Saturday, August 28, 2010

Back to work in the Center!!

  Flew in yesterday and came to the center as soon as possible. Kids are fine. Anahi had a cold, but is better. Unfortunately, Kelli, one of our Nannies was in a bus accident this morning and was in quite a bit of discomfort. She hopes to be back to work by Monday.

  My Church, Casa De Libertad has a retreat that I am attending the next few days. I am looking forward to getting to know some friends better and some pleasant time at Los Humitos on Lake Amatitilan.  Also there is a farewell luncheon for Walter at Cristo Rey Valle de los Ninos. He is moving to Ohio and studying to become a Priest. A great young man from El Salvador.


 Summit Junior League bailed me out again: five big bags of clothing donations. I really get the value from my 3 bags of up to 70 pounds from my Airline support.  This trip the bags were particularly heavy as I was still sore from skiing with my nephew Will on Wednesday. I love waterskiing, but once a year or every other year definitely uses some different muscles.

  Teleton next weekend. Pray for continued success.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Meditation... With friends and family suffering loss, I thought this appropriate

From Henri Nouwen 


Taking the Sting Out of Death
Dying is returning home. But even though we have been told this many times by many people, we seldom desire to return home. We prefer to stay where we are. We know what we have; we do not know what we will get. Even the most appealing images of the afterlife cannot take away the fear of dying. We cling to life, even when our relationships are difficult, our economic circumstances harsh, and our health quite poor.

Still, Jesus came to take the sting out of death and to help us gradually realise that we don't have to be afraid of death, since death leads us to the place where the deepest desires of our hearts will be satisfied. It is not easy for us to truly believe that, but every little gesture of trust will bring us closer to this truth.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Sam Shoemaker's Apologia!

John Guest turned me on to this piece by Sam Shoemaker.


 Stand At The Door
An Apologia for my Life
By Sam Shoemaker (from the Oxford Group)

I stand by the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.

The rest of the meditation can be found here 

/Full Sam SHoemaker Apologia

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Here today and gone tamale

  Great trip to Dallas over the weekend. Work and play at it´s best. Thanks to all my friends who cave Cadanino things they can use especially Ann who sent me back with my suitcases filled with clothes for the kids. Thank you!!

  Dave gave me a really terrific YWAM study bible and I am enjoying the commentary because of the commentary particularly in Luke and Acts where I have been studying mostly this year.

Huge thanks to Audrey and Russ for taking me to The Village. What an impressive Church. Had a chance to speak with the worship Pastor after the service about his coming to Guatemala next week. He is leading a 3 day retreat for Casa de Libertad and I can hardly wait!  His name is Michael Bleeker and this is the link to his blog.  
http://thebleeckerblog.blogspot.com/
Heading to NY in the morning. Hoping to drive to Speculator by Thursday night and See Eric Metaxas. His new Bonhoeffer book is the toast of the town and he has been speaking at Camp of the Woods a couple of times this summer. He and his family are just wonderful folks.
Of course, spending quality time with my Mom and daughter will also be excellent!! 

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Success. Week one with the New Tigers!! 10 more kids join our merry band


  Generally a successful week. We have two groups of five that join us for play therapies in the morning and afternoon. These kids are  between 9 and 15 years of age and are able to walk and verbalize a bit. They are each special gifts with complex stories and backgrounds. As I sit here this morning before Church, I will profile a couple.

Cynthia.:  She is about 9 and almost no verbal skills. She has some form of PICA and continuously tests everything with her tongue. Typically a piece of string or fabric which she whips around her mouth continuously.  She is very sweat and appreciates a hug.

Sandra: She is new to the center. She is still terrified of everyone and everything. She spends much of the time covering her ears because of all the loud noises.

Orlando:  Great kid. About 11. Very low intelligence, but very calm and pleasant to be with. From a distance he looks like a regular kid with some freckles on his nose.  His non-speech communications is a spitting movement with his mouth.

Elfido: he is a bit older, maybe 15. He had a profound palsy and shakes continuously.  With assistance he can walk a bit.

Carlos: Strong 11 year old. He really needs to run and play outside. He has a lot of energy and does not know how to sit still. He has been characterized as aggressive, but it is mainly the lack of strenuous physical activity that makes him act like that.

  We got some new toys and they are a big hit.  It seems like they all have high levels of hyperactivity. Thanks to Jenny for acquiring them. Also, a big thanks to Jose and his friends and family for the swing set. It is an enormous blessing.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

My Friend Rich Teeters covered in magazine - Pastor Burnout

God may have rested on the seventh day, but for a growing number of his ministers, there is more work -- and stress -- than ever, and less chance to unwind. That has led to all sorts of health problems among clergy, from a lack of exercise and a rise in obesity to problems of depression and substance abuse and all the many ills of modern life that pastors spend so much time helping their congregants tackle. 


Full Article http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/02/no-rest-for-the-holy-clergy-burnout-a-growing-concern/

Sunday, August 1, 2010

New Month... New Beginnings... Growth and a new home for Cadanino


  Finished moving my possessions from one apartment to my new home two blocks away. Talk about cramming for the exam the night before. It´s not as if I have all that many possessions or furniture, but I had hoped to organize my gadget projects and clothing donation projects as part of the move.
The new house is GREAT!!  Four Bedrooms, spacious kitchen, dining and living rooms and a fabulous rooftop for a tar beach or barbecues. Those who know me well know that I am not much of a bricks and mortar- physical world guy. I´m more cerebral (nice way to say I am a space cadet) but I really am excited to have more space, privacy and serenity.  I loved my old apartment and the insanely wonderful views, but it became a bit too small.

 So the REALLY BIG NEWS... Tomorrow we start phase two of Cadanino. Of the little kids that we work most closely with, we will be working with about 10 more. We refer to these as the ïniciales¨  because they are the small, young beginner types. We have retained two additional nannies-physical therapists to assure ample support of this group. Because they are such a sweet group we plan to spend a lot more time with them out in the yard.  Logistics will be interesting because Rebecka wanders incessantly and insists on touching everything to her tongue. Some odd form of  PICA and ADHD.  Matteo is also part of our merry band and he is a bit of an escape artist. He is eleven and at first glance appears normal. Limited language skills, but he is fast and clever. He has escaped a few times, but after a few chilly nights on the streets
he appears to be happy at home.  When we went to a water park last year, he escaped our directors grasp at least five times and ran and jumped into the deepest part of the wave pool. Not only did he not know how to swim, he had no concept of holding your breath to not inhale water.
He is funny too because he is attracted to pink and other feminine colors. He frequently manages to acquire some of the most amusing outfits. He is also a masterful pick pocket. Institutionalization has it´s consequences.

   Great start to new month, new group, new home. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for this opportunity.

Followers