Pray, Play and a Spark of Hope

Only if my interaction with the kids on the street I have met is a temporary bit of joy, happiness and peace for them then my my mission to Cochabamba is being fulfilled. Do I think they will remember the funny lil white girl that plays, dances, loves on them, prays and at times feeds them? Yes I do. The times they have scurried through the city with me, all of us clinched arm to arm locked together.... the looks from the Bolivians!!! If looks could really kill this gringo along with my lil street kiddos would be laid out on a Bolivian street!

Thank the Good Lord He does not look at our outside appearance! Jesus loves ALL His children .... With all of our flaws. Love is helping any person toward Christ.
The lost, hungry, homeless are not just here they are at your back door and mine wherever we are living right now.

Although.... You don't have to wait for a feeling of "love" in order to share Christ with a stranger. The stranger is created by our Heavenly Father but separated from Him. I personally go out to share about Jesus because I love Him and want to share what has so freely been given to me.

At times, even here, I have found myself complaining.... complaining about the simple things that I take for granted.

Philippians 1:29 reminds me
I want to love as Jesus did and be willing to suffer for doing as He did. You see as Paul wrote, suffering is a gift of God.

Arrival in Cochabamba, Bolivia

I am here safely!
"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11 And how true this is.

I arrived in Cochabamba yesterday (Friday) morning. Before I left Charlotte and leading up to the date of my departure I found myself  a bit anxious. I had decided I was going to say "see you in April" instead of "good bye"! Leaving family and friends was more difficult this time..Why? Not sure although as I walked down the terminal I had that  unsurpassing Peace come upon me and  I was reminded of the scripture "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ, Jesus." Philippians 4:7

After leaving Miami the start of the overnight flight to La Paz, Bolivia was experiencing much turbulence. My initial thought was what my life was without Jesus very bumpy and unpredictable.  Saying thank you Jesus for saving me will never be enough. I continually remember the source of my Strength and my Provider in ALL things that I do.  My faith must transcend the boundaries of what I see, hear and feel.  

I must say day two here has been great. I feel rested, refreshed and so healthly!!! PTL  I am so looking forward to what God has in store for me. Monday myself and Adam, a year volunteer, will start working with young children at a day school ....not exactly sure of all the ins and outs but I do know that I can't wait to meet, make bonds and share some Jesus with these kiddos even with the language barrier. I will be here for three months so I plan on taking full advantage of all the opportunities that I am presented with or ones I present myself with!

                                                 The Sunrise as my flight is approaching La Paz, Bolivia

                                                        My first view of Cochabamba from the plane

 The Andes Mountains

My roommate Cara! She will be serving for a year here in a clinic as a nurse

 Adam, Shirley, Cara & Myself. We are brother and sisters in Christ.Willing Servants ready to serve Him who gets ALL the Glory!!!
                                               

Almost Ready to Go

It is almost time to go. Transition is never easy.  As I go on this next phase of My Journey or I should say My Journey with God I will be serving within a much different culture. A culture that I am sure I will not always understand but I rest assured God will equip my every need. God contains all comfort and He created me in His image. I therefore have the capacity to be comfortable with Him in any situation he leads me into. Perhaps it can be intimidating but I treasure these opportunities that God is giving me so again I take that step in faith. I know the reward.

I will be serving with Christ For the City International (CFCI). These folks are a blessing in my life! I will be leaving Thursday Jan 10th and arriving in Cochabamba, Bolivia on Friday Jan 11th. I will be returning back to the states on April 8th, 2013. I am super excited, excited to see what God has in store for me. Excited to share Jesus to whomever God puts in my path. Excited to witness God transform lives.

I want to thank each of you for your prayers, I feel these prayers! God is so faithful, loyal and loving but it is a comfort to know my family, friends, supporters, prayer warriors are behind me. I covet your continual prayers. I ask that you pray now for my health (we know I tend to catch all sorts of germs!!) and that I stay 100% healthy while in Bolivia. Please pray also for travel mercies and that I receive the guidance, wisdom and discernment I may need. Lastly pray that I may be a shining beacon to others for I am His Child and one of His deepest desires is to have all His children in His Kingdom.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."  Colossians 3:17

Words

 I don't think I had ever really thought about the right to eat, the right to clean water, the right to adequate health care nor the write to learn until I actually left the states and initially arrived in Colombia and now in El Salvador. People in neither place do not take the basic rights I stated above for granted.

Our world is connected today and we can read what is happening in Asia, Africa, South America, North America by a click of a mouse. We know that children are being deprived of the basic human rights Right Now. Human beings are valuable. They are made in God's image. They are His creation. Yet great injustices are happening. Children are going hungry and live in situations where they cannot grow and play like many ways of a 'normal' child. Some children are forced into prostitution, gangs, crime and others have no access to adequate healthcare and clean water because of factors outside their control.

God cares about these children who aren't receiving Mercy and Justice in their lives. He cares about their physical suffering and He cares deeply for their spiritual suffering. He wants to use us to serve a world that is in need of knowing Him....body and soul.

As a follower of Christ, I am thankful to be part of Being Him to the world.... that looks different for each of us but it is possible. No person is off limits to bringing God's Mercy and Justice to the world.

A number given so this child may receive lunch that we as group were preparing

A quick line formed for those with their 'numbered cards'

'Cards' ran out..these boys are hoping we have left over food

Portion of the path that lead to fresh clean water

                                                                  
                                                               

             After a 50 minute walk TO the natural fresh spring water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

 

Oncology floor of El Salvador's Children's Hospital

 

Children at one of the schools

First day of a new soccer program started in a gang community. Children's first time ever experiencing an organized sport

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a look at some of the housing in El Salvador

                                                

Permanent Mark on My Heart

A world of poverty unlike I have ever seen before. All the basic needs that have been met in my life take on a new meaning.
This journey is being so much more than I ever bargained for and so grateful to have been given the opportunity.
This is an experience that is leaving a permanent mark on my heart. I can't help but think of how Gods people, the people of El Salvador, are full of hope when things seem so hopeless. They are full of Love and Grace, even when faced with adversity.
How often have I found myself praying for safety? For smooth travels or for quick healing? I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard people pray for good health, or for protection. Myself so included.
Is this really what I should be praying for?
What if my prayers became more about wanting to know God in every situation, and less about seeking personal safety? How many people in the Bible lived in safety? How many had good health? Not many! Instead we see wars, lion’s dens, and crosses on the pages of Scripture. Shouldn’t this be a wake-up call to me?
What if I spent my prayer time asking God to take me into the most dangerous, and the deepest, darkest places to bring light in His name? What if my desire to obey Him overshadowed any desire to “play it safe” in my own life...whether physically, financially or emotionally? What if I asked Him to use every painful moment in my life to give me a platform to share His Gospel with the world? I do know I have ask Him to do this. What if I answered the call to suffering with joy because I know that will bring Him glory?
“Fearing” God. This word “fear” in reference to God has the idea of living and walking in an understanding of the bigness, the greatness, the holiness of God. When I fear God I have a deep, life-changing respect for who He is that trumps anything this world could throw at me. I found this following quote by the writer Oswald Chambers:

“The remarkable thing about God is when your fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you don’t fear God, you fear everything else.”

When I am walking with the living God, the Great and Holy God, then the things of the earth don’t matter the way they used to. But if I am spending my life trying to figure out how to “stay safe” then I are missing out on the freedom that comes from knowing God. Obviously, God wants me to make wise choices and I am not called to be idiot, and He does want me to bring my requests to Him, BUT I am also called to dangerous places. I am called to the urban cities, the rough neighborhoods, to foreign lands to make His name known. It will cost me.... It may even hurt me...but it is worth it.
What if every prayer for protection became a prayer for courage? What if every prayer for safety became a prayer for faith to go farther, and do more for the cause of Jesus?

Onto El Salvador

"And  when they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped." Exodus 4:31

Today, more so than ever, I am aware of the hurt and suffering in the world. The scripture above says God sees, that He in fact saw and saw it all. Saw not just "misery in the world" but Their misery. Saw the unrighteousness done to them. Saw the unrighteousness they did to others......and.......what? Judged? Condemned? No, "was deeply concerned for them." "God is willing that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Whatever is your misery right now God sees it. He doesn't just see it, He cares. He doesn't just care, He is deeply concerned. His heart breaks on behalf of those He loves. He died for each of us. He loves us all. These aren't just words, they are the truth and they are the life. If a heart is opened to these truths you will be amazed.

So, here I am now in Soyapango, El Salvador. I arrived Oct 4th and when I stepped outside of the airport the heat was overwhelmingly HOT! Let's just say to an extreme HOT!!! I am growing to love this small suburb of San Salvador that is 17km (10 miles) radius and approximately 1/2 million people.

I have gotten settled into my "home" while I am here until Dec 1st. I will be starting some new opportunities to minister this week and I am super excited! My first week here I helped, I guess you can call it that, in two different locations where English classes are taught. While the time with the kids was great my soul yearned for a different ministry while I am here. Like always God never fails and new doors have been opened!

This week I will start working with Barbara Rowe, she is a Christ for City International (CFCI) missionary. Barbara is heading up The Faro Project which is establishing youth centers in San Salvador where pre-teens and teens can gather together in a safe environment, where they can learn vocational skills, get help with homework, and enjoy healthy and fun activities. Most importantly they can learn about God. Many of these kids are challenged by poverty, broken homes, and a sense of hopelessness for their future. The word, "Faro" in Spanish means "beacon" or "light," and these centers are beacons in the inner city that can guide the young people toward a more hopeful and productive life.

Yesterday (Saturday) I went up in the mountain area known as Jicalapa. Argentina, a small village, is within Jicalapa....my next blog will be totally dedicated to my Jicalapa trip. I have always heard and seen poverty in the states, different places I have traveled and here in El Salvador but I can honestly say this was my first time ever in the presence with people living in "this" kind extreme poverty. 

Sileo School Kids

                                                   Altavista English Students

Love ?

God's greatest command "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind". This is the first and greatest commandment. The second similar; "Love your neighbor as yourself."

I am filled with God's joy at every attempt I make at reaching one of the girls of the Foundation. These girl have no idea what Love is or how to Love. My deepest desire has been to serve the people here in Colombia in compassion and Love so that they can experience transformation, restoration, freedom, healing, love and joy just as I have.

I must be honest and tell you that I have questioned myself in a sense of what can I really be accomplishing. As I began to get involved in the lives of strugglers, (I  think it is safe to say each of us "struggle" with something in our life or have in the past) as I began to realize the true condition of their lives and just how much work there is to be done I felt a sense of hopelessness.

I had really been thinking about what sort of difference myself was making in seeking to serve and Love in Colombia at Open Arms Foundation. I forgot to consider that it is only because of God's power and Love working in and through me that I can accomplish even the smallest victories. The Bible does not say that with God, we can accomplish most anything within reason. It says that with God, ANYTHING is possible (Matthew 19:26). 

Luke 6:32 "If you Love those who Love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners Love those who Love them."

It does not say to Love as long as it is comfortable, it says to Love in ways that are naturally uncomfortable. So yes, I have been discouraged at times and this brought me back home to 1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice Always."

 I desire my faith only to be found in God and in what He can accomplish through me, for His Glory and Honor. I want to Love so much like Jesus that hearts would be set on fire, so much like Jesus that lives would be transformed by His light shining through me.