Thursday, February 26, 2004

9:50 PM Okay, I’ve got my answer to the question Seth raised below. This just in from Pastor Bob Boerman in Costa Rica:

Hey Ray, The guys and I are having a terrific time in Costa Rica. A great Band of Brothers time. Much laughter. Much prayer. Much growing with Christ and each other. It´s Thursday night and the work is done…almost. Our slave driver, Mark Edwards has us up each morning at 6 AM and to work by 7 AM! We work each day until 5:30 PM too. So far, this is what we´ve done… Painted the entire exterior of the main training center (80´ by 50´) Painted 5 large rooms inside the house Replaced numerous wires through out the house, added outlets, lights etc. Ripped off and replace the entire metal roof of the main building which was a ton of work. Added 5 feet to the fireplace chimney Replace the satellite dish Did a lot of computer network upgrades We attended church in Atemas and I preached, Don Childs and Mike Maczka gave testimonies. Chris Jahns sang a solo. Each night we had a time of devotions with singing, hearing testimonies from the Ticos and sharing from the days Bible study. A very full, tiring but satisfying time so far. Calvary should be proud of this group of men. They are great. We all miss our wives and we are thankful that our wives are carrying the load for us while we are gone. We miss them very much. Mark and Karen Edwards are doing a wonderful work in Costa Rica. Bob

3:50 PM Seth Grotelueschen asks a important question about the men’s ministry Costa Rica trip:

Can we get some pictures of Chris Jahns on that trip? I mean, he TOLD US he was in Costa Rica, but he seems to be missing from all the pictures! Plus, have you noticed that it looks a lot like the “nicest mission trip you could ever take”? Sort of like you and me heading to Hawaii to do some mission work! Seth

Hmmmm. I think he’s got a good point. Did Chris really go on that trip? And did they really go to Costa Rica? They seem to be having too much fun. The elders should probably investigate and get to the bottom of this. 3:47 PM Big Renovation News! I’ve just learned that the fence in the west parking should be removed next Tuesday. That means the portico will be opened sometime next week. That also means the new ABF room and the new nursery will be ready for use sometime next week. Once the work is complete, we’ll still need a final inspection from the village before we can open the portico to the public. This means that we’ve finally made it and the finish line is so close we can almost reach out and touch it. 2:52 PM Here are the latest pictures from the men’s ministry Costa Rica trip. (I espcially like the picture of Bob Boerman on the roof.) 11:46 AM Special thanks to Kevin McCullough for his kind comments in his weblog today. I’ll be on the air with Kevin at 1:20 PM today on WMCA. Kevin hosts the fastest-growing talk show in New York City. 9:51 AM Ken Trainor of the Wednesday Journal invited me to write an article about “The Passion of the Christ.” I’ll post my first thoughts about the movie (having seen it twice) later today. 9:43 AM Shortly after 9/11, I was invited to speak to the Christmas breakfast meeting of the Chicago Fellowship of Christian Firefighters. We gave copies of An Anchor for the Soul to everyone in attendance. We just received a request from firefighter Kevin Coffey of Engine 95 for a case of books to distribute to firefighters who are seeking the Lord. It’s an honor to make that donation in support of this ministry. 9:37 AM Is “The Passion of the Christ” anti-Semitic? Colleen Sahlas provides a wise and compassionate answer. 9:14 AM Pastor Henoc Lucien sends two updates from Cap-Haitien, Haiti. This is his Tuesday update and this is his Wednesday update. Here’s a snippet from his Tuesday report:

I had to do a funeral today. So, I was home for most of the day. On my way back to the church, we were stopped at gunpoint. They wanted to know something about our vehicle. They search it through and let me go after I explained to them that I am a pastor who just came from the cemetery for a funeral. There is nothing to buy, no fuel to purchase. Most people are scared to open their business. We do not know if we should open the school. So, we will watch everyone to see what they do. In spite of everything, it is a confort to know that God is in control. Thanks again for your prayers.