Holy Week...

Service Project @ the dump in Chimaltenango

Since the beginning of time we as humans have been FORGETFUL! We forget everything from where we last left our keys to AMAZING experiencing had at the hand of a GRACIOUS and LIVING God! Often we live within our circumstances as though they are exclusive...that is to say that those circumstances are all that matter. AND thus we FORGET about the world around us, the trials our "brothers and sisters" are experiencing....famine, war, abuse, abandonment, etc.

In our community here I think it is even easier to FORGET. We live on the side of the mountain and EVERYTHING we need is here. It's rare that we experience life apart from this place....you could even say that we live in a bubble! That is not to say it's utopia but it's a place that is certainly sheltered from the world. As we've considered these things, we felt led by the Holy Spirit to incorporate service projects as a part of the VISION for youth group in 2010.

Honestly as we planned it was a HUGE step of FAITH. We felt led to do some sort of project in the city dump but for months had no response from the ministry located there. Then, sort of out of the blue some great friends, Charlie and Pat Reynolds introduced us to a new ministry beginning in their city at the dump. So we made a trip out there to visit them but also to explore partnership possibilities.

After MUCH planning our youth - - BRIGADA 40 began to prepare through a 40 day fast in which they each chose to give up an element of life, something important to them in order to make more room in their lives for the presence of the LORD. On the last day of that fast we called an optional but communal fast among BRIGADA in order to prepare specifically for the service project out in Chimaltenango. WHAT an AMAZING day it was! The youth arrived, the majority having chosen to fast, they jumped into the prep process....sorting and bagging beans and rice, wrapping gifts of hygiene products, cutting fruit and practicing a program through which they would present the GOSPEL. It was AMAZING!

No complaining, no bad attitudes....And at the end we spent time in small groups praying over the activity instead of eating.

As I pondered the events of the day it occured to me that the FAST was ENJOYABLE! And the Lord led me to Isaiah 58...

"Is not this the fast that I choose:

To LOOSE the bonds of wickedness,

to UNDO the straps of the yoke,

to LET the oppressed go free,

And to BREAK every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, "HERE I AM."

THE FAST WAS ENJOYABLE!

The next day at 8:00a.m. we headed to Chimaltenango for the service project...

BRIGADA 40 served at Pat and Charlie's school and it's surrounding community and then at the Chimaltenango dump as well. Our hearts were so tender and the Spirit of God moved among us and through us mightily! And the Lord continues to work among us....

OUR CHALLENGE: To REMEMBER this new found perspective and to walk in GRATEFULNESS!

Long overdue Update....January 14, 2010

They say a picture says a thousand words! I absolutely love these of our little ones, taken a couple of weeks ago during a campus wide event!

This was taken on New Year's Eve.....fireworks galore!!!! It was such a loud night but so much fun! We had two teams here and they gracious made the entire campus dinner and then we enjoyed worship together and of course the finale was a HUGE fireworks show! It was a beautiful way to ring in the New Year!

So much has happened in our short time back and I'm not sure exactly how to communicate all that God has done! Our first six months were so challenging and my stomach turned as we boarded our plane to return to Guatemala....unsure of the challenges that would surely await us! But I was more confident than ever that God had called us and annointed this time for us to serve at Casa Bernabe....and that alone brought a great deal of peace, still my flesh was insecure!

As we flew I grew more and more relaxed and a peace that I cannot even begin to describe covered me and has continued to this day!

We hit the ground running! Southwest Baptist University had just arrived and so we dropped our luggage off and ran to do orientation for this 11th SBU team! It was so exciting for me to have this as my first assignment as I graduated from SBU and was a member of the first ever Casa Bernabe team. Just participating in that orientation brought such encouragement to my heart....and brought back so many amazing memories of ALL that God ALMIGHTY has done these 11 years.

From there we've been diving in....Stefan to his homeschool and me to learning more and more about Social Work in Guatemala. I feel a renewed passion to be a voice, to impart resources and to just be a part of the process that each child walks through.

I am excited to be able to delegate some of my public relations responsibilities to a sweet couple from a local church and to instead be able to jump into mentoring our young women. The road that we've been on over the past few months has been such an adventure but it's so exciting to see where God has brought us and to experience the anticipation of where He's taking us.

About three months ago God laid the word RESTORATION on my heart. That word has been burnt on my heart but the process has left me speechless....without answers....as my good friend McKenzie would say...."it's left me pensive." How do we take these kids from our door up the mountain to the summit of RESTORATION? What should that process look like? HOW in the world do we connect intimately with each child we serve in order to come alongside them in the process?

Pray for us as we continue to ponder and as we enter 2010 with a focus of RESTORATION in every life/heart on our mountainside....children and adults alike. For the next 40 days we will focus on Forgiveness.....both experiencing it and rendering it....please pray for open hearts and a readiness in our children to both receive and render forgiveness. Please pray for our adults that we will be a reflection of the HEART of the ALMIGHTY and that they will see daily expressions of forgiveness in our lives/hearts/families.

More to come....

Embracing 2010....

Embracing 2010....releasing 2009!

God's merciful hand was over our lives in 2009...that we can say for sure! Our hearts overflow today as we reflect on the year and ponder 2010 and all that it will bring! It's a calm afternoon here on the mountainside and God's presence so real to me as I sit down to write! In a few hours our family, 200 strong will gather for worship and prayer. The Gospel will be presented and we pray for it to take root and well up, changing lives - - breaking chains, freeing these precious little ones and allowing them to walk in constant victory.

We've been home now for two days and they have been mind blowing days! God has ordered our steps and allowed us to see needs, pray over kids like crazy, love on kids and pick right up building relationships! Oh that these kids would only see our sweet Jesus when they see us, that they would feel his sweet embrace as we love on them.....that their hearts would be drawn to Him, to the healing in just the hem of His garmet, to the overwhelming love in His eyes.

More than any other year I am so excited and already hanging on tight for 2010. I'm so pumped about all that God began in 2009 and the vision He's given for 2010.

As we rested over the past three weeks I feel like God brought so much conviction to my heart, new perspective and just a HOPE in future grace for all of us. We experienced some difficult times in our first six months and admit that it was too easy to get caught up in circumstance rather than to keep my (our) eyes fixed on the One who is BIGGER than the pain and suffering that surrounds us.

So as we already embrace this beautiful new year we Declare that WE ARE HIS and we're hanging on tight for the adventure! HAPPY 2010 dear ones.....

A fun pic...

Reflections....

I continue to learn so much from our children. It's funny, lessons just come in the silence....

Stefan and I have been reading through Matthew forever! It seems we'll never finish this book but everytime we open the WORD there is a serious WORD for our family. In the midst of reading I've been pondering all that Jesus came to do....the work of restoring us, a broken, hopeless people to a Holy God through perfect redemption on the cross.

Two weeks ago as I watched a little boy struggle to adjust, to accept love and grace in our home he spit on us, rejected our love.....
The Spirit of God has revealed to me so much through that experience. I cannot imagine the scorn, the rejection, the pain that Jesus felt as He bore up all my sin. As He was spit on, mocked, beaten and ultimately crucified so that I (we) could experience COMPLETE restoration....He willingly redeemed me (and all who would receive) at a price that is higher than I could ever imagine. How often do we, even those of us who "believe" reject Christ through attitudes and actions? I cannot tell you how much that spit in my face has caused me to think of all that Christ did to bring me life, and life more abundant. It has caused me to examine deeply....

I read a prayer the other day and it seems to be right in line with all that God is teaching me right....you can read it and be challenged by it at www.jmm.aaa.net.au

As we continue to ponder the time that God has granted for us to advocate for these little lives we ask that you would partner with us in prayer. That God would guide us in wisdom, that He would overwhelm us with a spirit of discernment and that our hearts would be willing to do exactly as He leads.

Dwelling...lessons learned from the field...

Lessons learned from the field....
It seems as though the months passed in the blinking of an eye and yet as a family and personally we've learned so much in this season. We continually are amazed by God's immense grace and His limitless love!

One of my favorite books in college was A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot. The book recounts the story of Amy Charmichael, a missionary to India who fearlessly served their children for 53 years. God had done some specific work in my soul before stumbling onto this book but as I turned the pages God confirmed time and time again His call on my life.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; withut him nothng was made that has been made. In HIM was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." John 1:1-5 & 14

As I sit in my sister's living room, glad to be among family I find myself lost in thought. Pondering words like restoration, redemption, forgiveness....And as I think about this season I can't help but find peace in John 1:14....He, JESUS, became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Among our hurts, our brokeness, our filth, our hopelessness He both dwelt and brought the promise of future grace. And as such we each have a chance to die, a chance to let go of what this crazy world has to offer and to hold on tight to JESUS!

Last week we received a new little one in our family. He was an unexpected gift and brought with him unexpected challenges. God has used this little one in my life personally in ways that surpass what I could pen here. Enrique is six. As we walked into his room to meet him for the first time it was clear that he was not adjusting well. At that moment I didn't have a word to describe was my eyes were seeing but later upon praying intensely I believe that the Lord revealed the the word fear. As we talked with Enrique he spit on us, attempted to bite us and growled. I had never, never experienced anything of the sort. The next day during worship our team played a song and as they played I watched this little one be radically transformed. He came running over to me and said..."Hey, this is my song...this is my song....that guy up there is singing my song." Fear left and peace flowed freely as the band sang. I asked Enrique at that point, "how do you know this song?" to which he replied, "I was watching t.v. one night and heard this song on the God channel and I knew that it was just for me."

I am continually amazed at the God we serve. He knew that little Enrique was going to join our family if only for a time and he prepared a special gift to help him to be at peace through that song. Gifts that only our loving Father could give...so many things that God has taught me through Enrique this week.....

I am so grateful that Jesus came and dwelt among us....so grateful for the promise that a day is coming where injustice will cease, mourning will turn to perfect JOY and suffering will end. I am grateful for the beautiful ways that God weaves our lives together as a community of faith and for the honor of standing in HOPE with the children of Casa Bernabe.

The longer we serve the more I feel the Lord impress on my heart that this is a long term commitment to raise the next generation of God-fearing, passionate young men and women in Guatemala. Amy Charmichael served fearlessly and passionately for 53 years in India. She was confident of the call on her life and passionate about glorifying God in and through it.

Please pray with us as we evaluate the last six months and look forward to 2010.

25 years and more....

During our 25th Anniversary weekend we had so much fun!!!! Thanks to a great team (Joel Corely and Steppin Out), Tony B. (a full-time missionary here) and countless others we were able to have such a great time!!! On Saturday a mini-fair was organized for all the chilren to participate in. There was an Awana Circle, an obstacle course, a baseball throw, and countless other relays. Following the mini-fair we were so blessed to have a picnic out on the lawn....the day was perfect. Later that afternoon the Casa Bernabe Band & Performance Group put on a concert. Then to top the day off we had a night of worship under the stars. Several local churches participated - - - what a beautiful time it was to give thanks to the ONE who has made these last 25 years of service to Guatemalan children and their families possible.

Here are a few pics from the races....
The celebration continued on Sunday with a program & dinner. It was such a special time! So many old and dear friends joined us to give thanks for the MIGHTY works of God in our lives throughout the past 25 years! Many, many children who grew up at Casa Bernabe returned with their children and stories of how God has been faithful in their lives throughout the years. We were also so blessed to have the Wyatt family join us from the US. They adoped little Jesse who was one the first babies to join our nursery on Casa Bernabe's main property. I have not seen Jesse for over six years.....it was so fun to get to squeeze him and to see and experience his sweet and tender heart all over again! He was so sweet to pack a special bag for Stefan of legos...not just any legos, his own! The boys chatted as old friends and it was just a beautiful reminder of the amazing family that we are all a part of in Christ.

Tony B. arranged an Awana circle for the kids during the mini-fair. The kids LOVED it!

There are so many testimonies of God's faithfulness to children in need through the mission and ministry of Casa Bernabe. There is an excitment deep within me as I think about the 25 years to come. We've seen God provide abundantly, place children in forever families, restore children to their father's and even more, hundreds of children have heard the Gospel!