4 Cruces: Disaster?

Pray for our missionaries in Costa Rica...

 

Well, we're the closest we've been to being in the middle of a third world disaster since we moved down here. The weather is totally crazy and everything we own is wet and moldy. It started raining last Tuesday and hasn't stopped yet (http://www.amcostarica.com/morenews2.htm). Today was day number seven and we are supposed to be getting hit by another system starting tomorrow. Normally, this is fairly normal for this time of year but the duration and the extent of the rainfal are not normal. One of the bridges leading out of Puerto Viejo washed out and we are now effectively cut off from the rest of the country unless walking is an option. The roads are also out between Puerto and Limon and again between Limon and San Jose and we almost lost the bridge that links our neighborhood to the rest of the area. We don't have any idea how long it may take to get everything reconnected and reconstructed but it won't be tomorrow. We need to make sure we have cash on hand and we need to stock up on groceries as well. It could be a while before we get anything more than staples. We'll see (not to set off the alarm too early).

As for our house, we have lost over a week of construction and the house we are renting is soaked. Rain has been blowing in from every direction for a week now. We have put up a couple of tarps to keep it out and it is helping a bit but it isn't a perfect system. Maili is sleeping on the futon on our deck as it is slightly more dry than her room. Makena's room is the driest in the house so she is fine. Many people have been flooded out of their homes and are in worse situations than we are. A little mold and mildew aren't too bad when you consider what some families are putting up with. Please pray for everyone down here. We are not in any danger, but we could sure use a few dry days. We could also run into some food and fuel shortages very soon. This is definitely the worst weather we have experienced in our time here and we are ready for it to end. Also, please forgive us if it takes some extra time to return emails. We have also been without internet access for the past week. We'll keep you updated.

4 Cruces: Disaster?

Cruce Missionary Page

Escaping the Devil's Bedroom: Christmas shop online & take action against sex trafficking

This Christmas, shop smart online and get beautiful gifts for your friend and family all while helping women who are sexually exploited. Many ministries teach women handicraft skills that are both a part of their healing process and give them a viable means of earning an income. You can peruse stunning jewelry pieces, fun tote bags, and handstitched blankets made by women rescued from sex trafficking and prostitution. In many cases, nearly 100% of the proceeds goes to help the women restore their lives. Many of my friends will be receiving earrings, scarves and tea from fantastic ministries this Christmas.

Check out these great sites:

www.shopinlight.com- handspun silk handbags and accessories from Cambodia
www.freesetbags.com- eco-friendly tote and gift bags
www.saribari.com- beautiful handmade blankets made from vintage sari products
www.punjammies.com - Fun pajama tops and bottoms from gorgeous Indian fabric
Have fun shopping!

Escaping the Devil's Bedroom: Christmas shop online & take action against sex trafficking

China black lists American for Bible smuggling

 

This story comes from our greatest trading partner: China.

USA (MNN) ― "I've been blacklisted from China. I'm not allowed to go back into China," says the founder and president of Vision Beyond Borders Patrick Klein.

During the Summer Olympics, Klein and three others were trying to take 300 Bibles into China. They were detained at the airport and told it was against the law to bring so many Bibles into the country. After negotiations the team left the airport. Upon leaving the country, the Bibles were returned.

Klein says, "It just amazes me that I've been blacklisted just because I brought Bibles into the country. For a country that says they have freedom of religion, that is not freedom of religion."

Vision Beyond Borders isn't stopping their outreach to China. Klein says the need is still great, despite reports Bibles are being printed in great numbers. Klein says the reports are only half true. "Everybody's going to China to print Bibles because it's so much cheaper -- labor costs and production costs. So people are printing a lot of Bibles inside China. And China is giving the impression to the world that they're printing tons and tons of Bibles, but they're not for mainland China."

Klein says, "From our sources, everything we're hearing, they cannot get Bibles. Last I saw, there's a 20-year wait. In the cities, there's a great need, but there's an even great need in the villages, and people are not able to get them in the villages at all. Some are available in the cities, but not in the quantity that they need."

While Vision Beyond Borders just sent a team into China to take more Bibles. However, Klein says, "I'm praying now, 'Lord, where do I go next?' It's been on my heart to get more involved in the Islamic world and start providing more Bibles to Muslim countries to reach people there."

While he's disappointed that he's been blacklisted from China, Klein says, "I'm hoping through this that more of the church will get involved. If all of us are reaching out to help China to pray for China, [and] if we can go and help carry Bibles, it will help meet our brothers and sisters needs in a tremendous way."

For more information about helping Vision Beyond Border get Bibles into China, click here.

Mission Network News

4 Cruces: Firsts...

We've had an interesting couple of days here... Last night, there was a 6.2 earthquake across the border in Panama. We were woken up just after midnight last night with the entire house rolling and shaking. As groggy as I was, it was a surreal experience. Maili (if she had been awake) would have felt like she was in the crow's nest of a sailing ship. Her bedroom is in the very top of the house, about 20 feet off the ground, level with the canopies of the surrounding trees. This was the first real earthquake we have experienced here and it was something else. Back in 1992, a huge quake hit the area cutting Puerto Viejo off from the nearest city (Limon) for around two months. Food, etc... had to be brought in by boat. When I think about these kinds of things, I realize that we're only a step away from being in the middle of a third world disaster. That's when I have to remember that we are in God's hands. Definitely exciting.

It rained hard all night and has been raining non-stop today. The rivers and creeks are full and we have a small river running across the yard of our house. Now that we are living back in the hills, transportation is an issue and we have been without our quad for three weeks now which has made life a little more challenging. Getting Makena to school, taking care of other errands and simply getting back and forth from the skatepark come with a whole new level of difficulty. I can't wait to get the quad back because biking to work several miles in heavy rain on a single speed bicycle, up and down hills, is not the easiest thing in the world. It's not the worst either, but I'll be glad to have my transport back. Life here in the jungle comes with a whole new set of challenges and some days simply consist of taking care of things just so that we can continue to be here.

Later this afternoon I'll be opening the skate park if the rain lets up a little. The entire park is covered but when a big storm like this blows in, the rain gets on everything and skating can get a little dangerous. We'll see how it goes but I'm not holding out too much hope since squalls keep blowing through. The rain is also putting a damper on the house construction. They are a little behind on getting the roof finished and can't really work up that high when things are so wet. Hopefully, they will get it done during the next dry spell and then can work every day un-impeded by the wetness. They're supposed to be done by the middle of next month and we're wondering how they'll make it. Another day in our lives... At least I didn't get peed on by the bat again.

4 Cruces: Firsts...

Cruce Missionary Page

4 Cruces: Happenings

This is a great post from Barret Cruce down in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Barrett gives us a great snap shot into what it takes to live and do ministry on the field and in the jungle.

Ever been woken up in the middle of the night because a bat peed on you? If not, well I've got one up on you. A few weeks back, we heard our nightly visitor fly into our bedroom. All of a sudden, I felt a spray of liquid on my legs. I told Amy, "I think that bat just peed on me." She wasn't impressed and immediately went back to sleep. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided there was no alternative but to roll over and go back to sleep as well. What are you going to do at 2:00 in the morning? Just another one of the unique experiences we've had here in the jungle.
I'm in San Jose right now. I met with the builder this morning to purchase such necessary items as toilets, sinks, door knobs, etc... for the house. We are getting closer and should have the roof in place by the end of next week. He tells me that we're only a month away from being done and although they are working fast, I have a hard time believing it. We'll see. We're hoping to be in by Christmas. Also, our water problems may be solved soon. Rather than trying to come up with another $10,000 dollars to drill a deep well to the aquifer, we are going green. We have decided to begin harvesting our rain-water by installing a system of large storage tanks and a filtration system. With Whit's help, I calculated that we can capture enough water from our roof alone to satisfy the majority of our needs for the year. We'll still have to watch it during the dry periods but with our surface well for back-up, we should be in pretty good shape. Just don't plan to visit us in September or October or you may find out what it means to "fetch the water".

Here's a recent picture of the house.
It is amazing to me sometimes how much time and energy you can expend here just trying to live. Some times we spend a good part of our week just taking care of things that enable us to continue with life. Add to that the homeschooling, ministry and construction and life is full.
Speaking of "ministry"... everyone seems to be enjoying Romans. What a great letter. We are well into chapter 2 right now and will continue on next week.

Since I am stuck in San Jose right now, Amy, a very brave, talented and flexible woman, is leading house church. She is leading a discussion and prayer evening which should be a great time for everyone. We lost a few people earlier in the year as they made decisions which took them out of fellowship. It was pretty discouraging but as we've been faithful to keep meeting, teaching and caring for each other, the group that remained has gone deeper. Several that were coming previously have even returned. That has been encouraging.

A typical "service" looks like this: most everyone begins showing up between 5 and 6pm. We share a meal each week and many times the guys bring lobster and fish that they have caught right offshore on the local reefs. We start cleaning and cooking and end up eating between 6:30 and 7:00. Then, we fill up our coffee mugs and open the study in prayer and worship. After 5-6 songs, we begin the bible study and end with discussion and prayer. Afterwards, everyone pitches in to clean up and hang out a little more. What I love about this is that it is so all-encompassing. It isn't just showing up for an hour and then rushing off to the next thing...our service lasts for 3-4 hours.

People are really connecting and are enjoying spending time together. It makes me think that this must be similar to what it was like in the early church. A cool thing to think about as we work our way through Romans.

4 Cruces: Happenings

Cruce Missionary Page

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Robin & Tracy Shelley: Nala, Nala, Nala

Here are some cool pictures of the new baby...

Robin & Tracy Shelley: Nala, Nala, Nala

Calvary Chapel Sokol, Moscow: God's word will be preached to the ends of the earth

This is a pretty amazing post that I put up over on the Shepherd's Staff Blog. Dean Malispina is a Shepherd's Staff Missionary over in Russia. He posted this on his blog over in Moscow and I just re-posted on our ministry blog.

Cool stuff...

Geno, whom many of you know is the leader of a fellowship in the prison in the Arc Angel region in far north Russia. We recently sent Geno an MP3 player and Pastor Chucks MP3 teaching on the New Testament translated in Russian. Geno asked if we would pray to see if the teachings could be aired on the prison radio station inside the prison that reaches about 800 inmates.

Well in less than 2 weeks later Pastor Chucks Bible teaching were being aired 3 times a week. It caused quite a stir with the Moslem and the Hare Krishna’s wanting equal time. Geno said that several guys were trying to sabotage the speakers in the prison yard. Please pray for the teaching to be aired 3 times if not more a week. It is a real miracle that the teaching are being played.

Also the fellowship received a new brother in Christ, Mikale ( in the middle) Cergey on the right shared with Mikale who is from the same city Cergey is from. Geno on the left.

Calvary Chapel Sokol, Moscow: God's word will be preached to the ends of the earth

Malispina Missionary Page

OneApp Looking for Trial Churches | Mission Leader

by Mark Morris on November 8, 2008

OneApp.net is a new online resource for local and global ministry. For a full description see Preview of OneApp.

A number of Great Commission applications are coming together for the kingdom in one place and the developers are looking for a few missional churches who are willing to use these powerful tools and help make it even better for the churches that follow.

Churches who are selected for the beta program will benefit by expanding/extending their volunteer mobilization efforts and enhancing how their people are equipped for local and global missions. Online training offers your church members an opportunity to learn before leaving, keeping their time in the field focused on their project objectives as much as possible. Mission management tools are a blessing to mission staff and and team leaders who manage multiple local and global volunteer teams annually.

The OneApp development team is also looking for international partners to add to the growing field-enhanced database on global ministries.

If you think your church might be in a position to commit time and energy into being one of the first to utilize this powerful tool, please complete the following online survey.

To remain informed about OnApp’s development, register your email at OneApp.net.

For more information contact the development team by email at  idea@eFurther.com

OneApp is powered by eFurther.com, an independent not-for-profit software platform designed to get the job done.

OneApp Looking for Trial Churches | Mission Leader

Samaritan's Purse | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Emergency Relief | Crisis in the Congo

Fierce battles between the Congolese Armed Forces and rebel troops commanded by Laurent Nkunda are adding new fuel to a 10-year struggle that has claimed more than five million lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, creating a crisis for people seeking food, clean water, and medical aid.

Samaritan’s Purse flew a DC-3 cargo plane packed with food, medical supplies, blankets, and emergency shelter materials into the city of Goma today. A four-man emergency response team is networking with local officials, church leaders, and medical personnel to help rush aid to the neediest victims.
A second shipment of supplies from Samaritan’s Purse is scheduled to arrive in Goma on Friday, with additional flights and personnel to follow next week.

The growing conflict has displaced more than 1 million people in the North Kivu province and driven thousands across borders into Uganda and Rwanda. As many as 50,000 people have sought refuge in and around Goma.
An 800-man UN peacekeeping force is holding the Goma airport. Rebel troops are poised on the outskirts of the city while tense international negotiations are underway.

Nkunda sent a message to the United Nations, offering to allow “humanitarian organizations access to those in need who are behind our lines.”

Samaritan’s Purse will concentrate its current efforts in Goma.

In a separate operation in mid October, Samaritan’s Purse sent two planeloads of blankets and cooking utensils to refugees in Dungu, a town about 400 miles north of Goma, near the border of Sudan.

That region is under attack from a rebel force from Uganda called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA was established in 1987 by Joseph Kony to overthrow the government of Uganda.

LRA troops regularly invade towns and villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Uganda, killing civilians and plundering their homes.

The LRA attacked Dungu soon after Samaritan’s Purse delivered aid to the town, putting plans for any future airlifts in the region on hold.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

PRAY:

Please pray for the people affected by the fighting. Pray that our relief supplies will reach those most in need of aid, and for safety for our teams as they work. Please pray for peace for this war-torn land.

GIVE:

To support our work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, please visit our donation page.

Samaritan's Purse | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Emergency Relief | Crisis in the Congo