10 countries in 5 months

We continue to daily give thanks for those who are prayerfully supporting us as we serve as missionaries.  This update will give brief bullet-point updates of how God has guided us over the past few months.  As always, we look forward to your emails, phone calls and Facebook messages - often...no, always...it is those pieces of encouragement that keep us moving forward.

• Joel visited Cuba for the first time where he participated in leading a Leadership Conference for youth leaders; spoke at the district youth convention and had the rare privilege of meeting with (along with one of our General Superintendents Dr. Jesse Middendorf and a few other church leaders) the Director of Religious Affairs for the Cuban government.  God is moving faithfully in the life of our church in Cuba!
• Pam helped finalize the travel arrangements for our international team of missionaries from nine different countries who are serving on a 6-month mission called "12:7 Serve."
• Joel visited the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis where the 12:7 Serve team served for 3 weeks.
• The General Board of the Church of the Nazarene voted to enter 4 new countries this year - the Turks & Caicos Islands, a part of the Mesoamerica Region where we serve is amongst those countries.  Joel and another missionary, Bernie Slingerland were the first two missionaries to visit Turks & Caicos where they met Mrs. Nathalie Sweeting.  Nathalie and her husband have been living in Turks & Caicos for 3 years and had ALREADY started the church work before and missionaries had arrived - an incredible story of God's faithfulness  (< click this link to read!) in calling and equipping His people!
• Pam traveled with local church leaders to an indigenous area of Costa Rica where our church is assisting the development of a ministry presence in a very poor, rural area of the country.
• Joel spoke at a district leadership conference for the Leeward & Virgin Islands District in Antigua.
• Pam has been actively leading a discipleship group in our home with the ladies who were our Spanish language teachers - these two ladies, Gaby and Zeidy have become very dear friends.  It is a joy to meet with them each week as we walk through "Experiencing God" (Henry Blackaby) over a great cup of coffee, reading Scripture and praying together.
• Joel was able to train leaders during the Caribbean Nazarene College's Leadership Conference in Trinidad & Tobago.
• Pam has helped lead united meetings with youth leaders from both of the districts of Costa Rica - leadership training, team building and ministry strategy were the highlights of these times together.
• 24 participants attended the Missionary Orientation camp in northern Mexico - which was lead by our dynamic team of leaders, with Joel's assistance in April.
• Our family traveled to Panama the first week of May to take part in the first-ever Missionary Retreat for the Mesoamerica Region.  Over 60 missionaries and more than 20 missionary kids came together for a time of encouragement and renewal.
• The children have started their first full-year in a Costa Rican school:  Allison (age 12/grad 7); Nicolas (age 9/grade 4); Annikah (age 6/grade 1) and Paulina (age 4/pre-Kindergarden) are attending Colegio Metodista about 15 minutes away from our home in San Jose.

We need your prayers and encouragement.

While we are serving where God wants us to be - we face times of loneliness and discouragement.

We have been blessed to work with a dynamic team of missionaries within the Church of the Nazarene and have been so privileged recently to develop wonderful friendships with missionary friends from other organizations who are serving Jesus so faithfully.

Our Family is Complete!

While we have many wonderful stories we'd love to share, we've chosen 5 brief highlights for you – please share these with your local churches as you continue encouraging your people to support us in prayer.

Our first family picture - in the airport
preparing to travel to Costa Rica

1. In October, we finalized our adoption of Paulina (our 4-year old daughter from Mexico) after a 2-year-long process. She brings so much love and joy into our family and the lives of everyone she meets. 
2. Joel recently helped train 40 young people at the Caribbean Nazarene College in Trinidad in a weekend "cross cultural orientation." As a result of that training event, one young lady from Guyana is preparing to serve as a short-term missionary for 6 months in 2012; the English Field is planning to train and send a sports evangelism team to Ukraine in 2012 during the Euro Cup Soccer tournament; and additional Work and Witness trips to other countries are being planned by local churches in Trinidad. 
3. We were able to attend the first Regional Conference for the entire Mesoamerica Region in Guatemala, where over 700 people were in participation. We helped lead a training session on the ministry strategy that we are involved with - to discover and train new missionaries FROM Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean countries with our purpose to help make Christlike disciples in the nations. 
4. Allison, Nicolas and Annikah are all developing their Spanish language skills terrifically. As well, we have all started to speak primarily in English to Paulina (after being home and primarily speaking Spanish with her for 2 months) to help her quickly learn her second language, as well. As you can imagine, conversations in our home are wonderfully entertaining. 
5. We were invited to speak at a district NYI camp for the northern part of Costa Rica – training nearly 50 young people in the ministry strategy of Youth Mobilization – the new ministry on our region that partners NYI (Nazarene Youth International) and Missionary Mobilization. 

As you can see, your prayerful support of our ministry is making an impact – we need you!

Youth Camp in Poas, Costa Rica

Please continue to pray for us in these areas:

• We are training 12 new missionaries from 10 countries over the next 3 months – these missionaries will be serving in 7 different areas on our region in the areas of evangelism, discipleship and leadership development for six months.
• Pam, as she is involved with translation of Spanish and English ministry resources and training materials and as she disciples new and "young" Believers. 
• Joel, as he leads NYI and missionary training events in Cuba and Trinidad in January. 
• The children, as they continue developing their understanding of a 2nd language and developing friendships in Costa Rica. 
• We are involved with the planning of our regional Nazarene Youth Congress being held in Panama – July, 2012. Pray for God's wisdom and leadership for this event targeting over 800 youth from 30 nations. 

We have received a few emails about how to receive cards and packages here, in Costa Rica. While shipping costs can be higher for packages, lighter-weight items are certainly a very welcomed surprise. We can receive cards and letters quite easily, as well. Some people are cautious to send cash, however we've never had any issues with cards/letters being lost or stolen.

Our mailing address here is:

Joel Tooley 

SENDAS – Seminario Nazareno

PO Box 3977 (Casa #39)

San Jose, COSTA RICA 

As we prepare our hearts during this season, 

we are celebrating Advent each night by lighting our Advent wreath candles, 

listening to Christmas music and reading Scripture together. 

We were even blessed to have Grampa & Gramma Tooley join us by video

over the internet one night ~ reading the Advent devotional, singing and praying together.

We are so thrilled to be able to serve Jesus, our long-awaited King.  

He has come to bring 

            hope, peace and redemption 

                                             and is coming again to restore His creation in relationship with Him.

What is a Missionary?

What+is+a+Missionary%3F

Waiting on the Waiting to be Over...

How long have you waited for something?

I mean...more than things like Christmas morning or your wedding day. More than waiting for your next train or flight to depart...more than waiting for the delivery of your baby in the hospital birth ward.

I'm talking about the kind of waiting like the single woman who has been waiting for a husband; the man with cancer who has been waiting for the "all-clear;" the pastor waiting for his church to "get it."

We've now been waiting for Paulina to come home for nearly 2 years...the only promise we have is that God is faithful.

I told some friends the other day, "God never asked us to have a 'happily-ever-after' life with Paulina. He only asked us to take the steps to bring her home and to trust Him.

I'm tempted to sermonize that point - however, I will simply say that we have taken every step possible to bring Paulina home...and we continue to trust Him, no questions asked.

We are tired; we are sad; we are frustrated; we are ready. We're waiting on the waiting to be over.

Psalm 123:1-3 (The Message)

"I look to you, heaven-dwelling God, look up to you for help.
Like servants, alert to their master's commands,
like a maiden attending her lady,
We're watching and waiting, holding our breath,
awaiting your word of mercy.
Mercy, God, mercy!"

You Can Trust Me...I'm Your Dad

When I was a kid, I remember playing games with my older brothers - goofing off with friends - and even just playing with other kids in the neighborhood. We had a wooded area that surrounded our little community in University Park, Iowa - population: 318 people, give or take a few. Every kid knew the woods as more than "just" a wooded area - for many, it seemed like the biggest, most adventuresome forest in the world. So many fun memories were made in the woods...and a few bad ones.

I remember the time when I was playing either "war" or "hide and seek" with a group of other kids in the woods...only this time, it seemed that we had gone deeper than we had ever gone before. There were creekbeds, fallen trees, overgrown vegetation and tracks from area wildlife...the adventure was going to be HUGE this time. I don't really recall whether or not I was the one who was "it," but all of a sudden, I clearly realized I was alone - completely.

I yelled out the names of my friends. Nobody answered. I listened for signs of their movement - the sounds of their voices. Nothing - other than the buzz of a distant mosquito and the trickling water in the creek.

Panic.

I started to run - quickly realizing that I had no idea where I was running - I had completely lost all sense of direction. Thorn bushes. Mud. Sun setting.

Time passed.

Lost.

Sheer Panic.

And then...I heard it.

JOEY! (Don't laugh - that was my name as a kid).

JOEY!!!

JOOOOOEYYYY!

Heart pounding out of my chest.

That cry that I had been holding within my throat - you know, that feeling like your throat has a knot the size of your fist in it - that cry suddenly exploded, "DAAAAAADDDDD!!!!!"

DAD! I'm coming! Keep yelling!

Within seconds, I reached the edge of the woods where I had heard my Dad's voice coming from and Dad was in full sight as I ran full-speed into his arms. And then I lost it - I completely fell apart and wept as I buried my head into my Dad's neck, hugging him and crying, "Daddy, I was so scared! They left me and I was lost!"

"I'm here for you, kid - you don't have to be afraid anymore."

That's all he needed to say.

I have no idea why he was there, but he was...and we've never talked about it since.

I'd relegated that experience into the "Almost Forgotten" file of my mind - until this week.

Yesterday, Pam and I took the kids for a short drive outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado - one of our favorite "get away from it all" places. This has been a restorative place for us over the past few years.

This trip was suppose to be a quick trip:

• 20 minute drive
• 15 minute hike up to Treasure Falls - the brochure listed the hike as "EASY."
• 10 minute hike back to the car
• 20 minute drive back

When we reached the parking area, the trail that we started out on had a big sign: "TRAIL CLOSED."

So, I did what any good Dad would do. I said, "Come on, kids! Let's see how far we can go!"

Well - a normal 15 minute hike took the Tooleys nearly 85 minutes. I won't go into all of the details - those are memories for my kids to share some day in the future. I will say that there was GOOD reason why the sign said "TRAIL CLOSED."

Trees had fallen, vegetation had overgrown the path, and portions of the trail had eroded away in some pretty treacherous parts of the path.

It was at such a point that I decided to venture ahead of Pam and the kids to see whether or not the trail and the ensuing chasm were crossable. I tried crossing it. It looked terribly frightening, yet - in all honesty it was safe for us to cross. I had a solid footing - there were branches from a long-time fallen tree to grab on to...it was safe.

I'm not sure what brought him to this critical point of hysterical fear, but when Nic saw me cross the eroded path at that high-altitude point in the trail, he went berzerk. He lost it. He pleaded and cried, "No, Daddy! Please don't make us go any further!" He sobbed huge sobs with giant, crocodile tears.

I KNEW we could cross safely. I KNEW we had come so far and the reward was just ahead...I could hear the water falls cascading over the mountain side.

Nic was still crying, pleading to turn back. My fatherly instincts kicked in at this point and I knew that if we turned back - a huge teaching moment would escape my son...and ultimately, me.

At the same time, my heart was absolutely crushed because my son was so gripped with fear. His tears were almost unbearable. I could have just scooped him up and headed home. Instead, I said in a calm voice, "Son? Can you look into my eyes? Look at me." And then I asked, "What is it that you're afraid of?"

He didn't miss a beat. In his small, pleading voice, he said with conviction, "I'm afraid I'm going to fall off the mountain and die." Tears were running down his face.

I replied, "Son - that's not going to happen. You can trust me. You have to trust me. We are not going back - we're going forward and in order for us to do that, we all need you to be brave and to trust Dad."

"What if fall!?" was his immediate response.

"I'm going to be holding on to you so tightly that even if you slip, I won't let you fall."

Now - when I asked Annikah if she was going to cross, she responded with a "YES!" in the same way as if I had asked, "Annikah, would you like to have a million kitties, puppies and your own flower garden?" She had ZERO hesitation. She grabbed my hand...took 2 1/2 steps and was across safely.

I didn't even have to ask Allison - she just grabbed my hand, found her footing and crossed the broken pathway over the ravine.

And then, standing behind Nicolas and rubbing his arms and neck in a way that only a comforting Mother could do, Pam said, "Nicolas - Daddy promises to hold on to you. You'll be safe - you can trust him...and I'm right behind you."

That was it. That's all it took.

He grabbed my hand - took his 2 steps and was safely across.

His fear was gone, instantly - His trust was full.

----------------------------

Today, I found time early in the morning (thanks to a faulty alarm clock that woke me up WAY too early) to go for a wonderful walk to a coffee shop near the place where we're staying. A fantastic double-shot americano (2 Splendas and just the right amount of cream) along with an hour of praying and reading Scripture was what God had arranged for me.

Jeremiah 39:18: "I will save you; you will not fall..., because you trust in me, declares the LORD."

There are so many promises in Scripture - none have ever failed. This particular one was for today.

And then - I opened up Facebook and read through the first 10 updates that appeared on my page. The third one down hit me in such a way that, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, I actually started to cry. My friend had posted something so simple, "'Trust in me, Cindy.' ~ Abba."

Perhaps it was because of the previous day's experience with Nicolas and how my mind kept coming back to it. Perhaps it was because of the promises God had once again laid in front of me through His living, breathing Word.

The image of Father God...Daddy God...Abba - standing at this seemingly impossible precipice that our family is in front of in our journey right now, saying, "Trust me, Joel and Pam. I'm your Daddy and I will save you - you will not fall because you trust in ME."

Our lives have experienced so much uncertainty this past year. I often look at the path in front of me and like Nicolas, cry out, "No! Let's just go back! I don't want to get hurt!"

Our Loving Father - who we can ALWAYS trust, stands in front of us promising, "If you'll hold on to me, I will not let you fall."

Well - after we made it past the "pit of death" as Nicolas later referred to it, I asked him, "Hey, Nic...what do you think of our hike now?"

"Well, Dad...that was the scariest thing I've ever done and I never want to do it again."

(LONG PAUSE)

"...but, I'm really glad we did it."

Me too, son. Me, too.

PS: Shortly after our harrowing experience over the ravine - we stumbled upon a very well-kept, wide and well-marked path. It turns out, the National Park Service had built a new, easier path that started just yards/meters away from where we had started off on our own - down the "CLOSED TRAIL." The falls were marvelous and the journey down the mountain path was quick. Nic was a much happier hiker!

PSS: Dad, I love you. Thank you for never failing me - for always being there at just the right moment.

She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain When She Comes

There's an old folk song often sung by children in the United States that carries whimsical lyrics and a catchy tune - the air of the folk song lends towards something hopeful...that "something" that is highly anticipated, sought after...just around the next corner. Hopefully.

We returned to the USA from Costa Rica during the 1st week of July - just in time to watch some fireworks and enjoy a small-town Independence Day parade in Georgia. We then drove to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in the quadrennial "Nazarene Youth Conference" - where over 6,000 teenagers from Canada and the USA met together for a week of serving others, worshiping God, and developing as young leaders. Followed by this amazing an event was a time set aside to speak in several churches throughout SW Ohio and Indiana - thanking churches for their faithful giving to World Evangelism and to generate prayer and financial support for our ongoing ministry.

Our intent was to hopefully be interrupted during this time by a phone call from Mexico - telling us that they were ready for us to bring Paulina home.

Instead, we received news that her paperwork was held up - yet again. The news also included the information that the government office that held her paperwork had inexplicably closed for a couple of weeks.

Then, (we can't make this stuff up!) we received a call from the US government informing us that "our fingerprints had expired." We knew this was a possibility, but did not anticipate our journey reaching this inevitable moment. After a few phone calls of attempted negotiation, we were told that we would need to have our fingerprints renewed in El Paso in the middle of August.

All of our highly tentative plans were no longer tentative - they were obsolete.

We WERE planning to return to Costa Rica to complete our final 8 weeks of Spanish language school - with Paulina sitting next to us on Flight #1247, Seat 25B. That could still happen.

THE FAQ (frequently asked question) we receive is, "When is Paulina going to be with you?"

Our answer: "When her little legs are dangling under our dining room table."

So - for now, we're on our way back to our El Paso home to have our fingerprints scanned once again and to spend some time with our little girl in Mexico.

She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!

(For more information on the background of this song, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She'll_Be_Coming_'Round_the_Mountain ).

Waiting...

Paulina celebrated her 4th birthday last week with people who love her and are nurturing her beautifully - yet, without her Mommy and Daddy and her brother and sisters.

It turns out that we're waiting on a paper that needs to be signed by someone in a government office who has been on "disability leave" for an undetermined amount of time. We've heard that someone has made contact with the correct government office and that things are once again moving.

Meanwhile, we're waiting. God is teaching us to trust Him more and more. It's easy to trust God; it's not easy to trust people who don't know Him. He is sovereign. He is present - with us and with Paulina. He is in control.

We trust Him...and we wait.