May 2013 - CrossCollaboration

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May 2013
When my grandparents first told me the story of their call to the mission field, I was intrigued to hear how they
took the long trip to the Andes Mountains of Peru to begin a brand new mission work. My parents also left an
indelible mark on my life when they packed up our whole family and moved us from Washington D.C. to a much
smaller town in the mountains of Peru. In both cases, families left one life behind to embrace a brand new life, and in
both cases God blessed their mission work for his glory. As Alicia and I come to the end of our time in the AIM
program in Bogota, Colombia, we are excited to add our chapter to the Lord´s story of covenant faithfulness.
Change in Huanta
On my last trip to Huanta, I was blessed to be able to spend time meeting
with the pastors and brethren in the church. As we met, I reflected on one of our
main goals as missionaries, namely, to see Peruvian pastors become independent
and take responsibility as leaders of the church. The more I met with the church
leadership, the more I noted that the “landscape” of Huanta had changed. As I
considered how it had changed, I realized that the believers in Huanta are at a
point where they now need to take steps toward a more self-sustaining ministry.
Though I do not believe that the Huanta church is completely ready to be
independent from all missionary help, I have come to the conclusion that it would
not be the best landing spot for a new team of missionaries.
German is one of the Huanta pastors
After discussing this with my father, he also strongly cautioned us to think through the wisdom of bringing a new
team of US missionary families into an area that has seen heavy increase in drug-trafficking and violence.
Seeking the wisdom of the MTW field leadership concerning my observations with the church and city, it became
abundantly clear to us and to MTW that a new missions team would be much more useful in a new location, and with
a fresh new start. The decision was made that we will need to choose a new
Huanta
location, with the clear understanding that I will still be involved in the Huanta
ministry from a distance – taking trips throughout the year and supporting my father
and the Huanta church as needs and as opportunities arise.
As you might imagine, we were heartbroken by this necessary decision. From the
age of fifteen, I had a deep affection for the people of Huanta and assumed my call
to missions would translate into returning there. Even so, we believe that the Lord is
protecting us from future hardship. We know that this decision, though difficult, is the
Lord's leading and we are at peace with this change. God is teaching us to have
faith in him and to remember Proverbs 19:21, which says, "many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the
purpose of the LORD that will stand."
What is next?
As I think of the heritage God has given me in my parents and grandparents, I am overwhelmed with
gratitude for their pioneering ministries, and today we find ourselves walking in their footsteps! My family and I are
about to begin a new pioneering work that I pray will produce fruit for the Kingdom for generations to come! The
main difference is that we do not know where in South America that will be!
Though we might not know where we are going, we do know how we will go. We will go as a newly formed team! As
you may remember, Alicia and I went through a team leader assessment with MTW and were given approval to
recruit a team. Around the same time two families (Nathan & Nikki Bonham and Josh & Emily Kines) decided they
were going to the mission field together, but had not yet determined their final destination.
In almost eight months together in Colombia, our three families have had the opportunity to get to know each other
very well! As we met together every week for a number of months, we explored all the details and dynamics of how
we might serve together on the mission field. We quickly discovered that our focuses in missions were the same.
Each time we met, we saw how God was bringing us closer
together as a team and as partners in a collective leadership.
*(We explain this in a video and in greater detail on our new website:
www.CrossCollaboration.org).
OUR TEAM!
Kines, Gutierrez and Bonham families
A partnership and a name
After much prayer and conversations with MTW leadership, our
three families committed to joining
together and forming a partnership
that we are calling "Cross
Collaboration." This name is about
the partnership between our team,
the people God is sending us to,
and you, the faithful members of our extended team.
It is our hope and prayer that now that God has given us a team, we might be able to determine a location soon. We
have a strong desire to start a new work in a place that has not yet been reached with the gospel. We have already
begun to scout out some new areas. As Paul said, “And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where
Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘These who have never
been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’” (Rom. 15:20-21)
Get to know our team!
We filmed some brief videos for you so that you could get to know our team and what we are doing next! You
may view them all on our new team website: www.crosscollaboration.org
We would love to talk about all this! As members of our team, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We are available to
you: [email protected] (760-300-3626) or Skype us (thegutierrezgang).
Nathaniel & Alicia Gutierrez
Jeremiah, Gabriella and baby #3 due July 4th
Josh & Emily Kines
Anna-Elise, Ava, Jak, Matthew & Carter (not pictured)
Nathan & Nikki Bonham
Noah & Barrett (twins), and currently adopting from
Colombia
Thank you!
Alicia and I want to thank you so much for being a valued part of this team and standing with us in this next
part of the journey as our team grows, our vision expands and our ministry becomes more enriched by our new
partnership together.
With Love,
Nathaniel & Alicia
prayer
section
Please pray for Huanta as we discern how best to help them.
Praise God with us for our new team and this new direction!
MTW Donations: PO Box 116284, Atlanta, GA 30368-6284
Nathaniel & Alicia Gutierrez - Account # 012762 (in memo)
Please pray for our team as we visit new locations to determine where we should serve. We have a scouting trip the first week of May!