Guatemala Photo Of The Day – A Time For Engineers To Analyze

We’re an analytical bunch.  Ken and I are both engineers, so you can imagine our conversations as we looked at the front wall support structure finished product.

Will it hold up?  How will we attached the wood for the walls?  Is there a better, more efficient way to build this house?

It was so nice to have a fellow engineer on the trip.

Things on this house are about to get exciting.  Stay tuned!

The Discipline Of Standing Up

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.

Thomas J. Watson

I’ve been writing about discipline for the past few weeks.  Why would I spend so much time focusing on disciple?

The theme of my blog is stretch.  I write about things that are stretching me.  I reflect on life’s stretch marks.  And I hope my reflections will help others to stretch as well.

Do I have these disciplines down?  By no means.  In fact, these are disciplines I am challenged to work on myself.  These are disciplines that cause me to stretch.

I want to keep stretching; therefore, I ponder the areas I need to cultivate in order to make the most of my life of stretch.

Over the weekend, I saw the movie Selma.  I hadn’t heard a lot about the story before I watched the movie, but I was told this was a movie I needed to see.  The movie portrays part of the journey of Dr. Martin Luther King and his pursuit of civil rights for African-Americans particularly the right to vote in the deep south – in towns like Selma, Alabama.  Selma’s population was nearly half black, but most of this population was restricted from voting.  In their efforts to stand up to this injustice, blacks were repeatedly knocked down by a white-controlled government and law enforcement.

Martin Luther King was committed to standing up against this injustice in a non-violent manner.  He risked ridicule, harm to his family, and harm to his personal safety.  And yet, he persisted.  He stood up when “enough was enough.”

Standing up for what you believe in is easy when everyone else is on board, but it’s not so easy when you risk going against the grain of culture.

I want to fit in.  I don’t want to rock the boat.  I don’t want to risk disruption to my “happy” world.

It’s time to institute another discipline.  We must learn to practice the discipline of standing up.  We must learn to stand up when “enough is enough.”

God has given you and me a voice – a voice to stand up and speak out for things that matter.

Are you content to go along with the status quo?  Or is it time for you to stand up, to speak up, and to make a difference?

These are questions we all must ponder.  I don’t want to reach the end of my life and wonder if I could have done more to stand up for my beliefs.  I want to know for certain that I took a stand and I rallied others for a cause that matters.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of standing up?  How has standing up made a difference in your life?  What causes you to stand up?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – You Can Run But You Can’t Hide

At first glance, you can see Fernando and Rosita in this picture.  If you look more closely, you can see Jose hiding behind Rosita and the blue frisbee.

There was an interesting relationship between these young Guatemalan friends and our team of Americans.  At first, I think we were all a little shy like Jose, but before long we were laughing and enjoying each others company.  You can see Fernando is already warming up to us.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Representing

I work for a rather large corporation – one of the largest in the world.  Whenever I travel locally or internationally, I always look for the name of my company.  I’m very thankful for the local support I get from my company when it comes to making trips to places like Guatemala.  In this picture, I’m the one with the company logo on my shirt.

Later on in the trip, the mayor of the small village of San Antonio approached me after seeing my Siemens shirt to ask if I could help troubleshoot a Siemens device that had made its way to this small mountaintop village.

We wear many labels and logos.  When we do this, we become walking billboards for the companies represented on our clothing.

Who are you representing and how are you representing them?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Right Place, Right Time

Betty’s oldest son, Marcos, is blind.  He lost his sight as a young child when a surgical procedure damaged his optic nerves.  In a town like Santo Domingo Xenacoj, there is little hope for a blind person.  They don’t have Seeing Eye dogs.  They have little opportunity for finishing school or for getting a job.  And there is not a government-funded welfare system to support blind people (or other disabled people).  It’s sad to think about what could or will happen to Marcos if something happens to his mom, his grandfather, or his aunt.

Marcos who is 14 does not go to school.  School’s in villages like Xenacoj are not set up to educate the visually impaired.  This means Marcos spends much of his time in the confines of his home – the small “yard” and the house.  Marcos listens to music and plays with a cheap plastic recorder most of the day.

As we were building his new house, we were blessed by the beautiful melodies coming from Marcos and his recorder.  Marcos clearly has a talent – a gift – for music unlike most others.  Our team commented to each other several times during construction that Marcos should record his music.

Our missionary partner, Dave, had the same thoughts after hearing Marcos’ music for the first time.  He started talking with Marcos, and he soon began dreaming about using Marcos’ music to support Marcos.  He began vision-casting a way to record, produce, and sell the music.

Shortly after this, we learned that this is actually the dream that Marcos has for his music.  It’s unlikely that Marcos could make this happen on his own, but Dave could probably find a way.  It’s amazing when life converges or even conspires to reveal something beyond our intentions.

We wanted to build a house for a widow and her family.  We knew this would provide protection from the elements, a concrete floor, and beds to sleep.  We believed this would lead to other tangible benefits.  But we didn’t know how else this home might change things for this family.  A recording opportunity for Marcos may just be the tip of the iceberg – the beginning of change for Betty’s family.

Did this happen by accident?

I don’t think so.  Being in the right place at the right time starts by following God’s callings in your life.  Our family felt the call to serve in Guatemala, and we responded by going.  We want to be in the right place at the right time.  How about you?

How have you heard God’s calling in your life?  How have you responded?  When have you experienced being in the right place at the right time?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Looking Out For Each Other

Introducing Marcos!

I’ll tell you more about Marcos in the coming days.  He is the oldest of Betty’s five children.  He’s blind, but he still watches out for his youngest siblings.  And they watch out for him too.

Who is looking out for you?  And how are you looking out for others?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – The Three Musketeers

Introducing Jose!

Jose is the boy on the left, and he is the youngest boy in the family.  I don’t think he appeared in any of the Guatemala Photo of the Day posts so far.

Together, Betty’s youngest children make up The Three Musketeers.  They kept us entertained throughout the days as we worked on their new home.

“All for one, and one for all!”

The Discipline Of Measuring Our Lives

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Peter Drucker

I keep track of my daily exercise on a calendar.  I track my mileage.  I track the amount of time I exercise.  And I track the number of days I exercise as the year goes along.  With these measurements, I can determine if I’m on track to meet my fitness goals.  Recently, I started tracking my weight lifting on a smart phone application.  This helps me remember where I am, and it helps me see growth.

I keep track of my daily devotion time.  I write down the passages of scripture I read, and I take note of anything that stuck out to me.  I write these things down in my journal.

I keep track of our families financial status.  I keep it up to date on a spreadsheet, and I graph our progress to make sure we our on track to meet our financial goals.

I keep track of a lot of things at work.  I track the performance of my team members.  I track my daily schedule.  I track my customers response rate and satisfaction level.

Some people might think I’m a little crazy, but I think there is something powerful about the discipline of measuring our lives.

Measurement is a process of recording what is happening in our lives.  It’s the action of tracking what is going on, and it helps us see how we are being stretched.

Take time to measure what is going on around you!

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of measuring your life?  How has measurement made a difference in your life?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Smiles And Frisbees Are Universal

Leanne is a preschool teacher in the United States, so it’s not surprising that she would find connection with Rosita and her youngest brothers.

Going on a mission trip to a foreign country can be pretty scary.  Short-term missionaries often wonder how they will connect with the people they are serving.  They also wonder how their gifts might be used in a place that is not familiar to them.

Leanne expressed concern that she couldn’t speak Spanish and would struggle to connect with those in Xenacoj, but I think this picture shows that smiles and frisbees are universal.  Since returning home, Leanne has been taking Spanish at our local community college.  She will be taking her first written final exam in many years this week when she finishes up the class.  She is looking forward to continuing these studies, so she’s ready to talk with Rosita and the other children in the village our family has come to know and love.

What scares you about going to a foreign land?  How do you think your skills and gifts be used in a place like Xenacoj?

The Discipline Of Boundaries

Yesterday, one of my team members came to me for some advice (and help).  He has several projects in his backlog that require his project management attention and design engineering attention.  I remember the feelings I had when I was in a similar position many years ago.  I often thought “Where do I start?” and “How do I keep all these plates spinning?”  My team member constantly gets phone calls from customers and installation staff with “urgent” requests for assistance.  This is a problem many project managers face, and the problem has only gotten worse in today’s “Gotta Have It Now” world where we are all connected instantaneously through smart phones and email.  We have conditioned our customers to expect an immediate response.  This isn’t all together bad.  After all, we want to bring a superior level of customer service to our customer base.  However, without appropriate boundaries, we set ourselves up for failure.  We will never accomplish the important things, because we are busy attending to the urgent things.

You may disagree with me, but I suggested to my team member that he shut his email and his phone off for a period of time to focus on some of the things on his “To Do List” that needed attention.  Before lunch and before the close of the day, he can turn them back on to check in on any messages that he may have received.  This will give him the chance to get work done and then to address any “urgent” needs of his customers.

We all need boundaries in our lives.  As a matter of fact, I would suggest we need to practice the discipline of boundaries in our daily lives.  Boundaries mean thinking through the list of goals you have and creating fences around your time and your commitments to make sure you can hit these goals.  Boundaries also protect us from going to unhealthy places in our lives.

I would challenge you to consider what boundaries you need to set in your life.  What needs to go?  What needs to stay?

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of boundaries?  How have boundaries made a difference in your life?