“He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” – Luke 10:2
First, I want to take a moment to apologize. Over the last couple of months this blog has suffered from a lack of care. My intent is to give weekly reports regarding the work we are doing and, in so doing, to make you feel a part of what is going on. Over the last eight weeks it has instead consisted of short spurts of information regarding a few specific situations instead of a comprehensive view of our work.
The reality is that days are long and the work-load is overwhelming. By the time my days are drawing to a close I just do not have a lot of energy left over for communication. And what I do have I feel the need to apply to my family. I have been realizing that I have neglected my wife and kids recently, and that needs to change. At the same time, your faithful prayers and support are important to us, and you deserve to know what is going on in our ministry and lives. So, please forgive my neglect.
There is a lot going on now. The Schwind family from Celina is working with us this week, and they have been a wonderful blessing. They have loved the kids at Hermano Pedro and Amor del Niño and have assisted us with our monthly food distribution and a trip to Las Palmas and La Gomera. On a couple of days I think we ran them ragged, yet I didn’t hear anything but positive attitudes coming from Tom and Beth and their three sons, Michael, Andrew and Wesley.
On our trip to Las Palmas and La Gomera we were once again overwhelmed by needs. The mother of an under-nourished girl sought our help along with the mother of a sick teenager. We were also asked for assistance in providing a wheelchair to an elderly stroke victim. Meanwhile, we spent time with all our normal families with which we work.
I was truly touched as we visited family after family that day. As we see them giving thanks to God for the assistance He has provided, I realized how blessed I am that He allows me to be a part of this work. Little Alicia and Alejandro are thriving now after both being in serious trouble for lack of medication. Reina is her bouncy and bubbly self after being near death with pneumonia and anemia. Jorge is doing wonderfully as his bed sores improve, and will soon be able to go without diapers due to medicine and catheter procedures that the urologist is providing. And the list goes on. In each case I realize that God led us to the person in need, provided wisdom and then provided the resources to help. All glory goes to Jesus Christ because it was all done in spite of us, not because of us.
We are also seeing steady improvement in Ponceano, and he is ready for the next step, which is tendon lengthening surgery on his legs. He was left handicapped after a high fever five years ago. Gradually he has lost range of motion in his legs. We have trained his parents to do stretches, but he still cannot fully straighten his legs. On Wednesday we will be driving back to his house to pick him up and take him to Hermano Pedro for evaluation. We are hoping that he will be put on a waiting list to see one of the Faith in Practice teams that come through from the States. We will then return him to his house on Thursday. Please pray for him.
As I share about the wonderful things God is doing, I am also feeling a strong burden. There are four people in four different villages that have requested our help, and I cannot find the time to go see them. I know that as soon as we start ministering to them in these new places we will be inundated with others from their towns who will want help. Currently we are not at the place where we can provide it. We simply do not have the manpower required.
I understand that not everyone is called to a foreign country to serve. The US is a mission field that needs to be reached as well, and some need to remain there in order to reach that culture. Others need to support and pray for those who do go to foreign fields. At the same time, as I look at the needs that surround us on a daily basis, I do believe there are many who God is calling that are not going. I see exhausted missionaries giving their all day-after-day and are still overwhelmed by the physical and spiritual needs around them. I do not believe that is the will of God.
I have talked to many who tell me that they would love to come and do what we do. I am always free to ask them, “Then why don’t you?” The answer is always something along the line of, “Well, I just can’t leave behind my life, career and home.” Really? So followers of a faith that is built on God leaving his heavenly home to come and redeem us would believe that they cannot leave their life in one country to serve that same God in another place? One of my other favorite excuses is, “But we couldn’t uproot our children. That would just be too hard on them.” Really? Do I even need to comment on that? We now have salvation because God allowed His only Son to be nailed to a cross, but he wouldn’t expect us to “uproot our kids?” (Of course, if God is calling and we follow we do not uproot our children, we give them roots that stretch into eternity.
So, I am asking you to pray with us as Jesus instructed us to pray in Luke 10:2. Ask Him to please send out workers to the harvest field, including Guatemala. And ask Him to open people’s ears and hearts so that they will hear the call and lay aside excuses that keep them away. There are an awful lot of lives depending on it, and an awful lot of souls standing on the brink of eternity and hanging in the balance.
That is all for now. Have a great weekend!
Daryl, Wanda and the Crew
PS – For more on this topic, visit one of my old blog posts by clicking here. But be prepared to be convicted as I have been every time I have read it.
