GREG'S FEBRUARY 2013 NEWSLETTER

Greetings from the end of our Chilean summer! The past 3-4 days have definitely had a chill in the air which we haven’t felt at all in the past 3 months, and which also means summer must be ending already?! Crazy! Anyway, please more to find out what God has been up to.

FIRST: I’ve written about Tomas before in my letters; he is the best surfer in the 4^th Region and one of the top 3 or 4 surfers in all of Chile, and I met him and his brother Matias last March. After lots of conversations about life, God, surfing, purpose, etc. we started the Surfers’ Bible Study in my apartment by having us 3 be the first ones to commit to it. It has been almost a year since then, and God has really impacted and changed Tomas’ life and goals as far as pro-surfing go. Tomas left competitive surfing about a year ago because he came to view it as fake and enamored with image and an almost hero-worship of the surfers themselves; however recently he has returned to competition with the intent of being a light to it, of being a living testimony of what God can do when we invite Him into our lives. When Tomas left the pro-surfing world, he actually stopped surfing completely for a while because he had somehow lost the joy of doing it. However as he has been able to view it as a gift from God, he has rediscovered that joy and now views it with renewed passion and divine purpose. While Tomas was absent from the pro-surfing world this past year he took time to film and release his first surf-video, called ‘La Escencia’ (The Essence), in which he tries to show the two opposing sides of surfing: competitive surfing vs. surfing as pure joy (soul-surfing). Tomas’ sponsors had a big Premier night of the film and about 100 or so of the local surfers, friends, and family were there to see it. Here is a picture from the premier so you can also get an idea of who many of these surfers are that we are trying to reach:

SECOND: Our Fuego Urbano gatherings at the hotel have gone well, averaging about 15-25 people, but not as well as we were hoping right off the bat.  As we have tried to figure out why, we now realize we have been challenged by some unexpected realities about summer in La Serena. First: La Serena is a massive summer-tourist destination but while the city is absolutely packed all summer, only about 15-20% of those people actually live here year-round. That has made it a bit difficult to do outreach and events because we know almost everyone in town does not live here. Second: So many people who live in La Serena travel during this vacation time, that it has been difficult to have consistency among who is in town, who is traveling, who is visiting family in some other place, etc. Third: those from La Serena who are in town are also extremely busy with crazy summer schedules filled with all kinds of events, plans, obligations, work, parties, etc. Having said that: schools start in a week or two, which means peoples’ schedules will soon return to normal, and also that the 30,000-40,000 college students who attend one of the 10 or so universities here will also return, and that we will be able to then re-focus our attention and efforts on those people who live here at least 10 months per year.  We’re excited about the potential for ministry, but doing our best to also maintain our focus on those God has entrusted to us, so please pray God will open lots of doors for us and lead us forward together in the way He wants us to go.

THIRD: I have recently been teaching someone very important in the skateboarding world of La Serena how to surf, and due to that time together and all the conversations that has brought about, he also now wants to come to Fuego Urbano. Jacob is an amazing skater who started his own skate-brand, owns his own skate-shop, sponsors pretty much every single one of the best skaters in La Serena and Coquimbo, is the president of the Federation of Skaters in the 4th Region, and has the respect, admiration, and friendship of just about the entire world of skaters here. If he were to really draw near to God and start coming to Fuego Urbano like he told me, God could do some amazing things through him to reach out to all the skaters that are simply beyond my reach. Please pray for Jacob as I continue to teach him how to surf and use those times to speak with him about life, meaning, purpose, God, and Jesus.

FINALLY: As always there are 3 ways you may give financially to Fuego Urbano. For Automatic Monthly Online Donations you may sign up for amounts of $25, $50, $100, or $200 per month. Just go to the right side of my Blog (http://greghaugh.blogspot.com) where it says ‘Recurring Donation’ and adjust drop-down menu to the amount you’d like to give each month; then click ‘Subscribe’ and it will take you through the process. One-Time Online Donations are available as well: click the ‘Donate’ button on my Blog just below where it says ‘1-Time Donation’ and it will take you through the process. Or if you prefer Personal Checks you can make them out to ‘Fishers of Men Fellowship’ and mail them to: Fishers of Men Fellowship, PO Box 9284, Newport Beach, CA 92658.  And all donations are fully tax-deductible.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support!

Greg Haugh & Jose, Gislaine, Gabriel, and Gean-Felipe Eyzaguirre