Reminder...

Reminder...

Loved...

Over the weekend I got sick. No, let me say that differently so you get a better picture of it. Over the weekend I was attacked by a gastrointestinal evil being that wreaked havoc on my stomach forcing me to sit in the bathroom in misery with a distinct feeling that someone was stabbing in the stomach with an ice pick all night Saturday night. Yeah, that’s a better description. It was so bad I knew there was no way I would make it to church Sunday morning. I hate missing church. Sunday is my favorite day of the week because of the connection with fellow believers worshiping God together. But never the less, I made the necessary calls and covered everything and set up to spend the day at home.

What happened that afternoon into the next day was incredible. I got text messages, phone calls, and even a video from people telling me they missed me and that they were praying for me. I was seriously moved. This isn’t the first time my church family has called out to me like this either. They have been there for me and my family numerous times. Every time people show love to me or my family, I think about this verse:

By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. – John 13:15

So, let me publicly say thank you to my amazing church family and friends. You are a witness to those who are watching and an inspiration to me to show more love to those around me. You are awesome!

In Christ,

jon walton

Loved...

Relationship...

There is a gas station and market not far from my house. I live about 20 minutes out if town, so I stop by this market quite often for gas. After a while, I tried some of their food from the grill they have inside. It turns out they have amazing burgers and subs! So, I began to frequent this little market. I even got to know the people who work there by name.

Now, because of the bad economy, lots of people steal gas. This lead to, as i’m sure you are aware, the pre-pay standard. At pretty much every gas station you have to pay before you can pump your gas. While I understand this policy, I have to admit that it’s a bit of an inconvenience. If the gas station doesn’t have a pay at the pump option, you have to go in. If you want to fill up, you have to guess how much it will cost. If you over estimate, its a headache for all parties involved. The same was true for this little station I visited. But then something changed.

See, after a while, I developed a relationship with the people who run the station. They trust me. Now when I pull up, I just wave at the people inside and they turn on the pump. After I fill up, I walk in and pay. They know I won’t drive off, or try to get away. I have cultivated a great relationship with them.

Now, this is not going where you think it is. I’m not going to ask you if God can trust you. God already knows you. He knows how much He can trust you with. My question is this: Do you trust God the way that market trusts me? Do you trust Him enough to give Him special permissions in your life? Do you trust Him not to take the things you love with out good reason? Do you trust Him to pay you after He takes something from you?

LORD and King, you are God! Your words can be trusted. You have promised many good things to me. – 2 Samuel 7:28 NIrV

In Christ,

jon walton

Relationship...

Far Too Busy...

In our American culture it is easy for me to get wrapped up in everything that is going on around me and neglect some of the most important things. The busier I get, the more I tend to focus on what is right in front of me instead of the bigger picture. I think we can all fall victim to this. As humans, we tend to give the “squeaky wheel the grease,” but just because that is our natural inclination doesn’t mean we should hold that as a constant life style. I know when I do that, I miss out on thing God wants me to see.

Look at Mary and Martha from Luke 10:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)

When we get wrapped up in what we think is the most important instead of turning to Jesus for guidance as to what is most important, we will most likely regret what we missed. Mary knew how important it was to keep Jesus the priority, even over the customs of her culture. Martha failed to see this, and as a result she missed out on time she could have spent personally with Jesus, the Savior of the world! After Jesus was crucified I bet Martha wished she would have spent that time at the feet of Jesus instead of doing chores.

What about you in your life? Are you so busy you are neglecting your time with Jesus? Is your prayer time or studying time the first thing that gets cut when your calendar gets full? I have to admit, I haven’t been writing in this blog as much because I have been so busy I haven’t felt like I have had time to reflect on what Jesus has been teaching me. I don’t like that.

“Lord, help me keep You a priority in my life. May my time with you be the first thing I run to, and the last thing I cut. May You be glorified by how I spend time with You. Amen”

In Christ,

jon walton

Far Too Busy...

I'm Sorry...

If we are not careful, any of us can become ensnared by the enemy’s traps. They are not always so noticeable. Satan is tricky and would love nothing more than to trick you into your own destruction, even if on a small, temporary level. He knows our weaknesses, he knows how to hit us, and he is waiting to catch us off guard. It can happen to anyone.

I have been dealing with a lot of stress lately. I can’t disclose it all, but there has been an exorbitant amount on my plate. I have lots of great, Godly friends I can turn to, but to be honest I sometimes really stink at that. I tend to try and do it all on my own. (Just for the record, that is never a good idea.) In trying to take care of it all, I had unknowingly began to slowly change my attitude. I had become short with people, taken things the wrong way, and just gotten to be a jerk of a person to be around. Its not a good place to be.

However, what was coming next was an even more uncomfortable place. I got convicted by Jesus durning prayer, then confirmed of my state by a friend. This triggered the next step which usually comes easy for me, but this time was very difficult. I needed to ask forgiveness from some people and say, “I was wrong. I’m sorry.” Yet in all of this, God blessed me.

I was making my final apology to a close friend. Someone who I had been close to. A prayer partner that I respect greatly. It was because of this respect that it made it so much harder to say, “I’m sorry.” I respected them so much, yet I knew over the past month I had been disrespectful. Those are always the hardest. I waited for a good moment, then began to ask for forgiveness. I told them the reasons I had been stressed, why I had acted the way I had, but also made it clear that I had no excuse to be disrespectful. I couldn’t even look at them during the apology. I just looked down at the computer I was standing at, fiddling with the mouse pad. Then I finally mustered up the words, “I’m sorry.” Then I just stood there with my head hung low and waited for it. You know the feeling. Waiting for what I deserved. All the “I told you so” and “You know better,” but God blessed me with this person. I heard words I didn’t expect. “Jon, you have such great potential. We all do. Don’t let the little things be the big things that distract you from doing God’s work. Everything’s good. We’re good.”

And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. – Eph. 4:32

Remember that. Be kind and forgiving to those who ask forgiveness. Because sometime very soon, you will be the one asking for forgiveness.

In Christ,

jon walton

 

P.S. To the person whom I asked forgiveness and you chose to give me encouragement instead of condemnation, thank you so much.

I'm Sorry...

You Never Know...

It is amazing to me how God can use what you do for His kingdom in the most unlikely of ways. You may think you are serving in one area of ministry, but God will use it for something completely unrelated. It happens more than you would think.

Recently, I was going through a very stressful situation. I was getting ready to take the witness stand in court for the first time in my life. I know this may not seem like that big of a deal, but for what was on the line I was very concerned. Adding to the stress were some of the people involved. They were people who just liked to stir up drama and trouble where ever they went. (I really don’t understand people like that…) As if I wasn’t shaken enough, they were doing all they could to make the situation more tense. I was not amused.

I was sitting in the car with my wife before we went into the courtroom stressing and praying about the situation when all of a sudden Paige (one of my youth) singing a song for our KidStuf service popped in my head. She does a great job at it. It was there, like a song playing on repeat in my head… And that was all I could think about in that moment. I wasn’t stressing anymore, I wasn’t so concerned about taking the stand, and I even started singing along to the music in my head! I texted Paige right away and told her the situation and thanked her.

You never know how God will use what you give Him, but He will always use it for good! What are you giving God?

In Christ,

jon walton

You Never Know...

Back In TN...

We have landed safely in Knoxville and are on our way back home. Special thanks to Northport Baptist Church for taking us and picking us up. It has been an amazing trip and I am already thinking bout next year. Thanks for all your prayers and check back later for more pictures!

Back In TN...

Atlanta Again...

We have landed in Atlanta. Everyone is safe and sound. I’ll update one final time when we get back in Newport.

Atlanta Again...

Getting Ready To Board ...

We are getting ready to board the plane in Quito. I’ll update again when we get to Atlanta. Thanks for the prayers!

Getting Ready To Board ...

Ecuador Day 8...

Today was wonderful, but incredibly sad. We got one last day to finish up some construction projects and then took the kids on an outing to the local park. It was the one last push, then one last goodbye. Many tears were shed as the team walked back to the guesthouse from Casa de Fe. Even now as I write this it is hard to fully realize that it will be another year before I get to come back and see these kids. I know they are well taken care of, they have the tias, volunteers, and amazing staff here a Casa de Fe, but that doesn’t mean I will miss them any less. Today was wonderful, but so incredibly, indescribably sad.

We will be leaving here at 9:00 am EST to begin our journey home. We will tour Quito a bit, get some food, then head to the airport in the evening to catch our flight at 12:30 am EST Sunday morning. Please say a few prayers for travel mercies and that everything we have done here stays with us in the years to come. Thank you again Jesus for an amazing opportunity to minister to orphans!

I’ll update a short post when we get back into the USA.

In Christ,

jon walton

 

P.S. I’ll upload more pictures when I get home, it’s really, really late at the time of this writing.

Ecuador Day 8...

Ecuador Day 7...

I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day we have in Shell. It has been an amazing trip and God has moved both in us and through us this week and it has been humbling and exciting all at the same time. I can’t believe it is almost over.

Today, we had an incredible, first time experience. We took a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) airline flight out to the jungle to meet some of the Waorani, a native tribe of the Amazon rainforest here in Ecuador. We flew on a small, 6 seat airplane to where their tribe was located. They welcomed us by placing a grass crown on our heads and painting our faces, showed us their church, invited us to dance with them, and then shoot a blow dart and throw a spear. It was an amazing experience. Pictures are in the gallery.

After we got back we worked as quickly as we could to clean up the workshop to begin moving in tools and supplies. The workers thanked us for all we had done. It is truly an honor to work with these people who are dedicating years of their lives to serve children who if not for Casa de Fe may not have a chance at life. Thank you Jesus, for allowing us to come!

At the end of the day, Jeff, one of the workers here, took us to a swimming pool / restaurant. It was a lot of fun and a great way to relax after several long days of work.

We have one more half a work day and then we get to take the kids on one more outing in the afternoon. Pray for us as tomorrow will be pretty emotional. Thanks for all your prayers!

In Christ,

jon walton

Getting on the plane!

Shell, Ecuador. Casa de Fe lower right.

The church in the village we went to.

Misty in the welcoming dance.

Isaiah in the welcoming dance.

Ben in the welcoming dance.

Missy may have slipped in the mud.

The pool Jeff took us to. Eco-Park.

Ecuador Day 7...

Ecuador Day 6...

First off, everyone is doing great. We are all healthy and in good spirits. Thanks for your prayers in that regard!

Today was the last day of VBS with the kids and it was bitter sweet. It was a bit saddening that it was the last day, but the kids were the most excited yet for it! They were singing the songs loud and kept singing them right through the game and craft time. It was so awesome to hear them singing! Later on, we got to play games and worship with the older kids and the tias. It was incredible to see them worship together and to be able to worship with them.

After lunch, we went back to construction. Some of us went back to the site, some of us went back to a missionary house. We are giving all we have to get as much done as possible. We have a couple of work days ahead so we will give it our all to get it done!

Lastly, I am going to experiment with a gallery. All our pics will be here so you can scroll through.

Dinner at Johnny’s Hamburgers

Dinner at Johnny’s Hamburgers

Dinner at Johnny’s Hamburgers

Thanks again for all your prayers!

In Christ,

jon walton

Ecuador Day 6...