Seek The Lamb

Nutie & Tom Are Married at Sanibel Island Florida!

 

Nutie Melrose and Tom Keogh were married on Saturday January 24th on the beach at Sanibel Island in southwestern Florida.

Moana Andersen was the Bride's Maid, and Pat Machaud served as Best Man.  Michael Bagby officiated the wedding, and Laura did hair. Randy Smith offered a prayer over the couple. 

 

 

It was a joyous event that included the Bride's parents, entire brothers and sisters, children, and grandchild. 

 

 Tom's sons Tommy and Brian spoke and sang, along with Kirsten & Nick Melrose.

Nick and Matt walked Nutie down the sand isle.

 

 

Moana chanted a traditional Hawaiian opening.  

Harry, Brian, and Kirsten sang the processional.

 

 

It was a beautiful day with cool temperatures and blue sky

 

 

 

 

The Bride was beautiful, as usual!

 

Tommy read this description of the teamwork required in a Miskito marriage, after he told us all how proud he was of his father's perseverance through some hard times.

 Here it is below:

If you could imagine being a Miskito husband and wife, carrying your beanharvest home in a dugout canoe, you would see that you have a uniqueopportunity to experience the fragility of human life in a way necessary forobtaining a godly perspective on marriage, and a model for the kind ofcommunication necessary to guarantee its success.

Dried beans are the life of the Coco River, and the harvest represents more than 4 months of shared time and labor; it represents more than a family'

s sustenance for the next 12 months, but also seed for sustenance as far into the future as one can imagine. If these beans receive so much as a drop of water they will sprout, and will no longer be of use. Transporting them for 10 or 12 hours on the river in the middle of a rainforest, in a narrow dugout canoe whose gunwales are but a couple of inches above the waterline, is a precarious enterprise, with everything at stake.

The first thing you learn is that you are entirely dependent upon God to hold back the rain for the length of your journey; you realize that the Lord Himself is God, that it is He who has made US, and not we ourselves. We are HIS people, and the sheep of HIS pasture. It doesn

ʼt matter how skillfully you read the signs in the sky, plan the trip, or maneuver your craft, the entire journey is submitted for God's approval, to give or to take away. You learn dependence on Him and thanksgiving for His goodness.

Next, you become aware that the vessel you both share is very fragile. It doesn't take much to tip it to one side or the other. Overreaction, overcompensation by either party will swamp the whole enterprise. A very intimate, extra-verbal communication develops. You need to achieve a collective equilibrium, so you must learn to be intensely aware of and subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Furthermore, you cannot have two heads, for competing you would surely capsize sooner or later, and lose everything. The man fashions a large, heavy paddle for himself and a smaller, lighter one for his wife. The man takes his place in the bow, since he will need to power stroke for a dozen hours without the added strain of having to steer. He is responsible for having vision, reading the current and alerting his wife of any logs or other obstructions hidden below the surface of the water which might overturn. From the bow he might also react to the presence of an alligator, dive overboard to catch a turtle, or get a fair shot at some game.

The wife takes the smaller paddle from her husband, acknowledging her smaller frame and thus submitting to his leadership. She takes her place in the stern which is actually the most comfortable place in a canoe with no seats, because the sloping bottom of the boat allows her to sit in a slightly elevated position. She is capable and knows exactly where they are going, so in giving her the honor of steering the vessel her spouse receives the benefit of her help.

Itʼs funny when you consider American culture, where taking the wheel is everything because a machine does all the hard work. Her husband needs her to work together with him in this position, allowing her control over the details of the trip. Steering is lighter work but certainly no less important than the husband's; because he loves her, he takes upon himself the work that will most probably cause him to cramp up a few times, but provide the power to get them to their destination. He gives himself up this way for his wife as Jesus gave Himself for the Church; she paddles also as she is able because she responds to her husband as she sees him straining in front of her. Her eyes are fixed upon him, and his upon the river.

The purpose of marriage is greater than the marriage itself. It is to bring us into the knowledge of the mystery of Jesus' love for the church in a very tangible way, and that we—husband and wife—would show forth that mystery causing God's salvation to come to many. Our marriage was borne out of a calling to serve native people in Nicaragua and Honduras; we would ask you to pray for our dependence on God's protection of our journey and attentiveness in our communication, so that with the oil of gladness we might succeed in carrying the seeds of Salvation to hurting people.

Nutie and Tom's children lined up with Rev. Maik and jointly declared Tom and Nutie to be Husband and Wife!

Tom's brother Jim represented Tom's four brothers.

  Moselle Bagby made a wedding cake!

January 2009 Conchshell Chronicles

  Table of Contents

1) Project Ezra Final Numbers

2) Are We Bearing Fruit?

3) Lamb Bleatings

4) Nicaragua March Trip

5) Bagby Bunch Corner

6) Coffee Sale Link & Donations

 

 

Project Ezra 2008

 Final Numbers

· 17 communities along the Rio Coco;

· 2487 Students grades kinder thru 8th

· 93% passing rate!

This is one of the best years

we have ever had!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are We Bearing Fruit ?

By Michael Bagby

As we begin a new year, it is very natural that we reflect on the “old years”.  As one famous historian said, “If we don’t remember the past, we are condemned to repeating its mistakes” (or something like that!)

It all began as an adventure into the unknown- literally.

In 1984, we saw a need with refugees from Nicaragua living in the outback of Honduras, and we responded.  That effort in itself would be enough for a Hollywood movie. During that response, God nudged us into beginning a school project (1986), and then a few years later into an adult literacy education program (1989), pastoral training (1991), Miskito language Bible curriculum (1994), a study tour to Israel (1997), which led to more study tours to Israel, Greece, Turkey, and Italy (1999 - 2008). 

Along the way, we wrote and published a book, Just Another Lump of Clay (1995) and another, Living in the Spiritual World (2004), and began work on a third, Echoes into Eternity.

In the process, I acquired a wife, along with four children, met all of you who are reading this, and formed relationships that will last for eternity.

So which is the most significant achievement?

I spoke with Truman and Danilo a few days ago.  Truman was measuring the offices for doors in the Waspam Center. He is preparing for the moving of our offices there soon. He is  thrilled about finally seeing the completion to this seven-year-long project. I am too!

They were also very excited about a youth conference which had occurred a few weeks earlier, and the statistics from our final exams for the 2008 school year. It seems that Seek The Lamb has been expanding the teaching, pastoral training, and discipleship ministry along the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. Rather I should say that God has been providing the opportunities, and our leaders in Nicaragua have been responding.  It has not been at my urging, but rather their planning.

There was a conference in February, another in May, one in September, and finally this one in December where Danilo, Onofre, and many of our teachers have been involved in sharing Bible lessons, and personal discipleship. They have participated in baptisms, marriages, and generally promoting true Christian living in the communities along the Rio Coco.  

They told me about their plans for these conferences, and a few times asked me for fuel money, and food for pastors and teachers. They did it on their own. They came up with the lessons, as God provided the opportunity. It made me very proud to be their ministry partner.

Danilo was also excited about the success of the 2008 school year.  After tallying the final exams, Project Ezra students had a 93% passing rate!  That is one of the best we have ever seen since working with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, teaching their curriculum, (along with our Bible lessons), and being evaluated according to Nicaraguan national standards. Obviously we have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to things that American education takes for granted, but we have made marked improvements in our teacher’s abilities to teach, as well as our students’ academic achievement.

Even more remarkable is the apparent growth in the spiritual lives of our teachers, many of whom are actively pastoring churches, teaching Sunday school classes, and leading youth group activities. There are many things that slip by me in Miskito culture, but I have noticed more and more of our teachers who have actually “gotten it” when it comes to the concept of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a great joy to realize that most of these are our former first grade students who had our Miskito Bible lessons in the 90’s, and now have returned to the river to teach the Bible!

Jesus said that:  “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.                                                                              John 15:16

The key phrase here is “Lasting Fruit”.  Jesus wants us to work for eternal purposes, and be in the “fruit production” business for the long haul.

Visalia Espinoza was a 7 year old when I first photographed her in 1989.

 

I took her picture as part of our Child Sponsorship program.  We needed people praying for and supporting our students. 

 

A couple from Mission Viejo California, Partick and Lisa O’Conner, sponsored Visalia. They sent us $21 a month, which covered her education expenses, and prayed for her on a regular basis.

 

 She was a good student. She worked hard and graduated from our 6^th grade. 

 

She was able to go upriver to Waspam, where she attended secondary school.  I lost track of her for a few years.

 

Then her name appeared on a roster of our teachers in 2001. She was teaching in Sihran, a few miles downriver from her home in Sawa.

 

Visalia was on staff with Eberto, Beres and Brenes, all of our former students.  There are at last count 43 of those little guys that I photographed in the 80’s and early 90’s that are now teaching Project Ezra classes.

 

It was such a great pleasure for me to visit that school, and see our former students now at the head of the class, teaching all the subjects.  I was especially happy to see them teaching the Bible.

 

 

Visalia eventually married, and now has a baby.  Her husband does not want her to work, but rather stay home and care for the child.

 

She lives in Waspam, and Truman frequently sees her.  When I asked him about her a few months ago, he said “Yes Maik, I spoke with Visalia a few days ago.  I asked her to come back to work for Seek The Lamb, but her husband says no. I keep asking her because she does such a good job with the little children, especially teaching them the Bible.  Visalia is a good Bible teacher.”

“…Lasting Fruit…”

How have we done it? Only with your help, and through sheer tenacity and extreme faith that God was going to make it all happen.  Listen to what Jesus says when it comes to cultivating fruit:

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 

                                                          John 15:5-8

We desire to bring great Glory to our Father for what He has done through the work of all of us these past 24 plus years in the ministry on the Rio Coco. We want everyone to see Him through our actions as well as our words.  Our accomplishments in the ministry and our relationships that we have formed with you and many others in Central America, Europe, Israel, Hawaii, and the rest of the United States are very significant & eternal.

But most of all, in this world which so easily would overlook the presence of a Loving God who so wants all of us included in His Family, we hope that the fruit in our lives would cause all to see our Heavenly Father, and worship Him. 

May there be many more adventures, and fruit on the Seek The Lamb tree in 2009!

 

Lamb Bleatings           By Laura Bagby

Life is full of curves…bends and turns of the unexpected.  Our growth depends on our choice of response to those unexpected occurrences which have a great tendency to simply rock our world and teeter it toward insecurity, instability and an awful sense of being totally unprepared to face what is presented to us.  There will always be moments of intense “unknowing” and inadequacies that fill us up and either cause us to bow low to the One that is able to meet us and help us to face what is before us or we go into our usual mode of defense against all that we are encountering…we go into our functioning mode to keep our heads above the water line of drowning.

The fact of the matter is that life is full of conflict, trials and tribulations and we must choose how we will walk through them.

In the midst of it all, I believe we are still called to allow ourselves to be poured out to others as a fragrant offering unto the Lord who gave us His entirety for our sake.  He identified with us and so I do likewise as I identify with those around me.  Many of which are in dire straights…

This morning we received a call from my dad who informed us that my mom’s kidney had failed and that she had to receive a dialysis.  Not good news.  Prior to the news we had been discussing with one of our children some of our values we have in life regarding honoring, respecting, diligence and humility.  The family structure is a great teaching environment of how we come to places of realizing the need we have one for the other and how each part must contribute their gifts, talents and abilities in order to make the whole run as it should.  Teaching teenagers is a trip…they have stimulated deep places in my soul and caused intense passionate anger to rise up in ways that surprises even me…the owner of those passions.  I scare myself at times.  I know this is all a part of relationship and as we come together we will create friction…friction that leads to a useful or detrimental flame.  Either way that friction will have a result….we choose.

In relationship, we want those we love to grasp the importance of caring for the things we care for, feeling for the things we feel about or simply just being there to give a hug.  There have been days I have felt my greatest blessing when one of my children would just come up to me and pat my back or hug my waist simply because they felt some of my pain. Moselle is famous for looking at me and assessing my state and sensitively doing something that offers deep comfort.

I ran into a friend this morning that let me know she was praying for us and asked if I was okay which led me to begin crying in the parking lot of the gym as I told her of my mom.  I realized how scared I was feeling regarding my mom and where she was at.  I also  realized how passionate I was as I got in my child’s face regarding attitude earlier in the morning. I realized how important it was to me for them to “get” the art of coming alongside of us in our moments of need, stress or distress.  I want them to “get” how purposeful their lives are and how they will only experience the full blessing of their existence by living outside of and beyond themselves.

Attitude is what makes the difference as we face our various scenes in life…we choose to be negative or positive….we choose to be grateful or whining….we choose to believe and hope or go into ourselves and be incapacitated in fear….we choose ultimately life or death in each segment of our lives.  As we choose, we exude either that life or we exude the darkness that we collected through our choices…A life will always radiate those choices in times of good, the bad and the ugly.  Usually we are all in the middle of experiencing all three at once especially if we choose a life of a disciple.  All of it being used to train us to be more like Him and less like us.  We die, He lives as we hide ourselves in Christ.  It is a killer process.  Someone must die every time….will it be me or will it be my Lord?

We have maneuvered through many emotions this year….the failing health and  mourning and eventual death of Pop and Aunt Polly, sicknesses, trials, death of friends, the high of new marriages, the maintenance of relationships old and new, caring for the people, projects, business and things that God has given to us to care for, raising up leaders, struggling through the pains and glories of children making their transition into adulthood, and realizing once again from a very close angle that life does indeed end here this side of heaven and one never knows what shall be….How that causes me to be intentional about my life and my relationships.

I am deeply provoked emotionally in this moment.  Yet, above all I do realize that beyond my emotions there is and remains the most stable factor of my existence;  One  who is worthy of my trust and honor.  A perfect Sovereign God who I choose to give my honor and allegiance to.  One that I know knows what He is doing and doesn’t need my help or convincing to do the right thing for the right reasons.  I sit, I wait, I give to Him my heart once again…my repetitive act of worship in a time of need realizing AGAIN that I am desperate for Him with every ounce of my passionate being.  I can never go alone again.  Without Him, I would drown and never rise above any of these circumstances or become what I was designed to become or do what I was meant to do in this lifetime.

 We are all in this world together…finding our way.  Through all of our complexities of life, there remains only One Way, One Truth, One Life all of which is based on love and relationships that aid our way and us theirs.  It is a lifetime of choosing relationship over things, over tasks, over what we want or think we need.

During the Christmas season, the kids all get very involved in thinking of what they want to give to one another.  We go shopping and talk about what their sister or brother would like or enjoy….It is a fun process.  On one of our expeditions, Arielle and Moselle were chatting in the car about the things that they wanted to give and receive.  Moselle started up by saying, “You know what I NEED…I NEED…”  Before she could continue Arielle stopped her and in a kind motherly fashion said, “Moselle, YOU do not NEED!  You just WANT….You want things…you already have EVERYTHING you need…you can only say you want NOT need.”

“Okay, then….I WANT….”, Moselle retorted and the conversation continued…it was a great point for me to ponder. With a wide grin on my face, I told them since they didn’t need anything, why don’t we just skip all the shopping and buying part…

“Noooooooooooooooooo!”, came the double chorus.  “It’s fun to get stuff for everybody, MOMMY!!!  Yeah, mommy, we like stuff!”

So, much for all that depth I thought Arielle conjured up for us….

I suppose what I like most about the gift giving commotion is what I observe between the children as they do give to one another and the joy they receive from that act of buying something that they really hope their sibling will like and the excitement that is demonstrated as they wait in anticipation while their gift is opened and received.  It is an exchange of their feelings one for another and the thoughtfulness behind what they gave…trying to identify with each other in their gifts.  It is an exchange that is hopefully transferred on a daily basis between people in our lives.  That is the stuff that true life is made out of.

The things we “Want” verses the things we “Need”….our pride often thinks it knows what we want and what we need most in life.  I have come to realize that I truly do not have a clue what I actually need or want.  The only things that appear to be certain is that I have the privilege in the states to go and purchase toilet paper and napkins.  Actually napkins and especially Kleenex is optional…and really in some of the parts we travel, even toilet paper is a luxury that many do not enjoy…

I have heard people say, “I did not sign up for this.”  A quaint saying in frustration, but the reality is we, in all of our feebleness, don’t have that option to sign up or not sign up.  We are recruited into this life and truly have very little control over the events as the world turns on its own by the hand of the Creator. We fool ourselves if we think can control anything beyond our own disciplined response to life and all that it throws our way.   Respond well….live and breathe life….while you have the breath.

Seize your moments.                                                Laura

 

Nicaragua Trips

  March 16–20 and  March 20-April 1

Coffee Production Tour and Construction

We are planning a trip to Nicaragua that will be multi-dimensional. For all of you who have wanted to see first hand coffee production and participate in a “cupping”, we will visit the Vida  Joven Farm & La Esperanza Beneficio from Monday March 16th to Friday March 20th. We will actually have time to help with the harvest.

On Saturday the 21st, we will fly to Waspam to continue the finishing work on the Waspam Center.  With schools in session, we hope to actually visit some Project Ezra schools during our work week.

We are determining costs for this trip, so please call us this month if you are interested in joining us for one or both of these adventures!  Space is  limited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bagby Bunch Corner

We have had some quiet days over the Christmas holidays, and they were needed.  We have been on so many trips over these past two years, that we have many “unsettled corners” of our office and home. Now is our time to get things in order before our trip to Nicaragua in March. 

Speaking of which, we will be spending some time in the mountains around Matagalpa helping with coffee harvest at the Vida Joven farm, and getting a lesson on tasting coffee from our friends at the La Ezperanza beneficio (coffee factory).  If you really want to enjoy your Rio Coco Bean coffee to the max, then please join us for this trip.  Afterward we will be on the Rio Coco for 10 days of construction and adventures.  Join us for both if possible!

The school year ended very successfully, and we are already saying our prayers for the start of the 2009 year.  Why pray now? Because each January we need to hear from the Lord about teachers, where they are to be placed, how many we should be hiring, and what we should be paying each one.  We have many villages who want Project Ezra teachers. The project has always been a walk of faith, and in this present time, it would seem like we really need to hear from God what He wants to do this year.  We all have our part to play.  We are so appreciative of you who are with us operating in God’s economy rather than the world’s.  God so much wants to show Himself to us in these days.  He says that He will take care of us as we follow His direction to care for those around us.  It is a totally opposite approach of our world’s economy, which is currently saying: “Keep your money in your pocket!  Take care of #1!”  God’s economy says “Trust Me and be a cheerful giver!” Who should we believe and follow?

What a time to be alive and a follower of Jesus!  In these coming months we will have so many opportunities to shine His light!  There will be many in these next weeks and months who will notice your walk of faith, and how you are handling the world situation.

We are glad that you are with us.                                                                Laura & Michael  

 

 

Coffee Sale  Honduras Copan from our friend Carlos Fuentes. $9.50

 

Donations-  Click here to contribute to the project or support one of our missionaries.

October Conchshell Chronicles

Is Fear Gripping You?

 

These weeks since returning from Nicaragua have been trying.  I have felt overwhelmed with worries about finances. Stressful worries.

It was strange, since I have lived my life these past 24 years “on faith”, depending on God to provide for the school project and my family each month.  I have lived through times of severe financial challenges.  I even wrote a book, Just Another Lump of Clay, about this life of faith and our experiences over and over again of seeing God provide for us in some very extraordinary ways.

There would be times when sitting at the dining room table, I would suddenly be overcome with fear that I would not have enough money to pay my bills, and send to Nicaragua.  It happened over and over again.  I prayed and prayed asking God to provide all our needs, yet still I would be overcome with great fear about finances.

Then we had Tropical Storm Fay dump over 24 inches of rain on our county in a three day period.  I awoke one morning to see water streaming down my fireplace chimney inside!  I crawled inside the attic, and saw there was a major leak coming through the chimney.  I took a tarp, grabbed the ladder, and in the midst of the storm, Luke and I completely covered the chimney with the tarp to stop the water.

After the storm passed, I realized that the masonry covering the chimney was cracked in many places, and that I had to replace it all.  Great! Along with that, my gables at each end of the roof had not yet been repaired from the three hurricanes of 2004-5, and I had sections of exterior walls that had rotting siding.

I ended up hiring a young “out of work” construction worker who is a worship leader at our church to help me with the entire repair job. He told me that he had been laid off for a few months, but was trusting the Lord to provide for him, his wife and children. I was happy to hire him, and as I began to think about the situation, I realized that God was going to use me to answer his prayers for finances.

The first day of work, we went to Lowes to buy the “hardyboard” siding.  On our way, my friend Mike asked me to tell him about the project in Nicaragua and how I got involved.  I began to tell him the incredible story. As I did, I realized just what an “incredible” story it is.  As most of you know, it has many chapters of how God has provided for us in some miraculous ways. By the time I got to the parking lot, I was almost in tears, realizing that it was really me who needed to have my memory refreshed!

 That’s when I realized that there may be more to my fear and anxiety than just the natural circumstances of high gas and food prices, stagnant economy, and a looming crisis in the banking community. Suddenly I knew that I had been under a spiritual attack.

I took action, walking around my house ordering that spirit of fear to go. Things eased off a bit. The repair job took two weeks and cost me over $2000.

We were preparing to make a road trip to Indiana to visit our friends Ray & Marianne Bodie, who have helped us in great ways over the past four years.  Ray is a retired electrical contractor, who has traveled three times to Nicaragua to help us do the electrical work on our team house and the Waspam Center.  He not only comes to do the work, he brings the money to buy all the parts!  He even has brought friends Ted, Tom, and Dusty to help with the work. Four years ago,he and others in his church helped us purchase our Suzuki outboard motor. He invited us to come to spend the weekend in northern Indiana, and speak at his church where he serves as an elder. We agreed, even after realizing how much it would cost us in gas expenses to drive over 2000 miles.  Ray must have sensed our concern, because he send us a check to cover the gas!

A few days before our departure, Truman called me asking for the budget money for October.  He asked that I send some extra to cover the expenses of the pastors conference that happened the first week in September.  I looked at our checking account, and realized that we did not have enough to send the budget, much less any extra! Again, fear jumped on me, and I had to engage in spiritual warfare. It was a hectic departure last Tuesday, as I discovered that there were severe gas shortages along our route due to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

We left with the resignation that I would have to tell Truman that I would not be able to send the full amount for teacher salaries and construction costs. That is a difficult thing to tell your project director who has over 80 people depending on him for their monthly pay.

As we were driving through Alabama, I got a call from Lanie, our office manager.  She was excited. “God IS on the throne, and He does hear our prayers!” she exclaimed. Then she proceeded to tell us of a check that we had received from a foundation that none of us knew about, for an amount to cover the entire month’s budget, and the extra that Truman needed!

I was in tears, as I realized what God had been trying to communicate to me through the events of the past weeks. Yes there would be challenges. Yes there would be hardships. Yes there would be uncertain times.  But He promises to be there through all of that, walking with us, and providing for us in often unnatural ways!

But there was more to come to this lesson.

Last Sunday, I spoke at Ray’s church, the Chapel of the Lakes Presbyterian Church in Angola Indiana.  I thanked them for sending Ray and Marianne to help us, and all the financial support that they had provided over these past years.  In particular, I thanked them for the help on that very needed motor that we had been using on the Rio Coco.

Afterward the service, Ray introduced me to one of the elders of the church, John Hill. It was John and his wife Susan who had written the check to cover a substantial amount of the $8,000 for the Suzuki engine. I was very very happy to meet John. Let me tell you why.

John was an Army Ranger who served two tours in Vietnam.  He got out and ran a very successful electrical generator business. Seven years ago, he went into the hospital for a very routine surgical procedure. He was given an anti-blood clotting drug as a precaution. Unfortunately, John was one of the exceptions to this drug, and it actually had the reverse effect on him, causing his blood to clot. He went into a coma. The doctors continued to give him the drug, which worsened his condition.  As he lay in a coma over the next three months, his blood clots developed and he eventually got gangrene in both legs, and his left arm.  The doctors had to amputate all three limbs.  They finally told Susan to pull the plug, that it was hopeless.  She decided that that was not a word from the Lord, and took John to the Indiana University hospital where they eventually discovered the reaction to the drug, and took him off if it.  John began to slowly come out of the coma, but the doctors had to manually remove clots that had developed in his stumps- a very painful process. Finally John awoke to discover his legs and arm missing.

I stood next to John as he told me about the time he was spending counseling some Vietnam vets, and family members.  I overhead a conversation regarding the upcoming elder’s meeting. He talked to me of how the Lord is using him, in spite of extreme disability.

All my problems, all my fears, all my anxiety dissolved as I stood next to John that morning, and considered his life  It was such a liberating moment. What a privilege I had to be with him and Ray that day! True heroes of the Faith.

I believe that God wants to assure us that He is right here with us as we go through the greatest financial crisis our country has seen since the great depression.

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!                              Ps 46:1-3

He wants us to let us know that even when we are feeling fear, He has a plan. He spoke through Jeremiah:

“The LORD, the Maker of the heavens and earth says this: Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.     Jeremiah 33:2-3

Most of all, He wants us to be courageous in these trying times, confident His Promises His Provisions, and His Purposes.

For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, love, and self-discipline.         2 Timothy  1:7

When I returned to Florida this past week, I awoke the next morning, walked directly to my office, and made a proclamation:

I, Michael Bagby, proclaim that God is my source, and He will provide all my needs, for my family and for the ministry in Nicaragua.  I will not be subject to fear, anxiety, for my God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of confidence in Him and His plans for my life.

I have been making that proclamation regularly since then, and God is indeed showing up. I encourage you to do the same.

Remember the characteristics of our Proverbs 31 woman?

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future.     Proverbs 31:25

Let us live in these times a courageous members of the King’s Family, knowing that it is not the politicians or businessmen who are in charge.  He wants to let us know what is going to happen, and be prepared for Him to show His Glory.

 

 

Heroes of the Faith 

By Laura

Every once and awhile it is good to take an assessment of our lives and the lives that surround us and perhaps be “inspired”.  I find myself in a continual state of inspiration because of the quality that God has placed around me.  I have many friends that I can honestly brag about at extreme length…friends that essentially make their way over into the arena of “family” or Ohana as my island upbringing would appropriately describe.  I have been blessed with “Ohana” all over the world.  What Christ brings together…no man can separate.  Deep relationships are a life-giving blessing over and over again…the blessing of relationships are what makes its way into the eternal.

Our journey began with an invitation to speak at a friend’s and fellow ministry partner’s church.  Ray and Marianne Bodie have come to work with us on several occasions in Nicaragua. 

They are in their latter 70’s and going strong.  Ray is a highly skilled, hard working electrician with an extraordinary servant’s heart.  Marianne is a hospitality queen and beautiful, supporting wife, mother, grandmother and friend to all. Despite the heat, bugs, parasites and other discomforts of Nicaragua, this couple have willfully chosen to come to serve with us on three occasions.  In my opinion, this intentional act of returning merits grand recognition and accolades.  They have come to serve and have raised thousands of dollars in order to complete our Waspam Discipleship Training Center.  We have the best electrically wired building in the entire region on the Coco River.

So the Bagby family got in a rented van and traveled from Vero Beach Florida to Indiana to visit their church, teach and share our vision.  Ray and Marianne generously paid for this incredible geographical journey.  The geography lessons for all of us were supreme as we traveled through each state with one stopover at our friends house in Tennessee.  Daryl and Johannah Mackin received us warmly and willfully at 1:00 am with smiles and beds for all.  It was a great reunion for us as we have not seen them in six long years. They have been ministry partners and “ohana” for a long time.  We celebrated my 48^th  birthday with all of them on our return leg, and they even had a cake with candles that read, “33”.  It was a choice evening. Daryl is an amazing chef who years ago actually taught me how to make sushi. Johannah is singer who is working on her second CD, and is a true beauty in every way. We love them so much and thank God for “surprising” us with that visit. Michael “happened” to call them and only wanted to ask them about the gas situation. The stop became part of the reason. It is delightful how God does that…

While in Indiana, we had countless moments of meaning, fun and effective ministry times.  We were deeply inspired and filled up to the full by the hospitality and love we amply received from all.  It was overwhelming and in typical God fashion, extremely extravagant in many ways.

Michael gave an inspiring message that brought many to tears, including me and we felt the Lord’s pleasure in the midst of it all.  We sold lots of coffee and jewelry to raise money for the project and invited many to become a part of our lives via the Miskito friends we serve on the Coco River.  It was an effective time and many of life’s lessons were transferred to our children during this journey. 

We also had the fun privilege of meeting with our other ministry partners, Wil and Sonie Riedel, who drove their RV from California to meet us.  They have been our principle builders in Nicaragua and all around “git er done” sort of players. 

When we were in Indiana, we noticed the servant’s attitude our friend Ray had in all avenues.  He never stopped “impressing us”  with popcorn making to cracker jack lessons to taking us riding in a boat to taking us on a plane tour to making camp fires to allowing my children to express their pyromaniac nature with pre-cut sticks to let them poke, prod and burn up to picking the sweetest corn on the cob to cooking it to expressing with life how true servants live their lives. Ray and Marianne were prime examples to us all and the lives of their children and their grandchildren expressed their quality in real life.  We loved meeting them all!  Before we left Indiana, Michael put his hand over Ray’s shoulders and said,

“Ray, in the pantheon of heroes in my life.  You stand out as being one of them.”

It is good to have a host of people that surround our lives with the quality of the Lord’s goodness. 

When we got home, we were talking about the trip, our friends and events.  I asked Moselle if she had any heroes.  She said, “Yes, I have heroes.” 

“Like who?”, I inquired.  She said, “Like GOD!”

“And….?”

“Like you, like Papi, like Arielle, like Mikaela, and like Lukas. Yep, I have six of em”, she answered confidently.

“That is a good answer, Moselle…I am glad you think your family are your heroes…that is a good sign for us at least.”, I answered

Later I asked her why she would say we were heroes. 

She said, “Yeah, you guys made me, you gave birth to me, you guys feed me, you take care of me, help me and all sorts of things like that...”.

I thought as little as she is she can describe a hero as one that cares and serves others.  The greatest shall be the least and the least shall be called the greatest. 

Admirable characteristics often show up through the simplest of daily tasks.  We asked our children what they noticed most about “Uncle” Ray.  They said, “he washes dishes a lot and doesn’t let us when we ask him. He’s always doing stuff for other people and thinking of how he can make it fun for us.” 

   On the last day in Indiana, we took photos by the lake and Ray asked Arielle if she was daring him to go into the lake (it was a cold morning).  Ray said, “if you go in I’ll go in…”

Arielle said, “No, I’m not going in.”  With that, Ray jumped in like a little boy to the shock of us all and made us all laugh.  He got out, shoes and all….grinning from ear to ear. I never will we forget the moment….

An outstanding person, a hero is someone who is childlike, living in the abundance of God’s pleasure and willing and wanting to serve those around them. They hold nothing back …when it is time to play, they play and when it is time to work they work and when it is time to serve and even when its not…they are serving and giving.  They are the generous of heart and their cup runs over continually. They never lack because as soon as they pour their cup out, God fills them back up again.  Servants are never looking for credit or glory.  They are too busy looking for who they can love,  serve and give to…They naturally live their lives out from a full heart…one who has truly received love from the Giver of all and then goes out to give what they have away.  They display aptly that one can never out give the greatest Hero of All, our God and loving Heavenly Father of all ages.

Ray told us before we left, “You know I just keep trying to give what I have out, but God keeps filling it up again…”

Words spoken by a true man of faith- a hero in our eyes.

Who are your heroes in this life?

We hope to be visiting more of our friends around the country….we are praying that God will provide us with a van we can drive.  We were given a van from our friends Joe and Martha Tanner years ago and we have used it fully for our ministry and family trips, but it is 16 years old and loves to eat lots of gas.  The rented van served us well and saved on gas and we were glad we had it to make this ministry trip.  Please pray with us for this provision of a vehicle.  Laura

 

 

The Bagby Bunch Corner

We have had such an incredible Birthday month, with Laura, Lukas, and I celebrating another year on the planet. Moselle turns 8 in a few days (Oct 12).  With our travels, we received so much, especially in the things that the Lord taught us along the way. I hope that these principles of facing these times we live in that are mentioned below are helpful for you as well!

Mikaela and Lukas will finish the School of Leaders here in Vero Beach next week.  This will qualify them to become “pastors” in our small group ministry. They are both playing on the band at Children’s Church, as well as leading worship in the Youth Group.  It is starting to click for them, and our studies these past weeks in 1 Timothy, Colosians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter are starting to have their effect on how they are living their lives.  These are moments that parents live for, and we are so excited to see what God has for them in these next months as they begin to truly step out.

Our building projects on the Rio Coco are nearing completion.  The leaf roof is on the Waspam Center, and now we begin to concentrate on the finishing work, and interior spaces.  This is why we appreciate Ray Bodie and his work for us as all the lighting and circuits are already installed! Now it’s a matter of windows, doors, and painting, and then it is time to start moving desks and office equipment.  Please keep your prayers with us as we make these final steps. Our desire is to begin the New Year with the building complete. Let’s see what the Lord says. 

What is more exciting is the initiative that our Miskito leaders are showing for discipling our teachers and students.  On their own, without any prompting from me, they decided to hold a pastor’s conference three weeks ago.  It was a milestone, as Truman told me: “The pastors were asking for help, and we decided that we could do it.” Danilo, and Onofre are our principal teachers, but Truman and Augusto shared their lessons as well.  I hope to send along a more detailed report next month as I receive it from them.

This is harvest time folks, and we are seeing it in not only in our own family, but also in the ministry on the Rio Coco.  You, with your prayers for my family and our leaders and teachers in Nicaragua, have had much to do with this “cultivation” and I truly thank you for being so attentive to our needs and the situations that we have walked through! It truly is a team effort, and we are so happy to be in this work with you!

We have made a very significant connection with a ministry in Ethiopia that is planting churches among Muslim villages, and growing excellent coffee.  Through our for-profit company Rio Coco Beans, we will soon be supplying you with coffee from this ministry operating in the famous region of Yirgacheffe!  Please consider joining our Coffee Club this month, as our profits directly affect the ministry in Nicaragua.                                            Laura & Michael  

 

November Conchshell Chronicles

It's Harvest Time !

By Danilo Cunningham

 

Dear friends

 

  It is my pleasure to share some words with you guys of what happening in our ministry day by day on the Coco River in Nicaragua. Our ministries are going very well thanks to God. He’s always answering our prayers. We all stay in touch in every area because we needs to be in touch with Him and walk thru the days in His way and do the right thing for His glory. You know what I mean?

All the teachers are doing well in their job. We just finished the second semester exams so all the teachers and us supervisors are busy working with the student exams. Can I tell you of some of the other things we have been doing?

  One very exciting thing was our pastor conference downriver in Sawa in the Second weak of September.

· Onofre and me Danilo did the pastors training. They all were very happy about our teaching, and discussions and already are asking for next time we will come.

· Truman and Augusto did some work with the teachers.  They taught on taking care of the sheep, helped them be better organized.

· Sofia and Leskia distributed the teaching materials and school supplies that Maik and Nutie helped me buy in Managua in July.

· Carlos and  Rodolio worked together with the carpenter team, and they each moved a lot of building supplies.  Peachy and Leilany did  some English activities work shop with the teachers and helped us with the distribution . 

All together we did a best conference with 58 teachers and 26 pastors. It was a good time for me and the rest of the team– maybe the best one we had in many years.

 I am so exited with my job that the Lord provides me to minister to many people life changing things… to speak to their mind and teach the right words– God’s Words. Sure enough, they get to know better God’s plans and listen and learn all the good ideas we share with them and the rest of the people.  We know that our Lord Jesus Christ commanded to His disciples to be “makers of disciples” and we all are trying to do our part.

 

And Jesus come up and spoke to them, saying all the authority has been given to me in the heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age .

                                                       Mathew 28:18-22

 

Our thanks to you for you doing your part. My team here is part of your team and we are all working on God’s team. Together we can do a lot. I know because I see our students and teachers growing each year getting more and more of God in them.

Here are some things that I need you please to pray for this month.  

Prayer list

1. I need prayer for the construction building in Waspam which we are planning to use  for a training center for discipleship program. It is almost done! Ask the Lord for safety for all the workers and provide all the financial  needs to finish.

2. Prayer please for all our teachers and the leadership team that my Lord will provide knowledge  and wisdom and energy to do here job better to finish the year 2008.  November and December are busy months and there is a lot to do.

3. I need prayer for my personal life. During my talking with teacher and pastors I need the Lord to provide me with wisdom & knowledge and keep me strong in my ministry during next months. I have many small group activities with my team this month and also a big conference coming in second weak in December 2008 on village in up river- San Carlos. There will be many opportunities to harvest more fruit and make more disciples. 

That’s all for today. Thanks you for your time.

God bless you see you some time     Aloha            Danilo.

 

What About This Election?

 

Tomorrow is Voting Day! This election has stirred up many passions.  Many are praying fervently! We are talking about the issues.  We are expressing our opinions. We are becoming intelligent citizens.  Many for the first time are not shrinking back, but involving themselves in the political process. This is good!

What ever happens in this election, whoever wins, we still have to do our part in our community and government.  God’s wants His people involved, not withdrawn! He wants His Spirit moving through us and affecting our society.  If the Body of Christ continues on this path of knowing the issues and exercising our God-given rights of self-government, we will indeed be the “Salt & Light” of our world. Many will see God through our acts of compassion, charity, service, and wisdom.  They will run to Him in droves as a result of our lives.

Politics can often be nasty. God has called us to step above the rhetoric, to know and stand firmly on His principles, to articulate them in a compassionate manner, and to lead many to Him through our active, serving involvement in their lives.  I suggest that you take a moment to do a reading of Romans 12 and 13 and you will see the formula for “societal living” that God gave to his people in Rome, one of the most debauched cities in history with very ungodly leaders. 

Verse 1:  “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice”. The animals brought to the Temple for sacrifice had to spend al least 12 hours in a pen to be visually inspected to see if there were any defects.  God is calling us to stand for inspection to see what we are deficient in. Look at what God tells us to do next:

Verses 6-8: Use your spiritual gifts!  Don’t sit on them! Exercise them. Lead! Teach! Serve! Encourage! Give!

Verses 9-10: Show genuine Love for all around you!

Verse 11: Don’t be lazy! Work enthusiastically!

Verse 12: Be thankful and prayerful!

Verse 13:  Help out God’s people! Be hospitable! Provide for the needy.

Verse 16: Live in harmony with all.  Don’t act important but look after the needs of those around.

Verse 17: Don’t seek revenge when wronged.  God will take care of it for you.

Chapter 13:1-5 : Support the government.  Be obedient to just laws that are there for you benefit. Don’t speed and use your seatbelt.

Verse 6: Pay your taxes; Be involved in government.

Verse 8-10: Love others as you love yourselves. 

I believe that Romans is a letter to tell us why (chapters 1 thru 11) and how (Chapter 12-16) we should live in our society, even if we have ungodly leaders. The Christians in Rome received Paul’s letter, and lived accordingly.  They became known as men and women who were very different, and who cared for and loved one another.  Historians record the deep impact that Christian acts of love (catching unwanted Roman babies thrown off the Tiber River bridges and raising them as their own) had on Roman society. It is amazing that within 250 years, through this type of behavior, the Empire became “Christian” inside and out.

There is a message for us today!

Don’t worry about this election.  Just do your part.  Remain Vigilant! Stand for God’s Principles in our personal lives and in our government.

Remind those that would choose to ignore God’s Words that they are chiseled on all our government buildings in Washington.

Trust God to do His part as we do ours.

 

Lamb Bleatings          By Laura

 

20 years ago on October 1^st, 1988 I made my second most serious and lasting commitment to another person…my first being to my Lord Jesus Christ (about 32 years ago)….Decisions of great eternal impact.

MARRIAGE….a blissful word for some and tumultuous word for others.

Perhaps in the different seasons of our lives it conjures up different adjectives…some positives some negative, but it can hardly be neutral.  The nature of such an intimate relationship can never survive being a passive indifferent journey of two lives merging.  No, it is a relationship that requires constant intentional attention.  It is a continual purposeful process of knowing and being known by your  spouse.  It calls for care and a desire to serve and to give to another person what is best for them.  It requires us to die to our own desires in order to fulfill the desires of our loved one.  We become one as we identify with one another.

Identification….a very important concept in lieu of relating one to another.

Michael and I have had the privilege of working closely with one another in all that God has called us to.  We have different roles, but often have the opportunity to do a lot of ministering together as a couple and as a family with all of our children along with us. It is a unique situation. 

For the most part, I like the experience and live in the peace and blessing of God and also in harmony with my husband and children.  I must confess that there are rare occasions of “disliking” and maybe even disdain for this “working” ministering relationship I have with my husband (whom I do ultimately love, trust and honor)  I have had moments that my marital bliss is shaken up when my own expectations fail to be realized by a husband “who should know better” (or so my wicked heart thinks….)  In these moments of challenge, I have ashamedly chosen to be “put out”, offended, angry and ready to pick a fight.  Scary…I don’t even like to be around myself in these moments. 

There are times that I get “stuck” longer than others and allow a bit of festering to take place which is an uttermost waste of time, but there goes I at times deciding to sit in a pile of poop….Interesting…I think about, write about, speak about the talk on how life is so short, live with no regrets, be in the moment, blah, blah, blah, but somehow I have allowed my silly little self to rise up in these moments to take command and control and then my emotions begin to lie to me and tell me all kinds of things that just aren’t true.   By then, I am sure that there are more factors than just my emotions I am contending with in the heavenly realm…It is a battle we are waging.  I am highly motivated to choose to avoid stepping into these piles of smelly emotions.  The beautiful thing is that I have an option.

If the basic core of my life can be ripped apart, there will follow a host of ramifications for generations to come.  Our children all rest upon this foundation. It is part of what they will build their future on.  Their security depends on it.

When my relationship with my husband, best friend, partner, father of my children is not going well, nothing else seems to be able to click in.  I can hardly function as a person when I am not lined up and in harmony with my other half…the oneness equilibrium is altered and off balanced.  Peace leaves and we, as partners, cease to function and become ineffective to affect the world around us.  Harmony of heart and home is affected…

On this our recent trip, the Lord was dealing with this issue with me.  I CAN choose not to go down that road and be free even in those times when I feel I “have a right” to be offended.  I can choose to identify, let go of my right, and move right by.  I HAVE a choice.  For some reason, with my closest friend, my husband, I have found ways to somehow justify holding on to an emotion just a little bit longer. 

Reality is it helps no one, but the devil and his cause to steal, kill and destroy.  I no longer want to give him that opportunity to jam his foot into any door of my heart.  It would appear that this is such an elementary principle for an old time 30 year old Believer and 20 year veteran of marriage, but I realized that it is not an area I am completely free in.

Through many varied life experiences, places, style of life & living, I have had lots of practice to flex, to forgive, to adapt, to accept, and basically choose not to allow anything to control and affect me.  The revelation for me was that in this area with my beloved of 20 years I had a bit of a struggle and needed freedom.  I don’t have time to lose in my life with the people I love most. In my head I knew that that, but my emotions seemed to know how to get the better of me and my moments.

It was a cool October 19th In the famous grand church of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was built in the 6th century by the Emperor Justinian, that Michael and I took some time from our study group and re-affirmed our love for one another. It was a celebration of our 20 year anniversary (Oct 1, 1988)  Jason Spence, our pastor friend from Maui prayed over us.  It was a very sweet and meaningful moment for us.

Events and acknowledgements are always a good thing to do in this life.  They are moments of setting up memories that last.  Powerful.  Deep memories have the ability to inspire us as we walk out our lives together with those we love.

Thank you for sharing our journey.  We are in constant celebration because of so many of you who have joined our lives….

A Note from Michael

It was our 20th anniversary last month, as we both asked the Lord to make our next 20 better than the last.  We began going through a process of the Lord revealing things that needed to be changed in both of us.  Laura has courageously revealed her process in hope that it may help many of you.

I was at the gym this week and overheard a conversation of a man whose wife had not spoken to him in 8 months.  He thinks she is going through menopause, and joked about heading to Costa Rica for the next five years.  Obviously they are not addressing the issues in a productive manner. This guy was also complaining about having an ulcer.

We don’t want ulcers in our relationship with our spouses that we are constantly medicating.  We want abundant fruitful joyful satisfying times!  It happens as we bring all the issues to the Lord and letting Him show us His ways.

These best years are ahead!

 

The Bagby Bunch Corner

 

     We were blessed once again to serve as group leaders with our friend Dr. Randy Smith on a study tour of the ministry and writing of the Apostle Paul. We traveled through parts of Greece, Turkey, and Italy exploring archeological sites, and absorbing the culture and history of those times.  It was an incredibly rich time which we are still meditating on.  It is amazing how the letter to the church at Ephesus comes to life as you walk down the main streets that were there during the time of Paul.  Issues that he and his fellow Christians faced in the days of the Roman Empire are not to different than our political and economic situation today. I’m sure that this trip will be reflected in much of our teaching over these next years. These study trips over the past 11 years have been so stimulating in our teaching ministry.

We are so encouraged by what our team is doing on the Coco River in Nicaragua.  Hopefully you read Danilo’s article on the pastor’s conference which they initiated and planned out on their own.  All we did was supply the $2,000 needed for fuel (to bring all the teachers and pastors to Sawa) and food  for the event.  These pastors are indeed hungry, and already are asking us to schedule another multi-day training session. 

Last week, Truman and Onofre had a meeting with the new Sandinista government Minister of Education.  We were not sure how our Christian Education project would be received by Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista government that was voted into power last year.  Truman called excitedly telling me that the meeting with the minister went extremely well, and “Now he is our friend. He likes what we are doing in the villages.” Danilo told me yesterday that  this new minister is asking us to take him downriver to visit all our schools.  So interesting how God continues to give us favor with all the various political officials in the government.

  Our children are fully engaged in ministry here in Vero Beach.  Mik and Luk are leading worship in Children’s Church and the High School Youth group– sometimes twice a week.  Moselle has joined the Christmas production choir. Arielle is assisting in Children’s Church as well.  We continue our Couples Cell Group, and teach at the School of Leaders. We have been on the road so much this year that we are finally getting an opportunity to catch our breath, and take care of many details of life and ministry that have been neglected these past months.

    We are confident that God is meeting all your needs during these surprising times.  We pray daily that God will provide for our team in Nicaragua, and ask you to do the same.  Please include our family in that prayer as well. We appreciate all the support that you are sending our way. God uses you in a very mighty manner for our family needs.             Thanks!                       Laura & Michael  

 

 

December Conchshell Chronicles

What Christmas Means to Me!

By The Bagby Kids

It is Jesus’ birthday and it is a wonderful holiday to celebrate. I think it is a great day.

The real story is that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. I was there but I don’t remember much except there was a hole with a star around it where you could touch the rock. I was six.

 The wise men were coming to celebrate his birth. They brought gifts.  They came in a certain way. They followed the star. Jesus grew up in Nazareth.  I was there too. We went to an underground place where we saw a home that a baker lived in back then. My friends were scared that the church above was going to fall on them.  Jesus left there and went to Capernaum and then began to preach and do some miracles. I was there too. It is by the Lake of Galilee. We went on a boat and I got a necklace from Uncle Chris that was a rock with a silver thing over the top with a fish on it.

Moz on the

“Lake”

 It all ends up at the Resurrection. He had big nails in his hand. Bigger than they give you at the Encounter.  They made him wear a crown of thorns that they pushed in his head. They spit on him, and they crucified him. They made him carry the cross, but one of his good friends helped him.

After he died, some of his disciples got a white cloth to put over him and they took him to the tomb. But that is the Easter story.

Christmas means celebrating his birthday and all the good things that He did. He made me. If it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be here. So I am thankful that I have Him. He got us into the Seek The Lamb ministry where we can help other people.

This is the perfect time to celebrate because  He made you too and He provides a lot stuff for you.

So I hope that you have a good Christmas.

       Merry Christmas from                 Moselle

I have a lot to say about Christmas. I love everything about it. It is a good holiday to celebrate.  I like the giving and getting stuff too. But Christmas is about a new hero born-Jesus.  A few years ago we went to Bethlehem and went were Jesus was born. It was a very cool little cave under a church. As I walked down the wet steps, I was thinking “Oh I hope I don’t slip down these stairs”.

After we were all down in that cave I was thinking “Wow I am where Jesus was born”.  I think that is pretty amazing because it is so old where we were. The cave could collapse on us any second. Jesus is a very good hero and why? Because he does all these miracles and he does a lot more things than you think. Think about it.

Jesus has done so many things in my life. He has provided for so many things like my house I live in and all my friends that I have and all the good food I have eaten. The most important thing He has given me is my Family that I have.

Christmas is not about buying and giving presents or even getting presents. It is about celebrating Jesus’ life every day.

I hope all of you have a Jolly Christmas.

                                                                   Arielle

Christmas is that time of year, when a lot of good memories are made. Time with family and friends, food, ham, cookies, the good’s ya know. And of course there is always presents, gifts and all that Santa stuff. .

Usually family’s draw a little bit closer and show a little more love this time of the year. It’s a great feeling you get when your all gathered around the tree unwrapping gifts from your loved ones, it’s a great feeling seeing the look on your little sisters’ face when they are just thrilled at the present you bought them.

 But Christmas is much more than that to me. This day represents when our savior, Jesus Christ, took on human form, and came to bring us salvation; To die on that cross and reconcile us from sin.

Christmas is the start of Jesus’ journey to save us from being condemned, we are honoring our savior this day and honoring his arrival to our world. His purpose in coming here is our reason to celebrate!

There are a lot of things during Christmas time that will brighten your day, make you laugh, and even make your heart beat just a little quicker. Everyone experiences at least a little bit of the “Christmas Cheer”.

Getting to open your gifts on the big day of course is one of the bigger highlights of the whole thing. But there are other moments we value too.

   From seeing the family, buying gifts for our special someone’s, or just straight up relaxing because Christmas break has finally arrived. All of it is more than pleasant and hopefully, will have great memories attached to it.

Of course there is another side to Christmas that everyone has to go through too. It is the stresses of juggling events, having major company over, and buying gifts not forgetting anyone while trying to stay on some kind of budget is chaotic in so many ways.

Also, if you get a late start, you’re racing against time too. 

All this can get extremely overwhelming and make all the good things I mentioned before this, seem dull and almost nonexistent. I have already caught myself multiple times getting caught up and stressed because of the things I had to do. I had to stop, take a breather, and remind myself that this happening, this “holiday” was not about me and it wasn’t about everything going on around me. It was about celebrating a birthday … our savior’s birthday.

I mean it is called CHRISTmas so I don’t have to tell you anymore on that.

But I encourage you while reminding myself to not get caught up or stressed out during this celebration, but to do your best to make it something special and enjoyable… the whole way through.

Merry Christmas To You All!       Mikaela

Lamb Bleatings 

By Laura

The power of two words……  ”THANK YOU”.

When the words thank you are written or spoken, it has the ability to impart a piece of the goodness into another life.  Goodness is at the very heart of God.  Good words said or written are hardly ever forgotten, but rather get played and replayed over and over again in a person’s mind and heart.  Many remain desperate to be acknowledged, noticed, appreciated and perhaps simply thanked for being who they are…a vast majority go unseen, unnoticed and sadly unrecognized as a creation of God given to this world as a gift.

We are all gifts…God’s highest most prized creations upon the face of this earth.  We are valued and infinitely precious in the sight of God.  He designed us for the sole purpose of enjoying us and relating to us.  He longs to be recognized as our Creator and acknowledged by us in our own special way.  Our uniqueness displayed before him through our relating with Him.  Then, our design naturally gets reflected to those around us in love and enjoyment of the relationships that surround our lives.  The love and enjoyment God imparts to us naturally overflows through our lives into the lives around us.  Much is given and much is received.  It is a full and abundant life with the treasure of relationships being at the very heart of it all.  God’s design is always perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  It is in faith that we live this life of being loved, loving, and overflowing with love for others.  The purposes of our lives are lived out and established in the midst of such relating.  We are free to “want to” and not “have to” when love drives us at the center of our lives.  We “do” not because it makes us look better or feel better or because “they told me to”, but because we are loved and we desire to love, obey & live in freedom.  We were never designed to be “religious” beings, but rather appreciably relational.

I want my children to grow up passionate about their love for God and for one another.  It is a joy to observe them at times in their spare time to gather all together in one locale and just hang.  In the morning before Bible study, they all often go to Mikaela’s room and squash together on her twin bed.  It is quite the sight and very noisy, but cute.  They genuinely seem to have a liking of one another and show it.  They also know how to get on one another’s nerves and mine….but that will be for another article.

When they appreciate one another, it does our hearts glad.  Michael told them yesterday how proud he was to see them actually enjoying being together and how that made us feel.  They are learning the value of standing in the gap for one another when one is unable to complete their assigned chore…those that are home pick up the slack for them, but they are sure to cash in on those “chips” at a later date when they can’t complete their task for one reason or another.   They are becoming quicker to help one another realizing that they too will need that help at some point in time.  It is good to live our lives generously, never holding back when we have the power to give.  All goods things make there way back multiplied…I have carefully observed this over the years.  One can never ever out give the beautiful, good hand of God.  He is an unlimited Source of goodness and delights in giving it all out immeasurably.

Those who appreciate such goodness seem to only receive more.  When my children display thankful hearts toward us, it causes me to “want” to give to them more.  When I observe them being generous, I can’t help myself from wanting to be generous with them.

When they are acting dissatisfied and complaining, I have no desire to even want to interact with them much less give to them.

A thankful life is a powerful life full of potential and ability to attract goodness.  Appreciation is at the heart of God.  He created all things to enjoy…to stand back and bask in its beauty.  We do well to do the same.

Our family is finishing up the book of Romans.  The process has been interesting as we read about the different kinds of men the book talks about…whether moral, religious, evil, Jew, Greek or Gentile, we all must come to the place of giving ourselves over as a living sacrifice to God especially contemplating all that He has already done for us.  Then the book addresses the need to keep the unity in the body of Christ…to recognize the different parts each one plays in the whole and to learn the art of appreciating the differences and not putting walls up between ourselves because we don’t agree or appreciate another person’s gifting.  Human nature likes to create boundaries and ways to make ourselves feel better or holier.  We erect walls, change churches, make divisions in order to not deal with the human stench in our own lives.….we are faced with differences for reasons that serve to sharpen us and cause our love to grow and expand within our very being.  Yet, instead we are used to judging, dividing ourselves and running. rather than facing up to the myriad of differences and giftings that are prevalent.  It is  possible to be victorious in the midst of these differences.  We find it in our hearts when we can come to the place of gratitude and thanksgiving in spite of that which grates us.

Are you able to muster up a hearty “thank you” in your present challenge?  It is there for a reason and it is not so much about “them” as it is about what God is doing in you.

When I am in that space of appreciation and thanking, I find I do so much better.  My state of being is so much healthier and less “me”, myself and I orientated.  My life is so much better living outward and not “I” ward & inward….this only leads to depression and a terribly defeated and ungrateful heart.  As far as I am concerned, an ungrateful life is a useless one. One can never live for eternity being useless……….

“In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.”

We Love You All! Merry Christmas.   Laura

The Bagby Bunch Corner

We have come to the end of another exciting year, which God has shown Himself to be so present.  This year, over 2500 kids were successfully educated in Nicaragua, three buildings were almost completed, pastor and teacher training conferences held, and our Deep Water was the most successful one ever! During it all, we felt His Presence and Your Prayers! We enjoy so much working with you for eternal things, and seeing God bring forth the fruit through our combined efforts.

We now spend these next week celebrating the Arrival of Our Savior on Planet Earth.  This year is one on which we can easily avoid the normal materialism and focus on what this season is really about:  Loving and appreciating God, and loving those He has placed around us.

Can you read the sign our teachers in Living Creek made for us when we visited this summer?  It says: “Wellcome Group The Bagby”.  You see us there with our muddy boots.  Do you see yourselves standing behind us?  We do.

Thank you for being such a big part of the ministry which we have all been called to in Nicaragua and all the other places we have gone in these past two decades.

Merry Christmas!  May God pour out Peace and Joy as we celebrate!        Laura and Maik

New Coffees Mark our Menu !

In November, we roasted over 800 lbs of coffee at our Vero Beach roasting room.  In December we sold all that at Christmas craft fairs on Maui, Farmer's Markets in Florida, and at Elizabeth & Alexander's Tea Room in Bothell Washington.

We introduced "Personalized Labels" as a Christmas gift, and we will continue that as a regular part of our "Fun With Coffee" program.

We also introduced two new premium blends to the Coffee Menu:  "Los Dos" and "It's Morning". Los Dos combines our Nicaraguan Medium roasted coffee with our Nicaraguan extra dark. It is an amazing combination which was inspired by our friend Jon Hamilton, the director of Christian FM.  

Not only is Jon a good guitar player and Bible teacher, he is also a GREAT coffee taster.  His "Hamiltonian" blend is quickly becoming a favorite among our clients. Jon is pictured here with his best friend Tammye.

Out second blend was inspired by our friend Antonio Patrice Elias Babatunbe Assaf,
who is a Irishman who grew up in Nigeria. Tony is very familiar with Middle Eastern culture.  Here he is aboard Fred the camel near Jericho. (Fred later excaped from his owners and wandered out onto a minefield along the Jordanian border- very sad!)

Tony was looking for a blend of coffee that the average joe would really enjoy as his morning cup...one that would not be too overpowering with distinct sharp flavors, but that would be soft and smooth.

So we combined a light roasted Honduran coffee with our dark roasted Nicaraguan with the sabilizing element being our medium roasted Sumatran. 

When it came to putting a name on this morning blend, we decided to say "It's Morning!".  Our friend Tracy Borscheller gave us the image for the label.

Tracy is a GGGGOOOODDD friend and we thank her for the unrestricted international usage rights that she give us for this image......

A third blend is now in the works and being perfected by master coffee taster Michael Remedios.  We call it "Nico- Africano.

It is a combination of Ethiopian medium roasted coffee along with our Nicaragua Dark.  Mike is finetuning the roast on each, and expects to have the FINAL receipe in a few weeks.

Mike is pictured here in a tasting session in the desert (of his living room in North Carolina) with co-taster Maik.  IN fact, Mike and Maik have been on the cutting edge of Rio Coco Bean Tasting since the inception of the business in 2004.
Stay tuned for more Coffee News.

Miskito Christmas

By Thomas Keogh

Santa hasn’t made it to Miskito territory yet but Jesus has. His story was first told there years ago by Moravian missionaries. A Savior-king born in a rough place surrounded by animals was uniquely compelling to Miskitos. But things change; Santa’s on his way.  So how do they celebrate Christmas in a Miskito village?

Before the Roman calendar reached the Miskto shore, the beginning of the dry season in January marked the completion of the yearly cycle; thus the word Mani means both year and dry season in Miskito. Forefathers celebrated this event with a feast called Sihkru, for which the entire village, usually comprised of one extended family, would pitch in. Men would bring back all kinds of fish and game from the forest while women would pull up starchy roots like cassava, taro, and sweet potatoes. The villagers would also make a canoe-sized batch of misla, a fermented drink. The feast would typically last until the food and drink ran out. Some of the highlights of Sihkru included the consecration of new sukya nani (shamans), the Pura Yapti in which loved ones who had died during the year were escorted to their eternal rest, competitive games, and the forgiving of unsettled resentments. 

After contact with Europeans, natives interbred with escaped slaves, and the African flavored Tambaku- inventive call  and response songs accompanied by lively dancing under the full moon -became a Miskito counterpart to the white people’s seasonal festivities.

The Moravian missionaries arrived, learned the language and customs, and succeeded in converting a majority of Miskito people. They suppressed the pagan elements of Sihkru such as the sukya initiations, drinking of misla, and Pura Yapti, while encouraging its convivial aspects. Tambaku remained controversial because singers could make up suggestive lyrics, young men could get drunk and couples sneak off into the bushes. Today, the Catholics and old line Moravians generally accept Tambaku while charismatic churches prohibit it.

When I arrived on the scene in 1979, Christmas had been the most important holiday in Brus Laguna for at least 30 years. December was already known as ‘Krismis Kati’ (Christmas Moon), and the integration of the traditional family feast into Christian culture was complete. Christmas Eve is big in Spanish America, and the observance of “el veinticuatro” has been transformed by evangelical Miskitos into a very peculiar evening service attended by all. The only real Christmas present that someone might expect to receive is the “Krismis praka” given in the afternoon: a dress (hopefully with shoes) for females and pants/shirt combo for males, to be worn to the event. The service itself is notable for the dramatizations of the Christmas story, in which people put on costumes and act out the biblical narratives with full-on Miskito flavor, being at once (if you can imagine it) both reverent and slapstick. Everyone finds the exuberant acting performed by normally ultra-reserved married folks to be gut-busting hilarious and perfectly acceptable. They’re not laughing at Biblical characters, they’re laughing at their aunts, uncles, friends, and grandparents. “Poignant” would definitely not go over in a Miskito village, but if an outsider could step back and observe the joyful pandemonium through the eyes of a wise God, the whole panorama would become immensely poignant!

 Christmas Day is also exuberantly celebrated by Miskitos because of British and American influence. Morning is set aside for visiting from house to house; most Miskito towns are now made up of many interconnected extended families, and so provision needs to be made for more distant relatives to get together and serve each other from their bounty. Games that the missionaries taught are played in the church yard during the afternoon hours. Many of these allow for men to test their strength and agility one-on-one as they did in the pre-Christian Sihkru. As in many native American cultures, fighting is a non hostile activity by which male friendships are traditionally formed, and the Moravians sponsored contests which facilitated a safer version, where men hopping on one leg try to knock each other out of a circle drawn in the dirt.

Organized sports have gradually worked their way into the Christmas picture through the public schools. Nowadays in Honduras guys play soccer and volleyball, while village girls attempt a form of basketball on rough ground, in which traveling is perfectly acceptable and half court shots regularly resound off wooden backboards. Only a few married guys and virtually no married women participate in these sports, however.

Other Western influences, including commercial ones, are being introduced through contact with the ladino community. Small Caribbean pines are cut down and carried home for Christmas trees. The national forestry service prohibits this practice, donating instead trees culled from managed stands, but these are only available in Puerto Lempira, where the ladino population lives, so many villagers opt for covert ops, making them ignorant delinquents in the eyes of authorities, and inferior citizens in their own subconscious.

I don’t know if it is by design or due simply to the fact that rough seas around the Christmas season cause a spike in the number of missed drops, but it seems that every year now large quantities of cocaine get washed ashore at this time of year. The unfortunate result is that many dream of a “white Christmas” just like the one in 2004, my last Christmas in Honduras, when 7,000 kilos of pure cocaine came up on the beach at the village of Uhsibila. With an instant infusion of large amounts of cash, cars, houses, and gaudy bling now count among the extravagant gifts being given or simply lavished on oneself. Of course, because it’s Christmas, large but discreet offerings are also made at church, with varying degrees of acceptance by the pastorate.

I understand that healthy cultures are by nature dynamic and have no desire to freeze frame any people in a restrictive cage of tradition. But in a place where things are changing so rapidly, a paternalistic religious culture in which restraints have always been external has not been capable of providing an anchor for the devastation of global intrusion. Today more than ever there is a pressing need for God’s word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, to take root in the interior of a people, like a star Eastward in the heart, pointing the way to true worship of the Savior.