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2008 - A New Beginning

It is that time of the year again when everone is thinking about New Years Resolutions. Many of our resolutions are frivolous things such as "I will lose 30 lbs by summer" or "I will limit myself to desert once a week." This type of resolution will probably not even get off the ground because we all have a house full of Christmas goodies that have to be finished first.

A better idea would to be to renew our resolutions and pledges that we have made to God. Did you know that when you were baptised, regardless of what church you were baptised in, you were pledging to God to keep His commanments? If you were baptised as a child, your parents and godparents were pledging to raise you to be a commandment keeper until you were able to do it of your own accord. And did you know that every time you take holy communion (Santa Cena) you are renewing that pledge? What an awesome thought...and rather frightening too, because more often than not, we have entered into baptism and communion very casually without really thinking about what we are doing or the commitment to God that we are making.

So this year, instead of making a bunch of worthless resolutions that we won't keep anyway, let's renew our commitment to God keep His commandments with the help of the Holy Spirit. And in doing so, each one of us will contribute to making this world a better place in 2008.

"Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you...." James 4:7,8 KJV


Submitted by Doña Diana

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Winter has arrived!

Winter finally arrived here, wet, cold and stormy. We have had a lot of rain this past week and more to come. It has been dark and gloomy outside. We are chilled to the bone. We don't even think of going anywhere because the road is so muddy.
Does all this gloom and dreariness depress us? Not at all! In our part of the country rain is a blessing, especially a soft, steady rain that soaks the earth like the one that has been falling here. We know that putting up with a few days of rain now will result in a delightful Spring and Summer with green fields full of beautiful wildflowers, plenty of food for birds and wildlife, and most of all, replenished reservoirs and lakes. We are thankful to have a nice, warm home and plenty of warm clothes. We have enough food on hands to last until the rains stop and we can get to the store again.

This seems to be a central theme in life itself:
Unpleasant times need to be endured with patience and hope. We endure unpleasant medicines and medical treatments when we are ill in order to enjoy better health later on. Mothers endure childbirth for the joy of having children. Economic sacrifices are made today so that we will have savings for a home, a car, or our own retirement later on in life. We sacrifice to give our children a good home and education so that they will grow up to be healthy, productive citizens and not a drain on society.

Our patient endurance will eventually bear fruit.



This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it....
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.
Psalm 118:24, 29 NKJV

The Curse of Latin America

While disenchanted people in many countries are fed up with and rejecting failed socialism such as all of eastern Europe, Canada, Germany, and even France, to name some, the people in many countries in Latin America, a blessed continent, rich and beautiful, dream and insist in wanting to be governed by socialist demagogues and individuals whose only merits are either to have been terrorists in the past or belong to uneducated popular masses, or both. People live under anarchy, corruption and violence, insisting in blaming others for their bad decisions, their situation and their short-sightedness. It is really sad.

Stewardship

Well, Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas Season has started. We had a nice Thanksgiving with our children and grandchildren. We have a lot to be thankful for this year: good health, a nice home, enough food and clothing, feeling safe here in our new country, a wonderful church family, new friends and a different perspective that allows us to appreciate what many U.S. citizens seem to take for granted.

The other day we saw a home that was being sold by the owner. He had bought the house for an investment and the renters had trashed it. Filthy rugs, filthy walls, and weedy yard. Appliances ripped out of the walls. What a shame! Once a very nice home in a good neighborhood and now completely ransacked. It reminds me of the fact that God has put us on this earth to have dominion over it and to be good stewards.
God has leased his creation to us and what are we doing to it? Are we good tenants? Are we being good stewards? Are we going to hand back His creation in better shape than we received it? Or are we trashing God's creation just like those bad tenant have trashed that nice home?

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.....And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:28, 31 KJV

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright: but they have sought out many devices. Ecclesiastes 7:29

Happy Thanksgiving

November is a wonderful time of the year in the United States. Much of the U.S is enjoying brisk, cold weather and possibly even snow by now. One of the biggest holidays is in this month, Thanksgiving. On this national holiday the families get together on the 4th Thursday of the month to give thanks to God for all the blessings received during the past year.

Traditionally, it is "turkey day." The main menu will consist of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, candied yams, and of course, pumpkin pie. The children will be in front of the TV early to watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. After that comes NFL football and after the game, the Thanksgiving dinner, generally served in the early afternoon. This is definitely not a day to be on a diet!

So, if you are new to the U.S., be sure to take part in this wonderful holiday. It is a good way to become part of your new country's traditions.

NEWS SUMMARY

Summary of some striking news reports from the 10th to the 15th of October, 2007 in a small, third world country:

+ Woman aprehended with two stolen little girls that she was going to sell.

+ Three well known banks and an investment company swindle the savings of hundreds of people.

+Woman warden for 20 years found to direct extensive ring of corruption, prostitution and crime in women's jails. At this time she continues with her job, while her husband is in jail with a 65 year sentence for major crimes.

+ Very dirty and violent campaign between the two presidential candidates with the most votes in first election. as they campaign for the final election, filthy and slanderous accusations back and forth between party members.

+ More than 34000 cellular phones reported stolen from January to September 2007.

+ More than 5885 violent deaths reported in 2006. Only 5% went to trial, only 4% of the 5% received sentences.

+ Horrible repraisals, linchings and vigilante executions on the increase.

+ Corruption and delinquency common among police force.

+Rampant and flagrant child pornography without punishment as it is not penalized by law.

+Fake, blank ID documents available for sale in the main square of the capital.

+ Extorsion and life threats by phone from within jails to people in neighboring countries.

+ International arm traffikers purchased weapons and ammunition from the country's arm forces.


Conclussion: "THE FINAL RESULT OF CONTINUOUS SIN IS ALWAYS TOTAL COLLAPSE".

THE LORD DEMANDS TOTAL REPENTANCE, BUT HE NEVER SHUTS THE DOOR, NOR HE ABANDONS PEOPLE, THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. WHILE WE ARE STILL ALIVE.

IS THAT ALL THERE IS ?

As we journey through life and face dangers, sin, temptations, poverty, disease, hard times and many other trials and difficulties, at times we wonder and ask ourselves "Is that all there is to life"? Why was I born ? Why was I born where I was born? Why did I have the family I had? Why did I become what I became?
The basic fact that we decided to leave our native countries and seek out a more developed and wealthier country, suggest that we were seeking answers and opportunities that we did not have. The impression most of us had of the United States, was like a mirage, "the American Dream", "The land flowing with milk and honey", a Christian nation, a blessed nation, sadly and unfortunately, this is no longer true, but as The Holy Scriptures say, the Lord knows us from the moment of our conception and each one of us comes to the world with the mission to serve Him in all of our lives.
From this perspective we have to understand that the purpose of our lives is far greater than our own fulfilment and self-centeredness.
Jesus, is seeking us. He is the one guiding us and directing us to find out the purpose in our lives.
As The Lord guided us to take the decision to leave our native countries and migrate legally to this country. Jesus had a reason and is waiting for us to change our heart and commit ourselves to Him.
Let's not let our minds stray away from living the simplicity and purity of the devotion to Jesus Christ. He has a destiny and a mission for each one of us and none of us will be disappointed. Let all of us through our testimony and our lives contribute to bring a great revival to our great new nation.

"Let us focus our eyes on Jesus 24/7"

Biblical quote: "Seek The Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.". Is: 55,6.

A Message from the Past, Relevant to the Present

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...
There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

WIN OR LOSE, Part 2

The way the Lord want us to disciple a nation and deliver it from evil and sin, is by establishing four different spheres of government, all of great and equal importance covering all the aspects of man's life on earth, these different spheres, the Family government, the Church Government, the Civil government and the Economic government, complement each other without encroaching one another, nor overlapping or usurping the role of the other.

From this perspective, the Family Government is pivotal and extremely important, as it holds the society together, without which that society will eventually be destroyed.



As new legal immigrant families come or are formed here, in their need to catch up and acquire the basic things to be able to have a decent life and provide for themselves, both husband and wife will have to get jobs and work very hard and for long hours, being forced to spend less and less time together and with their children. Gradually they will be forced to pay less attention to their crucial material and spiritual needs as well as those of their children. As the children grow and develop they crave for acceptance and identity, exposing them to live on the streets and to be influenced by other people.

If they are lucky they may be found and influenced by other nice and decent young people. unfortunately many times that is not the case and they end up in the hands of gangs, immorality, promiscuity, addictions and diseases or they may be exposed to immoral adults, perverts, abusers and delinquents.

The sad thing is that from hard working decent immigrants that came in search of the so called American Dream, you may see a family unit that struggles with divorce and with children that grow up resentful, rebellious, disobedient with no identity or simply lost.



It is very important to keep all these things in mind and remember to follow the Standard, the book of life, the Bible.



Biblical Reference:

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul" Luke 9:25



The phrase of the day:

English is the language of unity and prosperity of the United States.

DESPERATE SITUATION

Editorial de Prensa Libre, Guatemala City, Guatemala

This is proof of the desperate situation that the people in this "Garden of Eden" are experiencing in a so-called democracy that is nothing but a chaotic anarchy under a totally failed government. The population is approaching a new presidential election with a whole array of candidates, promising heaven and earth, in which in reality will deliver nothing but four more years of the same or worse scenario.
The society has experienced through the last half a century or more, military dictatorships, governments of the left, governments of the right and they all have failed to deliver. The people need to understand that it is only with a God-fearing society electing upright and godly representatives that the situation is going to change. The government of a society only represents a cross-section of the people who elect them.

UNA CLARA PRUEBA DE DESESPERACION

Un verdadero reto para la efectividad del sistema legal guatemalteco lo constituye la decisión de los desesperados vecinos de la aldea Bárcenas, de Villa Nueva, y de la colonia Kennedy, de la zona 18, quienes la semana anterior anunciaron que decidieron organizarse en grupos de vigilancia y colocarán alarmas que les permitan defenderse de las acciones de los delincuentes organizados.
Es un reto porque esta actitud, obligada por la válida y justificada defensa de sus vidas y de sus bienes, logrados con años de esfuerzos y sacrificios, puede ser imitada por las numerosas áreas capitalinas donde se sufre una realidad semejante, y convertir a la capital primero, y a otras ciudades después, en áreas donde no habrá justicia sino “juicios” sumarísimos, en los cuales la única condena sea la pena de muerte, ya sea por medio de linchamiento o de cualquier otra forma de violencia.
La desesperación de los vecinos está plenamente justificada. Por un lado, los mareros han llegado al extremo de obligar a los dueños de casas a abandonarlas por temor a las amenazas impunes que lanzan estos grupos antisociales.
Por otro, en las autoridades policiales se presenta el grave problema de la corrupción, así como de la delincuencia entre un número no determinado pero lamentable de sus miembros, y como si no fuera poco, el sistema judicial del país no funciona. Esto último es una mezcla de poca eficiencia, lentitud y también negativa de los testigos para colaborar en la lucha contra la delincuencia, pero a la vez es el resultado de la ineficiencia de la justicia.
La Ciudad de Guatemala se ha convertido en los últimos años en una urbe donde reina la certeza de la inseguridad. Cada día son más las colonias que cercan sus límites y colocan garitas de entrada, con vigilantes armados que piden documentos a las personas que visitan.
El paisaje urbano se ve afectado por alambres espigados de espiral, muchas veces electrificados, pero probablemente lo más lamentable es que los ciudadanos lo consideran como parte del paisaje urbano y de las reglas que deben ser obedecidas. Pensar en que una colonia que esté rodeada y vigilada abra sus calles y permita el paso libre cualquiera, se ha convertido en un sueño o una alucinación.
El tema de la violencia callejera que afecta a la totalidad de capitalinos ha sido señalado muchas veces, y ahora es uno de los principales de la campaña electoral. Pero no se necesita ser muy sagaz para darse cuenta de que a la enorme dificultad de solucionarlo se une la urgente necesidad de tomar la decisión política de hacerlo, y de que, a la vez, el sistema de justicia esté comandado por personas dispuestas a realizar su tarea con responsabilidad, y sobre todo, con la celeridad que demandan las circunstancias desde hace tiempo.
Cualquiera de los candidatos que llegue a la primera magistratura tiene en el tema de la violencia a su principal dolor de cabeza. La eficiencia y eficacia de las autoridades en cualquiera de sus ramas es factor fundamental para que la desesperación ciudadana no sea el motivo de que proliferen las organizaciones de vigilantes, lo que es el primer paso hacia la ley de la selva.

A Special Meeting Called

My good friend, Dan D. sent me this email:

SATAN'S MEETING:
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior. Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.." "This is what I want you to do," said the devil, "Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work! Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Fill the coff ee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes.. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly! Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences. Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"
"It will work!"
It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.

Having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes? You be the judge!!!!!

Does "BUSY" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

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-Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builder's labor in vain." Ps. 127:1

No amount of success in any field of endeavor, can compensate for failure in the home.

WIN OR LOSE, Part 1

Having been born in societies with few opportunities to progress and get ahead, without law and order, societies in which the absence or scarcity of the most basic and necessary satisfactions prevail, many of its inhabitants hope and are willing to immigrate to a mirage, a land of opportunity, the so-called American Dream.
Many of these desperate people do not realize that they are coming to a different country, in which, true, it is a blessed land, due to its Christian origen and foundation, full of abundance, opportunities and beauty, it is experiencing an ungoing increase of problems.
The chances of success in the new country are far better for those immigrants that already have a relevant christian faith since they will never be alone, they will always have a guide book, a standard, a path to follow, a perspective and conduct in life that will help them reach their goals. They will be more prone to blend into their new society, to contribute and become an asset to their new communities instead of another problem.


The Phrase of the Day:

The desires of the flesh versus the desires of the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit.

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GANAR O PERDER, 1a. Parte

Conforme convivimos y nos desarrollamos en sociedades carentes de oportunidades para progresar, donde la inseguridad y la injusticia prevalecen. Paises donde la escasez y carencia de las mas básicas y necesarias satisfacciones son comunes, muchos de sus habitantes se deciden a emigrar a un espejismo, a una tierra con abundantes oportunidades, el llamado Sueno Americano.
Muchas de estas personas no se ponen a pensar que este pais aunque es mucho mas desarrollado, donde hay seguridad y muchas oportunidades, también tiene sus problemas, que también van en aumento a pesar de la abundancia y las bendiciones de las que goza basadas en sus orígenes y cimientos cristianos.
Si algún imigrante ya es crisitano, sus probabilidades de éxito, son mucho mayores, debido a su conducta, sus perspectiva, su disciplina, su forma de vida y su Fé, todo esto lo conduce al verdadero éxito y a alcanzar sus metas con certeza. Ellos están mas dispuestos a integrarse y contribuír en su nueva sociedad mejorándola en lugar de convertirse en un problema mas para la misma.

La Frase del Día:

Los deséos de la carne, versus los deséos del Espiritu. Caminemos en El Espiritu.

May 23
TAKING POVERTY OUT OF OURSELVES

Guatemala, my country of origin, is a beautiful country with only one problem...its inhabitants.

It is a country of incredible beauty and tremendous contrasts, extensively blessed with wonderful weather, rich soils, great resources and abundant water. It borders on both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. It is only two hours away by air to the biggest market and source of technology in the world, the USA.

In midst of the abundant beauty and resources, evil is rampant. This "garden of Eden" is kept from developing to its full potential by the curse of poverty, both materially and spiritually. In his book, Doing Business God's Way!, Dennis Peacocke, states that poverty is a disease of the spirit. In other words it is a disease deep-rooted in our hearts, minds, and souls, that becomes a way of life expressed by attitudes such as laziness, fear, envy, greed, disobedience, resentment, violence, dishonesty, corruption, idolatry, adultery to name a few.
To be able to eliminate poverty, we have to uproot it from inside of us and change. The moment we start our journey to a new life, we must renounce those harmful and sinful attitudes or we will find ourselves trapped in the same situation we are trying to escape. We have two options to accomplish this. We can either try to reform ourselves outwardly or we can allow God to take control of our life and reform us from inside.

"Jesus takes poverty out of people, not people out of poverty."--D.Peacocke

"Now the works of the flesh are....adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, wrath,... seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and the like........ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control... "Galatians 5: 19-22

NUESTRA NUEVA PATRIA

The purpose of this blog is to have a space in which to express and comment on the decision to leave behind our own countries and legally migrate to the United States of America to adopt it as our new fatherland or home.

Our hopes, dreams, expectations, needs and goals, as well as our role in our new society, responsibilities, obligations and contribution to enhance and improve further our new great nation, will be the focus of these comments.

We will explore the qualities that made this country great and contrast them with the negative aspects of the Third World Countries we came from and discuss how we can avoid importing these negative aspects to our new homeland. We will also discuss the positive aspects of our cultures that we are bringing with us with the hope that our participation will start a revival for the better.

We will emphasize our desire to be seen as an asset to the well-being of the society in general.