Qallariypi Diospa Ruwasqan

This is the story of creation in Quechua that we have to learn. It will be the first story we tell in the communities as part of a evangelism track. It has been mighty slow here in Sucre recently and at times it is hard to remain focused. Please pray for us as we continue to learn stories in Quechua in the hope of telling them soon enough.

Tata Diosqa qallarpi janaqpachatawan kay pachatawan ruwarqa. Kay pachaqa mana pijtulla kasharqachu. Yakukuna laqhawan qhatasqu kasqa. Chanta Diospa Espiritun yaku patapi kasharqa. Chanta Tata Diosqa nirqa: ¨k`anchay kachun¨ ajina karqa. Tata Diosqa k´anchayta sumaq kasqanta rikhurqa. Tata Diosqa k`anchayta laqhamanta t`aqarqa. Chanta Payqa k`anchayman ¨p`unchayta¨ suticharqa, laqhamantaj ¨tutata¨ suticharqa. Ajinamanta ñawpaq kaq p`unchay tukuchasqa karqa.
Chanta Tata Diosqa nirqa: ¨yaku uj cheqallapi kananta.¨ Chanta ajina karqa. Tata Diosqa yakumanta t´aqasqata janaqpachata suticharqa. Wakin yaku janaqpachapi karqa chanta wakin yaku kay pachapi karqa. Ajinamanta iskay kaq p`unchay tukuchasqa karqa.
Chanta Tata Dios nirqa ¨yaku kay pachapi uj cheqallapi tantasqa kananta ch´aki rikhurinampaq.¨ Ajina karqa. Tata Dios ch´aki kajta jallp´ata suticharqa. Yakuta uj cheqallapi tantaykusqa chayta mama qochata suticharqa. Tata Dios nirqa ¨jallp´api tukuy laya q´omerkuna poqochun chanta qhorakuna poqochun sach´akunapis poqollachuntaj.¨ Chanta jallp`api tukuy layakunamanta sach´akuna wiñarqa chanta q´omerkuna, sach´akunapis poqorqanku. Chayta Tata Dios sumaj kasqanta rikhorqa. Ajinamanta kinsa kaj p´unchay tukuchasqa karqa.
Chanta Tata Diosqa nirqa: ¨k´anchaykuna janaq pachapi kachun kay pachapipis k´anchanapaq chanta t´aqanapaq p´unchayta tutatawan. Chanta ajina karqa. Tata Diosqa iskay k´anchayta ruwarqa. Uj jatun k´anchayta p`unchaypi k´anchanapaq chanta uj aswan juchuy k`anchaytataj tutapi k`anchanapaq. Chanta Tata Diosqa ch´askakunata janaq pachapi churarqa p´unchaykunata, watakunata, jatuchej p`unchaykunata ima churanapaj. Tata Diosqa sumaj kasqanta rikhorqa. Ajinamanta tawa kaj p´unchay tukuchasqa karqa.
Chanta Tata Diosqa nirqa, ¨yakupi tukuy laya challwakuna miranchu¨ jillanataj phawaj p´isqokuna kay pachapi kachun. Ajinataj karqa. Tata Diosqa tukuy challwakunata mama qochapi ruwarqa tukuy p`isqokunatapis chanta Tata Diosqa sumaj kasqanta rikhorqa. Chanta paykunata bendispa, nirqa, ¨ashqha mirayninku kapuchun jillanataj mama qochaman junt´achun jinamanta ashqha p´isqokuna kay pachapi kachun. Ajinamanta phisqha kaq p`unchay tukuchasqa karqa.
Chanta Tata Dios nirqa, ¨jallp´api kawsachunku tukuy laya uywakuna: runawan kawsakuj uywakuna, k´ita uywakuna, chanta pampapatapi qhatatakoj uywakuna ima, layankuman jina.¨ Ajinataj karqa. Tata Diosqa ruwarqa chay uywakunata rikuspa sumaj kasqanta nirqa. Chanta Tata Dios nirqa, ¨kunan runata ruwasuncheq noqacheqman rijch`akojta. Pay atiyniyoq kanampaj challwakuna, p´isqokuna, chanta runawan kawsakuj uywakuna, k´ita uywakuna, chanta pampapatapi qhatatakoj uywakuna ima. Chanta Tata Diosqa runata jallp´amanta ruwarqa, sinqampi samaykuspataj, payman kawsayta qorqa. Ajinamanta runaqa kawsayta qhallerqa. Chanta Tata Dios Edén nisqa huertata ruwarqa. Chaymantaj runata churarqa. Tata Diosqa iskay sach´akunata huerta chaupiman churarqa. Uj kawsay sach´ata chanta jinallataj allin kajta mana allin kajta yachanamanta sach´atapis. Tata Diosqa runaman uj kamachiyta qorqa, ¨tukuy sach´amanta huertapi mikhuyta atinki. Mana mikhuyta atinkichu allin kaj chanta mana allin kaj yachay sach´amanta. Chay poqoyta mikhunki chayqa cheqamanta wañunki. Chanta Tata Diosqa nirqa, ¨Mana allinchu runaqa sapallan kanan. Paywan kanampaj, uj yanapajta ruwapusaj,¨ nispa. Chanta Tata Dios tukuy uywakunata runa sutichanampaq aparqa. Chaywampis mana karqachu runata yanapajqa. Jinapi Tat Diosqa runata sinch´ita puñurpayacherqa, chaykamataj ujnin wajtanninta orqhorqa. Jinaspari, aychallanwantaj k´askaykuchiporqa. Chanta Tata Diosqa runaj wajtanninta orqhosqanmanta uj warmita ruwarqa jinaspataj runaman pusamorqa. Runataj warmita rikuspa nirqa: ¨Kayqa aychaymanta ruwasqa,¨ nispa. Chayrayku qhareqa tatanta mamantawan saqenqa, warminwantaj ujchakonqa, iskayninkutaj uj runa jinalla kanqanku. Tata Diosqa runata payman rijch`akojta ruwarqa. Qharita warmita ruwarqa chanta paykunata bendispa, nirqa, ¨ ashqha wawankuna kapuchun, kay pachamantaj junt´achun chanta kay pachata kamachichun. Adán, warmin Evawan, huertapi kasharqanku mana p´achayojlla, paykunkaqa p`enqa karqanku mana pachayoj qasqankumanta. Tata Diosqa sumaj kasqanta rikhorqa chay tukuy imata.
Qanchis Kaj P`unchaypi Tata Diosqa tukuy llank´ayninta tukuytawan samarkorqa. Chayrayku Tata Diosqa bendirsqa qanchis kaj p´unchayta. Kay kasahan willay janaqpachamanta kay pachamantawan Diospa ruwasqan.

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¨Qallariypi Diospa Ruwasqan¨ means the ¨Works of God in the Beginning.¨

The Good Fight

I have not yet introduced my new partner from Columbia, Efrain Mosquera. He is twenty-five years old and has been on the Xtreme Team for quite some time. He is rather quiet and usually does not say something if he truly does not mean it. In many ways he has no fear by what he says and has told me many times that I am fat. But even more importantly he is fearless with the Gospel and I have not met anyone else in my life with a better relationship with Christ. Efrain spends hours and hours with the Father and is always trying to be closer to His presence and this has greatly challenged my walk.

This time of waiting and anticipation has been somewhat tough on Efrain. Though as usual he has found a way to grow through it. He wrote this on our computer almost as open journal blog and shared it with me. I deeply moved me and I hope that it will inspire in you in the same way.

¨This is a letter that I am writing no with my own hand or fingers but it is through a keyboard.

I am in my last days of this year and it started to become very slow; the difference is that every day we or really I am a little different inside, and have more become intense in my prayers for these days the spiritual battle is growing in me, I feel that I am in a war without quarter, many times, the arrows of the enemy has harmed me. However, I recognized who God is and has raised me to continue the good fight of faith, not in my strength but in Christ´s, and die every day taking the hard and heavy cross. This part has been the most difficult because I am found with two sides inside: the Spirit and the Flesh. The Bible says that these two are in opposition, the point is that GOD has given me the capability to choose good or evil. But at times I do not choose the good, always aksing God to please help me be crucified just like Jesus did...once and forever. The small struggles will prepare me for the greater battles and of course continue in God with His Word.

The date to leave the community has passed but we keep praying because we have the hope of going and sharing the Gospel. Now we are here in the house and personally I am bored. This time I have used to learn a story, the story of disobedience of man in Quechua. This is a serious thing to learn. The thing is that God has given me the ability to do this because he knows that this is for His Glory, and Miguel°, my new partner already knows the story of creation in Quechua, and told me that he feels a peace waiting for the moment to leave. We think that this time God is using to protect us from some danger or is preparing the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel of Christ, or even working in our hearts.

I dreamed about my old friend from High School, and the made me pray for him, and for all of my friends from my High School. I don´t know if they are living, but it is my desire and the desire of God that they receive salvation like God has had mercy on me. It is something so beautiful to wake every morning and know that it is for the goodness of God that I can or we can enjoy one day more and know that this day we will have the opportunity to give glory to God. In my Study Bible I am in Ezekiel. It is a serious thing to be a prophet of God, but also, is even more serious to be far from God and not know that God is God and always wants the best for his chosen people.

I miss my family, but this morning I learned one more time that if you don´t hate your most beloved and totally give your obedience to God, you simply cannot be his Disciple. LORD, this is my prayer I give to you every day, without reservations or conditions, in the middle of society that every time I am in sin, LORD, I need you deeply to help me walk in this world with your light and your truth and in this way be light and truth to many people that know nothing of you. Only for your Glory. Thanks for your faithfulness and your forgiveness in Jesus, Amen.¨

- Efrain Mosquera

°¨Miguel¨ is my name in Spanish and the name all the Latinos use for me.

I translated the letter so I know there are many errors. I just hope that his message was a clear picture of a man after God´s own heart. Please pray for us as we try to stay sharp and find our satisfaction in the Lord everyday.

All Things and Donkeys

I used to love to write in my journal. I could express all the joy that lived in me always impossible to contain. I lost a lot of love for many things in my life. This did not result because of my lack of love for the things of the world but rather a lack of love for The Savior. Interestingly how it works: The more love I had for my LORD the more I was able to love all things. It is like my love for Him only enabled me to love more and more. But as time passes and as we finite, fallible creatures succumb to our own weakness we start looking to the result instead of the source. And as that happens we lose all. Of course it would be wrong to look at the Savior only for His benefits, but I believe that is what is so beautiful about our relationship with Him. That as we make Him our all, our everything, when we truly abide in Him and our joy rests in Him we are able to even enjoy those things that we might find otherwise boring or irrelevant. With God at the center of our heart, our True joy, it is as if we see the world through a different lens. I can enjoy all things because in all things He is my joy.

This was an excerpt from my journal while I was in the community. Some things are just that much clearer away from all the hustle and demands of the city. I believe that same day we had to round up some donkeys and they ended up running away from us making it to the well (the same one we drank out of). After many amusing attempts by the two gringos and the whole village getting a front seat at the very new and very ineffective techniques of rounding up donkeys we finally managed to bring them home. I used to think Donkeys were interesting creatures but after that experience I understood why their name became a pejorative term.

Either way, I have found that when we simplify things in life much of our worries fade into the background and we can have a better picture of the Savior.

Greatest Day of Eleanor

I apologize for the delay in writing. I know there is much time that elapses between blogs but I do appreciate your visits. The delay comes from an overall apathy mixed with indifference. My partner and I were supposed to be in the communities over a week ago but due to political unrest we have had to wait.

It has been as if I have been sleep walking these past few days waiting for life to wake me up. I feel as if I need to confront God and just come to His burning presence.

In that burning I have found that I have placed my significance on the conditional, various circumstances, the changing of the season. I am left wanting because I don´t find myself in the Unconditional. But here is the grind: When I am not ¨serving¨ God or in a sense doing my work I find my life without meaning as if I am drifting. This begs to imply that my significance depends on my work, my actions instead of God Himself. Another form of idolatry that is very subtle as it stands in the high places far away from the throne. I believe if I cannot find my meaning, my worth in Him right now when all I can do is be then all my work and service in His Name is shallow and in a sense defiled.

Maybe e that is what I am finally learning. This could be the lesson that I must learn before I move on or at least just face the day given to me. That who I am is not based on what I do as much as my position before Christ. The nearer I am to His Presence the more I am capable to do His work and the purer the work will be. My significance lies within the Heart of God.

I named the title of this blog after the Smashing Pumpkins´ song, ¨Today.¨ When I was in High School I used to blare this song before school everyday and claim the lyrics for myself: ¨Today is the greatest day I have ever known.¨ Though of course the first time I heard this song with my boy, Dino, I thought ole Billy was saying, ¨Today is the greatest day of Eleanor.¨ I thought, ¨Who is Eleanor and why is the day so great to her?¨ I always thought this would be a great name of a book or something.

Either way I am learning the preciousness of each day because I am finding that preciousness in Christ. The days and seasons are just waves breaking against the immovable rock. I find that the greatness in the day is because of the greatness of the Savior.

So celebrate with Eleanor and me in the greatest day we´ve ever known.