Rain from a clear sky

It is a nice day here. Warm, blue sky, a few puffy clouds passing by, so how did it rain, you ask? Oh, clever me and my tricks.

The rain started when I went to get the boxes our pilot friend brought for us (this time uniforms for Sampedrana's school). I met up with her, then went down to customs as normal to get the boxes. This time however they were in the midst of grilling a group coming to do surgeries or something. After showing them the uniforms, explaining what they were for, etc.....I got the once over, and then I heard "well, he will have to pay something, even if a little bit." It is this sticking to the exact rule of law that customs is sometimes known for. I promptly informed them that I would not be, in fact, paying anything since they were not for me, but rather a donation for the mission. "oh...well, just a very small amount is all it would be, say, maybe $10" $10?! I don't have $10 with me! At this point it was noted that Soren was with me, and of course I would not venture outside our home without at least $10. Where this is written in the code of parents (why would I have dollars with me anyway?) to have at least $10 with you?

So, after I balked, and essentially called their bluff of wanting a quick...uh, I will be kind and call it a donation, then she says to me, she says, "well, you would need a letter of donation from your ministry"......Oooohhh, now the letter comes up. So, I will be going that route and returning later this week.

Then...with Soren running with me (behaving quite well in all this time) we get to the car and I see that in picking up the two 50 pound boxes, somehow my clicker for the Defender is no longer with me. I looked up and just sighed to God. He knew, and was already taking care of us. So, we went back in...and as God would have it, they had found my clicker and promptly brought it out to me. That was a miracle in many ways.

Add to that stresses at the clinic as of late (financial mostly) and another theft, this time at the new clinic construction (they took several of the towers we installed for columns), it is challenging, but....

I went...and came home with no uniforms, but a reminder who is in charge, and that must have been for what I really went there.

We were not promised a smooth ride, but that God might be glorified. It does not matter if I am ok with that or not...but as produced by the Holy Spirit in me, I can rejoice in that even if that is all I have to rejoice in at any one moment!

January is like this everywhere right?

January...normal for everyone? Not as was pointed out to me. What is abnormal? Well, the absolutely perfect temperatures as of late, but then these pictures sum up the rest about what does not happen in the US in most places this time of year....picking lemons (yes...they are lemons) at the dental brigade site, coconut at Dr. Camilo's house, and not pictured...fresh tomatoes given to us and mandarin oranges on the road.

What not to wear

Well, the clothing distribution yesterday proved yet again...there are many things that are better not sent, unless for humurous picture taking. Then again...why even put it on for that? Never question Big Jim though.

It was great to get Jim out to a distribution with us since he is the guy I bug most of the time with questions at Master Provisions (which sends us most of our clothing.)

Our first dental brigade was today. Not as many patients as we anticipated, but it ended up working out well, and we arrived back at the house at 5:00 after our running around, so all good indeed. At left is a particularily nervous patient, who originally wanted three teeth pulled, but by the time the pain juice was administered twice...two teeth was more to her liking.

And just for fun, I add the following two pictures. Are captions really needed? Sure why not:

"It refers to the cut of lumber I prefer, why do you ask?"

"This way, you can technically eat double the number of sandwiches!"

Poll'n count

I think I kept the vehicle poll up there too long. Interesting results and some last minute voting, but the White Ford and the Defender tie for first (if only at six votes a piece.) A testament to the benefits of air conditioning no doubt.

Now I need to think of a new poll. Any ideas?

They call her Mrs. Director!

I know nothing of Sidney Poitier, but he seems like a very serious individual. Nice name too.

Valerie though, is usually smiling a lot more often. Her name is nice too.

Among the many changes we as a mission have been going through, around or beside, is the frank realization that Oscar as clinic administrator has very little time to be in the clinic. With all the hats we wear (primarily Oscar and yours truly) with group leadership, construction, administration work, Church ministry oversight, clothing ministry direction, distribution....well, the list goes on a ways....but anyway, after some long talks and discussion, Valerie is the newly appointed clinic director.

This is a welcome change for all (maybe not so much Valerie...I told her she was not getting a raise...just kidding...I did tell her that, but it is a welcome change for her as well) as we hope to improve conditions, accounting, responsibilities and response times for the staff of the clinic, as well as free up some of Oscar's time to handle his other responsibilities. Both of us will be helping Valerie as she gets used to the new tasks before her, and I will probably be taking over some/most of the administrative duties Oscar has had to handle in the past as well. No worries, I am not changing my title....although I still prefer "God's flunkie," but I digress.

Expect more announcements soon on more changes. This time of change,"change?...we fear change!" (name that movie) is a bit stressful and frustrating at times, but oh what a good thing to know the background of these changes, that God is apparant moving through them, and the faith and trust He is giving us that they will be for our long term good.

Now, we will pause for all of us to take a deep breath, and take that first step in faith.

You think you hate it now...

But wait 'til you drive it. (name that movie) Yes, that pesky container business is a fickle one, and providing many moments for thought, frustration, prayer, and flat out calling out to God, because who else would listen?

Seeing this cat as I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting to get the container reminded me, it is a fallen, cruel, not nice world. What better reminder that Paradise awaits. Especially when they are giving me the news..."Oh, but you see, the container is so ready, so anxious to leave...but the shipper now says you owe more money" $400 later, we are finally allowed to take our cargo. The shipper explaining to me their semi-bogus claims (no pun intended), and I politely responding to them "What am I going to do? You have me on the ground beating me up...all I can do is take it, or instead you just take my ball and go home!"

And yes, that is a real cat...although I did not investigate thoroughly, I was close enough for my comfort as he was driven into the customs secure lot.

So the container was unloaded (I had a previously scheduled meeting with the pastors of the Church...lucky me), I got to move a bunch of our stuff back to our house, and the organizing of the materials has begun, and will probably stay going for the next few weeks.

We have a group arriving this afternoon. Hopefully I get to feeling better...I have been having ear pain/hearing problems on my right side for several weeks and it is not seeming to go away (what a shock.) I am sure I will be posting some updates on the happenings while they are here, so stay tuned for those, and much more as things continue to evolve and change as the mission grows.

How do I pray?

Thank you God for your mercy, for your grace, for your love.

What is wrong with praying that way? I should credit where I have been learning this...but I suppose I will just credit all the preachers and podcasts lately.

When I pray...what God is doing for me is not the point. We say..."it is not about me" and I think I do a fairly good job at that...and then I catch myself praying that way.

What about praying "God your mercy, your grace, your love is without end, reaching into the depths of men's souls, in abundance beyond our capability to understand."

See the difference? I did not for some time. One puts the focus on us, the other back where it belongs...on God. I am not saved for myself...but to glorify Him.

Being the selfish humans we are, we make it about us in so many ways "I accepted Christ" "I invited Jesus into my heart" "I trusted in God" (I must have missed the verses that mentioned that), but in reality, just as we exist to glorify God, not only our lives and actions, but our prayers as well.

Clear as mud

You would think that sending a container here would be easy. It would arrive on the appointed day, or close, be shipped to customs here, and be dispatched to our warehouse with minimal effort. We have been waiting since Friday for the FAME container, getting the run around from either our customs agency, the shipping line, both of them, or both of them plus a little further murk added by the government, and this time by the unfortunate detail of the BL # for the container and the actualy number on the container being different, which is apparantly no ones fault here in Honduras....neither that it was like that or never noticed. So, we wait, and wait. Today all day in my moving clothes...."first thing!" "uh, no later than 10" "uh, we need this" "Uh, they are not cooperating" and so the fun email circus continues.

Maybe tomorrow, my heart will mend, maybe tomorrow, we'll all be friends.

Maybe tomorrow indeed

Gush it is nice to write to you!

I was replying to a friend of mine, Karen X. we will say to keep her confidentiality, about her visit to Disney World, and it just prompted this gush. So gushy it seemed blog-worthy. You be the judget.

You know, my parents took us when I was probably 10, my brother 4, and I remember some things, generalities (we were there for...two days, three days? I can not remember that, or where we stayed...off site is all I know).

But the one thing I do have a vivid memory of (there are but maybe three memories total) that I think of every time I think of Disney World, is my brother standing with Pluto. There was a mob around him (Pluto, not my brother) and my parents were temporarily occupied with something else. I remember just the innocence and happiness in my brother's face as he posed for a camera that was not there....the people snickering, Pluto gladly waiting, and finally some other lady saying "look here little boy, I'll take your picture." It was all so sad, so very sad...he was happy...even though he was really...essentially...lost. It makes me tear up every time I think of it, especially now when I can look at that as an allegory for so many people I know now who think they are right where the action is, waiting for that loving picture to be taken, and they are either lost, or looking to the wrong camera with their life.

I felt so bad for him, even though he could have cared less and had no clue, and there was nothing I could do but stand there like at a drive-by-shooting (it felt that way, I know it was not like it at all.) Who would understand? Should I have shouted...something? What? And it comes back to that today....what am I shouting to the crowd today...or to the guy standing with Pluto (or this world to further stretch things) who smiles and waits for the picture? Am I just standing by, watching and waiting for something to happen, or doing something about it? Ugh, my answer is not most of the time what it should be.

So what? It makes me cry to think about it, I feel bad, I think about others. If I do nothing about it...what is the point?

Chavez en cuando

Well, I am sitting here in my office, toiling (unfortunately that word applies) away at the proverbial mountain of work I have, when I hear an unusual landing at the airport. Out come the binoculars to see a rather odd paint job on a military C-130 plane. I examine closer, that it is from Venezuela. Ah yes, our government here declined to say when our old buddy Hugo would be paying us a visit, but I am guessing I among the first non-VIPs to know. (edit...as it turns out, it is just a flight bringing some of his cooks, stylists (he has stylists?) publicity people, etc....the big guy does not come until Tuesday)

I wonder what they thought as the chartered "Miami Air" plane that had dropped off the latest load of deportees took off just as their plane had landed? Then again, I do not wonder too much. I have better things to do.

Let us just pause though for a moment (or two, your call) and pray for Hugo, that Christ might enter his life and change him in the way that only the Holy Spirit can. See...I knew I had better things to do.

Opuestos not opposed

I have been struck more this past week as I try to work as much as possible to get caught up on different tasks, assignments, and in general keep my head buried in the computer and paperwork, as to the opposites that Valerie and I are. She is not interested in using the computer.

This is a good thing. For one, we don't need two of us on the computer. For another, her time here at the house while the clinic is on vacation I thought would mean kicking back, her relaxing and just lounging, like I would do if given the opportunity.

Oh no though...she has been clearing schedules, working things out, making more and longer phone calls than I do in....a year, in this week alone. I heard encouragement, just chit-chat, spiritual advice, and genuine interest. She has been visiting a family that is having some parental/child issues, working with someone we know to get her psychological help, and even watching Annia for several hours so Oscar and Julia could sleep while she was in the hospital.

Wow. I was listening to a sermon this morning on spiritual gifts, and it just brought that a little more home to me...I am called to do the same things she is doing, I just do not have the passion she does for them. And there are things I do that she does not have a passion for (hmmm, like blogging for example) and although ten years ago I would have scoffed or just looked weird at the idea, it makes me smile and praise God now. We are not opposites (for example, we have the same goal in our life) but God brought together our different gifts for that same goal, and that is not a coincidence.

Serenity Now!

Hopefully you noticed this is the second posting for today. (if you have not, take a gander below...I am waiting for a new report, but the last I heard she was awake, are recuperating. (update....see picture of her enjoying a requested visit by Cecilia)

I wish this was the second because I was bringing better news.

Well, I went up to take care of Oscar's regular duties for Monday, which this week include distributing to the different clothing ministry outlets (the ones on a fixed schedule), let Camilo in to the clinic (he is periodically seeing patients while the clinic is on vacation since he is not salaried by us), and then proceeded into the garage to look for keys to get the guys working on the new clinic (footers).

It was then I hit upon something I knew I did not like. I could not get in the garage gate...something had bent down one of the lock hasps to the point where I could not slide it off. Well, we will just have to go to the door near the clinic and get some tools to straighten it back out. No big deal. I open the door upstairs, start to walk down, and there is too much light. Not good 2. Someone had pried, then cut open the roof to get in. Immediately I started looking around for what we unloaded on Saturday. Toys were strewn about, shoes all over the floor near the big door. Strewn at least means not taken, so that was not too hard to see. Then I noticed the door open on one of the containers. Not good 3. I entered, to find all of our electronic tools taken (drills, saws, cordless drills, etc.) plus our ratchet sets, tape measures, and other assorted goodies, including some nice new shovels that a Church bought for us back in July of all things that we were saving and savoring until we had absolutely ruined all the rest we had. Ah, so much for saving.

It could have been worse, as always, but we could not escape to notice that they broke the lock to the container...they knew which one they wanted to get into, and what they wanted to take, meaning this was someone we know. It would be preferable in my mind not to know that you know someone, if you know what I mean. Jorge (Church evangelist) wisely said "God bless them. I pray they come to repentance with God before they die." Amen, that is what is really important.

So, instead of a couple hours at most, it became 8 as we (Juan and Carlos stayed...the others had to go home since we could not get to the tools and the garage had to be patched) installed some new locks I had purchased on the internet (specifically for containers), cleaned up the mess, and tried to get things as safe as they can be for the short term.

Pray for us...for our eyes to be opened if something is wrong in us, or to strengthen us and give us peace if it is just the enemy provoking us.

Urgent prayer

Oscar's daughter Annia had a sore belly last night. They went to the hospital at 9:00 ,and at 5:30 this morning they operated for apendicitis. She has come through it ok, but now they are just waiting for her to wake up. The staff has told Oscar to expect another 2-3 days there at the hospital (the same one where she was born and Cecilia was born for those interested.)

Prayer for a healthy, speedy recovery...for strength and peace for Oscar and Julia, and for the resources to pay for this surely very expensive stay. On top of everything else that has been happening to them lately, you can imagine the added stress of this (especially after what happened to their first daughter.)

Pia...no

Well, we had an interesting day today. We were to play at the Union Church as usual for the past several weeks. We did not practice as normal on Thursday night, all of us opting to just meet early today to practice. However...with the recent cold, and then smack of high humidity today (ugh for me trying to get ready after running in 15 minutes to get to Church), the piano was in rough shape. So rough you could just look at the keys and see many were sticking or not working. So we practiced, struggling through (good thing I took several people's advice and bought an pickup for my guitar so we could hear something coming from my feeble effort by the way), and then decided the piano was a no go.

So 1/2 hour before Church was to start, some how a keyboard was found at a home nearby, and used instead, but it was my first Sunday to really be heard (especially with the keyboards anemic output in comparison), and thus, it kind of mattered that I play correctly and on time. There was a choir also in town who needed the piano as well, but with their great voices, it was not a problem. It was a good service, with the Presbyterian choir, flexibility in our playing be tested, and a message I think I will need to listen to at least two more times to adequately digest all the solid meat included (stay tuned at www.unionchurchhonduras.com if you want to take a listen).

We stayed for the pot luck (oh, sorry, pot blessing...no such thing as luck, I liked that one) lunch afterwords where Valerie's experiment of spaghetti a la hot dog went over very well. Not bad for the first time she ever made it.

Contain her?

We unloaded another container today. This one a clothing container with more than a smattering of furniture and other items from Christ's Church that did not fit on the container they sent back in November.

It is weird to remember back to Oscar and I climbing into a container near Noblesville to see all that stuff to decide on whether or not to bring it down here and then see it again here today. Oddly it was about the same temperature as Indiana in November today as well. I upgraded from my long sleeve shirt yesterday to a hooded sweatshirt for sitting here this afternoon watching the US football playoffs.

Luckily having to wait for the customs inspector to come with the container did not slow us down, as we used the construction crew to unload, and they came early when we originally thought they were going to release the container to us, and so we organized, cleaned, and generally made as much space as we could. Good thing the FAME container that is coming is own we own...otherwise we would not have enough space to unload (well, wisely unload) another container at this point, and we are hoping that container will get unloaded this next week.

Cold enough for ya?

So I hear that Atlanta was highs in the 20s, and Florida is worried about their oranges. That would explain why yesterday and today it has been very cold here. Cold being a word that draws different things to different people. But to be sure, the leather jackets, sweatshirts with jean jackets on top of them, sock hats, gloves, and anything else to keep warm are out in force.

Yesterday it was rainy and I missed going to the gym. But today, being the man I am (or child depending on if we are using an emotionally versus physically definition of maturity) I had to get out and lift those weights. Of course the requisite run came afterwords, me in my soccer t-shirt and shorts running the semi-congested roads with people staring with even greater awe, wonder and confusion than normal as they shivered their way to wherever they were going. I suppose some of them were looking with thoughts of "gringo loco," but that is nothing new either.

With my maturity I of course took the most visible route possible, just like the Minnesotans and Canadians that wore their shorts proudly in the snow while I was at Purdue....to prove to these warm blooded people that in fact was not really cold!

Without running though, just hanging around the 60-66 degree house means long pants, shoes, long shirt (or shirts) and blankets. Lest it sound like I am complaining, I love this time of year when these few choice cold fronts pay us a visit and give us a little break in the great normality that is our weather. I plan to cherish my cold toes and usually long cotton that is gracing my wrists, for I know they are short lived.

You know...

You know you have lived in Honduras at least a little while when the noise sounding as if one was in the midst of a military training zone does not phase you or even wake you much during the middle of the night.

Mind you, the celebration for New Years was less racous by a far cry from just a few years ago since the powers that be have deemed the homemade (or worse) firecrackers that used to to be ubiquitous here as dangerous and illegal. There are still apparantly places where you can get them...or some safer legal versions, but the smoke that used to fill the air was much less. And the reason for such a crackdown was because of all of the children that were hurt, burnt, mutilated or killed, and the change in policy actual implemented has been a huge success.

Here is praying that this period of 365 days will be a huge success as well...for the Kingdom of Christ.

And success defined any other way...is in reality a failure.