Terry’s Blog

I hope all of you that read this have enjoyed a very merry Christmas!  Ours has been great so far and we look forward to hosting the Hunkas tomorrow!  It has been awesome to slow down for the day!

When I have time, I’ve nothing to say.  When I have things to say, I have no time!

As we prepare for the birth of our Lord, let me just encourgage that (as Compassion says) the opposite of poverty is enough.  I have enough.  No need for the latest Iphone or Ipod.  Do I want the latest greatest…..whatever - OF COURSE!  Do I NEED it - no!  I have ENOUGH and ask you (as well as me) that THIS Christmas, let’s try to think a little about those who don’t have enough.  Don’t go as far as saying “Nothing for me or my family” or anything crazy like that.  Let’s try to do “as Jesus would” and give a little back.  Maybe cut our spending by 25% (not a bad idea anyway in this economy) and then make sure we help somebody with the 25% and not just bank it.  We all know somebody (probably in our own family) that needs help this Christmas but is afraid to ask.  Let’s not wait and put them through that.  See the need, then stand in the gap. 

Well, since the last post, life has been interesting.  I know it’s been a month, but give me a break!!!  I was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, kidney stones and spots on my lungs!  Bummer, right?  Well, yea…but NO.  You see, I’ve learned that all this means is that the devil is getting mad.  That’s right, he’s mad at all the ministry that ChildReach is and will be doing in 2009.  He’s mad at the Peterson’s and Dave went to Peru!  He’s mad that Malone University is partnering with us to provide not only nursing clinic trips, but also teams to support and possibly student teach.  He’s mad that people are signing up to scholarship children in Ecuador and Peru.  But tough luck, dude, it’s going to take more than a kidney stone or whatever to slow down this freight train!  See there’s someone standing in the ready to take my place and there’s someone standing in the ready to take his place and so on and so on.  This isn’t an “attitude, not a “surrender” flag or anything else, just the facts.

And just for the info of those of you reading, surgery went well yesterday and the kidney stones won’t be a problem for much longer.  The spots have been checked by 2 doctors and  we’ll check them again in 6 months or so, but nothing at this point to even discuss.  And the rotator cuff will be addressed soon, so now you’re up to date.

IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, DUDE??????????????????

Well, we made it home late Saturday night.  It was bittersweet, though, because it was so good to be home yet I can’t wait to return to both Peru and Ecuador.  There is much work to be done in both places, however I believe that both are in good, capable hands.

Personally, I enjoyed both segments of the trip about the same.  It was an unbelievable experience to be a part of the baptisms that took place on Saturday of the Peru trip and so cool to see the progress being made at Hannah’s Home.  It was equally impactful to visit 8 Compassion children, not in a park like we usually do, but in THEIR homes and schools.  I wish I could figure out how to put pictures on this site, pictures speak much better to the experience.

Lastly, today is Luz Mery’s birthday and another reminder that we desperately need to get her “home.”  She is rapidly becoming a young lady and that scares the crap out of me.  Here sits a young woman with no self-esteem, no hope or direction and all kinds of pressures.  Statistically if you start adding up everything, it won’t be much longer that the help she needs will turn to a whole different kind of help.  Please join me in praying not only for Luz, but for all the young ladies that are, or will be soon, facing the very thing I’m talking about.

All I can say is that tonight makes last night’s tired look like dawn!  We left  by plane for the coast around 8am and we just got back to Quito and its a little after 10pm.  But, again, I have to say we’d both (Steve and I) do it all over again.  The project visit and the family visit were priceless.  Probably the most exhausting part of the trip was the ride to and from San Roqua from Manta.  Two hours in an extended cab pickup with 6 people and a road about as smooth as swiss cheese (not baby swiss) was almost more than we could stand.  Lisabeth (Steve’s Compassion child) is as beautiful as any Miss America I’ve ever seen and to meet her family was amazing.  This is the second day in a row that we’ve gotten to meet a “whole” family, meaning Mom, Dad and kids who are definitely loved.  But to see her give Steve a love gift reduced everyone to tears.  On the way back to Manta, squeezed in the tiny truck, it was so precious to see Lisabeth sound asleep on Steve’s chest.  Yea God.

Oh by the way honey, we now sponsor 1 (and maybe 2) more Compassion girls in Ecuador.  Love you!!!!

As I sit in the HCJB Guesthouse and contemplate what a new President will mean to the United States it just gives me shivers.  There’s no other way to sa it, but it scares me a little.  Not much, truthfully, is going to impact my daily life no matter who gets in, but the possibilities…..

On a brighter note, Compassion child visits are one thing, child HOME visits are quite the otherWe had the priviledge to visit the homes of 3 of Steve;s kids today and it was amazing.  We took each family to the grocery store and bought them probably 2 months of food.  The look on the child’s face was amazing but the look on Momma’s face was priceless.  I’ll never forget the look of relief in their eyes.  Thanks, God, for an eye-opening blessed day.  May tomorrow bring more of the same.  It was a 15 1/2 hour day and we fly to the Ecuadorian coast for another 15 hour day tomorrow and I would do it all again in a minute!  Yea God!

Hi guys, I just looked at my blog and was ashamed at how long it had been since I blogged.  I am sitting on a couch in Quito Ecuador.  Steve Porter and I flew here after an amazing week in Peru.  There was a group of 11 men from RiverTree in Peru and we saw the gammet.  We laughed with the kids from Hogar, cried as we said goodbye to our Compassion kids after a wonderful day, dug the holes for the new septic system (yea, you’re right - NOT me), visited CSP homes, had a blast at dinner for the group at Hannah’s, felt an earthquake and baptized two in the cold Pacific ocean (you gotta see the video!).  God is good and He’s moving.

As many of you know, I’m flying to San Antonio this weekend to meet with David Castillo and his church leadership. Little id i know that i would also be meeting up with IKE, you may have read about him or seen him on the news. I’ll keep you informed of my meeting(s) through this blog. But as of right now, I’ve made it to Atlanta and they say my flight to San Antonio is on-time. Of course, usually they’re on-time is different from my on-time! So we’ll see, what an adventure!

Things are returning to normal around here after a hectic “welcome home.”  We arrived Thursday afternoon (sans luggage) and promptly had a dentist appointment Friday morning, Corey had surgery on his feet Friday afternoon and our grandkids came over in the evening and stayed until Saturday afternoon (and I LOVED IT!).  Sunday we went to RiverTree, then on to Goodyear Heights Baptist for a great trip meeting.  Sunday evening and most of the day Monday was spent tearing the office apart and putting it back together again so I had an organized start to the work week.  Monday night a Loving The World Concert planning meeting at Debbie’s and it was on to Tuesday.  Whew!!!  I’m tired and the week has just begun!!!

We left Peru Wednesday night and arrived home yesterday.  You won’t believe it - they lost one piece of my luggage!!!  But, that’s ok, I’m used to not having it anyway!!!!!!  We had a great trip and I think ChildReach is ready now, more than ever, for the growth God has in store for us.  I have a list, 2 pages long with 2 columns per page of things I have to get done…soon!  Slept way too little last night, got up way too early this morning but am enjoying spending the day with our grandkids!

 Oh…wait…just got my luggage delivered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!