Now we come to the third installment of our three-part update via our blog. In Part 1, we talked about how Ben, Marinajo, and Mariah were doing and told you about our big news that Mariah is now married and living in Nashville! In Part 2, we went into quite a bit more detail about what Dave has been up to and updated you on his responsibilities at Loma de Luz.
When we were young there was a roller coaster called the wild chipmunk in the Denver area.
That coaster threw you about and shook you silly as it twisted around numerous sharp turns and plummeted from high hills. You literally felt beat up after riding it. That’s a bit what the past few years have been like personally for us, both filled with deep sorrow and heartfelt joy. Yet, there is just something about a rollercoaster that makes you want to get back at the end of the line and ride it again. It is that anticipation, never knowing what is around the corner: miracles, healing, salvation, sanctification that has kept us on this ride at Loma de Luz for going on 10 years now. All for God’s glory in these things, not ours. Dios Obra Aqui! God Does His Work Here! We believe that God has many more years for our family here and that we are right where God wants us!
God has used many of you to extend His faithfulness to us throughout these years at Loma de Luz. Many of you have reached out to us in love as we’ve struggled to come to terms with the death of both of Marinajo’s parents in the last 3 years. You’ve celebrated with us as Benjamin has grown into a young man that we are so proud of and as Mariah moved to the states, began studying to be a nurse, and got married. We are so blessed to have you sharing with us both in life as well as ministry.
Financially, this past year held a number of unexpected ministry expenses. We ended 2017 having about $7,000 more in reimbursable ministry expenses than we had in donations come in throughout the year. These higher than normal expenses included the usual expenses of fuel and car maintenance and such, but also included the unusual expenses of having to travel back to the US more than normal due to family circumstances, a lot of truck repairs, as well as purchasing refurbished laptops for use in the hospital. Money to pay for these expenses will come out of our savings if no additional donations come in. We trust the Lord and we know that many of you may have had to dip into savings to make finances work in 2017. If you would like to help us either clean up expenses from last year or perhaps avoid having un-reimbursed ministry expenses in 2018, please see our donation info** below.
While we are so grateful for you and send our heartfelt thanks and love, we know that thank you isn’t the most important thing we can say to you. The most important thing we can say is the same now as it has always been; God, the creator of the universe, is a Holy God, perfect in every way. We could never measure up to His standard of holiness. Knowing this, He sent His son to die for us in order to redeem each of us out of our sin!
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:20)
It seems as if most every time that Jesus appeared to someone after his resurrection, he would frequently begin by saying “fear not” or perhaps “peace to you” and I firmly believe that this is what Jesus would say to us today if he were to walk into the room right now. Roller coaster rides can cause your stomach to drop out. They are both scary and exciting. In the midst of the fear, pain, anxiety, and brokenness of living here on earth we cling to hope, even when we don’t feel him. This is when we must hold on to his promises and chose to believe. In Joshua 1:9, as well as in other places, we are promised that God is with us:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.”
In 2018, there’s plenty to fear: political turmoil, economic uncertainty, a heightening of the rhetoric of hate from almost every side, even the threat of nuclear conflict. It seems as if this is a good time to remind each other of these simple, life giving, words of Christ: “fear not.”
We pray that 2018 will bring with it a renewed hope in each of you, our dear friends and family, that God indeed is “making all things new.” For those of you on the brink of despair, we understand and just want to continue to tell you stories of His faithfulness to His people down here in Honduras so that you can see how much he cares for “the least of these” and how much he cares for you. We are so grateful for all of the love and support that we continue to receive from God’s people. We are truly blessed. We pray that 2018 will be a year in which we all come closer to Christ together as we strain together for HIS GLORY!
Blessings, Dave, Marinajo, and the whole family.
** Donations can be made here (http://www.healthservicecorps.org/author/fields/) or can be sent in to:
Christian Health Service Corps PO Box 132 Fruitvale, TX 75127
