From a Neglectful Blogger

Once again it has been longer than I prefer since my last blog.  The schedule in El Salvador was busy and then I flew towards California.  I took a few stops along the way, but ended up in Fresno, California for a Convoy of Hope Outreach.  It was the first time I had ever attended an outreach.  So, I have a lot to say, but I know your attention span is already waning =).  I made a video that explained the work we were doing in El Salvador.  I can't seem to figure out how to post a video.  They took off that option on the top of my blog editer.  I don't feel like being the geek squad. So, you will have to wait, with great anticipation for my video =).

I stayed a few days in El Salvador after the team left to visit with a missionary from Enlace and to surf with a friend from Cincel.  Enlace, for those that don't know, is a non-profit organization in El Salvador that equips churches to transform their communities.  After returning from El Salvador I had a day in Springfield to pack for California.  The Outreach in Fresno was fun.  It was a nice fall day and lots of people showed up to the outreach.  Here are some basic statistics:

10,158 Guests

2,342 Volunteers
76 Participating Churches
65 Participating Organizations
5,100 Guests Prayed With
542 Salvations
160,000 lbs of Groceries & Fresh Produce
505 Haircuts
600 Family Portraits
275 Haircuts

A food bank in Fresno donated fresh produce.  I worked in this area most of the day.  The guest would get their bagged food and then would go around a fresh produce circle.  Volunteers would help them carry all the food.  I would get two thirds around the circle and wouldn't be able to hold the box anymore.  There would usually be two or three volunteers helping each guest carry all their food and produce to the shuttle.  I'm a fan of vegetables and fruit, so I was happy that the attendees could leave with produce.  Especially, since produce can be expensive, so most probally buy canned and boxed goods first. 

Finally, there has been alot of flooding in El Salvador.  Some of the schools where we have our Nutrition Program were damaged and we lost some of our students. Many families lost all their material goods and these were families who probally did not have much before the floods.  It may even be difficult for students to return to school.  Please remember these families and communities in your prayers!  When a volcano exploded in 2000 many people were put into a refugee camp.  These people are still living there and have never been able to move away from the camp.  When disaster hits no matter your economic status it is difficult, but for those in the developing world and the lower economic strata the struggle is much greater! 

These pictures were sent to me from our staff in El Salvador of the damage done from the floods!

El Salvador!

Hi! It's been a long day, so I will post pictures later.  I just wanted to let you all know that I made it to El Salvador in one piece.  However my i-pod nano was stolen on the plane!  This was quite sad, though I'm more sad about losing my music and earphones.  Oh well - this is life sometimes! 

I am working with a women's ministries team from the Potomac District.  We have painted classrooms, cleaned floors, eaten tortillas, played with children, set up a teachers quarters, visited a refugee camp and so on.  Friday, we have an open house for the community and families.  The Women's Ministries has poured alot of money and time into this school in a rural community of El Salvador.  It will truly be a blessing to the teachers and students!

I have had fun using my spanish, playing with children and eating the food of El Salvador.  There are certain foods that are just hard to get in the states like papaya, mangos, pupusas, plantains, certain cookies, and so forth.  I've had the opportunity to pray for a couple El Salvadorian ladies dealing with health issues.  I can't wait to post some of my pictures to share with you of some of the kids who I have become friends with and the children I visited with at the Refugee Camp here in El Salvador.  I even got a loofah from a little girl today!  I wonder what customs will think of that - ha! 

Anyhow I am going to go - I need to clean my room and go to bed - Its late and it was a long day.  I pray all is well with you!  Everytime I hug a child, everytime I pray with a little old lady, everytime I paint a school wall it's because of your faithfullness and support.  In a way it's you hugging that child, and you praying for the little old lady, and you painting a school.  May you be blessed today!

Claire Balch

Ramblings of Claire Balch

Today we had chapel. I was asked to pray, which was kind of awful. I don't have a problem with public speaking, but public praying has also caused me to sweat a little. Popcorn prayer when everyone prays always leaves me thinking when the best time is to "pop" in, I worry about when it is ending (after all I don't want to sit there with my eyes closed, while everyone else is done!), and I worry about what to say. I always get more nervous praying at Convoy - especially during chapel! I think today I said "Lord" about 100 hundred times, possibly stuttered, switched around my words, used bad grammar and so on. I suppose that is last time I will be asked to pray and at least the Lord knows what I was attempting to say. =) At least the speaker stopped and thanked me for my prayer. I guess I will keep my opinions to myself on what I thought about his facts on Christopher Columbus....

One person the speaker also mentioned was George Washington. He is one of my favorite political American leaders. The fact that I always loved about George Washington is that he was offered to be the President of the United States for a third term and he turned it down. I have always thought that this was a noble action. He knew his limits (he was feeling old and was tired) and in doing so set a precedent for leaders to come. While it is now a law, congress and the following Presidents have honored it. Though I could not find it in any of the articles I briefly reviewed, I wonder if he wasn't well aware that his actions would set a precedent. This is a quote I found about good old Washington "He wrote, 'It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.' This call to his fellow citizens was meant for each of us as well."

Every action has a consequence. The consequence may be immediate or in the far future and good or bad. Every action affects the people around us. Our actions not only represent ourselves, but our families, friends, beliefs and so on. This is a tough pill to swallow at times for the individualistic culture we live in. So, when we make decisions we need to not only think what is the consequence for me now and in the future, but what is the consequence for those around me both now and in the future.

I head to El Salvador on October 16th and will be there until the 29th. The 1st of Novemeber I will head towards Fresno, California for a Convoy Outreach. Please keep me in your prayers as I travel. In El Salvador I am helping with a Women's Ministries team, so you can pray for things to go smooth and that everyone is protected as they travel. Also, life can be tough sometimes for a California girl living in Springfield, Mo. While, I can only speak for myself I have seen the transition be a little rough for my sisters as well. Not that there are not things to like about Missiouri. After all it has Bass Pro Shop, Fireflies, Andy's Frozen Custard, lots of trails and some cool parks, a restaurant where they throw rolls and serve fried Okra, Lolo Balch, Sarah and Josh Young and of course Branson. However, it is far from California, family, the ocean, its much more conservative and the winter is cold, but without very much snow. I have a little less than a year left, so if you can remember me in your prayers I would be grateful.

Live in His Love,

Claire Balch

In the Comfortable Times Don't Forget God!

Okay - So I confess this might be the longest time I have gone between blog post!  Now that I have been filled with Salad and Soup from Panera, checked my facebook, read a few other blogs, and let myself become distracted I am now finally sitting down to write this blog.

It is Sunday today.  I woke up and read a bit in a book I have been reading forever now called "Lead Like Jesus" by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges.  I may have mentioned this book in some of my other blog post.  I have been reading this book for forever.  I am not sure why, but it seems books keep taking me longer and longer to read.  Despite the time it is taking me to get through this book it is a good read.  Lots of good information for leading people.  What it really boils down to though is being confident in Christ and who you are in Christ.  Which is good for total life living!  I just finished the chapter on some healthy habits of good leaders.  They are as follows: Solitude, Prayer, Study and Application of Scripture, Accepting and Responding to God's Unconditional Love, and Involvement in Supportive Relationships.

 In summary each one of these habits roots you in God. If your confidence and trust is in God you can't be shaken by too much praise or too much critiscm.  You will not be afraid to examine your leadership and admit your weaknesses.  Solitude, Prayer and Study of the Scripture allow God to refresh you, speak into your life, and prepare you for life circumstances.  Accepting and Responding to God's Unconditional Love allows you to be confident in Christ and treat others around you with that love and confidence, and Involvement in Supportive Relationships means you have people in your life who are not just "Yes" men.  They will shoot straight with you, let you know how people are feeling, hold you accountable and so on. I liked this quote in regards to the last habit "I learned in the Navy if you don't hear about any problems, watch out, because you are about to go over the side.  You have mutiny on your hands, because the people around you have cut you off from the truth" (pg. 181 Ken Blanchard's Father).  I think these are habits that we all can continue to add into our lifes.

To drive the point home - In church today they discussed the failings of David.  The thing I took from it was that in the good times David let his relationship with God go lax.  Instead of fighting with his men he was napping and strolling the palace walls, he let himself lust over Bathesheba and then commit adultery with Bathesheba. In his attempt to rationalize the issue he ended up murdering her husband.  In the end David repented thanks to the prophet Nathan.  If David had never gone lax in his relationship with God maybe history would have looked different.  In all times good and bad we need to be spending time with God through solitude, prayer and the word.  We need to apply what we are learning in these times, let God touch us, change us and heal us.

Be Blessed by God today!

I have been editing some of my pictures from Europe, so you may have seen some of this pictures before, but these are with a new twist.  These are all from Moldova and I will conquer Armenia and Georgia soon.

Keep a Grip on Hope!

It is me again! I am sitting here relaxing on a lovely Labor Day weekend. I've been eating oatmeal, drinking coffee and just enjoying silence. It has been quite pleasant. On Tuesday at the weekly International Departments prayer meeting I shared Lamentations 3: 19 - 36 (The Message). I thought I would also share it on my blog.

19-21I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.

25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

31-33Why? Because the Master won't ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
in throwing roadblocks in the way:

34-36Stomping down hard
on luckless prisoners,
Refusing justice to victims
in the court of High God,
Tampering with evidence—
the Master does not approve of such things.


-Lamentations 3:19-36


Update on Life at Convoy:

I have been asked to work on the Short-Term Teams Program at Convoy of Hope. So, I have been working on this and will continue to work on this program. I have been having meetings, setting up meetings and creating proposals. I appreciate all your prayers and support as I go ahead in this endeavor. I am planning on heading down to El Salvador both in September and October. Then in Novemeber I will be heading to Fresno, CA to attend a Convoy of Hope Outreach. I have never been to one, so I would like to see this part of Convoy.

I have posted some pictures below of the Artwalk. The Artwalk is an event in downtown Springfield. They have it once a month. During this month's Artwalk, the Randy Bacon Studio (a local photographer) featured Convoy of Hope. We had one of our trailers out front and the tralier was turned into a gallery of photos and stories. Inside the studio there were various tables on Convoy of Hope's various programs. I helped work the Nutrition of Hope/Haiti table. I had nothing to compare it to, but it seemed like there was a lot of foot traffic aka successful =).

* For those that are interested - Convoy of Hope is working on creating School Kits for the children in our partner schools in Haiti. If you would like to donate school supplies or would like to make a kit send me an email. I will send you the information for the school kits and/or contact information for Aimee Rose who is working on the School Kit Program.

Enjoy the pictures and Have a Wonderful Day!


Me at the Nutrition of Hope/ Haiti Table.


Mud Cookies (Pies) - These are made and sold in Haiti. They are made of dirt, oil and flour. Apparently the pregant women in Haiti crave them because of the lack of iron in their body.


The table and my friend Aimee Rose. Aimee and her husand Kevin are the Country Coordinators for Haiti.


Here is another view of the table and Aimee again.

A Little Update on My Life =)

Hello -

It has been a little while since my last blog. I wanted to give a small update to keep you informed on my life out here in Springfield, Missouri. I spent last week in St. Louis, Missouri at a Compassion Forum put on by the International Ministries Department of AGWM (Assemblies of God World Missions). It was a week jammed pack with information on some of the "best practices" in Compassion Ministry. Speakers spoke on some of the issues that older methods of compassion ministry have faced and introduced new ways of looking at things. They talked about the importance of the local church in all ministries. The idea is to empower and to build capacity in individuals. There was a lot of good information.

The emphasis was on international compassion ministries, but the information was relevant for domestic compassion ministry as well. My suggestion (for what it is worth) is that prayer and research need to happen first if any church or individual wants to reach out and make an impact on a need in the community. Some of these steps include: Evaluating the problem, seeing what other groups are doing, to remember that problems are complex and therefore the answer will be complex, work with other groups (why start a different ministry if others are creating effective solutions), and remember the reason for all of it is Christ’s Love and the way it can transform a life!

These are just a few of the things I took away from this week. A little while back I read a book called White Man's Burden by William Easterly. The title itself is a critique of western aid. It is long on economics, but an interesting read once you get past all the numbers. If you couldn't tell by the title there is plenty of sarcasm, which provides a good chuckle now and then. It might make you mad, it might make you think, but if you’re interested in this type of thing I recommend reading it. You can always chew the meat and spit out the bones.

I am back in Springfield working on Convoy of Hope teams and planning on going to El Salvador in October. Hopefully I will be able to go to a domestic Convoy of Hope outreach and another conference on sustainable development in December. I just wanted to share a bit of my experience with you all as well as informing you on future plans.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! They are very much appreciated!

Hey -

I arrived back in Springfield, MO Tuesday night. I was suppose to fly out Monday, but because the flight was delayed leaving San Jose I was going to miss the connecting flight from Denver to Springfield. I was given the choice of taking a red eye out of San Francisco or flying out the next day. I choose flying out the next day. I have taken the next couple of days easy between El Salvador and Sarah's wedding I was pretty wiped. I am unpacking, grocery shopping, and so on. I plan on going into the office tomorrow to work on reports and newsletters.

I think the question I have been most frequently asked is "Where are you going next?" I wish I had a good, solid answer to give everyone, but at this point I don't. I am in Springfield for the next week or so and then I have a Compassion Ministry Conference that I will attend mid August. This conference is put on by the International Ministries department of the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM). I am looking forward to this conference and hope to glean some new information about compassion ministry. During this time in Springfield I will be attending meetings, maybe doing some training and out of this time will come my next field assignment. These times in Springfield are always in preparation of what will come next and are necessary to be successful in the next assignment and project.

Some things to pray for:

In two weeks I will need to move. I need a room or apartment. One difficult thing about not knowing my next assignment is not wanting to sign a lease if I will be in a different country for months at a time. So, please pray for wisdom, discernment and a place to live.

You can pray for Convoy of Hope and the leadership as they assign and cast vision for the continuing projects and projects in the future. (including where my next assignment will be!)

Pray for continued protection, and wisdom and discernment.

Here are some pictures of the wedding: