The work still continues in Bocachica

 Many of you have heard us speak of Luis and Adriana Viracacha. They are our partners in the ministry in Bocachica Colombia. They have been with us for four years now, and are tent maker missionaries who work as well as receive support from others. We keep in touch with them weekly to hear the work they are doing, support them with prayers and to keep their spirits lifted as they live among hard conditions. Their language barrier of only speaking Spanish makes it hard for them to communicate with many of you.

 Luis and Adriana are natives from Bogota, the capital of Colombia. They have been missionaries in Bocachica for 4+ years now. They have been faithful to the work and are serving in all aspects of life on the island. They participate in hosting teams, building latrines, making filters, hygiene classes, tutoring students, and much more. On top of that they supplement their income by selling water to the locals in their neighborhood and sell cupcakes.

One issue we would like to point out is their need of more financial support. Living in Bocachica is more difficult because the lack of the opportunity. In the city there are better jobs,but the work requires them to be present on the island. So as missionaries it is important to partner with them so that they will not burn out try to make ends meet and serve in the work the gospel.  Please consider the possibility of supporting a Colombian national missionary. They are a trust worthy team that is willing to sacrifice their comfort for the work of the gospel. Any contribution makes a big difference. A monthly recurring gift would give them peace of mind, and allow them to more available to the community.
 If you would like to give please write the check to
   Antioch Community Church
  P.O. Box  40
 Elon NC 27244
 These can be tax deductible gifts.

Please note on memo line: Luis Viracacha

Recently we got an update from Luis and Adriana about a new way they are discipling the local boys in our neighborhood. Luis has taken 4 teens on our street and explained to them how a bank works. Why it is important for them to save their money vs. spending it once they have it. Luis came up with an idea. Adriana would make cupcakes and these four teens would sell them on the island daily. However, once they are done they would have to put their money in a piggy bank. Luis had each of the boys think of one big thing they needed or wanted to save for. They have a date set up in December when Luis will take these four boys to the city and they will purchase the things on their list. This may seem like a small praise, but remember the people on the island don't have access to a bank. Not only that, but the locals there don't think about saving their money. They spend what they make daily.  A simple thing that a parent should teach a child. But this simple skill is not even practiced by the adults living on the island. Adriana mentioned at first her and Luis thought these boys would be excited in the beginning, but by the end the thrill might wear off. To their surprise these four boys are still eager daily to help sell cupcakes and put away their money.

Piggy banks, one for each of the four boys + Luis, Adriana, and Juan

We are thankful that Luis and Adriana have a heart to go above and beyond the call of serving. They see many different areas they can serve. Many times wearing themselves thin, but they won't complain. It brings joy to them to see change. They know they are investing in a better future for the Bocachicans. To God be the glory.  We are proud to have had the privilege to serve with them.

Many blessings,
The Ariels

In the News

A good friend of the family, Jordan Carey, writes for the local Teens and Twenties newspaper column. She wrote a great piece about our family for the paper. Follow the link to read it
 Times News Story

Nate, Tara, Valerie, Alicia, Jaiden, Kristen, Than, Patrick, Vincent and Lincoln. At first, these might seem like a jumble of names, but this is the Ariel family.
In 2011, the Ariels moved from Burlington, N.C., to Bocachica, Colombia, South America. At first, it seemed like a crazy feat to move to another country with that many kids, but maybe it wasn’t.
Their reason for moving was to become missionaries for the people of Bocachica. For four years, they lived on the island in order to teach the people there. Before their move to Colombia, the Ariels were members of Antioch Community Church, and are once more after moving back to Burlington earlier this year. Within the church, mission trips to Bocachica happened yearly. That was how the idea of moving to Bocachica came into being.
   “I got the first idea of moving to Colombia a lot later than my husband did,” said Tara Ariel. “For me it wasn’t until 2010.”
It might be hard at first to understand why someone would want to live there. Many people in Bocachica go without clean water, full-time electricity, indoor bathrooms and other essentials most people in the United States couldn’t live without. In Bocachica, the people are isolated in a way, which is why Tara says, “it’s about teaching them to do things correctly,” such as hygiene and sanitation.
Part of helping with those things includes teaching the people how to construct and use water filters. On Bocachica, there isn’t any clean water. Because of that, water is shipped from the mainland in large tubs. Unfortunately, the water is always contaminated by the time it arrives at the island. To help the people with that, the Ariels started a project to make water filters for families on the island. Each filter will provide clean water for 25 years and only costs $60. In their years in Bocachica, the Ariels have install around 100 of these filters.
Perhaps one of the hardest things about adjusting to life on Bocachica was taking seven kids.
“My first impression of the island was that everything was really dirty and I didn’t want to touch anything,” said Jaiden, age 12. “But now I love Colombia. I was really sad when I had to leave there.”
After a long time of living on the island, almost all of the kids are fluent in Spanish, one of the many things they have learned from their time in Colombia.
The youngest, Lincoln, wasn’t even born when they moved down to the island; he was born shortly before the Ariels moved back to the States. When they moved to Bocachica, the oldest, Valerie, was only 12 years old. The youngest at the time, Vincent, was only 1.
As missionaries in Colombia, they also wanted to teach the people of Bocachica about Christ. But besides teaching, learning from the people also is important.
“I learned to serve where I could and see the love of the Lord the locals had,” Tara said.
The Ariels hope to be in the states for two years before moving back to Colombia to continuing their mission.
For more information about the Ariels’ project in Bocachica, visit colombiamissionfamily.blogspot.com

Jordan Carey is rising freshman home-schooler and a Teens & 20s writer.

A mixing surprise.

 Here is some good news to share with you from Bocachica!  This is from June 20, 2016, but we wanted to share this with you all.

There are times in life when we experience discouragement. Have you ever invested in something only to have it wasted? Like a tree that you buy, plant, and take of only to have it die after a short while. It isn't only the money but time and care that hurts.

 We had a similar incident in Bocachica recently. After we came to North Carolina, we left Luis and Adriana in charge of the everything in Bocachica. Things were going well until a few days after we left, yes that soon, the Kitchen Aid mixer was stolen. Nobody knew anything about what happened to it. It made us sick to our stomachs because of what it took to get the machine there, and that it was well used for the work there. Adriana used the mixer daily to make cupcakes to sell. That is how they supplement their income as missionaries. The machine is irreplaceable due to cost but also getting it there. So, like most all things in Bocachica they continued the work doing it the hard way. Not that mixing by hand is too hard, but when all of life is hard this luxury was a blessing.  They regularly sell about 90 cupcakes a day.

 Last night Luis sent us a message in the middle of the night.

"Mira Dios es fiel no lo puedo creer no sabemos quien fue la acabamos de encontrar es por la mesericordia de Dios. Estamos felices."

Translation: 

"Look, God is faithful. I can not believe it. We don't know who it was, we just found it by the mercy of God. We are happy!"

​

 Someone for some reason decided to return the mixer last night. They set it over the wall that surrounds our property. Though we don't know who or why, we are really thankful to the Lord who cares about even the small things. Pray that the Lord continues to work in the heart of whoever returned the machine. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for the lost in Bocachica.

Blessings,

The Ariels

Photo update for July

Being a tent-maker missionary takes more time than normal. We are back in the USA and working full time as well as catching up on things that we miss, this leaves little time for writing. Obviously we haven't updated the blog in awhile. We are busy and enjoying our time here. The transition to the privilege of States life is easy and luxurious compared to Bocachica. Showers, washing and drying clothes without manual labor, driving instead of walking. We can get so much more done in less time.

We have some good updates to share from Luis and Adriana, but we will save them for the next update. Hopefully they will follow closely behind this update.

Some fun things have happened over the past 6 months ...take a look!

This March my twin, Kevin, flew in for our 40th birthday! My kids hadn't seen him in 6 1/2 years. It sure was good to spend some time with him. 

In April we enjoyed strawberry picking. Something we longed to do while living in Colombia.

Before moving back to the States we bought a new house. It backs up to a river where my boys can enjoy endless fishing.

One of the things Nathanael Quin missed most was our city park. They have many rides for the kids and this is one of their favorites!

Our city also opened up a splash park that is free to the public. My kids give it two thumbs up.

Lincoln is big enough now to enjoy an occasional swing now and then.

If you asked me what Lincoln's favorite thing to do is...I would answer you with one word...EAT!

We still enjoy hospitality here State side. We invite people over weekly for a meal or some games. Roy and Jeanne Southern have turned us on to a game called Qwirkle. It's a blast. My kids play it daily. 

In June my boys (minus Lincoln) enjoyed a father/son camping trip with some families from our church. This is them pumped up to go!

My boys enjoying a morning hike with their dad.

We asked our kids what they wanted to do for vacation and unanimously they said visit the Mancuso's  & Lohrs. A blessing as we stayed 5 days in Maryland. Our time went by too quickly. We sure do love these people! Only one of them have not made it to Bocachica! Mrs. Lohr, I think we will have to change that! We are thankful for their love, support, and prayers.

Chef Rob with Sous chef Nate make a wonderful pulled pork with Rob's new smoker. It was AMAZING!!!

We even still get to do ministry here. Nate put in a foundation for Living Free, an addiction rehab facility, in Snow Camp, NC. We have had a relationship them for many years now, and Ja Doss and his son have made trips to Bocachica in the past to work with us as well.

This is just a short list, but we have more news to share.
We will write again soon,
blessings~

Home in the USA

We have left the land of sun,

We arrived to the cold! The climate of winter and snow our first week here. The kids loved the snow! Other then the temperature, the welcome we have received from family and friends has been very warm.

 We had bought a new house that could fit our size family in Burlington. Living in Colombia though we never saw the house except by internet and through the eyes of Nathan Heafner, a friend of ours. He went and inspected the house, and acted as our power of attorney to buy the house. So we are excited to see the house in person and to see that it is as good or better than we imagined. We had faith in the abilities of Nathan, and are thankful for his friendship. After we purchased the house Nathan and his wife Julie put in many hours getting the house ready for us to come home. Nathan had to get the well going after being dormant for two years.
We were hoping the the house would have beds so that when we flew in we could just walk through the door and go to bed. Our church, however, exceeded expectations with furnishing the whole house. Chrissy Hahn organized cleaning and scheduling to put the house together so that it would be ready when we got here. They even had food in the fridge and meals for the next weeks to help out.
 We have been blessed beyond what we would have thought. We are thankful for the love and sacrifice of those that have helped out in our transition to the states.
 We are finally getting internet and the other utilities set up. Our communication will pick up now that we are "connected" again.

'Than has learned all about the mail system here in the United States. He has already sent two letters.They think mail is a pretty neat way to communicate.

The kids were given a gift of a basket ball goal and balls. Now they are outside more than they are inside. They love playing a game of ball with Nate.

Another thing the boys have realized is that American beef franks are much tastier here verses a Colombian hot dog. The kids have been picking up broken sticks and making bonfires. It's a win win situation for us. They pick up sticks, logs, and branches. We provide marshmallows and hot dogs for their reward.

The girls have enjoyed the traditional American treats. Of course the first thing we had to make was some chocolate chip cookies. :) Praying by the time we return to Colombia they will import chocolate chips.

I wanted to take the boys on a field trip. Of course we thought the fire station was the best choice. My boys enjoyed themselves and got a grand tour of the station. We are lucky to have our old neighbor on shift that day. He made sure the boys had a great time.

Back in Colombia, Luis and Adriana have moved into our house with Debbie to watch over things. They will be continuing the work over the next year. They are excited for the this new season, though it will be a lot more work.

 Thank you for all your continued support. Pray for Luis and Adriana in Bocachica. We are going to be giving a report at 7:00 pm, at Antioch Community Church in Burlington NC on Wednesday, February 24 . If you are in the area stop by and see us!

With love,
The Ariels

Moving along

It has been a while since we updated. We have been very busy on many different fronts. We have a new born in the house, and this adds to the daily routine.
 The exciting news is that we are back in the USA for a year to rest and catch up on many things. We have been in Bocachica over four years now so some things have changed, but there are many things the same that our kids haven't experienced. The boy's school books have pictures that match to spelled out words. The problem is they don't know some of the pictures. We have to explain what a mailbox is, or what a barn is used for. A garbage truck takes your trash away for you. Many things they may have seen, but don't remember.
 We also have girls getting ready to move toward university. They need to catch up on learning to drive, expectations of the first world society, and things like that. So the whole family will have some growing.
 We also haven't had a family vacation in at least five years, so we need time to rest and see family. We are excited to come home and see friends, family, and catch up on many activities. We hope to be able to see many of you during this time!

 In Bocachica, Luis and Adriana and family will be taking over the leadership and care of the work. They will continue to host visitors at our house, but also keep up with working at El Shadday. They will continue the filter project as well. So they are going to have a big load this year. Pray for them to have the energy for all this. Pray also that perhaps the Lord would send them some help for this time.
 If you would like to support them and their work please let us know.

 This month we have lots of visitors. We had Hannah Burkhardt from Germany come visit.

Juan Bastidas who partners with us came to see us and the boys he disciples.

Some young guys we mentor with in another village that is about a half days travel away came to visit Luis and I during News Years week.

A new friend, Andrea Osorio from Bogota, stopped in for a day to see the projects.

Luis and Adriana had 6 of their family come and visit for a week on the 5th of January. We were hosting up until we left!

Debbie had a friend from Medellin come visit as well.

We have loved having visitors and meeting all the people that have come through our home. It is going to be something that we miss living in the states.

In other news, Vincent broke his arm while practicing his jump while swinging. It wasn't a bad break, but the doctor decided to put a cast on because it would help it heal faster.

Being back in the states is great and we will be sharing more about that soon.

 Thank you to all who support us! We are grateful for your work that enables us to work here!