Sometimes the world just seems to have so much need that you don't know where to start and the only answer is to eat ice cream and run in the rain. But then in the prophets I read promise after promise of coming restoration. Actually, Isaiah 49:8-13 is going to become part of the DNA to our ministry. That's I remember that there are things to be doing now, but even so God never asked me to save the world, he just asked me to love him and obey him.
I always get into the sad moods when I'm alone, and it only takes a good 47 seconds being with people to come back to life. God thank you for friends... and for rain and ice cream.
In about 6 weeks we will be leaving for a two-month counseling outreach. Nothing is finalized but hopefully I will be going to Leticia!!!!!!!! Leticia is the city that is on the boarder of Peru and Brazil and is in the Amazons. From there we would enter Brazil. I'm so excited, and there is so much need for family counseling there! Plus I would have to go with my friend Desteni because she'll have to translate into Portuguese! Going to the Amazons has been a dream of mine for 6 years; ever since geogrophy class when my professor lectured about it. What exciting news!
P.S. Random thought for the day: If anyone has a grand piano laying around and can come up with a way to get it to Colombia, I would be happy to receive!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Esperanzas de Vida
Ana Cristina Rincon and I have been praying about starting a ministry for pregnant women considering abortion for a year now. The dream would be to start there and expand the ministry to include adoption programs, working with prostitutes and family counseling. After so much prayer it seems like things are finally starting to happen...
BIG NEWS: This week the director from the similar ministry in Tyler, TX, is coming this week to visit with us and do a conference with our school!!! We have started saving to buy a house or a farm to house girls during their pregnancy so we can give them counsel and a safe place to live while they decide if they want to keep their baby or find a family to adopt. Friday Cristina and I lead intercession for our base, and afterwards two students said they want to commit to our ministry and as we're starting they want to study majors that will be useful (like nursing).
Today I set up an email for the ministry. Just doing that made it feel like this is for real, more than a dream. But it's also a bit overwhelming, we don't know where or how we're going to start meeting women. So please pray:
• that we will have guidance and that our time with the Tyler director will give us good ideas
• an opportunity for Cristinan to visit the ministry in Tyler
• support from local churches and ministries in Medellin
• for more workers
• #1, that soon we would meet our first pregnant woman to start loving and supporting
BIG NEWS: This week the director from the similar ministry in Tyler, TX, is coming this week to visit with us and do a conference with our school!!! We have started saving to buy a house or a farm to house girls during their pregnancy so we can give them counsel and a safe place to live while they decide if they want to keep their baby or find a family to adopt. Friday Cristina and I lead intercession for our base, and afterwards two students said they want to commit to our ministry and as we're starting they want to study majors that will be useful (like nursing).
Today I set up an email for the ministry. Just doing that made it feel like this is for real, more than a dream. But it's also a bit overwhelming, we don't know where or how we're going to start meeting women. So please pray:
• that we will have guidance and that our time with the Tyler director will give us good ideas
• an opportunity for Cristinan to visit the ministry in Tyler
• support from local churches and ministries in Medellin
• for more workers
• #1, that soon we would meet our first pregnant woman to start loving and supporting
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Walking with the Wise
I feel like the counseling school is something that should be require for life. These two weeks we have been looking at the walls we build in our heart, why, and how to build the “wall of salvation.” It’s such good information, but between all of the application in our notebooks and pastoral time it hits home too.
This school is wonderful! Last school was kind of stressful for all of the staff, but this is like a breath of fresh air for us. There are problems and many things to work on for sure, but it’s just like the house is filled with the presence of God, with safety for openness, and a desire to grow.
Today I was thinking about how blessed I am with the community I get to live in. I have some wonderful friends that are equally passionate about missions (although in different areas of society). There are the kinds you laugh with, cry with, and hold accountable. It made me think of the proverb, “If you walk with the wise you will grow wise.” The proverb doesn’t say don’t hang out with any one but wise. What it does say is “walk” with with wise, like spend your time and let yourself be influenced by the people who are walking in the same direction, the people who are on a path towards God. These are the people we grow with, learn with, we essentially walk with spiritually. Another reminder how God meant for us to live in community, and with good reason.
Story: Desteni and I had to go fix some paper work in DAS (where we go to register our visas and stuff like that). My temporary ID says I’m a male. But they had my real one ready! I was so excited, it feels like I’m official now. But as soon as the lady left the office I noticed the little, bold “M.” Out-loud I said, “Des! I’m still a man!” Then I realized that there were three English speaking men outside of the office, listening. Even in English I don’t communicate what I mean!
Chech out some new pictures from this summer.
This school is wonderful! Last school was kind of stressful for all of the staff, but this is like a breath of fresh air for us. There are problems and many things to work on for sure, but it’s just like the house is filled with the presence of God, with safety for openness, and a desire to grow.
Today I was thinking about how blessed I am with the community I get to live in. I have some wonderful friends that are equally passionate about missions (although in different areas of society). There are the kinds you laugh with, cry with, and hold accountable. It made me think of the proverb, “If you walk with the wise you will grow wise.” The proverb doesn’t say don’t hang out with any one but wise. What it does say is “walk” with with wise, like spend your time and let yourself be influenced by the people who are walking in the same direction, the people who are on a path towards God. These are the people we grow with, learn with, we essentially walk with spiritually. Another reminder how God meant for us to live in community, and with good reason.
Story: Desteni and I had to go fix some paper work in DAS (where we go to register our visas and stuff like that). My temporary ID says I’m a male. But they had my real one ready! I was so excited, it feels like I’m official now. But as soon as the lady left the office I noticed the little, bold “M.” Out-loud I said, “Des! I’m still a man!” Then I realized that there were three English speaking men outside of the office, listening. Even in English I don’t communicate what I mean!
Chech out some new pictures from this summer.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
FARC
I have finally finished the first week in the counseling school. We have notebooks to do each week that take up all of our time. I think I used all of my creativity in the first week, who knows where my inspiration will come from next week? But it will be so good. We are having great classes about how people build walls of rebellion or rejection. I love the counseling school because the classes are great, but the school is set up so there is a lot of time to personally process all that you're learning. I'm so excited!
I need to update about the situation in Colombia. One of the biggest rebel groups is called the FARC. It claims to be "for the people" but it actually is a pretty violent group against the government. They kidnap many people, and the numbers are growing. Just recently 11 of 12 politicians that had been kidnapped about 5 years ago were killed. The FARC played it off saying that they were killed in a military attempt to rescue them, but, again, that they really are trying to protect the people. There was no military presence involved thought, these people were just outright murdered. In response to this, Thursday there were peace walks in all of the major cities in Colombia. People came out to pray carrying the Colombian flag to show the government and the world that FARC is violent and does not have the people's support. This group has done a lot of damage, there is not a person in Colombia that has not been personally affected, either in their own family or in the family of close friends. One of our neighbor's wife was kidnapped and they paid ransom for five years only to find out that they had killed her in the first month and continued to make money off her. Please continue to pray for this situation and wisdom for our government.
I need to update about the situation in Colombia. One of the biggest rebel groups is called the FARC. It claims to be "for the people" but it actually is a pretty violent group against the government. They kidnap many people, and the numbers are growing. Just recently 11 of 12 politicians that had been kidnapped about 5 years ago were killed. The FARC played it off saying that they were killed in a military attempt to rescue them, but, again, that they really are trying to protect the people. There was no military presence involved thought, these people were just outright murdered. In response to this, Thursday there were peace walks in all of the major cities in Colombia. People came out to pray carrying the Colombian flag to show the government and the world that FARC is violent and does not have the people's support. This group has done a lot of damage, there is not a person in Colombia that has not been personally affected, either in their own family or in the family of close friends. One of our neighbor's wife was kidnapped and they paid ransom for five years only to find out that they had killed her in the first month and continued to make money off her. Please continue to pray for this situation and wisdom for our government.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
At Home
I'm back in the states! My best friend got married last weekend... So now I have pretty pictures, funny memories of line dancing, and a lonely feeling. It's so good to be with family and have some time to rest but I think I'm getting tired of the resting part. It's good for a while but then I start to get lazy. Tomorrow I get to share at my church and my dad and I are going to team preach on Sunday, it's fun to be able to teach without a translator although it's kind of scary too. Having that other person standing by me is kind of like a security blanket. My family is going to back to Colombia with in a week for a visit which should mainly be fun, possibly a little challenging for them with the language. I’m so excited to share my world with them and to spend some more time talking and being goofy.
I'm really excited about the next semester. I'm doing the counseling school... which doesn't exactly teach you how to be a good counselor. We do have classes on family systems and counseling but most of the time is really spent crying... which I'm a pro at. In the three months we spend at the base, we learn about counseling by working through things in our own lives and healing, then we use the classes as well as the personal experience to teach and counsel on outreach. I think I’m ready for it even though I expect to be an emotional roller coaster some weeks.
Thank you for all of the prayers during outreach. It has been amazing to see how God has taken care of us in little and big ways. One thing’s for sure, we were never alone! But more than just being with us, God really empowered us with courage, creativity, opportunities, and unity that couldn’t have come from us. But even the little things we needed, like a mother’s hug when we were sick or money for medicine, God provided too. I guess that’s what makes the Christian life so exciting, you never know where or how you’ll see God, but you know it’s going to be something extravagant and perfect.
I'm really excited about the next semester. I'm doing the counseling school... which doesn't exactly teach you how to be a good counselor. We do have classes on family systems and counseling but most of the time is really spent crying... which I'm a pro at. In the three months we spend at the base, we learn about counseling by working through things in our own lives and healing, then we use the classes as well as the personal experience to teach and counsel on outreach. I think I’m ready for it even though I expect to be an emotional roller coaster some weeks.
Thank you for all of the prayers during outreach. It has been amazing to see how God has taken care of us in little and big ways. One thing’s for sure, we were never alone! But more than just being with us, God really empowered us with courage, creativity, opportunities, and unity that couldn’t have come from us. But even the little things we needed, like a mother’s hug when we were sick or money for medicine, God provided too. I guess that’s what makes the Christian life so exciting, you never know where or how you’ll see God, but you know it’s going to be something extravagant and perfect.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Ending of Outreach
My outreach is over. I got dengue and it all went down from there. Dengue is a mosquito transmitted disease that makes your blood really thin, gives you a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and makes food disgusting. For more fun facts please refer to Desteni's site desteni.blogspot.com/ I was getting weak enough that I had to return to Medellin by airplane. That left one leader with four students, and then our last leader got dengue too. We must have been the sickest team in the history of YWAM Medellin! I'm getting better, I even ate some crackers and jello today. But please keep Lorena in your prayers because she is too sick to travel home just yet.
It has been pretty crushing to have to cancel our last church and come home early. Our students will finish the last week working in our houses for displaced kids and the leaders will rest and recuperate in the base. But even though the end was a downer, we loved our time on outreach. We did a lot more work than in my outreach. We did a variety of things: camps for the youth, mini-schools, classes for new Christians, VBS for the kids, started a town wide youth group with three different congregations, and lots of teaching. It was a wonderful time and I think we did some good things in places as well as saw our students grow up a lot.
The countdown until I'll be in the states has started! 6 days!!!!! And my best friend gets married in only 10! Life just keeps flying by!
It has been pretty crushing to have to cancel our last church and come home early. Our students will finish the last week working in our houses for displaced kids and the leaders will rest and recuperate in the base. But even though the end was a downer, we loved our time on outreach. We did a lot more work than in my outreach. We did a variety of things: camps for the youth, mini-schools, classes for new Christians, VBS for the kids, started a town wide youth group with three different congregations, and lots of teaching. It was a wonderful time and I think we did some good things in places as well as saw our students grow up a lot.
The countdown until I'll be in the states has started! 6 days!!!!! And my best friend gets married in only 10! Life just keeps flying by!
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