Moving?

I was in the truck with Ruddy this morning, and out of the blue he asked me where we were going to live after the house. I wasn’t quite sure I understood him, so I asked for some clarification. He was like, “You know, where are we going to live next?” We’ve talked about the fact we need to build or do something eventually, but it’s always been a fairly vague conversation when it’s come up. So I asked him where this was coming from. He told me that he’d been talking to the lady next door, and she told him that the mother of the owner of our house (the owner and his family are in Spain) was asking them about buying their lot. Our neighbour went on to say that this lady’s son and his family were planning on returning to Bolivia soon.

Ruddy was quite nonchalant about the whole thing. I think he figures Ken will just know what to do and will have a plan up his sleeve. Hmmm...Ken was a little surprised and shocked to be honest. If the family comes back from Spain, it more than likely means we need to be out of the house by February of next year. That is, five months from now.

I spent the morning thinking about this. Of course I was worried...especially at first. It’s tough to find a house that suitable for twelve or more guys. Trust me on that one. But then as I thought about it, I realized that every step of the way, God has provided exactly what we’ve ever needed. I’ve no doubt He’ll continue to provide.

I told Maribel about it later, and I think she was a bit shocked too. But she agreed with me that God has taken care of us and will continue to do so. As we finished the conversation she said, “Well, we’ve been talking about needing a bigger house, so...”  =)

Feel free to pray about this with us. A move is a big step. It’s probably time to get the ball rolling on some kind of building project, but that sometimes seems kind of overwhelming too. I think the best scenario would be if we could stay one more year and work at raising the funds we need and then building something. That would save us a move in between.

Anyhow, thanks for praying. I’ll keep you updated. Just another interesting day in our lives down here...

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TACOS!!

Supper was entertaining tonight.  I made tacos.  Everyone who comes here from North America is always surprised that we don't eat tacos.  Most North Americans associate Mexican food with all of South America.  Truth is...people here generally don't know what tacos...or fajitas or whatever...are.  My guys had no idea.  So tonight was a bit of a treat for us.  I thought I'd share the moment with all of you...  =)

I demonstrated how to make the tacos, but Eduardo

was having a problem eating the crispy tacos. 

He solved that problem by making a crispy taco...

...and wrapping it in a soft taco.

Always thinking that kid...

 

Roberto with his mouth full...

I told the guys if they liked the food they'd better smile...or else.

Of course Andres made a point of not smiling...

...but he mostly just looks confused by the food...

He never manages to look serious for too long...

Eduardo was still going strong long after the rest of us were gone...

Anyhow...not sure anyone really cares what we ate for supper.  But I shared anyhow.  The guys want to know when we're eating them again, but I think it'll be awhile.  It wasn't exactly a cheap meal...we could have practically flown to Mexico for what the Old El Paso crispy taco shells cost.  But it was tasty, so who cares.  Sandro said there was a party in his stomach.  I think that's good. 

Anyhow...that's all.  Go back to whatever you were doing before.

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Church?

Trying to get everyone to church today was like herding cats. Not my guys, mind you. I have them pretty well trained. =) It’s everyone else. I left the house early this morning to go pick up Ronelo, one of the guys who used to live here. He lives way out on the edge of town, so I told him if he wanted to go to church with us, I’d meet him half way. Not sure what happened, but I waited half an hour and he didn’t show. I called his cell, but his cousin had it. He told me Ronelo left to meet me, but for whatever reason...nada.

So back to the house I went, to pick up the guys. I loaded them up and dropped them off at church, and then went to pick up another friend (who I wrote about the other day) who wanted to come with us as well. I’d forgotten we were starting early this morning (we have breakfast together the first Sunday of every month) so I’d told him the wrong time. I picked him up and headed back to church again.

Halfway through the worship, one of the guys got a phone call and his cousin (Larry, the other kid I talked about the other day) wanted to come to church too. So off I went again to pick him up. He lives about three minutes from our house, so it was basically all the way back to our place. I was half way there when he called and asked if his mom could come too. Well, for sure...the more the merrier. Then I thought about it and eventually called him back and suggested next week would be better for her to come, since we were going to be pretty late getting back to church.

In the end, that was an understatement. I couldn’t find where he told me to meet him, and so by the time we connected and got back to church, it was basically over. We got there in time for the final prayer. As a side note, he told me to meet him at the TIGO (one of our cell phone companies) antenna. I said sure, no problem!  I wasn’t entirely sure where it was, but I vaguely remembered it and I figured how hard could it be to find a big, giant antenna. Hmmm...harder than you’d think as it turns out. You don’t really notice antennas until you’re looking for one. Then you realize there are a LOT of them. I drove around randomly to every antenna I could see before I finally gave up and called him back and waited for him to find me.

So in the end...I didn’t get much church in today. But on the upside, I was happy that we connected again with Larry and my other friend (who did get to go while I spent the morning driving around). We all had lunch together, so in the end it was good. I looked around at the guys eating and laughing and talking today, and I had a “I like what I do and I’m glad God called me here.” moment.  I just sat there watching them and wondered where each of these guys would be this Sunday if God hadn’t started up this ministry.

Thanks again for your support and prayers everyone. This all exists because of your willingness to be used by God. And even if I forget to say it sometimes...we’re thankful for what you do!  =)
 

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Life...

I spent the afternoon driving around the city trying to find a place that rents ladders.  Believe it or not...after four or five hours of this...we still don't have a ladder.  People were very helpful with the directions of where they thought there might be a rental place...they always are.  Even if they have no idea what you're talking about.  The thing is, there's a problem with our roof and/or eves trough.  So water runs down inside the wall and causes all our paint to peal off.  It's annoying.  And since rainy season is just around the corner...we'd like to fix it.  Sandro figured he could monkey it out an upstairs window and climb up onto the roof, but I vetoed the idea.  If you've ever been here, you know our house is really high.  Even monkeys/Sandro's occasionally fall to their deaths.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that I let Jimmy drive today.  He has his licence so it makes sense to give him the opportunity to practice.  It's funny...after twenty some years, I still remember being annoyed at my Dad for correcting my driving and getting tense when I didn't really think there was a reason to be tense.  Hmm...sorry Dad.  Now I understand.  Although...I'm pretty sure I never made a left hand turn from the centre lane on a major road in front of a long line of cars.  Or came to within about an inch and a half scraping past a city bus.  Or made a right hand turn rather wide and put two wheels up onto the centre boulevard. 

Jimmy, on the other hand...

Jimmy's actually a pretty good driver.  He just needs to practice and stop trying to do what he sees every other idiot on the road down here doing.

Tomorrow I'm off to the STD clinic.  Not with anyone from here mind you.  Just thought I should clarify.  A friend of a friend needs some help and guidance.  Seems he made a mistake along the way.  He's young and scared.  I'm mostly there to drive and provide moral support.  It's always entertaining hanging out with thirty or fourty prostitute ladies who keep staring at you like you're a side of beef.  Well...maybe entertaining's not quite the right word.  At least I'm more relaxed now than the first time I went.  I probably told every person in the place, "Hi, I'm a missionary!" thirty or fourty times 'cause I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.  It got old really fast.  Now I just bring a book.

Anyhow...that's my life.  I'm also having lunch tomorrow with a young guy I know from way back when.  He disappeared for quite a while...turned out he was in jail.  But we've reconnected.  I haven't seen him for a few months now, but he called me up today.  I'd been thinking about him a lot lately (I'd lost his number so I couldn't call him) so it was good to hear his voice.  I imagine I'll get the lowdown on what's been going on.  He's a good kid, but lots of issues still from his past.  Also, I didn't hear from the girl from last night, so hopefully she'll call tomorrow as well.

Well, that's it.  Thanks for praying everyone!
  

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Another prayer request...

A kid I know from the streets called me tonight. He was kind of agitated and talking fast, so it was hard to catch everything he was saying. Eventually I figured out that he was worried about his sister. She’s eight months pregnant and had run out of money. It’s cold out, and he didn’t want her sleeping on the streets tonight.

So I went and met with her (my friend didn’t come with us...his sister said he's embarrassed since he’s back on the streets). I got the whole story from her. She’d had a job, but now that she’s in her final month, her boss told her she couldn’t work anymore. She’s sold pretty much everything she’s owned, and is living in a “hotel” that caters to people who don’t have the money to get themselves set up in a room somewhere (you can rent rooms by the month here). They charge per night, and it’s not cheap. She hadn’t eaten supper, and I’m not sure if she’d even had lunch or not.

I talked to her awhile, and paid for her room for the next two nights. I also bought her supper and some bread and orange juice for breakfast tomorrow. I’m going to talk to Maribel tomorrow morning and try to figure out what to do. But it’s a heartbreaking situation. She could have this baby at any moment really, and she doesn’t have the money to buy supper. She’s not ready at all.

I don’t really have the resources to pay her way for the next month. Even if I did, then what? She says she plans to go back to work as soon as the baby is born, but that’s pretty tough too. For sure we’re not going to leave her high and dry...she doesn’t have anyone else. Her mom died when she was little, and her father (who was an alcoholic and abusive) died a few years ago.

Tomorrow the first thing is to try and find her a better place to stay. The area surrounding this hotel is dicey at best. Then we’ll need to get her a bed and then try to figure out what’s next.

All I know is that it makes me really sad. She’s a nice girl with an incredibly difficult future ahead of her.

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Some things to pray about and some pictures...

Sunday morning in church (when I should probably have been listening to the sermon) I was thinking about some of the situations I was facing in the house. Two of the guys were seemingly dealing with issues in their lives (none of us were exactly sure what was going on, but the actions of these guys said that things were not normal). The third guy was doing fine on the surface, but there are a lot of things in his heart that give him pain, and I was thinking about how to help him with that.

Monday I had breakfast with Jorge and Tonchi (our pastors) and we talked and prayed about the three situations. One of them had gotten worse...the guy was talking about leaving the house. I still had no idea what he was upset about, but he’d been angry about something for nearly two weeks. The other fellow was sliding deeper and deeper into some sort of funk/depression. I was getting more and more worried about them. So I prayed some more.

And then by Tuesday lunch...everything was fine. It was kind of funny how God worked it out. I was praying that He’d give me some sort of opportunity to talk to these three guys without being all obvious that I was trying to talk to them. That sometimes makes the situation more tense. But by yesterday, I had the chance to talk to all three, and the issues were resolved. The angry kid was being kind of silly. But that happens. Something relatively minor had gotten bigger and bigger in his head.

The other two situations are definitely more complex, and they’ll need time to sort themselves out. But I can see God at work. The one fellow who was doing okay on the surface actually came to me to talk about some things. He doesn’t do that often. You can pray for him...there’s a lot of fear and trepidation in his heart. He worries that if he steps out and acknowledges some of his pain, and asks for healing, and then nothing happens, that will be more devastating to him than just doing nothing and living with it. I understand his thinking, but what a terrible way to live.

The other fellow is dealing with fears and doubts for the future as well...and learning to trust other people. But I think we had some “Ohhh...okay...” moments when some things clicked into place for him.

Please pray for these guys and for the group of us in general. Maribel and I talked about some of this yesterday, and we agreed that we can see a lot of growth lately in the guys. But that sometimes seems to open them up for more spiritual struggles, so spiritual protection is definitely something to pray for right now.

Thanks for praying everyone!  I thought I'd throw some random pictures up here to entertain you as well...  =)
 

Ernesto, Larry and Aron

 
This picture is back from my Nacer days.  Ernesto and Larry are brothers and Aron is their cousin.  Aron is living here in the city now, and is one of the guys we work with who doesn't live here at the house.  Ernesto is studying at a Bible College in Puerto Rico.  Larry I hadn't seen in a couple of years, but the other day one of our guys saw him on a bus.  Turns out he's here in the city now too.
 
 

Larry now...

 
This is Larry now.  Two years can make a big difference!  You can pray for Larry...he's a good kid, but I think he's on that edge where he could go either way.  He's been hanging out with us more and more, and I'm hoping he'll start going to church with us soon.  He's living with his mom now (she was in jail before) and I think that's a struggle too.  They don't really know each other, but have been tossed back together.  For sure it's been fun getting to know Larry again.  He was one of my favourites out at Nacer.  =)
 
 

Random picture of Roberto...

 
I'd like to say that he's studying, but I think he might actually be watching the third season of "Lost".

It seems I may have gotten him addicted...
 
 

Juan and his baby girl...

 
Juan lived with us a couple of years ago.  He's now the proud dad of a baby girl.  She was a bit of a surprise I guess.  Ahem...for some reason they always are...  But baby and family are doing well.
 
 

Andres being cool...

 
Andres had a presentation at school that he had to dress up for.  So he scrounged up a suit and I gave him a shirt and tie (the tie came off 30 seconds after he was done the presentation).  This is him that night when he got home.  Bolivian guys always want to be serious in pictures.  I think they think it makes them look tough.  =)
 

 

But it's pretty easy to make Andres laugh.  I told him the picture was for the girls in Canada.  =)  That makes the guys laugh every time.  He looks better laughing anyhow.  All the guys do.  I generally have two copies of every picture I take...the "angry" picture (which annoys me) and the "happy" picture (which I get on threat of death from the guys). 
 
Anyhow...that's life here.  Thanks for praying!  Have a great day everyone!
 

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God's love...

I spoke with my mom last night...finally. Being my mom, she recharged her cell and then somehow turned it off, so no one could call her all day. She says it’s the cell phone’s fault, but...if you know my mom at all...

It was good to talk to her, and hear how things are going. Afterwards, I went and hung out with one of the guys here, just to talk about what was happening and to tell him how God had given the family a great day together on Monday. We talked awhile, and then this fellow made the comment, “I don’t like talking about death much.”

I felt bad...in thinking about my own pain I’d forgotten that this young guy had lost his mom when he was around ten. His dad had become abusive, so he and his brother had left for the streets. When they eventually came back to visit, they found out that their mom had died. Eleven years later, it’s still very painful for him.

But that comment opened the door to a deeper conversation about death and grace, and God’s love for us. Not knowing if his mom was a Christian or not when she died, has built up a lot of fear in my friend’s heart. And I think some resentment and anger as well. When I suggested this was affecting his relationship with God, he answered "Yes", without hesitation.

We ended up having a really good conversation. I think God brought some understanding and healing to this young guy’s life. There were a few moments of tears (what the heck is happening to me?!), but afterwards my friend seemed much more at peace.  This was a conversation he desperately needed to have.  He'd been suffering quietly for much too long.

It’s interesting how God uses the events in our lives. Shared pain (or joy) can open doors that too often stay closed. There’s something about vulnerability that gives people permission to speak more openly about their own pain. Later, sitting in my room, I realized that some of my own sorrow and heaviness was gone.

Thanks everyone, for your notes and comments of encouragement, and for praying for me and for my family. I really appreciate that. There are still moments when the sorrow catches me off guard, but certainly God is bringing healing and comfort. The funeral for Aunt Ruth is on Sunday afternoon, so if you could pray then as well. For my cousins and my mom and her family the loss of my aunt will be here for a long time to come.

Thanks again for praying.

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Aunt Ruth...

At 2:31 this afternoon, my Aunt Ruth was ushered into the presence of her Saviour. I think she was probably a lot more ready than the rest of us. Yesterday I called mom at the hospital and she told me, as difficult as it was, it was time to pray that God would take her home. Later that afternoon, as I was driving in my truck, I tried to pray that...I really did. But man, it was hard. I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. 

It’s a strange thing...the joy of knowing someone has lived their life well, mixed with the sorrow of not having them physically present in our lives anymore. I know in my heart that Aunt Ruth has met her Lord face to face, and is celebrating the new life she’s been given. She is surrounded by family and friends, and even as I write this I know she is joyful and at peace.

And while that gives me a deep comfort, of course there’s still a large part of me that mourns and misses her.

I am profoundly grateful for the family God has given me, on both my mom and dad’s sides, actually. The examples our grandparents and parents have set for us, my cousins and I...the Christian heritage we’ve been given...is not something I take lightly. We’re not a family without our problems and issues, and yet...the depth of love and support that exists between us is a huge blessing to me. Living where I live, and working with who I work with, I know that’s not always the reality for a lot of people.

This was reinforced for me once again, when mom told me of Aunt Ruth’s last few days here. My mom, my aunt and uncle and my grandma drove all night Saturday night, to get to Virginia in time to see their sister and daughter. The doctors had said that there wasn’t much time left (they were, perhaps, a little premature with that announcement).  =)  But nonetheless, the family rushed to be with her. All day Sunday, Aunt Ruth was not very responsive. She answered questions with just one or two words, and for the most part, just lay on her bed with her eyes closed. Many times she asked for her big brother, my Uncle Rob. Uncle Rob and his family weren’t going to be able to leave Ontario until Monday morning (to arrive Monday night), but chose to drive through the night as well on Sunday, to be with her as soon as possible.

Monday morning rolled around, and the entire family gathered together...and what a Monday it was. Mom said that Aunt Ruth was cracking one liner’s and giving everyone a hard time. She teased my Uncle Rob, she teased her husband, my Uncle Vince...she laughed and joked with everyone. This is what my Aunt Rhea wrote on Facebook about that day.

“Ruth, yesterday we were told it was a matter of hours. Today, so typical of your determination, you proved them wrong. Talked all day, staying ahead of everyone with your wit & feisty spirit, so animated & funny. Regardless of the future, today was a gift from God. We love you!"

That night she fell asleep and then didn’t wake up. She rested peacefully for two more days, with very little pain, and then this afternoon went to be with her Jesus. Mom and Aunt Rhea sat with her throughout the night last night...talking, reminiscing, praying, holding her hands. Mom said it was a special time, the three sisters together one last night. God is good.

Please continue to pray for my cousins and their families, Jack, Vince and Jeanine, and for my Uncle Vince. As well, for my mom and aunt and uncle and my grandma. Aunt Ruth has left a hole in our hearts that won’t ever quite heal in this world. But we’ll see her again in the next, and that gives us peace.

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more. Amen”

Aunt Ruth with her family...

With my cousin Jack...

With her grandkids...

     

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Refuge...

I know this isn't an uncommon picture, and many of you have probably seen it before.  But I still really appreciate it.  It's a powerful illustration of God as our refuge, and right now it holds a lot of meaning for me and for my family. 

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

 

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My Aunt Ruth...

My aunt is dying of cancer. Barring a miracle, I should get word of her entering the presence of her Lord sometime tonight or tomorrow. Truth be told, I’m having a hard time with it. I wrote on Sunday that there are moments when I feel very far away. This is one of those moments. I want to be with family who understand who she is and what we’re losing.

I know that most everyone has had a family member die. I know it’s easy to say, “Oh that’s really sad.” and then go on with whatever we were just doing. I get that...I’ve been guilty of it myself. When you don’t know the person, obviously their death has a lesser impact on you.

But this is my aunt, and I love her a lot. So, of course this means a lot to me. Her name is Ruth by the way. She’s my mom’s baby sister, and she and my mom are close. They live hundreds of miles apart (one in Saskatchewan and the other in Virginia) but they talk (and laugh!) just about every day. As a kid I grew up on stories of their antics as missionary kids living in India. Someday I’ll probably write some of those stories down here. Anything I’ve EVER done in my life? Pales in comparison to those two. My favourite? Probably the story of when they took off and traveled halfway across India by train (in the men’s compartment) because they didn’t like their boarding school. Mom was probably fifteen at the time and Aunt Ruth was around thirteen I think. Fortunately my mom taught Aunt Ruth some “karate moves” just in case they needed them.

So you see what I’m talking about.

After India, she and my mom ended up at a little country Bible school in western Canada, where Aunt Ruth promptly dated and married an ex-gang banger from New York who was also studying there. I imagine that raised a few eyebrows. The sweet little missionary girl and the big, bad New Yorker.  Oh, did I mention he was eight years older than her? Even now that makes me laugh. Uncle Vince is a cool guy, but even though I’ve lived in South America and I’ve hung out in some pretty dicey places, I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as I was the night my cousins Jackie and Vinnie and I snuck out of the house to go to Jack’s after grad party. We had to sneak across the lawn under Uncle Vince’s window and it still makes my hands sweat to think about it. =) Aunt Ruth? He didn’t even slow her down. I should probably mention that Uncle Vince has been an amazing pastor these past four decades, with Aunt Ruth at his side (keeping him in line I’m sure).

She’s also raised three great kids and has been a pretty cool Grandma to a bunch of grandkids.

I spent the morning reading comments that people have been posting on her Facebook page. If you know me at all, you know I’m not a very emotionally demonstrative person. I can probably give you the date and time of the last three times I’ve openly cried. Don’t get me wrong, I get that little twitchy feeling in my nose once in awhile, but that’s about it.

I sat there this morning, tears running down my face, as I read what Aunt Ruth means to the people she knows. She truly is a remarkable person.

My Grandma, my mom and my aunt and uncle and their families have all traveled to Virginia to be with her. They’re there now. I remember when my grandpa died, the comfort that came from being surrounded by family. Ours is a close family and it makes me happy that so many of them are together with Aunt Ruth even tonight. It’s funny, my cousin wrote that Aunt Ruth is the one trying to comfort everyone else. And she’s still making jokes. The cancer ate away her stomach and she said that since she can’t drink coffee anymore, it’s time to go. Yep...that’s my Aunt Ruth...

I just read something tonight, “On the far side of sorrow comes joy.” My FB status today was, “We are not a people without hope.” And that’s the truth. Aunt Ruth is a strong Christian woman. I have no doubt that within hours she will stand before the God she has faithfully served her entire life. We will miss her and absolutely we will...are feeling...the sorrow of losing her. But as our family mourns her, it is not without a joy in our hearts for who she is and the life she’s lived.

And the future she has.

Aunt Ruth, we love you and we will miss you. Make sure you give Grandpa a big hug from all of us, and we’ll see you soon.

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