April 10
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Two
Today has been a marvelous day.

On the one hand, it has not seemed as if we have done a lot on ministry today … but on the other hand, I am well aware of much that HAS taken place (and probably unaware of other things that have happened.)

Cheri, Doug, and I met with Pastor Pedro, Mabel, and Adam this morning for a brief (2 hours long) Orientation Meeting.

{Now I do need to stop here for a moment. Doug says that I always feature in my missions blogs the foods I have eaten for the day. Not wanting to break that habit, I do want to include that for breakfast, I had huevos, sausage, ham y queso accompanied by cafe con leche y jugo de sandia. Now, back to the other important stuff … }

At this meeting, we were briefed on the plans for the next several days. There was a visible disappointment in Doug’s face as we discovered that we would be unable to do physical labor at Mi Casa Azul … but that was quickly taken care of when Pastor Pedro announced to us that Mi Casa Azul was being used for leverage in order to purchase a newer and larger (almost twice the size) blue house for the ministry purposes. With the leverage, this newer, larger house is only going to cost the ministry foundation about $4,700 USD. So a little bit of excitement ensued as I told Pastor Pedro that we had brought $1,000 USD with us for the Blue House project.

We left that meeting to have lunch with the foundation board members of Palabra, Pan, y Pez who are those who work directly with the Mi Casa Azul project there in La Cruz. Erika and Margarita were visibly moved when I presented the $1,000 US to them. They realized that I had basically 1/5 of the project purchase monies that they needed. They were in tears … which brought us to tears as we witnessed these two beautiful women’s love and devotion for these children and mothers in La Cruz.

Cheri will be teaching these mothers of La Cruz tomorrow morning and I cannot wait to see what God does in and through her. I do know that Pastor Mabel is giving up her time with the moms because she so much feels what Cheri is to give.

{OK, time for a food break here … for lunch I had jugo de guanabana con leche and the famous local lunch plate, bandeja paisa, which has quickly become one of my favorite plates. (I know that I can never fully become “paisa” here , but it doesn’t hurt to try to as much as possible … I love these people.) I finished up this meal with a cup of cafe negro … Mmmmmmm good!}

Doug was also visibly moved in this meeting because he saw the ladies’ hearts for La Cruz and the children and moms there. He was also deeply moved … to the point of being choked up and almost in tears … in fact he couldn’t eat all of his lunch … because God revealed a new purpose for Doug to be here … it, in part, is to do some manual labor with woodwork in order to help funds for Mi Casa Azul and Palabra Pan y Pez. (Doug was also moved as he felt led to give his lunch to a local homeless person and found one immediately outside the door to the restaurant.)

I will have to say that it was with some difficulty that I had to tell the ladies why our team was so diminished from what we had originally planned (That’s two school groups and a group of carpenters who backed out because of perceived danger levels.) But by the same token, we all realized … sitting right there around the table … that God’s plans are much greater than ours and that He had a different idea all along. Wow.

Erika shared with us the committees ideas to raise monies for Mi Casa Azul project and we all began to realize that this was something we all could wrap our hearts and hands around … even involving children … because they could participate for as little as fifty cents each.)

After this profound meeting, we all came to our rooms for a bit. Doug went to login to the hotel computer, I laid across the bed to pray about Sunday's services, and Cheri went and had a Colombian pedicure/manicure … and yes, I did make fun of her because I really didn’t know how that would go … she speaks no Spanish and the ladies caring for her spoke no English … but all went very well and she came back with beautiful hands and beautiful feet. Shame on me … but God has blessed me with a beautiful wife.

Now for the wrap up. We were picked up for supper by Raphael who took us to meet Pastor Pedro. We ate at one of my favorite Colombian restaurants, Crepes and Waffles where I had jugo de fresa and some camarónes con rojo curry. Then Cheri and I split an ice cream sundae with Caramel, Pedro shared his passion fruit sundae with me, and Raphael shared his tiramisu ice cream with me. ( I am REALLY going to have to work on this weight thing when we get back home.) And of course, I had some more wonderful Colombian cafe, this time as cafe latte con vainilla, What an excellent night.

Tomorrow’s clothes are ironed, I am getting prayed up, and words are coming to our hearts as we prepare for ministry tomorrow morning in La Cruz and for the possibility of speaking at a youth service tomorrow afternoon … then three services Sunday AM.

Medellin Colombia 2010 Day One
Wow, the events leading up to this date have been phenomenal (and some of them difficult.) And because of that, Cheri and I are fully confident that God is up to something wonderful.

Just to bring you up to speed, we have been planning this excursion pretty much since we were here last August (2009) because we fell in love with the people and with the ministries here. In that planning process, there have been many evolutions, glitches, praises, obstacles, and victories.

We have seen our team change drastically as initially we were hosting a group of High School students with us, which quickly dropped out when parents began to realize that this trip might me dangerous. Then, another group of high school teens fell through the same “danger” cracks (which totally amazes me … I mean, hey … we DO live in the Chicagoland area … you know the one that a few years ago was known as the murder capital of the world. I want preach that message but I have lived in Detroit (where I also currently teach) and I do live in Chicago and I dearly love both of those places … and yes, they can be dangerous … yet so can Ashland OH if you go into the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, I feel perfectly secure in God’s arms here in Medellin … as I do when I am in Chicago and Detroit, and Ashland, and Toledo and … well, you get the picture.

We also had a group of carpenters and contractors drop out when their wives caught wind of the possible dangers of being here. But you know what, God DOES KNOW what He is doing and whom He is assembling for these tasks.

And the time leading up to this. Wow, it would have been easy to stop and consider not coming becasue of the intense hours that have taken place in the past two weeks (including moving, preparing, having a mom (whom I love dearly) in the hospital … at death’s door.

Yet here we are … and I know God is up to something good.

There are three of us: Cheri, Doug Bell, and me. We arrived here in Medellin early this afternoon and we were warmly greeted by Adam Cabeen, Pastor Pedro, and Pastor Pedro. (I love it: One Pastor Pedro told us this: Remember, you can always tell us apart: I’m black and he’s not.) These men are truly brothers.

Adam will be our interpreter for the journey and I will be preaching/teaching at least 13 sessions/sermons here … as well as all the other tasks we will perform but God is so good.

When Adam isn’t with us, we are having to use or (very) limited Spanish, including using our electronic translators and hand gestures … but so far today, we have been able to refresh with snacks (empanadas, guanabana juice (con leche), gatorade, agua, cafe con leche, coca cola, robalo (which was delicious) with salada, papas de francesa, baby beef, and the absolutely most delicious creme of mushroom (championones) soup I have ever put in my mouth. And we did most of this on our own with our Spanish (limited) and our waiter’s English (non-existent.) We also got him to put all of this on our room bill. (I am beeming with pleasure right now … I wonder if we will wake up in the morning and realize we just put everyone’s food tab on our room bill …hmmmn.

Anyway, It is time for a wonderful night’s sleep so that we can be rested for orientation tomorrow.

I am awake at 5 AM (Honolulu time) and read a little and then decide to go out and walk along the beach for a bit. Of course, I have my Pentax in hand. There are already people out surfing and doing this unusual (to me) thing where they stand in a broad boat and then paddle it. It is very interesting to watch as is the surfing.

I am very interested in the birds around here. There are many pigeons and most of them are white as a base color. I am not here to “bird watch” but I did snap a few pics of these beautiful birds.



Also, Diamond Head volcano is so beautiful from here and I have been able to get quite a few pics of it although this AM it is a little misty/rainy. You know, that may actually work for me photographic good though.



We went to a beachside service today but also enjoyed a service from our church back in Chicago via streaming video. The beachside service featured a mix of worship and hula. The worship leader wore long hair, shorts, and barefeet. The pastor was neatly dressed (and barefoot.) It was a good message but the music was WAY laid back. (You can probably tell that I am writing much of this throughout the day as we experience some of the things; that’s just my way of trying to remain fresh with what we experience.)



I also spent a little time of relaxation this AM reading about Egyptian King Tutankhamen. Although my read in fiction, it is based upon historical data. It is very relaxing.

For lunch, we went down to the Tropics Bar and Grille where Cheri had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a salad with Ahi Tuna and a bowl of unique tomato soup. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a $5 glass of tea before.)

The day at the poolside was really nice as Cheri and I sat out there for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I was mostly people watching today but I was totally fascinated at this gentleman who was learning to “stand up Paddle”. He was clearly doing this for the first time but he had a tenacity that I absolutely loved. He would not accept defeat; instead, he would fall off and get right back up again. I was impressed. When he made it around the lagoon the first time, I wanted to stand up and cheer for him.

Tonight is the luau and we are excited about it. In fact, this was a highlight (OK we’ve only been here two days and one of those was locked up awaiting the tsunami.) But it was good. The food was good, especially the ahi tuna sashimi. (And I hope that pina colada was virgin … it tasted so but I DID NOT see it get mixed up.)

The show was incredible with beautiful women and extremely handsome (and built) men. (I used to be built like that … but then I woke up and realized reality.) They twirled fire, shook hips and just did an incredible job in their particular arts. I was well please.



Also, we three different leis today … one of orchids, one of some kind of nuts, and one of sea shells.

I think it was an incredible day.

What an exciting day. We arrived in Honolulu around midnight, got to the room and I am sure it was at least 2 AM before we got settled in bed … no problem because we had decided to sleep in late to help from having jetlag. Fat chance. Instead, the alarm went off at 6 AM … but I didn’t set an alarm clock, and it would NOT shut off. What is this all about. Then, I get a message from my daughter Amber saying, are ya’ll getting the Tsunami warnings yet? What Tsunami warnings. I turn on TV and the internet and find out that Chile has just suffered an 8,8 earthquake and that Tsunami warnings are out all over the Pacific Rim … including Honolulu. Then we start getting announcements that the Tsunami WILL hit Oahu around 11:37 AM and that we are to stay put above the 3rd floor of our complex. (We are on the 21st floor.)

All the roads were soon deserted as people fled to higher ground. Our complex sits overlooking a marina and many of the boats left to head at least two miles out. (Apparently they were safe out that far.) By 11:00 AM, even safety personnel were evacuated. … and warnings were sounding off on the hour. (Oh yeah, the siren is directly below our hotel in plain view … boy was it loud.)

Even Pearl Harbor evacuated 6 navy ships.

We prayed, communicated briefly via cell phone, texting, and face book. We didn’t do too much because the alert systems were telling everyone to be brief so that communications channels/bandwidth would be open for safety reasons.

Because we had just gotten in, we had nothing … except a bottle of water, and bag of candy, and a bag of popcorn we had brought with us.

So this is what we looked like: Cheri and I are sitting out on the deck with our water, candy, popcorn, 2 cameras, video camera, binoculars, and ipod/radio. The roads are silent. We have drawn water in every available container in the apartment including the tub, and both sinks. We did not know if we would have electricity or running water so we wanted to be prepared.

We contacted close family and close church family and let them know we were OK and that God was with us.

Friends were constantly checking in via texts.

We never did receive the big stuff that was headed our way. We did see a really strange phenomenon where the water would go out (like low tide) and then surge back in but there was never any danger shown to us.

I did know if God diverted it according to our requests or what.

I do know that God was with us and Cheri and I were prepared to help anyone we could however we cold when this thing hit.

Somehow, that never had to happen.

So we did what Jesus would do in a good storm … we slept.

Only to wake up to 4 (count the … FOUR) more warnings followed by announcements to the effect of “This is a false alarm … you do not have to leave the area.” Yeah, thanks a lot for those.

Anyway, we have made another memory. I’m sorry my mom had to worry about us through all of this … but I am told that’s what moms do.

God is good … all the time … and all the time … God is good.

January 19

Bogota- Day 6

We are now facing our last day here in Bogota.

We knew it was going to be a rushed day but had no idea how rushed.

One lady wanted to take us out because I had brought her son into the US to go to school. She was to meet us at 9:30 after a 9 AM breakfast of cafe, juice of some origin I do not remember, huevos, pan y kiwi and papaya. Breakfast was delayed by 15 minutes, and she, too, was delayed by 15 minutes.

Then we got in a taxi and headed for the Bogota museum of Gold. (Note to self- Jim, you do not fit in Bogota taxis … just deal with it.) Come to find out, the taxi driver did not know where the museum of gold was located and ended up dropping us off at the national museum … where we went Tuesday.

So we had to take another taxi to the museum of gold. What was really fascinating is how proud the Colombian people are of their heritage. This lady, and another with her, proudly showed us artifacts of their heritage, even taking the time to explain much of it to us. Even when watching them, you could tell they were very proud of their heritage.

We needed to be back at the house by 11:30 so we could be at the airport on time. We were actually purchasing souvenirs at 11:30, or should I say they were purchasing souvenirs were being purchased for us. correspondingly, we left the house at the same time we were to be in the airport.

Well, lunch was not to be on this day, because they set up another security check inside the gate. Still, the exit from the country was relatively smooth; we still had God’s favor on us.

We had a smooth ride into Ft. Lauderdale but then it got chaotic. Our luggage was the last off the plane, we were the last to go through customs, and then, we had some serious security checks, including both of us having to go through the line twice and Cheri even a third time. I am not sure what the full deal was, we were well-experienced at this. I guess God was examining our patience. (I failed again.)

We refused to run to the gate becasue I am simply getting to old to run through airports anymore. As we approached the gate, the anouncer was proclaiming “this is the last and final call for flight 400 to Chicago O’Hare. Cheri and I almost missed it.

Funny, we were 49 minutes early getting into Colombia.

That concludes our trip; it was simply fabulous.

I cannot come close to describing what all God did in us and through us in this journey.

But I can’t wait to do it again.

As I posted last, we got a one hour reprieve in that this day will begin one hour later … and the sleep was much needed and desired.

Breakfast began with a huge plate of mandarina and papaya … way more than we needed. Then there was Colombian chocolat, which is not one of my favorites because it seems a little thin/weak. There was also a glass of some wonderful juice and I really wish I remembered the name of it because it was incredible. I thought that was it and that we were through … then they brought around tamale which in Bogota is wrapped in Banana leaves and contains corn meal, meats (chicken and pork for this one) and lots of vegetables. I was made to understand that this type of tamale was particular to this local area and that they differ all throughout Bogota.

I go to spend some time with the school’s English teach and we had a great conversation; he basically asked me to teach him some things and because of my love for languages, I was delighted. (BTW, I even had to help our interpreters a couple of times with their Spanish vocabulary not because I know Spanish, which I don’t (Yo hablo Espanol une poquito)… but because I know Latin … which I do.

Session 5 was about to begin and I was ready for it. I was first able to share with these teachers regarding how to deal with post-modernism on their teaching situations. This was not planned but was one of the recurring questions that was prevalent throughout individual discussions throughout the day before and this particular morning. (I used this time to encourage these teachers NOT to despair about their students desiring to take away all of the foundations, but rather to tell their own personal stories. It is true that part of post-modernism is the concept of situational ethics and relativism, but we can get so “bugged” by these concepts that we end up doing nothing. The object instead is to take advantage of what DOES work, and that is the telling of the story … so I encouraged the teachers to “tell their story” about life in Christ.

For session five’s teaching, I taught on Christian stewardship in the working life, including finances, skills, etc. I taught from Ezra about the concept that the people had become lazy in their work of repairing the temple, and instead, had been working on their own homes and neglecting the temple, and how God had taken His blessing from them because of this switch. I then reminded my hearers that God had called them to a particular task and not to become lazy or overly content in their performance of that task. This was well received and opened up the service for a great time of God-empowerment upon the people. There were also some prophetic words given over individual leaders. (Many testified later that their lives were really changed through this time of ministry.)

After a 15 minute break, Cheri and I co-taught the final session. Man. was it powerful? We taught on the promises of God. (Remember that the theme was “Ministers of the New Covenant.) Because there had been so much stress on the reality of covenant and the qualifications on our part as covenant-keepers, it also became important to review God’s part as He is the perfect Covenant Keeper. Cheri’s part of this session was very prophetic as she simply ministered in the prophetic word over the teachers. I moved in with a prophetic word over the school as a whole; God is clearly enlarging the Bogota school in an awesome and powerful way and the administration was deeply moved by the things God was showing them.

After we finished teaching, there were more activities among the staff, including the annual initiation of all new staff into the swimming pool. (We viewed this from a distance.)

At the close of the day, after loading the bus, we were treated to a wonderful mixture of chopped fruits in their natural juices; it was absolutely phenomenal.

Then we rode back to Bogota on the grueling road trip over the Andes Mountains and their hairpin turns.

When we got in, we were exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep before our last morning in Bogota.

Bogota- Day 4

Thursday kicked off our actual teaching for the preparation of the teachers and staff. Of course, we began the day with devotions at 7 AM. Today‘s devotion would be from Ephesians 2 and would deal with the actuality of who we are in the flesh and who we are in Christ Jesus. After about 15 minutes of worship, 15 minutes of direction and teaching, each person was instructed to get alone for 20 minutes or so and seek some guided truths from Ephesians 2. This time of introspection was a critical beginning for the retreat. Our theme for the weekend was “Ministers of the New Covenant” and this launching pad was the simple understanding of who we were/are.

Then, of course, came breakfast at 8 AM. This morning saw some of that delicious Colombian cafe and I had to have mine con leche just because that is the way I am used to it there at the retreat center. I Must admit that they produce some of the finest coffee I have had; even Cheri likes their coffee and she is not even remotely a coffee-lover. We also had some delicious fruit juice, jugo de mandarina. Then there was pan y huevos. Then there was a lot of fruit, including passion fruit, mango, and mandarinas. (I need to say upfront that every meal was probably twice as much, if not more, than Cheri and I are used to eating. But its so good and we get it so rarely, why not jump in and take advantage of it.)

My first teaching was at 9 AM. (BTW, each teaching session was to last 90 minutes, including praise and worship.) I taught on the actuality and power of a covenant and entitled it “God’s Relationship: A Relationship of Covenant.” My translator was Diana and she did a marvelous job. It was as if her spirit connected with mine; she had all the voice inflections and animations. I was so proud of her … and she is only the same age as my son, Jamie. I had forgotten how seemingly cold this Colombian bunch was in the first two services and felt somewhat disappointed that I did not get a greater response than I did. (It is a good thing that I am not used to relying on responses during my teachings to enable my forward progress.

Cheri and I mixed the program up a little; I was also supposed to conduct the second section, but to give me a break, she took session number two. Her interpreter was Daniella Orozco. Dani did a good job but did not connect with Cheri like Diana did with me. This left Cheri a little frustrated but she pressed on. Her session was entitled, “Pure Heart” and dealt with getting and keeping a healthy and pure heart through forgiveness and corresponding freedom, etc. She, too, forgot that Colombians, at least those from Bogota, do not connect immediately, even if most knew us from last year. She, again, was frustrated but knew that God had brought us there for a great purpose.

Then came lunch. Lunch consisted of much more than either of us should have eaten all of but it came with guanabana leche which is probably our favorite drink in Colombia. Sopa (which is traditional with most meals in Bogota) consisted of a chicken broth, along with huge chucks of chicken, and about every vegetable one can think of. Of course, there were chunks of queso to eat as well. Oh yes, then there was a delicious carrot salad. (They had another name for that too but I can’t remember it … Hey, did I mention that we love Colombian food?)

We did get about 30 minutes to take a break before starting up again.

About 2:30, I led session 3. My message was entitled “Integrity” and dealt with Integrity as the highest quality in the minister of God. I used Dani this time to see if there was a better connection with her and me than there was with her and Cheri. There did seem to be some connection. I did print up all of my scriptures for her in Spanish so that she would not have to struggle to come up with some of those words in a fashion that seemed familiar to our audience. That seemed to be the needed ingredient. The response I received was much greater than earlier as I basically presented three Biblical leaders to them: Saul, David, and Absalom, along with their corresponding character traits. I then asked them which type of leader they wanted to be: one who started out well but left God and thus, was rejected by God; one who started out well, messed up but repented and thus, became known as a person after God’s own heart; or one who started out badly and ended up worse. This produced a great time of introspection as much deep prayer and cleansing, repenting tears were observed.

After a 15 minute break, Cheri was back up for session 4. In that 15 minute break, I was able to type up her scriptures in Spanish. (OK, copied and pasted.) She used Diana as her interpreter and there was a powerful connection between them. Diana was so moved by the message that Cheri was speaking that she she was visibly shaken (through both tears and other emotions.) Although we only had planned for 90 minutes, this session went for about 130-140 minutes. It wasn’t all speaking either; there were prophetic words going forth, people were dropping to their knees in repentance, and others were simply receiving their blessings for the day. It was a super service. Oh yeah, Cheri spoke on “First Love” and touched on Developing a life of intimacy with God in order to bless others. Her primary passage was that from Revelation regarding leaving your first love. I cannot say enough regarding how strong the anointing was in those last two services/sessions.

Of course the day is running long by now, but there is enough time factored in for this very kind of thing.

We are through speaking for the day.

We rested a little and then it was time for a BIG supper. This time our meal was another traditional Colombian meal with arepa (type of bread) and beans and rice with beef flank steak and again, much fruit. One thing I failed to mention in earlier posts, most of the fruit we ate at the retreat was raised there on the grounds of the retreat center. Again, we ate way too much … and then they bring out some custard-like dessert made out of Guanabana and drizzled with a leche-based glaze. I didn’t have room for it … but I ate it anyway and boy, am I glad I did.

After a few late night activities, we headed to bed for some much needed rest. After all, Day 5 starts at 7 AM again. But Julio knocks on our door and says, we can sleep in and that the day will begin at 8 AM. Praise the Lord!

What a great but tiring day this has been.

After spending much of yesterday getting to know our two translators, we found ourselves worn completely out. So we went to the church today and walked around the campus, then turned our attention to a small town name Sopo. It is a typical little Colombian town so we walked around a little and took a lot of pictures. Cheri and I love our Colombian family so we made sure to take pictures with them and of them. The we had lunch at an Argentine restaurant where I had Porkkys which is bar-be-qued Pork loin (and I rarely eat pork) accompanied by papas with sour cream. Additionally, I had another wonderful fruit juice from Colombia, mango, while Cheri had a jugo de Pina. She also had a filet minon which was absolutely delicious. On the way out, we stopped at the milk factory store named Alpin and purchased a few snacks for the road. Wow, the pastries and custard stuff was incredible. I have no idea what we ordered but I do know that it was delicious. (BTW, we had eaten breakfast at Julio’s and had mandarina juice, chocolat, huevos y pan. Is it starting to sound like all we did was eat? We did eat a lot but Colombian food is so good.) We also got to see Raphael again. He is a good guy and I look forward to seeing him at the retreat.

When we got back home, we re-packed to head to the retreat. It is about a 2 1/2-3 hour ride from the school (depending upon the traffic) and we had to take a bus to get there. The bus was packed and the driving was night-mare-ish. (How do you drive 5 vehicles side-by-side in a 3-lane road. I don’t know but I saw it more times than I care to remember.) We went over the mountains along long windy roads to the small village of Sasaima. (I did notice some military activity along the side of the road. It was dark but I could see 20-30 soldiers seated along the road. I have no idea what forces they served with but I was reassured of God’s presence with me when I noticed that I still had no fear.) The retreat center we travelled to once belonged to Jimmy Swaggart Ministries 20 or so years ago and it is absolutely beautiful. It is teeming with natural fruit trees of every kind you can imagine. It also has some of the most beautiful birds living naturally on the grounds. I fell in love with the wild, yellow canaries that love to sit in the ceiling of the worship center when Cheri is speaking. I didn’t notice them with me, but then again, I was preaching.

We settled into our rooms and ate again. And then we went and had about an hour of praise and worship and prayer. It was an awesome time and let everyone know what we were there for.

I meant to write this journal entry Wednesday evening, but by the time me head hit the pillow, I was gone. CHeri was too.

Day 4 we will begin our times of teaching and preaching.

Grandmother Mackey
“My Hero”

I so much wanted to be at Grandmother‘s funeral to honor her today. I am in Bogota, Columbia in South America, instead, serving the people of this country. I learned serving others from Grandmother so I guess there is really no better way to honor her in her death than to let her live through me.
See, when Grandmother was old enough to retire and sit back and let others do for her she was still delivering meals-on-wheels and nursing those who were sick … she was still serving. When she could have just gone home and accepted disability, she went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse and served others.
Grandmother never stopped learning … she was a life-long student. And , she was one of the wisest women I’ve ever known.
Grandmother was an adventurer at heart! Some of my greatest memories are trips with her or just being at her house. It was always an adventure! She traveled all over the United States and I loved hearing about her trips. The walks she took us on thru the cemetery and the stories of the horse’s head and the like …. I loved all her stories of growing up … such as the hand coming thru the window to get her. My adventuresome spirit came from her … thus I am in South America today training Christian leaders and , just maybe, I will transfer some of her spirit to them.
One of my greatest gifts is the rocking chair she gave me. See, when I was a small baby, I developed whooping cough. Papa and Grandmother Mackey didn’t have a rocking chair so she bought one to rock me in. She told my mother that if I lived that the rocking chair would be mine. When I look at that rocker I remember my Grandmother and her giving and loving spirit that gave me life.
I will miss her so but I am determined that she will live on thru me and that I will pass her spirit on to my children and my grandchildren so that she keeps living!
The spirit of Grandmother Mackey should never die. She was an awesome woman and she leaves a great legacy and a challenging example to each of us.
Grandmother … I love you and I’m so glad you are in Heaven now and you can be the “adventuresome you”again. Thank you for the love, the adventure, and the example you left behind. You definitely did not live in vain. I can truly say “you really lived” and I’m so proud to have your blood running thru my veins.
Have fun in your new adventure and one day I’ll see you again!
Cheri Fricks Garrett

Bogota- Day 2

Today was another great day in our South American Journey. We began the day by meeting Pastor Pedro from Medellin for breakfast. (For all of my CLC family, we are fasting 21 days with you, but we began last week because we knew we would be guests of the Orozco family here in Bogota. So we took a 7 day fast, took 7 days off, and will continue with you on days 8-21.) For breakfast we had scrambled eggs with ham, a delicious homemade bread filled with nuetella spread, papaya, cafe con leche, and jugo de naranja. Then we met with Pastor Pedro with Julio as our interpreter for about an hour and a half to discuss our plans for our upcoming Medellin missions journey in April 2010.

Afterwards, we went to the local Christian school and reacquainted ourselves with old friends, as well as met new friends. (It was especially good to see school pastor Juan Carlos who was so vital to last year;s retreat.) Additionally, we met our interpreter for the week who took us to the Colombian Botanical gardens and the Museo Nacional de Colombia. We also had lunch together and a cup of cafe leche together. It was a good experience to meet Dianna and to learn each other’s nuances of speech. (She did help Cheri and me with our Spanish but much more is needed.) We were also accompanied by our new “little sister” Daniella who promised to be our interpreter in Medellin in April … at least for Cheri as she ministers to the mothers there. (Btw, for lunch, we ate at La Cucharita Columbiana where Cheri had a traditional Columbian meal, Bandeju Paisa with limonada natural and I had Pechga de Pollo con light frutas [melon y papaya], ensalada, y papas accomanied also with limonada natural. Of course, we both had to have some chicarron y zarapitas.

It seemed awkward, but afterwards, we gave our left-overs to three homeless gentlemen across the street; they were so thankful. (I have never done this before but found that many Christians there do that very thing and it seemed very right to follow suit.

I did get cussed out in Spanish from a local street vendor who wanted to sell me his wares; I was tired and not buying … so he was angry with this Rolex-wearing man from the USA. (btw, I don’t own a Rolex; I wear a $89.99 Fossil watch my daughter gave me one Father’s Day.)

In the evening, Dianna’s husband Andres, drove us back to the house. On the way, we participated in the carnage that is traffic in Bogota. (We missed all of that yesterday because it was a holiday.) I can’t believe they actually drive like this … and all of those motor cycles, wow!

We spent a quiet evening at the house resting, checking emails, and further preparing for the retreat.

We are very excited with what God has brought us here to do and we anticipate His ministry through us to these wonderful leaders and teachers of Latin American Christian Schools.

I am not sure we will be able to blog Wednesday evening because I do not know what internet accessibility looks like at the Conference Center … but I will be sure to write the blog, even if I cannot post until later.

Pastor Jim & Cheri

What a great day. It actually started last night when we got to the hotel in Chicago by the airport. We worked on our teachings for the retreat and then went to bed … around 11 PM … only for Cheri to wake up at 2 so we could be out to the airport by 3:30. (And, yes, you are correct, that’s only two hours of sleep.)

It was very interesting at the Chicago O'Hare airport as several homeless people were sleeping in the chairs by check-in. I did not mind because it was EXTREMELY COLD outside with numbers hovering around 0.

I had fussed and grumbled about paying extra to pre-book our seats but, on both flights, we had side-by-side exit row seats that were three to a section, and the third person didn’t show up. We had leg room and side space to stretch out in.) Talk about the favor of God!

We had two great flights from Chicago O’Hare and Fort Lauderdale. Did I mention that Chicago was hovering around 0 when we left; Ft. Lauderdale was 38, but Bogota was 82 …wow! Again, I feel as if we’re walking in God’s favor.

We were met at the airport by Leila Oroszco, the Julio picked us up. We got to the house around 4 PM and went and ate at Crepe’s and Waffles. Cheri has langastinos and guanabana leche while I had pollo de curry and jugo de mandarina. We ate with our Bogota family which includes JUlio, Leila, Laura, Carolina and Carlos, and Daniella. They are such a wonderful family and friends.

WE are often asked when we come here if we feel in danger and the honest answer is “no.” we are so well taken care of and watched over that danger is never even considered.

Anyway, not much else has happened but, on a tragic note, we have discovered that Cheri’s Grandmother Mackey passed away early this evening and we found out that my dear friend Rick lost his 5-day old granddaughter Riker today due to complications at birth. I know that God is with both families during this difficult time.

I am going to turn in for the evening. Sleep seems precious right now. We look forward to having Breakfast with Pastor Pedro from Medellin tomorrow AM. I don;t know fully what God has in store but I do know it’s good.

Last night we drove through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park … in the dark … and in the snow, ice, and fog … and less than 30 mph. It was treacherous … and wearing on the nerves . In fact, I found myself getting very anxious and uptight. That’s a lot for someone who prides himself for being Mr. Calm, cool, and collected. So I have discovered some new stuff in me to work on this year. And you know, I can’t accomplish the task alone; I need God’s help. But with His help, I can break this thing.

We had a difficult day all around yesterday. We visited Cheri’s mom in the nursing home and she is really seeming;y going downhill rapidly … at least her mind. That is never a beautiful observation.

Then Cheri fell as we loaded some furniture in a storage building … so she is now experiencing soreness from that.

But God is with us and guiding us and I know all WILL BE well.

A Brand New Chapter

We have exciting news to share about God's favor and faithfulness in our lives! We were not actively looking for this change in our lives but God knew the desires of our hearts!

Just a few weeks ago, we received a phone call that we in no way expected. We were informed of a couple of positions opening and really didn't know exactly what they entailed but they captivated our interest. We were asked if we would be interested in submitting our resumes, etc. We both sensed a definite desire to see if this was a door God was opening for us. This desire has sent the past few weeks of our life in a whirlwind ... a good thing!

Jim did a couple of phone interviews. And from all involved, we felt we should continue to explore the possibilities and see if this was a God-thing. We then scheduled a trip to the Chicago, IL area. Interestingly, the week we were to leave, we had a water problem in our kitchen which flowed into our dining room and living room. In fact, the day we were leaving for Chicago our insurance company sent over a clean up company and I (Cheri) came home to pack the car while half of the kitchen/dining room/living room floor was being pulled up and all the bottom kitchen cabinets being removed and kitchen stuff packed up. Mind you, my (Cheri's) mother was staying with us at this time (visiting from SC) and has dementia. All our plans for her and the weekend had to be changed! It was a crazy afternoon. We got it figured out, got packed in the car and off we went ... much later than planned

What a weekend! We met with people from the church all day on Friday ... ALL DAY! ... the directors of the youth/children's ministry, we had a tour of the facility, we had an interview/meeting with the leadership team (staff), we had a meeting with children's/youth leaders, and we had supper with the senior pastors. It was such an awesome and exhausting day ! We discovered more what they were looking for and felt like God had come down and created this position just for us. Everything we wanted, hoped for, and dreamed for was being laid out before us. I think we wanted to pinch ourselves to see if we woke up!

The position is multi-faceted and we will both be working at the church ... a dream come true! On Saturday, Jim spent the day with the senior pastor. If Jim and I had sat down together and listed what our hearts' desires are we would have had what was offered to us. By the evening on Saturday, we had accepted the position. The plan was then announced to the church that Sunday morning.

Although we leave behind people we hold dear and jobs we have grown in, we know that this is a God-thing ... a door He (and only He) opened ... a position He created for us ... and the position He has been preparing us for. About 9 years ago, as we left youth ministry kicking and screaming, God opened a door for Jim to pursue his Master's and then his Doctorate degrees at Ashland Theological Seminary. If it had been up to us, we would have stayed youth/children's pastor for our entire lives. But God spoke to Jim during his kicking and screaming and told him that if we would submit to what He was doing, we would not just reach 100's or 1000's of young people but He would use us to reach 10,000's and 100,000's. This was bigger than we could ever see happening but we trusted God and submitted to His work to prepare us.

Jim completed his studies and graduated with his doctorate in June 2007. We have been back in Sylvania, Ohio for 4 years doing our best to be faithful with where God placed us and waiting for what God had planned. We really believe this is it!

We accepted the position of Pastor's of Family Ministries at Christian Life Center (CLC) in Tinley Park, IL (suburb of Chicago). The cool thing about this is that it is not a youth or children's pastor position at a church. Right now CLC has 4 locations ... Tinley Park, IL; Shorewood, IL, South Bend, IN and the Philippines. (They are about to open a brand new campus also in the Chicago area.) The vision is to continue to add sites for a total of 12 locations. We will be overseeing the family ministries for all locations ... mentoring and training youth pastors and leaders and children's pastors and leaders and leading all aspects of family ministries. We can see God's word to us about reaching 10,000's and 100,000's of young people being fulfilled as we mentor and train others to reach young people and they, in turn, do the same ... as we pass the passion for young people that God has put in our hearts on to others who will pass it on! We will be working out of the Tinley Park location as that is the "mother" church, for lack of a better word ... and will travel to the other locations. Missions will also be involved in what we do as CLC is heavily involved in missions ... another one of our hearts desires! Additionally, Jim will be able to continue teaching in adjunct roles from time to time in several colleges, universities, and seminaries (of course, modestly!)

We will begin our relocation the middle of August. We are so excited about what God in doing in our lives and yet very humbled at the trust He is putting in us.

I (Cheri) will be leaving my position as Office/Billing Supervisor for Fallen Timbers Family Physicians. It has been a great 4 years and I have grown in many ways and know that this was part of my preparation for our next adventure. Jim will be leaving his position as Administrator of Fountain City Christian School (FCCS), where he has put in a lot of blood, sweat, tears and prayers; and as pastor of New Life Assembly of God in Napoleon. Both places will be held dear in our hearts. Jim will stay a part of Fountain City Christian School as a board member.

Keep us in your prayers. We need to sell our home (after the kitchen is completed ... a whole brand new kitchen and new flooring for the kitchen, dining room and living room) ... find a home and orientate ourselves to the Chicago area and our new church and responsibilities. We also will be leaving Crystal and her family here in Maumee. Crystal will stay on as a high school teacher and missions director for FCCS ... she is a phenomenal teacher! We will be leaving Jamie and his family in Bryan. Jamie is doing an awesome job with worship at New Life in Bryan and we are very proud of him. We have another dream in our heart about all that ... we'll just have to wait and see what God says about it! We know this transition will be hard in some respects but we also know that God is working all things together for the best of everyone involved. We will be blessed to be close to Amber and her family ... actually staying with them for the transition period ... and working along side them as they are a part of the same ministry.

Our emails will stay the same and our cell phones for now. If you are coming to the Chicago area or passing thru we would love to see you and have you visit our new church home ... get a bite to eat and fellowship! Please stay in touch ... and remember God is always faithful and He gives us the desires of our hearts we just have to stay faithful and obedient and patient!

Imagine! Dream! Believe!

I love what our new senior pastor, Pastor Jerry, says ... "It'll be fun!"

And we plan to enjoy the ride!

Blessings!

Jim & Cheri Garrett

Living Large

Mark 14:1-11

It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 "But not during the Passover celebration," they agreed, "or the people may riot."

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. "Why waste such expensive perfume?" they asked. 5 "It could have been sold for a year's wages and the money given to the poor!" So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

· We all have illusions

· One theologian has suggested that the key movement of the spiritual life is a movement from illusion to reality

· The four primary illusions that all of us deal with are: self, God, Work, and the world

· As we look at this text, we are dealing with the illusion of success.

· What is success spiritually?

o Whether we go to church?

o How often we go to church?

o How many Bible studies we attend?

o A theology we ascribe to?

What Jesus thought of success?

I. Three are three characters in this text.

A. Simon

1. Simon was probably a leper who had been healed.

2. Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house.

· Having Jesus in his home would raise Simon’s status among his friends

3. The custom was for the host to give Jesus a kiss upon entering his home

4. Simon also did not wash Jesus’ feet, nor did he offer Jesus a towel and a bowl to wash his feet.

5. He also did not offer Jesus fragrant oil to place upon his feet.

6. Eastern culture tells us that Simon was showing insult to Jesus.

· He had invited Jesus to his table but was not willing to sit down with Him

B. The people watched our second character, Jesus, to see how He would respond to this obvious insult.

C. Our third character, a woman enters from the crowd.

1. Mark does not identify the woman who anointed Jesus, but we know from John 12:3 that she was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

2. Mary seems to have no knowledge of social ethics.

a. She sits in front of Jesus.

b. She starts to wash His feet, again a task that should have been performed by Simon.

3. She is moved emotionally, probably crying uncontrollably.

a. Her tears fall upon His feet.

b. She is probably embarrassed.

4. She seeks a towel but finds none.

5. Finding no towel, she does the unthinkable, she lets down her hair.

a. It was taboo for a woman to let her hair down in public.

b. The law said that a man could divorce his wife for letting down her hair in public.

c. She wasn’t thinking about the consequences.

6. She used a fragrant oil upon the head of Jesus.

a. The “alabaster jar” that contained the perfume was a “vessel with a rather long neck which was broken off when the contents were used”.

b. The “nard” (perfume) was made from the root of a plant found chiefly in India and was very expensive.

c. Mary took the bottle and broke the neck so that she could pour the ointment profusely over Jesus’ head.

II. Living large is about experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus Christ

A. Mary’s act of love shows her realization of forgiveness.

B. Unconditional love leads to radical generosity.

1. The perfume had a value of more than three hundred denarii.

2. A denarius was what a man received for a day’s work.

3. The NIV says this was “more than a year’s [worth of] wage[s].”

C. Mary was willing to give her most expensive thing to Jesus even though others would ridicule her for this.

D. Her action of anointing Jesus with a bottle of expensive perfume was a beautiful expression of her love and devotion to him.

III Living large is a response to God’s love toward you.

A. Brokenness leads to outrageous giving.

· Mary’s brokenness was shown in kissing His feet and the drying of his feet with her hair.

B. Luke 7:44-50

44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

47 "I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 The men at the table said among themselves, "Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?"

50 And Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

C. The statement of Jesus

1. Words and inflections make up about 30% of our conversation, the other 70% is from the body language.

2. Jesus was speaking to Simon but turned toward the woman.

3. Jesus was demonstrating an important principle of success.

a. The body actions of Jesus indicate Jesus was about hanging out with the outcasts and the ordinary, not the rich and famous.

b. It was about aligning yourself with those who are weak, hurt, and broken.

D. Illustration.

· In the 1^st Century, many communities were decimated by pandemics.

· These were so bad that people would usually leave.

· But interestingly, the Christians would stay.

· People say that this is why many people became Christians, because of what they had seen portrayed in these.

· The Christians would stay and help the outcasts . . . even at physical costs to themselves

Conclusion:

A. God is enough for us

1. He will be our shepherd.

2. God will take care of everyone of our needs

B. The reason we can be extravagantly generous in our giving is because God is been generous to us.

C. What is your alabaster jar?

D. Who are the people you need to touch today?