Se Habla Español.....Nampa, Idaho

One of the most fascinating surprises that has come about in our lives  has been the incredible amount of Latino pastors and church leaders that we have met in Nampa, Idaho. Nampa has a population of 80,000 and is the second largest city in Idaho. 

A phone conversation with a Spanish speaking pastor in Southern California urged Tony and I to contact a former church member living in the Treasure Valley. A week later, I contacted the family and they invited me to stop by at any time. As a result, the friendly woman from El Salvador welcomed me at her doorstep and then began to speak of the vast number of Latinos that live and work in the neighboring cities. 

She and her husband attend Capilla de Alabanza (Praise Chapel) and they have been worshipping at the church since they moved up north over four years ago. Her warm smile and friendly demeanor was accompanied by a list of Spanish speaking pastors and churches that serve the nearly 24% of Latinos residing in Canyon County. 

Not long after our exchange came a phone call from a Guatemalan pastor who leads a small congregation near MAF headquarters. The pastor visited Learning Technologies and proceeded to tell us about the overwhelming need to disciple his church members with the Word of God. Although he was born in Huehuetenango, Guatemala and has lived in Idaho for seventeen years. His love for the growing number of immigrants that work as field hands causes him to remain faithful despite the lack of resources that are available.

“We need your help, Sister Laura. The men and women in my church are coming to Christ for the first time but many have never had a formal education. Can you help us?” inquired the petite pastor with a loving tone in his voice. As we prayed together and shared our ministry, Pastor Pascual became encouraged. He suggested that other pastors in the area should also learn about our work. As a result, he invited us to meet 8 other Latino pastors that meet monthly in Nampa. His desire is that he and others become familiar with a ministry that provides discipleship training and biblical resources to the hundreds of Latinos in the area. 

A week later, we met up with Pastor Avila from Puerta de Fe Church. Pastor Avila is a Costa Rican national who leads a small church in town. He and his wife have lived in the United States for over 25 years and they consider Idaho their home. Our conversation centered around the need to help small groups learn in the knowledge of the Bible and the ongoing work to reach other Latinos in southern Idaho with the Good News of Jesus Christ. After our brief exchange, he asked us to return on a Sunday morning so his church members can hear about the work being done in Central & South America through the ministry of  MAF-Learning Technologies.

There are several more pastors that lead Spanish speaking and bilingual churches in the area that we’ve had a chance to meet.  As we respond to the invitation to meet and pray with Pastor Pascual and the other 8 pastors later this month, it is our prayer that the Holy Spirit may orchestrate opportunities to come alongside these pastors and be a blessing to them as well as their congregations.

-This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:3-5

Pastor Pascual visiting MAF HQ

Pastor Israel, Regina Manley and I

Taco bus offers meat, pork, beef tongue and cow intestine tacos while you wait

One last thought....

I learned a lesson this holiday season that is helping to reshape my mind and heart. As we prepare to turn the page on a new year, I want to share a recent incident that has brought comfort as I continue to trust God for what He has in store for us in 2012.

“Please, not last year’s Christmas tree,” said our girls when we began to see the Christmas tree lots around the neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, not only did Melissa and Elizabeth remember the miniature, artificial tree that we brought to the house last Christmas but so did their friends. “Remember that sad tree your family got last year, I hope you guys won’t repeat that again,” sighed a friend of Elizabeth over the telephone when she asked about our holiday preparations in Idaho. 

So as this year’s Christmas season approached, we meandered to a local store that was selling beautiful, fresh cut Douglas and Noble Fir Christmas trees. Our eyes were mesmerized and the scent the trees projected as we paced through the rows and rows of stunning trees gave us goose bumps of holiday magic. A particular 8 foot Noble Fir stunned our senses and we were enamored right away. As we dared inspect the tree and its foliage, a family came over to us and showed us a store coupon. “Look, all trees are $5 off if you buy it this weekend,” said the mother with a grin. I thanked her for sharing the savvy discount with us and off went the family discussion. “Let’s get the tree, pretty please,” said our youngest daughter.

As the excitement in our girls’ faces was as bright as Rudolph’s nose, Tony and I looked at each other and walked the tree over to the counter where the sales clerk waited to scan it. We felt uneasy about buying the tree and even the stand that necessitated its purchase.  As we drove home, the girls were ecstatic and now Christmas could commence. The two of us had mixed feelings but as parents we couldn't resist the joy the beautiful Christmas tree provided.

Then the unexpected happened. As we entered the house, we opened that day's mail and behind the store ads was an envelope that included a rebate check that would cover the entire cost of the tree and its decorations. You can just imagine the smile on our face when we realized the Lord had just blessed us.. Not only Tony and I but our girls since they had just hand picked the best 8 foot Noble Fir we had ever laid our eyes upon. As Tony and I attributed the Lord’s goodness in such an amazing way, we brought everyone together and prayed. Our simple prayer was just, “Lord, thank you for providing us with such a beautiful Christmas tree. Even though we don’t deserve your goodness, you have still chosen to give us an incredible gift. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.”  The Lord’s provision filled our family’s hearts with gratitude that afternoon. I am humbled He knew the longing of our hearts and provided in every way.

So on this last day of 2011, I turn to 1Corinthians 1:31, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” It is with this verse that I want to conclude. As sojourners passing through, all glory and praise goes to our Heavenly Father who holds the future and whose kindness never ceases.

Isolated in San Jose, Costa Rica

One of the most fascinating things I have witnessed these last few months has been seeing the collaboration of mission organizations and missionaries alongside the poor and disanfranchised. I saw it firsthand when I visited La Carpio, a slum inside the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica.
After spending a week training indigenous church leaders with my teammates near the Costa Rican and Panamanian Border, we traveled back to the capital city to see another area of ministry where a different group of "isolated" people live.

Over 30,000 migrants from Nicaragua and other countries in Central America live in this dense barrio surrounded by a landfill and two of the most polluted rivers in the country. The good news, however, is that  although this marginalized community is an eyesore to many Costa Rican nationals, the gospel is alive and well despite the harsh living conditions that many families here endure.

Christ for the City International and Mission Aviation Fellowship are working together to not only spread the Good News to the poor in La Carpio but to also serve the families in practical ways. Two missionaries, one with MAF and the other with CFCI, are serving alongside the youth of La Carpio to bring about spiritual and physical transformation. While Brendan and 'Lalo' play different roles in ministry; Brendan in technology and Lalo in sports, both are uniquely suited to help and encourage the community's young people. It was just this past summer, that over a dozen kids completed classes in 3D computer programming while living in La Carpio. Not only did the kids attend the computer lab for instructions but they even learned to make skateboard ramps that are used on the weekends for recreation. Whether it's technology or sports, the children that live in La Carpio are growing alongside godly people who live out their faith not as outsiders but as insiders as both of these men live in La Carpio themselves.

Watching the Body of Christ work together to mentor and build up of those who would be overlooked or trampled upon is a blessing I find comforting and worthy of praise.

    And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10

                                         (A brief description of La Carpio by 'Lalo')

Mauricio, Brendan, Jose, Lalo, and Laura

The smiles tell us the computer lab is OPEN

Ramps and skateboards abound on Saturdays

The dumpster tells you La Carpio is around the bend

Street vendors selling home made goodies

Overcoming Barriers in Central America

    The invitation by Wycliffe Bible Translators to send a MAF-Learning Technologies team to help three indigenous communities with discipleship training was a blessing from above.

Not long after fellow MAFer, Regina Manley and I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, we made our way south  using the Pan-American Highway with our colleague and driver, Mauricio Sanchez. The four hour drive to the mountainous area of Buenos Aires Puntareneas meant that we would be only two hours away from the Panamanian border. It is in this region where the original or native inhabitants of Costa Rica live to this day.

The Bribris, Cabecars, and Ngobes are three indigenous communities that received the New Testament within the last few years. It was just in 2011, that the Bribris received their own NT translated for the first time in their own heart language.

As Regina and I heard the pastors, evangelists, and missionaries tell us what they did to take part in this  workshop, we were astounded. Many who attended reported walking an average of 5 hours by foot to a bus station for a 4 hour bus ride to get to Camp Bethel, our campground and workshop location.

The anticipation of learning more about God's Word was reason enough for these devoted followers to make the long journey. Our purpose for being with the forty participants was to teach them how to memorize Bible stories, make spiritual observations, as well as to look for personal spiritual applications.

One Ngobe man after hearing the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke Chapter 10, began to repent in the presence of his small group friends and asked God for forgiveness for lacking compassion toward his neighbor.

At the conclusion of our time together, a love for the Bible and a commitment to read and share the Word of God was the overwhelming sentiment expressed from the leaders who participated.

Although the sounds of monkeys, bats, and geckos were ever present during our stay, the privilege to teach Bible stories like the Parable of the Mustard Seed & the Parable of the Lost Coin taught me that these stories transcend cultures no matter where you live.

As an eyewitness to this blessed event, I long for the day when I, along with many others, will see the words of the Apostle John, in Revelations 7:9 occur before my very eyes, "After this I looked, and there before me was great multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." 

-Laura

Group leaders about to kick off the event

Cabecar participants ready to learn

Martin, Ngobe leader, is greatly respected among his people

Yolanda, was the only female representative from her people group

Santos, a pastor in his village, loved sharing his testimony

Ngobe, Bribri, and Cabecar men enjoying a coffee break

The New Testament for Ngobe Speakers

Newly published New Testaments for Bribri Christians

Local & Global Opportunities

             One day in the middle of summer, Tony and I decided that it was time to begin the process of finding a house of worship during our season in Idaho while training with our MAF-Learning Technologies team. As we attended a church that was recommended by a friend, our family began to take first steps to meet and greet new faces and introduce ourselves to the various members of the congregation. 

             It was by accident that on one Sunday, we read in the church bulletin the words: International Ministries/Intercultural Worship meets today at 11:00 a.m. We made the long walk down the hall of the church only to hear the sweetest hymns in a foreign language. As we entered the humble room with a simple wooden cross behind the pulpit, I felt joy in my heart as I saw a sea of cultures sitting near our chairs smiling and welcoming us in their native tongues.

            After the initial visit, we made a point to return on Sundays and worship alongside our new friends from Intercultural Ministries at College Church in Nampa. It was during a Sunday afternoon potluck that Pastor Edwin asked Tony and I to consider teaching a Bible study to young adults from the different college campuses in the Treasure Valley that come and attend church every Sunday. The opportunity to teach international students who for many are hearing about Jesus for the first time, was a chance we could not pass up. As a result, we asked our good friends and fellow MAF couple, Ralph and Val Dawson to join us as the four of us would teach this generation of young people Bibical truths relevant to their daily lives.

            The Lord saw it fit that we would not only proclaim His name to the ends of the earth as we travel to indigenous communities while serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship but that we would also make use of our time here in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8) in order that we may share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those He has brought to our doorsteps.

New Beginnings

Coming to live in Nampa, Idaho has been a gradual acceptance of new and familiar things.  Although it would have been nearly impossible to have welcomed the sights and sounds of horses, cows, and barns a year ago, the Lord saw it fit that we would make country living our new humble abode. We are thankful to the Lord for allowing us to move into a home that He provided while we train with our MAF-Learning Technologies team for our field assignment of San Jose, Costa Rica.

I must confess that Tony was the first to take the DMV's written driver's test. He passed the test with flying colors but I hesitated in doing so because I wanted to retain my California driver's license for as long as I could. The thought that I had to relinquish my CA license and pursue another identification other than my cherished Southern California one, was not something I was prepared to do.

It was early in the morning when the Lord spoke to me through the book of John. In John chapter 12 verses 25 through 27,  Jesus tells his disciples that the man/woman who loves his life will lose it. In addition, Jesus mentions in verse 26, "..whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be also." In an instant, I felt the Holy Spirit softly correct me. The realization that I was clinging to an identity that was marked by state and zip code and not on the one who saved me from sin was enough for me to ask Jesus to forgive me and help me surrender to what He wants to accomplish in my heart minus the futility of my residence status.

Thank goodness for new beginnings. Not long after I prayed and asked God to give me a set of godly lenses that I began to appreciate and accept where He had me......not Orange County, not California but a different garden from where I would grow and bloom as a servant of the Living God.
-Laura

Enjoying a summer day with some horsies.

Snow cone shacks are prominent throughout town.

Our bike trail includes pretty vistas

Nearby pond is calling our name

A street sign that warms the heart

An old tractor sits at the end of our greenbelt

Sensational Send Off

This past Saturday, we had an opportunity to gather with many dear friends before departing for Nampa, Idaho. The special get-together was hosted by Tim and Suzanna Bond who welcomed everyone with open arms as we bid farewell to our friends and supporters who made the past eleven months of ministry partnership possible.

Tony and I could not have been more thankful. The words of encouragement that we received throughout the four hours blessed us immeasurably. "Whenever I think I'm part of a team that is helping spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, I get very excited," said an exuberant long time friend. Others also stopped by to tell us that we were their first missionary family that they have partnered with. There was one comment that was shared by almost everyone in the room and that was that they would pray for our family and for the ministry.
The grace that has been extended to us by churches and individuals has been a direct result of the prayers that have been made on our behalf. We are humbled and grateful for the prayers that are made in order that we may soon serve dedicated pastors and remote church leaders in the developing world.

As the afternoon drew to a close, we thanked the Bond family for hosting such a lovely event. Although it would have been nearly impossible to have met with everyone who makes up our ministry support team, this casual yet special gathering allowed us to express our love and sincere thanks for making our entrance into missionary service possible.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10