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

Mi nieto (My grandson)!

Congratulations to Matthew & Aleah on the arrival of their son, Max. Born on February 24th he shares his birthday with his Aunt Rachael. Staying true to form as a Pursley male, Matthew sent me a message with as much information as possible: "Long delivery, healthy baby". For those who insist on more information,  Max was 6lbs 10oz and 19 inches long. Mom and baby are both healthy and doing well. Looking forward to seeing them soon!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward...Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them...  Psalms 127:3,5

Things that make me say...Hmmmm?

• Why does the ferris wheel have a hand crank?
• Why is there a Portland Grill and Bar in Ataco, El Salvador?
• Why don't they serve Tacos in Ataco?
• Why do they put speed bumps on a freeway with a posted speed limit of 90 kmh?
• Why do 3 lane roads have no painted lines to indicate which lane you are in?
• Why do intersections have both stop signs and traffic lights?
• Why do food containers say that they are not to be distributed inside the U.S.?
• Why do billboard advertisements combine both English and Spanish in the same sentence?
• When a bridge is washed out why is a tree branch in the road considered sufficient warning?
• Why are there fire departments when all buildings are constructed only of cement and metal?
• Why is the fire department called Bombero? Shouldn't that be the bomb squad?
• Why do they build a new highway to nowhere but don't fix the pot holes the size of school buses on one of the busiest road in the country?
• When I ask for only black coffee (solo negro) why does it come with a half pound of sugar?

• Last, but not least, why do I wonder about the things I can't change? 

Que será, será!

Rock and Roll

I was sitting at my desk studying to teach the book of Isaiah where, in referring to the end times, it says "the earth is violently shaken, it staggers like a drunken man" when my desk started shaking. The whole house staggered like a drunken house. Christina came in to say that she was sitting on her bed at the time and kind of enjoyed the ride!

We frequently "enjoy" small earthquakes here but this one was the largest yet. It registered as a 6.3 and was centered on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. While that is in a different country it is only about 250 miles away so we felt it in a significant way. To reference San Julian on the map above, we are the second yellow dot from the right. Yes, you are reading it correctly - 6 earthquakes in the last week.

Since I so enjoy learning from and then teaching God's word I thought it was so appropriate that I was reading from Isaiah at the time.

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2

Gifts from the Father

In December we partnered with La Casa De Mi Padre and Union Church in San Salvador to put on a Christmas party for the kids that live in the neighborhood surround the La Casa children's home. La Casa cares for 30+ children that have no no one else to care for them. But they don't stop there. For what has now become an annual event, they reach out to the poor families around them to share the love of Jesus. The day consists of a huge party with games, food, pinatas and ends with a gift for each of the children. For many of them this may be the only gift they will receive. With 250 participants it was wonderful to see so many volunteers taking time out of their weekend to love on these kids. This was a great demonstration of the old adage that it is far better to give than to receive.

Waiting for the games to begin on the "futbol" field

Gift line in process

Santa detained for not having any identification on him

What if?

Below is a photo of a manger scene here in San Julian. Note that the manger is empty. The tradition here is that they do not put the baby Jesus in it until Christmas when he arrived in human form. 


This got me to thinking - What If? 


What if Jesus never came? What if God allowed us to justly suffer the penalty for our sins? What if the personification of pure, genuine love never came to live with us? What if there were no people transformed by that love? What if there were no transformed people that cared for the sick, the poor, the orphans, the unloved? What if there were no transformed people to defend the defenseless? 


What if there was no good news? What if there was no hope? What if there was no peace? What if there was no joy? What if there was no love?


What If?

The Gift of Hospitality

Recently I was invited to lunch at the home of a friend in a fairly rural area. The home sits on a road outside of the nearest town by a couple of miles and stands in the midst of a "jungle" in the mountains. The people of El Salvador have such a heightened sense of hospitality that I just had to share this with you. 


While visiting, I made an observation about the coconuts growing nearby. The next thing I knew, one of the people there was climbing the tree to cut down the coconuts so that I cold have a drink of coconut milk. He then proceeded to cut open enough of them with his trusty machete (the all purpose tool here) to send me home with a gallon of coconut juice. 


But it didn't end there. While being served roasted peppers (mmm...delicious) I was asked if I would like a slice of lime with it. This is very common here and is served with most meals so I thought little of it. I responded politely and asked for a slice. He asked his wife for limons (Spanish for lime) and was told they were all out. Without missing a step or saying another word he simply grabbed his machete and headed out into the jungle. About 15 minutes later he comes back with a bag of limons. 


The lessons? 


#1. Be careful what you ask for here...you will probably get it. I can only imagine what would have happened if I had said I liked milk. Oh, wait. I did see a goat nearby!


#2. These people take hospitality to a whole new level. They take the words of  I Peter 4:9 seriously: "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Accion de Gracias

Thanksgiving is not celebrated on a special day of the year here in El Salvador. Instead, they frequently take days throughout the year to celebrate with an "accion de gracias". Literally, this means an "action of thanks". There are two things about this local tradition that I appreciate.

First, thanksgiving should not be limited to a single day. Ideally, we should wake up every day and give thanks to our creator for the breath of life. For a roof over our heads. For food on the table. For friends and family. For health. For employment. For laughter. For freedom. For so many things that we often take for granted.

Second, thanksgiving is more than a word. It should be a verb - an action in our daily lives. Knowing how much we have been blessed should in turn cause us to desire to bless others with our abundance. It may be a meal for a family that has little. It could be a warm blanket. Taking care of a medical bill for those out of work. Possibly a shoulder to cry on for those in pain. A kind word. A smile and a hug. Simply, to love in word and deed.

In the midst of the cooking and busyness of this day I wanted to thank you. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support of the work here in El Salvador. Thank you that through your abundance we can provide food and blankets and a shoulder and a smile and a hug and, most importantly, the love of God who sent his only son to die for us.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  Psalm 28:7

God's incredible timing

About one month ago one of the students in my class paid the class fee for another student whose husband had a low paying job. The gift was to be anonymous. I meant to tell the recipient but it slipped my mind. Finally, on Saturday I remembered and asked "C" to stay after class. When I told her that her fee had been paid in full she just broke out sobbing. I thought her reaction was out of proportion until she told me what had been happening recently in her life. Her son had broken his arm and needed surgery that she couldn't afford. Her husband told her that she would have to quit the classes or take the money out of the food budget. Since she couldn't do that, she came to class that day to advise me that she could no longer attend. She was sobbing out of joy that God had provided for her at the moment she needed it the most. Some people would call this coincidence. I call it God.

Christina's Corner: Amo a mis niños

Kiana & Christina

Every weekday I walk to a private school where I help out in the kindergarten class. The school is all in Spanish so for two hours I am forced to talk in Español. When I arrive at the school all the kids from the class run to the door where I am group hugged by them all (haha) but sometimes it is more like I am tackled! Every day I am tickled to death by one or all of the children. For those who don't know, I am super ticklish! It's hilarious to watch the kids as they do the funniest things! Like today for example, one boy was taking tape and sticking it to his stomach while his twin brother was rubber-stamping his arms up and down and they both think it's so cool! Every time I go to the school I pick up more words and that is exciting! It has been a true blessing to be a part of these kids lives!! I love them all so dearly. So, please pray that the Lord will keep giving me an understanding of Spanish while I have this opportunity at the school.  

 -Christina Pursley

Group Hug

Fernando thinks he is Batman

What a greeting!

                                        

Flood, Food and Faith

According to the news, El Salvador now has had 47 inches of rain in the last week with more rain in the forecast. The bridge on the road to the capital, San Salvador, is washed out. There are dozens that have died due to landslides. Thousands of others are sleeping in schools and churches since what little they had is now gone. Some have even refused to be evacuated because they are fearful that thieves will steal whatever is left.

 Locally we have the same issues here. Yesterday, we walked out to Agua Shuca to find the bridge washed out and the "road" is now a river. There are 160 people staying in a church there because their homes are flooded. We will be walking in food supplies to help.  I am so impressed though by the resiliency of these people. So many have such a hard life but they seem to deal with it as just part of life and do not complain much. While we were in Agua Shuca we watched a mother give her child a bucket bath and he was laughing and playing the whole time and his mother was able to just enjoy the moment for what it was.


We are blessed and thankful that other than some roof leaks we are fine. We are also reminded that our hope is not in this world and one day there will be an end to suffering and pain. Please pray for El Salvador and all of Central America. And Thailand. And Sudan. And Syria. And America. And............

October Newsletter

Memorial Stones for Annette

When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land he set up a pile of stones as a memorial marker so that the generations to come would not forget what the Lord had done for them. It has been 2 years since our dear friend, sister, daughter, wife and mother went to the promised land to be with the one she loved the most. There are many emotions involved...tears, joy, memories...so I just want to let the following words and song be a memorial stone.

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life…

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Pro 31:10-12; 25-31

Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."  So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."

Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."

 Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

John 11:14-40

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.

With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.

You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.   Psalm 71:15-24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-zk-E55dRk&feature=related

Christina's Corner: Taking Every Moment Captive

I realized the other day what an experience I have living here in El Salvador. I it hit me that everyday here is special to the Lord's plan for my life. I also realized that I need to take every moment captive and not waste my time here.  Life is too precious to just go through the motions. What teenager has a chance to live in a third world country, learn another language and be a part of a work of God? I realized what an opportunity the Lord has given me, to teach me things about myself I never knew, to stretch me and strengthen me and pour His love into me. The Lord continually reminds me that my life is not my own and to embrace His plan for my life. The other day I recieved a letter from a complete stranger. I was deeply touched  that someone who does not know me personally would write a letter to encourage me and tell me to keep trusting the Lord because he knows the plans of my life better than I do. The letter touched my heart and really made me realize the Lord has every thing in control and that I need to trust Him whole-heartedly. It also made me realize that not only am I loved by God but loved by people. It made me realize that I have people back home loving me and praying for me everyday. The Lord revealed to me that even though I am far away from friends and family, I am still loved and that even though I may feel distant from the Lord, that He still loves me. The Lord is so good and so faithful and so loving. 

                                                        -Christina Pursley-