Jericho Visitors Part IV

RIK AND CHRISTINA KOOL (CANADA)

As I mentioned in Part I, Ann came down with her granddaughter and grandson-in-law Rik and Christina Kool. These two were a special blessing to me because they brought friendship along with them.

I hadn’t really realized that I was homesick for fellowship from the States (in this case Canada…basically the same) until they had been here two weeks, but God heard the cries of my heart before I did.

Rik and Christina had been here a few times before, so they jumped right back into the swing of things. Rik got right down to playing with the boys and doing all the “handyman” stuff like fixing things, changing light bulbs, and yard work. Christina helped Ann in the gardens and spent a lot of time with the kids.

But since this is my blog, I’m going to focus on me. I can’t count the number of long conversations I had with one or both of them. They are such a Godly couple and I learned so much from them during their month at the Villa. Like I said, I hadn’t realized how much my heart yearned for this kind of pure fellowship. I feel like I’ve been friends with Christina for years, and Rik’s sense of humor and slight sarcasm made me laugh so much. The spirit around the Villa definitely lightened with the arrival of Rik and Christina.

While I loved each person who came to the Villa, it has been the hardest to say goodbye to them.

But while I reflect, I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned from the hours of conversations with them. Mainly I learned from their relationship. The two of them truly have a relationship founded on Christ. They are secure in who they are alone and together. It’s beautiful to watch them. It’s the kind of marriage I hope to have some day.

Any relationship founded on Christ cannot be shaken.

Rik and Christina. They managed to match a lot...it was cute.

Jericho Visitors Part III

JUNG-HEE (Korea)

At the beginning of May, Jung-hee arrived from Korea to serve. He had heard of Jericho Ministries through his pastor who knows Haeyoung.

At first it was a little difficult because Jung-hee was a bit of an introvert and didn't speak English or Spanish very well. But that all changed when he and I were left alone one weekend with the kids. We went hiking, made trips to the river, and played various games with the kids.

After that weekend, Jung-hee really seemed to open up. The girls took an interest in learning Korean and he would spend hours after dinner explaining things to them. He also has a gift for carpentry, and began to teach the boys a little about it.

Jung-hee made us some beautiful furniture for our rooms as well as some other things that we needed around the house (picture frames, step-ladders, etc) I was amazed at how fast he worked and everything turned out beautiful.

Jung-hee left on July 25th and it was sad to see him go. After nearly 3 months, we were used to having him around. We were looking at pictures last night, and every time his name came up, all the kids in unison cried "oh..Jung-hee". It was sweet to see that they missed him.

One thing I learned from Jung-hee is to live without fear. He has traveled to nearly every continent, and language has never been an issue for him. I like to know the language and know that I will be "comfortable" in my surroundings. Jung-hee didn't know the language, the culture, or what Jericho would be like. He didn't even know Haeyoung. But he came by faith, trusting that God would fill in the gaps.

Sometimes we just have to leap and trust that God will catch us.


Jung-hee with Noe and Daniel, teaching them his craft.

Jericho Visitors Part II

SEOUL BAPTIST CHURCH (Houston, TX)

Each year, Seoul Baptist Church sends a group down to the Villa. We absolutely LOVE having them and the kids look forward to their visit each year.

This church has a way of developing servants who truly seek the Lord. This year SBC sent a team of 10 people and God used them to bless us!

The group designed and planted a garden for us down at the apartments that is full of beautiful flowers and posts with all the kids names. They also joined us for a outreach that we did in a small village called Canton. Over 100 kids came to participate in songs, dancing, games, and the chance to hear the Gospel. It wouldn't have been possible for us to do this outreach without the energy and help of this team.

They also helped us with our first International Day where they made sushi and shared their culture with everyone who attended.

In addition, they blessed the kids at the Villa with a lot of activities and games. And they blessed the staff with fantastic Korean food and a lot of fellowship.


The team taught me so much about truly having a servant's heart. On Tuesday they planted a garden. On Wednesday they tore it all up, bought new plants ane re-did the entire garden because they didn't like the first one. I was so impressed by that attitude. They wanted the garden to be perfect. We were mostly strangers to them, and it wasn't their own house, and yet they wanted us to have the best they could give.

Sometimes it's easy for us to do less-than-perfect job, but they gave it their all. True servants.


Serve others with all your heart, with a heart like God's.

A picture before we left for Canton. White shirts = Jericho kids/staff. Blue shirts = SBC team.

Jericho Visitors Part I

July was a month of fellowship which was so fantastic! At the Villa we had 17 visitors from 3 different countries. Each person/group brought their own blessings and gifts to the Villa and we were so spoiled.

What was so great for me is that I learned something from every visit and wanted to be able to share it with you.

ABUELA ANN (Canada)

Ann Draker has come to Jericho multiple times, her most recent being last October when Haeyoung, Betsy, Miriam, Elvia, and Eduardo were all out of the country.

This time Ann came for two weeks and brought her granddaughter Christina, and grandson-in-law Rik.

Ann turned 74 the day she came out to the Villa, but she works like she’s about 25. I honestly could not believe this woman! She weeded, and planted, and watered the gardens. She cleaned and did dishes and picked up. And that was just in the morning! In the afternoon, Ann somehow found more energy to go on walks with the kids and play games with them. I am in awe of this woman and I respect her so much for how she serves.

But the thing that Ann has taught me during her visits is how to listen. Ann is a great listener. There were times when I didn’t need anyone to tell me what to do or give me advice. I just needed someone to listen. And that person has always been Ann. She heard what I had to say, often gave me a hug, and let that be that. She didn’t feel the need to give me counsel or “fix” my problems. Rather, she let me express my feelings and verbally process. I am so grateful to Ann for being a listening ear at times when I needed it the most. She has been an example of what I need to do more of.

God has given us TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for a person, is be silent and listen.

The whole crew at the Villa.

Ann with Jung-hee. We were one big international family the week that Ann was here (Koreans, Honduras, Americans, and Canadians) and it was so wonderful!

Grab It and Run

I don’t know how it happened. I’m actually still a little shocked by it.

I have become a runner. Not only that, I actually enjoy running and look forward to my runs. Like I said, big shocker.

Normally I run in the mornings while the kids are in school, or I get up early while everyone is sleeping-in or Saturday mornings. But Friday night we stayed up until nearly 11 pm watching movies, so there was no way I was dragging myself out of bed at 5:30 am to get in a morning run before breakfast.

So, I made a deal with the rest off the staff. I would make my wonderful chocolate-chip cookies, if they agree to watch the kids while I went for a run. Seriously, who’s going to turn that down?

The cookies were made and eaten, and the dishes were done. And right as I was pulling on my running clothes, it started to rain. REALLY?? I had completed my part of the deal, Ed and Miriam were willing to complete their part of the deal and now Mother Nature was making things difficult!

Since I had mentally prepared myself for a run, I decided to go for it. I mean, how bad can it be? I added a windbreaker to my ensemble and headed down to the gate. The walk to the front gate is about a kilometer, so I had a while to decided if I was going to talk myself out of the run or not.

But when I got to the front gate, the rain stopped. Thank you Lord! I hung up my jacket and started out on my run, which (might I add) was the best run I’ve had to date! 33 minutes later, I arrived back at the front gate, grabbed my jacket and headed back up the hill.

That’s when it started raining again. I arrived at the Villa absolutely drenched, but I had to laugh at the whole situation. Only God is able (and willing) to stop the rain for exactly 33 minutes so that I can have my run! Our God is good!

It made me think though about the decision I made. I knew it was raining and yet I decided to trust that the rain would let up. I made the decision that even if it continued to rain; I would follow through with my plans. And everything worked out for the best.

God is like that. He gives us little windows of opportunities. Little gaps of sunshine sandwiched between two rain-clouds. And He lets us decide if we are going to grab the opportunity or not. So often we are guilty of waiting. Waiting for the sky to clear, waiting for money to come in, waiting for a certain person, or circumstance.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

But what if, instead of waiting, we acted?

What could God do in our lives, and the lives of those around us if we acted during the rainstorms, during the times of difficulty? Maybe we would see the sun come out a lot faster. Maybe He would use us to perform miracles!

So how about instead of waiting for the rain to pass, we grab the opportunities God gives us, and run with them!!

Stuck

I'm stuck...stranded actually. On the 2nd floor of my favorite coffee shop in Tegucigalpa. It's pouring outside and since I just washed, blow-dried, and straightened my hair, I'm in no rush to hurry into the rain.

Stranded with Air-conditioning, coffee, baked goods, and free wi-fi....it might just be the best "day off" ever!

Being stuck here has given me a lot of time to journal, reflect, and read my Bible which is a great thing too. Today's chosen passages just happened to be in Job which is book of the Bible that I am particularly fond of, despite the fact at it's a bit of a downer (well for Job at least).

God seems to speak to me every time I read Job, but usually they are words of caution instead of encouragement. Every time I get into a funk, He uses Job as a friendly reminder that it could be worse.

Not that I'm in a huge funk but a funk none the least. I reached the point on Saturday where I just wanted to throw my hands up and yell "I don't care". The truth is, I do really care. I care a out God's will, and these children, and this ministry. I care a lot, which makes it even harder.

I was stuck.

Just like I'm stuck now. I just wanted to sit and do nothing. I wanted God to snap His fingers or send lightning bolts or something to make me feel better. I didn't want to have to try anymore.

But Job is reminded to "submit to God and be at peace with Him....to accept instructions from His mouth and lay up His words in your hearts." (Job 22:21-22).

I am stuck because I choose to be.

I am choosing how to respond to the kids when they are fighting over a toy. I am choosing the words that I use every time I open my mouth. I am choosing to let the negative thoughts win. I am choosing....and sometimes (maybe often) I am choosing wrong.

God tells us what to do: submit, accept, lay up (or guard) His words and instructions.

And so it seems to me that God has stuck so that I can get un-stuck.

Manna From Heaven

Maybe the title is a little exaggerated, but that's kind of how it felt yesterday.


Allow me to back-track for a second.

In Jericho Ministries, we live by faith. Full-blown "I know God's going to provide for those who are faithful to Him" faith. It's an awesome thing.


Really it is. Let's be honest, at the beginning it made me nervous. Living on faith involved a lot of praying and a lot of me just sitting back when I really wanted to jump in and "fix" things. But I have learned to realax and allow God to do what He wants to do.

Jump ahead a bit to last week when it came time to pay the staff and the bills and buy groceries for Jericho School and the Jericho family of 26+. We were getting down to the bottom of the barrel. But I was a little oblivious to this, so I didn't even really have the chance to pray or sit back and be a bystander.

But an innocent bystander I was! I spend my day off tutoring at a bilingual school run by my friend Jaime's in-laws. I had stopped by on Monday and they had asked if they could buy some chicken for the Villa. Heck yes I said (we can always use more chicken). The next day on Tuesday, I stopped by and was shocked when they starting loading bags of groceries into the back of the pick-up truck!

A 10-lb bag of pancake mix, powdered milk, rice, sugar, spaghetti, etc, and not just one chicken- but 5! It was a huge blessing to say the least...but we're not even to the best part.

My next stop was to Jericho to pick up the Tony (the engineer for the road, and Elvia's husband) who was going to be coming back to the Villa with me. So while I waited for him, I proceeded to tell Saira (our office administrator) and Norma (the school cook) about this donation.

I asked Norma if she needed anything for the school because we had just bought groceries for the Villa on Sunday and she followed me out to the truck where her excitement only grew. She asked for the spaghetti noodles so she could make spaghetti for the kids on Wednesday. Did we have sauce she asked? Sure enough, another bag was full of it! And butter, meat, and cheese? We uncovered those in other bags as well.

By the time we divided the food, Norma realized that she had enough for meals for the rest of the week and there was still quite a bit of food for me to take to Villa! I didn't realize how big of a blessing it was for her (and the kids) until I opened the refrigerator and cupboards at Jericho School...empty.

Norma had been praying about what to do for meals all week because there was literally no food to cook with.

How great is our God! It was such a wonderful reminder to me that God answers all of our prayers, even if they may seem trivial. And it was fun to be able to be part of the process. I was completely in the dark as to why God had blessed us with so much food, but He knew the end result.

Sometimes we put too much trust in ourselves and when we try to control the show, we miss out on so many of God's miracles. It's when we live by faith and put complete trust in God's will that He reveals Himself to us and shows us what He's really capable of. I LOVE seeing that!

Thanks for continuing to pray with us at Jericho, we love seeing God's blessing pour down on us like manna from heaven. And I pray that you have the opportunity to see God's daily-miracles. Thank God that we can live by faith and not sight.