Maely's first experience with SNOW

Until October of this year, Maely had spent the first 12 years of her life living in a remote village in the highlands of Honduras.  Her village rests at an altitude of 3200 feet above sea level so temperatures in the winter time can get down into the 60's and 70's.  After spending 20 years in Alaska and 10 years in the Pacific Northwest....I could get used to winter lows in the 60's!  But for Maely, that is sweater and coat weather and fortunately for her it only lasts a couple of months.  Do you remember the first time you saw snow?  Do you remember what it was like sledding down your first snow covered hill? Well, Maely got to experience this "life event" today and here are some pictures of her latest adventure.  We took her to the Mount Baker ski area and let her play in the snow!  Little did I know what I was in for.

Here she is getting "suited up" in the back of our truck.

This area is called Heather meadows up on Mount Baker.  Its a perfect bowl area so the kids don't end up sledding all the way down the mountain and halfway back to Bellingham before their parents can catch them!   As you can see from the sunshine in this picture, it was a perfect day for it.

After 15 minutes exposure to snow and 35 degree temperatures.....Maely is still smiling.  Doesn't her smile look sweet and innocent?  Almost angelic isn't she....HAH!  That's what I thought too.....I should have remembered the water gun ambush and the fact she tried to run me over with my own John Deere lawnmower!  I am just FAR TOO TRUSTING...or have a very short memory!

Shortly after this picture....my trusty side kick and event photographer (Pat)  bailed on me cause her hands were frozen.  Now that brings back memories!  When we lived in Alaska and I would take her and the kids skiing, Pat would complain that her hands got too cold.  So being the loving, understanding husband that I am, I bought her some "hot pocket" hand warmers and stuffed them in her ski gloves.  Then she said her feet were getting too cold....So for the next trip,  I bought her some heated ski boots.  I KID YOU NOT, they were battery powered, electrically heated ski boots! When she starting complaining about her face, knees, elbows, eyebrows, spleen and Y chromosomes getting too cold I realized, she was probably not genetically suited for skiing and let her stay home after that.

This is the third and final trip down the hill as the look on Maely's face pretty much sums up her opinion of snow!  By the way, that snow on the bill of my cap is from a snow ball Maely nailed me with as I was coming to her aid.  That girl has an arm like an outfielder and the accuracy of a major league pitcher!

As I was pulling her back UP the hill (that's right, I had to pull her back up the hill each time as she yelled "rapido burro") I noticed the sled seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.  At first I thought it was just my stamina starting to fade, but when I stopped to catch my breath and looked back, I noticed that she had been dragging her arms like the blades on a plow and had filled up the entire sled with snow!  It was when I started to empty the snow out of the sled that she nailed me with her fast ball.  Fortunately after only three runs down the hill, she decided it was time for me to drag her sled back to the truck and get warm.

I figured I had better post this blog tonight because I may be too sore to do so tomorrow.

Maely's 1st Christmas in the US

Due to family schedules, we celebrated Christmas on the 25th and the 26th.  Maely had enough presents under the tree to last both days and she had a wonderful time shaking, weighing and guessing the contents before she opened each package.  She got so many clothes, toys, puzzles and electronic gadgets that we may have to hire a mule train to get all of her stuff back to her village.  Here are some pictures of her first Christmas in America:

Here she is opening up her biggest present...

which turned out to have another box inside it......which

turned out to have three more subsequently smaller boxes before she found a beautiful purple hooded top. You should have heard her squeal with laughter each time she found another present inside.

Here she is playing with a Nintendo DSI that her host family gave her for Christmas.  For a little girl who had never seen an airplane, tasted ice cream or heard of a computer...until a few months ago, she sure didn't take long to figure out how to use this electronic marvel!



In addition to being extremely bright, Maely is also very creative and definitely has some artistic talents.  Here are some items she made out of play dough:

Words cannot express the joy we have experienced sharing Maely's first Christmas in the US.  Her spontaneous peals of laughter has filled our hearts to overflowing and reminded us once again what it was like to be a child experiencing Christmas for the first time.  What a blessing and a privilege God has given us and we will cherish this time forever.  At the same time we are enjoying her presence here in the US, we are laying the groundwork to establish an agricultural cooperative in her home village that will eventually fund improvements to their health, education and economic welfare.

Maely tried several times to get in touch with her family in Honduras during the Christmas Holidays but was unable to get through.  She finally managed to talk to a cousin this morning who we hope will pass on to everyone else that she is healing quickly and having lots of fun.  Sometimes I worry that her experiences here in the US will make it difficult for her to adjust when she returns home, but God in HIS infinite wisdom has already prepared a solution to this challenge...its just up to us to trust and obey!    

Our youngest daughter, Courtney will be going into the hospital tomorrow morning to have her first baby....and our first grandson.  We can't wait to see the newest addition to our family.  Our oldest daughter is adopting a child from Ethiopia and will be traveling there in January for their mandatory 1st trip court date.  If all goes well, we will have our second grandson by the end of next February.  Lots of pictures to follow!   

Christmas Eve

Its 8:00 PM and we have just returned from the Christmas Eve service at our Church.  Maely wore her new Christmas dress and although she was very self conscious, it was plain to see that she was pleased with the way she looked.   As soon as we got home, she wanted me to print the attached photo so she could give it to her grandmother that raised her. 

At first it was very difficult to get a good picture of her because she would either hide or make faces at the camera.  As I am writing, I realize for the first time why that is...she has such a negative self image that she either avoids getting her picture taken or intentionally distorts her features to hide the "Maely" that she is ashamed of.   Since Maely arrived for the Christmas holidays just over a week ago, we have seen the full range of her emotions and we are beginning to see just how deeply she has been impacted by 12 years of ridicule and rejection she has suffered in her village.  She was born with a club foot, in a remote village in Honduras where that was looked upon as a curse from God.   Because of her birth defect, she has been told all of her life that she is "ugly".  How cruel people can be, but children can be the worst tormentors of all.  As we were looking through photos of some of the people in her village, she pointed out a number of children her age that had been very mean to her as she was growing up because of her deformity.  I had to fight back tears of anger mixed with sadness as I imagined how difficult that must have been for her.  However, her pain and sorrow has moved the creator of the Universe to intervene and rescue her not only from her physical defect but the deeper emotional wounds that she has suffered as well. 

Its hard to imagine a little girl as pretty as this....thinking that she is ugly!  Maely's Miracle continues to unfold as we see the very fingerprint of GOD evident in the physical and emotional healing process that she is undergoing.  Please be lifting her up in your prayers and also feel free to share her story with others.  I believe God will use Maely's story to reach the hearts of many and who knows how many may end up entering the kingdom of heaven because of it.




Here "the girls" are baking cookies.  Pat on the left, Maely in the middle, my mom on the right......and Gracie on the far right.  Gracie was in charge of cleanup!

Maely is learning to ride a bike for the first time so Pat thought she would start her off on a three wheeled version.....which just happened to offer her a chance to ride while she makes Maely peddle!

Soon after Maely arrived at our house, she began inspecting the presents, shaking them, weighing them and trying to guess what they were.  For a little girl who has never experienced Christmas...she sure catches on fast!  Starting on the 20th, we let her open up one present a night.  Interestingly enough, there have been a couple of nights she has chosen not to open a present...still scratching my head on that one!

Tomorrow is Christmas day so I had better get this posted and get to bed.  May the Lord of all creation speak to your heart this Christmas season with a personal message of HIS love and may your heart be filled with the peace that passes all understanding.

Maely's home for Christmas

Maely arrived in Seattle a few days ago and we were so happy to see her again.  Her cast was removed a little over a week ago and she only has to wear a brace for 6-8 hours per day for the next month or so.  She will go back to the doctor in mid January and perhaps find out then how much longer before she is released from the Doctors care.  She is getting around very well and its getting harder and harder to keep up with her!  Here she is meeting some of the locals!

She has adapted quickly to the 30 degree temperature temperature drop between Los Angeles and got to see snow yesterday for the first time in her life.  Here she is enjoying one of her favorite past times...devouring a double scoop strawberry ice cream on a waffle cone!

We will take her up into the mountains so she can get a chance to play in the snow before she returns to LA.  Tonight we were looking at videos of the last time Pat and I were in her village.  She was very excited to see familiar faces but she also pointed out many of the children that used to make fun of her because of her deformity.   Many of the people who have been touched by Maely's life are concerned about how she will be treated when she returns to the village.  The King's Storehouse will be setting up an Agricultural Cooperative in her village to provide farmers in her village with loans to maintain their coffee crops until they can begin producing a marketable harvest.  We intend to make it clear that this aid is being made available to them because God has chosen to bless them on behalf of this little girl whom they had shunned, ridiculed and rejected.  Maely's journey will end back in her village where it all began and we can only trust that God has prepared the peoples hearts to welcome her back.

Maely's cast comes off!

Maely was thrilled to call and tell us her cast had been removed.  The doctor said she will have to wear a brace for several weeks and will have to have another check up in January but if all continues to go well, she will be able to return home soon after her doctors release.  We could hear the happiness and excitement in her voice over the phone as she described what it was like to walk normally for the first time in her life.  Mending Kids International has done such a wonderful job in coordinating Maely's surgery, accommodations and convalescence!  We have grown particularly fond of the social worker (Cristina Farrut) that MKI has assigned to Maely's case.  She truly cares for this little girl and we have been very impressed by love and compassion.  Professional efficiency combined with love and compassion makes MKI a very speical organization to whom we will be forever greatful.  Pat and I hold this organization is very high regard and will be using their services again the next time God places another hurting child before us.

Maely will be flying in next week and I have spent the last two weeks putting up Christmas lights at our house.  I expect to start hearing complaints from the local airport because our house is sometimes in the flight approach path and I'm sure our Christmas lights could be mistaken for the airport!  We will post pictures when we pick her up next week and all throughout the Christmas and New Years holidays.  If you have been following this blog and look back at the first pictures we took of her in Honduras, you may have a hard time recognizing her.  The joy and self confidence that radiates from her face now is hard to describe.  She is beginning a new life now.  One in which she will no longer be different, an object of ridicule, an outcast.  A life in which she can run and skip with others her age and never again hear the cruel remarks about her deformity that exiled her within her own village.  God has worked a miracle in her life but I think that we have just begun to see the full impact of what has occurred here.  What an amazing story God is writing for this little girl.  I will share more later on how Maely's story will impact every person living in her village.  She left an outcast and will return as God's blessing to the entire village.

May God richly bless you this Christmas season and may you not forget that Christmas isn't about presents, decorations, discount sales, dinner parties or food....its about Jesus who came to earth the first time as an innocent baby born to die for our sins.  One day soon, Jesus the righteous judge, the Lion from the tribe of Judah will return, He will set up His kingdom upon this earth and rule the nations with a rod of iron.  Until that day, we must be busy preparing the way for the coming of our King and keep looking up for our redemption draweth nigh.

Maely's second trip to the dentist

Last Friday Maely had some extensive work done on her teeth which required the services of an oral surgeon.  She went in early in the morning and wasn't through until late in the afternoon.  Fortunately they knocked her out and she doesn't remember a thing other than the fact that all she could eat on Saturday was soup.  We talked to her yesterday and although she is excited to be coming up here to spend Christmas and New Years with us, she is really missing her grandmother whom she refers to as Mommy.  She sent us a handmade card last week and its clear that her host family is really spending a lot of time teaching her how to speak and write in English.  She is an exceptionally smart girl and I believe they have lit a fire within her to learn more.  We have been telling her how important it is that she get an education but until recently, she had no interest in school.  I think this was because kids her age used to make fun of her deformed foot.  After talking to her yesterday, she seems a lot more confident and is now interested in going to school when she returns home.  This creates some challenges because there is only one teacher and about 70 school age kids there as of last year.  Most don't attend because the one small class room is too crowded.   I believe they only teach 1st through 3rd grades so one of the things The King's Storehouse is researching is the possibility of paying a second teacher that can teach the higher grades.  We have been told that by the time we pay the teachers salary and their living expenses to live in the remote village, the cost will be about $800 US per month.  Her nanny told us that since her surgery she was really starting to blossom into a adventurous pre-teen.  She is still a little apprehensive about flying alone from LA to Seattle, but she is one brave little girl and will do just fine.

With her return home fast approaching (two months), Pat and I have spent a lot of time in prayer seeking God's will for her when she goes home.  She will be returning to a two room house filled with 12 adults and 6 kids.  Her home has no electricity, no running water, no indoor bathroom, no phone and her family is too poor to ever be able to improve their situation.  The King's Storehouse will be working with the leaders of the village to install a new water line early next year from the stream high above their village down to a water storage tank in the village.  This will allow them sufficient water to wash, cook and shower but will not be enough for irrigation.  Although the water is contaminated with bacteria, the filters we provided last year eliminate all the bacteria, parasites and protozoa from their water making it safe for them to use.

In addition to improving the water system, The King's Storehouse will be establishing an Agricultural Coop that will assist the coffee farmers in maintaining their coffee plants until they can produce enough to begin making a profit.  It is our intent to provide the farmers with 0% interest loans that they can pay back over time using coffee beans as payment.  If it is God's will, we will also buy their crops making it a point to pay a consistently high price regardless of the market so they can maintain their crops.   We will then ship the beans to the US and have a coffee company in Washington roast, grind, package and box these coffee for resale.  We have started talking to other non-profit organizations interested in doing this as well as a means to fund their missions works in these coffee producing areas.  The King's Storehouse will use profits from the sale of the processed coffee to fund more teachers in the village, improve their sanitation system and fund other economic development opportunities that will benefit the entire community.  

We are awaiting a quote from a well known reputable coffee retailer here in Washington for the roasting, grinding and packaging.  We will be traveling to the village early next year to present this proposal to the farmers and evaluate their potential capacity.  When all this comes together, we still have to make arrangements to transport 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of green coffee beans to the US but if this is Gods' will, HE has already made all the arrangements, we just have to connect the dots!

When I look back over the events of the last year and see all that God has done to get Maely to America for surgery, I am amazed and humbled to have witnessed it.  The interesting thing is, Maely's Miracle is still unfolding and the end of her story has yet to be written.   Isn't it like our Awesome God, that HE would take this lonely, crippled, little girl who was shunned by her mother and her village.....and not only heal her, but also because of her, bring clean water, educational and economic opportunities to her village.  Only God can write a story like that!

God's Spirit is moving in the hearts of HIS people

Christmas is fast approaching and all too often we get so caught up in worldly preparations for Christmas that we forget the spiritual relevance of this event.  Jesus (who created the universe) stepped out of time and into human form on this day we call Christmas.  For 33 years he faced all the trials and temptations that we face yet never sinned, and consequently never came under the penalty of sin which is death.  However, He chose to suffer an excruciating death upon the cross so that HIS death could atone for the sins of ALL of those who would accept HIS free gift of salvation.  I pray that this Christmas you will find the peace that passes all understanding, the joy that cannot be quenched and the love that transcends time by getting to know the God of the Universe that gave HIS life that you might enjoy eternity with HIM.

Over the last few years, I have noticed a growing unity among the true believers in Jesus Christ.   God is calling HIS people to come together in one mind and one spirit, to get busy while it is yet day, for the night soon approaches when no man can work.  He is calling them to set aside their organizational, doctrinal and political differences and start focusing on spreading the gospel to he ends of the earth.  I see charitable organizations that used to compete against each other for donations, starting to work together for the common good of God's people.  God is reminding us once again that if we are doing HIS work, HE will provide the means so rather than competing against each other for funding, we should be working together to HIS glory!  I believe there is a revival coming that will sweep through the hearts of God's people all over the world and it will drive them to cast aside the cares and concerns of this world and focus on matters of eternal value.  I believe time is getting short and that God is not willing that any should endure the trials that lie ahead for those left behind after the rapture.  How like our loving God that He seeks to spread HIS message of salvation to the ends of the earth so that every living soul will have the opportunity to be spared the trials of the coming tribulation. The bible tells us that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.   How like HIM to give every soul one last chance to kneel before Jesus the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world on this side of eternity, rather than be forced to kneel before Jesus the Righteous Judge on the other side of eternity.  The choice is ours to make, but so are the consequences if we choose to reject this gift from God.

As a result of this outpouring of His Holy Spirit, I believe that God will take HIS church out of this world (rapture) with the same outpouring of HIS Holy Spirit which was evident when he brought the church into the world.  In Acts we see that once the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples and believers gathered together, they become of one mind and one accord.  They become one and as a result they were able to heal the sick, make the blind to see and the lame to walk.  They were able to share the gospel in every language and their numbers were increased daily.  God IS calling HIS people to get busy and take advantage of what little time is left.  When that trumpet blows and God calls His people home, I want to know that I have done all that I can do to tell others about the Love and Joy and Peace that comes from having a personal relationship with the Living God.

God's Spirit is shaking his church and HIS people are leaving the comfort of their pews in ever increasing numbers to answer HIS call to go out and spread the gospel unto all nations.  As God's people repent of their sins,  humble themselves and submit to God's call and direction, we will begin to see the same miracles that were recorded in the book of Acts.  God grant us a love that will drive us to the ends of the earth spreading your word.  Give us wisdom that we may discern your will and give us faith that we may be able to move mountains in your name and to your glory.


     

Maely's Checkup

Maely's doctor visit went well and the ex-rays indicated her foot was healing very nicely.  She now has a permanent cast which she is able to walk on so this will give her a lot more mobility during the remainder of her convalescence.  She has been picking up some english phrases and its apparent she is adapting well to her new surroundings.  She will be coming up to Washington to spend Christmas and New Years with us and we are anxiously looking forward to seeing her again.  This will give us an opportunity to get more information regarding the needs in her village and see what The King's Storehouse can do to meet those needs.

We will be teaming up with Christ The King church in Bellingham to lead a team of 20 college students on a 10 day mission the village of Colonia on the island of Roatan.  We have been extremely fortunate to obtain the use of a beach side villa called Casa Isabella (roatancasaisabella.com) to house our team.  The owners of Casa Isabella (Carlos and Isabella) are wonderful Christians who are making their property available for mission minded efforts supporting the needs of the people of Roatan.  It is such a blessing to meet others who have dedicated their lives to God's service and answered HIS call to go forth and spread the gospel unto all nations.  Carlos and Isabella are wonderful examples of "good and faithful" servants of The Most High God, and we are blessed to know them.

Our team will be arriving mid March and working with Living Water 4 Roatan, Clinica Eseperanza and the 7th Day Adventist church in Colonia to provide the people with more water filters, helping to install more water lines throughout the village, helping out at the clinic and hosting a weeklong childrens church.  We are expecting to provide several hundred children with snacks, games, crafts, bibles and a movie.  Other members of our team will be distributing water filters to each of the 500 families in the village and assisting Living Water 4 Roatan with the installation of new water lines, valves etc.  The third group will be helping Peggy Stranges who runs Clinica Esperanza (clinicaesperanza.homestead.com) by painting the clinic, helping her with medical supplies inventories and assisting with clerical needs.  Here is a picture of the clinic that Peggy started just a few years ago and has now become one of the primary care givers for the local people who cannot afford to go the islands only hospital.  
                                  
        Clinica Esperanza                                               Pat and Peggy in the new birthing ward

We are planning a trip back to Maely's village (Potenciana) early next year as well and will be helping them with their water distribution system and also bringing more shoes and clothing.  The last time we went, we didn't have enough shoes to give all 300 inhabitants of the village so we starting handing them out to the eldest citizens first and then worked our way down to the younger groups. We were quickly running out of shoes when I noticed an older women (mid 60's) standing at the back of the crowd unable to get to the front where the shoes were being distributed.  I motioned for Pat to go get her and lead her up to the front.  By the time they got there, all the shoes had been handed out. The next thing I knew, Pat had given the lady her shoes and was walking around in her bare feet.  I hurried back to the room we were staying in nearby and grabbed another pair of shoes out of Pats back pack and brought them to her.  A few minutes later, I looked her way and saw she was barefooted again.  Fortunately she had one pair of flip/flops left that she wore the rest of the time we were there and on the flight back to Seattle.  Here is a video of the woman she gave her last pair of shoes to.

I will make sure that the next time we travel to Potenciana, Pat has at least 6 pairs of shoes!  As we finalize more details on the March trip and start to make plans for the May trip, we will post the details on future entries.  I'm often encouraged by the story of King Solomon.  The bible say that he was the smartest man that ever lived because God blessed him with great wisdom.  In spite of that wisdom, it took Solomon a lifetime of chasing satisfaction and fulfillment in partying, sex, power, and wealth before he came to the conclusion in his old age that this was all a "chasing after the wind".  He concluded that true peace, and joy only comes from serving Almighty God.  I'm encouraged because my wife and I have already figured that out.  There is no greater joy that that which comes from being in the center of God's will and serving HIM.  What a blessing and a priviledge. 

May God lead you and guide you towards the path that HE has prepared for you and may you follow HIS direction that you may accomplish the tasks that HE has prepared you for!

Secrets revealed

During the last month, Maely has experienced many life changing events, but as monumental as those events have been, they pale in comparison to what lies ahead for her.  You see, Maely has had her physical deformity corrected and her surgery is healing nicely.  She is able to walk on her cast now without the aid of crutches and she has adapted well to her temporary physical constraints.  But inside her soul there are some deeper injuries, less visible but more much more painful that will take a very long time to heal.  For the last 11 years Maely has lived in a world of extreme poverty, neglect, rejection, loneliness and uncertainty.  When you first meet her and see her contagious smile, you would never imagine what painful secrets lie behind her sparkling eyes.  Maely doesn't cry.  Even when she left her home and her family to come to the United States, she never shed a tear.  When the anesthesia began to wear off after her surgery, you could see the pain in her eyes but  she refused to cry.  Even when Maely parted with her Grandmother on the day she left to come to the US, Pat had to encourage her to hug her Grandmother.  As you can see in the picture, this seemed to be a new experience for both of them.  Needless to say, Maely has grown up in an environment completely void of affection and although she loves her Grandmother whom she calls "mommy", there was no outward show of affection between them.

Pat and I both are very affectionate and we still hug our kids every time they walk by, even though they are both married now and expecting our first grandchildren.  When Maely first came to stay with us, we treated her like one of our own daughters,  it was obvious she didn't know at first how to respond to respond to this new phenomena.   However, by the time she left for her surgery in LA, she had gotten over that and we could tell she was moved by our hugs.  When we left her with her host family, she bravely said goodbye and although her eyes got a little misty, she still didn't cry.  I, on the other hand, bawled like a baby once we got back to our hotel .  I marvelled at her courage and strength, but deep down inside I was also concerned about what life events could have so hardened this little 11 year old girl's heart to the point where she wouldn't,...or perhaps couldn't cry.

Have you ever experienced a heartache so great that you subconsciously blocked out the memory of it?  Are there gaps in your childhood memory that try as you might, you cannot fill in the blanks?  I believe that God has made us with a built in defense mechanism that sometimes allows this to happen.  It is a means by which we can postpone dealing with the hurt until we are better prepared to handle it.  This is especially true with children.  I know from experience this is true and I know that these memories can lay dormant for years, even decades before they resurface.  And then one day, without warning, something will happen that will trigger their  release and they will come back like a flood, just as vivid, deep and painful as if it were yesterday.

My earliest memories growing up were filled with the sights and sounds of beer joints, liquor stores, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline playing on the juke box and all too often the sounds of my parents drinking and fighting.   They finally divorced when I was 7 but the four years preceding that event were often punctuated with loud terrifying arguments between my Mom and Dad fueled by alcohol and sometimes ending in violence.  My brother who was 7 years older than I would take me out of the house during these fights and tried to shield me from the brunt of it but he couldn't protect me from all of it.  For years afterwards, I was bothered by these memories.  Every time they came up,  I would feel like crying but I was afraid if I ever started crying, I wouldn't be able to stop....So I just bit my lip, hardened my heart and buried those memories a bit deeper in hopes one day they would finally go away.  Years passed and I managed to bury my past so deep that I was seldom bothered by it anymore.  I grew up, got married and started raising a family of my own.  I didn't think of, or talk about my past with anyone for the next 20 years.

22 years after my parents split, my wife and I were living in Kenai Alaska with our two daughters ages 3 and 8.  Both of us came from broken homes and had made a vow that our children would never have to go through what we went through as kids.  We never missed an opportunity to tell them how much we loved them and were always holding or hugging them.  One weekend a new movie began showing at the local theater.  I can't remember the title, but it was about the life of Patsy Cline.  We went to the movies, settled into our seats and began enjoying "pacorncoke" as our young daughters referred to the treat that made going to the movies worth while.  As the previews of coming attractions began to show, I was totally unaware of the emotional maelstrom that was about to unfold.  The scenes in that movie depicted the tumultuous life of the legendary singer and the bars, drinking and fights with her husband bore a striking resemblance to my parents.  The visual images of these events, combined with the original Patsy Cline soundtrack catapulted me immediately back in time to my childhood where I was 5 years old all over again.  I was suddenly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of  pain and heartache from my past that I was helpless to contain.

The tears that I had held back for all those years fell all at once in a torrent of incredible emotional pain and yet it was also mixed with a sense of sweet release.   I jumped out of my seat gasping for breath and heading toward the exit sobbing uncontrollably.  I couldn't understand the flood of emotions that had overwhelmed me and I was sure that once the dam was burst, I would never again be able to regain control.  Pat followed me out of the theater concerned because she had never seen me in this condition before.  She had seen me lose my temper on many occasions, but never seen me break down in tears and weep like this.  It took several days before I was realize the emotional meltdown was due to all that these painful memories from my past that were buried but not forgotten.  I realized no matter how deep or long hurt and heartache are buried, they do not go away and the day will come when they have to be confronted once and for all.  After several days, the turmoil inside finally subsided and the flood of emotions became a pond of quiet and peaceful reflection.  I felt the need to capture in words the essence of my experience but was reluctant to drop my bucket into what had always been a dry well before.

Up to this point in my life, I had never been able to write poetry.  For years I often tried to capture in prose what I was feeling but years of hardening my heart had left me a poetic mute.  Moved once again to express all that I was feeling,  I picked up a pen and in less than an hour wrote the following poem which tells the story of my experience.  I titled this poem "Walls" and it  was soon followed by others which I compiled into a collection called "Poems of Passage"  These poems provided me a means to capture and then express all the emotions that I had suppressed since childhood.  I think this poem may also speak for Maely's struggle as well and might explain why she has had to protect herself from heartache she cannot explain.

WALLS
I find myself held captive by walls I built as a child
Wall built in self defense soon marked the bounds of an inner exile

Too young to understand and unable to deal with the pain,
I withdrew within these walls to escape what I couldn't explain

What was once my fortress, my refuge, soon became my prison
Isolating me from life and love and hope, filling me with indecision

With hollow laughter my secret has been hidden all these years
At times seeking solitude when unable to hold back the tears

This wall unseen, yet impenetrable built completely from within
Must have a weakness, a crack, a flaw somewhere I can begin

Would that I had solved my problem as an oyster does a pearl
and turn this wall into a thing of beauty to be admired by the world

Perhaps someday my heart can blossom through the power of my prose
And I can ignore the thorns of love as I embrace loves tender rose

I will send my heart over the wall carried on the wings of a dove
And hope it survives its journey as it begins its quest for love

I search the sky daily for sign or sound of the dove's return
Waiting, watching, patience such a difficult lesson to learn

Then one day, as I slip deeper and deeper into despair
I hear the doves triumphant cry as it circles in the morning air

A rose clutched in its beak is released and falls gently to the ground
I hesitate, then rush to pick it up as my heart begins to pound

The thorns sink deep into my breast as I clutch it in a tight embrace
Oblivious to the pain as tears of joy stream down my face

My world begins to tremble and the barriers begin to fall
And my heart bolts for freedom through an opening in the wall

The years of pain and anguish disappear in sweet release
And a mountain top of loneliness is exchanged for a valley full of peace

  During the weeks since we return home from LA, we have been in regular contact with Maely by phone and it seems with each conversation she reveals more and more about her troubled life in the village of Potenciana.  What she has begun to share with us so far is deeply disturbing and I'm beginning to see the events that have hardened her heart.  Whether these painful memories have been blocked out, or just suppressed because she had no one to share them with, we don't yet know, but through the loving care of the Morgerman family, Maely is finally starting to open up about her past.  This major step is a wonderful testament to the care Kevin and Gaby have provided her that she feels secure enough to talk about these painful memories.  And as any good psychiatrist (did I spell that right?) will say, that is the first step to emotional health.

Its getting late and I have to work tomorrow so I will close for now.  In the next post,  I will share with you some of the events in Maely's life that have made it necessary for her to harden her heart against.

Maely's Letter

Maely’s first checkup went well and the doctor plans to take ex-rays on November 17^th to see how well her foot is healing.  It won’t be until he has evaluated those ex-rays that we will have an idea when she will be released from the doctor’s care.  Until then, we will be praying for her physical, emotional and spiritual healing to continue according to God’s plan and timetable.

So that brings me to today’s blog entry.  Now that Maely’s immediate healthcare needs are being taken care of, our concern has now shifted to matters of her spiritual wellbeing.  While she was here in Washington with us, Pat and I managed to communicate with her on a relatively basic level but we were not able to discuss deeper spiritual matters due to our rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and her inability to speak English.  Consequently, I found myself on numerous occasions unsuccessfully trying to craft a message in Spanish that would explain to her just how much God loves her and explain all that HE has done to bring her to the US. Time passed too quickly and her surgery date arrived before we could convey the message that God had put in our heart to share with her.  She is now recuperating with her host family in Los Angeles, and it will be another 3 to 4 months before we get the chance to share this message with her in person.

Although we check in with her once a week, phone conversations are even more restricting than our face to face conversations were….and not near as much fun!  I have heard that effective communication is made up of 55% body language, 35% tone of voice and only 10% verbal content.   So needless to say, I am frustrated with my inability to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with her over the phone, and since she cannot read or write, in Spanish or English…..you could say “what we have here….is a failure to communicate”  

In spite of all of this, I have felt led by God to write Maely a letter in English and post it in this blog.  It has been said that God works in mysterious ways….so writing a letter in English to a little girl 1,000 miles away, who cannot speak, read, or write the  English language, and then putting that letter into this blog definitely qualifies as “mysterious ways” in my book.  It’s almost seems like putting a message in a bottle, and casting it into the sea in hopes it will eventually get to the right person who can read and understand it!  

However….God said WRITE… So, I will do what I’m told, and let HIM provide the message as well as the means to get it where it’s supposed to go and in accordance with  HIS purpose.  Isn’t it an amazing testament to the glory of our omnipotent and omniscient God that HE chooses to achieve HIS perfect will through the feeble efforts of HIS imperfect, blind, bumbling and often obstinate servants….like me?    I for one am just grateful that HE has provided so perfect a salvation that even I can’t screw it up!  Okay….so where do I begin?  I know, I will start off with something creative, profound and original like:  “Dear Maely”,….how am I doing so far? 

Alright, perhaps I had better hand the keyboard over to the King of Kings and let HIM take it from here.  Here is the message that God is putting on my heart to give  Maely on HIS behalf.

My Child,

I want to share with you the boundless and unconditional love that I have for you, and reveal the plans I have made for you since before the beginning of time.  I have known you before you were formed in your mother’s womb and anxiously awaited your birth that I might reveal myself to you.  I knew the moment you first drew breath and I heard your very first cry as you stepped into time.  I knew you would enter into this world with a handicap that would make you different from all the other children in your village.   I knew that your mother wouldn’t be able to deal with your infirmity and that your grandmother would have to rise to the occasion and raise you like her own daughter.  I knew that the children in your village would avoid you and sometimes make fun of you and I saw every tear drop you cried as you hid in shame at their taunts.  I know the pain you felt when rejected by the people in your own village and I know the depths of loneliness you have endured as a result of those years of neglect.   I have felt your every heartache as if they were my own.  I suffered these things with you because I knew one day the benefits you gained from these trials would make it all worthwhile.  I knew your deformity would cause you much sorrow and loneliness for the first 11 years of your life, but I also knew you had the will and the strength to not  only endure these trials, but to emerge from them better, stronger and most important of all, better prepared for the tasks I have prepared for you.   

One day, you will look back on these first painful years of your life and see that I was there with you, sustaining you every step of the way.  I have great plans for you little one and I long for you to get to know me as I have known you since before time began.  For this reason, I have prepared for you a savior, my only son who gave his life as a ransom for you and all who would call upon his name.  He is a gentle savior, full of Love, full of Power, and full of Grace.  It is my spirit that is tugging at your soul right now, confirming in the inner most recesses of your heart that this moment is the very moment you were born for.  If you will open the door of your heart and invite my son Jesus into your life, the years of pain and sorrow, emptiness and loneliness, fear and uncertainty will be swept away in a torrent of peace and love that will become an eternal monument of my covenant with you.  He promises to never leave you, nor forsake you from this moment forward.  If you will listen to the gentle voice of my son Jesus and ask him to take away all your sins, He will take them upon himself and you will become holy, pure and righteous in my sight.  You will become all that I have created you to be, and you will be my child through this age and beyond into the eternity that I have prepared for you.  

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  I have declared the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.  My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.  You are my beloved child and I have shared your pain and born your sorrows since birth knowing that one day you would be lifted up.  According to my will and my time table, I brought you out of your village, to travel to a distant land and be healed.  I knew your journey would touch the lives of many and your story would lead others to know ME and accept my son Jesus Christ as their savior.  I have prepared a mighty work for you little one and if you will embrace my Son as your savior, you will experience a love that will drive you to the ends of the earth spreading my word, you will gain wisdom beyond your years and you will be given the faith to move mountains in MY name and to MY Glory.  For you, my daughter, all my love from eternity past, through the present and into eternity future,

Your  loving Father –

I AM!

Happy Birthday Maely Bonita Sarai Hernandez!

Today is Maely Bonita Sarai Hernandez’ 12th birthday and thanks to her host family, she will enjoy her very first birthday party.  It has been a busy week for her.  She left the hospital just over a week ago after a very successful surgery, and has quickly  learned how to walk on crutches.  Which is a good thing because the original plan called for her to be in a wheelchair for a couple of months.  Picturing Maely in a wheel chair brings back scary memories of my near death experience as she bore down on me in my John Deere mower laughing gleefully as I scrambled for my life (see previous episode).  I doubt if there would have been much left of Kevin and Gaby’s house by the time she graduated from a wheel chair to crutches.  

She recently attended her first Halloween party (dressed as an Indian Princess) and we can only imagine what must be going through her mind as she continues to discover the wonders of our world here in the 21^st century.  You know, I have always been fascinated by the dimension of time and the prospect of time travel.  Presented with that opportunity, some would choose to go forward in time in order to return with insight that could be converted into instant wealth via the stock market or the lottery.  Call me twisted, but if I had the chance, I would choose to go back in time and see history as it really occurred and not just as it was recorded through the lens of human bias.  Perhaps that’s why I have been so moved by Maely’s story.  Here is a little girl, that up until a few weeks ago, lived in a world that has been pretty much unchanged for the last 300 years.  No electricity, no indoor plumbing, no phones, no vehicles, no computers, cell phones, television or radios.  Her life is no different than was her grandmothers, or her grandmothers, grandmother.  And now she has been transported forward into time,  into a world that she couldn’t have imagined was possible.  Her wide eyed wonder at our world has given me a new appreciation for all that we have, and all that I have taken for granted.

I mean, stop and think about it for a moment.   When was the last time you stopped to marvel at the world around you?  We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of our fast paced lifestyle that we fail to stop and enjoy the moment.  It seems we are always looking ahead to some event in the future, or reminiscing about the past and fail to realize that Today, is the Tomorrow, we were worried about Yesterday!  We can learn a lot from the Maely’s of the world, but only if we make the time to focus on what really counts.   For example:

It had been raining here in Northwest Washington for the last two weeks straight and after living here for 10 years….you get used to it…..more like you learn to tolerate it.  Anyway, its that time of year when the days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting colder and the leaves are turning their timely shades of red and gold.   I had just come home from a long day at work and immediately began working on next years plans for The King’s Storehouse.  There I sat at our home office desk with my back to the window and my face buried in my computer screen.  Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds and shafts of light burst through the window and filled the office with a warm glow…but I was too busy to be distracted by it.  I continued to focus on spreadsheets and word documents until I was forced to pause for a moment while waiting for a file to load.   I leaned back in my chair, stretched my arms over my head and just happen to glance out the office window.  Words cannot describe the beauty of what I saw, so I have attached a photo and will let that explain why I did what I did next. 

I grabbed my camera out of the desk drawer and bolted out of the office, ran down the hall, charged into the garage and shot out the back door into the back yard….all the while yelling for my wife to come take a look!  Before me, was the most beautiful double rainbow I had ever seen in my entire 53 years upon this earth.  It seemed close enough to touch and the colors so bright, I could almost hear them!  I was so awestruck by the beauty of the moment, I almost forgot to start taking  pictures.  By the time I had taken a half dozen photos, the clouds moved back in covering the sun and the brilliant hues of the rainbow quickly faded as if they had never existed. 

You know, life is a lot like that!  How many times have we missed out on fleeting, yet life changing glimpses of God’s creation,  because we were too caught up in the man made cares of this world to look up from our computers, blackberry’s, TV.s and Ipods to notice?   If I have learned nothing else from our little time traveler, Maely Bonita Sarai Hernnandez, I have learned that memories fade and the future is uncertain….but the present is ours…but only for a moment….to seize, or to squander.  Life is short, MAKE IT COUNT!

Next entry – A letter for Maely and our hope and our prayer for her future

In search of the summit - Maely's long road to recovery

Have you ever hiked up a mountain?  Do you remember when you started at the base and looked up at the distant summit and maybe felt a little intimidated by the task before you?  Did you perhaps take some of the pressure off yourself by saying, "I'll just climb until I get tired, then quit and come back down"?.  Well if you have answered yes to all three of these questions, you will appreciate what I'm about to share.  For those of you who haven't,...I;ll try not to ramble too much and I promise, I will eventually get to the point.

Having lived in Alaska for 20 years, I often took advantage of "The Great Lands" majestic solitude by climbing in the Chugach and Brooks mountain ranges.  On one occasion, while working for Alyeska Pipeline Company (the company that operates  the Trans-Alaska Pipeline) I was working at Pump Station #3 which is located 103 miles south of Prudhoe Bay near the northern base of the Brooks Mountain range.  It was early summer (July) and since the sun never sets in the summer time at that latitude, there was plenty of daylight left after I got off work every day around 5PM.  My work required frequent travels along the entire length of pipeline.  During this particular tour, I had driven the haul road between Pump Stations 3 and 4 quite often and was impressed by some of the rugged foothills at the base of the Brooks range.  I had often thought, if I ever find the time, I would like to see the view from the top of them.  Sound familiar? 

Well, I finished up work a little early one afternoon and decided that was a good day to make the climb before winter began to set in.  I drove about 10 miles south of Pump Station 3 to an area the locals (three guys who manned the Dept. of Transportation outpost in Chandalar pass) called slope mountain.  I parked my truck on the pipeline right away and began hiking towards the base of the mountain around 5:30pm.  Although the ground was relatively flat, it is extremely difficult walking through tundra which is like walking across a 2 foot deep, wet sponge.  Each step would sink down into the tundra and suck at your feet when you pulled it out.  After 30 minutes of steady slogging, I was surprised to find a creek separating me from the base of the mountain.  Having already invested an hour of my evening into this effort, I was reluctant to turn back.  I took a long hard look at the width, depth and the speed of the creeks current.  It appeared to be only knee deep with a moderate current and it wasn't more than 30 feet across....and thought to myself.."that doesn't look so bad".  10 feet into my creek crossing effort, I suddenly reached several startling conclusions.  First, the water was actually about waist deep and second, the water was so cold, it felt like I was being stabbed by a thousand ice picks.  I had never hurt so bad in my entire life, and only one time since then...but that's another story!  By the time the icy water's message had reached my brain, my forward momentum had already carried me to midstream...the point of no return.  Not wanting to turn broadside against the current and go back,  I made a quick decision to keep plowing forward and hoped the water didn't get any deeper.

Einstein once explained his theory of relativity  by saying a minute sitting in a porch swing with a pretty girl seems like a few seconds...but a minute sitting on a hot stove might seem like an eternity!  I can relate to that because according to my recollection, it took me three weeks to cross the last half of that 30 foot wide creek.  My watch said it was only a few seconds....but I KNEW BETTER!  The last few steps weren't so bad because my legs had already tuned to wood and I couldn't feel them anymore anyway.  When I emerged from the other side and started up the base of the mountain, my blood finally started circulating again and the feeling started to return to my frozen limbs.  That hurt almost as bad as the first time and all I could think about was I still had to cross that creek again when I came down off the mountain.

An hour later, I reached what I thought was the summit..only to discover another peak just beyond it that wasn't visible from the base of the mountain.  After enjoying the view from that vantage point for a moment I pondered whether or not to continue climbing.   Before I could make a decision, my body had already started pressing on toward the new summit.   I justified this mutiny between mind and body by attributing it to my strong desire to see the summit but in reality, I think my body was just wanting the delay my second creek crossing for as long as possible.  Another 45 minutes of steady climbing finally brought me up to the summit....or so I thought!  There to my dismay and disgust was the most beautiful meadow I had ever seen and it stretched several hundred yards beyond right up the base of another summit!  By now its almost 8PM I still had a two hour climb back down the hill and still had to cross that 400 foot wide, raging,  freezing creek before I could walk the half hour to my truck and make the 30 minute drive back to my warm bed in camp.

I looked up at the summit, and then looked down the mountain.  Looked up the at the summit again...then down the mountain again.   To this day, I don't know why, but for some reason I couldn't turn back.  I turned back towards the summit and began climbing again.  It took an hour to cross that meadow and reach the next summit.  Just before I reached the top, I was almost afraid to look over the top for fear of finding another peak just beyond it.  Just before I crested the ridge, I felt a cold wind hitting me in the face and I knew that  had indeed reached the summit.  I stood on top of that mountain for what seemed like seconds but my lying watch said it was more like half an hour.  Turning slowly in a circle, I could see for miles in every direction.  I could see the permanently snow capped peaks of the Brooks range to the south of me and I could see all the way to the far northern horizon where the arctic tundra meets the Beaufort sea.  The view was breathtaking and I'll never forget the majestic solitude of that moment.  The pain of crossing the creek and the disappointments of all the false summits were temporarily forgotten.  All I could think of at that moment was that all my efforts had afforded me a view that few, if any had ever seen before.

I wish I could say the warmth and splendor of the moment made me forget all about the long difficult climb back down and the pain of crossing that 2 mile wide, freezing, piranha infested creek..but it DIDN'T.  I reached the creek just before 1AM and it seemed twice as cold, twice as deep and much faster than the first time I crossed it!  I was still shivering by the time I reached my truck 30 minutes later and with the heater cranked up on high my teeth had barely stopped chattering by the time I pulled back into Pump Station 3 around 2AM.


 Okay..so what does all this have to do with Maely?  I'll try to explain.  When Pat and I first found Maely hobbling along that dusty trail high up in the remote mountains of interior Honduras, we saw one of God's beloved children who was suffering un-necessarily.  We saw innocence held captive by a physical deformity that was unable to quench her spirit.  We saw in her eyes maturity beyond her years, born of a lifetime of rejection and hardship, yet her smile towards us as strangers was genuine and instantaneous.  In essence, we saw a summit that God wanted us and Maely to climb.   God put a burden on our heart to start the wheels in motion that would lead to her being healed of her deformity.  And now...a year and a half later, that miracle has come true.  During this time, Maely overcame numerous false summits to get here.  More importantly she has successfully crossed the first creek of culture shock in transitioning from the primitive conditions in her village into the ease and comfort of our modern world.   By God's  power and grace, Maely has crossed that creek and crested the mountain, but her journey if far from over.   She has many months of painful healing and physical therapy ahead of her.  Her mobility will be greatly restricted and she will still be away from her family for a long time living in a foreign land. And the....she has one more creek to cross and that will be to transition from our modern world back into the world she was born and grew up in.  I fear this will be her biggest struggle and her greatest challenge. 

As she convalesces under the loving care of the Morgermans, Pat and I will be seeking God's will in what HE would have us do to prepare Maely for this final leg of her journey.  We will be looking at means to improve the conditions in her village in order to lessen the impact upon her.  We have discussed commissioning local builders to add on to her family's two room house to allow her family more living space.   We have also discussed means to set her family up with a small "tienda" (store) by which they can earn a better living and perhaps have electricity run to their house.  We are also discussing having The King's Storehouse fund a teacher for the small  school in Potenciana and set up a program to encourage parents to send their kids to school.  We deeply appreciate your prayers in regards to all of these matters as we seek to manifest God's will for this child whom HE dearly loves.  Please be lifting Maely up in your prayers as she gets closer to crossing the final creek in her journey.

We will keep you posted on these and other efforts God has under way in Honduras.  We will be returning Maely to Potenciana as soon as she is released from the Doctors care in approximately four months.  God has also opened up the door for us to coordinate a mission team of about 20 college students to spend 10 days on Roatan in late March meeting the needs of the HIS people in Colonia.  in addition to these two trips, Pat and I were just recently asked if we would coordinate a second mission team to Honduras in July or August 2011 and we would probably take this team into Potenciana.

In the meantime, remember that Life is short, and we must make it count for eternity.  This world, and all that is in it, is just rental property.  Our permanent homes (mansions) are in heaven so we should be about doing the Father's business while there is still time.

Please feel free to share this blog with your networks of friends and family so they can see what great things our God is doing to meet the needs of "the least of these" that Jesus refers to in Mathew 25:40

Maely's Pink Cast

Maely emerged from surgery around 10AM this morning and as of now 3:57PM, she is resting comfortably in her hospital bed.  The doctor said things went exceptionally well and Maely can expect to be released from her doctors care in about 4 months.  As you can see in the pictures below, she is sporting a pink cast which she will have to wear for a couple of months and then may be fitted for a brace for the last two months of her rehabilitation.  Through it all, she has exhibited a courage and resolve I have seldom seen in people 3 or 4 times her age.  Maely's life has been forever changed now and we must begin preparing for her eventual return to her village early next year.  She has gone places the people in her village can only dream about.  She has seen things her mother and grandmother can't even begin to imagine.  She has experienced the love of God revealed through HIS servants like Terry and Cheryl Hindman who have been supporting our efforts since day one.  Due to the faithfulness of people like Ruth at Hoagland Pharmacy, Mary Jane Wilburn, Mary Ann Jacobs, Vinnie and Rick Rawhada, Les Moren, Felix Anderson, Shirley Storm, Miguel and Wendy Mathis, Wilfredo Mejilla, Tom and Ginger Smith, Ken Kelso, Stacey Malloy, Gene Deady, Ronnie Havard, Aymee Mallory, Jason and Jeremy Richards, John and Liz Munnerlyn, Jack and Linda Chew, Dr. Chamberlain, Heathe Fey, Al Warnas, Natalie Bergeron, and Mike North, Maely will return to her village walking straight and tall.  A testament to the power of God's love and His Peoples prayer.  Thanks to Kevin and Gaby Morgerman for taking care of God's precious little girl while she heals from her surgery.  A special thanks to Mending Kids international for their excellent ministry in providing God's less fortunate children with a chance to live a normal life and to Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, as well as Dr. Kay and his staff for the excellent work they did for Maely.

Maely should be able to leave the hospital tomorrow morning and begin her long recuperation under the loving care of the Morgerman family.  Pat and I will return to Washington and begin praying about what role God would have us play in Maely's life once she returns to her family in Potenciana.  We will be heading back to Honduras in January or February and then again in March and maybe again in July.  We will keep everyone posted on Maely's recovery and the events/issues leading up to her return home.

Maely showing off her new cast!

Pat and Cristina trying to figure out how the tray works.  Maely is waiting patiently for her food and must be wondering what is taking so long!