Seeds Sown & Planes Flown.

From the 30th of May until the 30th of July we held the 2011 Transcultural Communication and Mission School in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Fourteen student participated from three different countries. It was an incredible time. I was highly involved in the logistical details and the classroom side of the school. This school was such an encouragement and blessing to me as I had been praying for the students by name since March. Truly lives were changed during the school, and not just the students! There were four weeks of outreaches throughout Ecuador. They ministered to churches, schools and a children's foundation. Some of the fruit is already showing from this school as we sent out one of the fourteen this morning for the OM Ship.  There are three more scheduled to go out in January, plus several others who are still working on the details on where to go.  It is days like these that I LOVE my job!  

On the other side of the coin we have had a lot of goodbyes lately.  First we had to say goodbye to the fourteen students who are wrapped firmly around our hearts.  Next the three short-term helpers who were here in June and July: Kyndall from the USA, Niklas from Germany, and Marcel from Switzerland.  I had the privilege to lead the team of short-termers and they not only helped to fill in the gaps that were left by our staff needing to teach and mentor in the school but they also added greatly to the ministries themselves.  We were able to do a special empowerment program in the Children's hospital during those two months.  Also our dear friend and co-worker Seth Rikard, has finished his two year commitment and is heading for Oxford to study apologetics.  We are so excited for him but yet sad for the gaping hole that is left here in Ecuador.

                               Our dear friends, Seth and Wendy

May God bless you with a restless discomfort

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.


May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Savior,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide,
be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.

AMEN

It has been two days since I first read the Franciscan Blessing, and I cannot get it out of my head.  Then this morning in our team devotional this scripture was read that to be honest I never recall hearing before. 

Jeremiah 22:16
"He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
Is not that what it means to know me?"
Declares the Lord

For months, years, my heart has been crying out for those who are oppressed, for the injustices of the world, for those in poverty and the hate and bitterness that causes us to lash out blindly at anyone weaker than us.   Where we are working these atrocities pour out abundantly, in a personal way that makes it hard to ignore and forget like we might do with the stories on the news or the horror stories that are beginning to be so common in families and communities now days.  But it isn't enough.  What we are doing isn't enough, you must join in this fight.  I don't want to tell sad stories but trust me I have plenty.  It would be pointless if guilt pushed you into doing something in this fight.  I plead with you to fall on your knees and beg God to cover you and fill you with this blessing.  Only with Him will we be able to make a difference. 

Another recent reason that is adding to my burden for the oppressed is a new project that we will hopefully begin implementing in the local children's hospital where I volunteer every week.  The majority of patients are from families in extreme poverty, often needing to choose between buying food or medicines.  I have been discussing with the doctors possible opportunities and projects that we could put into place during the two months were we have short-term volunteers.  Just last week I agreed to write up a project concerning patient empowerment, but not just in relation to their situation as a patient but also in their everyday lives as well.  I have struggled in writing this project as we will be facing many challenges, such as a high turnover in the participants, varied age ranges, some participants with illiteracy, and most who are not from the area.  However, these are the desired results from our project:
- Empowerment leading to more personal responsibility for health situation thus creating less dependence on the doctors and staff leading to a more holistic health care.
- A presence of more positive attitudes and an improvement in staff/patient relationships.
- An understanding how God desires to see empowered people turning away from hopelessness and helplessness.
- A deeper understanding of the role of community in our personal struggles and how we effect our community.

Tomorrow I will present the idea to the head doctors on the wing where I volunteer.  I appreciate your prayers towards the success of this endeavor against the mindset of poverty.    

A mealybugs life...

Some of you may already know this but I love plants. I love mine so much that most have names and they get talked to in two languages. I adopt new ones as often as I can and have to be torn away from plant stores. Once when I was walking to the local pharmacy to cure a current sickness, I passed a man pushing his flower and plant cart. I resisted the temptation on the way but just couldn't help myself on the way back. The new addition was called Orphan Annie. No worries she has a home now. One of my first plants was Rosa (picture) and her sister Maria. There have been times in which my plants have died because of the heat of Guayaquil, and even the emergency treatment of being put into the fridge for the third time didn't help. Poor Meryl. Then there have been the plants that have died in my absence, I like to think that they missed me but I have a feeling that the soil got a little too dry. And there have been others that have succumbed to pests. One of these being, mealybugs. They are nasty little bugs covered in a white cottony substance and seem to multiply overnight. One of my plants, Aqua, was almost furry from the sheer abundance of mealybugs. I was sure that I was about to lose another plant when beholding the wonders of google, I found a solution that didn't involve chemicals. Dish soap and warm water. So I gave my plant a scrubbing like it has never known and now three days later it is relatively free of mealybugs. According to the instructions I will have to repeat the process in a week and then keep an eye out to see if they come back. I tell you this whole story to explain what I was thinking about. Our bad habits are a bit like mealybugs, better liked by some people than others but completely disastrous to all. I don't know about you, but I seem to have a lot of bad habits. Yes it should not surprise you to hear that a missionary has struggles too. Experiencing this situation with my plants made me realize that I tend to fall for the same patterns and listen to the same lies. I work through it with God and then for a while things are good but then I get distracted and busy not allowing God to examine me and wash off the lies. Then I turn into a fuzzy gross messy only realizing when it seem that I have caused damage what has happened. Then here comes the spray bottle and God helps me to clear out the lies again. The funny thing about mealybugs is that if you have a plant infested with these you must separate it from the others, especially the weak plants, because they will transfer and start to grow a colony there. We should be careful who we are around all the time because as much as we don't like to admit it, their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors begin to rub off on us. Now just as my plants do go moving themselves (yes that would be scary if it happened), we also should be careful about judging others, this is when we need to turn to the Gardener and let Him show us. Because how ironic would that be if we start pointing fingers at someone because they have mealybugs when you are covered with scales... Love others, clean your leaves, and listen to the Gardener.

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.