Tuesday is Outreach day

Well today is tuesday, we have had a very busy day. We got up and again were to the kitchen for 6 am to start work, mornings come early. There were a couple of the team who were not feeling well today. We served both breakfast and lunch for almost 200 per meal. 7 of us went to a local park where we served soup to a little over a 100 people and served 96 at the pantry. The pantry was a line in which bread, egg plants, apples, sandwiches, cereal and sweets were passed out. When we got back it was after lunch and we cleaned up and were off at 3 today. We stuck around this evening and had a time of worship and sharing this evening. I think we needed that both physically and spiritually.

 Please keep praying as the work is hard but the blessing are huge.

We Met a gentlemen named Terry who works at the bowery.He has a great testimonial as to what God has done and is doing in his life. He has been clean for 2 1/2 years and is giving back to the bowery. He has about a 6" scar on the side of his neck. He shared with a couple of us it is a constant reminder of his past, it is where he would inject cocaine in to his system when getting high. The stories are endless. Many may say O what a great thing your doing in NY and how you are such a blessing to the homeless. However we are the ones being blessed by those who are sold out for the goepel of Christ and who are truley being the church in a broken world. God is so good...

N.Y.

We made it to the Bowery safetly. We left Portland around 9 and made it to Newton just outsiee of Boston around 11:30. This is where we picked up our 14th member of the team. We then traveled 4 more hours with one stop half way in conneticut. We came into NY around 4:30-5:00ish. I can now say that i drove in NY city,and glad to say that i won't have to again until next week, phew. The team got aquanted with the bowery why Angie, Jason, Curt and myself to the vans back and dropped them off in Brooklyn. I gor to see a glimps of the lady liberty as we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.

After settling in some of us went for a walk, cause we are in NY.

The Bowery 2015

It is Two days before we depart for the Bowery Mission 2015 Trip. I am going to try and update this when time permits so that you can see a bit of what we are doing. We would like you to keep the team in prayer while we are away, for the work that we are going to be doing and our family members that are at home. For those who may not know much about the Bowery, here is a little information from there web page (http://www.bowery.org/)

Since 1879, The Bowery Mission has served homeless, hungry and poor New Yorkers. Meals, shelter, and medical care lead to residential programs that offer men and women the opportunity to transform their lives. Children get a positive first chance through summer camp, mentoring and family support. A vital part of the Lower East Side, The Bowery Mission now offers new hope to neighborhoods like Harlem and the South Bronx.


This is a wonderful chance to experience daily life in a gospel rescue mission. There are opportunities to help with meal preparation, service and cleanup; receive food donations and stock our pantry; and sort/organize the clothing donations that dress our resident students, those coming in for our shower programs, or whosoever has the need.

Your group will also likely be able to participate in chapels, outreaches to local parks and other special projects. Groups are given the opportunity to become part the life of the Mission, enjoying fellowship and working shoulder-to-shoulder with both our staff and resident students, as we serve the larger community of homeless and hungry people in New York City together.

We will be sailing out the Yarmouth Harbor on this Friday morning around 9:30am and staying in Portland that night. The next day we will be driving to New York with a stop in Boston to pick up Curt, who is flying in from Toronto on Friday night to stay with his daughter.  We are 14 strong, and we are looking forward to what God is going to do through us.

Please Pray for the Bowery 2015 Team

Unsolicited Advice About Shoeboxes

I Found this online the other day and thought it was something worth reposting when it comes ot packing shoe boxes each and every year

» Posted originally by corey on May 11, 2015

First, I can’t believe a year has already passed since we were part of giving shoebox gifts to the kids in our Sunday school last May! How is that possible?!

Second, let me say that I know that each of these gifts is prepared with love and given from hearts full of generosity, compassion, and a desire to share Jesus’ love. And each one is SO appreciated! No matter what is inside the box, each child (and family) is excited and blessed to receive a gift, given with no strings attached. For the local kids here, this is so unexpected, so unusual… Kids here do not get presents on Christmas or on their birthdays (if they are even aware of those days!). And most are only rarely given new things or presents at all. So to receive a box of gifts like this is such a treat.
You may or may not be aware of how Samaritan’s Purse runs this project. They partner with churches and missions who are involved in children’s ministry. So in our case, a leader of the denomination of our local church attended the Samaritan’s Purse training meeting a few months ago to learn the parameters and the process. He requested boxes for the children in our Sunday school and the request was granted. So this past Sunday we had the fun of giving each child a shoebox after church along with a booklet. The booklet is written in the form of a comic book, and it tells the story (in French) of some children learning about the greatest gift of all – Jesus! The booklets are well done and thoughtfully appropriate for our context – and super cool!
Now, given all that, can I offer some feedback to those of you who will prepare shoeboxes this Christmas? I can’t remember how many times we have been involved, directly or indirectly, here in Senegal with the distribution of shoeboxes, but it is at least half a dozen times over the past 15 years. I have watched little people I know well open their boxes, ooh’ed and aah’ed with them over the contents, and answered their questions about some of the items. Every year, I have thought of giving some advice on this topic, but I don’t want to seem ungrateful or critical. I just want to offer my advice, based on our experience in this one context:

BEST

GIFTS:

• For any age boy here, what they really want is a soccer ball. So get the best quality mini soccer ball that you can fit into the box when it is inflated (or send a deflated ball with a pump) and you can basically forget about anything else!
• Brand new nice short-sleeved shirts (with no writing on them) for boys and girls. Kids here have few clothes and often wear old, ripped, hand-me-downs, so nice new shirts are really appreciated and will probably fit. (I don’t know any obese Senegalese kids.)
• Small flashlight with batteries (Most families don’t have electricity so a working flashlight is gold!)
• Good quality melamine plate, bowl, and/or cup (Practical and also special.)
• Soap AND a plastic soap dish that has a cover. When you bathe standing on a big rock in the dirt as kids do here, you really need the soap holder. And families never have enough soap. (Funny note: the kids didn’t know what the soap was because it was in a box. I am sure they would have figured it out though, even without our help.)
• Toothbrush in a toothbrush holder. Again, the plastic case for the toothbrush is really great when you don’t have a sink/counter/tiled bathroom but rather brush your teeth outside squatting over dirt and need to keep it in your room.
• Pencils, erasers, colored pencils, and sharpeners for all school-aged kids. And good quality pens for kids aged 10-14, in black, red, green, and blue. All of these are required for school and the ones from America last so much longer than the cheap ones available here.

GREAT GIFTS:

• Jump ropes
• Band-Aids
• Hard candy and gum
• Comb
• Hair elastics or head bands for girls
• Marbles
• Harmonica
• A simple watch for older kids
• A solar calculator for older kids
• Sunglasses for older kids
• Socks
• For the youngest girls, a baby doll with light brown skin and no hair (good for a child of any color)
• Toy car, truck or airplane for the youngest boys (The ones with bigger wheels that are made for toddlers and are larger than Matchbox size are good. Matchbox wheels are so small, they don’t work well in dirt.)

NOT AS GOOD items we have seen kids receive:

• Anything with instructions in English, even if it seems simple to you (We tried to explain to one girl who got a cool pair of markers that came with a clip so you could draw with them both at the same time and a set of paper 3-D glasses you then used to see what you drew in 3-D… but it didn’t make sense. And how do you even say 3-D in Wolof??)
• Any toy that is not universally recognizable (We have seen kids receive matching memory card games – a great idea but with no one to explain it to them, they are wasted.)
• Yo-yo’s (They don’t know what it is here.)
• Gloves, winter hats (You don’t know whether your box will end up in Siberia or Senegal.)
• Play-dough (Kids here have no idea what it is for.)
• Stuffed animals (Young kids here usually burst into tears when presented with stuffed animals from their shoeboxes. The kids who are old enough not to be scared are not interested. Also, animals carry meanings here that are culturally specific. One of our Sunday School kids got a cute stuffed owl and a much older sibling told me that he himself is terrified of owls. They connote evil and shapechangers. You can’t know what the animal will signify in the culture your box reaches.)
• Stickers or temporary tattoos (Kids don’t have anywhere to stick the stickers, and often the pictures don’t make sense or connect with their world. For example, cute puppy stickers don’t make much sense in a Muslim country because dogs are considered unclean in Islam.)
• T-shirts with words or pictures on them (Would you want to wear a shirt with something unknown written on it? And again, pictures have different meanings in different cultures. Stick with solid colors, stripes, or pretty designs.
• Anything cheap or fragile (One box had a white skinned, red-haired porcelain doll in it…)
• Two of the 10-year old boys in our Sunday School class got adult sized XL t-shirts in their boxes that were obviously left over from an event. They were brand new and will be worn by some adult in the household, but in my opinion, they would have been better donated to Good Will or the Salvation Army. Approach filling a shoebox like you would approach picking out a gift for a friend’s child, not as an opportunity to unload stuff you don’t want.

That’s my unsolicited advice on this topic; I hope you find it helpful!

Why I Would Never Force my Kids to go to Church

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Ruth Meyer • 

My parents forced me to eat three times a day growing up.  No joke.  Three times.  Every.  Single.  Day.  And it wasn’t always stuff I liked, either.  Matter of fact, I complained a lot about what my mom made.  “Ewww, gross!  Sauteed zucchini?  Seriously?  Mom, you know we hate this stuff!”  So as I approached adulthood I made an important decision.  Since my parents forced me to eat while I was growing up, I decided I was done with meals.  Oh, here and there I’ll eat out of obligation.  I mean, family traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, yeah, I’m there.  But daily eating?  No way.  I’m done.


Set in any other context, excuses people make for not going to church sound completely ridiculous.  But set in the context of Christianity, people say these things in all seriousness while others nod sagely in somber agreement.

My son told me a few weeks into school that he didn’t like the teacher.  He wasn’t getting excited enough about learning, and he didn’t really feel connected to the other kids in his class, so I told him he never had to go back to school again.  Who wants to waste their time going somewhere where they aren’t being fulfilled?
We’ve never forced our daughter to stay off the road when playing.  We don’t want to restrict her imagination.  We allow her the freedom to make her own choices in life.

Okay, Ruth.  Come on.  That one was just ridiculous.  No loving parent would ever say that.  That’s a safety issue- a matter of life and death.  Exactly.  And that’s just my point.
Church isn’t a place you go to get pumped up about life.  It isn’t entertainment like a movie or concert.  It is literally a life and death matter.  Eternal life.  Just as a loving parent wouldn’t allow their child to wander in the road or to quit school, a loving Christian parent also does not give the option to their children about going to church, learning Bible stories at home, and praying together.  Do your kids always jump for joy when they hear you say, “Time to get up!  Let’s get ready for church!”  No.  They won’t.  Do they get excited for school every morning?  Hardly.  But you still make them go.  Why?  Because you are the parent and you know what’s best.  Even when they complain, you serve them healthful meals and limit their junk food intake.  You set boundaries for their own safety when playing outside.  You insist they go to school because you’re looking at the long term picture.  And you are right to do those things.  How much more so are you responsible for doing all you can to secure their eternal well being?

Yes, kids can be brought up in a loving Christian home and still turn away later.  That’s on them.  But you, parents, have a task of the utmost importance.  God has placed these precious children into your homes for such a brief while.  You have them with you for perhaps 1/5 of their lives.  Set a strong foundation while they are under your roof.  Take them to church.  Make sure they understand that they are sinners and that Jesus is their Savior.  They are never too young to learn this.  My one-and-a-half year old sees a cross and excitedly shouts, “Jesus!”  Don’t use the excuse that “they wouldn’t understand this.”  Try them.  I don’t understand it all myself, but I still believe.  And you’d better believe that the Holy Spirit works in their hearts effectively.  My children sometime amaze me with the insights they pick up during devotions or Bible readings.  The strength of their faith often humbles me.  Once when I was having a terrible day, my oldest asked, “Can I pray with you?”  He was nine at the time.  He knows there is power in prayer.  He perceives that sometimes there’s nothing he can say that will make it better, so he’ll just go straight to the One who does have that power.  Do my own kids complain about church?  Yes.  Do they tell me it’s boring?  Sometimes, yes.  They say the same things about school.  But church and school are different environments for a reason.  School is centered around learning and thus has its own schedule and structure.  Church is a hospital for sinners.  That would be all of us, mind you.  You, me, the drug dealer a few streets away- all of us are sinners in need of a Savior.  So what do we do at church?  We confess our sins.  Why do we do this at the start?  To “wipe our feet” before entering God’s house, so to speak.  Then we are assured of forgiveness.  We hear God’s Word.  We sing hymns proclaiming what Christ has done for us.  We hear sermons where our pastors preach Christ.  We don’t go to church to hear what we have to do to gain heaven.  No, Christ did it all.  100%.  We can’t do one thing to merit salvation for ourselves.  That’s why we hear sermons about Jesus and not about us. We take the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion for the strength of our souls.  And we depart refreshed to serve God by serving our families, friends, and neighbors in Christian love.

So parents, don’t give in to outside pressures telling you not to force your kids to go to church.  Don’t give in to them, either, when they complain about it.  Because at some point an amazing thing happens- that kid who complains about church grows up and takes his or her own kids to church every Sunday.  Going back to my opening analogy, believe it or not, there came a point in my own life where I realized I actually liked sauteed zucchini (although I never would have admitted that to my mother).  Keep at it, parents.  Just as we need three meals a day for physical strength and nourishment, so do we need regular worship to refresh and strengthen our souls.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make breakfast.

Movie Review: 'Son of God' Is Most Certainly Not The Son of God - by Sunny Shell

I Found this Review that might be helpful to some deciding whether to watch this film,

written by Sunny Shell

Today, "Son of God", a new movie produced by Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett opened in theaters across the country. Individual Christians and well-known Christian churches, organizations and even schools are raving about seeing Jesus on the big screen.
Many Christian groups bought out multiple screens at theaters or purchased mass quantities of group tickets for this epic film...or rather, epic fail of the true and biblical story of Jesus, the Son of God.
Last year I was contacted by a media group for The History Channel. They emailed me requesting my help in promoting their upcoming 10-episode miniseries called "The Bible". After reviewing their material, Bible studies based on the series, and clips of every episode, I responded kindly telling them that due to the unbiblical nature of the series, I was unable to help promote it. After watching the entire miniseries I wrote and published my review and I haven't heard from them since.
Prior to entering the theater today, I went in with an open-Bible-mind and open-Spirit-heart. I hoped that this movie was better than the miniseries, but alas, it was not. The majority of this film was simply scenes taken from the heretical and blasphemous miniseries. Please know, I don't take these two terms lightly, and you neither should any professing Christian.
I won't go point by point on all the biblical errors in this movie because honestly, there's just not enough room in one review, nor time in one day to cover the ineptness of the writers and producers of this film. I will only cover some of the topics and scenes that are fundamental to God's holy precepts and His loving relationship with His people which include God's:

• Authority
• Righteousness
• Love

As a movie, it was gripping, emotionally engaging, well-performed and the cinematography was good. I'm not an emotional person, but even I found myself tearing up when Matthew was called away from his tax collecting table to follow Jesus. Unfortunately, the way this scene is portrayed (as many others) is not actually how God inspired it to be written in His Word.

Jesus Asks Peter To Go Fishing
When Jesus comes to the Sea of Galilee, rather than call His first four disciples (Peter, Andrew, James and John), He only calls one disciple—Peter. But rather than call Peter and Andrew from their boat while they were fishing, Jesus pleads, "Peter, just give me an hour and I'll give you a whole new life." After sassing Jesus, Peter takes him fishing where Jesus works a miracle and provides him with an abundance of fish. When Peter asks what they are going to do, Jesus says, "Change the world."
In the real Bible, Jesus doesn't beg anyone to spend time with them. After all, He is the Lord and has all authority to command who He wants and what He wants. Therefore, He commands Peter and Andrew to follow Him and they immediately leave their boat and nets and obey Jesus' command. Just as all the Apostles who were commissioned by Christ to go into all the world and make disciples, that is, learners. He didn't tell anyone that He came to "change the world" nor did He ask for their help to do so.
Christ came into the world to save sinners from the righteous wrath of God, which is the just penalty for our sins. He never said He came to change the world. He said He came to transform people by giving them new hearts and new minds through repentance and faith in Christ alone.

The 13 Disciples/Apostles
Yes, you read that right. I know in Scripture there are only 12 apostles...all men (Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot). But in the film, there are 13 apostles, and the thirteenth apostle is a woman named Mary. Not only is she always with them, but she's with them in the boat during the storm when Jesus walks on water; she's with them when they travel privately, though in the Scriptures, Jesus pulled aside and taught only The Twelve...men. Mary is also very outspoken and often reproves the male apostles to have more faith as it is very apparent her faith is stronger.
During the crucifixion scene when Jesus is being jeered at by the crowd, Mary defends Jesus and shouts "Leave him be!" Wow, brave gal, huh? Braver than the male apostles who never speak up or do anything heroic or faithful. Then when Jesus is resurrected, she's the first (and only woman) to enter the empty tomb. She also accompanies Peter and John who later come to the empty tomb to see for themselves. In Scripture, three women go to the tomb early in the morning and are greeted by angels who remind them that Jesus said He would rise on the third day. In the movie, she and the apostles remember all this on their own.

Lazarus Rises With More Than a Command
In Scripture Jesus purposefully delays from going to see Lazarus when he was ill, allowing him to die. Then He purposefully goes to see Lazarus after he's been dead four days. When Jesus arrives, He is greeted by Martha (one of Lazarus' sisters) who says, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Martha confesses that Jesus is the Christ and that she believes she will see her brother on the last day, the resurrection. Then Jesus tells her that He is the resurrection and the life. Shortly after telling her this, as He comes to the tomb He weeps. Then from outside the tomb, the Lord Jesus commanded, "Lazarus, come out." With his face wrapped in a cloth and the rest of his body wrapped in linen strips, Lazarus obeys Christ and comes out of the tomb.
In this unbiblical portrayal of the true Son of God, while the fake Jesus and his disciples are walking through a crowd, Mary (the thirteenth disciple) just happens to see Martha weeping and asks her what's wrong. When Martha says that Lazarus has died, Jesus is surprised (which he often is throughout this film) and asks to be taken to the tomb. Once Jesus arrives at the tomb, he actually goes in...with Martha! Then he touches Lazarus (who's face is not wrapped), gently cradles his head, weeps, kisses the back of Lazarus' head, quotes some Scripture and gently suggests that Lazarus rise; and he does. Martha and Lazarus embrace and the three of them emerge from the tomb as the crowd cheers. This scene was performed more like football players exiting a tunnel and onto their home field, than the truly majestic and awesome scene that is depicted in Scripture.
This scene (along with the entire movie) was bankrupt of Jesus' power and authority over life and death.

Not One Stone Left
In Scripture, when one of the disciples are marveling at the architecture of the temple, Jesus says, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." But in the movie, no one is marveling at anything. Rather, when Jesus sees a little girl in the crowd He kneels down to her, smiles, chuckles and playfully pokes the little girl, who giggles as Jesus' quotes Scripture.
The filmmakers take this powerful and frightening prophecy and turn it into a light and impish exchange with a little girl.

Pharisees Care About God's Name and His People
In Scripture, the Pharisees and Sadducees are clearly jealous of Jesus' popularity and despise Him to the point of wanting and plotting His death. But in this unbiblical adaptation of the Pharisees relationship with God and His people, they want Jesus dead because they truly believe Jesus is a blasphemer and they are concerned for the Jewish people's welfare under the tyranny and oppression of the Romans. In the movie, the Pharisees want Jesus dead, not out of sinful hatred and jealously, but out of deep concern to spare the people of Israel any further harm from the Roman Empire.

Jesus Convinces Judas to Betray Him
In Scripture, Judas willingly betrays our Lord for a mere 30 pieces of silver. In the Bible, Judas is clearly depicted as a thief and someone who loves money more than people. None of the other disciples are aware of this impending betrayal while they're eating their last supper with the Lord. Rather than being consumed with His predestined suffering and death, Jesus once again portrays the humility of a servant (contrasting the disciples lack of humility and care for one another) as He removes His outer garment and wraps the towel of the lowliest servant around His waist, and begins to wash the filthy feet of His disciples—loving them "to the end". While Judas is lolly gagging and enjoying this meal, Jesus turns to him and tells him "What you are going to do, do quickly." And he does.
In this movie, Jesus is never shown humbling himself and serving the disciples as one of the lowliest servants in a household. But he doesn't have to since throughout the film the Lord is depicted as more of our buddy than our glorious Master and King. So here, the Lord is shown laughing and enjoying this meal with his disciples when suddenly he has a vision of being betrayed by Judas. Then pretend Jesus has a look of surprise and defeated sadness as he tells the disciples, for the first time, that he is going to be betrayed, suffer and die. Though in Scripture the Lord foretold His suffering and death three times prior.
After Jesus has this surprising and upsetting vision of Judas betraying him, he turns to Judas and convinces Judas to betray him. With tears, Judas adamantly refuses. But Jesus endearingly holds Judas' face, then gently and lovingly insists that Judas do it, and do it quickly. Reluctantly, Judas does as Jesus says. In this false adaptation, the other disciples are aware of Judas' betrayal and Peter tries to stop him, but Jesus tells Peter to let him go.

The Great Commission Has a Great Omission

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age...And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

~Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-16 (ESV)

The Gospel, that is, the Good News of Jesus Christ is essentially in John 3:16-21. This passage proclaims why Christ came into the world—to save sinners from the full penalty of our sins. Which is why the Good News is the greatest news any human being can receive. For there is only one Mediator between man and God Almighty; Christ the Lord, the only Son of God.
However, in the movie, Jesus never mentions the just penalty of sin, or that we need to be made into new creations through repentance and faith in Christ; which alone equips us to go forth into all the world and make disciples—not converts to a new way, a better world or just a happier and more peaceful life.

Jesus Visits The Apostle John on The Island of Patmos
In the very beginning of the film and throughout the film, the Apostle John is narrating from the Island of Patmos as he reminisces his time with Jesus. At the close of the movie, John's narration is interrupted by Jesus who appears with a reassuring smile saying, "There will be no more death, pain and crying...I am coming soon." Then with a twinkle in his eye and calming gesture, the fake Jesus disappears.

In Revelation 21, the real Jesus says, "He [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." The Lord says this to the Apostle John after showing him the new heaven and the new earth that only Christians will see and dwell in. This delightful promise is not generic nor is it all inclusive as the filmmakers try to convey to the audience. This great and awesome promise is only for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the only Savior for all mankind.

Conclusion
If someone called to you, suggesting that you come out of your comfortable home to take you to a more comfortable and elegant home, you may think they're nice, but you wouldn't consider this to be great news or even an impossibly generous gift. Which is the essential message of this film. But if you were in a burning inferno and someone called to you with instructions on how to be saved from a horribly painful and terrifying death, you would consider this person a great savior with the greatest news you've ever heard, and you would listen to him. This is the Gospel—the true Good News of Jesus Christ.
The truth is, we're all in the burning and destructive inferno of our sins until we are washed by the pure and precious blood of Jesus. We are all covered with the ash of our sins until we are baptized into Christ and made new creations, with new hearts and new minds; no longer darkened and depraved but enlightened by the Gospel and credited with the righteousness of Christ.
There is no evidence of this glorious truth anywhere in this movie. There is no evidence of God's authority, righteousness or saving and powerful love that continually conforms us into the likeness of Christ.
This film does a great disservice to anyone who is infected by it's anemic and sclerotic message of false hope in a false christ.

Tithing

This morning came across this and wondered how many see tithing in this way.

Why I Quit Tithing (and Why You Should Too)

by Larry Poole

Why has tithing become so divisive in the church today?

Most people simply don’t understand tithing.

To many Christians, it seems like some sort of country club due. Another bill in the long list of monthly expenses.

Giving is supposed to be an act of worship that draws you closer to the heart of God.

Then why is it that the concept of tithing, giving the first 10 percent of one’s income, has become so divisive in the church?

Christians debate questions like:

- Is tithing still even required? 
Wasn’t it an Old Testament law? 
Didn’t Christ abolish the law with His death and resurrection?

Should I tithe off the gross or net of my income?

Does God really expect me to tithe if I’m struggling in my personal finances?

I “tithe” my time to the church. Isn’t that enough?

These questions all have the same recurring theme—what’s the least I can give and still receive God’s blessings.

When you debate these questions, you totally miss the point.

Biblical generosity isn’t about giving the minimum. It’s about surrendering it all to an all-powerful, all-loving God. A God who gave everything in his son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Randy Alcorn said it best: “Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”

Bull's-eye.

I used to write checks to my church that looked like this: $112.14.

To the penny. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“There’s my 10 percent God. Hopefully that’ll cover the upkeep in Heaven until my next paycheck. Now bless me.”

I didn’t get it.

Wednesday Jan 30

Well today we went to the Baptist seminary in Cochabamba, met with the president and had a tour. We also got to see what their future plans entail with the facility as they prepare leaders for ministry in Bolivia.

After we were done there it was about dinner time so we decided that we would go and meet Jesus up on the mountain. After we drove up and up there he stood looking over Cochabamba with his arms held straight out to embrace the city. It was also interesting to see that he was holy, literally, large hole through him I suppose so that the wind could blow through him.

He was like 48 meters tall and was surround by many tourist in the area including us.

I may sound a little cynical which I really am, it just seems so not Jesus to have this statue. As I was sitting there looking up at this rather huge statue of some white guy, I could not help but to think, it would just be so opposite of what Jesus stood for or would want. Let me digress, Jesus came to the less fortunate, he ate with the tax collectors, healed the lepers and the list goes on. He was all about the Fathers business, and was about all that was good. Here in Cochabamba the government has spent millions in erecting this huge statue, while at the foot of the hill are some of the poorest in the city. This does not include the people we met 3 hours away who really did not have much for a house. Anyway that is my rant for the day, we did get to see the statue, but it was defiantly not Jesus that is for sure.

We went to lunch and met up with Rebecca Alward who was making her way back to Cochabamba.

It was good to see her again and we enjoyed the visit with someone who was able to speak English. After dinner we ventured out into the city again to just explore and some picked up a few last minute items before heading home. We then had a nice meal and went back and began the process of packing up everything and getting ready for the trip home. It is hard to believe what had taken so long to plan is coming to an end, feels in some ways like we just got here. In other ways though there are family and loved ones that we are missing a lot.

Casa De La Amistad

This morning we went for a walk to see another one of the ministries that CBM is taking part in called Casa De La Amistad. It is about two blocks away from where we are staying, and is within sight of two of the men's and women’s jails here in Cochabamba. Jails are much different here than in Canada in many ways, first the guards are all outside and the inmates on the inside fend for themselves.

third floor of men's prision across street

Also if a mother or father goes to jail, and there is no other family member, the children go with them. They also have to provide their own meals and basic necessities of life. The Casa is a place where the children from ages 3 and up to 18 can go for tutoring, mentoring, counseling and meals. In Bolivia many times you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and it can take years before you case is tried. We were taken on a tour of the place and asked to continue to pray for this ministry.

It is summer here so the center is closed until school goes in again in 2 weeks

(this is the inside of the center, the main play area and dinning area, there is also a medical clinic and many class rooms)


For dinner today we met up with Isabel who owned the hotel we stayed at in Mizque. We were told that we could not have a true Bolivian experience until we had eaten Saltenas, much like kissing the cod in Newfoundland. They were very good, you could either have beef or chicken and were much like a pie.

This afternoon we visited the market which was very interesting, and extremely different than anything we had seen before. We headed to the market, taking one of the local bus systems, which was an experience in itself. We arrived to find it was a very large market, with many isles, each about 200 feet and only 4 feet wide. Each isle had approximately 80-90 shops. The great thing was that today there were not many people around, making it much easier to explore and shop . We all were able to find a few things for loved ones, and was a very different experience for most of us.

this is a photo is taken from google images, we were advised not to take cameras to market

Back in Cochabamab

It has been awhile since I have been able to post, mostly because of the amount of time we had after our long days. I do apologize for those who have been waiting, even last night by the time we ate and then I chatted with my wife, time had disappeared. Thursday to Saturday were very busy and long days working at the two houses. I think that Friday was probably the most physically demanding day,  we had to bring supplies into the houses by foot. We were told that these two homes were the most remote homes they have done with the Chagas project. We worked really hard in getting the jobs done, but most days were very hot with a couple of them temperatures close to 40. The goal was to have one side of each house completely plastered and with a floor put in. House number one we did complete one side and the other side was ready to pour cement, when we left yesterday. House number two was complete both sides when we left yesterday, so all in all we did a great job.


Yesterday was a difficult day we did not work but visited each home one last time to say goodbye. We became attached to the families at each home, and will continue to pray for them in the days, months and years to come.

We then began the 3 hour trip home, up over the mountain. We went from Mizque at just over 2500 feet up to over 4000, then back done to just over 2000 feet. The roads were again pretty interesting and we were glad that Ivan and Alex were both driving. We took pictures of the mountains but the photos do not even come close to doing them justice, it was so pretty. We were very excited to be back in Cochabamba, it almost feels like one step closer to being at home and with loved ones. We have no phones here, but internet access, which was the opposite of Mizque. The team has been hit with illness over the last 4-5 days, most taking a turn. It comes with a very sore belly and sometimes fever, and accompanied with absolutely no energy, and the rest you probably don’t want to know :), lol. What I will say is that everyone is doing good, and we are looking after one another and please do not worry God is good. I was fortunate in the sense that I did not get it until Sunday morning, when all the work was done. Pastor Dave preached on Saturday night in the little Baptist church in Mizque, and I preached on Sunday morning. Ivan translated for us as we preached the word of God. All the work that we did was through this little Baptist Church, it will give them great opportunity in the days to come to build a stronger relationship with them and share the gospel. Both homes were very surprised to think people from so far away would come to help them with the work. Sunday was a down day to help people regain their strength and for some of us to feel better before our journey back to Cochabamba.

Here are a few of the pics.

                               placing and leveling the rocks in each room before pouring the cement  

In House #1 with family on last day

House #2 with family last day

 

the place we all were able to phone home at, we really enjoyed this

Some of the drop offs on the side of the road were massive 1000 + feet, this one was small. 

Can anyone say Ice Road Truckers visit South America. Don't worry we had great drivers.

Monday - Wednesday

Monday January 21,2013

We had a great morning today; the weather was sunny and quite warm, and no rain. Alex is one of the men taking us to Mizque, he had an emergency he needed to attend to so we were delayed in leaving this morning. It was ok because it gave us an opportunity to walk around down town Cochabamba and we tried to locate a few items that we needed before leaving for Mizque. The city was quite busy and it was interesting to see the many different stores and vehicles. We exchanged some of our money over to boliviano, and prepared to leave around noon. Just outside the city, we ate lunch at a road side restaurant called Las Carmelitas. There we all ate Empanadas which are like a panzarotti filled with cheese, and then headed toward the mountains. At the base of the mountain the temperature was 21 and we spent the next 1 ½ hours heading up on roads that were very dangerous looking. If you ever watched the Ice Road Truckers show- Most Dangerous Roads, this is what the road up the mountain resembled (in places) . The road was mostly cobble stone, and must of taken years to build. We reached the summit at some 10,000+ feet and the temperature had dropped down to 7 degrees. We stopped along the way and had taken some pictures, but they definitely did not do justice to the beauty, height, and steepness of the scenery we saw.

We then made our way down the other side of the mountain and to the town of Mizque, which is quite a nice town. It is not what you would see at home anywhere, it is set in the valley and we have mountains all around. We are staying in a very comfortable place for the next week and we begin work a 20 minute drive outside of the town about tomorrow. Everyone is still healthy and the group is getting along very well, please continue to pray for us. We had a good team meeting, time of worship, scripture and sharing tonight after a long day.

Tuesday January 22 & Wednesday January 23

We began work today on two different houses just outside the town of Mizque. They are very small homes with two rooms each, both with dirt floors and adobe brick (straw and mud). House number one has 6 children and two adults that live in it, and house number two has 8 children and two parents. Both families are some of the poorest of the area. Most house in this area outside town are made of the same material and about the same size 10x15’. The second house is the one which I have been working at the most with and for 20 years have been living in a house 6’x10’ with three walls, tin roof, and the front wall filled in with sticks. They are only able to grow enough food to survive on because of the small piece of land that they own. While we are there the Father and at least 5 of the children work with us constantly nonstop. Yesterday (Wed) a young man came to work with us who us to live with the family but had moved away to work to help support the family.

Our day consist of breakfast at 7:30, then off to the two different houses to work until 12:30. We then head back into Mizque for lunch all together, then back out to work until 5:00-5:30. We then have our supper around 6:30 and our team meetings at 8:30 or 9:00, usually for about an hour. The temperature the last couple of days has been a little different than yours at about 27-28 degrees Celsius. The sun here is much hotter than home, with a couple of the team being subject to burning rather quickly. It is there summer, however also it is rainy season. We have been blessed so far that it has only rained in the night, however it saddens our hearts because the two houses we are fixing the families are sleeping outside. Last night (wed) we were told that things are progressing very quickly and hopefully finish the walls today (Thurs) and start pouring concrete for a floor later today or tomorrow. This will help us finish up on Saturday, stay here on Sunday for church then head back on Monday for Cochabamba. Please continue to pray for the team, everyone is healthy so far, but pray that we will be able to finish the two houses and represent Christ to them.

new house

their old house

Day Two, Cochabamba

Well we landed safely last night in Santa Cruz, where we met Ivan from CBM. We took taxi to the hotel and we all felt like we were on the Amazing Race. I was in a taxi with the three teens, and Ethan kept telling the driver Jose Carlos Vroom Vroom and he would start passing everyone. He was pretty cool, even though we could not speak Spanish and he could not speak English.

We got to the hotel we were supposed to stay at and the reservations were mixed up, so we then had to go to another just up the road. The first one was a three star we were supposed to stay in, and we ended up in a four star hotel instead. Before anyone gets excited, can anyone say the old White Spot in Kentville. That would have been a four star hotel in Santa Cruz, lol but we survived and were up early again to catch a fight to Cochabamba.

The we made our way to the CBM guest house which was not far from the airport. It is a court yard that is totally surround by walls with a great big date tree in the middle of it.

We had a great breakfast of eggs, toast, yogurt, and fresh Mango’s that taste nothing like you can get at home. They were definitely the highlight of the meal. We then went to church with Ivan, which was the Spanish service, and he did his best to interpret for us.

He then took us out to eat lunch at Puerto Madero's which everyone enjoyed and it was an adventure to try some Bolivian food. Ethan, Marcie, Emily and I tried the cows tongue and deep fried bananas to name a few. We spent the afternoon just catching up on some much needed rest from the last few days. Tonight we will have our orientation to the county with Ivan, which will be nice to get under way.

We are headed to Mizque tomorrow morning around 10 for a week. It is about from Yarmouth to Liverpool away from Cochabamba (150 km)but will take 3 ½ hours of driving to get there. We are not really sure what the chances for an internet connection might be, but will do our best.

We are leaving today

We made it safely to Halifax yesterday and met up with the folks from New Tusket. We all went to Swiss Chalet as a group for our last real meal till we at least get to Bolivia. We had a short meeting and passed out team t-shirts, so we can keep track of everyone, and had prayer. `We would like to thank the couple who felt lead by God to pay for our rooms last night, thank you the place was very nice. Well the day started very early, like can you say 3 am anyone. We made our flight no problem in Halifax and I find myself sitting in the Toronto airport waiting our flight to Panama that leaves in 45 minutes. Everyone took time to contact home one last time before leaving Canada.

We took the following photo before departing Halifax, and next stop is Panama and Sana Cruz Bolivia by 10:30 or so tonight Yarmouth Time.

So the highlight of our trip from Toronto to Panama was Ethan watching a screw work its way out of the wing of the plane.

The other two highlights were the three teenagers sleeping all but 50 minutes of the trip Toronto – Panama and learning that there is such a place as Central America (and not sure what they teach in school).

By the time we landed in Panama we were looking forward to a good stretch in the airport. We had about an hour and a half to get off the plane and find our other plane that takes us to Sana Cruz. Most of us went to the food court, where we found Quizzno’s, Domino’s Pizza, Hagan Daz, Cinnabon, and many others. We also found out that in an airport they really know they have got you, and the prices are astronomical. It felt like we were at the food court in Mic Mac Mall, except for the prices. Everyone is doing good on the trip so far, just a little tired. It has felt like we have been flying all day.... wait we have.

We are all looking forward to getting to Sana Cruz and our hotel for the night, The Hotel Alaska (kind of a funny name). We will be able to get some sleep before we then fly out Sunday morning to Cochabamba and meet up with our CBM partners. I do believe that Sunday will mostly be a day to catch up from our 15 + hours of traveling today. Keep us all in your prayers, for health, the work we will be completing and relations that will be developed with our STEP partners.


Well all this time we have been preparing to go, and it is here. For our family, church and friends you probably want to know this, 



We took a team photo at the airport this morning before we left, thanks Sheridan for making the T-Shirts on such short notice.

Less than 4 days

            &                  New Tusket

      Baptist Church

 

   

 Short Term Missions Trip

  

Keep us in prayer as we travel

Going to Bolivia

Jan 19   Flight                     Origin                                   Departure            

AC603                   Halifax 5:35 am                 Toronto    7:04 am

CM471                  Toronto 8:40 am                 Panama City 2:12 pm

CM125                  Panama City 4:08 pm        Santa Cruz 10:09 pm

Motel     in Santa Cruz @ Hotel Alaska 

Jan 20^th OBO572                Santa Cruz 7:50 am           Cochabamba  8:35am                      

Returning Home

Jan 31    OBO650                Cochabamba 19:00           Santa Cruz  19:45

Feb 1                     

CM126                  Santa Cruz 2:37am            Panama City 6:22 am

            CM470                  Panama City 6:18 pm        Toronto 11:41 pm

Overnight at Hampton Inn & Suites Toronto Airport

Feb 2                     

AC606                   Toronto 11:41 pm              Halifax  1:46 pm