Seth Barnes, Jr. - The World Race 2007

Diving into the liminal space

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted an update. As I sit and consider what to write, one thing sticks out - liminality.

Liminality - of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional "in the liminal state between life and death" - Deborah Jowitt. I appreciate Deborah's quote at the end of this. I think it's from a play she wrote, but that's not important.

I've been reading From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality, by Richard Rohr recently. "Liminal space," as he calls it, is the between stage of death and life. Liminal space is when you're on the verge of greatness, yet plagued by uncertainty; it's right after the battle for a new level of life and awareness was at the apex of its intensity and swung the way of newness; it's when you hit the end of yourself and realize there's something awesome in front of you, yet you are completely incapable of taking it. It's letting go, relinquishing control and accepting the change. It's making a decision to allow a part of you to die so that you can live to a fuller degree. You can't manipulate your way into or out of liminal space, you can only accept or reject it when it comes.

Like Jonah, you can either be killed in the boat by the storm, or allow yourself to die by jumping into the waves... only to find that God takes you into his protecting and guiding hand, which may look more like the ugly innards of a fish. The time in the fish is that liminal space between death and life. And then you wait.

So what does this look like for me?

About a month ago a thought came to me - "Go to Haiti." People began asking me about it without my prompting, so I dedicated it to consideration and prayer. Shortly afterward when I asked God if I should go, he spoke to me several times that I should and confirmed it with through a few others. Then, about a week ago, I made my decision to step out of Nicaragua and go to Haiti, not knowing what this will look like.

A few months ago my friend, Baker, and I moved into a pretty comfortable house. We have wireless internet, a fully furnished kitchen, living room, three bedrooms and "chill" room. It's great! We enjoy ourselves and for a very reasonable price. Sure, I'm in the second poorest country in the west, but I can easily get my hands on some quality food and go see a movie at the theater on the weekends. It's not that hard here.

I'll be leaving this behind and going to the poorest country in the west. I'll be leaving the house and personal space behind to live in community and, more than likely, a tent. I'm leaving my comfort and security and stepping into brokenness and uncertainty. Haiti has literally been torn apart, but there are awesome reports of how it is on the mend. God is doing a new thing in that country and the Spirit is moving in tremendous ways! There is this feeling inside of me that says, "Yes! This is good. This is the Kingdom." I'm stepping out in faith and am waiting on God. There are dreams I have of my future, but I'm putting them on the line. I've got my hopes and prayers, things I believe the Lord has spoken to me, but they are not for now. I believe faithfulness in this will lead to a new level of freedom, life and kingdom awareness, but the passage there is through darkness and uncertainty.

February Update

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted something... here's my late February Update letter which I just sent out.

"With so many people like this, how do you do it?" Blaze asked me as we chugged our Powerades under the hot Nicaraguan sun. "It seems like a lost cause and such a hopeless situation."

I had just taken the fifty-something year old man and another four young adults on a walk through the "barrio" (slum) across the street after church this Sunday. It was a silent walk for the group to observe and let their spirits take in the place and see a bit of what the community is going through. We'd seen three teenage boys sitting quiet and still on a log. As we neared we could see that each of their lips and noses were pressed firmly into jars of glue. They didn't look up as we walked past.

We turned our attention from them to notice a bunch of men loudly pushing each other, laughing and carrying on. One of them came out and hugged me. He had dirt on his back and scrapes on his arm from falling over under the weight of the alcohol. We made feeble attempts at conversation for a short while before Ronaldo came up to me, smiling and shaking my hand. He hugged a few of us and told us how he was before sending us on our way. Ronaldo has threatened to commit suicide and is a regular public drunk, this after being sent to a rehab program we partner with.

The situation as a whole does indeed seem hopeless. Trash lines and clutters the streets; sewage runs into the lake nearby; it seems that most of the men of Granada have taken to alcoholism or drugs; women and children are left unloved, uncared for and unfathered; and few seem to take notice.

"I try to find one." I answered. "I ask God who the one is for today and pray and hope that it carries to the next, building into some kind of relationship."

Now as I sit back, reflecting on who these ones are, few of them remain.

Alan is going back into old habits of dishonest gain and hasn't stuck around beyond the initial help out of the gutter. Jorge and Erik have done the same. Winston is up and down... he'll come around when he needs something. The man at the nursing home is stubborn and a firm believer that there is no good in the world.

Julio, however, remains optimistic in his state - the lowliest of all! Despite his useless hand and broken ankle, we laugh together and try our best at conversation. He is a polite and cordial man, very hospitable for what little he has.

Juan continually gives praise to God for the help we are to him and remains upbeat despite his circumstances. Fourteen years ago the hospital ruined his left leg. He's had a fracture since and has been dealing with the tremendous pain and inconvenience of it all.

Marciel is also very grateful and joyful despite exceedingly difficult circumstances. She is the sole parent of four daughters and perseveres under the pressures of everyday life to bring vivacity to her home after being abused and then abandoned by her husband.

This week we have a group of fifteen staying with the Novas team at El Puente. We are facilitating their trip and serving the community together. Many of them have come to pray for and encourage these ones.

Personally, as far as the past month goes, it's been challenging. I've been convicted recently about being more personal with the locals, so I've been going into the barrios and assessing people's needs, bringing the Novas group along with me in an attempt to meet these needs.

I continue to disciple the team, especially the guys. It's been excellent. They are stepping out into their anointing more each day and I am pushing them beyond themselves. They have two months left.

In other news, for the past month or more I have sensed the Lord telling me to go to Haiti to help in relief efforts. Please pray with me about this as I pursue understanding and possibilities.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, financial support and encouragement! I certainly could not do this without you. If you would like to help keep my ministry going, you may contribute online or via check^*. I am still a bit short (about $3,000) of my total goal.

It'd be really great to hear from you how you have been doing and pray for you individually! Feel welcome to email me back, comment on my blog or find me on Skype at seth.jr.

Live well!

Seth

^* Make checks payable to Adventures in Missions and send to PO Box 534470, Atlanta, GA 30353. You'll also need to put a note that it's for Seth Barnes, Jr.

Video: Fasting and Prayer in Haiti

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

My dad and covenant brother, Aaron Bruner, posted this video on their blogs yesterday and today. It is a powerful display of what's going on in Haiti.

Video of my new pad

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

My longtime friend, Baker Nicholaou, and I moved out of the base and into a house recently. Here's a video of the place. Not too bad for a missionary living in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere! The Lord really took care of us on this one.

Pictures of the last week

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Thank you all for your concern after my fight, which, by the way, was a first. After the Superbowl I met some guys on the same corner who invited me to join them in football, soccer and basketball, which they play a block away every night. I intend to go soon and will probably meet some of the guys that attacked me there. Please pray that God uses me to reach out to them.

Here is a picture blog including a couple of parties - one at my house last Sunday, the next at El Puente on Valentine's Day. I like to think of this as a more accurate perception of a church service than many I've been to before, and I'd venture to say the majority in the U.S.. I'd be interested to hear you thoughts! The Nica Novas team is pretty incredible! You get a little feel for my house in the first several pictures, but I'll put up a video of it soon so you can really see where Baker and I are living.

Trevor, Amber (you can hardly see her behind Trevor), Garrett and Jess cooking away.

Amber and Jess make the salad

Me in my famous plaid... making some lazagna

Heather and Jess

This group's a fun one

The day after our second annual goat slaughter (read about the mishaps of our first one), we prepare the meat for the girls and serve them for a Valentine's day feast.

Garrett fries "maduros" - ripe plantanes... they're pretty yummy

Trevor grills the goat meat and puts some maduros on as well

Tom and Garrett

The girls: Val, Jess, Amber, Heather, Liana from left to right.

I got attacked by 7 Nicaraguans last night

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I was awoken by my housemate, Baker Nicholaou, at 2am saying we had to go deal with a disturbance outside of the base. So we went over to handle it. We were walking back the the house after with another Nicaraguan when it happened. Two blocks away from our house, on our road about seven guys started splitting off and walking toward us. I thought they were just hanging out when they changed my mind.

One of them came behind me and put me in a choke hold while another guy started at me from the front. I threw the guy off my back and pushed the one in front pretty hard. They tried again and I did the same thing. By then there was at least one other guy on me who pushed me from behind and kicked me on the back of my leg. That was the biggest damage they'd inflict on me. Baker also had several guys chasing him around. He was punched in the mouth, but it wasn't a very good punch. No blood or anything.

By now Baker and I were together on the other side of the group, but our friend was on the ground getting pounded by two others. He was just curled up in a ball. I looked up and around at the five others walked towards us, one of them carrying a bottle. I thought might break the end off and use it as a weapon, but he wasn't that smart. He just threw it past us, not even at us - a relief. Another walked around me and asked for my money. I told him no and said I wouldn't leave without my friend, who was still getting beat. They didn't seem to care too much about my requests so I ran up and pushed the two guys off of him and he got up and ran. I'm not sure what everyone else was doing then because we all ran back to the house. Maybe everyone else they've attacked don't resist.

When we got back, we examined our wounds. Baker had a torn shirt, a couple of very small cuts, probably from being pushed to the ground, I had skinned up hands and knees, but our friend had been stabbed in the back! Fortunately, I think it was probably the smallest cut possible by a knife. The depth was our only concern. Both our neighbors came out to see that we were OK. After a little talk and drinking of water, we cleaned up, put some bandages on and went to sleep thinking about how we could have thrown some pretty good punches in retrospect.

This is just the streets of Nicaragua at 2am, nothing to be concerned about. We're wiser for it, I got in my first fight and we're all safe!

Yesterday the guys on the Novas trip and I killed and slaughtered a goat-sheep mix called "peliway". Not sure of the spelling. We'll prepare a meal for them and serve it this afternoon as a Valentine's Day feast. I hope your Valentine's is just as fun!

The picture is of Baker and me in our house about a week ago. If we took another picture now, I think we'd still give the thumbs up and smile.

Searching for Julio, pt. 2

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here's the second installment of my epic search for Julio, the homeless man I met in the hospital. Read about how I met him here.

Searching for Julio, pt. 1

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On Thursday Liana, from the Novas team here, and I went searching for Julio. Originally I thought he was homeless, having seen him around town in begging and looking very scraggly. However, after asking around a bit, the hospital was able to give me an address - seven blocks north of chipotripa (or something like that). I took a video of our search to share with you. I continued my search the next day with Trevor, another guy from the Novas team. I'll put a video of that up tomorrow.

Finding Julio

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

After my last encounter with Julio, I returned to the hospital to catch up with him and found out he had left the day after I saw him. I asked around and found an address where he may be. I'll soon make a trip out there to see if, in fact, he is there. Please pray with me that I find him.

In the meantime, I've been helping a man named Juan. I'll tell his story soon.

In other news, my friend Baker and I recently moved into a house here in Granada on the opposite side of town. Getting things worked out there on top of other things has been a little demanding. I'm three days behind on emails and further behind on updating this blog. I plan on putting up a couple of videos soon - one of my search for Julio, the other, an intro to our new home.

Cleaning Julio

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here's something I learned recently - when a person's need is so great that you don't know how to respond, ask God how you can meet them where they are and watch out for a small way to connect to their heart. For Julio, it's a bath. This describes my relationship with him in the three visits I paid him. I wrote about the first visit (italicized) in an update letter a couple of weeks ago... (however in that update I mistakenly wrote Juan rather than Julio).

Recently I met a man named Julio in the hospital, who I had seen around town. Julio is a homeless man and looks it. I never paid him much heed, but seeing him this time, I wondered about him. I walked over to him and saw that, along with his right leg, his left hand was crippled, bending stiffly back to the outside of his arm. I began asking him questions and got to know him a little.

I asked Julio if there was anything I could do for him. "I need soap," he answered. "Look at how dirty I am. The hospital has a bathing area, but I don't have soap to use."

I quickly walked outside to a lady with a basket of basic goods such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrush and shampoo. I bought them all and returned to find Julio still sitting alone in his wheelchair where I left him. I wheeled him into the bathroom and saw that his pain was too great for him to move himself much at all. I helped to remove his clothing, which reeked of urine, and lifted him to his chair in the shower. Each step along the way, I found that there was really very little he could do by himself. In the end it was a team effort getting him clean. I only wish that he had new clothing and didn't have to return his body to the filthy clothes he still wears. This experience renewed my heart for the homeless.

About a month after this first encounter with Julio, I went back to the hospital and found that he was still there! When he saw me his eyes lit up and he started talking quickly in Spanish, smiling and making bathing gestures. He showed me that he could now walk, with a little pain, and said he still had about five weeks in the hospital. We sat and talked for a bit, although a lot fell through the cracks. I asked Julio about his family and his past and watched as he mumbled on for a while about what I couldn't tell. Tears filled his eyes and his voice broke. We sat in silence for a little while, as I threw up paltry prayers in my head.

Yesterday I returned to see Julio a third time. I noticed that he was still wearing the same clothes. I asked him if he had bathed since that first day I met him and didn't understand his response. Regardless, it was clear he was due for another. The first time, I struggled through it with the foul stench, rotting parts on his body and pervasive flakes in his hair. This time, having seen the deep love he felt and the joy he had in knowing someone cared about him, gladness overwhelmed me. I also brought him a pair of clean clothes, which he gladly change into. He looked sharp considering his circumstances.

Wheeling Julio past all the people in the hall back to his room, there was silence as they looked at him. I wondered what they were thinking about this homeless man.

I took a picture with another person's camera, but that camera was stolen soon after. I'll get another on my next visit and put it up with an update.

Reading the updates about Haiti is heartbreaking. If you would like to be involved, please read my dad's blog and follow his suggestions.

I lost my snakeskin wallet

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I arrived back here in Granada a few days ago at 3:00am. My flight arrived in Managua at 1:30. For those of you who are considering flying with Spirit Airlines, I wouldn't recommend it. The service is poor, one must pay for each checked bag, they charge for beverages, the seats are scrunched together, and sometimes they choose to fly at strange hours to save an extra buck. Last time I take that airline. But I digress.

So I arrived at the AIM base, "El Puente", at 3:00am. After getting out of the van, I retrieved my wallet, paid the driver, picked up my bags and walked up to my bed that was awaiting me so patiently. Late the next morning I decided to go to the store to pick up some food. When I went to my room to grab my wallet, I couldn't find it anywhere. I asked several of the team members to help me look and still no look. After no luck and nearly all hope escaped me, I prayed, "Lord, if you'd like to teach me something here, please teach me so that I can get my wallet back... or maybe this is just me being absent-minded."

I felt compelled to open the Bible, so I did. I don't remember the passage exactly, but it was Jesus saying something to this effect: "When you pray, expect that you will receive what you ask for." I prayed that I would get my wallet back and then went about my day, with quite some difficulty believing that I'd get it back. Before dinner I decided it'd been long enough and went to call my bank. I was sure that I'd left the wallet on the street after I paid the driver and, if so, I'd never see it again. Crime here in Granada is rampant. Anyone seeing an $80 wallet on the street with credit cards in it is going to pick it up and try to get as much money as possible.

So I called my bank, explained the situation and had a new card sent to a friend who'll conveniently come down here in a few days. As I was talking via Skype, my cell phone rang three times. Trying to sort out my problem, I ignored them all. I hung up with the lady at the bank as my phone rang a fourth time. It was Heather, a member of AIM staff here, exclaiming, "A guy came by and has your wallet!" I couldn't believe it.

Shortly after, I made my way down to this man's house. His name is Jose Luis, he has five children and no job. He was walking down the road early in the morning when he came across my wallet outside the front gate of El Puente. He didn't take anything from it, but returned it to me gladly.* What grace the Lord has for my weaknesses in belief, not to mention just remembering things!

So I'm back at it in Granada now. Time with the family was enjoyable while it lasted. I have a feeling it'll be a good while until I see them again.

*This is not the first time I've lost this same wallet. I misplace it frequently. On one such occasion, I lost it in a crowd of about 10,000 at a music festival akin to Woodstock in Chicago. Miraculously, someone found it and returned it to the lost and found with everything - cash, cards, I.D., and a ticket for the next day's concert - in its place.

Dancing with the fam

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Tonight was the last night with my uncle, aunt and cousins here in Gainesville. We played games, ate more yummy food and then danced. Here are a couple more videos for your enjoyment. This time of my family dancing. It is certainly not about looking good in this family, but we do have a great time!

Video of Barnes Christmas '09

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas all! Here is a video of the Barnes family Christmas, beginning Christmas eve when some relatives arrived and ending with our Christmas feast this afternoon. Also, here are some pictures.

7 things to make my Christmas complete

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'm sitting on the couch at my parents' house in Gainesville, Georgia. The tree is lit, presents are piled under it and sisters are seated all around. My mom made some of the most delicious lasagna I've ever eaten last night and tonight, my favorite - chicken curry. It is good to be home.

The grandparents arrived this evening, an uncle and cousins arrive in a couple of hours and some more relatives will be coming in tomorrow. This will be a packed house filled with noise and food. I haven't seen many of these relatives in a few years.

It was quite the jump going from hot, sunny Nicaragua to a cold and overcast Georgia. It didn't even feel like Christmas until that first cold breeze hit me as I stepped off the plane in Atlanta. And by the way, getting from the plane to baggage claim on an international flight in Atlanta is ridiculous! It took me almost an hour, and I was moving pretty quickly.

While I'm home, there are several things I'd like to do:

1. Catch up with all of my family members, having intentional, meaningful conversations with each of them

2. Catch up with my old high school buddies and sit in on one of their Bible studies

3. Eat Mama's delicious cooking

4. Eat grandma's incredible cookies

5. Read "From Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship" and "Adam's Return"

6. Experience the Lord in a new way

7. Party hard with the fam

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this holiday season and that you party like you mean it.

Jerry, our cat

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Enjoy this video of our cat, Jerry. She was thrown over the wall, we suspect. She was originally a pretty ugly thing, looking more like a rat than a cat. She was recently spayed. Unfortunately, her wound opened up and her intestines fell out - she was aggravating the stitches. I found her the following morning looking quite forlorn. This is after her second surgery with a cone on her head to keep her from making the same mistake again. She is now full of fur and is thriving (biting our feet and toes, spying on us in the bathroom, playing with any little thing that moves and eating a ton of cat food) on our porch!

Update

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's been a long while since I've posted a blog. I'm going to make an extra effort to be better about this. Here is an update from me, my update letter I send out to supporters and friends.

Hello everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This marked the third consecutive Thanksgiving away from my immediate family, but it was, like the others, well spent. I joined ten Nicaraguans in a trip to the Granada city dump where some sixty people work - most of them rooting through the trash looking for bottles to package up and sell back to the bottling companies. This was part of a weekly feeding at the dump that Mario Rincand, one of the local staff, heads up. He organized a special meal for them to eat. It is refreshing and encouraging to see Nicaraguans like Mario serving their own.

In other news, the team that I wrote about before has arrived! They will be here for six months partnering with us in ministry. I'll be discipling and coaching them through this transformational experience. Earlier this month I spent two weeks walking with them through training and getting to know them. It didn't take long for me to see that they were the most mature and hungry team of their age group (18-22) that I've ever seen.

Yesterday morning I took the guys to a local caf for some man-time. One of the guys asked me, "Hey Seth, how do you think we're doing as a team?" From a coach's perspective, I want to give feedback on the areas in which they can grow and encourage them when they do well. This is largely what growth depends on! It is easy to encourage when I see people doing well - people's spirits are lifted. The feedback is the harder part, but questions like this show a desire to know those subtleties that divide a team apart. And it certainly makes it easier for me.

This Nicaragua Novas team of eight (one of which is sick back home for a while - we're praying for his quick return to us) - four girls, four guys - have one week under their belt and begin consistent ministry on Monday. Please pray with me that they never tire of spending themselves on behalf of others and that they seek the Lord fervently. We will be ministering in the local dump, a nursing home they call "The Home of the Ancients", an orphanage, VBS at a nearby church, the hospital and a few other places. The team would also like to take on the challenge of starting a caf, overseeing development of the Nicaraguan House of Prayer (located on site), and furthering the growth of a literacy program here at El Puente. We will adjust along the way as the Holy Spirit moves, partnering with Him in what He's all about. I love it!

Coaching and discipling for me looks like ministering with and to this team, offering encouragement, correction, counsel, teaching and an example to live up to. Having six months of the undivided attention of eight young adults eager to grow is pretty thrilling for me. I'll be going through a few books with them, teaching them on the subjects of wellness, responsibility, leadership, spiritual gifts and whatever else the Lord gives me.

Looking ahead, I have two weeks left in Granada before flying back to Georgia for Christmas with the family. I'm told there will be grandparents, cousins, an aunt and an uncle that will join us. This'll be one of the better Christmases - I can feel it.

Pictured here are me and the team a couple of nights ago at the "Procession of the Virgin Mary" festival. Nearly half of the city was on our street. Great intro to Nicaraguan culture!

Thank you for your partnership with me in my ministry to Granada and the teams that pass through! Your continued encouragement, prayers and support enable me. If you would like to contribute financially, using the Support Me! link is a great way.

As before, I would love to answer any questions that you may have, pray for you personally or just know what's going on in your life. Just use the contact me link on the left.

May you experience God more fully this holiday season, may we learn and love all around us and may we all grow into better disciples of Christ.

Love,

Seth Barnes, Jr.

Thanksgiving in Granada, Nicaragua

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Tuesday because a couple that have been here for the past two months, Joe and Julie, left this morning. Also this morning we went to the dump and served a meal for the 50+ people that spend their days rummaging around, looking for bottles and other useful objects. Here are some pictures of Tuesday's dinner and the dump visit.

Tonight we'll eat another Thanksgiving dinner prepared buffet style by a local restaurant. I'll see about more pictures of that event. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I'm thankful today for many of you who by encouragement, prayer and financial support, enable me to be here doing what I'm doing.

What's been going on

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I feel the need to write a blog, updating people on what exactly has been going on this month. I recently returned from a two week trip to the Gateway near Matamoros, Mexico. For the past two months a group of 30+ 18-22 years olds have been training for a six month mission trip to various locations around the globe. One of these teams is eight large, most are just out of high school. There are 4 girls and 4 guys and they'll be coming down here to Granada in a little over a week for six months. I'll give you a quick look into this team. Very quick, because I have to go help make food for about 50 people. Which reminds me, I suppose I should write about that sometime.

So this team of eight is pretty great. They seek the Lord and to grow together with a greater level of intensity and dedication than I have ever seen in a team of their age. They love each other well, evidenced by their hugs, persistent encouragement, feedback and service to each other. They are a group you wouldn't naturally fit together, with varying interests, personalities and backgrounds, but they love each other so much and say it often. There are four girls and four guys. I'll be discipling each of the guys while they're here and guiding the team in spiritual growth and ministry to the people of Granada. Heather King will be investing into the team as well and discipling the girls. This will look like joining them in ministry, meeting one-on-one to hear personally how each individual is going, dance parties, conversations over the kitchen table and much more. I am excited about having them out here.

They arrive on November 30th. Please join me in praying for their growth over the next six months as I dedicate myself to them.

In other news, there are several turkeys at the local grocery store, but no oven in which to cook it. Frank, another gringo missionary here, and I have been put in charge of cooking it. Two years ago I made a turkey on the World Race in the Philippines with a couple of pots over some hot coals and it worked out pretty well. I'm praying take 2 is just as good. If you have any experience or suggestions, please do share.

OK, time to go make a bunch of food for some hungry humans. I'd venture to say the vast majority of them are jobless and many of them are homeless and/or drug addicts. I want to have the Holy Spirit do an amazing work in their lives, but don't know how to facilitate that. Going to pray about it now.

Giving birth in a broken-down van on a dusty road in Swaziland

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I've been in Mexico for the past two weeks with the Novas Project (a new version of the old First Year Missionary program). One of the teams, which I wrote about a couple of entries ago, will be joining us in ministry in Granada for the next six months. There are other teams going to Uganda, South Africa and Swaziland. I was talking with some of the girls from the Swaziland group this morning about some things to expect. I wish I had this story to share with them then. I'll have to pass it along. I don't believe I've ever seen needs more apparent in the world than those in Swaziland. This was written by Tiffany Berkowitz. My dad posted it on his blog. It's pretty wild.

I had just sat down on one of the mattresses in the common area of where we live to watch an episode of "The Office" with some of the girls. I had never seen it before, and thought a little mid-day bonding over popcorn and a show sounded pretty good.
Five minutes into the show, William and Matt walked in the room and asked the question... "Are there any girls who would want to go with Pastor Gift to deliver a baby?"

I think after the initial shock wore off... I jumped up faster than I ever had before. I looked at Erin who had also jumped up and started pumping my fists in the air and screaming with so much excitement. Within a few moments, six of us girls were piled into White Chocolate (the old white van we drive around) and ready to go. We picked the mother up from her home. Her name is Gamane. She was already in a lot of pain and could barely walk.

This is her story: Her mother was a prostitute, so she is a direct product of that lifestyle. Her mother was born again and now looks down upon her daughter, disowning her because of the lifestyle that SHE has now chosen... the life of a prostitute. Gamane, only 25 years old, is now pregnant with her 5th child, and has no idea who the father is. She is HIV positive, and has no money or food for the baby.

So we get her into WC (White Chocolate), and started comforting her. Erin, Kelly, Hannah, Kimi, Cori, and myself began to ask her questions to try and take her mind off of the pain. Erin suggested that I sing to her. So I sing. "You are the source of life, and I can't be left behind... no one else will do... I will take hold of you. I need you Jesus to come to my rescue. Tell me where else can I go? There is no other name by which I am saved, you capture me with grace. I will follow you." She was put at ease for a few moments.

The hospital was about 45 minutes away... and we were making good time.

Her contractions were getting closer and closer together. Kel started to time them, and they were about 1 minute 45 seconds apart. Kimi checked and said she wasn't that far along, and literally 30 seconds later, I look down... and see half of the baby's head!
Every one screamed "THE BABY IS COMING!" and hardly even 10 seconds later, the whole baby was out. It happened so fast!

Pastor Gift was yelling to us to shut the windows, and wrap the baby up. We didn't have anything! Luckily, Hannah had decided to layer that day (so fashionable, that girl). So she took off one of her shirts and we wrapped the baby up. A girl. A beautiful, beautiful baby girl.
I was crying. Bawling. Harder than the baby. It was the most beautiful... disgusting... thing I had ever seen. Pastor Gift told us to get the baby to suck on something, so Cori stuck her finger in the babies mouth, and she began to suck on it. Everything was normal; the baby was healthy. Then Gamane's cousin grabbed my hands and told me to help her push. We had to get everything else out of her... the umbilical cord, the amniotic sac... (I will spare the gory details for those that cannot handle it). It was insane.

We asked her what the baby's name is going to be, and she said that she didn't know. Then she told us that we could name it for her. We all got SO excited. We talked and prayed about it for a few minutes, and then decided on HOPE, which is Litsimba in Siswati (the language here).

The reason behind it is obvious. We believe that there is hope for her life. Hope for a NEW life, and that she is going to bring that Hope to Swaziland. Gamane loved it.

A few minutes later, we pulled over on the side of the road. There were no buildings around us, no people... just cows, a lot of mountains, and a lot of cows. We had a flat tire.

A young woman laying on the back seat of White Chocolate, fluids and blood everywhere, a baby bundled up on the blanket, six girls who have no idea what to do, and a flat tire. And a lot of cows.

Pastor Gift changed the tire... with a tire that was even more flat than the one that was on it before. We tried to flag a couple cars down, but no one would stop, so we did the only thing we could do... we drove. Welcome to Africa, friends.

From the moment we pulled out, you could see the lines from the rim of the tire grinding into the asphalt. 15 minutes later, we arrived at the hospital and handed them over to some professional care.

She is HIV positive, so she cannot breastfeed. We walked to the store and got some milk. Gamane asked who was singing to her in the car. I told her that I was. She said that she didn't know what was going on around her, and that all she could hear was the song, and that it helped her through everything. I cried again. We prayed over Gamane and Hope. We prayed for her little life... for God to invade her heart, then said our goodbyes. We couldn't fix the tire, which was shredded at this point, so we hitched a ride in the back of a truck and headed home.

I was thinking about the beauty of life. The miracle that it is. And then I was thinking about the tragedy of her situation. There were so many thoughts... so many emotions. It was so beautiful, and so sad.

Pastor Gift is looking for a family to take care of the baby. They may have found a home, but I ask that you all pray for Gamane and baby Hope. God has a plan for her. And Gamane saw God's love through us in a way she never had seen it before. I could see the glow of the spirit all over her. Pray for redemption in her life.

I don't really understand it all. Life. Death. Struggles. Victory. Hardships. But I do know... God... is in the midst of it. Of it ALL. He was there. He is there. He sees Gamane. He sees Hope. He loves them. He has a plan. A purpose. He does for everyone. We are blessed. Because we are alive. And we have Him.

Trick or treat or money for orphans

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When I came off the World Race about a little over a year ago, I planned to move to Colorado. I shared my plan with my blog readers and someone named Andy Ingram, without my asking, offered up his family's basement for me to live in! I didn't even know the guy, but because of the ministry that is this blog and the generosity and graciousness of this family, I was given a place to stay. What an amazing answer to prayer that was!

I lived in the Ingram's basement for about four months before taking off for Granada, Nicaragua. That was January of this year. I still keep in touch with the Ingrams. We pray for each other and encourage each other regularly. Andy and Wendy have three children - Caleb, Hannah and Rachel. The entire family took a trip to Swaziland, Africa to minister to the poor, the orphans and the widows there. They have a sincere and desperate love for the country and are actively making a difference in the nation, even from home in Colorado.

This morning I read an email from the Ingrams. One of the lines read, "Caleb is going out tomorrow night for Halloween and taking a change jar out in hopes he can raise some money for Swaziland, so we will see how God provides." Caleb is a young guy of about thirteen, yet he understands the kingdom of God like few adults and is working in his level of influence to help a dying country. (For more information on Swaziland, you may read more here.)

My challenge to you is to follow Caleb's lead: Take a jar along with your candy bag and ask if they'd like to give to the orphans in Swaziland as well. Deposit the money you've collected in your bank account and then make a contribution of the amount you collected online here. What a wonderful opportunity to go door-to-door and offer your community the privilege of caring for orphans in the country with the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world!

Some quick facts:

At the end of 2005 UNICEF reported that there were about 70,000 HIV/AIDS orphans in Swaziland. That number has increased since then. Swaziland's population was about 1,032,000 then. That means that about 6.8% of the country were HIV/AIDS orphans in 2005.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -- James 1:27

October Update

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

The base here in Granada, Nicaragua is seeing change. This week a Nicaraguan staff member was let go. He had been at the base, called "El Puente", for about as long as it's been running. This follows the trend of refining the ministry here for the last two months. I am praying that the Lord also refines me each day into realizing his intentions for me.

I have been ministering in a number of different places - a hospital, an orphanage, a school and at El Puente with a small group of guys. The hospital is one that began this month. One morning in our weekly staff meeting we began talking about health care and how the service at the local hospital is nothing much to speak of. Somewhere in that conversation, God put it on my heart to start ministering to those people. So I wrote a letter to the hospital director, met with him, met with the head nurse, jumped through some hoops, did a little dance and a couple of weeks later we have almost full access!

I was setting up this ministry because I felt the Lord guiding me to do so, yet I know that I have a weak stomach when it comes to any kind of blood and guts. (Anecdote: I once fainted and, while falling, hit my chin on the edge of the kitchen counter. Upon seeing the small cut in the mirror, I immediately turned to the toilet and threw up.)

The day before my meeting with the head nurse to arrange a schedule, Joe and Julie, a couple from the States, showed up. They said they felt the Lord guiding them to ministry in a hospital and that they'd like to start immediately. What a relief this was as it would have been just me! They accompanied me the next morning and now spend about ten hours a week ministering to the needs of the patients and staff at the hospital.

Many of the patients have been waiting months - no exaggeration - to be attended to. One lady named Rosita (pictured above with her sister, Joe and Julie), who I speak with at every visit, had a bum right leg she calls her hoof. The doctors thought they could save it by taking a piece of her fibula off her left leg and transplanting it into her right. She now has two bum legs. Rosita has been "recovering" for quite some time and has been in the hospital for about a month and a half awaiting further attention. She has bed sores, two broken hips and bruises all over her arms from the shots they give her every day. We are working at getting her, as well as others, personal wheelchairs from a ministry in Guatemala. Please join me in praying for Rosita and the many like her who are awaiting care in the hospital.

Some of the participants on the next mission trip will dive into this ministry when they arrive at the end of November. In three days I'll head out to the Gateway, AIM's base in Mexico, to meet them. The first "Novas" team to Nicaragua (pictured here) has been training at the Gateway for two months. I will guide and disciple them for the next six months. I am thrilled about the opportunity to invest so thoroughly into such raw hearts. They are hungry and eager to grow - the best sort!

This morning I was reading my dad's blog about some dreams he shares with many AIM staff:

That his children and their generation walk like Jesus walked. (For a good summary, read Luke 4-10.)
That his children & and their friends get their inheritance.
That the kingdom comes in dark places around the world.

This is why I am here - for these dreams to be realized in me and those around me. For this Novas team to begin walking as Jesus did, for them to catch a glimpse of their inheritance and for them to bring the kingdom into the dark places of Nicaragua. Places like the hospital, to people like Rosita. Many of you have partnered with me in this ministry by your support, prayers and/or encouragement. Thank you! There are many days you keep me going. I still need $6,000 for the year to continue ministry here. If you would like to contribute, you may do so using the Support Me! link on the left.

I would love to answer any questions that you may have, pray for you personally or just know what's going on in your life. You may email me at barnes.seth@gmail.com or leave a comment on any of my blogs.

My prayer is that you grasp God's love for you today. What better gift can we give God than to realize the reason why He died for us? And in return, may we all be used as a vessel to bring His kingdom to earth.

With you for the kingdom,

Seth Barnes, Jr.

Dedicate today to truth

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I've still been reading through my dad's book, The Art of Listening Prayer. I'm on day ten I believe. It was kind of strange going thru day five - relating to God as your father. A lot of the basis is on our perceptions of our father. Here my dad is suggesting his readers, in my case his son, to analyze their relationship with their earthly father and ask God how it's colored their perception of Him as their father. Fortunately for me, my dad rather set me up to understand the wonderful qualities of my Father in heaven. Thanks Dad!

The chapter this morning is titled "Getting control of your thought life," the scripture to meditate on is Philippians 4:8. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." And the challenge is to think up specific things that are true, noble, right, etc. and think about them. Naturally, thinking about these things will transform our minds to the likeness of Christ.

After doing this, I thought I'd dedicate today to truth - focusing on things that are true. Things like "He has taken me to the banquet hall, and His banner over me is love" - Song of Songs 2:4. This is one of the verses I am speaking over myself today. He has prepared for me a banquet that he wants me to enjoy thoroughly in this life and he looks on me in love. He has created me so that He could love me.

One comparison comes to mind when I think of this - the movie Babette's Feast. The story told here can be viewed as a beautiful allegory of Christianity. Babette, a humble servant, winds up winning the lottery. In response to her great fortune and with her winnings, she prepares a magnificent feast, shipping in the choicest of foods from Paris. Babette's meticulous attention to the preparation of the feast is not unlike our Father's as he prepares for us the choicest of gifts. His delight is in our enjoyment of these gifts.

One of my good friends came to me the other day and said, "All I want to do is know God's love for me." I think she's on to something here. I think the greatest gift we can give God is realizing His love for us individually.

Oh to know God as a friend, a Father, a lover! He has set before you a banquet and His banner over you is love! I imagine one of my spiritual fathers, Gary Black, saying, "Go to the mirror and prophecy this over yourself!" That might help. I'm going to look at myself in the eye and say, "Seth, your Father has prepared for you a banquet. His banner over you is love." I need to replace all lies with truths like this. I challenge you to do the same. In doing so, you more fully realize his love for you.

Analyzing my relationship with God

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I recently read Jeremiah 29:13. It was a verse that I was familiar with, having used it in teachings, prayed about and thought about. But this time was different. I had been praying the purging fire of the Holy Spirit on my life (inspired by J. Oswald Sanders' book, Spiritual Maturity - I highly recommend it), uncertain as to how the Lord would respond. I've been meditating on this thought for a while because I want so badly to be close to God... to know Him as I do a friend, but more. That's when I thought of Jeremiah 29:13 and went to read it: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

That's when the thought hit me - "Have I ever really sought God with all my heart?" I asked myself. The Lord, the God of the universe just made a promise - that I could actually find Him! I may know the Almighty as a friend and that is His desire for me. But it will cost me my whole heart.

I went to my friend and talked with her about it. I decided that I'd try it out, seeking Him with all my heart. So we agreed to fast for a few days and to pray and dedicate ourselves to seeking Him with all that we are. A fast has never been more difficult. I was drained of energy, lacking in brainpower and motivation and found it actually harder to pursue God. I didn't know where to start. I wanted so badly to hear God's voice, but I didn't know where to start. I wanted to find God in scripture, but I didn't know what to read. I prayed and found I couldn't focus my thoughts. (I found this picture online and thought it a great representation of what was going on.)

"I ought to read my dad's book, The Art of Listening Prayer," I thought. I had read it before, but never really went through it as a devotional. On the third morning I began using it as it was purposed - to help me hear God's voice.

The end of the chapter facilitated me with a question for God - "As the Lord to speak to you by showing you your heart." This was the tipping point. I did ask, and the Lord responded.

It's cluttered. You want to seek me with all of your heart, yet your heart is going in several directions.

What can I begin with today? What is one of the major things that I can struggle thru and what is a small piece of clutter that will be simpler for me to lay down? What can I give you?

You can give me your hopes and dreams. If you seek me with all your heart, I will plant these inside of you. But I want all of you first. And a smaller one would be all the programs you lead. You go forward trying to direct people to me, yet I can do so much better. Simply facilitate my movement. Wait on me. Listen and obey. Learn to love me. And I will not forget you.

I went about apologizing and beginning the process of sacrificing my hopes and dreams to the Lord, and He continued to meet me there. He gave me simple truths that I hadn't realized and helped me to de-clutter my heart so that I could seek Him with all of it.

As I seek the Lord with all of my heart, I feel led to use this blog as a medium to communicate this process. I view it as a study of my relationship with God as I pursue Him. My hope is to be real and vulnerable with you so that perhaps you may relate and grow closer to God with me.

How have you been growing closer to God? What are some ways that you've messed up and how have you gotten past those obstacles?

A picture blog of the ministry in Granada

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is Alan... he is in a rehab called Peniel. One week through and he is doing well. Keep praying for him! We will keep visiting him and keep you updated. Nothing much new yet. Read Alan's story.

Ruth, one of the girls on the Real Life team here holding a baby at a children's ministry they run. This ministry was started by Joe Carter, Caleb Spitler and Laura Overs of the last FYM team that was here. It thrives today. Thanks guys!

Playing a game at the church, Luz del Mundo (Light of the World).

The team praying with the kids afterwards.

This is the pastor of Luz del Mundo, Migelangel, and his family. They are wonderful partners in ministry with us. I sat with a few others in a meeting to discuss an idea Migelangel had. Something along the lines of showing up on a street corner that the Lord guides us to with a kettle and some soup and seeing what happens. It leaves a lot of room for God to work. We'll see where He leads us.

This is the dump where we feed people every Tuesday morning. This morning we all piled into the truck and took off at around 9:00 with another group here for the week from Rockwall, Texas. Going to the dump has been humbling and good for my spirit. It is a huge eyesore in the middle of wonderful beauty.

A team of about 25 dig in the mounds of garbage along with twice as many vultures, finding bottles and other bits of trash to salvage.

The life of Alan, pt. 2

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Continued from yesterday's blog on Alan's life...

"I came here to Charles (base director here) for help," Alan continued, swallowing the lump in his throat. "He said he would help me and he did. He sent me to rehab. I was there for five days, but I couldn't take it any longer. I could feel in my heart that I wasn't going back to drugs. I made that decision with a clear mind and dedication. I just had to get back to my little girl and girlfriend (Alan never shared her name, but I'll refer to her as Maria). My heart pulled me back to them so strongly.

"So I left the rehab after five days and went back to Maria and my daughter. They forgave me and welcomed me back and life continued as it had before. My dad even forgave me and let me come back to work! For nine months I was clean. I worked hard, I gave just about everything I earned to Maria and we were happy. But one day my friend came up to me and asked what I was doing with this girl. He said he'd seen her with my cousin and they were up to no good. I tried not to get angry and give Maria the benefit of the doubt, so I kept my cool and talked to Maria. She said it wasn't true; that she loved me; that my friend was just trying to get between us.

"A little while later Maria and I got into a fight about our daughter. I left in a hurry, but felt badly about it so I came back to apologize. When I walked back into the house to talk with her, I heard that she was on the phone. She was saying all kinds of nice things that she should say to me, but I wasn't on the other end of the line.

"After nine months of staying clean, I broke. It began just like before. I spent what I had and then began stealing from my dad's business. But sometimes that wasn't enough. My dad found out about it and again kicked me out. This time was much worse than before. I was just like my brother then, on the street with almost nothing. I started selling my clothes just like him. Anything I could find to get more drugs and more alcohol.

Alan grimaced, his face contorted as he said this. I could see the hatred he felt for himself then. Tears fell, but his voice was steady and laced with anger.

"People are nasty on the street at night. I was trying to sleep one night, close to my bag of clothes, I only had a little, when some other homeless guys came to take my bag. I got up to defend myself and what little I had, but I was weak and skinny. They beat me up and knocked my tooth out." He pointed to the vacancy between his teeth and scowled again.

"I went to the hospital and my dad came to me. This world is not meant for you,' he said. He said it would be better for me to just kill myself like my brother. He said I meant nothing to him." Again his voice wavered as he revealed more of his large wound.

"This was two weeks ago. It was tempting - just ending it all. But I couldn't do it. I've been trying to walk straight, but I keep falling down. A friend of mine opened his house to me and I've been staying there when I can, but sometimes I can't. I now have two pairs of pants and three shirts and I leave them here with the guard if I know I'm sleeping on the streets.

"I called my mom somewhere between then and now. She was very grateful to hear from me. She said she'd heard about me from someone. Said she heard I was skinny and ragged looking. Asked me if this was true. I told her it wasn't and that I was eating well. I told her I was filled in, fat even, and that I was doing very well. But I couldn't face her like this," he said motioning his arms open. "I do look ragged and skinny. I haven't eaten a good meal in a long time.

"Yesterday I felt like looking nice, so I got on my nice pants and nice shirt and went for a walk. I was just walking down central park thinking and talking to God when I heard someone yell my name, Alan!' I turned to the direction of the voice and saw her. It was my little girl. She knew who I was, but she didn't call me daddy. She started toward me, but her mother caught her by the hand and wouldn't let her come to me. Maria didn't want our daughter to have anything to do with me. She's my daughter,' I said to her. Let me just hold her.' We got into an argument there, but Maria wouldn't budge. My daughter was crying in her mother's arms and yelling, Alan, Alan!' as they left. I felt so terrible then.

"I walked back to my friend's house and told him I wanted to drink. Just get me a drink,' I told him. I just want to get drunk.' No, let's just talk it through,' he told me. But I wasn't going to listen. I got as drunk as I could yesterday."

He stared at the ground in shame. "My life is sad. I am a mess," he said. Moments of silence passed as I took in what he had just told me. I hadn't spoken in up the entire time. The situation seemed hopeless, and I couldn't say that I would be in a different place had I been plagued by those same circumstances.

"But you will be clean. There may not seem like hope," I told him, "But we serve a wonderful redeemer. There is hope."

I invited Alan to lunch that day with two other missionaries here, Frank and Baker. He told them his story and said he wanted to start a new life. He wanted to be free from all of this. He opened his wound for us to see, shared with us his brokenness and asked for our help.

He said he was going to visit his mother the next morning to talk with her a little. His voice echoed in my mind, "I couldn't face her like this. I do look ragged and skinny!" We welcomed him back to the base for a quick shave and sent him on his way, physically clean and full. Emotionally and spiritually, there is still so much to be done.

The next morning we sent him back to rehab. The first two visits to rehab were impersonal and he was given little direction. This time we have several people checking in on him and pouring into him. Please pray with me that Alan discovers hope in Christ and joy in life through him. And pray that the Lord guides those of us who are trying to lead him in the way of truth.

I will visit Alan this Sunday and update you shortly thereafter. I will also see about getting a picture of Him for you.

The life of Alan

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Last Sunday before church I sat under a tree writing in my journal and praying. As I was writing, a guy named Alan came up to me. My first thought was, "Oh great. Here I am trying to do my devotions and someone wants to disturb me." I welcomed him anyhow.

"Have you ever been enamored by a woman? He asked.

"Yes. Two or three times," I said.

"Did you have your heart broken?"

"Yes."

"What did you do?"

"I wrote in my journal," I said, pointing to it. "I talked with my parents. I voiced my feelings to close friends. I told God how I felt."

"What's the longest you were together with one of them?" he asked.

"Three years."

"We were together nine years," he said. "We had a baby girl. We were in love."

He began telling me his life's story. "I had one older brother once. We were close. I loved him. We worked at my parents' pharmacy. They own two here in Granada. But my brother hung around with the wrong people and got into drugs and alcohol. It was bad. He sold everything for the drugs. He even sold his clothes. My dad kicked him out of the house. I have a very hard headed father.

"So I cared for him as best I could. I brought him some of my clothes. I tried to help him. My dad disowned him, though. He didn't see anything good in him. But he was my older brother. I was compelled to help him. He lived on the streets like those dirty homeless men who have nothing. He didn't have anywhere to go. He lived like this for a while. Eventually he just couldn't take it any longer. He hung himself."

I watched as Alan's eyes turned red and welled up with tears as he opened his wound for me to see. It was deeper than I thought at first.

"I was with a woman then. She had my heart. We had a daughter. She's beautiful. They're both very beautiful. I was in the good graces of my father and had been working at his pharmacy. He trusted me with everything. But when my brother died, I went to one of his friends to talk. He could see how great my pain was and said I should take these drugs he had and I'd feel better. So I took them, hoping to forget my brother and the pain of losing him.

"I began taking drugs pretty regularly after that. Every weekend. But then I started drinking too and soon it became weekends and Tuesdays. Then it was weekends, Monday and Tuesday. And it wasn't long before I was drinking and doing drugs all day every day."

I looked at this man's body - thin enough to make me wonder when the last time was that he ate. His face was weeks unshaven. His toenails showed themselves jagged and discolored through his sandals. I wondered if he was still into drugs and alcohol every day.

"Sometimes I didn't have money," he continued. "My girlfriend was asking for money all the time and I couldn't always give it to her. Plus I was always drinking and doing drugs and I didn't last long at the pharmacy after that. I started taking money from the register and my dad found out. He fired me from the job and kicked me out. He put me right on the street just like my brother. My girlfriend couldn't take it, either, so she also turned her back on me. Everyone that I loved pushed me away."

Again Alan showed me a tender part of his heart. I looked around to see people beginning to file into the chairs nearby for the Sunday morning service. I felt the urgency of getting a shower and changed before it started. I hated that I thought that then. I decided I would sit with Alan as long as it took. Who knows if this man has ever said all this, if he has anyone at all or if he's at the end of his rope. Tears again gathered at the bottom of his red eyes. He sniffed a bit, looked down at the ground and tried to gather himself together to tell me the rest of his story.

I will continue Alan's story tomorrow...

Life in Granada, Nicaragua

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was in an internet cafe yesterday catching up on emails and a cockroach ran up the wall next to me. The cold gatorade ran down the back of my throat, quenching my great thirst, but the sweat running down my back was persistent this day. Things like this keep my mind on the here and now.

Last week I began meeting with a core group of Christian Nicaraguans involved in our ministry here. Fortunately, they all speak English! They all are also recovering from an assortment of addictions. Many of them recently went through rehab and struggle so deeply with a great array of issues. I'm not sure that any of them could explain well why they chose to follow Christ, much less how to do so. So, last week we all got together and I started teaching them the fundamentals of Christianity. They got pretty excited about it and started asking all kinds of questions and then arguing in Spanish for a while. This happens at least once at each meeting. I'm learning how to manage one old guy in particular who will randomly stop and asking me questions like, "Do you know how many people were on Noah's boat?" and "Do you know when the first sin was?" The Nicaraguan people have a mostly legalistic mindset. It's no wonder since Catholicism is the primary denomination here.

On Tuesday mornings I go to the dump with many of these guys to feed the 50-70 people digging around in the huge amounts of garbage there. Small trails are etched into the three feet deep mass of burning rubbish. Smoke, flies and the sound of the beautiful nature surrounding the site fill the air. It feels so out of place. I looked around me from the hill on which I stood and saw beautiful jungle at the base of a volcano, and smack in the middle of it is the Granada City Dump, La Basurera. Trash has been collecting here for years. It is good for the soul to go to this place and minister to these people.

As far as living quarters go, I moved into the base for a little while. Nobody is using the guys' dorm so Baker and I have it to ourselves. There is plenty of room and we are on site at El Puente. We will probably move into a house in January. Things are going well overall. It gets a little discouraging sometimes with the lack of fruit. I am so grateful for the Kayes and the other full-time missionaries who are here. Last night Baker and I had a pretty intense food fight. There is plenty of fun to be had.

Who is this man sniffing glue?

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have now been in Granada, Nicaragua for three weeks. The first two I spent keeping up the base (El Puente), the Kayes' home, looking at houses, getting to know new faces around El Puente and reacquainting myself with familiar ones. It's been great diving back into ministry here.

This time around is quite a bit different since I am not responsible (yet) for a short term missions team. Since the Kayes have returned, my responsibilities have dropped even further. As details about what should happen at what time, what might go wrong or how to fix what has, I began to notice people I had seen but not really paid much attention to in the past.

I was standing next to Charles' car, looking down a road, no road in particular, at nothing in particular, when Jefferson walked across my field of vision. Jefferson, a very rugged looking, insane homeless man, used to show up for many Bible studies and church services. I would see him on the street and try to befriend him, but at that point I was a policeman with a computer in my fingers and too many eyes... he wanted nothing to do with this kind of man. I left him alone for about a month and eventually I became just a normal guy looking for a friend. He walked across the road perpendicular to the one on which I stood and I wondered why he didn't have his green backpack. I wondered what stories he would tell about the last four months if his mind was right.

A day or two later I walked down central park toward the bus station and passed a young man sniffing glue. I had seen him before, but hadn't paid him much heed. The only time I did was when he sniffed so much he could hardly walk and stumbled his way across the park. "It's easy for me to point the finger," I thought when I saw him this time. "But where would I be if I were born into his shoes? It has been easy for me... I was given a comfortable life and a good education. What kind of hope does this man have? What kind of pain is he trying to numb? What would it take for him to overcome it? Can I do something about this?"

As I try to focus some more on Granada over the next year, the problems seem endless. The grips of all kinds of addictions the devil holds over Granada is firm. Change happens one life at a time, and often times it takes years for fruit to show. God has called me here for a year, but often times it's hard to see what kind of change can happen in such a short amount of time.

Please pray with me for change over this city as the Lord reaches out to his children and calls them back to himself. Many eyes are opened, but strongholds are hard to overcome.

August Update - I'm in Nicaragua!

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello again dear readers,

I am sitting in the shade away from the hot Nicaraguan sun, but my leaking skin still reminds me of the heat's intensity, even in the shade. I am house-sitting for Charles and Sarah Kaye, the base directors here in Granada.

The Kayes have an assortment of animals - a couple of birds, a turtle, a dog and an iguana, which has been roaming the trees in the Kayes' garden for the past couple of months. The grounds keepers here were just shouting a lot in Spanish and running around in front of me, so I got up to see what it was all about. The iguana had shown itself in a vulnerable location and one of the grounds keepers, Mario, was chasing it with the pool netting. He trapped the iguana and put it back in its cage, but it forced his head, now much stronger, through the openings in the wiring of the roof. I guess it decided to abort the escape mission, but was already overly committed and his body hung limp, his head clamped between the wiring. We quickly forced the poor guy back into his cage and went about duct taping a blanket around the cage to prevent any further mishaps. It's great to be back.

I went by the base, El Puente (picture above, trees in full bloom), this morning and saw several familiar faces. One pastor I had done ministry with in the local "barrio", a poor residential district across from El Puente was there. It was great to hear he and his family are well and they are still active in their ministry to the community and pursuing the Lord's direction for the church.

For parts of this month I will be maintaining the integrity of El Puente and the ministry here while the Kayes are away, ministering with a medical team from Gainesville, GA to Nicaragua's capital for a week, looking for a house and trying to learn Spanish. I was thrilled to learn of new ministries that have begun here in Granada. One in particular is a feeding ministry to the 50+ families living in Granada's city dump. This morning six Nicaraguan men piled into a truck and drove out to the dump to feed their needy fellow Nicaraguans. Any Americans jumping in with them would be their guests in the ministry. It is so rewarding to now see the locals reaching out to their own.

In other news, an American couple has just come on staff in Granada - Frank and Bekah Burder. They have been living in Birmingham, Alabama for the past several years, working and doing the nice suburban thing when, apparently, God showed them his alternative plans for their lives. I don't have the whole story, but they are coming over for dinner tonight and I'm hoping to get to know them better then. I do know that they are here to disciple. They get discipleship like few I've seen and believe, as I do, that it is the key to setting free those held captive by various addictions here in Granada. I'd also like to implement open discussions (one is happening in this picture with a team outside the dorms at El Puente) about specific struggles with those who have the strong desire for deliverance.

It is wonderful to be back and I am excited about what the next year holds. Thank you all for your investment into me and into the kingdom of God through your prayers and financial support. I still need about $6,000, plus an addition $2,000 in ministry costs for the year. I am praying for 1 person to give $200/month, 2 people to give $150/month and 3 people to give $60/month for the year to accomplish this goal. I invite you to pray along with me, asking God if he would like you to be one of these people. If you would like to contribute, you may do so online. Or you can send a check to AIM (6000 Wellspring Trail, Gainesville, GA 30506) with a note that says it's for Seth Barnes, Jr. The Jr. is key, because, as many of you may know, my father, Seth Barnes, Sr., works at AIM as well.

I pray that the Lord blesses you and brings you more into fullness of life each day. Thanks for partnering in my ministry!

Seth Barnes, Jr.

When did I become a Christian? pt. 2

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is a question that I've been asking myself for the past year and a half or so when I wrote this blog. I don't remember praying the prayer, but I can pinpoint a few times when something switched in my heart and I told God in all sincerity that I would follow him. There was the time when I prayed for healing and a person was healed, there was the time when I prayed healing over someone else and she wasn't healed and there was the wrestling with God under the waterfall.

Soon I'll be heading down to Nicaragua to help guide people to the Lord, yet I wonder of my qualifications. I know I alone am not qualified, but the grace and blood of Christ qualifies me to do even greater things than He! Yet I still turn away from him often. I consistently fail in the small things. There was a relationship that needed reconciliation recently which I was quite ready to ignore. The Lord convicted me of it and I knew I needed to make a phone call, yet I didn't. Then by his grace and perfect timing, he brought the person to me and made it easy. Yet even after he does something like this, I am selfish.

I was thinking recently about the process of refinement God has put me through the past 2 years and considering my status as a Christian and when it began. So I asked him, "God, when did I become a Christian?" Half expecting no response, he answered me, "You are still becoming one."

In the last bit of Acts 2 it says they (Christians) devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. And in return they were filled with awe and wonders and miraculous signs were done. They all had everything in common and were together, selling their possessions and giving to anyone with a need. They were glad and praised God with sincere hearts. While I can be pretty confident in saying I've got the eating part down, I still have quite a bit of work to become devoted to the others. If this is the measure of a Christian, I have quite a ways to go.

Yet I embrace the promise of the Lord that he who began a good work in me will continue until it's completed. I think it'll take me my whole life.

In the last bit of Matthew 28 Jesus commissioned the church to go make disciples. Earlier he described the cost of being a disciple as one who must give up everything he has, hate his family and follow the Lord to the cross. I have so much further to go, but I'm on the move.

I was talking with a friend about discipleship and she was saying how desperate she was for someone to disciple her. I originally thought how great a shame it was that she, being a church goer, couldn't think of a person she'd like to take on this role for her. This ought to be the primary function of the church, I thought. Then she said in an act of desperation she walked up to a local church's front office and just asked the lady there for someone who would disciple her. "I'm sorry, we don't have a program set up for that," she said.

Programs, institutions, buildings, rigidly structured services - this has become our understanding of the church. Someone who prays and asks God to come into their heart - this has become our understanding of the measure of a Christian. What happened to community, service, death to self, living every day for the Lord and to the fullest and taking every thought captive? I have a long way to go to becoming the man of God that God designed me to be. Praise God for his grace!