Update on the Dewars

We realize that this newsletter is long overdue. It’s been a difficult one to write. Not only has it been really busy here wrapping up the semester with the students and trying to wrap up the school year for our three kids who have had a school year with lots of changes in their lives, but it’s also been a time with some struggles. It’s hard to know how to put on paper what’s been going on; to share our hearts with the struggles we have been facing when we know that back home there are people who we care deeply about going through struggles of their own. We all have our struggles, Christ never said this life will be easy. And although all our struggles are different none of them are ever a surprise to God. The verses I have been meditating on lately are found in Isaiah 40,

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (28-29)

Every day I have to pray for strength because I do not have it on my own. There are times when to get through one more day seems like a huge mountain to climb and I don’t even feel like I can take the first step. But not only does God’s word tell us that He will give us strength but verse 31 goes onto tell us,

“but those who trust in Him will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”

Wow! God will make us soar! He will give us the strength we need to make it through, this is incredible. I could not imagine going through this life without knowing the God of the universe; without being able to draw on His strength every day. But there are people who do not know Him; who do not know that the God of this universe created them uniquely, loves them dearly and wants to help them soar. This fact and the fact that God deserves the praise from all He created is what motivates us to continue on. I know some of you have wondered about our kids, how all of this is affecting them. So I have included a couple of paragraphs from our 16-year-old daugh-ter Kendra’s final project for her Humanities class in school. We hope that you will find this encouraging.

“God called our family to be missionaries in Colombia. In the late spring of 2013 we felt led by God to sell all but a small amount of our possessions and move across Canada to train with New Tribes Missions to become missionaries. During the training we were open to whatever and wherever God wanted after the training. Spring of 2014 my mom and dad took a trip to the NTM training center in Colombia. After the trip my parents felt that Colombia was where God wanted us to go. In the fall of 2015 we applied for our visas, and on October 29th, 2015 we boarded a plane and flew to Colombia to start our new life. In the past 5 years I have really seen God provid-ing for my family and leading us to follow his plans. Sometimes during the hard times and confusion it seems like there is no way this was what God had planned; but once getting through the difficult times I can look back and see that He had everything planned out just right.

I am very thankful that God has led us to live in Colombia. I believe there is something about living overseas that makes me think about life and God’s story in a totally different way. By being taken out of the North American bubble, I have been given the opportunity to see the world in a new way. It has opened my eyes to a different way of living and thinking. Although sometimes it’s hard living away from extended family and in a place where things are strange and unfamiliar, where you can’t understand the language or communicate easily, or in a place where I just don’t have the same conveniences as I had before; I have to remember that the struggles that I’m facing today are developing the strength I will need for tomorrow. I know this is God’s way of growing me into who he has planned for me to be.” By Kendra Dewar

How can you pray for us...

 As we finish up the kids’ school year and plan for next year and that we will be able to get all the supplies we need for them (as many of you know it is not easy or affordable to get things delivered to us down here)

 Our relationships with the other staff members here - as we join the existing team here, please pray that we will be able to build strong relationships, that the team will have unity and love for each other and that we will figure out our roles here

 Debbie's language study - that it will continue to advance and she will be able to communicate well with the people here.

 Our health; a few things have come up lately, nothing major, but it’s still enough to set us back and cause discouragement at times

 Ken as he continues to lead the church we are attending here in Fusa