The Foolish Things

I have a wonderful newspaper deliveryman.  He proudly walks into my classroom every morning with a smile on his face and a paper in his hand.  He says hello and whatever else may come to mind.  I am happy to greet him and his delivery brings my heart delight, especially before reading the newspaper filled with all the woes of this world.

At the beginning of the year I watched my students’ facial expressions when Carter delivered the daily news.  Most of them stared and then looked at me to see how I would respond.  Carter has Down syndrome and my Muslim students come from countries where people with mental or physical disabilities are hidden away.  My students did not know how to react to Carter and at times their concealed reactions that only the eagle eye of a teacher would see included snickering. 

As the year passed, the daily visits from Carter changed the hearts and thoughts of my students.  They began smiling when Carter entered the room and would return a polite wave and hello. 

Then a moment happened that melted my heart.  Carter delivered his paper as usual, but this time he congratulated Malik on his good soccer game played the previous night.  Carter walked over to him and gave him a high five, which quickly turned into the man hug.  You know the one, with clasped hands the men pull towards each other and pat each other on the back.  

How did that just happen?  How had these two unlikely companions from a bond?  Surely not over a morning newspaper route?  Well, that is where it began but where it grew was on the soccer field.  Carter, the manager, and Malik, the recent Muslim immigrant, were both given the opportunity to be on the soccer team and the result was changed hearts.

And as Carter was leaving my room that day, he turned to Malik and said, "Hey man, no hats in school."  

That's right, you tell him, Carter.

The hug reminds me of another moment when God brought people together by another man with Down syndrome.  Several years ago, I was at a very special English camp in Croatia.  This camp was different from others because Croatian students and Gypsy students were attending together.  Gypsies are outcasts in most European cultures, so it was quite significant that for a week these two groups of people were living together.  One evening after a talk about Jesus, Nino asked to have the microphone.  Silence.  Nino has Down syndrome and much like the gypsies, people with disabilities are outcasts.  But, Nino comes from a Christian family who knows he is a child of God, therefore he is a part of the church family and society.  No one knew what to expect from Nino.  He began to speak.  His words silenced us and touched our hearts.  He shared how much Jesus loves him and loves others.  He shared that Jesus died for him and for us.  His message was clear, easy to understand, and full of love.  Looking around the audience I could see tears welling up in the corners of eyes.  I don’t know what the others were thinking, but I was deeply touched to know that God uses anyone to declare his great love. 

God’s love and truth can penetrate the hearts of anyone, including the mentally disabled.  His love and truth is intended to be understood and to be accepted by all people.  He uses his children, including the “foolish ones” of this world to reveal his love to other “foolish ones.”

His word says in 1 Corinthians 1:

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

It is The Message version that really strikes a chord for me.

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?  (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)

May I encourage you to let the “nobodies” of this world reveal to you God’s hand at work?  May I encourage you that if you are a “nobody,” (aren’t we all?) to know that God deliberately chooses you?

New Direction

In October, Meredith and I had a big decision to make regarding our vision for serving in Croatia in regards to the financial support.  Under the advisement and care of  Godly men in Josiah Venture we were told that they felt the lack of incoming support indicated to them that this was not God's timing for us to go to Croatia. They asked Meredith and me to stop working to raise support temporarily. We may be able to resume the process in 1-2 years if we all feel God would have us try again. They gave us a week to pray and talk with one another to hear what the Lord would tell us. After fasting, prayer, and tearful discussions with one another and other Godly men of integrity, God said the same thing again and again to us through scripture and each and every one of those men.
Stop for now.

We cannot tell you how we feel right now because in moments like these our feelings betray us. They can cause us to say things and act in ways that do not glorify our Father, and this is what we most desire to do. We must instead tell you what we know.

First, God is still God. He is always good, always faithful, and this will always be our confession.

Second, this is strictly a financial issue. Nothing has happened to change our minds about following the call of God on our lives to build his kingdom throughout the world or to change the minds of our leadership about our fitness to help do so. They have assured us of that which has been an encouragement during this time.

You know what, NO. Scratch that. This is not a financial issue at all because our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Money is not an issue for him. If we didn't believe that then we wouldn't have even started this process. This is a matter of timing and obedience, God's perfect timing and obedience from people when he says to do something. Remember that if you are struggling with a problem that you think can be rectified with money.
And third, the money that so many of you have given to the Lord thus far to be used to spread the gospel in Eastern Europe will be held safely within Josiah Venture. These funds will continue to be available for short-term ministry in Croatia or if God leads us back to pursue full-time service. If after two years we are not involved with JV full time, these funds will be used to further the work of God through JV in Croatia.
To every individual, family, and church body reading this who have supported this ministry monthly or with one time gifts, we do not have sufficient words to express our gratitude and love for you.  Know also that this situation has in no way diminished our faith in our Lord or our commitment to serve him. It has surprised us to see that this commitment appears to be taking us in a new direction at this time.

Contentment in Christ

Philippians 4:11-14
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,[c] who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Contentment is not about circumstances and supply, so then why do we as Christians still say to ourselves and to one another, "Look around. We have so much when we compare ourselves to others."  We look at our life and say we should be content with what we have because no matter how little that might be it is probably better than someone else somewhere.  Is God less concerned about a person's needs (most especially a need to know him) because a person is not homeless, not a refugee, not a drug addict, not an alcoholic, etc.?

We say things like, "At least we have our health."  This is well-intentioned, but not entirely correct either.  It is always good to be grateful to God for how he has blessed us, but we cannot look at what we have instead of what we have not and try to be content.  This is wrong as well. Our circumstances good or bad must not determine our contentment.  This is what Paul is saying.

Lord, help me to have your missionary's heart, to look at the multitudes and have compassion because they are like sheep without a shepherd and not simply because I judge one person's quality of life to be better than another.  Help me to be content in my own life through you only, and help me work ceaselessly to help others find this contentment as well.

Yet another post about food

Often we don't have the energy to prepare a meal or just don't have the time we will eat pizza.  We eat a lot of pizza here.  Thankfully, it is really good.  Considering we are so close to Italy we can enjoy Italian style pizza.  Sunday after church we ordered the XXL pizza from our favorite place, Kokolo.  Check out these huge slices.

Hungry, Anyone?

Matthew 7: 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
 

Saturday night nearly 20 students attended youth group. We were very excited to see so many students there. Jamey did an excellent job teaching on the above passage. First, he grossed all the young people out with a video clip from "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern." Great show, a must see! Andrew was eating ice cream from Japan, such as octopus, poisonous viper, and cow tongue. Mmmmm! Then, the students had to trust Jamey to feed them some mystery food. You can check out some pictures below. The students were reluctant to trust Jamey after viewing the video clip and spending a week at English Camp with him and his crazy games. Finally, Jamey shared with the students that God is a good God and we can trust him, ask God questions, seek him, and expect an answer.

Igor isn't afriad to taste plain tuna froma can.

Our friend, Ana, is the first to trust Jamey and taste water.  Water may not have much flavor, but it essential for living.  Sometimes God gives us things without much flavor but essential for our life.

Valeria tastes honey.  Yum!  God gives us sweet blessings and restores our strength.

Thoughts from a Morning with the Philippians

I had a great time with the Lord the other morning, and I really meant to blog earlier just to share some of what God put on my heart.  Here we go.
(Verse) Phil. 1:1  "I am writing to all of God's holy people...who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons."
(Thought) Writing is something I enjoy.  How hard would it be to write a little something everyday that would possibly encourage and/or challenge someone?  An email.  A thank you.  A facebook message.  A poem to my wife.  And maybe sometimes an actual, old fashioned, hand written letter.

(Verse) “Phil. 1:11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ*—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
(Thought) The fruit of true salvation is a life that is becoming like Christ.  This glorifies my Father.  I pray this for myself and help me to remember it for others as a blessing as well.

(Verse) Phil. 1:18 …so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19For I know that as you pray for me

and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
(Thought) Rejoicing leads to deliverance! Rejoicing and prayer.

(Verse) Phil. 1:26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
(Thought)Lord, as a missionary, yes, but more importantly as your son, may I desire productivity not so that others would see it for my sake but for pride in you.

(Verse) Phil.1:29  For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
(Thought) It is my privilege to suffer for him from the things that come my way b/c of the gospel. It is my shame and his if I suffer due to my folly. Help me to know the difference Father.

Day 5 of Camp

Our first English camp is going really well.  We have been blessed with good weather and great people.  Everyone is having a great time.  The stuents are enjoying English classes including all the American candy the team brought with them.  I wonder how many cavaties students have after they leave camp?  Sports are a hit.  Everyone truly enjoyed water sports and diving into a freezing lake.  They say it isn't so bad after the first dive. I, Meredith, wouldn't know.  Jamey and our teammate, Nathan, have done a great job entertaining us in the evenings with such characters as magicians, explorers and native tribesmen, and New Yorkers.  The students have engaged in the stories of Rahab, Joseph and his brothers, and Ruth.  Jamey did a phenomenal job portraying Judah as he told the story of Joseph.  Many were amazed by Joseph's ability to forgive his brothers. 

Below are pictures of students enjoying an evening Luau and others learning to play spoons.  Also, you can see a picture of our team before we headed to camp.

Pics to Match

You know, I've participated in those hypothetical question discussions before, as I'm sure you have.  They are the ones intended to provoke discussion in which people are able to find out more about you.  Here's a famous one:  "If you could live in any time period in history, when would it be."

I have usually answered that by saying, "Here and now.  I really want to live while I live."  I truly do believe that this is one of the greatest times in human history to be alive, BUT I am continually amazed at the trouble I seem to have when it comes to technology in this day and age.  You would not believe the problems I have encountered recently.  We have more ways of keeping in contact with more people now than ever before, and I cannot work any of them without extreme difficulty.  It's true to the point of comic ridiculousness.

Meredith prepared a constant contact update to which I tried to add photos from a new camera we bought because ours died.  The pics have too many "megabyters" or something like that and they won't upload.
Soooooo, here I am trying to blog with pics that will match the email update that Meredith sent out.

Hope this works out.  If it does, I'll let Meredith know by email that I have completed a task.  Maybe I will, if my wireless signal works.  Or maybe by facebook, if I can send her a message instead of posting to her wall which still confuses me.  Or maybe I'll skype her computer.  That way I can talk to her and see her.  Oh, wait, her computer doesn't have a camera.  And my computer doesn't have a microphone anyway.  It used to, but it hasn't worked since my hard drive crashed the week before I left to come here and had to pay to get it replaced too.  It was cheaper.  So I type to her, listen to her voice, and let her see me because my camera still works.  Sometimes I get to see her when she is on my mom's computer.

Confused yet.  Now you know how I feel.  :)

And with all that, I still get to communicate with her and others more often than my parents or grandparents did.  And while I am grateful, I remember the words of Thoreau, and they ring in my ears, "Simplify!  Simplify!"
Happy Twittering everybody!  (I haven't gone there yet.)  Here are the pics.

Interns in the Vienna subway on The Amazing Race.

Here we are at the training in Czech Republic saving a seat in honor of Meredith since she couldn't be with us.  You can't really it, but I have a sad, pouty lip thing going.  It's very endearing.

Here we are with bunch of young people in Croatia at a cookout.  Please pray for them as they finish school and look for jobs.  They are hard to come by here.  And 2 pictured here are being baptized next week.  Pray for their growth and strength in faith.  Family members often don't understand when young people here become Christians.

Update on Progress

This has been a busy week for us here in the city of Rijeka.  Together with the team of summer interns we have visited many of the schools here asking for opportunities to talk with Croatian students and invite them to summer camps.  Overall, we have been blessed with great favor.  Even though principals, teachers, and students are busy with all of the work, studying and social activity that is part of the end of the school year, they have been open to hear about the summer camps that we are here to run.  We have spoken with students out in front of the schools during their break times, but we have also had opportunities to go into the classrooms and tell students about camp.  This is much more effective since the environment in the classrooms is more, shall we say, manageable.  :o)

Outside the classes, we run into some of the challenges you might expect from high schoolers.  We've had some leering looks and inappropriate comments, mostly from young men, but I am so proud of the maturity displayed by the interns.  God's word is true in Romans 5:20 when it says "...where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."  I'm not exactly using that verse in the same context of the law and grace that Paul was teaching about, I know, but the truth of the single statement applies here.  The young women that are with us were strong in the power of the Lord when faced with ugliness straight from the enemy and channeled through the mouths of boys, and the our young men displayed great patience without becoming angry or defensive as well.  We truly thank God and rejoice that we were able to be receive this SMALL amount of verbal persecution for his sake.  

I'm going to try and add some pics of the team and the students we have talked to this week.  We'll see how it turns out.

Big Time Praises!

I have believed for many years that God is able to touch and heal people in a miraculous way, but I have never personally experienced anything like what I am about to share.
Last Friday, May 28, I finished a 3 day long team building exercise in Eastern Europe.  Wednesday morning I left Rijeka, Croatia to drive to Vienna, Austria to meet 4 other men and women who committed themselves to being summer interns in Croatia.  Together we safely covered literally hundreds of miles on foot, by train, tram, subway, and bus as we navigated our way through unfamiliarity with one another and other cultures.  We traveled all over Vienna.  Then from there we went to Bratislava, Slovakia, then to Brno, Czech Republic on Thursday and Friday before finally ending up at the conference center headquarters of Josiah Venture near Frydlant nad Ostravici, CZ.  After carefully navigating some of the busiest centers of plane, train, and automobile traffic that you will find anywhere, I managed to injure myself on the very last challenge of the whole 3 day event.  "What was this harrowing activity?",  you may ask.  "Surely after all these other tests of endurance and intelligence it must have been something truly difficult to have finally gotten the better of you."
Alas, my friends, I injured myself in a ridiculously pathetic attempt to kick a soccer ball.  I planted my left foot wrong and felt a pop in my left hamstring.  I fell to the ground clutching myself in that somewhat vague area between the back of the thigh and the buttock region.  I can honestly say that to my knowledge I have never experienced an injury that was so painful for so long.  I have been limping around the hotel here for over two days unable to bend over or down, put full weight on my left leg, sit, lay, or sleep without significant pain and difficulty.  I checked on the internet for pics of what a torn hamstring would look like.  My leg wasn't nearly that bruised, so I figured it was probably a bad pull or strain.  That knowledge, while comforting, did nothing to improve my physical condition.  A curse upon that sport that God obviously never intended for Americans to play.  Well, at least not this American. :o)
To come to the sincere, serious, God-honoring point of this story, I limped into our evening time of praise and worship tonight just desiring to bless my Father.  The presence of God was awesome from the beginning and I began to sway, bounce, and generally move with the music.  I could really feel in my body a difference from the pain I felt only minutes before when I came in.  I knelt.  Couldn't do that without great difficulty before.  I praised and worshipped more.  I stood.  I became more excited as my leg felt even better.  I quickly walked out the back of the room to the same steps that I could only climb earlier in the day by leaning upon the handrail.  This time, though, I marched up and down them without limping, without leaning, and all the while praising God!
My leg muscles are still sore and tight, but compared to earlier in the day, there is a world of difference thanks to a God who can change our world in an instant.  Never have I felt in my own body the transforming, healing power of God in basically no time whatsoever.  I had not told many people about the injury before this, but I told Meredith the night it happened that I was sure this was the worst injury I had ever sustained.  I even had thoughts like maybe God enabled me to finish the marathon recently in the time goal I set for myself because he knew it was one of the last times I would really be able to run.  I thank him that now that doesn't seem like that will be the case.  God, your mercy is rich, and I do not deserve it.  I can only thank you for your love, and give you glory for your power.  Now show your power again this summer in the lives of the youth of Eastern Europe so they may see and know you are real.  You are God, and you love them!

Now in Croatia

Okay, this is going to have to be a quick post.  First of all let me say I have royally blown my goal of blogging once a week.  I always feel like I have to say too much and something really worthwhile.  So I'll try some quicker shots and pray that God somehow interjects something himself that is worthwhile.  Best that he do it anyway.  :)
I got to Croatia late Sunday night.  Today is Tuesday.  We've been to a half dozen schools or more the last two days to invite students to camps.  Solid receptions at all the schools and now we are praying that God will work on the students to have them sign up to come.  Please pray that st least 30 students will attend each camp and that 5 or more would believe and trust that Christ loves them.  Camp one is from June 22-June 29.  The second camp is later in July.  Can't remember the dates right now.  Too many immediate things pressing in right now.  I think Derek Lam or some other wise man of God called this condition the "Tyranny of the Urgent" or "the Immediate" or something like that.  Anyway it sounded great!  You'd think I would remember it exactly, wouldn't you?
So tomorrow I "immediately" leave to drive to Vienna, Austria to meet four American college age students who will be serving here all summer.  Then we all have to make our way to Czech Republic as a team building exercise ala the Amazing Race on television.  Please pray for easy border crossings and no accidents as I am still learning to drive in Europe.  And I have to go on my own until I meet them.
That's it for now.  I need sleep!
I'll try and give more updates throughout the coming weeks.  Thanks for your prayers and support!

Understanding

A week ago, Jamey and I were driving home from a night away in North Carolina before my surgery.  While he slept I prayed about my surgery on Monday.  I felt that God gave me some insight that gave me peace.  I intended to blog before the surgery, but events do not always unfold as we expect. 
As I was driving, I was reminded that my heavenly father was with me and would be with me during the surgery and after the surgery.  Joshua 1: 9:  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.

I was also reminded that God is sovereign and that my surgeon was an instrument in God's hands.  That ultimately God would direct the doctor's hands and steps.

I thought about all the prayers people have prayed for months regarding the surgery.  I wondered if I did not pray enough, if I did not have enough faith.  I did have faith, with many others, that God was able to miraculously remove the scar tissue from my intestines.  His word is full of miracles.  I don't know why he did not answer our prayers the way we desired, but I believe that He is a good God.  Perhaps there is a greater purpose in me undergoing surgery; a purpose I may never know this side of eternity. I remembered the story of Lazarus.  Mary and Martha knew that Jesus could save Lazarus, but Jesus did not come in the time frame that they desired and Lazarus died.  Jesus did not have to let Lazarus die, but He had a greater plan in resurrecting Lazarus.  Then, I remembered Jesus pleading with God to save him from the death on the cross he was about to face.  But, God did not save him, He had a greater plan.  A resurrection.  A resurrection to bring a new, redeemed life to the nations, to the world.  I'm not here to question how God operates, but to trust in His goodness and love for me.

On the Road

When we first began our road to move to Croatia, we knew it would be a journey, but I don't think we had any idea what roads we would travel.  This past week we had the privilege to travel around Virginia and West Virginia meeting with pastor's and mission's directors and eating LOTS of good food.  Here are just a few pictures and commentaries of our road trips.

Saturday we got lost in the mountains of West Virginia.  We had all the tools to help us in the event that we got lost, GPS, map quest directions, and 3 cell phones, but when all of these modern technologies failed us we wished we had a map!

Jamey is quite angry as we hurry over the same mountain for the second time in hopes we would arrive in time for dessert and a chance to speak.

Our good friend and traveling partner, Rob, a little car sick from the winding West Virginia mountain roads.  Notice how calm, cool, and collected I was despite the angry driver and nauseous co-pilot.

There are quite a number of Starbucks in West Virginia.  I was glad to have some coffee when I thought we were only 15 minutes away from our destination, but after an hour and a half of driving who knows where, I was regretting the tall Italian roast.  Almost had to relive my winter snow storm incident.

Happy that it did not take us 2 hours to see this sign.  A pretty uneventful ride home.

 Gotta love street names.  Ever hear of Tight Squeeze, VA?