Summer Camp at the SAL

I don't even know how to begin... I realize it has been a very long time since I have shared about my new ministry here in St. Paul. What an adjustment this has been with a steep learning curve over the past several months.

Summer Day Camp has just ended and it was my first time ever directing and organizing such a venture. 10 weeks, 45 kids on average, ages K-6th grade, & 6 staffers. These are the stats, yet they hardly begin to describe the challenges and joys that I experienced during the summer. Each week was spent focused on a different Biblical attribute such as trust, love, & forgiveness. The weeks flew by as we traveled all over the Twin Cities doing such activities as swimming, visiting museums, and playing at waterparks.

Although, the weeks flew by, sometimes the days dragged on. Yet, it was the small things that kept me going and reinforced the reason why I am here in the first place. One example of this was when 3 girls sat down with me and began asking me what the book of Genesis meant or why do we have communion? This is why I am here! To share Jesus with kids that otherwise might not have the chance to hear.

Keep praying for me as the new school year begins and I start up the After School Program again. Also, pray that I can begin to reach out to the large surrounding Hispanic community.

-Enrique

Marissa's hair

For all of you out there that had doubts as to whether Marissa's hair would ever start to grow... Well, it finally started!

Summer Storms

Summer has finally arrived here in MN, yes a little late, but it is in full swing. One thing that we are not used to yet are the summer storms. We are not used to hearing the tornado warning siren go off and watching the hail come pouring down. These storms are forceful and scary. We have watched on the news as several people in surrounding communities has lost their homes and loved ones as a result of these storms. So, we thank God for keeping us safe and we pray for those whose lives have changed forever.

A Little Gift

I believe sometimes God just does things because He can. He did one of those things for me today. After almost two weeks of learning new policies, procedures, and computer documentation at my new job, I was finally going to begin my orientation on the maternity care unit. I was really nervous and anxious as I have been out of hospital nursing for more than 2 years. The day was going along alright, yet, I felt very overwhelmed and sad. I missed our ministry in Guatemala. I never thought I would return to hospital nursing again. I know that God led us here, but sometimes He is hard to follow. Well, the day was almost over and a new patient came into our unit. She was not my patient, but since she only spoke Spanish, the nurse assigned to her asked me to translate. I went willingly and prayed that I would be able to understand her Spanish. It turned out not to be a problem at all as she was Guatemalan and lived less than a 10 minute drive from our old home in Guatemala!!!
I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe God gives us little gifts sometimes just because He can. And that is exactly what He did for me today.
*Chrissie

Time to Catch Up...

So much has happened in the last month or so... We finally have time to sit down and catch everyone up a little on life for us.

We left Guatemala at the end of January and it was very hard to say goodbye to our home and our good friends. We cried a lot and prayed even more. We know that God led us to that point, but it was still hard to follow Him without knowing the next steps.

We were able to spend a few weeks in Florida with our family. We bought a car and Chrissie got Lasik surgery. Both went well! We traveled from Florida to South Carolina to North Carolina visiting friends and churches. It was good for us to have a chance to catch up with many friends and our churches during this time.

Then, we began our cross-country trek from Florida to Minnesota with Marissa armed with a portable DVD player, Penny (our dog) sitting in the back, and a U-Haul trailer with all our luggage. We tried to take our time driving up north and were able to stay with some friends along the way. We only ran into bad weather during our last day of travel, but God kept us safe.

We spent our first week settling into our new, very small, apartment. We both had interviews within the week and God was faithful. Last week Chrissie was offered a job as a labor & delivery nurse and Enrique was offered a ministry position with the Salvation Army in St. Paul as the Outreach Ministries Coordinator!!! The Salvation Army is very excited about our entire family being a part of the ministry. Enrique will be working in an inner city community center and responsible for all youth / family activities and outreaches.

We won't be able to start our new jobs until the end of March or the beginning of April due to paperwork, background checks etc. Continue to pray that all the paperwork goes through easily and quickly and that God will continue to meet our needs.

We want to thank everyone for your continued prayers for our family during this difficult time of transition. We will still be posting updates as God continues to use us in our new ministry.

Here is a picture of Marissa hanging out at our new apartment. Although we don't have a tub for Marissa, this is not the norm, so don't worry, she was just goofing around.

Interwoven Threads - January 2008

INTERWOVEN THREADS
In Mayan culture, every fine weaving tells a story. This is our story. . .
January 2008
The Final Chapter

A New Year & A New Beginning:
Each year begins with new expectations and promises as we look towards the future. Yet, this year is beginning very differently than we had imagined. Unfortunately, RMI has suffered some losses over the past year especially in the area of US sister churches. As a result and after many months of prayer, we know that God is leading us in a new direction. Therefore, as of February 1st, we will resign from RMI and return to the United States. This has been the hardest decision of our lives, yet we are at peace with God and know that He is guiding us each step of the way. Enrique is currently pursuing new avenues of ministry as he desires to continue to work with Hispanic youth in an inner city setting. Chrissie is also pursuing available opportunities where she can use her abilities as a nurse as well as continue to partner with Enrique in ministry.

Looking Back at Guatemala:
As we look back over our time here, the one thing that we will miss the most is the people. Guatemala has become our home and we are fortunate to consider many Guatemalans family. We have seen huge changes in the church bodies that have been a part of The Sister Church Program. Pastors have grown in their knowledge of the Bible and in their desire to reach out to their communities. Church members have begun to show Christ’s love to their neighbors. And many have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We do not take credit for any of this, but rather feel privileged that God let us be a part of His work here in Guatemala. We also believe that God strategically placed other ministries in the area that will continue to teach and build up these church bodies. Although, we are overcome by sadness as we think about leaving our brothers and sisters in Christ, we know that God is with them and will continue His work among them.

Next Steps:
First of all, we want to thank each one of you for all your prayers and the financial support that you have given us. Your partnership with us and RMI in ministry has been invaluable. Please continue to pray for us over the next several months as we begin to adjust to the many changes ahead. RMI has graciously offered us severance pay through April as long as our monthly support continues. Therefore, we are asking our support team to continue their monthly giving through the month of April. Also, we wanted to remind anyone who is currently giving automatically to please notify the RMI office regarding your final gift date. Thank you again for your partnership in ministry.

May God Bless You,

Enrique, Chrissie, & Marissa Coreano

Christmas Eve a Night to Remember

I know this is a little late, but we still wanted to share it with you. We spent this past Christmas here in Guatemala and what an incredible time it was. First of all, my mom and stepdad came down and spent about 10 days over Christmas here with us. It was great to have them here and they really enjoyed getting to have first hand knowledge of our everyday lives.

Christmas Eve is the big time of celebration here. The entire day and night is spent visiting with family and friends. We were able to go and visit a few of our friends homes and a few came to our home as well. When you visit someone or they visit you they give you tamales. So, we had a refrigerator full of tamales by the end of the night. The entire day was great, but the most amazing thing about the entire day happened right at midnight. Everyone and I mean everyone lights off huge fireworks from their homes. I know this is not the safest practice, but it was like nothing I have ever seen before. Imagine the best firework display you have ever seen and then imagine that you can see it everywhere you look. It truly was magnificent. Marissa was amazed by all the lights and sounds, but very quickly fell asleep on the roof with us. We are so thankful that we got to spent the holidays here with our family and friends.
-Chrissie