Hi everybody! I just managed to get an internet connection, so this will be a quick, spontaneous blog. Juan is back from Congo! Juan had an awesome time traveling with the Bishop. Juan likes to talk in the third person :) Congo was all about spiritual renewal and God was DEFINITELY with us. Miracles happened! It was awesome to see God at work with my own eyes. One night, a mosquito got trapped inside my mosquito net and I wanted to kill myself! But it was otherwise a great trip.
Traveling with the Bishop was great. His pockets are full of gifts for everyone. He has chocolate bars, crosses, rings, bracelets, etc. He sweet talks everybody and puts smiles on their faces. The Congo airport is chaos. It looks like an old bus station, and it's scary if you aren't familiar with it. There are no signs to tell you where to go, and no one speaks English, and you have to bribe everyone to get through. When the security boss saw the Bishop, he walked up to him and threw his arms around him and was so happy to see him. He allowed us to skip the line up to get our passports stamped and did all the passport work for us while we went to go get our bags. It was smoooooth as butter. While in Congo, the Bishop was trying to get his flight changed to return one day early. He asked me if I wanted to change my ticket as well or travel on my own. I told him I would rather travel with him. He told me that I might have to come back on my own because the early flight was already overbooked. I thought to myself 'Oh man, I am going to have to go through the Congo airport on my own!' I stressed out and secretly wished to not have to go without him. It occurred to me that this was a reflection of true spiritual life: Once you have walked holding the hand of God....once you have relied on Him completely and experienced His comfort and care, you dread going anywhere without Him, to the point that, if He's not going, you don't want to go either.
Our missionary team is now in a small village called Maseno, completing the documentary. The filmmakers are extremely nice people and they are not afraid to go to the poor areas with us. We have become good friends in a really short time. Christine shared something nice with me yesterday. All these amazing people we are meeting (the missionaries, the Bishop, the priests, the filmmakers, the mission staff), we would have never met any of them if it were not for Jesus. He is the one that we all know, and we have met each other through knowing Him.
Jenny has caught malaria and typhoid and was feeling really awful, but is thankfully now starting to recover.
Ok guys, get ready for this one. I am excited to share some good news. No, we are not pregnant. There is a young married couple here from the US called Mike and Sherry, whom we absolutely love. Sherry has really bad asthma and allergies and the combination makes it really tough for her to breathe, let alone be active. She uses her inhaler almost hourly. It's tough to witness and it breaks Mike's heart to see his beloved wife in this condition. He asked us to pray for Sherry. Without telling each other, Christine and I decided to fast and pray for Sherry, but when we saw that the other one started skipping meals, we knew what they were up to! We had recently studied the book of Esther, and she fasted and prayed for 3 days and God answered her prayers, so we thought we follow her example. So together we fasted and prayed. We decided not to eat or drink anything at all for 3 days. Our prayers intensified during the fast. I thought that I would be starved, but God really supported us. We asked God to focus His attention on us, to let His gaze rest on us, so that our prayers would be loud and clear to Him. We also taped two pieces of the shroud of Baba Kyrillos (our former Pope who was well known for doing miracles) to her lungs as well as anointing her with Honout (spices used to cover the relics of Saints) from Bishop Bishoy (one of our former Bishops who carried an old, helpless man up a mountain, and the old man turned out to be Jesus, and Jesus told him his body would never decay and it never has - it's still in Egypt and in tact - google this for more info). After 3 days, Sherry was feeling a better, but was not yet completely healed. I felt that God was sending us a message. He was telling us to be careful not to think that there is a guaranteed formula for accessing His power. So I fasted and prayed one more day. GOD GRANTED OUR PRAYERS! Sherry has been healed!!!!! She hasn't had to use her inhaler in a couple of weeks! She now walks to the grocery store and back (a one hour trip)! I remember the day Mike ran to our building and said 'God is good! Whatever you guys did worked! Thank you, I know you suffered for Sherry'. I was brought to tears. The fact that our mighty, awesome God listened to, accepted and answered our prayers is overwhelming. I want everyone to know that God's power is within our reach if only we ask for it with faith and love. He is truly listening and yearns for us to depend on Him only.
A special note to our brothers and sisters: Get ready, because He is coming into your lives. We are praying constantly for Jesus to make Himself present in your lives, for Him to throw His arms around you and never let go. Now you know for a fact that He listens to our prayers when they are made out of love. Don't be afraid. Having Him next to you is a huge relief - finally there is someone out there who cares deeply for you and loves you and yearns to help you. Be prepared. Your lives are about to change. We guarantee it :)
One more thing. Mike and Sherry told me that if I could perform a miracle, they would name their baby after me! Sherry is due in December and I think they are really going to name him Juan! Imagine, an Egyptian named Juan! I love it :)
Juan and Christine
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Update - Sep 25
Hi all. First of all, I have been sleeping like a baby. Normally, this would be good news, except that I have been sleeping in Church, at prayer meetings, at a visitation, even at a funeral! I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a minor case of Typhoid. They started me on medication (7 days ago) and I feel back to normal now.
On Saturday, I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a few days with the Bishop to visit our mission there. I wish Christine was coming with me, but the South African Broadcasting Company is coming to do a documentary on the mission and Christine wants to be on tv! Kidding, she is coordinating the show.
We participated in a cleanup of one of the slum areas that we visit called Lenana. When we got there in the morning, hardly any of the community members were there to help. We prayed for God to send us an army. Within an hour we had almost one hundred people helping us out! It was awesome! Expect pictures on Facebook soon. You’ll get to see the areas we visit.
Zara (Selina's sister) came to visit us and took us to see and play with baby elephants! It was so cool! I also got to touch a rhino! I was in heaven! Expect pictures on Facebook soon :)
The Bishop invited us to an overnight prayer session at this paradise retreat center called Brackenhurst. This was a first for us. We prayed all through the night for God to reveal his vision of the future of the mission to us. It was really nice, but we didn’t last very long. I think we only made it until 1:30am. Still, it was a great learning for us on how to hear God’s voice.
Incredibly, 2 landowners have donated land to the Church for new hospitals and Churches! This is totally exciting, as we get to be a part of the making of a new mission. It’s neat to see God at work On October 4th, we’re doing a medical campaign to one of the new lands.
Spiritually, things are getting way better here in the mission in Nairobi. We have gotten into a rhythm where we have quiet time in the mornings, sharing at 8:15am, then a mix of prayer meetings and Bible studies and song nights. Quiet time is beginning to feel like a necessity. We miss God when we don’t have our quiet time.
We are both praying constantly for our brothers and sisters. We pray that God touches your lives and showers you with His love. We dream of the day when we can get together to talk about our Father.
We had planned to go to Singapore shortly before Christmas, but the flight is really costly, so it might not happen. We long to visit Carm and Jeju and especially little Mocushla. Donations will be accepted.
Please comment on the blog and let us know how you are doing. God Bless.
On Saturday, I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a few days with the Bishop to visit our mission there. I wish Christine was coming with me, but the South African Broadcasting Company is coming to do a documentary on the mission and Christine wants to be on tv! Kidding, she is coordinating the show.
We participated in a cleanup of one of the slum areas that we visit called Lenana. When we got there in the morning, hardly any of the community members were there to help. We prayed for God to send us an army. Within an hour we had almost one hundred people helping us out! It was awesome! Expect pictures on Facebook soon. You’ll get to see the areas we visit.
Zara (Selina's sister) came to visit us and took us to see and play with baby elephants! It was so cool! I also got to touch a rhino! I was in heaven! Expect pictures on Facebook soon :)
The Bishop invited us to an overnight prayer session at this paradise retreat center called Brackenhurst. This was a first for us. We prayed all through the night for God to reveal his vision of the future of the mission to us. It was really nice, but we didn’t last very long. I think we only made it until 1:30am. Still, it was a great learning for us on how to hear God’s voice.
Incredibly, 2 landowners have donated land to the Church for new hospitals and Churches! This is totally exciting, as we get to be a part of the making of a new mission. It’s neat to see God at work On October 4th, we’re doing a medical campaign to one of the new lands.
Spiritually, things are getting way better here in the mission in Nairobi. We have gotten into a rhythm where we have quiet time in the mornings, sharing at 8:15am, then a mix of prayer meetings and Bible studies and song nights. Quiet time is beginning to feel like a necessity. We miss God when we don’t have our quiet time.
We are both praying constantly for our brothers and sisters. We pray that God touches your lives and showers you with His love. We dream of the day when we can get together to talk about our Father.
We had planned to go to Singapore shortly before Christmas, but the flight is really costly, so it might not happen. We long to visit Carm and Jeju and especially little Mocushla. Donations will be accepted.
Please comment on the blog and let us know how you are doing. God Bless.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
More Pictures - Updated!
I've posted pictures of the Maseno, Kenya on Facebook :)
And I've posted pictures of the Musoma, Tanzania on Facebook :)
And I've posted pictures of the Musoma, Tanzania on Facebook :)
Update - Sept 10
We splurged. Hello comfortable missionary life! Hahaha. Man, I’ve been waking up every night to kill the annoying mosquitoes that buzz around our ears. It’s impossible to sleep. So we bought a mosquito net! Also, the bed sheets we have are about 30 years old and have never seen detergent, so we bought new sheets! Woo-hoo! Now we don’t dread going to bed and we sleep like babies. We also bought a nice set of cutlery to enhance our eating experience. We hung a picture on the wall as well. We are out of control!!! It’s interesting that these trivial things mean so much to us now. I’ve considered buying a water cooler and filling it with Coke.
The priest here in Nairobi is called Father Moses, I’ve written about him before. He has been here for about 10 years. 3 weeks ago, we were informed that God has called him to revive a Church in Long Island, New York. This has been really difficult for the Kenyans because he really is a father to them. At one of the good-bye dinners, each one of the youth stood up and told the story about how Father Moses found them in a hopeless state years ago, took them under his wing, taught them about our Father, and helped them to go to school and clean up their lives. Each one of them cried during their story telling. It will also be hard on Abouna’s family, who will remain here until the kids are finished the school year. God is really blessing the Church in New York by sending them Father Moses. Christine and I promised to visit him.
As a temporary measure, we have been sent a modern day Saint called Father Tadros Malaty. This man is a legend in the Church and has written many beautiful books. He has been here for a week and it has been such a pleasure and honour to listen to his teachings. He is the most loving man. He makes me think of St. Paul – all of his teachings and answers are centered around love. We are studying the book of Romans with him. Last Saturday, all the servants had a retreat, where he said something really sweet. He said that one day, he looked up at God and asked, ‘Why did you make all of this? Why did you create the world? Why did you create me? Weren’t you happy with the multitude of Angels and Archangels and the Cherubim and the Seraphim and the Incorporeal Creatures and all the other Heavenly Creatures?’ He asked us to imagine, from the point of view of the Heavenly Creatures, the day God began creating the world. How intrigued must they have been to see God creating this whole new world? They witnessed Him creating soil and birds and animals and trees and water and sky and stars. Surely they must have thought, ‘What is He doing? Are we going to go live there?’ And after watching Him create all these things, they saw Him create Adam. Father Tadros said that all of the Heavenly Creatures must have thought Adam was the MOST IMPORTANT AND HONORABLE AND SPECIAL creature ever because God had created the world and everything in it JUST FOR HIM. Take a minute to think about that.
Father Tadros wants us all to know that we are deeply loved by God. He warns against belittling ourselves. He asked us ‘Who is the happiest man on earth?’ He said that WE should be that man. We know our Father and we know that He loves us and that He is waiting for us to join Him and that He has a place prepared for us in His own house! Father Tadros speaks of the ‘end of days’ as if it were tomorrow and he looks forward to it with such sweet confidence, as if he knows he has fought the good fight. Wow! It is a blessing to know this man.
A girl named Jenny has joined us here in the mission (for approx. 1 year). She is from Chicago and is a spiritual giant. We are all having prayer meetings every night with the Bishop. It is obvious from his prayers that he believes that something major is coming. Never before has such an army of servants assembled in Nairobi. Usually, servants go straight to Maseno. He feels that God is building a great army here for a great purpose. We are constantly praying for God to reveal His plan to us. I can’t help but feel that I am a part of something special. Please pray for our mission, right now. Don’t wait to pray for us.
A special message to my little brother and big sister:
I miss you guys.
I love you guys so much.
I think about you every single day.
You are constantly in my prayers.
Please open you hearts to the sweetness of Christ.
He loves you guys so much more than you could ever imagine.
He is knocking at your door.
Let Him in.
God Bless,
Juan
The priest here in Nairobi is called Father Moses, I’ve written about him before. He has been here for about 10 years. 3 weeks ago, we were informed that God has called him to revive a Church in Long Island, New York. This has been really difficult for the Kenyans because he really is a father to them. At one of the good-bye dinners, each one of the youth stood up and told the story about how Father Moses found them in a hopeless state years ago, took them under his wing, taught them about our Father, and helped them to go to school and clean up their lives. Each one of them cried during their story telling. It will also be hard on Abouna’s family, who will remain here until the kids are finished the school year. God is really blessing the Church in New York by sending them Father Moses. Christine and I promised to visit him.
As a temporary measure, we have been sent a modern day Saint called Father Tadros Malaty. This man is a legend in the Church and has written many beautiful books. He has been here for a week and it has been such a pleasure and honour to listen to his teachings. He is the most loving man. He makes me think of St. Paul – all of his teachings and answers are centered around love. We are studying the book of Romans with him. Last Saturday, all the servants had a retreat, where he said something really sweet. He said that one day, he looked up at God and asked, ‘Why did you make all of this? Why did you create the world? Why did you create me? Weren’t you happy with the multitude of Angels and Archangels and the Cherubim and the Seraphim and the Incorporeal Creatures and all the other Heavenly Creatures?’ He asked us to imagine, from the point of view of the Heavenly Creatures, the day God began creating the world. How intrigued must they have been to see God creating this whole new world? They witnessed Him creating soil and birds and animals and trees and water and sky and stars. Surely they must have thought, ‘What is He doing? Are we going to go live there?’ And after watching Him create all these things, they saw Him create Adam. Father Tadros said that all of the Heavenly Creatures must have thought Adam was the MOST IMPORTANT AND HONORABLE AND SPECIAL creature ever because God had created the world and everything in it JUST FOR HIM. Take a minute to think about that.
Father Tadros wants us all to know that we are deeply loved by God. He warns against belittling ourselves. He asked us ‘Who is the happiest man on earth?’ He said that WE should be that man. We know our Father and we know that He loves us and that He is waiting for us to join Him and that He has a place prepared for us in His own house! Father Tadros speaks of the ‘end of days’ as if it were tomorrow and he looks forward to it with such sweet confidence, as if he knows he has fought the good fight. Wow! It is a blessing to know this man.
A girl named Jenny has joined us here in the mission (for approx. 1 year). She is from Chicago and is a spiritual giant. We are all having prayer meetings every night with the Bishop. It is obvious from his prayers that he believes that something major is coming. Never before has such an army of servants assembled in Nairobi. Usually, servants go straight to Maseno. He feels that God is building a great army here for a great purpose. We are constantly praying for God to reveal His plan to us. I can’t help but feel that I am a part of something special. Please pray for our mission, right now. Don’t wait to pray for us.
A special message to my little brother and big sister:
I miss you guys.
I love you guys so much.
I think about you every single day.
You are constantly in my prayers.
Please open you hearts to the sweetness of Christ.
He loves you guys so much more than you could ever imagine.
He is knocking at your door.
Let Him in.
God Bless,
Juan
Friday, September 5, 2008
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