Mr. Love's Testimony

Last year I signed up for Lifeline Ministries at the Rock.  It is a ministry that visits those in Nursing homes needing consistent care.  Some are there only for short visits and others are there for the rest of their lives.


The reason for the visits are just to share God's love for those trapped in a bed, lonely, or just needing conversation.  


There were some very advanced patients that could not move or talk.  Those broke my heart.  The nurses said they could hear and understand, so I just prayed for them and encouraged them to talk to God in their minds.  I would stroke their face or hands to let them know that someone cared.  Sometimes it was very difficult, but most of the time I'd let go of any inhibition or fear and let God's love work through me.


One of the patients mostly encouraged me.  I'd walk into his room, and he'd look over, he couldn't recognize me because his vision was blurring because of the MS.  He could barely move one hand still and was able to talk and move his head.  I'd say Hello, his smile would light up, and his eyebrows would raise from recognition.


He had been a gang banger, and had some pretty serious tattoos.  He had dark curly hair.  He always talked about his two boys whom he was so proud.  He was tall about 6'4", and talked of his basketball days. 


While taking drugs he overdosed and fell into a coma for 6 months. He loved telling me of his first visit to the afterlife.  He saw his Grandmother there and his wife's Father who both had just recently passed away.  His Grandmother slugged him in the arm, and told him he wasn't supposed to be there.  That is when he came back into consciousness, and was revived.  


His Grandmother used to read him the Bible and teach him songs like "Jesus loves me", and "This little light of me".  He could recite the 23rd Psalm, and John 3:16.  I would always make him recite his verses and we'd sing both those songs together.  He would always laugh.  He always wanted me to pray for his boys and his family.  He so wanted to be with them and watch over them.


He said he was lonely and we'd pray for visitors.  He was always excited to tell me when the prayers were answered and his boys would come visit.  


Later, I asked him if he wanted to learn another Love verse.  See, his name was Robert Love, and I'd always refer to him as MR. Love.  I told him there was a chapter in the Bible written about him.  The love chapter in 1st Corinthians 13.  

 ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸Love never fails.

I changed it a bit, and would say Robert Love is patient, Robert Love is kind, Robert Love does not envy...and so on.

He would always get the biggest smile.  

Since his hearing was his best sense, I got him an Ipod shuffle and put some of his favorites rap artists on it.  I also snuck the audio book of John on it.  He laughed the next week after he listened to his rap interspersed with a narrator reading John.  He said he loved it, and  it helped him sleep.

One week I got to the nursing home and he wasn't in his room.  The nurses told me he was at the hospital because he had the flu.  I got the name of the hospital and went.  The nurse there told me he was discharged.  I asked where?  She said back to the home.  I had hoped I had just missed him in the transfer.  I learned the next week after visiting his room that he had been discharged.  He had been discharged of his duties on this earth, and the Lord took him home.  I cried hard.  I missed Mr. Love.  I can still hear his voice repeating the verses in his special accent, and singing those children's song.

Yes, Mr. Love and I will sing those songs to Jesus together one day, and I can hardly wait.

Don't let your circumstances rob you of joy.  Reach out and Love somebody.

1 John 4:16 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love.

Unfinished Ending...

After returning from my first trip to Haiti, there seemed to be an air of unfinished business to what we had experienced.  Ali Kaun shared a story from Luke 8:26 about the demon possessed man who wanted to stay at Jesus feet, but Jesus sent him to proclaim what had happened.  Does that seem weird?  Jesus sending someone away, that wanted to follow him.  What happened after that?  She gave an assignment to share 14 "verses" of unfinished business from Haiti.

Here is what I wrote:

1 While the Do Something celebration transpired, a street kid attached himself to my side and followed me wherever I went.  2   He clutched my hand while we walked, and hugged my neck when I picked him up.  He continually smoothed my arm airs between his fingers in a relaxing perpetual motion.  3  This boy asked for water, and I had none, and asked for food, I had none of that either.  He still followed with a big smile content for the affection and love that I willingly gave him.  4  I carried him through the event with his head on my shoulder and my arms around his back squeezing intermittently.  5  A young man approached me with an urgent request for food.  6  I had none to give.  I told him that what he needed was food from heaven and Living Water.  7  He repeated a familiar refrain – “Give me a Bib.”  8  I went to the back stage where a mob-like scene had developed with many Haitians clamoring for Bibles.  We had run out of Creole Bibles.  9  I came back to the young man, who looked defeated as I returned with no Bible.  10  I looked deep into his eyes and told him that I loved him, and that Jesus loved him.  11  I implored him to ask God to send his Holy Bible to him.  I promised that God would surely get a Bible to him someway if he prayed for one.  12 The young man’s countenance changed and he leaned in to give me a hug.  In broken Creole he told me, “Compliments to you for loving me.”  I pointed to the sky to the true source of Love and Life.  13  Chaos started to ensue at the Celebration Event, and our leaders gave direction to head for the truck for a fast departure.  14  I set the young boy down, gave him a hug, and the young man a hug and climbed into the truck.  As we departed with the last vision of two Haitians with outstretched arms, I wondered would they get water or food anytime soon, and would Jesus honor his plea for a Bib?

Matt 6:32b-33

For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you

From China with Love...

My friend Andrew Gyure is in China visiting some orphans north of Beijing on Yalu river over the border from North Korea.  Andy is such a talented writer and traveller that I thought you'd want to eavesdrop on this letter.


Ni hao everyone!

Internet access has been very limited so it's been hard to send any updates before now.  This could be my only one.  We are in the countryside and the living is very primitive by our standards.  The internet goes on and off but mostly it's off.  The electricity constantly goes on and off too.  There have been torrential rain storms for the last 5 days and the lightning is always knocking out the power.   But even when there is no rain, the utilities are far from dependable.  A few days ago I had composed a multiple-paragraph email to you when all of a sudden ... C R A A A A C K!  Lightning knocked the computer out and I lost the entire message.

Upon exiting baggage claim at the Shenyang Airport, I had expected to head for the taxi stand to catch a ride to the train station for my 3 hour journey to the children's home in Dandong.  Instead, I was greeted by a gracious-looking Asian woman wearing a straw hat festooned with ribbons and a flowing scarf (picture an Asian version of Mary Poppins) surrounded by 6 precious children all screaming "Wo men wan ying ni qu Zhong Guo!" (We Welcome You to China!)  It was Kay Lee, Director of the Fengcheng Children's Home.  She and the kids decided to surprise me by picking me up at the airport!  Before I could say "kung pao chicken" two of the older kids whisked my bags out to a waiting van and off we went on the first adventure -- a visit to the Shenyang General Hospital.  One of the kids who recently had an operation for cleft pallet was getting a check up.  What an experience -- if you think the ER's are overcrowded and understaffed in the U.S., you should have seen this place!

I am truly loving and savoring the interaction with the children -- it makes bearing the adverse living conditions worth it.  I am staying in a small (7' x 10') quarter meant for staff.  My next door "neighbor" is the gardener/maintenance man.  There aren't enough descriptive words in my vocabulary to describe the horrendous bathroom I share with him.  Only scalding hot water barely trickles out of the shower head.  The toilet is typical Chinese -- a basin in the floor.  You squat and do your business and hope to God the thing flushes when you pull the string connected to the water tank.  Most of the time it does not flush and you have to use a bucket of water to force your waste down the hole.  There is a small tear in the screen in my window, and with the rain storms, mosquitos have been a BIG problem as are flies.  After racking up no less than 15 mosquito bites, I finally went to town and bought a mosquito net.  Other than the frequent rain, weather has not been as bad as I expected.  It's actually been cool enough to sleep fairly well.  (Thanks for your prayers!)  If only it weren't for the Chinese pillows -- they are like sleeping on a sack of rice, in fact, I'll bet that's exactly what is under the scratchy pillowcase!

I've been teaching the children American folksongs, helping them to practice English and just playing and hanging out with them.  I am also teaching them how to email and use the internet.  If I can find the ingredients at the local store, I want to make chocolate chip cookies one night.  I also took them hiking on the far eastern terminus of the Great Wall which is only 20 miles from here. The bad weather has forced us inside much of the time, but we have been able to shoot baskets and play badminton two or three times.  I also held a "movie night" with Chinese Jet Li DVD's and microwave popcorn -- they had never seen microwave popcorn before!  (I brought it from home-- it's not sold in the markets here.)  The older boys love to just wrestle and engage in all kinds of  horseplay.  Either I overestimated their ability to speak English or mine to speak Mandarin (or a combination of both), but there is more of a communication gap than I thought there would be.  Most of them are "special ed" kids and far behind the other Chinese children their age who can speak English very well.  It didn't take long for me to realize I have ALOT more Mandarin to learn before I can truly communicate well with the Chinese people.  Just knowing the conversational "basics" doesn't really cut it.  But it doesn't take knowing Mandarin to communicate the love of Christ -- I can tell that a smile, a warm hug, my undivided attention and my presence here goes a long way with these children.

The home is run entirely on biblical principles.  The kids spend 6:30 - 7:15 every morning reading their bibles.  We painted a mural of the story of Noah's Ark on one of the walls in the house.  Some of the children grow their own vegetables on the premises; the home actually pays them for what they harvest and then incorporates the produce into the children's meals, thereby teaching them the value of money.  There is a darling little place called "The King's Cafe" where guests and volunteers can relax and hang out and receive their meals.  It doubles as a training ground for 3 of the children with special needs so they learn aspects of good restaurant service-- right down to presenting a check with a mint!  The hope is that one day they can get jobs in the hospitality industry (which is flourishing in China) and thereby contribute to society and earn a living.  One of the things I've been asked to do, given my hotel background, is to teach them some principles of good customer service.  I've conducted 2 "classes" so far, also incorporating some scriptural elements of service and servanthood.  The training was very well received.

The food has been better than I expected and very healthy.  Lots of egg, vegetable and noodle dishes.  And spicy pickled vegetables, an influence from neighboring Korea.  Sometimes something special like meat and vegetable stuffed steamed buns and boiled dumplings.  I'm trying not to offend the ladies in the kitchen by not eating white rice (my doctor has outlawed it for weight loss purposes.)  They give me a baffled look when I pass the rice bowl by as it is, of course, the staple of their diet.  The boys must eat 4 huge bowls with every meal.  I don't know where they put it all!

One of the best aspects of being here is that believe it or not, there is a wonderful little Christian church just up the hill.  The children routinely scamper up there for rehearsals, classes and services. Compared to the other buildings in this area, it is quite modern and comfortable. It is what is known as a "Three-Self" Church, or one of the government-sanctioned and approved Protestant churches in China.  "Three self" refers to the three principles of self-governance, self-support (i.e., financial independence from foreigners) and self-propagation (i.e., indigenous missionary work.)  Governmental influence over Three-Self churches varies widely from city to city and province to province.  I am told the one here has very little regulation or interference from the government.  The church is so close that, during my first 4 nights here, I was actually lulled to sleep by the sweet strains of their choir, practicing their hearts out for an annual praise and worship service that took place this past Sunday night, which I was prvileged to attend.  What a joy to see a place filled to the rafters with Chinese Christians worshipping authentically and with great excitement.  They have a 20-member choir, a praise band, even words to the songs projected on a screen, just like home!  The lady that runs the children's home knows the pastor well and is trying to arrange with the pastor for me to sing "How Great Thou Art" in Mandarin in front of the entire church this coming Sunday!

I have spent one day playing "tourist" in the city of Dandong, walking the "broken bridge" between China and North Korea; "broken" because the American troops bombed it during the Korean War.  (So you can walk halfway across only.)  The contrast between the North Korean and Chinese shoreline of the river is amazing.  Dandong has high rise buildings and a thriving tourist wharf buzzing with activity while North Korea has one or two ramshackle buildings.  Interestingly, the North Korean side also has a ferris wheel -- most likely a facade to make it appear that people have happy lives there.  Word has it no one in Dandong has ever seen the ferris wheel turning.   I got talked into sharing a speedboat ride on the Yalu River with a group of tourists from Singapore -- there were 5 of them plus me.  Before I knew it, to my horror and distress, the captain had us across the river and hugging the North Korean shoreline.  I was shocked that he took us over the border into North Korean waters and protested vigorously.  I kept ducking down to hide my caucasian face thinking that shots could ring out at any second.  (There was no visible military presence at all, but you never know.) The driver kept telling me "it's OK, it's OK", but I insisted he get us out of there immediately.  We were close enough to see people riding bicycles and harvesting crops!  All I could keep thinking about is the whole thing blowing into an international incident and having to explain to Hillary Clinton what the hell I was doing on that boat.

I also explored a very raw and gritty country marketplace featuring meat, seafood and produce. Ducks were being beheaded right in front of me, live giant crickets were writhing in huge bowls destiined to become someone's next meal, and wrinlkly-faced women pounded out thin Chinese pancakes and sold them 20 for 25 cents.  There are not many Western tourists here, if any, so a 6'3" blue-eyed caucasian draws lots of stares and curiosity.  I must have posed for a dozen different pictures while looking around there.

I just heard thunder which means lightning can't be far away, so I had better hit "send" before I lose this entire message too!

Please pray for my mom while I'm away, so far she's doing fine and I'd love to keep it that way!

Love,

Andrew



God's Speed Andrew!
      

Have it YAH-WEH at Burger King!

1st Peter 3:15  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...


Last week after a long morning, I had a couple of encounters with God.  I was able to provide the funds for immunization shots for a student going to Haiti.  It gave me great pleasure to see this process through.  Seeing his face and joy was worth the money provided.  


After that meeting I went to lunch.  I started off for Chik-fil-a, and as I entered the parking lot I remembered that it was Chicken Sandwich Monday at Burger King.  I turned around and drove a short distance there.  I enjoyed a Chicken sandwich combo for $2.99.  While staring away into space, I was thinking about our gifts of the Holy Spirit class taught by Cisco.  I was just wondering if God was only going to use a gift a giving that some people saw in me.  


Kind of startled, I looked up and saw a man standing next to my booth looking at me.  I said, "hi."  He looked at me intently and said, "You look like you have a lot of peace. Can you tell me how to have that?"  I smiled, and gave God a little chuckle in my head thinking, "So, you are just going to throw one in my lap!"  I motioned with my hand for the gentleman to have a seat.  Some doubts quickly shot through my head.  I asked him if he wanted a burger, his reply, "no".  I asked him if he needed a bus pass or ride, his reply, "no".  I responded, "Tell me your story."  He had gone through a divorce, and was having some financial issues related to that surface.  He was concerned about his image, since he was missing his upper dentures.  He confessed his culpability in the failure of his marriage, and some current issues with drugs he was working out with a 12-step program.  He was really concerned about his past sins and failures. I asked him if he knew Jesus as his Savior.  He said sure, but didn't seem confident.  I asked him "Why would Jesus let you in heaven?"  He seemed perplexed at the question.  He grimaced and said, "'Cause I try hard!?"  I let him know that he could have confidence in that answer.  I asked him if he wanted to know how.  I shared with him the gospel, reminding him that Jesus was the only way to heaven.  We can do nothing to earn our way.  We have to rely on the sacrifice of Jesus, God's perfect son.  I asked him if he believed that.  He said "Yes."  I told him that Jesus' sacrifice removed his sins as far as the east is from the west. He was happy at that thought.  I am, too!  I also told him that Jesus' sacrifice covers our past, present, and future sins.  "Do you want that for yourself," I asked.  "Do you want to receive Jesus as your Savior for your sins", I asked.  "Yes."  Wow.  First time anyone has said that to me when asking that question.  So, with a big grin and holding his hands, he prayed with me to accept Jesus as his Savior.


He had a big, gaping smile, but, that didn't matter any more.  I bought him a hamburger and fries, and agreed to meet for a service later that week at The Rock.


God seemed to be saying to me, "I can use you however I wish."  Just be obedient.


So, be ready, with the reason for your hope.  You never know when you will need it.

Beginning a good work...

So, this is a blog?!  I'm more of a Facebook person with it's faster pace and sniper style.  The title comes from my current Scripture Life verse, Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;".
God is transforming me daily to what He wants me to be.  No, He's not done, and won't be for a long time.  The following posts will be about this transformation.  Hopefully, the work you see being done in me will spark a work in your own life.  See you around....