ONWARD Page 2 May 2003

REPORT FROM THE GRIGGS

School continues to go very well for Meghan (1st grade) and Zachary (2^nd grade) at the Assembly of God school in Puerto Lempira. They look forward to each day and remember to do their homework with little or no encouragement. What a change from last year! They are learning 2-3 times more per month than they did last year. Laurie's teaching and administrative work at the same private school continues to go well, but she has had some administrative and personnel challenges to deal with lately. Keep her new duties in your prayers. She loves what she is doing and has an extra bounce in her step these days. I have been on the road from La Ceiba (north coast) to the east and then south in the departments (like our states) of Atlántida, Colon, and Olancho. I have been visiting woodworking and wood bark artisans. I am doing some consulting this year trying to help quite a few other artisans to market their goods. I am partnered with a husband and wife team, Melvin and Yadira. They are both strong Christians. They are both forestry engineers. I am able to share, challenge, discuss, and pray as we travel many hours on the dusty roads these days. Praise God for this new "spiritual feeding" that He has sent my way. Renato Gomez continues to lead the Solar Kiln project development. The construction continues to advance (even when I am on the road). He is working hard on the accounting system that we will use this week. Praise God for Renato and that he and I crossed paths at just the right time so that he could be involved in this large business endeavor. I will spend my weekend here in a hotel in La Ceiba answering e-mails and will attend one of the newest Moravian Churches here in La Ceiba (there are now 3 here). The pastor is named Orville. He has been called to plant Christian churches even though he has had no formal seminary training. He asked the Moravian leaders for help but was denied a couple of years ago. He went ahead and planted a new church without anyone's blessing and now is pastoring a group of almost 100 people. Most of them are brand new Christians. I worship with and encourage them once a month as I am traveling. Praise God for Orville and other Christians that answer God's call in spite of manmade barriers.

In Christ's love, Ray, Laurie, Zachary and Meghan

FROM THE INTERNET

My heart is heavy and I suspect that the heart of God is even more so! I spent a very restless sleep last night, struggling - in dream and awaking - to bring to mind some solution for or lessening of the tension that exists between war advocates and protestors, the right to lifers and the pro-choicers, the gays and the straits, the Christians and the world, the believers and the skeptics, the blacks and the whites and the reds and the browns, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the citizen and the alien, the conservatives and the liberals, the Molly Ivins and the George Wills....

In my faith, I see God expressing God's self in a person named Jesus who came to demonstrate God's love for all humankind! In all that he said and did I see Jesus indicating that God was not so much interested in making us more religious or even more Christian but more human! For it is humanity that we have in common! As I see the Samaritan in that famous parable approaching the badly beaten man by the side of the road, there is not much they have in common that would draw him to that victim. They shared not dress, language, culture, religion. status. But they shared one thing he could not deny or ignore - they were both human beings!

Unless we are willing to abdicate our humanity how can we simply cut off or walk out on those who differ from us -like those who leave the church or leave the family or leave the neighborhood or leave the country? Can we deny or ignore the permanent bond that is ours - our humanness???This keeps me awake at night and causes me to weep!!! Br. Charlie Eichman – Retired Moravian Pastor

One of the first Americans killed in the Iraq conflict was killed by an American soldier in Kuwait. The victim was a Moravian, Capt. Christopher Seifert. He and his wife met at Moravian College, were married in the Old Chapel and joined Central Moravian Church. The funeral was March 29. A fund to help his wife and their son Benjamin is established. If you would like to contribute,

send donations to:
Benjamin S. Seifert Assistance Fund.
c/o First Union National Bank, 951 Trenton Rd.
Fairless Hills, PA 19030.

Thank you for your Christian concern.