Sorry for the wait. Time is flying by so fast (which means I’m having a good time), and I haven’t been very diligent in keeping my blog up to date. This blog is a bit long, but worth the read.
I’ve kind of settled into a regular pattern to my days, which starts with coffee (a must) and oatmeal, and after that I’m ready to get to work, whatever that may be for each particular day. Often times my work will consist of fixing something or building something, which I enjoy, most times. What I’ve come to realize though, is that in the same manner that I am here fixing and building up things, I am also here to fix and build up the people of this region.
On Mondays I have a Bible Study in my apartment (we’re studying the book of Acts) which is still in its ‘infant stage’ and is needing some growth people wise. But I have faith that it will eventually become a thriving program. I’ve seen the same thing happen with the Young Adult group at Christ Church, it started out very small about a year ago and now has grown quite a bit. If anything, it’s great Spanish practice for me and it’s always great to dive into God’s Word.
Sarah has started up her enrichment class which meets Tuesdays through Thursdays, with ~ 8 students in ‘grades 4-6’. These kids have brains and are learning a lot, but they have definitely been short changed by the Guatemalan ‘school system’. On Wednesdays I teach the kids English & Bible, and use the Bible to illustrate certain lessons in English and let the Holy Spirit do its work.
Sundays here are awesome. Pinalito has been blessed with a wonderful pastor and his family, and they are working wholeheartedly for the LORD in all parts of their lives. Truly,
“1I rejoice with those who say to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” (Psalm 122:1)
Church is great here. Lately, services have been lasting two or three hours, which, oddly enough, doesn’t feel that long. Our times of worship are full of joy and rejoicing, and the sermons (which I am by now able to understand almost entirely) are excellent, as they are teaching us a lot and are a source of inspiration, refreshment, confirmation, and the like. After church is time to relax or putter around the mission working on minor things, in general, descansando- resting. And, at the end of the afternoon, I like to get a run in.
I’ve kind of settled into a regular pattern to my days, which starts with coffee (a must) and oatmeal, and after that I’m ready to get to work, whatever that may be for each particular day. Often times my work will consist of fixing something or building something, which I enjoy, most times. What I’ve come to realize though, is that in the same manner that I am here fixing and building up things, I am also here to fix and build up the people of this region.
On Mondays I have a Bible Study in my apartment (we’re studying the book of Acts) which is still in its ‘infant stage’ and is needing some growth people wise. But I have faith that it will eventually become a thriving program. I’ve seen the same thing happen with the Young Adult group at Christ Church, it started out very small about a year ago and now has grown quite a bit. If anything, it’s great Spanish practice for me and it’s always great to dive into God’s Word.
Sarah has started up her enrichment class which meets Tuesdays through Thursdays, with ~ 8 students in ‘grades 4-6’. These kids have brains and are learning a lot, but they have definitely been short changed by the Guatemalan ‘school system’. On Wednesdays I teach the kids English & Bible, and use the Bible to illustrate certain lessons in English and let the Holy Spirit do its work.
Sundays here are awesome. Pinalito has been blessed with a wonderful pastor and his family, and they are working wholeheartedly for the LORD in all parts of their lives. Truly,
“1I rejoice with those who say to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” (Psalm 122:1)
Church is great here. Lately, services have been lasting two or three hours, which, oddly enough, doesn’t feel that long. Our times of worship are full of joy and rejoicing, and the sermons (which I am by now able to understand almost entirely) are excellent, as they are teaching us a lot and are a source of inspiration, refreshment, confirmation, and the like. After church is time to relax or putter around the mission working on minor things, in general, descansando- resting. And, at the end of the afternoon, I like to get a run in.
I’m starting to connect with the locals better, from the little kids to the church family and the local men who work with us on the mission. The kids love to play the ‘name game’- they’ll yell out my name, I’ll say hello, ask them their names, and get about 5 different answers per kid, including my own name. About two weeks ago one night we had a fairly large wildfire near Pinalito, and a lot of the village men were out there fighting it along with the mission men. We fought that fire with shovels and machetes, clearing away brush and forming firebreaks, and eventually we got it under control. That was an exciting night, and it was great to be out there together.
That’s one of the things I’ve learned from studying the book of Acts. In the first two chapters, 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.
Runs around here are never easy, but the views are always worth the effort. Also, I get a good idea of the ‘lay of the land’ as I explore my surroundings on my runs. Out here there are always opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy the splendor & Glory of God’s creation, with hikes or runs or drives up and down the mountain. A couple of times we have hiked down to one of our neighboring villages, Guadalupe, to see how they make sugar cane products (cane syrup, cane sugar, cane taffy)-always a good trip. Other times we might go visit a couple of families who live in Cerro Pelone, a ‘neighborhood’ of Pinalito, which is situated a little higher up the mountain from us. The hike there is gorgeous, because of the beautiful forests you walk through and the fantastic views one gets when hiking up out of the deep valleys and gorges, Gorgeous gorges, they are. And there is also our neighboring mission village Matasano, with Jaime and Cindy Ortiz which I like to run over to a couple of days per week and help out there.
Easter here was amazing. The Sunday before Easter we had communion, which was very good for us spiritually, to remember what Christ has done for us. On Good Friday we (the present missionaries and the visiting Mission Team from NY) had a time of worship and devotions that turned out to be quite powerful, as we sang and read about the supreme sacrifice that Christ made for us. And for Easter Sunday…wow. Church was full and overflowing with joy and worship and peace because: Christ has Risen!
That’s one of the things I’ve learned from studying the book of Acts. In the first two chapters, 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.
Runs around here are never easy, but the views are always worth the effort. Also, I get a good idea of the ‘lay of the land’ as I explore my surroundings on my runs. Out here there are always opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy the splendor & Glory of God’s creation, with hikes or runs or drives up and down the mountain. A couple of times we have hiked down to one of our neighboring villages, Guadalupe, to see how they make sugar cane products (cane syrup, cane sugar, cane taffy)-always a good trip. Other times we might go visit a couple of families who live in Cerro Pelone, a ‘neighborhood’ of Pinalito, which is situated a little higher up the mountain from us. The hike there is gorgeous, because of the beautiful forests you walk through and the fantastic views one gets when hiking up out of the deep valleys and gorges, Gorgeous gorges, they are. And there is also our neighboring mission village Matasano, with Jaime and Cindy Ortiz which I like to run over to a couple of days per week and help out there.
Easter here was amazing. The Sunday before Easter we had communion, which was very good for us spiritually, to remember what Christ has done for us. On Good Friday we (the present missionaries and the visiting Mission Team from NY) had a time of worship and devotions that turned out to be quite powerful, as we sang and read about the supreme sacrifice that Christ made for us. And for Easter Sunday…wow. Church was full and overflowing with joy and worship and peace because: Christ has Risen!
Lately, starting last Sunday, I have been filled with joy, indescribable joy and peace which comes from the Holy Spirit.
“8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,…” (1 Peter 1:8)
Last Sunday, our pastor gave yet another great sermon, re-telling the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-46). The two main points of the sermon were that 1) the story of Joseph is an illustration of the spiritual maturation process, and 2) We are all instruments of God’s work in this world, even those without faith.
Joseph starts out as the ‘young punk’ of the family, not yet spiritually mature and in need of some humbling, and when he has his dreams he goes out and blabbers to anyone and everyone without much of his own though or understanding. His brothers and father however, being a bit more mature in spirit, understood the meaning of the dream (though not fully) (Gen 37:5-10). All of Joseph’s talk gets him into trouble, and he ends up in Egypt. But, God is ever-present, as much in Joseph’s life as in ours, and Joseph ends up in charge of Potiphar’s household (Gen 39:4). Then Potiphar’s wife, being not spiritually mature at all, tries to get Joseph into bed. Joseph, having matured much in the time since we first read of him, stand firm in his virtues that it would not only be a sin against his master Potiphar and his wife, but also against God (Gen 39:8-9). Despite Joseph’s good faith the story takes a turn downhill again (maybe to keep Joseph from becoming big headed), and he ends up in prison.
But, God was still with him (always) and Joseph is put in charge of the prison. In the prison, Joseph realized/was given the ability to interpret dreams (by God), and interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. Funnily enough, the cupbearer (whose dream & future ended up good) forgot him (Gen 40:23). Joseph still needed a bit of time to mature and be prepared for his ultimate role.
Eventually Pharaoh had his dreams too, and Joseph was given the interpretations of the dreams. Joseph shows a lot of spiritual maturity when he tells Pharaoh in a bold faced manner “I can’t interpret the dreams for you…Only God can.” (Gen 41:16). God is with Joseph and Joseph is with God as well, and Joseph ends up ruler over Egypt, rides out the famine, is reconnected with his family and brings them to Egypt to live in blessings in Egypt.
We all know the story of Joseph fairly well, we learned it in Sunday School when we were kids and have heard it many times since then. I’ve come to realize how powerful this story is. Joseph’s life was a journey, physically and most importantly, spiritually. God was with Joseph in his life/journey of faith and vise versa. From the time of Joseph’s dreams, way back when he was a youth, to the fulfillment of them, it took much time (~20 yrs) and God used that time and the events of Joseph’s life (both good and bad) to mature and prepare Joseph for his purpose.
In exactly the same way, we, a new creation in Christ, are on a journey through life, physically from place to place, and spiritually. 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 the story of Joseph, the end results are: Blessing, Security, & Land for God’s people (the land of Goshen) (Gen 47:5). In our story, through Christ, the end results are: Blessing, Eternity, & Heaven.
In the story of Joseph, the end results are: Blessing, Security, & Land for God’s people (the land of Goshen) (Gen 47:5). In our story, through Christ, the end results are: Blessing, Eternity, & Heaven.
What great Joy we receive from the knowledge of the grand victory our story ends in! But there’s more…I’ve been filled with joy in knowing of the grand victory, and I overflow with joy when I figured out this: We are so privileged to be in the midst of God’s works, to be part of God’s works, and to be instruments of God’s works.
Everyone involved in Joseph’s story, whether they had faith or not, was an instrument of God that shaped the way the story ended. Potiphar, his wife, Joseph’s brothers, Pharaoh, the cupbearer and the baker (to name a few), all were part of the story and used by God for the end result. We too are instruments of God, and how great it is to be an instrument of Faith. Take joy in this. Even more so, if we just look at the word instrument: in an orchestra there are many different instruments. A surgeon uses all sorts of instruments. An instrument is used to perform a task, a job, and each individual instrument is different and accomplishes a different goal.
God uses us, each as a different instrument, each able to accomplish a different goal in the workings of His Kingdom. Also, we are God’s instruments wherever we are in life, Joseph went from Canaan (his homeland Gen 37) all the way to Egypt (100’s of miles) and was an instrument of Faith in his whole life in whatever place he was at.
Everyone involved in Joseph’s story, whether they had faith or not, was an instrument of God that shaped the way the story ended. Potiphar, his wife, Joseph’s brothers, Pharaoh, the cupbearer and the baker (to name a few), all were part of the story and used by God for the end result. We too are instruments of God, and how great it is to be an instrument of Faith. Take joy in this. Even more so, if we just look at the word instrument: in an orchestra there are many different instruments. A surgeon uses all sorts of instruments. An instrument is used to perform a task, a job, and each individual instrument is different and accomplishes a different goal.
God uses us, each as a different instrument, each able to accomplish a different goal in the workings of His Kingdom. Also, we are God’s instruments wherever we are in life, Joseph went from Canaan (his homeland Gen 37) all the way to Egypt (100’s of miles) and was an instrument of Faith in his whole life in whatever place he was at.
My Joy is in these things. We are so very privileged that we can partake in God’s workings in this world and be instruments of Faith, whatever type, and we are able to be God’s instruments of Faith in all places, at all times, and in all ways.
1 Peter 1:3-9
“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Jude 1:24-25
“24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.”
“24To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.”
