I wrote this free-verse poem and submitted it to the beginner level writing contest on Faithwriters.com. The prompt that week was "up and down" and the poem is based on John 4.
Refreshed
Heading to the well
I wished I had a servant girl
With the balance and strength
To complete this task quickly
But I knew these thoughts were
Just thoughts
I would never have a servant girl at all
Up and down
The well trodden path to Jacob’s well
Today at the sixth hour
Hot in the noonday sun
My throat and spirit
Parched
My mouth dry
As in a barren land where there is no water
My soul cracked and arid
I hoped to see no one
The women’s quiet whispers
Shamed me
Sweating
I thought for a moment
About my lover, hard at work
Laboring in green fields
Toiling in the field of another
I prayed he would find rest this night
A worker sleeps well
But one with a burdened heart
Carries his worries deep into the night
Arriving at the well
A few women ahead
I waited my turn
Then up and down
The bucket filling
Upended time and again
To fill my vessel
A man with compassion in his eyes
Asked me for a drink
But you are a Jew
And I, a Samaritan woman
I said to him
If you knew the gift of God
And who it is
Who asks this of you
You would ask for living water
And never thirst again
Sir, you have nothing to draw with
And the well is deep
So how do you judge yourself able
To offer a me drink?
You drink this water, he said
Clear and sweet
And yet thirst again
The water I give is like a spring
Within your soul
Living water welling up to life eternal
I want this water, Sir
Bring your husband, he said
And I will tell you both
Glancing down, I said quietly
I have no husband
Quite true
You have answered correctly
Five husbands
And the one you live with now
Is not yours
Sir, I can see you are a prophet
telling me everything I have ever done
I thought for a moment
then asked a question
I had pondered many times
Shall we worship
On the mountain as my ancestors said
Or in Jerusalem?
And I wondered
Would you deem me fit to call upon your God?
His answer surprised me
Not where, but how
The time is coming
When the Father will be worshipped
In spirit and in truth
I thought about this
Then said
I know that the Messiah is coming
And when he comes
He will tell us all that we should do
I, said the man with love in his eyes
I who speak to you am He
Filled with joy
Leaving my vessel I ran
Up to Sychar
Down the path to the marketplace
Then even further on to the green fields
Telling of the Messiah
Unashamed
Worshiping even as I ran
I had no well water
But I, with soul cracked and weary
Found myself refreshed
By the life-giving, soul-quenching
Water of life
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Babysitting Co-op (What I learned from Monika and Angie)
I recently received an email from a new friend. It went something like this:
Hi! I hope you are all having a great day so far. Do any of you have a babysitter you would recommend? My husband and I have been really lazy about looking for a babysitter and haven't gone out on a date night since our daughter has been born. If you know of anyone I would love their contact information. Thanks for your help!
Friend, I feel your pain. As a person with eleven and a half years of motherhood under my belt, I still am a bit lazy about securing babysitters. I'm also mildly ticked off that I am the one that has to secure a babysitter for every date night, but that's a topic for a different post. For this one I will say, but for the intervention of Monika about eleven years ago I would have had far fewer date nights in the history of my marriage.
When my firstborn was about four months old, I started attended a weekly baby playgroup. Monika approached me at one of the meetings to see if I wanted to be part of a babysitting co-op. She reported that a friend of hers had a group with three other families and they swapped babysitting duty on Saturday nights. One night per month each family hosted a babysitting night in their own home. Children from the other families would show up during designated hours and the parents would go out on a date night. Based on this model you'd get three date nights for the price of one night watching kids at home! Monika wanted to use her friend's example and create a babysitting co-op that her family could use.
Besides me, only our friend Angie decided to participate in this with us. The rules we decided on were pretty simple. At the end of every month Monika, Angie, and I would decide which Saturday night each family would host the kids during the next month. On the designated evening, guest children would arrive any time after 6 pm in in their pjs having already been fed dinner and with whatever items they needed for the rest of the night, including bedtime. Parents needed to return by 11 pm to pick up their kids. Viola, free date night.
At the time we started this, each family had one child and they were about 6 months, 10 months, and 1 year old. Starting this early made it easier to get the kids used to going to sleep in a foreign environment--the first few months there were some tears but eventually everyone got used to the situation. Things changed as the children got older and our three families were blessed with additional children. "Feed the kids before arriving" turned into "pizza night". Portable cribs turned into sleeping bags and pillows. But, the general model remained the same.
We were flexible within the basic rule structure we had created. Just say one couple had tickets to a concert and wanted to stay out late-- that was OK if agreed upon in advance. In that particular scenario we decided that the babysitting parents could go to sleep and the concert-going parents could pick their kids up as late as they wanted and lock up when they left.
We created new rules as they were needed. For example, when the first new baby came into the picture we decided that she couldn't stay with the babysitting group until she was old enough to go to sleep at about the same time as her older sibling. That meant that little sister went out with her parents on their date for about six months, until her schedule fit in with the others.
When picking friends for and adventure like this it would be wise to choose carefully. Angie pointed out a huge benefit of this arrangement--that our kids would grow up having other adults to interact with who were trustworthy and shared our values. In the best case scenario as the kids grew up they would have other adults in addition to their own parents to ask important life questions and to seek counsel. Another benefit of picking good friends for the co-op is having the chance to visit with each other on a regular basis. We frequently chatted and visited with the other parents during pick up if it was not too late in the evening. It was fun to connect with others we enjoyed and respected who were in our same stage of life.
Things you might want to discuss with other couples before beginning a babysitting co-op:
Do you have any pets? Have they ever bitten anyone?
Do you have any guns in the house? If so, where are they stored and how are they secured?
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? If so, will you consume them while watching my child? If so, what amount is OK?
Where will the kids sleep? Will boys and girls sleep in the same room or bed? If so, at what age should we agree that boys/girls be separated?
If your chid needs help going to the bathroom, can either parent help or do you prefer the same-sex parent to assist your child?
Is it OK if just one parent watches the kids on babysitting nights or do both parents have to be present?
If a child is misbehaving, what discipline is agreed upon? Timeouts equal to one minute per age of child worked well for us.
Before you talk with other couples I suggest that you work through these issues (and any others that you think of) with your spouse. This ensures that the two of you agree before you bring up sensitive issues with others.
The demise of our wonderful babysitting co-op began when three children were born into the group in a two week period (one family had twins). We went from having four children to having seven, with three infants. One of the couples had local grandparents who were willing to babysit, so they pulled out of the group. Though the other two families were interested in continuing, this began a slow fade that eventually ended our babysitting nights.
We had three great years getting to know little ones and essentially hosting fun play dates one Saturday night per month, while getting the opportunity for an adult date night two other Saturdays. It really was a sweet deal.
Hi! I hope you are all having a great day so far. Do any of you have a babysitter you would recommend? My husband and I have been really lazy about looking for a babysitter and haven't gone out on a date night since our daughter has been born. If you know of anyone I would love their contact information. Thanks for your help!
Friend, I feel your pain. As a person with eleven and a half years of motherhood under my belt, I still am a bit lazy about securing babysitters. I'm also mildly ticked off that I am the one that has to secure a babysitter for every date night, but that's a topic for a different post. For this one I will say, but for the intervention of Monika about eleven years ago I would have had far fewer date nights in the history of my marriage.
When my firstborn was about four months old, I started attended a weekly baby playgroup. Monika approached me at one of the meetings to see if I wanted to be part of a babysitting co-op. She reported that a friend of hers had a group with three other families and they swapped babysitting duty on Saturday nights. One night per month each family hosted a babysitting night in their own home. Children from the other families would show up during designated hours and the parents would go out on a date night. Based on this model you'd get three date nights for the price of one night watching kids at home! Monika wanted to use her friend's example and create a babysitting co-op that her family could use.
Besides me, only our friend Angie decided to participate in this with us. The rules we decided on were pretty simple. At the end of every month Monika, Angie, and I would decide which Saturday night each family would host the kids during the next month. On the designated evening, guest children would arrive any time after 6 pm in in their pjs having already been fed dinner and with whatever items they needed for the rest of the night, including bedtime. Parents needed to return by 11 pm to pick up their kids. Viola, free date night.
At the time we started this, each family had one child and they were about 6 months, 10 months, and 1 year old. Starting this early made it easier to get the kids used to going to sleep in a foreign environment--the first few months there were some tears but eventually everyone got used to the situation. Things changed as the children got older and our three families were blessed with additional children. "Feed the kids before arriving" turned into "pizza night". Portable cribs turned into sleeping bags and pillows. But, the general model remained the same.
We were flexible within the basic rule structure we had created. Just say one couple had tickets to a concert and wanted to stay out late-- that was OK if agreed upon in advance. In that particular scenario we decided that the babysitting parents could go to sleep and the concert-going parents could pick their kids up as late as they wanted and lock up when they left.
We created new rules as they were needed. For example, when the first new baby came into the picture we decided that she couldn't stay with the babysitting group until she was old enough to go to sleep at about the same time as her older sibling. That meant that little sister went out with her parents on their date for about six months, until her schedule fit in with the others.
When picking friends for and adventure like this it would be wise to choose carefully. Angie pointed out a huge benefit of this arrangement--that our kids would grow up having other adults to interact with who were trustworthy and shared our values. In the best case scenario as the kids grew up they would have other adults in addition to their own parents to ask important life questions and to seek counsel. Another benefit of picking good friends for the co-op is having the chance to visit with each other on a regular basis. We frequently chatted and visited with the other parents during pick up if it was not too late in the evening. It was fun to connect with others we enjoyed and respected who were in our same stage of life.
Things you might want to discuss with other couples before beginning a babysitting co-op:
Do you have any pets? Have they ever bitten anyone?
Do you have any guns in the house? If so, where are they stored and how are they secured?
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? If so, will you consume them while watching my child? If so, what amount is OK?
Where will the kids sleep? Will boys and girls sleep in the same room or bed? If so, at what age should we agree that boys/girls be separated?
If your chid needs help going to the bathroom, can either parent help or do you prefer the same-sex parent to assist your child?
Is it OK if just one parent watches the kids on babysitting nights or do both parents have to be present?
If a child is misbehaving, what discipline is agreed upon? Timeouts equal to one minute per age of child worked well for us.
Before you talk with other couples I suggest that you work through these issues (and any others that you think of) with your spouse. This ensures that the two of you agree before you bring up sensitive issues with others.
The demise of our wonderful babysitting co-op began when three children were born into the group in a two week period (one family had twins). We went from having four children to having seven, with three infants. One of the couples had local grandparents who were willing to babysit, so they pulled out of the group. Though the other two families were interested in continuing, this began a slow fade that eventually ended our babysitting nights.
We had three great years getting to know little ones and essentially hosting fun play dates one Saturday night per month, while getting the opportunity for an adult date night two other Saturdays. It really was a sweet deal.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
"What I learned from _______" posts
Perimeter, my church, is known for its discipleship program The Journey. I have participated and led groups in the past, but the last time was about five years ago. This year I planned to reenter a Journey group. I had this idea that because I had led a church ministry for four years that now it was time for others to invest in me. I was trying to find a group of women who were "ahead of me"-- more spiritually mature, older, or at least with children older than mine.
My acquaintance (and now friend) Tara sent an email blind carbon copying numerous women, seeking a coleader to her newly forming discipleship group of young moms. She mentioned Titus 2 in her email referring to this passage about how Christians should act (italics added):
Titus 2: 1-8
"But you should talk in a way that is consistent with sound teaching. Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, rather than being gossips or addicted to heavy drinking. That way they can mentor young women to love their husbands and children, and to be sensible, morally pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that God’s word won’t be ridiculed. Likewise, encourage the younger men to be sensible in every way. Offer yourself as a role model of good actions. Show integrity, seriousness, and a sound message that is above criticism when you teach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because they won’t find anything bad to say about us."
My acquaintance (and now friend) Tara sent an email blind carbon copying numerous women, seeking a coleader to her newly forming discipleship group of young moms. She mentioned Titus 2 in her email referring to this passage about how Christians should act (italics added):
Titus 2: 1-8
"But you should talk in a way that is consistent with sound teaching. Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, rather than being gossips or addicted to heavy drinking. That way they can mentor young women to love their husbands and children, and to be sensible, morally pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that God’s word won’t be ridiculed. Likewise, encourage the younger men to be sensible in every way. Offer yourself as a role model of good actions. Show integrity, seriousness, and a sound message that is above criticism when you teach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because they won’t find anything bad to say about us."
Tara was looking for an older woman to be available to the young moms in her group. If she couldn't find a coleader, she asked us to consider coming to the group occasionally. After I had a small chuckle about being an "older woman", I immediately responded to Tara that I did not want to colead the group but would be glad to come in occasionally when a topic of study was of interest to me.
Over the next two weeks I prayed and thought about what group to join, between a couple groups with women who could mentor me. Surprisingly, Tara's group was the group that repeatedly came to mind. I decided to join Tara as coleader and official "older woman"!
It's been very refreshing to get back into The Journey curriculum, and especially to become acquainted with this particular group of women. I've really been enjoying it.
Sometimes during group I think that I have something to say on a topic, but it's not really directly related to the discussion or it would take too much time to explain. So, I've decided to revive my blog and write down some ideas I have or things I have learned. Since most of my wise notions I learned from others, I decided to call these type posts, "What I learned from_______."
So far I am interested in writing on these topics:
What I learned from Monika and Angie
What I learned from Flylady
What I learned from Paul
What I learned from Dave Ramsey
What I learned from Jeanne
What I learned from Jill
What I learned from Nicole
What I learned from Medical Missions Ministries
What I learned from Amy and Johnna
What I learned from Safe Families
What I learned from Joy, indirectly
What I learned from that guy who wrote "The Automatic Millionaire"
What I learned from Grandma
After reading this exciting list of topics, I feel sure you will stay tuned to my blog eagerly awaiting my next post.
So far I am interested in writing on these topics:
What I learned from Monika and Angie
What I learned from Flylady
What I learned from Paul
What I learned from Dave Ramsey
What I learned from Jeanne
What I learned from Jill
What I learned from Nicole
What I learned from Medical Missions Ministries
What I learned from Amy and Johnna
What I learned from Safe Families
What I learned from Joy, indirectly
What I learned from that guy who wrote "The Automatic Millionaire"
What I learned from Grandma
After reading this exciting list of topics, I feel sure you will stay tuned to my blog eagerly awaiting my next post.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Guatemala-Wednesday to Friday update
This is my Guatemala blog post from June 24:
So far I have not written much about the actual clinics. On Monday we traveled 5 hours into the north section of Guatemala, and once we got off the highway the vegetation was lush and beautiful. For Monday through Wednesday we worked in the area of Guatemala called Malacatan. On Monday afternoon we held clinic at San Pablo, on Tuesday in San Jorge, and on Wednesday in Quetzali. On Wednesday night we traveled back to the ministry center and on Thursday morning we drove about 40 minutes to host a clinic in Amatitlan, which is a Guatemalan county. We saw 91 patients on Monday (I stand corrected from my previous post), 94 on Tuesday, 72 on Wednesday, and 91 on Thursday. Our team of 10 saw a total of 348 patients. It surprised me that we actually saw more patients than the larger team did--they saw a total of 281 patients with their team of 23 or 24.
On Thursday we had the privilege of also hosting an eye clinic. On the preceding days the eye clinic had gone into the field with the other team.
Our teammate Melissa is a pediatrician and she had the opportunity to see patient along with the staff doctors of MMM. It seemed that God brought many children who needed to be seen, and Melissa was there to serve them.
Patients had many different health problems from pain to eye infections, high blood pressure to emotional issues, and the doctors did their best to address their issues with medicines that were available and to give them good counsel. While the patients waited for their prescriptions we had the opportunity to pray with them and share the good news of Jesus. Many of them shared their family and relational issues and it was our privilege to pray for them.
We had team members playing with the Guatemala children, working in the pharmacy, running the prescriptions to and from the pharmacy, and managing the flow of patient from waiting area to the doctor to the counseling stations. We also had people praying for the patients and community. With a small team we all worked hard for the full clinic of about 4 to 6 hours.
Tonight I had the opportunity to visit with my sponsor child again. I have been sponsoring him for about 4 years with a monthly donation and I first had the chance to meet him last summer when I came to Guatemala last summer. This time his brother came with him to meet me. I had a gift of shoes and socks for the brothers. My good friend Laura Powers and family just began sponsoring Luis Renee’s brother Rudi. She sent socks and shoes for Rudi, I had a nice time learning more about them and their daily life in the Guatemalan Gymnastics Academy. They both could possibly be on the Guatemalan Olympics team in the future.
Luis asked for prayer that his father, who is estranged from the family, would grant him permission to compete at the state level. He has qualified but he can’t compete without both parents signing off on it. He also asked prayer for his mom’s job. Her manager is upset with her taking off work to drive her sons to the Gymnastics Academy and she could lose her job. The boys spend weekends at home and weekdays at the Academy.
There is much more that I would love for you to know, but time does not permit. I need to start packing up to head back to Atlanta tomorrow.
If you would consider going with me next year, I would love to hear from you!
So far I have not written much about the actual clinics. On Monday we traveled 5 hours into the north section of Guatemala, and once we got off the highway the vegetation was lush and beautiful. For Monday through Wednesday we worked in the area of Guatemala called Malacatan. On Monday afternoon we held clinic at San Pablo, on Tuesday in San Jorge, and on Wednesday in Quetzali. On Wednesday night we traveled back to the ministry center and on Thursday morning we drove about 40 minutes to host a clinic in Amatitlan, which is a Guatemalan county. We saw 91 patients on Monday (I stand corrected from my previous post), 94 on Tuesday, 72 on Wednesday, and 91 on Thursday. Our team of 10 saw a total of 348 patients. It surprised me that we actually saw more patients than the larger team did--they saw a total of 281 patients with their team of 23 or 24.
On Thursday we had the privilege of also hosting an eye clinic. On the preceding days the eye clinic had gone into the field with the other team.
Our teammate Melissa is a pediatrician and she had the opportunity to see patient along with the staff doctors of MMM. It seemed that God brought many children who needed to be seen, and Melissa was there to serve them.
Patients had many different health problems from pain to eye infections, high blood pressure to emotional issues, and the doctors did their best to address their issues with medicines that were available and to give them good counsel. While the patients waited for their prescriptions we had the opportunity to pray with them and share the good news of Jesus. Many of them shared their family and relational issues and it was our privilege to pray for them.
We had team members playing with the Guatemala children, working in the pharmacy, running the prescriptions to and from the pharmacy, and managing the flow of patient from waiting area to the doctor to the counseling stations. We also had people praying for the patients and community. With a small team we all worked hard for the full clinic of about 4 to 6 hours.
Tonight I had the opportunity to visit with my sponsor child again. I have been sponsoring him for about 4 years with a monthly donation and I first had the chance to meet him last summer when I came to Guatemala last summer. This time his brother came with him to meet me. I had a gift of shoes and socks for the brothers. My good friend Laura Powers and family just began sponsoring Luis Renee’s brother Rudi. She sent socks and shoes for Rudi, I had a nice time learning more about them and their daily life in the Guatemalan Gymnastics Academy. They both could possibly be on the Guatemalan Olympics team in the future.
Luis asked for prayer that his father, who is estranged from the family, would grant him permission to compete at the state level. He has qualified but he can’t compete without both parents signing off on it. He also asked prayer for his mom’s job. Her manager is upset with her taking off work to drive her sons to the Gymnastics Academy and she could lose her job. The boys spend weekends at home and weekdays at the Academy.
There is much more that I would love for you to know, but time does not permit. I need to start packing up to head back to Atlanta tomorrow.
If you would consider going with me next year, I would love to hear from you!
Guatemala-Tuesday
After clinic on Monday evening we ventured deep into the heavy vegetation of the Guatemalan mountains. Beside a corn field there was another ministry center I will call the remote ministry center. It belongs to a group of area churches. I thought it was unusual because it was “in the middle of nowhere” and it had an unexpected set-up with 2 pools and a large covered area. The covered area had a high ceiling and walls on 3 sides. On the fourth side there was no wall; it was simply open to the outdoor pool area. The temperature, the cots, and the sleeping bags were all very comfortable, but I wasn’t a big fan of sleeping in the open air in a malaria-risk area of Guatemala. But I am taking malaria medication, I practically showered in bug repellant, and I only got one bite (on my face!) so I think I will be just fine.
In the morning we awoke to bright sunshine and the sound of birdcalls that we had never heard before. Although it was 5:58 am I felt well-rested. After a peanut butter and jelly sandwich breakfast we had morning devotions at 7 am led by Dr. Hector and Geovani. Hector reminded us that God arranges our circumstances. He told us that people in the villages had been praying for medical care and that our team was truly an answer to their prayers.
I will interject here that the men and women on the staff of MMM are such kind and spiritually mature people, and I am so blessed to know them.
We were asked to provide a short devotional segment led by someone on our volunteer team. I was impressed that 15yo Haley volunteered. She told us about her work at a camp for children and teens with special needs. She had met a camper I will call Jimmy (not his real name). Her brother was assigned to be Jimmy’s buddy for the camp and assist him in any way needed. Jimmy had an interesting habit of giving Haley’s brother instructions such as, “Tell Jimmy to brush his teeth.” Then when her brother actually said, “Jimmy, go brush your teeth,” Jimmy would respond, “No, I’m not going to brush my teeth!” Haley related this to our relationship with God. Sometimes we may desire to read our Bible or pray, for example, and so we say to God, “Tell me to read my Bible.” But then when He nudges us toward our Bible, we frequently say, “No thanks.” She challenged us to be more responsive to the call and voice of God as he speaks to us through prayer and Bible reading. Haley also linked her devotional teaching to Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.” This is the Bible verse Paul and I have inscribed on our wedding rings, so I appreciate being reminded of it.
Geovani then continued our devotional time with us discussing the first and second chapters of Luke. It was interesting to note that when Mary was told that she was to become pregnant while unmarried and give birth to the Messiah, she questioned the angel about it and got a response. However, when Zechariah questioned the angel after it was revealed that his “well advanced in years” wife Elizabeth would give birth, he was struck mute. We reflected on the difference in these two responses and we thought that the main difference was their attitude, which God and the angel could discern. I love the part where Mary says something like, “May it be to me as you have said.” I wish I responded to God like that!
We also discussed that Luke addressed the book to the “most excellent Theophilus”. We speculated on the meaning of the name. Someone speculated that “theo” might mean “theology” and “philis” could mean “to study”, so the name could possibly mean, “one who studies theology”. Based on my knowledge of the meaning of my husband’s middle name (Theodore) and the meaning of the city name Philadelphia, I thought maybe it meant “friend of God”. Geovani agreed and theorized that God planned for Luke to address both the book of Luke and Acts to a man named Theophilus to emphasize that the books were to all friends of God.
More on the clinic itself in the next post
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Guatemala-Favorite Things & Unusual Stuff
This is my blog post from June 23:
I decided to ask everyone on the team what their favorite thing is about Guatemala so far. I thought it would be interesting to also ask them about the most unusual thing they had seen or done.
My favorite thing about Guatemala:
(Since the majority of the team named “the people of Guatemala”, I asked them their second favorite thing. It’s in parentheses.)
Susan-When the plane lands. Getting here.
Maia-Connecting with the people. (Stretching my creativity to think of 6 and a half hours of funny stories on the way back to the ministry center.)
Jack-Hearing funny stories on the long car rides to the clinics.
Samantha-The people of Guatemala. (Samantha wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Bren-If you ever think of an embarrassing story about Jack, I’m sure that will be my favorite thing. My real favorite thing was seeing people be healed and becoming Christians.
Melissa-The people here. (The morning devotions.)
Lori-Meeting the people of Guatemala. (The drive to San Pablo. It was very bumpy.)
Haley-Meeting people in Guatemala. (Haley wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Jace-Connecting with the people of Guatemala. (The “roller coaster roads”.)
Tracy-Reconnecting with the staff of Medical Missions Ministries and sharing the whole experience with my son Jack.
The most unusual thing about Guatemala:
Susan-I’ve been here many times so nothing seems unusual.
Maia-We had to use a bathroom with the door falling off.
Jack-Tortillas are served with every meal.
Samantha-The bathrooms. (When asked to elaborate she said, “That you had to bring your own toilet paper.”)
Bren-Seeing a man with evil demons inside him.
Melissa-In the clinic I examined a child with a nose mass. It didn’t look like nasal tissue.
Lori-Sleeping outside with the whole team.
Haley-All the physical contact.
Jace-Seeing the miracles.
Tracy-Wild pigs on the side of the road.
Don’t these lists make you want to come with me in the future?!?
I decided to ask everyone on the team what their favorite thing is about Guatemala so far. I thought it would be interesting to also ask them about the most unusual thing they had seen or done.
My favorite thing about Guatemala:
(Since the majority of the team named “the people of Guatemala”, I asked them their second favorite thing. It’s in parentheses.)
Susan-When the plane lands. Getting here.
Maia-Connecting with the people. (Stretching my creativity to think of 6 and a half hours of funny stories on the way back to the ministry center.)
Jack-Hearing funny stories on the long car rides to the clinics.
Samantha-The people of Guatemala. (Samantha wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Bren-If you ever think of an embarrassing story about Jack, I’m sure that will be my favorite thing. My real favorite thing was seeing people be healed and becoming Christians.
Melissa-The people here. (The morning devotions.)
Lori-Meeting the people of Guatemala. (The drive to San Pablo. It was very bumpy.)
Haley-Meeting people in Guatemala. (Haley wasn’t around when I asked for the second favorite thing.)
Jace-Connecting with the people of Guatemala. (The “roller coaster roads”.)
Tracy-Reconnecting with the staff of Medical Missions Ministries and sharing the whole experience with my son Jack.
The most unusual thing about Guatemala:
Susan-I’ve been here many times so nothing seems unusual.
Maia-We had to use a bathroom with the door falling off.
Jack-Tortillas are served with every meal.
Samantha-The bathrooms. (When asked to elaborate she said, “That you had to bring your own toilet paper.”)
Bren-Seeing a man with evil demons inside him.
Melissa-In the clinic I examined a child with a nose mass. It didn’t look like nasal tissue.
Lori-Sleeping outside with the whole team.
Haley-All the physical contact.
Jace-Seeing the miracles.
Tracy-Wild pigs on the side of the road.
Don’t these lists make you want to come with me in the future?!?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday Update
Yesterday the Fellowship Bible Church team and our group met for devotions at 7 am. Dr. Alb led us for two hours in a time of prayer, singing, and teaching, He went over the roles that we would have in the clinic and the purpose of each role. He emphasized that we are using medicines to meet the immediate needs of the people. At the same time we show kindness and compassion toward them by listening attentively and praying with and for them in the counseling stations. Although they likely came into the clinic for a physical need, many also have deep spiritual needs and we have the great privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus with them.
Some things that Dr. Alb taught us during devotion time:
Romans 8:28-All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.
Many people come on a mission trip with a list of things to check off and are extremely task-oriented. He wants us to redefine our role during the mission trip to also focus on relationships, not just tasks.
Jeremiah 33:3-Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Dr. Alb told us a story about the new ministry center. MMM just dedicated their expansion in May. When I was in Guatemala last summer Dr. Alb shared with me that the ministry is and has committed to stay debt-free. They had already begun building the new structure because God had provided all the funds needed for the building. However, there were many other expenses (primarily furniture and bedding for 24) that had not yet been supplied. For the ministry center to be most effective in housing teams it needed beds and other furniture.
Since the money had not come in for these additional expenses, Dr. Alb was concerned and asked God to lead him regarding this situation. Every day for the next two weeks he awakened early in the morning, which was unusual for him. Finally at the end of the two weeks he experienced something more when he awoke--a response. Dr. Alb felt that God was telling him that when he focused on the things that he did not have or the things he wished he had, that he was not focusing on his relationship with God. Then God led him to the verse Jeremiah 33:3, which I quoted above. God wanted Dr. Alb to focus on Him rather than dwell on what was still needed.
Dr Alb summed up his teaching when he said, “Medicines draw people in. Then we may listen to them, love them, meet their needs, and teach them.” This would be following the model of how Jesus loved and taught people when he was in the world.
We were about to head out to run a clinic in a rural Guatemalan village, and Dr. Alb finished up the devotional time reminding us of these verses from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
What a great passage to keep in mind as we go out into the village!
An update from later in the day:
We saw 81 people in clinic today. I met with 8 people in the counseling station where I prayed for their needs if they wanted me to do so. All of them did want prayer, and one person particularly made an impression on me. He was out of work and his wife an 5 children did not have any reliable income. He had an accident (fell from a tree during work) and had several injuries, some serious. While his immediate injuries had healed he still had much pain as a result of this accident. Four of his children had pneumonia and he didn’t have any money to pay for their medical care. He wasn’t able to provide much food for the family so he frequently let them each while he did not eat. He said that he had been praying for a Bible because he wanted to learn more about God. He had a few parts of the Bible but not the entirety. I was so disappointed that we did not have Spanish Bibles on hand at this clinic. I’d really value your prayers for this man and his family.
An update from Wednesday:
We just returned from spending Monday - Wednesday hosting clinics in rural villages. I will try to post additional information on our activities and what I have learned tomorrow.
Some things that Dr. Alb taught us during devotion time:
Romans 8:28-All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes.
Many people come on a mission trip with a list of things to check off and are extremely task-oriented. He wants us to redefine our role during the mission trip to also focus on relationships, not just tasks.
Jeremiah 33:3-Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Dr. Alb told us a story about the new ministry center. MMM just dedicated their expansion in May. When I was in Guatemala last summer Dr. Alb shared with me that the ministry is and has committed to stay debt-free. They had already begun building the new structure because God had provided all the funds needed for the building. However, there were many other expenses (primarily furniture and bedding for 24) that had not yet been supplied. For the ministry center to be most effective in housing teams it needed beds and other furniture.
Since the money had not come in for these additional expenses, Dr. Alb was concerned and asked God to lead him regarding this situation. Every day for the next two weeks he awakened early in the morning, which was unusual for him. Finally at the end of the two weeks he experienced something more when he awoke--a response. Dr. Alb felt that God was telling him that when he focused on the things that he did not have or the things he wished he had, that he was not focusing on his relationship with God. Then God led him to the verse Jeremiah 33:3, which I quoted above. God wanted Dr. Alb to focus on Him rather than dwell on what was still needed.
Dr Alb summed up his teaching when he said, “Medicines draw people in. Then we may listen to them, love them, meet their needs, and teach them.” This would be following the model of how Jesus loved and taught people when he was in the world.
We were about to head out to run a clinic in a rural Guatemalan village, and Dr. Alb finished up the devotional time reminding us of these verses from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
What a great passage to keep in mind as we go out into the village!
An update from later in the day:
We saw 81 people in clinic today. I met with 8 people in the counseling station where I prayed for their needs if they wanted me to do so. All of them did want prayer, and one person particularly made an impression on me. He was out of work and his wife an 5 children did not have any reliable income. He had an accident (fell from a tree during work) and had several injuries, some serious. While his immediate injuries had healed he still had much pain as a result of this accident. Four of his children had pneumonia and he didn’t have any money to pay for their medical care. He wasn’t able to provide much food for the family so he frequently let them each while he did not eat. He said that he had been praying for a Bible because he wanted to learn more about God. He had a few parts of the Bible but not the entirety. I was so disappointed that we did not have Spanish Bibles on hand at this clinic. I’d really value your prayers for this man and his family.
An update from Wednesday:
We just returned from spending Monday - Wednesday hosting clinics in rural villages. I will try to post additional information on our activities and what I have learned tomorrow.
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