Reflecting on the Past 9 Months

In case you've missed the Pax photo storm on facebook, our little man is here!  He came into our world two weeks early thanks to a nasty gallbladder attack, but we couldn't be happier to have him safe in our arms now.  I can't wait to share his delivery story with you (guys, I know you could probably care less), but I will save that for another day.

I'm feeling rather sentimental as I collage all of my pregnancy photos together with this last snapshot I took tonight with Pax in my arms.  You see, bringing Pax into this world is the hardest thing I have ever done.  Sure, I'm smiling in all of the photos, but the photos are deceptive.  What you don't see are all of the days of vomiting my insides out, the many trips to the ER, the hours I've been hooked up to an IV pump for pain meds, and all of the days and nights I have spent crying because the pain just wouldn't go away.   Trust me, I know that women have endured tougher pregnancies at greater costs, but for me, I assure you that I felt more like I had a deadly cancer than a living, breathing, little person inside of me.  As my due date drew closer and closer, I worried about what kind of mom I could be to this baby I was carrying.  I didn't feel particularly bonded to him- I just felt miserable and sick.  It felt so different from my pregnancy with Abby.

The moment after I delivered Pax, my doctor placed him on my chest, and I looked at him in disbelief.  It didn't seem real.  I was almost in shock that I really had been pregnant... not just sick.  I held his tiny hands in mine, and I studied his little face as he cried with the cold air hitting his wrinkled little frame.  As the nurse took him away to clean him up, it hit me.  God had given us a son.  I cried with relief, because I had made it.  I had carried him to full term, and by God's grace, he was here and well.  Healthier than I had dared to hope for.  He was perfect.  Pax was mine.

Not even a week later, I'm sitting here typing this with tears streaming down my face.  It makes me smile to think that I was worried about bonding with him.  I'm completely enamored with this little guy.  He has my heart.  We have been through so much together, and yet, our journey is just beginning. Many of you have labored with me in prayer along this road, and I will forever be grateful.  As I look at his tiny little face sleeping soundly against my chest, I have no regrets. His name Pax, Latin for peace, couldn't be more prophetic now.

I can't help but keep thinking about what Jesus told His disciples when He was trying to prepare them for the suffering they would endure but the joy that would follow. "When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. (Jn.16:21)"  It's true.  I'd relive the past 9 months in a heartbeat to have this little guy here with me now.

So tonight, it is with great joy that I introduce to you my son Pax Bryan Cirlot.  God is good.

Changing Expectations...

Since the beginning of this pregnancy with our sweet son, it's been about adjusting expectations.  Once again, our plan has changed a little.  Here's the deal.

For almost a week, I have been stuck in prodromal labor.  Basically, it's labor that helped me dilate and efface to a certain point that has just stalled and is accomplishing little more than making me miserable and tired now.  Unlike Braxton Hicks, these contractions are the real deal and come about every 5 minutes when they are cranked up, but my body stopped responding to them last Wednesday night.  Apparently, when I was having a massive gallbladder attack in the ER, I was also beginning to go into early labor.  When I received my pain meds to control the gallbladder attack, it likely stalled the labor as well.  I've been stuck in this early labor cycle ever since.

Unless my water breaks or something changes again, Pax is going to need a little help to make his entrance into the world.  It looks like he is following in his sister's footsteps.  Abby did exactly the same thing!

Even though I wanted to go into labor naturally on my own, it may not happen.  Since I'm halfway through week 37 right now, we are going to wait another week to let my body kick into gear.  If it doesn't, I will be induced Thursday morning, and Pax will get to join our family under my doctor's supervision.  I think Bryan is relieved that either way Pax isn't going to be crashing Church@The Square's Easter service. :)

We appreciate the prayers we have received so much to make it to this point!  God has been so good to us so far, and I can't wait to introduce our son to you.  Keep praying for us!  We are almost to the finish line.

Chasing Rabbits

I've been thinking.  Chasing rabbits.  I need to write to make sense of all that has been spinning in my mind.

A year ago, Bryan and I went to an Acts29 bootcamp to explore planting a church in our town.  We were exiting a difficult ministry situation and feeling called to start something new.  During those few days, God clearly confirmed His plan for us to start what would become Church@The Square.  It was an amazing time of worship, Bible study, encouragement, and preparation for what would be ahead for us.  One of the speakers told us that Satan might not know where our neighbors lived but if we started a church, he would know where we lived.  Spiritual warfare wasn't a spooky ghost story.  It was a reality we would live in if we moved into enemy territory and became a threat.  As a pastor and a church planter, he wasn't trying to use scare tactics, but he did want to remind all of us that the price of obedience was high and that it would cost all of us something.  In the New Testament, Jesus said the same thing.

The seasons of life that have been ushered in with following our call as a church planting family have been completely unlike anything we have ever experienced.  The ways God has provided for our family's needs have been nothing short of supernatural and amazing at times.  Money for bills and needs has appeared in the strangest of places, and seeing God touch lives is beautiful.  I wouldn't trade what we have seen for an easier journey.  I love what God is doing through Church@The Square.

The cost has been high.  Since the blog I wrote at the beginning of December about our family leaping into church planting full-time, we have been tested incredibly.  It's almost like situation after situation has arisen to challenge us and say, "Are you really serious about this church planting thing?  What if it costs you _____?  Will you really stick with it then?"  By God's grace, we have been able to say, "Yes!"

I don't think it is coincidental that my health has taken a nose dive since December.  Even the doctors don't really know what is going on exactly, and since I am pregnant, their ability to run tests has been limited.  A couple of weeks ago when I was hooked up to an IV pump in the hospital, that same voice asked me again.  "Is it really worth it? What if you don't get better?  Does God even care? If He is Sovereign, You know He could heal you.  Can You really love and trust a God who plays with your health... with your child's health?"  Shutting the voice out, I responded, "Yes!"

You see, I don't understand why God has not healed me completely.  I wish He would.  But, God was gracious and has given me some unexpected really good days since I have been released from the hospital.  I know He could heal me, but He hasn't.  Maybe it's so I can write this blog.  I have no clue.  There are times when God acts in ways that are completely beyond our understanding, and we are asked to trust Him.  When I don't get life, I have to preach to myself and remind my heart what I do know is true.  God is good.  God loves me.  God is for me and not against me.  His ways are greater than my ways.  Just like an ant can't fathom the brainpower of a nuclear scientist, I cannot always understand the mind of God.  I can trust His heart.  He is a good Father, and I am His child.

Today, I woke up with one of the worst gallbladder attacks I have had so far.  The Lortab and the other medications I took didn't touch it.  I was discouraged. I cried in the obgyn office.  I hate crying in public.  A lot.  I am so close to delivering a healthy baby.  I don't want to go back to the hospital to get hooked up to an IV again.  I don't want to let Abby see her mommy cry anymore because she can't handle the pain.  I definitely don't want any more medical bills coming into our mailbox.  However, if God somehow gets glory in my suffering, I have to submit to Him.  Life was never promised to be easy, and even if I have to deal with pain more than I would like, God has been incredibly good to me and my family.  God has faithfully protected Pax and kept him safe throughout this whole pregnancy.  I am finally able to eat meals again and gain healthy pregnancy weight to be able to deliver safely with strength.  Easter Sunday is our due date.  Not too much longer until our sweet boy will be here!

Healed or not, God is kind and loving.  I will find rest in Jesus.  On the other side of eternity, I will look back and know that the cost was worth it.  As Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."  Even if planting a church costs me my health, I'd agree with Bryan to do it again.  The Enemy may not play fair, but Jesus is worth everything.  In the end, Jesus wins.

"1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

So I Poured Molasses Into My Hair...

It all started with browsing Pinterest when I couldn't sleep.  I found a pin about natural hair care that led to browsing Crunchy Betty's blog.  I ended up on this article, because I love homemade skin and hair treatments.  Because I am crazy brave, I decided to try out molasses as a deep conditioning hair treatment this afternoon while I was working from home.

If you want to try it, here's what you need.

I already had this on hand. Convenient.

Simple, huh?  I love one ingredient recipes.

All you do is flip your hair over in your sink and rinse it out well.  Once it's wet, squeeze the excess water out, and coat your hair with as much molasses as you need to cover it well.  My hair is long and thick, so it took about a 1/4 cup to do it right.  Once you finish, secure your hair with a plastic shower cap and drape a towel around your shoulders to catch any drips.  Wait at least 30 minutes (I left mine in for 2 hours because I got sidetracked on a project that I wanted to finish) before rinsing it out in the shower with warm to hot water.

Surprisingly, it rinsed out like a breeze.  I had baking soda waiting outside my shower on standby in case of emergency, but I didn't even need to nopoo my hair (I don't shampoo anymore but that is another blog waiting to happen).  I just used my Devacurl One-Condition as usual and styled my hair with my usual products when I got out.

So what's the verdict?

Using molasses to condition your hair as a special treat is cheap, easy, and it works really well.

My hair looks super shiny and healthy again.  Considering I am 9 months pregnant and my little boy gets first dibs on any nutrition I take in, I think that's impressive.  On a side note, my hair has been silicone free for over a year now, so the shine you see in the photo is legit.  Considering this is a low quality iphone photo shot at night, I think it is telling of how well this stuff works.  My hair apparently likes sweets.

If you get enough courage to try this, let me know what you think.  I'm curious how it would work for someone with straight hair.

Viral Brooms

In case you haven't seen the viral photos of standing brooms, they are everywhere.  Here's how we do it in the Cirlot home.

Introducing, Mr. Peeperz, the ultimate broom master... take that broomers.

February Already?!!

Time is going by so fast!  I can't believe it has already been a month since we launched Church@The Square.  This new season of life is so different than the other ones we have experienced before.  Diving full-time into church planting on a part-time salary, we have had to rearrange schedules and rework how to make life happen right now.  Lots of change.  Lots of pressure.  Lots of prayers.  Lots of growth.

Here's what is happening.  We are still running Peripety Designs, our web design business, as part-time "tentmakers" to supplement Bryan's pastoral salary, until the church is able to support us all the way.  God has brought Scott Capers onto our church leadership team to head up leading worship.  We are still praying that God would provide the right people to lead our children's ministry and youth ministry.

As for our launch in January, it was what we would consider a "soft" launch, because we didn't do any advertising to let people know where we were and when we were starting.  We wanted to have the opportunity to work out any kinks in our service before we started letting people know we were meeting.  Even still, God has been bringing new families to join the mission since our first week.  In attendance, we average about 40... sometimes having more and sometimes having less.  The energy and excitement of being part of the Body on mission in your city and area is a beautiful thing.

We are very aware that when people attend a church plant that they are willingly giving up other conveniences that larger churches have to offer.  They are coming because they want to be part of something new and make a difference for Jesus with something simple.  Seeing so many families give their time to make this happen is incredible.  Seeing these same serving families meet throughout the week in our community groups to flesh out each week's sermons in their personal lives is refreshing.  Instead of warming pews (which we don't have to begin with), we are seeing believers rediscover God's purpose for their lives and become excited about about the mission of Jesus all over again.

I love being part of Church@The Square.  I love how God is working through it and in it.  I am praying big prayers for our future, because God is a really big God.

Here are five ways you can pray with us for Church@The Square:

1) Pray that our church would grow where Bryan could receive a full-time salary soon.  It's a huge balancing act to manage a new church and a home business at the same time.  While we are thankful for God's provision through Peripety, we would love to see Bryan be able to fully devote his attention and energy into our church.  After all, his life's calling is to be a pastor, not a web developer (even if he is really good at that too!).

2) Pray that God would bring the right people into our leadership team to serve Jesus in our church and community.  Pray that God would provide for their needs so they would be financially able to serve in a new church where all of the staff is bivocational.

3) Pray that God would continue to bring solid families into our church to strengthen our core group, so we will have the volunteer base we need to minister to our families and the unchurched families that are coming in.

4) Pray that God would be gracious and allow us to reach out to people who don't know Jesus and bring them into our church family.  Our goal is to be a multiracial, multigenerational church that loves Jesus faithfully in diversity.  We don't want to replicate cookie cutter images of ourselves.  We want to see the Gospel impact people where they are and change them into the image of Jesus in their own context.

5) Pray that our upcoming outreach events would be fruitful in our community.  Pray that God would open doors for us to connect to hurting people that need Jesus and that their hearts would be primed for the Gospel.  I can think of nothing more exciting than seeing Jesus move in Gautier in the areas that have been unpenetrated by the Word.

Thanks in advance for your prayers.  Our God hears them and answers them.  Our church wouldn't exist now if not for them.  In the end, it's all about Jesus!  Check out our new church website if you'd like to learn more about us at http://www.churchatthesquare.com.

Praying for the Bridge Believers

This morning, I woke up and began to pray about everything going on in our lives right now.  Nothing is easy about this season of life, but a lot of it is so good.  When I checked my email, I received an update from a missionary family in Indonesia that I like to keep up with.  I wanted to share it with you.  It really makes every single struggle I have seem so minimal.  

(I'm going to include their contact information in case God leads you to contact them or support them financially.)  

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Indo Window —The Pearl of Great Price

Stephanie and I are getting ready to go lead our English club on a Monday afternoon when Andi calls and asks if he can drop by.  He’s one of our national partners and wants to give me the latest on what is happening on “Bridge Island” and to process some decisions we need to make as a team as to how to respond to some persecution that has broken out there.

As I wrote in our last update, this unreached and Gospel-resistant island has recently experienced a breakthrough.  At our count 25 families in the last few months have become followers of Jesus, totaling over 200 people with 94 of them baptized so far and growing.  There have been miracles and healings and it’s something totally unprecedented that I know of among this particular people group.

Recently a fanatical sect of Shia Islam (most Muslims in Indonesia are Sunni) burned down a Muslim boarding house in one of the villages there that they thought was deviant to true Islam.  While on their rampage, this mob heard some rumors of a group of followers of Jesus living there.  In this village were indeed seven families totaling 42 people in this growing movement, all believers for just a few weeks.  These families were tipped off to the approaching mob and fled, just having with them the clothes on their backs.  The mob arrived and broke into their homes, found New Testaments, and in a rage burned down each of their seven houses. 

One of the new believers named Mr. J, against the urging of his friends, went back to his house to defend it.  The mob arrived to burn down his house and he fought back by slashing one of the assailants with a sword and injuring him.  The police later arrested Mr. J and are holding him in prison right now, they say for his own safety even though he had a legal right to defend his home.  He has heard that as soon as he gets out there are people in this sect waiting to get revenge on him.

The seven families, many of them fisherman who have their own small boats, fled to a different island about a half hour away that is known as a hiding spot for people fleeing the law, in debt or on the run from someone out to get them (revenge is a very common cultural trait of these Bridge people).   Over the next few days they set up makeshift tents out of tarps and were helped out by other followers in the movement.  Since most of the men work as fisherman, they are able to catch fish for their families to eat every day, selling some to be able to buy rice which is the main staple in their diet.

As you read this these 42 people are still living on this rugged island which has no electricity or any infrastructure of any kind.  Andi tells me one of their biggest complications is there is no electricity so they can’t keep their cell phones charged and have to severely limit use, a challenge when they need to communicate with one another.  They turn their phones on just to text each other and then turn them right off again.  Andi and I kick around an idea to buy and bring them a generator when he goes to visit them this week.  Poro, whom I also wrote about in our last update, is with them now providing spiritual leadership for them in their ordeal.  Andi will join Poro there and see firsthand what is going on and how to help.

Andi also tells me that this experience has not intimidated these new believers but they have been sharing the Gospel with other inhabitants of this “city of refuge” island.  All of them want to go back to their homes, their land, their way of life.  But in the meantime they are being bold fishers of men.

I remember when Andi  and our other national partner led a CPM (Church Planting Movement) training for four leaders of these Bridge believers.  They warned them that there could be a steep price for following Jesus, and they answered that they understood the cost and were willing to die for Jesus.   We were touched by their sincere response and it reminded me of the pearl merchant Jesus talked about in Matthew 13:45-46: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  That training was just a couple of weeks ago.  None of us imagined that the persecution would start so soon.  But they still say the kingdom of heaven has been worth the high cost.

I’m so riveted by Andi’s latest report and humbled to know of these saints who have paid a dear price of following Jesus even in their first few weeks of becoming believers.  My life is so comfortable—even as Andi tells me these stories we are sitting on my front porch enjoying a nice breeze together.  Soon Stephanie and I will be greeted by friendly children eager to learn English.  I’ll go to bed later tonight in my cozy home while these fellow believers will be sleeping under trees and tarps.

Though they have paid so much and I have paid so little for the Pearl of Great Price, I can join them in prayer.  You can too and we ask for your prayers for them.  Pray for the other 20 families to be hidden and protected from this mob.  Pray for justice.  Pray for Mr. J now in prison.  Pray that the seven families could return to their homes without fear.  Pray for the four main leaders of their movement and for Andi and Poro visiting them this week.  Pray that all of them will continue to be a light in a very dark place.  Pray for our small team to know the wisest way to respond.

Thanks so much,

Mike O’Quin

P.S. My latest blog post, marveling at the rich soil of Java and how our hearts can be the same: http://www.faithactivators.com/soil-on-steroids/

Support Information

Thanks so much to those of you who gave extra in November and December…that really helped us out!  We couldn’t do this ministry at all without the support of friends and churches, as we live 100% off your generosity. All gifts are tax deductible and much appreciated.  You can give on-line by visiting: http://www.hopeinthecity.org/give/. 

Or you can make out a check to "Hope for the Nations" with a note attached saying the support is for us.  Then send to:

Hope for the Nations

4407 Monterey Oaks Blvd.

Building 1, Suite 120

Austin, TX 78749

Phone: 512-892-4673

http://www.hopeintheciety.org/nations/

Signing up for monthly automatic debit: accounting@hopeinthecity.org

Our Contact Info:

Indonesian Address

Jl. Tidar Utara #23

Malang, JATIM 65146

INDONESIA

Phone: +62-341-581-900

Cell: +62-81-334-967-714

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6414 Wareham Lane

Austin, TX 78739

Skype: mikeandstepho

Secure email: mikeo@gomail.asia

Business Projects: www.PresentationElevation.com and www.ClarionCreative.org

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