Tuesday, November 30, 2010

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.


     

Thursday, November 18, 2010

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!

Monday, November 8, 2010

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.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Maely's Letter

Maely’s first checkup went well and the doctor plans to take ex-rays on November 17th 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!