R2D2 Scream -

Wow!  This last week was tough and felt like a bit of a waste.  Heather and I were sick for most of the week and could do little more than just function.  Thankfully the kids were not very sick at all.  Nate was able to go to school every day & no of them had more than a runny nose or a little cough.  God was kind to them.  : )

Being a Schneider means being serious about your work and doing lots of it.  Some might call it being a "workaholic."  We just call it being productive.  lol.  If I am not "productive" it is such an emotional drain.  I feel like such a loser and like I just lost a bunch of time that I can never get back.  It can be hard to remember that there are just going to be times like that in life.

All that to say that the gathering we went to on Sunday night ROCKED!  We attended Iglesia Buenas Nuevas (Good News Church) in Jujuy.  For the first time in days I felt more like a human being and less like dead.  At the end of the service there was a fantastic time of prayer and intercession.  As I started to pray for others in the front of the auditorium, God's Spirit began to fill and energize me like I had not felt in some time.  (It's hard to have those powerful and emotional times when you are tired and sick)

Being very visual and therefore loving movies, it reminded me of a scene from an old Star Wars movie.  (I think it was from The Empire Strikes Back)  In the scene, the poor crew of the Millennium Falcon is trying to escape the pursuit of the evil empire's warships, but they can't make the jump to hyper space.  Everyone is frustrated and trying to figure it out, when heroic little droid R2D2 comes to the rescue.  He had learned from talking to the ship's computer that the empire had disabled the ship's hyper drive.  He takes it upon himself to turn it back and on and suddenly, the ship blasts out of the area to safety. 

It catches everyone on the ship off-guard, even R2D2, who rolls backwards and falls over as he lets out a trademark scream/ squeal.  - THAT, is how I felt during that prayer time!  Like my life had been flat and struggling to move forward...and then suddenly, the Spirit of God flooded my soul and ignited my energy, my love, my passion for Jujuy and for every person living here.  Deep within my soul, I was letting out that R2D2 scream!  : )

It was AWESOME!  It is a feeling that neeeeveeeer gets old.  I loved it the first time God began to stir my heart like that years ago.  I have loved it every time since that He has done it.  I can't wait for the next time He does it.  I actively seek to stay close to Him, to be in the middle of His will so that I am in a position to experience it again and again.  There is nothing - nothing! - in life like being enveloped in the presence of the One and Only, Living, God!  (And not just for yourself, but to join Him in His work and passion for the souls all around us!)

God bless you all -

Why Create This Blog

Hey everyone -
As the title of this post implies, I want to clarify from the start exactly what this blog sight is and is not. 
It is not really a blog, at least not in the usual definition of blogs.  I have no desire to drop my "deep thoughts" or any "inane babbling" on anyone.  Lord knows there is enough of that already on the internet.  lol.
What it is, in simplest terms, is an on-line journal (a glimpse into my heart, thoughts, passions, ministry, and experiences here in Argentina) that is open for all to see.  (Scary and dangerous, I know.  Ha)

I have never been someone who could journal.  I have tried several times but it always fizzled out after a few days.  Lately though, I have had an overwhelming sense from God that I NEED to do this.  There are things burning in my heart that I need to write down - for myself, for others to know our heart and ministry, and I suppose possibly for posterity as well.  This truly is not me, but I feel like I have to do it. 

I love the instant connection of Facebook, but the space available in a post is very limited and I did not want to post a Note every day and clog up people's home page with more e-traffic.  I love FB as a quick update on what is happening with everyone in our little world, but felt that what I want to put down on e-paper here is something else entirely. 

I have debated whether or not to allow comments.  The last thing I want is for people to launch into long diatribes or for posters of opposing views to turn the comment zone into a war zone.  My purpose is uniquely to present more information to those of you who desire it - about ourselves, our life and ministry in NW Argentina, and what God is burning in our hearts and doing here.  If I can maintain that purpose with comments, awesome.  If not, I'll change that in the future. 

As this point we still do not have internet access in our home.  This means lots of trips out into the city to get on line and try to quickly get everything done on line that we need to for the day, without forgetting anything and having to go back out later in the day to finish what we had missed.  It also means that at least initially, the journal posts may not be done every single day.  And of course, in the future, when we do have internet access in the home, I may post things more than just once a day.  We'll see what happens.  I just know that I need to do it.  

As of for today, my battery is reaching the end of it's ability so I will wrap this up for now & start journaling for real a little later, with a fresh battery.  : )

Love you all & pray for you often.  Thank you for your prayers, support, and friendship.  If you ever want to know anything beyond what I put down here, in FB, or our website, just let me know and I will do my best to get back to you with it asap. 

Share with you for real, soon, & God bless you all -

PS - for all of you English majors - I apologize for my slaughtering of English Grammar.  I write like I speak and think.  Therefore, there will for certain be an over-abundance of punctuation.  Long live run-on sentences!  : ) (Man this is liberating!  I should have done this in my high school English classes.)