Knowledge vs. Wisdom

“Knowledge tells us that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom prevents us from putting it into a fruit salad.”

Miles Kington, British humorist

You know you're a missionary kid when...

Yesterday, I was playing an educational computer game with Willy (age 4). The game showed three drawings: a triangle, a square and a circle. The game required that Willy identify the circle without using the word "circle." So I said, "it's kind of like the shape of an apple." Willy wasn't sure what an apple was (even though he eats them, cut up, every day). So I said, "Well, then, kind of like the shape of an orange." Willy had no idea. Finally, I said, "It's like a mango." Willy said, "Oh!" and immediately chose the circle.

Mother Teresa - Doubt, Devout & Depressed

Mother Teresa is in the news again. This time, it's her doubt. Mother Teresa's journey to fame and depression started with a prophetic call from Jesus. Shortly after following God's calling to serve the poor of Calcutta, she entered into depression and ceased to hear God's voice for nearly 50 years. She wrote letters to friends about her pain and her difficulty hearing God's voice. She wrote to her friend Michael Van Der Peet, "Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear."

I want to share 3 thoughts:

1) People who hear God's voice often go through periods of difficulty where they can't hear. This is normal and should be expected. People in the world act like Christians shouldn't struggle. The truth is that everyone struggles. In fact, the more powerful your vision, the more significant your challenge, the more you will struggle.

2) Don't judge a Christian by the things they confess to their closest friends. We all need a friend to whom we can confess our feelings and perceptions--especially those that are ugly, difficult or seemingly contradictory. That's a part of who we are, but it's not the whole story. I once read a blog article about a guy who visited a German spa where everyone was naked. His assessment was that most people look better with their clothes on. Reading someone's journal entries, or their letters to a prayer partner, is like looking at a person who is naked. It may be true, but it isn't a complete picture of a person's life. The clothes a person wears tells you more about their personality, thoughts and values. Jesus said that you can tell a tree by it's fruit. Mother Teresa was mighty fruitful! To discredit her fruit because she had times of difficult honesty is unrealistically immature. Her struggles, though true, are merely one tree in the vast landscape of her life.

3) God speaks, but he doesn't always speak when or how we want him to. For our part, we often create obstacles to our own ability to hear. There have been times when I was overworked and horribly depressed. I've found in those times that it is very hard (nearly impossible) to hear God's voice. There is an irony to those times. The truth is that God speaks during those times--but not necessarily on the topics that I'm most interested in. Sometimes it's because God has already spoken on the topics and I just didn't hear what I wanted. Other times it was because I was too exhausted. Mother Teresa was an exhausted person. She didn't leave a lot of time to relax. In fact, in spite of the grace she showed the poor of Calcutta, she didn't have very much grace for herself or for her co-laborers. She was so purpose driven to serve God selflessly that she missed a big part of the Gospel--Grace! Mother Teresa needed a long vacation and, probably, an antidepressant. But, she couldn't allow these liberties in her life. I saw a documentary on her life, where her charity was given a building in New York City. The building had new industrial carpet in it (which works well in chilly New York), but Mother Teresa tore it out and declared it to be an unnecessary luxury. She also ran into trouble with New York state officials because the law required an elevator in the building. Mother Teresa wouldn't have the building, if it contained an elevator. To Mother Teresa an unnecessary luxury was viewed as an EVIL luxury. She valued simplicity so highly that normal comforts were viewed as sinful. For that reason, she wore sandals in the snow. Like many devout Catholics throughout history, the concept of personally inflicting suffering on oneself was seen as being spiritual. Unfortunately, it also gets in the way of us receiving God's affection--which includes hearing his voice in prayer. There is an irony in the fact that when Mother Teresa heard God's call to the poor of Calcutta, she was on a vacation that had been forced on her by her superiors. The vacation (a Sabbath) provided the space she needed to hear the voice of God. But when Mother Teresa was in charge of her own order, she wouldn't force herself to take a vacation. Sabbath is an act of faith that God values highly. Mother Teresa became a victim of her "purpose driven" life.

I'd like sum all of this up by saying that I think Mother Teresa is one of the greatest examples of leadership from the 20th century. She knew where she wanted to go, she went there with painful dedication, and her vision and purpose inspired others to follow her. I also do not think that her struggles with depression mean anything with regard to her faith. Her fruit speaks far more. Nonetheless, she failed her followers and disobeyed the Lord by not allowing more sabbath rest in her life. We get saved by grace, we have to live by grace and without grace, it's impossible to hear the voice of God.

Earthquake update

Here is information from AG Relief, the division of the Assemblies of God that assists relief efforts. This was written by my friend Rich Ferguson, missionary to Peru:

Greetings from Lima,

First of all we would like to thank you for your prayers and also for the overwhelming support Peru is receiving from the missionaries in our region.

I met with the Superintendent of Peru, Rodrigo Espinoza, and have the following information to share with you:

15 Assemblies of God churches were completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair in the affected zone.

9 Pastoral homes were completely destroyed.

Only 2 Assemblies of God members are confirmed dead.

According to the Peruvian TV, 70% of the city of Pisco is destroyed (population 110,000), 40% of the city of Ica is destroyed (population 260,000), 30% of Chincha is destroyed (population 160,000) and 30% of Canete is destroyed (population 160,000).
At this time the official death toll is 510, the injured are 1,150 and those left homeless are 80,000.

The desperate needs are water, non perishable food, blankets, warm clothes, tents, medicine (

pain relief and antibiotics), generators, batteries, flashlights.

Making the relief aid more difficult is that the Panamerican Highway that runs south of Lima is severely damaged as well. Many bridges have collapsed and there are multiple places where the road has been damaged. Several areas were also affected by landslides. A trip that normally takes 2 hours is taking longer than 8, and trucks have been looted on their way.

Please pray for strength and wisdom for those bringing aid. Pray for safety and miracles for those searching for the missing. Pray for peace that passes understanding and hope that only comes from knowing the Lord for the millions that are on their knees tonight.

For our brothers and sisters in the central coast of Peru,
Rich and Wanda Ferguson

An update from AGRelief can be found at http://www.agrelief.net/peru/reports-peru.cfm

Poverty is in more places than Peru

Today, this story came from the Associated Press:

By Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- Cleveland was ranked as the nation's fourth poorest big city Tuesday after spending two of the last three years at the top of the U.S. Census Bureau's list. Cleveland was behind Detroit, Buffalo, N.Y., and Cincinnati, which jumped from No. 8 on last year's list, according to data from the American Community Survey. The rankings reflect the number of people living below the poverty level in 2006. The survey indicates that 27 percent of Cleveland's population was below the poverty level last year, compared with 32.4 percent in 2005.

Cincinnati, which had 27.8 percent of its residents living in poverty in 2006, has seen increases in each of the last three years. The Ohio River city was No. 22 in 2004 with 19.6 percent and last year entered the top 10 with 25 percent living in poverty. Although Cincinnati ranked one spot ahead of Cleveland, when accounting for the margin of error, the estimates for the two cities were not significantly different.

The ranking includes all U.S. cities with 250,000 or more people.

Magnitude-8 earthquake hits Peru

As I write, the death toll of the magnitude-8 earthquake in Peru has surpassed 450. There are many more still covered in the southern cities of Ica and Pisco. Many have written asking if we’re safe. We’re very safe. We’re currently in San Jose, Costa Rica. We’ll be moving to Peru in January. As such, the earthquake has not affected us. We have friends in Peru, all of whom are also safe. Nonetheless, we ask that you pray for the many families who have been devastated by this. May God heal the sick and use this to reveal the love and power of Jesus.

This photo, as well as a slide show of the devastation, can be found on the NPR web site here: http://www.npr.org/news/images/2007/aug/16/peru_slideshow/index.html

Toucan Sam 2

Here's the still shot of my interview with Toucan Sam. See the video and story of our interview below.

My interview with Toucan Sam

I met Toucan Sam--the toucan from the Fruit Loops commercials. He's retired now, except for a few publicity shots and ribbon cutting ceremonies at strip malls. He lives in a retirement jungle here in Costa Rica, along with Tony the Tiger, the Twix Rabit and the Frog from Super Golden Suger Crips. Sam has been divorced and remarried 10 times. His current marriage appears to be rocky. I tried to interview him, but he kept arguing with his wife. Here's the footage from our time together.

La Negrita

August 2 is a national holiday in Costa Rica. It's the day of the Costa Rican patron saint: La Negrita (the little black one). Each year, as many as a million people walk hundreds of miles to beg for the statue's blessing. Wednesday night, I went to the main street of town and watched as thousands walked by. When the crowds reach the front of the cathedral that houses the statue, the crawl on their knees before the statue. The story is interesting and is repeated in other parts of Latin America.

On August 2, 1635, a woman found a small, black stone carving of Mary holding the baby Jesus on top of another stone. She took it home and hid it in a basket. The next day she found a black carving of a snake in the same spot. She took it home and, when she went to put it in the basket with the statue of Mary, found the original statue missing. The next day she found the statue of Mary back on the rock. She took it home and found the statue of the snake missing. After this happened a few more times, it was concluded that Mary wanted a Cathedral built on the spot. So, the cathedral of "the Virgin of the Angels," was built and now houses the statue. There is a small stream nearby which is believed to have healing powers. In 1824, the Costa Rican government declared the statue to be the patron saint of Costa Rica.

It's important to note that the idol is in the center front of the church. The church, even though Catholic, does not revolve around the image or story of Jesus. The church revolves around the adoration of a small stone statue. When I ask Costa Ricans if the statue is Mary or what the meaning of the statue is, they don't know. Latin culture is far less interested in making things make sense than North American culture. They don't care that their patron saint was never actually a person, since Mary is not the patron saint. Rather, the little black statue "La Nagrita" is the patron saint.

The fact that over a million people endure difficulty to beg a stone statue for a blessing is evidence of spiritual hunger. It is continued evidence of the need to bring a message of power and hope to this hungry people.

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. 2Co 6:16-18

Thank you!

The picture here is of Pastor Buster Gilliam of Willow Bend Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. The kids in vacation Bible school raised $200 for missons in a contest between the boys and the girls. Pastor Buster promised that whichever team won could hit him in the face with a pie! As you can see, the boys won. Buster wrote, "I started to tell you that I 'took a bullet for you...' but in truth, it was only a cream pie!

The Spanish phrase "me cuesta" or "le cuesta" is used when something is difficult or costly. We have a similar idea when we say, "It's costly to serve the Lord." This phrase is on my mind today, because I'm aware of the sacrifice of others in order to enable us to serve the Lord as missionaries. Going to the mission field, leaving our family and friends, has been really costly. But it's also costly for those who are on our team paying the price financially and in prayer--taking a pie for us! I want to say thanks to all those who have made this possible.

As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:18-19, your partnership with the Lord in this mission is "a fragrant j offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs k according to his glorious riches l in Christ Jesus."

Who's in charge?

Abi and I like to sit on our hammock and talk about life. Recently, I asked her if she had names for her toes. She said no, so I suggested some names for her toes--Bob, Frita, Leonard, etc.

She said, "No Daddy, they're our family!"

"Oh, so am I the big toe?"

"No, that's Mommy!"

Purpose

When I was a kid, we had a boat on the Ohio River. Because rivers have bends and curves, it's easy to run aground. When my dad let me drive, he advised me to keep my eyes on a point in the distance and aim for that point. That's been great advise for my life. I want to share some thoughts about the importance of purpose--living a "purpose driven life," and living toward a target. If you don't pick a target, you'll run aground. Your life will be, literally, "pointless." If you state that you have a target, but you're not making decisions to actually get there, you're like an arrow without feathers--flying fast through the air, but not any closer to the target. Living purposefully is one of the most important traits of a successful life and is, undoubtedly, the primary character trait of Jesus and the Apostle Paul.

Matthew 16:21-24 is just one example of Jesus knowing and living toward his purpose. In this passage, he defines part of our purpose; i.e., to follow him.

Mt 16:21-24: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

We received our call to Peru in December of 2003. It's been a long haul since then. I knew when we received the call, that it would be about 4 years before we actually made it to the field. It became a target in the distance and we've been living "toward" it ever since. There are a lot of opportunities to "run aground" in four years. But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit's job is to keep us afloat. I'm grateful that we're now able to see the light at the end of this long tunnel. Lord willing, we'll be in Peru shortly. Purpose, in life, is like the rings of a target. There's often more than one ring--though they all circle around or point to the center point. For us, the center point is Jesus and the advancement of the kingdom by preaching the Gospel. For us, the rings around this center will be working with Latin America Childcare, teaching, preaching, evangelizing, hosting teams and falling in love with the people of Peru.

(The pictures: 1) My beloved Ohio River, taken from Eden Park. 2) Colton shooting an arrow at a Royal Ranger camp-out here in Costa Rica. Shooting an arrow gives you a great idea of how important it is to keep your eye on the target and how easy it is to lose your arrows in the weeds.)

Abigail

Abi is by far the cutest missionary on the Shrader team. She'll turn 3 in a few weeks. Three is one of my favorite ages because kids say ridiculous and cute things. Since she's not three yet, she's just now starting to say funny things. Before now, she's made up for her tiny vocabulary with a mighty attitude. It's clear that Abi and Will have an edge on the rest of us with regard to learning Spanish. Tonight, Abi said to me (in Spanish), "You're Daddy! Papa and Daddy. And, Mommy is Mama and Mommy!" Lena laughed and said, "I wondered how long it would take her to figure out that she's speaking two languages."

Covetousness is like an itchy welt

Covetousness is like the type of mosquito bite that leaves a huge welt and itches for days. We don't have a car in Costa Rica. We walk or take taxis, which makes our experience much closer to that of the average Costa Rican. Most of the time it's no problem, but it does require one to think and plan ahead. I've always loved cars and have owned one or more for the past 30 years--until we arrived in Costa Rica. So, for the fun of it, we rented a car this past weekend. Since there are 6 in our family, we needed something more than a small sedan. The nice minivans were all rented, so we ended up in a 2002 Kia Joice. It's the size of a Toyota Corolla with seating for 7. It was an old, run-down, undependable rental car--and I loved it! When it was time to turn it in, it hurt. Having the car for two days gave me a taste for car freedom. It whet my appetite for more. Now I'm left with the nasty, itchy welt that I mentioned before. In a few days, the welt will disappear and the itch will fade away. There's a reason why the Lord forbids covetousness in his list of the big 10--it robs one of joy and clouds your vision from seeing all the wonderful gifts you already have.

Journey to Granada Nicaragua

Every 90 days, we have to cross the border in order to renew our visas for Costa Rica. This month, we visited Granada Nicaragua. It was my favorite town, so far, in Central America. It had the rustic charm of a Spanish outpost from 200 years ago. It also had a discotech playing Mexican polka music late into the night. Charm and polka--it doesn't get any better than that! There's a huge lake near Granada, with 2 Volcanoes in the lake. For a much better view of the pictures, along with my comments about each, please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/GranadaNicaragua

Machu Pichu--7 Wonders of the World

The New 7 Wonders of the World have been voted on by people all over the world and Machu Pichu is on the list.

Here is a link to an lovely MSN slide show of the 7 wonders. http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=379388&imageindex=1&GT1=10243 All are amazing. The statue of "Christ the Redeemer" in Brazil is really inspiring. There is a copy of it in Peru, though it isn't as impressively situated over a major city.

Machu Pichu from MSN Travel: "Rediscovered in 1911 and believed to be the legendary "lost city of the Incas", the dramatic ruins of Machu Picchu, set high in Peru's Andes Mountains, are the only significant Incan site to remain unharmed by the 16th-century Spanish conquistadors. Theories about the site's role in the Inca Empire continue to inspire intellectual curiosity, but its stunning landscape—the way the limestone temples, steep terraces, and aqueducts complement the land, in keeping with the Incan veneration of nature, and the way daybreak slowly creeps over the majestic peaks, unveiling the ruins stone by stone—is what makes Machu Picchu one of the most spectacular sights in South America—and the world over."

Peru--Stark & Beautiful Slideshow

This is a slideshow I put together a while back about the geography, economy and people of Peru. I'm posting it here as a little reminder of where and why we're going. Now that we've hit the half-way point of our language school studies, we're getting mighty eager to be in the land of God's calling. To control the slide show, just click on the pictures. To see a larger & slower version, so you can actually read the slides, click on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/PeruStarkBeautiful

Cool facts about Peru

Some cool trivia tidbits about Peru: (adapted from http://www.livinginperu.com/)

The Lima bean is Peruvian.

The tomato, taken to Europe by the Spaniards, is Peruvian.

The potato: More than 5.000 varieties of potatoes originated in Peru, some of which were taken to Europe by the Spaniards around 1560 and by the English around 1580.

Quinua, a high-protein grain with more than 25 varieties, is Peruvian.

The Paso horse—it has a very funky gate, whereby it throws its feet out to the side, rather than in front.

Alpaca (a type of llama) are Peruvian.

The finest cotton in the world is Peruvian: Pima and Tanguis.

Peru has some of the best waves to surf in the world. (Seen somewhat in the photo of Lima, above).

Peru has 468 different dishes, which according to The Guinness Book of World Records is the largest variety in the world.

The weeping willow tree, which contains a component that is the base for aspirin, is Peruvian.

The University of San Marcos (in Lima), established in 1551, is the oldest University in the Americas.

In Peru there are more than 50 mountains over 6,000 m.a.s.l. (19,685 >ft.)

84 of the 103 ecosystems that exist in the world are in Peru.

4 of the ten cereals that exist in the world are native to Peru. The quinoa, maize, cañihua, and kiwicha. The latter has been considered by NASA as an important element in an astronauts diet.

ANTAMINA, the largest mine in the world, is located in Peru's central highlands.

Lake Titicaca, shared by Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world.

The official government gazette, El Peruano, is the oldest daily in South America. It was founded in 1825 by Simón Bolívar.

28 different types of climates develop in Perú, placing it among the 5 most biologically diversified countries in the world.

In the Oriental Andes region one can find more than 2,800 varieties of orchids, of which 2,000 have been classified to date.

The Peruvian ocean offers 700 different varieties of fish and 400 varieties of shellfish.

It’s the oldest habitat for humans in the western hemisphere; i.e., the oldest mummies and archaeological finds are Peruvian. The oldest mummy in the Americas is called “Señor of Sipán.” It is only comparable to that of Tutankamon in Egypt.

The Nazca lines located app. 460 km south of Lima.

And without any doubt "MACHU PICCHU."

Some Rough Days

Last Sunday was Father's Day. It was the anniversary of the last conversation I had with my dad. I couldn't be with him on that Father's Day, because we were preaching in a town on the western border of Kentucky. We took the camper with us, which was our final camping trip. I remember only snippets of that final conversation with my father. Mostly, we talked about camping and the importance of problem solving in life. Dad was alert and in a good mood. I cried at the end of the conversation, because it was so sweet and so uncommon given his failing health. I told him that we'd be back home on Tuesday night and that I'd be over on Wednesday morning to give him his Father's Day gift. My father died that Wednesday morning before I made it to their house.

Father's Day, one year later, I find myself in a mall in Costa Rica. Colton's birthday was on Monday and we were desperately trying to find him a pair of "Heelys"--those shoes with the wheels in the heals. All the stores in Costa Rica are sold out of his size. I found myself getting more and more upset. We reached the end of our search and I sat down on a bench in despair. Lena asked me what I wanted and I burst into tears. I wanted my dad. The following 24 hours (i.e., Colton's birthday) were pretty rough. I couldn't stop crying. It's very hard to sit in a grammar class conjugating verbs when you're fighting back tears. People would ask how my Father's Day was and I responded by crying. It was a rough day. And, to make matters worse, I felt the need to be chipper and enthusiastic for my son.

We spent the rest of that afternoon looking for Heelys, which we never found. We ended up eating a very late dinner at Tony Romas (the rib joint). The food was great, but our entire meal was absconded by Mormon missionaries who were trying to witness to us. As such, Colton's 10th birthday is not one that will be remembered fondly, but may afford us a few laughs in the future. Colton will be able to say, "That was the day dad drove around the city crying, looking for shoes that I never got, capped off by a Mormon who ignored all our social cues."

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my Dad's passing. I feel sad about it, but at the same time, I suspect that there's a strong chance it'll be an improvement.

Please pray for my mom, myself, Lena and the kids, and my siblings. We all feel the loss of my father deeply.

Gestational Homesickness

We're at the half-way point of our time here and I have to admit that we're experiencing a lot of longing. One one hand we're definitely homesick--longing for familiar friends and flavors. On the other hand, we're Peru-sick--longing for the next step in God's awesome adventure. I recently e-mailed a friend in Peru about these emotions, saying that it feels like being stuck in an airport for a year, waiting for a connecting flight. I try to keep in mind that it’s like being a baby in gestation. As much as the mother wants the baby to pop out early, it is far better if the gestation time is completed. Please pray for us, for the grace to enjoy where the Lord has us for today, while looking forward to the promises and mission that lies ahead.

Family Update & learning Spanish

To my blog-reading buddies and buddettes, my apology for the delay in updates. I've decided that it's easy to see where I am with Spanish, based upon my blog posts. Since the last update was three weeks ago, it's safe to say that I'm in the thick of it.

Good news: Hannah and Colton passed onto their respective grades (7th & 4th) and are now on summer break. The really good news is that they still go to school! They do get home an hour earlier and their classes don't give homework. It's like attending an academic summer camp. Their classes include science (mostly fun experiments), drama and (of course) Spanish. Recently, Colton confessed that Spanish is his favorite subject. That's a big jump from his previous favorites: Gym and recess. Today I was very proud when one of our Spanish teachers said that Colton asked her a question yesterday (in Spanish) and understood her answer. The irony is that this professor speaks perfect English. Don't tell Colton.

Flowers from the edge of the Jungle

Pay the duck!

In Spanish, they say "pagar el pato," which means "Pay the Duck!" It's an idiom for "to take responsibility." The closest English idiom is "pay the piper." Another friend suggested the phrase, "bite the bullet." Either way, the phrase is very funny and has become one of my favorites. So, don't be surprised if you hear me say, "It's time to pay the duck!"

The picture above was taken by Donncha O Caoimh, a photographer in Chicago. I found it on Google. I don't know him, but his blog has some impressive pictures. You can find them here: http://inphotos.org/index.php?tag=chicago

Comfortable affection with Jesus

I lead worship yesterday for a chapel service. I was emotional during it, remembering my Dad (who died last June). We sang a song that says, “I want to sit at your feet, drink from the cup in your hand, lay back against you and breath, feel your heartbeat.” I thought of how awkward it would feel to put may head against the chest of another man. Then I thought about missing my dad and how I long to lay my head on his chest. I’d love to do that again. I want that kind of intimacy in my relationship with Jesus. When he comes again in the clouds, I want to be at ease with him. That's a desire that I will feed in my heart and mind--a longing to be as comfortable and affectionate with Jesus as the Apostle John was when he laid his head against Jesus' chest. My destiny is not this world. My destiny and the goal I'm living for is the day when I can lay my head upon his chest and feel his heartbeat.

Above is a picture (from 2005) of Abi on Lena's chest. Neither Abi nor Lena are bothered by the intimacy. That's what I'm talking about!

Flowers from the Poas Volcano

Spiderman 3 & a confession

I have a confession to make--one for which I'd appreciate your prayers. It is that I've been wrestling against anger lately. I've been taking it to the Lord; but once it gets its hooks into your heart, it's not easy to get rid of. What I'm currently experiencing is powerfully displayed in the commercials splashed across the TV screen for the new Spiderman movie--Spiderman 3. The commercials give me a pretty good idea of what the movie is about, since I spent the first 20 years of my life addicted to Spiderman comic books. So, even though I haven't seen the movie (and possibly never will), I'm familiar with the characters.

One of the villains in Spiderman 3 is an alien named Venom. It's the comic book version of demonic possession--where it entices Spiderman with more power, then slowly destroys him by making him addicted to anger and revenge. I never liked the character in the comic books because it was too evil and too real. While the character gives me the creeps, (from a literary standpoint) it allows the movie to discuss three biblical themes:

1) Anger (and the desire for revenge that it produces) is addictive and destructive. If I understand the commercials, Aunt Mae tells Peter Parker (a. k. a. Spiderman) that the desire for revenge is a poison. The first Spiderman movie gave us the excellent proverb, "With great power comes great responsibility." This movie gives us another proverb, saying in essence that anger is a poison that must be gotten rid of. Eph 4:31--"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

2) Forgiveness is the solution to this naturally occurring poison within us. The movie doesn't mention Christ, but I don't think that matters much. The poisonous power of anger and the healing power of forgiveness are biblical principals. They are laws of God's creation, like gravity, that apply to all of us equally. Eph 4:32--"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

3) The concept of a person's character as clothing you can put on and take off. Venom presents itself to Spiderman as a suit that Spiderman can put on or take off. The problem is (much like the "ring of power" in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), wearing the suit is both addictive and destructive. The Apostle Paul writes (Col 3:8-14): "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator … Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. "


Please pray with me for the Spirit's power to willingly change the clothing of my heart.

My favorite receipt

This is a receipt from a public bathroom. It didn't surprise me that we'd have to pay to use the bathroom, what surprised me was the receptionist who, in very official fashion, tabulated our payment in a log-book then handed me a receipt. Apparently 53,254 people have used that bathroom before us--which might explain why it lacked an apparatus for flushing. Willy left some very flushable materials. So, I had to explain, in my broken Spanish, that there was no way to flush the toilet. The attractive attended smiled and said she'd take care of it. I'd say that she earned her 25 cents.

Foot Washing

There is a lot of foot washing in the Bible; e.g., Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and Mary washed Jesus' feet with her hair (Jn 12:3). In Costa Rica, everybody wears sandals and nobody has carpet (the floors are tile, concret or just dirt). It's really opened my eyes to the culture of the New Testament. Here are two spiritually profound thoughts:

1) When you don't have carpet, your feet get really dirty.

2) Sandles make your feet stink.

Here's a picture of Willy's feet--dirty and stinky. We wash these ten little toes multiple times per day; nontheless, when Willy climbs up on the couch with us to read a book or watch a little TV, the smell is strong enough to knock over a moose. At the last supper, the disciples were lying on the floor, eating dinner. That means that someone's feet were really close to someone else's nose. But, nobody would lower themselves to do the dirty work--until Jesus did it (Jn 13:5-9). I love Peter's response:

Jn 13:5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jn 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jn 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
Jn 13:8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Jn 13:9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Prayer Request & thoughts about "no pain, no gain."

We’ve had a very difficult time figuring out what church to attend, here in Costa Rica. The biggest problem is that the kids don’t like any church. There are two churches currently in contention. One is a mega church that’s right behind our house. The people are very nice and the worship is awesome. But the church has strict guidelines on who can do ministry, as such we wouldn’t likely get opportunities to practice ministering amongst Latinos. The second church is smaller and more humble—in a neighborhood called “the forgotten.” Unfortunately, it’s not close. It costs us about $20 in cab fare to get there and home again. This was the church we attended yesterday. While we were there, I asked the Lord for a word about which church to attend. I felt the Spirit challenge me to fast and pray for three days, in order to hear the Lord’s voice on this subject. I told the Lord that I really didn’t want to fast for three days. He challenged me with Paul’s admonition in 2 Tim 2:3-4, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” I felt the Spirit challenge me to train like a soldier and to grow up. I definitely desire to please myself more than my commanding officer (Jesus).The problem is that I am pain averse. I eschew vigorous exercise or activities that require painful effort. I’m basically a pleasure seeker. I know that a meaningful life involves overcoming challenges and some hard work and I willingly accept this—up to a point. The problem is when the Lord wants me to take on a greater degree of challenge than I’m used to. I sometimes operate out of a mindset that I can punch a time card with the Lord; e.g., that after Sunday morning church obligations, I can spend the rest of the day watching T.V. I already fast on a regular basis and like to think that I shouldn’t have to do any more than what I’m already doing. This is a great discipline, but it precludes further growth. I want to grow in a theoretical sense. It’s a different story when that growth requires sacrifice. There is a scriptural principal that is important for maturity and joy in the Christian life, it is that we have the right to give up rights for the sake of the kingdom—including the right to eat whatever or whenever we want. (Paul taught this principle in 1 Cor. 8:4-9:27, saying that we must willingly give up the right to do anything that would cause another to stumble. Paul then uses himself as an example, saying that the other apostles made their living from the Gospel, but that he exercised his right to give up this right, to avoid putting a stumbling block between himself and those he ministered to.) When Lena and I gave up the right to drink alcohol, it caused some social discomfort among our Roman Catholic families; but after a couple of months it wasn’t an issue any longer. Now, there are times when I miss the romantic ambiance of a glass of wine; but the real cost of giving up alcohol in my life has been nil. It’s not a painful sacrifice for the Lord. The truth is that when we give up something for the Lord, the reward is always greater than the cost. (In the Corinthians passage mentioned above, Paul says, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” I Cor. 9:23) As such, when I fast, I keep reminding myself that it’s not forever and to be patient—good food and spiritual blessings are imminent.

I want to ask my friends who read this, to pray with us about what church to attend and about hearing God's voice as a general attribute of our spiritual lives. I don’t just want to hear once. I want to hear constantly, to discern what God is saying and what is from the flesh. I want to partner with the Holy Spirit in what He is doing. There is a tendency, especially for North Americans, to tell the Lord what we’re going to do for Him. Then we pray that He blesses our plans. I want to hear His voice and do what He says to do, with certainty, every day. I want to grow up in the Lord, hear His voice, and see the kingdom advance powerfully.

To dream the impossible dream...

I have a friend who is a psychology professor at a prominent university. It is a dream job and, to make it even better, he was recently granted tenure. That means, he can have the job for life--as long as he doesn't commit some horrible crime. So, now that he's got a guaranteed job, he's thinking of moving. This proves what we already know: Americans hate feeling fenced in. I know the feeling. I hear of guys my age who are close to retirement and I think that would be great. Then I remember that staying put means giving up other dreams--like moving your family to South America and studying a new language while doing a doctorate. I don't want to think that I've already accomplished the best accomplishments of my life. I like to dream of discipling more college students, walking alongside younger pastors and educating starving children in Peru. I have more life to live, which necessitates pursuing dreams.




It's good that we're moving to South America, because I want to go down like Don Quixote.

Here are the words to one of my favorite songs. Even as I write this, the words of this song bring tears to my eyes:

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star



("The Impossible Dream" from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972). Music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion)

P.S. What's my impossible dream? I believe that by preaching the Gospel, I can transform a country of starving children, deranged terrorists and corrupt politicians. The Apostle Paul wrote: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1Co 1:21)

Like the dickens!

I recently received an email from an old friend. He wrote, "Love ya like the dickens!" When I first read it, I thought he wrote, "Love ya like the chickens." This is the kind of misunderstanding I have about 100 times per day, while trying to speak Spanish. The conversation goes like this:

Bill: You love chickens?

Spanish Speaker #1 (SS1): Not chickens, dickens!

Bill: Charles Dickens? I think the Muppet's version of a Christmas Carol is one of their best movies. Having Rizo the Rat as one of the narrators is really funny.

SS1: No, no, no! It doesn't have anything to do with Charles Dickens. "Like the dickens" is a phrase meaning "a lot!"

Bill: A parking lot?

SS1: No, a lot is a reference to quantity. Like the dickens means "a bunch" or "much."

Later that day:

Spanish Speaker #2: How much cream do you take in your coffee?

Bill: Dickens, Gracias!

Temptation & Trust

My brother just bought a new motorcycle and my mom is considering buying a new motor home. I looked at pictures of the motor home my mom wants to buy. The web site had some really lovely campers. I began to wish I had one too. Then I thought of my brother's new motorcycle and my heart started going there too. The desire for the camper and the motor cycle started to rob me of joy.

Every morning, I have devotions with the kids. Currently, we’re reading through the Gospel of Luke, which focuses heavily on God's heart towards the poor. I read that we are to store our treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. That’s a great saying, because it implies that one way to steer your heart, is through your treasure. Another similar passage, that’s in the same area, has to do with what you feed your eyes. The camper web site filled me with a mild form of camper lust. Immediately, I was a little less happy. I must again pray and fantasize about the things of the kingdom, see them in my mind’s eye and long for that fruit. If I do, I’ll have all the campers or scooters that I’ll ever need—which very well may be none.

Here's the words to my favorite hymn:
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I’d rather have his love than have riches untold
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands
I’d rather be held by his nail pierced hands
Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread ways
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords (offers) today.

1/3 down, 2/3 to go...

Today marks the end of our first trimester, so we’re 1/3 of the way through. It’s been an interesting three months—filled with victories and some really painful challenges. All in all, I think we’re growing well. I took an oral exam recently, which said that I was now at the level where I can talk about the weather to a person who is experienced talking to foreigners.

Costa Rica's State Bird

The state bird of Costa Rica could easily be the Mosquito. They swarm here and there are numerous public warnings about the dangers of dengue fever. We've had swarms of them in our apartment. We use little heated boards of insecticide to keep them out of the bedrooms. Nonetheless, Abi (our 2 year old daughter) was getting eaten alive at night. We now put her in winter pajamas, so her legs and arms are covered. I went on a mosquito killing rampage, clapping my hands to smash them in the air. I promised the kids valuable prizes for every palm presented to me with the bloody guts of a mosquito on it. Then I noted that the Mosquitoes often congregate at a window (especially in the mornings). So, I started spraying them with a bug spray. There were two problems with that: One was that the breeze would blow the spray back into the room (and my face). I was concerned about all of us breathing that stuff. Two, it left a mess on the window. Then I had a great idea (which I think was God’s answer to my prayer for a solution). Instead of bug spray, I now use Windex with Ammonia-D. (The dad in “My big fat Greek wedding” was right!) The Windex kills them, glues them to the window or screen and doesn’t streak! With a quick wipe of a paper towel, you get rid of the mosquitoes and leaves a wonderful shine! Since I started using the Windex, we’ve gone from 100 mosquitoes in the house, to 2 or 3. I thank God for Ammonia-D.

Monkey See...

Holy Week is a serious holiday time in Costa Rica. I can't remember when I've seen a major city shut down before, but this one did. On Good Friday, the entire city was a ghost town. It was nice seeing a major population center take a break. Colton asked why the U.S. doesn't do the same. I had to explain that in the U.S., people are more concerned with making and spending money than with remembering why we have holidays--especially religious holidays. Consequently, when people get a day off, they go shopping.

I rented a van for our week of vacation and really loved driving again. We spent three days at Arenal (pictured in the stamp) and saw monkeys (pictured at left) and other cool animals. We had a wonderful walk through the rain forest jungle. A couple days later, we went to another volcano (Irazu, pictured below). This one allowed us to drive up to the crater. The drive was really beautiful. As we scaled higher and higher, we passed through two layers of clouds. It's pretty fun, seeing the clouds below you. The picture at left is the crater.

Closer to Heaven

My apologies to my blog-reading-buddies for the long delay between entries!

Today is my 46th birthday. I’ve been pondering the fact that I’m now closer to the age of 90 than I am to my birth. I don’t have a lot of deep reflections about turning the uninspiring age of 46. I’m reminded of my age every time I walk in the sun, because the top of my head gets sunburned really easy. That never happened when I was 26 and had a lot more hair. I am relieved to be able to say that we’re living for the Lord with purpose. It’s sweet to know that the Lord has a calling for us and that we’re on an adventure. I’d rather be 46 on a blessed adventure than be 26 and absorbed in a vain pursuit of entertainment. I’m closer to heaven today and I’m getting closer everyday—both in age and in my love for the Lord.

The picture of the compass in my hand is from last weekend's survival training camp in the jungle. We had to learn how to navigate with a compass. I thought it was an apt picture for one of the great themes of my life--navigating through life via the compass of the Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

God's Provision #3

Last weekend, the men at the language school went on a retreat where we learned survival skills. (We were at the world famous Royal Ranger Campground!) We had to build a shelter in the jungle and sleep in it over night. Here's a picture of me in the shelter I built with my survival buddy Nicky Ryder. We got to sleep about 1:00 AM. At 4:30 AM the rain came. There's a reason why they call it a "Rain Forest." It was a great experience. I had diarrhea for three days before we went, so I was already weak. The diarrhea continued during the weekend, but God had a provision for me that was nothing less than a miracle. I didn't have diarrhea in the jungle. I didn't have to wipe with a poisonous leaf. On Sunday morning, we ate breakfast near some cabins with bathrooms! But not only was there a pleasant, clean toilet--it had toilet paper! As I utilized the facilities, I was shouting praises.

2 Stories of God's provision

Our lives here are very full. We’re up at 6:00 AM and I frequently go to bed at Midnight—after having studied Spanish for many hours. Even though we’re having regular devotional times, I haven’t received a direct word from the Lord for what felt like a long time.

2 months ago, my family mailed me a package from the states. It didn’t arrive and we all assumed that it had been stolen. Yesterday (the day before my birthday), the package was delivered. Nobody knows where it’s been or why it’s been missing for two months. When it arrived I got two gifts, because the Lord spoke to me. God reminded me of Daniel praying for three weeks. In chapter 10 of the book of Daniel, the prophet received a vision that really disturbed him—so he prayed until the Lord gave him the interpretation of the vision. The interpretation came through a divine visitation by a person who appears to be Jesus. In 10:12-13 he says to Daniel, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”

The Lord impressed upon my heart that sometimes mature Christians accept fate with courage and sometimes God doesn’t want them to accept fate, but rather, to pray through. That was the case in this one. About two weeks ago, the Lord spoke to me about continuing to pray that the package would be delivered, so I did. Yesterday it showed up. God is revealing to me the direct connection between faith, prayer and circumstances. The package was a great birthday gift, but it became even more special getting a word from the Lord at the same time.

Es Verde! (part 2)

Shortly after my "Es Verde!" article, Lena and I attended a Spanish chapel service. One of the songs was lovely and we had the following conversation:

Bill: That was a lovely song, but I had a hard time figuring out what it was about.

Lena: It was lovely. I think I got the translation.

Bill: Really? What were we singing?

Lena: "Without you, Lord, I would be like a boiled Parrot lying dead on the street."

Es Verde!

After one month in Costa Rica, I'm trying hard to win the award for using the smallest vocabulary with the greatest gusto. Everyday, I find that I've been saying something completely wrong. Originally, the cab drivers just smiled and nodded when I made incomrehendable sounds that I thought were words. Now, the cab drivers are starting to correct me. Often, two words sound so similar, it's hard to keep them straight. For example, the word for green (verde) is really close to the word for true (verdad). When you want to say, "That's right!" in Spanish, one way is to say "Es verdad!"... unless you're me. I've made the mistake of saying "Es verde!" on a few occasions. As such, I'm turning it into a trademark. The secret is to say it with a big smile, a lot of gusto and holding one thumb up. If you're in complete agreement, then let everyone know it by saying, "It's green!"

Cuisine in Costa Rica

We love life in our temporary home in Costa Rica. We're fulfilling God's calling with some of the most dedicated people we've ever met. Consequently, we feel honored and blessed every day. That is not to say that we haven't had to adjust. There are some things you can't get down here, like our favorite breakfast cereals (e.g., Frosted Mini-Wheats). Another cereal we can't find is All-Bran Bran Buds (they're little balls of bran mixed with psilliam). I call them "tootee buds." I bought some basic bran cereal down here, so it's not like I’m all bound up. In fact, some of the products down here work in my favor. For example, we have all increased our consumption of beans by 100 fold over what we ate at home. Yesterday, Lena and I had fried eggs over beans and rice for breakfast. I would not be surprised to find frijoles (beans) flavored ice cream down here. (See the note below for the funny story behind this picture.)

Another high fiber food is oatmeal, which has the whole grain in the mix. It's like eating the shell left behind by a cicada--mixed with brown sugar and raisins. They don't sell brown sugar for baking, but they do sell it as a drink. The Ticos drink brown sugar melted in water or milk as a hot drink. So, I buy the drink mix and put it in our oatmeal. They put sugar with caramel in their baking. They love caramel down here and put the flavor in everything. It works for me.

They have really good potato chips down here. I love potato chips that have burnt edges and that's just they way they make them here. In the states, I rarely eat potato chips (preferring peanuts and pretzels). But, chips are popular here, so it’s my form of cultural adaptation. We left some chips out over night and were able to catch this small family of bears sampling them.

Funny story about the beans and rice picture, above: In deciding to write about beans and rice (which is called Gallo Pinto), I thought a picture would help everyone have a better idea of what we are eating. So, I did a search on Google images. The picture, above, came up. When I looked at it, I got a funny feeling, noticing that whoever took the picture had the same table cloth, dishes and cups as we do. (Note the blue table cloth in the potato chip picture.) I clicked on the picture to see it's source and burst out laughing. It is from the blog of my friends Dave & Kelly Godzwa. They're missionaries to Mexico and lived in our apartment last year. Here's a link to Dave's blog, which contains a description of the Costa Rican sausage and traditional coffee brewing method that completed their Tico breakfast.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.disciplemexico.org/uploaded_images/MananaLunes%2520003-751359.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.disciplemexico.org/2006/05/happy-monday.html&h=768&w=1024&sz=175&hl=en&start=17&tbnid=q6jn5wa-8A25_M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgallo%2Bpinto%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den

Tarea is Spanish for Homework

Our school day is both short and long. We’re up by 6:00 AM. Hannah and Colton catch the bus at 7:00 AM. Lena drops Willy and Abi off at the daycare (called the Kinder) at 7:30. We start school at 7:45 AM. We begin with a short chapel service of worship, Bible Study or prayer. Then we’re in class until 12:15. It is roughly an hour of Spanish grammar, an hour of Spanish diction and two hours of guided conversation. Then we have as much as 8 hours of homework due the next day! Obviously, we don’t have that much homework every night and the amount of time that homework takes is dependent on the student. Lena knows a lot more Spanish than I do, so she finishes her homework before I do, in about 5-6 hours. There are a couple days per week when I’m doing homework until 12:00 or 1:00 AM, then I do more from 7:00-7:40 the next morning. It won’t be like this for the whole time we’re here. It’s tough now because we have so much to learn. The good news it that it is for the Lord! So, it’s like a form of devotions. Every Spanish word we learn is a gift to the Lord and a tool for speaking prophetic words to the lost. God has sent us out like surgeons to heal the wounded in the Spanish speaking world and in Costa Rica we are sharpening our scalpels. Nobody wants to be operated on with a butter knife. I say this with tears in my eyes: I thank the Lord for giving us the call and this opportunity to sharpen the tools. Every hour spent in class and on homework is our gift of love to the Lord and His gift of love to us.

You can see more pictures of us in School at http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/

Contact us in Costa Rica

Calling from the states is easy & cheap. We have two phone numbers—one for Cincinnati and one for Cleveland/Akron. So, from those cities it’s a local call. The numbers are:

Cincy: 513-407-5412

Cleveland/Akron: 330-294-0955

The best time is whenever the web is up. It goes down a lot in our apartment. The good news is that if you leave a voice mail, we'll get it. We're in the central time zone, an hour behind Ohio. We're out of school in the late afternoon. We're home on most evenings.

Mail in Costa Rica is reliable. Our mailing address is:

Bill & Lena Shrader

Apartado 614-2010
San Jose, Costa Rica