Look at that...

Ekklesia 2005

It's amazing how time passes by so quickly. It has already been a year since the last one. Ekklesia is a conference held at my church, always around this time of the year, end of January, beginning of February. It just started on Monday and it will go all the way until Saturday morning. Then on Saturday night we start a crusade until Monday night at a stadium here in Panama City. People come from different places to participate at the conference. It's amazing; it started as something really small a few years ago, only people from Panama and a few invited pastors from other countries to preach, but now it has grown to an international event. We, as people of God here in Panama, are truly blessed during this time. It is a time for refreshing and renewing. Why has God chosen such a small, third world country, to hold a conference that has grown to international proportions? Who knows, who can understand God's thinking? I can just thank Him for my country and for being part of all this, for being blessed and ministered by it...truly for being able to live and participate at this time and place in history.

We have pastors coming to preach and teach at the conference from different places. To mention a few: Ghana (Africa), Uganda (Africa), United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Australia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Argentina and Brazil. People participating basically come from the U.S., Central and South America. It just got my attention that this year, that the tsunami just happened, we have 2 preachers from that area of the world...one from Sri Lanka and another one from Malaysia. We will see what God will tell us through them.

I am expecting great things from God and that His word (preached all week) it's going to blow our minds away. This past year my church started a T.V. channel here in Panama. So many people that would probably not go to church, are able to turn on their T.V.'s and watch and listen (just out of curiosity). I believe this is a powerful tool. The word of God is alive (Hebrews 4:12...For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart), so if God chooses to touch somebody through the T.V., I believe He will. So this year people will be able to watch Ekklesia and listen to the preaching of the word of God by His servants, for the first time on T.V. here in Panama. I believe many lives are going to be touched and many will be called by the Spirit of God. It doesn't matter if they come to my church or not. What matters is that they have the opportunity to listen to the good news of the gospel (Mark 13:10...And the gospel must first be preached to all nations, Luke 21:13...This will result in your being witnesses to them). This year has been declared at my church as the year of the plenitude or fullness in God and the theme of the conference is power, passion and purpose.

Now I would like to share a little bit of Monday's message. It was very simple, easy to understand, probably something that I've heard many times, but good to meditate on, once again. The pastor that preached that night is from Ghana, Africa. His name is Dag Heward Mills, he is a doctor but left his profession to become a preacher. He was talking about the purpose of the church. Please note that I have also included some thoughts of my own.

John 3:16....For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God loves us so much that He gave His only son for the world. Some will be saved, some will not, but our job is to share these good news, so that everybody is given the opportunity to listen to them. People have to be aware that there is a heaven, but there also is a hell. The pastor shared that in Ghana some prisons are now located on what used to be castles or fortresses, built by white men when they came to Africa. He was going to one of these prisons to preach, when suddenly God gave him a thought. Men have these places to keep other people in. People who have committed a crime or done something, are kept inside these prisons, inside these walls. In the same way there is a place where people who do not have Christ in their lives will go, they will be kept there, not for a while, but for all eternity...that place is hell. We have to let people know about such a place. Do not forget that someday, somebody shared this with you. It is not our responsibility for people to believe, that can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit, but it is our duty to share this with people who do not know Jesus.

Mark 9:43-48....And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

It is better to be without one hand, one foot or one eye, than to have all these body members and go to hell. Where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. Imagine a place where a worm never, ever dies and where a fire can't be put out...it just goes on and on for eternity. I think our minds can't truly grasp that, we can picture it a little bit, but the reality is much worst. When we have a problem in life, we know that at one point or another, the situation will come to an end. But not in hell...it will go and on, and there is nothing people that are there will be able to do about it. What a place it is that the Bible says it is better if we loose a part of our body than to go there.

Luke 16:19-31....There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This is a well known story from the Bible, about Lazarus and the rich man. Whatever situation happens to you here on earth, and you are a born again Christian, you know it is not going to be forever and you have the hope of what it's to come. When you are a Christian you know your future. The pastor was saying that he graduated from medical school and became a doctor, but there was always a question nagging him that no doctor could answer for him. What happens after you die? Now he knows what will happen. When you have accepted Jesus into your life, you will be taken by angels to Abraham's bosom like Lazarus. But if you haven't, like the rich man you will be taken to hell, being in torments. The rich man then said please have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue. When have you seen somebody asking for a drop of water? People always ask for a glass of water, not for only a drop. Imagine how it will be that a tiny drop of water will be like receiving a pitcher. Then the rich man even turned into an evangelist. He asked if Lazarus could be sent to his fathers house, because he had 5 brothers, so that Lazarus could testify to them. The place is so awful that he wanted to let his family know, so that they wouldn't come into this torment for eternity.

There are people who believe that heaven and hell are just a myth. What a lie they are believing. The opportunity is here and now to share with others, what we already know for a fact.

Back once again

Well I'm back once again. This past week on Tuesday I started receiving the other types of calls. It's amazing some of the things you hear on them. I have to confess that on Tuesday I was extremely stressed with the calls. I just wanted my shift to finish and get out of there...I guess that was because it was something totally new from what I was used to. But the rest of the week I relaxed and so far I haven't had any major problems, thanks to God. I've been praying to God for his wisdom and knowledge, and that whatever obstacle I find on a call, I can overcome it with His help. I probably won't be writing as frequently as before, because I've felt kind of exhausted after work. It's incredible...I am not doing any physical work, but my mind is working a lot with these calls. I'll write a little bit of what I've had to interpret so far.

People I've been this week...

I've been several characters this week and the following are just a few of them:

I've been a nurse...telling parents how to care for their newborn daughter (6 days old) once they went home.

I've been a nurse...getting a complete history on a lady who was going to have a complete physical and pap smear, and asking her what type of birth control she wanted.

I've been a doctor...asking the patient what had brought her today to the ER.

I've been a mortgage rep...explaining what the letter he received is saying, and that simply his mortgage has been now transferred to our company.

I've been an IRS rep...explaining that to get a #, you need to submit the application along with your tax return, not just the application. (I had to interpret this like for 15 people).

I've been a anesthesiologist...explaining to a patient that in a little while he is going to have knee surgery, and that the risks of the anesthesia are very low, any risks of stroke, heart attack or seizures is very low. There would be more risk driving on the road than with the anesthesia (according to him).

I've been a Doctor...screening a 71 year old lady, who was having abdominal pain and suffered from incontinence. The lady couldn't even speak because of the pain so she had to put her daughter to speak to me.

I've been a counselor...getting a complete history from a mother's child, the child is troublesome and aggressive. Has tried to hurt himself. Killed a cat, threatened his father and keyed his father's vehicle. (This call lasted like an hour and 15 minutes).

I've been a 401 k rep...advising how much you can borrow from your 401 k.

I've been another counselor...trying to get a man to go into detox. He was completely addicted to his medications. Whenever he didn't have the medicines he would become aggressive. He hears voices telling him to do things. He was in jail for 12 years. Four of his brothers have died of overdoses or shot at. He was hit with a bat and sustained 3 fractures on his skull. His vehicle was stolen with all his belongings. Doesn't trust anyone, not even the police. (When I finished this call I was thanking God for his mercy, that I don't deserve but still he gives to me. If I thought I had any problems at all, they pale in comparison to what this man was going through. But shows me once again what a sinful and fallen world we live in.)

There were many others, but these are the ones I remember right now.

Tsunami

It is so difficult to see the images coming from Asia where the tsunami happened. So many people dead or missing and now the threat of some diseases as well. When something like this happens you tend to think..."Why?". As you start to see things through the Word of God, everything gets clearer. Really, the Word of God has in there all the answers we need, the thing is if we see it or not. These things happen because we live on a fallen world, since sin entered the earth, everything that was good wasn't good anymore. When Adam and Eve sinned we can read in Genesis 3:17 that God told Adam that "cursed is the ground because of you". Also in Romans 8:19-22 it says that "the creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth". I haven't had a child yet, but I know from seeing other women go through it that the pain is very strong. Imagine all this time that the earth has been groaning? I believe this tsunami is just a small thing compared to what is yet to come.

My pastor said (and I agree) that this was a sign of the times. I think is a good time to meditate on Matthew 24 (also Mark 13, Luke 21). Some passages to meditate on:

Matthew 24:6. This is happening already and why are we surprised, it says that such things must happen.
Matthew 24:7. We are also seeing this. It says earthquakes and how was this tsunami created? It was the result of an earthquake under water.
I believe the King is coming, anytime now, we have to be ready (Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:36-51, 2 Peter 3: 8-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).
But the Bible says on Matthew 24:6...that we shouldn't be alarmed. I was recalling back to when 9/11 happened. For me that was like the beginning of the end. On that occasion I was alarmed. But then I started meditating on all this, and since then of course I haven't liked hearing about other things happening like 3/11 on Spain, the war in Iraq, this tsunami in the Asian countries, but now I am not as surprised and alarmed as I was when 9/11 happened. These are things that will keep on happening, whether we like it or not. Is like God...He is God whether we believe He is or not. But take a look at Luke 21:28. God is good.

At church my pastor was speaking about Luke 13:1-5. People were thinking that since the blood of the Galileans was mixed with the sacrifices and that the tower had fell on top of those 18, it was because God was punishing them for something. But Jesus said no. Are the people in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and all those other places hit by the tsunami worse sinners and more guilty than us? No way! We are all sinners. But God is merciful. God is giving a time for repentance. We are no better than anyone. And this repentance is not only needed in the world, but inside churches. Inside the churches today we see envy among ministries, people talking about a brother or sister in Christ behind their back, competition to see who has more, lies, people living a double life, double morals, adultery, no holiness, and so on. People who live like this don't know Christ, because when you really know Him and realize what He has done for you, you try to live in a way that would please Him (1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Timothy 2:4). We have to recognize the condition we are living in, and that we are no better than anyone, but we are living under Gods mercy that calls us to repentance. Let us see the signs and opportunities God is giving us, so that we can take advantage of His great mercy and grace, that we do not deserve, but is still there for us.

Thank you God

Well for those of you who were praying for me for the test, I had it today and I passed...thank you God!!!. I was the first to do it from my center, the other two people that did it after me today, unfortunately didn't pass it. Others are going to be tested between tomorrow and friday, I do hope they pass it. I was very nervous (I think that is normal), but the person performing the test was extremely nice. He called me from company headquarters in Monterey, CA, and did the testing over-the-phone. I thought that I hadn't performed as well, but he told me that I did very good. There were so many words in my mind both in english and spanish...but I thank God, to Him be all the glory. I had more difficulty from spanish to english, he gave a random set of words and I had to interpret each one right away, and then he did a scenario, like if it was a call. You have to try to get your nerves under control in order to be able to think and interpret what they are saying.

Some words I learned studying for this:
Insurance: Cruise control, bucket seats, class action lawsuit, dipstick, loss of use coverage, mag. rims, malpractice insurance, joyride, scrap value, semi, tow bar.
Finance: Cashless hold, cashless sale, common and preferred stocks, currency conversion loss, hardship provisions, securities, vested and fully vested, balloon mortgage, reallocate.
Medical: amniotic liquid, blood in stools, bowel movement, embryo, heart murmur, jaundice, node, spleen, tubal ligation.

These are just a very few of the words. Before I wouldn't know how to say them in spanish. Now I do.

Thank you all for your prayers!!!!

3 things

(Courtesy of Bonnie and Micah)

3 names you go by

1. Maria Gabriela
2. Mary Gaby
3. Chichi

3 screennames you have

1. mgks7
2. chichi7
3. gaby

3 Things you like about yourself

1. I can be a great friend
2. My legs (I like them and I've also been told)
3. My smile

3 things you hate/dislike about yourself

1. My hips
2. My shyness sometimes
3. My lack of faith on occasions

3 parts of your heritage

1. Panamanian
2. Chinese
3. Hawaiian

3 things that scare you

1. Not doing God's will and on His timing
2. Growing old alone
3. Public speaking

3 of your everyday essentials

1. Bible reading and prayer
2. Water
3. Sleeping

3 things you are wearing right now

1. T-shirt
2. White shorts
3. Sandals

3 of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment)

1. Marcos Witt
2. Jesus Adrian Romero
3. Alex Campos

3 of your favorite songs at present

1. Al taller del Maestro by Alex Campos
2. Enciende una luz by Marcos Witt
3. Las avispas by Juan Luis Guerra

3 new things you want to try in the next 12 months

1. River rafting
2. Scubadiving
3. Skydiving

3 things you want in a relationship (love is a given)

1. Same and equal commitment to Christ
2. Honesty and communication
3. Faithfulness (ok...I think I went over 3)

Two Truths and a Lie: Which is the lie? (Guess in the Comments)

1. My family used to be the owner of one of the biggest chinese restaurants in Panama City.
2. I've been to one of the biggest churches in the world, that is in Korea.
3. I've been in 2 cruises, one on the Caribbean the other one in Alaska.

3 Physical Things About the Opposite Sex That Appeal to You

1. Expressive eyes
2. Great smile
3. Strong hands

3 things you just can't do

1. Go without water or sleep
2. Understand men
3. Understand how some people behave

3 of your favorite hobbies

1. Reading
2. Snorkeling
3. Walking

3 things you want to do really badly right now

1. Get closer to Jesus
2. Earn more to provide for my family
3. Get into a serious and committed relationship

3 careers you're considering

1. Translating documents (besides my current employment)
2. Assistant Manager at a business (hopefully a family business)
3. I think that's it

3 places you want to go on vacation

1. Australia
2. Greece
3. U.S. Virgin Islands

3 kids names

1. Joshua
2. Jonathan
3. I've never thought of a girls name...that's weird (frowning), probably...Janine

3 things you want to do before you die

1. Get married
2. Have kids
3. Give my mom and dad all they deserve