Friday, March 7

We had to rush our devotions in the morning in order to have breakfast by 7AM and be ready to leave by 8AM. That will be our routine our whole time in Israel. We went first to the Old City, taking some detours due to yesterday's terrorist attack. We walked through the Christian, Armenian and Jewish Quarters, walking very fast. We saw part of a dig right there which shows part of the old Roman Road through this area - with large paving blocks and pillars. We could see from there the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives.

We sat on the Southern Steps of the Temple and heard the story of the events that took place right there on Pentecost. 3,000 people were baptized after the message they each heard in their own language. We could see pools below the steps. We formed pairs and trios and each prayed in our own languages - people from over 50 countries! (This was definitely one highlight of our trip!)

We walked to seethe Temple wall up close. The stones are incredibly large. We could see levels of different eras, the topmost being from the Crusaders, the lowest probably being the base of the Temple. We went to the western wall where you could hear the Muslims chanting their prayers. The men and women went to their respective side of the wall. I knelt by the Wall and prayed and cried.

We were dehydrated most of the time in the hot, dry sun. It was hard to drink enough. I accidentally filled my water bottle from the faucet that was for ceremonial washing!

I did the ceremonial wash later, tipping the two-handled, large cup from side to side. (Yesterday's devotional Woody and I read talked about ceremonial washing. Interesting!)

We went in the bus to a local mall to eat in the food court. Woody had a pita sandwich and I ate five kinds of pastries from a bread shop. All were delicious. One had a vegetable filling and one potatoes.

I slept on the bus during the long drive to the Negev Wilderness to stay at a Bedouin camp. We took a ride on a camel there, watching the sun set over the desert. WOW! The camels followed close to one another, and Woody commented he felt like "camel Kleenex," since the one behind us kept wiping its nose and mouth on his jeans! The colors of the desert mountains were spectacular!

We were welcomed at a large tent with tea, coffee, and bread cooked before us over the fire. We were entertained by an "udo?" concert.

After moving our things to our respective tents - one for the women, one for the men - we met in the women's tent for a Bedouin feast. We were reclined on mats in small groups to share food on a tray in the middle of us. We ate chicken kebobs, lots of sauces, rice, and plenty of flat bread.

After supper we met in yet another large tent and had a good time of teaching, sharing about times of feeling overwhelmed. Richard, from India, was in my small group. Any of our troubles seemed minimal after he shared. Upon his return he will be facing trial for "causing damage to the State." Basically, he will be on trial for his faith.

After the evening meeting Woody, Carlos, Michele and I went and sat out in the wilderness. It was eerie how the desert floor seemed to shine with the reflection of lights in the area. The stars were out, but dust and sand in the air made the night sky hazy. We had a really nice time sitting there on the rocks. (Rocks everywhere! No place to sit comfortably.)

I slept by Michele in the women's tent on two thin pads on the floor, using an old, thin sleeping bag and a sheet to cover me. It was chilly, but OK, and I slept quite well despite the discomforts and stomach pain. My muscles were very tired after all our walking in Paris and today.

Israel At Last! Thursday, March 6

Jetlagged, I felt very groggy getting up, but we had a nice breakfast at our Paris hotel and left by 7:30AM to go to the Charles DeGaulle Airport. We walked about 12 blocks to the train station, Gare d Nord to catch the train to the airport. A really helpful Frenchman directed our way and as he walked a half block ahead of us, he often turned to make sure we were going the right direction. How thoughtful!It rained during the night. It was only barely above freezing, but today felt much warmer because there was no wind.

At the airport we ate our eighth chocolate croissant in 24 hours! Our flight on Air France to Tel Aviv was great. They served me my own special diet and offered seconds on the delicious French bread. There was turbulence over the Alps, but the views of the mountains were spectacular. I was just thinking about maybe getting air sick when the pilot announced that it would be bumpy for another 40 minutes. Yikes! Two minutes later the turbulence abruptly stopped. Yeah!

The Ben Gurion airport is gorgeous! I could hardly believe I was in Israel, but orthodox Jewish dress on all sides made it self-evident. It was hard to shift gears from just being the two of us to suddenly having tons of friends and strangers surrounding us and trying to connect with all the GYI participants. Almost all the Latinos arrived within one hour of our arrival - several separate flights. Immigration held some of the Latinos for over an hour of questioning. The immigration officials didn't understand why Latinos have two last names.

We met up there with River (from Bolivia), Jeffry, Miguel (from Ecuador), Jeff, Mark, and the other Jeffry, along with a number of others. Woody stayed at the airport to help Randy meet up with other participants. I rode on a minibus with a bunch of other GYI folks. I felt very out of place - shyness kicking in! We learned that today 8 Jewish students were killed in Jerusalem by a terrorist. Security was high, but we got through fine. In the van I listened to our driver talk on speaker phone for the whole trip. It sounded like he was arguing with everyone, but I would learn that was pretty typical in Israel. I think he also called his wife. That's the only phone call that he was almost silent for. She talked a lot. Of course, I can't understand a word of what they say! I could understand at least a little French.

I checked in to the Regency Jerusalem on Mount Scopus. We had a buffet supper in a banquet room of the hotel. It was way too crowded, but the food was good - especially all the kinds of bread. I could eat just bread the whole trip! Woody arrived at the tail end of supper. We paid for Internet (almost $20 for one day!) and Woody answered many emails. My stomach was hurting a lot, but still I slept - Woody didn't.

Israel Trip - A Half Day in Paris!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7
In my last entry I left us in cold, windy Paris with our luggage safely stowed away at Ville Saint Martin Hotel. We took the Metro to the Louvre station. I will never forget coming up the stairs and my jaw dropping. We were surrounded by the Louvre - and the awe I felt was almost surreal. We didn't go in the museum since we had only a few hours to soak in the city, but we walked in silence, dazzled by the historic beauty of a place I've heard about all my life.

The sky was mostly clear, but the sun was wimpy and the sky seemed faded as if it were huddled up to protect itself from the cold wind. I had on my light green windbreaker and felt like I was in a sea of black clothing and outerwear. It was as if my jacket were shouting, "I'M NOT FROM HERE! HAVE YOU NOTICED?"

We looked down the stree through one arch and could see the Arc de Trioph down the way. History surrounded us. I asked Woody to pinch me and told him that my expectations for Paris were already surpassed.

We walked to a boulangerie and ate a pizza-type thing with chicken and black olives. One of the olives had a pit, and of course I bit down hard on it. Thankfully no teeth broke! The hot chocolate there was a dream and my pizza and Woody's sandwich were perfect. We braced ourselves for the wind and cold (barely above freezing with about 20mph winds) and walked, crossing the Seine, to the Orsay Museum.

The Orsay is in an the old Orleans train station. They have amazing art, statues, and architecture everywhere you turn. The clock on the north was was ornate and huge. We went to the top floor (5th - looking down on the whole station) to see the Impressionists. We both loved it. Van Gogh's Siesta was a favorite of mine. We saw lots of Van Gogh, Sisler, Monet, Manet, Renoir. I liked Manet's La Lecture and Water Lilies. We also say Fantin-Latour, Caillebotte (I liked his), and Pisarro. Whistler's Mother was really gigantic. I wonder why I have that painting so engraved in my mind. We looked for a long time and probably only saw 20% of the displayed art.

We went on the Metro to Notre Dame - free entry! Dark, mammoth. One confessional was active - behind glass. So much stained glass that the huge, beautiful, circular stained glass art high up in the sanctuary are almost overlooked. It was probably 10 stories high inside! The organ was playing. It felt a bit oppressive and dead - devoid of hope, I thought.

From there we took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. It was so cold and we were so tired that we took a look at it and said to ourselves, "Been there, done that, let's go!" The tower itself was almost disappointing - looked like an exaggerated Erector Set or Leggo project. I had opted for seeing the Eiffel Tower over the Arc de Triomph with our last hour of daylight. Wish I'd chosen the Arc. But, we both were VERY happy that we got to see and experience so much of Paris in so little time.

We headed back to the hotel instead of paying a mint for a meal in the center of Paris. The restaurants around our hotel looked crummy and the cheapest meal in them would have been 20 Euros! We had some delicious leftover lunch and added a double cheese baguette and drinks to sup in our room.

All but one person we spoke with today spoke fluent English. Every single person we talked to was very kind and friendly.

We slept pretty well.

Journal of Israel Trip - First Day and a Half

Tuesday, March 4, and Wednesday AM, March 5

Eric drove us to the airport. I felt like God woke me up an hour before my alarm - 3AM!! - which proved absolutely important since I barely had time to get the essential financial reimbursement forms sent, take a quick shower and be ready by 8AM.

All went well at the San Jose airport. A Cinnabon stand had just opened there, so we were among their very first customers in San Jose. Yum! I felt very excited about the upcoming trip, both for Paris and for Israel. I held expectations loose for Paris since we were only scheduled to be there from 10AM on, and you never know about flight delays!

Once boarded in Costa Rica, our pilot optimistically told us we were departing and arriving on time. His prophecy was not fulfilled. Neither was on time. We did take off from the gate on time, but a few feet later we sat for nearly an hour.

Though we arrived late into Dallas, we still had enough time to step into the Admiral's Club. We enjoyed a quick Shiner Bock, cheese and crackers. Nice perks of the membership! From there we boarded our plane to head on to Paris - about an 8 hour flight. After supper we both slept. I slept more than Woody.

We arrived in Paris on time! YEAH! The Charles DeGaulle Airport and the transport systems were a bit challenging, but we managed to buy a day pass for the RER and Metro trains. Woody had a map on his Palm to find our hotel in Paris. It took good teamwork to figure it out, but we found the Hotel Ville Saint Martin by noon. The room wasn't ready yet, but they graciously stored our luggage for us and we headed out to quickly explore a little bit of Paris!

FYI, it was VERY cold and windy. With only a windbreaker and a warm vest, the cold air took our breath away. The views in Paris also took our breath away, but I'll leave that story for the next blog entry.

Tres Volcanes

My dear friend Helen came and spent an awesome week with us. The two of us ventured out to see three of the many volcanoes in Costa Rica. The most spectacular was Poas. We looked down into the turquoise, sulfurous, steaming water below and could also see clear as a bell the other extreme of the rim - nearly a mile away! I'll try to post a photo of Poas when I get it from Woody. Meanwhile, enjoy the photo of Helen on our La Paz Waterfall excursion. If you come to Costa Rica, don't miss that!

Aggravating Messengers

"One of Satan's favorite ploys to keep us from truth is to make us despise the messenger of truth." If someone speaks a difficult word to us, we will be tempted to ignore the truth by trying to find the same or a similar fault in that person. How true! Today, if we should hear an aggravating messenger, let's filter out the portion that irks us, and find the message underneath that we must apply!

I'm speaking to myself, since I'm headed to church this morning and still generally find the services and messages aggravating and boring.

(Quote from Seeking the Face of God by Gary Thomas. Great book!)

My Body's Jail

"Behold my soul shut in my body's jail" - Henry Constable

I have a surge of longing to be well and serve Him freely - no more jail time! The longing to forget the cell pushes up and becomes a temptation to falter.

Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work." It is my meat to endure, not escape. If this condition is the meat from His hand, then I would do well to take the snow of His words and lay it on my heart to cool my longing.

(Ideas stolen from Rose from Brier)

Sunset Christmas Eve

Do we not hear Thy footfall, O Beloved,
Among the stars on many a moonless night?
Do we not catch the whisper of Thy coming
On winds of dawn, and often in the light
Of noontide and of sunset almost see Thee?
Look up through shining air
And long to see Thee, O Beloved, long to see Thee,
And wonder that Thou art not standing there?

And we shall hear Thy footfall, O Beloved,
And starry ways will open, and the night
Will call her candles from their distant stations,
And winds shall sing Thee, noon, and mingled light
Of rose-red evening thrill with lovely welcome;
And we, caught up in air,
Shall see Thee, O Beloved, we shall see Thee,
In hush of adoration see Thee there.

- Amy Carmichael, Rose from Brier, p. 166

Enlighten my Dust

Once again, I have been struggling with stomach aches and a painful foot. It reminds me of the passage in I Corinthians 15:49, "Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." It's hard to escape from the earthy, isn't it? Paul truthfully calls it "the body of our humiliation." As Amy Carmichael says about the body, "It will not let us, as we gladly would, forget it."

That's what I would love to do - just forget it! But, it certainly doesn't let me. "Lord, transfigure it; this dust, enlighten it."

On a totally different note, yesterday we hosted the team farewell for M and S. (I cannot write out their names for security reasons.) About 45 people came out for the occasion. One highlight was the testimony of Steve and Jamie - two of our newest team members. They spoke in Spanish, which was a huge thing for them at this phase of language learning! Steve and Jamie came several years ago on a work team and stayed with M & S. They saw "real people," but also people of faith, willing to go and serve. Because of M & S's faith and everyday walk with Christ, Steve and Jamie went back to California and began to pray, desiring to be people of faith as well, willing to go where God would lead.

M & S led them to their first step in the pathway to serve at the Latin America Multiplication Center now. Now M & S are taking yet another huge leap of faith as they head out this week to be true disciples in the midst of a hostile people in the Middle East. Pray for them!!

Santa in a "Woody" car, driving through a drift of coffee beans... my nails are a combination of Christmas candles and falling snow. My beautician said that's the only way to see snow in Costa Rica! She was asking me if walking through snow felt like walking through mud. :)

High Goals

My e-mentor, Win, once challenged me to set high goals in marriage. To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing for me to try to identify any goals in marriage, let alone high ones. After thinking on this challenge for a week, I called Win back to ask if she would give me an example or two of high goals. The goal that most struck me was a simple, yet surely unattainable goal.

Eliminate selfishness.

Wow! If somehow everyone in the world might attain that goal, what would life be like?

Today I was struck by a paragraph Gary Thomas wrote in his book, Seeking the Face of God. “When we love Christ only for what He brings us, including spiritual feelings, we are loving ourselves, not loving Him, regardless of the sacrifice we think we are offering. The dark night of the soul purifies our motivation and keeps us from becoming like the crowds in the New Testament who followed Jesus, not for His teaching, but for the miraculously supplied bread.” (p. 193)

That’s worth thinking on today! Am I one of the crowd? Why do I pray? What do I pray? What is my desire today? Am I loving myself rather than loving Him? (I don’t think they are mutually exclusive, by the way!)

If This Had Not Been...

Once again, I am challenged by thoughts from Rose from Brier by Amy Carmichael. Today I was reading about a series of events that led to her fall in a pit and caused her to be bedridden with pain for months on end. If just one link in a seemingly insignificant chain or events had not happened, the accident would have been avoided. "If this had not been, this had not followed."

How often do we think about that in life? If only I had waited two minutes more... If only I had watched my step... If only... (You fill in the blank!)

Yet, God certainly does set limits to our suffering. And nurturing the "If Only" thoughts, as Carmichael puts it, "can be vinegar upon niter." (Whatever niter is!!")

Many times we can see the limits God has put on the hand of the enemy, and we rejoice in that. As we Minnesotans say, "It could have been worse." But, what if it was worse? Would that mean that prayers were not answered?

Good question. I sure don't have all the answers. "It is a petty view of our Father's love and wisdom which demands or expects an answer according to our desires, apart from His wisdom."

Spiritual Temperatures

As a nurse, I know there are several ways you can take a patient’s temperature. I’ve thought a bit on the spiritual implications of each. You might say that a “spiritual oral temperature” is measured by Ephesians 4:29. No unwholesome should word proceed from my mouth – only words which are edifying to others.

The axillary temperature might be measured by our works.

The most important temperature, though, is like what we used to measure in ICU. We had a way of taking a computerized temp of the blood as it came out of the heart. You can’t get much more accurate than that! This “core temp” is what God measures.

Sometimes we mistakenly think that our feelings are a measure of the core temp. Feelings may make our spiritual lives seem easier or more difficult, but they should be neither a measurement nor a guide in our spiritual lives.

There have been times in my life where I have persisted in prayer, even when I had no good feelings to take away from those prayer times. I think God is honored when we honestly begin our time in prayer saying, “Lord, I don’t feel Your presence. I don’t feel like praying. But, I choose to honor You by talking with you and laying my life at Your feet, whether I feel like it or not. I give these moments of prayer as a gift of “walking by faith and not by sight.” (Or, by feelings, I might add!) I trust that You will be glorified even more by this gift today than You would be if I were all excited about my prayer life.

Gary Thomas says, “Feelings are never the yardstick of truth. They will betray the truth far more often than they will confirm it.”

I think that’s the kind of core temp that God is measuring. When He takes away the blessings and the feelings – like Job, will I choose to still honor Him? That’s what it takes to be a man or woman after God’s own heart.

Willow Creek "Muffs Up Maturity"

Woody sent me an article from October 18, 2007 entitled “Willow Creek Repents?” I think it originated in a Christianity Today's blog, "Out of Ur." I have abridged it below as a follow-up to my own essay called “Muffing up Maturity.”

Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years.

Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels’ office hangs a poster that says: “What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?” Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry—church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage—has impacted every evangelical church in the country.

So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?

Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book that was recently released. Hybels, the executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”

Hybels previously taught that if more people participate in sets of activities on a more frequent basis, more disciples of Christ will be produced. This has been Willow’s philosophy of ministry in a nutshell: The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. Up until now Willow Creek has put all of its eggs into the program-driven church basket.

You can understand Willow’s shock when the research revealed that “Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone’s becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more.”

Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way. “Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into, thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually… Other things that we didn’t put that much [staff and] money into is stuff our people are crying out for.”

Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wakeup call” of his adult life.

Hybels confesses, “We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their Bible between service [sic], how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”

In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.

Does this mark the end of Willow’s thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins. “Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture.”

(If you haven’t read “Muffing Up Maturity,” skip down and see what I wrote about this very subject before I read the article about Willow Creek.)

What Are You Reading?

Here are titles and brief notes about each of the books I’ve read (or am reading) so far in 2007.
1. The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg – OK, but Seeking the Face of God is WAY better!
2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyesvsky – Worth reading the classic, but Dostoyevsky’s mind was sick and the book is depressing.
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandr Dumont – Light, long and REALLY fun to read!
4. Patrick by Stephen Lawhead – It has its parts that are violent, but it was a great book.
5. The Great Influenza by John M. Barry – very poorly edited (should have been 300 pages instead of nearly 500), but fascinating to learn more about the influenza epidemic of 1918
6. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence – I like meditating on it a sentence at a time. There are some things I don't like about it, though. Ask me about it.
7. Get me Out of That Pit! by Beth Moore – I like her studies better than her books. This one should have been a pamphlet.
8. Seeking the Face of God by Gary Thomas – Excellent!
9. Night by Eliezer Wiesel – You are better off reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Wiesel’s experience in concentration camps is similar to Ten Boom’s – only she redeemed her suffering and came out with HOPE.
10. Boxers to Bandits by Stephen Fortosis and Mary Graham Reid – Not the best writing or editing, but still very worth the read. I loved learning about the pioneer Christian missionaries to China and seeing what God did back then!
11. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway – My least favorite Hemingway piece so far. I stuck with it because I hope to see Paris next year – ever so briefly en route to Israel!
12. Mountain Light by Lawrence Yep – Juvenile fiction – not super-well written, but interesting.

13. Praying God's Word by Beth Moore - Basically a book that re-words Scripture into prayers - something I enjoy a lot!

What are YOU reading?

He Is in My Boat

I’d like to share an idea from Amy Carmichael’s book first published in 1933. Rose from Brier was given to me by my very special friend and mentor, Win Couchman. I have read it carefully many times and continue to be blessed by the thoughts presented.

It is normal at times to have fears “spring to life.” We wonder if all is well. No human voice can reassure us. “We must have our Lord’s, His very own.” Like the disciples in the midst of the storm, when urgent fears assail us, we cry out, “Master, carest Thou not?”

It is a needless cry because the Master is right there in the boat. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

“Storms may lie ahead. The waves may break into the ship. There is no promise of a calm passage. Let us settle it, therefore, in our hearts, as something that cannot be shaken, that our first prayer, our deepest desire, shall be not for blue skies and sweet airs, but that we may always have the ungrieved Presence of the Captain and the Master in our ship.”

Here’s part of a poem Carmichael wrote about the assurance of the Master’s care before our urgent call.

Lord, is all well? Oh, tell me; is all well?
No voice of man can reassure the soul
When over it the waves and billows roll;
His words are like the tinkling of a bell.
Do Thou speak; is all well?

Across the turmoil of the wind and sea,
But as it seemed from somewhere near to me,
A voice I know – Child, look at Calvary;
By the merits of My Blood, all is well.

Whence came the voice? Lo, He is in the boat;
Lord, wert Thou resting in Thy love when I,
Faithless and fearful, broke into that cry?
O Lord, forgive; a shell would keep afloat
Didst Thou make it Thy boat.

He is in the boat!

Muffing Up Maturity

Yesterday I read an article that Woody sent to me. It was written by Gordon MacDonald. Some of you may recall that MacDonald is familiar with “muffing up.” Unlike other fallen Christian leaders, MacDonald humbly repented of his sin, and God has seen fit to continue to use him, just as he used a king named David who muffed up centuries ago. MacDonald is now editor at large of Leadership magazine and chair of World Relief.

Martin Thornton said, “A walloping great congregation is fine and fun, but what most communities really need is a couple of saints. The tragedy is that they may well be there in embryo, waiting to be discovered, waiting for sound training, waiting to be emancipated from the cult of the mediocre.”

Joel Osteen has made it big. Let me promise you, he has a walloping great congregation. In Houston – what used to be the Rockets’ stadium – Lakewood Church hosts three services with an average attendance of 16,000 per service. On Larry King Live he was introduced as a “megapastor.” Woody kiddingly told me, “Hey! I want to be a mega-super-hyper-maxi-pastor!” Osteen’s main goal is to make people feel really good about themselves and believe that God has better things for them - both in this life and the life to come.

MacDonald writes about how we as a church are not too bad at bringing people to Christ and doing basic discipleship. It is possible to have programs - and the modern church loves programs! - that bring people to Christ and take them through booklets that teach them the basics of the faith. But programs rarely produce true mature Christians.

We are good at producing “churchy Christians,” but listen to how MacDonald describes the holy, Christ-like, and godly man or woman of God : “I have in mind those who walk through all the corridors of the larger life – the market-place, the home and community, the playing fields – and do it in such a way that, sooner or later, it is concluded that Jesus’ fingerprints are all over them.”

Like I was hearing on Tom Dooleys’ Through the Bible podcast, these are people who - just by the way they live - leave behind them a trail that makes people ready to hear about Jesus. It’s hard to define a mature Christian, but you are likely to know one when you see one. The marks of maturity include a spiritual devotional life that is self-sustaining, wisdom in human relationships, humble service, and comfort in the everyday life in the real world where faith is lived out among unbelievers.

How many people do you know that are like that? Have we forgotten how to raise saints? What are we doing wrong? Reading the wrong books? Doing the wrong studies? Preaching wrong? Too much emphasis on self-help? Too much application in church of the world’s principles of success?

Mature Christians are formed in many ways, but one important key is through mentoring.
When I was a young wife and mother and missionary in Bolivia, I realized that I sorely needed a godly woman to mentor me. During one furlough I decided to approach several mature women that had experience in ministry as well as being a godly wife and mother. I was shocked and sorely disillusioned when one after the other, they refused to share their lives and wisdom with me. One of them told me bluntly, “I have nothing to teach you.” I almost got down on my knees to beg her, “Can’t you teach me some of what you know about following Christ and serving others? You host many people in your home. Can you give me tips on having a healthy balance between hosting guests and caring for family? Can you at least give me some recipes that are easy to fix for big groups?”

“No.”

The answer was final. And my heart was broken. I could only go to God and say, “You have to help me! I want to do this right and well. Help me, please!”

Mentoring might involve sharing a helpful book with someone, but it goes way beyond sharing recipes and reading books. As we read that book, we talk of life and we pray about ways that God needs to change us and how to go about that. Mentoring takes place on the streets of life – learning how to live as a Christian in the nitty-gritty of life. “Mature Christians are made one by one through the influence of other Christians already mature,” says MacDonald.

I’ve been writing a devotional. A couple of weeks of Su’s Daily Devos focus on the reality of suffering in our lives. Mature Christians grow through suffering. A sense of inadequacy is the stepping stone to dependency on God. Wrestling with questions and doubt are the springboard to growth. Mature Christians fail forward, as has MacDonald. They say a strategic “no” when others are indulging themselves with “yeses.” And they fall and learn to get up again. As MacDonald says from his own personal experience, “Mature Christians are experts at repenting and humility.” Mature Christians learn under one who has gone before so that “his/her life becomes a textbook on Christ’s work in us.”

Just like my failed search for a mentor over 20 years ago, young people today are failing to find mentors. People of my generation are more interested in cruises than modeling Christ. As MacDonald puts it, they are “too busy, too distracted, too secretive, and too afraid.” He doesn’t add that they are also too immature! Maturity in Christ has not been among their long-range goals!

I hope and pray along with Gordon MacDonald that we won’t lose a new generation of young Christians who couldn’t get past infancy because we were unwilling or unable to “emancipate an embryo,” or at least share a recipe!

Whingy Su

This morning I was looking at the story of Elijah when he fled from Jezebel. I was focusing on I Kings 19:7 where the angel of the Lord came a second time and said, “Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”

How often do I find the journey too great for me? I think I am a very weak person, because I find myself thinking that more times than not!

Isn’t it ironic that I can take great courage in the fact of my own great weakness?

Amy Carmichael wrote, “We never reach the place where we pass beyond the compassion of our God. His compassions fail not; they are new every morning; never tiring of us, always strong for our help.” (Emphasis mine.)

I love the thought that His compassions never get tired of me. I get tired of myself! I try not to whine, or, as the Brits put it, whinge, but I think I am a born whinger. But His compassions are new every morning. They never get tired of Whingy Su.

I want to read more about the life of Julian of Norwich. She evidently faced physical difficulties, illness and pain. In the book Revelations of Divine Love it tells of the ¨fifteen shewings¨ that fell fair and steadily, each following another, gladdening her heart.

Yet after the fifteen shewings, ensued a period of silence and remission. “Suddenly all my body was fulfilled with sickness as it was afore. And I was as barren and as dry as if I never had comfort but little. And as a wretched creature I moaned and cried for feeling of my bodily pains and for failing of comfort, spiritual and bodily.”

At that point, God granted her these words of comfort: Thou shalt not be overcome.

“He said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted; but He said, Thou shalt not be overcome.”

I take courage in the fact that Julian of Norwich was a born whinger. She experienced supernatural comfort in the midst of trial. But, she also experienced the despair of silence in the midst of pain, comforted only with the promise, Thou shalt not be overcome.

God loves us and enjoys us, and He wills that we love and enjoy Him as we mightily trust in Him. That’s my prayer today.

May I mightily trust in You!

Celeste's Example - Seeking the Things Above

Squirrels!

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth; for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:2

Back in my college days I memorized the book of Colossians. It seems like the rest of my life I will spend trying to recapture those memorized verses! I just about have the first two chapters under my belt again, and I'm working on getting the third down.

On one of my Celestial walks this week, I was repeating the above verse when Celeste suddenly stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the treetops.

Squirrels!

If Celeste has one passion in life, it is chasing squirrels. While we stroll the grounds of the Multiplication Center, she is constantly focusing on squirrels - listening for their sounds, watching for any unusual movement, sniffing and scanning the treetops.

Celeste is a perfect example of setting her eyes on the things above. My hope is that I might emulate her passion - not for squirrels, but for even more important things above!

Hotel Villa Caletas Infinity Pool

The pool at Hotel Villa Caletas is almost worth the price of the stay. It is called an infinity pool... and I think you can clearly see why! The water gently cascades over the edge of the pool that looks way down on the Pacific below. The pool, ocean, and sky seem to all blend into one another for an incredible, peaceful experience.

My Husband of 32 Years

What a lovely sight! Woody, that is. I liked the view from the hotel terrace restaurant as well.

32nd Wedding Anniversary Photos

We spent two nights at Hotel Villa Caletas... our third time celebrating our anniversary at this lovely, small Pacific coast hotel. During rainy season (now) they offer residents two nights for the price of one. This is the view from our room!! We looked down 1,140 feet below to the Pacific Ocean. There were no other rooms or buildings in sight from our balcony!

Residents, Presidents

Yesterday I had the amazing privilege of meeting the president of the Republic of Costa Rica. But, to be honest, that wasn't the highlight of my day. My highlight was being part of the Albernia community and seeing the joy on the resident's faces as they met the president.

Let me give you some context...

San Isidro is a quaint little town. We used to have two one-lane bridges to facilitate crossing the river near the center of town. Late last January the river flooded one of the bridges. A driver who attempted to cross the flooded river had his car stall and he was swept away by the current and drowned. It was a tragic accident that resulted in a project to replace the existing bridge.

Normally, a one-lane bridge that spans maybe 25-30 feet, probably wouldn't take too long to build, but here it has taken 14 months. Rush hour has certainly been more interesting with only one functioning one-lane bridge. In December, a whole lot of work was done, and it seemed like we were days away from the re-opening of the bridge, but then they stopped and we started to hear rumors. The most interesting rumor was that they were going to wait to finish the bridge so that President Arias could come out and cut the red ribbon.

The rumor turned out to be true. So, the town was dressed up and ready for his visit to inaugurate our new bridge yesterday. I didn't go to the inauguration or to the visits to the church or the school. Instead I walked all the way to the Albernia nursing home to await his scheduled visit there.

As I got to the Albernia gate, a guard told me, "You are not allowed to enter. This event is by invitation only." I asked if he would just allow me to step in and ask the director if I could attend. The president's representatives asked my forgiveness when Ana, the director, vouched for me. The next hour I spent in wonderful conversation with my best friends in town. The staff had all new uniforms and had whipped the place into the best shape ever.

Finally, when the president appeared, he greeted a few of the residents and then took a seat of honor under a lawn awning set up for the occasion. There were lovely flowers and an official presidential podium.

The most embarassing moment for me was the first thing on the program - the singing of the Costa Rican national anthem. TV cameras panned the audience as everyone belted out the words... all except me, that is! I still haven't learned all the words! I just hope I wasn't on TV, making foolish, blubbering sounds like Mr. Bean.

After the first two speakers, the president was introduced. Instead of stepping behind the podium, he walked right over to Don Edgar, sitting in front of me in his wheelchair. He asked Edgar's name and told him he looked familiar. He spoke briefly to the residents on each side of Edgar. Then he looked straight at me, and said, "And you?"

"My name is Susan and I live in San Isidro. I visit here each week."

He had a few more words with me, and then stepped back up to the podium. Woohoo!

It was marvellous to see my friends faces glow and to see the president of this country humbly care for his compatriots who are a bit older. Don Oscar Arias is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a compassionate president. He has chosen to give half of his presidential salary to donate to nursing homes around the country. Yesterday he announced that he uses the other half of his salary at his discretion, and he has chosen to use part of it to help Albernia for three or four months as well. (The Albernia property was originally donated by the president's uncle, I learned.)

Photos of Day Three

Carriage Ride (Note Army camouflage material used to line carriage.)

Devotional Time by the Hotel Pool

Oropendola Nests on our Islet Tour

Dinner for Two

The Streets of Granada

Nicaragua Trip - Day Three

After another refreshing night’s sleep, we enjoyed our personal devotion time by the hotel pool. We basically had the courtyard to ourselves and had our own private “church.” The other noisy tourists were late-risers and seemed to prefer beers on the terrace over seeing the sights of the city.

We walked several blocks through streets brimming with vendors of every sort… the Sunday market. There was a little bit of everything available. Breakfast options were still pretty slim, so we munched on dry cereal and yogurt.

We were eagerly looking forward to a trip out to the islets of Granada on Lake Nicaragua. We loved the carriage ride so much on Saturday that we decided to pay the extra $20 to take another one to the pier. There we hired a small boat to take us on an hour long private tour. There are 265 small islands near the city of Granada, all formed by volcanic explosions about 400 years ago. Most of the islands are privately owned by wealthy business people or politicians. I would hate to have my house on one, because we were only one of many boats putting around the perimeters of their homes, gawking at the evidence of wealth.

We paid about $5 extra so that the carriage driver would take us to a sight I wanted to revisit. The San Juan de Dios Hospital had been abandoned around 10 years ago. By the look of it, you would think it had been abandoned much longer ago! It takes up two whole city blocks. Trees are growing right out of the rooftops of the tall spires! Inventory books and patient records are still strewn in the hallways. One story we heard indicated that the hospital sewage had been accumulating for many years in a tank under the center patio of the hospital. Eventually, the hospital began to settle into the huge sewage pit underneath it. What a good reason for a hospital to die!

We ate an elegant supper in a new hotel, enjoying the restaurant all to ourselves, since other tourists don’t eat until late. We hit the sack early. Day three… another lovely day!

Granada Nicaragua Trip - Day Two

One of our hopes for our trip together was to spend some time alone with God, plus have time for me to mentor Kari. God was very gracious to us in both senses! Our first morning we found two rockers next to the small, quiet pool in the courtyard, and enjoyed God’s presence.

After our quiet time, we ventured out on the streets to look for a good bread store for our breakfast. If there exist good bread stores in Nicaragua, we never found one! We stepped into one, looked at each other, and stepped right out again! Instead we found some pre-packaged dry toast, dulce de leche, and yogurt and enjoyed our breakfast on the main city plaza, right outside our hotel door.

Since it was Saturday we decided to find a bus to a nearby city of Masaya, where they boast of a great artisan’s market. The express bus driver knew two speeds: FAST and STOP!! We had an interesting cultural experience en route. Suddenly, while barreling down the highway, the bus driver’s assistant in the back shouted, “PECADO!” In Spanish, that means SIN! The driver looked over his shoulder once, and kept going. The boy now became more insistent, “PECADO! PECADO! PECADO!” Now, the bus driver was truly concerned, glaring over his shoulder and considering slowing down.

One more shout of “PECADO!” and the driver slammed on the brakes. As the dust settled, the passenger behind us was thrown off the bus! His dripping packages gave away his sin. He had two sacks of frozen fish which were creating pools of fishy water on the floor. We realized that the Nicaraguans drop their “s” sounds, so the boy had been actually shouting “PESCADO!” the Spanish word for fish!

The artisan’s market was a fun stop for us. We mostly window-shopped. Our biggest purchase was four identical clay bead bracelets – one for Kari and me, and the other two for Norma and Krista. Later I read an inscription on one of the beads. It said “Cuba!” So much for Nicaraguan souvenirs! I’ll attach a photo of one of the lovely murals in the artisan’s market.

We opted for a local bus back to Granada. The eight block walk to the bus stop was an eye-opener. We have heard that 75% of Nicaraguans live below the poverty level. I think that percentage perhaps is slightly underestimated. We saw starving dogs and starving horses, but also starving people. From then on, we always bought extra food to share with the needy all around us.

The local buses also have two speeds. SLOW and STOP. Once again, my cane came to the rescue. Otherwise the two of us would have been standing, packed like sardines with the rest of the hot, sweaty bunch.

The sun was lowering in the sky by the time we made our way back to the main square. On a whim, we decided to hire a horse and buggy to take us for a sunset tour of Granada. Our favorite stop was at an arsenal built by the Spaniards soon after establishing the city. It was most recently used during the civil war in the 80’s to house prisoners. We climbed up into the guard tower and caught our first glimpse of Lake Nicaragua and the volcano that overlooks the city. What a view!

We ate a real meal that evening at a restaurant recommended by the carriage driver. I ate guapote – the most typical fish from Lake Nicaragua.

Day two… a lovely day!

Nicaragua Trip - Day One

Kari and I had a marvelous time together in Granada, Nicaragua! Kari has to leave the country for 72 hours every three months in order to stay in Costa Rica, since she does not have a residency visa. Three months ago she traveled with some of the other Sojourn teachers to Panama City. This time I offered to go with her on a trip - just the two of us. To save money, we planned it ourselves, making our hotel reservation based on the recommendation of a friend from Nicaragua. We could have gone through a travel agency for around $400 apiece, but we ended up spending $166 each!! Aren’t we good missionaries?!?

We traveled by bus. The trip to Nicaragua was uneventful. (I'll write an entry soon describing the return trip adventures!) We left around noon and arrived around 10PM. The border crossing was definitely third world, but we managed better than most, thanks to my cane! Since I’d had foot surgery only 4 weeks previous, I decided to take my cane along, not only to help me walk, but to give me a “passport to grace.” Don’t think I was playing my sympathy card! Honestly, the cane was my salvation! People were very gracious and accommodating.

One interesting note about the bus ride… the roads in Nicaragua at night are narrow, dark, rough and unmarked (no center lines, no any lines!) Get a seat in the back if you want to avoid a heart attack. What you can’t see can’t hurt you!

Before the trip we had investigated how much a taxi should cost from the bus station to our hotel. The first taxi to happen by, seeing our foreign faces, wanted double that price. We should have forked over the extra two dollars, since we ended up waiting and hunting for another taxi for at least another 20 minutes.

We walked into our hotel lobby and were “wowed.” The lobby was gorgeous! Our room was small, but clean, with a decent, clean bathroom. Initially we were disappointed when we saw that our window did not look out on the street. But, after a good night’s rest, we opened our curtain and looked out on the lovely courtyard, and decided our view wasn’t half bad!! The attached photo shows you that view. Tomorrow I will write about our second day there.

Surpise Celestial Sleepover

Yesterday morning I was working on the computer at home when I received a panicky phone call from Lori’s neighbor. Wilma couldn’t get through on the office phone to Lori, so she asked me if Lori had house guests. As I was contacting Lori by Skype, Wilma called back to say, “It’s robbers! They are leaving with her TV!” I had her call the police, and Eric drove with Lori to her house. A small group of men evidently had forced the lock on her carport gate and broken down her front door in broad daylight. Fortunately, her losses total less than $1000. She will have to replace her passport and driver’s license. The police never came, though about 4 hours later a “judicial investigation team” showed up to look for fingerprints and write a report. Then Lori and her landlord had to go to the police station to file a report while workmen stayed behind to screw the door back together again.

In the afternoon I did a lot of phone calls for Lori. One of those calls was to the emergency number for the US Consulate. Inside each passport it says to call to report if your passport is lost or stolen. I first tried several phone numbers for the US consulate in Costa Rica, but either got answering machines or no answer. So, I decided to call their emergency number. A man answered the phone in English. He didn’t say, “Good afternoon! US Consulate.” He didn’t even say, “Hello.”

He answered the phone like this: “Yeah?”

I was a bit surprised and figured I must have the wrong number! But, I asked in English, “Is this the US Consulate?”

“Yeah.”

It was an American accent. At this point I wasn’t sure if his vocabulary extended beyond this one word. “Yeah.”

Anyway, I explained the robbery and he said simply, “You don’t need to report it. She just has to replace it.”

Lori really wanted me to come over after Eric left in the early afternoon, but I was in the midst of an urgent ILF project - printing and sending 47 personal, signed, official ILF invitations for the IT Filipino leaders. I was on the phone for about an hour trying to decide between DHL and FedEx. (That is a story in and of itself!) The DHL messenger finally showed up at 6:30PM, freeing me to go join Lori at her house. Celeste was a welcome addition to the slumber party. The damaged front door may not have looked terribly secure, but the 115 pound dog was a nice deterrent to any further break-ins!

What a Way to Start 2007!

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve service at our church, Iglesia Principe de Paz. As people filed in, we handed out multi-colored slips that read, "List 10 reasons you are thankful." Luis Diego, now the new director of I.T. Costa Rica, led us in music of thanksgiving as the seats began to fill.

Rather than having traditional "church," we now pulled out an "IPP BINGO" sheet. "Tico Bingo" is a big thing at this time of year. It is a lottery that benefits the Red Cross. So, the artwork on our Bingo sheets mimicked the Tico Bingo slogan. In IPP BINGO, however, all are winners. Everyone had to fill their nine squares with a thanksgiving, a goal for 2007, and a signature of different individuals in the church. The group was very animated as they got to know one another better, focusing on gratefulness to God.

After more wonderful singing, the pastor spoke on all the things we forget to be thankful for. He concluded his message by quoting Revelation 7:12. "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

We then shared in a very precious time of the Lord's Supper.

As we drew near to the conclusion of a beautiful morning, the people filed to the front to deposit their multi-colored slips of gratitude, along with their offering, in a large, clear glass bowl. As they deposited their offerings of praise, each had the option of drawing a Scripture slip. We had made up about 25 slips of paraphrased Scriptures that focus on gratitude. Each person that drew a slip and read their portion aloud into the microphone. People were so eager to participate that I quickly ran out of slips. Some people spontaneously shared their thanks by quoting memorized verses.

We all joined hands in a large circle and read in unison the passage from Revelation that was on a PowerPoint slide. You should have heard the enthusiasm as we thought about preparing for the day we would all stand before the Lamb: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
Still in a circle, the pastor led us in a prayer of commitment for the coming year. He then told us no one could leave without personally greeting and blessing each person in the crowd... about 80 of us! There was such a warm spirit that people stayed for about another half hour, hugging and blessing one another.

What a way to start 2007!

Put Your Feet Up!

Well, put your foot up, might be a better title! Here are details of my recent foot surgery for those who are interested...

Some of you know that the last time I had an endoscopy, I started my own IV. Well, I decided to do it again! So, Woody was my assistant once again, and we got it started on the first poke! Yeah! I decided to give it a try again since my veins virtually disappear when I am cold or nervous.

Woody drove me to the hospital by 6AM so that we could sign papers and have me ready for surgery by 7. The doctors were pretty impressed with the IV. The doctors – surgeon, family MD, and anesthesiologist – all seemed very good, and we were pleased. I was in surgery for about an hour. They dissected the two nerves in the area, which looked normal. So, they decided to investigate a bit deeper and found a small mass close to the nerve and bone (4mm diameter). They weren’t sure if it was a “foreign body” or nerve tissue or some other type of small mass. They removed it and sent it to pathology. (No report as of yet.) They feel quite certain the surgery will correct my foot pain.

I’ve already been able to put a bit of weight on my heel or the side of my foot. For two days I will mostly be lying down with my foot up.

When we returned home after a long day at the hospital and a slow drive home through Christmas traffic jams, Brian and Stephanie had fixed us a lovely trout dinner. Our team riends had left a beautiful fresh flower bouquet, graced by a really nice card.

Woody has been my ANGEL during all of this! What would I do without him!?!?

Thanks for your prayers. Continue to pray for me during this recovery… that the surgery might truly correct the problem; for grace for Woody and me as I am so dependent on him; for relative freedom from pain; for the ability to rest.

Book Club

Today I got up bright and early in order to make bread dough before taking off with Woody for a two hour pre-marital counseling appointment with Pablo and Jenny. By the time we got back, I had just enough time to rush along my home-made rolls as a contribution to our final book club of the year.

I have really enjoyed reading this year. Book Club has helped motivate me, and we’ve come up with some winners! I’ve read over 20 books this year. Among my favorites have been Suite Francais; Cry, the Beloved Country; A Journey to Victorious Praying; The Kite Runner; One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich; The Hiding Place; and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.

We had a great book to conclude the year. We read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Though I have read it before, it is one of those books that you can read again and again and still enjoy.

Some of our book club meetings this have been a bit dull. But today’s club was the most fun of all of them so far. Karen hosted the party, and she is a fantastic hostess! When we arrived, she had a Christmas craft ready for all of us. We made plates, decoupaged with Christmas fabrics she had brought from the USA. It was really fun!

Lunch was sumptuous! My rolls turned out great, for one. J Karen had fixed grilled chicken salad. You can’t beat a fresh Costa Rican fruit salad, including oranges, pineapple, mango, papaya, bananas, passion fruit, grapes and pecans! As we ate, we each had a chance to share a special Christmas memory.

We had a couple of special guests who also read the book in order to join our group today. Helen, a new intern from England, and Carol, a friend of Stephanie, were a great addition to the book discussion! Karen had each of us come prepared with a discussion question, so the dialog was animated.

Karen’s incredible home-made desserts were the icing on the cake. Birds nest cookies, fudge, and pecan snowballs were the perfect touch for a book club finale. As we washed up the dishes, I asked, “Are we going to have book club again next year?”

The group responded in unison, “OF COURSE!!!”

Thanksgiving 2006

Seven people didn't show to our team Thanksgiving Dinner. So, we had only 41 people on Friday! I'll try to attach a photo later. The two huge turkeys were more than enough, and we are still enjoying leftovers. I also had almost two whole leftover pumpkin pies! Thanks to Reynold's Turkey Roasting Bags, the job was a breeze. We had wonderful conversations with many of our Tico friends. The day was a huge success! Several stayed after just to talk about how precious the day was for them and how grateful they were to celebrate the day with us. :)

Emotional Limitations

In yesterday's blog I spoke of being weary. In that weariness, I have chosen to pour out my heart to Him.

Today, my reading from A Journey to Praying Victoriously dove-tailed with yesterday's thoughts on weariness. Bill Thrasher comments, "In Jesus' humanity, He had emotional limitations."

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed." Mark 1:35

Evidently, the term used here for "prayed" does not refer primarily to intercession, but to the outpouring of His own soul to the Father for renewal and refreshment. It's refreshing to know that Jesus Himself had to pour out His thoughts and emotions to the Father!

Weary!

Lately I have felt weary. Between the intensity of investing our lives in the Formation missionaries, having surgery, other health issues, insomnia, and Woody’s travels, I have simply felt needy and weary.

Yesterday I had a very full day after very little sleep. I started out my day just after 4AM, enjoying a long time with my Lord. Even though I felt my heart would burst with emotions and thoughts, I decided to not give in to the temptation to look for a friend to pour out my heart, but to depend totally on Him. Throughout the day I cried out to Him. As I did market shopping for next week’s Formation meals, my eyelids were heavy, but I cried out to Him. As I struggled through reimbursement requests and budget calculations with a splitting headache, I cried out to Him. As I made phone calls and juggled menus for next week’s Thanksgiving Bash, I cried out to Him.

It was wonderful to spend my day leaning SO hard on Him. It made me think of our Great Dane, Celeste. She is such a people-dog! She will stand next to me and affectionately lean into me – with all 115 pounds of bone and muscle! That’s how I want to lean into God.

Yesterday evening, after a “leaning day,” my friend and team mate, Michelle, showed up at my door to talk to me. Oh, what a blessing as we had a heart-to-heart share time! I felt like God honored my choice to depend only on Him, rewarding me with a flesh-and-blood friend to encourage me.

The morning dawned bright and clear after a night of tropical rainstorms. My Celestial prayer walk this morning definitely had a Spirit-led theme. Let me share with you two passages– one from my prayer book and one from my Scripture memorization review.

Phrases from Is. 40:28-31 “He does not become weary;” He gives strength to the weary; though youths grow weary; they will walk and not become weary.”

Isaiah 50:4 “The Sovereign Lord [gives the word] that sustains the weary.”

Photos of Woody in Spain

Woody at La Alhambra

Flyweight Wrestling

This morning I had a round of tag-team flyweight wrestling. I actually looked up the old wrestling terms to see what weight category Celeste fits into! The frog and I combined probably outweighed Celeste, but the frog really didn’t throw his weight into the match. Let me explain. This morning on my Celestial walk, Celeste spotted a frog on the road and lunged for it. I sensed we were in for big trouble, and I didn’t want to let her loose to get in trouble alone. Within a second, I realized it was a frog she was after. The frogs we have on campus are deadly for dogs. (We think that’s how Chester died.) So, I literally wrestled Celeste to the ground with a move I learned from “The Crusher.” I held her in a choke grip around the neck. It took us a few minutes – all three of us on the ground before the match was called.

The frog and I won!

Actually, Celeste won, whether she realizes it or not. The frog may be featherweight, but his poison would have knocked out a Super-Heavyweight!

Blah, Blah, Blah...

Some of you may recall an amazing story of one of my elderly friends from the Albernia Home for the Elderly. Dona Clemencia has some sort of dementia and spends much of her day mumbling sounds that make no sense. When I visited her with a group of women from Barrington, Illinois, I had a very lucid conversation with her and a time of prayer.

Today I spoke again with Clemencia. She had been blabbering, "Blah, blah, blah," and the nursing home staff had been trying to get her to repeat some kind of meaningful sound instead. I walked over to her, looked lovingly in her eyes and asked if she remembered me.

"Si," she replied.

Once again, I had a lucid conversation with her and told her about Jesus' love. She assured me that she understood me and kept looking lovingly into my eyes. Her words were few, but deliberate.

As I walked away, she resumed her earlier talk, "Blah, blah, blah."

Next, I pulled out a magic marker and huge pad of paper to try to communicate with Don Carlos, my friend who is deaf and almost blind. With great effort he was able to read my words. I held a Reader's Digest version of a Bible study on Luke 22 with him. He was thrilled! Day after day he lives isolated in his own dark, soundless world. But God's light shone on him today!

(The photo is of Don Carlos as I visited him today.)

All Over Town

Last week I put together a number of our extra t-shirts and gave them to “Colli Loco.” Colli is a young man who has some handicaps. The town people call him “loco” because he is a bit off in the head and slow on the uptake. Over the years we’ve made friends with Colli and have even had opportunities to share the gospel with him. He earns a little bit of money by guarding cars near our old apartment in downtown San Isidro.

Yesterday I had to laugh when I went into town to do errands!!

First, as I parked our car, I ran into Colli. He was wearing a t-shirt from the Bolivian Youth Leaders Convention we spoke at two years ago. He grinned as he showed off his new clothes to me.

Then, I went into the vegetable stand. The young man who waited on me was wearing a t-shirt that came from someone we’d met from a short-term team from California.

As I drove away, I saw another needy man from town. He was wearing another one of Woody’s t-shirts!

I commented to our gardener about seeing our clothes all over town. He laughed as he told me about a trip he’d taken to a poor community on the Sarapiqui River. He’d taken a couple of bags of clothes we’d donated for the poor. He said, “I’ve seen people wearing your clothes in at least three other towns!”

Let’s pray that the light of Christ might spread across this country – just like our old t-shirts!

Little Known Facts About Costa Rica

-Mother’s Day is August 15th and is a national holiday.

-On August 2nd up to 2,000,000 people will be making a pilgrimage by foot to honor the Virgen of Los Angeles. That’s almost half the population of the country!)

-McDonalds here “McPinto” for breakfast… beans and rice.

-Also, McDonalds have “McInternet” which gives you a free half hour on line with the purchase of a combo meal.

-There is no self-serve gas in the country.

-If you want to install a phone line in your house, the wait for a line can be up to two years.

-All bars and liquor stores in the country are closed on Election Day and Good Friday.

-Just a few miles from here, the average annual rainfall is 312 inches.

-On the hottest day of the year we have temps around 88 degrees. Our coldest night of the year - about 59 degrees.

-For obvious reasons, homes do not have furnaces or air conditioners.

-We have very few mosquitoes. We don’t even have screens on our windows!

-On Wednesdays the movie theaters in the country all offer 2 for 1 tickets.

-Some movie theaters have VIP seating – leather recliners with waiters who serve almost anything you want, including sushi!

-Costa Rica has the third highest per capita accident rate in the world.

When we pulled the moving van up to our house in September of 2005 there was a four month old Harlequin Great Dane sitting on the doorstep awaiting us. She hung around with us all day. It was obvious she had an owner, but she was wearing no tags and seemed delighted to just be with us. She was just about the sweetest, gentlest puppy I'd ever met.

As we took a coffee break and sat with her at our feet, Woody casually asked me, "What do you think her name is?"

I took a look into her sky blue eyes and answered, "Celeste."

He thought that was pretty funny. A huge dog like that with such a gentle name! The puppy must have found its own way home that evening and didn't reappear for another week or so. This time she had tags on. Guess what? Her name was CELESTE!!

Celeste kept appearing on and off. Because we had to call them so often, we eventually got to know her owners. We enjoyed the dog so much that we told Daniel and Andrea, "If you ever need to find her another home, we'll take her!"

In late April, we got a phone call. "We are moving to Canada and can't take Celeste with us. Could you take her?"

So, we now are the proud owners of an eleven month old "PUPPY!" She must weigh about 100 pounds. She looks very intimidating. But, don't tell potential thieves that she has a tender heart. The biggest risk she poses is leaning into you too hard for affection.

(By the way, since that first day I discovered that Celeste has only one sky blue eye. The other is green!)

Thirty-One-Derful Years!

As I sat, trying to come up with a creative card idea for our 31st wedding anniversary, I suddenly remembered that Baskin Robbins boasts “31 flavors.” My card to Woody said, “Life with you has had more variety than 31 flavors of ice cream; sweeter than Cadbury chocolate milk (see photo); and more satisfying than a pound of Oreos.” Thanks, Woody, for being the joy of my life!

A Fellow Hiker

On Good Friday we took two new team mates, Brian and Sara Weyandt, for a hike in the Braulio Carillo National Forest - just a five minute drive from our house. Walking along the trail we encountered a "fellow-hiker." I've learned a lot about tarantulas since we got to observe this one close-up. There are over 800 species of tarantula, so it shouldn't surprise you that we aren't sure of the name of this one! We think it might be a "Costa Rican Red-legged Tarantula." It's legspan was about 6 inches. The body was very black and velvety and the "knees" were bright red.

Here are some of the interesting facts I learned about tarantulas. The male usually lives from 2 months to 3 1/2 years. The female can live over 20! They feed on insects and baby rodents. They have very small brains and are fragile - can be killed by a fall. They are venomous, but there are no recorded deaths of humans caused by a tarantula. They have itch-causing hairs, particularly on their abdomens, and some can kick these hairs into the air to defend themselves. They grow by molting. During the molting process they lay upside down. Rarely does the female kill the male, but just in case, once the mating is done, the male makes a quick dash to avoid possibile demise at the "hands" of his lover. During mating, he grasps her fangs to keep her from attacking him. They have poor eyesight, but their hairs are sensors for temperature changes, smell, and detecting vibrations in the air. The largest tarantula recorded had a 13 inch legspan!

That's probably more than you wanted to know about tarantulas. So far, we have never seen one near our house, so don't let the photo of this one keep you from visiting!

Don't Worry, This is UNUSUAL for Costa Rica!

I got bit up by something on Sunday and had an allergic reaction to the bites. Several of the seventeen bites formed huge blisters. Let me assure you, THEY ITCHED! They are finally starting to heal.

Nasty Bite!

NosePods Will Never Catch On!

In the photo below you might barely be able to tell I have a small tube taped to my face which goes down my nose into my esophagus. It's attached to something that looks a bit like a Walkman. One of our fellow missionaries asked if it was a Nose Pod. It didn't play music, and the tube down the throat would never catch on in popularity, let me assure you!

Yesterday was a day that I will unfortunately probably never forget. My esophagus has rarely caused me so much grief. Woody had told me before traveling that probably I’d have no reflux problems while the tube was in, since I seem to always be better for tests or doctor appointments. Well, that prediction didn’t come true. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the testing. When they pulled the tube yesterday afternoon, I went directly to the pharmacy, bought a bottle of Mylanta, and before even stepping out of the pharmacy, told a fellow customer, "Cheers!" and proceded to gulp several swallows straight from the bottle! Though there was some immediate relief, I am sure it will be challenging to get the inflammation under control, since it was bad even before the test.

I was able to rest fairly well last night, and am so thankful for that!

Su's Miserable Day

Our New House

Thoughts on Healing

Last week was a tough week for me in the area of health issues. I’ll be brief about the problems. (If you want to know more, just write and ask.) I’ve recently had an endoscopy as well as an esophogram. I also had to have needle biopsies on both breasts – five needle sticks with no anesthesia! Now I am facing two more tests on my esophagus because it has been so irritated that it has been hard to eat or sleep.

This morning I read the story of Jesus healing the leper in Luke 5. The leper approached Jesus with absolute belief.

“You can make me clean.”

He had no doubt Jesus could heal him. He just didn’t know if Jesus would heal him.

The leper also approached Jesus by saying, “Lord, if You are willing…”

He seemed to be saying, “If You, in Your wisdom and plan, see purpose in it, please do it.”

Beth Moore comments, “Although I don’t pretend to understand how or why, some illnesses may serve more eternal purpose than healing, while other healings serve more purpose than illness.”

I feel for Christians who are chronically ill. You would not believe all the solutions I’ve been offered – from the reasonable to the wacky! Others think they know exactly what I’m experiencing, but when they proceed to explain their own symptoms, I realize they don’t understand at all. But it does little good to point that out.

Others bring into question my faith, my walk with God, or my beliefs. Many have challenged me, saying I simply have not accepted the healing God already has for me.

There have been many times people have prayed and fasted and laid hands on me. We have all believed at times that I would be healed. But, it simply hasn’t happened yet.

I try to accept people’s suggestions, commiserations, and criticisms in a spirit of love. I’ve decided for now, not to seek healing. Instead, I will seek Him. If He reveals Himself through healing, I will praise Him. If He reveals Himself through suffering, I will choose to praise Him.

My faith is not perfect. My trust is not complete. My understanding is inadequate.

But I, along with the leper, truly believe that if He sees in His wise plan that there is a greater purpose to heal me, I will be the first in line for that touch! But, above all, I trust who He is, even when I have no idea of what He’s doing.

What it Takes to Get a Phone Line

What does it take to get a phone line in Costa Rica?

You don’t want to know the whole story. Blog entries shouldn’t be that long!

Let me relate to you just a couple of the chapters.

Remember that I was called by the phone company and told to stay home all day on Friday, November 4th? When they didn’t show up, I called them back and was told to stay home all day the next Monday so they could install our phone line. When they didn’t show again, I called and called and called on Tuesday, only to be reprimanded; saying they never intended to come any of those days.

I’ll skip a few interesting chapters and say that we finally learned that a technician would call sometime this week, telling me what day to stay home again, awaiting their visit. On Tuesday afternoon, since I’d not received a call, I went to run errands. Of course, they came unannounced while I was absent. They told a neighbor they’d be back first thing the next morning.

The next morning I waited on them again, but by mid-morning they hadn’t showed up. Most phone company workers had taken the day off to protest the free trade agreement (20,000 protestors!), so I decided to run to the office. I left my cell phone number with a workman across the road, in case he saw them.

Sure enough, they showed up! I ran down to the house from the office and watched them connect the lines. They took two bare wires just inside the house and connected them to a trial phone, and it worked! Then, they left those two lines hanging and said I needed to connect that somehow to the jacks in the house. I had no clue! (That’s another chapter I’ll skip.)

I thanked the workmen, but also asked them why they never called me to tell me what day to expect them. They replied, “We have no obligation to call the customer. If we are supposed to come a certain week, you just need to be home.”

“So, I must sit home all week and wait, hoping someone will come?”

“Yes.”

“And if I work, I either will not get a phone line or I must take an unspecified leave of absence from my job until the phone company shows?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

I couldn’t resist one jab.

“While your companions are out protesting the Free Trade Agreement, you are proving exactly why it is necessary. The government monopoly phone business makes your work convenient at the expense of providing a service for the client.”

Give them credit. They seemed to happily agree that their job is very convenient and they intend to keep it that way!

Si, Carlos! Si!

Two weeks ago I left my friends at the Albernia nursing home with a heavy heart. I had spent time talking with Edgar, one of the wheelchair bound residents. He wants so much to study the Bible, but expressed that if he listens to Christian radio or music that there are negative repercussions from the staff. He also expressed a deep sense of loneliness. He told me that the only other Christian in the small home is Carlos - who is quite blind and nearly deaf.

Since that visit, I've been prayerfully considering how I might be able to minister to lonely people like Edgar and Carlos. Yesterday I visited my friends in the Albernia home again. I often shake Carlos' hand, but rarely have we been able to communicate because of his disabilities. Yesterday he was holding a small Gideon New Testament, open to Matthew chapter 4. I took his hand and gave him a big smile, pointing to the Bible.

He looked up and asked me, "Do you read the Bible?"

"Si, Carlos! Si!" I shouted, nodding my head enthusiastically and smiling.

Then, God answered my prayer. Carlos pointed at the bold letters at the top of the page and read carefully, "Mateo cuatro." He was able to read the bold, large print! He proceded to tell me about the temptation of Christ in Matthew chapter four. I was so, so happy, I hugged him and kissed him!

As I prayed this morning, the answer came to me. I am currently studying the temptation of Christ in my study of the life of Christ. I decided that each morning as I study, I will type up my notes and observations in Spanish in BOLD, LARGE TYPE.

I can't wait to print two copies of my notes - one for Edgar and one for Carlos! Meanwhile, my own personal study has taken on all that much more meaning, since I can share it with my elderly friends.

Here, Swallow This Garden Hose!

I first started having trouble way back in 1980, after over a year in Bolivia. Pain in my upper chest, loss of appetite, nausea, and trouble swallowing were among my symptoms. Back in those days it wasn’t that easy to catch a plane and run back to the US to see a doctor.

So, when the doctor said I needed to have a tube put into my stomach to see what was going on, I accepted. Woody and I reported to the dark, dusty office of the gastroenterologist. He picked up a tube that looked to be the size of a garden hose, handed it to me and said nonchalantly, “Swallow!”

Looking back on it, I can’t believe I did it! But, somehow I managed to gag and choke and swallow repeatedly until that garden hose reached my stomach.

Don’t ever tell me I’m not a brave woman!

The ironic thing is that they found nothing. Maybe they needed a more powerful flashlight to shine down the hose, who knows? (Just kidding about the flashlight!)

Over the years since then I have had seven more experiences of swallowing the hose. Fortunately, that was the only time I had to do it while fully conscious. And the tubes have become narrower since then, so it’s hard to mistake them now for a garden hose!

It really wasn’t until my experience in Louisiana that they found my troubles. Up until then I’d been told a number of things, including that my nausea was all in my head. I never believed that one for one minute! When I finally got treatment for severe acid reflux and esophagitis, I experienced an appetite for the first time in years! (Though that doctor helped me immensely, we learned later that he was convicted of injecting his lover with AIDS tainted blood! We saw his photo in TIME magazine!)

Among my worst gastroscopies was the first of several in Minnesota. That time I was given a drug to make me just unconscious enough to not be able to cooperate, but to recall every second of the procedure. I decided I’d rather do it fully conscious!

In 1997 my doctor in Illinois discovered that I had precancerous changes in my esophagus. Because of that, plus heartburn and other symptoms that could not be controlled, I underwent surgery to literally tie a knot between my stomach and esophagus, using a piece of my stomach as the loop of the knot.

A gastroscopy shortly after that surgery was another one of my worst. Keep in mind that my new knot not only kept acid from refluxing, but it prevented air from coming up easily, i.e. burping. During the endoscopy they filled my stomach with air to better visualize the stomach lining. Upon waking up, I had a tight balloon in my gut that would not deflate. I was miserable! My body was doing all it could to relieve the distress. Finally, after continually vomiting up air for a half hour, they gave me something to control my vomiting. That medicine, combined with the anesthesia, made it impossible to stay awake for more than 3 minute intervals. During those brief intervals of consciousness I could only think, “Oh, man! I feel horrible!”

They finally thought I was awake enough to send me home. Woody went for the car and they sat me in a wheel chair. I promptly fell asleep and awoke to find them catching me while I slid unconscious out of the chair!

I won’t go into the others that were miserable. I’ll just tell you that it doesn’t have to be that bad! I’ve learned a number of tricks and have given doctors a number of suggestions to make life easier.

I also have to give credit to my most recent gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He is the one who has figured out why all of this has been happening to me over the past 25 years. Most of my troubles are a result of the serious gastrointestinal illnesses I’ve suffered, especially during our first years in Bolivia. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to offer me much of a solution for the ailment he’s diagnosed, but at least he is a very caring, compassionate physician. That goes a long way!

I thank God also for my loving, persevering husband, and the good physicians and clinic here in Costa Rica that made my last endoscopic experience a good one!

The results of this gastroscopy were not so bad, but not so good, either. They found no evidence of cancer or ulceration, which is good news. However, the “wrap” that they did in the surgical procedure to my stomach eight years ago now has loosened slightly and is allowing reflux of acid once again. Despite strong acid blockers, I also have some “superficial gastritis.” It looks like the “Barrett’s esophagus” (precancerous area) is slightly larger as well. The doctor feels that the chronic cough I have had this year is related to the reflux, since he observed acid refluxing up to my mouth during the procedure. L They also removed a small polyp from my stomach, but feel that will prove to be benign and of no consequence. (Biopsies are still pending.) I also have developed another small hiatal hernia. (They fixed a hiatal hernia during my surgery 8 years ago.)

By the way, if you still think I’m not a brave woman, ask me sometime about putting in my own IV before the latest endoscopy!