Noah's Ark (Pt 2)...

Do you recall our story of Noah from a few weeks ago?  God looked down from heaven and saw what His once beautiful and perfect creation had become.  Having saved his best creation for last, man...He now saw what man had turned into “…every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:6).  It was time to destroy the earth, and start again.  Noah, having been a just, blameless and man who walked with God, found favor in the eyes of his Creator.  The Lord chose to spare him, along with his family. In order to survive the destruction of the world, God made him build the impossible, to survive something the world had never seen before.  Having complete faith and trust in God’s word, Noah spent the next 100 years building the ark.

The day finally came when “...the Lord said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’” (Gen 7:1).  And so after more then a hundred years, Noah finally saw the answer to God’s word that He had spoken to him.  Indeed it took a long time, a VERY long time in fact...however God, as always, was faithful to His word.

The animals and Noah’s family were all settled safe and sound in their new home, when, “...all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Gen 7:11).  And as Noah gazed out the window, watching the rain began to fall and the waters begin to rise, “...the Lord shut him in” (Gen 7:16).

What would life have been like on the ark.  Besides caring for the animals, sleeping, eating and maybe spending time with family, what else did they do?  How did Noah pass the time during their ark adventure?  Did he pray or meditate or maybe grumble and complain, because he was not hearing from the Lord?  Noah had obeyed every word that God had spoken over the past 100 years, in building and preparing the ark.  But now, probably when he needed it the most, there was nothing but silence...for 377 long days.  There is no record in the bible that the Lord spoke to Noah during his time in the ark.

Finally, we read in Genesis 8 that “...God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark.  And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided” (Gen 8:1). And then we read, that after 377 days, Noah was able to  “...remove the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry” (Gen 8:13).  Having stepped onto the ark, leaving a sinful, corrupt and fallen world behind, Noah would now step onto a new earth, with a brand new fresh start.  I love that his first act, in his new place was to WORSHIP the Lord.

Just like Noah, through patiently waiting and ever trusting in God’s word, the Lord too has responded to us.  While Jackie and I were celebrating our 8th anniversary in El Paso last week, I got a call from my cousin Nieves.  The government was there, doing the final installation of power poles and lines to hook up the power to the orphanage.  I could do nothing but say, “thank you Jesus” over and over again.  And then, as if that wasn’t good enough, I got an email from our accountant letting us know that our non-profit paperwork had been approved and finished.  It is ready for us to pick up at anytime.  We will head to Cuahtemoc early next week to pick up our documents and make an appointment with CFE to come out and physically turn the power “on.”  I too have felt like after my long journey in the ark, the Lord is finally removing the covering!

We have been frantically, but peaceably working hard to finish the projects at the orphanage that need to be completed before people can live in it.  Lord willing, we will be able to finish them in 2-3 weeks and then watch what the Lord does next.

One step closer brothers and sisters that we could not have taken without all your prayers, support and commitment to us.  Thank you so much from the bottom or our hearts.  Please know that if you are feeling like your in the ark, and not hearing from the Lord, trust that He is their, ministering to you in a way that you can't see.  Though it may be rocky and you feel like your getting 'seasick', the Lord will bring you through it, a much stronger person!

"This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word has given me life" (Ps 119:50).

Noah's Ark...

I am currently practicing my carpentry skills as I try to install frames and molding around the windows at the orphanage.  As I worked very cautiously the other day, measuring, marking and sawing in the dining hall, I suddenly had a glimpse of what life must have been like for Noah.  For the rest of that day, and days to follow, I thought about and meditated a lot on Noah, his life and how that all changed when God asked him to do the unthinkable. Take a moment and think back to Genesis chapter 6, as the Lord looked down on the earth He had once created.  Unfortunately, due to man’s fall and incessant sinful nature, the world had become an awful place.  We read in Genesis 6:6 that “...every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.”  The chapter continues on in verse 7 and 8...

“So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created form the face of the earth, both man and beast creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”

We know that Noah was far from perfect, yet, he was “... a just man, perfect (blameless, man of integrity) and “...walked with God” (6:9).  Ezekiel tells us that Noah was a righteous man as well as a “...preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).

Noah was to be God’s vessel and spokesman, to all that would hear, about the soon to come, destruction of the earth.  God’s instrument of death, would be something the world had never seen before...rain and floodwaters.  And for the next 100 years or so, Noah would act in great FAITH and TRUST in God’s word, and do the unfathomable...build a giant boat.

The ark was as about 450 feet long, or, as long as a 30-story building is high.  It was about 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.  It was to hold some 35,000 pairs of animals, as well as Noah and his family (8 persons).

At this point in time, the earth had never seen rain, which would make what God asked Noah to do, all the more crazy.  Imagine all the flak, jokes, ridicule and insults Noah received daily.  How many of us would have given up after a few days, maybe weeks or months.  Could any of us say, that we would have persevered for 100 years? As every board and nail was intricately placed, just as God had designed, Noah had NOTHING else to cling onto, other then God’s word.  It was that defining moment where Noah's faith and relationship with God would be taken to a place it had never been before.

Building a giant ark, having never seen rain before, is kind of like building a giant orphanage, not having any kids.  Or at least it has felt that way this past week.  As I continued cutting wood in the giant 7,000 square foot facility, I felt like I could totally relate to Noah.  I too, have been asked to take a giant step of faith, that requires extreme trust and reliance on God’s word.   I am at a place where there is nothing to do but the latter.  And when you get phone calls, like I did a few weeks ago, saying that the power company has lost our paperwork and we need to refile, I won’t lose heart.  For I know that God’s word is more powerful then anything else, and I can trust in that.

So, in the meantime, or during this 'building period,' we will continue to cut, saw, measure, dig, pour, build, construct, etc...anticipating the day when God too will open those doors, just as He closed and opened the door to the ark.  And we can rest assure that it will happen in His sweet and always perfect timing!

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and FEED on His FAITHFULNESS” (Psalm 37:3).

Psalm 27...

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.  He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.  Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world STAND IN AWE of Him” (Psalm 33:6-8) Just as David exhorted us in this verse, to stand in awe of the Lord, I am definitely doing that, as I think about everything that took place over the past 3 weeks.  

My last blog post came at the tail end of a missions trip, and the beginning of my trip up to Seattle.  I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a week back home, full of family, friends and ministry opportunities.  The main focus of my trip, was to support and be a part of our 5th annual “Golf Invitational” that benefitted the orphanage.  I am definitely in awe of how well things turned out.  We had the highest number of players participating this year, as well as raised over $5,000 to support the orphanage.  I was able to sit on the 13th hole and meet and talk with every player that came out.  Over half of the players, were not familiar with the ministry or orphanage down in Mexico, so it was wonderful being able to share a little bit about it in between shots.

It was also great, having the opportunity to lead worship and teach at 3 different churches.  God continues to rally new people and churches that have a desire to come alongside Casa de Bendicion and the future care of children in Mexico.

I was at a Starbucks on a Thursday, preparing for one of those teachings, when I got a call I would never have expected to get.  It was my cousin Nieves, informing me that Spencer, the young man who had been down serving with us, was bitten by a rattlesnake and taken to the hospital.  Of all the things that could happen, and especially the timing of it happening, while i’m gone in WA, Spencer had to go and get bit by a snake.  There were definitely some scary moments, wondering what the outcome of this snakebite would be.  But, rather then letting fear and worry overtake us, hundreds of people went to prayer and seeking the Lord, for Spencer to be healed.

How did it all go down?  Well, Spencer was working on the orphanage property with our team, clearing brush and branches, to prepare for planting.  He felt what seemed to be a prick on his finger, and then saw part of the snake.  Fortunately, the snake was only able to get one fang in the bite and they were able to squeeze out some of the venom.  However, the venom that was left inside began to spread through his arm up to his elbow.  The swelling was intense enough where they had to make 3 major incisions in his hand, arm and bicep, to try to drain what was in there.  The doctors in the hospital did a wonderful job taking care of Spencer and thankfully no serious damage was done. After 6 long days in the hospital, Spencer was released and then able to fly home the next day.

Spencer showing his battle wounds and "Toy Story" band aid from Ayantu!

It so happened that I had been meditating on Psalm 27 that week, and felt that that’s what I was to share with the churches.  When I got the news about Spencer, verses 1-2 helped me resolve some of the fears that satan was trying to discourage me with...

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;  whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

My trip ended on a Sunday, teaching at our church and then catching a plane back to El Paso, with my nephew Charlie, to meet our next missions team.  Charlie is 13 and this was his first missions trip.  It was such a blessing having him apart of the team and watching the Lord work in his life.

We had a total of 25 people, from 3 different churches in 2 states, come down for our 5th missions trip.  Normally, when you have a group that large from different churches, there can be challenges.  That wasn’t even the case with this team.  It was a wonderful group of young, old, men and women that came together with one heart and desire...to love and serve Jesus and the community of Bachiniva!

Once again, I was in awe of all that we accomplished during our time.  We were able to build bunk beds and visit homes to pass out some of the over 200 pounds of school supplies and toiletries that have been donated.  Lots of cement work was completed at the orphanage, including pouring two patio slabs and one sidewalk.  We were hoping to be able to finish both sidewalks of the building, but we had a slight setback. We tried to hire a backhoe, from two different individuals to clear and level one side to pour the sidewalk,  however, they never showed up.  Rather then giving up and doing something else, a team of people stepped up with shovels in hand and wheel barrels and cleared all of the dirt alongside the 105 foot long facility.  It was long, tiring, and incredibly hard work, which was only accomplished through the strength of the Lord.  At one point, as we neared our quitting time, my nephew turned to me and said, “this is the longest 2 hours of my life.”  I chuckled and encouraged him to keep going.  When the last wheel barrel was relieved of its dirt, it was as if we had just moved a mountain or something.  The cheers and excitement of our victory will not soon be forgotten.

The bunk bed crew and finished product...

We split up into teams and spent time praying over every room in the orphanage

Shoveling and clearing the dirt to pour the sidewalk...

Passing out food, toiletries and praying with people at the hospital...

The only hard part of the trip was having to say goodbye to the team.  Its one thing, when you get to go back  home with them after the trip.  But is another thing to see them on the plane and know that your heading back down to Mexico.  I’m not complaining at all, but I would be lying to say that it hasn’t been a bit lonely and quiet, now that teams are gone and summer is winding down.  Fortunately, again, the Lord has been using Psalm 27 to strengthen our hearts.  Sometimes we can rely too much on missions teams, church services, discipleship groups, retreats, etc...for our spiritual fuel and encouragement.  And although those are all good things, they don’t compare to the encouragement and comfort that we can find in the Lord.  That is what led David to desire and seek ONE thing in his life...

“One things I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27: 4).

Lord, please give us a desire to dwell in Your house, not just on Sunday’s or Wednesdays, but every single day of our lives.  For in that we get to behold your beauty, inquire and learn more of you and then stand in AWE of You.  Amen!