The Adventure Begins...

This blog originated for the purpose of communicating where God is taking us in His process of calling/sending us to Honduras.

While patience is not necessarily our strong suit, it’s amazing to see where we have come in the many months since this process began. The dream occurred in February, 2008 and His process continues. Not in a direct path, which we had anticipated, but in a seemingly wandering manner where we have learned much about His love, His grace, His mercy and (most importantly for us) His patience.

We are on the brink of the adventure God has set before us. While opportunities for service abound in Honduras, there is a significant lack of funding (in proportion to need) to feed the starving, provide medical care to the desperately ill, shore-up dilapidated homes that will not withstand the current rainy season – let alone care for the innumerable orphans infected with/affected by HIV-AIDS. God is providing a means for us to serve Hondurans while stateside by our presenting the hope, born of tragedy, which is Casa Hogar Vida.

Please pray with us for invitations to speak within churches and organizations throughout the United States. An exciting aspect of His strategy is that 100% of all contributed funds will be sent to Casa Hogar Vida as God’s provision is currently providing for all of our needs using other avenues. EVERY CENT of any contribution for Casa Hogar Vida projects will be forwarded to Honduras through our home church, CedarCreek Church in Perrysburg, Ohio. The leadership there has also committed to forwarding all Casa Hogar Vida Project receipts to further CHV’s work.

We return to Honduras for a time in late July this year, and will enjoy time spent with our mentors Ian and Julie Fawcett, friends and “family” in Honduras ~ deepening relationships and increasing our knowledge of CHV’s present needs. As usual, we will work alongside them during long, rewarding days within CHV projects while in Choluteca. After returning to the U.S., we hope to begin presenting the hopeful, life-changing story of Casa Hogar Vida to any/all who will listen. Will you pray with us that God will provide the people with whom He wants us to speak? Will you listen? ~P

Wait and see...

Knowing something and understanding something are two entirely different levels of existence. Understanding is the application of knowledge...proof that we have assimilated truth.

During these past several months, life has been sweeter and more difficult than I could have imagined. Details are irrelevant. Pain deeper than I’ve ever experienced accompanied by the deepest, tangible love from our Father have taught me much. Days cycle between pain and wonderfulness but His Hand always holds my heart...I better understand His Presence – ever Faithful!

Earlier this week was a painful valley when He brought to my attention (through Rebekah and some tuneage) an encouraging, comforting Truth. It’s not a new concept, I have heard it for years and know it well. In His lovingkindness, He reminded me that nothing is beyond His redemption, events occur that He will transform to glorify Himself. We are not to be ignorant, He will be glorified...we just need to wait and see. Understanding is a welcomed friend...and Jesus is so very good! ~ P

Bothering God

Not long ago, we started attending, what I imagine would be called, a mega-church. On our first visit, we were shown around the building by a volunteer who told us that it wasn't really that big once you get used to it. (That's like saying a toothache doesn't hurt, once you get used to it ~ it still hurts!) By our standards this place was huge, and besides who was she to tell us what is big and what isn't?

The reality that we found is that she was right. While the facility is huge, you still end up with a small group of friends ~ except, each of those people has a small group of friends, and it goes on and on. We never had a desire to attend a mega-church, in fact I still don't, we just have a larger group of friends now. Actually, the logic of not wanting to attend a mega-church because there are too many people, defies itself if we want to be Christians. As Christians, we are called to meet with the brothers and sisters in Christ. In the end, with heaven as our goal, that will be the mother of all mega-churches ~ so maybe what we have is just practice.

I now look down the halls of our building and it no longer looks so imposing. Perhaps this is similar to how we look at things as children and when we go back as adults ~ what we remembered as huge is now very small. This can also be true of issues that we confront daily and try to handle ourselves instead of allowing God to have control ~ if we think about them from an individual point of view ~ but in the grand scheme of things, where do they rank?

Do we look at our relationship with Christ as one in which He is too big or busy to bother with my issue? When we first come to realize our need for a Saviour, we can't fathom how a God so big as to create everything that we can see from the Hubble telescope and beyond, can be small enough to hear or care about our issues. How often do we say something similar to "Well, others have bigger problems...." or "God has bigger things to worry about than....." The truth is that my relationship with Jesus should be more open and honest than the relationship I have with Penny. God wants to be involved in our lives and He wants us to trust Him in all things ~ He already knows all of the dark secrets.

Reach out to Him, no matter how big or little the issue seems to you ~ let Him enter into the decision making. I don't recall ever hearing someone say "I wish I hadn't bothered God about that".

Small churches are used by God in the same way that large ones are. I have not read where we need to be several thousand to hear from Him, but ~ "where two or more are gathered in My name...". Jesus often went off to be alone with God. We attend the Creation Festival in Pennsylvania each summer. The pre-Festival time is great because I can be out in the fields alone with God ~ the Festival can be great because of the thousands joining in during Praise and Worship to our God.

Sorry this is so disjointed, it is just the way I think sometimes. I guess in the end, I don't believe that God has a preference and maybe we shouldn't either. ~ K

Plans

Finishing up a quilt for an aunt at the Childrens’ Home in Choluteca, Honduras I was thinking about the fabric being incorporated into the quilt. The plans I had for the fabric (which I bought two years ago) had gone by the wayside long ago...yet here it was becoming part of a quilt which would comfort, warm and protect an adult who chooses to serve children who have been infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

While piecing the quilt-top, I could recall where each fabric was purchased and for whom the original quilt was intended. My initial plan was worthwhile and well-made but circumstances led to a different result. How much is that like my plans versus God’s plans? We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16.9). We plan for graduation…college… career…marriage… children…retirement – the list continues on and on. How many of my life plans resulted the way I planned them? Looking back, very few! Yet, looking at life’s events, I can see God’s hand – before and after I surrendered to Him – orchestrating my life. Taking the “fabrics” and arranging them according to His plan – how thankful I am!

Not only did He arrange my life, I can see where he took the heartaches, the sadness, the frustrations and pieced them into the quilt of my life. He didn’t leave holes or ugly places, He took the hard times and created a masterpiece of His design – flaws and all. How can we not love God? He takes the difficult, devastating times and transforms them into an integral part of His design for our lives – ultimately, an opportunity to demonstrate His power and relentless Love. Oh, what a Savior!!! ~ P

God's Provision

It's interesting how opportunities come at the oddest of times but, when examined closely, it becomes obvious that God was involved all the way and just wants to take us along for the ride!

This past Thursday, my co-worker found out that the meal provider for his group's monthly euchre tournament (which was to be held Friday) had to cancel. He wondered how and where he could find a replacement on such short notice. His group uses volunteer organizations, on a rotating basis, to provide meals to raise funds for their respective organizations.

The timing seemed quite the coincidence (OK, God-incidence) since Penny and I are engaged in raising public awareness and funds for Casa Hogar Vida to support their immediate and ongoing financial needs. I called Penny to get her opinion and right away she said "of course" ~ not knowing what we were going to serve or who would be available to help us. Neither was a consideration in the decision. We recruited friends from work/church, Penny put together a menu, and we were on our way. Of course, that meant making a few extra shopping trips and procuring the use of some roasters, but arrangements fell easily into place.

Of course, obstacles will arise at inopportune times (are there opportune times for obstacles?) to take our eyes off of what God wants to accomplish. On this same Friday, I had to pick up our daughter from Winter Camp at an (as of yet) unknown time Friday afternoon. I was notified pick-up time was 5:00 - 5:30pm ~ two hours from home. We were to start serving the meal around 6:30pm. No problem ~ we recruited our son and with the help of a couple from church ~ Penny thought they could pull it off.

Looking back, we were supposed to go to a surveyor's conference in Columbus, OH from Wednesday through Saturday (as we have for the past two decades) but, because of various other issues, we did not attend. This left me open to pick-up our daughter and, as it turns out, left us available to work the meal (Proverbs 3.5-6, anyone?).

I often wonder how many times God is right there making all of the provisions for us ~ time, funds, people ~ that we just pass off as "coincidence"? How often do we take God for granted or miss His plan because we don't have the faith or understanding to be aware of our Provider?

The group made a significant contribution to Casa Hogar.

God and the Detroit Tigers

Anyone who knows me, knows that I like baseball, specifically the Detroit Tigers, particularly the 1968 Detroit Tigers.

The '68 Tigers were a group of below-average to very good baseball players who, when brought together with each one's particular skills and the proper leadership, became World Champions.

That year the Tigers starting lineup combined for a .250 batting average, with no individual batting over .290 and two batting below .200. Despite these statistics, the Tigers had two great reasons for being winners ~ 1) They had a leader who played each one where they fit best, and 2) Nobody had to be a star.

Using unconventional wisdom, the manager pulled his starting shortstop from the lineup and moved his All-Star center-fielder into play shortstop. This meant that he needed to move his starting right-fielder into center-field and played his star player, who had been hurt for a large part of the year in right-field. These moves could have had a terrible effect on the team, however; they saw the need and did what it took to win as a team.

Much the same way, Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 that the Church of Jesus Christ needs all aspects of the Body to function together in order to accomplish His desires. Verse 18 tells us "But, in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, everyone of them, just as He wanted them to be." While I'm sure that this happens throughout the world, I have seen it first-hand in Choluteca, with GCLA and Gran Comision Church serving the poor and HIV+ - this is their common goal, to participate in what Christ is doing there, without the need for personal attention. I have not seen anyone putting his or her self-interest ahead of the the common goal - to embody Jesus' love.

I pray that someday, I, too, will be wise enough to put the needs of others ahead of my personal goals. ~ K

God's Reliability

Talking with Joanna the other day started me thinking about Proverbs 3.5-6 (NKJV):

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Looking back over the past few years, the instances where God directed our paths toward Honduras is humbling. What would have happened if we hadn't begun to attend Cedar Creek Church (who introduced us to Choluteca)? What would have happened if Ken and I hadn't talked about the dream that showed us working with children in Honduras being pursued by a monster (HIV)? What would have happened if Ken hadn't verbalized the interpretation of the dream? Why did God arrange for me go to Choluteca without Ken the first trip (without Ken on the trip, was I more vulnerable, more open?)? While God assures that He will work everything to good, who'd a thought the last several months of heart-wrenching pain would be used to offer positive, hopeful direction? Am I asking enough questions?!?

While dwelling on all the questions can make one nuts (or anxious, at best), there's no need to continually rehearse the "What ifs...?". When He is our focus, God will direct our paths - period. He is faithful...He is sovereign...He is trustworthy...He knows everything! He doesn't have to ask my permission or tell me "Penny, I'm directing you!"...He directs my paths - period. It's wonderful to understand that when I invest my energy seeking and listening to God...He'll faithfully do the rest! What a great God!!! ~ P