Monday, June 27, 2005

Family

Ever meet new people and feel like you have known them for a long time.... llike they are family? That is exaxtly the way it was for Terri & I when we were in Belpre, Ohio last weekend. We travelled to Belpre to meet with the mission comittee and speak to the congregation about Casa de Esperanza - the new children's home that will be built and opened this year.
I had been talking to Jen Wright for several weeks - Jen is going to move to Honduras in October along with Karen Vaughan to run the home - anyway, Jen & I had become friends on the phone and I knew that we would be family as soon as we met in person. I really didn't expect that everyone that I met would become like family so quickly. I'll get in trouble if I start trying to name everyone but, because of the people that we were around all weekend, we had an amazing time. It was just as comfortable as being with family - not the cousins that you only see every few years, but like family that knows you and still loves you.
I'm blessed by experiencing the weekend with my family in Belpre. I sorta' expect that this will be the way it will be when we walk into the gates of heaven. Never one uncomfortable moment - just family.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Trajellio

A couple of months ago I was in Honduras to plan the work for my TORCH Team. While there I was in one of the poorest places that I have ever seen- a village called Nuevo Oriental. While there, I met a man named Trajellio and he took me to his home. Trajellio's house was about 8 foot by 10 foot, made of scraps of burnt wood, wire, plastic, and whatever else he could find to provide shelter. My reaction to seeing Trajellio's plight was emotional - I simply didn't have the immediate resources to help Trajellio that day but, I promised him that Jesus would bring him a house.
He did!
This week my friend Tim Hines sent me an email with a picture of Trajellio & his new house. Trajellio was all smiles. God answered Trajellio's prayers for a new house & He allowed Trajellio to be Jesus for the people that built the new house. I like the words that Jesus gave us in Matthew 25:40 -" whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me". Trajellio became Jesus and the people that built his house came face to face with Jesus.
It is such a simple concept and yet, I choose to take a pass on opportunity after opportunity to come face to face with Jesus by helping and serving others. I am guilty. I get so tied up in serving myself and being "busy" that I overlook the needs that are around me. I walk across the street so I don't have to see the man hurting in the ditch.
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see you
I want to see you
To see you high and lifted up
Shining in the light of your glory
So pour out your power and love
As we sing Holy Holy Holy
Holy Holy Holy
I want to see you!

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

San Miguel

Over the past couple of days I have read blogs from my friends in Honduras that tell abuot the flash flood in San Miguel - a poor community on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. Just this morning Joe M wrote about visiting a couple of families that several of us know and described their living conditions after the flood. The homes that they live in were built by TORCH - my team may have even built them - it doesn't matter. The fact is that the families are living with knee deep mud as the floor of their house. Everything that they own is wet, the kids are sick, and the family is hungry and desperate.
One of my friends is leading a TORCH team in Honduras right now and I am sure that these two families will get help but, I also know that there are at least 500 other families in the San Miguel community just like the two that I've mentioned.
All this reminds me how meaningless the things that I worry about are. When you think about the desperate lives of the people in the village of San Miguel and their daily struggle to just survive, well - I have no problems. All of this only gives me more drive to take more people to share in the work, to help them open their eyes to the plan that God has for their service, and to meet Jesus face to face.