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.

Elmer's Story

“Muy bien, muy bien, muy bien!” Elmer and I slapped our hands together in fast succession, our heads moving at the same time as our hands slapped, timed perfectly with each “muy bien” we screamed. It was always followed by laughter. That is how this family is. They love to joke around, love to laugh. While materially impoverished, they are always rich in laughter and service. Elmer was a product of his family. He was the middle of seven children, having three older sisters and three younger brothers. Josue, the father of the family, instilled in his children a passion for learning and a strong faith in Jesus. Elmer had the best of these characteristics. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, he wanted to be a Pastor when he grew up. Some days he would go to the church all dressed up, preparing for his future as a Pastor.

One day, I went to have lunch with the family as I always did. This family is so hospitable that it is literally impossible to enter the house without eating something. They told me Elmer was not feeling well and that he had a stomach ache. I didn’t think anything of it, thinking he had the flu. A couple weeks later, he was still sick. They had taken him to the medical clinic in Cotzal and they had given him injections but he was not better. They took him to a hospital in the nearby town of Nebaj. The doctors in Nebaj did not know what was wrong with him. I visited him a few times in the hospital and at one point he appeared better. He was able to talk then and he told me thank you for visiting him and gave me a big hug. He was such a sweet kid.

The family decided the hospital was not helping and took him back to their home. One night I got a phone call from Elmer and he asked me to lunch with him and his family the next day at his home. He sounded better and I was excited to see his recovery for myself. Walking to his house, I could see him waiting for me from a distance. I noticed right away that while his condition had improved, he still wasn’t himself. While eating, he began getting chills despite it being a hot day. Josue got him up and arranged a tiny soccer game. He tried to play, but was clumsy. His chills got stronger, he couldn’t stop shaking. It was the start of another fever. He wasn’t better. We prayed together and I urged them to go to the city to get help but the family was resistant after what happened in Nebaj.

I arrived the next day and he was worse. He had gotten extremely skinny as he vomited up everything he ate. He was in extreme pain. I got stronger with the family, urging them to do something. We prayed for an hour for the will of God. I was sure this time they would go. Their answer stunned me. They said that their decision was to trust in God and not go to the hospital. They also told me not to tell another trusted family friend, Paul Townsend, of the situation. I felt so powerless. I cried that night. They had faith that God would heal him. That was on Friday.

On Sunday, I arrived back at their house. Elmer was screaming in pain. Every part of his body hurt. I told them not to worry about money if they preferred to go to a private hospital. The family got into action. Josue borrowed a car and we went to a private hospital in Nebaj as it started getting dark. He was seen in the private hospital and a doctor examined him without a sign of care or concern in his face. He gave them a list of things it could be, wrote a note, and told them there was nothing they could do. They went directly to the hospital in Quiche that night, about 2 hours away.

It was in Quiche they diagnosed him with Appendicitis. But it proved to be too late. He had two operations and to my knowledge was given strong antibiotics. The appendix had already burst and the infection was spread too far. He died from Septic shock that next Saturday.

I was passing by Quiche soon after hearing of his death. Josue had called me screaming in anguish that Elmer had died. I was with a group driving to Antigua where I would stay until my flight. A man named Ivan took me to the hospital in Quiche. I will never forget that experience trying to comfort that family soon after losing their 12 year old son and brother. His father, mother, and one of his sisters were there. All were wailing. I embraced them, cried with them, and couldn’t find the words to comfort them. Ivan was a blessing to have there at that time. He reminded them of their six other children, reinforcing to them that Elmer was in heaven and that they must wait to see him again with hope. He even got the mother to laugh briefly. Ultimately as the ambulance arrived to take his body home, the grief was too much. They were returning to Cotzal with their dead son. I was going home. The mother kept repeating to me: “There is no more muy bien muy bien Jordan, no more jokes...” I just told her in heaven, there would be many more “muy biens” together. I said goodbye to the family right before the ambulance took them away. Ivan and I got back in the car together and rode to Antigua, mostly in silence.

The experience leaves all those involved with many questions. Why did God not heal Elmer? What does God see that we don’t see? What could I have done differently? How can we honor the short life of Elmer and make his death mean something? How can we educate families to seek medical attention earlier? What can be done to improve health care in the region so children don’t die from something as curable as appendicitis?

This is one story I wish I didn’t have to take home with me. Please keep this family in your prayers.

A Month of WIND teams

This last month has been a whirlWIND. My dad guided four short term WIND teams back to back to back to back. All four of them left quite an impact to the region. First, a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) team comprised of 9 young women, including my awesome cousin, arrived a month ago from Central Washington University. They organized activities at the school which the children enjoyed immensely. They also installed stoves in the afternoon. Many families cook over an open fire in the home and each of the 10 HELPS International designed stoves built by this group will significantly reduce the amount of smoke inside the houses. They are also much more efficient requiring less firewood, meaning less trips walking long distances gathering firewood for the family. One of the girls shared her testimony of when she lost her leg in a boating accident and how she relied on God through that time. I have never seen the children that silent before listening to a story. On that Saturday, we had a field day at a nearby park where the group organized some games. This was a tough group and despite battling a variety of ailments, every person showed up to the school each day, and nobody complained. I know the all the girls left changed.

Two dental teams also arrived back to back through Medical Teams International (MTI). It was really neat to see MTI, WIND, and Agros all working together in order to put this on. One of the visions of WIND is to work together with other NGOs already in the region and it has been fun watching that come to fruition. The dentists served about 500 patients from the surrounding area including around 140 associated with Colegio HOREB. Tooth decay is very common here because families do not understand the importance of brushing and also drink too much soda because it’s cost is equal to that of clean water. Besides treating patients, the two teams also provided much needed dental hygiene education.

The final team was a group of high schoolers from Westminster Chapel in Bellevue. They worked five mornings at Colegio HOREB teaching English worship songs, crafts, drama, and physical education. They bring a youthful energy that the children love. In the afternoons we installed 10 more stoves. On our final day, the entire school stood in one big circle with the group holding hands as my dad said a prayer, talking about us being one family. It was such a beautiful moment. We sang some songs in our circle while the team passed out bracelets. God clearly was working strongly within this group and I have never come across children that age with such strong faith.

These groups were such an encouragement to me. As the only native English speaker and only member of my culture working in Cotzal, sometimes it feels like I am alone. It is hard to keep my faith high but sharing in fellowship with these groups revitalized me and also helped prepare me for the transition ahead. I only have two more weeks working in Cotzal, with my flight returning home scheduled for August 4th. I will be coaching High School swimming while praying about my next steps. I have many stories to share from my time here this year and hopefully I will get a chance to write the important ones in the coming months to provide encouragement to others.

Thank you so much to all who have supported me through prayer and finances. I am excited to share more about how I have seen God work during my time in Guatemala.  I hope you take a chance to check out the WIND of God Facebook page which provides photos and information about the short term teams that worked here the last month!

The Age of One Click Global Communication

I sit here in my favorite place in Antigua, the little El Refugio coffee shop.  I have finished my cup of exquisite coffee, I have finished my Bible study for the day, and I know I must write.  I have not written anything in months.  I am not sure what happened.  I have been busy, but there has also been plenty of opportunity to share.  But I don’t know how to sit down and put into words everything that has happened.  The more time passes, the harder it becomes.  There is plenty to communicate, but putting it all into letters, words, and sentences that can properly express it to others seems like an impossible task.

The technology we have nowadays allows us to communicate in miraculous ways.  Sometimes I pine for the days of couriers on horseback delivering messages from faraway lands.  Why was I not born in that time I wonder?  Times seemed simpler then and I romanticize the past.  In so doing I ignore the opportunities there is at hand to truly impact the world with one click.

With one click, everything I have written will be available to be accessed by the entire world.  Sometimes I forget the monumental potential that the right messages at the right time can have on people who stumble across something I have written.  However at the same time this amazing technology can backfire.  There is so much information on the Internet.  I could spend the rest of my life staring at a computer screen taking in information and contributing absolutely nothing to our local or global society.  How am I using this age of one click global communication?  Am I using it to glorify God, to love others, and to leave an impact on our world?  Or am I distracting myself with it, leaving no time for the greater purposes God has called us toward?  I hate to admit that for me it feels at times more like a distraction.

I get lost in the land of infinite information (or misinformation).  One link leads to another link which leads to another link.  If I’m not careful an hour or two can pass.  I find myself taking in endless amounts of information and opinions without contributing anything.

I want to stop wasting time.  I want to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity technology allows without being distracted with it.  For believers in Jesus, our relationship with Him and the love that flows from that must be the center of everything we do, and that includes the time we spend online.  Are we using that miraculous opportunity to love others and bring God the glory, or do we find ourselves addicted and in over our heads?   

A Review of the Last Month

This month has been a busy one. I have been so busy running around and getting distracted that the work that has fallen off the most has been my communication with the supporters back home, which I believe to be a very important purpose of my time here. So I want to apologize for not spending much time writing and communicating. I want to say a deep-hearted thank you for all of those that have supported me. It has been an amazing experience to see my needs met while I have been down here. I came to Guatemala without having enough money to stay through the completion of my planned time. I thought numerous times about making an appeal for money, but after these thoughts I would receive word from my parents about another donation that had come in. God has truly provided for my needs here and I am extremely blessed to have so many people praying for and supporting me.

So what have I been up to? Besides my work here in Cotzal, I have been talking with a special friend daily who lives in Guatemala City. I have made two trips to the city in order to extend my passport visa. I have been able to visit some of the families of HOREB, been teaching classes in my home once a week, and have continued in my role as the Profe de Ingles in Colegio HOREB. We have just finished up a long week of exams where I tested all the children at the school in English. I have also been strengthening relationships with some of the teachers, particularly with 6th grade teacher Matias. I have been working closely with other missionaries that are working with the school, Enma from Guatemala City and Myrna from El Salvador. I am helping to prepare things on the ground for W.I.N.D. groups that will be coming down in June and July. We will be installing 20 new stoves in Cotzal homes, and a group of dentists will be coming to provide dental work to all the children of HOREB as well as 70 HOREB family members. There will be also be two groups of young people coming down to work with the children at the school.

I got good news at an HOREB board meeting recently. It has been a long process, but they are now an official non profit organization in Guatemala! Praise God for this development! This will make it much easier for them to raise funds for the school and was a necessary step before purchasing the land for their own school facility. They were expecting to have to pay taxes to the Government but to the surprise of all, they did not need to pay one cent.

I am planning to return to the states on August 4th to continue coaching High School swimming and I will explore my next options from there. I want to take a week long trip back to Cotzal in October to attend the graduation of the 6th graders. I think it is very likely I will return the next year as well, as the love I have for all the children and people here will likely not keep me away for long.

Stuff to pray for:

Praise God for new offical status of Colegio HOREB!

Praise Him for providing for all my personal needs while away from home

Thank the Lord for a gifted teacher named Tita who has committed to spend 3 months this year working with the teachers of HOREB and providing training!

Praise Him for all the support that W.I.N.D. of God has received to be able to help this school in substantial ways and provide hope for the future.

Pray for a grandmother of one of the HOREB children, who currently is taking care of her four grandchildren alone. She has pains throughout her body and feels tired most of the day. Their mother is dead and their father abandoned them.

Pray for the brothers of an HOREB child who do not know the Lord and live with their father in another part of town.

Who are you?

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)

I walk through this life unsure of where I am going.  Sometimes I even forget who I am.  That is when I shuffle my feet, hands in pocket, looking down.  I wonder why life is so long and what its purpose is.  But, then I hear a whisper into my soul, something stirs it.  I catch a glimpse. 

God made all of us unique with all of our unique gifts and with our unique souls.  How incredible that with seven billion people on the planet today and the hundreds of billions that have come before us and will come after us, that we are all unique.  We all have our own special mixture of talents, gifts, and personalities to offer.

But as the world gets more connected, we are losing ourselves in the process.  We begin to listen to the racket around us.  It is no longer just the noise in our day to day lives, but also the cacaphony of ideas on the internet.  The facebook posts, the tweets, the millions of opinions floating around of how people should live their lives (which maybe includes this blog).  But then we forget to ask God, why am I here?  What is the purpose?  Who am I?

Don’t let all this racket control your life.  Don’t let people be the judge of you.  You have only one Judge in heaven.  We must take time in our lives to strip everything away.  To disconnect.  To spend time alone with God and discover for ourselves the answer to that all important question.  Because the answer will give you direction to your life and light a fire into you.  It will light a fire because your soul will wake up and rejoice.  YES!  That is why I am here!  That is who I am!!!!!!  We may never find out what our futures hold, but we, by rediscovering our purpose, will come alive with new meaning. 

So let us stop going through the motions, living life the way others want us to live it.  But take the time to disconnect, with just you and the Creator of the universe, and rediscover your soul.  It’s still there somewhere, buried under all the worries and cares of this world.  

The Beautiful, Perilous Journey

My socks are soggy, my shoes muddy.  My body drips from the constant drizzle.  A fog has settled in the valley.  I trudge through the wet trail, one step at a time, while on my left the river runs a little faster than usual. The green mountains tower over me on each side.  I get a glimpse of something.  My soul feels a tingling ever so slightly.

I imagine life as a one way trip through the valley.  If I one week earlier had fallen face first in the mud, it would mean nothing to me now.  I go onward.  I go forward.  There is no turning back.  I would have learned from my misstep and would no doubt walk more carefully as the ground under my feet got slippery.  Maybe I would have a flashback of that experience, but it would not paralyze me.   In the bottom of my heart I would know forward was the only option.  If I would have stood paralyzed with fear in the valley, or had refused to pick myself up from the mud, I would have wasted away.  My trip would have been over, my destination realized.  But if the mud is not to be our final destinations, we must pick ourselves up.  We must go onward.  We must go forward. 

As we go forward on our one way journey, the terrain constantly changes.  It is beautiful.  It is beautiful because we have never seen it before.  It is new.  It is exciting.  But it is also perilous.  What dangers wait around the next bend?  Am I ready for the challenge?  What if I slip in the mud again and don’t have the strength to stand up?  What if I can’t find water and I die of thirst?  And so, what a paradox it is that the most beautiful parts of our journey can seem to be the most perilous of all. 

I think of the one of the simplest Christian songs I have ever heard:

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

I think our lives are a one way journey toward something.  If we have decided to follow Jesus, then we walk down that path with heaven as our final destination.  There will be many obstacles.  There will be much suffering.  There will be times we are so exhausted that we can barely take another step.  There will be times we fall face first in the mud.  But when the bad times happen, we leave them behind and do not give up.  We must keep going.

We look forward the path ahead, to where God is leading us.  It is filled with the beautiful, perilous unknown.  It is easy for some fear to take hold.  Maybe a part of us wants to turn around and return down the familiar path behind us.  But we place our trust in our God.  And as we press on, our souls sing: 

   

I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back.

Praying for our Children

After our Holy Week vacation, before starting the next unit, the teachers of HOREB met together for some Bible study and self-evaluation. We talked about David's prayer at the end of his life in 1 Chronicles 29:10-19. At the end we rested on verse 19:

Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.

Our director, Enma, told us to replace Solomon's name with one of our students that was on our heart. We wrote out the verse with that child's name. Wow, what a powerful prayer. Imagine if we prayed this prayer for all of our children.

Going Deeper

Spring is here.  We have turned the calendar to April and I feel like I have begun anew.  I spent my Semana Santa without internet.  I spent much time studying the Bible and praying, and I did a lot of walking.  At times I felt very bored but I ended the week with a renewed energy and a new direction.  I knew I was not simply here to teach English.

My week of reflection started out with an invitation to accompany one of the teachers and her two children on a visit with her mom.  I was honored by the invitation.  Her two children have become quite taken with me and whenever we walk, each slips their hand into mine.  We walked down a big hill into the valley where her mom lives.  During our visit the teacher recounted her story to me.  Her father was killed when she was only four years old, but she remembers her father and remembers the day he was taken from her.  He was a pastor of a big church in the area.  It was during the Guatemala civil war and pastors, who did not take a side in the war, were seen as a threat by both the army and the guerillas.  Being able to talk more with her on a deeper level was a true blessing and a great start to my week.

The week ended with another blessing.  On Easter Sunday, I left the house to go for a walk.  First I went to visit with Marvin, one of the teachers who had broken his leg, but he was not in his house.  Another teacher, Matias, lived close by, but he also wasn't home.  I decided to walk down the hill where one of families of Colegio HOREB lived.  I didn't really have a plan.  I have a special place in my heart for that family and I wanted to pay them a visit.  I had met with them only once before and it was outside the house.  I walked over and saw some of the children that I teach and started practicing with them in English and asking how their week was.  They have four children that currently attend the school and one that has graduated from the school.  They also have three more that are not old enough to attend.  So all together, there are eight children.  Their parents came out and invited me in to their home.

Inside there were two beds where the family slept.  It was their bedroom and their living room.  Miguel, the father, began to tell about himself.  He labors in the fields but doesn't have his own land.  He can't afford a home for his family and so they rent that tiny room from his mother in law.  He went to the United States to be able to provide for his family but was deported back after a week.  He would go again if he had the money to do so.  I tell him that the family may need money but they need him more.

Their family is beautiful.  I teach four of their children and they are all a little shy, but give the teachers respect and do well at school.  I look around at his children and look back at him.  In Luke 6:43 it says:

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.

I know that him and his wife are good trees and follow God, because I have seen and gotten to know their children.  I see a family with a strong faith, a family who God has blessed abundantly, despite their material poverty.  I think of Psalm 127:3-5

Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

Miguel obviously spends a lot of time worrying about providing for his family as anybody in his position would be.  I look around at his children one more time and share with him that I think he is a very rich man.  One of my favorite verses pops into my head and I ask if they have a Bible.  Several of their children pull out Bibles and I smile.  I have their eldest read a verse for the family.  Matthew 6: 25-34

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  Any why are you anxious about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The whole family, all 10 of them, gathers together and we pray for God to provide work.  Miguel thanks me for my spiritual support.  I am puzzled at this because I never intended to give spiritual support when I arrived.  I was just sort of bored and felt like I wanted to visit with this family because I love teaching those children.  But God used that time and God gave me words.  I think sometimes my plans and agendas for situations get in the way of God using me.  I think I need to show up more and just let God use me whatever way He intends.

The meeting with that family fired me up.  I realized that God wants to use me in a much deeper way than I would ever plan for myself.  I am hoping to spend more time just showing up without agenda and seeing what God has for me. 

One Thousand Times

The City lies foursquare, its length the same as its width.  And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.  Its length and width and height are equal (Revelation 21:16).

John is describing the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven after Satan is defeated.  One stadion is about 607 feet.  So 12,000 Stadia comes out to about 1,380 miles long and wide.  That is one big city.  That New Jerusalem will be bigger than the state of Alaska.  What gets me though is that John is saying it is 1,380 miles HIGH as well.   Wait, what?  Exactly.  To get perspective, Mount Everest is just under 6 miles high.  Something that is 1,380 miles high is in outer space.  So what does this tell us?  That the new earth is going to be much, much bigger.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1)

How big will the new earth be?  The Bible never tells us directly, but it does give us some hints.  A city that is 1,380 miles high is one hint.  Another lies at the very end of Ezekiel.  While in exile, God gives Ezekiel a vision of the new temple and the new city that should be constructed when they return. 

These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel.  On the east side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan.  On the south side, which is to be 4,500 cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun.  On the west side, which is to be 4,500 cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.  The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits.  And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord is There. (Ezekiel 48:30-35)

So how does this help us determine the size of the new earth?  Bear with me, check out what John has to say about the New Jerusalem:

It had a great high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed – on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The New Jerusalem has the same design as the city in Ezekiel’s vision, only on a much grander scale, with some very important changes.  One is that the names of the twelve apostles will be on the foundations of the city.  Another is that the Lord is in the city and gives light to the city.  In Ezekiel’s vision, the Temple is in the Holy district, which is a part from the city.  But in the New Jerusalem, God´s glory will dwell in the city and there will be no temple.  It will also be made out of pure gold, which is a lot of gold for a city that is bigger than Alaska.

Ezekiel’s new city is 4,500 cubits long and wide.  A cubit is 1.5 feet.  So the city in his vision was about 6,750 feet or around 1.3 miles long and wide.  The New Jerusalem then is roughly 1,000 times bigger than the city in Ezekiel’s vision.  That got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, the new earth will also be 1,000 times as big.  Maybe this Earth is like a miniature model of what is to come that is 1/1000^th the size.  A 1,380 mile high city in our miniature model Earth would be 6,750 feet, a breathable elevation.

  

It is important the New Jerusalem is 1,380 miles high, because it will provide light for the entire Earth.  There will be no sun and no night.  The light will emanate out from the New Jerusalem.

You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14)

As somebody that loves to walk and hike, I wonder what the trek will be like up to the New Jerusalem.  Climbing up 4,000 feet is a hard day of hiking but going UP 1,380 miles will be something else.  But we will have our heavenly bodies.  God will provide in every way.  There will be no danger.  Time will be nonexistent.   There will just joy and peace as we walk.  I imagine the view is incredible, maybe 1000 times more incredible than I have ever seen before. J        

The Gift

A short term group from El Salvador came recently to give classes for teachers and pastors in the region.  I was able to sit in with the teachers for most of the day this past Friday and Saturday.  Teachers from Chajul, Nebaj, Cotzal were able to take part.  One class especially spoke to me and the other teachers as well.  Many of their eyes filled with tears.

The teacher of the class was an older woman named Tita.  She had obviously been a teacher for many years because she took command of the room from the start.  She insisted that the desks be put in a circle with nobody sitting behind another.  She wanted our full attention.  It was Saturday morning and the group was much smaller and intimate than it was the previous day.

She described the different temperaments and personalities of people and how it is important to know all the students that you teach.  We then took a test to discover what our predominant temperaments were.
She then used some of us as examples, describing the differences.  She used me as an example and described me so perfectly I got goosebumps.  She talked about her two daughters, how one was more calm and quiet while the other was more energetic and talkative, and how she accepted each one the way they were, even if sometimes they drove her crazy.

She had us look at Psalm 139:13-14

For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

She emphasized to us that there is nobody like us in the entire world.  We are all different and we are all special.  She wanted us to be the best versions of ourselves and not put on different masks to be who others wanted us to be.  We are an idea of God and it is impossible that an idea of God is not a good idea.  She told us to thank God today for being created exactly as we are and for transforming us day by day to the person that He wants us to be.  For Him, each one of us is incomparable.

She told us she had a gift for us.  She brought out a box with a bow on it.  She had one of the women come and look at the gift without showing anybody else what it was.  She asked if she liked the gift that God gave her this day.  And she said yes.  Tita asked her to think about the gift.  She brought another person in front of the class and had them look at the gift.  One by one all the teachers were shown what was in the box and were told to think in the gift.  I walked up to the box, curious as to what was inside.  I looked inside and saw my own reflection.  She told me to look carefully at the gift and then I went to sit down.

I was deeply moved by the gift.  How many times in my life have I wished to be different, have I wished to be more outgoing, to be more open, and yet God made me exactly as I am.  He has given me life, He has given me salvation, and I am truly unique, and there is nobody like me.

She asked every one of us what we saw in our gift.  Some people could not hold it together as they described what they saw.  I looked around the room and saw so many eyes filled with tears.  How many of us sitting in that room had been seeking things from God without realizing the gift He has already given us?  Without realizing that God made us the way we are for a reason?

She finished by saying that today, begin the act of being an exclusive model because there is nobody like you.

A Men.

Real Life

Time passes so fast.  The days blend together.  What happened to March?  I am now fully entrenched into the Ixil lifestyle.  My life here feels normal to me and so I forget to write about it, like other people won't find it interesting.  For me, this is my "real life."  But the truth is, my life and my normal experiences here are very different than the lives of most of the people who read my blog.  So it is important that I share because even the things I now find uninteresting, other people may find fascinating.  

What is "real life" anyway?  When people return from vacation or from a short term mission experience, they say it's time to go back to "real life" or the "real world" as if everything they experienced was not reality.  Real life is more than the box we make it in our minds.  There are over 7 billion people on this planet encompassing thousands if not hundreds of thousands of different cultural groups.  Real life is fascinating, it is diverse.  Don't make the mistake of thinking your version of reality is the only one or the most important.  It is demeaning to billions of people whose lives are very different from yours.  The lives of the people I am working and living with here are just as real as yours.  

I know we all know this intellectually and I don't mean to get on a soap box, but I feel like sometimes we all get so wrapped up in our own worlds (me included) that we forget that other people and other cultures have just as equal worth as our own.  When we hear of great atrocities in other parts of the world, maybe it's easy to ignore because we don't see it as "real life."  We forget that those lives are just as important as our own.  We are stuck in our own boxes, far removed from the greater reality.

I am reminded of one of Plato's writings about the people who are raised and live all their lives chained in a cave, watching shadows flicker across a wall.  One escapes and sees the sun for the first time.  At first he is blinded but once his eyes adjust, he takes in the true reality all around him.  In some ways I think all of us are like the people raised in the cave.  We are raised with our own "realities" and sometimes we need to escape from our bubbles to discover the greater reality.  Then we realize that our lives in our little caves are only one tiny, tiny piece to a far, far greater reality beyond anything we could imagine.     

   

  

The Road

The sun was shining and I stepped out the door with excitement.  I was excited to have the opportunity to walk the road on this beautiful day.  I was looking forward to the solitude and the time enjoying God’s beautiful creation.   Maybe I would have a chance to see some old friends along the way or maybe not.  Either way, I was going to enjoy my time on the road.  You never know what surprises will lay around the next corner.  You never know what people you will meet while walking along.

 The quietness on the road is only interrupted by the beautiful sounds of nature or the one or two vehicles that happen to pass by.  I feel at home.  The bus from the market passes me and drops people off.  I see villagers carrying all their produce walking along together to their little village.  All the women are dressed in their traditional colorful Mayan dresses.  I pass a girl making wapiles to the backdrop of enormous green mountains.  I see men working their land on the steep slopes.  I pass the occasional cow, horse, or sheep.  Every once in a while I will pass walkers heading the other direction carrying bundles of wood to fuel their stoves.  We greet one another, and continue our journeys down the road.  I pass through tiny villages.  People are always curious, asking where I am going.  I stop and talk with a family who wonder about me, why I am walking the road.  I give them a destination but then explain that I walk because I love the road.  I feel alive and the ways of my life begin to make sense in my mind.  I feel peace, clarity, and wisdom.  The ebbs and flows of my life are put in their proper perspective.  Things in my life that once felt like strong winds and huge waves begin to feel like a light breeze and tiny ripples.  God speaks with me on the road and reminds me of His creation.

I get lost in time, only enjoying the moment.  I sit down at a spot overlooking a cliff.  I see miles down the road, and a village way off in the distance.  I open a book and read.  The quiet is deafening.

I arrive to a familiar village, one I had developed a relationship with at another time in my life.  Things feel the same, yet different.  A woman catches up with me and talks with me, she leads to me to an old friend and we greet one another.  He is working with other men, building a new school for the village.  I go to his house and visit with his family for just brief minutes before they leave to work their land.  I head back to the road, back home.  A girl waves me over.  I talk with her and her mom.  Then I continue on.   I wave to the family working their land as I walk up the hill.  My legs are tired but my soul feels well.  I stop and rest when a pick-up truck comes barreling up the road.  I wave it down and hop in the back.  The road goes faster and I miss the slower pace.  The truck stops and two men and two boys with shovels pile in the back, coming off a hard day’s work.  I arrive back to my town.  My time on the road has ended and my energy is renewed.

Report from HOREB

Lupita swings at the park one fun Friday

6th grade class photo at the park

The first quarter is almost over for the children.  Next week will be exams and then they will have the week after that off for Semana Santa (Holy week).  The teachers have been meeting every Monday morning for devotions while the children have been having devotions every Thursday.  They have been learning how to sow and all have been working on making their own scarfs.  Their English has improved by leaps and bounds.  I was pleasantly surprised with the 6th graders last week when they went in front of the class and introduced themselves in English.  I thought I would have to guide them, but over half the class memorized everything in English with good pronunciation, good vocabulary, and with no help from me.  The 5th grade teacher leaves early most days to get to his other job and so I have been spending some time with the 5th graders at the end of the day.  I have been teaching them the song "Trading my Sorrows" in English.  The kids really pick up songs very fast and has been a wonderful teaching tool.  Next Tuesday, the children will compete in Soccer and one girl will compete in a running competition.  They are excited for that.  Thank you for your support of this school!  Here are some more photos:

3rd and 4th grade girls pose with teacher's son at the soccer field

1st grade class photo inside their new classroom

Devotion with the 1st graders

Ines helps me film a class play while Delia watches

Maria dressed up for her role in the play

A mock classroom situation

Children sowing

Children clean after school

Bearer of Good News

It was February 1st, my last full day in Cotzal before beginning my long journey back to Seattle.  I arranged a meeting with the Junta Directiva (the school board) of HOREB.  The Junta Directiva is a rather new development.  All previous dialogue about the school generally went through the Director, Tabita.  The President of the Junta Directiva, Pedro, has a daughter in the 3^rd grade attending the school.  He started the meeting by informing me of the progress that was being made to make Colegio HOREB a legal entity in Guatemala.  It is a process that takes a long time and I was happy to hear they were very close to making it happen.

Then I got to share with them the support that was going to come in from WIND of God.  What an amazing honor and privilege to act as the WIND of God spokesperson in this meeting.  I got to be the representative of so many people who have prayed for and given support for this school in the United States.  What an incredible and humbling experience to be the messenger of such good news!  I first told them that we were not just planning on leaving after just one year or two years, but hopefully we would walk with them for many, many years.  I shared the amount of support we had set aside for the teachers and other expenses for this year.  Then I got to share with them the amount of support we had set aside to purchase the land for a new school.  I don’t know what I was expecting when I shared this news but I was not anticipating the reaction. 

They became overcome with emotion.  For many years they had been praying for their own school.  HOREB currently rents space and does not have a place to call their own.  As they took in what I was saying, they realized that God was listening to their prayers.  The sixth grade teacher and vice president of the Junta Directiva, Matias, remembered a particular moment in time when all the children were praying for help in purchasing the piece of land set aside for the school.  The members of the Junta Directiva have a shared vision of a new generation transforming Cotzal and a new generation accepting Christ in their hearts.  They are dreaming big, wanting to start a Basico program (middle school), Diversificado (high school), and maybe even one day a university in Cotzal.

The HOREB 6^th graders from last year are currently attending various Basico schools in the area.  They miss the Christian environment of HOREB.  I remember talking with Romualdo last year, the Director of a Christian school in nearby Chajul, and him saying that it is at the Basico level when children really begin to grasp and think about the gospel.  At the elementary school level, the children are compliant and will believe what you tell them.  It is when they get older that they began to question and become influenced by other ideas, and it is at this time that the Christian environment is so crucial.  There is currently no Basico Christian school in Cotzal.

At the end of the meeting the president, Pedro, said that he saw me as a messenger not only from WIND of God the organization, but from the wind of God himself.  We ended the meeting in prayer, passionately praising God and praying for the next generation of Cotzal.  I got goosebumps.  I still get goosebumps when I recall the meeting.  God had given them a message through me, a message that was an answer to their prayers.  I was the only one in the meeting privy with knowledge of both sides and for them my news was nothing short of God’s providence.  I wish every person that has supported this school got to experience that meeting with me.  For them it was a new beginning to something grand that God is planning to do in the humble town.  Stay tuned.

Photos from HOREB

The 6th graders like their new classroom (Ines, Lupita, and Delia)

2nd Grade girls: Maria, Diamaleth, Betsa, and Cristel

6th grade boys in their new classroom (Bryam and Kevin)

Enma teaches 4th graders Dionicio and Enrique how to sow

Posing with 5th grader Mayerly and no I didn't sow that!

Enma working with the 5th graders (Teddy, Adilia, and Eylin)

The Boys futbol team in training

Myrna, Bertita, Monica, and Enma

Leaving, Returning, and Everything in Between

When I found out that my dad needed open heart surgery, I had to make a decision.  The decision that seemed to make the most sense was to wait until after his surgery to leave for Guatemala.  I had already been waiting for nine months, what was one more?  But I felt a strong urge to go, so I did something that made less sense.  I left for three weeks, came back for two weeks, and then left again.  I was not sure on the wisdom of this decision, only following my heart.  The plane ticket was an extra expense and my fundraising total was low.  Being with the people of Cotzal for those three weeks and teaching at the school, I knew that I had made the right decision.  I was feeling settled and at peace with my work in Cotzal, but it was time to travel back for my dad's surgery.  Honestly, it was hard to leave.  Besides praying, I didn't know what I could really do to help as my dad went through that.  But I found that the way God used me the most was not necessarily in the United States but in the process of traveling home.  He had divine appointments lined up in front of me and through them He taught me and changed me.

The first one I have already written about.  Being able to pray with the person that stole my phone was something I will probably never forget.  I could feel God speaking to him in that moment.  When I arrived back to Antigua two weeks later, I asked about him to people that know him.  Nobody had seen him.  He had disappeared after that incident.  I hope he has begun to put his stealing ways behind him and has let God have His way with him. 

The second one happened on the plane from Guatemala City to Dallas.  I sat next to a woman who was traveling to Kansas to visit with a guy she had known from Panama, and with whom she had been chatting long distance with for a year.  She was stepping out into unknown territory and was unsure of what she wanted.  She believed in God and prayed often, but this guy did not.  She wanted to be closer to God.  As I spoke with her, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me, giving me words.  I shared with her the verse I was studying at the time from Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  When I connected with her upon my return, I learned that she felt it was God and not me speaking to her, and she felt that verse was for her.   We talked for three hours on the plane and upon arriving in Dallas, we agreed to do lunch together at the airport.  But after going through customs in our separate lines, we lost each other.  I waited for her upstairs while she waited for me downstairs.  I wondered if that was a sign that God wanted our meeting to be at an end.  I looked for her gate on the departure screen so maybe I could say goodbye before she left, since she was leaving over an hour earlier than me.  It said A21.  I looked for my gate.  It said A21.  I laughed out loud that God had put us not only right next to each other on the plane but also at the exact same gate in the enormous Dallas airport as well.  We talked a little bit more before she had to board her plane.  Two weeks later she picked me up from the airport in Guatemala City and drove me to Antigua.  We continued to talk and share our lives with each for many hours over those next two days.

At the Dallas airport I had another divine appointment over text message.  After that woman and I had lost each other, I received several texts to my USA phone from an old friend from my childhood.  He knew I was a missionary and asked me many questions about salvation.  I had been out of the country for three weeks, and my phone had been turned off during that time, but he had sent the texts only the night before.  We sent several texts back and forth in the Dallas airport. 

Through those three instances over those two days on my travel home, I felt God use me as never before.   I felt the Holy Spirit giving me words and I opened my mouth without worry or fear.  Once home, I spent many hours at the hospital with my family.  Watching my dad go through the aftermath of his surgery was very difficult for me, I felt useless.  But God watched over the surgery and it went “beautifully.”  So many people in the United States and here in Guatemala were praying for him.  My dad is a much loved man and I think he had more visitors than anybody else on his floor.  I watched as he, through the pain and discomfort, was able to still visit with his friends and crack jokes.  He wanted to learn everybody’s name that came in to work on him (and there were many).  He went through the procedure with so much courage and so much grace.   He is ahead of schedule on his road to recovery.

It was nice spending time with family and friends in Seattle but I also felt restless.  I was ready to go back and continue my journey here in Guatemala.  I have been back in the country now for almost a week.  I took several busses to arrive here in Cotzal from Antigua, which was an adventure considering I was lugging my guitar around everywhere.   Seeing all the children at HOREB this last Friday reminded me why I am here.  It has been great reconnecting again with the loving, hospitable people here in Cotzal.  We will see what else God has in store for me. I just hope I am able to get out of my own way and let God use me the way He used me in my journey home.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.

The Ancient Paths

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16 ESV)

Each moment there are many paths you can take.  We need to take the time to look and ask God to reveal His way to us.  There are paths that lead to idols and paths that lead to God.  I looked at my own life and when I lost the way.  I realized shifts took place.  A path started out leading toward God but it took detours until something else was the end of the path in my mind.  Stepping out in faith and following God in a new relationship but then the relationship becomes the end in my mind.  Stepping out in faith to begin a new job but then my role, reputation, and success in that job becomes the end in my mind.  I thought of how when I seek my own happiness, my own anything, I become unhappy.  In this attitude, everything I do is a tool for “happiness” but in going that direction, I find no rest for my soul.

Every moment we are faced with decisions.  How often do we stand by all these possible roads and take the time to look and ask for the ancient path, the good way?  What do you seek when youchoose your path?  We are all seeking, we are all worshiping.  What is the end in your mind?  What are you journeying toward?  I think nothing in this life is evil in and of itself.  I think the journey toward the cross can take many paths.  A path of marriage.  A path of being single.  A path of being a missionary.  A path of working a 9 to 5 job.  A path of raising children.  A path of being competitive at a sport.

But sometimes we think the path is the destination.  I will be happy when: I am married, I am single, I have a good job, I have children, I accomplish my goals, etc.  We journey toward these things, we idolize them in our minds.  We use people to achieve them.  We try to use God to achieve them.  We use all our resources to achieve them.  And we get stuck and wonder why life feels so empty and we find no rest for our souls.  We have forgotten the ancient path, the good way. It leads to the Eternal.  It leads to the Everlasting.  We can follow that path through marriage, through being single, through all our relationships, through our work, through everything. 

Every moment we are faced with decisions.  We can love or hate.  We can covet or we can give.  We can use other people to serve our idolatrous paths or we can serve them as we journey toward the cross together.  Unlike idolatrous Israel did from this passage from Jeremiah, I hope you look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

This is Guatemala: 2

Yes, it is another microbus story.  This one took place in my first week upon arriving to Guatemala in 2013.  It was a cold rainy day, I was crammed into the microbus, sitting on the wheel hub as there was nowhere else to sit.  As we were approaching a corner, the bus came to a fast stop and the ayudante jumped out and ran.  Everybody began clearing out of the microbus to get a look.  Another microbus had flipped over going the other direction and was lying on its side in the middle of the road.  It appeared that it had gone around a corner a little too fast.  Our bus was the first to the scene.  A traffic jam piled up in both directions.  A few ayudantes climbed to the top of the vehicle, which was now the drivers side door, and a few scaled a nearby tree.  They helped the passengers one by one to climb out of the van.  I only saw five come out and all appeared to be shaken but in good condition.  A bunch of men then got to the side of the van and pushed, rolling the microbus back upright.  They started the car and lo and behold, despite appearances to the contrary, it was in good enough condition to drive.  We all piled back into our microbus, as I reclaimed by wheel seat, and we were back off.  Just a minor delay on our way to Cotzal. 

Saying Thank You to Westminster Chapel

A Super God at Work in Antigua

We left at 3 AM Sunday morning from Nebaj on our way to Antigua.  Paul Townsend, the long-time missionary accompanying me, had a meeting that morning in Antigua and he was kind enough to give me a ride as well.  We arrived at 9 AM.  My flight was not until Tuesday morning.  So now it was just a boring time of hanging out and waiting, or so I thought.  But God makes things interesting.

I rested at my hotel for a while and walked around Antigua.  The Superbowl started at 5:30 but I was very tired and wasn't sure I wanted to watch it.  A church/café called El Camino was showing the game and so I decided to go on over and check it out.  The place was full and I sat on a couch near the back.  The place was filled mostly with Gringos like me.  A little Guatemalan guy who had been sitting nearby came over and introduced himself.  It was in this moment I met Juan.*

Juan did not understand our strange version of football and so I explained a little bit of what was going on.  But mostly we conversed about our respective stories.  Juan was an orphan and was homeless.  Juan had been attending the church for 5 years and the church body around us all recognized him and greeted him..  We talked a little about the Bible and God.  It was one of those deep conversations that felt good.  We came from completely different backgrounds and yet we could relate and praise the same God.  I felt for him that he had to sleep on the streets and I asked him about the street life.  I wondered how a church of God could have a person attending the church for 5 years and still that person slept on the streets.  I was ready to talk to the Pastor and ask him, "how could this be?"  I bought Juan dinner.  Before he left in the 3rd quarter of the game, I put my arm around him and prayed for him.  By this point I was so tired but I was determined to have a word with the Pastor about this guy.  Shortly after he left, I got up to leave.  The game was a blow out at the time.  The Baltimore Ravens were beating the 49ers 28-6.  I checked my pockets.  My phone was gone.  I knew what happened.  To tell you the truth, I had a feeling even before this moment.  I was extremely tired and there was a moment when I put my head back and mentioned "Tengo sueños."  At that time, I felt a movement in my right pocket.  But at the time I trusted the guy and did not check my pockets until after he left to be sure.  I checked the cushions.  Nothing.  But I still was not 100% sure he stole my phone.  Maybe I just forgot to bring it with me.

I went to my hotel room.  There was no phone.  That confirmed it.  The man with whom I had bought dinner, with whom I had a rich conversation with, and a man whom I prayed for, had stolen my phone.  I went back to the church during the 3rd quarter and let a couple church leaders know what happened.  It turns out this was not the first time.  Members of the church had been helping this guy for years, but he continued to steal, even from the people who helped him.  Suffice it to say, I did not speak with the Pastor that day.  The Church had been in fact doing an admirable job in helping this man, walking with him, and growing his faith.  But still he stole from people and took advantage of people who helped him.

Two ladies knew of places where Juan hung out.  We drove around Antigua with the Ravens still up 28 to 6 after a long power outage delay.  We looked for him at spots where he might be but we never did find him.  When we came back the Ravens were only up 28 to 23 at the end of the third quarter.  After the 49ers strong comeback, I had to watch the end.  The Ravens scored a field goal and the 49ers scored another touchdown.  The score was 31 to 29 with 8 minutes left.  I realized at that time that I had told Juan the name of my hotel and my first and last name.  I also knew that the guy currently working at my hotel did not know what I looked like.   I also didn't know how loosey goosey they were about security.  I briskly walked back to the hotel to tell that guy about what had happened and basically, told them I was me.  He had not seen anybody come by and I chatted briefly with another missionary that was there.  I came back at the 2 minute warning.  The Ravens had scored a field goal but the 49ers were in scoring position.  But the Ravens held them off and won the game 34 to 31.  After the game, the ladies told me to tell the people at the Refugio the next morning because Juan frequented that coffee shop.  That place happened to be literally right next door to my hotel.  A coincidence?

I got up early and waited for the guy that opens the coffee shop in the morning.  He had been at the El Camino during the game as well and recognized me.  I told him of the theft and he confirmed that Juan was a known thief and had stolen things at the coffee shop.  He said Juan was a good person, but he just steals things, like an addict.  The man that runs the Refugio, Jim, had tried to help him, and even gave him a job.  But he was not interested in working and stole his phone.  I washed up and came back to the Refugio to do my Bible study for the day and hoped to get lucky in finding my thief.

Jim came over and talked to me and I recounted to him the whole story.  Jim is a strong Christian and it was clear that the matter of Juan pressed strongly on his heart.  He could not understand why he continued to steal despite having help all around him.  So I finished my Bible study and we went out on a mission.  We walked to a store at which he sometimes hung out, but with no luck.  We then went to the park where he frequently sleeps at.  Juan is afraid of getting robbed himself and so spends his nights walking around and sleeps during the day.  We prayed as we walked, asking the Lord for direction and leading in this situation.  It was not about the phone anymore but about the man.  Upon arriving at the park, we noticed a few men sleeping in the corner.  We walked over, and sure enough, one of them was Juan.

We woke him up and immediately he felt his pockets and said ¨no lo tengo¨ or ¨I don't have it.¨  We asked him, "you don't have what?"  He replied "the phone."  Jim's phone rang and while he was talking I sat next to Juan and gently asked him why he stole my phone.  He didn't answer.  I asked him again and he stuck his hand in his pocket and handed me my phone back.  I told him "gracias" but still I repeated my question.  He had no answers for me, only teary eyes as he stared straight ahead, barely acknowledging me.  In his response I could see the tension between the person he wanted to be and the person he was in this moment.  I felt the Spirit strong with me and with Jim.  We told him that he could not hide things from God, He can see everything.  We asked him what he was not sharing with God and to repent.  We asked him if we could pray for him.  He said no.  But we prayed anyway.  We acknowledged the great plans God had for Juan, and asked God to show him the path.  He still said nothing, tears in his eyes, staring straight ahead.  We prayed for the other homeless sleeping there and then we walked back to the Refugio.

Who knows how God will use that situation.  But all I know is that God has paths for me to follow day by day regardless of my personal plans.  Even on the days that are supposed to be boring days of rest, God is always working and will use any situation, even theft, for His ultimate good, to share His love with the world.

*Juan is not the man`s real name.  It occurred to me after originally publishing that using the man's real name in this article was insensitive, so I apoligize to those of you that saw it.

Such A Time As This

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

 It was a cold rainy day today, and us teachers sat down below in a classroom huddled in a close circle for our first devotion together.  Enma, a missionary from Guatemala City who teaches the Bible at the school, led us in this verse from Esther.  At this point in the story, Esther the Jew had become queen over 127 provinces.  The Jews were in exile and the King's right hand man Haman had written an edict that on a certain day, all the people of the provinces were to destroy, kill, and annihilate every single Jew.  Esther's Uncle discovers the plot and tells her.  Esther at first is hesitant to do anything becuase to go into the inner court without being called by the King could mean her death.  Mordecai then delivers this line.

Enma then challenged us teachers in our context.  Who knows whether you have not come to teach at Colegio HOREB, in the year 2013, for just such a time as this?  We have been put in a position to lead these specific children in the right direction.  If we do not obey, help will come from another place.  But God has placed us there to fulfill His purposes.

The fifth grade teacher, Marvin, told of students he had talked with who don't experience love in their home.  They come from spiritually impoverished families.  It is at HOREB that they first experience God's love and seek to follow Jesus.  Enma emphasized that every single child has God given intelligence.  But some are not motivated.  Some can not concentrate well because they are hungry.  Others lack confidence.  Who knows whether you have not come to this place for such a time as this?

I think about my role, and WIND's role, in the community of Cotzal.  I am close to moving in to a house near the center of the village.  God has provided me with a tremendous support system.  So many people are rallying around this tiny school in the middle of nowhere.  I think about the peopl, the teachers, and the children God has placed before me.  I think about the needs, both spiritually and materially.  Who knows whether we have not come to this place for such a time as this?

I hope by sharing this, that a few of you will also think about the position God has put you in, the responsibilities he has placed in your hands, the people you have an influence over in your daily life, and be challenged.  Who knows whether you have not come to that positon for such a time as this?

And Esther replied to Mordecai: Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.