April 2010 Conchshell Chronicles

Go Fly A Kite                                 by Maik

I found myself at the beach last week flying a kite. I know, people pay thousands of dollars to come to Florida and hang at the beach, but that is not my style.  We had friends from out of town, plus we decided it was time to get our stand up paddle boards out.  Still, I had lots to do to take an afternoon and go to the beach and fly a kite.

Our time in Nicaragua last month was monumental.  We have been faced with budget cuts since my last trip, because donations had dropped significantly in the fall and winter.  We had to do something, and more importantly we needed to know what the Lord was doing. I sensed that God was going to show us something during this trying time, and He did.

It is interesting how we react to economic pressures.  Our “reactions” tells us a lot about what is going on inside. We all have felt the effects of our “Great Recession”, and we have had to make adjustments.  When you are dealing with 59 teachers and their families, it is not easy.

First we were late with the salaries for November, but it came in early December, as the school year was ending. That was also the time we normally pay December salary, along with the “13^th month” salary that Nicaraguan Labor law requires us to do.  It wasn’t until the middle of January that we were able to send that down.  These delays prompted reactions on the part of some of our teachers.  Most who have worked for us for years were patient.  They understood that we receive donations and sell coffee each month which pays their salary.  God has been very faithful to us, and we have never missed a payday for our teachers.

Other teachers became angry, and thought that we were somehow withholding their money, or as one proclaimed over the local radio station, “Truman and Maik are stealing my money”.  That began months of slander by a few of our teachers, which was surprising.  Nevertheless, the Lord was showing us who was with us spiritually, and who wasn’t. In the midst of the pain of public slander, God was doing something significant.

After many discussions on the phone at the end of December, we decided that a solution to our economic woes was to withdraw from four villages and lay off 19 teachers. We took the opportunity to layoff those teachers who were not with us spiritually, as well as some others whom we had hired only a few years ago.  It was a tough decision, as the hearts of our Leadership Team is to help the children of the Rio Coco with something that has always been difficult- education. It is one of the most remote corners of the Western Hemisphere.  They all know what it means to be able to read and write.  They know the value of teaching God’s Word each day.

As we planned for schools to open in February, we received word from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education that they would not be able to put teachers in those villages.  They were out of money too.  It appeared that many of our kids would be without teachers and education for 2010. So our team decided that it would be best to reduce their pay and the salaries of the remaining 40 teachers by 15% and hire back ten of the teachers so that we could have complete schools in 14 villages.  It was a necessary strategy, and our other teachers agreed to this cut in pay.

It was at this point in March that Laura and I arrived in Waspam.  We spent a week in meetings.  I asked some hard questions of our Leadership Team.  “Are we here to just educate kids, or are we here to make disciples and teach Biblical principles to these families?”  In all the pressures of making a school project succeed in this past year, it seemed our focus had shifted to just education. We talked about each of our teachers, and what we could do to help their economic situation, and provide them with the spiritual training that they desired and needed.  In our discussions, God began to move and we all got excited about heading in a new direction for 2010.

For Laura and I, this was the best time (but not easiest) with our team in Nicaragua in the past 10 years.  So what does this all have to do with kite flying? Returning to Florida, I was faced with having to take care of many details of the ministry. Our donations for March were low. My external hard drive with all my documents and photos had died during my absence.  I had backed it up in January, but I was lacking many needed files. It was going to cost over $1000 to recover the data. In addition, there were relationship issues that had suddenly confronted me. The coffee business was demanding time and decisions.  My family needed to catch up with me.  There was a lot to do.  And then I was informed that we were going to the beach.

Sometimes we have to put out faith right out front. I mean when Jesus says not to worry (Matthew 6:25-33) about food clothes, or other things, but to seek first His Kingdom and everything else would be taken care of, well, can I really believe and apply that to my life?  Could I leave it all in His hands for a few hours, and enjoy my family and friends?

One of the kids had a Spiderman kite. The wind was blowing and Moselle and Arielle were flying it, but they only had about 10 feet of line out, and it was wildly diving on the folks behind us. I took the string in my hand, and decided to see how high I could get the kite.  Within a few minutes, the strong wind had the kite up over 100 feet above our heads. Soon, the entire roll of string was completely deployed, and  this kite was dancing in the stratosphere above the beach.   

You might not be aware of this, but there are many styles to kite flying:  I first demo-ed the Statue of Liberty style (a bit boring); after a few minutes I switched to the “Surf” mode. It is all about arm & leg movements, and the position of the string to make the kite move with you. My finale was the Rastafarian “Smooth Grove” kite stroll down the beach.  This drew looks from people walking on the beach who had no idea that there was a kite attached to this crazy guy making strange moves. My wife will be the first to tell you I am naturally gifted when it comes to stepping on the dance floor.  Stylistic Kite Flying is simply an extension of my natural dance talents. I was the sight to behold.

When I got back to the office later that day, the situation had not changed, but I had. We still were facing financial needs and battling technical issues. But I had a definite peace going on inside me.  I had confidence that God was going to take care of all the situations. I was more assured that this year would be one of the best for our school project in Nicaragua.  I knew that He had all the details of the coffee business worked out.  All I had to do was remember that He is in control, and we only have to play the parts that He has assigned to us.

I think I will add more days of kite flying to my calendar.  Heck, with my talent, I may even go pro.  Whatever it takes to keep my mind and spirit focused on my Lord, and His plans and purposes in my life.

Shall we organize the 2010 Seek The Lamb Kite Flying Invitational?

 

Donations are Welcome! You may support the school project by clicking on this secure link: How You Can Help

Lamb Bleatings  by Laura

Thank you to all of you who have been faithful to do your part in God’s calling upon your lives.  Many of you have willfully and faithfully taken part ihe many lives we serve along the Coco River and on the behalf of my Miskito friends we all say, Tengki pali (thank you).  We appreciate you deeply. 

Over the last couple decades, we have seen a lot of growth and change in the culture we have served in.  We have also lived through many disappointments and heartache that comes with working with people we grow to love.  On a few occasions, we have even had the sensation of “what am I doing here? And why do we do what we do anyway? Are we making a difference in the eternal scheme of things?”

A long time ago, God assured me that if I took care of His business, He would take care of ours.  I have watched him do quite the spectacular job of living up to His part of the bargain.  He has taken care of detail after detail without me ever having to try to “figure it all out” and “make it all happen” by myself.  He continues to inspire in me the importance of having a giving, open mentality which never has the right to “hold back” or shrink back into the way of worldly believing and contemplating. He continues to encourage me to live large and take in my moments as they come and to never be afraid of stepping forward into the unknown. 

The unknown is often what we encounter in our lives and it demands faith to step forth frequently and boldly.  We can never take credit for stepping forward because mostly it feels like we are simply being placed in a position to succumb and trust lest we die and fail to see the hand of God do His usual thing. 

We have come to the place where we hunger and thirst to see God and watch Him do His thing.  His thing is always better, more, and altogether beyond all that we could ask, think or imagine.  I can never go back to “normal”.  Normal would mean to live in a state of continual angst, striving, dissatisfaction and overall discontentment. (like bad tasteless coffee)

Following Jesus has been the goal for us in all and through all.  Is He being glorified?  Is He doing what He wants through us and our efforts? The challenges of us raising money for Project Ezra and our friends has been pressing and a matter of concern for us. God has called us to be givers.  He has allowed us to be human sieves for His resources to pour through our lives.  It has been an honor and blessing for the most part. The past year and a half has been hard. I have personally come to a couple of points in time of asking Jesus (in a human and grumbling sort of way) about the people I serve and love.

Every once and awhile, when you work in another culture or even in your own, we find there to be many frustrating differences in the way we handle things, say things, do things, receive things and maneuver through things.  We always strive to go with “Bible culture” and not ours or theirs, but God’s culture.  In the process of working toward His culture, we engage in many frustrating moments of coming in agreement.  Sometimes even hurtful ones which humanly have a way of causing me to want to run and no longer do what I do and be who God made me to be. 

In the end of every process, I come to the place of having to choose ”His way or My way?” I wrestle my way through to the end of every process and come to the place of submission to Him.  Not easy, but thankfully with every wrestling match in this life, I tire and lay myself out before him limp and incapable of the fight and declare, “not my will, but yours be done.  Help me. I am yours.”  It often hurts so bad and for me it is hardly ever without deep wrenching emotions.  I both hate and love the process.

I would never want to come to a place in my life where I say, “No” to God.  In the little and big ways of life, I have observed many come to that very place of determination where they do say, “No, I don’t want to or I don’t think I need to.”  It is the place where the fence is built and they begin to straddle it and maneuver through life part way in and  out.  That, to me, is the broad way (Matt 7) and leads through a life of judgment and lack of true eternal gain.

A life that is full of activities and acts unauthorized by the will of the One they ought to be serving.  A conflicted life led by many sources gaining for self and flesh, but not for the eternal

We are attempting to relay to our children, our friends on the Coco river, and all of our disciples the importance of “Choosing wisely” in the moment by moment decisions we make in life.                                                   Laura

 

Good Coffee or Bad?  By Lukas

 

This season of my life has been an interesting one to say the least. There have been a lot of blessings and struggles throughout this year but I’m thankful for all of them because of the opportunity to grow from the experience.

I recently read the book of Ruth in the Bible. I didn’t think much of this book until my dad put the meaning behind this book into an analogy that I could really understand. The story of Ruth is one consisting of a few characters, mainly Naomi, her mother-in-law. In the beginning of the book Naomi faces hardships in losing her husband and her sons. One may ask why would God allow this to happen?  Well this is where my dad’s genius analogy of the situation came in.

He asked me if I thought that the coffee I am serving at the Farmer’s Market here in Vero Beach every Saturday morning was average coffee or very good coffee. “It’s excellent coffee. Our customers love it.” I replied.

He continued: “Say you buy a commercial coffee which was roasted and ground months ago and has been sitting on the grocery shelf for months getting stale, and brew it. Now you are sitting at the table with a full cup of this old tasteless coffee and I come along with a fresh pot of fresh roasted Rio Coco Bean coffee and offer you some. Can you receive it?  No, because your cup is full of this brand x coffee.  You have to first dump out the old coffee before you can fill it with really good coffee.”

He said to me: “Luke, when you’re facing something difficult in your life and it seems hard just think of it this way. God is emptying your nasty cup of brand x coffee and filling it with Rio Coco Bean coffee.”

Now I laughed at first but then realized that this was something that was very real in the trials of our lives. Naomi and her husband moved from their home in Bethlehem to Moab, and then took Moab women as wives for their sons.  Both of these acts are forbidden by God in the Law. He knows that when we mix other cultures with God’s, we will get ourselves in trouble. When her husband and sons die, Naomi is forced to return to her home, where God is waiting to bless her beyond her wildest dreams.

God took away from Naomi what needed to be taken away in order to give her greater blessings. Next time you feel that your life couldn’t get any worse just think to yourself “its time for some better coffee” and your outlook on life can completely turn around and your faith in God will be stronger than ever.                                                  Lukas

 

The Bagby Bunch Corner

     Unexpected pain and disappointment has a way of breeding exciting growth provoking moments if we allow the process to complete itself.  How easy it is to inadvertently stop a process for the discomfort alone. 

It’s human and yet God has a way of using every instance to make necessary changes in us for the sake of our freedom.  It is the reason He came.  It is the reason Easter is such a huge deal in so many parts of this world. 

In Central America, virtually everything shuts down during the season of Semana Santa (Holy week)  It is the week of celebrating Jesus’s death and Resurrection. 

Death and Life...two ends of the opposite spectrum.  We often ask the question of ourselves and our kids “What is it that they exude, “Life or death” when they speak, when they work, when they play?  Do we bring with us a blessing or a curse?  That reality rests in the deep places of our hearts and who we are serving and whether we are living out whether Our Redeemer lives in us and through us.

The song of choice for me this season has been, “My Redeemer Lives.”  It encouraged my heart to declare that fact of life for us. 

The kids hid eggs in our yard for the adults to find on Easter Sunday after lunch.   Arielle even put some of her money in a few eggs (hoping to motivate sluggish adults).  Olivia sang her made up song with her stick baton waving happily cracking me up the whole time while Tony tried to steal my finds.  He’s quick! We did have a little untraditional hunting of bags of chips and little Gatorade bottles hidden all over the place for the cousins and “real” kids before the adults went mad….which even Grandma and Grandpa got in on it!!! 

I have come to realize that true life is often expressed in our ability to “play” & work with one another in joy and peace.  This is celebrating the message of the cross and the true life He came to give to us.  It is all about being connected to the Living God and to one another and creating memories that live on.  The tomb is empty...He Lives.                 

   Laura & Michael

 

Rio Coco Beans’ New Website Is Alive!!!

 

It was in September that we decided to update our coffee website.  Enter our friend Tony Assaf who had a vision for the very best coffee website in existence.  He went to work with John Paquette, a web designer friend and together they have created a website that you will enjoy and learn from. There are instructional videos and a film called “Humanic Coffee” by Olivia Assaf that tells the story of Rio Coco Beans and the school project on the Rio Coco. This site will be the source for  all the coffee, French presses, grinders, and mugs that you desire in these next months.We are now a distributor of Bodum products and we will offer the lowest price on their products.

Run to www.riococobeans.com.   

As a special welcome to you readers of the Conchshell Chronicles, there will be a special discount for the month of April.

At check out, type in the code “ALOHA” and receive a 10% discount on your order.

    Remember, our profits educate our students on the Rio Coco through Project Ezra.  Enjoy!

 

On The Horizon-  Utila,   Bay Islands Honduras

 

We lived in La Ceiba Honduras from 1986 to 2000. During that time, we often flew over to the small island of Utila for swimming and diving.  This is where Mikaela and Lukas both learned how to swim.

Backpackers from Europe, North America, Australia, and Israel come here by the droves to learn scuba diving.  Many of them stay for months, having fun. We have always enjoyed our conversations with this International crowd, and inevitably they always get to hear our stories. In the early 1990’s, we thought Utila was ripe for planting a church. We began making plans, but events crowded it out of our schedule.  We returned to Utila in 2008 after a 10 year hiatus, and guess what? God reawakened that vision, only this time with a twist: A church disguised as a coffee store. We could enjoy that!

We spent time in March on Utila, and the Lord confirmed to us His plan.  Now we are praying for the next steps.  Please pray with us.

 

We Welcome Your Donations!

Please click on the secure link below to make a donation to Seek The Lamb.  You may support the school project in Nicaragua, sponsor s missionary, or give to our construction project.  How You Can Help

 

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