We have now fully moved out of our house in Goodyear and are living temporarily in a condo that has been provided to us by Alternative Missions. We still have much to do in order to prepare ourselves for our upcoming transition in January. The boys are doing well. Max is having a more difficult time with the move as he continues to say, “I want to go home..”. We have to explain to him that wherever we are together as a family, that is home. Clay, on the other hand, shows his excitement daily and never misses an opportunity to tell people that we are moving to Roatan. He tells people that there will be coconut trees and lots of fish. This past week both boys were sick with high fevers, but both seem to be doing well now. Melissa however has been sick for the past few days. Please pray for a quick recovery for her.

We have been so encouraged by many of you over the past week. Our friends the Noetzelmans who were missionaries in Germany years ago sent us a very encouraging email filled with stories of Gods miraculous providence for thier family as they served. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send these notes of encouragement and inspirational stories! We still need to raise more support and have a great deal of things we need to ship off to Miami in the next week or so in order to prepare for our churches launch date of January 11th. We have moved our departure date from the 3rd of January to the 10th due to several needs that have arisen here in the States.

So, to recap this weeks prayer requests:

*    Pray for health for our entire family
*    Pray for increase in our family’s and our churches financial support
*    Pray for Max and Clay as they work to understand this transition

Thank you again for your prayers and support. This Saturday, Dec. 6th, we will be having a goodbye party in Buckeye, AZ. Our dear friends the Fintons will be hosting this celebration. It begins at 6pm. If you would like to attend, please feel free to contact us at (623) 853-0321 for info and directions. Be blessed this week and I look forward to talking with you soon!

In Him,

Jeremy & Melissa Dyck

If you would like to be a part our family’s support team, you can send checks to:

Alternative Missions
PO Box 5835
Goodyear, AZ 85338

Or you can give online via credit/debit card or direct transfer through our eGiving option. Just click here and follow the diections on the eGiving website.

The other day we had quite a moment of divine encouragement that I thought I should share. The last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful here at home. Melissa has been running full-speed ahead working on packing up this house. We’ve been packing, selling, moving and grooving and it’s causing our heads to spin. In addition, we’ve had a few bills hit us pretty hard and we’ve been facing some heavy discouragement. Most recently I took our VW Beetle in to the dealership to get a few small items fixed and instead was faced with nearly $2000 worth of repairs that needed to happen before we could sell the car. Our monthly support hasn’t been the greatest and so this repair bill was very ill timed.

As Melissa was driving me to the dealership to pick up our Beetle we were both sharing or frustrations with one another. Basically, just like Peter on that fateful day out at sea with the disciples, we were choosing to look at the wind and the waves rather than keeping our eyes on Jesus. We arrived at the dealership and I jumped out of our car and headed for the service department. As I entered the showroom, a salesman, (who was obviously of East Indian decent) called out to me and said, “Hey, you really belong in Roatan!” I turned to look at him because obviously this guy must know me. But when I saw his face, I had NO CLUE who this guy was. I looked at him and said, “Excuse me?”

“Roatan looks good on you” He replied.

Now I was really confused. I mean, here I was getting a prophetic word from an East Indian Car Salesman. I looked at him again with a quizzical expression and he could see that I wasn’t quite sure of what he was saying.

I then noticed that he was looking over my shoulder and pointing at a vehicle that was behind me on the showroom floor. Then it hit me.Volkswagen just introduced their new minivan and it’s called the Routan. Because of this gentleman’s thick accent, I thought he was saying Roatan. He was actually attempting to sell me the new VW Routan that was on the showroom floor.

Regardless of the error in communication, I still took it as a sign of confirmation. God wants us in Roatan. Like the guy said, “Roatan looks good on us”. It was just what Melissa and I needed to take our eyes off the storm and focus onceagain on our Savior. How’s that for a little divine encouragement?

Star Wars Determination

One of my favorite movies of all times has to be the original Star Wars. There’s a scene in that movie towards the end where the Rebels are finally storming the massive Death Star and a few tiny X-wing fighters have broken through the defenses and are making their way down the narrow corridor to launch the final torpedo that will bring down this planet killing behemoth. The guy in the lead has activated his targeting computer and is announcing to the rest of Gold team his intentions. “Almost there” he says.

His team mate yells into his com, “Stay on target”

“Almost there”

“Stay on target”

The exchange seems to repeat itself over and over for several minutes before the guy yelling stay on target is shot down and Mr. “Almost There” misses the easiest shot he’ll ever take. Well, other than the terrible outcome of that particular scene, the simple dialogue has been ringing in my ears repeatedly for the past few weed. “Almost there Jeremy…stay on target”.

Currently we have a number of goals that we are working hard to meet each day. We need to move out of our house by the end of November. We need to have items purchased for the church and shipped to Roatan before we arrive in January and we need to purchase our tickets to even get to Roatan within a few days. There are more goals than these, but you get the idea. One goal that seems to loom greater than the rest is that of raising our personal support. Currently we are $1,000.00 short of our monthly financial needs. Our goal is to recruit 30 people who can help in reaching this total. We are asking our home team to consider the following need:

10 people who can give $50 a month
20 people who can give $25 a month

These 30 monthly donations will raise the needed $1000 and insure our continued success on the Island of Roatan. For those of you who feel led to give towards our monthly financial needs, you can send checks to:

Alternative Missions
PO Box 5835
Goodyear, AZ 85338

There’s another exciting way you give as well. Alternative Missions is using a new online donation system that allows you to completely control when and how much you donate each month. This eGiving system is simple and effective. You can find out more by clicking here and following the simple instructions.

As our departure date approaches, we remain encouraged and excited about all that God has in store for us. Continue to pray for us as we are “almost there” and that our determination and calling will help us to “stay on target”.

We Need Your Help

Upon our arrival in Roatan, we will moving into a new apartment that we will need to furnish. People tend to believe that because we will be living in Central America, things will be cheap. That couldn’t be more incorrect. In fact, generally speaking, most things on the island cost more than they would here in the states. In addition, the costs associated with shipping items to the island are astronomical. Not only are the shipping costs high, but once a shipped item arrives on the island, you must pay duty on that item and that can be a minimum of 30% of the total purchase and shipment cost. Again, it’s not cheap.

Things like transportation too are not cheap. First of all, you don’t really want to purchase a used vehicle that is on the island because the sea air and bad roads will have done a number on that vehicle and your basically purchasing something that will not last very long. In order to import a vehicle, it cannot be anything older than 7 years old and again, you have to add shipping costs and duty. Duty is not applied at the price you paid for the vehicle. Rather, it is assessed at the cost of the vehicle when it was brand new. A $2500 used vehicle could be taxed at the purchase price of $20,000.00, thus making the importation of a vehicle non-cost effective. That leaves the option of traveling to mainland Honduras to look for an inexpensive, yet reliable used vehicle. They can be found for around $7000 - $10,000, but then you need to get them back on the island. All in all, the process isn’t exactly a cheap endeavor.

Many of you have asked if we could provide a list of supplies that we will need to purchase as some are interested in donating the finances for one or more particular need(s). Melissa and I have spent some time talking and I think we have a pretty good list put together….

Refrigerator - $800.00
Stove/Oven - $400.00
Washer & Dryer - $600.00
Dining Room Table & Chairs - $200.00
Living Room Furniture - $500.00
Flight Costs - $3,000.00
Reliable Car - $8,000.00
Computer - $1,000.00

These are just some of the basics. There will be other needs, but like I said, many of you have been asking for this list. Please prayerfully consider how you can help.

Thank you again for your prayers, your financial support and your love. We couldn’t do this without you. We are excited to making this transition and things are really coming together with the church. Be checking our website as well as the Alternative Missions website for new information about the International Worship Center Church in Roatan, Honduras. We are just 7 weeks away from departure and it seems there is still much to be done. We will continue to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and stay on target.

Continue to pray for Max and Clay. Yesterday we moved their beds into another room and cleaned out their old room. This week we’ll probably begin painting over their beautiful Nemo themed room. All the changes have been tough for the little guys, but they are doing great. This is their last week of T-Ball. For those of you in the West Valley of Phoenix, feel free to come on out to Litchfield Park tonight and Thursday night for their games. You can call us for details. Trust me, you haven’t experienced entertainment until you’ve seen a field of 4 years olds clamoring for a baseball.

Thank you again for all that you do. We love you!

Jeremy & Melissa Dyck

 We are well under way putting our documents together to begin our residency process when we arrive in Roatan. Both of us had to get fingerprinted in order to get certified copies of our criminal records this past week. In addition, I had to get two certified copies of our marriage license. Now I have to take all of those documents to the state department to have them apostilled. What a process. There are still more documents that I need to get together and have notarized and verified by the state before we can send everything off to the lawyer. Then the lawyer in Honduras charges $1200 to process all of the documents and hopefully acquire our residencies. It’s quite a process!

 My Grandfather in Spokane took a bad fall this week and broke his arm. Because of his age, there is little that the doctors say they can do for him. They have him in traction now and are giving him lots of pain meds which are affecting his ability to function at all. My parents and my aunt have all been working hard to look after Grandpa Lee, but it’s a discouraging battle. My Grandparents are amazing people whom I love dearly. They are getting ready to celebrate their 67^th wedding anniversary..how incredible is that?!?! Please be in prayer for Lee as well as my family as they deal with these health issues.

 Finally, please pray for Max and Clay and our ability to be good parents during this transition. Right now the house is in boxes and a few rooms are empty to almost empty. This week we will be moving the boys from their room to the guest room in order to complete more of the move. All of this transition has them a little bit in a tizzy. We are experiencing more disobedience and attitude issues with both of them. Much of it I’m sure has to do with the lack of continuity in their house and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. I know they don’t understand completely what is about to happen, but I know they can feel it and it is becoming harder on them right now. We need wisdom and lots of grace in loving our children through this transition.

So, just to recap..

• Pray for our residency process that all will go smoothly
• Pray for my Grandfathers health
• Pray for Max and Clay and our parenting during this transition

 Thank you so much for your prayers. We couldn’t do this without you! It’s so great to have a team of committed prayer warriors partnering together with us as we begin this new ministry. We love you and we’re excited to have you as part of this team!

Jeremy & Melissa Dyck
Alternative Missions
http://whatsupdyck.vineage.com

The $500 we earned is a HUGE blessing as we hope it will enable us to finally put to rest the I.R.S. issue that has been plaguing us this year. As many of you know, we received a letter from the IRS in March saying that they had found a problem with our 1996 taxes. The problem they identified meant that we now owed the Federal Government almost $13,000.00. We scrambled and hired people to look over our taxes. When it was all said and done, our people had found that not only did we not owe the IRS $13,000, but the IRS in fact owed us almost $3,000. At this point the IRS proceeded to lose all of the paperwork we sent them, threatened to take us to tax court, then found the missing paperwork, scrutinized it yet again and decided they didn’t like what we sent. The week before we left for Roatan we received yet another letter from the IRS stating that they did not owe us $3,000 but instead we now owe them $3,000. So, it’s back to the drawing board once again. We have hired another person to take on the IRS and correct the information. It is our hope that she will in fact find the error and that the error will be on the side of the IRS. We’ll keep you updated.

Finally, we are in high gear as we prepare to move out of our home at the end of this month and move to Roatan in January. As I stated in my last update, we did discover that there are more costs associated with our move than we had originally anticipated. Right off the bat, we need to raise a one time fee of $4,000 just to transport our family from the states to Roatan. In order to get our home prepared in Roatan we need to raise a minimum of $2500 to pay for appliances and beds. We will also need to purchase a vehicle when we arrive on the island. We plan on selling our Beetle here in Phoenix and using that money to purchase a car, however the folks in Roatan have told us that we will need at least $10,000 in order to purchase a working vehicle on the island. At best, we can get $7,500 for our Beetle so that leaves a deficit of $2,500 that we need to raise. Finally, the computer I have been using here in the states belongs to Alternative Missions home office and will not be coming with us to Roatan. I will need to raise the funds necessary to purchase a new computer for our work in Honduras. All in all, we need to raise an additional $10,000 in one time donations to make the transition to Roatan.

So, this week we are asking you to join us in prayer for:

• celebration of our success at the garage sale
• Completion of the IRS issue
• Divine providence for the finances needed

We thank you for your prayers. If you feel directed to give towards any of our families financial needs, you can send a check to:

Alternative Missions
PO Box 5835
Goodyear, AZ 85338

or you can give on line by clicking here and following the instructions on the eGiving page. Thank you again for all that you do. We love you and we covet your prayers every day. Things are getting really exciting around here and we look forward with great anticipation for the big things that are in store for our family as we move to Roatan, Honduras!

In Him,

Jeremy & Melissa Dyck

We’re back! It may only be for another 2 months, but regardless…we’re back. We had an amazing trip to Roatan this past week. Thank you so much for your prayers! Every day was filled with divine appointments and incredible blessings. Without writing a novel I’ll just have to share some of the highlights. Hopefully we’ll all get some personal time to talk and share with you more about this exciting transition.

Our church has found a home! We signed a contract with a nearby resort to utilize a conference room at their facility for all of 2009. Beginning in January our church will move to weekly services and be hosted at the Mayan Princess Resort in West Bay, Roatan. This is a HUGE praise as we will have space to host our services as well as children’s ministry. In addition, having a set weekly home will be a radical improvement upon how we have been meeting to date.

Not only has our church found a home, but Melissa and I have found a home as well. The Lynch family has offered us use of a 2 bedroom condo which they built on their property several years ago. The house that is pictured is their current home on West Bay, but the condo we will be living in is on the same property. This is an incredible blessing as we will have a safe and amazing place to live that is near to the church and has easy access to all other parts of the island. Max and Clay will have an area to enjoy home school, a host of dogs that will keep them safe and two friends next door, (the Lynch’s boys, Jayson and Grady) to keep them company. I want to say a special thanks to TJ and Shelly Lynch for their incredible hospitality during our stay in Roatan and for their willingness to offer this condo to our family.

There are several others who have offered their assistance in our relocation phase as well. Our friend Wally from Helene has offered to help us locate affordable appliances for our new home. Another friend Peter and his friend Mark are assisting us in finding a safe and affordable vehicle before we arrive. Others have offered to help us in getting to know the island as far as where to shop, who to talk to about residency issues, and so much more. Overall, our trip produced much fruit and we are eager to make the transition in January.

There are several items that we need your prayer about. First of all, our church needs a worship leader. The young man who has been leading worship at the IWC will be returning to the states in November. We really feel that worship needs to be a HUGE part of our weekly experiences and so we are praying for God to bring us a gifted worship leader. The costs associated to relocating and living in Roatan are a bit more than we had originally expected. We will need to raise a large amount of initial start-up funds prior to our departure. We are having a garage sale this weekend and anticipate selling many more of our possessions before we leave in hopes of off-setting some of these initial expenses. And lastly, we are asking for prayer regarding peace in our household over the next 2 months. The process of packing, selling, moving and setting up once again in another country is daunting. There is so much to be done and little to no time to do it in. We really want Gods peace that transcends all understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Will you agree in prayer for those three things for our family?

We love you and we are eager to share more about all that God is doing in our lives and ministry as we prepare to launch out. Be sure to log on to whatsupdyck.vineage.com to read more about all that is happening. Be blessed and thank you again for your prayers!

In Him,

Jeremy Dyck
Alternative Missions

Today began with yet another deluge from the heavens. That didn’t deter our plans though. We enjoyed a slow paced morning with the Lynch family, (our hosts) as well as some friends we have met who are vacationing here on the island and considering a move very soon to the West Bay area. After that, Melissa and I worked a little bit on preparing things in the condo where we will be living when we return. We removed the old blinds and did some surface prep on the walls and floors. We are VERY excited about were we will be living upon our return.

Around 11am we ventured out into the storm and spent some more time with Peggy Stranges at her clinic in Sandy Bay. From there we had lunch with an amazing young man named Donny who is a worship pastor at a local church here on the island. After lunch we drove out to Coxen Hole and met with the Silseth family who have been here for 9 years managing HRGS radio. Peter and Sandy Silseth are amazing people who have an incredible ministry here on the island. Peter will be preaching at the IWC in November and December while Larry is home on furlough. While we were with Peter, he took us to meet a gentleman who has helped many local ex-pats acquire vehicles here on the island. It was a great contact and we’re hoping for Gods favor in securing reliable transportation upon our return.

This evening, Melissa joined 15 other ladies at the Silseth home for a womens Bible study.  During that time I met with 4 other gentlemen who I believe will serve key rolls with the development of the IWC. It was an incredible time of discussion and prayer. After the meeting I returned home and the Lynch Family and Melissa and I had a time of prayer on the upper deck of their home here in West Bay.

Like I said, what an incredible day. Thank you again for your prayers and support. I will be sending out an update when we return with more detailed information about our trip and all that we have learned. Be blessed!

Jeremy & Melissa

After my time at the clinic, I rushed back to West Bay for an important meeting at the resort where the IWC has been meeting. We have been working to secure a space that the church can use each week to meet. Currently the church meets twice a month and generally at 2 different locations on opposing ends of the island. TJ has been working hard to try and develop a relationship with the new management of this particular resort in hopes to secure the facility on a weekly basis begining in 2009. God was with us and we have penned an agreement with the Mayan Princess Resort in West Bay to use 2 conference rooms every Sunday for the church service and kids ministry. The total cost will be $75 each week or $300 each month. This is a total miraculous providence! Now with a secure location to meet, we can begin planning our weekly services!

After that meeting, TJ and I took a quick trip to the local dump in order to clean out a few things from his construction site. In the evening we all had dinner together at the Lynch’s house and enjoyed some amazing fellowship. God is really binding together our hearts as families and friends. We are very grateful for the Lynch family and the hospitality they have shown us this past week.

In case you are wondering where Lissa was during all of this, she had an island adventure all her own today. I’ll let her tell you a little bit about it…

“Hello all! Did  lots of running around today with Shelly, our host, checking out more of the local stores. We went to a mercado as well and saw the “fresh” vegetables available. Pretty sad state of produce to be honest. In seeing that, it has been a blessing however to stay here with our host family and see how great the meals are that they make with all the local food. I was pretty nervous around there though and realized that it will be a while before I feel comfortable taking the kids with me. The streets are very busy in Calle Ocho (yes where we have done ministry in the past. :)) and Coxen Hole and it would be too difficult to watch the boys, search out my options, and navigate through the towns decifering when to use my Spanish and when to speak to the islanders in English. Too much to balance and keep a close eye on the boys. I so enjoy shopping with Shelly. She is quick like me. I can see us making many trips together to all the stores. It is so nice to find a friend like that before we arrive here as a family. Thank you SOOOO much to the Garbers and my sister and brother in law for watching the boys while we have been able to be here. As we drive around and check out the scene, I am so reminded of all the amazing mission trips I have made with so many of you. I miss you all and am so thankful to you all for praying for us. Love to you all. See you soon.”

Tomorrow evening Lissa will be participating with the womens Bible study. I will be meeting with the IWC development team leaders to talk about where we want to head as a church. I’m really excited about hearing the hearts of those that have been here and a part of the IWC for so long. Thank you for your continued prayers. We love you and are looking forward to sharing more great reports upon our return home.

Jeremy & Lissa

We quickly checked in with TJ to see if he had heard of any road blocks being set up between here and Los Fuertes. TJ informed us that he had heard that a road block was planned on being set up at 2pm in the town of Los Fuertes and so Melissa and I jumped in the car and drove like mad men to our destination. Our goal was to retrieve a document from Wally Bodden, (many of you remember Wally from the island of Helene). We arrived at Wally’s store in Los Fuertes around 1:15 and got what we came for. We asked Wally if he had heard anything about a protest or road block and he said he was preparing to leave because he had heard that one was planned for 2pm.

Lissa and I thanked Wally for his help and then jumped back in the car. We arrived home right about the time the protest was planned to begin. That afternoon, Lissa and I walked down to West Bay Beach and enjoyed a quick dip in the Sea. We attempted a bit of snorkeling, but because of all the storms we have been experiencing here, visibility was horrible. We spent the late afternoon talking with the Lynch family and other friends who stopped by the house. In the evening we had dinner in West End with another family we have met since we have been here on the island.

When the day was done, it didn’t seem as though we had accomplished a lot, but we still had a great day. Life in the Caribbean can be strange. Days can whiz by and you can feel as though your day was a waste. Looking back, we were able to have  time to enjoy the company and fellowship of quite a few people. And when it all comes down to it, that is the most important thing. When we return, we will need to focus a great deal of time and attention on spending time with folks here on the island and building relationships. I guess today was a great practice run afterall.

We had a very productive day today. This morning we got up and headed to West End and enjoyed a breakfast od Rudy’s banana pancakes, (for those of you in the know…be jealous). Afterward we headed in to Coxen Hole, (Roatan’s capital city) and began doing some window shopping. We have been offered an amazing place to live here in West Bay. It is a beautiful 1200 sq ft/2 bedroom condo right near the beach. It has 24hr security and lots of amenities. TJ and Shelly Lynch, the family we are staying with here in Roatan have offered this place to us and Melissa and I are VERY excited about the opportunity. However, we do need to find furnishings. So, in Coxen Hole we began to price out mattresses, refrigerators, stoves, washers/dryers, dishes and silverware and so much more. All in all it looks as though we will be able to furnish the entire condo for around $2500 - $3000. That’s pretty exciting if you ask me!

After window shopping in Coxen Hole, we headed to the local Tigo store, (cell phone provider). We picked up a new phone that we can use once we move in January. Now we have means of communication here on the island. Things are so different from when we lived here nearly 10 years ago.

We then made our way back to West Bay where we met with team Helene director, Larry Benson for lunch. Following lunch and a great discussion with Larry, we headed out to meet a few folks from the International Worship Center. We were also able to meet with a local hotel owner and make arrangements for possible summer outreach teams.

Finally we headed home and are now sitting here, watching the sun set out over the Caribbean. God is good. Please pray as tomorrow there are planned protests that will be taking place over the island against the local power company. Recently they doubled their prices and that has made the folks on the island fairly upset. Already Roatan boasts the highest cost of electricity in all of Central America. The last time these protests happened, many of them turned violent. Pray for safety and direction as we continue to travel across the island and prepare for our upcoming move.

Until tomorrow!

Jeremy & Melissa