Today, just a quick story to share.
On Monday I was grumpy. I had just gotten back from a weekend in the States celebrating Joel's birthday, and I had to spend the day back in Eagle Pass running errands. With so much to do at our casa Mexico, the next mission trip to plan, and Payton's exams this week, I was ready to get to work at home in Mexico. I was sure God had big things for me to do there. However, I had to help one of the Pastors with some banking, I had to mail forms for another, and I had to stop and get the supplies for an oil change for a church van. Everything took longer than expected and I forced myself to smile as I waited in each line thinking it would improve my mood if I could at least get my face happy.
Joel had sent me back with several donations that had to go to different places we serve in Mexico. Several people from different churches in Georgetown had made donations and I was responsible for delivery. I had planned to go Tuesday so that I could spend some time with each Pastor or family. In Mexico, there is so such thing as a quick drop-off.
However, here I was in Eagle Pass delayed almost until I had to pick the kids up from school. I was near the old bridge, which I rarely use, and I crossed the border there only to be delayed again as the Mexico side was stopping every car. I again attempted to make my face happy as I opened my truck and stumbled though in broken Spanish an explanation of the oil and filters and boxes of chicken. I realized I reluctantly was near the soup kitchen of Miriam and Orlando and I had a $50 donations to give them. I needed to pick up the kids, but if I hurry I could get this errand done. I had not brought the sheet of paper telling me who had donated the funds, and we are very conscientious about making sure doner and donee are connected. I thought to myself, "Maybe I should not stop here today". I called Joel and was unable to get a call through. Ugh. By this time I was on their street.
I prayed for patience and crossed into the gate of the soup kitchen. Orlando and Miriam met me with a smile and outstretched hand, a multitude of kids playing on the playground behind them. I apologized for having to stop by quickly as I was delayed in picking up the kids from school. I also handed him the $50 bill and again apologized for not having the name of the person who donated it and told him I would get the name to him tomorrow. Orlando looked at me with surprise and I thought I saw his knees nearly buckle.
He swallowed hard, pulled out his warn wallet which included the total sum of one quarter, one dime and one nickle and proceeded to tell me this story. About ten minutes before I arrived, he had called out to the Lord for help. He had stacked those three coins on the hood of his small purple car and begged the Lord for wisdom. He has been planting churches and driving which had cost him all his gas. He had just gotten off a two hour phone call with someone who had accepted Christ by the end of the call, but it had cost Orlando almost all he had. He cried to the Lord, "What am I to do with only 40 cents? I do not even have enough pesos left to feed my family or the children of the soup kitchen. Lord, I am depending on you and I am crying to you for help". Not ten minutes later I had unplanned and unwillingly pulled through his gate with a mysterious $50 to put in his hand.
I thanked the Lord for each of my delays and reminded myself that my plan is not always His plan. I have smiled this week every time I think of that story.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Lessons from Mexico
It has been several months since I have blogged and I have learned much about Mexico, missions, and me. I stopped blogging for a period of time because I felt I was drawing attention to our situation instead of God's work in this process. I know for certain that everything we do here, everything we see here, and everything we experience here; even our being here is God's plan and in no way any of our doing. It is not by our means that we have this opportunity - it is by His grace and what comes with it is a great responsibility.
About Mexico I have learned that the poor have knowledge I do not. To sum it up - November we learned what it was like to be cold. It was in the 40's in the house and we had no heater. Our productivity slowed to crawl as we spent much of our energy maintaining our body temperature An acquaintance in town died of hypothermia on Sunday and it became a reality to us the severity of life without warmth. The people here do not go out when it is cold, they do not send their children to school, and they wrap warmly in scarves covering their face and head. They know how to avoid the pitfalls of getting cold. They had a wisdom we had to acquire. Payton ended up with the chicken pocks, Mitch and I with bad colds, and by the next month we were blessed with a wood-burning stove in the living room. We had learned some valuable lessons.
In December we had a wonderful mission team come from the States. Over 120 people crossed the border to serve even though many of their well-meaning friends and neighbors warned them it was not safe. Because they came, we rebuilt a soup kitchen that serves kids a hot meal every week and is in the process of serving every day. We also put up a fence so they can keep their goats from being attacked by wild dogs. The soup kitchen is run by a Pastor and his family who has a plan and the work ethic to be self -sufficient. They use the goats for milk and food and are planting a garden in their newly fenced yard. Their prayer is for fruit trees this spring. Miriam (the pastor's wife) would like to serve nutritious meals and scripture to the children in her neighborhood. What a blessing to serve a family who works so hard and serves the Lord daily.
Our mission team handed out warm blankets to families in need, distributed much needed food and gave the Gospel message over 1200 kids and adults in three days. We gave out 4200 cookies and made over 1500 Christmas crafts. One volunteer painted a mural on a church wall depicting the entire Old and New Testament. Thank you to all who served. We have truly learned that the family of believers who gather together can do so much more than any one family alone.
A virus struck the mission team and about 30 people (including our family) spent some part their Christmas vacation in bed recovering. Thank you for your gift of sacrifice. It continues to pay forward and we have seen the beautiful soup kitchen in action doubling as a Church on Sundays.
As for me, I am learning the lesson of serving others and serving well. It means more than giving; it means giving what is needed and having the wisdom to stop and let the Lord work in the gift. It means praying with a family whose child is ill, seeking the Holy Spirit with a Pastor who is planting a Church, crying with those who are mourning and rejoicing with a candle on a single slice of cake for a birthday. It means getting out of the thinking I have had for so long and appreciating the wisdom of those who have lived with so much less but loved so much more.
About Mexico I have learned that the poor have knowledge I do not. To sum it up - November we learned what it was like to be cold. It was in the 40's in the house and we had no heater. Our productivity slowed to crawl as we spent much of our energy maintaining our body temperature An acquaintance in town died of hypothermia on Sunday and it became a reality to us the severity of life without warmth. The people here do not go out when it is cold, they do not send their children to school, and they wrap warmly in scarves covering their face and head. They know how to avoid the pitfalls of getting cold. They had a wisdom we had to acquire. Payton ended up with the chicken pocks, Mitch and I with bad colds, and by the next month we were blessed with a wood-burning stove in the living room. We had learned some valuable lessons.
In December we had a wonderful mission team come from the States. Over 120 people crossed the border to serve even though many of their well-meaning friends and neighbors warned them it was not safe. Because they came, we rebuilt a soup kitchen that serves kids a hot meal every week and is in the process of serving every day. We also put up a fence so they can keep their goats from being attacked by wild dogs. The soup kitchen is run by a Pastor and his family who has a plan and the work ethic to be self -sufficient. They use the goats for milk and food and are planting a garden in their newly fenced yard. Their prayer is for fruit trees this spring. Miriam (the pastor's wife) would like to serve nutritious meals and scripture to the children in her neighborhood. What a blessing to serve a family who works so hard and serves the Lord daily.
Our mission team handed out warm blankets to families in need, distributed much needed food and gave the Gospel message over 1200 kids and adults in three days. We gave out 4200 cookies and made over 1500 Christmas crafts. One volunteer painted a mural on a church wall depicting the entire Old and New Testament. Thank you to all who served. We have truly learned that the family of believers who gather together can do so much more than any one family alone.
A virus struck the mission team and about 30 people (including our family) spent some part their Christmas vacation in bed recovering. Thank you for your gift of sacrifice. It continues to pay forward and we have seen the beautiful soup kitchen in action doubling as a Church on Sundays.
As for me, I am learning the lesson of serving others and serving well. It means more than giving; it means giving what is needed and having the wisdom to stop and let the Lord work in the gift. It means praying with a family whose child is ill, seeking the Holy Spirit with a Pastor who is planting a Church, crying with those who are mourning and rejoicing with a candle on a single slice of cake for a birthday. It means getting out of the thinking I have had for so long and appreciating the wisdom of those who have lived with so much less but loved so much more.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Moving Beyond Surviving
October 15, 2010
We have turned a corner in our missions adventure and absolutely to have moved beyond the "can we do it?" mode. We were not sure when tackling Mexico if we would spend our time just getting by; the kids hoping to understand anything at all in school, I being fearful of leaving the house or driving anywhere alone, the language barrier being difficult to shop for needs, how and where we would enjoy any free time. What has evolved is an adventure beyond our expectations.
The people we have met have been wonderful, helpful and never even seem to mind that we struggle with our proper verb tense or don't know the correct vocabulary. The kids took their mid-semester exams in school and both succeeded with scores in the 90's. (Mitch really studied harder than he ever had. He had a study guide to answer in Spanish, translated it all to English to make sure he understood it and then memorized the answers in Spanish to take the test.) Thinking that only 6 weeks into school, he would be able to describe biodiversity or name all the geographical formations in Northern Mexico, and give a written brief history of music..all is Spanish was a real sense of success. Payton can tell you about the 5 senses, the history of the Mayan culture and name the parts of the solar system all in Spanish. We exercise outside, walk to local shops for food, and enjoy the full fun of a new culture. What a blessing!!
God has opened new doors to ministry every week. We assisted with a medical mission program, will work on the roof at the Orphanage at Casa Bethesda, and have another Intentional Church Planing Training session this month. We are learning how to be most effective in an area with so many needs. Joel is working with a brand new ABCD baseball league (Aprende de Baseball Con Dios - Learn about Baseball with God) hoping to help 12 new teams of youth learn about discipline, sports, and hear about God's calling on their life. Mitch is playing the drums twice a week in a worship team and Payton has her own Sunday School class of about 8 kids who come for crafts and Bible study.
We have been so blessed by the prayers and help from all our friends. The only thing I am not accomplishing...is blogging!!! I will get better!!!
No more "can we do it?"....now it is, "how much can we do?" . Amen!
We have turned a corner in our missions adventure and absolutely to have moved beyond the "can we do it?" mode. We were not sure when tackling Mexico if we would spend our time just getting by; the kids hoping to understand anything at all in school, I being fearful of leaving the house or driving anywhere alone, the language barrier being difficult to shop for needs, how and where we would enjoy any free time. What has evolved is an adventure beyond our expectations.
The people we have met have been wonderful, helpful and never even seem to mind that we struggle with our proper verb tense or don't know the correct vocabulary. The kids took their mid-semester exams in school and both succeeded with scores in the 90's. (Mitch really studied harder than he ever had. He had a study guide to answer in Spanish, translated it all to English to make sure he understood it and then memorized the answers in Spanish to take the test.) Thinking that only 6 weeks into school, he would be able to describe biodiversity or name all the geographical formations in Northern Mexico, and give a written brief history of music..all is Spanish was a real sense of success. Payton can tell you about the 5 senses, the history of the Mayan culture and name the parts of the solar system all in Spanish. We exercise outside, walk to local shops for food, and enjoy the full fun of a new culture. What a blessing!!
God has opened new doors to ministry every week. We assisted with a medical mission program, will work on the roof at the Orphanage at Casa Bethesda, and have another Intentional Church Planing Training session this month. We are learning how to be most effective in an area with so many needs. Joel is working with a brand new ABCD baseball league (Aprende de Baseball Con Dios - Learn about Baseball with God) hoping to help 12 new teams of youth learn about discipline, sports, and hear about God's calling on their life. Mitch is playing the drums twice a week in a worship team and Payton has her own Sunday School class of about 8 kids who come for crafts and Bible study.
We have been so blessed by the prayers and help from all our friends. The only thing I am not accomplishing...is blogging!!! I will get better!!!
No more "can we do it?"....now it is, "how much can we do?" . Amen!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Freedom
We are beginning to see the beauty in the history, the culture, the people. This is a country with strong ties to family and building relationships with those around you. It is a "slow down and talk to your neighbor" culture instead of a "hurry up and get where you are going" culture. It is a community that knows their aunts, uncles, cousins and their birthdays and their children's birthdays.
While it is a country of "haves" and "have-nots", we have a lot to learn from the "have-not's". The "have-not's" are not unhappy, unproductive or unwilling. They are generous, kind, and hard-working. They may only have enough food for today, but they will share the food they have with you. And they will thank the Lord for the food and depend on Him completely for food for tomorrow. It is the faith that moves mountains, ties a culture together, and profides true freedom. Freedom from worry, stress, and anxiety. Freedom to give and know that you will be taken care of. To the people we work with here, faith is a prerequisite to freedom. What an honorable lesson for us all.
Friday, September 10, 2010
When It Rains, It Pours...make lemonade
We are back in Mexico today, Friday the 10th. Actually, Joel flew out Thursday to Chicago for AdvoCare business, but he will be back next week. Wednesday, the 8th, we unexpectedly threw a few things in our bags and headed back to Georgetown. Williamson County had gotten a very unusual burst of rain from an outer band of Hurricane Hermine, and our home had tallied 15 inches of water overnight. Our wonderful neighbors watched in horror as the flood waters exceeded the top of the pool. Our backyard was a running river and water had entered the house soaking most of the floors. A full force of volunteers came to our home and before we could even drive back from Piedras had most of the furniture moved and the wood floors torn up. Dryers were brought in, carpeting removed, and our possessions were all stacked in makeshift piles throughout the dry parts of the house. What an absolute blessing!!!
Throughout all the work of moving furniture, spraying and moping floors to prevent germs, and salvaging leftover personal items, I could not help but feel utterly thankful for all I had. Joel and I are blessed with the most faithful, servant friends that anyone could ask for. We have a roof over our home, and I dropped in bed that night thinking how incredibly soft my bed comforter was. I have running water when I lift the tap handle, and a shower that runs every time. I do not need to turn off the refrigerator to run the microwave, and my air conditioning unit is set to the exact temperature I desire. I have a garage with a garage door, and a car. I have the ability to earn an income to pay for the things I need and the repairs we will encounter. So many in Mexico where we serve do not have any of these luxuries...ever.
So this morning, before I left Georgetown again, I sat upon the concrete floors admiring the remnants of carpet glue and hardwood floor tacking. No lemons here, only yummy leftover lemonade from a quick Dairy Queen run the night before and homemade fiber-nut-healthy muffins from a dear friend. With the deafening hum of the multitude of blowers, I smiled up to God and yelled, "Thank you...You are GOOD!!!". .
I know there are so many in our community who have lost so much more than us, whose future is uncertain, and whose fear is probably overwhelming. For those people, I am praying for God's comfort and for Him to provide for all needs. I am confident He has a plan to prosper all who believe in Him even when the circumstances do not indicate it. And I know He is the source of peace that surpasses all understanding. Even when live throws you lemons.
Throughout all the work of moving furniture, spraying and moping floors to prevent germs, and salvaging leftover personal items, I could not help but feel utterly thankful for all I had. Joel and I are blessed with the most faithful, servant friends that anyone could ask for. We have a roof over our home, and I dropped in bed that night thinking how incredibly soft my bed comforter was. I have running water when I lift the tap handle, and a shower that runs every time. I do not need to turn off the refrigerator to run the microwave, and my air conditioning unit is set to the exact temperature I desire. I have a garage with a garage door, and a car. I have the ability to earn an income to pay for the things I need and the repairs we will encounter. So many in Mexico where we serve do not have any of these luxuries...ever.
So this morning, before I left Georgetown again, I sat upon the concrete floors admiring the remnants of carpet glue and hardwood floor tacking. No lemons here, only yummy leftover lemonade from a quick Dairy Queen run the night before and homemade fiber-nut-healthy muffins from a dear friend. With the deafening hum of the multitude of blowers, I smiled up to God and yelled, "Thank you...You are GOOD!!!". .
I know there are so many in our community who have lost so much more than us, whose future is uncertain, and whose fear is probably overwhelming. For those people, I am praying for God's comfort and for Him to provide for all needs. I am confident He has a plan to prosper all who believe in Him even when the circumstances do not indicate it. And I know He is the source of peace that surpasses all understanding. Even when live throws you lemons.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Enriching the Soul
It's been a few days since I have blogged. Not too many extra minutes to spare. It rained hard this week. I left to take the kids to school in a sprinkle of rain, and by the time I reached the school I would have sworn I was in a monsoon. In less than an hour, the streets had almost flooded and a few were questionable on whether or not I should attempt to pass. Lots of people in a small space and limited drainage systems made driving difficult. I got home to the plunking of water dripping in several rooms. Water was running down the wall of one room and dripping in two places in the kitchen. However....amidst all the inconvenience, all I could think of was...I am not sweating!!! It is not unbearably hot!! Yahoo, yahoo!! Funny how your appreciation for the small things in life can be resurrected by a bit of inconvenience.
We have duplicated the Intentional Church Planing Training twice here already and are working on a third training. It is so exciting to see people reaching out to share their story and His story with those who have not heard. We could have a huge movement right here out of Piedras Negras. God has big things planned!!
Pastors Francisco and Alma have sold enough tamales to build onto their Church. I visited them yesterday and immediately was invited that afternoon to a ladies Bible Study. I was humbled by the 30 or so ladies who came dressed in their Sunday best toting their Bible, notes, and a cloth to constantly wipe the sweat from their brow. (This was a day or so after the rain, so the heat was back accompanied by humidity). They each walked gingerly into the church which has a muddy, uneven floor, no roof yet, and only a blue FEMA tarp with holes providing a bit of shade. The ladies settled into their chairs, moving them slightly to find level ground so they could sit without tipping. There were generations of women together, cousins, aunts, and sisters, sharing their knowledge, giving thanks to the Lord for all he had given them this week. One elderly lady gave thanks for food this week for the 14 people who lived in her home. Another gave thanks for her childrens' birthdays and to have had enough money to purchase propane to cook with. I thought about how different this was from the ladies who come to our small groups back home. We are praying for guidance on what car to buy, maybe an issue going on with our child at school, or how to find time to study the Word each day. In the States, I probably would not have attended the study if it was too inconvenient. Here I see women honoring the Lord in their dress - even when it is hot, in their thanks - even when it is for so little, and their faithfulness - even when it seems they should feel abandoned. I am humbled that we all pray to the same God who knows our every need - whether it is food and shelter or cars and things. That God has given some more and some less and it does not matter what you have...it only matters what you do with it. Thank you God for this lesson for my soul today. I am enriched by the beautiful poor women I am surrounded by!
We have duplicated the Intentional Church Planing Training twice here already and are working on a third training. It is so exciting to see people reaching out to share their story and His story with those who have not heard. We could have a huge movement right here out of Piedras Negras. God has big things planned!!
Pastors Francisco and Alma have sold enough tamales to build onto their Church. I visited them yesterday and immediately was invited that afternoon to a ladies Bible Study. I was humbled by the 30 or so ladies who came dressed in their Sunday best toting their Bible, notes, and a cloth to constantly wipe the sweat from their brow. (This was a day or so after the rain, so the heat was back accompanied by humidity). They each walked gingerly into the church which has a muddy, uneven floor, no roof yet, and only a blue FEMA tarp with holes providing a bit of shade. The ladies settled into their chairs, moving them slightly to find level ground so they could sit without tipping. There were generations of women together, cousins, aunts, and sisters, sharing their knowledge, giving thanks to the Lord for all he had given them this week. One elderly lady gave thanks for food this week for the 14 people who lived in her home. Another gave thanks for her childrens' birthdays and to have had enough money to purchase propane to cook with. I thought about how different this was from the ladies who come to our small groups back home. We are praying for guidance on what car to buy, maybe an issue going on with our child at school, or how to find time to study the Word each day. In the States, I probably would not have attended the study if it was too inconvenient. Here I see women honoring the Lord in their dress - even when it is hot, in their thanks - even when it is for so little, and their faithfulness - even when it seems they should feel abandoned. I am humbled that we all pray to the same God who knows our every need - whether it is food and shelter or cars and things. That God has given some more and some less and it does not matter what you have...it only matters what you do with it. Thank you God for this lesson for my soul today. I am enriched by the beautiful poor women I am surrounded by!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Today, I will be obedient
Yesterday we hosted a follow-up training at the First Baptist Church of Piedras Negras with Pastor Terry Spinelli on church planting. Wow, that is an understatement. Yesterday changed my life.
If you have never heard of church planting movements, it is basically a way of thinking about what was really needed to have a "church" according to the Bible. Not a building or hymnals or an organ, but people ready to believe, grow, and share. With billions of people who have never heard the Gospel or don't know who Jesus is, we have to use different strategies to reach the many people beyond our immediate community. Terry Spinelli is a master at this and trains on a system used in Southeast Asia where there is the highest concentration of unreached people. His group, many of whom are Christians for less than a few years, planted over 6000 churches (with about 25 to 30 per church) and shared the story of Jesus with over 138,000 SINCE JANUARY 1, 2010. I have not even brushed my teeth that many times since January 2. In fact, I quickly calculated that if everyone I know on facebook brushed their teeth twice a day for the 8 months (that is about 480 times per person) and we added all those up, we would still not have done an activity 138,000 times. The numbers are overwhelming, but true.
What it all boils down to is that spiritual maturity is based on obedience, not knowledge. So when Jesus left he told us to go and make disciples, not go and memorize the Bible or go and do a Bible study. Not that those things are bad....they are important and good. It is just that to be obedient is to follow what Jesus commands each day, every day, wherever you are.
So I am looking at my day and what puzzle pieces God has put before me. Church planting information, a leaky kitchen sink that is backing up to the bathroom sink, a whole new world of people I can impact, friends who are praying, endless dust, a wonderful husband and family to serve, people who are hungry for food and a message of hope. Today I will be obedient. I will use what he has put before me in this new adventure and make disciples.....after I brush my teeth.
If you have never heard of church planting movements, it is basically a way of thinking about what was really needed to have a "church" according to the Bible. Not a building or hymnals or an organ, but people ready to believe, grow, and share. With billions of people who have never heard the Gospel or don't know who Jesus is, we have to use different strategies to reach the many people beyond our immediate community. Terry Spinelli is a master at this and trains on a system used in Southeast Asia where there is the highest concentration of unreached people. His group, many of whom are Christians for less than a few years, planted over 6000 churches (with about 25 to 30 per church) and shared the story of Jesus with over 138,000 SINCE JANUARY 1, 2010. I have not even brushed my teeth that many times since January 2. In fact, I quickly calculated that if everyone I know on facebook brushed their teeth twice a day for the 8 months (that is about 480 times per person) and we added all those up, we would still not have done an activity 138,000 times. The numbers are overwhelming, but true.
What it all boils down to is that spiritual maturity is based on obedience, not knowledge. So when Jesus left he told us to go and make disciples, not go and memorize the Bible or go and do a Bible study. Not that those things are bad....they are important and good. It is just that to be obedient is to follow what Jesus commands each day, every day, wherever you are.
So I am looking at my day and what puzzle pieces God has put before me. Church planting information, a leaky kitchen sink that is backing up to the bathroom sink, a whole new world of people I can impact, friends who are praying, endless dust, a wonderful husband and family to serve, people who are hungry for food and a message of hope. Today I will be obedient. I will use what he has put before me in this new adventure and make disciples.....after I brush my teeth.
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