Semana Santa

This morning Stuart and I ventured down to the center of town to watch the processional of Jesus as he walked the Via Dolorosa. Little kids like this one joined in as well.

A Roman guard.

An angel.

Jesus was not portrayed by an actor.

One of the thieves on the cross.

They reenacted the scene of the woman at the well. One of the stations of the cross.

One of the priests narrates another station of the cross.

Another little Jesus. Too cute.

Thousands of people followed the processional.

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." -Luke 23:32-34

Love the Foreigner

My Bible class at Sojourn Academy. An eclectic group of missionary kids and Costa Ricans

The Lord defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. -Deut 10:18-19

I have lived in three different countries; my passport country, Jamaica, and now Costa Rica. I anticipate living in my fourth country by next fall. In every country, except for my birth country I have been the foreigner; a stranger living in a strange land.

In general, I have felt welcomed by my host country and for the most part, I have never felt threatened because I was a foreigner. For this I am grateful and very fortunate; not every missionary friend can say the same.

I know missionaries who live in countries where it is not safe to be a Christian nor a citizen of the US. I can only imagine how they feel when they pick up the local newspaper and read disparaging and inflammatory remarks about their country of citizenship or their beliefs. It must be a little unsettling. Although daunting, their experiences are nothing new.

I grew up on the northeast coast of the US, where foreigners were common and every family had a story of when they first came over. I remember my mom describing her grandparents’ excursion from Italy.

I imagine that there is a story of hope behind every name recorded at Ellis Island; and alas, tales of discrimination and inequity that accompany them as well. This is common to all foreigners.

When the economy takes a dive, when jobs are scarce, when crime is on the rise very often the first people to blame are the newcomers; the foreigners. It saddens me to think that my great grandmother may have born the brunt of this type of discrimination.   

People leave their home country for a variety of reasons; the call of God, to give their children a better life, or improved job opportunities. Others are displaced because of war, persecution or other hardships. Whatever the reason, they find themselves foreigners headed to a strange land, wondering how they will be treated when they arrive.

So the question is, how will they be treated when they move into your town or into your neighborhood?

The Lord is crystal clear about how he feels concerning foreigners; he loves them and is generous with them and he expects his people to behave the same way toward them. Why? Because you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Indeed, in a very real sense we still are. Let’s not forget that we are all strangers on this earth longing for a better country (Heb 11: 13, 16).

The most basic human desire is to be accepted and loved. This is what I hope for as I anticipate moving to a different country. This is what God offers us through his Son, Jesus Christ. This is what he expects of us concerning the foreigners in our land.

Dios le bendiga.

Muchas gracias

More than six months ago, our lives and field of ministry changed unexpectedly. However, your faithfulness in prayer and financial support is truly a work of the heart. Because of your dedication and sacrifice we can now express our gratitude in two different languages; muchas gracias and thank you!

We are extremely honored and privileged to study Spanish in it’s cultural context. At CINCEL we have learned more than just grammar and phonetics. Everyday we continually learn what it means to communicate cross-culturally in a Christ-like and effective way.

Language school however, is an extremely expensive endeavor and our work account could use a financial boost.  Would you partner with us in ministry through a one time offering or monthly support? We appreciate your help. 

You may send your contribution to:

AGWM

1445 N Boonville Ave

Springfield, MO 85602

Account #251128

Or you may contribute online at:

http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM3526

Looking Up

Alzaré mis ojos a los montes; ¿De dónde vendrá mi socorro?

Mi socorro viene de Jehová, Que hizo los cielos y la tierra. Salmo 121:1

I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1

As Stuart and I trekked back from the store today, I thought about this verse. Psalm 121 has been on my mind all week because I have been trying to memorize it in Spanish for Phonetics class. Truth be told though, I've been more concerned about the sounds, the blends, and the phonics of the text than its meaning, until today. 

Costa Rica surrounds us with hills and mountains; so when I looked up to the mountains on our way back from our milk and bread run, I started to contemplate the meaning of the verse instead of just the phonetics. 

I have a love for learning and for the last two years, I've been pursuing a graduate degree in Biblical and Theological Studies. Although, I enjoy learning it is a demanding and challenging endeavor. Nevertheless, the rewards of deeper understanding and appreciation of God and his Word are worth it.

So where does language-learning fit into my paradigm? Well, it too gives me a deeper appreciation of God and his Word for in fact, God created all languages. The diversity of language was a part of his great plan to disperse the nations and fill the earth. In heaven, people from every nation, tribe, people and language will be present. God loves diversity and the diversity of language was his idea.

Learning a language is a rewarding experience. For one thing, it helps me to understand another’s culture, how they think, and the unique way in which they communicate their ideas.  Certainly as a missionary, learning a new language will help me to communicate God’s Word, but it also helps me to understand how the native speaker understands God. For example, it is illuminating to hear and observe the vocabulary the native speaker uses in prayer or preaching.

Although, learning a new language is a rewarding experience it is also a taxing endeavor. It is more than just me learning to speak in a new way, it is me learning to think, understand, and communicate in a completely different way. Without a doubt, I appreciate the privilege and opportunity I have to learn another language; nevertheless, it is a humbling and demanding experience. 

So the next time I get frustrated over a new verb tense or I just can’t seem to pronounce that vowel sound consistently, I will remind myself to lift up my eyes to the mountains from where my help comes from; because my help comes from the Lord who made the heavens, the earth, and every language that fills it. 

Giving Up

“What are you giving up?” I heard that phrase every year as a child growing up in New England, in anticipation of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. On the Christian church calendar, Lent is the observance of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, in preparation for his earthly ministry. During this time, Christians choose to give up or fast something to identify with Jesus’ humility and suffering. As a child, I may not have understood all the nuances of Lent, but the practice has remained with me all these years.

Although a Christian can fast at any time, Lent is the seasonal occasion when we as the Body of Christ fast together to prepare for the holiest day on the Christian calendar. Fasting is the act of refraining from a particular food or activity to feast on the Lord. There are many forms fasting can take; the Daniel fast (no meat), the dessert fast (no sweets), or the TV fast (no trash). Most fasts are deliberate and intentional but some are not.

Although, we enjoy trying different foods and recipes in the countries where we serve, sometimes you just crave certain American foods that simply may not be available. When we lived in Jamaica we could not find brown sugar. Jamaica has raw sugar (which they call brown sugar) but they do not have the kind you need to make chocolate chip cookies. We had been in Jamaica for over a year before I was able to make apple crisp and I had forgotten how good that simple dessert was until I was able to finally take that first bite. Fasting helped me to appreciate the gift of brown sugar.

Lest you think giving up something for Lent is like making a New Year’s resolution; it is not. Most resolutions take the form of giving up something for good for the purpose of self-improvement but fasting is giving up something for a time for soul-improvement. Through this period of self-denial, we learn to identify with the Lord and appreciate his provision.

So, what are you giving up for Lent? Whatever it may be, or whatever form your fast may take allow me to pose a challenge: as you are giving up for God, pray for souls around the world to give in to him.