A couple of days ago I was coming back from a short trip to Guapiles...a trip which takes me over the mountain and through the cloud/rain forest. It's a pleasant drive most of the time. The scenery is great...forest, waterfalls...nearly always is raining. Driving at night is a little more precarious because of the curvy roads.
This time it was just dusk, not yet dark and I was making good time. As Costa Rica roads go, this one is pretty good. There are passing lanes for up-mountain traffic, which is nice because there are lots of eighteen wheelers and slow vehicles. I was passing one of those trucks on a curve when the truck suddenly locked his brakes and came to a tire smoking stop. Naturally I was shaken out of my driving stupor and at once became alert, not having time to even wonder what was happening. As I passed the truck I saw the reason for his lurching halt. Were it not for his alertness and quick reactions, his cab would have slammed into a rock about the size of a two drawer filing cabinet. Apparently it had fallen off the side of the mountain onto the road.
I stopped in front of the truck, as did another car, and we all got the rock off the road, along with some smaller ones that had accompanied it down, and then we all proceed on our journey.
OK. Allow me to wax philosophical a moment...make a metaphor, if you will. There are times in this life when we are just ginning along at a good pace. Things are going well. Then suddenly, through no fault of our own, there is an obstacle in our path. Fortunately, in this case, the driver of the truck was alert. Was he expecting to see a rock in the road? Probably not. But he was aware that the unexpected can happen, reacted quickly, and stopped. Then he had some choices. He could sit there and bemoan the fact that a rock had fallen in his path. It wasn't his fault. Just rotten luck. Poor me. He could back up and go around the rock, leaving it there for the next vehicle to deal with. After all, again, it wasn't his fault the rock was there. Let every man look out for himself.
Or...he could get out of the truck and move it out of the way. That's what he did...or tried to do. Maybe he could have eventually moved it, but it was so much easier with help. He could have told us, "Hey. It isn't your problem. It's in my lane. I'll deal with it." But no, he gladly accepted extra strength, and together we had it out of the road in a couple of minutes.
Interesting. Not only did the rock get moved and the lane cleared. There was something else that happened. In that two or so minutes, there was sort of a bond created between three complete strangers. We had participated in a team effort to do something that needed doing...something good. We were all thanking each other and smiling.
OK. Applications: Unexpected obstacles and/or events come into our lives. One shouldn't live scared, but should be alert to danger. We can let them wreck us, or we can deal with them and proceed on our way. We can try to do something that will help the one coming along behind us. Sometimes we need help to get the problem solved.
Helping others is a good thing. Removing rocks from our road could just help someone coming along the same way later.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Saturday, December 02, 2006
A Busy Three Months
The last three months have been pretty crazy...but productive. Here is a summary for those interested.
In September I showed a children's video for a church in Ipis. The next week we began a project with a volunteer group from FBC,
October: I preached in Atenas, at the church of a young pastor with whom we work and at PIB, Guadalupe, the church we attend.
We worked with the group from
I spent one week in
Three days were spent with a research group from
November: We spent a week in
Spent 3 days in San Carlos with a group from New Century BC, Roanoke, VA. 500 gospels were distributed, 27 decisions for Christ registered, 21 people indicated an interest in a Bible study and 12 were interested in further contact.
On November 17 we held a missions conference in
Also in November, I brought a message at a joint worship service of
I worked with a group from
We also showed videos in one school and at the rural church in Cebadilla. On Friday, the ladies of the volunteer group helped give a baby shower for one of Jaime's neighbors and a member of his church.
I believe that about sums up the last two months.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
God's good timing
The foreknowledge of God is amazing. Several weeks ago I was looking at my calendar trying to find a day to go visit with a pastor a couple of hours away. A volunteer group is going to work with him in his area soon, and we needed to get "our ducks in a row." I wrote the visit in my calendar about 3 weeks before I was to go.
Because Mitzi has such a heart for the pastors' wives, she decided to go with me, so we made the trip planning to take the pastor and his wife out for dinner...nothing fancy, just a chance for them to have a treat. In reality, there's nothing even close to fancy in the area. We arrived about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and the wife was sitting outside under the shelter they use for services leading another young lady in a Bible study. The pastor was inside cleaning up their three year old daughter. As soon as we arrived he came out, and we began to visit.
Well, it seems God's timing was at work. Not too many days before, the wife had experienced a "meltdown." You see, their little house (two rooms,so humble) is just in front of the shelter they have built for the church to meet. When I say just in front, I'm talking maybe 10 feet in between the two. Now, first of all, this little wife is a city girl and they live in the campo...the country. They have no car. The only means of travel is by foot or bus, to which they have to walk almost mile.
The young pastor is a very loving, gregarious guy. He cares for his wife and little girl deeply. Problem is, he cares for everyone...and...like so many young husbands (and some not so young), he is sometimes insensitive to his wife's needs. It never occurred to him that a woman's house and "stuff" is special to her, and he thought nothing about inviting people into her kitchen to use cooking utensils, the blender, and anything else that might be needed. He also sometimes made plans that involved her participation without asking her first.
Add to that the instances when people just wandered into the house and children peered in the windows when she was dressing and...well...one day she lost it. She broke down, was crying and it was just too much. He was saying, "¿que hice? ¿que hice?" "What did I do?" Of course, she didn't blame him...well, not completely.
Anyway, for two hours they talked to us about how hard it was, how difficult the work is, how she feels she has no privacy...on and on. Mitzi comforted her with great understanding due to her 25 years as a pastor's wife. I tried to help him to understand how sensitive he should be to her needs and individuality. The point is, we showed up at exactly the right time, and, I believe, not by coincidence.
Finally after about two hours, I interrupted and asked if they would like to go eat with us. Carla said, "I was just wondering what I was going to cook for us to eat." We went about two miles down the road to a pizza place,the closest restaurant to them. They had never been there, and the little girl had never eaten pizza.
God's timing is good.
Because Mitzi has such a heart for the pastors' wives, she decided to go with me, so we made the trip planning to take the pastor and his wife out for dinner...nothing fancy, just a chance for them to have a treat. In reality, there's nothing even close to fancy in the area. We arrived about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and the wife was sitting outside under the shelter they use for services leading another young lady in a Bible study. The pastor was inside cleaning up their three year old daughter. As soon as we arrived he came out, and we began to visit.
Well, it seems God's timing was at work. Not too many days before, the wife had experienced a "meltdown." You see, their little house (two rooms,so humble) is just in front of the shelter they have built for the church to meet. When I say just in front, I'm talking maybe 10 feet in between the two. Now, first of all, this little wife is a city girl and they live in the campo...the country. They have no car. The only means of travel is by foot or bus, to which they have to walk almost mile.
The young pastor is a very loving, gregarious guy. He cares for his wife and little girl deeply. Problem is, he cares for everyone...and...like so many young husbands (and some not so young), he is sometimes insensitive to his wife's needs. It never occurred to him that a woman's house and "stuff" is special to her, and he thought nothing about inviting people into her kitchen to use cooking utensils, the blender, and anything else that might be needed. He also sometimes made plans that involved her participation without asking her first.
Add to that the instances when people just wandered into the house and children peered in the windows when she was dressing and...well...one day she lost it. She broke down, was crying and it was just too much. He was saying, "¿que hice? ¿que hice?" "What did I do?" Of course, she didn't blame him...well, not completely.
Anyway, for two hours they talked to us about how hard it was, how difficult the work is, how she feels she has no privacy...on and on. Mitzi comforted her with great understanding due to her 25 years as a pastor's wife. I tried to help him to understand how sensitive he should be to her needs and individuality. The point is, we showed up at exactly the right time, and, I believe, not by coincidence.
Finally after about two hours, I interrupted and asked if they would like to go eat with us. Carla said, "I was just wondering what I was going to cook for us to eat." We went about two miles down the road to a pizza place,the closest restaurant to them. They had never been there, and the little girl had never eaten pizza.
God's timing is good.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Up in Upala
We were UP in Upala, near the Nicarauga border...the temperature was up; the work was up; the activities were up...
A group of volunteers from Mississippi worked all week distributing the gospel, promoting videos that were shown in various places, and making new friends. It was a full week. We showed videos in two schools, twice in a small rural church, and on Friday night, in the central park of the little town of Upala.
I have to admit, I was skeptical about getting to show the Jesus movie in the park. Not that I thought we wouldn't get permission, but more that it would all come together. There was a large kiosk, or gazebo, type structure in the center of the park. It was covered and large enough for a big crowd...only one problem,there was no power. There were connections and outlets, just no power. A resident and a pastor who worked with us were assured by the city officials that they would get the power on in time for the movie, which was at 7 p.m. By 6 they still hadn't turned it on. I already had been figuring out alternatives, oh me of little faith. Sure enough, shortly after 6 we had power. Over 250 people watched the movie and several (8 or 10) accepted Christ afterwards.
Another "power" situation occurred earlier in the week. We were to show a video to school children in a sort of recreation area. Same deal kind of...there was power sources, but not hooked up. The group decided to gather and pray for the situation and just as they finished the prayer, the man got it hooked up, and we had electricity. Coincidence?
The group distributed 1100 copies of the gospel of John. Seed was sown, and our prayer is that a harvest will come.
A group of volunteers from Mississippi worked all week distributing the gospel, promoting videos that were shown in various places, and making new friends. It was a full week. We showed videos in two schools, twice in a small rural church, and on Friday night, in the central park of the little town of Upala.
I have to admit, I was skeptical about getting to show the Jesus movie in the park. Not that I thought we wouldn't get permission, but more that it would all come together. There was a large kiosk, or gazebo, type structure in the center of the park. It was covered and large enough for a big crowd...only one problem,there was no power. There were connections and outlets, just no power. A resident and a pastor who worked with us were assured by the city officials that they would get the power on in time for the movie, which was at 7 p.m. By 6 they still hadn't turned it on. I already had been figuring out alternatives, oh me of little faith. Sure enough, shortly after 6 we had power. Over 250 people watched the movie and several (8 or 10) accepted Christ afterwards.
Another "power" situation occurred earlier in the week. We were to show a video to school children in a sort of recreation area. Same deal kind of...there was power sources, but not hooked up. The group decided to gather and pray for the situation and just as they finished the prayer, the man got it hooked up, and we had electricity. Coincidence?
The group distributed 1100 copies of the gospel of John. Seed was sown, and our prayer is that a harvest will come.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
Gangs and the Gospel
First Baptist Church of Middleton, Tennessee sent five super folks to work with us last week. We spent the week working in San Francisco de Coronado in the shadow of an interesting old Gothic style Catholic church and in a rough area with the unlikely name of Eden. Working with some members of a Baptist church located a few barrios away, we spent the week going door to door, chatting with people, and distributing the gospel of John to each family. In all, 1930 copies were given out.
The first morning was spent prayer walking (just what it sounds like...walking down every street and praying for the families and asking God to bless them and our work). Being the rainy season, we quickly changed our schedule when the first afternoon was washed out by torrential rain. The rest of the week we started earlier and worked through the noon hour. By the time we had finished lunch each day, around 2:30-3:00, the rain started, and we were pretty much through for the day. It worked out fine.
It's always interesting to talk with the people.Very seldom are they antagonistic or discourteous. Like everywhere, they are busy, but after we explain who we are and what we are doing, they seem to appreciate it. A few want to chat and a few want to have a real discussion. Most, of course, take the little book, thank us, and return to the house. Getting the attention of people is something people from the states aren't used to. Most houses don't have door bells, but virtually all houses have iron fences. You have to tap on the fence with a coin or key and say, "Upe"(oo-pay) or "Buenas" loud enough for them to hear. (Hearing "upe" in the various American accents can be comical at times. Southerners can actually make the two syllable word into 4 syllables.)
People aren't ignorant of various groups. Quite a few ask if we are of a couple of particular groups. When we assure them we aren't, they seem to relax a bit and are more willing to talk. My spiel is to assure a person we aren't of those groups, but that we are Christians, evangelicos (evangelicals), Baptists, and that our purpose is that every person know Jesus as Savior and read the Bible.
Eden is a poor barrio with a lot of drug related problems. Teen-age boys in groups (gangs?) hang around the streets with their head rags on and are a little intimidating. Before we began working in that area, the Ticos (Costa Ricans) warned us not to get separated from them. They were afraid that gringos would be sure targets for the local elements. Some of them were a little hesitant as well, but they were determined to work the area. We were all impressed that after prayer-walking the area, we didn't have a single incident of harrasment or threat. In fact, we had a pretty good opportunity to talk with some of the boys and give them the gospel.
One somewhat amusing incident...One afternoon I took the group from Tennessee to see the old Gothic Catholic church. Of course, in front of every Catholic church there is a park. We were in the park and there was a group of young men, older teens, who were playing "hac-a-sac" (probably not spelled right). One of our group, a young adult decided he wanted to play with them, so he joined the group...did pretty well too. They seemed to accept him, at least as a curiosity. After he finished playing, I informed him that he needed to get himself a head rag, because he had just crashed the game of one of the local gangs. At first he was a little shaken that he had done it, then, I think, a little proud. It did give us the opportunity to give them each a copy of the gospel.
It was a good week, and at least 10 people prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. I don't know how many indicated that they were interested in more information, but quite a few. The pastor of the church will follow up on those.
The first morning was spent prayer walking (just what it sounds like...walking down every street and praying for the families and asking God to bless them and our work). Being the rainy season, we quickly changed our schedule when the first afternoon was washed out by torrential rain. The rest of the week we started earlier and worked through the noon hour. By the time we had finished lunch each day, around 2:30-3:00, the rain started, and we were pretty much through for the day. It worked out fine.
It's always interesting to talk with the people.Very seldom are they antagonistic or discourteous. Like everywhere, they are busy, but after we explain who we are and what we are doing, they seem to appreciate it. A few want to chat and a few want to have a real discussion. Most, of course, take the little book, thank us, and return to the house. Getting the attention of people is something people from the states aren't used to. Most houses don't have door bells, but virtually all houses have iron fences. You have to tap on the fence with a coin or key and say, "Upe"(oo-pay) or "Buenas" loud enough for them to hear. (Hearing "upe" in the various American accents can be comical at times. Southerners can actually make the two syllable word into 4 syllables.)
People aren't ignorant of various groups. Quite a few ask if we are of a couple of particular groups. When we assure them we aren't, they seem to relax a bit and are more willing to talk. My spiel is to assure a person we aren't of those groups, but that we are Christians, evangelicos (evangelicals), Baptists, and that our purpose is that every person know Jesus as Savior and read the Bible.
Eden is a poor barrio with a lot of drug related problems. Teen-age boys in groups (gangs?) hang around the streets with their head rags on and are a little intimidating. Before we began working in that area, the Ticos (Costa Ricans) warned us not to get separated from them. They were afraid that gringos would be sure targets for the local elements. Some of them were a little hesitant as well, but they were determined to work the area. We were all impressed that after prayer-walking the area, we didn't have a single incident of harrasment or threat. In fact, we had a pretty good opportunity to talk with some of the boys and give them the gospel.
One somewhat amusing incident...One afternoon I took the group from Tennessee to see the old Gothic Catholic church. Of course, in front of every Catholic church there is a park. We were in the park and there was a group of young men, older teens, who were playing "hac-a-sac" (probably not spelled right). One of our group, a young adult decided he wanted to play with them, so he joined the group...did pretty well too. They seemed to accept him, at least as a curiosity. After he finished playing, I informed him that he needed to get himself a head rag, because he had just crashed the game of one of the local gangs. At first he was a little shaken that he had done it, then, I think, a little proud. It did give us the opportunity to give them each a copy of the gospel.
It was a good week, and at least 10 people prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. I don't know how many indicated that they were interested in more information, but quite a few. The pastor of the church will follow up on those.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Rooster Problems
From time to time I have to chase out a gecko from our house. It's just part of living here. Mitzi doesn't like them, but she doesn't freak out. One could say we are used to them. And...from time to time we hear, and see, other creatures...chickens, certainly dogs, rats, in other parts of town. Well, a few weeks ago we started hearing a rooster crowing each morning, usually before daylight. No problem, although we kind of wondered who had a rooster, and why, since our neighborhood is sort of middle class and in the middle of town. Houses here are built wall to wall, and yards are very small normally. (Not to mention that the rooster's wakeup call seemed to come from a house that was more affluent than most and has a tennis court.)
Anyway...Sunday morning Mitzi looked out into our small back yard and exclaimed, "There's a rooster in our yard!" Sure enough there was a beautiful little banty rooster strutting around in the yard. My first thought was, "How did he get in here?" Our walls are high and there are no openings. Then I began to wonder how I was going to catch him. Then I thought, "What am I going to do with him, if I catch him?" I got a towel (I wasn't afraid of a little rooster, but I do know that they can peck pretty hard.) and began to try to corner him. He began squawking loudly and to my surprise he took off and flew to the roof or our house. OK. Since it is very possible to walk from house to house on the roofs, I decided that maybe the lost rooster would find his way home. He was out of our yard and not our problem anymore...or so I thought.
When we returned from church, guess what was now in our front yard...yep, the rooster. Again, the same problem. If I catch him, what do I do then? I could go up and down the street trying to find the owner.
Well, I began to try to catch him again, and this time he jumped through our fence bars onto the sidewalk. The guard saw all this, but neither of us knew what to do. But he's out of my yard again...not my problem. Right? A few minutes later our buzzer rang and I went out only to find a young lady inquiring if I was the owner of a rooster. Seems they had seen it and the guard told them that it had been in our yard. No.It wasn't my rooster and I didn't know who it belonged to. I went back inside, getting a little tired of the rooster adventure.
Not long after that, the buzzer sounded again. I went out, and this time was confronted by a lady and a little boy about 5 years old, her grandson I presume. She wasn't pleasant in the least. She asked me if I had been hitting her rooster. Someone had told her that they heard the rooster squawking in my yard and was sure I must have been hitting him. To make matters worse, she asked if I was a Christian and said something about church, or a church, that I didn't understand. It had the tone of, "If you call yourself a Christian, why are you beating up on this little boy's pet rooster?" Of course, I assured her that I hadn't hit the rooster.
The rooster story is almost over...almost. Later, the buzzer rang...again. I went out and the stupid rooster was back in the front yard. No, he didn't ring the buzzer, although I did think, if I had been abusing the thing, why did he come back. The lady with the little boy was back, trying to catch the rooster. I tried too, but he again jumped through the rails onto the sidewalk. The lady still didn't seem too happy with me, but evidently they finally captured the little boy's pet, because we have been hearing it crow every morning since then.
Anyway...Sunday morning Mitzi looked out into our small back yard and exclaimed, "There's a rooster in our yard!" Sure enough there was a beautiful little banty rooster strutting around in the yard. My first thought was, "How did he get in here?" Our walls are high and there are no openings. Then I began to wonder how I was going to catch him. Then I thought, "What am I going to do with him, if I catch him?" I got a towel (I wasn't afraid of a little rooster, but I do know that they can peck pretty hard.) and began to try to corner him. He began squawking loudly and to my surprise he took off and flew to the roof or our house. OK. Since it is very possible to walk from house to house on the roofs, I decided that maybe the lost rooster would find his way home. He was out of our yard and not our problem anymore...or so I thought.
When we returned from church, guess what was now in our front yard...yep, the rooster. Again, the same problem. If I catch him, what do I do then? I could go up and down the street trying to find the owner.
Well, I began to try to catch him again, and this time he jumped through our fence bars onto the sidewalk. The guard saw all this, but neither of us knew what to do. But he's out of my yard again...not my problem. Right? A few minutes later our buzzer rang and I went out only to find a young lady inquiring if I was the owner of a rooster. Seems they had seen it and the guard told them that it had been in our yard. No.It wasn't my rooster and I didn't know who it belonged to. I went back inside, getting a little tired of the rooster adventure.
Not long after that, the buzzer sounded again. I went out, and this time was confronted by a lady and a little boy about 5 years old, her grandson I presume. She wasn't pleasant in the least. She asked me if I had been hitting her rooster. Someone had told her that they heard the rooster squawking in my yard and was sure I must have been hitting him. To make matters worse, she asked if I was a Christian and said something about church, or a church, that I didn't understand. It had the tone of, "If you call yourself a Christian, why are you beating up on this little boy's pet rooster?" Of course, I assured her that I hadn't hit the rooster.
The rooster story is almost over...almost. Later, the buzzer rang...again. I went out and the stupid rooster was back in the front yard. No, he didn't ring the buzzer, although I did think, if I had been abusing the thing, why did he come back. The lady with the little boy was back, trying to catch the rooster. I tried too, but he again jumped through the rails onto the sidewalk. The lady still didn't seem too happy with me, but evidently they finally captured the little boy's pet, because we have been hearing it crow every morning since then.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Why Are We Here?
A common question we are asked, both here in Costa Rica and in the U.S.is "Why are you here (or in Costa Rica)?" Since Catholics are in the "Christian Camp" it is assumed that they are, in fact, Christians and in no need of being evangelized. There is no need to elaborate on the fallacy of the concept that the claim makes the fact. One example will suffice. I remember many years ago when we were in Salt Lake City, Utah and visited the Morman Tabernacle. The young lady who was guiding us through the area began her talk with, "We are Christians, just like you." Well, first of all, I doubt that everyone listening to her was a Christian, and, secondly the question I would have liked to have asked her is, "By what criteria do you claim Mormans are Christians?" I am supposing it is assumed that if Christ is somewhere in the belief system of a group, or person, that person or group feels justified in claiming Christianity. Without getting into doctrinal questions (at least, not yet...later), many events and people in history would dispute that claim.
But back to the question of the Catholic church...it traces its roots to the early church, and thus claims to be the true church...the "Holy Catholic Church". A study of church history would be hard put to dispute the claim of historical descent. However, and this is a big "however", the question is not one of descent, but one of content. (ref. Matt.3:9)
Since we are using the term "Christian", perhaps we should be sure of what role Christ plays in one's belief system before we make a claim of being Christian. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6 NASB) There are many other scriptures, but you can check them out for yourself. The point is that Jesus is the means by which we obtain salvation and reconciliation with God. His atoning work on the cross paid what we owe for our sins, and grace is extended to those who believe in that and trust in Him as Lord and Savior...pretty basic, but extremely profound and important.
Now, having said all that, let me tell a short story to illustrate the problem...and the reason we are here. Last week we were taking some friends sightseeing through beautiful Orosi Valley. In the village of Orosi is located the oldest standing church in Costa Rica, Catholic, of course. (See above picture.) As we were leaving the church, I decided to ask a fellow sitting in the door ( I think he was a caretaker, or guide maybe.) a couple of questions. I'm always interested to hear what people believe. I inquired if I might ask him a question, and he agreed, so I asked him to explain to me, according to his belief as a Catholic, what is necessary to have salvation. He briefly answered my query in this manner: "Find the priest, confess your sins, and that will bring reconciliation with the church." Of course, we were talking in Spanish, and I wanted to make sure I understood him correctly,so I said, "You are saying..." and repeated what he had told me. I understood his explanation. The only problems with that statement are: 1) The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, and 2) it is not the church to whom we must be reconciled. The Bible teaches that we must be reconciled to God, through Christ. In what the man said there seems to be an implication that the church is the object of worship and the supreme authority
Now, before you pounce upon me for a generalization, I realize that was only one man's statement. However, it is echoed, in various forms, by many. No doubt there are true Christians within the walls of Catholic churches. I also have my doubts that the man's statement lines up with the official teaching of the Catholic church, but in practice, it is the belief of many...and...that's why we are here.
But back to the question of the Catholic church...it traces its roots to the early church, and thus claims to be the true church...the "Holy Catholic Church". A study of church history would be hard put to dispute the claim of historical descent. However, and this is a big "however", the question is not one of descent, but one of content. (ref. Matt.3:9)
Since we are using the term "Christian", perhaps we should be sure of what role Christ plays in one's belief system before we make a claim of being Christian. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6 NASB) There are many other scriptures, but you can check them out for yourself. The point is that Jesus is the means by which we obtain salvation and reconciliation with God. His atoning work on the cross paid what we owe for our sins, and grace is extended to those who believe in that and trust in Him as Lord and Savior...pretty basic, but extremely profound and important.
Now, having said all that, let me tell a short story to illustrate the problem...and the reason we are here. Last week we were taking some friends sightseeing through beautiful Orosi Valley. In the village of Orosi is located the oldest standing church in Costa Rica, Catholic, of course. (See above picture.) As we were leaving the church, I decided to ask a fellow sitting in the door ( I think he was a caretaker, or guide maybe.) a couple of questions. I'm always interested to hear what people believe. I inquired if I might ask him a question, and he agreed, so I asked him to explain to me, according to his belief as a Catholic, what is necessary to have salvation. He briefly answered my query in this manner: "Find the priest, confess your sins, and that will bring reconciliation with the church." Of course, we were talking in Spanish, and I wanted to make sure I understood him correctly,so I said, "You are saying..." and repeated what he had told me. I understood his explanation. The only problems with that statement are: 1) The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, and 2) it is not the church to whom we must be reconciled. The Bible teaches that we must be reconciled to God, through Christ. In what the man said there seems to be an implication that the church is the object of worship and the supreme authority
Now, before you pounce upon me for a generalization, I realize that was only one man's statement. However, it is echoed, in various forms, by many. No doubt there are true Christians within the walls of Catholic churches. I also have my doubts that the man's statement lines up with the official teaching of the Catholic church, but in practice, it is the belief of many...and...that's why we are here.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Meet Patricia and family
The first part of this week I hosted some guys from Virginia whose church is going to take the responsibility of starting new work in the area of San Carlos, Costa Rica. We met with some of the Christians in the area and discussed how we might work together. One dear lady, Patricia, prepared breakfast for us on Tuesday at her home, a beautiful spot nestled in a valley between two mountains.(pictures above) The home is very humble, but is a delightful place to be. It is a country home, repleat with chickens, goats, fruit trees and lots of home grown vegetables. As is often the case in Costa Rica, the windows and doors stay open virtually all the time. Open doors...loose animals...You get the picture.
Patricia loves the Lord and lives with her two youngest children and a long-time friend, Maria. She is divorced and has three older children, 22, 19, and 17. Please pray for the 17 year old, Jackson. He is "in the streets" as they say, and is involved in dealing drugs. It is a heart-breaking worry for Patricia.
A means of support for the family is the production and sale of home produced, organic, toiletry items...shampoo, hand creams, conditioners, etc, all made with various plants and extracts produced right there at their place. She sells them at the "feria", a sort of weekly farmer's market found in every village and barrio.
Patricia says she could move to the city and get a better paying occupation, but she believes it is very important for the children to have the freedom of the country living, the animals, and the raising of their food. I sure can't disagree. What they are experiencing cannot be replaced with a higher income, city traffic, gated and walled houses or easily assesible supermarkets.
The family drives about 10 kilometers to worship with a body of Christian believers who highly value family life and support each other as there is need.
I look at a setting like the one in which this family lives and frankly I am a little jealous. It's a hard life, but it's simple and the children laugh and play and have no idea that they are missing movies and malls. They are learning to love the Lord and life.
Patricia loves the Lord and lives with her two youngest children and a long-time friend, Maria. She is divorced and has three older children, 22, 19, and 17. Please pray for the 17 year old, Jackson. He is "in the streets" as they say, and is involved in dealing drugs. It is a heart-breaking worry for Patricia.
A means of support for the family is the production and sale of home produced, organic, toiletry items...shampoo, hand creams, conditioners, etc, all made with various plants and extracts produced right there at their place. She sells them at the "feria", a sort of weekly farmer's market found in every village and barrio.
Patricia says she could move to the city and get a better paying occupation, but she believes it is very important for the children to have the freedom of the country living, the animals, and the raising of their food. I sure can't disagree. What they are experiencing cannot be replaced with a higher income, city traffic, gated and walled houses or easily assesible supermarkets.
The family drives about 10 kilometers to worship with a body of Christian believers who highly value family life and support each other as there is need.
I look at a setting like the one in which this family lives and frankly I am a little jealous. It's a hard life, but it's simple and the children laugh and play and have no idea that they are missing movies and malls. They are learning to love the Lord and life.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
I've spent quite a bit of time the last week with new language students - some of my very favorite people. The current policy is for singles or couples without children to live with national families. This, of course, is great for language learning and adapting to the culture but try to picture how hard it can be. A person has just left "home" - all that is familiar and comfortable where they can communicate easily and have a lifetime of experiences. In about four hours they are transported to a place where the residents speak another language; eat differently; live in smaller houses with more people, etc. This new missionary now becomes part of that large family in the small house. Their bodies aren't used to the new germs and sometimes they get sick. Their nervous systems have never been exposed to so much noise ALL THE TIME. Even the biggest rice fans have never, ever eaten so many of those little white grains in such a short time - for every meal. On and on it goes, and they can't even tell their host family how they feel or what they think - maybe that is a good thing actually!
Because they don't have cars, they must walk, take the bus or a taxi. Costa Rica doesn't have street addresses but "direciones" which read something like this (our address) "Moravia, San Jose, Los Colegios norte, entrada principal, 100 metros norte, 200 oeste, 25 norte, mano derecho, primero porton".
Then there is the problem of getting used to the new money. It's overwhelming to spend 25,000 colones at the grocery store. This is about $50 American but sounds like you just blew your entire year's salary.
This time of year, they can count on the fact that it will rain every afternoon so they never leave the house after lunch without their umbrella. It will most likely be a downpour and they will come home wet from the knees down no matter how big their paragua is. Their shoes will soon smell horrible and their clothes will mildew in the closet.
Finally they begin classes at language school and from the first the instructors speak only Spanish to these poor folk. They get grammar books and workbooks and are given homework that can take up to five hours to complete because they have to look up every word in the dictionary.
Some of the new students have children. These families live in mission-owned homes so that is somewhat easier but they have the stress of getting the children settled in a new school. These kids will make good friends at school but many of those friends will leave after three months and most of the others after six or when these children leave in a year.
All of these language missionaries will attend national churches and leave most Sundays with a headache from concentrating so hard to understand just a few words of the sermon. It is a discipline to maintain good spiritual health.
These are just a few of the stressors language missionaries experience but "vale la pena" - it's worth it. It's not long before these people have national friends they love and almost immediately they bond with their fellow students - misery does love company, you know.
By the end of their time in Costa Rica studying Spanish they know literally thousands of Spanish words and have come soooooooooooooooooo far. They still have a long way to go before all that information that has been stuffed into their brains becomes natural to them in speaking but they are well on their way.
They leave with great memories and so excited about finally getting to their field of service.
It is our pleasure and a great blessing to get to know these fine folk - one of the perks of being a missionary in Costa Rica where the IMB sends their new personnel to learn Spanish.
Because they don't have cars, they must walk, take the bus or a taxi. Costa Rica doesn't have street addresses but "direciones" which read something like this (our address) "Moravia, San Jose, Los Colegios norte, entrada principal, 100 metros norte, 200 oeste, 25 norte, mano derecho, primero porton".
Then there is the problem of getting used to the new money. It's overwhelming to spend 25,000 colones at the grocery store. This is about $50 American but sounds like you just blew your entire year's salary.
This time of year, they can count on the fact that it will rain every afternoon so they never leave the house after lunch without their umbrella. It will most likely be a downpour and they will come home wet from the knees down no matter how big their paragua is. Their shoes will soon smell horrible and their clothes will mildew in the closet.
Finally they begin classes at language school and from the first the instructors speak only Spanish to these poor folk. They get grammar books and workbooks and are given homework that can take up to five hours to complete because they have to look up every word in the dictionary.
Some of the new students have children. These families live in mission-owned homes so that is somewhat easier but they have the stress of getting the children settled in a new school. These kids will make good friends at school but many of those friends will leave after three months and most of the others after six or when these children leave in a year.
All of these language missionaries will attend national churches and leave most Sundays with a headache from concentrating so hard to understand just a few words of the sermon. It is a discipline to maintain good spiritual health.
These are just a few of the stressors language missionaries experience but "vale la pena" - it's worth it. It's not long before these people have national friends they love and almost immediately they bond with their fellow students - misery does love company, you know.
By the end of their time in Costa Rica studying Spanish they know literally thousands of Spanish words and have come soooooooooooooooooo far. They still have a long way to go before all that information that has been stuffed into their brains becomes natural to them in speaking but they are well on their way.
They leave with great memories and so excited about finally getting to their field of service.
It is our pleasure and a great blessing to get to know these fine folk - one of the perks of being a missionary in Costa Rica where the IMB sends their new personnel to learn Spanish.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Mysterious, miraculous, or malfunction?
Being of the generation that has to have my grandchildren program the DVD player, I don't claim to be any kind of technical expert. However, with teaching and experience I have been able to learn to operate the DVD player and digital projector to show movies and power points in various places around the country. We often use these for teaching and even evangelism.
But a couple of weeks ago a strange thing happened. Mitzi and I went to a village to work with a pastor of a small church for a special event that he planned. There were quite a number of children there and several families that had never attended the church before, along with some regular attenders.
We were a little late arriving and the activities had already started, but a few of the men set up the screen while I set up the projector and DVD player. Soon everything was ready. I had brought several videos, all of which Jaime, the pastor, and I had used before. Since there were so many children there, Jaime chose one of the cartoon type videos to show. It had a good "value" message, although it wasn't exactly an evangelistic theme.
The Disc was inserted into the player and everything started beautifully. (For me there is still that moment of uncertainty...is it going to work? And then sweet relief when it does.) Only one problem...it was playing in English. No big deal. A small delay, but it wouldn't be any problem to switch it to Spanish. Stop the DVD, go to the menu,and make the change. I stopped it. Pressed the menu button on the remote. The message flashed on the screen, "Invalid Key." I checked. Yes, I pushed the right button. I tried again. Same thing,"Invalid Key." After several frustrating tries I did what every highly skilled technician does. I frantically started pressing buttons, any button, all buttons. Finally, the menu appeared. How? Who knows? But there it was. It wasn't the time to examine the process.
But there was a problem. There was no language option. Several others, but none to change the language. I checked the cover of the DVD case. Yes, it said Spanish was an option. So there were options. Jaime and his wife Carla came to my rescue. They were familiar with the DVD and the equipment. (In fact they have a player exactly like what I was using that another missionary gave them.) After reviewing the situation, we decided to change to another video, still a cartoon.The new DVD was inserted and,to our dismay, the result was the same. The menu was eventually found, but there was no language option. We changed again, to another cartoon video. (As you can imagine, the children were getting restless. The adults were being very polite and waiting patiently for the dumb gringo to get things going.)
Well, to shorten the story, after changing to Jaime's DVD player and getting the exact same result with it and both remotes, we again changed to another DVD. This time it was the story of Jesus from the gospel of Luke. The story is shown with three children following Jesus around and telling the story. By this time we were desperate and trying everything to get the videos into Spanish. Carla brought out an old VHS tape player remote control. Shoot, I'd try anything. I pressed menu. Up popped the menu of the DVD...with the language option. Excitedly I pressed the change button...nothing. I left the menu up, but switched back to the DVD control. It worked! I selected "Spanish" and we watched three children follow a Spanish-speaking Jesus around and narrate the story...in Spanish.
As I said previously, several new families were there who had not been there before and had not expressed faith in Jesus. You figure it out. Was it simply a malfunction, technical or human? Was it a miraculous intervention of God? It definitely was mysterious.
But a couple of weeks ago a strange thing happened. Mitzi and I went to a village to work with a pastor of a small church for a special event that he planned. There were quite a number of children there and several families that had never attended the church before, along with some regular attenders.
We were a little late arriving and the activities had already started, but a few of the men set up the screen while I set up the projector and DVD player. Soon everything was ready. I had brought several videos, all of which Jaime, the pastor, and I had used before. Since there were so many children there, Jaime chose one of the cartoon type videos to show. It had a good "value" message, although it wasn't exactly an evangelistic theme.
The Disc was inserted into the player and everything started beautifully. (For me there is still that moment of uncertainty...is it going to work? And then sweet relief when it does.) Only one problem...it was playing in English. No big deal. A small delay, but it wouldn't be any problem to switch it to Spanish. Stop the DVD, go to the menu,and make the change. I stopped it. Pressed the menu button on the remote. The message flashed on the screen, "Invalid Key." I checked. Yes, I pushed the right button. I tried again. Same thing,"Invalid Key." After several frustrating tries I did what every highly skilled technician does. I frantically started pressing buttons, any button, all buttons. Finally, the menu appeared. How? Who knows? But there it was. It wasn't the time to examine the process.
But there was a problem. There was no language option. Several others, but none to change the language. I checked the cover of the DVD case. Yes, it said Spanish was an option. So there were options. Jaime and his wife Carla came to my rescue. They were familiar with the DVD and the equipment. (In fact they have a player exactly like what I was using that another missionary gave them.) After reviewing the situation, we decided to change to another video, still a cartoon.The new DVD was inserted and,to our dismay, the result was the same. The menu was eventually found, but there was no language option. We changed again, to another cartoon video. (As you can imagine, the children were getting restless. The adults were being very polite and waiting patiently for the dumb gringo to get things going.)
Well, to shorten the story, after changing to Jaime's DVD player and getting the exact same result with it and both remotes, we again changed to another DVD. This time it was the story of Jesus from the gospel of Luke. The story is shown with three children following Jesus around and telling the story. By this time we were desperate and trying everything to get the videos into Spanish. Carla brought out an old VHS tape player remote control. Shoot, I'd try anything. I pressed menu. Up popped the menu of the DVD...with the language option. Excitedly I pressed the change button...nothing. I left the menu up, but switched back to the DVD control. It worked! I selected "Spanish" and we watched three children follow a Spanish-speaking Jesus around and narrate the story...in Spanish.
As I said previously, several new families were there who had not been there before and had not expressed faith in Jesus. You figure it out. Was it simply a malfunction, technical or human? Was it a miraculous intervention of God? It definitely was mysterious.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Goodbye to some great missionaries
The above photo is of our IMB team in Costa Rica. We were gathered for a despedida (farewell party) in honor of Lloyd and Wilma Mann, seated in front. They will be leaving the field in December and will actually retire a year later, after having served with the IMB for 38 years. (We had the despedida early because two of our families are going on furlough for a year in July and didn't want to miss honoring the Manns.)
Lloyd and Wilma have served in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Actually, they have made full circle. Lloyd started out in Costa Rica as a Journeyman (a young person with a two year assignment), where he met Wilma, a Tica (term for a native Costa Rican lady) Yes, they had a mission field romance, which was a little difficult because Journeymen aren't allowed to date. They swear they didn't date, and I believe them, but at the end of Lloyd's term, they got married.
Lloyd's responsibility in the last few years has been to promote foreign mission involvement by Latin American Baptist churches...in other words, to try to motivate and mobilize Latin Churches to send missionaries to other countries. Wilma has been responsible for testing language students and newer missionaries as to their proficiency in Spanish and helping them increase their abilities to communicate. Our joke is that I have only gotten to know Wilma in the last two years because before that, I was always avoiding her, hoping she would somehow forget to test me if she didn't see me. (Not completely untrue.)
Wilma and Lloyd are precious servants of God. Their faithfulness has been evident in their work and family. All their children serve the Lord, some as foreign missionaries in challenging places. It's been a blessing to know them and work with them for this short time.
Lloyd and Wilma have served in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Actually, they have made full circle. Lloyd started out in Costa Rica as a Journeyman (a young person with a two year assignment), where he met Wilma, a Tica (term for a native Costa Rican lady) Yes, they had a mission field romance, which was a little difficult because Journeymen aren't allowed to date. They swear they didn't date, and I believe them, but at the end of Lloyd's term, they got married.
Lloyd's responsibility in the last few years has been to promote foreign mission involvement by Latin American Baptist churches...in other words, to try to motivate and mobilize Latin Churches to send missionaries to other countries. Wilma has been responsible for testing language students and newer missionaries as to their proficiency in Spanish and helping them increase their abilities to communicate. Our joke is that I have only gotten to know Wilma in the last two years because before that, I was always avoiding her, hoping she would somehow forget to test me if she didn't see me. (Not completely untrue.)
Wilma and Lloyd are precious servants of God. Their faithfulness has been evident in their work and family. All their children serve the Lord, some as foreign missionaries in challenging places. It's been a blessing to know them and work with them for this short time.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Where is God?
Actually, this title is a hook...to get your attention. Of course, God is everywhere. Ok, get technical. Is He in hell? Well, that might raise some interesting theological questions. But my purpose isn't to have a theological discussion...nothing that heavy. Although there may be theological implications in my observations, what I really want to do is relate a recent experience...patience, patience...I'm getting to it.
A couple of weeks ago, actually three now, Mitzi and I were driving through the country side on our way to Barbacoas, a quaint little village with a beautiful Catholic church with intricate wood work throughout. Our purpose wasn't to see the church but rather to do some mapping for a soon arriving volunteer group.
As we drove through the mountains, we spotted a village way down in the valley. We could tell there was a village because the prominent Catholic Church building stood out clearly. We decided to drive through the valley, taking a detour that would still get us to the originally intended destination.
As we came to the village of Tabarcia, we spotted a sign on the side of a building indicating there was a church to the right down an unpaved road. Being curious, we took the road and within 50 meters arrived at nice little building with a sign over it..."Iglesia Arbol de Vida" (Tree of Life Church) [See the pictures above.] There were a few people outside the church painting the walls. After stopping and greeting them, we learned that included in the painters were the pastor and his wife, a gringo missionary and his wife, and two gringa ladies from Kentucky, along with a couple of other members of the church.
OK, now my point. Here was a small village in the valley, really out of the way, with an active evangelical Christian church. Our assumption was that there was no church there, but we were wrong. God had somehow reached into that little village and touched lives. Every place, every person is important to Him.
After visiting with the people for a couple of hours, we made plans for the group that was coming to spend a day there going door to door passing out the gospel of John in that village and two others which are close by. It was a wonderful experience, and we were all encouraged that God is at work even where "we" have not been. We aren't alone, and God is working in places other than those we know about.
A couple of weeks ago, actually three now, Mitzi and I were driving through the country side on our way to Barbacoas, a quaint little village with a beautiful Catholic church with intricate wood work throughout. Our purpose wasn't to see the church but rather to do some mapping for a soon arriving volunteer group.
As we drove through the mountains, we spotted a village way down in the valley. We could tell there was a village because the prominent Catholic Church building stood out clearly. We decided to drive through the valley, taking a detour that would still get us to the originally intended destination.
As we came to the village of Tabarcia, we spotted a sign on the side of a building indicating there was a church to the right down an unpaved road. Being curious, we took the road and within 50 meters arrived at nice little building with a sign over it..."Iglesia Arbol de Vida" (Tree of Life Church) [See the pictures above.] There were a few people outside the church painting the walls. After stopping and greeting them, we learned that included in the painters were the pastor and his wife, a gringo missionary and his wife, and two gringa ladies from Kentucky, along with a couple of other members of the church.
OK, now my point. Here was a small village in the valley, really out of the way, with an active evangelical Christian church. Our assumption was that there was no church there, but we were wrong. God had somehow reached into that little village and touched lives. Every place, every person is important to Him.
After visiting with the people for a couple of hours, we made plans for the group that was coming to spend a day there going door to door passing out the gospel of John in that village and two others which are close by. It was a wonderful experience, and we were all encouraged that God is at work even where "we" have not been. We aren't alone, and God is working in places other than those we know about.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Sacrifices
The willingness to sacrifice in order that others might come to know the Lord is best guaged not by where or how a person is serving, but by what the attitude of the server is. Yesterday I met a young family living in a very rural area of north Costa Rica. They moved there a little over 3 years ago from the city. They left a good job and comfortable home to live in a small house in the country. I can't swear to it, but it looked like there was a dirt floor. The young man does repairs on small appliances to feed his wife and two children. I can't imagine there is a lot of work in the village where they live.
But...they were glad to be there. He spoke of getting to know the people in the area, ministering to them as he could, and his small congregation of 15 adults plus children. They have two worship services on Sundays, weekday Bible study, a weekly activity for young people and a "kids club".
Why did they go? Probably he could answer that question better than I, but it has to do with seeing a need and feeling that God wants you to fill that need, with His help of course. The hope isn't for personal gain, any kind of advancement or recognition. No doubt this intelligent young pastor could have stayed where he was and gotten a "city" church, but that wasn't what the Lord called him to do.
To me, he's a hero of the faith. I live in a nice house, drive a good car,(He has a bicycle and half a motorcycle...frame, no motor.)and eat out several times a week. Yeah, I go out to the villages and work, but I always come home, take a hot shower, eat a nice supper, watch a little TV and climb into a nice clean bed. Don't attribute sacrifice to me. What do I know about that?
Sure, I want your prayers, need them, but be fervent for Jaime and Carla, Jeremy and Ivet, Elian and Gabriela, and others that I don't know about who are really out there...living the life, and for what? So that people who don't otherwise have a source of the truth will have the opportunity to know it.
But...they were glad to be there. He spoke of getting to know the people in the area, ministering to them as he could, and his small congregation of 15 adults plus children. They have two worship services on Sundays, weekday Bible study, a weekly activity for young people and a "kids club".
Why did they go? Probably he could answer that question better than I, but it has to do with seeing a need and feeling that God wants you to fill that need, with His help of course. The hope isn't for personal gain, any kind of advancement or recognition. No doubt this intelligent young pastor could have stayed where he was and gotten a "city" church, but that wasn't what the Lord called him to do.
To me, he's a hero of the faith. I live in a nice house, drive a good car,(He has a bicycle and half a motorcycle...frame, no motor.)and eat out several times a week. Yeah, I go out to the villages and work, but I always come home, take a hot shower, eat a nice supper, watch a little TV and climb into a nice clean bed. Don't attribute sacrifice to me. What do I know about that?
Sure, I want your prayers, need them, but be fervent for Jaime and Carla, Jeremy and Ivet, Elian and Gabriela, and others that I don't know about who are really out there...living the life, and for what? So that people who don't otherwise have a source of the truth will have the opportunity to know it.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
D'Vinci Code
What is the D'Vinci Code? The phenomena surrounding the book and movie is interesting to say the least. I wonder how many books have been written to combat, dispute, explain the so-called D'Vinci Code.
Certainly the story has taken on a life of its own. But what is it anyway? Is it some new found manuscript? Is it new evidence just discovered? Is it even someone's theory? Nope. None of the above. "The" D'Vinci Code is a story...a work of fiction...made up by a clever author. No doubt it will cause skeptics to nod their head in an "I told you so" acknowledgement. The story has obviously caused a tremendous amount of reaction in the Christian community.(ipso facto this writing) But is the reaction justified? Perhaps, in the vein of reminding us that we, as believers, ought to know more about our beliefs and the reasons for them...that there are good sound reasons for our faith. But to "combat" the book or movie? Why? What are we "combatting"? a made up work of fiction.Does it deserve all the attention? I'll leave that for others to decide, but we would do well to let it be only an evidence that many are always anxious to find some way to discredit truth, even if by fiction.
Certainly the story has taken on a life of its own. But what is it anyway? Is it some new found manuscript? Is it new evidence just discovered? Is it even someone's theory? Nope. None of the above. "The" D'Vinci Code is a story...a work of fiction...made up by a clever author. No doubt it will cause skeptics to nod their head in an "I told you so" acknowledgement. The story has obviously caused a tremendous amount of reaction in the Christian community.(ipso facto this writing) But is the reaction justified? Perhaps, in the vein of reminding us that we, as believers, ought to know more about our beliefs and the reasons for them...that there are good sound reasons for our faith. But to "combat" the book or movie? Why? What are we "combatting"? a made up work of fiction.Does it deserve all the attention? I'll leave that for others to decide, but we would do well to let it be only an evidence that many are always anxious to find some way to discredit truth, even if by fiction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)