A Living Altar

Rachel Elwood, Director of Communications

In 1952, Queen Elizabeth came to the throne of Great Britain, Singin’ in the Rain was a hit film, gas was only 20 cents a gallon, and Beverly Lewis was appointed as a missionary to the Texas/Mexico Border field. In 2017, she is celebrating an astonishing 60 years of missionary service to five countries.

Beverly was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1929, and continued to call Portland home throughout her years in Latin America. Raised in a Christian family, Beverly was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit at an early age and became interested in missions in high school when she heard a missionary from Bolivia speak and share a slide presentation. She attended Cascade College in Portland to major in education and minor in Spanish and history. She later earned a master’s degree in education from Azusa Pacific University (California) in 1983.

Beverly used her gift of teaching in every place she served, focusing on equipping church leaders. Her resume includes teaching at Taylor Institute on the Texas/Mexico border; teaching and serving in administration at Berea Bible Institute in Bolivia; and founding Wesley Evangelical Seminary, which later became part of Bolivian Evangelical University. In Argentina, where she spent most of the 1980s, Beverly designed a plan for training pastoral students, later doing a similar project in Paraguay.

In Bolivia, where she spent most of her years of service, she was also involved in radio ministry, working with the national church in preparing programs that were broadcast all over the country. She also trained Bolivians in camping ministries, producing one of many enduring legacies—today, thousands of children, young people, and adults enjoy camping ministries throughout Bolivia.

Beverly officially retired in 1995 and remained in the U.S. for five years to care for her mother. In 2000, she returned to Bolivia to teach at BEU. She wanted to do what she loved most—invest in young people in Latin America. Since 2009, she has been based in Paraguay, where she is the director at Wesley Bible Institute in Asunción, preparing leaders for World Gospel Church of Paraguay. After moving to the U.S. this summer, she will continue to teach theological classes online.

“I first responded to a mention in a slide that if someone doesn’t go to teach these people, they’ll not have the opportunity to learn,” Beverly said. “On each field, there has been an urgent need for a teacher; He opened the door for me to go. I love the promise of 2 Corinthians 9:8, ‘His grace abounds, and He generously provides what I need.’” 

ACT: What retirement? Even into her 80s, Beverly is active in Christian service. Are you in or approaching those “sunset” years? Pray that God will help you find ways to minister to others during your retirement.

Paraguay

Lord of the Harvest, many in Paraguay are in a reality far from You. They don't know of Your love and transforming power. We know You are mighty to save and that You don't want anyone to perish. Please send workers to the field who are full of Your compassion. Amen.

Weadette Burge, Missionary, Paraguay

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SPECIFIC NEEDS

Volunteer

Missionary

Asunción Christian Academy

 

 

Classroom Teachers

Special Education/Resource Room Teacher

General Director

Wesley Bible Institute

 

 

Bible Institute Professors

Children's Ministry Trainer

Church Planters

Discipler/Mentor

Family Counselor

Youth Ministry Trainers

Community Development Worker

Prayer Calendar April 2-8,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

Today, around the globe, over 151,000 people will die with over 40 percent of those individuals entering into eternity with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. These facts haunt me every day; I simply cannot escape them. These people could not make a decision to accept Jesus as their personal Savior because they never even heard that He wants to be their Savior.

Pray for WGM in Burundi, Spain, Uganda, and Paraguay.

An Unexpected Gift

Susana (Bev) Donahue, Missionary, Paraguay
The Call, October-December 2016

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” ~ Hudson Taylor

It would not be found on the list of Top 10 appropriate gifts to give a man. In fact, it would most likely show up on a list of gift suggestions for a new mother and her baby.

We were in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, visiting some friends from our years in ministry there. I always try to stop by and greet my former hairdresser. This year, knowing that she and her husband would want to see our son, Andrés, too, the whole family paid a visit to her beauty salon. After we spent some time with her and her husband, she presented us each with small gifts. My gift was lotion, but Mark and Andrés both received a bottle of Johnson’s baby powder. We graciously said “thank you” (what else could we say?!) and went on our way. 

Back home in Paraguay, it was a hot, hot summer. Some people do fairly well with the heat while others suffer with uncomfortable heat rashes. Such was the case one evening when Mark encountered our next door neighbor, standing behind his wall with no shirt on, looking miserable with a heat rash. Mark soon learned that our neighbor had been exposed to too much sun and was suffering its effects. The neighbor said that he needed some Johnson’s baby powder for his rash but that he did not have “ningún peso”—not one cent—to purchase it. 

Seeing the need and hearing "Johnson’s baby powder," Mark was alerted by the Holy Spirit that he could be a part of the solution. Mark promptly retrieved an unopened bottle of Johnson’s baby powder. After Mark placed it in the neighbor’s hands, the neighbor asked, “Is this a gift for me?” With a rejoicing heart, Mark affirmed that it was and watched a big smile spread across the man’s face. 

A gift from one friend in Bolivia is impacting our new community in Paraguay! God provided just what was needed.

We pray that God will show us how to help our neighbor see a greater need in his life. We so desire that he sees his need to know our Jesus. Sometimes we have to see ways to help meet the physical needs before we have the privilege to speak to the greater need. How does God want to use you today? It may be to pass along an unexpected gift to someone in your community that needs it now. Don’t miss the blessing!

PRAY: Ask God to open your eyes to a need in your community and to help you do your part to help others with an unexpected gift.

WGM’s History in Pictures

Tracy Dubois, Support Staff
January-March 2016

“If we are to know where we are going, we need to know where we have been.” Retiree Burnis Bushong used this paraphrased quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln to introduce his book R.U.N., Reaching the Unreached Now: A Brief History of World Gospel Mission. As we look ahead to another year, let’s gain inspiration and encouragement from our strong, steadfast history.

June 1910: The Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness was founded June 10, 1910, in University Park, Iowa. That same week, Rev. and Mrs. Cecil and Ellen Troxel and Rev. and Mrs. Woodford and Harriet Taylor were appointed to China as the Mission’s first missionaries. In 1920, the China Field had 15 missionaries and hundreds of Chinese Christians working to win souls for the Lord.

November 1910: Beatrice “Mother” Beezley became the first American staff member. Her title was Secretary of the China Bureau, and her office was simply her briefcase. On July 10, 1913, Mother Beezley and Iva Durham Vennard organized the first Prayer Band in Chicago. The group met for six hours every Friday to pray for missions.

1919: Call to Prayer was first published by Mrs. Beezley as a bimonthly magazine. In March 2009, the magazine was renamed The Call (www.wgm.org/call). It is now a quarterly resource that encourages readers to become missions active wherever they are.

1926: The Mission separated from the Christian Holiness 

Association and became incorporated in Illinois as The Missionary Society of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness. In 1937, the organization’s name was changed to the National Holiness Missionary Society. The name officially became World Gospel Mission in 1954.

1946: WGM reported 102 missionaries on seven mission fields, including China, Kenya, India, Burundi, Honduras, Bolivia,
and the Texas/Mexico border.

1956: Men With Vision was founded as an outreach of WGM. Today, MWV has 15 active chapters in the U.S. In 1963, six young people served on the mission field, starting Summer Career Corps. This outreach later became known as the Volunteers In Action program. In 2015, WGM’s mobilization team appointed 13 missionary disciplesand sent out 28 Missionary Volunteer Partners, 30 VIA participants, and 64 ministry teams with 664 team members.

1967: WGM was actively working on 16 fields, including China, Kenya, India, Burundi, Honduras, Bolivia, Mexico, Japan, the American Indian Field, Taiwan, Lebanon, Peniel Missions, Egypt, Haiti, the Texas/Mexico border, and Brazil.

1969-1992: Ministries were started in Indonesia, Argentina, Nicaragua, Haitian American Ministries (in Florida), Israel, Tanzania, Paraguay, Hungary, and Uganda.

June 2010: WGM celebrated its 100th anniversary during International Celebration of Missions in Marion, Indiana. Partnering with local churches and Indiana Wesleyan University, WGM commemorated the past 100 years of doing God’s work together. An estimated 1,000 people from 19 different countries attended the milestone event.

Present: WGM partners with individuals, groups, and churches worldwide to make disciples of Christ and to encourage believers to become missions-active Christians. Visit www.wgm.org/locations and www.wgm.org/causes to learn more about where and how WGM’s nearly 240 missionaries are impacting the world with Christ’s love.

MORE: Take the children in your life on an in-depth trip down memory lane by following our Kids’ Curriculum for 2016: Time Travel Adventures (www.wgm.org/time-travel). Join siblings Bethany and Gabe and their tour guide, Dr. B, as they travel back in time to meet some WGM heroes, including the Troxels and Taylors, Ernie and Sue Steury, and Donald and Twana Hawk.

How to Make Missions Trip Photos More Compelling

Q&A with Adam Lorenz, Support Staff, and Tracy Dubois, Support Staff 

January-March 2016

Q. What specific things should a person consider when taking a photo?

A. As a photographer, I’m aware of lighting, depth of field, and other things that are not necessarily something the average person taking photos on a missions trip would think about. Lighting is too broad to cover here, but let’s talk about depth of field or how in focus an object is. If I’m taking an up-close photo of just you, I want you to be in focus and the background out of focus. However, if I’m taking a larger group photo, my depth of field has to be bigger. You always want your photos to be about a specific subject.

Q. What’s on your Top 10 list of things to take photos of when you’re on a field?

A. The biggest thing is to have variety in your photos. I try to take photos of individuals, groups, and the scenery (wide and closer shots). I also take close-up photos of people actively doing ministry and pictures of them paused, looking at the camera, and posed for the camera. I try to plan ahead before I take a trip, because I never know how my photos are going to be used by a missionary. For people going on a missions trip, it would be helpful to think ahead of time what message you want your photos to convey.

Q. Why is it important to ask for permission before taking a photo?

A. It has been my experience that it is very easy to tell if a person is willing to have their photo taken. It is also very easy to get permission by simply asking, “May I take your picture?” Getting permission always leads to better photos.

Q. How do you handle getting copyright releases?

A. At WGM, we need to get copyright releases when we use photos to raise money. However, in the case of most missions trips, the fundraising is already done and the photos are being used to share what happened on the trip. So, during a missons trip, it is more important to get permission to take a photo than to get a copyright release.

Q. Do you recommend a specific type of camera? Are cell phones sufficient?

A. The camera absolutely matters, but not in terms of a specific type of camera. It’s more important that you know how to use the camera you have. Also, cell phones have their place, but they are not adequate for anything beyond snapshots. Memories are captured with real lenses. Basically, you get what you pay for, and technology has provided options at just about any price.

Q. Why are good photos important as you share about a missions trip?

A. A picture is worth a thousand words. When a photo is taken, it captures that exact moment in time, whether good or bad. It is a way to convey that moment that is not always possible with words.

Q. What are two of your favorite field photos and why?

A. We went to a special children’s program in Paraguay and to Buvuma Island in Uganda. In both places, the people were not worried about me. They were being themselves, and I was able to capture that.

Q. What are three takeaways people should glean from this article?

A.

• Ask for permission before taking any photo.
• Take as many photos as possible. In today’s age of digital photography and memory being so inexpensive, there’s no reason not to. You never know if a 60th of a second will turn into a fantastic photo.
• Plan ahead and know how to use your camera. Don’t let your camera be an afterthought.

GO: Has Adam inspired you to go to the mission field and capture your own special moments? Visit www.wgm.org/teams or contact teams@wgm.org to schedule a missions trip today.

Becoming Again: Incarnation and Language Learning

An excerpt from: 

Becoming Again: Incarnation and Language Learning

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The key to language learning in ministry
By Andy Bowen, Missionary, Paraguay
April-June 2015

My students had been studying the Guaraní language with me in Escobar, Paraguay, for about five months. One afternoon, they went as a family to the grocery store in the nearby town of Paraguarí, taking their children—Micah and his two younger sisters. As they moved up and down the aisles, Micah caught sight of a disabled man and, like most 5-year-olds, started asking his parents questions. The conversation turned to heaven, which they had talked about a few days before. His parents, missionaries with Serving In Mission, reminded their son that in heaven there would be no sickness, no pain, and no sadness. With astonishing speed typical of little boys, Micah’s mind made a connection, and he looked up hopefully into the eyes of his dad and suggested, “And no more Spanish?”

Do you feel the pain behind his question? In the year that he had been in Paraguay, Micah had had many opportunities to regret that Spanish was a part of his new life. When playing with the kids in his neighborhood, he often felt that he was on the outside—missing a lot of the conversation, feeling foolish and disconnected. Even a 5-year-old suspects that people laughing at jokes in another language might be referencing him! His little heart had already begun to long for a place and time where language would not divide him from others and where all the words would be clear and would be his to command.

It’s the curse of Babel. God’s antidote to the arrogance of man was to confuse their language. Little will bring you face to face with your own pride like the complete inability to understand and to make yourself understood.

But it’s also the genius of God’s ways. That’s because the fallout from Babel ensured that one day, when God’s people began to take His incomparable good news across cultural barriers, they would be forced to do it humbly. They would have to enter as learners, needy and ignorant, like children starting all over.

For 14 years, I’ve been helping missionaries from Christian organizations learn the Guaraní language. Paraguay’s unique history has preserved not one national language but two—Guaraní, the language of the loose confederation of Indian communities the Spanish conquistadores found when they arrived in the early 1500s; and Spanish, the language of the colonizers. The great majority of Paraguayans today are bilingual, whether or not they actually have any Guaraní ancestry.

Most missionaries working cross-culturally have to learn a new language. Few missionaries study language for less than nine months. For many of these messengers of the gospel, it’s among the most difficult tasks they will ever face in their ministry, and it’s right at the beginning! It’s obvious to us that language learning and missions go hand in hand.

What may be less obvious is why missionaries learn language. Clearly if you can’t communicate, you can’t get around—buy groceries, get your government documents, or find the post office. If you don’t have a language in common with people, you can’t share with them the propositional information—the facts—of the gospel. But it goes far beyond that. If this is all language learning is, then it’s easy to view it as a hurdle that must be jumped so that missionaries can get to the real ministry. They have to get through language study, and then they can start really being missionaries.

The worker who thinks like this misses the key truth that language learning itself is ministry. And more than that, it’s an occasion to become what God has sent her to become—to become incarnate to the people of her host culture. Paul talks about this becoming in 1 Corinthians 9, where he speaks of becoming “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (9:22 NIV). Paul doesn’t advocate pretending or faking it by putting on a mask. Becoming is hard work. It requires time and effort. “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV). The missionary going through language learning knows exactly what Paul means. It’s a struggle, day in and day out—vocabulary lists and verb conjugations, memorized monologues, and routes through the community to practice and grow.

Meanwhile, life still goes on. Missionaries interact with their neighbors, feeling like fools, inarticulate, not able to present themselves as they long to: as an educated person with experiences, relationships, status, and a life. They start from nothing, rebuilding their world from scratch, learning new names for every single item in it. Their neighbors’ 3-year-olds are better communicators than they are. Children sometimes giggle at the comical things they unintentionally say. The missionary language-learner either learns to laugh at himself or spends every day frustrated by his lack of status and dignity. As missionaries make the effort (and it is an effort!) to learn the language of the heart, a subtle, unspoken, but very powerful message is communicated: “I don’t look down on you. I value your culture. Who you are as a Paraguayan is unique, and it’s worth taking the time to invest in.” So often, Paraguayans, prepared by long experience with foreigners to be considered inferior, are disarmed when the outsider asks admittance to their world in this humble way. And they welcome the stranger in.

ACT: Has someone in your neighborhood or church moved from another culture? Take time this month to get to know them. Ask intentional questions: What’s your favorite color? What’s the common greeting in your culture? What do they like to do for fun? Using their answers, love this person in very practical ways—buy them a small gift in their favorite color, practice greeting them using your new language acquisition, ask to take part in their favorite activity, etc. Be creative and see what God teaches you through this new friendship.

Discipleship Takes a Team

An excerpt from...

Discipleship Takes a Team

By Kristi Crisp, Support Staff

October-December 2014

What do you do when your children’s ministry breeches the 100 mark? You call in the reinforcements! The Cristo Viene church in Paraguay and Pastor Nilda Vazquez did just that as this church began to see significant growth over the past few weeks. The World Gospel Mission missionary team responded, helping to fill the gaps.

The weekend I was there, I experienced firsthand why sometimes discipleship takes a team. The kids attending this Saturday morning worship service come from the community surrounding this modest church. These kids have street smarts. They come from broken, underprivileged families, some providing for themselves by stealing. Yet on Saturday mornings, the Cristo Viene church opens its doors and its hearts to these children, offering a safe, positive environment where Jesus can be seen in the lives of this body of believers. The church has seen the needs of the kids and started providing lunch for this crew so no one leaves hungry. All of these things, plus learning more about the God who created these little ones, started a growth spurt in this ministry outreach.

In comes the team to help minister….

Mark Donahue and his friend Hugo Leguizamón led a singing competition between the girls and the boys. Man, could they sing! There is not a more joyful noise than hearing little ones jump, shout, and praise Jesus.

Sharon Carr brought her puppet ministry team to share Bible stories with the little ones. The puppet team is made up of young leaders in a nearby church. It was a blessing to see these teens using their talents to share the love of Christ with those younger than themselves.

Larry Carr used illusions to share biblical truths with the kids. His sleight of hand kept the kids guessing what would come next. I mean who doesn’t like a good magic trick?

Pastor Vazquez and her family ended our service by blessing each little one with a shoebox from Samaritan’s Purse. It was a joy to see the kids open their boxes and enjoy the goodies that had been packed especially for them.

Sometimes it takes a team. Just as God used His team of disciples to minister to the hearts of the people they visited, Cristo Viene is following that same model. And what better reason than seeing children come to know Jesus as their personal Savior!

ACT: Get your “team” together for a ministry outreach opportunity. Encourage your sphere of influence to clean up a neighborhood park or serve dinner at your local mission. The way you serve is your choice, but take time to serve Jesus with fellow believers this year.

Mission: Possible

An excerpt from...

Mission: Possible

By Susana Bev Donahue, Missionary, Paraguay
October-December 2014

Have you ever given a Bible to someone and then one day that person shows up at your home, Bible in hand, to return it to you?

Well, that is exactly what happened to me. After hearing the doorbell ring, I opened the door and found my former neighbor at the gate in a very angry state of mind with God. In her hand was the New Living Translation of the New Testament in Spanish that I had given her as a gift. She was returning it to me out of respect, because she did not want to tear it up in her outrage against God.

Well, you can imagine how I felt. It was the first time someone had returned a Bible to me in such a manner. I was discouraged. My neighbor was struggling with cancer, family problems, etc., and it seemed to me that if there was ever a time when someone needed God’s Word, it was now.

I continued to pray for her and decided to pay her a visit a little later. I rang the doorbell, not sure if I would be welcomed or not. My friend came to the door and, as always, seemed to be glad to see me. She welcomed me in and I sat down to listen. She was still struggling with God, feeling that if He was listening, why didn’t He do something.

I persisted in befriending my former neighbor. I was surprised when one day she had a special request. She asked if I had an old Spanish Bible that she could borrow. So a used Bible with the Old and New Testaments was delivered to her. The good news is that this Bible has stayed with her. It is a delight when I visit her and she pulls it out to share a passage with her daughter and me.

My husband, Mark, and I desire your prayers. Quite honestly, sometimes we can be tempted to look at circumstances, wondering if anything will ever change, instead of looking to our God who is able. At times we feel as if we are on a mission impossible or one that requires much faith like Abraham. Abraham, as the Bible explains, had faith to believe what God had promised even when it looked as though all hope was gone. We continue to be called to be faithful, sharing the Word and praying for God’s kingdom to come and reign in their hearts.

PRAY: This month, pray for the WGM missionary staff, like the Donahues, who are involved in one-on-one discipleship each week. May God grant wisdom, creativity, and encouragement as they pour into lives.

Connie Hendershot: A Contagious Champion for Missions

An excerpt from...

Connie Hendershot: A Contagious Champion for Missions

By Kristi Schweitzer, Volunteer
July-September 2014


What comes to mind when you think of getting involved in missions? Attending conferences, writing checks, or joining prayer teams? For the late Connie Hendershot, missions was more than an activity; it was her lifestyle. As a mother, grandmother, teacher, and farmer’s wife, Connie led what many people would consider an ordinary life, but she impacted many in an extraordinary way.

Connie was born on January 31, 1953, in Marion, Ohio, and married Robert Hendershot in 1971. She majored in education at Ohio State University and became a teacher. But God had more for her to do. He formed a strong desire within her to serve in missions.
CC
She was a part of the missions committee at Circleville Crossroads Church for over 20 years, serving as the missions president for many of those years. She went on 16 work teams, visiting six of the world’s seven continents. She made trips to Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, Alaska, St. Croix, Paraguay, Uganda, and the Dominican Republic. She was chosen as the Missions Minded Woman of the Year in 2010 by her church’s Mission Minded Men, a group that encourages men and women to be involved in missions at home and abroad.

Connie enjoyed visiting the mission field and interacting with missionaries. It motivated her to work hard at home, doing everything in her power to help. She organized missionary services, led missions conferences, and helped raise financial support. She even worked a second job as a pharmacist to save up money to go on the trips.

When on the field, she was very hands on. If a project needed to be done, she’d get her hands dirty and do it. “She was not one to just stand and watch,” said David Lattimer, general missionary superintendent of Churches of Christ in Christian Union.

Connie went above and beyond financial support. One of her special projects was preparing homes for missionaries to stay in while in the United States. She recruited women in her church, and they would clean, stock the cupboards and refrigerator with food, and prepare fresh linens. She even bought school supplies for the children. Her involvement and enthusiasm for missions “was contagious,” said Lattimer. “She was talking about it all the time.”

Connie passed away unexpectedly on January 11, 2014, due to thyroid cancer. Her powerful legacy continues to be an inspiration to others.

PRAY: Have you felt God’s call to missions in an area of your life? Ask Him to show you your part.

ACT: Join a missions group at your church or get involved in one of WGM’s Men With Vision chapters. Learn more about MWV chapters at www.wgm.org/mwv.