Greg's Dec 2010 Newsletter: La Llama, Vol 4

La Llama (The Flame): December 2010

Merry Late-Christmas & Happy 2011 from Chile!!! I hope you got our Fuego Urbano Christmas Card via email or my blog last week, and that you were able to enjoy the true gift of Jesus with your loved ones this Christmas. So much has happened lately so I’ll do my best to sum it all up for you.

First: We’re still waiting to hear back from the city about using their facilities for our Fuego Urbano meetings. The room and facilities we have asked to use are right in front of the skate-park in Las Compañías, the part of La Serena we’re now focusing on, but it has not been easy to get city approval to begin meeting there. All government workers across Chile went on strike for 3 weeks right when we began the application process, which meant we simply had to wait until the strike ended to process our application. The strike is now over and we’re waiting to hear back from the city about our application, so Please PRAY PRAY PRAY that they would approve us as this would be an ideal situation. We would be able to have our Fuego Urbano meetings right in front of the skatepark in an amazing room that would give us lots of options and opportunities.

Second: We’ve adjusted our summer sports-ministry plans to try to better serve the Municipality & the community of Las Compañías. We’ve been planning on running our own summer-sports ministry all along but have now offered our services to the City Programs instead. The city built the skatepark and the surrounding facilities with the goals of hosting their own summer sports & recreation programs; they are planning on doing something very similar to what we wanted to do, except they are doing it without the spiritual connection we would have included. After discussion and prayer, we’ve decided the best way to bless and serve the Municipality we’re trying to get approval from, as well as the community we’re hoping to reach out to and get to know, is to offer our services free of charge to the Municipality programs. This would avoid any unwanted competition between the programs, and allow us to serve in unity and cooperation with the Municipality and hopefully, open more doors for us there as well. So that is what we have done. 

                    Gabriel with some of the younger kids at the skate-park

They have already planned some programs like soccer, basketball, and drama classes, which we’ve offered to help with at no charge; but there are other activities we could offer for them that they have no way of providing, such as: Swim Lessons (they have a pool and want to have swim lessons but don’t have anyone to teach), English classes/workshops, Portuguese classes/workshops, Guitar, Baseball, American Football (Passing & Flag Football), and even Surfing if we had the necessary equipment. Granted that we’ve offered to do this for FREE, we’re hopeful they’ll want to partner together. Please PRAY they do, as this would be an amazing way for us to reach out to and get to know the whole community. In 3^rd world countries where there are more basic needs and fewer resources, it is extremely rare for people to offer something for free, with no strings attached, as we have done for these programs. So please pray God would open their hearts to allow us to serve them and the community in this way, and that they’d see the love and heart of Jesus in us!!!

 A night out & messing around with some of the ‘fellas’

 

Third: Our First Fuego Urbano meeting in Las Compañías will be on Jan 1 in the open air right in front of the skatepark itself, so please pray God would open peoples’ hearts to Him and us. We’ve developed so many great relationships with so many of the young people in the community of Las Compañías around the skatepark, that we’ve decided to not wait any longer for Municipal approval to the facilities we’ve asked for to begin our meetings up there; instead we’re going to begin next Saturday in the open air at the park right in front of the skatepark, and we’ll gather there each Saturday until our approval goes through or we hear something else. Please pray God would open the doors for people to come and stir peoples’ hearts to want to come hear more about Him, and that God would give us opportunities all week to invite people and let them know.

Fourth & Finally: As the end of 2010 approaches I want to thank you all for your love, encouragement, prayers, and support! This story we’re writing together in Chile would be impossible without the key roles each of you have chosen to play, and I want you to know how appreciative and grateful I am for each of you, and how excited I am to see what chapters we write together in 2011!!

Thanks so much and I wish you a very very blessed and joyful 2011,

Greg Haugh

Fuego Urbano

Merry Christmas From Chile!!

To All Our Fuego Urbano Supporters & Followers,

We just wanted to take this time to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years from Chile! Pepe, Gislaine, Gabriel, and I are so grateful for all your prayers, encouragement, and support in our efforts with Fuego Urbano to reach the younger generations of Chile with the love of Jesus, and we know that without your support this simply would not be possible. So THANK YOU!!

It is also our hope and prayer that YOU will be able to rest in that love this Christmas season, even in the midst of all the parties, gatherings, events, shopping, and craziness that is the Christmas season. Below you can see us in our new 'Fuego Urbano' sweatshirts with our mini-sized Christmas tree, as we will be celebrating here too even though it's summer here and so has a much different feel to the USA.

 Thanks for all your prayers & support and we wish you all a very FELIZ NAVIDAD!!
Greg, Pepe, Gislaine, & Gabriel

PLEASE PRAY!!

Hi there all you Fuego Urbano supporters,

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the holiday season. Summer is quickly approaching here so Christmas has a different feel than in the USA, but as summer begins here and all the kids get out of school, its also a festive time of year.

I’m writing to give you a quick update and ask for prayer from all of you who would like to pray for us. As I told you in my last Newsletter, which is also visible on my blog, we have been talking with the city administration to get the ok to have our Fuego Urbano worship services at the community center right across the street from the skate-park in the area we’re working in. This would be IDEAL for so many reasons, and they said there shouldn’t be a problem but that we need to get official approval from the municipality. The problem is all the city-workers went on strike just then and have been on strike for the past 1.5-2 weeks. So we are helpless waiting for this strike to end before we can get the ok to move your meetings to that location. This has been frustrating, and we’re not sure when it is going to end.

Therefore, I would like to ask all of you who would like to pray for us, to pray that God would move and bring an end to the strike so that we can get the necessary approval. Also, please pray the municipality approves our requests, because as we’ve learned, we’re never guaranteed anything until it becomes reality. We are in the process of making other arrangements up there in case the strike continues, but our hope is that it will end ASAP so we can continue with the plans we have already set up, which would really be ideal for us. 

Thanks so much and blessings to you!

Greg Haugh & Jose/Gislaine Ezyaguirre

Greg's Nov 2010 Newsletter: La Llama, Vol 3

LA LLAMA (The Flame”): November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving from La Serena, Chile, and welcome to the 3^rd volume of my monthly newsletter ‘La Llama.’ I hope you have a great Thanksgiving this year with your loved ones, and are able to thank God for His goodness in your life this year. I know it has been difficult year for many, due to so many different things, and yet God is always faithful to see us through if we turn to Him.

Down here I’ve been explaining the Thanksgiving tradition to Pepe & Gislaine and they love the idea. In fact Gislaine wants to have our own Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving too, so we’ll be looking for some turkey to cook too. I also want you to know that I am so thankful to YOU for your love, prayers, encouragement, friendship, and financial support. Without all of you, the ministry of Fuego Urbano simply would not be possible. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

FIRST: Fuego Urbano began a couple Saturdays ago and we are now meeting regularly. We’ve only met twice so far and our group is small but committed and excited, so I would ask that you pray for God to guide us and open doors with the young people here in La Serena. So far we have been talking about the vision for Fuego Urbano so that those who come are clear on what we hope and pray Fuego Urbano will be. Below is a photo from our first meeting: 

 

SECOND: We’ve decided to focus our efforts in La Serena in the area known as ‘La Compañía,’ which is where the skatepark is located and where we have developed lots of great relationships with the local youth. La Compañía is the poorest area of La Serena and has the highest rates of violence, drugs, crime, and gang activity in the whole area. In fact the reason the city built the skatepark and the sports facilities next to it (see photo below) was to try and get the youth out of the destructive cycles of violence, drugs, and crime, and into some more healthy and productive activities.

On top of that there simply no evangelical churches in this area; because of these realities, along with the incredible relationships we have been able to develop with so many of the youth in the area, we have talked and prayed and feel like we simply MUST focus on that area of La Serena, even though it’s further away from our house. So that is what we are now doing.

I’d like to share with you about the whole skatepark experience for us in La Compañía so you know that it’s like. We only started going there 2 weeks ago but already when we show up now it’s like walking into a house full of people who are so glad to see us and greet us as we walk in. It’s hard to put into words but God has really been at work opening the kids’ hearts and minds to both us, and to the hope in Jesus that we share with them. We’ve shared with them about Fuego Urbano and how we’re trying to set up meetings in their neighborhood and almost all of them want to come. Once, as I was sharing our vision with a bunch of the kids, a young skater of 10 years old raised his hand as if he were in class and asked: ‘ Y puedo venir?’…meaning: ‘And can I come?’ Another BMX’er who I’ve gotten to know well offered his own house so we could meet there. So you see the kind of responses we’re getting from these young people who are so spiritually hungry. And another young skater, Henry, who is about 16 has taken me under his wing to teach me all about skating the bowls. This has been a huge blessing because Henry is the best bowl-skater there and I’ve been able to develop my deepest bond with him; and as the best bowl-skater, he holds lots of influence with the others.

So Please Please Please pray for us because the city built the skatepark, and as part of the general facilities they also built a large multi-purpose room with 2 basketball/soccer courts, 2 ping-pong tables, and a pool, right across the street from the skatepark (See picture below). We are currently talking with the administration about allowing us to have our Fuego Urbano meetings right there, which seems too good to be true, but they have already offered to some degree. So please pray God would open the hearts and minds of the administration to let us use these facilities for Fuego Urbano. And if they do, we would also move our upcoming summer ministry programs to this same neighborhood and to these same facilities, which would be an unbelievable blessing and opportunity! So please pray!!!

THIRD: Online payments on my blog were gone but are now available once again. However, we still cannot do automatic payments so I’ll have to ask you who prefer to give online to do your best to remember; you might want to let my monthly letters/emails be your monthly reminders? Just click this link  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=VCHCHFWQNYLPN  or go to the 'Donate' button here on my blog. And as usual, checks may be made out & mailed to ‘Fishers of Men Fellowship’, PO Box 9284, Newport Beach, CA, 92658.

FOURTH: The House is coming along but is still only partially furnished, though we have the basics covered. Thanks so much for those who gave more so we could get settled! We still only have plastic patio chairs and a matching plastic table, but things are coming along and we appreciate your continued support for all these things!

Thanks so much for all you love and support; we all wish you the best this Thanksgiving,

Greg Haugh

Fuego Urbano

New Car, 1st Fuego Urbano Meeting, & Skatepark

Hey Everyone,
It's been a pretty busy week and a half or so down here in Chile and I wanted to give you all a head's up on things before they got away from me. We moved into our new house on Nov 1 which you've seen pictures of, but we also got a car last week which was a huge blessing and relief. It has given us mobility and opened up so many doors to get things done and to open up doors to ministry. We got a Hyunadai Santamo which fits 7 comfortably but doesn't use as much gas as other bigger cars. Here's a picture of it and there's more on the Fuego Urbano Facebook page.  Thanks so much!!

After moving in last week we also had our first Fuego Urbano meeting/service at our house this past Saturday and it went awesome. There were only 8 of us but it went really well and everyone was really excited about the vision. I taught on the Parable of the Pharisee & The Tax-Collector, and we used that to talk about what we hope the attitude, heart, and mentality of Fuego Urbano will be. We also know lots of people who are really excited to come but could not make it last Saturday for various reasons, so we expect that we'll see more people this weekend. There are more pictures of our first night on the Fuego Urbano Facebook page, but the picture below gives you glimpse of the night...

Lastly, we also went to the local skatepark yesterday and began part of our outreach work there. It was super fun and God really blessed us because we met lots of the best skaters there and instead of them being closed off or unfriendly to outsiders, we hit it off and got to talk and share with them for a couple hours. It was awesome! Please pray God would keep opening the doors for us there and that He would show us the best way to reach this young people and also help to incorporate them into Fuego Urbano, since the skatepark is a little further away from the side of town we're on. Still, it was a great day and great beginning to the ministry we hope to do there. Below is a picture from our day there but as usual, if you want to see more you can see them on the Fuego Urbano Facebook page...

 Thanks again for all your help, prayers, and support! We could not do this without you all...Blessings from all of us to all of you!

Greg, Pepe, Gislaine, & Gabriel

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!