Jesus, what a friend for sinners!

We are coming to the end of the Spring semester. It has been a good one and we will be sad to see them go! We have a fun-loving and friendly group of students. Some of the highlights of this semester have been:

1. A unified student body. God is glorified in their fellowship. They all get along pretty well, which is a fabulous!

2. A successful mission trip. The students worked with a church community a few hours away. They painted the church and had the privilege to build a home for a disabled man and his family. Everyone came home with so much excitement about what God had done and the impact HE had on the community.

3. Music! I am going to miss our musical students. There have been a number of them and we have enjoyed great worship times as well as many evenings with hymns and songs. I love to open our door and hear the piano and singing (and an amazing violin player!). Where else can I enjoy live music right inside my own home?!

This morning I heard the title song and was so blessed by the words. Isn't it amazing that HE chooses to be a sinner's friend? Wow!

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Refrain

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows over me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night overtakes me,
He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I AM HIS, and HE IS MINE.

School Change

We have been praying and pursuing a change in school for the girls for some time now. Finally a door has been opened (thanks to our friends) to attend a school that is closer to home and a bit more affordable. It also has a stronger phonics-based curriculum, among other benefits.

Our girls are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the idea. They have good friends at their old school and are well-known and loved. They will be switching in the middle of the school year.

I am asking for prayers for them as they start in their new school on Monday, May 24. I pray it will be a smooth transition and that they would quickly find a community of friends and feel at home.

Thank you.

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ConTENT.

It’s been a long time! Sorry! Life has been a whirlwind lately.

I was thinking today, “Why did God bring ME to Costa Rica?” And I realize that since my life belongs to Him, and my goal is to be more like Him, my sojourn here is so that He can do His work in me, in a way that could not be done in any other place. By His sovereign wisdom, the mix of conditions that I find myself in are here to refine me and to GLORIFY Him.

Maybe, if I had lived somewhere else, my human nature would have led me to do and to be a very different person. I pray that in my time here, I can lay aside more of my carnal, sinful nature and habits. He began a good work in me! (Good? Sometimes I hardly think so! But He says “good”!) Well, and He will be faithful to complete it. That is good.

I think of the things that God has been weaning me from in this 6 ½ years. Being away from family, with limited finances, living in a different language and culture, and submerged in fulltime, full day (& sometimes night!) ministry, has been good! It has not always been easy, but it has been good. I see God’s grace – blessing- in my life. I think this ministry has made more extroverted, more comfortable meeting new people, and more content. I am away from the pressures of the western world to conform myself, my family, or my children to an idea. I am an expat here, and it gives me a wide berth to be who I am.

I have been praying a LOT this year about contentment, and I feel that God is answering that prayer. I have a good life, with lots of time and opportunity to seek Him and to SEE Him (including in our students! There are signs of a good generation coming.) God knows what He is doing with my life, and that is enough to satisfy my heart.

Wise and not-so-wise

I was talking with students the other day about how to seek guidance in our lives. This is something everyone wants. We want to know if we are on the right path, or we want to know how to decide which path to take.

One Bible story that has stuck with me is from 1 Kings Chapters 3-12, and the examples of Solomon and his son Rehoboam. God asked Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (3:5) Humbly, Solomon asked for wisdom. This pleased God (v 10), and God “gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight” (4:29).

However, King Solomon’s son was not as wise! One would think that he would have learned a thing or two from his wise father. Solomon made good decisions, and most likely he picked wise advisors. After his death, the Israelites came to his son Rehoboam and asked him to lighten their work load. Rehoboam asked them to give him three days to make a decision (that was probably good, versus a rushed answer). His father’s elders told him to be a servant to the Israelites and to treat them kindly. But in 1 Kings 12, Rehoboam rejected this advice. Instead, he took the advice of his peers and servants (who probably wanted to please him and keep their jobs) who told him to be even harsher. The Israelites entered into rebellion as a result, the kingdom was split in two, and “so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.” (12:19)

I know that I have been in Rehoboam’s shoes before. I like to listen to people who tell me what I want to hear. I like advice that agrees with what I have already decided. I don’t want someone to tell me that I should reconsider my actions!

But, that’s a dangerous place to be. It has meant that I made decisions sometimes based on what I think is truth, what suits me. My friends will often agree with me because I can convince them of my own perspective. I see the need to keep wise and respected people in my life who can gently tell me the truth that I need to hear. This often includes parents, mature believers, mentors, and spiritual leaders. When I have listened to godly wisdom in the past, it has saved me heartache, I’m sure! It’s a balanced life, and it allows room for sound guidance to prevail, not just opinions.

J. Update

Thank you to so many of you who have asked about J. and prayed for her. A week after the accident, she is much better. She still complains of pain in her top gums and her bottom lip still has an open sore, but she is almost back to normal. She has been taking advantage of the opportunity to ask for all types of soft food, including ice cream, marshmallows, mangoes, and her favorite meal of rice and yogurt!

Provision

God has looked after our needs for the 6 years that we have been at Portantorchas. Through the generosity of many different people, we have received gifts of faithful financial support, frequent flyer miles, speech therapy evaluations, dental consults and eye exams, and used clothes and books. We firmly believe that God knows our needs, that He is our Provider, and that He has provided!

I think of how God provided food for the Israelites for 40 years in the desert, and a jar of oil to a widow that didn’t run dry, and how from the very beginning He planned to send a Savior (see Genesis 3:15). He still meets our needs. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

We have students in this stage right now, who are trying to figure out what their next step is, and how they will pay for it. I feel confident to tell them that God truly will provide when they are walking in His will!

I recently saw a sparrow feeding on some crumbs that my girls had dropped outside, and I remembered God’s tender reminder, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink…Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store a way in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”(Matt. 6:25, 26) We were excited to see how God used the girls to fulfill His promise to the birds.

God provides for us. That is a blessing to us. And when we are used by God to provide for someone else's needs, that is a blessing to us and to others.

Changes

Some of you are already aware of what has been happening lately at Portantorchas. Tom was named the Director at the end of January. He will actually maintain most of his duties as Principal also until they can be divided among staff. For those of you ex-students and staff who know Portantorchas, Marco Jr. has resigned from his position as Director.

We have been aware of these changes for a few months and have had time to digest what this change entails. Tom received a wonderful vote of confidence from the Board of Directors, and we have heard many encouraging words from staff members and former students. Nonetheless, it is a big responsibility that will require lots of prayer and all the Lord’s equipping.

I have been reading a book about the gift of the Holy Spirit. One central message of the book is that God equips us to do His work AFTER we say, “Here I am.” When God has our attention, and our commitment, He can proceed to open doors and equip us. He doesn’t want to tell us what our task is and have us back out. And, He isn’t going to equip us for a job we don’t want to do. That would be a waste!

The Christian life is exciting. God gives us surprises. If you are at a place where you are wondering, “What’s next?” then come before God, and tell Him you are available and willing. As you wait to know His will, He will open the doors when you are ready!

We won’t always know what the work will be, or how God will equip us, but isn’t it enough to know that it’s what He has perfectly planned for us?!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. (Jer. 29:11)

Trauma

Our little J. slipped in the bathroom yesterday and bit some big holes in her bottom lip including one little bite that went all the way through her chin. There was a lot of blood and we are still unsure about what will happen with her two top front teeth. The gums are very bruised and we aren’t sure if she damaged the roots at all. Time will tell.

However, she has been so brave! She’s a good little girl, her Daddy says. Today she was as active as ever, singing as much as she always does, and she rode about ½ a mile on her little trike! I think that we, her parents, are more traumatized than she is.

I have to believe that God was preparing me for this event. That morning I really felt a burden to pray for peace, and I was lucky to have a nice, long prayer time (J. was still sleeping and her sisters were off to school). I wrote out a prayer card with a few verses and requests. One of the verses I wrote was John 10:4 “He goes on ahead of them…”. Underneath I had written, “Jesus sees the way that’s coming and will lead me through it.”

It’s amazing to think that as I wrote those words, God knew what was going to happen. And in fact, God did give me the peace I prayed for; when I found J. in the bathroom with a mouth full of blood, I let out only one cry before suddenly I felt peace! And, I still feel it. It has been so comforting to see Him work on my behalf.

“He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him.” From the old hymn, ‘In Heavenly Love Abiding’.

Good Memories

As we head back to Costa Rica today, I take a heart full of wonderful memories and encouragement for the year ahead.
We arrived in Huntington Beach in mid-December and were invited to see a youth ballet production of The Nutcracker. The girls were enthralled! Then, Grandma (Tom’s mother) hosted an Ice Cream Social for 8 of her granddaughters. She told them the story of the Three Trees, dressed them up in party dresses, and served them Dippin’ Dots! Christmas Day was a quiet day shared with Tom’s brothers and family, and a powerful reminder to me of God’s provision for us (see earlier post). Next, in true Marcus fashion, we had a Plaid Party! We all dressed in plaid, Tom’s Mom shared about the family history, and we were entertained by a bagpiper!
For New Year’s, we were invited to the mountains by Tom’s brother. We celebrated his wife’s birthday and our girls played for three fun days in snow –their first time ever! It was my first time back in snow after 11 years, so it was quite surreal for me. It seemed so new! It made me miss Canada!
In between all of these events, we had many visits to the library and local parks, days at the beach, playtimes with cousins, sleepovers, Target!, and donuts. We had slurpees and visits to Grandma and Grandpa's "candy store" - it's really a very classy country store!  We met friends who have been faithful friends to us for the 6 years we have been in Costa Rica. Our girls enjoyed a couple of visits with their “dog cousins” June and Ruth, and got to walk them and dress them up. We attended our old church, NewSong, and visited with former mission team members. They were a great encouragement to us to stay faithful to the ministry God has called us to.
We also met with a former student who is now studying in Southern California. She has a heart for the Muslim world and is hoping to serve there after she finishes school. God used my Missions class to open her eyes to the need. Praise Him! I am excited to see what God does in her life. She will be a blessing wherever she goes.
I say a public “thank you” to everyone who made our time so wonderful. It was great to be back! We will miss you, until we meet again. Continue to be a blessing!

I’m glad it’s 2010!

Happy New Year to you, dear friend!  I hope and pray for you that this will be a blessed year for you, for all it has in store.

I am happy that 2009 is over.  It was, to be honest, a trying year for me.  I saw progress in my walk with the Lord, and He helped me find my way through some struggles and strongholds.  But it was not fun!  I also saw many friends and family suffer with job losses, sick children, and family problems.  I saw friends move on to something new and exciting in their lives and thought, “What about my family?”

But for 2010, I see a fresh palette, “Fresh with no mistakes,” as Anne says in Anne of Green Gables.  I took the girls to the beach yesterday (Newport Beach) and sat marveling at God’s creation and the beauty of the ocean view.  I don’t want to leave California and go back to Costa Rica!  But as I sat praying, I committed this to God, and I told Him that I want to be a blessing to others this year.  I want it to be a blessed year for those around me, and if He can use me to fulfill that, I want that.  I want to spend this year looking up at Him in praise and thankfulness, not looking around in anxiety.

On my next blog post I will tell you a bit about our trip to California, and the joy we had in spending time with friends and family.  But for now, I end with this verse that brings hope to my soul, for all that 2010 will hold, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.” Ps. 136:1

Rich vs. Reality

Tom and I had a date night last week and we went to do a traditional Orange County activity – walk on Balboa Island and watch the Boat Parade. Balboa Island is a very exclusive enclave of multi-million dollar homes on the water. For the benefit of “looky-lous” like us, there is a wide walking path around the island where passers-by can see the Christmas decorations of these homes, both inside and out. It was fun! There were lights everywhere. Many people were having parties that spilled out from their homes and onto their patios. We got to see the festivities and the decorations. There were some very elaborate and ritzy parties. And the boats were amazing also, some with live music and parties too!

I got caught up in all the glitz. It is so much fun to see! Lots of people have amazing decorations, and have spent a ton of $ getting ready for the holidays. We got to enjoy it all without spending a penny.

However, as we walked past all the people and festivities, there were a couple of things that shocked me back to reality. First, we saw an old woman sitting in the window of a dark house, looking out at all of us passing by. She was all alone, hunched over in a wheelchair. Second was a man in motorized wheelchair, surrounded by people at a party. He looked like he did not have any mobility, but that his mind was sharp. I thought to myself how fleeting life is! No matter what we have on this earth, one day we will be taken away from all of it – from fancy homes, from big bank accounts. And then we are left with God. Have we chosen the way of salvation, or trusted in our riches? This earth and its pleasures will all fade. They give us no security after death.

It was a good reminder. Orange County has a way of making you think that life will be perfect if you are successful, beautiful and wealthy. It’s not true. The Bible says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The rich man feels secure in his riches. But it offers no security.

It’s better to trust in Jesus, in the baby born in a stable, who came to save us from our sins. He has proven His faithfulness to me, and to you, time and time again. Don’t be fooled by this world. Taste and see that the LORD is good!

All I Really Need

How was Christmas day for you?  Did you enjoy time with family or friends?  I hope it was a meaningful celebration of Christ’s birth.  The celebration has been real for me this year in many ways.

We enjoyed a Christmas Eve Candlelight service at a local church with Tom’s family.  The carols were so much fun to sing and I felt very blessed to know the truth of the words we sang. 

“All is well, all is well
Lift up your voice and sing!
Born is now Emmanuel,
Born is our Lord and Savior!”

“He comes to make His blessings known…And let the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.”

On Christmas Day I awoke feeling so very blessed.  We have good family relationships on both sides, we have healthy children, and food on the table.  We have the promise of an eternal future with Christ.

How many people didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas?  Our world makes us think that Christmas is about us, and about what we can get.  But I realized yesterday that I have received all that I really need.  I received a Savior.  I have received love, and forgiveness, and fellowship.  That’s all I really need.   And that’s what I want to remember and celebrate.

I pray that you also come out of this Christmas season knowing that you have all that you really need. That’s the good news of great joy!

The right perspective

I’ve been thinking about the healing of the blind man in Mark 8:22-26. Jesus spat on the man’s eyes and touched him, and his sight was better, but he said that people looked like trees walking around. Jesus then put his hands on the man’s eyes again, and “his sight was restored”.

I have been praying that Jesus would restore my sight and help me see things from the right perspective. What do I not see correctly in my own life? What are my vision problems?

Tunnel vision: I focus on the wrong things and everything else is lost.
Blind spots: I jump to conclusions about people and situations without seeing all the evidence.
Near-sightedness: I forget the big picture of a short life and long eternity.
Far-sightedness: I am oblivious to the needs right around me.

I earnestly desire that God would open my eyes and help me to see things the way they really are. If Jesus needs to touch me two or more times to help me see clearly, I want Him to do it!

Pray in faith. God can heal blindness in every area of your life and give you the correct perspective.

“Two roads diverged…”

Anyone remember this famous poem of Robert Frost from high school English class?  To refresh your memory:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

It is so easy in my mind to travel the familiar old paths of routine and comfort, impatience or fear.  It is harder to beat down the brush on a new path in my mind.  Maybe God wants to teach me a new way, one of joy, peace, understanding, and patience, but I am too comfortable with my old patterns of thinking.

Here are some examples.

1. Someone cuts me off in traffic. 

Old thinking says, “Hey!  Watch out! You’re a terrible driver!”

New thinking might say, “I hope that he gets safely to his destination.  Maybe he is in distress over something.”

2. My heater breaks and I need to spend lots of $$$ to fix it. 

Old thinking says, “Aargh, I am tired of all these bills.”

New thinking says, “I am thankful that God provided the money to pay my bills.”

We can give more room to the Holy Spirit to renew our minds to think in ways that are more pleasing to God.  There might be a lot of overgrowth to cut through in our minds, but once that path is easier to walk down, we will be more likely to take it.

A story from Rekha (7 yrs old)

This is a break in our regularly-scheduled blog posts to bring something of a lighter note.
Here is a story that Rekha wrote back in March. Enjoy!

The Two Kittens
One is a kitty, the other has mittys.
One is a kisser, the other has a wizard.
One likes cats, the other likes bats.
One has clips, the other has hips.
One has a fit while the other one hits.
One is cute and the other has boots.
One is kind, the other stays behind.
One is a loco (crazy), the other has mocos (snot!).
One has a blanky, the other has a hanky.
SO BEWARE OF THE KITTENS!
One is a kitty, the other has mittys…
The End.

The richness of God’s presence

In our staff women’s Bible study, we examined Moses’ relationship with God.  Exodus 33:11 says, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”   Wow!  Imagine sitting down and chatting with the God! 

What does it take to achieve a closer walk with God?  I love how God clearly tells us in His Word that God meets us where we are:  “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8a).   We are not the ones doing all the work to know Him better

I want to be close enough to God so that He can touch me – heal me, restore me, comfort me.  Also, I want to be close enough that I can touch Him, to know His power, to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can be a blessing to others.

There are lots of us on this journey.  Let’s keep walking and seeking Him with our whole hearts.

“You will seek me and find me if you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.” (Jer. 29:13, 14a)

Family Update

We want to keep you informed on what is going on in the lives of our girls.  They are all doing well, praise God!

Rekha is reading anything and everything.  Some mornings we are awakened at 5 a.m. when she clicks on the lamp in the living room and sits down to read.  She is a lot of fun to talk with and we can tell she is maturing in her conversations.  Recently she had two school friends over for the day and they had a blast playing Littlest Pet Shop and running around Portantorchas.

Neena comes home every day with stories from school: who was bossy, who got hurt, who has a new toy.  She loves to be in the know!  She enjoys dressing up and practicing different hair-dos.  Her reading is progressing and we are very proud of her!  Neena also had a friend over from school (plus the rest of the family!) and we got to enjoy her darling baby brother (4 months old).  It was nice to have a baby around! 

Jayna is my constant playmate.  She turned 3 at the end of September and is on target for height and weight even though we still call her “Tiny”.  She loves to paint and read books. Her latest accomplishment is typing all of our names on the computer without help! She wears herself out some days and puts herself to bed by 5:30 p.m. (just like her Daddy used to). 

We enjoy many evenings playing cards or Rummikub together as a family.  The girls love it.  This was Tom’s idea and it has bonded our family together.  Yay, Daddy!

We will be going to California at Christmas through the generous donation of 100,000 frequent flier miles!  Yay!  It’s such a blessing to celebrate Christmas with family.  We can’t wait for all the cousins, parks, libraries, parties, the beach, and of course, the grandparents!  We have lots and lots to look forward to.

6 YEARS in Costa Rica

On October 16 we celebrated (quietly) six years in Costa Rica.  God has been good to us; that's the sum of these years. When Tom and I prayed in 2003 for the courage to "Step out of the boat", we had no idea what it would mean!  We never knew it would mean 6 years (and counting) in Costa Rica, a fulfilling ministry, or a third baby girl!

Someone once told me that God takes us to different places so that HE can work something new in us.  We don't go just for a job.  He wants us to learn something about Him, about ourselves or others.  It's not always easy.  In fact, sometimes it is very painful.  We have had those moments here too!

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."  (Malachi 3:3).  You and I are already silver.  But, He sits and commits to refine us.  If it means us being in Costa Rica to do that, then so be it.

The main reason for this post is to say "Thank you" to those of you who have loved us and let us go on this journey.  Our parents and siblings, thank you for letting us go and always welcoming us back.  Friends, thank you for your interest in us and your prayers.  To the faithful few that have supported us financially and faithfully all these years, thank you also.  We know those dollars have added up and we hope we have been a good investment in God's Kingdom.

Thank you also to the many students that have passed through Portantorchas and through our home.  You are why we are here.  We came to serve you and you have made it joyful!  Thank you for being our friends on this journey.  We will welcome you back any day!

One of Those Days

Today happens to be one of those days. Not a bad day, in fact I did wake up happy and praising God on my pillow.

But you know how it happens, some days are just blah. I am feeling fine, but there’s something that’s bothering me a little bit. Unfortunately for me, if I dig a little deeper, I often find out that I am struggling in a relationship with someone. Maybe they have said something to me that I am still trying to understand the motive for. Or someone has done something that I think is impolite or unethical. At times these little things can eat away at my contentment.

I have found the answer that best satisfies me. I will share it with you because no doubt you have had days like this also, when the world seems carefree, but something is nagging on the inside. I am still working on putting this into practice, and it takes effort, but I WANT to see the fruit of it!

First of all, my happiness is tied closely to an attitude of repentance. We all make mistakes, and we all need a Savior. Knowing that my ransom has been paid is liberating to me. I confess my sins, and I know from His Word that I am forgiven.

Second, I let God do His work in others. Maybe someone has truly done something wrong, or maybe not! Oh well, it’s NOT my problem! “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?” It is God’s work, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and through discipline, to correct someone’s behavior.

Phew. Even just writing this reminds me of the peace that Scripture gives. God has everything under control. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Thank you Jesus for the gift of today, and for the freedom to enjoy it.