A Glorious Day!

Thick, angry clouds gathered in the gray, dripping sky.  It was a bleak and bleary morning that threatened to make its despair my own. 

I fought against a deep weariness that came from several nights of only a 3 or 4 hours of sleep followed by several days of battling my pre-schooler's high fever. 

As I beheld the less than glorious morning I felt joy and strength begin to well up on the inside of me.  I glanced over at Francisco and we shared a smile as the Lord whispered to our hearts that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  We had certainly been waiting upon the Lord.  In fact, we had been waiting for a very long time.


Suddenly I knew that I could soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint (Is. 40:31) because the Lord was with us.  His hand of favor was upon us.  And I knew that it was a glorious morning despite the weather and weariness.  This day was the day when a long awaited dream was becoming a reality.  This was the day we would serve our first meal at the ABA feeding center.

Our first meal, as we called it, was a success.  We held the inauguration of the feeding center on a Sunday so that students from the Mariano Galvez University that have been helping us could be present.  They brought with them a group of volunteers called the Fabrica de Sonrisas (Smile Factory) who go to hospitals, orphanages, etc to bring smiles and cheer to children and adults alike.

The volunteers from the University were hard at work in the kitchen.

Francisco was hard at work doing odd jobs like helping to organize the flow of people traffic and entertain the boys!

While the food was simmering away and the volunteers setting up the activities room I was busy putting names on each plate and water bottle.

 

 

And of course I had help!  my helpers are never far behind....

 Finally the plates were all set and just waiting to be filled.

Meanwhile the kids were having fun with Smile Factory.

And we were busy filling plates and getting ready to hand out the meal. 

As the children left they were each given the plate and water bottle that corresponded to them.  Because of space limitations we have decided to handle the feeding center in this manner- giving the children the food to go.  The will be responsible to bring back their dishes each week to be filled again.

A well deserved break after the kids left and before the clean-up

 a future attendee---

All of us at CrossCulture Jesus and Brazos Abiertos want to sincerely thank each and every person who has been a part of making this dream come true- not only for us but for the many families who will benefit from this feeding program.  Years of trusting God have brought us to this point and you have all had a vital role to play.  

May the Lord bless you and keep you!!!!!!

Standing with Arms Raised

"So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning , but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning, When Moses´ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.  Aaron and Hur held his hands up- one on one side, one on the other - so that his hands remained steadily till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword." (Ex. 17:10-13)

There has come a time in my life when my hands have grown tired.  The battle has been long, the victories many-- but now I find that keeping my arms raised proves to be too much.
 
 CrossCulture Jesus has grown so much over the past few years- really it is incredible to believe that this ministry with a small (very small) army of workers that now reaches hundreds of children weekly began with just little ol' me and then with faithful Yolanda.

So far, just this year:

we have held a training class for several area churches-

we have hosted 4 mission teams (not to mention those still to come)

we have continued the Little Giants Bible Club 3 times a week reaching over 70 families and more than 125 children.

birthday bags waiting for the birthday celebration

We have had special events, taught Bible based values in a school, visited homes, given out donations of food and clothing, and done so much already that one simple blog could not mention it all.

...and there is more to come...

by this weekend we will have begun perhaps our greatest adventure of all--- a feeding center.

photo taken at a friend's feeding center

AND MY HANDS ARE GETTING TIRED...

I am so thankful to two special groups that are coming in to help hold up my hands for a while.  I am thankful to my sister-in-law's work group from the Mariano Galvez University that is donating the plates and water bottles for the feeding center, plus helping us to secure donations and strengthen weak areas in the program.  I am also thankful for Laverne, a friend from Faith Landmarks Ministries in Virginia, who is coming to observe and lend us her expertise in the area of pre-schoolers.  She and her crew are willing to make several trips to Guatemala to help us grow effectively.

I am thankful.  I know the Lord Jesus Himself has sent these two groups to hold my hands up at this time.

But we need a more permanent solution as well.

This is what I see as I work in my small office at home.

and this...

The ministry has grown.  So have its demands.  My family has grown.  So have its demands.  I am finding it more and more difficult to fit it all in!  Finding time for motherhood (swimming lessons, homework, karate, school projects, pediatrician, dentist, trips to the park, errands, and so on and so forth) and to administrate an ENTIRE GROWING AND SUCCESSFUL MINISTRY.  wow.  words cannot describe the conflict I live at times.

I am reminded of this verse in particular:

"Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent." (Ex. 33:11)

I need a Joshua.  I need an aide that can stay in the tent ministering and administering while I return to camp (home) and take care of things there.  I surely could not mention this need without first of all mentioning Chrissy and Yolanda who are on the front lines teaching the classes every day.  More faithful soldiers you will not find.  However, I also need a ministry administrator to help shoulder the load of paperwork, errands and internal control, allowing CrossCulture Jesus to continue to grow in a healthy, effective manner.

My prayer today is for God to send us a Joshua with a willing heart.  Please pray with us for an administrator to join our staff.  Or if you know of someone who might be interested, have them contact me directly!!!!

www.crossculturejesus.org

And please pass along this blog :)

When I am not enough...

Most days I am confident, optimistic, and full of faith.  But if I take the time to examine myself closely I find that there are doubts and misgivings clinging like cobwebs in the little visited corners of my heart.  Those doubts and misgivings raise their ugly head in the least expected moments.

Moments when I look around and KNOW that I am not enough.

Days when my toddler cries and cries for no reason I can determine.  I hold him, comfort him, and look for a solution all to no avail.  And I know that at that moment I am not enough.

Days when my pre-schooler has so much energy and needs to go outside, yet I am all tied up with supper preparations, household chores, and trying to slip in a ministry phone call or two.  It is then that I know- I am not enough.

When I look around and see piles of unfinished paperwork and compare it to the time I have left on the clock or when I compare my list of errands to the days left on my calendar- there is no doubt- I am not enough.

When my husband walks through the door to find what he hopes is supper simmering on the stove and the children playing peacefully and instead he finds--- well, the children crying, supper burning, and me standing in the middle of it all with sloppy clothes, frazzled hair, and a pleading look on my face for him to recuse me.  It is obvious that I am not enough.

I am not enough to fill every need that my family has.  I am not enough to fill every need that the ministry has.  Although I want to see myself as a supermom, superwife, super ministry director, and superwoman in general- in and of myself- I AM NOT ENOUGH. 

Despite the temptation to bury my head in shame at the thought of ME a supposed pioneer woman of faith having tiny, nagging doubts that I neglect to sweep out... instead I hold my head high and remind myself that I am in good company.  All through the Bible we read about mighty men and women of God who did exploits for the Kingdom being plagued by sin and doubt.

I remember David who was far from perfect, yet was a man after God's own heart and in the ancestry of Jesus.  Rahab, a woman of ill-repute who made many, many mistakes and was also chosen to be listed in Jesus' ancestry.  There was Moses, with his speech problems who didn't even want to face Pharoah alone- even after such a life changing encounter with the living God!  There was Peter who doubted and even denied Christ.  And on and on the list goes.

So as I look around myself today at the unfinished fundraising projects, the piles of paperwork, the unaswered e-mails and as I contemplate what to make for dinner and when to find time to do homework... I am once again struck with the sensation that I, myself, am not enough.  Yet I know that the one who lives within me IS enough.  His grace is sufficient for me.  And I choose to trust in that.

trying to be enough :)

The Rainbow

As a girl I had one of those books that has pictures of silly animal characters on each page.  This type of book has divisions for the head, body, and legs, allowing you to flip the pages and create different combinations of silly characters.  It was fun to flip through.  Sometimes I deliberately made a creation, other times I closed my eyes and flipped the pages to surprise myself with a new and unexpected combination.

So often I look at the ministry that God has given others and I want mine to look that way.  I wish for this part and that part of what the Lord has entrusted to someone else.  I realize that if this ministry were left up to me to add to, take away from, to mimic and copy bits and pieces of other ministries I know... that it would look like one of my silly childhood creations. It is only when I truly follow God's plan for my life and the ministry He has given me that they take the proper shape they should have.

God has a purpose for each of us.  He has a ministry for each of us.  He has divine plans for your life and mine.  And they are all different.  As different as the colors on the rainbow, unique and made up of different wave lengths.  Put together they form a beautiful, breathtaking sight. 

When I purpose in my heart to walk out the path that He has laid for me, I am allowing myself to be a part of something beautiful. 

Even if my life isn't always what I wish it was or what I think it could be- it is beautiful.  It is Holy.  It is set apart.  Because it is ordained by God. 

So today as I reflect on my color of the rainbow in God's scheme of things, I pray especially for contentment.  I pray that I would be content with all that the Lord has placed in my hand and done in and through me instead of looking around and desiring something else.  I pray to be content with afternoons at the park, pediatrician, or dentist.  I pray to be content with more work than time.  I pray to be content with a ministry team of 2 or 3 instead of the 8 or 10 I desire.  I pray to be content to start a feeding center on only Fridays instead of the 3 days I week I would prefer.  I pray to be content as long as I KNOW that I am walking out God's plan for me right now, in this season.  Because season's soon change.  And sometimes I think I feel the breeze of change beginning to blow around me.  And other time's I am not so sure.

In the meanwhile, I pray to be content.

Days of Promise

The fluffy white clouds skipped across the pale blue sky like happy little lambs.  The smell of dirt, sweat, sun, and tortillas mingled together to form the distinct fragrance of Guatemalan small towns that was wafting through the open windows of my car.  It was the kind of afternoon that held promise in its grip.

I was headed to the mission base to receive our first ever donation for the feeding center.  Now THAT was great news indeed.  Due to road construction I had decided to take a detour through a small town called Cuatro Caminos.  My sunroof was cracked, my windows were open, and I was delighting in the beautiful day.

Corban and I arrived at the ministry base in record time where we greeted Chrissy and Kimberly who were preparing for the afternoon class.  The kids soon poured in. They came laughing, running, and holding hands.  All of the children, plus 2 new faces were eager to begin.  

running down the hall to the class

eager to begin!!!!

As always, we had a time of praise, prayer, announcements.  And games!  Kimberly led the children in a game that tied in to the central message.

Pastora Ana, our vibrant Wednesday volunteer, shared the Bible story by BECOMING King Nebuchadnezzar and telling the story of Daniel from the king's point of view.  The children were awestruck and silent (imagine- 30 silent children- now THAT was a miracle!)

And then Alfonso came in with the representative of a company that was donating 6 boxes of rice towards our feeding center.  What a glorious day!!!!!  All of the children's eyes lit up when they saw their beloved Tío Alfonso.  All of our hearts lit up when we saw God's provision made so plain for us.

Chrissy went to work to open the boxes and set everything up for a picture with our generous donor.

We gathered our children close and posed for a picture.  God is so good.  Surely goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives!!!!!

As we cleaned up, Corban wanted to help.  I can always count on Mami's helper!  I do my best to train him up in the way he should go.  ha ha ha

The day ended with God's promises fulfilled.  We had been given the good news that a nutritionist had volunteered to help us evaluate the children.  In fact, his first evaluation is already scheduled!  A group from a local university had visited my home the night before to discuss ways they, too, could help us get a running start.  And the real and present donation of about 600 portions of rice and veggies is sitting outside the kitchen door as proof of God's faithfulness.  

A New Perspective

It had been an exciting week in March.  The mission team was resting at the mission base while one team member, a dear friend for many years, sat on my sofa sharing a cup of coffee and catching up.  Her cheery smile, calm manner and twinkling eyes filled our living room with friendship as we talked about what the Lord had been doing in each of our lives for the past years.

As we discussed the current week she opened her heart concerning something the Lord had spoken to her.  She shared with me how she had prayed for the outreach to the Senior Citizen Center and the Lord had spoken to her about its importance and that for many of these seniors it would be the first AND LAST opportunity to hear the gospel.  What a profound - and simple- truth to grasp!

Brazos Abiertos in San José Pinula (the ministry my family founded) is dedicated to the evangelism and discipleship of CHILDREN.  We rarely strayed from that focus.  Sometimes I was quite adamant! 

As I stood in the entryway of the Senior Citizen Center last Friday with the mission team from Iowa, those words rang in my heart.  Those words had changed my perspective.  Although the unsavory aroma of 50 un-bathed adults wafted through the doorway and assaulted my senses there was a knowing deep down on the inside of me that we were indeed appointed and anointed to go into this place with the gospel. 

The young people reached out with love and served the "grandparents" in a way that I am sure Jesus himself would have done.  They were patient, kind, and loving as they interacted with each individual. 

interacting with love and affection

serving lunch

The group shared the simple message of God's love through a craft.

They had a time of prayer.  Almost every person requested prayer.  There were testimonies of alleviated aches and pains. 

The young people of Iowa infused life and happiness into the hearts of so many.

I am so glad that God changed my perspective through the wise words of a good friend.  Now I see that Brazos Abiertos is called to visit the widows (and widowers!) in their distress just like the Word of God admonishes us!  We are reviewing our schedule to see how we can add this outreach on a monthly basis.

Corban and Cohen accompanied us that day.  Nothing brings a smile to an older person's face like the antics of young children!

A Visit from Iowa

This morning as I sat and gently rocked my FINALLY napping toddler, I let my mind wander back over the past week (which has flown by, by the way) and pray over the mission team that is here.  I am learning to really take advantage of "down time" and use it to move mountains with faith and prayer.

First of all, Monday was my first day back on the job so to speak.  Yolanda and I wrapped up all the final details for the team from Iowa that would be arriving late that night.  We went to the retreat center where they will be staying and looked over the rooms, assigned beds, ironed out last "wrinkles", etc. 

AND THEN CAME TUESDAY.  My mom, who flew back with me to help with the kids on the plane, signed up for a day of work and fun.  Together we left home at 6am to pick up the interpreter, then we hurried to the retreat center to have a staff meeting before the 7am breakfast.

Staff meeting

aaahhh, the little known details of mission team preparation!

Henry, the driver,and I talking over the route

After meeting the team and being reunited with team coordinator- Justin (I had worked with him previously when we were both younger, I was just an interpreter and he a team member) we ate breakfast and got busy.

Let me take a moment to say that I learn something from every team that comes.  This team is no different.  I have so enjoyed working with a group so excited to be sharing the gospel.  These young people have no pretensions, they have no ulterior motive, I have seen no haughtiness.  I have only detected sincere and humble hearts. 

The boys!  Justin is in the back on the right

The girls!

one of the games

These young people are awesome at keeping the atmosphere exciting during the outreaches.  I suspect they must have worked with children at some time and some place before because they do it with such ease.  Their program consists of exciting, novel games which have kept the crowd of children eagerly participating.  Dramas which paint a simple picture of salvation.  And a message which is concise, to the point, and expertly delivered.

Pastor Josh's message

I am only just now meeting the famous Josh!  He is a fantastic youth leader.  If I lived in Iowa and were under the age of 18 I would definitely be sitting under Pastor Josh's teaching.  His message is clear and made alive by object lessons and examples.  His language is easy to understand.  He is excited about what God can do for us and this excitement flows over into his teaching.  Pastor Josh is sincere in his love of God and love for others.  I am glad to have met him and hope to count he and his family as friends in the future.

The first morning was very, very full with 3 public school outreaches- reaching nearly 1,000 children (not counting teachers) just that one morning.

As the week progresses I continue to hear amazing testimonies of how the youth on this team have been touched and how they are touching others.

Although at times tiring, my family and I really enjoy hosting teams.  Truly we are thankful that they are here.  God has blessed us with an amazing staff to carry the torch so to speak as I get my family settled back into "real life". 

His hand is in this and we shall see the fruit.  I look forward to sharing testimonies.

a warm-up worship song to get everybody excited

My mom helping to pass out candy as children leave

happy children after the program

As you read this, please pray for the team this week. Pray for divine guidance, divine protection, and for God's anointing to set the captives free!!!!!

children reciting the pledge at the first school we visited