"Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." (Ps. 2:8)
It's true: I am, at long last, a real, live missionary! And, for you doubting Thomases who thought the IMB would surely discover the real truth about me and promptly weed me out, check out the picture at the bottom of the page! :)
I realize I'm long-winded, so I've decided to try a new format with the prayer requests up front and more detail at the end for those who want it. (I must give credit to my friend Corey for the format, as I stole it from his blog. :)) Feel free to give feedback.
Field Update (necessities for the skimmers):
1. Please begin to pray for my people group, the Chayanta Quechua. There are approximately 90,000 Quechua Indians living in the Chayanta province of southern Bolivia. They have little or no access to the Gospel because they live high in the Andes Mountains, and it is enormously challenging to get to them. Pray that God would prepare their hearts and that He would strengthen the bodies of the men and women who are attempting to bring the "great light" to these "people walking in darkness" (Is. 9:2).
2. I'm in the middle of taking a theology course this summer and, while it is highly beneficial, it is also exceedingly time-consuming. Please pray that I would glean what is important from the class.
3. Please pray that I would be able to accomplish all that needs to be done before I leave for orientation in five weeks. This includes a variety of legal matters (will, life insurance, etc.), travel visa documentation, and matters associated with shipping possessions to the field. There is so much to do and so little time.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know (bonus for the readers):
I spent last week at a center used by the IMB as a headquarters for all things missionary-related. They conduct orientation sessions there as they wean new personnel from American culture and get them prepared for the foreign field. They give LOTS of immunizations (second only to the US military in the sheer number of immunizations given on this side of the country... should I be concerned that they seem very proud of that statistic? :)). And they hold a variety of informative conferences for people who are investigating God's call to missions.
The really cool part about being there this particular week was the interesting conglomerate of missionaries on campus simultaneously. There was a group of about 200 who were finishing up orientation this week. These new personnel were commissioned this past Thursday and will be leaving for their ministry sites over the course of the next month or so. There were a group of about 55 retiring missionaries who were being honored for anywhere from 15 - 35 years of service. And then there the 72 of us who were being appointed. It was a great representation of all phases of missionary life.
Aside from the appointment service itself (which I'll discuss in a minute), my favorite part of the week was the Sunday morning worship service. We got to worship together with the retiring missionaries, and what an encouragement that was! To see these heroes of the faith, people who have truly "fought the good fight... finished the race... kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7), was a tremendous blessing. To be prayed for by them, as the MasterCard commercial says, was priceless! The appointees were asked to stand up at the front so that the retiring missionaries could lay hands on us, pray for us, and bless us. The lady who prayed for me is retiring from 20 years of service... in Bolivia... to the Quechua people! Only the Lord could have orchestrated that passing of the baton so perfectly. It was truly a highlight event for me.
Many of you might also remember the three missionaries who were killed in the Middle East by Muslim terrorists in 2001. Marty Koehn, the wife of Bill Koehn, one of those murdered missionaries, was retiring, and she was honored for her faithfulness in service. What a testimony she has, that she remained faithful to the Lord's call, even in the face of such suffering and tragedy. She actually assumed the post of administrator at the hospital, a post previously held by one of the slain missionaries. What grace from our Lord that would enable her to continue in that position until He released her to return to the US.
The appointment service itself was held Wednesday night at a local church in Richmond. 38 of us were appointed there, and the other 34 were appointed on Friday night in Oklahoma City. Isn't it amazing that God has called these 72 people, from all walks of life, all parts of the country, all family backgrounds, and has sent them forth into all parts of the world to share with all peoples of the world? Only a God like ours could accomplish that!
My favorite part of the service was the testimony time (the second picture below is me giving my testimony). We each got the opportunity to share a little of how God has called us to go, and just hearing how He works in such diverse ways to call people to His service gets me choked up. Those of you who know me well know that's a big deal. I am so NOT a crier! :) But to be at a missionary appointment service is to hear God's heart for the nations, and to be a part of His work to proclaim His Truth before all mankind... there is nothing better!
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:2-3)
"I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth." (Ps. 108:3-5)
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" (Rev. 7:9-10)
From the beginning of God's covenant relationship with Abram, through the psalmist's heartfelt praises, to the end of human history, God's love and desire for the redemption and reconciliation of the nations, followed by their subsequent worship, is the theme of His Word. And this theme was resounded loudly this week as He sent out 72 new ambassadors of His Truth. May "the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14)!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Surrounded by the "sent out ones"
Wow, has it really been almost two months since I last posted? It is truly amazing how life gets away from you! One truly must be diligent to "be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16).
My time in the United States is drawing to a close. I am currently at the IMB's training center for my appointment week meetings. I will be appointed this coming Wednesday night at a church in Richmond. What an exciting time this is!
The great thing about appointment week is that you get to spend time with others who are also called to serve God overseas. You get to hear their stories, share in their struggles and triumphs, pray with and for them. And I am just reminded of what a great privilege it is to be part of the family of God, the body of Christ.
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)
Whoa, how rich is that passage! The take-home message for me is that I cannot become mature and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ without the body... and neither can any other believer. We NEED each other. We cannot know God fully without each other. And that can only be achieved by our unity in the faith and by our sharing the knowledge of God that we receive from Him with one another. What a great responsibility we have to each other. And what a great joy to know Him through knowing one another!
One other thing that strikes me about that passage is the word "apostles." The Greek word "apostolos" means "sent out one." I realize it's controversial whether there are still apostles in this day and age, and I won't get into that debate, I promise! :) Let's just take the word at its literal meaning of "one who is sent." I just know I am a "sent out one" and, this week, I am surrounded by others with the same calling.
"And now the LORD says - he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength - he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.'" (Is. 49:5-6)
This passage really hit me hard this week, as I reflected on the promise God makes here... and realized it was a promise to me. He WILL make me a light for the Gentiles, that I may bring His salvation to the ends of the earth. There is no greater honor than to be used to glorify the God of the universe. He is truly the Only One worthy!
" O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps. 8:9)
Field Update
1. I am so thankful for the new prayer supporters who have now come on board. Thank you SO MUCH for your partnership in my ministry. You are vital to me!
2. My appointment service will be held at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond this Wednesday evening, June 25. I am very excited... and a little nervous. Please pray that my testimony given at the service would be exactly what He would have me say and that He would be glorified. And pray that the hearts of those present would be stirred up to see the nations come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, whatever that may mean for them personally.
3. Following appointment, my time frame looks something like this:
July 25: Last day at my current job
Aug. 4: Begin field personnel orientation
Oct. 15: Begin language school in Guatemala
Please pray that I would be effective and efficient in learning Spanish. Only once I have achieved an advanced low level of proficiency in Spanish can I go to my ministry site. It is imperative that I learn the language quickly and well.
4. Pray for me as I leave behind my spiritual family at London Bridge to go to the foreign field. Though I am thrilled to be going, the fact remains that it is bittersweet, as I will desperately miss my brothers and sisters.
My time in the United States is drawing to a close. I am currently at the IMB's training center for my appointment week meetings. I will be appointed this coming Wednesday night at a church in Richmond. What an exciting time this is!
The great thing about appointment week is that you get to spend time with others who are also called to serve God overseas. You get to hear their stories, share in their struggles and triumphs, pray with and for them. And I am just reminded of what a great privilege it is to be part of the family of God, the body of Christ.
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)
Whoa, how rich is that passage! The take-home message for me is that I cannot become mature and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ without the body... and neither can any other believer. We NEED each other. We cannot know God fully without each other. And that can only be achieved by our unity in the faith and by our sharing the knowledge of God that we receive from Him with one another. What a great responsibility we have to each other. And what a great joy to know Him through knowing one another!
One other thing that strikes me about that passage is the word "apostles." The Greek word "apostolos" means "sent out one." I realize it's controversial whether there are still apostles in this day and age, and I won't get into that debate, I promise! :) Let's just take the word at its literal meaning of "one who is sent." I just know I am a "sent out one" and, this week, I am surrounded by others with the same calling.
"And now the LORD says - he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength - he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.'" (Is. 49:5-6)
This passage really hit me hard this week, as I reflected on the promise God makes here... and realized it was a promise to me. He WILL make me a light for the Gentiles, that I may bring His salvation to the ends of the earth. There is no greater honor than to be used to glorify the God of the universe. He is truly the Only One worthy!
" O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps. 8:9)
Field Update
1. I am so thankful for the new prayer supporters who have now come on board. Thank you SO MUCH for your partnership in my ministry. You are vital to me!
2. My appointment service will be held at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond this Wednesday evening, June 25. I am very excited... and a little nervous. Please pray that my testimony given at the service would be exactly what He would have me say and that He would be glorified. And pray that the hearts of those present would be stirred up to see the nations come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, whatever that may mean for them personally.
3. Following appointment, my time frame looks something like this:
July 25: Last day at my current job
Aug. 4: Begin field personnel orientation
Oct. 15: Begin language school in Guatemala
Please pray that I would be effective and efficient in learning Spanish. Only once I have achieved an advanced low level of proficiency in Spanish can I go to my ministry site. It is imperative that I learn the language quickly and well.
4. Pray for me as I leave behind my spiritual family at London Bridge to go to the foreign field. Though I am thrilled to be going, the fact remains that it is bittersweet, as I will desperately miss my brothers and sisters.
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