Tim Simmons Prayer Letter: Answered Prayer!

Greetings from sunny Florida! Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

Answered Prayer Regarding Our Move

I’ve ask for prayer in our last few letters that Uruguay would reopen so that we can get in this spring. We received a huge answer to prayer in February in regards to that. I had been told that there are ways to get what is called a Special Entry Permit to get into Uruguay. One of the ways to get that is if you are a student there. We plan to take Spanish language classes at a language school in Uruguay when we arrive. We looked online and also spoke with the Uruguayan Embassy in Chicago, but we couldn’t get a straight answer on whether or not we would be able to enter Uruguay as students at the language school. I finally decided to call the Immigration Office in Uruguay directly to confirm whether or not being students at the language school would help us get the entry permit to get in. They confirmed with me that it was indeed true! That is a tremendous answer to prayer! Our concern now is making sure they will allow us all to come and not just my wife and me. If we weren’t able to come in as students, it could possibly take another 6-12 months before we would be allowed into Uruguay.

God’s Provision with Our Van

Our van broke down in Michigan in February, which was the first time we had been stranded with our van while on deputation. We broke down close to a supporting church in Waterford, Michigan. I called Pastor Kevin Dail, and he asked a man named Shane to come and look at our van. He came and was able to tell us rather quickly that we had a blown head gasket. Our van is 15 years old and has over 417,000 miles on it, so we knew it would not be worth fixing. He helped us get to a motel nearby and offered to help us further if we needed it. The next day, I called several places that help missionaries with vehicles, and I was able to find a few possible places to help us. We were supposed to be in Alabama that night for a Missions Conference. That church graciously offered to pay for us to rent a van to get to the conference. So I rented a van, and our family drove to Alabama to be at the Missions Conference for two days. We had a great time there at that Missions Conference! We decided that a place in Texas was the best option to rent a van. So the day after the conference, I got a hotel in Atlanta for my wife and kids. I then flew to Texas to pick up the van and drive it back. We are thankful that our old van was reliable for the past 2 years and 2 months of deputation, as we put around 99,000 miles on it. We are also thankful for the churches that have helped us keep our van running. I am amazed at how God worked it all out and that we only missed one meeting because of it.

We’re Getting Close

We were able to be a part of five Missions Conferences and one Missions Month meeting in February. Praise the Lord for three more supporting churches in February as well! We are getting so close to being ready to leave for the field. Please pray that the eight meetings we will be at in March go well.