Trip update

Calvary Brothers and Sisters

What a day! It started at 330am this morning when we met at the church to head to BWI for a 630 flight to Miami. We arrived at the airport and checked in with no major problems. We checked in 10 extra suitcases we took packed to the max weight limit with clothes, shoes, toys, and some other items including health items and tools. We had a good flight to Miami, and a short layer then flight to Santo Domingo.

We breezed smoothly through Immigration and Customs. The airport is much improved since our visit 3 years ago. It is very clean and modern. Leonardo was waiting for us with a 12 passenger van for us and a pickup truck for our luggage. We got loaded up just before the rain hit, and we were rained on most of the trip to Yaguate. One poor Dominican boy rode in the back of the pickup and got soaked. Traffic was very heavy and it took us over an hour to get to Yaguate. BTW, it appears gasoline is about $20 per gallon here, so we should count our blessings. It seemed that Santo Domingo was a little more prosperous than our previous visit with lots of new cars on the road and many new modern buildings under construction.

We arrived in Yaguate to a warm welcome with singing and mucho hugging and renewal of old friendships. We introduced the new members of the team and all were made to feel immediately welcome. We were amazed at how nice Nieve´s house is now that the 2nd floor is complete. We are all staying upstairs.

After we got settled in, the family had dinner for us which was as delicious as we remember. I immediately chugged down a few glasses of¨chinola a local passion fruit drink.

After dinner we went to visit the site of the new church. They are planning an enormous structure, that will be about the size of 3 Good Shepard Halls. It will have a balcony in the rear of the church and fellowship-multipurpose room behind the sanctuary. Tomorrow they plan to being work and will have a backhoe here to start digging the footers. We will help clean up the ditches and will likely spend the week helping them pour the footers. Tomorrow morning they will have a service at the site and mark where the columns will stand. We have the opportunity to help them start this project from Day 1. We are very excited and feeling blessed.

We completed the evening with a church service in a small frame building about the size of the storage room in the Good Shepard Hall where we store the tables. As before, the crowd poured out into the street. Light rain did not dampen the spirit. After the service we were served cake and ice cream.

Anyway, it is getting late and tomorrow promises to be another full day. We send our blessings to all back home and know that we feel your prayers.

YBIC

Dave Meadows

PS. Bob Leon´s Spanish is working very well and we are having no problems with communication. Jessie King is also holding her own. It´s all good.

PPS. The Meastro sends his greetings to John Hale and the rest of our 2005 crew. He is working this job and we met him at the site tonight where he was marking the ground for excavation.

we r all on the plane ready to go to santo domingo. We'll let u know how custums goes

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We have made it safely

We have made it safely to miami.

terri with a muffin in her document bag. The group is boarding the plane now. Dominican republic here we come.

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The body

If you have been around a United Methodist Church for very long, chances are you have heard the phrase "The Body of Christ" used. It is a phrase we use to refer to the gathered community of faith. It is a way for us to talk about the church and the way each one of us is called to faithful living. But no local church, no matter how faithful, makes up the whole body of Christ. We are part of something larger than ourselves, we are part of the whole body of Christ all over the world.

We are part of a world-wide movement. The United methodist Church is a church that exists across the globe. The United Methodist Church is in over 125 different countries. As part of a local congregation of the United Methodist church, it is sometimes easy for us to get wrapped up in ourselves and to forget that we are only a small piece of the body of Christ. We sometimes forget that there are United Methodists across the globe that are also working toward building disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

But even the body of Christ is even bigger than the United Methodist Church. The body of Christ is composed of all Christians across the world, and throughout the ages. That means that every christian regardless of where they are, or when they live is part of the body of Christ. That's huge! It's pretty incredible to think that we are in our own small but meaningful way, part of such a large movement.

I have been thinking a lot about the body of Christ this past week because tomorrow at 3:30am a group from Calvary will be heading to the Dominican Republic. While we are there, we will be helping construct a building for a church that is currently worshiping God in the streets. These, our brothers and sisters in Christ, are as much a part of the body of Christ as we are. Sometimes it takes working along side of those who seem so different from us, to be reminded that God is powerfully at work around the world to bring about the transformation of the world. As different as we may be from one another, we are fundamentally the same. We are all apart of Christ's body in the world.


Please keep each of the team members in your prayers, and continue to check back here this next week for updates on what the body of Christ is upto in the Dominican Republic.

this is a picture of me just to test out the picture texting from my phone

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I can now post to

I can now post to my blog from my cell phone! So check back regularly this week for updates about our trip to the Dominican Republic.

Who's to blame?

I don't know how many of you have heard but recently in the news there have been reports of increasing violence in South Africa. Apparently there has been a large influx of refugees from Zimbabwe. There are many South Africans who are upset that the refugees are taking jobs away from South Africans, they're upset the Zimbabweans are taking aid that would otherwise go to South Africans. So the Zimbabweans, who left their country because of dire circumstance, because the unemployment rate is over 80% and the political stability of the country is in serious question, these Zimbabweans are now being raped, beaten, killed, and in one instance even being burned alive. All of this simply because they could not survive in their own country and fled seeking just the basic human necessities of food and shelter.

The president of South Africa condemned the violence saying, "We dehumanize ourselves the moment we start thinking of another person as less human than we are simply because they come from another country".

Those are powerful words that we here in the United States would do well to heed. The whole situation in South Africa reminds me of the ongoing tension around immigration here in the United States. Certainly there are many differences, but there are also many more similarities than most of us are comfortable with. People from other countries in dire situations, countries experiencing much poverty and political instability, and seeking the basics of food and shelter come to the United States. We call them illegal aliens rather than refugees and we certainly are not understanding of their situation. We have the same complaints as the South Africans: they are taking our jobs, they are taking our aid and resources that should really be going to our own citizens. And instead of large scale riots and mops, we have government sanctioned walls being constructed all along our borders. We may not be experiencing murderous mobs. But with increasing economic strain in the United States, I wonder, really how far are we from seeing those same types of behaviors in the US?

When xenophobic behavior happens in other countries, we shake our heads, condemn the behavior, and on occasion even speak out about it. But when the same situation occurs here in the United States, we cry out with clenched fists for those looking for help to "Go Home!" These jobs aren't for you, this aide isn't for you! Somehow we have gotten it in our minds that we are more deserving of the jobs and aide because we lucked out and were born here instead of some other country. In essence we dehumanize those who have sought help and safety in our midst.

In both situations our first response is to blame others. We blame those in other countries for not being more tolerant of foreigners. We blame the foreigners in our midst. We blame other governments and our own for not preventing the situation. But very rarely do we recognize the roles we have played that contribute to the situations. How much more aide would be available if more of us lived simply so others could simply live? How many of us support companies that exploit cheap labor in other countries thus perpetuating the poverty of other nations? How many of us consume media and pop culture that encourages us to look at other people as objects or a means to an end?

There are many ways that we each contribute to these systematic problems. But instead of recognizing our role, instead of acknowledging the places we have fallen short, we start by defending ourselves, pointing fingers at other people, and criticizing others. We would do well to follow the example of Daniel. Daniel was a righteous person, he was faithful to God even when it endangered his life. And yet, Daniel recognized that Israel had fallen short of the standards God has set for them. Daniel recognized that Israel had failed to live up to their part of the covenant. So Daniel's response was to pray fervently to God and ask for forgiveness. In his very impassioned prayer in Daniel 9:3-19, Daniel asks for forgiveness for all of Israel, himself included. Daniel does not point fingers or assign blame, instead he acknowledges that as part of the larger community, even Daniel has played a role in their situation and bears part of the shared responsibility.

We too are part of a larger community, and as such bear part of the responsibility for how the community acts. It's a concept quite foreign to our American individualistic spirit but it is part of our biblical heritage. What would happen if we all prayed that God would forgive us for the ways each of us has contributed to the problem? What would the country or even the world looked like if we asked God to help us be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? What would happen if we really meant it?

Tattooed Hearts

Below is a sermon I preached this morning for confirmation sunday. The sermon was on the text Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Tattooed Hearts

What would you have tattooed on your body? Tattoos. You can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to tattoo on their bodies. Tattoos, certainly don’t define a person, but they do tell us something about that person. After all, that’s why people get tattoos, tattoos tell the world what’s important to that person, or at least what was important to the person at the time.

People get tattoos for a variety of reason. Sometimes people just like a specific design. But often tattoos have some meaning behind them. Sometimes they mark a significant event, such as the destruction of the world trade Center on September 11^th or sometimes it’s something more personal, like a particular battle a soldier fought in or graduation from school. Often tattoos are reminders of loved ones, either living or dead. In such instances, dates, names, or faces will be tattooed in honor of a loved one who has passed away. Sometimes names or faces are tattooed as a sign of ones devotion to another person. I’ve even heard of people having their wedding bands tattooed on.

Tattoo can also be used to mark ones affiliation with a particular group or organization. Many gang members have tattoos that symbolize their identity with and loyalty to a particular gang. Often members of sororities and fraternities have their letters tattooed on. Members of the armed forces will sometimes get tattoos of their service branch’s insignia, or symbols specific to their unit. There are many different things that tattoos can show our affiliation with.

Regardless of why a person gets a tattoo, Tattoos are permanent. This fact is both part of the allure, and for some people part of the downside to tattoos. If you are getting a tattoo you need to make sure it’s something you want to carry around with you for the rest of your life, not simply a passing phase. Tattoos are permanent, because of where the ink is placed. Your body has layers of skin that is continually shed. The ink is imbedded beneath those layers of your skin and placed where is will not be pushed out of your body. In other words, the ink has been internalized and is carried within the body.

Today’s scripture passage from Jeremiah, speaks of God tattooing our hearts. Jeremiah proclaims that God intends to write on our hearts. And what is it that God intends to write? God intends to place God’s law within us. But more than just rules and expectations, this law is to be a sign of our covenant relationship with God. Just like the ink of a tattoo is embedded in our skin, God wants to embed our relationship with God into the very core of our being.

God wants us to know God personally, and to be in relationship with God. But knowing God is more than just knowing about God. It’s the difference between knowing when someone’s birthday is or what their favorite color is and actually being with them to celebrate their birthday. Building relationships with someone is not really based on what you know about them. Rather relationships are built when you have shared experiences with another person. Relationships involve allowing that person to be a part of your life and them allowing you to be a part of theirs. And you nurture your friendship with others by inviting your friend to be a part of the little insignificant things in your life as well as the big monumental moments. These shared experiences with someone is what moves you from being acquaintances to deep friendship.

The same is true of our relationship with God. God is not interested in us simply having book knowledge about God and having our theology all worked out. God is interested in truly being known by us. We worship a God who wants so deeply to be known by humanity that God has become human in Jesus Christ so we could know God more fully. God wants to be a regular part of our lives, even a permanent part. This involves allowing God to be part of the little decisions in life like should I burn a copy of my friends CD or should I buy my own. God wants to be a part of decisions about what kinds of stores we support with our money or how we treat the people at school and work who are just down right annoying. Nurturing our relationships with God means allowing God to be a part of the mundane, day-to-day tasks and decisions of life.

God also wants to be a part of the bigger decisions we make in life like whether we should switch jobs, what should we major in at college, and what kind of car should we buy. Even what medical procedures should you or a loved one undergo. God wants to help you make all those decisions in life. God wants to celebrate the exciting moments in life with you, and to console you during life’s painful moments.

Our relationship with God is more deeply embedded in our hearts as we continue to allow God to be a part of our lives, as we allow God to be part of the big and little decisions we make.

God says “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.” Just like a tattoo, the writing God does on our hearts is internalized. We carry within us God’s law and the sign of our relationship with God. Once we’ve internalized it, living life in relationship with God is no longer something we have to think about all the time. It just becomes our natural way of acting.

But this process of internalization takes time. It’s not a one time deal, something that happens once then we never have to work at it again. Instead, this process of internalizing God’s law, this process of embedding our relationship with God in our hearts, is a process that happens over a life time. It happens as we continually allow God to be a part of our lives.

In many cultures, tattoos are used to signify a particular rite of passage in a person’s life. Often they are used to mark the transition from childhood into adulthood. And so it is with the tattoos God places on our hearts. As we come to a deeper relationship with God, as we each transition from the infancy of our faith to a more mature faith, God more deeply embeds the sign of the covenant in our hearts. Most of us can look back on our faith journey and remember times where we experience periods of intense growth. Sometimes this comes out of a formalized class and other times that growth happens as a result of the many varied life experiences we all encounter.

At the eleven oclock service today, twelve confirmands will mark the beginning of their transition from a childhood faith to a mature, adult faith. This service of confirmation is one of the formal, outward signs the church uses to symbolize the internal work of God tattooing our hearts with the sign of the covenant.

Confirmation marks the point in a person’s life where they claim as their own a relationship with God. It marks the time where the confirmand begins to move from the faith of their parents to their own faith. By joining in the vows of confirmation, the confirmands take responsibility for nurturing their relationship with God and continuing to grow as a disciple of Christ.

But this process is one that will take a life-time. And as members of the household of God, all of you have promised to support and uphold one another in this process. You also promise to support these confirmands, the newest members of the household of God, as they continue to grow in faith and learn to live as true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Tattoos, you can tell a lot about a person based on their tattoos. But God is the only one who truly knows what’s tattooed on our hearts. God is the only one who knows if you have allowed yourself to be claimed as one of God’s people. As we continue to journey through life and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, I invite you to pay attention to what’s tattooed on your hearts. Where is your ultimate allegiance? Who do you belong to?

On days like today, confirmation Sunday, some will have a chance to answer this question in a big way. But these are questions that are answered over and over again, every day, in the little mundane choices and actions that our lives are made up of. As we celebrate the joyful occasion of 12 young confirmands dedicating their lives to God, I encourage you to remember the times in your life that you have committed yourself to living in relationship with God. Remember that is a decision that is made over and over again. Each time you include God in the decisions you make in life, the sign of the covenant is embedded more and more into your heart. I invite you to consider, what’s tattooed on your heart?

Amen.

Cyclones and Earthquakes

As many of you are well aware, our world has experienced much chaos this last two weeks. A cyclone hit Myanmar and the death toll is between 63,000 and 100,000 and thousands are still missing. There is little or no food or clean water available to those who survived. Now the weather forecasters are predicting another tropical storm will hit the same area in Myanmar in the next few days. This information is being broadcasted on foreign media stations but not on Myanmar's government controlled media.

On monday, an earthquake devastated parts of China. Hundreds have died and thousands are still missing, trapped under ruble and debris.

As Christians, sometimes our only response is one of lament, a response that cries out in pain to God. Sometimes our only response is to cry out to God, to voice all our hurt but ultimately to cry out in trust and hope that ultimately God will prevail. Below are some of my thoughts, my own lament, that I journaled as part of my devotions today.

How long O Lord

Will swirling waters and swindling governments

Flood our lives?

How long will shifting grounds

And collapsing walls crush our children?

How long will we have

Abundant aid and insufficient care?

How long will we be consumed with secrecy

And ignorant of needs?

How long, O Lord

until you hear our cry?

How long must we feel like

Orphans of hope?

To you, O Lord, we cry!

Reclaim us as your children and

Flood us with your hope and healing.

Creator God,

Be our Re-Creator.

Face-to-Face

The church I serve is increasingly coming into the technological age. Aside from the typical things you expect like webpages and email addresses, we have wireless internet, and network drives that anyone in the building can access. I can even wirelessly print to any printer in the building. We have a new high tech phone system where you can conference call with other people in the building. I no longer have to waste five minutes walking to the other side of the building to ask someone a question, I can just pick up the phone and call them.

Yet, with all our new technology, most of the time, I still walk over to the persons office to ask them my question. I know it would be faster to call but I don't. I think it's because with all the technology in my life, from cell phones, email, PDAs, to webcams, websites, and blogs, after awhile, I just crave face to face contact with other people. There's just something about seeing the person you're talking to. After all, we were created in the image of God who is relational in nature. Why would we be anything but relational? Now granted some of us, are a bit more relational, than others. But each of us has in innate desire to connect with other people and sometimes that desire can only be fulfilled with face to face contact.

This desire for face to face contact is nothing new. In scripture, psalmists and prophets alike cry out to see the face of God. Or ask God not to turn God's face away from them. And you know what? God answered them. God answered with the incarnation of Jesus, God in human form. Humanity was able to have face-to-face conversations with God, to look upon the face of God.

At times I have wished we had a photograph of Jesus, so we could have seen what his face really looked like, rather than all those blue eyed and blond haired portraits we so often see. Without a photograph we are left to wonder and to imagine. But Jesus himself paints a picture for us when he says, what you have done to the least of these, you have done to me. Jesus tells us that if we want to see the face of God, all we have to do is look around us. Every day we are surrounded by the face of God, embodied in ordinary imperfect people just like us.

Last night I saw the face of God in a group of people who gathered for a support group. I watched and listened as they shared their stories, supported one another, comforted one another, and encouraged one another. What an incredible sight to witness! People who are hurting and struggling helping each other. Only by the grace of God is something like that possible.

Where have you seen the face of God recently? For whom have you been the face of God?