exchanged living.

His Provision Will Be Seen

Yesterday was another incredible day in San Pedro Sula. Each day we’ve been here, we’ve been in different situations of ministry where service or testimony ended up being tailor-made for our team. It reminds me of how the Lord lead Israel through the desert, going ever-before them by pillar or cloud.

For example, one of our stops yesterday was at the town square. There, it is usually required to have a permit to speak publically, though this rule is seldom followed. However, depending on which police officer finds you first, you can either be given permission or denied, and often with gringo’s involved, denial and bribery is the norm.

When we stepped off the bus yesterday and began walking around the square, looking for a place to set up shop, the first police officer we saw approached Justin quickly, then embraced him. Apparently, they’d met this man before, where he was on duty at the stadium there, and had prayed for he and his son. This man created space for us to set up, even moving some things around so we could have the best area of shade for the audience to sit in.

We saw salvation there and prayed for healing. It was a powerful time, and there was an extra confidence about us because we had already seen God go before us, making his provision clear and sure.

As I’ve thought about that simple but profound fact, that God has gone before us in the path that he calls us to, I’ve been convicted as to how often I lose sight of this. His faithfulness to provide in a way that will be seen does not necessarily mean I will see it before I move in faith. These moments are a gift, and a reminder that the Lord is faithful.

I’m also thankful for the Christ who has gone before us, the author and pioneer of our faith, the one who conquered sin and death, that we too may know this victory through his son.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. (2 Cor 2:14)

Limes, Avocados and the Coming Kingdom

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

We’ve been neck-deep in the agricultural teachings of Jesus this week, and this particular teaching kept replaying in my heart yesterday at Las Casitas, the all-girls orphanage where we were serving. The women on our team were teaching the older girls how to do professional manicures and pedicures; we gave them the equipment and Sandi and the crew taught them the basics. While that was happening, the rest of us were either doing crafts with the younger girls, playing futbol, or planting trees.

When I came here in April, one of the things Ashley, Justin and I discussed was the desire to put our hands to things that would extend beyond our one week visit. There are times where the mission work of an in-coming group can eclipse or even miss the immediate needs of the people in the area, and while some amount of that is inevitable, we wanted to participate in and put our efforts into things that would have more than a day or week’s impact.

We planted four lime trees, four avocado trees, two orange trees and a mango tree yesterday. The long term fruit of this effort is just that: fruit. The orphanage will be able to eat and sell fruit from these trees as long as the trees produce it. Care for trees in this area is easy due to the climate; we simply pray that these trees take root and begin to grow.

Fruit continues to carry that image of the kingdom within it as well. The Kingdom of God is here, and kingdom movement always has the future in mind. It’s never aimless, and it’s aim must always point towards rest for those who could not find it without its coming.

Or as Augustine put it,

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

San Pedro Sula, Day Two

Yesterday was an incredible day here. We spent our morning at a retirement home, praying with residents, listening to their stories and sharing with them. After that, we went into two different schools and gave testimony, sharing how life with Christ has transformed us as people. At one of the schools, we saw 12-14 kids profess Christ as Lord. It was a profound and beautiful sight, as tears ran down some of their faces as they received the good news of the Gospel.

That day needs a lot of unpacking, but alas, time is short this morning. Here’s how you can be praying for us today:

• pray for Josh, Tim, Cameron and Kris as they go to help with a roof leak at Manos Unidos, an outreach ministry for the homeless here. Their roof is leaking badly, and we’re hoping these four have the manpower and ingenuity to help stop this leak somehow.
• pray for the rest of our team as we do a wide variety of things: a VBS at Nueva Esperanza, an orphanage in the area; a workshop to teach trade skills to the girls at Las Casitas, and the planting of a small orchard of 10-12 fruit trees for the girls orphanage.