Speaking Islander

       We are learning so much as a family about crossing into a new culture.  Levi and I are actually reading a book called Cross Cultural Connections, and it has really helped open our eyes and hearts in a way we never realized was necessary.  One of the first things you learn is it is "different" not wrong.  Often times when you come into a new culture a lot of things can feel wrong.  It seems wrong because it is so different than our own personal world view, but keeping this set of "wrongs" vs. "rights" will never allow you to bridge the gap.  It may seem wrong to just simply throw trash on the ground.  It may seem wrong to burn your trash anywhere convenient to the person who needs to do a "burn pit".  It may seem wrong to not have a set of laws governing the location of wells being dug, or whose property is whom.  It may seem wrong to be continue singing the same verse of a hymn because someone in the pews kept it going for an hour because they are allowing the Spirit of the Lord to lead worship.  But these are not "wrong", it is simply different.
      Zoe has embraced the island way of life.  She has braided her hair, adopted using a "quanty bottle" (small plastic juice that is purchased from Tae Tae's), and of course the most "different" is her island speak.  Zoe and Brody have had the unique opportunity to be a part of the Christian/English School that is run by the islanders here on the Clinic property.  MEI has opened up it's cabins, covered deck, and extra build-on rooms to house the school.  Brody is in 5th grade and Zoe is in 4th grade.  They attend school from 1:30pm-5pm Monday thru Thursday.  They have the full uniform of blue slacks for Brody, a blue pleated skirt for Zoe and white dress shirts.  They both love school and having the chance to make friends.  Zoe has taken to the island kids so much that she is learning to speak islander.  Now people here do speak English, but it is what is considered "pigeon English".  The words are often clipped, some Spanish pronunciation is slid in, and the tones are lower.  Islanders speak low and fast and it slides together beautifully at times to where it seems like it can't be English.  There are different dialects as well across the island that can trip you up, but for the most part if you are listening intently you can catch on.
     Tonight Zoe and I took a walk before dinner along the path and she bubbled on and on about school.  God has gifted her with so much joy and energy!  We walked along and when we hit the path to trek to "Nordt Side" (aka North Side) a little girl joined us.  This is not uncommon.  She was headed home.  I think she is about 6 or 7 years old.  The children often walk a long distance to and from school and sometimes alone, but usually only with one another as there is not an adult that accompanies them.  We started to talk with her, practicing our "island speak" and we talked about Creation.  Zoe and I talked with Vielka (not sure on the spelling) about the creation story and how God made everything.  It flowed so wonderfully and we could tell that the little girl could understand us better when we changed our tones and words to match hers better.  Zoe is a natural island girl and fitting in beautifully.
    We are learning ways to be more open to the differences we encounter.  Smiling, asking questions, not being quick to leave when we visit with people, small measures of hospitality, joining in in whatever someone is doing, and so much more.  In order to give the gospel it is important to establish friendships and connections and this takes time.  We are learning to love Helene and the islanders here. 

Glowing Green Lights of Death!

There we were, watching an action packed thrill ride of a movie as a family. It was one of the few illusive moments parents hope and pray for every minute of every day. I'm sure you would agree, speckled between the monotony of "don't do that's", "If I tell you one more time's", and "How many times have we done bed time's?!?!" there are brief blissful glimpses of peace and tranquility. FINALLY, we had a tender second as a family to simply enjoy the love of one another.

Let me set the tone a bit. Cassie romantically next to me on the couch, Zoe laying across our laps, Alex, Brody, and Zac each in their own chairs. Explosions, CGI, and a 42 inch TV under the canopy of darkness. Then...

Five feet above the Samsung flat screen, two small green orbs glowed at us as though we were being studied, neigh, judged! Maybe a quarter of an inch apart and only the size of two luminescent jade pearls, the alien eyes began to move ever so slightly in a downward path. Suddenly the movie no longer existed. Tunnel vision set in. Periphery gone.

Zoe, with equal parts terror and disbelief muttered, "UM, WHAT IS THAT?!" We didn't have to search for the source of her panic. Half of us had already spotted the tiny beast. Before she had finished the question that was now on all of our minds, each had defaulted to our standard adrenal operating protocol's.

Cassie yelled, "LEVI!" I would have thought it was my fault we were about to die or maybe she expected that I was an expert in the field of tropical micro-monsters.

Alex fought back tears. His teenage bravado was missing and I had my doubts that he would be of any help if, in fact, we were making contact with a new terrestrial being bent on missionary mind control.

Brody stayed quiet. In retrospect, he probably saw no danger and was irritated that we were interrupting his movie.

Zac, fearless as usual, was ready to kill while I immediately went to prayer asking Jesus, "Please tell me you didn't make scorpions' eyes glow too! Next you're going to tell me the lay eggs in my eyes while I sleep!!!"

They say details and memories are lost in traumatic situations so I couldn't tell you who decided to turn on the lights. But sudden and glorious revelation came without warning.

It was a lighting bug... Yep. It promptly jumped off the wall it had been descending and flew away. This technically falls into the category of culture shock.

Unfathomable Beauty

                Unfathomable and majestic beauty is rarely perceived through the human eye. When it is, it can only be truly experienced when filtered through the deepest part our soul. It is seldom embraced by those who have yet to cultivate a relational understanding of its counterparts; long-suffering, pain, and loss. But on occasion, one might be graced with an opportunity to sincerely witness heavenly splendor.

Perhaps, if we are fortunate, moments of grandeur may permeate the fortified cavern or our essence and then, for an infinitesimal fraction of a second, we may feel an eternity of exquisite perfection as it reaches the core of our spirit. May we taste the luscious and enchanting tranquility that can only be expressed as God’s divine interaction with fallen man.

I am blessed. He has chosen, in His endless grace, that I, a most unworthy servant, be a spectator to His endless love. As a humble onlooker, I have observed the blossoming of my wife’s heart beyond measure. He has poured His Holy Spirit out and she is allowing His provision and comfort to wash away the blemish and stain of a destitute heart plagued with fear, doubt, and desperation.

I wish you could see it! I’m simply a bystander. A silent observer. Though the extraordinary metamorphosis delivers me joy by proxy, I somehow feel that I too was considered an heir to the inheritance of her sanctification.

Daily I dream, with overwhelming anticipation, to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” but the sin of self-preservation nags at me and I wonder, Have I done enough? Is my heart emptied? Can my souls desire win out in this battle of flesh? Will I finish the race? I am confident that, compared to all He has done from me, I will not be worthy to even stand before my Mighty King and Creator, let alone feel His embrace. But Cassie? Surely, she will find Jesus’ arms stretched wide. Truly I tell you, it is magnificent how much He loves her!

 I am humbled. Yes, I am blessed.

Holy Endurance

James 1:2-3
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 


Time is a chrysalis. Metamorphic. She shifts and wains. Just as swells perpetually break anew and squalls find infinite rebirth, the line of time comes as, either a crashing wave or a whispering waft. We may lay on her lush green hillside and, musingly, gaze into the firmament. We dream of what could be. We admire her shapes and edges. Her soft white ends grace us with freedom to hope and mercy to envision what could be. Or, perhaps, we are suffocated by her ever-tightening grasp. The weight of obligation grips us, compulsions clutch, and burdens seize. We grapple, mightily, with ferocity, only to surrender with pants and puffs.

Perception is by no means the ultimate authority of our reality. However true, pretense stands as our gilded escort and our spirit is lead astray, far from God driven synchronicity. We wander desperately into the unknown, praying that we are not overcome by perceptions's snares. We hope for a gentle touch of times cordial caresses. But He is strong in our proclivity to anxieties and false promises of hours, minutes, and days. 

I can't help but feel as though my biggest enemy is time. Not actual time but my perception of time. How is it that I consider "time lost" or "time gained" relevant? Am I even qualified to decide what time is "good" and which is "bad", lost or gained? 

Lord, please help me to view time as you do. Help me to see that, in a Kingdom mindset, time is only as relevant as the souls, yet to be found, are. Give me the lens to see that any and all time laid down at your feet is, and will always be, time well spent. My momentary troubles are beautiful! Thank you for each and every opportunity to grow in joy. Lastly, help my endurance be that of someone who can peer into forever, not just a short 80 +/- years. 

I love you Jesus, 
Levi

Lessons From The Mission Field (that you won’t get anywhere else)

The following are the top ten lessons you might only learn by living in the mission field… You’re welcome 😉

10. When burning your trash, be prepared to dodge flying pieces of shrapnel when your aerosol cans of OFF explode because your children didn’t listen and threw the empty can of bug spray in the trash can.

9. If you purchase a long brim hat to protect your delicate ginger skin, make sure it has a strap so when you are rocketing through the sea on a boat it doesn’t make friends with the fishies at the bottom of the Caribbean.

8. Disregard everything you have ever learned about the quantity of clothing items you can stuff into a washing machine. With limited water and electricity, you must acquire the skill to fit the equivalent of every last NFL players uniforms into a single load.

7. Once the sun goes down you must remember to do two very important things. One, take a bath in 100% deet and two, move your entire body in and out of the building, that you sleep in, at the speed of light, or you will wake up looking like a leper followed by days upon days of itching like you would punch a baby panda to get a fix.

6. When someone asks you if you have sow for their rash, they are asking for an unidentified medicated cream. 

5. A string tied from two holes, each in the end of a large tin can, will provide hours of entertainment for the local children (as well as your own).

4. Have you ever had a chafing rash on any one location of your body? Imagine that same rash on all BUT that one place on your body. You should stock up on sow.

3. When you wake up at 3 am to pee, you may have to fight with the scariest creature Jesus ever created. Seriously, did He really have to give scorpions pincher claws AND A FREAKY LOOKING POISON TAIL?!?! (Bonus lesson, they climb walls!!!!!!!)

2. Never EVER, under any circumstances, doo you flush toilet paper down the porcelain throne… unless you really like clearing months’ worth of dookie off your front lawn with a rake.  

And Last but not least.

Jesus will stretch you and grow you in ways that you could never imagine. Be prepared to learn the depth of His love in the most intense and intimate ways. His provision and affection is profound and He holds nothing back for those who earnestly seek Him.

Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 

Dear Family, Friends, Supporters, Revolution, and Prayer Partners,

Three and a half weeks! What God is doing in our family is indescribable! There have been a lot of ups and a ton of downs. The first that comes to mind is obviously the lack of internet. A little back story on our connectivity… We found that satellite networking is available at an affordable price, if we had the funds. We had not considered this an option when fundraising, so it wasn’t in the budget. We investigated it and found that we could get a semi-reliable connection for around $300. THEN, God sent us $300+ unexpectedly. Awesome, right?! Buuuut this is not America. When we are told, “24 to 48 hours to installation” what that really meant was, “since Labor Day was the Monday after your order, it will actually be 2-3 weeks before we get around to coming to Helene and setting it all up.” But God is faithful! We do have limited access to a connection which is why you are receiving this message. Wanna hear how things have been for the Riley family?!?

Week one was arguably the biggest of our many emotional transitions. Zac was scared, Zoe tearful, Brody angry, Alex unsure, Cassie trepid, and I couldn’t help but second guess every step we took from the moment we left our home in Salina. The flights went well, minus Brody’s motion sickness. Once in Honduras, we quickly realized that everything we thought to expect was wrong. When we thought that it would be hot we were wrong, it was smotheringly hot because of the humidity. Our idea that the beautiful scenery would captivate and overcome the homesickness was far from reality. The brokenness of the land and the shambles of homes and roads distracted from the majesty of the sea and interrupted the joy of lush green landscapes. In fact, the onslaught of culture shock was so intense the first week that every single Riley felt a cool stream of tears roll down their cheeks many times over. We each cried out to God that this cup be taken. We mourned the loss of comforts and pleasantries from home. We desperately missed our loved ones. We doubted our place in this ministry.

The change from week one to week two can only be seen through the eyepiece of a microscope. It was there but, from the outside looking in, it was not visible. Each, however, faced the reality that life could be different. God took each Riley through a crisis of belief. We were emptied day after day. Some of us refused to face the question, “Do I really believe that what I believe is really real?” Others went into zombie mode only operating on autopilot while the remaining Riley’s were in panic, denial, and desperate introspection. Take heart though, the scale began to shift from survival to living well. Perhaps only a bit but it was palpable. Though it was just an incremental step towards transformation, we took it.

Week three has been the most productive in the transformation of our family. I will list what God has been doing in each of our lives but please understand that this list is miniscule. It would take years to write down an exhaustive catalog of how our King has kneaded the clay of our souls and restored our stony hearts to flesh.

Somehow, I have thrived the most since we have arrived. Jesus has moved me lightyears ahead of the stubborn man I was when I refused to discuss His call in our lives. That’s not to say that I didn’t and don’t have things to overcome, because, trust me, I DO. But I was the first to honestly consider if I could step out on the waters if He called me. I wrestled with the idea of strolling into the fire of missions and decided that whether He protects and provides I will not bow to the god of comfort and the statue of familiar. Instead, I will gladly choose the flame and If my God choses to save, AMEN. If not, I will not be ashamed of following Him where He has led my family and me.

Cassie has struggled as much as the rest of us. She faces the many crisis’s of belief that He has put before us. Her soul longs to say, “Thy will be done” while her flesh cries out for the loss of “normal”. I have watched her blossom. I wish you could all see it. I have the blessing of standing on a prayer deck and gazing into the most magnificent blue that stretches beyond my imagination. I get to feel the love of a culture that has deep struggles and scars from generations of need. Humility’s chasm is unspeakably deep, and the vastness of their love weakens me. But hear me when I say, if you could only see my wife’s heart the way I have in the last three weeks you would agree that the view of the sea and landscape is nothing compared to the beauty of Cassie’s heart and soul in this journey. It’s magnificent how much He loves her.

                The children are being transformed by Christ as well.  The kids are adapting to this new way of life.  It has been extremely challenging at times to help them transition to the extreme heat, lack of internet, “cabin fever” of spending so much time at the Clinic building, and the loss of comfort they had back home.  But the gains are beginning to outweigh the loss.  Alex met a new friend named Prentess who took time to show him more of the island.  Brody has taken to playing soccer with the kids in the field, and Zoe has enjoyed reading to the “Pond” kids on the deck most days.  Zoe and Brody are enrolled in the afternoon Christian/English School Monday thru Thursday hosted at the Clinic for the Helene kids and they are really enjoying their time in class.   Zac is the only odd one out it seems so please pray for him.  The class for his grade level is too full and his strong personality has isolated him from making good friendships yet, but we know that God will help Zac with this aspect.  Our children do have some comforts still.  Larry purchased a t.v. and dvd player and a nice indoor/outdoor living room set of two chairs, a coffee table and a couch.  It isn’t home, but it is.  It is uncomfortable, but it is good.  It’s hard to explain the balance.  Yesterday we were able to take the kids to North Side to swim in the sea for the first time and it was wonderful!  Please pray that the Lord continues to give us strength to step out and build relationships with the islanders and that the kids will find joy in this transition.  Larry and Sheila are great with the kids and have done well to include them in the “teaming” that MEI is known for. 

As of this moment, we still do not have our own internet connection. I would like to go over all that God has been doing through us, but time is limited as well as our connection. Please feel free to share this with anyone who would like to know where we are in this journey. I will be sitting down and writing to each of you individually and, if God wills it, I will be able to start setting up skype and communicating with all of you in a way that adequately expresses just how grateful we all are that you have given so much for His Kingdom by supporting us financially and through prayer. Please know that you have been in our prayers constantly. We love you and miss you all so very VERY much! Although we have great pain from being away from our friends and our family we have an overflow of joy that God has allowed us to be a part of His work. Thank you so much for loving us as beautifully as you have and do.

Oh how there is so much to tell you all and we have great pictures and stories to share.  The second we have a consistent connection I will get you all up to speed. Thank you so much for your patience!  It was never our plan to disappear and not stay connected, but we know that everything is by the will of God and it will all be worked out according to His plan. 

In Christ,

Levi and the rest of the Riley clan.