Category: Faith

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Feed the Hungry – Spotlighting Ministry

Guatemalan girl in the sunlight

Beautiful, isn’t she? We have been blessed to have been traveling to Guatemala for a number of years as a part of a medical missions team. That little girl is one of the many faces that stole our hearts all of those years ago. She and others are the reason that we do what we do alongside In Jesus Name Medical Missions. We believe that we are called to serve and support the people of Guatemala and part of that mission includes the directive to feed the hungry.

We are so humbled to be a part of In Jesus Name Medical Missions and what they are doing in Guatemala. More than 10 years ago, this group started working in Guatemala by making a once a year medical mission trip. Doctors, nurses, dentists, and numerous others make this yearly trip to work and serve for 4 days and see more than a thousand patients in remote, poor villages. The team functions to show each and every person that comes to the pop-up clinics, Jesus.

As they are seen by the physicians and nurses, they are also ministered to spiritually. While they pick up their medications from the pharmacy, they are told that Jesus loves them. When they walk through the hospitality area, where clothing and personal hygiene items are given, they are hugged and blessed. The last stop of the clinic experience is to sit with the evangelical team, who through interpreters, offer to pray with each and every person for their illnesses and any other needs that they may have. At the end of each day, 200 families are given enough food to last for 30 days. That food will fit in a bag approximately the same size of the plastic grocery bags we use.

About 5 years ago, the dream and vision of In Jesus Name grew. They became a legal foundation in Guatemala and then began the search to purchase property. Collaborating with local pastors and churches, the plan was to build a feeding center that would service the 100+ orphans of the small village, El Tejar. That plan is about to become a reality! We are just a few short months away from the vision coming to life!

The Feeding Center, although incomplete, held its first service during the May 2019 trip. It was a wonderful time of celebration and beginning to see what had only been seen in minds and on paper. But now the real work begins. A team will leave at the beginning of December to assist in unloading a shipping container of furniture and appliances and moving those items into the building. A group from Mobile, Alabama plans to use the building as a mission house in early January while they are in Guatemala distributing shoe boxes with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child.

Following the completion of the building, In Jesus Name will open the Feeding Center for service. The upstairs portion of the building will serve as a place for teams to stay when in the area either to work at the feeding center or in the surrounding villages. Downstairs will include a large indoor and outdoor eating area as well as a commercial kitchen and live-in staff housing. A meal will be served daily to the 100+ orphans of this small community along with the Word of God.

The mission of In Jesus Name is to keep and honor Matthew 25:37-40. ” ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “

One of the more recent accomplishments was the completion of the well. This well will supply fresh, pure water to the feeding center and beyond! We do not know yet the plan that God has for In Jesus Name here in El Tejar and in Guatemala. The future dreams include purchasing some of the surrounding property and developing those parcels to include an orphanage, a school and so much more!

The current need here is this, will you also choose to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty? Many will never travel to a foreign country to serve. Does that mean that they cannot fulfill the Great Commission to go into the all the world and serve? No! The opportunity to sponsor a child and support the work of God in Guatemala is just that opportunity. Some can go and some cannot; but those who cannot go, can send. You can support a child for less than a dollar a day. That money will feed a child a nutritious meal, provide pure water and also give them the chance to hear the Word of God and know Him.

Will you feed the hungry?

If you would like to donate or sponsor a child for $25 a month or $300 a year, click here. If you are interested in going on one of the 3 planned mission trips in 2020 to serve and work in the feeding center and the surrounding villages, you can click here to send a message and receive more information.

We hope to spotlight more ministries on a regular basis. We would love to hear from you and the ministries that you support. Please feel free to reach out to us! ***Other than nominal administrative costs, nearly 100% of all donations go directly to Guatemala and its people.

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Down the Beaten Path

This is a green cattle pasture that leads to another pasture across a creek. The pasture is cut by an thin narrow path.

That path is as narrow as it looks. It’s about 8-10 inches wide! It wasn’t made by a tractor or a four-wheeler, it was made by cows! Did you know cattle travel on paths? How in the world do those big girls manage to walk these small, narrow paths? I mean, our girls are some big girls! Yet, you can look at our pastures and in the most traveled places, you will find these skinny trails. This particular path above, leads from one pasture to another and crosses a creek. Sometimes, especially in the winter, the cows will travel this route twice a day. The pasture on the other side of the creek is used as a winter pasture and is full of rich, green grass. The grass is so full of nutrients that we can’t let the cattle stay in there for very long. So every day, they are led across the creek and allowed to stay and graze for 2 hours and then led back out. Summer months are different and they tend to go back and forth as their taste buds or their desire for a particular shade tree catches their fancy. But every time they go from place to place, they travel this route, and no matter the reason they are travelling, they will walk that single path. Why? They follow the leader. Others before them made the path. The path leads them where they want to go. They have learned to trust the path.

Cattle walking in a line across a pasture.

These days we are so determined to do our own thing and make our own way that we have ignored the benefits of the path that is already there. Many of us are only where we are today because of the path that was laid before us. My parents and grandparents lived a certain way and taught me values and beliefs and those things got me to where I am today. I had to walk the path to where I am, but they “blazed the trail.” I hope and pray that I am doing the same things for my kids. Even now, I hope that the life that my husband and I have lived has given our children a path to follow that will make their futures easier.

Cows in a pasture eating hay.

Sometimes, when the moms are traveling from one pasture to the other, we watch the babies. The calves have not yet learned the path and they run along side their mothers or even run ahead with their friends. The cows will call out to the calves, but the moms stay on the path. They know that at the other end of the path there is feed or green grass. The babies run off and get sidetracked and distracted. Often by the time the calves make it to the feed trough, it’s empty or maybe there just isn’t any room to squeeze in. Sometimes the calf leaving the path even affects its mother… when the calf isn’t in line with the rest and is off the path, a good mother will wait for her calf. This causes both the cow and calf to be late to feed and both miss out because of it.

A group of calves in the early morning sun.
Troublemakers!

Aren’t we just the same? We know the way. We know the path. We can see it in front of us. But sometimes we get sidetracked or just want to do our own thing and we end up missing out on what He has for us at the other end of the path. We also end up affecting others along the way because we left the path. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. ”

The narrow path leads to food. The narrow trail leads to best possible place to get water from the pond. That narrow path leads to life. It certainly doesn’t look like the easiest way to get their either. It most certainly couldn’t be the fastest! Who wants to walk in a single file line to get there? Let’s all just run ahead, full tilt, without a care in the world! But the easy way, leads to destruction and that is the way that most will choose.

If you looked at that pasture, you would think that it would be so easy for the cattle to get from one side to the other across that wide open space. But out in the open spaces of the pasture, there could be holes that would cause the cattle to stumble and possibly be injured as they travel to their destination.

A cow drinking water in the morning from the pond.

Today, choose the narrow way. Choose to walk behind those that have gone before you. Choose the path that doesn’t seem obvious and that everyone isn’t on. Maybe you have been following a crowd or making your own path; find a mentor or a trusted friend that can lead you along the path. Find the trail that was blazed with you in mind and stay on it. My prayer today is that you find yourself on the path that God has designed for you, in His perfect will!

This is a green cattle pasture that leads to another pasture across a creek. The pasture is cut by an thin narrow path.

I am also praying that we will blaze the trail for those that are coming behind us. We need to make sure that the path stays open and clear for them. Someone made the path for us. Let us not allow it to grow up and become hidden. May we keep the path worn and visible and show others the way. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths.”

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Bring back the old…

If you don’t know me, let me tell you, I love antiques. Okay, that may be a bit of an understatement… I absolutely adore all things antique and I am very particular about them. I enjoy keeping them in their natural state and using them everywhere I can. I love watching shows where people find old, antique items and re-purpose them. Some would call me a purist; I love to be able to see the original. I believe there is something to be said for keeping it as close to it’s original state and not losing the item in the process. Now having this sort of fondness for items could be a problem for some, especially now that the current trends in home decor have swung toward the rustic and antique. These days, trendy decor is antique or made to look that way. Fortunately, husband just might love “old, rusty junk” as much as I do, so we don’t have too big of a problem when I buy something! Better yet, he loves to find things! So many of our treasures have been “found” and we have rescued them and put them back to use. We have been antiquing since our honeymoon and what’s popular now has always been “our style.”

We have collected and discovered items over the years and they fill our home, inside and out, with the memories of what those items have been and seen in their lifetime. Some items were found locally and some came from other countries. Some of them belonged to family members and those carry such sentimental value. Some have been found in old, run-down barns or hidden in the woods. Some items were found buried in the dirt and needed a good soak and wash to really determine what they even were. Some were free and some were paid for. Some were gifts from my husband and those might be some of my favorites! I could just about tell you about every single item we have, it’s story and where it came from. Needless to say, I might have a bit of an addiction, but what could be wrong with keeping those “old” things alive and giving them a purpose?

The picture below is a picture of one of my favorite finds though and it tells the story that I feel led to share today. You look at it and see two dented, old salt and pepper shakers. I see something that I bought at a random yard sale while out of town one day. We weren’t in this little town to shop, were were just passing through and those two little cans were something that I had been wanting for a long time. We had looked at several sets before and husband had persuaded me not to buy them because every time we found a set, they were usually reproductions. They weren’t the real thing. You see on this particular day, we found the real thing. The metal is so old and soft that you have to be careful to unscrew the caps to refill them because they will bend and dent even more. I found exactly what I was looking for, the real thing. That’s one of the reasons that they are so special. I am learning that God cares about the little things in my life as much as I do, even when they are silly to others. I found them one day when I least expected it and paid much less, too. He loves me like that, and He loves you that way as well. If we are patient and don’t try to get ahead of Him, His timing and His ways are perfect. (Psalms 18:30 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true.) He is faithful to give us what we need and sometimes what we want. And when He does it, it’s always the “real” thing.

The other reason they are my favorite is because they are salt and pepper shakers. What a reminder that being the “salt of the earth” never goes out of style! For most people, they would have never given them a second glance. Even the people who were selling them didn’t see their value. I bought them for $2! In our world and culture today, most never give God’s word and “how we used to do things” a second glance either. But salt is still necessary, and in today’s current situation, even more so. The world around us needs our saltiness. We need to be the salt and light that we were designed to be. Matthew 5 says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ” At some point, we threw the old out in exchange for the new and in doing so we have become that which is being trampled under people’s feet.

Friends, it is time that we wake up and stir ourselves. It is time that we bring back the “old” values and morals and return to our saltiness. Maybe it is time that we, the people of God, dust off a few of those “old” things and begin to put them back to use. Maybe you too have found yourself busy and your bible untouched. Dust it off and put it back to use! Maybe there are a few “old” songs that haven’t been sung for a while and maybe your children don’t even know them? Sad to say, but it’s the case in my house as well. There’s an old song that I haven’t heard or sung in a long time- “Jesus is the answer for the world today, above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way!” It’s time for us to offer those around us the “real thing”, the real and only answer for our troubles and problems. It’s time to pull them out from where they’ve been hidden and sing them and teach them to those who may need their words. It’s time for us to dust off our values and morals and shake off the rust of complacency and pull them out for everyone to see! Decorate your homes and social media platforms with those antique values and let’s begin to make Christianity and morals the trend of the day! Just because it’s considered old or old fashioned, doesn’t mean it has lost it’s savor and usefulness. Praying for you and I today, that we will find something “old and rusty” to bring it out and wipe it off and put it back to use!

I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalms 143:5-6

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples. Psalms 77:11-14

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