4500 Reasons to Do Missions

4500 Reasons to Do Missions

Today we made our way up to the village of Naranjo. This is a two hour ride up the side of a mountain in the back of a pickup truck. Today was our first day of children's ministry on the trip. As we arrived we began to set up for our VBS and some of the children began to arrive as well. By 11am we had well over 100 children packed into the feeding center there in Naranjo. Some of the children walk two hours just to come and get a meal to eat. It is hard for us to imagine that some of the children that came today had not had a meal since Friday (today was Monday). 

I can't imagine my boys not having anything to eat all weekend! But for the children in Naranjo, and many other villages in the mountains of Eastern Guatemala it is a reality that they live with each and every day. The air is thin in Naranjo because the village rests over 4500ft. above sea level. Hence the title of my blog today, "4500 Reasons to Do Missions!" 

Many people look at missions as a waste of precious time and resources. They ask questions like, "why don't the church help people in South Carolina and the United States, we have people in need here too?" That is a legitimate question but the problem is that people in third world countries don't have the "help" that we have in the United States. In the USA there are programs as well as churches that reach out to those who are in need. But what about those who are 4500 feet above sea level in the mountains of Guatemala? Who is going to reach them? Who is going to feed them? For many the government does not even consider them to be a person. This is what Jesus said...

Acts 1:8 (NASB) ⁸  but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 

Jesus said that we would be witnesses after the Holy Spirit came upon us, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the earth. 

Now let me ask you a question. Are we to just stay in Jerusalem? Are we to just stay in our home town, our state, our nation? That's not what Jesus said is it? He said that we should go to the remotest (uttermost) parts of the earth. Filled with the Spirit we are to do all of those things, not just one or the other. 

So yes, let's be Christ in our community and city, and surrounding areas, but we can't leave out the fact that Jesus mentions the remote parts of the world. The places 4500 feet above sea level, in the mountains of Guatemala, in a village called Naranjo. There are people there, precious people, real people. People with jobs, families, and problems, just like you have. But many of them have children who are starving to death.

Today we helped to change the lives of those families and bring a smile to the faces of the children there. I can't help but hear the words of Jesus who said...

Matthew 19:14 (GW) ¹⁴  Jesus
said, “Don't stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of
the kingdom of God.” 

In this blog I have given you 4500 reasons to do missions, but there are so many more. I think the number one reason is that it's the heart of God. God is seeking. He desires for all to come to the knowledge of the truth. He is looking for someone who will be willing to go and do the work that he has called them to do. Will you go? Will you even begin to touch Jerusalem (your city)? 

How many reasons do you need?

The Tamales are for You!

Today we traveled to the village of Tosoro Obajo for a mountain rally. There were people there who traveled for two hours to be in the service! There were over 150 people who gathered to worship The Lord and seek his face. As the music played and the people sang you could sense the presence of The Lord filling that little church on the side of a mountain in a remote part of Guatemala. 

Although we couldn't understand the words that were being sang you could still feel the power of God moving and stirring the hearts of the people! 

I was humbled by this great move of God as we worshiped with the precious people there. I couldn't help but think, God is right here in this little village, in a place that most people in the world will never know about, and never even see. But Jesus Christ was there! His presence is a gift. It is a blessing and a privilege. One that so many of us take for granted. 

As I stood to preach you could already sense the anticipation and expectancy in the church. After all, God had graced us with his powerful presence, why would we not expect and anticipate His Word? I preached the message "Jesus is Still the Same", from Hebrews 13:8...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)

The altars filled with hungry souls weeping and crying out to God. You see, the presence of God makes the difference! Without his presence we are alone, we are lifeless. But the Spirit of God breathes life into the dry places and fills us with power to accomplish what God has laid on our hearts to do! 

And the thing is, God WANTS to be with us! He wants us to be in his presence. But there are people who are not hungry and they don't want what God has for their life. What God offers they usually refuse. They don't refuse it by the words that they speak, but by their actions they refuse God's great gift.

It's like a tamale! Have you ever had a tamale? Probably not like anything that we had after church. These tamales were corn tortillas, thick corn tortillas, with chicken inside. When I say chicken inside I mean the "whole" chicken, bones and all! But they were a gift, and you have got to eat it. I received mine with gladness and ate both of my tamales, picking through the bones with dedicated caution. Others received theirs but weren't as eager to eat them. They were different that's for sure. One by one we ALL ate the tamales that we had been given, some more reluctant than others. 

I think sometimes we treat God's presence like we treated the tamales. They were there and available to all of us, some of us received them gladly and ate the tamales, others just weren't hungry so it was a little tougher, but then there were some who just didn't want them. Those people I laughed at, and I even helped a couple of them finish their tamales. 

God doesn't get offended like people do when we don't eat the food, but the Word does say not to grieve the Holy Spirit. God grieves when people resist or refuse his power and presence. He grieves because he has so much for us and we live with so little! 

I challenge you to recieve God's presence with open mind and heart! Pray for a hunger and thirst for more of him. It is his pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Oh, by the way, I have some tamales left over, and they are for you! 

Weak Signals and Busted Hoses

Have you ever noticed how many times something that you planned doesn't quite turn out like you thought it would? Someone once said that life is full of surprises, and in Guatemala you can multiply that by ten. 

Since we've been here we have had an issue with our internet signal that has caused some frustration because we can't talk to our families as we would like to. But again, there isn't much that we can do about it. These are things that are beyond our control. I think it is interesting that sometimes we get upset over things that we can't control. It would be good if we could all just learn to place those things in our Heavenly Father's hands. Let him worry about the weather, airplanes and people (things we can't control) and we will be free to do the work that he has called us to do! 

I want to go back to the "signal" issue for a moment. A signal is a connection, an invisible, but very real connection. This signal connects us to people that we are far from physically. A connection that brings us close again, even though we are not together. Although earthly signals get cut off and grow weak, I am thankful that our connection with God is never cut off, and it never grows weak. His Word reminds us that even when we are weak he is strong! The signal that I am referring to is Grace! We need his grace to sustain us and give us strength when we feel like our signal is weak.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)

God's signal never grows weak and is never interrupted by outside forces. But that doesn't stop the outside forces (Satan) from trying to distract and divide and rob us of our strength.

On our way to the Village yesterday we started up the mountain and the truck ran hot and cut off. Here we are again, on the side of the road, trying to do God's work and go preach, and now we are sitting on the side of the road and waiting for help to arrive. The problem? A busted hose, the radiator was empty, no water (for the non-mechanics, that is not a good thing)! Busted hoses lead to empty radiators. So what's the point? You know what a hose is right? Right? Okay, I'll tell you, it's a CONNECTION! There was a weakness in the connection that caused the radiator to be empty of what was necessary for the vehicle to run properly. 

I wonder how many Christians are trying to serve The Lord with a weak signal and a busted hose? We try to go on our own strength and we try to climb mountains not relying on God's grace, and when we do we are going to find our selves weak and empty. Are you missing a connection with The Lord today? His grace is enough! He is full of grace and truth, and he can fill you with strength and power to live and serve him each and everyday.

Well, our first day was a doozy and I'm sure more surprises and challenges await us around each turn and over each mountain top, but thankfully, unlike the internet and the hose, God's strength never fails!