No More Mystery!

“Behold”, “Look”, “Notice”,

“Surprise”, “Know This”,

“Consider”, “Be Sure”,

“Take Note”, “See”

Roughly speaking, it was about 2000 years before the birth of the Christ child when a certain son asked his father on their way up a mountain,

"Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:7b, 8)

Now, as we sit, roughly speaking… 2000 years after the birth of the Christ child, we read the acclamation, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” We have a 4,000 year vantage as we consider this father-son conversation between Abraham and Isaac. God’s direction to Abraham was clear. Abraham knew “what” to do, with “whom”, and “where” to do it. But, God had woven into His instruction “mystery”. The Lord said nothing concerning “when”, “why”, or “how”… leaving a “mystery”. 4,000 years later, our tendency is to minimize the mystery of God’s direction to Abraham, because today we know what happened. However, back then, Abraham exercised great faith and experienced God’s divine “twist”, as Abraham realized that it was all a test. But to us, it is a great foreshadowing of the Messiah, even prophecy about God’s Messianic provision. For nearly 2,000 years the sons of Abraham lived in the mystery, asking, “When would God provide a lamb?” and “Who would the lamb be?” The mystery, like a crescendo, added to a growing anticipation.

This ought to be our backdrop as we read what John the Baptizer (Jesus’ cousin) shouted-out, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” At last… the answer to Isaac’s question from 2,000 years earlier… Mystery revealed! The angels heralded it; the star illuminated it; even the magi unraveled this mystery. But, no better words, than these 5 words from cousin John, could reveal the mystery of the Messiah. And, what a shout it must have been. We’ve all leaped to our feet and shouted to express an emotion. Picture a heated argument, a defending attorney in court, or sports fans at an arena. It is as if John’s chief purpose in life was to express with all his being who the Messiah is, for his expression also started with a leap. John, while in his mother’s womb, leaped when the 2 expectant mothers, Elizabeth and Mary, greeted one another. John leaped, but retained the shout for nearly 30 years. So, when he shouted, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” I imagine it echoed off all the surrounding mountain slopes. It still echoes today and is the mission of YFC: “…to communicate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to every young person…”

Thank you for your prayers and gifts as we together reveal to the youth of Honduras, and around the world, and as we point to Jesus and acclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Our Most Recent Mystery

Could Our Honduran Foster Kids Spend The Holiday Season In The USA?

Last year Kim and I announced to our family in Memphis that after 8 years in the foreign mission field we will be home for the 1^st time for Thanksgiving, Christmas and `09 New Year’s Day… and, we’ll try to be here with our Honduran kids for everyone to meet & know. We knew that the process for them to travel with us would be complex. Birth certificates had to be corrected (they had multiple errors). Honduras passports had to be obtained. Then, visas from the US Embassy had to be granted. Our prayer was that if God wanted them to travel with us, then He would make it happen. My 4 Honduran children and I entered the registry of persons in Tegucigalpa in May, as the starting point to this process 7 months before Thanksgiving, so that we would have plenty of time. And, for 7 months we lived in “mystery”, as to whether or not God would make it happen. We prayed faithfully and we asked others to pray with us through this process. As parents, Kim and I “coached” our kids to have faith and to trust God regardless of the outcome. If we can travel together God is good, but if we cannot… God is still good and worthy of our praise. True faith is trusting God during seasons of mystery and trusting Him when He does something different than what we want.

Indeed the process was complex. In a word, our 2 oldest foster daughters (Michelle & Nuri) could not obtain Honduras passports. Being without living mother or father, their maternal grandmother has legal custody of them. But, her last names are different than the last names of the girls, so Honduras immigrations would not let the grandmother sign for their passports. There was no solution to this problem, so they could not travel with us. The 2 younger boys were able to obtain Honduran passports and eventually visas to enter the USA. But, the 7 month mystery continued until 1 day before our travel day when we received in-hand the visas.

The Lord taught me some life-lessons through all this. Allow me to briefly share one with you. Don’t confuse faith in God with optimism. Consider, again, the Abraham/Isaac story (refer to front page). Before Abraham and Isaac headed up the mountain Abraham said to his servants to wait here and the boy and I will return. Hebrews 11 is a commentary for us that Abraham thought that he would kill Isaac and that God would raise him from the dead. That is not what happened. Abraham was optimistic in the midst of a mystery, but God did not “fill-in” the details. There was no “Thus saith the Lord…” Now, faith comes from a Word from God. When God is silent and mysterious we must optimistically trust him. But, just like Abraham’s conversation with his servants keep your optimistic ideas to yourself. They are not to proclaim as “the word of the Lord”. Abraham did not say what was in his mind that they would go up the Mt., he’d kill his son, then God will raise him from the dead. Faith is reserved for the “word of the Lord” because it will come to pass. This is not to be confused with our optimistic thoughts, because we might be wrong.

I was in a similar position for 7 months. I know that God would have Kim and I raise these 4 kids, but to travel to the USA for the holidays… we had no “word from the Lord”. We were tempted to change our optimistic thoughts into the “word of the Lord”, but this would have been wrong. I even had to buy airline tickets based on optimism, based on what I thought would happen, but I could have been wrong and could have wasted our much needed money.

Praise the Lord! Kevin and Jimmy were able to travel with us to the USA and spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and soon New Year’s Day with us. Thank you all for praying with us and for supporting us as we minister to youth in Honduras (the kids in prison, the youth at the city-dump, the Tolupan Indian youth), but especially to our foster kids during this very exciting time for them.

This Morning's Headlines Were Of More Gang Killings

This Time It Was Our Isabel

Sadly enough we become accustomed to headlines of youth violence and gang killings. But, me and my 4 Honduran kids gathered around the paper today and did no more than just stare at it. It was their sister who was photographed face-down in the street. We had received the news yesterday, but seeing it in the paper today seemed to authenticate the news and opened the emotions that for some reason were dammed-up initially.

Our emotions were of sorrow, of course; we lost someone that we loved. She was one of the first of the girls in the youth prison who placed her faith in Christ when we moved to Honduras nearly 7 years ago. As a new believer in Christ, her request to Kim and me was to visit and help her brothers and sisters, so that they would not follow after the criminal, gang life that she had lived. Kim and I politely refused to go searching around some gang ridden neighborhood with our broken Spanish searching for children that we did not know. The risk would have been too much, but we prayed faithfully with Isabel each week for her little brothers and sisters. And, as the Lord would have it… they came knocking on our front door, begging for food, clothes, or whatever we could give them. Well, to make a God-story short… these 4 little brothers and sisters became a part of our home and our hearts.

Not only did we feel sorrow, upon hearing this news, but we all shared the surprising emotion of anger. It was not anger at the gun men. It was anger that seemed to be directed at Isabel for not taking what was offered to her by the Lord, and by so many others who wanted to help her live right. Shortly after her release from the prison nearly 2 years ago, we all saw a gradual redirection to the life-style that eventually lead to her death.

A pessimist would look-on and doubt our effectiveness… that there was no change and she died tragically like most other gang members. “Tragedy”, yes, it is a tragedy, but I believe that her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was real and that she was born-again as a daughter of the Lord Most High... the same Lord who gives tragic stories tremendous endings. I believe that just seconds after Isabel closed her eyes on that dusty curb-side path, she opened her eyes to see her heavenly Father, face to face. Not only would the optimist consider this, but would also consider the victory that is won in the lives of her 4 little brothers and sisters who are now my sons and daughters. They each have also placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They all just finished their school-year strong last week, as they all studied their hearts-out. Because of their history of years on the streets, they are all behind educationally. But, that has just given them each a gratitude for school and a desire to study all the more, and to be whatever the Lord leads them to be.

Regarding Isabel’s prayer from 6 years earlier and her request to Kim and me to help her brothers and sisters, it is being fulfilled. Her little brothers and sisters are not following in the life-style that so entangled her life. Accepting the Lord’s wisdom, Michelle, Nuri, Kevin, and Jimmy see through the lies of the devil and, now, know well the end result of the popular and glamorized gang-life.

Seeing Kids Changed... Forever!

What kind of change is it that we desire to see? Throughout our ministry schedule from week to week we give cool water to thirsty kids, but they’ll soon be thirsty again. We feed hungry kids, but they’ll soon be hungry again. Some we tutor and pay for private school education, we provide guitar and piano lessons, we teach English… but, none of these changes, as good as they are, matter in the scope of eternity, except that they help us earn the right to be heard as we communicate “the life changing message of Jesus Christ”. When a kid bows his head in prayer and yields his life to the Lord Jesus Christ… a change for eternity happens. When we give Bibles to kids who desire to follow Christ and we teach and mentor them, then we see change, a transforming change into the likeness of Christ that is eternal. Kim and I along with our many partners provide need based ministry, helping to change poor nutrition, poor education, aimlessness, But, it is only through a personal encounter with God that a kid’s live can be changed for the rest of forever. This is the kind of change that we desire to see.

Hosting Short-term Missionary Teams

Adding Partners… Multiplying Our Efforts

Living cross-culturally is like living in “the best of times” (international travel, exotic places, new foods, etc.) and also it is like living in “the worst of times” (feeling of isolation, not fitting-in, language barriers, etc.) Going to the airport to meet a missionary team is like a breath of fresh air. The refreshment goes deeper than simply spending a week, or so, with a group of people that talks like me, who eats like me, who plans, works, laughs, interacts, etc… like me. Hosting short-term teams is so exhilarating because we get to partner with other brothers and sisters of the same faith who share a like passion for communicating “the life-changing message of Jesus Christ” to young people. What is so beneficial for the Honduran youth goes deeper than a week of ministry in Honduras… they learn how to pray more fervently, share their finances more faithfully, and return again in the near future more friends. Their involvement is more than “addition”… they “multiply” our missionary effort in Honduras. Praise God for the short-term missionary teams that partner with us in Honduras. We may try to measure our ministry together, but only God knows the true dividends from these short-term teams. Teams that we have hosted have impacted multiplied thousands of youth here in Honduras, and to some families their impact will be felt for generations.

Pouring Into A Few Interns

Who Over-flow Into Many Lives

This was our 4^th summer to host interns here in Honduras, and our experience with college-age young adults keeps getting better and better. This summer for the 1^st time we hosted a group of interns, 5 came to serve in Tegucigalpa alongside us. They actually came though a “sister” mission organization, the Orphanos Foundation. The founder and president of “Orphanos” is Wayne Sneed who worked on staff with Kim & me at Mid-South YFC some 15-20 years ago. Even, then, Wayne’s heart was with international missions and specifically the ministry of short-term mission teams. As the Lord would have it Wayne hired Sandi Langley to head-up their internship program. And, as the Lord would have it, Sandi is a friend from “yester-years” as Kim and I were students together with her at the University of Memphis, also, some 15-20 years ago. Our recent reacquaintance with Wayne and with Sandi lead to a wonderful summer of training their class of 7 interns and the awesome privilege of hosting 5 of them during June and July. Our Honduran interns (A.J., Lora, Hannah, Crystal, and Julia) benefited from our formal classroom time. But, the greater benefit came as they experienced 1^st hand ministry in Honduras, as they experienced several Central American cultures in 3 different countries (from the high Mts. to the Caribbean islands), and as they visited or worked with various mission programs and missionaries, including our family. Together we were able to lead many kids to saving faith in Christ, give away hundreds of Bibles and gospel tracks, provide follow-up and discipleship. They arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica in late May ready to learn and serve; they returned to the USA in early August changed, as were the hundreds of kids with whom they invested their summer.

Visiting Short-term Missionary Teams

The 1st 4 months of the year have been full of travel. I mentioned in my last newsletter (Jan/Feb issue) about my trip to Haiti, then in late Feb. I traveled to my home town, Memphis, Tennessee. My home church, Bellevue Baptist had their annual mission conference. It is always good to see family and friends. I was able to see old friends and make some new ones as I attended my booth in the church vestibule, and as I visited classes. One of the highlights of the trip home was the missionary banquette where I heard and met Steven Saint and the Indian man who adopted him as a grandson (Photo above).

Shortly after my return to Tegucigalpa, my friend, Eric, with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Austin, Texas) came with a team of 5 people. I took them to a remote, hard-to-get-to, village in the Mts. of Yoro only accessible via foot or horse back. They hosted a soccer tournament with 4 neighboring villages. They communicated the live-changing message of Jesus Christ to many, as several hundred attended the tournament.

Then, during Easter week, Kim & I hosted a team of 30 from the Boston area. The team was lead by Pastor Nate Hall and church member Michelle Brown from Pacific Union Congregational Church, however 2 other churches were part of the trip. Although several of the team members have been to Honduras for 4 years, now, we did several “new” things this year. We hosted a medical brigade for the first time. And, for the 1st time Kim & I divided the team and headed in 2 different directions. Kim stayed in Tegucigalpa with ½ the team, and I went to the Mts. of Yoro with the other ½ to minister to the Tolupan Indians. Hundreds were benefited by this team’s work. Social needs were met (feeding, medical care, clothing, etc.), demonstrating the love of Christ, demonstrating and communicating the love of Christ.

It is so good to “lock arms” with brothers and sisters from the USA. We feel so encouraged to be with others who pray for us and sacrifice to come be part of our ministry here. Praise the Lord for these short-term missionary teams that help us communicate the live-changing message of Jesus Christ to so many young people in Honduras.

Through The Eyes Of A Visiting Friend

On a recent trip to Honduras, my 13-year-old daughter Megan and I saw personally the impact Rick & Kim have with their various ministries. One of their avenues of outreach is the City Dump. Even though I read the article in the Miami Herald and heard personal testimony from the Beck’s about the dump, the first-hand experience will forever remain etched in my mind and Megan’s. With ragged, torn and dirty clothes, men, women and children ran expectantly towards our vehicle as we drove up. After a brief devotion we handed out plates of food, water and bananas to those gathered. The lesson learned while watching Rick & Kim, along with the volunteers, is that they express a genuine love for these people; it flows from their hearts. Their ministry is Matthew 25:35 in action.

Jack Sedory