The Other Half of Seeing

"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." (Is. 12:3)

I remember a period of time when the burning question on my mind was 'what is the gospel?' I had been so steeped in Christian education since childhood, had heard the term thrown around so many times, but I had never learned exactly what it referred to. What is the gospel? How do I articulate salvation? Thus, I set out on a journey to define the gospel. In many ways, I was articulating for the first time what I really believed. I was on a journey to open my eyes; I wanted to see.

Logically my search began in the scriptures. I came across a terrifying verse:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

Could I really be one of those who are perishing? Because I felt pretty in the dark on this gospel thing. What did it mean? Has the god of this world blinded me? Who is the god of this world? "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak; the have eyes but do not see; they have ears but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them (Ps. 135:15-18) I came to realize: if we apply this principle to the modern world, it speaks to technology, toys, material things, and often, status. We shape and create these things - without life or breath or sight - and as a result we become like them; blind to the spiritual promise we have been given; blind to the spiritual purpose to which we have been called. We become like Israel: "ever hearing, but never understanding; ever seeing, but never perceiving." (Is. 6:9)

At this point in my search I was able to make 2 conculsions. One, the gospel message seemed veiled to me; I could not articulate it. Two, my 'blindness' to it came from an alliance with the 'god of this world'. I felt very discouraged at these realizations. What I did not realize is that my discouragement was really God's way of revealing to me my sin. My discouragement had to preceed my repentance.

For some reason (perhaps the Spirit's gentle nudging) I decided to take a closer look at the passage in 2 Corinthians. Something different caught my eye: 'keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ'. This had to be relevant. I had gotten so caught up in the 'blindness' of the passage that I had not seen the mention of the gospel as the glory of Christ. So I asked myself: What was the glory of Christ? Well, it was his suffering on the cross, and beyond that, his resurrection and conquest of death. I was beginning to see what 'gospel' meant.

It was relieving to have my hands around the concept of the gospel. It was the death and resurrection of Christ, his sacrifice, his 'passion', that brought me redemption. Now I felt ready to 'hit the streets'.

Yet after a few weeks of ministry, I started to realize that understanding is only half of seeing. In order to truly grasp the Gospel message I must also experience it. Maybe that is not the best word to use, but it certainly gets at the idea... Not only do we understand the gospel, but we behold it's greatness. The other half of seeing is rejoicing in our sight. We cannot stop at understanding the Gospel, we must also taste its sweetness.

Metaphorically, I was like the blind man at Bethsaida. Jesus spits on his eyes, and as it says, he began to see: "I see people; they look like trees walking around" (Mark 8:24). I came to understand the gospel message, but I did not see fully. Have you ever lost a contact or had to suffer blurred vision for a period of time? It can be rather tiring, even frustrating. The blind man could not yet rejoice in his sight. Once Jesus completed the miracle, the blind man was filled with joy: "Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:25). I was trying to evangelize with the knowledge of the gospel, but without joy. Once my heart began to rejoice and delight in the wonder of my salvation (as opposed to the 'gods' to which I had been bowing), then I was ready to 'hit the streets'. What a refreshing thing to see clearly

"Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me" (Psalm 51:12)

Kim <><

Putting some flesh on things...

Sometimes you just have to sit down and take a deep breath.

The past year has been a whirlwind for Estrategia de Transformación team here in Guatemala. We have had Reparando movie showings, American vision teams, interns, and been serving a network of over 30 ministry leaders. Quite frankly, we were in over our heads! And the month of January served as a time to dry out.

However the last 3 days have been filled with 8 hours of rigorous ministry planning! This coming year a lot will be changing.  We are seeking to optimize resources and centralize our objectives. And of course, to be a blessing.


It starts with asking 'who are we'?  You might be asking that question as well?
The EdT vision is "to develop communities of grassroots leaders that serve marginalized people in hard places".  We desire to equip and encourage the local leaders that are serving in really difficult places. We provide them with a community in which they can learn and converse, exchange ideas, & share resources. 

What is more, in the coming year we will be networking a plethora of volunteers that have come to us after seeing the film Reparando here in Guatemala. Many are young people who never realized the extent of the need in their own city, and their desire has been awakened to serve. We will be taking them under our wing and setting them up to serve with the ministries in our network, and try to provide some tools to do so.

One of the tools we provide to our leaders is theological training. It's training honed for work in the urban context. Check it out here. 
We are also hoping to share the stories of our leaders through film this coming year. I can't wait... it will be a beautiful way to share their experiences

It also looks like teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) has been removed from my official EdT job description. We have to many things going on to add an entire program. However, that is not to say I will no longer be doing it!
The truth is, the year 2010 was in a lot of ways about understanding my purpose for being in Guatemala. I am coming to grasp that God is using me in big ways through EdT. But he's also going to use me in other ways... my 'mission' is a lifestyle, not a job. And my way of living, my wiring, involves English classes. I am hoping to get started sometime after getting married (in 9 days!!!!) and that will be a 'side ministry' in my own community.  The past year it led to deep relationships and Christian witness in the community.  Not to mention the needed boost of confidence it gave to some of my students, who were convinced they would never learn English.  (I say: Never say never!)  I'm hoping to expand that into a larger class and am considering a children's class, maybe halfway through the year.



So anyhow, I am embracing a number of things in my life starting this month.  One is Kevin. :)  Another is EdT. Another will be the ESL project. There are others as well, like a cell group with Kevin at our local church, and possibly starting up piano playing again in order to participate in the praise and worship at church... Bottom line, I seek to make my ministry more holistic, more authentic. More incarnational.  After all, "the Word became flesh", right? And as disciples, we are to become like Christ..... :o)  I'm looking at a long journey.



On a last note, please continue praying for me! My upcoming marriage is a big item, that we are able to adjust, and build a strong foundation for a future together. We are completely in love with eachother, but also passionate about the kingdom of God here in Guate. We desire to serve the Lord together. I also am tight on financial support- in the last 2 months only two-thirds as much funding per month has been coming in, and I was breaking even before that. I want to be honest with you, I'm living on very little, but I can't continue without funding! :o( But God is a BIG God, and I am also seeking out ways to continue growing my support base. Prayers (and suggestions) welcome!

Lastly, pray for EdT as a team (info to come soon)! We are going through changes in focus and have some new members this year, thus unity and communication will be of the utmost. And as always, pray that my heart and that of our team is centered on the glory of God and his kingdom!


Keep serving the Lord where he's placed you!!!
Kim <><

December GuaTrivia Answers!

Ok...... you have experienced the advent of these answers for a week now, time to reveal the GuaTrivia answers!


1) B. Aguinaldo is equal to a month's pay, which for a full time job generally varies from Q2,000 - 4,000 for a full time job. It has to be paid in part by the 15th of December and in part by the end of the month.
2) A. Agua refers to POP (soda?) in Guatemala.  Agua pura is water, but if they just say 'quieres agua' they are talking about a carbonated drink!
3) B.  'pasar la muni' is used because the town is responsible for cutting the grass in the medians of the roads.  Getting a haircut (which I finally did this week!) is like mowing the lawn, I guess!
4) C. About 8 quetzales in $1!!

How did you do?!?

Bucket Filling

It seems as though God wants to teach me something. There have been continual messages around me lately, reminding me of an indispensable and precious discipline - PRAYER.
I am the type of person who likes to dream and act; to plan and pursue... Thus it has often been a struggle for me to dedicate my heart and my time to prayer.

This past week a team came to Guate with the sole purpose of prayer. They visited minstries, sat with leaders, and offered up an abundance of prayers.  I had the privilege of translating (a skill I am far from perfecting...) a sermon one of the team members gave on prayer.  He pointed out the importance of "fervency" in prayer; reminded me of the fact that God's hand and heart are moved by passionate prayer.  He also reminded me that praying hard is a time commitment. 

I appreciated an illustration Pastor John shared with the congregation. Visualize the enormous buckets in the kiddie pools at waterparks.  Water pours into them, and little by little the level rises. Once it fills completely, a little bell rings, everyone runs to gather round, and water rushes over them like a giant tidal wave.  God often answers our prayers in the same way. We must continue to pray, not knowing how much time and passion and faith God will require of us, until the bucket begins to overflow with petitions. Then, the bucket begins to tip and the water rushes over us.  And we rejoice that God has answered our petition.

Two such examples of this 'bucket-filling' might be the prayers of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, and Elijah in 1 Kings 18, in case you would like to dig deeper into the concept of faith, persistence, and passion in our prayers.

However prayer's effectiveness is not determined passion and fervency alone. The most important element of prayer is FAITH, without which our prayers are like a paper airplane resting on a tabletop. It cannot lift itself to soar on the breeze. It needs a hand to thrust it into the wind. 

I love the story from Acts 12, when Peter and James are imprisoned by Herod. An angel appears to Peter in the night, and miraculuously delivers him from prison. Each locked door swings wide and Peter finds himself suddenly on the street, asking if what happened was a vision or reality.  He goes to Mary's house, the mother of a friend. Gathered there is a group of believers, vigilantly praying through the night for Peter. When he knocks on the door, the servant girl recognizes his voice, and excitedly runs to tell the rest of the believers.  This is the first door, ironically, that which the church is behind, that does not open supernaturally.  However they simply do not believe her - they think she has seen Peter's angel. But he keeps knocking, and in the end they let him and he shares with them what God has done for him.

Pastor John pointed out that the Christian were praying fervently for Peter.  They spent all night in a prayer vigil, dedicating their time and passion.  However they were missing a key ingredient. God uses this story as a lesson to his church. The believers prayer fervently, but without hope of seeing fruit. Peter rescued was recsued and they simply could not believe it! They lacked the faith necessary. Yet God fulfills their prayer even despite the lack of faith, in order to teach them. We must also believe that God is powerful to do whatever he desires.  Our fervent, faith-filled prayer reaches to his heart.

Praying with you!

 Kim <><

PS -- A ministry update will be coming soon via email. Watch for it!

Being a parent...

What does it take to be a parent?  I've only got some ideas. But I had a taste of some beautiful, image-bearing parenting last week.

I went to visit a dance class with Artes Muy Especiales (Very Special Arts), which offers classes in dance, art, and music to mentally or physically disabled children and adults.  Some of the gals had Down syndrome, and with others I was unsure of their diagnosis but they struggled notably with coordination and their processing time was much longer.  During their 2-hour dance class, their mothers waited in the next room.
I started to chat with the mothers, my goal being some quality trust-building, since we are organizing an art camp for their children in November. Naturally the conversation turned to the high needs of their daughters. One woman commented on the 2-hour routine of the morning - getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth... If she helped her daughter it was a mere 30 minutes, but if she patiently waited for her daughter to prepare herself for the day, it was an ordeal that lasted all morning.
Another mother told me that her daughter's doctor had given them a very bleak prognosis- never walk, never talk, incapable of independence. However, as a teenager, she was learning basic classroom skills, how to dress and care for herself, and dancing flamenco!

Another woman drives into the city from Antigua each week for her daughter's classes. She has the dream of opening an arts school in Antigua for disabled children. She says there is lots of culture and art to the city, but nothing available for her daughter. She has seen the progress in confidence and intelligence that her daughter has made while taking classes with AME.  I witnessed her ability to learn the choreography of a dance with a patient, loving teacher.
Then I shared something from my heart. This is where I thank God for the proficiency he has granted me in Spanish. I encouraged these mothers to keep bringing their daughters to classes. I encouraged them to keep being patient, even when it's hard. I encouraged them to keep being the grand mothers that they are. I acknowledged that I can't possibly enter into their circumstances, but that I could admire their strong, beautiful love.
With the mothers in tears and me resisting the urge to do the same, it was a precious moment.. and I keep praying that God supplies them daily with the strength to love their daughters.. regardless of the added challenges! 
It also makes me marvel at the great God we serve... he never gets worn out, and I know I require a lot of patience! And there are a lot of us!

Well, See you soon to those of you in Michigan and Ontario, can't wait to catch up a bit.
Blessings from Guate!
Kim <><