Category: Ministry Page 6 of 7

Christendom is dead. Good riddance…

On November 3, 2015

One of the legacies of Christendom is that it is willing to provide a safe haven for Christianity, but only at the cost of the steady domestication of Christianity, gradually smoothing down most of its rough prophetic edges, so that Christian identity and cultural identity became virtually seamless.

Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (Invitation to Theological Studies Series) by Dr Timothy Tennent
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K7JZU4

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Fatalism or Faith?

By josh

On September 6, 2015

In Chad, Culture, Ministry

Allah has willed it

How many times have I heard this statement in our first 10 months in Chad. It’s spoken of everything that happens. The four year old boy who was hit by a car while wondering along the side of a busy road. The man who dies on the operating table in our local hospital, from a relatively routine operation necessitated by an entirely preventable disease. The guy on the motorcycle who hit me today as he was trying to pass (on the left) as I was turning left, skidding across the pavement and fortunately (for him and for me) coming away with just a good scrape. “It happens, God willed it.” In this case God also apparently willed that I give him some money, but that’s another story.

It’s one of the characteristics of this society that has struck me the most – the complete acquiescence to the events of life, without any real hope that there is a divine plan and that it is good. It provides for me a picture of what happens when you have such a strong belief in the sovereignty of God, as Islam does, without knowing anything of the great love of God. I was talking to a friend several weeks ago who made a very profound (in my view) observation: Muslims certainly believe God is great, but they don’t really believe he’s good. Not on a personal, relational level. They wouldn’t say that, but it seems to be a valid observation. Their god is arbitrary and capricious. He demands robotic obedience to a long list of do’s and don’ts, but doesn’t give any assurance of salvation at the end of it all. Mohammad himself didn’t even have assurance.

I have a great burden for those all around me every day living and dying in hopelessness. We have so much to offer! Our God is sovereign AND GOOD! Life is full of difficulty and heartbreak, the curse of sin, but we have the cure! Jesus took the curse so that we don’t have too. And for those in Christ, there is a great, overarching purpose in all events of our life. We’re being conformed to the image of Christ, the ultimate end of God’s promise to “work all things together for good.” (Romans 8:28-29)

Pray for our friends and neighbors, some of whom are very proud of their many religious activities, others who have been beaten down by life and feel as if there’s no hope. Both types need to see their fatalism turned to faith.

The Woman Caught in Adultery

By kimberly

On August 10, 2015

In Bible, Chad, Ministry

Remember the woman who months ago gave birth to a premie baby? He is now a healthy 6 month old baby! Remember me sharing that this baby was born out of an adulterous relationship? The prospects were dim. Fear that her other children would be taken away was real. Shame was evident. Insecurity of her future was looming. Hope was nowhere in her sight. Hunger was a daily source of concern (I was providing her meals for weeks along with another worker because her family shunned her). Well, I want to share with you today that God did not give up on this woman or her family. He has continued to show himself faithful to her. Not only is she regularly employed as a language helper for two adults in town (me being one), which has provided for her daily needs of feeding her children, but her husband finally returned. I had the opportunity to confront her about her sin and the need for her to take responsibility, act humbly, and ask for forgiveness. When all the respected family elders around her were encouraging her to say nothing, she chose to ask her husband’s forgiveness after three days of me talking to her. I shared the story of the woman caught in adultery, assured her that she can be forgiven of her sins, but that Jesus commands us to sin no more. God provided an opportunity for a local believer from her people group to pray with her and then challenge her when passing her on the road after my conversation with her. In the end, her husband forgave her and chose to keep her as his wife. Is the story over? No. Is everything easy now? No. But we are seeing small steps towards reconciliation – not just in the earthly marriage relationship of this couple but also in my friend’s spiritual life. Continue to pray for her to be humble, for God to open her eyes to all that He is, and for her husband to have an opportunity to hear the gospel and choose to follow Jesus. Praise God with me for the ways He has made himself evident in a situation that at one time appeared to be completely hopeless!

A Time of Mourning

By kimberly

On August 10, 2015

In Chad, Islam, Ministry, Prayer

My house helper comes to our house 6 days a week to cook, run to the market, clean dishes, basically be of help however is necessary that morning. She called me at 5:45am last week to tell me that her former husband, the father of her 5 children, and also the man who she was considering remarrying, had died suddenly. M. was in the hospital awaiting surgery to amputate some toes because of his diabetes. He passed away when the put him under, before they ever performed the operation. Life can feel so cheap here. He was likely in no physical condition to undergo the operation, yet it was still a shock that he died.

This death has had numerous implications for our family. Josh got to visit the man at the hospital days before he passed away. I am thankful he was able to share his care and concern for the family in this way. His death means that I have been without a house helper which is a big deal here with so many tasks to complete in a day, but it has been a week of God showing me his grace and provision as well as breaking my heart for the hopelessness of the people here.

First, counting my blessings:

We just welcomed our new teammate who came to help with our children. Josh is in Thailand for a conference and I could not have invested the time necessary showing love and concern to my house helper if it wasn’t for God’s perfect timing in sending Danielle here. The kids love her, I trust her, she has a heart to serve, and I have been free to go and weep with my house helper, visit with her other friends and family, and peel loads of garlic to add to sauces that feed all the visitors.
My second helper who comes a few days a week just to wash laundry has stepped right in without missing a beat to take over some of the household responsibilities while I have to be away and my original house helper is unavailable. What a blessing to have someone who had the time and willingness to help me out in a time of need!
I have had many added responsibilities, but God is sustaining my health and helping me to accomplish each task throughout the day with (mostly!) joy and thankfulness.

Now a reflection on what the actual funeral and mourning process has helped me to be aware of: the amount of people in and out of my house helper’s compound this past week has been astonishing! The vast majority come to stay just a few minutes, offer condolences (“May God give you patience.”) and say some prayers on behalf of the deceased, hoping this may tip the scale in his favor so Allah will allow him into paradise. The problem is, it seems so fabricated. The majority of the people who come seem to be doing it out of necessity. Their words are not filled with any sense of emotion or even a sense that they believe what they are saying to the grieving. Even the prayers they offer up in to bless the deceased man seem hopeless and emotionless, like they know what they are doing is futile but they do it because it’s what is required and expected. Because they want people to do it for them when they die. Maybe it will be enough to get them to Paradise.

Pray for these people who have yet to hear that there is a better Way. There is a sure Way to peace with God both in the present and for all eternity. Pray for many hearts to be sensitive during this time of mourning, longing for something much more fulfilling and life changing than Islam can ever offer them. Pray for God to prepare the soil of my house helper and her family to receive the Word with gladness, that it would take root in their lives and produce much fruit. They are a very religious family but have been around believers and Westerners a lot so they are aware of at least the basics of the gospel and Christianity.

A Chadian Family Feud

By kimberly

On August 10, 2015

In Chad, Culture, Ministry

What Bible stories or verses come to mind when an Arab nomad friend shares with you that just outside of town, his family has had a feud with not-so distant relatives that involved knives and guns and resulted in 4 deaths, including one child? Many women were injured, some cousins are in the hospital recovering from operations. Reconciliation attempts were made by offering camels in return for the lives of men, but even those attempts towards reconciliation are viewed as a statement that they are enemies and no longer family. What words of hope and peace do you offer someone who has only been taught retaliation? What will it take to change the hearts, not just of individuals, but of entire clans who at their core are proud, judgmental, and many times unforgiving because their god is the same way? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself today.

(Dirt) Road Trip – Day 2

By josh

On April 26, 2015

In Chad, Culture, Ministry

After a very fitful night’s sleep, I was up with the rooster’s crow the next morning. Having come from Abeche, where we were sweating both day and night, I didn’t think to pack a blanket, or even a sheet. So when the temperature dropped overnight I realized my mistake. Looking around for something to cover up with I found only my other clothes, so I positioned them over my body and tried not to move.

Packed and ready around 6AM, we headed out towards our next destination. It’s a town next to a refugee camp holding more than 30,000 refugees, mostly from the Darfur region of Sudan. The church has had a presence there since just before the refugees started pouring over the Chad-Sudan border, and they are in a good position to reach out to these refugees. For over a decade now the camp has been growing steadily, with no end in sight. The initial hope of returning quickly home has been squashed by the harsh realities of the conflict. They’re not going home any time soon. The initial surge of international concern has faded with the day to day difficulties of caring for so many displaced people. Many NGOs have long since gone home. Some remain to do the thankless work of providing food, sanitation, education, etc. to these seemingly God-forsaken people. May the God who heard the cries of the Israelite slaves in Egypt also hear the heart cry of these people and redeem them for His glory!

We arrived at our first destination around 8 AM, welcomed once again with a huge breakfast meal. Esh, or boule, a paste made of millet and formed into a large ball, was on the menu at each stop. This time it was complimented by a chicken sauce. Also a favorite for breakfast in Chad is a fried donut called “fongasso”. This is good for dipping in coffee or tea, or just eating as-is.

An example of “esh”, pictured here with a green sauce made from the leaves of the hibiscus plant.

Eating quickly and adding the missionary and his wife to our crew, we set out for a small town, village really, on the border with Sudan. The missionary, his family, and a few others are the only Christians in town. They have had some problems buying land there due to being Christians and Southerners. The missionary’s wife has been very sick, and they have struggled under the weight of discouragement. They haven’t received a visit from the church leadership in the entire 9 years that they’ve been there due to the lack of transportation. I imagine that I would have packed up long ago and headed back to familiar territory. They’ve persevered, and were refreshed by the visit from their brothers and sister. We gathered under a shelter made of sticks and straw and they discussed the situation there and how we could help. We drank tea (of course), prayed, sang and just chatted.

Spending time together talking, praying, and singing.

We went as a group to greet the government leadership in the town, to pay our respects and also to try and gain a hearing regarding the land issues. The local leader was friendly enough and and assured us that Christians and Muslims, we’re together and that he would see that the land issues are resolved fairly. This is a familiar refrain from local leaders in Chad, even if it doesn’t quite work like that in practice. Chad is officially secular in government, providing Christianity and Islam equal status under the law. But for Christians encroaching into Muslim areas, they often find fierce opposition in their attempts to buy land and build churches. Often they are relegated to the outskirts of town. But they can find encouragement in remembering that the one who sent them with His Great Commission also provided the Great Assurance, that he has been given authority over all things in Heaven and on Earth and that He will be with them always. We can’t fail, in the grand scheme of things, if by failure we mean that God’s will is thwarted. Hallelujah!

Some praise and worship time just before sending us off.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we had to leave again after just a few hours with these brothers and sisters. We packed up and retraced our route back the way we came, stopping for the night in the town near the refugee camp. After several hours of intense driving, constantly trying to choose the best path (meaning least likely to get us bogged down in sand), I was exhausted. After a quick bucket bath and a bit to eat, I crashed on the cot I had brought along. Having borrowed an extra blanket from the missions director, I slept soundly all night long. I would need to be well rested for our drive the following day, which would bring lots more rocky terrain and deep sand and we headed back west to our next destination.

(Dirt) Road Trip

By josh

On April 20, 2015

In Chad, Ministry

Many people have been praying for my trip around the region, so I thought I’d post a recap of the trip for those who are interested. I initially suggested the trip while meeting with the Director of Missions/Evangelism for the church denomination with which we partner – Les Assemblées Chrétiennes au Tchad.This is a French-speaking church made up mostly of southerners, and it’s the second largest denomination in Chad.

Much of the first couple of months in Chad for me was spent writing and negotiating a partnership agreement with this denomination so that they would sponsor our visas. This was necessary because we entered the country on 3 month tourist visas, and we were planning to switch to one-year missionary visas. So this partnership was critical to our long-term strategy.

Thankfully, the Lord provided open doors and toward the end of January we signed an agreement – basically that we would work together in whatever ways possible to further the Gospel in Chad. One of the ways I found that I could serve them is to provide a vehicle to allow them to visit some missionaries in far flung places that they have difficulty reaching. Most church members and leaders do not own vehicles, so travel is restricted to public transportation, and traveling outside of the major cities is extremely difficult and unpredictable.

So a couple of weeks ago the Director of Missions caught a bus to our town, and then we set off together with a few other people. The pastor of the local ACT church went along, and I brought a friend who works with me often and was interested in visiting the places on our itinerary.

Day 1

We set off around 7AM driving south from our town. The paved road ended before we even got out of town, and we wouldn’t see pavement again for 3 days. The road varied from hard packed dirt and rocks to several feet of sand. I had decided to drive because I wanted to gain experience driving in the bush. And no one else volunteered…

We drove for several hours over teeth-rattling terrain until we made it to our first stop. We stopped in a small town to meet up with the leader of all the missionaries in eastern Chad. In addition to keeping track of the missionaries in the East, he also pastors the ACT church in town along with several other elders. I immediately liked him.

We got a tour of the church compound where he lives along with another elder and their families. Part church campus, part residence, part farm, and part school, it serves as a gathering place for the Christians in town. Since this part of the country is predominately Muslim, most towns have very small Christian populations – often just government workers and members of the military stationed there.

School building being built. It will serve not just the children of Christians but many others in the community.

Meeting place for Sunday School and worship times.

Missionary residences.

After some time of fellowship, a meal of wild boar and sauce, and a little rest we continued on to the next town, where we would spend the night. The missionary and another of the elders joined us, bringing our total to 6. We drove for another few hours, now navigating much more sand and the road becoming less and less obvious. We finally arrived at our destination in the late afternoon. This is a larger town, and a missionary from the ACT has just been stationed there. We arrived just in time for prayer meeting, so we joined the local brothers and sisters for prayer in the compound of one of the elders. We sang some songs – some in French and some in southern Chadian languages, had a brief time of introduction for us, and then prayed. At every stop there was great hospitality – hot tea, cokes, and lots of food. It was a great cultural experience to spend time with these new friends, and also lots of fun.

The newly constructed missionary residence.

Prayer meeting in the home of one of the elders.

After eating we prepared our beds, all of us sleeping outside in the courtyard of this compound. Coming from Abeche, where the days were reaching 118 degrees and the nights still warm, I didn’t bring anything to cover up with. So I was very surprised when I woke up in the middle of the night freezing! I was so cold I pulled my arms in my shirt and curled up in a ball. It was a miserable nights sleep. Lesson learned the hard way…

I will continue with Day 2 in a separate post.

Pleasing Man or Pleasing God? Thoughts on Galatians 1:10

By kimberly

On March 24, 2015

In Bible, Ministry, Other thoughts

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

In ministry and life, it is easy to muddy our motives. Even the best “works” for the Lord that we do are often tainted with the sin of pride or the desire to please others. This is no less true for the missionary on a foreign field. We give up a lot: family, friends, church, comforts, health, and many things that are familiar. In return, the majority of people back home who support our ministry can put us on a higher pedestal than is deserved. Many forget that we are normal people, struggling with normal sins and problems and temptations that every Christian struggles with. The only difference is we are doing it in a strange culture. Many times the sins and struggles become even more magnified: there is no cushion for hiding our sin problems when we are stripped of all that is familiar.

This verse in Galatians 1 has convicted me recently. At times when I have hard days and complain in my heart about the heat, the work load, the lack of conveniences, the lack of fellowship and deep friendship because of our chosen lifestyle, I am forgetting who I am living for. If my eyes and heart are focused consistently on the Lord, aiming to please Him, I am counted worthy to serving Him and am able to do so joyfully. When I look at my own problems or at my lack of worldly wants and needs, or even at the encouragement we receive from supporters, but forget Who it is I am serving, I quickly lose my joy and desire to serve. According to this verse, I also don’t deserve the privilege of being a servant of Christ. He has promised that following Him means losing much in the present life and gaining much in the life to come. How can I be His servant if my eyes remain on the things of this world? I am not worthy.

As one woman wrote me in a letter a few months ago, “You may be normal people with normal problems but at least you are serving.” This encouraged my heart. It is true for each of us who follows Jesus, no matter which country we are in. We are all normal people with normal sins and normal problems. There are two questions that must be answered. The first is: “Is Jesus enough? Is He worth it?” Is Jesus worth giving up, each day, my desires, my comforts, even those things I think are necessary to my well-being? The next question is, “Are we serving the Lord alone, or still seeking the approval of man?” Am I serving with a pure heart even when no one knows? Am I working wholeheartedly and with joy when no one says thank you? May it always be said of you and me that despite all, we are serving the Lord. He is enough for us.

I write this from my heart partly in attempt to encourage you to remain steadfast, keeping your eyes fixed on the prize which is Jesus, our joy. He is worth living for and dying for. I also write this as a plea for prayer. We need God’s grace daily, each moment, if we are going to thrive in life and ministry for the long term. If I am not seeking the approval of God alone in a place of ministry like Chad, then why am I here?! Your prayers and encouragement to us are important as God continues to sanctify us and prayerfully use us in this place, and we are grateful for you.

Running Water and Living Water

By josh

On February 20, 2015

In Chad, Ministry

Water in the desert is never a simple thing to find. We are in the very small minority of people here who actually have “running” water in our house. For this blessing, we are grateful, although we once took it for granted! In order to have water readily available at the kitchen sink or toilet, we needed to have a place to store large amounts high off of the ground, where we could take advantage of the law of gravity to provide some pressure to make the water “run”. So, we hired a welder and other workers to construct a tower capable of holding a large (550 gallon, nearly 5000 lbs. when full) tank.. The base of the tank is nearly 12 feet off the ground, and the tank itself is about 6 feet tall.

Every day, we pay for multiple “pousse-pousse” deliveries. A “pousse-pousse” (pousser is the French verb for “to push, or roll”) is a push cart with 10 jerry cans of water. This is how water is delivered to homes in Abeche. Young men fill their carts with water from a well, paying a small fee, and then push the cart around town to deliver the water. The cost for a single pousse is $1.50 – $2.00. When they arrive, they pour the water into a small holding tank at the base of the water tower, and we turn on a pump that’s connected to our solar power system. The water is pumped from the holding tank up nearly 18 ft. to the top of the large tank. The large tank has a pipe feeding our house and voila, we have running water!

There have been a few learning curves for our family, however, when it comes to our running water. Because it is such hard work and costs money to get it to our house, we are trying to teach our boys (and ourselves) to be very conscious of every bit of water we use. We still allow them to play with a small bucket or two in the sand each day. However, their bath water gets dumped from the big basins onto the trees next to where they bathe. We turn the water off each time we don’t need to use it while brushing teeth or during a shower. Instead of flushing our toilet (which is possible), we are trying to get into the habit of flushing manually by pouring water down. Otherwise, an excess of water is used to fill the tank each time it is flushed.

Are there ways you try to conserve water in your home? Is there a place in your home next to a water source where you could put a reminder to pray for those unengaged groups of eastern Chad who not only have no running water but also don’t yet know or love the Source of Living Water?

Our Language Tutor

By kimberly

On January 15, 2015

In language, Ministry

We started language lessons this week, and we are very excited. Our language tutor has helped other westerners learn Chadian Arabic, so he knows what he is doing. He is very knowledgeable of his language. He comes from a family of Arab nomads who travel with their camels throughout Chad. Not only are we sure to learn much about the Arabic language from him, but also the interesting culture of nomads which is almost incomprehensible to us! Pray for our interaction with N, who is a Muslim but has been exposed to the teachings of Scripture to some degree through the English classes he attends and his relationships with other workers who have passed through our town to learn Arabic. We look forward to sharing more about what God will do through this relationship.