Daily Concern

I am a part of Generation X, the “Baby Busters”, and I am guilty of trying to provide my children all of the things I thought I missed out on as a child of divorced parents. My wife and I took them on big annual vacations, got them the latest toys, the latest trendy clothes, put them in a private Christian school, and had them in church every time the doors were open.

We didn’t do it flippantly – or at least we didn’t think so. We thanked God openly for our countless blessings. We hid God’s word in their hearts. We patiently taught our children the value of hard work and about consequences. We taught them lessons via encouragement and discipline. We were involved in their lives but also gave them space to grow.

So far I believe we did a pretty good job. We are blessed with an 18 yr old son and a 14 yr old daughter who call Christ their Savior, who generally make good grades, honor their parents, and have steered clear of drugs, alcohol, and sex.

All along this journey we’ve been reminded of the direct parallels that exist between parents and their children to God’s relationship with us. That lesson was ever present again as my son recently completed his first semester away from home at college.

He was awarded an academic scholarship at a major university. We agreed to pay 100% of his expenses (tuition, books, room, misc) for the first semester – and beyond, assuming things went well. We counseled him throughout the summer about the challenges that college would present, the temptations that would exist, the need to stay true to his Faith, and the consequences that would result if his grades slipped. He had all of the tools and resources he needed to succeed.

Unfortunately he fell into every available trap that was laid before him. His grades suffered, he lost the scholarship, and had to step away from the fraternity. We weren’t happy of course but we talked through the mistakes with him, forgave him, and now he’s packed and ready to return to college for a fresh start this evening.

It was a stark reminder of the Christian faith.

God wants to bless us, whether that is spiritually, physically, relationally, or even financially. He wants to bless us so we can be a blessing to others. We need to remember that we are forgiven. We are loved unconditionally. We simply need to accept these truths and follow His commands. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between our actions and God’s blessing. Just because I did my quiet time five days in a row doesn’t mean I will get a pay raise. But I do see how God wants the best for us, despite our failings, yet we repeatedly do the absurd and try to do things our way, choosing sin over obedience, and then we’re stuck wondering why we’re wandering around in the wilderness.

Following Chris Brogan’s lead Terry Storch recently published his 3 words for 2010. One of his 3 words was “Inpsire”, so I want him to know he’s already done so by inspiring me to follow his lead.

My 3 words for 2010 are Story, Others, and Positive. Each of these words came to me through 3 great books I read this past year or two.

Story

I’ve read every book that Donald Miller has written and I’ve had the privilege to see him speak twice in person at the Catalyst and Story conferences. I had hoped to meet Donald Miller while at Story but he had the flu and darted off shortly after speaking. His best book since Blue Like Jazz (a must read) is his most recent one, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. In the book he explains that many of us are not achieving what God has intended for us because we’re not living the story God has written for us. A story involves a person that wants something and is willing to overcome conflict to get it. It is my goal to write a new story for my life and family this year. To get a taste of this idea, read Donald Miller’s most recent post on goal setting, or better yet, get his book and see how it impacts you.

Others

Another favorite book I read last year was The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Strearns, CEO of World Vision. Do not read this book unless you want to be seriously challenged in your faith and your actions. It was truly a wake-up call to what it really means to be a Christian, to share our faith, and to serve others. One of the verses he highlights that hit me hard was Ezekiel 16:49, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” My goal is to put others first at home, at work, at church, and in the world. I’m not sure how this will manifest itself yet, but whatever it is, I plan to do it in the context of a “story”.

Positive

One of the best books I read in 2008 was The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander. He is a renowned orchestra conductor and current music director for the Boston Philharmonic. In his book, Zander recalls that he was in his mid forties until he realized that during a concert the conductor doesn’t make a sound. He realized that everything he did depended 100% upon the achievement of others. It was at that moment that he began to look at things differently and focus on teaching and inspiring others. He brings forth simple yet profound insights in his book, one of my favorites is Rule #6 which, simply stated, means, “Don’t take yourself so ____ seriously”. Much can be learned and taught with the right positive attitude regardless of whether life sends you roses or thorns. You can get a small taste of Zander's message by watching his 20 minuted presentation at the TED conference.

We woke up very early the next day to head to Otavalo. Our guide was Gustavo, he spoke limited English but he made every effort to make the trip enjoyable. The drive from Quito to Otavalo was beautiful, endless lush country-sides and mountains. The market was amazing, it went on and on for many blocks in every direction (Pics 1, 2, 3). We had a great time and, of course, spent much more than we intended buy locally made gifts for ourselves, friends, and family. We spent most of the day in Otavalo and returned back to the hotel to rest. The kids were desperate for some American food so we ordered Pizza Hut to be delivered, it tasted perfect, just like home.

The view from our hotel was great. We had a perfect view of both new town and old town Quito.  On the 7th day of our trip we arranged for Gustavo to take us into old town Quito. It was a Sunday and they  limited the traffic on the streets of old town to bikes and walking. We walked all over the town, visiting the many historic churches that were there (Pics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). They wouldn’t allow us take pictures in some of the churches, in particular because it was during Catholic Mass. We also toured the outside of the Presidential palace, sort of the Ecuadorian white house (Pics 1, 2, 3, 4). By far the most impressive thing was the Basilica. The walk up to the Basilica was a challenge given that we were still at an elevation of roughly 10K feet. However, once we got there were toured nearly every inch (See pics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

On our last full day in Ecuadaor we had Gustavo takes us to Mitad del Mundo, or the Center of the Earth. We were able to stand on the Equator and do some fun experiments  (even if they were a bit suspicious). The kids had a lot of fun, a unique experience I pray that they’ll remember forever.

The following morning, we packed our things and headed home. We were thankful for the opportunity to both serve and tour such a wonderful country like Ecuador. Hopefully, this will be the first of many such trips our family can go on.

This was our last morning at Quizas Hoy, we woke up early to pack. We took some group photos with Al, Rocio, Ivan, and Augustine. We were very thankful for our time at the camp. Senor Vera arrived around 9am in a small, but clean, pick-up truck. We loaded up our stuff and headed on our way to Cuenca. Senor Vera understood no English so communication was difficult. However, he knew the way and would stop frequently to allow us to take pictures. We had to first cross over the mountains, we would then stop at Ingapirca to see some ancient Incan ruins, then on to Cuenca and lastly to catch a late flight into Quito.

As we ascended the mountain (roughly 14,000 feet at the peak) in the small truck we encountered very, very dense fog. So thick that we slowed to a crawl on the tight hairpin turns, at one point I even had to lean out of the truck to try and guide Senor Vera. As we went along we encountered more of the indigenous people that lived on the mountain. Both the men and women were considerably shorter than normal. And the women wore brightly colored traditional dresses. Most would not allow us to take pictures but we snapped a few along the way. My favorite pic was of this young girl sitting on the side of the road. We also came upon a Christian school, the girls ran away from our camera but the boys were curious and stuck around.

After several hours we arrived at Ingapirca, the place was beautiful (Pics 1, 2, 3, 4). We toured the ruins, ate some lunch, and bought a few souvenirs. Time was short so we jumped back in the truck and made our way to Cuenca, roughly 2 more hours away. Cuenca was a wonderful small town with small, one-way, brick streets and tons of churches (Pics 1, 2, 3, 4).  We could only stay a few hours and then Senor Vera dropped us off at the airport for our flight to Quito.

The short 45 minute flight from Cuenca to Quito was bumpy as we flew over the mountains. Quito’s elevation is roughly 9,300 feet but we felt no ill effects from it. On the flight we met a very interesting businessman from India. He lived in New York but had business interests all over the world, including Ecuador. Surprisingly he offered, actually insisted, that he give us a ride to our hotel in the car he had waiting for him. I was initially concerned about loading our whole family into a stranger’s car late at night in a foreign country. However, after a short prayer I was at peace with the decision. The Lord was looking out for us because the businessman indeed proved to be trustworthy, full of tips for seeing the city, and dropped us off at the hotel safe and sound.

Given the sparse accommodations we had the first four nights in Ecuador any sort of hotel would have been wonderful. However, our hotel exceeded our expectations even though it was simply a Holiday Inn Express. It was in the heart of the city, near the nightlife, it was newly constructed, seven stories high and simply beautiful, tons of marble and woodwork. Our rooms were on the top floor with a perfect view of the city and old town Quito. But thing we were most thankful for was the shower, it had a huge shower head that rained down from above the center of the shower. None of us had a hot bath since we arrived in Ecuador so it was truly a blessing. Prior to crashes for the night, we made arrangements with the hotel to have a driver take us to the street markets of Otavalo in the morning. Thankful to have made it this far we fell asleep right away.

After breakfast, Al and I drove his truck back to a small town about 15 minutes away. The highway was under construction but they had gone about it in an odd way. They were creating a nice concrete highway but they had chosen to start in the middle rather than on the left or right. So the middle was complete but steel rebar poked out on the left and the right. And since they weren’t letting traffic drive on the new part yet, the traffic was forced to drive on the asphalt on either side, dangerously narrow and close to the rebar shredding your tires. Everything from cattle herds to huge semi-trucks driving 70 mph were on that highway.

As we drove along the thing that struck me was the extreme poverty that existed so close to the camp. Outside one home a group of kids ranging from 2 – 6 years old were playing on the highway under construction. One of the kids had a huge butcher knife, peeling an orange. It was such a stark contrast from how we treat our children in the States.

I asked Al what more could be done to fight the poverty near his camp. He said that the problem is so huge that it’s beyond what one man can do alone. Al said that is why his mission is to use the Quizas Hoy camp to train others, to multiply the positive effect on the community and the country.

We arrived at the town and went into a small hardware store, no larger than a one car garage. Al negotiated with the manager of the store to have the manager’s Uncle Vera come pick us up the following morning to drive us to Cuenca.

Once we got back to the camp we finished up the work on the painting and sealant. Colton and I then helped Al setup a simple sound system and projector in the outdoor worship hall. It was primitive but would serve its purpose for an upcoming camp that was being held there. In the late afternoon Al took us all on a walk into the jungle portion of his property. They had cut a nature path around the perimeter. The sights and sounds were beautiful as you can here, here, here, and here.

After dinner we went out to the worship hall and setup the projector. Mercedes plugged in her Zune and played some bits from Brian Regan for Al and Rocio. It must’ve been a real joy for Al, I’ve never seen anyone laugh quite so hard has he did that evening. We then played a movie, Glory Road, one of the few Al and Rocio owned so they had seen it many times. It was very surreal to be on the edge of the Ecuadorian jungle, watching a movie on a projector in an outdoor worship hall.