FRIDAY
Today was our last full day in Honduras. What a week it has been. A week full of healing, building, love and encouragement.
Today we were together as a full team beginning the morning at an orphanage in Pena Blanca where we played soccer and did arts and crafts with the kids. The medical team set up and served a little over 75 patients both young and old.
The afternoon began back at the Pena de Horeb Church where we dedicated the new classrooms with a full ribbon cutting ceremony that included balloons, cake and tons of love for each other.
Following the dedication we pulled away from the Church with heavy hearts. We have spent a lot of time this week meeting new friends and revisiting with old ones. Everyone on our team has had their hearts changed in some way, and the goodbyes were long and tearful.
The rest of the day was spent unwinding as we journeyed to the waterfalls for ziplining followed by a boat ride on the lake.
We are all tired but energized for what priviledge God has provided us this week.
As we face a hurricane approaching San Pedro Sula, we pray for a safe and smooth flight home as we are anxious to see everyone and share our exciting week in Honduras.
Jeff Smith
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Honduras Mission Trip - Day 4
THURSDAY
Today was another beautiful and productive day in Honduras. Following breakfast, the medical team ventured to another new location this morning to the remote village of Cocote, while the construction team spent their day finishing up the new classrooms at the Pena de Horeb Church in Pena Blanca.
The construction team finished hanging lights and ceiling fans, and painted the classrooms both inside and out. We are excited to say the Church now has three new classrooms that are ready for the children.
While the construction team was finishing up the classrooms, the medical team was busy seeing another new group of patients. Even though heavy rains in Cocote cut the day short for the medical team, they were still able to serve over 130 patients.
It's really something to see what God can accomplish through us in these four short days. He is so faithful.
Pray for our last full day in Honduras this Friday and that our travel back to the States will be a safe one on Saturday.
Jeff Smith
Today was another beautiful and productive day in Honduras. Following breakfast, the medical team ventured to another new location this morning to the remote village of Cocote, while the construction team spent their day finishing up the new classrooms at the Pena de Horeb Church in Pena Blanca.
The construction team finished hanging lights and ceiling fans, and painted the classrooms both inside and out. We are excited to say the Church now has three new classrooms that are ready for the children.
While the construction team was finishing up the classrooms, the medical team was busy seeing another new group of patients. Even though heavy rains in Cocote cut the day short for the medical team, they were still able to serve over 130 patients.
It's really something to see what God can accomplish through us in these four short days. He is so faithful.
Pray for our last full day in Honduras this Friday and that our travel back to the States will be a safe one on Saturday.
Jeff Smith
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Honduras Mission Trip - Day 3
Today the medical team moved to the village of Lomas de Aguila where they treated 276 patients, many of whom were very sick. The team also shared Bible stories and games with the many children that live in the village area.
As for the construction team, they were back in Pena Blanca at the Pena de Horeb Church where they finished hanging doors and getting the classrooms ready for painting.
It has been another day where God continues to open our hearts to the people of Honduras, and is using these wonderful people to make a difference in our lives.
Continue to pray for our health as we have had a few team members that have dealt with a brief stomach bug, but everyone is healthy as of this writing.
As always, God continues to be an Awesome God!
Jeff Smith
As for the construction team, they were back in Pena Blanca at the Pena de Horeb Church where they finished hanging doors and getting the classrooms ready for painting.
It has been another day where God continues to open our hearts to the people of Honduras, and is using these wonderful people to make a difference in our lives.
Continue to pray for our health as we have had a few team members that have dealt with a brief stomach bug, but everyone is healthy as of this writing.
As always, God continues to be an Awesome God!
Jeff Smith
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Honduras Mission Trip - Day 2
Today was our second full day back in Pena Blanca at the Pena de Horeb Church where we treated just under 300 patients, provided outreach to over 170 kids, and have constructed the walls and ceilings for the three new classrooms.
It is exciting to see the amazing progress that is being made for the Glory of Jesus Christ. He is so faithful and is providing so many blessings to our team and the people of Honduras. Pray for our health and safety as we move to a new location outside of Pena Blanca to treat medical needs, and also for our construction team as they continue to finish the three classrooms that will serve the little children of Pena Blanca.
God is good.
Jeff Smith
It is exciting to see the amazing progress that is being made for the Glory of Jesus Christ. He is so faithful and is providing so many blessings to our team and the people of Honduras. Pray for our health and safety as we move to a new location outside of Pena Blanca to treat medical needs, and also for our construction team as they continue to finish the three classrooms that will serve the little children of Pena Blanca.
God is good.
Jeff Smith
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Honduras Mission Trip - Day 1
Hola from Honduras!
The team arrived in San Pedro Sula safely and on time Sunday. We were welcomed with sunshine and more hot weather, but no rain. Upon getting checked in we journeyed to Pena Blanca where the team attended Sunday Worship at Pena de Horeb Church. Mission trip teams from Crossings have been coming to work and worship with this congregation for two years. It is always a special time to be able to renew friendships with these dear brothers and sisters in Christ and to see how God is blessing the ministry of this church in Pena Blanca.
MONDAY
After a hard nights rain, everyone joined together at 7am for breakfast and a morning devotional. Today was spent in Pena Blanca back at the Pena de Horeb Church where we treated patients, began construction on three new classrooms and worked with the kids on crafts and bible lessons. This was an exciting day as many of us got to meet the child we recently sponsored through the Compassion International program for the first time. Many tears were flowing.
God is so wonderful and is using us in so many different ways this week. Not only with the people of Honduras, but also with each other.
God is good.
Jeff Smith
The team arrived in San Pedro Sula safely and on time Sunday. We were welcomed with sunshine and more hot weather, but no rain. Upon getting checked in we journeyed to Pena Blanca where the team attended Sunday Worship at Pena de Horeb Church. Mission trip teams from Crossings have been coming to work and worship with this congregation for two years. It is always a special time to be able to renew friendships with these dear brothers and sisters in Christ and to see how God is blessing the ministry of this church in Pena Blanca.
MONDAY
After a hard nights rain, everyone joined together at 7am for breakfast and a morning devotional. Today was spent in Pena Blanca back at the Pena de Horeb Church where we treated patients, began construction on three new classrooms and worked with the kids on crafts and bible lessons. This was an exciting day as many of us got to meet the child we recently sponsored through the Compassion International program for the first time. Many tears were flowing.
God is so wonderful and is using us in so many different ways this week. Not only with the people of Honduras, but also with each other.
God is good.
Jeff Smith
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Honduras Mission Trip Sept 2010
Please keep our team in prayer as 18 of us depart early Sunday morning for San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Pray that the weather will not interfere with our flight so that we can arrive safely Sunday afternoon.
We will do our best to post our daily activities each night - along with listing any specific prayer requests. On Monday, the Crossings team will set up at Pena De Horeb (Rock of Horeb church) in Pena Blanca to conduct medical clinics, lead outreach programs for the children of the clinic patients, and continue construction of the second floor of the church building. We are anxious to see what all God has planned for us to do as we serve in His name throughout the week.
Please keep our team in prayer along with the congregation of Pena de Horeb and Pastor Terencio.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We will do our best to post our daily activities each night - along with listing any specific prayer requests. On Monday, the Crossings team will set up at Pena De Horeb (Rock of Horeb church) in Pena Blanca to conduct medical clinics, lead outreach programs for the children of the clinic patients, and continue construction of the second floor of the church building. We are anxious to see what all God has planned for us to do as we serve in His name throughout the week.
Please keep our team in prayer along with the congregation of Pena de Horeb and Pastor Terencio.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Lessons Learned from Malawi
Now that most of our team is back in the States - Kemp and Kim Ward will remain in Africa until early September - and my body has readjusted to Central Daylight Time, I figured it was time to collect my thoughts and share with you some of things that I learned while in Malawi. While this lessons had a profound impact on me, for many of you these lessons may seem rather elementary, and they could very well be. This certainly give greater credence to the thought that more often than not we are not really learning something new, we are just being reminded of lessons that we have learned previously.
Lesson #1: Our God loves to bless us with serendipitous moments.
Several years ago, Danny and Natalie Gregory were preparing to leave the U.S. to go and serve the Lord in Africa. As they shared about God's calling and the ministries that they planned to be involved in, the Holy Spirit tugged at the heart strings of Richard and Melissa Wilson. As Richard and Melissa contemplated and considered what the Lord would have them do to support Danny and Natalie, they felt led to give them a complete set of battery powered hand tools by DeWalt; drills, grinder, reciprocating saw...the works.
Now, fast forward to July, 2010. Our team is at work in Malawi, fabricating solutions to our drilling problems in Danny's garage. We are cutting pipe, drilling, reshaping...a real testosterone hulabaloo. So, here we are, working away and feeling very manly, when all of a sudden, Danny looks at Richard and said: "Richard, did you ever think that when you gave us those tools that you would actually come all the way to Africa and use them?" It got very quickly became very quiet. Up until then, it had not even dawned on Richard that these were the same tools. It became a very emotional and holy moment for everyone, but especially for Richard.
And isn't that just like our God? Richard and Melissa were simply being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And God rewarded Richard's obedience. Richard was able to experience - not just hear about, not merely witness, but experience first-hand - one of the outcomes of his obedience. At the time, Richard didn't really know why God asked them to give a set of tools to the Gregorys, but He did and they obeyed. Now everything had come full circle and Richard was using those very same tools to do ministry in Malawi.
Lesson #2: Sometimes you just have to let it go.
I love my wife Deanna dearly. Next to my salvation, she is the greatest gift that God has ever given me. I love her so much that to make up for the fact that a mission trip I was going on left on Valentine's Day (thanks, DG) I bought her a pair of expensive, designer sunglasses. While it didn't completely remove the sting of my being gone on Valentine's Day, it did help take the edge off.
So imagine my wife's dismay when she accidentally drops those same glasses in the village latrine in Malawi. Right into a six foot pit that was filled with human waste, excrement and trash. Into a pile of stuff that was so thick that the glasses actually didn't sink...they just rested on the surface. Now, imagine my incredulity when Deanna asks me to fish them out for her. I tried to reason with her, talk her out of it and change her mind...all to no avail. So, I did what any good husband would do, I fished them out for her. (By the way, I used a wire with a hook on the end, not my bare hands. Love may be blind but it ain't stupid.)
Deanna worked diligently to clean those glasses: baby wipes, hand sanitizer, baked them in the sun, and even considered bleaching them. Ultimately, she decided that she would never be able to bring herself to put those glasses on her face again. There were far too many fungi, bacteria and viruses present in that...stuff to ever warrant trying to wear them again, not to mention the stench that seemed to seep into the very lenses themselves.
Now, you may scoff at Deanna's insistence in trying to salvage her Vera Bradley shades, but often we exhibit the same behavior, just in other areas of our lives. We begin to hold onto to things too tightly - a job, a relationship, a material possession, for example - and what was once a benefit or a blessing has suddenly become an idol or a stumbling block in our relationship to God. But we don't just cling too tightly to the good things, we can also place quite a death grip on our past and our mistakes. Instead of turning over those things to God and allowing Him to forgive us and start anew, we vainly try to clean up our own messes. We mistakenly think that we can become "good enough" for God to love us. It is only when we realize that we could never be "good enough" for God's love and that he loves us anyway that we can let go of our sins and our baggage and let God love us right where we are.
Lesson #3: God is far more interested in our obedience than in our results.
A common misconception that I have observed in the church - at least in North America - is that God is depending on us for results. And you know, that is just wrong because in reality, the results are up to God, not to us.
As you have learned by now, we were not able to install a hand-pump at the feeding center in Malawi. That was the goal of our trip. We did everything that we knew to do, we used every physical resource available to us and we simply could not penetrate that rock layer to get to the water that we know we were very close to reaching. In these terms, our trip was a failure but that only looks at the trip through earthly, temporal eyes.
We prayed desperately to God to allow us to get through that rock layer. The times that we devoted to prayer over that well were some of the most meaningful worship experiences that I have ever had in my life...but the rocks are still there. Does that mean our faith is lacking? I don't believe so. If the results were solely up to our team, then we were defeated. But in reality, we know that the results are not up to us. If God had wanted us to break through that rock layer while we were in Malawi, then it would have happened. We know beyond a shadow of doubt that the One who created the rocks that were blocking our way is certainly more than able to move them if He chooses to do so.
While we may not understand God's decision, we trust that He is faithful. The Bible promises us that "in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). God wants our heartfelt and willing obedience more than He wants the results. The results God can have anytime He wants them, He is God after all. But when we obey, even when it is difficult and even when we don't see the results that we were expecting it develops and strengthens our faith. We become even more obedient in the future, even when the outcomes are less certain. Besides, if our results were God's primary measuring stick for us, that would tend to make us reliant on our own strength rather than God's. And that is a slippery slope that we must avoid at all costs.
Lesson #4: God is "very zeekomo."
For as long as I have been involved in mission trips - whether as a youth, a youth minister, with adults, or whatever - each trip usually ends up with a signature phrase our memory. For our trip to Malawi the given phrase became "very zeekomo." On it's own, the phrase means nothing that makes any sense. Zeekomo is the Chichewa word for "thank you" and we all know what "very" means. So the literal meaning of this phrase is "very thank you." To most people, this is nonsense. But in the hands of our team's resident linguist and Chich-English expert Kemp Ward, the phrase came to mean anything that was exceedingly excellent or good.
A long hot shower after a long day of drilling? Very zeekomo. Drilling through 24 feet of clay in one day as we began our second bore hole? Also, very zeekomo. But even greater was God's presence with us as we drilled. God's prevailing Holy Spirit that continually encouraged us when we had every right to be discouraged. God providing moments for our team to stop drilling and focus all of our attention on the children of the feeding center. The opportunity to share His unconditional love with children who desperately needed to be loved. It was all "very zeekomo."
From the moment we left the United States, we felt God's hand of blessing on our team. We remained healthy, we were continually seeking God's face and we constantly aware that this trip was about more than just water. It was about God being glorified. God honored our obedience and we honored Him on a daily basis. Why? Because God is "very zeekomo."
Soli Deo gloria.
Michael
Lesson #1: Our God loves to bless us with serendipitous moments.
Several years ago, Danny and Natalie Gregory were preparing to leave the U.S. to go and serve the Lord in Africa. As they shared about God's calling and the ministries that they planned to be involved in, the Holy Spirit tugged at the heart strings of Richard and Melissa Wilson. As Richard and Melissa contemplated and considered what the Lord would have them do to support Danny and Natalie, they felt led to give them a complete set of battery powered hand tools by DeWalt; drills, grinder, reciprocating saw...the works.
Now, fast forward to July, 2010. Our team is at work in Malawi, fabricating solutions to our drilling problems in Danny's garage. We are cutting pipe, drilling, reshaping...a real testosterone hulabaloo. So, here we are, working away and feeling very manly, when all of a sudden, Danny looks at Richard and said: "Richard, did you ever think that when you gave us those tools that you would actually come all the way to Africa and use them?" It got very quickly became very quiet. Up until then, it had not even dawned on Richard that these were the same tools. It became a very emotional and holy moment for everyone, but especially for Richard.
And isn't that just like our God? Richard and Melissa were simply being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And God rewarded Richard's obedience. Richard was able to experience - not just hear about, not merely witness, but experience first-hand - one of the outcomes of his obedience. At the time, Richard didn't really know why God asked them to give a set of tools to the Gregorys, but He did and they obeyed. Now everything had come full circle and Richard was using those very same tools to do ministry in Malawi.
Lesson #2: Sometimes you just have to let it go.
I love my wife Deanna dearly. Next to my salvation, she is the greatest gift that God has ever given me. I love her so much that to make up for the fact that a mission trip I was going on left on Valentine's Day (thanks, DG) I bought her a pair of expensive, designer sunglasses. While it didn't completely remove the sting of my being gone on Valentine's Day, it did help take the edge off.
So imagine my wife's dismay when she accidentally drops those same glasses in the village latrine in Malawi. Right into a six foot pit that was filled with human waste, excrement and trash. Into a pile of stuff that was so thick that the glasses actually didn't sink...they just rested on the surface. Now, imagine my incredulity when Deanna asks me to fish them out for her. I tried to reason with her, talk her out of it and change her mind...all to no avail. So, I did what any good husband would do, I fished them out for her. (By the way, I used a wire with a hook on the end, not my bare hands. Love may be blind but it ain't stupid.)
Deanna worked diligently to clean those glasses: baby wipes, hand sanitizer, baked them in the sun, and even considered bleaching them. Ultimately, she decided that she would never be able to bring herself to put those glasses on her face again. There were far too many fungi, bacteria and viruses present in that...stuff to ever warrant trying to wear them again, not to mention the stench that seemed to seep into the very lenses themselves.
Now, you may scoff at Deanna's insistence in trying to salvage her Vera Bradley shades, but often we exhibit the same behavior, just in other areas of our lives. We begin to hold onto to things too tightly - a job, a relationship, a material possession, for example - and what was once a benefit or a blessing has suddenly become an idol or a stumbling block in our relationship to God. But we don't just cling too tightly to the good things, we can also place quite a death grip on our past and our mistakes. Instead of turning over those things to God and allowing Him to forgive us and start anew, we vainly try to clean up our own messes. We mistakenly think that we can become "good enough" for God to love us. It is only when we realize that we could never be "good enough" for God's love and that he loves us anyway that we can let go of our sins and our baggage and let God love us right where we are.
Lesson #3: God is far more interested in our obedience than in our results.
A common misconception that I have observed in the church - at least in North America - is that God is depending on us for results. And you know, that is just wrong because in reality, the results are up to God, not to us.
As you have learned by now, we were not able to install a hand-pump at the feeding center in Malawi. That was the goal of our trip. We did everything that we knew to do, we used every physical resource available to us and we simply could not penetrate that rock layer to get to the water that we know we were very close to reaching. In these terms, our trip was a failure but that only looks at the trip through earthly, temporal eyes.
We prayed desperately to God to allow us to get through that rock layer. The times that we devoted to prayer over that well were some of the most meaningful worship experiences that I have ever had in my life...but the rocks are still there. Does that mean our faith is lacking? I don't believe so. If the results were solely up to our team, then we were defeated. But in reality, we know that the results are not up to us. If God had wanted us to break through that rock layer while we were in Malawi, then it would have happened. We know beyond a shadow of doubt that the One who created the rocks that were blocking our way is certainly more than able to move them if He chooses to do so.
While we may not understand God's decision, we trust that He is faithful. The Bible promises us that "in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). God wants our heartfelt and willing obedience more than He wants the results. The results God can have anytime He wants them, He is God after all. But when we obey, even when it is difficult and even when we don't see the results that we were expecting it develops and strengthens our faith. We become even more obedient in the future, even when the outcomes are less certain. Besides, if our results were God's primary measuring stick for us, that would tend to make us reliant on our own strength rather than God's. And that is a slippery slope that we must avoid at all costs.
Lesson #4: God is "very zeekomo."
For as long as I have been involved in mission trips - whether as a youth, a youth minister, with adults, or whatever - each trip usually ends up with a signature phrase our memory. For our trip to Malawi the given phrase became "very zeekomo." On it's own, the phrase means nothing that makes any sense. Zeekomo is the Chichewa word for "thank you" and we all know what "very" means. So the literal meaning of this phrase is "very thank you." To most people, this is nonsense. But in the hands of our team's resident linguist and Chich-English expert Kemp Ward, the phrase came to mean anything that was exceedingly excellent or good.
A long hot shower after a long day of drilling? Very zeekomo. Drilling through 24 feet of clay in one day as we began our second bore hole? Also, very zeekomo. But even greater was God's presence with us as we drilled. God's prevailing Holy Spirit that continually encouraged us when we had every right to be discouraged. God providing moments for our team to stop drilling and focus all of our attention on the children of the feeding center. The opportunity to share His unconditional love with children who desperately needed to be loved. It was all "very zeekomo."
From the moment we left the United States, we felt God's hand of blessing on our team. We remained healthy, we were continually seeking God's face and we constantly aware that this trip was about more than just water. It was about God being glorified. God honored our obedience and we honored Him on a daily basis. Why? Because God is "very zeekomo."
Soli Deo gloria.
Michael
Friday, August 6, 2010
Drilling Diary Day Seven
I want to share a story with you that I heard today...
It would be very easy for us to feel like failures, but if we did that, we would be selling God short. The director of the feeding center, Jordan Dowbush, told the team today: "You have laid the groundwork for our ministry to expand its reach and influence in this village. The borehole that you started will eventually allow us to grow more vegetables, feed more children, and have more opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. More importantly, the work that your team has done here has allowed God the opportunity to do a work in each of you as you have gone through this experience."
We do not know what the end result of our efforts will be in Bodza. But as each of us examines what we have experienced during these past two weeks, we know that we have been changed. Our faith has been challenged and strengthened. We have been made more aware of how dependent we should be to God in every aspect of our lives. We have loved children unconditionally; children who long to be loved and cared for. We have supported and encouraged the missionaries that Crossings partners with here in Malawi. We have given the braintrust at Water4 more problems to solve as they expand their arsenal of drilling tools to use around the world.
All in all, it has been a rewarding trip for everybody involved with this trip. God has honored our obedience and faithfulness. God has heard the prayers of his saints around the world who interceded on behalf of our trip. Lives have been changed, relationships have been deepened and the Holy Spirit continues to move and work in the lives of those who listen to his promptings.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Author's note:
Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, at about 5:00am Oklahoma time, we will begin our 36 hour journey home. Please pray for us as we travel. After we return to the U.S. I will post one final blog about the lessons that we have learned in Malawi.
A man was praying to God and the man distinctly heard God tell him to go and push against a massive rock. Being obedient, the man went out a pushed against the rock. The rock was huge and the man's pushing seem to have no impact on the rock.
Day after day the man pushed and he could not move the rock. He tried every technique he knew of to try and move the rock but each attempt was unsuccessful. With each passing day the man became more frustrated with his inability to move the rock. After weeks of trying, he finally went back to God in prayer. He said, "Lord, you asked me to move the rock and you know that I have tried with all of my might, but I just cannot move this rock."
God replied to the man: "I only asked you to push against the rock. I never asked you to move the rock. If I wanted the rock moved, I can move it. Look at yourself, after weeks of pushing you have developed yourself both physically and mentality. I asked you to push against the rock for your benefit, not the rock's."Well, just like the man in this simple story, we have been pushing against a rock for the seven days that we have been drilling for water in the village of Bodza. We completed our day's work with minimal progress. We were able to bring up some rocks, but more rocks - some larger - still remain. So, at this point, there is no water and no well at the feeding center.
It would be very easy for us to feel like failures, but if we did that, we would be selling God short. The director of the feeding center, Jordan Dowbush, told the team today: "You have laid the groundwork for our ministry to expand its reach and influence in this village. The borehole that you started will eventually allow us to grow more vegetables, feed more children, and have more opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. More importantly, the work that your team has done here has allowed God the opportunity to do a work in each of you as you have gone through this experience."
We do not know what the end result of our efforts will be in Bodza. But as each of us examines what we have experienced during these past two weeks, we know that we have been changed. Our faith has been challenged and strengthened. We have been made more aware of how dependent we should be to God in every aspect of our lives. We have loved children unconditionally; children who long to be loved and cared for. We have supported and encouraged the missionaries that Crossings partners with here in Malawi. We have given the braintrust at Water4 more problems to solve as they expand their arsenal of drilling tools to use around the world.
All in all, it has been a rewarding trip for everybody involved with this trip. God has honored our obedience and faithfulness. God has heard the prayers of his saints around the world who interceded on behalf of our trip. Lives have been changed, relationships have been deepened and the Holy Spirit continues to move and work in the lives of those who listen to his promptings.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Author's note:
Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, at about 5:00am Oklahoma time, we will begin our 36 hour journey home. Please pray for us as we travel. After we return to the U.S. I will post one final blog about the lessons that we have learned in Malawi.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Praises, Ponderings and Prayer Services
Praises, Ponderings
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers! We were able to get some of the rocks up out of the hole but we still have not yet found water. Nevertheless, we are most grateful for your prayers on our behalf and we are praising God for the success that we had today.
We spent six hours digging up some of the rocks that we found at the bottom of our borehole. We tried all of our tools in different sequences, making minimal progress with each change. We tried widening the hole by combining our two holes but that was too time consuming with very little return. The clay is just too hard and the tools had a tendency to work their way toward one hole or the other.
Finally, at about 3:30pm, we were able to bring up the rocks in question. What did we find when we finally removed the rock? Yep, you guessed it: more rocks. It seems that we are on top of a layer of granite stones. The stones are of various shapes and sizes: softball, dinner plate, bowling ball, etc. We believe that God honored our prayers - and yours - by allowing us to remove the stones that we did.
So at the end of the day, knowing that we have one more day of drilling left, our mood remains very upbeat. We are disappointed that we did not hit water today but we are not discouraged. We were hopeful that we only had one rock to remove but there are still more waiting in the hole. We are confident that God will be with us and that we will hit water tomorrow.
Too often when we do not get the answer from God that we want, we tend to doubt God's faithfulness. God must not be listening, we think, or even that maybe we have done something to displease God and as a result, God chooses not to answer our prayers. Because our timeline is not the same as God's we often mistake not receiving an immediate response from God as some sort of rebuke.
The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a righteous man whom God allows to be put to the test. Job committed no sin or any known offense to God, though Job's "friends" and wife think that what he is suffering is a result of some unknown sin. To be sure, Job does not understand why God has chosen him to endure these trials. In fact, Job is even bold enough to question God. If you and I were in the same situation I am sure that we would question God as well. In Job 38 - 41, we read God's response to Job:
Prayer Services
Deanna and Kim have also been a part of our team and today they were able to conduct a Bible study for women. They led the 50 or so women in attendance in a craft to male bracelets symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Then Kim shared the story of Jonah with the women and gave her testimony of how she and her husband Kemp ended up in Africa. By all accounts it was a moving service.
At the conclusion of the service, women who wanted to be prayed for were invited to come down and have Kim and Deanna pray over them. Probably about 20 - 25 women took advantage of the opportunity. One-by-one, Kim and Deanna listened to the prayer concerns that each woman had and then diligently prayed for each and every one of them. Many of the women asked for prayer about their marriages, some health concerns and some for victory over evil spirits. Yes, evil spirits are quite rampant here in Malawi, and in some cases some so-called "Christians" still engage in some form of spirit worship.
By the time the last woman had been prayed for, Kim and Deanna were spent, but very fulfilled. They had been used by God to share a word directly to many of these women. They had made themselves available to be used by the Holy Spirit and he used them to speak the truth and to be salt and light to these women. They honored God by being obedient and he blessed them by using them for his glory.
And really, when it comes right down to it, isn't that all he wants from any of us?
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers! We were able to get some of the rocks up out of the hole but we still have not yet found water. Nevertheless, we are most grateful for your prayers on our behalf and we are praising God for the success that we had today.
We spent six hours digging up some of the rocks that we found at the bottom of our borehole. We tried all of our tools in different sequences, making minimal progress with each change. We tried widening the hole by combining our two holes but that was too time consuming with very little return. The clay is just too hard and the tools had a tendency to work their way toward one hole or the other.
Finally, at about 3:30pm, we were able to bring up the rocks in question. What did we find when we finally removed the rock? Yep, you guessed it: more rocks. It seems that we are on top of a layer of granite stones. The stones are of various shapes and sizes: softball, dinner plate, bowling ball, etc. We believe that God honored our prayers - and yours - by allowing us to remove the stones that we did.
So at the end of the day, knowing that we have one more day of drilling left, our mood remains very upbeat. We are disappointed that we did not hit water today but we are not discouraged. We were hopeful that we only had one rock to remove but there are still more waiting in the hole. We are confident that God will be with us and that we will hit water tomorrow.
Too often when we do not get the answer from God that we want, we tend to doubt God's faithfulness. God must not be listening, we think, or even that maybe we have done something to displease God and as a result, God chooses not to answer our prayers. Because our timeline is not the same as God's we often mistake not receiving an immediate response from God as some sort of rebuke.
The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a righteous man whom God allows to be put to the test. Job committed no sin or any known offense to God, though Job's "friends" and wife think that what he is suffering is a result of some unknown sin. To be sure, Job does not understand why God has chosen him to endure these trials. In fact, Job is even bold enough to question God. If you and I were in the same situation I am sure that we would question God as well. In Job 38 - 41, we read God's response to Job:
In reply, Job says:Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footing set or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy? (38:4-7)
Now we may never know why we didn't hit water today. In fact, we may not even hit it tomorrow. But we have the confidence of knowing that God is faithful and that his plan is far greater and gives himself more glory than we ever could on our own. Whether in this case or some other storm of life we must trust in God's faithfulness and his unfailing love. That doesn't mean that we cannot question God. God can handle our questions. Questioning because we don't understand is considerably different than questioning out of defiance and rebellion. But we must never fall into the trap of thinking that our plan is better than the plan that God has. It never is and because we know that God's plan is the best plan we will be able to sing praises to his name tomorrow even if we don't hit water or lift up another stone. God has more going on as a result of these last 10 days than we can ever know or imagine.I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted...surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (42:2-3)
Prayer Services
Deanna and Kim have also been a part of our team and today they were able to conduct a Bible study for women. They led the 50 or so women in attendance in a craft to male bracelets symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Then Kim shared the story of Jonah with the women and gave her testimony of how she and her husband Kemp ended up in Africa. By all accounts it was a moving service.
At the conclusion of the service, women who wanted to be prayed for were invited to come down and have Kim and Deanna pray over them. Probably about 20 - 25 women took advantage of the opportunity. One-by-one, Kim and Deanna listened to the prayer concerns that each woman had and then diligently prayed for each and every one of them. Many of the women asked for prayer about their marriages, some health concerns and some for victory over evil spirits. Yes, evil spirits are quite rampant here in Malawi, and in some cases some so-called "Christians" still engage in some form of spirit worship.
By the time the last woman had been prayed for, Kim and Deanna were spent, but very fulfilled. They had been used by God to share a word directly to many of these women. They had made themselves available to be used by the Holy Spirit and he used them to speak the truth and to be salt and light to these women. They honored God by being obedient and he blessed them by using them for his glory.
And really, when it comes right down to it, isn't that all he wants from any of us?
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Drilling Diary Day Five - An Urgent Call to Prayer
This is not the blog that initially intended to write for today. A brief summary of today: we drilled a total of three inches. Our efforts have been stymied by a granite rock in the middle of our hole. We have exhausted all of our techniques and know-how. We have tried all of our tools multiple times to no avail. We have reached the end of our human abilities.
The bottom line is this: if we don't get this rock either broken up or moved there will be no well for the orphans at the Bodza feeding center. At least not this well. We need a miracle. Fortunately, our God is a God of miracles, because this is a God-sized task.
We are asking everyone to pray with us and ask God to intervene on our behalf. We need the rock to be moved. Pray, fast, fall on your knees and cry out to God. Only God can meet this need.
Our prayer is that through God's mighty hand this well will become a marker and a testimony to the mighty glory of God.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
The bottom line is this: if we don't get this rock either broken up or moved there will be no well for the orphans at the Bodza feeding center. At least not this well. We need a miracle. Fortunately, our God is a God of miracles, because this is a God-sized task.
We are asking everyone to pray with us and ask God to intervene on our behalf. We need the rock to be moved. Pray, fast, fall on your knees and cry out to God. Only God can meet this need.
Our prayer is that through God's mighty hand this well will become a marker and a testimony to the mighty glory of God.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Drilling Diary Day Four
So with all of our medical issues behind us...some more literally behind us than others :-), we resumed drilling at full strength today. Our task was to continue on the new borehole that will run parallel to the original hole but also avoid the granite rock that was blocking our path. We started drilling at about 9:30am at a total depth of about 6 feet.
The day progressed nicely. We had some minor rocky obstacles that we were able to overcome with some patience and finesse (that term is quickly becoming the theme for our experience) but the hole was coming along quite nicely. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Just before 3:00pm, we encountered our first major problem of the day. One of our drilling tools got stuck in the hole. It could have dug in a bit to the sides of the hole or became hooked on a protruding rock, who knows. The tool would not budge and it was almost all the way down the hole. In the process of trying to free the tool, our rope that was tied to the tool snapped. If it had been an old twig it could not have snapped any more suddenly or cleanly. The rope went all the way back down the hole...about 25' below the surface.
It suddenly became very quiet. We were all looking at one another wondering: "Did that just really happen?" The first comment made was by the local Malawian who was helping us, Francis. He used a four letter word that means poop. It was so unexpected that we all got a chuckle out of it. Being the men that we are - fixers by nature - we began to brainstorm and strategize how we would fix the problem. We are at a complete standstill until we get this tool up to the surface.
As we tinkered with contraptions and contemplated solutions, Kim came up with the idea of the day. She suggested that before we do anything else, we need to pray. So we did. Shortly after the prayer our resident McGyver - Richard - developed a tool that we could use to grasp the rope. When I call Richard "McGyver" it is a completely accurate description because here is what he used to make this tool: 20' of square tubing, two steel brushes and duct tape. We dropped it down the hole and with the help of Allan's flashlight tied to another rope we were able to grasp the rope and move it to expose the top of the tool. Then we used a second makeshift hook - courtesy of Kemp and Allan to grasp the top of the tool and pull it to the surface. By 3:30pm we were drilling again.
I found this experience to be a reflection of my own life. I'm walking with God, in the center of his will when I encounter a trial or obstacle. Typically, instead of waiting on God, I glibly tell God: "I got this," and proceed to try to overcome the trial or obstacle on my own. As you can imagine, the predictable outcome is additional frustration and a far more difficult experience than I probably would have originally endured.
That is why I say that Kim's suggestion for us to stop and pray was the best decision of the day. It allowed us to still our hearts, focus on God and to once again surrender our will and our project to him for his glory. As always, God was faithful.
So, by the end of the day, our total depth on the hole was 26' 3". God had blessed us with a good day of digging and also kept us focused on him and his glory.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
The day progressed nicely. We had some minor rocky obstacles that we were able to overcome with some patience and finesse (that term is quickly becoming the theme for our experience) but the hole was coming along quite nicely. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.
Just before 3:00pm, we encountered our first major problem of the day. One of our drilling tools got stuck in the hole. It could have dug in a bit to the sides of the hole or became hooked on a protruding rock, who knows. The tool would not budge and it was almost all the way down the hole. In the process of trying to free the tool, our rope that was tied to the tool snapped. If it had been an old twig it could not have snapped any more suddenly or cleanly. The rope went all the way back down the hole...about 25' below the surface.
It suddenly became very quiet. We were all looking at one another wondering: "Did that just really happen?" The first comment made was by the local Malawian who was helping us, Francis. He used a four letter word that means poop. It was so unexpected that we all got a chuckle out of it. Being the men that we are - fixers by nature - we began to brainstorm and strategize how we would fix the problem. We are at a complete standstill until we get this tool up to the surface.
As we tinkered with contraptions and contemplated solutions, Kim came up with the idea of the day. She suggested that before we do anything else, we need to pray. So we did. Shortly after the prayer our resident McGyver - Richard - developed a tool that we could use to grasp the rope. When I call Richard "McGyver" it is a completely accurate description because here is what he used to make this tool: 20' of square tubing, two steel brushes and duct tape. We dropped it down the hole and with the help of Allan's flashlight tied to another rope we were able to grasp the rope and move it to expose the top of the tool. Then we used a second makeshift hook - courtesy of Kemp and Allan to grasp the top of the tool and pull it to the surface. By 3:30pm we were drilling again.
I found this experience to be a reflection of my own life. I'm walking with God, in the center of his will when I encounter a trial or obstacle. Typically, instead of waiting on God, I glibly tell God: "I got this," and proceed to try to overcome the trial or obstacle on my own. As you can imagine, the predictable outcome is additional frustration and a far more difficult experience than I probably would have originally endured.
That is why I say that Kim's suggestion for us to stop and pray was the best decision of the day. It allowed us to still our hearts, focus on God and to once again surrender our will and our project to him for his glory. As always, God was faithful.
So, by the end of the day, our total depth on the hole was 26' 3". God had blessed us with a good day of digging and also kept us focused on him and his glory.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Monday, August 2, 2010
God is able...isn't He?
It was never a question of if, only when.
No matter where I go, whether it's a local mission event like our church's Bridging the Gap workday, a mission trip with students within the United States, a medical mission trip to Honduras or even a water well digging mission trip to Malawi, it always happens. At some point in during our ministry, Satan attacks us. It is not always a bold frontal assault. Sometimes it is sneaky and subversive. But no matter the form it takes, the Evil One always looks for an opportunity to discourage the team, divide us or in some other way thwart the purposes of God.
For us, today was that day.
Coming off of two reasonably good days of drilling last week, plus two more days enjoying God's creation, our team was sky high as they made their way to the valley in Chikwawa and the Bodza feeding center. They even found square pipe that would meet the demands of drilling that would replace the original flimsy supplies we started with. Everything (aside from my dental issues and David's GI discomfort, but more on that later) seemed to be going our way.
When we last left the borehole on Friday, we had encountered a rock of some sort at 24' 7". No big deal. We had encountered rocks before and made our way through them. Alas, such as easy remedy was not to be. The team spent most of the day trying to penetrate this layer of rock. Not just any rock, mind you, but granite. Drill bits were mangled beyond usage, as much weight was applied to as small a surface area as possible, all the resources that could be mustered were thrown at - dropped on, actually - this rock. All to no avail.
Eventually, the team decided to see if there was a way around the rock. It turns out that this is not an entire strata of rock, but as best we can tell it is just a single rock, because we were able to find the edge and dig around it. The only issue now is that we have to re-drill from the surface straight down to the new hole we started next to the rock. We will be repeating our efforts from the first two days.
It would be understandable, even reasonable, for the team to be discouraged at this point. Two days of digging all for naught. But this is when God showed up. He has used this opportunity to remind us, ever so gently, that this entire process is about more than a water well. As our team member Richard reminded us, the actual process of digging this well - how we allow God to work through us, use us and how we glorify and reflect Him - matters more to God than if we actually complete the well.
The truth be told, this was never about water. It was never about us. It's all about God revealing Himself and bringing glory to Himself. Now certainly, we want to bring fresh water to this village and this feeding center. But if we do it in our own strength without God getting the glory, then how does that honor God? We know that God is able to complete this well and we pray that He will allow us to be the tools He uses to finish it, but if not...His will be done.
Tonight after dinner the team sat around and discussed the situation and any possible solutions. We spent time in prayer and surrendered ourselves, our abilities and this well to God. We made ourselves available to be used by Him in any way that brings God the most glory...even if that means that somebody else actually ends up finishing the well. We're going to stay and work for the rest of the week and we will use all of our knowledge, resources and strength to get it done, but we are fully trusting God for the outcome.
When we rely on God for the outcome rather than ourselves, it removes all of the pressure from us. We just have to be obedient and do our best. All of the pressure is on God and He can handle it, while we cannot. In this kind of a set up, we can't lose. If we complete the well, God gets the glory. If we don't complete the well, we will still praise God for the opportunity to serve Him and because we know that His will was done.
Please join us in prayer. Pray that we will be obedient. Pray that we will be patient. Ask God to grant us favor to complete the well for His glory and for the benefit and blessing of these precious children.
Now, as for my trip to the dentist, it seems like there was some small food particles that worked their way under the gum and caused some irritation around the last tooth on my lower right set of teeth. (See kids, that why you should always listen to your mom when she tells you to floss after brushing). The way the gum is covering a portion of the top of that tooth, the dentist said it could possibly turn into a recurring problem unless I have the tooth pulled. Now mind you, the dentist office was far more modern and up to date than I had anticipated. The dentist was very friendly and seemed quite skilled and knowledgeable, but this is still Malawi. So, I asked the doctor what would happen if I took some antibiotics, reduced the swelling and took my chances back in the States. He said that was a perfectly fine alternative and that with proper dental care (read: FLOSS DAILY) I might never have another problem. Needless to say, I have a bottle full of antibiotics and I am taking them religiously.
David has also recovered from his GI issues, but I don't think his problems had anything to do with the fried mice we purchased on the road yesterday. He should rejoin us tomorrow at the feeding center.
Thanks again for all of the prayers. We continue to need them daily.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
No matter where I go, whether it's a local mission event like our church's Bridging the Gap workday, a mission trip with students within the United States, a medical mission trip to Honduras or even a water well digging mission trip to Malawi, it always happens. At some point in during our ministry, Satan attacks us. It is not always a bold frontal assault. Sometimes it is sneaky and subversive. But no matter the form it takes, the Evil One always looks for an opportunity to discourage the team, divide us or in some other way thwart the purposes of God.
For us, today was that day.
Coming off of two reasonably good days of drilling last week, plus two more days enjoying God's creation, our team was sky high as they made their way to the valley in Chikwawa and the Bodza feeding center. They even found square pipe that would meet the demands of drilling that would replace the original flimsy supplies we started with. Everything (aside from my dental issues and David's GI discomfort, but more on that later) seemed to be going our way.
When we last left the borehole on Friday, we had encountered a rock of some sort at 24' 7". No big deal. We had encountered rocks before and made our way through them. Alas, such as easy remedy was not to be. The team spent most of the day trying to penetrate this layer of rock. Not just any rock, mind you, but granite. Drill bits were mangled beyond usage, as much weight was applied to as small a surface area as possible, all the resources that could be mustered were thrown at - dropped on, actually - this rock. All to no avail.
Eventually, the team decided to see if there was a way around the rock. It turns out that this is not an entire strata of rock, but as best we can tell it is just a single rock, because we were able to find the edge and dig around it. The only issue now is that we have to re-drill from the surface straight down to the new hole we started next to the rock. We will be repeating our efforts from the first two days.
It would be understandable, even reasonable, for the team to be discouraged at this point. Two days of digging all for naught. But this is when God showed up. He has used this opportunity to remind us, ever so gently, that this entire process is about more than a water well. As our team member Richard reminded us, the actual process of digging this well - how we allow God to work through us, use us and how we glorify and reflect Him - matters more to God than if we actually complete the well.
The truth be told, this was never about water. It was never about us. It's all about God revealing Himself and bringing glory to Himself. Now certainly, we want to bring fresh water to this village and this feeding center. But if we do it in our own strength without God getting the glory, then how does that honor God? We know that God is able to complete this well and we pray that He will allow us to be the tools He uses to finish it, but if not...His will be done.
Tonight after dinner the team sat around and discussed the situation and any possible solutions. We spent time in prayer and surrendered ourselves, our abilities and this well to God. We made ourselves available to be used by Him in any way that brings God the most glory...even if that means that somebody else actually ends up finishing the well. We're going to stay and work for the rest of the week and we will use all of our knowledge, resources and strength to get it done, but we are fully trusting God for the outcome.
When we rely on God for the outcome rather than ourselves, it removes all of the pressure from us. We just have to be obedient and do our best. All of the pressure is on God and He can handle it, while we cannot. In this kind of a set up, we can't lose. If we complete the well, God gets the glory. If we don't complete the well, we will still praise God for the opportunity to serve Him and because we know that His will was done.
Please join us in prayer. Pray that we will be obedient. Pray that we will be patient. Ask God to grant us favor to complete the well for His glory and for the benefit and blessing of these precious children.
Now, as for my trip to the dentist, it seems like there was some small food particles that worked their way under the gum and caused some irritation around the last tooth on my lower right set of teeth. (See kids, that why you should always listen to your mom when she tells you to floss after brushing). The way the gum is covering a portion of the top of that tooth, the dentist said it could possibly turn into a recurring problem unless I have the tooth pulled. Now mind you, the dentist office was far more modern and up to date than I had anticipated. The dentist was very friendly and seemed quite skilled and knowledgeable, but this is still Malawi. So, I asked the doctor what would happen if I took some antibiotics, reduced the swelling and took my chances back in the States. He said that was a perfectly fine alternative and that with proper dental care (read: FLOSS DAILY) I might never have another problem. Needless to say, I have a bottle full of antibiotics and I am taking them religiously.
David has also recovered from his GI issues, but I don't think his problems had anything to do with the fried mice we purchased on the road yesterday. He should rejoin us tomorrow at the feeding center.
Thanks again for all of the prayers. We continue to need them daily.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Inspiration and Intercession
On Saturday and Sunday, our missionary hosts took our team to see some of the sights of Malawi. Even though Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world, it is abundantly rich in natural beauty and splendor. To able to spend uninterrupted time in the midst of God's creation and to marvel and the works of his hands was truly a blessing.
Our first stop took us to Zomba mountain to overlook the original capital of Malawi. The mountain ended up being shrouded in clouds, so the view was limited but we were still able to see the gorgeous waterfalls that cascade their way down the side of the mountain. To see the lush green mountainside and to hear the sound of the water as it made its turbulent journey to the valley below was quite humbling. To consider that God loves us enough that we would create this Earth for our enjoyment leaves me speechless. Exactly how does one express gratitude for such a magnificent and generous act of love?
Our visit to Zomba was followed by a trip to the Liwonde National Park, located on the banks of the Shire River. Almost immediately after we arrived, our group went on a game drive in 4-wheel drive vehicles. While there are none of the big cats in this park, we did see plenty of hippos, monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, impalas, water bucks, elephants, exotic birds and crocodiles. One of our team members, Richard, described it as an "out of body experience." Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that he would be on a safari in Africa.
We spent the night at the lodge in the park and the next morning offered an optional walking safari at 6:00am (most of us passed on this in favor of additional sleep), followed by breakfast and a boat safari on the Shire River. We were able to get up close looks at hippos and crocodiles. And when I say up close, I mean UP CLOSE.
At one point our boat eased up to the bank where several crocs lay basking in the sun. We were particularly interested in one big croc who was about 18-20 feet long. Our guide warned us not to make any sudden movements so that we would not startle the crocs. By this point we were probably only about 6' from the croc when he leaped into the water at the bow of our boat. As he tried to make his way under the boat he bumped us...hard. While we were never in any danger of going into the water, our boat did rock somewhat and we all suddenly took a very keen interest in our guide's instructions.
We returned to Blantyre late Sunday evening, ready for a week of hard drilling. The time away from Blantyre was beneficial for our team and our wonderful missionary hosts. It allowed all of us to further bond as a team as we continue with the task that God has set before us.
As we prepare for the next five days, I have some prayer requests to share with you:
Michael
Our first stop took us to Zomba mountain to overlook the original capital of Malawi. The mountain ended up being shrouded in clouds, so the view was limited but we were still able to see the gorgeous waterfalls that cascade their way down the side of the mountain. To see the lush green mountainside and to hear the sound of the water as it made its turbulent journey to the valley below was quite humbling. To consider that God loves us enough that we would create this Earth for our enjoyment leaves me speechless. Exactly how does one express gratitude for such a magnificent and generous act of love?
Our visit to Zomba was followed by a trip to the Liwonde National Park, located on the banks of the Shire River. Almost immediately after we arrived, our group went on a game drive in 4-wheel drive vehicles. While there are none of the big cats in this park, we did see plenty of hippos, monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, impalas, water bucks, elephants, exotic birds and crocodiles. One of our team members, Richard, described it as an "out of body experience." Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that he would be on a safari in Africa.
We spent the night at the lodge in the park and the next morning offered an optional walking safari at 6:00am (most of us passed on this in favor of additional sleep), followed by breakfast and a boat safari on the Shire River. We were able to get up close looks at hippos and crocodiles. And when I say up close, I mean UP CLOSE.
At one point our boat eased up to the bank where several crocs lay basking in the sun. We were particularly interested in one big croc who was about 18-20 feet long. Our guide warned us not to make any sudden movements so that we would not startle the crocs. By this point we were probably only about 6' from the croc when he leaped into the water at the bow of our boat. As he tried to make his way under the boat he bumped us...hard. While we were never in any danger of going into the water, our boat did rock somewhat and we all suddenly took a very keen interest in our guide's instructions.
We returned to Blantyre late Sunday evening, ready for a week of hard drilling. The time away from Blantyre was beneficial for our team and our wonderful missionary hosts. It allowed all of us to further bond as a team as we continue with the task that God has set before us.
As we prepare for the next five days, I have some prayer requests to share with you:
- Drilling supplies: we need to find additional square tubing that will be able to withstand the rigors of the drilling process. Ask God to provide the tubing - or the solutions - that will enable us to continue to dig as deep as we need to go to find water.
- Women's work: Kim and Deanna will soon begin working with the women of the village. In order to do so, there are arrangements that still need to be made for translators. Please pray that the necessary translators will be provided.
- Local workers: On the second day of drilling, five young men from the village came and joined in with the drilling. While there is a language barrier, the men are eager to help and to learn the skills necessary to begin to provide for their families through this vocation. Pray that our team will be an example of what it means to be a Christ-follower to these young men and that they will desire to honor our Savior in all that they do.
- Team health: David is experiencing some GI issues but we are hopeful that they will be resolved very soon. Please pray for his rapid healing. Meanwhile, while the rest of the team will be drilling tomorrow, I am headed to see a Malawian dentist on Monday. It seems that I have some sort of impacted tooth that has caused some swelling and discomfort since about Wednesday. I finally swallowed my male pride and decided something needed to be done. As far as a specific prayer request, I am going to see the dentist in Malawi, need I say any more?
Michael
Friday, July 30, 2010
Drilling Diary - Day Two
Day two of drilling went better than day one…even though it didn’t really start off that way. The fix to our day one problems did not work as well as we had hoped. The new connections we manufactured were not as secure as we had hoped and the round pipe that we wanted to use was actually too heavy for what we were trying to do. We tried a new idea and it didn’t work.
At this point, our team has three options: 1) go back to the inferior metal and find a way to make it work, 2) try to come up with a new solution, or 3) give up and quit. Well, #3 really was not an option and with the limited material resources available to us neither was #2, so that just left us one option.
In order for the inferior metal to work it would demand patience on our part. We could not put as much stress and strain on the metal as we would like, so our progress would end up being slower than we would like. It would be a time consuming process as we would continually have to change the size of the tool that we were using to drill the hole. It was not going to be an ideal situation.
But guess what? We worked the plan, we stuck with it and we were able to dig down an additional 17’ today. Praise God! While we have not yet struck water, we have been able to overcome every obstacle thus far. Obviously, we would have loved to have found the water by now, but even so, our spirits are still high.
In my own life, when I encounter a difficult situation, I often try to bullrush my way to a solution. Patience and finesse – the two qualities most needed by our team today as we dug for water – are not usually in my arsenal. The end result is that I end up even more frustrated than when I started.
Yet in those Spirit-led moments of lucidity, when I choose to be patient and wait on God, situations tend to resolve themselves or solutions to problems become apparent. Often the key to moving forward is to be patient and gentle, rather than putting your head down and pushing forward with all of your might.
What obstacle are you facing in your life right now? What roadblock has been put in your path that you are finding difficult to navigate around? Have you prayed about them? Have you made demands on God for a solution? Whose schedule are you on? Yours or God’s? A friend and mentor of mind once said: “I know God’s timing is perfect. I just wish he would loan me his watch.” God is always faithful and if we are listening to the Holy Spirit and we are obedient, then the solution that brings God the most glory will be revealed.
Soli Deo gloria.
Michael
Author’s note: I probably will not be posting for the next day or so. We are traveling to see some of God’s beautiful creation and creatures within Malawi and I will not have access to the internet until at least Sunday night. My next post will probably be after we resume drilling on Monday.
Drilling Diary - Day One
Well, we made it. We were a little bedraggled as we made our way off the plane, but at least we were still upright as we made our way off the plane. Out of the 25 total pieces of checked luggage, 24 made it all the way to Blantyre, Malawi. While there was nothing critical in the missing bag, it would still be nice to have everything. Please pray that the last bag arrives soon, safely and intact.
Our primary objective in Malawi is to drill water wells and install the Access 2.0 hand pumps. Our primary well site is at the Bodza Feeding Center. The Bodza Feeding Center is a ministry partner of the Gregorys and it is financed and operated through Bridge to Malawi. Our team that came in November led some VBS-type activities for the 200 kids who are fed each day by the camp’s director, Jordan Dowbush, and his staff.
Just eight months later and the feeding center now feeds 303 orphans. With so many children, access to fresh water becomes even more critical when preparing and serving so much food on a daily basis, not to mention hygiene and sanitation issues. So, we’re digging.
The first day did not start so well. We had some issues with some poor grade square metal tubing. It’s not that there is better square tubing to purchase, it’s just that what is available is poor quality. In the course of about five hours of work we dug about seven feet. We certainly were not setting any speed records.
After some discussion, we decided that we would have to go back to Blantyre and manufacture some solutions on our own. So, after dinner, the five guys on the team went out to the garage and cut pipe, drill through galvanized steel and just have some male bonding time. Most everybody else on our team is quite skilled and proficient on power tools…I am not. And yet everyone used their unique skills and giftedness to accomplish as a team the task that had to be done.
Now at any point, all of this could have come to a screeching halt if even one person had allowed their ego to get in the way. But that didn’t happen. Everyone shared their opinions, we discussed the best solutions and everybody agreed on what must be done and the division of labor. We humbled ourselves to one another and set aside our own agendas for the accomplishment of a greater goal.
As I observed what was going on – I had been asked by this point to stay away from the power tools – I realized that I was watching in microcosm how the body of Christ was designed to operate. None of us are identically gifted. Everyone is gifted with different abilities, strengths, and weakness, all to be used in harmony with one another for one task: to glorify God and proclaim Jesus as Lord.
Just like our little work team, the work of the Kingdom can often be derailed by our egos. We decide that we want to have positions of greater prominence within our church, we may have our feelings hurt and sulk if we don’t receive the recognition that we think we are entitled to, we put our own personal agendas ahead of the purpose and mission of the church. Unfortunately, there is no church, small group or ministry that is immune to this type of distraction and conflict at some point in time.
Examine your involvement in your local church. Ask yourself why do you serve? Out of a need to appease your own guilty conscience? For recognition? Are you even serving? If not, why not? Jesus clearly teaches us that one of the traits he desires most to see developed in his followers is servanthood. Serving others because we see people as Jesus sees them. We serve others as a means of serving Christ and being obedient to his teachings and commands. But a close second is unity among the body. Jesus also teaches that the world will know that we are his disciples by our love for one another.
So, are you a team player? Do you swallow your pride so that Christ will get the greater glory? What are your core beliefs about your role in the body of Christ? Maybe it’s time for you to examine why you do what you do.
Soli Deo gloria.
Michael
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Are we there yet?
As a parent, or supervisor/guardian of children on any type of trip, how many times have you heard that question? It's the universal code for: "I am tired of traveling and I just want to get to wherever it is that we are going." Well, that's the very question that we find ourselves asking.
Following our 9 hour flight from DFW to Heathrow, we had a 9+ hour layover in London. So we did what most Americans would do, we arranged a day tour of London. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadily Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, 10 Downing Street...we managed to squeeze most of it in. As we boarded yet another airplane for our 11-hour flight to Johannesburg, I was amazed at how many sights we were able to cram into our brief tour.
That in turn got me to thinking about a comment made by one of our lead volunteers in missions ministry. She and I were having a conversation this past week about how many tasks and projects a person can accomplish in the days prior to vacation or a long time away from the office. Think about it. How many times have you worked like an absolute fiend just to make sure that every i is dotted and every t is crossed at work before you leave for vacation? You can end up so exhausted that you're too tired to enjoy your vacation. (And don't get me started about needing a vacation to recover from your family vacation. That's a subject for another blog entirely).
As my stream of conscienceness thinking continued, I began to examine my spiritual life to see how this sense of urgency applied to me. Am I as intensely focused on reaching my neighbors for Christ? Am I so keenly focused on serving those in need? Why am I so driven at certain times but not at others? I am sad to say that I came up lacking in my self-evaluation.
Just think of it. Christ-followers around the world passionately committed to the cause of Christ - in whatever form that may take - on a daily basis. What if we (I) were as willing to feed the homeless as we (I) are about helping Africans who don't have clean water? What if we (I) were as intentional in sharing our faith as we (I) are in making sure that we have our Starbucks every morning?
So, as we prepare for the last leg of our journey to Malawi - a two hour plane ride - I ask you to please continue to pray for our team. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and that we would each be intensely focused on fulfilling his purpose for us in Malawi. But don't stop there. Ask God to keep us passionate and focused even after we return. And while you're at it, if you dare to truly be an imitator of Christ, to be the world-changers we were called to be, make the same prayer for yourself.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Following our 9 hour flight from DFW to Heathrow, we had a 9+ hour layover in London. So we did what most Americans would do, we arranged a day tour of London. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadily Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Parliament, 10 Downing Street...we managed to squeeze most of it in. As we boarded yet another airplane for our 11-hour flight to Johannesburg, I was amazed at how many sights we were able to cram into our brief tour.
That in turn got me to thinking about a comment made by one of our lead volunteers in missions ministry. She and I were having a conversation this past week about how many tasks and projects a person can accomplish in the days prior to vacation or a long time away from the office. Think about it. How many times have you worked like an absolute fiend just to make sure that every i is dotted and every t is crossed at work before you leave for vacation? You can end up so exhausted that you're too tired to enjoy your vacation. (And don't get me started about needing a vacation to recover from your family vacation. That's a subject for another blog entirely).
As my stream of conscienceness thinking continued, I began to examine my spiritual life to see how this sense of urgency applied to me. Am I as intensely focused on reaching my neighbors for Christ? Am I so keenly focused on serving those in need? Why am I so driven at certain times but not at others? I am sad to say that I came up lacking in my self-evaluation.
Just think of it. Christ-followers around the world passionately committed to the cause of Christ - in whatever form that may take - on a daily basis. What if we (I) were as willing to feed the homeless as we (I) are about helping Africans who don't have clean water? What if we (I) were as intentional in sharing our faith as we (I) are in making sure that we have our Starbucks every morning?
So, as we prepare for the last leg of our journey to Malawi - a two hour plane ride - I ask you to please continue to pray for our team. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and that we would each be intensely focused on fulfilling his purpose for us in Malawi. But don't stop there. Ask God to keep us passionate and focused even after we return. And while you're at it, if you dare to truly be an imitator of Christ, to be the world-changers we were called to be, make the same prayer for yourself.
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Monday, July 26, 2010
On our way
Well, it has begun. The first leg of our journey is underway and it has not been without its share of unforeseen circumstances already. The fare that we purchased for our airline tickets is called a missionary fare, and carries with it a baggage allowance of three checked bag (rather than the normal two). Considering that our team of seven is taking a grand total of 25 pieces of checked luggage, every bit counts.
Unfortunately, our domestic airline from Oklahoma City to Dallas chose not to honor the missionary fare and charged us for anything over two pieces of checked luggage. There was some consternation on my part during this exchange. I was prepared for this eventuality but I was holding out hope that our domestic carrier would do the right thing. Alas, they did not and my frustration began to mount.
Then I remembered one of the verses that I read in my quite time this morning. Philippians 4:6 says this: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. As I was meditating on this verse I remembered what our Senior Pastor, Marty Grubbs said in his sermon yesterday about living in the moment. It takes faith to live in the moment, to focus on the here and now and to trust that God will meet all of our needs.
All of this rapid introspection left me with two choices: I could choose to focus on the disappointment of having to pay the excess baggage fee, let it spoil my mood and generally be unpleasant to be around OR I could that God for providing the resources to meet the inconvenient need, be pleasant to the people who were just doing their job and realize that if this is the worst thing that happens on our trip then our trip will be an incredible experience. (In case you are wondering, I chose the latter option).
We all do it. We become so focused on a minor inconvenience, a perceived slight, an unintended wounding that we completely miss out on the bigger picture of what is going on around us. We are so wrapped up in ourselves that we miss the opportunity to be fully used by God as an instrument in his hand. Life can be hard and it is filled with disappointment. As followers of Christ, how we respond to life's difficulties and disappointments determines whether or not we are choosing to honor God with our lives.
Our team fully anticipates encountering unplanned obstacles and sudden changes in plans. Seriously, can you go on a mission trip to a developing nation and NOT experience these things? How we daily surrender our lives to Christ, choosing to pick up our cross and live for his glory will ultimately determine how fully we are used by God. As the Executive Director of the Water4 Foundation, Chris Cotner encouraged me: be like mercury, fluid.
Ready to go with the flow...
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Unfortunately, our domestic airline from Oklahoma City to Dallas chose not to honor the missionary fare and charged us for anything over two pieces of checked luggage. There was some consternation on my part during this exchange. I was prepared for this eventuality but I was holding out hope that our domestic carrier would do the right thing. Alas, they did not and my frustration began to mount.
Then I remembered one of the verses that I read in my quite time this morning. Philippians 4:6 says this: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. As I was meditating on this verse I remembered what our Senior Pastor, Marty Grubbs said in his sermon yesterday about living in the moment. It takes faith to live in the moment, to focus on the here and now and to trust that God will meet all of our needs.
All of this rapid introspection left me with two choices: I could choose to focus on the disappointment of having to pay the excess baggage fee, let it spoil my mood and generally be unpleasant to be around OR I could that God for providing the resources to meet the inconvenient need, be pleasant to the people who were just doing their job and realize that if this is the worst thing that happens on our trip then our trip will be an incredible experience. (In case you are wondering, I chose the latter option).
We all do it. We become so focused on a minor inconvenience, a perceived slight, an unintended wounding that we completely miss out on the bigger picture of what is going on around us. We are so wrapped up in ourselves that we miss the opportunity to be fully used by God as an instrument in his hand. Life can be hard and it is filled with disappointment. As followers of Christ, how we respond to life's difficulties and disappointments determines whether or not we are choosing to honor God with our lives.
Our team fully anticipates encountering unplanned obstacles and sudden changes in plans. Seriously, can you go on a mission trip to a developing nation and NOT experience these things? How we daily surrender our lives to Christ, choosing to pick up our cross and live for his glory will ultimately determine how fully we are used by God. As the Executive Director of the Water4 Foundation, Chris Cotner encouraged me: be like mercury, fluid.
Ready to go with the flow...
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Pray, pray, pray.
As our team prepares to depart on Monday for Malawi, I am constantly being asked by well-wishers: "What can we do for you?" "How can we help?" "Do you need anything?" The answer to all of these questions is the same: You can pray.
When I was in music ministry I had the chance to sing under the direction of Dr. Bill Green as a member of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma. As our group prepared for a choir tour to Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, he had a mantra that he repeated to us over and over: "No prayer is no power. Some prayer is some power. Much prayer is much power." It is an axiom that I have carried with me ever since because I know first hand that it is true.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:
I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (15:30)
Maybe you weren't able to go with us to Malawi this time. Maybe you were unable to contribute resources to help one of our team members go. But everyone can pray. Anytime, any place, anywhere. There is no wrong time to pray. So I want to personally invite you to join us on our trip by committing time - the more the better - to pray for our team.
To aid you as you pray, here are some specific requests that you can pray for:
We desperately, desperately need your prayers. We are depending on you to hit your prayer bones (knees) and go before the throne and ask God to bless our work and protect us. James 5:16 promises us that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Can we count on you? Will you join our team?
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
When I was in music ministry I had the chance to sing under the direction of Dr. Bill Green as a member of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma. As our group prepared for a choir tour to Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, he had a mantra that he repeated to us over and over: "No prayer is no power. Some prayer is some power. Much prayer is much power." It is an axiom that I have carried with me ever since because I know first hand that it is true.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:
I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. (15:30)
Maybe you weren't able to go with us to Malawi this time. Maybe you were unable to contribute resources to help one of our team members go. But everyone can pray. Anytime, any place, anywhere. There is no wrong time to pray. So I want to personally invite you to join us on our trip by committing time - the more the better - to pray for our team.
To aid you as you pray, here are some specific requests that you can pray for:
- each team member: Allan, David, Richard, Kemp & Kim, Michael & Deanna
- safe and uneventful travel
- our luggage arrives in Malawi when we do
- there will be no holdups with our 400 lbs of drilling equipment in customs
- we will have all of the necessary local supplies when we need them
- the quality of the local supplies will be adequate for their required purpose
- God will strengthen us when we are weak and tired
- everyone on the team would daily surrender their will to God's perfect plan
- God will keep our spirits flexible
- we will see the people as Jesus sees them
- the safety and well-being of our families that we leave behind in the U.S.
- Our missionary hosts: Danny & Natalie Gregory, their children: Sydney, Gabriel and Hope (see picture below) and fellow missionary, Tammie Tregallas
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Back to Malawi
In just a few days another team from Crossings Community Church will be winging our way to the southern African nation of Malawi. Our team of seven will be digging fresh water wells (it could be as many as three) and doing some women's ministry in the villages where we are digging. Our team is: Allan, David, Richard, Kim & Kemp, Deanna & Michael. Most of us will only be gone two weeks but Kim and Kemp will remain in Africa for an additional four weeks continuing to work with the Water4 Foundation.
Invariably, in the time before we leave, I am often asked many questions with similar themes: "Why are you going?" "Wouldn't it be better to just send the missionaries the money that we will actually spend to go?" "Is it safe?" "Don't we have enough need right here in Oklahoma City?" These are all valid questions and I want to answer them by drawing on one of Jesus' most familiar parables.
We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan. A traveler was walking alone on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers, beaten and left for dead. A priest came upon the man and passed by on the other side of the road without stopping. A Levite soon came up to the beaten traveler but he also passed on by without stopping. Finally, a Samaritan came by and stopped to help. He treated the man's wounds, took him to an inn and made arrangements for the traveler to be nursed back to health at the inn. Most of us also remember that Jesus told this parable in response to the question: "Who is my neighbor?"
But look at the story through the lens of missions. The traveler might represent an unreached people group in the 10/40 Window that has never heard the gospel. Or the traveler could symbolize the people of any impoverished and developing nation that struggles to overcome abject poverty, preventable diseases, deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS, or natural disaster. Just how do we as followers of Christ, as a body of believers we call the church, respond?
We could be like the priest, who avoided contact with the beaten traveler. In fairness to the priest, he did not know if the traveler was dead or not. If he had been dead and the priest had touched him, then the priest would have become ceremonially unclean. He would have been unable to perform his priestly duties at the temple for seven days. Surely he could not let his devotion to God prevent him from reaching out and helping someone.
To me, when a church says that they cannot do global missions because they are so focused on local missions opportunities, it is basically the same attitude as the priest. To be certain, there are plenty of needs for any local church to meet in their surrounding community and those are needs that a church should work to meet. But my reading, understanding and interpretation of Matthew 28:19 - 20 and Acts 1:8 tells me that local missions is only a part of our mission field, not the totality of it. Any missions philosophy that focuses solely on either global or local missions - to the exclusion of the other - demonstrates an incomplete understanding of the commands of Christ.
A second type of missions philosophy is like the Levite who passed by the robbers' victim. He was no doubt a prudent man who understood the strategies of the robbers on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. It was not uncommon for one of the thieves to play the role of a beaten traveler and when someone stops to offer aid, the rest of the robbers jump out to beat and rob the unsuspecting do-gooder. The Levite was merely being practical and safe. And what church, especially in light of today's economic condition, shouldn't be concerned with the stewardship of God's resources and being prudent?
I am all for fiscal responsibility and accountability, but missions and the life-change that occurs in both the one who serves and the one who receives goes far beyond dollars and cents. In my mind, this is where the eternal significance of what occurs far outweighs the monetary cost. Look at it this way: suppose that your family plans a trip across the country to visit some relatives. But once you start weighing the cost of the trip you decide to take the money you would have spent on the trip and you just mail it to the relatives...as a substitute for your family actually being there with them. Your family would miss the chance to get to know their relatives better, there would be no shared and lasting memories created, and everyone - both your family and the relatives - would miss out on the overall experience. That was the purpose of the trip to begin with.
But now let's look at risk avoidance. I do not think that the call of Christ is a call to be reckless, but neither do I think it is a call to be safe and comfortable. When I consider all that Jesus was willing to sacrifice for my sake, am I truly willing to let the reporting of civil unrest in some part of the world prevent me from going to that same area if that's where God has called me? Please show me in the Bible where it says we are only supposed to serve in places or at times when it is safe or when there is no risk involved. Do Christians in the U.S. genuinely believe that this thinking honors and glorifies God? Heaven help us if we do.
The Good Samaritan had the ability and opportunity to help the wounded man. Most importantly, he had the compassion to act on the need he saw before him. These same traits exist in most churches. The church in North America has the resources to help people in need. Most of the time we have the knowledge of where the needy (physically, economically or spiritually) are located and how their needs can best be met. But do we have the compassion to allow ourselves to be stretched beyond our comfort zones? Are we willing to look to the people of Malawi, India, Honduras and the 10/40 Window as our neighbors? When we have the means and opportunity will we choose to extend a hand to our neighbors on the other side of the world? Who live in dangerous places? Who will die separated from God (from malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis) unless we act?
Why do we go? Out of our devotion to God and our desire to serve him wherever and whenever he calls us. Out of obedience to the teachings of Jesus so that we might live as imitators of Christ. We go because we are so filled with the love of Jesus that we must share that love with our neighbors who live eight time zones away and who do not have clean water to drink. We go because we have the means to bring them clean water, we have the opportunity to go and because Jesus commands us - as he commanded the expert in the law - to: "Go and do likewise."
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
Invariably, in the time before we leave, I am often asked many questions with similar themes: "Why are you going?" "Wouldn't it be better to just send the missionaries the money that we will actually spend to go?" "Is it safe?" "Don't we have enough need right here in Oklahoma City?" These are all valid questions and I want to answer them by drawing on one of Jesus' most familiar parables.
We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan. A traveler was walking alone on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers, beaten and left for dead. A priest came upon the man and passed by on the other side of the road without stopping. A Levite soon came up to the beaten traveler but he also passed on by without stopping. Finally, a Samaritan came by and stopped to help. He treated the man's wounds, took him to an inn and made arrangements for the traveler to be nursed back to health at the inn. Most of us also remember that Jesus told this parable in response to the question: "Who is my neighbor?"
But look at the story through the lens of missions. The traveler might represent an unreached people group in the 10/40 Window that has never heard the gospel. Or the traveler could symbolize the people of any impoverished and developing nation that struggles to overcome abject poverty, preventable diseases, deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS, or natural disaster. Just how do we as followers of Christ, as a body of believers we call the church, respond?
We could be like the priest, who avoided contact with the beaten traveler. In fairness to the priest, he did not know if the traveler was dead or not. If he had been dead and the priest had touched him, then the priest would have become ceremonially unclean. He would have been unable to perform his priestly duties at the temple for seven days. Surely he could not let his devotion to God prevent him from reaching out and helping someone.
To me, when a church says that they cannot do global missions because they are so focused on local missions opportunities, it is basically the same attitude as the priest. To be certain, there are plenty of needs for any local church to meet in their surrounding community and those are needs that a church should work to meet. But my reading, understanding and interpretation of Matthew 28:19 - 20 and Acts 1:8 tells me that local missions is only a part of our mission field, not the totality of it. Any missions philosophy that focuses solely on either global or local missions - to the exclusion of the other - demonstrates an incomplete understanding of the commands of Christ.
A second type of missions philosophy is like the Levite who passed by the robbers' victim. He was no doubt a prudent man who understood the strategies of the robbers on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. It was not uncommon for one of the thieves to play the role of a beaten traveler and when someone stops to offer aid, the rest of the robbers jump out to beat and rob the unsuspecting do-gooder. The Levite was merely being practical and safe. And what church, especially in light of today's economic condition, shouldn't be concerned with the stewardship of God's resources and being prudent?
I am all for fiscal responsibility and accountability, but missions and the life-change that occurs in both the one who serves and the one who receives goes far beyond dollars and cents. In my mind, this is where the eternal significance of what occurs far outweighs the monetary cost. Look at it this way: suppose that your family plans a trip across the country to visit some relatives. But once you start weighing the cost of the trip you decide to take the money you would have spent on the trip and you just mail it to the relatives...as a substitute for your family actually being there with them. Your family would miss the chance to get to know their relatives better, there would be no shared and lasting memories created, and everyone - both your family and the relatives - would miss out on the overall experience. That was the purpose of the trip to begin with.
But now let's look at risk avoidance. I do not think that the call of Christ is a call to be reckless, but neither do I think it is a call to be safe and comfortable. When I consider all that Jesus was willing to sacrifice for my sake, am I truly willing to let the reporting of civil unrest in some part of the world prevent me from going to that same area if that's where God has called me? Please show me in the Bible where it says we are only supposed to serve in places or at times when it is safe or when there is no risk involved. Do Christians in the U.S. genuinely believe that this thinking honors and glorifies God? Heaven help us if we do.
The Good Samaritan had the ability and opportunity to help the wounded man. Most importantly, he had the compassion to act on the need he saw before him. These same traits exist in most churches. The church in North America has the resources to help people in need. Most of the time we have the knowledge of where the needy (physically, economically or spiritually) are located and how their needs can best be met. But do we have the compassion to allow ourselves to be stretched beyond our comfort zones? Are we willing to look to the people of Malawi, India, Honduras and the 10/40 Window as our neighbors? When we have the means and opportunity will we choose to extend a hand to our neighbors on the other side of the world? Who live in dangerous places? Who will die separated from God (from malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis) unless we act?
Why do we go? Out of our devotion to God and our desire to serve him wherever and whenever he calls us. Out of obedience to the teachings of Jesus so that we might live as imitators of Christ. We go because we are so filled with the love of Jesus that we must share that love with our neighbors who live eight time zones away and who do not have clean water to drink. We go because we have the means to bring them clean water, we have the opportunity to go and because Jesus commands us - as he commanded the expert in the law - to: "Go and do likewise."
Soli Deo gloria,
Michael
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