Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | May 3, 2011

Bin Laden Dead

Grand Rapids, Michigan

I flew from Houston to Grand Rapids on Sunday evening in order to serve as one of the speakers at Life International’s annual banquet on Monday. As soon as the plane landed I turned on my phone and received a text message from my youngest daughter. Her message simply said: Bin Laden Dead. As I stared at the words I had a quick flashback to where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001 when I heard the report of a plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. Later that morning I watched the news reports of the second plane that crashed into the second tower. I was scheduled to fly to Bangladesh on September 16 but had to postpone my trip because flights were canceled in the wake of this horrible national tragedy. As I looked again at Gina’s text message I could hardly believe that Bin Laden was finally dead after all of these years.

In November 2001, I flew to Bangladesh and recorded these words in my journal on November 11:

My friend Todd and I are in a small village named after a Hindu leader who once lived in this now predominantly Muslim area in northern Bangladesh. We arrived to find the village saturated with propaganda praising Osama Bin Laden and his lieutenants for their attack on America. One young boy in the crowd stared at us from behind a full-color poster of the bearded bin Laden. And, some heckler mustered his best Bangla-flavored English and shouted, “American, Go Home.” Our bicycle rickshaw-walla (driver) strained every muscle as he peddled against a current of pedestrians, buses and trucks belching black puffs of smoke, his competitors, and the unsettling tension we felt so far from our familiar shore.

What I found disturbing was the volume of propaganda that was being distributed to the masses throughout the area we were in. Everywhere we went, we found full-color cards printed on glossy stock that featured a picture of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center along with rhetoric praising bin Laden. No one was weeping for or expressed concern over the nearly three-thousand innocent civilians that perished as a result of this act of extreme violence. The tension in the area was thick and November 11 was an especially challenging night (read my post entitled Night of Fear and Faith). And now, Bin Laden is dead. The master-mind of 9/11 who successfully evaded capture finally met his end. His death serves as a reminder that no matter who a person is or what he does, we will all die one day. And, those who live violently, like Bin Laden, often die in the same manner.

For those who lost family and friends on 9/11, Bin Laden’s death is nothing less than justice served. It’s easy to get discouraged when we see people like Bin Laden sin with apparent impunity. But we must never forget that God is not mocked and sooner or later we reap what we sow. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” And, indeed it does. Bin Laden is dead — a death that Bin Laden himself set in motion years earlier when he chose to do the unthinkable through an extreme act of terrorism. Even so, I do not feel like dancing in the streets, perhaps because I still remember the vivid images of so many in the Islamic world doing so after the tragedy of 9/11. Instead, I have turned my thoughts to Ezekiel where God said, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live (18:23). … For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn and live (18:32).”

Sadly, others will rise to take Bin Laden’s place and to devote themselves to acts of death and destruction. As a Christ-follower I may be called upon to lay down my life for what I believe but I will never take a life in order to spread what I believe. Bin Laden chose a path that ultimately led to his own destruction. I have chosen a path that will lead to life and to spreading the message of life to others. The path I have chosen starts at the foot of a cross, a divine plus sign raised on a hill more than two-thousand years ago. The world needs the message of the life-giver who hung on that cross so that fewer will chose paths of death and destruction, like Bin Laden and those he influenced. Bin Laden is dead, a reminder that while the wheels of God’s justice may move slowly, when they come they do grind finely.

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Posted in Current Events

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | May 1, 2011

Heads or Tails, I Win!

One of my favorite verses in the Bible, and the one that I want engraved on my tombstone, is Philipppians 1:21 — “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The Apostle Paul wrote those words to the Christ-followers at the church in Philippi. He wanted for them to know that Christ was everything to him. Paul lived only to serve Christ and had no conception of life apart from Him. He believed that death, rather than breaking his union with Christ, would usher him into the presence of Christ. That is why Paul said, “and to die is gain.” Paul considered death to be gain because it would give him more of Christ, not because it would bring an end to his pain, sorrow, toil, or difficulties. Paul had learned to live with those kinds of inconveniences (Phil. 4:12). When you think about it, it’s hard to discourage, demoralize, or destroy the person who firmly believes that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” After all, what can you do to the person whose philosophy is of life is, “Heads, I win! Tails, I win!”?

Paul lived every day with this thought in mind: “Living is Christ to me.” Starting on the day he encountered Christ on the Damascus road, his life was never the same again. From that point on he lived every day in the presence of Christ who inspired him to persevere through good times and bad. Christ gave Paul a new direction in life by making him an apostle and evangelist to the Gentiles. As he served Christ, Paul discovered how Christ’s all-sufficient grace and strength was made perfect in his own weakness. His greatest joy and reward was intimate fellowship with Christ. And for Paul, Christ was not only the beginning of his life but also the end. Paul lived every day with eternity in view and longed for the day he would be united with Christ. If Christ were to be taken out of life, for Paul there would be nothing left.

But, what about us? Do we echo Paul’s conviction about Christ? Is He truly everything to us? Have we considered what life without Him would be like? Do we tell others how wonderful He is and how He helps us to live with purpose from day to day? We must embrace Paul’s conviction concerning Christ if we are going to have joy in spite of the circumstances and if we are going to share in the furtherance of the Gospel. How would you complete the following sentence: For to me to live is __________ and to die is __________. Try filling in the first blank with words like money, fame, success, possessions, or anything other than Christ and then see what words you would have to use to complete the second blank. For example, “For me to live is money and to die is to leave it all behind.” I am determined to live adventurously and courageously for Christ knowing that even if I die doing so, I still win!

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Posted in Reflections on Jesus

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 29, 2011

Global Glimpses

Who | Gil Harris

About My Family | My wife Traci and I have four children: Gabe, Ashley, Matthew, and Isaac. Ashley is currently working with Campus Crusade for Christ in Athens Greece. We are very proud of her and her commitment to missions.

Where I Have Traveled With Kingsland | I have had the opportunity to participate in two mission trips to Bangladesh with Omar and Kingsland. The first was in August of 2010, and the second was just three weeks ago. I am officially over jet lag. I have no excuses now, for….anything.

My Impressions of Bangladesh | Before the first trip, Omar informed me that Bangladesh was a lot like Haiti. Traci and I were missionaries to Haiti from 1985-1987. Because of our time there, I felt better prepared for Bangladesh. However, I must be honest, Bangladesh is a bit more challenging….physically, spiritually, and mentally.

What Touched My Heart | What touched my heart the most was the sincerity and the commitment of the Bengali believers in Christ. There are no church buildings for them to gather, yet they meet each week in secret, in homes. To even become a believer may cost you your family, friends, and your life. To put it bluntly….they don’t play church.

Kingsland’s Vision for Bangladesh | Our vision for Bangladesh at KBC is simple. Pastor Alex laid it out for us a couple of weeks ago when Route 66 (his current series through the Bible) took us through the book of Matthew: “Go into all nations and make disciples.” Our strategy is twofold. First, disciple and train the Bengalis who have already come to faith in Christ. Secondly, to send those who have been trained to the remote areas of the country where there is zero gospel influence. We already have two of these trained young men on an island of about 50,000 people in the Bay of Bengal. Pray for these two men. There are about 30 more such islands. Our long term vision is to have nationally trained missionaries on every one of them.

What’s Next | We have two trips planned for 2012. Our team will travel to various regions of the country to train and disciple the leadership in those areas. I am so excited about going back. Our national contact there is constantly sending Omar and me weekly reports on how the believers are sharing their faith and what is needed next to further the gospel. Please pray for Bangladesh. Omar has asked me to serve as our missions ministry’s point man for our trips to Bangladesh. Maybe you will be led to go with me in 2012 to teach and train, or led to give and support the mission with your prayers and finances. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how to do either of these. A special thanks to Omar for letting me share my heart.

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Posted in Bangladesh, Global Glimpses

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 28, 2011

It Looks Easy on TV

Me and Mike (the old guys) climbing the wall.

Our staff took the day off on Tuesday of this week while technicians upgraded the computer servers at the church. Well, we didn’t actually take the day off. We devoted the day to staff development and team building at the YMCA Day Camp at Cinco Ranch. We had lots of fun doing things that required teamwork or that were made easier because of the encouragement of others. Perhaps the most challenging of the day’s activities for me was climbing the rock wall. For others it was mustering up the courage to do the zip line. As I slowly made my way up the climbing wall, I could not help but think that I was doing something that looked easy on television. It’s interesting how watching a guy trudge through the snow on television or sweating it out to complete some task on “Minute To Win It” always looks deceptively easier than it actually is. However, in reality, even the easiest things are always a little harder to do when we finally leave the spectator’s seat, put on the harness, and attempt to climb the wall.

We had a fun and challenging team-building day at the YMCA. Here are a few of my observations from our time together.

We need each other. | The work of the kingdom is bigger than any one of us. Just like the guys that held the ropes for Paul when he escaped from Damascus by being lowered over the wall in a basket (Acts 9:23-24), we need to hold the ropes for others and to have others hold the ropes for us. We need to work in cooperation with others in order to advance God’s purposes.

Communication counts. | We have a saying around our offices at Kingsland: Communicate early and often. Many of the exercises that we did at the YMCA required that we communicate clearly with one another. Success was contingent on good communication. We even did a couple of activities that required us to use non-verbal forms of communication.

Responsible rigging. | Those of us who climbed the rock wall had to wear a safety harness and a helmet. Our instructors made certain that each harness was rigged properly to ensure our safety on the climbing wall and zip line. But, before we were allowed to make our summit bid, we were assigned someone to belay us. The person on the ground who belays a climber literally holds his partner’s life in his hands. The ascent was made a bit easier because we were attached to someone who cared about our safety.

Stay attached. | One of the games we played required that we stay attached to our team-mates. Initially it was not easy moving as one, but the more we did it the better we got. We learned to rely on each other to get the task done. There are thirty-five passages in the New Testament that use the words “one another.” We do a better job of advancing the interests of God’s kingdom when we work in harmony with others. We are most in danger when we become unattached. An old preacher cautioned that Satan is a pirate looking for a vessel without a fleet. He was right.

Give encouragement. | Encouragement was a common thread that ran through every activity. We laughed a lot, gave a lot of high-fives, shouted out lots of encouraging words, and applauded accomplishments. Encouragement was just what we needed, especially when trying to climb up the high wall or leave the security of the zip line platform.

Overcome fears. | The high platform that served as the launching pad for the zip line probably generated more fear than any other challenge. You could see fear on lots of faces. But, every single person on the team that was fearful managed to muster up the courage to overcome their fears and take the plunge. It was a beautiful thing. Nobody had any regrets for doing something they never imagined they would do.

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Posted in Devotional Thoughts

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 27, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Gujjar girl doing schoolwork. | April 2011 | Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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Posted in Pakistan, Wordless Wednesday

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 25, 2011

Dichos Sabios

One morning last week while I was visiting my Dad, I accompanied him to the local Whataburger restaurant in my hometown of Mission, Texas. A part of Dad’s new morning routine is to eat breakfast at Whataburger with his brother and several of their local retired friends, including my kindergarten teacher.

On the morning that I attended this informal gathering of old friends, they got into a spirited discussion of “dichos sabios” or wise sayings. Every culture has their “dichos” — sayings, proverbs, and nuggets of folk wisdom passed from generation to generation by means of everyday conversation.

As a kid growing up in South Texas, dichos were the spice of parental advice. The beautiful thing about dichos is that they have their own rhyme and rhythm that makes them easy to remember but often harder to translate. Nevertheless, these little sayings are pregnant with wisdom. Here are a few of my favorites. Even if you don’t speak or read Spanish, try sounding out these dichos to get a sense of their rhythm.


A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda. | Translation: God helps the one who gets up early. This dicho is related to “the early bird gets the worm” and is an admonition to work hard.

Acabándose el dinero, se termina la amistad. | Translation: When the money runs out (or ends) so do friends (friendships). This dicho addresses fair-weather friends who stay around as long as they can benefit. The prodigal son discovered that as soon as he ran out of money he had no friends left to help him (Luke 15:11-32).

Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente. | Translation: The current carries away the sleeping shrimp. This dicho cautions against slothful and lazy living.

El diablo sabe más por viejo que por diablo. | Translation: The Devil knows more because he is old than because he is the Devil. This dicho reminds us that experience is the best teacher.

La lengua del mal amigo más corta que el cuchillo. | Translation: The tongue of a bad friend cuts deeper than a knife.

Para un niño con un martillo, todo es un clavo. | Translation: To a child with a hammer, everything is a nail.

El que quiere baile, que pague músico. | Translation: The one who wants to dance should pay the musician. This dicho teaches that the one who wants to see something happen should take responsibility for making it happen.

Lo que bien se aprende, nunca se pierde. | Translation: We will never lose what we learn well.

Si quieres el perro, acepta las pulgas. | Translation: If you want the dog, accept the fleas. Regardless of what you do, every endeavor or profession has its respective challenges.

Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho. | Translation: There is a great distance between word and deed. This dicho is akin to the old saying, “It’s easier said than done.”

Despacio voy, porque de prisa estoy. | Translation: I am progressing slowly because I am in a hurry. This dicho reminds us that it is better to take the time to do things right than to have to make the time to make them right. Or, in the words of the carpenter, “Take the time to measure twice and then cut once.”

Mejor solo que mal acompañado. | Translation: It’s better to be alone than to be with bad company. The Apostle Paul cautioned the Corinthians, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Cor. 1:33)

These are just a few samples from among hundreds of dichos. Every culture has their respective collection of folk sayings and proverbs. For example, last November I posted a blog entitled Cowboy Proverbs — a sampling of popular folk wisdom from the Old West. I encourage you to spend some time with parents and grandparents to discover some of the timeless truths that have  been shared across your family’s generations. You may just discover some “dichos sabios” that you can pass on to the next generation.

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Posted in Devotional Thoughts, Home and Family

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 23, 2011

Reflect and Rejoice

Mosaic in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The tombs of many of the world’s great leaders are awe-inspiring wonders characterized by elegant architecture, impressive epithets, eternal flames, and beautiful surroundings. In most cases, no expense was spared to memorialize the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, in spite of their magnificence, these tombs all share one common characteristic — they are all still occupied! By contrast, Jesus was buried in an unpretentious tomb that was not prepared exclusively for Him. No artisan or workman carved it out with the intention of preserving His memory. And yet today, the empty tomb of Jesus remains as mute testimony of His victory over sin and death. His simple tomb assures us that through faith in the risen Jesus, people can experience forgiveness of their sins and a new and everlasting life.

The Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus was “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18). In other words, He was the first person to be raised from the dead without dying again. He is alive today, reigns supreme, and is worthy of our unrivaled love and loyalty. Paul believed that the gospel is at the center of our faith, and the cross and the empty tomb are at the center of the gospel. In his letter to the church at Corinth, he wrote: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Paul said that what he had received was rooted in history or “according to the Scriptures.” The death of Christ was foretold in “the Scriptures” (for example, Isaiah 53:5-12). Many men died at the hands of the Romans, but His death was “for our sins.” And, Jesus “was raised” — the perfect tense in Greek indicates that He remains raised from the dead. His resurrection is a past event with results continuing to the present.

This Easter, we remember His resurrection and victory over the grave. Along with Christ-followers around the world, we also reflect on and rejoice in the fact that He is alive and reigns supreme. As you remember, reflect, and rejoice in the resurrection and on the meaning of Easter, keep these things in mind and take a moment to lead your family in praise and thanksgiving for all that Jesus did to make a way for us to be reconciled to God.

E = Easter is about an empty tomb that offers hope to those with empty lives.
A = Easter is about an announcement that Jesus is alive.
S = Easter is about God’s offer of salvation to all who believe.
T = Easter is about the triumph of Jesus over death.
E = Easter is about the joy that we can experience every day.
R = Easter is about our responsibility to share the good news that Jesus is alive.

He is risen and He is alive!

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Posted in Easter Reflections

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 22, 2011

Global Glimpses

Tonya and her adopted daughter, Kira.

Who | Tonya LaTorre

Where I’ve Traveled with Kingsland | In October 2009 I was a member of the team that traveled to Kampala, Uganda.

What I Did | Our team partnered with the Comforter’s Center, our pregnancy help center, and taught pastors in the villages the truth about abortion. Women in Uganda are known to get multiple abortions, usually as a means of birth control. We taught about human development in the womb and showed photos of a developing baby. We had the honor of seeing them realize that it was human life growing in the womb. We shared what the Bible says about the sanctity of life. And we encouraged them to teach others the rhythm method of birth control and stop using abortion as an answer to an unplanned pregnancy.

How God Touched My Heart | I have visited 23 countries in this world, and I have not found anywhere a people like those I met in Uganda. I fell in love with the people of Uganda. It was the sort of attachment that I knew would be a permanent fixture in my heart. I was inspired by their welcoming and friendly ways, their eagerness to learn with an intensity I had never seen before, and their bond with one another that creates community. On our final afternoon we visited an orphanage for the pleasure of playing with babies. While I held a child in my lap, God whispered into my heart, “Come back for one of my precious ones.” I heard His voice loud and clear.

What Has Happened Since | Within a week of returning home from that mission trip my husband and I began the paperwork for adoption from Uganda. Thirteen months later our family was on a plane to Uganda to meet our nine month old baby girl, Kira. We lived in Uganda for six weeks during the adoption process. Our constant prayer was that God would show us how we could serve Him while there. He was faithful to our request and we were able to do an enormous amount of mission work in six weeks.

Where I Am Headed Next | On Christmas Eve we were invited to a poor orphanage for their Christmas celebration. When I saw that the kids slept on the ground, ate once a day and sometimes not at all, and that none of them were in school, I again heard God whisper, “This is what I want you to do for me.” It was a leap of faith, but our family adopted this orphanage in Kyengera, Uganda. When we offered to pay their food bills, the children cheered “Bye-bye going to bed hungry!” We bought them two cows to have milk, and two hundred chickens to have eggs, and new mattresses. We have done fund-raising and in two months raised all the funds to enroll 47 children in school. Praise God!

Our family has started a non-profit called Kirabo Seeds so that we can prepare to buy land to build a new orphanage with a water well, electricity, and a real community. This June we will lead a mission team of doctors and nurses to Uganda to immunize the children and teach them about health. We will also be shopping for land to purchase so that next year we can lead a team to begin construction of the new orphanage.

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Posted in Global Glimpses, Uganda

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 20, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Dad’s family in front of playhouse my grandparents built for their kids. | Mission, Texas

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Posted in Home and Family, Wordless Wednesday

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | April 19, 2011

The House That Built Me

Mission, Texas

With Dad’s family. I’m the little kid in the suit.

Since January of this year I have led short-term mission teams to serve in Thailand, India, El Salvador, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. As much as I enjoy traveling to serve with our ministry partners around the world, I often tell team members that the best flight of all is always the flight home. I love the feeling of coming home and being home, if only for short intervals at a time. On Sunday afternoon I made another homeward journey. I drove the six-hours from my home in Katy to the South Texas city of McAllen to spend a few days with my Dad. McAllen is located a few miles from Mission where I was born in a small hospital that is now the school administration building. Something always happens when I return to the streets of Mission and to the places of my growing-up years. Somehow, the memories of days gone by know when I am in town and rush to greet me, each one tugging at me and vying for my attention.

While in El Salvador in February, a team member told me about Miranda Lambert’s hit song entitled, “The House That Built Me.” So, I downloaded the video onto my iPad and fell in love with it. Apparently so did a lot of other people. On February 13, Lambert won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for this song that resonates in so many hearts. I thought a lot about the house that built me on the long drive south. I am fortunate to have really great memories that still reside in the house that built me. And, I also have fun memories of the Mayberryesque streets where I roamed and played without the kinds of fears that keep kids today tightly tethered to their own backyards. These were the days before television and video games started to kidnap and hold kids hostage indoors, causing them to miss out on great adventures made even grander by boundless childhood imagination.

As I drove to my hometown on Sunday, I thought about the house that built me and also about my own home and how God used it to build my kids. In many ways, my home is a reflection of the things I learned in the house that built me — and that my wife learned in the house that built her. We are not perfect and have made lots of mistakes along the way, but we have never lost sight of nor ceased striving toward the goal of having a home that honors God. Here are the things I am most thankful for when I think about the house that built me.

Conversations | It’s easy for us to take our conversations at home for granted and to take liberties in how we speak to one another and how we speak about others. That is why we should heed the counsel of Ephesians 4:29 — “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” I am thankful for all of the wholesome conversations that I listened to while growing up. My little ears were listening!

Bookshelves | My grandfather and parents encouraged me and my siblings to read and to be curious about peoples and places. We had lots of books on the shelves as well as some great magazines to stimulate our curiosity, including National Geographic, Life, and Look — publications that helped us to explore our world and to look beyond ourselves. These were the days before magazines with names like People, Us, and Self.

Walls | I am grateful for walls and shelves adorned with art objects and bric-a-brac from around the world, including a collection of African spears and shields, pencil rubbings of bas-reliefs at Angkor Wat, Egyptian artifacts, and numerous other curiosities collected by family members throughout years of travel. These objects piqued my childhood curiosity about the peoples who live in faraway places.

Guests | Home was a place where guests were always welcome and the fortunate beneficiaries of something baked. My family loved to entertain guests. I recall one of my last conversations with my 96 year-old grandmother. She told me that she wished she had the physical strength to bake cakes and goodies to entertain guests. My siblings and I enjoyed lots from interesting guests who visited our home and brought with them gifts of conversation and laughter.

Family | The very best thing about the house that built me was my family. I was fortunate to grow up with both paternal and maternal grandparents who lived nearby. We spent lots of time in their homes and they spent lots of time in ours. They blessed us with unconditional love and unlimited amounts of encouragement. I always felt like the luckiest kid in the world when I was growing up. And, I was!  I am thankful for the house that built me and for the opportunity to spend a few days getting reacquainted with the precious memories that still reside there.

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Posted in Home and Family

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