28 Degrees

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Jim and Liisa Tino (Serving in Santiago, Chile)

28 degrees is the forecast for tonight’s overnight low temperature. It’s definitely winter here in Chile – winter in July. Not only that, but one of the coldest winters in recent memory, and certainly the coldest we have had during our eight years as missionaries in this country!
Even in summer, there are a lot of “winters” going on in our lives. Some pass through the seasons of life as expected – the Spring of new birth, the Summer of youth, the Fall of maturity, and the Winter of old age.

“I saw a picture on Facebook… where are you guys?”
We’ve been getting that question a lot lately, so this newsletter will be mostly about “Tino Family News”. Of course, ministry is still going on as well, so there’s a lot to share!

As you probably recall, we have been trying to wrap up our ministry in Chile for at least six months now! There are a few major factors in this decision. First, we feel the need to be closer to family so we can lend a hand with some pressing family concerns. Also, Jim’s role as director of Global Lutheran Outreach continues to require more time and travel. Finally, we feel that the church here in Santiago has matured enough to enable a successful transition to new leadership. So, our plan was to leave Chile during the first half of the year. But as the saying goes, “We plan; God laughs”. (I think that’s a saying! If not, it is now.)

In April, Liisa traveled to be with daughter Gabi and husband Daniel in Phoenix for the birth of their third child, a daughter! Kaylee Marie Sipp was born on April 14.

In May, Liisa travelled to Michigan to spend six weeks with Jim’s parents and to lend a hand.

While Liisa was in Michigan, Jim’s duties took him to several places. First, he represented the Lutheran Church of Chile at a Symposium in the Dominican Republic. The Symposium was convened to introduce the new Himnario Luterano (Spanish Lutheran Hymnal), which has been over a decade in the making.  Also in the Dominican Republic, we celebrated the graduation from seminary of several new students, one of whom is from Chile. The new graduate – Rafael and his wife Jamielynn – will be serving their vicarage in Chile as soon as they can secure the proper visas.

Next, Jim’s duties took him to Guyana to accompany new GLO missionary Victor Rivas on his “initial field visit”. Victor, wife Belen, and daughter Sophia are from Guatemala and are currently raising support for their ministry, with the goal of deploying to Guyana in early 2023.

When the gathering was over, Jim returned to Chile in mid-June to continue the ministry while Liisa traveled to New Hampshire to spend some time with her parents, family, and friends.

Next week, Jim and Liisa will both be traveling to Florida for the annual GLO board meeting (and some grandparent time!). After the meeting, they are scheduled to attend the annual Hispanic Ministry Conference in Orlando where they will continue to promote the work of Global Lutheran Outreach. At the conclusion of the conference, they will return to Santiago in time to lead worship again on August 7th.

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