Honduras Mission - Day 3

This is it! This is the BIG day! The day that I have been training for and looking forward to for the past several months. The day that we take the five hour hike into the mountains. What will the terrain be like? What kind of physical, mental and spiritual challenges lie ahead? Will I be able to make it without my ankle going out on me? These are all of the questions that were rambling through my head. And I am sure God knew the answers to all of them.
The drive itself took about three hours to get to the base of the mountain. Mostly because we had to stop for some supplies and because we got a flat tire half of the way there. While we were waiting for Donny and Bob to get the tire taken care of, some locals approached us to say "Hi". First a little boy ran up to us, followed by his mommy, and then an older man came to us. The older man started talking but only a couple of us could understand his language. He told us that this was all of his farmland and that he was 97 years old. He showed us some of his produce, mostly potatoes and corn, and then mentioned that he was 97 again. The flat was fixed and we were on our way. I am still trying to process or figure out why we got our flat where we did. I may not get that answer for a while.
We arrived at our starting point at about 12:30, had a quick lunch and we were on our way. The first mile of the hike was along the road which was all uphill and a good way to get warmed up. I felt a little winded, only because I forgot to bring my asthma inhaler with me on this trip, but otherwise quite strong. We broke off onto the trails through the woods and I began to wonder what God had in store for me next. My prayer was "Show me what You want to show me and give me strength". We were a little over a mile into the trails and I realized that I was ahead of everyone else. I was trying to keep up with our trail guide Carlos, who was very quick on his feet and knew the trail like the back of his hand. Everything was so lush and green and quiet. Absolutely QUIET. I have never been in a jungle like this except for when I lived in Albuquerque and used to hike in the mountains that surrounded the city. Even then, there was the sound of airplanes flying over.
Carlos and I would wait for the others to catch up and then take off again only to get another twenty or more minutes ahead of the pack. We reached the place that they call "Jurassic Park" which I imagine was named this because it looks like a scene from the movie. It is about a mile long descend straight down the side of the mountain. Huge rocks and trees were towering out of the mud. Leaves, loose rock and downed tree limbs served as obstacles and were extremely challenging. None the less, I found myself bolting down the water drainage paths trying to keep up with Carlos again, and then it hit me. I heard a voice ask me if I knew how unique this opportunity was. I was walking on a primitive trail with one of the locals, communicating with hardly any knowledge of the Spanish language, in the middle of a jungle a thousand miles from home. How many Americans can say they did that? Thank You God for that wonderful experience.
The rest of the group caught up again and we pressed on. It was close to 5:00 and getting dark fast with about two miles to go. The rest of the trail was downhill with a lot of loose rock and gravel. I was getting pretty tired and the bottoms of my feet were beginning to hurt. At this point, I just wanted the hike to be over with. The darkness began to challenge all of us and I was growing impatient with our pace. I started getting careless and before I knew it, I was going down. I slipped on some loose rock while trying to avoid someones walking stick in front of me. I braced myself with my arms and landed hard on my ass. I immediately felt my arm hurting and thought to myself, "at least I didn't sprain my ankle". I was wrong. It only took about 100 yards to realize my ankle was going out on me. Most of the pack was ahead of me now and only Bob, Tom and Darrell were behind me. I collapsed again and began to weep with frustration. Tom immediately laid hands on my ankle and began to pray for me. After a short prayer, Bob picked me up and the three of them pushed, carried and encouraged me the rest of the way to our destination. Those are my brothers and I love them very much. I realized that I could not have done that without them. I felt prideful and dumb. I was thankful and appreciative.
It was about 6:30 or 7:00 by the time I got to the shelter where we were going to be staying. The hike took about five and a half hours. I will never forget those hours we spent on the trail. Ryan prepared dinner for the twelve of us, Carlos prayed for my ankle in Spanish, I wrapped my ankle and went to sleep. What an awesome day!
You'll notice there were no pictures for this blog. That is because I was too busy trying to keep up with Carlos.

Honduras Mission - Day 2

Woke up to the sound of roosters crowing at 4:00 in the morning. I thought they were supposed to do that when the sun came up. Maybe God was preparing me for this by waking me up that early for weeks before this trip.




Day two brought me a pleasant surprise. We were given a tour of the mission base which is called "The Ranch". We were taken into the new children's ministry building where we found a group of women making baskets out of pine needles. The ministry caters mostly to the Honduran women because they are the minority of the country. We entered through a door that led us to a large open room and there was my surprise. An entire kitchen made from pine that was milled at the site. A missioner named Gary Strickland set up his wood shop, built the cabinetry, and installed the kitchen all in the same building. I believe this was one of main things that God wanted to show me. I was floored and at a loss for words.
After our tour, we loaded up and headed to "The Invasion". This is a large plot of land where the poorest of the poor invaded and started squatting on the land. A little girl wearing a purple Blue's Clues t-shirt, approached me as soon as I stepped out of the van, grabbed my hand and walked me up and down her street. I am not very good with my Spanish, but I knew what she was trying to show and say to me. "This is where I live".
Most of the homes were stick framed with tarps. Some were logged and some were concrete block with corrugated metal roofing. There is no electricity or running water and there is trash everywhere. The children were amazing and beautiful, and they all had smiles on their faces. Even in the midst of their poverty, they seemed happy and as if they truly get the meaning of life. We played futbol, football, took pictures and even did some repairs on a few homes. After a few hours, it was time for our visit to end. It was hard to say "Adios". The people of "The Invasion" will be on my heart and in my prayers for as long as I live.

Honduras Mission - Day 1

The twelve who were called on this mission are Vinny, Donny, Eric, Travis, Troy, Nick, Darrell, Tom, Jon, Greg, Bob and Ryan. The guy in the front with the blue shirt is actually Carlos, who is one of the locals. Tom was missing as usual, and Ryan is not in this picture as well because he is the awesome photographer who took it. Twelve disciples chasing Jesus...why does this sound familiar?

Day one, of course, was all travel. It had been a long time since I have been on a plane, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous. The rush of the plane taking off is one of my favorite experiences. If I could only harness that much horsepower in my car. Once in the air, I was quite comfortable and God was already speaking to me. To view the Earth from His perspective is an amazing thing. I love it when there is just enough cloud cover to see through to the ground. Everything looks so peaceful and small. Sometimes I wonder if there are angels walking on the clouds. That's what I want to do when I go to heaven.


After our connecting flight in Houston, we were in the air again for two more hours before we landed in Honduras. The airport was a small open air pavilion. Cowboy Jimmy (a 10 year missioner from Aurora, Indiana) was there to greet us and to load us on to a van for a 5 hour ride to the mission base. If you have never experienced driving in a third world country, it can be quite nerve racking. There really were no laws there. Cars were speeding, passing, cutting and tailgating. It was almost as if you were in a Nascar race. To top it off, there were pedestrians everywhere. The people just stand around on the streets. Most of them were selling things but a lot of them were just standing there. Bicycles were everywhere. I admired the amount of bicyclists but I definitely would not ride my bike there. Most of the vehicles were pickup trucks which was the most appropriate means of transportation because of the condition of the roads. There were a lot of people riding on top of or in the beds of trucks all over the place. I remember when my brother and I used to do that before it was outlawed.


Almost every vehicle had a dent in it which was not hard to believe by the way they drive. One thing that I immediately noticed was, there were no women drivers. Just roads full of testosterone. Now that is a scary concept.


We arrived at our mission base at around 6:30 pm. The base had nice accommodations. The kitchen was nicely set up and the meals were awesome. One of the locals (I believe her name was Flora) provided all of meals and she did a tremendous job of cooking them up. I did not think we were going to eat the way that we did, it was great. The sleeping quarters were nice as well. The beds were comfy and having showers was a welcomed treat after a long day of travel.




As I lay in bed at the end of the first day, I thought of my family, my travels and what God was showing me, and of what was in store for me over the next several days.

Protection

Have you ever prayed for protection of your life? Why do we ask God for protection of our lives? If we trust Him, there should be no need for the request. Especially when we are doing something that He has called or asked us to do.
My trip to Honduras officially begins tomorrow (Tuesday) at three in the morning. The past couple of days, I have felt extremely calm. I have started to make my final preparations for this trip and I have had a lot of time to prepare myself mentally as well. During my quiet time with God yesterday, I found myself asking Him to protect me. Is it insecurity that causes this? Do I feel that He owes me the right to live? Why do we put so much weight on life anyway? Sure it's precious and we are connected to a lot of things and people. But....ultimately, this is not our home. This Earth and these bodies are only temporary. A gift from God, if you will, before eternity and all of it's splendor. I'm quite sure many of you have ordered an appetizer before your meal at your favorite restaurant. I think that's what life is like. We get a small (and I mean micro small) taste of what Heaven tastes like. And I can't even fathom what dessert will be.
So, my prayer for this mission is not for protection, but for guidance. I want God to show me the things He wants to show me and I want my eyes and heart to have the ability to recognize it. I want Him to mold me into the man that He wants me to be. I want to learn something new about myself and about everyone I come into contact with, and my God.
I have no fear of going on this adventure with God. If I do, it is the fear of missing out on something awesome! GOD, TURN US LOSE AND MAKE US DANGEROUS TO THE ENEMY!

Holding On

Have you ever felt like you are holding on to things too tightly? Afraid to let go, because then you would lose control? Lately, I have been enjoying some quiet time in the early hours of the morning. During that time, I like to read the Bible or what ever book I am currently on, meditate, or pray. This morning, as I was just sitting and being still, I heard God say "Let go". Of what, I was wondering. I don't have anything to let go of. And then I began to wonder. What in my life has been a current theme for me? And then it hit me. WORRY. I worry too much. I asked God to reveal all of my worries.

1. I am worried about my trip to Honduras. It finally hit me this week, that I am about to embark on a trip that will change my life...and I am actually worried about it. How will Ann get by without me? Who will take care of all of my duties? What if something happens to me?

2. I have been worrying way too much about our high mortgage payment. We have a lot of nice stuff, but every month we somehow just manage to break even. No saving. Minimal tithing. Wishing I had more to give.

3. My kids place in life. I often worry about my kids well being and if they will be Godly figures for their piers to look up to. We live in a very "stuffy" neighborhood, on an extremely "stuffy" street that doesn't have a lot of kids to play with. Our kids live a very sheltered life and I feel like it's all my fault because I put them here.

4. For the past year and a half, I have been working on finishing our basement. When I ever a project takes that long, it causes anxiety in me which leads to worry.

These are the main stresses in my life. I feel like I can control them or fix them. I hold on with all of my might, because if I do let go, then I will lose control. What if? What if I did let go? What if I trusted God? Well, in about 5 days, my world is going to fall apart. That is when I will be leaving for Honduras. I will lose control over everything I do. I think God has to take us apart sometimes so He can get rid of the junk and rebuild us the way He wants to. This is where the trust comes in. I have to trust in Him and allow Him to control the things that cause me to worry. This is going to be hard, but I think it is will be worth the effort.

True Story!

This it what Jesus experienced as a human. What amazes me is how many pass this off as just a story. Or, even better yet, deny that it actually happened. And even if it did happen, no man could have endured all of that, which is totally the point. He was not just a man, but God in the flesh!

His best friend betrayed Him for a sack of coins.
He was taken captive.
He was prosecuted by religious priests.
He was given to the Romans.
He was mocked and spat on.
He was whipped and beaten so brutally that His flesh was torn from His body.
He was ordained "The King of Jews".
A murderer was set free in His place.
Pontius Pilot washed his hands of Him and condemned Him to the Cross.
He carried His own Cross that took two roman soldiers just to lift.
We nailed Him to the Cross.
Even at His death, He asked for our forgiveness.
"It is accomplished!"
He was removed from the Cross.
He was given a traditional burial...on the third day...the tomb IS empty. (Fact - you could dig up all of the graves of religious leaders and profits from the past 2,000 years and you would find their bones. If you were to dig up Jesus' grave, you would find nothing!)

So what don't you get? Why is it so hard to accept this? Does this change your life? How will you let it change your life?

Oh the wonderful Cross!

Sneak Attack

Last night, we went to our church's Easter celebration which included a free dinner, an egg hunt for the kids, and great worship. About halfway through the message, I started feeling nauseous. I was already feeling really exhausted from all of my days activities. I worked out, mowed the lawn, spread the mulch, washed my car, grouted the tile back splash and installed the sink in the kitchen that I am putting in the basement. I missed two meals by the time we went to church and didn't even get my afternoon nap. I was running on fumes and hoping that some good food and community with my church family would bring me back to life. Instead, quite the opposite. I let my defenses down and the enemy snuck in. You see, that's what he does. He lurks in the shadows of your life and at the right moment, he attacks. I didn't even realize it was happening until this morning. I thought that I was just feeling sick last night because of my fatigue and the food that I ate (no offense Ryan). I am sure that had something to do with it, but what a perfect time for a sneak attack. Things felt pretty normal this morning. I woke up feeling a little rested, watched the kids search for their Easter baskets, had breakfast...so far so good. Wrong! Like the male idiot that I am, I made huge mistake commenting on what my wife was wearing for the day (jeans and a t-shirt). That's when everything went south and before we knew it, we were in a huge argument. What a great way to celebrate Easter Sunday. Yes, the enemy does attack you at church, and Yes, he can even attack you on Easter. He will stop at nothing to tear you apart from Jesus. And why not pick on my main weakness. Image. How I see myself and how everyone else sees me is a big one for me. I in turn put that burden on my wife, Ann. I think she should dress a certain way, or look a certain way in order to please me. That's not how it should be. I should love her unconditionally. So, there I was this morning, standing there like a cartoon character. On one shoulder I have an angel trying to help me refrain from my harmful actions, and on the other shoulder is the lowlife himself, satan (spell checker suggests that this be capitalized, not!), whispering his crap to me, feeding me negative thoughts, and taunting me. My defenses are down, anger overcomes me and without even thinking, I say the first stupid thing that comes to mind. " You are a slob". By now, I've probably lost half of my female audience. So be it. I deserve it. But this is where it gets good. This is where Christ overcomes and wins yet another battle. We sat down and slowly and more rationally worked things out. We talked about our desires for each other. We talked about what we need to feel wanted. Ann used the analogy of the blossoming flower. If you feed it and nurture it, then it blooms. If you stick it in the shadows and neglect it, it dies. Somewhere along my walk with Christ, He shared this with me. But as time went by, I began to take things for granted and had forgotten all about it. I figured that if she wasn't nurturing me, then why should I bother. That's not what Christ expects from us. That is letting the enemy get a foot hold. And once he has that foot hold, he will always nag at it and use it to his advantage to take you down. We finished our conversation and resolved to try harder at nurturing each other. There is still a lot of work to do. Feelings and trust just don't fix themselves. It takes time. I know that somewhere down the road, I'll say something stupid again. I'm a guy and that's what we do. But a real man owns up to his actions and seeks forgiveness and will stop at nothing to love his wife the way that she deserves to be loved. I LOVE YOU ANN and hope that someday you can forgive me! Christ wins again! Happy Easter - The tomb is empty!

Why Bother?

I have not blogged in a while because I haven't felt inspired to post anything. I have been reading the blogs that I follow and have noticed that my fellow bloggers have more followers and posted comments than my blog. My first blog "Blogging is stupid!" mentioned how I thought blogging was a way for people to expose themselves for the world to see and that is how I feel now. If no one is going to read or follow, why should I bother?