"Early" to Bed & Early to Rise : )

I have been trying to turn my internal clock backwards.  If I'm not very careful, it is easy for me to stay up a little later every night - all in the name of "I'm not tired yet (or caught my second wind) and I can get lots of important work done" but then get up later and later each following morning. 
It is a tough cycle to break out of. 

The hard part is that I don't have an office outside of the home, so getting lots done is best accomplished when the kids are not awake.  Of course I love them to death and they come before work, yet work does have to be accomplished.  Just because my office is in the house does not mean that I can let it slide all the time. 

So, I tried to go to bed early last night.  It was very difficult to fall asleep and before I knew it, it was after midnight and I stiiiiill had not slept.  Each time I alllllllllmost fell asleep, something would happen.  My phone dinged with incoming texts 2 different times, Aliana came in after having a bad dream and needed to put back to bed and reassured that all was well, Nate followed with the same need later on, I had to use the bathroom, the cat jumped on the bed, the neighbor's dogs started barking up a storm, I doubted if I had remembered to lock the outside doors and had to get up and check them to make sure, etc., etc. 

The good news is that I DID still manage to get up at 5:30 am!  I was so excited to be up and not extremely tired.  I started heating water for some hot yerba mate, booting up the laptop, prepping my study materials, etc.  Just as I was getting things rolling...out came Aliana from the bedroom, 1 hour early.  Ugg!  Then Jonny followed.  Not too long after that so did Nathanael.  Really?!

Not actually one of my children.  Just a fun representation. 

Most days I can't get them up!  Today, when I am finally up early and am wide awake and productive - they pop out of bed, on their own, an hour ahead of schedule and refuse to go back to bed.  Sigh.  Of well.  I still did get lots more done than otherwise & got to spend more quality time with my little ones.
 : ) 

SO MUCH to get done over the next couple of days before heading out to speak/ minister at a Men's Retreat.  - Going to be busy, busy, busy. 



God bless you all
Have a great day & may God help you not only to be productive but to get in lots of quality time with your family too -

Paz, favor, y la ayuda de Dios Altisimo -

Obedience, Intercession, & Divine Inspiration

The other night at church I experienced some amazing times with God.  They are the force behind this journal entry. 

At church, the service had started and we were in the beginnings of the time of praise and worship.  I was clapping, singing and worshiping God.  In that moment of connecting with God I felt like something was "off" in the service.  It was like God wanted to do things in the hearts and lives of His people but there was something in opposition to it, blocking it, slowing it down.  I felt the need to pray for the move of God in the service.  (We should ALL invest in our corporate times like this.  It should not be the work of a select few.  It's YOUR family in God, it's YOUR time with God - fight for it & for them!)

As I began to Intercede for the service I felt God's Spirit prompting me to go to the front of the sanctuary and to worship and pray there.  I started to wrestle with being obedient.  I thought, "Oh, no God.  Come on.  I don't want to go up in front of everyone.  What will they think?  They'll be like, 'oh, there goes Chris - being all "super" spiritual, thinking he's all that!'

In reality, probably no one is ever going to think like that.  But, even if EVERYONE did, it does not cancel out or even have any bearing on the need for my OBEDIENCE to God's will.  I knew this in my heart and even though I cringed at being "showy" or "in the spotlight" I obeyed...it was just the right thing to do. 

When I got up front I continued to worship but felt more and more compelled to Intercede for the service - the fine folks there, and the will of God to be done, both in that moment and in the future of the church.  It was an awesome time!  One of those things you learn - almost always (although not every time) when you obey, you get the great blessing of really experiencing the exhilaration of God's intense presence.  I love being in that place; in HIS presence.  It is awesome!  There's nothing else like in the whole world.

As I continued I felt the need to get on my face on the floor before Him in intercession for the church.  I stayed there for nearly the entirely of the worship time.  Not only did I get to soak in the awesomeness of His presence, but I could feel the spiritual atmosphere in the room shifting and surging ahead as well.  The intensity of the group's worship of God picked up and several people ended up being on their faces up front with me as well. 

I could not help but feel that my obedience had been part of the key in the "breakthrough" we were enjoying.  It was not "all about me" but rather, as I obeyed God, He then poured out His Spirit in response.  I also have no doubt that it was not confined to only me.  I am sure that as each person in the room followed through in obeying God's direction, He opened up the windows of Heaven more and more.  OBEDIENCE always brings good stuff from God!  (Even if it did not, obedience is still the RIGHT/GOOD/ BEST thing to do.)  The good stuff is just a cool side benefit!  As His children, as part of His Team, obedience should always be quick and with a good attitude. 

Then another very cool thing happened as I was lying there on the floor interceding for the peeps and the future ministry of the church - God burned some Inspiration into my heart/mind/spirit.

I don't know why God does this, but He often speaks to me through images from movies I have seen.  I am a very visual learner so that could be part of the reason. 
Anyways, - God started speaking to me about how we are His sons & daughters, quite literally we have been made Princes and Princesses in His Kingdom. 
My mind flashed to the moment in the 2nd movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy where Aragorn is speaking to Eowyn - encouraging her to remember that she comes from a Royal bloodline, to draw up her courage & stand in her role and responsibilities.  He says to her, "I do not believe this will be your fate.  The blood kings runs in your veins!" 

Wow!  I started thinking on that.  When God created us in HIS image, when HE knit us together in our mother's womb, when He adopted us back into HIS Family, bringing us back from our prodigal stint in sin's ugliness and REINSTATED the relationship we had lost with Him in the fall in the Garden of Eden, when He covered our sin (and us) with HIS blood - we literally are saved through a spiritual transfusion of HIS BLOOD - > The blood of Kings runs through our veins!  <  And not even that of mere earthly kings, but the blood of the one, true, and only HEAVENLY KING - That of the Trinity: of our Father God, His Son (our big brother) and of His Holy Spirit (our closest friend) - RUNS IN OUR VEINS! 

When in the battles we face in life we are cut and blood seeps from our body - It is His blood, the BLOOD OF KINGS that we bleed on life's Spiritual battle fields.  Wow!  What a powerful, true, and energizing thought! 

- Now...after living so far beneath this in our earthly mess, we still need to learn what it is - to walk as a Prince/ Princess in the family of God on this earth.  Things such as being...noble...upright...just, not to mention humble, kind, generous - etc. etc.  *None of the arrogance of earthly royalty, please!  Lol. 

Have a great day & walk in the newness of "The Blood of Kings runs through YOUR veins" -
Blessings, insight, & ability to you all


Las bendiciones, uncion, inspiracion del Espiritu de Dios Padre sean con todos ustedes

Argentine Weddings, Intercesion & Titles

 Whew!  The last couple of days were looooong.  : )
I don't have time to go into everything, but I can share about a few of the major pieces.

1st - Argentine Weddings
In the US a wedding is LONG if it breaks the 25 minute mark.  (Side note - I did a wedding one time that was only about 7 minutes long.  Seriously.  : )  It was a great wedding but neither the bride or groom liked being in the spotlight.  They wanted it short, sweet, & to the point.  It was.  They're still one of the greatest couples I know.  : )

Fact: In Argentina - only the Catholic church is permitted to do a legal religious marriage recognized by the state.  That's it.

So, what the couples in other churches have to do is - a 2 ceremony wedding.
1st - A judge does a legal ceremony.  It is very short and too the point.  It would be even shorter but they literally "fill" it with details like...
"John Smith, groom, single, engineering major, who works at Jones Construction, who lives at 555 Ramon St, San Salvador de Jujuy, District of the Capital, Jujuy, Argentina - son of... dad (repeat details) & mom... (repeat details), etc., etc."  - It is almost a little humorous.  I guess they want to make sure they have their books straight.  Ha.
2nd - A Pastor performs a religious ceremony and they are now married, both in the eyes of the state & of all who want a religious wedding.  The religious ceremony is not all that different than most of the weddings I have been too in the USA.  The ones I have been to have not had anyone singing or special music, etc - a little different for us.

But then things are just getting started.  The reception is reeeeeeeeally long.  : )
That is collective culture for you.  It is an event.  So people come & are there to hang out.  They stand around and talk.  Then we sit around and talk.  Then we sit around and eat.  Afterwards we sit around and talk some more.  Later we stand around and talk even more.  (Are you getting the COLLECTIVE part yet? : )
Our first Argentine wedding, we came prepared to stay for 1 hour & stayed for 3.  When we left everyone was like, "What?  You're leaving already?  Is everything ok?"  - Lol.  Yes, we're okay - just need to let the kids get home and relax.  - This time we were there for 5 hours before we left.  We still got the same questions.  Ha.  We're getting there - adjusting to the culture.

It was a great time.  Now that we know what to expect and are adjusting to the culture we enjoy hanging out, talking, taking pics, and being part of the whole.  The people are beautiful; precious to us, and we are blessed to be here with them.  I even came back later to help take the bride and groom to their home with all the gifts, balloons and more.  Most people do not have a car so ours is a huge blessing and well used to help out at times like this.  It would have taken 3 taxis to do what we did in 1 trip with our SUV.  : )

2nd Intercession - 
Afterwards, I hopped on a bus with a group of people from the church to travel an hour to San Pedro, Jujuy, Argentina to go to a Training Session on Intercessory Prayer.  In Argentina, they don't mess around.  The session went for 3 hours (6 - 9 pm) and then afterwards we had 3 hours to put it into practice.  (9 - midnight : )  It was a great time, lots of great material.  I had a hard time writing everything down in Castellano fast enough.  And my favorite part was the time of prayer and worship afterwards.  It's amazing how FAST 3 hours can go by when you're really getting after it.  And our part of Argentina needs a LOT more people who will "get after it" in intercession for spiritual breakthroughs. 

3rd Titles -
Much of the church world in Latin America (like their culture in general) is super into "titles."  Everybody has to be a "somebody."  I think it lends credence to listening to what they have to share.  I suppose it makes people feel important and like they have a place in the world as well.
At the same time it can be a point of concern and even argument.

Last night there was much talk from "Apostle so & so" or "prophet so & so."
Let me say, I believe in the positions.  They are Scriptural, important, and extremely valuable to building up and encouraging the Body of Believers as a whole. 
I also think that perhaps in N. America we have lost sight of these positions too much.  I believe we have people who operate in their roles, but they prefer to use the title of "pastor" and not draw so much attention to themselves.  I am also quite sure that we have seen too many FALSE Apostle/Prophets destroy the image & people don't want to be associated with that.

Here, I think it is the opposite.  I think titles are applied and flung around too quickly, too easily.  To be sure, there are people here who are the real deal; wonderful leaders who bless and help the Body of Christ in great ways.  I just worry that too many people get all emotional and ASSUME titles or BESTOW titles where no title should be given or received - at least not so easily or "flippantly" at times and in certain circles.   

I was wondering where the title "SERVANT" has gone.  After all, while the Apostles/ Prophets in Scripture did not shy away from their position, responsibilities, or title - they were very quick to refer to themselves over and over in much more humble terms - IE. "Servant/ Bond Servant/ Slave" - of God.
Wow!  What if we all put as much time into thinking of ourselves, and referring to ourselves in this manner - "Who me?  Yep.  I'm just a servant.  Nobody special."
After all, Paul the APOSTLE who wrote 1/2 the New Testament referred to himself as 'the least of these."  Why shouldn't we?  I think it would be a Good Thing.  : )

Do I want to do the work of an Apostle (leader in the church/ father of multitudes) - Yes!  I just don't want to get a big head.  After all, PRIDE still comes before destruction & an ARROGANT SPIRIT before a fall!  : )

Have a great day, be blessed by God in order to be a blessings & Stay Humble -
Paz, bendiciones, uncion, y poder en Dios - 

Our Ministry Passion

Yesterday, I wrote about the passion we have to help build up the existing churches here in NW Argentina including in regard to their giving to foreign missions and supporting their own Argentine Missionaries.

 Today I thought I would share about our Passion for NW Argentina
- in a nutshell.

NW Argentina, especially the Province of Jujuy is one the most unreached parts of the entire country and one of the most unreached parts of all of Latin America.  Statistics say that any people group who are less then 2% Christian are still considered an Unreached People Group.
That is NW Argentina.  The stat's here put us at less than 1% evangelical Christian.
Here are our Jujuy Stats & our A/G numbers -

The Province of Jujuy has 700,000 + people and is steadily growing everywhere you look.
The capital city of San Salvador de Jujuy has a population of 300,000 + people and is growing greatly
- There are only 2 A/G churches for all of the capital - 31 neighborhoods (barrios) with +/- 10,000 people each & we still have 29 without a single A/G church.
- There are only 4 A/G churches for the entire province.
This leaves about 100 cities, towns, & communities with no A/G church whatsoever.

Our passion is to see at least 1 A/G church (many more if possible and where applicable) planted in every neighborhood of the capital city, and in every city, town & community in the entire province.

It is a massive dream.  : )
We are prepared to pay the price for as many years as necessary to see it come about. 
We know that it can not be done all by ourselves.  It will require a massive number of people to make it a reality.


Therefore, we are praying hard every day for...
1. God to send more missionaries here - they can come from ANY country outside of Argentina, it does not matter to us, just that there are more workers here.
2. God to send church planters from within Argentina to Jujuy - right now we know of no one, but we are praying for God to change that in a massive way
3. God to raise up leaders from within Jujuy to branch out and plant daughter churches - this is a long slow process, but it must be done to prepare solid leaders.  Only leaders who are solid can produce churches that are stable.

- So far, we have met 1 new missionary to the region (from Columbia).  We rejoice over this & are praying for a great many more.
- We know of 1 couple who is away from Jujuy at a Bible College preparing for future ministry & don't know if they will be coming back - but we're praying they will.  : )  - Also, heard a rumor of a pastor's son who has a burden to plant a church in a city in Jujuy; still trying to verify the report.
- And we finally know a few couples who have a burden to plant daughter churches here in Jujuy - yeah!!!  Now we are working on not only God calling more, but how to effectively train them and help them prepare.
It is a work in its beginning stages. 

Please pray for Jujuy!
It is a terribly unreached area.
It is home to great spiritual warfare - a graveyard for pastors and church plants.
(Example - the church we are a part of went through 16 pastors in a period of only 19 years!) 

Thank you for your partnership with us.
God bless you and do awesome things in your life for the sacrifices you make for the people here -

Paz, poder, y uncion de Espiritu Santo -

NW Argentina & Missions Burden

Hello everyone -

My apologies for having left such a gap in my on-line journaling.  I was try to do it at night, the last thing before I went to bed.  I thought it would be a good way to think through and recap the events of the day.  BUT, I find that often I tend to be so wiped out come bed time that I don't think clearly or have the desire to follow through and write on line.  SO, I have decide that perhaps it would be best to journal in the morning - when I have a little more in the tank.  ha.  : )

For the past two weekends I have been hoping on a bus and traveling 3 hours to the SE to preach in Missions Conventions in Metan, Salta, Argentina. I preached in the church "Casa De Dios" (House of God) a couple of Sundays back and in the church "Jesus Es El Camino" (Jesus Is The Way) this last weekend.  Both are small, semi-struggling churches with a long history of fighting forward.  This is a very common trait here in NW Argentina.  Both have great pastors who have suffered in their positions, but have continued to fight for more ground and have amazing attitudes.  It is reflected in their people, who are incredibly kind and warm.  I loved speaking at both churches & would go back N-E-TIME! 

On a personal side note: I am suuuuch a creature of habit.  I will not be traveling and preaching about missions this weekend and it is weirding me out!  I am trying to figure out what to do with myself.  lol.  (No worries though.  I have a very busy schedule)

I was excited to speak in their Missions Conventions because, obviously, missions is a great passion of ours.  There are few churches here in NW Argentina and the vast majority of them are very small.  This also means that the vast majority of the pastors are bi-vocational and/or have learned how to get by on almost nothing.  This also makes for a tough environment for giving to foreign missions. 

The churches here have a "reputation" for getting all excited about missionaries and their burdens for the different parts of the world that God is sending them to, but in NOT coming through in their monthly pledge of support to them.  This is tough as those Argentine Missionaries are counting on the money pledged to come in each month, but it is not.  So, most missionaries are not excited about traveling aaaaaaall the way to the NW (yes, to pour out their passion for missions) but NO for getting small offerings that can't even cover their travel expenses and for getting "pledges" of support that too often do not translate into reality. 

I have a great passion to see that all be changed, to be transformed into a reality where NW Argentina has churches that are reaching their communities and growing AND that are committed to touching the world as well through Argentina's own missionaries (155 and growing, right now).  My dream is to see EVERY church in NW Argentina praying ardently for their missionaries AND supporting them faithfully each month, living up to their commitment.  It burns in my heart that NW Argentina would become a place where missionaries desire to come to because they know they will be well received, they will be given offerings that way more than cover all of their travel expenses, and they know they can count on their monthly support more than anywhere else in the country!

Over the last year + that we have lived here, I have had the opportunity to speak at 5 churches in Salta & Jujuy regarding missions.  I am praying for the day when I can speak in all 28 of them. 
Here is my desire in a nutshell - sort of the bare minimum to really get the ball rolling for missions in NW Argentina

EVERY single church in NW Argentina would support at least
ONE Argentine missionary at at least
$100 PESOS in financial support
EVERY single month. 

I could keep going on this topic, but we all have lives to get on with so I will let it go for now.
Please pray for this bare minimum to become a reality - and much more - here in NW Argentina.

Thanks and God bless -
May God help you to do the same (reach your neighbors & reach the world) right where you are

Paz, bendiciones, dirección y poder -

S.O.A.P. Method

Today I was fighting to make time to spend in God's Scriptures & Prayer.  I like to use a simple system called - S.O.A.P. 
It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, & Prayer

This is how it works. 
You read through a passage of Scripture - it could be anywhere from a few verses to various chapters. Then you Observe what it is that God is communicating to the recipients of that scripture.
Next you seek to find out how you can Apply it to your life in your context.
And finally you write out a Prayer to God to thank Him for what He has shown to you and to help you put it into practice. 
It is a simple process but it helps to keep more of what God is teaching you in your focus and live it versus just reading it and then shutting the book on your duty done. 

I have been reading through the book of Hebrews for the last few days and today I was in chapters 11 & 12.  Chapter 11 is so incredible and yet runs so counter culture to your western mindset.  So often we celebrate the "Faith Chapter" by focusing only on the 1st part of it - what we might call the "success stories."  We dream of the victories won, the miracles God worked, the incredible list of things that are "good" in our mind and represent the answer to "faith." 
But what about the 2nd half of the chapter? 

This area lists those who were rejected, abused, wandered about without being able to have a home, lived in caves and had to wear animal skins, were imprisoned or even tortured and put to death.  Where is the "Faith" here?  Shouldn't they have experienced awesome miracles and deliverance if they "truly had faith?"  - How far we miss it in our western mindset of instant everything and our ideas of what success is.

2 key verses leap off the page at me in this chapter with regard to this theme -
Hebrews 11:26b "...he was looking ahead to his reward," speaking of Moses in his willingness to reject the easy life of the palace in Egypt to identify with the Israelites and to go through so much suffering.  and Hebrews 11:40b "...God had planned something better for us..." 

We put so much focus on the here & now and forget that we live in a massive global spiritual battlefield and that it is not just about "us."  Faith/ Trust/ Confidence in God is about more than "winning" in the immediate.  It is about loving God so much and understanding His love and His purposes that we are willing to do whatever needs to be done in order to see His will be accomplished in this earth and with the people God has surrounded us with.  

Our "reward" and our thoughts can not be just in this life, in the immediate.  They must look forward to the reward, the GREAT REWARD that lies ahead of us.  These thoughts must fuel our drive and our passion, or we will not endure much hardship in this life.  But if we can be like Jesus, "who, for the JOY set before Him (knowing about all of us He was going to save!) ENDURED the cross, SCORNING its shame - and is NOW (finally) seated at God's right hand!  
It IS going to be worth it!  

Good night all & God bless - 
May you draw power from the Great Reward set before you & do great things in God's plan in spite of what the opposition may be 
Paz, poder, habilidad sobrenatural -   

A Long Day - An Awesome Day

Today is Sunday, June 24, 2012.

It was a good day, but man was it ever a looooong day.  : )
I sleep best by myself.  I toss and turn a lot and it is easier to do so when I don't have to take anyone else into account.  But late last night Aliana had a bad dream and came and joined daddy in the security of his bed.  Sigh.  What could I say?  Of course I said, "Yes."  She is my precious little girl.  She slept soundly in the warm of my strength...I had trouble doing my tossing and turning.  Ha.

The kids got up a little later than normal & then started eating.  Then they continued to eat while watching TV, ate more while playing games on the computer, ate more while putting puzzles together, and just kept on eating all day long.  I think they are having a growth spurt.  Weird that all 3 of them are having it at the same exact time. Hmmm?   : )

We finally got changed and went to the store to stock up quick before everyone closed for the day.  Most grocery stores are open in Argentina on Sunday, but only until about 2 pm.  To me this is a weird thing as technically it is a Catholic country and the Catholic Church has it's services in the AM.  You would think it would be the other way around.  I think it shows you just how Catholic the country really is - in name only.

Anyways, we stocked up, did lunch, did laundry, did dishes, did more feeding, refilling drinks, rescuing the kitty from the kids, rescuing the house from the kids, and rescuing the kids from themselves.  : )  - Then I finally started cleaning the house for real.  I cleaned, and I cleaned, and I cleaned some more.  I cleaned until I was literally exhausted and then took a short break.  Afterwards I cleaned the bathroom...my dreaded nemesis.  I would rather do dishes and laundry all day long than clean the bathroom for an hour.  Well, by the time it was all said and done, the house was so clean, I wanted to cry.  Now if only I can keep it this way another 24 hours until my beautiful love gets home from Buenos Aires.  We'll see.  : )

In the process, I spent much time in prayer and fasting for the team, for the week to come, for their journey to Jujuy (24+ straight hours on the bus - whew!) and for the church service tonight.
- I don't know how we have arrived here, but it appears that so many followers of Jesus view our corporate time together in the church building as a "professionals only" time.  You just show up and take it in.  The pastor and staff have been working hard, prepping, and praying for God to touch peoples' lives.  That is good & should be so, but what about THE REST of THE CHURCH?

I hate that somehow we have lost sight of the fact that WE are the CHURCH - and not the building.  That WE are the Bride of Christ and that we should be dying to get together with our LOVE.
That WE are His BODY in the world & that while their may be a "professional" clergy, we are ALL part of the TEAM - called to be HOLY, called to be FAMILY, called to be in the fight TOGETHER and not just spectators or consumers.

I felt so moved by the Spirit that I sent out a text to everyone in the church that I had their cell phone number - encouraging them that NOW is the time to prepare ourselves, to pray for the service, to get ready to meet with God and see what He would do in and THROUGH us to touch the lives of those around us...and not just expect that Pastor would take care of everything on his own.  (There is so much POWER in TEAM!!!) 

I think it impacted.  Tonight's worship was rocking!  The message felt like it was in the middle of a spiritual battle, but the altar went on for long afterwards.  And one of my favorite parts - several people got up to share how God was impacting their lives and/ or working through them to minister to those around them.  AWESOME!  THAT is what the Church is!

I could belabor this point, but it is nearly midnight and tomorrow is going to be a very big day.  There is still a ton of prep to do for the team coming & then to host them upon their arrival tomorrow night.

May you all have a great sleep & remember to Take Your Place in God's Business.
Don't just sit around and watch someone else doing it.

God bless, inspire, guide, & empower you -
Que Dios los bendiga, inspira, guia y les da su poder - 

The Fight Continues

Hello all.  Can you believe it?  Two days in a row!  I'm on a roll. 

Today is Saturday, June 23, 2012.  Ah Saturdays.  A day to rest and relax. ...well, sometimes.  : )
The day started warming up slowly, first one child, then the next, and finally the last, all crowding into bed with me.  It's not a bad way to wake up. 

After breakfast, cleaning up, and the other usual household chores, it was time to run errands and prep for the mission team's coming on Monday.  As often happens, things did not go as planned - I could not find an office I needed to make contact with, then after finding it, it was closed for some reason, I need to get to a store, but stopped by a friends house to drop something off and stumbled onto a birthday party, got invited in - you can't refuse, that would be bad Argentine etiquette, and while having a great time, ran out of time to get to the last errand, the store closed.  Oh well.  Better to have a crazy busy Monday than to harm a dear relationship.

Then it was time to get done what I could at home.  Afterwards I made dinner, bathed the kids and am now watching Star Wars III with Nate.  Being the oldest he needs less sleep than the little two, a fact that they both hotly debate.  Lol.  Anyways, if I put him to bed at the same time as the younger ones, he keeps them up talking and goofing off.  So, I have found it better to put them to bed earlier and then watch a movie with him.  Good bonding time.  Right now we are working our way through the 6 Star Wars movies.  It is fun, but boy does he ask a lot of questions.

Soon we will go to bed as well.  I will fall sleep praying and interceding for Heather and the team in Buenos Aires.  Tomorrow will be another long day of necessary prep.  : )

Good night all -
Love you and pray that the God who loves you more than any other ever could, will help you to understand His incredible love for you -
Bendiciones y paz del Padre -

Fighting Forward

Wheeeewwwwww!  I'm back!  : ) 
Amazing how easy it is to get busy and not have time to write in your on-line journal. 

It is Friday, June 22, 2012. 
Heather is in Buenos Aires (about 1,000 miles away) working with another missionary, Brandy Wilson, and a Missions Team that is here from the states.  On Sunday they will hop on a bus and travel for a full 24 + hours to Jujuy.  How good it will be to have Heather back, and to have our 1st ever missions team to come and work with us here in the far NW. 

In the meantime, I am trying to do 2 jobs on my own...
1. Being full-time parent to the kids - and yes, it is a full time job!  : )
2.  Being a full-time missionary who is prepping to host their first ever missions team. 
It is very taxing.  Ha. 

I have to get work done of course, and am working as hard on it as I can. 
But, family comes before ministry.  Ministry changes places, people, situations, but your family always remains.  : )
The hard part is that on top of the double duty, I have gotten sick and been fighting hard against it as well.  I would love to say that I have always done things right, but when exhaustion & sickness pile on, it can be a tough load to carry while at the same moment trying to do the double duty of ministry and children.  Whew!  I have fallen short of what I should have been more than a few times. 

Thankfully, God is gracious, I am making it through.  With His help I will get all the details pulled together over the next couple of days.  : )

Pray for my health, the kids to behave well, and for the details to all come together before the team arrives Monday night -

Thanks and God bless -
Have a good and blessed night
Paz, salud, bendiciones

Day Before "Argentine Labor Day"

Today was a day of recovery and preparation.  Recovery from being up until almost 3 am last night with ministry and preparation since tomorrow is Argentina's Labor Day & most everything will be closed. 

The kids tried to let us sleep in.  So sweet of them.  I could hear them in their room chatting it up.  Finally they came in to get us up at 8 am.  Major sleeping in, but still, after going to be bed at 3 and being sick, I was still wiped out.  Heather too.  She is sick and slowly getting worse. 

I can eat onions, garlic, spicy soups, etc to help me feel better when I am under the weather, but Heather is allergic to most everything good for you.  This makes her health more dependent on medicines.  I therefore, try to avoid them.  I don't know if I can forever, but I try my best.  For instance, last night I amused myself by hearing myself wheezing while trying to fall asleep.  But this morning I was dizzy and light-headed from the lack of oxygen, so I finally broke down and used my inhaler.  : )  - Oh well.  Trying to do it naturally. 

I drove into the center of town to a gas station that has a good air pump and inflated a tire that was really low on the STL SUV.  I will keep an eye on it to see if we need to take it to a shop.  Then Heather took Jonny to the supermarket to stock up since stores will be closed tomorrow.  She said the lines were outrageous!  Sorry she had to endure that. 

I then raced to our local fruit/ veg stand to buy up healthy stuff & then to the roasted chicken store to grab a bird.  God was good.  I did not have a bird reserved and they were all out for the day.  Nooooooo!  (I really love chicken, especially when I am not feeling well.) BUT, they did have some left over birds from the night before - a little over done, but it's cool, because that is exactly how I like them.  : )

After lunch and a little time with the fam I laid down to take a nap.  I could feel myself crashing and if I want to get over this thing, I Have To Sleep More.  It was a good one.  I took it on Aliana's bed since the sun (yeah!  haven't seen it for a couple of weeks and man do I love it!) was streaming through the window and on to her bed.  It was warm and glorious! 

I was really out of it for awhile when I finally got up.  I helped prep dinner for the kids, ate with Heather and watched a movie, and now am putting the kids to bed, catching up on line and going to get some sleep.  I HAVE to get feeling better and get some work done tomorrow!  Plus, we have to prep the kids to go back to school after a 4 day weekend.  : )

Good night all
God bless & have a great one
Paz, bendiciones, y el amor de Dios -

Family - The Body of Christ

Last night was a great night!
The praise and worship of God was intense and sincere, just the way I prefer it.
Pastor Sauad preached an excellent message (stole a lot of my thunder for a message God has been stirring in my heart - guess I will have to keep praying, meditating and allow God to give me more direction.  Good to know that we're on the same page with the Holy Spirit though. : ) about how we are all Family in the Body of Christ.  And as a family, we should know each other, know what each person is going through, and be there for them.  Not lip service, but truly be there with them in the middle of the fight.

At the close of the service he asked everyone to find at least 3 people that they did not know and start getting to know them, exchange cell numbers, and commit to praying for them and getting to know them.  We took time to pray for each other, share, worship together, and more.  It was an awesome time and there were a lot of people exchanging cell phone numbers at the end.

Coming from a more individualistic culture of N. America, I thought, this would never work.  People will not get out of their comfort zone, actually talk to people they don't know well, exchange phone numbers with them, and even pray with them when they don't really know them very well, right?  Even Jujuy, with it's traditional Latin Culture that is more collectively focused than the majority of us in N. America, I still didn't think people would do it...but they did!  And I was thrilled!  It's as Biblical as biblical gets.

God has been burning it into my heart that we who have found ourselves together in this relationship with have with Jesus are just that - Family.  As I read through the Scriptures with new focus, I am shocked at how I could have missed it so much before.  Everywhere you look you see...
Love ONE ANOTHER
Serve ONE ANOTHER
Help ONE ANOTHER
Forgive ONE ANOTHER
Bless ONE ANOTHER
Be patient with ONE ANOTHER
Be kind to ONE ANOTHER
And the list goes on and on and on.
As of late, I have been focusing on some of Paul's Letters to the various communities where he had planted churches and everywhere I look I see phrases of total inclusion like...
ALL OF YOU
EVERYONE OF YOU
TOGETHER
EACH ONE
etc, etc.

The hang out time afterwards was awesome & there was a lot of talk of ministry to people in the community with great need.  - I think that we all recognize need, but it overwhelming when trying to tackle it by yourself.  But, when we know that we are all in it together, there is energy, encouragement, excitement...synergy!  Now we know that we can do it and not only survive, but thrive.

And as a very tangible living it out, I loaded way too many people into our STL SUV and drove over to a lady's house from the church whose mother had just died and they were conducting a wake.  We all piled in to the house to spend time with the family, show our support, and honor their mother.  It did not matter that it was already close to midnight and we stayed until 2 am.  That is culture here.  There were still a lot of people in the house when I finally started taking people home.  - That in itself is another adventure : )  I'll save stories like that for another day.

Go love on people around you.
Don't be shy.  Start the new and improved culture.  The culture God intended : )

God bless & give you His strength
Paz, poder, y el amor de Dios sean con TODOS USTEDES -

Bad Day...

There have been many days, - many, many - when I have been very proud of the job I have done at being a parent.  Today was not one of them.  I don't know what happened, but I became so angry.  I couldn't seem rid of it either.  I came uncorked at the kids - I yelled when I should not have, I spanked the tar out of Nate when a much simpler discipline should have been fine, I made it so that everyone walked on egg-shells around me for much of the day, I sat out of a teaching engagement I had scheduled (I just could not be around people.  Heather went in my place.), and I said some choice words I am going to really regret having "taught" Nate later on in life. 

I have no idea what is wrong with me.  I have been sick for several days and trying to get over it, I am under some financial stress, I am frustrated with some things, etc, etc - but I still don't know why I am sooooo angry.  It is like suddenly I am chemically imbalanced or something.  I suppose that spiritual attack could play strongly into this too.  I just can't seem to stop it. 

I think it is just time to go to bed.  I sure hope tomorrow is a better day.  I basically just hate just about everyone, including myself, right now.  VERY not normal for me.  Not loving life. 

Good night all.  Hope you had a better day than I. 
God bless you, and keep you from ever going through this -
Paz

Yeah...sick

Man, I am getting really tired of this.  Sick again. 
It seems like I am good for a few days, a week sometimes, and then back down hill.
I am trying to eat right, etc, but I still keep looping the cycle. 

Pray for health!  : )

Good night all and God bless -
Paz

Car Back!

Today I had our 2 littlest kids in tow at the grocery store when I suddenly, unexpectedly, received a call from our mechanic announcing that the car was ready!  What?!  After 4 months of waiting...suddenly it is just...ready?! 

I caught a ride home and dropped them and the groceries off, then I busted it to the garage as fast as I could to find out what was going on with the car.  It is still not at 100% but it is functioning enough to get around town.  We will carefully, slowly, try it out farther and farther from home and see how it holds up. 

Balance - the bummer news.  We ran out of gas today at home so...no cooking, no hot water.  Its still all good though.  : )

Good night and God bless all -

Milagros, poder, y favor del Senor

Pneumonia? Hmmm...

I must confess that I stayed up too late last night.  I was waiting for Heather to make it back from the Ladies Service.  Then we got something to eat, and afterwards we decided, "Let's watch something!"  I find that often when I am sick, my internal clock gets all off - I die all day long and then can't sleep at night.  Well,  think I fell asleep about 2 am. 

I did not get up until really late.  Heather was starting to feel much more sick, but graciously got up with the kids and tried to let me sleep in.  When I finally did get up I sent her back to bed and spent the day watching the kids, cleaning up the house, doing laundry and dishes, and taking Nate out for a long walk to give everyone else a break from his hyperactivity.  : ) 

I actually thought I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.  Then when we got back from our walk I ate dinner and just started crashing.  I was so frustrated since I had felt so much better earlier on and was wanting to go to service tonight.  I knew I had to bag that or I would be in real trouble later.  My nose started running and I realized that I was..."gurgling" a bit on some of my breaths.  That is worrisome.  After having gone through weeks of pneumonia in Costa Rica, it just felt way too similar.  At the moment, I could not tell if the sound was in my throat (not so much a problem) or really high up in my lungs (more troublesome).  Time will tell. 

So frustrating!  I have been trying to eat healthy, get rest and not over-do it, take vitamins, and even over the last few days I have been taking antibiotics...so, this was really a surprise!  I am going to step up the "take care of my health and recover plan" even more this weekend (for instance, made my favorite "Get Better Fast" drink tonight: hot tea with lemon juice, honey, and minced up garlic and onions.  After I finish the tea, I eat the garlic and onions.  : )  I will be pounding that all weekend in an effort to turn this thing back quickly.  Thankfully, as I write this, I don't feel or hear any gurgling.

We have a 1/2 full schedule at church tomorrow & then Easter on Sunday.  On Monday we are scheduled to take a Visa Renewal Trip to Chile.  I really want to be feeling better before that trip!  We have to cross roads that take you over the Andes Mountains and past 13,000 ft high in elevation and it is not fun to pop your ears on a trip like that when you are sick like this!

I helped put the kids to bed and then sat down to catch up on line quickly.  Now I am getting ready to sign off for the night and get some sleep.  - Oh, memorized a few more verses of Philippians chapter 2 in Castellano today.  I hope to have all of chapters 1 and 2 memorized before next Wednesday night!  Making progress : )

Good night and God bless -

PS - Pray for Heather.  She actually is more sick than I am right now...and she can't eat garlic and onions to help out (allergies) like I can. 

Paz, salud, y la presencia del Senor -

Pneumonia Errands

Today was a good day.  It was draining as I am still not feeling right.  I am trying to eat healthy - lots of garlic, onions, fruit, tea, etc; and trying to get more sleep, take vitamins, medicine, etc.  I am trying REALLY hard not to over-do it since this illness feels eerily similar to when I got so sick for so long with pneumonia while I was at language school in Costa Rica.  I was cautioned by the doctor then, that, once you get pneumonia, it is much easier to get it again.  This time I am being more cautious, proactive, and taking antibiotics right away.  It seems to be helping, but slowly. 

Today, I had to run several errands as tomorrow is Good Friday, a national holiday here in Argentina, followed by the weekend, followed by a visa renewal trip on Monday.  I had to get the bills paid before they would be late by the time we get back from our trip.  I did as much walking as possible to get some exercise, fresh air, and see how my lungs were feeling.  It went ok, but I was amazed at how tired it made me.  The good news: I did the walking, finished the errands, and still had the strength to keep going all day long without having to lay down and rest for a time.  THAT is good news! 

Heather is at the church tonight helping with the worship, so I got the opportunity to stay home with the kids and spend time with them.  Jonny was exhausted and starting to lose it emotionally by 8, so I got him into bed.  Aliana followed at 8:30 & Nate and I stayed up having a little "older son time with Dad time" playing Mario Cart until 10 pm.  After they were all in bed I started working on catching up on line.  This is the earliest I have posted an on line journal entry in a long time.  : )

Well, Heather just got back home (11:18 pm - early by Argentine A/G service standards : ) and so I am going to wrap this up and spend time with her.  : ) 

Good night all & God bless
Gracia, perdon, y el favor del Senor sean con ustedes -

I'm Back

Sorry, I have been gone so long.  We have been fighting against sickness in the family and honestly, I was just too tired and drained at the end of each day to write.  I suppose also that journaling in general is still not a "passion" of mine, so it easily gets bumped to the end of the list of my priorities and it is one of the first things to not be done when I am out of energy.  (- I told you journaling was not my thing.  : )

Anyways, it is now after midnight and I my poor sick wife would like to go to bed, and I need to get sleep - tomorrow is going to be a busy day. 

Good night all. 
God bless & give you health & strength to do what you don't always "want" to do. 

Paz, poder, salud -

Out of Rhythm -

Rhythm -
It is such an interesting thing.  If we ever want to go anywhere, get anything done, we really need it.  If we have it while we walk or run, it goes much faster with less effort.  Think about how when you have a hurt body part (foot, leg, knee, etc) and you can't travel in rhythm, but rather with a limp - it is hard work, and slow! 

In a motor, it won't function without rhythm.  If your car's timing belt is out of synch or you have a sticky piston, or a fouled plug - just one - it throws the entire mechanics of the rest of the engine off and you'll be lucky to go at all for very long, let alone with speed. 

Well, as an individual who wrestles with ADD - rhythm is key for me.  I need routine and the better I stick to it each day the better I function and the more I can get done with less effort.  It is an amazing thing! 
Unfortunately, the last couple of days, I have been very out of rhythm. 

I have been under the weather and unable to get up early and go to prayer and memorize scripture.  Any kind of mental or physical exertion is tremendously draining.  Also, My wonderful wife is preaching this weekend and is needing my assistance with some object lessons she is preparing for the message.  It has me running errands and trying to find things all around town when I would normally be doing my routine.  It has added to the affects that have thrown me out of rhythm. 

So, I have felt terrible for the last 2 days.  Not so much from the illness, but from being out of synch with where I want to be.  I can't wait to get back into rhythm.  I had better do it soon. 
- When one falls out of rhythm, the faster they can get back into it, the less momentum they loose and the faster they get back to full capacity and therefore the more ground they are able to cover in the same amount of time.  - I don't want to loose ground.  : )

Good night all.
God bless you and give you a great day & enable you to get into a Godly Rhythm...and stay in it -
Paz, bendiciones, y el amor de Dios - 

Bringing It

I had a crazy-hard time getting up this morning.  I turned off my alarm and fell right back to sleep.  If it had not been for Jonny coming in to get into bed with us, I probably would have kept right on sleeping.  : ) 

With Heather's (she is amazing : ) help, I got the kids ready for school and out the door.  After dropping them off, I went to the church and had a Great Staff Meeting with God.  Truly, the best part of my day.  : ) 

I then went right into continuing my quest to memorize the entire book of Philippians, in Castellano of course.  It is going good!  I finished memorizing up to verse 21 of chapter 1 today.  I am on target to finish memorizing the entire book in a one month period of time.  I was so stoked! 

It gets me thinking, why don't more people do this?
It really is pretty easy.  It SEEMS daunting, but just do a little every day & stick with it...you'll be amazed at what you can do.
It is powerful.  It is a fantastic way to understand Scripture.  You put too much time into reciting it, going over it, thinking about it, meditating on it.  You just pick up way more than with a cursory glance or even lots of surface reading.  Maybe that is part of why God makes a big deal about "meditating" day and night on it. 

Loving it and pressing forward -

Have a great night you all
God bless  

Paz y favor del Senor -

Touch Base Tuesday

As a missionary, living out of the USA for long periods of time, it is very important to keep in touch with the people back home.  We have tried hard to keep in touch: we have multiple Face Book accounts, a website, this on line journal, & multiple e-mail accounts.  We do skype calls quite often.  We send out over 500 e-mails when we post an Update Letter.  And yet, we still have individuals and churches who voice a desire to hear from us more often, or even that they never hear from us.  Therefore...

I have designated Tuesdays as "Touch Base Tuesdays!"  It is not my idea really.  I was praying a few days ago and in that time I felt God speak to me and give me the idea.  If the Boss wants me to do it, it must be important. 
Besides, He is the Boss.  : )  - I need to do it.  To do otherwise, would be dumb.  Lol.

So, today I set aside the largest part of the day to Touch Base with as many people and churches as possible.  I spend a couple of hours going through my 2 e-mail accounts, catching up on all the mail, cleaning them out, getting back to people, etc.  I then did the same with Face Book.  I even had time to make a few important calls on skype. 

All in all, it was a great success.  I still have a long ways to go.  It was merely the tip of the iceberg, but it was a good beginning.  I already can't wait for next Tuesday.  I do have a lot of work to do to get ready for it though. 

I spent most of the remainder of the day playing with the kids, doing some studying, hanging with my lovely wife, and then went to the Argentine version of Parent/ Teacher Conferences.  It was cool.  I did not understand everything but I got most of it.  I had a good talk with Jonny's teacher 1st and then Aliana's afterward.  They appear to be very happy with how they are doing in class.  Yea!

Now I am back home and working on this on line journal.  Got to keep it up.  Takes time to build a solid habit.  : ) 

Well, tomorrow is a busy day in NW Argentina.  I need to get more rest tonight. 

God bless you all & May speak to your heart and lead you forward in His plans -
Que Dios te habla y guia por su Espiritu Santo 

Back At It

I apologize.  I knew going into this from past experiences with trying to journal, that I am not a "journal-er."  Ha.  I hated it in the past.  I am not consistent with it.  It is hard with a flexing schedule to be consistent with it.  As an ADD survivor, consistency is a must for me.  So, not being able to have a consistent schedule is killing me when it comes to journaling on line.  BUT, I know it is something that I am supposed to do (God told me so...really : ) so I am going to keep at it and slowly but surely get better at it.

Today was a tough start.  It actually started at midnight (as I suppose all days do) but this day I was still at church.  We had a great guest speaking, a good friend from the Chaco Salteno and I felt that I needed to hang out afterwards and capitalize on this rare time we had to talk, catch up, and dream of future ministry.  It was awesome but I did not make it home until really late.  The last time I saw the clock it was 2 AM.  So, when I had to get up at 6:45 AM - after a few interruptions of sleep from our precious little ones - I was REALLY tired.

I managed, with Heather's help, to get the kids up and ready and off to school.  Jonny stayed home with a fever.  We didn't want him to give something to the other kids.  Aliana and I had a great time on the way to school & after dropping her off at her class I walked the mile plus to the church.

I had a GREAT Staff Meeting... with God!  He is an amazing boss.  I mean that literally.  As a follower of Jesus, He is my Lord, my Master, and so in essence, the Boss of my Life.  We talked about things that are going on in our life and in the community and beyond.  I appealed to Him for his wisdom and assistance.  He shared with me what I should be working on.  It was an awesome time.  Staff Meeting took just over an hour.  I was super tired so it got off to a slow start.  : )

Afterwards I spent about an hour, reading the book of Ephesians in Castellano, start to finish.  I marked several verses that jumped out at me, and thought of others I will most likely mark up next time I read it through.  Then I spend quite a bit of time continuing my quest of memorizing the entire book...in Castellano.  It is hard enough to do memory work like that in your original language.  It is really daunting to do it in a 2nd language.  But, I am making headway.  My goal is 4 verses per day which will enable me to memorize the entire book in 1 month.  The challenge is in not only memorizing the 4 verses each day, but to keep what you have previously learned; learned.  Ha.  I know I can do it.  In the past, I memorized the 1st 5 chapters of the Gospel of Mathew.  It is quite the challenge, but I know it is both something I need to do and something that will be incredibly beneficial both to me, and to those within my sphere of influence.  I am just a few days into it, so I have a loooong way to go.  BUT, I AM going to do it.  : )  It is already paying good dividends.

I then studying a book on Personal Evangelism, in Castellano, again.  It is going slow, but good.  I am loving it and can't wait to get more fluent with it and be putting it into practice.  Then I washed up, packed up and headed for the school to get the kids.  I tried going to the ATM but it was out of service.  The pharmacy was open and they had an antibiotic for AJ - she has a cough that is persisting and slowly worsening over a period of a few weeks.  And, poor little thing, she is a mucus factory right now.  It  makes me think back to my days in language school in Costa Rica when I got pneumonia and had to hospitalized for a week and get my lung washed and sucked out all because I did not deal with it earlier on.  We started her on the antibiotic today.  We will keep praying and monitoring her progress. I am quite sure she is going to be ok.  : )

I got AJ from school, came home and made lunch for everyone, and enjoyed it with Heather while the kids watched a video.  Then I played a little bit of video games with the kids, took a long but good skype call from our Area Directors, and then prepped a Spanish lesson for the kids.  After the Spanish lesson we had dinner, played a little more, went outside to ride bikes on our little street, and helped the neighbor lady with her yardwork.  She was very relieved as she did not have some of the things she needed and it was a great blessing to her.  It was also an answer to prayers for us.  She has seemed cold and distant lately and I was praying for God to help strengthen our relationship with her.  Yeah God! 

We came in, did baths, helped the kids study, and put them to bed.  I worked on line a bit, watched some TV with my precious wife, and now an trying to get back into the habit of doing an on line journal entry every night.  Yeah.  : )

It is now the next day, after midnight again, and I need to wrap this up and get to bed.  Tomorrow will seem to come way to fast.  Ha. 

Good night and God bless you all -
"Que Dios, nuestro Padre, y el Senor, Jesucristo, les concedan gracia y paz - "
(May God, our Heavenly Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give to you all His grace and peace. - Ephesians 1:2)

Skype Birthday -

Saturday, March 10th - The Birthday of Aliana!  : )

Heather and I stayed up too late on Friday night watching some movie on line.  I don't even remember what it was.  It doesn't even matter.  What was important was that the kids were in bed and we had a little grown up time to ourselves!  Yeah!

Anyway, that usually is fun at the time, but you pay for the next morning.  Wow!  Lack of sleep!  The kids got up on time and we struggled to keep up with them.  It took me almost too long to realize that I still had to get to some stores before they closed and get some things lined up for Aliana's birthday!  God helped me to hurry and get everything done just in the nick of time.  : )

That afternoon we had lunch, set up for a little birthday party at home & then called grandma via skype.  How amazing is skype!  The connection was running pretty strong so we set up a video conference to show in both directions - grandma could see us and we all could see her.   We ran it through our old laptop and put it on a little table so that we could move it around and, in essence, give her a seat at the event. 

So cool, it was almost like she was right there with us - she watched Ali open her gifts and commented on them and interacted with Ali as she opened them.  It was, of course, especially cool to see her open up her (grandma's) gift and react in real time.  Photos are cool and tell part of the story, notes and cards can share some sentiments, but skype made it just like she was right there in the room with us, even though we are thousands of miles and an entire hemisphere away. 

That afternoon I went to the Adolescent Youth Service and had a great time helping them a bit with a drama they were working on for Heather's sermon and talking to get to know a young man better.  Afterwards, Heather showed up for Worship Team Practice with all the little ones in tow.  I let them play and hang out for a bit and then we raced to hit a store before it closed and then went home with our new booty - new (cheap) bicycles for the kids.  We had been saving up and shopping around for them.  We tied it in to Aliana's birthday but knew Jonny & Nate could not wait until their birthdays rolled around to give them their bikes.  I was going to go back for the Older Youth Service but Heather detoured for pizza with Aliana (a special birthday treat) and did not make it home until really late. 

Poor Jonny was so tired he just made the decision to go to bed all on his own (Never happens) - about 11:15 pm.  He was not feeling good and running a little hot - on the heels of Aliana's sickness, I was not excited about this.  So I prayed hard and took authority (left like I had the green light to do so from God) and put him to sleep.  Not too much longer after that, Aliana and Nate followed suit. 

This gave Heather and I a little relaxed time together again...and we stayed up too late watching something else.  Sigh.  I can be a slow learner.  : )  - The good news  -Jonny did not get sick.  He woke up with no fever and feeling fine.  Thank...You...God!  : )

I have to get to bed.  I am exhausted.  I know I am a couple of days behind in my online journal.  I will try to catch that up tomorrow. 

Good night and blessings all -
Paz, amor, perdon en el Senor -