September 2022 Conchshell Chronicles

Lamb Bleatings

Losses and Gains. 

Instructs us how to Live in greater completeness and celebration of each moment better.

On our family trip to Hawaii this summer, we gained a new family member when Paul Ritto asked our daughter Arielle to be his wife. We gained a beautiful son that we all love and adore.   We concur that he is God’s choice for our quality daughter and rejoice greatly for the blessing of these two being brought together.

After this momentous occasion, we received a call from our cat sitter and dear friend & fellow team mate, Sandra, that our beloved cat Conner was not well. She FaceTimed  us and Conner laid lifeless on the couch.  Mikaela arranged Conner to be immediately taken in where after careful and thorough examination the doctor called us and explained   in detail how Conner was suffering from a very common medical condition to his breed that was fatal and it would be best to undoubtedly put him to sleep to spare him from suffering.   We told them we would call them back. 

We sat on the stairwell at our house on Maui and cried and prayed together and asked God to help us and knew that just as God brought Conner to us as one of the biggest blessings and gains of our lives He could easily just heal  Conner right then and there.  At the same time realizing that our loss of Conner was also the unexpected plan. We needed the gain of peace and knowing what would be best .  We called the doctor back and Mik asked if they could bring Conner to see us one more time. Conner lay still and lifeless and stared   at us and with his eyes letting us know we   needed to let him go. We cried and told him good bye.  Huge loss for the Bagby family and anyone else that knew Conner who was the most adorable, cutest, fluffiest, kindest, gentlest, chill cat ever …. We all loved  every part of him. 

Today we celebrated his Bday with his usual ice cream cake.

Before this great loss of Conner, we gained two other little cute kittens that Mikaela got named Sebastian and Felix . She went originally to just get a playmate for Moselle’s cat named Cody who seemed to need a friend. When she got there, she knew she couldn’t separate the brothers so she brought two of them home. Sebastian the grey cat for their house (Air and Mik’s house and Felix the wonderful wonderful cat for our house to keep Cody company.  Big gains and blessings to both places.

Another Gain and blessing was the investment of a house that Mikaela and Arielle bought together which housed Conner, Peppi and the newly acquired Sebastian. With the loss of Conner, two of the other cats are making some gains in their relationship.

Loss.  It causes me to savor what I have more.
I gain the perspective that we have but moments to make the most of … Regrets come when I didn’t give my best and all in a choice to simply enjoy those loved ones. 

I have been grieving the loss of my friend and ministry partner of 33 years.

 

 

Mirna Cunningham went to be with Jesus. After Truman, her husband, our friend and Project Director passed in 2016, she was sullen and in poor health. She no longer suffers because she is with the Lord.

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain “   

I hear this for Mirna’s life . Pray for her 8 children she left behind.  Three of their children continue to help us  with Project Ezra where we are now focusing more of our attention on their spiritual gains for Christ rather than just primary education.  Educating the whole community…. Whether it be pastor training or simply equipping the saints for works of service, we want to gain a more focused approach to their relationship with God.

Gaining clearer and more effective perspective & wisdom  on life, love and relationships is the whole point of our lives here on this planet .  One day we will all face the gain of our eternal destiny and whether we are with or without the Creator. Choice is always ours to make.  What does it matter to gain the whole world and all of its richest without living it out with the Maker and Chief Designer of it all. The Living breathing Jesus Christ …. I count it all a loss if    I cannot have an Eternal all-knowing force behind and within my heart and life driving all my losses and gains for a purpose and divine future I cannot fathom or know on my own. I need the higher perspective and Guardian to my soul.   God bless our gains for Love, His ultimate sacrifice and our many losses to lend a finer perspective on our ability to love and enjoy him and those around us.  Laura

My Sister Mirna

Last week, we lost one of the founders of our school project in Nicaragua, Mirna Cunningham, who passed on after a lengthy illness.

Truman, Mirna and Michael,  Auka Honduras 1985  

I met Mirna in 1985  when she, Truman, and her children moved to the  refugee village in Auka Honduras, where Truman began his work as the director of our relief and education project. She and Truman became my family.

Mirna stood on the Honduran side of the Coco River in 1981 watching when Cuban and Sandinista troops burned her home, cut her banana and fruit trees, and killed her cows and pigs. She had four children and survived the next few months living in the swamps north of the Rio Coco along with the other residents of Sawa. Her husband Truman had already joined the Miskito Resistance that was fighting against those Cubans and Sandinistas.

Eventually they took control of the Lower Coco River, and families began to move back - but on the Honduran side. Still, the Sandinistas would come back searching for the Miskito soldiers. One notable incident occurred in April of 1983 when they came to the community of Kiwastara (which was on the Honduran side) and lined up 13 village leaders and shot them all. One survived, the father of our teacher Rosa Albina. He had a 12 inch scar across his chest and was left for dead. I met Rosa's father during one of our clinics in 1986. He told me the story.

Difficult times.

I ate all my meals in Mirna’s kitchen for five years during the war years, and many many thereafter when we moving into the Cunningham home in Waspam Nicaragua. She took very good care of me, Laura, and my children, as well as all the Seek The lamb teams who came to work with us during the 1990's & 2000's.

 Mirna made very delicious bread in her clay oven in Auka, and it was the highlight of my month when Mirna made her bread. I would each so many of her rolls that she finally got the message that I loved her bread. We we cross over to Nicaragua, she continued to make that special 'Mirna Bread" for me.

She was a sweet heart who had a strong moral compass that guided her entire family through some very difficult times. She was a rock foe her husband Truman, and a devoted follower of Jesus. She is very missed!   

 

Happy Birthday Ronal Uyeda

Ronald Uyeda has been my friend these past 34 years who has not only cared for me and my children, but also been a business partner counsellor, and all around good guy. In the process he became my for real Japanese Father.

In July while on Oahu, we got a chance to celebrate his 84th birthday with all of his children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.   

It was a party that began at noon, and lasted until 11 pm that night-with a nap by many along the way. Ron is a man who has sacrificially helped all of his children  and grandchildren in many ways. He and his wife played such a huge role in the Bagby family caring for my parents and my four kids when Laura and I were travelling. He is a man worthy of honor! Here is the birthday party– all 35 of us!

 

Ron with his grandchildren

 

Rio Coco Beans Coffee & Seek The Lamb Support 

Would you like to help our school project this month?

Please click here and make a  donation that will help us educate over 1600 Miskito Indian children.

Seek The Lamb Giving

Another way is to purchase our Rio Coco Bean Coffee. Profits go directly to our school project. We are now having a sale on all our nine blends for the months of September and October. Just type in the code SEPOCTSALE at checkout.

Shop at  https://riococobeans.com/collections/blends

www.riococobeans.com

 

Israel Study Tour Next Spring

April 25-May 5, 2023

After many inquiries, we have  scheduled a time in 2023 to go to Israel with our friend Dr Randy Smith and study Biblical Culture, visit many Biblical sites, all the while asking the question “What did they hear Him say? What is the Bible really saying to us in this 21st Century?”

 We will enjoy moments of meditation of the greatest event in history as we sit in the airspace, marveling what God has done in history, as well as or lives.

Celebrating Randy's birthday Jerusalem 1999

We have been with Randy on at least 10 study tours to Israel, as well as others to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Randy is a graduate of Hebrew University who has planted churches in Florida and lived in Israel most of these past 30 years.

When we met Randy in 1997, he was training all of the guides for the Israeli  Ministry of Tourism. He is the very best to walk a site with, and we have taken many of our friends over these past years. He and his wife Dottie have become dear friends and ministry partners.

Sharing a moment at Tel Dan Israel

All is information is on a downloadable pdf which you will find at

Seek The Lamb Trips and Study

Call Joan or Larissa at Christian Travel Study Programs to get your name on the list. Our space is limited.

Email: ctsp@studytrip.info           tel:800-371-4485  www.studytrip.info

 

Seek The Lamb is non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation that is dedicated to humanic efforts in Central America as well as North America.