time to think

As I sat here tonight thinking about life and what we are experiencing here in Mexico I am beginning to see a face of God emerge that is totally different than anything that I have ever seen, thought, focused my attention on, or even dreamed about. I was always raised to see the importance of the things around me, and to make sure and provide for my family, and do all that I can do to make sure that they have enough. Then I was confronted with something totally out of this world. God began by showing us the things that are truely important; family, friends, accountability, and most of all Him. This is nothing new to me, or really any of us. Then I was confronted with the idea of having to do without. This idea I have been thinking about recently and pondering while we have been living here. What would happen if the financial markets fell out, what would happen if our country imploded, what would become of Mexico, and what would become of us living here. There is so much to do, so many to disciple, so many to help! This is what was so different for me to sit and ponder. I was not worrying, just talking to God about it as I contemplated what we would do, how we would live and etc. This quickly became the main topic of my prayers. I wanted God to show me what He though about this, then graciously gave me my answer, by the people around me, what living without is like. We have to admit that while mandy and I live in what is considered a third world country, we still have the availability to the USA if need be, and living in Mexico City we still have a WalMart, and Sears. This is no shocking revelation, or new news, but then God let me spend some time with people that literally have nothing. Let me tell you a little about this.
We were able to go help out a place that has people that literally have nothing. Kids coming up without shoes, with old clothes, but with big smiles on there faces. They have nothing earthly that we as productive citazens of society strive after, but they have Jesus. I was astounded at the idea of this, so I began asking questions. What I found out was that these kids do not actually live in the cities. They are native kids from mountain villages where they live like they have for hundreds or maybe thousands of years. I began asking them how things were going in the little villages where they lived and they began telling me stories that are incredable. I later began asking the adults in charge about the stories that they told me, and here is what the adults told me. Jesus is alive and real. He hasn't forgot about the people that the rest of the world has forgotten about. Jesus has been showing himself to the people in the rural villages, and they are getting saved, day after day, more and more people turning from there demon worship after a divine visitation from God. Jesus has been meeting kids in there bedrooms, in dreams, sometime actually there standing in front of them, while they are out in the woods, Jesus is coming and meeting them. Or sometime He calls them to a place where He is there waiting for them. One kids felt inside of him that Jesus was there and was running all over looking for Him. He ran all over the village looking for Jesus, because he just knew that Jesus was there. Finally he found Him, or Jesus ound him. Jesus has been telling them about how they are worshipping false Gods and they need to turn and leave that behind and follow Him. These are real occurences, and they are truning to the christians looking for discipleship and training because they are so hungry to know about this guy that they visited with. No just a single case, but many cases. The people that we were helping are now, are going there, to these villages (2 hours driving one way) to share about Jesus with them. One day in a little vilage they decided to hold a meeting to tell just kids about the love of Jesus, and they had over 400 people show up. You need to understand that most of the villages up there are little, and 400 people showed up!!! I was talking to a couple of kids 8 years old, and 10 years old and they kept wanting to talk about the bible so I asked them what they already knew so we could skip that part. They told me about the two parts of the Bible, the new and old testament. Then they told me how many books the bible has, and what they all were called. Then they went on to tell me in what language they were originally written in, and who wrote them, and they they started telling me, from memory, different verses of the Bible!!! Here is what I found most amazing of all, they didnt help each other, they had it memorized, both of them!!! These kids 8 years old, and 10 years old knew more about the Bible than me and most Bible teachers that I know. I asked myself how is this possible????? And I was shown the answer a little later in the night. Later that evening I was talking to a man that has dedicated his life to doing what we are now involved in, and he told me that he makes it a priority to spend atleat 3 days a week teaching these kids the Bible. They are so hungry to hear about Jesus they are taking parts of the Bible and memorizing it. They know that that face of Jesus is found on the pages of this incredable book, and that through Him and His Holy word they will find life, and life more abundantly.
As I have been praying about my life and how I can make the most impact what I am still alivem and what is truely important, God has been revealing that it is not about what we have and dont have that makes us who we are, it is Him who gives us our identity. Then finally, when I think that He felt I was ready, He showed me how much of an absolutely impossible task it is to actually think that I can provide anything for my family. According to the words of God, "My words will not return to me void, I make things happen that I want to happen, and I make them do things that I want to do". This I memorized years ago but the significance of it hit me like a Japanese gong. If God wants to give me a cattle on a thousand hills, and a house worth 10 million dollars, then He is going to do it, and there is NOTHING that WE can do for it, or against it. The same is true for the opposite, if God wants to withhold the things in life that make us "blessed" as we call it, He will do just that. We absolutely cannot sway the desires of God one little bit. What God wants, He gets, and that is that! These kids have shown me what a true blessing life is. When they dont have boots, or even shoes, to cover there feet in the winter snow, they are smiling. When they are wearing a t-shirt and it is only 20 deg. outside, they are still smiling. And when we pulled up in a vehicle full of cloths, and shoes, and other things, there was no pushing, pulling, fighting, crying, or anything, they just respectfully accepted what we gave, thanked us and then thanked God.

As I stood there in a dirty field, with sweat dripping off my foreheard, listening to the sound of worship music playing in the background in the church, watching my kids playing soccer in an open field with all the local kids, and watching the joy on the faces of the moms and dads, uncles, and brothers, daughters, and counsins. Listening to sounds of laughter and people swapping cloths for a size a little closer to something that they might wear, I thanked God for the amazing amount of Joy, Love, Peace, Goodness, Giving, and Life that He pours out on the people that He loves.
There is a song here that we sing in spanish that says, "Thank you, thank you for everything, for your love, for your salvation, and for the cross" These are the words that are now resounding through my body as I walk the streets of this city, and as I put my hands to the work that we are doing here. I have a new, revived energy to get the most out of every day, and every minute of every day to make sure that Jesus is made famous throughout my little part of the word that He has given me. No compramise, No change, No backing down.