Israel- Day Six

This morning we left the Dead Sea and headed for Jerusalem. I genuinely love the Dead Sea area and its exotic-ness but I dislike the one night at the hotel and then pack up and leave. But such is life.

Our first stop today was another of my favorites, Masada. I have realized that if you love God AND you love the Jewish roots of your faith, that you are apt to fall in love with His chosen people as well. So it is that we love the Jews and all things that cause us to be reminded of their heroism and destiny. The story of Masada is a beautiful (tragic) story of a group of people’s determination to die in freedom rather than live in slavery. Their story is beautifully told through the geography of Masada.

It was also cool that while we were visiting the ancient synagogue, some of our team had the privilege of witnessing a sofer as he was copying the Scriptures.

 

We also saw some very cool school kids who were visiting Masada as a field trip.

From there we headed to Ein Gedi, the oasis where Saul was chasing David and where David cut off a portion of Saul’s cloak. We had visited this place before as an archaeological dig but neither of us had witnessed the beauty of this desert oasis- including the wildlife, the acacia trees, and the spring … and yes, Cheri had to dip her toes in the spring of Ein Gedi.

Finally, we headed to Jerusalem and I could not have been more  excited about our crowds response upon entering the city. They were ecstatic.

In Jerusalem, we visited the Temple Institute where I (disappointingly) did not get to take any pictures BUT we did get to learn a great amount about the temples past as well as the temple future. It is amazing when you begin to realize how much preparation has already gone into the Third Temple. Everything except the building of the Temple and the finding of the Ark of the Covenant is in place.

We then went to the Western Wall where we all got to pray and sense God’s Spirit. All of our people were in total thrill mode at getting to pray at the kotel, Judaism’s holiest place of prayer (because of its proximity to the site of the ancient Holy of Holies.) I know that many of them even tucked prayer notes in the wall for others to pray over.

We were also surrounded by soldiers as this day marked their vow/oath of allegiance to the nation of Israel … all in front of the Wailing Wall.

From here we headed to the Garden of Gethsemane where we meditated and prayed for the Jews. We also got to witness Ellis’ and Donna’s passion and history with/for this place. We were really proud of them.

Israel- Day Five

 

Today, we have departed from the area of the Galilee. If you have been to Israel, you probably understand my sadness on a couple of levels. On the one hand, we have left the place of the early ministry and even childhood of Jesus Himself. Second, we have departed the “comfort zone” of the Gospel: that area where growing took place and, although sometimes confronted with argument and difficulty, the place where many of our familiar New Testament stories of healing and deliverance occurred. On a much more worldly level, however, we have also had to pack our bags in the area where we have slept for four nights and now move on to an area where we will be for ONE night- Arghhh!

We are south of the Galilee and have actually visited some of my (J) favorite archaeological places today.

Our first stop was Beit Shean, an ancient city that saw much occupation although none of it Hebrew occupation. Biblically, it figures in with the story of King Saul as this is the place where his head was displayed after it had been severed from his body. It was definitely a place of much occupation however because there is a huge Tel here (which I (J) climbed this time.) It was well worth the journey (although my hips and knees were throbbing afterwards.)

Atop the Tel was an ancient home of an Egyptian leader and, as fascinating as all of that was and is, the best part for me was found in seeing the recorded cylinder in that home and its recording of the name of King David. In this day of scoffers among the scholars who are telling the world that the Davidic and Solomonic reigns were Hebrew myths, evidences such as this one provide a little excitement (although such IS NOT necessary for my faith.)

Cheri wandered around the “spa” and theatre just sharing, viewing the ruins and sharing.  It was a nice time.

Our next stop was one of my two all time-favorite non-religious Israeli stops and that was Qumran. Of course, this is the place of the initial finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls and good-old Cave 4 provided a great backdrop for teaching from Melva and me (J.) I taught briefly three things: 1) that it does take “mad-men” to follow God into such a desert wilderness as this. But 2) God mightily used those madmen and the desert’s harsh conditions to preserve His Word and to illustrate to the world His ability to faithfully preserve what He has inspired. He brought it back to us in His perfect timing. (In fact, I shared that the same God who inspired the writing of His Words preserved those words … and the same God who inspired the writing and the protection of those Words, inspires our reading and doing of those Words. Selah.)

3) I shared regarding the mikvahs that are found throughout the Qumran community. It is probable that John the Baptist had served there in Qumran (or at least among its residents.) These individuals practiced ritual cleansings (mikvaot) probably twice per day: each time as a cleansing before undertaking a holy deed. It then becomes important that John the Baptist then went to baptize (Mikvah- ritually cleanse) Jesus in order to “launch” His ministry. Now, baptism can be seen as a “launching of our next undertakings for Christ.”

Finally, I shared that we were truly standing upon Holy Ground itself because of the great preservation and launching that God had done … and for this people’s stand for righteousness.

We left Qumran and headed to our evening destination, Le Meriden on the Dead Sea. I am so exhausted, I simply want to take a shower, eat, and sleep … but we will see what happens while Cheri gets her well-needed and well-deserved spa treatment.

.

Israel- Day Four

Today we celebrated Shabbat in Haifa, Israel with Ohalei Rachamim and Rabbi Eitan. Thankfully, we had headphones with translations in English as this service was conducted entirely in Hebrew. (I was even more thankful when I traded in my Russian translation headphones for English ones.)

Rabbi Eitan is a jewel of a man who grew  up out of the 60s Hippy movement, came to Christ at the time, and eventually sensed the call to preach and surrendered.  A lot of the congregation were Russian Jews who have received the revelations of who Jesus is and they follow Him.  They are precious people.

Not only did we worship in Hebrew (and it was a wonderful time of worship!) and hear the Word translated but we also celebrated communion together. One of the most awesome times of communion we have experienced in quite some time.  Many came for prayer in this service and God gave me a word of encouragement for Rabbi Eitan.

Shabbat is a gift from God to His people.  A time to rest from our labors and the stresses of life, a time of worship, a time to hear from His Word and be reminded of His promises and His blessings, a time to fellowship with friends and a time to enjoy our family.  I truly believe this is a practice that we as Gentile Christians should make a part of our weekly lives.  We would be healthier, happier and more in tune with our God.

We then travelled to another Druze village where we (again) had falafel and Cheri had schnitzel in a pita. It was all marvelous and the vegetables surrounding it made it even better.

We travelled from there through some hill country and wound up in one of my favorite digs, Tel Megiddo. Much is to be seen here including marvelous city gates, stables, and a water system cut through the earth. Biblically, this Tel dates back to Solomon and Rehaboam (and even earlier.) Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we were unable to see most of it. (again thankfully, I had already been there and had seen most of it several years ago. Additionally, I am able to read updates about Tel Megiddo on a consistent basis.)

 

As we headed in for the night, we passed through Nazareth (which is a MUCH larger town than I expected.)

Our last stop for the evening was the church of the Wedding of Cana. I was deeply bothered there because of all of the obvious superstition that was rampant, including throwing money into some of the ancient ruins and being remarried in the church itself. As a surprise, each couple (who desired so) were treated to a renewal of vows and the gifting of roses to the wife. I additionally purchased a ketubah, a Jewish certificate of marriage, for our marriage.

Tomorrow we head out for the Dead Sea and Masada. I anxiously await this time.

Israel- Day Three

 

Today  I started my day by sitting out on the balcony at 5 AM, Bible and Journal in hand, and camera on tripod in order to observe one of the most incredible sun-rises I have ever seen. I caught it in a pretty much stop-motion fashion and, as beautiful as my pictures are, they in no way give justice to what I saw.

Then, after breakfast, we went north in Israel to see some of the sites of the Northern Kingdom.

Our first stop was Tel Dan which is both an ancient site from the time of Abraham where he had followed the captors of his people (from way down in southern Israel, around the southern end of the Dead Sea) and where he had given tithe to King Melchizidek … on to the time of King Jeroboam where he had set up strange altars to Yahweh and to foreign gods. It is actually very sad that the King had strayed so far away from the laws and plans of God … and they he drew the entire Northern Kingdom with him.

It is also sad that his chosen place of doing such acts was in the midst of such beauty. In fact, Tel Dan sits at one of the main source streams for the Jordan River and surrounding it is lush foliage including many figs and olives.

Our next destination was Caesarea Philippi/ Banias, where Peter uttered his famous profession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  One of the incredible aspects of this site is that it was a huge cultic worship area. All along the face of the cliff are niches where sacred idols were placed and worshiped. Even more important, however, is the large cave where water emerges as it flows from various mountains. This cave was known as a “mouth” of Sheol and was thusly the site of many sacrifices, including animals and humans, in order to appease the gods. Because it was know as the “mouth of Sheol,” it also became known as “the gateway to Hell.”

Now place in perspective Christ’s words to Peter after his great confession … “and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” When those words were delivered in that physical context, the fruit would have to have been highly effectual.

This area, too, was very beautiful and the contrast between the ugliness and sinfulness of the worship there and the beauty both of God’s creation and of His recognition of inspired mankind’s confession was astounding. Added to that was the depth of Melva Lea Beecham’s teaching on the revelation of the Messiah to his chosen people through the prophetic words of the Old Testament prophets made this encounter and memorable and life-changing event.

From there, we travelled toward the Golan Heights where we saw the both the Lebanon and Syrian  borders and were made aware of the need to Israel to keep the land for, if nothing else, self-preservation. Especially telling was our visit to Mount Bental which allowed us to see miles and miles into Lebanon and Syria.

Lunch time brought us to a Druze village where we again had falafel and a new item (for us), lebneh. It was a delightful experience and the Druze people were a wonderful people. They are an Arabic people who do not worship Allah, but also have a peculiar manner of practicing Judaism, Jethro-worship, and reincarnation. They are also fiercely loyal to Israel, even serving in the IDF military forces. (Cheri and I had our picture made with this beautiful Druze lady … whom I later embarrassed by kissing her on top of the head.)

We spent the rest of the day by travelling to a live Olive press and observing the mechanisms and fruit of such.

It made for a nice end of the day … until we saw this over the Sea of Galilee.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we all celebrated Shabbat together.

We ended the evening with a time of sharing among the group.  There is not any way we could put into words on this blog the AWESOME, INCREDIBLE work God is doing in the hearts of every member of this team!

Israel- Day Two

This day really could not have been any better. (BTW, it is amazing what a shower and a good night’s sleep can do for the body and mind.)

We woke up to an amazing view from our room looking directly out over the Sea of Galilee. The Jesus boats were already out and I this we counted five at one time.

After typical Israeli breakfast fare (including pickled fish, cheeses, bread, coffee, and juice) we left headed out for a Kibbutz housing the famed “Jesus boat” was located. This boat, found in the muck and mire of the Sea of Galilee, is scientifically dated as 2,000 years old and is of the type of boat used by fishermen of that time. In other words, Jesus may have actually used this boat at some time with His disciples.

From that point, our entire team sailed on the Sea of Galilee on a boat, all they while singing songs, praising the Lord, reading Scripture and praying for God’s people to come to know Jesus and to return to their home, Israel. Our blessing on this ride was the worship singing of our boat captain, a Messianic Jew.

Next stop was the area known as Peter of the Primacy where Peter is thought to have uttered many of his famous statements, including his discourse with Jesus regarding whether Peter loved Him or not.

We traveled from there to the fishing village of Capernaum, home of Peter’s mother and ancient city, including the remains of both that city and its synagogue (which is built on top of another synagogue that was probably visited and taught in by Jesus Himself. I especially enjoyed the old synagogue and its fascinating structure.

We then went back to the kibbutz where we enjoyed lunch and a little shopping. Again, Cheri and I had falafel and schwarma. Additionally, I had Turkish coffee which is tremendously strong and grainy (thus causing one to need to brush his teeth afterwards.)

After lunch we went the Church of the Beatitudes where Jesus preached and taught His Sermon on the Mount. Here Pastor Jerry, Pastor Chris, and I read the sermon on the Mount to our group. This was a great time of introspection as we each sought God’s particular word for us.

From there, we headed for the River Jordan where Pastor Jerry and I baptized 17 members (of our 23 member team.) this was an awe-filled moment for me as I participated with men and women who are my friends and as I saw the Holy Spirit strum the strings of their hearts.

We capped off the day with typical Israeli Dinner fare and a casual ten-minute stroll to Tiberius and a street bazaar there.

I was met with one thing that I did not particularly want to hear: God reminded me that it is not His desire for me to live in Israel; it is His desire for me to love His people, see the come into His Kingdom, and see them return to Israel.

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.