June Update

Greetings from the Tisbury Tribe!

Hello everyone, Erin here.  We have reached our 4-month mark! Can you believe it?!? Some days it feels like we just stepped off the plane into this new world, and other days it feels like we have been here much longer than 4 months. But one thing is for sure; it is time for an update! Quick Family update: Christopher - As you can see, Chris’ hair is longer than it’s been in our 8 years of marriage. I think he pulls it off well! He is doing an amazing job helping our family find our new normal. He has done a lot of work in our house to help it feel more like home. His Spanish improves every day. He is a pro at ordering food, getting a taxi and trips to the tienda (store). I am so proud of him! Asher says his favorite thing about Bolivia is the food! He likes Silpanchos, Pique Macho, Salteñas and Tropical Chicken (a restaurant)…just to name a few! He is learning words in Spanish and likes going to the tienda with Chris and asking for a cold Coca-Cola all by himself! “Me da, una Coca-Cola, fria. Por favor.” He is interested in learning how to play soccer and wants some soccer goals for his birthday. He is a great help around the house and enjoys being our big helper. We are thankful for his tender heart and his desire to be a blessing. Jace likes our backyard and plays outside every chance he gets. He has grown a few inches since we’ve been here! He also likes the food and has traded out “thank you” for “gracias” and has learned a few other Spanish words as well. He likes the fact that there are parks everywhere. He is quite adventurous and has an endless amount of energy! He loves to talk (as you all know) and enjoys making new friends. We are thankful for his tenacious and loving heart. Avery seems to get a little taller everyday! She also enjoys the independence of going outside whenever she wants. We have a wall around our house and so she gets a taste of freedom…the only problem is that she likes to play in dirt! She is our tomboy and tough girl. She keeps us laughing with her unique personality and language…not quite English, not Spanish…its just Avery! She is still a Daddy’s girl through and through. We are thankful for her confidence and easy-going personality. Scarlet is still our girly-girl who likes to wear dresses and skirts. She likes getting her hair done and her nails painted. She attracts lots of attention with her blonde hair and blue eyes! She says she likes “Bol-i-ya”(Bolivia) and our new house. She is so precious and loving. I can always count on kisses and hugs from Scarlet. She talks so much now and likes to “read” stories to Avy and Anna. She is our little “mamita” (little momma) and likes being in charge of snacks or anything else, for that matter. We are thankful for her sweet, loving heart. Anna Jean is (finally) starting to talk. She used to be so quiet but now she is making her presence known! She is my little shadow and doesn’t like me to get out of sight. She has this certain look that we see often, it’s like she is trying to comprehend something or like she is trying to figure out if she likes someone or not. It’s the “Anna face”. Once you are “in” with Anna, you are in for good. I think her Spirit is very sensitive and I pray it will always be that way. We are thankful for our tiny fireball and her sensitive heart. Me? Well, I am learning the harsh reality of “culture shock”. It’s not that I want to quit or go back to the states, it’s the overwhelming amount of stress that seems to hit at the most inconvenient times and linger way longer than I would expect. Chris and I have had MANY conversations, sometimes through tears, of just how stressed and overwhelmed we feel sometimes. I have never considered myself to be someone who is easily stressed and I don’t even like admitting when I am stressed so this is very difficult for me. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have discovered a whole new level of desperation for the presence of the Lord. My soul cries out to the LIVING GOD for grace and strength. Psalm 84:2 "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." I am so comforted by the promise that when I am weak, he is strong and mighty! 2 Cor. 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." I pray that this journey we are on is one that brings glory and honor to God. As I love him, love my family, and pray for opportunities to love others, I am fulfilling my purpose here. I am confident that this is where I am supposed to be, right here, right now. That is a wonderful thing to know. "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:22-23 His grace is sufficient and his mercies are new every morning! And I don't feel this way every day, some days are so wonderful. I am really enjoying learning Spanish. I am comprehending more and I'm not afraid to blurt stuff out! I get it wrong...a lot and that's ok. I learn best by trial and error. Haha! I am praying for more Bolivian friends so that I can't fall back on my English as much. So many things to fill you in on, but this will do for now! Prayer Points: For Chris - He still does not have his one year visa due to an issue with his passport. He had to get a new passport and it should be here soon. We are so ready to stop paying fines! Please pray that there are no more complications and that he can get this all taken care of as soon as possible. For me – That I would continue to nurture and care for my family with grace and patience. That we would continue to learn and absorb Spanish. For opportunities to show the love of Christ and serve people here. We may have an opportunity to help a family here with their English. They are preparing to be missionaries in India. We are excited about this opportunity if it is the Lord’s will. We are also praying about starting Bible studies with other English speaking Bolivians until our Spanish is better. For more supporters financially. Prayer Points for the kids: That their hearts would be drawn to Jesus. For healing and for their bodies to build immunities quickly. Right now we are battling another round of sickness. It seems to come in waves. That they would continue to feel secure in our new home and with all the changes. That they would learn Spanish.

Our friend Jhon from Mississippi is here visiting us! It is wonderful to see a familiar face. We got our first package from the states last month! It was like a mini Christmas! Thank you, Simpkins! We celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary on June 16th. (Pictured above) We received letters from beloved friends at Grace Community Church and a package of stickers, suckers and books from MeMe & Pops! What a fun month! Website Erin's Email Chris' Email Facebook Instagram Share Forward

December Update 2014

Greetings from the Tisbury Family,

We hope that you’ve all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are not too overwhelmed as you begin to prepare for the Christmas holidays. In this exciting season of celebration and thanksgiving make sure to remember the most important reason that we have to celebrate; the Life, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I (Chris) was spending some time in the word and prayer this morning, I was overwhelmed with some of the wonderful truths of the Gospel message. The two scriptures that I was meditating on most came from Romans 5:8 which says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” and also in 1 John 4:10 which says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.” Think about that! It brings my heart such comfort and peace to know that while I was in complete rebellion against him, driving the nails into his hands and feet, HE still took the initiative to save me. He wasn’t sitting up in heaven waiting for me to get my act together before he would intervene. THIS IS THE “GOOD NEWS!” Just as we are, be encouraged in this glorious truth today and in this season as we celebrate the Savior who left heaven and came to earth to make reconciliation for us.

We want to briefly update you on our journey to the mission field, but before we do that, we would like to once again thank everyone who has invested in us so far. Your prayers, encouragement, and support have sometimes been the things that have spurred us on to keep pressing forward. Our journey has been filled with ups and downs and has gone just about the complete opposite of what we imagined when we started, but we know that God is faithful and his Word will always prove true. With that said, let us fill you in on some of the details. Our plan is to be on a plane heading to Bolivia on January 27th. The only reason that date would change is if our documents got tied up somewhere in the approval process. As of right now, all our documents are being translated into spanish. When that step is completed we will have to get them authenticated in Jackson and then they’re off to the Bolivian consulate. Please be praying that The Lord would give us favor in this process because they tend to drop the ball on foreigners coming into their country, especially since they recently changed the laws on visas. The president has completely done away with volunteer and missionary visas, which has actually left us scrounging around looking for other options on how to get in. We are still pretty confident that we will be able to find a loophole somewhere and get in, but for if some reason we can’t, we have talked about attending language school in either Peru or Guatemala since that will be our main focus for our first year in Bolivia anyways. As far as when we get there, we actually have some friends that will be moving out of their place at the same time we will be moving in. They have said that we could probably move straight into their place and they have also offered to give us all their furniture, which is a HUGE blessing. Needless to say, we still have some obstacles ahead of us in getting there, but we are confident that God is going to provide a way and our trust is completely in him alone.

In closing, We would like to give you a couple of things to be praying with us about. 

First, we need wisdom in how to go about which visas to apply for and the actual process of getting into Bolivia. 

Secondly, pray that the Lord would provide for all of our needs. We are still not where we need to be budget wise, but however the Lord chooses to provide, with that we will be content. One of the biggest things we feel The Lord has been teaching us in this process is to trust him completely even if we can’t see how it all works out. We choose to believe God’s word more than our doubts and worries. 

Thirdly, pray that God would give us the grace to learn the language and adapt to the culture quickly, especially our children. And most importantly, pray that Jesus would be glorified in Bolivia. Pray that as the Gospel is preached, the Bolivian people would be cut to the heart and reconciled to our loving Father. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead the Bolivian believers into all truth and illuminate the scriptures to them. Pray for revival in Bolivia, the U.S., and all over the world. We are confident that you will do these things and for that we thank you.

Love, 

The Tisbury's

The Waiting Place

The Waiting Place

God’s plan is so much bigger than my plan. When I get frustrated that “my plan” isn’t happening as quickly as I would like, I have to remind myself that God’s sovereign plan is in effect. If I will quit trying to help him and hurry him along, I can walk calmly beside the still waters where he promises to restore my soul. (Psalm 23)

I am very fond of the writings of Oswald Chambers. In one of his writings titled “When Vision Becomes Reality,” he says, “God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision.” He goes on to talk about the importance of waiting on the Lord after receiving a vision from him. How will we “go out” if the vision isn’t real inside of us? How can we ever hope to accomplish the vision if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to do his work?

Being adventurous and spontaneous is not a challenge for me. I like change.
What I don’t like, is waiting. I’m pretty terrible at it. One of my favorite books by Dr. Seuss is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”. In this book, he describes “The Waiting Place,” a place we all come to while off on our adventure. People there are waiting for “a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance…everyone is just…waiting.” It reminds me that this Waiting Place is to be expected, and this time of waiting is only temporary. 

This waiting season has been very challenging for me, but I have learned so much! The Lord is so patient. I have developed a new adoration for his steadfast love and faithfulness. I am reminded that “Those who WAIT upon the Lord will renew their strength and mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Why is the strength found in the waiting? 

I believe we find our strength in the waiting because it is there - in the valley, in the waiting place- that we are confronted with our sin, our doubt, our shortcomings, our selfishness, and our failures. While we wait, we cry out to the Lord! We go to him for our daily bread. He becomes our everything, and that is where we find our strength- because it’s not OUR strength at all. We are emptied of all of us, and we are filled with all of him.

When he puts us through the floods and fires, he is accomplishing something if we will let him. Too often we beg and plead for the battering to stop, and by doing that, we stop the work of purification. He is trying to get us to the point that he can trust us with the vision. 

Lord, my Shepherd, lead me through this valley with your rod and staff. Don’t hold back the floods and fires that will shape me into the vision you have given me. Continue your work in, and through me, Holy Spirit. When my heart and flesh grow weary, be my strength and my song. My life is in your hands, and I trust you. To have you trust me with this precious vision would be my greatest joy.

Here is our January Newsletter!

A Step Toward Hope

We would like to share with you a little bit of the journey we are on. Many of our friends and family ask, how we are doing, what’s the latest on our plans, what do we need, and most importantly - how they can be praying for us. We treasure each and every prayer. They come at just the right time and we can feel the encouragement.

We are going to start sending out monthly newsletters to keep you up to date and to let you know any prayer needs we have. We would also love to hear from you! We want to know the needs that you and your family have as well. We hope to begin partnerships with the people that God has placed in our lives that will be lifelines to us in the coming years.

The journey we are on isn’t an easy one. We are learning the true meaning of trust and surrender. As we prepare for our move to Bolivia, we are in a season of constant change. We never know when the next step will come, when our faith will be challenged, or when the next wave of discouragement will hit. We are learning to put all of our hope in Christ, for He is the Eternal Rock. We are reminded of Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”.

With each new season there is hope- hope that we are moving with the Holy Spirit and are in His timing. With Him we are able to navigate through every obstacle because we can see the change and  the importance of waiting on His timing…moving WITH Him. Our faith has grown, our confidence in what he has spoken is firmly grounded and there is a peace “that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7) that guards our hearts and minds. We are very thankful for where we are, despite how hard it is at times. We truly feel privileged that he has lead us to go to the Nations. We feel our hearts expanding and our excitement growing. Things are starting to become clear. 

 Our children have been encouraging in this season as  they pray for God to sell our house and help us raise our  money. The simple faith of our children challenges us. They KNOW that God will help us and are excited to go.  We are very thankful that the Lord is preparing their hearts because this is a family call. 

As we continue forward, we do so with hope. We are strengthened and encouraged by the Word and the love that we feel from those around us who have invested in our lives. You have a crucial role in our lives, and we need you! Please keep us in your prayers. 

          Walking by faith,

      Chris, Erin, Asher, Jace, Avery, Scarlet & Anna

"Walk by Faith"

"I will walk by faith even when I cannot see, because this broken road prepares your will for me."

These lyrics from a song by Jeremy Camp called "walk by faith" have really become an anthem for my life in this season. As most of you know by now, Erin and I along with the Powell family have surrendered to the call of foreign missions to the country of Bolivia. We visited the country back in July of 2012 and, after many confirmations, we believe that this is where God the Father is sending us to minister the wonderful message of reconciliation through the all sufficient sacrifice of God the Son so that God the Holy Spirit can inhabit and enable the recipients of that message to proclaim its goodness to others. I apologize if that last sentence sounded a little too theological, I guess that's what happens when you read too many Charles Spurgeon sermons. That was a joke by the way, feel free to insert laughter now.

Anyhow, packing up a family of six and a family of five and moving them all to Bolivia, which is over 2,500 miles away, will be no easy task. This move will propose many and various obstacles that will be sure to test our faith (hence the title of this blog), however, we do not rely on our own strength, but only in the complete and total sovereignty of our Great God. I hope not to sound too naive, because I realize that it will be hard and there will be times that we struggle in the process, but nothing brings me greater comfort than to know that God is in control, which is why I have to remind myself of that truth often.

I encourage you, sons and daughters of God, to rest in this fact and to not lose heart. Remember and find comfort in the words of the psalmist that say, "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:16). God is never caught off guard by our circumstances and what we are walking through because according to the psalmist, he ordained it before we even existed. Knowing that, we can truly obey the scriptures when it says to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), because we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Sorry to get off topic, but I believe that someone needed to hear that.

I know the journey ahead of us will prove to be treacherous and turbulent at times, partly because we are already feeling the jolts, but I have decided in my heart to walk by faith and not to rely on what I can see with my eyes. I have to choose, just like you, to believe and trust in what it is that the Lord has spoken to my heart. Abraham could easily see the stars, but he couldn't see the future, yet he never wavered in the purpose and promises of God.

I realize, just as the last part of that chorus line above says, that sometimes it's the broken road that prepares His will for me. Sometimes it's the struggles and difficulties along the way that make us who we are, and also make arriving at our destination that much sweeter. Sometimes we have this misconception that when we surrender our lives to Christ, everything is gonna be easy, but Jesus never said that. Jesus actually said that in this world we would have tribulation, but to take heart because he overcame the world (John 16:33).

I say that to say, I don't have a bunch of false expectations that this journey is gonna be a cake walk, but I do find comfort in knowing that He has sent his Holy Spirit, which is our comforter and counselor, to walk with us. My favorite line from the hymn Amazing Grace is, "Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come, but Grace has brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home". That's the promise that I hold on to throughout this wild adventure that we are stepping into.
On a lighter note, to sum up the journey we are embarking on, I will use a quote from Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, "it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be greeaat!".

God Bless
Chris

Surrendered

I am in awe. The Lord breathed life into a dream that has been dead in my heart for so long. Missions….now? Where? How? Immediately there were questions, fears, doubts. But when the Lord speaks to your heart there is peace. Peace that goes beyond your understanding. Such that you don’t need all the answers or all the pieces of the puzzle to see that God’s hand is present and it will only happen with his help.

So many things have come together so fast. We feel very strongly that we are to eventually go to La Paz, Bolivia. I never even knew where Bolivia was! But God is quickly giving me a love for this country and the people there. I can even picture myself in the little hats that some of the women wear! I am praying daily for the Lord to increase my love for the country of Bolivia. There are so many people and therefore, so many opportunities to bring the message of a loving God to a people who have never heard.

There are many emotions that I feel myself pushing down. Biggest one – saying good bye. I have to remind myself…sometimes by the hour that it will be hard but there is no point in dwelling on it too soon. This calling means more to me than my own comfort. I have surrendered my life to the One who saved me and I will go wherever he asks me to go. It is a cross I am willing to bear. He will give me the strength I need.

I am excited to go with my family to the mission field. I know that these precious boys possess certain gifts and callings that the Lord will continue to reveal as they grow. They are so adventurous and brave. I know that this is a family calling and that God has had this in mind from the beginning. I trust him and know that we are safe in the center of his will. Our family will go together, and together we will bring the amazing message of his love and grace to Bolivia.

I am also very thankful that God has connected our hearts with Seth and Ashley and their family. How very kind of the Lord to send us with a family…our friends to do this great adventure together. We will put all of our strengths, abilities and creativity together and we will be a great team! Our hearts are open. Our ears are listening. Our minds are racing. Our spirits are dreaming. We are surrendered. We are yours Lord.

I feel like this mission is bigger than our minds can comprehend at this moment. God dreams are like that. You have to start with what you can do, what is possible. As you follow the steps God lays out for you, day by day you will find yourself doing what, at one time, seemed impossible.

This is only the beginning….

Surrendered to the call,
Erin