Home Is Where The Heart Is

"Welcome Home".......was the message so genuinely expressed to us by several friends at the Tulsa International Airport. (Wish I would have been awake enough to think of snapping a picture.) Such precious friends who have endured our journey in searching for "home" over the past three years.

How do you define "home"? When asked - "Where is home?" - what is your response? Is it contained within a material structure or a geographic area? Does it refer to other humans who share the same DNA and bloodline? That seems to be the information most people are looking for when asking that question.

I remember when that information did adequately describe "home" for us. We were wrapped up in our own God honoring little world, safe and content to self describe where, what and who "home" was. Boundaries were pretty easily defined as to what we were and were not responsible for.

However, after several years of "life challenges" and spiritual maturation our definitions of many things have changed, including what, where and who home is. The previous definition still remains as part of our view of home - but it has expanded greatly to include so much more. The most critical part of our definition of home is centered around the experienced presence of the Spirit of Christ.

Wherever we sense the Spirit of Christ can, and has, become home for us. Some times that can be sensed in a group setting - such as some Believers who do not understand our language (or us theirs) but, none the less, make us feel at home in their time of worship through warm smiles, genuine hugs and authentic spirits of Christ-likeness.

We have also experienced "home" when God has crossed our paths with individuals who have decided to live their life solely for the purpose of sharing the love of Christ in ways that are appreciated and welcomed by the less fortunate ..... such as a former Jazz Musician who now serves as an "unofficial" administrator for a dozen schools in the Honduras mountains - allowing God to use her as a conduit for others to give and provide basic educational needs such as paper, pencils, books, chalkboards, chalk, etc.......including a new toilet and paint for the school building. Also, a retired nurse who was burned out on the public heath care industry and moved to a Caribbean island to retire - only to start a community health clinic in her kitchen that has now developed into a large clinic/hospital dealing with 60+ patients every day. Then there is the couple who were business professionals turned full time pastors when they decided the religious rat race was no better than the corporate one - moved to an island for early retirement and are now the developers/directors of an endeavor that supplies the only drinking water available to an entire community of indigenous people....and more dreams on the horizon!

These situations and people all became "home" for us in the time God allowed us to share life with them. We continue to remain open for whatever, wherever and whoever Christ allows us to share life with. We are praying our "home-front" will continue to expand - for that is where we have experienced true fulfillment and purpose - sharing life with Christ-minded people on a daily basis, together serving those who are less fortunate.

We hope you had some great memory making and life-enriching experiences with those who constitute "home" for you.

We pray His Peace and Love will continue to infect all you come into contact with in 2009.

Happy New Year from our "home" to yours!

- Henry & Terry McCray
(pic of our grandchildren Kyle & Kendall)

Heading Back to T-town.

Our three month missions exploration to Roatan ends tomorrow as we fly back to Tulsa for the next leg of our journey. We are not sure what God has in store for us or when that may, if ever, become totally apparent. We are continuing to learn to lay back in His hands and enjoy the journey ....... we still have too many times when we find ourselves attempting to take over and just have to sigh and say - "Sorry, Lord.....old habits die hard.....please continue your work within us in your time and place."

As we look back over this past three months it is amazing to see how Holy Spirit has used every step along the way to knock off some of our rough spots and mold us more to His image.

Our first two months were spent in Helene, Roatan, Honduras - which God primarily used to slow us down from the "rat-race" pace we have lived in the U.S. for the past 55+ years. We learned from some Godly islanders what total trust in Christ looks like. We wish we could say we achieved that - but at least we are in process. It is amazing how many things we manipulate in our own lives and ask God to bless it.

Also on Helene, we learned from the islanders how much less we can live with. Less "things", "stuff", "transportation" other than our feet. (for Henry - less food and sweets!!) We also began to enjoy less time apart, less stress, less godless distractions, less religious expectations. Less focus on "doing" and major focus on "being".

For whatever reason, we were not lead to stay or return to Helene. Instead, we sensed God's leading to attend a Spanish language Emersion School on the mainland of Helene. After three hard weeks of homework and memorization we finally graduated Spanish Kindergarten!!! :-)

More importantly we began to sense the hearts of the hispanics on the mainland. Living in such poverty they were more content, fulfilled and thankful than we have been most of our lives in the States.

After "graduation" we returned to Roatan to help in a Mission Health Clinic and a Mission group who is providing water (physically and spiritually) to the newest residents of the island. Our hearts warmed within us as we spent time with these precious people. Most have such a firm resolution to Christ, family and neighbors. We were able to experience "community" at it's purest form.

Once again, for whatever reason, doors are not open at this time to return to Roatan. So ..... we remain committed to go through any open door Christ provides. At this time that means returning to Tulsa to look for doorways of minsitry. We think that may lead to ministry with Hispanics, but will not attempt to place limitations on Holy Spirit's plan of action.

So.....we head back to the states with trepidation, fear and trembling. We do not want to squander or lose the growth we have experienced over the past three months. Translated: we do not wish to re-enter the "career race", the "horde it for security" mindset, the "less time shared" structure of most U.S. married couples, the "compartmentalized mindset" that separates all areas of our daily lives. I'm sure most of you don't deal with those problems, but it took two full months on a desolate island for Christ to cleanse us and redirect our passions and priorities.

We are trusting Holy Spirit to place us in the midst of others who are "like-hearted" and will be willing to allow us to grow with them in the journey of Christ-like living.

Therefore, our journey continues . . . want to come along?

Blessings and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Henry & Terry

Back In Roatan

THANKSGIVING - may our hearts be drawn to the Grace, Joy, Peace and Love of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ who remains constant no matter what life may throw in our path.

Thankful Greetings from Honduras. We have returned safely to the island of Roatan from our three week crash course in Espanol on the Honduras mainland. We both graduated Kindergarten and can now recognize (sometimes correctly) our numbers, colors, family names, various verbs & nouns - but only in present tense. Which turns out to be not so bad, since Christ admonishes us to live in the present and not worry about the past or future! Additionally it takes most of our faculties to determine each morning where we are currently at - let alone where we have been or where we may be in the future.

This is the home of our host family in Copan --> Honduras (where we attended school). We found out later how well off we had it, with our own bedroom and bathroom - and Hot water!!!! We spent most evenings sitting in the two rocking chairs on the lower porch - doing homework and visiting with the extended family of our hosts. They were all so gracious, warm and accepting.

<-- This was our church “home” while in Copan. We could not understand most of what was said or sung, but the Spirit of Christ was extremely evident through their smiles, hugs and spirit of acceptance.

There were many needs in the Copan area (as in most of Honduras) but we did not sense God opening any doors for us to investigate and consider.

Returning to Roatan was almost like returning home. Seeing familiar faces and surroundings and immediately refocusing on work to help others - Terry in the health clinic and Henry getting better acquainted with La Colonia residents and doing some maintenance around the clinic - now that’s a scary thought!!!

Last night we were invited to attend a pre-school graduation ceremony. There were 80+ graduating Colonia Kindergarteners with over 400+ in attendance (standing room only). Henry Z. (director of Living Water 4 Roatan www.lw4r.com ) was asked to speak and serve as the “Elder” for the ceremony. The Hondurans place a high value on education - as most fathers, uncles, and grandfathers were in attendance to show their support. Each family member brought a gift for the grad of their family. Children are fortunate to receive a single gift at Christmas - though many received 10-12 gifts for graduating Kindergarten. Most of the gifts were books, paper, pencils, crayons, etc......to encourage further education. We were told that half of them will remain in school through 6th grade; and less than 10% will complete high school (9th grade). Mostly due to the necessity of helping their family by getting a job instead of continuing their education.

Here is a special family that I met yesterday morning up in La Colonia. Isaac, Daniel and Josue (left to right) live with their mother, baby sister and step father in a 10 x 10 “tent house” on the side of the mountain. The step father works on deep sea fishing vessels and is gone months at a time.

Josue is 14 years old and graduated from 6th grade last year - but had to halt his formal education in order to take a job and help care for his siblings. He delivers five gallon water jugs from the valley up into the Colonia, on his back. He also does much volunteer labor for neighbors who need help in various ways. His family has no running water or electricity; so every evening for entertainment he reads the Bible (by oil lantern) aloud to his family. When asked what his favorite scripture was this week - Jose quoted Jesus speaking in Revelation 22:12 & 13 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Then he asked me what my favorite verse was and I responded Philippians 4:4 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” I then went into a rather lengthy explanation of what that means to an older man who is attempting to climb these mountains and trust God with the unknown future. He responded - “That is all well, however allow me to correct you - that verse is Philippians 4:13.” Of course, he was correct - “and a child shall lead them”!!! No Sunday School, no Wednesday night youth group, no formal education - just Josue, his Bible and the Holy Spirit. It is rather humiliating - and challenging to my own walk with Christ.

This is just one small section of La Colonia. Josue's family lives up above the homes you see in this picture. The green "tent-house" blends in completely with the leaves of the trees.

This has all been built and inhabited mainly over the past two years. Most of the residents left everything to move from the mainland, including extended family, old sources of income, and traditional relegion. They seem to be extremely open to anyone who is willing to share life with them and their families.

We are still praying for God to provide means and clear direction where we are to invest our lives for Him in 2009. Please continue to pray with us.

It would be an honor for us to hear your opinion and insight in this matter. Thanks for all of your prayer and emotional support over the past three months. We are heading your way in ten days!

In the love of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Henry & Terry

Life In The Mountanins

Honduras life on the mainland continues the drastic contrast we found on the island of Roatan. On the mountain sides you see inhabited "mud" huts - literally made of mud, straw and sticks; down below in the valley is the village of Copan with very nice hacienda's and casa's. It seems to always be an existence of extreme's in Honduras. Either you have everything the average medium income American has (car, hot water, electricity, pure drinking water, cable TV, indoor toilet, telephone, cell phone, kitchen appliances, etc.....) or you have nothing but a mud hut, the clothing on your back and maybe a burro.

We are in our second week of Spanish Language School and have never felt so confused and helpless in all our lives. I'm not sure how much Spanish I will absorb, but I am learning a huge lesson in humility as I am constantly the source of poor communication and misunderstanding. Everone is very supportive as we all just laugh and go on. We both have been assigned a professional tutor who works with us individually four hours per day; but most of my learning has come from walking around the village and visiting with neighbors. Sophi has especially been helpful (picture). She wants to be a teacher some day, and has been doing a great job practicing on us!

What has been most amazing this past month, are the individuals we have met who are quietly going about as ambassodors for Christ - loving others on a daily basis wherever life takes them - and all without official "sanction" or salary from a religious group or organization. On Roatan is Peggy and Henry (past posting); and here in Copan we met Ellen, who is a retired Jazz musician that has fallen in love with the Honduran children. She walks weekly up into the mountains to visit and support local schools. These are all one room school houses (usually inside one of the families homes) that contain from 30 - 60 children of all ages 5-12. Most of these schools have one teacher with no books, no paper, no pencils, no chalkboards, and of course, no computers. All they have is a parent or community member who has a heart for education and the children. Ellen raises funds to provide books and other basic school supplies. She has sold all she owns in the states (except for a couple of violas in storage in Seattle) and willingly lives a paupers life - and says she is more fulfilled and happier than ever before in her life. It has been our honor to accompany her on a couple of outings - with more to come.

Did I mention Copan is in the mountains? Actually, it is in a valley surrounded by mountains. But, it seems everywhere we go is up hill. How does that work out??? Our host home is only one block from the school - put another way - it is 127 stairs from the school. (picture) The village sits at 6,000 ft above sea level with the surrounding mountains at 8k - 10k. The evenings are refreshing to me (Terry translates that as cold). We are approximately 5 miles from the Guatemala border - so both cultures are present in the village shops and markets.

We are thankful the tropical storm/hurricane that was headed for Roatan pulled a u-turn and returned to the carribbean. Thanks for your prayers and support. Roatan did receive some heavy wind and rain, but nothing compared to what Cuba received . . . twice - going to and coming from Honduras!

God seems to have embedded the Hondurans of Roatan on our hearts. As many needs as we are witnessing on the mainland - our thoughts continue to return to "La Colonia" on Roatan. (see previous posting) Pray with us that all concerned will be given confirmation and clear direction. At this point it looks like we may cut our language school time by one week to spend an extra week on Roatan before returning to the States.

Once again, we are greatly indebted to you for your prayers and spiritual support - however, we are most indebted to Jesus Christ for His willingess to allow us a part in His love and affection to others. We recently purchased a "Santa Biblia" (Holy Bible) and are having fun learning new expressions (in Spanish) and a deeper appreciation for all Christ has provided. You are a big part of that!!!

Still in love with Him, you and each other!!!!

Henry & Terry

Watch Out Copan - Here We Come

We depart tomorrow for an intense month of “Emersion Spanish Language School” in Copan - on the mainland of Honduras. I really do not totally understand what that truly means……some of it seems exciting and some of it seems to be a very tough challenge. We pray Christ will be evident in all our actions, what we say and in how we treat people.

This comes at a perfect time for us to pull away and spend quality time with God and each other on the subject of 2009. How should we invest the next year of our lives? Spiritual, emotional, financial and physical concerna will all need to be worked through at the deepest level. Of course, at the base of it all we know that “we can do all things through Christ” – it’s not about our strength – it is about His!!!

There are two enormous needs here on Roatan that we are specifically praying about:

Both of these projects are located in what is called “La Colonia” (the colony). These are Hondurans from the mainland who have been displaced by the massive mud slides over the past several years. Literally thousands of acres have slid down mountains into the rivers and disappeared with their homes, all of their belongings and even some of their family members.

Roatan currently provides much better chances of starting over and acquiring an entry level job that pays $6 per day. (Almost double what they were making in the banana and pineapple fields of the mainland.) Hundreds of families have moved here and built an entirely new community – La Colonia. They simply move onto an available space on the side of a hill; clear the space of all fauna with the exception of four trees, which become the four corners of their new home. Then they purchase tarps, wrap them around the four “cornerstone” trees to create walls, tie one over the top to create a roof and move in to live. These are whole families – Father, Mother and usually three to four children under the age of ten. As they earn more money, they slowly purchase lumber, tin and other building supplies and build a more permanent structure around the small “tent home”.

However, there was no infrastructure whatsoever in place, until God led a couple of people into action:

Nurse Peggy (http://www.clinicaesperanza.com/) had been operating a Health clinic out of her garage but quickly became overcome with all of the life threatening health needs. The greatest need was the huge mortality rate of newborns. Land and monies were donated and the first stage of a full service Health clinic and birthing center is nearing completion. She now averages over 60 patients each day – five days a week. And that is only in the first floor out-patient clinic. Those numbers are bound to increase when the second floor birthing center is opened in the near future. (They are looking for a Nurse Manager to organize and oversee the staff and day to day operations of the birthing center - Terry?) Peggy, early on, diagnosed the leading cause of illness and death in La Colonia was all related to contaminated drinking water. The children would haul 5 gallon buckets of water over a mile uphill, where it would sit in the open and become infected by bugs, dogs, chickens, etc……until finally consumed.

Enter Henry (such a Godly name!!!) Zittrower. Henry and his wife moved to Roatan for retirement – of which God called him out of. He developed a game plan, created a network of support and began drilling wells and running water pipes (pvc). Aided by several church work groups from the states; U.S. Navy sailors; and other retired ex-pats on Roatan, the work was quickly accomplished. They are now in need of a third well and a large holding tank for water pumped – plans are in motion. This group, “Living Water For Roatan” (http://www.lw4r.com/) has totally equipped, trained and handed over the day to day operations of the fresh water operation to local residents. Each family pays a small amount for the fresh water piped to their home – those finances pay the local staff member salaries as well as add up for future maintenance needs. LW4R is now dreaming of building a “community center” where local children can participate in a multitude of options from computer classes to personal tutoring to organized sports (futbol & basketball). They are looking for a general properties manager who will oversee and plan the ministry agenda; as well as equip, train and discipleship future local leadership.

These people in La Colonia are extremely friendly, warm and open to new relationships and life views. They are mostly Spanish speaking only – and their smiles will melt your heart. They are looking for real answers to the heavy issues of life and are open to listening and learning. They left their old ways of living (culture) behind and know they must adjust to become a permanent fixture in a strange land. This promises to make them extremely open to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - via - new personal relationships with Christians who themselves demonstrate a intimate personal relationship with our loving God. Our goal at language school is to learn enough conversational skills to clearly communicate Christ’s love and acceptance.

We are told we will have internet access at least once per week while in Copan. We will do our best to keep you informed as we continue our journey.

Know that your prayers and spiritual support are needed more now than ever!
We love you and look forward to seeing most of you when we return to the states in December and January.

In His Love and Service,
Henry & Terry McCray

Farewell To Helene

Sometimes, it seems God moves in random sequences. We came to Helene thinking this was, without a doubt, the ministry He had prepared us for. However, several specific events and proddings made it clear this was not a permanent assignment to both ourselves and the Helene Team. But God knows exactly what He needs to accomplish within us - to make us more pure vessels to represent Him in a lonely, hurting world.

This is a very symbolic picture for us - Terry is standing on the beach watching the cruise ship (Helene ministry) pull away without us. We were so sure God wanted us on that boat!!! Notice just past Terry on the beach is a local Honduran. (new ministry focus) Ooops..... guess once again, we put our thinking ahead of His. Will we ever learn to "Be Still and KNOW that I am God"?

So, our journey continues. When God closes a door, He has promised to provide an alternative.

Through a chain of Godly people on Roatan, He made us aware of a four star resort where the owner only charges "mission minded people" one third of the regular fees. So, we are basically staying in beautiful, up-scaled acommodations for $50 per night. (That also includes a free breakfast!) This picture is taken on the beach we see right out of our window. Again, if you ever visit Roatan - be sure and check out the "Blue Bahai" for your lodging needs. (non-paid advertisement!)

Hold on . . . . here we go again! One thing led to another (God Working) and we are enrolled in an intensive, emersion Spanish School for the entire month of November.

The Guacamaya Spanish School is a privately-owned school with experienced and enthusiastic (hopefully very patient) teachers dedicated to providing high quality Spanish classes that promise to speed our language acquisition and comprehension. (We will be their ultimate challenge!) The school is located in the western highlands of Honduras, near the Guatemala border, in the heart of the peaceful, the scenic town of Copán Ruinas, just two blocks from the central park, and less than a mile from the world-renowned Maya archeological ruins.

During our entire stay we will be living with a Honduran family - which offers the opportunity to speak Spanish outside of class and better understand the Honduran culture.

So, here we go moving from sea level to an 6,000 ft. high mountain range. As I have stated in previous posts - God has a grand sense of humor and loves creating surprises!

This is just one of the many breeds of colorful birds whose natural habitat is in the Northern Highlands of Honduras. We are looking forward to seeing parts of God's creation we have never experienced before.

We do sense a strong calling for the Hispanic peoples - whether they be in Honduras or in East Tulsa. We continue to trust God in opening and closing all of the available venues of ministry.

Please be praying for our instructors. We will each have our own on their one-on-one teaching program. Pray we can be a positive influence for Christ in their lives; and that God will give them Holy Patience as we try to penetrate new language skills through these aged thick skulls of ours!

Once again, thanks so much for your support - many of you sent encouraging responses to our last two posts - and we sensed Christ's love and affirmation through you.

On our ever twisting journey,
Henry and Terry

Halfway Done - Six weeks completed!

For our halftime celebration we attended an island wedding this week. Island weddings are known to last four to five hours, so we just opted to attend the 90 minute ceremony and passed on all of the reception festivities. Here is a picture of Terry sitting with Laverne (one of our island cooks) waiting for the ceremony to begin. The stated time was 2:00pm - the actual starting time was 3:30pm. However, several islanders warned us about the late starts, so we arrived around 3:00pm and did not have to wait that long.

Two of the bridesmaids were teachers at our school. Shaunna is in the light blue and teaches our 2nd grade class; Kiera is in the red and teaches our 1st grade class. They both arrived before the bride. Two other bridesmaids did not, and had to sneak in a side door to join the ceremony, which was half way over at the time. Ahhh......Island Time!

We were able to enjoy the rest of the day off, which allowed for some clothing repair - I am so thankful I brought my personal nurse and tailor to the island of Helene with me!

However, she does look a little worn, tired and stressed out with some sharp seamstress scissors in her hand! A little scary!!!

So, we decided to take the weekend

"down island" on the main part of Roatan. We were told by a nurse on Roatan about a great resort to stay, "Blue Bahai", where the owner gives very good rates for those who are involved in missions.

Doesn't Terry look a little more relaxed here on a pool side bench carved like an alligator? This was after a long session soaking in a bathtub filled with hot water!!!!! Also after a good nights sleep in air conditioning with no dog fights, cow bellowing, or singing islanders waking us up several times. Did I say it has been six weeks???

It has been a great weekend, where we have been refreshed and have been able to regather our focus on our "calling" to represent Christ in specific ways. We will return to Helene tomorrow after attending church on Roatan.

We desperately need your spiritual support and prayers this week, as we will be meeting with Team Helene to discuss our hearts and how that will effect our length of service on Helene. We feel that we have sensed and confirmed God's heart for us during this weekend alone with Him; pray that Team Helene will also recognize God's voice and direction during this time of honest communication.

Thank you so much for your emotional and spiritual support during this entire portion of our journey. We truly sense this journey is not yet complete - but may take some unexpected turns and changes in direction. God has such a sense of humor and loves surprising us with His love and grace!!!!

We will catch you up to date on next week's posting.

Be assured of our love, appreciation and prayers for you and your support.

Henry & Terry

Those Yankees Are Gone!!!

I'm referring to the Short Term Mission Team from Newport, Rhode Island who just departed after spending the past five days with us. It was a week of hard manual labor mixed with several spiritual highlights while visiting homes, helping in the school and health clinic, and singing for one of the local churches.

Their #1 priority was to complete the building of a new storage facility for our de-salination drinking water plant. This plant allows us to provide drinking water to islanders at 40% less cost than they pay anywhere else. Currently the plant sits over the ocean - which leads to much rust and short life span of pumps and motors. The new plant will be located on the opposite (up hill) side of our clinic building.

Some of the islanders helped us prepare the slab before the team arrived on island. This proved to be a real God-send, as the team was detained along the route and did not make it onto Helene until two days after their expected arrival. But all were safe and sound, and the work went fast.

The building to the left of the slab contains our large generator; which powers the entire complex.

<------ The team arrived and immediately got busy at work! Thankfully they brought a couple of experienced carpenters with them, which quickly made up for lost time.

While this portion of the team worked on the building project; other team members went on medical rounds with Terry & Deirdre, while still others helped unpack tubs of books and school supplies they brought with them for our school. I wish you could have seen the estactic faces of our children when they saw their first large sheet of art paper. Until now, all drawing & painting was limited to 8 1/2 x 11 inch size. The island teachers were more excited about the new pencil sharpeners, three hole punches, notebooks and fresh markers. The visiting teachers also helped us complete the annual reading tests that is given to each student on an individual basis. The results will tell us alot about which students will move forward next year, and which students need a little more time at their current grade level.

The final touches are being applied as the doors are being hung. The project was basically completed in three days time! Great team work and planning ahead by Camas and Paul on our Team Helene. Now all that needs to be done is dig trenches and run PVC pipe along the full length of the property - twice. We are sitting on the edge of "rainy season" so the pressure is on to complete the project.......

which is now "doable" thanks to the great team from Rhode Island.

God really used this group of seven educators, three construction professionals, and one Doctor during their short term mission ministry with us.

They not only completed all of their intended projects, but touched many lives (ours included)in the process. A huge thank you to the Presbyterian Church of Newport, Rhode Island!

Here is Dr. Ruth from the Rhode Island Team (to the left of Terry) and Nurse Deirdre.

This was the 22nd Short Term Mission Team to Helene this year; however, our first. It was a great experience sharing time with a group of like-minded people who are passionate about living their lives for God.

There is something for everyone and anyone to get involved with on a Short Term Mission Trip to Helene........keep that in the back of your mind, in case we end up back here next year! :-)

Resting in Him,

Henry & Terry

One Third Completed

Greetings in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

It takes much grace to survive on Helene. Life is raw and beautiful at the same time here.

This picture is an appropriate illustration of that fact. Instead of Volcanic formations, the island of Helene is built on raised coral from the sea.

We experienced our first earthquake this past week at 3:15am. It wasn't bad, but did lead to a prayer of thanksgiving before returning to sleep. We are geographically situated over a large "fault line" in the earth's crust. Roatan and Helene are literally a result of tumultous events when earthquakes shove coral up out of the sea. I am told that is still happening at time goes on. But, as you can see in the picture above, life still goes on. Our creator is so wise and omnipresent throughout His creation! Look at how the plant life and trees actually embed themselves into the solid rock-like coral - and life takes off. As the leaves fall and the sand, dirt and dust collect - a thin layer of top soil begins to develop. Then small critters take up habitat. The process continues until solid enough for people to build a "stilt house" on, and then you have the beginnings of a new community on Helene. This lead me to ask myself - "How is God using the spiritual earthquakes in my life to complete His good work in my life?"

This past week we experienced a major community celebration as the Honduras government finally fulfilled a long time promise of a cement bridge on the island of Helene. The only negative was where they located the bridge - as you can see in this picture, the bridge dead ends into the "bush" instead of being placed in a more central location on the island. (Government thinking is Government thinking wherever you go!) Oh well, Helenians look for any reason to celebrate, and a huge community wide pig roast with music, dancing, dominoes and much laughter was enjoyed by all.

This week we have a Short Term Mission Team with us from Newport, Rhode Island. It is good to have some extra bodies and spirits with us at this time. Their major project will be to build a new housing building for our water de-salination plant. They will also be helping in the school, with medical home visits, and building new relationships with the islanders. We are enjoying the opportunity to learn each of their journeys with Christ and share in their passion for hands on ministry in His name.

Our neighbor, Mr. Blue Crab, sends his greetings to all who hate seafood! :-)

Today marks the beginning of our second month on Helene. We have two more months on this journey, but only one month before we will need to give the team an answer about 2009. We desperately covet your prayer support for wisdom and Godly thinking during this time. Eventually we will ask for your help in arriving at this decision -via- some sort of survey. Therefore we will be praying that God will confirm through you what we are personally sensing from Him.

We pray you are experiencing God's workings and intervention in your life on a daily basis.

In His Love,

Henry & Terry

The Heat Is Back!

Greetings fellow journeyers!

This past couple of days we have been back in the oven. The ocean breezes shifted from the North (which is from the opposite side of the island). All chances of any fresh air get caught up in the dense forest as it comes over the coral mountains of the island and before it can get to our side. Thankfully we are a little more adjusted to the climate than we were the first week here. That combined with our learning to slow down a little bit has helped us to survive this week easier than our previous two.

This last Thursday, the thermometer inside the school read 97 degrees; with the added humidity all tape and glue began disintegrating and things literally begin falling off the school room walls unless they were stapled or tacked in place.

This is a picture of our 4th grade class room, taught by Mrs. Sheila Benson. All of the classrooms are very similiar with a teacher-student ratio of 10-12 per class. We currently have two Kindergarten classes, a 1st grade class, second grade, third grade, fourth grade and a larger class with combined 5th & 6th graders. Only a very few pursue education beyond sixth grade in Honduras. In fact, the next level is referred to as "college" instead of Jr. High or 7th grade as in the states.

The classrooms are basically wooden cabins with large vent windows (no glass). The students are loud, but very hungry for learning and basic attention from the teachers and staff.

To be welcomed as a school in Honduras, we support the government Spanish speaking school by providing the English department they can not provide. However, the Spanish school gets first choice of class time, and of course, they chose the morning hours. So our classes run from 1:00pm - 5:00pm - the warmest time of the day.

The heat does not seem to effect the students, just the teachers! Especially the white, male, chubby ones! (There are two of us.) The students run outside for recess and play very competitive soccer, jump rope, run foot races, all the typical elementary school recess activity - just done in heat that can easily cause heat stroke. In fact Terry had to make an emergency run up island on Thursday to assist a little girl who had passed out and collapsed due to the heat. She was swimming in the ocean at the time, but the water is so warm you can easily get dehydrated while swimming. The island men carry 5 gallons of drinking water with them in their boats when they are out for the day fishing and/or diving for lobster or conch. That's five gallons per man!!!

We are blessed to currently have four island teachers on staff. This is Shanna pictured here, providing a little extra tutoring during a recess break for the rest of her 2nd grade class. Each student is tested at the beginning of each school year to determine which class they will be placed in. Our second grade class has students ranging from age 7 to 12. This is not at all seen as a negative problem, as all students are not able to start their schooling at the same age. All of the classes intermingle well during the recess time - there doesn't seem to be near as many cliches as you would see on the typical american school elementary playground.

Speaking of playground - we do have one piece of equipment - a "boat-like" structure that was paid for and built by a short term mission team earlier this summer. The fourth grade boys love to climb on it and have imaginary sword fights like the pirates of old days. (Boys will be boys wherever they live!)

The greatest assest we offer as a school, is the total freedom we have to read Bible Stories, teach about Jesus and have audible verbal prayer times with the students. The students eagerly respond to the Christian love and are on the front porch of the school thirty minutes before school begins each day hungry for more. What a blessed opportunity we must not miss!

Thanks again for your prayer support as we continue to find our balance and niche where God can best use us in this ministry. Please keep us informed of your personal journey by posting a response on this site or just sending us an email; which will enable us to return some of support you are sending our way back to your circle of influence.

We love you and think of you often. We thank God for you every day!!!

Henry & Terry

Two weeks down - 11 to go!!!!

Thank God for ocean breezes! With my earnest appreciation of earthly breezes I have also realized a deeper desire for the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit within me. Just a light breeze makes all the difference here on the island of Helene. Without a breeze, it is literally hard to breathe, and I find myself becoming listless, lifeless and unfocused on purpose. When a breeze begins to float in off the ocean, immediate refreshment is experienced – which leads to a burst of energy (as much as energy bursts in a 56 year old body) ensues allowing me to get back on track with the endeavors of the day. After being on island for two weeks, I am beginning to identify some prime locations where the breeze is more likely to be found; and that is where you will find me on a stifling hot, humid, breezeless afternoon.
What a parallel to our spiritual life sustaining

breeze of the Holy Spirit. Without it unfocused, lifeless efforts are produced. With it joyful, refreshing fulfillment is found. I will divert and allow Holy Spirit and yourself to take this as far as needed in your life.
We have made peace with the monkey “Poncho” – as you see in this picture of Terry holding him. He has decided our little neighborhood is safest refuge on the island.

This island’s culture seems to have no understanding of the term “pet”. All animals are looked upon as a food source (cattle, pigs, Iguanas, seafood), carbon based security system (dogs & chickens), work aide (horses & some dogs) or a pest. All of the above are expected to fend for themselves as far as eating, sleeping and healthcare needs. Therefore, they are allowed to graze freely from one end of the island to the other. There are no cattle/horse brands or dog tags to identify the owner – everyone just seems to know who each animal belongs to. (Part of the high-tech “island grapevine” communication system!) The only thing owners provide for the animals is a regular supply of fresh drinking water – which seems to be enough to bring them home periodically each day and every night. What a change from the American Pet Industry that takes in millions of dollars annually on pet clothing, toys and other non-basic items.

My interior clock is finally beginning to slow down a little bit. I am beginning to notice some of my surroundings through the sweat. The stars at night are miraculous with no shopping mall parking lights, etc…… to dim the view. Also the multi colors of the sky and sea are breath taking; especially so during the sunrise hours. So many hues of blues and greens give almost a kaleidoscope view of the landscape. So much beauty among so much poverty.

This week begins my experience in the school. Last week there was no school due to Honduras Independence Day holiday. I will be helping half of the time in the first grade class and the other half in the fourth grade class. Pray for extra measures of patience!

Terry continues to learn more about Island Healthcare and we both are continuing to focus on building relationships and trust with the Island population. Continue to pray for God to increase our love for the islanders during this time period.

Thanks for your spiritual support during this time of spiritual stretching for both of us. Please pray that our minds, eyes and ears will be open to catch all and every direction Holy Spirit provides us with.

We constantly remember you and thank God for you in our prayers.

In His Love,

Henry & Terry

Greetings From Helene!!!

Saturday, September 6th, 2008 at 12:30pm. Safe on the ground on the island of Roatan, Honduras.

After security clearance by the government of Honduras - a two hour non-air-conditioned ordeal - we had officially arrived for this new chapter in our life's journey with "Papa".

Mission Dirctors Larry & Sheila Benson met us at the airport and the adventure began!!!

Thanks to a loving God who heard your prayers on our behalf, we have survived our first week on-island. That was not a “given” by any means!

We happened to step off the plane on the hottest day of the year, only to have the following five days increase in heat and humidity. The culprit was the lack of any type of wind or air movement. It seems all of the air flow was wrapped up in the Eastern Caribbean Tropical Storm activity. We are thankful we did not receive any of the bad weather associated with Hurricane Ike; but, just a little ocean breeze would have been appreciated during our first five days. On our sixth day the cooling winds of the Caribbean Sea finally made their way to our shore…..and the Health clinic……and the school…..and more importantly to our cabin – where we could finally get a little sleep. It is difficult to sleep when the thermometer reads 92 degrees with 85% humidity at midnight. We have learned the “rotisserie” method of sleeping – that is where you sleep on your right side until the fan dries you out, then you turn to allow your left side to dry; and repeat the process every fifteen minutes throughout the night.

Enough about the weather – we count ourselves truly Blessed to be here at this time and place in our lives. We have found ourselves almost in a “zombie” state of mind this first week – partly due to the heat; partly because we were finally here after months of planning, praying and dreaming (with many of you); and partly because life seems so surreal to us right now. We are housed in what I could best compare to a fancy KOA Camp Ground Cabin. We have electricity, running water and our own personal toilet!!!! Right down the “path” from us are total families who have none of that. They basically live in shacks on stilts and have to carry in drinking water on a daily basis and live in this heat with no fans. We have never lived this close to extreme poverty in our lives. However, the expected hopelessness that normally accompanies extreme poverty is not as evident as you would expect.

The typical islander is extremely friendly and appreciative for any assistance given. The leaders of the island come from a Christian background and a huge appreciation for the shared life of true community. Each of the six communities on Helene (a new one was added earlier this year that is simply called “New Town”) have their own church, store and boat transportation system.

These communities are not much different than the typical American small towns. Not all individuals choose to follow the teachings of Christ, though most would claim to be Christians, if asked. A large part of our focus will be on basic discipleship and practical training in living for Christ within a community of Believers and also in making a living to support their own ministry and mission endeavors in the name of Christ. We won’t always be the teachers…….many times the islanders will be teaching us!

We expect our second week to go much smoother as we begin to adjust to heat, culture and basic communication skills on an island that sometimes speaks English, sometime Spanish and sometimes a mixture of the two combined with Caribbean terms and slang. We covet your continued prayer support as these 55+ year old brains are not yet operating as efficiently as needed.

Terry has already made her first late night emergency run that included stepping over a tarantula, jumping over a large blue crab; and literally “walking the plank” to the home of the hurting individual. You will have to ask her for full details when you get the chance.

My first day in the school was partly spent chasing away a black and white spider monkey named “Poncho” who runs loose on the island. He has learned the school kids usually have snacks on their possession – and loves to chase them until they throw something good to eat at him.

Please specifically pray along with us that God will give us a deep love for the islanders. We desire to see beyond physical need and circumstances – right into their hearts and help mesh them into the very heart of Christ. To help that to fruition – we must first live it for them to witness. Our desire is “To be used of God to sing, to speak, to pray - - - To be used of God to show someone the way.”

Our next post should be next Saturday, September 20th.

Representing your heart as we Serve our Lord together,
Henry & Terry

Less Than 24 hours!!!!

How do you pack effectively for a time period that may be a minimum of 3months but could be a maximum of 16 months?? Give us a month and we can probably tell you how not to do it!! Ready or not here we go – we juggled everything several times to end up with four large bags that weigh between 45 – 50 lbs.; two smaller “carry-on” bags that weigh under 25 lbs; and two personal items (ice cooler back-pack for Terry and shoulder bag for Henry). We are now ready to leave early Tomorrow (Sep. 6th) for the newest leg in our life journey together with God. We are both excited & fidgety; honored & humbled.

We have known from the outset this was a “backwards” mission effort. Instead of us being the missionaries going to “save” the mission field – God has confirmed to both of us that we are the mission field going to the true missionaries who are experiencing God daily both personally and as a community of Believers .

We need a fresh perspective on Godly living and how life on a daily basis within a context of true Christian “community” looks. We have read about it in the New Testament all of our lives – but have not been able to find it within the American culture. Maybe, as some writers claim, the Western culture is too independent to allow true community to function. Or maybe, it is just our own attitudes and expectations that have limited our search for true Body Life. I have a feeling it may be a mixture of both opinions – so pray with us that our spiritual sight will be sharpened, our self-centered attitudes will be pruned, and we will be extremely teachable during this time of internship.

Thanks so much for your spiritual support and bits of Godly wisdom – please continue to send both our way! Our next communication will come from the island of Helene – but please be patient, as it may take a week or two to wait our turn for access to the internet.

You are Loved!!!
Henry & Terry

Nothing Is Small In God's Eyes

We were in Dallas this past weekend to hear a favorite writer – Paul Young. His first book – The Shack – has been #1 on the New York Times list for 14 weeks. It will be out in Spanish soon and movie deals are in the works. Paul impressed us with his unassuming humility, genuine spirit, and very funny sense of humor. It is hard to understand why many in organized religion are threatened by him. His small endeavor to “just write down his thoughts for his six children” has changed lives and challenged most to start thinking differently about spiritual relationships. As you see here, he’s just a little taller than me – not big in stature at all!!

Then on to Austin to visit an angel that is only with us for a short time unless a miracle happens. Cooper is my great nephew and has GM1.

Cooper is 14 months old and is small for his age. We had seen him at his birth through the NICU window, but this time we were able to hold and hear him coo and laugh....here he is visiting with Henry.


God is sovereign!! His plans are big, but he chooses players in His plan that the world would judge weak and small. Like Cooper, I am so thrilled to not be small in God’s eyes!

- Terry

Beginning Our "Last Things"

You know how the count down works . . . when anticipating a memorable event, you count all of the last things leading up to it - - - the last Monday before vacation begins - - - the last financial report before assuming a new promoted position - - - the last first day of a new school year before your nest is empty; etc.......

We have recently begun our "Last Things" before departing for Helene - a short but sweet visit with our oldest son Dan, his beautiful wife Denise, our Grandson Kyle and Grandaughter Kendall in Ohio. This was the last time we will see them until we return from our internship on Helene. :-(

Kyle starts Kindergarten this week, so he and grandma played school - he was the teacher, of course. He was also wrapped up in the Olympic Spirit and performed his own rendition of several olympic events - including hurdle racing, spring board diving and a new event you may not realize was olympic - the "Slip-N-Slide" championship - where he won a Gold Medal!!!

Here Kyle is reaching for the Slip-N-Slide Olympic world record - marked by a sand castle form.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Earlier, in the picture above, Kendall was on the water pistol range setting new records for water consumed while competing!!!

After a long day on the field of competiton, the athletes and judges gathered for interviews and pictures with the Press Corps.

Another highlight from this weekend in Ohio was a re-connection with some dear friends from our college years - yes ...... some are still alive & well!!!! We had not seen them for over 20 years. It was exciting to learn how God has blessed them with both physical and relationship miracles. God is faithful and has restored so many of us, our friends and families through His never-ending Grace and Love! Hopefully you will be reading some of Ben and Sherry's postings in the near future. Hopefully, they will not share everything they know about Henry!!!!

Three weeks from today we will be on Helene. Until then, our "Last Things Before Departing" list will continue to grow.

What are you looking forward to with great anticipation and excitement in your life????

- - Serving our Living Lord with you,

Henry & Terry

One Month & Counting

One month from tomorrow morning we will be on an airplane enroute to Helene, Roatan, Honduras. Time seems to be dragging by as we force ourselves to remain faithful in our duties at our jobs. Our hearts are now drawn to Helene and what we truly believe is our calling at this point in our journey with Papa.

This must be what it feels like to be a child waiting to meet their new family who has adopted them.

Thanks to a dedicated team blog site - we feel like we already know each one of them, and already love them in Christ. Allow me to introduce them to you -


This is a group picture of the current Helene Team.

Let us first begin with the missing member - Paul Moore, who is from Wisconsin. Paul's responsibilities include Payroll Master for Islander Support Personnel; Official School Tutor; and Maintenance Assistant.

The lady at the far left in the picture is Nurse Deidre Greer from Washington State. Her responsibilities include Medical Provider for the entire island; and ladies ministries including discipleship, exercise class, bible studies.

Next to Deidre is Sheila Benson from North Carolina. She is co-director of the Elementary school and teaches one of the classes. She is also the major morale booster for the team and her husband Larry Benson.

Larry Benson is the Director of Daily Operations for the entire Alternative Missions Ministries on the Bay Islands. He jokingly refers to himself as the "Do-Do". Larry oversees all aspects of the ministry with major responsibilities for scheduling and planning logistics for all Short Term Mission Teams who visit Helene.

Next to Larry is the newest team member - Averyl Morris from South Africa. This group picture was taken at the wedding of Joe and Averyl earlier this year. Averyl has lived on Roatan for several years and is a great resource for practical needs of the team and ministry. She recently spent three months working every area of the Helene Missions Ministries to enable her to better understand the day to day operations. She and her husband live on Roatan and are involved on various ministries on the "down" end of the island.

Joe is the one who is grinning so big - like the cat who swallowed the canary!!! Joe Morris is from Arizona. He is the fix-it-all man in charge of maintenance, security, and general physical plant operations - which includes several buildings, a boat, generator station and water de-salination plant. Joe also has a burden for the men of the island - and he is involved in discipleship, men's bible studies, and teaching basic skills to old and young men alike.

Standing next to Joe in the pink dress is Emily Benson - daughter of Larry and Sheila. Emily is co-director of the school and also teaches one of the classes. Her joy and high energy level acts like a magnet that attracts the children of the island to her side.

Second from the right is Brandy VanderMeer from Michigan. Brandy teaches one of the school classes and helps oversee the kitchen operations. Brandy has a great sense of humor and loves slap-stick comedy.

At the far right of the picture is Camas Frey from Kansas. Camas is a talented musician, leading times of musical worship, teaching islanders basic music skills on keyboards, guitars and drums. Camas also assists with maintenance projects and with visiting short term missions teams.


This is our new family - now you can begin to pray more effectively for them and us. All of them are first and foremost in love with Jesus, and desire to introduce Him to others through the sharing of day-to-day life on the island.

No wonder we are so anxious to get there - to also share life with these fantastic people!!!!!

God in the Midst of Fund Raising

Okay - - - grab a large glass of ice water, a comfortable chair and then proceed - - - this one is a little long but impossible to shorten. This is more that just some highlights - now you're going to hear (sorry Paul Harvey) the rest of the story.

It is always good to receive confirmation from God on a project you hope and believe He is leading instead of yourself manipulating to get what you want.

Terry and I agreed on the outset of this journey - - - that if God was really in it He would supply all of our financial needs for our three month interm period in Honduras without our solicitaion from others.

Our part of the bargain was to keep working and saving as we down-sized our generous American lifestyle. Down sizing included attempting to sell anything we would not want to pay storage for, if we ended up long term in Honduras.

We were a two person family with two cars and a small motorcycle. So first laid on the "fleece-altar" was our oldest vehicle - a 2000 Honda Accord. In a way, this had special connections to Terry's Father, who gifted her first Honda Accord - which helped purchase this one. Terry's Dad & Mom committed her to the Lord at a very young age as a result of Terry contacting Polio. Later they financed her schooling at a Bible College - where we met. During our 20 years of pastoring, they continued to provide financially so Terry could stay home while raising our children. So, when the Honda sold immediately we not only took that as confirmation from God - but also as an answer to the prayers of commitment from Terry's parents.

But, like Gideon of old, one confirmation was not sufficient - we still desired confirmation that God indeed was directing this journey instead of Henry using his finely honed skills of manipulation - (those 20 years of ministry in the organized church).

So we planed an extra large second fleece: A garage sale. Henry hates garage sales! So this would have to be of God!!!!! Now, not just the average garage sale you see every weekend around your neighborhood. No - this has to be tougher than that. This has to be something that has no way of succeeding, unless God intervenes and directs.

This garage sale will include all of our junk around the house that we would not want to pay storage for - you know, the "stuff" in boxes up in the attic that hasn't seen the light of day for five to ten years! Not old enough to be classic - just old enough to be "old". Also, let's throw in all of our outdated CD's, Movies (mostly 'G' rated - those are really hot sellers now-a-days!), Christian books and printed music, all of our mis-matched dishes and glasswear, even the empty plastic butter tubs and cottage cheese containers. Throw in some dilapidated lawn care equipment and tools; oh, and how about all of that old stereo equipment and cassette players!!!

Let's see if God can sell this "stuff" - most of which has no dollar value remaining.

On the other end of the spectrum, let's include four overpriced purchases from our recent past: a small motorcycle; the remnants of an expensive stained glass hobby that never "took"; a battery powered lawn mower that cuts a wide swath of 6 inches; and the over priced Pop-Up Camper we have used a total of five times.

And to top it off - let's not advertise this garage sale in the newspaper or radio "swap shop" ..... instead we will hand deliver 200 flyers around our neighborhood telling about our spiritual journey and mention the garage sale.

And God, if you really are in this - we would like to see four of our neighbors, who attend the garage sale, sign up as willing partners on this journey. (I hope we have four of our neighbors just attend the garage sale! "O ye-me of little faith")

All of those unrealistic expectations led me to nickname this escapade as "The Mother Of All Garage Sales"!!!!! Not due to a mass amount of items for sale (it all fit on our driveway); but due to the mass amount of "proof" we were asking of God.

The garage sale was held on Friday and Saturday July 11 & 12 - which has still been the two hottest days of this years summer. The results - well, you're probably getting a little too far ahead of me. People began arriving at 7am and continued a steady stream all day Friday and most of Saturday. Over 80% of the ordained "junk" sold at posted prices!!!!! Even the cottage cheese and butter tub containers!!! People were even trying to buy our other "stuff" that we are not ready to label as "junk" yet.

The best part - ten neighbors (six families) signed up as partners on our journey. WOW!!!!

But, wait a minute - - - the big four items. Those specialty things that were overpriced for the general citizen who cannot recognize "unique" value. Actually, the first one (small motorcycle) sold at our asking price before the garage sale even began. A co-worker of our Tulsa son bought it - and they are letting Henry continue to ride it for the rest of the month! Are you kidding....... okay, but what about the other three major items? Sorry, they did not sell at the garage sale.

Doesn't God have a great sense of humor??!! Well, it didn't seem so funny all week - - - as I fumed over what message we were supposed to derive from this whole garage sale fiasco I created.

Today was the first day either one of us had off after the garage sale. Terry was off and called me at 10:30am informing me that her phone had been ringing all morning and she had just sold the massive 6" wide battery powered lawn mower. Well, that was a coincidence. But that was the smallest item, financially, of the three remaining.

About one hour later I received a call on my cell phone from a man wanting to know more about the "Stained Glass" supplies I had for sale. He said he would come over after work and look at them - yeah, how many times have I heard that promise?

Meanwhile, Terry calls again around 2:00pm to inform me I needed to come home early so we could run and get the title to the pop-up camper notorized because she just sold it for the full asking price!!!! Okay God - you've got my attention now!

So, I leave work a little early, pick up Terry, we run to the bank and return to remove our personal items from the camper before the family returns with a cashiers check. While we are working on the camper, a gentleman and his wife arrive in our driveway to pick up the Stained Glass supplies!!!! Cash in hand!!!! We spent about thirty minutes visiting and sharing, back and forth, our passions and hearts.

Just after they leave, the "camper" family arrives with cashiers check in hand. Who else could have orchestrated this, but God Jehovah??? We spent about an hour illustrating how to set up and pack down the camper; and when opportunities allowed, what was on our hearts and in our heads. In departure they pledge prayer support and pray God's blessing on our "journey" and take our blog site address so they can "keep up with us".

The "stained glass" couple have a trip planned to Panama and are going to look into the possibility of stopping off at Roatan on their way! They also took our blog site address and want to follow our "journey".

What can I say??? Except - "God - - - You are Awesome!!!!"

Once again, the biblical truth that God chooses to use the weakest to best demonstrate His glory is confirmed. Your prayer support made this a reality! Thank you.

July 9. 2008

The count down has rapidly advanced to less than two months for our departure. Some days seem to drag endlessly on; while others fly too fastly by. We have had all of our first round of shots with a second round to take place in early August. This weekend is our "Mother of All Garage Sales". Along with the typical garage sale items, we have our pop-up camper and Henry's red work scooter for sale. We took the opportunity to canvas our neighborhood with Garage Sale flyers that also explain our mission and dedication to serving Jesus Christ wherever called. It is fun to watch the look on people's faces when we explain our choice to leave the luxurious comfort zone we have been blessed with in America, for a rustic life that is at times devoid of basic amenities such as water and electricity. It is totally opposite of the normal progression of acquiring a safe and comfortable retirement plan. But hey - - - we are alien's of this world and it's status quo. We choose to live for Christ and His Kingdom priorities . . . we choose to use ourselves up for His glory. May it be so!

June 24, 2008

Please don’t take this as directed toward you – if it sounds like a sermon, it is targeted right between my own eyes. Lately I have been learning new insights on “seeing”. Not much has changed with my physical eyesight, other than the natural aging process. But my spiritual eyesight is a different story. I have been asking God why everything I “see” about future ministry on Helene produces excitement and Godly passion within me……but, when I share that excitement and passion with other Godly people whom I know and respect, most of them only “see” physical insecurity, unnecessary financial risk, personal health risks and questionable poor judgment?

Thankfully the Lord reminded me of the twelve “spies” Moses sent into the promise land to scope it out. Ten of those only saw a land that “eats its inhabitants” and is populated with warriors of great stature – Giants!!! The ten spies, desperately in need of spiritual bifocals, saw themselves as mere grasshoppers. The Israelites were ready to cash it all in and return to Egypt as voluntary slaves.

Thankfully, there were two spies who had 20-20 spiritual eyesight. Joshua and Caleb saw God’s provision through fields that were already planted, houses that were already built and barns that were already full. They knew God would supply all their needs – and nothing they could do on their own would guarantee anything – including volunteer slavery.

This has been a timely reminder for me. Sometimes it is so tempting to just give in and accept the majority’s visual perceptions – returning to spiritual slavery and the “ho-hum” of politically correct Christianity. In fact, it has almost gotten to the point that if the majority of Christian opinions is to turn left - - - I will engage my right turn signal!!! I would rather live out on the edge with Christ and other like-minded followers filled with His excitement and passion for others.

So in the future when the emotional or financial or physical challenges seem to overwhelm – please remind me to adjust my Godly bifocals!!!!!