Consider yourself commenced!

This weekend I had an incredible opportunity to be the commencement speaker at my high school’s graduation. Talk about a daunting task. I was asked because I am viewed in the eyes of my town as a ‘success’, which I can agree with to some point. I just wanted them to know why I have been successful; solely by the grace and mercy of God and not of any doing of my own. Also, I don’t quite view myself as vastly successful. I just see a guy who went to college, got a degree and got a job. I am no different than millions of others who get degrees and get jobs. Even those that did not get degrees are no different than I, in that I have just chosen a different way to provide for myself and others. Yes I might make more money, be in a more ‘respected’ profession and have far less life tragedy, but that does make me any better or worse. God gave me all my gifts, abilities, and opportunities and He has not given everyone the same, so it was not of my own doing but of God’s. God is shifting my view away from worldly performance and onto the cross more and more. I am who I am, but the deep, meaningful characteristic in me is a dim mirror that reflects the blood of Jesus on my life.

No doubt I don’t necessarily agree with others view of me, but I will definitely use the opportunities granted to me to show the grace of God and challenge others to live their lives for Jesus and others. And that’s basically what I said to the graduates and many others that showed up to celebrate with us. Life is best lived when it is lived for others.

I was able to shed some light on some of the big issues that our world faces. I wanted them not to be blind to the rest of the world, but to get their eyes off themselves and see all that is out there to live their lives for. I talked about the Water Crisis and how it controls the lives of close to a billion people every year. I talked about what people are doing to fix that. I briefly mentioned other major issues that would be very worthy of a life lived. I wanted them to be challenged and motivated to live a life that is not selfish, but one that is bent on giving.

I was able to share some stories from Living Water that have meant something to me. I shared an abbreviated version of the story of Harry Westmoreland. Harry was a man who lived his life for other people. Harry was a very kind, patient man who loved the Lord and wanted to help people. In 1990, he went on a mission trip with Sugar Creek Baptist Church to Kenya and saw the need for water for this one people group. So he made it his mission to try to just drill one well in Kenya for this one people group. But he failed for many years. On their last attempt, they were almost successful, but they did not get water. Harry, who was an incredibly patient man, stepped off the rig and threw his hat down in complete frustration. He had given up. He went back home to the States. However, on that specific attempt a Kenyan man, whose name I cannot pronounce so we’ll call him George, saw the whole thing. He had been there watching the whole time and had seen the passion and love he had for these people. Harry Westmoreland’s passion, love and service motivated George the Kenyan to eventually leave his job as a prominent business man to become president of Living Water Kenya. There are many lessons to learn from this story, but a few I highlighted were: you never know the impact that you have on others, perseverance is key, because if Harry had not come back one more time, Living Water Kenya would never have gotten started, and success is not measured by the numbers (of successful wells, bank accounts, degrees, cars) but in the number of lives impacted and the number of hearts changed.

I challenged them to think about two questions.

Who are you? What are you doing here?

I desperately want these graduating seniors (and those in the community that were listening) not to waste their lives pursuing more stuff. I want them to live a deep, fulfilled life that is centered on Jesus. I prayed that for each one as they crossed the stage. They may have dreams of dentistry practices, nursing careers, big families, many degrees, or just getting by, but my prayer is that they would live for something so much more than that. I want them to live for Jesus, if He opens their hearts to do so. I want them to see God for who He is and to see themselves for who they really are.

Not sure that I’ll be back anytime soon to speak at something like that, but my prayer is the same for you reading this, the guys I work with and those I have known so very closely over the years. Live for Jesus and others, not yourself.

‘For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake was died and was raised.’ -2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Record Pace

Life is moving at a record pace. Now some would argue that I have punched the gas pedal to make that happen, but regardless of the facts my life is hastening its step.

This past weekend, I made a mad dash with some college buddies to Manitou Springs, Colorado to climb the magnificent Pikes Peak. This trip idea was birthed over a year ago and was originally planned as an escape from the pressures of life and school in College Station. By the grace of God though, we did not follow through with our psychotic plan back then. But this past weekend, those dreams were realized and the adventure was gloriously difficult. Five young men traveling over 1,100 miles in a very cramped Toyota Corolla, hiking over 20 miles in 14 hours, gaining 6,000 feet of elevation without any adjustment to the conditions, trekking through below freezing temperatures, fighting countless mental battles to just keep walking, all done out of a need to escape and rest. It is pretty amazing the things we will do to escape and experience the peace and tranquility that is found in God’s creation. In the stillness of the morning and evening on that mountain, the very presence of God was with us and nearer than our sweat-soaked bodies. The interesting part for me is that I have a disdain for hiking almost to the level of hate, however those few moments of overwhelming beauty and accomplishment somehow keep me trudging along. I have never been that guy who is motivated to push his body to the limits to prove his manliness. I am confident in the man that God has made me, so trips like this are not what get me going at all. But the trip was so much more than proving true some inner desire for meaning and worth; it was about being together with and fighting together with men of God. That mountain was not the proving grounds of life, but more the preparation grounds for grander and more meaningful fights to come.

God is teaching me so much about Himself and myself as of late. I cannot quite put words to it all the time, but it is happening regardless of my limitations with the English language. Just a few things:

·         Waiting on God to move

·         The Holiness of God

·         Trusting God with the big and little picture

·         Living in the moment, for that is all that I have

·         The need for skilled men to make a difference in the workplace and entire world

·         The desperate need for deep, real community

The pace of my life is not slowing down either. On Thursday I am making another trek across the very wide state of Texas to be home with my family. I have been asked to speak at my high school’s graduation. I am incredibly honored to get to do this. I am looking forward to sharing the grace of God in my life and challenging them to live for something beyond the sun, Solomon-style. Pray that God would move hearts to love Him and desire so much more than just perpetuating life. Pray that kids from this class would be changed and moved to doing big things for others with their lives. His will, not mine. His Kingdom, not mine.

I hope to see you and catch up as I zoom by on this downhill road that I am on!

So what now?

If you missed the first post about the specifics of the trip click HERE. In this post I want to write out some reflections on the trip, my changing view of missions, Living Water and what God is doing in me.

Using skills, not just trying to make friends

I have previously detailed how I desire to go overseas and feel like I am supposed to do it soon. I have thought that this would be some sort of relational-first mission, in which I just moved somewhere, learned the language, made friends and told them about Jesus. For some people I think that this might be the right approach, but for me I don’t think that it is. I want something tangible to be doing and helping with. I want to use my brain, skills, and talents to be about the good of the people, while all along being very relationally driven. There are many reasons why God urged me to do Petroleum Engineering, why He gave me a brain, why He has gifted me the ways that He has, why He has blessed me the way that He has and I want to use those to bring Him glory. I want to use engineering. I want to use my passion to help people. I want to use my brain. I want to sweat. I want to bleed. I want to serve. I want to use what I have to bless people, ministries and be on mission for the renown of Jesus Christ in whom we have reconciliation to God.

Extremes are difficult

Being surrounded by extreme wealth (both Gringos and native Guatemalans) in Guatemala was very hard for me. It is hard for me to walk in a high end wine and cigar shop while destitute beggars sit outside on the cobblestone streets all day. It is hard for me to see the kids with no shoes walking everywhere, while some (myself included) have over 10 pairs of shoes. It is hard for me to see people trying to just sell a few necklaces, blankets or flutes for a few bucks to survive, while we spend that without even thinking. Seeing all these things was not new for me or eye opening at all. However, the pain of reality is still there in my heart. It hurts because I can’t make a big dent in it all. It hurts because it will be like this until Jesus reconciles all things back to Himself. But one day, that day is coming. Jesus will restore all things back to perfect relationships with Himself and other things.

Missions is a huge task and not for the faint of heart

The task is monstrous. The mission is overwhelming. The work is never ending. The call is unending. Maybe that’s why Jesus said that those who endure to the end will be saved. Endurance is daily relying on Jesus and is of the upmost importance.

Working hard, sweating, serving and fast-paced action

I absolutely love sweating, working hard, serving and fast-paced action. This is part of the reason that one of the men on our trip gave me the nickname ‘el toro’.  Not much gets me going like working hard outside with my hands. But not just any work. Mowing the lawn? Not so much. Drilling a water-well for those that desperately need it? Yeah. Maybe God is revealing more and more what my passions and gifts are. Working hard for the good of the people is where my heart is bent. Tangible help, blisters, sweat, real change and lasting benefits.

Living Water and the long-term

Living Water is set up for the long-haul. They are seeking to get into just about every country in the world, because water is so important and is a great platform for sharing the love of Christ. Living Water is committed to maintaining the relationships and wells that they have put it for the rest of time. They are focused on building relationships with local churches, pastors, schools because those are the people that will have lasting impact in these communities. I think this is a healthy model for a ministry. Long-term goals. Lasting impact. Relationships. The Gospel at the forefront.

Opportunities for continued involvement with Living Water (aka Conversations with Mateo)

The third day of drilling I had a conversation with Mateo (a man on our trip who has been involved with Living Water over the years in different forms). Out of the blue, he asked if I had looked at the website for job postings. I thought he meant Chevron, so I said no because it was not time to start looking at that. He clarified that he meant Living Water’s website. He went on to say that he was going to email the head couple of guys in Living Water on Sunday (he knows them closely) to tell them that they needed to hire me. I was so taken back at this and was unsure why he was saying this. He said that they needed me because I had an obvious passion for the Gospel, water and helping people. He started to brainstorm about ways that I could be involved using engineering and my passions. He just kept saying that he sees me working for Living Water and traveling the world helping people and spreading the Gospel. I was so shocked to be hearing this, because in the depths of me I had thought this but had never expressed it out loud to anyone. However, in my insecurity I feel very unqualified and scared to take this on. We kept talking about it over the course of the trip. Something about that thought resonated with my heart and makes me want to pursue it more. I am not sure where to go with this, but I am just praying about it now. Praying about how this might fit into God’s call on my life to be about His Gospel.

Overall, it was an incredible trip and one that will be a milestone in my life. I am looking forward to seeing what God does through this. Thank you for your continued prayers for me. I pray that God may use my life and my stories to challenge others to seek Him with everything that they have.

A cup of clean water in Jesus' name

I just got back from my trip with Living Water to Guatemala. What an incredible experience it was! Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts. In this post, I am going to detail the trip specifics and what actually happened. But in truth, much more is happening in the hearts of our team, the hearts of the people of Los Angeles, Champerico, Guatemala, the hearts of Living Water and my own heart. I am going to write some more later on what God is doing in me, but for now here’s the trip.

Our team was made up of 4 men and 2 college age girls; 6 total. We met each other in the airport Saturday morning, but the group dynamics were great. We worked well with each other all week and really enjoyed being around each other. The school in the village that we drilled in had a hand-dug well that was to a depth of about 30 feet. The problems with this well were that their latrines were only about 50 feet away and were dug to the same depth, which means that their water was contaminated and unfit for drinking. Also, that depth is made up of thick clay, which has plenty of water in it, but is very dirty and filled with fine particles. This means that the children get sick far too often, miss too much school, drink too many processed drinks (sodas, etc.) and limit their chances at a full life. This water well was much needed and will also be used for the rest of community as well, since they have similar situations with hand-dug wells.

Early Monday morning, we arrived at the school in the village, which is about 5 miles from the pacific coast of Guatemala, and began preparations to begin drilling. Within 15 minutes, all of us were completely soaked with sweat and mud. We stayed that way the whole 3 ½ days we were in the village, but it was never a burden, because we saw how needed clean water was to these people.

On Monday we completed about 80% of the drilling, which was a total depth of 180 feet. On Tuesday we came back, finished the drilling, and installed the PVC casing to a total depth of 119’, since the best aquifers were only that deep. We placed slotted screens over about 40 feet of total aquifer and gravel packed the well the rest of that day. The end of that day was spent developing the well, which meant injecting compressed air over the aquifer intervals to clean up the mud that we had put in the rock while drilling. All the water that came out of the well was injected into the courtyard area of the school, which eventually became a mud pit for the Gringos and children to play in. The well was estimated to be able to provide 150 gallons/minute! Praise God!

On Wednesday we finished developing the well and did the concrete work around the wellhead. Thursday morning we came back to install the tubing and hand pump and then had a dedication service. The local pastor and other people in the community spoke and we all praised God for what He had provided. After that we said our goodbyes and headed back to Antigua, then back to the states.

The plaque that was placed on the well shows that the well was sponsored by my grandparents Ray and Sandra Smith. They have been my example my whole life of what it means to give generously and sacrificially, so this well was in honor of them.

It was truly an honor to get to be a part of drilling the well that myself, my friends and my family sponsored. I can’t explain to you the emotions that rose up in me as Jorge (a man in the community) and I pumped that first water out of the well. It was overwhelming and can’t be put into words.

If you want to check out pictures from the trip click HERE.

Isaiah 41:17 - 'I the LORD will answer'

Well today is the day. Somehow I’ve let it sneak up on me.

I am heading out tonight to fly to Houston, so I can leave in the morning for Guatemala with Living Water. First of all, I am so thankful to those of you who donated to help pay for the well. What a blessing that was to see!

I am so ready to just be there and be working for the people. I don’t find leaving my home to be unnerving at all; in fact, I think I will feel right at home serving these people. My heart is so ready to be moved and shaken. A great friend, Adam Perry, who made me aware of Living Water told me that this trip would radically shake my view on missions. If only he knew how prophetic that was for him to say about 6 months ago.

My only mission trip experience was to Moldova when I was in the 8^th grade. I loved the experience, but looking back I really did not know what was going on. I was just there and only somewhat apart of it. God has grown my heart so much since then, and I know that this trip will continue to shape who God is making me to be and my vision for how He wants to use me. I am fully expecting to be rocked to the core and am so ready for that.

Here’s how you can be praying this week for the people, the team and myself:

·         The People – Pray that not only would their physical needs be met, but that the local believers would use this well to connect people to Jesus, the true Living Water who alone can satisfy.

·         The People – Pray that the well would not be a distraction from but a platform for ministry to the people.

·         The Team – Pray for selfless attitudes and great group dynamics, since we are just meeting for the first time in the morning.

·         The Team – Pray that would be an encouragement to the local believers. Pray that we would enable the locals to do ministry and not get in the way, just because we are white and feel entitled.

·         The Team – Pray for a renewed sense of who God is and what we are to be about.

·         The Team – Pray for an understanding of God’s sovereignty even in the midst of trials. Don’t just pray for safety and health, but pray that God would be magnified even in the middle of it all.

·         Myself – Pray that my head would be cleared of all that is going on in my life, and that I would focus on hearing the still, small voice of God.

·         Myself – Pray that this trip would help refine me and my vision of how God desires to use me in Missions.

·         Myself – Pray that I would humbly serve and not seek recognition. Pray that my attitude would be the same as that of Christ Jesus (PHIL 2).

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. I am borrowing a nice camera, so I should come back with lots of pictures and stories to tell. I look forward to sharing with you personally all that God has done in me!

‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. … When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.’ Isaiah 41:10,17