Author: Adventures

With Love, Tienda Marlita

I know what you’re thinking: “What is a ‘tienda’?” Tiendas are a dime-a-dozen around Guatemala (Our joke is that there is a tienda every three doors). They are little convenience stores that sell sodas, chips, laundry soap, and other odds-and-ends. Now, you are probably asking: “Who is Marlita?” Yeah…We still have no idea either. Specifically, Tienda Marlita is the tienda that is directly across the street from our house. We have become regulars there and have become friends with the Guzman Morales family whom owns it (none of which are named...

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Sweet Love

  “A changed life convinces people of Christ’s power.”    “When you face challenges in life, seek to know what God wants you to do, and then do it, confident that he will do his part. You don’t know ahead of time how he will accomplish his will. Trust God and prepare to be surprised by the ways he demonstrates his trustworthiness.”  (study notes in the book of Esther)    Today is day 90 on the mission field. We only have 5 days left of ministry. Then heading back to Antigua for debrief and back to the States on...

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Crisis of Honor

We have a crisis in our country. (The US, not Guatemala, though I’m sure it’s a problem here too). I am not referring to the budget crisis or the economic crisis or the crisis of Demi and Ashton no longer being together. It’s not the war on drugs or the war on poverty or the war for better education. No, it’s something deeper, arguably at the root of all of these. It’s a crisis of honor. I recently read Culture of Honor by Danny Silk. It revolutionized the way I look at leadership, particularly in the Christian setting. Every person is made in the image of...

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Divine Appointments

      Our first few weeks in Phnom Penh has been pretty amazing. I love the fast pace of the big city and the change of scenery. I know God has so many great things in store for my team and I in Phnom Penh and this week I was able to get a taste of it.         This week my team and I were able to work with an organization called "Precious Women". "Precious Women" is an organization that provides young girls a way out of sex trafficking. "Precious Women" has made the effort to reach out to the women in so many ways,...

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Worship (I love you more)

Again I find myself writing about worship. Just a few weeks back I posted a blog about Christians living a lifestyle of worship and how imperative that is to our spiritual health. Even now as I attempt to write about ministry this week, I'm brought back to this theme, and duly so, as I believe more and more every day that at the root of all the ministry I could write about is worship. I could write about the strangeness of feeling drained and void this week, and what God taught me through that.  Prayer that worshipped God restored me to life. I could write about going out to a bar...

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Grateful

The past couple of days for me have really been focused on thanking and praising God for His goodness.  I had a conversation with one of the boys at the orphanage that made me realize how I have taken some of the good things God has given me for granted.  The boy—who we will call Lon—is nineteen years old and he lives at the orphanage with his younger brother.  Lon is trying to finish up his last year of school and he would like to go on to study at an university.  As Lon and I were talking, he told me that he is the only Christian in his class and he always...

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I Forgot

Sometimes, I forget that God is good.  How ridiculous is that?  After all I’ve been through with him, all the times I’ve been swept away by his mercy and love and beauty…I have to admit that I just forget.   I don’t know why this past week was so difficult, when there are only three weeks left in the trip…? I don’t know why the team and I felt so puzzled and drained and frustrated.  All I know is that the gloom that strangely overcame me for a few days left me wiped out, and I realized that I hadn’t spent time with God...

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Opportunity Knocking at Your Door.

This past week was good ole’ thanksgiving. Being my first thanksgiving away from my family I was a bit sad but that feeling was wiped away with our lovely team thanksgiving dinner of chicken, KFC mashed potatoes, Dino Mac n’ cheese, cheese and crackers, corn, and stuffing brought from the US by one of my lovely leaders Elle. Following dinner we ate pumpkin pie, which I don’t usually like, but being in Cambodia it was a little slice of home.  Luckily I was given an opportunity to skype with my wonderful family and speak with my love. Being here has made me realize...

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You Are Good, So Good…

Let's go back in time a few months as I prepare to go on this trip… I remember one conversation I had with a very good friend of mine, Shelby Hurst. I remember her telling me how this trip was going to change my life. How this trip was going to save my life. I also remember sitting there thinking to myself, "Yeah, sure. I've done this kind of acting before, remember? Just get through it, see some awesome sights, and make a few friends." Yet, here I am with just two weeks left and I can already see a visible change in myself. This is not bragging about anything...

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A Baby in a Bar

     Tonight, I held a baby in a bar. This was the second time it happened. The first time was during our second visit to one of the bars and a 19-year old lady we got to know gave birth to a baby boy. But this was different. Because for the first time during this trip while I was holding this baby girl, tears started welling down my face.      Tonight’s schedule was to visit the prostitutes and beforehand, we made cards and bought chocolates to give to the women. We’ve been trying to go to the same bars and minister to the women we met the past...

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A Longing for Intimacy

God has been speaking intimacy over me a lot while I have been here in Guatemala. Specifically, I think, because I tend to get busy “doing” things for Him or the team and miss the whole point: Being in His presence. I have read two books outside of the Word of God that have helped me to see the value of sitting in the silence, “waiting on the LORD.” The books are Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning and Bridal Intercession by Gary Wiens.  I make mention of them because I recommend them as a helpful tool to enlighten you on how God feels about you and also the...

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Happy ‘Thanks Jesus’ Day!

So, they tell me that Thanksgiving is in a couple of days. I find this very hard to believe because there is no snow on the ground…In all reality, I’m in shorts and sweating and it’s not quite 8 AM. However, that does not mean we are not in the Thanksgiving mood around here! We are bringing Thanksgiving to Guatemala this year. My awesome teammate Sarah has devised the plan of hosting Thanksgiving and we have invited many of our friends we have made while being here (There are going to be 50 (mas or menos) people there)!...

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