Message from the Missionaries

Hosea 13:6 “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”

We can look at this verse from many perspectives. From a worldly view point we can say God has fed us with everything our hearts desire. (Materialistic) When we are full of what we have wanted we become distant and avoid God in any way we can. Until a tragedy happens in our life then we turn our faces back and seek the one thing that had truth and meaning and that was God himself. We can look at this verse and say we will never be satisfied spiritually because God puts that in us so we can always seek Him until the end of our time on earth. However this never being satisfied has been a hick-up in our society today. When we can never be satisfied in faith we give up, don’t try as hard, or try harder. I look at the communities we work in and think about the words they use and how people feel. They are never satisfied with what God has given them nor are they satisfied with their faith in Him as well. This always brings the man or woman down and at times drives them further away from the truth instead of closer. I think there is a hunger out here in the mission field. However what kind of hunger do they have? What kind of hunger do we have? And when we are fed spiritually or physically do become prideful and ignore God? Missionaries are not called to feed the people to where they are full and satisfied, but we are to feed and give them a wanting for more. The more is Jesus Christ!

Prison Ministry

In our classes that we conduct with the ex-gang members I have noticed that the men are starting to form a bond, kind of like the bond that has been formed with our boys youth group. The men are learning to share, work together, and are learning that they need to try. They are holding each other accountable and the leaders have been pulling those who either are sleeping or busy with something else out of that situation and telling them to go to class. This is what we have always wanted. One young man in our class named Saul always reverts back to the past in the way he talks, acts, and how he makes decisions. I said to him why do you act this way all the time and always with the same results you will receive. He tells me that in the gang he was taught how to talk, act, how to solve problems with force, how to use drugs to cover the pain, and how he was asked to complete tasks for the gang. So then, I always ask, why he can’t use that same energy and determination to change his life, to study and make it to class without the motivation from the leaders. He said he has fallen and can never be reached. I started to tell him about a man named Saul and what he was and what he became in Christ. I looked at his eyes and said you can become a Paul if you want to? The choice is yours. Saul said, “I know the decision is mine however making it has become so very difficult for me.” I asked why, but he really couldn’t find the words to explain truly what he was feeling. I told him Satan has lied to him for a very long time and he is still lying to him because he doesn’t want Saul to change. Satan wants you to become a man with the thinking you can never change and that is not true. Saul said to me, “ever sense I left the gang my life has become even harder because Satan is always trying to bring me down by remembering what I have done and become.” I smiled and said, he does that to all of us.

Honduras Kairos

Our community is struggling in some sense. Many have been serving Kairos Honduras sense 2006 and we have had 7 different Kairos weekends, with a series of weekend trainings. When we started calling our members and some new members they gave us the impression they needed time off. We know this is needed but the problem we face is that we like any fourth day movement it is difficult to find new and fresh people to serve on a weekend. We know this isn’t the death of Kairos but we as a community are going to take time off until the fall. Lord willing our brothers and sisters will be refreshed and ready to fund raise, serve on weekend #5 women’s prison and start planning for 2011. Please keep our community in prayer and for help to come. We pray that our community will be fed by God and encouraged. As for the inside monthly reunions they will keep going. Glenda and a small group of women have been meeting with our inside community and have reported back that they have members from the first Kairos up to the most recent weekend #4. They are going strong. It is a witness to all of our volunteers.

School Projects

With the lunch program going and the mothers trying to work through scheduling, receiving donations, mothers willing to work and also dealing with mothers who don’t. All in all we believe that the children are benefiting from this program. The computer classes have kicked off just recently. When team #8 was here the computers classes haven’t started yet. Last week they were in full swing and the children love it. What was a dream and has become a reality for the community and the children.

Community Projects

With our youth groups we have been teaching on a topic from the bible that everyone has read and listened too. Joseph and his life in Genesis. When I was reading it back a few months ago I started to realize that Joseph came from a broken disturbed family. Joseph was given dreams from God, he was left in a well, chastised by his brothers, wanted to be killed by his brothers, sold, taken advantage of, accused falsely, understood what it meant to serve time in prison, wait on God and also forgiveness. Let alone what his brothers faced with their own problems. So I took the life of Joseph and went after some topics with my boys. Topics like; trying to establish an identity, positive and negative peer pressure, being accused of something they did not do, being treated unfairly, not getting a chance to voice their opinion, death of a loved one, parents high expectations, and abuse why the struggle is not their fault. I never thought this would impact the youth group like it has. Especially with our boys they have reported to me that when they leave the school on Thursday night the boys in the streets ask, “What did mike teach about today?” Allen tells them and they are left with a wanting of more. Every week Allen tells me the boys ask me for more. I tell him keep teaching you never know. Know what, Allan asks. You never know that you may seem them change and come to Jesus. The youth today are looking for some way to connect with God and His word. We just need to learn how to lead them to it. The scriptures are alive I told them one night. You just need to open your eyes and allow God to show you His family of misfits. The boys understand God uses all kinds to do His work.

A Personal Outlook

It has been a long time sense I have written a newsletter to all of you. With the picture sending, teams coming to help, and the 131 students we have enrolled in school and trying to keep them in school has been a long but powerful year. Like so many missionaries we would love to take all the pain away, to comfort all we can, to reach out to all we can and to work as long as we can. However we can’t do everything nor change everyone. God has called us to reach out and encourage, exhort, love, listen and at times allow those to fall so lessons may be learned and growth may happen. I know for us we sure have fallen down many times but God allowed us to get back up and try again. Example comes to my mind with a young man named Jimmy. Jimmy used to be apart of our older youth group back in 2005. When we came back in 2006 his girlfriend was pregnant and he left the group to go to work. At first we felt we failed, why try, are we doing anything good, do we really know what we are doing and so much more. God obliviously picked us up. He didn’t say anything to us but to try again. This year Jimmy dropped off his son to us and said, “Michael, I want him to come to youth to be raised up with your direction in his life. Hopefully he will not make the same mistakes I made.” It is strange to see this but what a blessing in the other hand to have a chance with his son. (Jimmy is the brother of Santiago our friend who is deaf and mute)

Prayer Requests

Team #9, Yeovanny and his relationship with his dad who is a drunk and marijuana user, Emily who is trying to quit smoking, Marcos who has been physically abused and when his mother was confronted by Glenda he stopped coming to our Saturday youth group, Fuerzas Armadas school project that funds will come in for that, for all those who are struggling with some sort of addiction, abuse and depression in our youth groups, communities, and with Pastor Giron’s brothers.

Prayer

Father, we see so much hurt, selfish ambition, and pride. At first like so many we ask ourselves why. Then in reading the passage in Hosea we found ourselves with the answer to the why. Satisfaction is something that can be guaranteed but only in you. Not in warranties made neither by man nor in the lies of Satan. We can find satisfaction in knowing that we are sons and daughters of God and in knowing that you love us with all your heart, mind and soul something we seem to forget to do. Lord direct our leaders to come back to the basics of your teaching, to the morals and integrity that is needed in life. Lord your mercy fills us and allows us to love beyond understanding. Thank you Lord in Jesus name, Amen.