Field for sale

Matthew 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field."

The kingdom of heaven, whatever that means, is so amazing and important that Jesus describes it with this little analogy. The man finds a treasure. It's far more important than anything he has, so he sells all his stuff to make sure that he gets the treasure, which is the kingdom of God.

But me, I'm not even willing to give up my savings for the kingdom of God, let alone sell things I have. I mean, what if an emergency happens and I need the money? What if I need a downpayment for a house some day? What if...

But, you see, Jesus tells a parable about people like me. It's the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the parable, a man leaves and gives his servants some money. God has given me some money. Some of the servants invest the money, get back more, and give it to the man. He is pleased and blesses them. The final servant hides the money, doing nothing with it, and gives it back. The money I have is hidden in a bank account. The man takes money and gives it to the faithful servants, and the worthless servant is thrown "outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Weeping and gnashing of teeth? That's a description of hell. The servant who keeps the money and does nothing with it is thrown into hell.

So, this is a serious thing. Now, I don't think this parable is saying that God wants us to go invest into the stock market to try to get rich. But I do think this parable is saying that we should give our money away. More specifically that I should give my own money away...and invest it in something or someone that is doing the work of God.

Jesus says it so many freaking times. He tells the rich man to sell all his posessions before following him. He says that it's really hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Luke 14:33, he says that we can't be his disciple if we don't give up everything we have. In Luke 12:33, Jesus straight-up says "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." At the end of the same chapter he says that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. Keeping money is a way to be safe in life, and in Luke 9:24, Jesus says that we will lose our life if we try to save it, and save it if we lose it. Luke 6:20 has Jesus teaching that the poor will be blessed because the kingdom of God belongs to them. And these are just the verses I found perusing things I've marked in my Bible....there's probably many more.

Maybe not all of these verses support what I'm saying, and I don't understand them all completely, but there's enough to back it up. It's clear that Jesus wants us to give up things for the kingdom. He wants us to trust him for everything, which is way easier when we don't have a savings account to trust in. Maybe I'm wrong, but should we risk distancing ourselves from God because of our excess money that will one day vanish?

I found that treasure in the field. But apparently, I'm somehow not convinced that the field is a good investment. What will you sell for that field?

Analysis of a Despedida

Leaving Medellin, I had to say a lot of goodbyes. Leaving the farm, I said goodbye to the boys that I hung out with a ton and the other farm staff, who I had grown close to. A week before then, I said goodbye to Paul, the other gringo who was there for about the same time I was. Later that Sunday, I had to say goodbye to all the church folks that I had met. Then, some final goodbyes the last couple days I was there. It felt like I was saying goodbye to at least one person every day that last week.

And goodbyes suck.

It feels so weird when you spend all your time with a group of people, then all of a sudden, you don't see them at all, and maybe even never again. It's like when a boyfriend and girlfriend break up. One moment, they are the most important people to each other....next, they are barely in each other's lives.

I've had to do this a few times in my 23 years. After high school. After LT two summers ago. After Denver last summer. After this summer in Medellin. And after this last year of my college career ends, I'm going to have to do it again.

And I had the realization a few days ago that this upcoming set of goodbyes will undoubtedly be the most difficult I've had to do. Hands down.

I wish I could take a part of college with me. Maybe that's why so many feel like they have to find someone to marry while they are in college....so they can take a part of college with them to their post-college lives...


It's strange to think of all the people I've met in my life. I wonder what percentage of those people I will see again after leaving here before I die. I bet it's a really low number. We're all going to be going off to other parts of the state/country/world to do all kinds of crazy things.

What do I conclude from this? That life is short. And these different stages or seasons of life are even shorter. So, I want to enjoy and cherish this last year as much as possible before I have to move forward to the next stage of life.

We're food for worms, lads!

So, I've been a total blog failure this Summer. Sorry about that.

I come home on Wednesday. That's so crazy. Time has totally flown by. There have been some awesome moments, some sad ones, some boring ones, and many exciting ones.

Today, I said goodbye to the boys from the farm, and some of the staff. Here are a couple highlights:

First, last night, Orlando, one of the guys who helps run the farm, showed me a video last night. The video was of this guy named Nick Vujicic who has no arms or legs. He goes around speaking to huge crowds about Christ. I had seen the video before, and it's pretty legit. I normally like to stay away from "overcoming adversity" people, but this guy has a freakin' awesome message. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td069At34TM
Anyway, Orlando told me that I remind him of this guy, which was really encouraging.

Second, today, I gave my watch to one of the kids at the farm. It cost me 8000 pesos (which is about 4 dollars) downtown in Medellin, but it really meant a lot to him. He then gave me something in return, along with an encouraging note. "Amigos por siempre"


So yeah, spending the last couple nights here in the city before I have to say more goodbyes. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will get another chance to talk to a guy I met at church a couple weeks ago. He told me about his life....which was filled with a lot of gang stuff, killing, drugs, and other crazy stuff. But he wants to change, and probably has changed a ton, but still struggles with the desire to return to that type of life. For some reason, he chose me, the gringo with limited Spanish, to open up to. So, while he was crying (this is a guy who at first seemed to have his stuff together) and sharing about everything, I was sitting there trying to pick up as many words as possible. We read Romans 8 and I got to share the story of Paul and how God used someone who did terrible things in his past (like kill lots of people) and some other stuff.

So.....I'll update again soon with more things that have happened this summer. Dios les bendiga!

Read this post to earn a special prize!

So, these are my notes for what I taught the youth at the churches here. I didn't say everything exactly how it is on here, but I followed this general outline and added or removed some things as I was teaching. If you read all of this post, you get a special prize (the satisfaction of having read all of the post).


1. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2. GIVING UP ON MIRACLES

I start with these verses because of what people think when they see me. I have had several people ask me if I have prayed for a miracle. I even had someone tell me that God was going to heal me. Yes, I used to ask God for healing, and when I was younger even expected it. I would ask God, "Why? Why me?" I could have given up on life and just waited around for physical healing from God.

But, fortunately, like Paul, I gave up on that specific miracle.

What if Paul would have stopped spreading the news of Christ because of his "thorn"? We wouldn't have half the New Testament, and the Gospel would not have spread to the Gentiles like it did.

What if I would have given up? I certainly wouldn't be here in Medellín. I wouldn't be in college. I wouldn't have gotten to do all the cool things that I have the privilege to do.

And according to this passage, I don’t need a miracle. God says that his grace is sufficient and that He is powerful in our weaknesses.

That's not to say that I don't wish I could walk. I would love to not have a disability. But that's not for me to decide.

3. James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

4. THE ADVANTAGE OF WEAKNESS

Why does James tell us to consider our trials "pure joy"? For us, it's hard to not be bitter during trials. If we can not be angry, that seems pretty good for us. But James tells us to be thankful for our trials! How crazy is that?

We ask for blessing all the time, but do we ever ask for trials? What would that look like?

What if, instead of asking for blessings, we ask God for whatever strengthens our relationship with him, whether that be blessing or trial? Are we willing to ask for trials in order to strengthen our faith?

This is where we have to figure out if we value comfort over our relationship with God. This is something we all probably struggle with.

God does not promise us comfort. He promises us trials:

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world."
-John 16:33

We will have trouble, but God will give us peace.

5. IDENTIFYING YOUR WEAKNESSES

What are you "weaknesses"? Here are some that I found:

Fear.
Depression.
Finances.
Tough family life…or not having a family.
Insecurity.
Physical problems.
Pride.
Lack of trust.
Anger.
Doubt and Unbelief.
Temptation.
Idols: wealth, boyfriend/girlfriend, intelligence

6. WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES KEEPING YOU FROM DOING?

Are your weaknesses keeping you from following God in any way?

Let's look at Moses.

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [a] like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
-Exodus 4:1-13

God provided all these miraculous signs for Moses, and yet he still didn't believe that God could use him to do his purpose. Moses thought that because of his speech problem, God couldn't use him.

Often, we think the same way. But God used Moses to free the Israelites anyway.

Let's not let our imperfections get in the way of God working in our lives.

I don't have the gift of prophecy, but I think that for many of us in here, God has something he wants us to do…something that we don't think we can do. It could be anything: apologizing to a friend you have wronged, going to another country for college, becoming a pastor or missionary, or telling somebody about Jesus. I don't know, but if you are like me, there is always something crazy that God is wanting us to do.

My encouragement to you is to not be limited by your weaknesses, but to let God use you to accomplish his purpose.

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13

So, here is a video we took on a trail we explored today. Hope you enjoy.

In other news, there's not a ton of news. Things are going well, and we'll be back at the farm with the boys on Monday (keep your fingers crossed). I also got asked to teach the youth at church (both at the downtown church in the morning and the Robledo church in the afternoon) in a couple weeks, so I have been preparing for that. I have written out what I'm going to teach on and everything, now I just need to work on doing that....in Spanish. But I have another week to work on it.

I'll be updating again soon, hopefully.

Ciao, amigos!

Title of Blog Post Goes Here

My posts so far have made it sound like my time here in Colombia has been amazing and without any problems. Part of that is true. It has been amazing, and I haven't had any major problems like getting mugged, getting sick, getting hit by bus, or anything else life-threatening.

But, that's not to say that parts haven't been difficult.

A couple days ago I started to feel a bit homesick. I hate being torn between two places. It is such a strange feeling. Knowing that you're only going to be somewhere for a few months is strange. It's like when you go through a breakup: for a time, the other person is the most important person in your life, then after a breakup, they're barely a part of it. Being in a place for a small time feels like being in a relationship that you know is not going to last.

I've also started to feel a bit caged....mainly when I'm at the Perrows' house in Medellín. I've heard so much cautionary advice that I'm a bit afraid to go out...plus, I've never hailed a taxi or been in the city without someone who lives here. I also don't have a vehicle (first time without one since I was 16), so I'm having to rely on others for transportation, which is a humbling experience. There have been a few rough days because of the 'feeling caged' thing. Fortunately, I'm about to head out into the city with Paul to explore a bit...hopefully, I can gain some independence in getting around and using public transportation.

Another contributing factor has been my lack of discipline in spending time with God, which is ironic considering the nature of the trip. This is usually at the heart of whatever problem I'm having, but like the Israelites, I seem to forget pretty often. I think I'm on the upswing in this area though.

That being said, there are some amazing people that I've gotten to know, which has made my time here so far really great.

Changing subject....

Culturally, there are many differences here in Colombia. But I haven't really experienced much culture shock because there are so many ways that it is similar. An example of this happened last night. Bill Perrow, his son Michael, Paul, and I went to Éxito, which is like a Safeway or a small WalMart. Most of us who have lived in a town with a Walmart as a kid have stories of ridiculous things we've done in WalMart. Well, last night at Éxito, Michael pushed Paul around in store wheelchair with a riculous cart-thing attached to the front the whole time we were there. And I couldn't help thinking that this is just like other stupid things we do at Walmarts back in the States.

Another thing I want to mention is about posting pictures on here. Legally, I am not allowed to post full-face pictures of kids in the program online....which is part of the reason that I don't have any pictures of the kids up. (Also, because I am pretty lazy when it comes to taking pictures). Hopefully, I'll be able to take some creative photos of the kids (such as all of us covering part of our faces with our hands) that I can put on here. The main reason for all this is to protect identities....which I don't think would be a problem on this blog, but it is probably best to just follow the rules.

Finally, I would like to let Darren Webb and Dustin Marks know that I have now heard Days of Elijah (Los Días de Elías) in two languages.

A week and a half in...

Sooooo, it's been a while since I posted.

On Sunday, I attended my first Colombian church service in the driveway/patio at the Perrows' house. The church meets outside under a tent. Then, the little kids go in one room and the youth in another. It had a bit of a different feel to it...a little more upbeat than most services. Afterwards, all of us gringos went up in front of the group and sang a song in English (I think it was "Lord, I Life Your Name On High). Then, Bill told the congregation that I would be teaching English....and a bunch of them wanted me to help them learn English. So, we set up times for that to happen today (Saturday...six days later). I had three kids come this morning, which wasn't as many as I thought would come, but it was still good.

I spent Monday through Friday on the farm with the boys. That was a good time overall. I didn't get a ton of work done because the boys are off school and just hanging out, but I was okay with that. I haven't had any formal classes with the boys, but Paul and I have spent a ton of time informally teaching the kids English....while they teach us Spanish. That's been good because we all something to teach and something to learn.

The food is very different what we usually eat in the US. For breakfast, we have an arepa (sort of a thick soft taco shell) with a block of queso. Every day. Luckily, it's pretty good. Every other meal...and I mean every meal, we have rice. Luckily, I like rice. Usually, we have some type of meat or vegetable too. We have various types of juice made from fruits that we don't have in the US. Overall, the food is good, though. On Wednesday, we took the boys to a waterpark (which they get to do maybe once a year, and only when a group of gringos comes), and instead of pizza or a hotdog like you would expect, this is what I had at the waterpark food court:

Another thing that needs to be understood about Colombia is how schedules work. They are very tentative. You have to be able to go with the flow and be ready to change it up. For example, Paul and I just found out that most of the boys will be going to their homes for a two week vacation before school starts up again. Only five of the twenty-five boys are staying at the farm. Not only that, the team from West Virginia is leaving on Monday. So....Paul and I might stay in Medellin for part of the week and explore. But we don't really know what's going to happen. We'll see.

In future blog posts, I hope to be a little more insightful and deeper.

But until then, here are some pictures of the Boys Farm: