Have a look at what the Elliott's are up to in Northern Mexico
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Humility or Discouragement
Ok, it is time to get vulnerable. Not that I really enjoy being vulnerable, but having just read a blog of a former teammate in Paraguay, it has inspired me and if I wait, I won't do it, so here it goes.
Yesterday was our weekly prayer meeting at church. Wednesday nights at the church have been a real source of encouragement for Sheri and I. You see one of the passions we came to Mexico with was the desire to see a prayer focused church. We passed out a few copies of a book called "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn New York. God has used this book and many others in the same series to move us toward a deeper prayer life. Not that we could be considered "prayer warriors" but that we are on the journey and are beginning to recognize how important prayer is in the life of a Christian (how come it has taken 16 years to get there)?
Anyway God is using the teachings of Jim Cymbala and the testimonies of so many in the Brooklyn Tabernacle that have attested to the power of prayer. He is moving our church toward deeper prayer. Prompted by the leaders, we have changed the prayer meeting from Friday nights to Wednesday nights and as leaders we prayed that God would send more of our congregation to pray (we used to get 5 or 6 out on Friday nights). Now after about a month of meeting on Wednesday nights, we are getting about 30-40 people out for the prayer meeting! We are excited, the church is getting excited and it seems that God is beginning to move in our midst! That is all great right? Yes it is! So where does the title of this entry come in? In a word, Spanish!
Let me explain. Last night at the prayer meeting I shared the devotional with the church before we prayed. When I speak up front, I like to (no, I need to) move around and use my hands and speak what is in my heart. The problem is that the things that are in my heart usually express themselves in English! When I share in Spanish, I need to stay behind the pulpit and read what I wrote and not deviate too much or I might get lost! It feels forced, unnatural, uneasy and boring. I really don't like it at all, and unlike most, I love public speaking! In English. Once I finished, one of the national leaders got up to lead the church in prayer, it felt and sounded so much better! Those poor people who had to listen to me for 20 minutes! I know I can communicate and be understood and my Spanish is improving all the time, but I guess I need more patience with myself. I wonder why I get asked to share in public settings like that. For now I do much better one on one.
All this leads me to humility for sure, which is a good thing, but I confess last night it also led to discouragement in my heart. I believe Sheri and I are having an impact here and I am happy about that (one of the church leaders told me that he felt like God called us here to show the church that they need to focus on prayer). Thank you Lord and praise be to you!
Learning a new language isn't easy, especially when you are figuring out how to speak infront of 30-100 people! God has a sense of humor!
Pray for me, I am preaching on the 13th...........................
Lane
Yesterday was our weekly prayer meeting at church. Wednesday nights at the church have been a real source of encouragement for Sheri and I. You see one of the passions we came to Mexico with was the desire to see a prayer focused church. We passed out a few copies of a book called "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn New York. God has used this book and many others in the same series to move us toward a deeper prayer life. Not that we could be considered "prayer warriors" but that we are on the journey and are beginning to recognize how important prayer is in the life of a Christian (how come it has taken 16 years to get there)?
Anyway God is using the teachings of Jim Cymbala and the testimonies of so many in the Brooklyn Tabernacle that have attested to the power of prayer. He is moving our church toward deeper prayer. Prompted by the leaders, we have changed the prayer meeting from Friday nights to Wednesday nights and as leaders we prayed that God would send more of our congregation to pray (we used to get 5 or 6 out on Friday nights). Now after about a month of meeting on Wednesday nights, we are getting about 30-40 people out for the prayer meeting! We are excited, the church is getting excited and it seems that God is beginning to move in our midst! That is all great right? Yes it is! So where does the title of this entry come in? In a word, Spanish!
Let me explain. Last night at the prayer meeting I shared the devotional with the church before we prayed. When I speak up front, I like to (no, I need to) move around and use my hands and speak what is in my heart. The problem is that the things that are in my heart usually express themselves in English! When I share in Spanish, I need to stay behind the pulpit and read what I wrote and not deviate too much or I might get lost! It feels forced, unnatural, uneasy and boring. I really don't like it at all, and unlike most, I love public speaking! In English. Once I finished, one of the national leaders got up to lead the church in prayer, it felt and sounded so much better! Those poor people who had to listen to me for 20 minutes! I know I can communicate and be understood and my Spanish is improving all the time, but I guess I need more patience with myself. I wonder why I get asked to share in public settings like that. For now I do much better one on one.
All this leads me to humility for sure, which is a good thing, but I confess last night it also led to discouragement in my heart. I believe Sheri and I are having an impact here and I am happy about that (one of the church leaders told me that he felt like God called us here to show the church that they need to focus on prayer). Thank you Lord and praise be to you!
Learning a new language isn't easy, especially when you are figuring out how to speak infront of 30-100 people! God has a sense of humor!
Pray for me, I am preaching on the 13th...........................
Lane
Friday, August 21, 2009
Reaching into Desperate Lives
This week we attended a birthday party in a humble part of town. You see the couple we have been discipling (Cesar and Marcela) have befriended a family over there and it was their 7 year olds birthday this past week.
The mom and dad of this family are caught up in an addiction to drugs. Cesar and Marcela know this all too well, having themselves been clean from drugs for about 10 months or so. They know what it is to be so addicted that you feed your habit before your family. When one is addicted like that, there is never any “extra money” around for frills like birthday parties.
This 7 year old had never celebrated her birthday. She had never had a birthday party in her life. Marcela explained the circumstances to Sheri and the planning began. The ladies went uptown and purchased ingredients for a birthday cake and a few other party supplies. They spent most of the day baking the cake and preparing for the party.
Cesar, Marcela, their daughter, Sheri, our kids, and I showed up with supplies in hand and a few little presents. Their daughter was so excited to see us and when we started blowing up balloons she just started shrieking with excitement! Soon there were probably 15 kids from the neighbourhood at their place. There were no chairs, no tables, no air conditioning, just joy and excitement! Some neighbours set up a trampoline in front their house and the kids jumped till their hearts were content. The kids then enjoyed the birthday cake that Sheri and Marcela had made and then it was time to break open the piñata! A great time was had by all the kids and the parents of the birthday girls were all smiles as well.
It was great to see our kids in their playing with the other Spanish speaking kids and adding their words to the conversation as well. They didn’t seem to be bothered in the least by the dirt floor and absence of chairs etc etc. It wasn’t a “stretch” for them to be there like it would be for so many of us Canadian adults. Sheri and I pray that we will continue to have opportunities for us and our kids to reach out into humble circumstances to bless others, to be Jesus to them. Then when our kids grow up, it won’t be hard for them to continue to reach out to the poor and needy wherever they are.
It was also wonderful to see this couple we have been discipling (Cesar and Marcela) looking for opportunities to bless someone else. Their testimony is so perfect for this situation as they can relate to this family having walked in their shoes as recent as less than a year ago. Christ has made such a difference in their lives and they want everyone to know it! We are blessed to be a part of their lives.
Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to live and serve in such a needy place. And thank less than a year ago. Christ has made such a difference in their lives and they want everyone to know it! We are blessed to be a part of their lives.
Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to live and serve in such a needy place.
P.S. Please pray for our children Alexis, Jemma and Noah. They will be starting school this Monday (3 days a week) for the first time for all of them. We have been home-schooling up until now and we will continue 2 days a week. Our purpose in putting them into school 3 days a week is so that their Spanish improves. It will be hard for Mom and Dad to see them go! They won’t understand everything that is being said in class and so we ask for your prayers. Thank you for partnering with us in this way!
Lane for all of us
The mom and dad of this family are caught up in an addiction to drugs. Cesar and Marcela know this all too well, having themselves been clean from drugs for about 10 months or so. They know what it is to be so addicted that you feed your habit before your family. When one is addicted like that, there is never any “extra money” around for frills like birthday parties.
This 7 year old had never celebrated her birthday. She had never had a birthday party in her life. Marcela explained the circumstances to Sheri and the planning began. The ladies went uptown and purchased ingredients for a birthday cake and a few other party supplies. They spent most of the day baking the cake and preparing for the party.
Cesar, Marcela, their daughter, Sheri, our kids, and I showed up with supplies in hand and a few little presents. Their daughter was so excited to see us and when we started blowing up balloons she just started shrieking with excitement! Soon there were probably 15 kids from the neighbourhood at their place. There were no chairs, no tables, no air conditioning, just joy and excitement! Some neighbours set up a trampoline in front their house and the kids jumped till their hearts were content. The kids then enjoyed the birthday cake that Sheri and Marcela had made and then it was time to break open the piñata! A great time was had by all the kids and the parents of the birthday girls were all smiles as well.
It was great to see our kids in their playing with the other Spanish speaking kids and adding their words to the conversation as well. They didn’t seem to be bothered in the least by the dirt floor and absence of chairs etc etc. It wasn’t a “stretch” for them to be there like it would be for so many of us Canadian adults. Sheri and I pray that we will continue to have opportunities for us and our kids to reach out into humble circumstances to bless others, to be Jesus to them. Then when our kids grow up, it won’t be hard for them to continue to reach out to the poor and needy wherever they are.
It was also wonderful to see this couple we have been discipling (Cesar and Marcela) looking for opportunities to bless someone else. Their testimony is so perfect for this situation as they can relate to this family having walked in their shoes as recent as less than a year ago. Christ has made such a difference in their lives and they want everyone to know it! We are blessed to be a part of their lives.
Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to live and serve in such a needy place. And thank less than a year ago. Christ has made such a difference in their lives and they want everyone to know it! We are blessed to be a part of their lives.
Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to live and serve in such a needy place.
P.S. Please pray for our children Alexis, Jemma and Noah. They will be starting school this Monday (3 days a week) for the first time for all of them. We have been home-schooling up until now and we will continue 2 days a week. Our purpose in putting them into school 3 days a week is so that their Spanish improves. It will be hard for Mom and Dad to see them go! They won’t understand everything that is being said in class and so we ask for your prayers. Thank you for partnering with us in this way!
Lane for all of us
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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