If you can take a moment to read this, I believe you will find the time well spent. This is a chapter from the book, "The God Of All Comfort", by Hannah Whithall-Smith.

"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?"

The vital question of all ages and of every human heart is here expressed, "What is His name?"

The whole fate of humanity hangs on the answer to this question.

As we know, the condition of a country depends upon the character of its rulers. The state of an army depends upon the officers who command it. And the more absolute the government, the more is this necessarily the case.

We can see how it must be, therefore, that everything in a universe will depend upon the sort of creator and ruler who has brought that universe into existence, and that the whole welfare of the human beings who have been placed there is of necessity bound up with the character of their Creator. If the God who created us is a good God, then everything must of necessity be all right for us, since a good God cannot ordain any but good things. But if He is a bad God, or a careless God, or an unkind God, then we cannot be sure that anything is right, and can have no peace or comfort anywhere.

The true ground for peace and comfort is only to be found in the sort of God we have. Therefore, we need first of all to find out what is His name, or, in other words, what is His character- in short, what sort of a God He is.

In Bible language name always means character. Names are not given arbitrarily there, as with us, but are always given with reference to the character or work of the person named. Creden in his Concordance says that the names of God signify that which He really is, and are used throughout the Bible to express His attributes, and His purposes, His glory, His grace, His mercy, and His love, His wisdom, and power, and goodness. A careful study of His names will make this plain.

When, therefore, the children of Israel asked "What is His name?" they meant, "Who and what is this God of whom you speak? What is His character; what are His attributes; what does He do? In short, what sort if a being is He?"

The psalmist says, "They that know thy name will put their trust in thee; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." And again he says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and are safe." They that know thy name will put their trust in thee." They cannot do anything else, because in knowing His name they know His character and His nature, that He is a God whom it is safe to trust to the uttermost. And there can be no doubt that a large part of the unrest and discomfort in so many Christian hearts comes simply from the fact that they do not yet know His name.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and are fallen, but we are risen and stand upright." In all that we read concerning Israel of old we find this constant refrain, that all they were and all they had depended upon the fact that their God was the Lord. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people; to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people forever, and thou, Lord, became their God." "Happy is that people that are in the Lord."

Blessed is that nation, happy is that people whose God is the Lord! All the blessing and happiness of Israel arose from the fact that their God was the Lord. Nothing else was of sufficient importance to be mentioned in the recapitulation of their advantages. The fact that their God was the Lord Jehovah was enough to account for every good thing they possessed.

The question of all questions for each one of us, therefore, is this one, "What is His name?" To the Isrealites God Himself answered this question. And God said unto Moses, "I am that I am; and He said, "Thus shall you say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." And God said, moreover, unto Moses: "This shall you say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and God of Jacob hath sent me unto you; this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations."

In the Gospel of John, Christ adopts this name of "I Am" as His own. When the Jews were questioning Him as to His authority, He said unto them: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was I am." And in the Book of Revelation He again declares: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." These simple words, I Am, express therefore eternity and unchangeableness of existence, which is the very first element necessary in a God who is to be depended upon. No dependence could be placed by any one of us upon a changeable God. He must be the same yesterday, today, and forever, if we are to have any peace or comfort.

But is this all His name implies, simply "I Am?" I am what? we ask. What does this "I Am" include? I believe it includes everything the human heart longs for and needs. This unfinished name of God seems to me like a blank check signed by a rich friend given to us to be filled in with whatever sum we may desire. The whole Bible tells us what it means.

Every attribute of God, every revelation of His character, every proof of His undying love, every declaration of His watchful care, every assertion of His purposes of tender mercy, every manifestation of His loving kindness-all are the filling out of this unfinished "I Am".

God tells us through all the pages of His Book what He is. "I Am", He says, "all that my people need": "I am their strength," "I am their wisdom", "I am their righteousness", I am their peace", "I am their salvation", "I am their life", "I am their all in all".

This apparently unfinished name, therefore, is the most comforting name the heart of man could devise, because it allows us to add to it, without any limitation, whatever we feel the need of, and even "exceeding abundantly" beyond all that we can ask or think.

But if our hearts are full of our own wretched "I ams" we will have no ears to hear His glorious, soul satisfying "I Am". We say, "Alas, I am such a poor weak creature," or "I am so foolish," or "I am so good-for-nothing," or "I am so helpless", and we give these pitiful "I ams" of ours as the reason of the wretchedness and discomfort of our religious lives, and even feel that we are very much to be pitied that things are so hard for us. While all the time we entirely ignore the blank check of God's magnificent "I Am" which authorizes us to draw upon Him for an abundant supply for every need.

If you are an uncomfortable Christian, then the only thing to give you a thoroughly comfortable religious life is to know God. The psalmist says that they that know God's name will put their trust in Him, and it is, I am convinced, impossible for anyone really to know Him and not to trust Him. A trustworthy person commands trust; not in the sense of ordering people to trust him, but by irresistibly winning their trust by his trustworthiness.

What our Lord declares is eternally true, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." When once you know Him, Christ is absolutely irresistible. You can no more help trusting Him than you can help breathing. And could the whole world but know Him as He is, the whole world, sinners and all, would fall at His feet in adoring worship. They simply could not help it. His surpassing loveliness would carry all before it. How then can we become acquainted with God? There are two things necessary: first, God must reveal Himself; and second, we must accept His revelation and believe what He reveals.

The apostle John tells us that "no man has seen God at any time," but "the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him." Christ, then, is the revelation of God. We have none of us seen God, and we never can see Him in this present stage of our existence, for we have not the facilities that would make it possible. But He has incarnated Himself in Christ, and we can see Christ, since He was a man like one of us.

A man, who should want to talk with ants, might stand over an anthill and harangue for a whole day, and not one word would reach the ears of the ants. They would run to and fro utterly unconscious of his presence. As far as we know, ants have no facilities by which they can receive human communications. But if a man could incarnate himself in the body of an ant, and could go about among them, living an ant's life and speaking the ants' language, he would make himself intelligible to them at once. Incarnation is always necessary when a higher form of life would communicate with a lower.

Christ revealed God by what He was, by what He did, and by what He said. From the cradle to the grave, every moment of His life was revelation of God. We must go to Him then for our knowledge of God, and we must refuse to believe anything concerning God that is not revealed to us in Christ. All other revelations are partial, and therefore not wholly true. Only in Christ do we see God as He is; for Christ is declared to be the "express image" of God.

Just what God would have said and done under the circumstances, that Christ said and did, "I do nothing of myself," was His continual assertion. "I say nothing of myself, the Father that dwells in me he doeth the works," and "I and my Father are one".

Words could not tell us more plainly than the Bible tells us that in order to know God we have only to look at Christ; we have only to "receive the testimony" of Christ.

Over and over we are assured that God and Christ are one. When the Jews came to Christ, as He was walking in the porch of Solomon's Temple, and asked Him to tell them plainly who He was, He answered, "I and my Father are one." And to His disciples, at His last supper with them, He said, in answer to their questions: "If you had known me, you should have known my Father also, and from henceforth you know him and have seen him." But Philip could not understand this, and said, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." And then Jesus repeated His former statement even more strongly: "Have I been so long with you, and yet you know me not Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how do you say then, show us the Father?"

Nothing more emphatically stated in the New Testament than this fact, that we are to behold the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," and that we can behold it fully nowhere else.

If we would know then the length, and breadth, and height, and depth of what God meant when He gave to Moses that apparently unfinished name of "I Am", we shall find it revealed in Christ. He and He alone is the translation of God. he and He alone is the image of the invisible God.

It is evident, therefore, that we must never accept any conception of God that is contrary to what we see in Christ, and must utterly reject any view of His character or of His acts, or any statement of His relations with us as human beings, no matter how strongly upheld, which is at variance with what Christ has revealed.

We are all aware that the Old Testament revelation of God seems sometimes to contradict the revelation in Christ, and the question arises as to which we are to receive as the truest. In view of the fact that God Himself tells us that in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, who is the "brightness of his person," we may not dare reject Christ's testimony, but must look upon the Old Testament revelation in Christ, as partial; and must accept as a true setting forth of God only that which we find in Christ. Christ alone tells us the true and genuine name of God. In His last wonderful prayer He says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world, and they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of them for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." Could we ask for greater authority than this?

In the whole life of Christ nothing is plainer or more emphatic than the fact that He claimed continually to be a full and complete manifestation of God. "The words that I speak unto you," He says, "I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Over and over He asserts that He says only what the Father tells Him to say. "I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him" , "I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things."

The apostle declares most emphatically that it pleased the Father that in Christ should "dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." And although we may not understand all that this means theologically, we at least cannot fail to see that if we want to know God, we need only to become acquainted with Christ's ways and Christ's character in order to become acquainted with God's ways and God's character. "He that hath seen me," He says, "hath seen the Father." And again He declares that "no one knows the Father but through the Son." This settles it beyond the possibility of cavil. We may, and we do, have all sorts of thoughts of God, we may conjecture this or imagine that, but we are wasting our energies in it all. We simply cannot know, no man can, except through the revelation of Christ.

We may know a good many things about Him, but that is very different from knowing Him Himself, as he really is in nature and character. Other witnesses have told us of His visible acts, but from these we get often very wrong impressions of His true character. No other witness but Christ can tell us of the real secrets of God's bosom, for of none other can it be said, as it is of Him, that "the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." It will make all the difference between comfort and discomfort in our Christian lives, whither or not we believe this to be a fact. If we do believe it to be a fact, then the stern Judge and hard Taskmaster whom we have feared, even while we tried to follow Him, and whose service we have found so irksome and so full of discomfort, will disappear; and His place will be taken by the God of love who is revealed to us "the face of Jesus Christ," the God who cares for us as He cares for the sparrows, and for the flowers of the field, and who tells us that He numbers even the hairs of our head.

No human being could be afraid of a God like this.

If we have been accustomed, therefore, to approach God with any mistrust of the kindness of His feelings toward us, if our religious life has been poisoned by fear; if unworthy thoughts of His character and will have filled our hearts with suspicions of His goodness; if we have pictured Him as an unjust deposit of a self-seeking tyrant; if, in short, we have imagined Him in any way other than that which has been revealed to us in "the face of Jesus Christ", we must go back in all simplicity of heart to the records of that lovely life, lived in human guise among men, and must bring our conceptions of God in to perfect accord with the character and ways of Him who declares that He came to manifest the name of God to men.

In reply then to the question, "What is His name?" I have only this one thing to say, Ask Christ. We are told He was "God manifest in the flesh," and that whoever sees Him sees the God who sent Him; therefore it is perfectly plain that, if we want to know the name, we have only to read the manifestation. And this means simply that we must study the life, and words, and ways of Christ, and must say to ourselves, he that seeth Christ seeth God, and what Christ was on earth that God is in Heaven. All the darkness that enshrouds the character of God will vanish if we will but accept the light Christ has shed on the matter, and believe the "manifestation of His name" that Christ has given us, and will utterly refuse to believe anything else.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to ask Him how the things He was saying could possibly be true, Jesus told him that, whether he understood them or not, they still were true, and said with greatest emphasis; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen," No one who believes in Christ at all can doubt that He knew God; and no one can question whether or not we ought to receive His testimony. He has assured us over and over again that He knew what He was talking about, and that what He said was to be received as the absolute truth, because He had come down from Heaven, and therefore knew about heavenly things.

We none of us would dare openly to question the truth of this; and yet practically a great many of God's children utterly ignore Christ's testimony and choose instead to listen to the testimony of their own doubting hearts, which tells them it is impossible that God could be as loving in His care for us, or as tender toward our weakness and foolishness, or as ready to forgive our sins, as Christ has revealed Him to be. And yet I must repeat again and again, at the risk of being accused of useless repetition, what so few people seem to realize, that if there is one thing taught in the Bible more plainly than any other, it is that the name, or, in other words, the character of His Father which Christ gave, must be His real name and character. He declares of Himself over and over that He was a living manifestation of the Father; and in all He was simply saying and doing that which the Father would have said and done had he acted directly out of Heaven, and from off His heavenly throne.

In the face of such unqualified assertions as these out of the lips of our Lord Himself, it becomes, not only our privilege, but our bounded duty to cast out of our conception of God every element that could in any way conflict with the blessed life and character and teaching of Christ. If we would know the real name of God, we must accept the name of Christ as revealed to us, and must listen to no other.

Whatever characteristics then we see in Christ, these are the filling out of the "I Am" of God. As we look at the life of Christ and listen to His words, we can hear God saying, "I am rest for the weary; I am peace for the storm-tossed; I am strength for the strengthless; I am wisdom for the foolish; I am righteousness for the sinful; I am all that the neediest soul on earth can want; I am exceeding abundantly, beyond all you can ask or think, or blessing, and help, and care."

But here the doubter may say, "Ah yes, this is no doubt all true, but how can I get hold of it? I am such a poor, unworthy creature that I dare not believe such a fullness of grace can belong to me."

How can you get hold of it, you ask. You cannot get hold of it at all, but you can let it get hold of you. It is a piece of magnificent good news declared to you in the Bible; and you only need do with it exactly what you do when any earthly good news is told you by a reliable earthly source. If the speaker is trustworthy, you believe what he says, and act in accordance. And you must do the same here. If Christ is trustworthy when He tells you that He is the manifestation of God, you must believe what He says, and act accordingly.

You must take your stand on His trustworthiness. You must say to yourself, and to your friends if need be, "I am going to believe what Christ says about God. No matter what the seemings may be, nor what my own thoughts and feelings are, nor what anybody else may say, I know that what Christ says about God must be true, for He knew, and nobody else does, and I am going to believe Him right straight through, come what may. He says that He was one with God, so all that He was God is, and I will never be frightened of God any more. I will never again let myself think of Him as a stern Lawgiver who is angry with me because of my sins, nor as a hard Taskmaster who demands from me impossible task, nor as a far-off unapproachable Deity, who is wrapped up in His own glory, and is indifferent to my sorrows and my fears. All such ideas of God have become impossible, now that know that Christ was the true manifestation of God."

If we will take our stand on this one fact, that Christ and God are one, with an intelligent comprehension of what it involves, and will refuse definitely and unwaveringly to cherish any thought of God that is a variance with what Christ has revealed, life will be transformed for us.

We may often have to set our faces like a flint to hold steadfastly here; for our old doubts and fears will be sure to come back and demand admittance; but we must turn our backs on them resolutely, and must declare that now at last we know the character of God, and know that such things would be impossible to Him; and that therefore we simply refuse point-blank to listen for a moment to any such libels on His character or His ways.

It is unthinkable to suppose that when God told Moses His name was "I Am", He could have meant to say, "I am a stern Lawgiver", or "I am a hard Taskmaster", or "I am a God who is wrapped up in my own glory, and am indifferent to the sorrows or fears of my people." If we should try to fill in the blank of His "I am" with such things as these, all the Christians the world over would be horrified. But do not the doubts and fears of some of these very Christians say exactly these things in secret every day of their lives?

May God grant that what we shall learn in our consideration of the names of God may make all such doubts and fears impossible to us from this time forth and forevermore.

Jesus is God! Oh, could I now

But compass land and sea,

To teach and tell this single truth,

How happy I should be!

Oh, had I but an angel's voice,

I would proclaim so loud

Jesus, the good, the beautiful,

Is the image of our God!

It certainly has been awhile since writing in the blog. I believe that daily input into FB and then my studies that began in Christmas, have significantly affected my blogging; Studies consist of my endeavor to become certified in Biblical Counseling with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counseling. This will most likely be a long haul as I take one class at a time. This, along with working full time in Member Care at the MSO, and my travels with Steve in Latin America and regular visits to family in Arizona, keep me busy.

One of the adjustments to Steve's position with LAM and our move to Miami, has been learning to live "solo" a goodly amount of time. Steve is traveling sometimes as much as he is home, so I can go anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks without him. Learning to live without my family close by, without all the normal support system of special friends, and being actively involved in church, I find that I have more alone time than ever before. How am I handling this, you might ask? Better than I would have anticipated. Truly this must be God's grace, as I thoroughly love spending time with those I love. Since our church, La Gran Commision, is spanish speaking, and being gone numerous weekends with travel, I have not gotten involved in ministry . . . . yet. But we are getting to know people and feeling more comfortable with being there, and I believe this will be the year of investing time and energy in our church "family". Steve has lead the way with a weekend of homiletical teaching to the leaders, and has even preached once. He is very close to the pastor, Nelson Guerra, as they are working together on a special minstry project that takes them to Honduras often. Nelson's wife, Lucy, is a wonderful lady, and in just a few conversations have found that we have much in common. We are similar age and station in life, both in ministry and family. I look forward to spending quality time with her.

Gordon has provided the most amazing gift to me by giving me his traveling privileges last year and this year. Knowing that I can go visit my family when needed is more comforting than I can even give words to. Surely a significant reason that I have adjusted as well to the changes I have encountered this last year.

Ever so often I have a moment that passes where I feel lonely in my frequent "sola" status. This weekend was one of those rare moments. I spent Easter alone. I don't say this for sympathy's sake, as I realize that God is teaching me things I could not learn any other way. So, with that clarification, let me say that being without Steve, children, grandchildren, parents, brothers, etc. was . . . well, I will just say it, hard. But even in the difficulty, there is peace; yes, even joy. Robby flew back from Honduras Saturday night as he accompanied Steve to a conference of about 3,000 church leaders from all over Latin America. Steve stayed through Tuesday as he had some more responsibilities to attend to. I picked Robby up from the airport about 8 pm and then turned around and took him back to the airport at 5 am the next morning. When I arrived home I decided to walk down the beach and see if there was a sunrise service happening. So, I set off in my shorts, flip flops, hair pulled back and no make up, walking down the beach. I did come across a service and was able to worship and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior with christians that I had never met before. It was a glorious time. The walk back on the beach gave me time to reflect. If you had asked me 10 years ago let's say, if I could be sane, let alone at peace, many miles away from my family and without the company of my husband much of the time, I would have said "impossible!". But I am learning to be content in all circumstances, and even finding the joy in them. God's faithfulness has been ever present in my life, and I can say without reservation, "God is Good, ALL THE TIME!"

Maine

I am sitting in an Internet Cafe in Bethel, Maine. Steve and I took some time out of our hectic schedule to enjoy some very quiet, relaxing time in the cabin of some new friends. It was built in 1912; with one addition, it is relatively similar to the way it was when originally built. Although the temperature has not exceeded 41 degrees, we have used only the wood stove in the kitchen and the fireplace in the family room for heating. The house temp stays around 59 degrees in the most used areas of the house and we have become surprising accustomed to this. It really even feels warm to us . . . of course when it is 30 something degrees outside, that is not so surprising. There is no television (yeah!) and I am now on my 3rd book. Sitting around the fireplace at night, listening to Andre Bocceli, and reading our books , has been such a wonderful and re-invigerating experience. I think I just might call a television fast when we return to Miami! Of course, sitting around the fire in October in Miami is not exactly reasonable . . . When we left a week and a half ago, there were record setting temperatures. I think it was 93 degrees at the highest. That might have something to do with the cold I have right now!

Anyway, we have had a wonderful time in Massachusetts and now Maine. We stayed a few days in the home of Gene and Pat, some new friends, and Pat showed me some lovely areas of the countryside. Above is a picture of a general store that we visited as well as the quaint town of Concord.

Anti-Self Realization

This is a quote from Oswald Chambers that I read today and it had even greater impact on me as we are presently in Mexico City, visiting and getting to know our missionaries and their ministries.  We have seen such a testimony of self sacrifice among our people.  Hence the deeper impact of these words.

"Our Lord's teaching was always ANTI-SELF REALIZATION.  His purpose is not the development of a person - His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by SELF-EXPENDITURE. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts.  God's purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes that HE MAY SQUEEZE THE SWEETNESS OUT OF US.

Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the wold measures it, but only by what God pours through us.  AND WE CANNOT MEASURE THAT AT ALL."

We have witnessed in the week that we have been here, ministries perpetuated not by finances but by passion; a family with 2 children giving up a home with space to move and a  back yard, to minister to people in a community that has no evangelical church yet, where the homes are about 800 to 1000 square feet, sharing common walls, and no  yard.  The homes are soon tattooed with graffiti and just going to a neighborhood market is a risky adventure. We have witnessed a widow of 84, who has dedicated her life to seeing the people of Mexico deepen their walk with the Lord.  She writes and publishes books, teaches classes to young and old alike, pastors and laypeople, as though she were a professor in his or  her 30's.  She walks up 2 sets of steep stairs to her apt. and her office.  When you remind her that she is only 6 years from being 90, she just puffs and says, "Well, I used to do everything much faster".  

We have witnessed a couple with 3 children that gave up a business in Chicago and live in an unbearably dirty neighborhood, where the husband takes a bus 2 hours each way, 5 days a week, to go to language school.  Within the first 3 weeks of their arrival to the country, he was held up at gunpoint and robbed on the very bus he takes to school each day.  With a gun pointed to his head and the knowledge that he very possibly could be murdered, he said God flooded his spirit with such a peace and he realized that he was ready to die if necessary.  

This is only a sampling of what we have witnessed this week.  It begs the question, 

Am I prepared to pour out my life for Him?  Personally I can say that the desire to do so is even greater today that it was a week ago.      

A True American Hero

While walking the dogs this afternoon I walked passed an elderly gentleman wearing a cap that represented an arm of the Military Service.  He said something to me in spanish and I stopped to hear what he said. A short but sweet conversation ensued.  I asked him if he had served in the military and he told me that he was born in Cuba and when he was just 21 he saw a sign about serving your country . . . . so he immigrated to the U.S. and joined the Air Force!  He became a pilot and  expressed how grateful he was that he never had to kill anyone.  He served for many years until he said laughingly, " they asked how long I was going to be staying".  He was an amiable man, and very gracious.  I had the opportunity to say thank you for serving our country.

He smiled and we parted ways as I returned to my home and he, his.

  

On June 28, 2009, Marine Col. Kenneth L. Reusser passed away at the age of 89. 

Col. Reusser flew 253 combat missions in WWII, the Korean AND the  Vietnam War. He was shot down in all 3 wars - 5 times in all.  He earned 2 Navy Crosses, 4 Purple Hearts, 2 Legions of merit, among his 59 medals.

"In 1945, while based in Okinowa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Cosair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at an altitude much higher than usual. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, HACKING OFF IT'S TAIL WITH HIS PROPELLER.

In 1950, while serving in the storied "Black Sheep Squadron", he led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker - almost blowing himself out of the sky in the process.

During the Vietnam War, Reusser flew helicopters. he was leading a Marine Air Group in a rescue mission when his own "Huey" was shot down.  He needed skin grafts over 35% of his badly burned body.

Reusser was born January 27, 1920, the son of a minister.  While still a teenager, he became a committed Christian, which remained a big part of his life.

Reusser lived a "Tom Sawyer-ish" existence, jumping off a barn roof to test a parachute, racing motorcycles to help pay for college, and earning a pilots license before WW II broke out. 

Kenneth Reusser was called the most decorated Marine aviator in history.

If you are like me, it is difficult to see "The Greatest Generation" passing away.  Their training and proving ground was WW II, and so many of them rose to the occasion becoming the hero's of their generation.  Sadly, the "hero's" of today have become the Michael Jackson's and Michael Jordon's.  Men of unsurpassed talent, but could they hold a candle to the bravery and integrity of one such Col. Reusser? I dare say, not.

Summer

We celebrated the first day of Summer in Key Biscayne, with 15 of our new Orientee's.  We are in the midst of one of two yearly  2 week Orientations, this being our first with Steve in his new position.  We are so impressed with our new missionaries.  What a privilege to get to know and work for such amazing people.  Key Biscayne is the place that we held our weekend retreat, which was at a small, but comfortable motel near the beach.  There was a playground and pool for the children and we were steps away from the ocean. There was area there where hundreds of Iguanas reside.  How strange to have them just feet away from us! 

Despite the heat, we performed several team building activities outside.  Yesterday afternoon was "free time", so Steve and I came home and after a stop at Costco,  I cooked him a steak and myself some salmon and we relaxed in our chairs and napped and watched golf.  The highlight of our day was skyping our children and grandchildren who were at Mom and Dad's house for a pajama breakfast to celebrate Father's Day.  Oh, how we would love to be with everyone on days such as this!  But, alas, we are here and family is there. 

The news is informing us that we are breaking records with heat.  All I know is that upon rising in the morning, the windows are steamed up and when I open the the door to the balcony, the air is so heavy that at times it is difficult to even breathe.  I walk the dogs early, usually about 6:30 am, and take them out quickly for the afternoon.  Evening walks are a little more comfortable the later we go.  Last night I took them out at about 9:30 pm, and then went for a swim in the pool.  You can not believe how warm the ocean and pool waters are.  Of course I am used to warm pool water having living in Arizona, but I am always stunned at the temperature of the ocean when I dip my feet in.  The sand bars go out for quite a ways, so to swim in the ocean is more than possible and enjoyable.  Sometimes the water is as smooth as glass.   Not good for surfing, not that I am a surfer, but great for just swimming and being in the water. This really is a beautiful place to live.  

Stefani came in last week for several days, but it was anything but a fun visit.  We spent the entire time in doctors offices getting her tested for fainting episodes that she has been having over the last few months.  Fortunately the tests have shown her to be healthy, although a Mitro Valve Prolapse showed up.  But that is not the reason for her episodes and there is nothing to be done for MVP.  She wasn't very thrilled with Miami, but then she didn't see much of it either.  Must be strange to visit your parents, and not "go home", but visit them in a totally new environment. I am sure that added to her desire to get back to Phoenix as soon as possible!

So, Summer is here . . . . I am making the effort to see the beauty and the good in all that is around me.  God is teaching me how to be content in all circumstances, in plenty and in want!

 

Unexpected Reunions

Last night was a step back in time for Steve and I . . . . Steve is on a killer traveling schedule this summer trying to fit in visiting many of our missionaries and get to know their ministries, as well as initiating new vision and ministry.  I picked him up from the airport at 7 pm, as he was returning from a short trip to Costa Rica. Despite the lateness of the hour and being tired from his cross country trip, we rushed across town  and met in a prearranged REUNION  dinner for 8 with couples from Argentina, some of which  we had not seen in 18 years.  One of the couples, Jorge and Susanna Ibbarbalz, were part of the group of families that we vacationed with  for a month at the beach in Miramar. Part of the Argentine culture is that during the summer every family takes a month off either in January or February, going to a coastal city in the country or for some, traveling to Brazil or Spain.  Our family has some of the most amazing memories of this time as more than a half dozen families, for three or four consecutive years, would travel to Miramar, spend our days basking on the beach and our nights cooking asado's together, or eating at neighborhood restaurants .  All of our children ranged in age from babies to teenagers and the kids would hang out together sometimes according to age groups, or sometimes in a roving "pack". We played "paddle" (a cross between tennis and handball)  on courts just off the water, sat for hours talking on the beach or sipping mate in each others rented summer homes. Susanna reminded us of one of those summers, when the men decided to prepare a Valentine Day dinner for the women. (Remember, summers are during our winters here in the States!) So the men planned and put together a romantic and surprisingly delicious dinner. There was watermelon salad cut into the shape of hearts, Chicken Cordon Bleu, garlic mashed potatoes; beautifully decorated tables with  candles and  flowers. Steve obviously had a strong influence since that is not very Argentine in either menu or culture! But the women loved the attention and effort and the men thoroughly enjoyed the process and response. And 18 years later we are still talking about it! 

The week previous, Steve and I were in Arizona.

Steve went for ministry purposes, but while there so close to family and friends, he was able to fit in some quality time with both.  One of the highlights of that week was a REUNION with 3 of the kids that he ministered to as a Youth Pastor 30 years ago.  While they are now in their 40's, married with teenage children of their own, they took a morning and went to the lake to ski.  They reminisced about those 2 short, yet fun packed years together.  Much to Steve's surprise, one of them brought up how Steve had attended his basketball games and even once or twice, stayed late to a game and then accompany him up to camp, arriving late in the evening.  He commented to Steve how that had meant so much to him.  Steve didn't even remember doing it!  They talked about how fun and full those years were and how they were some of the best years of their life.  

 I went to Arizona to  support my Mom as her sweet sister, Katy was passing away.  It was a heart wrenching week as Mom, and Melody and Kelby, David and Debbie and their children, waited and prepared for her passing.  Before I arrived, Aunt Helen and Rebecca were there to say their goodbye's.  But while the time passed slowly as Katy was unconscious and labored in her breathing, the family would sit around her bedside, talking, praying, singing hymns, crying, and yes, at times even laughing as we reminisced about our life with Aunt Katy and Uncle Leon and each other.  Many times someone would talk about the REUNION in heaven that Katy and Leon would have and that Katy would have with her Jesus.  It brought comfort to all of us to visualize that, seeing her, seeing them, young, strong, healthy and in each others arms once again.  There was also a REUNION among ourselves as we have such busy lives and rarely get to see each other.  It was good to be reminded of our love for each other despite the little time that we actually spend together.  

I am so grateful for the UNEXPECTED REUNIONS that God has brought our way as of late.  Some were bittersweet, accompanied by tears while others were filled with laughter. But they were all based in RELATIONSHIP that absence and years could not deplete. Among all the feelings that I have experienced over the last couple of weeks, gratefulness to God for my family and friends is at the top. 

In The Garden

Today is my recuperation from passing through several time zones, as I flew home from Arizona yesterday.  I spent 3 wonderful days with family, filling every nook and cranny of time with different people that I love.  It is equally filling and draining, but I am so grateful to have the gift of travel, both in time and airline privileges. Thank you sweet husband for sharing me  and brother Gordon for providing the means!  

Every April we celebrate birthdays for my Dad (21st), myself (22nd), and Mom and Steve (23rd).

Although Steve needed to stay in Miami to prepare for the upcoming Board Meeting, on Mom's Bday we had a garden party and Gordon made us Salmon Taco's that were out of this world delicious.

We skyped Christa and Daniel as well as Steve . . . .  two computers going at the same time!  It was crazy hectic but so much fun to have them participate if even from a distance.  

On one of my evenings I was able to accompany Stefani and Mowee (real name Benito), her boyfriend, as they drove me up to South Mountain and we overlooked the lights of the city. It is such a beautiful spot and hard to believe that in all the years that I lived in Arizona, I never remember going there.  We took a short hike to a craggy rock and just sat and looked out over the sparkling lights of the city for a few quiet moments.  Very nice.

Gordon, Stefani and I ate at one of our favorite "must visits" whenever I am in town, Postino's and Stef and I even got to P.F. Chang's for lunch one day.  A flurry of shopping at known clothing stores, and before I knew it, I was on the plane headed home.  

I am posting a picture I took of The Garden in full bloom . . . . Only once have I seen every rose bush so full of blooms.  It was beautiful!

Impact

Every so often a person, a book an event comes into your life and has monumental impact.  Probably 15 years ago, or so, I heard the name Mark and Jeannie Labberton from my brother Phil and his wife Cindi.  They met and became good friends in England while Phil and Mark were working on their doctorates at Cambridge.  We never had the good fortune to meet Mark and Jeannie, but providence would have it that we have encountered Mark through his new book, "The Dangerous Act of Worship".  I have been "absorbing" the content of this book a chapter at a time over the last 2 months.  I normally consume a book in a matter of hours, and when in stride, a book every week or two.  But with the move and all the changes and traveling going on in my life at the moment, that pace has slowed.  But Mark's book could not have come at a better time.  This is not a book for a quick read as it is full of  deep and thoughtful truths.  I thought I would give you an exerpt from this book so as to possibly wet your appetite for more.  This comes from the chapter "When Worship Talks To Power".

"The realignment of power is fundamental to the cause of justice because much of the twisted soul of injustice is the abuse of power.  Whether the injustice is poverty, bonded slavery, land grabbing, forced prostitution, hunger, rape, or racism, we find the abuse of power.  Likewise, an abuse of power is at play even in more mundane examples of injustice; gossip, manipulation, coersion, lying, deception, or libel.  At the core of it all lies an abuse of power.  Nothing thwarts God's purposes more than twisted power; nothing renews God's purposes more than redeeming power.

Christian worship (and prayer) can and should be one of the most profound and relevant responses to power abuse in the world.  In worship (and prayer) we cast our lives upon the faithful and just power of God.  When we do so, we appose all acts of unjust power.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about God's remarkable initiative and grace marshaled to realign power."

"I am stunned when I hear statistics like these:  that more than 25 million people around the world today live in slavery; that 40 percent of the world's population lacks basic sanitation facilities and over one billion use unsafe water; that in the least developed countries over 50 percent of the population is not expected to live to the age of sixty, compared to just over 10 percent in the most developed countries; that the per capita spending on police in India is about twenty-five cents per person per year, whereas in the Unites States it is over $250 per person per year.  And India is better off than countries where no police force even exists, such as Liberia and Chad.  In other countries the local police would be the last place to go for help in the face of injustice, because of graft and corruption.  We assume that the basic protection of law enforcement most in the United States enjoy is more or less present in other parts of the world, but it is not.  Many people in other countries, especially the poor, are exposed to whims of power abuse, and the police are but one example."

It is so easy to find our comfortable place in life, inoculated from the pain and injustices of others with whom we share this planet.  Stepping out of church ministry in a beautiful place to live, I am beginning to reawaken to the real reason that we were called to ministry . . . no, make that the christian life!  It is not just for those called to 'professional' ministry.  It is for all of us that call ourselves Christ followers.  The only true change of injustice is the realignment of power under the grace filled love of the One who alone holds all power.

Birthday Week

Time marches on . . . . This week I turn  54.  What can I say about that ?   Since the joy of turning 18,with all my life ahead of me, and the trauma I experienced, albeit self induced, when I turned 25 and my life assessment disheartened me; married 7 years, 2 children, one of them strong willed and hyperactive, a tough ministry and needed growth in our marriage and spiritual life, all while many of my friends were not carrying the weight of such heavy life experiences and seemingly having "fun". 

I must say with all sincerity that my 50's, so far, have been the best years of my life.  Not that the previous years were  not wonderful in their own right. But I have ceased striving to 'find myself' years ago, and am enjoying the person God made me to be.  I have also ceased trying to make my husband the man I think he should be and and thoroughly enjoying what God has created in him using all the pain, struggle, and unique experiences that we have walked through. Steve is a compassionate, sensitive, loyal husband who has learned how to encourage and protect me.  He seeks the Lord for the wisdom and courage to be the husband, father, and minister that he has been called to be.  Our children are amazing people, each one in their own right.  I am blessed.

Some how the same things that would have sent me into a spiraling depression or an anxiety charged fit, are managed (most of the time) with prayer and an acknowledgement that God is sovereign and has control of our situation and that of our children.  I am not a victim in life's difficult situations, rather a loved child of my Heavenly Father.  

Now, I am watching my children go through many of the same experiences and feelings that Steve and I went through.  Giving them to the Lord, daily, I can be at peace and live and love, enjoying the years that the Lord has ordained for me.

O.K. so I am 15 to 20 lbs. overweight, wrinkles refuse to be 'hidden', and my energy and turn around time are decreasing and increasing accordingly, but in my year 54 life assessment, I would not change anything . . . . God is good and so is life!

Wisdom from Oswald Chambers

 "You no more need a day off of spiritual concentration from matters than your heart needs a day off from beating.  As you cannot take a day  off from being moral and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual."

Sacrifices

These precious little girls, Ada, Nica, and Evelyn, smile from the inside out.  When they smile and laugh, there is a genuine joy that exudes from their faces.  Parenting is a daunting task. Parenting adopted children brings even more challenge.  I have the greatest respect for what my Mom and Dad are doing in their foster care of Bryan. I share that same respect for Sean and Cate.  My prayers go up for them daily as they sacrifice what most would be unwilling to do, by giving everything they have to make the life of someone who had nothing, full and rich with the love of Jesus.

This is what ministry will do for you!!!

Back to School!

As wonderful as it was to be traveling, meeting new people, seeing and learning new things, it is equally as wonderful to be home.  Our puppies were well and happy to see us, an no worse for the separation. 

As per usual, Steve hit the ground running this week as he is preparing for one of the two yearly Board Meetings. Next Wednesday, men and women from all over the U.S. and even some Latin countries will gather for the three day event.  Tomorrow he gives the MSO (Mission Support Office) the yearly "state of the Mission" address, (sounds so formal!) adding to so many firsts.

Every challenge is still fresh and new and he is taking them on with energy and enthusiasm.  I remember thinking to myself during one of our many meetings with missionaries in Costa Rica, just how perfectly matched he is to this position.  He could go from person to person, ministry to ministry,  relating to and immediately tracking with all that was being said and happening.  He thrives on the challenge as well as the relationships. He can quickly process where a ministry and a person is, and find ways to bring what ever is required to that situation.  I just sat back and watched.  I am so grateful to God for all He is doing.

One note of praise . . . last week Steve received word that the Tyndale Foundation has donated $50,000.00 to LAM to be used at the presidents discretion . . . That was amazing and wonderful news!  Not only is it a large and needed gift, but Steve can prayerfully seek out the most strategic ways for that money to be used.  While funds are incredibly tight right now for LAM, as they are just about everywhere, we are so grateful to the Lord for lifting our spirits and providing funds for purposeful ministry.

Dramatic change of subject, but . . . . .

Over the years I have had several thoughts of going back to school, but every time something else took priority.  One of our other children needing the funds for education for themselves,

one time it was an unexpected pregnancy, ( that would have been #3 for me!)  and so on. But I have been praying and thinking about finishing my degree and there seems to be no roadblocks at the moment.  So, over the last week I have researched over 200 schools and numerous degree programs and have landed on a BA degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Upper Iowa State University.   They have a marvelous Online program that gives me the freedom to work from home and at my own pace.  If I am able to stick with it, my ultimate goal is to also take some theology and psychology classes, perhaps ending with an MA in Christian Counseling.  Kind of funny and strange to think that it may take me from now until I am 60 (ugh!) to reach this goal, but I could have at least 10 if not 15 years to put the education to use.  It certainly would keep me busy and focused!  Today I sent for my transcripts from ASU to be sent to UIU, and could be starting my first class in June . . . I think it will be fun to attend college while at least one of my kids is doing the same.  Of course Christa may have her doctorate before I even have my BA, but that only serves to motivate me.  I will keep you posted!

Day 12 in Costa Rica

This is it! Our full day in Costa Rica. One the one hand it has gone by so fast. However, it tires me out to think where we have been, what we have seen, who we have met and what God is doing through LAM in this place. Our time in “Jesus Calling” every morning seems more than just appropriately relevant to each days’ challenges and it has served as one of the few constants, along with morning toast and fruit, during our trip.

Very honestly, we did not want to leave the hotel today, even if it was for a couple of hours. Before retiring last night Steve spoke with Bob and Ann Jeffrey, a retirement age couple who don’t know the meaning of the word, who would be our guides today. They had aggressive plans for us to see another one of our LAM clinics, CEDCAS (google it), and several of the poor shanty villages where they and CEDCAS have been working for 25 years. We already had to make plans for dinner with one last couple for tonight, so it didn’t look like we would be able to enjoy the hotel too much today.

The Jeffreys came and got us at the hotel at 9:00, and we hit it off right away. Bob and Ann are the type of people who live to serve, love it and show it! Their weathered look belies years of hard work outside. Their hearts, however, are about as tender as they come! A quick trip to the center of our little suburb led us to the CEDCAS clinic, another state-of-the-art facility. Unlike the hospital, CEDCAS is committed to serving those with minimal resources, partnering with the government to give high quality care in a small facility. In many ways, CEDCAS is a full-service mini hospital, complete with Xrays, ultrasounds, gastrointestinal scopes, a complete surgical suite, dental and vision suites, quarters for twenty short-term workers and a nice apartment for the CEDCAS director, Lillian Solt, another one of our LAM stars!

Lillian is the textbook definition of overachiever. To see what God has wrought through her vision, inspiration and tireless effort over the last 25 years is nothing short of truly awesome. She runs the clinic which tends to dozens every day, she oversees the work of dozens of short-term teams from the U.S. and elsewhere every year who come to build, renovate, or minister in the shanty towns on behalf of CEDCAS, she maintains a continuous regime of teaching nationals healthcare, she is acquiring buildings, designing the facilities that go in those buildings and manages the process all along the way, she is helping to build a new campus for her local church…and raises a bunch of money to get it all done! We’re tired just thinking about it.
She has an adult daughter who shares the load, but we did not get to meet her.

Lillian gave us a thorough orientation to the ministries and services of CEDCAS, took us on a tour of the sprawling facility (which looks like nothing more than a large house from the street) and sat us down to watch a couple of videos of the shanty town work. The Jeffreys knew how spent we were, so they decided to replace a trip across town with a seven-minute video. God bless them! Two hours came and went quickly as we were both very impressed with what we had experienced.

Right around noon, the Jeffreys dropped us off at the hotel apparently just in time for a scrumptious lunch, followed by afternoon naps and walks in the gardens. We were so tired, changing to go swimming in the gorgeous pool couldn’t tempt us! We relaxed all afternoon anticipating but one more meeting - a quick dinner with Jeff and Barbi David, along with their daughter, Caressa. Instead of going to their home, we invited them to join us in the dining room at 5:30. What’s the saying about the best-laid plans of men…?

Our enjoyment of an afternoon deep sleep was interrupted at 4:30 by the phone. The Davids were downstairs…an hour early. We hustled to get presentable and met them in the bar where we sat and drank cokes until dinner. We though we could eat at 5:30, but ha to wait until 6:00. The girls went walking and Jeff and Steve talked seminary education the entire time. Jeff splits his time between ESEPA (the seminary) and PROMETA, the online master’s program. Jeff gave Steve a complete history of the two ministries and how they have and haven’t interacted over the last few years. His heart is in both ministries and he has an interesting mix of vision and desire for the hands-on teaching work. The two guys hit it off! Steve is sure that, after what he has seen and heard these last 12 days, that theological education will have to be a major focus for LAM in the near future. We have the history, the reputation, the relationships and the facilities to perhaps become the premier provider of future Latin leaders through theological preparation.

The dinner hour came and went quickly with another wonderful culinary experience. A quick glance at the 8:15 being displayed on Steve’s iPhone was both hard to believe and too much! The Davids excused themselves and left for home and the Johnsons enjoyed a glass of wine before finding their (our) way to the room. A short conversation on the patio overlooking the gardens was followed by the packing of our bags, a little television, some facebooking, and then some serious pillow time!

This has been one incredible journey for the two of us. As we look back on it, the real value of these Presidential Visits probably cannot be adequately estimated. We developed real relationships with just about everyone. We were able to get a clear picture of our many different ministries in Costa Rica. We have learned valuable history from many different perspectives. Most, if not all, opened their hearts and lives and really shared. We were able to listen, comfort, encourage and pray. Steve comes back with a list of items for discussion and decision that is long, but in no way disheartening…just the opposite. We also have a list of suggestions for the next trip to Mexico in May that will hopefully make that experience less of a “killer.”

The processing will continue for weeks. But we must also say that so much more was gained by the two of us being together, listening, watching and debriefing from our individual perspectives. This will help greatly in the decisions to come in the future.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the LAM Board and the Management Team for your initial encouragement and continued support of our traveling together.

To God be the glory in the Costa Rica Chapter of our journey…

Day 11 in Costa Rica

Two more days to go…and we’re spending most of them at the Bougainvillea Hotel in Santo Domingo (a suburb of San José). That’s how we started this Monday morning (after reading our daily passages in “Jesus Calling” first).

The schedules for today and tomorrow have been shortened as we are almost completely spent. We wanted very much to meet our remaining missionaries but have lost a bit of interest in seeing every building and barrio in which they work. God went before us as Steve talked with those still on the docket. Amazingly enough, they were feeling worn out for us after looking at the schedule. So today was, and hopefully tomorrow will be, compacted. Well, at least that was the plan…

We jumped into a cab about 7:45, and rode the 30 minutes down to the AMCA house in order to upload blogs, make phone calls and send some emails. Paul Pretiz, a veteran missionary and now retiree was to pick us up at 9:00 and take us to his house for coffee. At 9:20, Steve got a bit worried and called him. Somehow wires had gotten crossed (Steve thinks it was probably his “bad”), and Paul had instead driven up to Mike’s which was closer and would have saved a $15.00 cab ride! He said he would come down and get us, so we had another half hour to work - and we needed it. At the same time, the hour delay was setting everything back, including our arrival at the hotel!

We had a wonderful ride back to Pretiz’ home which was simple and yet comfortable for them. Ruth had a stroke several years ago so her body wasn’t working like most do, but she was completely alert and quite conversational. She is a prayer warrior and has spent a lot of time in prayer for Shellie and me. They, like the other retirees, have been in Costa Rica for decades, have family now in Costa Rica, and are content to live the rest of their earthly sojourn in Costa Rica. Paul is a writer and has authored many articles and co-authored several books about the ministry of LAM. He and Ruth came to Central America to work as radio station managers with HCJB, on loan from LAM. We enjoyed a spot of tea, fresh fruit and some short but meaningful vignettes of their ministries over the years. It was too short! We had only been sitting for about 20 minutes when Paul abruptly said that we needed to get going if we were going to make the right connection with our next family, the Meyers’. After a brief, but precious time of prayer, Paul drove around the north side of city, past the HCJB towers (Faro del Caribe actually), and guided us to a mall!!!

Josh and Christy Meyers and their two cute kids were waiting for us at the entrance of the mall and we selected a hamburger joint in which to sit and eat. Not having had too much luck with meat, Steve had very low expectations. To our surprise, the burgers and fries were great (almost like home). It was a special treat for the Meyers. Josh and Christy are teaching at Palabra de Vida, our very first stop of the trip, with Matt and Lisa Befus. Matt was actually their youth pastor at College Church in Wheaton many moons ago. Josh left a growing career with Capital One to join the Befus’ on a limited term mission (2-3 years). The more we listened to what God had already done in and through them in the U.S. and here, Steve’s brain kicked into vision gear. They have enjoyed teaching, but it’s not what they want to do to for the long term. This is the kind of guy who could help us grow the mission from within. Steve hesitated saying anything directly to Josh about the possibility of working with us in the MSO
until we were saying goodbye to them. Josh sent Steve an email later that night with a copy of resume and is quite interested. Due to our desire to shorten the schedule, we only had an hour with them and then they drove us down to the Clinica Biblica for our grand tour of this huge hospital.

The Clinica Biblica could very well be the crowning achievement to the memory of Harry and Susan Strachan, the founders. The Clinica was started in the 1920’s in a small building and has grown to cover several city blocks with multiple-story buildings. It is one of the very few state-of-the-art hospitals in Latin America, and most likely one of the largest! The buildings are strewn pictures and dedications and verses that make clear the biblical foundation and ongoing christian values upon which the hospital operates.
Upon arriving, we were met by Bev Cook and her two sons. They essentially run the international insurance and travel programs for the hospital. Apparently, thousands of dollars are spent each year to entice North Americans to come to the Clinica for every type of surgery and cosmetic alteration, which can be had for a fraction of the U.S. cost in facilities which, quite honestly, rival any hospital we’ve seen in the U.S. The Cooks escorted us to a quiet conference room where we heard of their programs and how they have been serving at the Clinica, now well into the second generation.

We stopped for a bit to sit and drink some water at their very modern coffee bar, when Esthela, one of our hosts on Sunday, came to get us. Esthela not only leads a church with Verna, but she also serves as the Chaplain for the Clinica. Everywhere we went in the hospital it was abundantly clear that, not only was she doing her job, she was doing very well! She took a break from her duties to give us a comprehensive tour of the hospital facilities. We were able to receive a tour of the original building, which is still being used though the patient rooms are now converted into offices, and we saw almost every floor in every building. Esthela knows this place well!

2:30 came quite quickly and Steve had hopes of getting to the hotel by 3:00. Sensitive to the exhaustion that must have been on our faces by that time, Esthela hailed a cab for us and we were off to the AMCA house first, to get our bags, and then to the hotel. Steve figured it would take almost an hour to do it all. But God’s grace was to be found yet again, as we learned that the AMCA house was less than five minutes from the hospital, and that the hotel was only ten minutes from there. We were checking into Room 207 at 3:10. We barely made it onto the beds and napped for a couple of hours, looking out our room window over the beautiful gardens we described earlier.

Tonight brought us a quite table for two in the dining room, reminiscent of a 1960’s artsy retreat center, once again overlooking beautiful flowers and trees. The linen tablecloths, fused-glass lamps and numerous paintings on the walls made it all seem so distant from the heat and bustle of ministry we have been experiencing for almost two weeks. The decision to move here was right and it didn’t take too long to being to feel like we had actually found rest and retreat in the midst of such a trip! Our evening as made even more special by the quietness of the hotel - we hit during Semana Santa. There were only a few people at the hotel.

Falling to sleep tonight won’t be hard, and we so look forward to waking up to the birds in the gardens tomorrow morning. Only the Lord could make a day so packed with people and places melt away in the midst of His beauty…

Day 10 in Costa Rica

This is the day the Lord has made; let us us rejoice and be glad in it! Today’s schedule was a full one and I can’t help how more difficult it would have been were it not for Mike’s graciousness. To remind you, his house is about 15 kilometers, or 10 miles from downtown San José. Traffic limits speed to an average of about 20 mph, so you can imagine what a trip into town means for someone. We got up, got ready and Mike drove us into downtown San José and dropped us off at the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, the major downtown hospital, which just happens to have been founded by the original Strachan’s in the 1920’s (more on tomorrow’s blog). He then went home, cooked breakfast for Jonathan and four of his friends who stayed the night, got cleaned up and made it back into town for his own church (where we were last Sunday) by 10:00 - He’s crazy!!!!!

We waited curbside for about 5 minutes and then were picked up by Verna Brenamen and Esthela Corvallos, two single gals who have worked here with LAM for over 45 years, primarily with the Clínica Bíblica. They took us on a 30-minute drive on a hot morning to the church they help to start 30 years ago, Templo Bíblico Peniel in a suburb of San José, las Pavas. As we drove up to the church, we were taken back by the evident poverty and the piles of uncollected garbage lining the streets of the church’s neighborhood. The girls pointed out where the old church building was and then parked in front of the “new church”, a combo concrete and corrugated aluminum structure, badly in the need of painting. We could hear the worship team practicing from the street, and I even recognized a couple of them. We waked up a set of stairs from the street to a relatively small sanctuary with a small stage in front, ceiling and window fans everywhere. We were warmly greeted by the Nicaraguan pastor(s), who take all of their cues from Vera and Esthela (who are both in their mid-late seventies). Although church was supposed to start, there were but a few women and young people in the church. But like every church I’ve been in and even pastored, by 10 minutes into the service the place was relatively full and diverse.

Worship lasted almost an hour and it was interesting. The worship team consisted of a drummer, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and two singers. One was actually quite good, while her teammate was, well let’s just say she struggled to find the pitch. The worship was lively and, yet, hard for us to enter into because they had no way for us to follow along - no screens, no powerpoint, no nothing. How can these people survive?!?!??!

After about 45 minutes, the worship team sat down and one of the pastors invited Esthela to come up and help us to continue to worship. She pulled out what looked like a flannel graph book (oversized) from the sixties and shared the Palm Sunday story very quickly using the pictures. Then she passed out a sheet of paper that had several hymns on it and proceeded to lead us in all five verses of every hymn on the sheet a capella! It’s not my cup of tea, but boy the people sang!!!

After an offering and prayer, the pastor turned it over to me and I preached for the 40 minutes they had asked for. You know how hard that was for me… After I closed in prayer, they paraded the little kids first, followed by the youth group, onto the platform and they shared the verse they had learned for the day. A song and a prayer later the service was over. Most of the church came up and hugged us and then filed out rather quickly to head to their homes. We had to wait a bit for Esthela to finish up, but within 10 minutes we were off to a nice restaurant in their area for a “langosta” (small lobster) feast. At lunch we heard about the many years Esthela and Verna have served with the LAM and about their upcoming two-month whirlwind furlough around the U.S. After lunch we traveled with them back to their apartment, which they have been renting for 35 years for tea, apple cobbler, pictures of the last thirty years and more history. I cannot re-emphasize enough the extent of both commitment and sacrifice that our long-term missionaries have given to the Lord and to LAM.

Around 1:30, Mike and his son Jonathan came by to pick us up and take us back to their home to get some much needed rest before getting ready to preach again at Escazú Christian Fellowship on the far opposite side of town. We arrived hot and tired at about 2:00, expecting to get a couple of hours of downtime. What we didn’t know at that time was that the main freeway from downtown San José to Escazú was closed for paving, which would mean that we would have to take a much longer ‘round about way to get to church. At 2:45, about the time I was finally dozing off, Mike shouted in from the front door that we only had about fifteen minutes to get ready. We would have to leave around 3:00 to drive into town to meet the Rice’s who would then take us to Escazú (their church).

We met the Rice’s at 3:15, and they took the long way around which still got us to the church at about 4:00, one full hour before service was to start. We took advantage of the time to meet the pastor, a presbyterian in his third year as pastor of the interdenominational Escazú Christian Fellowship. We listened as the Worship Team rehearsed mostly songs and hymns we knew or guessed were very presbyterian. They were are acoustic and quite appropriate for the service.

As the service was beginning we were greeted by Suzanne Emory, Matt and Lisa Befus and the Sabeans, all LAMers we had spent time with this past week. In order to adapt to the 25-minute framework for the message I consolidated a lot from the am message and it was a tad bit easier to preach in English (though not a whole lot so). We participated after the message in the Lord’s Supper by intinction (look it up!), and I was asked to give the benediction and then walked out in true liturgical style with the Pastor (Stacey). We had to wait quite a while for Shelley Rice to finish up with all her duties and communications and then we were off to dinner together.

A short drive and we arrived at RostiPollo, a Costa Rican answer to Boston Market. We had great charbroiled chicken with all the trimmings and enjoyed more conversation with Craig and Shelley. By the time we had eaten the last bite, I was already fading, and the Rice’s could see it. So we hurried off to the downtown bus station where we caught a taxi back to Mike’s. We had a brief conversation with Mike, who was heading up north with his pastor the next morning, packed most of our nags in order to head for the Bougainvillea tomorrow morning, talked with Stefi, and then fell asleep pretty quickly.

Another long, hot, wonderful day in the Lord was added to our memories…