wise men still seek Him

“There have been 30 billion people on the planet from the beginning of time. Very few have affected human history. But, Jesus Christ has attracted a combination of criticism, opposition, devotion and attention over every recorded word He spoke. His word has been sifted, interpreted, and analyzed from every age of history by theologians, philosophers, and historians. While I talk, millions study what He said. There is no moment where someone is not talking of Him. Jesus, 2,000 years ago, preached and taught in a little area of Israel and yet divided world history by B.C. and A.D. More books are written about Him than any other person in history. Jesus never wrote any poems or had a sculpture made of Himself, but His life is the impetus for art, music, film, etc. He never raised an army, yet millions lay down their lives for Him. He never traveled far from His little area, yet His influence is worldwide. He never spoke to more than a few thousand people, yet 30% of the world claim to be His followers. His ministry lasted only 3 years, yet today, by radio, TV, internet, and printed literature, His word goes around the world. He had no formal education, yet thousands of seminaries, colleges, and schools teach His teachings and are built in His name. No one can claim to be educated who can say he does not know who Jesus Christ is and what He did. Jesus had more affect on mankind than any other man or race that ever existed. No one has had the influence He has had. To explain Him is impossible. To ignore Him is disastrous. To reject Him is fatal. My speech is too limited to define Him, my mind too small to comprehend Him, my heart is inadequate to fully contain this one called Jesus.” -John Blanchard

May you and your loved ones take the time to remember the reason for the season!  Merry Christmas!

a little rest and relaxation

So much has happened since my last post, but due to the lack of internet access at the camp, I have unfortunately been unable to update the blog. I will slowly be back dating entries for each week of camp as I have time.

Currently I am in Guatemala City getting ready for church with Rita, Oswal, and Jael. We came to their house Friday morning to recuperate and do laundry. I am grateful that we did so because I got food poisoning Friday afternoon and spent a lot of the time resting in bed. We took it easy around the house Saturday afternoon, and that evening we went to Marcelo's house to celebrate Monica's 40^th birthday which isn't a big birthday in Guatemala. They made Argentine sausage and the cake was delicious with dulce de leche between the layers. Unfortunately, I could not eat too much of it.

Everything is going great at the camp. It is such a blessing to see so many lives impacted and the passion that the staff has to serve the Lord. The language barrier is a challenge for me as there is often not a translator and my Spanish is fairly poor. Thankfully, there are several staff members that speak English, but those conversations are few and far between. Please begin praying now for my language acquisition in Haiti. I have been taking language courses and hope that it is helpful when I make it to the country. Also, please pray for the campers this week. It is our 2^nd teen week with 370 campers! Last week we had 215! There are not even enough beds for everyone to sleep on and the kitchen is not large enough to feed that many at one time. Thankfully this is a laid back culture and everyone just takes it as it comes. Pray for safety and lives changed. I will post pictures as time (and internet access allows).