Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas from the Grego household to yours! We trust your Christmas and New Year will be blessed beyond what you can even imagine! Ours was!  

Yes, just in time for Christmas, when we needed to get out of the place where we were staying the past seven months, God blessed us in an incredible way. New Horizons Church, where we have been helping out with the Hispanic ministry, decided unanimously to let us live in a rental house they have for free! No rent, no utilities to pay for six months! The majority of the people who made such a decision don’t even know us! From one day to the next, we suddenly had a place to call home. People who had never even met us, showed up on the doorstep with bags or boxes of things for our home. Bedding, towels, dishes, lamps, tables and chairs, TVs, you name it!  Their generosity has been overwhelming. We are so thankful to the Lord for His goodness to us. This has been an awesome Christmas gift!

We want to take a moment to thank all of you who have supported us over the years. We are thankful for you, too, and for the fact that God provided for us through you. If you feel led to continue supporting us, the address remains the same as found on the right side of this blog. Robert, a missionary to Canada, will continue in the ministry, reaching out to needy Hispanics right here in Sarnia through New Horizons Church, as well as other ministry in English, and working on his seminary degree. Roxanne will be helping in the ministry, too, of course, but will need to find another full time job, as the church cannot afford to pay us a salary at this time. Roxanne has been asked to do the church’s bookkeeping, which takes only a few hours a month and provides a little income.

We are excited about the adventures that the Lord has for us in the New Year!  2012 has not been an easy year for us by a long shot, but it has been rewarding. We are thankful for His faithfulness and goodness towards us, as we made the move from Honduras to Canada. Thank you for standing in the gap for us. Please continue to pray for our adjustment to life here (especially the cold weather!), for the documentation for the kids’ citizenship and Robert’s residency, and for just the right job for Roxanne.

May the Prince of Peace grant you great peace and joy throughout the Christmas season and 2013!

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

September - October 2012 Update

The kids were fascinated by their first snowfall!  Yep, November 4th there were already snow flurries.  Fall didn’t stay very long.  We barely experienced the change of the leaves to different shades of red, yellow, and orange when the winds blew them all off.  Now the trees are bare and the cold has set in.  We keep telling the kids, “You haven’t seen anything yet!  Wait until winter actually gets here!”  We are all grateful that we have had the mild summer (in our opinion!) and the fall to gradually get accustomed to the cold.

Still no jobs on the horizon.  So we continue to covet your prayers, that God would lead us to the jobs and city where we should settle.  Meanwhile, we keep busy in the ministry.  We are involved in a small, local Hispanic congregation.  Robert has preached, led Bible studies and worship, and translated for the group of mainly migrant workers.  Roxanne participates in the women’s craft group as well, getting to know the ladies and ministering to them.  Roxanne has also taken on the challenge of “directing” the children actors for the Christmas play in our English church and Julianna is participating as the main character.

David has had quite his share of challenges in high school with adjusting to the system and feeling like he has no real friends.  Please keep him in your prayers, that he might be encouraged.  On the other hand, God has done a miracle for Julianna, who was placed in grade 7, despite the fact that she is dyslexic and didn’t do grade 6.  We were told that it would take months for her to be officially diagnosed in the government school system and we don’t have the $1,500 it would cost to have her diagnosed privately.  The Lord has granted us favor and miraculously, Juli has been placed at the top of the long list of students to be evaluated!  Hopefully, before this year is out, she will be getting the extra help she needs in school so that she can succeed.

We are forever grateful for all of you who pray and support us.  May the Lord bless you all a hundredfold!

Grace and peace,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

July - August 2012

Tales from the Culture-Shock Crypt

Yep, we’re experiencing reverse culture shock. Roxanne’s been out of her country for 24 years, visiting only for a few weeks every three or four years. Now that she’s back, she realizes it’s the small things that surprise you. Like, getting charged $1.50 for every withdrawal at the bank. That didn’t exist when she was growing up here! Or, like going to the store for a few photocopies and being charged $3.65! “What?! Why so expensive?” The girl said, “Well, you could have done your copies in the self-serve section. It would have been cheaper.” Self-serve? Are you kidding? In Honduras they’d walk off with the paper, maybe even the copier itself! No one has self-serve! And it would have cost a few cents to make these copies. And what about $6 for a liter of milk? Whaat? It’s not yak’s milk, just plain cow’s! Ouch! Milk is subsidized down south. Also in USA. Wow. It’s another world!

Speaking of living in this other world, we are staying in a friends’ home until we can find jobs. We’d appreciate your prayers for jobs and finally settling down in a place of our own. We have sent in many resumés and we’ve had a few interviews. Still nothing yet. It was so easy to get a job in Honduras whenever we wanted one because of our degrees and bilingualism. Very different here!

It’s been a crazy transition from the Latin world to the first world. Robert spent seven weeks away getting his Costa Rican driver’s license and selling our cars in Honduras. Roxanne went back for a week in July to help him empty out our rental house there and to say final good-byes. Then we spent a few days in Pittsburgh picking up some of our luggage sent on ahead with short term teams and touching base with some supporters. Visiting with family along the way has been a blessing. We’ve been doing a lot of traveling over these last few weeks, which has included our usual car problems along the way. God has been faithful in protecting us and providing the help we need at the right time.

Both Julianna and Robert celebrated their birthdays early September. Juli had 3 friends come over and spend the night. They had a blast!

Pray with us for grace and favor in the eyes of government officials as we send off all the paperwork and documents we have worked so hard to gather over the past year. We are hoping the kids’ citizenship will be granted within the year and that Robert will quickly have a work permit in his hands.

Pray, too, for David as he enters high school and Juli as she has been thrust into the seventh grade, though she never did 6th, simply because of the year she was born. This will be a huge transition for them.

We are so grateful for your faithful prayers and continued support during this time of adjustment to our new life in Canada. May the Lord bless and watch over you.  

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

June 2012 Update

Paperwork Roundup

For the past year we have been sending updates regarding our future move North as a family.  We have prayerfully considered our need for an extended leave for rest, recovery, recharging our batteries, and refunding. We have sought the counsel of seasoned, mature pastors and missionaries who have lived through similar situations. So, as our initial paperwork package finally came together, the Lord would have it coincide with Roxanne’s youngest brother’s wedding, and the simultaneous expiration of our Honduran resident visas, driver’s license, and credit card. Time to make the move? We feel this is the Lord’s timing for us. We are taking a much needed extended furlough, or sabbatical year, for the first time in over two decades of ministry overseas, bringing closure to our time in Honduras and seeking the Lord’s direction for the future.

Preparing for our New Life 

Besides the time we have already spent in May visiting family and enjoying Roxanne’s brother’s beautiful wedding day in Canada, our summer will include debriefing sessions, camp for the kids, a big family reunion, and visiting supporting churches. Robert will travel to Costa Rica in June to get a new driver’s license and then to Honduras to finish selling our cars and belongings, before rejoining Roxanne and the kids in Canada. We hope to make a trip to Pittsburgh in July as well, to touch base with supporters there. Please pray for our safety this summer with all the traveling around we need to do, and for the wrap up in Honduras.

Camping Kids

We are very grateful for the opportunity the kids have to go to camp because of the missionary scholarships they have received. Beginning July 22, David will be spending two weeks at Camp Mini-Yo-We on a canoe trip, and Juli will have a one-week adventure at Circle Square Ranch, enjoying horseback riding. Please pray for their safety and for a great camp experience.

Thank you so much for standing in the gap with us, before the Throne of Grace, during this time of transition.

Your partners in the King’s service,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna 

April 2012 Update

The nine new believers made a semicircle around Robert and Manuel in the river. One by one, they were baptized on that beautiful sunny day in March. Praise the Lord with us for the growth of the church plant, Iglesia de Amor, in the needy community of Rivera Hernandez. This Sunday we will be celebrating our fourth anniversary and Robert will be preaching.

The children’s library is now tending to over 200 children on a weekly basis. When we left it in the able hands of Oscar and Mary, we were serving 70 kids a week. We are very thankful to God for providing Hondurans who love the children and share the vision God gave us for the library. Continue to pray for Oscar Noe and Mary as they take this ministry to new heights.

The new church plant in Siguatepeque, CCI, (Centro Cristiano Internacional) now consists of about thirty people in total. We are now starting a fourth group at a local swimming complex. Robert began sharing with the manager, Minor, who enthusiastically agreed to host a group. Robert has invited different business owners and our mechanic, and their wives, to join us. Pray that God will draw them to Himself.

The Latin America Mission Canada celebrated 50 years of service, by holding a retreat for their missionaries at the end of March in Costa Rica. Robert attended and served as interpreter, as they all praised God for His faithfulness, while hearing the exciting testimonies from old friends and co-laborers in other countries. Our dear friend and fellow missionary in Mexico, Tracey Pieters, stopped in for a couple of days to visit us in Honduras before continuing on to the conference. Roxanne and the kids were unable to go because our kids’ passports were stuck in the Canadian embassy awaiting visas.

What do the kids need visas for, you may ask? We are planning a trip north to Canada next month for Roxanne’s brother’s wedding. We’ll be visiting Robert’s relatives in the States on the way up. Please pray for us in our preparations and for safety in our travels. We look forward to seeing some of you then!

We’ve added some colorful pictures of the incredible sawdust carpets that are made annually for Easter Week in Comayagua, which is only a half hour drive away. We went early to see them before the Catholic procession walked through them. This is a special cultural treat to see.

We greatly appreciate your prayers for us. May the Lord’s blessings be poured out upon you and yours!

In His service,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

March 2012 Update

IN THE LINE OF FIRE!

Imagine their shock when policemen burst into the church building, in the middle of the Sunday morning service, and hauled pastor Manuel and Loli’s two teenaged sons, Kevin and Isaac, plus another youth from the platform, where they were doing a skit. “What are you doing, officers? Where are you taking them?” Manuel followed them out of the sanctuary, with the baffled crowd in tow. The policemen insisted that these boys had just committed a robbery and jumped over the wall into the church yard. The boys were treated very roughly by the police, to the point that Manuel feared for their lives. He told them, “No, sirs, you’re mistaken. These are my sons and all three of these boys have been here at the service all morning.” The officers didn’t believe him and began dragging them by their hair, arms twisted behind them, towards the police car. “Please, take me, instead. Do anything you want to me. Just don’t hurt my boys!” It was not until he was willing to put himself in harm’s way, that they were at last convinced that Manuel was telling the truth. They finally released them and left.

WANNA BE IN MY GANG?

Another Sunday, a young man came into the church in the middle of the service and insisted that Manuel give him 500 lempiras (about $25). “I don’t have 500 lempiras, but I can take up an offering for you at the end of the service.” The young man insisted that he needed the money right away, and began getting agitated. At that point, another young man, who had recently begun to attend the church, upon witnessing the scene, left and returned a few minutes later, with some well known, local gang members. Through the gate, the gang members insisted to pastor Manuel that he hand over the young man who had been harrassing him. They would “take care of him.” They told him they had been observing Manuel over the last few weeks and were pleased with his work in the community, so they were there to protect him. Manuel, knowing that they would kill the intruder without a second thought, pleaded with the gang, and managed to convince them that they were misinformed and that they need not “take care” of him. After they left, the terrified young intruder sat quietly at the back of the sanctuary, still shaking from the near death incident. He quickly exited at the end of the service and never returned.

HIS MIGHTY HAND OF PROTECTION!

These are just two of the common hair-raising episodes that have occurred recently at the church plant in Rivera Hernandez. We are all witnessing the mighty hand of the Omnipotent defending his children, and can testify that His mercies are truly new every morning. Please continue to pray for protection for pastor Manuel, Loli, and their children, that they might continue to have a great impact on this needy community. Danger lurks at every turn in this massive shanty town, but this pastoral family has learned to walk by faith daily, face the death threats head on, and bask in our Lord’s extravagant love for them. May His name be exalted forever! Nothing is too difficult for the Lord of Hosts!

IN AND OUT OF JAIL

Robert was supposedly only accompanying the four pastors to the prison in Santa Barbara, to see first hand what prison ministry was like, and because they had no means of transportation. After a two hour drive, it was he who preached to the enthusiastic crowd of Christian inmates and sang them a song. He encouraged them in their walk with God and challenged them to commit to intercessory prayer for missionaries around the world. They were amazed to hear stories of the martyrs and the persecuted church in other parts of the world, and were thrilled with Robert’s idea of putting up a world map in their cell, so they could pray for their brethren while laying hands on the map. It was an incredible experience for both him and the inmates whom he hopes to revisit soon. Meanwhile, one of the other pastors led eight other convicts to the Lord in another cell.

This month we may have two children’s ministry seminars. One in Tegucigalpa, the capital, and one in San Pedro Sula. Please pray for God to use us that His people may be well trained to reach children for Christ.

We praise God for Roxanne’s birthday in February, our 21st anniversary on March 9th, and David’s 14th birthday on March 28. The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love.

May you be strengthened and blessed, as you seek His face daily!

We want to encourage you with Isa. 35:3-4.

Serving Him with gratefulness,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

Robert translates at pastors' retreat

Library kids year-end party

Roxanne & Juli wrap gifts for library kids

February 2012 Update

It’s amazing how news travels so quickly. Robert spoke at a youth retreat on a Wednesday and by Saturday morning, at a prayer meeting in another city, the youth leader said, “Oh, you must be the Costa Rican speaker my friend told me about! His youth group loved your talk this week. Can you come speak to our group too?” Then a few days later we met yet another youth leader who said he and his group had been there and they loved Robert’s talk the best. When could he come speak at their church? Besides the youth retreat, Robert translated for Korean speakers at a pastors’ retreat. A few days later one of the pastors who attended called asking Robert to speak to his leaders. We praise God for the impact the retreats had on these youth and the pastors (both with over 100 attendees), and that Robert could be a part of it through his talk and his translating. We are thankful for the doors it has opened for Robert to minister in other churches.

Roxanne has met with Oscar Noe and Mary to plan for this years’ Bible lessons for the library kids. We had a wonderful year-end event in December. As you can see from the pictures, we had over 100 children attend. Now in February, classes start up again at the school and the children will start coming for the help they need with their homework, the Bible lessons, reading books, and playing with puzzles and table games. Please pray for these needy children and for wisdom for Oscar and Mary as they tend to them on a daily basis.

Carlos and Hector Mejía are brothers and co-pastors of a church in Comayagua. We are working with them to plant a daughter church in Siguatepeque. The last week of January they experienced a terrible tragedy when their brother was murdered, leaving behind his wife and two small children. Please pray for the Mejía family, that they will know God’s comfort and strength during this difficult time. Pray, too, that this crime will not go unsolved (90% of homicides are unsolved in Honduras).

We greatly appreciate your prayers for our journey through “document dungeons” as we continue to slowly but surely make progress towards submitting everything to the Canadian embassy to get residency visas. It has now been over a year since we started this process!

Please keep tuned for a special edition of the Grego Gazette coming up in the next week or two. Let us just advance you this much: your prayers for protection for Pastor Manuel and Loli and their children are greatly needed! We need prayer warriors who will stand in the gap for this brave family.

May the Lord bless you all as you fix your gaze on His face and seek to do His will for the sake of His glory!

Pressing towards the goal,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna

Diciembre, 2011

Un tema común para este Año Nuevo en todos los estudios bíblicos y cultos de las iglesias que visitamos en estos últimos días provino de Filipenses 3:13-14, donde el apóstol Pablo dice: “Pero un cosa hago, olvidando lo que queda atrás y esforzándome hacia lo que está por delante, prosigo hacia la meta para obtener el premio del llamamiento celestial de Dios en Cristo Jesús”. Tenemos una meta clara para este 2012, a lo que nos llamó Dios, hacia la cual nos esforzamos, cual es la obtención de las visas de residencia canadiense para Roberto y los niños. Nos encontramos en la recta final de la entrega de los documentos. Esperamos y oramos que podamos entregarlos en persona a la embajada de Canadá en Guatemala para el final de enero. Oren con nosotros para que hallemos gracia y favor ante las autoridades que vayan a resolver nuestro caso.

Roberto también anhela ser usado por Dios en un retiro de jóvenes líderes, seguido de un retiro pastoral. Ambos eventos serán este mes en Puerto Cortés, a tres horas de donde vivimos. Traducirá para unos pastores coreanos que vendrán desde los EUA. Además le han pedido que imparta una enseñanza a los jóvenes y otra a los pastores en dichos retiros. Pidamos al Padre que impacte a todos los que asistirán.

Una de las alegrías de diciembre para nosotros fue el participar en un coro navideño. Qué gozoso fue exaltar Su Nombre mediante el canto en varios sitios de esta ciudad. Estamos encantados que Miguel, el joven cajero de banco que mencionamos en ediciones anteriores, vino a escuchaar el coro navideño en una iglesita cerca de su casa, donde nos presentamos. Tanto él como Daniel (también citado previamente) aceptaron nuestra invitación a la reunión especial que auspició nuestro grupo de estudio bíblico el 14 de diciembre, donde disfrutaron de la comida, los villancicos y el ambiente navideño que compartimos. Continúen orando por Miguel y Daniel conforme nos acercamos a ellos con el amor de Cristo. Tenemos gran expectativa de cómo Dios nos vaya a usar en este nuevo año en las vidas de otros.

Luego de un año de ausencia, Roberto está nuevamente matriculado en el seminario en línea ProMETA. Él prosigue a la meta, con dos cursos durante el semestre que inicia este mes. El rector de ProMETA nos ha pedido que preparemos unos cursos intensivos que serían impartidos más adelante este año, para líderes en general. También, Roberto podría estar ayudando a traducir y editar el material didáctico usado en otros cursos. Oren con nosotros por la guía, la sabiduría y la unción de Dios conforme nos abocamos a estos nuevos retos. Lo más hermoso de nuestro involucramiento con ProMETA es que podremos continuar capacitando a líderes y pastores de América Latina sin importar dónde estemos localizados físicamente.

Este nuevo año está lleno de brillantes posibilidades y promesas a través de Cristo. Al emprender la carrera que tenemos pro delante en este 2012, anhelamos mantener la mirada fija en él, de manera que no nos distraigamos en los afanes de este mundo, sino que podamos cumplir su voluntad y propósito para nuestras vidas.

Que el Dios de toda Gracia nos capacite a todos para hacer las buenas obras que él nos ha llamado a realizar para así glorificarse en nosotros. ¡Nuestra oración es que él derrame sus bendiciones sobre ustedes y los suyos al comenzar el nuevo año!

Extendiéndonos hacia adelante en él,

Roberto, Roxana, David y Julianna

December 2011 Update

A common theme this New Year at all the Bible studies or church services we attended was from Philippians 3:13,14 where Paul says, “But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We have a very clear goal for this new year of 2012 to which God called us and to which we are straining and that is to get the Canadian resident visas for Robert and the kids. We are in the final stretch of this race to submit the papers. We hope to hand deliver them to the Canadian embassy in Guatemala by the end of January. Please pray that we will find grace and favor in the eyes of whoever will be deciding our case.

Robert also looks forward to being used of God translating for Korean pastors who are coming to do some training this month near the coast, about three hours away from home. Robert will be gone Jan. 6, and 11-14 to translate at a youth retreat and then at a pastor's retreat. He has also been asked to teach one of the sessions for each of these two retreats. Pray for God to move among all those who attend.

One of the highlights of December for us was to participate in the Christmas choir. What a joy to exalt His name through song throughout this city. We were thrilled that Miguel, the young bank teller mentioned in previous writings, came out to hear the choir at a church near his home. Both he and Daniel (also mentioned previously) accepted our invitation to a gathering held by our Thursday night Bible study group on December 14 and enjoyed the carol sing, the food, and the Christmas cheer. Please continue to pray for Miguel and Daniel as we reach out to them with the love of Christ. We look forward to how God will use us in this new year to minister to others.

After a year’s absence, Robert will be taking on-line seminary classes again with PROMETA. He will press on in his studies, taking two courses this semester. We have been asked by the director of PROMETA to prepare some intensive classes to be offered later this year to lay leaders. Also, Robert will be helping by editing and translating materials used in other courses. Pray for God’s guidance, wisdom, and anointing as we take on these endeavors. The beautiful thing about our involvement with PROMETA is that we can continue training Latin leaders wherever we may be.

This new year is full of bright possibilities and promises through Christ. As we run the race before us in 2012, may we all keep our eyes focused on Him that we might not be distracted with the things of this world but fulfill His will for our lives. May the Lord equip us all to do the good works He so calls us to do and thus glorify Himself through us. Our prayer is that He would pour out His blessings on you and yours in this new year!

Pressing on in Him,

Robert, Roxanne, David, and Julianna