the gift of perspective

 

several weeks ago i had the privilege of taking our dominican sports staff across the border to phaeton, haiti.  GO ministries partners with pastor lucner and his wife, marie, and we are currently building a church and nutrition center in their community.  every year, after hosting several american short term mission teams, our sports staff goes on their own short term mission trip to serve outside of their own community.  for the first time, we acquired passports and visas and headed over the border to our neighboring country to join our construction crew in building the church/nutrition center.  aside from being excited to help further our ministry project in phaeton, i felt like God was paving the way for us to take this trip for a specific reason.  this trip was about perspective. 

 

every year we host over 1,000 americans that come down to serve for a week in the dominican republic and haiti.  most of them have never left the country before.  most of them do not speak spanish.  most of them have not spent time in the dominican cultlure.  most of them have not eaten chicken, rice and beans for 7 straight days before.  most of them have not tied rebar with a piece of metal and a wire.  most of them have not ridden in traffic like the DR has to offer.  so, needless to say, there is always conversation about different perspectives that have been gained while on their mission trip.  this year i wanted our sports staff to have a similar experience by going on a trip to haiti. 

 

by going on this trip, our guys were in a very similar situation as an American group would be in the DR because they don't speak creole.  they don't usually sleep in tents.  they weren't able to eat their favorite rice, beans and chicken for lunch every day.  instead they ate fish, bread and popcorn.  the sun is much more intense in haiti.  there was no cold water to drink.  there was no electricity.  they bathed in the bay.  there was no colmado (corner store) to buy snacks.  so, at the end of the trip, i asked the guys to write about their experiences and here are a few quotes:

 

"this was a unique trip for me.  i was able to reflect upon how i need to value what i have rather than complain because the little that i do have would be considered a lot to other people.  God, forgive me"

 

"i learned that there are others that have greater need than i do"

 

"God will use anyone who is willing as an instrument to expand His Word.  if we are willing to sacrifice our time and show love to others, we can be an instrument of blessings to others"

 

"during this trip, i learned to help others in ways i didn't expect"

 

Many of these comments sound very similar to something an american says after returning from a

mission trip to a third world country.  the perspective i gained from this experience is that it doesn't matter if we come from the united states or if we are a dominican making less than $6,000 per year (like the majority of the sports staff that went on this trip), God really desires the same for all of us.  He wants us to see with His eyes.  feel with His hands.  think with His mind.  love with His heart.  speak with His words.  walk in His shoes.  serve with His humility.  believe with His faith.  hope with His confidence.  if we are able to live life with this kind of perspective, we will be able to endure all things, see the world as He sees it and serve Him well.     

  

 

      

be encouraged

 

in so many of Paul's letters to different peoples and churches he takes a moment to encourage because of the incredible testimonies that are being heard all over the world.  his encouragement always stems from the work God is doing through His people.  he uses words like, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you" or "I thank my God every time I remember you".  the bottom line is, their faith and actions in the name of Jesus are being recorded and mentioned amongst a multitude of people and they are to be encouraged.  We want to take a moment to see if we can encourage you through this post. 

 

we often go through seasons where the difficult and awful things of this world consume us as we watch the news or receive prayer requests from friends and family.  as you all know, my dad was diagnosed with inoperable and incurable brain tumors this May.  it became easy for our hearts and minds to become focused on all of the other hardships that surrounded us (other family friends struggling with cancer, deaths of friends and family, desperate life situations in the Dominican and Haiti, financial hardships, crime, etc...)  but, thankfully God is passionate about renewal, redemption and restoration!!  he loves taking hard, difficult, dark situations and doing something so great so we can give Him the glory, honor and praise!  I hope the following words encourage you as I briefly share how God has used our situation (dad's illness) to reveal Himself and show that He is doing a mighty work amidst a difficult situation.

there are several UPS pilots that attend our home church in Louisville.  some of them have reported to us that as they fly all over the world, they stop and gather with others and pray for my dad.  that means there are people all over the world praying for my father. 

our oncologist is from Lebanon.  he is one of 15 children and has an amazing story of how his parents raised him to know God.  the most encouraging thing he told us throughout this whole process is that as doctors, they can only do so much to help cure my dad's illness, but the rest will be up to the "big man upstairs".  when we asked him if he has seen God do miracles, he said, "you can't be a doctor and not believe that God does miracles...we have seen it before."  this man has an opportunity to share this good news with many patients.

we receive at least 10 hand written cards from people all over the country every week encouraging my dad and the rest of our family to stay strong in our faith, hoping and believing that God can do all things.  people still hand write cards and send them to the sick.

because of dad's gentle personality he has been a relationship builder his entire life.  as I drove around town with him visiting his clients and banks, I saw people light up when he walked in the door.  bankers and clients hugged him and expressed their concern and said they were praying for him.  they said over and over how great it was to see him.  when he wasn't able to go with me on these errands, he told me who I needed to visit and where...most of whom had nothing to do with his business.  they were random employees in restaurants and banks that he shares a smile or a kind word with while he's on his daily routine.  people still have face to face fellowship and don't just bank online or send business emails.

our Dominican and Haitian brothers and sisters were with us at a conference when we received the news that dad had a mass in his brain.  as we have been back and forth between the states and the island, we have had countless people tell us they gather in prayer every week to pray for dad.  people stop me in the street (some that I barely know) and ask me how dad is doing.  people really do pray for one another when they say they are going to. 

I could continue, but my point is this, I am encouraged by the testimonies that are being recorded all over the world that there are faithful Believers that are hurting and celebrating together as one body...just as Christ called us to.  all of the sudden, when those dark feelings try to make their way into our day, I remember that God is alive and working through people all over His creation.  thank you to all of you for your faithfulness and love for dad.  if I were Paul, I would write a letter to all Believers saying this:

I think my God every time I remember you.  The love of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is being expressed through your actions and for this I am grateful.  His Gospel is being preached through your cards, prayers, phone calls, meals, hugs, tears and smiles.  God is blessing others through you and the central message of God's Word is manifesting itself in ways we never imagined.  I praise God for our partnership in the Gospel and that He has the final word! 

(the photo above is of the GO Ministries Board visiting dad at the house and praying over him)

 

until that day

 

i've heard many people say that life is filled with different seasons.  with these seasons come many different events that cause an array of emotions.  often there is unspeakable joy.  sometimes heartache and sadness show up.  whatever the season may be, there are a few truths that cause hope, peace and trust to rule in our soul in a way that seems to direct our focus and perspective exactly where our hearts belong...to The Creator of all things good. 

 

over the past several years of serving with go ministries in the d.r. and haiti,  we have seen things that our simple minds can't handle.  some of those things have been awful sights of hunger, violence, sickness and injustice.  some have been miracles of healing, unimaginable grace, great provision and unconditional love.  at the center of all of our experiences, both wonderful and difficult, there is a powerful word that rings true over and over and it's RESTORATION.  ²¹ For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. - Acts 3:21. 

 

we are in one of those seasons in life right now that has brought about some heartache and sadness.  one of those times that feels like everywhere you turn, every phone call you receive, every news article you read brings news of sickness, death, hurt and pain.  when my (Will) dad was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, our hearts sunk as we long dreaded the day of a difficult phone call from "back home".  we both love our families dearly and have said that the only true thing we felt like we sacrificed when moving out of the country was time with our incredible families.  when moments of hurt overwhelm us, when exhaustion overcomes dad's ability to walk and communicate, when fearful thoughts enter our minds, that powerful word works it's way back into our hearts and that very hope, peace and trust reigns.  restoration. 

 

there will be a day when there will be no more sickness.  there will be a day when there will be no more violence.  there will be a day when there will be no more pain. no more sadness.  no more hate.  no more injustice.  no more orphans.  no more fear.  no more dad's getting cancer.  no more kids longing for the love of absent parents.  no more brokenness.  there will be a day when HE returns and restores everything!

 

when the storm comes and seems to stay a while, a feeling of complacency may arrive and we feel like sitting in the rain until that day comes, but that hope, peace and trust doesn't allow us to just sit and wait.  as a body of believers, coheirs with Christ, we have been commissioned to be active in this restoration that God is so lovingly pursuing.  so rather than sitting and waiting for His return, we will be on our knees.  on our knees praying with great expectation and anticipation of the miracles that God is so capable of performing.  we will be on our feet.  on our feet sharing the love that Jesus so sacrificially showed for us on the cross so that we may have life and life in abundance.  we will extend our arms.  extend our arms towards our Creator.  extend our arms and embrace those that need to feel the love of Jesus that satisfies every ounce of emptiness or fear we may have.  and we will lift our heads.  lift our heads high and say with confidence that we trust in the Lord and He will make our paths straight. 

 

until that day, when Jesus comes to restore everything, we will choose to serve Him here on this earth and be in awe of the unimaginable ways He is working to restore His creation.  below is a little video i managed to capture of my incredible mom and dad worshipping together after dad's brain biopsy.  what more could a s on ask for!  this is hope.  this is peace.  this is trust.

 

for those of you wondering where we are and what we are doing.  we will be in the dominican republic june 24 - july 10,11 or 12th.  we will be hosting two teams and spending time with our incredible G.O. Ministries and Dominican/Haitian family.  we will then return to Louisville, Ky where our hands are needed with the Partin family.  we ask that you pray with us during this season.  pray for healing for Rob Partin, sr.  pray for hope, peace and trust.  pray for our hearts to be expectant that God will continue to do a mighty work in all of His children so that we can give Him all the glory, all the honor and all the praise.         

a really good friday

 

six families from knoxville, tennessee decided to do something different for spring break this year.  a group of people that have spent a lot of time sitting on bleachers at baseball games watching their 10 year old sons play sports found their way to santiago, dominican republic, this past week.  this particular week in the dominican is called "semana santa (holy week)" and everyone takes off for the countryside, rivers and beaches.  at church last sunday morning down in "the hole", pastor felix abreu spoke about the week before Jesus's death on the cross.  the people of israel awaited a mighty king who would more than likely be riding a stallion with a great army surrounding him.  instead, Jesus requested a donkey and down the mountain he rode.  he knew the journey ahead and what awaited him at the cross...and he still came with joy. 

 

on "good friday", this group of boys (and 2 girls) and their parents decided to take a journey themselves.  after a week of putting on a baseball clinic for 8-12 year old boys from the hole, playing games and teaching bible stories to about 30 girls, we decided to take friday morning and reflect on the journey that jesus took to the cross.  for me, this is usually a somber day as i attempt to imagine the emotions surrounding the people who followed Jesus as they watched him carry his cross with great pain and abuse.  but this good friday, a new perspective graced me with it's presence.  as the group set out on a 1 kilometer hike through rocks, water and mud, i found myself giddy with a permanant smile on my face because i knew what awaited us at the end of our journey.  

 

although God had to have felt great sorrow watching his son go to the cross, i would imagine he also had great peace about him knowing what was to come.  even in the beginning, in genesis 3:15, God is speaking to the serpent in the garden of eden and he says, "and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal."   God knew that Jesus was going to be nailed to the cross and that it would be a horrific death, but he also knew that ultimate victory would come 3 days later when Jesus would be resurrected and bring eternal life to all that believe.  this year, good friday all of the sudden brought a peace and a joy because someone this week reminded me that although friday may be really difficult, sunday is just around the corner. 

 

four of the boys from the group decided to get baptized on good friday.  after working our way through the rocks, water and mud, we arrived at a beautiful waterfall and fresh spring water.  we worshipped with great music and different individuals shared about what the cross means to them.  then, after watching the boys be emersed in water and come up with smiles on their faces, it was then that we truly celebrated the cross and the resurrection.  Four young boys publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ and their peers and parents commited to continue this journey with them as they pursue a life with their Creator.  

 

good friday was no longer somber as these baptisms reminded me of the most important part of the last week of the life of Jesus. . . sunday, the resurrection.  this past friday, was a really good friday!    

 

      

Easter is my favorite Holiday........
it always brings about a bit of a nostalgic feel.  I truly  have the best memories of Easter growing up.  The day would always begin with an early morning sunrise service on the "top of the hill".  Chairs would be set up outside so we could see the sun begin to peak through.  In the midst of the morning fog, my dad would begin to lead the church people in some classic Easter hymns.  Classic hymns always do something to my soul, I just love them. (I even walked down the aisle on our wedding day to Amazing Grace.)  We would then go inside to the smell of bacon and have a delicious breakfast made by the hands of the church folks.  Sweet fellowship.

Next, we would scurry home, I would change into my new Easter dress, and off to church.  The words to the songs sung on Easter morning sitting in those church pews will forever be etched in my mind.

"the tomb is empty praise be to God, the tomb is empty, praise be to God, the tomb is empty, praise be to God."
"He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today, He walks with me and talks with me, along life's narrow way, He lives, He lives, salvation to impart.  You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.". 

Ofcourse, after church, the memories would continue with a delicious Easter meal that my mom had worked so hard to prepare on Saturday afternoon. After our bellies were full from lunch, my sister and I would dive into our Easter baskets to see what  yummy goodies the "Easter bunny" (aka mom) had brought us.

I am not quite sure what fancy dresses, the Easter bunny or eggs have to do with The Cross and the resurrection, but I surely believe that God is smiling down on his children as we celebrate such a beautiful day.  I believe it makes Him happy when He sees the pure joy on the faces of His sweet babies as they search so intently for those colorful silly Easter eggs!

.As Christians, we should live in a spirit of gratitude every day for the priceless gift of The Cross.  As Will and I continue to walk through this life Raising Ruby (hhmm...sounds like it could be the title of my next blog post), I can only pray that she fully understands the significance of Easter, and that she clings on to The Cross, knowing that Christ died for our sins and rose again so that He may live forever in our hearts and we may have eternal life.
I pray that Ruby's roots are already beginning to grow deep.    

I hope you are all enjoying this sweet day and soaking in the meaning of it all.

Now, bring on The Peeps!!!!

Our staff just came off of an incredible week of meetings.  We join together twice a year to discuss ministry and to unify ourselves as a group.  Will and I post many entries on this blog about what God is doing here on the island.  We truly do love writing the stories of the happenings here, but I wanted to take a moment to go in a little different direction.

Our staff has grown by leaps and bounds since we joined the ministry 8 years ago.  We have grown in numbers as well as maturity in our own personal faith journeys.  I look at our staff sometimes and just giggle.  God has this crazy group together for His purpose and His glory.  The reason I giggle is because we are a rag tag bunch for sure, but a bunch who is committed to serving Christ, loving others and growing The Kingdom.  We are committed to growing in our personal walks and allowing Him to work on us in the process, and we are committed to doing God's will for our lives; which just happens to be serving with G.O. Ministries.  God is still working on all of us through our faults and through our humanness, but He has no doubt brought us together to do some major damage (in a good way) in Jesus' name.

We come from all different walks of life, and this is why we make a great team.  We're a powerful force.  We use each others experiences and wisdom to learn and to grow.  There are many of us who come from brokenness.  There are many of us who battle our own demons of selfishness and pride, and many who struggle with trust and forgiveness.  But, the beautiful thing about it all is that we recognize we have all been redeemed by the blood of Christ and we are works in progress. We use our stories for His purpose.

We ask that you pray for us as our fullest season of ministry approaches.   We are humbled that we have the opportunity to be even the smallest part of this life changing experience for team members.  If you find yourself reading this and you are coming on a short-term trip to the DR this year, know that we are praying for you and we will be welcoming you with open arms!

He ruled the world with Truth and Grace

 

 This past year Audrey and I received blessing after blessing as we watched Ruby Ann change and grow into a beautiful little toddler.  We continue to learn so much from such a sweet, little child!  I've heard over and over that big, incredible gifts can come in small packages and we can bear witness to that through the gift of Ruby Ann in our lives. 

 

During this past Christmas season, I found myself celebrating the birth of Jesus differently than I ever had in the past.  I'm sure a lot of it had to do with having a child of our own now, but some of my new found feelings were sparked by a couple of books I read several weeks ago called The Grace and Truth Paradox by Randy Alcorn and Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright.  The idea of the Alcorn book is that Jesus walked this earth displaying a perfect balance of grace and truth.  The part of the Wright book that impacted me is the way he explained what Jesus was getting into when he road into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Rome was claiming that Caesar was divine and in charge, the Jews were living as though the law of Moses ruled the earth as they waited a messiah, and then God sends Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey announcing that He is the son of YHWH and things are about to change!

 

So here's this little baby born to a virgin that many have come to celebrate and many are soon to hate.  He has now become a man and will change the world forever.  Amidst the political heat, the power struggles, the pride and confusion that was present when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He still seemed to live and teach with an incredible balance of grace and truth.

I have come to realize (it took a while :) that we have the most incredible story and example in Jesus to share with the world.  How differently would people respond if we presented truth with grace?  How would people change if they received grace partnered with truth?  What if the world was still ruled with truth and grace?  God has placed it upon my heart to seek His guidance in practicing the grace and truth that Jesus lived out every day.  In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul says, "Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel."  If I am not busy preaching the truth, with grace, then what am I busy doing?  We are asking that as move forward in ministry this year that you all please pray for us as we continue to learn the gospel, receive God's grace and share it with everyone we come in contact with. 
 

 

 (Ruby wanted to say  hello!)