One Year Ago, Job, Butterfly, Wasp, BCS

Yesterday afternoon Tina started looking back on this blog from one year ago. The first thing that she said to me was to take a look at how much I had focused on God and writing Bible verses compared to now.

This is one example of how getting involved on the mission field where there are many, MANY things to be done (at all hours of the day) can take your focus off of your priorities. It can take away your time. As I reflect on why this change of focus has occurred, I think I know why. One reason is that we are getting up later in the morning than we used to. But, the primary reason is because we are getting more involved here and have less time. The blog became more of a family and milestone update than it stayed a medium of putting my thoughts down on a blog. I don't think that I have lost my focus on God (in fact, my focus is probably more on Him). We have had MANY reasons to trust and rely on him more.

There are others who may be able to accomplish the delicate balance (implying that it needs constant attention and evaluation) of missions and family, but for me family is far too important to try to stay on the mission field and maintain that family - especially when one of those family members has "special needs."

I think that as churches and individuals encourage missionary work as a vocation, the biblical priorities MUST be stressed and the seasons & realities of life on the mission field MUST be stressed as well. In my experience of going through this process, it is not mentioned as much as I think it should be (if it was at all).

My experience has shown me that mission work is BEST aligned with singles and empty-nesters - this allows for missions to have a higher prioritized effort. We all have seasons in our lives and we need to recognize that and prioritize our efforts given the season we are in. Intentional (not happenstance) quality time with family needs to be done "in season." This is a large topic and there are things that I may not be clear on here, but I am trying to communicate my thoughts and intentions to you.

Job

Today, I have a second phone interview for a job back in Minnesota at a broker/dealer. I had my first interview a week ago and it went well. If all continues to go well and it seems like a good fit, I'll be working with someone that I have worked with in the past. I am excited about this opportunity! If a job offer is made and I accept it, I'll be starting as late as they would allow and will travel back to the States alone if necessary. Tina & the kids will stay back until the adoption is complete. That is the current thinking I have. God knows what will happen and we'll stay connected to Him to know what direction we'll head.

Butterfly

Once again, Kayla and Carter have raised a butterfly from a caterpillar and once again it was a monarch. We watched this one come out and dry it's wings off for a while. It eventually flew away. It seemed to enjoy walking around on us between drying it's wings off and flying away.




Wasp

The swelling in my arm is just now finally starting to subside from the sting on Thursday. It was hot and the skin was itchy and tight. It's nice to have relief and that it didn't sting me in the face or anywhere else more painful - it stung me in a pretty safe spot (all things considering).

Boring Car Stuff...

Mitsubishi Montero IO

This car doesn't get used much. It has a few issues that I am in the middle of fixing. I believe all dampeners are bad (shocks/struts). The swaybar end-links are bad and the swaybar bushing is bad. There is a little free play in the steering too. I had tried to tighten the mounts of the power steering rack once before, but that didn't seem to last long enough - we'll have to look to buy the factory original parts.

Its tire is bad, too - as you can see...

Request for Money

Many times this blog is simply an update about what we are doing - sort of a journal - to keep the memories and to share with friends and family. I usually don't get to "thoughtful", but here is a post heavy with thought.

I was changing oil just before a downpour of rain yesterday afternoon, when a guy came up to me and started telling me about his daughter (in Creole). She is at another hospital and needs surgery that will cost $1600 Haitian (about $200 US). He has $900 but needs $700. The surgery that she needs is urgent (as it was written on a piece of paper from the other hospital - not the one here). I asked him if he had talked to Mr. Kyrk and he had. He said that Mr. Kyrk told him that Pastor Baker is not here and he will not be for about three weeks. About that time, one of the Mission's doctors walked by so I asked him to help me figure it out. It turns out that I was understanding him correctly. The doctor asked him a few questions and told him that he would contact his son (who is a doctor up north in Haiti) to see if he knows this doctor and get back to him. The guy who wants the money will be coming back tomorrow AM.

We have heard about how others here at the Mission handle situations like this, but I have yet to solidify my own stance and position. Things are so very complicated here - more so than in the States. People don't come up to you in the States and tell these stories to you and ask you for money - we have insurance companies and churches and websites to request and get and find and resolve money problems related to medical issues.

We have done a bit of reading on this topic (both from the Bible and outside of it).

If I just give money away, I'll have a line at my door of people asking for money for their (legitimately) sick children (and not legitimately).

If I ask him to work for the money (which is not my place here at the Mission) he may or may not, but we have plenty of people looking for jobs that we have turned down - does this guy get a quick job to earn money because he told his story where another person who asked for a job and didn't get it needs it for his sick child?

The Bible tells us that we are to help fellow Christians in need as a priority (Galations 6:10)- if I ask him if he goes to church and believes that Jesus is his savior is he telling the truth or is he telling me what he thinks will get me to give him money?

The Bible tells us, too, to give to the poor and be generous (Proverbs 14:31)- do I know this guy is poor? He looked pretty good in a nice button down shirt (but clothing looks here in Haiti are really deceiving).

The Bible tells us, too, to be discerning (Proverbs 16:21)- is this guy like many people who will figure out a way to convince me to give him money? Did he write his own 'prescription' on the hospital's paper? Is he going down the road asking for money of all the missions/white people he can find?

Through various comments about how missionaries are actually causing the situation to be worse here by giving away free money for many things, we have to figure out the Biblical way to assist the Haitian people. Does it help them to just give them money? Does it help them more to make them work extra to earn their money? Should he have come telling his story and asking for work to earn the money instead of just flat out asking for money? Is it better to point him to his church, his local community, to ask for money? Do you give a loan? What is best?

He Bought Me Corn

Thinking about money kept me up a bit last night and then consumed my thoughts again this morning. I want to clarify that I am not trying to condemn anyone or anything that anyone is doing - I am simply stating what is going through my head from my experiences in my life.

It's so hard to think about the difference in the way we used to live and the way we are living now. The things that we focus on and the things that we desire are so different. I have mentioned this before - that being here really makes me rely more on God and less on myself, other people, or other things.

Anyway - so many thoughts, so little ability to put it on the web.

Today I went with three other Mission workers to deliver food to one of our schools. We got about .5 miles from the Mission and the driver asked if I wanted to drive. Of course I said yes. We drove for about 1.5 hours averaging about 10 mph (guesstimate). We saw some amazing scenery, got the truck stuck, and had a flat tire on the way home - it was a great trip. I felt good to deliver food to the school because where we went, it appeared very poor. We delivered 6-7 bags of rice and a case of fish from Japan. The school is on the right and the church is on the left...


We drove to a spot where we couldn't drive any further (and barely made it to where we got - the truck was sliding at one point and I couldn't stop it). Then 2 of the 3 guys went with me down the mountain to talk to the principal of the school. It was an amazing hike down and my legs got sore as we went down (I can't imagine how the people who will carry the 110 lbs bags of rice will feel after the 20 minute hike down).

We stopped at 2-3 homes along the way and one of the guys who went with (a translator) brought a teddy bear with different colors to do a little teaching along the way. He talked with the children a little bit and then explained a little bit about Jesus using the bear and the different colors. The children listened so intently. He did a great job! After he told his story, he prayed for the children and we said good-bye.




It was so interesting to see how these people live and what they had. It looked like they had one set of clothes and they wore them for a week. Some children didn't have pants and some children didn't have shoes. Some homes had roofs that looked like they could keep the water out. This was up in the mountain and their plots of land to grow food were really steep. It's amazing that they could work their field.



On the way back, the guy who started driving bought some corn and he gave it to me to split with a specific missionary here. This again, brings up the money thing that has been hitting me so hard lately. He doesn't make much money and he just spent money to buy me corn. HE bought ME corn.


I am thankful for...

• A concrete floor (as opposed to dirt)
• A roof that doesn't leak
• Food
• Running water
• Electricity (and the internet)

Boring car stuff...

Changing the oil and filters solved the problem with the generator. The oil pressure when I turned it off was 60 psi instead of 120 psi.

This is the side-view mirror on the Ford Ranger. I could be wrong, but I think that it says "Objects in mirror are not American."

Smelly / Money

A couple things that I forgot to mention yesterday:

Our kids are getting bigger, there is no doubt about it. For years Carter has wanted to use my deodorant. He thinks that it is a sign of getting bigger and older - which it is. Today he came to me and said that his armpits stink, so I entertained him and took a whiff and sure enough, I had to gasp for fresh air. I told him where my deodorant was and he put some on. I think that made his day, week, month, year...

A couple days ago, I had my second worker at the Mission as me for money. This time, the person told me that he wasn't asking me for money, but if I wanted to give him some I should keep it a secret and not tell anyone. This is a person that I respect and he is very nice to me and to my family. I would very much like it if I didn't have to deal with these things. I ended up not giving either person money (this time or last). They have outlets within the Mission and other sources by which to get money if they need it.

I have always struggled with these things. My heart says that we should help them out. We were told that if we want to give someone money, that we should talk with others to find out if they have been soliciting money from them too and how much and so forth to determine the real need. I haven't done that yet, but I may. Another side of that coin is that if don't raise enough support, we won't be here that long ourselves.

When we came we knew that it would be on our dime and if didn't raise enough support that our line in the sand would be drawn and if we came near or crossed it, we would be leaving. The people who ask for money may not know this aspect of our situation. The other missionaries have funding for their stay. I don't know if even the other missionaries knew/know that this is the way we came. I recently told one of them this and they were quite surprised. God called us here and if He wants us to stay, we'll stay as long as He wants - one way or another, giving money to Mission workers or not.

One last thing: God's graces are so wonderful! In so many things (lots of them are little), we see Him working in our lives. From putting things and people in our path to teach us lessons, to being sick, to the big things like even being here in Haiti - God is good - all the time!

Canter - A Revelation

Today will be day four of working on the Canter and I finally realized something - and it's not how to fix the truck's brakes.

What I realized is that God works in EVERYTHING whether I (we) see it or not. Through my constant struggles with the Canter's brakes, numerous Haitian men have been watching me. Some of the Haitians are welders, some of them are drivers, some of them are landscapers and some of them are carpenters or masons. They work for the Mission (some have even come to visit me that do not work for the Mission). Not all of the workers at the Mission are Christian - I do not know how many are. They see that I have been working on the Canter and that I am always trying something to solve the problem. I am never sitting and staring at the vehicle. I am diligently working on trying to resolve the issue. I am not getting upset (outwardly at least).

I had two guys come up to me and tell me, in as much English as they know, that I am a hard worker. They see that I am there at 7:30 or before and that I am there until 4:30 or later. I am beginning now to see the ministry opportunity that the Lord has laid before me.

Through my efforts in working on the vehicles, I can be an example of hard, diligent work (as often as I can, thanks to God). I can be an example of perseverance and patience. And in all that I do, I can point to the Lord as the reason for the way that I work and for the reason I am here.

My language skills are increasing and I am learning new words every day. I have not been studying books, but rather I am in the shop with the drivers and others who stop by to see what is going on. I talk with them about what I am doing and ask what the words are for various things and usually have many opportunities to use the new words in the following days.

One of the few young Haitian boys who lives on the Mission (because their parent does) was hanging out with me at the shop yesterday. He was teaching me creole and I was having him use the big air tools because he wanted to help (he could hardly lift the air gun). I had to bury my opinion of him because he is sometimes a crazy kid that causes trouble. The more I let him help me out, the more he may become less crazy. He may even become a mechanic some day.

All of these thoughts thrown out on this blog to say that I am beginning to see the fruit of my labor thus far. I am seeing that others are watching me and that I should be a good example. I am seeing that there are people here that may want to become involved in mechanic work. Whatever the Lord is pleased to have me do is what I want to do and I will be doing it willingly (or trying to do it willingly). I want to give Him as much credit as possible. God is why I am here. God is why I became a mechanic at a mission working on concrete from being a product manager for a broker/dealer who sits at a desk all day long. God is the reason for everything that I am. To God I am thankful!

Time is flying

Staying true to one of my purposes of maintaining this blog, I will write about a process of missionary work that we have just completed:

Time is just flying by this last week. The last two days we have been working on sending our first letter out to friends and family. It was a process that has been in the making for quite sometime. From the content of the letter, to the distribution list, to the logistics of putting it together and sending it out.

We will put them in the mail today. There is a two page letter that is printed front-to-back, a one-page form for submitting donations, and a return envelope. Thanks to my dad for his helpful diligence, we got this done without too much trouble. We pre-filled most forms with the specific recipients personal information and even put their return address on the envelope within which the donation form is to be included. Each letter is customized to each recipient. Tina and I prayed over all the letters with the hopes that people receive the letter and see that we have been led by God to (and through) this journey thus far and that we will continue to follow the Lord and do His work in Haiti.

Increasingly, we have had to pass on a number of opportunities to get together with friends. I regret each and every opportunity that we have had to decline. I hope that everyone understands. Two particular opportunities that I regret declining the most is not being able to meet with our small group and not being able to make it to the last Missions Fellowship that our church holds the last Friday of every month (with thanks to some great people - Julie and Tom!). Time is so short and I pray that I am using it wisely.