I HAVE A DREAM...

"...That all pastors should have a nice bathroom to..." - Douglas

That all pastors should be taken care of by their flock.

That all pastors should be blessed for their sacrifices.

That all pastors' families should feel loved and "pampered."

These are all dreams and we can't change the whole world, but we can think upon our pastor and our church here in Chile.

We as missionaries struggle with a balance each day. We have a code of conduct with ABWE that mandates that nationals not become dependent upon foreigners or foreign money for their daily existence, however the blessings that come from outside of Chile can always be a one time gift or blessing.

In my dream our church, because it is in a nice part of town, would have a nice parsonage. Think of a nice neighborhood near where you live, or possibly where you live. Think of a church right in the middle of that neighborhood with a trailer in the back yard. Now there is NOTHING wrong with a trailer! However, in the middle of that upscale neighborhood, what are people going to think of that church and its provisions for their pastor.

As of right now, our pastor, his wife, and their 4 children ages 21, 17, 16, and 9 live in a house that is LESS than 900 square feet with one bathroom (moldy, with missing tiles, and OLD), a SMALL alley kitchen (with no closing cabinets, only shelves and a stove that only has ONE working burner!), and 3 SMALL bedrooms (one is the size of a walkin closet). All of the neighboring homes are 2 floors with much more space.

In my FULL dream we would have enough money to put a second floor on the house with 2 more bedrooms and another bathroom, but for now my dream is smaller.

World wide it is true that you teach people how to treat you. If we teach or show our neighborhood that we can't take care of our pastor, then what will they think? Regardless of others' opinions, what does God think?

A year ago there were 15 or so people in our church. There was no full time pastor. December 8, 2008 our church began anew as a totally new church. We've changed our name. We've instituted new ministries. We have a new pastor. We've grown to 40 - 50 people on any given Sunday. We are a new and growing church. Therefore we are still young and learning is slow going. Therefore our church is still learning how to honor our pastor. Meanwhile, our pastor and his family "suffers." They would NEVER complain of this! They are from a humble background and have NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED!

All that to say...

I have a dream that people from the US would help us in blessing our pastor with a new kitchen and bathroom.

Here is where my dream hits specifics. Money. It is MUCH cheaper to build down here, especially if the labor is free. Then, if we could have a team of 3 or 4 men to come and do the work that would be even better.

I have a dream. Do you have a dream? Can you help us with our dream? Can we help you with your dream?