Ruminant Covenant - Work
20 October 1999
I knew Friday how I wanted to lead this week's article, but I was
anticipating to see if God would provide circumstances that would make this
more meaningful.
As I walked into the service center before 8 AM Monday morning, the man
behind the service desk was talking to someone on the telephone. He talked and
talked, eventually he interrupted his conversation to say, "I'll be right
with you." He then continued to talk for some many more minutes. Finally
he hung up the phone and said, "Looks like you've got a dead one
there!"
From personal tragedies, to natural disasters, to the trivial, the
resurrection power of the risen Christ gives his ruminant covenant people the
ability to look at the "dead one there " and not be consumed. Those
outside of His chosen do not have that ability, nor that hope. How blessed we
are to be allowed to live, to suffer and to witness for His choice of us to be
his sheep.
The trivial experience from Monday morning concerned an air compressor, dead
while only a few months old. Hardly used at all, just about the most trivial
form of death I could think of. So when it happened early Friday afternoon, I
realized that this could be a God given opportunity to illustrate some kind of
significant point and perhaps smile or chuckle at really how mundane we can be
sometimes. The compressor is under warranty, so I was told that it will be
resurrected by the end of the week at no charge to be. I imagine that the
problem is the pressure switch. The switch that turns it on when the pressure
gets too low and shuts it off when the pressure is just right.
The thought for rumination this week is in your work, what ever that may be,
how is your pressure switch working. If it is not working properly, you have
only yourself to blame. On the cross two thousand years ago, the warranty was
signed and sealed in the blood of the Son of God, and the Son of man, Jesus
Christ. It is through him alone we have been given the function of useful
(temporal and eternal) life and work. This is well beyond what is generally
considered holiness. You know, "I don't smoke and I don't chew etc., ad
legalism!" Those types of actions are really within your realm of vision
and control. What I am talking about is how do you react when you can not see
to take another step, but you know that you need to step out in a specific
direction anyway. Not in arrogant presumption or blind faith, but in the
obedient faith that comes only from daily communion with God through his
written Word and through prayer. Within that communication comes, your reason
for living and working, because his warranty deed makes your body and mind
function properly, no matter the circumstance. It is through Him alone that
your pressure switch can be set to operate in all outcomes and situations, but
also remember that if for some reason it does not function properly, that
healing comes from the same source. It is the love of God that surpasses all
understanding, rest on Him. This may begin with the desire or willingness to what
has become popular to "walk with God" but must not remain there, but
to grow into the more Biblical concept of Immanuel "God with us."
This week I am again going to turn most of this letter over to another
Christian friend Kris Repp, who is working in Central America, in the area
devastatedby Hurricane Mitch. Now after much of the disaster relief is gone,
the real work begins. Building on the ruins of this devastation, the true
church has the opportunity to visually show the power of the risen Christ into
workers, He is preparing and has prepared for this type of work.
When I started this ruminant covenantal series the eastern third of North
Carolina was under water from Hurricane Floyd. Two months and two hurricanes
later, little has changed. Since that beginning were also the earthquakes in
Turkey, Greece, Taiwan, Mexico and the California desert that if it had been
100 miles east or west, would have been comparable to these others. There was a
significant nuclear incident in Japan and unprecedented floods in Mexico. These
are just the high points I can remember. The opportunity for the church to make
a difference in these situations, through genuine servanthood and stewardship
is beyond comprehension. We can continue to bury our heads in the sand of this
worldly system, so to speak, until that sand is swept or shaken away, or we can
begin to focus upon the needs, to spread the Good News of the Resurrection
power of Jesus Christ that allows us to live and work in His might. Kris is an
example of that life. That is also what this whole Chronicles of the SS
Diversity is all about.
PRAYER PLANTS
The physical work of the last few weeks is beginning to affect its toll. I
am genuinely, physically tired and some aches and pains of this body are
manifested. Not only did the compressor die, some of my other tools and
equipment have also died, I think the whining reported in the truck last week
is somewhere in the transmission. They all have served me well, but perhaps
this is just one of God's hidden ways of providing a change of direction. Which
is my hope and prayer. I will be ordering some software (the trial version
died) so that I will be able to upload more material to the web site and to
finish the initial site work as well as begin a store front for some new and
used books, ruminant adaptability stuff and general provisions. That whole
endeavor will require morethan likely an new computer, a digital camera of some
type and some other software upgrades.
As soon as possible there will be an update on the Nepal 2000 letter posted
under St. Paul's Mission on the meyersfalls.com web site, along with the
original that appeared last week, or perhaps you can subscribe yourself and
pray for this work. This letter from Kris will also be there and will include a
picture of locals, getting new shoes. If your ministry would like to be part of
that St. Paul's mission link please let me know and we will see if something
can be arranged.
Now as Paul said to the Thessalonians at the end of his second epistle, "Now may the Lord of peace Himself Give you peace
always in every way. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
WITH THIS NEWSLETTER, I SEND YOU MY PRAYERS AND
BLESSINGS, DROP ME A LINE IF YOU GET THE CHANCE... KRIS
WHEN JESUS WAS CONFRONTED WITH THE TASK OF
FEEDING 5000 MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES, HE TURNED TO HIS FOLLOWERS AND ASKED THEM,
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE?" THEY HAD 5 LOAVES OF BREAD AND 2 FISH. HE TOOK
THIS, MULTIPLIED IT, FED THE CROWD, AND HAD THEM GATHER WHAT WAS LEFTOVER, 12
BASKETFULS. (FROM Matthew 14:15-21)
Fall 1999
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING THIS PAST YEAR? I
am excited to share some of the most touching moments from my experiences. Your
support in prayer and finances has been multiplied and done miraculous things!
JAN/FEB The village of Chuchuca is tucked
away in the mountains of Guatemala. During our 1 week outreach, we passed out
donated shoes to the villagers. Fitting them was an ordeal. Their calloused
short feet were so wide from years of walking barefoot (or in tattered shoes)
that we were hard-pressed to find a pair of ours that fit. When we did, it was
a moment to cherish. One elderly woman received a pair of polka-dot tennies and
just laughed with us as we stared down at her 'happy feet.' We held a day of
medical/dental clinic while the rest of the team finished the church building.
I am always touched at the toothless smiles I receive in response to my
extracting a rotten tooth. My patients are very happy customers.
FEB/MAR I received thousands of dollars
of support for the victims of hurricane Mitch in Honduras. When I returned and
spent 6 weeks there, I purchased Bibles, food, furniture, medical supplies, and
housing materials. Matilde, who watched her husband drown promised God to read
her Bible and follow Him if He would spare her life. He did but her Bible was
lost in the flood along with all of her other material possessions. I bought
her a Bible and gave it to her. Since then, she has received food, clothes and
furniture, as well as a new home for her and her children. Her hugs are tight,
her tears genuine... She has been richly blessed through our help. 2 Puerto
Rican medical teams came while I was there and I participated in each of their
outreaches. Their Spanish is a real test...very different from Central American
Spanish!
MAR I went back to Guatemala to work in
the Highlands with a team from Church of the Hills (Austin, Texas) that
presented the Gospel in testimonies, videos, and children's ministry. The kids
at the Christian school in Nebaj made little paper American flags to greet us
and wave at us as we arrived. They were so proud of the presentation THEY had
prepared for US. It was really moving. Later in the month, a team from
Cornerstone Christian Church (Alabama) came to do a ministry in the villages
further out in the mountains. One day we presented our finger puppet show from
an open window in the village muni building. It was the perfect stage for our
Bible story. Little people the size of fingers appeared out of nowhere and the kids
were spellbound. Then I sang my 'Jonah' song. I made all kinds of faces and
noises that amazed the kids so much they wanted to hear the song over and over
and over!
APR/MAY This 6 week visit to Honduras was
an incredible test of my faith and endurance. I was totally surprised by the
results of a 6 week post traumatic stress debriefing session I offered. I knew
that the trauma suffered by Mitch was something that needed attention,
emotionally and spiritually. I had really felt I was to conduct a group and
hadn't a clue how to do it. Then, a team of psychologists from Moody Bible
College arrived and gave a one day seminar on this very subject. That's
right...in Choluteca, Honduras! After gleaning the information from them and
praying, I felt I could step out in faith and do it...and WOW! I provided a
listening ear and lots of Kleenex as we grew in numbers each week. I had to
finally turn people away. During the last class I was presented with a wooden
plaque the members had made for me by burning each of their names into the
wood. I felt like I had grown and been touched in a significant way by the
courage of each person in this group.
One day, during this same visit, the pastor and his wife came to tell me
about a piece of property available for purchase in the middle of town with 3
existing houses. They informed me that we would have to buy the land that same
day if we wanted it, and, miraculously enough, we did! Anybody familiar with
the system in Central America understands that this, indeed, was a miracle of
God. The houses have been remodelled and provide homes for 3 single moms and
their kids (including Matilde). We plan to build 2 more houses on the remaining
space. Some of the greatest testing came in trying to get the materials bought
and work done. I felt like we were chasing all the ox carts in town around
getting supplies delivered. Hours, days and weeks of waiting finally paid off.
JUNE A team of Intervarsity students
(from all over the US) came for a 2 week outreach in the mountain villages of
Guatemala. We paired off and spent 3 days in the huts of separate Mayan
families. When time came for us to leave, Tomas (in whose hut I ate, slept and
lived), bade us goodbye with tears of appreciation in his eyes for what WE had
done for HIM. One day when I was holding an outdoor children's program, the
threatening clouds kept appearing in the sky and each time, I would pray,
"Lord, hold back the rain if you want us to continue our program for these
(60) children." The sun won out...and the SON touched the hearts of two
young boys who made a confession of faith in front of the group of kids. About
15 minutes after we finished the program, the worst wind and rain storm I have
ever experienced in those mountains struck!
JULY Cory (my son) and I returned to
Honduras for a week of catching up with progress on the existing projects. I
was really encouraged to see that they were moving ahead in spite of my
absence. The Lord has really blessed me through pastor Vicente of Vida
Abundante Church and his wife Janeth, who are trustworthy and dependable. They
share the same vision as I for the work the Lord is doing in and around
Choluteca. Janeth recently emailed and wrote, "Kristy, to work (on our
housing projects) is not easy. The sun is scorching since there are no shade
trees. It is parched. The trucks and tractors get stuck... There is no water to
work with. You have to pay to bring the water in & have a plastic bubble
(to store the water) and a place to put it where the truck can enter that is
bringing the water. So many things that I would wear myself out telling you but
I am excited to be able to help in the work of Jesus Christ! Well I don't want
to tire you but I like to speak to you because you understand me."
AUG Cory and I made a bus trip to Mexico
to visit missionary friends in two locations. In Pie de La Cuesta, we joined a
team from Jacksonville, Florida to do children's ministry in a couple of poor
neighborhoods. The highlight of this time for me was watching Cory interact
with the kids. A little boy named 'Jesus' stuck by his side the whole time.
Cory is a natural when it comes to working and playing with the children.
FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE WILL BE YOUR
HEART ALSO. Matthew 6:21
You can rejoice with me in all the Lord has done through US this past year
and I know He has big plans for the future. I look forward to all we can do
together as a team for His glory and in His love, KRIS