November Newsletter

 Remberto, feed my sheep

Last night I was reminded of how many faithful servants there are that get little recognition. Pastor Remberto picked me up in his barely functioning truck with windows that don’t roll up and a very broken windshield. We drove up a steep dirt road that led to the small mountain community of Patacas. Along the way we picked up people to take them to church. 

Eventually we arrived at a fairly typical rural church building that had a cement floor and a roof to keep the rain off but the sides are essentially open. This is helpful given the heat here and allows access for the occasional breeze. It also allows access to the numerous bugs who like to congregate around the single light bulb suspended over the pulpit. There was a beautiful gathering of about 25 souls in this area that has no other evangelical church. Pastor Roberto’s flock was very open to my message of hope and freedom that is found in Christ.

What does all this have to do with faithful servants who receive little recognition? Remberto owns and operates a bakery in San Julian for income. His family includes a daughter with cerebral palsy. Several times a week for the past 8 years Remberto has made this trip to Patacas to share the love of Christ with a few people. Whatever he receives in the offering does not even pay for the gas. He does this because he loves Jesus and he loves these people. The church will likely never exceed 40-50 people. You will never see him on television or hear him on the radio. He will not have a book written about him. He just simply serves because he is simply a servant. And I am greatly humbled by his example.

Instituto Biblico Update

This month marks the beginning of our third year with the School of Ministry in San Julian. It has been a journey of ups and downs but mostly blessings.  We began with lots of ideas but very little actual knowledge of what to expect. Language was obviously a challenge in the beginning since my Spanish was very limited. Over the past 2 years I used 6 different translators. Thankfully, I am now able to teach in Spanish without the use of an interpreter. The cultural differences have also been challenging. as students here normally don't ask questions and are not challenged to think critically on their own. In spite of this, we have a solid core of students who have become inquisitive, cheerful searchers of God's word and are growing tremendously in their knowledge of, and love for, God.

Go and Make Disciples

Celebrating Freedom and Faith

El Salvador Flag

Recently El Salvador celebrated their Independence Day. The national motto is: God, Freedom, Unity. One might wonder what there is to celebrate in a third world country where there is so much poverty, violence and apparent hopelessness. My life here may seem to some as a hardship but you only have to look around and realize hardship and poverty is relative. There are so many around me that live with much, much less than what others consider to be poverty. So where is the freedom in that? I am blessed to able to teach the freedom that comes from knowing our sins have been paid for by the Son of God and that I can be loved unconditionally by the creator of the universe.  Recently one of my students told me that by studying God's word together he has realized he is now eating spiritual meat instead of subsisting solely on spiritual milk. More importantly, he says that it is having a positive impact on his marriage. As Christians we need to remember that with the Spirit of God residing in us we are now free to not be selfish anymore. Free to not return insult for insult. Free to give away and share what we can't keep anyway. Free to rebuild broken marriages and relationships. Free to let go of unforgiveness and bitterness. Free to speak words that bless and not curse. No matter our economic circumstance, we are free to share the truth that truly sets one free.

Values, Virtues and Violence

El Salvador is a country that has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Last year we averaged 13 murders a day with a population of 7 million. That is a rate that is about 15 times higher than what is experienced in the metropolitan Portland, Oregon area. Can you imagine the outrage among politicians and the media if Portland experienced that level of violence? Well, there is outrage here and the government has decided to take drastic steps. Yes, they have stepped up the number of police and increased jail sentences. But, more importantly, they have decided to allow the Christian Churches to have access into the public schools to teach values form the Bible. I have been asked to take part in this process. We will be teaching topics such as self-control, gratitude, respect, civility, integrity, empathy, friendship, discipline, diligence and responsibility. The basis for these virtues will be from the Bible so that we have a solid, unchanging foundation to define what these look like in life. I am excited by this prospect because genuine, long-lasting change will not come from external laws but from an internal change of heart . A life transformation that is initiated by the creator. A transformed life that positively impacts other lives. A life that will be a light that shines in the darkness.

Are there Twinkies in heaven?

Recently I have been modifying my diet to better control my diabetes. Sadly, this means more broccoli. But I have hope that one day I will receive a new body that will function as God intended. Along the theme of hope, I am reading a book entitled "If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat" by John Ortberg. In one of the chapters he shares the following:


"Hope does not just motivate positive action. It actually has healing power. In one study, 122 men who had suffered their first heart attack were evaluated based on their degree of hopefulness and pessimism. Of the 25 most pessimistic men, 21 had died eight years later. Of the 25 most optimistic, only 6 had died! Loss of hope increased the odds of death more than 300 percent; it predicted death more accurately than any medical risk factor including blood pressure, amount of damage to the heart, or cholesterol level. Better to eat Twinkies in hope than to eat broccoli in despair."

AMEN! I see a new diet fad coming...The Hope Diet...Low on broccoli, high on Twinkies!

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13