Spiritual Journeys Today

Our trip began early yesterday morning with our neighbor, Dean Swanson, providing us with a ride to the airport. Thanks, Dean, for your contribution to this ministry! We left Rochester at 2 am and were treated to a wonderful display of the power and beauty of God’s creation in the form of an incredible lightning display on the way to the airport. Security and bag drop off went smoothly and we were at the gate before 4 am. But the storm was continuing, with lots more lightning. Our 5:25 flight left sometime between 7 and 7:30. As we only had an hour between flights, we missed our connecting flight to Guatemala City and assumed we had missed the flight an hour later as well. We followed the instructions Delta gave us and spent an hour and 45 minutes in lines, on the phone trying to figure what the plans needed to be. We found out we had been automatically booked onto a 7 pm flight. We had troubles getting boarding passes printed and were eventually told to go to the gate and get them printed there. We took some time doing so and got there in time to see the second flight sitting at the gate with the door already shut but being held up while the took our luggage off the plane. The gate agent said if we had arrived a few minutes earlier we would have been on the plane as there were empty seats. I haf interacted with three different people, none of whom gave me an inkling that there was a plane still on the ground. Let’s just cut to the chase and say this was very frustrating and that my opinion of Delta’s processes wasn’t very high. I wish I had taken the time to stop and pray about it. We spent the rest of the day in Atlanta, trying unsuccessfully to sleep. I worked on a couple songs for the album. I want to thank heather Nielsen and Wayne Wiley for their advice and assistance throughout the day. This included what I later realized was a 6 am phone call to Heather made from the airplane as I tried to make sure that our driver and hotel would be notified of the delays. Sorry, Heather! Thanks to Wayne for booking a hotel and ensuring a safe night in Guatemala City. We are safe and sound, Jan and John are still sleeping and I am reminded that I don’t turn to God often enough when life’s difficulties are happening. The most important thing I have to do this morning is to thank God for getting us here safely and for giving us this opportunity. I am realizing that communications such as these can spread the word about this ministry as well as keep those who are interested in us aware of what is happening. I will try to send them faithfully and often. We thank you and thank God for your prayers and support.

I have a few other people I would like to thank as well before I wrap up. I have four wonderful and dedicated mentors who interact with me on a regular basis on this spiritual journey on mine. They are Aileen Williams, Pastor Amanda Larsen, Ken Bauman and Lynn Behnke.
I had an opportunity to spend time with each of them this past week and as always, they provided support, sage advice, direction and amazing doses of God’s love as we spoke. I have experienced so much spiritual growth as a result of these amazing relationships built on our individual experiences with God. To the 4 of you, simply, I love you and I thank you for your time, your wisdom and for all you have given me!
Lynn, thanks for Carla’s rocks and your gentle reminders that people remember what I say especially when they’re wrong…please write the story of the rocks down soon in a form I can publish.
Aileen, thanks for your hugs, your stories that inspire me to do more, your smiles and your wisdom.
Ken, thanks for your leadership and your friendship on our walk together. Where is God in this? Everywhere.
Amanda, thanks for all you have taught me, especially about the importance of sharing our the stories of our experiences with God.

As we spoke to Amanda early in the week, she asked if we had been commissioned in church before this trip. We had not. We all agreed that was too bad. On Friday morning, I called her and asked if she could make time on Friday night for her to commission us. In spite of the late notice and having other plans while her sister Eve is in town, she took the time to have supper with us. We all went back to our house. Dean, our neighbor who provided our ride, was out and agreed to join us. Amanda then proceeded to provide a short and simple but extraordinarily beautiful commissioning in our backyard.
It choked us up and in a word, was perfect! She made us aware that God is and always will be present, there, here and anywhere we are. She reminded that we serve God as we go and that our stories of this journey serve God. She told us to be to be open to God, to the things he would have us see and hear. She recognized that this is a time of discernment but also that all the answers won’t come at once.
It was perfect!
Thanks, Amanda!
Thank you, God, for all those you place in our paths!

John

• 2013 YAM Guatemala Slideshow

Tina Wong’s 2013 Guatemala Experience

Guatemala 2013 YAM Trip

I am a Nurse Practitioner in Medical Oncology for GYN cancers at Mayo Clinic and had the honor to see patients in Guatemala along with Dr. John Wesley. I saw both men and women from age 14 through age 90, while Dr. John focused on the children. Thank you for this incredible opportunity to experience what life is like in a third world country and to be humbled by their daily struggles and at the same time awed by their generous humanity, never once witnessing an act of anger or entitlement. Each of the five days we saw patients, a long line would be forming before we ever arrived to the clinic location for the day. Dr. John and were able to see from 36 to 39 patients daily, and unfortunately some were turned away, but never was there any anger or plea to be seen, only quiet disappointment. Some of the people only receive healthcare when a mission group travels to their village, making it difficult to effectively manage chronic conditions such as htn or diabetes. I would like to tell you about three of the patients I pray I helped.

Imagine…..
You are a young 24 year old woman, married and expecting her first child. The pregnancy has been uneventful without complication even though you live in a small concrete room with a metal roof and dirt floor. There is no electricity, heat, or air conditioning. The water is not safe to drink and you have one basin that is filled daily with water to be used for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. All the water must be boiled for safe consumption. You are poor and your husband works hard away from home everyday and out of communication. Today is January 9, 2013 and you hear that a medical team from the USA will be near your village today and you plan to make the long walk, in shoes that have a sole less than 1/8 of an inch in depth, in the heat, alone, because you were told that your baby was due on December 27, 2012….. I will call her Maria…..I fear the worst, that the baby has no heartbeat….Upon asking questions I learn that she feels the baby move every 15-20 minutes and hasn’t felt pain or been bleeding. I am excited to examine her belly and am able to feel the head in the downward delivery position, the butt at the top of the uterus, and the back to her right side. I tentatively place my stethoscope over the baby’s back in hopes of finding a heartbeat, difficult without a Doppler that magnifies the sound, and I listened intently…..and there it was a fast but normal fetal heartbeat clearly echoing in my stethoscope. A sigh of relief spread throughout the room, to the interpreter’s face, the nurse’s face, and to the young Mom to be. I was able to tell her that the baby sounded healthy and that first babies are often late. I wanted her to be checked at a clinic with a Doppler in a week if the baby hadn’t been born, but she said if her husband could take her she would, if not the baby would be delivered at home without further medical intervention.

Imagine…..
You are an 82 year old woman with a loving husband, but you have worked hard labor all your life, washing clothes, sewing and weaving clothes to wear and to sell, cooking for a family, and tending to the household. Your eyes are dry and burn from the sun and heat, and your vision is poor from years of focusing closing on needle work. You have arthritis from carrying heavy loads on your head, your back, and from kneeling on your lower legs and ankles working. You are at most 4 feet 5 inches tall because you grew up without the nutrition needed to grow tall and strong. For some time now you have been vomiting and having diarrhea multiple times a day, and are taking in very little food, and no pure water. You hear that a medical team from the USA is coming to you village today and you want to find out if your condition can be helped. Your husband accompanies you on the long walking journey. ….. Rosa sat down next to her husband and they both began to talk in Quiche, rapidly, with hand motions I could understand…the interpreter confirmed she had been vomiting and having diarrhea uncontrollably and need help. The triage sheet stunned me…she weighed only 55 pounds. On exam I was horrified at her emaciated body and signs of severe dehydration. Her tongue was full of deep crevices from lack of water and her body looked like a concentration camp victim. In addition, the interpreter leaned over and explained that her husband was drunk and upon further investigation her son was also an alcoholic and she had not been cared for. I spoke with Heather, one of our team leaders who has dedicated 3 ½ years of her life to the Guatemalan people, and I explained that Rosa was near death, and could we get her to a hospital. Much conversation ensued between Heather, a local interpreter, and Rosa and her husband. Rosa could get a ride from a local man to a hospital in Chi Chi, 30 minutes away, and Salud y Paz would use an emergency fund to pay her way. But in Guatemala, food is not provided in the hospital, only doctor care and medicines, so social services would need to be involved. Rosa wanted to go to the hospital, but her husband wanted to take her home, as it is believed that to go to a hospital at her age means she will not come home. He was crying and pulling on her sweater, but because he was intoxicated, we could send her to the hospital without his consent. It is through your support of this mission and Salud y Paz that Rosa has been given a second chance.

Imagine…..
You are a 65 year old woman living with your granddaughter. You have worked very hard all of your life washing clothes, sewing and weaving clothes to wear and to sell, cooking for a family, and tending to the household. Your eyes are dry and burn from the sun and heat, and your vision is poor from years of focusing closing on needle work. You have arthritis from carrying heavy loads on your head, your back, and from kneeling for long hours on your lower legs and ankles working. Your daughter lives in Guatemala City so that she can earn a better living, but your granddaughter stayed behind to finish school. In Guatemala school is free through the 6th grade only. Today you hear that a medical team from the USA is visiting your village and you decide to make the long walk to see them. ……. Manuela sat down and explained to me through tears that her heart was hearting. Throughout our conversation and upon exam I did not find anything physically wrong, but discovered that even in a third world country, where their physical ailments are not the same as ours, the emotional and spiritual illness are very much the same. Manuela’s granddaughter had just moved to Guatemala City to work with her mother, leaving Manuela all alone in her village, and she felt all alone in the world. This was one opportunity for me to discuss seeking counsel from her pastor and church members, and to show her that I cared about her and that God cared about her. I gave her a month’s supply of vitamins, that I learned are a placebo for hope in Guatemala, but I also offered to pray for her, and both she and I knew this was more powerful than a vitamin.

Thank you again for allowing me to take part in this incredible opportunity.

Good-morning everyone, my name is Abby LeFebre. I am a nurse at Mayo and a member of a very small Methodist church in Eyota, MN. I have never been on any type of mission trip before. My church is too small to support their own trip, but I have always been interested in them. I didn’t really know what to expect from this trip other than what I assumed would be a great experience. I had the pleasure of going on this trip with two coworkers. Other than that I was acquaintances with everyone else from meetings and the fundraiser auction. I have to say that we are no longer strangers, we are sisters, brothers, and friends. This trip turned out to be incredible and life changing for me. It is hard to put my experience into words because it was so emotional. I feel sad, mad, happy, guilty, and changed. I went on this trip to try to change someone’s life for the better and ended up getting a change for myself. Once in Guatemala I was jaw-droppingly shocked that the life there could be so black and white different than life here. Seeing first hand in the clinic that someone my age, 23, with 3 kids and a very hard life. Which I could see from the wrinkles in her face, dirt and dust on her skin, and odorous clothing. She ended up having parasites in her intestines because the water isn’t clean. How did I get so lucky to be born in the US? Where I take things like that for granted. Seeing child after child after child who was severely malnourished and dehydrated. The kids were all so small. I worked in triage for the medical team, and I was always shocked and saddened when they would tell me their age because I would have guessed they were 3-4 years younger. Each day we set up clinic we ended up not having enough time to see all the patients. Which, of course, made me very frustrated and sad. Each night at Camp Lamoa we would go around the table and share an experience or favorite part of the day. I had shared my frustrations, as I am sure many others did too, with Kelly our team leader. On Friday night she shared this story with us,

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!” The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for supporting us on this life-changing journey. I now know that it is through acts of giving that we truly receive. The book of John says, “Dear children let us not love with our words or tongue, but with actions and truth.” Thank you again and God Bless.

I woke up in my hotel in Boston at 3:30 AM this morning. I found myself thinking about what’s happened in my life over the last four months concerning the possibility of building a hospital in Guatemala. Life has been so incredibly busy over the last few weeks, and I haven’t taken the time to really connect with God. I reached out to God… and God was there. I found myself thinking about the wonder of that simple statement, ‘God was there’.
The song was the result. Why is it so hard to just find the time to spend with God?

May you feel and recognize God’s hand moving in your life, today and always!

‘Finding Time for God’

When I, think ’bout, what God has done for me
I feel a smile spread through my being as big as it can be
Just the, thought that, God loves me, takes the time
To nurture me and guide me, a miracle, sublime

I feel, secure, at home where e’re I’m at
Nothing, on earth, feels quite the same as that
How great, Thou art, words so very true
My life, so changed, special and brand-new

You keep changing me and molding me
In ways I can’t describe
When I take time to seek You out, I find You by my side
I feel your presence filling me, electric now, recharging me
It feels so wonderful, and yet I find that I

Let the busyness of life each day,
Consume my time, pull me away
Why’s it so hard, to stay focused on You?
I wander and I slowly plod,
When I should run straight to You, God
I’m Yours, and always will be, God, it’s true
I belong to You

When I, think ’bout, what God has done for me
I feel a smile spread through my being as big as it can be
Just the, thought that, God loves me, takes the time
To nurture me and guide me, a miracle, sublime

I feel, secure, at home where e’re I’m at
Nothing, on earth, feels quite the same as that
How great, Thou art, words so very true
My life, so changed, special and brand-new

Copyright 2012. John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved.

Sent from my iPhone

May you feel and recognize God’s hand moving in your life, today and always!

John

‘Metamorphosis’

Feed my soul, O God, with Your amazing love
Quench the hunger that’s my need to feel You near
Be the purpose of each moment that I live
Be my song, the words that fill my ears

Without You, I am empty, a tool that can’t be used
Filled with Your presence, anything is possible
I long to feel each day, that thrilling moment when I find I’m one with you,
My cup of joy is overflowing, my heart is truly full
Can’t find the words to help describe how much my life has changed
Since I found my new self, waiting there, on the pathway back to You

Feed my soul, O God, with Your amazing love
Quench the hunger that’s my need to feel You near
Be the purpose of each moment that I live
Be my song, the words that fill my ears

With the knowledge of Your love for me
Came complete metamorphosis
In a moment, my whole life had changed, altered nothing less
A lonely caterpillar, now an instant butterfly
Forever changed, transformed, in the blinking of an eye

Feed my soul, O God, with Your amazing love
Quench the hunger that’s my need to feel You near
Be the purpose of each moment that I live
Be my song, the words that fill my ears

Written on or about March 9, 2012.

Earlier this year, during Lent, I led a spiritual writing workshop weekly at my church. I used the book

40 Days of Praying with My Pen

by Rachel G Hackenberg.
Following is a quote from the reading for day five. “There are days, years, and seasons sometimes, when our humanity is evident and tangible in very painful ways. Let your written prayer give voice to the aches of your body, whether are your issues are of physical health or spiritual fatigue.”. I wrote what you read below, as the response to that call.

May you feel and recognize God’s hand moving in your life, today and always!

John

‘Job Prayer’
My job remains an ongoing ache,
Many of the days when I don’t think I can take
Another second, knowing all the other ways, I could be spending my time
Serving You, maybe making rhymes
That the world may never hear

My company works hard to be, the best at what they do
Healing people of disease, broken bodies, broken dreams
That they may not live to fulfill

At times, it’s hard to comprehend
The chains of meetings without end
Do make a difference, lead to change
Slowly alter, rearrange
The processes and procedures that we use

To heal with miracles, the ones
The mothers, daughters, husbands, sons
Who visit with hopes of being saved
Does my work really make
A difference? And what would it take
For me to know, deep in my heart
That all these hours are truly a part
Of the work that you want me to do

How do I find you, God, in each long weary day?
How can I change the empty way,
I feel as I take the path to work each morning

You ask us to pray unceasingly
But I forget continually
If I’d only stop for a word with You
When I am about to have to do
A task that seems so meaningless

Is it time for a change? I do not know
What would I do, where would I go?
Is my faith strong enough, are you asking me
To make a change, for my whole family?
Is now the time, is this the place?
I hear your call, I could never erase
The feelings, sensations of those times when
I can feel with my body, your presence again

I’m asking you, Lord, which road I should take?
Guide me Lord through every decision I make
Why faith is strong, I trust in You
Please show me your path, I know you’ll help me through
Every day. Amen.

Copyright 2012. John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved.
Written on or about March 5, 2012.

May you feel and recognize God’s hand moving in your life today and always!

John

‘Our God’

Our God won’t fit in a box, though we humans do certainly try
As soon as we start, to put bounds around God, our reasoning fails, and then we wonder why
Something happens that challenges, all we think we know,
The foundation crumbles, and cracks start to show
In our churches, our faith, and our lives

God is love, God’s greater than,
Our wildest dreams, our biggest plans
Far beyond the breadth of our imaginations
God is love, God works through us
If we’ll just follow, if we’ll just trust
God will fill the world with peace and hope, God will mend our warring nations
In God, we ‘re one, why can’t we see,
God gave us life, then set us free
But we can’t picture, working altogether,
But God can, and will forever

Our God can be hard to explain, words don’t exist, to truly describe
Our God belongs to all people, all nations, not one village, one town, or one tribe
God commands us to love one another each day
Just as we are to love God in every way
Love your enemies too, God will work through you
In our churches, our faith, and our lives.

Copyright 2012. John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved.
Written on or around March 4, 2012.

Yesterday was another of those days, where very early in the morning, I realize once again, to whom I belong. I belong to God, maker of all creation. My heart, my soul and every piece of my fabric, are God’s and God’s alone. What things can I do today to show the world that fact? This song is one of those ways for me.

May you feel and recognize God’s hand moving in your life, today and always!

John

‘Yours’

Yours is the path, I’ll walk today
Yours are the words I will say
Yours are the actions, that I will do
While they’re yours by default, I will freely choose to
Deliberately and consciously, live out these words
In a way that will show I am Yours
Today and tomorrow, always and forever
God, to serve You, is what I’m living for

When I tell the world, that I follow You
What does that really mean?
I’ve no mark, no degree, no tattoo up on me
Nothing at all that can clearly be seen
How can I show the world
That I love you, God, and would
Gladly give all that I am
In Your service, I want to live
All I have, joyfully give
Everything, my God, is Yours

Yours is the path, I’ll walk today
Yours are the words I will say
Yours are the actions that I will do
While they’re yours by default, I will freely choose to
Deliberately and consciously, live out these words
In a way that will show I am Yours
Today and tomorrow, always and forever
God, to serve You, is what I’m living for

When they ask me how, I know you exist
How can I ever explain?
You saved me, made me whole, patched up my hurting soul
Taking away, my fiercest pain
Having been through all that
Can’t imagine where I’d be at
If God, isn’t, wasn’t, won’t be
You exist, I’ll testify
I’m proof, look me in the eye
Every thing, my God, is Yours!

Yours is the path, I’ll walk today
Yours are the words I will say
Yours are the actions that I will do
While they’re yours by default, I will freely choose to
Deliberately and consciously, live out these words
In a way that will show I am Yours Today and tomorrow, always and forever
God, to serve You, is what I’m living for

Copyright 2012. John Lage, Jr. All rights reserved.

June 28, 2012