Living in Community

Dora Wesche, Retiree, Kenya
The Call, October-December 2016

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had” (Romans 15:5 NIV).

Sometimes it takes a heaping measure of grace to live on a foreign mission station. I didn’t get the hang of it in the beginning, but failure can be the back door to success.

My husband, Bob, our 1-year-old daughter, Dawn, and I first arrived in Kenya in 1967. As we faced challenges, some memories stand out, specifically in areas of obeying authority, loving your neighbor, and “keeping up with the Joneses.”

One day, Bob had come home from a long day at the hospital, and I was giving vent to a list of frustrations. As I paused for a breath, Bob, known for his one-liners, said, “You are saying you know how to run the mission better than the mission leaders.” Totally shocked, I thought it over. I was even more shocked to realize it was true–not that I could run things better than the leaders but that I thought I could.

A new missionary had arrived on the field. His ideas were different, feathers were ruffled, and there were some unflattering comments made. During a chapel service at a retreat, this strong impression came to mind: “Do you want him to accept you just as you are, with all your faults?” Well, yes; I hadn’t thought about that before. “Then accept him just as he is with all of his faults.” I applied that lesson many times in the years that followed.

One day, the door flew open; our little toddler spread her hands out wide and in great frustration asked, “WHERE is my little red wagon?” Oh! We had brought dolls and lots of games but NO red wagon. However, since a neighbor’s child had one, Dawn wanted one, too! We all needed to learn about finding contentment in what we had. 

I learned to thank God that I didn’t have to worry about running the mission, and I marveled at leaders who were exercising their gifts of administration, of which I have none.

Today, some of my dearest friends are “old” retired missionaries as well as wonderful new “young” missionaries on the field. I am eternally grateful that God brought us together. I am also coming closer to learning to be content in all things. Being a missionary brought the greatest joys of my life. I love The One who taught me how.

ACT: Have your feathers been ruffled? Are you living in discontent? Do you need to repair your attitude toward your community? Take time this month to dig deeper into God’s Word and put into action His direction. Here is a good resource to get you started.

Immigration and the Image of God

Zach Motts, Missionary, Japan
The Call, July-September 2016

In the very beginning, before there was Islam or Christianity or even Judaism, the Bible tells us that strange opening story about humanity being made in the image of God. This is an incredible, terrifying way to begin a holy book. Rivers of ink have been spilt attempting to plumb the meaning of this phrase: “made in the image of God.”How do we unpack such a potent description of humanity’s meaning and purpose? The God who refuses to be represented by idols of stone, metal, or wood chooses to be expressed through you, me, and us. We are the image of God.

We barely get one chapter into the Bible and we are drawn up short by this profound idea. Even without the rest of the Bible, there are shocking ethical implications in this brief statement. What if every person I meet is made in the image of God, no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they choose to live? What would that mean? 

If I went to Washington, D.C. and defaced the statue of Abraham Lincoln, people would see that act as meaning something about what I think about Lincoln’s legacy or about Lincoln himself. What happens if I deface the image of God? What happens if I look into the face of the person in front of me and I fear, hate, neglect, ignore, or reject that person? If that person is the image of God, then I am wounding, dishonoring, and rejecting the God represented by that image. 

Where does this leave us in a world on the move? What are we supposed to say when the conversation surrounding immigration turns toward wars, walls, and exclusion? These are tough questions, but the Church must find different answers because we tell a different story. If every family that is bombed, every child that starves to death, and every fleeing person who drowns in the Mediterranean is made in the image of God, then it is very difficult for me to call myself a follower of this God while answering the needs in the world with wars, walls, and exclusion. I am a missionary, so I am biased, but I believe the Church must find other options. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these….” 

ACT: Karl Barth, one of the most prolific and influential theologians of the 20th century, said, “A preacher should preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” There’s a lot of wisdom in that thinking. Take time this week to reacquaint yourself with the creation of humanity and then read a news article on immigration. Reflect or journal on the insights you gained from reading the two together.

Are You Taking the Long Way Around?

Brian Kushman, Missionary, Hispanic Ministries USA
The Call, July-September 2016

Missions has traditionally been focused on strangers in another land. But this begs the question: “What about the strangers who are among us?” In Exodus 22:21, God says, “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him,” (NKJV) and in 12:48-49, “And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord,…then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land.” This teaches us that if a stranger wants to worship the Lord with us, we should welcome them with open arms. 

Leviticus 19:33-34 states: “The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.” We think of this as a New Testament teaching, but from the very beginning, God wanted His people to love their neighbor as themselves. Deuteronomy 10:17-19 says, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger.…”

In the New Testament, Acts 1:8 states that the Holy Spirit will give us power to be witnesses for Christ “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” How does this relate to us? I suggest that our Jerusalem are those who are culturally like us and geographically close to us. Our Judea are those who are culturally like us but geographically farther away. Our Samaria are those who are culturally different but geographically close, and the ends of the earth are culturally different and geographically far. 

As the body of Christ, we need to recognize that we are not only called to reach out to those who are geographically far and culturally different, but also to those who are culturally different and geographically close. These could be immigrants or students from another country, migrants who have come to work, or even refugees fleeing war or persecution. These are our Samaria. Let’s not neglect this aspect of ministry.

But reaching out to people outside our own culture isn’t easy. In the time of the New Testament church, Jews avoided Samaria. Instead of traveling on the west side of the Jordan River through Samaria, which would be more direct, there was such prejudice that many Jews crossed over to the east side and took the long way around to avoid what they perceived as those who were undesirable.

Christ set a different example. He took advantage of every opportunity to minister to those with spiritual and physical needs, as in John 4 when He did what was socially unacceptable and talked with a woman of ill repute from another culture. Because of that interaction, many Samaritans came to believe in Him. 

Missions is more about crossing cultural boundaries rather than geographical borders. Christ ministered to those who were culturally different from Himself but were geographically close. His apostles eventually had this vision as well; Peter and John made a special trip to Samaria to confirm the Samaritans that had been baptized under Philip's ministry (Acts 8:14-17).

Christ promised to enable us, by the power of the Spirit, to be witnesses for Him, even to those who are culturally different but geographically close. Who is your Samaria? You see, “It is not the person from the radically different culture on the other side of the world that is hardest to love, but the nearby neighbor whose skin color, language, rituals, values, ancestry, history, and customs are different from one’s own” (“Hatred between Jews and Samaritans”).

Let’s follow Christ’s example and partner together to minister on the west side of Jordan!

ACT: Christ has called each of us to help the oppressed and to preach the gospel—essentially to be a missionary wherever we are. Not sure where to start? Check out the World Go! Manual, a Bible study for missions. Learn more and purchase a copy here. 

Unavoidable But Manageable

Twana Johnson, Retiree, Mexico
April-June 2016

Transition is a word we hear often as missionaries as we move back and forth between our fields of service and our home country. It’s unavoidable. However, I have learned that it is manageable.

When our oldest son was a senior in high school, we were privileged to go to an MK conference where we heard David Pollock speak on this subject. We are forever grateful for the insights he gave as he outlined the steps of transition.

One part that helped me the most as I have made the many transitions is what he called Building Your RAFT. It was an acronym for Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewells, and Thinking ahead. Each time we have moved since then, I have tried to do these four things.

1. Reconciliation means being intentional about reviewing relationships during the last period of time in a certain place and seeing if anything needed to be made right. Was there a thoughtless word or action that needed to be patched up? Had I neglected to do something that should have been done? Had I done all things possible to restore a broken relationship? Had I asked forgiveness or extended forgiveness? Was I leaving with a clear conscience? 
2. Affirmation means being intentional about letting people know how much you appreciate them and certain actions or qualities of those people. This is easier than reconciliation, yet often in the business of getting ready to leave, it is easily forgotten. For those left behind, it makes a difference to know they were appreciated. I learned that it was not just your friends that needed to hear this but also those who provide services in the places you frequent.
3. Farewells or saying goodbye. Farewells are painful, especially when family, dear friends, and coworkers are left behind. It’s much easier to just disappear and not go through the gut-wrenching goodbyes. Besides, I hate crying in front of people—red eyes, snotty nose, inability to speak—you get the picture. However, goodbyes are so important. I learned it is not just people, but we also need to say goodbye to places, pets, and even ministries or positions. If we don’t learn to say goodbye well, it is more difficult to say hello and develop good relationships in the new place. 
4. Thinking ahead means planning and looking to the future and to what may be in store for us. When we were leaving Bolivia after more than 20 years, I was so sad to be leaving a place so dear to me. God sent another missionary to help me realize the effect this was having on our children and on me. I could see only the negative and not the positive of the future assignment. I thank the Lord for that missionary’s insight. Once I started thinking ahead and trusting the Lord for the future, the leaving wasn’t as difficult. 

It’s been many years and many moves since that conference. Sometimes the RAFT has been a little leaky and the transitions haven’t been as smooth as I would have liked. But with the Lord’s help, He has helped me stay afloat. 

ACT: Are you anticipating a move in the near future? Who do you need to reconcile with? Who can you affirm? Don’t try to escape the farewell party. Savor every minute together and say what needs to be said. Remember to think ahead toward all that the Lord has in store for you as you walk in His steps.

Winds of Change

Martha Ritchie, Missionary, Kenya

April-June 2016

Winds in the east,
Mist comin’ in
Like something is brewin’
About to begin,
Can’t put me finger on what lies in store,
But I feel what’s to ’appen, all ’appened before.

~Burt from Mary Poppins

I hope you have a picture in your mind of Mary Poppins gently blowing in. When she lands, things start happening.

So it is with transitions: Moving, moving to a new culture, children going to college, children graduating from college, children changing colleges and majors, children getting engaged, learning a new language, children going to boarding school, parents missing us, grandparents missing grandchildren, us missing everyone, a completely different church or no church, retirement, empty nesting, first-time missionary, support raising, new systems, new job, and on and on. 

When we land in a new culture with all those transitions, we don’t come with a track record. We just show up, and we are about as strange as Mary Poppins. Where did she come from? Who is she? She is quite odd. What is she good at? Why is she here? What’s in that magic bag she carries? People stare at us as if we just floated in on an umbrella. They have no idea what we are going through. We arrive having lost our place and trying to find out who we are.When you feel as if you’re getting a master’s degree in the school of transition, what are some helps? How can we get comfortable again in our own skin? How can we find ourselves anew?

These are things that have helped me navigate all of the above transitions.

1. Grieve. Cry. I come from a long line of stoics, pioneer stock and all that. Crying was new for me, just like everything else. It would just be wrong not to grieve the losses. Stoicism isn’t holy. God keeps our tears in a bottle. They matter to Him. And when you have suffered for a while, then you will be able to comfort others with the comfort you have been given.
2. Pray. The Lord is present. He is alive. He is powerful. He knows us—past, present, and future. He absolutely delights in us, even when our head is spinning. What a relief! He isn’t going to leave us. I often picture looking up at His face and His big hand holding my little hand. 
3. Everyone says to journal. I journal when something major hits me and not much in between. I like to go back and look and be reminded of how God has met my every need in crisis. 
4. Ask for prayer from people with whom you can be real and other missionaries. It is powerful. And it is a window for those who have no idea what you are going through. They don’t know if you don’t tell them.
5. Play. Find cool things to do in your new spot. Go and do it. When I wanted to withdraw, I made a rule for myself to have a cultural experience five days a week. That could be going to the market or chatting with a gate guard. Do anything, but do not retreat. It builds confidence and comfort eventually. 
6. Ask God to give you a local friend. Be hospitable to those around you. Make pizza. Play games. Ask questions about the new culture. Start a Bible study.  Learn. Just do the next thing. 
7. Exercise. I bought a second-hand treadmill that lives in my living room. It would just be too weird for me to exercise outside with an audience. I plug in my earphones and listen to praise music and sweat. Afterward I always feel better than when I started, even if I didn’t particularly want to start. It lifts me up spiritually, and everyone knows that stress is relieved by renewing one’s mind and physical exertion. 
8. Laugh. I like to picture myself like Mary Poppins, only with crazy hair whipped by the wind, trying to keep this new skirt down, wearing flip-flops and a back pack, tossed about in a mad whirlwind with my kids twirling with me, and me trying to corral them is a slightly more accurate picture. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your situation. Laugh at your mistakes. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It really isn’t that serious (it just feels that way) and you will settle in, in time. 
9. If you have a spouse, share your burdens with each other. If you don’t, then find a friend or continue to pray with and talk to one back home. 
10. Remember that God blows the winds of change. He is good and He will be with us where He sends us. He has a good plan for us and every life that is touched by our winds of change. Like Mary Poppins, she had a good effect on the few around her. It didn’t have to be many. But it was huge.

ACT: Can you relate to Martha’s story? What’s the one thing you can do this week to help you take the next step in transition?

Concert of Prayer: Interceding for Caleb

An excerpt from Concert of Prayer: Interceding for Caleb
Middle East
January–March 2012

Nothing is impossible for God. Having lived in the Middle East for seven years, I’ve been in my share of tough situations, but God has always brought me through. This situation was different, though. It was completely hopeless. Everything was stacked against my brother in Christ, Caleb (name changed for identity protection).

Caleb is one of the few local believers in the mostly Muslim country where I live. Several years before I knew about him, he ran into some trouble. His brother-in-law showed up drunk at his house and was threatening him and his family (possibly because of Caleb’s new faith in Christ). Caleb tried to get him to leave peacefully, but then his brother-in-law pulled out a large knife. In the scuffle that ensued, his brother-in-law was killed.

The authorities came and Caleb was arrested and held for trial.

In September 2010, this need was highlighted in WGM’s Concert of Prayer and countless prayer warriors began interceding for Caleb. A couple months later, one of the sons of the deceased contacted us, accepted the agreement, and accepted a sum of money to seal the deal. The next day, Caleb was summoned for execution and would have been killed if not for the agreement the day before!

Truly, God listens to the prayers of His people and nothing is impossible for Him!

There are many more like my brother Caleb in this area of the world who suffer because of their faith. Will you take time right now to pray for the persecuted church as well as for Caleb and his family?