May-June 2011

Dear Praying Friends,

I hope you are enjoying this exceptionally warm summer.  I am very glad to inform you that our team is now complete.  Ten “hand-picked-by-God” families now make up the Peru Team.  How excited I am about this.  Each brings an excellent skill set of ministerial experience and ability.  Because of their faithfulness and yielded spirits to the Lord, I know the Lord will accomplish great things with them.

 

Since last month our schedules have been packed with events.  In June, FBMI had its missionary Candidate School.  The training was detailed and specialized, and the fellowship was as warm as the weather.  I enjoy watching the team members beginning to think, act, and unite as a team.  How obvious is God’s selection process to bring together a team that will do His work and will in a marvelous way.

From there, my wife and I slipped away for several days to celebrate our marriage of 10 years.  I cannot believe how the years have flown.  My wife still is the woman of my dreams and has only grown more beautiful.  We are best friends and still madly in love with each other.  (Excuse me a moment while I go give her a kiss!)  She has stood by my side for better and for worse, richer and poorer, in sickness and health.  We had a nice and relaxing time away.

Currently, we are home in Hammond.  Christy and I have had 8 saved in the last three weeks in personal soul winning and visitors to church, and last Sunday we helped start a Spanish Sunday school class.  We had 21 in attendance our first Sunday.  Keeping myself busy in the ministry, though, is making me long to be in Peru to realize our vision of winning souls and starting churches. 

Next month we will make the journey to Peru with the team to survey the land.  We will be looking for property, housing, and God’s will of where to focus our efforts.  Pray for souls to be saved and seeds to be planted.  A small group will leave on August 4 to prepare for the team’s arrival on the 9^th.  We will all return on the 16^th.  Pray for divine guidance and protection. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  None of this would be possible without you.   I am moved with deep gratitude for the investment that you are making in us.  May God bless you richly.

For His glory,

Dan Hubbard

Szabatin Update June 2011

                                                                                                                                  June 2011

We got to Mexico! On Tuesday, May 31, we flew into Mexico City and saw a sea of lights below us. It was an incredible sight. As we looked down, it was overwhelming to think of a city that has 30 million people in it. That is almost the same population as the whole of Canada. We cleared customs fairly easy, and, even though we were chosen for a “random search,” it went fairly smoothly. I accidently tipped our porters way too much (100 pesos) at the Guadalajara Airport where we were connecting, and the porters were all smiles. When we got to the Mexico City Airport, Brother Wes Palla picked us up, and I asked him how much I should tip. When I gave these porters 15 pesos each, they were not smiling at all! I asked Brother Wes why they were upset, and he told me it is because they think I am a rich American and that I was being cheap. I wanted to go back and tell them I was neither American nor was I rich, but it wouldn’t have done any good.

We were exhausted and tired but also rejoicing that our journey to Peru feels like it has actually begun. Our hosts and good friends, Wes and Cynthia Palla, are going out of their way to make us feel at home while we are here and have started teaching us Spanish. Yesterday Brother Wes and I went out soul winning, and I had the privilege of seeing a young lady come to know Christ. So I could pass out John and Romans, Brother Wes taught me to say, “May I give you this book?” I went up to the first lady I saw and said in Spanish, “I want you to give this book to me.” She smiled and took it anyway. I also got to see Iglesias Bautista Monte Sion (Brother Kevin Wynne’s church). It is an incredible work, and I am looking forward to being here for the next month and learning as much as I can.

          Tienguis (Open Air Market)            

          Iglesia Buatista Monte Sion          

           A roof top view of Mexico City          

           

The city doesn’t ever seem to sleep, from the noise of cars, to people trying to sell things over loud speakers, to people blowing their horns. Last night a man came down the street ringing a bell, and we asked what that was. The Pallas told us it was the garbage man. All the people then came out to the street with their garbage. Then you tip him. I have learned you tip everybody here, even the guy at Wal-Mart who blows his whistle while you park, telling you that you can park where you are parking. Before we left the United States, I went and got my international license. It will be staying in my luggage. The traffic here is not for newbies. It makes the traffic in Los Angeles and Toronto look like a drive in the country on a Sunday afternoon.

Please continue to pray for us as we learn while we are here. We are going to utilize every avenue we have while we are here, but we also do want to get to Peru. Flights to Peru continue to remain high because of fuel surcharges. As soon as the Lord provides the funds, we will continue forward.