Archives October 2011

Cartagena was an extreme eye opener. I have never seen anything like the poverty we saw today and yet in the same place a gleaming oasis in the midst, the CDA school that we visited today. In the photo above Joner and I are standing in front of his home of 11 years that was destroyed by a flood last week. He lives in a neighborhood of shacks with dirt floors and on this day and many like it because of the rain the floors are mud and we walked through ankle deep sewage in some places to visit the families in their homes. Joner attends the CDA school and recently had the highest score of anyone in the school on a government test. Last week the whole neighborhood was under water waste deep and many lost their homes. Most of these families have been displaced from the homes by violence and have found “refuge” in this neighborhood of squatters. And right in the middle is this wonderful CDA school where they are teaching these children about Christ and about becoming productive members of society. They are also helping the families in the neighborhood to come and get vocational training at the school, helping them with micro loans to start businesses, and teaching them about Christ. So in the midst of abject poverty we saw hope, love, and joy. We were greatly touched to see what CDA is doing in Colombia and have many thoughts about how to help them. We flew back to Bogota and Jose Vicente from Mundo Nuevo had a birthday surprise for me. My sweet Goddaughter, Heidy, gets to spend the weekend with us. God is doing many things here. Praise the Lord!

Day 5 was another huge God day. Dave, Gail, and I spent the entire day meeting with the Colombian government and God gave us great favor. The remainder of the team visited some amazing CDA sites, the living hell that is El Bronx, and Hogar San Mauricio, a new institution that we had not previously visited but where many of the children live who visited us on our Vacation Host Program this summer. We were then supposed to meet at the airport to fly to Cartagena but Dave, Gail, and I wrapped up our meetings too late and just missed our flight.

We caught a little later flight and then we all went to the old city of Cartegena and had dinner inside a huge, ancient stone fort. It was really neat. We had a wonderful dinner and then a carriage ride throughout the old city. It was an amazing night. Today we go to a very bad area where CDA has built a school. I can’t wait! Thank you Lord for allowing me to be a part of the amazing things happening and the amazing people you are using in your kingdom.

This is my 10th trip to Bogota, Colombia in 2 1/2 years and just when you think you have seen some things you are exposed to a whole new side of what is going on here. The CDA (Corporacion de Dios es Amor… Corporation of God is Love) van picked us up this morning at 7:00 a.m. and we took a 2 hour ride to a place in the foothills of Bogota called Altos de Cazuca. It started out as a squatters village for people fleeing the violence in other parts of the country and slowly developed into a town.

Lindsay Christie, a man living in New Zealand, was walking down the streets of Auckland one day in the 1960’s and a man handed him a leaflet about the violence in Colombia and when that leaflet touched his hand, CDA was born in the spirit realm. Mr. Christie was so moved by what he read that in 1966 he loaded up his wife and 4 girls and sailed to Colombia as a missionary. They had an amazing ministry and then he passed away in 1994 but not before passing the reigns on to his 24 year old daughter, Missy. Since then, CDA has grown into one of the most successful and respected organizations in Colombia and is now having an impact in several other Latin American countries. Mr. Christie started a medical aid station in Altos de Cazuca and then a school and that is where we visited this morning. It was mind blowing what they are doing to help the people in this very poor area.

We saw the medical station which was packed with people waiting to get help.

Then we went over to the school and WOW! What an amazing work they are doing there. We saw classes from preschool up to high school and heard many stories of the wonderful impact this place is having on the children of Cazuca.

We saw a presentation by the little ones and then met and spoke with the high school kids and then Shoby, Don, and I were interviewed on their radio station that they operate there at the school. We were so impressed by everything we saw and heard. Every child of whom we asked a question spoke with such confidence and clarity and they all spoke of how CDA had taught them to love God and love others and how much they loved CDA.

Later we went down into the village to visit some of the parents of the children who are taught at the school. It was real to life poverty unlike anything I had ever seen. We visited with two different families at their homes. It put such a burden on our hearts to help in some way some day. We will see what the Lord has for us. Tomorrow we continue with CDA and tomorrow night we fly to Cartegena to see what God is doing there and how we can help. Thank you for your prayers.

It’s hard to believe that it has only been 3 days. It’s almost midnight and the fun begins again at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow so this will be short. God did some amazing things today that will have to remain top secret for now. The team split and went 2 directions today in order to expand some things that we are doing. Jose Vicente, Nelda and our split team met up right at sunset on top of the mountain overlooking Bogota. I was so happy to see Vivianna running up to me. She gave me such big hug and hardly left my side the rest of the night. Jair and his brother, Elber, from the band Viraje, who will be performing at our Share The Hope dinner this year met us on top of the mountain with Shannon and with their guitars and we sang and worshipped and prayed over the city. It was so powerful. We had gathered in a large circle holding hands and suddenly Colombians who were up there visiting started breaking into our circle and holding our hands and praying with us with tears in their eyes. It was so cool. One lady named Marta was going the next day to have her interview to see if she could get a Visa to come to the USA and work. Her boss from Boston was there with her and his wife and they asked us to pray over her. We also had the privilege to lay hands on and pray over Jose Vicente and Nelda. It was a blessed time.

Tomorrow we will spend the day with CDA/Conviventia and see many things that we have never seen before. I am so excited. We also have some very important meetings with the government today and tomorrow night so please be in prayer for us.

Well like always I must say I had another incredible week! Monday I caught up on a lot of my sleep after we counted the offering for the church. Tuesday we canvassed for our His Hands clothing ministry in one of our adopt a block sites that Dave is the site leader for. It was cool to meet some of Dave’s friends and to see how much they love him and he loves them. It inspired me to want that kind of relationship with the people at my site. Wednesday and Thursday we spent most all day in the office, which was good for me because I was able to finish some work that I couldn’t last week. Friday was awesome we went to a retirement home to visit the residents there. We sang some song for them and then I gave a little devotion about having the best day of your life. After our devotion I colored with four ladies and just chatted with them about different things. Some of the boys with us had a guitar and they asked me to sing with them for a lady that asked for them to sing for her again. We had the best time with them. Friday night we again gave out food and water bottles to the homeless on Skid Row. I did not see my friend from last week there but I pray she found a place to stay. Saturday at adopt a block Alicia my friend introduce me to one of her good friends big mama ad they call her. We had a great time talking to big mama about old revival meeting and different experience she has had in her life time. Alicia and I also did some chores around the house. After we got back to the dream center I went with Dave and Dustin to help a family move to our family floor here at the dream center. They are volunteering here in our after school program and just needed a place to stay. Sunday after church I went on a hike with some of my friends up a mountain to a waterfall it was amazingly beautiful. We played in the water and had a little bible study on 2 Corinthians 12:9. We are going to do something like this ever other week. I am so glad that the Lord gave me this year.

Colombia, October, 2011 Day 1

This morning we went to Santa Maria where we have been many times. It never gets old seeing those beautiful girls running to greet us with their big smiles and warm hugs.

My Goddaughter, Heidy, ran screaming when she saw me and leaped into my arms. Words can’t describe how good it was to hold her in my arms once again. She looked really good and I was so happy at how good they are taking care of her here. Pastor Lucas and his wife Dorayne are the spiritual leaders at this institution and dear friends of ours. They have taken Heidy under their wing and I could see the positive transformation that has taken place in her heart as a result. It was delightful to spend a few short hours with her. We toured the buildings that when I first came here had resembled an abandoned prison and I was so full of awe and joy to see what Jose Vicente and Un Mundo Nuevo have done here in a year and a half. God is really moving in their foundation and we are blessed to be partnering with them. We saw the amazing art that they have been creating and Heidy presented me with a beautiful piece she made. She said in English, “For your house Daddy.” Rachel was able to deliver two large suitcases full of gift bags that the children at Vista Academy at Celebration Church in the Woodlands had sorted and packed. There was lip gloss, hair bows, socks, a bookmark, and many more things in each bag.

We sat down for a while and a cute little girl named Sol (sun) came running up and jumped in my lap and hugged me so tight. She was precious. I had a great time talking to her and teasing her and Heidy because they are both shy about getting their photo taken. Soon it was time to go but not before we gathered in a large circle over a plot of ground where they hope to someday build a chapel where the girls can come for prayer or silent reflection. Pastor Don Waybright prayed a wonderful prayer over the ground and the future blessing it would be to the children and then we sang Here I Am To Worship in English (the girls favorite song because we always sing it to them when we come). It was a beautiful time.

We then headed into town for a meeting at Jose Vicente’s office. We have heard about and discussed several times what the large vision is for Orphan Hope and Mundo Nuevo and at this meeting we wanted Jose Vicente to share his whole heart and vision. It was an awesome time. We talked about his current operations and then he cast for us his larger vision for the city of Bogota and how we can help. It was fantastic. He genuinely has Christ’s heart for these children and for the city of Bogota and Colombia. The master plan includes the orphanages, churches, schools, OHI missionaries and volunteers, and all the facets of our ministry play into it. What a delight to see such a kindred spirit with what God has called us to do. There are huge things in store for this partnership. Tomorrow is another packed day so I am signing off with much love and joy in my heart and immeasurable gratitude that the Father has allowed me to come with Him on this grand adventure.

I am incredibly blessed to once again be in my home away from home, Bogota, Colombia. I had a wonderful but crazy couple of days preceding the flight down, running around collecting Padrino gifts to bring down to the children from a dozen or more families. The flight down yesterday was wonderful. My health is the best it has ever been on one of these trips, praise the Lord and thank you prayer warriors and my dear wife and daughters for keeping me healthy. Don Waybright, missions pastor at Sugarcreek Church in Sugar Land, Shoby John, director Orphan Hope, Chris Poole, Orphan Hope missionary, and I made up our party flying out of Houston. Shoby, Don, and I had seats right next to each other and so we were able to visit all the way down and what a delightful visit it was. What sweets servants of God both of these men are and how I enjoyed our conversation that ranged from missional living, discipleship models, to passion, to suffering, to family, to anointing, to how God has put us on this plane headed to love on orphans. What a blessed time. We kept mentioning how similarly God has been working in our lives over the last 3-4 years and about that time Don asked me, “what are you reading there?” I said, “Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship.” He laughed, reached in the seat back pocket in front of him and pulled out his copy of Bonhoeffer. We all just shook our heads and thanked God for what He is doing in us. It was truly a delightful time and really prepared me for the week ahead. We arrived at the airport and were happy to meet up with another team member that had arrived on a different flight, Rachel Yeates. Rachel has been sending money and items to orphans all over the world for years through her ministry Great Comeback Kids but has never actually been into the fields of the fatherless until this trip. We are very excited to have her along. We walked outside and were happy to meet up with Dave and Gail Beach, Orphan Hope directors who had flown in that morning. We arrived at our hotel at about midnight and I was very glad to get into that bed but not before Dave Beach popped in the door and said, “special delivery” and handed me a beautiful letter from my precious Goddaughter, Heidy, whom I will see tomorrow. My heart leapt when I opened it and read, “Hola mi papito hermoso, te quiero mucho (Hello my beautiful Daddy, I love you). The remainder was just a sweet as the opening line. What a blessing these dear children are to my soul.

We rose at 6 a.m. had a nice breakfast and headed to church where our dear, dear friends Hector and Liliana are the pastors. I could not wait to hug and kiss them and their beautiful children. What a blessing this “adopted” family is to me. The joy and honor of calling them brother and sister and to see and hear their teenage children come running when they saw me this morning saying, “Tio Mateo”, “Tio Mateo” (Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt) and the smiles and hugs and kisses. These are just a few of the “beyond all that we can think or imagine” blessings that our Father has for us as we follow Him where He leads. The service this morning was glorious reunion with the children from Casa De Egreso, the workers, Jose Vicente, President of Fundacion Nuevo Mundo, many of the workers, Nelda, a dear sister in the Lord, Missy Christie, President of CDA Colombia and her mother, Jair and Shannon Montiel of Christ for the City and Pastor Pedro, National Director for Christ for the City Colombia, and many others. What a delight! We worshipped the Lord in song and praise and reading of the scriptures and the presence of the Lord filled that place.

Then Pastor Hector introduced me to preach and I was humbled and blessed when Missy Christie, an international hero in orphan ministry stepped up to translate for me. Wow. We prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to come and speak to us and then I began to share with the church about the Grand Adventure that awaits all those who follow God on His mission to reconcile the world to Himself, through Christ, and with our blessed involvement and restore it to a world of love, joy, and peace. I told them of how the Trinity enjoyed perfect fellowship, love, harmony, and joy and as Daniel Fuller used to say, “God’s complete joy in Himself as a Trinity led Him to want to double that joy by extending it beyond Himself to the human beings He created” and so God has been on mission ever since to share Himself and His joy with the world just like Jesus says to His followers in John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” and then again to His Father in John 17:13 “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” The ancients captured this when they made the first question and answer of the Westminster catechism, “What is the chief end of man?… to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” When we get in the presence of the blessed (happy) God (1 Tim. 1:11) we get happy (Psalm 16:11 In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever) as Joni Eareckson Tada says so well, “God happily shares His gladness, His joy comes flooding over heaven’s walls filling my heart in a waterfall of delight, which then in turn always streams out to others in a flood of encouragement, and then erupts back to God in an ecstatic fountain of praise. He gets your heart pumping for heaven. He injects His peace, power, and perspective into your spiritual being. He puts a song in your heart. I want to know God like this! Shove me under the waterfall of the Trinity’s joy, which splashes and spills over heaven’s walls. If He’s always in a good mood, I want to catch it.”  And we get holy because no pleasure derived from any sin can compete with the joy of being filled with God’s love and joy as C.S. Lewis said so well, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and   ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” And so the Grand Adventure is following this amazing God wherever He leads. It is, like Peter, James, and John, leaving their nets and boats and everything they had known at the shore of Galilee when Jesus said, “Come” never knowing the incredible adventure that awaited them of seeing the blind healed, the lame made to walk, the dead brought out of the grave, Jesus transfigured before their eyes and speaking with Moses and Elijah. They could have had no idea that answering that call of Jesus to, “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG, would take them all over the then known world preaching the gospel and seeing the world change before their eyes. And all they did was obey a simple command, “Follow Me.” And that is what we must do if we want to experience this all-satisfying God of love and joy. We must join Him in total trusting, obedient, faith. We must listen for His specific call for our lives. We can’t assume that what He asks of someone else He will automatically ask of us. He has created an adventure to enjoy with each of us specific to each of us. He told many to “Follow Me” and yet He told the maniac of Gadara, “Don’t follow Me but go home and tell your friends and family what great things the Lord has done for you.” Each of us must listen to the call of our Master as He has ordained a specific way in which each of us will fulfill His general call to “Go and make disciples of the nations.” Like Pastor Matthew Barnett says, “When you were born, God instilled many things within you. One of them was a great CAUSE that He wants you to embrace. In His unique grandeur, He created a universe in which the cumulative effect of all people faithfully pursuing the cause within them would result in a transformed world – one in which everyone’s needs would be met and every servant’s heart would be filled with the joy of blessing others. Unfortunately, we live in a traumatized world – in part because so many people fail to identify and pursue the cause He has given them. Even though it would provide the happiness and fulfillment they have been seeking, they have failed to build their lives around that cause.” So let’s not miss His call. Let’s get in His presence and learn of Him and listen for His instructions and then step out with Him in faith and walk on the water. Let’s go to work with Daddy and change the world.

After the sermon there were several testimonies and beautiful music and celebration. We finished up and then went across the street for lunch and then met back at the church for some time with Pastor Pedro and Jair and Shannon of Christ for the City as well as Pastors Hector and Liliana and the OHI team. We had a marvelous afternoon of sharing and learning as Pastor Pedro unfolded for us the amazing work that Christ for the City Colombia is doing and ways that we can help. He invited us to Medellin, a city in northern Colombia at our earliest convenience to see what God is doing with their ministry there and pray about how we can be involved and since we discovered that he is an international marathoner we invited him to come to our Orphan Hope marathon February 11, 2012 and he heartily accepted. What a blessing! What a grand adventure. We also heard from another friend of Jair’s about a curriculum they have developed for children that uses the Jesus Film and then follows through with discipleship and how they have implemented it in schools in several Latin American countries and how we may use it in our work. It was a tremendous day in His presence and with His choice saints and we thoroughly enjoyed it. To God be the glory for the great adventures He is pursuing and He has asked us to join Him.

I had lunch this week with Pastor Timothy Vowell and Scott, both of Relationships For Christ.  They are building an amazing work in Zambia, Africa called Project Samuel (click on the logo above). I was introduced to Timothy by Scott and Anita Gilbert, parents of our own missionary Chris Poole. From the moment I met Timothy, I knew that we were kindred spirits. I love their core values, one of which is working with the whole body of Christ. We at Orphan Hope International hold this very dearly as well. We believe that God has called us to cooperate with anyone who is following Christ to expand His kingdom in the world. I was so happy when Bill Byrd invited Timothy to speak to us at our annual OHI board retreat recently and he helped us in more ways than I can tell you. Anyway, due to our shared core value of working together, he has invited me to come to Zambia and see what God is doing for them there and then seek the  Lord together as to how we can help Project Samuel. In the same vein, I have invited Timothy and possibly his son Brenden to come with our team in January to Bogota, Colombia and see if God would have us partner on some projects there. One of my favorite things about being on mission with God are the marvelous people that He brings me into contact with who are also chasing Him on this glorious adventure. To God be all the glory.

This week was my busiest and hardest, but I had so much fun! On Tuesday we canvassed a high school with fliers for a new outreach we are starting for high school kids that want to play basketball. It was fascinating how the kids that were interested were the outcast of the groups. The popular kids didn’t want anything to do with us. I really praying that we are able to influence a lot of kids through this new outreach. Wednesday a family from the church was moving a needed to give a way a lot of their furniture and cloths. So we were able to load up a whole buss load of stuff. It was awesome! They gave us a couch, four TVs, about five chairs and six mattresses. We are all ways in need of mattresses so that was such a gift from God to be given that many mattresses. Thursday morning we delivered some of our furniture to a lady in need. It is a great experience to really be Jesus hand and feet in a persons life. Thursday afternoon we went back to the church family’s house to load up another full buss load of stuff. It was amazing how much one family was able to give us! God is so good that no matter how many families in need we are helping we always have more then we need. Friday we canvassed again at a different school and again the only kids interested were the one all by themselves out side of the groups. Friday night we went to Skid Row for our weekly outreach. I had prayed all week that we could make a difference in someone’s life and we wouldn’t fall into a passionless rhyme. He answered my pray in a mighty way this Friday! We were walking around a corner when this lady came up to us a say we should go and help this other lady put her shoes on because she couldn’t do it by herself. I was like ok that is a little wired of a lady out of no were comes up and says we should go help someone but ok. So me and my friend went to the lady (whose name is Diana) and asked if we could help her. Diana said she needed help up so she could go around the corner and go to sleep. We help her up but she was so drunk that she could not stand up on her own. We asked Diana where she was going but all she would say was that she needed a cover because she didn’t have one. All Diana had with her was a sheet and the clothes she was wearing. I didn’t know were we could get her a cover because we didn’t have any blankets with us or anything like that but we just started walking her to the back of our group were Dustin one of my team was. Dustin asked a ministry we are friends with called the Joan Projects if they had any blankets we could give Diana and by God’s grace they did. So we made a bed for Diana by a church on Skid Row. We Dustin gave Diana his testimony of being an alcoholic and how he meet Jesus at the dream center. I pray we were able to make her see how she can have a different life. Saturday after adopt a block I just rested and watched a movie. Sunday after church Jonathan wanted to have a site leaders meeting to build up the team. It was awesome, we went to a park in the mountains. I rocked climbed for the first time in my life! They made me leave my camera in the van so I couldn’t get any pictures but it was so much fun. Dustin and I jumped of the side of a cliff in to a stream with all of our cloths on. The water was so cooled but I had do it once in a life time moment! Ok I will write again next week! Love you all.

Our 2nd annual Share The Hope dinner is fast approaching. Please join us for an evening of Stories and Dreams and hear and see what God is doing through this amazing ministry He has called us to.

I can’t believe it has only been two weeks since I started at the Dream Center, it feels like it should be a month! This is the first time I have been able to sit down with my computer all week. Well Sunday I road on the Buses again to pick up the families that want to go to church with us but this time I went to my now adopted site Nickerson Gardens the best site ever! The serves at Angeles Temple was amazing! They had a guest worship leader who writes his own songs and one of his songs call The Great I Am was incredible. I can’t remember his name but that song was like hearing The Revelation song for the first time but almost more touching some how. Monday a now very good friend Courtnie Stevenson moved in to my room for the week. We have had a great time together! Wednesday I moved into my permanent room on the intern floor after work but it was a nightmare because I had to wash all of my clothes. The Dream Center has a problem with bed bug, so anytime you move to a different room you have to wash all the clothes you brought with you. I thought I was not going to ever be done wash and folding laundry, but thank God I did! Lol Friday was a great day, we started out separating and bagging up all the needs as we call them for the families at the adopt a block sites and all of the fruit we also bag up. After lunch we were going to go to a retirement home to bless them and I was suppose to give a devotion but our printer was not working on Thursday and we couldn’t finish all of our work for Saturday, Sad but we are going this Friday instead. Friday night we made our weekly trip to Skid Row, Again God worked in amazing ways. One cool story was, at a corner we were talking with a woman, her niece and there friend and after talking with them for about ten minutes they asked the whole team of about ten of us to pray for them it was remarkable. Saturday we visited Nickerson Gardens, it was fun. I already feel like some of the families are my good friend. Sunday after church I went with Courtnie to the beach! Wow we had a fantastic time I posted some pictures on Facebook. Please pray for me to have the strength to not get to tired to see God working through our work. I want enjoy God’s work every day 🙂

Wow I am over whelmed with how blessed I am to just be here and work with this ministry. I am honored to be working with a group of people that are on fire for God and are passionate about helping the needy. I already feel at home and I am in the perfect place for me to do what God has called me to do. I have felt like I really need some alone time with God in the mornings, time to just get closer to Him and to let the fact of the incredible journey I am on sink in. Just to give you all a hint this is a part of what I wrote in my journal this morning. “I am in awe of what Jesus has done and is going to do for thorough me this year. Just to be able to stand and see LA’s sky line is so amazing and I am so full of thanks giving! I stay amazed by You Lord.” I am working with the Adopt a Block Family as they call it, which is one of my favorite program I read about in the book A Cause with in You. Jonathan Martinez my team leader story of how he was a gang leader and found Jesus at the dream center discipleship program is also in the book. When I meet him and found out He was my team leader I was like, wow really God how cool is this to be able to work with one of my heroes and to work at the best job ever! I have so many stories that I can’t share then all but I will give my three favorites. First is my second day here I went with my team to a family’s apartment to give them some furniture. When I walked into there apartment I was shocked to see in a one room apartment a mom and her two kids sleeping on the floor with only blankets and no pillows. They also had no furniture at all not even a chair. We gave them a dresser, a table, some chair and three mattresses. Dave one of my teammates also went to Ross and bought the family three pillows and I got the one year old little girl a teddy bear. J Friday night my team and about 15 people went to Skid Row to give out food and blankets to the homeless. It was heartbreaking to see so many people, it was like literally one after another seeping on the sidewalks in tents and in wheelchairs and just on blankets. Lastly to day I went on my first Adopt a Block it was amazing to see how many people really love to team that visit’s the same site ever week. We even were able to go to a little girls birthday party and jump in the jumper with all the kid. Just to see how two people that would have not even spoken to each other because it is not socially expectable to be best friends is just God. Well I hope to write every week I can’t sooner because of the internet and I am working almost every day.