A Celebration of a Different Kind

Sometimes the Word "tired" just isn't strong enough.

This was how I felt last Thursday upon arriving home after a very busy morning celebrating national children's day with almost 160 children!

Every year I write to tell how many children came and how we celebrated.  However, this year there is more to the story than just the theme and outcome.  There is a story of how an outreach team stepped up to the plate to overcome difficulties with a victorious result.

For the past several years we have averaged around 100 children in attendance.  I have worked up a Budget that suits that number nicely.  So several months ago I set out to find sponsorship for the 100 children we expected. God answered our prayers quickly.  Sponsorhip came through 2 sources totally covering what I had projected to be our costs.  But as the date approached my staff began to inform me that the money they were given just wasn't enough.

How could that be?  I began to investigate and discovered that the staff had invited not 100 children but over 150 children!!!!  Could those numbers be accurate?  Where did all the children come from?  And how were we going to make up the $300 difference?

As it turns out, our programs have about doubled since last year-- but that is a topic for another blog. 

Because of this sudden growth we were ill-prepared for the Children's day event.

beautiful decorations made by our staff on a very tight Budget!

a view of the opposite end of the room, including table centerpieces

One thing I love about the staff is how ready they are to jump in and accomplish things.  Immediately they began to search for a cheaper place big enough to host the event and with catering services as well.  They found a place that would save us about $1 per child.  Then they negotiated with the owner to drop the Price another $.25 !!! Praise God for wisdom and favor!

Then David began knocking on doors and talking to friends and acquaintences.  He managed to secure a donation of cakes which saved us about $30 plus some financial donations.  When all was said and done we were able to get the event pulled off and still be in the black.

It was truly a combination of God given wisdom, creative ideas from the Holy Ghost, and the favor of God.

156 children turned out for the event.  Through songs, games, and activities we taught them to GO and share the góspel with others.  A huge hamburger, fries, and cake were served.  Each child was given a wáter bottle. 

the line waiting to get in

a room FULL of children, joy, and the presence of God

The event was a huge success.  We have already Heard testimonies about how much the children enjoyed the event and all that they took away from it (spiritually- not referring to the left over food and wáter bottle!). 

The children took away a deeper appreciation for all the Jesús has done for them.  I took away a deeper appreciation of my staff and God's favor over us.  So as the nation celebrated children, I was having a celebration of a different kind.

Can't wait to see what next year's event will bring!!!!!

Pastora Ana, a faithful volunteer

 

 

Just as we had finally packed up everything and were headed back to the base to unload, a storm stuck.  We had planned to have part of the staff walk back, but due to the rain decided to pack 9 people PLUS supplies into my SUV.  The fun never ends!!!!

David and a staff member's daughter in the trunk, 4 people on the back seat, 3 in the front: makes 9 total!

 

 

 

Hold Tightly to My Hand

There is probably no excuse for not having written a blog in a while.

For many people this is the way in which they connect with our ministry.  Many people are kept abreast of prayer requests, needs, and testimonies through the blog.

Yet, the past weeks have flown by in a flurry of activity.  We have been preparing for National Children's Day.  We have been scouring the second-hand stores in search of jackets and coats for the children in the program.  We have been updating our data base on the many, many, many families we have in our program.  And on a personal note, I have been running around with sick children, doctor appointments, end of the school year activities, a travelling husband, and so much more.

I have felt burdened with so many aspects of the ministry.  Knowing we need more funds and not knowing where they will come from.  Knowing we need more staff and not knowing who to turn to.  Knowing I have stacks of paperwork falling behind every day and not knowing when I will get to it.  The thoughts and questions swirl in my mind at times, robbing me of peace and causing me to doubt.

Earlier this week I had both boys with me.  We were running errands which required walking about.  With two boys you can imagine, both boys bounded about and bounced along.  Boys never seem to just walk. 

Cohen, my two-year-old, has new shoes.  They are longer than his old ones (which, by the way, had begun to pinch his toes) so he is having trouble adjusting his stride to the length of the new shoe.  By the end of the first hour he had already fallen and scraped his knee, his elbow, and his hands. 

Everytime he ran ahead I would shout warnings to slow down.  I would ask him to come walk by me.  I would try to discourage him from following after his older brother.  All to no avail.

It just didn't seem like any fun at all to walk quietly next to Mami, holding her hand.  Despite scrapted and scratched knees and hands, he hurried on, tripping and falling over his own feet in the process.

The last fall was the worst.  His Little hands just barely had time to catch him or he would have fallen right on his face.

As I comforted him I Heard myself say, "Cohen, dear, please just walk next to me.  If you will hold tightly to my hand I won't let you fall."

But the words came from outside of myself.  It was as if God was speaking to ME at that moment.  Suddenly I was no longer aware of Cohen's tears or Corban's running about.  It was just the Lord and me alone.  He was reminding me to hold tightly to HIS hand.  He won't let me fall.

How often I wish to run ahead.  How often it seems that the pace the Lord is requiring of me is slow and boring.  How often I want a "real adventure".  How often I fail to trust that God's plan at God's pace is just what I need.  It is tempting to compare myself to others who seem to run at  full speed never tripping and falling.  They seem full of joy and laughter, full of energy and enthusiasm... and I feel so clumsy as I trip and fall in an attempt to follow THEM when I really should just follow HIM. 

Hold tightly to my hand and I won't let you fall.

Those words filled my heart with peace.  Those words helped me to walk quietly and obediently next to the one who knows my weaknesses and how to keep me safe from myself.

Blanca's Smile

Blanca is a teenager.  Her waif thin body and dirty hair lead you to believe that she is younger than she is. 

She lives with her family of 5 in a tin shack that they were given rent-free as long as they "look after it".  The tiny shack has a dirt floor.  The beds are filled with fleas.  There is no table, the family eats on the bed or floor.  At times you can see torn and tattered clothing waving on the make-shift clothes line strung across the entrance way. 

Blanca breaks my heart.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was privileged to accompany a group of teens who had one purpose in mind: to visit Blanca and her family and to give them a table and 6 chairs.  And not only that, but a bag of food to provide a meal for this new table.

When we arrived Blanca and her younger sister were alone.  When I explained the purpose of our visit Blanca's dull eyes began to light up.  She shyly looked on as we set up the table and chairs in the only available space under a small roof just outside the door. 

While the youth were setting up the table and chairs I took a moment to talk to Blanca.  I gently reminded her that God has a purpose for her life.  She has a divine destiny in HIM.  I told her that the table, chairs, and food are a gift sent from God Himself because HE LOVES HER and wants to show Himself strong to her.  With a hug I spoke of God's promises for her life and invited her to love and serve God with a whole heart.

We then invited Blanca and her sister to sit at their new table.  They were in awe.

Afterwards we continued to visit other homes.  On the way back to our vans we were waved down by Blanca's parents who had come home again.  The reason for the family's life of shambles and constant hunger was immediately apparant.  Blanca's father was so drunk that he could barely stand straight.  He was hardly coherent as he thanked us generously. 

As we walked away my heart was heavy.  At times I feel as though we are just a drop in the bucket.  Blanca's father drinks away the family's funds and the children pay the Price. 

However, the next week Blanca was back in our Little Giant's group.  It was encouraging to see that her face was brighter.  Her step lighter.  And she smiled more.  Regardless of how insignificant I may feel in the face of such need, the Christ that I share is the answer.  Blanca now carries an assurance of God's love and purpose for her.  It was made real to her by a visit of teenagers and the gift they gave.

Teabag Tamborine

The group of teens from Iowa had left.

My heart was full with things that God was speaking to me and showing me.  I turned on the music in my living room and began to hum along with the worship music.

The words to the music slowly sank deep into my heart and at the same time bubbled right out of it as I made my way to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea.  Halfway through the tea process I could contain myself no more.  I began to sing, lifting my hands in praise and worshiping the One True God with the only instrument I had on hand--- a box of tea bags! 

The box of tea bags thumped along with the beat of the music, my body swayed in time.  I was lost in my expression of love to the God who gives liberally. 

As I glanced down I saw my two-year-old son who had come to mimic me.  He had his own tea bag tambourine and was thumping away, his voice strong, his words always lagging behind the words of the music. 

And there we were.  Talking to God for so many things that even now I find hard to put into words.

This year has brought so much change, so much growth, so many dreams, and so many opportunities that I find that it is altogether too much.  It is too much for me to comprehend.  It is too much for me to reason.  It is too much for me to handle.  As I try to rationalize it all I find it is all consuming and all together too much. 

Where do we go from here?

If ever you have prayed for this ministry, please do pray  now.

Another school pleading for us to come and teach.  An orphanage asking for our return.  A church begging for a retreat for its children's workers.  Teams wanting to come.  More families to join our programs means more resources needed.  Dreams to enlarge our feeding center.  Hopes to reach out to the youth.  A burning desire to continue reaching the mountain schools. 

All this and more turns circles in my heart, waking me at night and calling me to prayer. 

How can we possibly handle all of this with our limited resources?  We have limited staff.  We have limited funds.  We have limited time.  It seems that we are trying to do an eternal work on a temporaral time scale.  Impossible.

And so as I am faced with all too much on the one hand and oh, so Little on the other I am left with nothing other than falling to my knees and crying out to God to send in abundance the wisdom, strength, staff, finances, supplies, and everything else we need to accomplish the task before us. 

It is a place of total dependence on God because nothing else is enough. 

As the music came to an end Cohen and I both were silent, contemplating the still quiet voice of the Lord as He breathed over us. 

If this year has already been so radical and life changing for me as a person and for us as a ministry- then I cannot even begin to imagine what next year will bring.

 

Quiet Contemplation

I sit here in the quiet of night reflecting on the time we just shared at a church in a village of San José Pinula.  We took a team of youth to minister through song, drama, and sharing the Word.  The prayer time afterwards was powerful.  As the Holy Spirit filled the place I was struck with how God delights in using the most unlikely candidates at times.

I watched the youth minister in song: one on the guitar, one on the keyboard, another on the drums, and a couple of vocals.  I thought how I have no particular talent at all.  I am not very artsy.  I don't even have a charming personality that draws others to me!  I am just Little ol' somewhat boring ME. 

Still, somewhere, one step at a time, I began a long walk down destiny's road.  And I ended up here. 

This afternoon these same youth helped me to open a door into a public school that had been distrustful in times past.  For the first time we were able to go in and with skits, dramas, games, and testimonies share the goodness of God.  Before our visit the school was very hesitant to allow us to enter.  They were afraid that the very Catholic parents would be offended.  With much prayer for favor and grace we were granted permission.  Then the planning began.  How to present the góspel in such a way that it points toward God's forgiveness and mercy while not directly giving an altar call. 

The youth stepped up to the challenge and pulled it off brilliantly.  Now the school is thrilled that we came and has opened its doors for us to have future visits.

This is just one of many schools.

Recently another school sent Word to me begging to be included in our ministry Schedule. 

And schools aren't the only ones pleading.  I also have a list of people who wish to work for us full-time.  These people desire to teach children the Word of God.  They want to share Jesús with the lost.  They want to minister to the needy and downtrodden.  And they want to do it with us. 

And so, likely candidate or not, I find myself once again on my knees before God.  If He has called me to this place then surely He has already supplied all I need to prosper here.  I lay before the throne our great need for more staff and missionaries in order to handle all of the invitations we have to minister.  Also, the additional finances we need to pay more staff members!  I give these needs over to the Lord who has continued to supply everything we need over the years.  If He has called us to be here then He will provide for us. 

All that is left is to trust in Him and see His glory manifested in us and through us.

What Short-term Mission Teams Don´t Know

I fell in love with missions when I was a small child in the Baptist Sunday School listening to stories of missionary heroes.  Especially our very own Lottie Moon from Virginia.

How exotic to give your life to loving and serving God by loving and serving a people halfway across the globe.  How romantic to die of starvation because you chose to feed starving children instead of yourself.  What love.  What dedication.  What true Christianity!

So when my opportunity came to go on a short-term trip at age 16 I didn't let it slip me by.  It was the chance I had been waiting and praying for and now it was upon me.  I spent months preparing myself along with the rest of our team to visit Ensenada, Mexico.  We prepared VBS lessons and crafts and just as diligently we prepared ourselves spiritually.  It was 2 months of focus for 10 days of action. 

Those 10 days were exciting.  We did minor construction on a new church building.  We painted and painted for hours and hours.  We held VBS classes for the local children. We  passed out tracts in the Street.  We bonded as a team and with the members of our host church.  WE HAD MADE A DIFFERENCE.

After that I knew that God had called me to missions. 

Decades later and living full time on the mission field I can tell you one thing: My life is NOT a short-term mission trip. 

The excitement and adventure of those short-term trips has been trumped by the hum drum everydayness of my life now. 

Sure, I live on the mission field and dedícate my life to helping children- even feeding them!  But there is another side of my life that I never considered as a member of a short-term mission team and by comments that short-termers make to me I know that they haven't considered it either.  It is a simple yet profound reality---I HAVE A REAL LIFE. 

I wake up early every day in order to get my family ready for school and work.  Afternoons are filled with homework, soccer, and swimming.  Busy days mean evenings full of hungry boys! 

Regardless of how many mission teams we host, how busy that team is, or how many missionaries are visiting us I still have lunches to pack every day and supper to cook every night. 

My children get sick unexpectedly, we have pediatrician appointments, school activities, birthdays and other events.  My husband sometimes Works late or goes out of town.  Our children have real bedtimes because they have real school the next day.

Regardless of visiting teams or missionaries I still have bills to pay on time and grocery shopping to do.  The ministry has bills that need to be paid and bookkeeping reports that must all be done in a timely manner despite how full a teams itinerary may be. 

When I took my first mission trip my immaturity and lack of experience in life itself led me to believe that every day would be full of adventure, ministering to the lost and hurting, learning new skills, and going to new places.  As life as played out I have come to realize that life is life whether on the mission field or at home in the good ol' U.S. of A. 

So if you are preparing to go on a short term trip any time soon, please keep in mind that not only you and your team are taking personal time to come and share God's love on foreign soil, but your missionary hosts are also taking time out of their already packed schedules in order to host you as pleasantly as possible. 

As a short-termer you may never fully know how much your host missionaries have had to juggle, shuffle, change, and sacrifice in order to accomodate your team, but you can rest assured that once your team is gone they will stay behind and fall back into the rythm and routine that the mission field really entails.

My life apart from mission teams

P.S.  I understand that not all missionaries lead the same lifestyle that my family and I do.  Many missionaries live in very remote áreas.  Oftentimes the missionary families opt for homeschooling. And some missionaries probably do lead a more adventurous life tan I do.  However, I also have a list of missionary friends a mile long that live very similarly to myself.

My Old Table

The bustle around our supper table comes to a close and the children get up leaving a mess of crumbs and sticky fingerprints in their wake.  I look at this old wooden table and remember fondly the feelings of bliss and happines when I took the $100 that my dad sent to his young, adventurous, and poor daughter who had left for Guatemala with big dreams in her heart and no money in her pockets and spent it on a hand-made wooden table. 

And I am faced with a choice.

I can remember how the chairs wobbled and shook when we sat down to eat.  I can glance with contempt at the two chairs against the Wall in which no one will ever sit again- IF they value their behinds and don't wish to fall flat onto the floor!  I can moan inwardly as my washcloth brushes over stains and cracks along the table surface.  I can recall how crowded and crunched 5 or 6 of us have felt around this table when we have guests.

OR

I can see that this table is so much more than just a table.  It is the promise of better things to come.  This table represents all the parts of my life that aren't as I choose them to be, yet I know are only temporary.   The way in which I care for this table and other areas of my life shows the state of my heart.  If I can't care for what I have with a sense of Pride and excellence, why would God entrust something more to me?  And so as I make a choice to lovingly care for the things God has given me I realize that I am caring not only for my present but also for my future.  I am practicing for things that will come.

Thus, the nightly cleaning ritual has become a spiritual exercise for me; a time to reflect on all the áreas of my life that are serving as a practice ground as I wait in anticipation of something better to come.  And that, my friends, is a lesson much more dear to me than the $100 invested in this old table of mine.