Skype Tested...Anzardo Approved!
We have set up a skype account so feel free to add us to your contact list! If you do not have itand would like it (ITS FREE!), go to http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/. Skype is a free computer-to-computer calling system and a low cost long-distance computer-to-phone calling service. Search "add to contacts" for Jon Anzardo and you will be sure to find us. Please call or write!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Friday, December 4, 2009
Now back to our program...
HellllOOOOOO.....
We are very sorry for the time that has lapsed from our last post. Life has certainly been busy and eventful! Lets get right to it. Our first order of business....
We have met our financial goal and will be departing for Jamaica on December 14th!!!! We thank you all a million times and more for your generosity, support, and love. God has certainly shown his faithfulness through you all and we praise Him for it!
Second. Our working permit is processing (so please continue to pray that it goes through and that we will get the fee exemption!). We believe that it we will be granted the permit, hence the reason we purchased tickets, but the fee exemption is a not so sure of a thing... We were told by Pastor Allen that we should find out this week or early next week about the details of our permit request and should go ahead and book the tickets now.
Side Note: We traveled to the Philadelphia Airport yesterday to lobby the airline monsters to grant us a free pass on some excess luggage. Not only did we see Allen Iverson arriving in Philadelphia (literally 3 feet from "The Answer") but we were granted our request!!! We praise God because we were told by the Spirit station manager that given the time we are leaving and where we are going we have practically no chance! God had other plans.... We praise Him for his faithful and we are thankful that we will not have to put many of our things on an ocean freighter or send it through the mail.
Lastly, stay tuned...we will be sending out our latest newsletter and some other updates via email.
We love you all and are thankful for you!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
We are very sorry for the time that has lapsed from our last post. Life has certainly been busy and eventful! Lets get right to it. Our first order of business....
We have met our financial goal and will be departing for Jamaica on December 14th!!!! We thank you all a million times and more for your generosity, support, and love. God has certainly shown his faithfulness through you all and we praise Him for it!
Second. Our working permit is processing (so please continue to pray that it goes through and that we will get the fee exemption!). We believe that it we will be granted the permit, hence the reason we purchased tickets, but the fee exemption is a not so sure of a thing... We were told by Pastor Allen that we should find out this week or early next week about the details of our permit request and should go ahead and book the tickets now.
Side Note: We traveled to the Philadelphia Airport yesterday to lobby the airline monsters to grant us a free pass on some excess luggage. Not only did we see Allen Iverson arriving in Philadelphia (literally 3 feet from "The Answer") but we were granted our request!!! We praise God because we were told by the Spirit station manager that given the time we are leaving and where we are going we have practically no chance! God had other plans.... We praise Him for his faithful and we are thankful that we will not have to put many of our things on an ocean freighter or send it through the mail.
Lastly, stay tuned...we will be sending out our latest newsletter and some other updates via email.
We love you all and are thankful for you!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Friday, November 6, 2009
FedEx's Guarantee is Suspect, but God's Sovereignty Isn't!
The Bad News: Our visa package didn't arrive when FedEx said it would.
The Good News: Our visa package arrived!
The Question: Will our visas pass through the bureaucracy without any hang ups? Well, you can pray with us that it does. As it has been through the entire process so far, God has met our needs and exceeded our expectations.
Please continue to pray for us as we approach the final stretch before our departure. Pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts to enter a new culture and lifestyle, final preparations will be met, prepare the people of Buff Bay for our arrival, and that we will rest on God's grace!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
The Good News: Our visa package arrived!
The Question: Will our visas pass through the bureaucracy without any hang ups? Well, you can pray with us that it does. As it has been through the entire process so far, God has met our needs and exceeded our expectations.
Please continue to pray for us as we approach the final stretch before our departure. Pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts to enter a new culture and lifestyle, final preparations will be met, prepare the people of Buff Bay for our arrival, and that we will rest on God's grace!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Monday, November 2, 2009
Haikus, visas, and the sovereignty of God
The cost of 25 photocopies: 75¢
The cost of extra passport pictures: $8/person
The cost of mailing documents to Jamaica for processing: $42
The cost of your prayers as we wait to hear about whether or not we will receive visas with cost exemptions: priceless!
I was thinking a haiku may be more impressive, but have you ever tried to write one about traveling visas? Yeah, neither did I. Anyway, we hope that you will keep praying with us about preparing to ship off. We sent off our visa information last week and hope that by the end of this week it will be in Kingston being processed. We also hope that all the information they need is there and/or nothing is rejected or in need of supplement. God has proven himself faithful in each step in the process by repeatedly exploding our expectations. So we trust Him even in this. It is often said that the devil is in the details, but as it was recently said at a conference on the sovereignty of God - God is, in fact, in the details. Therefore there is no need to stress about whether we will get the visas in time or not, because the reality is whatever does happen with the visas...God is certainly still sovereign and in control!
More to come.
Jon and Kirsten
The cost of extra passport pictures: $8/person
The cost of mailing documents to Jamaica for processing: $42
The cost of your prayers as we wait to hear about whether or not we will receive visas with cost exemptions: priceless!
I was thinking a haiku may be more impressive, but have you ever tried to write one about traveling visas? Yeah, neither did I. Anyway, we hope that you will keep praying with us about preparing to ship off. We sent off our visa information last week and hope that by the end of this week it will be in Kingston being processed. We also hope that all the information they need is there and/or nothing is rejected or in need of supplement. God has proven himself faithful in each step in the process by repeatedly exploding our expectations. So we trust Him even in this. It is often said that the devil is in the details, but as it was recently said at a conference on the sovereignty of God - God is, in fact, in the details. Therefore there is no need to stress about whether we will get the visas in time or not, because the reality is whatever does happen with the visas...God is certainly still sovereign and in control!
More to come.
Jon and Kirsten
Saturday, October 24, 2009
God's Providence
I just got off the phone with a very good friend, and it reminded me of God's providence and incredible grace. Why? Well, I had been meaning to call this person for weeks, but for whatever reason it was either too early or too late in the day to do so. However, my butt accidentally called today (ever have you butt call someone?...my phone was in my back pocket), and it was a very pleasant surprise. It always amazes me how God shows up when we need Him most. It is my tendency to explain this away by chance, but there is no real reason that my phone should unlock itself and call a person in the "D"s on my call list. You may call it chance, but this one I am chalking up to God. The conversation was a like ice cream on a hot day. It was what both our souls really needed!
The reason I tell you this is because the whole process of preparing for Jamaica has functioned this way. We have taken very small steps, and God has worked them into big ones. We began fundraising only a five and a half months ago, and it is indeed looking like we will be spending the Christmas holiday in Jamaica! No tickets have been purchased, so this could in fact change, but the truth is that God has worked incredibly throughout the whole process. My tendency (as with my phone call tonight) is to rely on a network of wonderful people such as yourselves or our superior skills (i.e. numchuck skills, computer hacking skills, etc.), but each of these is wrong. If we are really honest, we will certainly see God at work in each step in the process.
There are still some thing that need to happen in order for us to get to Jamaica before the new year, however. We need visas! Not the plastic variety; we need approval from the Jamaican embassy. We are currently working on this, but time is of the essence. So please pray that paper work will go through for us to attain a long-term visas (with this working visa we will not need to leave the country every 3-6 months). Also, we are hoping to be in the last weeks of being at home, so please pray for us as we say goodbyes and finish packing! Lastly, please pray that we will continue to trust God's timing and providence.
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
The reason I tell you this is because the whole process of preparing for Jamaica has functioned this way. We have taken very small steps, and God has worked them into big ones. We began fundraising only a five and a half months ago, and it is indeed looking like we will be spending the Christmas holiday in Jamaica! No tickets have been purchased, so this could in fact change, but the truth is that God has worked incredibly throughout the whole process. My tendency (as with my phone call tonight) is to rely on a network of wonderful people such as yourselves or our superior skills (i.e. numchuck skills, computer hacking skills, etc.), but each of these is wrong. If we are really honest, we will certainly see God at work in each step in the process.
There are still some thing that need to happen in order for us to get to Jamaica before the new year, however. We need visas! Not the plastic variety; we need approval from the Jamaican embassy. We are currently working on this, but time is of the essence. So please pray that paper work will go through for us to attain a long-term visas (with this working visa we will not need to leave the country every 3-6 months). Also, we are hoping to be in the last weeks of being at home, so please pray for us as we say goodbyes and finish packing! Lastly, please pray that we will continue to trust God's timing and providence.
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Are you still there?
Hello!
We apologize that we have not updated for about two weeks, because there has been lots happening! We have been to Boston and back and then to NYC and back while moving into our new (temporary) apartment. We thank you for your prayer support over the last couple of weeks. We will be posting some pictures and a video update to tell you all of our travels...
Please be in prayer for us as we continue to raise support and prepare to leave. You can also pray for me as I will be preaching Sunday night at Ocean City Baptist Church at 6pm. If you can make it, great!
Lots more to come!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
We apologize that we have not updated for about two weeks, because there has been lots happening! We have been to Boston and back and then to NYC and back while moving into our new (temporary) apartment. We thank you for your prayer support over the last couple of weeks. We will be posting some pictures and a video update to tell you all of our travels...
Please be in prayer for us as we continue to raise support and prepare to leave. You can also pray for me as I will be preaching Sunday night at Ocean City Baptist Church at 6pm. If you can make it, great!
Lots more to come!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Beantown! and some other news
Kirsten and I are on the road again this week. We are going to spend the long weekend in Boston. We will be visiting a church a little outside the city as well as hanging out with some good friends. Please pray as we will be presenting our ministry to the saints at Sovereign Grace Chapel, and I will be teaching a Sunday school class. As for the rest of the weekend, we will be kickin' it in Beantown! The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind, but God is good, and we are excited to mix some business with pleasure in John Adams' hometown!
In other news, Atlantic Christian School has asked me to step in for the first couple of weeks of school to teach a Bible class. You can pray for their new Bible teacher as he is recovering from a burst appendix! That said, please be in prayer for me as I try to get back in the mindset of school, having spent the entire summer trying to get out of it!
We will share more later...but for now, I am posting some of the pictures of the Glenn Taylor Band benefit concert. Enjoy the pictures and the holiday weekend!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
In other news, Atlantic Christian School has asked me to step in for the first couple of weeks of school to teach a Bible class. You can pray for their new Bible teacher as he is recovering from a burst appendix! That said, please be in prayer for me as I try to get back in the mindset of school, having spent the entire summer trying to get out of it!
We will share more later...but for now, I am posting some of the pictures of the Glenn Taylor Band benefit concert. Enjoy the pictures and the holiday weekend!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Two Debtors Sermon
Below is the audio from a sermon I preached at Ocean City Baptist Church. As we get ready to go, I have been asked to preach at church. This is a learning process but I thought that I would share it with all of you. That said listen, comment, enjoy...
Jon
Monday, August 31, 2009
Our Future House
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Go, Go, Crash!
We are happy to report that our mad summer dash is over...kind of! We want to thank all of you that came and hung out with us at The Glenn Taylor Band show! Kirsten and I were incredibly blessed and excited by all the people that were able to make it out and the massive personal, prayerful, and financial support!
I am also happy to say that round 1 of preaching at Ocean City Baptist has come to an end. It was a really great experience and a blessing to give our pastor a break and get some more time in "ye ole pulpit". There are also various pictures to come from my time in Jamaica a couple weeks ago and also some other tricks, so stay tuned!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
I am also happy to say that round 1 of preaching at Ocean City Baptist has come to an end. It was a really great experience and a blessing to give our pastor a break and get some more time in "ye ole pulpit". There are also various pictures to come from my time in Jamaica a couple weeks ago and also some other tricks, so stay tuned!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Summer Dash
The August sun has not disappointed! We hope that you are finding a great way to stay cool in the final month of summer. It has certainly been a busy couple weeks for us! As some of you know, I preached at Ocean City Baptist last Sunday night and will be doing so again. If you are free Sunday night at 6pm come and listen as we look into Luke 7 again.
Also, don't forget this Saturday night at Ocean City Baptist Church The Glenn Taylor Band (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/theglenntaylorband) is playing a benefit concert for us. We hope you can come and share in some great music and hear more about our vision for Jamaica! There is no cost to attend. Music starts at 7pm and will go until 9. SPREAD THE WORD!
Other news and prayer items:
1) We are planning a couple meetings with some churches in and outside of South Jersey. We are excited for the opportunity to share our vision with others in hopes of creating a web of support for our ministry.
2) Continue to pray for Pastor Vernon Allen and the Buff Bay churches as they minister in and around Buff Bay.
3)We have had a small car problem...the problem is that it doesn't work. We are still not sure the actual issue, but prayer is a good place to start!
I am sure there is more to report...so stay tuned until next time.
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Also, don't forget this Saturday night at Ocean City Baptist Church The Glenn Taylor Band (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/theglenntaylorband) is playing a benefit concert for us. We hope you can come and share in some great music and hear more about our vision for Jamaica! There is no cost to attend. Music starts at 7pm and will go until 9. SPREAD THE WORD!
Other news and prayer items:
1) We are planning a couple meetings with some churches in and outside of South Jersey. We are excited for the opportunity to share our vision with others in hopes of creating a web of support for our ministry.
2) Continue to pray for Pastor Vernon Allen and the Buff Bay churches as they minister in and around Buff Bay.
3)We have had a small car problem...the problem is that it doesn't work. We are still not sure the actual issue, but prayer is a good place to start!
I am sure there is more to report...so stay tuned until next time.
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Island News
A quick report about my time in sunny, HOT Jamaica:
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
- My time spent with the men and women of the youth program was really great! I got to know quite a bit about them, and they also got to know a bit about us. We played hours of dominoes as we talked about life, Jesus, Jamaica, America, culture, etc.
- Praise God! We also found a house to rent!!! It is owned by an elder in the church who is currently making preparations for us to come! We are stoked about the house because it is just outside of town, has a yard, has mango, cherry, and plum trees in the back yard, there is extra room to host, and it is about a five minute walk to the church! God is good, and we thank Him for His provision!
- I was able to spend lots of time talking with Pastor Vernon Allen (senior pastor and pastor we will assist). We shared our thoughts on ministry, needs, areas of ministry, etc. It was great to know that we are on the same page and that he is excited for us to come.
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Weekend goodies
Hello to the faithful!
Here are three for the weekend:
1) Please be in prayer for me (Jon) this week coming up because I will be in sunny Jamaica. I am going to scope out the scene, look for a place to call home, figure out working papers, and get a taste of normal life in Jamaica.
2) We also are praising God for His great provisions! This week our church had VBS and we were the "special missionaries". Kids had a penny contest to raise some money for us and they brought in lots of copper poundage! They were so excited to see us and to hear from us, it was truly humbling to see the passion and joy in the hearts of little ones. God is good and we are very thankful!
3) The Glenn Taylor Band, a local band, is going to throw us a concert! The date is August 15th, however, the rest of the details still need to be worked out. Stay tuned for details, because it is going to be a great time!
grace and peace,
Jon
Here are three for the weekend:
1) Please be in prayer for me (Jon) this week coming up because I will be in sunny Jamaica. I am going to scope out the scene, look for a place to call home, figure out working papers, and get a taste of normal life in Jamaica.
2) We also are praising God for His great provisions! This week our church had VBS and we were the "special missionaries". Kids had a penny contest to raise some money for us and they brought in lots of copper poundage! They were so excited to see us and to hear from us, it was truly humbling to see the passion and joy in the hearts of little ones. God is good and we are very thankful!
3) The Glenn Taylor Band, a local band, is going to throw us a concert! The date is August 15th, however, the rest of the details still need to be worked out. Stay tuned for details, because it is going to be a great time!
grace and peace,
Jon
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Our very first post
Well it is official...we are now online! We hope that you will join us and share in the ministry to the people of Buff Bay, Jamaica! The goal is to give you weekly updates from Jamaica (as well as the lead up to leaving), prayer items, fun stories, new/old/interesting thoughts, etc. Stay tuned...there is a lot more to come!
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
Grace and peace,
Jon and Kirsten
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