PLENTIFUL HARVESTS IN A TIMEFRAME DEVISED BY GOD!

As I have saying time and time again in the past, the Lord´s planning is a mysterious one.

Sometimes He lets you see the fruits of your efforts of years past.

Some other times He tests your stated giving of your expectations to Him, by taking you aside and placing others in those places you have ended up cherishing so much.

And this letting see you the fruits of your efforts extends not only to your family but beyond.

It extends to the former missionary efforts with youth now become servant adults and servant marriages of the Lord.

In the last two weeks we have had plentiful sharing of all…

Family,

Former and always present friends and members of our 1983-1986 JOVENES POR JESUS (TEENS FOR JESUS) group that we mentored!

And now are not only married but working for Jesus as Youth Leaders, alongside their parents, some of them having become pastors and having their flock to take care of!

We got together and we enjoyed so much entering homes where Jesus is Lord, Savior and King!

Homes of our former disciples that He allowed us to mentor in their teen years!

Let´s hope that someday in the future we can also enjoy seeing that those we have left behind are similarly serving the Lord along with their families!

Ecclesiastes 3: There is a time for everything...Psalm 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8 As a tree planted by the river... Luke 8:15... The seed planted on fertile

We left Nicaragua on June 12th. for El Salvador to our oldest son home. We then went to Guatemala on Saturday the 14th. On June 15th. we celebrated with 5 of our grandchildren, 2 of our sons and 2 daugthers in law (love) our 46th. wedding anniversary.

On June 16th. we went to a basketball game to see our son Victor leading, as usual, his team to victory. And then, June 17th. came and we were led, Victor and I, to the swankiest bowling alley, restaurant and else in the city, blindfolded, by our family, to celebrate Fathers Day.

After playing, adults and children alike, we realized that many friends of ours, from 1980 on, the ones who opened their arms to us when we came to Guatemala, were participating in a seniors bowling tournament!

We joined them and we were all together in joy, laughter and celebration as if 28 years living and friendship had started just the day before.

So many years ago political exile gave you a kind of social prestige to build upon.

Now, there was a more meaningful Christian lot to share. And our friends were as nice and open as before and shared back with us all the family affairs that came and went while we were separated as the close circle of friends we have always been.

This is Our Lord! The Lord of the times! The Lord of love, friendships and circumstances! The Lord of everything! The Lord of adults, adolescents and children alike!

That night, after going back home, late at night I could not sleep and I continued reading the book that my dearest friends Earl and Olive Alexander had sent me.

A book about a little 5 inches tall purple dragon who lived through all sorts of times and circumstances in the Old and New Russia. A little dragon, by the name of Dmitri, who after many hardships and changes lived from camp to camp among hardened soldiers.

And I read... And I realized... that the little dragon, Dmitri, was everyone of us who decided to serve the Lord! Little dragons, not taller than just 5 inches long! Why? So we do not loose sight of our limitations and the wondrous omniscience of the Lord!

We could certainly ask... What was the purpose of being made so small? So we realize that all we can do is to bear witness to Him, on behalf of Him, before the people of the world, by being who we are, just we, humble servants of the Lord, moved from camp to camp through circumstances and people.

And what I read that night was this... "Dmitri was ready now to tell the young soldier what the little dragon knwe about God. He began: You know that He is Creator. the bad lords that you talked about owned a little land. He owns everything. That makes Him the Lord God.

But men want to do whatever they want to do, even evil, evil things. Many, many men hate having a Lord, even a kind Lord, so they run away from him. But He made the way for men to come back to Him and to be with Him. The old priest taught me this.

My friend the priest, the one who died, called Him "The Good Lord" as well as "The Lord God". He is good, theGood Lord, our Lord God".

And do you know what? I had been using as page finder a card and a notebook page letter that Juanita, our oldest girl from the childrens´homes, who is actually finishing her College first semester of Psychology, had given my wife the night before the morning when we left, our until then, Las Palmas Girls Home, to start our new retirement phase (we had been retired before, and we will until called back again to action by Our Lord God).

I had to read it again! These are Juanita ´s words! I cannot resist to share them! they are so point blank a message from the Lord!

I want, by sharing them, tell Juanita and all the boys and girls, younger boys and girls, too. that the Lord is a Good Lord! that He is a Lord God! That He will be Their Lord God and Good Lord forever, rain or shine, in joy and sadness, despite any circumstance in their lives.

And that?... what for?... To show them His Grace, Mercy, Love and Care, He will use time, circumstances, people, to take them through life paths to their encounter with Him.

As I said in my last blogger posting, it is hard to forget the loved ones. As God is a God of Love He has put this love as a longing in our hearts! Before we longed for our blood and flesh children! now we will long for the ones we have left behind, but with the sure comfort of knowing that He knows how to love much, much better than us.

Thanks, Juanita, for your heartfelt words!

The card: Grandpa and Grandma: I love you a lot but I will not wake up to say good bye to you because I will not be able to bear to see you going off knowing you will never come back to our home as before when you went on your normal trips. Bye and have a good time. I love you. Juana.


12/06/08. Thanks for all... you are really very charming persons! Thanks to you I am happy today walking through a College corridors! May God pour great and abundant blessings upon you and your family! God bless you! you will always be my "abuelitos!

Remember: Never add interrogations marks when God has already posted final dots!

Life is a theater play with no rehearsals! So.. Laugh! Love! Live fully every moment of your life before the curtains come down and the live play ends without applauses!

Love is above everything else to desire the loved ones happiness even if implies no seeing them again! From Juana María Gutierrez E. To the Abuelitos.


The letter: Abuelitos... Thanks for everything. You have really been part of my life and you will continue to be! I do not regret at all having met you both! You were the ones who gave me what I needed to keep ahead and become what I have always dreamed!

May God bless you infinately! I love you a lot and you do not imagine the profound sadness I feel when saying good bye and separating from you. but I have faith in God that in a not far away future we will be together again. Do not forget me! Keep me and take me with you in your hearts! Forget the bad times I was part of! Remember the good ones we lived together!

I hope to have you with me when I graduate because thanks to your planted before sacrifices in my life I will do it. I know you will be happy with your family but do not forget us all those who still need a lot here in Nicaragua.

I will always remember you and I also hope to visit you. Enjoy a lot! Enjoy what you missed all these past 6 years! Share what you learnt here with other people but most than else take care of yourselves as a couple! Rest! You deserve it!

Thanks, again! give my regards to your family! and I hope if I ever need your support again I will have it! I am sure of it! Take care of yourselves a lot, and if I ever decide to start a family you will be the ones who will hand me to my future husband with veil and crown (a virginal wife to be). OK? I truly love you, abuelitos!

**********

Thanks, again, it is my turn to say. And now, after a thorough sauna, deep massage and chiropractid adjustement to relieve all the last months and years accumulated stress we are leaving our son´s cozy home, back to another basketball game and victory, and back to more warm and happy exhanges with our friends, in a nice and cool, almost cold Guatemala night!

GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!

My dear friends… This will probably be my last testimony as a working member of the Arms of Love Nicaragua ministry, as the National Director I was until the already past date of April 30th. 2008

Loved ones are not easy to forget. So, probably, now, with more time in my hands, I will be tempted to share glimpses of the lives of the children we loved and protected, fought for and against all tides, for the sake of their being as we have been… The Apples of His Eyes!

But today, is testimony time for us and an obligation to render ourselves to Him, by recognizing His mysterious ways and His planning for our lives!

I have been sometimes told by superficial people that I write too much and is tiresome to read and grasp what I try to say... But talking about our lives and the Lord´s influence on them, it is not a 30 second commercial. It is a lifelong chant to His mercies and grace!

In the Christian realm is customary to say that you must not be showy about the blessings the Lord pours in your life because it can be easily misunderstood as bragging or selfishly self promoting yourself.

In my early missionary days I felt at times like the ugly fish or the circus clown when I was asked to give testimony of my former life and the change experiences since I had accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. now, I know best!

We, me as an individual, as well as my wife and children have gone through innumerable happy and non so happy circumstances, and we have always bounced back from adversities in a way that now after 25 years of serving the Lord we are utterly convinced we have always been safely snuggled under His protecting arms.

When we came back in 2002 to Nicaragua to take charge of this ministry, we were led to believe that we would gracefully grow older and probably die in our country of birth. But the Lord had other plans. He knew He would have to force me out of my complacent state of mind and routine. after I fulfilled what I had to do here (to write the vision on tablets for others to follow up and to set and leave strong foundations for the ministry) and as soon as I did it He also did it! He sent me on my way ahead towards other horizons!

The last 4 months have been a whirlwind of circumstances. All of them have led to a change for the better, a more restful time with our family, a more, potentially, intellectually rewarding service in the advancement of God´s Kingdom on this earth.

I want to refer myself only to some of the most significant events, as a form of encouragement to all those that suddenly find themselves perplexed by the turn of unexpected events or crossroads in their lives.

When you serve the Lord, unselfishly, unreservedly, and without any aggrandizing purpose for your life and deeds, he writes down everything you do and from time to time send your way spiritual rewards and greater tasks to tackle with.

The last 2 years have been full of trials in the family realm at the same time that the ministry flourished by the Grace of God and the support of many Christians who visited us, shared their time with our children and decided to support what they personally witnessed down here.

But events have a way to peak and dip, and revolve, and bring confusion before all waters calm down and become the river of life that the Lord has intended every one of us to navigate on.

Last April we had a very significant family meeting in El Salvador. We foresaw radical changes for the family and an impending reunification of us all.

Gladys and I enjoyed a great weekend in the midst of our former social environment!

Our grandson, Victor Jr. while we were looking at all our grandchildren merrily frolicking at the Mayan Club pool, came out and gave me a baseball cap with the legend

“Relax, God is in control”.

How could we even hint that at those precise moments turning point events were happening back home in Nicaragua?

Then, the call for retirement came and we started to pack to go back to our family. Our human plans were just to rest, enjoy our time, organize our home again in any one of the 2 houses we had left and still remain empty and waiting for us in Guatemala because we decided to come and serve in Nicaragua. Probably plan how to get new cars to replace the ones that were vandalized when we left them to start our missionary time down here.

As a natural reaction, we wanted to surround ourselves with all the things we have accumulated because we are already 71 and 70 years old, and did not want to start over again as newlyweds in a foreign country. Correction! Back in our second home and country, Guatemala!

This naturally brought unnecessary stress as I at the same time had to face all the transition tasks I was demanded.

But then my oldest son, Robert, a wonderful son and Christian, wrote us placing again over the table the right priorities for all of us as a family. He reminded us that we need to empty ourselves and discard all unnecessary things, because if not we would be really distrusting the Lord and his care for us as His followers and servants.

He sent us a power point presentation from where I translated what it knocked us down to Christian sense again.

Under God´s guidance through our oldest son message, we started to bless family, relatives, friends and staff with things that we knew they could need and we could replace with newer ones once surrounded by our family.

Then, we received the call from our Lord to share the last day of Director visit of one of our girls, Catherine Carolina, and to let all of you, our friends, and Nicaragua ministry supporters know that we were leaving. And wow! we have still not recovered from the impact of the torrential chain of events that has followed.

it is not how big or small, prideful or humble, trusting or doubtful, worthy or unworthy we are!

It is how great He is!

GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!

THE LORD IS CALLING US AGAIN!

6 years and 15 days have passed since He called us back to Nicaragua to entrust more than 40 kids to our care and protection with the support of many Christian friends who made all these experiences possible. Now the Lord through unexpected ways is calling us to rest for a while alongside our sons and grandchildren.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge! Oren Paris, our for so many years spiritual director, used to tell us that a river of circumstances separate us from the other shore where the Lord is waiting for us, and that only the bravest dared to accept to become bridges to be walked on by those called by Him to cross to the other shore of real living and happiness.

We dared to be walked on for all these years, and as the army Bayley bridges we are being dismantled to be erected again over some other river, until now unknown for, us so more people cross over to His arms. What a blessing! What a joy for a servant to still be considered for new challenges!

Just a few days ago a wrongly routed but finally arrived email came. A relative of my oldest son wife who resides in the USA is asking us for information for her church to open a children´s home in Guatemala. Could this be the next opportunity to serve? Or with other ministries we know about? Or with our church in Guatemala or our son´s church in El Salvador?

Only He knows! For the time being the task is to rest and enjoy our flesh and blood family after loving and caring for our adopted one in Nicaragua!

I was checking the information I have to leave behind, and I found this email I had only shared with my family, but I feel now it belongs to all of us as it is a recognition of God´s plans for every child. The email said…

Today, April 30th. we officially stop being Arms of Love Nicaragua directors. Gladys and I are in peace, checking what of our personal things are we going to take with us and what we will leave behind, giving them to family and friends. The material things are not important. Spiritual ones, memories, emotions, are the most difficult to pack or leave behind. But God who knows our hearts sends encouragement when we need it most showing us we are in His hands and that He cares for us.

Catherine Carolina Romero Pérez, one of the girls who escaped after the December and January incidents, seeking her family warmth and not the Finca (Jinotepe) environment, first went to Corinto to her grandfather home, but his conditions were not adequate. She had called us several times asking us to understand why it was more important to her the family warmth than the material things and the way it was being planned for her to live. We asked her to persevere in everything we have counseled her to do and to respect herself so everyone else could do the same.

A Godmother suddenly appear and she did put her in contact with her grandmother on her mother´s side. Today, in the afternoon, at the end of our official journey, 5 p.m. April 30th. they both unexpectedly visited us, the grandmother and the grandchild Catherine Carolina, to give us thanks for all we had done for her all these years. and these were the blessings of the Lord on our last regular missions day in Nicaragua!

A girl who had been taken to Costa Rica, abused by her relatives, repatriated by the Costa Rican Government, placed under our care and protection, now has a grandmother who will take care of her and will provide her with a material inheritance!

The lady, in a very deep emotional way, kept on telling us that for many years she has not known her daughter (Catherine´s mother) whereabouts, as she has not also known what had happened to her granddaughter. Very recently, her father, Catherine great grandfather came from the United States and bought and inherited to his daughter, Catherine grandmother. She presently owns 2 regular size farms, automobiles, pickup trucks, and has 2 businesses, but she still did not have her granddaughter as she still does not know about her daughter.

But she is happy knowing that she will be able to provide for Catherine as she is doing placing a house and a farm on her name, and taking care she continues to study so one day she can take care of her little brothers.

She came today to express her gratefulness for us having preserved her granddaughter and assures us she will see that she keeps in her heart all the counseling and advise we gave her all these years. Catherine felt sad knowing we are leaving for Guatemala, but the lady asked us not to forget Nicaragua knowing that what we sowed someday will be a plentiful harvest, and to be sure we have their hearts and homes at our disposal.

What a Blessing! What a beautiful and moving last day for Gladys and me as directors!