Look Kids... a Naked Lady! Part I

Because of our busy ministry schedule (and the fact that 5 of our kids didn’t speak English for the first couple years after we adopted them) we home schooled all of our kids when we lived back in the States. Now we weren’t one of those families that home schooled our kids because we were wanting to “shelter them from the world” or anything like that. It was just the easiest and most logical route for our family to take. The fact that there were so many times when we were at church/church event until late the night before, and it wasn’t fair to expect the kids to jump out of bed the next morning and go to school at o’dark thirty. It was either that (home school) or we’d have to get up at 5AM trying to get everyone out the door to 4 different schools every morning. Talk about chaos... no thank you. We chose the home school option: )

But here, our kids are in the Brazilian Public School System. In Brazil, it’s the law that your kids HAVE to be in public school. It doesn’t matter if you want to home school (you can’t by-the-way) or not, they have to go. It doesn’t matter if they can’t speak Portuguese or not. It doesn’t matter that there’s no interpreter to actually tell them what the teacher is even talking about. It doesn’t matter what excuse or logical reason you have NOT to send them, they’ve got to go or they will bring you before a judge. And if that happens, you could possibly face time in jail. Now, as awesome as pioneering a prison ministry in another country sounds, for some reason “I’m just not feeling led” to go in that direction, lol!  So, they go to school. 

We really like the teachers and the faculty at the schools here. And we feel like they do the best that they can to accommodate our kids but their resources are limited (they're under staffed and under payed). So we’re navigating through all this the best we can. But if things don’t change we’re probably going to have to home school the kids AND send them to public school at the same time so we’ll know that they’re actually getting an education. Oh well, it’s just one of the many issues we’re dealing with. But back to the reason for today’s blog...

The other day Robert (our 6 year old) came into the house with Diogo’s (our 10 year old) science book from school. He wanted to show us a picture that his older brother had just shown him. So, MJ took it, then she turned the open book toward me so I could see the pictures too. We saw a cartoon picture of a woman’s anatomy and a picture of a man’s anatomy. Kinda weird for a kid to have in the 5th grade, but not the end of the world. But then it happened. As she turned a few more pages, there it was. A naked pregnant lady. Now when I think of naked pregnant ladies (which, by-the-way, I don’t) they don’t look like this! This one was like a super model who had decided to get pregnant and pose for the camera. I mean, there she was posing for the camera, the lighting was set just right, she was in perfect shape, she had no tan lines or blemishes, it looked like she had breast implants, the room where the picture was taken was obviously cold (get it?), definitely not a good thing for a 10 year old to have in his possession. What was this crap!? Why would you give 5th graders pornography? And if someone says it’s not, they’re retarded. If you were just wanting to show kids a picture of a pregnant woman why not do it where she at least has a bra on. And if not at least be realistic about what a “normal” pregnant woman looks like. Throw some stretch marks on her or something, come on! Seriously.

Then, as we turned the pages farther into the book, we found full color pictures of condoms and birth control pills and how to use them! For some reason that part really upset me. I don’t speak fluent Portuguese but I could tell, by what was written, that it was telling kids what these were as a recommendation not information. What’s up with that? What about telling them about the best form of birth control... abstinence!? Why wasn’t that there in the line-up? And why were they showing this stuff to a bunch of 5th graders? I’m a guy, and I’m a father of 6 boys, I was a youth pastor for a couple years, I’m here in Brazil ministering to children and teens full-time and I realize that we have to face stuff like this and talk to kids about it, we can’t just stick our heads in the sand. But I think it’s un-wise to show pictures this graphic to a bunch of 10 years olds! And to make recommendations for birth control to 5th graders without even telling them that best thing is to wait until they’re married to have sex? Seriously? And what about telling them about some of the consequences of having sex? And, if you want to show pictures, where’s the pictures of boys and girls with STD’s rather than the glamour shot of the pregnant super-model? Where’s the photo of the 15 year old girl, from the mountain where we live, that had a baby last year? The one that’s living in extreme poverty with her baby and with no father around (they actually think her 50 year old uncle got her pregnant)? Where are those pictures at? All they’re showing the kids is something that doesn’t reflect reality.

So, here we are, being forced to send our kids into a school system where the culture is very promiscuous and not looking at things the way that we do with the same values as us. We know that God sent us here so what do we do? What would you do?

Jim

PS- I didn’t want to post a super-long blog so you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see what we decided. Love you guys! Have a great day: ) And yes, the picture up top is of my son's book.

If Someone Doesn’t Fill-Up These Things I’m Gonna Hurt Somebody!

Remember growing-up and having to use ice trays if you wanted ice? It was those plastic things with little compartments that you’d fill with water,  put them in the freezer, then in a couple hours... Bam! Ice cubes. It’s different now. Now, we pretty much have ice on demand with automatic ice makers already built into our freezers. Gotta love technology: )

Well, here in Brazil, we’re kickin’ it old school. We don’t have an automatic ice maker in our freezer, we have ice trays. Yes, we’ve taken a step back in time and we have to make our own ice now. But, it’s really not that bad. That is, if everyone would contribute by filling them back up! Why is it that people (in my family) get ice out of the ice bin (where we dump our ice trays), see that it’s almost empty (or empty), but then neglect to dump the trays? Why not dump them and re-fill them so that another batch is getting ready for the next person? Is that so hard? It literally can be done on about 2 1/2 minutes. I mean, come on, we only have 6 ice trays! And now somebody has a new ice-tray-slacker-move... it’s where they’ll only dump one tray (because they’re only thinking about themselves, obviously) and then fill it up and put it back. What’s going on? Why are they only thinking about themselves? What about the next person who comes to the refrigerator looking for something to cool their beverage off with? I mean, their drink is warm too and all they’re gonna want is a little drop of frozen goodness (aka, an ice cube), but NO! There won’t be any there because you didn’t want to take a couple of minutes and re-fill the trays. Why not just dump all of them and fill em’ back up so that ice can be had by everyone? 

I’m gonna find out who’s doing it too. I’m officially launching my own investigation. And “I pity the fool” (said with my best Mr. T voice) when I find out who they are: )

As frustrating as this is, it’s not something that has any eternal significance though. It’s really not that big of a deal in light of eternity (but it does give me something to complain about). But while I’m on the subject of people leaving things (negatively) that effect the next person who comes in behind them... what about people who say their christians and leave messes behind them? You know what I mean, right? It’s like when somebody tells everybody at work that they’re a christian then they have some sort of meltdown and end up leaving a huge mess that the next “christian” will have to clean up behind them. Or the guy at school who says their a christian and then they loose it ______________ (morally, emotionally, just fill in the blank) and end up leaving a negative impression on everyone who they left in their wake. You’ve seen it before, right? But let me take it a step further. What about the person in ministry that serves in some type of ministry capacity that only thinks about themselves. They serve faithfully for “x” amount of years somewhere (either in a church, in a ministry organization, on the mission field, etc.) and then something happens and they decide it’s time to leave. They either feel called out or they’re just tired of their current position so they’re leaving. But how are they leaving it for the next guy (or gal)? Is it gonna be a mess that’s gonna consume a huge amount of time for the next person to wade through before they can really begin ministry? Or is it gonna be a smooth transition and something that’s seamless? I’ve seen it in the secular workplace and in the ministry and it’s frustrating when somebody blows-up years of great work as they exit. 

As difficult as some of my own positions (secular and ministry) have been and as much potential drama as there’s been when I’ve had to transition out, I was always consciences of the next guy. It was something that’s always been important to me. Am I perfect? No way. Actually I can be a jerk sometimes (or a lot of times depending on who you ask). But in spite of that, I always tried to think about the person who was coming in and of what I was leaving behind (because people will always remember you for what you did last). Everybody leaves something behind. Everybody. You’ll either die or move on to something else but we all leave something behind us.

The reason why I’m thinking about this today is because I’ve been having to remind myself of this a lot here in Brazil. Because we WILL leave here one day. Either by choice or in a body bag. And there WILL be other missionaries who God will send in behind us to continue His work. So, as tough as things are (and as much as I’m tempted to lose it) I have to remind myself, “what am I working toward and what am I gonna leave behind?”  Is the next set of missionaries gonna have to repair “the American Christians” testimony and reputation before they can really begin ministry? Or is it gonna be smooth as silk as we pass the baton to the next guy? It’s hard. And it’s a big responsibility. But it’s one that we all have.

What about you and your position? How’s that gonna look when you leave? Only you can decide. So, are you gonna fill-up the ice trays so the next guy will have ice too? Or will you just use up what’s there and leave the trays empty?

Chillin’ (Get it? Chillin’... Ice, Ice Trays?),

Jim

Add that to the List of Complaints

OK. Just when I thought I had pretty much experienced all the discomforts of being a missionary, I’ve got another thing to add to the list. And it will rank up there with all the bugs, snakes, the lack of A/C, slow (or no) internet, living in the jungle, having worms and all the other things that we’ve experienced here. And the thing I need to add to the list is... drumroll please...” Wintertime.” That’s right Wintertime. While all of you in the U.S. are posting all your beach pics on facebook and talking about the beautiful weather you’re experiencing, we’re here in the mountains of Campina Grande do Sul freezing our butts off! It’s late Fall/early Winter here right now. It was 32 degrees the other day and when we woke up it was 40 degrees inside the house. Now, I can hear everyone saying, “that’s not that cold” and you’re right it isn’t... when you live in the US and you have heat in your house! But as of right now we have no wood burning stove, no fireplace, and definitely no central heat! It’s cold! I thought Brazil was suppose to have a tropical climate, so what’s up? Maryssa was actually microwaving 2 liter Coke bottles full of water so that she can have something warm in bed with her. Talk about ghetto... now that’s ghetto. 

But here’s the thing... as I sit here complaining about how cold our house is, there are literally hundreds of people (who are my neighbors) who don’t have heat, who don’t have nice blankets like us and some of them don’t even have windows! Now that’s just wrong. So how can I complain about being cold when our house is probably warmer than my neighbor’s? Lord, forgive me. 

That’s par for the course though isn’t it. It’s so easy to be focused on my own lack of comfort that I don’t see that there are people all around me that would love to switch places with me. Lord, help me to be more thankful. 

Now don’t go gettin’ all self-righteous on me. You do the same thing, admit it. Why is that though? Because I guarantee that if the next time we have an opportunity to complain that ( if we open our eyes) we can find somebody in our own community that has it worse than we do and that would love to change places with us. So, rather than complaining about our own situation all the time, maybe we should find someone around us who’s situation is worse and help them? Maybe that would help us be more thankful for what God has blessed us with? I don’t know, just something to think about: )

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                                                                                                           I Thessalonians 5:18

Freezing for Jesus,

Jim

PS- Please pray for us. Seriously. We don’t want to just “survive” through the Winter months. We want to continue to minister and continue with all the construction we’ve got going on. But if it’s cold and wet (which it’s been raining quite a bit) we’re kinda stuck inside. So, pray that we’ll “figure it out”... whatever that means and whatever that looks like: )

PSS- The pics up top are of Bella (our boxer) who just won't learn. This was the 100th time she's gotten bit by a bee. That's why her face is swollen... all because she tried to eat another one. And the other pic is of Robert. He doesn't have mange, he just decided to give himself a haircut. Awesome, huh?

If You Build It They Will Come

Sorry, that's a cheesy title, I know. I could’t resist: ) But we believe it’s true, nonetheless. Our whole purpose for being in Brazil is to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s it, period. But, in order to do that, we feel that we need to have things that will attract children and teenagers here (so that we can actually get the Gospel to them). And that’s the reason why we’ve been building and renovating. We want kids to meet Jesus.

And it’s because of the generous supporters of Hope and Life Brazil, that we’ve been able to accomplish so much over the last few months. The problem with doing any type of construction here is that it takes 10x longer because of the lack of materials, no equipment (like a skid-steer loader to haul sand/gravel, etc), and the weather is hard to predict. But we've done a ton of work over the last 2 months. Here’s just a few of the projects we’ve begun and completed. Just remember that we're way up in the mountains and in the middle of the jungle too!

Pavilion Renovation

The Pavilion is the facility that gets the most use at the camp. It’s where we hold church services every Sunday (unless we’re traveling), it’s where we hold various outreach events for the community, and its where all the services for the camp happen. Adjacent to the Pavilion is a commercial kitchen where all the meals for camps are prepared.

We were able to totally re-vamp the look of the Pavilion by adding faux wooden columns to the stage, new paint, building a knee wall around the entire pavilion (which added over 100 more seats), we built new benches (which added almost 50 more seats), we extended 2 rooflines (over the kitchen entrance and the entrance to the new bathrooms), we built a built-in BBQ pit (because most meals are cooked on the grill), we added a wooden wall along the entire SE side of the building, we ran permanent audio/video cable to the stage, we built a permanent projector screen on the back wall of the stage, and we re-cemented the stage floor and the face of the stage.

The Pavilion is the busiest place on the property and it really needed a facelift. 

This is what it looked like before we started renovating. Notice the white walls

 accented with the "Baptist Blue" banner. It was really awesome how we had to 

roll back the end of the banner so that we project the songs to worship on the

 wall too. We also installed a bracket from the ceiling so that we could mount 

the projector. This gives us a lot more stage room. 

Here's what the stage looked like after we painted the back wall black. Notice all the cement that was broken up on the floor of the stage? We added a skim coat of concrete to repair it and we dyed the cement gray. 

Mr. Moore, Olympia and Marlon working on adding a wood facade to the existing wall and wood to the columns. We also added one more step to the front of the stage (it was difficult getting up and down like it was).

Here's the stage when we finished. Goodbye 1980, hello 2012'!

Here's a picture of the brick wall that we built. We also installed a wooden cap on the top of it so that it could be used as a seat if we needed the main floor cleared of all the benches (for games and activities). The tables are where we feed the kids when we have meals at the camp.

Lower Bunkhouse (a.k.a. The Orange Bunkhouse)

This is the bunkhouse that gets the most use. We use it for camps, missions teams, retreat housing for local pastors and missionaries, and any overnight guests that stay at the camp. One side will sleep 10 people and the other side sleeps 6 (it use to sleep 12 but we converted this side into more of a suite rather than a bunkhouse). We were able to repaint the whole building (inside and out), resurface the ceilings in the bathrooms on both sides, and we replaced a large portion of the outside walls and floors that were damaged due to weather.

Here's what the front of the Orange Bunkhouse looks like. It has 2 sides that can sleep a total of  16 people.

Here's the inside of the right-hand side of the Orange Bunkhouse that sleeps 6 people.

Zip-Line and Jungle Challenge

We were able to upgrade the zip-line by raising the height of it (which also increased the speed... oh, yeah!) and we built a large platform (at the starting point) that allows us to safely send-off each rider. The cable is approximately 500’ long and is suspended 50’ above the Pavilion pond.  

The new zip-line platform.

Here's the view from the top of the new platform, overlooking the Pavilion pond.

We’ve begun construction of our brand new obstacle course “The Jungle Challenge” that will have 2-14’ climbing walls, a new zip-line and several obstacles that will help promote teamwork and build confidence in the students. Since we’re in the jungle (hence the name “Jungle Challenge”, haha) the elements can be very hard on anything that’s outside more than 30 seconds. So,we’re constructing most of the course out of cement so that it will last longer in these wet conditions. Construction should be completed within the next month.

Once completed, the new "Jungle Challenge" will have 10 state of the art obstacles as a part the course. 

The forms are in place and ready to be poured with concrete for the new climbing tower that we're building. One side will have a 14' climbing wall that gets you to the
8' x 8' platform high above. Then you'll have to repel down the smooth wall (with a climbing rope) on the opposite side.

These are just a few of the projects that we’ve done over the last 2 months. And again, it was only able to happen because of the supporters of Hope and Life Brazil. So, Thank You! We believe, that by upgrading the camp, that it’ll allow us to reach so many more kids for Jesus.  

It Works

We’ve spoken at several churches all over the state of Parana here in Brazil. Most of the churches have been in or around Curitiba. And the message has been the same, challenging people to “follow Jesus.” Nothing fancy or clever. Just an outright plea to stop playing church and actually “follow Him.” We’ve incorporated drama into the message as well. Actually it’s gone really good. That is, until the last church we ministered in. It was horrible.

We arrived at the church and set-up our stuff and “tried” to do a sound check. I say, “tried” because they were rehearsing for worship at the same time. And after I did a sound check for the drama they changed the levels (sound level) on the channel we were going to use for our music (awesome!). 

It came time for the drama and, for some reason, the boys (Dunn kids & Atkinson kids) just didn’t seem like they were into it at all. Actually Matthew and Marlon came up to me right before the drama and asked if they could skip doing it. What?! You guys are crazy! Get your butts out there and minister! (In Jesus name, of course.) I was starting to stress-out, that’s for sure. Then the service started and the pastor called me up, and as I was introducing our family, some of the boys were looking at me and silently mouthing “please don’t make us do this.” This only added to the amount of stress I was already feeling. So, I just ignored their request and called them up to the front so that they could get in place.

The drama started and during the drama, somehow a radio station started bleeding through the channel that we were using for our music track (that went along with the drama). And just a little FYI, the only music I hate more than Country Music is Country Music in Portuguese. And that’s what it was

: ) It was sooooo frustrating... for me that is. Then, at some point during the drama, something happened up front but I couldn’t see what it was because I was in the back running the computer (my view was blocked by everyone’s heads in the seats in front of me). All I knew is that it wasn’t good. Anytime the pastor and a few other people  scurry up front to do something right in the middle of  a drama, it usually isn’t good.

After the drama, I went up front to minister and as I reached the altar area I saw what all the hubbub was about... there was a “live” plant (emphasis on “was”) that the boys had knocked over during the drama and it was all over the place. There was potting soil everywhere! So, there I stood (in the middle of a pile of potting soil) on these white tile floors ministering the Word. Or at least trying to minister. I was so paranoid that I was gonna slip that I couldn’t really push past it. But I went ahead and ministered despite all the drama, get it... drama? haha! And at the end I was so mad. I mean, I didn’t feel a thing. I felt like I had l let circumstances totally throw-me-off and that the night was a waste. I was frustrated that the boys did a horrible job during the drama, I was frustrated that I did a horrible job during the sermon, I was frustrated that I had to use a translator to preach and couldn’t communicate with the people on my own, did I mention that it was horrible?! lol!

I was questioning God on why He had called me to a country where I don’t speak the language, where I can’t communicate the Gospel as easily as I want, where I still don’t understand the culture, where 90% of the time I’m frustrated, and... the list could go on and on...  why God? It doesn’t make sense to me. And I left that church that night feeling like it had been a colossal waste of time! I was ticked!

A few days later we met with the pastor in his office to discuss partnering together on some future ministry stuff, and at the beginning of the meeting, he thanked us for ministering at his church and how impacting it was. What? Impacting? You mean in a negative way, right? The way I had felt about it, I thought we had ministered in that church for our first and last time, because I didn’t feel anything but frustrated about it. Sure the Gospel was preached but I felt like I had done a terrible job presenting it. And it was the worst drama we’d performed in any of the churches we’d ministered in, hands-down. So what was he talking about? He went on to tell us that his in-laws and a couple of other family members had been in service that night and that it was the first time that they had stayed through an entire service. One was a Hare Krishna and the others were Spiritist (or something like that) and that after service they said, “they enjoyed service and that then they understood more about the Gospel now” and that it really opened up dialogue between them (the pastor and his family) concerning the Gospel at dinner. He also told us that he had a lot of new believers in his congregation and that the things that I said were things that he had been speaking to them about and that it reinforced what he was already teaching them.

As I was sitting there I was dumbfounded. I mean, I hadn’t felt anything that night. I thought it was a dud, actually. But as we left that meeting, the Lord really convicted me of something that it seems like I had forgotten. He reminded me that it’s His Spirit that really draws people, not good preaching. It’s Him who really minister’s to people, not us as the ministers. And it’s His Word that has the power to convict and transform someones life, not my words. Sure we can deliver the best sermon of our lives, but if He doesn’t illuminate it so that it'll reach the people’s hearts, then all it was was a good sermon, nothing more, nothing less. So, hopefully I’ll remember that next time I’m not “feelin’ it” and hopefully I'll rest in the fact that it’s truly the Gospel that has the power to bring change, not me.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... 

                              Romans 1:16

Passionately Following Jesus,

Jim

PS- Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and even though this wasn’t a Mother’s Day blog, I definitely wanted to say that my wife is probably the best mother I know. She does things that amaze me daily. The way she takes care of the family is nothing short of miraculous, actually. I have no idea how she pulls it off and I love her. Thanks, Baby. The pics up top are of our front porch (that she decorated, of course). It's amazing how she can even make a house in the middle of the jungle look great. And even though there’s no Hobby Lobby here, she still finds ways to decorate. The picture of the wreath is of stuff she went out into the jungle and found just so that she could make it. That’s MJ for ya: )

“Lucie, You Got Some Splainin’ To Do”

For those of you who grew-up in the 60‘s like me, you probably remember a TV show about a Cuban band leader named Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) who married a fiery red head named Lucie. That’s right, “The Lucille Ball Show” or “I Love Lucie.” It was in black and white and was one of the highest rated shows of the 1960’s ( I Love Lucie was actually produced in the 1950’s). The show is still in syndication and can even be seen on The Hallmark Channel over a half century later. That’s pretty amazing, huh? Anyway, enough TV trivia. There’s a line from the show that people quote all the time and it’s, “Luuuucieeeee, you got some splainin’ to do” (which is usually said with a thick hispanic accent). Have you ever heard somebody say that? Yes? Well, the problem with that quote is that Ricky never said it on the show. The line that everybody supposedly remembers and quotes is actually an urban legend... it never happened. Supposedly Ricky comes home one day, and as soon as he walks in the house, something is wrong and Ricky says the line, “Luuuuucieeeee, you got some splainin’ to do.” Only thing is, it never happened! Seriously, google it. You won’t find it anywhere. 

Have you ever said that to God? Not, “Lucie... you got some splainin’ to do” but rather “God, you’ve got some explaining to do!” Seriously, have you ever encountered something in your life and you really felt like God owed you an explanation for it? I mean, you’re a good person and you’re trying to do your best at following Him and He’s in control of everything... so what’s up God? Can you explain this to me? Can you tell me why my life looks like a mess when all I’m doing is what “you” told me to do?  God, you’re the one that asked me to ___________ so why did it turn out all jacked-up? 

Have you ever done that? Even if you’ve never actually verbalized it, you’ve definitely thought that before, right? But here’s the thing... God doesn’t owe us an explanation because He is God! Somehow, in our quest to know God (which is good and right) our theology has gotten off track. We’ve come up with the idea that we’re almost on the same level as Him (even though we’d never say it out loud) and that everything He does has to make sense to us or He better have a good explanation for it! I mean, if we’re following Him and the outcome of a certain situation doesn’t line up with how I think it should turn out then, come on God... this isn’t right and it’s not fair! 

Even when it comes to scripture we do the same thing. If the bible says it and I believe it and then I do it (what the bible says), then the outcome BETTER be what I think it should be otherwise God better come-up with a good explanation (insert me looking heavenward shaking my finger at God here).

How arrogant is that? For us to think that God (the God of Heaven and Earth, the creator of everything, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God) owes us anything is ludicrous!  And as far as how things turn out?... the outcome belongs to God too. They (the outcomes) aren’t ours to control. The bible isn’t a book of formulas that we follow like the instructions in some kind of do it yourself self-help book that’ll make us end up at the same place every time. Yes, the bible is the inspired word of God. And yes, we believe the bible is infallible and we follow the instructions in it because they (the words in it) are life to us. And yes, everything in the bible is true and adding to it or taking away from it is definitely not a good move. But we’re required to follow God’s “word,” not the “results” of following God’s word. We follow Him regardless of how the ending turns out. We’ve got to. Otherwise we’re placing ourselves in the position of God  because we think we can dictate every ending to every story just by us following certain steps (because if I do step A then I better end up at B). That’s crazy. He is God and we are not. 

But it all boils down to one word... trust. Do we trust Him even if it doesn’t turn out the way we imagined it would? Are we still willing to follow even if 1+1 doesn’t = 2 sometimes? 

Sometimes doing the right thing (the thing God asks us to do) will end in a way that we don’t like or even understand. But we need to trust Him anyway. We need to resolve within ourselves that no matter what, we’re gonna do what God and His word says, period.

Just like Sharach, Meshach and Abednego told the king when they were threatened to be thrown into the fire if they didn’t bow. They said:

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, oh king. But if not, we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

                                           Daniel 3:17-18

They said God was able and willing but even if He didn’t deliver them, they weren’t gonna bow because they were gonna serve Him (God) regardless. What about you and me? When something tragic happens in our lives and we pray and pray but the ending isn’t what we were believing for... what do we do? How do we react? What about when we take a major step of faith (like adopting 5 kids or moving to the foreign mission field, haha) and things don’t go like we’d like, what then? Do we demand an answer? Do we tell God that He owes us an explanation (or at least think it)? Or do we just trust Him? 

As far as us? (because if you haven't picked-up on it yet, I'm preachin' to myself) ... well, as hard as things are for us (here in Brazil) and as messed-up as some things seem, we’re gonna trust and follow, trust and follow, that’s all we can do. And we’re gonna leave the ending all up to Him. If it turns out the way we think should then great. If it doesn’t, then that’s Ok too. Our lives belong to Him so He can write the script any way He wants. And He doesn’t even have to explain: )

Trusting Jesus,

Jim and MJ

PS- the picture at the top is of a church in Morrettes. It's a town about an hour away from where we live. 

Yep, We Ate It!

There are some things that I have to do now that I would’ve never imagined would be a normal way of life for me, ever. Things as small as having to shave with cold water all the time because none of our sinks have hot water (which is painful). That’s right, none of them. Even the water we use to wash our dishes with is cold (gross, I know). Or the fact that I’ve had worms 3 times in 6 months (yes, I said worms) because of our water. Or the fact that I don’t mind telling you that I’ve had worm 3 times! haha! It’s crazy. 

But the other night it hit me, that my way of life and the way I think has totally changed and it’s changed so much that certain things don’t even phase me anymore, which is a good thing. Here, let me tell you what happened:

The other night I decided to cook dinner for MJ and the kids so that my wife could get a break from the monotony that is “her life.” And I decided to make spaghetti with 2 different types of meat sauces. One sauce was with beef and the other was with sausage. I went to the little grocery store at the base of the mountain and bought all the ingredients I needed and started making it early in the afternoon (from scratch) so that we could have it for dinner. Then, as dinnertime approached, I went ahead and started getting ready to cook the noodles. We have to make so much food (because of the size of our family) that even boiling water takes longer than normal. The pot is huge and it takes about 30-45 minutes just for the water to start boiling. So, I filled the pan up with water, added my oil and salt, turned the gas up all the way and waited. And waited, and waited. Then the water finally started boiling so I poured in the noodles. But after a minute or so I noticed that there were these little black things floating on top of the water in my big pot full of noodles (the pot that I had just waited 30 minutes to start boiling). “Huh?... That’s weird,” I thought to myself. It looked like someone had dumped a big pile of course pepper into the pot. Then as I looked closer I could tell that it wasn’t pepper, it was a bunch of dead bugs! Yes, dead bugs! They were a little bit bigger than fleas but smaller than flies. I guess they were in the package of noodles that I had purchased and as soon as they hit the boiling water, Bam! They were dead. So, now what? What to do, what to do? Hmmm...? They were all dead, right? And they were all floating on top so I could see all of them. So, rather than having to wait for the water to start boiling all over again I just skimmed them all off the top and continued with cooking the noodles. I mean, I had to feed the family and if they had to wait an additional 30-45 minutes (for the water to start boiling all over again) I was gonna have a mutiny on my hands. 

As I was skimming off all the dead bugs out of the pot, I didn’t even think it was gross or that I should dump the whole thing out and start all over. Why? What has happened to me? Have I lost my mind? Good question...

But after reflecting on the events of that night, this was my conclusion... by me not freaking out, and by coming to grips with the fact that I live in the jungle and bugs are just a part of life here, this allows me to be focused on the mission as I look past the bugs. The mission is to get the Gospel to the people of Brazil, not to complain about all the bugs we have here. Sure, I’d prefer my pasta bug-free, but if I’m busy ranting and raving about all the bugs in my life (all the time) then I’m probably not focused on the right thing. I’ve got to expect the bugs... we live in the jungle, duh.

What about you? What kind of “bugs” are you tempted to stay focused on rather than “your mission?” It’s easy to be distracted and be focused on “the bugs” rather than what assignment God has us on isn’t it?

Bottom line is this... life is full of distractions, period. And as Christ Followers we’ve got to come to the point where we either look past all the distractions (i.e. money problems, kid problems, marital problems, church problems, job problems, etc.) and do what God’s asked us to do or the enemy will be obliged to allow all kinds of things to get us sidetracked. Not that we ignore the real issues in our lives, but we should never let the issues deter us from the assignment. 

We’re going through some very difficult things right now as a family, so I’m speaking to myself today. I’ve got to stay on track, period.

Eating Bugs Without Complaining,

Jim

PS- The picture up top is of this weird grasshopper we saw on our front porch and about the meal I made... no, I didn’t tell the family about the bugs in the noodles, so let’s keep that between us: )