Sorry, we weren't able to get Internet access the last couple of days. Here is an update....We are all home safely - some bruised, some battered, some homesick, some with intestinal issues, all exhausted but all completely blessed by the children at Ceracaif and the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.Thank you everyone for your prayers!
The first day we gathered in the playroom and started in prayer and my eyes filled with tears. I was overwhelmed by feeling God's presence among the children and our team. I knew God was going to do a mighty work there. As you know from the previous blogs, we accomplished much. I started clearing out pig poop from a building that would soon be renovated into a chicken coup... would I do it again.... you bet! We weeded, worked the soil of an existing and new garden, planted seeds, made a site for a herb garden... would I do it again...you bet! We put on a VBS with stories sharing the gospel, songs, crafts and games..would I do it again...you bet! We planned a special 15th birthday party for 2 girls and ate a meal at the orphanage with children(this was probably the event that began the teams tummy troubles)... would I do it again...you bet! We put on a carnival and a church service..would I do it again...you bet! We filled the pantry, bought bibles, pvc pipe, a corn grinder and much more... would I do it again.. you bet. Did I miss my family...you bet! Would I go to the Home of Refuge again..... YOU BET!!!!
We saw bright eyes and beautiful smiles. The safety and love at the orphanage has been able to help heal some of the sadness, tragedy and pain these sweet children have experienced. Will I always remember these children ...YOU BET! Will they always be in my prayers...YOU BET! There is still so much more to do there. Please pray with us for direction on how we can continue to love and serve the children and staff at the orphanage.
It was a privilege meeting the 2 sisters and a handful of dedicated volunteers who love these children day in and day out. Please pray for their strength, patience, endurance, health, finances and continued commitment to the children. We were blessed by the new friendships of the Orphan Outreach staff - Mike, Gloria, Andrea and Pablo. These people are dedicated to loving children in Guatemala. Please pray for them as they continue to work and serve orphans and the fatherless.
Over and over again, God showed us how he picked the perfect team to go to Guatemala. We got to see how everyone used their God-given skills and gifts on this trip. We were able to love each other well and give each other plenty of grace. I am so thankful and blessed to have experienced this with each of you. We worked hard, laughed a ton and loved well! I love you all!
I started this experience in tears and ended in tears saying good-bye to the children that have touched my life. I am now loving my sweet family at home and praying for the children and saints at the Home of Refuge in Guatemala.
In Him, Kristi
Friday, August 6, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Hi to all my loved ones and those praying for us. We have felt those prayers and I am grateful for them. After 2 days of fever, chills, diahhrea and nausea, I woke today feeling so much better and grateful for it. What a privilege to be a part of this team and of what God has been doing in our midst. This orphanage is an incredible thing to behold! The children are amazing as well as their staff! Yesterday afternoon we had such fun putting on a carnival for the children. We had several games for the children to play. They also enjoyed us face painting and making paper flowers. The children had so much fun and received many prizes. A highlight for them was eating popcorn that was popped by an air popcorn popper that we brought with us. They loved it as did their cook who was so excited to have the popcorn popper. One young lady that has captured my heart has my full name, Angela Rose backwards, she is Rosa Angelica. Amazingly enough is that her sister is Angela Ballentina. They were tickled that the 3 of us have the same name, Angela. Today, as I headed down to the garden to continue our work I took a nice nose dive going over a goat and landed in a swampy mess. Covered in mud and slop, I picked up my hoe and started digging up the rest of the garden. Just another one of my clutzy moves. I also help bandage Jeremy up who went sliding down rocks to get a soccer ball for the boys and ended up tearing the back side of his pants right off as well as brush burning his upper thigh pretty badily abd cutting his hand. Believe me when I say we are the walking wounded and have several badges of honor (wounds). Though we continue to be plagued by injuries of interesting proportions, God has been so kind to each of us in protecting us from serious injury. I also have enjoyed, even in the midst of illness and injury, being a soccer goalie for the boys during VBS games. Even though I am the mom of three boys, it has been a long time since I have been this athletically challenged, but what fun I am having. The boys seem to be enjoying me as their goalie as well. It is really hard to put into words what being here is like. Words cannot really do it justice. I love seeing the faithfulness of God. When we are out here away from loved ones, away from what is comfortable and known, we are completely and utterly dependent upon God and each other. He continues to prove Himself faithful and trustworthy. We have had great challenges and trials (more than can be mentioned) and yet we have experienced great blessings, love, joy, peace, and a special comraderie that comes from bonding together through this all. We have one more work day and we will be able to accomplish all that God set before us. We finished the fence and gate on the garden and tomorrow we will plant seeds. The chicken coup is finished except for some fencing that needs to be done. The swing sets will be set in cement tomorrow and swings hung. As I look forward to being with my family in a couple of days a piece of my heart will be left behind. God calls us to join Him in His work and what a blessing it has been to have answered this call. Blessings to you all. I love you my family. Angie
All my imagination could not have prepared me for the people we have met, the scenery we have seen, and the wonderful fellowship we have had as a team here. I knew this was going to be good when I met a little girl who shares my name (Evelyn, though hers is Evelin). When she understood that there were dos Evelyns, she was by my side the next 20 minutes. She loves to come up behind me to surprise me, then she giggles when she sees my surprise. :)
We finished the fence around the new garden today. Angie and several others spent the morning hoeing up tough grass to make room for vegetables. Maria and Alexa have finished the nest boxes for the hen house, and Jeremy runs from station to station managing the projects. He is in his element. The holes are dug for the new swing sets. Coleen has enjoyed working on the banner that the children helped to make.
The best times we have are with the children though. They enjoy laughing with me about my very deficient Spanish and try to learn some English. I enjoyed talking with Maritza and Julia today. Jeremy and David played soccer with the boys and Carmelino (the man who does all the maintenance for the facility). Jeremy decided to fall and slide on the rocks though and scraped his leg pretty badly and got a bad scratch on his hand.
So far, one of the most special moments has been hearing all of the children sing a very special song that I think has been written just for them, the children at Casa Hogar. That experience cannot be replaced by anything or given a measurable value.
Continue praying that we will take the opportunities to interact with each child that we can. Sometimes just our remembering their names and giving them a hug means so much to them, but we desire to get to know them as well and share with them the love of Christ.
Lynn
We finished the fence around the new garden today. Angie and several others spent the morning hoeing up tough grass to make room for vegetables. Maria and Alexa have finished the nest boxes for the hen house, and Jeremy runs from station to station managing the projects. He is in his element. The holes are dug for the new swing sets. Coleen has enjoyed working on the banner that the children helped to make.
The best times we have are with the children though. They enjoy laughing with me about my very deficient Spanish and try to learn some English. I enjoyed talking with Maritza and Julia today. Jeremy and David played soccer with the boys and Carmelino (the man who does all the maintenance for the facility). Jeremy decided to fall and slide on the rocks though and scraped his leg pretty badly and got a bad scratch on his hand.
So far, one of the most special moments has been hearing all of the children sing a very special song that I think has been written just for them, the children at Casa Hogar. That experience cannot be replaced by anything or given a measurable value.
Continue praying that we will take the opportunities to interact with each child that we can. Sometimes just our remembering their names and giving them a hug means so much to them, but we desire to get to know them as well and share with them the love of Christ.
Lynn
Sunday, August 1, 2010
With
Today we were deep into construction projects: chicken coop, garden, swingset, and groundskeeping. But after lunch we laid aside the tools and had a Sunday worship service for the kids, followed by a carnival. It was almost incredible to me how obedient all the kids were (I write this realizing how that statement will reflect on the level of excellence in parenting with which I provide my children)! The orphanage workers would ask them to form into groups by age, and not only would they actually do it, but they would arrange themselves in the group by age as well. Within moments everyone was seated and ready for the service. Ellen read the Scripture and we all began to sing together. And in that moment I realized why we had come: to be there with them.
You can do many things to help an orphanage from the comfort of your home in the US. You can give money, you can write encouraging letters, you can organize mission trips, you can pray for them, and many other very good things. But you are not there. You are not standing beside them singing. You are not sitting beside them weeping. You are not alongside them working. And you are not giving them a hug in what has perhaps been for me the most meaningful and truthful point of connection with every person at Ceracaif. It is not for every person to go on mission, but for those who are called, the fact that God has brought us here is the point of all the planning and sacrifice and perseverance that is required of us.
We saw this in our devotional at the hotel tonight. Paul spoke fondly to the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 3 of when he was there among them. He shared how he sent Timothy to strengthen them because he himself could not be there. He confessed his fears that somehow their faith might have been compromised in his absence. Paul delighted in their pleasant memories of time together, and he prayed night and day that he might be able to see them again. Love can imagine no more fulfilling reality than to be together with its beloved. And we know this is true because we see it in the heart of God. Paul goes on to lift his prayer for his friends in Christ up to the inconceivable heights of a desire that they might be found blameless and holy - and not merely blameless and holy to be an end in itself, but blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
This is our purest joy in this life, and our highest hope for the next. What is it that gives us grief, if not our sin and the fact that we were separated from God? What is it that keeps us going in our Christian faith, if not Jesus´ righteousness and the fact that we are now reconciled with God through him, justified and declared holy? And what is it that truly separates us from this world in a Gospeled way, if not the desire (and in Christ the ability) to live once more in the presence of God?
We are tasting of this joy here in Guatemala, and it is sweet. Rejoice with us and look forward to the day when we will all lift our voices together in praise to our Maker, and there will be no distance to separate us.
And while you are rejoicing and looking forward, comment on this blog! We are starting to think nobody is reading them. :) The people who gave money and wrote encouraging letters and organized the trip and prayed for us and are keeping our kids are the faithful workers God has used to enable us to be with the saints here in Xela, and we earnestly desire to hear from you.
Love in Christ,
Jeremy
You can do many things to help an orphanage from the comfort of your home in the US. You can give money, you can write encouraging letters, you can organize mission trips, you can pray for them, and many other very good things. But you are not there. You are not standing beside them singing. You are not sitting beside them weeping. You are not alongside them working. And you are not giving them a hug in what has perhaps been for me the most meaningful and truthful point of connection with every person at Ceracaif. It is not for every person to go on mission, but for those who are called, the fact that God has brought us here is the point of all the planning and sacrifice and perseverance that is required of us.
We saw this in our devotional at the hotel tonight. Paul spoke fondly to the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 3 of when he was there among them. He shared how he sent Timothy to strengthen them because he himself could not be there. He confessed his fears that somehow their faith might have been compromised in his absence. Paul delighted in their pleasant memories of time together, and he prayed night and day that he might be able to see them again. Love can imagine no more fulfilling reality than to be together with its beloved. And we know this is true because we see it in the heart of God. Paul goes on to lift his prayer for his friends in Christ up to the inconceivable heights of a desire that they might be found blameless and holy - and not merely blameless and holy to be an end in itself, but blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
This is our purest joy in this life, and our highest hope for the next. What is it that gives us grief, if not our sin and the fact that we were separated from God? What is it that keeps us going in our Christian faith, if not Jesus´ righteousness and the fact that we are now reconciled with God through him, justified and declared holy? And what is it that truly separates us from this world in a Gospeled way, if not the desire (and in Christ the ability) to live once more in the presence of God?
We are tasting of this joy here in Guatemala, and it is sweet. Rejoice with us and look forward to the day when we will all lift our voices together in praise to our Maker, and there will be no distance to separate us.
And while you are rejoicing and looking forward, comment on this blog! We are starting to think nobody is reading them. :) The people who gave money and wrote encouraging letters and organized the trip and prayed for us and are keeping our kids are the faithful workers God has used to enable us to be with the saints here in Xela, and we earnestly desire to hear from you.
Love in Christ,
Jeremy
Storms, loaves, and quinceañeras
On our first day of VBS (Friday), the very first rotation in story time consisted of over 20 kids under the age of nine. The story for the day was "Jesus calms the storm." The first five minutes were great. Angelic little cherubs sat calmly and listened attentivly, but things quickly spiraled out of control. Suddenly I felt like one of the faithless disciples in the storm-rocked boat about to be overcome by waves of little Guatemalans. Lynn and Coleen managed to wrangle and exercise a bit of control, but for the most part, things were pretty caotic. It seemed like Eumelio, a rascally little fellow, was the center of the storm, and I had that confirmed yesterday too!
What a heart Jesus has for this place. It is immediately apparent. Some many children, many of whom are likely unloved by their own parents, are so wonderfully loved by Lourdes, Teresa and the rest of the staff. What a picture of a broken world, but one that Jesus has broken into with all of his glory and might! He has come to bring sight to the blind, and he makes the lame leap for joy. He is tranforming, redeeming and ADOPTING his people, and he delights in us.
It is apparent that these children are being trained in God's word. So far, they have known the stories and memorized the verses, but it is the Spirit's work to turn that knowledge into true faith. So we endeavor to dig a little deeper with them. It's not just about a powerful Jesus who tranforms fish and loaves into a banquet for the multitude. After all, within hours the people will hunger again. It's about the powerful Jesus who says: "I am the bread of life. Taste and see that I am good. Eat of me and you will never hunger again." Please pray that, in His perfect timing, He will draw each one of these children to Himself and use them to bring about greater healing to this very needy place.
We're all having a lot of fun here, too. Angie is really rocking the boat on our bus rides though. One day she's drenching us with soda that's spraying out of control from a punctured can. (Coleen's got it on video.) The next day she's smacking balloons in our face. Yesterday, Kristi celebrated her 43 birthday along with two of the girls at the orphanage who were celebrating their quinceañera (15th birthday bash). One of the girls wanted to know how old Kristi was, so Kristi asked me how to say 43 in Spanish. I told her ochenta y tres (which means 83), so that was lots of fun for me.
We made amazing progress on work projects yesterday. Existing building cleaned and prepped--ready for todays's construction, and transformation into an operating chicken coop. Two gardens weeded and planted. Mother weed that caused mold in one of the building cut down and removed.
Keep praying for us, and pray about how God would lead his people to have a continued partnership with this orphanage.
In Christ, David
What a heart Jesus has for this place. It is immediately apparent. Some many children, many of whom are likely unloved by their own parents, are so wonderfully loved by Lourdes, Teresa and the rest of the staff. What a picture of a broken world, but one that Jesus has broken into with all of his glory and might! He has come to bring sight to the blind, and he makes the lame leap for joy. He is tranforming, redeeming and ADOPTING his people, and he delights in us.
It is apparent that these children are being trained in God's word. So far, they have known the stories and memorized the verses, but it is the Spirit's work to turn that knowledge into true faith. So we endeavor to dig a little deeper with them. It's not just about a powerful Jesus who tranforms fish and loaves into a banquet for the multitude. After all, within hours the people will hunger again. It's about the powerful Jesus who says: "I am the bread of life. Taste and see that I am good. Eat of me and you will never hunger again." Please pray that, in His perfect timing, He will draw each one of these children to Himself and use them to bring about greater healing to this very needy place.
We're all having a lot of fun here, too. Angie is really rocking the boat on our bus rides though. One day she's drenching us with soda that's spraying out of control from a punctured can. (Coleen's got it on video.) The next day she's smacking balloons in our face. Yesterday, Kristi celebrated her 43 birthday along with two of the girls at the orphanage who were celebrating their quinceañera (15th birthday bash). One of the girls wanted to know how old Kristi was, so Kristi asked me how to say 43 in Spanish. I told her ochenta y tres (which means 83), so that was lots of fun for me.
We made amazing progress on work projects yesterday. Existing building cleaned and prepped--ready for todays's construction, and transformation into an operating chicken coop. Two gardens weeded and planted. Mother weed that caused mold in one of the building cut down and removed.
Keep praying for us, and pray about how God would lead his people to have a continued partnership with this orphanage.
In Christ, David
Saturday, July 31, 2010
the green paint!
I almost did not make it to guatemala due to the fact i grabbed the wrong passport when i left! God was with me all the way though! He worked everything out so our plans where not messed up! Thanks to my wonderful husband who drove back to the airport and brought my new passport, a wonderful checkin agent named AnnMarie, and my neon GREEN PAINT on my suitcase, I am here! I can fill you in later, but thanks for your prayers!! Coleen
Friday, July 30, 2010
Stolen Away
OK, so I had another confession to make by the end of our first day at Ceracaif orphanage today. I told my wife that my affections have been completely and hopelessly stolen away by a 6-year-old girl named Paty who decided that I obviously needed a new best friend. Lynn took the news remarkably well, probably because her emotions had just as surely been laid claim to. We have fallen in love with all the children here - Eduardo, Carla, Jorge, Julia, Rosa, Santos... I wish I could remember all their names, but the lateness of the hour is starting to set in. The desire for affection that these kids have, coupled with an incredible resilience in the face of the trials they´ve had to go through, endears you to them like I would not have believed. Our pastor´s warning not to bring any orphans home with us was well chosen, because I want so badly to see them all placed in a home with a Christian family that can meet all their needs.
But although our feelings are important, they are not always trustworthy. God did not bring me down here to steal the children away, or even to daydream about it. He brought me down here to love them, to invest myself in them even though I know we have to leave all too soon, to provide for their physical needs as well as spiritual, and to keep them on my heart in prayer and provision when we go back to the States. God raised up a man with a vision for an orphanage in this city. That man gave up everything he owned to build the facility, and he died still giving everything for the kids he loved. His daughters, godly women who obviously know how to manage 65 children and give them the sustenance and mother-figures and discipline and education they need, are doing an incredibly good job with incredibly few resources. It is for me to support and encourage them in their work, confirming their authority and working to see their ministry flourish; and it is the deepest desire of my heart to do this.
For what they are doing is the most important thing in anyone´s life, orphan or no. Señora Theresa and her workers are teaching Paty and Eduardo and Carla and Jorge and Julia and Rosa and Santos - and all the rest of them - that they will only ever find true meaning and worth for their lives in Christ Jesus, that like the workers there Jesus truly loves them for who they are, and that in the miracle of redemption he will someday steal them away to live with him in the new heavens and the new earth, where no one will ever be orphaned or fatherless again. They are teaching the children that in Christ they are part of a family. And it is my honor to be invited into that circle with them, even for a short time.
Chicken coop construction is on tomorrow! :) Good times. Please keep us in your prayers, it´s been a wild trip so far but God has always gone before us.
Jeremy
But although our feelings are important, they are not always trustworthy. God did not bring me down here to steal the children away, or even to daydream about it. He brought me down here to love them, to invest myself in them even though I know we have to leave all too soon, to provide for their physical needs as well as spiritual, and to keep them on my heart in prayer and provision when we go back to the States. God raised up a man with a vision for an orphanage in this city. That man gave up everything he owned to build the facility, and he died still giving everything for the kids he loved. His daughters, godly women who obviously know how to manage 65 children and give them the sustenance and mother-figures and discipline and education they need, are doing an incredibly good job with incredibly few resources. It is for me to support and encourage them in their work, confirming their authority and working to see their ministry flourish; and it is the deepest desire of my heart to do this.
For what they are doing is the most important thing in anyone´s life, orphan or no. Señora Theresa and her workers are teaching Paty and Eduardo and Carla and Jorge and Julia and Rosa and Santos - and all the rest of them - that they will only ever find true meaning and worth for their lives in Christ Jesus, that like the workers there Jesus truly loves them for who they are, and that in the miracle of redemption he will someday steal them away to live with him in the new heavens and the new earth, where no one will ever be orphaned or fatherless again. They are teaching the children that in Christ they are part of a family. And it is my honor to be invited into that circle with them, even for a short time.
Chicken coop construction is on tomorrow! :) Good times. Please keep us in your prayers, it´s been a wild trip so far but God has always gone before us.
Jeremy
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Hope Surprised
Going out into the vast unknown of Christ's service is always a daunting thing, but I confess that I have tended to downplay what we have been sent to do in Guatemala. Putting on a Vacation Bible School for some orphan children, building a chicken coop or two, and doing a little painting and cleaning doesn't seem like all that big of a deal. But something happened today that brought everything into stark reality for me.
My wife and I adopted a baby girl and as a result were involved in a lengthy court battle that presented difficulties and trials for us in many different ways. This has gone through two courts and is now in the VA Court of Appeals, and we have been praying throughout this summer that the court would dismiss the case (i.e. that justice would be served) before we went on our mission trip to Guatemala. We were just talking a couple of days ago about how it looked like that prayer wouldn't be answered after all. I think we felt a little disappointment, but the outcome was kind of to be expected. After all, what's sacred about us going on this mission trip? Just because we pray for something means God will grant it?
I was in a meeting this afternoon at 12:30pm and my phone rang. It was our attorney leaving me a voicemail, and for a moment a wild thought rose in my mind: "What if God answered our prayer and the case has been dismissed?" As soon as the meeting was over I called him back, and he said, "I have just received notice that the VA Court of Appeals has dismissed the case against you. Everything is going to be OK." God had brought the case to an end, the day before we got on a plane to go to Guatemala.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Astonishment, gratitude, disbelief, adoration, anticipation, surprise - all these feelings came flooding over me in an impossible moment of supreme rejoicing. God had answered our prayer, and he had done it in a way such that nobody but he could receive the glory for it. And he did it that way specifically so that our faith would be strengthened and our unbelief rebuked. I gloried in that rebuke, for in it I heard the voice of the Lover of my Soul: "O you of little faith... why did you doubt?"
Hope is what gives us perseverance, as we read in our team devotional this evening in I Thess 1. It is the looking forward of a sure and certain knowledge that God will deliver us, a knowledge based on the surety of his very life. But hope is by nature temporary, and there always comes a moment when the desperate clinging of our faith to the promise of God is interrupted by the warm embrace of Jesus doing what he said he would do. That is what I felt today, and it is a reality that I want for this mission trip. I want my unbelief and sinful myopia to be shattered by the very presence of God, showing himself mighty among us to do what only he can. I want my self to decrease, and Christ to increase. I want others to know what I was sweetly reminded of: that we serve the true and living God, and that he is faithful even when we are not.
Please keep us in your prayers. They are spoken to a God who listens, who cares, and who will surely do all that we ask or need.
Love in Christ,
Jeremy and Lynn
My wife and I adopted a baby girl and as a result were involved in a lengthy court battle that presented difficulties and trials for us in many different ways. This has gone through two courts and is now in the VA Court of Appeals, and we have been praying throughout this summer that the court would dismiss the case (i.e. that justice would be served) before we went on our mission trip to Guatemala. We were just talking a couple of days ago about how it looked like that prayer wouldn't be answered after all. I think we felt a little disappointment, but the outcome was kind of to be expected. After all, what's sacred about us going on this mission trip? Just because we pray for something means God will grant it?
I was in a meeting this afternoon at 12:30pm and my phone rang. It was our attorney leaving me a voicemail, and for a moment a wild thought rose in my mind: "What if God answered our prayer and the case has been dismissed?" As soon as the meeting was over I called him back, and he said, "I have just received notice that the VA Court of Appeals has dismissed the case against you. Everything is going to be OK." God had brought the case to an end, the day before we got on a plane to go to Guatemala.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Astonishment, gratitude, disbelief, adoration, anticipation, surprise - all these feelings came flooding over me in an impossible moment of supreme rejoicing. God had answered our prayer, and he had done it in a way such that nobody but he could receive the glory for it. And he did it that way specifically so that our faith would be strengthened and our unbelief rebuked. I gloried in that rebuke, for in it I heard the voice of the Lover of my Soul: "O you of little faith... why did you doubt?"
Hope is what gives us perseverance, as we read in our team devotional this evening in I Thess 1. It is the looking forward of a sure and certain knowledge that God will deliver us, a knowledge based on the surety of his very life. But hope is by nature temporary, and there always comes a moment when the desperate clinging of our faith to the promise of God is interrupted by the warm embrace of Jesus doing what he said he would do. That is what I felt today, and it is a reality that I want for this mission trip. I want my unbelief and sinful myopia to be shattered by the very presence of God, showing himself mighty among us to do what only he can. I want my self to decrease, and Christ to increase. I want others to know what I was sweetly reminded of: that we serve the true and living God, and that he is faithful even when we are not.
Please keep us in your prayers. They are spoken to a God who listens, who cares, and who will surely do all that we ask or need.
Love in Christ,
Jeremy and Lynn
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thoughts on Culture
A mistake that is often made when visiting another country, so I am told, is that of supposing our culture to be intrinsically superior to theirs. This can take the shape of looking down on others, of offering our culture to them as what they really need, or (worst of all) of presenting the Gospel to them in terms defined by our culture. For example, if I go to Guatemala and teach on the Protestant work ethic and how the folks there all need to have more Christian discipline in their life so that they can enjoy the material blessings God gives us, I may do more harm than good to the situation. Notwithstanding the false assumption I have made in saying that material blessings always come when you are diligent (the Son of Man did not have a place to lay his head), it may be that God has called his saints there to live in a time and place where material blessings are scant; and that instead of trying to attain to the American standard of industriousness, they should be seeking the face of God as he is revealed in Scripture for the good of their souls. And it may also be that a perspective which understands and values their culture, so much more laid-back and deliberate than ours, will be much better suited to minister to them than one which foolishly insists on other people "rising to our level".
Because if the truth be known, the American culture has enough of its own problems that the phrase "rising to our level" is almost certainly laughable in the sight of God. But after the One enthroned in Heaven laughs, he rebukes us in his anger, saying, "I have enthroned my King on Zion, my holy hill." This is not mere poetry. God is showing us something very important about where our true home is. If we were redeemed, if we were bought at a price, if we have truly turned our eyes from everything else in this world to follow Jesus, then our hearts will be at home only in the Kingdom of God. Our allegiance is there first and foremost, and it becomes necessary for us to see that we will not find our true happiness anywhere else. I am as patriotic as anyone, and I love my country, but because I love America I will be honest about her shortcomings. We in this country are poor, pitiful, blind and naked. We need to come to Jesus for our riches and clothing and the restoration of our sight.
That must be the starting point of our mission. But though we are so broken and needy as modern Americans, we ought not think that there is nothing we can offer. As a culture we have been given many material blessings; let us be eager to "excel in this act of grace" as Paul says and share those blessings freely. As a culture we have access to an incredible amount of knowledge, both knowledge about Jesus Christ himself and knowledge about how to live life in his presence; let us give thought to every possible way in which we can bless those we go to serve with these resources. As a culture we value title, and standing, and means, and power; let us see clearly that we are going to a tiny, struggling orphanage in a poor country, and let us glory in that. And finally, let this be the message we take to Guatemala: that we are great sinners, but we have a great Saviour. This is the truth which levels time and place and even culture itself, to bring all nations in wonder and worship to the feet of God.
Jeremy
Because if the truth be known, the American culture has enough of its own problems that the phrase "rising to our level" is almost certainly laughable in the sight of God. But after the One enthroned in Heaven laughs, he rebukes us in his anger, saying, "I have enthroned my King on Zion, my holy hill." This is not mere poetry. God is showing us something very important about where our true home is. If we were redeemed, if we were bought at a price, if we have truly turned our eyes from everything else in this world to follow Jesus, then our hearts will be at home only in the Kingdom of God. Our allegiance is there first and foremost, and it becomes necessary for us to see that we will not find our true happiness anywhere else. I am as patriotic as anyone, and I love my country, but because I love America I will be honest about her shortcomings. We in this country are poor, pitiful, blind and naked. We need to come to Jesus for our riches and clothing and the restoration of our sight.
That must be the starting point of our mission. But though we are so broken and needy as modern Americans, we ought not think that there is nothing we can offer. As a culture we have been given many material blessings; let us be eager to "excel in this act of grace" as Paul says and share those blessings freely. As a culture we have access to an incredible amount of knowledge, both knowledge about Jesus Christ himself and knowledge about how to live life in his presence; let us give thought to every possible way in which we can bless those we go to serve with these resources. As a culture we value title, and standing, and means, and power; let us see clearly that we are going to a tiny, struggling orphanage in a poor country, and let us glory in that. And finally, let this be the message we take to Guatemala: that we are great sinners, but we have a great Saviour. This is the truth which levels time and place and even culture itself, to bring all nations in wonder and worship to the feet of God.
Jeremy
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Home of Refuge: Called To Serve and Love
The Home of Refuge: Called To Serve and Love: "Missionary work doesn't require leaving the country, the state or even your home. It does require a willing heart. Willing to give what you ..."
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Called To Serve and Love
Missionary work doesn't require leaving the country, the state or even your home. It does require a willing heart. Willing to give what you can, in any capacity, to help further His kingdom. Our team of 10 feels called ... called to serve and love the children and saints in Guatemala ....so off we go.I can't believe that it is right around the corner. At the end of January when the planning began, July seemed really far way but here we are only 7 days away from leaving. I am so excited and get more excited every time I have contact with someone from Orphan Outreach. Every new piece of information makes me smile. I keep hearing how much we are going to fall in love with the children at the Home of Refuge. Our team has been blessed beyond belief and we haven't even left Waynesboro. I can only imagine the blessings we will receive from 60 children! We have had tremendous financial support from our church, family, friends and acquaintances. Fund raising was even fun because we have been so blessed -we had unbelievable amounts of donated items for the yard sale, many volunteers preparing for the event prior to and during the day(and even at 5:30am), children doing face painting,tons and tons of people from the community shopping on a sunny day,loads of people buying Guatemalan coffee and eating a tasty Applebee's breakfast. But most importantly we appreciate all the prayers that are being lifted up for our team. We get the benefit of serving and loving in Guatemala because of the awesome support and encouragment that we have received. All I have to do now is 3-4 pages of my "to-do" lists. So, please pray that my focus will continue to be on serving and loving and that I won't be overwhelmed with the little details that still need to be completed before we head to Dulles on the 28th. God is in charge of this trip! In Him, Kristi
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Getting ready
Hi all! :)
We are working through lists of stuff to do. Activities to plan, supplies to line up, songs to learn, devotions to write, packing to do, medications to take, childcare and transportation to coordinate, and it all needs to be done before the 29th of July. Add to that the anticipation of immersion in a completely new culture and the desire to make friends and minister to the children and workers at the orphanage (and in my case, a lot of stuff to get in order before I leave my construction projects for a week), and you have the potential for quite a bit of stress.
In my days as a field engineer in the shipyard I used to enjoy saying that stress was nothing but Mc/I, that is, merely the equation combining force and resistance. While edgy and satisfyingly obscure, that statement was not true in the physiological sense. Stress is the very real reaction that we experience when we have too much to do and not enough time, resources, inclination or support to get it all done well. It comes because we have expectations of the situation that we realize are not going to be fulfilled. It can be a useful thing (they say an expert is a drip under pressure), but more often it is a burden to those around us and a detriment to our Christian witness. Flipping out because things aren't going our way is declaring that we don't trust God to bless and protect us even though things look bad. And I am the chief of sinners, as anyone who works with me can tell you.
As with all problems in our Christian walk, the answer is not just to "get over it". I can no more get over my unbelief than I can save myself from my sin. What I can do, however, is have the humility to listen to a gentle rebuke by my teammates when I get stressed out about getting everything done. We need prayer for unity in the work God has given us, so that we can have the courage to speak into each other's lives. This will come when the people we are going to minister to become more important to us than the checklists we bring along, and when the people we are traveling alongside become more important to us than ourselves. That is the heart of Jesus, and I know it is the desire of each one of us on the Guatemala orphanage mission this year.
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. More later!
Jeremy
We are working through lists of stuff to do. Activities to plan, supplies to line up, songs to learn, devotions to write, packing to do, medications to take, childcare and transportation to coordinate, and it all needs to be done before the 29th of July. Add to that the anticipation of immersion in a completely new culture and the desire to make friends and minister to the children and workers at the orphanage (and in my case, a lot of stuff to get in order before I leave my construction projects for a week), and you have the potential for quite a bit of stress.
In my days as a field engineer in the shipyard I used to enjoy saying that stress was nothing but Mc/I, that is, merely the equation combining force and resistance. While edgy and satisfyingly obscure, that statement was not true in the physiological sense. Stress is the very real reaction that we experience when we have too much to do and not enough time, resources, inclination or support to get it all done well. It comes because we have expectations of the situation that we realize are not going to be fulfilled. It can be a useful thing (they say an expert is a drip under pressure), but more often it is a burden to those around us and a detriment to our Christian witness. Flipping out because things aren't going our way is declaring that we don't trust God to bless and protect us even though things look bad. And I am the chief of sinners, as anyone who works with me can tell you.
As with all problems in our Christian walk, the answer is not just to "get over it". I can no more get over my unbelief than I can save myself from my sin. What I can do, however, is have the humility to listen to a gentle rebuke by my teammates when I get stressed out about getting everything done. We need prayer for unity in the work God has given us, so that we can have the courage to speak into each other's lives. This will come when the people we are going to minister to become more important to us than the checklists we bring along, and when the people we are traveling alongside become more important to us than ourselves. That is the heart of Jesus, and I know it is the desire of each one of us on the Guatemala orphanage mission this year.
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. More later!
Jeremy
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