Longing for fruit!!!!

October 21st, 2013



I'm sorry that it's been a while since I gave you an update.  I will try not to write a book, but you may want to get confortable because it may take you some time to read it all or you can skim through it to the interesting parts. haha:)

First of all, I have to tell you that having Lucy and her mom here was awesome!  We really enjoyed having them worship and fellowship with us on our Sunday morning service.  Thank you to the Jr. High Class for skyping in with our kids (and us) on that Sunday!  We were all so encouraged by it!  We are so excited for Lucy to get here and for the rest of the team.  We know God will bring the laborers that He wants to this field in His timing!  We have enjoyed being here and we truly believe this is where God wants us.  We miss our body of believers to fellowship with, pray with, carry each other's burdens, build one another and so on.  This is our season to plow the field.  It's a lot of work without seeing inmediate fruit so it's discouraging at times but through it all, God is breaking me more and more for the lost.  Right now we are developing relationships with different people.  God keeps giving us connections, so we are just walking through those open doors and loving on people.  God will bring the fruit! We are very much longing for that fruit but we don't want to make it happen, instead we are praying, fasting and waiting for the fruit! Please pray with us :)

Our main outlet for ministry right now has been Nykki's soccer team.  I spend at least 3 hours a week with the moms while we are at practices, so I've been able to share with some of them why we are here.  I've had good conversations with a couple of the moms, like I said, we are plowing.  God will give the increase!

Soccer ministry (Dads and moms)

Update on our bible study:  By request from the couple, we've had to stop for a few weeks because they've needed some time to figure some things out in their personal lives but they are supposed to get back with us when they are ready to start again. Continue to pray for them and that God will continue to be at work in their lives.  We continue to stay in touch with them and we were able to  hang out with them.  We got to go with them to a "dog beach" so Tebow was able to see the beach for the first time and he liked it!  It was a fun outing for everyone!!!  As far as the second bible study that I had asked you to pray for, that didn't come through, so I guess that was an answer to prayer.

We are still praying for a teen bible study.  Mark has been able to go the Syera's High School to their FCA and he's been able to make a connection with the teacher that is in charge of it.  We are working on the details for it. Hopefully we can get it started in the next few weeks!



Mark is at the end of his training for his job and almost to start on his own.  He's enjoying it and we believe this will be a great fit for him, our family and ministry.  It's been nice to have our roles back the way God designed it.  Daddy working and Mommy being a keeper at home! :)  Our home feels like is going back to the right balance.  God has also been gracious to bless me with a couple of interpreting jobs.  It helps us financially and it also helps me to keep up with my interpreting skills and to meet more people. 

That's the ministry side, now on a personal note about our family........you can check out now if you're done reading, this is just for fun for those who like the other details (like I do). :)

Mark and I had our 17th year anniversary on October 12th.  We went to eat and had a nice evening walk on the beach! We praise God for giving us each other and for everything he has allowed us to go through together and we are excited to continue to be used by Him! 

I've heard people say before you blink and your kids will be all grown up so you better enjoy every minute with them.  Well, I guess it hit me a couple of weeks ago when we took Syera to a parking lot and Mark was giving her her first driving lesson. I can't believe she will be able to get a driving permit next year, our little Syera is growing up!  She did pretty good for her first time, no surprise to all that she was very cautious, which is good!:)

Dylan will be trying out for basketball at his school next month.  We hope he makes it! I think that will be encouraging to him and another venue for us to connect with more people.  I've also been able to volunteer a few times at their schools already, so that's been good to make more connections with people and to be there for my kids!

This is just a funny observation that I've made living here in Florida.  In the last couple of months that we've been here, I have seen all kinds of God's creation. I'm talking about all kinds of animals that I just see as I'm driving or walking just outside my apartment. I even have pictures to prove it, so, I've seen turtles and birds crossing the street , all kinds of big, little, fat, skinny legged birds, frogs, ducks, lizards, squirrels, deer, snakes, slugs, and of course cats and dogs too! I just thought that was crazy that I can see that many animals without even paying an admission ticket to go to the zoo. haha:)  I have yet to see a gator on the road, but I'll let you know when that happens!

Phew, that was a lot of stuff! Thank you faithful readers that read all of it! We truly appreciate your prayers and please continue to pray for this field.  We know God is working and we are and will be a small part of what He is going to do. 

You can be praying for the following:

1.  Teen Bible study to get started.
2. Mike and Katie's heart to be broken for the Lord.
3. Our investment in the soccer team parents.
4. Friendships for our kids.
5. Protection and grace for our family during this time of transition.
6. Job for Lucy.

Thank you for praying and we love you all!  Please feel free to ask any questions if you want to know more detailed information about anything I have mentioned.:)

Have a great week and stay warm!  We're enjoying the sunshine!!!


                                        He is Faithful!


                                       The Schaffers

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!!! GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

IN GOD WE BOAST ALL THE DAY LONG, AND PRAISE THY NAME FOR EVER. SELAH.
                                                                                                                                                      Ps. 44:8


September 24th, 2013


We have some praises to share with you all!  God has answered prayer again!  Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for God's mission and our family.  He is Faithful!!!! 

We have been praying for a job for Mark for some time now.  It's been difficult to wait, many lessons we have learned but God has given him a job!!!!!  YAY!!!! JOY!!!! HAPPY!!!! He is working for Horace Mann Insurance Company.  He's been training with them for two weeks.  We believe that this is the job that God had for him because He will be able to provide financially for our family but also have some flexibility to do ministry.  God always knows best, we just need to be patient and wait for His great blessings according to His timing.  I also had my first interpreting assignment two weeks ago. It's been slow since then, but I know God will give me the ones I need.  :)

Another praise is that we have continued to meet with the couple for bible study. We had a difficult time connecting with them for a couple of weeks due to schedule conflicts.  We continued to pray for them during that time and asked God to work in their lives. We got together with them last week and we had a profitable time studying God's Word, and answering questions about the bible.  There is also a possibility that another bible study may spring out out of this one.  That will be awesome!

HOORAY, HOORAY!!!! Nykki gets to play!!! She made the soccer team!  She had her first tournament last weekend.  The team didn't do so great but there will be more to win.  We believe this will be a great

Tebow is enjoying chasing lizards and chilling out!

opportunity to connect with the team parents and coach.  We spend a lot of time together during practices and at games just talking about life.  We're praying that God will open some doors with some of the parents to do some bible studies. We need lots of prayer for God to work in their hearts and for boldness for us.

God has spoken to me personally these last two weeks about the importance of prayer and the lack of Faith that I have at times.  It's sad to say that but if I'm going to be honest, it's been true for myself in the last year as our family has gone through difficult times and transition.  BUT GOD, has shown himself faithful once again and has taught me how much He cares for me (us), and even in those times when I thought (in my flesh) that he wasn't listening to my prayers just because I wasn't getting the answers that I wanted, He was listening, He just had a better and more perfect plan for me (us).  The mission he has entrusted us here in Tampa won't get done without prayer.  We're not smart enough, knowledgeable enough, creative enough or cute enough (haha) to get it done.  We need God to move, we need God to work in people's hearts, we need God to lead us, we need to be totally dependent on Him, listen to Him and we need you to be faithful in praying for the people of Tampa and for us.  It's a very dark place with lots of people living for themselves and feeding their "me monsters".  It is even more clear to us now why he sent us here.  The light of Jesus needs to be shone in this dark place.

Thank you MBT family for inviting us to participate and be a part of your worship service last week.  It was a blessing and an encouragement to our family! It was so great to see many of you, even if it was through a computer screen. :)

These are some things you could be praying for:

We are patiently waiting for you!

1. Our current bible study with Mike and Katie.
2. The possibility of a second bible study with Mike's friend.
3. A teen bible study at our house.
4. Connections with people through Nykki's the soccer team.
5. God to send more labors to the harvest in Tampa.
6. Mark's job to be productive.
7. 3-4 interpreting appointments per week for Astrid.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! We know you're praying for us, at least some of you :)

We love you all!  Enjoy your cool fall weather in KC! We're enjoying being back in the heat! :):)



He is Faithful!


The Schaffers

P.S.  We are beyond excited to hug on Lucy this weekend! Can't wait to have you here as a Florida resident!:)

Getting to know our surroundings.......

September 5th, 2013

It's hard to believe that a month ago we were driving down to Florida.  Time has gone fast!  Last weekend we went exploring our surroundings.  On Saturday we drove about 15 minutes south from our apartment to a town called Safety Harbor.  It was raining as we were driving but you would have thought that a huge storm had  come by because the roads were floaded as you can see in the picture.  By the way, it rains here almost every day, a heavy rain comes down and then the sunshine comes out again.  I like it!  We also found an allagator lake located in Safety Harbor, don't think we'll go swimming there much. We also found a couple of nice parks!

On Labor Day, we had Enoc, Betty and Alan visiting us so we drove 15 minutes north from our place to a city called Tarpon Springs.  We discovered a less crowded beach for future visits and a place called Sponge Docks. It's a place with a lot of little shops and restaurants. This town has a high Greek population, so we had to try some of their Gyros. I also got in my head that I wanted to buy one of their sponges to use in the shower, but after I smelled one of them, I decided that I would be better off sticking with my little washcloth, that is, if I didn't want to smell like fish after showering.:)

Dylan inside a Shark's mouth at Tarpon Springs. 

Thank you for praying for our bible study!  We got together with the couple last Tuesday and just opened up the Word of God from the beginning, yup, Genesis 1.   We read and learned things from God's Word together.  Continue to pray for our time together with them.  We really enjoyed it and we believe God's Word and His Spirit will do the work.  We're just the vessels!

One day this week I was thinking about the excitement that I've always had  when I've gone on a mission trip.  I get all pumped up about going, about the people I'll be ministering to and about God!  Once I get to my destination and see the people, I get even more excited! I know my purpose is to love on the people, share the gospel, and be a blessing to them.  That's what's on my mind every day, every hour, and every minute that I'm there. Then, I come back home and my excitement goes away after a few weeks, maybe because life happens and I have ups and downs or better said I have lost my purpose and my vision as a Christian.  Coming to Tampa, I feel like I'm on a mission trip each and everyday. I've been convicted about this this week because my mission and my purpose should always be to embrace people, share the gospel, teach them God's word, and spend time with them whether I'm in the other side of the world or right here where God has me right now(Acts 20:1-4).  That may be my neighborhood, my kid's schools, my job, etc.  I know right now this is my field and I'm asking God to give me every day people that I can embrace and that I can share something about my Amazing, Faithful, Powerful, Loving God and I know there are many more character qualities that I can share about Him.  This has been one of our prayer requests for our family this week.

The kids are doing well in school! They are making friends and feeling more comfortable at their schools and in their classes.  That's a Praise!!!!  Another thing that we started praying for this week is for a bible study at our house with teenagers.  We don't know how that is going to work but we know that it can happen! Pray with us about that!

Nykki is trying out for a competitive soccer team this week.  It will be a great tool for us to get to meet more people. The league is very family oriented and we would be spending a lot of time with the families. We're praying that God will connect us with some people that are interested in studying the bible through that.

This week Mark was able to go to USF (University of South Florida) for a dinner with international students.  He said the place was packed and he made a few more chinesse friends.  We are planing to spend some time with them and having some of them over to our place for dinner.  We are about 40 minutes away from the university so we can't go over there very often but we're still trying to stay in contact with the students that we've met.

Please continue to pray for Mark's job.  He had a phone interview this week with one company, he has an inside contact for a job in another company and he has a meeting next monday with the owner of another company. So,  we are asking God to lead him to the job that he has for him.  We believe that He will answer and provide the perfect job!  In regards to my interpreting, I have made many contacts this week to offer my services, so now it's a matter of waiting to be called for assignments.  I'm enjoying being a stay home mom again, this is the best job!!!  I am very thankful that I'm able to be with my kids in the mornings before they go to school, hear about their day at school in the afternoons and be here to help them with homework or just hang out with them in the evenings!!!

Thank you for your prayers and I hope you stayed awake as you read this long long blog.:)  I'm just trying to keep you updated and I guess I tend to give lots of details.  Maybe I'll have Mark write some of the blogs so you can have a short and sweet read sometimes. haha:)

We love you all and miss you!

He is Faithful!

The Schaffers

The start of our journey!

Thank you all for all the help to load up our truck!

Monday August 26th, 2013

Hello to all of our friends and family!

This is my first time doing a blog, so if it looks a little weird or confusing, please give me some time to get used to it and figure it out.:)

Some of you that may be reading this may not know why we moved to Tampa or that we even moved.  Let me give you a quick overview of the journey that God has taken our family in the last year or so.  In March of 2012, Mark got a burden for the city of Tampa, Florida.  We asked our church body to pray with us for direction from the Lord to confirm that burden.  Through much prayer, God's word, open doors, trust, faith, wise counsel, waiting, waiting and more waiting, God revealed to our family in December of 2012 that He wanted us to come and make disciples in Tampa, Florida.  

On August 4th, 2013 our church family at Midtown Baptist Temple prayed over us and sent us out to come to make disciples, train up leaders and teach the Word of God.  We know that we are not alone on this mission, our church family is supporting us in prayer and love.  Thanks MBT family!  We love you and miss you!

On August 5th, 2013 our family started the 20 hour drive in a 26' Penske moving truck, driven by an excellent driver, Mark Schaffer.  I know he has a heavy foot at times, but the way he maneuver this truck was impressing to me! ;)  I just drove our little honda pilot, nothing exciting!  After a couple of stops we made it to our new place in Palm Harbor, Fl on Wednesday August 7th.  Thanks to God's prompting in my sister, Sandra, we had help to unload all of our stuff.  Thanks Yoders, Gabriela and Abuelita for all your hard work and sweat!  There is always a drip of sweat here in the sunshine state!

We got everything unpacked, set up and made it feel like home!  The kids started school last week.  We were all a little nervous, but everything went smooth! 

We have been able to make some contact with some international students by doing airport pick ups.  We are planning to go to a dinner with all the international students next week.  Excited to see how God will use us with them!

Also, we are starting our first bible study tomorrow night with a couple.  We are very excited about that!

God is good and He is Faithful! His mercy endureth forever!  We have a lot to be thankful for and we also have a lot to trust him for!

Prayer requests for right now will be:

This is our new home in Palm Harbor,Fl

1.  Bible study starting tomorrow
2. Friendships for our kids
3. Direction for Mark's job
4. Trusting God for 4 more bible studies by the end of the year.

That is it for now!  Thank you all for praying for us and loving us.  I will do my best to keep you all up to date on our journey!

God is Faithful!

The Schaffers