Tomando un descanso de Estudiar

I am now at the halfway point of my language school in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala... and tonight, my "home" is quiet because the kids all shipped out to their aunt & uncle's for a sleepover and I am basically here alone...except for the oldest daughter who has a friend over... thinking I should study but my brain just isn't thinking clearly, so I am doing everything BUT study.

The other day, I was playing with the camera and its ability to macro-zoom... I had fun, but a story line came to mind as I was shooting, so enjoy this little diversion with me!

Time for a break!
In school, which begins at 8:00 AM (en punto, en español) we have a break (pausa) at 10:30 for 1/2 hour... after 2-1/2 hours of grammar, believe me this is a welcome break!!! We usually congregate in the outdoor patio to chat and soak up some of the wonderful sun and climate of Xela... the teachers engage in conversation with the students (extranjeros). Then, we head back for another 2 hours of instruction. Since my goal is to become functionally fluent, I must be diligent everyday about my studies and homework.

Most of the students in our school are world travelers... for most, Guatemala is just one stop along the way for them and the typical stay is about 1 week. Most are students on leave or are in between studies and have between 3-8 months to travel. So, for me and my 8 week stint in Xela, and the fact that I am older than most of these kids' parents, I am sort of set apart while the "party crowd" learns slang and avoid homework like the Plague!

Thinking of Home...
At times like today when the house is empty... or when my brain is so fried and I cannot form a sentence or ask a question, I long to be home where everyone speaks my language...to see Lee Ann and my family and friends...and finally to not have to study Spanish grammar and memorize conjugations! I cannot wait until late June when Lee Ann and I will be back together...Skype is great, but it just doesn't compare with face-to-face!


And my family here in Xela is awesome - they have hosted students for ovr 20 years and I honestly feel like I am part of the family - especially today - all were gathered for a family lunch and it was just so cool to experience their family dynamics.

I must persevere - I have learned a lot in four weeks - and in the next four, I imagine that I will continue to do the same. Prayers, please for the week after next - I venture into the unknown territory of THE SUBJUNCTIVE. Our younger daughter Lauren said to prepare for my world to turned upside down...yikes, I thought up to this point, I had approached meltdown status a few times!

God has plans for me and I realize they are not always easy to follow or understand. I was blessed this week by a devotion on Jeremiah 29: 11...it just brought back to mind that God, who is ever-present (even in my classroom when I am ready for a meltdown!), has big time plans for me... and I am comforted by that!

Porque yo sé muy bien los planes que tengo para ustedes —afirma el Señor—, planes de bienestar y no de calamidad, a fin de darles un futuro y una esperanza. Jeremías 29:11

For those of you that do not have any translation software...

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So, for now, I will escape into my studies... maybe soon, I will have the ability (and the guts!!) to go out and talk with folks I do not know in the park... in the market... on the street. This has got to be one of the hardest things I have done in my life...I pray that God continues to give me the strength and the patience to keep at it.


¡Doy a Dios la gloria y la alabanza!
Go ahead... figure it out...es facil!

Rick's Home Away From Home

I have been in Quetzaltenango Guatemala for language school since Saturday April 18th...after flying from Albany - Newark - Guatemala City, I took a bus from there to Xela - about 4 hours, non-stop, then a short taxi ride to my host family's home. I was warmly greeted by my sister in Christ Ruth Gramajo (Ruth is Lesly Najjar's Mom, so we immediately had something in common which began my adventure in Xela on a positive note!)

For five hours per day, 5 days per week, I will immerse myself in language studies at El Portal Language School until June 12th. In addition to that, I have been participating in 2x per week conversation sessions that last about 2 hours each - this is areal challenge as I am not a long conversationalist to begin with! So far, my experience although difficult to initially adjust to has been wonderful. Slowly but surely I am learning the language...so you can teach an old dog new tricks!!! ;)

Please pray for my ability to continue to learn and apply what I have learned. My effectiveness as a team leader is dependent on my ability to effectively communicate with the ministries we serve in Central America.

Back from Bluefields – On Tour with the Jackson 4

It has been pretty busy for the past couple months – God continued to reveal Himself in new and refreshing ways! From our return from Bluefields Nicaragua to the vision trip team from Jackson Baptist Church (NJ) we are now re-charged to take on the very full schedule ahead of us!

In reading and contemplating on Deuteronomy 15: 7 my calling to serve my brothers and sisters in Central America has been reinforced…

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.

Back from Bluefields – The team of 20 left Main Street Baptist in Oneonta, NY for Bluefields, Nicaragua on February 12 to help build a new church that was planted by the original church (Torre Fuerte) that was begun on our first trip in 2007. We were amazed by the ability in such a short time for the ministries to be grounded enough to reach out into another community and begin a new church community – El Buen Samaritano. What s truly remarkable is that there are other locations in the eastern region of Nicaragua where other church communities are budding!

New Name – The decision to change our ministry name to Beyond Partnership…Serving Their Vision Together stemmed from our desire to more clearly describe how we work with the ministries we serve. One of our cornerstone principles is that we serve UNDER the national church associations – the term “partnership” alone had a negative connotation where it also was accompanied by power. It is our desire to keep the power in the hands of those closest to the ministries where we serve. In a few short weeks, look for an announcement of our new and improved website going live – http://www.beyondpartnership.org/.

On Tour With the Jackson 4 – After saying goodbye to our team in Nicaragua on February 23rd, I boarded a bus to San Pedro Sula to meet up with a team from Jackson Baptist Church. Their goal was to shadow the ministries of Erick Sanchez in Honduras, Nelson Juarez in El Salvador and Rigoberto Reyes in Nicaragua to evaluate where they would send a team in the future. This trip was wonderful on so many fronts – I met a great group of guys that I will not forget from Jackson Baptist Church – I was able to get to know three missionaries and experience ministries in three countries in a more complete way – God spoke to me to encourage me to continue on the path He has laid for me. We look forward to leading the JBC group in the summer of 2010 – location still TBD!

As we move forward into 2009, we offer some praises and prayer requests…

• Praise – God has allowed us this opportunity to meet with normal everyday people and introduce them to His ministries in Central America – and to experience others’ life changes is a real gift!
  


• Praise – For the friendships we have started with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Central America – they are truly gifts from God. We continue to draw strength and encouragement from them!
  


• Praise & Prayer Request - we want to thank all of our faithful prayer and financial partners. Without you behind us, our efforts to serve God would be an uphill battle! Right now, our ministry support level is at 51% - if you are being called by God to financially support our ministry, we would love to talk with you! I can promise that we will be faithful stewards of your contributions!
  


• Prayer Request – over the next couple months, Lee Ann and I will be away from each other – we ask for prayers for our marriage and that we can each accomplish what is necessary while we are apart.

Stay tuned for more updates from the field as we offer ourselves in service to our Living Lord!

Peace,
Rick & Lee Ann

It's Official - We are Beyond Partnership!

Well, now that we have our new logo, I guess it is time to announce officially that we have changed our name to Beyond Partnership. Because our foundational principle is serving under the national leadership we work with, we wanted to portray that we have moved past traditional models of "partnership" where there is some sort of underlying power structure that results from financial assistance. We truly serve UNDER the auspices of the national church association where we work. Stay tuned for more updates - especially with the launch of our new website - http://www.beyondpartnership.org/

Not to Worry!

After listening to the news lately, it is hard not to get discouraged with the state of affairs in our country. But as we prepare to leave tomorrow for Bluefields Nicaragua, our problems are nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters in Christ experience there. They do not have deteriorating 401(k) accounts…worries about the mortgage rates…or which stimulus package is passed. Their concerns are different and more eminent – will they have enough food for their family… will their children live past age 3…is their drinking water going to make them sick, again? Our brothers and sisters in Christ embrace the concept of “daily manna” far better than I do, that is for sure. It is humbling to be in the presence of those who have nothing (compared to us) and yet they still have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6: 25-34 has struck a chord with me lately – We pray that you are blessed, too!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Please continue to pray for us as we meet a new church family in Bluefields – we will be building a sanctuary for the congregation of El Buen Samaritano which is a church plant from the original congregation of Strong Tower Baptist Church in Bluefields. God has blessed the ministries there and the gospel is being proclaimed!

To recognize God’s greatness, here are some praises for how God has provided for us!

• We have been making plans for me to attend language school in April – I must become more fluent in Spanish to better serve the ministry. The schooling and lodging will be costly and we prayed about how we might change some of our budget to accommodate. In our year end statement, we received an unexpected one-time gift that will cover, almost to the dollar all my expenses for those two months!
  
• I had been asked to connect with a vision trip this month with Jackson Baptist Church – this expense was unplanned and we prayed again. It will be very important to join this team while they experience in person, ministries in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A couple weeks ago, we received an email from our headquarters about a contribution that was assigned to another missionaries’ account. Not kidding – that gift will cover all my expenses for extra travel and lodging for this trip!
  
• Both Lee Ann and I have felt peace about the coming year, despite it being very busy – and there will be extended times that we will be separated. This peace only comes from God, but we also sense the presence of our prayer partners in a big way – and for that, we thank you!

Stay tuned for more updates from the field as we offer ourselves in service to our Living Lord!

Peace,
Rick & Lee Ann

Prayer for 2009

This was a prayer from a Sunday service bulletin from our former church in PA a few weeks before we left for upstate NY in 1996. I have kept this taped to my calendar as a reminder that God is always in control. In 1996, we were in transition as a family and at that point, we relied on God in a way that has changed our lives forever. SO, I share this prayer with you in hopes that it blesses you and yours in the coming year.

Loving Lord, as we step through the door of a new year, we believe 1996 (now 2009) will be filled with hope and promise. We do not know all that will happen in our lives over the next few months, so we pray that whatever comes our way – good or bad, success or failure, gain or loss – we may have the confidence and strength to accept blessing and hardship. May each of us grow spiritually and in Christian character, and may our church have a greater sense of your mission and ministry for us. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Merry Christmas - Wherever You Are!

We will be blessed to have family together this Holiday season... and sounds like we will even have a White Christmas. The northeast has been blanketed by a couple snowstorms and the temperature will cooperate despite a predicted period of sleet and freezing rain and maybe rain on Christmas Eve. It will not damper the festivities as we gather in celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

May the miracle of Immanuel, "God With Us" bless you and yours!