Looking ahead as traffic is already slowly proceeding to make their way, we begin to notice brake lights begin to wave closer and closer. I begin to tap the brakes knowing that attached to me is a trailer and below me is a sheet of ice. Colorado had been by far the hardest state to drive through. Our time there was short, but it was a slow steady drive. The snow that had fallen had frozen to the road and the steady movement of vehicles was enough to compact layer upon layer. We shifted slightly left and then right while the pedal was now tapping closer and closer to the ground and the van came to a stop.
We had come to a stop because just a short distance in front of us was a less fortunate driver who had slid off the road. Traffic was backed up on both sides of the two-lane road but once the vehicle was cleared, we carried on the way. I didn’t mind being the slow driver that may have held up some larger trucks, but as the turtle taught me “slow and steady wins the race”.
We left home on December 27th and began the almost 2200 mile move to Texas. For the most part the drive was pretty smooth (minus the trailer bumping us around every now and then). We were blessed to meet up with Pastor Clancy and his family coming through the Boise, Id area on day one. They were such a blessing and encouragement to us! We were in 7 states in 6 days and arrived at Rio Grande Bible Institute on January 2nd, 2023!
Leaving Washington and the 30-degree days and arriving in Texas in the 70’s to 80-degree days has been probably the toughest adjustment. We rushed to unload the trailer and find the shorts, which we have worn just about every day since our arrival.
The kids have started to settle in and make lots of new friends. One of the fun parts about life on campus is that there are families and students from all over Central and South America. This makes the program very unique and exciting to be part of. Many of our neighbors are missionaries preparing the same way we are! This makes the fellowship very special.
Kathleen has a gift for children’s ministry, that’s no surprise to most of you. She too jumped right in to making friends with the neighborhood kids. Some of the kids in the area don’t speak English which is all just extra practice for us!
Classes have started and we are busy, busy, busy. Our schedule consists of 4 hours of classes/chapel every day and 1 hour a day with a tutor. We are excited to share with you more about our schedule and life here on campus in future updates, but please know God is answering your prayers each and every day through this process.
Every day lends itself to learning something new. We have been greatly blessed to have wonderful tutors in the afternoons, but we rotate every week or couple weeks so we don’t get them long. Please pray for my tutor Temo, not only does he have to deal with me for an hour every day but his parents are not believers and he prays for opportunities to share the gospel with them regularly. Pray for Kathleen’s tutor, Carla and her husband who are expecting their first child in 2023. They are also preparing to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to a majority Muslim country. They plan to do their first mission trip in 2024 and are excited for what God has ahead of them.
As we continue to adjust to the culture here on campus we ask that you not stop praying. We are working hard to balance home life and school, as well as fit in opportunities to serve those in our community and church (we’ll share more about Grace Baptist Mission later). While we work hard to get things done off the checklist, we do not want to miss any opportunity to speak into the lives of those around us.
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3
We carry this verse and others around on our hearts to motivate us through each day. As we attend classes as we sit and study it is important that all we do, we do for the glory of God. As we seek to bring Him glory, He is directing each step and fulfilling His plan for our lives. When days are hard we commit them and God who leads us to green pastures, restores our souls. This is the beauty of the Christian life! No matter where you are or what you do for a living, if you commit it to the Lord, you are surrendering to being used by a Holy God.
We shared in our end of the year video a list of churches who had taken on our ministry for Support. Since that video was posted we have had more churches join our team in prayer, encouragement and financial support. We want to thank Grace Baptist Church of Pendelton, OR., Notus Baptist Church of Notus, ID and First Baptist Church of Polson, MT. We are very thankful for so many wonderful faithful servants who have continued to faithful pray for us and the ministry God has called us to in Paraguay.
Now comes your assignment, how can we pray for you? We regularly pray for supporters of our ministry, but now your task is to let us know how we can pray for you specifically. Please email any requests you might have to jared.loucks@hotmail.com.
We can’t wait to see you in Paraguay!
Jaha Paraguay Pe!
The Loucks Family
Kids Corner:
Each kid has responded their own way to this phase of the ministry. Adara-Dasha took off day one to making new friends. She’s a natural for finding friends anywhere we go. Temperance has a little harder time establishing that close relationship. It has been a blessing to see her stretched in this area and trusting the Lord. The two of them have also become a huge help around the house!
LuVerna has had probably the hardest time with all the adjustments. She has developed a stutter that has hindered some of her communication. As time progresses her stutter has faded and in some cases come and gone. We have had some extra down evenings to help her relax and she is learning to love her Tia (her babysitter). Praying that she finds comfort in the Lord through each stage of transition.
Loucks 2 Paraguay 
My heart is with you as I read your post and see your faces as well as my prayers for each request. I love you people!
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