Calvary McAllen

FROM HOUSTON WITH LOVE

I'm sitting in Houtson's George H. Bush Intercontinental airport waiting on a flight to London. From there we will change planes and go on to Nairobi. It's 3:10 p.m., Wednesday as I write this note. We will arrive in Nairobi about 6 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday (but it will already be 3 p.m. there). Lovely.

I wanted to shoot one last update to you before we cross to the other side of the ocean. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again. Please keep checking back on this blog. And please let me hear from you through the comments section at the end of each blog.

There are 14 of us sitting here waiting, ready to go. Waiting is a part of our mission. Waiting at ticket counters. Waiting at security checks. Waiting for airplanes. Waiting. It teaches us to wait on God. God wants to do something awesome in Kenya, but first we have to wait on him.

I want to thank you for taking this trip with me. You are coming with your prayers, and your financial help, and your interest in this blog. I'm glad you're with me. It gives me strength. They just called my flight. Next time I talk to you it will be from the other side of the ocean. Until then ...

Blessings,

pastor ellis

ETERNITY

I'm finished packing for Kenya and ready to go ... I think. I sat for about a half an hour consoling my children (Michael, 8 and Celeste, 7). They were crying because they don't want me to go. They don't like the idea of my airplane crossing the ocean -- afraid I might drown. To be honest, the thought crossed my mind too, but being an adult I'm able to supress such silly thoughts ... usually. I told them to stop crying. I explained that my drowning while crossing the ocean at 10,000 feet was a statistical improbability similar to winning the lottery. Celeste (through her sobs) asked me what stastistacal meant. Michael stopped crying long enough to ask me what probably meant. I decided to back up and try again. I pulled out my old, tried and true ace (it works every time) -- "I'll buy ya'll something while I'm in Africa!" They kept crying. "It'll be something really nice!!" Didn't work. "I'm only going to be gone two weeks," I pleaded with them. They held onto me even harder and cried even louder. I forgot a simple truth -- Two weeks can seem like an eternity when you're 7 and 8 years old.

It made me think of Mark Richardson and our other missionaries in Africa -- what they left behind -- what they gave up to go where God was calling them. It makes my sacrifice so insignificant that I wouldn't even call it a sacrifice. Two weeks will go by fast. My family will miss me. I'll miss them. But in the whole scheme of my life, two weeks isn't much of a sacrifice. Still, my heart hurts as I watch them cry. They don't understand the call God has on my life. They only know that Dad is going somewhere far away and won't be back for 2 weeks ... an eternity.

My heart hurts for them because right now they're hurting. But it also hurts for all our missionaries who are far away from family and friends for what seems like an eternity. Their children cry too. I'll be talking to them soon. Hugging them for you. It's hard to leave my family. Two weeks from now it will be hard to leave Africa. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now ... I have to go dry my children's tears ... and let them dry mine.

I'll talk to you tomorrow ...

Blessings,

pastor ellis

PIT FALLING

We are alive so that we can BECOME everything God created us to be. One of the things he created us to be is a MINISTER. There are several Greek words used for minister in the New Testament. One of them means to stand beside, another to heal (it's the word that gives us our word, therapeutic). So to be a minister means that you are one who stands by someone when they are hurting or dying or alone, and you help them to heal. It's one of the most fulfilling things you will every do. It's what God created you to do.

There was once a man who was walking along a road when he fell into a pit. He never saw it coming. The pit was very deep and steep. He couldn't get out. Several self-righteous people came by and saw the man in the pit but they did not help him. They were too busy or too afraid of the pit or too self-righteous (afterall, what kind of idiot can't see a pit in the middle of the road?).

Finally, a friend came by and when he saw the man in the pit he jumped down into the pit with him. The first man said to his friend, "That was dumb. Now we are both stuck in this pit." And his friend said to him, "No ... you see, I've been in this pit before ... and I know the way out."

So, the next time you see someone who has fallen into the proverbial pit and can't get out, you stop and stand beside them (which means you jump into the pit with them). And then you help them to heal (which means you show them the way out of the pit). Don't be too busy ... anything worth having will wait until you have finished helping. Don't be self-righteous ... you have your own pits, you're just better at hiding them. Don't be afraid ... this is what you were born to do.

Blessings,

pastor ellis

SECOND KENYA TEAM LEAVES

The second Kenya team left today. Please pray for them by name. They are: Michael Priolo, Josh Gassaway, Dr. Elisa Sanchez, Cristian Sanchez, Gabriel Sanchez, Sydney Minerly, Kristy Salazar, Ingo Tophoeven (pastor at Valley Fellowship). This group will be doing inner city work in Nairobi.

Keep coming back to this blog for more udates and send it to all your friends and neighbors so that they will know how to pray. Beginning on Tuesday, June 13th I will be blogging exclusively on the Kenya mission trip. ALSO, check out the blog below this one -- it is an udate from David Chan and the Lead Team.

blessings,

pastor ellis

KENYA LEAD TEAM UPDATE

The team is having trouble updating The Imagine Network website ... keep checking back there as well as here. Here is an udate I received from them via email.

The Journey so far...

Hello friends and family! We spent our first full day in Kenya today and we're off to a good start - at least we think so compared to previous ventures!

Some of our luggage went "on holiday" in London for an extra day, but we received it all tonight and can now change out of 3-day old socks ... wow that feels good!

The flights were indeed long, as forecasted, however the 6 kids traveled superbly! Only 50% got sick
at some point during the 24-hour motion-sickness endurance-challenge -- riding planes, charter buses, and luggage carts all the way from the U.S. through England and into Sub-Saharan Africa.

Kenya actually straddles the equator, so while we flew in from the Northern hemi, we're actually now in the Southern, but when we go to the Children's Home in Lemoru, we'll be in the Northern again! Fun times for toilet flush watchers!

So, we're here. We're safe. We're sound. We're sleepy! The 8-hour difference gets me right about 4 in the afternoon where my body says "do you realize you have been up all night??!!" Tomorrow, Friday, we should continue adjusting, continue planning for the Big Conference, and hopefully be introduced to some precious abandoned babies....

We're having a little trouble posting to the site, so hopefully we'll be up soon. But whenever you read this, know that we appreciate you and your thoughts, and look forward to taking care of mundane things so that the way can be paved for amazing life-transformation things to happen -- in us, in our kids, in the teams to follow and somehow in God's own unique ways, in changing Kenya for Good!

for the fame of One name -
David Chan

CALVARY VISION, PT.3

The final piece to our vision is to BECOME all that God wants us to be. We call this chasing God's dream for our lives. God created you with purpose and for a purpose. "'I know the plans I have for you,' saith the Lord" (Jer.29:11). God's grace comes to all of us in different packages -- different shapes and sizes -- but we all get it for free. There is nothing we can do to earn it. But once we have it, we are locked into a relationship with God that will never end. In that relationship, as with all healthy relationships, we must grow. God forgives instantaneously -- in the blink of an eye. And with that forgiveness comes our salvation. But growing in our relationship with him takes time. That's the journey.

I love journeys. I remember the greatest vaction of my childhood. We went to the Grand Canyon. My sister and I were eight and nine, respectively. My little twin brothers were two. We piled into my Dad's Pontiac with a teenage cousin tagging along (she was there to help with the terror twins). My parent's were brave (but not brave enough to do it alone). Seven of us in a Pontiac! What were they thinking? I could spend days telling you about that trip. Pieces of it are engraved in my mind like the stuff that stays at the bottom of the barbecue pit and you can't get out (does anyone really try?). But, what I really want to talk about is the preparation for the trip.

I remember my Mom bought my sister and I little red suitcases for the trip -- cardboard covered with vinyl. I remember packing those little red suitcases with great care. I remember the feelings of excruciating excitement as we packed. On this vacation we would be staying in real hotels ... hotels that had swimming pools. Up to this point in my life we had only vacationed in cities where there were relatives to stay with. That pretty much limited us to 3 cities in Texas. But this time we were going to cities that had not a single Orozco within miles. We were going to states that had no Orozcos. I packed my brand new swimming suit that my Mom bought through the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. Up to that point we had only used it when we ran out of toilet paper. I have to say, packing for the trip was almost more fun than the trip itself. Anticipation has a way of doing that to us.

God wants us to BECOME all that he wants us to be. He has great dreams for our lives. Finding those dreams is a journey ... in fact, it's the journey we call life. Along the way we pack our little red suitcases with some things that help us get there. Packing is almost as much fun as the trip itself. The truth is, when you've packed well it makes the whole trip better. We want to help each other pack for the trip.

Some tidbits for your suitcase:

1. Everyone is a minister. On the journey when you find someone hurting or dying or alone, help them. It's not a distraction from the journey ... it is the journey.

2. Everyone is a missionary. On the journey when God gives you something to do, do it. It doesn't slow you down -- it lifts you beyond the journey and gives you a glimpse of the destination (heaven).

3. Everyone is a little Christ. That's what they first called the followers of Christ at Antioch. Christians = little Christs.  It was a derogatory remark, but it stuck. It stuck because it's true. For some reason God is giving you the mind of Christ. And every person you meet is either someone with the mind of Christ ... OR ... someone who needs you to be Christ to them (which means Christ is in them begging you to help -- "Lord, when did we see you and not help?").

More on these in the days to come ... I'm going to Africa ... I have to go pack my little red suitcase.

Blessings,

pastor ellis

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP

The more years of parenthood I get behind me the more I learn about prayer. When you drop your 13 year old off at his first co-ed birthday party on a Friday night, you learn about a new dimension in prayer. I grew up in church, so I grew up around prayer. All of the significant adults in my childhood claimed that prayer was important. I prayed ... sometimes. But certain events in my life have brought me to the conclusion that I am mostly an amateur when it comes to praying.

The first was when I was nine years old. My uncle, who lived with us, had a heart attack one night in his room. His room was right next to mine.  I heard his screams. Later, the sirens screaming back. I cried because I was scared. And I prayed. Not the "now I lay me down to sleep ..." kind of prayer, but the "Oh God!" kind of prayer. I prayed like never before. My uncle still died.

The next was my freshman year in college. I was at Glorieta for Baptist Student Week. I got a phone call. It was my Dad. He was crying. I had only heard my Dad cry two times in 19 years (at the funerals of his brothers). And he had never cried when talking to me. My mom was in the hospital. Heart attack ... they thought ... they really didn't know. Will she make it? Hard to say. I don't remember much of the conversation except that it made me wish I could fly like a bird straight back to Houston to stand next to my mom the way she had always been next to me. I cried because I was scared. And I prayed. Not the "bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies," kind of prayer. But the "Oh God," kind of prayer. I prayed and prayed and prayed -- I fell asleep praying. And my mom was O.K.

Then there was the day my first child was born. Priscilla had been in labor for 24 hours when they said, "The baby's in trouble. We have to go in and get him." They shoved me aside, whisked my wife away from me, and told me to wait for them to come back. I eventually got into the operating room to witness the c-section that ripped my son from the comfortable womb into the cruel world. But in the 5 minutes I had to wait (it seemed like 5 days), I felt like my whole world was slipping away from me. What is it like to lose the two most important things in your life on the same day? Unimaginable. But, unfortunately, I have a pretty good imagination. I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't cry. I had to be strong for Priscilla. So I prayed. Not the "God is good, God is great ..." kind of prayer. But the "Oh God!" kind of prayer. My wife and my son came through like the champions they are.

Sometimes those "Oh God!" prayers work out, sometimes they don't. I guess the point of all this is that the most desperte and earnest prayers of our lives are usually spoken (or groaned) for the people we love the most. It stands to reason that when we begin to DO LIFE TOGETHER our prayers for each other will change from "Now I lay me down to sleep, bless this food, God is good," prayers to "Oh God!!!" prayers. When that begins to happen ... look out ... there's no telling what God might do.

Blessings,

pastor ellis

KENYA TEAM TAKES OFF!

The first Kenya team left McAllen today. They are the lead team that will be preparing the way for the rest of us. They will be making sure that everything is ready for the conference. They will also be checking all of our other ministry points so that everything is in place when the next two groups show up. We now have 41 people going on this great Kingdom of God adventure. I'm humbled that God would use us to make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Kenya. There are several things you can pray for TODAY. 

1. Pray for safe travel and divine protection for our lead team. It's a long trip. Pray for them by name. They are: David, Kristi, Anna, Elisa, and Andrew Chan; Jason, Christie, Cody, Ridgley, and Jacob Hatton; and Bob, Amanda, and Nathan Smith.

2. Pray that all of the arrangements will be ready and that it will be smooth sailing for our lead team. If God wants to build us up through some struggles, then pray for loving patience for our lead team.

3. Pray for the hearts and lives of those we will touch. God's grace is sufficient! His love never fails!

One other thing you can do -- forward this BLOG to all your friends and family members so they can pray as well.

Blessings,

pastor ellis

UNITY

When we begin to DO LIFE TOGETHER, we will find a growing depth in the way we care for each other. It’s inevitable. When you get to know someone at a deeper level, your care for them is bound to grow. The interesting thing is that this growing care is not affected by any differences that may exist between you.

My sister and I differ on numerous points of faith and politics, but I love my sister. We were raised together in the same home. We are exactly one year apart and slept in the same room for the first ten years of our lives. I don’t always agree with her. Sometimes I adamantly disagree with her … but it never changes the way I feel about her … It never changes the way I love her. Our hearts always beat for each other. No matter what she does or where she goes she will always be my sister and I will always love her.

Now, this kind of UNITY (that comes from DOING LIFE TOGETHER) binds us to the vision and direction of our church. Just like an Olympic rowing team, every oar in perfect sync, we are propelled with seemingly effortless grace in ONE direction.

I’m not sure that we fully understand the idea of vision. It can be confusing. In fact many of the church growth books I have seen in the Christian bookstores are more about image than vision. Image is what we want to look like when we have arrived on our pedestal of success. Vision, on the other hand, is what God has given us to do. It’s that simple.

When we begin to care deeply about each other, then the non-essentials (anything outside of what God has given us to do) become less significant than the bond of our caring. The essentials (what God has given us to do) become a unifying chord.

We are becoming one heart, one mind, one body. The Body of Christ. Hallelujah!

Blessings,

pastor ellis

CARING

One of the by-products of DOING LIFE TOGETHER is that we begin to care for each other at a much deeper level. DOING LIFE TOGETHER means being authentic in our relationships. And authenticity is very endearing. Truth and transparancy in relationships build trust and intimacy. It can only come from DOING LIFE TOGETHER.

When we go through the trials of life together -- When we get to the place in our relationships where we can speak honestly -- When we can call each other at all hours of the night (and we actually answer the phone) -- When we can debate and argue, and yes even fight, and know through it all that it doesn't change anything about the way we feel about each other -- Then we know that we have reached a level of intimacy that means we are DOING LIFE TOGETHER.  As a result, we begin to profoundly care for each other.

Churches don't have a very good track record on this point. I think it's because we rarely truly DO LIFE TOGETHER. We forge deeply authentic and intimate relationships with family and close friends, but when we go to church we instinctively don the masks of spirituality. Somewhere along the way we decided that we had to be a perfect little person or a perfect little family to "fit in" at church. This is one of Satan's biggest and most effective lies. Even though we know that we are not perfect and never will be, and even though we know that no one else is either, we insist on playing the part. As a result, we are the least authentic on Sunday morning between 9:30 and noon. This play-acting is death to intimacy ... it is death to DOING LIFE TOGETHER.  A church life void of authenticity leads to a superficiality in all of our relationships and an enusing lack of care.

Where authentic relationships are being built we find healthy community and a ministering hand. When you have a healthy church you are never alone ... and you are always loved.

Blessings,

pastor ellis