Clay Pots ~ Gettin' Ready

Good news! Spring is finally here and that means that people are outside, parks are filling up, and there is excitement in the air. And, about two weeks ago, Paco and I hosted some informational meetings for those who were interested in having a community garden. We have 8 Hispanic families who are ready to go and just waiting for the ground to be ready, and we are anticipating more families in the next few weeks. It is a blessing to be able to offer this opportunity and we are excited to see what God is going to do through it. One family has a desire to spend time with their children and to teach them some useful skills along with building some new relationships in the community. Another family is living paycheck to paycheck and this is going to be a help for them financially. One single mother works two jobs and is raising two teenagers and this is a good opportunity to spend time together with them, do something fun and healthy, and to build some new relationships in the community. My impression so far is that the 'selling point' has been the opportunity to get to know other people and to rub shoulders with English speakers. The Bible says that "They will know that we are Christians by our love..." My experience has been that through acts of love, people not only hear, but see and feel the gospel of Jesus Christ which causes an openness to accepting and believing it.

Our 'kickoff' date is going to be Saturday, May 21st, 11am at the gardens (see directions below). That is when we will divvy out the plots, prepare the soil for seeds, and plant the seeds, etc. Please feel free to just stop by and check it out! There is a nice playground for the kids and a shelter area as well. Bring a picnic and hang out. We will also orientate the participants to the property and link up families to assist each other throughout the summer.

The Hispanic Health Resource Center's Latino Senior program is going to cultivate their garden out there this summer too. They are anticipating about 15 people to be a part of their program and we are looking forward to serving them in this simple yet meaningful way.

Praises: We have a volunteer to make a sign! There is a group of guys who are going to fabricate a rainwater system next weekend! Free wood chips have been delivered on site for 'cleaner' pathways! Some tools have already been donated!

Pray: That all the rest of the little details will be sorted out in a timely fashion. That a few more families will sign up. That those who are fabricating the rainwater system will have it come together without much difficulty. We are still in need of a couple wheelbarrows, watering cans, tools, and some starter plants (tomatoes, green peppers, & Broccoli) That May 21st will be a beautiful day!

If there is a specific way that you would like to be involved, please call me: (262)501-8487.

By grace,
Jason for the Knapps

Directions: 164 and Glendale Rd.

Clay Pots ~ On Our Doorstep

When I was in Guatemala, I saw various brightly colored clothes. There were many different patterns, but I didn't learn the significance until after I returned home. Centuries ago, when the Europeans came and conquered Guatemala they assigned a different color or pattern to each people group so that they would know from the color or pattern where the other is from. It is important to note that those from Central America are a conquered people; I am from a different background, not one where my ancestors were conquered. Therefore our two cultures view life very differently.

I recently went to a conference called "Missions on your Doorstep" where I met with and heard various personnel from World Relief and other churches who minister cross culturally here in the U.S. It excited my heart to meet others who share the same vision of uniting churches within communities to minister to the masses of immigrants who are flocking to our country... the mission field is right on our doorstep. So with the many people groups represented in the U.S., the question I am pondering lately is, "What is my response as a Christian to be to this situation? And how should understanding some of their cultural background also effect my response?"

Spring is fast approaching (finally!) and we are in full swing making preparations for the garden project taking place this summer. We have been encouraged by the number of interested immigrant families and we will be having an informational meeting for them at the end of this month. Also, there is a list compiled of those who want to participate in a "Home English Club" where Anglo families go into the homes of immigrants and help them practice their English. Kellie and I along with other volunteers have been invited to come into their homes for this purpose. We are excited about this invitation and thanking God for opening up this door!

It has encouraged our hearts to see several churches from Waukesha county come together to support Clay Pots. We are praying that this will continue and that a network of churches can be established so that together we can reach the world on our doorstep. Thank you for supporting us and for living this verse: "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ coffee

Some of you might know the amount of work that goes into a simple cup of coffee. Then again, maybe you don't... I didn't. Even after living in Tobo where they grew coffee, 'washed it', dried it, hulled it, and packaged it up (weeks of work), it didn't strike me as that big a deal until I went on a tour of the Azotea Coffee plantation outside of Antigua a few weeks ago. There, on sight, we were able to see the process from start to finish: from planting the seed, transplanting the seedling, harvesting the ripe crop, shelling the two halves, drying the beans, hulling the parchment off, roasting, shipping, grinding, to the finished product: a pleasing, sweet-smelling, delicious cup of black coffee. Seems like a whole lot of work and a whole lot of time for one simple product which we consume every day. On our tour, we were told that 1 coffee plant, which only produces one crop a year, produces only enough coffee for approximately 40 cups! Wow, how many plants worth have I drank this year already?

The preparation process for coffee is intense, requires just the right climate, and entails numerous steps before one can enjoy the final product. This encouraged me with the ministry I find myself in. Just like hurrying up the process or skipping a step in the production of coffee would produce a product not appropriate for consumption. In the same way, I need to be faithful to patiently accomplish the steps necessary to see the appropriate final product of ministry, which is changed lives. This includes learning the language, understanding the culture, compehending the needs, and knowing and loving the people. This all takes time, but it is time well spent when we become "the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing". (2 Cor. 2:15)

Pray for us as we prepare for the gardens this summer. Pray for us as we are being invited into people's homes. Pray that my Spanish will progress and that I will be faithful to practice it and use it. Pray that the aroma of Christ coming from us, like the aroma of coffee, would have an attractional characteristic.

Peace,
Jason

Clay Pots ~ Guatemala part 3

Well, it has been quite a week. Took that hike up the volcano, met that guy at the restaurant, got a list of 200 new verbs that I need to learn, am grasping a few new concepts in Spanish, watched from afar as you all went through a crazy snowstorm, put in over 8 hours a day of studying, took a 32 mile mountain bike ride through the rugged mountain terrain around Antigua, visited the capital city of Guatemala and spent time with Paco's brother, attended a new church plant endeavor out in a pueblo, watched the Packers WIN the Super Bowl, and now I am trying to process it all.

Some things that hit me this past week: As I looked down on a huge city thriving with life from an enormous volcano where it was like I felt the fiery hot breath of God, I was humbled with the thought that we are not quite as significant and important as we think we are. With one breath of his nostrils, God could rend the earth and consume an entire city of millions of people.

As I biked through some of these small towns and saw the poverty and rough existence, the dry barren gardens, the delapitated houses, I was reminded of my time in the tribe in PNG and I realized what an amazing act of love it was for God to come down and be born, live, and die as a human... most of the world does not live with white picket fences, sanitary clean roads, and glimmering grocery stores. God came and lived as a poor man among the poor, he got dirty with those who were dirty, and he bled with those who bleed.

As I walk the streets of Antigua, watch the drunk pee on the wall in front of me, answer "no" for the 30th time to the offer for 'weed', and see men and women chase after anything in this life which can give them a temporary 'fix' for the ache which they feel inside, my flesh initially is repulsed, but my spirit is filled with compassion and a prayer that everyone could find the relationship they crave in Jesus Christ.

And as I witnessed the desire to plant a church in a new pueblo, I was reminded that relationships founded on godly, sacrificial love are what build trust and draw people to Christ. It takes time (maybe years) to spread the kingdom in this way, but we are each called to influence our own little corner of the world and proclaim Jesus to those we meet. And as in any family, growth happens one birth at a time as God gives the miracle of life to what was once dead.

So, although God could have consumed us or could have said, "no, they are rebelious, they rejected me, why should I love them?" and then just left us to rot on this rough planet; instead, he took on flesh. He became poor, dirty, and bleeding, he was filled with compassion and prayed for the hopeless around him, and then he gave of himself in sacrificial godly love in order to innitiate a relationship with us. Now that is a story worth listening to!

See you soon,
Jason