Definition of preaching

I have heard the cliché about sermons... “your life may be the only one someone ever hears.”

Sometimes at Church sermons fade one into another, they make a long term impact, may lift us up for one week or further our understanding, and sometimes I struggle from one week to the next to remember what was said.

One stands out to me this year however, and it was just supposed to be an introduction to a sermon.
The senior pastor at a Church I was visiting in the US was walking on stage to introduce the famous, distinguished, successful guest speaker, and went from stage right to stage left apparently searching for the appropriate microphone.

As he went from one side of the stage to the other, taking only a few seconds, someone in the vast sea of people yelled out “Are you lost?!” His intent...not sure, seemed an oddly irreverent and slightly disrespectful thing to say, but I do not know his state of mind, but it sounded playfully derisive.

As I reeled from someone shouting something like that out, the pastor, still walking on stage right, and with the slight laughter from the crowd dying down after a second or two, said...

“No...Jesus found me a long time ago. So, no...I’m not lost.”

You probably had to be there...but the sincerity of his reply to the jab struck me. It seemed genuine that was the first thing that came to his mind to the question...and so that is what he answered.
He went on with his introduction, and a powerful, charismatic, emotional sermon full with pictures that pulled at heart strings followed. I remember...but I remember that first sentence sermon even more clearly.

That I continue to remember this with great clarity almost two months later reminds me of an important lesson: what we prepare to say, what we have memorized sometimes sounds as such. How we react to the minutia of life, who we are in those moments are the sermons that impact for more than just a short time...and sometimes one minute or a few seconds of our life can stay with someone for years, their entire life.

Yippie yi yay...ghost Santas in the sky

While out with the group, some shopping observances struck me as interesting. 

First off was walking past a section of the grocery store I seldom visit...the carbonated beverages. I can remember early groups visiting us and seeking out their favorite taste only to be left with a few basic choices (Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-UP, and Coca-lite) Now...you can get A&W, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke...the list (as you can see) goes on and on...up to and including Inca Cola, which I thought was only available in South America. 

This is also evident in many other areas of baking, goodies, snacks, etc. Shopping in Teguc (if you have the money for some of the rather pricey items) has certainly changed...not to the point of shock inducing number of choices...but even a gluten free section was spotted. Getting back to drink choices...some interesting tastes in those familiar aluminum cans I have yet to try is Aloe Vera juice, or Chrysanthemum juice, also available at this same store.

Another area in which I have little interest for personal purchases....Hair extensions have apparently taken off here as can be seen in this young woman. 

We asked this industrious bagger at the grocery store how many she had...I believe her answer indicated something to the effect that she had lost count.

Claro is our cell phone company, so when I see something promoting a new plan, service, etc...I take notice. This display was at the nearby mall, and I had time to stand while I waited for Jana to purchase something at the Espresso Americano. We nicknamed Santa’s little helper Trixie...I won’t get into why, but try as I could I could not figure out what the point of the display was...at first I thought this must be where you get your picture taken with Santa, but that was not it. Maybe it was to get your picture taken with “Trixie” but we did not bother to find out. Outfits like this for women promoting everything from alcohol, toothpaste to, in this case, cell phones, are unfortunately very common. And FYI...the promotion they were touting...ah, not really worth it.

And this is how I figured out the previous spot was not to see Santa. Here he is, just behind Trixie, all is normal...wait. What is wrong with Santa? You’ll have to click on the picture to get a good view of what I saw...Santa was white. Not Caucasian mind you...white. Like...painted white as a ghost. This may be common, but I have never seen such a thing before here...or anywhere else I have been. Santa looked like some kind of horror movie Santa. For $4.50 you could get a picture with him...and although the campy aspect of it was appealing, I opted for this clandestine picture instead (notice I did not crop out the security guard, so stationed to prevent rogues like me from snapping unauthorized pictures.)

You never know what you are going to find out shopping...Inca Cola, rainbow hair, Trixie, or Ghost Santa.

Normal day

It was a regular, normal food distribution day.

We went to Cantaranas...as we were arriving, Jonathan was heading to the vegetable farm, asked us to go with him. Then he took us in to show us the new tomato plants they are trying out...trying out to see if they work well before we put more money into a larger crop.

He also introduced us to the family that is now watching over the property, a family of eight (father and one son shot both in the last seven years) now living in our small little wooden house...that house still without a bathroom or concrete floor. The house is necessary because without someone living there...things start to disappear. 

Jonathan found them and offered them to place to live and some work.

When we first met, immediately she said... “I know you from the eye brigade this year!”

After the introduction and giving her the corn, my time was spent mostly talking to Jonathan about the tomato plants, the future, what to do, the possibility of a community garden on the property, the bathroom that needed built and more. I did not get to chat much with the family.

But Jana did. She found out that the mother of the family, Adelaida, had been praying that very morning to meet someone from this “mission” that Jonathan had talked about, to know that this is where she is supposed to be, that it all made sense what they are doing and how they are living, etc.

God answers prayers...and when you are the answer to someone’s prayers...in a brigade, giving a smile, a prayer...or just showing up with a bag of corn, people notice more than you might think. Kind of an encouraging...and scary thought eh?

Unloading by the grace of God

We unloaded the container of medical and construction supplies, rice, milk project appliances, pews, and so much more...last Thursday. It is good to see all those supplies coming off, including the eighteen thousand pounds of ceramic tile for the Church building in Teguc. Lots of work, but to see so much of it go into service straight away is very cool, especially since I was there to help watch as it was packed. So many people had a hand in that container’s items, the packing, the moving, the unloading. 

I know we have had pictures of the Ford in action before, but never one taken from such an angle, pulling up a semi. It was not my favorite thing to do, but it had to be done. Had he not been low on fuel he might have made it up in one shot and spared me from taking the time and 10 gallons siphoned from my tank to get the truck started and then help pull him up, but such is life.

 

 

 

 

 

Once we got the container to the clinic...I noticed just how “interesting” this particular shipper was for its choice of prime vehicles/tires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow. This is not the shipper that is normally used for the clothing containers, so I expected perhaps a change or two in the procedure, but not an eighteen wheeler with 18 bald tires and 9 of them or so flat! Not to mention the fiberglass damage on the cab...it has seen quite the life apparently.

We prayed God would get the container to the clinic.

He did.

Encouragement through painful memories

I was remembering Soren’s accident a few years ago, and how just seeing the image makes me cringe, uncomfortable...and the thought of if I had been there and actually seen it happen...too much to bear.

 

He could easily have be killed when that big communion table came down on his head, the same head that was hitting the tile floor before getting slammed by the table (took two guys to pick it up off of him.)

 

 

I was not there that morning. I did not witness it. I felt helpless and that I could do nothing.

Our Father watched Jesus suffer for hours...tortured, pierced, and ultimately killed. He did it all for His glory, to save us from the crushing sin in our lives.

A good reminder for me that...

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, you can find Him, you can go higher as a member of Yahweh’s team.

He knows what you are going through, can sympathize, and can help in ways that seem so far away, so inconceivable, or impossible.



Rain rain on my face...

It is only Tuesday, but it has been a rollercoaster week already.

1. Group arrived on Saturday, no problems and ready to work!

2. Sunday Church service at ICCC in Tegucigalpa was full as usual (when are we ever going to get that building done!?)
3. Halfway through the service, I was called aside (as God would have it, my seat had been taken and I was standing at the back of the Church with no room to sit...good thing as it turns out) as Gerson was frantically looking for...somebody. Somebody happened to be me, they needed someone to drive ambulance style to the hospital, as Silvia was bleeding profusely. No problem. Right before that Claudia had asked if we could go soon up to the clinic to get a bp cuff for another Church member. Well, scrap that because that person passed out, possibly a stroke, so we needed to get her to the hospital ASAP as well. Shuffle people around in the truck, and away we went. Long story short...Silvia had very high blood pressure (and did not know it.) Despite the very long lines at the emergency room, she was attended and home in a few hours...she started bleeding again the next day and came to the clinic for follow up care. I have still yet to hear how Rufina is doing.
4. We left after Church to visit some friends, Juan and Leandra first who had their home burn down in late October, trying to pick up pieces and rebuild....and God is blessing those efforts, but it is of course a long row to hoe as it were.
5. Then we went to take some food for Delmis and her family. We no more than pulled up and she was crying and coming back to the house from frantically trying to find her 14 year old daughter Doris....missing for 24 hours. We took her to the police station, she filed a report...but nothing expected from the police. We visited Monday to give her some furniture and odds and ends from the man cave only to find out that the daughter is in Olancho with some supposedly dangerous people, and it is still unclear if she went willingly (not uncommon for guys to sweep in and take a young “woman” to live with them) or not. Delmis is wanting to go after her if she can find the money to get there and back, as well as someone who knows the area to go with her to find Doris. While she is gone of course though she would have to leave her other seven children unattended, all of whom live in a house smaller than my office...with one bed (before we took them more furniture that is.)
6. Group helped a ton on Monday and Tuesday on work on the man cave. This is a small group (a family of four actually) and this was a great way to use them to catch up on some much needed work there that had been neglected for the past six months or more. Every time I catch up on cleaning/organizing/distributing in that sort of process it hits me how much we really need a “warehouse manager” full time. God knows best though, and for now this is how we have to play catch up.
7. I went to a town hall meeting at the US embassy today, mostly as executive director of His Eyes rather than for any personal reason, in case there was important or useful news or other happenings at the meeting. As usual I found myself listening during the “question” time to people that seemed to want to show how much they had to say rather than actually ask a question or get useful tips/help. I also saw these embassy employees trying to do what they can, but sensing inside myself that they were of only minimal help to me, us, the mission...if I wanted to try to grab someone’s attention and plead my case for help, I needed to take that to God. Not to say they are not helpful, not necessary, not able to get anything done...but it just seemed like a good reminder of where our priorities should be when we are not sure where to turn. I felt sorry for the embassy staff who is expected to divulge whether or not they have the bay islands under surveillance, answer for every visa denial without the facts, somehow answer how to fix Honduras security issues, etc. mostly being asked questions about which they have little to nothing to do with finding solutions or are part of their mission.
8. No word on when our trusty policeman Hernandez could be back at the clinic. With all the controversy in the police department right now, it does not look good, and that is not good for the clinic and patients.
9.  Dora's daughter Noli, after being hit by a car and via God's provision not being seriously hurt, is now waiting for another ultrasound to see if she will need surgery or what will need done with an unrelated health issue...if not for being hit by the car and needing the first ultrasound, they would not have known about this other condition/problem. 
10. Still waiting for the medical supply container (with many other supplies for the mission and sanctuary construction project) to clear customs. We are in debt to the carrier for at least $640 for demurrages (ah, a word you only learn if you have to deal with customs/shipping containers I think) and not sure when we will unload, plus praying it makes it up the hill, we have enough help, everything gets put away well, no breakage...you get the idea.
11. And to add to that, the good news/bad news is that the Tegucigalpa pre-fab sanctuary made it to port yesterday. We pray it does better clearing customs, that the crane to unload the container (we had to buy this container) can be secured, and it all comes together with no problems.

Overwhelming just fails to sum it up. There are some other big things going on as well that I am not presently at liberty to discuss...as you can imagine, even more overwhelming things...just don’t leap to any drastic conclusions from that statement, some things are just not for blogging.

And this sounds like a good time to reflect on Jars of Clay’s “old” song Flood (a song that I think can be interpreted at least two different ways depending on where you are in life, or sometimes both ways at the same time):

“Calm the storms that drench my eyes
Dry the streams still flowing
Cast down all the waves of sin
And guilt that overthrow me

Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again"