From Chuck

Written by Chuck, Saturday March 15

Some of us drove to Atlanta Friday night and flew out Saturday morning, going through Miami. Well, that was an adventure. We came through downtown Atlanta shortly after the tornado hit, and had to work our way through traffic that was slowed way down by rescue workers helping with overturned vehicles and other damage. We had a very nice hail storm later in the evening. The parking lot below our window was nearly white with hail before it switched back to rain.

Saturday morning traffic was snarled on the taxiway by a plane with a mechanical malfunction as our plane was trying to get away from the terminal. It took us mare than an hour to get to the runway, and with only an hour and a half for our connection, we were really concerned that we wouldn’t get out of Miami. However, American airlines delayed the flight to Belize, and we made it after all. I guess God really intended for us to get here.

It was really nice to get to Jaguar Creek again. We arrived just at dusk, and the birds were singing their evening songs. The lushness of the jungle is amazing. And all around, it is warm and buggy and noisy.

We are sharing the camp with some of the directors of the organization that runs Jaguar Creek Ministries. They are here to energize old staff, orient new staff, recruit volunteers, and court potential donors. They are all from the San Francisco area, so the setting is even more different for them than it is for us.

Saturday night we met Jacinto, the head of the water board for Armenia and also for the Cayo district (the north central district). We didn’t have a long discussion, but we learned a few things that will change our approach to providing clean water. I have hopes that he will be a good resource and possibly an apolitical ally. Otherwise, we will have trouble, because no plan outlasts the term of office of the person with whom you make the plan. Sometimes I think no truth outlasts the term of office of the person who tells you that truth. Pray for good decisions as we try to find our way to beneficial service to God’s children in Armenia.

From Chuck, Sunday, March 16, 2008

It was chilly last night! We couldn’t believe that we actually needed a blanket. This morning dawned to the accompaniment of bird songs, and the bugs had shut up for the day.

We went to church at the Nazarene church in Roaring Creek. What a contrast from the Pentacostal church in Armenia! Lots of praise songs with drums, guitar, and electronic keyboard. Then the sermon, which was excellent. He spoke about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, of course. On of his points was about spontaneity. The crowd just turned out to welcome Jesus without being recruited and organized. Similarly, we should be prepared to respond to God’s call without planning and organization. One had to do with lost opportunity. Jesus wept for Jerusalem’s lost opportunities. We should be attentive to opportunities as they arise so we don’t miss out as well.

The point that somehow resonated most with me was about the donkey. Here was an animal that was too young to be used yet, and not been broken for riding. Yet that was what Jesus asked for. And, he said, how many of us have gifts and talents as our own donkeys that are tied up somewhere, and when God calls, we say “It’s not time yet” or “Wait until I have this ability better trained.” We may do that over and over, and never get around to answering the call.

One thing that kind of pricked at us was the minister’s reference to the Pharisees as people who couldn’t stand disorder. The crowd was having a good time praising Jesus, and the Pharisees said tell them to shut up, they are unruly, it isn’t appropriate to be so disorderly. Maybe the frozen chosen need to think about that a bit more.

This afternoon Dale and Ashley and I went to Armenia to find Filberta and Odelia, the village nurses. Their houses were appalling. They had no windows in their windows, but you don’t really need windows in Belize. There were chickens walking around the yard picking among the bits of trash and litter, apparently unlimited numbers of dogs, most of which we so thin they must have been infested with parasites. It was a reminder how little we can identify with conditions of such poverty, and how little we can do about it. The best we can do, I guess, is to offer our friendship and knowledge.