All for His Glory

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.

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: