"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7
I had a really blessed day today. I went to a place called Ecoparque with my good friend Michael and the guys from his ministry. What a beautiful day! Although the clouds surrounding the area threatened rain, we had perfect sunny weather the entire time! I watched the guys play in the pool while talking with Becca, the assistant director of the Project. We had a delicious lunch of chicken and rice, and then walked around the grounds of the park. The park has so much to do! Some of the boys rented bicycles, rode horses, went swimming, played frisbee, played soccer, and could have used a cool zipline!
Although I usually use this blog to talk about my ministry, I want to share a little bit about the Micah Project. They help young men (usually teenagers) get off the street, overcome their addiction to yellow glue, get an education, and learn about Christ. I share this because three of the boys that came with us today are street kids. Michael invited them to come to get them off the street and encourage them to join the Micah Project. I met one of the boys, Jose Daniel, a few weeks ago when walking with Michael through the center of town. Michael spent time with Daniel that evening, talking with him and getting him food. The kid I met was high on yellow glue and almost incoherent at times. The kid I saw today was just that . . . a kid. What a difference from the time before. The hard part was knowing that at the end of the day of just being kids at a park, these three boys would return to the streets. Please pray for Daniel, Hector, and Axel, that they would survive the streets until deciding to come into a better place at the Micah House.
As I spent time with these boys, I was able to appreciate the work we are doing in our ministry. I know that any one of our kids could be like those boys living on the street. God has brought them into the safety and protection of our ministry. They have all their needs met, and are hearing the gospel on a regular basis. I just want to praise God for the work He is doing in Honduras. There is so much need, and there are so many suffering children. I am so thankful that there are many ministries here, working with different populations and meeting different needs. I also praise the Lord that I am a part of this awesome work!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My Roller Coaster Day
"Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1Corinthians 15:55-57.
What a day! I don't even know where to begin. At first I thought about how and what I would write, but then I realized I just need to write and see what comes out. So here goes.
This morning I experienced the worst tragedy of my time here in Honduras. I witnessed a man killed in a motorcycle accident. It was horrible. I didn't see the accident itself. I just saw a man and his motorcycle bounce across the road like a ragdoll. When we got to the actual scene, the man was clearly dead. It was the most gruesome thing I have ever seen. Had I been in the States, I would have stopped and called for help. Here, I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do. The one thing I have heard is that if you witness a fatal accident, don't stick around - there could be more fatalities. I felt so heartless just leaving the scene, but I knew there was nothing I could do. I didn't see what actually happened, or else I might have stayed to give a statement. I don't know if he was hit by the bus or taxi in front of me, or something else. It was just horrible.
The afternoon was a better experience. I went to a place called Proyecto Victoria, a drug rehab center. We don't have anyone there, but my friend from another ministry was going to visit some of his guys that are there. It was a great facility where guys are able to detox and try to re-enter society. It was great to see the progress that some of them are making. One of the guys is someone I have been praying for since last February. He is a walking miracle. Last February they had little hope for his recovery, and had a time of fasting and prayer for his life. Today he looked great and seemed to be a completely different person. I believe the hand of God is truly on this young man. There were others, too, who are making great progress. There was also the sad story of a young man who left the facility without finishing his treatment. I am slowly learning the ups and downs of ministering to hurting youth. Ultimately, there is little that we can do. Our role is to be obedient to God. The rest is up to Him.
This evening I am back at the Bridge House. Just as I was closing up for the night, a couple of the youths were telling me about a big strike tomorrow. Apparently the President of Honduras is hosting Hugo Chavez tomorrow at the Presidential Palace and will be signing a treaty with him. There are major plans for strikes in response to this deal with the devil. Please pray for this country. There could be major ramifications resulting from this deal.
I feel like there is so much more to talk about, but I will stop there. I am going to try and get an early start out of the city so I do not get stuck in the strikes.
What a day! I don't even know where to begin. At first I thought about how and what I would write, but then I realized I just need to write and see what comes out. So here goes.
This morning I experienced the worst tragedy of my time here in Honduras. I witnessed a man killed in a motorcycle accident. It was horrible. I didn't see the accident itself. I just saw a man and his motorcycle bounce across the road like a ragdoll. When we got to the actual scene, the man was clearly dead. It was the most gruesome thing I have ever seen. Had I been in the States, I would have stopped and called for help. Here, I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do. The one thing I have heard is that if you witness a fatal accident, don't stick around - there could be more fatalities. I felt so heartless just leaving the scene, but I knew there was nothing I could do. I didn't see what actually happened, or else I might have stayed to give a statement. I don't know if he was hit by the bus or taxi in front of me, or something else. It was just horrible.
The afternoon was a better experience. I went to a place called Proyecto Victoria, a drug rehab center. We don't have anyone there, but my friend from another ministry was going to visit some of his guys that are there. It was a great facility where guys are able to detox and try to re-enter society. It was great to see the progress that some of them are making. One of the guys is someone I have been praying for since last February. He is a walking miracle. Last February they had little hope for his recovery, and had a time of fasting and prayer for his life. Today he looked great and seemed to be a completely different person. I believe the hand of God is truly on this young man. There were others, too, who are making great progress. There was also the sad story of a young man who left the facility without finishing his treatment. I am slowly learning the ups and downs of ministering to hurting youth. Ultimately, there is little that we can do. Our role is to be obedient to God. The rest is up to Him.
This evening I am back at the Bridge House. Just as I was closing up for the night, a couple of the youths were telling me about a big strike tomorrow. Apparently the President of Honduras is hosting Hugo Chavez tomorrow at the Presidential Palace and will be signing a treaty with him. There are major plans for strikes in response to this deal with the devil. Please pray for this country. There could be major ramifications resulting from this deal.
I feel like there is so much more to talk about, but I will stop there. I am going to try and get an early start out of the city so I do not get stuck in the strikes.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Blessed in the Busyness
"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, 'Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.'" - Psalm 35:27
Things have been extremely busy again. We are well under way with the new school year. Today marks the beginning of the third week of school. I am enjoying my job immensely. There are difficulties, too. This past weekend we had one of our newest teachers return to the U.S. By God's grace (and the grace of my wonderful staff), I was able to cover all the classes that she was slated to teach. As long as no one gets sick, we'll be just fine. :)
Starting tomorrow, I will be covering the Bridge House until next Monday morning. I will drive to the city each day after school, spend the night there, and then drive back up the mountain to work each day. It's not my favorite thing to do, but I don't mind it too much. This week I am actually glad I can help. This past weekend, one of our kids that lives at the Bridge House lost his mom to illness. She had been very sick, and passed away on Friday night. The couple that cares for him wants to take him on vacation and spend quality time with him. Please pray for him as he deals with this loss.
There have been a lot of other things happening, but for the sake of time, I will not go into all of them. Overall, I would just say that I feel extremely blessed to continue in the work that God has called me to do in Honduras!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Simply Watering
"So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor." - 1 Corinthians 3:7-8
The Scriptures are so clear that we are nothing apart from God. I get so frustrated when I hear people telling me that I am getting on God's good side because I am doing a good work in Honduras. I see myself as one who waters. I pour into the lives of the kids that live in our ministry community. But it is God who gives the increase. I am simply here out of obedience. I am nothing special, other than a creature created in the image of Almighty God. I am no better and no less than those who planted this ministry. Will there be a reward in the end? According to the above passage, yes! And I look forward greatly to the reward that I will receive in eternity. But what I do does not make me greater or less than any other person. I am simply doing what God has called me to do. May God alone receive the glory for the harvest that is produced in the end!
The Scriptures are so clear that we are nothing apart from God. I get so frustrated when I hear people telling me that I am getting on God's good side because I am doing a good work in Honduras. I see myself as one who waters. I pour into the lives of the kids that live in our ministry community. But it is God who gives the increase. I am simply here out of obedience. I am nothing special, other than a creature created in the image of Almighty God. I am no better and no less than those who planted this ministry. Will there be a reward in the end? According to the above passage, yes! And I look forward greatly to the reward that I will receive in eternity. But what I do does not make me greater or less than any other person. I am simply doing what God has called me to do. May God alone receive the glory for the harvest that is produced in the end!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Spiritual Wisdom
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." - 1 Corinthians 2:12
Being a Christian has a lot of advantages. It also has a lot of challenges. But one of the greatest things that we as Christians have received, apart from our salvation, is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is through this Holy Spirit of God that we are able to recognize the amazing things that God does in our lives. Ask most nonbelievers, and they attribute the good things in their life to their hard work, their success, their accomplishments. However, they are missing the most essential gift of all. What a Christian believes is nonsense to the world. It is only by the wisdom of the Spirit that we are able to truly see this world in the same light that God sees it.
I have recently received what I consider to be an amazing gift from God. It might be temporary, it might be more permanent. There is absolutely no reason for me to have received this gift apart from the grace of God. The world might look at it from the worldly perspective that I have somehow earned it or deserve it. Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I know better than that. I receive this gift with a thankful heart, knowing that God had great mercy and compassion on me, allowing me to experience His awesome power. To be able to see things from a spiritual perspective is in itself an amazing gift. May we always remember that by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to catch a glimpse of life from God's perfect and almighty perspective.
Being a Christian has a lot of advantages. It also has a lot of challenges. But one of the greatest things that we as Christians have received, apart from our salvation, is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is through this Holy Spirit of God that we are able to recognize the amazing things that God does in our lives. Ask most nonbelievers, and they attribute the good things in their life to their hard work, their success, their accomplishments. However, they are missing the most essential gift of all. What a Christian believes is nonsense to the world. It is only by the wisdom of the Spirit that we are able to truly see this world in the same light that God sees it.
I have recently received what I consider to be an amazing gift from God. It might be temporary, it might be more permanent. There is absolutely no reason for me to have received this gift apart from the grace of God. The world might look at it from the worldly perspective that I have somehow earned it or deserve it. Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I know better than that. I receive this gift with a thankful heart, knowing that God had great mercy and compassion on me, allowing me to experience His awesome power. To be able to see things from a spiritual perspective is in itself an amazing gift. May we always remember that by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to catch a glimpse of life from God's perfect and almighty perspective.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Back into the Swing of Things
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 18:1
I apologize for allowing so much time to lapse since I last wrote. A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and yet they seem trivial when it comes to writing about them.
The biggest news is that school started on Monday! We are now back into full swing. I love my job as principal, and I love that I am still teaching two math classes. I have found that my favorite part of the job is problem solving. I still have lots to do, but I feel like I am slowly getting caught up.
Another event that happened at the ranch in July was a "carnival" run by our summer interns. They had games on the soccer field with prizes to win. They had a "pie in the face" event in which they smeared plates of shaving cream in the faces of the ranch leaders. They also had a "bobbing for the big one" event. Ron, our ranch manager, bobbed for a Snickers bar in a never-before-used clean toilet filled with lemonade. It was quite disgusting to watch, but the kids all loved it. They ended the afternoon with a greased pig contest. The interns bought piglets in the community, greased them up with oil and shortening, and let the kids try and catch them. Prizes were given to the winners. At the end, the piglets were returned to people in the community. Everyone had a blast throughout the afternoon.
The girls continue their ESL program on Saturday afternoons in the city. They are doing a great job and getting a great response from the kids that are attending. It's neat to see how fast the kids are picking up English by coming just once a week.
Finally, I had the great privilege of distributing backpacks to all the kids before school started. The backpacks were donated by Reston Bible Church, my sending church in Virginia. The backpacks were filled with school supplies and gifts for the kids. They actually arrived in February, but we decided to wait and distribute them in time for the new school year. The kids were excited to receive their new packs. I even had a couple of them follow me from house to house as I delivered them!
That's the latest news from Honduras. I will try to do better about writing more often, now that the craziness of the start of school has died down!
I apologize for allowing so much time to lapse since I last wrote. A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and yet they seem trivial when it comes to writing about them.
The biggest news is that school started on Monday! We are now back into full swing. I love my job as principal, and I love that I am still teaching two math classes. I have found that my favorite part of the job is problem solving. I still have lots to do, but I feel like I am slowly getting caught up.
Another event that happened at the ranch in July was a "carnival" run by our summer interns. They had games on the soccer field with prizes to win. They had a "pie in the face" event in which they smeared plates of shaving cream in the faces of the ranch leaders. They also had a "bobbing for the big one" event. Ron, our ranch manager, bobbed for a Snickers bar in a never-before-used clean toilet filled with lemonade. It was quite disgusting to watch, but the kids all loved it. They ended the afternoon with a greased pig contest. The interns bought piglets in the community, greased them up with oil and shortening, and let the kids try and catch them. Prizes were given to the winners. At the end, the piglets were returned to people in the community. Everyone had a blast throughout the afternoon.
The girls continue their ESL program on Saturday afternoons in the city. They are doing a great job and getting a great response from the kids that are attending. It's neat to see how fast the kids are picking up English by coming just once a week.
Finally, I had the great privilege of distributing backpacks to all the kids before school started. The backpacks were donated by Reston Bible Church, my sending church in Virginia. The backpacks were filled with school supplies and gifts for the kids. They actually arrived in February, but we decided to wait and distribute them in time for the new school year. The kids were excited to receive their new packs. I even had a couple of them follow me from house to house as I delivered them!
That's the latest news from Honduras. I will try to do better about writing more often, now that the craziness of the start of school has died down!
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