One Month Has Already Passed...

 I have begun English classes again at HOREB.  The school has grown from 70 children last year to 104 this year, thanks to adding a Kindergarten with 20 little ones, and with 24 new children in first grade.  There have also been a few children who have transferred from the national schools.  The children were excited to have me back, none more than the first graders oddly who I had never taught before.  I think the children talk about me when I am gone.  They still have not bought land for their own school, still scraping together money and finding the perfect location.  Tabita, the Director, has organized all the teachers in finding 35 people that might help in raising the rest of the money that is needed. The returning students have remembered their English to a satisfying degree.  I am now at a stage with the sixth graders that a class period a lot of times just consists of sitting in a circle and practicing English.

 

I have also spent some time in homes.  I was recently in the home of one family whose father just left for the dangerous journey of crossing illegally into the United States to find work.  The children are sad and are not performing as well at school.  Families here are in hard situations, having little options.  The father who left only has a 2^nd grade education with no available work in the town.  All we can do is pray for his safety and that God would provide for the family’s needs.

 

I have made two trips back to Guatemala City to visit Mariajose and the girls.  Those trips back have felt very short and I am excited to spend more time with them during Holy Week.  We have gotten involved with a church in Guatemala City, called Journey Church, and have begun getting involved with a small group at the Pastor’s home. 

In the month of April, WIND will be bringing down two dental teams from Medical Teams International.  One will go out into villages, assessing the dental needs and preparing for the second team which will provide direct care.  The children at HOREB will also be seen by these teams.  We will also have a meeting with United Way on April 11^th, which will provide regular deliveries of food for the school through a donation made by Kellogg’s.  The majority of the children are malnourished, relying heavily on a corn based diet.

Time has really flown by fast and it is hard to believe that I have only two months left of my three month teaching commitment here.  I have found it hard to stay "present" during my time here as my mind keeps focusing on my upcoming marriage.  Pray that God would use me in my remaining time living in Cotzal in spite of myself and for the dental teams that will be traveling here in this upcoming month.

Grace be with you!  

   

  

Two Men, One Boy and a Mountain (a short fable)

Two men and one boy received strange letters in the mail, telling them that something special lay on top of the breathtaking Mount Gemma, a mysterious message to say the least. 

Albert, a world renowned mathematical genius, on a normal day would have dismissed the letter as nothing more than a gimmick or a letter from a crazy person.  But he happened to have a dream about that particular mountain the night before.  He was standing at the base of the mountain, and a man pointed up, and said “a great reward is at the top.”  Then he woke up.  A little shaken by the letter, he did what any man would do, he googled Mount Gemma.  It would be a 40 mile trek, with 12,000 feet elevation gain.  He calculated that it would take him about 100,000 steps to reach the top.  100,000 steps!  He pictured how difficult it would be to do just 100 steps at that slope and then he thought about doing that 1,000 times and he shuttered.  He laughed, “no way, I’m just going to stay here in my comfy house and do math problems.”

Fabricio had the same dream and got the same letter as Albert.  He knew there was going to be something so amazing at the top.  Without thinking, he hopped on the next flight out of town, toward Mount Gemma.  After a night stay and a long car ride to get to the base, he was ready to tackle the giant mountain.  He knew he could take this mountain on.  He sprinted up as fast as he could go, so excited what might lay at the top.  He grew tired quickly, his muscles tied up, he could no longer breathe.  He wondered how much longer it was to the top.  I mean, he had been sprinting up the thing for one hour now, you’d think he’d be close.  A local strode by, whistling.  Fabricio wheezed back at him: “Sir, how much…longer…to the…top.”  “The top of what?  There’s a good viewpoint of Mount Gemma just a ways further.”  Fabricio struggled to the viewpoint and saw the giant mountain still lay before him, it did not look any closer than when he first started.  Fabricio turned around.  “There is no way any man can get to the top of that,” he thought.

Little David was fourteen, though he looked like he was ten.  He hated being small.  He also had the same dream and got the letter.  His mom, who passed away just a year before, always told him to “follow his dreams.”  He intended to do just that.  He googled Mount Gemma with his curious dad looking over his shoulder.  Some mathematician had posted somewhere that it would take approximately 100,000 steps to reach the top.  David quickly got discouraged.  But his dad asked him “and how many steps does it take to get closer to the top?”  “I suppose just one,” David replied.  “Son, don’t get discouraged about the long journey ahead, for the only step we have control over is the next one.  With that step, we decide which direction to go.”  Two weeks later, father and son, stood on top of the magnificent Mount Gemma.  Through blood, sweat, and tears, he followed his dream to the conclusion.  David did not even bother to look around for the great reward that was supposed to await him there.  He and his dad stood together on top of the world.  What other reward could there be?

God has put dreams in all our hearts, mountains for us to climb.  The journey might be long or seem impossible but we must obey and keep moving forward with faith.  The only step that matters is the next one. Which direction are you going today?

What Now? My third experience living among the Ixil people begins...

The beginning of my third mission experience is Cotzal is upon me.  I write this from my quiet new home at the edge of town, looking out at the rugged green terrain; the cemetery lies just a stone’s throw away.  How did I get here?  I don’t know why the Lord has brought me back here a third time, I only need to walk by faith and trust that I am here for a reason.

 A man’s steps are from the Lord, how then can a man understand his own way? (Proverbs 20:24)

My first mission experience in Cotzal happened only two years ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago.  Nobody in the town knew I was, except that I was a strange, tall Gringo.  I was a very different person then, a little more insecure with a great desire to be liked by the others.  I stayed in Nebaj that year, a town about 30 minutes away, and traveled back and forth every day.  The Lord provided me with good friends in Nebaj and it helped me as I transitioned to the new culture.  I fell in love with Cotzal and with the children at HOREB where I worked.  I was fired up with a tremendous passion and was sad when those three months came to a close.  The children showered me with gifts, I felt so loved and a part of the community.  I cried on my last day there, I had found new friends from a culture so drastically different from my own.

 

In my second mission experience, I had committed to seven months and was excited about the new experience of living in Cotzal.  I, and a friend who was teaching at a school in a nearby village, found a place in the center of town.  I was there only a few weeks before I had to return for my dad’s open heart surgery.  That journey back would change my life forever.  I met my fiancée on the plane.  We talked for three hours like we knew each other for years, sharing about our lives and our faith.  Immediately after returning, she picked me up from the airport.  Throughout my time in Cotzal, we would talk on the phone or Skype every night before bed.  We studied the Bible together and went so deep in our discussions.  If it wasn’t for her, I know that I would have felt so lonely those seven months.

 

The Cotzal of my first experience was a romanticized version, the honeymoon period if you will.  I felt like the man in Avatar, discovering an indigenous civilization as they taught me their ways.  The Cotzal of my second experience was more based on reality.  While I felt like I developed authentic friendships with members of the community, there was no denying it, I was different and the people saw me as different.  There are so many needs in this community and people saw me as their hope for a better life.  I wanted to fit in and be one of them but because of my privileged background, the color of my skin, and my physical stature, developing true peer friendships felt nearly impossible.  Almost everybody wanted something from me.  However, there were some in the community that showed me true Christian love, and I will forever be thankful.  In the end though, I had to grow up.  I had to learn how to say no.  I had to learn that I could not please everybody and that was okay.  I struggled with my faith at times as loneliness set in.

 

The best part of those seven months though, is I went deeper.  I became more of a leader at HOREB.  I got to know the families of the children and shared in some very hard experiences with them.  I went into homes and prayed.  The honeymoon period was over, but in its place true lasting relationships began to form.  Maybe I would never be able to make a best friend here, but I could develop real relationships with solid spiritual ground.

The other difference in my second mission trip were the service teams that came down from WIND.  With my knowledge of the community, I became a guide for those teams, and helped facilitate service projects.  I was able to be the cultural intermediary.  At the very end of my time, I realized that that was the most important role I served.  Because of my time living with the Ixil people, and growing up of course in the U.S., I was beginning to understand both worldviews.  I could translate not only between English and Spanish, but the U.S. worldview to my growing understanding of the Ixil worldview.  I was definitely not one of them, but that was okay.  It made me specially equipped to serve a very unique role in the community.

That all brings me back to here, today.  My time here is beginning and I know it will be very different from my last trip.  I am now a very popular figure in Cotzal and everybody feels like they know me.  I decided to live in this quiet place at the edge of town to remove myself a little from the community.  I want to have more quiet time to reflect and write.  I want to be more purposeful in my interactions in the community without being blown back and forth between others peoples wants.  I want to be sensitive to where I feel led by God.  It is also a time in which God is preparing me to be a husband and a father.   Times are definitely changing.  Was it really only two years ago that God brought me here?  Lord, what now?      

Guatemala Support Letter 2014

I have finally written my support letter for my work in Guatemala this year.  Read the letter here!  :) 

Above The Clouds

Peering out the airplane window, I saw the majestic Mount Ranier, rising up like a polished white jewel, towering above the clouds.  Underneath us was a sea of white as far as the eye could see with jagged mountain ridges slicing their way above the clouds like islands sticking up out of the ocean.  The sun was setting, the sky filled with shades of orange and pink reflecting off the snowy mountain.  God’s creation is so breathtaking that it can’t help but fill one with joy inexpressible.

We descended through the clouds into the dark, dreary Seattle evening below.  I reflected on what the people thought about the miraculous sunset I had just experienced.  Stuck underneath the oppressive sea of white, they no doubt barely noticed it, other than observing that the darkness of the day became darker as night approached.  Maybe some felt depressed, experiencing some effects of S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  When all one sees is the clouds, sometimes it is easy to forget how small the clouds really are compared to the vast beauty that lies above them.

I have had clouds in my own life that have obscured the reality.  I have had times when all I see are the negative thoughts in my head, unable to see God’s amazing love for me.  During one period of intense anxiety, at a moment when I could not feel God’s presence, I heard Him say to me “I am here, I love you.”  The truth is, the clouds in our lives seem so big and in the moments we are under them, it feels like they are the only reality.  But there is such overwhelming beauty in those moments that still exist that we can’t see.  The clouds are only a tiny part of the whole picture.  Have faith in those moments when all you see are the clouds, and as the wind blows them away, you will see the amazing truth once again.  

Fathers in Poverty: The Story of Miguel

It was my last day of a seven month stay in the small town of Cotzal, Guatemala. It was time to say goodbye to a family that was dear to my heart. Sitting on a child’s chair outside Miguel’s tiny mud floored home, I listened as he spoke about growing up without a father. He broke into tears. I had never before seen this man so emotional and I looked at his quiet humble wife, who also had tears forming in her eyes. Their beautiful eight children were also there, sitting around us. That day he asked if I would share his story, a story that is far too common in this area.

I had gotten to know this family through his children. I taught four of them English at the Christian school called HOREB. His eldest also came to my house once per week. The children were always well behaved in class and shy. Pedro is the eldest and is in the 8th grade. At HOREB, I taught Maria (6th), Alicia (4th), Brenda (3rd), and Humberto (2nd). Their other three children (including a baby) are not yet of school age. Miguel encourages all the children to get a good education and his greatest desire is for all of them to attend university one day. He lives his life for his children and wishes he could provide for them and make that dream a reality.

He sees the value in education because he doesn't have one. Miguel only made it to the 2nd grade. He did not have a father encouraging him to get an education and now as a man struggling to provide even the most basic needs for his family, he wants his children to have a better life. He works hard. He owns and drives a “tuc-tuc” and also works as a laborer in the fields. But it is not enough. He does not own his own house or own land, the family of 10 lives with his wife’s parents in a house the size of a middle class living room in the United States. It is by the shores of a river which flooded one night this past May. The water took some of their few possessions they had and turned their dirt floors into a muddy mess. The children still went to school the next day, looking very tired.

Miguel feels so much weight when it comes to his responsibilities as the father of the household. He sees no hope in properly providing for his family in his current situation. So a few years ago, he was able to save enough money to travel to the United States as an illegal immigrant. It was a dangerous journey but he made it all the way into the U.S., hiring a “coyote.” He was deported back after only one week and returned home. He seeks to return, viewing earning money in the U.S. as the best hope for his family.

As a father, he is invested in his children’s lives. When the HOREB soccer team traveled to Nebaj, a nearby town, or later to the much bigger and farther away town of Quiche, he insisted on coming with the team and teachers to support his daughter. He was the only father to do so.

While poor in material possessions, the family is rich in love. In my first meeting with them, I shared how wealthy I thought that they were in having a family of eight children, all so full of love. I know God will use them and do amazing things through them. As the head of the household, Miguel falls into worry, wanting to provide for his family without the resources to be able to do so. In the end, all he can do is rely on God. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Please keep this family in your prayers and pray that the Lord would give Miguel work, to be able to provide for his family and give his children a good education. There are many fathers like him in the Ixil: fathers without an education and without a means to receive one, feeling powerless to provide. Many seek to immigrate illegally to the U.S. Many give up and leave their family. Many turn to alcohol. Thank God for the 

fathers like Miguel, who keep fighting with faith, hope, and love.

Happily Ever After: The climax from a Ben Courson message...

From the climax of Ben Courson's message centered around Psalm 37:4: 

Stop asking for lighter loads and start asking for stronger backs because God wants to give us an epic biography...

You can’t get to Easter egg dying, bunny hopping, Jesus Christ resurrecting, Easter Sunday unless you go through black crucifixion Friday.

Lets stop seeing the difficulties in every opportunity and start seeing the opportunity in every difficulty.

Lets stop saying the thing’s too impossible to be done and start saying the more impossible a thing is, the more it should be done.

Lets stop seeing our challenges as obstacles to greatness and start seeing our challenges as opportunities for greatness.

Because we have somebody on our team who is braver than batman, stronger than superman, more indomitable than ironman, they call him the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.

That’s good news.

So stop focusing on the size of your storms and start focusing on the size of your Savior.

Stop worrying about the power of the grave and start worshiping the power of your God.

Stop looking at the size of your giants and start looking at the size of Jehovah

Because our God is in the business of turning dark plots into happy endings.

Our God is in the business of not just meeting our expectations but infinitely blowing our minds.

So you, delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

And so you will live happily ever after.