Jon Stolpe
Jon Stolpe
Guatemala Photo of the Day – Picking Teams
Just beyond the circle of girls playing Duck, Duck, Goose, boys gather in the most open part of the central park for a game of soccer. The ball isn’t real fancy, but it works, and the goals are makeshift as well. My son, Isaac, jumps into it. He stands out for sure although he is probably younger than many of the boys. I didn’t watch the whole process, but the picture seems to indicate that the boys were determining teams for the big game of the night.
We all want to be picked. We all want to play the game. And we don’t want to be picked last. Many children in this village go unrecognized and unnoticed by the rest of the world, but God has a plan for each of them. In fact, He picked them to be on His team – just like He picked you and me.
Guatemala Photo of the Day – Smiles All Around
It’s amazing how a game of Duck, Duck, Goose (in Spanish) can quickly turn into a group of smiling girls. When we returned to Guatemala this summer, there was something so refreshing about the smiles shining from the faces of our young friends in Xenacoj. Laughter is such a good medicine, and we experienced the healing power of these laughs and smiles on our trip last summer.
Ice Breaker – Nice To Meet You
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.)
Question: How did we meet? (Or how did you hear about my blog?)
My Answer: I can’t really answer this one. I’m depending on all of you to leave your answers in the comments. I can’t wait to read your feedback.
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 – Duck, Duck, Goose!
Kids love to play where ever you go. It doesn’t take expensive gadgets or toys. It doesn’t take fancy electronics. It doesn’t take trophies or ribbons. It doesn’t take fancy jerseys. It just takes a group of kids. In this case, it just takes a group of kids and three girls from our team. Within minutes, there was laughter in the air as Guatemalan children chasing tall American girls around a circle in a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. This was a small reminder to embrace the simple things and to hold on to the things that kept us amused when we were children. We need this reminder from time to time!
A Chance To Make A Difference
It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.
Tom Brokaw
I received a Facebook message this week from James Cook. James is a connection I made in Guatemala this past summer. We have a few things in common: a funny sense of humor, a love for our wives and kids, and a big heart for the people of Xenacoj. James proposed to me an opportunity to make a difference in the village of Xenacoj.
James was recently back in Xenacoj for a medical missions trip. As he explained the trip to me, it was his hardest trip so far and his best trip so far. When you are in Xenacoj, it’s easy to fall in love with the people who live there and the people who serve there. Our mutual friend, Dave Sgro, is one of those people we both love as a brother. Dave lives in the United States, but he returns to Xenacoj about once a month to continue missions through GO! Ministries.
GO! Ministries brings the gospel message to Xenacoj through practical service, connection, and teaching. GO! doesn’t require a lot of on the ground resources, but there are a few indispensable tools. One of those tools is the van. Currently, GO! has a white Chevy 15-passenger van that is used to transport short-term missionaries into and around the village of Xenacoj. Dave drove the van from the United States through Mexico and down to Xenacoj when his family with 13 children lived in Xenacoj. When the family returned to the United States a few years ago, he left the van there to be used for the ministry. The van has traveled many miles and has many stories. The van has seen its better days, and the costs to repair the vehicle and to keep it road-worthy are becoming too much to be truly practical. In other words, it’s time for a new van.
If you’ve been to Xenacoj the last couple of years to serve with GO! Ministries, you probably have a van story or two. One of my favorite van stories surrounds my first visit to the village of San Antonio. This is a small mountain village three miles and forty-five minutes outside of Xenacoj. We took the van up to San Antonio. The first two miles where fairly easy as the van navigated the windy paved roads outside of Xenacoj. Then things took a bumpy turn when we turned off the payment and onto a dirt road. Before we went to far, the van stopped and Dave invited us up on the roof to enjoy the views as we continued the journey. The ride was not comfortable at all, but the views were spectacular and the memories made were incredible.
When we arrived at the top, we had the opportunity to serve a meal to the children of this small village. We also served them frozen pops we brought up from Xenacoj. These were the poorest conditions we saw during our trip to Guatemala. The experience left a mark on me forever, and this would not have happened without the van.
The cost to replace the van is $21,000. When James reached out to me, he spoke about trying to find 21 organizations to donate $1,000 each. I don’t think he was necessarily thinking about The Stretched Community being one the 21 organizations, but I couldn’t help but imagine the chance to make a difference again for Xenacoj. Why not? I have seen the impact GO! Ministries is having for the people of Xenacoj first hand, and I know a new van could help make a big difference. Let’s see if we can be one of the 21 organizations to contribute. Let’s see if we can raise $1,000 together to make a difference.
Won’t you join me in supporting this cause? Won’t you take the chance to make a difference?
For more information or to give directly to this cause, click here.
To sweeten the pot, I’d like to make an offer: For anyone who gives $25, I’ll send you a copy of Traveling Nomads: (Black and White Version)
In order to get these books, you need to make a donation through the site (click here) and indicate “Stretched” as part of your donor information. (Then send me an email at jonstolpe at gmail dot com.) Once you’ve done this, I’ll find a way to get you these books.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Guatemala Photo of the Day – Right Where She Belongs
While I was “talking” to Lucinda, Hannah was playing Duck, Duck, Goose (in Spanish of course) with several young girls from Guatemala. I captured this moment, because it shows the level of comfort Hannah had being back here for the third time. Hannah is considering a career in Spanish, and I think her experiences in Xenacoj have been instrumental in guiding her down this path. In a year and a half, we’ll be sending Hannah to college. It’s a little scary for us as parents, but there is comfort knowing we’ve done everything we could to prepare her for this step. In fact, I think this is right where she belongs – serving God by serving others, using her gifts (including her Spanish), resting in the present. I can learn a lot by watching my own kids.
Embarrassed For All The Wrong Reasons
It’s human nature to not say everything that’s on your mind at the time you think it. Because we fear saying something that people will laugh at, people will think is dumb. We’re afraid of being embarrassed.
Taylor Swift
Do you fear embarrassment?
When I was very young – probably less than two years old, my parents caught me eating a box of raisins in the garage before church one Sunday morning. On the way into the church parking lot, the raisins decided to make themselves known, and I had an explosion of epic proportions in the backseat of my parents car. I don’t have any memories of this event in my life, but my parents have repeatedly explained to me that I was embarrassed when they brought me to the church nursery without any clothes. Apparently, the explosion “destroyed” my clothing forcing me to attend church this particular morning wearing only a “fancy” cloth diaper.
When I was a little older, I wore Toughskins to school. For those who don’t know, Toughskins were a denim-like pants produced by Sears. They came in all sorts of colors: blue, green, red, and brown. At first it wasn’t a big deal. After all, many other kids were wearing Toughskins. But then something changed. All the cool kids switched to Wrangler blue jeans. Suddenly, the Toughskins weren’t so cool. I’m pretty sure I felt embarrassment wearing my Toughskins those last few times.
When I was in college, my parents came to visit with my youngest brother one weekend. For church, we went to East Main Presbyterian Church where many of my college classmates attended in their Sunday best. I wanted to make the best impression on my classmates, so I was embarrassed when my little brother decided to crawl under the pews in the middle of the service. I remember giving my Dad “the eye” as I asked him to take care of the situation. While my Dad was escorting my brother out of the sanctuary, my brother pitched a fit proclaiming “You’re hurting me!” to the quiet congregation. My cheeks turned red as I slumped down into my pew.
Looking back, I have allowed many of my perspectives on life to be blurred by those around me. I want to fit in. I want to stand out for the right reasons. And I certainly don’t want to stick out for the wrong reasons. The problem is I often get these reasons mixed up.
My guess is that I’m not alone. We all get our priorities and perspectives wrong from time to time. We get embarrassed by the things that should make us proud.
I’m thankful for my parents’ consistency at church even when they had to carry me into church half-naked. I’m thankful for God’s provision through my parents (those Toughskins were actually very tough). And I’m thankful for my brother who I care about far more than those sitting around me in church that Sunday.
There have been times when I have been embarrassed to call myself a Christian. Sometimes this embarrassment comes from the “stupid” actions of others who call themselves Christians. And some times this embarrassment comes from a fear of not fitting in with the world around me. I want to wear my faith on my sleeve for everyone to see. I want to represent the gospel well to those around me. I don’t want to me ashamed to call myself a Christian.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Romans 1:16
I shouldn’t be embarrassed to be a follower of Christ. But I should be embarrassed by my lack of follow through on what the gospel says. I should be embarrassed by the improper use of the gospel to defend positions and actions that don’t represent the love of Christ.
I don’t want to be embarrassed for the wrong reasons. How about you?
Have you ever been embarrassed? Tell us about it in the comments.
Guatemala Photo of the Day – Smiles Need No Translation
Over the past three summers, I’ve relearned a little bit of Spanish each time I am in Guatemala. But the reality is I often have to ask for help from a translator. There was nobody around to translate when I met Lucinda. We tried to exchange a few simple questions and answers with each other, but it was still hard to understand. This all changed when she flashed her toothless smile. A smile translates clearly across the language barriers of life. It’s a good reminder for me to smile.
What Happened To Your Childhood Dreams?
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What profession, career, or adventure did you dream of following?
I wanted to be a professional baseball player. I wanted to be firefighter. I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a pharmacist.
I thought – even dreamed – of becoming a missionary when I was younger. I remember hearing the stories of missionaries as they visited our church. They inspired me and captured my thoughts for days as I processed the possibility of this becoming a reality for me when I became an adult.
Those thoughts and dreams died – or at least lay dormant for a long time. The responsibilities of raising a family and paying the bills got in the way. The distractions of pursuing the American Dream diluted my childhood dreams to the point I forget my earlier hopes.
Maybe it’s time to rekindle those aspirations.
Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Act on your dreams!
What’s holding you back? What dreams do you need to reawaken? What is one step you can take to pursue your childhood dreams?
Guatemala Photo of the Day – A Million To One Shot
Before we headed to Guatemala, I picked up two t-shirts. One was a Superman shirt (my favorite superhero), and one was this Rocky shirt. I’m from the Philly area, and I always liked the Rocky story. In fine print on the shirt, it says “His whole life was a million to one shot.” Maybe this was just the right shirt to wear the day we arrived in Guatemala this past summer.
After we checked in at our new “home” for the week, we walked over to the central park in Xenacoj. Believe it or not, we kind of stuck out. After an exhausting day of travel, I found a bench to sit on while our kids started playing with other kids in the park. This young girl seemed to hang around me for some reason. If I remember correctly, her name was Lucinda. She was quiet. She was missing several of her teeth, and she had a beautiful smile. I remember leaving the park later that evening wondering more about her story. Did she still have a dad? Did she go to school? Did her parents even know where she was? Did she have any friends? And did she know the love of Jesus?
When you go on a short-term missions trip, you have all kinds of dreams and expectations. You want to build things. You want to “change” the whole world – or at least change the village. These are great hopes and dreams, but maybe a short-term missions trip is simply about interactions with kids like Lucinda. We had trouble communicating verbally, but it was clear we connected. We had a million to one shot of meeting each other (actually, it was more like ten billion to one shot), and yet, we met. I’m thankful for the “shot” to meet Lucinda.
I wonder what she’s up to today.
