We're voting absentee this year, and I confess to being fairly ignorant about the possibilities for US and Tennessee Representatives.
For US Rep, the choices are:
*Zach Wamp, R
*John Wolfe, D
*June Griffin, I
*Jean Howard-Hill, I
*Doug Vandagriff, I
For TN Rep:
*Debbie Colburn
*Jack Sharp
(Which for some reason reminds me of cheeses. Aren't they types of cheese?)
Who has opinions about these people? Or good web resources to help inform our decisions?
For our 3rd Quarter Marriage Meeting, we went to the Bay Island of Roatan.
We ate.
We floated.
We soaked.
We watched our feet.
We came back to the mainland.
If you want to contribute to the Las Mangas Elementary School roof, you can send a check to:
The Tabernacle Church
1619 Ferndale Avenue
Melbourne, FL 32935
1. In the memo line of the check, write: "Las Mangas Fund".
2. Please include a note with the check specifying that the money is for the Las Mangas Elementary school roof.
We have learned recently that the elementary school building in Las Mangas
is in dire shape – the concrete roof could collapse at any time without
warning. Although the village leadership has been aware of this for
sometime, they have moved slowly to correct it, in part because of a lack of
funds. The cost for materials is around $2600, and between the development
workers in the area we already have about $2000. If you are interested in
donating to the school roof, please let us know by commenting here or emailing us.
This trio of books seems perfectly timed in our lives. Right in the thick
of our thoughts about culture, rural poverty, development, evangelism,
education, and agriculture, along come three potent stories that wrestle
with all these issues. And they were “page turners” to boot!
• Alan Paton, Cry the Beloved Country. The story of a black African priest
and his search for family members lost in the labyrinthine frenzy of
Johannesburg. In a hopeful, moving way, it illuminates and mourns the
problems of early 20th century South Africa: racism, urban population
pressure, crime.
• Kamala Markandaya, Nectar in a Sieve. Written from the perspective of a
poor tenant farmer’s wife, Markalaya’s novel is rich in imagery and the
experience of poverty. A powerful love story, it also provides some idea of
what it is like to live off the land, feasting when it yields and starving
when it rebels.
• Shusaku Endo, Silence. Novel about a Portuguese priest during the heavy
persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan. A gripping story of
belief, doubt, suffering, and cross-cultural complications.
Good friends of ours Joe and Rachel Staven have started an organization called "Libros", which will support a community children's library here in Las Mangas. Peter will be the officiant on this end.
Please visit their website and weblog to find out more about it and consider being involved. Printed materials are much needed here, and we have access to so much in the States. Plus Joe and Rachel and Peter are really cool folk.
Yamileth of El Naranjo went to be with Jesus on Tuesday. Her husband Santos
died of AIDS earlier this year, and she had suffered for months with the
same disease. Kelly and I did not know her ourselves, but Rachel, Larry,
Sharon, and Catalina all spent a lot of time caring for her. We are
thankful that she is free of her suffering, but are concerned for her six
children. It looks like they will be split up between different households,
and we are praying that they would still have the chance to be raised with
love and attention, and that they would know comfort now.
Another activity that we mentioned in The Okie Free Press is our Friday
night fellowship, which has been moved to the afternoon, and our
discipleship group on Sunday. The campus has been hosting the local youth
(mostly students at Instituto El Rey) since the beginning of the school year
to fellowship and study God’s Word. These times of fellowship have grown
deeper and deeper as the year has progressed, and now we call many of the
attendees our dearest friends here. Those of you who keep up with our
weblog (www.chattablogs.com/okie) are aware that a few months ago, two of
our closest friends, Sara and Francis, committed their lives to Christ. I
had been studying the Gospels with Francis on the bus in the mornings, and
occasionally asked if she believed the things we were reading about. “Of
course!” she would reply. But when I asked if she was ready to follow
Christ, her answer was always, “Not yet, but soon.” A few months ago that
“soon” turned into the present and she, along with Sara (with whom she
lives) committed their lives to Christ. Oh, what rejoicing there was in
heaven! Never before have I witnessed a conversion so personality-changing
as Sara’s was. She went from being stern and tight-lipped to smiling and
singing songs all day long. God’s grace is definitely evident in both of
their lives.
After Sara and Francis became Christians, Tom and I along with others here,
were fervently praying that Lesbin, Sara’s older brother, would soften his
heart to the call of the Lord. He has always been one of the most caring
and conscientious people here – especially for a 16-year old boy. Last
weekend, after a hymn-sing co-led by Tom and Abe, the discipleship group
launched into a serious time of prayer. Many tears were shed and Lesbin
decided that night that he wanted to re-dedicate his life to Christ. Jesus
calls for all those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest.
Now Lesbin has taken that yoke upon himself, and is experiencing the joy of
surrender. All of us here are honored to be in friendship with him and to
share this time of his life.
I (Tom) felt very loved on my birthday last Thursday. It started with 24
kisses and a love letter from my wife. At school Ester and the eighth
graders made a card, a cake, and some lemonade; and had a hilarious round of
toasts, in which a number of students shyly said how they loved me and hoped
that God blessed me and my wife and gave me muchos años mas – many more
years. After school, Kelly took me to the butterfly museum in La Ceiba,
which is the most amazing collection of carcasses I have ever seen. Then we
drove to the airport to pick up my brother Abe, who visited us for the
weekend. When we returned to the campus, there was a special birthday
dinner (lasagna and apple pie!). And then I opened gifts – oatmeal,
oatmeal soap, a mug, and an assortment of things from stateside family. I
usually suppress expectations of feeling special on my birthday, but I was
much loved this day. Thanks everyone who made it that way.
Abe’s visit was short but dulce. We played a lot of music at the school,
for the discipleship group, and with our friend Juan from the mountains (a
singer-songwriter himself). We saw the ocean, visited the Ramirez family in
La Muralla, fed the rabbits, swam in the river and the brook, and saw the
violent destruction of two piñatas. You can keep an eye on his weblog, Noli
Tangere where he may post some of his own reflections and photos. Thanks for making the trip, brother.
We have spoken often of the Ramirez household, a family I (Kelly) have known
for over four years now. Many of you know that Ramirez has been having
trouble with his heart, which results in painful respiration, and makes it
generally uncomfortable to sleep and very hard to work. Though he has been
blessed with many free doctor’s visits and inexpensive tests (we at the
campus have been able to help out with the minor costs since he is a farmer
with little to no income), the problem persists, and the results are
inconclusive. It is certain that he has a heart disease, but the next step
is less certain. We are all waiting to hear a second opinion from a
stateside heart specialist who has the video of the inside of Ramirez’
heart. Until then, Tom and I are continually enjoying our biweekly visits,
and looking forward to the arrival of their baby in mid-November. We are
all hoping for a girl to supplement their four boys!
Our last communication with you as a group was a prayer request for the
folks of Las Mangas because of a shooting here in the village that took the
life of one child and the arm of another. Since then, one family has left
the country, and three men have hid themselves in other places. We thank God
that there has been no further violence, and continue to remember in prayer
the affected families.
Maria lost her son Angel. There was recently an evangelistic campaign up
the road in El Pital, and, somewhat reluctantly, I agreed to go. On my way
up in our green Toyota I happened upon Maria and her children. Following a
sudden idea, I asked, “Do you want to go?” Her face lit up. “Oh yes,” she
said. “I don’t like to be shut up in this house.” Her three children and
two grandchildren caught the excitement immediately. “We’re going to the
campaign!” they shouted, scurrying around for their shoes and “going out”
clothes.
In spite of the rain, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Maria closed her eyes and
sat still as she mouthed the words to the praise choruses. Meanwhile the
children climbed on my lap, shoulders, arms, and legs, munched on chips, and
pressed the Indiglo button on my watch (an incessant fascination for the
younger boys especially). It was a beautiful grace to me that my reluctant
gesture of courtesy -- attending the campaign – became such a joyous
exchange of love. We have all been trying to visit Maria and her family
regularly, and every time we stop by we are greeted by a flurry of hugs and
greetings. The youngest usually says, “Tomás! When are you going to bring
your gallo again?” I tell him that my “rooster” is at the campus, and the
older children and I laugh. (He means carro).
Unfortunately, Maria’s husband has not been much help to her in her grief,
perhaps not knowing how to deal with his own. We are praying for harmony
and comfort for them and their little ones.
The following is our quarterly update letter, broken into bite-sized chunks. Enjoy!
September 10, 2004
Las Mangas, Honduras
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings again from Honduras! We hope this finds you well. Today was the
Day of the Child in Honduras, and we just returned from a colegio-wide trip
to Paraiso, a village some ways from the road. After fording the river four
times, braving two hammock bridges, racing with sacks and eggs, bursting a
piñata, and cheering and singing, we are glad to be back at home resting.
It was fun to be with the students as they went to serve their poorer,
younger compatriots, and as our departure nears, each day with them seems
more precious.
