Let's Get Ready Now!!!

A couple of weeks ago, the Rev. Aileen Walther, an Ordained Deacon with the Episcopal Church in Central Florida and Professor of Religions at Valencia Community College went to an event in Texas that had as a purpose the mobilization of the Christian church toward ministering Muslim people. This is what she shared with me:

"Gospel for Muslims was a program I decided to attend because I teach a course on different religions at a community college. Little did I realize how much it would open my eyes to the power of the Christian faith to transform those of a different faith. Being raised in the American Foreign Service, I was taught to respect each culture and religion and those who follow them, even if I might be in a different place and have made different choices. This was an eye-opening experience for me. I saw a woman completely covered in black cloth tell her story. As her story progressed, she through aside this clothing and everyone in the large auditorium saw a beautiful woman revealed before us all. The power of her belief was so strong, she put aside culture and her faith in Christ shone bright for all to see. She showed me how little I have truly proclaimed my faith. I will not make that mistake again."

What you just read above is the reality for millions of Christians in North America. We love to attend to church on Sundays and enjoy a worship service according to our traditions. However, we forget the many people that are having a different spiritual experience. Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Hinduists and many other forms of worship are practiced by people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. The question I have for you is this; Do you feel theologically prepared to speak and defend your Christian faith in the midst of so many other voices calling up for people with problems, addictions, and brokeness.

I personally believe this is the time for the church in North America to rise for the ocasion not just in Asia, or North Africa, but her, in our own neighborhood and backyards. We need to get prepared, I need to get prepared knowing their believes, culture, and traditions in order for us to contextualize the Gospel to them. Moreover, we must understand from top to bottom their religion in order to have a fair debate and proclamation opportunity . It is my prayer, all of us have a solid understanding of the different Muslim social groups in order for us to have

It is my prayer that we can understand the urgency of this message and get ready for some missional work In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The question being, is it that God is not speaking, or is it that I am not listening? By Christine de Jesús

Confession is good for the soul. When we confess our trespasses to one another, we learn, we grow, we pray, we give and receive forgiveness, and we move on… Confession time: Now that the dust has settled, my heart is still in China. And, yes, here we grow again. Not, it is not a misspelled word; here we ‘grow’ again…
In the last couple of weeks my life has turned upside down and inside out, as it is usual during my times of decision making. What surprises me is that I still get surprised. What gives?
The Lord has been good to me, so good indeed, that I simply have to share the Good News of Salvation! My heart has been filled with love for the Republic of China, the people, and there is no turning back. It is the deepest desire of my heart to return there, and do something that I am not exactly sure what it is. Another big question: When will this take place? This time I want to go on a Missionary Trip. I don’t want a taste of the field; I want be a worker of the field. You see, I have so very much to be thankful for, that I must share HIS deep love, I must. Today my Auntie asked me why would I do such a thing like that, since we have so much need here in The States. We do have a need for Christ here in Beautiful America, true, she has a point. However, take a drive down any major highway and you will see the advertisement signs for Churches of all kinds – just one example. (I love the First Amendment, I love the United States of America, and I love that In God We Trust.) Yes, I have responsibilities here at home; I am a single Mom raising an almost 17 year-old boy. I moderate a support group. I do a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, but I always manage to stay busy. I am furthering my education. I am trying to establish a home with a very significant other, making dreams and plans for the future, but the truth must be told. As much as I love my son, and the comfortable life that I have here, all of it is temporary, and will soon come to pass. Don’t get me wrong, I would give my life for my son’s without even having to think about it, but my son has accepted the Lord Jesus the Christ as his Lord and Savior. My mission, with my son, is accomplished. Now it is time for him to live up to his commitment to God and that responsibility is not mine. As I sit in bed in the middle of the night, going through my three books that I am trying to read, I find myself jittery with thoughts of China. If we can reach that one soul for Christ, that one soul can reach others. You see, the Chinese are very diligent people, living with a purpose and a goal. If one can be reached, as in anything else that they touch, they will be diligent about doing the work at hand and completing the task. But something horrid is going on, and this is no exaggeration. For one that is used to seeking HIM, and finding HIM, horrid it is. I keep asking God about my return trip to China, and I am not getting any answers. So, it begs the question. Is it that God is not speaking, or is it that I am not listening? My mind, heart, soul, and even my flesh are stirred up, but Heaven refuses to set my path before me, yet. So I have to go back in HIStory to seek for answers. There was this crazy fellow, his name was Noah, look up the story please, that built an ark. That was crazy, for the Earth had never seen rain. That was crazy, for the ark had been built on a mountain. That was crazy, according to all, but according to The Master, there was a plan. Surely HIS word came to pass, and after it stopped raining, Noah simply had to sit there and wait. He had done according to HIS Father, yet he had to sit and wait. Looking back one would notice that this seems to be a recurring theme of this blessed life of mine. Hurry-up and wait, Christine. Using my imagination, I picture Noah speaking to God. Okay Lord, I did as you told me, and now we are sitting in an unknown place, we haven’t seen the sun, and time seems still. In the process he released some birds in his quest for hope. It was that quest for hope that eventually gave him the go, the little creature, sent on a mission, never returned. No, I do not pretend to compare my life with the life of Noah. However I do picture Noah going crazy inside that ark; thinking to himself, these animals are smelly, noisy, my family is enduring this time of wait with me, they didn’t hear the instructions, only I did, they stood by me, and Lord, now what? So I must confess; I was growing restless. Today, as I explained to my Auntie that I must return to China, it became clear to me. It is not that God is not speaking, HE already spoke. It is not that I am not listening, I already did. It is that I simply have to wait, and learn to wait, and learn to wait...for the right time, HIS time and not mine. Blessed for me I am not trapped in an ark. In your prayers, please remember the Missionaries that are all around the World doing HIS labor of love. In your prayers, please remember yours truly, that the Good Lord will complete the works that HE began in me. Stay blessed, for HE is only one word away, “Jesus.” Call upon HIM and in due time HE will open the doors of the ark.
~Chris

As I Return from Kairos Costa Rica 2010

Familia,
We had a great time of ministry in Costa Rica last week. On Tuesday morning we made the set up at the San Sebastian Prison for the Kairos retreat. We got the help from many volunteers from all over the country and from the neighbor country of Nicaragua. Later that day we started the process of welcoming the inmates that would be participating at this event. We had more inmates willing to come than the volunteers and the space available. Sadly, we had to turndown 23 inmates for the reasons already stated. Most of them came because they have heard we serve good food.

During that first encounter, the members of our team tried to brake the ice and make the inmates at ease, while they had not idea about what would be happening during that weekend. An sense of suspiction and irony was in the air. It was a very difficult 3 hours. When we concluded our introduction and returned to the Missions House for our debrief, I was a little bit dissapointed because I did not see any breakthrough like in previous times. Thus, I took more time to pray and intercede for the success of this retreat.

Wednesday morning came. Three of the most important gangs leaders were part of our group. They did not want to speak at all. As a matter of fact, one of them told to one of our table hosts; “Sir, please, do not talk to me about God. To me God is trash.” Nonetheless, as the day moves along, people begin to open their hearts to God and His Word. Part of my work during this day was to provide pastoral counseling along with pastor Carlos Figueroa. And by the end of that day we saw tears in the eyes of some of the inmates and got the first two conversions.

Thursday was a day of salvation as the Holy Spirit brought conviction in the hearts of those inmates. It was during the presentation about forgiveness, brother Ken Bauer told his testimony of forgiveness after many years battling against the idea of forgiving the man that killed his mother in his presence when he was 6 years old. We got during that evening most of the inmates committing their lives to Christ. Even the three gang members leaders accepted Christ as their Savior. Furthermore, when they went back to their units, they ask for forgiveness to other inmates that they had caused problems and harm. Also, we had the opportunity to have a meeting with the Warden and other high ranking officers of the prison. They are very grateful for all the work done by Kairos, Voice of Liberty, N.A., and the Asbury United Methodist Church of Madison, Alabama. They provided a tour to areas of the prison that most people do not see (unless you are either a inmate or a staff member of the prison.

By Friday morning, the air was jubilant in the room. Anyone could see the transformative power of the Holy Ghost among these inmates. We had several moments of emotional Pentecostal style of worship combined with presentations that appealed their intellect. Later, in the afternoon hours we had a closing of the retreat with a jubilant ending for the volunteers at the church Jesucristo Es El Senor.

On Saturday, we went earlier in the morning to make a visit at another prison located at the Province of Heredia. This is a small faith based prison with 40 inmates since it is an experimental project between the Costa Rican government and the ministry Voice of Liberty, Costa Rica called A.P.A.C. We had a service for the inmates and Dr. George Lyrene, a physician and a member of our team provided medical advice for the inmates. Then, we went back to the San Sebastian Prison to celebrate a Communion Service in which pastor Antonio Rivera preached the Word of God.

We have returned home with the satisfaction the Word of God was planted in people’s hearts and the implications of this fact are eternal. I want to thank all of the people that made this trip for me possible. Donors, friends, and the Voice of Liberty, North America. Without the Lord and them I would not be able to make this journey. Moreover, I want to thank brothers Antonio Rivera and Efrain Rivera for responding to the call. Their work was invaluable. Meanwhile, let’s continue reaching the world locally, regionally, and abroad with the message of Christ. Pray for us as we begin the plans for our next journey in Costa Rica on the Spring 2011 and a Global Connections Medical trip on 2012. Many blessings.

In Christ,

Jose

As I Waited In The Waiting Room... By: Christine De Jesús

A Sister in Christ told me once, that times of waiting are time to/for preparation. Little did I know that I would put that little piece of information to use, over and over and over. You see, once one discovers something as big as that statement, sometimes it has to settle in more than once. During this last week I had a very dear friend of mine very ill in the Hospital. Being that I am very “Hospital Environmentally Friendly,” I have spent countless hours there with friends and family, and also with/by myself. No, they need not return me to English 101. What I am stating is that many times I’ve sat there at the Hospital too, simply in wait. As my friend went into an Emergency Heart Catherization, and gave me clear instructions, do not call my parents; do not call my children, if anything happens, call my older brother… Something was happening! And against every impulse in my Christine personality, I sat there, in wait. I took no action. As I sat there, and the noise of the loud group around me disappeared into the background, I entered into HIS presence. We are mistaken if we believe that we must be in a kneeling position to speak with God, our hearts have to be, but not our bodies. I sat. I waited. I prayed.
I must regress in time to explain myself. About six weeks back I had the honor of being part of a Visionary Trip, and it was nothing but a blessing to my life. During that trip I had many of those moments with The Creator, and what a wonderful time that was. Now the time had come to put to practice some of the things that became clear to me during that trip. Things about my relationship with The Greater Power, that had been hazy before. Yes, HE knows best. Throwing a tantrum, as a two year old would; will not yield a different outcome. Hiding behind ceremonies and religion will fruit anything, except pretty pictures and funny stories. However, humbling ourselves before The Teacher & The Carpenter, yes, that will most definitely change the outcome. The outcome, as I had envisioned it, had nothing to do with the reality before me. Here I am praying for this man, and instead of asking for healing and a miracle, the most common thing for a Chaplain to do, I asked for God’s will. No, it wasn’t easy, it was very hard. My flesh wanted to tell God what to do. My spirit wanted to accept God’s will. My soul was wondering the Heavens, trying to figure out ways of accepting the worst, and or celebrating the best…for my cup is overflowing…always! Yes, yes, I will explain. Had my friend made it out with a great outcome, it would have been good news, and a celebration. Had my friend not made it out, it would have been a great outcome, and a celebration - also. Ask him. He was ready. For that moment of instructions he was at peace, I was at peace, and I knew that there was Someone/Something way bigger than us in total control. As I placed this person that requested a prayer for the will of God to be done for his life before The Throne of Grace, I too was placing myself before that amazing Throne. Countless prayers I have said requesting my will. Countless prayers I have said requesting the will of a prayer seeker. Oh but how simple it is to go to the Father and tell him what to do. Oh but how simple it is to go to the Son and declare a miracle by his stripes, and end with the amazing, Name that is above all names. Oh but how simple it is to remind to the Holy Spirit, Comforter, comfort, now!
Oh but how precious is to go into HIS presence, humbly, and say: I do not know what you want - it is unknown to me what I am supposed to do - I am in awe of your presence - have your way Lord, teach them to me, take control, and let me not just accept your will, but love your will. A simply wonderful burden is lifted when I did that. No longer had I any ownership of the results, and I was able to rest my soul know very well that Jesus the Christ already had made provision for my friend, no matter what/which way it ended up. As it turned out he made it just fine, to which he was both happy and a little disappointed. I was thrilled for selfish reasons, I did not want to place that phone call to the older brother, I confess.
Times of waiting are times of preparation, and I wasn’t being “prepared” to take care of my friend. The lesson here was for me. Christine, yes, the Lord has control of everything. Yes, Christine, hurry-up and wait! So the Lord Jesus the Christ was great to me, yet again, letting me enter into the Holiest of Hollies to conquer my blessing. Yes, if one wants a blessing, one must conquer it. Did you already forget Jacob?

There are Millions that Have Not Been Served Yet

We left our home Thursday at 4:00 A.M. traveled 40 minutes to Winter Springs, Florida. Then, joined Bill and Judy Tillmann in a 10 hour long journey that took us through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, all the way to beautiful North Carolina.

Once you get through the gates of the Cove, you know you are stepping into hollowed ground. The Asbury-Kentucky staff was already in place welcoming the guests that were arriving from all over the country. I got 45 minutes to have a shower, get ready and begin to welcome people at the front desk. However, since Ada was coming along, the plan they have for me was to be there a few hours here and there and enjoy my time at the retreat with my sweetheart.

During this retreat Dr. Tim Tennent presented a powerful presentation about global Christianity and the reasons Asbury Theological Seminary is investing their time and effort in that vision. Also, Dr. Bob Tuttle made an informal presentation about sharing the gospel (personal evangelism). Since Tuttle is Tuttle he went beyond that, speaking also about the Holy Spirit, the speaking in tongues experience, and a repertoire of personal stories. Furthermore, Dr. Michael Matlock had a presentation and Dr. Ellsworth Kalas preached challenging us to be seekers of the truth written in the Scriptures. In the midst of that we got presentations from current students, alumni, and even a donor made a compelling call to the attendants to support the Seminary with our prayers and our wallets.

The music was awesome. We got traditional, contemporary, and southern gospel music. The atmosphere was spiritual and we felt like if we were in a cocoon. The food, oh my sisters and brothers, the food was incredible. I probably gained 10 pounds. They have this glorious ice cream machine next to me and I felt compelled to do quality checks every two hours or so.

We met donors, fellow co-workers, alumni, and friends of this institution that I have never met before. From retired pastors, a alumni from the class of 1950, members of the Board of Trustees, to denominational leaders and people from the business world, the Lord allowed us to have a time together as equals.

In the midst of all of that, brother Tillmann made arrangements for some of us to visit Dr. Bob and Dianne Tuttle home in Fairview, N.C. Their home is just at the other side of the mountain where the Cove is located. It is a dream home with spectacular views from every single angle of that mountain to nature.

But all good things come to an end. The time to come down from the mountain and face the daily challenges and struggles came. We left after a communion service that make a profound impact in me. As Dr. Tennent was leading the liturgy and Ada and I were with another fellow staff members serving the communion, I was listening the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me: "There are 3.8 million Uighurs at the China's Xinjiang Region that have not been served. There are 2 million Tibetans, they have not been served. There have been 3.2 Miao people that have not been served." It was like a movie. As people walked in front of us receiving the bread from Ada and the juice from me the Holy Spirit reminded me of the different images I have in my memory not just from China, but other places around the world.

Ada and I came down from the mountain not just happy for a pleasant weekend or eternally grateful to Bill Tillmann, Debi Andrews, Tim Tennent, Tammy Cessna, Tammy Hogan, Jay Mansur, Meghan Pippenger, Mathew Grubs, Sheila Lovel among many other people for a wonderful time, but with a deep burden for those millions who have not been served yet at God's table.

We drove back to Winter Springs, Florida for another 10 hours and another 40 minutes to our home. It was 11:05 P.M. when we arrived to the "Hernandez Manor." Nonetheless, this sensation of urgency for the lost in our nation and around the world have remained with me and because of that I am in a attitude of prayer and intersession. May the Lord continue open the doors for us to continue ministering a world that have not experienced the power of have communion with Him.

Christine's Journey in China

Today is Saturday, September the 4th 2010. I arrived from China on Tuesday, August the 17th. I was there on a "Visionary Trip." What is a Visionary Trip? It is when the Church, the Body of Christ, steps out of their comfort zone and actually envisions what the Lord has in store for missionaries. During this process we get to have a taste of The field, and for some of us, that taste is enough to change the direction of our paths. The China visit lasted for ten days. During those ten days the Good Lord blessed me with glimpses of HIS Glory, and many times I had to sit in the bus in utter silence – something that is out of character for me, a chatter box. It was my Bible, my Journal, my handkerchief, and I. The four of us took the trip of our life, thus far, that is. The ten days seemed forever when it was only a plan, and home and my son kept calling on me. However, once I set foot on Beijing something amazing took place. Since I am blessed in that I have been raised in a Christian home, I can say that I’ve heard more conversations about the Holy Spirit of God than the average person. Actually, I claim to know the person of the Holy Spirit. As I sit here and reminisce, I realize how very little I knew HIM, and also how so much more I desire to learn from/about HIM. I am forty years old, my parents came to Christ when I was two years old, and unfortunately sometimes I have the bad and erroneous attitude of: been there, done that. Not so fast, please, not so fast. Beijing meet my foot, and I can say that I felt the Holy Spirit of God come upon me. This is something very hard to explain, for it is an experience that involves all of the senses, and the spirit, soul, and body of one. I took the next step and I felt at home. And just as I keep walking out of the Airplane and up that ramp, ready to claim my luggage, I am filled with confidence, and my flesh experiences the verse that states: Greater is HE who is in me. I shook my head, as to try to clear my head and gather my person. And I kept walking, going through the process of Customs, and claiming of luggage. Bags packed with things for the kids at the Orphanages and packed with Bibles, would be a little difficult to explain, had I been detained and questioned. No, I was not afraid. Not for a second, and there was no doubt in me that my Father was pleased with the group that had taken faith based action, to spread the joyful news of Jesus the Christ, our Redeemer. I could write a full book of the ten day long miracle, but this time I will share only one. My most blessed moment was when we were arriving at Pagoda. Having our own Christian and very well versed unofficial tour guide, Brother José, I knew the place that I was approaching. As we did, and the bus got closer to the place, I had to actually fold down on my legs, yes; right there in the bus, and cry, and cry Holy Spirit tears for this magnificent place where Christianity took its first China steps. I cried from joy for the experience that the Good Lord granted me, but I also cried for the people of China. Having had Christianity settle amongst them so many centuries ago, yet they let go of it to go after vain gods. My heart was in such joy for being there and so much pain for the Chinese people that I had to weep like a little child. The great thing about our little group is that we very rarely needed to explain what was going on to each other, we simply knew, and everyone just let me be. At that moment it was my Christ, and my tears, and the Chinese people, and my prayer of intersession. And to think that all of this years I thought that I knew what and who the Holy Spirit was. I felt the Holy Spirit alright. I felt the moans with which HE intercedes for us, and my body and emotions could hardly be contained. I had to cry cleansing tears. Tears that said, Holy Spirit, I am not afraid of you, I want more of you, I want to feel you like this every single moment of my life. As the Holy Spirit and I had our little conversation at the feet of the mountain that houses Pagoda, I felt refreshed, rested, restored, rejoiced, and I want to say, almost re-created. As the Good Lord has it, it looks like I will have yet one more opportunity to return to China in the following months, this time for six weeks or so. God is good, and I am grateful that the Holy Spirit let me have a personal experience with HIM, right then and there at Pagoda. It is the desire of my heart, that each person that claims to serve Jehovah God has the blessed opportunity of visiting Pagoda, and better yet, fall in love with the Chinese people, so hungry for God, and so in need of freedom from bondage.
Thanks for reading, and unbounded blessings from Heaven to you & yours.
In HIS service,
Christine De Jesús

Back from China

It is a wonderful thing to get back home to our family and friends after twelve days away from them. Our journey begun taking a flight from Orlando to Atlanta, another from Atlanta to Seattle, and a third one from Seattle to Beijing. We visited two orphanages that we have been supporting since 2008 and met church leaders, did prayer walks at important locations, along with many other things that for obvious reasons we cannot publish here. We were a group of 13 people very eager to show the love of Jesus Christ in different ways and the Lord brought to our attention those specific moments to minister the spiritual needs of the Chinese nation.

I remember at the Imperial Summer Palace in Beijing, a women showed up pushing a wheel chair. When I look at the chair what I saw was one of the kids from our church. I have to look twice because of that. She was selling ice cream and it was obvious her survival depended upon the sales she would perform. Thus, she was speaking loudly, offering her ice cream to anyone that walk in near her. One of the team members that was with me asked me if he could give her 100 Yuan. I told him our policy os not to give money to anyone because when you give to one person, all of the sudden you would have 30 people around you asking for money. Nevertheless, we remained praying and talking to each other about a way to help this lady. Then, all of the sudden, both of us got the same message from above. I open my mouth and told to my brother in the Lord "let's ..." And while I was opening my mouth and saying those words, my brother had jumped out of the bench we were seating and ran to the lady, and bought all of the ice creams the lady had with her. Then he took the ice cream box and proceed to give free ice cream to the rest of the bystanders. In less than a minute 40 or 50 people were lining up asking for the free ice cream. And at this very moment, the rest of the group was joining us noticing what was happening and they took this opportunity to talk with the people about the Lord and give them some written information about a Christian website with a lot of information about the Bible.

Dr. Bob Tuttle have told me many times that 90 percent of evangelism is showing up and paying attention. This story is an example of how true it is. God is doing great things about the Chinese nation and we want to partner with them with medical teams traveling from the West with the purpose of help the special need children of China. Stay tuned because we are going to have another journey to the most strategic place on earth; the Peoples Republic of China.