I tried but.................
I tried to post this last trip blog from Bolivia, but I had a little @ problem. You see, the @ key on the computer in our hotel in La Paz didn't work.
Since I don't know a work around for typing my password without the @ key I just sat there looking at the screen feeling kind of helpless. Sort of like many of the residents of Horno Ckasa B. Just there, kind of helpless, not really knowing how to tap into the world around them.
The @ key seems so insignificant. In fact, how much did we even think about the @ key before the internet? It was hardly ever used. But not today, any respectable websurfer wouldn't be caught dead without their @ key.
All those years the @ key just sat there, waiting for it's day to open a whole knew world of information to us.
Seems alot like God in HCB. To some He seems pretty insignificant, not of much use. The problems are much bigger than mere religion can fix.
And so...He sits, waiting for the families of the community to realize He opens a whole new world of richness to them.
Just like I can't connect to the web without that pesky @ key, none of us can connect to the real purpose we were made for without Him.
He is gentle and patient, and so He waits, prompting, drawing and calling. He has called workers to make Him known in Bolivia. MCC is part of that team of workers. It is a priviledge to partner with Him in restoring HCB and the world to relationship with Him.
He is not insignificant, and neither is the work He has called us to do. It was a blessing to see Him at work this week in Bolivia.
July just can't come soon enough!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
If you can read this, thank a teacher....
We´ve seen that slogan on lots of bumpers in the U.S. And it´s a true statement, although you probably ought to thank Mom, Dad ,Gramps, Aunt Sue and a number of other people too.
If you live in Horno Ckasa B, you should thank Ovidio, Ellie, Davide, Jhonny and most of the other FH staff.
Your parents probably won´t have much to do with you learning it, or much enthusiasm either. Reading is just not that important to most of the residents of HCB.
We heard today from Ovidio that if you don´t learn to read you probably won´t get a good job and be able to take care of your family. You´ll miss lots of life´s richeness...and most importantly it will more difficult to live out God´s plan for your life.
The MCC Team spent the day in reading classes with the FH Technicos. Wow... they are teachers on steroids.
I say that because they are doing more than teaching students to read..... or do math.... or learn grammar. It´s a different process. I´ve been trying to find a name to describe this process since my first trip here. Something about it captivates your mind and spirit when you see it.
Today, I figured out what the process is. It´s discipleship. What FH does with children and families is true discipleship, like Jesus did it.
Living with andwalking through life with people. Taking the time necessary to pour your own life in to them. It´s patiently teaching Biblical life principles in practical ways, and then spending enough time with your students to show them how to apply it.
If MCC could learn to disciple like they do it here, the East Mountains would be a different place. God would be made much of as we were all better transformed.
That may be the most important local application for us of this relationship with HCB, to learn from them how to make Him look good by reconciling the mind, bodies and souls of those He puts in our path.
The only thing that could make it better would be learning to make chicken fried steak like they do, it was awesome tonight! Muy delicisoso!!
Marv
We´ve seen that slogan on lots of bumpers in the U.S. And it´s a true statement, although you probably ought to thank Mom, Dad ,Gramps, Aunt Sue and a number of other people too.
If you live in Horno Ckasa B, you should thank Ovidio, Ellie, Davide, Jhonny and most of the other FH staff.
Your parents probably won´t have much to do with you learning it, or much enthusiasm either. Reading is just not that important to most of the residents of HCB.
We heard today from Ovidio that if you don´t learn to read you probably won´t get a good job and be able to take care of your family. You´ll miss lots of life´s richeness...and most importantly it will more difficult to live out God´s plan for your life.
The MCC Team spent the day in reading classes with the FH Technicos. Wow... they are teachers on steroids.
I say that because they are doing more than teaching students to read..... or do math.... or learn grammar. It´s a different process. I´ve been trying to find a name to describe this process since my first trip here. Something about it captivates your mind and spirit when you see it.
Today, I figured out what the process is. It´s discipleship. What FH does with children and families is true discipleship, like Jesus did it.
Living with andwalking through life with people. Taking the time necessary to pour your own life in to them. It´s patiently teaching Biblical life principles in practical ways, and then spending enough time with your students to show them how to apply it.
If MCC could learn to disciple like they do it here, the East Mountains would be a different place. God would be made much of as we were all better transformed.
That may be the most important local application for us of this relationship with HCB, to learn from them how to make Him look good by reconciling the mind, bodies and souls of those He puts in our path.
The only thing that could make it better would be learning to make chicken fried steak like they do, it was awesome tonight! Muy delicisoso!!
Marv
Monday, March 15, 2010
Fixing Families
The Team got a little dirty today. We started digging footings for the new Family Strengthening Center.
FH will use this facility for tutoring, teaching families the importance of putting God first in all they do and helping husbands and wives overcome the tyranny of a world broken by sin.
The best part of the construction was when Colton chased the girls around with a slug someone dug up.
This afternoon we accompanied the Technicos on the home visits with families enrolled in the FH program. It was amazing.
The Technicos are very skilled at talking to people in the most difficult materially poor conditions about God´s plan for them. The Technicos visit each family at least three times per year to personally check in to see where FH might help. These three visits are in additon to all the other programs and trainings FH provides for them.
At each visit we saw the whole gospel presented. God´s desire to restore the richness and dignity we lost in the fall, and the restoration that can only come through the blood of Christ, shed for the sins of the whole world.
The conversations were so practical, so Biblical and so well done. It inspires us to find ways to address the spiritual and physical poverty in our own community in more effective ways.
Even in the midst of the despair and pain in these neighborhoods we met people who serve God whole heartedly and are therefore not really poor at all. Life is hard for them, they need much...but the work of God in them is obvious.
At times in the west where we have so much we miss our own need for that whole hearted devotion to the One Who gave His life for us.
As Victor Cortez, FH´s Guatemala country director said, some people are so poor, all they have is money.
May God fulfill His desire for richness in Horno Ckasa B, Cedar Crest and the whole world.
Marv
The Team got a little dirty today. We started digging footings for the new Family Strengthening Center.
FH will use this facility for tutoring, teaching families the importance of putting God first in all they do and helping husbands and wives overcome the tyranny of a world broken by sin.
The best part of the construction was when Colton chased the girls around with a slug someone dug up.
This afternoon we accompanied the Technicos on the home visits with families enrolled in the FH program. It was amazing.
The Technicos are very skilled at talking to people in the most difficult materially poor conditions about God´s plan for them. The Technicos visit each family at least three times per year to personally check in to see where FH might help. These three visits are in additon to all the other programs and trainings FH provides for them.
At each visit we saw the whole gospel presented. God´s desire to restore the richness and dignity we lost in the fall, and the restoration that can only come through the blood of Christ, shed for the sins of the whole world.
The conversations were so practical, so Biblical and so well done. It inspires us to find ways to address the spiritual and physical poverty in our own community in more effective ways.
Even in the midst of the despair and pain in these neighborhoods we met people who serve God whole heartedly and are therefore not really poor at all. Life is hard for them, they need much...but the work of God in them is obvious.
At times in the west where we have so much we miss our own need for that whole hearted devotion to the One Who gave His life for us.
As Victor Cortez, FH´s Guatemala country director said, some people are so poor, all they have is money.
May God fulfill His desire for richness in Horno Ckasa B, Cedar Crest and the whole world.
Marv
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day two and we ate too much....
It was a great day in Horno Ckasa B, had a celebration with some families in the neighborhood.
Thanks Elisa, the puzzle crafts were a huge hit with the children, they ran around showing them off all afternoon.
And Barb, the hot pad object lesson was perfect. The women left with hot pads reminding them that they are to care for and protect their families. They loved them!
Some of us from MCC taught family strengthening sessions, it was awesome to see God allow us to make those kind of connections with the community.
After the celebration the team had the most amazing ice cream at the park, and climbed a big tower.
Dinner was muy bueno, huge plates of Bolivian nachos, lasagna, BBQ pork and fried yucca..bet we could make that in New Mexico.
Tomorrow we work some construction and then visit community homes with the FH Technicos, they are the staff who work directly with families. There are currently four technicos, each visiting 130 families or so. They do eight visits a day, about an hour per visit. In each visit they help the families learn that God is the solution to their problems caused by poverty .
Pray God uses us for His good Name.
It was a great day in Horno Ckasa B, had a celebration with some families in the neighborhood.
Thanks Elisa, the puzzle crafts were a huge hit with the children, they ran around showing them off all afternoon.
And Barb, the hot pad object lesson was perfect. The women left with hot pads reminding them that they are to care for and protect their families. They loved them!
Some of us from MCC taught family strengthening sessions, it was awesome to see God allow us to make those kind of connections with the community.
After the celebration the team had the most amazing ice cream at the park, and climbed a big tower.
Dinner was muy bueno, huge plates of Bolivian nachos, lasagna, BBQ pork and fried yucca..bet we could make that in New Mexico.
Tomorrow we work some construction and then visit community homes with the FH Technicos, they are the staff who work directly with families. There are currently four technicos, each visiting 130 families or so. They do eight visits a day, about an hour per visit. In each visit they help the families learn that God is the solution to their problems caused by poverty .
Pray God uses us for His good Name.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sucre Finally!
Thanks to all of you who prayed for our trip today, well actually yesterday and today.
You don´t get to Sucre in one day....
After lots of weather delays, some documentation problems that required a 10 pm cab ride to the Miami Airport´s closest CVS drugstore for Visa photos ...... and engine trouble that meant we couldn´t land in La Paz, we finally dive bombed onto the Sucre airport runway about 1 pm Saturday.
We spent the afternoon with the FH staff, learning about some of their newest strategies for strengthing HCB´s families. The core principle is that God created us to live richly, and we do that when we pattern our lives after His ways.
We could use a little of that stuff in Los Estdos Unidos as well
We also spent the afternoon eating some of the most awesome food prepared by Nut Del, the micro enterprise catering business started by 8 high school girls. It was muy ricco. You eat practically non-stop when visiting FH Bolivia.
Tomorrow the Team works with a local church, Shekina, (their pastor is named Elvis, cool huh?) and FH on a community family ministry day. Chris, Von and Tom will be teaching men how to build God´s character in their families. Audelia will be teaching the women and the rest of us will be working with the children.
Pray God´s blessing and His Kingdom come to Sucre. Many thanks for your prayers.
Marv
You don´t get to Sucre in one day....
After lots of weather delays, some documentation problems that required a 10 pm cab ride to the Miami Airport´s closest CVS drugstore for Visa photos ...... and engine trouble that meant we couldn´t land in La Paz, we finally dive bombed onto the Sucre airport runway about 1 pm Saturday.
We spent the afternoon with the FH staff, learning about some of their newest strategies for strengthing HCB´s families. The core principle is that God created us to live richly, and we do that when we pattern our lives after His ways.
We could use a little of that stuff in Los Estdos Unidos as well
We also spent the afternoon eating some of the most awesome food prepared by Nut Del, the micro enterprise catering business started by 8 high school girls. It was muy ricco. You eat practically non-stop when visiting FH Bolivia.
Tomorrow the Team works with a local church, Shekina, (their pastor is named Elvis, cool huh?) and FH on a community family ministry day. Chris, Von and Tom will be teaching men how to build God´s character in their families. Audelia will be teaching the women and the rest of us will be working with the children.
Pray God´s blessing and His Kingdom come to Sucre. Many thanks for your prayers.
Marv
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The MCC Bolivia Team leaves on Friday, March 12, 2010
Hi everybody:
Please pray for our team members as they depart for Bolivia and throughout the whole week.
For those who don't know, our travelers are:
Marvin Procter
Chris Willadsen
Tom Young
Ron Romero
Stephanie Romero
Sammi Gutierrez
Taylor Morgan
Audelia Trujillo
Rob Powell
Colton Powell
Von Trullinger
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