Don't worry!

Well, everything is still calm here in Leon.  The whole country has been on a red alert for the past few days due to several tremors and earthquakes we have been having.  They have been expecting a huge earthquake in Managua, but no one knows if and when it will happen.  They say we might continue to have tremors/earthquakes for days up to weeks. It also appears that an inactive volcano, Volcano Apoyeque, is reactivating.  If it erupts, it could be pretty disastrous, but there's not sign of it erupting any time soon.

I've just been hanging out in the house the past few days.  Annabelle hasn't felt good; she acts like she's teething. She wants to be held all the time, so that doesn't give me much else to do besides follow the news and the seismic monitors and look at Facebook.  Today, she is feeling better, and Luis is here to hold her for a while.

I keep waiting for something big to happen even though there's still a chance that nothing may happen.  Last night, I started feeling nervous about everything so I just prayed, "Lord, if may anxiousness is trying to tell me something, please let me know.  Otherwise, please take away my nerves and give me peace."  And sure enough, peace came.

Today, Luis and I were talking about how we worry so much about things that are "out of our control", as if we really can control anything.  We decided to look at Matthew 6:25-34:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

One of the things that God has been teaching us lately is to trust in His provision and be grateful for what we have.  Sunday, Luis and I were both a little down.  We didn't really have any food in the house and not even a cordoba (Nicaraguan currency) to buy food. We had money in the bank, but the banks were closed of course and it charges us too much to use the ATM.  I was pouting a little bit cause I was hungry.  Luis was sad and has been lately about not having a good job to provide for our family (jobs are hard to come by here and he's been looking for over a year).  

While we were getting ready to go out to El Paraiso, I just prayed that God would provide food for us.  What I didn't expect was to get a lesson instead.  I heard someone call at the door.  It was a young man about 20 years old, and I could tell that he was going around asking for things.  This is normal sometimes in Nicaragua, and if you're North American, you get more people that show up at your door step.  So, to be honest, I wasn't happy to see him at first.

I waited for Luis to come up to talk to him before I asked what he wanted. Humbly, the guy responded that he lives in the dump nearby and was going around collecting any food or clothes or anything else that could be donated for other people that live in the dump.  When I saw in Luis's reaction that the guy was sincere, my hardened heart changed.  Here I was complaining about being hungry for just a few hours, and this guy lives in a dump and is so hungry that he is going house to house to get food for himself, his family, and his neighbors. I shamefully gave him what we had left: a few Oreos and a pack of Ramen noodles.  Luis found him a couple of shirts.  I felt bad that was all we could do, so I asked if we could pray for him.  I ended up just crying as I prayed.  The guy was probably wondering what was going on with this white girl!

God taught be a big lesson that day.  We really weren't in need at all.  We have a nice house, a car, clothes, and other needs and luxuries. We live better off than the majority of the people here in Leon, in Nicaragua, and even in the world.  I had no reason to complain.  And I had no reason to worry about eating or drinking because some days there are more important things to focus on, and God provides those things for us anyways.

In the passage in Matthew, what stood out to us the most was the end:  "Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Life is hard, and here I think Jesus is confirming that we will have troubles each and every day.  Every day, there's people that are starving, thirsty, or naked.  We recognize that reality and fear it for ourselves.  We get frustrated, too, when we can't guarantee that it won't happen to us.  It's the same with these earthquakes and natural disasters. We can't guarantee that disaster will come upon us tomorrow, and so we're afraid.

There are three other points that Jesus is trying to teach us:

1) Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? - We need to stop looking at the physical so much.  Physical things are temporary; spiritual things are eternal.  Instead of worrying so much about our physical bodies, we need to worry more about the state of our souls.

2) Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? -  Worrying does nothing.  In fact, studies have shown that constant worrying can actually cause health problems and shorten your life.  You know, out of all these earthquakes we've had here, only two people have died.  One of them wasn't a direct result of an earthquake; it was a 74 year old woman that died of a heart attack.  It was the fear that the woman had of the earthquake (and probably heart problems that were there already) that killed her.

3) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - God wants us to seek Him first.  This goes with point #1 that our souls are more important than our bodies.  God wants to provide for us and give us all that we need and sometimes the things that we want.  However, His first priority is giving you eternal life and eternal gifts, but we have to come to Him to receive them.  Unfortunately, most of the times that we come to Him is when we are in need whether we are hungry, sick, heartbroken, etc.

Do you have a need or a problem that you are dealing with today?  Come to Jesus and give it to Him.  He tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)  

1 Peter 5:6-10: 

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Phillipians 4:6-7:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I hope this word encourages you to seek Jesus's face today.  Please continue to remember us and pray for us in Nicaragua.  I would also like the opportunity to pray for you.  If you have a special request or concern, please message me. May God bless you and give you peace!

It's Time to Wake Up!

So it's 2 in the morning here in Nicaragua, and I am having trouble sleeping.  Part of it might have a little to due with nerves.  The other part is the need to write and share what I feel in my heart.

The past few days here have been very interesting.  We had a 6.2 earthquake on Thursday afternoon and since then we've had over 1,000 (maybe even 2,000 now) tremors and about 4 classified earthquakes. Most of the seismic activity is coming from Lake Managua close to an active volcano, Momotombo, and an inactive one, Apoyeque.  Right now, the capital, Managua, is under extreme alert because the fault line that was responsible for a huge earthquake in 1972 is active again. It sounds really scary, and for the people that are close to where the activity is going on, it is scary.  However, here is Leon, we are safe and only feeling the affects of what's going on there.  I really don't think anything will happen here, but there's a good chance of something in Managua.

I have been thinking about a lot of things the past few weeks before this all happened, and since these earthquakes started, I have been thinking more.  One thing that I've been thinking about is the lunar eclipse that's going to occur tomorrow morning.  According to an article I read, tomorrow's lunar eclipse aka "blood moon" is going to be the first of four to occur this year and next.  This one happens to fall on the Jewish Passover.  The second one will fall on the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, and in 2015, the same pattern will occur with the other two blood moons.  Read the article that I got this from:  http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/469228/Four-blood-moons-Does-alignment-of-Mars-Earth-and-Sun-mean-the-end-of-the-world-is-nigh

So like some other people, I have been thinking about the references in the Bible to the blood moon and how it is a sign of the end.  Revelation 6:12:

12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,

Joel 2:10:
10 Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.

Now, with all this earth shaking, I am starting to wonder if the blood moon is related!  I'm not saying that the end is coming this year or the next, but I believe like Jesus told us in Matthew 24:8 that "all of this is the beginning of birth pains."

The other thing I've been thinking about is my personal spiritual life and the message that God has given to me and what I feel lead to share now.  Just a couple of weeks ago, I was preparing my Sunday school lesson and reading about Mt. Sinai and what the people of Israel had to do to prepare themselves before the LORD descended on the mountain.  Exodus 19:10-11 says, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.  Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”  I kept thinking about that the people were commanded to wash their clothes; it just was interesting and stood out to me.

Not deferring from the subject, but lately I have been dealing with a lot of frustration and some depression about different things.  A lot of it is that I can't do the things I used to do before being a mother. Don't get me wrong; I love being a mother!  It's just that I don't get out of the house much, and I can't do much ministry because I have to stay home to take care of the baby.

But really, all my frustrations and disappointments come from one simple attitude:  my wanting to control everything.  Control is right up there with making an idol of oneself; I’m trying to be god and not wanting to submit to God’s will and His control. What else is frustrating about realizing this is seeing the wrong attitudes I have within me and not being able to change.

So, I have been pretty upset with myself and some days really depressed.  Long story short, I didn't really talk to anyone about it except Luis.  I had an opportunity to talk to one of my friends here about it, but I was too ashamed to talk to her about what all I was feeling. 

It just so happened that this past week this particular friend had a dream about me.  She said that in the dream Luis and I showed up to her place in our car.  When I got out of the car, she saw that I was dressed completely in white and that my hair and make-up was done up.  She said I looked so beautiful, and she got closer and started complimenting me.  When she got close, she noticed that my eyes were sad and it looked like I had been crying but tried to cover it up with the make-up.  She also noticed that the edges of my clothes were dirty.  Then, she started telling me, “Carmen, don’t be sad! God is your Comforter! You’re not alone! He’s with you and hears you when you are in your room.  He wants to free you.”  I started say, “I don’t know! I don’t know!”  Then, the dream ended.

I was astounded and in awe when she told me this.  I had not told her about any of my problems.  God was speaking to me through her!  He was answering my prayers and my cries to Him and reminding me of my worth in Him.  He is also answering my prayers of being freed from the things that live within me.

I keep thinking about the way I was dressed in white and, again, references to the Bible.  

Revelation 6:11:
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

Revelation 7:14:
Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?’  I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’  And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

According to the Bible, the white robes represents the purity that we have in receiving the forgiveness of our sins and being "washed" in Christ's blood.  In the dream, I am dressed in all white but the edges are dirty.  My friend that had this dream told me that it represents something that's within me that's unresolved, or sin that I have not been freed from.  In other words, it’s the things that I haven’t handed over to Christ.  I haven’t figure out what it could be exactly except for maybe my wanting to control everything and my lack in trusting in Him.  But I am working to draw myself to Christ to figure out what that could be and to have Him cleanse me of it!

Revelation 3:1-6:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Friends, I wanted to share all of this with you, because it is time for all of us to wake up!  We need to be earnest and REPENT and come to Jesus!  We need to wash our clothes and get ready for His coming because He will come like a thief!  

Malachi 3:2-3, “But who can endure the day of his coming?  Who can stand when he appears?  For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launder’s soap.  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”  

Let's repent now instead of the day of His coming! Come to Jesus because He cares for you.  Our cleansing is not that we need to be called pure but that we are set free from the bonding of sin.  Many of us that are Christians say we believe in Christ and say that He is our Lord, but we still act as slaves to the darkness by refusing to repent and turn away from our sins and actually make Christ the Lord and Master of our lives.  We have to take up our crosses daily by crucifying the sin and disobedience that lives in us to the cross of Jesus.  Just like we take a shower or wash our own clothes, we have to continually come to repentance in Christ until the day He takes us home.

I hope that your eyes and your ears are open to this message and that you won't "Be ever hearing, but never understanding;be ever seeing, but never perceiving."(Isaiah 6:9). I hope that you come to know the fear of the Lord and as much the power of His mighty love for you.  He is a just God and cannot let unjust and rebellious acts go unpunished but He is "a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." (Nehemiah 9:17) Call out to the One who loves you and ask for forgiveness, healing, and cleansing!

Thank you for reading. I pray you are blessed by it.  Please continue to remember us and Nicaragua in your prayers.
10 Make the heart