This was not an easy blog to write.

Sadly, I will not be returning to Pinalito.

It’s been rough. Leaving Pinalito, Matasano, and all of Guatemala, was not an easy choice. They are places I love and remember well. They are people I love and remember well.

But…in the past month, going through all I have gone through, I have seen that God is always with us, God always protects us, and God has a hand in all of this. I have come to know first-hand many biblical truths in context, gaining new insight into them as I read with now-experienced eyes. My entire experience in Guatemala has been full of learning and growth. I want to thank all of you for your support, prayers, and encouragement you have provided me in this chapter. They were all invaluable.

This last year has been an adventure. From adventures come stories, and from stories come lessons.

I’ve pulled some of my favorite bits and pieces from my entire blog that are lessons I’ve learned (some of which apply now more than ever) and others that give little glimpses into what life was like. I include with the titles all of the Bible texts I used, which helped me through tough times, gave me lessons, or echoed my times of joy…

January 25, 2007- How this all started...

§ God places people and events in our lives that can lead us to do His work…

Through Sarah, I got to know of Pinalito and the opportunity to serve there. I often joke with people that my being in Guatemala was all Sarah’s fault. But the people who God worked into my life do not stop at Sarah…Melanie, the Ortiz Family, the Beene’s & the Moro’s…and all of the folks who visited us, were used by God and participated in the work of the Kingdom, in one form or another.

February 4, 2007- Almost time to go... Psalm 48:14

§ I guess I'll just dive in headfirst and see if I sink or swim. I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone, God is with us, and helps us in our doing of his works, just like he did with Moses, Jonah, Paul...actually, any of God's workers we read of in the Bible.

§ Psalm 48:14 "For this God is Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end."- I'll keep that in mind. God will be my guide, and I'll be just fine.

I ended up swimming quite well, and yeah- we’re not alone in our work in the kingdom, and Psalm 48 rings true…and tells us to keep out eyes on the ‘big picture’.

February 13, 2007- Luke 10:1, 21-23

§ ¡Hola! Guatemala is fantastic. For several reasons: It’s beautiful, the people are extremely friendly, God is present, and God is truly teaching me a lot here, if not something new, emphasizing things I already knew.

§ I read some of Luke this morning (chapter 10) where Jesus sends out 72 disciples to spread his word to every town and place he was about to go. I take comfort in this, because it does not say that Jesus sent out the 72 best folks in town, or the 72 richest people he knew, or the 72 best athletes. All Luke tells us is that ‘…the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them…’ (Luke 10:1). Jesus sent out whom he chose, and to us this means that any of us can be out spreading the gospel in some manner, whether we’re rich or poor, average Joe or ‘well off’. With that, I know I’m on the right track

And where did He send them? Luke 10:1 continues… “…sent them two-by-two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go.” In the Great commission we read that we’re to go to the ends of the Earth. The mission field (thankfully) is not only in Pinalito. The whole world is God’s workspace, in which we get to work.

February 19, 2007- Another Sunday, Another Church Genesis 14:18, Genesis 15:6, Matthew 10:41, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Mark 11:12-14, 20-21, Acts 17:11

§ The second portion of the sermon was better, the main text being Mark 11:12-14, 20-21, the ‘Withered Fig Tree’. Jesus had cursed the tree for not bearing any fruit, even though it was not the fruiting season for figs at the time (verse 13). What this means for us is that whatever the season of our life, High or Low, we need to bear fruit for God. Also tied in to this is the parable/illustration Jesus used of the weed, the evil we need to cut out of our lives so that we may grow and bear fruits that can benefit others, as that is what fruit trees do-benefit others.

This is definitely a good one to read in our low times (such as now)…to keep our focus on the right way.

March 12, 2007- Beautiful Feet Isaiah 52:7-10, 1 Cor 15:55-58, Hosea 13:14, Acts 3:1-10

§ Isaiah 52:7-10 starts off: “⁷How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”

§ Now, my feet aren’t very pretty, but these verses speak of the messengers who would run from the battle to tell of victory to the king. If you consider that we who claim Christ as our Savior and Salvation have won the battle, being victorious in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-58, which quotes Hosea 13:14), we too become the messenger, running from our victorious battle proclaiming peace, bringing the good news. And in verse 10, we read “¹⁰The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” It is God’s work in this world that we participate in, and it is the world, all the ends of the earth.

This is one of my favorite lessons I gained from the past year…It’s so clear and makes perfect sense, and is full of hope and comfort. Again…we see that our mission is vast-the world- and is vastly open to all of God’s possibilities. “Our God Reigns!”

May 1, 2007- Instruments Psalm 122:1, 1 Peter 1:8, Genesis 37-46, Gen 37:5-10, Gen 39, Gen 40:23, Gen 41:16, Gen 47:5, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Jude 1:24-25

§ In the first two chapters of Acts, whenever something good happened to the believers, they were always together- in the temple, in their homes, etc. This makes sense, because the Church is a body, a team, and we have to work together.

§ Our life of Faith, our Christian journey is a process of constant growth, maturation, and preparation for the things God has in store for us. The Christian life is a process, and there are times of joy and excitement, like when Joseph had his dreams and had to tell everyone, and there are times when we are down in the pits, just like Joseph had. And of course, there are times where we can be somewhere in-between. When we go through trials, ultimately they are blessings for us, as God uses them to prepare and mature us, strengthening our faith. In the end, we see that god is sovereign and the victory is in Him.

In this last month, I have witnessed that these two points are entirely true. How much more meaning can you get out of a lesson than when you experience it yourself?

July 4, 2007- Leaving & Going Back… (and the time in-between)… Psalm 146, Romans 5:2-5

§ And we take comfort that these trials in the end strengthen us…Romans 5:2-5 “²…We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

§ The only help I could offer from the sidelines was that of prayer…

Trials again…Romans 5 says it all. Prayer I also learned about. I witnessed that it works. Whether our prayers are loud and emotion filled, or deep within our souls…if our heart is right and we pray for the will of God, they’re effective…time and time again.

July 27, 2007- Travels, Travels...

§ In Guatemala nothing is 100% certain, so I’m always ready for a slight delay or change thrown in. As I like to say, that’s part of the game. Patience and flexibilty...great ‘talents’ to possess.

§ …Not everything goes as planned, but that keeps things interesting…

Guatemala, and the mission field in general had a different pace to life than what most are used to. I got to enjoy it. Travel days were always fun- the “We’ll get there when we get there” approach turns out to be rather stress free!

August 18, 2007- The mountains to myself... Psalm 118:1

§ Ps 118:1 "Give Thanks to the LORD for he is good; His love endures forever."

God is Good, and he always loves us. And he gave us a great gift-the Bible, which we can use for inspiration, guidance, comfort…the Bible is of such great value. If you have one-use it and cherish it. If you don’t-Get One!

October 9, 2007- Water Works

§ I brought along some extra supplies (just in case, you never know...) and sure enough, I needed them.

§ And, usually after a fix-it mission, I'm covered in dirt, which means I've had a good day.

§ We do our best to keep the water flowing to all...and also to keep the Holy Spirit flowing in the same manner, to all...pray that we can, and also, that you can.

Fixing stuff was always fun, but fixing souls is so much more important. Let’s keep our focus on that!

November 29, 2007- Blessings from above/from the north! 1 Samuel 18

§ The locals never want to go running with me…they don’t get it. They’ll often ask- “Donde vas?-Where are you going?” and I never really have an answer for them…there and back, over the hills and far away, through the woods to Grandma’s…if you think about it, it doesn’t make sense. So I don’t blame them for not coming along.

§ Sometimes Life gets tough…that’s part of life. But God helps us out, putting people in our lives to protect us, pray for us, and encourage us.

It’s a good thing we’re never alone…God is always with us and always puts the right people in our paths at the right time. Back then, especially now…very true. As for running…we’re all running the race (Hebrews 12)…and that finish line is gonna be great!

December 19, 2007- Machete chops & kids with potential--Lots! Psalm 18:32-3,3 Psalm 121:3, Matthew 28: 18-20

§ The last couple of weeks have been an adventure. From adventures come stories, and from stories come lessons.

§ We traveled towards Pinalito in true Guatemalan fashion…a reasonable bus ride on an antiquated greyhound bus to Zacapa, then up the mountain to Matasano with a flete, which Scott found to be very bumpy…and then a hike over to Pinalito after spending a fun night with the Ortiz family.

§ Let’s not forget to show the world what Christ is all about. Let’s spread our testimony with the impartiality and drive of an emergency, and also show people, in the same way we did with the kids, what’s available if they ‘follow through’.

Adventures were always ready to be had, wherever we went. Travel was always a guaranteed adventure. Being in the mountains was never just ‘the usual’. I’ve had so many adventures… that have taught me much. The Adventure continues…be it on a ‘field trip’ or an emergency, in a time of rest or a time of travel… we get to work for God wherever we live- because, we live in Him.

God taught me a lot. He’s still teaching me. That’s a good thing. I learned a lot of new things and other things were emphasized, sometimes a couple of times…because we don’t always get it the first time.

Dan Stokes, always an enthusiastic supporter of mine, reminded me of the idea of ‘chapters’. He asked me to share with his middle school choir group, to tell them a bit about this last chapter of my life, and how God worked in it. This chapter was exciting, had its highs and lows, and ended…although a bit suddenly and painfully. But the book hasn’t ended yet. There are many more chapters left to live. Each one will be different and have its own twists and turns…but the theme of my book will always be the same-God.

I recently went to a missions conference held by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which was great. It was encouraging, supportive, and being in the mission field gives enhanced meaning to all I heard. From it, two points strike home: first, it’s all about Him. All we do is for the Glory of God. Or at least that is our goal. We read in the Bible, pull lessons that apply to our lives from it…learn how to live more as we’re intended to, but we need to keep our view on the final goal, when all is said and done and God brings the end of all ends, when His kingdom is made complete. If you read in Revelation you get a glimpse of the Glory yet to come. This is why we need missions. So that we may bring forward the Kingdom of God, each day closer and closer to the full Kingdom. This brings about the second point- the work is everywhere, and needs to be done by everyone. Everyone. Including me. Including you.

How do we do this? Well, this last year taught us some key things we need. Prayer, People, Perseverance. Without Prayer, we get nowhere. Without the right people- whom God provides- we can’t be effective. We are the body of Christ, and work in unity. We need to persevere. God’s kingdom needs to come nearer and nearer, and we need to be a part of that work. It is God who works in this world, and we are only used by him, we are his instruments, and vessels for his Word. And we need to remember that trials, though tough, strengthen us (Rom 5: 2-5).

God works in this world. It is His after all. We’re lucky enough to be able to be a part of His work. What does the next chapter of my life look like? There’s no precise answer to that question. But I know this: I will continue to be used by God, to be an instrument in his work, to keep the Holy Spirit flowing like water and to run the race with beautiful feet. To dive in, whether I sink or swim, to bear fruit in the good seasons and the bad, to share the Gospel like it’s an emergency, and to show off the reward like I’m taking someone on a field trip. I’m going to strive to better equip myself for the battle and the work we have, with the full armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-17) and to “⁵…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”
-2 Peter 1: 5-7.

Psalm 72: 18-19

“¹⁸Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. ¹⁹Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.”

To All!

Thanks for a great year! 2007 has been full of nothing but blessings.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Machete chops & kids with potential--Lots!

The last couple of weeks have been an adventure. From adventures come stories, and from stories come lessons.

It started just as a friend from CCUM, Scott Irick, came down to visit us again after being captured by the spirit of Pinalito when he visited with the CCUM team in November. I picked him up from the airport and we traveled towards Pinalito in true Guatemalan fashion…a reasonable bus ride on an antiquated greyhound bus to Zacapa, then up the mountain to Matasano with a flete, which Scott found to be very bumpy…and then a hike over to Pinalito after spending a fun night with the Ortiz family. So when we got to Pinalito, we had done a fair bit of traveling, and were ready for a little bit of rest before we traveled some more, we were getting ready to go on a 5 day field trip with a group of 7 youth of Pinalito, all of whom recently graduated from 6^th grade. As luck, or Murphy, or fate…would have it, the water had gone out that afternoon. We could have done without water for the night and fix it the next day, but after chatting with our neighbor David and finding that most of the regular guys who like to go up and fix the water were not going to be available in the morning, we were ready to go and fix it that night. “Por que No?- Why Not?” we said. Scott and I were fairly tired, but I when I asked him if he wanted to go, he was ready for the adventure. Scott, Ron, Nathan and I suited up and got ready to head up the mountain with David and a couple others we might be able to recruit on the way up….

Just as we left the mission gates, it started to rain…but we were too far in to our ‘mission’ to turn back to the comfort of a bed…we did however run back to the apartments and grab our rain jackets. That’s what changed the whole night. We hiked up to the house of Goyo, and chatted with him trying to get him to come along up the mountain. He was in his boxers and had already been snoozing a little bit, so it took some persuasion…but eventually he agreed to come along. Just as he turned into the house to grab his clothes, a lady named Raphaela came up to us in tears, distraught and rightfully worried about her husband, Alfonso. A stream of words behind tears came out, of which I did not understand all of, but got the gist. Her husband had gotten into a conflict that left him full of machete chops and he was going to die from loss of blood if we didn’t act. This was a real, serious, situation and we needed to act. With the rain, taking him down in one of our own vehicles was not an option, it would only result in more injuries, or at least unnecessary risk. Our plan of action was to have Alfonso brought to the clinic so we could stop bleeding and prepare him for the hike out to meet up with the ambulance. Dylan (Ron’s oldest son) and I waited out by the church for the group who was bringing him up to the clinic...and I’ll tell you, playing the waiting game in a situation like this was not so fun. Eventually Dylan and I saw some faint flashlights bobbing out in the darkness, and met up with the group of men carrying him up. We also got a look at what we were dealing with. On his head, Alfonso had a large gash...you couldn’t really see it, just a bright red 4 inch circle right on top...kind of like a bulls eye. He also had some smaller gashes on his neck and elbow, but the head was the main concern. Good thing was it had already coagulated, so although he had lost a bunch of blood, he wouldn’t loose too much more. David and Goyo had called the Bomberos-firemen/ambulance with 4-wheel drive who could meet us halfway. They can’t make it to Pinalito but the 2 other options are Matasano and Sompopero. Initially, the Bomberos opted for Sompopero, which meant a long, slippery hike of at least 4 miles to the rendezvous point. None of the locals liked that idea, it was already ‘muy noche’ and had been raining on and off. But, we (the missionaries) were prepared to do anything to keep this guy alive. After we got Alfonso bandaged up and ready for the hike (not that he had to walk, he’d be in a hammock stretcher) and had waited around for a little bit to see if we could find a couple more men to come along and help carry, we headed out in the dark of a cloudy night with headlamps and a quiet determination. Thankfully, with another phone call to the Bomberos telling them we were on our way, they agreed to meet us at the top of Matasano...a steeper, but shorter hike. It was good to get moving...Alfonso had been going in and out of shock while he was at the clinic... it was all we could do to keep him from slipping...calling out his name and telling him to hold on and keep fighting. Interestingly enough, the hammock stretcher, with its comfy supportive hold and gentle rocking, lulled Alfonso into a restful sleep as we hiked through the night. Again, I was thankful, the road was slippery and full of ruts, but we never slipped or stumbled as we tromped down to the river and all the way up. I don’t think it would have been good to drop him. We know, and witnessed, that:

Psalm 18:32-33 “³² It is God who arms me [us] with strength and makes my way perfect. ³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me [us] to stand on the heights.” and:

Psalm 121:3 “³ He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber;”

We all took turns at the ends of the pole that the hammock was tied to...quietly working under the burden, an equal effort by all who came along...despite the slight unwillingness of the locals before we set out, all came along. At the rendezvous point, we waited in the fog for about 5 minutes, and then saw the glow of headlights far off. We’d made it, Alfonso was in good hands. Of course he was...we’d made several prayers throughout the night, and they proved fruitful. Once he was loaded up in the ambulance and we had a final sending prayer, we hiked back home in good spirits, and eventually hit the hay around 2 AM.

The next day, as we were on our way to the city, Michael, Scott, and I stopped by the hospital to visit Alfonso. His smaller cuts were stitched up neatly, and on his head, now clean and with a little bald spot, there was a beautiful 5-inch stitching job that probably won’t be growing any more hair again. A surprise to us was the policeman guarding Alfonso by his hospital bed. Apparently, Alfonso was a wanted man, having killed several people in the past. Michael knew his history, but we who had taken him out of the mountains on our shoulders had not known that until that visit in the hospital. Obviously, in an emergency situation, it’s “ask questions later”. Anyways, Alfonso is now in jail. Ironically, we had saved his life, and served justice at the same time without knowing it. The lesson I’ve pulled from this experience is that we ought to apply the “ask questions later-let’s save this guy” approach to the way we handle the gospel and how we tell it. As we spread the gospel, we need to do so with the same impartiality and drive one has when taking care of an emergency situation. Afterwards we can work on discipleship and fostering up healthy Christians. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Jesus’ great commission (which, as someone related to me, is the great commission, not the ‘great suggestion’) says it all:

Matthew 28 “¹⁸ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The field trip!
After the night of playing human powered ambulance, it was time to take the kids on a field trip…7 kids who had graduated from 6^th grade and are ready to head down to Zacapa to further their education. We set out for another hike to Matasano, Scott and I leaving Pinalito a little bit late (as would be the norm for any missionary) but caught up to the group as we neared the river. We stopped by The Ortiz’s in Matasano for a couple of seconds… “Oh yeah, long time no see”…We’d been through Matasano four times in a period of 12 hrs. Definitely getting our exercise up here. Michael and Rocky Beene met us at the top of the mountain, just as the ambulance had the night before, and we piled in the cars and relaxed for a couple hours as we headed to Guatemala City. The plan was to show the kids the world they don’t know, the world of opportunities that is available to them if the follow through with their education. And of course, we were going to have fun.

In the city, over a couple of days, we took the group to a big screen movie, the mall, the mega-grocery store, a learning oriented museum, the Zoo, a handicraft Market (which was full of Christmas paraphernalia). We also did fun new things like riding escalators, glass elevators up to the top floor, take goofy group photos in front of anything Christmas related, and watched planes at the airport.

It was interesting to see the different reactions in the different kids. All of the kids started out slightly apprehensively, but then we saw them settle in to ‘city life’, some sooner than others. One part of ‘city life’ these kids got down is cell phones…about half of the kids had phones, and were adept at using them, to call their parents, boyfriends or girlfriends (well, at least that’s what we teased), and to play with the ringtones late into each night. It’s an odd sight to see these kids with the phones, coming from one of the poorest spots in the country. In reality, it shows a reflection of their future prospects, and also helps us realize that the people of Pinalito are not necessarily poor, just severely disadvantaged.

We watched a matinee showing of ‘Fred Claus’, which the kids liked. A couple fell asleep though…oh well. In the mall and shops, I figure it was like watching a movie for the kids, or maybe it was like going to the Zoo…which we also did one nice sunny day. We saw elephant, giraffe, lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), snakes, all sorts of birds, monkeys, pumas, leopards, hippos, the whole gamut. It was great to see the kids get excited about the animals that they had never seen, only heard about.

After all our fun in the city, we went out to Lake Amatitlan, had a picnic complete with hotdogs, took a sunset boat ride, which was an exciting venture for the group, the biggest water they had known up to that point was the Pinalito river, which only takes a hop skip and a jump to cross over. Lake Amatitlan is formed in an enormous crater of an old volcano, and is surrounded by remnants of the old peak…it was a chance for the kids to see another one of the beautiful spots of Guatemala, Pinalito being the beautiful spot they have claim to.

We took a day to the Pacific Ocean, which I thought was the highlight of the trip. Scurrying over the hot black sand beach, the group saw the ocean for what was for most of them the first time. Even I am always impressed by the vastness of the ocean, for the kids it was probably mind blowing. Of course, Pinalitans don’t swim…so we cautiously all held hands and waded in up to out ankles (well, actually, I had already dove into the waves, the water was the perfect temperature and the waves were great). On previous trips similar to this one, the kids had found ‘ankles’ to be far enough. Not this group though, they were adventurous. After building their confidence by taking them out one by one to where the waves were a little higher and where they could feel the strength and pull of the water, most of the group was playing in the waves like any seasoned beach bum would. After swimming they walked out to the end of a pier to watch fishermen at work, and then it was back to the city for a good night’s rest before our trip back towards the mountain. Most of the week though, the group had been staying up late, sometimes up till midnight. In Pinalito they’re asleep by 8 or maybe 9…but electricity, being on a field trip, and having fun kept us up. We’d play cards, or watch cars out on the main road, or just ‘hang out’. We ate our meals together, and the group was great at washing dishes and cleaning up. We had devotionals, encouraged the kids to pray at meals, and built each other up with faith.

Then, before we knew it, it was time to go back to the mountains. As luck would have it, we didn’t make it up to Pinalito in one day, and stayed a night in Zacapa. This was fine, because the next morning we went out the Dormitory building site, to show the kids what was waiting for them when they went down to study. They were quite impressed, as was I, because the building –their home- has come a long way…the cement roof is just about ready to be poured.

We made it back to Pinalito Saturday, for a bit of refreshment (which the mountains are always good for) and a couple days to tie things up before returning to the States for the holidays. Our trip up to the city was just as exciting as the first, catching a bus on the side of the highway at 6:30 pm, in part due to (again) a late departure from Pinalito…but, we made it up to the city without a hitch and only slightly late.

Today I’ve been traveling a bit…but it’s weird. All of a sudden, instead of being surrounded by people who only speak Spanish, I’m surrounded by Americans and English as I sit here in the terminal. After serving as translator with all our visitors and really speaking primarily Spanish for several months, English seems a little out of the norm…and I enjoy the challenge of learning the language. Oh well, I’ll get used to it soon enough. It will be good to be home, to spend Christmas with Church and Family, and to get a little work to support my ministry. Rest, regroup, and keep going!

Merry Christmas to all! Let’s not forget to show the world what Christmas is all about. Let’s spread our testimony with the impartiality and drive of an emergency, and also show people, in the same way we did with the kids, what’s available if they ‘follow through’.

Merry Christmas! Immanuel- God is with us.

Blessings from above/from the north!

Finally, a quiet moment where I can sit still, gather my thoughts (somewhat), and write about the amazing last month and a half we’ve had. It’s a rainy day and there are only a couple of us up in the mountains, just what I need to crank out this blog. It’s truly been a blessed time. We had several short-term teams come and share in God’s work here in Guatemala, and all were a blessing, in so many ways.

A team from my home Church, Christ Church United Methodist (CCUM), Louisville, was the first to join us up in the mountains, and brought with them their hearts, and a wide array of talents, and poured out their love on the village. Because of the many talents, we were able to accomplish a lot of different projects, each unique in its manner of blessing Pinalito.

Several of ‘the guys (Dan Burgess, Brian Moore, George Strunk, Riggs Lewis) ’ took on the impressive task of tiling the church sanctuary, something that has been on our ‘wish list’ for quite a while. In accordance with the missionary code of work, none of the intrepid tillers were really tillers by trade or profession, it was truly a ‘learn as you go’ approach. The great thing was, the work was not done by just a couple of gringos, but some the local church members jumped in to help as well. Despite the slight communication barrier the work went well…especially when those of us who could translate would pop in for a minute or two. When there was no translating available, a good deal of sign language was used and somehow, messages got across. The end result was a very nice looking floor and for some, a new appreciation of tiling.

Jimm Cox and I set about getting the Community Center (the classrooms, library, & computer lab) powered by installing a solar energy system, which is working great these days. Jimm did a lot of the surveying work and preparing the building for the system, which in part was due to the reason that I somehow was never around for more than 5 minutes…but after a couple days we had 4 solar panels on the roof, a battery and control center inside, and 120 volts of juice flowing through the system. This is an awesome addition to the Community Center, because it gives us clean, quiet power which we use to show movies to the locals, stay up all night working (once in a while), use computers with the locals (which are organized and working well thanks to Heidi Holtzman), and anything else we’ll think of to benefit Pinalito.

Frankie Turner and Bonny Folz did an amazing thing for the Community center, they painted one of the large classrooms. But we’re not just talking boring single tone white eggshell painting or even painting the room a shade of blue, they did something real special. This classroom is going to be for younger kids, and with that in mind, Frankie and Bonny let their imagination run loose and painted a mural- in the entire room! That means 4 walls, AND the floor. One end now has a beach, flowers are growing up the walls, butterflies float around the windows, there’s a meadow on the other wall…and the floor is an ocean, complete with fish and all. I always get excited about the projects we do for the kids…because they are the hope and future of Pinalito.

Of course, the team didn’t come just to work inside the mission gates. We got to experience the life of the locals, on many levels. Part of the team experienced the local form of transportation- i.e. by foot, as we hiked to Pinalito on our first day in the mountains (a good 2 ½ miles of uphill- way to go guys!) We also had a good number of the group hike all the way down to Zacapa on leaving Pinalito…a gorgeous 8 mile tromp through the hills and down the mountains (again- way to go guys!) We also took a day to fix up some of the footpaths in the village…with the rains and the steep terrain some of the paths become ‘suicide slides’; this was another project where we worked hand in hand with the locals. We also visited a number of houses, which is always a treat for the locals, as they get a bit of comic relief watching the gringos try to make tortillas. Another part of village life a select few got to experience was a 3 am pig slaughter, for a community pig roast (sponsored by the team) that day. I’d have to say the one who experienced this most vividly was Scott Irick, our cameraman. He spent most of his week catching the spirit and definition of Pinalito on film, and was not going to let the pig slaughter be missed. I had told him I’d wake up with him…but I don’t think I ever did…

Blessings kept on coming…Amy Moore spent time in the clinic and more importantly, time playing with the kids, Mom Ruzic kept us very well fed, and always seemed to have a local baby in her arms, donated clothing was distributed, and devotion times were fruitful. The team was really a blessing, I can’t say that enough. Not only did they come to pour out their hearts on the village, they also poured out their hearts on us, the resident missionaries. They were the encouragement and boost we needed after the rainy season, where things can get down once in a while.

Right on the heels of the CCUM team came a team from Brevard Community Church, NC. This team was slightly smaller but just as able and equipped to share in God’s work up here. And, the talents brought, and used, were also slightly different, and so we got some other different projects accomplished.

We had a couple of carpenters (Gordon Strayhorn, Bart, Alan Perry) on the team, so some cabinets got built, which, in the grand scheme of things is good but not nearly as great as the seesaw and tree house that were built. Gordon and I both shared the vision of reinstating a seesaw on the playground, and in the newly painted classroom all of the carpenters worked together to build a loft/tree house in which the kids can play, read, have puppet shows, go crazy…everything a kid needs.

Cindy and Leigh Anne Pickup were in the clinic all week, and what a blessing it was to have medical professionals in there. So much was learned, many were treated, and the clinic went through a good cleanup and organizing.

We also went out into the village on house visits with this team, and had many hikes, some to the farthest reaches of the village. The hikes are beautiful, and it’s one of the best ways to connect with the locals…when you come visiting and sharing God’s love, you can’t go wrong can you?

The highlight of the Brevard visit was a Kids Carnival we hosted in the schoolyard. We had games, booths, prizes, music, snacks, face paint, and about 100 kids who had an absolute blast all afternoon! One of the best parts was when I went and got my face painted. It started out normal, but soon enough 3 or 4 of the kids were doing the painting, and did a pretty thorough job. I thought it looked fantastic. It also made me realize that the kids of Pinalito need more creative outlets…they’ve got so much potential hidden behind their ordinary daily life. Once again, they’re the future.

A very cool blessing for me personally was Alan Perry. He’s a runner like me, and was one of the first folks I’ve run with up here in the mountains in a long time. We went for a couple of runs that were great. The roads out here get lonely once in a while, even though I always have the cows to keep me company. The locals never want to go running with me…they don’t get it. They’ll often ask- “Donde vas?-Where are you going?” and I never really have and answer for them…there and back, over the hills and far away, through the woods to Grandma’s…if you think about it, it doesn’t make sense. So I don’t blame them for not coming along. Thanks for the runs Alan.

Lori Straehorn took on the task of cook, which she did fantastically, and our meals and devotions were a great time of fellowship, encouragement, time in the word, and fun. Just like the CCUM team, the Brevard team came with love overflowing for the village, and with love for us. Both teams, visiting back to back, brought in a huge amount of encouragement.

I’ve been reading the story of David and Saul lately, (1 Samuel 18 and on) and as I read about Saul and his fall from power and attempts to kill David, I see how God had his hand in the entire history, constantly protecting David and confounding Saul. God also put Jonathan in David’s life, a friend. Jonathan served to protect David, to encourage him, and to pray for him.

Sometimes Life gets tough…that’s part of life. But God helps us out, putting people in our lives to protect us, pray for us, and encourage us. To all members of the CCUM and Brevard team, Thanks so much. You came with the Love of God, blessed Pinalito, and encouraged us. And that…that is just how God wanted it.

Water Works

It seems I always end up saying "sorry it's been a while guys, here's another blog"...so, in an effort to get a little more writing up on the blog, this is going to be a short bit about some things I've done lately...

I've fixed a bunch of plumbing for the village in the past couple of weeks, something that I find more and more to be quite enjoyable. And I've come to find that there are lot's of villagers who have need of some kind of repair or another.
It started a couple weeks back with Celestina coming up to our apartments and asking for a 90* elbow for her faucet...at that point I didn't have time to give her what she needed, so I told her, "I'll come by this afternoon and take care of it..."

I brought along some extra supplies (just in case, you never know...) and sure enough, I needed them. It turned out that here water setup had never been completed, and she had been using it at sub optimal conditions. It turned out to be an easy fix, except that she also told me that she hadn't had water on a regular basis for a couple of weeks. Ok, try and fix that too... the point at which her water supply connects to the main feed was installed incorrectly, so that too got fixed...with the help of a couple of the Ortiz kids and some of the local kids...of course, eventually they got bored and stared playing with a grasshopper, which was fine by me..even when they put the grasshopper in my hair.
So Celestina's water got fixed, awesome! She had water, I got dirty (on multiple occasions) and all was good.

The hard rains, as you have heard, can take out the roads, but also the water...the collection dam (the 'presa') 3 miles up the mountain gets filled with sand after a while, more so when there is a lot of rain...and so we round up a couple of guys from the village to hike up and shovel it out.
It's a job I don't mind doing, it's a great hike and it's beautiful up there, as you hike up past the pine forests and farmlands, and into the high rain forest. After an hour of shoveling (or more when you have fewer guys) and being good and cold after standing in the mountain spring water for a while, we connect the tubes back up again and hike back down, following the water that's rushing down to Pinalito.

So last week we ended up doing that twice, there was a good deal of rain. No problem... just another part of life up here, but the 3rd time the water went out that week..."not again!" But, thankfully, it was something else...a broken tube 1/2 way up the mountain.
I went up with Julio, our ever faithful helper on the mission, and Arnoldo, a great young guy who's got the right dose of enthusiasm and eagerness, and we gathered our supplies together to fix the break...only....hmmmmm....the replacement section of tube we had was 2.5 inches in diameter, and the tube we were fixing was only 2 inches diameter...a brainteaser. After a bit of puzzling I figured if out, wrap the smaller tube with an extra layer of tube and then put the big one on. We tried it, and success! And once again, Pinalito did not go thirsty.

Today, I was asked to go fix a faucet that suffered from a broken pvc joint...I went and fixed it, nothing difficult, another happy customer (Virginia, the lady I fixed the faucet for, could do her laundry, and was happy about that).

What I love about going to fix things for the locals is it gives me a chance to interact with them, and in many different ways. Children always love to watch in amazement as I use my tools and fix whatever broke, and I can always get a laugh by making a trumpet out of some pvc pipe. The adults, are mostly just happy that their stuff gets fixed, and they sit and chat, either with me or with their neighbor, and it's fun to be part of that. Usually I'll get some food out of it too (definitely a good form of payment), a bowl of rice and beans, or some fire roasted corn. Going up to the presa with 'the guys' is always fun, and listening (or trying to) to their rambling conversations is entertaining. And, usually after my fix-it mission, I'm covered in dirt, which means I've had a good day.

We do our best to keep the water flowing to all...and also to keep the Holy Spirit flowing in the same manner, to all...pray that we can, and also, that you can.

Mission Methods

A good number of visitors have passed through in these last couple of weeks, from friends of the pastor who came from Mexico, a team of dentists from Zacapa, Davis, a friend of Sarah’s from N. Carolina, some more N. Carolinians who came to help with the building of the dormitories down in Zacapa, and all these different visitors are teaching me a bit about how to approach a mission field, or at least the many different ways one can go about it…

Pastor Domingo’s friends originally hailed from both Guatemala and Mexico, and are now living in California. I believe they went to college together. They were in Guatemala for a short visit and took the opportunity to visit us to get an experience of our mission field, albeit for only a couple days. In that time got a very honest and true experience of mountain life and the life of Pinalitans. They first got an experience of what I like to call the ‘Zacapa time suck’, which is basically that when you’re down in Zacapa, all of your activities and errands take at least twice as long as they should, and you end up getting up the mountain at the end of the day, and if you’re lucky you might have a half hour of daylight left. They got the full flete experience (a flete is a pickup that you can hire to bring you and your cargo up the mountain), where we had about 15 people plus several hundred pounds of cargo crammed into this poor little truck that’s probably about 20 years old. The truck really suffered as it ground it’s way up the mountain towards Matasano, and as we’re in the rainy season, the road is never smooth. It was a rough ride for both the passengers and the truck, but the views made up for that. We got to Matasano fine, indeed, with only a ½ hour of daylight left, and Domingo’s friends then got the experience of hoofin’ it, just like all the locals do to get anywhere. I stayed with the Ortiz’s in Matasano to spend the night and help them out with some odd jobs the next day, but they got to hike the ‘mile down and mile up’ to Pinalito, in the dark no less. They got their exercise for that day. The next day they visited some of the local homes, had a service where they could share the message with the Pinalitans, and gave out school supplies and toys to the kids who went to school and church. When they left, they got a ride out of Pinalito to Guadalupe, and with that got a little bit more of an experience of the local life- if you can catch a ride on the back of a pick up, it’s your lucky day. They really enjoyed their visit, I think in part because it was genuine, and they now have an appreciation and understanding of the way of life up here.

The next visitors were a team of dentists from Zacapa and the States, who came up on the day Sarah and Melanie returned, just for the day. They had a gathering with the locals where they sang a couple songs and shared the gospel and their reason for coming, pulled a bunch of teeth and made a couple fillings, and in the mid afternoon sped off down the mountain before the oncoming rains (always a concern if you’ve got to get somewhere). They came with their own transportation and equipment and were a ‘short and sweet’ blessing. It was nice, because the focus was only on their ministry, with no other distractions or concerns of food, lodging, or the like.

Next up to visit was Davis, a friend of Sarah’s. He came in on the same day as the dentists, and stayed with us for 2 weeks. He works year round at a Christian summer camp in Ashville, N. Carolina, and took his ‘vacation’ in Pinalito, helping us out with whatever we wanted, willing to tackle anything and along for the ride of mission life. He, like the pastor’s friends, got a genuine experience out of the trip, which included an emergency night drive down to Zacapa to get Max’s sister, who was having labor problems, down to the hospital, witnessing the local struggles of the school building project, visits to various local homes, the water going out, and just being part of our daily life. He noted that he had been on some other mission trips before, but those were highly structured and organized, his visit with us was more along the lines of- ‘come live with us and experience the way we live up here.’

Our most recent visitors did not come up to Pinalito, but came to Zacapa to assist with the dormitory building project. Amazingly, the team from N. Carolina decided to come down to Guatemala on the turn of a dime, after Michael shared with them at their church. I believe there was about 3 days between their decision to come and the day they landed in Guatemala City. We laid block, installed plumbing and electrical systems, and got a good tan working under the hot Zacapa sun. After 5 days of hard solid work, the job site looked a whole lot different and had progressed a lot. All of the walls are now complete, and what’s left is a big job-the roof, but these dormitories are moving along. Some of the students currently studying in Zacapa came by to see the work, as they’ll be staying in the dorms when the first floor is complete, and to see the looks of amazement and awe on their faces made all the hard work worth it for the team members. It’s so cool to see the progress one can get out of a couple of days of focusing on a big construction project. Thanks so much guys!

Out of all these visitors we’ve had over the past couple of weeks, I start to see how complicated a mission field can be and how many different way God provides for us to minister to others, and how varied the work of the Kingdom of God is. The experiences and ministry approaches of our visitors is always slightly different. The friends of the pastor visited with the intention to interact with the locals, get to know the way of life up here, and to share their testimonies/message. I can safely say that they definitely got to know the way of local life up here. The dentists who visited came to share the message and use the talents God gave them, and only for a short, intensely focused time. Davis visited to get to know life up in Pinalito and what it’s all about, and to help out in whatever way he could, for whatever came up. The team that just visited from N. Carolina came to knock out a big chunk of the big project of the dorms down in Zacapa, pouring all they could into their work. These are just a couple approaches to ministry…you can also shift your focus to straight evangelism, or relationship building, health and living condition improvement, education, the list can go on and on.

With so many ways to work for God, I sometimes wonder “which is the best way, how am I supposed to approach the work of the Kingdom here in Pinalito?” Part of the answer is ‘all of the above’, because we (Faith in Action) are here for a longer time period than the visitors we are blessed with, and have the chance to shift our focus from time to time and to follow where God leads our hearts. Being a team made up of different members we each have our own way of going about the mission life, and each of us has a different calling and task in the work of the Kingdom of God, that matches (or develops) the talents God has given us.

Personally, I’d like my focus, my approach and angle of attack, to be local, building relationships with the locals, helping them, not giving handouts (the whole ‘teach a man to fish’ thing…), and also working with the locals…giving them the responsibility, letting them improve their own lives, rather than have ‘gringo’ written over all the projects we get involved in. With the visitors that come our way, I want them to have a similar experience, a genuine experience, where they can learn about the people they come to bless, their way of life, what they need, who they are… the mission here in Pinalito is here for the Pinalitans, and we need to be highly involved with them. In all, of course, we need to keep God as our central focus, the work of the Kingdom of God being the most important.

How do we know what’s best, how do we stick to the road of this glorious work that God has in store for each of us in our different lives? How should we pattern our lives and activities to be pleasing to God, effective in moving forward the Kingdom? Questions like this are best answered through scripture and prayer, and I found that 2 Peter 1: 5-7 serves as a great guideline for the work God gives us in his kingdom:

The mountains to myself...

Amazing how one gets distracted so easily and is able to put off blog writing for so long. Sorry folks!

As usual, there is no real set pattern to my life down here. I came back, was in the mountains with Sarah and Mel for a week, and then they left for a visit to the states, leaving me as the only gringo on the mountain.
But not to worry, there have been plenty of diversions to keep me occupied and engaged. We've seen a hint of village leadership and politics (something I had thought was nonexistent...), a new school is coming out of the ground, we had a team come for a tough couple of days of construction work on the Zacapa dormitory job site, and just recently the Ortiz's came back from their stay in the US.
One day, in my first week back, I noticed a whole lot of the village folks heading towards the factory classrooms and naturally, wondered what they were up to. They were having a 'reunion' the Spanish term for an important meeting. With the new school being built, Juan Carlos, the now 'ex-president' felt that now was the time to throw the reigns over to someone else, as he was not up to the task of being the village leader anymore. He had gotten the ball rolling on the school project, but now someone else had to keep that ball rolling. The village (or at least those present at the meeting) thought that was fine, and so after a couple of minutes of murmuring, our next door neighbor, David Salguerro, was nominated. a quick vote of hands, and that was that, he's now our new community president. He'll be in charge of keeping the school building going (part of which includes keeping the road open, and other community projects.
I've got to say though...I kind of like the way politics works up here. There's no month long barage of political slander adds, and the decision was made quickly and easily...who do you want? Him? Good, it's done. Piece of cake.

I had a great couple of days with the construction team that came from Florida and get this...Mexico, working on the dormitory in Zacapa. The work was tough and hot, but that kind of work makes good relationships. We worked hard for 2 days, laying the block up to the first floor on the perimeter of the building. There's still a lot to be done, but we put a good step forward.

The Ortiz's returned a couple of day's ago, glad to be back in Guatemala and satisfied with their trip. It's good to have them back, Matasano wont seem quite as deserted now when I pass through there.

Sarah and Melanie will be back next week, which is good, it can get boring/lonely at times here. Sure there are plenty of locals to pass the time along with, but it's not quite the same. Conversations are never very 'deep', and in the evenings everyone has gone home to their families and beds.

Hmm...I'm having trouble finding a theme to this post. It's at least a brief update though.

Ps 118:1 "Give Thanks to the LORD for he is good; His love endures forever."