Author: josh Page 3 of 9

On Learning Yet Another Language

On February 25, 2019

Not me, Kimberly. I’m still plodding away in Arabic, seeking to achieve a high level of competence before moving on. But Kimberly has decided to begin Maba now, because Maba will be even more important than Arabic. Many Maba women in villages don’t speak Arabic. So today was Kimberly’s first day of learning her 4th foreign language. Hopefully she can find some time to share about it here soon, I will encourage her to do so.

Language learning is, believe it or not, a bit of a controversial topic in missions today. Many people are satisfied to get enough language to live (i.e. buy things, catch a taxi, etc.) but for whatever reason not many people become truly competent. At the risk of stating the obvious, sharing the gospel, discipling, answering questions and objections – these things require more than a beginner or intermediate level of language. We have become more and more convinced of this. It may take 3-4 more years, a total of 7-8 years in Chad, to become competent in Arabic and Maba. But the importance of clarity and competence in proclaiming, teaching, correcting and exhorting a fledgling church requires a seriousness in language learning. A desire for deep relationships requires seriousness in language learning, otherwise relationships are necessarily shallow. To assume that somehow the Holy Spirit will overcome our lack of discipline and preparation is presumptuous and unbiblical. Enjoyed this quote I came across recently from William Cary:

That which, as a means, is to fit us for the discharge of these laborious and unutterable important labours, is the being instant in prayer, and the cultivation of personal religion. Let us ever have in remembrance the examples of those who have been most eminent in the work of God. Let us often look at Brainerd, in the woods of America, pouring out his very soul before God for the perishing heathen, without whose salvation nothing could make him happy. Prayer, secret, fervent, believing prayer, lies at the root of all personal godliness. A competent knowledge of the languages current where a missionary lives, a mild and winning temper, and a heart given up to God in closet religion, these, these are the attainments which, more than all knowledge, or all other gifts, will fit us to become the instruments of God in the great work of Human Redemption. Let us then ever be united in prayer at stated seasons whatever distance may separate us, and let each one of us lay it upon his heart that we will seek to be fervent in spirit, wrestling with God, till He famish these idols and cause the heathen to experience the blessedness that is in Christ.
Article X, The Serampore Form of Agreement

6 Nights in the Village

By josh

On December 23, 2018

In Chad, church, Family, Ministry

We’re back now from our trip to the town/village where we spent 6 nights starting last Friday. It was a great trip, very encouraging and also eye-opening!

We arrived Friday afternoon after about a 4-hour drive. We’re thankful that the drive was uneventful, always a blessing here. We settled in Friday evening, girls sleeping inside and the boys outside under the stars. I was glad we had brought all of our thick blankets because it was COLD!

Saturday was market day, so the ladies went to visit the market in the morning and the men took a walk around town, including the market, in the afternoon. Iwas asked that morning if I would preach the next day at the church. It wasn’t a total surprise, because we’ve learned it’s typically an honor given to visitors and I had been put on the spot once before. So I had come more prepared than the last time, with a sermonette I had just shared the weekend before at our TL retreat. But it was in English, and I had to preach in French. So Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were spent translating the sermon, because my French is not good enough to just do it on the fly.

Sunday was church, of course. The kids do Sunday School first, and then they leave and play outside or go to their houses while the adults do church. The service was pretty typical, about 2.5 hours long with lots of drumming, dancing, singing, preaching, and church business at the end. After that was a break and then a separate communion service. Needless to say we were ready for a break Sunday afternoon, and we just spent the time resting.

Monday through Wednesday mornings were English class for Kimberly and Danielle. They did great and the kids and teachers loved it. They asked when we’d be back to do more, but at the moment we don’t have any plans.

Josh spent the mornings with the kids, doing math with Isaac and reading with Judah on a mat under a shade tree while Norah took a nap and Calla Grace played. We brought Ashta, our house helper, with us so she helped as well.

We enjoyed talking with the missionary, Jeremie, about his ministry in this town. He’s been there for 17 years, and is well-known and respected by the community. We learned more about the school, the upcoming “evangelization campaign” that the church is planning in a nearby village, and the particular challenges faced by the church in ministering among Muslims. Our good friend Abdoulaye was with us, and he spent much time in the market sharing the gospel and his personal testimony. He gave away many of the memory cards we had prepared with Bible stories in the Maba language as well as some evangelistic videos in Arabic.

We are thankful for our time in the village and the time spent strengthening our relationship with Jeremie and the small church there.

Here’s a link to some more pics from our trip, as well as other pics from the past couple of months.

Visiting “Eat and Rest”

By josh

On December 21, 2018

In Chad, Culture, Ministry

I recently took off southeast from Abeche with Abdoulaye and his brother, “Omar” to visit their home village, who’s name in Maba is literally “eat and rest.” As it turns out, this is quite the appropriate name because that’s precisely what we did!

I taught them the word “selfie”, although they were already quite familiar with the concept. Chadians love taking selfies!

The trip took about 3 hours to go 90km (56 miles), so you get the idea of what the roads were like. We arrived early afternoon and immediately went to greet the adopted mother of Abdoulaye’s brother. Their mother had given Omar to her sister to raise because she couldn’t have children, so he had grown up in the village and remained there even when Abdoulaye and their mother moved to the city.

Greetings were very warm, and the initial greetings/blessings lasted several minutes each as is their custom. The longer it’s been since you’ve seen someone, the longer the greeting. Even if you repeat the same words over and over (“God Bless, I’m well, thank God, God Bless, Praise God, etc…”), no big deal. So after the initial greetings we were seated on large mats next to where they had stored the peanut harvest (which was convenient because you could just reach over and grab a handful of peanuts whenever you wanted). We spent the afternoon in further greetings every few minutes as the women came by to bring food or the men came in from the fields.

The night in the village is much cooler than in a large town like ours. I slept under a large blanket and still was cold. So the next morning none of us moved to much until the sun had started to warm the air a bit. After a breakfast of sweetened millet with milk and goat’s head soup, we went for a walk around the nearby wadi. A wadi is a seasonal riverbed that runs with lots of water when it rains but during the dry season the water remains underground, sometimes only a few feet. This wadi was full of date palms, mango trees and guava trees. We ate our fill of guavas straight from the trees while watching the monkeys playing in nearby trees.

I was told to ride the horse, apparently they assumed I was too fragile to walk all the way to the wadi
view from horseback, headed to the wadi
The stirrups were sized for someone about a foot shorter than me, so I just let my legs dangle. not. comfortable.
The owner of my horse striking a pose
In the wadi, looking like a band of Wild West outlaws
The wadi was full of guava and mango trees, date palms, and what I think were figs
This flower is incredibly beautiful, especially in contrast to the various shades of brown all around
The broken pump at the village well

That afternoon we walked in a different direction to see the well that was dug several years ago by some charities in cooperation with the European Union. It was located between several villages so that it could be used by all. But no one from the village was trained to repair it, so when a technician who had been working in a nearby town on another project finished the project and left, there was no one responsible or trained to repair it. So for the past year it has sat idle. This is such a common scenario in the developing world. Helping people improve their lives is usually much more complicated than assumed.

As we walked back from the abandoned well, my head began to throb and I started feeling worse and worse. By the time we arrived, I just wanted to lay down and try not to throw up from the pain. When I laid down it was around 5 PM, and I didn’t get up again that night. Fortunately though my friend Abdoulaye sat up with some men, including the village chief, and shared the gospel along with more of his testimony. As I was in and out of consciousness I heard them around me talking, but didn’t know what was going on until he filled me in the next morning. He shared openly, and people were attentive, and when a guy who had been in Sudan started to argue and tell them not to read the Bible, the rest of the group made him be quiet. Abdoulaye was very encouraged by this time!

The next morning, my head still throbbing, we gathered our things and after another round of goat’s head soup, headed home. I arrived at the house around lunchtime, thankful to find a bottle of Alleve and a real bed…

Emmanuel

By josh

On November 17, 2018

In Chad, Islam, Ministry

“Emmanuel” had just graduated from an Islamic school, having memorized the entire Qur’an, when he visited his cousin, one of my good friends and a Muslim-background believer (MBB). He wasn’t satisfied with what he had learned and said the Qur’an doesn’t have any help for him. My friend “Daniel” told him he could study the New Testament with him, but that if he’s looking for money or worldly things he wouldn’t find them there either. But Daniel told him that he could show him the way to eternal life, and that it was only found in Jesus. Emmanuel took a New Testament to read and came back a few hours later offended by what he had read. “How could you abandon the religion of our fathers?” Daniel simply told him it was the truth, and that he should keep reading. Emmanuel continued to read and discuss with Daniel what he was reading. They discussed how it could be possible for God to have a son, and that his son could become a man. This is a blasphemous thought to Muslims, and is explicitly denied in the Qur’an. They discussed the prophethood of Mohammed and how he compared with Jesus. Emmanuel became convinced that Mohammed was not sent by God and that Jesus was the best and final prophet. He professed faith in Christ and a desire to follow Christ.

Despite Daniel’s admonitions to Emmanuel to avoid confrontations with the Muslim community until he is well founded in his faith, Emmanuel immediately went out and began sharing publicly that Mohammed was not sent by God and that Jesus is superior in every way. This caused an incredible stir in the community as the news got out that a young man who had just completed memorizing the Qur’an has converted to Christianity. He was taken by force back to the Islamic school where he had studied, and the Sheikh there tried to figure out what had gone wrong. He decided that it was because he had only learned the Qur’an, and not the Hadiths (sayings and doings of Mohammed) so he set about trying to complete the education. After the futility of this became apparent, Emmanuel was taken to the central mosque in the town. He was set before the religious leaders of the town and told to take the Islamic oath, or shahada – “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.” This is where he caved, and in his weakness he took the oath. The pressure immediately subsided and he was set free, although under close watch of his family.

Emmanuel’s conversion brought shame to his family, and it was their job to remove the shame. It’s often the family who are the most hostile to a new convert, and this case was no different. They fully supported the proceedings against Emmanuel. His brother attempted to attack Daniel with a knife, but was prevented by another missionary who stepped in. Emmanuel was forbidden to see Daniel, though he managed to get him a letter expressing his grief and regret at having betrayed Christ as well as Daniel. He seemed to still believe, to still want to follow Christ, but was at a loss at how to proceed because of the swift and overwhelming force applied by the community against him. After a quiet few weeks, he left town to find work.

Emmanuel’s education in the Islamic school and his memorization of the Qur’an qualified him to work as a “faqi” – something like a combination between religious teacher and witchdoctor. When he fled he went to live with another faqi, several hundred kilometers from his hometown. Not having any other way to support himself, he began doing the work he was trained for. People would come with a problem and for a fee he would intercede on their behalf with God. He would pray for them, and he might write some Qur’anic verses on a special board, wash them off, and have the person drink the water. Or if the problem was fear of evil spirits or the “Evil Eye”, he might write the verses on paper, sew up the paper into a leather pouch, and the person would wear the pouch on their body for protection. It’s quite a lucrative business capitalizing on the fear that is ubiquitous here.

During this time, he also met a Christian from the southern part of Chad who was working as a nurse in the town. He confided in this new friend, sharing his story and his struggles, and they prayed and read the Bible together. He fluctuated between wanting to follow what he now believed was true and the allure of a life of relative ease, wealth, and approval of man.

Fortunately though, the story doesn’t end there. I recently took a trip with Daniel and some pastors from southern Chad and in the providence of God we ended up in a town not too far away from where Emmanuel is living. Daniel was able to get in touch with him and encourage him to come spend a day or two with us. He found a truck that was headed our way, and for a small fee they gave him a ride. He arrived in a nearby town around midnight and walked the remaining 10-15km to where we were staying. The next day, Sunday, he attended church with us. Daniel spent most of the day sharing with him, reading the Bible with him and praying with him. That evening, a group of us gathered to encourage him and pray for him. The Secretary General of the denomination was with us, and pastors and missionaries from all over Chad. He shared with us that he still believes, and that he’s struggling but that he wants to follow Jesus. He confessed the sins he’s struggling with. He said he wants to find another way to make a living and was considering fleeing to a town where he’s unknown. Daniel and the pastors encouraged him to stay and be a light where he’s at, because running isn’t the solution. They encouraged him with Daniel’s story of persevering under persecution and remaining in his community to be a light. He agreed that this was best and after circling around him and praying for him, we parted ways.

Yesterday I heard from Daniel that Emmanuel called him, and that he quit his work as a faqi because he “didn’t want to be in the Devil’s shadow anymore.”

Pray for Emmanuel. There are many unknowns, and he is still a “baby” in the faith. His worldview is still influenced by Islam in so many ways. These things don’t change overnight, but by the Spirit of God they do change for those who are his. Pray that he will find work. Pray that he will grow in his faith through reading scripture and that he will find ways to have fellowship with other believers. Praise God for his plan to call a new people to himself from every ethnic group on earth. He is working his plan, and will complete it, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition. And he will get the glory.

Slavery of Fear

By josh

On November 17, 2018

In Chad, Culture, Islam

Recently The Gospel Coalition launched their Africa site, where reformed theologians, pastors and elders from all over Africa contribute posts dealing with issues and concerns unique to this part of the world. Of course, not all the issues African Christians face are unique, but some definitely are. One of those issues is the fear/power dynamic. The traditional African worldview is one of fear, and African religion provides a means of gaining power over those sources of fear – the spirit world, ancestors, and other people. The most powerful people in African society are often the local witchdoctors, who (for a fee) promise all kinds of power to the fearful individual. Children are believed to be especially vulnerable to evil spirits (and the high rate of infant mortality, mostly from preventable causes, doesn’t help here).

But isn’t Chad majority Muslim?

Of course in Chad, and across the entire continent of Africa north of about the 10^th Parallel (10⁰ North of the Equator), Islam is the dominant religion. But Islam, primarily spread by the sword, cannot deal with underlying heart issues. One becomes a Muslim by repeating the shahada, literally the “testimony” that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. Issues of the heart are secondary, at best, to the 5 “pillars” of Islam: the shahada, the 5 daily ritual prayers, the Ramadan fast, giving of alms, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. You can do all these “works”, with a heart full of fear, pride, lust, etc. and still be considered a good Muslim.

So, in Chad as in other African Muslim countries, you have Muslim parents visiting the local witchdoctor (who doubles as Muslim cleric) to buy charms to tie onto their children to protect them from all sorts of dangers – sickness, death, evil spirits, etc. etc. The witchdoctor writes verses from the Qur’an on pieces of paper and sews them up in a leather pouch to be worn around the neck or waist by the kids. I’ve seen toddlers with 6 or 8 of these small pouches hanging around their neck. But not just kids, often adults will visit the witchdoctor for help getting pregnant, or cure for sickness, or protection from specific enemies, or just general protection from the “Evil Eye.” It’s not unusual to see and young man with these amulets tied around his upper arm. I heard the story the other day of a certain type of person who can control the locusts and will sometimes come to a farmer to demand money with threats of sending the locusts to eat his crop. For this specific problem, the witchdoctor will write verses from the Qur’an on a wooden board and then wash them off with water into a bowl. This water is then put in a bottle and sprinkled over the farmer’s field to protect it from locusts.

To my Western mind, this all seems ridiculous. My initial response is to dismiss it as ignorant nonsense. But I am rebuked by the Word, especially the Word made flesh, who lived in a society and culture not so different from the one we find ourselves in here in Chad. And Jesus didn’t dismiss the spiritual realm as “nonsense” or “nothing to be afraid of” but demonstrated his absolute power over it. He commanded demons to come out and they came out, and they went where he allowed them to go. Jesus liberated people from spiritual bondage and destroyed the strongholds of Satan. Jesus defeated fear by His power, and he still offers the same deliverance today by the power of the Gospel.

Pray for Chad. This is not a problem only for Muslims, but it continues to be a problem for the church in Chad as well. Fear can be a great temptation even for Christians when they forget that Jesus, who commands them not to fear (Matt. 10:28), has given them the power of the Holy Spirit to obey that commandment (John 14:26-27).

Here’s the article that spurred this post:

https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/spiritual-insecurity-fear-gospel/

Eid Al Adha

By josh

On September 8, 2018

In Chad, Culture, Islam

Eid Al Adha is one of the two main holidays in the Muslim world (the other being the celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan). Adha means “sacrifice” in Arabic, and this holiday celebrates the Islamic version of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22). I asked several Muslim friends to explain to me the significance of this holiday for them. They believe that God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael (thought to be the father of the Arabs), and that at the last minute he provided a sheep in his place. If he hadn’t provided the sheep, then good Muslims would be required to sacrifice their own firstborn. But since God provided the sheep, they celebrate by slaughtering sheep. And the sheep must be at least a few years old, in good health, no injuries or blemishes, etc. Sound familiar?

Why must the sheep be “spotless”? I don’t know, and my Muslim friends don’t seem to know either. You see, Mohammed appropriated bits of the Old Testament story without a clear understanding of the meaning. The Qur’an includes bits from many of the biblical prophets, but without the redemptive thread. It’s just a bunch of stories and instructions with one overarching point – obey God and believe in Mohammed his prophet or go to Hell. You can’t know God, you can’t really love God, but you CAN and MUST fear and obey him. And on the Day of Judgement, if God wills he will send you to Heaven and if not he will send you to Hell. There is the idea of a set of scales, with good deeds on one side and bad deeds on the other. The hope is that the good deeds outweigh the bad, but know one knows.

I had a discussion with an Arab Muslim friend about assurance of salvation. I told him I know I am going to heaven, I have no doubt. The Bible offers that kind of assurance (read 1 John, especially 5:13!). But he said it’s impossible to know, and it’s arrogant to presume to know. “If God wills” could be the ultimate summary statement of Islam. And the god of Islam is an arbitrary god.

All that being said, this holiday is a time people look forward to. People buy new clothes, and over the 3 days of the holiday they visit family, friends and neighbors. Food is often shared around, and there are lots of sweets. Kids go around in groups from house to house to get candy and sweets (like some kind of Chadian Halloween without the costumes). The first day of celebration begins with mandatory prayers, and then the sheep (or sheeps, if you are wealthy enough) are slaughtered after proclaiming “Allah hu akbar” (“God is the greatest”) three times. Every bit of meat (including intestines, liver, stomach, etc.) is eaten – some grilled, some cooked over a fire in a sauce. And of course, afterwards there’s tea.

I visited my friend Abdou’s family this year, bringing Judah and Calla Grace. Kimberly stayed home with Isaac, who was sick. The picture above is in a room of his parents house where we sat and talked while the kids tried to finish off all of the candy, cookies and dates. The wood carving of Africa is a gift I had given Abdou a long time ago because he likes maps.

We stayed a couple of hours at Abdou’s parents’ house, talking, eating and walking around outside seeing how green the world has become during the rainy season. The kids especially enjoyed that part.

A Note on the “Christian” West

By josh

On July 23, 2018

In Culture, Islam, Ministry

Nasraani (pl. nasaara) is what they call us here. Not just us, but anyone white from Europe or North America. It is a reference to Nazareth, as in Jesus of Nazareth. Essentially it means “Christian.” Let that sink in for a moment. The UN workers who come to Chad for humanitarian reasons, and who also drink alcohol and live generally worldly lives – “Christians.” The French military, in Chad for over a century now, who drink alcohol, eat pork, and visit not-so-reputable women – “Christians.” The people in movies produced by Hollywood – all “Christians.”

Something important to understand about Islam is that it’s not simply a religion, concerning itself with matters of faith. Islam is a culture, a political system, a religion – it’s a way of life. You are born into Islam (when your Father whispers the Muslim “shahada”, or testimony in your ear as a baby), you don’t choose it. And you don’t leave. There is no separation between church and state. Because of this, people who’ve grown up as Muslims assume that Christianity is the same way. And they look at the “Christian” West and see rampant immorality tolerated, even celebrated, and this is what they think being a Christian means. Of course many Muslims misunderstand the concept of the Trinity, assuming we are polytheists who’ve associated other creatures (Jesus, Mary) with the one God. But along with that they see the filth churned out by Hollywood, the immorality celebrated in western culture, the general cultural ignorance (not to mention immodesty) of Americans who travel abroad, and this is what Christianity is in their minds.

So what’s my point? Should we avoid the word “Christian” at all costs, as many in missions today suggest? I don’t think so. It’s a biblical word. It has 2000 years of history (although admittedly that also brings baggage). But we must work to distinguish the true from the false, and recover the original definition of the word from when it was first used at Antioch (Acts 11:26) – those who follow Jesus with all their hearts and consider it a great privilege to be associated with him and called by his name.

The Critical Role of the Sending Church

By josh

On July 12, 2018

In church, Ministry

Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.

Andrew Fuller, on describing William Carey’s charge to the elders of his sending church on the eve of his departure for India

Having a church behind us that had walked with us through the process (of preparation for cross-cultural missions), asked us the hard questions, prayed for us, and ultimately affirmed us was crucial. When we started the process, we didn’t have this. We were involved in a church plant with an old friend. We eventually left after realizing it was not a healthy situation and began our search for a solid, bible-preaching and obeying church. We eventually joined GCC and submitted our desire to the elders for consideration. Kimberly and I agreed that whatever the elders decided, we would submit to. We knew they would prayerfully and biblically consider our desire to serve and would guide us accordingly. If we were going to be cross-cultural missionaries, it would be a joint decision with the elders of GCC and with the backing of the entire GCC body. We would not be self-sent, no matter what kind of calling we sensed from God. The work of missions is the work of the local church, and it must be done under the accountability of the local church. When our elders asked us, twice, to push back our launch date for continued discussion and evaluation, we agreed. God blessed our submission and, in the end, spared us the difficulty of arriving in our new country of service just in time to be kicked out along with all the other Christian workers. We eventually were sent (to a different country) and have been supported wonderfully in every way. Now, when I am discouraged to the point of doubting my calling and thinking we’re crazy to have moved our family here, I am upheld by God’s grace in knowing that we were affirmed and sent by the leadership of our church and that the whole church is holding the rope for us as we descend into this darkness with the light of God’s Word.

A Prayer

By josh

On July 10, 2018

In Ministry, Prayer

Found this email today from Kimberly back in 2011… kimberly email 2011

I was, at that time, on a bus heading from Khartoum, Sudan south to another town where we hoped to open a language center. We didn’t know at the time, but I (along with 2 guys with me) would be arrested, interrogated from around 4PM to 2AM, have passports, phone, etc. taken, and then finally sent back the following day to Khartoum. That was in the first few days of my first vision trip to Sudan, back when we thought we would be working there.

EU Factsheet on Chad

By josh

On July 10, 2018

In Chad

Chad faces numerous challenges: food and nutrition insecurity, forced population displacement, climate change (especially drought), epidemics (hepatitis E, cholera) and chronic poverty. As a result, about 4.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Four million people are affected by food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in the Sahel belt, a situation that each year worsens during the lean season from June to September. About one million people are in need of emergency food assistance, with over 230 000 cases of severe acute malnutrition. In 12 out of 23 regions, global acute malnutrition exceeds the critical threshold of 15% set by the World Health Organization. For severe malnutrition, 15 regions are over the emergency threshold of 2%.

Violence and conflicts in Chad’s neighbouring countries (Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan) have led to an influx of over 440 000 refugees and asylum-seekers; however, as one of the poorest countries in the world, Chad’s capacity to care for them is extremely limited.

Read full factsheet here…