Cedarville - Peru Trip - Day 4

Today started out well with breakfast and an hour in Romans.  The team discussed the last half of chapter one and we spent much time talking about a “godly approach” to  the sin of homosexuality.  Their generation has many difficult days ahead as the church must figure out how Christ would handle homosexuals, and what it looks like to love them but not accept their sin.  Grace is required for all people, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient, etc.  So the message to the homosexual is the same.  However, because of the ramifications of an outwardly gay couple, addressing this sin is often more difficult.  What an exciting conversation to have with 9 students that are going to help shape the future of the church.

We loaded up around 10:00 to go to Yungar (about 30 minutes up the road).  Pastor Fausto met us at the church when we arrived – he is an amazing humble man who loves God and loves children.  It is evident in the way he talks and the way he lives. 

We had the privilege of following up on a purchase that a team 2 weeks ago made for a woman at the church.  The team purchased a bunk bed for Maria’s children, and then they shared the gospel with her.  We were able to deliver that bed and install it in her home.  She was so thankful for Richard Hetzel and his team.  She was thankful for Pastor Fausto and his ministry to her children.  She was thankful to AMG for what they are providing for her children.  I was able to encourage her with the fact that the team that purchased the bed for her loved her and her children very much, but that Jesus Christ loved her even more.  When the bed was installed, she broke into tears.  It was very moving.  I pray that she receives Christ soon.

After her home, we had the privilege to visit 2 more houses as we walked around Yungar.  We met a grandmother who was raising her daughters 3 children, and a mother of twins.  Both women were glad to see Fausto, and our team enjoyed talking with them and praying with them.

We walked back to the center and ate lunch.  When the students arrived, we fed them lunch (or at least handed them the food and drinks that were provided).  I was able to laugh with the kids as they called me “abuelo”.  I made “angry” faces at them and they just laughed.  We had a great time.

After lunch we did our program with a lesson from Joshua 4, songs, skits and then crafts.  The children loved to see the team sing and do the skits.  I don’t know why but this team loves spitting on each other (in the skits).  It is always a joy to watch team members reach out to the children and love them – even if they cannot speak the language.

We played ball with the kids, colored with them, talked with them, asked them questions (and they asked us questions).  I asked one boy what his name was, and he said , “No se”, or “I don’t know”.  So, I called him “No se”.  They thought it was hilarious.

Eventually we headed home and had dinner around 6.  We did the “high/low” game and each person talked about the highs and lows for the day.  Not really many lows… just saying.  Erick joined us for dinner and then walked with us downtown.  The kids seemed to really enjoy going to the market, even though it is cold and wet in the evenings. 

Tomorrow is an early morning, and it is almost 10:30 now.  We have to be leaving for Chiquian by 7:30, so I am going to bed soon.  More exciting things tomorrow.  God is good!

Cedarville - Peru Trip - Day 3 (the conclusion)

Okay, this is definitely not the norm, but then again, neither was this evening.

My first team this year really spoiled me by spending hours in the evening talking theology, sharing life stories, encouraging one another in the faith, etc.  HOURS!!  They loved to talk and share.  I knew this would not be the norm for most teams because many of my other teams are (by average age) considerably younger than that group.  I could not think of a better way to begin a year of ministry than with mature adults who were still anxious to learn, share and encourage one another.

Anyway, back to this evening.  Noah went to bed early – he didn’t want to, but it was obvious that his temperature was going up and he was not feeling well.  The rest of the team sat at the dinner table until 8:30 – yeah, 8 college students sat around for 2 ½ hours talking.  The rain outside helped with that, but still, I am not sure at 18 I would have been interested in sitting still that long.

The discussion went from humorous to silly.  It included elements of the day, their lives back home, and college stuff.  As is often the case, we discussed dating and marriage, love and respect, seeking God’s best and God’s direction for life before seeking a spouse – many of my favorite topics. As I began asking about the day we had today, thoughts of what they had seen and heard flowed from the students.  They asked hard questions – like – what do we say to people who don’t seem to have enough food, clothing, or adequate shelter?  We wrestled with the truths that we know like – God loves them, God will provide for them – and asked about those it seemed that God had forgotten. But this is where things got real interesting.

One of the girls who normally is very talkative and interactive got very quiet.  She eventually began, with tear stained eyes, to talk about the frustration she experiences with serving God.  It seems like she can never do enough.  Like there is always more to do. And she is overwhelmed, tired, even exhausted in the service of God.

What a joy it was to talk with her about the example Christ is for us.  In Luke 5:15, Jesus fame is being spread abroad, and crowds are gathering to be healed and to hear his wise teaching.  However, Luke records in the very next verse that Christ’s response to these ever growing crowds was not to minister more, minister faster, minister with greater intensity and efficiency, but rather He would “often slip away to the wilderness to pray”.

Christ has given us a model for ministry that works – stay in touch with the Father, talk with Him, and let Him do the work through you.  How freeing this model is!  I do not need to work to gain His approval.  I do not need to earn His merit at all – rather, I need to know what He is doing and focus my efforts on what He is going to accomplish.

What a great reminder it was for me.  Thanks be to Christ who through His perfection has given me a standing before the Father.  Thanks be to Christ who modeled for me what being a true disciple of His looks like.  Thanks be to God for His gracious gift of Jesus Christ – not only on Calvary to save me, but also to record His life that I might know how to live.

It was a great night.

Cedarville - Peru Trip - Day 3

What a beautiful morning.  The sun is shining through the window.  The dogs are fighting somewhere close to here.  The roosters are crowing.  It is a beautiful morning here in Huaraz, Peru.  The temperature is comfortable – especially since this is supposed to be their “winter/rainy season”. 

The team joined together around 8 to head in for breakfast. They loved the coffee – yeah, for those who have had it, it is something special.  What was really interesting was that most of them drank it straight – black.  Very impressive to say the least.  After breakfast we went out to the basketball court to sit in the sun and discuss the book of Romans.

Paul tells the Romans that he is anxious to get to see them so he can impart a gift to them, so that he and they can be encouraged together, and so that he can bear much fruit among them.  We discussed the fact that for the past few months we also have been anxious to get to Peru to see the children and workers, much for the same reason.  The challenge before us today is – are we going to make our time here count?  After Andrew prayed, we geared up and headed down the street to the center.

Not 15 minutes inside the door, Noah got sick on the floor.  He was concerned that he might have altitude sickness, or maybe it was something he drank or ate.  I really do not know, but either way, he continued to serve and work – I was incredibly impressed with his willingness and desire to push through the sickness to minister to the children.

The group prepared for the older kids, and when they arrived we played games, talked, did puzzles, whatever we could to interact with them and show Christ’s love.  They were receptive of the team and enjoyed talking with them.  We fed them lunch, and then we had the opportunity to sing a few songs with them – (although some of the oldest seemed  less than interested in singing).  Then Abel shared his testimony – he did a great job even doing his best to speak Spanish to them.

Eventually the older kids left and the younger – much more energetic kids showed up!  It was a joy to see the team talking one on one, or playing with 5-6 kids, or laughing with them, etc.  They did whatever they could to connect.  Even sharing a story of Joshua, helping the kids paint “rocks of remembrance” and they sang with the children.  They also put on a couple of skits – both including someone getting spit on (go figure), and the kids thought it was hilarious.

The team worked together well and helped each other as much as possible.  God is going to do great things with these kids as they seek to continue to seek Him.  Since they are all freshman or sophomores, I pray that we will again be able to travel together.

Tomorrow we go to Jungar – I am anxious to see Pastor Fausto – I was honored to be part of his ministry last time – he is a truly humble servant of our Lord.

Tonight we rest – eat dinner – and we might go downtown.  It’s raining, so I am not sure I am excited about being wet.  It is so nice and dry in my room.  More tomorrow – thank you God for a great day!

Cedarville - Peru Trip - Day 1-2

Day 1 began at 5:00 in the morning.  I had set 3 alarms because I wanted to make sure that I got up in time to go to the airport early.  I was scheduled for an 8:45 flight which would leave me only 38 minutes in Atlanta to switch planes.  I was hoping to get on the 7:45 flight.  I arrived at the airport (Brooke drove with me) at 5:35 and by 6:00 I was on an airport shuttle to Atlanta.  The lady behind the counter told me that they had 3 flights going to Atlanta – 6:45 – delayed until 7:40, 7:45 – which was completely full, and my flight.   Then she told me that if I wanted to take the shuttle it was leaving in minutes.  I took the shuttle and arrived in Atlanta at 7:45.  Plenty of time to catch the 10:20 flight I was scheduled for. 

At 10:00 I boarded my plane (3^rd person on the plane because I had to check my guitar).  Things are going very smoothly.  Praise the Lord.  By 12:00 I was in Columbus eating lunch and reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  I finished the book before the team arrived at 3, and we got them all checked in and we headed back to our gate.

Things continued to go well.  The team ate some lunch, we waited for our plane to be ready to go, and we boarded our plane for Miami.  After a fairly brief flight (2 ½ hours) we arrived in Miami and went to our gate to wait for the final flight to Lima. 

We did a little “team building” by playing Mafia.  The personalities of this group are very diverse.  It is going to be interesting to see how each person finds their niche as we move through this week.

We arrived in Lima around 5:30 – right on schedule, went through immigration, got our luggage, went through customs, (with Abel being the only one who got a red light – it is the Peruvian system of random selection) and by 6:15 we were loaded in the cars of Lutgarda, Sarah and Angel (Lutgarda’s brother in law).

We stopped for breakfast at a small breakfast place and then went to the station to wait on the bus.  Our interaction with the people included handing out licorice to children and Abel practiced his Spanish by talking with a father of one of the kids.

Abel is able to speak very well – he has had 8 years of training in Spanish – and the rest of the team is trying to practice their Spanish as well.  I really do need to learn to speak, but apart from some kind of intense study, I fear the things I learn do not stay.

Right now we are still on the bus heading to Huaraz.  If things go as planned, we will arrive around 6, shower, change and go out to dinner.  Hopefully we will be in bed by 9 this evening.  Much to do tomorrow, but rest is necessary.  Tomorrow we will be working at the Child Care Center in Huaraz.  This will be the first of 5 days of intensive but fun interaction with children who need to see the love of Christ. 

I pray that the team has the strength and gets the rest necessary to do well.

What do you measure your life by...

I have listened to Brooke play the piano - she makes the keyboard sing.  I watch Kendra play basketball - she plays well - often much better than the other players. I have seen Harrison run, and for his age, he runs very well - better than some of the runners 2 years older than he.  Yet how foolish would I be to tell others that my children are the best in the world at their field of interest?  Even more foolish would it be to say that they are perfect in their execution.  As they measure themselves against comparable competition, they gain a good understanding of where they stand and in what areas they need to improve.

Much the same, in my life, I often find myself "comparing myself" to the competition to evaluate where I stand.  I get it right most of the time, so I find myself thinking that I am a rather good person.  Many others do the same thing and conclude that they are doing well in life.

The problem with this logic is the same as my son thinking he can run with Usain Bolt because he won a 6th grade race at his school.  Usain runs like the wind and makes it look simple - he is a world class runner.  Harrison is quick, but by comparison, he is as slow as his father.

Enter Christ - the good news to the world - He is the only one who ever lived up to the standard that is set by God.  Why do I need Jesus in my life?  Because even the best I do is far from perfect, and most of the time (if I am honest), I am not even doing my best.  I need perfection to satisfy the standard of God, only Christ is perfect, so without Him in my life, all I do is fruitless and useless.

This truth can be life changing.  I can be constantly depressed because I do not meet the mark, or I can realize that through Christ the mark has been met.  I can be constantly striving to meet the standard of perfection to the extent of exhaustion, or I can recognize that the standard has been met.  I can be boastful in the times that I get things right, or I can be humbled by the fact that I can only get it right perfectly in Christ.  I can choose to judge others by the standard I have lived up to, or I can recognize that my standard is well below the standard of the Almighty and He judges so much more effectively and thoroughly.

I want to live in the joy of knowing when I fall, Christ's righteousness makes up the difference.  When I do well, Christ's righteousness is what prompted it and made it possible.  When I feel the urge to boast, I want the righteousness of Christ to so overshadow my vanity that the arrogance of my "goodness" fades into the glory of His perfection.

It all boils down to what I am comparing myself to.  If it is others, often I can look good.  If it is Christ, I am a man in desperate need of a Savior.  Thanks be to God who has provided His Son.

Is your mirror straight?

About 2 weeks ago, apparently someone ran into my rear view mirror on my car.  The did not break it off, but they did dislodge it. The mirror still works.  If you look into it, you can see what is behind you.  No harm right?

Actually, the way I found out that there was a problem was when I was trying to back into a parking spot at work.  I knew there was a car behind me, but the mirror said there wasn't.  I looked again, and surely there was a car, but as I gazed into the mirror again, no car was present.  I figured it had just needed to be adjusted, but then I realized it was a much larger problem.

Last Saturday I headed off for Guatemala and my wonderful wife decided to take my car to Kendra's game.  I had not mentioned the mirror issue, and, yeah, you guessed it, she backed right into someone else.  She was looking in the mirror, and it told her that her course was clear, but it lead her astray, and now my car is in dire need of cosmetic repair.

I blog about this today because the thought keeps coming to me and we are studying the book of James in church.  The Bible is my mirror, and I know that it is straight and true.  What it says I can believe, I can follow, I can pursue, because I know it will lead me in the way that is best and right. 

However, over the course of my life, there have been other "mirrors" that I have observed.  Some are good most of the time, some are good a little of the time, and some are just plain wrong.  The court of public opinion - not a good mirror.  My own logic - not a good mirror.  The intelligence of others - not a good mirror.  The media, friends and family, my feelings...  all very faulty mirrors.

The questions I have today are, "What mirror am I gauging my life by?"  "Is it straight?"  "Is it true?"  The only mirror worth looking into and reflecting on for a long time is the Word of God.  Gazing into God's Word daily will keep our paths straight, our focus clear, our aim true, and will ultimately steer us clear of danger.

Day 7-8 - Riverside Christian Guatemala Trip

The last 2 days have been full of happiness and sorrow.  The joys of completing the task that we had set out to do was muddled with the sadness of having to say goodbye to the new friends and “family” we had developed.  (I felt this more in conjunction with the team than the people of Guatemala, since I will be back in Las Vistas in just a few weeks). 

Friday we started as we always did and had a wonderful discussion in Romans 3.  Paul uses legal arguments in Romans, and this text was a classic.  We enjoyed looking at the fact that we are all guilty before God only because we know the rest of the story.  I tried to encourage them to read our text for the day as if that were the end of the story.  What a sadness we would have if we realized that we are guilty and have no defense for a Holy God.  Praise be to God for Jesus who took our guilt and sin on the cross and freely gave us His righteousness.

After devotions, we headed off to Las Vistas for one last time.  We had practiced music for the morning presentation las night, but again we practiced in the car.  When we arrived at the child care center, we began setting up for the “show”.  We put up the projector, connected the amplifier, and got ready for kids to come.

Every child that came in that morning received multiple hugs and kisses from the team.  I met them all at the top of the stairs before entering the church.  It is so cool hugging these kids and loving on them.  They long for it.  They LOVE it. 

When they were finally seated, we began the powerpoint.  Their pictures, yes, themselves, their friends, their teachers, all on the big screen.  They laughed a lot – it was a joy to watch.  Then we began singing with them – a song the team taught them, and they all sang loudly.  I was moved.  Then we had a couple of new songs for them (I put the words on the screen), but they knew the songs, so they just sang along.  It was so cool.  The team loved it.  The last song we sang was in English, so they read along and tried to sing with us – it was amazing to see them glorifying God in their language and in ours.

We then presented shirts and gifts to the teachers and the staff.  They really enjoyed the gifts, and the kids clapped for the teachers.  I don’t think these teachers get that kind of praise often – it was good for them.  Finally Angelo got up and shared the gospel with the children (in Spanish).  He did a great job, and the kids listened attentively.

Eventually we had to get back to work finishing the wall, cleaning up the complex, giving the children “dulces” (candy) and saying goodbye to everyone.  Again, it was fun, but it was hard for many to say goodbye.  Most of the team members (if not all) have chosen to sponsor a child from Las Vistas.   It is thrilling to see them realizing that they can have an impact on the life of one child.

We headed back to Thelmas to pack and get ready for the evening time together.  This is by far my favorite time of the week – the time when the team blesses each other by telling them how they have seen God work in the others the past week.  This team was no different, and the words of encouragement just flowed from member to member.  For almost 3 hours (although we were interrupted by the Wilson family for a while) we talked, shared, cried, laughed and encouraged one another.

Saturday we leave for home very early in the morning, so we were hoping to get to bed before 11.  Didn’t happen – I was up until 1:00 moving the pictures on flash drives for the team.  They had just under 8 gig of pictures and video.  I hope they enjoy them for years to come.

Flights went well on Saturday for me, however the team was stuck in Dallas for about 3 more hours than they were supposed to be – don’t know why God allowed it, but maybe someday we will.  As we parted ways in Dallas, we had a time of prayer and last minute words of encouragement.  This is not the last time I will see this team – they are a great group of brothers and sisters in Christ.