On the Road Again!

If you've ever chatted with a missionary, chances are you know that we do quite a bit of travelling (and if you didn't know that before, now you do!).  We travel around to share what God is doing in the part of the world in which we are called to serve.  As we go, we pray that God would provide churches and individuals to partner with us in prayer and financially.

This week, I have the privilege to be at Frost Bridge Wesleyan Holiness camp in Mississippi.  It's a great camp and I am really enjoying listening to the speakers and getting to know the people at the camp.  Tomorrow I will be sharing with the camp about the ministry I will be doing in Honduras.  Please pray with me for this time of sharing.

We (my mother came with me) drove 600 miles to be here and we got to see a lot of beautiful scenery.  Here is a picture from the Arkansas state line ( I wanted to get one by the Mississippi State line, but we couldn't find a place to pull off!).

By the sign at Frost Bridge- note how long ago it was founded!

What about their birthdays?

After my presentations I like to have a time when I answer questions about my presentation and the ministry going on in Honduras.  One thing people are curious about is how the boarding students live at the school.  Where do they sleep?  What do they eat?  Who makes sure they are taken care of and behaving well?

The boarding students (who are all boys) live in dormitories.  There are men who are called "consejeros" (counselors in English) who watch over them.  Male students from the seminary and missionaries are also involved in the boys lives.

 They know when they move onto the next activity (chores, mealtimes, school, church, etc), by when the bell rings.  The bell ( "la compana" in Spanish) is known affectionately by some of the boys as "mother" because it tells them what they need to be doing!

 When the boys want a snack or need something like soap or a notebook they can go to "la tienda" (the store).

 The chapel at El Sembrador is a beautiful building where church services are held.

The students eat in a dining hall ("el comedor").  Several dedicated women work in the kitchen at the school, and they are assisted by some of the students.  Most of the meals are rice and beans, which are the most common foods in Honduras.  Tortillas are also present at every meal.

The students have several places where they can play sports and have fun.  One of the most popular is a small, concrete court with waist-high walls.  It' is usually used to play futbolito ("little soccer"), but it is also converted to play volleyball now and then.

It would be impossible to celebrate each of the students birthdays individually, so celebrations are held several times a year to celebrate the birthdays that happened during certain months.  There are games, cake, and small gifts for those who have had birthdays.  The photo some of the Bible institute students are singing for the party.

Excited about the Call!

Ok, yes, I am excited about the calling God has given me, but that is "the Call" I am talking about.  "The Call" is the quarterly magazine put out by WGM.  Every issue is different, but basically it informs you about the different ministries going on around the world.

Back in 2009 I became a photograph intern with WGM.  I was really excited because not only did I get to travel and take photos in a foreign country, but I also got to follow the call God had given me to explore missions.  I never could have imagined how God would use that trip to introduce me to Escuela El Sembrador!

This issue includes an article about Escuela El Sembrador, written by Jorge Pinto, a pastor who has started a ministry to street children: http://www.wgm.org/purpose-for-life

This week we got the latest issue of The Call in the mail, and on the cover were two photos that I had taken during my internship (the girl in the center and the buss on the top right)!  As a photographer it is really amazing to see my photos used on the cover of a publication!

If you are majoring in a communications field, you should check out the internships WGM has to offer: http://www.wgm.org/internships You never know where it might lead!

Frying 300 Eggs

I spent last week working at Kan-Ok Bible Camp, helping out in the kitchen.  I've worked at camps before, but always as a counselor.  From that I know that good food is important to camp, but I didn't realize just how much food it takes to feed a camp.  It was interesting to have another job and see what it takes to feed 196 people 3 times a day (4 if you count night snack!)

Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast at 8am?  No problem, just start early...5 am to be exact (and earlier for the first couple of people mixing!). They were delicious and totally worth it though- the campers loved them! The 300 eggs from the title?  We fried them for Friday breakfast.  And yes, it took quite a while to crack them. We used almost 100 pounds of flour throughout the week, used 500 buns, and  made 32 loaves of French bread into garlic bread.

God calls us all to serve Him in different ways.  Some ways are out in front, others are behind the scene.  Sometimes He calls to ministries that last a lifetime,  Other times the ministries only last a week or a few hours.  Whatever He calls you to-answer the call.  You'll be glad you did. 

This Week...

This week I have the privilege of going back to one of the places that had an influence over me as a kid.  Camp.  Growing up, Kan-Ok Bible Camp was one of the highlights of my summers.  There are lots of things I remember- making new friends, singing in the dining hall, skit night, pranks, and so much more.  And along with all the fun we learned about God.  That's one of the things I appreciate most as I look back at my time there.  Between hearing a speaker twice a day, praise and worship, planned personal devotion time, Bible trivia "baseball", and cabin devotions in the evening it was clear that God was the priority.  

In college I worked for four summers as a counselor at a camp near where I live, and there I got some experience in how much goes into making a successful camp.  Sometimes at the end of the day I would be very tired and really tempted to just send my campers to bed without taking time to do devotions, but then I would think of what camp was like for me as a camper at Kan-Ok.  I remember the dedication of my counselors, especially toward spiritual things- even if we couldn't get everything else done we would make God a priority. I also saw great examples as they kindly helped and worked with some of the more difficult campers.  Seeing this example not only has helped me as a counselor, but also in everyday life.

So this week I am going back.  This time I'll be helping with the cooking.  I am looking forward to seeing God work at camp, and I pray that this week will be a time where hearts and lives are changed and a new generation is given an example!

It's a Big Deal

Five years ago I never would have thought that I would watch an entire televised soccer game- and be interested! Spending time in Honduras in 2009 and 2010 changed that. In 2009 I got to see the excitement as Honduras qualified for the World Cup. It was fun to watch the game with the staff and students of El Sembrador. And the excitement of realizing that Honduras would go to the World Cup was really something to see!

When I returned to the school in 2010 I was excited that I would get to be in Honduras during the World Cup. Something I had not realized when I had watched the qualifying rounds was that before 2010 Honduras had only made it to the World Cup once before, back in 1982.   

Soccer really isn't as big of a deal in the US as it is in many other countries around the world, so if you are wondering why it's a big deal, here are 5 Facts about the World Cup.

1) 204 teams competed to be in the World Cup, and only 32 qualified.

2) With that many teams trying to qualify, qualifying rounds last 3 years!

3) It is the world's most viewed televised sporting event. Almost half of Earth's population tuned into at least a minute of the 2010 World Cup.

4) The World Cup is hosted by a different country every time. In 2010 it was played in South Africa, and it is currently being held is Brazil. This is Brazil's second time to host. The next World Cups will be hosted by Russia and Qatar. 

5) With so many different countries competing, some of the teams have made some interesting requests for their hotel rooms.  France wanted each room to have 2 kinds of soap.  Ecuador wanted different types of Ecuadorian bananas.  Rather than make demands at an existing hotel, Germany built their own hotel to their specifications.

One thing I enjoy about watching is seeing nations from all over the world come together for a common reason.  Of course they come to compete, and I am sure that there are rivalries.  It's still cool to think of that many countries gathered.

As big of a deal as the World Cup is, it can't really compare to a much greater gathering of nations that is to come:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”" Rev. 7:9-10 (ESV)

The Story

God's doing something really great in the world.  Did you know that He always has been?  In a world when the news is filled with horrible stories and depressing reports it's easy to lose sight of how God is at work.  From the day Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God has been working to restore man's relationship with Him.  In the Old Testament we see how God showed Himself to the Israelites, and showed Himself to the nations through the miracles He did for the Israelites.  Then came the turning point of all History: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus was not born into a position of power and esteem.  No, the King of the Universe, of all Time, of Everything that ever Was, Is, or Will Be, was born in a manger in a stable. Jesus did not become wildly popular.  Crowds followed Him at times, but as soon as they figured out that He wasn't the kind of Messiah they were expecting they fell away.  At the time of His death and resurrection, the number of followers was very, very small.

But Truth doesn't just go away, and it cannot be silenced.  From very small numbers Christianity has grown.  Harsh terrain and language barriers cannot stop the spread. Even persecution cannot stop the Gospel from changing lives.  Two Sundays ago I heard the testimony of a man from Pakistan who was persecuted for His beliefs.  He cannot return to Pakistan, but before he left he helped to found over 20 churches, and He still continues work there and in other countries where Christians suffer for proclaiming Jesus.  Last Sunday, my Sunday school class watched the movie the End of the Spear about the 5 missionaries who gave their lives bringing the Gospel to the Waodani tribe in Ecuador.  Church history is full of examples of those who have given up everything, including their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

What difference does it make?  All of the difference.  Nothing but the Truth could be this powerful.  Nothing but the  Truth could survive so much or grow from so little.  And nothing but the Truth could be so transforming.

Did you know that Brazil is the #2 sender of missionaries?  South Korea, India, South Africa, the Philippenes, Mexico, China, Columbia, and Nigeria (and othes) all send out notable numbers of missionaries. Did you know that there are missionaries from Honduras to other countries?  I've met some of them!    This is huge!  The scale of the Gospel is gigantic.  It spans all Time, and all continents.  It is meant for all peoples.

We serve an Awesome God who is doing Awesome things!