Global Outreach Website

In the spirit of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, I'd like to borrow a phrase heard across America, "Win or Go Home." Or in some circles they say, "Go Big or Go Home."

Soon our little band of 24 is about to head off on this Go Journey to Guatemala. Perhaps we should say, "Go Guatemala or Go Home." But that might be too exclusive. The individual stories of so many on our team are a testament to the reality that God loves His children around the globe and mercifully calls some of us into being His hands, feet, and voice. What an honor. So we are stepping out in faith and asking God to guide and provide for the week that we are away. Then we'll go home. (but tonight we pack)

But I don't believe anyone, after a week in country, wants to go home the same person. I sure don't. Frankly, there's a lot that I want to take home- memories, stories, photos, and new friends. There's also a lot that I'd like to not bring home with me- pride, self-reliance, jealousy, and a whole host of vices that hide beneath the surface of my upper middle class attire. I'd love to not bring home independent minded teenagers too. But the reality is that there is something more important than what we take or bring home. There is even something more important than how much effort we give to serve the Guatemalan villagers. What is most important is that God shows up.

With His presence, no man, woman, or child remains unchanged. At the end of chapter 3 in Paul's second letter to the people at Corinth, there is a powerful description of the glory that comes from being in God's presence during our Christian experience. Many a lengthy sermon has been preached on the beauty and wisdom of the passage. So I won't even attempt to unpack its riches. The verse says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Bottom line- As long as God shows up, we'll be transformed.

My first blog entry for the team is probably not ideal for exposing my shortcomings and deepest hopes. Yet it is important to recognize that we all have them and long for something better. And my own issues are neither reflective of the rest of the team, nor are they important in light of the jointly recognized need for our Heavenly Father to show up big and transform us.

But I'm not sure I can or should write without pouring some of myself into this Guatemalan adventure. So how should I briefly introduce myself? My name is Tom. I'm going on this journey with my wife Amy of 18 years and my soon to be 15 year old daughter Abby and my son, Nate, who turned 12 last week. My wife’s parents, Mike and Ann, are going as well, which heightens the thrill for our family. I'm a native of small town Iowa and came to faith in Jesus at 16 through an organization called Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The proposition that I had to choose between loving either myself & basketball OR loving Jesus, who died in my place as punishment for my sin, made sense to me. I decided to follow Him. Late in college I got involved with a Christian group who taught me about following Jesus daily. As I've grown over the years, my connection with Jesus is much more relational than it is merely propositional truth. I've been fortunate to be a member of two excellent churches here in Atlanta where I continue to learn so much about whom God created me to be and why He made me. A lot of that learning has occurred since 1996 when I was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer and given four months to live. Since then I've had 18 surgeries and done almost 30 months of chemotherapy, most recently finishing in December 2009. Two days after we return from Guatemala I'll have a CT scan to see if those pesky nodules that had metastasized to my lungs are still there. So my list of issues that I'd love to leave in Guatemala includes this cancer as well as my sin. But to say the least, my connection with God is tested and experiential for sure. I have kept this site as a regular blog over the years of which has given me practice at updates. I think new readers will find my writing style to be laced with transparent stories, reflective introspection, and an occasional dose of humor.

So my hope is that those reading about Go Journeys trip will grow in their appreciation for the Guatemalan people, laugh and cry at the adventures of many on our team, and most importantly, sense the presence of God working in us, around us, and through us. And maybe, without even knowing it, you'll read some sound theology and be drawn to consider the really good news in the gospel.

However, the only reality that truly matters is that God shows up. Without Him, nobody will be changed in a meaningful way. Transformation cannot happen without His grace. Either God shows up, or we might as well go home.

To Him be the glory!

We’ve arrived safely in Guatemala and most of the team is bedded down for the night, excited about waking early tomorrow for an Easter service in Guatemala.

Our day began very early as we met at Perimeter Church at 6:15 to caravan to the airport together. The support raising was finished, with the team overall having raised about three fourths of the funds needed and trusting that the final fourth will follow soon. The bags were packed and anything left at home was destined to stay there. Upon arriving at the airport it became clear that this was not only Spring Break for many, it was missions week.

Everywhere there seemed to be smiling groups of tired-eyed folk wearing identical t-shirts announcing the name of their church or their mission destination. Our large plane seemed to be entirely filled with missions groups, except for the 6 year old boy sitting behind Nate who kicked the back of Nate’s seat for 3 consecutive hours in anticipation of arrival. Most of the trip he kept shouting in what was originally a cute voice, “Are we there yet?” But it became increasingly irritating once the movie ended and the television screen showed the remaining miles of the journey, which prompted him to scream in delight, “33 minutes left,” and then proceeded to count each minute we got closer. But I digress..

One of the men on the plane had a shirt on with a classic Jim Elliot quote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot attain.” It reminded me that God called each of us on this trip with the same clarity that He called each of us into a relationship with Him. And that relationship, like any good relationship, has a cost. I must decrease that He might increase. Oh yeah, it is Easter and we are reminded as followers of Jesus that we have the privilege of taking up the cross daily. My former identity has been crucified with Christ and the old me no longer lives, but Christ lives in me. The verses flooded my mind and made me vitally aware of God’s presence. But that awareness made me feel more like I was being given a privilege than I was counting any cost. The anticipation of what our team would gain was far more valuable than what might have been- more sleep, a suntan at the beach, or other entertainment.

A few hours earlier we’d been debating around the early morning breakfast table. What’s the difference between Chunky, Crunchy, and Clumpy Peanut Butter according to the labels? Which direction will the toilets flush that far South? Would I get any more ideas on this trip for my coffee table book about Amazing Stories from the Bathroom?
But now things were real. God had shown up in some neat ways for our team already. But it became increasingly clear that he might blow the door off our paradigms at any point. Getting out of our comfort zone seemed like very little cost compared to the possibility that God was poised for something great. In so many ways God has allowed me to witness and experience a lifetime of miracles, what more could I want? I realized that I wanted to know more of Him and to have others, including my kids, experience that same sense of awe at Who God is and how amazing His grace really is.

Even walking through the airport, I was reminded of the Brandon Heath song, “Give Me Your Eyes.” I’d been praying parts of the chorus for my kids for weeks. In the video for the song, he’s walking through the airport and really seeing the messy lives of people for the first time, as if a cloud has been lifted from his head and forcing him to care deeply for the first time . He sings, “Give me Your eyes for just one second, Give me Your eyes so I can see, Everything that I’ve been missing, Give me Your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me Your eyes so I can see.”

To some degree it ‘s hard to imagine a person being here amidst the poor and not being moved in compassion. But I’m periodically moved to tears by the refrain of this song when I think about the weightiness of truly seeing the world as our infinitely loving God sees it , even if for only one second. If I had more love and I saw humanity for an instant, I’d be crushed because I lack the sovereignty and power of God to make it right. So readers can pray that all of us on the team would have not only God’s eyes, but His heart as well, as we try to be His hand and feet for a few days as poor substitutes.

..And eventually the plane landed safely.

Going through customs, everyone was escorted through briskly except for my family. We were directed to another line where our bags were again x-rayed and then opened. My 47 pound suitcase probably had 25 pounds of cough syrup and a few huge bottles of pills. It’s amazing how much more motivated I am to pray when fear enters in. Amy and I were totally busted carrying medicines that the government would want to heavily tax or confiscate. Plus I had 5 bags of my frozen energy soup (blended raw veggies for my intestines) that probably was a prohibited item. We’d described it to her as seaweed for my health (which is true). But she said she didn’t understand the English word so she’d let it go this time. Amy explained that the medicines were for a doctor friend of ours (another truth). So the customs lady unknotted the garbage bag in my suitcase holding the cough syrup and asked me how many bottles I had. “At least 10,” I replied, which was another truth. Then she looked at me and asked the value so that the government could asses a (30-50tax on it. “I don’t know. They were given to me,” I honestly replied. Bob Barker I am not.

So she shrugged her shoulders, probably thinking what a stupid American I was (another truth) and warned Amy and I that we needed to declare this next time. Then she let us go. God is so cool. A cost of discipleship? Heck, I’d pay to recreate that scene again and watch it on DVD. Our family could have been the cast of Seinfeld going through customs. Where God guides, God provides.

The Guatemalan team picked us up (more on them another update) and drove us through Guatemala City (more on the area in another update) to the secure compound. The neighborhood makes it easy to understand why this is a whole different kind of gated community and why they call it a compound.

But the inside was great and everyone settled in while a late lunch was brought in from a local Irish restaurant called McDonalds. A few of the ladies went shopping with Dr Alb to pick up most of our food for the week. Plus we had a casual briefing in the house’s open family room with Dr Herman Alb.

The whole discussion started out with toilet etiquette inside the house versus etiquette in the villages. Details of that are probably not blog-worthy. We discussed the focus of our morning devotions which will center around building Intimacy with God, being Available & Attentive to His leading, and growing in our Effectiveness at sharing the good news of Jesus. We considered the sending of the 12 apostles in Matthew 10 and the ministry of reconciliation that Paul writes of in 2 Cor 5. Dr Alb contrasted spontaneous evangelism with the preferred relational evangelism. We all want God to teach us this week. So we’ll focus on Him and the people, while letting the miracles occur if and when God deems them appropriate to communicate something about Himself.

So now we rest. As I finish this, I think everyone else is long asleep, since we are two hours behind Atlanta. They don’t do daylight savings time here. Our team is tired, but full of a budding expectation for the week in the villages. Celebrating Easter tomorrow only seems to heighten the anticipation. The cost we pay is counter-intuitive like much of the kingdom, for we get far more than we give. So again my experience with God seems to reveal that, although there is a cost to following Him, it feels much more like a gift. And unwrapping the gift of each new day brings back the reality that the true cost was born by His son, Jesus Christ, on a rugged cross long ago.

PS It flushes opposite the US- counter-clockwise.

Apologies for being a day behind. The computer got a virus Easter day and just got repaired after 9 on Monday night. Here is Sunday's entry:

Although the morning began at 6 or 6:30 for most of us, it sure felt early. There was something neat about walking around the house with a group of people who were mostly strangers until recently and hearing the historic Easter greeting of, “He is risen,” and the matching response of, “Alleluia, He is risen indeed.”

There was a spirit of cooperation and excitement as breakfast-seekers hunted for bagels or cereal or oatmeal. The really tired just gravitated toward the coffee. People swapped stories of trying to sleep amidst the sound of barking dogs and routine Guatemalan nightly fireworks or the now identified snorers in the group. Others seemed more challenged by the slight air circulation and inability to open very far the heavily secured windows. But there was no real complaining because people seemed to have real healthy perspectives. After all, we were all here on a journey to seek Him, serve Him, and share Him.

We were to leave at 7:15 for worship when our leader Herman was to come by. Although I had met him briefly in Atlanta on two different occasions and spoken to him when we arrived, I hadn’t really had much time to get to know him. Like most of us, I’d heard about Herman for years. His exploits seemed almost legendary as a physician, sage, teacher, and medical missions leader. But primarily I’d heard about him as an evangelist extraordinaire. It seemed as if everyone that has gone to Guatemala had great praise for the man and at least one Herman story that was unique and interesting. Like many others, I think I’d probably built him up in my mind as the most interesting evangelist in the world. Here is what I’d heard:
1. He lives vicariously through himself.
2. He taught his German shepherd to bark in Spanish.
3. He never says something tastes like chicken – not even chicken.
4. His reputation is expanding faster than the universe.
5. He’s been known to cure narcolepsy, just by walking into a room.
6. He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels.
7. Even his enemies list him as their emergency contact number.
8. He’s a lover, not a fighter, but he’s also a fighter, so don’t get any ideas.
9. His shirts never wrinkle.
10. He is left-handed. And right-handed.
11. If he were to mail a letter without postage, it would still get there.
12. You can see his charisma from space.
13. The police often question him, just because they find him interesting.
14. On every continent in the world, there is a sandwich named after him.
15. He doesn’t believe in using oven mitts, nor potholders.
16. His cereal never gets soggy. It sits there, staying crispy, just for him.
17. Washington politicians refuse to go on his mission trips for fear that Herman’s preaching would cause them to switch parties.
18. His hands feel like rich brown suede.
19. Respected archaeologists fight over his discarded apple cores.
20. He started the whole one-word-name thing, long before Cher or Bono.
Of course I’m kidding. But it is true that he is deservedly well-loved and well-respected by so many. So it was with great joy that we greeted him this morning and drove to Vida Real to worship. The church had just moved into its own building a month ago for the first time since it was a church plant to the local business community. In so many senses it felt much like our home church, Perimeter.

We entered the large auditorium to see a dark room illuminated in the front with a vibrant worship leader. We took our place in the back right corner and were handed small radios which were half the size of a computer mouse. Each person unwound the earplugs and put them in their ears. From the back of the room Herman’s son talked through the words on the screen and then proceeded to translate the sermon with amazing clarity.

John and Julie later described the sense of singing some of the same songs as we do at Perimeter but that it was a different language, then went on to posit that others throughout the world are singing the same tunes with lyrics in dozens of other languages. Though we were a clear minority, we felt completely safe and connected to these fellow worshipers. It was truly a foretaste of heaven. Most of us went into the service expecting to get little out of it, yet it was not difficult to find it transcendent. There were multiple stretches where I actually was enjoying God and forgetting that I was in a foreign land. It was also inspiring to see that this church body clearly had a heart for the lost amidst them as they labored amidst so much violence and corruption to communicate a welcoming message where God offers hope and transformation. God is apparently the same God of reconciliation in the Middle East, Middle America, and Central America.

And even though we were visiting in the middle of a sermon series called ‘Phrases of Substitution’ about Jesus’ last words from cross, it was not difficult to follow. There was so much application that came from his third point that, “although salvation is free, it was not cheap.” In looking around the sanctuary at these people whose life experience is so different than ours, it was clear that we had far more in common, based on the sermon, than we had which separated us. We all fail to live thankfully. We all invest too little time reflecting on what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We all forget the price that our freedom to not sin actually cost Jesus. We all fail to consider what Jesus would say about our choices from the cross. We all have a huge problem that it is neither economics, our neighbor, our job, nor our broken relationships. Our universal problem is sin. And our singular solution is Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Clearly the good news of Jesus is not only transformational, it is trans-cultural. (Tomorrow we anticipate seeing how it is trans-dimensional and trans-generational.


Pastor Tim Keller, author of The Prodigal God wrote some of what we heard another way when he said, “The Cross is not simply a lovely example of sacrificial love. Throwing your life away needlessly is not admirable — it is wrong. Jesus’ death was only a good example if it was more than an example, if it was something absolutely necessary to rescue us. And it was. Why did Jesus have to die in order to forgive us? There was a debt to be paid — God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born — God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering.” It also reminded me about how Keller has said,” If you and your church were to disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow - would anyone in the unbelieving community around you notice you were gone? And if they did even notice - would they say we are really glad they are gone or - gee we’re going to miss them.” It does not take much insightful observation to realize that the surrounding community would feel a huge void without them. May we aspire to live that way in our neighborhoods and work places.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Chili’s. That’s right, the American food chain. And dinner was Domino’s. We’ve not suffered nutritionally. Honestly, several people admitted to feeling a little bit guilty. After all, we hadn’t really labored for Christ yet in a way that we intended. And nobody wants to go home from a mission trip to tell supporters that they had great fun getting to know others and put on 10 pounds from the good food. Of course we could justify that tomorrow we were going to really start serving. A person could also qualify that the staff was off with their families for Easter, which made the start of this trip unique. But Allie may have said it best when she tried to describe the tension of feeling guilty with the fact that God is truly taking care of us and every aspect of this trip. Moreover, we are called to rest on this Sabbath because Jesus has done the work and we can rest in Him now. That made this gringo smile.

The afternoon was spent resting and preparing for tomorrow. Herman spoke of the vision for the ministry center that will soon be built and gave a walking tour. Some napped. Jerry, Pat, and Elizabeth have been very sick and are trying to fight off the illness with sleep as one of the weapons. We’d ask that readers really pray for them and the health of our whole team.

Tomorrow we need to be showered, fed, packed, and ready to go by 7am when devotions will begin. So having this day to transition has been wonderful. Having everyone ready to go with a smile on may be the first miracle we see. Clearly our team is itching to serve and engage the people. I know that I resonate with the wisdom of CS Lewis who said, “The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil.” There will be little dullness or monotony tomorrow. We are looking for God to show up. Even the youngest among us agrees with the logic of another Lewis statement when he said,” Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” We are here because of the belief that it is of infinite importance because Jesus is of infinite worth.

Honestly it is a struggle to capture the sense of awe we all had about Monday. God showed up in such ways that convince me that I have neither the time nor the skill to accurately depict. My words are wheelchair bound messengers of stories so good that they should only be experienced, leaving their expression to the fools. So I do write for the whole team in expressing our deepest thanks to those who are supporting us through prayer and financial backing.

After a good night’s rest for most of us, we had breakfast and were seated for worship by 7 with our water bottles filled and daypacks ready. Herman’s opening prayer set the tone for the whole day when he asked for God to stretch our hearts, minds, and expectations. Then he later re-phrased it as asking for God to “enlarge His purposes in our hearts.” Then we looked at James 3:4 and heard about how we were created as people so that our tongues actually activate our body, much like water is a catalyst to Alka-seltzer. Then we considered Jesus and the fig tree in Mark 11 to better understand how faith comes by hearing and then we are to speak out, which is a breeding ground for belief to then grow.

As I considered what I believed to be God’s agenda, it occurred that I want to be a Great Expectator of Him rather than an Aimless Spectator. The readiness in the room confirmed that everyone felt that way about today. During those lessons, Herman poured out many prayers for our time and led us to asking forgiveness for having considered how Jesus was to love me better, even though in reality, I was created to serve Him. Singing songs about coming back to the heart of worship reminded us that all of this (as well as all of our life in our communities) was all about Jesus and nothing else. Today was to be an opportunity to practice the degree to which we really believed that.

Before leaving, we did pray the six specific prayers that every team lifts up before driving off into the mission trip, which, by the way, Herman refers to as a “date with Jesus,” rather than the phrase mission trip. Those six prayers are:

1. Unity
2. Intercession (that we would truly love the people and not just pass off some info to them as if we were pizza delivery types)
3. Spiritual Warfare
4. Supporters
5. Past Teams
6. Future Laborers
7.
Then we drove in the donated SUVs to the small municipality of Amatitlan. Despite hearing that the local evangelical church there that we were partnering with had 120 members, it sure seemed to be much smaller based on the primitive resources. Within minutes of arrival, Dr Alb and his team of two other physicians and handful of translators and a few other experienced helpers had the medical stations and gospel sharing stations set up and were seeing people. They were clearly focused on seeing the many patients that had been lining up throughout the morning and awaiting our arrival.
The flow of people basically begins with those who are waiting initially being given a number to see the next available doctor. The docs saw them in the open air of the shelter sitting on plastic chairs only a few feet from the other physicians. After being seen the patients were escorted in to an available follow-up station which was typically staffed by one or two of us gringos sitting on a plastic chair next to a translator and an empty plastic chair for the patient. Once the patient sat down, a courier would take their prescriptions to the team led pharmacy station. While the order was being filled, us citizens of the US would ask questions to get to know the patients and discern how we could pray for them. Then we would pray for their healing on the spot. Afterwards we’d attempt to determine if the patient had a relationship with Jesus and proceed to share the good news of a Savior to them when appropriate. At some point during that discussion their Rx would typically arrive. So after the conversation had concluded, the translator would explain directions to the patient for taking the medication and then we’d say farewell.

Once we started, there was a vicious dog fight between four very undomesticated canines that frightened a lot of us since we were all in the open air and it was only 15 feet away. With everyone so distracted by this dogfight, there wasn’t much ability to focus on the task at hand. So Herman quickly came leaping amidst the dogs in his superman scrubs (no kidding) and tried kicking the dogs (with the accuracy of a young Guatemalan soccer player that was probably picked last every day of his life) to make them dissipate. Without even landing a blow, he broke them up and they scattered. Back to the business at hand..

Our whole team worked wonderfully together all day, only taking a break for a very modes home cooked luncheon provided by the local church members. The love and sacrifice that they demonstrated was a model to all of us. With an estimated 14% of the Guatemalan population living on $1/day or less, it seemed as if they all were here. The people were just so poor, yet so loving and thoughtful, giving us their food and opening up the pastor’s home next door for us to use a bathroom, which could only be described as a cement outhouse. In so many ways these people looked and acted like the actual New Testament church. Their whole lives were thrown into what they believed.

Over the course of the next four days, we’ll try to capture some of the amazing stories. But tonight I’ll just give you a flavor of our experiences. It all came together as we gathered back together in the compound after dinner. Despite the tiredness that comes with physically and emotionally pouring oneself out during the day, there was an abundance of ‘sit on the edge of your seat and make sure you don’t have a full bladder or you’ll wet yourself’ shocking stories and lessons. The daily wrap-up could’ve gone on a long time. At week’s end I’m hoping to summarize the lessons. But for now, may I just tell you about some of the experiences?

As I mentioned earlier, we found the church members to very loving and as theologically sound as any really good church in Atlanta. They were just poor. With a pastor whose appearance might resemble a down on your luck migrant worker, they did not need us. We were just privileged to be there to love on them through medical missions and provide a great draw for their friends and neighbors. We were there to demonstrate the kind of mercy that God has given us. Tim Keller has written, “Mercy is a command of God, yet it cannot simply be a response to a demand. It must arise out of heats made generous and gracious by an understanding and experience of God’s mercy. It is the hearts of the congregation that must be melted until they ask, “Where is my neighbor?” That is why the preparation for the trip and the time of Christ-centered worship and the intercessory prayer were so important beforehand. I think we’ve all concluded that these people are our neighbors and grown to love them.

Although there was one active case of tuberculosis diagnosed and two legally blind people who were still driving, most of the medical problems were routine. And although numbers aren’t a significant part of the story, I think that I can tell you in order to get a feel for the day that 16 people prayed to receive Christ during the day. The church has a prayerfully considered follow-up plan and will be helping these new believers to grow.

Yet, in God’s kingdom, which is so often counter-intuitive, us below the Mason-Dixon liners may have received the most benefit. We had our hearts expanded with a desire placed in them that they’ll never contract to their previous size. Everyone in the follow-up station seemed to be awed at how much we could ask of an all-powerful God. Concerns the day before had sounded like, “What if I ask God for healing and they aren’t changed? Or what if I don’t explain the entire story of Jesus right?” Those questions had been answered in our group time. But the experience of the day made us believe what CS Lewis wrote about fear of how our weakness might erode God’s glory. Lewis said, “A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” God showed Himself to be so much bigger than we gave Him credit for.

And while the conversions were amazing, the most shock came from seeing the healings. People walked pain free that could not before. People had sight restored that had been cloudy before. It seemed like 75 AD. God didn’t just show up. He announced His presence with authority. CS Lewis beautifully stated that, “Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” For those people of Amatitlan and those of us who saw it all with eyes wide open, God used those miracles to point back to the big story- God is redeeming the world to Himself through the work of Jesus Christ.

The author of this update is not capable, I said initially, of capturing the beauty of this day. I’m fearful that I’ll forget the specifics of it. But it was real. And it all happened because the Creator of the universe chose to show up in time and space in order to allow us of little faith to witness His love. That is a story I can tell forever.

Could this date with Jesus possibly get any better? I think so.
During this morning’s devotional we focused on Availability by examining Jesus’ sending out of the apostles in Matthew chapter 10 and the role that grace plays as a qualification to be sent. What a rich time of worship topped off by an introduction to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9 and the song “Carried to the Table” by Leeland with a challenge in the shadows about who we might invite to the King’s feast. Craig also challenged us through leading a time of the devotional. Integrated into the worship was a time of prayer for healing and wholeness with the whole team laying hands on those of us who needed it. Afterwards Ann said that she wasn’t going to wear makeup to any more of the worship times because it just washed off in the tears. Several women agreed as there were very few dry eyes after the prayer time. Part of me wonders if we will one day look back on this morning as a turning point in the team really unifying and coming to a point of lavishly loving one another.

Afterwards we took a long, long ride in the SUVs up to the village of Patzun with an elevation of 8,300 feet. We’ve been told that it was the poorest village we’ll visit this week, which is very believable because I don’t think any of us could imagine more spartan living conditions. The roller-coaster-like road to get there will probably not be forgotten by anyone for a long time. Who would’ve guessed that a gravel road could rise and fall so many times and then continue on forever?

We were told that there were several hundred members of the church. But it would be hard to imagine that this remote village had even 300 people total. We set up quickly in two small rooms made mostly of cinder block. The lowhanging door frames worked well for the Guatemalans but caused those of us over six feet to bang our head when we weren’t careful. After I was told my scalp was dripping blood, I had to see one of our doctors who cleaned me up with hydrogen peroxide and later told me that my hair was likely to turn orange. (I was more frustrated by the sticky bandaid in my hair than the threat of discoloration which has not occurred 36 hours later). The rooms had dirt floors and unpainted cinder block walls. At one point I thought it smelled like farm animals and that maybe they used the room as a barn since some tools hung on the otherwise barren walls. Later in the afternoon I found out that it was actually a church member’s home who’d taken out his few pieces of furniture so that we might use the space. This was but one example of dozens where the church members gave everything they had to accomplish their goal of loving their community.

When technology allows, we’ll have to post a photo of this man’s bathroom/outhouse that we used for the day. It was a cement toilet with no lid and no water tank. Any toilet paper had to be thrown into a bucket sitting beside the toilet. Lovely. Have you asked yourself yet, “How do you flush a toilet with no water tank?” The answer is that you don’t. You take the other bucket of water on the other side of the toilet and pour enough of it into the toilet bowl to push any waste through the hole. Gravity works the same in Guatemala. Fortunately the day was cool, so at least it didn’t smell too bad beneath the tin roof and behind the tin door with the holes that would allow a sneaky kid to peek in on you. Some times you just gotta laugh.

..back to the church. What a great reminder that the church is the people, not the building. When we go to Sunday morning service, we say, “let’s go to worship.” It makes little sense to say, “Let’s go to church.” They’ve got it right in not getting overly focused on buildings, but rather, using buildings to build up people. It seems that most of the people are spiritually inclined. Herman has said that those who believe in God would categorize themselves as 60% Catholic and 40% being Evangelical Christians. Not that long ago it was 80% Catholic, so there has been a significant shift from Catholocism.

But today we found a strong Catholic resistance. They were glad to accept the free medical care and to talk with us. But numerous people refused to accept Jesus solely because of their loyalty to the Catholic church and refusal to seriously consider placing their faith in anything that would possibly challenge the tradition that they’ve chained themselves too. Without even forcing the issue of church upon them, most of the Guatemalans were closed off to any ideas that would jeapordize their identity as Catholics even though they were favorable toward Jesus. So it became very important to get good at asking diagnostic questions in order to keep the main thing (Jesus) as remaining the main thing.

Before we knew it, lunch was upon us. The ladies of the church had spent 4 hours preparing a generous meal for us. Later we realized how great their sacrifice was when we learned that they’d made this stew-like native dish with rice by using beef, which is twice as expensive as chicken. To pay for this lovely meal for us, the church had to use the weekly offering. Every one of us had a different pattern on our ceramic bowl which suggested many of the church members had donated their personal dishes so that we might have something to eat on. We were moved by their generosity.

We were also pulled to love their dirty but smiling, raggedly clothed but thoughtfully engaging, and poor but content little children. What was not to love about these small people who would get so tickled over the simple act of taking their picture or using a single crayon to color an entire page? It also seemed more natural to love the adults as well. Perhaps the strange feeling in the air was not the cloud parking itself on the mountain. Maybe it was the sensation that our hearts were being stretched.

Two really neat aspects of the experience that I’ve yet to mention are the translators and the eye clinic. New this year to the Medical Missions Ministry is an eye clinic component where team members build customized glasses on the spot for villagers after a vision test. The smiles on the faces of these largely resolute peoples is like a break in the clouds for sun-starved observers. The other really special aspect of sitting in the follow-up stations is having the opportunity to talk with the translators. What an amazing link to the villagers they are. Every question is fair game and they have answered just about everything, giving a local’s view of life in Guatemala.

Soon the line of patients ran out which was well before daylight ran out or our love for these beautiful people ran out. So we piled into the cars and left. What a magical time the drive back to the house is each night. Jaws drop as stories of conversions and healings are told. Laughter breaks out at the recognition that our lives can be so different and yet similar in our humanity. And a few granola bars break out because the generous lunch was just not enough to fill a growing boy.

Patterns begin to emerge as well. It seems like the most common problems we are seeing include stomach and intestinal issues often caused by worms or poor nutrition. Eyes and backs hurt from working in the fields. Lots of people have headaches, feet pain, diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. And the family problems don’t sound that different than the US- disengaged men, employment, broken families, alcoholism.. They experience the results of the Fall too.

One problem that we all quickly recognized is that we can only give these villagers two weeks worth of medication in most cases. As far as their physical help, we are only able to put a temporary bandaid on many of their issues. But it sure is thrilling on the car ride back to celebrate the stories of healing and professions of faith. To hear the stories of specifically named people and how their lives instantly changed is amazing. To see the elation on one another’s faces as they describe what is transpiring in their heart is an extreme privilege. To get wrapped around a numerical tally of lives changed is something that can be distracting from the fact that God just shows up here in unbelievable ways. But it is safe to say that again today that both conversions and dramatic healings were in the double digits. How good it feels to see somebody else’s life change for the better with nothing personal to gain from it. The only more invigorating reality is that we just had the privilege of seeing God show up and open up our eyes. That feeling must be my heart and expectations enlarging. And you know it’s been a New Testamant kind of day when John David describes an event as, “that was the coolest conversion all day.”

We would be the first to admit, as the church, that we don’t have the dilemma figured out as to how to help the poor. The gulf between the haves and have nots is enormous. Underneath the overarching umbrella of loving our neighbor, we know that we have a biblical responsibility to work toward the alleviation of poverty. But just as the causes of poverty are diverse, the possible solutions are infinitely greater. And none of the solutions are easy because poverty is connected to a series of terribly broken relationships. But the good news of Jesus that we declare does affect every sphere of life. Followers of Christ cannot segment the human condition like an old man’s monthly pill box as if the Christian message was limited to the Sunday row of sharing the news of Jesus. The powerful reality of the cross fills all aspects of our lives the way that the rising sun lights up every shadowy place in the valley. We are trying to figure out how to use word and deed efforts to engage all of the world’s needs. But it seems like 90 minutes in the vehicles isn’t enough time to get that figured out.

The church we visited today just needs concrete in order to build upon the land they already own. They cannot afford it currently. So they wait. So Elizabeth leads us in prayer for them. We don’t have the answers but recognize they start with a motive of love that breeds selflessness. And somehow we cannot forget that the church is God’s plan A for reconciling the world to Himself. By the way, there is no plan B.

Quotes to Ponder about the grace within the message we preach:

"Christianity not only leads its members to believe people of other faiths have goodness and wisdom to offer, it also leads them to expect that many will live lives morally superior to their own. Most people in our culture in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life. Let’s call this the “moral improvement” view. Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior." –Tim Keller The Reason for God, 19


‘Self-salvation through good works may produce a great deal of moral behaviour in your life, but inside you are miserable. You are always comparing yourself to other people, and you are never sure you are being good enough. You cannot therefore, deal with your hideousness and self-absorption through the moral law, by trying to be a good person through an act of the will. You need a complete transformation of the very motives of your heart.’ – Tim Keller’s The Reason For God,

It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord -lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness- that you are on the verge of understanding the gospel and becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being bad is not just being good, you are on the brink. If you follow through, it will change everything: how you relate to God, self, others, the world, your work, your sins, your virtue. It’s called the new birth because it’s so radical. (p. 78) Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant. He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and, at the cost of his life, paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our hearts can rest, in his Father’s house… Knowing this will transform us from the inside out… Why wouldn’t you want to offer yourself to someone like this? Selfless love destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger brothers or elder brothers… We will never stop being younger brothers of elder brothers until we acknowledge our need, rest by faith, and gaze in wonder at the work of our true elder brother, Jesus Christ. (p. 87-89 Tim Keller The Prodigal God)

Almighty and most merciful Father, I am now about to
commemorate once more, in Thy presence, the redemption of the
world by our Lord and Savior Thy Son Jesus Christ. Grant, O
most merciful God, that the benefit of His sufferings may be
extended to me. Grant me faith, grant me repentance. Illuminate
me with Thy Holy Spirit. Enable me to form good purposes, and
to bring these purposes to good effect. Let me so dispose my
time, that I may discharge the duties to which Thou shalt
vouchsafe to call me, and let that degree of health, to which
Thy mercy has restored me, be employed to Thy Glory. O God,
invigorate my understanding, compose my perturbations, recall
my wanderings, and calm my thoughts, that having lived while
Thou shalt grant me life, to do good and to praise Thee, I may
when Thy call shall summon me to another state, receive mercy
from Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
... Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), Prayers and Meditations,
London: Verner, Hood, and Sharpe, 1806, Easter Day,
1771, p. 84-85

Without specifically naming anyone, there was more than one person before the trip that dreaded the notion of 7 am worship with Dr Alb. Dreaded it. The reason wasn’t so much the earliness of the hour. Rather, the fear came with the knowledge that these worship times are known to regularly go two hours. For anyone used to Atlanta’s fast pace of trying to eat breakfast quickly and make the school bus or to get ahead of rush hour traffic, 15-20 minutes may seem the norm. What else is there to do for another 90 minutes?

But everyone has come and found the wisdom and beauty in beginning the day with a time consecrated to God. Again we focused on the theme of being Available for God to use. So much of what we read in the Bible pointed us to what should be obvious- Intimacy leads to availability. The light seems to be going on for some of us. When I really develop intimacy with God (which takes more than 15 minutes), then I desire to be available to glorify Him looking expectantly for opportunities to serve the lover of my soul.

Sometimes I wish that we could just slow down Herman’s exposition of Scripture. It can feel like a summer shower that pours down hard but is brief enough that it has little time to soak into the soil and cause growth. We touched on Psalm 127 and the realization that our human efforts and knowledge are not what bring success. Rather, the Lord’s work accomplishes its purposes. Fortunately he didn’t dig too deep on the topic. Otherwise Herman might have discovered that all too often I rely on my own natural resources but expect supernatural results. But that is God’s realm. Maybe this time I’ll not forget.

We also discussed an application packed verse of 1 Corinthians 15:58 which says, “Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.” Each word in that sentence brings an aspect of meaning that reinforces the whole theme of the universally human need to invest lots of time with God in order to serve Him well. Apparently Martin Luther and many of the great fathers of the faith knew the wisdom of obeying this directive and received the intimacy of rising early in the morning to connect meaningfully to God as if the day would be a loss without His leading. Without being defensive as to how this might look back in Atlanta, I believe that is wholeheartedly true in Guatemala. Maybe I’m just not desperate enough for God’s presence in every day life compared to the genuine desperation I feel in asking Him for miracles here.

John put a human face on this whole idea of being available for God’s work when he led a devotional about boldness and asked the penetrating question, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?” So many other good things came out of this worship time that better equipped us for the day. But I’ll just have to ask that you trust me for the sake of brevity.

Again the weather was beautiful, especially considering that it was supposed to rain most of the week. But we haven’t had a drop all week. Of course, the lack of rain did mean that there was a lot of dust. After making the 75 minute drive to Rincon Grande, which means Great Corner, we arrived in a remote village with a heavy Mayan influence. And there was lots of dust. This was an area that one of the locals described as having been severely hurt during the 1976 earthquake when almost every building was destroyed and sometimes entire villages disappeared. In addition, there was still a lot of pain because the government had supposedly killed many of the men who had protested against it. The complex history of these people made me appreciative of the 150 member church we were cooperating with and thankful for God’s preparation that morning during worship.

The Mayan women wore beautiful handmade dresses whose material alone was said to cost $125, which might represent months of wages sometimes and take four months to sew. The whole privilege of being able to ask these sweet people about their culture is priceless. We learned that there are25 different ‘states’ in Guatemala and that each state has its own pattern and material for the dresses. Anthropologist will often say that a person has to submerge him or herself in another culture in order to learn the most about his/her own life. We are sure learning a lot about the US and ourselves.

The life changing stories were absolutely incredible. But the difficult lives of these people were incredible as well. It seemed as if we’d heard most of these types of problems the last two days. One should expect to get a stomach ache from drinking unpurified water all day and not washing hands often enough. Many of their medical problems are directly traceable back to the hard lives they lead. As we ask all the obvious “Why?” questions, it is instructive to look to the wisdom of preacher CH Spurgeon who gave a sermon on Galatians 2:10 which says, “Remember the poor.”


“Why does God allow so many of His children to be poor? He could make them all rich if He pleased; He could lay bags of gold at their doors; He could send them a large annual income; or He could scatter round their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in heaps round the camp of Israel, and rained bread out of heaven to feed them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that He sees it to be best. "The cattle upon a thousand hills are His"-He could supply them; He could make the richest, the greatest, and the mightiest bring all their power and riches to the feet of His children, for the hearts of all men are in His control. But He does not choose to do so; He allows them to suffer want, He allows them to pine in penury and obscurity. Why is this? There are many reasons: one is, to give us, who are favoured with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing of Him and when we pray to Him; but if there were no sons of need in the world we should lose the sweet privilege of evidencing our love, by ministering in alms-giving to His poorer brethren; He has ordained that thus we should prove that our love standeth not in word only, but in deed and in truth. If we truly love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by Him. Those who are dear to Him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord's flock-remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving heart-recollecting that all we do for His people is graciously accepted by Christ as done to Himself.”


At times it can be discouraging to try to talk to these people about hope. Today few seemed to read. Few, if any, had money for medical doctors or follow-up treatment. It was a challenge to tell the Spanish speaking translators to communicate to the Mayan translators who spoke to the patient and then sent the message back. In spite of that, professions of faith and healings were prevalent. It’s impossible to tire of how creatively God shows up.

Brooke, Haley, and Stephanie experienced an amazing time with a 9 year old boy who kept itching. After three iterations of prayer, the itching went completely away for the little guy who walked away smiling. But within minutes the three of them started to suddenly itch. So they began praying and it left them. Craig had a rewarding experience when a 17 year old girl felt our love as he was able to make a custom pair of glasses for her. After years of not seeing, she walked out of the clinic and exclaimed in shock that she had never known that there was a mountain across the fields from her village. So not only were 93 villagers seen for medical care and prayer. But 23 got new eye glasses in the clinic today. Again, the numbers don’t really matter. They’re just helpful to get an idea of what our day looked like. It was so humbling to watch lives improve so quickly. And these are but a few of the literally hundreds of ways we’ve been able to serve the Guatemalans because of the prayerful and financial support of so many back in the states.

After supper and showers back at the house, bedtime came quickly with great anticipation. Even though we’ve only been in the field three days, we’ve all experienced how physically and emotionally draining it is to pour so much attention and love into these brief interludes with the Guatemalans. It shouldn’t be a surprise. Relationships work that way. Anytime someone pours out part of themselves and their love for a hurting person, an exchange takes place. It’s often described in the Bible as carrying on another’s burdens. But it does come at a price. Yet that price is one we’d all gladly accept because our intimate mornings with the Lord have cast the perfect picture of how Christ loved us in another exchange, a truly great exchange of my sin for His righteousness.

Of course there have been lots of humorous moments. One of the classics happened around the coffee pot as someone asked for decaf coffee. Then another guy responded, “There is no decaf coffee in Guatemala.” It really was humorous because we all know what a huge cash crop coffee is here and we realize that we are all so tired that decaf has no more place here than a snowmobile.

Another light moment happened because one suburban in our caravan had picked up the local pastor in an identifiable location in a nearby town in order to help us navigate to the final destination of the church. At the end of the day the quiet pastor with no English background piled into the back cargo hold of the suburban to help guide us back to the town and a bit more of a beaten path. After driving for a ways, Nate innocently asked, “Should we let this pastor out of the back?” So many reasons to laugh at ourselves.

Abby’s favorite funny was the little Mayan boy trying to wipe the biggest globule of nose mucus that she’d ever seen onto John’s pants and watching him squirm to resist.

Brooke and Haley had their own inside jokes as one of the translators taught them how to really roll their Rs and say “Rapido corren los carros del ferrilcarril,” which doesn’t mean anything significant but gave them ample practice at maximizing their rolling of Rs. So they must’ve gotten lots of funny looks from the Guatemalan onlookers.

Amy is getting lovingly laughed at because she’d placed her hands on a woman’s head today to pray that her headaches and ringing in her ears would stop, which is a very common occurrence. But when Amy opened her eyes, the woman’s hair was moving and Amy realized it was covered with lice. The woman was healed and it appears Amy did not get lice. So she’s fair game to tease.

Of course, Amy has found reason to laugh at me as well. This is probably funnier demonstrated than in writing. But a sweet Mayan lady came to me with stomach pain and headaches. I’d taken proper courtesies to ask if I could put my hand on her head and pray for these items specifically. So I put my hands on her liceless hair and pleaded to God for Him to remove these pains from her. When she opened her eyes she said her headache had disappeared. But she told me her stomach pain had only improved a little. So I requested that she stand and allow me to put my hand on her stomach and pray for her again until she felt totally pain free. Since the headache thing had gone so well, she readily agreed and stood up. I placed my hand on her stomach. However she grabbed my wrist and raised my hand’s location to place it square in her chest, saying, “Here is where it hurts.” Please feel free to insert your own joke here. By God’s grace, she was healed. But I’ve taken a pretty good ribbing about the episode, no pun intended.

Today truly has been a wonderful day to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. We feel as if we’ve really given away a part of ourselves. It has been work. But it has all been for Jesus to glorify Jesus. That happened today again in royal fashion. And there’s no place this team would rather be.

So tonight we’ll sleep and awake in varying stages of emptiness. But even at week’s end, I’ve got to believe that we’ve learned that going to God for intimacy fills us back up with His Spirit. He makes us full in a way in which even the largest breakfast buffet cannot do. He fills us up with Himself. And where He is, there is love and power. So let’s close the day looking back to Spurgeon teaching on John 1:16 contemporized by me just to make it easier to read.

John 1:16
And of his fullness have all we received.
These words tell us that there is a FULLNESS in Christ. There is a FULLNESS of essential Deity, for "in Him dwells all the FULLNESS of the Godhead." There is a FULLNESS of perfect manhood, for in Him, bodily, that Godhead was revealed. There is a FULLNESS of atoning efficacy in His blood, for "the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin." There is a FULLNESS of justifying righteousness in His life, for "there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." There is a FULLNESS of divine prevalence in His plea, for "He is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him; seeing He forever lives to make intercession for them." There is a FULLNESS of victory in His death, for through death He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil. There is a FULLNESS of efficacy in His resurrection from the dead, for by it "we are born again unto a lively hope." There is a FULLNESS of triumph in His ascension, for "when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and received gifts for men." There is a FULLNESS of blessings of every sort and shape; a FULLNESS of grace to pardon, of grace to regenerate, of grace to sanctify, of grace to preserve, and of grace to perfect. There is a FULLNESS at all times; a FULLNESS of comfort in affliction; a FULLNESS of guidance in prosperity. A FULLNESS of every divine attribute, of wisdom, of power, of love; a FULLNESS which is impossible to survey, much less to explore. "It pleased the Father that in Him should all FULLNESS dwell." Oh, what FULLNESS must this be of which all receive! FULLNESS, indeed, must there be when the stream is always flowing, and yet the well springs up as free, as rich, as FULL as ever. Come, believer, and get all your need supplied; ask largely, and you shall receive largely, for this " FULLNESS " is inexhaustible, and is treasured up where all the needy may reach it, even in Jesus, Immanuel-God with us.