Israel- Day One

Wow. What a whirlwind. If I calculate correctly, Cheri and I have been up for 44+ hours straight without sleep. I know she caught a few winks on the plane but I simply could not. Yesterday (or whatever day it really was) we flew from Chicago O’Hare to  Newark and from Newark to Tel Aviv Israel.

We are part of a great group with Pastors Jerry and Chris and Melva Lea Beacham leading us (plus our tour guide Naphtali Cohen and the bus driver).

Today, we visited Joppa, Caesarea Maritima, and Mount Carmel (as well as a local mall where we ate falafels and shwarma.)

Joppa is probably best known for two biblical stories: one being that of Jonah as he received his calling to Nineveh from God, and the other being Peter having the vision/dream on the top of the house with the sheet coming down. It is actually is a quaint little town with a lot of history and a lot of beauty. I think the greatest thing we positioned ourselves with here was the thought of Jonah running from his calling ; let us be mindful to follow ours.

Caesarea Maritima is one of these beautiful places that you wish you could have seen in its glory days. It was a home/port/center built along the Mediterranean Sea in upper Israel by King Herod. He built it in honor of the Caesar of that time. Seen on-site, it is a marvel of old buildings, statues, and other aspects of history. Seen from above, it is a marvel of Roman engineering as you can clearly see an outline of the former harbor as it now appears under the sea. This is the biblical place where, among other things, Paul was brought to produce testimony before Felix. I stood in awe at the coliseum, the hippodrome, the aqueduct, and the various buildings of antiquity. What did I take away from there spiritually? I’m not sure of anything per se but I do know that I was awed by the potential work of human hands.

 

We also visited Mount Carmel, which too, is well know for several things. It oversees the Jezreel/Megiddo valley and accordingly has witnessed many battles. It is most well-known, however, because it is the site of Elijah’s battle with the 850 prophets of Ba’al and the woods. Here we focused on being strong and trusting in God and His might … to really KNOW Him. I am challenged with that thought because I mentally know a lot of things about God … but I want to always be sure that knowledge is ALWAYS translated into an intimate knowledge and trust of Him.

Watch tomorrow for Day 2 updates.

Israel- The Night Before

 

We are ready!

We have called all the kids and spoken with most of the grandkids too. We have even spoken with both of our mothers.

 

And we are ready to head out tomorrow AM for Israel.

Crystal said, “How is it that two people get to go on the trip of a lifetime twice.” My only answer is that it must be Jesus.

We hope to blog daily about this trip … and to share a few pictures.

 

If you know us and you know people who know us, pass this link along to them so that they to can know what’s going on and so they can pray for us too.

Tuesday is a day of travel so you probably won’t see too much from us though.

Keep the entire trip and team in prayer.

Jim & Cheri

June 2010 Vacation Day 1

This has been a really great day. We got into SC early this AM and I was really tired BUT while I slept, Cheri, Crystal, and Isaac swam in the pool … so it was not a huge waste.

I go to see my mom, my aunt, and my brother and sister-in-law. Mom looked really good although her right leg was probably twice the size of the left. She stood a little and walked a little. It is clear that she is still deeply ill and, at her age, her recovery can be questionable.

But she is my mom and I love her dearly. It was really good to see her today.

Cheri’s mom looked good but her mind is really going. She wasn’t sure who I was, connected me with Crystal as husband and wife instead of father and daughter. I am not sure who she thought Isaac was but she sure enjoyed him.

Tomorrow, we are heading to church in Anderson, SC which should proved to be quite an experience.

Medellin Colombia April 2010- Final Post

I guess a few closing thoughts are in order here … and I am sure I will have many more as days go by.

God has knit Cheri’s and my hearts with the people of Colombia. We have been to Bogota twice and to Medellin twice … plus Pastor Pedro has spoken to us about coming and ministering in some more Pastor’s Conference throughout the country (with the proposed next one being in Cartagena … which excites us to no end.)

We did not plan on falling in love with the people of Colombia but God had other thoughts … in fact, according to most in the US, we should be scared to be in Colombia … but, my goodness, we live in Chicago, a city was recently known as the murder capital of the US … and we lived in Detroit for several years. It’s not time to be getting scared now.

I said on several occasions that we love the beauty of the land of Colombia … and we love the beautiful birds of Colombia … and we love the flowers and the scenery of Colombia … but more than anything, we love the people of Colombia. We have been with some of the most hungry pastors that we know of from anywhere in the world.

And the congregations of the churches are no different … they too are extremely hungry.

Each of our preaching/teaching encounters witnessed the people "drawing” God’s anointing through us … we loved it and we can’t wait to go back.

Neither can we wait to hear the great things that God will continue to do through the ministries we sewed into this past several days/

And Cheri and I got to minister in power together … that is always so awesome to me. In fact, I am so glad God has placed the two of us together for these few, past 33 years. Cheri is an amazing speaker who carries a heavy anointing. She is well advanced beyond what she may think. I am proud to be her husband.

Anyway, we don’t have dates … but we have our vision set for our next journey to Colombia … probably to Cartagena.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store.

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Nine- the return home

Last days are always sad … but we did get to sleep in just a little. Our plan was to have breakfast, then meet with Pedro to debrief, then head to the airport. All went according plan … except Adam called real early to tell us that he had to run to the emergency room with his son … that would have left us with no interpreter … but he did make it back on time to work us through that.

Pedro settled the hotel account, and I paid for my laundry services, we loaded up, and then headed to the airport.

The trip there was pretty uneventful, although it was very nice to see even more of the beauty of Medellin.

We got to the airport. Adam helped us get our exit tax exemption (which you only pay if you have been in the country for more than 60 days) and then Pedro and Adam bid us farewell so that they could return to their daily duties. This was a sad departure because they have been our constant companions the whole time we have been here … especially Adam.

This is all great … except we find out we have a two hour delay leaving Medellin … which is going to make us miss our connection in Miami … which means American Airlines is going to put us up for the night and feed us in Miami. I have to admit that I am not too excited about this for fear of staying in a dumpy room AND I am ready to finish getting moved in to our new house in Chicago.

We all order lunch in Medellin (which was very interesting because the restaurant workers spoke NO English.) The question now becomes “do we speak enough Spanish to order food?” And the answer is “YES!!!” although it took a little trouble to do so. I had a salad, Cheri had a sandwich, and we split a Coke Zero.

The flight again is uneventful and we wind up in Miami. Again, as has been in all trips to Colombia, getting into the US is an absolute breeze.

We get our luggage and go to recheck, and find out that they have put us in a MAJORLY GORGEOUS hotel. This is a huge surprise. In fact, its kind of like God is really giving us favor … and the bed is soft and cuddly…yeah!!!

Cheri and I are so tired, we basically have a Coke and an appetizer plate and we call it a night. This ends part One of the two part exodus from Medellin.

We are very tired … but content.

April 16

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Eight (Last full day)

This has been an exhausting yet fulfilling final full day of ministry in Medellin Colombia. I started the day off by myself having breakfast (which simply consisted of watermelon, cantaloupe, rice and beans, and sausages accompanied by a simple glass of orange juice.

Doug was running late because he was trying to finish with the barrels he is staining for Mi Casa Azul (and he did finish and met us at the theater at 10:30.) Cheri is running late because … well, I don’t know why because, nonetheless, she is running a little late and asks me to bring her a bottle of water and a couple of bread rolls for the journey.

Adam and Pedro meet us on time and Cheri and I head to the theater to present our final messages to the local pastors.

We have been thrilled with the response we have gotten from all of them; this is a fine group of pastors who really seem hungry for God and who seem to want true unity among themselves.

After a brief time of praise and worship, I spoke the first half of my message regarding the rebuilding of the temple by Ezra and Nehemiah … and I related it to stewardship and integrity. (I am not sure how I came up with that other than to say that it was purely the Holy Spirit.) After an hour, I was exhausted and gave everyone a 15 minute break. (The truth is that I had a sinus headache all day long and it just simply did not seem to want to go away. This greatly affected my ability to focus yet I think that the message came across very well [in spite of the pain.]) When we came back, I finished this almost 2 hour long message and was met with great acceptance to the challenges I presented. In fact, there were pastors in this meeting publicly asking other pastors if they could help them by supplying them with teachers and worship leaders. I was overwhelmed by these responses … as well as the ones to commit to one another to trust one another and to continue to recognize the need for one another.

Cheri then wrapped up the meetings with her encouraging words to submit to God’s process(es) so that proper and healthy growth could come according to God’s plan and purpose. It was wonderful that she and I prepared our messages independent of one another and yet our primary focus scriptures were identical. She gave her illustration of a mariposa that comes out of the cocoon too soon and lives out its existence malformed because it had not allowed the development process to come to completion. She then compared this with pastors that want too much too quickly.

When we prayed over the pastors, Pastor Pedro took a few comments from the pastors and they were all overwhelmingly positive and showed signs that the messages had been received and that the challenges would be received as well.

I made sure that Cheri and I got our pictures made with one of the secretaries. She is a beautiful native Amer-Indian woman named Elis who is a prayer warrior. She seemed delighted to have her picture made with us and I am delighted because she is the epitome (in my mind) of what a Colombian looks like.

We then had lunch where I had a grilled cerdo, a pile of brown rice, and an ensalada accompanied by a glass of jugo de lulo. Cheri and I then changed shoes and sent our backpacks to the car with Adam. We then went to a pay toilet. I have to admit that this is somewhat of a novelty to me so I had to go just for the novelty. Of course, the package of individual toilet paper that we were each given was an added bonus. Boy, I must really live a sheltered life to be amused by such.

We then embarked upon the Metra system where we got to see most of Medellin. It was heart breaking to be standing on the staging area and see a homeless man below rifling through the garbage can and taking drinks out of cups that he found there. Then, while riding the Metra beside the Medellin River, we saw shacks that homeless individuals and families had set up from the nearby garbage. (Oh Lord, continue to break my heart.)

I did get to see an iguana sitting on the concrete shoulders of the river bank. Although I was too far away to accurately tell his size, I can imagine that he was 3-4 feet long. That was kind of cool although we have seen iguanas out in the wild in parts of the Caribbean.

As part of our Metra tour, we also took the cable car Metra that goes on the south side of Medellin up through and over the mountains. There were some spectacular and awesome sights on this part of the tour. For instance, we saw the homes of the very rich as well as the shacks of the poor. The mountains are beautiful in and of themselves but the colors that people painted their houses made the tour even more stunning. ( I really can’t imagine how these people got to town and back prior to the Metra cable system.

We then went to the local Exito store (which is like a Colombian Wal-mart) where we bought some candy to take home as well as some pain medicine for our hips and knees.

We then went to Pastor Pedro and Mabel’s home where a beautiful and lovingly prepared supper awaited us. Again, they made us feel “at home.” We have come to love the Hernandez family and even took the time to bless their son, Alejandro, who was in bed battling Dengue Fever. We also blessed them and their home for their Colombian hospitality. Of course, being the gracious hosts they are, they also blessed us.

We then came back to the hotel where we both are sitting with our computers in our laps as we type up notes from the day and answer e-mails.

Then, a knock comes to our door and we open it to find Erika and her husband, Ellery, who are here to tell us “Chao” and to give us “Mi Casa Azul” ornaments to take back home and raise funds for Palabra Pan y Paz.

We love our Colombian families and we are already dreaming of our return trip here. We, in fact, have already been invited to speak in several local churches and in their youth groups. We actually hope to do another pastor’s seminar like the one we have just completed; but this time in Cartagena.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will have time to give some closing thoughts to this trip as we fly back into Chicago.

Until then, know that this has been one awesome time in Medellin, Colombia

April 15

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Seven

There are now words to adequately express our feeling for this day. I guess to start, however, I might try “phenomenal,” “Extraordinary,” or “WOW!!!”

Of course we started the day off with breakfast which consisted of a cup of cafe con leche, a glass of orange juice, some sausage, and some beans and rice.

Then, Cheri, Doug, and I headed to the Foursquare Church's sanctuary in the former cinema downtown for round two of our three days of Pastors’ Conferences. After having gotten off to a good start yesterday, the crowd more than tripled today with about 150 in attendance. While more were expected, I must say that this was one hungry and responsive group of pastors and wives. What is truly wonderful is that Cheri and I are ministering to them regarding integrity and ethics … and they are eating this stuff up. What else is really cool is that these men and women are just from Medellin and the surrounding area … and they are seeking unity and anointing for their city and for the Kingdom of God.

I spoke in the first session regarding the importance of trusting the Holy Spirit in our defense of the Gospel … that we should prepare and that we should know of that which we speak … but that we must allow for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us and to speak through us.

The second session, I also spoke regarding “What Kind of King are You” as I unveiled three biblical Kings, Saul, David, and Absalom, then presented characteristics of each, then challenged the pastors to see which traits of these kings most closely resembled those personal traits of their own. It was a very moving time together as these men and women were deeply challenged and were noticeably moved with introspection and repentance.

After a brief break, Cheri spoke regarding “10 things Pastors’ wives most need from their husbands.” She started off with a brief game similar to the Newlywed Game and immediately gained the attention of her audience by doing so. Again, many were deeply challenged and even asked for copies of her notes and for tapes so that they could share with their congregations in a modified form.

The last session witnessed me teaching this congregation regarding the power and necessity of personal forgiveness. One of my main thrusts was that while forgiveness DOES liberate the one whom we are forgiving, it even more so liberates us who are the forgivers. The challenge went forth to the pastors that they needed to have a place for forgiveness in the own hearts, perhaps even toward another pastor in the room. A great move took place as that very thing took place before our very eyes.

I think that I am most amazed at the receptivity of our audiences. They are simply soaking in everything we are saying. While I take great joy in that fact, I also am deeply challenged with the importance of delivering the pure Word of God to them.

After these sessions, we all gathered in the lobby and had great fellowship. It was wonderful to be there with our friends from Palabra, Pan, y Paz as they had opportunity to share their new project at Mi Casa Azul with all of these pastors.

We then went to a restaurant which specializes in Columbian Coastal Cuisine. I am not sure what kind of fish I had but it was absolutely delicious. (And yes, it still had the head and the eyes on it. Hopefully as I update these blogs a little when we get home, I will post a picture of my fish.) We also had this delicious coconut rice and a smashed banana-bread mixture called a patacone. And of course, the ensalada was fantastic as well as it featured finely cut greens and cantaloupe, papaya, and other fruits. This was all accompanied by a wonderful glass of guanabana con leche and cafe con leche.

Here we ate with the Medellin board of Christ for the City International. We loved seeing their spirits and witnessing their welcome. WE were made to feel at home. In fact, Pastor Pedro shared his dessert with me. He will never know the significance of that to me BUT, at home, only family shares food together (and yes, I mean eating after one another.) And when Pedro shared his dessert with me, I felt like family. I was awed.

We rested on this hot afternoon in our hotel room for a couple of hours as we also prepared for service tonight.

And this is where it really got good.

The church was a Centre de Fey in Ballo and was awesome. There must have been close to 1,000 people in attendance. (In fact, it was really hard to tell because the congregation poured out into the streets and people were standing all over the place … so I am suggesting 1,000 in the building and I have no idea how many were standing outside and listening.) I do know that there were people taking pictures of Cheri and me and that some were standing and recording us on their cell phones and cameras. Wow, there was such an awesome hunger for God’s Word. I spoke in Offering our Talents back to God and using them for His service and you again could physically see that hunger, the challenge, and the acceptance among the people. In fact, I was amazed at how many came to me afterwards and, in their broken English and in Spanish were telling me how this message was just for them. Another WOW moment was when more than 80 people gave their lives to Christ tonight. I gave the altar call and led them in a sinner’s prayer, and then turned them over the the pastor who prayed with them and sent them to a follow-up room with counselors. WOW.

But perhaps even more WOWing to me was the overflow into the streets of this congregation. You literally could not drive a car through the streets after church because the people were partying and singing the praises of God IN THE STREETS of Ballo. It was awesome. And they all had to have their picture made with these white people. Even little girls would come up to Cheri and me just to touch us, have us pray for them, and to kiss them on the cheek (and them kiss us.) I don’t know when I last felt so loved.

I reminded the congregation … and I reminded myself: we love Colombia. We love the land; we love the flora, and we love the fauna … but most of all, we love the people. This was an awesome night and we are overjoyed at what we have seen God do.

April 14
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Six
Today included a full morning of teaching ministry for Cheri and me. We started of with a quick bite of breakfast because the laundry services did not iron my clothes in time; that meant that I had to ironed a very wrinkled shirt and pair of pants to wear today. So after grabbing our quick bite of beans and rice and sausage as well as a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice, we headed out at 8:10 for the firs day of our Pastors’ Conference. It was held downtown in a former theatre that the Foursquare church uses weekly for their sanctuary. Here were men and women for all different denominations coming together to learn how they can be in unity and to learn how they can be better pastors.

I spoke first regarding a foundation of Covenant with God and with one another. My goal was to provide some foundational teaching to set the pace of good ministerial ethics and good familial ethics.

Cheri then came up after a brief break to minister of returning to one’s first love. She expressed the dangers of ministry as a pastor can become so involved in the work of the ministry that s/he neglects private, personal devotion and familial devotion.

I then came back up and completed the session regarding the God of Covenant. Some of the applicable subjects included the benefits of walking in covenant/ the curses of walking outside of covenant, the Holy Spirit who helps us in our infirmities and weaknesses, as well as the mutual need for one another among the Body of Christ.

Tomorrow should be a much larger group as many could not attend today because of prior ministerial commitments.

The rest of the day was very quiet for us: we went and had lunch and then took a much needed nap. (This heat and humidity is zapping our strength on a daily basis.)

One interesting side note for today: Our house in Sylvania, OH is no longer ours; we closed on it today via POA with my daughter Crystal acting as our attorney. This caused a little emotion because this was the first home we ever owned. However, we fully realize that we have fully closed one important chapter in the book of our lives … only to open a new chapter. For this, we are so thankful for our CLC family in the Chicago area.

Also, I spoke with my Mom today as she is recovering from a near death experience of surgery and mis-administration of medicines. She is now in a physical rehab center in Anderson SC where she is building up her strength and getting better every day … in fact, I can hear a renewed strength in her voice.

Tonight we went out with Pedro, Adam, Libia, and David (seen below) and had what is purported to be Medellin’s best hamburger … it was great as was the hotdog (which instead of chili or peppers had crumpled potato sticks across the top.)
We are now in the room preparing for three teaching sessions with the pastors as well as a Wednesday evening service tomorrow night. God always has a right now word for His people.

April 13
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Five
Today has been a wonderful relaxing day for Cheri and me; unfortunately, it has been a day of hard work for Doug. He has begun the process of building wooden banks for the moms up at La Cruz to “finish” so that they can begin earning some additional monies. I think he has hit a few frustration points with such things as “soft” wood and unfamiliar tools … yet, he continues to trust God for all of his needs.



Today was a tour day for Cheri and me as we met with Pastor Pedro and Mabel Hernandez, Pastor Pedro and Marlena and Elizabeth Soto, and Adam and headed outside of Medellin through Guarne, Penol, and Guatape where we saw the Piedra del Penol and where we ate in a beautiful little village the in some ways is similar to every other little pueblo in Colombia with its central park, central church, and surrounding shops. What was different about it was the fact that all of the homes and shops in the village painted square designs all throughout their village on the outside of their buildings. It is a beautiful place.



We ate lunch at a great little restaurant where I had smothered trucha and chicharonnes with jugo de guanabana con leche. Cheri had their beef flank. The food was delicious but the company and atmosphere was even better.



One unusual feature: Both the restaurant and the restaurant at Piedra del Penol had men’s restrooms that everyone and their brother could see what you were doing. It was a urinal inside a short wall and covered by a swinging door. You could see the man’s legs from the knees down and you could see his upper body from the mid chest up … for all the world to see … and the restaurant in town did not even have the swinging door … just the short wall. Well, the old adage is: “When is Rome, do as the Romans.” I guess the same thing applies in this situation. FLUSHHHHHHH!

There was not a whole lot of ministry for us today other than the simple encouragement of a YWAM missionary (Elizabeth) who is preparing to go back to Switzerland to further pursue her dream of media for Christ.

Well. it’s time to log off for now. I must prepare for tomorrow’s conference.

Ciao!

April 12
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Four
What an absolutely outstanding day.

I began early by getting up for breakfast at 6 AM, (which btw was huevos, sausages, frutas, jugo de naranja, and cafe con leche.)

Adam picked up Doug and me for the 7 AM service at Centro de Fe y Esperanza de Pedregal. I was to preach in all three services and they are each about 2 hours.

First service had around 1,000 people and they were very interested in the Word that I preached. Their worship was somewhat laid back but I found out later that this was intentional in order to NOT disturb the neighborhood too much that early in the AM. Nonetheless, the worship was very good and very intimate … very enjoyable and engaging. Again, the Word from 1 Peter 2:9-12 was received very well and about 1/2 of the audience responded to the altar call.

The pastors ushered us to a Green Room for frutas and jugos afterward (and these were very much welcomed.) Cheri, Pedro, and Mabel came in at this time. And then we were ready for service number two at 9 AM.

Again, there were about 1,000 people (different) and they all warmly received Cheri’s greeting and exhortation. They also laughed when I sat down while she greeted everyone (as if I was going to let her have the whole service … which I would have if she had felt that she had the Word.)

Again, the Word was well received and a great response was given to the altar call again … this time about 250-300.

Afterwards, we had women who wanted to receive a special word, young girls who wanted us to sign their Bibles and others who simply wanted to greet the US pastors. Of course, Cheri and I were overwhelmed by all the attention.

Again we retreated to the Green Room (which they moved down two flights of stairs so we did not have to climb the spiral staircases. Here we met the ailing Senior Pastor and prayed for him.

Now we have moved to the third service which started at 11 AM. Worship was very lively as was that of the 2nd service. We knew most of the songs and it was wonderful to see them on the overhead and to sing them in Spanish. (Our Spanish is definitely getting better … maybe we are on a second grade level by now. I have learned that I can get around and order food with the sparse amount of Spanish I know.) Service once again ran about 1,000 people and the Word was well received. The congregation, Adam (My interpreter) and I all started getting hot about 12:20 and I knew it was time to wind service down before I lost too many people. Heat can be tolerated only so long. The altar call was very different as I think I was distracted by the heat and the weariness … yet we had a great prayer time at the end of service.

Again, I was really proud of my wife as she faithfully ministered words of encouragement.

We left the church after being again overwhelmed by those wanting to acknowledge us.

We love the food in Colombia; we love the animals and the plants in Colombia … but most of all, we love the people of Colombia. We were not disappointed today.

We then went as a large group to Crepes and Waffles where I had a simple Banana and Chocolate Crepe with a cafe latte con vainilla. It was marvelous. We also ate with both Pastor’s Pedro as well as two other pastors and their wives. We were especially delighted to sit with Elizabeth Soto, one of the Pastor’s daughters who is a missionary and speaks very good English.

We then came home … took a nap … ate supper here at the hotel (where I had some type of smothered steak and a glass of lulu [which was deliciosa.])

It now is near bedtime, I have turned on TV for the first time since being here, Cheri is ironing, and I am about to turn off TV in order to prepare for the pastors’ convention which begins Tuesday.

Adios. Hasta Manana.

Blog

April 11
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Three
Today was a fabulous day as we started out together with a brief breakfast and as Doug and I got to talk about some personal issues. We knew today would be special so we ate our usual huevos, sausages, orozo y frijoles, and on accompanied by a glass of jugo de naranja and cafe con leche.

Then we loaded up and headed to the offices of Christ for the City International- Medellin where we would meet more of our team and load up the bus to head to La Cruz to minister to the mothers and children … as well as the workers of palabra pan y pez.

La Cruz is located WAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY up in the Andes Mountains overlooking Medellin and is among the poorest of the poor of all of Colombia. Cheri and I have adopted some new heroes among these volunteers who take their own time and their own monies to minister to the wonderful individuals. They are truly our super heroes and I want to cheer them on and accompany them every step of the way.

Of course, the journey there was up a steep one-way road (on which we had to back our bus up when we met on on-coming downward descending bus. As we reached the top of the trail, we then had to walk further up a steeper trail. But it was worth it as we encountered many of the 500+ children as they were being taught by local volunteers. Without desiring to interrupt their normal teaching, we greet the volunteers and further ascended the trail to visit Mi Casa Azul and to visit the future Mi Casa Azul. Because our team was decimated by the pull out of some of the carpenters, the Blue House project was put on hold … but God knew what He was doing because an opportunity has arisen to purchase the house beside the current Mi Casa Azul for a trade of the current building and approximately $4,700 US. So we took the tour and took many pictures.

We then went to the current Mi Casa Azul for the purpose of greeting and encouraging the volunteers there for about an hour. Cheri, Doug, and I all three brought words of “well done” and “Keep steady the course” to these heroes. All of us were in tears as God moved among us.

We had to break quickly because there was a service that had to take place among the mothers there. It was marvelous as Cheri was able to bring the Word of God to about 100 mothers. She ministered wonderfully concerning their beauty and destiny. She spoke well of the mariposa and how God used often difficult situations to bring that butterfly to maturity and destiny. She then encouraged the ladies to daily look in the mirror and to tell that image looking back at them how they were fearfully and wonderfully made. A humorous moment occurred when Cheri was having her audience repeat words after her … and her translator got confused and was having the ladies repeat in English. All chuckled for the moment. Afterwards, Pastor Mabel told the ladies and Cheri that they had just heard a word form God that was a right on word for a right now moment. Of course I was very proud of my wife as she was faithful to minister His Word.

We left all of these heroes with many giant hugs and kisses and look forward to being with them again in the not too distant future.

For lunch, I had a grilled pollo breast, Coke Zero, ensalada, and papas de francesa.

WE rested for a bit and then went to a local church youth service where there were around 1,000 in attendance. It was loud. It was rowdy … and we all loved it. I am not sure how many youth gave their hearts to Christ but there were easily 75-100.

WE then met back up with Doug and headed to Adam’s home where we had some delicious pasta and Ginger Ale gaseosa with his family including little 19 month old David who was the entertainment for the evening.

Now we are back at the hotel where I am preparing to preach three morning service (7, 9, and 11) and again, waiting to see what God is going to do.

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