The Journal of Seek The Lamb Inc.

POB 2151 Vero Beach Florida 32961 USA

Photo: A vineyard on the Moselle River

which we visited in 2003 with Moselle!

Lamb Bleatings

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too.                   

                                                                                   Ephesians 6:10-19

 

Laura wearing appropriate footwear for the rainy season on the Rio Coco.

Daily I find myself feeling stung by fiery darts. When I am girded up in preparation with the right mindset, attitudes and Truth guarding my heart like a shield, I tend to fair much better in being able to deflect these darts and not allow them to penetrate past my skin.  Other moments, however,  I am completely caught off guard and suddenly I am thrust into this place of reaction which leads me to other places of anger, frustration and unrest. 

The dart came at me hard and unexpectedly and my     reaction is to defend myself and my position as I watch it start to penetrate my skin and start to hurt and bleed.  At this point, I no longer have my peace and have already flung the helmet down on the ground or at the person, place or thing that may be in front of me at the time.  I don’t even acknowledge the fact that this struggle is not of flesh and blood but rather against some unseen forces now directing the affairs of the scene at hand. 

I am no longer dependent upon any Source but my own emotional instability at this point and find my utterances   making known mysteries that do not resemble the gospel of Jesus in any way.  I am simply in a place of shooting blanks and not speaking boldly as I ought to speak representing my King.  My sword stuck and I stand defenseless and devoid of power.  Interesting how I have watched myself do this over and again as a Human.  I have a choice, but do not take that Choice in that moment and then suffer the consequences. 

We all reap what we sow.  One of my children once said while being reprimanded for behaving poorly, “But, I don’t LIKE CONSEQUENCES!!!”  Spanking followed  anyway.  Consequences teach us.  They motivate us to choose differently. 

My question to my Father in heaven is “How can I do that better and get better results?  How do I not go down that road again that only makes me frustrated  or angry???  What should I say or feel?  What is the    liberating Truth about this situation? How can I escape all the darts that are coming at me ?”

Lord, please help me to keep my helmet of truth on and my Sword ready to fight with the Word,  prayers and supplications.  Help me to lean into your Heart dear Lord to hear your Love beat through me and touch those around me. 

 

We have had the privilege of having two mango trees to pick beautiful fruit from:  One in my neighbors yard (my neighbors are allergic)  and the other in our yard.  The mangoes have been plentiful, low to the ground and easily picked even by a short person like me.  It has been abundant to overflowing and I make it a point to give many away to those who have a love for mangoes. 

I have heard myself repeat these words, “Thank you God for allowing this fruit to be so easy to pick for me.”  No struggle or strain…I enjoy picking fruit so much and then I enjoy giving it to people who enjoy eating it as well.  I have heard from my Father’s heart,         

“The fields are white for harvest….the pickings are plentiful…

just look around and see.”

  May God cause our eyes to see and our hearts to be enlivened to all that is happening and the specifics of what we are to be about aside from       preparing for the battle each day of every moment.  The enemy is looking to devour us, kill us, steal from us  and deceive us.  God came to give Life and Life more abundantly…free, unencumbered and full of Love, joy, peace, patience,  kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control  and Hope everlasting….

What kind of fruit do we want? 

What consequences do we want to avoid?                                                                                                                                                         Laura

 When It's Hot Outside

Someone told me yesterday that it was really hot outside. I replied “It’s June in Florida, but at least we have electricity and air conditioning.” After a moment’s thought, I said “My baseline for the hot summers are when we lived on the Coco River in Honduras and Nicaragua where we had no electricity and the best thing we could do to beat the heat was look for shade and a breeze, and end the day in the river cooling off so we could get to sleep that night.”

Candlelight dinners with serenade!

Life on the river affords many opportunities to experience life as 90% of the world’s population live it- outside our First World comfort zone. There the basics are most important; Food, Shelter, Health and Survival. When we arrived in November 1984, life was very fragile in the Miskito refugee villages on the Honduran side of the river. Their homes had been destroyed in ’81-83 by Sandinista and Cuban troops, and many died during that time. There was an active war going on between the Miskito fighters and the Sandinistas with their Cuban, Russian and Bulgarian allies.

Michael with some of our friends who defended our villages.

When we arrived we brought hope- along with clothes, shoes, medicines, and food. We also brought a focus on what God was doing in the midst of their suffering, and ultimately their reliance on Him to resolve their community crises. They placed their hope on God, and that “Dawan” (Miskito– “Lord”) would do something to help.

1987- after a very wet day walking through the bush- a bowl of white rice given to me by my friend Trano's wife, was the most delicious thing I had eaten in months.

Hope is such a profound word. It indicates a relationship between parties where one will ultimately benefit the other in some way. Hope in meeting needs; Hope in the best for a situation; Hope in resolving issues; Hope in relationships and Hope in God doing what He wants to do.

The Spanish word for “Hope” is “Esperar” which has a dual meaning:      To Hope, To Wait. To have confidence in something and to wait for it to happen.

Our friend “Papa Jack” Dyer who  headed a medical mission and refugee relief project along the river was there at the beginning, when the refugees poured across the river in 1981 and 82. There was lots of mud, filth, disease, and death in many communities along the border (the Coco River). Jack’s airplane became a lifeline to the UN clinic at Moccoron (he later sold us that Piper Pacer), and eventually Jack took on a formal role in building and supplying refugee communities. He had the help of many young volunteers from Wheaton College.

It was during those days that Jack said he felt God’s presence like never before in his life. Amid the suffering, Jesus was there.

And Jack and the other Americans were part of God solution and care.

I didn’t know any of this until July 1984 when a guy named Fred spoke at Hope Chapel telling us about this dire refugee  situation. I volunteered to help Fred collect clothes and relief supplies on Maui. We shipped the supplies to the Mainland that fall. In November Fred invited me to be part of the team to distribute these clothes, medicine, and food items. That was supposed to take only two weeks. Surprise!

Food distribution in Auka Honduras 1985

It took six months, and along the way God provided for the refugees in miraculous ways. Free shipping, airplanes, trucks, medicines, dentists, doctors, and an outboard motor. We had become part of God’s solution to the problems of these refugees.

Then Augusto Vicente asked us to help him start a school. The refugee kids had not has classes since 1979. A bi-lingual teacher and her husband from Maple Valley Washington arrived a few months later to help us begin more schools. Sharon and Earl were real miracle workers, and suddenly we had a for real school project.

Augusto, Michael & Truman with students - 1987

Sawa school 1987

Srumlaya school 1989

Again, we became part of God’s solution to the problem of lack of education.

Many of you have joined us over the years, and you too are part of God’s solution to those problems. You still are as we are in the midst of our 37^th year of educating Miskito children.

Laura began our child sponsorship program in 1989. She learned to speak the Miskito language very well!

God loves to use us to be the solution to the problems of society. Have you noticed any problems in your community?  Are there those suffering and needy who are hoping God will respond? Are there lost and confused people who need a touch from Him?

We all have things we are hoping for in this life-- Resolutions to relationships,  concerns for our loved ones, personal  issues, health, and economic problems. God tells us over and over in His Word not to worry- He will take care of everything, and we need to trust Him, and place our Hope in Him and patiently “espera” for Him to show up. And we need to listen and do our part, as often we are part of His solution to the problems of our society.

Jesus says He's got it all covered. Our "espera" in Him will play out for the best for all of us.

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
³⁴“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”               Matthew 6:31-34

“You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.                                                                                Matthew 5:13-16

 Don’t be anxious about anything. God already knows your situation and needs. Seek to be in His presence. Life your life for Him. Be friendly, loyal friends and serve others. Many will know God through your friendship and caring.                                                           Michael

Seek The Lamb Giving

Would you like to join our efforts to educate these children on the Rio Coco in Nicaragua? 

Here are a few links to specific needs that we have this month:

School Supplies

Boat fuel to get things downriver

School repair- many of our buildings are in need of screen windows, roofing, and paint.

Missionary Support- we are volunteers in this mission

Thank you!

 Rio Coco Beans Coffee

We have coffee roasted this week to send to your door. Help us educate our kids on the Coco River through each bag purchased.

Silky Java has become one of our clients favorite with its very smooth taste and very sweet chocolate flavor notes.

Order Coffee from our webstore!

Thanks for spending time with us this month.

Aloha from all of us at the Rio Coco Cafes and our teachers and families on the River!

Teacher's Conference Auka Honduras 1987 with Professor Victoria Palacios. Her textbooks, Coleccion Catrachitos, were the very finest available in Latin America at that time. Victoria was a very famous educator and she trained our teachers for four years.