I started the last month laying down challenges and dares for God. I wanted to trust Him with the every day stuff, but I needed more proof that He would really do it. For some reason, the thousands of examples in Scripture were not enough. I had to see it for myself.
I made a list of things I wanted to see, people I wanted to meet, placed I wanted to go. But in reality, I just needed to see God show up and show off. Be careful what you ask for…
I asked to see a healing, but I had to go through the pain of a sprained ankle, before He could heal me.
I asked to see a miracle, but I had to be stuck - unable to cross the Guatemalan boarder, before He had the opportunity to show His power.
I asked to meet some English speaking people in order to have real, deep, meaningful conversations. He answered and broke my heart because of the friendships that came from these conversations. You rocked my world guys!
I asked for words to speak and ended up telling my story in the most unlikely places. I expected to preach from a pulpit and found myself sharing words of hope from a bar stool.
I asked to see lives changed and discovered that it was my life being changed.
Yes, I asked for all of these things, not fully aware of the consequences of my actions. Each request came at a price. Each request took time, patience, frustration and hardship and I wouldn't change a thing. The process - the waiting - taught me as much about the character of my God, as the answers to my request did.
After many hours of processing the events to the last two weeks and about 20 pages in my journal, I was lead to a chapter that perfectly described my emotions. Enjoy!
Psalm 40 (The Message)
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
They enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God, turn your backs on the world's "sure thing" ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words account for you.
Doing something for you, bringing something to you - that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious - that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen.
So I answered, "I'm calling. I read in your letter what you wrote about me, and I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being.
I've preached you to the whole congregation, I've kept back nothing,
God- you know that.
I didn't keep the news of your ways a secret, didn't keep it to myself. I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth for myself alone. I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.
Now God, don't hold out on me, don't hold back your passion.
Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn't see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.
Soften up, God and intervene; hurry and get me some help.
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul will be embarrassed and lose face, so anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable will be heckled and disgraced, so those who pray for my ruin will be booed and jeered without mercy.
But all who are hunting for you - oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great and not quitting.
And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me.
You can do it; you've got what it takes - but God, don´t put it off.
There are moments in your life when you remind yourself, ahead of time, to remember everything - because you about to encounter something great.
The last two days fall into that category. On the Bay Island of Utila, I was privileged to meet a group of men & two wonderful ladies who are a part of the mighty US Army. It was a special treat to walk up to a picnic table, with chips and dip, American English speakers, and brats on the grill. It was that little bit of home I have been longing for but it turned into 2 days with some of the most amazing men and women I have met in a long time.
Amidst the LOUD voices, contagious laughter and timeless fun, I leaned several life lessons that must be shared.
#1 - Good Old Fashion Hospitality. From the point of introductions, (Pilot Dustin :-) food was being offered, drinks all around and a true genuine longing to welcome us to the party. It is a characteristic of Americans that needs to be celebrated. Come join the Party!
#2 - Patriotism & Freedom These are men and women who have dedicated their lives to the service of you and I and anyone who they can help. They understand that true freedom costs your life and it is worth the price. Just being around this group made me proud to be an American. They are here in Central American doing humanitarian work all over the region, standing up for the good of people all around the world, not just Americans.
#3 - True Brotherhood Now I will remind you that I have been living in community for the last 9 months and have learned a good chunk about the "bond" of Brotherhood, but this weekend, I saw it first hand, in a deeper and more powerful way. Even through the jokes, and sarcasm, a bond that is not easily obtained, shown through them like nothing else. There is something to be said for the "community" structure of the Army. Maybe we could learn a bit from them for our journeys on the World Race.
#4 - Life has a mission We as the church should know this deep within our guts, that we are here for a purpose, a calling, something higher and greater than ourselves. This is true for these soldiers. They are aware of the fact that is not just about themselves, their division or even their base, but it is about a worldwide mission and purpose to fight for life and freedom everywhere on this earth. Church listen up!
To my friends from Utila - THANK YOU for being who you are, for what you are doing and what you are willing to do. Thank you for feeding us, loving us and allowing us to invade your circle of friends. I will never forget the lessons you have taught me on the island. You have my respect and prayers!
Thanks for the fly by!
P.S. Thanks to my boys from the "Big Time" for teaching me to learn how to fly.
Yesterday a prayer of loneliness and despair was raised up the King of Kings, and he heard her prayer. Her name is Caralisa, she is a Nicaragua women who lived on the outskirts of the city dump in Managua. And yesterday an adventures group of wanders stumbled upon her in her time of most need.
The best part of this story is that the answer to her prayer was on their way to Managua long before she even cried out to God.
You see we were the answer her prayer. But how did we even meet Caralisa? Only through the all knowing hand of our Savior.
Thursday morning, 5 world racers set out from Jinotepe in the back of a pick up truck with a slight idea of where we are meant to go. Greg & Sam Elam's house was our destination. We knew some road headed out of Managua, at Kilometer 20ish. Really - that is the complete truth. That is all that we could tell the people driving us, and the best part of it was that were completely ok with driving until we saw the sign. There is was Lomas de Alabanza (Hills of Praise) at km marker 21.5.
We pull up as Sam our new best friends was leaving to pick up her daughter. She welcomes us to her home, shows us around her barn that would make Brooke drool, and says set up camp I'll be back in a half hour and we can go a concert at the city dump.
Yes, you read that correctly! A man who goes by the name "Greg Again" formerly of "Dispatch" has been setting up mission trips for college age student in Virgina to spend their spring break in Manauga, Nicaragua playing with orphans. Yesterday was called the "Day of Light/Dia de Luz", which meant that these 200 some students spent their day in the dump, one of the largest in the world, getting really dirty playing with the all those beautiful babies. We wind and mingle our way though the dump to the opposite side to find an open field filled with Nicaraguan kids, Virginian College Students, a massive sound board, stage and artist singing out praises to God.
We arrived with just enough time to find out who all these people were, and hear the last song. But we did get to love on a few of God's greatest creations and prayer over some of the residents who live and work in this dump.
On our way out, racing to beat the sun and remove ourselves from what could get sketchy, Tiffany, Greg & Sam's 11 year old daughter sees Caralisa on the side of the road crying and asked if we could stop and pray for her. Jenny pipes in with a request just to give her a hug. We hesitantly agree, and these 4 World Race women lead by our mighty leader Tiffany, surround Caralisa and begin praying for her. As soon as we approach, she broke down into sobs unable to communicate. So we simply break into prayer all together. Before we know it she is falling in our arms and we are on the ground praying healing and blessing and comfort over this women. That is when we find out that she is all along and was crying out to God for someone to love her. She is pregnant, along and scared. She believes in GOD but yesterday she needed to see him. That is why 5 World Racers ended up there - all to answer the prayer of this lonely child of God.
I know that God answers prayers, I know that he uses other people to be the answer to my prayers, but I have never been so sure in all my life that I was an answer to a prayer as I was while holding this women in my arms.
I am quickly discovering that opening up my life to the will of God WILL lead me to places that I could have never imagined on my own.
"I called, you answered, and you came to my rescue and I just want to be where you are."
The World Race is an adventure of a life time. I love being a WORLD RACER, it's a role that I proudly wear on my sleeve, but I've come to the point in the race where I want more. We have met some incredible people, loved on babies, and fed the hungry all around the world. But I have come to this point in the journey where I need more, I need to be pushed harder, to be forced to dig deeper into relationships, and given the chance to share the words God is giving me to share.
So for the month of March, 5 of us (Casey B, Heather T, Jenny D, Julie L, and myself) will be given the opportunity to do what we call Luke 10 or ATL'ing. For the first 9 month, we have been blessed to have contacts set up and waiting for us when we arrived in a country. This time, we are asking God to navigate for us. We have hopes and goals and dreams, but NO PLANS. Each day can be a whole new adventure.
We will set out on Thursday morning for Managua, Nicaragua. On this first leg of the journey we are headed for a horse farm, to stay with a couple ministering to the people of Nica and a visit to the city dump. We as a team will do our best to keep our readers captivated as we listen to the voice of God.
Words of Wisdom from God to me as I prepared for this journey:
"My Son & Daughter, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion, they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down you will not be afraid, When you lie down your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared." Proverbs 3
In a small coastal village along the Caribbean shore of Nicaragua, our work crew is beginning an "Extreme Makeover Village Edition", that Ty would be proud of. We are no longer in Detroit, so Al Borland exchange your flannel shirt for your
World Race T-shirt and sunscreen.
For the next three weeks, World Racers will be
Bob and Wendy on the work site.
Move over Rollie, here we come. Last September, Hurricane Felix whipped through this peaceful village splitting trees and flattening houses.
Through the support of US AID, and a crew of workers from the Verbo Church in Puerto Calbeza, residents in Betania will be trading spaces from their old, hurricane torn houses into a new home build with the heart of a creator.
"This Old House"
lost its roof in the storm, but the family continues to live there until the construction is complete on their brand new home.
It is a dream come true to be able to bless these families not just with a new space to live, but with the knowledge that the Creator of the Universe is providing for all of their needs.
I have "Lofty" expectations to see many homes completed in our time here. In fact it makes me "Dizzy" to think about how much we can accomplish for this small community in such a short time. Please keep an eye out for the "Scoop" on the different families in this community.
Posted in Picture Blogs
by Beth Schroeder
on 1/29/2008
On Sunday, Brooke & her gang of world racers, hosted a block party in our neighborhood. The Children's Home welcomed over 300 children and some of their parents for carnival games, face painting, balloon animals, a puppet show, a drime and so much more.
We are discovering that when you give God an opportunity to work, he will. We opened ourselves up for him to capture this community, and in our time here we have seen him do just that.
Posted in Ministries
by Beth Schroeder
on 1/24/2008
As I journey throughout the world, I am learning more about what the Church really looks like. For much of my life I struggled with the idea of church really being about the building and the meetings that took place there. But this year - this experience - has destroyed that image to reveal a whole new view of God's people.
In the Philippines, on the island of Luzon, just outside the capitol city of Manila is a community of followers who are mastering the art of living. A ministry called Kids International Ministry has set up a base to care for orphans.
There is a beautiful Children's home that any child would be blessed to grow up in, but it is not just the physical building, but its people who live and work there as well. The place is crawling with men and women from all over the world loving these children. They are people who have made Manila home, and are pouring their lives out to in this neighborhood.
In addition to the children's home, there is a community center that is home to an elementary school, a church, a dental clinic and a community chicken project. The church in this neighborhood is striving to meet the needs of the people from every angle. Yes, they are sharing the message of Jesus Christ, but it is not just through a Sunday morning sermon, instead, the pastor a Filipino, has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 20 years. He sees to it that the children have a good education at the school, mothers are asked to come and help prepare lunch for all the school children and themselves to provide a good meal each day. The dental clinic on site and medical clinic just minuets away are helping to bring health and healing.
Since we have been here, 200 chickens were purchased to start a business raising chickens for food and income. Other similar ideas are in the works to help this poverty stricken community meet their daily needs.
But that is the greatest part of the whole thing; it's not just about giving people food, or sharing the gospel message or even ending poverty. It is about being the Church of God in this place. It is about reaching out to our neighbors with the love that is overflowing from our lives, watching them be filled with God and then living this abundant life together. I have seen that community - the Body of Christ - here in this place.
I have been hearing stories of mighty warriors battling for the truth of Christ in their country; men and women alike that have heard the message of Jesus Christ and will not allow it to be kept quite. Recently I was able to meet a handful of these warriors.
While in China, I had hopes of visiting what I had always called the Underground Church: A group of people who live their life for Jesus Christ. My dream became a reality one Thursday night in this far off land.
It was a powerful experience, and little did I know that God had big plans for this chance meeting. Sitting in an apartment high above the city, strangers began pouring into our small and basic meeting space. As we mingled together, learning names, and struggling with the language barriers, a peace came over me and I knew that it was going to be a good night.
Meeting sisters and brothers from China was a dream come true. I felt honored to be in their presence and to be welcomed into their community. But a crazy thing began to happen; their reaction to us was the same. By the end of the evening we were all sitting around the living room as one family praying for strength, courage and the will of God to be seen in our lives.
These men and women know and love God. Their focus is not on the limitations placed upon them nor are they fearful of the consequences to their actions. Instead they see a country and world in desperate need of the message of Jesus Christ, and they are filled with a passion to bring people to Jesus.
People are turning to God everyday. The request for bibles is around 10,000 copies EVERYDAY. The nation is hungry for the truth. They are hungry for the abundant life that can only come from God. The Church of China is on fire, and the power of God is moving through them. Please pray for our family in China. Pray for their faithfulness to Christ, for their hunger to know more of God and their lives to reflect their maker.
Thank you to the mighty warriors of the Kingdom of God for teaching me about faithfulness and obedience!
I was sitting on the beach this morning spending time with Jesus. I was talking about my family, memories of Christmas past, and the emotions I felt about not being in my parent's living room this Christmas. I asked God to fill them with memories that will not make them miss me or filled with loneliness, but instead fill them with thoughts of joy for all the wonderful memories we have shared. I asked for their remembrance to be joyful. Then it hit me. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, "Take and eat… Take and drink… in remembrance of Me." He did not say to mourn because he is not at our dinning table. Instead, we are to rejoice in the memories of Him with us and in what He has done with His life. In that rejoicing we are to truly remember Him and be thankful for the time spent together. We celebrate because we have been blessed with memories, because we know HIM.
Jesus is alive and in our lives. We can drink to that. So on this Christmas morning - eat, drink, and be merry because a new born king is born. My family should celebrate because I am apart of their lives'. That alone is worth celebrating, even in my absence. In addition to celebrating Jesus' life, celebrate the memories you have together, love being given, and life being shared.
So today as your remember the birth of our King of Kings in a humble barn outside of Bethlehem, thank Him for all of the memories you have with the loved one's that are not physically present at your Christmas celebrations.
"Extreme Makeover Village Edition", that 
Ty would be proud of. We are no longer in Detroit, so 
Al Borland exchange your flannel shirt fo
r your 
Bob and Wendy on the work site. 
Rollie, here we come. Last September, Hurricane Felix whipped through this peaceful village splitting trees and flattening houses. 
trading spaces from their old, hurricane torn houses into a new home build with the heart of a creator. 
"Lofty" expectations to see many homes completed in our time here. In fact it makes me 
"Dizzy" to think about how much we can accomplish for this small community in such a short time. Please keep an eye out for the 
"Scoop" on the different families in this community.
In addition to the children's home, there is a community center that is home to an elementary school, a church, a dental clinic and a community chicken project. The church in this neighborhood is striving to meet the needs of the people from every angle. Yes, they are sharing the message of Jesus Christ, but it is not just through a Sunday morning sermon, instead, the pastor a Filipino, has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 20 years. He sees to it that the children have a good education at the school, mothers are asked to come and help prepare lunch for all the school children and themselves to provide a good meal each day. The dental clinic on site and medical clinic just minuets away are helping to bring health and healing. 
