Cease Striving

"Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10



2011 Zaruma Ecuador Medical Team

We had the second annual Ecuador Medical Mission trip in March 2011.  Our team was made up of approximately 40 people.  We had 8 different nationalities and a mix of different Ecuadorian cultures.  To be honest, the event seemed impossible to pull off.   Starting weeks and months in advance we began to work on the logistics.  Then the week before the trip was to start things started to go wrong.  One of the team members had to have an unexpected eye surgery and could not travel.  Two more were stopped before getting on the plane to Ecuador because of passport issues.  In the office in Ecuador, all the electronics began to quit working.  The phone and the internet only worked sporadically, my computer (the trip coordinator..) and the computer that was being used for the finances for the trip died completely.  The lights started going out randomly and the cell phone of the pastor in Zaruma quit working.  Many people got sick right before the trip and Gynecologist fell down a flight of stairs three days before we left.  With so many reasons to get discouraged and frustrated, it was an act of God that not only was everyone excited for what was to come but we were also filled with a supernatural peace.  I have the tendency to get stressed out when I am in charge of something big.  However, this trip was different.  We continually placed every part of the medical clinic in the hands of God, as Psalm 46:10 says, we ceased striving in ourselves and let God be God.  Things went very smoothly until Wednesday of the trip.  Everything started to feel a little off, plus I fell down a flight of stairs.  We began to pray over the area of the clinic as the spiritual struggle was strong.  By the end of the week we had seen about 1000 people for medicine and eyes glasses.  Over 150 people made personal commitment to Christ, for His glory.  Our faith grew as we also saw people crippled from arthritis, walking out with spring in their step after being prayed for.  One man who had a ringing in his ears for over 4 months was immediately healed when a woman placed her hands on his ears to pray.  There were so many things that happened like this.  We saw families reunited, marriages restored and a work began in each of us that continues to this day.  If you want to hear more about what happened just send me an email.

I am still in awe of the way that I was permitted to see the hand of God at work.  A hunger began in me during that week that I am still not able to quench.  Not a desire to see miracles but to put it as my friend explained: When Jesus turned the water into wine, it was a miracle.  The people closest to Jesus saw the water being changed, and the guests tasted the miracle.  They all participated in the miracle though many didn't even realize the incredible thing that happened.  I have too often been one of those in the crowd, just tasting God's miracles without seeing them.  I want to be so close to Jesus that it is only natural that I would see the miracles instead of just unknowingly experiencing them.  Each time I see and realized the amazing ways that He is working, my faith grows and I get closer to Him.  I want this to continue I want to know Him more.

Gabby, Kristen, Guillermo, and me

Radiant

Radiant.




Peace.     Joy.    



Smiling.   Singing.   Dancing.   Laughing.



"Tabitha there is something different about you" I heard this multiple times since I have arrived back in Ecuador from my almost six weeks in the USA. Yes there is. My roommate looked at me laughing "Tabitha, you are how you were when you first came to Ecuador, over two years ago." Yes I have to confess that by the time I left Ecuador in December 2010, I was stressed, insanely busy, tired, and in many ways worn down. What happened? What changed? God began to work in me starting in December concerning my prayer life. Many of you have heard me speaking about a small little book called "Power through Prayer" by E.M. Bounds. God used this book to alter the way that I live. If you get a chance read this book, don't skim it, read it. 100 pages. It took me two months. Those of you who know how I read should know that this says a lot. I have begun to learn the art and importance of taking everything to the Lord in prayer. I have been back for two weeks now, yet still no stress. Please don't think that I am saying that I have nothing to do because if anything my responsibilities have gotten bigger. Rather, I am learning to trust God, from visas to weather to a bus for 40 people. I would like to share a little story about ways that I am seeing God's faithfulness because I am bringing my worries to Him instead of trying to control them myself.

Since I have been home I have been going to the church service for young people on Saturday nights. It is very common to have services like these on Saturday nights in Ecuador. My church, however, has one of the latest starting times, 8pm. It might not seem like an issue but when you count in that all services last for at least an hour and that they never start on time.. it means we don't get out until 10:30pm. Typically the buses stop running regularly around 10pm. I need to take two buses to get from my house to church, or I can walk about a mile. At night it is not safe to walk so I normally go with friends. These last two weeks none of my friends from the area have been going. But I still wanted to go to church so I decided to go anyways. The first Saturday I took a safe taxi from my house (they are not always available) to the church. When I arrived I realized that none of the 30+ people that I knew at the church were there. So instead of worrying I just asked God to help me find a safe way home. Towards the end of the worship time, a girl appeared out of nowhere giving me a huge hug. "Cousin!" She excited cried. Not quite.. She realized her mistake very quickly and began to apologize profusely as she sat down next to me. I was not offended but found the situation a little funny as I have never before been mistaken for a latina. At the end of the service she took me to meet her boyfriend. After talking for a while he asked me "How will you return home?" I just smiled and said that I had been praying about that as it was too late to walk or take the bus. He was appalled that I would even consider either of those options as I don't really blend in here and they offered to drop me off at my house. If that wasn't enough, the following Saturday the same situation happened. So I took the bus this time, with bible in hand just in case... I prayed as I neared the bus stop "God this is a dark two blocks, please protect me" and at the stop a young man with an 'I love Jesus' bracelet on his hand, also got off the bus and began to walk the same direction as me. Once again after arriving a random friend found me and at the end of the service offered me a ride home. I told them the whole story on the way to my house and explained how they were another answer to prayer. Maybe all those things would have happened even if I had worried about them but I wouldn't have seen the faithfulness of the Lord and my faith would not have grown. I know that God will take care of me. I am not sure what that will entail but I have complete confidence that He will.

Isaiah 26:3 says

"You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you."

I believe that this is a constant choice, to steadfastly choose to trust God each day. So to say that I am beginning to learn to trust God is the most that I can say. I guess we will see where this leads. I do know though that a life lived in peace is so much better than the other option!

truth #33: lions, tigirillo and root canals, OH MY

And there I was in a face down with Pumba's wife and three kids.  I was in a dilemma as the bathroom lay directly in the middle of our face down.  Yet every move forward I made, she hunkered down as though she thought mauling my shin was the primary objective of her life.  I was on the point of forgoing the much needed facilities when Pumba himself stepped in to call his family over.  I watched as the trotted off together five tails held high in the air.

South Africa, a land full of interesting animals and the site of the 2010 AIDSLink International symposium.   I was invited to this join this symposium about three weeks before it started as the original representative for Latin America confirmed that she could not make it.  Then I found myself starting a almost 2 day journey on the 29th of October.  The meetings were enlightening and very encouraging as we are all trying to combat this pandemic of HIV and AIDS through giving hope and support.  We are hoping to see the presence of AIDSLink growing in Latin America in the coming years.  This is one aspect of the work that I do while in Ecuador.  As I had three days to wait after the end of the symposium to head back to Ecuador, I stayed at the home of one of my friends.  They were extremely kind and hospitable and took me to see many interesting things, like the warthogs pictured above. 

Three days before heading out to South Africa, I headed to the dentist for my first check up and cleaning in two years.  The dentist can be a scary person to many of you but I was confident that a cleaning couldn't be too bad.  Well I sit down in the chair and my dentist starts poking around, next thing I hear after a string of spanish words was a phrase something like this "Well, the only thing left to do is to extract it".  My blood ran cold.  I am pretty sure she saw the terror in my wide eyes because she grabbed my arm reassuringly and said "Not the tooth honey, the root".  My blood only warmed slightly as I realized that the big train bearing down on me spelled out "Root canal" and ten seconds later it had started... If any of you have shared in this wretched experience you probably won't believe me when I say I walked out and hour later a very happy camper.  Yes that is right, happy.  You see I have had a problem with a tooth on the right side of my mouth for over 2 years and for the first time in two years I could actually chew on the right side of my mouth without pain!  I am still adjusting! 

About three days after getting back from South Africa, I headed out on a first time ever Youth weekend with the youth from Santay Island.  We took them to a beach about 2 hours away from their Island and Guayaquil.  As their island is in the middle of a muddy river, this was the first time for them to have seen and swam in the sea.  We also stopped by KFC on the way back, also the first time for many of them to have eaten this fast food.  It was a great weekend, we were able to make some of those fragile yet highly meaningful connections that make youth ministry work. 

My friend Clarice arrived one week later on the 22nd of November.  She went on the line-up trip that Darren and I put together for Zaruma.  Zaruma is a little town on the side of a mountain to the south of Ecuador. We are planning our next medical trip to this town in the first week of March.  We were very impressed with the small church there and the way that the whole community was excited about this upcoming clinic.  There we were introduced to the typical plate of Tigirillo.  This is the name of a small wild cat that lives in Ecuador (Santay Island boasts of having several that kills the chickens and dogs, I even heard a few weeks ago that it killed and ate half a horse!).  But come to find out this typical food is vegetarian!  It is fried egg mixed with cheese and mashed plantain.  It was good!  We arrived back to Guayaquil on Thanksgiving day.  The celebration didn't happen for us though until the weekend.  On Saturday in line with what we did last year, the Americans banned together (with some help from our ecuadorian friends) and put on a full fledged thanksgiving dinner for our OM family.  We had turkey, dressing, hot rolls, salad, fruit salad, green beans, gravy, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and even cranberry sauce!!  

Five days later, after Clarice returned home (thanks for the visit Clarice!!!) and after another volcano cloud of ash, I flew to Quito for several meetings with pastors and new missionaries that we will be sending out in January.  It was a very fruitful trip and I also did some hunting for a venue to put a HIV conference in May.  We did at one point go off on a 4 hour search to find a Convent that has place for events but only found a house of nuns without options for events...  Though I half desired to join the convent to escape my endlessly busy life, I reluctantly decided not to on the basis of differences of faith.  I returned back to Guayaquil just in time for the start of the holiday season.  Sunday we celebrated Sinterklaas, not to be confused with Santa Claus as Sinterklaas is turkish, claimed by the Spanish yet honored by the Dutch on December the 5th.  We pulled out our wooden shoes... oh wait we didn't actually do that part..  We pulled out the mystery gifts from Sinterklaas and the poems attached.  After everyone opening their gifts we all began to guess our Sinterklaas.  It was a fun event for all of our team.  Soon we will be on to Celebrating Christmas with our families.  I am very excited about this part.  Christ's birth is such a great time to renew hope considering that it was His birth into the world that brought us the long awaited hope.   It will also be nice to see my family...

OH MY!  Yes it has been an incredibly crazy time!  I would say that this part (the OH MY) would represent my just about sinfully crazy schedule.  I must stop!  I am snatching times to read a book by EM Bounds called Power through Prayer.  I want to have that kind of prayer life.  It is hard to do so at times when you are running all the time.  Sometimes I need to just stop and realize that I must take time for my relationship with God, that is what it is all about anyways.  What am I working so hard towards?  Sending missionaries?  Why? So that people can hear about and know God like I do?  But if I am not taking the time for a relationship then how can I preach to people about knowing God?  Ministry is important, yes, but always, remember what it is all about.  Knowing God!

South Africa

http://picasaweb.google.com/tabk219/SouthAfrica?feat=directlink

truth #32: locked in

The day started as normal.  Eyes barely open, a cup of coffee and off to work.  After a brief office meeting, we hear news that the police are demonstrating in Quito (the capital).  They said that the police were going on strike.  Quito felt so far away so I just though, ok Quito.  Then ten minutes later our leader informs us that it isn't just the police in Quito, but the police nation wide decided to go on strike.  I don't know about you but when I think about strikes, I think about factorys, nurses, and construction sites.. not police.  A day without consequences, a day without security.  Four banks were robbed before they could shut down, multiple local businesses looted, vandalism, assaults, murder.. The buses stopped running, the taxis too as they were being robbed right and left.  The streets were left empty, a very eerie calm on the largest city in Ecuador.  We stayed together in the office working on the normal activities while keeping one eye on the news.   In the afternoon we started to get a bit more concerned as all the channels were taken over by the government channel.  The events kept unfolding, the president in the hospital, the hospital being surrounded by angry police, the president rescued.  Was it an attempted coup?  Was it political?  Was it just angry police about their benefits being cut?  Who knows? 

We don't know all of the implications that this event will have on the future of Ecuador but it has brought to light something that we had wanted to put as our prayer focus for October before this even happened.  Violence in Ecuador has been escalating.  And as Ephesians 6:12 says "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  We want to combat these occurances with prayer.  We are asking for you during the month of October to pray for the situation of violence in Ecuador, in Guayaquil and in Quito.  Pray for the safety of our team as we travel almost daily in public transportation to our different ministry projects all over the city. 

truth #31: By Faith... they were sawn in two

"By Faith" or "Por Fe" is the motto of one of my friends here in Ecuador, Quicke (pronounced Kee-Kay).  I have thought hard about how to update all of you on my last two months.  So much has happened, so little time to consider it all.  I think that this motto of "by faith" helps to sum it all up.  The summer has been extra busy with four extra short-term helpers and a mission school going on.  We are also in the process of sending four missionaries.  And you would think that a person who has done some of the things that I have done would find this whole idea of living by faith a little easier. 

Maybe it is my perfectionistic tendencies that sometimes make me a bit of a control addict..  Maybe it is my rationalism that quickly adds 2 and 2 which we all know equals 4.. Maybe it is these things that are working together to keep me from seeing or make me doubt how God can work.  What saddens me is that when I am faced with seemingly difficult to impossible situations my first response is "Yes, God can do it" until a little times passes and my doubts set in.  Then it seems that the moment that I give in to my doubts, God opens a door I thought was shut and sealed.  Why am I so easy to lose faith? 

My friend, Quicke, who I mentioned earlier is the last of our four missionaries that we are sending out this August to get his visa.  In fact, as of this very moment he still doesn't have his visa and he needs to be boarding a plane at the latest in 12 days!  He waited a little late to start applying for the visa, it was one and a half months. They wouldn't even give him an appointment at one european consulate until after his leaving date!  So on the off chance that another consulate from another european country would grant him the visa, he went up to the capital, Quito, to try.  We were all praying for him and then we received the call.  "They said that I had all the right papers, only that they couldn't give me the visa, it has to be the first consulate that we went to, the one who wouldn't give me the appointment until after my leaving date".  I was so discouraged, everyone was.  Why did it seem that God who has been leading Quicke for the past 10 years into service with OM would shut the doors at the last moment?  Within two hours I got another call from Quicke.  "Tabitha, you will never guess what happened, the first consulate called me to tell me that I have an appointment with them tomorrow morning!!"  I was ashamed for my doubts.  The next day I was anxiously waiting (last thursday) to hear if he got the visa.  Instead he told me that they asked for more papers and told him to come back the 18th, five days before he had to be leaving Ecuador...  After explain the situation again they agreed to give him an earlier appointment, tomorrow morning at 10:30am, Wednesday the 11th of August, twelve days before he needs to leave.  So once again I am torn with the fear that they will deny his visa or keep asking for more papers until it is impossible for him to go.  But it cannot be, we know that this is where God is leading, we know that He can open impossible doors.  Another friend who knows Quicke well said to me, "Tabitha, Quicke has always said about situations, 'por fe' now it is time that God is testing that faith". 

I have been thinking hard on the subject of faith now for some weeks.  In doing so I have read Hebrews 11.  Verse one says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  In parts of this chapter good things come to those who are living by faith, and to other some pretty bad things, like being sawn in two.  So what does faith mean?  That if we pray for something and have faith that God will give us what we want?  That isn't faith.  Faith is putting every hope we have in the very character of who God is.  It is believing with everything that we have what He tells us and holding to it, obeying it, no matter how silly it might seems like building a big boat in the middle of dry land before cranes and semi-trucks.  I want faith like that but I still think a little part of me is scared of it. 

Please pray for Quicke today, for peace, the right words, and for a visa because at this point the visa would be a miracle. 

Quicke

truth #30: Kidnapped and still I hope

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us and eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison..

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Monday morning comes around again just as is has every week this year.  Our team met together to study 2 Corinthians 4.  It was my turn to lead the devotional, we talked about the physical dangers and trials that Paul and his companions faced.  It amazes me how a man who was shipwrecked twice, beaten, mocked, insulted, and suffered much could call it all "momentary, light affliction".  Little did we know what would happen in the next 36 hours. 

Darren (South African) had his birthday last week but as a group of us were in Saraguro again we had been unable to celebrate together.  He invited everyone to go eat with him at a nice restaurant in a nearby neighborhood.  Seventeen of us ate and laughed together until all the food was gone and we were all stuffed!  It was a great time of fellowship.  As we left the restaurant we realized that the 17 of us would not fit into the three available cars.  So after a moments discussion the remaining eight divided up.  We girls sent the three guys in a taxi and we went with our friend in his car.  I felt bad that they would have to pay and almost asked one to change with me but then decided not to.  We arrived at my apartment to watch a movie together and after about 30 we realized that the three guys who took the taxi were not yet at my apartment.  Darren, Michael (the married Dutch guy) and our Ecuadorian friend Christian were still gone.  I called Darren.  No answer.  I called Christian.  After two rings a man answered in rapid Spanish saying that he was busy and would call me back.  I thought that was strange.  So I called Darren again.  The same man answered saying the same thing.  The voice was not from any of the guys.  I began to realize that something was very wrong.  Michael's wife Anneke also realized that something was wrong and became very worried.  After another hour, many phone calls, and three cars out searching the neighborhoods, we got news from the police.  Yes, the guys were fine, and yes they had been victims of what is called 'express kidnapping'.  Their taxi driver was friends with other guys with guns.  He drove the three unsuspecting guys to a street with few cars and another taxi blocked their way.  Two gunmen entered the car with our friends, putting a gun to Michael's side and to Darren's head.  They were robbed of everything, Michael's six dollars, watches, eye glasses, cellphones and Darren's ATM card.  They demanded his PIN number and then drove to an ATM to make sure it worked.  They took out several hundred dollars.  After driving them around for a while longer they stopped and told the guys to get out of the car.  They got out and ran like crazy until they found a police officer.  They returned unharmed but a bit shaken.  We were all a bit shaken. 

Tuesday morning we left to visit the Children's hospital.  This has always been a hard ministry as we see very sick children, some terminal and hear their situations.  This day was difficult for me.  I saw as I passed the first room a little boy, Kevin.  He was the very first kid that I talked with when I first came to the hospital in February.  He has not been in the hospital all this time but has come, gone and come again.  I asked one of the workers what was his story as this seven year old with arms and legs just skin and bones and a bloated stomach, didn't talk much, despite of his beautiful smile.  She told me "ah yes Kevin.  His father died, his mother has basically abandoned him and he lives with his aunt.  She doesn't take very good care of him and doesn't give him his meds on time that is why he is getting worse and has to return to the hospital.  Kevin has a brain tumor and it is effecting one of his eyes now too.  He is also HIV+."  This precious kid who is just seven years old is "decaying", he is being robbed of life.  I don't know if he is being renewed spiritually but that is why we go and keep going. 

These days I am faced with how little hope this world offers.  It preaches health and safety and how these things will bring you hope.  But they don't, because they can be taken away, in an instant or over many years.  It is not my intention to do things stupidly, we will all take more care in choosing taxi's, however, my hope and my trust is in the God, the I AM, the Creator.  I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but it doesn't matter because I will choose to live today with my trust in God and my eyes fixed on Christ.   Wherever He leads I will go. 

truth #29: The angel and the demon

The last evening of our adventures in Saraguro, we took a little trip South of town.  Darren and I went to visit Angelita, the sister-in-law of one of the church members.  Angelita is a wife, mother, and grandmother.  When we arrived the young grandchildren were playing and laughing all around the porch.  She greeted us with a huge smile and absently waved the grandkids aside as she set out the two chairs for us to sit down.  As we started to talk with her it became obvious that she just considered us as kids.  "Now marriage, you shouldn't believe what everyone makes that out to be! It isn't rainbows and butterflies."  She had a very cynical view of marriage as her many years had only brought her pain.  He husband was a drunk and always came home in the same state.  Any time we tried to break in she would begin again on another diatribe.  Then her face froze, she whispered almost to herself "he is yelling".  Then she said softly to us, "my husband is coming home and from his yelling I can tell that he is drunk."  She jumped up and began shooing the grandkids into a back room, ordering them to hide.  I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable so I asked if we should leave.  She said "No, don't worry."  So we just waited as the yelling got closer, conversation was pointless as we could focus on nothing else.  Darren then asked me quietly if I would switch seats with him as my seat was next to the entrance and his was a little further back.  I complied and then the husband arrived.  He was yelling all sorts of curse words in Spanish, I knew a few as those are not on my vocabulary list! Then as he reeled into the entrance he caught sight of Darren.  He yelled "He PUSHED me!" and then began to pummel Darren with drunken blows.  We were a bit in shock over what was happening but Darren only calmly raised his forearm to protect himself from the blows.  It was a trick that he was taught from his previous roommate from the Netherlands who had been a police officer.  Angelita jumped at her husband and her two daughters came out to help.  The wrestled him to the stairs where he slowly quit yelling.  They then shoved him up the stairs the whole time telling him to be quiet and just go to sleep.  During this part the kids came out again, very subdued.  We smiled reassuringly and shared the gospel to them through the Evangecube.  Darren also explained to the kids how to best protect themselves if the drunken man tried to hit them. 
When Angelita came back and sat down with us she was also very subdued.  She quit trying to deflect our questions as I shared with her how special are the children of God.  How those who are His children are princes and princesses and that He cares for them.  She listened quietly, soaking in our words. We prayed with her before we left.  She prayed to give control of her life to Christ.  God used such a horrible situation to open her ears and eyes to see God's love for her.