Forgiveness.

Something seems to be coming up a lot lately around family and friends, which is forgiveness. There have been a few situations lately where either I or the people that I know and love have to forgive others for either something that another person is doing or has done to them in the past. Unforgivably and bitterness go hand-in-hand. When we choose to hold onto things, and to not forgive another person who has wronged us, or continually wrongs us, it turns into bitterness. That bitterness, I believe, gives satan a foothold. He uses it to turn our hearts hard, giving him control to turn it into hate.

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:14-15

Hebrews tells us that it takes effort to live in peace with others, and that no person should miss the grace of God (grace is given to us when we don't deserve it, as others may not "deserve" our grace). It also tells us that bitterness becomes a root, and that it can grow in us, and not only defile US, but MANY.

As followers of Christ, we cannot live in His light having such a terrible root inside of us! Colossians 2:7 makes it clear that we should be living in Jesus, rooted and built up in HIM. Forgiveness may be something that we do one time and no more, or daily. But whatever it may look like in our lives, we cannot live our lives to the fullest while we haven't let others' wrongs against us go. Every single person on earth falls short of God's standards, so that means we ALL need forgiveness. We kid ourselves when we think that the "other" people are the ones that need our grace; we might be more inclined to extend grace when we remember our own shortcomings!

Pray that the Lord will help us to forgive. The spring school year for Baltimore County has ended, and now I am working as a teacher in various classrooms at The Delrey School for summer school. I hope you all are enjoying summer so far!

Be Aware!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE FACTS

The headline facts

• An estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) at any given time as a result of trafficking1
Of these:
o 1.4 million – 56% - are in Asia and the Pacific
o 250,000 – 10% - are in Latin America and the Caribbean
o 230,000 – 9.2% - are in the Middle East and Northern Africa
o 130,000 – 5.2% - are in sub-Saharan countries
o 270,000 – 10.8% - are in industrialized countries
o 200,000 – 8% - are in countries in transition2

• 161 countries are reported to be affected by human trafficking by being a source, transit or destination count3

• People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy4


The Traffickers
52% of those recruiting victims are men, 42% are women and 6% are both men and women11

In 54% of cases the recruiter was a stranger to the victim, 46% of cases the recruiter was known to victim12

The majority of suspects involved in the trafficking process are nationals of the country where the trafficking process is occurring13


The Profits

• Estimated global annual profits made from the exploitation of all trafficked forced labour are US$ 31.6 billion14

Of this:
o US$ 15.5 billion – 49% - is generated in industrialized economies
o US$ 9.7 billion – 30.6% is generated in Asia and the Pacific
o US$ 1.3 billion – 4.1% is generated in Latin America and the Caribbean
o US$ 1.6 billion – 5% is generated in sub-Saharan Africa
o US$ 1.5 billion – 4.7% is generated in the Middle East and North Africa15

The Victims

The majority of trafficking victims are between 18 and 24 years of age5

An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year6

95% of victims experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking (based on data from selected European countries)7

43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98 per cent are women and girls 8

32% of victims are used for forced economic exploitation, of whom 56 per cent are women and girls9

Many trafficking victims have at least middle-level education10



1 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

2 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

3 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (Vienna, 2006)

4 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns (Vienna, 2006)

5 International Organization for Migration, Counter-Trafficking Database, 78 Countries, 1999-2006 (1999)

6 UNICEF, UK Child Trafficking Information Sheet (January 2003)

7 The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Stolen smiles: a summary report on the physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents trafficked in Europe (London, 2006)

8 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

9 International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)

10 International Organization for Migration, Counter-Trafficking Database, 78 Countries, 1999-2006 (1999)

11 International

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

I arrived home a couple weeks ago from Costa Rica. It's been a great time of fellowship with friends and family, and I plan to begin working this week again as a substitute for Baltimore County until the end of the school year.

Easter celebrates the most important turning point in the history of the world, whether people believe it or not. Jesus Christ walked this earth, and did come to serve, be as a servant, and die to save us.

We've heard the story many times, same with the Christmas story, but we shouldn't forget how powerful they are! Jesus Christ literally died, was breathless, lifeless, for three days. I'm not sure what physically happens to a body after three days, but I'm sure it is not something any person would want to be around. The point is that He had no breath, no heartbeat, nothing, for that long.

It was the absolute power of God to raise Him; give him life again. He appeared to the disciples for 40 days after His death (Acts 1:3). He also appeared to 500 other people at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6). If we claim to believe in a God that has this incredible power, why do we live as though He fits on our level? The God who created the universe and cleaned us from all of the filth and evil that is who we are, that is our hearts, so that we can live with abundant life (John 10:10) and be forgiven. He came so that we can find joy in suffering, and be the God of comfort because He understands the pain and temptation! He came so that we would have life forever, if we choose through faith to believe these things.

If you have the chance, watch the movie The Passion of the Christ. There was some controversy over it, but it is an amazing movie that gave me a picture of what the crucifixion was and how it happened. Give Christ, the living Christ, thanks for what He did, BELIEVE that He walked the earth and was and is real today, living through the Holy Spirit.

March Update

The season of groups has ended, so we are trying to recuperate and catch up on things around here.

There was a group of 9 people from Kentucky that were here. They were working on a woman named Consuelo’s house in Linda Vista. She was getting a small addition onto her house to be able to wash clothes. It was almost completed.

A team came and was both living and working in Dulce Nombre, finishing the church. It is still not completed, but they were very successful! They did a bible school for a few days, and had up to 70 children. That was unexpected because there are not very many families that attend that church.

While that team was in Dulce Nombre, we had two teams here! A group of 25 youth from Mt. Airy Christian Academy in MD, and a group of 19 from Georgia. It was extremely busy! The GA team did construction and bible school in San Francisco. One of the nearby churches is closing its doors, so this Pastor is expected to have more people coming within the next few weeks. So they were painting the church and putting the floor and sidewalk for the building next door that will be the Sunday school building. There was a group back at Eva’s house, working on her septic tank and building the whole and the place for the tanks and tubes. Consuelo’s house in Linda Vista is finished! She has a new area for the laundry room.

The MD group had the chance to help out and see the feeding program that a church in Kentucky is financially supporting in an area called Barrio Chino. Many of the families that live there are single mothers, the fathers have left them. There are also many immigrants from Nicaragua that have moved south. Some days they have up to 100 children, ranging from babies to teenagers. The Pastor shares a message with the children and prays with them, and then they are served a meal that has been cooked and brought back to the house. (A woman has opened her house as a place for this ministry, she uses her outside patio and they are adding more cement flooring and a roof to expand!) The group of youth had the chance to share a bible story and music and a craft with them before they served them the food.

It has been a very blessed time, it’s always nice to see the physical accomplishments of the work that’s been done! I am planning on coming home sometime in April, within the next few days I will be buying my ticket. Time goes by so quickly!

God is good and faithful. I’m learning that He truly is our fulfillment in life, and what will bring satisfaction and not leave our hearts empty. If we go to Him, He will come down to us and be near.

Project Photos: Grandma's House

These are the photos from "Grandma Nelly's House". Everything in her house, including electricity is finished!
There are also photos of her daughter, Eva's house. All of the walls have gone up and she can move in, but still does not have electricity.

Project Photos: Dulce Nombre Church

These are some photos of the progress of Dulce Nombre church, Pastor Liber is also the Pastor there.

Maryland and South Carolina Team

Hola!

Today we said goodbye to the South Carolina team, and last Saturday I said goodbye to my Dad, cousins, and the team from out church and Maryland. It was so fun to have them around, and I cried a little when they left! Thank you to all of you who came and worked so hard, none of the work was in vain and the projects are continuing while you're gone!

The first week with the Maryland team, they did a variety of projects. (I unfortunately don't have any pictures yet!) They began the church in a place called Dulce Nombre, which is another one of Pastor Liber's preaching points. The congregation told him that if he didn't have a good building to meet in, they would stop coming. The second team from South Carolina also got much of that finished as well! When I have pictures I'll put them up to show the progress!

Both teams worked in "Grandma's House", repairing the old and putting up new walls, as well as painting them and putting in electricity. (They got the lights working in her home!) They also began putting up walls for her daughter, Eva and her family. They were living in a "home" next to Grandma's, that had dirt floors, was very filthy, and had electrical wires all around, very dangerous. So she is planning on moving into this other house nearby and moving her things from the other, which happens to be on top of the septic tank! This family was extremely appreciative of this work, and Grandma could not believe that she was able to choose her own wall color inside and out.

Bible school was done with the Maryland group in El Mirador, which is always great! So many kids who are growing up yet remember specific people! There were around 100 children for those 3 days. The other two days were in San Fransisco, and we also had a large number of children. The South Carolina team had a very intense bible school program for three days. On the last day, they had a community dinner, as an outreach to the families and to welcome them to church. The families were able to come and see what their children had talked about, and the Pastor spoke to them all to invite them and remind them that they are part of a big family of God. This team also put in a wheelchair ramp from the church to the bathrooms to make it more accessible.

It has been very busy, and we now have a team of 9 people from Kentucky to work throughout the coming week. God bless you all!

Good morning! Two weeks ago I made it back to Costa Rica, and last week we were very busy with a team from Kentucky, Mount Airy, and South Carolina. It was a wonderful group full of an enormous amount of love and willingness to serve. We worked in a church in Pital, they have been there in previous years so they have a strong connection with the Pastor and his family, as well as many people from the congregation. The church is hoping to expand, so they were adding an addition to the sanctuary. We had bible school in various locations, all with around 30-40 children, one of the days we had about 90! They also had a women’s ministry, teaching them to crochet, sew, and make jewelry with beads. It was a huge blessing of fellowship, the women really enjoyed learning these things and we hope the women of the church will carry on meeting with other women.

I’m looking forward to the arrival of the CUMC team on Friday! The plans are being set in place as to where we’ll be working and what we’ll be doing. Yesterday I went to a Revival church service in San Isidro, and it was a neat experience. There was a Pastor from San Jose and you could tell that he was just full of the Spirit of God!

There is a new cook here, her name is Beatriz. I was talking with her last week, and she told me something very profound and I want to share it with you! We were talking about her family, and she has two children. Her husband left them 4 years ago. She said the hardest part about him leaving was the finances, because God can fill every space of our heart. The loss of a child, a parent, a spouse walking away from the relationship; it will always be alright because He is capable of filling that hole.

Have a good week, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Margarita

I had the opportunity to visit Granada last weekend, where I was fall of 2009. It was great to be able to visit all the people and families that the other girls and I had built relationships with, see some of the good changes that have happened in their lives! I thank God for the chance to be back there and see how He’s been working.

While I was there, I was walking back to my hotel one night. Across the street from the side of a large Catholic church was a building, and on the steps of the building were a woman and her two sons. The boys were sleeping, and she had her hand out for money. When I passed her, she caught my eye and stared at me. Unfortunately, sometimes we see “beggars” or homeless people and don’t really think in depth about them. I know I am guilty of this! But something about her really broke my heart. I can honestly say that there was just hopelessness and emptiness in her eyes. She was probably in her 30’s and weighed maybe around 120-130 lbs. She looked almost sick, and somewhat emaciated. So I bought a couple meals and brought them over to her.
The boys were still sleeping, and I gave her the food. I sat down next to her and asked her name, the children’s names, and things like that. She answered all my questions, and began to talk. Her name is Margarita, she has four children. The other two weren’t there, the one was sleeping because he had gone to the doctor and is very sick, but medicine is too expensive for them to buy. She actually began to cry, and tell me how hard things are. She told me she was from another town but that her father of the children beats her, so they don’t live there anymore. She was a real person, a woman, with the same feelings we all have, who wants better for her children, for herself. Because I have everything I need and want, does that mean my life has more value? In reality, that is the only real difference between her and me as human beings.

I really didn’t know what to say that would encourage her or make her “feel better”, but I really just wanted her to know that I cared. I told her that there was a Heaven and a God and that this world is not all there is.

The reason I wrote this is because the bible talked so much about the poor, that we speak of them and remember them and defend them and pray for them and be a part of their lives. It seems hard to do but there are so many opportunities to be involved in with people who are really struggling in this life. We forget that these are souls that God has created, and He too wants better for them. We forget our list of blessings, and that people truly do worry about what they are going to eat every day, and feed their children. They have real feelings, things make them laugh and hurt and smile and feel lonely and make them sad.

I’m not a very bold person but please pray and think about ways to be involved with other people who are struggling like this. Whether it’s in the US or somewhere else, it really is our responsibility as the church and God’s followers to become a part of their lives. We all have difficulties, and we all need each other.

Isaiah 31:8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Nicaragua once again!

I made it! I almost missed my connecting flight on Saturday because of a small maintenance problem with the plane and the snow. Other than that, everything went smoothly. I am living with a family while attending the language school to continue studying Spanish. It is nice to experience a typical home life of a Nicaraguan family. I had the chance to tour Managua yesterday with one of the members of the family and was able to see the Presidential palace, “Parque Central,” places where the earthquake of 1972 hit, and where Daniel Ortega has rebuilt new homes. He was very proud to show me around and answer all my questions! It has also been interesting to learn more of the history of the country and some of the current events going on now.

On January 29, I’ll be leaving here and going down to the Centro Rural Metodista again in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica. (And I’m looking forward to see the CUMC team there in February!)

I want to thank all of you who are supporting me financially and through your prayers and words; as well at Catonsville United Methodist Church. This would not be possible without you and I am so grateful!