Missionary-Blogs 7

Here it is!!!!

Rhonda in Chile — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:22:00 -0800

Dear Ms. Arias,

Thank you for providing evidence of physical presence in the United States for the periods of August 1994 to December 1995 (16.5 months), December 2000 to June 2001 (6.5 months), July 2004 to Jan 2005 (5.5 months), and August 2007 to Jan 2008 (5 months), for a total of approximately 33.5 months.

This, in addition to the evidence you submitted previously, is sufficient to proceed with the application for the Consular Report of Birth Abroad for your daughter, Vanessa Elena Arias. We will proceed with the application today

Yahoo and Praise the Lord!!!!!
Now, there is a good reason to give thanks

The Pies are in the Oven!

caleb@triesteforchrist.com (Caleb and Linda Klontz) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:40:00 -0800

Well, the Pumpkin pies are in the oven and we are anxiously awaiting the news on whether or not we will have hot water as we prepare for our big Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow evening. It turns out that today is the day the technicians were available to come and install our new gas hot water heater!

Up till now we have had two (expensive) electric hot water heaters that couldn't be on at the same time as each other without tripping the breaker in our apartment. That meant on bath days we had to turn the main hot water heater off and the other one on in the morning so that the kids could have hot water for a bath that evening. Of course we would occasionally forget to reverse the process and end up with no hot water in the rest of the house the next day. :) It really has become a complicated process, but no longer. With the gas heater we should save money and be able to use hot water wherever and whenever we want to in our apartment here.

Just pray that they get it done today so we have hot water and our kitchen back for all of the cooking and preparations scheduled tomorrow!

Photo of the Week

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:02:02 -0800

Osu Kannon temple, Nagoya. Yesterday.

So, are you a teacher?

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:40:00 -0800

Nope, I'm not a teacher! I'm a mom. Or, I should say, I try to be a mom to my boys. Naturally, with between 26 to 50 boys over the years, it's a little impossible to really be a mom to that many boys. But that is what God has put on my heart for these darling little boys that He has entrusted to my care.

Those of you who read this blog who are moms will then be able to identify with me when I say how difficult it is to answer the follow-up question - "So, what do you do all day?"

Here's my attempt to answer that question:

1. Provide peanut butter and milk powder for Paulo and the other boys with special nutrition needs.

2. Give Lucas his cup of fortified water - which takes about 20 minutes! Lots of chatting and cuddles are involved.

3. Read books with Feliciano (and hand out books in the evening after dinner).

4. Greet Shondino with a big hug after school (the first of about 100 more hugs thru the day!)

5. Look at Pedro's schoolwork (and all the other boys thrusting their worksheets into my hands!).

6. Have a long, involved conversation with Aurelio about where his underwear is (thrown away because of embarrassment due to an accident instead of brought home to clean). The first of about 35 other conversations about naughty behavior.

7. Talk with Afonso about why he is angry with Gasper (he took his car) and how he can make other choices besides hitting.

8. Notice Israel is distant and upset again and pray that God will touch his hard and angry heart (one of about 50 other prayers for the boys thru the day).

9. Choose Elidio and Armandinho to set up the chairs and tables for the Afternoon Program.

10. Prepare for the Afternoon program. Do the Afternoon Program.

11. Give the skateboard to Zequito with Room 3 playing in the garden.

12. Put a band aid on Narciso's wound (one of about 10 band aids I will put on thru the day).

13. Take Shelton to the clinic to check on his skin fungus (one of many trips to the clinic during the week).

14. Ask Lito to help Armandino learn how to write his name (one of many efforts to help my boys write their names as well as learning to read and write).

15. Chat with Ivo's mom who has stopped by for a visit. Pray for the 1000th time that they will be reunited someday. (one of a few visits by family during the month).

16. Look for ways to encourage Alfiado, the new boy, to join in with the other boys rather than stay off on the sidelines.

17. Invite Dioniso in to help me sharpen pencils when he is having trouble regulating his mood with his friends.

18. Inflate a soccer ball for Salamao (one of at least five a day!).

19. Have a chat with Estevao about why he cannot A. ask visitors for money, B. take toys from other boys, C. stay out a half hour past shower time or any of another 50 things I routinely have to confront him on. (By the way, he is delightful as well, just naughty - a lot!).

20. Invite Pai in to play with his sister, Fatima (one of several times a week I invite siblings in to play to keep their connections strong).

21. Call the head educator over to deal with Salamone's out of control behavior, when he doesn't respond to me or any of the Tias.

22. Tell Jerome he is one of the cutest boys I've ever seen (one of about 100 comments like this I will make thru the day!).

23. Marvel at God's transformative power in Antonio's life after digging tens and tens of little wormy eggs out of his fingers and toes when he first arrived, malnourished and neglected (one of about 100 times a day I will marvel at what God is able to do).

24. Jump on the trampoline with brothers Daniel and Simois (one of many times thru out the day I will spontaneously join the boys in whatever play they are involved in at the moment).

25. Ask Joao' not to mess up my "very carefully arranged" ponytail, (one of about 100 times a day I will have to ask HIM to stop that!).

26. Have a heart to heart with Marcos or Manito or Chico or any of about 50 boys who used to live in the dorm but have moved up but still stop in regularly to touch base.

27. Throw a party for Zecca to send him off with lots of love and prayer as he is reunited with his family.

28. Give Joao Macamo the extra food for Lucas and Domingos that they get every lunch and dinner to help put some weight on their tiny bodies.

29. Cuddle with Domingos, my blind and developmentally delayed boy who loves him some snuggling!

30. Kiss Jose' goodnight (the last of about 100 kisses thru the day!).

Thrown into the mix: plan monthly birthday parties, shop for the extra food I give out 3-5 times a week in the dorm, pop some popcorn for the Friday night movie, give out the candy on a birthday, attend staff meetings and church services galore, take kids off the center for a walk to the market or to play in the park, clothes handouts, shoe handouts, present arranging for Christmas and birthdays, "physical therapy" sorts of interactions for Lucas and Domingos, conversations with Tias about how to handle some situation . . .

The list could go on and on but I think you get the idea - I do Mom stuff!

And that wraps up this week's "More Info Mondays!"

Monday, November 23, 2009

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:48:41 -0800

On November 14 the Burlington team returned to Canada but I still have a few pictures to post of them so here they are...

The last work day the team made concrete for 4 hours straight. They were ready for the pizza dinner with the kids that night! I hope the kids gots some pizza too!!

The second half of the parking lot being poured. This includes the oil pit as well.

The team bought pizza for all the kids as a special treat

Well we got them again.....and all the kids...the good old foam fairwell ceremony.

Spending as much quality time with the kids as they can before it is off to Canada again.

Vanessa's paperwork

Rhonda in Chile — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:10:00 -0800

We finally compiled several years worth of documentation to send to the US Embassy. It should have arrived there last Tuesday. We sent it by courier, so I know that it is not lost in the mail. The thing is that I have not heard from the charming vice-consul. I don't know if that is good or bad. I figure that if it were bad, he would have contacted me. By the same token, I expected to be contacted if the documentation was adequate. At any rate, we still don't know, so please pray. If this doesn't work, we'll have to go another red-tape route that will cost several hundred dollars more. Yuck!

FBC Dallas launches $130M Building Campaign

GuyMuse — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:20:00 -0800

First Baptist Churc h Dallas launches $130M Build Campaign. So what does one get for $130 million dollars?

The Baptist Press article states, "...a new 3,000-seat, 90,000-square-foot sanctuary, a six-story education building and a parking garage with sky bridge. The project is designed to complement the revitalization initiative in downtown Dallas, which has included the recent opening of a new performing arts center and construction of a new convention center.

I am sure FBC Dallas needs a new sanctuary, six-story education building and a parking garage with sky bridge, or they wouldn't be launching such an audacious campaign.

The question I would like to ask FBC is whether anyone bothered to ask the Head of their church, the Lord Jesus, about any of this? Don't get me wrong, I am sure everyone voting for the campaign certainly must have prayed about it--or at least I hope they did! But it is hard for me to imagine the Jesus I read in the Gospels being the same Jesus who would give a "green light" to go ahead and spend such vast sums of money on something that is "a critical and important investment in downtown Dallas" and "will benefit the entire community by providing an open and inviting atmosphere and additional parking." This sounds less like Jesus, and more about what WE want to do with OUR money.

Grady at MissionalSpace asks Are we going the right direction?

4.5 billion people have never heard the gospel in a clear way

50,000 people die each day without knowing Christ

6,000 people die each day due to lack of clean drinking water

40,000 die each day from starvation and hunger related diseases

2.5 cents on the dollar goes to international ministry

95% of seminary graduates stay in the US

In light of Grady's heart-breaking statistics, I am still scratching my head how FBC Dallas justifies spending $130M to "provide spiritual support for downtown's denizens that brings glory to God." Is providing support for Dallas's downtown's denizens the modern interpretation of how God is glorified? What happened to obedience? Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I'm just not getting it.

And what is the connection between Jesus' command to "make disciples of the nations" and FBC Dallas desire to "have an impact on this community and what we're trying to accomplish of creating more of an urban setting that is vibrant and exciting and brings people downtown..."? Are we in the business of creating vibrant, exciting urban settings when 4.5 billion people are on their way to hell?

"This is going to be exciting effort, not only in terms of Sunday but all the other different activities and what it will to contribute." Exciting? Maybe for FBC Dallas, but what might be more exciting for the 40,000 mothers watching their children die of starvation and hunger related diseases would be a bowl of rice!

In a November 13 article, also highlighted in Baptist Press, Jerry Rankin (IMB President) stated,

"If Southern Baptists truly want to experience a Great Commission resurgence, they must turn their backs on business as usual and be willing to make radical changes in their missions commitment and approach..."

“If you define the Great Commission as anything and everything we do as a denomination...there’s not going to be a lot of change because we will just continue to do anything and everything the best that we can..."

"I am convinced that God has blessed Southern Baptists, He has raised us up in numbers and resources, not to take pride in being a great denomination and how many programs we can implement and how well we can do them but to be His instrument to reach a lost world and fulfill His mission."

"We are at a watershed time in history, with an unprecedented opportunity. God has blessed us and we must not become ingrown and self-focused, committed simply to continuing what we are doing in the way we are doing it. We've got to be willing to change...we've got to be willing to ask, 'How does it all stack up in relation to reaching the nations and getting the Gospel to the ends of the earth?'"

Is anyone at FBC-Dallas listening?

Hammy

noreply@blogger.com (theag_news) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:03:00 -0800

I want one, I want one, I want one!!

Post

noreply@blogger.com (theag_news) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:01:00 -0800

Getting post through the door is still quite the novelty and something I am getting used to.
It was very exciting this week to get a letter addressed to me!!!
My Daddy sent me a lovely card because he knows how much I love to get post.

Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (theag_news) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:58:00 -0800

A trip to the park on a crisp November day. I'm a happy boy!