Crossings

As some of you know, we were without internet in our apartment for three weeks. We were reconnected to the world earlier this week when the modem in the building was replaced.  Although, we shouldn't have, we felt the disconnect.  Even though we had great conversations daily with our new frends and colleagues here, the language barrier left so much unsaid, so much incomplete. No doubt about it, with emails, blogs, and news feeds, all in English, we feel more complete.  We were in that stage of culture where we were feeling lonely and slightly homesick.  We had no intention of getting stuck there; we knew it would pass, but without early- morning and late-evening email checks, we experienced a sensation of isolation. We couldn't communicate with the familiar.

Each day after work, we hunted for Internet cafes.  Those that had been open yesterday, were closed today.  We'd move on to another block and always found one with at least one space open. Missing keys, letters filled in with fingernail polish, or a Spanish keyboard never discouraged us from pulling up emails and pounding out replies.  When we left, we were always grateful for the open Internet cafe and the opportunity it afforded us to stay connected.  In the process, we discovered that communication with family and friends was "muy importante!"  Communication existed here; of course, but there is just something about it being in your Mother Tongue that makes it so noticeable when it doesn't exist.

Our devotion recently made this more evident as we read about the Christian cross.  The horizontal line represents the relationship and community in proximity to us.  These relationships can be messy sometimes, but they aren't meant to be.  As the horizontal line is unbroken, so we should strive for unbroken relationships.  When our Internet was down and "out for the count," our communication was broken, and, boy, did we feel it!   We felt the distance and we hunted in order to mend, to re-connect, to re-establish those relationships.  And the reward?  News from home - family and friends.

While the horizontal line represents our earthly relationships, the vertical line represents our relationship with God.  That line is forever unbroken.  He is not on wi-fi that disconnects when the electricity shuts down.  He is not a "modem" that threatens to wear out.  He does not speak only one language.  He is not limited to "proximity."  He has nothing missing. He is always easy to find.  He is eager to start communication.  He is complete and offers completion.  He created the Christian cross and His son, Jesus, hung there to make vertical and horizontal relationships complete.  

There are so many beautiful crosses adorning the world.  Let's keep looking up, so we don't miss their message.





 KEEP LOOKING UP, and we will, too.     Jim and Linda 

"I will gladly spend and be spent..."

A funny thing happened to us on the way to Ecuador.  The book of Acts found us.  It found us when we studied 32 lessons of Acts and the Apostles beginning in September with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).  Providentially, our pastor at our home church in Chandler, AZ was preaching through the book of Acts this fall.  Paul has left a footprint on our steppingtstone.  After his Damascus Road conversion, Paul spent his remaining years traveling and establishing churches.  But, he didn't do it alone.  He had a strong core of faithful workers who traveled with him to build the churches of believers.   He lived by his calling:  "...this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." (Ephesians 3:8).  And Paul did this whether on a river bank (Acts 16:11-15) or in the synagogues or in the marketplaces (Acts 17:16).  Where there wasn't a meeting place, he established one - called the church.  He started more than 14 churches in his 3 missionary journeys and the power within those churches tranformed lives...and still does today.  We can say he started something powerful during the approximate years between 35-67 AD, unifying a group of believers for he knew that "...(God's) intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known..." (Ephesians 3:10).

  We have studied the words and actions of Paul since September and within the past few weeks, we actually have witnessed the continuation of what he started. 

Last week, we traveled 2 hours south to Sangay National Park (www.parquesangay.org.ec) to Alausi, Ecudador straight to a Church of the Nazarene nesting within the alpine tundra of the Andes Mountain Range.  A small group of 8 workers spent 6 hard hours cleaning and preparing the church.  Some repaired doors, windows and damaged concrete blocks.

Some began wiring the church for electricity.  We didn't do it alone either.  The house near the church, although blessed with little, loaned us a wheel barrow, extra shovels, electricity, and water for the block cement.  Many hands were a part of the harvest process.  They have a young pastor and will begin services in two weeks!

In addition, slowly and methodically, a new church is being planted slightly northwest of Riobamba in beautiful Ambato.  Pray for these starts and those who attend.

If you have been or are now a part of a new church plant, consider yourself in good company.  Paul told the Corinthian church, "I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls."  (I Corinthians 12:15).

God is still planting Himself in the world and "...the gates of Hades will not overcome it."  (Matthew 16:18).

His church is built upon a Rock and many hands are part of the process.
Do you have a church?

     Keep Looking Up!    Jim and Linda

On Ordinary Days

We always carry our cameras with us, and usually we find insightful photo opportunities.  Here's what is going on in our neighborhood.
The Nazarene school is getting a facelift, which includes stucco-ing the playground walls.  It looked tedious as we watched last week, but notice the results behind the graduating Seniors as they practice for their ceremony in June.  The subjects and the environment are all dressed up!





Washers and dryers in homes here are obsolete, so our neighbors take advantage of sunny to semi-sunny days to hang out their wash that they've washed by hand.  Since we don't have a t.v. or a weatherman, we assume the sun will shine that day if everyone has their laundry exposed!





Last week, a friend from school invited a group to dinner in her home.  The menu: breaded and fried tilapia, fried plaintains, cilantro/tomato salad and rice.  We laughed and laughed for two hours in our broken languages and ended the evening with milk cake!

As we mentioned in an earlier post, relationships trump duties here, and this photo captures a school girl's visit with a relative as they wait for the key to open the gate to their home.








There is always something new to see and appreciate, even on ordinary days.  Regardless of the culture in which we are born, life happens.   And, we see new and different happenings when we go a different way.   If we are quick enough (or slow enough!), we get to snap them up.
 


                                                                                    Keep Looking Up!

Assignment: Just Be

HGTV actually educates the world about the world.  Happy families depart familiarity in order to experience a different culture.  They rent or buy, and at the end of the 30-minute program, viewers get a two-minute peak into their new lives.  Viewers leave them to blend into their new culture, but we never know how easy or how frustrating the adjustment was for that family.

We´ve traveled to other continents in the past, but our stay was always short.  The advantage of doing that was never having to deal in depth with the culture or language.  Pointing or conversational skills usually accomplished their purpose.  We went, saw, and left.

But this time, we are staying longer and discovering more language skills are necessary.  We are now obligated to know the laws for safety purposes.  Being familiar with customs, minimizes surprises!  But as we hang around longer, we notice that...
*...a dog barks ¨rats, rats, rats¨  all through the night,
*...catching a taxi is an art we´ve learned through observation,
*...vehicles have all the rights...pedestrians touch the street at their own risk,
*...buses depart a little early and always arrive late,
*...the internet is down often,
*...the altitude slows the body,
*...our Spanish is truly broken.

It´s easy for us to place the grid of our American culture over this Ecuadorian culture and then think, ¨...but there is an easier way,¨ or ...¨may we suggest...¨   We can´t though.  We were assigned to ¨Be.¨  We were not assigned to change a culture.  We have come to admire those full-time missionaries who arrive in their assigned countries to live out their calling...forever!  We are learning to adjust, to accept, to manage and to adapt.  We are realizing that we need to swallow our unsolicited suggestions and escort our opinions home each night.   We are peeling and reaching the core benefit of staying longer, which is, for here, not necessarily seeing things finished or done, but developing relationships.  

Don´t fret...Just Be...
*...just stand at the corner until it´s safe to cross the street,
*...just wait until someone asks for suggestions,
*...just learn the art of taxi-catching,
*...just accept that time schedule,
*...just hope the dog catches the ¨rat, rat, rat,¨
*...just relax...and find an internet cafe,
*...just build that relationship.

We have the privilege of staying longer and letting the culture change us!
¨Be¨-ing is not easy, HGTV!
                                                    
Keep Looking Up!   Jim and Linda

Reflections on a Rainy Day

Today is one of those bone-chilling, raw days....you know, rainy, gray and down-right cold!   It never stays this way for long though; the winds blow away the gray clouds, escorting in those huge, white fluffy ones that move around and allow the blue sky through.  No doubt about it, we are, as one St. Louis friend said, "Children of the light!"  We love the warmer days here, and when the sky is blue, it is azul!

On the past few Friday afternoons, we have visited Compassion International, which ministers to about 150 children in the area.  The children meet at the Nazarene school from noon-4pm on Fridays for a hot lunch, Bible-based lessons, songs, activities and lots of love and compassion shown from those who do the cooking to those who teach and play with the children.  Most of the children are from the surrounding neighborhood and look very impoverished.  They gratefully eat one, two and sometimes three plates of rice, potatoes and meat. Then, they are ready to learn and play.  Last Friday, about 150 children gathered in the auditorium to hear a lady dentist explain the importance of dental care.  Her presentation was very interactive, and the children listened for one whole hour!  We wished she had had a toothbrush and toothpaste for every child, something that is so commonly distributed in the states after presentations like this. 
Compassion International also has a program on Saturdays at our church, beginning with breakfast and continuing until after lunch.  We see so much dedication by the volunteers, many of whom have taught or worked at school before adding this to their busy schedules.  They are laying a foundation that will reap untold blessings.

Last Saturday, we caught a bus and traveled about one hour north to Ambato, Ecuador, population 180,000.  It was a beautiful day to explore this more-commercial-than-tourist town.  The streets and sidewalks were well-maintained and clean and invited visitors into very upscale boutiques.   We took time to visit several museums that honored Ambato's artists, writers, and composers.  We especially enjoyed the Jarden Botanico La Liria (The Botanical Garden) that surrounded Juan Leon Mera's 13 hectare (our acre) estate.  It was serene and we were unhurried. The planning of the criss-crossed paths throughout the park was evident. The perfectly ordered cobblestoned paths, although laid decades ago, are now serving their purpose of showing others the way...


"He does not lead me year by year,
  Nor even day by day;
  But step by step my path unfolds;
  My Lord directs my way."   (Ryberg)

"I Refuse" by Josh Wilson

The Ark Children's Home

We didn't have school today!  It was a holiday somewhat akin to our Labor Day.  So, we decided to take an outing, go to North Riobamba to visit a children's home operated by a Canadian couple. We had heard about this home before we left the states, and today seemed to be a good day to visit there.   Never judge a book by its cover...the taxi left the asphalt road and headed down a muddy side road, driving through pockets of standing water from last night's pouring down rainstorm. Where were we headed and what was this place going to look like?   The taxi waited while we banged on the huge iron doors that sealed the address behind high brick walls.  The iron doors opened to a refreshingly pleasant, well-maintained, almost sanctuary-like environment!  A huge, multi-colored, paving-stoned driveway lead to brightly painted buildings and children bouncing across a chalk hopscotch game.  They looked and we looked!  We were already impressed. We met Ron and Glenda, the Canadians, who told us how all of this began...about 18 years ago when God called and said, "Go to Ecuador, children are dying!" www.arkchildrenshomes.com  They bought this acreage and one small farm house.  Eighteen years and hundreds of children later, they share their story about work teams and volunteers who have made multiple trips to help them with their calling to house children who are abandoned, homeless and forgotten. They give us the tour while sweet children play outside on trikes, inside with Legos and older teens help with laundry, meals and yardwork. Ron and Glenda have 12 children of their own, many of whom have a role now or have had a past role in seeing this calling turn into an unbelievable reality.  Who, but God!  When He calls, it is obvious, He equips.
We discussed some volunteer opportunities that we are hoping to organize in the near future. 
It was a good visit, and it was encouraging to see how God is working in stealth ways.  His work, grace and mercy is so much greater than we can imagine. We are going back.  This was a very gripping steppingstone.  Please join us and pray for these children and the formidable difference that a Christian heritage will make in their lives.


This was another good day in Riobamba!
"...cause I don't want to live like I don't care.  I don't want to say another empty prayer..."
                                      (Josh Wilson)

Josh Wilson - I Refuse (Slideshow With Lyrics)