GG: an unnecessary and yet existent analysis

I confessed to my parents that while I was vacationing, I was watching the tv series Gossip Girl. "Don't judge," I said. We all know that it was too late. So I might as well confess:

I liked it.

Now, let me define some of my feelings because, I recognize it, the show is absolutely scandalous.

First of all, I enjoy the references to literature and classic films. From references to Age of Innocence to House of Mirth as well as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Roman Holiday. When one takes a step back, there is a recognition of the underlying theme that the love of money can ruin everything.

I read House of Mirth this year (p.s. the movie is TERRIBLE), and was struck by the reality that those who have all the money one could want, enjoy most the conflicts which are spread through assumption and gossip. Through making others feel inferior. Hence, the television series. Their problems aren't real like that of not having food for your kid or political unrest or arguments over the deeper things in life.

To give a Biblical perspective, I depend on these verses:

An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21

And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. 1 Timothy 5:13

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36

I repeat, the characters' problems aren't real. Not just because it's a tv show, rather because they have gotten lost in the weight of their riches. They are always going to extravagant parties in effort to show others their great wealth (kind of reminds you of King Xerxes doesn't it?).

Every character has little sense of caring for others. They are all in the game of guarding each other's deepest secrets to reveal them at just the right time in order to either appear stronger or to.. you can guess it.. make more money. However, when they do look out for their friends or give to some charity, their character seems a bit brighter if only for an episode or two.

It's so unfortunate that this is the type of show we can get so easily engrossed. If we (read I) do, I find it important to give a critical eye to that which goes into our heads. Something I have learned to do even more this year, is combat lies on the screen with truth, out loud, for the best effect!

And of course, ANY time sex occurs, happily have the remote control handy to fast forward. Such a waste..

The characters in no particular order

The only reason I would ever stay in a show like GG is because the characters are fascinating. I found myself asking the screen, "Do people like this actually exist?!" That age old question of life reflecting art or vice versa.

Lily Bass - the "mom" of the show. To me, her character ends absolutely evil. She hugs the shoulder of whichever husband (she had 3.. or 4?) is closest. She usually just thinks about her money and the control she has over others because of it. At the same time, she shows a glimmer of compassion to the infamous Chuck Bass. p.s. her character comes straight from House of Mirth.

Chuck Bass - I have to admit, this womanizer had me laughing at times. He is so full of himself at the beginning of the series that he is just ridiculous. People like him do exist, because I met them at Northwestern. Nevertheless, I find it interesting to watch his transformation throughout the seasons. Though let us not be wary to ask, if he is so devoted to Blair, how come whenever he is upset over another abandoned-as-a-child issue, he turns to his old habits? He is quick to bring others into his downfall. My final comment, at least he was dynamic, which I can not say for the next character.

Serena Van der Woodsen- the epitome of dumb blonde who gets whatever she wants. If she happens to be out of the spotlight, she has no qualms to destroy everyone in her path, even herself. She turns to drugs, stupid relationships.. Once she tries to be a "better" Gossip Girl; she doesn't even realize that she is just as conniving if not worse.

Dan Humphrey - the actual Gossip Girl (did I mention spoiler alert?), and all so he could get the girl. It kills me that Serena calls GG Dan's "love letter" but one ought to count the cost of hurts and rape and pure idiocy that ensues due to the mob of people who constantly send in their tips. Dan is supposed to be the good guy, the one looking in on the inner circle of the Upper East Side's great wealth and finding a way to join them. Instead, we find the UES sticks closer than a brother to each other, even though they all treat each other like horse dung. Dan is foolish to keep GG going so long, especially if his motive was to be with Serena in the first place. But I suppose that is the stuff of soap opera--everyone gets with everyone at one point or another. (doesn't have to be real life, people!)

Blair Waldorf - one born into fashion and riches. She actually appears to be one of the most intellectual characters, but that side of her is rarely developed. Typical, the appeal of brains foreshadowed by her looks and fabulous clothes. Maybe it's that secretly I just really like her stepfather in the show. You may recognize him as Vizzini from The Princess Bride.

Nate Archibald - if Serena is the epitome of dumb blonde who always gets her way, Nate is the cliché airhead jock who as GG appropriately calls him in one episode, the man-whore. The show tries to placate his static character by helping him be more cautious in his female choices. It doesn't work.

And we ask, are the problems faced by these characters a result of money issues? Or daddy issues? Both? And perhaps even a few more issues.

You ask, with all these positive comments, how can you say you actually liked it? Aside from the references, I found the show appealing because I think this stuff actually happens. I want to understand why, and I want to have an answer to teenagers like these as to how they can find true fulfillment in their lives. That is, in Christ, the One who makes it possible for us to enjoy the work that we have been given on this earth for this short time.

Lily Bart in House of Mirth discovered that when she gave to the poor and even spent time taking care of them, she felt a happiness she had never known before. We can not only enjoy our lot, but discover satisfaction in staying true to the two laws that actually matter: Love God and love others.

love and chau, xo xo

The aftermath

With the police strike on Wednesday and all of the stories I have read or heard or discussed, there are many questions to ponder.

Why was the governor in another country at the time? Why had he not considered beforehand to raise the salary of the police, who earn less than half of the bus drivers? (Bus drivers, on average, do not have more than a high school education.) Why did he send a message through Twitter asking for help?

Where was the president? What did she do? Even if she does not have a good relationship with the leader of Córdoba, these are still her people. Did she really send gangs to join in the looting?

My fear, after talking with Cristian, was that the other provinces might follow suit, putting even more people in danger. Sure enough, the provinces Catamarca, Neuquen, and Río Negro held strikes on Friday. (Read here).

When I read more of Argentina's history, I took note of the violence that is rooted with the government that has formed more or less beginning in the 70s. I suppose with that sort of start, what can one expect?

A similar effect has occurred since the fall of man.

The article explains that 136 arrests in Córdoba have since been made of the looters. Most of them were caught by the photos they had put on Facebook, showing off the many things they had stolen. With all the destruction I have seen in the city center, I know that thousands should be charged.

I talked with someone who lives in the slum area, to make sure she was all right. She said that everything was fine. Peaceful even, because everyone had left to steal from the wealthier neighborhoods.

Perhaps the bigger question is best described by one of the members of my team here in Córdoba.

"Where are our values? If we base our values on whether or not someone is watching, they really aren't values at all. The test comes when you take away the authority figure."

The challenge then, is to find where do we base our values. Digging a bit deeper, where do we base our Christianity? If we believe in God because of what we have been told all of our lives, nothing we have with God is real. When we have to choose following Christ even when the circumstances aren't in our favor--even if it means losing sleep on a Sunday morning, losing our job, losing friends, etc.--that is when our faith is real.

We realize whether we are following Christ or not when no one is looking.

This is my conclusion from the crazy 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday of the police strike in my precious Córdoba.

love and chau.

The decision

One decision led to another. The first, was that Cristian's brother wanted to start giving more to missions. When he found out about me and what I get to be apart of in Córdoba, he decided to give me the money directly. I in turn, felt very humbled, and wanted to be a person of integrity in how I used the money.

First, it was to help the outreach in our neighborhood on Kid's day. So afterward, I made sure to send him pictures, and tell him a little about how that went.

When Cristian came to visit later, Walter had sent more money. A lot of money. And two weeks ago, was Mother's day. I ran out of time to be able to buy gifts for the girls at the institute, so I just made some personalized cards with a verse for each one.

They were so cute in how they would take each other's cards, sometimes commenting, "Ah! But her verse is better than mine!"

That's when the next idea struck (an idea, I admit that seems so obvious). The idea, that led to a decision to use all the money that Walter had sent. I found the Bibles at a local Christian bookstore and had every intention of writing the girls' names  in them, with yet another note. Yeah... ran out of time...

I'm never going to be that perfect missionary.

But I had also decided that it was more important to give the girls their Bibles instead of withholding them for another week. So with a prayer whispered to myself, I took them out of my backpack and started handing them over. I explained to them from whom they came, and they were ever so thankful.

I hinted toward Bible studies together, but they didn't seem to bite. But what I did hear, the next time we met together, is that they were reading each morning. On their own, together... One girl says she reads every morning, a little in the afternoon, and a little more before going to bed.

WHATT??!!?? WOW GOD... SIMPLY...

wow.

The Word of God will not turn up empty.

And so on Monday, I went prepared with my drawings. Remember how much they like to color? One girl had asked for a butterfly, and for those who wouldn't want to do that, I also drew a Despicable Me minion. Good times.

Two girls were there, and they quickly went to work on coloring. I would get to talk with them a little bit, but overall they were very quiet. "I think I am going to join you two," I told them. "What should I draw?"

They suggested a sheep. Ok, so I started drawing a sheep.

One of the girls left for a bit, and it gave me more opportunities to talk with the other. She opened up a lot more than she ever has. She shared a story most fascinating, one you might see in the movies. Her parents split, her mom threw her out onto the streets when she was 13. While she was staying at a friends' house, she went to buy something and met a young man.

"Love at first sight," she tells me, explaining how in the very hour of knowing each other, he held her hand. He asks to kiss her. He was 17. A month later, they were living together.

I come to find out that he also faced a lot of rejection from his family. They were both lonely souls needing rescuing. She got pregnant, and he got caught stealing. So while he is currently in jail, she lives here taking care of her son (who happens to be named Cristian), who she says now, that God has clearly made "her purpose in life."

It's a very, very broken story. And here she is reading the story of Moses. She understands that the Bible is important, but she couldn't explain to you why.

The other girl comes back and shares that she is reading about Daniel. I tell her that it's such a fascinating story, and on top of that to know that he was fairly young when the first events take place.

"But what about Jesus?" I interject.

They shrugged.

"Can I share with you what Jesus is all about?"

They listen. They aren't even coloring by this point. And hey, I had just drawn a sheep, so I use that as an illustration of what people had to sacrifice to cover up their sins before Jesus came along.

We talk a little bit about prayer. The prayer that I want to pray is one to make a decision of trusting in Jesus from now on. "While those other prayers about being thankful for the day, or grateful for their kids is important, this prayer is different," I explain to them.

They nod. I'm not sure if they understood completely, but honestly, neither did I in the moment of my first prayer with my mom.

I am praying for the Spirit to fill them up so they can know how wide and deep and long and high is the Father's love for them. I hope they can feel the life change. I pray that they are given a deeper understanding of everything they read. May November 4, 2013 be the new day for them. The day of the decision.

And may you, dear reader, may you recognize that even a little decision of giving towards missions on top of the tithe can literally change lives.

love and chau!

CI Camp - Mina Clavero

I sort of feel bad for complaining in that last entry, but I suppose the blog is meant to be a safe place to show that I am human. Besides, at least my feet are firm to the ground knowing that I too have not always been a person of integrity; I have failed in my dealings at work such as cutting corners or failing to turn something in on time, etc. etc.

Any way..

We also have camp in a place called Mina Clavero (treasure mine). Well, actually it's in the pueblo next door called Cura Bruchero (priest Bruchero). To me, it's the place with the best views, although my iPod is not the best at capturing the beauty.

I had two weeks in a row in Mina Clavero. One, with a group of teenagers, and the other with kids.

In the teenage group, I found myself so busy I hardly had time to get to know the students. Sometimes I kick myself because of the opportunities right there in front of me. I did make a lot of observations though, especially when it comes to the relationships between the students and their teachers.

For example, we realized early on that two of the students (one 14, the other 16 years old) were smokers. We talked to the teacher only to realize that she too, smokes, and that she already knew about her students. I asked her to please take away the cigarettes during camp (she could give them back once we finished the program), but she instead begged to give them just a few breaks a day!

At that age, they are already so dependent? And their teacher encourages it?!?!

In the kids group, one that was notorious for being trouble with a capital T, we experienced so much of God's grace when it comes to controlling the kids.

I even had them begging for my attention. JOKING.

The teachers kept asking us how we did it; we kept looking up. We had some very challenging conversations with the kids. I even had 24 minutes of Me Time, as I called it, as the students from my group had spoken Spanish 24 times during our filming process (we make a video about some cowboys). So during Me Time, I asked them to write down 5 of their life goals, and then 5 ways in which they would accomplish those goals.

To my utter dismay, two of the girls had written, as their life goals:

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO EAT AND NOT GET FAT.

Another wrote as a life goal that she wants to be a model. How will she accomplish this? By taking lots of pictures of herself.

Many of the boys want to be professional soccer players of course, and want to be millionaires as a result. (And to continue with the hypothesis, yes dad, the one who said he wants to meet Cristiano Ronaldo was the jerk while the one who wants to meet Messi was such a great kid!)

I challenged them to stop thinking so much about money and "MY" career, and to start thinking about others. "If you want a life that's truly satisfying, you need to put others first," I said.

Later, I shared with the teachers what the students had written down. They have decided to show the lists to the school psychologist and act accordingly. That is comforting.

After this last camp, with the whirlwind of life, it was time for me to rest. I was so tense, I even had a nauseating headache when I got home. Thankfully, I have two weeks off and I have already had some good siesta times. Plural. Nevertheless, I can always find work to do, which I suppose isn't that bad of a thing. I praise God I still get to exercise (lots of walking) and eat healthy (lots of fruits and veggies!).

Ok. That's it for now! love and chau.

The so-called standards of customer service

Is this just the way of life here?

Where is the integrity?

At the conference in La Falda, there was something that really bothered me. I went to buy tshirt, a really cool tshirt at that. One stand was selling the tshirt for 50 pesos. The neighboring stand, which had more colors and sizes, for 60.

I found one I liked for 50 pesos, but then when a friend wanted to buy one as well, she could only go to the neighboring stand. I mentioned how strange it was that the exact same "Christian" tshirt was 10 pesos cheaper right over there. And since I was with one of Cristian's more outspoken friends, he complained a bit too.

The man behind the stand admitted that on top of it all, these tshirts actually belonged to the other stand, but he was selling the extras for them. Ahem...

He sold them to us for the 50 pesos, but would he have done so if we hadn't said anything?

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Andrea sends two of her students to buy some cookies to share with the rest. In an episode very similar to my first buying experience in Córdoba, the woman at the kiosk sells them an open bag of cookies for double the normal cost. When the girls come back without change and an open bag, Andrea decides to talk to the woman.

As she can't leave the students on their own, they all come with her while she asks for another bag.

"They must have opened the bag on the way over," says the woman behind the counter.

While Andrea had considered that possibility, she had sent her most trustworthy students with the money.

"They ought to repent for what they've done," the woman goes on, and in the end, refuses to refund any part of the transaction.

-----------

I went to the Christian bookstore in the city to buy some Bibles for the ministry. Now, there was a sign that said, "Please check the prices, because some of them have not been updated." When I picked the ones I wanted, I asked the employee if these were the right prices and he said that they were.

When I got to the cash register however, they were actually 20 pesos more expensive (each one).

Without an apology, without thinking of even giving a possible discount for buying multiple Bibles, she just waited for my money.

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I guess my frustration is not just the standard of customer service in general, as I do have plenty to complain about there. It has more to do with the standard of customer service within a Christian organization. We should be different from the rest.

And I get the, "but the church is for the sick and not the healthy," line, but this has to do with business, not church. We are called to work for the Lord, not for men. We are called to holy living. Standards that set us apart--in which we are generous towards the advancement of the kingdom of God, and generous toward the poor. That way, people see us, and see that success comes from our faith in God, and then they start to ask questions.

Then we can tell them what this world is really about. But if we keep behaving like the world, nothing will change. Pardon my ranting. In Spanish, it's called bronca. I think I'm over it now.

La Falda with Cristian

La Falda (The Skirt), Córdoba, hosted this year's annual Assemblies of God conference. While they had planned to welcome 3 thousand people, over 5 thousand came. Perhaps the chaos of preparing for so many people led them to misspell my name. Again.

I'm not bitter.

The city certainly enjoyed the extra money, but with this year's dry season, it was a little tough to enjoy a warm shower.

Again. I'm not bitter.

Seriously though, it was a fantastic time! I really enjoy seeing grand communities of faith come together to worship God by learning more about him, and being convicted of doing more for his name. The headline speaker was Dante Gebel, an Argentine pastor who heads a church in Florida.

I thank God for the ability to understand Spanish at a higher level now, because it helped me appreciate the messages, as well as spend 4 full days without a native English speaker close by. What used to bring me headaches from all the concentration has now just made me a little tired.

Truly, I valued the time with all of Cristian's family. Every meal we shared together, several mid-afternoon mates as well, where we would laugh and talk about life or what we were learning. With Cristian, we had some important heart to hearts which continued to confirm the Lord moving in our relationship. Sometimes we would end the charlas in silence because we were just so overwhelmed by how good this has been!

The city is in the middle of the hills of Córdoba, so our walks to and from the conference center sometimes left us gasping. At one time, while walking back with Cris' brother Alejandro, Ale farted big time! Earlier that day, I had taught Ale how in English we use -ly for all the Spanish words that end in -mente.

So he said, in the moment, "That was very fartly of me!"

We died laughing!!

Ale, Cristian and me

What I found most inspiring about the conference was the dedication to prayer. Every morning, there was an open invitation to the participants to 45 minutes of prayer before the main meeting. To be honest, we sometimes went just so we could get a better seat. But when I stopped to focus and pray, and listen to what the main speaker was praying, I was so convicted of my need to lay all my requests before Him, and stop relying on my own power.

Not that I have power, but I often convince myself that I do. I think you know what that's like.

Any way, there are some of the highlights to the week in La Falda!

CI Camp - Residencia

The common problem for booking the English Camps this year has been a matter of space. With major inflation, it has been difficult to find a location that is "bueno, bonito y barato" (good, pretty and cheap) as the saying goes.

For the first three weeks of camp, we were in a luxurious little hotel in La Cumbre. The only downsides were the cold (unavoidable), small meeting spaces which inhibited certain games we had prepared, and few bathrooms. Otherwise, it was a beautiful location that included an indoor pool and antique memorabilia which suited our filming purposes. Oh, and conveniently located next to the orphanage I happened to visit two years ago with Scott Jackson, the other random Texas missionary in Córdoba.*

One week, addressing the money and space issue, we had camp in a Franciscan monk residency. That is, the monks work in the hotel (?) which is as simple as simple comes. We had two-bed bedrooms that were adorned with a cross, one cubby for clothes, one small desk and a chair. The tiny bathroom at least had amazing water pressure for the showers so I didn't complain even when a giant spider wanted to share the space.

We shared many memorable moments with the teenagers that week. The advantage was that the grounds were quite spacious so we could play an intense game of hide-and-seek (which we called Cowboys and Indians, in the least racist sense) where one teacher was never found. And as the cell phone signal was in and out, we couldn't even text her to tell her to come back. She stayed hidden until midnight.. after all the teens had already gone back to their rooms. Talk about embarrassing! Yet, she didn't complain because the whole time she was planning some of the activities she would do with the kids when they got back to classes the next week.

part of my group "Galactic Productions"

I had a deeper conversation with one of the students from my group who brought alcohol to camp. From what it seemed, his parents know about his alcohol problem and say that it's okay.

"I just drink before I go to the parties," he told me.

"So you don't drink ANY more after you leave home?" I asked.

A look. A look that says whatever comes out of his mouth is going to be a lie.

"No."

"Are you lying?"

"Yes."

"You drink a lot, don't you?"

... "yes."

There is only so much one can do when you know each other for less than 72 hours. I figured, it was better to tell him some truth than not say anything at all. Even if he ends up hating me, at least I told him that he should stop drinking because I cared.

"The only thing that will ever satisfy you is Jesus," I told him. "But if you can't go down that road just yet, you will at least need to fill your time with helping people to make up for not drinking."

At the end of camp, everyone really enjoyed the line dancing that I had taught them. So much so, that they asked to dance for our final moment together. In the middle of one of the songs, the light fixture from the ceiling came crashing down. Even though where it had fallen was right in the middle of where the students were, not a single student was hit. We thanked God and said goodbye.

The last camp of the season (end of November) will be in the same location. We have already decided to be more clear with the teachers when they go hiding that if it's 11 o'clock, they can go ahead and make their way back.


*Scott is now married to an Argentine. Woot! And Mike, from the OM team, has lately joined Scott's ministry of coaching and playing American football in the city. Pretty cool, huh?

Here they come..

I finally have a week and a half off from travel, so I have a bit of time to catch up here. The summary of events shall come in my update letter (email if you want a copy), but now it's time to get cracking on the details of missionary life here in Argentina.

Well, missionary life AND personal life. After all, this is my journal of sorts too! :)

People before program

This is a common goal. The people come first, the program second. But now, after being much more involved in the creation of a program for an ongoing camp, I see how important the program can be. After all, the campers shouldn't be bored, and all of the activities ought to have more purpose to them. Or at least the majority should.

What I also find interesting is the constant cultural battles I personally face during an English Camp. Just examining my personal feelings, the week in which I worked with two people from the States felt much more "smooth sailing" than all the other weeks with non-States folk. Is it because we all have similar experiences in youth ministry?

Is it that I am not as flexible with the schedule as I should be?

Is it that I am forgetting the people come first?

Is it that I am not doing a proper comparison, because I must also take into account that there have been teen camps as well as kids camps in the mix?

Not to mention, that every week, the level of English changes, and from there we have to make the proper adjustments.

Some things I am learning. One, it's not always worth it to fight because in the end, the camp will go on. What's more important is that the students had fun (because then they'll want to come back and that means the business can keep going). Two, sometimes the higher level of English amongst the students isn't always the best, because then they don't feel the need to take advantage of the camp experience.

Third, sometimes you just have to let the students go. You can't please everyone. Instead of focusing on the troublemakers, correcting their mistakes, after awhile.. just focus on the good.

Or maybe, it's because those troublemakers are lacking love. And you know what love they need? Discipline. They actually love and respect you in the end for getting on their case. It reminded me of my dad, and how many people in our past church camps always left on him the burden of being the so-called "bad guy".

I believe, in the end, those troublemakers all loved him for it.

All of this is a crazy and complicated balance on how we treat the kids. I am trying to figure out how to love them best, and perhaps the worst realization of them all is realizing that I need to be more free with my love. Be patient with me, little ones, God will help me!!!

this was random. i don't know if you'll understand it all, but i needed to write it down.
love and chau!!

Drawing with the girls

I have found an activity that, surprisingly, is one of the most successful with my girls at the institute. As many readers know, I have been making bracelets for over a year now, almost every Monday. What helps is that several girls come and go, and so there is almost always someone willing to learn, while many of the others work on advancing their skills.

But sometimes, they just don't want to, and to be honest, I can understand that.

I have mixed things up a bit with my other visiting days. On Wednesday, I try to bring a different craft. On Friday, weather permitting, we go for a walk, or perhaps we remain indoors to play cards. I have tried new forms of bracelets. Some with a different material. The girls learn them quickly, but then can't seem to always sell what they make, which can be discouraging.

Then one day, I looked around my room and found some paper and looked for a simple drawing. To avoid printing, I free-handed. Then when we were all gathered in the institute, I showed it to them, asking if they would like to color. I bought two packs of colored pencils just in case two wanted to use the same color. I bought a ream of paper to have a fairly inexhaustible paper supply.

For a month now, I've found that these young teens love to color, and sometimes the most simple of objects. Take this bear that I prepared for them this Wednesday. As an extra, and perhaps Spirit inspired, I added part of Psalms 13:5 to the blank space. Once again the girls gasped in excitement. "How cute!" they said, and many made more than one copy.

One of the girls talked about how she has a Bible and plans on reading more of the verses from Psalms.

These are small ways conversation can open to deeper things. To be honest, it's a constant struggle, but I am constantly encouraged by the simple things that make them happy. I had, after all, tried a couple of basic art classes, but to no avail. Not everyone likes to draw, and the attention spans of many of the girls is lacking.

Perhaps it's because with coloring, you don't have to think as much. You just fill in the page with your favorite hues. And maybe that's the key. These girls have had it hard enough. They don't want to think anymore about the reasons why they are in the institute to begin with.

Just hypothesizing. love and chau!

Extending generosity

I understand the hoarding mentality. After all, you can't predict what will happen in the future, so good thing you held onto that extra tube of toothpaste or else your teeth would really be suffering right now.

And Sheldon got it right about buying certain things in bulk. It's cheaper and means less awkward trips to the store to buy tampons. (More awkward writing about it?)

Don't you find too, that every time you give something away, the next week brings a situation in which you really could have used whatever it was you gave away?

I like to think of myself as a fairly generous person. The tithe almost always comes out of the paycheck (missionary paycheck? ha.) first. I try to constantly be on the lookout for ways I can help someone out, especially when it comes to a ministry. But there are those moments when it's just not very convenient.

The challenge came a couple months ago when a pastor talked about money being a paintbrush. Something poetic was said about how it paints the life you live, or the person you will be. Perhaps the more memorable moment came when he talked about how he and his wife ALWAYS tithe, and more than the regular 10 percent. Sometimes, he said. Sometimes we are then financially blessed, but in other moments, we are spiritually blessed. Specifically, in how many people he (as the pastor) has been entrusted with. He is able to reach more people with the gospel then ever before in his life.

A truer blessing than any financial gain could bear.

So I've been experimenting with giving even more recently. I don't exactly want to tell you about it all, because I don't want to brag, but I do want to share as a form of encouragement.

1. Recently, a woman who has been a missionary for over a decade was passing through. Recognizing her integrity after hearing the stories of her work, I gave her money.

2. Someone was in need of money for food. Even though I don't know this person very well, we all need to eat. I have no guarantee that this person used the money on food.

3. For our children's day (a major national celebration), I paid for some of the candies that were given away as prizes.


Around the time all of this was happening, Cristian's brother donated money for our childrens' ministry, covering the cost of the candies, plus some. When Cristian wrote me a letter the other week, there was 100 pesos inside. I asked him why, and he said he didn't put it there and that he did not know where it came from. It is obvious to say that money NEVER makes it through the mail here.

I have been given the opportunity to work more camps this year, where I am able to make some side cash to sustain other wants or needs I might have.

But even putting finances aside, more camps equals the possibility to know more campers, teachers, and the places they live (ranging from any one of the 23 provinces in the country). In these camps we are stressing the need to be compassionate, sharing biblical principles in how to be so.

In short (and more because I'm off to my next camp tomorrow and I need to sleep!), be more generous. Give till it hurts, and just watch how God opens doors! Love and chau!

More refreshment

Did you know that missionaries have bad days?

My recent go to on such days is this drink:

6 pesos of deliciousness. 

I mean, it's not the only thing. I have great family, friends, and a super great boyfriend who are there to listen to me get it all out. It's refreshing.

The other thing that refreshes me is Scripture and really awesomer missionaries who make surprise visits and remind us to pull up our bootstraps and keep going.

Let me explain..

In the morning, the girls at the institute were just plain confusing. I brought all sorts of things for them to do, but none of them were all that interested. Granted, only three were there in the moment (out of 7), but they were simply not enthusiastic. One chose to do another personal project, so I lingered over that and had her teach me how to do it. Which worked for about 5 minutes.

Another girl, one who is often very sad, started a bracelet but then stopped 10 minutes in, murmured to herself, "I GIVE UP!!" and left. She came at the end to sit next to me, show me some of her drawings, and then left again. I texted her after to see what was up, but she didn't respond (very rare).

One, the most recent to move into the institute, had 5 minutes with me in which I was able to teach her the basics. Then she was gone..

Another decided to color. Great, I have those materials. So she started, left for about half an hour and then came back. She was the only one who finished, and then she even gave me her drawing as a gift. So you know, there's always something positive to find I suppose.

Instead of working on the bracelet I had started, I just held one of the babies that was crying. "I know how you feel," I told her, glancing at the child's mom who does not hold her often.

When you come home expecting food on the table, and then it's not ready.. well, now I understand the men and their frustrations better. I just wanted food to comfort me and get the weirdness of the morning over with. The whole walk back I was thinking about how fun last week was teaching in them a new bracelet style, only to find they didn't want to keep going this week!

And yes, despite the morning and food situation, I did have a lovely afternoon teaching English and coming home to a heartwarming conversation with Cristian. Some things just take time to shake off, you know?

So first, read here. Then read below...

For our weekly prayer meeting (something I had to push myself to go to), Andrea had invited a woman who had been in Peru for the last 12 years (as of 3 DAYS ago she arrived back in Argentina) who is now on her way to another country for who knows how long. Her story is incredible. And humbling. It's the kind of story that gives you all sorts of ideas that you know you are capable of doing too, to serve the Father who first loved us.

When she got into the part about where she is going next (can't say, sorry), I was moved to tears. I kept thinking about how thankful I was to NOT listen to that small voice trying to tell me to just lay down instead.

I was also moved to give her a financial gift. She didn't ask for one, and I don't have all that much to give. This verse kept coming up in my head:

A generous man will prosper;

he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

In a way, the giving was selfish, because I just wanted refreshment for everything that had happened in the day (I spared a couple of details). In the giving, I felt loads better. Such a trite way of putting it, but it is true.

Equally trite, I must close this conversation for now and get all the final preparations for camp week ready. Have a refreshed one! love and chau!

Gospel tracts--the positive side

I'm not one to use them. I don't think they are very popular these days either. They can be seen as intrusive and impersonal. The trend leans toward friendship evangelism in which you start up conversations with someone in the middle of a social activity that may or may not necessarily Christian focused.

For once, I would like to look at the positive side to the gospel tract, because I have recently seen firsthand some of the benefits and would like to give them a chance.

First of all, picture yourself walking a downtown street, where someone hands you a coupon for a free hotdog. At first you think, "Hmm.. I'm not so into hot dogs myself, but hey! Free!"

Exactly.

Of course, then you double and triple- examine the coupon just to be sure that there aren't any strings attached, right? I mean, you don't want to go to the hotdog stand, and find out it's "free" because you have to buy like, 10 hotdogs and a medium coke just to get it.

Assured of the transaction that will take place.. that is, you give 'em the piece of paper, they give you FOOD.. you make your way to the hotdog stand.

Recently, I was challenged by a story of a man named Mr. Jenner, a survivor of one of the great World Wars. Having felt like he'd been through hell, and through the preaching of some of his fellow soldiers, he converted, and committed himself to sharing the gospel to as many as possible. He wanted to make sure that nobody would have to experience the true hell. The story goes that he shared gospel tracts with at least 10 people a day for the rest of his life.

You can research the man on George St in Ausralia, and you find that Mr. Jenner had also invited a lot of people to his house, especially soldiers, so they could have a good meal, and converse a bit more about Jesus. He made sure his wife sent a postcard to the soldier's parents, since back then it wasn't that easy to know where your kid was serving.

Some say that over 100,000 people converted through the faithful day-to-day gospel-tract-sharing of that "old man on George Street."

Fascinating. And it gives me pause, because another essential part of the story is that Mr. Jenner had never experienced the moment itself, the one in which someone said, "Yes, I now believe in this!" But whenever someone shared their testimony, they would give him credit as being there for the start of the softening of their hearts.

I decided to start carrying a few tracts with me just in case. I still would prefer talking about it. But what if I don't have time? What if this is all I can give in the moment? In the city center, I became even more aware of how many people are passing out advertisements for the local Tarot Card readers, or the classes on Metaphysics, where you can find "true happiness". So the enemy can pass them out, but we cower at the thought?

To be honest, so far, I have only given them to my girls in the institute, and it has opened up several conversations recently. We've gotten a lot deeper these weeks, and I am all the more encouraged to give them out to someone else. Some stranger.

Certainly I can't expect the reaction to always be positive. Even Mr. Jenner talked about the bouts of rejection he encountered. Like the coupon, not everyone likes hotdogs.

But they do like free. So maybe we should give the tracts another shot. See what happens.

love and chau!

Rest part 2

Technically, it's "Salud part 2" but I didn't have more to say about being sick. I do, on the other hand, have more to say about rest, something I had mentioned in the previous post.

And that is, yesterday, for my off day, I made a list of about half a dozen things I have to do.

On the other side, I wrote down things I actually did.

Like, other than going to the movies two weeks ago with two of my gal friends, it was the first time, in house, that I was able to watch a full 1 hour and 40 minute movie in one day! At least, I haven't watched a full one in months because of craziness (or internet problems, but that's a minor detail. ha.).

I got to talk with my dad while I slowly made some pita bread, just because I could!

yum!!!

I walked. Listened to a sermon. Did all my laundry before the sun went down (which is saying a lot when your dryer is the sun! Thanks God for the nicer weather today!!). Read from the latest, recommended by Bill R. from Metrocrest, Almost Heaven. I.. gasp..

went to bed at 10:00!!!!!!!

Of course, the meat guy came at 10:30 and I had to wake up to take care of that, since we're now two in the house and I'm the only one that speaks enough Spanish for transactions such as these. Whew.. long sentence.

Any way, all this to say. Then I woke up at 7am and was able to do about half of the things on my list of work stuff without batting an eye. I was even able to go lay down a bit before our 11am Bible Study today! I can't explain it, but I like it. Rest is more necessary than we believe. So take it. Trust it.

And obviously, know that loving God and people come first, so if you are called for an emergency on your day off, it's okay. There's a reason for that too!

love and chau!

Salud

About my tagline of not getting sick..

I got sick. The last couple days of my vacation until about two days go I have been dealing with a Sinus Infection and Bronchitis. Ironically, I noticed that one of my aunt's was dealing with the same combination. Bummer. The good news was at least that I could have my pills for free because of our team doctor. The bad news is that these sorts of sicknesses take their time to heal.

In order to truly recover, I also find the need to rest.

Which led me to a new discovery of how I'm not all that good at resting. Sleeping all day makes me restless, even if I feel better in the end. I want to be able, by the end of the day, to say that I have done something, anything, productive. And it made me feel better, that is, not so alone, when I heard a pastor talk about the same thing. He said that on his rest days, he usually ends up doing more than his non-rest days.

But God calls us to rest. What's more, He set the precedence for rest by doing so in the very beginning of our known history.

I took a personal challenge last week to really, truly, not do any of the work that I have to do on my rest day. I read the emails (I can't help that!), but I didn't respond to them. I thought about the work, but I took no responsibility over it. Turned out to be a beautiful day; I played the guitar; I spent time organizing the room so that it's not so cluttered. Simple things. Non-strenuous things.

Then I thought maybe I should write about it so that I could remember this peace, as well as encourage any fellow readers out there to not be afraid of rest. Because I can also say that the following day, I was more productive, and less tired, than I had ever been.

So like.. in that valley girl sorta way.. I'm like trying to say.. God totally knew what He was doing when he set apart a day of rest.

love and chau!

The 15

Back in the beginning of July, I was invited to prepare what is called the "Mesa Dulce" for the quince of one of my girls in the Institute. With the help of a few others, I was able to fill the table as you can see. I was excited to involve other members of the OM team, as well as be invited on such an important night.









The same week of the party, one of the workers of the Institute invited me to help her with another critical part of the party--the souvenirs.

We worked hard one evening, where I was given the opportunity to get to know the woman as well as another, who had helped with the detail work you see to the right. It was a delight to share these moments together.

The evening itself was eye-opening. The transformation of the Institute was fantastic, filled with fancy lights and decor, a mini dance floor. The governor paid for the dinner and the cake, and the director of the Institute even paid for a dj.

What captured my attention most was the age and gender of the attendees. Yes, her mom came, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The other girls of the Institute obviously joined the occasion, but as for the rest of the guests? All of the women of the Institute, me.. and another woman who visits Wednesday mornings. I suppose it was a blessing to get to celebrate at all, but I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for the girl, who couldn't invite all of her school friends to come.

And one could see how tired she was; everyone up at 4am to prepare for the festivities which were to begin at 10pm.

To be sure, there is more to express, but I don't know if online is the best form of doing so... In the end, it was an interesting night, filled with dancing and delicious treats! Chau!

MIA

Por qué?

Because I have been helping out with a quince, celebrating Maria Sol's birthday, saying goodbye to an incredible member of the OM team, and last but certainly not least..

going on a trip to hang out with my best friend:

I could most definitely use your prayers for this journey. And I promise, no seriously.. I promise.. to update y'all with more when I get back!

love and chau!

Spaghetti western

I was timid to approach the house of Ma Elena again, to be honest. She had once scolded me for not coming to her house, that it made actually visiting after another one of those two or three week lulls to be a little bit harder.

This time, she started with, "You're so much skinnier!" And, "I want to hear everything!"

So that made the next two and a half hours of serving mate and catching up on life all the easier. Not to mention to find out that she was just as busy so no one could be fully to blame (nevertheless, I think my secret gift of Nutella also helped soften the blow). I realized that the evil one often likes to mix up lies in our head.. okay, not all of them are lies.. but are heavy truths if that makes sense.. to impede us from doing things we ought to do.

To keep us from doing things we actually enjoy doing very much.

On Wednesday, I made the 20 minute walk to el Refugio to find Andrea completing an art (supposed-to-be-cooking) class with three of the girls from the neighborhood. She told me how surprisingly well it had gone even though she had woken up without much of a plan due to the drawback of certain members of the leadership team unable to make it.

We then started a mini adventure to find the house of Mily. It led us to one home, then another, then another, then finally, a small, and questionable passageway that we had never known existed in Las Violettas. We were making all sorts of new friends, who looked at us strangely in our pale skin and funny accents. But what else were we to do when the only explanation for the address to her house was "the one with the black door."

It was a chance to see what our ten year old, wise craking, Mily's life was like. We had been told that her father was in prison, and that her mom was left alone to take care of the kids. It wasn't until we had seen the true poverty of her household, and the six kids that it began to click.

By the help of the Spirit alone, I was able to let the mother know of Mily's behavior in the pre-teen's class. In previous experience, the mothers are quick to talk with their children, driving in that healthy parental fear, and usually the child behaves for at least a week or two. 

As Andrea described it, this time.. the woman, Paola, just looked numb.

We asked if there was any way we could help her family out, and her doe eyes responded with a nod, but no words. I tried to explain that we are here because we want to show her how much Jesus loves her. Straight stare in response.

Thursday began OM Argentina's conference for future missionaries. They are small in number, but they are full of passion. Having just finished a book about the type of support that a missionary needs, as well as two books before talking about how to take care of missionaries while on the field, I was hyper aware of the reactions of a certain participant.

In the middle of the class, she started almost at a yell, expressing her frustration about a past hurt (without saying what was that hurt). I seemed to understand, and, asking the speaker of the talk for permission, made a concise explanation to help try to alleviate her anger. She subsided, but I was quick to talk to my mentor about possibly meeting with her so that she could talk through some of those feelings. Honestly, it was a weird moment.

That same day, and the next, we had two, 3+ hour leaders meetings for OM. Being the youngest by more than a decade, I had very little to say, so I kept busy by taking notes. Even when they turned to me for comments, I didn't know where to begin or how to respond, and I am certain that I said something silly, because they didn't ask me again. ha.

At the same time, it was a privilege to understand a little more of the inner-workings of this very complicated machine.

Continuing with Friday, I visited the girls' home to find that only two girls remained. The rest had been taken in by families for the long weekend, while these two had none. I was given permission to take them out for ice cream where we talked about random things, and eventually, just as random, what the eating of the bread and the drinking of the wine during church mean.

This morning I got a text from one of them thanking me for a great time. I responded that I like it too. I had added a "You are so special!" at the end and got a quick response.

Quick detail moment: this 18 year old is the only one in the institute that is not pregnant (or already with child). She is hiding from her family because she was being sexually abused. First by her father, then by her uncle. Another reason she has no one to go to during the long weekend.

Her response was, "Are you serious about that?"

"Of course! You are the daughter of God!"

"Wow. Thanks. Te quiero mucho."

Pray for her. There is a 24 year old young man showing interest in her, and I fear for her need to be loved that she will give more than she should to anyone who shows her affection.

This morning, I also had the chance to share a 2-hour, Spanish only, talk about raising a support team for while you are on the field. With the help of a new friend, Yanina, and by God's grace, it went over very well.

But then afterward, I pretty much collapsed in my bed. I watched a couple of tv shows, read a book, and finally came to write about it all. It has felt pretty nonstop, especially when you include the fact that three more women are sharing our downstairs bedrooms in the OM house. I am thankful that I get to rest a bit now.

love and chau!

The Rumor Mill

The rumor mill has wreaked a little bit of he-said-she-said havoc this week, and I have come to several conclusions.

The first--if you want to stop it, you gotta stop talking.

Seriously.

Stop it. Now.

Secondly, if kids are involved in spreading said rumor, we need to be clear to ask them to come to us (adults) first before they say anything to anyone else. The temptation is huge, I mean HUGE, to keep it going. But perspective and personality has this magical ability to make a story much more saucy or scandalous than it was ever intended.

If it was even true in the first place.

The good news.

The good news is that God worked wonders this weekend in spite of the rumor mill. The third thing that I had learned is to always present your requests to Him first, because He is truth (truth that sets us free). His intentions are always for the best on our behalf, and it is very exciting to watch him at work.

Some of the results, for example (in this fairly vague story written in effort to show what I got to learn and also to protect those about whom the rumor was started), was to see some pre-teens reconcile. We witnessed another girl willingly open up to the group, and share some of her hurts in her life. We witnessed a parent take a step of faith.

I am praying for even bigger things, but will have to wait.

In the meantime, notice that what the evil one intends for harm, God can transform into something way better!!!

love and chau!

Inspiration

Every Tuesday, I take a nice long walk to Marisol's house. I could sleep in a little more and take the bus instead if I really wanted to. But there's just something about a little fresh air, exercise, and..

the blessing of podcasts thanks to my handy dandy iPod.

I listen to three different churches mostly. Occasionally, I like to tune in to a friend in the northeast, but lately, it's mostly been my Flatirons (Colorado), some Mosaic (LA) and the church that my parents go to in Texas.

This morning's walk consisted of a sermon from Flatirons back in 2011. At the end, the pastor told a story about three young women (ages 23 and 24) who went to Africa to help with an orphanage one summer. At the end of their time, one of the girls decided to stay. While she still had college, while she had no money, she took a leap of faith and stayed to make sure that the conditions for these children improved.

Pause. I used to admire a couple of people, but my outlook has changed.

For instance, I used to admire James Dean, that rebel who was a true star in three movies before he died in a car accident at 24 years of age. I used to really admire Michaelangelo, especially after seeing the David in Florence. He was around 24 or 25 (I think) when he created this sculpture out of which many thought was a piece of useless marble.

And while they did great things, and they are things that have left a legacy, or some sort of claim to fame, these two missed the point. Dean was reckless, and selfish. I read a biography about him and realized that he never really taught others his gifts. He just kept hoarding his talents, and constantly looked for ways to improve them.

Young Michaelangelo also missed the point. The other day, Marisol and I realized that David is not the David from the Bible (ahem.. being Jewish you would expect his.. ahem.. to be.. ahem..). We also discovered that Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel includes references to the Greek goddess Delphi. He was mixing humanism with Christianity, which simply does not align no matter which way you look at it.

I found that I do admire a young woman named Vittoria Colonna, who quite possibly influenced Michaelangelo with the truth of depending on Christ alone for our strength*. Many believe that because of her influence, Michaelangelo then made his own face on the Nicodemus/Joseph of Arimathea sculpture in the Florentine Pietá.

I admire these young women mentioned earlier, who did all they could to make a difference in the world by serving children who have no home.

I admire the young woman of 21 years, who I just met today, that has left her home and comfortable job in Jujuy, to be a missionary in Córdoba.

They get it. They get that we aren't on this earth to make the most of our own lives, for me and me alone. We are called to love God and to love others. Seeing young(er) people do that ought to be enough to get all of us off our keester and get moving!

love and chau!

*Humanism stresses that man is capable of all on his own.
I have been reading Francis Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live in case you're wondering where this knowledge about Michaelangelo comes from!

Speaking of CI and its influence

Today.. or technically yesterday..

I had a conversation with one of the campers from last week. She tells me that she was thinking about Abraham Lincoln's quote about making our enemies our friends.

"There's this girl at school who is really mean," she tells me. "So I decided to talk to her."

And?

"Turns out she is really lonely."

The young woman from camp then describes how great she felt afterward to take the time to get to know the lonely girl.

"It's always hard at first," I tell her. "But afterward we realize that our enemies are people too!"

I told her I would be praying for her and her new friend. I also hope that doors will open to be more specific about the bigger truth behind Lincoln's quote--that technically it is derived from Jesus telling us to love our enemies.

love and chau!

What is Cordoba Immersion camp?

I have talked about Córdoba Immersions before, but never had we such wonderful advertisement for it as we now do, thanks to a film major named Nanda, creating beauties such as these.

This year, we are using the movie Back the Future, to resolve a problem of our own. We teach the kids some of the basics of film (and a little of how to sell a fight scene) and they have to make their own 3 to 5 minute scene to save a young indian girl in the wild west. Then of course, return back to the future! They have to show compassion towards the antagonist, utilizing a quote from Abraham Lincoln about making our enemies our friends.

We have a lot of fun in the process, and sometimes God allows us to go deeper with the students in our team. This particular video above is extra moving. Notice the last words of the video.

Then notice the blond kid every now and then who is playing Marty McFly (minute 1:42 for example). His name is Luciano.

A week after this camp, he and his father died in a tragic car accident.

Since I was not a coordinator for this week, I wasn't as close to the situation, even though yes, it was still quite difficult to bear. The coordinators who were there, particularly OMer Adam who was Luchi's team leader, had abundant opportunities to share Christ with the students that were hurting and confused. The CI leaders stayed in close contact, and continue to do so, to encourage the friends and family in their grief.

As we debriefed about last week's camp, a camp of 53 students who come from all corners of the country (think about the impact we now have the opportunity to make with this sort of social network!),  another coordinator, Tania, told us that one of the students from the first camp accepted Christ two nights ago.

Then Blas, yet another coordinator, told us about one of the parents calling him to thank him. Blas noticed one of the students looking sad at last week's camp, so he took the moment to encourage him. Apparently it made such an impact that the student (Fernando) went home and told his mom about it.

While the camp is not explicitly Christian, it is exciting to see doors open to deeper conversations with students. And teachers! We have seen a few teachers come to Christ over the years as well.

So.. while we have a lot of fun (perhaps too much sometimes ;) ).. it's a really cool ministry that you can add to the prayer list. This year we find ourselves struggling to keep schools committed to coming. A lot of them will say that they come, but in the end can not due to finances or miscommunication. It is also difficult to keep a location, as prices go up.

The next camp will not be until August, but we pray for more opportunities with the contacts we have already made, as well as other camps to pop up, beforehand.

love and chau! (and thanks!)

A powerful song

Look up the translation, because it gets me every time (playing the guitar for church):

Si hubiera estado allí entre la multitud 
Que tu muerte pidió, que te crucifico 
Lo tengo que admitir, hubiera yo también, 
Clavado en esa cruz 
Tus manos mi Jesús, si hubiera estado allí 

Pensándolo más bien también yo estaba allí 
Yo fui él que te escupió, y tu costado hirió 
Pensándolo más bien, 
Yo fui él que coronó de espinas y dolor 
Tu frente buen Señor, también yo estaba allí 

Si hubiera estado allí al pie de aquella cruz 
Oyéndote clamar, al Padre en soledad 
Lo tengo que admitir, te hubiera yo también 
Dejado así morir, mirándote sufrir 

Pensándolo más bien también yo estaba allí 
Yo fui él que te escupió, y tu costado hirió 
Pensándolo más bien, yo fui él que coronó de espinas y dolor 
Tu frente buen señor 
Pensándolo más bien, también yo estaba allí 
Yo fui él que te golpeo, y de ti se burlo 
Pensándolo más bien yo fui él que te azotó
Yo fui quien lancero tu espalda mi Señor 
//También yo estaba allí//

Lourdes

I should talk about Lourdes. I mean, she lost her father just this past February, even after things seemed to be on the up and up. He had thankfully accepted Christ beforehand, but his death left a lot of people in confusion and pain, most especially his two children and wife.

While the mom hasn't been able to come to church, Lourdes has been coming to our pre-teen Bible study that we started in Las Violetas. Andrea and I have the privilege* to pick up (ahem, by walking) Lourdes, Flor and Dara from Las Palmas to el Refugio each Saturday evening. There, we wait for a few of the neighborhood kids to join in our hour-ish of games, a Bible study and snack.

Lourdes is beautiful. She will obviously be one of those girls that will take the breath away of several young men, and she has such a sweet demeanor.

My favorite moment, so far, is when we went to pick her up last week, only to find that she had apparently forgotten our little meeting. She was playing with some of her neighborhood friends with this oversized doll in one hand. When we called her name, she looked over at us, dropped the doll to the ground and came running. She grabbed her Bible, and with a laugh, greeted us with the Argentine kiss on the cheek. "Ready?"

She was hyper tonight, but last week was a little more melancholic. She was sharing with Dara about the loss of her dad and Dara was able to comfort her with Scripture (not bad for a 10 year old), and about mid-week, for Dara's birthday, Lourdes was dancing again.

Tonight she told me how much she enjoys the meetings. With that exaggerated pre-teen vigor she exclaimed how SPECTACULAR and GREAT was every moment. I think she needs good friends, and has been able to find them in our meetings. I pray her mom is able to find the same comfort. Please pray. love and chau!


*Privilege is one of those words that if it weren't for spellcheck, I would ALWAYS misspell. That was random! You probably expected something a little more spiritual. Sorry about that..

Talking about money... again

The whole reason I had even thought about $ was because of this cool moment that had nothing to do with me. Well maybe I was some small, middle man, minutia character that some people like, but no. Not really.

It happened when 5 cool kids from the OM Chile team arrived and I had the privilege to cook some pizza for them. A couple from our team was also there to get to know the internationals. A great couple who has been serving humbly in the finances area, an area I have come to realize that is hardly recognized among missionary teams. Thus making it hard for them to raise support; thus leading to the conversation we had at this lunch time.

"While we have been able to get more support in lately, we have had to think about our most important costs and concentrate on paying for those things," said the wife. "Which means, we haven't even been to the supermarket yet."

My heart sunk. Sure, we have a finance issues when it comes to money of the house for example, but God always provides. And yet here is a faithful couple, with their kid, and they may or may not have much to eat this month.

I began to think about any extra money we might have and I realized we weren't able to give at this time. 'God, what do I do?' I thought.

The doorbell rings.

I swear. In this very moment, the doorbell would ring.

A pastor from a local church came by to drop off a couple of offerings. One for one of our missionaries serving in Thailand. One for a trip that a few of our teammates participated in this past January. The gift for the trip would be extra, perhaps something to serve for the next potential trip to the same location (to maintain a working relationship).

I talked with the woman in charge of this trip to see if we could divide the money, and give a percentage to the family. She quickly agreed and there we were, able to provide for our brother and sister! Not my money. Nor would any of the people who had given to the church know the difference they would make.

Oh to see the joy on their faces when they realized they could go to the supermarket.

After all, we ask for bread. He's not going to give us a rock! love and chau.