Answer the Cry

Mary Beth Chapman shared this on her blog and I wanted to share it.... click here and check out this video!

It's a Great Day to be Alive

My friend Suzanna started her last blog post with this: "Today is a day ended with legitimate gratefulness to be alive." And that's exactly how I feel!

Last Saturday I went to Pillar with my friends, a place where they like to play soccer and swim. This was my first time playing soccer and running (this much) since I broke my ankle, so I was a little apprehensive but it was good therapy for my ankle and for helping me get over hating soccer! Afterwards, we swam in the frigid swimming pool filled with water straight from the mountains. It's always fresh so it has no time to warm up! It felt great to all of us, though, and especially my ankle which was really feeling it from the running!

After church on Sunday, a bunch of us went to work in Pastores where there are houses being built for twelve families who lost their homes because of all the flooding. We spent the afternoon digging trenches, preparing for pipes to be laid. We had a great time getting dirty and getting a good workout..... and finding out that we were digging on an old cemetery. Yeah, that was weird! People were finding some bones as they dug and someone found a skull! Anatomy and Physiology class while we work!

The houses

Shoveling away...

Uh... did we dig too deep???

Hey....Carlos has a skull!

We ended the fun weekend by playing pool and foosball at a local restaurant. My friends are freakin' amazing at pool, and let's just say I'm working on it... my friend Carlos (who is pretty much a professional) is attempting to teach me... :)

Elisabeth went back to the States yesterday (for one day before she heads to the DR for a week!), so I'm on my own walking to school and such, but I'm having a great time. I love my classes and have met some really cool fellow students who also go to the same church as me. I'm beginning to be able to carry on more conversation with my teacher, and sometimes we talk about interesting topics... How I'm scared of bears at my house and she's scared of dogs on the streets at her house, how we don't think having debt in order have a nicer houses and cars and other stuff is a good idea, how she wants to have her second child soon but if she doesn't then she wants to adopt a baby, how babysitting is a good idea for practicing how to care for kids and know how to handle hard situations, how sometimes when we are sick we question why we have problems and why not somebody else, but how we shouldn't wish our suffering on anyone else and should trust that God knows why we go through what we do... and just about every other random topic, and I love it! And sometimes she brings me fruit from the trees at her house... Guatemala has some amazing fruits that I've never had in the States, like nisperos and granadias, for example. Oh, and I'm very happy to say that I beat her in Spanish Scrable! It was obviously all luck and no skill, but it was very exciting nonetheless!

I am so thankful to love what I'm learning and look forward to class each day. I can't imagine anything better and am continually grateful to the Lord for His provision in my life of a great place to live, learn, serve, and have a great church and community of friends.

Shout Out To Kids for the Kingdom!

Greg and Karen's visit to Bear Creek this past summer!

Some very dear friends of my family, Greg and Karen Dabel, run and amazing ministry called Kids for the Kingdom, which serves in many countries around the world. I was just reading their October newsletter that told about a story from Zimbabwe, and this is what it said:

“We just returned from the ‘bush’ in Zambezi Valley,” reports Kids for the Kingdom director Reuben Zivagwe. His team was making an exploratory trip into the interior of Zimbabwe for Christian outreach, needs assessment, and mercy projects. “We discovered many orphans and longsuffering people living in poverty and in constant fear of evil spirits.”

The trip into Zimbabwe’s ‘bush’ was a physical and emotional ordeal. “At night we were like ‘free food’ for lions and hyenas but we slept fairly safe in some abandoned huts. In the morning we stopped at the river for a bath and by God’s grace made it to Kotwa village by sunset.” Along the way they saw elephants, antelope, wild dogs, zebras, and dozens of orphan children wandering aimlessly in the bush. Their parents had died from disease or malnutrition, or had simply abandoned the children. “We set up a feeding station in Kotwa and provided meals for 200 hungry orphans.”

The Kids for the Kingdom team also wanted to share the Gospel in Kotwa. “At first we

were unsure what to do. The village was ruled by fearsome evil spirits,” said Reuben. “But to our

surprise the people were filled with gladness, brought us gifts, and begged to know why we came.”

When the village chief found out they had the ‘Jesus Film’ he insisted they project the

film on the largest outdoor white wall in the village – on the side of a local beer hall. “The chief was first to respond to the call to follow Jesus.” Many others accepted Christ.

With every newsletter that I read it is so encouraging to see what God is doing through Kids for the Kingdom, and I wanted to share this encouragement! K for K is a very worthy cause for storing our treasures in heaven and loving our neighbor as ourself.

Very Cool Illustration

Ok, so I just have to say that I am REALLY STOKED that all the Chilean miners were rescued after surviving 69 days of being stuck a half mile underground!!! I heard that it was the longest period of time that anyone has been stuck underground and come out alive. I know that this happened a little while ago and may old news to some of you, but it's still just really exciting to me!

On Monday night at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) service at church, Mark shared a very powerful message that had so many amazing parallels to the rescuing of these miners. He talked about the importance of evangelism in ours lives, and although we all have different talents, abilities, and passions, the purpose of what we do needs to be to be to reach those who are not saved. There are about 33,000 people in Antigua, and roughly four and half times that many people die every day around the world. If we woke up tomorrow to find out that every person in Antigua had died, we'd be completely shocked and it would be on the news everywhere. Yet so many more than that ARE dying everyday, and so many times we live as if it doesn't matter.

Mark gave us a list of excuses that are often used for why Christians don't share the gospel. For one, some people say they are introverts or have a shy personality. I totally related to this because I am generally a listener, not a talker. But Jesus didn't give us the option to share the gospel depending on our personality. In fact, when we feel unsure or inadequate, that is when God can work the most through us. Ephesians 3:20 says, "... By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare ask or hope." In first Corinthians 12:9, Paul wrote, "Each time He said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." We just need to step out of ourselves and our comfort zone and into the power of Christ so that He can work through us.

Another excuse he pointed out was what if people don't want to accept the gospel? And of course this happens many times! Mark shared a story about a man that was living on the streets whom he recently saw sleeping in the dump. Mark talked with this man about his need for God and he agreed to go to an organization where he would be provided for and learn about the gospel. After reading the rules and signing his name, he told Mark that he changed his mind. He'd rather be back on the streets. It happens. Not everyone will accept Christ, but the key is that the results are not up to us. Our responsibility is to share the hope we have in Christ with those around us, and the results are up to Him. The illustration that Mark used was like this: what if the rescuers of the miners in Chile felt unsure if the rescue was going to work? Should they have not have tried to save them simply because it might not work? They had to dig three holes down to them before they reached them. What if after the first time they said, "oh well, we tried".....

Another excuse he talked about was that some people don't care about sharing their faith. They think, well, I'm saved, and if they're not then that's their problem. So if someone is in trouble, like the miners, should we just go about our business because we are alright? Should we just leave them there because it's not our fault that the mines caved in and trapped them underground?

He noted that you may ask, then, is evangelizing a prerequisite to being saved? No, there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation. But are you really a follower of Christ if you don't have His love in your heart?

Jesus said is John 13:35, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

And 1 John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

This leads to the next point. Those men could not have done anything to save themselves. All they could do was wait, and when help came, they only had to accept it. They couldn't have lifted one finger to get themselves out. When the pod was lowered, the only thing they could do was get in and have the rescuers lift them out. There was only one way out of the darkness and into abundant life in the light. All we have to do is accept Christ's offer to forgive our sins and make us holy in Him. There is nothing we can do for ourselves.

I think this is a concept that is well known, but the illustration was so powerful!

One news caster said that he never got tired of watching the men come up and seeing them rejoice with there families. What a picture this is of heaven when a soul is saved. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus says in Luke 15:7 says, "In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!"

Another powerful point he made was that all the hard work and waiting was for one purpose: to rescue the trapped men. All the waiting that families had to do, all of the thought and planning and work that the rescuers and NASA people did one for one simple reason. And here is the illustration: The purpose of our lives should to be to rescue the dying. You can do good deeds your whole life, and if it's not for the purpose of saving souls, it's all in vain. You can feed and clothe and house and teach and treat all the people in the world, and if it's not for God's glory then you have a bunch of full, clothed, housed, educated, healthy people who are going to hell.

Matthew 6:20-21 says, "Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

This message was so convicting for me, and the illustrations so powerful. Mark has an deep passion to spread the Word of God, and even though he shared that he is a loner by personality and would rather be in a quiet place alone and not speaking in front of people, it was evident that he is allowing God to work through him. May I always remember that the purpose of my life here is to store treasures in heaven.

Mi Historia en Espanol

Today in class I wrote my first "story" in Spanish. The assignment was "Tell about your first week in Antigua."

So I'd like to share my story with all of you....

Me encanta mi primera semana en Antigua. Yo fui con mis amigos al piscina, las tiendas, y la iglesia. Mi familia aqui es muy emable, y ellos viven en una casa muy bonita. Mi escuela esta a solo diez minutos de la casa. Yo camino al escuela cada dia con mi amiga. Yo tengo muchos amigas aqui de la iglesia, y megusta ir a la casa de ellos. En el fin de semana mi amiga y yo fuimos al Lago Atitlan. Fuimos en un canopy tour, y fue muy divertido. Nosotros Vimos momos tambien. Hay tres volcanes en el lago, y ellos son grandes. Yo compro vestidos para mi sobrinas en la tiendas cerca del lago.

Which translates as:

I loved my first week in Antigua. I went with my friends to the pool, the stores, and the church. My family here is very friendly, and they live in a beautiful home. My school is only ten minutes from the house. I walk to school every day with my friend. I have many friends here from the church, and I like to go to their house. For the weekend my friend and I went to Lake Atitlan. We went on a canopy tour, and it was very fun. We also saw monkeys. There are three volcanos at the lake, and they are big. I bought dresses for my nieces at the shops near the lake.

It's profound, I know.

Update From Guate....

I have been in Guatemala for 11 days now, and am already talking with Elisabeth about our return trip next year to continue our study! Yes, I love it here, and I am so blessed to have such a great church and super fun friends.
Today I'm starting my second week of classes... I can't believe how quickly the first week went by. Time flies when you're having fun, and I suppose even faster when you're learning so much! I love my teacher and I’m loving every minute of having someone who can teach me so well and answer any questions I have. She gives all of her instructions to me in Spanish, so for the first couple days I didn't understand very much of what was being taught… but now I get practically everything, and this progress is very encouraging! Whenever I'm trying to figure out how a word is pronounced (or something of the like), I have flashbacks to the times when I was sitting at home teaching Nathan how to sound out words with the “silent e” and so on… and now that I am now doing the same thing of trying to understand basic concepts I’m reminded how “simple” things can be hard at first and how I need to be patient when teaching others!

For the afternoon portion of class last Friday, we took a field trip to an organic macadamia nut farm. The farm has 400 trees (and 350 different varieties…. who knew there were so many different kinds of macadamias?!) Each of these trees produces 700 pounds of nuts each year. It was such a beautiful place… totally environmental which I always love! And this farm also helps people in more rural villages to grow and process all natural trees and nuts.

Every Friday night there is the young adults gathering at church, and this past time I learned a super fun new game that I can’t wait to teach it to my family! I realized, though, how much I really need to starting running again…. After about 10 minutes of running around playing this game, I was totally out of breath. The day I got here marked three weeks of my cast coming off, so I've only been able to run this past week, but haven't yet because of how busy I've been getting used to everything and into a routine. Antigua will be an enjoyable place to run, though, so I look forward to finally getting back into it!

Oh, and also on Friday we felt THREE earthquakes! The first one I slept through at five in the morning (but now I remember waking up before the sun came up and I heard loud rattling outside and my door was shaking a little, and my only thought was "hmm... those workmen are here early and they are really loud!” Obviously I've never felt an earthquake before) but second one I felt when were at the church cafe for dinner! Elisabeth looked it up to see how strong it was and it was a 5 in Guatemala City, which is about an hour away. And the third one was around midnight when I was going to bed. It’s a pretty cool experience and it’s not often that you get more than one quake in a day!

This past weekend Elisabeth and I also went to a Lake Atitlan and stayed at the fun little Hotel Chinimaya near the beautiful lake…and we got to ride a tuk tuk (a three-wheeled taxi).... It was by default, though, because our driver was supposed to take us to the hotel but he dropped us of nearly 25 minutes walking distance away!

And we went ziplining!!! I have done this once before in Nicaragua and once in Costa Rica, and I was expecting this to be similar..... well, were we in for a surprise! This was the most amazing zipling adventure ever... we were flying (it told us 59 feet per second) WAY over the trees with amazing views of the lake and waterfalls... I recommend this place to anyone who wants an unbelievable zipling adventure!

Really, the coolest part of the weekend though, was this: Elisabeth and I were across the street at a little convenient store waiting for a taxi to come. We both decided that we didn't want anything so we turned around and before we even took a step, Elisabeth looked up the street said, "I know that guy." I thought, What guy? We're two hours away from Antigua and have never been here before! She said "right there." And as he approached us she said "do I know you?" And sure enough he recognized her and asked what in the world she was doing here. She asked what in the world he was doing here, and he told her that he lives here.

Well, Elisabeth knows this guy because she and some friend had seen him several times at central park in Antigua, totally drunk and high. They had shared the Gospel with him for the past couple months, and they hadn't seen him in a couple weeks... now we just "happened" to run into him on the street here. He told us that he has been sober since the last time she saw him and is going to church and doesn't want to drink or party any more. He said he's done with that because "I need to change." We were so shocked and happy to hear this, that we just kept talking about it the rest of the day... Praise the Lord! We were just so unbelievably thankful how God worked out this meeting. We told him we would keep praying for him and he and asked us to please do so. This was a pretty awesome day for us!

And in other news, the first day that I came to Antigua I was walking around town with my friend Grace Evans, and we stopped at the pet store. She took one look at the tiny kittens and when she found out they were only 35 Qs (about $4) she decided that she was going to buy one without even asking her parents... she figured it was safer to just give it to a friend than ask for permission first (she's either braver than me or has much more relaxed parents! :), so we came home with this....

and sure enough she still has him!

Happy Birthday Dan!

Happy Birthday to Dan who has been my brother for 10 years now! Great dad to Will, Hallie, Tristan, and Olivia, husband to my sister, and big brother.

AND.... he's so photogenic! ;)

Living by the Spirit's Power

So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what you sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

When you follow the desires of you sinful nature, you lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except for those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.

-- Galatians 5:16-26, NLT

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-- Ephesians 5:15-20, NLT

Happy Birthday Mariah!

You have officially brought our family 12 years of abundant energy and love!

First Day of Class!

Yesterday I finished my first day of class at Christian Spanish Academy in Antigua, and so far it's been great! I really couldn't ask for anything better. David and Melinda Evans (see their blog here) were so kind to pick me up from the airport and have me stay with them for the weekend at their house in San Cristobal, about 30 minutes away from here. It made my transition to Guatemala so easy and fun which was such a blessing. I am so thankful for them! On Sunday we went to church which is right down the street from school and I've met a lot a great people already. After church Melinda brought me to the house here in Antigua where I am living, which is about a ten minute walk from school and church. I am living at the same place as my friend Elisabeth, who has been studying at CSA for a couple of months and will be here for a couple more weeks, so it's been great having her to hang out and explore the city with!

My house... the main house is on the red one on the right and my room is a couple doors down from the yellow one. It's so beautiful here; flower gardens everywhere... and our host mom is so sweet!

......

What Really Matters?

Bear Creek, Pennsylvania> Ohio> Mackinac Island, Michigan> Wisconsin> Minnesota> Mount Rushmore, South Dakota> Yellowstone, Wyoming> Montana> Craters of the Moon, Idaho> Carson City, Nevada> SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA!!!> The Grand Canyon, Arizona> Utah> Colorado Springs, Colorado> Kansas> Blue Springs, Missouri> Illinois> Indiana> Kentucky> West Virginia> Aldie, Virginia> Maryland> Delaware> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania>.... and back to Bear Creek.

(So this was our journey to Cali and back again, From August 27 to October 4... We had a conference in San Diego, so my parents decided to turn the trip into a cross country road trip... I wrote a somewhat detailed account of the whole journey, but instead of posting the whole thing here, I would be more than happy to email it to you if you'd like to read it; just leave me a comment and let me know!)

On this journey we obviously got to see a lot of this beautiful country. It's so diverse, so beautiful beyond imagination. But at our conference in San Diego, I was reminded about what really matters in life and how I should really be spending the time on this earth that God has given me. Jesus came to the earth to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28), and on this long journey across the US, I've been thinking a lot.... is what I'm doing right now serving myself, my own desires, or am I spending each day reaching out and serving others, making a lasting impact?

I think traveling can be a great part of education. I know that for me personally, traveling to foreign countries has been a big part of my education and realization to the life that God is calling me to live. At our conference in San Diego I learned so much about some of the beautiful work that God is doing around the world and about how I can be more involved with His work and use what He has given me to glorify Him. I was reminded once again how I should be using the time and money God has given me. Colossians 1:16 says "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him." I was created by Him, for Him. This is a great reminder for me that I need to be spending each day focusing on being a part of God's beautiful, eternal plan, not spending my days on selfish desires that have no lasting value and at the end of the day don't matter at all. Dan Hasltine, lead singer of Jars of Clay and founder of Blood: Water Mission (bloodwatermission.com) made a sobering comment at the conference that has stuck in my mind: "We care deeply about things that don't matter, most of the time." I want God's desires to be my desires. I don't want to care about things that He doesn't care about. Because when it comes down to it, traveling the world for my own pleasure, spending my time and money on things that will pass away, have no lasting value. When I'm gone from this earth I want to have lived out each moment not for myself but for Him- for those He has called me to serve, because at the end of the day I have found that this is only thing that is truly fulfilling, the only thing worth really living for. Jason Russel, one of the founders of Invisible Children (InvisbleChildren.com), said during one of the conference sessions, "The best way to save the future is to create it."

Approximately 26,000 children die every day from starvation or a diseases that is completely preventable, and most of them have no idea that they were created for something greater than this life. Truly following Christ means taking care of the poor, caring for orphans and widows. If I don't spend my life on behalf of the poor and reaching out to those in darkness, then I have missed the purpose of my life.

Change is happening. There are countless organizations that are dedicated to ending poverty by bringing the hope of Christ to the lost and suffering (for some examples I have a small list to the left under 'be a part!'). God's plan is continuing to unfold, and there is nothing greater to me than being a part of it. I am eternally thankful for the truths that God has been revealing to me, and I am continually learning that true joy comes from following Jesus' example and being free from loving the things of this world.

Micah 6:8- He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.