We are reading through Charlotte's Web for our comprehension work. Today as I read, the word "gander" was in the story. Ethan asked what a gander was and I explained it was the male goose. The female had just had babies and the gander had spoken up. So I explained that he was the father of the babies. The next page had a picture and I was showing the kids the picture Audrey said, "Now where is the mailbox?"
Somehow she heard male and thought mail and then associated it with mailbox!
So funny! I LOVE my kids!!!! :)
Just a glimpse into our lives following JESUS as He leads us to serve Him in the nations. Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
July 2010 Prayer Letter
Here is the text to our most recent prayer letter:
We’re so glad to be back in Costa Rica! God showered us with His love while we were in the states. It was painfully hard to say goodbye, yet wonderfully exciting to get on the plane, drive through Guanacaste and arrive home to find our dogs, neighbors and friends waiting for us!
Since we’ve been back, we have cleaned the house from corner to corner and totally reorganized, which is key in a small home! We’ve reconnected with the two churches, with our disciples, and gotten acclimated to the neighborhood again. It is exciting to see all that God has done while we’ve been gone. Our kids attend a weekly Bible Club at Calvary Chapel and the past several months they have been studying different missionaries and the countries in which they served. The culmination of the study was a report on a specific country of each child’s choosing detailing how the gospel has impacted the country. Ethan and Isabelle both selected, prepared, and presented (in Spanish) along with several other children. What a joy to see these kids learn about new cultures, the lives of missionaries, and what God is doing in the world.
Much has changed since we left at the end of April, with the first and most obvious being how GREEN everything is. When we left everything was so dry and brown. It is amazing to see the change that has transpired with the onset of rainy season. We LOVE it!!! What we are most thankful for, though, is the impact discipleship has had on Villareal since we’ve been gone. God again, in His greatness, has shown us how little He needs us to accomplish His plan. In the First Baptist church, Pastor Nelson has started a new discipleship group that includes 30 new believers! This group started because five people came to Pastor Nelson looking for a new church. He then immediately began discipleship with them and the group has now grown to 31 people who are not only growing in their relationship with the Lord through studying His Holy Word but are also now part of the church body. From Calvary there are at least 15 new disciples. One man is discipling many of the high school boys who come to the high school youth group, as well as a family of four. Pastor Phil began discipleship with our neighbor, Ronny, for whom we’ve asked for prayer many times. Ronny is now totally sober, attending church, in discipleship with Matt, and leading his family by example in what a life of faith looks like. God has developed the passion for discipleship in other members of Calvary, as well other missionaries in this area. It is amazing to us because when we arrived here 8 months ago no one in either of these two churches was being discipled. Not only is the discipleship material being used weekly, but it has also been used in youth retreats and women’s meetings. God’s Word is being taught, being studied, being memorized, and being spread in Villareal. Please continue to pray for disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
We thank you for your prayers for our financial support. It is with great joy that we share with you that God, being Jehovah Jireh, the God who Provides, has blessed us with many new financial partnerships, which have brought us very near to full support! Praise God from whom all blessings come! Praise God with us for the East Hill team. God used them to share the gospel and open the door to start discipleship in a nearby village where there is no evangelical presence!
For more about our family and the ministry check out:
www.mcclainfamily4him.org
We’re so glad to be back in Costa Rica! God showered us with His love while we were in the states. It was painfully hard to say goodbye, yet wonderfully exciting to get on the plane, drive through Guanacaste and arrive home to find our dogs, neighbors and friends waiting for us!
Since we’ve been back, we have cleaned the house from corner to corner and totally reorganized, which is key in a small home! We’ve reconnected with the two churches, with our disciples, and gotten acclimated to the neighborhood again. It is exciting to see all that God has done while we’ve been gone. Our kids attend a weekly Bible Club at Calvary Chapel and the past several months they have been studying different missionaries and the countries in which they served. The culmination of the study was a report on a specific country of each child’s choosing detailing how the gospel has impacted the country. Ethan and Isabelle both selected, prepared, and presented (in Spanish) along with several other children. What a joy to see these kids learn about new cultures, the lives of missionaries, and what God is doing in the world.
Much has changed since we left at the end of April, with the first and most obvious being how GREEN everything is. When we left everything was so dry and brown. It is amazing to see the change that has transpired with the onset of rainy season. We LOVE it!!! What we are most thankful for, though, is the impact discipleship has had on Villareal since we’ve been gone. God again, in His greatness, has shown us how little He needs us to accomplish His plan. In the First Baptist church, Pastor Nelson has started a new discipleship group that includes 30 new believers! This group started because five people came to Pastor Nelson looking for a new church. He then immediately began discipleship with them and the group has now grown to 31 people who are not only growing in their relationship with the Lord through studying His Holy Word but are also now part of the church body. From Calvary there are at least 15 new disciples. One man is discipling many of the high school boys who come to the high school youth group, as well as a family of four. Pastor Phil began discipleship with our neighbor, Ronny, for whom we’ve asked for prayer many times. Ronny is now totally sober, attending church, in discipleship with Matt, and leading his family by example in what a life of faith looks like. God has developed the passion for discipleship in other members of Calvary, as well other missionaries in this area. It is amazing to us because when we arrived here 8 months ago no one in either of these two churches was being discipled. Not only is the discipleship material being used weekly, but it has also been used in youth retreats and women’s meetings. God’s Word is being taught, being studied, being memorized, and being spread in Villareal. Please continue to pray for disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
We thank you for your prayers for our financial support. It is with great joy that we share with you that God, being Jehovah Jireh, the God who Provides, has blessed us with many new financial partnerships, which have brought us very near to full support! Praise God from whom all blessings come! Praise God with us for the East Hill team. God used them to share the gospel and open the door to start discipleship in a nearby village where there is no evangelical presence!
For more about our family and the ministry check out:
www.mcclainfamily4him.org
East Hill Christian School arrives in Guanacaste
Saturday evening we welcomed our good friends Janene, Pam and Cristina and the kids from East Hill Christian School. Months ago, we began planning for this weekend and it came upon us quickly and sadly, passed just as quickly. We will cherish the memories we made together in two and half days with the team forever. We look forward to seeing the full effect of their efforts over the weekend as we go about following up from the one-day VBS they held. The team held this VBS in a little village literally 'just across the river' from us where there is no Christian evangelical presence. To our knowledge, this was only the second VBS ever held in this village. The story of how we were able to get the use of the community center alone is evidence of the enemy's desire to foil the plans that had God had for that day. (And a little glimpse of how seemingly backward things can be in a country different than our own).
The area has about 1500 people in it, from our best guess after talking to several residents. We found God's favor on Friday when we went with another mom in the area and her kids, our family and a young lady from the church to pass out invitations. It was the last day of school before their winter vacation (it is rainy season or winter here now) and all t he kids were in the school for their party. We were able to hand an invitation to all the kids as they left the school that day and talk with many parents. It was wonderful. There are roughly 100 kids in the little school.
We are praising God for the VBS, for those who are excited about learning more about God and studying His word in a discipleship group and are very honored to have partnered with EHCS in sharing the gospel and now in making disciples.
You can read the team blog from the weekend below.
July 1-5
Thursday morning brought a very early start for the members of the EHCS
Costa Rica mission team. We met at 3:45 a.m. at the Pensacola Airport and
sailed through our flights with no difficulty. We landed in San Jose in
the afternoon, where Mark Kuzdas and Cori (our fantastic bus driver) were
awaiting our arrival. THe bus took us to the mission house and we ate a
delicious hamburger lunch after we unloaded our luggage. THe team was
overjoyed to be re-united with the other two member of the team, Kristen
and Pam Keller, who had arrived in Costa Rica earlier in the week.
At 4:30 p.m., everyone headed to La Finca, the church area in Los Guido,
so that we could meet with the leadership team from the church there. THe
team helps us out during the various Bible Schools. The returning EHCS
team members got to see all their old friends, and the new team members
made lots of new friends. After a classic Costa Rican dinner of rice and
deans, we explained how the Bible Schools would work and passed out blue
VBS shirts to the Los Guido leadership team. Afterwards, we played until
nighttime and then rode back to the mission house for some much-needed
sleep. We were completely exhausted from our day of travel and fun!
We did not get a break on Saturday morning; we were up and ready by 6:00
a.m! We grabbed a quick breakfast of pastries and Mrs. Keller's famous
muffins, then hit the road for Arenal. Along the way, Cori took us to all
the best shops. One souvenir shop housed a colorful toucan and a
butterfly garden in the back, and another shop was located in an area
completely surrounded by dozens of gigantic iguanas! we pulled into our
resort hotel in Arenal around lunchtime, where we were welcomed by a
fantastic view of the volcano from our room windows. We ate from a yummy
buffet at our hotel, then headed back to our rooms to relax.
That evening at 6:00, we hopped on the bus to the luxurious hot springs.
Each pool was a different temperature, ranging from cool all the way to
scalding hot! The team favorites were definitely the large pool with a
heated slide and the spring with a waterfall that poured over your back
and shoulders. Once everyone had their fill of the water, we ate dinner
at a scrumptious Asian buffet. We went back to the hotel full and
completely relaxed!
On Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then drove to a quaint
shopping area for a few hours. We came back to our hotel for lunch, then
hit the road for Guanacaste. It was a long trip, but the team finally
arrived at a mission house there, five hours later. We were greeted by
our friends, Matt, Brooke, Ethan, Isabelle, and Audrey McClain, who are
serving as missionaries in Guanacaste. We ate dinner, unloaded our bags,
and hung out for the rest of the night. Eventually, the boys went to the
Calvary Chapel, where they would be sleeping, and the girls settled into
their beds at the mission house. Of course, going to sleep wasn't all
that easy with the sound of crowing roosters and the fear of scorpions and
cockroaches throughout the night!
Luckily, everyone survived the night, and we had a hearty pancake
breakfast Sunday morning. After, we coated ourselves in sunscreen and bug
spray and rode to the beach. We could not believe our eyes when we
spotted several monkeys swinging from the trees on our way there! It was
a beautiful, sunny and we all enjoyed the waves and sand. A few of the
boys even tried their hand at surfing the Pacific waves! At noon, we
packed up and went back to the mission house to eat some arroz con carne
(rice with beef!).
Next, we began preparation for a prayer walk. At 3:00 o.m., we drove to
the area where we would hold Bible School the next morning, and walked the
streets, praying and handing out VBS invitations. After, we drove to the
church, a Calvary Chapel, where we performed two skits and Jocelyn sang in
the service. Many of the girls helped out in the nursery and Sunday
school classes. We had dinner at the church, went to the mission house to
practice puppet skits, then went to bed.
Monday brought the first day of our "marathon" of Vacation Bible Schools.
We got up early, ate breakfast, then went to the Salon Comunal, where we
set up for the VBS. We did not know exactly what to expect today, but as
the children began to trickle in, our team was armed with balloon animals
and face paints. It was a successful day--around 40 children attended the
VBS, and everyone had a great time learning about the Lord. We had
puppets, praise and worship, Bible stories, crafts, and recreation.
Everything ran smoothly! We felt blessed to be one of the first groups to
ever hold a CVS in this area, and our prayer is that it will start a spark
for Christ in the small beach town of Guanacaste.
As soon as Vacation Bible School ended, the team returned to the
Guanacaste mission house for the final time. We ate lunch with the sweet
McClain family, then began the long trek back to San Jose. Six hours
later, we made it home, safe and sound. We called our families, showered,
gave massages, practiced skits, then finally called it a night. We cannot
wait to see how God uses us tomorrow in the Tejarcillos VBS, and in the
many Bible schools to come!
Thanks,
Jocelyn
The area has about 1500 people in it, from our best guess after talking to several residents. We found God's favor on Friday when we went with another mom in the area and her kids, our family and a young lady from the church to pass out invitations. It was the last day of school before their winter vacation (it is rainy season or winter here now) and all t he kids were in the school for their party. We were able to hand an invitation to all the kids as they left the school that day and talk with many parents. It was wonderful. There are roughly 100 kids in the little school.
We are praising God for the VBS, for those who are excited about learning more about God and studying His word in a discipleship group and are very honored to have partnered with EHCS in sharing the gospel and now in making disciples.
You can read the team blog from the weekend below.
July 1-5
Thursday morning brought a very early start for the members of the EHCS
Costa Rica mission team. We met at 3:45 a.m. at the Pensacola Airport and
sailed through our flights with no difficulty. We landed in San Jose in
the afternoon, where Mark Kuzdas and Cori (our fantastic bus driver) were
awaiting our arrival. THe bus took us to the mission house and we ate a
delicious hamburger lunch after we unloaded our luggage. THe team was
overjoyed to be re-united with the other two member of the team, Kristen
and Pam Keller, who had arrived in Costa Rica earlier in the week.
At 4:30 p.m., everyone headed to La Finca, the church area in Los Guido,
so that we could meet with the leadership team from the church there. THe
team helps us out during the various Bible Schools. The returning EHCS
team members got to see all their old friends, and the new team members
made lots of new friends. After a classic Costa Rican dinner of rice and
deans, we explained how the Bible Schools would work and passed out blue
VBS shirts to the Los Guido leadership team. Afterwards, we played until
nighttime and then rode back to the mission house for some much-needed
sleep. We were completely exhausted from our day of travel and fun!
We did not get a break on Saturday morning; we were up and ready by 6:00
a.m! We grabbed a quick breakfast of pastries and Mrs. Keller's famous
muffins, then hit the road for Arenal. Along the way, Cori took us to all
the best shops. One souvenir shop housed a colorful toucan and a
butterfly garden in the back, and another shop was located in an area
completely surrounded by dozens of gigantic iguanas! we pulled into our
resort hotel in Arenal around lunchtime, where we were welcomed by a
fantastic view of the volcano from our room windows. We ate from a yummy
buffet at our hotel, then headed back to our rooms to relax.
That evening at 6:00, we hopped on the bus to the luxurious hot springs.
Each pool was a different temperature, ranging from cool all the way to
scalding hot! The team favorites were definitely the large pool with a
heated slide and the spring with a waterfall that poured over your back
and shoulders. Once everyone had their fill of the water, we ate dinner
at a scrumptious Asian buffet. We went back to the hotel full and
completely relaxed!
On Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then drove to a quaint
shopping area for a few hours. We came back to our hotel for lunch, then
hit the road for Guanacaste. It was a long trip, but the team finally
arrived at a mission house there, five hours later. We were greeted by
our friends, Matt, Brooke, Ethan, Isabelle, and Audrey McClain, who are
serving as missionaries in Guanacaste. We ate dinner, unloaded our bags,
and hung out for the rest of the night. Eventually, the boys went to the
Calvary Chapel, where they would be sleeping, and the girls settled into
their beds at the mission house. Of course, going to sleep wasn't all
that easy with the sound of crowing roosters and the fear of scorpions and
cockroaches throughout the night!
Luckily, everyone survived the night, and we had a hearty pancake
breakfast Sunday morning. After, we coated ourselves in sunscreen and bug
spray and rode to the beach. We could not believe our eyes when we
spotted several monkeys swinging from the trees on our way there! It was
a beautiful, sunny and we all enjoyed the waves and sand. A few of the
boys even tried their hand at surfing the Pacific waves! At noon, we
packed up and went back to the mission house to eat some arroz con carne
(rice with beef!).
Next, we began preparation for a prayer walk. At 3:00 o.m., we drove to
the area where we would hold Bible School the next morning, and walked the
streets, praying and handing out VBS invitations. After, we drove to the
church, a Calvary Chapel, where we performed two skits and Jocelyn sang in
the service. Many of the girls helped out in the nursery and Sunday
school classes. We had dinner at the church, went to the mission house to
practice puppet skits, then went to bed.
Monday brought the first day of our "marathon" of Vacation Bible Schools.
We got up early, ate breakfast, then went to the Salon Comunal, where we
set up for the VBS. We did not know exactly what to expect today, but as
the children began to trickle in, our team was armed with balloon animals
and face paints. It was a successful day--around 40 children attended the
VBS, and everyone had a great time learning about the Lord. We had
puppets, praise and worship, Bible stories, crafts, and recreation.
Everything ran smoothly! We felt blessed to be one of the first groups to
ever hold a CVS in this area, and our prayer is that it will start a spark
for Christ in the small beach town of Guanacaste.
As soon as Vacation Bible School ended, the team returned to the
Guanacaste mission house for the final time. We ate lunch with the sweet
McClain family, then began the long trek back to San Jose. Six hours
later, we made it home, safe and sound. We called our families, showered,
gave massages, practiced skits, then finally called it a night. We cannot
wait to see how God uses us tomorrow in the Tejarcillos VBS, and in the
many Bible schools to come!
Thanks,
Jocelyn
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
What's not in the pictures...
Well, after the final picture post has been posted, I reflect some on what is not in the pictures. The stories known in my heart, those that cannot be told with a picture.
One such story is of the amazing way the Holy Spirit worked through my husband as he was obedient to share what God had placed on His heart. We were not ashamed to share openly about our necessity to leave Costa Rica for a time, in order to secure more financial partnerships. We were at the lowest level of support we've ever been at. We no longer had the funds to continue living in Costa Rica, nor serving her people.
So, naturally, you would conclude that our focus would be on our finances as we prepared to share with supporters, churches, and new families in the states.
God, however, who is supernatural, Lord, and supremely omnipotent in all things, clearly spoke to our hearts that this should not be our focus. We, more specifically Matt, were to place all of our focus on Him and on the work He has done in us, what we have seen Him do in all parts of Costa Rica, and specifically challenge all we could about the call of discipleship in their lives.
So, that is how Matt prepared to share. And that is what he shared everywhere we went. I am privileged to be his wife. I am honored to walk beside him on this journey. God spoke through him and used him t o deliver a powerful message of redemption, of His saving grace, of the salvation found only in Christ. God, though Matt, issued challenge after challenge to individuals and churches, family members, and friends, about the call and command to make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20.
There are no pictures no demonstrate that power. You just kinda had to be there...but if you were, I think you'll agree it was pretty amazing!
I also had the privilege to spend the afternoon with a good friend visiting an amazing young women named Jen. Her body is racked with a terrible disease that has robbed her of strength, control, speech, the ability to swallow well among a host of others things. But what the disease has not and cannot take form her is her smile, nor the light inside of her- both of which reflect Christ living in her. I went to her house one day prepared to minister to her; and left being the one to whom she had been greatly ministered. No picture could tell the story of how God spoke to me through her that day. She is the epitome of God having a plan a purpose and of God working for good in all things - her life and faith are evidence s well as the lives changed by her journey.
I truly wish i had a picture of the day Ethan I finally got to meet Caleb and Tyler Wolfe. It was a day i had long awaited for and although very short, was very sweet to meet these adorable little boys. I am very thankful for that little bit of time with them.
There is no way to show the love expressed to us by our church family. No way to count the ways in which they graciously gave to allow our needs to be met while in the states. We were given the use of an amazing home to use, meals, offerings to sustain us, bicycles to ride, a car to use, hugs, hugs, and more hugs :) They also went to great lengths to make sure we were able to return to Costa Rica. We are forever thankful!
One last cherished memory is the evening Matt, Ethan and I spent with Mike and Sharon Druley. Mike is going through his second bout of cancer, this time it is extremely aggressive. We were able to spend one wonderful evening with them and I will cherish it forever. I received an update from his CaringBridge site today and I wanted to share it with you.
May you be blessed as I too have been by the faith of this brother and sister in Christ.
And...PS: Only God could burden the hearts of His people to give sacrificially, commit abundantly, and pray fervently as they did so that we now are at the CLOSEST to full support that we have ever been while! Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!
"Today was chemotherapy # 5. The Lafayette Cancer Care is not how I planned to spend this summer, yet when I enter this center, there is a sense of peace, joy and hope. From calling me by my name to the compassion and skilled care offered makes this a special sanctuary for healing and for hope. Sharon and I thank God for leading us to this place where we feel so much at home. I would also ask for your prayers on July 1 @ 8:30 AM when I have a CT scan and on July 5 @ 4:45 PM when I have a PET scan. These two scans will be paramount in showing what my cancers are doing and what help I am receiving from the chemotherapy. When I used to wait to see Dr. Trowbridge (still love that man), I would become quite nervous about five minutes before seeing him, and Sharon would silently tap my leg and say "God is in the midst of this." When I meet with Dr. Narayan to discuss these scans, I am sure I will again be quite nervous, and I know for sure I will feel a silent tap on my leg with Sharon saying "God is in the midst of this, Michael." How blessed I am!
Today was also a time of introspection for me. In this "treatment ward" are ten recliners for cancer patients. At any one time today six were filled, all women save for another gentleman and me. Since I was first today, I was able to see each patient who entered for either a treatment, a lab draw, or a removal of his/her pump. Yet as each entered, I studied each patient's face. Some seemed a little tentative but all seemed to have positive attitudes. Three of the ladies wore scarves to cover their loss of hair or baldness. I remember vividly when I lost my hair in 2001, and it was a very traumatic time for me, yet I can only guess how frightening that would be to a lady. I have such empathy for these beautiful and strong individuals. A lady entered who had an ill-fitted wig, yet that did not hamper her spirits in any way. But I kept thinking where each of these individuals are on their respective walks in these scary and complex journeys. Do they have a faith which will accompany them through the valleys? Do they have a church family like Sharon and me who reach out to us in compassion and love? Have they placed their lives in God's hands to take control and give up their desire to be "in charge"? But then I started to think about what these and others saw when they studied my face. Do they see a man who is worried about his own mortality or do they see a man who has taken comfort in Christ's words that indeed "...my Grace is sufficient for you for my Power is made perfect in weakness?" And even I wonder where I will be if indeed I come to the end of my life in the next several months as the prognosis states. Will I allow God to be in control or will I wrestle with a desire to live one more day? That's why your prayers are so cherished as I could never fight this battle alone. I have expressed to our mighty God that I desperately want to live to spend the wonderful quiet times with Sharon, to watch our children continue their respective success stories, and probably more than anything, to watch Katie, Meghan and Elizabeth grow from little girls to beautiful ladies, yet as I first shared with Marshall, I have had no fears or anxieties about dying - another emotion I could never have without your prayers, our family support, and thoughts and prayers from Arizono to Florida and from New York to California. How awesome is our God. But please know that Sharon and I have tremendous hope because we know that the GREAT PHYSICIAN in the only one truly in charge and that is where we place our turst!! Amen! I would encourage all of you to watch two videos on youtube by Zac Smith. Go to youtube and type in Zac Smith. One video is entitled "Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me", and the other is "The Letter". Zac was 32 with a beautiful wife and three children when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. After a short remission, the cancer returned and Zac died at age 33. In 2001 I also said that cancer was a gift. Today I know that cancer comes with a PERFECT PLAN from our Heavenly Father even though I do not understand what that is - now. I, like Zac, believe I am a better husband, father, grandfather, friend, and follower of Christ because of this disease. And I also believe what Zac said with these words: "If God decides to heal me, then God is God and God is good, but if God decides not to heal me and allows me to die, then God is STILL GOD, and God is STILL good!" Thanks Zac.
Thanks to Megan and Marshall for such wonderful and moving testimonies Sunday. I have not experienced a loss as have they thus I cannot begin to feel the depth of their grief, but I can see the width, breath and depth of their faith.
Thanks to Pam Hall who gave me a book Sunday by James McDonald entitled "When Times are Hard". I read it in a day, will re-read it again as it truly ministered to me and validated some things we are doing. He states (paraphrased) that when times are hard and we feel pain, whether it is minor or very serious, we need to EMBRACE that pain and use it to glorify God. I have a ways to go, but with God's help I shall do better each day.
I mentioned how much I enjoy visitors. Sharon and I were reared in a farm community and lived about two miles apart. Back when we were young, we didn't think twice about visiting someone on a moment's notice. I guess we remain there believing it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. I still recall vividly in the spring of 1955 when we brought my father home from the hospital in Richmond after serious surgery. He was worried about how he would get the 180 acres prepared for planting. As we pulled into our driveway in northeastern Rush County, it was a sight to behold! Twenty-seven tractors with plows and diiscs were in our fields - forgetting their own personal needs to reach out to a friend in need. Wow! And that is exactly what you are doing for us. No amount of thanks could ever express our gratitude.
Please continue to pray for Jen and Mark, Ginny and Max, Ann and Ron, Olivia and Larry, and beautiful Emma Wolfe and her parents Chris and Stephanie as well as others who need our prayers. And in case you do not know, the Wolfes have a Caringgbridge sight as well. (www,Caringbridge.org/visit/wolfekids. You will see three beautiful children plus follow Emma's progress.
I apologize for the length and pensiveness of this writing, but I have simply felt the hands of God upon my heart today. In the Gaither magazine there is a statement about friends from Henry Nouwen which allowed me to see within myself to where Sharon's and my ministries should be. Maybe this will speak to you as well.
"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and berevement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a FRIEND who cares."
Thank you for being our FRIENDS! May God shower you with His mighty Grace, Peace, Mercy and Love.
In Him,
Mike"
One such story is of the amazing way the Holy Spirit worked through my husband as he was obedient to share what God had placed on His heart. We were not ashamed to share openly about our necessity to leave Costa Rica for a time, in order to secure more financial partnerships. We were at the lowest level of support we've ever been at. We no longer had the funds to continue living in Costa Rica, nor serving her people.
So, naturally, you would conclude that our focus would be on our finances as we prepared to share with supporters, churches, and new families in the states.
God, however, who is supernatural, Lord, and supremely omnipotent in all things, clearly spoke to our hearts that this should not be our focus. We, more specifically Matt, were to place all of our focus on Him and on the work He has done in us, what we have seen Him do in all parts of Costa Rica, and specifically challenge all we could about the call of discipleship in their lives.
So, that is how Matt prepared to share. And that is what he shared everywhere we went. I am privileged to be his wife. I am honored to walk beside him on this journey. God spoke through him and used him t o deliver a powerful message of redemption, of His saving grace, of the salvation found only in Christ. God, though Matt, issued challenge after challenge to individuals and churches, family members, and friends, about the call and command to make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20.
There are no pictures no demonstrate that power. You just kinda had to be there...but if you were, I think you'll agree it was pretty amazing!
I also had the privilege to spend the afternoon with a good friend visiting an amazing young women named Jen. Her body is racked with a terrible disease that has robbed her of strength, control, speech, the ability to swallow well among a host of others things. But what the disease has not and cannot take form her is her smile, nor the light inside of her- both of which reflect Christ living in her. I went to her house one day prepared to minister to her; and left being the one to whom she had been greatly ministered. No picture could tell the story of how God spoke to me through her that day. She is the epitome of God having a plan a purpose and of God working for good in all things - her life and faith are evidence s well as the lives changed by her journey.
I truly wish i had a picture of the day Ethan I finally got to meet Caleb and Tyler Wolfe. It was a day i had long awaited for and although very short, was very sweet to meet these adorable little boys. I am very thankful for that little bit of time with them.
There is no way to show the love expressed to us by our church family. No way to count the ways in which they graciously gave to allow our needs to be met while in the states. We were given the use of an amazing home to use, meals, offerings to sustain us, bicycles to ride, a car to use, hugs, hugs, and more hugs :) They also went to great lengths to make sure we were able to return to Costa Rica. We are forever thankful!
One last cherished memory is the evening Matt, Ethan and I spent with Mike and Sharon Druley. Mike is going through his second bout of cancer, this time it is extremely aggressive. We were able to spend one wonderful evening with them and I will cherish it forever. I received an update from his CaringBridge site today and I wanted to share it with you.
May you be blessed as I too have been by the faith of this brother and sister in Christ.
And...PS: Only God could burden the hearts of His people to give sacrificially, commit abundantly, and pray fervently as they did so that we now are at the CLOSEST to full support that we have ever been while! Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!
"Today was chemotherapy # 5. The Lafayette Cancer Care is not how I planned to spend this summer, yet when I enter this center, there is a sense of peace, joy and hope. From calling me by my name to the compassion and skilled care offered makes this a special sanctuary for healing and for hope. Sharon and I thank God for leading us to this place where we feel so much at home. I would also ask for your prayers on July 1 @ 8:30 AM when I have a CT scan and on July 5 @ 4:45 PM when I have a PET scan. These two scans will be paramount in showing what my cancers are doing and what help I am receiving from the chemotherapy. When I used to wait to see Dr. Trowbridge (still love that man), I would become quite nervous about five minutes before seeing him, and Sharon would silently tap my leg and say "God is in the midst of this." When I meet with Dr. Narayan to discuss these scans, I am sure I will again be quite nervous, and I know for sure I will feel a silent tap on my leg with Sharon saying "God is in the midst of this, Michael." How blessed I am!
Today was also a time of introspection for me. In this "treatment ward" are ten recliners for cancer patients. At any one time today six were filled, all women save for another gentleman and me. Since I was first today, I was able to see each patient who entered for either a treatment, a lab draw, or a removal of his/her pump. Yet as each entered, I studied each patient's face. Some seemed a little tentative but all seemed to have positive attitudes. Three of the ladies wore scarves to cover their loss of hair or baldness. I remember vividly when I lost my hair in 2001, and it was a very traumatic time for me, yet I can only guess how frightening that would be to a lady. I have such empathy for these beautiful and strong individuals. A lady entered who had an ill-fitted wig, yet that did not hamper her spirits in any way. But I kept thinking where each of these individuals are on their respective walks in these scary and complex journeys. Do they have a faith which will accompany them through the valleys? Do they have a church family like Sharon and me who reach out to us in compassion and love? Have they placed their lives in God's hands to take control and give up their desire to be "in charge"? But then I started to think about what these and others saw when they studied my face. Do they see a man who is worried about his own mortality or do they see a man who has taken comfort in Christ's words that indeed "...my Grace is sufficient for you for my Power is made perfect in weakness?" And even I wonder where I will be if indeed I come to the end of my life in the next several months as the prognosis states. Will I allow God to be in control or will I wrestle with a desire to live one more day? That's why your prayers are so cherished as I could never fight this battle alone. I have expressed to our mighty God that I desperately want to live to spend the wonderful quiet times with Sharon, to watch our children continue their respective success stories, and probably more than anything, to watch Katie, Meghan and Elizabeth grow from little girls to beautiful ladies, yet as I first shared with Marshall, I have had no fears or anxieties about dying - another emotion I could never have without your prayers, our family support, and thoughts and prayers from Arizono to Florida and from New York to California. How awesome is our God. But please know that Sharon and I have tremendous hope because we know that the GREAT PHYSICIAN in the only one truly in charge and that is where we place our turst!! Amen! I would encourage all of you to watch two videos on youtube by Zac Smith. Go to youtube and type in Zac Smith. One video is entitled "Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me", and the other is "The Letter". Zac was 32 with a beautiful wife and three children when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. After a short remission, the cancer returned and Zac died at age 33. In 2001 I also said that cancer was a gift. Today I know that cancer comes with a PERFECT PLAN from our Heavenly Father even though I do not understand what that is - now. I, like Zac, believe I am a better husband, father, grandfather, friend, and follower of Christ because of this disease. And I also believe what Zac said with these words: "If God decides to heal me, then God is God and God is good, but if God decides not to heal me and allows me to die, then God is STILL GOD, and God is STILL good!" Thanks Zac.
Thanks to Megan and Marshall for such wonderful and moving testimonies Sunday. I have not experienced a loss as have they thus I cannot begin to feel the depth of their grief, but I can see the width, breath and depth of their faith.
Thanks to Pam Hall who gave me a book Sunday by James McDonald entitled "When Times are Hard". I read it in a day, will re-read it again as it truly ministered to me and validated some things we are doing. He states (paraphrased) that when times are hard and we feel pain, whether it is minor or very serious, we need to EMBRACE that pain and use it to glorify God. I have a ways to go, but with God's help I shall do better each day.
I mentioned how much I enjoy visitors. Sharon and I were reared in a farm community and lived about two miles apart. Back when we were young, we didn't think twice about visiting someone on a moment's notice. I guess we remain there believing it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. I still recall vividly in the spring of 1955 when we brought my father home from the hospital in Richmond after serious surgery. He was worried about how he would get the 180 acres prepared for planting. As we pulled into our driveway in northeastern Rush County, it was a sight to behold! Twenty-seven tractors with plows and diiscs were in our fields - forgetting their own personal needs to reach out to a friend in need. Wow! And that is exactly what you are doing for us. No amount of thanks could ever express our gratitude.
Please continue to pray for Jen and Mark, Ginny and Max, Ann and Ron, Olivia and Larry, and beautiful Emma Wolfe and her parents Chris and Stephanie as well as others who need our prayers. And in case you do not know, the Wolfes have a Caringgbridge sight as well. (www,Caringbridge.org/visit/wolfekids. You will see three beautiful children plus follow Emma's progress.
I apologize for the length and pensiveness of this writing, but I have simply felt the hands of God upon my heart today. In the Gaither magazine there is a statement about friends from Henry Nouwen which allowed me to see within myself to where Sharon's and my ministries should be. Maybe this will speak to you as well.
"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and berevement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a FRIEND who cares."
Thank you for being our FRIENDS! May God shower you with His mighty Grace, Peace, Mercy and Love.
In Him,
Mike"
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Indiana Part 7, final :)
We spent time with two of our favorite young couples during our stay. Courtney and Daniel invited us over to their brand new home- we were their first houseguests! And Andrew and Stephanie came and stayed the night with us and Andrew shared his vision and passion for making disciples through InterVarsity. Ethan and I were also able to spend a few hours with my forever friend, Denise, and her boys despite both her and I having sick girls. It was great to see her again. Ethan also learned how to mow the yard! :)
We went to Prophetsown near Battleground for the afternoon one day. It was a great little place to go to learn about the history of the battle between the "white man" and the Native Americans who first lived on the land later called Indiana. Their is a section with Native American ruins or replicas as well as a full plantation. The kids were able to help with the milking of the cow, watch the bringing in of the horses, rounding up the chickens and then gathering their eggs. Both of our moms went with us and we met Katrina and the boys there as well. It was really fun and interesting.
And we loved on Samantha as much as we could. There is never enough time to see her enough. We were able to have a pajama party with her one night and she loved it! The best thing I remember with her is the day we went to the zoo, she said it was the "best day of her life!" That is priceless! :)
We celebrated Matt's 35th birthday while in Indiana. Isabelle and Audrey got a little carried away with the icing and "decorated" Pappy!
These last few were taken in the Orlando airport. We flew from Indy to Orlando and then spent the night in the airport (our life is always full of adventure!).
These are the closest thing to Disney we got on this trip...Maybe some time...
After the night in the airport, we flew from Orlando to San Jose, picked up our car, headed back out of the city, got a hotel, ate lunch/supper at 4:00 PM and crashed until the next morning! We were all so tired! We took off mid-morning after picking up discipleship material, and made it home by early evening, to find our neighbors and friends waiting for us, as I posted early.
It was a great trip, full of many memories!
Now back to our regular scheduled blogging :)
We went to Prophetsown near Battleground for the afternoon one day. It was a great little place to go to learn about the history of the battle between the "white man" and the Native Americans who first lived on the land later called Indiana. Their is a section with Native American ruins or replicas as well as a full plantation. The kids were able to help with the milking of the cow, watch the bringing in of the horses, rounding up the chickens and then gathering their eggs. Both of our moms went with us and we met Katrina and the boys there as well. It was really fun and interesting.
And we loved on Samantha as much as we could. There is never enough time to see her enough. We were able to have a pajama party with her one night and she loved it! The best thing I remember with her is the day we went to the zoo, she said it was the "best day of her life!" That is priceless! :)
We celebrated Matt's 35th birthday while in Indiana. Isabelle and Audrey got a little carried away with the icing and "decorated" Pappy!
These last few were taken in the Orlando airport. We flew from Indy to Orlando and then spent the night in the airport (our life is always full of adventure!).
These are the closest thing to Disney we got on this trip...Maybe some time...
After the night in the airport, we flew from Orlando to San Jose, picked up our car, headed back out of the city, got a hotel, ate lunch/supper at 4:00 PM and crashed until the next morning! We were all so tired! We took off mid-morning after picking up discipleship material, and made it home by early evening, to find our neighbors and friends waiting for us, as I posted early.
It was a great trip, full of many memories!
Now back to our regular scheduled blogging :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Indiana Part 6
These are from our trip to the Creation Museum. I highly recommend the museum- but take two days to see it because we only saw about one-third of it! It is very well done.
Who says beautiful sunsets only happen at the beach!
We really enjoyed having several days with our good friends, Doug and Karen Vaughn. They met at us where we stayed in Kentucky, went to the Creation museum with us and then stayed in Frankfort with us for a couple of days. It was great to see them again. We had a wonderful visit with them.
Indianapolis Zoo
Both Mimi (Sue) and Ging-ging (Cindy) had the day off one day and so we loaded up two cars, picked up Samantha and headed to the Zoo. It really was a good day and the kids had fun together. The Zoo itself was rather small and terribly overpriced for what it actually contains. It was also rather disappointing that in every way they could, they tried to make a dollar. The kids were disappointed that they couldn't do all the fun stuff we had seen signs for. We were able to see all the animals though and that made up for it! All before it started raining and storming!
Should be easy to do, considering most 5 year olds ;)
Who says beautiful sunsets only happen at the beach!
We really enjoyed having several days with our good friends, Doug and Karen Vaughn. They met at us where we stayed in Kentucky, went to the Creation museum with us and then stayed in Frankfort with us for a couple of days. It was great to see them again. We had a wonderful visit with them.
Indianapolis Zoo
Both Mimi (Sue) and Ging-ging (Cindy) had the day off one day and so we loaded up two cars, picked up Samantha and headed to the Zoo. It really was a good day and the kids had fun together. The Zoo itself was rather small and terribly overpriced for what it actually contains. It was also rather disappointing that in every way they could, they tried to make a dollar. The kids were disappointed that they couldn't do all the fun stuff we had seen signs for. We were able to see all the animals though and that made up for it! All before it started raining and storming!
Should be easy to do, considering most 5 year olds ;)
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