The Immigrant Looking Out for Me!

When I was an immigrant living in Uruguay, Gabo was one of my Uruguayan friends who looked out for me and made sure I understood the way things work there. When I needed something fixed on the house where I was staying, he knew who could do the job so that I wouldn't get taken advantage of. I was grateful! There is no way I could have navigated that with great confidence.

This past week I found help in an unexpected way from one of my immigrant friends when Megan and I were getting some siding on our house replaced. As the crew tore off the siding on the south side of our house it revealed a hole in the wood covering. I don't know a lot about construction but I do understand that you shouldn't have a hole outside your house. I wish I could say I knew how to replace the hole. Let's just say that home projects can intimidate me and I tend not to get much finished on my own. Not knowing whether the crew would be willing to fix the hole for me, I called my immigrant friend, Jose, to come look at it. I knew he could fix the hole and I was willing to pay him. When he arrived, I was not there but he talked with Megan and he began to tell her..."make sure they fix this hole; it is the crew's responsibility; don't let them take advantage of you." He offered to come back later if we still needed help. Did you see what happened? I was the ignorant North American who might have been taken advantage of by one of my own countryman and an immigrant was looking out for me! I was hit! I normally am the one looking out for my immigrant friends who come to Mission Adelante who are strangers in this land. Now, they were looking out for me. Words cannot describe how protected you feel when this happens. Thank you, Jose and thank you God for showing me how big this really is!

Happy Birthday!

Birthdays are important in any culture. Of course there are those few individuals who tried to downplay their birthday and outwardly ignore it exists. I think what they really want is for someone to acknowledge their day in a special way. "Jimmy" is one of our Latino friends who has really advanced in English class and become a friend to our family. Jimmy hid the fact the his birthday was coming up, but I noticed his birthdate recently and couldn't help but plan something special for him.

Jimmy had been wanting to take my family out to eat at an American restaurant. He loves IHOP because of the food and the chance to practice English. I thought we should introduce him to another similar restaurant for his birthday. When he arrived at our house, Megan mentioned it was his birthday and we would be treating him. What a surprise to him that we knew! All of us enjoyed a quiet meal at Bob Evans (simple, conversation friendly environment). Jimmy enjoyed it and then my lovely wife pulled out the surprise of the night--she pulled out a block of brownies, a candle and box of matches. Yes, it was a most simple birthday cake, but I could tell how much it meant to Jimmy. After singing to Jimmy, we went home and he left to retire for the night in order to work at 6am the next day. He later sent me a text to say "thanks, again."

I am so thankful to have spent our evening with a friend who might not otherwise have been celebrated! God brought Jimmy our way and what a blessing to walk with this immigrant friend.

Driving Into the Unknown

During almost all seasons of ministry, I find myself in my car driving to meet specific immigrant families. Most often this happens at night since their work schedules dictate when they are available. I've tried many different ways to assure myself a good visit--better said, to find them at home and willing to have me. I've called a week in advance like a scheduled North American, I've just showed up at their door like a family member, and I've called just before I get in my car so as not to waste a trip. Here is my conclusion--There is no magic formula.

Last week, the Holy Spirit took control of the who, what, where. It didn't start out that way, though! I had two families in mind to visit and after calling and driving by their homes I was about to go home with nothing to show for my efforts. Not a fun feeling! I kept driving this time and passed by a family's home who comes to our outreach activities and comes to our church very inconsistently. I stopped, even though they were neither of the families I planned to visit.

After an hour of visiting with them, it seemed like the time to leave and let them have the rest of their evening. Suddenly, Lorena asked me to pray for her. She started to tear up as she shared that the next day was the anniversary of her brother's death in Mexico. Wow, I couldn't believe the timing! I prayed for her right then. This was huge, especially considering that we held a memorial service for her brother in our building so that she could share about him and her family living here could have some closure.

I didn't plan on stopping at Lorena's house, but am grateful God took me from my unknown to a place He knew needed His touch. Thank you, Lord for letting me be part of this!

Walking through an open door

Wouldn't life be great without conflicts or bumps along the way? I would bet that all of us would like life to be easy and free of worries, but I am more and more convinced we would push God aside or put Him on the shelf for some rainy day if this were the case. We are prone to seek our own way! I am!

The more and more I work with immigrants I see just how God uses conflicts, problems, and dilemmas to open up our hearts to an encounter with Him. Just today I spent time on the phone with a parent who found herself in a desperate situation, with concerns about her rebellious daughter. No greater a time is there to need God than when we find ourselves in these predicaments and yet we need Him everyday just to navigate what seems sometimes like the easy life. I hope to visit this family in their home and offer some piece of hope.

"God, you are the only one who can offer any of us hope." Pray with me that these meeting will turn disaster into hope....not just a situational hope, but a daily surrender that bears hope with Christ.

What matters most!

This past week has been filled with news of the possible disaster awaiting the US and its economy because neither the President nor the Legislature could agree upon a budget. Many were outraged and I bet nearly all of us wondered what might happen with us in the future. Would we lose income or savings over this standoff? What might the future look like? In this we looked to the government to solve the issue, but this wasn't the answer nor did it account for what matters most.

What matters most is life! What do I mean? Monday, we received a call that one of our Latino families, who participates in our outreach activities, lost a portion of their home to fire. Boys playing with a lighter resulted in an inferno. What was lost was material and it hurt this family in their fight to survive as immigrants! Yet the most important thing was preserved--their lives! Who could look at this situation and even think about those decisions of the government. God gives perspective! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Prov 3:5. Join me in praying for E and her family to rebuild their home but to build on the rock of Christ in their hearts. We have already had many times to pray with them and will be walking with them for many more days.

The Amazing gRace

Last night I shared the "missions moment" at a VBS camp full of kids K-5 and what a great joy it was to be with them and see all that they had learned over 3 nights. Their theme was the Amazing gRace and you would have thought "amazing" as you watched them sing and energetically do the motions to the songs. They loved it! No adult teachers were pushing them to participate...they wanted to be there. Could I have asked for a better group to share with!

When it was my turn, I shared with a Kinder/1st group, a 2nd/3rd group, and a 4th/5th group. Each time I got to tell them my own mission story and how God was using me with Mission Adelante. Then I challenged them to be missionaries to their neighbors next door, their friends, and most importantly the "forgotten" people in their schools. Who knows what messages they will walk away remembering this pack week, but they gave me an amazing free gift to be able to join with them and share.

What a gift from God to have such an opportunity! It was priceless.

Who wants an intern?

What an innocent question. Who wants an intern? I wonder what Paget Rhee was thinking when she requested six summer interns in Washington, DC during the summer of 1997. Sure she needed to staff a camp for the inner-city kids around Calvary Baptist Church. But, did she really know what she was getting into? I bet she weighed the cost...giving up personal time and space, having to deal with occasional immaturity, and knowing it would be "LOUD". She would be gaining resources to multiply her ministry effort, new ideas from fresh young sources, and she would be in for a lot of laughs.

I was one of the interns that gained an unforgettable experience that would teach me much more that I could have read in a book. I gained a chance to sit under a patient leader, the opportunity to try and fail, and exposure to the realities of kids living in the heart of urban DC. It changed my life for sure and find myself reflecting on my experiences there quite a lot this summer. However, I am seeing things more from the other side. Now, I am the leader who has a chance to patiently walk beside interns and see them grow and do great things. I've counted the costs and I have answered the question, "Who wants an intern?", without any hesitation. Adelante, send 'em here!