Close your eyes and see...

Do you remember the first time you ate at McDonalds?  I don’t.  I mean, I remember some of the first times I went.  There was that time when the family went to the McDs on 86^th street in Des Moines in the 80s and watching all the pre-made burgers in the different colored Styrofoam containers slide into the warmer.  I think I had a cheeseburger and fries.  I remember once when I went to Indiana to visit some of my mom’s cousins and the happy meal for that time had these plastic link tube connectors.  Pretty sure that was back in the day when the toys for McDonalds seemed epic.

For many of us, we would not consider going to McDonalds as a savory upscale place to eat.  Today I saw it differently.

I had to go into the capital to get our passports back after completing the extension to allow the family to stay past the 90 days allowed when you visit/tour Guatemala.  I went there two weeks ago with a buddy and remembered the way.  I was going to go today to pick them up, head to Price Smart (Costco) for some supplies for the Timateo Seminario conference this weekend, and take Miya with me.  Yet, the new staffer, Jacqueline wanted to come with.  I said sure (but not completely sure why until on the way home we were asked to pull into a police check point and her Spanish saved the day).  We got to the office, got the passports and left.  Since we parked in McDonalds (yeah for free parking!!!!) and it was 12:25pm, we said, lets eat here.  Miya was cool with that, I was okay with that….but Jackie….she just beamed and said “okay”.

As we sat to eat, Miya with her cheeseburger, me with my quarter pounder and Jackie with hers, we prayed and then I saw a first: Jackie just melted as she took a bite of the burger. 

She. Had. Never. Eaten. At. McDonalds. Before.

            She took her time with each bite, allowing the flavor (sabor) to dwell within her mouth as long as she could.  This 21 year olds eyes closed and a smile formed on her mouth.  She enjoyed the experience.  She savored the experience.  She lived in the experience.  I found myself (trying not to stare too awkwardly since this was only her second day), happy for her and in the process I began thinking about my burger.  How it was cooked, the sweetness of the Salsa Dulce (Ketchup), how the onions had a slight crunch to them and how the cheese just oozed as I consumed it.

            Let me ask you this: When was the first time that you savored the presence of Jesus?  When was the last time you did?  When was the last time you lived in the experience of Jesus?  When have you stopped to allow the flavor of what Christ brings to our lives to dwell within you?  To stop and focus on the little parts that makes up the whole.  Allowing the Sabor of Jesus to take control of your mind and refresh you, is a joy AND is possible.  Many of us have “come to Jesus” too often.  Every Sunday.  At Bible Studies, (I personally like Bible doings better). When we worship….hmmm…what would it look like if we worship Jesus with the intensity of that first encounter EVERY time? 

            You know what?  When we start to remember Jesus and how He impacted us with our first time, we might just get a little more joy back and say: I’m loving it…..once more.

Dios te bendiga mis hermanos en Jesus Christo.  Con mucho amor, yo deci, Buenos noche.

Welcome to the Jungle!!!!!!!!!!

Last week I had the experience of a lifetime. 

I was able to go to a village near Coban, Guatemala with Chus (Hermano Jesus), Pablo, Isidrio, and Imigdio (all four are pastors).  We went to the aldea (village) Nuevo Porvenir to visit with some of the pastors that will be coming to the mission base for the Timateo (Timothy Lay leadership training) Seminario.  We also were to help host three church services for the two villages that were close by (picture OC and Alton…and you have Nuevo Porvenir and La Promisea).

Our 6 passenger plane we flew in to Coban

The four days and three nights were a rush.  Why?  At first I was told we would be staying in Coban in a hotel and it might be cold.  Nope.  We stayed in the village.  Ate their food, slept in their houses, bathed in their “bathroom” (I basically did the Ice Bucket Challenge every time I showered.  Plastic walls and a 5 gallon bucket of rain water).  Besides this…it.was.hot!

Some of the views we saw on our flight

Walking through the jungle at night with only a flashlight, being the first and only North American to visit the village, and knowing very minimal Spanish brought together a cool experience.  What really made it sparkle for me was this:  The discipleship with the pastors that were preparing to make the 5-hour trek by bus to Chimaltenango to study was amazing.

We flew there on Wednesday the 27^th (took 36 minutes) and rode in a 23-passenger shuttle on Saturday (5 hour drive through the country side). 

The village felt very much like a Coastal Village (even though it was in the central part of the country), which means, coconut trees, pineapples, HOT weather, and non-traditional attire (usually). 

walking in Coban to the bus stop.  We took a bus 22 kilometers to the village

The idea and dream that makes this a really cool trip is this:  This village only gets it water from the rain.  Non-rainy season means a 2-hour truck ride to a river that has “good water”.  There is no electricity in the village as well.  So here it is:  What would it look like to come back there with a team for a medical clinic (2 of them as the village is 120 families) and bring water filters?  There are pastors already in the village, many of which are going through Timateo, to help with the follow up/discipleship, they are all sick and in need of meds.   Oh my mind is spinning (in a way good) of how the second part of PBM, the Timateo side, can be greater connected to the side of the house building and medical clinics with the teams.  We can get both the evangelistic side and the discipleship side meshed together beautifully.  Much planning and research needs to be done before this can be a reality.

baby Pineapple

The friendships, the memories, and the sights will be burnt in my mind for a long time.  Teaching Hermano Jesus how to sing “I Love You Lord” and then both of us doing a duet in two languages.  Seeing multiple people slain in the Spirit the third night of church services (with each service lasting about 3 to 4 hours), eating food that was amazing….and one thing that I have no clue what it was!  Discovering new fruits and vegetables.  Seeing Gum trees for the first time.  Doing the Ice Bucket Challenge in the river Dolores (and trying to explain what I was doing to the Guatemalans who do that every day for their bath, was entertaining)….sorry video will not be posted due to various reasons.

All in all, I felt like I was able to glimpse…truly glimpse at how God is working in the lives of many, in other parts of the world.  Even in the jungles of Guatemala, OUR GOD IS NOT DEAD!!!!! 

on our daily walk from the house to the church

Dios te bendiga mi hermanos.  Con mucho gusto le doy una bendición. Amar al Señor con todo tu corazón, tu mente y tu alma.

Hermano Jesus teaching

Its a jungle out there!

power of prayer.  Paulina was cured!!!!

worship team starting the first night of worship

any body know what this is?  I DO I DO!

Fried Chicken, rice, and unlimited tortillas...

This lone palm tree struck my eye

 chatting in the dinning room of the house I stayed in.

second church...Imigdio can BRING IT!!!!!

The next Timateo class (part of it) from Nuevo Porvenir.  Can you spot the Americano?

sugar cane ready for harvest