Not Feeling At Home? ---------This Blaufway, Tu-ba-boo will Be "At Home" some day!

In West Africa the Agni Kids would chant "Blauf-way" the Jula "Tu-Ba-Boo" as we entered a village or courtyard. This practice is ancient I was told. For generations the kids were taught to shout this as a warning during the slave trade, "There's white people here!".

However, now it's more of a curious interest as they shout this with a huge smile because, frankly they do not see many white people in some of these rural forest villages. Kids, even the odd older woman, will come up and rub your arm to feel your skin, especially the blond red hair on my arm. However, "blaufway!" is still chanted every time in every village.

The Agni often tell their small kids; "If you're not good, the white man will come and take you away." So many infants have a horrible fear of us when we first begin working in a village. Mothers coming by with wide eyed babies to see their first white person. Often the baby's begin to ball hysterically clawing and clutching to their mother.

There was a time when for six months I had not seen a single western person or spoken English to anyone other than my wife and kids. One day I passed another white guy on the highway in the car and I wanted to turn and chase him down just to talk. Not because he was white, rather because chances where much greater that we shared a similar cultural background and language, therefore making it easy to just chat with full understanding. Cross-cultural communication is not easy because it involves more than just words of a language, but culture and world-view exchange. Anyway, for the first time in my life I think I kind of understood just a little bit what it might feel like to be black in an all white place, even though I was white. Though here I am given a more prominent status by default. Regardless, this experience did help me understand better the desire to belong. To feel at home. To feel welcome. To belong. I'm glad to say that over time in Africa I eventually did come to "belong" and be accepted too. What a precious gift they gave me.

However, now having lived it, there are some things that always weigh a bit heavy on my heart. I'm generally a happy person, but now there are things I can't put out of my mind very long that many of my western friends and neighbors can. Makes me feel "foreign" at times even though I am suppose to be "Home". In Africa I'm a "Blaufway", at home, well I am just not "at home" anymore. People don't "get" me. I know why this is in my head. I have become what they call a Bi-cultural person and the feeling of being at home never really comes anywhere anymore.

Don't feel sorry for me, this does not mean I am sad. No it's deeper, a sense of not being "at home" in either place now. I was told by an older wiser bi-cultural person that this "at home" feeling will now only be satisfied in the place made for us. Near the throne of heaven where every tribe, language, people, and nation will stand with us around the throne. Sigh! Home!

Submitted by Andy Rayner

Weight Watchers, South Beach & Atkins Diet - Meet World Misisons!

How hard have we tried to save others? The nearly two billion dollars American evangelicals give per year to mission agencies is one fourth of what they spend on weight-loss programs. A person must overeat by at least two dollars worth of food per month to maintain one excess pound of flesh. Yet two dollars per month is more than what 90% of all Christians in America give to missions. If the average mission supporter is only five pounds overweight, it means he spends (to his own hurt) at least five times as much as he gives for missions. If he were to choose simple food (as well as not overeat) he could give ten times as much as he does to mission and not modify his standard of living in any other way!

(“Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle.” Ralph D. Winter. Perspectives On the World Christian Movement, William Carey Library, 1999, pg706)

Poor In India Sacrifice A Greater Percentage of Income for Missions?

Consider the fact that the U.S. evangelical slogan “Pray, give or go”allows people merely to pray, if that is their choice! By contrast the Friends Missionary Prayer Band of South India numbers 8,000 people in their prayer bands and supports 80 full-time missionaries in North India. If my denomination (with its unbelievably greater wealth per person) were to do that well, we would not be sending 500 missionaries, but 26,000. In spite of their true poverty, those poor people in South India are sending 50 times as many cross-cultural missionaries as we are! This fact reminds me of the title of a book, The Poor Pay More. They may very well pay more for the things they buy, but they are apparently willing to pay more for the things they believe. No wonder the lukewarm non-sacrificing believer is a stench in the nostrils of God.

(“Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle.” Ralph D. Winter. Perspectives On the World Christian Movement, William Carey Library, 1999, pg706)

What are we up Against?

“We seem to assume that the world is simply the absence of good rather than the presence of both good and dynamic, intelligent evil.” Ralph D Winter

(“When Business can be Missions: Where Both Business and Mission Fall Short”, By Ralph D Winter. Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 13)

People just don't "Happen" to be Poor - They are often Oppressed!

“…..When the Allied forces were poised to invade the continent on D-Day, they were, of course, seeking to liberate the French (Belgians, Dutch, etc.) from the oppression of Nazi occupation. But that could not be their only purpose. To do that they first had to track down and defeat Hitler and destroy his evil empire. In fact, defeating an evil empire was no doubt more prominent in their minds than liberating Paris.

Today in business or missions, then, we cannot simply go out to do good to people in need. People don’t just happen to be poor. They are oppressed. Yes, by humans, but also by intelligent, evil powers behind both social and biological evils. Human societies are riddled with graft and corruption and greed and unscrupulous operators of all kinds, for whom human life is meaningless.”

(“When Business can be Missions: Where Both Business and Mission Fall Short”, By Ralph D Winter. Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 12)

Peace Corps Told--- "Have Nothing to Do with Missionaries!"

“The Peace Corps man, who lived in a village near where I worked, always avoided me. But once I found myself going up a steep narrow street and saw him coming down. I instantly knew that we would at least have to exchange a greeting. I had heard that his two-year term was soon to end and wondered what he had understood of what I was doing. When he approached I stuttered out a hello and asked him how the chicken farm was going. “Lousy,” he complained. “I don’t think it will continue when I leave.” I knew he had put his heart into it, so I asked him what was the problem. He snarled, “You can’t trust these Guatemalans. When I leave each month to go to the capital for our Peace Corps briefing, the egg production drops on exactly those two days. No, you can’t trust these Guatemalans.”

By this time I had been in Guatemala for almost ten years, so I took some offense. I found myself replying, “Look, you want to find an honest Guatemalan? That’s the business I’m in. I can find you an honest man in any village of Guatemala.” By then every village in Guatemala had at least one Evangelical congregation of humble people whose lives had been renewed because of a heavenly hope and a new earthly Master for whom deceit and dishonesty were detestable.

I could tell he didn’t believe me. Maybe I exaggerated a little. Nevertheless, mission work still has an inherent advantage. The diversity, mutual antagonism, and lack of coordination of the earnest efforts of the agencies I have listed above is a real burden and hindrance to development and hope. This burden and barrier is really only nearly erased when you get into the world of the religious agencies, particularly the standard missions. By “standard missions” I don’t mean the specialized religious relief and development agencies. They also cannot be effective in most cases unless the religious agencies get there first and generate honest people. All agencies need enough renewed people to create the minimal integrity required to manage the essential developing infrastructure of a country.

("When Business can be Missions: Where Both Business and Mission Fall Short", By Ralph D Winter. Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 11)

Business as Missions - Some Issues Discussed - Worth Scanning!

"Business is basically the activity of providing goods and services to others on the condition of repayment to cover the cost of those goods and services. …… businesses that use profits in ways that add nothing to the business itself would seem to be very rare. Businesses, in fact, that try to put any considerable profit some where else would, it seems, inevitably run into conflict….....

The biggest problem I see with Christian college courses on business-as-mission is very simply that the average student taking that course may be enamored of this new approach but not be wealthy enough to swing it, even in his own country, let alone accomplish that amidst all the increased hazards and bureaucracy of foreign lands.........

I mentioned earlier a hardware chain founded by Swiss missionaries. It astonished people by the fact that if a customer bought something that had the wrong specifications or that did not work he could exchange it or get his money back—something unheard of in many countries. Thus, for a business to be effective mission, it needs to be perceived by onlookers as a service, not just a way for businesses to make money for the owners, although, frankly, most onlookers may still suspect the latter.

Here in America, of course, all businesses loudly pro claim their desire to serve the customer. We get used to that. We don’t really believe it. Businesses in many overseas situations don’t even claim to be working fox the customer. Neither the customer nor the business owner views the money received as simply a means of continuing the service rendered, but as a contest to see who gets the best end of the deal.

It is also true that no matter how altruistic an owner is, what pulls down many a business or ministry is the very different attitudes of the employees. The owner may have high purposes. The employees may not.

Furthermore, once a business starts overly siphoning off “profits” (whether to increase the owner’s wealth or to help fund some Christian work), the business may be unable to withstand competitors who plow almost all profits back into what they do, either to refine it or to lower their prices below what the Christian-owned business—with its extra drain on profits—can afford to offer……

We also read that “micro-enterprises” have their problems. If one woman in a village gets a micro-loan enabling her to utilize a sewing machine, she may produce more for less and be better off. At the same time she may simply put a number of other women out of work in that same village, which is no the most desirable witness."

(When Business can be Missions: Where Both Business and Mission Fall Short By Ralph D Winter. Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 7-8)

Examples of Business as MIssions

“…….. in missions, I have for over 50 years never been paid by the people whom I directly served—a distinctly different dynamic.

Nevertheless, as a missionary in Guatemala I initiated 17 small business endeavors that others ran. I enabled seminary students to earn their way while in school. More importantly, that experience then gave them a portable trade after graduation, allowing them to serve beyond the confines of their own acreage. Most earlier pastors were tied down to the soil, so these 17 “businesses” were all portable (as with the Apostle Paul). ‘These businesses were also the first ever in which mountain Indians became the registered owners."

(When Business can be Missions: Where Both Business and Mission Fall Short By Ralph D Winter. Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 6)

Self Supporting Missions? Business as Mission!

The missionary nurse fairly exploded in my face: “You can’t mix business and mission.”

She was referring to a worker she had trained who was now going out on his own across the mountains and giving people shots and other medicines as he used to do in her clinic. What was he doing wrong? He was self-supporting! She said, “He not only charges for the injections he gives but for his burro and his tip across the mountain”

I got into this tense conversation by suggesting that if her clinic could only become self-supporting it could be replicated. I figured the clinic was meeting only one percent of the need of a vast mountainous area where we both worked. If she could develop a self-supporting de sign it could be expanded to reach 100% of the need.

But, you say, poor mountain people can’t afford doctors! Not so! My thought was that her trained nationals could carry two-way radios. Most illnesses were simple enough to treat and did not need a doctor, but whenever something unrecognizable came up these agents of mercy could report key symptoms by radio to a doctor down in the city. People can’t pay a doctor for every problem, or even for a half hour consultation. They need to know when it is essential to make the arduous trip to the city. In most cases they can pay for two minutes of a doctor’s time—to find out if that trip is necessary. …….It is “a business” when the people being served can pay its costs. It is also “mission” if it is a God-glorifying blessing as well.

In my situation the medical committee of the mission would not hear of it.

(Editorial Comment by Ralph D Winter Mission Frontiers , Nov-Dec 2007, Pg 4)

Proximity to Muslims is First step - The Power of Holy Living!

"I should also note here an interesting occurrence: an article was released in the October 2007 issue of Christianity Today in which Dudley Woodbury and others shared a recent study of 750 Muslims who have followed Christ. The study reported that “respondents ranked the lifestyle of Christians as the most important influence in their decision to follow Christ.” At the same time, in an October 2007 article in EMQ, Todd Johnson and Charles Tieszen noted that more than eighty-six percent of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists do not know a Christian. No matter what our view is of how to best share with them, we first must engage with them as we live out our faith."

(Letting the Gospel Thrive on the Inside: A Note on Insider Movements,By Greg H. Parsons. Lausanne World Pules Dec 2007 issue)

Worship Where It Will Bother Darkness!

Not sure how we would apply it to some areas needing serious sensitivity. However these comments on worship were interesting.

Worshipping to Be Light in the Darkness
"The Lord says we are to be as light in the darkness, illuminating a fallen world and directing it to the reality of the kingdom. We often ask God, “How, Lord, would you have us light this scene? From the top left? From the bottom right? Do you want a spotlight or diffused back lighting?” And we never get around to shining! A light does not shine as an action—it shines as a way of being. It shines because it is a light. We cannot shine at will—we must live believing we are light, and therefore shine because this is creation at its best and original intention!

---

To worship in the midst of darkness: that is evangelization.

---

In other words, we must worship as a way of life. If all of our time is taken in strategy and statistic flowcharts, when do we go out and shine in the darkness? How many of us have the courage to be light where it is needed? To worship in the midst of darkness: that is evangelization."

(Worship in a Place Where It Will Bother The Darkness, by Marcell Steuernagel, Lausanne World Pulse, Dec 2007 ISSUE)

Missions is at it's very heart Proclamation - Do So Often!

“Tell them about the Lamb of God till you can tell them no more.”

Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
1700-1760

Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf became the father of the eighteenth century Moravian missionary movement. When he permitted a group of refugees to settle on his estate in Saxony in 1722, he had no idea that from this group the gospel would spread to Greenland, the West Indies, North America, Central America and Africa.

Zinzendorf became a visionary, practical helper, traveling missionary and second bishop of the Moravian church. He maintained an intense personal piety and enthusiasm that grew out of his childhood faith. He was determined to cling to the doctrine of redemption by the blood of Christ and to lay the atonement as the foundation of all other faiths.
(Source lausanneworldpulse.com December 2007 Issue)

This Blaufway, Tu-ba-boo Will Be Home Some day!

In West Africa the Agni Kids would chant "Blauf-way" the Jula "Tu-Ba-Boo" as we entered a village or courtyard. This practice is ancient. For generations the kids were taught to shout this as a warning during the slave trade. There's "white people" here!

Now it's more of a curious interest as they shout this with a huge smile because, frankly they do not see many white people in these rural forest villages. Kids, even and odd woman, will often come up and rub and touch your arm to feel your skin, especially the blond red hair on my arm.

However, this chant happens every time in every village. The Agni often tell their small kids; "If you're not good, the white man will come and take you away." So many infants have a horrible fear of us when we first begin working in a village. Mothers coming by with wide eyed babies to see their first white person. Often the baby's begin to ball hysterically clawing and clutching to their mother.

Anyway, there was a time when for 6 months I had not seen a white person. One day I passed another white guy on the highway in the car and I wanted to turn and chase him down just to talk. Not because he was white, rather because chances where much greater that we shared a similar cultural background, therefore making it easy to just chat with full understanding. Cross-cultural communication is not easy because it more than just language, but culture, world-view exchange. Anyway, I think for the first time in my life I think I kind of understood just a little bit what it might feel like to be black, even though I was white.
I understand better the desire to belong. I'm glad to say that over time in Africa I eventually did come to "belong" and be accepted too. What a gift they gave me.

You know something, there are just some things that always weigh heavy on my heart. I'm a happy person, but, there are things I can't put out of my mind that many of my friends and neighbors can. Makes be feel foreign at times. So now in Africa I'm a "Blaufway", and at home, well I am just not at home. I know why this is in my head. I have become what they call a Bi-cultural person (Read the right side bar near the bottom) and the feeling of being at home never comes. Don't feel sorry as this does not mean I am sad. No it's deeper, a sense of not being home. I was told by another old wise bi-cultural person that it will not be filled until we are in the place made for us near the throne of heaven where every tribe, language, people, and nation will be with us around the throne. Sigh!

Rededication - to the Mission Call! Remember WHY Brothers & Sisters!

We all need a reminder of why we serve in mission. It's all about passion for the worship of Jesus among the nations. I pray this stirs your heart as it did mine. Onward to the task brothers & sisters. You are doing what matters most- spreading worship!



Link

Africa Can Do ! Africa Can’t do! – What is Our Point Of View?

Glen Schwartz says he meets two kinds of people in Africa.

“In Nairobi I spoke with a driver at the guesthouse where I was staying. As we chatted, I learned that in addition to working as a driver, he is a church planter. (He was actually working as a driver on two twelve hour shifts back to back at the time we met.) His business card indicated that his title is “bishop”. He said he had twenty-three pastors in his care with churches throughout the Nairobi area. His business card also had something on it about a “rehabilitation center.” When I asked about that, he said that their churches minister to needy people in the poorer areas of Nairobi. He said, “You know, street children.”

I asked where the support comes from for the pastors, the congregations and the rehabilitation center. “It comes from local resources,” he said. When I asked how much help comes from overseas, he dismissed the idea of getting assistance from outside Africa.

I went from Nairobi to Lusaka, Zambia and was met at the airport by a well-dressed businessman in a suit and tie. As we chatted on the way into town he told me about a congregation he and his wife started in their home several years ago. They outgrew the living room, then the garage, and now they are meeting in a tent beside the house. The walls of a permanent building are being built around the tent. (The tent will be removed eventually which I found to be creative.) The congregation now has 200 people in attendance, and they have hired their own full-time pastor and pay him completely from local resources. When I asked how much comes from overseas he also scoffed and said, “None, of course.”

I mentioned that there are two kinds of people in Africa. Back at the guesthouse in Nairobi I spoke with several North Americans who were in East Africa on short-term missions. Several said they brought along resources for the projects on which they were working. One woman said she had several suitcases of used clothing to give away in a poor part of the city. Ironically, it was the same community where the bishop’s rehabilitation center is located. She also said she brought along some money “just to give away” (her words). I wish I could have introduced her to the Kenyan bishop and the Zambian businessman mentioned above. ……….Think about it. Some people believe Africa can do it with local resources and others do not. Both may be looking at or working in the same communities. What strikes me is that it is most often local people who believe that Africa can manage without outside assistance.

(“I meet Two Kinds of People In Africa”, Glen Schwartz. “Mission Frontiers”, September –October 2007, 29:5, Page 25)

Blood of Tribalism Runs Thicker than The Waters of Baptism? Does Gospel Alone Really Transform Society?

“Some of the states in northeast India, such as Nagaland, are held up as outstanding examples of the success of late- nineteenth- and early twentieth-century evangelism. Whole tribes were converted. The state is recorded to be around 90 percent Christian. Yet it has now become one of the most corrupt states in the Indian Union and is riddled with problems of gambling and drugs among the younger generation. Naga students at the Union Biblical Seminary, where I taught in the 198Os, would tell me this as proof of the fact that merely successful evangelism does not always result in lasting social transformation. Others will point with desperate and baffled sadness at the tragic irony of Rwanda—one of the most Christianized nations on earth and birthplace of the East African Revival….. The blood of tribalism, it was said, was thicker than the water of baptism.”

(“The Mission of God”, Christopher J,H. Wright. “Mission Frontiers”, September –October 2007, 29:5, Page 21)

A Warrior Kills Steve's Dad, Becomes Beleiver Trained by Steve!

"After Mincaye pulled the hurting woman’s abscessed tooth, he gently held her head in his hands and prayed that God would heal her heart. I had been holding the woman’s jaw in hopes that my added support would help Mincaye keep from breaking her jaw. When Mincaye held her face to pray, his hands were covering my own.

I looked at those gentle hands and realized that those were the same hands that once drove spears into my precious Dad’s body. I love those hands transformed, like my own, by the touch of the Master Surgeon’s hands." (Mincaye, a Waodani Warrior - killed Steve’s Dad. He became a Christian and was taught by Steve to do dental missions)A Warrior Kills Steve's Dad, Becomes Beleiver Trained by Steve!

(“Social Action & Evangelism Don’t Compete, They Complement”, Steve Saint “Mission Frontiers”, September –October 2007, 29:5, Page 18)

28 Million Modern Slaves- Some in our own Backyard - How do Missionaries Respond?

Twenty-seven million slaves exist in our world today.’ Girls and boys, women and men of all ages are forced to toil in the rug loom sheds of Nepal, sell their bodies in the brothels of Rome, break rocks in the quarries of Pakistan, and fight wars in the jungles of Africa.

Go behind the facade in any major town or city in the world today and you are likely to find a thriving commerce in human beings. You may even find slavery in your own backyard.

For several years, my wife and I dined regularly at an Indian Restaurant near our home in the San Francisco Bay Area. Unbeknownst to us, the staff at Pasand Madras Indian Cuisine who cooked our curries, delivered them to our table, and washed our dishes were slaves. It took a tragic accident to expose the slave trafficking ring.

(“Finding Slavery in My Own Backyard”, By David Batstone. “Missions Frontiers”, September-October 2007 29:5, pg 12)

Modern Slavery & Missions

"The most upsetting feature of all of this, brilliantly displayed in one book I would recommend, entitled “Not for Sale”…, simply points out that there are more slaves in the world today than were bartered and bought during a 400 year period of North Atlantic slavery in the past. That is very hard to believe, but the statistics really back that up. The often quoted nearly 30 million slaves in the world today are a very unavoidable reality …The reason I bring this up here, however, is that this is not simply a world problem to be prayed about. It’s something that Evangelicals have got to do something about and in fact are doing something about, but perhaps not as prominently as they could he or should be”

(Editorial Comment, Ralph D. Winter. "Mission Frontiers" , September-October 2007 29:5 pg 4)

Should Danger & Suffering Stop Missionaries?

“Even after the Basel Mission had lost eight of its first ten missionaries in nine years, the heroic Andreas Riis wrote back from the Gold Coast in Africa, “Let us press on. All Africa must be won for Christ. Though a thousand missionaries die, send more.”

("The Bridges of God”, Donald A. McGavran. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 328)

Missions is Not Sacrifice- so says David Livingston?

"When David Livingstone visited Cambridge University on December 4, 1857, he made an earnest appeal for that continent (Africa), which was then almost wholly an unoccupied field. His words, which were in a sense his last will and testament for college men, as regards Africa, may well close this book:

"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, arid cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice."

("The Glory of the Impossible”, Samuel Zwemer. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 315)

Adventurous Young Men & Women -Test Your Salt in Pioneer Missions!

“An adventure of some proportions is not uncommonly all that a young man needs to determine and fix his manhood’s powers.” Is there a more heroic test for the powers of manhood than pioneer work in the mission field? Here is opportunity for those who at home may never find elbow-room for their latent capacities, who may never find adequate scope elsewhere for all the powers of their minds and their souls........Bishop Phillips Brooks once threw down the challenge of a big task in these words: “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle.”"

("The Glory of the Impossible”, Samuel Zwemer. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 315)

In Missions - The Prospects are as Bright as the Promises!

"But the pioneer husbandman must have long patience. When Judson was lying loaded with chains in a Burmese dungeon, a fellow prisoner asked with a sneer about the prospect for the conversion of the heathen. Judson calmly answered, “The prospects are as bright as are the promises of God.”

("The Glory of the Impossible”, Samuel Zwemer. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 314)

Some Good Old Faithful Tenacity Needed In Missions!

“The challenge of the unoccupied fields of the world is one to great faith and, the to great sacrifice. Our willingness to sacrifice for an enterprise is always in proportion to our faith in that enterprise. Faith has the genius of transforming the barely possible into actuality. Once men are dominated by the conviction that a thing must be done, they will stop at nothing until it is accomplished…. Opposition is a stimulus to greater activity….Does it really matter how many the or how much money we spend in opening closed doors, and in occupying the different fields, if we really believe that missions are warfare and that the King’s glory is at stake? ….The unoccupied fields of the world must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost. …. The unoccupied fields of the world await those who are willing to be lonely for the sake of Christ.”

("The Glory of the Impossible”, Samuel Zwemer. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 311-312)

How Much Do We Really Need To Go?------ A Wiser Miser?

"I learned, however, that the Congregational minister of my native town possessed a copy of Medhurst’s China, and I called upon him to ask a loan of the book. This he kindly granted, asking me why I wished to read it. I told him that God had called me to spend my life in missionary service in that land. “And how do you propose to go there?” he inquired. I answered that I did not at all know; that it seemed to me probable that I should need to do as the Twelve and the Seventy had done in Judea—go without purse or scrip, relying on Him who had called me to supply all my need. Kindly placing his hand upon my shoulder, the minister replied, “Ah, my boy, as you grow older you will get wiser than that. Such an idea would do very well in the days when Christ Himself was on earth, but not now.”

I have grown older since then, but not wiser. I am more than ever convinced that if we were to take the direction of our Master and the assurances He gave to His first disciples more fully as our guide, we should find them to be just as suited to our times as to those in which they were originally given."

("The Call to Service”, J. Hudson Taylor. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 301)

A 16 Year Old Teens Desire to Serve! - Hudson Taylor!

“Not many months after my conversion, having a leisure afternoon, I retired to my own chamber to spend it largely in communion with God. Well do I remember that occasion. How in the gladness of my heart I poured out my soul before God; and again and again confessing my grateful love to Him who had done everything for me—who had saved me when I had given up all hope and even desire for salvation—I besought Him to give me some work to do for Him, as an outlet for love and gratitude; some self-denying service, no matter what it might be, however trying or however trivial; something with which He would be pleased, and that I might do for Him who had done so much for me." (He was 16 years Old at the time)

("The Call to Service”, J. Hudson Taylor. “Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 300)

A Prayer meeting in A Haystrack Answered - Send Missionsries!

The Haystack Prayer Meeting

In 1806, Mills enrolled in Williams College, Massachusetts. This school had been profoundly affected by the religious awakening of those years, and devout students on campus had a deep concern for the spiritual welfare of their fellow students. Mills joined with them in their desire to help others.It was Mills’ custom to spend Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in prayer with other students on the banks of the Hoosack River or in a valley near the college. In August, 1806, Mills and four others were caught in a thunderstorm while returning from their usual meeting. Seeking refuge under a haystack, they waited out the storm and gave them selves to prayer. Their special focus of prayer that day was for the awakening of foreign missionary interest among students. Mills directed their discussion and prayer to their own missionary obligation. He exhorted his companions with the words that later became a watch word for them, “We can do this if we will.”

("Student Power In World Missions”, David M. Howard" Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 280)

Is Prosperous Society Producing “Softer” Men and Women?”

“The words of a verse from a hymn written by one of the first Greenland missionaries expresses something of the fibre of their attitude

‘to through ice and snow, one poor lost soul for Christ to gain; Glad, we bear want and distress to set forth the Lamb once slain.”

The Moravians resolutely tackled new languages without many of the modem aids, and numbers of them went on to become outstandingly fluent and proficient in them. This was the stuff, then, of which these men were made. We may face a different pattern of demands today, but the need for a like measure of God-given courage remains the same. Is our easy-going, prosperous society producing “softer” men and women?”

("Europe’s Moravians: A pioneer Missionary Church. Colin A. Grant. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 276)

Missionaries - Be an example of Hard Work, even dirty sweaty work!

(This principle is very important in places like Africa where "Pastor" is often seen as power and a refusal to get hands dirty anymore with manual work.)

“…..missionary named Monate helped to build a corn mill in the early days of his work in the Eastern Province of South Africa, cutting the two heavy sandstones himself. In so doing, he not only amazed the Kaffirs among whom he was working, but was enabled to “chat” the gospel to them as he worked!

("Europe’s Moravians: A pioneer Missionary Church", Colin A. Grant. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 275)

The Gospel Should Lead to Social Transformation! Two Villages Compared – Interesting!

(I submit this as it makes me think more seriously about this issue)

"Many lesser known missionaries have demonstrated great concern for the totality of human need. One of them was Willis Banks, an obscure Presbyterian evangelist who worked in a backward area of southern Brazil. He built the areas first brickyard, brought children to live with his family, taught them to read, and then sent them back to teach others. Using a home medical guide, he treated infections, tuberculosis, malaria, worms, and malnutrition.
(Village #1)
Banks introduced better methods of agriculture and care of livestock. He build the first sawmill in the area and constructed machinery to cut silage. An anthropologist who visited the area 20 years after Banks’ death gave a striking illustration of the resulting community development. He visited two isolated villages, both situated in virtually identical circumstances, with inhabitants of the same racial and cultural back grounds. The village of Volta Grande was Presbyterian and had benefited from Banks’ evangelism and leadership. The people lived in houses of brick and wood, used water filters and in some cases had home produced electricity. They owned canoes and motor launches for travel to a nearby city and cultivated vegetables along with the traditional rice, beans, corn, manioc, and bananas. They had two herds of dairy cattle and produced and consumed milk, cheese, and butter. They received and read newspapers, had the Bible and other books readily available, and all were literate. The community had pooled its resources to build a school and donated it to the State with the stipulation that a teacher be provided and paid. Consequently there was an excellent primary school there and many of its graduates continued their studies in the city Religious services were held three times a week even though the pastor could visit only once a month.
(Village #2)
The inhabitants of Jipovura, the other village, lived in daub and wattle houses with no furniture. They engaged only in marginal agriculture, and did not boil or filter their water. They had no canoes, used tiny kerosene lamps for light, and were mostly illiterate. A school had been donated to the community by a few Japanese families who had once lived in the area, but the people showed no interest in maintaining it and had ruined the building by stealing its doors and windows. Leisure time was filled by playing cards and drinking the local sugarcane rum. Alcoholism was common."

Virtually all missionary movements in history have been concerned about social transformation in one way or another. It has been seen as part of the ministry of communicating and living out the gospel. Major emphasis has been placed on education, health care, agriculture, and ministries of social uplift for girls, women, and other neglected and op pressed members of society.

("A History of Transformation”, Paul Pierson. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 266)

Short-Term Results of Short Term?

(I highly recommend you read the whole article as the author has excellent follow up tips to help maximize the mission’s experience for the short-termer. The Article is not at all negative, though I tend to be a bit about this subject. However, I always appreciate people who are honest in confessing that the fruit resulting from the missions trips needs to be questioned by all who go.)

“The last twenty years have seer’ all explosion of mission trips. Some estimate that a minimum of one million Americans go on mission trips annually at a cost of one billion dollars (p 312)…… The primary result of most trips is more trips….. I have never heard anyone say that their church’s regular missions bud get (outside of giving for mission trips) has grown because of their mission trips. It is clear, however, that an Increasing proportion of many missions budgets is going to help support the trips. One of my friends told me that their church had notified a long-supported missionary couple that they wouldn’t be able to support them any longer because they needed the funds for more missions trips. While most new missionaries have taken short-term mission trips, there is little evidence of a surge of new long-term missionaries.” (p312)

(“Six Challenges for the Church in Missions” , by David Mays. EMQ July 2006 Vol 42,No.3. page 312-313)

Is Mission Children's Education The Real Deciding Factor?

Something to think about! It seems the "Lord's leading" leads us to where international schools are??????


"The most important question is: “Since when do the perceived schooling needs for our children take precedence over sewing Cod to the best of our ability?”(p293)

"As a church planting missionary I have made a remarkable observation. Lost people, without Christ and without hope in this world, have a much better chance of hearing the gospel of saving grace from a missionary if they live near an international school. This is true on a macro-level; countries which have good international schools are more likely to have missionaries than other countries. This is true on the meso-level; within a country, a high proportion of missionaries live in cities with international schools. And this is true on a micro-level; in big cities, many missionaries are found in close proximity to the international schools. ………But Church planting missionaries are called to honestly assess where their pioneer ministry can make the most difference. Often that will not be close to an international school. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to point us in that direction? Or do we confine his leading to within driving distance of our preferred schooling option?" (p292)

(“Education is Not That Important”, by Martin Visser. EMQ July 2006 Vol 42,No.3. page 292-293)

Do Not Trouble Ourselves With The Lost?

“Let us remember how very soon the missionary character of the Church was forgotten, and the Church, instead of obeying the commandment of Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations (in fact, that it was chiefly a missionary association), neglected this great and important calling... It is astonishing how a commandment so simple and distinct, and how a duty which you would have imagined would be eagerly greeted by the impulse of gratitude, of affection, and of compassion, was forgotten for so long a time, in the churches of the Reformation especially. Now we are accustomed to hear of mission work among the heathen nations, and to find that a great multitude of people are interested in it, and regard it with respect; but it was only at the commencement of the last century, and with great difficulty, [that] the attention of the Church was roused to this important duty; and even in the... Church of Scotland there were a number of ministers who thought that the state of heathenism was so utterly corrupt, and that there was so much to be done in our own country, that it was altogether a Utopian project to think of converting the idolaters, and that it was not our imperative duty to trouble ourselves with their wretched condition."

(Adolph Saphir (1831-1891), Christ and Israel)
Submitted by Jurgen Schulz

Missionaries love Dirt, Right?

“A missionary in Africa was once asked if he really liked what he was doing. His response was shocking. "Do I like this work?" he said. "No. My wife and I do not like dirt. We have reasonably refined sensibilities. We do not like crawling into vile huts through goat refuse... But is a man to do nothing for Christ he does not like? God pity him, if not. Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to 'Go," and we go. Love constrains us."

(Love is a Costly Thing, by Dick Hillis, Our Daily Bread.)

Submitted by Jurgen Schulz

Demonic Forces Of This Age Have Met Their Match

"There is . . . no place today for a Church that is not aflame with the Spirit who is the Lord and Giver of life, nor any value in a theology; which is not passionately missionary. If there throbs through the Church the vitality of a living union with Christ—and apart from this the Church has no claim to exist, no right to preach, it is merely cumbering the ground—if the Church can indeed say "It is not I who live, it is Christ who lives in me," then the dark demonic forces of the age have met their match, and the thrust of life is stronger than the drift of death. A Church that knows its Lord and is possessed by its Gospel cannot but propagate creatively the life that is has found. A Christian who is taking his faith seriously cannot but evangelize.

(“A Faith to Proclaim”, James S. Stewart, p. 11,12 Regent College Publishing , 2002)

Submitted by Jurgen Schulz

Hindu declares Propagation is Central to Christian Faith.

“An interesting incident took place when India’s new constitution was being passed in the National Legislature. In the portion where it says that each individual has “the right to profess, practice, and propagate his faith,” that word “propagate” was a question mark to many In the midst of it a Hindu said, “To the Christian it is inherent to propagate his faith. If he is faithful to his faith he must propagate his faith. So if you do not allow him to propagate his faith you do not allow him to profess and practice his faith.” That argument swung the situation and it was adopted."

(“The Word Became Flesh”, E. Stanley Jones. Abingdon Press. 2006, p. 313)

Submitted by Jurgen Schulz

Math & Amnesia!

I was working on my masters course on the laptop at the kitchen table. Tim (13yrs) came by after he supposedly completed his math. I guess Tim left a few blanks on his page so Lynn sat down at the table beside me with Tim to explain a few concepts. As she explained one problem he put his head on the table and said, "I can't do this I have math Amnesia!" I tried not to laugh. However after 2 minutes I could not contain my giggles any longer and burst out laughing. Lynn and I both rolled over. Tim said all serious like; "It's not a joke. I really do have Math Amnesia."

I think I have Amnesia about a lot of things, and there are a few things I'm going to voluntarily add to the list.

"I Saw What I Saw" A Reminder of how much we Care!

Mission is about WHOM to believe in! Truth is a Person, not a Proposition!

"E. Stanley Jones tells the story about an unbelieving doctor who lay dying. A Christian doctor sat beside him and urged him to surrender, to have faith in Christ. The dying doctor listened in amazement. Light dawned. And he joyously said, “All my life I have been bothered with what to believe, and now I see it is whom to trust” .... I heard a story about a young non-Christian man who was studying English and was using one of the Gospels for reading. He suddenly got up in the middle of a lesson, paced up and down the room, and said, “These are not the words of a man, these are the words God!""

("The Supremacy of Christ", Ajith Fernando. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 170-171)

Best Way to Promote Missions- Join God in what he is doing!

"Lack of interest in mission is not fundamentally caused by an absence of compassion or commitment, nor by lack of information or exhortation. And lack of interest in mission is not remedied by more shocking statistics, more gruesome stories or more emotionally manipulative commands to obedience. It is best remedied by intensifying peoples’ passion for Christ, so that the passions of his heart become the passions that propel our hearts.......Efforts to provoke interest in mission are often based on bad news- natural catastrophes, complex humanitarian disasters, unreached people groups, oppressed and exploded minorities, urban or suburban problems and civil wars. These things are important, but the gospel begins with, "I bring you good news of great Joy!"".... I must confess I once challenged and provoked people into mission using statistics similar to those mentioned above. I’m not at all suggesting that these are not real needs. The point is this: How shall we respond to these needs? Good-hearted people always want to respond with compassion and kindness. We worked ourselves into exhaustion with exhortations to give more, do more, be more, care more, serve more, love more, sacrifice more. As fruitful as this could be, something always seemed to be missing......Not surprisingly, this commitment to the missionary enterprise of the Church produces exhausted servants. The tasks are so great and our resources appear to be so small.... people can not handle relentless exposure to catastrophes and crises....we must change how we communicate missions opportunities. Instead of relying entirely on presentations of need, we must begin inviting people to participate in God's Work."


("Beyond Duty".Tim Dearborn. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 90-92)

Mission Forerunners Faith- Remember them! Be inspired by Them!

"Africa, especially, was a forbidding continent. All mission outreach to Africa prior to 1775 had totally failed. Of all Catholic efforts, all Moravian efforts, nothing remained. Not one missionary of any kind existed on the continent on the eve of the First Era. The gruesome statistics of almost inevitable sickness and death that haunted, yet did not daunt, the decades of truly valiant missionaries who went out after 1790 in virtually a suicidal stream cannot be matched by any other era or by any other cause. Very few missionaries to Africa in the first 60 years of the First Era survived more than two years. As I have reflected on this measure of devotion I have been humbled to tears, for I wonder—if I or my people today could or would match that record. Can you imagine our Urbana students today going out into missionary work if they knew that for decade after decade 19 out of 20 of those before them had died almost on arrival on the field?"

("Four Men. Three Eras, Two Transitions", Ralph D Winter. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 255)

Finishing the Task in our Life Time?

"God has entrusted to us the continuation and the consummation of the task. Here is the thing that thrills me. We have come far closer to the finishing of this mission than any previous generation. We have done more in the last century and a half in worldwide evangelization than all the preceding centuries since the apostolic age. Our modern technology has provided printing, automobiles, aeroplanes, radios and many other methods of expediting our task of carrying the gospel into all the world. Previously unknown languages are being reduced to writing. The Word of Cod has now been rendered, in part at least, into over 1,700 languages or dialects, and the number is growing yearly. Here is the challenging fact. If God's people in the English-speaking world alone took this text seriously and responded to the challenge, we could finish the task of worldwide evangelization in our own generation and witness the Lord's return."

(The Gospel of the Kingdom" George E. Ladd. Perspectives on the world Christian Movement, 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California. pg 75)

Worship is the Goal of Mission

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because Worship doesn't....Worship therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It's the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God's glory."

(John Piper. "Let the nations be Glad", Perspectives on the world Christian Movement, 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California, pg 49)

Early Attitudes about Unreached people!

"When he (Hudson Taylor) suggested that the inland peoples of China needed to be reached, he was told you could not get there, and he was asked if he wished to carry on his shoulders the blood of the young people he would thus send to their deaths. This accusing question stunned and staggered him. Groping for light, wandering on the beach, it seemed as if God finally spoke to resolve the ghastly thought: “You are not sending young people in the interior of China. I am.” The load lifted."

("Four Men. Three Eras, Two Transitions", Ralph D Winter. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 257)

Erased our History!

"Man has virtually erased his own story. Human beings as far back as we have any record have been fighting each other so much that they have destroyed well over 90 percent of their own handiwork. Their libraries, their literature, their cities their works of art are mostly gone. Even the little that remains from the distant past is riddled with evidences of a strange and pervasive evil that has grotesquely distorted man’s potential."

("The Kingdom Strike Back", Ralph D. Winter. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 195)

Apostolic Passion. Planning to Go - but Willing to Stay????

“Apostolic passion.” therefore, is a deliberate, intentional choice to live for the worship of Jesus in the nations. It has to do with being committed to the point of death to spreading His glory. It’s the quality of those who are on fire for Jesus, who dream of the whole earth being covered with the Glory of the Lord. I know when apostolic passion has died in my heart. It happens when I don’t spend my quiet time dreaming of the time when Jesus will be worshiped in languages that aren’t yet heard in heaven. I know it’s missing from my life when I sing about heaven, but live as if earth is my home. Apostolic passion is dead in my heart when I dream more about sports, toys places to go and people to see, than I do about the nations worshiping Jesus. I have lost it, too, when I make decisions based on the danger involved, not the glory God will get. Those who have apostolic passion are planning to go, but willing to stay."

("Apostolic Passion", Floyd McCling. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 185)

If I Should Perish?

My last meeting with Iranian pastor Haik Hovsepian was especially memorable. For many years he had served as a shepherd for the churches in Iran, always declaring the gospel wisely but openly. As we parted we shook hands and he said to me, “Brother Andrew, when they kill me it will be for speaking and not for being silent.” He said “when.” He did not say “if.” He knew he would be killed. The next month he was murdered.

He had suffered for his faith for years. He was killed for his faithfulness to declare it. He was a rare and precious man, but he was not alone. There are millions of beleaguered Christians living in areas where their faith costs them greatly. It cost them most when they proclaim their faith.
As they suffer with Christ, they become the message by saying, “I am willing to die for Him and I’m willing to die for you because that is what He did!” I’m convinced that we are living in what appears to be the the most cruel period of history. More people suffer for Christ’s name than in any other generation. "

("If I Perish", Brother Andrew. "Perspectives on the world Christian Movement", 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California . Pg 179)

EE- Taow - A Whole Village Believes In Christ!

The Principle of Identification: Essential to Identify with the people We serve- But do not loose our Identity or Authenticity!

This may give some balance to some modern contextualization issues.

“And this principle of `identification with out loss of Identity’ is the model for all evangelism, especially cross-cultural evangelism.

Some of us refuse to identify with the people we claim to be serving. We remain ourselves, and do not become like them. We stay aloof. We hold on desperately to our own cultural inheritance in the mistaken notion that it is an indispensable part of our identity We are unwilling to let it go. Not only do we maintain our own cultural practices with fierce tenacity, but we treat the cultural inheritance of the land of our adoption without the respect it deserves. We thus practice a double kind of cultural imperialism, imposing our own culture on others and despising theirs. But this was not the way of Christ, who emptied himself of his glory and humbled himself to serve.

Other cross-cultural messengers of the gospel make the opposite mistake. So determined are they to identify with the people to whom they go that they surrender even their Christian standards and values. But again this was not Christ’s way, since in becoming human he remained truly divine. The Lausanne Covenant expressed the principle in these words: “Christ’s evangelists must humbly seek to empty themselves of all but their personal authenticity in order to be come the servants of others” (paragraph 10).”

(“The Bible in World Evangelization,” John Stott, Perspectives on the world Christian Movement, 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California Pg24)

Missions Requires a Fidelity to the integrity of the Bible:

“Since it comes from God we must guard it; since it is intended for modern men and women we must interpret it. We have to combine fidelity (constantly studying the biblical text) with sensitivity (constantly studying the contemporary scene). Only then can we hope with faithfulness and relevance to relate the Word to the world, the gospel to the context, Scripture to culture.”

(“The Bible in World Evangelization,” John Stott, Perspectives on the world Christian Movement, 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California Pg 23)

Belief In the Authority (or lack of) of the Bible Affects Mission

Commenting on how the Bible gives us the mandate for missions, John Stott, writes these insightful word.

“It is, moreover, an observable fact of history, both past and contemporary, that the degree of the Church’s commitment to world evangelization is commensurate with the degree of its conviction about the authority of the Bible. Whenever Christians lose their confidence in the Bible, they also lose their zeal for evangelism. Conversely, whenever they are convinced about the Bible, then they are determined about evangelism.”

(“The Bible in World Evangelization,” John Stott, Perspectives on the world Christian Movement, 1999, William Carey Library, Pasadena California Pg21)

Rawang Chief & Son ask “Are you Fating us to Hell?” Please come! Please make us a Bible in our Language!

“After his Search and Rescue work was over the latter part of 1945, (Blog Editor Note- Looking for downed pilots for the American government they set up a chain of church who were trained in the rescue of downed pilots) Robert went over to the Ahkyang (Ah-chang) Valley in northern Burma, along a tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Numerous requests had been received from there, asking for teachers to come, so Robert (Blog Editor note- He would have been about 20 then) stayed there through the winter months of 1945-46. Lisu evangelists had worked in that area, and Robert felt it would eventually become even more extensive than the work in the Saiween Valley. It was amazing how the Gospel had spread, carried not only by frill-time evangelists, but by the Lisu Christians as a whole.

Most of the people there were Lisu and Rawang. After Robert had been there for some time preaching and teaching, he received this message from a Rawang village about three days’ travel away: “We, the Rawangs, have ever been classed as a slave tribe to the Tibetans. Is it that our slave-tribe is fated to go to hell in the next life as well as to be spurned in this? Is this the reason you folks refuse to show us the way to salvation ?

What could Robert answer? He was the only missionary in that part of upper Burma. For several months he had tried to meet the overwhelming demands of new churches scattered over an area of twenty-three days journey from north to south and twelve days journey east and west, with no transportation but his feet. In that area some 1500-1800 people had turned from heathenism to the Lord Jesus Christ, and Robert had the help of only five young Lisa preachers in all that vast territory. No wonder he felt overwhelmed! People with centuries of heathen background cannot hear the Gospel just once and instantly accept the Lord. They must be taught constantly, with much love, patience, and wisdom. Bible schools must be held frequently in order to train leaders and teachers for the new churches.

One day, a Rawang chief’s son came to Robert, begging him to make a written language in Rawang so they could read about “the Mighty One” in their own language. He said, “The Lisu have a written language, so please make us one”. That was to be an indescribably long, hard, tedious job for Robert — but that is another story.”

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 238-39 ) Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965

The Corner of the Adobe House Holds -Morse Family Saved from Drowning Flood- A Testimony to Prayer!

This is an amazing story! Read these unknown amazing mission autobiographies. (footnote)

"It continued to rain, and the To-ba-to River began flooding and overflowing its banks into our garden and yard. Thus began a most frightening and staggering experience for the younger children and me. On the evening of October 22 we had our usual evening devotions and worship. We continued to remind our Heavenly Father that as Moses had told the Hebrew people to sprinkle the blood of their sacrificial lamb on their door post to protect them from the death angel, so we were trusting Him to keep us safe, under the blood of Jesus Christ, “our lamb”, even as Rev. 12:11 teaches: “...and they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death”

About midnight I awakened from a disturbing and unusual dream in which I was again reminded of the verse in Revelation, especially the part “—and the word of their testimony—”. I had followed the first part of it but not the second part. In my dream I said, “Praise the Lord”, and was immediately comforted. I awoke to the sound of boulders and logs knocking against each other just outside my bedroom window, and realized that the situation had become serious. Quickly lighting a lantern, I called Anzie and LaVerne to go with me to see what had happened. As we walked along the garden path I almost stepped off into the swift river which had already cut off about a fifth of our yard. The rushing torrent had destroyed the darn Russell had helped build on a branch of the river, and it was now rushing down its old bed and tearing away at our yard. The water was clear up to our house on that side, and we were now completely surrounded by the two branches of the flooding river. I felt this explained the dream I had — Satan was trying to destroy us but God had warned me and brought that scripture to my mind. Returning to the house, we called Ah-mo to join us in prayer- We not only trusted God to protect us, but praised Him the rest of the night.

On the porch, Anzic and LaVerne found some weeds commonly used for pig food, and they began stuffing them into the small holes appearing in the northwest corner of the adobe wall, which was the one being bombarded the hardest. I prayed to God to save that corner, for I felt if’ it held, the whole house would be saved, but if it gave way all would be lost.

At dawn A-hke-fu-yeh came running to say that the smaller branch of the river had gone down, and the villagers on the mountain had placed a large log across it so we could cross over. While quickly dressing Ruth, who had slept through it all, I looked out of the window and saw a great wall of water coming down the main channel toward the house. At that time I could not imagine where it came from, but did not have time to investigate. I later learned it was caused by a field sliding down the mountain into the river, increasing the torrential flow and turning the river directly toward our house.

Ah-mo took Ruth across the log to safety while I hurriedly grabbed up a change of clothes for the children and two small blankets. As I stepped down into the muddy yard and saw it was still raining I remembered the rain covers I had left at the door when I returned from Wa-shi-lo-gai and turned back to get them. As I did so the Christians on the shore began shout ing and LaVerne, who had stayed with me, screamed, “Mama, don’t go back”, so I went on across with him. We had barely gotten across when we heard the roar of the water and the house falling behind us. Anzie was praising the Lord so loudly I could hear her over the noise of the flood, Our precious God - loved us so much he had saved the house until a way of escape could be prepared — literally a path through the water!

I shall never forget that day — October 23, 1940. We stood on the bank of the river watching the devastation. Parts of our house, most of our possessions, the church, and several log cabins went swirling down in that terrible, roaring, boiling water. We could see water cascading down the mountainside across the river where we had never seen water before, It seemed to us that the whole world was being destroyed. The only thing standing was the northwest corner of the house which I had prayed for 50 fervently through the night! I wondered - both then and later — if the whole house might have been saved had I prayed for all of it as earnestly as I did for that corner. In retrospect we believe God in His wisdom acted in our best interests, but in those trying hours we found events hard to understand.

We finally went on up the mountain and sat by the fire in the home of one of our Christian friends, with not even a comb or toothbrush, and practically no bedding. Where would we sleep? The Lisu people didn’t have beds for themselves, let alone beds for guests. That night we slept on straw mats using our two small blankets for covering.

As soon as Isabel Maxey heard about the flood she hurried from Kang Pu, crossing the Mekong River which was also flooding. She had heard that Ruth had been washed down the river and drowned. Evidently someone had seen her large doll and thought it was Ruth. Needless to say, Isabel was happy to find Ruth alive and well. She very generously insisted that we come and stay with her at the outpost in Kang Pu until we decided what to do next ……………………..

What a wonderful prayer-answering God we have! I had prayed for that second protecting wall. Furthermore, when Robert returned to that area almost nine years later, that one corner of the house, for which I had prayed so hard, was still standing, a monument to God’s power and ability to answer prayer.” (pg206) )

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 202-204, 206) Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965

No Word for Love in Lisu Language!

Speaking of the Lisu: In the Burma, China, Tibet, Thailand border regions. Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965

“Those primitive tribespeople, who had never heard of Jesus Christ and whose language did not even have a word for love, began gradually to understand and accept the message of God’s love, and salvation from sin through the Lord. Those who were converted showed their heathen neighbors what it meant to be a Christian. They learned to pray, to study God’s Word in their own language, to sing hymns, and to gather together as congregations according to the New Testament. Poor as they were, they learned to give whatever they could to further the spreading of the Gospel through native preachers and evangelists. What a thrill to hear the strains of “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” echoing in the canyons and mountains where formerly only Satan reigned.”

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 168)

Prayer for Morse Family Missionaries Kidnapping Answered:

Working in China, Tibet, Burma border region - Story spans the Morse Family in Asia 1921-1965 A Must read book. Both the prequel and Exodus to a hidden valley. Unknown Missions classics.

"I was always tired and not feeling well by the end of the day’s travel, so as soon as we had eaten supper and the cots were put up, I went to bed. Late that night Russell heard loud talking downstairs, so he slipped quietly into a hayloft where he could see and hear a group of men sitting around and drinking in the landlord’s room. They were drunk and talking rather loudly in Chinese. Russell listened long enough to learn that they planned to kidnap him and Eugene the next morning as we went around the base of a high mountain, and hold them for a large ransom.

He came back from the hayloft to our room, white and trembling and, as always, we took our troubles to the Lord. With His help, Russell began to formulate a plan. We had two trustworthy Tibetan helpers with us and we had an American missionary friend, Miss Cornelia Morgan, who lived at the Bethel Mission in Tsu Hsiung, about a half day’s journey away, where there was a large magistracy. He wrote a note to Miss Morgan, telling of our predicament, then contacted our Tibetans without being noticed and told them of the kidnap plans.

The next morning Russell told me to stay in bed that day, and told the caravan leader that I was too ill to travel. He told them we would have to stay there until I felt better, but he would pay them for the lay-over time. Since I had been ill most of the trip, that aroused no suspicions. Meanwhile, our Tibetans had slipped away early that morning with the note hidden in one of their boots and delivered it to our friend. She then notified the magistrate, who did not question the information, because there had been a great deal of trouble at that particular spot — the same place where Dr. Shelton was kid napped in 1920, and where many robberies had occurred.

The magistrate lined up fifty soldiers (who were opium smokers) and chose eight of the best, with their “best” (least rusty!) guns, and sent them to protect us. They arrived at sun down, and our messengers, who had come most of the way with the soldiers, slipped quietly in after dark. The amazement on the faces of that band of men was a sight to behold. Our Tibetans told us of hearing the landlord, who turned out to be the leader of the group, say “Now we can’t carry out our plans, since the soldiers are here”. Then he questioned each one, trying to find out who had told of their plan. They all denied it, and he said, “Well, surely one of you did”.

After we arrived in America and I was telling my mother of this experience, she remembered that at about that time she was awakened in the night with the terrible feeling that some thing was wrong. She woke my sister and said, “Helen, get up. Gertrude is in trouble and we must pray for her”. On checking back, we found it was the very day that we were so earnestly praying for a solution to our dilemma. The Holy Spirit had awakened my mother, thousands of miles away, so she could add her prayers to ours. And God answered them.”

(“The Dogs May Bark But The Caravan Moves On” – A Prequel to Exodus To A Hidden Valley. Gertrude Morse, College Press, 1998, Pg 175-176)

The Overly Intrusive Church Or Mission Minded Church Member

Ralph D. Winter Wrote good words about obstacles to missions. Especially about Churches who Send Questionnaires to Missionaries.

I had one church send me a Questionnaire that took me a full two days to type and reply to. My responses were not in great detail either. 2/5^ths of the financial support this church gave our ministry was spent in 2 days wages to fill out this questionnaire for them. Time spent away form my real work. They got what they wanted, but it wasted 2/5th of their money, and two days of time. I am all for accountability and reporting. But please be reasonable. Did they tke more than 2 minutes to reflection over what I wrote? Hummm!

One obstacles Winter mention is what he calls;

“The Rise of the Questioning Layman. The very appearance of an unprecedented but surely welcome flood of specialized literature on missions relates to another problem area which urgently requires attention if there is to be a correspondingly unprecedented new thrust in missions. It is the rise of the questioning layman. Some of these people actually get and read the books I just mentioned before the missionaries do. They may not entirely understand them but they begin asking questions which are not easily or quickly answered……… Many church mission committees are now sending out questionnaires to missionaries and mission boards that take days to fill out. If every church did this, the entire mission movement around the world would stop dead in its tracks. ………Local church people are at this moment tramping around the world as tourists, poking their noses in everywhere not often fully understanding what they see…… This looming obstacle to harmony and teamwork between churches and missions is not going to blow away like a fad. ………ultimately welcome the new depth of knowledge in many lay circles.”

(Crucial Dimensions on World Evangelisation, Arthur F. Glasser, Paul G. Hiebert C Peter Wagner, Ralph D. Winter. William Carey Library, 1980, Appendix pg 15-16)