July 12, 2012 By
Hello Dear Friends!
We have felt your prayers and are so thankful for you!
The Flaters escorted us to the Atlanta Airport Tuesday morning. International travelors looked twice as the hillbilles arrived (that would be us, the Studebakers!!) We must have looked harmless enough though, because the airport officials let us pass through without problem.
We arrived safely in Quito Ecuador late Tuesday night and were greeted with perfect weather .
Darin Coyle, from Kaleo Kids picked us up from the airport. We arrived at his family’s home around 2 am and zonked out! We were up at 6:30 for breakfast and headed back to Quito to get our Visas approved. Darin and Boris were a huge help and we were blessed to receive approval quickly.
The Coyles have 3 children and all the kids are having a blast playing outside. Sunscreen goes on right after brushing our teeth daily. It only takes 10 minutes to burn here.
Last night we were treated to ice cream at the local mall for Madeline’s birthday.
Today we are trying to get phones activated and making purchases for our stay in the jungle. Blankets. pillows. food. Busy and exciting.
Leaving for the jungle tomorrow is a bit overwhelming, but we know the Lord is with us. And so are your prayers.
Many Blessings.

https://soallmayknow.org/268/

Filed Under: Eric and Amy

Flying Time

May 27, 2012 By

We just arrived, now it’s time to leave again.

Time is flying by.

Just a few more weeks and we will be flying, quite literally, to Ecuador.

Until then, the thing that is flying is time.  Abigail just turned 10.  Madeline will turn 12 the day we land in Quito, and Elijah will be 3 years old nine days later. We have seen our friends here in Blairsville for such short spurts of time. Short and dear.

Time is such a precious commodity.  We are honored that so many have taken time to spend with us.  Much of it in unglamorous, seemingly unnoticed ways.  Pulling pork, making deliveries, washing dishes, moving boxes. Lifting us up on prayer.

Thank you.

As I take a moment to ponder the value of time, how I value it, how we value it as a culture, I think about my time with the Lord.

Surely He knows we have to raise support, visit churches, apply for International Driving Permits and such.  But what if, what if that isn’t the kind of time He desires from me? What if the thing He desires is more? More of the unglamorous, unnoticed stuff? Pulling the hidden sin out and asking Him to get rid of it?  Making quality time deposits into my children’s lives?  Moving my priorities around so that they match His?  Spending more time lifting up others in prayer?

So, just a few more weeks and we will be flying, quite literally, to Ecuador.

Our 10 bags will be packed, our good-byes said, and the time will have flown by.  I pray that every moment will be valued for what it is. A precious gift.

Many Blessings,

Amy

 

 

Filed Under: Eric and Amy

A Messy Mess of a House….

April 20, 2012 By

This has been a wonderfully messy and busy week. We met with Pastor Bohner at the FBC of Webster, and will share with the FBC of Floral City and the FBC of Adamsville on Sunday.

We are packing up and preparing to return to Georgia for a month.  The mountains feel like home now and I am looking forward to spending time there with our friends and in the solitude and quiet that I had so callously taken for granted.

The house is in disarray as we eliminate things that can’t make the trip to Ecuador.  AGAIN.  We are packing our bins before we leave Florida.  It shouldn’t be hard, but it is.  The packing list doesn’t account for emotions.  The things we want to keep with us that we don’t NEED  where we are going, but for some undefinable reason we WANT to take it.

The house is so full.  Full of emotions. Fear. Excitement. Frustrations. Anger. Feelings like these get messy.  My own feelings get messy. And it’s a messy mess to try and help your children sort out their own feelings.  It is so hard to find peace when the house is a mess.  And everyone feels it.

So in the coming weeks, I ask you to pray for our messy house.
We love you and thank you for your prayers.

Amy

Filed Under: Eric and Amy Tagged With: ,

Lollygagging and Dillydallying

March 8, 2012 By

Hola!

Amid the endless news of sickness and despair, we are reminded to check our perspective. We know how it ends. And by His grace and mercy, we know He who wrote to us about the beginning, the ending and the in between.
As we ventured out on deputation to raise support, I was ready with my charts and lists. Schedules, partially filled in, ready and ripe with potential. And you know what? My perspective was SO skewed. My plans fell, tumbled and toppled. My highest expectations… well, suffice it to say that my expectations were focused on myself, people that dissapointed and my plans that let me down.
But then, then, I sought the Lord. And isn’t that what I should have been doing all along? Not the way I was, making my plans and then seeking His agreement, but seeking and waiting?
He was waiting.
Like I wait on my 2 year old son as he lollygags to count the ants on the street as I try to cross the road. Like my dreamer daughter that dilly-dallies on the way to put something away and gets lost in the dew on a spider’s web. Like my my not-so-little-anymore doer that has to complete the project that she determines has much more value than what I have requested she do. If only I were as patient as He.
Perspective. We have been blessed so much. We are still seeking opportunities to share, still seeking those that desire to come alongside us in prayer, seeking financial support to get us to Ecuador and keep us there as the Lord wills. But the opportunities, they are looking bit different to me.
Not just goals and to-do lists. They are looking more like other people and less like me.
Like the sweet, lost family that uses crystals and is into the craft. Like the others that play their loud music and use such terrible language. I was so busy counting my ants on this road to Ecuador, I almost got run over by a parade of lost people. People with souls. They are tangled in this awful web of the world. Lord, forgive me for being so fixated on what I deemed the priority that I ignored what you placed in front of me.

 

Filed Under: Eric and Amy Tagged With: ,

Fledglings!

February 29, 2012 By

What an incredible journey, and to think that it is just beginning!

Leaving our home church of Choestoe Baptist was so very difficult. Choestoe is not just our home church, they are family. When we moved to Blairsville, we couldn’t see what the Lord was doing. In hindsight, He was doing more than we could ever understand.  Our friends from various states, cities, churches, homeschooling groups and community activities have enriched our lives and serve as a phenomenal support system for us. Their prayers, calls and notes of encouragement keep us smiling as we venture out on this path the Lord has us on. 

Being sheltered in the mountains was a wonderful environment for our “incubation period”. Now as fledglings preparing to leave the nest, we are being exposed to different cultures, values, and attitudes. Our children are beginning to understand the reality of the changes we are all going to have to adjust to.  It is a great comfort to know that our God will be with us as we let go of the nests edge. He will be the force that lifts us and keeps us afloat.

We are currently in a little town called Floral City in central Florida.  When Mr. and Mrs. Knowles first approached us with the offer of staying in their home while on deputation, we had no idea that it would end up being less that 15 miles from Eric’s parents home!  It also put us in the right place for the Lord to bless Eric during the week with a christian employer that’s flexible on scheduling the hours where we can still meet with our ministry partners during the week.

We have been having a wonderful time visiting: First Baptist of Coleman, where our long time friends Steve and Twyla serve with their family, First Baptist of Lake Panasoffkee, where Amy was baptized and where we were married, and Fort Cooper Baptist Church were Pastor Marni put us in touch with a long lost friend and pastor, Pastor Britt. In addition to the various churches, we have an amazing opportunity to witness to our new neighbors and co-workers. We are all on the mission field right now, right here in our own country.

Would you like to keep in touch with the ministry?  While still not complete, our webmaster, Josh Dyer, has added new links and new content. We will be adding to our blog weekly for you to come by and peruse. The girls and I will be encouraged by you leaving comments.  If you are following us online either by web page (www.soallmayknow.org) or our Facebook page, you have probably noticed that we aren’t as active as usual. That’s because we don’t have internet at the house and taking daily trips into town would use up too many of our resources (time, gas, and money). Not online? We will be sending out newsletters via snail mail every month or so!  So please bear with us and our sporadic schedule. I think God is just preparing us to be a bit more flexible 🙂

Have you been feeling led to partner with this ministry? Well, there are numerous ways you can participate. We know that not everyone is called to get on a plane and fly to the equator! And not everyone is able to contribute $100 a month. But anyone who is willing can be a part of the work we are all called to do. Anyone? Yes, my dear friend, anyone. 

By far the most critical area is prayer. You can pray.  We covet your prayers. Please pray for our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. Please pray that the Lord will direct our steps, that we not stray from His path, and that He will open and shut doors.  Pray that we will quickly adapt to the culture, language and climate. Pray for His wisdom, grace and mercy to cover us daily.

Some of you are able to be a part of this ministry by partnering with us financially. Please don’t allow the adversary to persuade you that any amount is too small.  When you commit to any monthly amount, no matter the size, it allows us to serve as hands and feet and to budget for our needs.  We need $1,100 more in pledges prior to leaving.  We are praying about attending a language school the month prior to leaving for Ecuador. We also will need funds to purchase beds, appliances, and a car once we arrive. If you feel led, you can send your financial contributions to Jungle Kids for Christ, PO Box 151891, Cape Coral, Florida 33915. Checks should be made out to Jungle Kids for Christ with Studebaker on the Memo line. (If it doesn’t say Studebaker, we don’t receive the funds!) If you want to set up a one time or monthly contributions by e-check, Paypal, or credit card you can do so on our web page. 

So what will we be doing in Ecuador? We will be teaching and attending school, attending a local church, ministering to the more remote villages of  Pununo and Pusuno, while learning the language and culture of the people.  We are so very encouraged to hear that the framing for our housing is complete and a team will be working on drying it in  during the month of March!  Thank you for all that you have done and all that you are doing. It takes an entire body to do the work, and it is an honor to serve with you.

So All May Know Him,

The Studebaker Family

Eric, Amy, Madeline, Abigail and Elijah

 

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