Impacting a nation- one life at a time

My heart's desire is to change lives for Jesus.  God has been so very good to me- the least I can do is introduce others to an intimate relationship with Him so that He can bless and change their lives as well.

Over a decade ago I started out to do just that in the nation of Guatemala.  The path has held many unexpected twists and turns along the way, but about 7 years ago it landed me in the town of San José Pinula a few miles outside of Guatemala City.  My work with the children and families was hard going at first, but as things began to grow the Lord brought others to my side to help me in this task.  Those others have come and gone, but still I remain here, my heart still beating with that same passion- to impact a nation for Christ- one life at a time.

At times it surprises me (although it shouldn't) that the very ones who have come along side me to help are also the ones most impacted.

Today I am sharing a little about Xiomara.  She is one of the new members of our team.  Actually, in the latter part of last year the lady who keeps my kids during the day approached me about one of her neighbors.  Xiomara was interested in serving the Lord and working with us.  She asked if Xiomara could accompany my staff one day to observe how we work.

I was hesitant.  Ximara lives nearly 2 hours away by bus!  Goodness- couldn't the Lord bring someone more local to our staff???

But she came.  And she loved it.

She commented that she felt the same love and acceptance with our staff as she did at church.  She was impressed with the healthy, encouraging atmosphere of the ministry and insisted that this is where she wanted to work.

I sidestepped the issue, certain that the less than minimum wage, lack of benefits, and distance would not be beneficial to Ximoara.  I was blatantly honest with her about my concerns.

Yet she insisted.  And so in January she started.

After several weeks on staff I pulled her aside one morning to ask how things were going.  Her normally shy and reserved demeanor began to shine all over.  She told me how much she had grown spiritually in just the first few weeks.  "I have been to church all my life, but never been taught the things I am learning here.  I feel as though my relationship with God has improved so much.  This has made all the other well worth the while." was her excited response.

Xiomara is on the right

During a staff meeting last week she wiped tears from her eyes as she expressed her gratitude for being in such a place that fosters spiritual growth and by the time she finished testifying of the goodness of the Lord we were ALL wiping tears from our eys!


Today I thank God for staff members such as Xiomara, who are not afraid to tackle obstacles such as leaving home at 6:30am to ride the bus to nearly 2 hours to work and then the same distance back again.  I am thankful for staff members who desire to grow spiritually and who choose to allow God to work in their lives.  I am so thankful for bright smiles and excited staff members who make it possible for the work of Brazos Abiertos to continue.  I am thankful for Xiomara.

Xiomara in the kitchen, cooking a yummy meal for the Staff
 

ximoara and abi giving food to children at the feeding center
 

A Simmering Stew

The fragrance of chicken, carrots, celery, potatoes, and other vegetables and spices all mingled together and wafted throughout the house.  It was impossible to distinguish one smell from the other.  They had all been melded together into a delightful stew.

My senses were arrested and my imagination captured by this stew.  God began to speak to me through it.

This is a new year of ministry in CCJ -- I would even say a whole new season.  Alfonso, Yoli, and Chrissy have each moved on and our staff of 4 plus missionaries is pretty much all new.  We are starting from scratch.

The Lord's hand was in this.  It was time for a renewing and refreshing, as much for the ministry as for each of their personal lives.


A stew with just one or two ingredients would be a rather poor stew indeed.  But as you add  the right ingredients that will compliment one another and bring out the best in one another you find you have and enticing fragrance and full flavor.  Our new Impact Team is like this stew.  Each one of them has talents, giftings, and callings yet to be discovered.  Each one of them has a new and unique "flavor" all their own.  But as we allow God to put us together in one "pot" and to simmer for a while, we will find that we meld together perfectly. 

Sarah, Ana, Xomara, Carla, Fielding, Abigail, and Lili

It is an exciting new year and new season at CrossCulture Jesus / Brazos Abiertos with a new and unique flavor to it!

As everyone but Abigail is new- we are undergoing training.

But besides the training and prayer meetings, we are also cleaning up, reorganizing, and setting the stage for a year of success!

 
As always, taking turns in the kitchen.  With two people assigned to the kitchen each day, it is a pleasant surprise to taste each team's individual mark on each meal.

And now we have another bedroom set up and ready to house the missionaries and interns we are praying for......

Cleaning up my Act

"Use your napkin, not your shirt!" those words are repeated in my household several times a day.

As the familiar phrase slid past my lips I slid a napkin across the table to my five-year-old.  It was a well rehearsed routine.  The same words and same actions repeated at least three times a day for 4 years now.  At times I really wonder if Corban will go off to college still wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve and wiping his hands on his shirt front.

The end of the meal drew near and I glanced at my son.  Once again his shirt was smeared beyond repair and the napkin remained in pristine condition.  Will he ever get it?


I dream of the day when Corban reaches over, takes that napkin and ACTUALLY USES IT for something besides a coaster.  I am quite certain that at some point I am going to look up from my meal and see my son sitting there with a clean shirt, face, and hands--- and a dirty napkin.  One day.

And so it is with myself.  There are things in my life that God has been dealing with me about day after day, year after year.  I begin to mentally check off the areas in my life that I know need attention and habits that I know need to be broken.  And as I get ready to launch into 2014 I am determined to pick up my personal "napkin" and get rid of some of the mess in my life.  I am determined to heed the gentle reminder of the Holy Ghost in my life and clean up areas that have long needed it.

I am so thankful that unlike myself God does not tire of reminding and correcting me.  He is ever patient, slow to anger, and full of grace.

In dealing with my children, I desire to be like Him.  In dealing with myself, I desire to heed His voice.

Lord, as I face this new year, I pray that your Holy Spirit would lead and guide me.  That I may be kind and patient, slow to anger and full of grace with my children.  That I would hear and obey your voice quickly and make needed changes in my life that will bring honor and glory to your name.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Shivering right down to my bones

For those of you who think Guatemala is always a warm, tropical climate I have news for you.  Yesterday when I woke up at 6am the outside thermometer marked 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  And we don't have heat!  That is cold in anybody's book.  As I snuggled down further into my electric blanket and thanked God for my PVC windows which keep the wind at bay and most of the cold out (it was 58 degrees inside) I couldn't help but think of the many families I know who live within rattly tin walls where the wind whips through every crack and crevice. 

Later that day I had the opportunity to visit one of the families who regularly attend the feeding center. Bundled up in my turtleneck sweater and with a warm fleecie layered on top Yolanda and I traversed several blocks to their home.  When we arrived our ears were burning and our noses were red but our bodies felt warm from the exercise.  The blanket hung up over an opening in the tiny dwelling and serving as a door was thrown to one side and a passel of youngsters flung themselves joyfully at us.  It was a tangle of dirty faces, disheveled hair, bare arms, runny noses, and great big grins. 

My heart broke as I took in the scene before me.  One or two ported a threadbare sweater but most were in short sleeves.  No wonder they spend days like this in the bed under the blankets. 

It made me realize that the ABA feeding center needs to do more than just offer a meal or two.  These families have needs that go much deeper.  So let's begin praying even now for next year.  Let's put our faith out there to be able to give a warm sweater or jacket to each child in the program during 2014.  Together we can!!!!

The Right Choice

Corban excited to be dressed as a bird

On Friday I sat in a small auditorium waiting anxiously for the curtains to part.  My insides were all a flutter with excitement, nostalgia, and other unidentified feelings.  Today was my 5-year-old's pre-school closing ceremony.

The years have flown by too quickly.  In January it is off to Kindergarten and a whole new world.

I remember when I found out we were expecting our first child.  Besides being excited I was also overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed at the thought of trying to fit motherhood into an already over-packed schedule.  Overwhelmed at the thought of such responsibility.  Overwhelmed at trying to hold down a full-time job and raise a child- all with no childcare.  It was daunting to think of running around with mission teams, keeping up with (at the time) four outreaches a week, keep all the accounting and admin up to date, do all the fundraising, and DO IT ALL with a baby in tow.

I remember praying for guidance.  I remember seeking the counsel of many people in ministry that I admire.  What should I do?  How could I do it all?  The firm conviction that CrossCulture Jesus / Brazos Abiertos should continue to reach out to the community seemed to clash with the firm conviction that I should be the primary caregiver of our children and not a daycare center.  What was the right answer.

After much prayer and counsel it was decided.  I would pray for the Lord to bring the right people at the right time to Brazos Abiertos.  A team of people who had a heart for the ministry, a heart for the families, who were honest, integrable, and hard working.

So my husband and I started praying.

Through the years some workers came and others went but Yolanda, Alfonso, and Chrissy were the steady three that the LORD brought to see us through a season.  Yolanda, Alfonso, and Chrissy gave their all and more.  I was so blessed to have such a team working with me that served the Lord in such a way that the ministry grew and prospered even during my times of semi-absence and working from home.  The Lord also brought Mirian to us - a sweet woman who helps with childcare part-time making those times I was needed on-site all the easier.

There were many times I struggled with the decision we made.  Others have been on the front lines, one on one with the children and their families while I have been somewhat in the background dedicating myself to the administrative side.  Even so, there has always been more work than time and there were definitely times when I wondered if making my children my priority would cause the ministry to suffer. 

But as I sat in the auditorium on Friday watching my enthusiastic boy perform his best, I knew deep in my heart that I had made the right choice.

I can see how God has honored the choice I made.  CCJ has not suffered, in fact, it has grown as a result of the team members God Himself placed there.  My family has not suffered, in fact, they have blossomed and grown. 

Childhood passes all too quickly.  I truly thank God for bringing the right people at the right time to CCJ allowing me to be able to be a very present mother to Corban.  I pray for patience to wait out the end of this season as I still have a few more years before Cohen is in kindergarten.  And although this year brought the end to my stable three (Alfonso and Chrissy moving on) I trust that the Lord is already moving to bring on board others with the same heart.

watch out Hollywood- we have a natural!

With his teacher getting his diploma.  A pre-school graduate!

A proud mama and her boy

Check-ups all around!

Wednesday was a day long awaited.

It was the second visit from the nutritionist who is volunteering his services to help the ABA feeding center.

The nutrionist

A list of children had been made up to see the nutritionist, some of them being first timers, waiting for their check-up so that they could join the program.

Wednesday started out bright and sunny.  My own morning was hurried with lots to do.  Getting Corban up and out of the door by 7:15 then getting Cohen and I ready to leave by 8:15.  Add potty-training to the mix and you can imagine all the fun I had before even 9am. 

Still, the day proved to be a successful day. 

just a portion of the food stuffs that the nutritionist brought to help the neediest families

 

 

All of the families were grateful for the progress report and the donations given.  We are so pleased to announce that progress was indeed noted after just the first 2 months.  In fact, in a couple of the families there was a VERY notable difference in height and weight! 

a couple of families being interviewed before the stats were taken

Our staff has worked hard to make sure the children are receiving nutritious meals that are varied and appealing.  The nutritionist reviewed the menus we have been giving and congratulated us on well-balanced meals!!!

Yolanda- the principal person responsible for the menus

My toddler, at least one little boy who didn't need any supplements!

As this dream unfolds, I know it would not be possible without the dedication of our staff and the generous support of so many who give sacrificially.  I give thanks to God for all of you!  I have seen such a positive response from both from long time supporters as well as from new ones.  Because of this outpouring of love we will be able to service 15 more children!  Glory to God.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and  you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me...... Mathew 25:35-36a

THANK YOU

Not Convenient

It is not convenient to get a phone call from school telling me my 5 year old has a fever.  It is not convenient to keep him home for several days, having him underfoot and cranky when I have  a lot of work to do. 

It was not convenient when my toddler was getting molars and cried to be held ALL DAY LONG.

Walking the floors for hours with a colicky baby, having to change your clothes after being spit up on for the umpteenth time, changing a dirty diaper just before you walk out the door for church (already running late)- these things are not convenient.  Cleaning up a potty training accident while supper boils over is not convenient.  Having toys scattered across the living room right before company comes is not convenient.  Sitting up all night with a sick child knowing that you have real life waiting for you the next morning is not convenient.

HAVING CHILDREN IS NOT CONVENIENT.  They don't do the things they should do when they should do them.  They take naps too late ruining their bedtimes.  They track mud across the floor right after you have mopped.  They want your attention right when you get a phone call.  They dump a well-cooked meal onto the floor because they wanted something else.  They want to play when you want to rest. 

No, having children might not be very convenient--- but the incomparable rewards make it all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!