Be a Neighbor!

Before the 6:8 website was redesigned, there was a song called "Hookers and Robbers" by Charlie Hall that use to play while you viewed the site. It really was a good fit for the ministry that God is doing here in Costa Rica. There are certainly a lot of hookers around here, but I believe there are probably fifty times as many robbers in this area. Around here you can never let your guard down. For example, you never leave any thing valuable, or anything that might appear to be valuable in your car. If you have an empty back pack in your car, thieves will break in to your car just in case there is something in it. When we serve at our feeding center at Celebration Church, you do not set anything down and walk away from it for even a moment. If you do, it will be gone.

We have been living in the house we are in for 8 months. We are in a "gated" community. Now don't let that fool you, it's not like a gated community in the states. It simply has a concrete walls surrounding the perimeter and 24-7 security guards on duty. And though there is a wall surrounding the perimeter, some parts of the wall have bars and razor wire to prevent people from climbing in, and some parts do not. Why? This is Costa Rica, how am I supposed to understand why? That's just how it is.

Well, the wall behind our house is a part of that wall that does not have the deterring bars and razor wires. I really haven't been that concerned about it as there is a church directly behind our house. I have always figured there would be no problems.

I flew back to Costa Rica on Wednesday Sept. 7th. I got up at 4am, Costa Rica time. When I got home I said hello to everyone. Went to the feeding center and then went home. I decided I was tired and that I was going to lay down.

While I was laying there, not asleep, I heard a noise. Now there is always noise around here, but this noise was different. I thought it was my dog at first. As I listened more, I heard the sound of Velcro being pulled apart.

Now, my wife and girls attract mosquitoes like crazy. So I put up some screens on some of our windows and attached them with Velcro so we could open and close the windows and let the breeze in. So, the Velcro I heard was in baby Ava's bedroom. Not thinking, I jumped up (knowing at this point that someone was attempting to break into our house), ran into her room, pulled the curtain back, and caused one Tico robber to have to change clothes. I yelled at the guy in my native tongue (why?) and he ran off and jumped the wall. His eyes were as big as golf balls.

So I went out there to see where he went, and to my surprise, when I looked over the back wall for the first time ever, I saw 2 tin houses. These types of dwellings are the type that we rebuild all the time. They are usually occupied by very poor families. There was a make-shift ladder leaning against the wall which allowed them to get on the roof of the house, and then climb over the wall. The wall is probably 15' high.

Looking over the edge of the wall directly behind my house.




The dog defending his territory.

 

I called security and told them I had a problem and they needed to come to my house right now. They told me "mas tarde" which means "we''ll have to come a little later." When I finally got them to come I showed him what happened. He started throwing rocks on the house behind ours. Immediately a dog ran out and started barking. Now when the guy jumped over the wall, it was quiet. No dog was barking. This dog knows this guy. This guy must live in this house behind me. So now I have a constant problem.

Well, I started looking into how to secure our house to keep my family and our belongings safe and I simply could not afford it. I called my landlord and after a few sleepless nights, she informed me that she was going to install an electric fence and an alarm system. Praise God!!!!! The guys are at  my house right now installing it.

Now, all this time Heather and the girls were in Florida.I was here by myself, and I knew that my bride would not sleep in this house at all until it was secure. My goal was to get it done before they returned. They return a week from today, so everything worked out.

Now I've discussed this with multiple people and our first reaction is always to want to teach this guy a lesson. However, I don't think this is the Christ-like thing to do. I'm praying about how we can attempt to change this guys outlook on life so he doesn't feel the need to rob others to get what he wants in life. That's why we are here, to combat poverty. Poverty has an ugly, ugly face. Crime is always in the midst of poverty. If the guy had came and knocked on my door and asked me for help, I would certainly have done what I could to help him. But because of pride, many of the poor would rather rob someone else than to ask for help. Should I be unforgiving of a man because he tried to rob me, when most of the people we serve around here are probably stealing from other people to get by. It's so ingrained in the heart of this community that this is the only way to ever get what you need and want. My pride says, "who does he think he is trying to rob my family" so I'm no better than he is. Our pride causes us to react in different ways, but it is still ugly pride.

Now Christ said that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. I could try to argue with him like the others did:

- So, Jesus, who is my neighbor? Is it the guy on the left and right of me that live in the "secured" community? Surely it's not the guy that lives behind me that tried to rob my family is it?

What is Christ going to say to me?

Well, let's just let His Word speak:

Matt. 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  

Luke 10:26-29; 36-37
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”....

( insert Good Samaritan story here. Mental note: there is no reference as to what type of character the victim in the story possessed. He himself could have been a terrible person for all we know.)

...“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Romans 13:9-10
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 15:2
Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

Galatians 5:14
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ephesians 4:25-28
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

James 2:8
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

That last one is powerful!!!

To sum it all up:

There are no excuses for who we call our neighbor and that's not even the point that Jesus made. The expert in the law asked him "who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered him with a question that caused the man to focus on the type of neighbor he himself was instead of worrying about who was in fact a neighbor to him. We are to worry about who's neighbor we are being, not who is our neighbor, or as is most often the case, who is being a neighbor to us. Favoritism is underrated, yet we all do it, while unconditional love is more powerful than we could ever dream, and we at times, choose to not exercise it.



A view of potential. Potential love. Potential change. Potential for the glory of God. If I will handle things His way. If I will step up and be the neighbbor.

 

Be a neighbor!

Light and Darkness

We took some food to 2 needy moms a couple of weeks ago. One's name is Wendy and the other is Maria. Between the 2 of them they have 12 kids. Wendy has a 4 month old whose name is Mariella and the next youngest is a little boy named John Paul. John Paul has Bacterial Meningitis. He constantly has a fever and feels bad all the time. He is on "medicine" and is on the Social Security health care program in Costa Rica. He has access to health care, but it still cost his mom some money to take him to the clinic and to get prescription meds. My concern for him is that she just may not do what it takes to take care of him. She may be too prideful to tell us that she can't afford to take care of him.

His little sister, Mariella-Milagros (which means Maria of Miracles) rightfully received her name. She was born prematurely. The reason she was born prematurely is that Wendy's male chauvinist neighbor got mad at her and punched her in the stomach when she was pregnant, causing her to have the baby early. It is in fact a miracle that the baby is healthy. She feeds both of these kids powdered milk. It comes in a bag and you mix it up with water. She probably doesn't have the best water source. She may boil it, but it's doubtful.

The day I met Wendy four months ago, she let us in her home and immediately handed little 22 day old Mariella off to Amanda, one of our 6:8 staff members. It's like she was saying, I can't do this on my own. She looked horrible. Weak, dirty, like she had given up. Yesterday she looked a little more healthy. Mariella-Milagros looked healthy as well.

When we asked Wendy where her best friend Maria was, she said she was working. Then she went on to tell us how Maria had been beaten up by the same guy that punched her in the stomach causing her to have Mariella-Milagros early. When we started asking why, at first she didn't say. After asking again, she told us it was because a week or two ago, one of our teams had taken Maria food (insert heart stop here!) This man got jealous because he didn't get any food. He took his anger out on Maria, a struggling mom of 6 children. He blackened both of her eyes to my understanding. All because we brought her food? Well, we dug a little deeper and came to find out that Maria had turned one of his friends in to the police. The police arrested that man, and now he is in jail. However, when this man beat her, she called the police and they never came.

It was a relief to know that the underlying reason he attacked her was not because we were helping her. As I recall, this man was the guy who originally told us that Maria needed our assistance in the first place. Maybe he felt a little guilty for punching her in the stomach.

Wendy showed up at our team house a few days ago in tears. She and her friend were fighting and she needed to move out within 2 weeks because she couldn't take it anymore. She was out of food. So some of our staff and Pastor Minor took her some food and baby stuff the following day.

When we arrived it was very quiet. Both ladies were in their homes. Wendy's door was locked with a chain. She opened the door and welcomed us inside. She was very grateful for the food. Pastor Minor talked with her about her situation and then told her that she needed Jesus. She agreed and Pastor Minor lead her through praying to receive Christ. She prayed with Him and professed her faith in Jesus!

As we were leaving, Maria asked us to come to her house and pray for her. She told us how she didn't like this feeling of anger that was inside of her towards her best friend Wendy. She went off for a minute about how she used harsh words with Wendy and called her bad names. And you have got to love our pastor as he simply says to her, "you need to fix your eyes on Jesus." She agreed, and we prayed for her and with her as she prayed to receive Christ!

Minor counseled her briefly and we left. We all circled around at the entrance to the community to prayed for it. We rejoiced in what God did in the lives of these women and prayed for unity and a renewing of their friendship.

This is a small, poor community of about 7-10 homes and it is plagued with darkness manifesting itself in violence, prostitution, fatherless children, poverty, jealousy, and a million other things. Christ is the only hope for this place. We call it "one of the" New Millennium's. There are evidently 3 small completely separate sections to this barrio called New Millennium. We are trying to make a difference in all 3.

Please join us in praying for New Millennium. This barrio has some unique challenges among it's people. Pray that God will indeed cause His seed to grow in the lives of these 2 women and that they will be changed in such a way that their children are given a fair shot at life. On their current path, they will be fortunate to be able to get jobs when they grow up. The children are innocent victims of the behavior and choices of their parents and those in their communities, like men who beat women.

Also, we have received threats in this community so we are committed to let the light of Christ shine there and to pour out His love in such a way that it becomes our protection as it has in other dangerous barrios. Pray that we will serve and love this community with the brilliance, wisdom and perfection of God. Pray that He is honored in our every step.

Mauricio's Story in Part

This guy has an incredible background filled with darkness, but God has now transformed him by the power of his love. Mauricio’s family received a home from 6:8 Ministries and his life has been different ever since.


Here’s a little bit about Mauricio:


Mauricio has a pretty rough past to my understanding. Mauricio has a couple of tear drop tattoos coming down from one of his eyes. The story around here is that when you have those tear drops tattooed on your face like that, it means that you have taken someone else’s life. Now whether that is in an act of self defense, or an act of hatred and anger, does not matter. What counts is that you took someone else’s life. Mauricio has 2 tear drops on his face. His “wife” has one as well (I’ll explain the quotations later).


Mauricio lives at the entrance to one of the worst barrios we work in, this barrio is called Tiribi. It is a river front barrio. Riverfront property in the central valley of Costa Rica is highly undesired. The educated, more wealthy Ticos refer to these as “barrios del sur,” which means the neighborhoods of the south. Now south does not refer to the direction where they are located, it refers to the fact that you always have to go “down” a slope to get to a river, as they are always at the lowest point of the area, running towards an even lower point.


Now Mauricio, his wife and their children, live at the entrance to Tiribi. In the past our ministry has received threats that we would be robbed when leaving the area. Now remember, he lives at “the” entrance to the area. There is most often, one way in and one way out of the barrios. To my understanding, the ministry stopped working in this area due to the level of danger. However, when Mauricio and his neighbor heard of this, they told us they wanted us there and that they would protect us.


Mauricio’s family was one of the first families in this area to receive the blessing of a new home. As a result of this, he and his family have become faithful attenders at Celebration Church in Costa Rica.


I remember the 2nd time we hired Mauricio to help us build a home for a young family in a barrio called Juan Pablo. Mauricio himself was blessed by God with a home. Now he is being blessed by God with the opportunity to build another family a home, and to provide for his family in the process.


Well, about the 3rd day of the project. One of the team members from the USA received a terrible phone call. This man named Gary was a retired fire fighter. One of his adult aged children was watching his home in Colorado along with his grandchildren. The phone call he received was to inform him that his home was in that moment, burning down. Now that’s horribly ironic! This man gave of his time and finances and was in another country building a home for another family, while his was burning to the ground.


I handed the phone to Gary when the call came in, then one of our staff rushed him to a place where he could call home. Everyone on the construction site could feel that something terrible had happened. Everyone hesitated to continue working, but tried to keep going, as we knew he wouldn’t want the progress to stop. I remember that Mauricio was up on a wall setting rafters in place when he asked me what happened. When I conveyed what happened to Gary, he paused for a split second, looked at me and said, “I’ll go to the United States and build him a new home.”


Tears came to my eyes as I saw the love of Christ flow out of this man that had tattooed tears flowing from his eyes. I knew that he was sincere and that he meant it with everything that he now was. Christ was living inside of him and aching for this new brother of his, Gary, whose home had just burned down. The tears flowing from his eyes marking his past were no longer defining who he was. He was now filled with the compassion of Christ and weeping with his new brother who was weeping. I knew from that point on that Mauricio was the real deal. That Christ had indeed changed his heart from the old wretch that Satan and all of his evil army had influenced him to be in his past. He was no longer a man that would take the life of another, but a man that was learning to die to himself. He continues to be one of the most gentle, humble and compassionate man that I've met. You can see that Christ is living inside of him.


Recently, we were taking a group of youth up the mountain to a stream to be baptized. Little did I know that Mauricio and his family would be coming along to be baptized as well. As Pastor Miguel began to share God’s Word with the 10 people who were to be baptized that day, I noticed something. Everyone was paying attention, but Mauricio was up in Pastor Miguel’s face hanging on his every word, eager to grasp the weight and the meaning of what he was about to experience. When he was baptized he came up out of the water with his hands lifted in gratitude to God and a big smile on his face. It was an awesome sight and such a privilege to witness. The crowd joyfully clapped and shouted to share in the moment. It was a good day.


A week later, Mauricio communicated to one of our staff that he wanted to get married to the woman he has been living with for years and has children with. He felt convicted that he never married her before God and the church. So on August 28th, Mauricio and Mariella were married before a crowd that consisted of their family and 6:8 Ministries staff members. The 6:8 staff worked to decorate the church and provide everything needed for the ceremony. Our Executive Director, Spencer, performed the ceremony and they were married around 2’ o clock that afternoon.


It is exciting to see what God is doing in Mauricio’s life as he yields himself to the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word.


Do you remember when your walk with Christ was like this? When you were humble in your understanding of spiritual matters, yet accepted the love and grace of God by faith alone? When you trusted in Him with the faith of a child? When you were hungry for more of Him in everything? When you wanted to help others because you knew it would honor Christ? When your life was still messy and you watched in awe as God stooped down to clean you up and set you on the right path?


I encourage you to look back at the beginnings of your faith and praise God for what He has done in your life, and humble yourself to the things that He still needs to do.

1 Corinthians 1: 26 - 31
Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."