It's a Brand New Day

    
I like remembering when I get up in the morning that -today- is a brand new day! The outcome of today does not depend on yesterday's failures or successes. That's pretty refreshing and challenging! As I start my day, I want to remember that:


1) Today the Lord loves me and shows me grace just as much as He ever has!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

2) Today is part of God's plan for me - whatever it may bring!

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:16

This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

3) Today I must make the decision to follow Christ!

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23

Inwardly:

• Seeking the Lord and trusting that He alone meets my needs. (Mt. 6:11/ Lk. 11:3)
• Meditating on God's Word. (Ps. 1:2)
• Praying. (Lk. 2:37)

Outwardly:

• Sharing God's good news of salvation and grace. (Acts 5:42)
• Being an encouragement to those around me. (Heb. 3:13)
• Being available to meet the needs of others. (Acts 6:1/ Jm. 2:15-17)

Extra "Daily" Verses:
1 Cor. 15:31
Acts 17:11
Ps. 30:5
Ps. 23:6

Changed Lives

I've gotten a couple testimonies of campers in Mexico! Even though I was not able to physically be there, I am encouraged by what God is doing in lives as I pursue returning.

Bryan Garduño

"I heard about camp through my Uncle Luis. Before coming to camp my life was different. I said bad words, talked back to my parents, and was around people who were bad influences. I accepted Christ as my Savior July 9th, 2013 during a time of reflection in the evening. Jesus has made many changes in my heart. I want to be well behaved and follow Christ, who cleansed me from all sin. My challenge when I go home is to continue changing, to stop talking back to my parents, make good friendships, and read the Bible."

Gisela Rendendiz

"I found out about camp through the Manriquez family. Before coming to camp, I did not have Christ in my heart and I felt lonely. On Monday, during the week I attended camp, I accepted Christ. I have learned a lot but mostly that I am free from my sin. I was also taught to listen to His Word. Two challenges that I want to take home are: To talk with my family about how we are doing wrong because we do not have Christ and to do my quiet time."






Praise the Lord that young people are coming to trust Christ as their Savior and make decisions to live their lives for Him!

I've spent the last couple weeks in upstate New York sharing the ministry that the Lord has built in Mexico and the part He's letting me play in it. So far I've been able to sit down with 24 individuals or couples here and I'm praying for more opportunities as my time here draws to a close. God has shown me grace using the hands of His believers through their encouragement, prayers, and acts of kindness. I've been meditating in my heart part of Col. 1:16,

 "...all things were created by Him, and for Him"

 It's what I really desire and pray for this season of my life right now. Having been created by the Lord, may it all truly be for Him and His glory.

My Calling

This morning I found Paul before a king, queen, governor, all the military tribunes, and all the prominent men of the city he was in. Having been given permission to speak freely his defense, he begins with his story, his testimony, of how it happened that God saved him and how he’d been called to serve Him. It’s really quite beautiful what Jesus said to him that day:

“…I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:17c-18)

My conversion was just a little different (I was a child in junior church) and so was my calling (I was 14 at camp praying what my God wanted for my life after being extremely challenged by an elderly missionary) also my time period and circumstances. But I am called to the same cause –to people who are living in darkness and bound by Satan’s power… to open their eyes so that they might see it and turn to the light and to God: So that they may receive forgiveness of their sins and an inheritance among the others that have been sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ! Wow! That’s amazing! What a privilege I have! What privilege every believer has to be a part of someone coming to Christ and growing in Him!

I am excited to be returning to Mexico to continue serving the Lord there! I want young people to have the same opportunity I was given –to have their eyes opened and live in the light of the gospel, to know their God, His forgiveness, and sanctification.

Right now I am traveling some to meet and share with people, to invite them to partner with me, then I intend to head back to VA to continue doing the same thing. If God has called me to go, will He not call others to send me? This season of my life God has been calling me to another side of simple faith and boldness in Him. For anyone who knows me, “aggressive” would not be a part of my description. But I need prayer to aggressively pursue what God’s called me to, which boils down to pursuing faithful prayer warriors and being fully-funded. May I be a faithful traveler in the journey that He’s set out for me.

A little more about me and what I get to do in Mexico can me read here.

Eutychus

     I’ve been having my devotions in Acts. Today in particularly, I read Acts 20:1-12. It tells about Paul’s missionary travels. He stops in Troas with his missions buddies for a week. On his last night, when all the disciples had gathered together in the upper chamber, he preached to them on past midnight (a very long sermon.) One of the guys there, Eutychus, was sitting in the window and fell into a deep sleep. High, open window ledges and deep sleeping people are horrible combinations, and as you can imagine, he fell to his death. Paul basically goes down, embraces him, and brings him back to life. Then everyone goes back up, eats, talks until day break when it was time for Paul and his team to go.

     This reminds me so much of the missions trip I took to southern Mexico early May. (No, no one died.) We were about 7 people and we visited several towns, churches, and fellow believers in their homes doing various ministry activities for two weeks. Really that wasn’t enough time because even though we split up, we could only stay one night in some places. Needless to say, we were often up very late talking to people who really wanted to take advantage of every moment of these missionaries with them, and missionaries who wanted to take advantage of every moment they had to help and encourage these believers. As I remember this and try to relate to the Biblical account, I think about the passionate Paul and his courageous companions, of the enthusiastic disciples, then there’s Eutychus. And like a good missionary, I find myself relating to –Eutychus, for I personally found myself physically unable to keep myself awake sometimes. I think to myself… you know, this is not very encouraging. My Eutychus heart cries out, “You have no idea the schedule I’ve had this past week.”, “It’s so hot and humid.”, “I don’t feel well.”, “They fed me turkey!”, “I am making an effort –I’m here!”, “I do want to learn more!”, “I do love these people!”, or “I’m just human!” Some may say to Eutychus’ defense, we don’t know that he was the only one to fall asleep; he was just the only one to fall out the window. True. However, it doesn’t actually matter. It’s easy to justify or condemn yourself based on how other people live their lives, but it can lead to a false sense of righteousness or guilt. I know, because it’s my constant battle. A much better measuring standard is Jesus Christ. What is that you say? You can never live up to Christ you say? Yeah, I know. And I suppose that’s my point. We do things we wished we didn’t. Eutychus fell asleep in a window and died. But, Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, raised him from the dead. He didn’t have to, he graciously did so. (This is where identifying with Eutychus gets much better.) God shows me grace too –daily. He embraces me, picks me up, brings me back to the abundant life, provides for me, and speaks to my heart. When I try to prove myself, I fight grace. When I accept who I am in Christ, I rest in grace. So, today I identify with Eutychus, and it’s not so bad after all.

Just a few pictures of our trip down south. :)

We saw the beach for the first time from the interstate and just had to pull over!

"Maestra!..."

I started going through some of the things that I’ve accumulated while I’ve been here and I came across a list of things my students said to me last year. They were 7-8 years old. They seemed to always say the funniest things out of the blue! Here are some of them:

 

§  Student tells me, “Tomorrow you’re going to get married!” Another chimes in, “We’re going to find you a husband!”

 

§  Student: “What are you doing?”

Me: “Sweeping.”

Student: “Why?”

Me: “Because the floor’s dirty.”

Student: (with sincere disappointment) “Awww, man! I liked the floor dirty!”

 

§   “You don’t look like a teacher without your glasses.”

 

§  (Defiantly) “I’m not afraid of you!... (rethinking) But I am afraid of my dad….”

 

§  Student 1: “Camden, I don’t want you to die!”

Student 2: “But she’s going to die!”

Student3: “Everyone’s going to die!”

 

§  “You sing pretty. You should stop talking and sing all the time!”

 

§  “Tomorrow put on make-up. You look like the woman of the dead!”

 

Yep. They were a blast!

 

            There’s a lot going on around here as we’re getting ready to finish the school year. Also, Word of Life Mexico just celebrated 30 years of ministry! I finished my online university, so I’ve been able to head out on the weekends a little. Recently I went to Jilotepec, Mexico and helped a little with their Compassion center and Bible Club. It was great to meet other believers in another area of Mexico, but I was super excited to share Christ with a little girl and then two teenage girls and have them trust Him as their Savior! Praise Him!

Resplendent Beauty

Yesterday I read in Ezekiel about his vision of the temple and the glory of God. He said, “…the glory of the LORD filled the house.” (Ez. 43:5) I really got caught up thinking on that. First of all, when something is filled, it’s full. There’s no room for anything else. If you were to add something to a full glass of water it would begin to run over. Second, imagine God’s glory. My good friend, Dictionary.com, says that glory in the Bible usually means “brightness, splendor, magnificence, majesty”. A modern definition I think fits is “resplendent beauty or magnificence.” God is beautiful! His person and character are like no other –He is holy. The most beautiful people I know are those who remind me of Him. His beauty and His splendor filled the place!

Now… here’s what really got me. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says to those who have trusted Christ, “…your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” and 2 Corinthians 6:16, “…ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God….” I have the very Spirit of the living God within me (something which, alone, blows my mind)! He has chosen my body to be His dwelling place. I am His temple. Here is what tugs at my heart: Does His beauty fill me? Does the glory of His presence fill me like it did the temple Ezekiel saw? I want it to. I want to radiate Him… His love, His goodness, His purity, His justice, etc. It is my prayer that God will continue conforming me to the image of His Son, that He would be lifted up through my life. Oh, that there would not be room for anything else….

 

 

 

 

Picture Perfect Puertas

      Today we had the day off, so we took our long anticipated adventure into town to photo shoot their unique puertas (doors). Dawnell and I had two girls from the school with us, Carmen and Alejandra. Because it's a holiday, there were a lot of intimidating tourists in town, so we took the opportunity to share the gospel and pass out tracks with the girls. No one made a decision, but street evangelism was something new for these girls who happen to be extremely shy. They took steps today to share about Christ with other people when it was hard for them, and that really excites me! I loved spending time with them today!

 

 

 

As a little group of American girls, we've been studying James with Beth Moore. It's been good. Recently I've been reflecting a lot on James 1:27.

 

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 

I've been thinking about my religion... the way I live my life for God. I was challenged not to "coast" and hope to arrive one day at all that I hoped to be and all that I wanted to live for the Lord. I don't think we live coasting decidedly, but we unconsciously do when we don't live on purpose. I'm not satisfied with who I am... I wanna be so much more. I want to be free for God to use whenever and however He wants. Living up to that takes "serious discipline and determination.... courage and deep conviction.... the Holy Ghost." Here's the quote from Beth that keeps playing in my mind and my heart:

 

You don't live this kind of life accidentally. You make up your mind who you want to be and die daily to the rest.

 

Simply summed. I make hundreds of decisions every day. Many are opportunities to change who I am and grow into Who I want to be. Because of Christ's victory over sin and death, I can choose to die to the hindering and choose to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, 24-25 says

 

...Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

... they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 

My prayer for myself is that I will daily choose to die to the things that quench who God's calling me to be... -who I want to be, and choose the best a hundred times every day.