Justice

I entered the United States Air Force in 1994 after graduating from the Air Force Academy. I was trained to think critically, to honor, to defend the weak, to promote justice. I was paid very modestly, but it didn't matter. I served with pride, my chest swelling to think I could be involved in something so incredibly intangible as the defense of our American freedoms. That whatever work I did behind the scenes as a support officer would save lives in battle.

Only a 2 hour plane ride from where I served in the military, Guatemala was in the last 2 years of a 36 year civil war. 200,000 civilians were murdered. The government committed horrible war crimes... through its military.

Tonight I came home to find a neighbor with one of his relatives waiting by my front porch with a letter in his hand. They asked if I could help them translate a letter. I was tired, hungry, and frankly, a bit annoyed to hear that the man needed it to be finished within an hour. I asked if I could eat dinner with my family and have it ready in two hours. He agreed to wait, and I agreed to help.

Here is an excerpt of the letter, with his name removed for confidentiality:

To Whom it may concern:

.... I served in the Guatemalan military during the Guatemalan Civil War, in which the military committed many crimes against humanity. On January 6^th, 1996, I deserted the military, due to direct orders contrary to my conscience, which were intended to cause harm to defenseless civilians. Specifically, we were ordered to patrol at night for unsuspecting youth, capture them, and force them into military service against their will.

On the 9^th of January, 1996, I left for the United States where I found gainful employment. On May 7^th, 2002, I crossed the border of the United States near Detroit, Michigan, and entered Canada (through Winsor) to seek refuge.

I sought refuge in Canada because I was afraid of the cruel punishment and reprisals that the Guatemalan military intended to make against me because I deserted. The reputation of the Guatemalan military was that it always hunted down and punished deserters....

Injustice. Most of the world suffers terribly from governments, politicians, or employers who oppress and take advantage of those they are supposed to serve.

However, justice is not just a right as an American or a Christian. It's a responsibility we have as human beings, to defend others who are too weak to do it for themselves. We snooze through our history classes, we chafe in the politically correct corporate training courses. We gloss over it when Jesus commands it. We become too bothered, too busy, too bored, to care.

I was almost too busy to help this man. Afterwards, he asked me how much he owed me for translating, and I was speechless. He had already paid me. He had given me an appreciation for something that I had assumed was normal, universal, my right, everyone's right. An appreciation and a reminder of something I have taken for granted for too long.

El Es El Camino - He is the Way

This is the official name for the new community built for 12 of the families who lost their homes in Agatha. No less than 5 different churches have worked together to clear land, dig ditches, and build 6 homes from July through September.

We expect the remaining 6 homes to be built by the end of October, and remaining infrastructure (bathrooms, kitchens, electricity, etc.) should be completed by the end of the year. But, it's also about building relationships.

Here are a few photos of the outreach opportunities with the families impacted by the storms.

South Tulsa Baptist Church shares their morning devotions with over a dozen workers from the city of Pastores.

Pastor Ted Shares the Gospel with 10 of the 12 families who will receive houses. The mayor of Pastores is reading his copy of the Bible (one was handed to each family and worker), and Abner (Steve's co-worker) helps translate.

A Pastores worker reads his new Bible during his break.

Some of the young construction workers show their new Bibles.

The families visited their new homes (that were in the process of being built), and were also given baskets of clothes and food as a house-warming gift.

Steve with Abner and Mayor Miguel Lopez of Pastores.

Storms, Slides, Statistics & Surprises

Three tropical storms since June have caused hundreds of major landslides in Guatemala leaving: 175+ dead, 10,000 evacuated and 40,000 homeless.  Even as we write, rain pours from Tropical Storm Matthew and we receive double the normal rainfall this year.  Vital crops are failing, hunger and disease loom.


Hopelessness... helplessness.  


This is the state of mind of many in Guatemala.  

We are blessed to have a church focused on the broken-hearted, and our goal is to meet needs to heal both physical and spiritual needs.  Many like-minded churches have joined us this year to turn hopeless situations into incredible opportunities to showcase God's love and power.


In spite of the obstacles, many Christians have arrived to share laughter, friendship, hard work, and encouragement.  


Here are a few pictures of the devastation only 5 miles from where we live.  

Floodwaters broke through this retaining wall (click on the image for more detail)

Pastor Tim and Jeanette in front of a home destroyed.  The family will be re-located to the new homes being built.

Here's a few pictures of some of the team activities not deterred from the storms:

One of the families who lost everything from the storm and are being re-located.  Calvary Baptist Church of Winter Haven spent an hour with this family, distributing clothing and sharing the Gospel in addition to building a new home for them.

We shared God's love last week with men from a homeless shelter.

Pastor Ted from South Tulsa Baptist Church and Pastor Mike visited another pastor and his family near Antigua to find opportunities to help their church on future team visits.

Abner (co-worker with Steve) translates the Evangi-Cube to children at a VBS near Antigua.

A Major Step...

It's not very often that you can step back and get one of life's bigger perspectives. This weekend we had one of those.

After 2+ years of coordinating teams from the United States to help the hurting, forge new relationships, and spread the Gospel here in Antigua, Guatemala, we had the opportunity to do just that again. But, this time it was at a whole new level... without teams... and mostly our own church. It all started a few weeks ago when some local students approached our church to ask for help organizing some event details, and, through that relationship, they invited us to present the Gospel at the clinic.

Wow!

This kind of stuff doesn't happen every day. A group of over 20 volunteers from our church quickly mobilized to share games, face-painting, coloring, testimonies, music, and children's Evangicubes to clearly share the Gospel. Over 70 families were seen by the doctor, and over 70 families heard about the Great Physician. One of the Police Chaplains prayed with each family as they left the doctor's office, and one person accepted Christ. Incredible!

This was also an event that our whole family got involved in for several hours, and it was a great opportunity to get perspective on why we're here... one person at a time.

Soccer & Surf...Pathways Youth Team

Just finished up a week with Pastor Andrew and the youth from our home church, Pathways. What a whirlwind of a week! What started out as a "let's get the Tourist Police soccer field cleaned up" ended up as a entirely new field, complete with heavy machinery and machetes working side-by-side.

The police were anxiously checking on the progress of the field, especially after they realized they got an upgrade from the "machete special". We got the team on the field with the police for a dedication, sharing the Gospel through a wordless book style soccer ball... and finally... a soccer game!

Next step... need some grass so this field is playable for years to come. Anybody interested in taking this on as a fund-raiser?

The week ended up with a free day, which the team chose to explore a new beach which we had heard rented surf boards and motorcycles. Well, the surf was great, and the ride out to the island by boat was a nice trip through the tallest mangrove trees we'd ever seen! The surf shop turned out to be a thatch hut with 5 short boards to pick from, and the motorcycle rentals turned out to be a restaurant owner's "clutchless" 4-wheeler, but we sure made the most of it! 4-8 foot waves pounded the beach, and we did our best to jump over (or through) them for several hours.

Oh, and on the side the team took several trips to the Malnutrition Center in San Juan, and spent an evening helping feed infants in a clinic in Antigua. Great job!

Corpus Christi

My kids and I were flat on our back in our yard trying to make out shapes in the clouds when Nate heard some music. We all ran outside to see what all the commotion was about, and we walked right into the middle of a celebration!

Today is Corpus Christi, which means "the body of Christ". When I checked with some of my neighbors to see exactly what was being celebrated, I got several blank stares, a few "we're celebrating the body of Christ" (duh), and a few other unhelpful answers. The official catholic answer is found here, but it is the celebration of the institution of the eucharist (Protestants would call this the "Lord's Supper" or communion).

Anyways, it is celebrated in catholicism world-wide, but here in our neighborhood, special attention is given to yellow banners with symbols of a cup and bread, processionals with floats of the patron saint of our town (Saint Peter), and plenty of fireworks! Nate especially like the mortars which fired percussion shells straight up in the air, just ahead of the processinals.

Click on the picture (above) to see some highlights of the afternoon, as we followed the processional through our tiny "suburb" of Antigua (called Panorama), which ended at the town cathedral with bell-ringing, and a fair with lots of loud music.

Day with Dick

Nate and I spent the day riding with Dick Rutgers.  For all of the time I have spent leading teams in and around the Antigua area, it was very refreshing to spend the day with someone well acquainted with the local villages and the children impacted by severe disabilities and poverty. 

 

Click on the photos to get a closer look.  We packed into the front seat of the 4WD and left the valley which surrounds Antigua, and went south and west towards the Pacific Coast.  Within minutes we dropped from 5,000 feet to less than 100, and the scenery changed from volcanos to sugar cane fields.   We saw miles and miles of the fields, where men earn $10 daily (only 3-4 months during season), working 12 hour shifts in extreme heat and dangerous conditions (threshing machines regularly maim or kill workers).  Several fields burned as they were prepared for harvesting.

The villages we passed were crude block or bamboo covered in tin, and the barefoot children ran in the streets.  Mosquito nets are a requirement here in rainy season (lasting 6 months), but most cannot afford them.  Kitchens are outside (pictured at left towards the bottom center).

We picked up a nurse in a town which has a relationship with the 3 families we visited.  In all cases, families of 5-7 children was the norm.  Of these, at least one had a severe handicap, and in the cruel world of extreme poverty, they are the first to die.  Dick checked on a boy with cerebral palsy, who has spent most of his 7 years in a hammock (upper left) waiting to die.  Sponsors in the States have given Dick the opportunity to buy food for him, and while thin, he looks much better than 3 months ago.  We visited another family (affected by multiple sclerosis), and Dick looked at report cards and rewarded the kids with a trip to the local fast food restaurant (packing 13 into his 4WD)...we let the kids go on the rides, and Nate played tag with the healthy kids later at their house.  

What impacted me about poverty was how "normal" kids are regardless of culture or economics.  They want to be held (even by a stranger), played with, and rewarded for being good.

The parents have a resolve to survive, and a peace and simplicity that is hard to put into words.  They have nothing, yet invite any stranger into their homes.  They love their kids.  

Days like today come once in a lifetime, and I got to spend this special day with my son Nate, who impressed me with his love for other kids, and how he hung on every word Dick shared with us.  

Council Meeting

We've had an amazing year watching the church shift from a "rebuilding" mode to hitting its stride.

In November and December,  we had our first membership meetings, and explained the purpose for signing a church covenant.  Over 50 people to date have chosen to sign the covenant and become church members. 

This year started with our first Leadership Council (similar in concept to an Elder Board in many churches).  Two weeks ago, six men were challenged with the responsibility of providing counsel and advice to our pastor and senior church staff.  Yesterday, five accepted the challenge, and the sixth is continuing to pray and consider if this something he should do.

As Pastor Mike asked each man about their decision, I was awestruck to hear each one share how God had been drawing them out of the crowd, and each (in their own way) soberly accepted God's tap on their shoulder to grow closer to Him.  

Pastor Mike summed up some of the other details of the last year (including the move into our new building) and included some great pictures in his latest post...

Thank you for your prayers... there is a lot of work in the year ahead.  Please pray that we will be able to train new believers and continue to build relationships with each person so they can grow stronger in their faith!

Thanksgiving - Guatemalan Style

We had a GREAT opportunity this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with our neighbors.  One advantage of living away from the States is it forced us to dig a little deeper and reach out a little farther than we would have otherwise.  

Do Guatemalans celebrate Thanksgiving?  Nope.  

Did that stop us from joining in with all of our local neighbors?  No way!

Our kids gave a "presentation" of the history of Thanksgiving, which some of their friends translated into Spanish for our guests.  After hearing how Squanto the Indian helped the Pilgrims to survive in their new land, we appreciated even more what our neighbors had all done at one time or another to help us get the hang of living here in Guatemala.  From the doctor next door that helped curb our panic with our first sick kid, to our landlady who helped us work out our several-month-long telephone and internet hookup issues.  

We ended up with families from four different countries (USA, Guatemala, Columbia, and El Salvador), and it was an opportunity to get past the daily "hola" and "what a beautiful day" ruts that are so easy to get stuck in, especially with another language.

We got to watch the neighbor kids make funny faces as they tried American food, and we laughed with their parents as we told them about our kids first times eating the local food too.  We talked about everything from blueberries to southern accents, and colonial Williamsburg to Bogota Columbia.

We are so blessed!

Adventure with Nate

I took Nate out about 15 minutes south of our home to a dry riverbed at the base of Volcan Fuego.  It's still an active volcano, and in the pics, you can see some of the plumes of smoke coming out of the top.  

The riverbed was littered with volcanic rock, pumice, and the view of the mountains overhead was magnificent! 

Nate is also showing off two different colored volcanic rocks, which varied from black, to various shades of grey, to reddish hues.

  

Nearby was bedrock which had been worn smooth by the river, and Nate is sitting at the top of a waterfall.  On the way back into town, the sun was setting, and just lit up the patch-work of farmlands on some of the nearby hills.  

 

Just a beautiful day to explore, spend with my son, and to enjoy the beauty of clear skies now that dry season has begun!

Sad Goodbye

Today we took a team of 20 youth (from our home church, Pathways) to the Malnutrition Center. It's located about an hour north of Antigua, has between 35 and 40 children under the age of eight, and has attracted our attention because it has become neglected in recent years because of its out-of-the-way location.

As several of us were working with the children, the director of the clinic came in and invited me to meet a family that was admitting their daughter. As I entered the room, I saw a mother crying for her two year old child as she said her goodbyes. One of the assistants came in a minute later to take the child to what would be her new home for the next five or six years. I stood there awkwardly as the director asked a few questions from the family in order to update their records. It went something like this....

- How many children do you have? Five.
- One of them is already here, correct? Yes.
- So, you will now have three children at home and two here? Yes.
- Are there any illnesses? For the father, one kidney does not function, and he was admitted to the hospital last week to have his lung drained of fluid. (On his arm was also a very large growth of some kind).
- Actually, how about the child you are admitting? For the child, just a cough.
- Only a cough? Any stomach problems? Yes, she also has frequent diarrhea.
- Are you pregnant? Yes.
- You're pregnant? Yes, (embarrassed glances at each other)... and four months along.
- So this will be your sixth child? Yes.
- Are you breastfeeding any longer? No.
- So, what are you giving the child to drink...milk? No, she doesn't like milk.
- Ok then, some kind of nutritional drink? No, just coffee.
- Coffee? That's all she drinks? Yes, we can't afford nutritional drinks and she won't drink regular milk.
- Ok, tell me about your home...how many rooms, etc? Two rooms, no kitchen, no electricity.
- What type of work do you do? Laborer in a coffee plantation.
- How much do you earn to support your family? Q25 each day (about $3 daily).
- Only Q25 ($3) each day to support a family of eight? Yes.
- How old are you? 35, and my wife is also the same age.

After the questions, the director politely dismissed the couple. As they walked away, the wife patiently waited while the man hobbled with great effort next to her. I stood in stunned silence for a while. Here was a couple my age, looking twenty to thirty years older as the years of hard labor, poor nutrition, and no hope had etched their faces and wrecked their bodies. The child they left behind weighed half of what she should have for her age.

I asked the director if this was typical, and she said yes, since this is such a poor village. An entire village in this same condition is too much to digest, too much to take in. What's harder to grasp is that the pain of poverty and hunger is only a faint shadow of the spiritual darkness and emptiness that is the root of all of this. Where does one begin to help?

The forecast calls for clouds...

I went for a run this week, taking the route I've really begun to enjoy.

It starts out from our house, across the congested street where horns from the buses notify potential passengers on the upcoming block that their ride has arrived. Motorcycles, mopeds, and cars zip by. Another bus revs its engines as it drops off passengers, who hold their noses as black clouds of diesel fumes envelope them.

I find my break in the traffic and head one block down to the 1/4 mile dirt road that leads to my destination. People weave their way through the mud puddles on foot and on bicycle, and then wait patiently by the side as cars slosh their way past them. A tired and somber woman passes by with a wheelbarrow overloaded with produce, followed by a man who stumbles pastme with drooped shoulders and sunken eyes. As I jog, my focus is just in front of my feet to ensure my next step is a dry one, and I am shaded by bordering trees that prevent the sun from relieving the road's soaked condition and block my view of my goal ahead.

The road finally turns left and narrows to a one-lane bridge. My destination is close - the triangular yield sign for the highway is visible only fifty feet beyond the bridge. A dog races across the road, scavenging for scraps of food as I approach the "River of Life".














The river gets this nickname from the amazing assortment of bacterial, amoebaic, and parasitic organisms that thrive in the open sewer-like conditions of the water. Ironically, men work hard in their bare feet to separate "clean" sand from the polluted waters so that it can be hauled away as fill dirt.

I press ahead, only the fifty foot stretch of steep incline beyond the bridge blocks the view that awaits.




Once again, the view is worth it. (The picture is actually 4 stitched together to attempt to give a feel for what the eyes take in Click on this or any of the other pictures for a MUCH more detailed view).




I turn my head to the left and the view extends even further. And past this is the road I just travelled. A man rides his bike towards the polluted river, weary workers, scavenging dogs, mud puddles, choking diesel fumes, and angry traffic.

The view is even more special because only in the last few weeks has the rainy weather cleared consistently in the mornings to reveal the mountains that surround our volcano valley. Waking up to bleak, grey skies each morning for several weeks creates a hunger and enjoyment of the pristine views.

What's obvious, but still interesting, is that the objects that make up the view haven't changed. Only my position in relation to obstacles (trees, hills, houses, clouds), and the direction of my focus. Fifty feet in any direction and the view of one or more of these four main peaks is blocked by trees. The mountains are still there, momentarily hidden from my view. They haven't changed, only the things around them or the focus of my attention.

I find myself at times living my life looking at my feet, exerting all of my effort to avoid the next obstacle in front of me or trying to let go of my frustration of the distraction of the moment. During the most serious of times, these moments can turn into days or weeks of focusing on all of the things that invade my personal space and comfort. But, the God Who created me never changes, never goes away, and never disappears. He doesn't play tricks on me or smirk while I stand in the muddy street in bewilderment and frustration, wondering where He has gone. He wants me to believe that He is. He never stops existing just because my mind is to tired or distracted to think about Him. He wants me to believe that He is always with me, and that I can walk with my head high and in the fullest potential of His power because I never take the eyes of my heart off the goal, even if my senses can't see, smell, taste, touch, or hear it at the moment.

Eph 1: 17-23 says:
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." (NIV)

Lord, continue to open my eyes of my heart, that I may truly see all that you have made available to me through Jesus Christ. Tear down my petty unbelief, fear of the unkown, and my obsession with minimizing my discomfort and insisting on only working where there is beautiful scenery to enjoy. When my view of You and Your plan is obscured or blocked, may my faith in Your unseen position and power grow to replace what my senses cannot perceive. Would You find enjoyment with me each day as I walk in faith, spilling over in the fullness of the One Who fills everything, everywhere, and in every way. Amen.

Teams

This weekend marks the end of our 2nd month in Antigua, and was puncuated by the departure of our 2nd team that we've had the privilege to work with this year.

First, a little background on the project which several teams will be involved in this summer. As a result of a truly God-given relationship with the local Tourist Police division (through Pastor Mike's and IDC team's leadership of the twice-weekly Bible studies and English classes), men and women are coming to know Christ and develop a deeper walk with Him. The outreach section of Pastor Mike's BLOG details some of the relationships developed with individual officers and their families.

One of the obvious needs that has surfaced is the living conditions of the Tourist Police while they are on duty. Officers typically live several hours outside of Antigua, and serve 8-day straight / 24 hour shifts in a dormitory environment. The facility they live in is in the ruins of a hotel which was leveled by an earthquake in the 1970's. Little has been done to make the ruins suitable for living conditions, and the pictures to the left only scratch the surface of what our brothers and sisters in Christ live with while on duty.


The most urgent need is the bath and shower facilities, and new plans had been drafted and approved earlier this year with the local authorities. As we approached the week of the first team's arrival, we didn't have a clue on how some of the major clearing/leveling and digging for the cesspool would be done to prepare the site for the first team's arrival. Mike received an unexpected phone call that a large John Deere backhoe was sitting on the property and awaiting our arrival to direct the clearing. This marked an unprecedented involvement with the Tourism Council in Antigua, which realized the urgency and benefit to their police, and arranged the machinery and manpower to get this done!

Team #1 - Pathways Community Church, Largo, Florida.

Last week we experienced a lot of rain and a several other unexpected challenges on the project. However, the foundation and underground plumbing were completed, and the team had plenty of much-needed construction experience to overcome some of the hurdles. It was great to see familiar faces from our home church!

Team #2 New Hope Baptist, Cape Coral, Florida


This week we had a youth group with a lot of enthusiasm and a great "can-do" attitude. Half of the team worked with the Hermano Pedro orphanage each day, and the other half continued work on the Tourist Police Bath House. The basic metal frame and corrugated roofing were completed, and it was so encouraging to watch how well this group of teens worked together!


The IDC staff will continue work on the in-wall plumbing in the upcoming week.

What Did You Do Today?

Here's Steve's answer to that question!

He has been overseeing the set-up for Posada Dona Luisa, the hotel that our church has been blessed to lease as a mission house. The first team came this week, and before they arrived, a vacant room had to be completely remade into a kitchen. Hours (like 2!) before the team showed up, the plumber was still installing the sink, Nancy Watkins was putting things together and preparing to cook dinner for 20 people, and Steve had to leave in the middle of the chaos to pick the travellers up from the airport. Whew.

Here are some pictures of the hotel, the staff, and Nancy, Chelsea, and Amber working in the kitchen.

Setting Up Shop

Last night was the first night where we actually took an hour and forced ourselves to sit, read, and watch part of a DVD together. As Jessica wrote in an entry a few days ago, the logistics of every day life are much more complicated, slower, and require extreme flexibility, and we are forced to focus more on relationships and less on tasks. A second round of physical exhaustion hit last night as we wrapped up another day of lifting, climbing, and painting. Week two is drawing to an end, and the list of tasks to set up shop here at the house is finally shifting from major items to decorating details.

Yet, even with the shift of focus, the tasks are limitless. Now that the applicances are in, the paint is on the walls, and the 20+ suitcases have been unpacked and put away, the to-do list isn't any shorter. Instead, the mind races to the next "thing" that will really make the place feel like home. Curtains, patching rusted-out holes in the doors (had a mouse in the house last night), etc.

In the middle of the exhaustion, our son Nate broke down last night and started sobbing. He wanted to go back to America. Sorry we had ever moved here. We held him and let him get it all out, prayed together, and shared some stories. We spent a lot of time teaching him that he is now a threat to Satan's kingdom, because he has been used powerfully in the last two weeks to encourage the rest of the family as we have each hit our own emotional brick walls. He has graduated from child to warrior, private first class, and he drew blood. He got it. We shared a few stories about my days at the Air Force Academy (he really liked these), how for 6 weeks the upper class cadets make it their full-time job to get the weak ones to quit. Those who survive the last "hell week" which ends with a difficult march into the hills, are rewarded a ceremony and the prized "prop and wings", a pin which symbolizes authentic cadet status. Quitting in week one, two, or three erases the opportunity to go on. Even making it half-way up the hill with the rest of your comrades still is worthless. Finishing strong is everything. And yet, this only prepares and propells the cadet into another full year of oppression by the upperclass cadets, followed by three more years of difficult academic loads. But at the end, the reward of being an officer, a leader, and a warrior for our country.

It was with this mindset that I woke up this morning. Exhausted and drained from the hauling, lifting, and fighting for our family.

I had been reading Erwin McManus' book The Barbarian Way over the last several months, and I picked it up again. Here is what God had in store as I read:

"Jesus leads us into the heart of the dark kingdom, into the soul of what is most evil. He takes us where mankind has chosen to live. He calls us to where the darkness has made those who wander there desparate for light. He leads us as warriors of light to risk our lives for the deliverance of others. Again, our own weapons are love, hope, and faith, and they are our only defense. Yet we above all know that they and only they liberate us and fulfill the deepest longings of our souls."

We are here, not to set up shop, but to set up God's kindgom in the darkness. We must travel light, and be prepared to move on. Watching our son choose to turn agony and tears from oppression into laughter and another day of encouragement drove the point home for me.

Jesus describes it as "the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (Matt 11:12) underscores the battle. Jesus was referring to the message that John the Baptist brought, that the physical kingdom was replaced by a spiritual one. That the weapons of the Isrealites had been traded in for the weapons of faith, hope, and love.

In God's kindom, location, status, and age are irrelevant. A pastor's counseling session, talking to a neighbor, mission field, or business boardroom are all encompassed by the battlefield. Church members fight alongside their pastor. And a child can wield these weapons with the most educated seminary graduate.

Pray for more faith, that we will raise the shield together for our King!

First 5 Days

Whew... we made it through a lot of changes this week! In a nutshell:

Monday: See last journal entry.


Tuesday: (click on any picture to make it larger)
Travelled 6 hours round-trip on Mike's Birthday to purchase a vehicle. Saw mountains, jungle, lakes, and a rainstorm (see pic). Felt great, just soaking everything in.


Wednesday:
Had some freedom to explore Antigua with the vehicle, and got lunch together (kids had smiley-face pancakes which was a hit). Very tiring day, time-changes and all started to really catch up with us. Unpacked a lot of suitcases. Got a picture of the view from our balcony...wow!


Thursday: Spiritual battle in the morning as we started to feel overwhelmed. A lot of prayer, sitting around the table sharing high-lows (best & worst moments) each morning followed by each of us praying for each others' struggles paid off, since we stuck together as a family and didn't pretend we weren't all wrestling with at least something. Thanks to everyone praying for us also, because we cheered throughout the afternoon together how God helped us win the battle. Our kids (especially Nate) have been extremely positive, reminding us that God is testing us and we need to trust Him. So much insight this week into ourselves and our children as we rode the elation/exhaustion roller coaster. Talking to several of the families already here has also taken off a huge load. Not surprisingly, everyone could empathize and we got to laugh ourselves through their stories of their first week here. Picked up a stove/fridge which was another step in making the house feel like home.


Friday (today):
Went to the market with the kids this morning and had an enjoyable time looking at basics for the house and toys for the kids. We had someone watch our kiddos so we could go on a date, and we hit a local WiFi cafe and enjoyed mocha and a bagel together! We shopped together and stocked up our fridge (navigating the local grocery store was a huge triumph!) Today, we started to truly have some fun and feel more relaxed.


Please continue to pray. We know that each day will hold a new opportunity for good, and we claim that!!


P.S. Betty sent us a picture of our commissioning service at our church. Pastor Bill had our church pray over us, and sent us off with the church's full support - thank you!!!

Luggage

This week marked quite a turning point on our journey to serving in Guatemala. We have gone from counting months, to weeks, to days (only 9) until we leave. So, this week we became truly mobile. Well, if you consider 21 suitcases mobile.


Quite an eventful week, as we moved out of the temporary home (courtesy of Jessica's brother and his family) and began a two-week transition, more packing, and traveling to see family and friends before we leave.

Microscopic...

If I listen, God can speak so clearly through my children. When asked what one thing they would like to change in Guatemala, Shelby (7) says without delay,
"I want them to have clean water to drink. They wash their clothes and drink that water... and they get sick... and I want to help them." One of the local communal wash basins is picture on the left where women wash their clothes and children bring buckets to fill with water for their families to drink.

The solution is simple. A filter can be made economically for a whole family out of concrete, gravel, and treated sand (pictured left as concrete is shaped by a mold). Simply pouring contaminated water into the top of the filter will purify it. Minimal effort required. The family just needs to be willing to use it.

This might sound simple, but in fact, most are not convinced that they need the filter. They nod in agreement as the missionary explains about bacteria and parasites, and they allow the filter to be placed in their home. Yet they may never use it, or at most, may enjoy the "bragging rights" it gives them in their neighborhood. "Look", they'll say, "Our water is clean and we don't need a filter" as they hold up fairly clear liquid. Finally, one doctor from our church allowed them to look through his microscope and they were horrified to see with their own eyes, an entire world that never knew existed. The filter was put to good use after that.

I've sat for years nodding in agreement that there is a world full of hurting people. I even saw them on TV and quickly grabbed the remote so my dinner wouldn't lose its flavor from conviction. I did manage to visit Guatemala on a short-term missions trip with my church and was happy to help build one house for a family whose home had been washed away in floods after a hurricane. I'm ashamed to admit that I managed to avoid taking my children to an orphanage in Tampa that our church visits each Saturday... except once, so I could show them how good Christians take a bag of food once a year at Christmas to appease my aching conscience.

However, it wasn't until I visited Guatemala with my children that I realized I had only been nodding my head in agreement that there was a problem that needed my entire life's focus...

My children were horrified and cried inconsolably when they heard stories from our pastor about the children in the orphanage who have no one who cares enough to spend time with them. My daughter sobs as she talks about other children who are dying from diseases that are preventable. My son can hardly express his shock that there are people still worshiping idols, animals, the sun, moon, and stars; and he tells stories of how they even had pictures of them on the walls of one of the restaurants we visited while in Guatemala.

My children have become my microscope. I have shown them enough and they refuse to ignore it.

Oh God, please soften my heart and use my own body as a filter for your kingdom. May my life not be wasted on going through the motions, merely enjoying the benefits you've given me, when you intended them to be used for your kingdom and the benefit of others. May I be horrified at the hurt, understand how physical needs are an illustration of spiritual needs, and of how You want to demonstrate Your power through my tender heart and serving You the way You want to be served, not settling for religious busyness (see the illustrations in Mark 2:9-12, Mark 10:13-15, Matt 21:28-31, Isa 58:3-7).

But if I ignore the illustration, how can I ever expect to learn the lesson?

God is Faithful!

We really celebrated yesterday as we walked away from the closing on our house! It's amazing how God provided...

We found it very easy to get distracted as we watched the value of our house get whittled away over the last 15 months it was on the market. We sold it for almost $80k less than we originally listed it for (which is the price a similar house across the street sold for that same month). As the price declined like a downhill skiing event, we got excited as a buyer made an offer the day after Christmas. Our real estate agent commented he had never seen this happen before. We told him we knew God was confirming what He wanted us to do. ;0)

The buyer made it clear she "had" to live in our neighborhood, and we settled on a price. As many of you know, the appraisal came in much lower than this. Here's where God made it clear it was time to trust Him... the house across the street came out of foreclosure and was now listed several thousand dollars less than our appraisal. The buyer was very aware of this, but specifically said she wanted to buy OUR home, because she said she "felt a special peace" in our home. We now know this was God at work, because He kept our buyer from running to what truly was a better financial deal across the street, and she chose to follow through on buying our home. It's amazing to have someone buy your home who truly LOVES it, and who was willing to listen in awe to our story of how God has been working in our lives. What a gift from God!

We just marvel at how God demonstrated how clearly He directs the things that are out of our control if we allow Him to. We now can rest in Him, knowing without a doubt that it is not our planning that will provide the financial means for us to move to Guatemala, but that our God and Creator of the universe is orchestrating all of this on our behalf. He Who called us will provide for us, and we choose to trust. :0)

Airshow

This week was Nate's birthday, and so we took him and Shelby to the Airshow. What a blast!



Nate in a REAL army blackhawk helicopter(this was much too solemn an occasion to smile at the camera...)













Shelby asked the pilots a whole lot of questions, and couldn't wait to go inside the plane...













There was a re-enactment, where a downed World War 2 American pilot was rescued by American tanks and planes.

Here are the tanks and soldiers "moving out".

Planes were flying overhead with guns blazing, German machine gunners were firing back, and American GIs approached from the ground. What a great reminder of the bravery of our soldiers as they defended our freedom!

Nate's comment - "Awesome!"

Shelby's comment - "Daddy, I have to plug my ears because it's too loud!"