Update

Hola!

These two weeks have been pretty calm, there are two teams up in Los Chiles right now, but I’ve been here working around the Methodist Center.

A team of 32 people from Florida are coming on Saturday. We are going to meet here to give them information about the church projects and then we’ll head to a place called San Isidro. We’ll be working on a church that’s only 6 months old. It needs a lot of work because used to be a yucca packing plant and they bought the property. There will also be bible school….we are expecting at least 100 children! There is also an evangelist on the team, and he is going to be holding services every night as well. It’s going to be a very full couple of days!

The Pastor’s name is Alexander and he is really on fire for the Lord. (His picture along with his family is above, as well as the church). The congregation already has 60 people, and they are trying to reach out to the community. We are expecting great things from this week, there is a lot of work to do, pray for God’s Spirit to be working!

God's Will For My Life?

Sunday afternoon a team of only 3 people left back for their home in Alabama. It was nice to have such a small group of people; they were able to do things around the camp as well as put together some of Marion's poems. I think it was also a good time of fellowship with us and them; some encouragement!

I've been learning a lot lately about letting go of my plans and letting God have His way. Sometimes it's hard for us to know God's "will for our lives" and we spend too much time trying to figure out what the exact right way is. I was reading an excerpt from a book called “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. I think this is extremely true and important, so I’m just going to share some of what he says:

“How many times have you heard someone say, ‘I just wish I knew God’s will for my life’? I know I’ve longed for this before. But now I see it as a misguided way of thinking and talking.

There are very few people in the Scriptures who received their life plan from God in advance (or even their five-year plan, for that matter!) Consider Abraham, who was told to pack up his family and all his possessions and start walking. He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know if he would ever be back. He didn’t know any of the details we consider vital.

I think a lot of us need to forget God’s will for my life. God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.

We do know that we are called to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians we read, ‘But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.’ (5:16, 25)

God wants us to listen to His Spirit on a daily basis, and even throughout the day, as difficult and stretching moments arise, and in the midst of the mundane. My hope is that instead of searching for God’s will for my life, each of us would learn to seek hard after the Spirit’s leading in my life today. May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit’s leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now.”

Last week I was working with a team from Kent Island MD (who happened to know my cousin!) and I had the opportunity to work with them in El Mirador! El Mirador is a community that our church team has been visiting for the past couple years and have gained a relationship with. It was great to see friends and many of the children and teenagers. This team was working with the Pastor, Pastor Liver, on finishing a gate and the fence made of metal. They also held bible school. There was around 20-40 kids each day, which is actually a small amount compared to what we usually have there! Most of the children were in school.

There is now a group here from Kansas and have been working in the Methodist School that our church group also worked in last February. Lots of painting, and finished the gutters and things on the front of the roof. Yesterday was Bible School; a rotation of story, craft activity, and games for each of the classes from Kindergarten to 6th grade. I was able to go back and see all the rebar and metal that was bent by our team…and remembering the wonderful memories of spending hours doing that in the pouring rain. Hahaha.

The “Semana Para Jesus” (Jesus Week) was last week in San Gerardo. United Methodist Women from all over the northern area went up to rebuild the blind woman and her husband’s home. They almost finished everything, and brought back news that it was a beautiful week and they were incredibly grateful. The women were told to keep all things as much in the same place as possible, since she remembers where everything is in her home. The police haven’t gotten much information about the mattresses that were stolen. They had threatened to deport anyone without papers back to Nicaragua when they went visiting homes. We don’t think there is much hope that anything will be recovered.

I forgot to mention something amazing from when I was up there with the GA team a couple weeks ago. There are shoes on many power lines, hanging as they do in the US. We asked the community what it meant, and they told us it meant that drugs were sold there, or in that area. So that evening, two of the men drove down the road where the new church was being constructed, went onto the top of the bus, and cut down around 10 pairs of shoes that had been hanging on the telephone lines! People came out and watched, and many of them were happy this was happening. They wanted to make the statement that drugs are no longer accepted in that area, and that it would be an area filled with Jesus Christ! One of the men who were on the bus was a lifelong drug addict that had been saved and redeemed, and it was a very unique opportunity for him.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July (I know you all who are in Catonsville will!) and let us never cease to remember those who are giving their lives and time for our freedom and the good of our country! God bless America!