Guatemala Photo of the Day – Rosita (Again)

What can I say?

Look at her.  Wouldn’t you do anything for Rosita?

To The Rescue

It wasn’t a safe condition, and there wasn’t an easy way for us to get to higher ground.  My Mom, my Dad, our dog, and I were trapped inside our house uncertain of the future.  Would the water keep rising?  Would we have enough food to last a few days?  Would we be safe?  (I don’t remember having these thoughts, but I’m sure my parents must have been very scared.  After all, this was long before the days of the cell phone.)

As the water reached the high point, a rescue team showed up at our front door in a boat.  Our family was taken to higher ground where my Grandpa was waiting for us to take us to his house which was not endanger of flooding.

We all need to be rescued.

You may not realize it, but you are either on the edge of incredible danger or you once were at some point in your life.

I was listening to the story of a friend the other day who was recovering from a very deep valley in his life.  As I heard his story, I realized I how blessed I was to be where I am today.  I also realized how close I was to my own deep, dark valleys in the journey of my life.

For one reason or another, I have been protected.  This doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.  It doesn’t mean I haven’t faced trials and tribulations of my own.  It does mean I should be thankful for the blessing of being rescued.

I think and talk a lot about living a life on mission – about having a mission mindset.

This has to be our natural response to the rescue we have experienced in our own lives.

In John 3:16, Jesus says “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, and whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.”  (my own paraphrasing)

God sent His Son on a rescue mission for you and for me.

Because we have experienced rescue in our lives, we should have a mindset to help rescue others.

How have you experienced rescue in your life?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – Let’s Get This Party Started

I remember arriving at the job site the first day last summer, and wondering how in the world we would accomplish the task at hand – to build two houses in a week (with a very limited building team).  I think this is what we were all thinking as we started our first work day this summer.

As I stood back observing and taking pictures, I was partially afraid and mostly just ready to get to work.  It wasn’t the party many of you expect, but there is nothing quite like celebrating the construction of a new home for a widow and her family.  The party was just getting underway as we met the family and tried to determine the initial steps in our building project.

How Discipline Helps Keep You Going When You Feel Like Giving Up

I had every intention of sleeping in last Thursday morning.  I’ve been getting up every day at 4:00 AM for a while (on weekdays).  I’m typically at the gym by 5:00 AM.  When I went to bed Wednesday night, I set my alarm clock back to 5:15 AM, so I could sleep in a while 75 minutes.

I wish I could tell you my internal alarm clock did the same thing.  At 4:00 AM, I was wide awake.  I looked at the clock and tried to go back to sleep.  It didn’t work.  At 4:30 AM, I was still awake, and I thought to myself, “No one is going to go to the gym for me.  If I don’t go someone else is getting ahead of me.”

This is where discipline kicks in.  Even when you feel like giving up or just taking a break, discipline spurs you on.  It reminds you to keep going, and it even carries you when you feel like you can’t do it anymore.

When you consider the disciplines or habits you want to keep, consider wisely.  These decisions along with your initial willingness to act will carry you along the journey of life.

Choose your rut wisely, because you will be in it for a long, long, time.

Choose disciplines for your life that will stretch you and help you grow.

What disciplines do you need to develop in your life?  What disciplines in your life have helped you grow?  How have you seen disciplines or habits carry you when you didn’t feel like moving forward?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – More Than A Pile of Wood

When we arrived at the job site the first day there was a pile of wood, but it was more than just a pile of wood.

The small team who arrived a few days before us had actually poured a lot of sweat and muscle into the wood.  The three members of the team who arrived early actually spent several days chopping the bark off the pieces of wood using machetes. It was hard work that left blisters on their hands and sunburn on their faces.

This pile of wood represents all the love, tenderness, and generosity that went into building each portion of this house.

Guatemala Photo of the Day – A Little Help From Our Friends

We built two houses in Guatemala this past summer.

There’s no way we could do this without some help.

German Espana worked hard ahead of our arrival, and he hired a few locals to help us out as we began our first day on the job.

One of the thing I loved about our adventure to Guatemala is the opportunity we had to work alongside locals.  They helped us, and we helped them.

Missionaries don’t have to take over; they simply need to be there to provide a boost and to point people in the right direction.  I’m so thankful for the opportunities to have a little help from new friends.

Guatemala Photo of the Day – Rosita!

I’m not sure she knew what to think when we walked into her back yard at first. She is the youngest of five children. And we are tall, white folks who speak a strange language.

Before long, Rosita captured our hearts, and we turned her expressions of uncertainty into giant smiles as we interacted with her family while we helped to build her a new home.

When we go back, it will be fun to see Rosita. I wonder if she’ll even remember us.

Ice Breaker – Star Wars

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas.  If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com.  If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

May The Fourth is rapidly approaching which means my Mom will be celebrating another birthday and many will be celebrating Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!).  Today’s Ice Breaker is inspired by Star Wars and the recent announcement of the latest addition to the Star Wars saga coming in December.  (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see the trailer below.)

Question:  Who is your favorite Star Wars character?  Which upcoming movie are you most looking forward to seeing?

My Answer:  I’ve always liked Luke Skywalker.  He’s not perfect, but he seems to represent what is right in this world.  As for an upcoming movie, I looking forward to seeing the latest Star Wars movie in December and the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie coming in March 2016.

Here are trailers to both movies:

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!

Guatemala Photo of the Day – El Alma

El alma means the soul (if Google translation is working correctly).

German Espana is the heart and soul of Santo Domingo Xenacoj.  I have met very few people with a heart the size of German’s heart.  This man will do absolutely anything for the people of his community.  This day his heart was rejoicing as he saw steps being taken to change the lives of a widow and her family.

When I grow up, I want to be like German – El Alma!

The Discipline Of Taking Risks

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

When was the last time you took a risk?

What ultimately led to you taking the risk?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big risk taker.  In fact, my natural inclination away from risk seems to grow more and more as I age.

I was listening to a podcast the other day, and someone said “The biggest risk is not taking a risk.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Being risky doesn’t have to mean doing something stupid, but it does mean getting outside your comfort zone.  It could mean taking a calculated risk.  According to dictionary.com, a calculated risk is:

a chance of failure, the probability of which is estimated before some action is undertaken.

This type of risk requires discipline.  If we don’t learn to take calculated risks from time to time we will live a life of regret and wonderment.  We’ll be left to wonder what could have been.

Three years ago, I was imprisoned by a fear of failure and a fear of the unknown.  I missed out on many opportunities because I lacked the courage and faith to step into the unknown.  This is about the time my friend, Adam Flora, asked me to join him on a missions trip to Guatemala.  It would have been much easier to simply say “no” than to go through the anxiety of saying yes and worrying about the potential outcomes.

Fortunately, I decided to take the risk.  I calculated the chance of failure, and I made the leap of faith to go along on the adventure of a lifetime.  This trip changed my perspective on short-term missions, on Guatemala, and on the importance discipline of taking risks.

Several years ago, Jason Fountain guest posted on my blog, and he shared an interested story in his post.  Here’s an excerpt from that post:

John Maxwell relates a story shared by sociologist Anthony Campolo.  Campolo tells about a group of 50 people over the age of 90 years old who were asked one question: If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?

The question was open-ended and the people’s answers were varied. However, three ideas consistently emerged.

1. If I had it to do over again, I would reflect more.
2. If I had it to do over again, I would risk more.
3. If I had it to do over again, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead.

Number two on this list was all about risk.  As I watch my daughter preparing for college, I am reminded how quickly life moves forward.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to end up like the people in Tony Campolo’s survey.  When I get to the end of my life, I want to know for certain I lived my life to the fullest.  While it may stretch me, I want to practice the discipline of taking risks.

How about you?

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of taking risks?  How has risk-taking made a difference in your life?