A Beautiful Moment

The heat was unbearable.  At least for me.

I suffer each March and April in this house with no central air.  We are at the mercy of the climate.  March and April are the hottest months of the year in Guatemala.  They call it "summer".

So at 4:30am I could feel the sticky, wet hair clinging to the back of my neck and I just knew that my night was over and that the last hope of sleep had slipped out of my grasp like grains of sand.

I got up to put the coffee on and to read my Bible. 

Hey, at least I would get some quality time with the Lord in before the rest of the household began to stir.

I tiptoed through the house and down to the kitchen.  As silently as possible I filled the coffee pot and then stood near anticipating the rich flavor as the unique aroma of Guatemalan coffee began to invade my senses.  Sleep had left me long ago, but it was now that I was really beginning to wake up.

Finally I carried my warm cup of coffee to my spot on the couch and settled in to read.  Not one chapter had gone by when the delicous quiet of morning was interrupted by the patter of Little feet. 

Do children have a 6th sense that tells them when you have gotten up early specifically to avoid them, or what?!?!?!?!

My five-year-old appeared with a huge smile and snuggled up to me.  I admonished him to lay down .  I pointed out that it was still "night time".  I encouraged him to close his eyes, be quiet, AND LET ME READ MY BIBLE. 

But it was not to be.  He wiggled.  He chatted.  He finally sat up and declared that he wanted to read his Bible too.

After finding his Bible full of bright pictures he settled down again to "read". 

He glanced over at me almost as if to ask permission.  "I am going to read with my voice.  Not in my head like you."

It makes sense.  He can't even read yet, much less read silently.

So with a sigh I struggled to keep concentrating on the Apostle Paul's writings while a too-loud-for-this-time-of-day voice began to narrate the story of Noah based on the pictures.

At first I felt frustrated.  How could it be that I woke up an hour early to read my Bible and once again my plans were foiled?  How could it be that already my parenting duties had begun...AND I HADN'T EVEN GOTTEN THROUGH MY FIRST CUP OF COFFEE YET!  How could MY morning and MY routine be so rudely interrupeted. Yet. Again.

Almost as if someone was gently tapping me on the shoulder I felt His presence.  I felt as if God Himself sat down on that sofá with us at 5am.  HE was pleased. 

God's presence did not fill the room to overflowing with my selfish attempts to seek God MY way on My terms at the time convenient to Me.  God's presence came gently in to hear the voice of a 5-year-old who was seeking God with a sincere heart and struggling to remember the words.

It was a beautiful moment.

This, That, and The Other...

I am sitting in a small café for children listening to nursery rhymes play in the background while my toddler busies himself in the immense play área.  Sometimes this is the only way I can get computer time in!

And sometimes it is the only way my mind can wander just a bit and reflect on life in general. 

Every year I say the same thing to myself, "It can't possibly get any busier.  This year is busier than the last, this year is more productive, this year is more victorious.  We have surely hit our max potential."  The year marches on, the next one takes us by storm and I find myself shaking my head in disbelief as I repeat the same thing to myself again.

Surely the Lord's promise that we shall go from Glory to Glory is laid out plainly before us.

Let me give you a brief recap of all that is taking place.  Although we have so much happening all over theplace that I will most likely forget something.

We have been super blessed by Fielding and Carla Cage who came to pour their heart into these kids, their families, our staff, and the ministry.  They have helped bring about new programs and brought improvement to existing ones.  Words cannot express our deep gratitude. 

We have just hosted a family who spent spring break with us.  They shared the gospel to about 1,000 kids in the public school.  They bought food for "our" families, visiting the homes, touching and changing lives, and having their own lives changed in the process. 

The Little Giants Bible Clubs (all 3) are growing- more kids this year than ever.  With around 150 kids in the program and fresh new staff to teach we are seeing great things happen.

Fielding and Carla have started targeting the youth in our Little Giants- the one's who aren't so Little anymore!  They have also spoken specifically to the moms, another much needed addition to what we already do.

We continute to go weekly to Amishalom, a small private school who welcomes our teaching with open arms and hearts. 

We also weekly visit the older generation at the program Alfonso runs for seniors of our community.  So now we catch them coming and going!!!!!! (when they are born and when they are in their Golden years)

The feeding program is a much needed program for our under nourished children.  We are thankful for the interest we have seen both locally and internationally. 

Training another local church in the área of children's ministry has kept us hopping in March, consuming every Friday night and almost all the Sundays!  Shew!  Thank God for the Impact Team (Abi, David, Xiomara, Ana, and Lili) who have been such a support and given of their time and put their heart into these sessions.

Could we do more?  I don't honestly know.  We have invitations to continue church trainings.  We have invitations to enter nearly all of the schools in the área as well as some very remote (and needy) schools.  We are on good standing with a local orphanage that we visited for nearly a decade and would like to visit again.  We will just have to pray for the Lord's direction and for volunteer help to assist us in accomplishing all that God Himself has spoken into our hearts.

As I sit here worlds away from most of our supporters I hope that the blogs bring you here with us.  Even if just briefly.  Even if just enough to get a glimplse of the joys, sorrows, and heartaches and victories we experience on a constant basis.  After all, as you sow prayers and finances or visit us in person you are a part of the very essence of CrossCulture Jesús and Brazos Abiertos.

A Little Push

The weather had finally turned warm.  My boys and I were outside playing with bikes and trikes.... when suddenly Cohen realized that his feet now reach the pedals!  Little by Little, bit by bit the wheels began to turn.  Cohen's grin grew wider and wider. 

Just like all two-year-olds, Cohen is bound and determined to do it all and do it all by himself.  Any time I happened to step just a bit too close for his comfort he would point in a direction well away from himself and demand, "Mami go!  By self!"  and I knew that meant I was supposed to step back to a distance too far away to touch the tricycle and allow him to do it by himself.

And so we went.

It was an enjoyable afternoon of firsts and great achievements.  As Cohen became more adept I suggested we venture around the block.  A great idea in theory.  But as we came to our first speed bump I realized my mistake.  Cohen bumped into the obstacle before him.  Despite his best efforts to pedal up and over the speedbump his Little legs just didn't have the strength.  He pushed, he pedaled, he let out a frustrated scream.  I approached to give him a gentle push and was met once again with is displeasure. 

"No, Mami.  By self!" was the Sharp reprimand. 

Cohen would not accept help, yet I could see that this was something he COULD NOT do by himself.

 

It was then that the Lord spoke to my heart.  How often have we been in a place where we could not go forward on our strength alone.  Still, independent and determined, we refuse to accept help from the One that could help us. We sit, stuck and frustrated with the situation needing a push.  Just enough to get us over the bump.  Yet we refuse.

CrossCulture Jesús is at a place in time where I must recognize that we need a Little push.  Just a Little one.  Just enough to get over this bump.  Our monthly budget exceedes our income.  In order to continue to pay staff salaries (which are under mínimum wage as it is) we need to see a montly increase.  Also, we are in desperate need of a full-time administrator to oversee the paperwork side of things.

Please pray with us for that push to come at just the right time from just the right sources.  Pray with us for God to speak to hearts and for those hearts to be open to His leading. 

Above all, thank God with us for all of our supporters who already stand behind us pushing us along and helping us to get over the obstacles we have faced along the way over the past decade or so.

Whole and Complete

There were many years when our staff struggled to accomplish all it had to do.  Not enough time.  Not enough people.  But no more!

This year we are whole and complete!  Glory to God!  With a staff of 5 plus missionaries we are able to accomplish in record time all that a week requires of us and to do it with excellence.

Ana is the last piece to our puzzle.  Ana is actually Xiomara's sister and this is her story. 

Ana helping out by cleaning windows

As a new year of ministry approached we appeared to be once again short handed.  ugh.  I prayed until my knees were raw.  All my leads seemed to be dead ends.  Then, out of the blue, a message from Xiomara that her sister also wanted to work in an environment of service to the Lord.  Would I take her on for a trial?

So, sight unseen Ana came to us.



Ana is calm and quiet, shy and a bit reserved.  Yet she seems to have found her nitch in the drama department! 

Ana letting her inner-hollywood star shine!

She is very good in all the skits the team prepares and very loving to the children.  Ana seems to compliment some of the more energetic members of our team in a great way.

As I sit down at team meetings and look out towards my staff my heart smiles.  Each one is unique.  Each one is special.  Each one is a perfect match to making our puzzle whole and complete.

looking out at a staff meeting- only David is missing in this shot

Dear Abi

Dear Abi. 

Dear, sweet, Abi.

I met Abi last year when she interpreted for a team that visited us.  Immeditately I felt a connection with her.  A pastor's daughter, she had a real heart for people and a teachable spirit. 

After the week she spent with our visiting team I kept in touch.  Something in me was certain she would make a perfect match with our ministry. 

So, a short time later, with a humble heart I approached her.  I let her know that I had been praying about having her join us but that we just didn't have the funds to pay what she deserved.  What I offered her was pititful, to say the least. 

Abi teaching a class

Regardless of the poor excuse of a salary, Abi accepted.  This spoke VOLUMES to me about her true character. 

Abi was patient and listened to instruction.  She was moldable.  She was teachable.  Abi's tender heart and love for children is apparant to anyone who sees her with them.  Her honesty, integrity, and willingness to please have won her a permanent place in all of our hearts.

Right hand person

All those qualities and more have promoted her to be my right-hand person. 

Although Abi came to us wanting to learn from this ministry I have found that It is I who learn so much from Abi's example.  I am truly, truly thankful to the Lord for having crossed our paths. 



Abi now oversees the the weekly planning, the feeding center, helps with secretarial duties, and mission team planning!  shew!  and STILL teaches ALL the classes with a brilliant smile and shining spirit! 

always full of love and always loved

An example to follow- Today I give thanks for Abi.

Thankfully, we have been able to increase her salary just a bit- but it still isn't enough.  Please pray with me for increase in that área.  I would love to be able to offer a salary worthy of this jewel of a person!