Piedmont Youth Group- Cleaned Carpets in the main church building!
Working on Completing the Central Heat and Air installation
OKC 1st Work Day- Paint and Much More!
Our Garden! Squash and Onions are looking good!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Lisandro
I wear a ring on my right hand that hasn't been taken off in almost two years. This ring is special to me because is was given to me by a my friend Wendy as her way of expressing friendship to me when I left Oklahoma City to move to Albuquerque. As we sat in her living room talking and drinking mango juice she told me that she would never forget me. She then proceeded to her bedroom where she took this ring from her jewelry box and brought it to me. "This is so you will remember me" she said in pretty good English.
Wendy and I met during my junior year of college. I passed by her house every time that we had church as I picked up the kids that lived next door. One day she and her daughter, Ashley, decided to join us. While at church Wendy started crying, sobbing really, and with my limited Spanish comprehension I gathered that she was from Guatemala and had a son that was still living in Guatemala with Wendy's mom. I learned that Wendy struggled with depression from being so far from her son, and that she was ready to have him with her. Being an illegal immigrant it would not be easy for her son, 4 years old at the time, to come to the United States. I asked Pastor Stark what we could do for Wendy and he suggested that I take her to the Hispanic American Mission, which I did the next day. We met with a woman there who informed us of the long process. First, Wendy would have to become a citizen of the U.S., which is quite a gruelling process. In order to become a citizen, you must first be able to speak English fluently, so Wendy began attending English classes several times a week at the mission.Then she would have to learn the history of the United States, and be able to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, she would have to take the citizenship test which had both written and oral segments. Finally, when she passed, she could apply to have her son brought into the country.Of course there were many expenses involved also. Wendy worked for about a year and half on fulfilling the requirements to apply for citizenship. In September of 2007 I received a phone call from Wendy telling me that she had passed her citizenship test, we rejoiced greatly in this achievement! I didn't talk to Wendy much over the next year and a half due to distance and life happenings. I have told myself several times since I have been back in OKC that I really need to get in touch with her, and on Friday night as I was driving down the street by the church, I saw her at her old house. I stopped the car and went to say hello, it was so good to see her and Ashley. There were a couple of other kids on the porch playing with Ashley and as Wendy and I began to talk she said (in perfect English),"This is my son." I looked at him and back at her and the tears started pouring down my cheeks. Lots of hugging ensued. Wendy told me that she had just returned from Guatemala the week before and that Lisandro is here for good.
Wendy and I met during my junior year of college. I passed by her house every time that we had church as I picked up the kids that lived next door. One day she and her daughter, Ashley, decided to join us. While at church Wendy started crying, sobbing really, and with my limited Spanish comprehension I gathered that she was from Guatemala and had a son that was still living in Guatemala with Wendy's mom. I learned that Wendy struggled with depression from being so far from her son, and that she was ready to have him with her. Being an illegal immigrant it would not be easy for her son, 4 years old at the time, to come to the United States. I asked Pastor Stark what we could do for Wendy and he suggested that I take her to the Hispanic American Mission, which I did the next day. We met with a woman there who informed us of the long process. First, Wendy would have to become a citizen of the U.S., which is quite a gruelling process. In order to become a citizen, you must first be able to speak English fluently, so Wendy began attending English classes several times a week at the mission.Then she would have to learn the history of the United States, and be able to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, she would have to take the citizenship test which had both written and oral segments. Finally, when she passed, she could apply to have her son brought into the country.Of course there were many expenses involved also. Wendy worked for about a year and half on fulfilling the requirements to apply for citizenship. In September of 2007 I received a phone call from Wendy telling me that she had passed her citizenship test, we rejoiced greatly in this achievement! I didn't talk to Wendy much over the next year and a half due to distance and life happenings. I have told myself several times since I have been back in OKC that I really need to get in touch with her, and on Friday night as I was driving down the street by the church, I saw her at her old house. I stopped the car and went to say hello, it was so good to see her and Ashley. There were a couple of other kids on the porch playing with Ashley and as Wendy and I began to talk she said (in perfect English),"This is my son." I looked at him and back at her and the tears started pouring down my cheeks. Lots of hugging ensued. Wendy told me that she had just returned from Guatemala the week before and that Lisandro is here for good.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Count Your Blessings
I am overwhelmed with the blessings that our poured out from First Indian Church. A consistent blessing over the past couple of months has been my friend,Wahoo. Wahoo is an incredibly gifted individual who has taken on many projects and has partnered with me in dreaming about the use of the Worship and Activity Center (WAC). I was able to have a conversation with Wahoo tonight to express my appreciation for his many gifts and the many hours that he has volunteered. The time that Wahoo has put into the WAC has put us ahead of schedule. His contributions are impacting the lives of current and future community members. Wahoo is a leader within our community and I am blessed by his presence and wisdom; I am grateful for the opportunity to call him my friend and mentor. Some qualities in Wahoo that I particularly admire are patience, wisdom, and giving. I have enjoyed watching Wahoo exhibit these gifts and hope to continue to do so. Please pray with me that Wahoo will continue to draw on his strengths as he accomplishes his personal goals and as he leads within the community.
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