children´s day celebration

This past Saturday we celebrated Children´s Day with the community of faith in La Limonada.  In place of our regular service in the Mandarina school we took church to the streets and invited the whole community to take part.  The main festivities involved clowns and piñatas as well as something for everyone to eat.  Almost 200 kids came along with their parents and other adults from the community.  We had a bunch of help from members of the other church Shorty pastors who came as clowns and helped pass out bags of candy to the kids.  It was a great chance to get more involved in the community and do something special for the kids.

beauty in a cemetery

These last few months death has been a more prominent presence in the community of faith.  It is always difficult to see a loved one die, but when the cause of death is violence there is an added sense of injustice.  I have noticed two typical reactions or outcomes following a killing, which typifies the spiritual battle happening in La Limonada.

The first reaction I have noticed is a desire for a revenge.  Following a shooting there are friends or family members that desire vengeance, which only results in more death.  As they carry the body to the cemetery the procession is led by men with guns firing them into the air.  It is sad to see them seek to alieve their grief by turning to the source of their grief, violence.  The very thing they hate for killing their friend they choose to utilize and so the cycle continues.

However, not all choose to continue the cycle.  God is at work taking what Satan meant to use for evil and using it for good.  The other outcome I have noticed following a death is spiritual searching.  It has been beautiful to be able to come alongside grieving families and offer to support them.  The gospel seems to shine brighter and reach further in the midst of tough situations.  Many who we would never have had the opportunity to talk to are exposed to the gospel.

One of my most beautiful memories here happened in a cemetery.  Following the death of a well-respected 17 year old boy from the community Shorty was asked to speak at the burial.  It seemed as if the whole community came to show their support the family.  Two public buses were filled and a caravan of cars traveled to the cemetery.  Shorty spoke from the lift used to bring the casket up to the burial plot in a wall lined with caskets.  From that vantage point he was able to look out over the community and share the hope of the gospel.

Since that time the family of that 17-year old has become a faithful part of our community of faith.  God is working powerfully in their lives and raising them up to be used for His service.  There have been other similar stories since then and I know God will continue to draw individuals and families to himself.

Praise God for his ability to transform lives, situations, and communities!  Please pray for the La Limonada and Guatemala as we continue to face violence on a daily basis.  Pray that the cycle of violence will come to an end and people will put their hope and salvation in that which gives life rather than take lives.

love required

This past Saturday Tita told me something that has stuck with me.  She told me she sometimes wishes she could have her own healing ministry and be able to only lay her hands on people to declare them free from addictions.  However, in the midst of thinking that God told her, ¨but that doesn´t require love.¨

That doesn´t require love.

It would be so much easier to just lay hands on someone, declare them free, then walk away and never see them again.  But there is no love reuired in that.  Love is walking with someone through good and bad.  Love desires to see them change, for their own good, and is patient enough to walk with them as long as necessary to see that happen.  It never happens overnight.  It is always a process of two steps forward and one step back.  Often it is frustrating in the midst of our ministry but it is important to look at how patient God is.

I love the verse in 2 Peter 2:9 which says,

¨The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.¨

Praise God for his patience in our lives.  His timing is so much different than our microwave mentality.  We have become accustomed to instant results, but that doesn´t often happen in human relationships.  We need to remember how patient and loving God has been with us and have that same patience and love for others.

saturday service

vision for la limonada

I was recently reminded of the blog that was started to keep everyone updated on what is happening here with the community of faith.  My deepest apologies for allowing this to slip through the cracks.  We are all extremely grateful for the prayers and financial support from the states and will do better to keep everyone updated on what is happening here.  You can expect to see an update about every 15 days.

The last few months we have had our share of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and feelings of both triumph and defeat.  But despite all that, it is evident that God is working.

One of the clearest signs that God is at work is attack from the enemy.  Just like in a war if one side is advancing the other side is either going to defend or attack.  It goes both ways.  As the kingdom of God advances in La Limonada there is opposition from Satan and his armies.  They have felt the allusion of control over La Limonada for many years and are now being threatened by a force more powerful than they.

I see the Escuelita Mandarina standing out as a beacon of light in the community.  A fortress of sorts that is now a recognized presence.  And with the community of faith underway that presence is moving throughout the community.  We are now having 3 weekly services.  Tuesdays and Thursdays we hold services in homes and  Saturdays a larger service in the Escuelita.  Families and individuals throughout La Limonada are attending and taking an active role in the services.  We can see a genuine hunger for righteousness and a desire to serve God in their community.  There are followers of God rising up, turning from past lifestyles, and seeking to live the lives God has planed for them.

I see a community coming together, being united by a common faith and vision.  Faith that there is a powerful loving God that is interested in them and their community.  Vision that La Limonada does not need to remain unchanged.  God wants to use his church to transform the community.

Right now the army of believers is small, but it is rising.  There are many long-time believers in La Limonada that are standing with us and praying for us and the community.  There are many new believers that want to join the fight.  We are averaging around 50 adults and children for our Saturday services.  Attack from the enemy is being met by prayer, love, and blessing those that want to harm us.  God is at work and will be faithful to finish the work he has begun.  When we join Him in His work we can be sure that we will be successful in the end despite trials, persecutions, and apparent defeat in our immediate line of vision.

^¨Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.¨ 1 Peter 4:12-14

building up, not tearing down

One of my highlights from the past few weeks has been getting to know the guys from the carpentry shop.  This is a group of guys ranging from 17-36 years old.  The dream is to teach a skill which will provide additional opportunities to work rather than be involved with the gangs.  When I first started my work in La Limonada this was only a dream in the minds of Shorty and Tita.  It has been amazing to be a part of seeing the dream become a reality and so much greater than originally imagined.Since the carpentry shop began about a month ago the group has been involved in building a house, learning carpentry in the school, receiving English lessons, studying the Bible with Shorty, playing soccer with our team, and more. While they were building the house our team made frequent visits to see the progress and spend time with the guys.  Someone from our team made the comment that this may be the first time these guys are building, or giving life to, something.  Many of them are more accustomed to tearing down, stealing, taking lives.  I am reminded of the verse in Ephesians which says:

“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” Ephesians 4:28

This is exactly what I have seen happening.  They are spending their time to help others, learn a skill, and make honest money rather than steal and destroy.  It is evident that God is at work in the lives of the guys through the carpentry shop.  The guys are opening up, taking turns praying, and worshiping God together.  I look forward to seeing what God continues to do through the carpentry shop.

entering in

It’s easy to walk down the street, pass by houses and people, having no idea the story going on inside each one.  It’s also easy to be okay with that.  We can go on with our lives unchanged.  But once you enter in and learn the story it’s hard to forget.

I want to take you inside such a house.

This past week I visited the home of a lady that I know I have seen before walking the streets.  However, I had no idea of the pain inside.  The first thing I notice when I walk in the door is another woman lying in bed, obviously sick.  We learn she is the daughter.  She is so skinny you can see her bones as well as lumps from the cancer she is suffering with.  There is a bag of urine and you can smell the stench in the house.  After sitting down we begin to talk.

The pain and suffering of both mother and daughter is obvious, but both of a very different kind.  While the daughter is suffering extreme physical pain I can see the mother is suffering spiritually and emotionally.  At first she doesn’t want to talk, but with patience and loving words from Tita, soon opens up and spills her pain.  Through tears she shares her story.  Although it was hard for me to decipher her Spanish through the tears I could understand that she was sharing feelings of guilt and shame and the pain she has experienced in her life.

After listening we took turns reading Scriptures that God put on our hearts, worshipped together in song, and spoke prayers to God.  The more we read, sang, and prayed the more I felt the atmosphere in the room change.  After a few songs the lady began to join in the singing.  I could see and feel the Spirit’s presence and power in that room.  His Word was living and active bringing hope and healing in spite of the pain.I wish I could say that because of our time the pain and suffering were removed.  However, that is untrue.  The woman was still in bed just as sick with the cancer.  There are still emotional scars that need to be healed.  What did happen is that hope entered in.  And hope changes things.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 1 Corinthians 1:3-5

our team

Tita loves to take pictures.  As we walk through La Limonada she constantly has her camera ready to capture the stories of the people we see.  Often the pictures share the story better than words can express.  Yesterday I was able to get a hold of her pictures from the past couple months.  In the coming posts I will be sharing those pictures and the stories they tell.

Here are a few pictures I got from Tita of our team in action in and around La Limonada.  They beautifully capture the work we are involved with shining the light of the gospel in the midst of the darkness.

agua de vida

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

As Shorty shares these words and others from John 4 I look around the room at those listening.  Our grupo de vida this week is in an outdoor setting overlooking the river where all the waste is thrown.  The majority of us are sitting outside but there are also people sitting inside looking in.  In the doorway sit two young men in their twenty’s who are often seen hanging out in the streets.  They have regularly been invited to come and finally decided to check it out tonight.  I also see an elderly lady, a lot of mothers with young children, teenagers, kids, two guys from Shorty’s rehab, some teachers and workers from the school, as well as a few “gringos.”  The one group of people I notice consistently lacking in our group are the fathers, or older men in general.

Despite the variety of the people in the room I know that everyone can relate in one way or another to the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.  We have all felt an emptiness in our souls.  We have all tried to fill that emptiness with things other than Christ.  We all struggle with addictions of various sorts.  We are all in desperate need of God’s grace and forgiveness.  The difference lies in the fact that some have already experienced God’s grace and some are still searching.  Some are living in the freedom and new life found in Christ while others are still living as a slave to sin.  But for all it is a message of hope and good news.  No matter our past, God offers us an unending supply of living water to cleanse us of our sins and give us life eternal.

These gospel truths are taking root in the lives of the people here in La Limonada.  People are listening and taking notice.  It is a gospel not only preached, but also lived out.  Changed lives changing lives by the power of God’s grace.   To Him be all the glory.

grupo de vida #5_0002

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building community

These last couple weeks have been focused more on the guys who hang out in the streets.  A lot of exciting steps forward have been made as God continues to open doors of opportunity.  Shorty had been wanting to get a soccer game together to play against them.  Our first game against them happened last Tuesday.  Even though they scored 5 times as many goals as us we had a lot of fun playing and it was a big step in building relationships with the guys.  In the week that followed, as I walked the streets, I received many comments from them or other people about the game.  Many of them were asking when we would play again.  This past Tuesday, Shorty put together another soccer game and invited the guys for pizza after suffering another loss.

Another exciting step forward is the carpentry shop.  It has been a dream of Shorty’s and Tita’s for some time now to begin a carpentry shop in the basement of the school.  There are many guys wanting to learn a trade.  Learning carpentry gives them a productive way to use their time as well as provides opportunities for work.  God has led a wonderful Christian man, Emiliano, to join our team and teach the guys this trade.  It was not an easy decision for him, but was willing to take the risk and follow God’s leading.  This past week we painted the basement and purchased the supplies needed to begin the shop this coming Monday.  The plan is to have the shop open Monday-Friday with a different group in the mornings and afternoons.  Shorty plans to be involved with building relationships, sharing from God’s Word, and learning the trade alongside the guys.  Please pray that God will work through Emiliano, Shorty, and this carpentry shop to teach not only an important trade, but also the exciting news of the gospel.