Hope and Purpose

No running water.
No electricity.
Food I can't even recognize.
Large spiders constantly running around our rooms.
Beds made of mattresses stuffed with dirty rags.
A cold shower once a week.
Never having even an ounce of privacy.
Always feeling hungry.
Children screaming your name for no reason every second of every day.
I live for this, now.


My daily life here is more than I could ever ask for at home.
I am blessed beyond what I could have ever thought possible.
This month we have been working at an orphanage named Quinta Esperanza.
House of Hope.
It's a fitting name for where we are.
Here in Nicaragua, it is a common thing for daughters to be passed around sexually between family
members starting as babies and until they experience they're first period.
Every girl that lives at Quinta Esperanza has experienced it.

Millions more that do not live there experience it daily.
If this is how this world is, hope is all we have left.
Hope for something better.
Hope for change.
Hope for Jesus.
Our team has been able to spend all our time with these kids as we live where they live.
There are about fifteen boys and girls ranging from 5 years old to 18.
You wouldn't believe it but the girl that runs this whole site is 22 years old.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example
for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
Well, she does it.
There are two twins, both 5, who are gigantic balls of energy.
I love them.
One is mentally handicapped and the most uncoordinated person I have ever met.
I play with him constantly.
The other is mischievous and hyper and hilarious.
They are both named Gustavo.
Don't ask me why.


They are both products of rape.
Their mother and our cook, Reyna, experienced it 6 years ago.

Now, she has two beautiful, amazing boys.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
No, God did not cause that man to commit that act on her.
But he worked through it to bring her a family.
What a blessing.
Praise God.
One thing I keep coming back to is hope.
Every person who lives here is filled with joy because of their true Father.
Because of Jesus Christ.
They talk about him constantly.
With us.
With everyone.




They seek the word constantly and make sure to spend alone time with their Dad.
They get it.
They have nothing at all.
Except for they have Him.
And so they have everything.
They have purpose.
James 1:9 “The brother in humble circumstances should take pride in his high position...”
I have been thinking a lot about purpose, lately.
What is my purpose?
To follow Jesus. That is easy.
But it gets deeper than that.
What is my true purpose?
I seek God on it constantly and He slowly tells me.
I love that. If I knew everything now I wouldn't have anything to look forward to.
But here's my question to you.
What is your purpose?
If you have Jesus then of course your purpose is to follow Him.
I pray He reveals more to you.
But how about those that do not have Jesus.
What is your purpose then?
To make a lot of money and live a comfortable life?
To earn fame or authority?
To be drunk constantly and to search for a new partner to sleep with every night?
To raise a good family that will raise another good family.
And then what?
And then die?
And then fade?
Become nothing?
Sounds horrible to me.
I want you to know. I want you to hear the words from me.
You have a greater purpose than that.
You have a Father in heaven who loves you, no, he adores you.
He created you and He wants you back.
You are His. The creator of the universe.
He specifically wants you.
Everything you search in this world to fill that gap in your soul is worthless.
Money will fade.
Fame and authority changes and is lost.
Your family will die.
You will die.
But that doesn't have to be the end.
You can have eternity. Right now.
You can have purpose. Right now.
Stop living for yourself.
Live for the one who created you. Who created it all.
John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.”
All other gods, whether material or religious, are false. Know the truth right now.
He's waiting for you with open arms.
Go find your purpose.
"This is love."

_______________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.

Honduras Video Recap

Video recap of the ministry our squad did in Honduras. Hope this blesses your socks off.

_______________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.

11 Ways God Has Blown My Face Off: Honduras (and 11 Things I Have Learned From Sharing a Coed Bathroom)

May this strengthen your Spirits and cause your Souls some laughter.

1. Grace, grace, grace! Everything we do is in God's grace. Everything! Every good thing I have done, am doing, or will do, has been, is, and will be through His grace. If I have a talent or skill it has been through His grace. Or any good deed I have ever done for His glory has been through His grace. May I never forget that and foolishly believe any of my good qualities or actions are by my own doing.
1. If you are in need of some good and interesting conversation, coed bathrooms are where they are at.

2. We should have so much love for our brothers and sisters in Christ that we would rather throw ourselves in between them and an Enemy attack, rather than sit back, pray, and hope for the best. Our love should be so strong that we would rather sacrifice our own safety rather than allow harm to come to one another, whether physical or spiritual.
2. Having a conversation while on the toilet with a girl in another stall isn't as awkward as you'd think.

3. Trials, temptations, and tribulations, though from the Enemy, are allowed by God for our own   benefit to bring our relationship closer to God through our perseverance (James 1: 2-4). Start getting excited whenever the 3T's come because you know that God is desiring to teach you something that will bring you closer to Him! Try and Trial's Gain.
3. The reason you put the seat back down is because women can and will fall in.

4. Me- I have spent my life since I learned who the Holy Spirit was, pursuing and loving only the Holy Spirit while trying to ignore God the Father and mildly understanding Jesus. I have been afraid to get to know my Father and so have run to His Spirit (which is still God, but different) and allowed myself to hide from God the Father. May my Daddy forgive me for trying to block Him out and reduce His significance in the pursuit of my walk. I thank my Dad for forgiving me right away and showing me my faults. Now my eyes are on Him. Now, I no longer have a fear of man because my eyes are completely focused on my Father.
4. If you take a shower after a girl there will always be a mini-chewbaca of hair left in the drain.

5. You either feed the flesh or feed the Spirit with everything you do. You can not feed both at the same time! If you are constantly feeding the flesh then when you try to step into the Spirit, you will be pulled back into the flesh. In the same way, when you constantly feed the Spirit, then when you try to step into the flesh, you will be pulled back into the Spirit. When you live in the flesh, the things of the Spirit seem strange and awkward but when you live in the Spirit, the things of the flesh seem strange and awkward.
5. Girls poop does stink.

6. Marriage was solely created to bring two people into a closer relationship with God by        exemplifying how Christ is to the bride. How dare we allow it to be only a relationship between a man and a woman. Also, if I looked at my relationship with my wife as I saw Christ's relationship with me how could I ever cheat on her? Christ will never leave me for another. How could I not constantly forgive her? Christ will forever forgive me for my faults. What would a marriage look like if we truly tried to exemplify how Christ cares for us?
6. Men are no longer allowed to leave the stall door open when urinating.

7. God is tired of only the handfuls of people like Billy Graham or great famous missionaries like Shane Clairbourne that everyone looks up to, reads their books and emphasizes their work. Those people are so blessed for what they are doing but we should all be running with them. It is time to bring everyone together to move as one body of the Church. How dare we allow single people to bring the Kingdom of God down to Earth and give them reverence for it but then do not do anything to reach where they are at? God moves the whole flock of sheep as one. Yes, you may move on to the green pastures of His presence on your own, but it is lonely without the other sheep with you. Also, the sheep who choose to stay back and rest but do not receive the greener pastures are going to miss out on the glory of God that they are able to obtain. Imagine if the whole flock moved together as one into green pastures. What nations would change through their power in Christ as one body!
7. Multiply time to wait for the sink and mirror by five if you're behind a woman, rather than a man. (Not a problem, ladies. Just an observation.)

8. If your full identity is in Christ and the goal of your life is to become closer to Him, then no matter what is taken out of your life or what happens, you can continue on. Too often parents can put their identities in their children because they have not focused their identities or their families on God. Then when their children move away they become lost because the person they have lived through vicariously is no longer there. If your identity and desire is to seek Christ in everything, even over your wife and your children, then your identity will never change depending on other's circumstances because it will be set firm in Christ.
8. Explosive diarrhea does not have a gender preference.

9. Me- The Lord held up a mirror to my face and showed me the critical spirit I have had my whole life. I had always known about it but never put a name to it. Since He showed it to me I have been disgusted by my own sin in that stature and have had pure Holy discontent. However, the Lord is freeing me from that completely and it is all through His glory and strength and not through mine! Praise God!
9. Tampons. Enough said.

10. If you have sin that you are carrying in your character such as pride, impatience, or anger, you will not be able to rid yourself of it on your own. No class, method, or book will truly rid you of it. The only thing that can truly remove those sins is the grace of Jesus Christ! Take joy in your weakness for He is the only person who can take that away from you, but first you must recognize that sin and desire to change whole-heartedly for His glory. Only then can He cure you and release you from your sin. Again, you can not do it on your own! Praise Him for His constant desire to bring you closer to Him! For your good!
10. There are things I do not want to know about girls.

11. My God is bigger than your god! Nowhere I can find in the Bible does any person try to disprove an enemy god by arguing against their existence. Actually, in every situation the prophets would only try to show how much greater their God was then the other false gods. Sometimes even ridiculing the other god's lack of power or appearance. (Examples: Elisha; 1 Kings 18: 16-45/ Moses; Exodus 7: 8-13/ Paul; Acts 13: 8-12 & 17: 22-34) Maybe we should stop trying to disprove other religions and beliefs and start allowing God to prove Himself and His truths!
11. Everything you need to learn about living with your future spouse can be learned through sharing a coed bathroom.

_______________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.

Try and Trial's Gain

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops...so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
                                -James 1:2-4
Consider it joy?
When you face trials?
That's not what I learned.
Aren't trials bad?
From the Devil?
Meant to hurt and destroy us?
Answer: Yes.
So what then?
God is sitting on the opposite side of a battlefield.
Doing His best to stop these attacks?
But...failing?
That doesn't sound like my God.
My God doesn't fail.
My God is in control.
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven?
You rule over all the kingdoms in the nations,
Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.”
                                -2 Chronicles 19:11
My God wins.
That's it.
So then, God is in control.
Yet, we still receive trials and temptations.
Why?
Well, lemme ask you this.
Are you perfect?
If the answer is no, then you have sinful thoughts and fleshly desires.
Don't worry.
You're in the same boat as all of us.
So then, lemme ask you this.
How do you expect to get rid of that sin and flesh desire?
What's your game plan?
Just to stop?
Give up all that filthy stuff one day.
What about all the things you don't even realize that separates you from Daddy?
Things so engrained into your being that you don't even recognize them.
How do you get rid of that?
Answer: You can't.
Not without God anyways.
Trials suck.
Temptations are hard.
But they are essential to your survival.
God does not cause them.
“...For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone”
                              -James 1:13
But He does allow it.
He allows trials and temptations to come into your life.
For your good.
Because you can't revolt against your flesh on your own.
You won't.
You like it too much.
You need God for that.
You need His Grace.
You need a test.
To all those who believe they can do it themselves.
You are in a dangerous place.
And you're wrong.
But if God allows those things to happen then it is for a purpose.
If He allows you to endure a trial or be tempted then He has a purpose for it.
And it is always to bring you closer to Him.
That's a good place to be.
Every trial specifically targets a weakness that is keeping you from your Father.
That should change how you view things now.
It sure changed me.
I have been getting excited lately whenever something difficult comes my way.
Because now I look for what God is trying to speak to me through it.
What He wants to change so we can be closer.
If my schedule suddenly changes.
             God I give you control.
If the people around me begin to frustrate me.
             God teach me patience.
If I start feeling terribly sick.
             God let me learn to rely on you.
If my brother is tired of carrying his bag.
             God teach me to serve like you.
The list never ends.
My trials never end.
Because my relationship with God will never end.
It must always grow.
Lest I start relying on myself and make a total mess of my life.
I don't care how entitled you believe you are to carefree living.
God's trials are a favor.
Accept them.
Gladly.
As soon as you do,
Your relationship with Daddy will skyrocket.
I guarantee it.
Start seeing every single problem in your life as a challenge.
To learn about yourself and grow closer to your Creator who loves you.
And wants what is infinitely best for you.
It doesn't make it any less hard.
But it makes it worth it.
If you need proof,
look to Joseph.
When he was a boy he was happy.
He had the love of his father and a sweet jacket to go with it.
Then after, he endured brotherly betrayal.
Then slavery.
Then temptation by a married woman.
Then undeserved time in prison.
But then God made him the second most powerful man in Egypt.
And at the end of it all,
he said to his brothers who had betrayed him,
“Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good
to accomplish what is now being done,
the saving of many lives.”
                                     -Genesis 50:19-20
God intended.
All of it.
All that pain and waiting.
For the good of Joseph.
And for many other lives.
Praise be to our awesome Daddy.
Who sees the bigger picture.
What a relief.
So don't get discouraged by trials or tough times.
Don't get upset when your plans are changed,
or you lose your job,
or you become sick or injured.
Rather, be encouraged and get excited.
Daddy is about to pull you closer into His arms.
If you would only reach out yours.
Fire burns.
But without the heat, you'll never be refined.
Nothing in this world matters except God.
There is no other goal than to run towards your Father.
Refine me God.
Turn up the heat.
I wanna glow.

_______________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.

Does Anyone Still Have Their Faces?

The Lord has been blowing my mind, recently.
Or should I say, “blowing my face off.”
Seriously.
There are pieces of my face scattered throughout Central America.
And there is no sign of slowing down.
Recovery is futile.
...Bring it on.
Daddy has upped His game.
Well, my game.
He has been revealing mind-blowing, life-changing things to me.
Daily.
Like, things I could spend a year growing solely in.
He is giving me twenty-four hours.
And then showing me something else.
Things about who I truly am.
Or who I need to be.
Gifts and blessings He is pouring out on my life.
Truths about Him and who He is.
Or what He is doing.
Or how He is moving.
Or how He is going to move me.
My future.
My past.
My present.
Him.
Tears now have a permanent residency on my cheeks.
I did not expect this much so soon.
You know what I am doing now?
Expecting much more.
I wake up every morning expecting my God to shatter my face
with some new revolutionary revelation that will change my heart.
And He will.
And I'll listen.
And it'll change me.
They're gonna find pieces of my face scattered across three continents after this is over.
That's the thing that's crazy.
I'm two meager months into the race.
And I am completely different then who I was when I started.
Like, noticeably.
Even people on the race have been telling me how
copiously I have grown from El Salvador to Honduras.
Praise God.
And His ultimate Grace.
So why isn't it like this at home?
Why did I get to keep my face for so long before?
Instead of having it melted off constantly with Holy Spirit realizations.
I think it's because of that expectancy.
Or lack of, rather.
How often do you wake up expecting God
to reveal something life-changing to you in that day?
How often do you ask God to seriously blow your face off with His love?
I'll be honest.
When I woke up at home all I thought about was what time work was,
or who I was hanging out with,
or what cereal I was gonna choose that morning.
Rarely (or rather, never) did I think about what God was gonna show me that day.
Or what my Daddy had to speak to me to so I could seek Him better.
I had a pretty complacent face, overall.
Some scratches here and there, but disappointingly still intact.
So why now, then?
Why now does God fill me with knowledge of who He is every single day?
Because I'm on a mission trip?
I don't believe that bull for a second.
He wants to reveal the same stuff and more to you, too.
He wanted to reveal it to me back when I was home.
But we have to start expecting it.
Start seeking it.
Wake up every morning in that expectation of hearing God's voice.
I guarantee you He's talking.
It comes down to listening.
It has always come down to listening.
So listen.
Here's the thing.
I don't want this to just be some blog you read and move on.
This has just now become a challenge.
Listen to what God has for you.
Expect to hear something every day.
As God reveals what He has for you.
Write it down and share it with this community.
Post a comment with what God has taught you.
Spread the love.
Encourage me.
I dare you.
Expect that God is seeking you out constantly every day
to bless you with more of His wisdom.
Go out there and get your faces blown off.

_______________________________________________
The World Race
Catch me on Twitter at NinjaZachWR
or see my pictures on Instagram at NinjaZach.