I was so wiped out after my week I wasn’t in the right mood to host a mentor retreat. What I was really looking forward to was the time when the girls would leave and I could just sit and visit with our Canadian visitors. I entered into prayer to prepare my heart for such an important day. (more…)

You are ascending a cliff in the center of a dry, desolate wilderness, grappling with all your strength to ascend before nightfall. The smooth face seems to stare (more…)

It’s Christmas time! The kids have just received their gifts and are on break: tonight is a night to celebrate and finish the year off right. Music, singing, dancing, and drama: all these things come together (more…)

Wednesday night was something special. El Camino has recently begun hosting services during the middle of the week- a simple, less formal event targeted towards (more…)

The energy level was the first thing I noticed; it takes a long time to calm these kids down! Despite this, Milagros shows an incredible amount of patience and love. She has developed a deep (more…)

The gospel is unique in that it thrives in all sorts of cultures and social classes. It is the most powerful force on earth for counter-acting and undermining oppression; in fact, the gospel flourishes most in places of poverty. Those who are physically poor reach out and embrace the hope held out by Jesus Christ, receiving riches far beyond the riches of this world.

This became existentially true for me as I sat in on Obed’s cell group last Thursday. Obed is reaching out and ministering to the Haitians in the community of Maria Auxiliadora, making an almost daily practice of playing soccer with them and also meeting
weekly for Bible study and worship. Because soccer and music are such great passions across the entire Haitian culture, it fits perfectly that they should be sharing in fellowship with Obed, a man whom God has blessed with magic feet and melodic talent.

Sitting up in Obed’s living room, the rain pattering on the roof above us, we sang “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in Creole, Spanish and English (I felt rather lonely being the only one singing in my native tongue, but it was enjoyable nonetheless). The cell group sung amazingly well; like a choir that had been practicing together for years, singing with a sort of intuitive harmony and sense of rhythm that blew me away.

Obed is leading the cell group through a study of the Ten Commandments week by week, meditating on the liberty and joy of obeying God. Last week he spoke of what it means to love the LORD with all one’s heart; this week we looked into the subject of taking the LORD’s name in vain. Unfortunately, this is just as common in Latin countries as in our own, and is even widely accepted among those who go to church. One often hears: ‘Oh God,’ or ‘Holy Jesus’ or ‘Swear to God you won’t do it’ etc. Obed explained the concept of sincerity, looking back into one story of the origin of the word.

During medieval times, parties where the guests all wore masks made of wax were popular. It was difficult to guess who was who; the masks covered up the true person, and only by removing them could the person’s real face be revealed. In Spanish the derivation of the word follows quite logically from this. ‘Sin’ means without and ‘Cera’ means wax, so ‘Sincera’ means without wax. Obed mentioned that there are many who believe they are deceiving God, playing around with his name and such, but that it is important to remove our masks and be real before our Creator; he knows what’s going on in our hearts regardless. He cannot be fooled.

Obed went on to share that the Hebrews who wrote the Old Testament manuscripts- when they encountered a place where God’s name would be written- would stop, wash their hands thoroughly, and continue. This was a sign of reverence and respect, and he concluded by saying that we ought to show the same amount of care when speaking of God, out of the love we have for him in our hearts.

We wrapped up with some muffins and milk, praying for one another- that God would lead us into knowing him more deeply, in the same way that we know our early fathers and friends. After everyone had left, I could see that Obed was ecstatic. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to come on such a rainy night,” he said, “but it turned out to be a really awesome study!”

What I experienced that night has really become a cause for praise. It is my prayer that this unique ministry will grow and encompass many more unreached Haitians in the barrio.

The story of Los Pomos is continuing to unfold, as God moves and works in ceaseless, transcendent grace. This second entry is written in response to a unique, first hand experience I had a couple weeks ago. After my discussion with Bau on the progress of the church planting ministry, he invited me to accompany him the following afternoon and see what’s going on. It was a great excursion.
Bau and Fe are currently sharing on the book of John with every family, providing listeners with a solid introduction and paving the way for a flourishing relationship with Jesus Christ. At the first house we visited we were immediately welcomed to sit down and before long a group had gathered around us, enjoying the company. We broke the ice with cups of coffee all around and some good-hearted jests that had everyone laughing. From there on, we proceeded to look into the Scriptures.

One young woman, la Gringa, shared what she had learned from the first chapter of John. It was incredible; the Lord had really opened her eyes to some key truths found in this rich text. She spoke of the concept of the Word- Jesus- this Eternal Creator of the universe, stepping down into his own creation, and the irony and sadness that they did not recognize him. He came to live among humans, and they regarded him as a mere human being- a Nazarene. Yet, for those who saw that he was unlike any person who had ever lived- for those who believed in him- he gave the right to become sons. She went on to express how this new birth is through faith and from God; I think we were all blown away. She might as well have been leading the lesson. Later she mentioned that she had gone through the whole book of John. Such passion is beautiful to see.

The conversation progressed, and la Gringa expressed how, upon the cross, the onlookers mocked Jesus and challenged him to prove he was God’s Son. The question arose: what if Christ had come down from the cross?
Fe replied that, if Jesus had done so, we would be without hope. He referred to the Old Testament story where God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because justice demanded it. How much more cataclysmic, Fe continued, would such judgment be today- in a world of such sin? It would be hundredfold, he concluded.
Inevitably, this conclusion pointed forcefully to the necessity and centrality of Jesus. Without him, we are lifeless. Such dependence and amazing thankfulness brought us into prayer. It was a good time of sharing and I feel that the entire family gained new and positive perspectives that afternoon. In the end, the glory rises to God- the one who gives understanding and softens hearts to his liberating message.
It is our prayer that these sparks of the gospel will grow into a roaring, victorious blaze, the beauty of Christ being fully proclaimed, portrayed and worshipped in Los Pomos. I encourage you to make it your prayer as well.

Many times in the New Testament Christ is referred to as our savior. It is a common title applied to Jesus and is also foundational to our relation to him as Christians. But do we know him as our healer? In Greek, savior and healer are the same word. Jesus came to heal what’s wrong inside of us, outside of us and between us.

This truth has become more real for me than ever this week as I have observed our new team from Puerto Rico. For three days they have been running a Medical Clinic here in the barrio, starting at seven-thirty in the morning and wrapping up around four. Through it, they have not only brought health and hope to countless people, but have demonstrated love in such a way as to reflect Jesus Christ: the One true doctor who means to heal us of every disease- physical and spiritual.

It has taken the collective efforts of the Medical Team, the School Staff, T.E.A.R.S. and the El Camino Church Staff to make this a reality: sorting pills and assessing problems, taking blood pressure and measuring heart rates, diagnosing and choosing the proper medicines, writing at break-neck speed and showing incredible patience and care to every new face-even when the auditorium is filled; grandfathers, infants and everyone in between waiting to be helped.

I’m sure Jesus himself felt weighed down at times, facing what G.K. Chesterton referred to as a “dreadful demagogy”- people swarming to him and longing to be touched by his healing power. Yet even so, he always responded gently and from an inexhaustible well of compassion. What has struck me about this unique team of disciples is that they, too, have shown Christ-like care to the needy multitudes of Maria Auxiliadora; tenderly encouraging little ones not to be afraid and attending to each infirmity with wisdom and mercy. It has been both commendable and encouraging.

We have all felt and seen the blessing that this team has brought, liberating people from pains and infections and freeing them from hindrances. It has kindled a flame of hope in my own heart, and caused me to look at the coming kingdom from a new perspective. May the restoration and redemption continue, until all things are reconciled to God and we are brought into an unspeakably joyous and enduring community, rejoicing forever in the glory of our savior- our healer.

Grandfather and Grandson in the barrio of Los Pomos

On Thursday I was able to get a glimpse of a real and incredible aspect of T.E.A.R.S.- to gain insight into what’s going on in the barrio of Los Pomos. Bautista and Fe are part of the T.E.A.R.S. Church Planting Team and- along with Danny, Sandy, and Tracy- are visiting six families who, after a recent evangelistic campaign, requested prayer and support. These disciples are going house to house and sharing the book of John with the people, leading enriching lessons about the truth of Jesus and, through God’s grace, impacting hearts.

Before my visit to this new community, Bau and I were hanging out at his place, discussing the ministry and future dreams. I noted that if every Christian were currently engaged with so many families, the world would look a lot different. He added that, even if every believer in the El Camino Church went so far, the community would be utterly transformed.

One concern of Bau’s has been providing for people in a full way, as Jesus did: spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. He mentioned that many people they see are suffering from hunger and often have not eaten all day. It is difficult to take the time to sit down and share because mere nourishment, for many, is a struggle. In Maria Auxiliadora as well, there are countless children who eat next-to-nothing all day- perhaps a small amount of food in the night. When Jesus shared he preached truth and fulfilled needs. This is Bau’s vision: an all-encompassing invasion of God’s Kingdom in this neighborhood.

Bau enlightened me to the realities of two particular friends who he really has a heart for: Diego and Airina. Diego is a young guy who is caught up in a cycle of drug use and robbery. He wants to change and is searching for the means to do so. Before he can overcome these problems, he needs to encounter something overwhelmingly more satisfying, someone transcendent: Jesus. It is the wonderful, existential fulfillment of the gospel that will turn him away from futile addictions and toward a true savior. Everyone knows him and jokes about how he will never change. This, Bau says, creates the potential for a powerful testimony. With Christ there is always hope- that’s the beauty of all this.

Airina and her son

Airina is an older woman with a story of profound troubles. She formerly practiced sorcery and is still desperate to break free of real spiritual barriers and torments- the remnants of a fearful past. Her sleep is constantly haunted by demons, she says, and she can’t overcome this on her own. She has given birth to sixteen sons, five of whom have died, and suffered an injury in one eye when a nail struck her. She now has only one eye, and also wrestles greatly with alcohol abuse. The greatest fight, however, is between her new desire to seek God and live for Christ, and the temptation to return to her old ways. It is Bau’s prayer- as Airina reads the first chapter of John this week- that a light would pierce the darkness within her: that Jesus’ overpowering grace and truth would give her life and set her free from the evils that keep her bound.

Be sure to remember these two in your prayers as well, along with the community of Los Pomos and our Church Planting Team, who are influencing many with the hope of Jesus and bringing glory to God, the source of all love and transformation.

I was hanging out in Marisol’s grade three class the other day, and I was struck by the comprehensive nature of her teaching. She handed out a connect-the-dots activity, inviting the students to pull out their pencils and go for it. The image slowly began to take shape, children carefully counting- pointing to various spots on the page with their fingers- and searching for the next number. Their pencils slowly formed the mysterious object, and before long it was shown to be a starfish.

Below the drawing section were several questions about starfish, one of which was: where does it live? One child to my left wrote: in the sky. I grinned slightly as I pictured the image of a starfish flying effortlessly above the clouds- avoiding sea gulls and the like. Marisol went on to explain that this particular “star” (the word used in Spanish is “estrella”) lives under the sea. It soon became clear that many of the children had never heard of such a creature.

What I was amazed by, during this situation, was the length to which Marisol went to help her students. Rather than being bound by a tight schedule or feeling obligated to move right on to the next subject, she announced: “We’re going to learn what a starfish is.” She walked briskly down the hallway and into the office, searching for a book that outlined marine life. Upon finding one with plenty of good pictures she returned to her classroom, calling the students to grab their little carpets and have a seat with her.

Marisol held the book up for everyone to see, looking her students in the eyes and explaining the wonder of this new creature. Many were amazed afterwards, doubtless wondering what other beautiful and mysterious things existed beyond their realm of knowledge, in the immensity and diversity of God’s creation.

I am so thankful for the teachers we have been blessed with; the gifts they have for what they do, and the love with which they do it. They are operating in their sweet spot- exactly where God wants them- and it shows. I can only imagine what the impact will be in the lives of those they teach and disciple.