WOW, WHAT A WHIRLWIND!

We celebrated the New Year here in Ecuador. What a wild experience. Some men dress as women representing the “widow” of the year that has passed; they block the roads and collect money for buying dummies or any other custom. At midnight all Ecuador breaks loose with professional and homemade fireworks shooting off from literally every couple of feet apart, it seems there are no regulations about this sort of thing (???). Thousands of dummies, some filled with fireworks even, are burned in the streets representing the year that just finished. There are many traditions surrounding all the fires lit that evening. Some include creating dummy traps, last will and testaments for the dummy listing all the bad things from that year, or creating something that represents those bad things; all to be burned with the dummy so they don’t happen in the New Year. Jumping over the fires 12 times for good luck in the New Year and many others. It was a fun experience and furthers our cultural understanding, but I am reminded to put our trust and faith in the Lord and pursue His will whatever it may hold in this New Year.

A YEAR AT A GLANCE
In February our family left for Palmer Springs, Colorado to attend Mission Training International. The program named S.P.L.I.C.E. focused on our skill and character development in six vital areas: Spiritual, Personal, Life style, Interpersonal, Cultural, Endure/Enjoy and moving from one culture to another. This helped prepare our family for what was to come.

From there we left the U.S. in April and arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica to learn Spanish at Instituto de Lengua Española. We studied there for four months and received a solid base in Spanish grammar, phonetics and practical conversation for use in our ministry through reading, writing and speaking Spanish.

Only one day after graduation from the Spanish Institute, in mid-August we boarded our plane to Quito, Ecuador. We were received warmly by our Extreme Response family. Two days later we began our service with Alliance Academy International and a week later our service with Extreme Response International. For His glory, we have been running strong ever since.

Thank you to the many people who have and continue to support us in a variety of ways from prayers, care packages, communications of encouragement, and financial support thus making last year a wonderful success.

SO GUESS WHAT HAPPENED IN ECUADOR DURING THE 2011 CHRISTMAS MINISTRIES
We had fifty-one volunteers arrive in Quito from the United States, Canada and Europe to help us in “CHANGING LIVES” here in Ecuador. There were five communities with partner ministries that we had the privilege of serving and loving. This year we reached over 8000+ people for the kingdom of Christ. Each event went extremely well and very organized, the Lords blessing was evident in how well things ran. We’d like to also acknowledge our ER family for their leadership, hard work, and unity in Christ.

This past year’s outreach included the following partners:

Buen Pastor School in Pifo, Ecuador: This event welcomed over 2200+ people from the community of Pifo and was set in a beautiful scenic spacious area where the school and church facility resides. Pastor Ramiro Baiz prayed with and welcomed each group as they arrived. During the festivities the pastor presented the gospel from an outdoor platform and ministry staff and volunteers performed for the crowd.

Carmen Bajo in Quito, Ecuador: Although situated within the city limits of the capital city of Quito, Ecuador, the intense poverty of the community of Carmen Bajo is something you would expect in a much more remote location. We saw 1200+ people come through those doors that day. This community broke my heart for what breaks His. In the midst of a people so desperate for LOVE it was evident that they tasted but a bit of that through this ministry. After the festivities Pastor Fabian held a church service for the community and sent every child home with a gift bag and snack while the parents received staple foods for their families.

Nuevos Amigos Foundation in Quito, Ecuador: Very close to our hearts, this is one of the ministries where we experience a strong nudge from God during our earlier years serving. 600+ people arrived as it was beginning to rain. We held the festivities in doors within the chapel of the school and the staff and volunteers performed a play about the birth of Christ.

The Zambiza Dump in Quito, Ecuador: Where Extreme Response first began. In addition to our 51 volunteers from around the world we also received 400 volunteers from among the community to host 2000+ people this year. As always this event has a lasting impact on the community of people who have made their lives rummaging through the garbage of Quito. Pastor Jose Jimenez hosted a great event packed with games, crafts, live Christian entertainment, evangelism, gifts and staple foods given out.

Remanso de Amor in Argelia Alta, Ecuador: Our last stop of the week. Had a great time as 1500+ people enjoyed a Christmas service outdoors then off to playing games and doing crafts. Pastor Ramiro Maldonado delivers the food bags and navidades (gifts) directly to the families in need. This is the ministry our daughter was named after Remanso de Amor meaning “Haven of Love”. We took her to the event with us and introduced her to Pastor Ramiro and his family who founded this ministry that has been so dear to us.

Thank you to all who took time out of their busy lives to serve the people of Ecuador. We challenge you to consider joining us this year in late 2012.

FAMILY TIME AND DAILY LIFE (Teresa)
Haven is doing well but misses hugging Nana (grandma). Easton could use prayers. We requested he speak with a counselor at school once a week. He seems to have withdrawn a little and has been making choices he wouldn’t typically make. After a few weeks we met with his teacher and the counselor and as we had already suspected he is struggling with the language thus making it harder to make friends and he is lacking quality time with family.

Very proud of Jeramy for passing his driving test (all in Spanish with no translator) which was a two-month process from start to finish. He now has a very fancy Ecuadorian drivers license.

We are settling into life as it now is here in Quito. We are enjoying being here and are very excited for all the new relationships we are building.

PRAISES AND THANKS
Huge thank you to the families who sent gifts for the kids for Christmas. What a blessing, your sacrificial giving over the Holiday Season really means a lot to us. Thank you to the Halls, the Shiffletts, the Kigars, the Irelans, the Hardies, the Maloys, the Carver sisters, the Coverdales, the Kueppers, Shelly Abbe, Extreme Response, Lapeer Community Church and the LCC Missions Board for making our first Christmas AWAY FROM HOME very special! We know some of the packages are still in route, but we are still overwhelmed by your love and are very grateful.
We continually thank God for the privilege to live and serve God in Ecuador with you supporters (PARTNERS) by our side in the Holy Spirit. God bless you all.

PRAYERS
Continually pray for our children, Easton & Haven, over their adjustment to this culture and the missions way of life.
Jeramy started a Bachelors program at Liberty University this semester. Pray that he maintains balance with the Lord, family, and work at both the Alliance Academy and Extreme Response.
Our continued learning of the Spanish language and Latin American culture.

Aim high this year and God bless,

- The Hings

TIME TO SAY ANOTHER GOODBYE
Our studies are coming to a close here in Costa Rica and we are already beginning our good-bye’s here. This is very hard on our family and has raised many hard questions from our kids whom just don’t quite understand why we have been called to this kind of a life. This will be the third set of big good-bye’s our family has had to process in the past eight months and I pray it will be the last major one for a very long time. Emotionally it takes a toll on us but we are strengthened in remembering that we are called to love one towards another and when it hurts to say good-bye we know love is present. We asked the kids what they enjoyed most about Costa Rica and they started listing the people they have befriended. It is a great moment in parenting when you realize that your children value the relationships they have over things and places.

A Costa Rican teacher encountered Easton on the school grounds and helped him with a snack purchase in the cafeteria. She spent time talking with him in Spanish and said he was responsive in Spanish, he was polite, and more importantly he treated her with a warmth and comfort as if he knew her a long time. She took a moment the next day to tell us that she has been interacting with missionaries and their children for over 20 years and he was the first child ever that did not project an uneasiness toward her about her difference in race or language.

ECUADOR IS ON THE HORIZON
We arrive in Quito the day after we graduate from language school (August 13th) and are very excited to see the house we will be living in. We have had a place to call home waiting for us since February; this has been a huge blessing for our family to know we can settle in right away. We have seen photos and have heard from many of our fellow team members that it is a wonderful home. We will have two extra bedrooms and would really love to have visitors.

Most of you know about our work with Extreme Response Intl. and what ER does to change lives around the world. We have also taken an opportunity to work with another ministry called Alliance Academy Intl. Our responsibilities with AAI will help us offset our lack of financial support and provide a great education for our kids. AAI is a ministry-oriented school, with an open enrollment to the general public of Ecuador, which focuses on bringing the gospel to its students and their families. We are excited to be part of such a reputable school, but please pray with us that we do not over-extend ourselves.

VEHICLE SHORTFALL AND CURRENT SUPPORT STATUS
We were able to get a great deal on a vehicle in Ecuador from a fellow team member heading back to the states. However we are unable to pay them in full. We still need to raise a little over $4900 dollars to have it paid in full. The family is allowing us to use the vehicle immediately upon arrival in good faith of paying them the balance as soon as possible. Please pray with us that we can do this in a timely fashion. If you would like to help contribute to our remaining balance you may do so on our website by visiting www.extremehing.org/strategic-giving and clicking in the section allocated to the vehicle.

Since beginning our studies in Costa Rica we have not been able to put any time toward our final support raising, so are still lacking monthly support and ask for prayers and consideration. We are 93% funded and would like to be fully funded as to not become a burden on our fellow team members over any shortfalls or unexpected emergencies. Please pray with us that God may place a burden in the hearts of others for the work we have been called to do. “What you can do, I cannot do. What I can do, you cannot do. But together, you and I can do something beautiful for God.” Pray for us that we won’t spoil the work God has given us to do so that we may move forward together with you, for this work has been entrusted to us all and together we will make something beautiful for God.

OUR PRAISE AND GRATITUDE
We praise God for our success here in Costa Rica. We passed our classes with straight A’s. In this update we present photos of Easton with a new friend Joshua Fogg (whose parents are with HCJB, also going to Ecuador), and us pictured with some of our classmates.

We thank you all for your prayers and support. Many thanks to the Hall Family and the Yonkman Family for sending the care packages during our time here in Costa Rica. It really made our family feel loved. Again, all your prayers and encouragements have been plentiful and a source of great inspiration helping us through each day. Thank you all for your loving kindness.

Be a blessing,

- The Hings

PRACTICAL USE OF OUR SPANISH
Spanish is coming along very well. The school has been wonderful and the teachers are incredible. We have managed to maintain mostly A’s and a few B’s on all our tests. We have about eight weeks of language school left and we are very pleased with the progress thus far. We know the language well enough to have complete conversations with the Ticos and perform daily tasks with out asking “¿Habla ingles?” So, we have been ministering to a woman named Sandra and we are happy to finally use what we have learned to be effective for Christ. It’s a bit sloppy and humbling but we’re happy to be used in this way. Please pray for her situation, which we will share at a later time. Also, pray that she receives a real and tangible relationship with Christ.

WHAT? SCHOOL DURING THE SUMMER TOO? AWWW…
The kids have now started summer school program. I was a bit saddened at the fact they will not have the summer off before they will begin school in Quito, Ecuador. However, Easton will be partaking in three swim lessons and eight Taekwondo lessons all in Spanish. The program was cheaper than the cost of hiring a sitter for five days a week so they will have to attend school but we are praying they will have fun.

KEEPING BUSY AS ALWAYS
Jeramy enjoys the challenge of taking on and managing many tasks so we have taken on the task of coordinating the big brother program at the Language Institute. This means we have to pair up all the new students/families arriving next semester with someone already attending the school. The purpose of the big brothers are to set up the new arrivals with at place to live, start-up groceries, pick-up from airport, and help introduce them to Costa Rica by showing them around. Join us in prayer for these new students as they prepare for a life changing transition and start their journey into the mission field. Jeramy is also working with the school on proposing and installing a wireless distribution system for the entire student body to use on campus.

STUDENT VISA vs. WEEKEND IN NICARAGUA
Since we are attending the school here in Costa Rica longer than 90 days, we each would require a student visa to stay in the country legally. This expense would have cost our family about $1600 and a whole lot of paperwork and appointments. So we decided to leave the country and go to Granada, Nicaragua for 72 hours and come back with a fresh 90 days. The trip cost less than a third of the student visas and our family got some well-needed rest and relaxation. The border situation was a bit nerve racking but we made it there and back safely. Praise God.

COMING UP NEXT
We will hit the ground running in Ecuador. When classes end here in Costa Rica on Aug 12th, our family will fly out the very next day and we will begin work at the Alliance Academy Intl. on Aug 16th. Our responsibilities with AAI will help us offset our lack of financial support and provide a great education for our kids. AAI is a ministry-oriented school, with an open enrollment to the general public of Ecuador, which focuses on bringing the gospel to its students and their families. We are excited to be part of such a reputable school.

SUPPORT AND ESSENTIAL NEEDS
We are still lacking monthly support and ask for prayers and consideration. We did not have enough start-up funding to purchase a few essential things for our lives in Ecuador. Most important of all would be the car, we had a great opportunity on a 2002 Honda CRV, but did not raise enough and the owners sold it already. Another great opportunity has come our way on a 2003 Chev Rodeo, but we are about $5000 dollars short. We find these cars priced below market value in Quito because the missionary families are exiting the country within a rather hurried and often short time frame. Please pray with us that the Lord will open doors and continue to show us His providence and provision. If you wish to be intentional in support of these needs, feel free to review the list at www.extremehing.org/strategic-giving and strategically plan your investment into our lives and work in Ecuador.

OUR PRAISE AND GRATITUDE
We want to thank many of you for your prayers. Easton is recovering well from his illness, we still struggle with Haven’s bedtime routine but it is improving, and of course all the homework we have has its ups and downs. Your prayers and encouragements have been plentiful and very timely. Thank you all for your loving kindness.

Be a blessing,

- The Hings

MADE IT SAFELY TO COSTA RICA & SURVIVED OUR 1st EARTHQUAKE
We are settling in here, in Costa Rica and getting into the groove of things.  We currently reside in a 2-bedroom apartment about 35 x 20 ft.  Not much room, but we’re only here for 4 months.  We are walking distance from the school so we don’t use a vehicle here.  We use taxi and bus to get to the stores further out when needed.  It has not been much of a culture shock for us due to our frequent visits to Quito, Ecuador.  Our kids on the other hand are enjoying the new adventures of city living, we are still working out the new street-smart rules, but we expect that will be a process.  We are thankful for being blessed to come here as a stepping-stone for some of these adjustments.  San José is not as congested with traffic like Quito, so it makes a great middle ground for the transition.  This gives us a chance to layout some safety ground rules with our children.  Plus, they are still adjusting to all the bars and barbed wire everywhere.  In this picture you can see the view from our front door.  Our own little piece of Alcatraz

The weather has been beautiful, muggy, torrential down pours, oh; and yes our first earthquake experience.  We were picking up a few household supplies when it hit.  The isles in the store were shaking, things were falling off shelves and people began running out of the building screaming.  I froze it took about 3 seconds until I verbally shared with our kids we were having an earthquake.  Luckily, we were in the toilet paper isle and mostly safe.  It was a 6.0 magnitude; just enough to be exciting yet make us anxious at the same time.

A WINDOW INTO ANOTHER WORLD
Our day in the life of San Jose. From Left to Right: Arrive at ILE, Easton in class, Haven in class. Then off we go to our classes.

OUR DAILY BREAD
We received our latest report a few days ago and were very blessed with several surprises.  We had some unexpected one-time financial gifts come in and we are very grateful for those.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  We are still currently without a vehicle when we arrive in Ecuador so every deposit is a HUGE blessing for our family.  Our beloved friends, the Mills family, has been running a garage sale to sell off some of our remaining items we had to leave behind.  So far the sale has made $600.00 on the first day.  Daily we are being humbled when leave our home because we are not fluent in Spanish and are treated with grace and patience by the Ticos as we stumble through our conversations.  These daily blessings have been inspiring for us since we have been so mentally drained with learning so much in such a short time.  Over all we are doing well and when the discouragement arises we are reminded that; “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  When we are struggling and are continually being humbled, then we know that we are in a good place.  This war is not ours it is His.  We are just mere soldiers on the front lines obediently putting one foot in front of the other and as we all know, the war has already been won.

STRATEGIC GIVING
In preparation for our life in Ecuador we still have needs for basic essentials and conveniences that many take for granted.  If you wish to be intentional in your support for us feel free to review the list at www.extremehing.org/strategic-giving and strategically plan your investment into our lives and work in Ecuador.  PLEASE NOTE THAT PARTIAL DONATIONS CAN BE MADE IN ANY AMOUNT BY CLICKING “Send Another Amount” LINK.

With Great Love,

- The Hings

IMPORTANT NOTE TO OUR SUPPORT PARTNERS
We are leaving the U.S. and starting our work with Extreme Response this week, the first three months will be in training.  Starting immediately we will be effectively living on the generosity and provision of the commitments all of you have made to our family and mission.  We have taken an extreme leap of faith to pursue this mission.  Our timing and planning is based on those expressed commitments.  We understand that everyone is very busy and sometimes things get overlooked.  If you have not started your commitment yet, please contact us to find out how to begin or visit www.extremehing.org/donate.  Thank you for your willingness to be a part of our team and the work of changing lives.

MOVING OUT OF THE COUNTRY THIS WEEK
Our departure date to begin language training in Costa Rica is scheduled for April 23rd.  We need many prayers there is so much to do and so little time.  We understand that we are not in control and we find ourselves continually relinquishing those worries.

This week we still need to finish translating our shipping manifest into Spanish, get our Visas for living in Ecuador, secure our apartment for the time in Costa Rica, and enroll our kids in school for next semester starting in Ecuador, just to list a few.

The most exciting news is that we were able to solidify our agreement over the house we were hoping to rent in Quito.  We hope to acquire many of the furniture items that are for sale in the household.  We will still need to furnish our home in Quito, there are some items remaining available for purchase if you would like to help us out.  Our many thanks go out to those who have already purchased a majority of items.  In addition, we send a huge thanks to Lapeer Community Church for taking up an offering for us during our training in Colorado.  With those collections we were able to purchase a washer and dryer and put a small payment toward the vehicle fund.  The vehicle will be a necessity for our family since we will be living too far from the school to walk in safety and will need a car to get around.  So once again we will be relying on prayer and provision.

STRATEGIC GIVING
Our need for a monthly support team is critical to our work.  But we find ourselves facing needs for basic essentials and conveniences that many take for granted.  This section highlights options for people who wish to be intentional about their way of supporting us.  We will list items here that we are currently doing without and where our monthly support is unable to acquire for us.  Feel free to review the list at www.extremehing.org/strategic-giving and strategically plan your investment into our lives and work in Ecuador.

SAYING GOODBYE
Our lives have been a whirlwind during this transition and we are trying to get in as many good byes as possible.  If we have been unable to get a date on the calendar to get together we apologize.  Pictured above, Easton’s 2nd grade class with Mrs. Bower held a farewell party for him.  We have made so many connections in this process and have made so many friends that are very dear to our hearts and we are grateful for each and every one of you.  We are very grateful for all the efforts in helping us along in this great adventure.  We are overwhelmed with the amount of love we have received.

- The Hings

WOW… WOW… WOW…

How do we describe S.P.L.I.C.E.? The training is intense and challenging, but well worth it. Any human being that is open to coming face to face with themselves and engaging with exponential growth opportunities is looking for this course. We can feel the impact S.P.L.I.C.E. is having on us as a family already and we are certain that it will have lasting impact that we will take with us not only into Ecuador but every place we venture.

Mission Training International focuses on the most relevant skills needed for effectiveness, longevity, and personal satisfaction in the field. By directly addressing the attitudes and character issues that under gird each practical skill, the impact of the training is long lasting. They are whole family focused by training each child in the same vital issues as their parents. By living on the facility this will encourage leisure, worship, and informal discussions on the issues presented, and will help you to build a sense of community 24/7. MTI uses training methods that engage the mind, the heart, and the body. They avoid the traditional use of lecture-only presentations which usually go in one ear and out the other. These pre-field programs exclusively use trainers and advisors who have significant experience, which makes them much more vulnerable in discussing the joys and struggles of field work. The lodge is specifically designed for building community and experiential training. THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME = EFFECTIVENESS, ENDURANCE, AND ENJOYMENT IN CROSS-CULTURAL LIVING.

- The Hings

Many new exciting things to share this month. Many of you whom have made verbal support commitments have begun your support. Because of this our one time fees are continuing to grow at a steady rate. Thank you for your follow through, we appreciate all of your generosities. We are still in need of monthly commitments; currently we have raised 69.54%. If you would love to hear our story please contact us or if you would like us to speak during a group we would be glad for the opportunity. Classes begin for language school by the end of April and for us to enroll we will need to have our entire funds raised. With our kids both now being in school this is the best time for our family to enroll since most of our education will happen during the summer. We are praying the timing works out, if so the kids will begin their next school year during August in our new home of Quito, Ecuador. Please pray if you and your family may be called to be a part of our lives and lives of those we will be serving in Ecuador.

Currently our family is in Palmer Lake, Colorado undergoing training with Mission Training International. The training has been incredible the kids are learning so much about different cultures around the world and trying foods from other countries. They are having a wonderful time. The program we are engaged in called SPLICE focuses on our spiritual resources, personal growth, lifestyle adaptation, interpersonal skills, cultural adjustments, and endurance/enjoyment. It has been intense training. We are gaining a more accurate knowledge of our motives, drives, joys, fears, strengths and weaknesses. It has been an amazing few weeks of continued self-realizations and personal growth for our entire family and we recommend this course to all.

We have a new video we would like to circulate. It shares but a tiny fraction of our hearts and why we have been so moved to serve others. Please view it and share with all your friends and family. We would like as many people as possible to know about the great need and our incredible organization we will be serving with Extreme Response.

Thanks to so many of you who have been there for us for so long on this roller-coaster of a journey. It is exciting so see it coming to fruition and so many of you have helped this to happen. We are overwhelmingly grateful for your love. We have made so many friendships along the way that when the day comes for our final departure our hearts will be heavy.

- The Hings