ramblings of a wannabe rockstar

It’s been a long, long time since I had the chance to post an update in regards to goings on with my involvement in Honduras. The last time I communicated en masse was to explain why last year’s scheduled trips were canceled. Fortunately, I have had the chance to keep up with many folks on an individual basis and with most of the rest of everyone via the wonders of Facebook and Twitter.

After the political crisis that prompted the cancellation of last year’s trip to Honduras smoothed out, the team with whom I travel moved to reschedule the trips. The opportunity arose early this year for me to go with a team in March. As many of you know, I traveled with a team of 16 men and women from Genesis Metro Church, my home church in Frisco, TX and one of my best friends from CA, Dan Lundmark back to the Promise Home Orphanage.

As with my previous experiences on trips like this, the terms all apply: “life-changing” and “profoundly impacting” and the like. They accurately describe the impact while not doing it justice.

Porque eso es quien yo soy.
Because that is who I am.

A few weeks ago, on Easter Sunday, my good friend Justin had the chance to tell the story of one of our experiences during that week. I’d tell the story myself but to save you some reading and me some writing, please take a few minutes to listen this story, as he told it. You can hear it in the audio player at the top of this post. The story told there precisely articulates why it is I do what I do. Why I am so passionate about this project and these trips.

In the year and a half since my previous trip (Summer 2008), I have spent a lot of time working on figuring out who my God is, who I am in light of who He is, and why I am driven in the way that I am. In a word: Gratitude. I worship a God who loves me. Who has saved me. And my response to Him for that is my gratitude. My expression of that gratitude is what drives me. It gives me my hope, my purpose in life, my reason for being. I long for it to define who I am. It is my everything! Why do I do what I do? Because that is who I am. Because of who He is, I am.

Over the years that I have been involved with the Promise Home project (on a personal level with the trips I have taken, and on a corporate level financially supporting, and supporting my best friends who will move their family there), I have grown to dearly love that country and its people. The children in the village of El Portillo (where Promise Home is located), whose names—Wilson, Yovanni, Olvin, Pablito—and faces I can’t forget…so, so special to me. I wish I had the time and room to tell the stories I have with each of them.

This year, because of the awesome expectation that Raquel and I have in our coming son, Jackson, who is due in August, Raquel is unable to go on the trip she would have otherwise rescheduled. Because she can’t go, I will take her place on the upcoming return trip from from June 5-12.

Now, the ask: I have a few requests. First and most importantly, I humbly request the continuation of your prayers. I will be helping to lead this trip with my dear friend, Jeremy and will also be involved with various music and VBS projects. And secondly, due to changes in travel and the ins and outs of my going in Raquel’s place, I need to raise $630. As on previous occasions, I am working on raising funds through various freelance projects, but I know that some may like to participate in this mission by helping me go. If you are able, you may donate online (click here) or by mailing a check payable to Genesis Metro Church (address is below). Make sure to put Patrick Russell – Honduras in the memo field. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

In advance, I extend my most sincere thanks for your prayers and any financial gift you can provide. Upon my return I look forward to sharing with you the impact your support made on my life as well as the children of Honduras. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Here is the address to address your envelopes:
Genesis Metro Church, Honduras 2010
3101 Nighthawk Lane
Little Elm, TX 75068

P.S. Stay tuned to my Facebook page and my Twitter feed as I will be posting frequent updates and pictures as I prepare and travel. I also intend to overhaul this blog soon too. Watch for further announcements on that.

Earlier this week, Fox News aired a segment of an English-speaking interview with Greta Van Susteren and Honduran President Roberto Micheletti. If you’re interested in seeing the whole thing (if you can get past the Fox Newsness of it and Van Susteren’s terrible grasp of the English language), go here and here (two parts). His portion of the interview is rather enlightening.

I particularly enjoyed this part:

VAN SUSTEREN: And so your view is that President Obama and Secretary Clinton do not have the full story. That is your view.

MICHELETTI: They don’t know. I am sure they do not know.

VAN SUSTEREN: Have you ever met President Obama or Secretary Clinton?

MICHELETTI: No, no, no. I admire them, but never in my life. One day I had a telephone call from Mrs. Clinton.

VAN SUSTEREN: What did she have to say?

MICHELETTI: She asked me to find a way to return Mr. Zelaya.

VAN SUSTEREN: What did you say?

MICHELETTI: No.

(ht to La Gringa)

I’ve been using Twitter for about a year. I’ve only been halfway decent at it for a few months though. I find it to be an incredibly useful tool. I also feel the same way about Facebook. But to me, they serve different purposes.

A while back, I made the following statement on Twitter (which also feeds my Facebook):

I’m thinking about going into business consulting new users on how to Twitter. My fee? Whatever you feel like donating to my #Honduras fund.

A friend of mine asked why he needs Facebook and Twitter while mentioning the seeming redundancy. Here’s what it’s about for me.

I view the two as being equally important pieces in the social networking “puzzle.” However, one leans more towards the social (FB) and the other towards the networking (Twitter). But for me there’s enough crossover for me to want to have the two connected.

As a worship leader, short-term missionary, tech geek, church marketing enthusiast, I find that twitter bears importance in learning and connecting my thoughts on those subjects with others. Further, as the “Twitter guy behind the curtain” for a few orgs, I find great value in paying attention to what similar organizations are also doing on Twitter so we can be most effective in communicating what needs to be communicated.

Facebook is purely a place for me to connect with friends (old and new). Thing is, a lot of what I find worthwhile for Twitter, I consider worthy of my FB profile as well which is why I connect one to the other. Particularly for folks who don’t “get” Twitter.

I think those who don’t get Twitter see it as a Facebook clone and that makes sense to me when I see updates like, “Eating dinner now,” followed five minutes later by, “Done with dinner. Eating dessert now.” If you’re using Twitter like that, you’re doing it wrong. Stick with Facebook. Twitter is to be used like the networking tool that it is, for example: “Dinner with @marksnewton. Great conversation about how God is being good in our lives. You should check out @BigBadCollab. #encouraged #blessed” Take it to another level.

Use Twitter as the tool it can be. I will be posting more thoughts about Twitter here in the coming days so stay tuned. Next topic will expand on the thought I beganhere:

If you’re in ministry in this online age and not using Twitter, you’re limiting your effectiveness.

Another good read from the WSJ.

First off, I realize I am way, way, way overdue in getting this done. To all of you, particularly to those of you who may have contributed to Raquel’s or my cause, please accept my most sincere apologies for not having updated all of you sooner. This summer turned out to be tremendously busy and I haven’t taken the time to sit down and do any kind of writing at length. I have been asked in the past week or so by a handful of folks as to whatever happened with our trip to Honduras, so I thought it high time to go ahead and update.

First, some back story: On June 28, Honduran president Manuel (Mel) Zelaya was removed from his presidency. Depending on which news outlets you’re following this was either an illegal coup d’etat or a legal removal. I’m going to save myself the effort of discussing the politics (I strongly oppose our current administration’s handling of the situation). However, if you’re interested in reading some more about this, I’ve been following a fantastic blog here. Here’s another good read from the Wall Street Journal.

As a result of the political situation, there were several demonstrations, some of which were less than entirely civil. This prompted questions raised by our group and others to whom our trip organizers pay attention about the security of our group. That combined with the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory until October 20, it was decided that our trips would be indefinitely postponed. This decision was made in early July when I was in Colorado. At this time there is no speculation as to when the rescheduled trips will occur but we’re hoping for a small trip in the late fall and larger group trips several times next year.

On a personal level, I was pretty disappointed. Since Nicaragua two years ago, these trips have rapidly become about the most important thing I do all year. For those who have followed my previous “excursions,” you know how intimately involved I have become with the Promise Home Orphanage project and ministry. I was greatly looking forward to the trip.

However, on a larger scale, I know that our God is at work in this situation! At the risk of sounding like an out-of-touch super Christian, I wholly trust in His perfect timing. I’m not really sure as to how to articulate things other than that. I know that the need there is great and the anticipation of the whens, hows, whos, whats, and the like only serve as a reminder for me to remain content and purposeful where I am and to be in prayer for the country of Honduras.

If You Donated
If you are one of the fine people who donated to help us go do this mission, please know that we are still going. Your donations will still be applied to whenever we do go. The plane tickets that were purchased have been exchanged for travel vouchers that need to be used before June of next year. The remaining funds will be held for when we do travel. I have until now been negligent in my expression of gratitude to you who donated (I do not know who did, unless you sent the donations through me), but as in the past, please know that I am truly grateful and truly humbled. It’s not about me as much as it is about the cause, but I am blessed to know that because of your prayers and monetary blessings, I will have the awesome opportunity to once again participate in this thing that is so much bigger than me!

Last year, over 1,000 children and several adults learned of the salvation and eternal hope available to them through Jesus Christ and chose to welcome Him into their lives during our VBS and sports activites. Earlier this year, prior to the political upheaval, a partnering group spent a week on the Promise Home property and nearly 50 more children experienced the same. This, my friends and family, is why I do what I do. Everything else is a means to that end.

I appreciate your patience and grace during my silence. I vow to be better at my communication efforts. Please stay tuned.

I welcome any questions you may have. Pease feel free to call, text, e-mail, tweet, or hit me on Facebook.

The sermon at Genesis Metro and subsequent “response” time on May 31 was pretty astounding. Some would say life-changing. I’d agree with that. The sermon subject pertained to us setting down the things that hinder us from moving forward in the Christian life. The text was from Revelation 3. To illustrate the point there was a door frame set up. Click the play button on the audio player below to hear a 3-minute story about some recent changes in the Russell home.

We are still trying to raise funding to go on this trip next month. If you feel so led, would you check out the donate section at the top of the margin on the right? We thank you humbly.

A couple weeks ago, I blogged, tweeted, and Facebooked about my return to Honduras. I have received word that several people have already participated in my trip by sending donations. If you are among that number, I humbly thank you. I wanted to take a moment to let you know about another fund raising opportunity, in case you’d like to participate.

On Saturday, June 6, I will be participating in the Red River Ride. It is a 50-mile bicycle ride from the Dallas area to the Red River (the border between Texas and Oklahoma). I—along with several of my friends—am riding to raise money for Promise Home Orphanage; the project I wrote about in my letter a few weeks ago. This is doubly exciting for me considering it will be my first major physical event since losing 75 pounds last year.

We have the opportunity by going, giving, and praying to change the lives of literally thousands of children, and quite possibly an entire country. Last year in just one week in Honduras, we saw just over one thousand children enter into a life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! Imagine what could be done day after day, week after week.

This is where you come in. I have a simple request: Will you consider donating at least $0.10 a mile for my ride? That is just $5.00. Some of you will likely spend more than that on a single trip to Starbucks this week! If you are feeling even more generous, maybe you would consider $0.20 or $0.30 or even $1.00 a mile? Every little bit can make a huge difference among those children who have nothing at all.

You can donate online here. This donation (handled securely through Google Checkout) goes directly to support Promise Home (and is handled through my church, Genesis Metro). Your donation is tax deductible.

If you would rather use PayPal, you can send your support directly to me at patrick@patrickrussell.org (this comes directly to me and is not tax deductible).

And of course, more than anything, I covet your prayers. The upcoming ride and subsequent trip (as well as preparations) will be physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging. I am sure the Lord will bless me through your prayers.

By the way, if you’re local to the DFW area, and you want to join us and help us with our fundraising, let me know. I can give you details.

Friends, I’m headed back to Honduras in July. To learn more about this trip and how can help, read this letter: http://is.gd/xkzB. Many thanks!

While I’m here, I might as well point out that I will be resuming regular blogging before too long. Thanks for checking in.

It’s been a while. Not intentional…just haven’t been moved to post anything. Until now.

There’s a blog I like to peruse from time to time just because of its thought provoking nature. It’s called iMonk. I don’t necessarily see eye to eye with a lot of the stuff he writes about, but I really like the place he’s coming from.

I read a recent post this morning, entitled Twenty-Five Sortof Random Things I Do and Don’t Believe and I thought some of it bears reposting. Some of it doesn’t (in fact, there are a few with which I completely disagree), but some of it does.

Read the whole thing here, if you’re interested.

1. I don’t believe gay marriage is the biggest threat to the family. Not by anything approaching a long shot. I’ve worked with thousands of students in my life, and the messed up kids were messed up by divorce, absentee parents, sex, substance abuse and greed. I’ve met maybe 10 students in my life who were affected by anyone’s homosexuality.

18. I believe in creation by God, but I’m not a young earth creationist. I’d really rather you try to sell me Amway or insurance than try to change my mind on that one.

19. I believe that while Protestants are right on the issue of grace in salvation, at the level of how we practice the faith we’re actually far more sympathetic to the other team than we admit, and if we actually advertised what the reformers cooked up in the Reformation, a lot of Protestants would take the bus back to Rome in the morning. The grace of God in the Gospel is radical, revolutionary and not at all compatible with entrenched religious interests and power plays. If its control of a system you want, Gospel grace is going to blow up your lab.

20. I believe the Biblical position is the pro-life position, but endless proclamations of abortion rhetoric make me wonder what’s actually going on here? Without backing off my pro-life convictions at all, I can’t honestly say that evangelicals are consistently and practically pro-life on all the issues where the sacredness of life is at stake. If pro-life is the Word, then be a doer, not just a hearer, writer or talker.