Same-same ... but different!

The Vietnamese vendors, when comparing their wares, always say, "same-same!"  Is this one jade?  "Same-same!"  Is it made in Vietnam?  "Same-same".  It this marble also?  "Same-same" with an all-inclusive wave of the hand.  Mm-Hmm ... same-same, but different.   After multiple trips to many foreign countries, "same-same but different" has become a family by-word we chuckle over, while realizing that "same-same" really is "same-same" the world over.
The Atlantic Ocean which splashes on the west coast of Senegal, Africa, and displays its sunset, also carries the sunrise over the Eastern United States.  The turbulent Pacific which crashes over the rocks of Oregon caresses the shores of Samoa. On the NORTH shore of the peninsula that is Santa Elena, Ecuador, palm trees wave in a balmy breeze as the gently lapping waves of the Pacific paint the exotically picturesque and tranquil scene that beckons tourists by the droves to the sandy beaches of Salinas.
But a short couple of miles away, on the SOUTH beaches of the peninsula ... ahhh ... same-same, but different!  THIS is the Pacific Ocean that I KNOW.  The Pacific of my native Northwest United States, with tumultuous waves cascading over rocks, with signs that say ... well see for yourself in the pictures.  Same-same, but different; this isn't Oregon, Dorothy!  The warning signs in Oregon are more officious ... or ... legal or something.  Here, plain and simple.  Don't do it, dummy!  Same-same, but different!

A little smaller than the Lighthouses we see in
Oregon ... same-same, but different

Salinas and La Milina are on this Peninsula; La Chocolatera
is the most Westerly point in Ecuador, and is so-named for the dark sands which color the waves.

Neal & Sherri - could be Oregon!

Salinas to the North

The LIghthouse

Just don't even think about it!

The best shot my "old" Samsung phone could catch
of the dozens of  "sea lions" (seals?)

Tren Turistico, Ecuador (Tourist Train) which ferried us on
this delightful tour

The balmy, more popular beaches of Salinas

Weekends even bring more sailboats 

I'm starting to dream in Spanish! ... well, not really, but I am dreaming in Ecuador!

Did you ever barely doze off ... and glimpse a dream that was pleasant ... wake up ... and then try to go back to the dream?  I did that yesterday and could NOT remember what the pleasant thoughts were that I wanted to get back to!
This dream, however, is real and tangible, daily becoming more vivid, colorful and specific!  And it is truly a GOD-sized, BIG DREAM because, after all, HE is a BIG GOD!  Yesterday Neal and I prayer-walked around the property, seeking God's will, blessing, direction and provision.  We already had the vague dream of hosting camps for special-needs children because this property is crying out for the sound of children and laughter again!
Then, as we arrived at the back of the property, right where the soccer field is located, an interesting sign on the building across the street caught my eye.  My EXTREMELY limited Spanish gave a hint that it was a FACILITY FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN!  That hint was confirmed today when I showed pictures at Bible Study.  It is specifically a facility to assist Downs Syndrome children.  Oh, LORD!

SO MANY WAYS TO SERVE AND BLESS SO MANY PEOPLE!  To share the love of Christ, to bring rest and recreation; camps for low income children; Youth Groups; Vacation Bible School; Five Day Clubs; Release Time Good News Clubs ... can you hear the children laughing?

And on the same parcel as the soccer field, changing rooms, bathrooms, a large snack-bar area, and a care-taker cottage.  AND AN AIR-CONDITIONED CONFERENCE ROOM!  Encouragement for families and teachers; teachings on prayer and prayer walking; prayer retreats; Youth Group Bible Studies ...  Can you hear the sound of worship songs, or prayers lifted to Heaven's Throne, of Bible pages turning? 

All of that shortly before an evening stroll to the beach ...

I can SEE AND HEAR Short-Term Missions groups laughing ... I can hear the sound of their labor as they worship, clean up debris and restore this property to a former beauty!

The front corner of the property looking back toward the soccer field; the yard and veranda are in this area.

The front corner of the property, inside the gate is a welcoming entrance,
beautiful verandas, children's play area, 10 1-bedroom/1-bath units
 and swimming pool.

The beach is about two blocks away

Lovely view toward Ballanita ~ "Little Whale"; a great place
to rest and enjoy God's creation ~ even the migrating whales!

The local malecon ... view toward Salinas

This animal and bird sanctuary welcomes visitors,
and the property graces two of the beach trails

Will you dream with us?  Dream of a place where missionary families can come for a much-needed rest and be MINISTERED TO?  Will you dream of a place where God's people can work to bless His People and BLESS the PEOPLE of ECUADOR.  Will you dream with us of a place where prayer for this nation and God's people is taught and the vision caught; where prayer is a way of life and God works powerfully through those prayers to bless His people and this nation?  For Salem First Baptist people ~ you understand "across the street and around the world!"
Even more, will you PRAY WITH AND FOR US ~ because we believe this dream is GOD-INSPIRED ~ that HE WILL BRING IT TO PASS.  And, if God has provided for you and moved your heart, you can go to the following site to make a one-time donation toward the purchase or rental of this facility, or to become monthly partners with us in the work.  Just click the link, then the DONATE button, then type in Neal and Sherri Sperling.

https://www.worldventure.com  ... okay, yeah ... well - maybe you can copy and paste the link :)

May God bless and guide you as you let Him dream through you!

On garbage and dancing ... really?

Do you ever dance or sing when you take out the garbage?  OK ... maybe when you BARELY make it in time AFTER a holiday and the garbage can is overflowing, you'll do a quick hoot and a jig.  The garbage service here always make me want to dance!  They play a fun song, peppy South American music, the words of which (not sure of the exact translation) let people know it time to bring them your trash.  Happy music, as Cesar puts it.  Ecuador-style; and it's delightful.
An analogy that occurs to me ... which might be a stretch ... when through the blood of Christ OUR garbage goes away, there is rejoicing (surely dancing!) in the presence of God's angels.  Hmmm ...

On Dreams and Ex-Pats ...

People the world over have dreams ~ some to survive, some to thrive.  Industrialization, ease of travel and  technology have catapulted people and their dreams to different countries throughout the world so that the diversity of these dreams intermingle as never before.  In areas where tourism or Ex-Pats thrive, locals laboring just to survive and feed a family regularly do so by providing goods and services to those with enough affluence to purchase their wares.
The sheer number of people traveling and living abroad seems to have grown exponentially since my first mission trip in 1995, and the experience-forged paradigm about prices created on that trip has not kept pace... so the cost of living, and thereby the potential to fulfill our dream, is suffering a major reality check!  All that to say that living in Ecuador is FAR more expensive than anticipated!  A few observations ~

• Ecuador is an OPEC nation, so gas is less than have what we pay at home ...
• Apparently tariffs, and the cost of shipping, make owning an automobile prohibitive ...
• The cost of labor is about a tenth of unskilled labor at home ...
• Electronics and basic kitchen appliances/gadgets are very expensive (I'm starting to regret some of the things I've gotten rid of, even when considering the cost of shipping) ...
• Groceries are expensive!  Wise shopping (and understanding the difference between kg and lb!) helps ...
• Somehow eating out is relatively inexpensive ...
• It's hard to find good coffee ... though I think maybe my taste-buds are adapting
• Real Estate - not nearly as inexpensive as we anticipated ...though still much cheaper than our home base in Salem
• However ... one could still easily pay upwards of a million dollars for a really nice place on the beach ... OR get a delightful, high-quality 3 bedroom, 3 bath home with a sigh-evoking view and beautiful grounds just a block from the ocean for $120,000.
• Costs, and hopefully the quality of life for natives, have increased a lot the last couple decades as a rapidly increasing number Ex-Pats, who have more disposable income, live in foreign countries.

Breezy malecon at Ballentina

All-told, I'm still sighing with delight and desire.  The later home, in the sleepy but growing community of Ballenita, inspires dreams of quiet conversation on a breezy veranda, restful afternoons walking on the beach and lovely dinner parties.  It is sufficient to accomplish our dreams; move in ready and fully furnished.  Dreamy. 

BUT ...

The large property in La Milina ... We met with the owners today to discuss some options, then revisited the house.  Oh, my, the dream is flourishing in technicolor!  There is so much that could be accomplished on this property. 

The main house has four or five bedrooms (Neal and I remember differently), a large bedroom adjacent to the reception area that would make a perfect office and counseling room, large kitchen and formal dining and living rooms.  The outside has an extensive tiled and covered veranda; large play area for children, a beautiful swimming pool, separate built-in BBQ, and several other places where additional tables and chairs can be set for quaint conversation centers.  Sale Price:  $220,000.  In the past, the property rented for $1,800 per month, which may be an option for us.
Our walk through today brought assurance from the seller that some needed repairs will be accomplished and a great deal of clean up and refurbishing with paint, etc. will be tended to.  In addition there will be living and dining room furniture added.

A large pool ... enough said

BBQ and pool equipment room; seller will repair the roof

This welcoming entrance will come alive
with well placed chairs and flowers.

This handicap ramp inspired dreams of ministering to kids
with special needs!

Some tender loving care (and water) will bring the verdant plants
back to glorious life!

Large veranda perfect for afternoon chats, dinner meetings, games
 or whatever a relaxing afternoon dictates.

Parents can enjoy children's play while relaxing on the
covered veranda

View from the hotel units; large enough area for a meeting or
social space

Two story unity featuring 10 rooms and bathrooms; one has
potential for a game/meeting room with a kitchenette

Separate tax lot, owned by same seller - soccer court, casita,
night lights, shower, toilets, changing room and large snack bar area

Two additional tax lots that could be included would allow for extra parking and laundry facility on one, and this soccer "stadium" could be used for so many outreach activities from youth groups to Special Olympics; the dream keeps growing!

Price for all three parcels:  $380,000 if memory serves; still waiting for confirming emails from real estate brokers.

Of course the minutia, the nuisance details, still need to be considered ... such as:

• we are no where near fully funded and ready to go
• we don't have the money to purchase.  Neal and I are committed to investing much of the proceeds from the sale of our home, but that still leaves an incredible amount for the purchase and start-up expense for the ministry.

Y'all know me or you wouldn't be reading this.  This is the big picture, the dream and vision of what God has laid on our heart, and the ministry we are eager to begin ~ a Guest House, loving and providing respite for missionaries, training prayer teams, leading prayer journeys, hosting prayer retreats, and doing whatever other work to bless Ecuador that God has in store!  He is a BIG GOD and we believe He wants us to ASK BIG!

Will you pray with us for HIS will, HIS provision, HIS glory, and HIS strength manifest in us?  And will you pray about how YOU can partner with us?  We NEED your prayers, your love and encouragement, teams to come and help serve, and financial partnering.

If you've managed to read this far ... way to stay the course!  Thanks for your love and support (or morbid curiosity ;-) )  Blessings!

On Divine Appointments and Ephesians 3:20

If God is in control of each day ... if He cares about all the details of our lives ... then which of each day's moments are divine appointments ...?  It occurs to me just now that surely they must all be, though I've never looked at them that way.  I'm in the habit of saying "divine appointment" when something apparently providential, and typically fun, takes place.  For the sake of this post, we'll call those moments the "divine appointments".

First, though, I'm committing to be a bit more diligent about writing this blog, and hopefully, thereby, making it a little more interesting!  I'll cut to the chase since if you're here you most likely been following our newsletter, and know that we are in Ecuador.

Divine appointments ~

• Our first Divine Appointment related to this trip took place in 1989, and it has only recently been realized as such!  That was when Matthew went to Ecuador as an Exchange Student to spend his Junior year with Cesar, who in turn spent his Senior year with us;
• this same Cesar is still our beloved "son" who met us at the airport in Guayaquil, took three days off of work, and got us settled in Salinas
• Our first full day in Salinas at Cesar's uncles home, a real estate broker shows the home; we connect with him to rent an apartment for a month!  But NO WI-FI

• He tells us about a little coffee shop run by ex-pats
• Said ex-pats are super friendly and super helpful, sharing many tips about buses, where to shop, etc.
• and, they are more than glad to let us use their WiFi anytime
• Two days later, groaning some under the strain of trying to function without internet in the apartment, another "oh, DUH!" moment prompts me to again utter a quick "Lord, would you work something out about internet!"
• Moments later as we are leaving the building we chat with the security man
• Surely prompted by the Holy Spirit I ask if there is ANYWHERE near by to connect to internet ... we got connected to internet, in our apartment!
• Late last week realizing we hadn't really asked God yet about a church, so a quick prayer during my busy scurrying to go on an errand
• a fair-haired/fair-skinned man on a bike rides by
• we both say hi; AMERICAN!  "Where 'ya from?!" I yell as he continues down the street.
• he whips a U-ee (how in the world does one spell 'made a U-turn' in vernacular?) and for the next 30-40 minutes we stand, literally in the middle of the street, visiting
• wife and two kids join us and they are delightful and eager to help the newcomers
• AND THEY TOLD US ABOUT THE ONLY ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHURCH IN SALINAS
• At that church, "Church on the Beach" the following Sunday, we were warmly welcomed into the wonderful fellowship
• one of the fellows there, an American, is a real estate agent ...
• clues us in on a good potential area
• we visit there via bus (50 cents for the two of us to go all the way to the end of the line!) and stepping off the bus, decide we are hungry
• two doors away the welcoming sign "Julia's Cafe"
• the owners are from Canada, and he drives us around the town, shows us a beautifully property for rent, and they commit to ask all their friends regarding properties!
  

The thought to "ask big" because we have a BIG GOD has also been much on my heart and mind.  We are in Ecuador with a dream ...  to start a Guest House for traveling missionaries and teams; to run a Respite House for Missionaries where they can be refreshed and ministered to; facilitate prayer retreats and conferences and train for and lead prayer journeys.  And this trip to Ecuador is for a purpose ~ to find a suitable property to accomplish said Dream.

Common sense, virtually no money and the nagging need to yet raise about 99% of our support, would seem to dictate that we dream appropriately small at this point.  But you know what?  My God is a BIG GOD!  "Ask of me ..." He says; and the Apostle reminds us in Eph. 3:20 that this BIG GOD is able "through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ASK OR THINK."

I've begun to pray accordingly!  Lord, if we should stay small at first, in the common-sense way of starting a business, then You 'betcha!  But, Lord - You are a BIG GOD Who apparently has inspired in us a BIG DREAM and I'm going to ASK BIG!  Accordingly, we shared the dream with the agent we met at church ...

... and today went an looked at a BIG DREAM.  A property with enough space to host a conference; to host prayer retreats; to bless missionary families.  A property with a pool, a pretty decent view and a very comfortable walk to the beach.  A property with so much potential it is going to take a BIG GOD to inspire DREAMS BIG ENOUGH TO FILL IT UP!

But I guess that's what serving a BIG GOD is all about.  Tomorrow we go look at more properties.  Tonight I'm going to consider "Him Who is able" and praise His Name!

11 August 2017

FINALLY FIGURED OUT (Thanks, Matthew Sperling!) why my posts from the Indonesia trip weren't visible! ANYway ... following are a few comments from that amazing journey. More to come soon on these last weeks and the next weeks.

24 June 2017

We are on the final weekend our 16-day adventure to Sulawesi, Indonesia. Our small Troupe of four has the incredible privilege of spending our final weekend reflecting and relaxing in a lovely Villa in Bali.
The contrast between this opulence and the richness of this blessing with the reality of life in a Bajau or Tolaki village is not lost on me. This life is made up of rich and poor, just and unjust, and a mass of humanity comprised of billions of souls, each with their own story. I am on a different path from theirs as we all journey through life. The rich and poor all have this in common - the LORD GOD is maker of all. And that same GOD loves each individual ONE.
We prayed much in anticipation and preparation for this trip. We have prayed and worshipped much on this adventure. We look forward in excited anticipation to the fruit that will result to the Father's glory.
When I'm back at a computer I'll share pictures, stories and reflections of the incredible experiences and delightful people I've met. Besides the whole of the trip being a "first" I had the privilege of a basic Scuba diving lesson and dive! What a thrill to see an entire world hidden beneath the surging waves!

12 June 2017

Every place on this incredible Earth and every culture and society that inhabit those special geographic locations are a unique piece of this amazing puzzle of diversity! Whether it's the weather, Starbucks with different locational mugs or the beautiful and divinely unique people - what an adventure! I'm in awe of God Who created this vastly diverse planet and then created, called and gifted people to live there.
Through a silly and fun comedy of errors, we missed our final connecting flight on Bali that would have taken us to Kendari today. So we get to learn more about each other, learn how to access and use blogs from Smartphones, experience a "cooler" :-) rainy/tropical humidity, and be blessed by this very gracious culture!
It's always an interesting and educational experience to have our view of the world broadened as we open our hearts and ears to people. We visited in the airport with a charming young man, a husband, father and sports teacher from Tunisia on summer holiday, journeying to explore an Indonesian island. We laughed, learned, saw pictures of his family; for a brief and temporal moment lives intersected and we were all blessed.
Another interesting component of this journey through life in today's world ... when we arrived at our hotel last night our taxi was scanned for hidden bombs and our luggage x-rayed. Interesting world!

It's (at least something!) is getting close!

Just over three weeks till the opportunity to go to SE Sulawesi! It is the second largest island in Indonesia, and fairly easy to locate due the the unique form of the island itself.   As I've prepared, studied and talked to the group leaders the anticipation is steadily growing.  My first and overwhelming impressions were two:  hot and humid.  Yep.
Now I'm learning more about the people groups and their lifestyles and paradigms. Without having met them I am learning to love and appreciate both the people of Sulawesi and the team with which I'll be traveling!
For now I will shop for simple gifts for our hosts and have taken care of the necessary immunizations and meds ~ Hep A, Yellow Fever - check; typhoid and malaria ~ in the works.  Insect repellent with high DEET content and mosquito netting ~ on the shopping list.  Cool clothes with wicking capacity and special hat ~ check.  Blow up air-mattress - being loaned.  Travel pillow (thanks My Pillow!) ~ check.  It's getting real! :)
I praise God for this privilege and opportunity!