Spinning plates

Welcome to my journaling for today.  Journaling seems to be a very secret thing, very private.  This won't be, with the hope that somehow it would be helpful to someone else other than myself, but ultimately I am writing this for myself, so if you are actually reading this...bear with me. 

I would hate to think how many times the word "busy" has appeared in this blog.  Every time I sit down to write, that word jumps to mind.  Keeping up with everything can be like spinning plates. 

Our communication as leaders of the mission is faltering.  Satan uses that and all his other tools of the trade to get us off track, off mission, off serving God and instead get bogged in the mires of human nature.  We seek prayer that God would overcome that...and that through the His Eyes board of directors and other resources that some of those plates could be glued back together.  Broken plates hurt. 


One day during the group last week I had to sit for almost eight hours at customs while the clothing container was mostly unloaded.  My presence was deemed necessary by our customs agent to speed the officials along in their pursuit of contraband...especially in light of the whole place being militarized because of corruption and an intervention begun to try to get it ship shape...so to speak. 

Keeping the clothing ministry in its ability to keep serving in Churches, for pastors, and ultimately to clothe quite a few thousand Hondurans is another plate. 








We got to see part of the Sherwood Oaks donation in action...the foundations going in for the Sunday School rooms in Cantaranas.  Lots of work going on there now, and for many weeks to come.  Another plate....construction in the Churches.





I got to go with Jonathan to a new area of outreach in Cantaranas...almost seems like it is out of town, but they have a cell group growing there, new people involved, and several of them learning but not in Christ...yet. 

Prayed for this family for health, and for a new home. 

Plates of Church expansion, prayer for those we meet for physical needs, and spiritual rebirth. 




Both my kids got their yellow belt this past week in Tae Kwon Do. 

I was not there, was with the group.  I think they understand...but they should not have to do so.

Should be a priority plate...sometimes I am not as attentive as I should be.  No excuse for that.












We helped another rural Church with a clothing brigade.  We save up our otherwise worthless-in-Honduras cold weather clothing for them...one of the very few areas that really need/appreciate it.  This is not a Church we administer, just us trying to partner and help another Church body minister in their community.

Partnering with other bodies of believers, another plate.   






This is Jorge...he had both his legs hit when he was hit by a car.

Being a light for Christ to the children from all around Honduras in the public hospital here...another plate. 
















The clinic has been inviting patients to submit prayer requests for some time, but this other spinning plate is one mostly the clinic staff handles.  I found this one (I omitted his name...but you can pray for him as well, God knows his name) near where Valerie gets ready every morning as she apparently prayed for this request:  "for vices, alcohol, and drugs...I want to change who I am and be a good father."  If that does not bring tears to your eyes...well, let me just say it shook me pretty hard just happening to run across it.

The clinic...and the huge ministry that goes on there that we sometimes forget day to day...another big plate. 

This is just a few of the things/plates spinning in the last few weeks.  Not to mention paperwork for getting the mission legal here, paperwork for farm properties, personal tragedy in the life of one staff member, many decisions on the clinic construction progress, so many petitions for different kinds of physical help, talks on the milk project, planning for groups, and a bunch of other "plates" that I am even forgetting, probably to maintain my ability to keep moving forward.

Sometimes plates fall. 
Sometimes they break.
Sometimes they spin by themselves.
Sometimes I do not spin them they way they need spun.
Sometimes I only notice those that are teetering.
Sometimes it is hard to see the plates through the tears.

That they continue to spin at all is a testament to God's grace (giving us what we do not deserve), mercy (not giving us what we deserve) and love....love when I fail those plates over and over again.  To begin to contemplate the depths of my failure, sin, and unqualified nature...is overwhelming, especially in light of the fruit coming forth from His ministry here and beyond. 

Hang my head kind of overwhelming...but in light of that grace, mercy and love...I can identify so much with Paul who said in Romans 7  "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"