A lot of people ask, "Don't you hate support raising?" The answer is no -- though it can be very challenging. I like to call our time of raising our missionary budget as a time of connection. Here's what I wrote to a friend in Peru today: "We feel the Lord's calling strongly (to the mission field), so we know that this time of connection here in the states is temporary. We embrace it for a time, drinking in our time with our loved ones here and encouraging the American church to not forget that the great commission is still the heart of the Father." The last line is important: God is still calling his church to fulfill the great commission! #followingJesusisgood #gratefulfortheblessedadventure
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This from Bill: Matthew 28:18-20 is the Great Commission, in which Jesus commands us to "make disciples." But, that isn't what motivates me. On an emotional or motivational level, the reason why I disciple people is that I’ve had a life changing encounter with Jesus that is real and profoundly positive. It’s not like everything that happens to me is positive, but experiencing Christ and being transformed by Him – that has been overwhelmingly positive. I strive to introduce others to Jesus and his way of life because I want them to have as good a life as I have. I frequently challenge young adults who are making self-defeating decisions to imitate my life, because I know that I have a better marriage and a happier life than the vast majority of the world. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)”
I had noticed that most of Hannah's old friends from church were going on the trip, and I realized that she would feel lonely and a bit left out of things while they were gone, but I hadn't once considered her going. One of the moms, an old friend from church had broached the topic with me (of Hannah maybe going), and I brushed if off quickly and easily. After all, Hannah was only just coming from the mission field, we were exhausted from having only recently arrived in the States, and were struggling to make our old house living-ready, watching the earnings from having rented it disappear. So I went with my first instinct, and said a resounding "No!" Bill, always the less impulsive parent of the two of us, gave a more reason-centered answer. He said that she could go if she could raise the money. Almost as good as a no.
I softened (like I usually do) and told Hannah that she at least had to write to pastor Dele and find out what we would have to do to get her on that trip. She was scared, but I told her that this was good practice--that anything worth having in life requires a little fight from us. Little did I know that her letter would move the hearts of our pastoral staff and others to get behind her and put her on that flight with her friends. All of this happened in the space of a week and a half, from start to finish. At one point, we were even grappling with the possibility of putting her on a flight by herself, to catch up with the rest of the team in Johannesburg. Oh my.
My point? At some point in all of this process, I felt the control of it completely leave my hands. Hannah was praying, seeking God's will, fasting. And as I continued to "raise issues" with the process, explaining why it couldn't happen, or wouldn't be prudent, the Lord seemed to be turning to me and saying, "Thank you for your services. I greatly appreciate your input. Hannah's roots have now matured to the point that she and I can have private conversations that don't involve you. So, I'll take it from here."
We know that when a child turns 7, they start losing teeth. When they turn 16, they get a driver's license. But when does a child reach their full spiritual gestation period? When they start going to the Lord on their own, hearing His voice for themselves. At that point, even though I may be kept on as a "consultant," my full-time job as interpreter of God's will for their lives is over. And they might be 15 or 20, but when that happens, it is over. I was shocked, and yet I knew it was true. My baby girl was working out her own salvation.
So, here is my celebration of Hannah's spiritual independence. Like all those other benchmarks of growth, I will adjust to the changes it brings, but I know that this one is supremely important, and will guide all the rest of the decisions of her life far better than if I stayed that "contact person" for God. She went to South Africa, blessed a lot of orphans, and even received some words from the Lord for her life. It will be a pleasure to watch it unfold.
Since being back in the states, we've been asked two questions: How does it feel to be home? And, are we going back? The answer to the first question is "Great!" Being home is fabulous--it is warm here, my mother is a great cook, and people all speak the same language. We're also enjoying how clean and green Ohio is. The transition has been somewhat difficult physically, but very rewarding emotionally. So many friends and family members have helped us, I don't know if I've ever felt so loved and supported. (Thanks everyone!)
So, if it's so great being home, are we planning to return to Peru? Absolutely! There is yet much work to be done. Our first term was very successful, in terms of accomplishing our ministry goals, and that gave us a rewarding sense of accomplishment. But it wasn't a complete sense of accomplishment. Rather, the first term now feels like it was a prelude to the real victories that are yet to come--especially now that we know much more of the language and culture. Some missionaries who feel like I do, feel constrained or hindered by the need to return to the states, but I feel very much the opposite. Rather than feeling like itineration has taken me from the work, I feel like it's part of the work. I'm eager to share about the miracles that God is doing and I'm eager for our friends and supporting churches to understand how valuable their partnership is. So, I feel blessed to be a part of the work and blessed to share the fruit of it with those who've sacrificed to make it possible. And, as much as I'm enjoying being home, I'm aware of the continuing harvest that awaits us in Peru. The Holy Spirit is transforming the lives of hundreds of families in Peru. I want to put my hand to the plow with Jesus and work while it is still day!
Willy, at age 7, is the budding Evangelist in the family. Recently, he was playing in the park and mentioned Jesus to his friend. The boy said, "Who is this Jesus guy you keep talking about?
Willy replied, "Don't you know Jesus? He's God. He made us and the world and everything!"
The boy responded, "God didn't make us. We came from monkeys and the big boom!"
Willy, never having heard of the big "boom," was as perplexed as his friend who had never heard of Jesus. Willy came home and told the rest of us, "That kid really needs to learn about Jesus, because he thinks we came from monkeys."
It's like Charles Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities," in which the city was the same, it was the perspective of the people that was different. In this case, you don't have two "cities;" but rather, two "histories." THE original history is Willy's, who has been brought up to believe in a loving God who protects him and wants what is good for him. The fruit of that is that Willy is a generally happy kid. Why be afraid when God is on your side? The other history is that of the other boy, who was brought up to believe in unexplainable physical processes that have the power to create or destroy--entirely without love or reason. As such, the other little boy has a surly and cantankerous outlook. The explanation for where we come from shows on the faces of each child.
I'm proud of Willy for sharing about Jesus and, even though he climbs like a monkey, he didn't come from one. Below is a letter Willy wrote to Jesus, back when he was just starting the first grade. It reads, "Dear Jesus, Thank you for coming into my heart. Love, Will." Ironically, he spelled "heart" as "hert." If you pronounce it "hurt," it would be just as true.
An old friend wrote me today and asked how our transition was going. I wanted to share some of what I wrote him:
Our lives here are going well. We like Lima. We miss our friends in Cincinnati and in Costa Rica, but if you have to live in a foreign city, Lima, Peru is a great place to live. We especially appreciate the orderly structure and amenities of this big city. Nonetheless, it’s not home and there are many aspects that are less than comfortable or simply hard to understand. It’s funny that some people make this move solely for the adventure or for financial gain. It seems costly to do that without the greater purpose of the kingdom. I once heard that ex-pats consider their original country to be home up until the 2nd year away. At that point, they don’t feel that either country is home. They simply don’t fit anywhere. After the 4th year, their new country is home. We’ve been gone from the states for 1 ½ years and we are definitely feeling the sense of a loss of identity. We’re not Cincinnati people and not XA people. We’re like Abraham, marching into a new land, a land of promise, based on faith and the call of God.
(This cross sits atop San Cristobal--a tall hill overlooking Lima.)
Colton and I play a lot of chess. At only ten years old, he frequently beats me. That makes me mighty proud!
In chess, the object is to capture your opponent's King. It's easy to forget this and think that the object is to take out your opponent's players. Capturing your opponents players feels like progress. Whenever someone asks, "Who's winning?" It's easy to point to the pile of captured players and say, "Well Bob has captured more men." It sounds great, but it could be meaningless. Often, taking out your opponent's players can actually hurt you. It may be better to have the King blocked in by his own army. The worst scenario is when you could "checkmate" your opponent's King, but you miss the opportunity because you're so focused on capturing his/her Queen. Capturing your opponent's players feels great and looks like success, but it's not the purpose of the game.
One of the great challenges in life is keeping your purpose, priorities and/or focus on your strategic target and not on the periphery--no matter how much the latter looks like success.
“Therefore … let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,…” Heb 12:1-2
When I was a kid, we had a boat on the Ohio River. Because rivers have bends and curves, it's easy to run aground. When my dad let me drive, he advised me to keep my eyes on a point in the distance and aim for that point. That's been great advise for my life. I want to share some thoughts about the importance of purpose--living a "purpose driven life," and living toward a target. If you don't pick a target, you'll run aground. Your life will be, literally, "pointless." If you state that you have a target, but you're not making decisions to actually get there, you're like an arrow without feathers--flying fast through the air, but not any closer to the target. Living purposefully is one of the most important traits of a successful life and is, undoubtedly, the primary character trait of Jesus and the Apostle Paul.
Matthew 16:21-24 is just one example of Jesus knowing and living toward his purpose. In this passage, he defines part of our purpose; i.e., to follow him.
Mt 16:21-24: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
We received our call to Peru in December of 2003. It's been a long haul since then. I knew when we received the call, that it would be about 4 years before we actually made it to the field. It became a target in the distance and we've been living "toward" it ever since. There are a lot of opportunities to "run aground" in four years. But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit's job is to keep us afloat. I'm grateful that we're now able to see the light at the end of this long tunnel. Lord willing, we'll be in Peru shortly. Purpose, in life, is like the rings of a target. There's often more than one ring--though they all circle around or point to the center point. For us, the center point is Jesus and the advancement of the kingdom by preaching the Gospel. For us, the rings around this center will be working with Latin America Childcare, teaching, preaching, evangelizing, hosting teams and falling in love with the people of Peru.
(The pictures: 1) My beloved Ohio River, taken from Eden Park. 2) Colton shooting an arrow at a Royal Ranger camp-out here in Costa Rica. Shooting an arrow gives you a great idea of how important it is to keep your eye on the target and how easy it is to lose your arrows in the weeds.)
