“I’m moving to Guatemala and here is why.”~Jennifer

She lives in a mud hut, cooks over an open fire and was joyfully anticipating the birth of her first child. The joy slowly turned to a nightmare as she realized her child was different.  Her daughter wasn’t crawling, walking or even talking.  She looked for help, but there was no one; no rehabilitation facility or special programs. People stared. Even her husband, as his culture had taught him, blamed her for the deformities. What could she do?

One day she heard about a program in a distant village that might be able to help.  Grasping at any ray of hope she got up at the crack of dawn to travel.  First she strapped her now teenage daughter on a chair, fastened the chair to her back, and began the half hour hike down the mountains to the road.  Thirty minutes later she loaded her daughter and herself into a dirty, smoking cattle truck – the “bus” for her area.  A bumping, bruising thirty minute drive brought her to ASELSI where she found caring people, hope and genuine help.

One of many lives changed forever

Today, the daughter walks short distances with braces and a walker.  For longer distances, she uses a wheelchair. With much persistence and persuasion, by the ASELSI team, she was admitted to a local private school and is rapidly catching up to her peers – a life rescued and changed. This is just one of many wonderful stories of hope that was made possible by the physical therapy program I started in Guatemala five years ago.

Ten years ago I was discontent with my job and plagued with the question, “Isn’t there more to life than being a physical therapist?”  I had no way of knowing that God had placed this discontent in my heart to launch me on a thrilling journey, a journey that has taken me through Bible school, serving on staff at my church and numerous short trips around the globe.  But it is time to take this to the next level and expand the families helped and lives changed. It is time for me to give full time to the growth of Therapy International.

Moving to increase the number of people helped

In June, I will relocate to Guatemala expanding the program to include adult services, home visits,and teams of rehabilitation professionals who will go to other areas to start similar programs.  I will continue the work in Uganda by traveling there once or twice a year.  In order to do all this I need your help.  If you’re currently giving, thank you.  Your help means so much to me and those I am serving.  If you aren’t currently part of my support team would you prayerfully consider a twelve month pledge?

Together, we can bring hope to those without hope.

Jennifer

PS -  If you’d like to bring hope to the nations.  Consider a twelve month pledge of $25 – $100 a month.  A special gift for relocation expenses is also appreciated.

Financial support can now be directed to:

Commission to Every Nation (CTEN)

PO Box 291307

Kerrville, TX 78029-1307

or given online at www.cten.org.  (Please include a note indicating your support for Jennifer Hoines)
Personal correspondence: ptinternational@gmail.com or jenniferhoines@cten.org

“…take me when you must, but heal me till the day you do…” ~Joey

God is healing every aspect of my life . God is so big for our tiny minds to really understand .

A little over a year ago before I got sick, I was preaching about love and forgiveness, and the Lord dropped in my spirit ” you hypocrite ” . Then Boom, the brakes were slammed and I realized that I had not even forgiven my own Father . Now this is another story for another time but in short I allowed God to restore that relationship.  ” meanwhile back at the bat cave ” I ended up sick as a dog and in code blue several times, most of you know this, you all have been a great support system for me in my time of need .

Anyway, so while I am sick, and learning that my Dad is not quite the monster that I was brainwashed into believing , it was starting to look like I may or may not make it through the summer . Blah, blah, blah, most of you know this already . So I said Lord, I am at peace, I submit to your will, what so ever that may be.

He dropped in my spirit to make peace with everyone I had hurt in the past, and to inform the mothers of my children of my medical issues so they could be prepared in case my other children should start having similar symptoms. I was preparing for death . My relatives were making trips to see me , my Father was going to fly down , but something told me to hold off on that one . Some of you were there for me, saw me sicker than a dog, for that I thank you, others of you, I did not want you to see me, ” Sorry Miss Majors ” I was to contagious at the time, even know I wanted the robot.  HEHE

The point I am trying to make is Cori one of my baby’s mother decided she was going to let me be in my daughters life, not only one natural, but another precious Angel that called me Daddy when she was a baby, and she has never stopped being my daughter in my heart anyway . She also has a newborn that my wife and I have spiritually adopted, which is fun because we can no longer get pregnant .

So going back to my Father, he did come down a few weeks ago, which was perfect timing, because he got to meet five of his grand kids as well .

God healed me from the inside first . And I praise him for it ! Now he is healing my body from every aspect . Even my right ear, which is so trivial, but it has been giving me issues, a huge ball of wax the size of a rabbit pellet was just waiting for me to pull out.

Our bodies are temples, His spirit Dwells within us, He does not want to dwell in an unclean sickly temple. So I said God, I rebuke this sickness in your name, take me when you must, but heal me till the day you do, and my health has been improving every since.

I am starting all over, yes, I may have lost the big bucks, the house, and all the things society sees as success . But I have God, my wife, my children and my life. I have my family and all of you . To me, I am the richest man on earth . And I praise God for just being God. I wish you all a wonderful day.

Love,

Joey

Do Angels clap their wings when they get excited?

I have been praying consistently and hard for the healing of a friend.  Surgery went well on his mouth for cancer and now he waits for the test results to say he is cured. In my mind I was thinking about the angels circled around his bed and watching as God healed him. Might that be the way it works?

The Word says angels are ever watching and even learning from us. Think about the possibility of angels circled around and learning from your experience with God. Maybe as you pray, it is like adding fuel to the fire of God’s presence. As you toss a log on or another prayer, the angels anticipate what God might do. I can imagine them dancing around in the air, clapping and making all kinds of praise to God as the miracle of grace is performed.

It could happen, you know. Only I think it will be much better than my imagination. After all, how can you imagine something as infinite as God’s love. It really underscores the uniqueness of God Spots, when God chooses to authenticate His presence. I believe my friend’s healing to be part of a great big awesome God Spot in the works.

Stay tuned….

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

God is still the Great Physician

I love God Spots.   A long time friend needed God in the worse way for the health of her adult son. This is her report…

First report: Claudia has much to be thankful for today! Chris is communicating with hand squeezes; his temp is down; he is on no “machines” (had his “turkey and dressing” through a feeding tube; responds to many commands (cough, say “hi” which sounds like Darth Vadar); IMPROVEMENT! Still a long way to go. Richard is having symptoms of his rheumatoid arthritis coming out of remission. We still need everyone’s prayers. Bless you all.

Second report: Claudia is thanking the Lord for miracles today! Chris woke up talking! He sat up in a chair for 3 hr. Dr. said 90% of those who have this serious of a stroke do not survive. He is leaving ICU for CCU when a bed is available. Medical personnel are amazed. Chris is doing great!!

You can follow God’s hand on Claudia’s family by clicking on her link to Facebook. Be encouraged to leave her encouragement comments here, also.

My life group is much like a hospital. How about yours?

I attend an awesome traditional Bible believing church.  The praise and worship is wonderful and draws you into close fellowship with God.  The preaching is heartfelt and communicates a closeness to God.  The children’s area is of equally high quality.  I would recommend my church to anyone with a desire to be encouraged with close fellowship of God.  But that is not where most of my spiritual growth has occurred.

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When I get right down to the meat of the matter, most of my growth occurs in the midst of struggle.  Maybe I’m just a slow learner, but in the midst of struggle is when I find myself “one on one” with God.  It is then, He many times allows a breakthrough in my relationship with Him.  I’d prefer to grow in the good times, but it seems He can best communicate with me in the midst of the bad.  It’s during these times my Life Group keeps me alive.

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My Life Group is a small collection of people that typically numbers from 10 – 20.  We meet in a home.  We eat together.  We pray, sing and worship God.  In the process of Life Group, we experience each other and share how God has been active in our lives throughout the week.  It is here we open our souls and let others share in our happiness, pain, joy, suffering, excitement or frustrations.

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When life gets tough and my heart is laid open, it is the Life Group that circles round and with God breathes fresh life into me.  The people of my Life Group encourage my good health and speed my recovery.  I think the scenario is similar for most of the Life Group family.  It seems the Life Group serves as a hospital for many.  We take turns being patient, doctor and visitors.  We never know who will be on life support next, but God is always faithful.

Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

Thru Linda’s Eyes

GUEST POST by Jeffery Chandler: 

This past weekend my family and I had the pleasure of having Barbara and Brie’s friend, Linda, stay with us for four nights. Linda is a 23 year old African from the small Kenyan village of Lemuru and is now in the U.S. indefinitely. Barbara and Brie first met Linda during their 2006 mission trip to Kenya and they became fast friends. Thanks to the internet they’ve been able to stay connected. Barbara got to visit Linda again during her June 2008 trip as well. Linda’s been in Texas for about six weeks living with her sponsor family in a small town north of Fort Worth. This was her first trip to the big city of San Antonio and we were bound and determined to show her some south Texas hospitality, meaning overwhelm her with love, food, activities, and attention.

 

Many of the things we were able to do with her were “firsts” for Linda. She got her first taste of San Antonio Tex-Mex food (she may have had some so-called Mexican food in Fort Worth but this is the real deal in my humble opinion of course); her first ride on a boat (the Riverwalk barge cruise); and her getting her first pair of short pants! We all wondered what her dad and mom, back in Lemuru, would say to that? Linda’s sponsor family in north Texas had orientated her well on many things American prior to her visit to south Texas but we were truly blessed to take her orientation to a whole other level.

 

Maybe the funniest moments with Linda started with our taking her to the top of the Hemis-fair tower in downtown San Antonio on Saturday morning. She was amazed to be, in her words, “on top of the world”. She was scared to death too of course, and the high winds that day didn’t help at all. At the bottom of the tower she got to experience her first IMAX/4D movie, “Skies over Texas”. This was a funny time as she (and us too) screamed at the special effects, especially when the rattlesnake tail crosses over your feet and legs and it feels so real.

 

On Monday morning we took Linda to Sea World (another first) and probably the most amazing thing I witnessed was Linda’s reaction to getting to touch a real, live dolphin at the feeding pool. We saw the sheer amazement in her face and the joy she experienced by being able to be so up close and personal with one of God’s most awesome creatures. Seeing that joy on her face was a WOW moment for me as well and pretty much brought tears to my eyes.

 

While at Sea World Linda got her first roller coaster rides and those were very memorable (and hilarious) moments for sure. During her first coaster ride, on the Steel Eel, we saw sheer terror on Linda’s face (and we have it captured on film, thanks to Sea World’s coaster camera) as we descended that first drop. At the end of the ride she could hardly walk and there were tears in her eyes. I believe they were tears of joy at the freedom she felt in being able to be here in the USA and riding her first coaster. Brie said that Linda screamed the entire ride (of course I couldn’t hear her screams because I too was screaming).

 

After that we ramped up the excitement another notch and took her to her second coaster ride, this time on The Great White. That ride proved to be even more terrifying for poor Linda. The Great White is one of those coasters where you sit in a harness with your feet dangling (there’s no floor) while the ride takes you upside down a couple of times, and sideways at high speeds. Needless to say, when the ride stopped Linda couldn’t move – she was frozen in terror. We had to tell her that she needed to get off so that those people waiting could get on and if she didn’t move the attendants would make her ride it again (at that thought she got up). Again she cried but with a smile. We literally had to help her walk down the ramp to exit. The Great White had turned her world upside down, literally (and my world too, I was one extremely dizzy 56 year old dude afterwards).

 

You might be asking, just how did Linda get the courage to ride these exciting and scary rides? In addition to Barbara and Brie’s urging of her, Linda has a sense of adventure as evidenced by her willingness to leave her tiny village and travel thru places like Eldoret and Nairobi in Kenya, on to London, and ultimately to Texas. Even though she traveled with American friends she was alone in her ethnicity and culture. She truly believes that God has a purpose for her here in the states, and we know that to be true. So even though she may have been absolutely terrified on the Steel Eel and The Great White coasters (so was I) she carried on like a real trooper in her bravery.

 

I cannot fathom what Linda thinks of our culture, our foods, our fast paced lifestyles, and, relatively speaking, our big homes. Her comments about our foods usually include, “very spicy”. When she talks about our lifestyles she says, “everyone is in such a hurry”. And she is just amazed at the sizes of our homes. It must be simply mind-boggling to be in Linda’s shoes and to see the U.S. culture thru her eyes. Hopefully it’s a mind-boggling thing in a good way. I can still hear Linda say over and over in her Queen’s English accent, “I can’t believe I’m really here in San Antonio with you, it’s really happening”.

 

Linda tried to teach Barbara, Brie, and me some of her tribal dances. I can honestly say that Barbara and Brie got it. It was hopeless for me. Whenever I tried to match their steps and rhythm Linda would break out laughing and it was over for me. That was the gist of my tribal dancing. Oh well. I suppose it proves that old saying that one cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

 

I can only imagine the things that Linda is sharing with her family and friends via the internet. We pray for Linda’s safe passage into this culture and we pray for God’s plans for her to come to fruition. I’m happy to have a new friend.

Sanity is greatly overrated

Am I crazy to listen for and to God? Does He even talk and if He does talk, can I hear?

Some say listening to God is insane.  I was reading from some old writings of a guy that experienced a piece of the great Welsh Revival, a hundred years ago or so.  The truth pulled from these papers are easily remembered and impactful.  LDOG.

1. Listen to God
2. Do what God tells you to do
3. Only do what God tells you to do
4. Give God the Glory for what you do

My bus trip across America started with listening to God.  He speaks in lots of ways.  For the bus trip, He spoke out of a trapped feeling I was experiencing in the circumstance of life.  The trip was my way of getting away for a time to realign and get closer to God. 

It seemed God was ok with my bus trip as it is usually easy to know when God is displeased with my choices.  I kinda get this sick feeling in my gut that I really blew it and I need to ask forgiveness quick.  As He was ok with the trip, what would God want me to do?  I think being available for His plan is paramount in my obedience.  I don’t know exactly what He has planned for the adventure.  I do hope to be obedient as He reveals His perfected plan and will for my life.

Only do what God tells you to do refers to the Moses trap.   God told him to tap the rock and he struck it instead.  It is important to Listen and Do.  But only Do what God tells you to do.  Don’t add to it.  Don’t take away from it.  It is God’s show.  As I travel across America and back again.  I expect to hear from God.  I expect to be obedient and Do.  I hope to only do what God tells me to do.

As the many God Spots are lived out during the trip.  I pray I will give God the glory for His handiwork.  I need to continually remind myself.  This is not about me.  This is all about God.

I trust you will follow me on the trip at www.isrv.org .  I look forward to reading your encouraging comments as we bus and blog across America!

And you call yourself a Christian…

It makes me angry!  How many times have you heard this, “And you call yourself a Christian!”  Paul and Barnahas got in a heated argument and “TEMPERS FLARED!”   Nobody in there right mind can question the authenticity of Paul’s Christianity.  Yet, he had a temper.  I can imaging the “nay sayers” shouting. “And you call yourself a Christian!”

It is encouraging to me, we can be who we are in Christ and still be the person God designed us to be.  Sometimes we are opinionated and sometimes tempers will flare.  But we are still a child of God with every intent to be faithful and willing to die for the love of Jesus Christ.

It is miraculous how God works things out for the good of those that love Him.

“Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas …”

Check out Archie’s Life Stream.

Looked death in the face…

“We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ.”

It makes me wonder about the men of God and by what credibility they come to share with us “the way”.  One might say, “I have been called by God”.  That is pretty special in itself, but requires some interpretation and faith in the individuals ability to discern his calling.  By Biblical standards the question would be, has the one called looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ?

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not knocking pastors.  My dad was one and I loved him.  I just wonder how important it is for a pastor to chase a lion in a pit on a snowy day.  If you were to send your pastor out as your representative, by what credibility would you send him?  Would it be something like, “Listen to this man.  He can bring a great dish to a potluck dinner?”  Or would it be, “Listen.  This man has looked death in the face for Jesus.”

I just wonder…

Fact or Fiction? God Spot or Not?

“All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously…

Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let’s get out of here." Peter followed him, but didn’t believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming.

Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze.”

I was chatting on-line with a person yesterday who said they had lost their faith.  They didn’t believe the Bible anymore and felt like that was the truth.  I wonder why it is we believe what we believe?

It seems that even as Peter had an angel that encouraged him to believe in circumstances that appeared to only be a dream, we were sent the Holy Spirit so that we would believe.

The difficulty for those that don’t perceive the presence of the Holy Spirit is believing without seeing.  That is called faith.  In the midst of living life, our faith is challenged when God doesn’t perform to our expectations.  We conclude there must not be a God.

Oddly enough, it is those same circumstances that pulled us away from God that could have drawn us closer.  The missing ingredient is faith.  Without faith, it is unlikely you will know the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It all comes down to believing in what you don’t see such that you can see.

God is amazing!