Allison and I have launched the Missions website, MissionsTrip.net . We created the site to provide resources such as International Insurance, passport & visas, immunization information, and sample support letters. You can help us spread the word by sharing the site with your missions pastor or anyone you know traveling overseas.
We have also created a page on Facebook for you to join, click here.
Wade has been licensed as an Insurance agent to provide International Insurance.
MissionsTrip.net
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Back Home
Its been a while since an update, but we have officially made it safely back to our home in Redding, CA. We arrived back to the states on August 26th. Thank you for your prayers to get us to this point. They were much needed especially due to almost missing our flight from South Africa to Atlanta. We were glad to make it home safely, and have enjoyed our time visiting family over the past week. We feel God leading us to return to Redding for a second year of school. We are excited for the decision, knowing God has more to teach us here before He tells us the next steps.
In conclusion, Mozambique was amazing and we pray the lessons we learned will never be forgotten. We know that the way we see the world and view people is not the same. We are so thankful for all of your prayers, and encouragement along our journey. When the Lord brings it to your mind, pray for Iris that God will send more laborers to mentor the children and the Bible students. Iris is an amazing ministry serving the Lord, well-worth your prayers, time, and resources.
We do hope to catch up with many of you in the near future to share more details of our experience.
We love you all.
In conclusion, Mozambique was amazing and we pray the lessons we learned will never be forgotten. We know that the way we see the world and view people is not the same. We are so thankful for all of your prayers, and encouragement along our journey. When the Lord brings it to your mind, pray for Iris that God will send more laborers to mentor the children and the Bible students. Iris is an amazing ministry serving the Lord, well-worth your prayers, time, and resources.
We do hope to catch up with many of you in the near future to share more details of our experience.
We love you all.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Church in Mozambique
Church in Mozambique certainly looks different from the States. Our first stop in our 10 day Bush-Bush experience was to a conference for the leaders of the province of Zambezia. Iris organized this conference for the pastors overseeing the 16 districts within Zambezia which consists of thousands of churches. These leaders slept outside underneath an old tarp to stay dry from the rain while we stayed in tents that we had brought from the states.
The leaders met in a church that had no walls, a dirt floor, a tin roof, and about 800 square foot in size. These leaders each oversee several hundred church but yet their level of spiritual understanding is also limited. I had the privilege of speaking at the conference regarding spending time daily with God and being dependant upon God to do ministry (John 15). I do not know how well the message was received as it had to be translated into Portuguese and then into Lomwe.
While being around the Mozambiquan believers I recognize the great need for discipleship. Their congregations do not have Bibles and additional Christian materials are non-existent due to finances. Also having worked at JH Ranch ministering to families, I see a huge need for family ministry here. The separation between men and their wives is large as well as the separation between men and their children. The need for laborers is great.
Our greatest tool for ministry has been showing the Jesus film in the people’s local language. To go into a village with no electricity and set up a film in their own language is very powerful. For one, this might be the first time these people have ever seen television. Not only this, it is not in the national language of Portuguese but it is in their mother tongue which makes the message more powerful. For us the movie appears to be very old and out-of-date but the impact is still great. Many people gather in the villages for this event and many do choose to believe in Jesus. However, the need for discipleship still remains. Iris is training at least 300 pastors a year at its base in Pemba but the need is much greater. I have seen the huge responsibility the church has in the west to support this demand financially and with labor. This has been a valuable experience to have my eyes opened to this need.
Bush-Bush Ministry
If I were to try to measure the success of our trip by human standards, the number of times we showed the Jesus film, the number saved, the number healed, then our trip could be labeled a disappointment.
Yes, we showed the Jesus film. Yes, we saw many people raise their hands to believe in Jesus. And yes, we prayed for many people to be healed. But to be honest, we do not speak any of the four languages we encountered on our journey and so we do not really know if the people genuinely believe in Jesus or were really healed. I think many of the people lined up for prayer because they wanted to be near the first white person they have seen.
This trip emphasized the core message of Iris ministries, “stopping for the one”, the one in front of you. It’s really the story of the Good Samaritan. For example, one day we drove seven hours through the mountains on dirt roads to get to one village. We arrived after dark into the area and could not find the church or the pastor and had to set up camp in a random spot. Because of our schedule we could not stay the next day and had to return home only briefly stopping at the church to tell them we were sorry we missed them. But while at the church Allison noticed a little girl whose scalp had a bad infection that was oozing with flies. She bandaged the little girls head and gave the mother ointment to treat the infection. This little child was the “one”. The little girl was the person in front of Allison. And for all we know, this mother might have been crying out to God for her little girl to be healed and God sent us on a crazy adventure through the mountains to reach this child. Does God love this woman and her little child so much to send our group on such a journey? Yes. Are we willing to lay down our own plans and agenda and “stop for the one” is the question I must continue to ask myself.
Lord, may I continue to be open to Your plan.
Yes, we showed the Jesus film. Yes, we saw many people raise their hands to believe in Jesus. And yes, we prayed for many people to be healed. But to be honest, we do not speak any of the four languages we encountered on our journey and so we do not really know if the people genuinely believe in Jesus or were really healed. I think many of the people lined up for prayer because they wanted to be near the first white person they have seen.
This trip emphasized the core message of Iris ministries, “stopping for the one”, the one in front of you. It’s really the story of the Good Samaritan. For example, one day we drove seven hours through the mountains on dirt roads to get to one village. We arrived after dark into the area and could not find the church or the pastor and had to set up camp in a random spot. Because of our schedule we could not stay the next day and had to return home only briefly stopping at the church to tell them we were sorry we missed them. But while at the church Allison noticed a little girl whose scalp had a bad infection that was oozing with flies. She bandaged the little girls head and gave the mother ointment to treat the infection. This little child was the “one”. The little girl was the person in front of Allison. And for all we know, this mother might have been crying out to God for her little girl to be healed and God sent us on a crazy adventure through the mountains to reach this child. Does God love this woman and her little child so much to send our group on such a journey? Yes. Are we willing to lay down our own plans and agenda and “stop for the one” is the question I must continue to ask myself.
Lord, may I continue to be open to Your plan.
A Lesson in Cross Cultural Ministry
We made it through 10 days in the Mozambiquan Bush-Bush. Imagine 23 people piled in the back of a pick-up truck riding from Alabama to Texas on poor roads and you will have a good understanding of our trip. We started with 12 missionary students and 11 Mozambiquans. At different points in the journey we also transported chickens, sugar cane, corn, rice & beans, and other random items we received as gifts from visiting the locals. If we had been in the States we would have been crying and complaining but because we are in Africa we considered this to be part of the experience and just laughed at our seemingly ridiculous situation most of the journey.
As westerners we never really had a clue as to where we were going or what we would do next. We got an upclose view of cross cultural ministry. The Mozambiquan culture is not time oriented. For one, almost no one owns a watch. Therefore, any event we did we had to start playing music really loud so people in the villages would hear it. Once they heard the music they would slowly start making their way toward us. Then after about an hour we would begin showing the Jesus film.
We also realized that Mozambiquans are not crisis oriented. We plan for potential problems that may never happen. They appear to wait for the problem to occur and then seek a solution. This cultural difference was most apparent in our food preparation. We would want to plan our meals for the day so we did not go hungry in remote areas. They tended to want to wait till they were hungry and then solve the problem. Such differences easily cause frustration between two cultures and it definitely began to wear on us. We know there is no right way but the tendency is to assume that our western culture is the best way.
We read a book required by our school regarding ministering cross culturally. It spoke on how Jesus left heaven, His culture, and came to earth humbly as a baby. He had to learn to speak a language, learn the Hebrew culture, and then minister within this context. We too must come into this Mozambiquan culture humbly as a baby, not as an arrogant person who knows the best way to do things. Our bush-bush experience helped us better realize the reality of cultural differences and how they can hinder ministry. We must always come in humbly.
As westerners we never really had a clue as to where we were going or what we would do next. We got an upclose view of cross cultural ministry. The Mozambiquan culture is not time oriented. For one, almost no one owns a watch. Therefore, any event we did we had to start playing music really loud so people in the villages would hear it. Once they heard the music they would slowly start making their way toward us. Then after about an hour we would begin showing the Jesus film.
We also realized that Mozambiquans are not crisis oriented. We plan for potential problems that may never happen. They appear to wait for the problem to occur and then seek a solution. This cultural difference was most apparent in our food preparation. We would want to plan our meals for the day so we did not go hungry in remote areas. They tended to want to wait till they were hungry and then solve the problem. Such differences easily cause frustration between two cultures and it definitely began to wear on us. We know there is no right way but the tendency is to assume that our western culture is the best way.
We read a book required by our school regarding ministering cross culturally. It spoke on how Jesus left heaven, His culture, and came to earth humbly as a baby. He had to learn to speak a language, learn the Hebrew culture, and then minister within this context. We too must come into this Mozambiquan culture humbly as a baby, not as an arrogant person who knows the best way to do things. Our bush-bush experience helped us better realize the reality of cultural differences and how they can hinder ministry. We must always come in humbly.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
No Internet
A fishing boat trolling took out 300 feet of fiber optic cable that supplied Mozambique’s internet. Therefore, we have been without internet for 4 weeks and will be the remaining time here. We have been unable to check our emails so we apologize for no responses and few updates.
Our Schooling
We are on our last week of classes in our missionary school. I would try to summarize our experience as a “test run” in missions. Being in Africa for 3 months has exposed us to some of the emotions one might face should the Lord call them into overseas missions. Our experience has also exposed the barriers in my mind that would cause me to tell God, “But what about my family? Is it safe to have a family on the mission field? What about finances? And what about the enormous spiritual need? It’s overwhelming and where will we begin?”
The very first week, Jackie Pullinger, a missionary to Hong Kong for 40 years emphasized to us that we cannot let fear of having a family in a foreign land be the obstacle to us going overseas. She reminded us that the Israelites did not enter the Promise Land because they too feared that the giants would swallow up their children. I had never before pondered this before and it resonated in my heart breaking down this mental barrier I had allowed.
In addition, by observing the ministry of Iris, my faith for God’s provision has been greatly increased. During Iris’ 30 years of ministry, they have never sent a support letter or requested money. They have held to the belief that for God’s work God will provide, and He has done so for Iris. As I witness the long-term impact of their ministry trusting the Lord for their finances, I do not feel like I should ever again limit my ability to serve the Lord based on finances.
But what about the enormous spiritual need? Heidi Baker’s primary encouragement to us has been “to stop for the one”. Our job is to minister to the person in front of us. It is God’s job to multiply the “two loaves and five fish” to feed the multitudes. We do not need to try to reach the masses but simply be faithful with the one in front of us. This message has been modelled to us in an incredible way here, and I hope we have caught it in our hearts.
Our time here has also been very beneficial on a practical level. We have experienced some of the emotions of missing the comforts of home: family, friends, food, and English. We better realize the people we meet might become friends with us because they want to take advantage of the fact they think we are rich westerners. We know the importance of language study and the priority it needs to be to minister. These lessons have been invaluable and should the Lord call us to be missionaries, will make this journey much more smooth.
Well, this summary is an attempt to capture an incredible experience for us. We are so thankful we have had this opportunity. Time will determine its true impact on our life.
I have witnessed Iris minister impact thousands of people and yet, they have never sent out a support letter. They believe God provides for the things He calls one to do. How can I fear that my good Father would not also provide for us too should He call us? I have discovered that the mistake I had been personally making over time is living as a survivalist and a minimalist. I knew I did not need much money and was content with this. However, I am beginning to discover that God does not just want me to have faith to feed only myself but that He wants me to have faith to believe for enough to help other people too.
(to be continued)
The very first week, Jackie Pullinger, a missionary to Hong Kong for 40 years emphasized to us that we cannot let fear of having a family in a foreign land be the obstacle to us going overseas. She reminded us that the Israelites did not enter the Promise Land because they too feared that the giants would swallow up their children. I had never before pondered this before and it resonated in my heart breaking down this mental barrier I had allowed.
In addition, by observing the ministry of Iris, my faith for God’s provision has been greatly increased. During Iris’ 30 years of ministry, they have never sent a support letter or requested money. They have held to the belief that for God’s work God will provide, and He has done so for Iris. As I witness the long-term impact of their ministry trusting the Lord for their finances, I do not feel like I should ever again limit my ability to serve the Lord based on finances.
But what about the enormous spiritual need? Heidi Baker’s primary encouragement to us has been “to stop for the one”. Our job is to minister to the person in front of us. It is God’s job to multiply the “two loaves and five fish” to feed the multitudes. We do not need to try to reach the masses but simply be faithful with the one in front of us. This message has been modelled to us in an incredible way here, and I hope we have caught it in our hearts.
Our time here has also been very beneficial on a practical level. We have experienced some of the emotions of missing the comforts of home: family, friends, food, and English. We better realize the people we meet might become friends with us because they want to take advantage of the fact they think we are rich westerners. We know the importance of language study and the priority it needs to be to minister. These lessons have been invaluable and should the Lord call us to be missionaries, will make this journey much more smooth.
Well, this summary is an attempt to capture an incredible experience for us. We are so thankful we have had this opportunity. Time will determine its true impact on our life.
I have witnessed Iris minister impact thousands of people and yet, they have never sent out a support letter. They believe God provides for the things He calls one to do. How can I fear that my good Father would not also provide for us too should He call us? I have discovered that the mistake I had been personally making over time is living as a survivalist and a minimalist. I knew I did not need much money and was content with this. However, I am beginning to discover that God does not just want me to have faith to feed only myself but that He wants me to have faith to believe for enough to help other people too.
(to be continued)
Bush-Bush Outreach
Friends, we would love your prayers for 10 days, August 7-16. Allison and I will be co-leading a team of 7 Mozambicans and 12 Foreigners into the Bush-Bush for evangelism. We will be travelling to the Zambezia province which is 2 days drive from Pemba. We will minister for 6 days there in different villages, showing the Jesus Film in the evenings, praying for the sick, and visiting homes.
We are expecting to see God’s love to shine through us. We just returned from an outreach this past weekend. Heidi Baker led this outreach to a small village on the coast north of the Pemba peninsula. We witnessed two deaf people healed after the Jesus film had been shown. Heidi asked the villagers to bring anyone they knew was deaf to the front for us to pray for their healing. It was a wonderful sight to one of man’s faces and his joy following the healing.
The next day we went house to house in the village visiting people and praying for the sick. One of the ladies we visited had a wound on her foot that had been getting worse over 6 years. Allison believed if in the USA the doctors would likely amputate her foot because the wound was causing decay. The lady allowed us to pray for her and told us she believed she had demons. The Mozambican pastors prayed for the demons to leave and for her to be filled by the Holy Spirit. We, personally, do not have much experience dealing with the demonic but it is very prevalent here. The Africans appear to be very aware of the spiritual world. Almost every night if one wakes up around 2am one can here the witch doctors chanting outside the walls of where they live. The local people will visit the witch doctors when they are sick to receive treatment. If they are healed, then they must pay the witch doctors. The one positive to this spiritual environment is that people are more open to receive prayer because of their belief in the spiritual and supernatural.
Also on this outreach, we saw our first giant. This man had the largest head and shoulders I have ever seen. Unfortunately, he must have broken a leg when he was young and it was never reset. As a result, he is now almost 40 with a withered leg and immobile. His request from us was to pray for him encouragement and a wheel chair. His name is Paula and I could not understand his Portuguese but I could sense his gentleness. We blessed him and encouraged him. I would love to see him provided with a wheelchair but even such things here require miracles.
We are expecting to see God’s love to shine through us. We just returned from an outreach this past weekend. Heidi Baker led this outreach to a small village on the coast north of the Pemba peninsula. We witnessed two deaf people healed after the Jesus film had been shown. Heidi asked the villagers to bring anyone they knew was deaf to the front for us to pray for their healing. It was a wonderful sight to one of man’s faces and his joy following the healing.
The next day we went house to house in the village visiting people and praying for the sick. One of the ladies we visited had a wound on her foot that had been getting worse over 6 years. Allison believed if in the USA the doctors would likely amputate her foot because the wound was causing decay. The lady allowed us to pray for her and told us she believed she had demons. The Mozambican pastors prayed for the demons to leave and for her to be filled by the Holy Spirit. We, personally, do not have much experience dealing with the demonic but it is very prevalent here. The Africans appear to be very aware of the spiritual world. Almost every night if one wakes up around 2am one can here the witch doctors chanting outside the walls of where they live. The local people will visit the witch doctors when they are sick to receive treatment. If they are healed, then they must pay the witch doctors. The one positive to this spiritual environment is that people are more open to receive prayer because of their belief in the spiritual and supernatural.
Also on this outreach, we saw our first giant. This man had the largest head and shoulders I have ever seen. Unfortunately, he must have broken a leg when he was young and it was never reset. As a result, he is now almost 40 with a withered leg and immobile. His request from us was to pray for him encouragement and a wheel chair. His name is Paula and I could not understand his Portuguese but I could sense his gentleness. We blessed him and encouraged him. I would love to see him provided with a wheelchair but even such things here require miracles.
Mozambique Life - July 13
We continue to learn about Mozambique culture. In our seven weeks here we have yet to notice a husband/wife couple together outside of the context of the home. I believe this has to do with the Muslim influence, and this separation of men and women continues into the church. The children here roam free at an early age. We see three year olds walking next to a busy highway unsupervised. The children seem to raise each other and discipline does not seem to exist except for the rules of nature, the strong survives. I have seen multiple fights break out and have broken a couple up between small children. Overall though, I am amazed at the joy the children carry. We think they have so little but they do not seem phased by it. They are creative in the toys they use to play. They create soccer balls out of plastic bags and string. One of their favorite games is trying to fill an empty water bottle with dirt before getting pegged by a ball.
I have continued to tutor a local teenager, John, in math. He is still struggling to do two digit addition. He does not seem to grasp the 1’s digit, 10’s digit, 100’s digit, etc. I do not know what to do other than to be patient with him and still show him love by helping. Unfortunately, I do not know if he is going to stay the course and seek more help. His peer influence does not look good.
Allison has made friends with a couple ladies in Iris’ ministry to the crippled and widows. Iris gives these people food in exchange for them doing some simple work projects such as making necklaces. We visited a home of two sisters who were both widowed and crippled. One sister has club feet (a common sight here) and the other lady had a broken leg that was never set properly. We visited their place of living. They are on a list for Iris to build them a mud hut ($300, I believe to build). These visits are quite humbling for us as we know the luxuries we have back home.
Our school continues to be malaria free. This is a huge praise report. The mosquitoes have not been as bad as we prepared mentally for them to be. I’ve used bug spray just a few times. We still must sleep under a mosquito net which I will be thankful when I no longer need. Allison did get bitten about 100 times by chiggers when sorting beans to give to the widows and crippled. She looked like she had chicken pox but she has now returned to normal. We can laugh about it now.
Allison has cooked some meals for us to supplement our diet. It’s amazing how a home-cooked meal goes a long way to making one feel more comfortable. I am blessed with a great wife.
I have continued to tutor a local teenager, John, in math. He is still struggling to do two digit addition. He does not seem to grasp the 1’s digit, 10’s digit, 100’s digit, etc. I do not know what to do other than to be patient with him and still show him love by helping. Unfortunately, I do not know if he is going to stay the course and seek more help. His peer influence does not look good.
Allison has made friends with a couple ladies in Iris’ ministry to the crippled and widows. Iris gives these people food in exchange for them doing some simple work projects such as making necklaces. We visited a home of two sisters who were both widowed and crippled. One sister has club feet (a common sight here) and the other lady had a broken leg that was never set properly. We visited their place of living. They are on a list for Iris to build them a mud hut ($300, I believe to build). These visits are quite humbling for us as we know the luxuries we have back home.
Our school continues to be malaria free. This is a huge praise report. The mosquitoes have not been as bad as we prepared mentally for them to be. I’ve used bug spray just a few times. We still must sleep under a mosquito net which I will be thankful when I no longer need. Allison did get bitten about 100 times by chiggers when sorting beans to give to the widows and crippled. She looked like she had chicken pox but she has now returned to normal. We can laugh about it now.
Allison has cooked some meals for us to supplement our diet. It’s amazing how a home-cooked meal goes a long way to making one feel more comfortable. I am blessed with a great wife.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Internet Access
Hi Everyone,
Wade asked that I pass along the following message:
The internet is currently down in Mozambique, so we have not been able to check emails or update the blog in almost 4 weeks. We are doing well though. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Molly
(Wade's sister)
Wade asked that I pass along the following message:
The internet is currently down in Mozambique, so we have not been able to check emails or update the blog in almost 4 weeks. We are doing well though. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Molly
(Wade's sister)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Local Homes
We have had the opportunity to visit local people's homes. Today we went to one of the Tia's homes who watches the children at Iris Ministries. We were humbled by their living conditions and then their generosity. They cooked a whole chicken with rice, shemma, potatoes, spinach(similar but actually mutapa), and purchased cokes for us.
They had us eat with their finest plates and we sat separately from the women in a place of honor. We knew they had sacrificed much for us.
They live in humble conditions. The homes are made of mud and bamboo with tin roofs if wealthy and grass otherwise. The floors are mud floors. There is no electricity and no running water. They walk to get water in the mornings and evenings. We have walked miles around Iris and these types of homes are all we see.
The language barrier is a problem. Fortunately, portuguese has a lot of overlap with spanish and I am able to get buy with some simple communication.
They had us eat with their finest plates and we sat separately from the women in a place of honor. We knew they had sacrificed much for us.
They live in humble conditions. The homes are made of mud and bamboo with tin roofs if wealthy and grass otherwise. The floors are mud floors. There is no electricity and no running water. They walk to get water in the mornings and evenings. We have walked miles around Iris and these types of homes are all we see.
The language barrier is a problem. Fortunately, portuguese has a lot of overlap with spanish and I am able to get buy with some simple communication.
July 3rd
We are doing well here in Pemba. This next week is a big week as Iris is hosting all its leaders at the base for a meeting. We are going to get to hear from leaders from 15 nations at the school. We are also excited because our home pastor, Bill Johnson will be here too. It will give us a feeling of being closer to home.
We continue to be doing really well. After 5 weeks of eating rice two times a day and bread for breakfast, my (wade) stomach does not seem to want to digest it as much. Pray for this. We could buy more food in town but we enjoy spending time with the Mozambiquans at the dining hall.
Allison is learning about African medicine. She bandaged a young boy's toe this week only to learn that he has no shoes so the wound will stay dirty. She later witnessed how baby bottom's are cleaned with a dirty diaper (dirt is used like baby powder). Then later that day, we were walking to town and a dumptruck went off the road into a brick wall. Hundreds of Africans rushed to the seen. Four men grabbed the driver by each extremity and carried 50 yards to wait for an ambulance. Then when the ambulance arrived, they picked him up and flung him in the back of the ambulance. She is seeing a little bit of difference in our western medicine.
Our housemates have discovered worms in their bodies from putting on wet clothes and Allison has found a number in her rolls. Fortunately, jam helps cover the worms up so you do not see them. It's true, and funny to think about.
We continue to be doing really well. After 5 weeks of eating rice two times a day and bread for breakfast, my (wade) stomach does not seem to want to digest it as much. Pray for this. We could buy more food in town but we enjoy spending time with the Mozambiquans at the dining hall.
Allison is learning about African medicine. She bandaged a young boy's toe this week only to learn that he has no shoes so the wound will stay dirty. She later witnessed how baby bottom's are cleaned with a dirty diaper (dirt is used like baby powder). Then later that day, we were walking to town and a dumptruck went off the road into a brick wall. Hundreds of Africans rushed to the seen. Four men grabbed the driver by each extremity and carried 50 yards to wait for an ambulance. Then when the ambulance arrived, they picked him up and flung him in the back of the ambulance. She is seeing a little bit of difference in our western medicine.
Our housemates have discovered worms in their bodies from putting on wet clothes and Allison has found a number in her rolls. Fortunately, jam helps cover the worms up so you do not see them. It's true, and funny to think about.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
What am I learning? - Allison
As I am here and see all the needs around me and the opportunities, God is reminding me that my identity is not found in what I do for Him. I am already His child and dearly loved. This whole year has been good for me to learn this and I think another layer of the veil is being removed. To see right in front of me the difference in an orphan versus a child adopted is showing me that God has adopted me as a daughter. Therefore, I should not live as an orphan, striving to be loved or noticed, and living as if there might not be enough. Instead I should love as one dearly loved, adopted as God's child, trusting His love never fails, trusting He always has enough for me in His kingdom, and He already has good works prepared for me to do.
There are times that I pray for grace to eat rice for meals and grace with not much privacy, but this experience has been going far beyond my expectations. Classes too have exceeded what I thought. The missionaries from around the world that have come here to teach us have been great models for us to learn from.
There are times that I pray for grace to eat rice for meals and grace with not much privacy, but this experience has been going far beyond my expectations. Classes too have exceeded what I thought. The missionaries from around the world that have come here to teach us have been great models for us to learn from.
Bush Outreach
This weekend we traveled 2 hours to a village in the bush-bush. From our base, we saw homes built of bamboo and mud for the entire drive mixed with wilderness. We partnered with 10 Mozambican pastors and 10 foreign visitors. I was humbled by how little the Mozambican pastors have but how much they served us and watched over us while in the villages. I also gained more appreciation for these pastors seeing the villages where many of them came from.
On the outreach we showed the "Jesus" film in the local Makua language. We then had an altar call and prayed for healings. One man had just been released from prison was saved and baptized the next day. We also baptized 20 others. We had to drive about 2 miles and walk another 1.5 miles to get to a small pond the size of a swimming pool to baptize. The village had no running water or electricity and it is the worst poverty I have seen but the people are so loving and welcoming to us and the children so joyful.
On the outreach we also visited homes, praying for one sick man who confessed having witch craft items. He then brought the items out and the pastors burned them. He had been having headaches for a month and said he felt much better after receiving prayer. We greatly enjoyed this bush outreach and there is much more that happened, just not enough time to share.
On the outreach we showed the "Jesus" film in the local Makua language. We then had an altar call and prayed for healings. One man had just been released from prison was saved and baptized the next day. We also baptized 20 others. We had to drive about 2 miles and walk another 1.5 miles to get to a small pond the size of a swimming pool to baptize. The village had no running water or electricity and it is the worst poverty I have seen but the people are so loving and welcoming to us and the children so joyful.
On the outreach we also visited homes, praying for one sick man who confessed having witch craft items. He then brought the items out and the pastors burned them. He had been having headaches for a month and said he felt much better after receiving prayer. We greatly enjoyed this bush outreach and there is much more that happened, just not enough time to share.
What can one do?
In the U.S. prior to leaving for Mozambique, I frequently got asked what we would be doing while here besides the school. My response was that I knew Allison would be able to help with her nursing skills but I did not know what I would contribute.
Because most short-term missions trips are medical or construction based, my persception of missions caused me to disqualify myself as to what I might contribute based on my skills. I did not see myself doing medical or construction based misssions.
Last week, Allison and I went looking for God's treasures, asking the Lord for divine appointments. I found John, 15 years old, wearing a "tie-die t-shirt" at a "fork in the road" just outside our compound. I explained to John who spoke English that he is God's treasure and asked him how I could pray for him. He asked for prayer for his schooling, specifically Portuguese and Math. I told him I would pray for him but I would also help him with his math. John lives in a nearby village where his mother is muslim and unemployed. His father past away years before. Iris offers him a free education and this is how he became a Christian.
So this past week I have met with John each day for an hour tutoring math. The first day I was thinking I would be tutoring algebra or geometry since John is 15 but I soon discovered the sad reality of education here in Mozambique. John asked me to teach him two digit multiplication which is what he is learning in his 5th grade class. However, he did not know any of his times tables and could not add or subtract anything greater than single digits. I hardly knew where to begin to tutor him to get him caught up. I approached one of the educators to ask hi why John is so poorly educated. He informed me that education here is based on grade and not associated with age. Fifth grade could have ages ranging from 10 to 15. People do not value education here and there are such few jobs requiring it that there is no incentive for the people. As a result, village children skip school often and we are witnessing this often as children sit outside our missions school to stare at the foreigners.
I plan to keep tutoring John feeling strongly this is where the I need to invest my time. I don't know what impact this will be but we are learning that "love looks like something."
Because most short-term missions trips are medical or construction based, my persception of missions caused me to disqualify myself as to what I might contribute based on my skills. I did not see myself doing medical or construction based misssions.
Last week, Allison and I went looking for God's treasures, asking the Lord for divine appointments. I found John, 15 years old, wearing a "tie-die t-shirt" at a "fork in the road" just outside our compound. I explained to John who spoke English that he is God's treasure and asked him how I could pray for him. He asked for prayer for his schooling, specifically Portuguese and Math. I told him I would pray for him but I would also help him with his math. John lives in a nearby village where his mother is muslim and unemployed. His father past away years before. Iris offers him a free education and this is how he became a Christian.
So this past week I have met with John each day for an hour tutoring math. The first day I was thinking I would be tutoring algebra or geometry since John is 15 but I soon discovered the sad reality of education here in Mozambique. John asked me to teach him two digit multiplication which is what he is learning in his 5th grade class. However, he did not know any of his times tables and could not add or subtract anything greater than single digits. I hardly knew where to begin to tutor him to get him caught up. I approached one of the educators to ask hi why John is so poorly educated. He informed me that education here is based on grade and not associated with age. Fifth grade could have ages ranging from 10 to 15. People do not value education here and there are such few jobs requiring it that there is no incentive for the people. As a result, village children skip school often and we are witnessing this often as children sit outside our missions school to stare at the foreigners.
I plan to keep tutoring John feeling strongly this is where the I need to invest my time. I don't know what impact this will be but we are learning that "love looks like something."
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Adventure update- Allison
We are truely enjoying our time here. It is a new way of life, but I feel we are beginning to settle into a schedule (which of course I like). The days start early and end early, which I thankful. I have started daily in the mornings at 5am, helping in the kitchen to count bread. We count 700 rolls for the kids, staff, and students. Its been fun and helps me to learn the language.
We had a nice suprise this week. They have decided to provide jam with our breakfast rolls- this has been an extra bonus.
The children are beautiful and such a blessings. I love playing with them in the ocean, playing tag, and laughing often. The boys truely love Wade and are always excited to see him.
We also spend time at meals, or during outreaches with the Mozambican bible students. Although communication is difficult, I am looking forward to hearing more of their stories and their desire to seek whole heartedly after God. I am truley humbled, how little in the material possessions they compare to us, yet they are overflowing with love and willing to sacrafice even more to seek God. We just walked to town (about an hour walk) with two of them. They helped us get around and learn the language, we are thankful for them.
I am also rotating with a few other nurses to do nursing for our school. No major issues so far, mainly bug bites.
We had exciting testimonies from our village outreach. I will try to post them soon. Much love.
We had a nice suprise this week. They have decided to provide jam with our breakfast rolls- this has been an extra bonus.
The children are beautiful and such a blessings. I love playing with them in the ocean, playing tag, and laughing often. The boys truely love Wade and are always excited to see him.
We also spend time at meals, or during outreaches with the Mozambican bible students. Although communication is difficult, I am looking forward to hearing more of their stories and their desire to seek whole heartedly after God. I am truley humbled, how little in the material possessions they compare to us, yet they are overflowing with love and willing to sacrafice even more to seek God. We just walked to town (about an hour walk) with two of them. They helped us get around and learn the language, we are thankful for them.
I am also rotating with a few other nurses to do nursing for our school. No major issues so far, mainly bug bites.
We had exciting testimonies from our village outreach. I will try to post them soon. Much love.
Prayer Requests
We have connected well with a group of boys about 8-10 years old from the Iris Orphanage. Each day after dinner they are waiting for Allison and me to come and play with them. On the outward appearance these children are well taken care of. They appear more clean and educated than the local village children. However I know each of these children have a tragic story because they were brought to Iris due to loss of parents, physical or sexual abuse. And though we know these children are in a good situation now, I cannot help but wonder if they don't still long for a father and mother, and is this why they want to spend time with us. We sit with them at meals, we take them to the beach, but can we be father and mother to them when we are only here 3 months? Will this short term investment just create more pain in their lives and ours? As I ponder these thoughts, I am reminded that it is possible to have pain without love but it is impossible to have love without pain. I cannot avoid the pain in my life but it is possible to avoid love, which is a great error. And when one loves people, there will always be opportunity for pain because our heart has been opened.
Please pray specifically for Gildo and Jalia who we have connected with the best. May the God who puts the lonely in families give these two young boys many spiritual fathers to call forth their destinies.
P.S. Our village outreaches are on Fridays. Pray that the we may be led by the Lord as we minister in the local villages.
Please pray specifically for Gildo and Jalia who we have connected with the best. May the God who puts the lonely in families give these two young boys many spiritual fathers to call forth their destinies.
P.S. Our village outreaches are on Fridays. Pray that the we may be led by the Lord as we minister in the local villages.
God Speaks Through Children
During class this week Heidi Baker was encouraging us to spend time with the children and with the poor. She says she learned far more about the kingdom of God by sitting with the poor and with children then she ever did while earning her PhD in Systematic Theology.
After class while walking back to our apartment, I was wrestling with these thoughts as I battled a sinus infection and was not feeling great: I told God that I wanted to do something more math oriented and not to play with children. I didn't want to play with children right now. Could I not do something more administrately and serve you here?
About the time these thoughts went through my head, I turned a corner only two see a two year old little boy from the nearby village had locked eyes with me. He had his arms lifted high for a hug and a big grin on his face, running as fast as his legs would carry him straight for me. I bent down to him and he would not let go. My heart melted and I spent the rest of the day playing in the dirt, sitting in the hot sun, with a child I could not communicate with in any language other than love.
God had answered my question about whether I needed to spend time with children this afternoon with a simple demonstration. I have not see this child again but he was at the right place at the right time to speak to me.
After class while walking back to our apartment, I was wrestling with these thoughts as I battled a sinus infection and was not feeling great: I told God that I wanted to do something more math oriented and not to play with children. I didn't want to play with children right now. Could I not do something more administrately and serve you here?
About the time these thoughts went through my head, I turned a corner only two see a two year old little boy from the nearby village had locked eyes with me. He had his arms lifted high for a hug and a big grin on his face, running as fast as his legs would carry him straight for me. I bent down to him and he would not let go. My heart melted and I spent the rest of the day playing in the dirt, sitting in the hot sun, with a child I could not communicate with in any language other than love.
God had answered my question about whether I needed to spend time with children this afternoon with a simple demonstration. I have not see this child again but he was at the right place at the right time to speak to me.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
National Children's Day
Today was National Children's Day, a national holiday. Iris fed about 2500 children ages 3-12 a meal of rice, cabbage, and a piece of fried chicken with a Fainta soft drink. It was amazing to see these children walk miles to line up in the heat to get this free meal and receive a goodie bag consisting of 1 lollipop and 3 pieces of candy. Many of these young children(5-7 years old) escorted or carried their younger siblings (18 months to 2) as they were not big enough to walk for long times no their own. Allison and I had the privilege to help the children line up and wash dishes.
Iris Ministries
A lot goes on at the Iris base in Pemba. First, they feed about 1,000 children lunch from the nearby villages 6 days a week to curb hunger. They have a primary school to 7th grade which has the best marks of all the schools in the province. Unfortunately, the poverty level has half the students below a passing level despite their efforts. A free medical clinic is available to the people. A nurse travels to another nearby village to offer milk to support women with babies as the diet does not offer sufficient nutrients for the babies to survive often. Iris offers a sewing training program for widows where they make patalonas, purses, and head covers to sell. For the poor, Iris gives away rice and beans every two weeks in exchange for some labor around the base, offering the work to not hurt the people's pride. They are planning to start offering classes for farming called "Farming God's way."
In addition Iris trains about 200 Mozambiquan pastors and runs a missionary training program for Mozambiquan pastors too. They also have a visitor center where they host about 2,000 visitors from around the world who come here to learn and serve.
The diversity of the ministry reminds me a lot of JH Ranch in that it is reaching people through many different dimensions.
In addition Iris trains about 200 Mozambiquan pastors and runs a missionary training program for Mozambiquan pastors too. They also have a visitor center where they host about 2,000 visitors from around the world who come here to learn and serve.
The diversity of the ministry reminds me a lot of JH Ranch in that it is reaching people through many different dimensions.
Prayer for Summer
Our school meets from 8am to 1pm Mon to Friday. Rolland and Heidi Baker will do most of the teaching with guest speakers supplementing throughout the summer. Amy Lancaster from Jackson, MS shared with us one day this week. Amy and her husband lead an inner city ministry on Fair St. in Jackson which supposedly is one of the worst streets to be living on. She reminded us the importance of seeing people the way God sees them and loving them unconditionally. She gave an amazing testimony of a man with a 30 year addiction to crack coming to know the Lord in her ministry and how we must believe that God can do the impossible.
This message touched our hearts and affirmed the verse the Lord highlighted to us on the plane ride over:
Isaiah 11:3 says "he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth."
Lord, give us eyes this summer to see people as you see them.
This message touched our hearts and affirmed the verse the Lord highlighted to us on the plane ride over:
Isaiah 11:3 says "he will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth."
Lord, give us eyes this summer to see people as you see them.
Arrived in Pemaba
We've arrived in Pemba, Mozambique to Iris Ministries Base. We are doing wonderful and loving being here. It is an adjustment to live without some of the conveniences but JH Ranch community living has prepared us more than most. We have enjoyed meeting new people who are eager to serve and learn from all different cultures. We have also enjoyed our runs in the morning along the ocean.
This base hosts about 200 children. Also on this base are the 120 missionary training students. Nearby is another Iris base hosting about 200 Mozambiquan pastors being trained.
Most of our classmates have arrived. The majority are from the USA but also included are 17 Russians, 10 South Africans, 4 UK, 2 France, 2 Canada, 4 Australia, 2 Switzerland, 1 Uganda, 1 Hong Kong, 4 China, and more.
The base is on a hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. Our housing is about a 300 yard walk to the beach. It is hot here but fortunately we get a refreshing ocean breeze.
Our housing is about a 600 sq ft building with a tin roof. Within this is 3 rooms hosting Allison and me and 7 more female missionary students. Water here is a precious commodity and not something we are guaranteed to have. We keep a 55 gallon drum filled at all times in case we need water for showers, toilets, etc. Everyone sleeps under a mosquito net for comfort and prevention for malaria. Fortunately, I have not found the mosquitos to be bad having only put on bug spray once just to do it.
The food has been ok. In less than a week I have had rice and beans for the majority of the meals. Fortunately we came during a time of celebration and had chicken twice with rice which evidently is a really big deal. Breakfast consists of a glass of tea and a roll. We are able to go to town to the market to purchase some fruits to supplement our diet.
The people are very friendly but communication is difficult not knowing Makua or Portuguese. Having had some Spanish is very helpful for communicating a few things. We are being paired in our school with pastors from the Mozambiquan pastor school to facilitate cross-cultural learning. Worship with them is a fun experience. It involves every part of your body moving as all the songs have movements to them. Allison, enjoys this. I do too but I am still trying to clap and sing at the same time.
This base hosts about 200 children. Also on this base are the 120 missionary training students. Nearby is another Iris base hosting about 200 Mozambiquan pastors being trained.
Most of our classmates have arrived. The majority are from the USA but also included are 17 Russians, 10 South Africans, 4 UK, 2 France, 2 Canada, 4 Australia, 2 Switzerland, 1 Uganda, 1 Hong Kong, 4 China, and more.
The base is on a hillside overlooking the Indian Ocean. Our housing is about a 300 yard walk to the beach. It is hot here but fortunately we get a refreshing ocean breeze.
Our housing is about a 600 sq ft building with a tin roof. Within this is 3 rooms hosting Allison and me and 7 more female missionary students. Water here is a precious commodity and not something we are guaranteed to have. We keep a 55 gallon drum filled at all times in case we need water for showers, toilets, etc. Everyone sleeps under a mosquito net for comfort and prevention for malaria. Fortunately, I have not found the mosquitos to be bad having only put on bug spray once just to do it.
The food has been ok. In less than a week I have had rice and beans for the majority of the meals. Fortunately we came during a time of celebration and had chicken twice with rice which evidently is a really big deal. Breakfast consists of a glass of tea and a roll. We are able to go to town to the market to purchase some fruits to supplement our diet.
The people are very friendly but communication is difficult not knowing Makua or Portuguese. Having had some Spanish is very helpful for communicating a few things. We are being paired in our school with pastors from the Mozambiquan pastor school to facilitate cross-cultural learning. Worship with them is a fun experience. It involves every part of your body moving as all the songs have movements to them. Allison, enjoys this. I do too but I am still trying to clap and sing at the same time.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Fear, misguided or properly placed?
We are in route to Africa and lots of thoughts run through our minds. What will the mosquitoes be like with all the concerns for malaria? Did we bring enough money? Will we have the appropriate type of clothing? Will rice and beans sustain us for 3 months? How will living with 8 other people affect our marriage?
Hours could be spent in anxiety over such thoughts and fear could easily be triggered if we allowed it, but we know the Lord has a great lesson in store for us. I am reminded of my first summer at JH Ranch in 2003 when I stepped out of my comfort zone.
I had been trying to intern on Wall Street when the Lord redirected my steps to JH. I signed up to volunteer in the kitchen because I had physical limitations due to having brain surgery a few years prior in 2000.
I had tingling sensations (like hitting your funny bone) that ran down the left side of my body when I did anything strenuous due to my birth defect, Chiari Malformation, that led to the brain surgery. During my interview for JH they told me that females worked in the kitchen positions that I had signed up for, and after prayerful consideration, the guy’s recruiter offered me a position to be in maintenance (eventually the garbage man).
I did not know what to do. I knew I was supposed to be at JH that summer because I had felt the impression from the Lord. However, I also knew how my body would react to the physical activity. I agreed to attempt the work, trusting that the Lord had called me to JH. The first day while walking around the property of JH Ranch, I could fee the tingling sensation all down the left hand side of my body.
“Lord, what are you doing? Surely, you are not asking me to do something that will cause me to have brain surgery again. Lord, brain surgery is not fun. What am I going to do? Lord, I am trusting You that everything is going to be alright.”
Later that day, I was given my first assignment. I was given a pick ax and told to dig a trench. “Lord, what are you thinking?” I began to dig the trench and within seconds my tingling sensations went away and did not return all summer. I served on maintenance, lifting heavy items and working strenuously with no health problems at all.
Through this miraculous disappearance of my condition’s side effects, God revealed to me His faithfulness, and removed me from my shackles of fear. He no longer wanted me to live in fear and paranoia, always wondering every time a tingling sensation occurred wondering if I would need brain surgery again. He wanted me to place my trust in Him. And as a result of this trust in Him, I had the most amazing summer of my life, launching me for an incredible adventure over the last 7 years that have been amazing beyond words.
This one faith lesson taught me so much about the heart of God, and now I seem to be learning it again in a new dimension as we head to Africa. We have nothing to fear, only to trust, trust in Him. He loves us and no longer wants us to be shackled by the worries of this world but to have complete trust in Him. He has a good plan. He is a good God and He is in a good mood. Discouragement only remains when we look at our problems without God as our solution.
Hours could be spent in anxiety over such thoughts and fear could easily be triggered if we allowed it, but we know the Lord has a great lesson in store for us. I am reminded of my first summer at JH Ranch in 2003 when I stepped out of my comfort zone.
I had been trying to intern on Wall Street when the Lord redirected my steps to JH. I signed up to volunteer in the kitchen because I had physical limitations due to having brain surgery a few years prior in 2000.
I had tingling sensations (like hitting your funny bone) that ran down the left side of my body when I did anything strenuous due to my birth defect, Chiari Malformation, that led to the brain surgery. During my interview for JH they told me that females worked in the kitchen positions that I had signed up for, and after prayerful consideration, the guy’s recruiter offered me a position to be in maintenance (eventually the garbage man).
I did not know what to do. I knew I was supposed to be at JH that summer because I had felt the impression from the Lord. However, I also knew how my body would react to the physical activity. I agreed to attempt the work, trusting that the Lord had called me to JH. The first day while walking around the property of JH Ranch, I could fee the tingling sensation all down the left hand side of my body.
“Lord, what are you doing? Surely, you are not asking me to do something that will cause me to have brain surgery again. Lord, brain surgery is not fun. What am I going to do? Lord, I am trusting You that everything is going to be alright.”
Later that day, I was given my first assignment. I was given a pick ax and told to dig a trench. “Lord, what are you thinking?” I began to dig the trench and within seconds my tingling sensations went away and did not return all summer. I served on maintenance, lifting heavy items and working strenuously with no health problems at all.
Through this miraculous disappearance of my condition’s side effects, God revealed to me His faithfulness, and removed me from my shackles of fear. He no longer wanted me to live in fear and paranoia, always wondering every time a tingling sensation occurred wondering if I would need brain surgery again. He wanted me to place my trust in Him. And as a result of this trust in Him, I had the most amazing summer of my life, launching me for an incredible adventure over the last 7 years that have been amazing beyond words.
This one faith lesson taught me so much about the heart of God, and now I seem to be learning it again in a new dimension as we head to Africa. We have nothing to fear, only to trust, trust in Him. He loves us and no longer wants us to be shackled by the worries of this world but to have complete trust in Him. He has a good plan. He is a good God and He is in a good mood. Discouragement only remains when we look at our problems without God as our solution.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Mozambique
Allison and I will be in Mozambique from May 28 to August 26 attending Iris Ministries missionary training school (www.irisministries.com). We will have limited internet access but hope to post our experiences every couple weeks throughout the summer. Our hopes in establishing this blog are to share with you our journey of growth and encourage you with testimonies.
Monday, April 26, 2010
A Year in Review
I am amazed at how awesome the christian life is. It really is the most amazing adventure. We can be going in one direction completely content, and then with the gentle whisper of God's voice, everything changes. Allison and I experienced this excitement in our decision to attend the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. We were loving life, enjoying our time at JH Ranch, and planning our future when God impressed upon us to move to California and attend Bethel's school.
We did not necessarily know why we were attending. We knew Bethel believed that miracles are for today and that miracles should be the "normal" christian life but we did not know His exact purposes for us in this decision. We came with excitement and out of obedience. We prayed for this year Romans 12:1, that the Lord would renew our minds to know His good will.
As we have witnessed, Bethel attracts people from around the world because they see the supernatural on a regular basis. However, upon people arriving, they discover Bethel's core message is actually the love of God and His goodness which overflows into the supernatural. It seems so elementary to be learning about the love of God and His goodness but yet it has transformed our lives.
We discovered that it is God's kindness, not His judgement that leads people to repentance. He isn't angry at us or disappointed in us but He loves to encourage people and complement their strengths. His love truly knows no end in that He will send someone half-way across the world to pray for one of His children's needs. He is a good Dad.
Perhaps these revelations are not new under the sun, but this revelation is powerful and transformational when it goes from your head to your heart. For Allison and me, we have begun to realize what it means to be an adopted child of God, to co-reign with Christ, to be seated in the heavenly places. We are princes and princesses.
What does this mean? This means we don't have to worry about our significance because we know who we are, and this frees us to help others. We don't have to worry about finances because our Father owns everything. We have the privilege of honoring people, not based on whether they are deserving or not, but because we are honorable. And as a result of discovering our identity in Christ, we are living our dreams.
We have realized we are friends with Christ, and therefore get to co-labor with Him. Just as we desire to help Him with His goals, He likes to help us reach ours. As a result, Allison and I have gotten to spend this entire year growing together in our marriage. I am amazed when I reflect on the fact that the Lord actually impressed upon us to take a year off from work to pursue after Him and to love one another. How awesome it has been for Allison and me to read the same devotional books, read the same passages in the Bible together, and grow together spiritually in this first year of marriage. He knows what it is best for us and He also desires to bless us. Oh, how awesome it is when we are obedient. He is a good God, in a good mood.
Central Asia Adventure
Thank you all for your prayers. We feel like we lived out Luke 10:1-9 during our outreach in Central Asia. In one of the rural villages we entered, we saw two new brothers added to the family. It began while in the home of local unreached people group when we asked them if they needed prayer for anything physically. At first, everyone said they were alright but then someone spoke up and said they had stomach pain. We prayed for this gentleman and his pain left. Then a lady spoke up about her headache, and when we prayed for her, the headache left. Next the grandmother had us pray for her partially blind left eye. Upon praying no change occurred but she said she felt a soothing feeling come over her eye. We prayed again and this time full healing occurred. She joked that she had already been to several doctors with no results and was now thankful because she did not have to pay us.
After seeing and hearing about these miracles, two men whom the local missionary, John, had been sowing into for several years became believers in Jesus as their Lord. We watched, not understanding the language, as these two men got down on their knees in front of John, the missionary, and declare Jesus as their Lord. They had gotten down on their knees without John even prompting them to do so. It was an amazing sight to see and be apart. We went to bed that night with joy overflowing. We thought to ourselves, “it sure would be neat if word spread about the goodness of God and people come to us to receive prayer tomorrow.”
The next morning we awoke to a lady waiting for us to pray for her stomach and shoulder pain. She found relief upon receiving prayer. We then went to a young man’s home where he had asked us to come pray for his family. Again everyone we prayed for was healed. The most memorable testimony was seeing the grandfather’s leg healed. He said his right leg had been numb for 15 years. Upon praying and asking him to test it, we watched him do a little kick, making this expression of amazement upon realizing he could now feel his foot. It was incredible to see. We had seen everyone we prayed for healed, and we are still in awe over our experiences.
About the People:
The people we visited in Central Asia are some of the most joyful people we have met. As we walked through the village, everyone would wave and say hello. We came unannounced and upon arriving to their home, they stopped everything to host us, feed us, and house us. They brought out their best food, and they ate only after we were full. This welcome was humbling to Allison and me as these people are poor farmers. Their diet consisted of rice, potatoes, pork, and eggs. The homes had no plumbing, and the home we stayed in had goats and pigs in the basement with chickens moving throughout the home. Salted meat hung from the rafters because of no refrigeration.
Sadly, these people have been influenced by Buddhism. Above the village was a lake in which they believed an evil spirit resided. They feared this demonic spirit and would make sacrifices to appease it. They believed if they entered the lake they would die.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Treasure Hunting
Evangelism...When I used to think of this word, I thought door-to-door salesman, handing out tracks, reminding people that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.
Anytime opportunities to go evangelize presented themselves to me, I usually declined, reminding myself that I consider my gift sets to be one-on-one discipleship, leading Bible studies, and developing relationships long-term. That is until Allison and I discovered Treasure Hunting.
Treasure Hunting? Yes, searching for God's treasures, people. We are discovering that God's treasures are everywhere. They are in malls, workplaces, street corners, grocery stores. Everywhere, these "treasures" are inwardly crying out for an encounter with God, waiting for God to come to the rescue. And just as the Word became flesh 2000 years ago, we too have the opportunity today to re-present the Word as flesh and give these people an experience with the love of God.
So how does one begin Treasure Hunting? It's actually quite simple. Ask God who He wants you to search for and He will tell you. Well, when I first heard this, I thought, "You mean God speaks? To me?" Yes, we are the sheep in His pasture and we know the shepherds voice. We have all have been driving along and impressed to call a friend. Upon calling the friend, we learn that the phone call was a huge encouragement to them because of their current situation. That was God's still small voice impressing us. So when you are searching for God's treasure, ask Him to tell you where to look for them. Then write down the impressions God gives you.
Do you remember Ananais? He was the "Ultimate Treasure Hunter". While praying God told Ananais to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and look for a man named Saul from Tarsus. Ananais response was that God must be crazy. Does God not know that Saul is killing Christians? But God knew that Saul was the "Treasure" to be found and was primed to be one of the greatest Apostles. Had Ananais not listened to God and instead gone by his impression of Saul, Saul might not have become an apostle.
Allison and I have now been Treasure Hunting for 6 months. During this process we have discovered the love of God. We are amazed at the number of Believers God sends us to because He wants to encourage His people. We are amazed at the number of people God sends us too that reject us, which so reminds us of how much God loves them and continues to pursue after them by sending people like ourselves to attempt to minister to them.
One of my favorite stories of us Treasure Hunting is ministering to a Pastor's wife on a rainy day at a local park. We had on our Treasure map a lady with a baby in a stroller, glasses, and the local park. It was raining outside that day and we thought there would be no one at the park. We drive up to see a minivan with a lady putting her baby in the stroller. Allison gets out of the car to tell the lady that we are Christians and believe God has highlighted her to us to encourage her and bless her. She immediately started crying, telling us she is a Pastor's wife that has been struggling in her church. She told the Lord she was frustrated and despite the rain had to get out of the house and go for a walk. We drove up, ministered to her, and left. She knew that day that God loved her, and she was God's treasure.
We have now had many such stories. For more information on Treasure Hunting, read "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt" by Kevin Dedmon.
Anytime opportunities to go evangelize presented themselves to me, I usually declined, reminding myself that I consider my gift sets to be one-on-one discipleship, leading Bible studies, and developing relationships long-term. That is until Allison and I discovered Treasure Hunting.
Treasure Hunting? Yes, searching for God's treasures, people. We are discovering that God's treasures are everywhere. They are in malls, workplaces, street corners, grocery stores. Everywhere, these "treasures" are inwardly crying out for an encounter with God, waiting for God to come to the rescue. And just as the Word became flesh 2000 years ago, we too have the opportunity today to re-present the Word as flesh and give these people an experience with the love of God.
So how does one begin Treasure Hunting? It's actually quite simple. Ask God who He wants you to search for and He will tell you. Well, when I first heard this, I thought, "You mean God speaks? To me?" Yes, we are the sheep in His pasture and we know the shepherds voice. We have all have been driving along and impressed to call a friend. Upon calling the friend, we learn that the phone call was a huge encouragement to them because of their current situation. That was God's still small voice impressing us. So when you are searching for God's treasure, ask Him to tell you where to look for them. Then write down the impressions God gives you.
Do you remember Ananais? He was the "Ultimate Treasure Hunter". While praying God told Ananais to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and look for a man named Saul from Tarsus. Ananais response was that God must be crazy. Does God not know that Saul is killing Christians? But God knew that Saul was the "Treasure" to be found and was primed to be one of the greatest Apostles. Had Ananais not listened to God and instead gone by his impression of Saul, Saul might not have become an apostle.
Allison and I have now been Treasure Hunting for 6 months. During this process we have discovered the love of God. We are amazed at the number of Believers God sends us to because He wants to encourage His people. We are amazed at the number of people God sends us too that reject us, which so reminds us of how much God loves them and continues to pursue after them by sending people like ourselves to attempt to minister to them.
One of my favorite stories of us Treasure Hunting is ministering to a Pastor's wife on a rainy day at a local park. We had on our Treasure map a lady with a baby in a stroller, glasses, and the local park. It was raining outside that day and we thought there would be no one at the park. We drive up to see a minivan with a lady putting her baby in the stroller. Allison gets out of the car to tell the lady that we are Christians and believe God has highlighted her to us to encourage her and bless her. She immediately started crying, telling us she is a Pastor's wife that has been struggling in her church. She told the Lord she was frustrated and despite the rain had to get out of the house and go for a walk. We drove up, ministered to her, and left. She knew that day that God loved her, and she was God's treasure.
We have now had many such stories. For more information on Treasure Hunting, read "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt" by Kevin Dedmon.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Are Miracles for Today?
The most amazing revelation occurred to me one day while reading Hebrews 13. Here the author, possibly Paul, is writing to the Jewish believers about 30 years after the death of Christ. He says,
"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."
I can imagine the Hebrew audience reading this and thinking just like us. "What do you mean imitate the faith of our leaders? Our leaders are Peter, James, John, Stephen, and the other disciples. Don't you know they spent time with Jesus! They walk in miracles because they spent three years with him." Does this not sound like the excuses we hear today? Miracles ceased with the apostles. Miracles are no longer for today.
I believe the author knew what their response would be, and therefore, his very next statement is,
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Jesus is still doing miracles today.
"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."
I can imagine the Hebrew audience reading this and thinking just like us. "What do you mean imitate the faith of our leaders? Our leaders are Peter, James, John, Stephen, and the other disciples. Don't you know they spent time with Jesus! They walk in miracles because they spent three years with him." Does this not sound like the excuses we hear today? Miracles ceased with the apostles. Miracles are no longer for today.
I believe the author knew what their response would be, and therefore, his very next statement is,
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Jesus is still doing miracles today.
God is good…Can we really say this?
Looking upon the devastation of recent earthquakes in Haiti and China, could you look into the eyes of the people and tell these broken people confidently, “God is good”.
What if a natural disaster happened in your neighborhood? You might be left with nothing because Insurance Companies have exclusions in their policies for these violent acts, “Acts of God”?
Are these natural disasters really Acts of God? What if we are attributing to God the very works of the Devil? I personally do not want to be standing before the God of the Universe accusing Him of being the Devil. Yet, I feel we so quickly seek to justify life’s disasters with a solution that we can wrap our minds around.
“God must be judging Haiti for their witchcraft, and God must be judging China for their “one child policy”. What about when one is sick? Oh, that is God teaching someone patience and perseverance.”
Our need for “leaning on our own understanding” has replaced our mandate to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart.” As a result, we have taken the nature of the devil and assigned it to God.
Scripture says that the job description of the devil is the devourer, the father of lies, the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy. The description of Jesus, the image of the invisible God, is the one who has come to give life and life more abundantly. Jesus heals all our diseases and forgives all our sins. So why then do we think Jesus gives us cancer to teach us perseverance?
One scripture that has caused us confusion is Romans 8:28, “God works all things for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.” This scripture affirms that God is a better chess player than satan. No matter the attack satan makes against us, God has a chess move to triumph over satan. As a result, when someone gets sick, God can turn this for good. Through sickness, people can draw closer to God, learn patience, and perseverance. The mistake we have made is that because the “Outcome” (patience and perseverance) is good, we think the Origin (sickness) must have been good too, but we cannot confuse Outcome with Origin. Because of this misconception of Outcome and Origin, unfortunately, we have attributed to God sickness, which is the very work of the devil.
I’m slowly beginning to recognize my misconceptions of God's character and am beginning to worship God as He truly is, good. God is good and He is in a good mood. The wrath of God has already been poured out on Jesus on the cross. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, to not count the sins of people against them. So why do we then continue to sit in judgment on others and on ourselves? We are to declare that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to declare life and life more abundantly.
I am confident that when I stand before the throne of God I am not going to have to apologize to God for believing that He is good. I have this feeling that I am more likely to stand before Him discovering He is so much more amazingly good than I could ever realized. After all, He does more than we can ever ask or imagine. He satisfies our desires with good things. He renews our youth like the eagles. He makes our paths straight. He turns our mourning into dancing and our weeping into joy. He gives us beauty for ashes. He restores the age old foundations. He restores the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. He crowns us with love and compassion.
God is still good and He is in a good mood.
What if a natural disaster happened in your neighborhood? You might be left with nothing because Insurance Companies have exclusions in their policies for these violent acts, “Acts of God”?
Are these natural disasters really Acts of God? What if we are attributing to God the very works of the Devil? I personally do not want to be standing before the God of the Universe accusing Him of being the Devil. Yet, I feel we so quickly seek to justify life’s disasters with a solution that we can wrap our minds around.
“God must be judging Haiti for their witchcraft, and God must be judging China for their “one child policy”. What about when one is sick? Oh, that is God teaching someone patience and perseverance.”
Our need for “leaning on our own understanding” has replaced our mandate to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart.” As a result, we have taken the nature of the devil and assigned it to God.
Scripture says that the job description of the devil is the devourer, the father of lies, the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy. The description of Jesus, the image of the invisible God, is the one who has come to give life and life more abundantly. Jesus heals all our diseases and forgives all our sins. So why then do we think Jesus gives us cancer to teach us perseverance?
One scripture that has caused us confusion is Romans 8:28, “God works all things for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.” This scripture affirms that God is a better chess player than satan. No matter the attack satan makes against us, God has a chess move to triumph over satan. As a result, when someone gets sick, God can turn this for good. Through sickness, people can draw closer to God, learn patience, and perseverance. The mistake we have made is that because the “Outcome” (patience and perseverance) is good, we think the Origin (sickness) must have been good too, but we cannot confuse Outcome with Origin. Because of this misconception of Outcome and Origin, unfortunately, we have attributed to God sickness, which is the very work of the devil.
I’m slowly beginning to recognize my misconceptions of God's character and am beginning to worship God as He truly is, good. God is good and He is in a good mood. The wrath of God has already been poured out on Jesus on the cross. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, to not count the sins of people against them. So why do we then continue to sit in judgment on others and on ourselves? We are to declare that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to declare life and life more abundantly.
I am confident that when I stand before the throne of God I am not going to have to apologize to God for believing that He is good. I have this feeling that I am more likely to stand before Him discovering He is so much more amazingly good than I could ever realized. After all, He does more than we can ever ask or imagine. He satisfies our desires with good things. He renews our youth like the eagles. He makes our paths straight. He turns our mourning into dancing and our weeping into joy. He gives us beauty for ashes. He restores the age old foundations. He restores the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. He crowns us with love and compassion.
God is still good and He is in a good mood.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Are things getting better or worse?
While flying over the Atlantic to Israel two years ago, I turned on CNN on the plane's tv to discover Israel had just launched an offensive in Gaza. Our tour group would be landing in Israel during the middle of war. Needless to say these turn of events caused some fear among us. After all, are not things getting worse? Don't we hear of wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and falling away from the Lord. Is not tv getting bad, isn't there also an increasing use of alcohol and drugs, and what about crime?
But fortunately for us Christians, we have a winning lottery ticket called the "Rapture". We know it is getting bad, so thank goodness we get to escape this hell on earth. And if we are really, really good Christians, we are also going to bring some people along with us. If we will just "Each one, Reach one."
Isn't this how it goes?
Perhaps, this is an over exaggeration but I feel like this is the consensus of the church portrayed in the media. After all, where does much of our End Times teaching come from? The Left Behind series?
Well, I believe this pessimistic view of the end times had left me defeated. Where was the hope that my Savior promised for this life. I had lived a life based on a Gospel of Salvation, but had not Jesus promised much, much more. Did He not promise a Gospel of the Kingdom coming to Earth?
My life and perspective got turned upside down when I discovered Revelations 19:7, "Behold the wedding of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready."
Hmmm... the bride has made herself ready. I have heard all my life about Jesus returning for his bride but I never had given much thought about the bride making herself ready. And then I discovered more about the Jewish wedding:
In the Jewish culture during Jesus' time marriages were typically arranged, often when the children were very young. When the children were grown, a father would send his son to the daughter’s father to ask about the dowry, the amount to pay to marry his daughter. The price her father asked from the man simply said, “when the man is willing to pay this price, his love is worthy of my daughter.”
Next the bridegroom presents the vows to the bride in front of the bride's father. The bridegroom and bride then drink a cup of wine together, sealing the covenant. Then the Bridegroom pays the dowry, paying a great price for the love of this woman. From that day, the couple is legally married even though the wedding and consummation would not occur for months.
The bridegroom returns to his home to prepare a new home for his wife. His wife does not know when he will return. The bridegroom can only return when his father gives him permission to get his wife. The bride is confident that the bridegroom will return because of his promise (vow) and the price he paid (dowry) to marry her. When the son's father believes their new home is ready, in the middle of the night he gives permission to his son to go get his wife. The son would go steal his bride in the middle of the night adding to the romance. He would then take her back to his father’s house.
Taking a closer look at scripture we see that Jesus fulfilled this Jewish wedding custom to become our Bridegroom:
God arranged for our marriage by sending His son. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus paid our dowry by giving his life sealing the covenant with communion. "In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:20
Jesus promised to return for us. "There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. " John 14:2-3
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32
But we know when Jesus comes that the " day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:2
Discovering that Jesus is truly returning for His bride, I began to ask, "Is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords going to return for a weak bride? NO! My King of Kings and Lord of Lords is not going to return to a weak bride.
Unfortunately, I believe the Church has taken on an end-times view that says we are defeated on earth and everything is going to get worse. As a result, we often serve the Lord out of obligation versus love. And because we focus on the negative events in the world, we do not have eyes to see all the God is doing.
Jesus prayed in John 17 for the unity of believers. Now we know Jesus did nothing but what He saw the Father doing. And in 1 John 5 it says that if you pray according the the Father's will, we have what we ask of Him. So if Jesus, God's son, who does nothing but what He sees His Father doing, prayed for the unity of believers, do you think it is not going to happen? Is He going to return to the most fragmented Church ever? I don't think so.
What about the Parable of the Mustard Seed? The Mustard seed is smallest of all the seeds but when it grows it becomes the largest tree in the garden. (Matthew 13:31 ) Jesus started with 12 disciples and now 2 billion people claim Christianity as their faith.
What about the Parable of Wheat and Tares? It seems to me we have focues on the tares. Well, what about the wheat? The scripture says to first burn the weeds, then collect the wheat when it has grown to maturity. There is to be a harvest of righteousness, not just wickedness. The wheat and the tares both grow to maturity. So yes, things may be getting bad, but even better is that the church will get stronger.
What about the scriptures that says the Spirit will be poured out on ALL flesh? Or ALL of Israel shall be saved?
I don't believe God intended the Book of Acts to be a history book but instead a foundation for where we are headed and surpassing. In a relay race, is not the fastest runner saved for last? I thought Jesus said that the least in the Kingdom are greater than all the prophets before.
But unfortunately our focus has been not on "the Christ" but instead "the anti-Christ". Did you know the "anti-christ" is only used in 4 passages in the Bible and that none of them are in the book of Revelation? These occurances of the word "anti-christ" are in 1 John and 2 John when the early church is dealing with a heretical religion called Gnosticism that denied Jesus came in the flesh.
Or consider that perhaps things are much better in the world today than they were 2000 years ago when Jesus came into the world.
"Two thousand years ago, in Italy approximately 40% of the population were slaves. Throughout Roman empire homosexuality was a commonplace especially between Master and slave. The Roman and Greek people worshipped many gods. In North America they had no revelation of the Messiah and in South America they worshipped a blood thirsty god in which they sacrificed many people to. Only a tiny nation in the Middle East had a revelation of the true God.
In the United States 200 years ago, there were 5 million immigrants of which 20% were slaves. Alcoholism and Prostitution were at much higher rates with estimates that for New York City there was a prostitute for every 64 men. Abortion was legal for much of the scenery. The west imported Chinese for slave labor. The Gold Rush produced vile and dangerous communities. Indians were forced off there land and in some cases murdered. Thousands moved west and in most cases did not have churches till later years.
And today, the gospel is being preached around the world. More than 200,000 people become born again everyday. More than 1 million per week are becoming Christians. From 12 disciples more than 2 billion people on the earth claim to be Christians." (Excerpt from "Victorious Eschatology," Eberlee)
It's all about how you view things. We don't need to neglect the crisis that occur around the world, but perhaps we should have a balanced perspective.
I serve a God who is bigger than satan. Therefore, I should have hope in all circumstances. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is not returning to a weak bride but one that has dressed herself in white.
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