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              Hey friends and my excellent family (including those crazy ones in Maine), how is your day so far? Is there anything huge in your life that is going on right now? Remember to make all decisions out of prayer because being in God’s will is such a beautiful thing, and I use that word with the knowledge that combucularschmigm and barfugal are much better words. It is wild that I have run into so many people who are seeking a purpose in life-and it is not an anomaly that all of these people are not Christians. Everyone in the whole world was created to serve God and not chase after material things but so often we do and gain satisfaction in the moment but how true is it that this satisfaction is momentary. It is such a joy to tell beggars who ask for temporary relief that I have food that lasts a lifetime and because I believe in Jesus, I want to give you the food that I love to feed on. These words, however, can have a lasting effect if they are backed up with experiences.

            Over break, I was thankfully able to come back to so many friends and a loving church and a family. God left it up to me to decided whether my progress here was all for not-the words I write about in my blogs and live out in Nicaragua, did they actually carry any weight in my life? Can prayers that I so vigilantly pray for come true in my homeland, where I used to struggle so much to live out my faith in Christianity? I don’t want to single out readers in my blog as far as those that I strove to minister to but it was such a joy to do so and I know that God changed me because each time I was told, “Joe, I am so proud that you are so sure of your faith and you live it out.” I am so thankful that God gave me the wisdom to pray that I would stay strong in my faith and minister to my friends. It was hard, though, and some of my friends didn’t hear my honest account of my beliefs but I am not going to beat myself up over this because I am not one to force my beliefs onto people. Anyway, so I have an aaawesome God story in store for you!

            On Monday our team broke up into “one on one’s” in order to get to know one another better and check in and be real with one another in order to see how things are going. I was paired up with my friend Laura and after walking around for a while we stopped into this café called “Café Mexicano.” Picture a really small café with a mother working at the counter who is the nicest lady and who is so excited to see her first customers in quite a while. In this excellent scenario there were four tables and the menu was comprised of a total of 5 things. We had a great time there and enjoyed this lady’s company-she was like an excited mother making food for her kid on his first date-it was great! Afterwards, we went to a sketchy park, the same place that when Laura and Annie were previously there, a man stared at them with a smile until they got up to leave. We talked about many cool things, including my life and her life and our churches. I wish there were some cool things I could have told her about my Church-ahhh just kidding, I told her about our awesome Sunday school classes are and the great singing/worship we have and the overall loving, friendly atmosphere there is. I have yet to tell her about the manly, “Men’s Bacon Breakfast,” but I will. So, afterwards we did this thing called ATL, ask the Lord, and he directed us to a man in dire need. We went into a hotel to grab something to drink when this man came up to me through God’s will and after the small talk, Patrick from Cincinnati, poured out his life to Laura and I. This man was at the lowest point in his life, coming off getting “played” by his boss who, after a month of working for the millionaire, cast him onto the streets with three total dollars. Patrick has no family, had no one to call on Christmas, and is stuck in Granada. His main problem was that he has had so many problems throughout his life and went through many orphanages, states and homes and was rejected at every place. At 41, he sees no point in life. No PURPOSE. Wow, did God set me and Laura up or what? Over break God planted words of wisdom as to how to answer this question in full and it was like God was speaking to me saying, “Joe, I have prepared this man’s life for this moment and I have prepared your life for this moment, take advantage of what I have taught you in life and show my creation my love.” WOW, so we were able to tell him his purpose and invite him to Church and a men’s Bible study. Though he rejected this along with my prodding for praying for his foot, I told him that Laura and I would be praying for him and that God was going to heal his foot that night. Before, we had embarked to buy him some men’s Gel Deodorant, which I feel every man should have, and some shampoo and soap, but I left my Bible with him and we prayed as we were gone that God would direct him to verses that would speak truth into his life. Well, amazingly enough, his Dad’s middle name was James so he turned there and when Laura and I came back, there was Patrick, reading the Bible, praise God! James speaks a lot about the testing of our faith and the trails that we have in our life-it calls for us to persevere! We went into detail and explained this to him and also that the section “taming of the tongue” had nothing to do with snake charmers or anything wild like that. So, we left him my e-mail and left the Hotel. This week I get this e-mail: —
On Tue, 1/13/09, jay burkhart <[email protected]> wrote:

From: jay burkhart <[email protected]>
Subject: can not find directions
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 10:24 AM

i think that you are the two people i met on Monday here in granada. if this is correct please contact me and let me know where this get togther is and when

thank you for your time

jay

            We met with him today, and through God using Mario, our translator, and his commonality of struggles with sin and going certain weeks with no food, we were able to get through to Patrick! Well, tomorrow Patrick will be attending this “Get Together” as he put it, at church amongst all of my Christian friends from Granada and my team. Now, every person that I have introduced to Patrick so far to that has asked how Patrick is doing, he has replied:

“Well, I’ve been better”

            Please, pray with me that God will CHANGE THIS LINE IN PATRICKS LIFE! That he will say great someday, knowing that he is living out his purpose in life and has a sealed eternity!

            I will keep everyone filled in. So you get a picture of Patrick when you pray for him, he’s 41 with two tattoo sleeves down his arms and he has glasses with a great smile and laugh.

            That has been my ministry choice so far, listen to God’s voice where ever. I have had many visions of ministries and pray that God will bloom each one of them. Firstly, I have had a vision to go into local Barios (communities that are very poor and jammed packed with kids looking for something to do) and start up any game with them they want to play.   I will bring water balloons some days and soccer jerseys other days; only after going door-to-door to talk to all the parents about who we are, Christian Missionaries, and what we are going to be doing. After games, Laura brought a Spanish children’s Bible that is full of pictures and Bible stories so we will read a story to the kids each day and then explain these wonderful stories and what God does with people’s lives. Also, there is a group called Young Life (Vida Jovan), which is a youth group that gets around 40-50 kids each time from Granada, and I will hopefully be working to organize and lead activities much like the “clap game” I taught those of you reading from PCBC. Another ministry I am praying about is one that helps kids around Granada with special needs. This is an amazing program and I am sure I will be writing a blog about it soon. This is where I am at so far with ministries and I am continuing to have visions of where God wants my life, pray that they continue! 

            Well, Psalm 31 is a beautiful chapter, please read it now.  It has many great things in it and I am trying to memorize verses 1-8 and I encourage you to do the same. Mrs. Marshall, know that like Psalm 31 says, he is your rock of refuge, especially in tough times. Keyhoes, I am praying that God increase the love that is there in your marriage (which can always grow) and praying for excitement and opportunities for ministry back home.   Mr. Kestler, I’m not sure how to spell your name but I thank you for your advice on teaching, I am also praying that God teaches you, and am praying through the prospect of studying to be a teacher. Roods, I am praying that God make the provisions and prepare reader’s hearts that are reading his College applications and that he not become a high school dropout and fall into an addiction to the quest to find the smodem. Please pray that God will give me the time and energy to write my College essays this week and be able to still focus on my ministry here. A lot of people on our team are having a tough time with not fearing next year but so many cool things are happening that it is beginning to not matter. Well, I hope the Pistons go to the finals and beat the Lakers 4-0; this would make my trip to Granada worth it, ha.

Peace-

-Jose

4 responses to “Cincinnati?”

  1. Oh Joe,

    I just really like you. You have encouraged me with your story and your never-ending optimism. My prayer is that you live to the fullest to bring God the Glory.

    Love, mom

  2. Oh Joe, you write loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong blogs you know that! Eish! Ah well. I love ’em. I love hearing what is going on in the lives of granadians, and the team…. and YOU! I get so excited to see what God is going to do in your life. He has HUGE plans. Love you dude. James

  4. Jose! Sign me under your mom’s post. I just really like you, too! I got to thinking that in reading back through all of your blog posts it seems to “sugar out” (a touch of Vermont there) to ‘HE is able.’ Along with Phil. 1:6 “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Thanks for being open to how God wants to use you for His service. Pastor Nathan presented an awesome sermon today that really got me to reflecting on how I serve God and His church.

    There were many take-away messages this morning (check out the podcast!) the chief among them, in my view, that we take the time to pray and reflect upon how we can best serve individually. Also, that there are no proxies among us. As you do His work in Nicaragua ah ah ah and others set out into other mission fields, what are we, then, doing here in Vermont for evangelism?

    Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. Ps 31:5. This verse takes me to the cross and is such a strengthening and emboldening passage. Praise Jesus Christ for his outstretch arms! For His empty tomb! For rescuing me from certain eternal suffering! And I thank you for reminding us by your service and your words about the saving importance of keeping alive that sense of urgency that the Gospel need be shared.