Tomorrow I hit road again-this time to drive to Johnson City for school. It has been a crazy and wonderful summer, but it's time to get back to work. Kinda weird to think that less than a week ago I was in some mountain village where the majority of the people couldn't read, and in less than a week I'll be in a classroom full of well-read intellectuals.
I heard a great piece of advice the other day: Though the harvest may be full and white and the workers few, you can't harvest with a dull sickle. My sickle needs sharpening which means I will be focusing most of my energy in the ministry of the study of medicine, working with the new Hispanic ministry at Central, and wherever else God leads me. As a result, my blog posting and subsequent blog reading will greatly diminish (not that I'm sure that more than 1-2 of you actually read this.) My phone is always available (don't worry about my minutes) and I do return emails on a more regular basis so feel free to contact me "sin pena."
I hope you all have a great rest of the summer and think about your friend hitting the books this week :o) !
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19
7.29.2005
7.27.2005
Saludos desde Smyrna
3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years. I still don't think I would have been ready to leave such a beautiful people and the work God is doing there, but all good things must come to an end and there's a time and a place for everything.
The following is something I wanted to post a few weeks ago but between being sick and being in the middle of nowhere, I never posted it. I'll be writing a missions report about my trip so just let me know if you want a copy.
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts: and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." -I Corinthians 12:12,27
The following is something I wanted to post a few weeks ago but between being sick and being in the middle of nowhere, I never posted it. I'll be writing a missions report about my trip so just let me know if you want a copy.
The Body of Christ
I think anatomy was one of the hardest classes I've taken but the one that strengthened my faith the most. It seems odd to think that working with a cadaver for a semester has anything to do with spiritual growth, yet through such study I understand how the body works. I've seen how each and every part is connected together and works with every other part to sustain life. Just as we are all different on the outside, we are all different on the inside as well. Every body has its abnormality, its imperfection, yet the body learns to cope and adapt to those eccentricities. There are thousands of different parts of our body: nerves, tissues, vessels, muscles, etc. yet each one has a special place and function. Each part of the body communicates to keep everything running. When there is a weakness in the system-an infection-the immune system sends out special cells and the whole body works to help restore the damaged part-often at the expense of other parts.
And so it should be with the body of Christ. We all have our flaws, our weaknesses, and our different roles and talents that we've been given. At the same time, we each have those abnormalites and functions for a specific God-designed purpose that is meant to be communicated throughout the body so that the body of Christ might be built up and strengthened. Unfortunately, I think oftentimes our communication is blocked by fear of going past the skin-deep "How are you?" and seeing the infection or damage among certain parts of the body. Just as our own body sacrifices for one part when damaged, so we should also supprt our weaker members in love so that the whole body might be strengthened.
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts: and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." -I Corinthians 12:12,27
7.24.2005
How to Lose 5 Pounds...
..in 5 Days!!!
No I haven't disappeared. I just got attacked by amebic dysentery and Shigellosis all at once last Monday and am just getting over it. I was so excited when I got to eat breakfast this morning without the fear I'd regret it later. Its definitely not an experience I want to repeat and I don't recommend driving to Tikal while sick (but if you do there's a good doctor in Rio Dulce). I guess God is just getting me over any fear of being sick abroad and teaching me to perservere through any situation.
Its been an amazing experience the past few weeks and I know I will dearly miss all the friends I had and the I made here. It's been such a wonderful experience to be a part of God's work, sharing Christ, not religion, with those who need Him most, truly enjoying the presence of my brothers and sisters in Christ and the common love of God.
Since Friday I've been with Health Talents and a group of 50 working in the villages around ChiChicastenango. The poverty here is astounding but the people are so precious and pure, true sheep in need of a shepard. What a blessing it has been to spend three weeks serving our Lord in Guatemala.
No I haven't disappeared. I just got attacked by amebic dysentery and Shigellosis all at once last Monday and am just getting over it. I was so excited when I got to eat breakfast this morning without the fear I'd regret it later. Its definitely not an experience I want to repeat and I don't recommend driving to Tikal while sick (but if you do there's a good doctor in Rio Dulce). I guess God is just getting me over any fear of being sick abroad and teaching me to perservere through any situation.
Its been an amazing experience the past few weeks and I know I will dearly miss all the friends I had and the I made here. It's been such a wonderful experience to be a part of God's work, sharing Christ, not religion, with those who need Him most, truly enjoying the presence of my brothers and sisters in Christ and the common love of God.
Since Friday I've been with Health Talents and a group of 50 working in the villages around ChiChicastenango. The poverty here is astounding but the people are so precious and pure, true sheep in need of a shepard. What a blessing it has been to spend three weeks serving our Lord in Guatemala.
7.13.2005
A Letter from Guatemala
Hola!
It´s been a week since I last wrote and so much has happened since then. I've written and rewritten this trying to capture the wonder and marvel of what God has done, but I simply can´t put it all into a few paragraphs so I'll try to do what I can.
What an awesome God we serve!
The past few days were spent in La Union, Zacapa, one of the poorest departments in an already poor country. How do I begin to describe the incredible love and compassion of God that I have witnessed during the past few days? How do I describe seeing a man with leprosy and thinking about the compassion Christ must have had to reach out and touch this hideous disease and the person suffering from it? How do I describe the love of my friends and brothers and La Union and the hospitality they showed me? How do I describe the wonderful feeling it is to work with people who give 110% to serving the Lord and whose only desire is to be the vessels through which God works to save his people?
Monday Raul, Eybi (the preacher and his wife,) and I woke early and went to the community of Tasharte. For those of you have been to such places as Montaña Izopo and Montaña de la Flor in Honduras, Tasharte is very similar. Since the doctor who was with us Saturday and Sunday had to work Monday, he had already left. Wanting to help the people in some way even though I couldn´t give them medicine, I decided to give them something that would last longer than anything received from a doctor´s visit: education. With Eybi´s help, I taught a class about handwashing and how to make a simple drink that will keep their children from dying of dehydration. I´m a firm believer that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that educating and empowering people does more than any handout could. To make a long story short, the rest of the day was spent in a devotional, handing out food and clothing, and breaking piñatas with the children.
To look at it, it wasn´t much: an elementary lesson in health, some candy in a couple of piñatas and a few pieces of worn clothing. Yet to these people, it meant so much. It was if it were Christmas and they had just opened the best present in the world. It was all I could do not to cry as I saw the look on the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ. All I could do was offer a million thanks to God and his infinite love and compassion he has for ¨the least of these¨¨and of all the things that He put into place to allow this wonderful event to occur.
Tomorrow I leave for another campaign, 1-2 days of evangelism and 2 days of clinic. I can´t wait. I think I'm beginning to have an inkling of how truly great and immeasurable is the love God has for us.
Por la causa de la cruz,
Michele
¨Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.¨ -Psalms 103:2-4
It´s been a week since I last wrote and so much has happened since then. I've written and rewritten this trying to capture the wonder and marvel of what God has done, but I simply can´t put it all into a few paragraphs so I'll try to do what I can.
What an awesome God we serve!
The past few days were spent in La Union, Zacapa, one of the poorest departments in an already poor country. How do I begin to describe the incredible love and compassion of God that I have witnessed during the past few days? How do I describe seeing a man with leprosy and thinking about the compassion Christ must have had to reach out and touch this hideous disease and the person suffering from it? How do I describe the love of my friends and brothers and La Union and the hospitality they showed me? How do I describe the wonderful feeling it is to work with people who give 110% to serving the Lord and whose only desire is to be the vessels through which God works to save his people?
Monday Raul, Eybi (the preacher and his wife,) and I woke early and went to the community of Tasharte. For those of you have been to such places as Montaña Izopo and Montaña de la Flor in Honduras, Tasharte is very similar. Since the doctor who was with us Saturday and Sunday had to work Monday, he had already left. Wanting to help the people in some way even though I couldn´t give them medicine, I decided to give them something that would last longer than anything received from a doctor´s visit: education. With Eybi´s help, I taught a class about handwashing and how to make a simple drink that will keep their children from dying of dehydration. I´m a firm believer that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that educating and empowering people does more than any handout could. To make a long story short, the rest of the day was spent in a devotional, handing out food and clothing, and breaking piñatas with the children.
To look at it, it wasn´t much: an elementary lesson in health, some candy in a couple of piñatas and a few pieces of worn clothing. Yet to these people, it meant so much. It was if it were Christmas and they had just opened the best present in the world. It was all I could do not to cry as I saw the look on the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ. All I could do was offer a million thanks to God and his infinite love and compassion he has for ¨the least of these¨¨and of all the things that He put into place to allow this wonderful event to occur.
Tomorrow I leave for another campaign, 1-2 days of evangelism and 2 days of clinic. I can´t wait. I think I'm beginning to have an inkling of how truly great and immeasurable is the love God has for us.
Por la causa de la cruz,
Michele
¨Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.¨ -Psalms 103:2-4
7.06.2005
Greetings desde Guatemala
Good afternoon from Guatemala!
I am currently sitting in one of the infamous internet cafes trying to figure out the keyboard.
I arrived here yesterday without problems and have enjoyed every moment since. I cannot express to you what a joy it is to be here and to spend time with such wonderful Christian brothers and sisters such as Nancy and Manuel, two special friends whose great faith and willingness to allow God to use them is such an encouragement to me. It is such a blessing God has given us to have "family" in all parts of the world and to know that though we may be different in our language, culture, or location, we are all united in Christ.
Yesterday Nancy and I attended a women´s Bible study where the topic was the plagues of Egypt and how we each have our own plagues in our life. It reminded me of my own plagues that exist in my life, and how we are, myself included, so concerned about our physical bodies but seem to forget the "plagues" inside each of us.
It is interesting how we´re "religious" when it comes to things to keep our physical body healthy, spending money and time at the gym or on the latest diet, yet we are undisciplined in our spiritual training. Why is it that we don´t hesitate to ask for prayers for someone dying of an infection; however, if that same person were dying from whatever sin is infecting them, we would be so hesitant to petition prayer?
The next few weeks I will see many people suffering from illness as we hold campaigns in Jutiapa and La Union, Guatemala. I ask for your prayers that God not only opens our eyes to the physical needs of the people we encounter, but also that He shows us their spiritual needs as well and gives us strength to overcome any barrier of language, culture, or fear that may keep us from ministering to God´s precious children.
It´s going to be a busy but wonderful three weeks!!!
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows." -Isaiah 53:4
I am currently sitting in one of the infamous internet cafes trying to figure out the keyboard.
I arrived here yesterday without problems and have enjoyed every moment since. I cannot express to you what a joy it is to be here and to spend time with such wonderful Christian brothers and sisters such as Nancy and Manuel, two special friends whose great faith and willingness to allow God to use them is such an encouragement to me. It is such a blessing God has given us to have "family" in all parts of the world and to know that though we may be different in our language, culture, or location, we are all united in Christ.
Yesterday Nancy and I attended a women´s Bible study where the topic was the plagues of Egypt and how we each have our own plagues in our life. It reminded me of my own plagues that exist in my life, and how we are, myself included, so concerned about our physical bodies but seem to forget the "plagues" inside each of us.
It is interesting how we´re "religious" when it comes to things to keep our physical body healthy, spending money and time at the gym or on the latest diet, yet we are undisciplined in our spiritual training. Why is it that we don´t hesitate to ask for prayers for someone dying of an infection; however, if that same person were dying from whatever sin is infecting them, we would be so hesitant to petition prayer?
The next few weeks I will see many people suffering from illness as we hold campaigns in Jutiapa and La Union, Guatemala. I ask for your prayers that God not only opens our eyes to the physical needs of the people we encounter, but also that He shows us their spiritual needs as well and gives us strength to overcome any barrier of language, culture, or fear that may keep us from ministering to God´s precious children.
It´s going to be a busy but wonderful three weeks!!!
"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows." -Isaiah 53:4
7.03.2005
Pictures!
Cammie and I somewhere in the Grand Canyon.
Sunset at Hopi Point.
That's all for now. Disfrutenlas!
7.02.2005
Just a Song...
..I've been listening to a lot lately.
I could travel over oceans, cross the deserts, climb the mountains
Just to share Your story, bring You glory, and win souls for You.
I could sing like an angel, songs so humble and so thankful
Full of drama and emotion, so the world would know Your truth.
I could give away my money and my clothes and my food
To restore those people who are poor, and lost, and down-and-out.
I could succeed at all these things,
Find favor with peasants and kings,
But if I do not love, I am nothing.
I could live a flawless life,
Never cheat or steal or lie,
And always speak so kindly, smile warmly, and go about doing good.
I could dedicate myself to do what everyone else wants me to-
Listen to them, compliment them, say the things I should.
I could show up every Sunday, lead the choir and Bible study
And they all might come to know me as a leader and a friend.
Oh, I could achieve success on Earth, but success cannot define my worth
And all these actions, all these words, will not matter in the end-
Songs will fade to silence,
Stories, they will cease.
The dust will settle, covering all my selfless deeds.
So as I strive to serve You,
Won't you make it clear to me,
That if I do not love, I am nothing.
And if I cannot live my life loving my brother,
Then how can I love the One who lived His life for me?
Sent to Earth from Heaven,
Humble Servant, Holy King,
Come to share a story, get no glory, and save my searching soul,
You knew that I'd deny You, crucify You, but nothing could stop You
from living for me, dying for me,
so that I would know-
That songs will fade to silence,
Stories they will cease,
The dust will settle covering all my selfless deeds.
But Your life here has made it clear enough for me to see
That if I do not love, I am nothing.
I could travel over oceans, cross the deserts, climb the mountains
Just to share Your story, bring You glory, and win souls for You.
I could sing like an angel, songs so humble and so thankful
Full of drama and emotion, so the world would know Your truth.
I could give away my money and my clothes and my food
To restore those people who are poor, and lost, and down-and-out.
I could succeed at all these things,
Find favor with peasants and kings,
But if I do not love, I am nothing.
I could live a flawless life,
Never cheat or steal or lie,
And always speak so kindly, smile warmly, and go about doing good.
I could dedicate myself to do what everyone else wants me to-
Listen to them, compliment them, say the things I should.
I could show up every Sunday, lead the choir and Bible study
And they all might come to know me as a leader and a friend.
Oh, I could achieve success on Earth, but success cannot define my worth
And all these actions, all these words, will not matter in the end-
Songs will fade to silence,
Stories, they will cease.
The dust will settle, covering all my selfless deeds.
So as I strive to serve You,
Won't you make it clear to me,
That if I do not love, I am nothing.
And if I cannot live my life loving my brother,
Then how can I love the One who lived His life for me?
Sent to Earth from Heaven,
Humble Servant, Holy King,
Come to share a story, get no glory, and save my searching soul,
You knew that I'd deny You, crucify You, but nothing could stop You
from living for me, dying for me,
so that I would know-
That songs will fade to silence,
Stories they will cease,
The dust will settle covering all my selfless deeds.
But Your life here has made it clear enough for me to see
That if I do not love, I am nothing.
-Ginny Owens
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