Just wanted to let you know that we're in London. We made it safe and sound with all our luggage thanks to our Father. We're at Mary's house now and we'll be giving a talk to the youth tonight! May God be with us!!! We're really excited to be here and we can't believe we'll be home 4 days!
JC
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Update - March 28
Hello everybody! I hope you are doing well and that the Lord is blessing your lives. We only have 3 days left here, and we are so excited to come home. We miss you all so much.
Leaving this place will be emotional. Here, we have met the most amazing people and have been spiritually transformed. God saturates every inch of this place. We hope and pray that we can carry this passion in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
This afternoon, a group of us came back from a safari in a place called Masai Mara. It was AMAZING!!! We saw the coolest animals. We were within a couple of meters of lions, giraffes, hippos, baboons, hyenas, buffalos, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, crocodiles, cheetahs and mongeese! We were even lucky enough to see a leopard on a tree with a gazelle it just caught! Christine and I took almost a thousand photos, so I need time to go through them and post the ones that are gold! We stayed in really really cool tents, with hardwood floors, a queen sized bed, a bathroom and a shower! We were so impressed! God really blessed our trip. We love you Jesus!
Speaking of Jesus, He has totally blessed our return to Calgary. We both had this dream of getting part-time jobs so that we could dedicate more time to serving. Well, we both got our old jobs back part-time!!! It was so amazing! We shared our dream with God and I guess He liked it because He did all the work! Thank you Lord Jesus, we are excited to see what You have in store for us.
We leave Kenya on April 1. We spend 9 days in Egypt, then 4 days in London where we'll celebrate an early 2 year anniversary, then off to Calgary on April 13. We asked our jobs if we could start on April 20 in order to be able attend all the Holy Week services at Church, and they agreed :)
God is amazing,
JC
Leaving this place will be emotional. Here, we have met the most amazing people and have been spiritually transformed. God saturates every inch of this place. We hope and pray that we can carry this passion in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
This afternoon, a group of us came back from a safari in a place called Masai Mara. It was AMAZING!!! We saw the coolest animals. We were within a couple of meters of lions, giraffes, hippos, baboons, hyenas, buffalos, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, crocodiles, cheetahs and mongeese! We were even lucky enough to see a leopard on a tree with a gazelle it just caught! Christine and I took almost a thousand photos, so I need time to go through them and post the ones that are gold! We stayed in really really cool tents, with hardwood floors, a queen sized bed, a bathroom and a shower! We were so impressed! God really blessed our trip. We love you Jesus!
Speaking of Jesus, He has totally blessed our return to Calgary. We both had this dream of getting part-time jobs so that we could dedicate more time to serving. Well, we both got our old jobs back part-time!!! It was so amazing! We shared our dream with God and I guess He liked it because He did all the work! Thank you Lord Jesus, we are excited to see what You have in store for us.
We leave Kenya on April 1. We spend 9 days in Egypt, then 4 days in London where we'll celebrate an early 2 year anniversary, then off to Calgary on April 13. We asked our jobs if we could start on April 20 in order to be able attend all the Holy Week services at Church, and they agreed :)
God is amazing,
JC
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Update - Mar 1
Hi everybody! It's Juan. I know, I know, I haven't blogged in a long time. Fogiveness prease. All is well here in Kenya. God has blessed us with new servants and a temporary new priest, who is amazing. I have a prayer request for you guys. There are 4 long-term servants here. There's a girl from London called Neveen who's taking care of some financial stuff for the hospital. There's a girl from Chicago called Jenny who is the head of the HIV Hope Center. I am involved in the computer stuff here. And Christine, well, we love Christine. Hahaha, I'm just kidding!!! Christine is the Bishop's right-hand man. Anyhoozers, all 4 of us are planning to return home in the next few months. So we need God to send more missionaries, or to reveal His plan for this mission. Please, don't put this off, stop whatever you are doing and pray for us. Thanks guys.
We are preparing for our return to Calgary. I can't believe we only have 1 month left. We have been praying for God's will for our lives. Even though the team here is encouraging us to stay, we feel that God is calling us to serve our community back home. We have been spiritually energized and can't wait to share our passion with our brothers and sisters back home. We don't know what God has in store for us in Calgary. All we know is that we are soldiers in the Army of God, and He has a magnificent plan for us, one that we cannot even fathom.
It's a peaceful feeling when you put all your trust in Him. We are not worried about our jobs or our mortgage or money, because we have seen His very Hand at work, and have no doubt now that Our Father will take care of us. Please pray for us, that our love for God remains as strong as it is now, that we do not fall in love with the things that cannot save us.
Juan
PS.
Alex, happy belated birthday buddy!
Tia, happy birthday!
Abuela, I think about you often. I can't wait to see you. I love you very much.
Carm, how is the baby coming along? How is little Mocushla?
Manny & Nashi, how is Bolivia? What are you up to?
Mom & Dad, I hope you will be in Calgary soon after we return. I miss you so much.
Tante Mona & Uncle Monir, thank you for everything you did for us while we were away. We can't wait to see you.
Bossa, we pray that God is blessing your life.
George, I hope all is well.
Winn & Ginger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious, I love you guys and can't wait to see you.
Marc & Claudine, we hope that our paths will cross soon. You are family.
Mikey & Bobby, get me a job, or I'll be mooching off of you guys! It will be so great to see you guys again.
Fady & Miryam, I am so proud of you for starting the Bible study. We will pray for God to make it more successful than you can imagine.
Manno, get ready for ribs & hymns. Don't forget the mini muffins.
Selina & Adrian, thank you so much for taking care of our condo, how is the new place?
Prab & Shawn, it will be a dessert partay when we see you again!
We are preparing for our return to Calgary. I can't believe we only have 1 month left. We have been praying for God's will for our lives. Even though the team here is encouraging us to stay, we feel that God is calling us to serve our community back home. We have been spiritually energized and can't wait to share our passion with our brothers and sisters back home. We don't know what God has in store for us in Calgary. All we know is that we are soldiers in the Army of God, and He has a magnificent plan for us, one that we cannot even fathom.
It's a peaceful feeling when you put all your trust in Him. We are not worried about our jobs or our mortgage or money, because we have seen His very Hand at work, and have no doubt now that Our Father will take care of us. Please pray for us, that our love for God remains as strong as it is now, that we do not fall in love with the things that cannot save us.
Juan
PS.
Alex, happy belated birthday buddy!
Tia, happy birthday!
Abuela, I think about you often. I can't wait to see you. I love you very much.
Carm, how is the baby coming along? How is little Mocushla?
Manny & Nashi, how is Bolivia? What are you up to?
Mom & Dad, I hope you will be in Calgary soon after we return. I miss you so much.
Tante Mona & Uncle Monir, thank you for everything you did for us while we were away. We can't wait to see you.
Bossa, we pray that God is blessing your life.
George, I hope all is well.
Winn & Ginger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious, I love you guys and can't wait to see you.
Marc & Claudine, we hope that our paths will cross soon. You are family.
Mikey & Bobby, get me a job, or I'll be mooching off of you guys! It will be so great to see you guys again.
Fady & Miryam, I am so proud of you for starting the Bible study. We will pray for God to make it more successful than you can imagine.
Manno, get ready for ribs & hymns. Don't forget the mini muffins.
Selina & Adrian, thank you so much for taking care of our condo, how is the new place?
Prab & Shawn, it will be a dessert partay when we see you again!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Update - Jan 13
Hi everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! I hope you all had beautiful holidays filled with family and love. I am back in Kenya now, but my dear wife stayed in Cairo for a couple more weeks to take care of her grandma. So, since I am alone and have nothing better to do, I decided to write about something that has been on my heart for a while.
I have had many conversations now about what exactly is TRUTH. Yes, the big question. What is truth? When there are many possible answers that all seem right, how do you discern the truth from the false?
Growing up in Canada encouraged me to respect everyone else, to believe that it is enough to be a good person, to believe that if life is going well then I must be on the right track, to believe that all religions are right...to believe that there are several versions of the truth. But now, when I am asked what I believe is true, I say Jesus is the way and the truth, and this shocks and offends some of my friends and family. And I completely understand their reactions because I used to believe what they believe. So what has changed? How can I be so sure that this is the truth? So sure that I am willing to risk offending my loved ones for the sake of His Holy Name? I ask you, what is easier? To please everyone by saying that everyone is correct in what they believe, or to stand up for the truth, knowing that not everyone will agree with it, but also knowing that the truth will save everyone? In my entire life, I have never known the easier option to be the right one. Doing the right thing always takes more. So, if you really knew the truth, would you not stand up for it? So again, the question is, how do you know the truth?
Before I became a Christian, I opted for the first option: to let everyone be happy believing whatever they wished. And I really defended this way when I was challenged by the "religious fanatic" types. Why? Because I thought this was the truth. But how did I know this was the truth? What had I done to search for the truth? Where was it written that this was the truth? Where was the proof? Was I choosing the "nice and easy" option? Had I merely come to this conclusion on my own? Was I deciding for myself what was true and what was false? Did the discernment of truth and false come from me? from my own brain? What had I done to become such a great judge?
Back then, I had no intention to actively search for the truth. Life was busy enough. I was content believing whatever I learned from tv, or from friends, or whatever didn't inconvenience me much. Why would I spend time and energy to search for what I thought I already knew? Truly, ignorance was bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. But when I met Christine, I found that she defended Jesus, to the point where she was willing to forsake our love! I was so perplexed by this. I asked myself, "How can she be so sure of that truth?" After I repeatedly said No to the idea of Jesus being the way and the truth, she left me. And I was left in tears, scratching my head, wondering what had happened. It was after this that I decided to go and search for the truth. I needed to find the truth for myself. One, or both of us, was wrong. We could not both be right.
I searched for truth with an open heart. It was not easy. I had to do work. I had to read. I had to pray. I had to think with my heart, and not with my mind. I had to spend my precious time to find the truth. Rick Warren wrote that you can give someone money or food, but they can always repay it back to you. He said that to give your time for something is to give your life for it, because time is the one thing you can't get back. So I gave my life to search for the truth, and in my search, Christ actually revealed Himself to me!!! Do you see the irony? I was looking for Him as if He were the lost one! Instead, He came and found me!
After this point in my life, my desire to know Jesus burned in my heart so much that I gave up my life, and came to Africa in the hope that my relationship with Him would grow beyond us being mere acquaintances. And He has not withheld Himself from me. I love Him from my innermost being.
What is my point? Search for the truth. Don't believe what you have been told. Don't be content with what the world has taught you. Don't consider yourself worthy to be the judge of truth and false. Go. Go and find out what the truth is. Do you really believe that if you search for the truth, it will not reveal itself to you?
JC
I have had many conversations now about what exactly is TRUTH. Yes, the big question. What is truth? When there are many possible answers that all seem right, how do you discern the truth from the false?
Growing up in Canada encouraged me to respect everyone else, to believe that it is enough to be a good person, to believe that if life is going well then I must be on the right track, to believe that all religions are right...to believe that there are several versions of the truth. But now, when I am asked what I believe is true, I say Jesus is the way and the truth, and this shocks and offends some of my friends and family. And I completely understand their reactions because I used to believe what they believe. So what has changed? How can I be so sure that this is the truth? So sure that I am willing to risk offending my loved ones for the sake of His Holy Name? I ask you, what is easier? To please everyone by saying that everyone is correct in what they believe, or to stand up for the truth, knowing that not everyone will agree with it, but also knowing that the truth will save everyone? In my entire life, I have never known the easier option to be the right one. Doing the right thing always takes more. So, if you really knew the truth, would you not stand up for it? So again, the question is, how do you know the truth?
Before I became a Christian, I opted for the first option: to let everyone be happy believing whatever they wished. And I really defended this way when I was challenged by the "religious fanatic" types. Why? Because I thought this was the truth. But how did I know this was the truth? What had I done to search for the truth? Where was it written that this was the truth? Where was the proof? Was I choosing the "nice and easy" option? Had I merely come to this conclusion on my own? Was I deciding for myself what was true and what was false? Did the discernment of truth and false come from me? from my own brain? What had I done to become such a great judge?
Back then, I had no intention to actively search for the truth. Life was busy enough. I was content believing whatever I learned from tv, or from friends, or whatever didn't inconvenience me much. Why would I spend time and energy to search for what I thought I already knew? Truly, ignorance was bliss. Bliss. Bliss. Bliss. But when I met Christine, I found that she defended Jesus, to the point where she was willing to forsake our love! I was so perplexed by this. I asked myself, "How can she be so sure of that truth?" After I repeatedly said No to the idea of Jesus being the way and the truth, she left me. And I was left in tears, scratching my head, wondering what had happened. It was after this that I decided to go and search for the truth. I needed to find the truth for myself. One, or both of us, was wrong. We could not both be right.
I searched for truth with an open heart. It was not easy. I had to do work. I had to read. I had to pray. I had to think with my heart, and not with my mind. I had to spend my precious time to find the truth. Rick Warren wrote that you can give someone money or food, but they can always repay it back to you. He said that to give your time for something is to give your life for it, because time is the one thing you can't get back. So I gave my life to search for the truth, and in my search, Christ actually revealed Himself to me!!! Do you see the irony? I was looking for Him as if He were the lost one! Instead, He came and found me!
After this point in my life, my desire to know Jesus burned in my heart so much that I gave up my life, and came to Africa in the hope that my relationship with Him would grow beyond us being mere acquaintances. And He has not withheld Himself from me. I love Him from my innermost being.
What is my point? Search for the truth. Don't believe what you have been told. Don't be content with what the world has taught you. Don't consider yourself worthy to be the judge of truth and false. Go. Go and find out what the truth is. Do you really believe that if you search for the truth, it will not reveal itself to you?
JC
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Update - Jan 1
Hi all. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Though I have lots to share, I am afraid that we have received some sad/happy news, so I just wanted to send a quick update. Christine's uncle has left us and is with the King Jesus now. On a personal note, I will miss him dearly, for he was so kind and so full of peace. I am happy for him, but sad for the family.
We are leaving for Egypt tonight and will be there until after the other Christmas (Jan 7).
JC
Though I have lots to share, I am afraid that we have received some sad/happy news, so I just wanted to send a quick update. Christine's uncle has left us and is with the King Jesus now. On a personal note, I will miss him dearly, for he was so kind and so full of peace. I am happy for him, but sad for the family.
We are leaving for Egypt tonight and will be there until after the other Christmas (Jan 7).
JC
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