It’s been a while since I have been able to get on the computer to write, as you can tell by the last entry! If you are like me your schedule has jumped into hyper drive (stealing a Star Wars term) the past few weeks and I am just now coming up for a breath! The past few weeks has been a blur of activity as I graded a mountain of papers, wrote out mid-term exams, posted grades for report cards, and wrapped up the first semester of classes. Add to the mix shopping for gifts and trying to get everything done around the house before a trip to Colorado and you have organized chaos!
But all fell into place; we had a wonderful trip to Colorado to visit family, and got to see some beautiful scenery and a LOT of snow. We drove through the Sangre de Cristo mountain range around San Isabel to see a really neat and unusual castle (Bishop’s Castle) and also got to go to the Royal Gorge and walked across the highest suspension bridge in the world, over 1,000 feet above the canyon floor! Breath taking has a whole new meaning now. We were able to visit my grandmother who is 98 years old. Although she is not in great health her mind is still sharp as a tack. We even gave my 76 year old Dad the pleasure of beating all of us in 2 games of bowling (for the record, he does carry a 160 average).
The past couple of days have been nice, at least for me. We still have a few days off before school starts back and I have access to Internet again. Dad doesn’t have Internet. For that matter he doesn’t even have a computer at the house. Amazed? I was. What was life like before cell phones; the Weather Channel; I-Pods; blogs; cable; text messages; Blackberries; e-mails; and Internet??? How did we even survive? Who knows… it must have been tough and those of us old enough to remember don’t talk about it very much. But after 5 days of isolation I am back on line, in touch with the rest of the world.
Well, 2008 is in the history book. As Walter Cronkite, the famous news anchor would say, “That is the way it is.” He always ended is broadcast with those words. And that was the way it was. So, 2008 departs as 2009 opens its doors. And what awaits us in this New Year? Well, I guess it depends on whom you listen to on any given day. There is a lot on the radar screen. The economy; energy; global warming; a new president; the war; I could go on and on. You can hear one talking about all of the optimistic things to look forward to on one side and all of the negative things on the other. But one thing is for sure; the need for Christ has never been greater. People are hurting and people are lost. We as Christians need to arise to the challenge for the cause is great.
As the recession tightens its grip here in the U.S. the affects are being seen around the world. As much as we are hurting here in the States, you can only imagine how bad it is in other parts of the world. We saw it last summer in Honduras as inflation drove the cost of food, lumber, and tin higher and higher. It affected our trip and our budget and what we were able to do. And this summer it will be more of the same if not worse. As households tighten their budgets, so will businesses to congregations. This, no doubt, will have an effect on our trip this summer.
And we, as a mission team, must work even harder to secure funds to do our projects. Thousands of people in Honduras are literally living day to day. The Limperia today does not go as far as it did 6 months ago. Costs continue to rise and wages stay the same. It is in times like this that people cry out to God for help. And it is in times like this that God gives us the opportunity to answer His call. I challenge every one of us to reach down deep this year to go the extra mile to do what we can do to make our trip this summer one that will make a huge impact on those we will minister to in 2009. We need you and we need your resources more than ever.
The countdown for our trip begins January 1. Our theme for our trip this year comes from Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The work that we are going to do this summer has already been planned out by God. The people that we will meet and minister to as well. It is a divine appointment that has been scheduled on our behalf. I don’t know about you, but that pumps me up! It is exciting to know that God has been at work preparing our work for us! I can’t wait to see what God has planned for us this summer.
Even though we are earthen vessels made of clay, we are God’s workmanship. He has molded us and formed us to be who we are and has filled us with talents and abilities unique only to us. When we come together as a team He uses us in a special way that brings glory and honor to Him. So, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and begin our march. We have 6 months to get ready for something amazing. And you are part of the plan. Isn’t that cool?
I wish you a happy New Year and hope that 2009 will bring you joy and happiness and that God will challenge you in ways that will draw you even closer to Him!
TR
