Upside Down Turtles

Don't worry, don't worry! Pictures will be coming shortly! I hope to blog later tonight with some pictures from the day. Right now we are still getting used to the altitude and time difference and the kids are napping, so we haven't done much but catch up with Lauren and recover from yesterday's travels! And as I mentioned in the previous albeit brief, update, we have made it to Guatemala rather safely and without incident.

There was of course the sight of upside down turtles in the airport, however.

What do I mean?

Give me a minute to explain. All good things come to those who wait.

First, let me say that wandering around in airports with about a thousand bags, 2 strollers and 3 kids is quite the challenge. Having overcome that challenge, I think I can say with some degree of certainty that we would do better than expected if we were ever selected for The Amazing Race reality show.

As a result of having simply too many bags to drag/carry with us at one time, we had to enlist the little ones for some help. Jackson and Reagan could be seen in the airport sporting their backpacks which had been packed to the gills. At one point, Reagan was also pushing a stroller.

On our second flight of the day (the one from Houston to Guatemala) we were joined by a very noisy and obnoxious missions team from another church. They were clearly southern and their leader's name was clearly "Amber" or "Miss Amber." I know this because every member of her team was constantly jockeying for an audience with Miss Amber. Calls of "Amber" and "Miss Amber" resonated throughout the plane for most of the flight.

And she was not a woman to disappoint her fans by ignoring them. Miss Amber was one of those southern folks with a heavy drawl and no compunctions about talking at all times at the top of her lungs about everything.

At one point, Miss Amber was so excited to have found Amy Grant serenading her on the plane music channels that she loudly instructed her team to "Turn to Channel 4, it's Amy Grant!!!" (This was after she loudly questioned a teen boy about whether or not he was excited to be finally on a trip with her after 5 years of her traveling the globe with his brother. Unfortunately, I didn't hear his answer.)

A volley of shouts about changing to station 6 and 8 began as the members of her team found some music in spanish. When prompted for a translation, Miss Amber came up short but had a hearty laugh about it.

She did, however, regale her one teammate (and by association the entire plane thanks to the volume of her voice) about all of the charms on her bracelet and the various countries of origin they were from. Bolivia. Costa Rica. Brazil. You name it, and Miss Amber has been there. Her twenty minute dissertation on the origins of each charm was quite the crowd-pleaser.

Miss Amber's team was ahead of us in the mad dash through the airport in Guatemala and got down the escalator before us. Unfortunately because we were each juggling several pieces of luggage and/or strollers, we had to send Reagan and Jackson down the escalator together holding hands.

The first escalator ride was a smashing success.

The second, however, not so much. Reagan and Jackson decided to rest their weary bodies by sitting on the steps instead of standing. Now, I don't know if you are aware of this fact, but on the escalator steps actually move and then slowly lower into nothingness as they empty their cargo at the bottom. Despite multiple pleas from Jaci and I to stand up, Reagan and Jackson did not.

As a result, when they finally attempted to stand up, their step was rapidly diminishing below them and threw off their balance. Flopped onto their backs, they were left to flounder around at the bottom of the escalator like upside down turtles frantically kicking their legs as they lie on their shell.

We continued to shout to the kids to get up as we continued rapidly careening towards them in a trainwreck in the making.

Miss Amber's team casually turned around to see the floundering kids at the bottom of the steps and continued on their way without a second thought.

The kids finally got up and avoided being crushed, but they were frightened and freaking out.

It was a funny moment to look back on, but at the time Miss Amber and her team were not my favorite people.

The judgmental part of me (admittedly a huge portion!) desired to send Miss Amber and her frolicking band of fools to eternal damnation. Then, of course, God got the better of me and reminded me that I don't really know Miss Amber. That, perhaps, just perhaps each of those charms on her bracelet represented a life that was changed or even saved by the willingness of Miss Amber to serve.

Of course, then I was reading in Psalms:

"If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness..." Psalm 130:3-4

Yikes. I've probably been like Miss Amber at times, right? (Don't answer that!)

And also:

"I will not enter my house or go to bed--I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob" Psalm 132:3-5

God reminded me that I'm not perfect either. That He desires acts of service not just lip service. Miss Amber and her team may be loud, obnoxious, and unruly but they also just may be the hands and feet that bring a message of Hope to a needy people.

It reminded me that as we re-enter Guatemala, I was so taken last year with the joy of the believers here who do not have nearly the material possessions that we do. Many, in fact, live in houses that are constructed of rusty metal pushed together with dirt floors. Yet they have that unsurpassing joy that is often missing in the believers of America.

Then, of course, still reading in Psalms, I came across:

"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." Psalm 135:15-18

What a condemnation of our culture and American way of life. I love America. I love the freedom and liberty that it stands for. I don't like the fact that I have become part of those American Christians who limit my need and passion for God because of the stuff that I have and/or want. I don't ever want to trust in my idols of stuff more than I do Jesus. I pray that I never do.

On the contrary, I want to live a life that abandons such things and embraces my faith to the fullest that I may experience that unfathomable joy.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News?" Romans 10:15

When you are praying for us and our little upside down turtles today, pray also for Miss Amber and her team. May we all have beautiful feet this week in Guatemala.

Safe and Sound In Guatemala

Just wanted to update everyone back home that we are safe and sound at Lauren's house in Guatemala. Overall the kids were really good on the two flights down. We are a littl tired this morning, but very happy to be here. I will post more later today!

Thanks for all of the prayers!

With Faith Like A Child

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him." 1 John 5:14

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Psalm 57:9-10

"...Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe." Psalm 61:2-3

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalm 62:1-2

"For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight...All nations will be blessed through Him, and they will call Him blessed." Psalm 72:12-14, 17

Reagan, seen in the above photo while praying in her Sunday School class, is preparing to carry the message of Hope to the people of Guatemala. This weekend, as she led the GCCC Kid's Avenue services in "Mighty To Save" Jaci was both attacked and blessed. On one hand, her MS reared its ugly head and her vision was seriously impaired again. On the other, she felt a strong welling up of emotion as she worshipped God and thought of the kids (His kids) that we ministered to last year and that we will be returning to in 2 short days.

Jaci also led the children in praying for Noah and our team as we serve God oversees in Guatemala. I told Noah on the way home that his going on this trip would inspire a lot of people, young and old, to see that ANYONE can step out in Faith and do something for the Lord. The BOLDNESS of a young child to step out of his comfort zone and serve in a foreign country will speak volumes to many. It might seem impossible to go to a small village on the side of a volcano in a faraway land. It is overwhelming. It is also a tremendous blessing and an opportunity to see miracles happen.

Noah, Reagan, and Jackson will inspire people they never know about. At the 11 AM service, we joined with the church team in the sanctuary for the church to pray over us. We had all 3 kids with us. Emotion began to overwhelm me as the reality of this truly remarkable journey that God chose us for unfolds. There is nothing more rewarding than serving TOGETHER as a family and to see the remarkable things that God can teach even a young child through this grand adventure.

On our way out, several people who we didn't know stopped us and asked us if the kids were in fact going on the trip. When we answered yes, they told us that they were praying for our kids during the service and that they would continue to do so. They seemed truly moved by our kids.

Once again, as we go to serve the "rock that is higher" than us to "sing" of His great love "among the nations" we know that it is us who will again be blessed indeed.

Thank you for your prayers and support. We look forward to sharing out journey with you as we blog daily about our trip.

Let the packing begin!

Songs Selected Now Learning The Spanish Version Begins!

We have 4 worship songs that we will be doing during our trip to Guatemala. Mighty To Save, You Are Good, Superhero, & Tell The World. They are all songs that we do here at church with the children's ministry.

Now, the process of learning the spanish lyrics or the letra en espanol, as some would say, begins! Pray that God would touch the hearts of the kids down there and that we would truly experience a moving worship time with the kids!

2 Weeks Till Guatemala!

Passports? Check. (Jackson's passport is actually quite funny to look at, he looks kinda angry in his picture!)

We are now 2 weeks out from our family mission trip to Guatemala. So many people have generously given of their prayers and their treasure to help send us on this trip. It is a blessing to see God working in the hearts of people.

We still have a long way to go financially before we hit our total needed. It being 2 weeks from now that we leave, we are of course nervous, but we know that with God all things are possible and have seen some pretty big surprises in the last few weeks in the ways that God has provided supernaturally for our needs!

For one, our van that has been out of commission for some time, has been fixed. It only cost us 140 dollars instead of the proposed 2500 that we were expecting. So, there's a miracle right there!

We have been praying about our trip and what God would have us do there. There is now the very real possibility that in addition to working with the kids at the school, that Jaci will be able to dust off her dental assisting skills and participate in a dental clinic for the kids. Please pray that the details on that project get worked out and the proper personnel and equipment can be obtained to make that happen!

Also pray for our kids. They were great when they had to go on a plane earlier this year, but we are just praying for a repeat of that. On the way down, we will be flying to Texas and then after a short layover continuing on to Guatemala.

The flight home, however, is supposed to be a direct one from Guatemala to Jersey. That will be long. Pray that the kiddies are up for that!

So with 2 weeks to go before we head off on our next Guatemalan adventure, please pray that God would fill in the gaps where the finances are concerned!

I close with an image that speaks a thousand words. Noah, taking the hand of his younger brother and preparing to lead him on this family missions adventure!