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!”
§ 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.”
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