Saturday July 4, 2009
What an eventful day this has been!! We left Orphanage Emmanuel this morning at 6:00AM local time in order to try to get to the airport early and hopefully avoid any political demonstrations. About halfway throught the 2 hour drive, we encountered a roadblock and were stopped by the Honduran military. All the men were ordered off the bus and made to line up facing the bus and with our backs to the soldiers, presumably so that we could be searched for any weapons. Tito, our bus driver, explained to the men that we were Christians from America. After a few minutes, they decided that we posed no threat and allowed us to return to the bus. No harm done - these young men were just doing their job in a very difficult time for their country.
We made it to the airport, got checked in, and went to the food court to have lunch. Everything was going according to plan. The Alabama team was to depart at 12:15 and our North Carolina team along with Kevin Neely was to leave on the 2:20 flight. The Alabama team left as scheduled, but at about 1:00 pm those of us assigned to the second flight were told that the airport was closing and there would be no more flights out today. That turned out not to be true, but for a while there we were unsure exactly what was going to happen. What we later learned was that the situation outside was growing more serious and the military was about to take control of the airport. American Airlines rushed everyone onto the plane and we left about 45 minutes early, on what we understand was the last flight out.
It has been a week of fun and hard work, of good food and fellowship, and a total dependence on God to handle a situation over which we had no control. So now we are home in the relative safety of the United States, with a freedom that we often take for granted. We need to remember to pray for the Honduran people, as these folks have a great love for their country just as we do for ours. All of those I talked with are deeply saddened by what is happening in their country right now.
As for those of us on the mission teams, we must now struggle with returning to our "normal" lives, whatever that might mean. We will never be the same after this week - the Holy Spirit has taught us things we could not have learned in any other circumstance. Although our teams had never met before last Sunday, June 28, we have come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, something that just doesn't happen apart from God's work in our hearts and lives.
I think I can speak for the team in saying how much we appreciate Gary Clark. His faithfulness to God's call and his love for the people of Honduras is evident. It has been a joy to work with you again this year, brother!
And now, "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!" (Psalm 67:3-4) May His Name be praised for ever and ever and ever!
Tim Kerley
Mountain View Baptist
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Honduras Day 6
Friday July 3, 2009
Waking up this morning at 3:45 am was not as planned. One of our fellow team members forgot the time difference and so she decided to take a shower in the middle of the night. Continuing our day at the normal time, we painted, handed out stickers and shoes, and played with the kids. Before lunch we had a tour of the entire orphanage, and had a brief update on the history of each building and how it came about. We were told that Orphanage Emmanuel was founded in 1989 by David and Lydia Martinez who were led by God to raise orphan Honduran children and teach them the way they should go. All the kids have a story behind where they came from. Even though they have been in bad situations, God had a plan for them to come here. This is where we come in.
At the very beginning of our day, we all woke up and joined a circle that was really big. It consisted of every child who lives here and us. We worshiped the Lord by singing songs and listening to Pastor Tim Whaley. Afterwards we ate breakfast and broke up into our groups to minister to the kids one last time. Some went to the toddler house and showed their affection towards the youngsters, which was really needed. Others went to a building to paint columns. Although there were no painted bodies today, there was fun within the group. Anything we do for God, we should always rejoice in it. Everyone else went to see the children with special needs, except Hali, who decided to help with laundry. These special kids are very special so they were the children who had the hardest time letting go.
After our delicious lunch made by the older girls living here, we continued to do what God called us here to do. All the children were sad to see us say our goodbyes since we are leaving tomorrow. Some of the children cried and some of us cried too. It was a very sad time for us all. No one wanted to leave the children here so someone talked to us about sponsorship. Several of us want to sponsor a little kid that we had met while here. After this, we all got on the bus and headed to a local restaurant where we enjoyed fried chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a dessert of ice cream.
When we returned we had a quick bible study and then headed off to pack the rest of our belongings. It has been a week of praise and fellowship. We have made friendships that will last a lifetime. All of the North Carolina team will return late Saturday night along with part of the Alabama team. The remaining will return Sunday. We have all enjoyed this week and would like to stay, and will most definitely return again.
Bethany, Cameran, & Terra
Mountain View Baptist
P.S. Please pray for our safe return to the United States.
Waking up this morning at 3:45 am was not as planned. One of our fellow team members forgot the time difference and so she decided to take a shower in the middle of the night. Continuing our day at the normal time, we painted, handed out stickers and shoes, and played with the kids. Before lunch we had a tour of the entire orphanage, and had a brief update on the history of each building and how it came about. We were told that Orphanage Emmanuel was founded in 1989 by David and Lydia Martinez who were led by God to raise orphan Honduran children and teach them the way they should go. All the kids have a story behind where they came from. Even though they have been in bad situations, God had a plan for them to come here. This is where we come in.
At the very beginning of our day, we all woke up and joined a circle that was really big. It consisted of every child who lives here and us. We worshiped the Lord by singing songs and listening to Pastor Tim Whaley. Afterwards we ate breakfast and broke up into our groups to minister to the kids one last time. Some went to the toddler house and showed their affection towards the youngsters, which was really needed. Others went to a building to paint columns. Although there were no painted bodies today, there was fun within the group. Anything we do for God, we should always rejoice in it. Everyone else went to see the children with special needs, except Hali, who decided to help with laundry. These special kids are very special so they were the children who had the hardest time letting go.
After our delicious lunch made by the older girls living here, we continued to do what God called us here to do. All the children were sad to see us say our goodbyes since we are leaving tomorrow. Some of the children cried and some of us cried too. It was a very sad time for us all. No one wanted to leave the children here so someone talked to us about sponsorship. Several of us want to sponsor a little kid that we had met while here. After this, we all got on the bus and headed to a local restaurant where we enjoyed fried chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a dessert of ice cream.
When we returned we had a quick bible study and then headed off to pack the rest of our belongings. It has been a week of praise and fellowship. We have made friendships that will last a lifetime. All of the North Carolina team will return late Saturday night along with part of the Alabama team. The remaining will return Sunday. We have all enjoyed this week and would like to stay, and will most definitely return again.
Bethany, Cameran, & Terra
Mountain View Baptist
P.S. Please pray for our safe return to the United States.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Honduras Day 5
Today was another wonderful day at Orphanage Emmanuel. Some activities included painting one of the dining halls, finishing installing a fence, building a shelving system for holding bags of coffee to sell at their store, and playing with children. An additional experience for some was the necessary slaughter of quite a few chickens to help provide food. It was messy on the front end, but the fried chicken at supper was excellent! ;-)
A special treat tonight was having the founders of the Orphanage address the group. They gave complete detail of how God gave them a vision for this ministry, the initial sacrifice in leaving the security of their home, and the many steps of faith taken over the past 20+ years. It was such a humbling experience hearing how they trusted God so many times and He always answered above and beyond their expectations. I think all of us left challenged to follow God’s call regardless of the cost. Our experience here this week is a living testament to the important mission God had for this couple. They have laid up rewards in heaven, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be here and show the love of Christ to these children.
We cannot believe our week here is almost over. God has spoken to our group in different ways and taught us many things over the past few days. It is our prayer that what we have learned will continue to impact our lives upon our return.
Andy and Jenny Blevins
A special treat tonight was having the founders of the Orphanage address the group. They gave complete detail of how God gave them a vision for this ministry, the initial sacrifice in leaving the security of their home, and the many steps of faith taken over the past 20+ years. It was such a humbling experience hearing how they trusted God so many times and He always answered above and beyond their expectations. I think all of us left challenged to follow God’s call regardless of the cost. Our experience here this week is a living testament to the important mission God had for this couple. They have laid up rewards in heaven, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be here and show the love of Christ to these children.
We cannot believe our week here is almost over. God has spoken to our group in different ways and taught us many things over the past few days. It is our prayer that what we have learned will continue to impact our lives upon our return.
Andy and Jenny Blevins
Learning to be a Servant
Today was a beautiful day in Guaimaca. As the alarm sounded at 5:00 am we
made our way to our first cup of coffee. We then joined the children in
several locations throughout the orphanage for "Morning Circle". This
time was quite special as the boys and girls listened to the Word of God
and praised Him for the blessings of life. The staff which leads Circle
gives the guest and residents the opportunity to share what God may have
laid on their heart during the night or even first thing in the morning.
As the circle disbanded, we headed for a nutritious breakfast of pancakes
and cereal. Gary then handed out assignments giving everyone a choice to
use their talents where they feel comfortable. Some of the ministry
opportunities included building fences, scooping cattle poop, working
with special needs children and painting. While I would love to share the
experiences of others, I, unfortunately, was assigned to painting. Now
for those of you who know me, I am NO painter. However, God would not
allow me to abandon this opportunity because He knew I dreaded it so
much. I will end with the spiritual lesson learned at the end of this
journal entry.
Following our assignments, I tried desperately to waste as much time as
possible uploading all the blogs and forwarding my personal journal entry
to Karen. This, of course, did not last long and I made my way to the
first of three painting assignments for the day. With a heart filled with
great disdain, I found myself sitting on the hot cement floor painting a
wall that, in my opinion, could have gone at least one more year before
repainting. As I said yesterday, this place is kept in such excellence
that I was ashamed for even thinking such a thought. I had just sat down
and one of my co-laborers asked Hali if she had initiated me. With great
fear and trembling I somehow knew what was about to happen. Hali made her
way to me with a roller filled with paint and preceded to paint my right
leg a beautiful sea green color. Realizing I had no other option but to
accept my initiation into the club, I laughed and continued painting my
assigned section. It was then that God began to reveal to me that my
hatred of painting had nothing to do with the work as much as it did with
my vanity. Painting can be a very NASTY job. I knew going into the
situation that painters always go home with as much paint on them as they
had used and this was about to be me.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "in for a penny in for a pound"? We
finished our first painting project and began cleaning our brushes for
the next job. It dawned on me that this would be a great opportunity to
take revenge on Hali. Knowing that this was going to open a proverbial
can of worms, I took the paint brush and watered down paint bucket and
slung it on my already NASTY co-laborers. While most escaped, Hali, of
course, was my main target. She then found me with my back to her and she
painted my head with a full brush of the same paint she painted my leg.
It does not take much smarts to know what happened next. Most everyone on
the team joined in and all was covered with paint spattering. What fun we
had and what a great lesson God taught me about being willing to do
whatever was needed even if it was something we despise.
Our second project was painting the bakery. This is a building that was
built to help teach the girls how to bake while at the same time
supplying baked goods for the orphanage. While we were not sure if we
would finish before lunch, the crew set out to accomplish the second
project and we did indeed finish as the dinner bell rang. Yes, we went to
lunch looking worse than any “neglected” orphan you could imagine. It
began with the looks, then the stares and finally the hearty guffaws and
jokes but our team held our heads up high and ate lunch taking great
pride in our accomplishments.
Although I begged Gary to "need" me with coffee distribution, I knew that
the lesson God was teaching was not over. So, with paintbrush in hand and
only half our crew we began our final painting project for the day. Two
of the men, Tim Kerley and Andy Blevins from the North Carolina team were
given the task of mixing paint for the cook house which was our next
project. They did an excellent job. We began painting and had two-thirds
of the outside of the building complete when Cyndal Maddox noticed a
bluish tint in what she had painted. OOPS! Because of the fun we had
earlier, we had failed to wash completely the roller she was using and
the blue paint began to fade into the cream color mixture used by
everyone else. As we paused to determine our next course of action we
could do nothing but laugh and repaint. While we were trying to be
excellent in what we were doing, our resources are limited and we had
to do what we could do. We mixed once again some more paint and got it as
close as we could to our original color. It looks great, but don't look
too closely. We painted for at least three hours until we were asked to
exit while the staff prepared to feed the children.
Heading immediately for the showers, it took me thirty minutes to wash
the dry paint out of my hair while all the time thinking murderous
thoughts toward a sixteen year old. (just kidding D.Ann). I think I now
have a bald spot on the top of my head from the hair lost in washing it
at least four times. Once out of the shower we readied ourselves for the
mid-week worship service in the chapel. Each of the mission teams on
campus along with more than two hundred of the students gathered for an
awesome time of worship, teaching, and praying. This time was incredible
as we listened to both English and Spanish speaking children of God raise
their voices singing How Great is Our God. I have chills running all
over my body even as I think of the beauty of such praise. There could be
no better way to end our day of service to Jesus.
Following dinner we moved to another room for a time to wrap up and
share what God had done in our lives during the day. What I shared was
the spiritual lesson I wanted to pass on to you as I mentioned earlier.
As Christians we can say that we love God and desire to be His servants
but unless we are willing to do even the things we despise or hold in
great disdain, we are not servants at all. We can go on mission trips,
give generously to our churches, love our spouses and children and even
sacrifice something important to serve God but unless we are completely
obedient to Him, we have accomplished nothing. God wants to take us out
of what we are comfortable with and place us in situations where we must
trust Him and be ready to learn whatever He wants to teach.
Steve Dean
made our way to our first cup of coffee. We then joined the children in
several locations throughout the orphanage for "Morning Circle". This
time was quite special as the boys and girls listened to the Word of God
and praised Him for the blessings of life. The staff which leads Circle
gives the guest and residents the opportunity to share what God may have
laid on their heart during the night or even first thing in the morning.
As the circle disbanded, we headed for a nutritious breakfast of pancakes
and cereal. Gary then handed out assignments giving everyone a choice to
use their talents where they feel comfortable. Some of the ministry
opportunities included building fences, scooping cattle poop, working
with special needs children and painting. While I would love to share the
experiences of others, I, unfortunately, was assigned to painting. Now
for those of you who know me, I am NO painter. However, God would not
allow me to abandon this opportunity because He knew I dreaded it so
much. I will end with the spiritual lesson learned at the end of this
journal entry.
Following our assignments, I tried desperately to waste as much time as
possible uploading all the blogs and forwarding my personal journal entry
to Karen. This, of course, did not last long and I made my way to the
first of three painting assignments for the day. With a heart filled with
great disdain, I found myself sitting on the hot cement floor painting a
wall that, in my opinion, could have gone at least one more year before
repainting. As I said yesterday, this place is kept in such excellence
that I was ashamed for even thinking such a thought. I had just sat down
and one of my co-laborers asked Hali if she had initiated me. With great
fear and trembling I somehow knew what was about to happen. Hali made her
way to me with a roller filled with paint and preceded to paint my right
leg a beautiful sea green color. Realizing I had no other option but to
accept my initiation into the club, I laughed and continued painting my
assigned section. It was then that God began to reveal to me that my
hatred of painting had nothing to do with the work as much as it did with
my vanity. Painting can be a very NASTY job. I knew going into the
situation that painters always go home with as much paint on them as they
had used and this was about to be me.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "in for a penny in for a pound"? We
finished our first painting project and began cleaning our brushes for
the next job. It dawned on me that this would be a great opportunity to
take revenge on Hali. Knowing that this was going to open a proverbial
can of worms, I took the paint brush and watered down paint bucket and
slung it on my already NASTY co-laborers. While most escaped, Hali, of
course, was my main target. She then found me with my back to her and she
painted my head with a full brush of the same paint she painted my leg.
It does not take much smarts to know what happened next. Most everyone on
the team joined in and all was covered with paint spattering. What fun we
had and what a great lesson God taught me about being willing to do
whatever was needed even if it was something we despise.
Our second project was painting the bakery. This is a building that was
built to help teach the girls how to bake while at the same time
supplying baked goods for the orphanage. While we were not sure if we
would finish before lunch, the crew set out to accomplish the second
project and we did indeed finish as the dinner bell rang. Yes, we went to
lunch looking worse than any “neglected” orphan you could imagine. It
began with the looks, then the stares and finally the hearty guffaws and
jokes but our team held our heads up high and ate lunch taking great
pride in our accomplishments.
Although I begged Gary to "need" me with coffee distribution, I knew that
the lesson God was teaching was not over. So, with paintbrush in hand and
only half our crew we began our final painting project for the day. Two
of the men, Tim Kerley and Andy Blevins from the North Carolina team were
given the task of mixing paint for the cook house which was our next
project. They did an excellent job. We began painting and had two-thirds
of the outside of the building complete when Cyndal Maddox noticed a
bluish tint in what she had painted. OOPS! Because of the fun we had
earlier, we had failed to wash completely the roller she was using and
the blue paint began to fade into the cream color mixture used by
everyone else. As we paused to determine our next course of action we
could do nothing but laugh and repaint. While we were trying to be
excellent in what we were doing, our resources are limited and we had
to do what we could do. We mixed once again some more paint and got it as
close as we could to our original color. It looks great, but don't look
too closely. We painted for at least three hours until we were asked to
exit while the staff prepared to feed the children.
Heading immediately for the showers, it took me thirty minutes to wash
the dry paint out of my hair while all the time thinking murderous
thoughts toward a sixteen year old. (just kidding D.Ann). I think I now
have a bald spot on the top of my head from the hair lost in washing it
at least four times. Once out of the shower we readied ourselves for the
mid-week worship service in the chapel. Each of the mission teams on
campus along with more than two hundred of the students gathered for an
awesome time of worship, teaching, and praying. This time was incredible
as we listened to both English and Spanish speaking children of God raise
their voices singing How Great is Our God. I have chills running all
over my body even as I think of the beauty of such praise. There could be
no better way to end our day of service to Jesus.
Following dinner we moved to another room for a time to wrap up and
share what God had done in our lives during the day. What I shared was
the spiritual lesson I wanted to pass on to you as I mentioned earlier.
As Christians we can say that we love God and desire to be His servants
but unless we are willing to do even the things we despise or hold in
great disdain, we are not servants at all. We can go on mission trips,
give generously to our churches, love our spouses and children and even
sacrifice something important to serve God but unless we are completely
obedient to Him, we have accomplished nothing. God wants to take us out
of what we are comfortable with and place us in situations where we must
trust Him and be ready to learn whatever He wants to teach.
Steve Dean
Honduras Day 4
Hey everybody,
It is so beautiful here!!! God has really shown all of us so much, like that we can trust Him, and we should be faithful to him. This morning we all had a great time at circle, circle is in the morning. This is the kids devotional and worship time. Michelle, Tim, Julie, Cameron, Courtney, myself, and others went to the older girl circle. The rest of the team went to either, younger girls, older boys, or younger boys circles. Personally I have had a great time here at Emmanuel. The service at church tonight was so amazing, first we would sing in English and then move into a song in Spanish. The kids here are so awesome to be around! I thought that I would lean more towards the younger children, but surprisingly we have made eight new friends between the ages of 14 to 18. The best part for us was that we have sponsored a girl for 8 years now and we finally got to meet her, she sat with us in the service and then we prayed for her at the altar. We told her how special she was to our family and that really made her feel so good. She cried!!!! This will be a trip for us to remember since it is mine and my mom’s first mission trip and we get to do together. Please be praying for us as will be trying to come home on Saturday. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.
In Christ Jesus,
Ashley and Michelle Rafferty
P.S. Sarah, Maggie, and Susu we are doing great and can not wait to see you. Love you all bunches. See you soon!!!
It is so beautiful here!!! God has really shown all of us so much, like that we can trust Him, and we should be faithful to him. This morning we all had a great time at circle, circle is in the morning. This is the kids devotional and worship time. Michelle, Tim, Julie, Cameron, Courtney, myself, and others went to the older girl circle. The rest of the team went to either, younger girls, older boys, or younger boys circles. Personally I have had a great time here at Emmanuel. The service at church tonight was so amazing, first we would sing in English and then move into a song in Spanish. The kids here are so awesome to be around! I thought that I would lean more towards the younger children, but surprisingly we have made eight new friends between the ages of 14 to 18. The best part for us was that we have sponsored a girl for 8 years now and we finally got to meet her, she sat with us in the service and then we prayed for her at the altar. We told her how special she was to our family and that really made her feel so good. She cried!!!! This will be a trip for us to remember since it is mine and my mom’s first mission trip and we get to do together. Please be praying for us as will be trying to come home on Saturday. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.
In Christ Jesus,
Ashley and Michelle Rafferty
P.S. Sarah, Maggie, and Susu we are doing great and can not wait to see you. Love you all bunches. See you soon!!!
Seeing with a Different Perspective
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
As I sit here in the courtyard of the orphanage in hills in the middle of a Third World Country to reflect on the day that was, I can’t help but consider this verse.
Today was a great day. We awoke around 6 AM to make it to Circle. Jessie and I went with the group of older boys. Knowing the foundation of their day is the Word and sharing and worship really encouraged me. These children are getting the structure children, and even adults, so crave.
After Circle, we ate breakfast and broke into our work groups. Jessie went to build and repair barbed-wire fences. I went to paint the soccer court. It was a great day to be painting. The weather was perfect and the fellowship was nice as none of us complained and did the work needed as joyfully as possible. And we all managed to get painted almost as much as the wall in the process.
We had lunch and then I went to the Toddler House and enjoyed my time with Jose and Natalia and Oscar and Luis and Luisito and Yency and several others. My goal for the week is the learn all of their names. I have a ways to go. But they are all wonderful children and a great blessing to be around and love on, so I look forward to the challenge.
Once I got back from the House, I helped label the first batch of Emmanuel Café which is coffee to be sold as a business venture to help support the Orphanage. I feel privileged to be in on the ground floor of it.
Then off to the Wednesday worship service. It was quite a blessing being a part of the bilingual service. Singing songs in Spanish, although we had no clue of the meanings of those words, was great because I knew God honored it and blessed our worship together.
Being here and being apart of something so much greater than me is awe inspiring. I am so thankful God choose me to be in on these blessings. I know He is using this to increase my faith and trust in Him in order that, by His grace, He can conform me into His image and shifting gaze upward.
On the flight in, my thought was the higher we got, the smaller the world looked. As my gaze has shifted higher and moved toward God throughout this week, the “stuff” here means less and less.
Keith Jones
Grace Fellowship Community Church
As I sit here in the courtyard of the orphanage in hills in the middle of a Third World Country to reflect on the day that was, I can’t help but consider this verse.
Today was a great day. We awoke around 6 AM to make it to Circle. Jessie and I went with the group of older boys. Knowing the foundation of their day is the Word and sharing and worship really encouraged me. These children are getting the structure children, and even adults, so crave.
After Circle, we ate breakfast and broke into our work groups. Jessie went to build and repair barbed-wire fences. I went to paint the soccer court. It was a great day to be painting. The weather was perfect and the fellowship was nice as none of us complained and did the work needed as joyfully as possible. And we all managed to get painted almost as much as the wall in the process.
We had lunch and then I went to the Toddler House and enjoyed my time with Jose and Natalia and Oscar and Luis and Luisito and Yency and several others. My goal for the week is the learn all of their names. I have a ways to go. But they are all wonderful children and a great blessing to be around and love on, so I look forward to the challenge.
Once I got back from the House, I helped label the first batch of Emmanuel Café which is coffee to be sold as a business venture to help support the Orphanage. I feel privileged to be in on the ground floor of it.
Then off to the Wednesday worship service. It was quite a blessing being a part of the bilingual service. Singing songs in Spanish, although we had no clue of the meanings of those words, was great because I knew God honored it and blessed our worship together.
Being here and being apart of something so much greater than me is awe inspiring. I am so thankful God choose me to be in on these blessings. I know He is using this to increase my faith and trust in Him in order that, by His grace, He can conform me into His image and shifting gaze upward.
On the flight in, my thought was the higher we got, the smaller the world looked. As my gaze has shifted higher and moved toward God throughout this week, the “stuff” here means less and less.
Keith Jones
Grace Fellowship Community Church
Fruitful week in Uganda
It's Thursday afternoon in Kampala. It's been an unbelievably productive and revealing week, but Harold and Tripp and I are dragging a bit. Our minds are in pure overload. I'm not sure we can absorb anything else as we get ready to come home tomorrow night.
We've visited with at least a dozen ministry sites this week, with numerous in-depth, multi-hour, intensive conversations at several sites. We've met with attorneys and CEOs and pastors and house parents and children who were raised in villages for orphans. We've looked at land and talked to land agents. We collected several pounds of business cards. We've asked hundreds of questions. We've heard dozens of stories, both encouraging and cautionary. We've met some wonderful people in the sites we had planned to visit, and have been referred to other wonderful people along the way. We've also met some people that clearly would not mesh with FCM's calling. God has opened and closed many doors for us throughout the week. We decided earlier today that we have seen and heard more in one week than we ever could have imagined on "Africa time".
Oh, and we found a really, really good Mexican restaurant last night. Imagine this...a woman named Yam, from New York City, owns and runs a first-class Tex-Mex restaurant in the middle of Kampala, Uganda. Go figure. Also, go and eat there if you are ever in Kampala. I think the name was Lotus Mexicana. They even had real sweet tea! I'm pretty sure we'll all drink sweet tea at the banquet tables in heaven.
They say variety is the spice of life - and if this is true, then our Mexican meal last night was a good description of our week. We've seen an extremely broad spectrum of ministries.
At one end of the spectrum we met a couple (from the U.S.) who pours their lives into 10 Ugandan children, being their literal "for life" adoptive parents. They do this in the most beautiful home and gardens I've ever seen on 4 acres of land on top of a hill overlooking Lake Victoria. They raise these children to know that they belong to their true Father, and that their earthly parents are merely a reflection of the One who loves them perfectly. They also have adopted children they raised from Ukraine, as well as their own biological children, who are all helping to raise these Ugandan children in one of the most unique family environments I've ever seen. Their calling is to invest their entire lives into a small number of children who will grow up to be kingdom children, not Ugandans or Americans. This ministry, called The Father's House, is the deepest practical and spiritual investment imaginable in a very small group of kids.
On the other end of the spectrum we saw a ministry that cares for and educates 515 orphans on about 100 acres of rocky land outside Kampala. This ministry has built dormitories for the kids, with 515 kids in three cramped dorms - with kids sleeping on triple-decker bunk beds. These kids are loved and educated and given clothing and a dry place to sleep every night, but they have no electriciy, and they only eat beans and corn mash every day for every meal. The ministry struggles to afford even water for this large number of kids.
In between those two extremes we saw many others, including Watoto (which we talked about in the first blog entry). We had a chance to meet with their CEO yesterday and ask questions for over an hour. He answered every question, and has offered to provide anything we need, including blueprints for their buildings and their training materials. It was obvious that they were not territorial or possessive or controlling of the ministry, although their standards were very high at the three Watoto ministry sites we visited. At this time it seems that our hearts are being pulled somewhere between Watoto and The Father's House.
We met for lunch with a group of young people today who were leading a ministry founded by a 19 year old American girl 6 years ago. She's 25 today and still leading the ministry. She shared very candidly their journey of learning hard lessons and provided some of the clearest insight for us in how to walk alongside the Ugandan people in a way that was mutually beneficial to both us and them. They were so helpful and had an amazing amount of God-given wisdom for people their age. In her story I had a glimpse of the unwavering heart for God and people that I pray develops in my own daugthers (I have three, 7 year and under), but I can only imagine how hard it was for her parents to hear their 19 year old daughter come home from her first trip to Africa and say, "God has called me to pour my life into Uganda...".
We also met with legal counsel and learned that it will take at least six months to set up the non-profit in Uganda, which is necessary before land can be purchased. That's probably a good thing, since there are many things to pray about and research and consider before purchasing and developing a property. Good property is not cheap or plentiful here. The properties we saw today strongly reinforced this truth: God will have to lead us to the right place at the right time. And He will.
The visit also reinforced that there will need to be a lot of American presence as the children's village is built and begun. Perhaps some of you who are reading this blog will have the privilege of one day sharing in the adventure of being part of a ministry team that rotates into Africa to help facilitate care for these helpless children.
The needs here are endless, about the size of the ocean. Even our best life-long efforts will only be a drop in the bucket. But consider this. In God's eternal view (the only one that really matters), every drop is precious. Every child is precious...even the littlest things matter, if they flow from His Life. "Even a cup of cold water given to a child" matters.... We may not see it that way naturally, but ask the Lord to show us what He sees. If we learn to see with the eyes of a heart that is intimately connected to Him, then we begin to see a completely different reality. A world where large and loud and impressive are sometimes much less valuable than quiet hugs or a simple cup of cold water given in His name to one child. Or five or fifty children hugged and given water every day until they are adults.
The only work that matters is the work that flows from the Spirit of God. Everything else, no matter how impressive, is wood, hay and stubble in God's eyes. Right?
When God is the source of our life and ministry, then what we do is eternally valuable - no matter how large or how small it looks to us. We are realizing that whether we care for 20 or 100 or 2500 kids is not the question before us. The question is, "What does the Father want? What is He inviting us to join Him in doing?" And we can only know the answer to that as we know and listen to Him. So we are wanting to trust Him to show us His direction for this village - all of us who He has given a desire to be part of this. And we are more clear than ever that this village will have to happen in His time, and in His way.
Do you know what that truth does? It lets us rest in Him. It relieves us of the pressure of figuring it all out.
I was a paratrooper in the Army many years ago. When we would get in the plane we always had a jumpmaster who was in charge. He would pay attention to what was ahead and know exactly when it was time for us to jump. As soldiers with parachutes inside the plane we had no idea where we were, or what was below us. We would train and prepare and work hard to get ready for our mission, and once on the plane we would sometimes fly for hours. Then when it was near time to jump we would line up and hook up and move toward the door. The door would open and then we would...continue to wait. Our eyes and ears were only on the jumpmaster as we waited to go. If we jumped on our own time, early or late, we would not land in the target zone, and might instead land in a lake or a highway or worse. We would also miss fulfilling the mission for which we had prepared.
When, finally, we were over the jump zone the jumpmaster would yell "Go" and the lights above the door would turn from red to green - and we would go piling out the door, jumping out into the pitch black night, totally dependent on the jump master to get us over the right landing zone. We literally had no idea where we were or how to get there. All we did was jump when it was time, and then take care not to land on a fence or in a tree.
I think that's a glimpse of where we are in this journey towards a children's village in which God will rescue and nurture and heal helpless, precious little children who presently live without hope. We're in the plane, ready and willing to jump, but we don't yet know where or when. Only God knows, so we're going to keep our eyes and ears on Him as we continue to wait and to work on the little things.
When He finally says "Jump!" then we'll know it's time to begin this work. And just like jumping from the plane it will be simultaneously exciting and scary for those involved...and only He knows where we will land...and we will have no choice but to trust Him in that, just like I had to trust the jumpmaster.
If you are one of Abba's children, I hope you know that He is so pleased and delighted with you today. Yes, there are changes He wants to bring about in you. Yes, there are places He still wants to touch and heal within you. Yes, there are thorns and struggles and sin patterns that He wants to use as opportunities for freedom and victory in your life. Yes, there are hurtful, sinful things you do or think or say along the way that He doesn't like. But He likes you. No, really. He does! Today you are exactly where He knew you would be in your journey, and you are totally acceptable to Him today. You were totally acceptable the moment Christ covered you with His blood and filled you with His life. You don't have to hide from Him, or work frantically to be acceptable to Him. Rest in His love, and ask Him to continue to open your heart to living in the realities of the truth and grace and freedom we have already been given in Christ. That's the abundant life He desires for all of us, and offers to each one of us. You are so loved by the perfect Father. Rest in that today.
Grace and peace to you,
Allen
We've visited with at least a dozen ministry sites this week, with numerous in-depth, multi-hour, intensive conversations at several sites. We've met with attorneys and CEOs and pastors and house parents and children who were raised in villages for orphans. We've looked at land and talked to land agents. We collected several pounds of business cards. We've asked hundreds of questions. We've heard dozens of stories, both encouraging and cautionary. We've met some wonderful people in the sites we had planned to visit, and have been referred to other wonderful people along the way. We've also met some people that clearly would not mesh with FCM's calling. God has opened and closed many doors for us throughout the week. We decided earlier today that we have seen and heard more in one week than we ever could have imagined on "Africa time".
Oh, and we found a really, really good Mexican restaurant last night. Imagine this...a woman named Yam, from New York City, owns and runs a first-class Tex-Mex restaurant in the middle of Kampala, Uganda. Go figure. Also, go and eat there if you are ever in Kampala. I think the name was Lotus Mexicana. They even had real sweet tea! I'm pretty sure we'll all drink sweet tea at the banquet tables in heaven.
They say variety is the spice of life - and if this is true, then our Mexican meal last night was a good description of our week. We've seen an extremely broad spectrum of ministries.
At one end of the spectrum we met a couple (from the U.S.) who pours their lives into 10 Ugandan children, being their literal "for life" adoptive parents. They do this in the most beautiful home and gardens I've ever seen on 4 acres of land on top of a hill overlooking Lake Victoria. They raise these children to know that they belong to their true Father, and that their earthly parents are merely a reflection of the One who loves them perfectly. They also have adopted children they raised from Ukraine, as well as their own biological children, who are all helping to raise these Ugandan children in one of the most unique family environments I've ever seen. Their calling is to invest their entire lives into a small number of children who will grow up to be kingdom children, not Ugandans or Americans. This ministry, called The Father's House, is the deepest practical and spiritual investment imaginable in a very small group of kids.
On the other end of the spectrum we saw a ministry that cares for and educates 515 orphans on about 100 acres of rocky land outside Kampala. This ministry has built dormitories for the kids, with 515 kids in three cramped dorms - with kids sleeping on triple-decker bunk beds. These kids are loved and educated and given clothing and a dry place to sleep every night, but they have no electriciy, and they only eat beans and corn mash every day for every meal. The ministry struggles to afford even water for this large number of kids.
In between those two extremes we saw many others, including Watoto (which we talked about in the first blog entry). We had a chance to meet with their CEO yesterday and ask questions for over an hour. He answered every question, and has offered to provide anything we need, including blueprints for their buildings and their training materials. It was obvious that they were not territorial or possessive or controlling of the ministry, although their standards were very high at the three Watoto ministry sites we visited. At this time it seems that our hearts are being pulled somewhere between Watoto and The Father's House.
We met for lunch with a group of young people today who were leading a ministry founded by a 19 year old American girl 6 years ago. She's 25 today and still leading the ministry. She shared very candidly their journey of learning hard lessons and provided some of the clearest insight for us in how to walk alongside the Ugandan people in a way that was mutually beneficial to both us and them. They were so helpful and had an amazing amount of God-given wisdom for people their age. In her story I had a glimpse of the unwavering heart for God and people that I pray develops in my own daugthers (I have three, 7 year and under), but I can only imagine how hard it was for her parents to hear their 19 year old daughter come home from her first trip to Africa and say, "God has called me to pour my life into Uganda...".
We also met with legal counsel and learned that it will take at least six months to set up the non-profit in Uganda, which is necessary before land can be purchased. That's probably a good thing, since there are many things to pray about and research and consider before purchasing and developing a property. Good property is not cheap or plentiful here. The properties we saw today strongly reinforced this truth: God will have to lead us to the right place at the right time. And He will.
The visit also reinforced that there will need to be a lot of American presence as the children's village is built and begun. Perhaps some of you who are reading this blog will have the privilege of one day sharing in the adventure of being part of a ministry team that rotates into Africa to help facilitate care for these helpless children.
The needs here are endless, about the size of the ocean. Even our best life-long efforts will only be a drop in the bucket. But consider this. In God's eternal view (the only one that really matters), every drop is precious. Every child is precious...even the littlest things matter, if they flow from His Life. "Even a cup of cold water given to a child" matters.... We may not see it that way naturally, but ask the Lord to show us what He sees. If we learn to see with the eyes of a heart that is intimately connected to Him, then we begin to see a completely different reality. A world where large and loud and impressive are sometimes much less valuable than quiet hugs or a simple cup of cold water given in His name to one child. Or five or fifty children hugged and given water every day until they are adults.
The only work that matters is the work that flows from the Spirit of God. Everything else, no matter how impressive, is wood, hay and stubble in God's eyes. Right?
When God is the source of our life and ministry, then what we do is eternally valuable - no matter how large or how small it looks to us. We are realizing that whether we care for 20 or 100 or 2500 kids is not the question before us. The question is, "What does the Father want? What is He inviting us to join Him in doing?" And we can only know the answer to that as we know and listen to Him. So we are wanting to trust Him to show us His direction for this village - all of us who He has given a desire to be part of this. And we are more clear than ever that this village will have to happen in His time, and in His way.
Do you know what that truth does? It lets us rest in Him. It relieves us of the pressure of figuring it all out.
I was a paratrooper in the Army many years ago. When we would get in the plane we always had a jumpmaster who was in charge. He would pay attention to what was ahead and know exactly when it was time for us to jump. As soldiers with parachutes inside the plane we had no idea where we were, or what was below us. We would train and prepare and work hard to get ready for our mission, and once on the plane we would sometimes fly for hours. Then when it was near time to jump we would line up and hook up and move toward the door. The door would open and then we would...continue to wait. Our eyes and ears were only on the jumpmaster as we waited to go. If we jumped on our own time, early or late, we would not land in the target zone, and might instead land in a lake or a highway or worse. We would also miss fulfilling the mission for which we had prepared.
When, finally, we were over the jump zone the jumpmaster would yell "Go" and the lights above the door would turn from red to green - and we would go piling out the door, jumping out into the pitch black night, totally dependent on the jump master to get us over the right landing zone. We literally had no idea where we were or how to get there. All we did was jump when it was time, and then take care not to land on a fence or in a tree.
I think that's a glimpse of where we are in this journey towards a children's village in which God will rescue and nurture and heal helpless, precious little children who presently live without hope. We're in the plane, ready and willing to jump, but we don't yet know where or when. Only God knows, so we're going to keep our eyes and ears on Him as we continue to wait and to work on the little things.
When He finally says "Jump!" then we'll know it's time to begin this work. And just like jumping from the plane it will be simultaneously exciting and scary for those involved...and only He knows where we will land...and we will have no choice but to trust Him in that, just like I had to trust the jumpmaster.
If you are one of Abba's children, I hope you know that He is so pleased and delighted with you today. Yes, there are changes He wants to bring about in you. Yes, there are places He still wants to touch and heal within you. Yes, there are thorns and struggles and sin patterns that He wants to use as opportunities for freedom and victory in your life. Yes, there are hurtful, sinful things you do or think or say along the way that He doesn't like. But He likes you. No, really. He does! Today you are exactly where He knew you would be in your journey, and you are totally acceptable to Him today. You were totally acceptable the moment Christ covered you with His blood and filled you with His life. You don't have to hide from Him, or work frantically to be acceptable to Him. Rest in His love, and ask Him to continue to open your heart to living in the realities of the truth and grace and freedom we have already been given in Christ. That's the abundant life He desires for all of us, and offers to each one of us. You are so loved by the perfect Father. Rest in that today.
Grace and peace to you,
Allen
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Loving the Children of Orphanage Emmanuel
Let me begin by saying we have an incredible team! Everyone has been so
unified and ready to serve and work where needed. The tension within the
political realm continues to mount and yet our team presses on with one
goal in mind, to love the children of The Orphanage Emmanuel. We left
this morning at 6:15 local time and traveled three hours by bus to a
village called Guaymacia (wi maca). We entered a guarded compound which
was built as a safe respite for children who were abandoned or taken from
their homes due to abuse or neglect. To describe the beauty of this place
would make anyone think we were vacationing at a “high dollar” resort.
With over four hundred children to house, clothe and feed the spotless
campus speaks well to the control of only ten full-time staff members.
The beauty and excellence of this place can be attributed to many
churches throughout the states who have given time and resources. One
familiar church to those in Randolph County is First Baptist Opelika.
Although the beauty and excellence of this place is breath taking, the
needs are overwhelming to a small staff of people. One of the greatest
resources needed is people. I pray that God will give our church and
other churches the opportunity to help meet some of the needs here at The
Orphanage Emmanuel.
As I said earlier, we begin early this morning with a two hour bus ride
to our destination North of Tegucigalpa. When we arrived we were greeted
by some of the staff and given the opportunity to rest and fellowship
with each other because of the unexpected early arrival. While this time
seemed to be wasted, our team was given the opportunity to know one
another more closely.
Following lunch we walked to the "Toddler House" where we played with
children who ranged from two to four year olds. These children were
amazing. They desired to be held, touched, and played with and we could
not love them enough. What seemed to be only minutes of play with the
children was actually two hours. The Orphanage has a very strict schedule
and at 4:00 we were asked to exit so that the children could be fed and
readied for bed. The campus comes to a halt following dinner and all the
children are expected to be in their cabins soon after. This may seem
quite ridiculous to have children in bed by 6:00 pm but their day begins
as early as 4:00 am with chores followed by a worship time and Bible
reading at 6:30 which they call “Circle”. Following “Circle”, they eat
breakfast and attend school. Tomorrow will give us a better idea of what
a typical day holds for these children and I will tell you more about it
as we learn.
Now on to what I know most are waiting to hear. The political tension is
worsening in the major cities of Honduras. The president has vowed to
return to office on Thursday and the military has declared that he would
be arrested for crimes against the state as well as drug trafficking. The
latest news can be found at CNN.com. We are safe and feel confident that
God is going to see us through this time.
Because of the uncertainty of what might happen, Four Corners has chosen
to cut our trip short and evacuate us as soon as possible. Gary spent
more than two hours on the phone this afternoon rearranging our tickets
for a flight out of Honduras on Saturday. This was the only time that all
twenty-seven team members could fly to Miami together. While we will be
back in the states on Saturday, most of us will be spending the night in
Miami and leaving out Sunday for our return home. Please pray for the
people of Honduras as they begin a very trying and uncertain time in
their lives. We know that God will watch over us and cover us with His
mercy and grace. We do ask that you remember us and the work we must
complete here at The Orphanage Emmanuel.
Steve Dean
unified and ready to serve and work where needed. The tension within the
political realm continues to mount and yet our team presses on with one
goal in mind, to love the children of The Orphanage Emmanuel. We left
this morning at 6:15 local time and traveled three hours by bus to a
village called Guaymacia (wi maca). We entered a guarded compound which
was built as a safe respite for children who were abandoned or taken from
their homes due to abuse or neglect. To describe the beauty of this place
would make anyone think we were vacationing at a “high dollar” resort.
With over four hundred children to house, clothe and feed the spotless
campus speaks well to the control of only ten full-time staff members.
The beauty and excellence of this place can be attributed to many
churches throughout the states who have given time and resources. One
familiar church to those in Randolph County is First Baptist Opelika.
Although the beauty and excellence of this place is breath taking, the
needs are overwhelming to a small staff of people. One of the greatest
resources needed is people. I pray that God will give our church and
other churches the opportunity to help meet some of the needs here at The
Orphanage Emmanuel.
As I said earlier, we begin early this morning with a two hour bus ride
to our destination North of Tegucigalpa. When we arrived we were greeted
by some of the staff and given the opportunity to rest and fellowship
with each other because of the unexpected early arrival. While this time
seemed to be wasted, our team was given the opportunity to know one
another more closely.
Following lunch we walked to the "Toddler House" where we played with
children who ranged from two to four year olds. These children were
amazing. They desired to be held, touched, and played with and we could
not love them enough. What seemed to be only minutes of play with the
children was actually two hours. The Orphanage has a very strict schedule
and at 4:00 we were asked to exit so that the children could be fed and
readied for bed. The campus comes to a halt following dinner and all the
children are expected to be in their cabins soon after. This may seem
quite ridiculous to have children in bed by 6:00 pm but their day begins
as early as 4:00 am with chores followed by a worship time and Bible
reading at 6:30 which they call “Circle”. Following “Circle”, they eat
breakfast and attend school. Tomorrow will give us a better idea of what
a typical day holds for these children and I will tell you more about it
as we learn.
Now on to what I know most are waiting to hear. The political tension is
worsening in the major cities of Honduras. The president has vowed to
return to office on Thursday and the military has declared that he would
be arrested for crimes against the state as well as drug trafficking. The
latest news can be found at CNN.com. We are safe and feel confident that
God is going to see us through this time.
Because of the uncertainty of what might happen, Four Corners has chosen
to cut our trip short and evacuate us as soon as possible. Gary spent
more than two hours on the phone this afternoon rearranging our tickets
for a flight out of Honduras on Saturday. This was the only time that all
twenty-seven team members could fly to Miami together. While we will be
back in the states on Saturday, most of us will be spending the night in
Miami and leaving out Sunday for our return home. Please pray for the
people of Honduras as they begin a very trying and uncertain time in
their lives. We know that God will watch over us and cover us with His
mercy and grace. We do ask that you remember us and the work we must
complete here at The Orphanage Emmanuel.
Steve Dean
Honduras Day 3
June 30, 2009
Today started at 5:45 AM, Praise the Lamb!! We had breakfast at the hotel and then began our very lengthy bus ride to Orphanage Emmanuel. After 2 long hours we finally arrived. We were pleasantly surprised with our accommodations for the week as well as the orphanage itself. After settling in we got to visit the toddler house. How fun was that!! The children crawled on us, hugged on us, rode piggyback, and played Legos forever and ever. They longed for love and attention which we gave willingly. Though their physical needs seem to be met completely, we were glad to meet other needs as well.
Even though we are one day into our trip, God has revealed so much already. The orphanage is over 900 acres. It’s in a fairly unpopulated area with limited resources. We couldn’t help but think what we could do back at home with as many resources as we have available. We are so willing to help out here in as many ways possible on our “mission trip” but really how often are we that willing at home to meet the general needs within our families, friends, and community? It seems like there is so much more work we could be doing at home.
We have lots to do this week and we are still so very excited in spite of everything that has happened in the city. We have grown to know our teammates and enjoyed the fellowship tonight after dinner. We played some dodge ball, cards, even sweated together! J We know that God has us here for a purpose and it is evident that HE is in the center of this place and our work here. Keep praying for us and we love yall!
Goodnight,
The Bethel Gals
Today started at 5:45 AM, Praise the Lamb!! We had breakfast at the hotel and then began our very lengthy bus ride to Orphanage Emmanuel. After 2 long hours we finally arrived. We were pleasantly surprised with our accommodations for the week as well as the orphanage itself. After settling in we got to visit the toddler house. How fun was that!! The children crawled on us, hugged on us, rode piggyback, and played Legos forever and ever. They longed for love and attention which we gave willingly. Though their physical needs seem to be met completely, we were glad to meet other needs as well.
Even though we are one day into our trip, God has revealed so much already. The orphanage is over 900 acres. It’s in a fairly unpopulated area with limited resources. We couldn’t help but think what we could do back at home with as many resources as we have available. We are so willing to help out here in as many ways possible on our “mission trip” but really how often are we that willing at home to meet the general needs within our families, friends, and community? It seems like there is so much more work we could be doing at home.
We have lots to do this week and we are still so very excited in spite of everything that has happened in the city. We have grown to know our teammates and enjoyed the fellowship tonight after dinner. We played some dodge ball, cards, even sweated together! J We know that God has us here for a purpose and it is evident that HE is in the center of this place and our work here. Keep praying for us and we love yall!
Goodnight,
The Bethel Gals
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