Following Him in Colombia ------ Jonathan and María Snyder

Snyder Family Update #1 of 2021

2/28/2021

2021 has been off to a great start in the Snyder family! We can truly say we are blessed in so many ways and continually see God's grace, goodness, and faithfulness to us and all around us. Take a look below at some of the highights of this year so far!

We are extremely grateful for God's provision for a family car! A month ago we were able to buy a reliable, used car from a trusted friend. Maria has received her license and I am almost finished with the course! It is a 2012 Chevy Aveo.

Zoe Grace Snyder - due July 16

Other exciting news is that we will be having another girl at the beginning of July! We honestly felt that it would be a boy, but God surprised us and now we have two princesses! Her name is Zoe Grace Snyder.

Mia is now almost 19 months old! She is growing and learning a lot and says words like bye, sheep, dog, cat, apple, turtle, eyes, and more. She DOES NOT sit still and seems like she has endless energy. We love her a lot! We are praying for her transition to not being an only child and we feel she and her sister will have a special connection.

Maria and I are doing well and are coming up on 47 months of marriage...time flies! We are learning to be patient, give the Lord control of certain areas of our lives, and go to the next level spiritually. We are still in the process of choosing a new church, but we feel pretty sure about where we have been attending the past few weeks (Peniel Church).

We are enjoying this "new season" of ministry as we have taken more of an overseer/recruiter/fundraiser role. God has given us four different ministry sites and has given us three different coordinators each in charge of his/her site. This has freed us up a bit and allows us to focus on other things. It has been great to see the coordinators grow and take initiative! We continue to go full-steam ahead even during the pandemic and God has protected and blessed all those involved.

Baby Reveal!

Family pics

Mia's Pics - She steals the show!

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Snyder Family Update: Nov-Dec 2020

12/31/2020

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Our time in the U.S. has finally come to an end. We were so blessed in so many ways and have experienced God's amazing grace and favor. We arrived in Santa Marta on December 3 after a LONG AND CRAZY TRIP. God has been taking us to the next level spiritually, ministerially, and emotionally as we continue seeking His will for our lives!

Mia is growing a lot in more ways than one and loves to help, watch Daniel Tiger, greet almost anyone she sees, ride around in her new toy car and play with momma and dadda. Maria is having a bit of a tough time with her pregnancy, but she and baby are good and healthy. The due date is July 16. We are excited about 2021 and all it will hold for our family!

We shared at two churches in November about our ministry with Enciende El Fuego!

Bethlehem Community Fellowship - Bethlehem, PA
November 8

Cornerstone Church - Easton, PA
November 22

Jonathan's speaking opportunities

Preaching at Maranatha - November 29

Preaching at Cornerstone spanish service November 22

Chapel at Faith Christian School - November 5

Family Pics

Other USA Pictures

Colombia Pictures

Ministry Update

We are in the middle of ministry planning for 2021 and have to make a lot of decisions. In November, we received a $10,000 donation towards our building fund and we now have $10,200! We are praying for God to lead us to a car to buy here for family/ministry. The past few weeks have been full of party planning and parties in the different ministry sites. We will be starting back up again the week of January 11-16. This year we will be training 3 different coordinators to each run their own ministry site!

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Snyder Family Update: Sept-Oct 2020

11/9/2020

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The last two months for us in the States have been great! We have seen God's tremendous blessing, favor, and anointing on our time here! We have dedicated our time to seeing family, raising funds for us and for ministry, and "slowing down" while still working. As of now, we plan to head back to Colombia on December 3. Below are some of the highlights and pics:

Time With Family!

Pennsylvania Pics!

One of Maria's life-long dreams was to visit Seaworld, and God granted her that request back in late August! We even got to go for free! Mia loved it, too!

Growing the support team in different churches!

1. Maranatha Family Christian Fellowship Nazareth, PA - Sept 27

2. Commitment Community Church
Lindenwold, NJ - Oct 4

3. Faith Family Fellowship
Nazareth, PA - Oct 11

4. Benders Mennonite Church
Pen Argyl, PA - Oct 18

5. Capital Community Church
Raleigh, NC - Oct 25

Maria turned 30 on Sept 8 (still looks like 23)!

Maria leading a Spanish class
at a local Christian school on October 5!

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Jonathan got to lead a three-week teaching on preparing for heaven at a local small group!

We led a 3-day devotional for spiritual emphasis week at a local Christian school October 5-7!

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Jonathan preached at Maranatha on September 20 about going to the next level!

Evangelism in downtown Easton, PA!

Maria has been loving her time in the U.S. and has especially loved time with family and connections with Latinos. Her English has improved a ton, and has been surprised by God in many things.

Jonathan has been growing in intimacy with the Holy Spirit and has taken on a fund-raiser/recruiter role with the ministry. We continue to learn as parents through the different stages of our first child.

Mia has been growing a ton and really is so cute and smart and a joy to be around! She loves to explore, be outside and has a TON of energy and personality. She is 14 months old.

Our Trip to Raleigh: October 21-31

Our 10-day trip to Raleigh was a blessing as we visited supporters, shared about our ministry in the church, and just enjoyed being out in nature with beautiful weather!

Speaking at Capital Community Church

Visiting families

Mia's non-stop energy and exploration!

A few more pics of our time in Raleigh!

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Snyder Life and Ministry Update: July-August 2020

8/31/2020

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The past two months have been a period of challenge and blessing for our family - challenge because of the limitations Covid has put on everything and blessing because of all God has done. We moved on July 21st to a new two-story house. It has been a blessing living in a bigger and less-expensive place and having more room for Mia. We also moved all of our ministry things out of the house in 17 de Diciembre and are storing them in our house/office. We also celebrated Mia's 1st birthday on August 15 with family in Santa Marta.

Another huge blessing is that we are in the USA! We decided on August 10 to take a humanitarian flight out of Colombia, and on the 21st we left (after a 5-hour bus ride and an overnight stay). We were blessed to spend 12 days with my aunt in Kissimmee, Florida where we we were spoiled, rested, and had many adventures. Since September 3rd, we have been with my parents in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. We are planning on spending 1-2 weeks in the Raleigh, NC area in mid-late October, and our flight back to Colombia (if airports open up) is tentatively December 3. We got to share briefly in my aunt's church in Florida about our ministry and also have several other churches where we will share about our ministry in the coming months:

August 23: Living Water Fellowship - Kissimmee, FL
September 27: Maranatha Family Christian Fellowship - Nazareth, PA
October 4: Commitment Community Church - Lindenwold, NJ
October 11: Faith Family Fellowship - Nazareth, PA
*We hope to speak at Capital Community Church In Raleigh, NC in late October as well

Maria's sister has been in-charge of the ministry in our absence and has been doing a great job. It was difficult at first to give up control of something we have been leading the past few years. As a ministry, we are currently doing virtual discipleship with the families of Divino Niño, evangelism 1-2 times a week, a small group with the teens of 17 de Diciembre, and activities in a new neighborhood called Juan XXIII. Part of our time in the States is to raise money for our own ministry building, seek missionary volunteers, present the ministry, etc.

God has been teaching us a lot about being grateful for even the little things in this season of life. We are learning to not walk in fear of man nor seek man's approval but only be concerned about what God thinks. Maria has been challenged to be more patient, trust that the Lord has bigger and better plans for her/our life, and open her heart and mind to what God has for her. Jonathan has been growing a lot in spiritual maturity, authority, and boldness. We have enjoyed time to rest and see family and are happy to see Mia conquer her new surroundings! We are grateful for all God has allowed us to experience during our time in the States, and are looking forward to what He has in store in the next two and a half months here!

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7

In Christ, Jonathan, Maria, and Mia

Click on the link if you would like to support our family!

Santa Marta pics

A few pics from our time in Florida

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May-June 2020 Colombia Update

6/30/2020

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The last two months have been great for our family amidst the frustrations and challenges of Covid-19. We have seen God's increasing favor upon our family and ministry spiritually and financially. Maria and I have celebrated 38 months of marriage and Mia 10 months of life! Even though we haven't been able to do much ministry in the past few months, God has been using us to bless others and to grow a lot closer to Him. It is looking like we will be heading to the U.S. in September when international flights here open up and possibly staying through Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas. We wish we could be there right now, but God is using us here while we wait.

God has been using Maria to build relationships with our neighbors and has even gotten to share the Gospel with two neighbors and one worker. She is an awesome wife and mom and continues to grow in intimacy with the Lord. She has been learning to cook many new things and has been taking care of ministry details. Jonathan has been growing in intimacy with the Lord and in spiritually maturity and authority. He has had a greater Kingdom vision and is leanring how to be creative in ministry. Jonathan's goal for the month of May was to share the Gospel with at least one person each day for 31 days, and by God's grace was able to do it and many persons were encouraged and challenged. He also enjoyed his first official Father's Day!

As for ministry, we have had to be creative, but we are doing what we can for now. Thanks to a few donations, we have been able to bless kids/families with food and small gifts. It has been a bit frustrating not being able to do ministry as before, but we are growing as more people are hearing about us, and we are receiving more donations. A ministry whats to do a "showcase" on us in July. We are learning to be thankful, to live and do things without fear, and do things to please God and not man.

Testimonies

On July 20, we will be moving into a house! We had been looking to move for quite some time, but never felt peace with a place and decided to let it go until after returning from the States. Last Thursday, we happened to visit another random house and the Holy Spirit unexpectedly showed us both that it was house for us! It unexpectedly had everything we were looking for and is much bigger and even less expensive than where we are are living now. We had to talk to the owners of our current house and prayed for favor because we legally have to give three months notice and were giving five weeks, and by God's grace they are letting us move at the end of July. The owners of the other house accepted us shortly after. It all happened in half a day and we know it is from the Lord!

I had the opportunity back in May to share the gospel message with a group of four in the downtown area. There was a young boy from Venezuela named Cristofer there who heard the message, and I challenged him to share the message with someone else. Shortly after, he did it. I gave him the e-card to share the gospel message. When I met up with him several weeks later, he told me that he had shared the goepel message with around 20 persons by himself! The picture to the left is of him.

Pics of us in evangelism outings

Mia's Update

Our Mia Joy turned 10 months old on June 15! She is already walking (almost running at times), loves to play, has a great smile and laugh, is super smart and strong, loves every kind of food, is sleeping through the night every night, is persistent and decisive, loves people, loves being out of the house, and likes to "help out" around the house!

10 months photo shoot!

More pics of Mia Joy

Family pics

If you would like to support us as missionaries,
you can click on the link and follow the directions.
https://firstloveinternational.kindful.com/campaigns/1042881?utf8=%E2%9C%93&campaigns=1042881&amount=100

2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God hasn't given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

In Christ,
Jonathan María, and Mia

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Snyder Colombia Update - March/April 2020

4/30/2020

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U.S. Trip Update

Sadly, our trip/flight to the States on March 31 was cancelled back in early March and there are no flights in or out of Colombia until at least the beginning of June. We have left this in God's hands and are aiming for a July through October visit when hopefully things will be a bit better and safer.

Mia Update - 8 months old!

Mia turned 8 months old on April 15! She is currently in the stage where she is all over the place, pulling herself up on things, and getting into everything possible...it is quite exhausting at times! This time of quarantine has been hard on her as she enjoys being out and about. She continues getting cuter and more mature each month, and we do love her very much! She even sleeps most, if not all, night!

Jonathan and Maria Update

On April 13 we got to celebrate (in our house, of course!) our three-year anniversary! We had hoped to celebrate in the States, so we will have a part-two in a few months! We are thankful for three fantastic years together and are grateful for all God has done during that time.

Books we have read (Jon left, Maria right)

Go2020 Global Evangelism Month

Maria's Personal Update

Maria has been growing a lot during this time. She has been learning how to cook many different (and delicious) things and challenges herself to be a better mom and wife. She has recently started to minister to one of the neighbors on our floor and have good conversations while challenging her to surrender her life to Christ. She has also been growing a lot spiritually and has been posting video devotionals and teachings on Facebook. She is looking forward to our future trip to the States to visit with family, experience new things, and improve her english even more.

Jonathan's Personal Update

Don{tThis time of quarantine has been a bit frustrating for me, especially at the beginning, but over the past month and a half God has been developing a LOT of the fruits of the Spirit in me, teaching me to be thankful, and growing me spiritually and in intimacy with Him. He has been speaking quite a bit to me and is preparing me to go out with a passion after activities return. My ministry for now is my wife and daughter, organizing goals for global evangelism month, and evangelizing in the streets. For the month of May I have made a personal commitment to share the gospel with at least one person every day. Last week I got the opportunity to preach inside a supermarket with my speaker/microphone. The boss let me and even turned down the music in the store! I have been meeting lots of different people in the past few days, and I just allow the Holy Spirit to guide me every time I go out. Yes, I wear a mask and practice distancing!

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." - John 15:7

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." - 2 Corinthians 9:6

If you would like to support our ministry in Colombia, please click on the link and follow the directions: Snyder Family Support

In Christ,
Jonathan, María and Mia

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January-February 2020 Colombia Update

2/29/2020

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2020 has started off with a bang! God has done so much in just two months that we are super excited for what the rest of the year holds in store! We know that this year will be a year of even greater blessing as a family and ministry. Throughout the past two months God has given us an expanded vision, a focus on heavenly treasures, and an even greater anointing and favor of the Holy Spirit!

We are excited about our upcoming trip to the United States from March 31-July 7ish:
- We will be spending time with my aunt in Kissimmee, Florida from March 31-April 8
- We will be in Raleigh, NC for 2-3 weeks in May
- We will be in Nazareth, PA for two months total before leaving for Colombia in early July
- We will be spending much time with family and relatives, sharing about our ministry in several churches, fundraising, working, and resting

Mia is now SIX months old and gets cuter each day! She has started crawling a bit backwards, has started eating soft foods, loves smiling at people, sleeps most of the night, still loves her bath time, and can't sit still for very long! Some say she looks more like her mom and some say more like her dad. She has already been to Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Valledupar, Pueblo Bello, Bogotá, and Villavicencio. We know and have witnessed that God has a special calling, anointing, and favor upon her life and we love her very much!

Mia Joy Snyder

Our trip to Pueblo Bello

In early January, we had the opportunity to take a mini "vacation" to Valledupar and Pueblo Bello and visit an America/Colombian family who we had met in Santa Marta last July. It was great to visit with them, see their work with the indigenous communities, and just get away for a few days.

We had an awesome experience at the church service with the indigenous peoples. We felt God's love for the indigenous people and even had a vision of us working with indigenous communities! (A lot of the pics couldn't be uploaded because of large file sizes).

Two weeks in Villavicencio and Bogotá

Villavicencio

We had a blessed time at the Crisalinco conference in Villavicencio from January 28-February 6! Crisalinco is a ministry that works with the indigenous tribes in various parts of Colombia and they invited us to be a part of their annual assembly.

Highlights:
1. Maria and I received certifications with Alfabetización Internacional, a ministry that teaches people to read and write and shares God's love
2. We had the chance to share about our ministry one evening with the conference participants
3. The same evening we were explaining how to use the Evangecube, and before finishing a woman and her daughter decided to accept Christ right there
4. We spent a week and a half with many amazing people (like a big family), made many great friends and connections, and they want us to travel to the different sites to train the leaders how to work with kids
5. Jonathan had the opportunity to preach in a local church about heavenly treasures and the Holy Spirit touched and spoke to many persons

Bogotá

Highlights:
1. Jonathan received his Colombian resident visa
2. We shared in City Harvest Church about Enciende El Fuego, they took up an offering for the minsitry, we made several great connections, and many want to support us in some capacity
3. We got to visit El Camino Academy where Jonathan used to work. It was so nice to see students and teachers again
4. We met with the person in charge of school mission trips at ECA, and they are interested in sending a team to Santa Marta next year to work with us
5. Mia got to meet many new friends and everyone loves her

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33

In Christ,
Jonathan, María, and Mia

From the USA: Partner with us
From Colombia: Bancolombia ahorros 93229228895

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December 2019 Colombia Update

1/14/2020

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Looking back on all that God has done in our family and ministry this past year, we can’t help but be thankful! We had a crazy, but great, month of December organizing three end-of-the-year parties and other events. We were able to finish out December strong, and are already looking forward to all that God is going to do this year! Below are just a few of the party pics.

We were blessed to receive so many donations here in Colombia
and from donors in the U.S.!

Mia continues to grow up really fast and is already five months old! She is a good mix of her mom and her dad. She loves going on trips, being out and about, baths, eating, listening to the guitar, and smiling. She is a blessing from God! Thankfully, she received her U.S. passport and now is all ready to travel!

In December, we had the opportunity to do a few ministry events in different neighborhoods in Santa Marta where we had the opportunity to bless the kids!

In Santana (Dec 18), we taught a lesson about the meaning of Christmas, made a craft, did a creative activity, and played games!

In Sierra Verde (our apt complex) on Dec 23, we taught a lesson about the meaning of Christmas, danced, made crafts, and played games!

Game day in Pantano (Dec 14)!

Handing out gifts!

Maria and I are continually learning how to do life and ministry with a baby. We are learning a lot about patience, trust, and sowing seeds into our daughter's life. We celebrated 32 months on december 13 and Mia four months on the 15th! We are challenged to raise our expectations of God and what He will do as well as believe Him for the impossible. At the end of January, we will be going to a conference in Villavicencio, Colombia as guests for a ministry the works with indigenous groups and training missionaries. We feel this could be a great partnering opportunity for Enciende El Fuego!

The Snyder family wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

Jonathan, Maria, and Mia Joy

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November 2019 Colombia Update

12/2/2019

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Life Update
November was an excellent month full of growth, excitement, and spiritual development! We had an awesome time with my parents who came the last week of October and got to meet the granddaughter. Maria and I celebrated 31 months of marriage and Mia celebrated 3 months! I also had a good 33rd birthday and surprise party on the 21st. Last Wednesday we had a Thanksgiving dinner with Maria’s parents, her nephew, and another couple. Maria had the opportunity to talk with one of our neighbors and pray for her and the Lord responded quickly to Maria’s prayer.

Maria and I are enjoying being parents and are also being stretched and grown (at times uncomfortably) through the process. We know God has big plans for Mia and we are trying to instill a love for God, His Word, and others in her. God has been challenging us to raise our level of faith to believe and receive all that we are hoping and praying for. We are continually being challenged as leaders, parents, and spouses to lead in a godly, loving way as well as have a deeper longing for intimacy with the Holy Spirit.

Ministry Update
A few weeks ago Maria and I had the opportunity to have a time of ministering to our staff. God did awesome things and refreshed us with His presence! Our 12-week discipleship program Hope for Kids has ended at our Divino Niño site and we proudly graduated 21 kids! We have received about $600 so far towards our Christmas fund. We have our year-end celebrations on the 13th and 21st, and are awaiting a few more donations from the U.S. and Colombia and preparing for those events. Next February we will be receiving a volunteer from the United States who will be with us for three months.

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.” - Matthew 6:33

In Christ,
Jonathan, Maria, and Mia

Jonathan's Bday

Mia Joy

Evangelism Training in Fountain of Life Church

17 de Diciembre

Divino Niño

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October 2019 Colombia Update

11/6/2019

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Life Update
The month of October for us has been a great month of life and ministry! Mia is almost three months old and is discovering her tongue, putting things in her mouth, and smiling a lot. She loves eating, taking baths, being out and about, and exercising! We are trying to instill in her a love for God, people, traveling, ministry, etc. We applied for Mia’s U.S. citizenship and passport on October 1. Maria is enjoying the challenge of being a mom and wife. She is learning a lot and is already doing great! Jonathan is also enjoying being a father (and husband) and is learning a lot about patience and love and how to balance ministry and family.

We are planning on visiting the States for about three months (April-June) next year to visit family, rest, fundraise, speak in churches, etc, and prepare for our return to Colombia. We are praying for God to send us/show us the person(s) who will lead things at the foundation in our absence. We are trusting God in the details of our time there and in our absence here. We have also been praying for a house and a car. We are challenged to raise our expectations of Jesus and levels of faith! We also had a great time with my parents here in Santa Marta last week. It was a blessing for us and them to meet Mia, visit with us, see new places, and relax!

Ministry Update
We feel God wants to do so much more with the ministry of Enciende El Fuego and is also calling us to be more faithful with what He has already entrusted us with. We are currently in the planning stages and raising funds for year-end Christmas gifts and parties for the kids from 17 de Diciembre and Divino Niño. We have been blessed with extra money to buy things needed for the foundation. Through the donation of action Bibles, we were able to bless about 90 kids with a Bible!

This past Saturday we had a breakfast for the kids for the first time! Through donations from our volunteers and others we were able to give a simple meal of eggs, bread, and hot chocolate. We hope to continue this every 1-2 months. A few weeks ago Maria and I invited three brothers from Divino Niño to come spend the day at our apartment complex, and we had a great time! I recently got to know a Christian school in the area that has a similar vision as Enciende El Fuego, and I may begin teaching evangelism classes there next year. There is also a local church that we may be supporting with evangelism training next year.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” - 2 Corinthians 5:7

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” - Matthew 7:7-8

In Christ,
Jonathan, María, and Mia