The Sheaffers - Church Planting in Uruguay

Check It Out!

2009-04-21T07:06:00.001-10:00

Be sure to check out our family update and pictures after the GAP update!

GAP Update - Fellowship Community Church

2009-04-21T07:03:00.000-10:00

We just finished up a great week of work with 22 team members from the Fellowship Community Church of Salem, VA. This is one of our partner churches with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. This team worked with the GAP project in doing a “follow-up sweep” through the Old City of Montevideo. This was a strategic decision made by our fellow missionaries Arnold and Lucy, as they felt a need to follow up with several decisions and contacts made during the recent Franklin Graham Crusade. This part of the city is very transient and we discovered many new people we had never talked to before.

This was an unusual week and God blessed in many ways. The team started without Pam and me; Kaitlyn arrived a day before the team to serve as a translator and led the team with Alfredo (a fellow translator) till we could arrive a few days later. They did a great job and we are proud of how Kaitlyn rose to the occasion.

The team distributed 4,000 Gospels of John. These are the new Gospels which your Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings provide for GAP! These Gospels include pictures of Uruguay and personalized information on salvation and discipleship. We are thankful for your partnership with us through your sacrificial giving to our foreign missions offering.

We had a very interesting Evangelistic Event. We had more people than we could handle so the program did not go quite as planned, but it was a great event. We made contact with over 150 people and feel it was a good touch into the community.

We praise the Lord for at least one salvation decision during the week and the many prospects discovered in the streets and homes of the Old City. We have several who have expressed an interest in seeing new Bible studies started in their homes!

GAP Pictures from Fellowship Community Church

2009-04-21T06:45:00.005-10:00

Team #1

Team #2

Team #3

Team #4

Taking it to the streets.

Jacob and Jessica were not intimidated...they shared Jesus without fear.

John and his new friend. He was ready to take her home! Pray for this baby...she and her mother are in need of a permanent home.

You feel so small when the chair is so big.

Bri, working fast and furiously on the Gospels of John.

Like father, like son. Chuck and his two sons Brad and Dirk.

Kaitlyn and her Uruguayan partners...ready to serve.

Family Update...a lot has happened!

2009-04-21T06:42:00.000-10:00

Our family is doing very well and a lot has happened in the last few months. Kristin and Aaron (and grandbaby Rachel) are now in Vancouver for Urban Mission Training with the IMB. In August they plan to move to Costa Rica for language school, after a year of language studies they will be serving in Chile with a people group I cannot mention (for security reasons). They are doing well and are excited about their future work. Pray for protection and guidance during this time of transition in their lives.

Kasey is now married! On March 27th Kasey was married to Kelly Conrad in Spokane, WA. She is an awesome girl and we are very happy for how God has worked in their lives. Kasey will graduate from his mission aviation major in May. Kasey and Kelly then hope to do a two month internship in Alaska with a mission organization called SEND. Please pray for God’s wisdom and love as they establish their new home together. Also pray for God’s provision as they begin raising support for their internship.

Kaitlyn will be graduating from High School in May (she just finished up her work). Because she returned with us to Uruguay, she will not get to attend her graduation at South High School. She is planning to attend Liberty University in the fall. She is hoping to major in missionary nursing.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family.

We are back in Uruguay!

2009-04-21T06:41:00.001-10:00

We are now back in Uruguay! We have just returned after eight months in the states for our stateside assignment (formerly known as furlough). Our time in the states was an awesome experience and we are thankful our mission allowed us to do this. Much of our time was spent speaking in churches and conferences, recruiting future volunteer teams, working on training material for the IMB, visiting with family and friends, and catching up on the cultural changes that have occurred while we had been on the field. Needless to say, we have been very busy.

We want to thank everyone that helped us during our time in the states. We are grateful for Colonial Heights Baptist Church for allowing us to live in their mission house. Our home church also helped us in many ways and we are appreciative for such a loving and caring fellowship. We are thankful to Vic Davis for lending us a great car for our travels. And finally, we want to thank the many churches for their hospitality and allowing us to share our story; several of these churches helped us financially through honorariums and love offerings. To all of you we say, “Thanks!”

Below are some pictures that highlight some of our special times with our family during these past seven months.

2009-04-21T03:44:00.009-10:00

Kasey and Kelly Sheaffer - congratulations!

Rachel...ready for the wedding.

Kasey and his best man Matt.

....going to the chapel...and...going to get married...

Ready for the wedding!

Rachel...definitely the cutest grandbaby in the world!

Kasey shows us one of his projects.

Happy to be with "Nana" and "Baba"...Baba is short for Abuelo

Fun in the sun.

Aaron, Kristin and Rachel.

Family Vacation

International World Changers Comes To Uruguay

2008-07-02T12:22:00.002-10:00

The week of June 14-21 was an exciting one here in Montevideo, Uruguay. Fifty four high school and college students, including their leaders, arrived to do the first International World Changers project in Uruguay. It was a huge endeavor but they were definitely up for the challenge.

Throughout the week the students were divided into six separate teams. Each team worked in a specific area in Montevideo. During the morning, every group participated in the GAP project. Part of their work involved prayer walking a specific neighborhood, where they later distributed gospels of John. Working together, the teams were able to distribute over 5000 gospels. In the afternoons, each team worked on a ministry project. These teams were able to minister through a specific project determined by their giftedness. During the week they led children’s clubs, performed a street drama “The Redeemer”, put a new roof on a nursing home in the city, and built tables and benches for a sports club in the Old City. The days were long and hard, but the students were dedicated to the task at hand.

Another highlight of the week was a coffee house that the group hosted on Thursday and Friday night. They distributed invitations throughout the week and had over 70 in attendance for the event. During these two nights, they were able to see two people pray to receive Christ. The team also made some good contacts as a result of the people they met there, and several have expressed interest in being part of a small group.

We want to say a big “thank you” to all those who sacrificed to come and were willing to spend a week of their summer working with us in Montevideo. We also especially want to thank our other IMB missionaries who gave their time to be part of this week. International World Changers was a huge project to take on and we never could have hosted it without your help.

Here is another web page with information about IWC in Uruguay - www.iwcuruguay.blogspot.com

IWC 2008 Uruguay Pictues (click to enlarge)

2008-07-02T11:58:00.006-10:00

Sunday Worship with the local church.

Carrying the Gospel to the people of Montevideo.

Nursing home ministry.

Exactly what is Kaitlyn's job here?

The Redeemer Drama in the coffee house.

Sport's Club - reaching to the children of the Old City.

Touching lives of all ages.

Kid's Club on the Rambla.

Taking the Gospel to the streets.

A captive audience...listening to the Gospel!

Post, Texas Returns!

2008-06-12T16:32:00.000-10:00

We were so thankful to have a group from First Baptist Church, Post Texas, return to Montevideo last week. This same group came last June to work with GAP in the Old City. This year, they worked with the same church group, doing GAP in the Prado neighborhood of Montevideo. It was a tremendous blessing for the two churches to be reunited and work alongside one another again.

This was the first time for GAP in this particular area of the city. It was a new experience but the group was definitely up for the challenge. Many of the youth from our Amor church group helped throughout the week. It was amazing to see God at work as the groups served together, in spite the grief and hurt both groups were experiencing. For the youth here, it was a huge part of the healing process as they began to minister again after two very hard weeks following Pablo’s death. The Post team was such a wonderful encouragement and strength to the entire church body. God’s timing was perfect in bringing “old friends” at a time that they were needed the most.

Throughout the week, the team distributed more than 2000 gospels of John. They worked long days without complaining. We definitely saw God answering their prayers as the people of the neighborhood were receptive and open. During the week, one of the team members, Wendell, was able to share his faith with a man he met on the street. The man prayed to receive Christ on the spot.

At the end of the week, the team hosted an evangelistic film at a private school in the neighborhood. There were 25 new people who attended, as well as many youth from the church and some of their friends. At the end of the film, 4 people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.

On Sunday morning, before the Texas team headed home, they attended a worship service with the Amor church group. It was exciting to see two of the people who had attended the film, return for the church service. During that service, one of those people (a 16 year old girl) also prayed to receive Christ. The biggest blessing for us personally was to see Pablo’s younger brother, as well as Sadia’s mom receive Christ during that service. God is definitely at work and we can see His hand even in the midst of suffering.

We want to say “thank you” again to our friends from Post, Texas, for your hard work and the tremendous encouragement you were to all of us in Montevideo. God knew exactly what was needed here and we are thankful for your willingness to allow Him to use you to bless others.

First Baptist, Post TX Pictures

2008-06-12T16:12:00.004-10:00

The Post Texas Team

The Best Team?

Or is this one?
All of teams this week were great.

Evangelistic Event...4 prayed to receive Christ.

Taking it to the streets once again.

Sharing the Gospel is what it is all about.

There is power in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Touching lives.

"The Pony Man", he came to both our event and church on Sunday!

Some of the youth hanging out.

Morning devotions...so look pretty bored!

Missionaries - Arnold, Lucy, Pam, and yours truly.

Our youth group and translators...God is strengthening day by day.

Worship team...missing Pablo but "keeping on".

He Finished Well

2008-06-03T14:44:00.004-10:00

On May 25th our church and family lost a dear friend. Pablo was only 20 years old when he died, but he lived many “lifetimes” in his short time here on the Earth. If you knew Pablo you know exactly what I mean; he lived life to the fullest. He died while serving the Lord and ministering to underprivileged children in the Old City part of Montevideo through a horrible accident. He will be greatly missed and we will never forget his smile, devotion, and passion for Christ.

Though we do not fully understand this tragedy at this moment, we know that God is in control and we believe Pablo is with the Lord in Glory. We have all been challenged through this experience; hopefully Pablo’s life will encourage us all to “finish well” as he did at such a young age.

Please pray for Pablo’s family, girlfriend (Sadia), and church family.

The following pictures may give you a glimpse into the life of a young man who lived life to the fullest.

West Colonial Hills Returns for Basketball Camp

2008-05-27T15:00:00.001-10:00

See Pictures Below

During the week of May 10-17, we had the privilege of having West Colonial Hills Baptist Church from Kingsport, TN, working in Uruguay. It was a special blessing for our family because this is our home church in the states. The team of 9 members planned and carried out a basketball camp in the Old City area of Montevideo. This same church had been here last year working with GAP in the same part of the city and wanted to come back and work with the children again.

Throughout the week there were over 70 kids who participated in the camp. Jerry Taylor did a great job organizing and teaching the basic skills of basketball to kids who have never had an opportunity to be a part of such an event. It was also an awesome experience for the youth of our church to take part and work along side the team from WCH. There were 11 youth who came to work and many of them were able to be there every day. It was as much of a blessing for them as for the kids in the Old City.

During the week, there was a time each day for a testimony from one of team members. The children were very attentive during this time and we rejoice that 13 prayed to receive Christ during the week. The group also took time during their lunch break to share their faith on the streets and tell people the reason they were in Uruguay. On the final day, the parents were invited to watch their children compete in tournaments. Many attended and they too were able to hear the gospel message.

In the weeks that have followed, many of the children have continued to come on Sunday afternoons to a children’s club in the Old City that the youth from the church provide. They have been able to have continued contact with some of the mothers as well. Last Sunday, one of the youth, Pablo Barreda, who worked in the camp, was killed tragically at the children’s club. His life had had a great impact on the children and families who live in the Old City. He died doing what he loved – serving God through his work with the kids. Many of the children and their mothers attended his funeral yesterday. Please pray that through his life’s testimony, and the work that was able to be accomplished during this basketball camp, many will come to know Christ.

Pictures from the Camp

2008-05-27T13:27:00.005-10:00

Team at Tri-Cities Airport - Vic & Jan, Wayne & Melissa, Randy, Becky, Jon, and Jerry & Brenda

Pam greets Jan and Brenda.

The team had a great opportunity to see Uruguay's Soccer Classic. Penerol won!

Team members inviting kids wherever they could find them.

The WMU...oops. The snack crew.

Vic and Sadia make new friends.

Brenda did a great job with the kids.

Kaitlyn with our record keeper - Eliza.

Our coaching staff.

Randy's team...it was a great week.

Vic instructing kids in basketball, but more importantly, showing them the love of Christ.

Jerry and Alfredo (his translator) - both had a great heart for the kids.

Coach Wayne...need we say more.

Jan showed great love to some of the kids who had some special needs.

Paul and Jerry...what a week!

Coach Jon...along with his helpers Pablo and Julio.

The Uruguayan youth group made a huge impact on the kids of Ciudad Vieja.

Basketball Camp 2008

We had a great week, with a great team!

Getting Out of the Boat

2008-04-30T16:40:00.003-10:00

We were blessed to have a team from Rosedale Baptist Church in Abington, VA here last week. Their GAP focus was in Malvin, a small residential area in Montevideo. It was a small team of seven people but they worked hard and very well to together, and were able to see God do some amazing things.

For several of the team members, this was their first mission experience. They were very excited to be here and ready to work in whatever way God led. The pastor challenged the local Uruguayan believers as well as his team members to “Get out of the Boat” on the first Sunday after they arrived in country. He challenged them to trust God to use them in whatever way He desired throughout the week. It was exciting to see many of the Uruguayan believers work alongside the team from Virginia throughout the week in all the different aspects of GAP.

We began the week with two days of prayerwalking and the group took this time very seriously. God definitely used that time to prepare our hearts as well as those of the people within their target area. During the week the team was able to distribute over 3300 gospels of John. This was an amazing effort for a small team. In the afternoons they also conducted World View interviews with the people who live in the Malvin area. They were able to use the information they gleaned from these interviews to lead a discussion on Uruguayan culture and their own American culture on Friday night. Fifteen people, whom the group had personally invited throughout the week, attended the event. At the end of the night, one of Rosedale's team members was able to lead a young lawyer named Monica to Christ; this was a tremendous blessing!

This was a busy week without much down time. The team worked long hours and without complaining. God blessed their efforts, and on Tuesday night after the team left, five new people attended an Alpha Course (a study that introduces nonbelievers to the truths of Christianity and challenges them to have a personal relationship with Christ). We want to personally thank Rosedale Baptist Church for the sacrifices that they made in coming here and allowing God to work through them to reach out to the people of Malvin.

Special Note – we just received word that four people accepted Christ at the end of the Alpha course that was started from the efforts of the Southwestern Team in Pocitos. To God be the glory!

Pictures from Rosedale Baptist in Malvin

2008-04-30T14:53:00.012-10:00

I love this picture! The Gospel can set everyone free, whether young or old.

Rosedale Baptist Church Team from Abington, VA

"Soccer ball Evangelism"

Praying...without it we lack power!

Wes makes some new friends. Of course the soccer ball helped!

Dave and Judy with a new friend. Monica (left) accepted Christ as her Savior this week.

Receiving the Gospel brings smiles.

Darius and Judy enjoy our "stuffing party"...looks fun!

Pastor Don and Dave (the cowboy) work to get the Gospels ready.

Pam, serving as usual. Thanks Pam!

The Oasis Church members helped with our GAP team. We are grateful when our Uruguayan partners join us!

Team #1 - Pastor Don, Bill, Alfredo, and Teena.

Team #2 - Kaitlyn, Darius, and Judy.

Team #3 - Liz, Pedro, Ana, Dave, and Wes.

Kaitlyn and Ana, probably the most wanted girls in Uruguay!

Bill (center) with two new friends at our evangelistic event.

"The Mate Boys"

Paul and Pam with the Rosedale Team.

Pedro, the Master Chef. Yes, we ate it all!

The Unexpected

2008-03-26T14:40:00.005-10:00

Please check out the photos after this article!

When the GAP team from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary met for their orientation, we prayed that God would “do the unexpected” during their time in Uruguay. The team was going to be working in the Pocitos area of the city and they knew it would be a difficult task to reach the wealthy of Montevideo with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Historically, the people of Pocitos have been obstinate and closed to conversations about Christ or spiritual matters. This past week we saw Go do the unexpected in many ways.

It is at this point I must emphasize why God was able to do such a great work. The answer – prayer! The Southwestern team was very serious about their time in prayer throughout the week and especially during the days of prayer walking. They unashamedly prayed out loud in the parks, streets, and plazas. It was not for show (most watching would have no idea they were praying), they truly were entreating God to move in and through them to make an impact on Montevideo for the Kingdom of Christ.

The following is just a brief description of all that happened this past week. We praise God for His faithfulness.

The team passed out over 3,700 Gospels of John to homes and apartments along the coast in Pocitos.
God opened doors for us to reach a high percentage of high-rise apartments. The guards were very helpful and actually helped us deliver many of the Gospels. We received a call from an individual who received the Gospel and read the entire book the night he received it. God was truly working!
Seven homeless people prayed to receive Christ outside of the hotel where we were staying. By the end of the week they were having Bible studies in a grassy field on the corner across from the hotel.
The team passed out hundreds of Gospel tracts and had opportunities to share their faith with several people on a deep basis.
A "person of peace" was discovered in one of the apartment buildings that is willing to open his home for Bible studies.
The Southwestern team held “worldview interviews” with the people of Pocitos. This was a tool to help better understand the mindset of those we were trying to reach. It also provided an excellent opportunity to invite the participants to an event where we shared an introduction to our culture along with an invitation to better understand the Gospel.
Nineteen guests attended our reception for our worldview participants!! This was huge, as thirteen of the individuals signed up to be involved in an Alpha Course. Pray that these participants would come to understand true Christianity and accept Christ as their Savior.
Throughout the week, the team talked with atheists, Buddhists, agnostics, Catholics, Jews, spiritists, pantheists, teenagers, senior adults, rich, poor, businessmen, maids, and homeless people. The Gospel was shared with many people. Pray for their salvation.

Thanks for your prayer support for this team. We continue to be amazed at all God is doing through GAP. Please pray that God will guide the future and that more teams will come to help us share the Gospel with the people of Uruguay. We need your help!

Through the Lense Perspective

2008-03-26T13:40:00.009-10:00

Southwestern Seminary sent a professional photojournalist to cover their team's experience in Montevideo. Matt Miller did an excellent job capturing the team's ministry experience throughout the week. Watch for an article in Southwestern's school magazine about this teams trip to Uruguay. Thanks Matt for capturing the heart of Montevideo. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Tina praying for the city.

Prayerwalking.

Preparing the Gospels for distribution.

Sharing.

A Life Transformed.

A Team's Perspective (photos from the Southwestern team)

2008-03-26T13:15:00.005-10:00

Click to Enlarge.

Team Members from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Team 1 - Glenda, Alfredo, Mark, and Danny

Team 2 - Chad, Keith, Ana, and Stephanie

Team 3 - Kaitlyn, Ron, Shawnda, and Wes

Team 4 - Charles, Tina, Ian, Art, and Karen

Not much time with so much to do!

Just part of the 3,700 Gospels of John.

Carry what? Where?

Sunrise near our hotel.

Chicas rule!

Kaitlyn's youth group gave her a surprise birthday party last week. She never saw it coming and it was a great night. Happy Sixteenth Birthday Kaitlyn.

Broadway Baptist Returns to Uruguay!

2008-03-12T06:14:00.002-10:00

Last week Broadway Baptist Church from Springfield, MI, returned for the second time to Uruguay to work with GAP. It was great seeing so many “old friends” again as well as meeting a few new ones who joined their team this year.

The group worked in the small town of Juan Lacaze and did a tremendous job. It was a challenging week physically. Several of the team members suffered from a stomach virus and the weather was cool and rainy every day. Broadway was a strong and determined team however, and not willing to let anything stop them from what God had brought them to do.

We saw God work in a mighty way throughout the week. In addition to prayer walking and Scripture distribution, the team also led a children’s club on Wednesday and Thursday nights. On Friday night, Broadway hosted a family event with games for children, followed by a movie for the adults. It was exciting with over 100 children present. During the week over 2000 gospels were distributed, 14 people prayed to receive Christ, 15+ expressed interest in Bible studies and 1 person opened their home for a study.

We are thankful for this church and the work they have done in Uruguay. They were a tremendous blessing to the Uruguayans as well as to us. Please be in prayer for Juan Lacaze and missionaries Earl and Patti Quick who minister there and will be working with the follow up. On Sunday night (even before they had been able to complete the follow up visits) 7 new people attended their church service. Several others have called expressing interest in attending. This is truly a great answer to much prayer and evidence that God is at work in Uruguay!

This team’s update is short on words but heavy on pictures. Please check out the team pictures below. We truly enjoy our partners from Broadway.

Pictures of Broadway Baptist Church 2008

2008-03-12T03:56:00.004-10:00

CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE.

Team Picture

Jared - our fearless leader rides on.

The Dangerous Girls of "Room Five" (I'm not afraid.)

The Hale family made there vacation a missions vacation. There is room for your family to come as well.

Getting the Gospels ready.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Kenny, Keith, Kaitlyn, and Chris - this was Keith and Chris' third time to Uruguay.

Liz, Lindsey, Jared

Chris, Brenda, Rick, and everyone's favorite - Ellie

Norman, Charlotte, John, and Ana

Allison, Alfredo, and Dennis

Praying in the rain.

Morning devotions at the ranch.

House Church - a wonderful worship experience.

John with new friends. Please pray for Maria (in the middle) she is struggling with the death of one of her children a little over a year ago.

God blessed us with a great crowd for our Family Festival...even more came during the night!

Wednesday children's club.

Keith receives a "high five"...job well done.

Trying to keep the kids busy while their parents watch the movie outside was not an easy task!

Pastor Norman - taking his turn in the "nursery".

Gaucho Girls out looking for Gaucho Boys.

The Men of Juan Lacaze???

Patti and Pam holding down the fort in the kitchen. Lunches were great!

Mate - they start very young!

Colonia - a beautiful spot for our free afternoon.

Come join us! We need your help.

A Great Start to a New GAP Year - North Main Baptist Church; Danville, VA

2008-02-25T16:15:00.010-10:00

This past week we had the privilege of working with North Main Baptist Church from Danville, VA for our first GAP team of the year. The team was hosted by El Camino, a small Baptist church with a heart for reaching their part of Montevideo for Jesus Christ.

God truly blessed the efforts of all involved. While there was great spiritual opposition, God again showed Himself faithful and victorious over all that we encountered. The following is a brief rundown of what happened during this past week:

Saturday – the group from Danville arrives early in the afternoon. We enjoyed an early supper and a time of orientation and fellowship.

Sunday – the GAP teams worshiped with El Camino for the morning worship. Pastor Jason preached and we began to see a great relationship between the two churches develop. Sunday afternoon the group went to a park near our house for witnessing and a time of cultural orientation. In the evening the GAP team provided a pizza fellowship for the people of El Camino. During this fellowship El Camino shared their story and introduced every single member of their church to us; this was an awesome time of fellowship.

Monday and Tuesday – these days were set aside for prayer walking in the target zone of Barrio Colon and for a prayer tour of Montevideo. During this time, it became evident that we were on the front lines of spiritual warfare. We encountered situations and signs that Satan would try to intimidate us away from the task at hand. We also lost one of our team members, “L. A.” due to a death in his family. We are thankful he was able to safely make it home to be with his family.

Wednesday – we spent the day distributing the Gospels of John to the homes where we had prayer walked. People seemed open to receiving the Gospels. In the evening Pastor Jason gave a workshop on keeping one’s passion for Christ.

Thursday – this was a very long and tiring day. The morning and afternoon were spent distributing the Gospels door to door in the target zone. In the evening the two churches worked together to host a family festival with games and prizes for children of all ages. Over 90 people attended this event and 11 people made decisions to follow Christ.

Friday – this was our final day of distribution. At least one person prayed to receive Christ during the door to door outreach. In the evening we should the Billy Graham film, “The Climb”. At this event five people prayed to receive Christ! To God be the glory.

Saturday – the team was able to sleep in and spend a “tourist day” in Montevideo before leaving late that evening.

The following highlights are what made this week great for me:

Kristin (our daughter) was able to stay an extra week with Rachel and participate with this team. Rachel was our first GAP baby and handled the heat and long days very well.
I enjoyed getting to know the people of North Main Baptist; they are a great church with a wonderful staff.
El Camino was and excellent host team. They are excited about starting a new study in this target zone and following up with all the prospects we discovered.
God truly blessed the efforts of everyone involved – 17 people prayed to receive Christ and 11+ people indicated they would be interested in attending a Bible study in their neighborhood and over 1,300 Gospel's of John were distributed.

Pizza Fellowship at El Camino Baptist Church.

Waiting for lunch at our "staging house".

Prayer walking is key to every GAP team.

Preparing the Gospels for distribution.

Team #1 (notice our first GAP baby!)

Team #3

Team #4

Team #2

We are blessed with a great team of translators.

Family Festival - lots of people, games, and prizes.

Jota and Claudia receive our thanksgiving gifts for allowing us to use their home as our staging house. They truly blessed us with their generosity.

The team's last night with El Camino - many tears along with many fond memories.

From November to February - Family Update

2008-02-25T15:32:00.004-10:00

Proud Abuelos (Grandparents)

Aaron, Kristin, Rachel

Since our last update a lot of interesting and exciting events have happened in our lives. At Thanksgiving our son Kasey was able to come and visit with us till New Years. We had a great time and it was good to see how God has been working in his life. Christmas was celebrated Uruguayan style with fireworks and roast beef over the parrilla. December was spent preparing for teams and preparing for training Paul would at two seminars in Chile and Paraguay.

January was basically a month of meetings and training. We spent a week in Paraguay, close to a week in Chile, and Paul spent six days in Atlanta for International World Changers Training. We also hosted a World Changers vision team in preparation for our World Changers project scheduled for June.

In February Kristin, Aaron, and Rachel came for a visit as well. It was wonderful to see them and we all enjoyed seeing how strong and healthy Rachel is. Aaron had to return to Southwestern Seminary for work, but Kristin and Rachel were able to stay for an extra ten days. Kristin was also able to participate with our first GAP team of the year.

Thanksgving Day with Kasey

Baptism Service - Julieta was saved through GAP this past year.

Kaitlyn on the keyboard during one of our church's celebration services.

Kasey and Kaitlyn at the beach during a visit to Punta del Este.

Christmas Celebration with our cell church.

First Ever Uruguayan Led GAP Outreach

2007-11-20T07:47:00.000-10:00

Paul with his GAP sub-team.

Kaitlyn and her GAP sub-team.

In early November, La Comunidad Cristana (a network of house churches in Montevideo) participated in our first Uruguayan led GAP. Nationals from four different house church groups came together to work together in the coastal area of Solymar. After prayerwalking the area, they were able to distribute over 1200 gospels of John. Those who participated were able to find 6 persons of peace who are now being followed up in an attempt to begin Bible studies. There were also 6 others who prayed to receive Christ during the weekend! The missionary and Uruguayan leaders who work in this area are rejoicing over all that was accomplished. We are hoping to schedule 2 more Uruguayan led GAP outreaches in 2008.

Being Grandparents Is Great!!

2007-10-07T11:28:00.001-10:00

Rachel Faith Scanlan

Kaitlyn, Pam, & Little Rachel

Kristin & Rachel

Kristin, Aaron, & Rachel

Praise God for His Little Blessings!

Vision Team and Upcoming Partnership

2007-10-02T04:51:00.000-10:00

Jason Taylor, Christian Pablo, Don Paxton, Jonathan Haskew, Alan McCaullough

Earlier this month I had the privilege of meeting five pastors forming a vision team from the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. The purpose of their trip was to scout out the work of a future partnership between the SBC of Virginia, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires. The name of this partnership is “The Rio de la Plata Partnership”. The SBC of Virginia is committing to sending teams to both Buenos Aires and Montevideo over the next three years.

Churches from the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia will be working with GAP and other mission projects in both cities. We are also hopeful that some churches or associations will partner with us as Strategy Coordinator Churches; where they actually become the missionary in a high priority zone in one our cities.

We are praising God for this partnership as it will allow the work in Montevideo to be accelerated many times over as we seek to reach the coast with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please pray that God will use this partnership to positively affect the churches of Virginia along with the work in Uruguay and Argentina.

Rachel Faith Scanlan is Here!

2007-10-02T04:45:00.000-10:00

Congratulations to Kristin and Aaron on the birth of Rachel Faith. We are excited to be grandparents thought we are not really that old. Continue to pray for Rachel; she is home from the hospital but will need to take medicine for her heart for about a year. We are proud of how Kristin and Aaron are handling the "joys" of being new parents. More pictures will be added to this web page after Oct. 4th.

2006-11-08T16:08:00.000-10:00

Interested in Working With GAP?

2006-11-08T15:35:00.000-10:00

Our dates for 2007 are filling up quickly. If you have an interest in bringing a group to Uruguay to help with GAP please email us at:

thesheaffers@pobox.com

If you are interested in purchasing copies of the Gospel of John for distribution, please let us know. We appreciate your prayers and support.

What is GAP?

2006-11-08T05:30:00.000-10:00

GAP stands for “Gospel Advancement Project”. It is a gospel saturation ministry designed specifically for an urban setting. Its goal is to place the Gospel of John (and/or other evangelistic materials) in every household along the coast of Montevideo to the coastal city of Punta del Este, and to provide a clear presentation of the Gospel to these areas. This will be accomplished through the use of volunteers from the United States as they partner with other missionaries, Baptist churches, and persons of peace in each of the target areas.

Because distributing evangelistic material in an urban setting is difficult, GAP is designed to use four “waves” to help in the advancement of the Gospel: prayer walking, door to door distribution of Scripture, marketplace evangelism/distribution, and one or two evangelistic events in each target area.

The goals of GAP are simple: spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, seek out persons of peace for initiating new works, establish relationships to foster spiritual growth, and to see simple churches planted in every target zone along the coast.

The Four "Waves" of GAP

2006-11-08T05:25:00.000-10:00

Each GAP team working in Uruguay will use four strategies (waves) for reaching their assigned target zone along the coast. These four waves are crucial to help us achieve the goal of starting simple churches in as many neighborhoods as possible once the GAP team leaves Uruguay.

Prayer Walking – street by street prayer walking in the GAP target area. This is a crucial step to breaking through spiritual strongholds in Montevideo. Specific training will be given prior to the team’s arrival.

Scripture Distribution – door to door distribution of The Gospel of John. During this time, people’s responses will be recorded, prospects gleaned, and the gospel will be presented when people an express an interest.

Marketplace Evangelism/Distribution – this is specialized evangelism in the urban market place of the target community. This can include scripture distribution in open air markets, parks, streets, beaches, and malls. This will be specifically tailored for each location with the assistance of the host team. Some members of the team will simply distribute Scripture while others will be involved in more direct forms of evangelism.

Evangelistic Outreach Events – one or two special events for evangelism in a neutral setting in the GAP target area. This can include evangelistic films, concerts, sports tournaments, children’s festivals, and other events specifically designed by the GAP team. The gifts and abilities of the visiting team will determine what approach will be used.

Uruguay - A Spiritually "Dark" Country

2006-02-22T03:42:00.000-10:00

Goddess of the Sea Celebration - a sad picture of the deception of worshiping evil spirits and idols. Men will bow down before a man made idol, but not even listen to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.