Where Did The Heat Go?

     So Jesse and I left El Salvador yesterday morning and made it safely to Montana last nighTt. It's cold here, but after being in 90 degree weather with humidity in El Salvador, I'm almost welcoming the cold weather.

     The last six weeks or so in El Salvador, since there were no teams, Jesse and I got to spend a lot more time with the boys at the Casa and the after-school kids in San Martin. We helped the older boys in the Casa with their homework in the morning. Then in the later morning, I would bring toys over to the younger boys of the Casa. The boys loved it! In fact, they loved it so much, whenever they saw me, they would say "Juguetes?" (which means "Toys?") Their favorite toy, however, was none other than.... my camera. They loved taking pictures with my camera. Sometimes they would fight over whose turn it was with my camera. When I showed them how to record with my camera, they thought it was the best thing ever! A couple of the boys would record themselves dancing or playing. It worked out for me because I'd just give the boys my camera and they'd take all the pictures and videos for me.
     The kids in the after-school program also loved using my camera and would take pictures and videos for me. A couple of the after-school kids, Axel and Kevin, would ask to use my camera and then taunt me with it and say "Es un robo, es un robo!" (which means "It's a robbery, it's a robbery!") just so I would chase them. Jesse and I got to teach Bible lessons each week to the after-school kids. It was cool being able to teach the Word of God in Spanish, even if sometimes I messed up with the Spanish language and wondered how much of what I said the kids really understood. But God is good and reminded me that it doesn't matter how well/bad I do with my Spanish-speaking abilities, but that in the end it's Him who is going to change the kids' hearts. Sometimes, I would just have to stand back and think about how awesome it is that God is using me to teach kids in another language.

     It was hard to leave the boys at the Casa, the after-school kids, and the kids at the church, especially after taking the last six weeks and strengthening our relationships with them. But as hard as it is to leave the friends we made in El Salvador, I know God will continue the work He's been doing in El Salvador and in the kids' lives personally even though I might not be there to witness it. He's going to continue the work in their lives like He's going to continue in mine; and I personally can't wait to see what the future holds!

     Thanks everyone back home who have been praying for me and the work God is doing in El Salvador. Please continue to keep El Salvador and the people there in your prayers. I'll be home in a month and I can't wait to be back! Until then.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

You're Trash!

Here's a funny story that you might like:    

     So I was helping some of the younger boys at 'La Casa' pick up trash around the orphanage property today when I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach them a little more English. So in Spanish I told them the word for trash in English was 'trash'.
     "No," one of the smart-alek boys replied. "It's called 'Derek'." He went over to pick up another piece of trash as he said "Here's a 'Derek'" and threw it in the trash bag before going back to pick up more 'Dereks.'
     I retorted by calling the pieces of trash by his name instead, and so with each piece of trash we threw in the bag we called it by the other person's name. The funny part was when he picked up a smaller piece of trash and exclaimed in his Spanish accent, "Un Derek Jr.!" It was hilarious! - who knew picking up trash could be so much fun!

Update 8/13 to 8/18

     We just had our last missionary group for the summer leave for the airport today after spending five days serving here in El Salvador. In total, there were nine people in the group and they served and ministered in Apopa, the San Salvador children’s hospital, La Angostura, San Martin, and the Central Church in San Salvador. It’s amazing to think of all the different groups we had these past two and a half months that came down to serve. It has definitely been a busy summer but also one with a lot of ministry and blessing. Pray for this group and all the other groups that have ministered here throughout the summer, that their ministering would continue in the States and that God would continue to use the impact they had here in El Salvador to continue to bear fruit here for His kingdom.

Update 7/30 to 8/6

     This week, we had a group of eleven people (seven youth and four adults) come and minister here in El Salvador. They ministered and shared the joy and love of God in Santiago de Maria, Zacatecoluca, San Salvador, La Angostura, and here in San Martin. They were used by the Lord as they shared their testimonies, led worship, performed dramas, and of course, shared the Word of God. Another successful mission trip has come to a close here in El Salvador; but God’s work is continuing both here and in the States as well as all around the world in the lives of His people; and praise God it will continue to go on until He finally returns to take us home.

Only One Friend Left

Only One Friend Left

     Friday 8/3/12:

      It’s hard at times being on a long mission trip and being away from your home and family and the things that are so familiar to you. At times I do struggle with wishing I was back home instead of here in El Salvador – more than I let on in my blogs if I’m honest. But a few days back, I felt as though God was telling me to give Him these last two months that I’m here in El Salvador and just hang in there; drop any preconceived ideas or priorities that I might have originally had at the beginning of the trip about this trip being about working with kids or serving God. Granted, those things come in a mission trip such as this one, and they’ll definitely continue to be a part of my time here while I’m in El Salvador; but I felt as though God was telling me to set my priority in these last two months here in El Salvador to be focusing on Him and my relationship with Him before anything else – including working with kids and even serving Him. (If you think it might seem weird to set your priority in a mission trip to focusing on your personal friendship with God and not on serving Him during a mission trip, read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42.) I’d get depressed, homesick, and discouraged at times and want to give up; but God has been telling me to just focus on Him and my relationship with Him – the one Friend who is always with me and is always the same, whether I’m in El Salvador or back home in the States. Today (Aug. 3, 2012), however, God showed me that I’m not the only one who might need the encouragement of remembering that God is a Friend who is always here for me as I’m forced to rely on Him and His promise to never leave me….

     This afternoon, with the group from West Houston who has come down to serve in El Salvador for a week, we went to Benjamin Bloom Children’s Hospital for a hospital visit. With many of the groups that come to minister in El Salvador, we’ll take an afternoon and visit this hospital which is the only children’s hospital in the country. Families from all over El Salvador who need medical care for their children will come to this hospital. Many of the families can’t stay overnight at the hospital with their kids because they have to work or because their kids have been there in the hospital for so many months or years even. The parents that do stay overnight have nothing more than a chair to sleep in. When we visit the hospital, we bring bags of water for the parents of the children and we bring activities (i.e. coloring pages, bracelets, etc.) for the kids in the hospital. During our visit, we usually hand out the things we brought and talk with the kids and their families.

     During this visit, I was handing out water to the parents of the children in the hospital wing I was in. I had seen this boy and his older sister who was with him in the hospital and asked the boy his name and age. He told me his name (William) and his age (15). I said “Mucho Gusto” (“It’s a pleasure to meet you”), and then finished passing out the waters to the other parents. However, noticing that no one else from the team was in that room and wanting to talk to that boy again, I made a mental note to come back to that room.

     So later, when I got the opportunity, I walked back into that room and immediately said “Hola” to the boy and his sister again. The moment I said hi, I noticed that William was upset, his eyes were wet with tears, and he and his sister had been talking. “Oops!” I thought to myself. But it was already too late, I had already interrupted. “Oh shoot, what do I do now?”  I wondered, having put myself and possibly the boy and his sister in an awkward situation. “What’s the matter? Can I pray for you?” I quickly asked. Both William and his sister nodded and, stumbling over my words during my prayer due to my limited Spanish knowledge, I did my best to pray for him.

     After the prayer, still not knowing if I was being too intrusive, I asked them if it was okay if I talked with them or if I should leave. They said it was fine if I stayed, and so we started talking. I asked William about his family and if he had any siblings. He said he had one who was older and that it was his sister there with him (that was when I learned for sure that the older girl with him was his sister, because until that time, I only had a hunch that she was his sister). He asked me where I lived and I shared with him and his sister what I was doing in El Salvador. His sister Paula asked me if I was a Christian missionary and I said yes. I asked them if they were Christians and they said yes. I asked if they had a Bible and read it. Paula pointed to a bag at the head of William’s bed that contained his belongings he brought to the hospital, indicating that it was in there. After that, we talked about so many other things. We talked about our favorite book/story in the Bible; we talked about movies, facebook, our families, video games, and even super heroes. I had asked William who his favorite superhero was, and I couldn’t help but smile when he answered “Jesus.” “Good answer,” I thought. As we talked, I also learned that William’s parents weren’t there with him because they had to work, that William had just got in the hospital that day, that he came at ten in the morning, that this was his second time in the hospital, and that he was there because he had diabetes.

     Later, after we talked some more, William’s sister told him that she had to go. She said goodbye to her brother and to me before leaving. As we were talking, I started realizing why William was crying when I first came back into the room. After his sister left and he and I talked some more, I was more certain of why he was upset. I imagine that he knew his sister was going to have to go, leaving him there at the hospital alone overnight. The two of us continued talking, this time about school. This week in El Salvador is vacation for the schools; so we talked about school vacation and how the school vacations and schedules are different in the U.S. and in El Salvador. He also shared with me that he was in ninth grade.

     Earlier, I had taken a picture of him and his sister, and knowing that I had a camera, William asked to see the other pictures I had taken. So I sat on his bed next to him and started showing him some of the pictures. Soon, his phone buzzed and I stopped showing him the pictures so he could check the text. He told me to hold on for a moment, and then got up, took his pole thing with the IV connected to his arm over to the window with him, looked out the window from the fourth floor where he was, and stuck his arm out and waved. “Is it your sister?” I asked him as I realized that the text was from his sister. William nodded. We then went back to looking at the pictures on my camera until it was time for me to go.

     I didn’t want to go. I would have stayed there for so much longer if I knew it would have helped William not miss his family or feel lonely that first night in the hospital. I was glad I was still able to be with him even after his sister had to leave; but I felt bad that eventually, even I had to leave and William would be left alone until the following day. I felt a little guilty, as if I was abandoning him; but I knew there was nothing else I could do. And so, on the ride back to San Martin, I lifted William up in prayer, asking God to comfort him and to use this time in his life where he might be hurting, missing his family, and feeling lonely, to draw William so much closer to an intimate relationship with Him. I knew that for the rest of the day, there was nobody else left there at the hospital for him; but I also realized the opportunity of God being able to use this time to speak personally to William and show him how He would always be there for him and help him even when no one else can.

     In the end, I realized that William’s situation was not too much different than my own situation and the very thing that God has been trying to show me. And that is, even though we might be away from our families, and even though we might feel utterly abandoned, alone, or homesick, there is a perfect opportunity awaiting us to draw closer to God and let Him be the one Friend who will never leave us – who can’t ever leave us if we are truly His. There are times in our lives when our family and our friends will not be around to help us; but we must never forget that as Christians, that even in these loneliest and most difficult of times, we still have one Friend left – and that friend is Jesus Christ Himself!

     Please pray for William. I didn’t ask him how long he’d be in the hospital, but pray that he would draw closer to Jesus through this time in his life and that he would feel the peace and presence of the Lord, especially when his family can’t be around for him. Also please pray for his medical condition and that the Lord would miraculously heal him from his diabetes and that he wouldn’t have to go back to the hospital a third time.

Update 7-18 to 7-25

     We just had a group from Vero Beach, Florida return back home after serving here with us for a week. They were the biggest group we had so far (30 people),and they were a lot of fun. They ran baseball clinics all week for the kids in the different communities where they ministered. They taught the kids how to catch, throw, and hit a baseball; and in addition to all that, they of course had a time to share praise songs with the kids, share a testimony, and invite the kids to ask Jesus into their heart.

     In a country where soccer is the national sport and default past time, it was hard to spike a few of the kids’ interests in a sport that wasn’t soccer. In spite of the challenge, however, many of the kids loved the baseball clinic, and I would have to say that their baseball program was a homerun! For one, in Santiago de Maria, the team held the baseball program in one of the schools and helped paint a wall for the Calvary Chapel church there in that town. While we were there, we were told the good news that the pastor of the church was going to start a baseball ministry to reach others for Christ through baseball!

     So many lives were touched this week as God worked in and through His people here in El Salvador, and so many kids enjoyed learning a little more about baseball. In fact, after we dropped off the team at the airport this morning, we had to drive back to the Central Church in San Salvador to pick up Randy’s car. On Monday, the Christian school at the Central Church was the place where the team had held one of their baseball clinics. Upon seeing Randy, Trevor, Jesse, and I get out of the van that we were driving, one of the kids at the school who knew me from my Campos Blancos I would always go to, left his group of friends and came up to me and told me that one of his friends was wondering if we were going to do baseball again today. I had to explain to David that we just dropped the team off at the airport and they were on their way back to the United States. I asked him if he had fun and he said yes; but I’m sure that he and his group of friends he was talking to were disappointed that we had just come back today to pick up the car and not to play more baseball with them. Who would have thought that baseball would have been such a big hit and such a successful ministry tool here in El Salvador! Praise God!

Update 6/24 to 6/30

      The most recent team that we had here in El Salvador serving the Lord was from Lynnwood, Washington. Proof that you’re never too young or too old to serve the Lord, the range of the ages of the members in this group was wide, with the youngest being twelve years old. This group of missionaries came with hearts ready to serve, yet they all still knew how to have fun. Their hearts for the people they served here in El Salvador was evident, especially for the boys here in La Casa in San Martin. The churches at La Angostura, Zacatecoluca, San Martin, Apopa, and San Salvador were blessed by both their service and their love for the kids in those communities. It was such a joy and an honor being a part of this mission team for the week, and it was sad to see them leave.

     However, as many of you know, the mission trip doesn’t stop just because you leave the country. Please pray that God would continue to work in and through each individual person back in their hometown. Pray that the youth that was in this mission group would grow in Christ to be future leaders for Him. Pray that the parents of the youth that were here would continue to encourage their kids to grow in the Lord as they lead by example. Pray that the adults on the mission trip would continue to be examples of servants of the Lord to the younger generation and anyone they meet at their work or on the street. And finally, please pray that all fourteen of these missionaries that got to experience God’s moving here in El Salvador would share the same love and joy of God back home with the other members of their church.

Update 6/10 to 6/16

What they lacked in numbers, our latest missionary group from Houston, Texas made up for in their willingness to serve , their eagerness to spread the gospel, and the joy of the Lord that was so evident in their presentation. Knowing that their time was short here in El Salvador, these seven missionaries took any and every opportunity to serve others to further the cause of Christ and to make the most of their time here. It was a blessing to see these guys serve whether it was through work projects or ministering to the kids around El Salvador. Wherever they went, they would bless the kids by performing skits and songs dressed up as clowns. In addition, they were ready “in and out of season” to present the gospel to anyone and everyone through bracelets that would give the gospel message through the different color beads that were on it. Even on their “fun day” when they went to the market to buy some souvenirs, they were passing out these gospel bracelets to the shop owners and other customers as they shared with them that Jesus was the only way to get to Heaven. They never let their small group number or their limited amount of Spanish knowledge slow them down from doing the one thing they knew they were called to do – share Christ’s love and the hope of salvation with others.

For me, saying that it was a pleasure getting to know this group of missionaries and watching the Holy Spirit lead them as they served and shared Christ would be an understatement. The work God was doing in and through them was an inspiration to me to say the least, and the seven missionaries from Houston, Texas will be greatly missed as they go back home. But it’s obvious that God has great plans for them, and it’s my prayer that He will continue to use these missionaries back in their homes and neighborhoods in the time to come just as much as (if not more than) He has used these willing servants of His in the country of El Salvador.

Please pray for this group, that the enemy wouldn’t quench the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their hearts; but rather that the Holy Spirit would increase in their lives and burn even brighter as they continue to be lights for Christ through their serving hearts, their eagerness to share the gospel with the lost, and their contagious joy of the Lord that is revealed so easily in their actions.

Update 6/3/12 - 6/9/12

(Note: This update was supposed to be posted on 6/10/12 but due to technical difficulties, I couldn't post it until now. Sorry for the late update.)

     This week we had a missionary group of 27 people come and stay with us in San Martin. They’re from a Christian School in Palm Springs, California. It was cool getting to know these guys and serve with them. On Sunday, we spent the day at La Casa spending time with the boys at the orphanage playing soccer, coloring, and just hanging out. On Monday, we did some work projects around La Casa in the morning; and in the afternoon, we split up. Half of us stayed at San Martin and did games and crafts with the kids in the after school kids program and the other half of us went to the hospital where we got to minister to kids who were in the hospital due to heart or kidney problems. I had gone to the hospital with the group and had gotten to meet a couple kids. On Tuesday we went to a church in Zacatecaluca which also served as a Christian school. In the morning and afternoon, we ministered to the kids in the school and around the community as we did dramas, games, songs, and crafts. Wednesday we went to La Angostura to do some work at the church there and minister to the kids and families of the community. Thursday, the team went to the Cental Church and did a program for the kids in the school which included dramas and songs. On Friday, again we did some work projects at La Casa, did games, crafts, and songs with the kids in the after school program, and visited the hospital. Saturday, the team went to Apopa to help the church there with painting and cleaning up trash and then played soccer and ministered to the people in the church’s soccer ministry.

     All throughout the week, the team blessed many people as they served, performed many skits, songs, and testimonies. The missionary team will still be here in El Salvador until Wednesday, but with another team coming to San Martin on Sunday night, they will be leaving San Martin and Jesse, Shaquanah, and I will be staying here to help the next team coming in.

     So please be praying that this team from California has a good remaining few days in El Salvador as they continue ministering and that they will leave here having grown closer to God. Also pray for the new team that will be arriving and staying here in San Martin for the next week.

Update 5/17/12 to 6/2/12

     So the past couple of weeks, we’ve been spending a lot of time at San Martin. We haven’t had a missionary group from the U.S. since the last one left, so we’ve been spending a lot of time either doing little work projects at the orphanage, hanging out with the boys there and helping them with their homework, or hanging out with the kids in the after school program and helping teach English. Shaquanah has been coming to San Martin with Randy, Jesse, and me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and has been staying back and helping Karen with the boys on Tuessdays and Thursdays. (She’s finished with working at the school at the Central Church.) With Jesse’s and Shaquanah’s help, I’ve been heading up some English classes for the after school kids at San Martin and have been helping the younger kids with their homework at times.

     Now that it’s June, we are scheduled to be having a lot more mission groups come and visit throughout June to the middle of August. I believe there will be a total of eight teams altogether throughout this time; so we will be quite busy. Jesse, Shaquanah, and I will be staying out in San Martin with the mission teams when they come, and we are pretty excited about that. There’s a team from California that is coming tomorrow morning; so please keep them in your prayers that they will be blessed, grow closer to God, and be effective instruments for God here in El Salvador.

     Other than that, there’s not really too much else to report. It has been a pretty calm past two weeks; but now the calm before the storm is ending with all the mission teams that will be coming in the next couple of months. Soon, I’ll have a lot more information and pictures to put on the blog of what God is continuing to do here in El Salvador through the teams that come. It’s going to be a great next couple of months! Please keep all of us down here in your prayers. Thanks as always and God bless!

2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

Update 5-5 to 5-16

     So this past week (Wed. 5/9 to Wed. 5/16) we had our first group from the United States come and visit San Martin since we arrived. Jesse and I stayed with them at San Martin all week and got to know them really well. It was a college group from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee who came down with their church (Pump Springs Baptist Church). There were fourteen of them – 2 guys, 9 girls, and 3 chaperones. In the mornings we would usually go to a place and do some kind of work project such as setting up a wire fence, painting, cleaning up a play area, etc. In the afternoons, we did some kind of outreach for the kids in the community (or mothers on Mother’s Day which is Thursday, May 10^th here in El Salvador). We usually did games, crafts, a Bible story, and a gospel message each day at the places we’d go.

     This week was especially cool for me for a few reasons. First, it was great making friends with this group. Everyone was so friendly. Second, on Sunday afternoon, we had a time to just hang out with the boys at the Casa and the team cooked burgers for dinner. It was the first time that Jesse and I really got to just hang out with all the boys and get to know them. Throughout the week, we also got to hang out with the older boys at the Casa a couple additional nights and play soccer with them. We had a couple games of soccer – Americans vs. El Salvadorans. They easily won the first night we played 5 to 3, but we redeemed ourselves the next time when we beat them 4 to 1 (granted, two of their players were on our team and we only played half the field, but a win is still a win). Violeta told us that no teams had beaten them before so we felt really proud of our accomplishment. One of the coolest things throughout this week, though, was how God was able to use me with my limited knowledge of Spanish. Only one or two of the team members that came really knew any Spanish, and many times they would have me translate games or a Bible story or something. Twice I even got to translate the gospel message to a group of kids. The team had brought a soccer ball with different colors on it, and one of the team members would explain in English the different colors on the ball, what the colors meant, and how it pertained to the gospel while I translated.

     All in all, it was probably the best week I had here in El Salvador yet. Lives were touched, friends were made, the Word of God went forth, and many salvations were witnessed throughout this week. Please continue to pray that the Word of God would go forth and produce fruit here in El Salvador and that the mission team that just left would continue to be a light for Christ back in their homes and communities as they grow closer to God.



Putting Words in Your Mouth

Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."

-          Exodus 4:10-12

     I don’t know how hot it was, but it felt like it could have easily been over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The first missionary team had arrived from the United States the day before and today was the first full day in El Salvador. It was Thursday, May 10^th – “El Dia De Las Madres“ in El Salvador – and for the day, we went to La Angostura where we did some work projects in the morning and then prepared for a Mother’s Day celebration. In the afternoon, families started to come for the celebration. We had some games and contests for the mothers and their kids. Later, we split the adults and the kids. The adults went to go listen to a Gospel message and the kids went to play soccer. Before we played soccer with the kids, Karen called all the kids to gather around in the shade. She introduced Corey (one of the guys from the team from the United States) and said that he had to explain something first. (Violeta had asked Karen to translate for him since she knew some Spanish.)

     As she was explaining that she was going to translate for Corey, Karen noticed me and asked me if I wanted to translate instead, thinking that I would do better since I knew how to speak a tiny bit more Spanish. Immediately, I was excited and nervous for the opportunity. I love speaking Spanish, but I’ll be the first to admit that I am anything but fluent in the language. Knowing that there might be a word or phrase I didn’t know in Spanish that I might need help translating, I agreed to do it, telling Karen that she might need to help me if I get stuck. She said I’d do fine, and seeing the soccer ball in Corey’s hand, I figured that it wouldn’t take too much to explain how to play soccer to the kids. I mean, after all, it’s El Salvador – they eat and breathe soccer. So I figured we were just going to make teams or go over boundaries with the kids or something like that.

     As Karen continued explaining to the kids what Corey was going to tell them, I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to be interpreting something as trivial as the rules to soccer. Karen explained that the soccer ball Corey was holding had different colors on it and that the colors tell a story. Looking at the soccer ball, I immediately knew what the story was – the soccer ball had different colors which told the Gospel story. I was going to be translating the Gospel message to the kids! When I figured that out, I was even more nervous because of the huge responsibility. But as Corey told the story of the different colors on the soccer ball and I translated, God gave me the words to say in Spanish. It felt so cool to be able to interpret – especially since it was the Gospel.

     Near the end, Corey asked if any of the kids wanted Jesus’ free gift of salvation. At first, no kids raised their hands. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I hadn’t translated well enough and they were too confused by my Spanish to have understood the Gospel and what was being asked. But finally, one boy raised his hand. I was so excited! We asked him if he wanted to come forward and explained that he could pray to ask Jesus into his heart. Corey said a prayer in English, I translated in Spanish, and the boy repeated. I was so happy for him and we asked him his name and he told us it was Anderson (not the same Anderson as in my Campos Blancos group).

     It was so cool to have led a boy to the Lord. Even though I knew that technically all I was doing was translating the words that Corey was saying, I also knew that just as my role was being Corey’s mouthpiece, I knew that the both of us were the Lord’s mouthpiece. It kind of reminded me of how God would give His words to His prophets and they would say it to others.

     After that time, there was another day where one of the members of the mission team gave the same presentation to another group of kids and I again translated. God was so faithful and another boy was led to the Lord. It’s so awesome being used by the Lord in something that you love to do even though you know you’re not the best at it. For me, that’s translating English to Spanish. But whatever it might be for others, know this: God’s wants to use us to be His hands, feet, and mouth regardless of our skills or inabilities – all we need to be is willing.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

-          Isaiah 6:8

Update 4/28 - 5/4

     This week, Shaquanah has been continuing to help out in the school at the Central Church. Although many of the young kids can be challenging at times, she is doing a great job mixing discipline and grace to show them the love of Christ. She’s also helping out Violeta in the office. For anyone who doesn’t know who Violeta is, she’s pretty much the “go-to” person for the Potter’s Field Ministry here in El Salvador.

     Jesse and I have been continuing to help Randy and Trevor with the projects at San Martin. We poured the concrete foundation that will hold the water pumps for the bungalows where the teams will be staying. We also continued working on the steps. They’re starting to look really cool now that we added bamboo railings! On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, there’s an after school kids’ program at the San Martin orphanage. This week, Jesse and I have gotten plenty of opportunities to hang out with the kids that attend the after school program and get to know them as we play with them, talk with them (what little we can say in Spanish), and help them with their homework.

     This coming Wednesday evening is when the first mission team is coming. They’ll be here for a whole week. Jesse and I are going to be staying in San Martin with them and helping Aureli with cooking for them. We’re both excited to be working so closely with the team, but we’ll be having to get up quite early to help make breakfast every morning. So keep us in your prayers that we won’t go crazy from any lack of sleep.

     As always, thanks for all the prayers. God bless.

Want To See More Pictures?

     People say that a picture is worth a thousand words; and for many, pictures can do much more than just a simple description. So, if you want to see more pictures of what we're doing here in El Salvador, you can go to the Potter's Field El Salvador Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/67837400@N08/. For the past few days I've been posting some pictures there, and I'll probably be uploading new pictures every now and then when I get the chance. So please check that link often if you want to see the latest pictures.

Update: 4/21 - 4/27

     So we’ve officially been in El Salvador for two weeks and are continuing to make friends; learn Spanish; and of course, serve God. Jesse, Shaquanah, and I have been continuing to serve in the Campos Blancos ministry on Sunday mornings, and we’ve started to help out in the church’s Sunday school which we do during the second service after we do Campos Blancos.

     During the week, although Shaquanah’s no longer watching the 2 ½ year old boy Rozel in the afternoons, she’s still continuing to help out in the school. There’s a young boy from the San Martin orphanage (La Casa) named Alexis who attends the school. He loves Shaquanah and she has completely fallen in love with him; and if adoptions weren’t next to impossible here in El Salvador, I’m sure she would have already adopted him by now.

     Jesse, Randy, Trevor, and I have been continuing the projects at the San Martin orphanage to prepare for the mission teams that will be coming to visit in a week or so. We’ve almost completed the concrete steps we’ve been making and have begun to prepare the foundation for the water tanks that will help increase the water pressure in the bungalows where the teams will be staying. Please keep Jesse in your prayers because he’s been sick with something for the past few days (possibly Strep Throat) and pray that the rest of us won’t get sick.

     That’s about it for now. Thanks for all your faithful prayers and God bless.

What's In A Name?

Sunday 4/22/12

                                                                                  What’s In A Name?

     “What’s in a name?” In perhaps his most famous work, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare raises the question of the importance of a name. The next line of the play gives a profound response to the question: “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It might seem that if Juliet’s words reflected the author’s thoughts, Shakespeare would argue that a name has little – if any – importance at all. Or does it?

     …I was thinking and praying about him Saturday night. Would he be there? Would he be as sad and quiet as before or would he be as happy and outgoing as any of the other kids this time? Was the problem he was having last week something that would arise again this week, or was I blowing everything way out of proportion? (I was probably doing the latter.) But with all these questions, one question still intrigued me: What was the boy’s name?

    My ankle which I had hurt last week was feeling much better; and, unlike last time, once we got to the court where we held our Campos Blancos Sunday school, I jumped right in there and was playing soccer with the kids. Even as I was playing, I would still keep an eye out, glancing every now and then to the entrance of the court as a kid or two would walk in – seeing if one of them was the boy who wouldn’t tell me his name last week. I guess I must have been more engrossed in the game than I thought because after everyone was tired from playing and the game started winding down, I noticed that even though I somehow didn’t see him walk in, the boy had come after all.

     Of course, I went over and said hi to him and immediately asked him if he was going to tell me his name this week? But he still didn’t tell me his name. It was time for singing and the kids stood up and made a circle – except for a couple girls and, of course, the boy without a name. The teacher and some other kids tried getting him to join, but he didn’t want to. We sang a few songs before I went over to him and asked him if he wanted to sing. I told him that I needed help because I didn’t know the words (which I didn’t since they were in Spanish). He still refused to join. I noticed that he didn’t seem as sad as last week, but still pretty quiet and closed off. I wondered if it was just his personality and if he would be closed off this week too.

     The previous week, the teacher had asked me to lead a game next time. I had prepared a game and after the kids sang, I explained the game to them. When we started the game, the boy joined and played along. He even seemed to be enjoying it.

     After the game, we had the Bible lesson, and after the lesson, I attempted to ask the boy his name once again. Even though he wouldn’t tell me his name any of the other times, I knew this time would be different. I knew I was going to get his name. If he wouldn’t tell me, I would guess it until I got it right. Even though it might sound like guessing his name would be a challenge for me, the truth is, it would have only taken me one guess because by now, I had heard the other teachers and some of the kids use his name. However, even though I was ready to guess his name, I didn’t have to – this time he actually told me! I had finally learned this boy’s name! I asked him if he was sad last week and he nodded. Then, I asked him why, but he wouldn’t respond right away. Seeing that he was hesitating, I asked him if maybe he didn’t remember and he nodded. Later on, I asked him if he was feeling better today and he was. After the lesson, the boy even participated in the coloring and word search paper like the other kids.

     So although he was still very quiet (which is probably just his personality), the boy without a name that was so sad last week, now talked, participated, and interacted more with others. But as thrilling as those changes were, there was one change this week that was particularly special. And that is, this week, the boy had opened up enough to share something with me that he had refused to share with me the previous  week – his name.

     At first glance, it might seem as though Shakespeare believed that a name is pointless, but then again maybe that wasn’t the point he was trying to make at all; for the fact remains that even if you call a rose by any other name, it at least still has one – you just have to figure out what that name is. Perhaps Shakespeare’s words could better be understood in light of 1 Samuel 16:7 when God tells Samuel that the things man holds important such as outward appearances and perhaps even names is not the same as what God deems important. While man may stop at the appearance or at a name, God looks beyond – He looks at the heart. So whatever your answer might be to Shakespeare’s question of “What’s in a name?” or whatever your view is on the importance of a name, that’s up to you. But whatever the case, it’s indisputable that Shakespeare definitely raised an interesting question. But for me, I personally think that the point Shakespeare was trying to make was that a name in and of itself has little importance, especially when you don't take the heart and soul of the poerson or thing behind it into account. And as I look back at this story, I have to say that it isn’t, nor was it ever, about getting the boy’s name. The name itself wasn’t important; it was always about the boy behind the name. So while many may ponder with Shakespeare over what’s in a name, I know for me, that the name Anderson will always have importance – not because of the name itself, but because of the boy behind it for whom I will continue to pray as I did before – the only difference being that now I can pray for him by name.

(Thanks to all of you who have prayed for this boy and please continue to pray for him. Also, thanks to those of you who have been praying for my ankle. It feels fine now and I can run and play soccer again – YAY!)

Update 4/13/12 - 4/20/12

     Hola mis amigos. Jesse, Shaquanah, and I have officially been here in El Salvador for one week and we’ve been up to a lot. So below is a summary of the week.

     We safely arrived here Friday night on April 13^th and met the Gilbert family. There’s  Randy, Karen, and their boys – Noah whose 8 and Ben whose 5. They’re the missionary family that we will be staying with for the next six months while we’re here in San Salvador.

     On Sunday’s the central church that we help out here in El Salvador has a program called Campos Blancos which is translated “White Fields” in English. This program takes Sunday school to the kids in the surrounding community and the three of us have been able to help out with that program and will continue to help out with it for the six months that we’re here. We go to different neighborhoods and play games with the kids there, give them a snack, do arts and crafts, and of course give them a Bible lesson. It’s a great way to bring Sunday school to kids who otherwise wouldn’t be there.

    Besides campos blancos, Shaquanah’s also been helping out at the Christian school at the central church in San Salvador. She helps with three grades with the kids’ ages ranging from 2-5. There’s also a missionary couple from Honduras here who have a young 2 ½ year old son named Rozell. In the afternoons Shaquanah has been helping to watch Rozell so that his parents can attend classes for training and get some things done that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.

     Jesse and I have been working with Randy and another missionary named Trevor over in San Martin at the boy’s orphanage which they call “La Casa” (which means “The House”). We’ve been working on some construction projects to prepare for some mission teams that will be staying there in San Martin throughout the summer. There are two bungalows on the orphanage property where the teams will be staying. One of the projects that Jesse and I have been doing with Randy is building some concrete steps outside one of the bungalows. It’s been hard working in the hot humid weather here in El Salvador, but we’ve been accomplishing a lot – which is good because the mission teams will be here in just a few weeks.

      In a nutshell, that’s what we’ve been up to so far for our first full week here in El Salvador. It’s been great being able to serve God and doing all this for His glory. We all look forward to the next six months. Please continue to keep us and the work God is doing here in your prayers. Dios Les Bendiga. God bless you all. Adios!

El Nino Sin Un Nombre (The Boy Without a Name)

El Nino Sin Un Nombre (The Boy Without a Name) - Sun. 4/14/12

     He came much later than the other kids and unlike most of the kids who came with friends or siblings, he came alone. He didn’t play the games, and he barely said a word. On the way home I was thinking about him, and I didn’t even know his name.

     It was Sunday morning and Jesse, Shaquanah and I got to help out with the Campos Blancos (White Fields) program with the local church here in San Salvador. Campos Blancos is an outreach program where the church brings Sunday school to the kids. They go into the surrounding communities and have Sunday school, singing songs, playing games, having a snack, and of course teaching God’s Word. There are a few different places throughout the area where we go. I think I was told there are about nine different Campos Blancos groups. While Jesse and Shaquanah went to one area with a few people from the church, I went with another group to a different area. And talk about jumping right into the fire – my Spanish was tested a lot since everyone else in the group spoke only Spanish (or at most, a minimal amount of English).

     Leading the Campos Blancos group I was in was Sonya with a young man named Elga and another young man helping. Elga and I arrived at the soccer court where we were holding the Sunday school. The other teachers and the kids drifted in, many of them with siblings, cousins, or friends. They were playing games, we sang some songs, and then we played another game. I sat and watched the game because I had twisted my ankle the previous day and didn’t want to get it any worse than it already was. There were a few kids sitting and watching too, and I would talk with them sometimes – or at least try.

     Then I saw him. A boy ten years old entered the court area, walked over to the seats, and sat down. I said hi to him and asked him what his name was – no answer. He just sat there. One of the helpers came over and tried to get him to talk to me, but he still wouldn’t. I figured that maybe a gringo (foreigner) like me might have been intimidating to him. I tried joking around with him, asking him if maybe he didn’t have a name. No effect. I asked him if he wanted to play the game. Still no response. So we just sat there. Some girls came over and I started talking with them and shortly the Bible lesson started. As the lesson was beginning, I noticed that the boy looked upset. I asked him why he was sad, but to no surprise, he still wouldn’t respond.

     Despite the lack of verbal communication, the interesting thing that I did notice just before the Bible lesson and during it is that this boy that seemed so upset and so closed off would often scoot closer to me and turn his body toward me as if he enjoyed my company and found some comfort in sitting next to me. My heart went out to the boy and I offered up a prayer for him. I knew I didn’t know what was bothering him or why he was so quiet; even if he did speak to me I wondered how much I would really help him with my limited amount of Spanish. But there was no doubt there was something bothering this kid. After the Bible lesson, we passed out a snack to the kids and as they ate many of the kids were asking me how to say certain words in English. I also tried to talk to the ten year old boy again and tried multiple more times in vain to try to get him to at least tell me his name.

     After snack, Sunday school was over. I tried asking Elga if he knew the name of the boy, but I think my question got lost in my poor Spanish because he seemed confused by the way I worded the question and couldn’t answer me. As we were walking through the neighborhood back to the car, many of the kids were still around us, saying goodbye. The path we were walking down was narrow and I felt small hands push me aside to try to get by. It was the boy without the name again, and he hurried off. I don’t know where he was going and I don’t know where he went (probably back home) but that was the last time I saw him – but it was far from the last time I would think about him. I thought about him on the ride back home and I’m still thinking about him as I’m writing this. The good news is that I’m going to be working with that group of kids each Sunday and I’m sure I’ll see him next week.

     I still wonder what the boy’s name is, but I wonder even more why he seemed so quiet, sad, and closed off. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it. I realize that chances are the boy was just having a bad morning; maybe his parents forced him to come to Campos Blancos; maybe he was just tired. But even as I realize that whatever was bothering the boy could have been quite trivial, I also realize that it might not be. Either way, this nameless kid made quite the impression on me and God has put him on my heart. So until next Sunday when I’ll hopefully see him again, the boy without a name will be in my prayers.

(For those of you who are praying for me, if you want something specific to be praying for, you could be praying for this boy, that he'd know Christ if he doesn't already, that he'd experience the love and joy of the Lord, and that whatever was bothering him, that the Lord would use it in his life to bring him closer to Him. The boy's in the picture above.)

So Guess Who Already Got Hurt? – First Full Day In El Salvador

So Guess Who Already Got Hurt? – First Full Day In El Salvador (Sat. 4/14/12)

     Jesse, Shaquanah, and I arrived safely Friday night. We walked off the plane and immediately we could feel the humidity and heat. After going through customs and getting our luggage, we met Randy and Karen Gilbert, the missionaries that we’ll be living with. We got dinner and then went to their house. They gave us a tour and then, being as late as it was, we unpacked and went to bed.

     In the morning, I walked out of my room and there in a little play area playing with legos was Noah, Randy and Karen’s eight year old son. Noah and his five year old brother Ben were asleep by the time we arrived at the house the night before, but Karen had told us that the two of them were so excited to meet us. And boy was she right. After I introduced myself, Noah dropped everything he was doing, came downstairs with me, and the two of us talked. It wasn’t long until Ben woke up, and joined us. As I talked with Noah and Ben, it was so obvious how excited Noah was – I don’t think you would be able to get him to stop talking for anything, he was so excited to have new interns in his house. He told me all about El Salvador, all about him and his family, and all about the other interns that were here last.

     Later we went to the park and played soccer, and let me tell you, it took me all of 15 hours for me to get hurt in El Salvador! I twisted my ankle while playing (hey, you can’t fault me for not being willing to give it my all) and was foolish enough to still walk on it throughout the day as if the pain would just go away. By evening, when the pain actually felt like it was getting a little worse, I was upset that my stupidity of walking on it would probably affect the next few days of my ability to serve here in San Salvador. (It’s Sunday afternoon when I’m writing this and praise God that in spite of my stupidity God is healing my ankle and it’s feeling much better and I’m still able to serve.)

     Anyway, it was an eventful first day and I can see that trials are bound to come, especially with being here for six months. But praise God that He is always sovereign and in control. I can’t wait to see what He has planned for these six months. Thank you so much to all those back in the states who are so faithful to be lifting me up in prayer. Please continue to keep me, Jesse, Shaquanah, and the Gilbert family in your prayers. Although it already sounds like we’ll be quite busy, I’ll be trying to keep my blog updated with stories and specific prayer requests (for those of you who have been asking for specific things to pray for – right now, I suppose a specific prayer request would be that my ankle would completely get healed and praise that it’s already feeling better). God Bless.

Jonah 1:3 - The Price of Disobedience (Part I)

Wednesday 4/11/12 – The Price of Disobedience (Part I)

Jonah 1:3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Devotional:

     Ah, obedience! We come to that classic topic which, as any scholar of the Bible already knows, can be found multiple places throughout God’s Word. When we approach a certain area of Scripture that talks about obedience, we get to see a little more of God’s perspective of obedience unfold before us as He shows us His attitude about obeying. For instance, we learn that God values obedience more than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22); that if we love Him, we should keep His commandments (John 14:15); and that keeping His commandments should not be burdensome (1 John 5:3). But as we approach this verse, there is yet another lesson we can learn in the area of obeying – and that is, the price of disobedience.

     When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah chose instead to flee to Tarshish. Having made up his mind to disobey, Jonah went to Joppa to find a ship to run away from God. Interestingly enough, Joppa means “beautiful.” As it says in Romans 10:15, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” God had called Jonah to go and preach to a whole city who would repent and turn to God. Yet, instead of obeying God, Jonah goes to Joppa and runs away as he turns down the beautiful opportunity God gave him to have an impact on so many lives.

     Although the Bible teaches that obedience to God brings beautiful blessing, it must also be noted that disobedience, on the other hand, will always come with a price. Choosing to disobey, Jonah would have to pay a fare for the ship. But the fare was such a minimal price for disobedience compared to what he would pay. He was in for quite a bit of trouble that could have easily been avoided. Even the words picked out for this verse seem to cast a gloomy shadow over Jonah’s decision: “down to Joppa,” “paid the fare,” “went down into it.” But there’s one phrase in this verse that sticks out. It’s repeated twice, and it’s almost as if God is trying to emphasize one general consequence of disobedience. By disobeying God, Jonah was fleeing “from the presence of the Lord.” That’s what disobedience will always do – when you choose to disobey, you’re fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Among the other consequences of disobedience, one big price you pay for disobeying is you forfeit the wonderful fellowship of God in your life. Granted, God says in Hebrews 13:5 that He’ll never leave us nor forsake us, but when we disobey, we’re the ones that are forsaking Him and resisting His presence. Some verses in the Bible even seem to imply that we can set up a type of wall in our relationship with God when we hold on to sin: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18) and “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). God loves us and desires a relationship with us so much that after seeing how disobedience messes with our relationship with Him by eclipsing His presence in our lives, there’s no wonder why God compares the sin of disobedience and rebellion to witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).

     Especially in ministry, however, it is so important that our own hearts are always right with God and that we are obeying anything and everything He’s telling us to do. If not, how then are we to show God’s presence to others when we ourselves have fled from it through disobedience? How are we to be used by God, when we’re not right with Him ourselves? Granted, God can (and many times does) use us when we’re not right with Him, but that’s in spite of ourselves and in keeping with His magnificent grace and mercy.

     So in light of any other specific consequence that our disobedience brings, willful disobedience will always make us lose the presence of the Lord in our lives –  that rich fellowship that we could be sharing with Him. And when the presence of the Lord is lost, our lives, relationships, and ministries inevitably suffer. So tell me, is the price of disobedience really worth it?

Prayer:

     Lord, please give me an obedient heart that is willing to obey anything and everything You call me to do. I thank You for the close fellowship I can have with You every day and I pray that I’d never jeopardize Your presence in my life by choosing not to obey You. I thank You that You are slow to anger, abounding in mercy, and willing to forgive my disobedience and rebellion when I mess up. May Your presence and the relationship I share with You shine through my life as I minister to others today that they may see You and give You all the glory. Amen.

Jonah 1:2 - A Fourth Strike

Thursday 4/5/12 - A Fourth Strike

Jonah 1:2: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

Devotional:

     World Series – game seven. It’s the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, two strikes and two outs. Your team’s up to bat trailing by one point. There’s the wind-up, and the pitch! It’s a drive right down the middle. The batter swings and….“Strike three!” the umpire yells. “You’re….still in. That’s okay, I’ll give you another chance. There’s too much to lose here. Have the pitcher pitch you another one.” The pitcher gets the ball again, but before anything else can happen, the crowd’s in an uproar. Some are enraged, knowing that it should have been over with that pitch and their team should have won. Others in the stands are relieved – as astonished as they might be at the umpire’s unprecedented call – it would mean that their team would have one more chance to bring home the trophy. But regardless of whose team people were rooting for, there definitely would have been a sense of injustice present in the crowd. Did the umpire have the right to make this call? Is it really fair?

     Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was an evil city with wicked practices. They definitely exceeded their three strikes and in this verse, God says that Nineveh’s wickedness had come up before Him. “Here we go,” we might think. “Now they’re out; now God’s going to get them.” They were enemies of God’s chosen people, and if God was going to punish any city, it would definitely be Nineveh with all their wickedness. But surprisingly, when Nineveh’s wickedness came up before God, instead of immediately punishing them, God instead calls on one of His prophets to go minister to them. Why? Ezekiel 33:11a has the answer: "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” God’s patient with others and their failures for the very same reason He’s patient with us – His love.

     “Well, that’s it for me!” you might have thought at one point in your life. “That was my third strike, if not my fourth or fifth.” You’ve messed up so badly in your life, making decisions that you knew were wrong and doing things that you knew you shouldn’t have done. “Now God’s going to get me,” you think. Or maybe worse – maybe you remember a time in your life when you were just doing things your own way and didn’t even care if you were striking out or what God thought. Maybe you feel like Nineveh and know that your wickedness has gone up before God. And now you’re sure He’s ready to hit you over the head with a bolt of lightning. But for some reason, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We were enemies with God at one time but He saved us, nonetheless. And if He did that for us while we were still sinners, He’ll be more than merciful with our shortcomings and failures if we just come to Him – even if we already struck out three times. “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm” (Joel 2:13). (However, it must also be noted that although God is kind and longsuffering, we are not to use his grace as an excuse to sin as the Bible makes clear in Deuteronomy 6:13-19 and Romans 6:1-2.)

     Now concerning ministry, this is such an important lesson to keep in mind. God has had compassion on each and every one of us at some time in our lives. When we deserved His judgment, He gave us mercy – He gave us another chance. As we minister to others, there will be those people who we will be tempted to judge as “beyond help” or as someone who has completely given up on God and therefore we might assume God has given up on them and marked them for judgment when in fact He hasn’t. If we look at Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament, we see there an example of a man who, by human standards, would never turn to God. And yet, in Daniel 4, we see God opening his eyes. We don’t know what’s going on in the lives of the people we minister to, and we need only be obedient to God as He calls us to minister to these people.

     Let’s learn a lesson from Jonah. When God called him to minister to the people of Nineveh, he didn’t want to because he didn’t think God should give His mercy and kindness to such a wicked, evil people (Jonah 4:2). Maybe he thought Israel was the only one who deserved God’s goodness. But while Ezekiel 33:11a (as mentioned above) talks about how God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, Ezekiel 33:11b shows us the context of the verse and who the “wicked” ones were that God was referring to at that time: “Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?” It was Israel! And although the book of Ezekiel was written after Jonah, Jonah still forgot about Israel’s history in the desert and how merciful God had been with them even as wicked and rebellious as they were.

     So God’s merciful to us when we are rebellious and disobedient. He doesn’t write us off. He doesn’t call the game after the third strike although He has every right to. Likewise, if the judge of the world doesn’t do that, who are we to do that to others? After our third strike, God may give us or someone else a fourth, fifth, or sixth strike. I know there’s something in the heart of every human being that calls for justice, that calls for the umpire to uphold the rules of the game, especially in such a game as the seventh game of the World Series at the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two strikes. But before we start reprimanding God for not being a fair umpire, before we start calling on God to uphold His reputation of justice, let’s remember that when He makes His call, He sees what’s at stake. And what’s at stake is something more than the World’s Series: it’s the lives of those whom God loved and gave Himself to die for, as well as the reputation of His goodness, kindness, and longsuffering in light of His justice. So God’s an umpire who often decides to give a fourth strike to whomever He wills. And if He gives us a fourth strike when we need it; shouldn’t we also be willing to give it to others as well?

Matthew 18:33: “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?”

Prayer:

     Lord, thank You so much for having mercy and compassion on me not only when You saved me, but since then, when I’ve been rebellious and disobedient. Thank You that Your loving-kindness is new every morning. I pray that I’d be a vessel of Yours to show Your forgiveness, patience, and kindness to those You bring in my path today – especially those who seem like they don’t deserve it the most. Please give me the eyes to see them like You do, and give me the patience to interact with them as You would. Through Your mercy and longsuffering, may You bring many more souls into Your kingdom. Amen.

Related Verses:

Lamentations 3:21-23

Matthew 18:21-22

2 Peter 3:9