Matthew 28 Project: Whittier neighborhood lunch

[Well, we switched our mission posts, temporally, from Guatemala to the Whittier neighborhood, where Faith Lutheran Church resides.  Faith's Matthew 28 project is our effort to live our Christian mission locally.] Imagine your family, our family, inviting 84 of our neighbors, including Jesus,* for an Advent lunch! That is exactly what Faith's Evangelism Board did last Thursday, December 10th, at the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House—the homeless shelter in our Whittier neighborhood. Our Evangelism Board has applied for a Reformation 2017 “Stand With Your Community” Grant to, in part, provide one noon meal per month at the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House.  This was a “test run,” to inform us about the work, the people, the purchases, and the service involved.  In the future, we also hope to do some Bible studies with the guests. ·      First, Sheldon Gross applied for and received one of his two annual $250 Thrivent "Live Generously" member grants.  Every Thrivent member has access to these grant funds. ·      Then, on Tuesday, Kathy Gross, Sheldon, and Elaine Sestak bought enough food for chili, toppings, fruit, and dessert. ·      On Wednesday, Kathy and Sheldon, Chris Hartman, and Elaine prepared the meal at the BDHH kitchen. ·      On Thursday, Jo Skunberg, Lynn Boyd, Kathy and Sheldon, Scott and Patty Peters, and Elaine served lunch to 83 guests and then ate with them.       The guests expressed appreciation for the service and the food, especially for having meat, which they don’t always receive during noon meals. One of the guests had 6-month old twins.  We couldn't imagine how we would handle being homeless with infants at Christmas.  But, then, that's part of what Christmas is about. Thank you, Faith, for your support of this Matthew 28 project, for some of the greatest among us.** Blessings, and Merry Christmas, Your Faith Evangelism Board *Mt. 25:40.  ** Concordia Seminary Professor, Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, writes in his Commentary on Matthew that “Jesus will . . . define greatness as lowly, childlike neediness and will invite His disciples, both then and now, to a radically different way of thinking and living in community.”  Jesus also taught them that greatness is servanthood:  “whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant.”  Gibbs, Concordia Commentary on Matthew 11:2-20:34 (CPH 2010) p. 889.

Short Term Missions, Long Term Blessings!

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”  1 Corinthians 3:6.

We have often been asked, and sometime wondered ourselves: can small teams for short times really make a difference?

One of the many advantages of having a long-term relationship with Nury as our in-country host is that she can help answer that question.  This time she spoke to us of short-term missions and long-term blessings.

In 2008 our team went to Gualan, Guatemala.  We served in a very poor community where we saw and cared for a small, very malnourished baby girl.  Concerned that the baby might actually die, a member of our team and the local Lutheran pastor went to the family’s home to explain to and talk to them about baptism. After much family discussion, the baby was baptized, and we were able to further help the family by giving them baby formula and vitamins.  Our team stayed in touch with the pastor, so that we could provide him monetary support for the child.  Nury told us that this gave the pastor an opening to visit with other families in the community and to start a small Bible study.  Today, the group is large—many more families are hearing the Word of God.  And the baby?  She is now part of this group and doing well.

In 2011, our team served a church and Lutheran school in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.  Part of the mission involved putting in a ceiling and a fan in one of the school’s classrooms.  We also had long discussions about education in the United States, because the pastor and the principal wanted this Lutheran school to be the school of choice in this community.  Today the School is just that.  With over 800 students, it is the largest Lutheran school in Central America.

In 2014, our medical team served in Granada, Nicaragua.  Out clinic was in a public school.  The teachers observed that we started our clinic every day with prayer.  Now they start every school day with prayer!  Two members of that team have stayed in touch with one of the pastors and help him with monetary and prayer support to feed hungry children in this community.

On this trip, we saw a young girl with a congenital hip abnormality.  When mom and daughter left our clinic, we were not sure that they really understood what could and should be done for the child.  Nury, two members of our medical team, and an interpreter made a home visit, talking with mother, father, and grandparents about the medical issues and the treatment options.  It is probable that this girl will be able to lead a relatively normal life after this intervention.

So the answer?  Yes, short-term missions trips do lead to long-term blessings.  We are able to plant, and water, and God gives the growth.

Thank you for your prayers and support,

Your 2015 Guatemala Mission Team

Ministry unexpected

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than your ways
 and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

With an abrupt change in plans, from a mission trip cancelled in El Salvador and rescheduled to Guatemala, and with little lead time, our medical clinic perhaps saw fewer patients than some years.  But God's unexpected plans for us were even better:  We were blessed to paint the inside of our hosts' church, paint students fingernails, tour the countryside on foot, and play games with kids.  Our past posts reflect those unexpected joys. (See our update of "The Greatest," with new children pictures)

Our team at the public school

In addition, we had time to go to a public school, to talk to 80 students, their teachers and administrators about their health and well-being, to give them hygiene kits and pills for parasites, AND we were allowed to give them witness/evangelism bracelets, while explaining the Gospel message below!

The beads on the bracelets that each child and adult received were clear, gray, red, white, blue, green and yellow.  Most of these students could read, but some of the adults we served cannot (of course, the school's teachers could read, many of them in Spanish and English).  But they each now have a reminder of the message we were able to share with the colored bracelet beads:

Todd putting on bracelets

• Clear--God is invisible, pure and holy. Is. 6:13
• Gray--We are all separated from God by our sin. Ro. 3:23
• Red--By God's grace, "God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us on the cross.  Ro. 5:8
• White--Now God sees us as Righteous. The white bead stands for purity and for the forgiveness of our sins, by God's grace. Eph. 1:7-8
• Green--We read the Bible and pray to "grow" in faith and to disciple others. 2 Peter 3:18a
• Yellow--We will receive the crown of life! "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."  Rev. 2:10b

Bryan handing out hygiene kits

The students and teachers listened attentively, were thankful for the hygiene kits and medication and the bracelets.  God's message of salvation reached a 100 more people than we anticipated.  God is awesome in the unexpected!

Your 2015 Guatemala mission team

The Principal expressing thanks, with Nury interpreting

Students in a classroom

School lunch arriving

School lunch is served

Hanging with the boys

Life Together, world united

The community

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"  Ps. 133:1

One of our lasting and cherished memories of serving in Santiago Zamora was meeting a family named Zamora.

Señora Zamora was one of several women who daily sustained us, with simple but out-of-this-world, home-cooked noon meals.  She also made and sold beautiful Guatemalan finery.  Señor Zamora, a farmer, helped at our clinic, making sure everything ran smoothly.  We thought we were good at transferring patients from the waiting area to the medical stations, but he first observed and then raised the standard of transfer, in Spanish!  One of their grandsons is a fireman and paramedic; another grandchild attends the school where we served.  We met them all.

During two clinic breaks, the elder Zamoras invited us to their home and their fields on the nearby mountainside.  First, we were impressed by how quickly and how steadily they could walk up the steep slopes--ones that left even the youngest of us puffing.  Second, we saw and heard joy and thanksgiving expressed for the modest things in their life.

Entrance to the Zamora home

As we toured their home constructed of corn stalks (that were more solid in structure and taller than our corn stalks, sort of like bamboo) tied together under galvanized roofs, Señora Zamore gave thanks for having basic water and electricity on the property.

electrical hookup

The Zamoras, their house, and our interpreter

Señor Zamora proudly showed us his peanut and sweet potato crop, digging up three sweet potatoes by hand--no small chore, as they were deeply buried.  He had another field he wanted to show us on the other side of the mountain--a 20 minute walk for him--likely a 40 minute walk for us.  We had to decline, because of time, not for lack of interest.  The mountain views were gorgeous! (see below)

Time with the Zamoras was special.  We could feel it in the moment.  We could see it in their dedicated service--taking time away from their work to help us do ours.  Now, it is clear that we could not have served at all were it not for their care and service to us.  Sacrificially, the local men and women who served us, gave so much more.

It cemented several truths concerning life together:

"It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians.  The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer."

"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ.  No Christian community is more or less than this.  We belong to one another, only through and in Jesus Christ.  What does this mean?  It means, first that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ.  It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ.  It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united forever."

"And that also clarifies the goal of all Christian community:  they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.  As such, God permits them to meet together and gives them community."*

Meeting the Zamoras, and all the people of Our Redeemer of the World church and school, was a treasure, a source of incomparable joy and strength.

Those who served us at the church and school

Life Together, united with Christ, in Christian community:  Joy to the World!

Blessings from your 2015 Guatemala mission team.

*Life Together,  The Classic Exploration of Christian Community, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thumbs up, indeed!

The flowering beauty of Guatemala,

Marnie knows flowers.  And she took these images for us.  We are simply going to post them; perhaps later we can name them.  Enjoy!