The Playground

We were blessed with a great day of sun (and heat) and were able to complete much more of the playground. We also found some different ways to help us steady and straighten the posts of the two central portions of the set which really sped things up. The kids from the visiting team worked hard and we were able to get far enough so that we should be able to finish tomorrow.

One of the things I enjoy about these types of projects (and we'll do more as we get closer to finishing construction on the cafe and skate-park) is because people in town get so excited about them. It's really cool to visit with parents that come by to thank us for the work that is being done and it gives us opportunities to share the reason we do these types of things.

Tommorow night we are hosting a huge cookout for our local youth group in conjunction with the visiting team after the evening skate session. Food is always a great way to bring people together and we are expecting around 50 people total. What a great way to celebrate finishing the playground...

Transform

Almost as soon as we started working on the playground, the rain began to fall. It's been mostly dry for the past couple of days but the post holes are still full of water. The other thing that happened as we began to work was that I got sick again. This time, it is a simple chest cold, but it has left me feeling pretty weak and unable to really pitch in and work with the Skyway team. I feel like a wuss. It's really unfortunate because working with the members of the team is such a great way to get to know the people that have sacrificed to help us. The good news is that we have two more full days of construction and a couple of really cool evening outreaches planned. Hopefully, the rain will hold off enough for us to pour cement (which may never dry) into the post-holes to keep the play set steady.

In other news, our house church went well last night. We have been studying and working our way through the book of Matthew. The reason we have been studying Matthew is so that we could really examine the person of Jesus together, outside of what people may have heard or assumed from past experiences. If someone heard in the past and believed that Jesus was just a good teacher, we find out that he actually claimed to be the son of God. We have also been able to study and discuss his parables, the ways he treated and responded to people and what he had to say to those that mis-represented his Father in heaven. Every time we meet, we ask the question, "What should these words that were written 2000 years ago mean for our daily lives right now, here in Puerto Viejo?" We get into some great discussion as we talk about what God's truth means for us as individuals and as a body of believers. It is really cool to begin hearing some of the youth explaining the truths that they are beginning to grasp. Truths that show they are really understanding that living for Jesus is more than following a list of rules or being at a certain place at a specific time on a specific day. Having a relationship with Him is something that should change our lives from the inside out. This was true last night as we talked about the ability of Jesus to change our lives through His power and how much of a struggle it can be at times. Please pray that God will continue to work in all of our lives as we live for him. Please pray that God will continue to reveal his truth and that he will protect the growing faith of our freinds as we walk this road together.

Outside

Here we are in the thick of it. The first of our summer mission teams from Skyway Church in Phoenix, AZ is here. Much of what we do with the teams for the past couple of years has focused on construction and outreach here at the skatepark. That being said, we always want to continue to be a blessing out in the community whenever we have an opportunity. That's where the team Skyway comes in. Several months ago we received a letter from a Children's Association here in town. They were aware that we had installed a couple of sets of playground equipment in the past and asked if we could do it again...this time at a building that is being used as a kindergarten.

Long story short, we said yes, Skyway raised the necessary funds and we are in process. By the middle of next week, this rather empty corner of a school yard will have a brand-new, rather large playground set for the kids to go crazy on. It's a great way to help the community and for us to continue maintaining a visible presence. We also end up meeting many new people and making new relationships during these times where we work "off-site". I'll put up more photos as we get closer to having a final product.

In other news, one of the coolest things so far happened at the youth activities. The visiting mission team brought down instruments and wanted to play a few worship songs. They went through a short set, and as they finished up, three of the youth that attend house church asked if they could get up front with TJ (who leads worship on our team) so that they could play for the Skyway group. Now this may seem like a small thing, but it was actually a huge step. They got up and sang and played their hearts out for a one-song set. It was so exciting to see them stepping out on their own to actually lead in worship. It was also a huge step for them as more and more, they begin to see themselves as a church and as a united body of believers. What a cool thing to be able to enjoy. God is really working in their lives and there are visible proofs.

Retreat

We're back from San Jose where we were poked, prodded and generally appointmented to death visiting doctors and dentists for five days straight. Apparently I have an enlarged aorta. I was also fortunate enough to get a chemical peel on my face and head (basically for free) when we visited the dermatologist last week. I look years younger and have a new spring in my step.

I have also been reading a very interesting book called The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball http://www.vintagefaith.com/the_emerging_church.html. It is a very interesting book about church and the emerging culture (which has really emerged already) and how we as Christians need to be engaging our culture rather than retreating from it. The author then goes on to describe how he is doing this in the ministry he is involved in. It's a really good read and I am enjoying thinking through the application of the various principles he talks about. One of the things I noticed last time we were in the states is how isolated and protected so many Christians have become. Much of the talk centered around subjects like pulling kids out of schools, how to avoid all of the terrible things around them, etc... It makes me afraid that too many Christians are engaged in a retreat. "Let's get into the refuge where we will be safe" rather than "Lets get out there and share the hope that is in us". During a conversation with one of my friends, after asking him some questions, he realized that he doesn't have even one friend that isn't a Christian. His entire social network is inside the Christian bubble. I don't want to get down on him or others because I've been there and I know how easy it is for that to happen without even realizing it. But, how are we ever going to spread the gospel if we have completely separated our selves and retreated from the ones who need it? This keeps me thinking about ways to avoid this in my own life.

visits

This past week was crazy. Due to the somewhat remote nature of Puerto Viejo and our busy schedule, we have put lots of things off for the past couple of years. Chief among these were doctor and dentist appointments. Last week, we paid the piper. We headed into San Jose early Monday morning with the first round of doctor's appoinments on Monday afternoon. For the next four days, we had appointments morning and afternoon. We visited cardiologists (Makena has a heart murmur and I have an enlarged aorta), dentists (three cavities and a crown for me), and dermatologists (chemical peels and liquid nitrogen due to sun damage). It was crazy, expensive and downright exhausting but we're done (at least for two weeks). There is a lot to be said for keeping up on things but it's not easy when you're four hours away from good medical care. Add to all of this, having to stay in a hotel for five days and eating out at all meals and it was quite a trip.

Otherwise, things are good. We have house church in a couple of hours and I am looking forward to that. tonight we'll be talking about one of Jesus' stories about a landowner that entrusted responsibity for his vineyard to people that abused the priviledge. I love the whole comparison of the vineyard to our own lives as Christians. Take a look at Matthew 21:33 for the parallels. When Jesus comes into our lives (the vineyard), he sets us apart and claims ownership (the wall), he comes in to produce fruit/grapes (good works) which are put through the wine press (trials/difficulties) and results in the production of wine (the gospel) for the benefit of others. This can only happen if he lives in us (like manager lives onsite in the watchtower) and continually works in the vineyard (our lives), turning the fruit of our lives (the grapes) into opportunities to share the gospel (the wine). I look forward to talking about this with everyone tonight...

The Return

Last night was a rough one. I woke up about 2:00am feeling very full...usually a pre-cursor to a round of vomiting. I put it off as long as I could and then all hell broke loose. Now it's daytime and I'm sitting at home with zero strength and a bellyache when I had planned on spending the day at the skatepark with the team that just arrived. Flexibility. That's the key.

One of the coolest things about the short term teams is having both churches that return and individuals that return. Yesterday, I was pleasantly suprised to see that one of the members of the visiting team was a guy that had come down last year during May. His name is Danny (on the right) and he is an all-around good guy. Last year, he came down as the result of a last minute decision and ended up being the most critical person on the team. We were hoping to put the roof on the skatepark but didn't really know how we were going to accomplilsh it. Well, Danny was a contractor and was able to put together a plan, divide everyone up into teams and get the whole thing taken care of in a very humble way. He's also a very committed Christian. At the end of that trip, we asked him to seriously consider coming back down at some time in the future to spend more time with us. Now he's back and he says that God has been working on him ever since that life-changing experience of coming down here to serve alongside us. We'll see what happens, but it's incredible to find out that the work we are doing not only has an impact locally, but God also uses it to touch and change lives in the people that come down for such short time frames. It is definitely good to see him again.

Bocas

Back from Bocas del Toro in Panama and all is well. It was good to get away with just Amy and the girls for a few days before the attack of the summer teams. We really got to spend some fun time with each other in a beautiful place. One of the most exciting things we did was spend the better part of a day on a tour of several different islands. We were able to see some dolphins, go snorkling and hang out at one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. I really felt like I was able to connect with the kids in a special way.

It's funny how each year, after several months without a team in town, I start to look forward to the summer season. It is a lot of fun and I really enjoy meeting all of the different people that come down to help us here in Puerto, but by the end of the summer, I am glad the teams are gone and am ready to dive back in to our ongoing work. This summer will be a busy one and will also be very much a transitional period as TJ, the most long-term member of the team, will be departing in September.

In other news, I have been reading a book called "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller, author of "Blue Like Jazz". I really enjoy reading him because he makes me think outside of my normal boundaries. This book is more of an apologetc from a totally different perspective than most apologetics which are more concerned with "proofs" than with process. what I mean by that is that he approaches Jesus, the Gospel and salvation from a much more holistic, relational perspective that often seems to get lost in the facts and bullet points that typically make up my thought processes. It was a great read and really gives me a lot to chew on and think about as I work to teach and display a loving, relational God in a culture that knows him more through such things as hairlength, style of dress and genres of music. Good book...I definately recommend it and believe that he really speaks to a lot of the things we evangelical christians "know" about Jesus and the bible. Read it.

Potential

All's good. We head off to Bocas del Toro tomorrow to renew our visas. It has been quite a while since we visited Bocas and I'm looking forward to it. It is a good opportunity for our family to get away and spend some time together before we enter the summer season. This year is going to be good but full and we won't have much opportunity to have a break once it begins.

Speaking of the coming season, we have been discussing and planning for the various teams that are coming. I'm looking forward to the work that we'll be doing as it will take us further towards the completion of the skate park, but the thing I am most excited about is the opportunities we have to really begin including some of the locals to help us host teams. There are a few of the older youth that are potential candidates and a couple that actually get excited about the possiblity. If everything works out, it will also be a really cool way for the visiting teams to connect with the area in a different way. We are hoping that they can add some local flavor to the orientation process and also help us with some of the logistical functions like getting teams into town for dinner and then back to the hotel safely. This could really challenge some of the older youth to begin serving both God and their community in a very different way from anything they have done in the past. There will probably be goofs, surprises and let downs but if we are really and truly here to start something and pass it off then we have to be willing to take chances. I'm looking foward to it.

Upcoming

Here we are again...just a few weeks away from the summer short term mission season. We're gearing up, getting construction projects and outreaches planned. Ronnie, one of the long-term members of our team, has been doing a great job overseeing continued construction of various aspects of the cafe and skatepark. We are going to be putting a new deck around the metal container we use for a skate and tool shop and are in the process of finishing the office space. One of the things we have needed for the longest time is office space. We need the AC for our computers and it will also be so helpful to have a more distraction free environment to work in. Dear God, please give us high speed internet to go along with the new air-conditioning unit. Amen.

The Baptism - April 3, 2007

Baptism means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. One of the things I have found here in Puerto Viejo is that baptism is very closely associated with salvation. That’s exactly what it should be associated with you might say, but, here in this culture things aren’t always what they seem. Misunderstandings and mis-information abound. Here in Puerto Viejo, there is a commonly held belief that being baptized means you go to heaven and not being baptized means... well, let's just say your future is up in the air...or maybe in the other direction if things don't go so well.

Jesus provided us with an example of baptism as did many of the early apostles. For them, baptism was an outward sign of a change that had taken place within a person as they turned their backs on the way they used to live (read "died to the old self") and began to go in a completely different direction (read "raised again to a new way of life") based on their faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism is also a way for those of us who have put our faith in Christ, to identify with him in a personal, physical way. The bible says it this way "...those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" 2 Cor. 5:17.

This inward change and identification with Jesus was celebrated recently when Johanna and Jetsi were baptized. Both of them had chosen to follow Jesus several years earlier but neither of them had been baptized. They had never marked their decision publicly. During discussions at our house church one night, both of them requested that they be baptized. They are excited about their faith and finally wanted to show friends and family what had taken place in their lives. The event brought together both the Spanish and the English speaking house churches along with an assortment of friends and family.

The evening of the baptism started with some pretty iffy weather. Right as we gathered at the river, the sky clouded up and it began to rain. Fortunately, God had other plans and the rain stopped as fast as it had started. I took some time to explain the meaning of baptism and to read some verses from the sixth chapter of Romans. We prayed and then Jetsi and Johanna were baptized. As you can see from the photos, Makena and our neighbor's dog Panbon got a front row seat so as not to miss any of the action. The smiles say it all as both ladies were excited and proud to share the moment with everyone that gathered.

One really cool thing that happened involved Jetsi's family. Her mother and father have been separated for many years and while they have a good relationship, they don’t get together as a family very often. This event brought them all together to share in the happiness of their daughter, which made Jetsi very happy. Afterwards we got together for food and a celebration which topped off a great event. Please pray for Jetsi and Johanna. Pray that they will continue to be identified with Jesus in every area of their lives and that this public marking of a personal decision will be one more event in two lives that continue to mirror Christ to the world around them.

Change - March 27, 2007

Change seems to be the word that best describes the constant state of things since we arrived here in Puerto Viejo a little over two years ago. Changes in personnel, changes in ministry structure, changes in knowledge and understanding. I'm glad for the change because it always causes me to look at things from a different perspective...sometimes out of sheer survival. Right now, we are moving into a period of major change with our team. In a few more months, the long-term team will consist of myself, my wife Amy and Ronnie and Tammy. Thankfully, we have several people that have committed to being here for the short-term future which is so important because it allows us to continue focusing on long-term goals and objectives. We can't do what we're doing without long-term team members and we can't do it without the short-term members that are so essential to the support roles. That being said, I am really hopeful that God will provide more long-term staff in the coming year. We need someone that is fully committed to the continued development skate-park and youth program. We need someone to take on many administrative tasks for the long haul and we definitely need someone that is committed to everything it takes to plan and host short term teams. Looking ahead, these tasks seem impossible for three people to take on...and they are, if we're to remain sane. But, this is where the change of perspective comes in...plus the realization that we don't have to do it all. God knows and will provide what's needed in His timing. I am really looking at this time as an opportunity to start over in many ways. We are out of the development phase. We have direction and momentum and no longer need pioneers. We now need people that can take the ball that is already in play and run with it. I could (and usually tend to) get really stressed out about all of the unknowns but truthfully, I'm excited about the all of the possiblities as God brings the right people on at the right time. We'll see what happens.

Following - March 12, 2007

We have really enjoyed being back in town and reconnecting with everyone. it is nice to be home. I've also been really happy to see how things are going with the house churches. This past weekend, we celebrated a wedding in the Spanish house church. Ronnie did an awesome job of officiating and it was really cool to see all of the different people there enjoying the fellowship together.

There have been some great things happening at the English speaking house church as well. This past Sunday, after the bible study (which people are really beginning to participate in more and more) we talked about having a special time for baptism in a couple of weeks. One of the girls that has been coming faithfully for a while has been a Christian for a while but has never been baptized. When asked if she would like to be, she immediately answered, "Yes". The cool thing is that her little brother accepted Christ and was baptized in May of last year and now he is going to be involved and will help baptize his sister. During the course of the conversation, one of our next door neighbors spoke out and said that she had never been baptized either, even though she has been a Christian for years. She also said that she didn't think that her husband (one of my surfing buddies) had been baptized either. Immediately following house church, a couple of the guys came to me and we talked for a long time about their faith. Both of them had made decisions to follow Jesus earlier in their lives and as they shared those decisions with me, they told me that they would like to be baptized as well.

It is hard for me to convey what these things mean after the past couple of years of laying groundwork, hoping and praying. we have done a lot of talking about what it really means to follow Jesus and people are really, conciously wanting to do it...whatever that might mean for them. It is so exciting...they are even volunteering to pray before and after church. When most of them first started coming, they could hardly look each other in the eye and now they are beginning to pray for each other, ask for prayer about specific areas of their lives, read aloud and even sing in front of each other. These are huge steps down and exciting path and it makes me so happy to see them really wanting to know God in ways that are genuine. It is just so awesome to have the priviledge to be a part of it all.

The Return - February 27, 2007

Well, after six weeks of living out of suitcases, it's good to be home, although we feel like we're living a country song. Our dog is gone, our phone is broken, our washing machine is leaking and our dryer belt broke...but, we're home and we're getting back on track. It has been good to see the team again as well. We are going through so many personnel changes and so many things about the future are up in the air that it has preoccupied a lot of my thoughts lately. I have been praying for peace and wisdom as I look and plan ahead through this next year...trying to anticipate what the changes will mean. This type of stress can either get me down or cause me to really start looking in different directions for solutions or alternatives. God has really been using this time for the latter...looking in different directions and approaching problems from a different perspective. So much so that I am actually excited about the future. I see new ways of involving locals and ways of reducing the responsibilities of our various ministries as God brings locals into our circle of influence...to assist us and to eventually take over responsibilities. There is even a good chance that we may be able to completely turn over one entire area of ministry to locals with only a little oversight responsiblity on our part, by the end of next year. Hard to say what will happen...only God knows. But, I am thankful that he has given me peace and helped me to trust him with an unknown future. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful because He cannont deny himself.

The Visit - February 5th, 2007

Finally recovered (mostly) from my drug overdose... Why would anyone pay for that? It's beyond me. Anyway, we are now in S. Florida visiting our home church and two others that we are invovled with. It has been a great visit so far but it has also been packed, busy and to fast. On the way down, we stopped and stayed with a friend of mine from years ago when I was in the Navy. It was really great to reconnect with him and to see his family as well.

They are trying to plan a trip down to visit and are really excited about everything that is happening in Puerto. We spent some time with the pastor of our home church today which was great. When the church was small and none of us had kids, we used to go out for Mexican food together. Now, with a total of 9 kids between the two of us, it is better to just get some cheap takeout and hang at the house while the kids go berserk. We had a great visit with him and his wife. The church is planning a trip down in June and people are really excited about it. I spoke on Sunday morning and there is quite a bit of interest both from the congregation and on the staff. It is great to see the church finally in a position where they can get more involved. Tuesday evening, I'll be speaking to a group from the church that includes several potential interns and long-term staff as well as people that want to come on the outreach. Should be good. Just coming home helps me to see how blessed we have been as a family to have so many different people and churches that are all working together to see God's kingdom grow. it is a cool thing.

Overdose - January 29, 2007

I've had a few problems getting connected the past couple of weeks as we have been travelling, but fortunately and able to get online today. We are in North Florida right now staying with my family. I have spoken at Thomasville Road Baptist Church in addition to a group of people from several different churches at a coffee. I'm also planning to speak to the college group at TRBC on Wednesday night and am hoping for a good response and maybe an intern or two from that engagement. I have encountered an unexpected problem since we came home that has really limited my ability to much of anything other than lay around. When we returned home, we went on a short cruise with some friends and I used one of the motion sickness patches to help with my sea-sickness. Unfortunately, I had a really strong and bad reaction to the medication several days after the cruise and ended up with Scopolamine toxicity...I've been poisoned by too much medicine. For the first day, my vision got so blurry that I could hardly see and I've been spinning and so disoriented that I can't even drive, since Thursday. I went to a doctor today and was told that I must be extra sensitive to the meds and will just have to wait and see what happens. It is interfering with just about everything and has pretty much immobilized me. I'd appreciate your prayers on this.

The Return - January 8th, 2007

Here we are getting ready to head back to the States for our furlough. There is so much to do and so many things to wrap up and prepare for, but I am really looking forward to the time with friends and family. Last year, we went like crazy while we were home and were more burned out when we returned than when we left. All that work, numerous speaking engagements and we only netted one new supporter. I know that gaining new supporters is not the only reason we share what's going on down here, but at the time, it was a lot of work for very little visible return. This year, we are planning to take a different route. I'll still be speaking a few different times but will not fill up my schedule like last year. We'll see how it goes as we learn by trial and error. I will sure miss everyone and everything that is taking place down here and will continue to pray for our team and all of the locals we're working with. I hope that our entire family comes back re-charged and ready to go in this new year and I will be praying that God brings the right people onto our team at the right time and that the ministries continue to expand.

The Contest - January 1st 2007

I’m sure that every single person on our team will post on the same thing, but what the heck. Last night we hosted the first annual New Year’s Eve Concrete Jungle Skate Contest. Like so many things that take place here, you can plan, prepare and hope but in the end, you’re simply waiting to see what happens and then adapt to it. We had intended the first half of the evening to be a time geared towards current participants of our house churches and other people that might be interested in coming in the future. I almost had my heart leap into my throat when because when I first arrived all I saw was children running around. My fears were confirmed (or so I thought) when another friend (one that’s not interested in coming to the house church) arrived with his daughter and told me that he had brought her for the children’s party. Uh-oh.

Thankfully, everything settled out and people started arriving for the skate competition. We started a practice session around 8:00 and began the competition close to 9:30. It turned out to be a lot of fun and went amazingly well, especially considering we only came up with the idea a couple of weeks ago. We ended up having a huge audience for Puerto Viejo standards and most of the kids really gave it a go in front of the crowd. I would say that my only disappointment was with the people that didn’t show up. We wanted to provide the competition as an alternative to the crazy partying that we knew would be taking place everywhere else. It worked well and a lot of the kids we have been working with were there but a few were not that I really wanted to see. Oh well. We finished off around midnight, handed out the prizes and everyone made their way home. I hope that this is the first of many and that in the future, some of the kids that we are working with now are in leadership roles…hosting and discipling…at future events. All in all a great event. Everyone on our team really put their all into it and did an incredible job. The visiting team from Flagstaff also brought a lot of enthusiasm and hard work to the event and helped to make everything run smoothly. I’m looking forward to next year.

December 26, 2007 Christmas

Christmas was great. In many ways, I prefer to be here in Puerto Viejo for Christmas rather than being at home in the States. it is such a great opportunity to open up the house and spend time with people, getting to know them better, building deeper relationships, etc... This Christmas was interesting because of the differences in the two gatherings we attended. We hosted a Christmas get together on Christmas Eve that was mostly attended by close friends and people from house church. Most of the people were Christians and we had a great time together in large part because of that bond that we share. Christmas day, we were invited to the house of some friends from town. We also had a great time with them, but it was completely different. Most of the people at the party were Italians that live in the area and are not Christians. We enjoyed a great meal, made some new friends as pot smoke drifted through the house and beer flowed freely. What a difference between the two gatherings. I pray that we will continue to deepen our friendships with some of the people at the second gathering so that maybe next year, they will coming to a Jesus centered Christmas party

God works when we don't feel like we can.

It's a weird place to be in... we've been working for the past year and a half, building a foundation, praying and hoping for things to start and now it's happening. And, it's happening so fast that it's difficult to keep up with. Two Friday nights ago, eight of the kids that have been coming to the skate park gave their lives to the Lord. This past Friday night, after I finished speaking, I asked the ones that had raised their hands and prayed, to stick around for a little while so that we could talk. I wanted to talk to them about starting a new believer's bible study. One of the kids that stuck around was a guy named Nicholas. He's about 17, from Argentina and has been coming to the skatepark for the past few months. After talking about the day and time that would be best for us all to meet, I told him that I didn't know he had raised his hand the previous week. He told me that he hadn't but that he couldn't stop thinking about things all week. He said that he wanted to find out more about God, that he wanted to get to know him and that he had lots of questions. I told him that I would love to sit and talk with him and asked him to stop by my house on Sunday morning.

Well, he came by and we spent two hours talking and sharing. He did have lots of questions but they were sincere questions. He really wanted to know how he could have a relationship with God. It was obvious from the conversation that he has had a lot of new age influence in his life, but it was also obvious that he saw through a lot of it and was really looking for a relationship with a very real God. As we talked, I answered the questions that I could, shared with him what the bible said and shared the gospel with him. At the end, I asked him if he would like to follow Jesus and have a relationship with God through him. We discussed it all...the problem of sin, our need for forgiveness and the price that Jesus paid to free us from the penalty of sin. He is a very bright kid...well educated and very analytical. It was interesting to hear him say that he agreed with what I was explaining but that it sounded too easy. "Maybe that's why so many people have a hard time believing...because it sounds too good to be true," he told me. I agreed with him and asked him what he thought. He said that he believed and that he would like to give his life to God. We prayed and then welcomed another brother into the family. It was pretty incredible and yet another sign of God's power moving in ways that are far beyond me.

My gift is not public speaking. After all this time of leading bible studies, talking in front of people, etc... I still stumble and stutter my way through. I get so nervous even preparing for house church that I feel like puking at times. My point is this...and I say this specifically to encourage others that have a difficult time speaking or sharing in front of others. Just do it and trust God with the results. It is the power of God that does the work...what He wants is people that are faithful and say yes. There's no other explanation for it. Some of the verses that speak the most to me were written by Paul in I Corinthians chapter 2. He says, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not reason on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

One of the things I have wanted most in life was to be one of those pastors that people walk away from talking about "how amazing the message was" or "what a wonderful speaker he is." I often wonder why God called me to do something that almost tortures me. I definitely feel compelled to do it but it's not easy and it doesn't come naturally but, that's ok because God uses people that say yes and lives get changed. Be faithful, push through the doubts and fears, do what God has asked you to do and leave the results up to him. Time after time He amazes me with His faithfulness and it has been exciting to see the results.

Welcome to the family.

I have some great news to pass along and some additional prayer requests for specific people. This past Friday night at the skate-park was an incredible evening. As I wrote in our prayer requests last week, we are planning to start a very structured series of messages for the youth over the next nine weeks. Because of our plans, we wanted to see if we could attract some additional interest by hosting a movie and pizza night this past Friday. Our plans were to let the kids skate for a while, feed them some pizza and then watch a movie together. We decided to show a movie entitled “Something to Sing About” by the Billy Graham Association that my father had brought down earlier this year. Louie, the youth ministry director, asked me to introduce the movie before it started since I had seen it in the past and had recommended that we show it. I introduced the movie by talking about choices. We all have choices in our lives and our choices have consequences. I asked the kids to really pay attention to the characters in the movie and to really think about the choices they were making and the results of those choices.



The movie is about a young guy that gets out of jail after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit. The actors are all African-American, many of whom have been in popular movies and television shows. Anyway, when the guy gets out of prison, he is having a difficult time re-adjusting and finding work. Right away, he is offered an opportunity to make a quick buck by getting involved in the selling of drugs. He ends up meeting an older, Christian woman in a grocery store, who invites him to church. Not long after, he makes a decision to follow Christ. The rest of the movie deals with the consequences of this choice and contrasts it with the choices that were made by his friend who did get involved with the drug trade. The consequences of each decision are clearly portrayed and the gospel is presented a couple of times during the film. I have never seen the kids pay such close attention to anything since we started this program back in July. It was incredible. They were completely silent (a miracle akin to turning water into wine) and every eye was glued to the screen. Many of the kids here in Puerto Viejo are facing the same decisions day after day. Some of them are already playing the part of small time gangsters as they mimic what they see on TV.



Shortly into the film, I started feeling very strongly that we needed to share the gospel and give the kids an opportunity to respond. I asked Louie to share once the movie had ended and I asked him to be very direct with the kids. Louie laid it out for them and tied it in very well with the fact that each of us has to make a choice of whether or not we will follow Jesus. When asked if they wanted to follow Jesus, between eight and ten kids raised their hands and prayed. It was awesome. Afterwards, several of them immediately came and asked me for bibles. We are going to start a new believer’s bible study in the next week or two so that we can help these kids to get off on the right track. They are excited about their decisions and really want to begin learning and growing. Several of them came to our house church tonight. It’s exciting but it is also very challenging. These kids will need a lot of prayer. Everything in the world is stacked against them including the general apathy that seems to permeate the culture.