Mission Nicaragua :: Day 3

We feel a bit like pioneers as we have successfully completed our first day doing camp at the Ruby Ranch.  It is our hope and prayer and many more camps will follow as the dreams and vision of the Buzbees for the Ruby Ranch comes to fruition.  It is such a beautiful piece of property and even the basics - shaded tree areas, a playground with two trampolines and a large field made for a great day camp.

It definitely isn't what we are accustomed to, but that is where God definitely has not only prepared us during our training, but stretched us in our time here.  Ruby Ranch is located in the Las Parcelas community (where we took kids from down to Campo last summer).  So it is great to be able to continue and build upon the relationships we have previously formed.

We drove up in the bus to a watching and waiting crowd of about 50 - mainly campers with a few adults.  Nearly 30 of them participated in our camp last year, but we do have some new faces.  For many of us, we were able to pick-up where we left off.  For some of our new teammies, they were able to hear from the students how camp impacted them last year and how many found new life in Christ.

I couldn't have been more proud of our students who are totally running their stations (arts, Bible, music, sports and English) and leading groups.  All their preparation paid off even in new surroundings.  Every year I sit down and blog about how awesome it is to see the body of Christ at work.  So this year is no different.  The talents, passions and abilities that God brings to the team each year is incredible.  Then to see them in action is even better!

The kids had such a great time at each station and we could see the nervousness and shyness wear off as the day progressed.  Of course, launching kids on the trampoline and chasing the soccer ball through a field of horse poop tends to do that.  But they were able to just run and have fun and we enjoyed doing the same.  We were also able to provide hot lunches (while supporting the local economy) to each of the campers.

I was able to sneak away with our construction foreman to start specking out the site and ordering materials.  Praise God that we are going to be able to use the foundation laid by Manuel and his father in law (see yesterday's post).  This will not only save us some on cost, but will complete the step of faith the family took ten years ago.  This home construction will be one of the more ambitious and the largest home we have constructed to date.  We will start work tomorrow after camp.

Out team time at night has been a blessing.  They are all sharing stories of how they are seeing God at work in their hearts and simply where He is moving throughout the day.  We spend time in God's Word together and then also in prayer.  Then we move to our small groups and God's Spirit is definitely working as we are all striving to be open and vulnerable.  There is such a sweet spirit and team unity.  We can sense the prayer support we are receiving back in the States.  We continue to wait in expectation for all that God has for us and those we are ministering to.

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 2

Our first full day is now nearing completion.  As I sit up here on the third view looking out into the darkness, a cool breeze envelops me (even though my legs are burning with my laptop on them) and it is a gentle reminder of God's presence that has been all around us so far this mission.  I've been leading our team time at night through a study on having an intimate relationship with God - really learning to listen, follow and walk with Him.

I'm always curious as to why His presence seems so much more palpable down here.  It's not that I believe that He is here in greater dosage, but that our senses are much more aware as we are outside our normal routine, comforts, technologies, distractions, noise and the list could go on and on.

We started our day with some great time alone with God after breakfast and then had the morning to unpack all the donated clothes that will be used in various communities down here.  Since we start our first day of camp tomorrow, we then loaded up and headed out to Las Parcelas - the community where the Ruby Ranch is - and where we are hosting the camp.  This is quite a change for us as we all anticipated and prepared for using Campo Alegria again this year.  But as we are learning together - God is in charge here and we want to be moldable and adaptable to His plan.

You see, last year, we worked a day out at Ruby Ranch doing seemingly mundane tasks of clearing trees and cleaning up at the playground (see post here from August 2011) where most of the team really struggled to see the purpose.  Then in December of 2011 when I was down here with my family, we held an awesome block party out at the Ranch (see post here) which allowed me to see some of the purpose of what we had done earlier that summer.  Then today while we were setting up at the Ranch, the light clicked on for many of us who were on the team last summer.  Little did we know the work that we were doing last year would pave the way for us to be the first team to use the Ranch for a camp.    God is so patient with our lack of vision and understanding and then gracious to give us glimpses of His awesome plan at work!

So we are excited and a bit apprehensive about our camp starting tomorrow.  It's in a new location, different amenities and just all-around 'new'.  But in our wondering, God has already said to us, "I'm here, I've planned this and I've got this."  Whew... that is always a relief.  We are just praying we continue to learn to trust and walk in greater faith.

Another unexpected this year was that this team would turn into a full-fledged construction team as well.  God is yet again surprising and challenging.  We did some small construction projects last year, but this year we are going to do a complete home for a great family.  Manuel currently lives in a 1-room  home with a side "kitchen" that probably isn't much larger than 8' x 10' with his wife and two daughters.  We surprised them "Extreme Home Makeover: Nicaragua-style" with the news today and they were overwhelmed.

You see, 10 years ago, Manuel sold all his goats to purchase construction materials to build a new home for his family.  He got an area leveled out and about 4 rows of blocks up all the way around before he ran out of money.  For 10 years now, they have looked in faith to God to provide.  How awesome that God chose to use us to help his vision become reality.  What a great lesson to us in stepping out in faith and trusting - through a long wait - for God to provide.

We are praying God will do a good work at the Manuel's home and at our camp.  We've already seen some of the kids who came to Camp last year and even one of the ones who gave her life to Christ.  We are praying for more to do the same this year!

PS - You can check out some of our mission pictures here

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 1

Hey we've made it!  Touched down here in Nica and boarded the bus for the Buzbees.  We had an incident free day, ate overpriced airport food and tried to catch a bit of sleep on the planes since most of us have been up since 5:30am.

But we've settled in and are really excited about what God has in store for us on this mission.  Each mission and each team is so unique and I was reflecting on the fact that this is the 10th mission team (I think... old age memory loss is setting in) that I've lead down here.  It's pretty cool to think all the high school and college students that have been a part of our Nicaragua teams over the last 9 years and how God has used this mission to save the lost, call others to a deeper walk and given all a greater understanding of our purpose as Christians being taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

We've had a few wrinkles in our plans, but it just reminded me that they should never have been our plans anyway.  In our team training, we talk a lot about being flexible and following God's plans over ours and I think we are going to really learn how to do that this mission.  We are still following the framework of previous missions, but it definitely will be a new a different experience.  But in true God form, He shows up in our weakness, dependance and brokenness and that is the attitude we are praying for individually and corporately as a team.

We appreciate all of you partnering with us in prayer.  We'll do our best to keep everyone updated here, on Facebook and also on Twitter.

koinonia

Koinonia.  Fellowship.  The characteristic of Christianity that marks true disciples as followers of the way - their love for Christ and for each other. 

Fellowship is an term that has continued to need reshaping and reforming as I've tried to better understand what Church is all about.  My earliest recollections were definitely hearing this term in the context of church, most closely associated with a picnic after that followed or a potluck supper.  Then later it become more of a descriptor of a location... usually followed by the word 'hall'.  Which then was usually synonymous with fried chicken.

No doubt these were well intentioned methods, strategies, events or locations that hoped to display the reality that Christians need each other as much as we need Christ.  Christianity as an island is a concept that is foreign to Scripture.  The book of Acts vividly paints pictures of koinonia in action.  The most noted passage is in chapter 2...

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I think Luke is teaching us something here of fellowship that is obviously beyond a simple 'togetherness' of believers, whether over a meal or not.   Koinonia has as its root the idea of having in common and sharing.  This is where it starts to get a bit radical.  John Piper says of this text, "In a moment Luke is going to talk about times of eating and praying together—what we usually call fellowship.  But that is not his first illustration of fellowship.  His first illustration is that the believers were so bonded that if one was in need, the others did not feel they had the right to live on in prosperity without giving up something to meet the need.  So they would sell possessions and use the money to meet the needs of the poor in the church."

Koinonia now becomes an amazing reshaping of what Church - the body of Christ - is all about.  We are all in - for Christ and for each other.  What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine, because really it all belongs to Christ anyway.  No one will lack among us - especially the least of these.  In fact, we will be known by not only how we love each other (which is always easier, by the way) but we also will be known by how we love those outside our circle.  And incidentally by loving those outside our circle, we are actually doing what Christ has commanded with the intention of them becoming a part of our circle.  It's koinonia in action and coming full-circle... inward and outward and outward and inward.

This is what I desire for our student ministry.  I hesitate to call it a strategy and would rather say it is just an outworking of a continual striving to align our ministry with God's Word, but it is new for us and has been strategic in its design.  How amazing and God honoring to be known for our koinonia - how we love each other and love the world.  How we live open-handedly.  How we so enjoy our community that we can't help but invite others to experience it as well.  May it be so.

The Mystery of the Cross

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Colossians 1:19-23

The cross.  We see and recognize its power even printed as words on a page.  An instrument of death that mysterious contains beauty and life.   But how?  How can such a tortuous means of death bring life?  In asking this question, we are really asking, “How can God transform evil, rebellious people like you and I, and make us acceptable in His sight?”  The cross.

You see, God reconciled sinners to Himself through the blood of the cross, as we read in the first chapter of Colossians.  And as Isaiah prophesied, there could be no other way for this reconciliation to take place other than in the cross of Christ.  And this happened for us, when we couldn’t have been farther from God.  We stood as His enemies – spiritually dead – and then we murdered His one and only Son.

Yet amazingly, in a mystery beyond our comprehension, that is how God made peace for us and with us.  The cross.  We can draw near to God, or as the author of Hebrews says, boldly approach the throne, because of the very act that pushed us the farthest away from Him.

And so today we rejoice, because God did not just save us from our sin, but He saved us with our sin.  And he did not just save us with our sin, but with our worst sin.   At the cross.

The worst sin imaginable – crucifying Jesus Christ – is actually what makes our sanctification possible.  In the greatest of mysteries, we realize that we are actually saved by the very thing we need salvation from.  The cross.

This is what makes the mystery of Good Friday a sorrowful, yet blessed day.  A day that a vile act was committed, yet we call the day good.  A day of darkness yet filled with inexplicable light and hope.  What an amazing God we serve that can work even the hatred of those who love Him for our good!  It’s the mystery of the cross.

Awesome God in Heaven, I thank you for the cross.  I can’t imagine the sacrifice you made in sending your only Son, Jesus, to the cross to die in my place.  Without the cross I am nothing, and yet with it, I have gained everything.  Thank you for saving me from our sin and crediting Christ’s righteousness to me – that I can now be known as son of the King.  Amen.

da-da's lap

I heard the click of the door and it's subsequent closing only to look up and see my little toe-headed boy, blanket in tow, heading my way.  At first all I could see was a silhouette.  There was just enough light coming in through the doors from the neighbors security light to break through the darkness of the living room.  But that didn't matter much... he knew where to find me.  I'm in the same place every morning.  So as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room he started his walk over to me.

He only uttered one word... "da-da".  That was all he needed to.  The relationship is already well established... he just wanted me to know that he was coming into my presence.  I didn't need to say anything at all.  Just welcome him into my lap and wrap the blanket and my arms around him and continue on in prayer.

Mornings come early here in the Veleber household.  So for me to have some true "quiet" and time alone with God at the dawn of each new day, that means it has to happen before dawn!  Today was an earlier than usual start for my little guy, but what a powerful picture it brought to my prayer time. 

Here I am "da-da".  I'm just letting you know I'm here by saying your name.  I know you've been waiting here for me.  In fact,  you're always here when I need you.  I enjoy sitting in your lap.  Being embraced by your loving arms.  I don't feel the need to say much, as I know our relationship is secure.  I find great rest in your arms and peace fills my heart when I'm here.  This is a great way to start my day.  Thanks for your love and care for me.  Thanks for singing over me and delighting in me.  It's gonna be a good day.  We'll keep talking throughout the day, but you know I'll be coming back to this same spot - even though I'm not sure what exact time it will be - but look for me, because I'll be coming.  I love you "da-da."

My little Cole obviously couldn't articulate the encounter we had this morning with these words, but he did with his actions.  And the imagery was profound and came rushing into my mind, painting a beautiful picture with exquisite detail... my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  What a very similar morning routine I share with my son and I hadn't really realized it. 

The Psalmist David has taught me much in regards to a passionate longing for God and His Word and an understanding of what it means to practice the presence of God.  He writes in Psalm 63:1, "O God, you are my God. At dawn I search for you. My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you in a dry, parched land where there is no water."
 
That same sentiment is expressed in the chorus of the song "Forever Reign" that we often sing in our student ministry.

Oh, I’m running to Your arms,
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

I look forward to the "da-da" moments I have with all of my boys.  The relationship and connection grows each and every time.  And I'm learning the same is true spiritually.  I desire to have the same longing for my "papa, Abba Father" and to run to His arms as my boys do with me.  There perfect love is found.  There my soul is restored and my energy is renewed.

He's always there.  Just waiting for us to say "da-da" and we'll find His arms open wide to receive us.

living like dust

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  These were the words spoken over me as the ashes in the sign of the cross were placed on my forehead.  The statement lingered on as my mind ran through the implications.  The Psalmist writes: 

   "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
      Remind me that my days are numbered—
      how fleeting my life is.
   You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
      My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
      at best, each of us is but a breath.” 
                                                       - Psalm 39:4-5

Our time here is limited.  James reminds us that we are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Our bodies are tents.  We live as aliens in a foreign land.  The Kingdom is here, yet the Kingdom is coming.  This theme permeates the whole of Scripture.  Yet how quickly I lose sight of this reality.  How easily my eyes refocus on a different reality.  How quickly my mind adjusts to carnal thinking.  How longingly my affections move from the God to the gods of this world.


The ashes serve as a potent reminder.  Here today gone tomorrow.  My life already has a beginning date and one day an end date will be etched in stone.  But there will be a "dash" joining those dates... a dash that tells a story.  That story is being written now.  The God of the universe holds the pen and has written me into His story.


How will I live the dash I've been given?  There is really no other way to live the dash than with the end in sight.  Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  Live is worth investing in what will outlast our lives.  Knowing God.  Loving God.  Serving God.  Investing in the lives of people.

Eternity awaits.  A dear friend from Nicaragua, Sister Ruby (who is right now enjoying eternity in God's presence), would often sing...

This world is not my home I'm just a passin' through 
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue 
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door 
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.