Living by Grace in 2014

     I woke up on January 1st, 2014 amazed that it was a start of a new year.  How did 2013 go by so quickly and was I ready to start another year?  I laid in bed for a while reflecting on the changes, challenges,joys and frustrations of the previous year.  On one hand, calenders don´t mean much to God, He is far above time and space.  He calls us to live day by day, focusing on each moment as we live for Him. On the other hand, the start of a new year is a chance to reevaluate our lives and make a new start.
     I´ve never been one to make new year´s resolutions, believing that as I become aware of areas that I need to grow in my life, I need to work on them at the moment.  Besides, how many times do I swear I´m going to change, do things differently and then fall back into the same patterns?  No, I don´t like new year´s resolutions so I don´t think I´ll start now.
     However, my year did get off to a rough start.  A couple days before a precious friend expressed to me some things I had done that were hurtful.  Words I said, indirect comments and attitudes that were unkind and upsetting. Of course I didn´t mean to do or say these things, it wasn´t planned but, it wasn´t the first time I´d had to be shown my errors. I appreciated her honesty in sharing her feelings and only wish she had done it sooner. I was forced to stop, pray and reflect on what had happened.  I could see the things that had led up to the problem and recognize there are always two sides to every conflict.  Still, I knew I was wrong and I was truly sorry.
      But, what to do when sorry isn´t enough?  Paul in Corinthians commends the believers because their sorrow led to a zeal for repentance, "godly sorrow brings repentance."  I must demonstrate my sorrow and repentance by my actions, changing the ways I act that hurt others and striving to do things differently.  That is the challenge. Sometimes words aren´t enough, and then I despair that I can truly change.  Thinking on this I read, also in Corinthians how Paul, struggling with something in his own life (the thorn he speaks of) hears the Lord's words to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." He draws the conclusion, "Therefore I will rather boast in my infirmities,that the power of Christ may rest upon me....For when I am weak, then I am strong." ( 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Does this apply also to sin in my life?  Those things I do that we know are not pleasing to God?  When I complain, quarrel, am selfish and unthoughtful?  I think it does, only as I truly repent and seek His grace, forgiveness and help, and then am willing to work at it.  I always hear about "surrender all to the Lord...throw yourself on Him when you don´t know what to do."  But how do I do that?  I certainly cried my heart out to Him, repented of my sin and asked for help to do better.  But a few days I forget and I find I´ve gone and done it again.  This, I´m learning is where His grace and forgiveness come in.  As another dear friend reminded me, "Fold into what God wants here as He works in you and in them to become holy in all ways, not necessarily happy, but at least (or at most) holy and Christ like. It is not easy but God is at work in all of us through all of us." True, and no, not easy. My own wants and desires interfere, I want to be happy, yet I seek His grace to put His will and others needs and interests before my own.
     I often pray for Christians suffering great persecution for their faith. Our brothers in sisters in prison who suffer torture and the loss of home and land.  Women who have and become widows and now struggle to raise their children alone, because their husbands refused to renounce their faith in Christ.  Again I look at my own life and see how short I come of that kind of faith.  If I truly know, experience and live the love of Christ, then it will be a privilege to suffer for Him.  Oh, how I fear suffering!  Yet returning to the passage in Corinthians, I must trust that His grace is sufficient and I can count the loss of all things as gain for Him. Then, weather it´s something as simple ( yet as hard) as yielding my will to bless and honor others, or something as challenging as being persecuted for my faith in Christ, I can truly live for Him and become more like Him.
    Therefore, if you happen to read this blog and can relate to any of it, please let me know.  What are your challenges and struggles as you face a new year?
And pray for me that:  
1.  I will  think before I speak or act, seeking to put others first.
2. Learn to live God´s love and grace- having the courage to serve Him no matter what.
3. Accept His love and forgiveness, not living in self-condemnation or self-contempt, but trusting Him to change and mold me into His image.
Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog!  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!  I pray that you too may experience God´s love and grace this coming year as you allow Him to mold you into His image.

The City of Gold

"And he...showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God...

and the city was of pure gold, like clear glass." 

Revelation 21:10a,18b

Elida had been battling cancer for about five years.  Her sisters cared for her and loved her through the ravages of her disease.  A close knit family, the battle was hard for all. I met Elida for the first time when the cancer was already well advanced.  Her sister Lili, who lives in my city, was caring for her.  I visited and prayed for her briefly but didn´t stay long because she tired quickly. Although Lili and her sisters begged Elida to stay with them, she was eager to get to her own home in a small town about for hours away.  

Lili and sister Letty made several trips back and forth to visit her.  However, the disease continued to take its toll in spite of the fervent prayers of her family.  

Finally my schedule allowed me to go with Lili and Letty to visit Elida.  Our friend Carmen and her husband also accompanied us.  We arrived at Elida´s home about 12:30 in the afternoon and went straight into her room to pray for her.  She was extremely thin and her skin was oh so cold.  She could not speak but seemed to recognize Lily and Letty.  She had not eaten in several days. Many people were there, sisters, aunts, in-laws and friends.  Carmen prayed with all her heart for God´s mercy and His restoration and preservation of Elida´s life.  I prayed silently for God´s mercy, strength and comfort, and the ability to trust that His ways are best. 

We were called to eat and I slipped out of the room, leaving Elida surrounded by loving family.  The Lord had laid it on my heart to just to read Scripture to her.  He had reminded me of several passages that would comfort and encourage.  After eating I had an opportunity to return to her bedside.  I pulled out my little pocket Testament and began by reading Psalm 91, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty..."  Psalm 23, the beloved psalm which bring such peace and comfort, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."

Her oldest sister, Lupita, was at the head of Elida´s bed and suggested several passages to read. 

I Thessalonians 4,"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voices of an archangel....And the dead in Christ will rise first....And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 

I Corinthians 15:20,"But now, Christ is risen from the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep....(v.25) the last enemy to be destroyed is death." (Hallelujah, how we long for that day!) 

I had been reading for about 20 minutes when Lupita asked me to read Revelation 21. By now family members and friends again had gathered in the room listening, and  praying silently or in a soft murmur.  I prayed too, that Elida would hear and understand the words, allowing her blessed Savior to comfort and encourage her that she would soon be in His presence.  I knew she loved Him and had served Him faithfully.  Later, I found out how large her heart and home were when they told me that Elida not only raised three children of her own, but had also adopted and loved four others.

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I, John, saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people.  God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  (Revelation 21:1-4)

My heart ached for this dear saint who had suffered so much pain these last years. I continued reading the chapter and was stuck when by verse 18, "..and the city was of pure gold, like clear glass:"  Mostly I read without comment, allowing God to speak.  However, when I read about the city of gold I said, "Just think, Elida.  We always hear about the streets of gold, but the city itself is pure gold!  Are your ready to walk with Jesus in the city of gold?"

Elida made no response. I continued on to Revelation chapter 22, sensing that the end was very near.  I dared not look to see if she was still breathing.  

"He who says these things says, ¨Surely I am coming quickly.¨  Amen. Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

I looked up and realized it was over. Elida had breathed her last breath on this earth.  Her sisters felt her pulse and closed her eyes as they wept.  Elida´s  painful journey through this life was finally over and she was at peace.  I quietly sneaked out of the room, leaving the family to grieve privately.  I was in awe; her going was so quiet, barely discernible.  At what moment had she left us?  All I knew was that Elida was rejoicing at Jesus´ side because, "We are confident...to be absent form the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:6)

I walked slowly down to the river where Carmen and her husband were sitting and told them that Elida was gone.  We talked softly for a few moments as the current sped by around and over the rocks, reminding us how quickly life passes.  We walked back to the house to be with the family.  We stayed that night and  the next day for the service and when they took what remained of Elida´s frail body to be buried.  How hard it is to be separated from one who means so much to us!

Carmen, her husband and I returned to our city later that day after the burial.  We were thankful to arrive safely home and be able to continue with our lives, praising God for His faithfulness as we continued to pray His comfort for our beloved friends.  The next day I read in my devotional book,

"E´en for the dead I will not bind my soul to grief,

Death cannot long divide. 

For is it not as though the rose that climbed m garden wall 

Has blossomed on the other side?

Death doth hide,

But not divide,

Thou art but on Christ´s other side!

Thou art with Christ, and  Christ with me;

In Christ united still we are."

 (p. 346, Streams in the Desert, vol 1, Mrs. Charles E. Cowman) 

Rest in peace, our precious Elida, we will soon see you on the other side!

Life and Peace Children´s Home

It has been a special joy and privilege to work with the children of the "Life and Peace Children´s Home."  It is a small home sponsored by a local church that reaches out to children who have been abused or mistreated and have been temporarily removed from their homes.
For over a year I have been working with them once a week to teach a Bible study and also give them English cases. Early this fall we finished the book, How to Study the Bible for Kids, by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt.  This study gave the children excellent tools for digging into Scripture to understand what it says, see how it applies to their daily lives and improve overall study skills.  It was also a fun study because the book has puzzles, charts and clip art to make the lessons interesting and challenging.  After finishing the book, I presented each child with a diploma and a New Testament in an easy to read version (in Spanish of course!)

We are now working on a book called Lord, Teach me to Pray for kids, by the same authors. This study starts by examining the Lord´s prayer, phrase by phrase, and using it as a model for our own prayers. In last week´s lesson we talked about the importance of reverencing God´s name by not taking it in vain, using it in a carelessly, without respect or in a godless manner.  It´s an in depth study and challenging for the children to understand as well as a challenge for me to translate.  Pray the Lord will touch the heart´s of these youngsters that they will apply these truths to their everyday life. 
.

Recently the home was moved to a new location. The house they were living in was large and run down and the monthly rent was a burden.  The new apartment is the second floor of a house in a quiet neighborhood with a basketball court, soccer field and swings at the end of the block.  A Christian couple live downstairs who love children and are happy to rent at a reasonable price. The move also meant a change in schools which turned out to be difficult at this stage of the school year. Although there is a school in the new neighborhood, it´s saturated and could not take in any new students.  Eventually they settled into one in a nearby community and they are doing well.
My schedule has slowed down recently and I was wondering how I could use my time more wisely.  At the suggestion of a co-worker, I asked permission to visit the children three times a week to concentrate on their academic skills. Permission was gladly granted and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I travel to the new location, about a 30 minute drive from where I live.  One session a week we continue work on the Bible study as well as focus on Math skills, another day we work on Spanish and reading and Fridays are for a variety of activities such as learning games, geography or extra reading time. Each time I visit I also read to them a chapter form The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S.Lewis, which they are really enjoying. Seek God´s provision for the needs of the children, emotional, spiritual, material and academic. Pray God will give me wisdom and insight as I work with them.

Last Friday was a national holiday and the children had no school.  One of the ladies from the church invited us all to a small ranch she and her husband own about an hour outside of Tuxpan. It was a beautiful day and very hot, for which we were all glad to get out of the city. We ladies sat around under the shade of a large tree and enjoyed chatting and getting to know one another better.  The kids had a blast running, playing hide and seek, swinging in a hammock and chasing the dog. The two men, house father Miguel, and Jorge, the man who owns the ranch, were busy firing up the cement oven to make bread, roasting corn on the cob and heating up the chicken with spicy mole sauce, yum!  We all watched, and several participate, in the mixing and kneading of the bread dough.  However, cooking in a large, outdoor cement oven turned out to be harder than we thought.  The bread ended up being black on the inside and doughy on the inside, oh well, we ate some of it anyway with hot chocolate that Jorge had made.

It was starting to get dark so we reluctantly packed up our things, piled the kids into the vehicles and headed back into town.  It was a lovely and exhausting day.  I´m sure the kids slept well that night, I know I did! Praise God for His many blessings and the generosity of our friends who invited us to their ranch.

I look forward to my continued visits with the children, at least until I leave for the States in early December.  We´ll see what next year brings but I know as long as I am in Tuxpan, I will continue to be
involved in these children´s lives.

  

Lovely (and wet!) Tuxpan.

Now that October is nearly over, cooler weather has finally arrived.  I´ve enjoyed the temps in the upper 70s and the low humidity. I even put a sweater on after church last night! 
Last Friday I took some sunset pictures from the bridge that is over a tributary of the Tuxpan river and leads to our neighborhood. Enjoy!

After a lovely weekend, the clouds started to roll in.  The weather forecast predicted rain all week, but I think it all arrived on Tuesday!  It started to rain Tuesday morning and it rained hard all day...rain, rain and more rain! Buckets of rain, sheets of rain, waterfalls of rain! I had gone out in the morning and coming home around noon was quite a challenge.  The drainage system in downtown Tuxpan couldn´t handle all that water at once and the streets started to flood.  Unfortunately some houses were also flooded.  Thankfully the river was not high so the water had somewhere to go it didn´t overflow. 

Once the rain finally stopped in the late afternoon the water began to go down and by the next day it was easy to get around town again.  They´re predicting more heavy rain for this weekend!

And, just for fun, I´ve included a picture of my beloved mutt, Pecas.  The rain doesn´t bother her, at least while she´s indoors!

Ministerio La Final Trompeta

The Last Trumpet Ministry
There are many small, Evangelical churches in Tuxpan with creative names. I recently finished a course
"Teachers of Excellence" in one of these small churches.  Pastora Martha, together with her husband, Javier began "The Last Trumpet Ministry" about two years ago.  Many of their congregants are new to the saving news of Jesus Christ and need training and discipleship. They also want to raise up quality teachers to work with the children.  Therefore I was asked to give a teachers training course.

Rebekah and Pastor Martha

This group made an apron with cloth figures to represent the lesson

I invited children to attend because children make great evangelists and can be good  teachers, both now and in the future. There were about 15 eager students in the class, ages 7 to adult.  Along with a practical demonstration of how to teach a children´s class, they learned how to study a  Bible passage in depth, make up good questions and present their lessons in a creative way.  They were also assigned to read the Gospel of Mark during the course.

Putting together a puzzle of the memory verse

On activity was to write a letter to God asking Him to help them learn, grow and become teachers that are pleasing to Him. Here are some excerpts from their letters:

"Lord, I want to be a teacher of little children to teach them your word, give me the wisdom that I need...I will preach your word, give me strength."(Génesis, age 13)

"Lord, I want to be a teacher of children and teach them your word and that they can be saved...and that they can learn and preach to all the people on the earth" (Haniel, 10)

 "Lord, this morning I make a commitment to you, to be a good teacher...with your help to be honest, and to teach the little ones to love and respect  you as their Father...help me Lord Jesus to overcome these fears that keep me from growing."(Janet, adult)

 "Lord, I promise to be a good teacher and so I ask you to help and guide me, I ask that you give me patience...and  help me to bring children, and that you give me wisdom...I love you Jesus!" (Libni, 10)

"Lord Jesus...I promise to serve you more each day and strive to please you...guiding each little one through your blessed word...I thank you for the great privilege you have given me to work with the little ones." (María, adult)

Teaching the memory verse

To  practice their learning, the students were divided into three groups with a mixture of children and adults. Each group was assigned a passage from Mark to present to the rest of the class the next week. When the big day arrived, the students arrived early to gather their materials and make last minute preparations. Their hard work payed off and they far exceeded my expectations in the quality classes they presented!
Each group wrote a chorus to go along with the assigned passage.  Some made their own puppets and puppet stage to act out the lesson.  Another downloaded a short video to illustrate their lesson. All groups involved children as teachers, taught a memory verse in creative ways and wrote questions to help their students think about the Bible lesson and apply it to their lives. They are Teachers of Excellence! Pastora Martha explained that they have a children´s class on Saturday mornings.  She plans on having each group present their lesson they did for our course, and then they will rotate so each group continues to plan lessons.

 Pray they will continue the good work and impact many children with the Good News of God´s love.

Teaching the song they wrote

Next project...they´ve asked me to teach the "Narrating and  Acting out Bible Stories" workshop.  And the students who read the entire book of Mark during the course? One adult and three children received the prize!

Congratulations for a job well done!

One group made puppets