FYO Mexico Mission 2007

BACK TO MEXICO!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon we are heading for Southern California for a Foursquare Youth Outreach trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Alicia and Levi are excited -- this is their second year being a part of one of these teams. Heidi and I will function as team leaders. The team arrives on Thursday (June 27), we do training on Friday, and on Saturday we bus down to Tijuana. We will be there until July 6th and will be back home July 7th.

This team is made up of youth from all around the U.S. We will be staying at the Foursquare Bible College in TJ -- a place where Heidi and I went for our first mission trip together in 1988.

We will split the group into three teams who will be doing service (construction) projects and evangelism at the churches around Tijuana. Each night we will meet back at the Bible College before going out again. Thank-you for your prayers while we are gone! I would blog, but I am not sure I'll have Internet access.

Seasons of Fatherhood

Being a dad is both a great privilege and a great joy. There are stages in the journey of fatherhood. Each one of these stages brings unique challenges and joys. Whether or not you have children, as I share these things with you, please consider carefully how God the Father views you.

Stages of Fatherhood:

1. Conception and anticipation
I’ll never forget the first time I looked at a pregnancy test and kept looking back and forth between the directions and the results – confirming what I had suspected but hadn’t expected – yes, we were expecting. In that moment my world had changed. For the next nine months I went on a crash course of learning things I had never before wanted to learn.
But more than that, I began to imagine what this child might be like. I began to formulate plans for him/her. I began to plan on how we were going to care for and raise this child. I began to get things ready for his/her arrival. I was counting down the days to the birth of my son/daughter.

2. First Things
The births of our children were sacred moments. I felt like I was witnessing a miracle. Everything was new. Amazement and naivety characterized my first year as a father.
It was exciting. It might have seemed mundane to other people, but staring in the face of that baby was probably my proudest moment.
Then came the first steps. First time eating food. First words…
This is an exciting time for a father. It is a time of low expectations and high rewards.

3. Nurture
It seems like babies are all about eating. They are growing like crazy. Their life is basically about eating, sleeping, and going potty. And crying. These days modern fathers are involved in nearly every area of the nurturing process.
You carry them. You dress them. You bathe them.
You begin teaching them. It was sometime during this stage that my kids found the safest seat in the house -- Sitting on my lap. Thumbing through a picture book. Eventually this grew to them running to me with their books – having me read them the same stories again and again and again.
It is a time where they are learning FAST and they soak in the world like a sponge.

4. Rites of Passage
This represents transitions between stages of development. These are monuments of growth.
As children grow they go through rites of passage:
• Their first day of kindergarten. Backpacks are longer than their back.
• Adolescence – Becoming an adult. See strength emerging. The other day I was running home when I saw a car driving down the road towards me…My daughter was in the driver’s seat. She was alone. She was going somewhere important. I waved to her and felt a little strange being on foot while my baby girl was now driving an automobile.
• Other rites of passage include 16th birthdays, graduations and weddings.
When you go through these times as a father, your heart is messed with. Your emotions come alive; you shed tears. You feel pride. You experience disappointment. You live with concern. You hang on to hope. You always want the best for your kids. You worry for them. You pray for them.

5. Role reversal
Moving far ahead, roles reverse. This is where you become a blessing to your own father. You give more and you ask less and less. You are grateful for all you have received. You sense indebtedness and a healthy feeling of obligation to care for that parent in the way that they have cared for you.

God the Father is taking you on a journey of growth as well.
What has He seen happening in you?
For some, God is anticipating your spiritual birth.
For some, God has seen your spiritual birth and you’re going through first things.
For some, this is a time of nurture and God is helping you grow fast.
For others, you find yourself going through Rite of Passage
Some of you are at a place where you know and love the Father and you have for so long that you are a consistent blessing. You’re whole. You’re not testing the boundaries. You are a person of prayer and devotion. You’re not perfect, but you’re like the son or daughter whose life is now devoted to giving back to the Father recognizing what He has done for you.

The question I am asking is where are you right now in your relationship with your Father in heaven?

Matthew 23:8-10 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ."

What was the point? There is a primary (preeminent, supreme) relationship that overshadows all the human relationships that we have. This relationship is with God Himself. And there is a perfect Father who is attending to your life with a love that is greater than any human love. It is deeper. Purer. More compassionate. More understanding. And the Father’s heart is filled with hope for you.

1. Identify where you are…(review the stages) – He wants to move you ahead
2. Celebrate the Father’s love (Express thanks and gratitude today)
3. Yield to the Father’s influence (This is the greatest gift you could give)

Father Returns Home

Here we see the pure and raw emotion that comes when a child misses their Father and is reunited. This video depicts the depth of the emotions and the bond between a parent and a child. It reminds me of what heaven must look like when one of God's children is reunited with Him.

Lake Serene Trail Run

Today I explored the Lake Serene Trail and Bridal Falls. This is a trail definitely worth visiting. Just be prepared for a two mile long stair-case.

God created places like this for our pleasure, and perhaps his own. As I ran along the trail the sounds of singing birds filled the air. As I silently prayed in the Spirit I had an awareness that I was joining creation in praise of the Creator.

International Air Travel -- A Failed System

It's good to be home...I was wondering if we would ever make it.

After arriving at the Manila airport a good 2 1/2 hours early, I made may way through the gauntlet of security checkpoints (being frisked, x-rayed, searched 4x on the way to the gate), I was rounded up in a small area with the 300+ other travellers waiting to board our 747 bound for San Francisco.

Heidi met me there, having arrived at the airport from Bangkok.

Twice the power went out in the terminal as we waited for boarding -- outside the rain was dumping down and lighting and thunder punctuated the skies. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 10:30 p.m.

At 10:30 we were still sitting outside the gate waiting to start boarding.

It was then that we were told the flight had been CANCELLED. Our "new flight" would be leaving the next day, at noon. They said it was a mechanical problem.

To make up for the inconvenience we were going to be bussed to a "five star" hotel where we would spend the night and be fed, before returning to the airport. Too bad all our our luggage was already checked in...and too bad that this would impact our connecting flights.

Heidi and I made the most of it but we were eager to get home in time for our son's 14th birthday, which was the next day. The hotel was nice and the food was good, but it was little comfort for the hassle.

9 a.m. -- The next morning (Wednesday). We arrive at the airport and make our way through the security gauntlet one more time.

Noon -- This is when our flight is supposed to leave. No announcement has been made regarding boarding. Our connecting flight from San Francisco has been confirmed but was based on us leaving Manila at noon.

1:30 p.m. -- Boarding begins.
2:00 p.m. -- We leave...When we arrive at SF we realize now we might miss our connection.
I also find out the Philippine Airlines (PAL) actually stands for Planes Always Late.

Sure enough, after arriving in SF we have to clear customs. This is a slow process. Then we make our way from International to Domestic. By the time we get our boarding passes it is too late to make the 12:45 flight. They confirm us on a 6:30 p.m. flight....

We stand-by at 3:30 and manage to get the two last seats...

Arrive in Seattle at 6:15 p.m. -- Celebrate Levi's birthday that night at 8:30 p.m.

It's good to be home -- It only took 40 hours from the time I began making my way to the Manila airport.

Do you feel my pain? This is the joy of international travel -- an industry that reminds us that we really are not in control.