Greg's Oct 2010 Newsletter: La Llama, Vol 2

GREETINGS from La Serena, Chile and welcome to the 2^nd installment of my monthly newsletter La Llama (read my 1st newsletter if you’re wondering about the name). I’ve only been here for a week and a half but already experienced the national pride and ecstasy of the rescue of the 33 miners who were trapped underground, as well as the reality of 3 different Chilean earthquakes. I tell you, there’s nothing like a few good earthquakes to make a Californian feel right at home!

FIRST: My travels to Chile went incredibly smooth, even with all the extra bags I brought. Thanks so much to all of you who donated airline miles and extra luggage bags for me!! That was such a blessing and the concerns I had regarding my travels turned out just fine.

SECOND: The most pressing thing we had to attend to once I got here was finding a new house. The house is crucial not only because I will be living in it with Pepe, Gislaine, and their son Gabriel for at least the next year or so, but because we will also be launching Fuego Urbano in our home as a house-church. For that reason, a central location in the city, with easy access all around, and lots of space in the backyard were all crucial. The problem was, the more central the location, the more expensive the houses are. After lots of searching and closed doors we found one that is pretty close to perfect for what we want to do. It is right in the central area of the city, easily found and accessible from every direction, and has a pretty big backyard area to have our Fuego Urbano meetings.  Here is a picture of us and our various flags & nationalities in front of it; and as of Nov 1^st it will be ours. THANKS SO MUCH TO YOU ALL for your prayers & support to make it happen!!!!

Another great thing about this house is that it’s only about 3 bocks away from a series of concrete soccer/basketball courts and a make-shift skate-park the local youth have made and hang out at all the time. It’ll be perfect for us to use right in the neighborhood we’ll be living in. Below is a picture of some kids skating there last Saturday; while we were there we were reminded that these skaters are a perfect example of the un-churched young people we’ll be committed to reaching.

The downside to the house is that it is UNFURNISHED, unlike many of the rental houses here, so we will have to start from scratch to get furniture as fast and cheap as we can. We need EVERYTHING: beds, mattresses, stove, refrigerator, washer, tables, chairs, couches, dishes, etc. So please pray for us because we were not expecting these expenses, and if you would like to give a special donation specifically for that, we would of course be extremely grateful to you.

                                                           

THIRD: Summer Ministry Opportunities This Jan-Feb in Chile (Chilean summer is Jan-Feb)!! We’ll be having an intensive summer ministry sports-outreach schedule for Jan-Feb that will include all sorts of different sports and activities while sharing the gospel with all who come; so if that sounds like something you would like to come help with for part or all of those 2 months, then please email me back and let me know. It could be a week or 2, or a month, or the whole time. Whatever your schedule: if you have a heart or passion for young people to come to know Jesus, and even a basic love, knowledge, or background in sports of any kind, we’d love to have you down to serve with us!

FOURTH: For those who continue to ask where we currently stand financially, as of now I calculate we are up to around $16,000 (received or committed) of our roughly $20,000 of initial start-up expenses. Thanks so much to all who have given financially; we are so appreciative for all your help, support, and sacrifice. However as you can see, we still have a little ways to go for our start-up costs so if you would like to continue to pray and help, we would be so very grateful. And I am so grateful to all of you who have also committed to supporting us on a monthly basis. Thanks so very much, I am truly humbled by your generosity.

The 2 ways to give financially to Fuego Urbano remain the same: Checks written & sent to ‘Fishers of Men Fellowship’ or Online at my blog:  http://greghaugh.blogspot.com

LASTLY: On a personal note, I can’t wait to get this 1st phase of preparations behind us and get to the real ministry with the young people of La Serena, and now that we have the house we’re only a few days away! Thanks so much for partnering with us and please pray that God would give us grace and favor with all we come across, that He would ignite a fire among the younger generations of Chile which cannot be contained! Blessings to you,

Greg Haugh

Fuego Urbano 

We Found The House! Still Looking For The Car...

We finally found a house (sorry, no pictures yet but I'll try to get some soon)! And thank God we're following up on 2 good leads for a car...and I just got my cell phone all set up, so things are really starting to take shape. Once we move into the new house on Nov 1st we'll begin the Fuego Urbano house-meetings, and we're really excited because the location of the house is right in the middle of everything with easy access from every direction. Unfortunately, the house is not furnished like many here are, which means we have no furniture and will have to start from scratch to furnish the house...that includes beds, mattresses, plates, tables, everything...etc.

When I got to Pepe & Gislaine's house in La Serena this sign was on the door. It reads in Spanish: "Welcome to your house Greg"

Lastly, don't forget to print and turn in the Lou's BBQ fliers when you eat at Lou's BBQ in October to help Fuego Urbano, and go shop online at Almond Surfboards & Designs' online store   http://almond.bigcartel.com   to help give 15% of all Almond online proceeds in October to Fuego Urbano.

Look for my next big update blog posting and email to come out in about a week, and until then, I pray blessings for you and thank you for all your prayers and support!

Arrival in Chile

To all Fuego Urbano Supporters,

I wanted you all to know that its Friday morning in La Serena, Chile and all my travels went great. I was concerned about a few aspects of the trip but all in all everything went really smooth so now I'm unpacking today and then heading out to look at some houses we're looking to rent and move in to. We need to find something by the end of October so please pray for us in that, and that God would bring us the right house in just the right part of the city (in the center) so we are close to everything here. We want to be as close to main center of the city so as to have the most access and influence to the city going forward.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support,
Greg Haugh
--
FUEGO URBANO

Leaving for Chile

Dear friends, family, and supporters of Greg and Fuego Urbano:

I write you now on the night before I leave for Chile to begin the ministry of Fuego Urbano with Jose (Pepe) & Gislaine Eyzaguirre in La Serena, Chile. When I look back over my life it is so clear that God has been preparing me for something like this for over 10 years now, so to be one day away is really exciting for me. At the same time, there is always a bit of nerves when we make these big life-changes, and I would be lying if I said I did not feel them too.

It has been amazing to watch God put together His vision for this ministry, and I want to thank you all for the part you are playing and will play in the future. I'd like to ask for your prayers as I transition to Chile and have to deal with all the details and unknowns of a move like this: please pray God would lead me, Pepe, and Gislaine to the right people and connections, that He would really open the doors and prepare the way for Fuego Urbano and everything that will come with it, and please pray for my travels, visa, and shipping details.

Again, thanks so much for your love, support, encouragement, and prayers, and I will email again shortly after I get to Chile to let you all know how the move and transitions go. I'll also follow up with my 2nd monthly Newsletter that will be out around the end of October.

Blessings to you all,
Greg Haugh

LA LLAMA: September 2010

("The Flame") 

 

WELCOME to my first newsletter as part of Fuego Urbano !! I still haven’t left for Chile but will on October 13^th, and I wanted to give you all an update on how everything is going so far.

FIRST: you can see the name of my newsletter is ‘La Llama,’ which doesn’t mean ‘the llama’ as in the animal in English! In Spanish ‘llama’ means ‘flame,’ and since the church and ministries I’ll be launching with my ministry partners Jose (Pepe) & Gislaine Eyzaguirre are called ‘Fuego Urbano’ (meaning: Urban Fire), I thought the name ‘the flame’ would be an appropriate title. Just as a flame is a small part of a larger fire, I hope this newsletter will allow you to get a small but clear picture into the bigger fire we hope to ignite in Northern Chile! My hope is that it will keep you connected on how things are going with Fuego Urbano, including how you can pray for us, partner further with us, and continue to support us in different ways, as well as give you an insiders peak into my life and how I am doing individually through this whole process and adventure.  

SECOND: I want to let you all know just how grateful Jose (Pepe), Gislaine, their son Gabriel, and I are to all of you for your decision to partner with us in this!! Gabriel especially (see the photo directly below) wanted to say MUCHAS GRACIAS!!! And so do I. Truly, this would be absolutely impossible without your partnership through prayers, resources, donations, and financial giving, and I want to thank you all so much for partnering with us in whatever ways you are.

THIRD: Many people have asked me where I stand financially at this time. The grand total of our Fuego Urbano budget for 2010-2011 is just about $60,000. So far we are about one-third the way there, so we have made lots of progress but have a long way to go as well. I especially want to thank those of you who have chosen to invest financially in Fuego Urbano or donated various resources to us. I realize in this very difficult economy just how difficult that is for many of you. Many have given not out of abundance or wealth but out of scarcity and personal sacrifice; I want you to know that I am aware of this and that I do not take it lightly. I am humbled by your generosity and financial investment in Fuego Urbano, and from the bottom of my heart I say to you all: Thank You so very much!! I would also like to encourage all of you to pray about committing to some amount of monthly or bi-monthly giving so we can have a clearer picture of our financial situation and how much more we still need to cover our costs and expenses. 

FOURTH: There are 2 more easy ways you can support Fuego Urbano through October 31^st:

 Lou’s BBQ

-is giving 15% of all sales to Fuego Urbano if you eat there

                         & present the flier below (see pg.3) through the end of 

                         October. Just print it as many as you'll need and go as 

                         many times as you can before Oct 31st!

Almond Surfboards & Designs

-is giving 15% of ONLINE sales to Fuego Urbano thru Oct 31

-Go to www.almond.bigcartel.com & get some rad old-school

  50’s-70’s style, surfboards, equipment, & clothes, &

  help Fuego Urbano in the process.

FIFTH: I ask that you would continue to pray for me during this transition time, as well as for Pepe, Gislaine, and their son Gabriel. Please pray that God will open the doors for us and prepare the way for us, so that we might prepare the way for Him to reach the thousands of young people there who do not know Him or His love for them. Please pray that He will give us grace in the eyes of other pastors and church leaders, as the kinds of ministries and church we will launch will be totally outside the box of traditional forms of doing church in Chile, so it’s quite possible we’ll receive some resistance as we begin but we are prepared and ready for it. Still, I ask you all to pray with and for us, as we are closing in quickly on our launch-day.

SIXTH AND FINALLY: I thought I would let you know a bit about how I’m feeling. I’m excited more than anything but also a bit nervous. I know this is the culmination of years of preparation for me; from Spanish to missions to sports to theology to ministry…it seems like this is the thing God has really been preparing me for and like I can finally put it all together for His glory. So for that, I’m extremely excited and can’t wait to get going. 

Thanks again so much for all your love, support, prayers, and encouragement! I hope this is just the start of years of partnership with you, and I hope you’ll all come along for this ride, challenge, and calling that God is guiding us towards together! 

Greg Haugh

Fuego Urbano