tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38100551327594299782024-02-06T21:32:24.096-06:00Kingdom LifeThe next chapter unfolds in Tigard Oregon where the Wiggs are Gett'n Greasy for God. Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-76254274255930368842012-09-17T17:19:00.005-05:002012-09-17T17:19:51.687-05:00Has it really been 6 months?
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Shhhhh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you hear
that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, really, wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hear it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like what’s been
going on with the blog for the last 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My apologies!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time has certainly
flown by, and now the leaves are changing color and I’m going to be 50 years
old in 10 days and I’m really wondering just where all the time has gone?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yup, 50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s really
kind of freaking me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a half a
century after all, and with me being the analytical, statistical type <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you know</i> that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I know</i> that means 2/3 of my life expectancy has already passed
by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poof, gone, just like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother always used to tell me that time would seem to
speed up as I got older, that the years would not always crawl by like they
felt they were doing in my teens, but that someday I would wonder where it all
had gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was right, like moms
sometimes (usually) are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean
seriously, I qualify for AARP?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you
kidding me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those discounts aren’t
enticing me, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, maybe a
little, but not enough yet to sign up. But hey, you didn’t come here to listen to me complain about
turning 50 or to witness a midlife meltdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You probably wanted an update on Honduras and our transition home and
just what is going on with all that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
I’ll do my best to bring everyone up to speed on what’s been going on over the
last 6 months. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of you know that we moved back to the States, to
Tigard, in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting the things that
were coming with packed and out was a challenge as we were unable to find a
shipper taking domestic cargo from Honduras to the states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we rounded up a bunch of less than 62”
boxes, packed them to the 50 lb weight limit, and started sending them home as
passenger cargo with teams and people visiting from the states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we are down to just 5 boxes still
stranded in Honduras but they’ll get here eventually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The majority of our household items were given to Ana, cook
and teacher at Micah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of you
participated in helping to build her a house in Villa Linda Miller which she
was able to move into in July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ana
stopped me the day before I left Honduras and asked if we could talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assumed she wanted to say something about
the furniture, but what she said instead completely blew me away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told me that she had been at Micah when I
had shared my testimony (about 9 months earlier, I had no idea she was there)
and that by hearing how God had rescued and restored me from the sexual abuse I
suffered as a child, she was given hope of healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that for the first time in her life
she did not feel dirty, or like she was a “bad” person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She went on to say that she wanted us to
understand what the home furnishings really meant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, she and her 2 children had lived in
Barrio Buenos Aires for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for
years they had prayed that the Lord would find a way to get them out of the
danger that the barrio is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As each year
passed by, her children lost a little more of their faith in God, until they
had almost none left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pray, why
pray?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God isn’t going to do anything to
help us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then teams came, and a house
was built, and now they each had their own room, with their own bed, and for
the first time in their lives they weren’t going to get rained on at night while
they slept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God did provide, in His
time, and the faith of her children had been restored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div>
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Do not underestimate the impact you are having on
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give with abandon. Share your
story transparently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave the results
up to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blessing that Ana gave
me, by sharing a 15 minute conversation of how her life had been impacted, is
immeasurable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next day I boarded the plane with 3 of our 4 kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian had left a couple of days earlier with
Jake and flown to Albuquerque New Mexico, where they drove Jake’s truck and a
U-Haul trailer to Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traveling with
a dog, a 10 year old, a 14 year old, and a 17 year old girl that can’t speak
English was, uh, interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and
the 16 bags we had with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yah, that
was fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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We arrived to our home in Tigard on June 12<sup>th</sup> and
for those of you that weren’t in the house when we did, Pastor Steve shot a
short video of my complete break down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have always known how incredibly blessed we are to be a part of such
an amazing group of believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when
I walked in and saw this house, this perfect house for our family, filled with
furniture, and dishes, and spaghetti in the refrigerator so I didn’t have to
cook that night, it was so overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The burdens and stresses of the previous 6 months preparing to come back
burst the damn and I was a sobbing, snotting mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary Hunter had the mucous laden shoulder on
her sweater to prove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And just to
echo what I said previously, do not underestimate the impact you are having on
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your generosity, in time and
possessions and prayers blessed us beyond anything we could have ever hoped or
dreamed of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s when “transition” began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that’s a strange word for it,
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Webster’s gives the definition
of transition as:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">movement, <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">passage,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">change</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">from</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">one</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;">position,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">state,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">stage,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">subject,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">concept,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">etc.,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">to</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">another;</span> change.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me that conjures up an image of a flowing
type of change, which is not what the first 6 weeks here in Oregon proved to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had convinced myself that while it
might not be a piece of cake, coming back and settling in, that transition
would be no problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, it was
more of a jarring, abrupt, smack in the face, and I found myself wandering
around in a fog, a very unrealistic kind of reality, wondering if I was
dreaming or if the last 3 years had been a dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very disorienting and unsettling and,
well, I didn’t like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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But life doesn’t stop when you’re in the middle of a
meltdown, so here we were opening up a business on July 1<sup>st</sup>, just 3
weeks after our arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Technically the
shop, 3G’s Automotive, wasn’t open until August 1<sup>st</sup>, but cars began
rolling in from day 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been busy,
steady, and that is a good thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 8
am – 6 pm grind is another challenge to get used to, as I have been wired for
several years to be at home with my kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Being here this summer knowing they were at home by themselves was a
little tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they’re older now, and
it is what it is, you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all
we really can’t complain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There could be
worse things than having work to do, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like not having work, or a way to make an income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully I have a husband that has a trade
that can earn us a living anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
God is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has blessed us with
smooth sailing and work when we need it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p> </o:p></div>
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Now 3 months after our arrival back in the good old U. S. of
A. (and it is so good) the fog is beginning to clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reality doesn’t seem so unrealistic anymore,
and I’m starting to get into a rhythm of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kids are back at school, loving it but beginning to see the benefits
their time in Honduras gave them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ministry is not finished, Micah is not finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still involved almost daily with the
Mama Jo’s Bakery, trying to smooth out the bobbles and bumps they’ve
experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will continue to support
and advocate for Micah as we believe in the work being done there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord has given us a daughter in Nohelia
that stretches me and my understanding of the world quite a bit (give me a
break, I have 3 boys!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now Marvin
Morazan is here living with the Gellingers getting ready to see what God has in
store for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all very amazing,
very humbling, and yes, somewhat unbelievable.<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
We spent just a little over 2 ½ years in Honduras and a lot
was accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Micah Tech was built
and is a huge success, with Franklyn in charge and 22 students enrolled this
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bakery is up and running and we
hope to see it become a viable business that will change the lives of these
single moms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nightstrike was modified to
include elements we practiced at Bridgetown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Feet were washed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Houses were
built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tears were spilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we were forever changed. <o:p> </o:p></div>
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If you were to ask me to summarize what I learned from
Honduras it would be this question I have for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong>Do you know Jesus?<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
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A week before we left we attended the funeral of Emerson, a
14 year old boy that had been a part of the tech program for awhile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had been murdered the day before, shot in
the back of the head and found in a field outside of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never gone to any of the funerals
before, but I made myself go to this one, and I observed and took in everything
I could from that scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the soccer
coach who told me of Emerson’s great talent that was now lost, to his brother
who was completely stunned; the sister brought in by 3 armed policeman in
handcuffs, freed from jail for a few minutes to pay respect to her dead brother’s
corpse; to the street kids high on glue claiming they were the one that had
killed him, to Belen high on glue sleeping on a bench in the funeral home
instead of in the dirt on the street.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I looked at Emerson’s body I thought about all that had
been “accomplished”…the Tech school, the bakery, Nightstrike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought of all he had done, or possibly done in his life, from robbing
people to using drugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I stared
at that pale face I realized that <em>none of it mattered</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only thing that mattered was whether he had met Jesus before the
bullet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
He had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One month
before his death Stephen Kusmer (Micah missionary) had the joy of seeing the
Holy Spirit break down the walls of Emerson’s heart and make him a new creation
in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing that I could truly
say Rest in Peace, Emerson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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So we’re back and like I said, ministry hasn’t stopped, I
doubt it ever will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are developing an
idea for Tech Night here at the shop reaching out to at risk youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was taking some pre-req’s in the hope of
returning to school, but that will have to be on hold for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we’re waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting to “transition”, to heal, and to see
what God has in store for us next. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We are so thankful for each and every one of you that has
prayed and paid for us to do the work God had in Honduras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God pour out His blessings on you all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Peace<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-15909141053618859802012-03-27T16:49:00.001-05:002012-03-27T16:49:33.358-05:0010 weeks to go<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ten weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is our time left here in Honduras.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boy, it has been a long time since I made a post and I sure do have a lot to report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, let’s dive in:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Micah Tech – Most of you know that November saw the first 5 guys graduate from Micah Tech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a short break, most of which was spent building out the kitchen for Mama Jo’s, Franklyn and Edwin got started on their first year of being “the guys”, the director and lead instructor for the school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian helped them develop the curriculum for the year and plan out projects, adding two new components to the school – mechanical drawing and electrical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mornings are spent in class and working on projects with the 18 students enrolled (some Micah guys, some from the barrio), and afternoons are spent working on for profit projects and beginning to put a plan together to turn the school into a for profit venture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few weeks back someone commented that “Brian Wiggs had worked himself out of a job” and I just smiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the point, after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to decrease so they can increase.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mama Jo’s – After the tech guys did a fantabulous job building out the commercial kitchen in Villa Linda Miller, Mama Jo’s officially opened for business January 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a little more than 2 months later we have several regular clients including school cafeterias, coffee shops, and the Chamber of Commerce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are generating approximately 1/3 of the needed revenue to be self supported.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large client is in the works with only pricing approval pending from the purchasing department, and we will be meeting soon with the owner of the largest chain of coffee shops in Tegucigalpa to begin carrying our products in their stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have bumps in the road, for sure, and every day brings a new challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is exhausting at times, but we press on because we believe this business is not only viable, but has the potential to expand and grow into other cities in Honduras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nine people are now employed and on their way to financial independence!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Family – Brian went to the states for 24 days in February and March to speak at all of our supporting churches and outline what is coming down the pike in 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His calendar became filled up very quickly with coffee, lunch, dinner, and meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was pleased to hear how receptive and positive everyone is about the move back to the states and came back encouraged and felt confirmation that we are going in the right direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He continues to work with Franklyn and Edwin in the tech school, lead short term missions teams, and minister to those in the market district.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is praying about employment options when we return to Portland and is very interested in finding a small space to rent to do auto repair, allowing him some time flexibility to travel back and forth to Teguc over the next 3 years as needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Natasha – Got the opening of Mama Jo’s kicked off in January and work with the moms and Karen to make adjustments and changes as needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who has started a business knows that the beginning is a nightmare and you have to be in constant tweak mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is flying by the seat of your pants to allow for all the little unexpected, unknown, unplanned things that bombard you on a daily basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT, wow, I’m so proud of my moms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have stepped up to the plate, sometimes coming in at 1 am to make sure the products are baked in time for 7 am deliveries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are learning how to resolve interpersonal conflicts an put the business first, and they are all very happy to be receiving a paycheck twice a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is going to grow, and grow big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In addition to starting a business in January and being mother to 4 kids and wife to Brian, I decided to go back to school signing up for a full load with PCC’s distance education program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Math, medical terminology, and cultural anthropology, and I got straight A’s!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels so good to be studying again, my brain is alive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, I can actually help Michael with his algebra because we’re studying at the same level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I’m doing 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> grade math all over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*sigh*<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jake – Jake has been wrestling with the Honduran National team since November and had the opportunity to go to Panama to compete in a tournament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has gained 25 lbs of muscle since arriving, has gotten his life back on a good path, and is also taking a full load at PCC with his goal being to transfer to Oregon State and earn a degree in athletic training. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has added a wonderful dynamic to the family with his fun and witty personality, and Brian and Michael love having their big brother here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michael – Michael is also now wrestling with the Honduran team, learning the basics, and in the weight room 3 days a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is getting good grades this year and is on the year book committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is looking forward to moving back to Oregon, though, putting mental tick marks on his wall counting down the days.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian James – Brian is the 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> Wiggs boy working out with the Honduras wrestling team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can I just tell you how funny all that white looks in the middle of all that dark?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t go sending me any comments about being racist, okay, because seriously, my kids need some sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we have it every day, it’s just not making a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They glow out there on the mat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, the work outs are just what Brian needs to burn off the unbelievable amount of energy he has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves being part of it, with his brothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really is kind of cool to see the 3 of them out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian is doing well in school, getting good grades, and spends time with his friend Diego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also looking forward to moving back to Oregon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nohelia – the daughter I never expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nohelia and her 2 younger brothers changed schools this year and it has turned out to be a positive move for them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fit in well with the demographic and have made a lot of friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has grown by leaps and bounds in her faith and attends a Spanish speaking church every Sunday as well as participating in youth activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would like to come to the states with us when we return, and that is our hearts desire as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have applied to the intensive English program at PCC and are awaiting their approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she is accepted we will need to apply for a student Visa before we have the definitive yes we’re hoping for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far the process is going incredibly smooth, but we would appreciate your prayers for the doors to fling wide open along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The MOVE – As time winds down some of the things that stress me out the most, are things that have to wait until last to take care of…like finding a rental house, or selling the stuff we have here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would appreciate your prayers for the right house, a 5 bedroom, in our price range, to come available mid to late May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We will be giving most of our furniture and household items to Ana whose house in Villa Linda Miller will be completed about the time we leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a prospective buyer for our car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now just to find a shipping company to send our 30 boxes of clothing, photos, and a few other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, please be praying as this seems to be our biggest obstacle at this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the cargo carriers we have contacted are not accepting domestic household shipments from Honduras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assume this is because of the narcotrafficking problem, but am not sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also need to find a good home for our German Shepherd and 2 cats, so prayers for that would be welcome too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess that is what happens when you put 2 months between posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you all for your support and encouragement through all of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look forward to seeing y’all in just a little while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-722197065651249312012-01-10T22:16:00.000-06:002012-01-10T22:16:59.101-06:002012 - Here We Go!Happy New Year!<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">How else would I start this post, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We celebrated our 3<sup>rd</sup> New Year’s Eve here in Honduras and it was considerably quieter than the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Christmas and New Years are celebrated here with fireworks…not many of the pretty ones, but lots of firecrackers and what sound like small sticks of dynamite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, however, fireworks were apparently made illegal and while they were still abundant it was evident there were far fewer than the previous 2 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our New Year’s Eve was a tranquil one at home, watching from our back porch the sky that looked like it was illuminated with a strobe light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was eerie, in a cool kind of way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Like many of you, we spent some time over the last couple of weeks reflecting on 2011, all that had happened, and our plans for 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are a regular reader of this blog, you have most likely noticed that there have been far fewer posts since our return to Honduras in September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a conscious choice on my part, as we have been very intentional about seeking the Lord’s guidance in our ministries and for our family, and what 2012 will bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you are a regular reader you may know that I do not write on a schedule, but only write a post if I feel the Lord prompting me to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clear that I needed to be quiet, to spend time in prayer and reflection, and to block out the noise except for His voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">From the beginning of this journey our vision and mission was to create the technical school, to raise up a core group of Honduran men to be the leaders and teachers, and turn it over to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had no idea how long that would take and over the 5 years since we began this walk things have changed time and time again, Proverbs 16:9 in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made and make our plans, but the Lord directs things as He wills to accomplish His purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In November we watched the first 5 guys graduate from The Micah Technical School – Franklyn, Edwin, Christian, Marlon, and Fabian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their parents came to watch them receive their diplomas, everyone bursting with pride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I saw Brian standing with the 5 for the group photo, I heard the Lord whisper “this is what I called you to do”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overcome with emotion I broke down into tears, realizing that I was seeing the fruit of our obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">So what’s next, where do we go from here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have always maintained that we did not want to be the Great White North coming to rescue Hondurans, but that we were coming here to raise up and walk alongside Hondurans as they learn to and begin to reach their own people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mama Jo’s Bakery got added to the mix last year and, like the tech school, the vision and mission were the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teach, advise, give it to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">We have spent the last 4 months in prayer and in counseling and believe that the Lord is leading us in this direction for 2012 (our pastor, counselors, and Michael Miller are in agreement):</div><br />
<ul><li>We are beginning the formal process of handing over both Micah Tech and Mama Jo’s to the Honduran people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This process will unfold over the next 5 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Franklyn will become the Director of Micah Tech, Edwin will be in charge of developing and carrying out lessons and exams, Marlon will take on the pastoral role and be responsible for discipleship and Christian education, and Fabian and Christian will be the main teachers in welding and carpentry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Aleyda Meza is the Manager of Mama Jo’s and Karen Leyer (a Honduran business woman) was hired to co-manage with Aleyda and serve as Director of Marketing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">We will continue to work alongside them but in more of an advisory role, delegating duties instead of being hands on.</li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">In June 2012 our family will move back to the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian will open his own auto repair shop to support our family. <o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">All 3 of our children are at a point in their lives where their academic and social needs can not be met here and they would be better served living in the states.<o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">We have committed to working with the 2 ministries for 2-3 years beyond our return to the states, but “remotely”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Technology and transportation make this a realistic and viable option, something not even conceivable in the world of Missions past.<o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">We will have weekly Skype meetings with the managers of each ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will travel to Honduras every other month for the remainder of 2012, then once per quarter during 2013, twice in 2014, and then annually from then on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></li>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Having our own repair shop will give us the necessary time flexibility to travel back and forth when needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></li>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">When we were in the states we were repeatedly counseled to keep our lives in proper order – God first, family second, and ministry third.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been our focus in prayer and counseling and we feel that this plan for moving forward in 2012 is God honoring, family honoring, and ministry honoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not abandoning any of them in favor of one of the others.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Brian will be in Oregon February 11 – March 3 speaking at each of our supporting churches to explain the process in greater detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be a luncheon or dessert for all of our supporters to give you an opportunity to ask specific questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until then please feel free to e-mail me or send me a message on Facebook and I’ll answer you as best I can.<o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">We are thankful for you all, for your encouragement and support and pray that you will continue with us in serving the Lord here in Honduras.<o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Peace,<o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Natasha </div><br />
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</div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-6303202440108706352011-11-15T11:17:00.000-06:002011-11-15T11:17:17.821-06:00Preparing for FebruaryTo all of our current and past supporters,<br />
We want to send a heart felt thank you to all of you that have supported us for the 2 years we've been in Honduras. Yes, this Thursday marks 2 years since we arrived on the ground! At times it's hard to believe it's really been that long...other times it seems like a lifetime. We have been blessed to be a part of the amazing things God is doing through us at Micah Tech and now with the Micah Mom's Bakery. Truly He has done it all, literally dropping the right things, the right people, and the right places into our laps when the we needed them. <br />
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Last Saturday we presented diplomas in Associates of Science in Welding and Carpentry to the 5 first ever Micah Tech graduates. It was an almost overwhelming evening as we were able to see true fruit from the labor of the last 2 years. While we celebrated the accomplishment of those 5, we wrestled with sadness at the sight of Juan Carlos sitting in the back, seeing his former classmates success and knowing that he chose to throw it away. That is the nature of our lives here, simultaneous celebration and heart ache.<br />
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We also presented the Micah Moms with certificates of accomplishment for the work they have done in learning the art of baking bagels, scones, and cinnamon rolls, and announced the planned formal opening of Mama Jo's Bakery the first of the year. It's thrilling to know we are sitting on the precipise of seeing the realization of what we were called here to do.<br />
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Our intention when we came to Honduras was to create these opportunities for the Honduran people and then to release these ministries to them. We are getting close, but still have work to do. The first 5 guys have graduated and now need to learn how to be "the guys", those that actually run the school, plan the lessons, make the tests, develop the business to make the school self sustaining. <br />
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The moms have learned how to bake and are ready to start their business, but in order to have long term success they need to learn all the various aspects of running that business.<br />
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Which leads me to the reason for this post. Since our arrival on the field in November 2009, our monthly support has decreased by 24%. $600 in monthly donations fell off before our move to CVI in April, another $1,045 have dropped off since. Our support is currently at 63% of our target budget and if that continues we will not be able to stay here and continue this work. Brian will be traveling to Oregon in February specifically to raise support and in preparation for that, we need to know exactly where we stand and how much needs to be raised in order for us to remain in Honduras.<br />
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If you are currently supporting us, first let me say THANK YOU and how much we appreciate your faithfulness. If you could please respond to by e-mail and let us know if your intentions are to continue to support us in 2012, and at what amount, that will help us tremendously in determining what additional support needs to be raised.<br />
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If you have supported us in the past and are no longer able to do so, we understand, life happens. However, if you could please respond to by e-mail and let us know that you are not able to continue with monthly support that will help us as well and we will remove you from the list of monthly donors. Of the 24 donors that have dropped off in the last 2 years, we have only received actual communication regarding this from 3.<br />
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All glory praise and honor be to Him Who is able to all things,Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-48294214852790167982011-10-31T18:09:00.000-05:002011-10-31T18:09:05.405-05:00Still Being RealSooooo...<br />
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One of the absolute worst parts about being on the mission field is raising support. If you were to ask all of us what the worst part of our job is, that would be at or near the top of everyones list.<br />
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The reality is, it takes money to do ministry. And as much as I <em><u>hate </u></em>this part, I have to do it. We need some people to come on board and help out with the money part of ministry.<br />
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When we left for the field 2 years ago our average amount of monthly financial support was approximately $5,500 per month. With the administrative fees, monthly health insurance, and taxes, our net pay averaged just over $3300 per month, about 80% of our budget. The shortfall meant no money was going into either travel or emergency savings. <br />
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In April we moved from ACTION to CVI to reduce the administrative fees and cover the 20% shortfall. However, since that time our support has steadily declined; we have lost some large monthly supporters due to the economy and our incoming support for October was slightly less than $2,700. Donations from 17 regular supporters did not come in this month.<br />
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We understand that life happens, bills come up and it budgets get tight, so I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. Just trying to keep it real, you know? Our bare-bones, nothing to spare, bottom line is $3,600, so the math isn't working out so well. <br />
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So I'm asking...if you are able to begin supporting us financially, please do so now. If you already are a regular monthly supporter, we want to thank for your faithfulness.<br />
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Peace and blessings,<br />
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NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-89423365260536143882011-10-22T14:19:00.002-05:002011-10-22T18:54:40.429-05:00Keeping It RealThere are a couple of blogs written by fellow missionaries that I regularly read and one theme that comes up quite often is that of authenticity, or being real in living out our faith.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Being real and authentic is something that I also try to do but is something I believe we will never achieve in this lifetime because we are, at our core, sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That doesn’t mean that living our faith out as authentically as possible is something we shouldn’t strive to do, but our approach towards authenticity needs to the right one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Jeremiah 17:9-10 says “The heart <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is</span> deceitful above all <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">things, a</span>nd desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I</span> test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that is the case, then even when we think we’re being real, we’re probably not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our heart tells us that what we’re doing is real, that we’re being honest, but are we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only God knows the true intentions of our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe instead of striving to be real and authentic, what we should be doing is striving to be holy and in doing that we will arrive at truth, authenticity, and <u>real</u>, or at least as close as we can be in this corruptible flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">In 1 Peter 1:13-16 Paul tells us to “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">your</span> hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">as</span> in your ignorance; but as He who called you <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is</span> holy, you also be holy in all <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">your</span> conduct, because it is written, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ ”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I found <a href="http://bible.org/seriespage/call-holiness-1-peter-114-16">an excellent writing</a> on the subject of holiness that I encourage you to read. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That which sets the true child of God apart from all others is their faith and trust in God, evidenced by obedience to His commands even when they do not seem to make sense</i>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the passages I particularly like in this article is “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How comfortable we are to add God to our lives with little or no change necessary on our part. Such is not the message of the true gospel or the teaching of the Scriptures on the spiritual life. The Old Testament prophets, along with John the Baptist and then Jesus, called for a radical change for those who would trust and obey God.</i>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Striving to be holy may not make sense because the longer we walk with Jesus the more aware we become of just what huge sinners we really are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sense or not, it is what we are commanded to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>n a search on <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/">www.biblegateway.com</a> I was not able to find any passage where believers are instructed to be "real" or "authentic", not one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At least not the general definition of being real and authentic. </span>Holiness, or righteousness though?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list goes on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">The problem with striving to be real and authentic as I see it, is that too many times when we are “just being real”, what we are really doing is taking our liberty in Christ of not being bound by the law and giving that preeminence over our responsibility to be examples of Christ to all believers and unbelievers alike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sacrifice of Christ and the grace imparted to us because of the shedding of his blood did release us from the letter of the law, this is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as followers of Jesus we are responsible for how we represent Him to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As missionaries, whether we like it or not, we are viewed through a different lense and our words and actions can have an affect on other believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, like it or not, we are an example to others and that responsibility is not to be taken lightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our primary goal should be to seek holiness and represent the love of Christ to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times, many times, that is going to have an impact on our ability to be “real”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not suggesting we should be phony, by any means, but what I am saying is that the fragility or stability of another believers faith and how our words and actions will impact our brothers and sisters in Christ need to weigh more heavily on how we conduct ourselves than our liberty to be “real” because we have been set free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our freedom in Christ is not a license to broadcast our sins under the guise of being real, resulting in leading others astray or causing them to stumble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a license to cause division or disunity in the body of believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should, at all times, seek to lift each other up and encourage each other to live our lives striving for holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At times that will include sharing our struggles with sin, but to wear them as badges of our realness, as evidence of our authenticity, is to cheapen the price of grace. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;"><br />
I was particularly taken aback at one post I read recently, where the writer repeatedly and incessantly points out that only those he has chosen to be a part of his inner circle have the right to say anything about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> he is living out his faith, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> he is walking his walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhat stunned, I sat there thinking “really?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let me get this straight, only those that fit into your already determined idea of what it means to be a Christian are allowed to weigh in on your words and actions in the name of Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that pretty much eliminates any possibility of being criticized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or corrected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Scripture calls for believers to hold each other accountable. Believers. Not just our close circle of friends. </span>Which takes me back to the “heart is deceitful” passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we only allow those believers that share the same set of rules for ‘how to be a Christian’ as we do to make any comment or observation about our walk, aren’t we putting ourselves on a self-righteous pedestal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we say that the comments of those that we don’t particularly like or agree with are irrelevant and don’t even warrant a nod, we are essentially saying that we have it all figured out, that we’re the ones that have it right.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">At a meeting several years ago a man said something that will stick with me forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“When we get to heaven we’re all going to find out that part of our theology was wrong.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe, just maybe, those people that are offering constructive criticism, or comments contrary to what you hold to be true, maybe they actually know something you don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they are further along in their walk and faith and have learned something that the Lord wants to teach you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe what they are telling you is that part of your theology is wrong.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0pt;">Not ever critic speaks truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything must be weighed against scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to toss out a contrary idea because you don’t like it, or you don’t want to hear it, or it impedes your right to be real, is short sighted and pharisaical.</div><br />
Holiness needs to be our focus and our goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not holier than thou-ness, but biblical holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be like Christ, to be different from the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be set apart for the good works ordained before the foundations of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being authentic and real will be a natural result of striving for holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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</div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-78482803633969037212011-10-11T11:11:00.000-05:002011-10-11T11:11:51.936-05:00A Different Kind of YearHere we are already October 10th. The boys have only 2 weeks until the end of the 1st quarter of school and I am happy to report that all is well here in Casa de Wiggs. Most of you know that we ended up spending twice the number of weeks originally planned in the states, in counseling to deal with issues that bubbled to the surface while there. Since our return to Honduras a month ago, life here is very different than it was. <br />
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One of our core beliefs is to let the Hondurans eventually take over the ministries and so one of the changes we made is to have some of the Micah Moms start doing the cooking (that I had been doing) for the Monday discipleship and Thursday Nightstrike. Another task that was mine was entering expense receipts into Quickbooks but while we were gone that was taken over by another volunteer who will continue to do that. My Micah ministry focus/hours now is 2 days a week working with the Micah Moms on the bakery business. This has freed up so much time for me, allowing me to have more energy and patience with the boys.<br />
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The boys started swim lessons every day after school which have proven to be a huge help for them in dealing with stress. The instructor is tough and they get a good solid hour of hard swimming to expend all that pent up stuff before heading home for homework and chores. They are both looking forward to swimming well enough by the first of the year to join one of the 4 competitive teams. <br />
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We are also happy to share that we are now regular attenders of Union Christian Church, an english speaking non-denominational church. The new pastor is excellent and guess what? He and his wife are Steve and Debbie! It must be a sign! Not really, but we do like them and his preaching style very much. That was another difficulty before, that we had not been able to find a church "home". <br />
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So now that we are settled into the year, into a routine, I hope to get back to regular updates. Thank you all for lifting us in prayer. We appreciate you all so very much.<br />
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Peace,<br />
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NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-2517628147743956652011-08-30T22:40:00.000-05:002011-08-30T22:40:47.393-05:00Tongue TiedWe left Portland last Friday and spent a couple of days in Spokane and then on to Montana to see family, something we really needed before heading back to Honduras this weekend<br />
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Tonight Michael and I took my 86 year old mother to IHOP for dinner. She looks pretty darned good for her age and still walks with just a cane. Her short term memory is pretty sketchy since her stroke last year, but she's still mom with her sense of humor and that spunk I always loved.<br />
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I may write more about our visits later but I need to send a message out to Donna B, our waitress tonight. At one point during dinner she asked me if we were from Missoula. We went on to tell her we lived in Honduras and that we were missionaries there and briefly explained Micah. Donna said that both she and the other waitress were just talking about religion, how they both had come through many of the same things in life and ended up working together at IHOP, and both were at a point in life where they are searching for the truth. She said she had come to the point that she knew there had to be something bigger than us, something that made it all, but she wasn't sure what she believed.<br />
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Instead of telling her what a REAL missionary would have told her, all I managed to say was that I had seen far too many things happen in my life, that they all point to no other possibility but that God is real. Then I scribbled our blog address down on a piece of paper and told her if she wanted to know what we we did to check it out. <br />
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Donna, if you happen to be reading this, I want you to know what I wanted to say but didn't, that Jesus is alive and real. That He has taken my ship wrecked life and turned it into a life of meaning and purpose. That He has healed me from mistakes and heartbreak and given me joy and peace. And that He loves you too and wants to do those same things for you. Take a chance, just talk to Him, ask Him to show you Who He is. <br />
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That truth you want to find, it's Jesus. I hope you find Him.<br />
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PeaceFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-24710339646285733122011-08-19T15:23:00.000-05:002011-08-19T15:23:46.329-05:00Sticks and Stones <span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was growing up my mom used to say certain phrases quite often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some were general good advice, some were just plan odd; here are a few that will never be forgotten:</span><br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t hang your dirty laundry out for the world to see.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well it’s got to be somewhere!</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only reason he picks on you is because he likes you!</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Did you put on clean underwear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will people think if you’re in an accident?</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s all fun and games until someone gets and eye poked out.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you think I fell off the turnip truck?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another one that was said with good intentions was “Oh honey, remember, sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was meant to make us suck it up and not take things too seriously, and that is a necessary life skill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t go around being all hyper sensitive and having our feelings hurt over every stupid comment thrown our way.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But it isn’t a true statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words can and do hurt, sometimes irreparably.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Hebrews 4:12 says “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marrow, the stuff at the very center of our bones, is not an easy thing to get to and it causes so much pain for a donor that the process is done under general anesthesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain that lingers can last for days or even weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bone marrow transplant can be a life saving treatment for thousands of people, but very few people sign up to be a donor and a good part of that reason is because of the pain that will be involved.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a Huffington post, Susan Smalley, PhD writes “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">I once read that a word is like a living organism, capable of growing, changing, spreading, and influencing the world in many ways, directly and indirectly through others</span></i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds like bacteria, or an amoeba or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you seen the news lately about the brain eating amoeba?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never even knew that anything like that existed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But apparently there is this little, microscopic organism that can crawl up your nose while <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your swimming in warm water recreation areas and then goes on a hunt for food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the grossest thing I’ve ever read about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no cure, and only 1 person has ever survived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly makes me think twice about taking a dip in the local swimming hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eeeewwww.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We take precautions all the time to avoid pain and suffering, for ourselves and our loved ones. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t sign up to be bone marrow donors because it will hurt, and now people everywhere are buying nose plugs to protect themselves from water dwelling ravenous amoeba; we wear seat belts in the car and helmets when we ride a bike; we get anesthetized before a dental procedure and get our prescription drugs to take after; we go to the beach with a bottle of sunscreen and a bottle of aloe vera just in case the SPF wasn’t enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We prepare in all kinds of ways to avoid being hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how much do we prepare to keep from hurting someone else, especially when it comes to words?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scripture is full of instruction regarding the need to keep our mouths in check and what can happen if we don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proverbs 5 :12 says “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth” </i>and verse 19 lists “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one who sows discord among brethren” </i>among the 7 things the Lord hates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many times I open my mouth and word vomit just spews forth, with absolutely no forethought about the immediate and lingering effects my words are going to have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saying hard things is necessary at times but we have to be careful about the necessary part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many years ago a good friend of mine summoned the courage to take me aside and tell me that my ex-husband was having an affair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two of them were best friends and he agonized over telling me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He talked to his mom, who is a psychologist, about whether he should or not and, knowing full well it would ruin their friendship, decided to do the right thing and tell me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hard to listen to, but I was grateful for his courage to confirm what I already knew but couldn’t prove. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was brutal stuff, but necessary to right a terrible wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently I found myself seeing something going on around me I didn’t like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Determined to get to the bottom of things and help make it right, I began to do some amateur detective work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Filled with zeal to fix what I saw as an injustice I took my arsenal full of “they saids” and dropped it into the lap of my friends, without ever even considering what the ripple effect would be.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unlike my friend from the past, who thought long and hard about whether to tell me or not, even seeking wise counsel from his mom and weighing out the outcome, I just marched blindly in and dumped a pile of garbage in these friends laps and just stood there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Here you go, here’s a mess I found for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See ya!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unlike my friend from the past, who had actually been a witness to my husband’s infidelity, seeing him with the other woman, all I had were words and opinions of others which is basically nothing but gossip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proverbs 5:19 in real life.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Proverbs 16:28 says:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Gossip</span> is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends. (CEV) </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And Proverbs 25:23<strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> says: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A</span></strong>s surely as a north wind brings rain, so a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">gossip</span>ing tongue causes anger! (NLT)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my misguided enthusiasm to FIX IT, I unwittingly became not the hands and feet of Jesus, but those of the devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching the hurt on my friends faces as I backed up my dump truck full of refuse and let ‘er rip, I saw Satan laugh, and I went away and cried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My friends are gracious and kind and they forgave me for sticking my nose into something I shouldn’t have, but that old saying about sticks and stones, well it just isn’t true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words are one of the most powerful weapons in all the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the ability to encourage, build up, and heal, or bruise, wound, and destroy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they can never be erased or taken back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I learned a hard lesson that day, in thinking before I speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It preaches easy, but isn’t so hard to put into practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, I pray you will give me a pause, a 3 second network delay before I open my mouth in the name of MY justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help me to see down the corridors of time at the effect my words could have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if there is a potential for harm, give me the discipline to shut my mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
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</div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-24618098567719986912011-08-16T13:07:00.000-05:002011-08-16T13:07:07.795-05:00Update <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since my July 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> post I have been intentionally silent about what is going on within our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have said on more than one occasion, we strive to be as honest and transparent as possible with everyone that supports and encourages us and the ministry in Honduras, without being immodest or theatrical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We let you know about struggles within our family because 1) we believe that you, our prayer and financial supporters, have a right to know if things are working well or not, and 2) we need your prayer and encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, our family also needs a certain level of privacy during this time to talk, and pray, and work out practical solutions to the issues that came to the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not feel that it is scriptural, necessary, or beneficial for anyone to share publicly every detail of every step that has been taken and is being taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, sharing nothing and then announcing on Facebook that we were returning to Honduras on September 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> was short sighted and has resulted in several “WHAT?” comments and has some people scratching their heads in disbelief. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, here’s where things stand today:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we have been able to determine what some of the underlying issues are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been in counseling for the last 3 weeks, we are continuing in counseling for the next 3 weeks, and we will continue counseling after returning to Honduras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have made changes in areas of ministry that will allow us more time together as a family, to implement the tools and solutions we have chosen in order to address core issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have spent many hours in prayer and in the Word and as a result have seen areas in each of us that we are committed to changing, through accountability partners and surrendering those things to the Holy Spirit’s control.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Micah Boys always talk about how they are a work in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what this is, a work in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no magic wand that made everything all better and we’re ready to go back, as if nothing happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things will not be completely fixed or perfect before we go back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we will have solid tools in place so that the work in progress can continue, can grow, and can flourish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why September 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, mostly for practical reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first day of school is August 22<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have spoken with the director who thinks the latest the boys could start and still have a good chance of succeeding 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> term is September 12<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 3 weeks late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Returning on the 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> will give me 1 week to buy material for 2 pairs of pants for each of the boys, get the material to a tailor and give him time to get them made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I can’t walk into Old Navy and buy a couple of pairs of khakis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pants are a very specific color that is just not available in pants you can buy in a store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>School supplies need to be purchased and unlike here in the states, that requires a trip to 3 different stores, or more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Airfare needs to be purchased 21 days in advance to get a decent price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The person staying in our house caring for our dogs is delaying his return to the states waiting for us to return to Honduras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All real life stuff that has to be considered when choosing a time to return.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Man makes his plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is our plan but as Pastor Steve said, the situation is fluid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That plan will proceed or change as God directs and with advice from the wise counsel we are blessed to have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Peace</span></span></div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-60441318208193616372011-08-02T13:06:00.000-05:002011-08-02T13:06:27.595-05:00It's not just usSince my last 2 blog posts about the struggles our kids are having in Honduras, I have heard from several missionary families who are dealing with the exact same thing. Their kids are lonely, scared, frustrated, and feeling a little far down the list of priorities. Let's work together! Anyone interested in helping create or be a part of a group for missionary and expat families, please contact me. If our kids could be connected with other kids like them, who understand the struggles of trying to live in another culture, it would go a long way to making life more enjoyable. Same for us parents, having other people to vent with that really understand what you're dealing with, would be a huge help. <br />
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Send me your thoughts and ideas. Or just send me a message about what you are going through and we'll chat. We were not sent out to be alone in this!<br />
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PeaceFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-54279305530091760922011-07-31T22:51:00.000-05:002011-07-31T22:51:07.632-05:00Sit still my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out.I don't know about you, but sitting still is not something I do very well. Sitting still is not something that has much value in modern society; production, results, action, those are the things that we use to gauge how good of a job we're doing and, to some extent, make us feel worthy or important. <br />
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Production, results, and action are all things I really like too. For awhile in the 80's I worked in "production data entry". What that meant was at the start of my shift I would have a huge stack of invoices that needed to be entered into the computer. Huge. Like 3 feet high. And at end of my shift the stack would be gone. It was a mind numbing job, but the one thing I loved was I could point to the completed stack at the end of the day and say "look what I did!" I was a fast keyer, 16,000 kph and I never missed an opportunity to tell someone. (That means I hit a key 4 times every second...kapow!) It may not have been important work, certainly wasn't anything that was changing the world, but I got a sense of worth from plowing through that stack every day.<br />
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In the 90's I supervised a medical billing department for a group of surgeons - this is where I learned to loathe insurance companies. At the beginning of every monthly billing cycle we would see where our numbers were, that is how many dollars in claims were older than 60 days, and we would start making phone calls. Dialing for dollars our CFO used to say. At the beginning of the next billing cycle we would look at the numbers again and be able to tell if we did a good job or not. If the percentage went down, hooray for us! We rocked! If the percentage went up though, that meant digging into the accounts to see what needed to be tweaked. For the 6 years I managed the department, outstanding receivables stayed low and revenue remained high. Again, not Nobel work, but I was proud of how well my deparment ran. Results I could see and point to, on paper, every month. It made me feel good.<br />
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In both of those jobs I could assess the situation and make necessary changes to have a better outcome the next time. There were proven tactics that would make the outcome better. Look things over, implement the right tool and pat yourself on the back.<br />
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Hmmmm. How does that production and results mindset work in ministry? Not so well. People can't be pushed and manipulated like stacks of paper and numbers. They don't always respond the way we want them too; actually they very seldom respond the way we want them to. We have high hopes of changing the world, saving the world, making a difference, and at the end of the day we usually look at our pile of work and find it hasn't diminished a bit. We try to assess the situation, change the program, the angle, the approach, hoping "they'll get it" if we do it this way. When they don't, we shake our head and wonder what we're doing wrong. <br />
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From the time we started with Bridgetown, to now with Micah, we are tempted to (and many times do) count our successes. And when we do, it's discouraging. For all of the people we have interacted with, all of the hours we have spent in conversation, or teaching, or whatever, the number of "success" stories amount to only a few. We need to learn that success, then, needs to be measured by what we can't see; that exponential factor that some day, if we're lucky, we'll get to know how it all worked out. That's hard to hang on to sometimes and doesn't really allow you to pat yourself on the back at the end of the day. After all, you DON'T KNOW. Did you do a good job? Or were you a complete screw up, an utter failure?<br />
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And how does that production and results mindset work when it comes to parenting...I have always thought we were doing a good job, we have great kids! Everyone tells me how well behaved they are, how smart they are. They have always had grades at the top of their class. They have always made friends easily. They don't fight with each other, they're quiet and really low maintenance. Pat, pat, pat. What a great job we're doing!<br />
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Curve ball.<br />
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Like ministry, we are learning that our success in parenting needs to be measured by what can't see. Turns out that our kids, who <em>are</em> all of those great things, are dealing with things on the inside that we were oblivious to. Feeling like they don't matter, like ministry and Micah and Honduras and EVERYTHING are more important than they are. If they just do good enough, we'll see how awesome they are! And we do. What we failed to see is how human they are. We failed to see how hurt they are, how scared they are, how frustrated they are, and how lonely they are. Doing what I know how, I tried to assess the situation and come up with a quick fix, some guaranteed tweak that will make everything all better. Instead of finding a one size fits all solution, I came up empty handed. I have never been this far at the end of myself. I have no ideas, no agenda, absolutely no clue how to make things better, and finally, my prayers have become real. When you get to a point where you have absolutely no answers, you can sincerely look to the One who has them all.<br />
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God is speaking to me in my dreams, giving me insight and scripture to read when I wake up. One night it was Ecclesiastes; one day 1 Peter; and another it was Ruth. The entire book of Ruth and one verse, 3:18, jumped off the page - "Then she said 'sit still my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.'"<br />
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I know, I know, totally out of context, but there it was, what I needed to <em>hear</em>- that I needed to stop my hand wringing and sit still and wait for the outcome, that The Man will not rest until the matter is brought to the proper conclusion.<br />
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I can't kiss this booboo and make it better, only God can. The scab has been ripped off, the antiseptic is beginning to be poured on the wound. It stings. It hurts. But in the long run, there will be true healing. As difficult as it is to see them hurting I need to trust God and allow Him to do His work in them through it. Sit still, daughter, and wait. Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-35072804276564209422011-07-24T14:52:00.000-05:002011-07-24T14:52:49.843-05:00Being Pitched a Curve BallBy now some of you are already aware of what I'm writing here. If you read my last post you know that our time in the states allowed emotions and issues buried beneath a shell of self preservation to come to the surface.<br />
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We spent some time in counseling and were advised not to take our boys back to Honduras today. They are both struggling far more than we knew. The concern in the psychologist's voice and on his face told us that returning without dealing with this was not really an option. <br />
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Curve ball. <br />
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Since the beginning I have tried to be transparent and honest in all of our trials and joys, and that is what I want to do here as well, without being an exhibitionist. Here's where things stand:<br />
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Last night Brian boarded a plane to head back to Honduras, the boys and I stayed here in Oregon. Brian will make the presentation for the Rotarians (which is now being covered by a newspaper and tv station!) and then lead the Grace Point team when they arrive Friday. He will then return to Oregon on August 9th.<br />
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The boys and I will begin intensive counseling this week and then we will continue as a family when Brian gets here. When everyone feels that it is okay to do so, we will return to Honduras.<br />
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I can't tell you what long term looks like. We are looking into the future right now and see nothing but fog. Wow, that reminds me of Jan Geist. She always loved the fog. The counselor said to keep our lamp just 3 steps ahead. Good advice, not so easy to put into practice. <br />
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Like you have done for so long, please continue to pray for us. <br />
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Peace and blessings,<br />
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NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-10251502348199908972011-07-18T15:50:00.000-05:002011-07-18T15:50:19.418-05:005 weeks in the states, Part 2Winding down to the end of our time here in the states, we begin heading back to Honduras at 12:30 am Sunday...love those red eye flights, that will probably leave us with red eyes!<br />
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Our time here in Oregon has been good, although somewhat bittersweet. Michael was looking forward to having "his life" back for a time, but found that a lot of his friends had moved on, whether that was simply on to high school group or literally away. It's hard to explain that to a 13 year old that the only thing that never changes, is that life ALWAYS changes. Difficult lessons are starting to be learned, about being content wherever you are and that life will eat you alive if you let it.<br />
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We have been super blessed to have a house all to ourselves, to be able to run around in our jammies and watch tv, to just do nothing. <a href="http://www.theveryworstmissionary.com/2011/07/effort.html">A post from Jamie</a> hit a little too close to home as the down time has given us the ability to see areas in our lives that were beginning to burn and need some serious attention and clean up. Talking with pastors and friends we are putting some good things into place and motion to do that...but it's a little scary. I mean, seriously, I don't <em>want </em>to look at all the mean nasty things I do and say to those I claim to love. I don't <em>want </em>to admit that a good deal of the issues in our family are <em>my </em>fault entirely or even in part (shudder!). I've been through counseling before and honestly, it sucks. Getting real with yourself and others and changing habits and attitudes, well it's not fun and it's a lot of work. Avoidance and denial are so much easier, don't you agree? And it is ever so much easier to say "if we weren't in Honduras...". <br />
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Well, if we weren't in Honduras we'd be so much more distracted by American Life that we wouldn't need to stop and look at issues and areas needing change. If we weren't in Honduras we would blissfully go about our days with the illusion that we were safe and secure. If we weren't in Honduras we would definitely get FAT because we've pretty much eaten our way across the United States...mmmm, Sonic. <br />
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But we are in Honduras and the distractions aren't there, so areas of life that aren't working like they should become really difficult to ignore. The endless viloence makes it impossible to mistakenly believe that we have any safety and security apart from being in God's hand. And beans, rice, and mangoes make it easy to keep your weight a little closer to where you want it.<br />
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I read an article n the Oregonian about a police officer who is responsible for 50-60 gang members on probation and parole. The article talked about the difficulty of keeping them on a good path and stated that there have 7 gang homicides in Portland this year...this year. That took my breath away. In Honduras we have that many <em><u>every day.</u></em> In 2010 we averaged 16 murders per day<em>,</em> 60-75% of them being gan related. I'll let you do the math, but in an instant it made me see why a lot of those bad attitudes and behaviors have developed. In order to deal with the relentless images of murder and tragedy all around, we've just turned our emotions off. The sucky part of that is you don't get to pick and choose what emotions shut down, they pretty much all just turn off. It's too freaky to feel what you're really feeling when you come around the corner and see a guy that just had his head blown off, or you see a body tossed onto the side of the road like a bag of trash. So we just stopped feeling, anything. Little automatons running around doing what we're supposed to do, saying all the right things because it's been scripted out so well, and painting on a happy face like a bow on top of a pretty package. <br />
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When the defenses started to come down after we arrived, because we weren't living on high alert anymore, the walls started to crumble and those feelings that were shut off, well they are just all kinds of confused now. So now we have a pile of yuck that needs to be sorted out and cleaned up. Thankfully we have amazing people in our lives that are committed to helping us do that. <br />
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So the packing has begun, trying to make sure we're not over 50 lbs a bag with 2 Kitchenaid mixers onboard will be a challenge, but we'll see. Brian and Michael fly through Panama and have a night on the Panama Canal next to the Bridge of the America's. Brian James and I (with our mileage tickets) fly through Houston and will stay with friends for the night. The 27th we hit the ground running with a presentation before 25+ Rotary club members to ask them to commit to raising funds for Micah 2.0. <br />
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Other than that, it's bon bons and Spanish soap operas, baby...as my husband likes to say. Thanks for your continued love, prayers, encouragement, and support. We'll see you again soon.<br />
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PeaceFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-43891484874742175422011-07-05T20:01:00.001-05:002011-07-05T20:09:54.850-05:005 Weeks In the States, Part I <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEG9pv5nqoHdDGLt8h2UX0p23aEzuDvmP0gQnPu4V8bGOTiIHWgtPxo-esaIOHkWOi5bIUqlU6B2NtzcNJ7M55O6D3nOtfw5iGs03ZaW2sz1xnGO9Co9ovVDUJKgJpDkidDSN5509GC7S/s1600/family+in+front+of+white+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEG9pv5nqoHdDGLt8h2UX0p23aEzuDvmP0gQnPu4V8bGOTiIHWgtPxo-esaIOHkWOi5bIUqlU6B2NtzcNJ7M55O6D3nOtfw5iGs03ZaW2sz1xnGO9Co9ovVDUJKgJpDkidDSN5509GC7S/s320/family+in+front+of+white+house.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wiggs in front of the White House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Can I just start by saying how wonderful it was to be here in America yesterday? Last year we were in Honduras on the 4th of July and it was just kind of sad. We don’t celebrate many of the usual holidays down there because they don’t celebrate them, or at least not in the same way. So Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween, they all just pass by with barely a notice. <br />
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When we began to plan our trip back to the states I asked Brian if he wanted to spend the 4th in Portland or Washington DC. I had heard that the celebration on the National Mall was completely amazing and it would have been fun, probably a once in a lifetime thing. But we agreed that the 4th here at home would be more enjoyable. Jon and Lynsey Knapp invited us out to barbecue and swim in Molalla and then spend the evening at the Molalla Buckaroo…okay, for those of you that know me you can picture the look on my face when Brian shared this news with me. “I traded a 4th in DC for a rodeo?” I thought and actually said. Foggy memories of the Let ‘Er Buck room at the Pendleton Roundup many moons ago surfaced and I kind of shuddered thinking about how many fringe jackets and rhinestones would be there. Michael, our 13 year old angsty, never wear anything but black, Iron Maiden loving teenager was even more thrilled than I about the planned festivities, but I told him that life often puts you where you don’t want to be and you just need to suck it up and make the best of it.<br />
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Well cowboy up, ladies and gentlemen, cause it was a fabulous day. The boys were able to spend hours playing in the pool in the glorious 85 degree sun and we were able to spend some good time hanging out with old friends (and I’m not just talking about their age) and new. About 7:00 we headed on into the rodeo, throwing the diet out the window of the truck on the way. Shave ice, cotton candy, sausages, elephant ears, root beer floats…all stuff we never eat. It was actually fun watching the cowboys ride bucking broncs and bulls, seeing the trick riders, and Slim in his airplane car made us laugh until we cried. Thank you Jon and Lynsey for inviting us, DC has got nothing on the day we had. <br />
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Speaking of crying and DC, if you’re in need of a little patriotic shot in the arm DC will definitely give you one. Our first stop after arriving in the states, we toured the Capitol, some of the Smithsonian’s, the monuments and memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, and got to see the White House (from the outside). I had decided that for the time God has us in Honduras we would make an intentional effort to teach our kids, and learn for ourselves, the history of America so that when the day comes to move back we will have a love and appreciation for the USA that seems to be sorely lacking among many that are privilege to live here. We have an incredible opportunity to learn about what has actually taken place over the last 235 years that allows us to have the freedoms we have in the US, and to contrast that with the life we live in Honduras and the lack of freedom and opportunity that is LIFE in Central America and my hope is that in seeing the two, we will Pledge Our Allegiance to the Flag of The United States of America more than ever before. <br />
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My dad fought in World War II. He was a 2nd Lieutenant bombardier running missions over Japan, taking off from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. In November 1944 their B-24 was shot down and they all knew if they were going to survive they needed to get out of Japan and into Russia. They made it and spent the next year interned in Russia until they “escaped” across the southern border and were brought home. They were told never to tell anyone they were there, that it was classified information and basically never happened. Russian president Yeltsin finally fessed up and my dad was given his POW status and accompanying benefits about 40 years later. It’s an incredible story that few people know about, but a couple of books have been written including The Last Flight of Bomber 31 by Ralph Wetterhahn, and Home From Siberia: The Secret Odysseys of Interned American Airmen in World War II by Otis Hays. Anyway, because of this I knew the World War II Memorial would be moving and it was as I sat there trying to imagine what he went through. We talked with the boys as we stopped at each memorial about what the reasons were for each war and how freedom really isn’t free. None of the memorials were as humbling, though, as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with wall after wall filled with the names of tens of thousands of fallen men. People all along the wall held pieces of paper over the name of someone they knew, rubbing a pencil over the top to make an impression to take with them. As we walked along I saw a lady having a difficult time trying to hold the paper and make the impression by herself. I offered to help and asked her who the person was and listened to her story; the man had served with her husband and after he got out of the military they had lost contact. Her husband had always wondered what had happened to the guy and one day, 20 years later, he found out while reading a book that he had re-enlisted and was killed in Vietnam. She said he always felt guilty for not keeping in contact with the man and finding his name was just a little gesture of respect for the sacrifice he had made. <br />
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How many people have I, or you, lost track of over the years? People that were once important parts of everyday life and now we have no idea where they are or if they are even still alive. <br />
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Our last stop on the National Mall just as the sun was setting was the Lincoln Memorial and for the first time since forever, because I’m sure I didn’t do it in history class in high school, I read the Gettysburg Address:<br />
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<em>Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. </em><br />
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<em>Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. </em><br />
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<em>But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. </em><br />
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Read that last paragraph very carefully again and see if you notice what I did. We honor the men and women of the military that have fought to defend our country and the freedoms we have, and we should, we owe it to them. But it isn’t just their job folks. “It is for US the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work…that from these honored dead WE take increased devotion…that WE here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God…shall not perish from the earth.” Do you see it? It is up to every single one of us to make sure that the more than 1.3 million Americans that have died in wars didn’t do it for nothing. WE are responsible for making sure that our nation remains UNDER GOD, governed by the people and for the people. It’s unfinished work, it will never be finished, and we are supposed to be devoted to that cause. <br />
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So there I stood last night listening to our national anthem being sung rather poorly, watching our flag being raised by members of the military, with tears running down my cheeks from the incredible privilege I had to be in the United States of America, at the Molalla Buckaroo, on the 4th of July. <br />
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To be continued…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyZelGigWeaVu-DtGVLbM2k-DsJ6Jl-mOSh5ZHrvgP6WA8aRImBsz2rYC3kAP2u6D4nCQ7F59zVjN-znqsm0NGb1yX7adFpdJH-Xm9Oooh3p6tGSXBUr4MneQ5ko4Xc6C2pfwc6Qjvmf1/s1600/DC+Day+One+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyZelGigWeaVu-DtGVLbM2k-DsJ6Jl-mOSh5ZHrvgP6WA8aRImBsz2rYC3kAP2u6D4nCQ7F59zVjN-znqsm0NGb1yX7adFpdJH-Xm9Oooh3p6tGSXBUr4MneQ5ko4Xc6C2pfwc6Qjvmf1/s320/DC+Day+One+057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Capitol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8mwWpXTBJhKDYThJQxoJxv2XXIu25B6ZAuRAztuqGeRJ4H7G9uFytns5xd0DNEUCe-nJaChtRrVmt_xu_xX6Y5QJ2z1nrSY1HD2dbIT6XaPrHJB01Vp-GBSgMbftSG3Me2FUYwsY9key/s1600/Dc+Day+Two+267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8mwWpXTBJhKDYThJQxoJxv2XXIu25B6ZAuRAztuqGeRJ4H7G9uFytns5xd0DNEUCe-nJaChtRrVmt_xu_xX6Y5QJ2z1nrSY1HD2dbIT6XaPrHJB01Vp-GBSgMbftSG3Me2FUYwsY9key/s320/Dc+Day+Two+267.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington Monument with US Capitol in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuPeeP9FJq4HyYtsi55Gco4GL6ZI52q-kR0PPkOfR8YMQcjhHBwru7W3H8pD0e1tU3uqInXsmcIFo9pZKhMiqAsSekEvV6zwkOGnSwTAWOFNdPM5nVetirtSxa2AKkNTAbKA49lSjGeG2/s1600/vietnam+vets+memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuPeeP9FJq4HyYtsi55Gco4GL6ZI52q-kR0PPkOfR8YMQcjhHBwru7W3H8pD0e1tU3uqInXsmcIFo9pZKhMiqAsSekEvV6zwkOGnSwTAWOFNdPM5nVetirtSxa2AKkNTAbKA49lSjGeG2/s320/vietnam+vets+memorial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnam Memorial</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoKTWnlRUJoFxAm1gcRhAqRKHJuvbOU6-ZWirb6vNVW3Iv4x4cztDhhp2wU3uAWY_blwCt9vSw-Ap09Ly5ASr8HejC5hQif4hJ6clKlPlXO5t91mBXJ4wacASRBW3SD7gqIL2nsxjTHDc/s1600/ww+ii+memorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoKTWnlRUJoFxAm1gcRhAqRKHJuvbOU6-ZWirb6vNVW3Iv4x4cztDhhp2wU3uAWY_blwCt9vSw-Ap09Ly5ASr8HejC5hQif4hJ6clKlPlXO5t91mBXJ4wacASRBW3SD7gqIL2nsxjTHDc/s320/ww+ii+memorial.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsOYhPmJndM2sBn-bloka8MiOskv8HqIR1JScTiXZD1HcoK63BhdiX-7ni1YZutiofPXYkTcvYA31eflPAR3XgPtgew6Nx5ha_y-r9-xHzF0d1HmqTY5iLgHUobovt4Z40lQuEjVU1e1U/s1600/ww+ii+memorial+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsOYhPmJndM2sBn-bloka8MiOskv8HqIR1JScTiXZD1HcoK63BhdiX-7ni1YZutiofPXYkTcvYA31eflPAR3XgPtgew6Nx5ha_y-r9-xHzF0d1HmqTY5iLgHUobovt4Z40lQuEjVU1e1U/s320/ww+ii+memorial+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Theater World War II Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-47418893476886784132011-05-23T11:15:00.002-05:002011-05-23T13:30:07.685-05:00<u><strong></strong></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5cyyLZp4D7LVA-HI_QMemh69QD66d5FETAQQdAM34ax8gWvVOWw1mIAOEZy6hWGryhJ7XYYsAZXd6lX_Cye-sFg5kjYVoXyKJYxqIqSMUgegHanCfwaVuX97cxv4C_F6VSPu9eFin7CZ/s1600/nohelia+and+classmates.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5cyyLZp4D7LVA-HI_QMemh69QD66d5FETAQQdAM34ax8gWvVOWw1mIAOEZy6hWGryhJ7XYYsAZXd6lX_Cye-sFg5kjYVoXyKJYxqIqSMUgegHanCfwaVuX97cxv4C_F6VSPu9eFin7CZ/s320/nohelia+and+classmates.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nohelia, center, with classmates.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><u>It's a Girl</u></strong><br />
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Many of you may be familiar with Nohelia’s story from this blog. Her family has been an important part of our lives since arriving here. Two of her older brothers are part of Micah; Daniel graduates from Zamorano University this November, and Charlie is in his second year studying dentistry at the Catholic University. Last year I put a request out for financial help so that Nohelia and her 2 younger brothers could go to a private school and some of you stepped up and made that happen. Deisy, Nohelia’s mother, was my housekeeper and friend.<br />
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Three and a half weeks ago I received a phone call from a sobbing, hysterical Nohelia. I could only make out bits and pieces of what she said, something about getting in a fight with her oldest brother, Fernando. Her mom said they got into a small argument because Nohelia had refused to cook for him when she got home from school. Sensing that I wasn’t getting the entire story, I picked her up the next day after Nightstrike and brought her home. She had a black eye, marks on her neck from being choked, and bruises on both legs and arms. I was shocked at the severity of the beating in relation to the non-chalant comments made by her mother. <br />
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Without going into the details, let me first tell you that Nohelia is still living with us. She has started seeing a counselor and our goal is to have Deisy begin as well, hopefully being able to bring their family back together at some point. Nohelia is safe, trying to work through the continual roller coaster of emotions that come her way. <br />
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What I can’t get my head around and leaves me sitting here in utter disbelief, is the attitude of Nohelia’s family. Go back 50 years in America, when it was the woman’s fault for being raped and you’ll understand my confusion. Here is a 16 year old girl that was beaten by a 23 year old man for refusing to cook for him. Her mother resents her for the problems she brought into her home. Her 2 older brothers think she deserved it and needs to apologize to her family and go home. Her 2 younger brothers don’t see why I am so appalled. The abuser, well who knows what he thinks; I haven’t talked to him because I would hate to put his head into a cinder block wall, but I’m sure he believes he was justified. <br />
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Deisy is no longer our housekeeper, not because of her attitude toward the beating, but because I can’t have the tension that is between the two of them in my home. Deisy and I have talked a couple of times, I have told her I simply cannot understand how she can be okay with this. When I explained that Nohelia was afraid to go back home, she told me that was ridiculous, there was no reason for her to be afraid as he was sorry and said it would never happen again. Really? I asked her if that wasn’t the exact same thing she had heard from abusive spouses and boyfriends in the past, and when she said that it was, I asked her how, then, could she believe him? How could she expect her daughter, who witnessed her mother’s abuse and heard the apologies and promises from the men, how could she expect her to believe him? Well, because he said so. <br />
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Three weeks later I still don’t understand it. I have a 16 year old girl who thinks her mother doesn’t love her, who can’t believe that her mother took his side on this. She misses her family, misses her pets, feels guilty and worries that her 2 little brothers aren’t being taken care of, since much of that fell to her. She has zero self esteem, has trouble sleeping due to nightmares about bad men coming to get her, and simply feels lost. <br />
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This situation has stirred up memories from my past that I would really rather not relive. You see, I was sexually abused by 2 family members, beginning at age 5 and ending at about 12 years old. Supposedly my mother never knew, although I believe that she simply did not want to know. The effects of that abuse created the same feelings in me that Nohelia is dealing with. Although I do not like revisiting some of the incidents of abuse, I have come out the other side and am thankful that I can share with her the hope there is in Christ to not only survive, but to become stronger and thrive. <br />
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Please keep us in your prayers as we walk this road with Nohelia and her family. <br />
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<strong><u>THE RETURN OF MEL</u></strong><br />
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That could be the name of a bad movie but, unfortunately, it’s what we are looking forward to this Saturday, May 28th. After the election promises that Mel and his gang would be brought to justice, an accord was signed yesterday by President Lobo that allows Mel to return to Honduras without any fear of consequence for his actions, <em>and</em> allows him to participate in Honduran politics once again. The actual physical return of Mel isn’t so much the problem, but the resurgence of the Resistencia, Mel’s rabid followers. They are the ones that tagged just about every wall in Tegucigalpa with graffiti, burned down some fast food restaurants, caused major issues for regular citizens with the burning of tires, throwing of molotav cocktails, and the utter chaos. <br />
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Instead of giving you a rehashed version, please read what La Gringa wrote so well <a href="http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2011/05/mel-zelayas-entourage-and-whats-next.html">in her post.</a>. The picture at the top featuring the head of the Resistencia and Hugo Chavez alongside Mel is a pretty good indication of just how NOT GOOD this can be for Honduras. <br />
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Please pray for Honduras, and for Brian as he is scheduled to arrive back from Roatan just an hour or so after Mel’s arrival. <br />
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<strong><u>4 Weeks</u></strong><br />
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Four weeks from tomorrow we take off for our annual trip back to the states. We are looking forward to spending a week on the East Coast seeing Washington DC and New York City. After that we will be heading to Oregon to visit family, friends, and supporting churches. We are so excited and so ready for this time to recharge and refocus. Please be praying that we finish out these last few weeks strong and leave our ministries in good hands while we are away. <br />
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<strong><u>New Mission Organization</u></strong><br />
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Another reminder to all of you that have faithfully supported us, that we are no longer with ACTION International Ministries. As of April 11th we are now a part of Community Vision International. If you are a current supporter please make changes to how your donations are submitted. If you mail a check from your home or from your checking account, please begin sending your support to:<br />
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Community Vision International<br />
P.O. Box 33286<br />
Portland, OR 97292-3286<br />
Account # P113BNW<br />
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If you prefer to submit your support over the internet you can go to our page at:<br />
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<a href="http://cvi2.org/briannatashawiggs.html">http://cvi2.org/briannatashawiggs.html</a><br />
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Payments are processed through PayPal so you can use a credit or debit card, or your PayPal account if you have one.<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>CVI does not offer automated monthly donation processing. If you want to have your donation made automatically you will need to set it up as a bill pay through your checking account.</u></em></strong> We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; CVI charges 1/3 the administration fee that was charged by ACTION and, therefore, does not offer the same amount of services. The loss of automated donation processing is the only service that is affecting us and our supporters and we apologize for this but believe it is worth the trade off. Thank you for your understanding.<br />
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May God bless you all with His abundant peace today and always as you seek to follow Him.Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-35844540990572848832011-04-27T12:04:00.002-05:002011-04-27T12:14:46.198-05:00100 PostsDing! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! <br />
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Imagine the blue strobe light effects...here it is, ladies and gentleman, my 100th blog post. <br />
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I always knew I talked a lot, but wow. 100 posts. It's actually kind of a cool milestone. However, if I was a <em>real </em>blogger, like <a href="http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/">La Gringa</a> or <a href="http://laurieinhonduras.blogspot.com/">Madame Gumbeaux</a> I would have hit that number long ago, but I'll take it, 100 is good.<br />
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We're ready to rock and roll at Mama Jo's Bagels. Tomorrow we have our last meeting to iron out plans, then it's baking madness. We plan to practice (meaning free treats for Micah and friends) for 3 weeks and then start the pre-order business on May 23rd. For those of you living in Tegucigalpa, we want to get the word out as quickly as possible. Let's make this thing go viral! We are offering free "tastings" to groups of 5 or more in homes, offices, churches, ministries, etc. Bagels, cinnamon rolls, scones, and coffee are on us; you bring your taste buds and invite some friends. The website will be up before launch date, until then send me a message here if you want to schedule a tasting.<br />
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Some of you may be wondering about the name, Mama Jo's. Jo Bewley was a woman that lived in Houston Texas. She had such a heart for the mothers of the Micah boys and her desire was for them to find a way to financial independence. Several years ago she began teaching them how to sew as a way to generate some income. Sewing machines were bought, instructors were brought in, and the ladies enjoy their time together in Grupo Mama Jo, encouraging and supporting each other.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-7Kuj6QLA29kxSDw-1NiXalXAFPuJJIu1xiUY5lJNAXUtgI6xFRElAwvY5phDwBzi23sTRnr4pY0hW802J9ANk7atNWI9KoumdcgdiLT-IxEYCe47j4qzT-0ztZHR4GcpA2LHLMuh3Ne/s1600/grupos%252520mama%252520jo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-7Kuj6QLA29kxSDw-1NiXalXAFPuJJIu1xiUY5lJNAXUtgI6xFRElAwvY5phDwBzi23sTRnr4pY0hW802J9ANk7atNWI9KoumdcgdiLT-IxEYCe47j4qzT-0ztZHR4GcpA2LHLMuh3Ne/s320/grupos%252520mama%252520jo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grupo Mama Jo<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqQ9p-ma8_CQGckDt-nCQigp-PyoR-rLHvb4rX9QNfJY2vmU-FAUthli4HQi4CHRXVBj6kkEzDLJdDki_6A6Ofo_nnKRlK7vN2Ddlxa0uo3NXdP6xDw-dEZy-fwrXPbd8Pb2VzzIkHxY5/s1600/mama+jo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqQ9p-ma8_CQGckDt-nCQigp-PyoR-rLHvb4rX9QNfJY2vmU-FAUthli4HQi4CHRXVBj6kkEzDLJdDki_6A6Ofo_nnKRlK7vN2Ddlxa0uo3NXdP6xDw-dEZy-fwrXPbd8Pb2VzzIkHxY5/s320/mama+jo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo with Michael<br />
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Last October Jo went to be with our heavenly Father after a long battle with cancer. Her legacy lives on, though, in that the women are all eager to make her proud by finding a way to make a steady income. The hand sewn items are saleable but aren't good for a regular stream of income. After considering several other options, the group decided to proceed with bagels and other American types of breads/pastries. We basically looked at the supply and demand theory...several thousand North Americans live here, many thousands more visit annually for mission trips and other business, many Honduran businessmen were educated in the states and enjoy American type foods. A few bakeries offer "bagels", but they are basically dinner rolls in the shape of a bagel, seriously lacking in that unique bagel chewy/crispy quality. For cinnamon rolls, well you can get them at Cinnabon in the mall for 45 lempiras each. And scones, I have yet to see one.<br />
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Is it going to work? I don't know, but I sure hope it does. Exceptional quality baked goods delivered fresh from the oven to your door, at a reasonable price. That's our plan.<br />
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It's a little frightening, and very humbling, to walk into the path that Jo put these women on. She loved them, I mean really loved each and every one of them. Her dream was to see them raise up out of the poverty they have lived in all of their lives, to know that they are smart, valuable, worthy of love and respect. With God's help I am trying to continue her work, to make her dream come true.<br />
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And so we are Mama Jo's Bagels. Because if it weren't for Jo Bewley putting her love into action, none of this would be happening.<br />
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Speaking of bagels, I've got 2 batches just about ready for stage 2 so I need to run. Peace and blessings to you all.<br />
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NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-10480615440593195352011-04-12T14:21:00.000-05:002011-04-12T14:21:43.852-05:00Overflowing With BlessingsI’m sitting at my desk in our new house trying to figure out just where to start writing. We have been so incredibly blessed lately and I want to try and share some of that with you all! <br />
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Let’s get the business end of things out of the way first and I’ll do a little historical explanation to try and make things clear. The Micah Project is a stand-alone ministry, not part of a bigger mission organization like Mission’s Door, World Venture, etc. All of the administrative tasks for Micah are performed by professionals on the Micah Board of Directors who volunteer. Because they are all busy professionals there is not sufficient time to process the donations for all the supported missionaries. This means that each missionary needs to find their own agency to handle support processing. When we began preparing to come to Honduras we looked at several agencies and were ultimately commissioned by ACTION International, “seconded” to The Micah Project. <br />
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ACTION is based in Mountlake Terrace Washington. They have a huge presence in the Phillipines and do tremendous work there and in other parts of the world. The directors and other people that work for ACTION are all committed servants and we have great admiration and respect for them all. However, after arriving here in Honduras we soon discovered that our ministry at Micah Tech and being a seconded missionary with ACTION was not a good fit and we began searching and praying for other alternatives.<br />
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Last week we received formal approval from Community Vision International, an agency based in Portland Oregon. The ideals and values of CVI more closely match our goal here in Honduras, to establish a vocational school, train and staff it with Honduran nationals, and move on to whatever the Lord has next. Community transformation is the key principal of CVI and we are so happy to be a part of this wonderful organization. Again the ground breakers, we are the first associates with CVI to be accepted from an outside referral, not from another CVI associate. CVI is registered as a non-religious non-profit organization so that associates serving in areas of the world closed to evangelism are not put in danger; this is also the reason we are referred to as “associates” rather than “missionaries”. <br />
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Our accounting information with CVI is active and ready to go! If you are a current supporter please make changes to how your donations are submitted. If you mail a check from your home or with autopay from your checking account, please begin sending your support to:<br />
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Community Vision International<br />
P.O. Box 33286<br />
Portland, OR 97292-3286<br />
Account # P113BNW<br />
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If you prefer to submit your support over the internet you can go to our page at:<br />
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<a href="http://cvi2.org/briannatashawiggs.html">http://cvi2.org/briannatashawiggs.html</a><br />
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Payments are processed through PayPal so you can use a credit or debit card, or your PayPal account if you have one.<br />
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<em>If you are not a current supporter but would like to become one, you can begin by doing one of the steps above. </em><br />
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<strong><u>If you signed up for auto draft donations with ACTION International, please contact them at info@actionusa.org or 425-775-4800 to cancel that automatic payment. </u></strong><br />
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And now on to the other good stuff…<br />
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This last weekend we moved into a beautiful new house in Santa Lucia, a small community about 7 miles outside Tegucigalpa (a little farther than where we were living). The house is much larger, the boys each have their own room, we have a small yard, and a garage with room for both vehicles (even an automatic door!) The owners built identical semi attached houses for their twin, grown children but they chose not to live in them…giving us a huge blessing when they turned them into rentals. Another family of North Americans lives in the other house and it happens that I met the woman last year at a bible study and we hit it off quite well. They have 3 children, the older 2 are within a year of the same age as our boys. <br />
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Can I just say freedom? I didn’t realize how much the bars on the windows and doors of the other house were creating a feeling of living in chains. This house was constructed with a security wall so none of the windows or doors need bars! It’s such a different feeling to look out through the glass and see the view instead of a self imposed prison. The community is safe, Michael and I ventured out on our first walk yesterday afternoon, and the boys can play outside and ride bikes. It feels almost, dare I say it, normal. If you haven’t seen the pictures yet you can on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1269031748&aid=112291">Brian’s Facebook</a> page. It’s beautiful, we are so blessed. <br />
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Speaking of my boys, what a couple of rock stars they are. Back in January Michael and some friends created a computer video game to enter in the school’s Computer and Technology Fair. Winning 1st place earned them a trip to the Computer and Technology Fair for all Episcopal schools in Honduras (meaning a very long bus ride to San Pedro Sula). Their group, the youngest in age, took 2nd place in programming! <br />
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In February they both participated in the school spelling bee, both earning 2nd place for their grade level. Then in March Brian James took first place for 3rd grade in the All Episcopal school competition. <br />
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Also in March Brian James, serving up memories of daddy Brian doing Karaoke, entered the talent show and sang Alan Jackson’s “I’m a Country Boy”…just picture him in jeans and a cowboy hat singing “I got a 4-wheel drive, hop in my bed and I’ll take you for a ride”. It was a hoot!<br />
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And yesterday Michael was told that he has the top scores in math for 7th grade and will be participating in the math Olympics. We are so proud of them! They are working so hard and doing so well and we are so blessed to be able to see the transformation God is working in each of them, and to be witness to the examples they are to their classmates. <br />
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In January we began to plan our trip home to the states, a combination of vacation and furlough. We had hoped to spend a week on the East Coast visiting Washington DC and New York as we have never been to either, and then travel to Oregon to visit all of our supporting churches and friends and family. What a shock it was to see how airfare had skyrocketed and every week it just kept going up higher. I tried every trick I could think of, every possible combination of flight schedules, miles, money, you name it, and it was still far above what we could afford. Even skipping the East Coast and just flying to Oregon was running $1,000+ per ticket and mileage tickets were 47,500 miles and up which meant we only had enough for 1! I was stressing out big time. Then last week I prayed (now there’s a novel concept). I just told the Lord “I can’t figure this out. We want to spend some time with just our family, on vacation, but I just can’t make it work.” The next couple of days I did my usual searches starting at <a href="http://www.lowfares.com/">http://www.lowfares.com/</a> and the individual sites. Then Thursday I saw what had to be a mistake, it had to be wrong; round trip airfare from Washington DC to Portland for $200 per person. Really? Blazing from Orbitz to Delta there it was, it was real. After making one of the fastest purchases in online history and working out the Tegucigalpa to DC portions (buying 2 tickets with miles and paying for 2 in cash) our airfare came down to an average of just $600 per person for the entire trip, exactly what I had budgeted. Isn’t God cool? So often I think He doesn’t care about the details, or at least I forget that He cares, and then when I’m at my wits end I take the burden to Him. You know what? I think that sale was just for one day because that trip, DC to Portland on Delta, is now back up to $550. Incredible.<br />
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Are things beginning to change in Honduras? Yesterday I read some great things in the paper, giving me hope that it can be turned around. Construction is set to start in September on a new airport, 70 km from Tegucigalpa. The drive is a little inconvenient but with Toncontin being considered one of the world’s most dangerous airports it is becoming necessary. This project will generate many desperately needed jobs and bring needed revenue into the country.<br />
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Also, a new campaign of sorts is getting started. Honduras is open for business, they call it. An exposition will be held in San Pedro Sula where business owners from 75 different countries will attend and will look at the advantages of opening a business or factory here. The buzz right now is that an estimated 350,000 new jobs will develop out of this campaign. Please be praying for Honduras!<br />
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<strong><u>IN MINISTRY NEWS</u></strong><br />
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The Technical School is continuing on with a core group of guys that are growing spiritually and vocationally who will eventually be the teachers in the welding and carpentry programs. We are on track to have our first group of graduates in about a year! Negotiations are taking place for the purchase of property outside Tegucigalpa for the new location of Micah and Micah Tech. Once that transaction is complete work will commence with the Tech School being built first and then all other construction being done from that facility. <br />
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More young men are showing up at the Monday discipleship class and a couple of weeks back a female police officer came in to see what we were doing. She recognized Juan Carlos (ha ha ha!) and said she was so happy he was involved in this and changing his life. She also said she would tell other young men in the barrio about it and encourage them to come! Please be praying for the Holy Spirit to work through her to bring hope and encouragement through Christ to more Honduran men.<br />
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My ministry with the Micah Mom’s is off to a great start. We meet once a week and are working through a study on the Proverbs 31 woman. From there we will begin working on healing from past abuse and turning those hurts into assets in our lives. <br />
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We are on track to begin making and selling New York style bagels May 1st. After purchasing our first Kitchenaid Professional mixer I was able to turn out a very good, saleable product. Group practice will begin in 2 weeks and then we will start the pre-order phase of Mama Jo’s bagels. The ladies are all very excited to have a viable opportunity ready to launch that has the potential to grow into a large scale business venture that could earn them all a very good salary. Pray for us that the Lord will open the doors for us as we move forward!<br />
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Friday Nightstrike is drawing huge crowds, large numbers of street kids and homeless adults and a growing number of poor working people. Juan Carlos delivered the gospel message during the last Nightstrike and wow, can that boy preach! He’s kind of like a shorter, Honduran version of Brian, getting all Bapticostal for the crowd. He loved it and wants to do more of it. Please be praying for him as he continues to work in counseling to learn how to make better choices in life. At this time he is suspended from the technical school but if he continues with counseling and to walk like he is, they have agreed to let him return June 1st. <br />
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This has turned out to be one of the longest posts…my apologies if your eyes are about to bug out of your head, but there was just so much to share! Thank you all for your continued faithful prayers and support. We love and appreciate you all so much.<br />
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Peace,<br />
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NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-71118263536028434932011-03-16T12:00:00.000-05:002011-03-16T12:00:53.664-05:00Living In the CrosshairsIt has been almost 2 months since I wrote a meaningful post and I apologize. These first few months of 2011 have shaken me up quite a bit. In January I wrote about how we were feeling discouraged and posed the question, just how do you keep going when things get tough? You just gotta keep breathing. <br />
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More was yet to come. During January I felt the Lord prompting me to fast from refined sugar for the month of February. Sugary things are my “go to” food when I am stressed out, angry, sad, just name the feeling. Give me a feed bag filled with Oreos on a bad day and I can just feel all those emotions being buried down deep so the prospect of fasting from sugar, then, was a little unnerving for a couple of reasons. First, hello?! No sugar? And second, what was coming in February that I was going to need to spend minutes normally noshing on Snickers bars in prayer? <br />
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Not knowing what was coming down the pike I told the Lord I would be obedient and follow His lead. The first 3 days were awful, it felt like I had the flu. I was sick to my stomach, had raging headaches, felt dizzy, achy. This showed me that not only was I relying on sugary snacks for my “strength”, but that my body was so physically accustomed to the constant infusion of sugar that I was actually having withdrawals. Crazy stuff, but every time I would get a craving for candy, I prayed. And then on February 6th it all started – a major family blow up in the states that was emotionally exhausting, financial problems personally and in ministry, one of the tech school students caught stealing tools, more problems with our rental house falling on the deaf ears of our landlord, driving the kids to school and passing by just minutes after an attorney was murdered in his car, Brian having to go to the city morgue and literally physically pick up the dead body of Hectorcito’s brother and haul him in the truck to the funeral home, then digging the grave the next day. We were being hammered from every imaginable side and it was relentless. <br />
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Our God is so good though. He prompted me to give up my security blanket and rely on Him, I vowed to be obedient, and He held me up through all of it. He blessed us further by sending Mary Hunter here for a week, giving me my friend to stand with me in the midst of the chaos. Her ears were almost bleeding I’m quite sure from my venting, but she was Mary – loving, supportive, encouraging, and I am so grateful she listened to God and came to be with us. Other than that, it’s just bon bons and Spanish soap operas as Brian likes to say. <br />
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Oh, and by the way, I'm continuing to live sugar free. God has released me to eat it if I want to, but I don't. He is so much better. <br />
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Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers. We are gearing up for the last few months before we head to the states for a break and have much to do between now and then. Peace and blessings to you all!Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-80342190257661912662011-02-24T14:03:00.017-06:002011-02-24T14:12:19.922-06:00Spring Burst 2011Do you like to run? Do you like to walk? CAN you walk?<br />
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If you answered yes to any of these questions it's time to sign up now for Spring Burst 2011! For a 3rd year proceeds from the 5k and 10k races will benefit Micah Technical School. <br />
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Micah Technical School, part of The Micah Project in Tegucigalpa Honduras, seeks not to provide a hand out, but provide hope and change lives through practical means:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4NlJe7wbVyYTTRmaQqxtFWa4a3Gx_dbW_6qyS0fg4ZJn32cfKuV6zy6ajnVuhyky12YEMTK9-z1Af1Ro0cizN1UcAtj7zSvfjxH83AWCzFdsCuZXIu4kgXvfJzn5fdcHc8txjQgKyAJq/s1600/monday+night+discipleship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4NlJe7wbVyYTTRmaQqxtFWa4a3Gx_dbW_6qyS0fg4ZJn32cfKuV6zy6ajnVuhyky12YEMTK9-z1Af1Ro0cizN1UcAtj7zSvfjxH83AWCzFdsCuZXIu4kgXvfJzn5fdcHc8txjQgKyAJq/s320/monday+night+discipleship.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monday night discipleship - building the foundation for life change by creating men of character. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr8DWGEfrGS3rBA1codMoCZLvKcpH7KzCnBTSJyjM17Gtrbad0QKC4Tmq3H6OQVXZItL8TdC0yTWMMNlzZJmpKyOUsSTGdDeMdzCBhgyiVSimDoBrQQmhI3NhUMrXX-pHeSJxZAh6K1Cu/s1600/micah+boys+in+tech+classes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr8DWGEfrGS3rBA1codMoCZLvKcpH7KzCnBTSJyjM17Gtrbad0QKC4Tmq3H6OQVXZItL8TdC0yTWMMNlzZJmpKyOUsSTGdDeMdzCBhgyiVSimDoBrQQmhI3NhUMrXX-pHeSJxZAh6K1Cu/s320/micah+boys+in+tech+classes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching them a skill that can provide a living wage in:</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZ3Y-dmANWJisoRKlGc3ntJDVjQ2nndJEiaj1Tuwgm46h4YpIOAn04FNK50feRs44_sM9yN632zC5souJnq6dFVCuJFb6lopYZmza2WQL4GFy9ylmrstEbUNwqlzroG8FFXdTLJiqB6Qk/s1600/brian+helping+one+of+the+twins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZ3Y-dmANWJisoRKlGc3ntJDVjQ2nndJEiaj1Tuwgm46h4YpIOAn04FNK50feRs44_sM9yN632zC5souJnq6dFVCuJFb6lopYZmza2WQL4GFy9ylmrstEbUNwqlzroG8FFXdTLJiqB6Qk/s320/brian+helping+one+of+the+twins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carpentry</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welding</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_DKfXztHrmk48Cq0nTiNyRkhHl-dt4mJIGhrysmmbBCjHveWdGm1o0DxELXznTmU5g3VvaAk4BVYFdbN3Xuhg7kxX4MeMh0KhzxVlE29dQoOdwUdgAARPUUrdBsQ7WzNcdvrQhyphenhyphen36pBM/s1600/fabian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_DKfXztHrmk48Cq0nTiNyRkhHl-dt4mJIGhrysmmbBCjHveWdGm1o0DxELXznTmU5g3VvaAk4BVYFdbN3Xuhg7kxX4MeMh0KhzxVlE29dQoOdwUdgAARPUUrdBsQ7WzNcdvrQhyphenhyphen36pBM/s320/fabian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRe073rbUlrxCKWeBnr9PnH8oRBuGhfXtLu6n7pCxC2lRjV2frj-kyy1ZKj7OnJEeLaH_Bf2DWN5W9OnxcM04pN9c2rZRSN2Xw31po7qp5Puwnt1ZSYjLOsc0M_esms09mEL1iab-y0-I/s1600/edwin+and+axel+router.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRe073rbUlrxCKWeBnr9PnH8oRBuGhfXtLu6n7pCxC2lRjV2frj-kyy1ZKj7OnJEeLaH_Bf2DWN5W9OnxcM04pN9c2rZRSN2Xw31po7qp5Puwnt1ZSYjLOsc0M_esms09mEL1iab-y0-I/s320/edwin+and+axel+router.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Equipping and releasing the older students to teach younger students.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Providing them an opportunity to reach out and serve<br />
the poor and needy with Friday soccer and dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching them to not only receive, but to give back <br />
and enjoy a sense of community.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGvsnlsJcxD_RcjYM_yNpxU4M7zY1zPrSEM3gMpsq3iaq2_gkbuquxV9UDpRgUwi0TUf7jMkOfTsoqTD0HSf0w8qdO6obq8h2uNvydIoQSA0_3LX4hgbmbRiXYB4fHwHbDSeo-pTR5ntQ/s1600/micah+guys+servinc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGvsnlsJcxD_RcjYM_yNpxU4M7zY1zPrSEM3gMpsq3iaq2_gkbuquxV9UDpRgUwi0TUf7jMkOfTsoqTD0HSf0w8qdO6obq8h2uNvydIoQSA0_3LX4hgbmbRiXYB4fHwHbDSeo-pTR5ntQ/s320/micah+guys+servinc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
How do you get involved?<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Go to <a href="http://www.reasontorun.com/">http://www.reasontorun.com/</a></li>
<li>Register for the race</li>
<li>Go to <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/42060">www.firstgiving.com/42060</a></li>
<li>Create your own fundraising page</li>
<li>Send your page to your online network and ask them to support you in Spring Burst 2011</li>
<li>OR click on the FirstGiving icon to the left and donate today</li>
</ul>Did I mention there will be prizes? Yes, there will be PRIZES!<br />
<br />
Participants raising more than $1,000 will receive a keepsake box like one of those pictured above, hand crafted by our carpentry students.<br />
<br />
$500-999 level participants will receive a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/themicahproject.481535573">Micah Project Sigg Water Bottle</a><br />
<br />
$100-499 level participants will receive a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/themicahproject.481535616">Micah Project T-shirt</a><br />
<br />
And everyone raising over $30 will receive a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/themicahproject.487780128">Micah Project Trek Bottle</a><br />
<br />
Sign up today and run your butt off for the severely impoverished in Honduras!Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-21707337623748363072011-02-15T10:31:00.000-06:002011-02-15T10:31:57.385-06:00When Words Won't ComeMy friend Mary Hunter is arriving in Tegucigalpa today. She's bringing bagels from Noah's so we can show the Micah Mom's what a real bagel tastes like. She's bringing replacement wheels for the Ripstiks that the Micah boys have worn out since Christmas. She's bringing 10 children's bibles for my friend Laurie, who has been patiently waiting for someone to come down that had room for them. But the thing she's bringing that I am most looking forward to is Mary. Her hugs, her laughter, her smile. I am so grateful that she listened to the Holy Spirit and decided to come. It wasn't until last night that I realized how much I need my friend, and I can't wait for her to step off that plane. <br />
<br />
For the past 2 weeks I have wanted to write a decent post for you all, but so much has happened - some good, some bad - and my thoughts are not clear, my mind is a jumble of emotions and images that I need to sort out and put into something that is intelligible.<br />
<br />
So for now I'll just post this and ask that you lift us in prayer. We are troubled, at times overwhelmed, and yet we press on.<br />
<br />
Peace and blessings,<br />
<br />
NatashaFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-28972257906322895062011-01-27T16:51:00.002-06:002011-01-27T16:54:18.590-06:00Tweet TweetMicah Tech is now tweeting and you can follow us at <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/micahtechhondo">http://twitter.com/#!/micahtechhondo</a>!Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-23901055157673741402011-01-25T11:57:00.001-06:002011-01-25T12:00:49.579-06:00Keep Breathing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO-PcljzgBkgyfgSfJd7PgaCISjBEUkqbs4P2Trb6q3YL1rbuGqf7BJ_4OrpVa5p2xHh9Z4ocwRRqTJgDAJRM3HH29ZARTRjLIRQLwWDNbUxl2e_fWSp9KklpAyxoDO4zi2W31cObTvDb/s1600/wilsoncastaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO-PcljzgBkgyfgSfJd7PgaCISjBEUkqbs4P2Trb6q3YL1rbuGqf7BJ_4OrpVa5p2xHh9Z4ocwRRqTJgDAJRM3HH29ZARTRjLIRQLwWDNbUxl2e_fWSp9KklpAyxoDO4zi2W31cObTvDb/s1600/wilsoncastaway.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<em>"We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and... knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had... lost her. 'cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I - , I couldn't even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over *nothing*. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" </em><br />
<br />
<br />
There are a couple of good things that have to do with movies living here in Honduras. First, bootleg DVD's are everywhere. It is possible to get a movie on video from the guy wandering around the gas station a day or two after it was released in theaters. Really. We rented Wallstreet, the new one, I believe on the same weekend it came out in the states. <br />
<br />
The other thing is when you catch movies in English on TV, usually older movies but when you come across them it's like running into an old friend. Like Cast Away. We found that the other night and I had forgotten just what a great movie it is. Tom Hanks was incredible and I always wondered why he never won the Oscar that year. You could feel his absolute utter despair and the abandonment of all hope as he lay on the deteriorating raft weeping for the loss of Wilson, his sole companion for 4 years. You feel his heart breaking again as he says to Kelly "you have to go home". How does a person keep going when life seems to be filled with only discouragement and despair? Is it through sheer determination and will power, or is there something else that presses us on?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws22iIDYno6tW-T0dYPARXGj60A5iB-qs0WH5kfMBQHO6edhyphenhyphenZxnh6DVfK1KRMzIEDSrxyHEgJZ9IkDBRnuCqbVYCVWv_CmE5U0rG6upg3Q9msuyfTiywoHcpMvbV8OTFjXzrnScB-2z_/s1600/brianmissionsconnexion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws22iIDYno6tW-T0dYPARXGj60A5iB-qs0WH5kfMBQHO6edhyphenhyphenZxnh6DVfK1KRMzIEDSrxyHEgJZ9IkDBRnuCqbVYCVWv_CmE5U0rG6upg3Q9msuyfTiywoHcpMvbV8OTFjXzrnScB-2z_/s1600/brianmissionsconnexion.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian on the jumbotron speaking at<br />
Missions Connexion Northwest</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Brian left last week to spend 10 days in Oregon and was asked if, while there, he would preach a message about persevering when the storm clouds of life seem to come and stay. This was a timely topic for him to dig into the word of God and speak on as those storm clouds have been hanging around, black and thick, for a couple of months now. Awhile back I wrote about the murders of 3 guys that were former or current tech school students. The reality is still difficult to accept, every time I drive through Barrio Buenos Aires I almost expect to see Eduardo walking down the street. The finality of death, of any death, is so incomprehensible, so contrary to what we are, an affront to the life that is in us. When a life, or lives in this case, are taken so brutally it just compounds the difficulty in coming to terms with it. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>And it makes me angry. These guys had a chance to make it, the opportunity to change their lives was laid out before them week after week and yet they continued to choose to live in darkness. At first I was besieged with the “what if’s”, wondering if there was anything we could have done differently to avoid this tragic end, but I know that ultimately it was their choice. Utterly sad and disappointing, but the choice was theirs.<br />
<br />
Only a few short weeks later came another disappointing blow. Juan Carlos has been with the Tech school since the inception. Brian had the privilege of sharing Christ with and baptizing him and they have grown close over the last few years. But coming to Christ does not simply erase the effects of sin in our lives prior to being born again and Juan was finding that reality hard to manage. He lived on a roller coaster of sorts, doing well and staying focused for about 2 months, then falling into depression and confusion, dabbling in the old life, performing poorly in class or failing to show up at all. Three times he had been counseled and allowed to continue in the program, and 3 times he fell back into the pit. Things came to a boiling point in December when, during one of these depressive episodes, he threatened to shoot one of the other students in the head. He was suspended for a week and then spent some time at a spiritual retreat, hoping to return back on track, but not being able to do so. Heartbreakingly, Brian had to remove him from being shop foreman. <br />
<br />
We held a meeting with him and told him that in order to return to the school, only as a student, he would need to begin working with a psychotherapist to get to the root cause of the emotional roller coaster he was living on and learn new coping skills to deal with the problems life was and would throw at him. We encouraged him that although many people see counseling as a sign of weakness, it is actually a gift from God. Brian took out his pocket knife and said “if I cut my arm open with this knife, would I just stand here bleeding and say ‘God will close up and heal this wound’? No, I would go to the hospital and be treated by people that have been gifted by God and educated to heal. It is the same with emotional wounds and scars, God has gifted certain people to help us heal from them and deal with the trials of life.” He was given the weekend to decide which way to go, and he turned the offer down. The first “son” walked away. Like the 3 before, the choice is his to make; utterly sad and disappointing, but his. We haven’t heard from him since. <br />
<br />
Discouragement. Despair. It began to feel as if our work here was futile, pointless, and in the end not going to make a difference. The storm clouds were raging. Brian began to work on his sermon and came across a book I’ve had for years. He says he never even noticed it before, but for some reason he reached down to pick it up and in the pages of “Six Hours One Friday”, he found what he needed. Max Lucado writes about the final hours leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and makes 3 points about the discouragement and despair that could be seen: 1) our lives are not futile; 2) our failures are not fatal; and 3) our death is not final. <br />
<br />
Christ’s ministry was a mere 3 years and as he hung bleeding from the cross his followers surely thought it had been futile, all for naught. Certainly it wasn’t as 2000 years later there are an estimated 2,039 million professed Christians throughout the world. What about Christ’s failures, or what we in ministry might consider a failure, like the rich young ruler that asked Him “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Not liking what Christ said he made his choice to turn and walk away, back to his old life; a “failure” for the young ruler perhaps, but certainly not for Christ who continued in ministry gaining more and more followers. Last, there is death with it’s finality…or is it? It certainly wasn’t for Jesus as 3 days later those women stood drop jawed at an empty tomb. It isn’t final for the rest of us either, but only the beginning of eternity. <br />
<br />
So how do you keep going when life seems to be full of discouragement and despair? Go into deeper waters (draw closer to the Lord), set your anchor deep (firmly rooted in Christ Jesus), and ride out the storm (keep breathing). Hollywood isn’t full of very much wisdom, but I certainly like what Tom had to say. “I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" The sun will rise, there will be another day, and you just never know what God has planned for it.<br />
<br />
PeaceFamily of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-89177465311908015022011-01-19T12:42:00.001-06:002011-01-20T10:17:17.806-06:00Awesome Micah VideoJeremy Morris was part of the Riverwest team that came here last summer. He made this promotional video and I had to share it. Probably the best Micah promo I've seen yet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyCmSQfwroCAm_e4IqH38Kj25mcNwR9lgXNEdsGgixtxk1iuIwBfkQUWct5wUPv50XmTcz98iE3lxB_G2B_FA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810055132759429978.post-79371996337107713432011-01-18T23:50:00.000-06:002011-01-18T23:50:24.695-06:00<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://widgets.causes.com/badges/cause?cause_id=556547&width=300&height=210&tagline=Support+Our+Cause&faces=1&awareness=0" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 210px; overflow: hidden; width: 300px;"></iframe><br />
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Noehlia's first month of tuition has been covered! Thank you to everyone who donated. School starts February 8th and continues to November. Your donation anytime between now and then will be a huge blessing to her. Help break the chains of generational poverty.Family of Godhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03535260510350469034noreply@blogger.com0