A missionary's reflection

As I sit here and look fondly at the Kodak digital camera that has been my companion on so many landmark events sweet memories tumble about my mind.  Interestingly, the most prevelant one tells the story of the day I received that camera.  It was a birthday gift given to me by the loving congregation of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Virginia Beach.  The generous gift was a surprise that left me totally speechless.  However, it is not the only thing Oak Grove has done for me that has left me speechless.


Very few people truly understand how much a missionary needs the support of family, friends, and churches back home to stay strong on the field.  Quite often churches send out their missionaries with a prayer and a pat on the back and think that a regular check in the mail will satisfy all that is required of them.  It is rare to find a church like Oak Grove that regulary sends personal notes of encouragement.  I can recall dozens of care packages sent to me or given to me on visits by the special ladies in the Rice Circle.  Sadly, it is unusual for a missionary to have cheerleaders back home verbally, materially, and prayerfully cheering us on every step of the way.  And yet, it is so necessary.

This weekend was a time of just such cheerleading and encouragement.  In Guatemala a retreat is held annually for English speaking missionaries and their families.  It is a time of refreshment, a time of resting, and a time to be on the recieving end for a change.  Words cannot describe the "re-charge" we feel as a family after a weekend such as this.  Such an event would not be possible were it not for wonderful, generous individuals and churches that come to sow into Guatemala's missionaries and by doing so, are able to sow into Guatemala as a whole.  A team of teachers come geared up and ready to take our kids for the weekend so that as parents we can sit worry free in the services and workshops.  These teachers pay their own way and furnish games, toys, snacks and more for our little tykes.  Their creativity, patience, and willingness is a treasure.  A whole team of folks come for the specific purpose of blessing the missionary community with haircuts, massages, manicure, and pedicures.  They offer their services free of charge and spoil us on top of that with free product samples, chocolates, hugs, prayers, and encourgement.  Still others come to speak, to lead worship, to donate books, medicines, and teaching supplies.  And on top of all of this, those who come to serve us also pay a portion of our expenses.

To feel so loved and supported for an entire weekend has helped me to feel full again and ready to go back out there and continue to give.

My word of advice to anyone reading this blog is not to forget that whatever missionary you support has many needs other than just a check in the mail.  We need to know that we are not alone out here.  We need to know that you've got our back!  Send  a note or a  small gift to a missionary today to remind them that they are on your mind and in your heart and prayers.

A dream of mine....

 

I hope today's entry helps you to dream a little bit along with me.  I have loved this country and its children for 11 years now.  It seems that whenever I have a chance to go to the public schools, orphanages, or villages and spend just the tiniest amount of time with these precious little souls, they somehow weave their way into my heart forever.

Today I travelled with a small group of people to a mountain area a little over an hour away from our current ministry site.  The view was breathtaking, the weather a delicious cold.  We were able to visit 3 schools all relatively close to a piece of property that we hope to own someday.  Attending these schools are a total of approximately 240 children representing approximately 100 families.  I fell in love with those little faces.  The children around this rural area are true farm folk.  Walking and horses are the main means of transportation.  Most of them probably wash clothes and body in nearby streams and creeks.  They are a simple folk with a simple lifestyle.  

Tragically, few if any, of the children I met today have heard the gospel.  Few, if any, know that God has a plan and a purpose for them.  Few, if any, attend any church at all.  What a goldmine of souls just waiting to be dug into!  

My dream is to oneday be able to take the ABA outreach team regularly to these remote areas to share the gospel and minister to these families.  Dream with me.  For this to be possible we need more missionaries, more mission teams, more brave soldiers for the Lord battling for souls along with us.  We need to make sure our current outreaches are not neglected and that we meet our monthly budget each month.  We need, we need, we need.  It is so easy to focus on what we need and get our eyes off of who supplies our needs.  

Dream with me.  Pray with me.  The Lord will show you how you can help this dream become a reality, whether by bringing a team or sending finances.  

God bless you!  www.crossculturejesus.org

Seeing real life through other's eyes

Are we really in February?  I sit here at my computer desk reflecting on the past week and find it hard to believe that February has already begun.  
Last week the team visited the homes of a good portion of the children who attend our programs.  And some children who are new to our programs.  We have grown so much that even visiting homes every day the week isn't enough time to visit them all!  Going from house to house is an amazing way to establish contact with the families, see how the really live, learn what they really struggle with, and show them we care.

How I wish I could have gone with the team!  Being the director of the ministry is amazing in that the vision for this ministry was given to me from the Lord, birthed in MY heart, and in ME lies the responsibility to see it flow smoothly.  However the downfall is that with ¨directorship¨comes a lot of other responsibilities that sometimes keep me off of the front lines.  Last week I spent in meetings and doing office work while the outreach team did the visiting.

Still, having met the families in question, the stories they brought back moved me to my core.  Doña Carmen is still holding her own despite so many circumstances against her.  You may remember her: the mother of 6 whose taxi driver husband was killed by gang members a while ago.  One of her children has serious medical problems with his kidneys.  Pray with us for healing for him.  And pray for provision for that family.  Having so many little ones at home keeps Doña Carmen from finding a stable job, something she desperately needs to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs.  

Our little grandmother, who sits inside of a relatively nice cinderblock house all day, wants someone to come and teach the Bible to her.  She lives on the top of a very steep, muddy slope and rarely ventures out for fear she may just slip and slide right down the mountain!  She shares a home with her daughter and her several children.  The kitchen is a tiny room with a refrigerator and a table much like one we had when I was young.  Plastic yard chairs surround the table and scrape against the dirt floor as you pull them out to sit down.  A small camp stove boasting 2 burners sits on a table in the corner.  We have visited often at this home. We so need additional workers on our outreach team so that we CAN add home Bible studies to our already overcrowded list of activities.

So many of the families we visited are suffering right now because neither of the parents has a job.  Public school fees haven't been paid so many of "our children" will miss the opportunity to study again this year.  Join with us in prayer as we ask the Lord for PROVISION for these families. 

I recently heard of a pregnant mother who had an addiction to eating dirt!  I have been told that this is a sign of severe lack of vitamins in the diet of a pregnant woman, but I don't know if it is true.  What I do know to be true is that this mother does not get regular medical treatment, take prenatal vitamins, and eats an unbalanced diet. 

As our team walks through winding dirt and gravel paths to reach each of these homes their thoughts turn towards the Lord in gratitude for all that we have and most times take for granted.  I have been hungry before, but I have never truly suffered hunger.  I have always had a roof over my head and bed to sleep on.  Although I may not always have the latest fashion, I have never been naked or without shoes.  To visit a one room home of a family of 5 where the only furniture is one bed and a couple of cinder blocks to sit on can really change your perspective on life.  Seeing a small child burned by the cooking fire and too poor to buy a salve to put on the burn...well, it does things to your heart. 

May you and I live in constant gratitude for the many blessings we have and not in discontent for what we still long for.  I'll bet if you look around you as I have this weekend you will realize that all that is truly important is already in your possesion.