Hello friends and family!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! As I go into my fifth month here in Egypt, the Lord continues to teach me so many things through the people and culture. At the end of the year I’m not sure whose life will be most touched and changed—those I encounter in ministry efforts, or my own life. Each day I feel I am finding my place here a little better and clearer, and I am so thankful to be here and have genuinely fallen in love with so many people.
Thanksgiving was a little bit of an adventure. I volunteered to bring several items that my family usually cooks for Thanksgiving to the dinner at the Wommack’s with other local missionaries and an Egyptian family. The night before Thanksgiving I could not find many of the crucial ingredients (such as sweet potatoes for sweet potato casserole!). So I decided I would just wake up early Thanksgiving morning and go hunt down the missing ingredients. I walked a few miles asking every street vendor I could find for sweet potatoes. It turns out that instead of asking for orange potatoes in Arabic, I had been asking for an orange father or something that was not correct and got my many weird, confused looks and a few hearty laughs! I finally found some sweet potatoes and made that casserole!
Simple everyday living here certainly comes with challenges in comparison to the American living I’m used to, and can be a little frustrating at times. Some of it has to do with Egypt, some of it just has to do with living without a mom. For example, if I ever want to eat, I have to cook (imagine that!). Often I have to cook from scratch—though many American conveniences are imported, they are expensive and some everyday cooking ingredients (like Rotel Tomatoes and American relish) aren’t here at all. But I’ve learned new ways of doing things! I didn’t know things like tomato paste, relish, and soup could be made without a can! Anyway, in order to cook, I have to grocery shop; to grocery shop, I have to take a taxi. So much is in Arabic which a challenge in itself to this new-comer. Our flat doesn’t have a dishwasher so dishes must be washed by hand, we don’t have a dryer so clothes must be hung out on the line five stories high to dry. I don’t mind at all, it’s all just time-consuming. The wonderful things about all of this are that I have realized that American conveniences are not absolutely necessary,
I’ve learned new ways of doing things, and learned to enjoy the adventures each new day lends itself to (like taxi rides!).
Another recent adventure was my first experience at the outdoor meat market. My roommates and I needed chicken and decided to save money and not get frozen, so we went to the market where we picked out our live chicken. The man then broke its wings when he grabbed it from the cage and plopped it on the scale. Then he took our little chicken, which I named Clucky, as she squawked bloody murder to a table where he slit her throat and chopped off her head right in front of us! He threw her headless body into a bucket where little Clucky kept going crazy. And I was expected to eat our chicken after we put her through all that?! I had to turn around and fight back tears as I said there was absolutely no way I could eat that chicken we murdered. A couple days later I got over it and cooked her, learning that whole chickens come with guts. She was actually quite tasty, and now I’m going on Clucky the Second tomorrow night!
While life here is sometimes rough, comical, and even a wonderful adventure, that is certainly not what has captured my heart and passion in an indescribable, irreversible way. It is the people. To my surprise, the people group I have most fallen in love with and with whom I have found the greater portion of meaning and significance in my being here is the foreign community youth. While many of these kids are Egyptian or half-Egyptian, most are from a variety of foreign. I adore these kids more than I can express. It is my prayer to be there for them the way the Lord would have me be, to love them, to challenge them and encourage them to pursue lives of whole hearted, passionate, genuine love for our Savior; to follow Him with everything inside of them, to be a leader in the faith and seek to know Him and grow in Him more and more each day. I love teaching Sunday school, I love leading youth group with my roommates and Jon, I love leading the girls’ Bible study. I love each of these TCKs and pray the Lord will allow me to somehow be His hands and feet and mouthpiece to touch their lives for Him.
The whole youth group experience has been stretching for me. I have learned, more now than ever, that I am completely inadequate and incapable in my humanity. But I have also learned and know full well, more now than ever before, that I have a God who promises to lead me by the hand through each week, each talk, each service, each devotion to accomplish whatever task is before me with efficiency if I humbly submit to and wholeheartedly trust Him. I am in awe of the greatness of God in our human lives—just to see Him at work in the lives of the youth as they open up their hearts and seek Him is amazing beyond description.
Last Friday during youth service there was a moment when I was flooded with a rushing wave of emotion and love and passion, and thought it may touch your heart like it touched mine. Each teen was handed a piece of paper and a pen, and encouraged during worship to write praises of thankfulness to the Lord. Later we asked the kids to feel free to share something they had written if they were willing. As we sat there in worship teens would randomly read their papers aloud. It was overwhelming to hear them say what they did: “Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. I honor you; my delight is in you; there is no one else for me;” “Lord, you are great. You surpass all earthly power. You have taken me from the land of my ancestors, opened my eyes to what is truly good. You have blessed me; you have redeemed my family. Help me to overcome my sin;” “I am not perfect but I will still surrender to you. Help me to have a pure heart and a clear conscience;” “Lord, I give you my future. Take it and let it be yours;” “Lord, you are great and powerful because without you, I am nothing, and with you, I am made into something great. All I have and all I am is all because of your presence in my life. Thank you for giving me love and good things, for forgiving every sin I have done and do;” “You are good, powerful, and great, Lord, because you care for me even when I feel I have no worth. Thank you for being you, for loving me, for saving me. Thank you for making me me, and for being you. Thank you that you are immeasurable and loving and don’t care how many flaws I have. Thank you that you love even a broken offering.”
As I sat there listening to teenagers share their hearts and what the Lord means to them, tears welled up in my eyes and I thought THIS is what we were created to do—THIS is what we live for. It is because if Him that we live and breath and are blessed. Without Him, I am nothing—but in Him I find my identity, purpose, belonging, passion, and love.
Between organizing the youth group’s Christmas human video production and the children’s Christmas play, making costumes, etc., I continue to [attempt] to learn Arabic, teach English to four girls from the Lillian Trasher Orphanage, and teach at the Sudanese refugee school. They are a hilarious, joyful, and energetic bunch to say the least—and I adore them as well.
While on an assignment, AGWM allows one-year term MAs a two-week vacation.
After much thought and prayer, I decided Christmas break would be the ideal
time to use it as that will be about the mid-way point for my time here, and
things such as youth group and schools will be shutting down for the holidays. So I will be going home for Christmas December 13th! I am SO excited to see my family and
friends in Texas for a couple weeks, and look forward to returning to Egypt after Christmas to finish the second half of my assignment, and spend the Egyptian Christmas (Jan. 7th) at the Lillian Trasher Orphanage in Assiout, about a 7 hour train ride to Upper Egypt.
Jon, one of the youth leaders, has decided to return to the States in January to continue college. He plays a big role as he is our only male leader. Please pray for me and my roommates to have to the wisdom, guidance, and leadership to efficiently lead and disciple this group. Pray that the Lord would continue to stretch me, to help me embrace the joys as well as the stresses of daily life in Egypt, and that He would guide me as I prepare and present talks for youth service. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May God bless you this Christmas season as we celebrate His Son!
Much Love,
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
* Egypt 1
Hello and greetings from Cairo!
I am going on two months here in Egypt and have already experienced so much! It has truly been a joy to be here and to get to know so many of the people, and I am finally settling into what I feel will be my main areas of work while here.
When I first arrived, I was privileged to be able to fill a need as the middle school and high school Bible teacher at an international school for English speaking Christian families here for business or missions. It was a delightful experience, but quite grueling because I had not planned on teaching and it was a big commitment with grading, lesson plans, and teaching each day on top of the planned work arranged for me to do. I love the school, but had told the principal at the beginning of the school year that I was happy to teach since there was a need, but would be glad to be relieved if the Lord brought another teacher her way. Well, someone came along who was willing to teach! I enjoyed teaching these kids and am so thankful for the experience! But I am also thankful to be able to have the time and energy to do the other things I came here to do.
Twice a week my roommate and I go teach English at a Sudanese refugee school. I absolutely love the Sudanese people—more than I can express. They are such precious people. They've been through so much—many kids express having seen war in their land; they are displaced, away from their homeland, away from many family members; they are poor and resented by the most of the Egyptians here. And yet these people smile. They have little to be happy about it seems, and yet they smile and laugh and are just a joy to be around. I love them dearly. The teaching aspect certainly comes with its challenges though—the younger ones are quite a rowdy bunch. I have learned a lot of patience since I have been here and am learning to just “roll with it” and join them in their laughter and silliness—even if we don’t quite get through a lesson. One of the biggest things I am learning through the various people and situations I encounter is that my being here is not so much about agenda (such as getting through a certain lesson or being somewhere on time or accomplishing my personal tasks of daily living) as much as it is about relationship and community—giving people the time of day, genuinely caring about them above accomplishing their lesson, or my grocery shopping, or being on time for my next engagement.
I have really enjoyed tutoring English to four Egyptian girls who grew up in the Lillian Trasher Orphanage. They are young adults trying to make it on their own now out of the orphanage. A nurse missionary has taken them under her wing and pays them to work in her clinic, and is helping them better their potential for the future—one aspect of that is mastering the English language, and I’m glad to be a small part of it. These girls (about my age) have become dear friends.
I also go and work in Garbage Village each week with the handicapped people—this is indeed the hardest thing I do. I am constantly fighting gag reflex, paranoid about lice (which I got AGAIN this week). It is so hard because I see these mentally and physically handicapped people and I think to myself, “God, WHY? Why are they like that? They are a burden on the people who care for them, on society; they have been abandoned by their families, they have so much hardship and they don’t even seem to ‘get’ life or You or even how to feed themselves. They only suffer in this state of being.” Then the terrible thought passes through my head that I immediately make myself dismiss: “Wouldn’t they be better off if they...weren’t? How can life on this Earth be better for them than in heaven, fully restored and in the arms of Christ?” And a wave of conviction comes crashing over me: are they not just as human as I am? Does Christ not love them equally as much? Does He not have a purpose and plan for them just as He does for me? Did He not knit them together and know them even in their mother’s womb? I’m a sinner even in my full mental capabilities—so how am I any ‘better’ a sinner than they are? If my own thoughts are not conviction enough, one of the girls hugs me in the midst of my thoughts and says “Habeepti” (which means “my love”); then a little later while we are trying to feed them, one girl will not eat and I see tears stream down her eyes as she mumbles something over and over in Arabic. I ask what she is saying; it is “I’m sad. I’m sad. I’m sad.” I realize this mentally and physically handicapped girl, about my age, has recently been abandoned by her family, moved into a disability home where she lives with other “different” people who spit up, potty on themselves and play in it; a place where she doesn’t get bathed regularly and lives with lice and a shaved head. She has every reason to be sad—she hurts. It made me realize that these people feel and hurt as much as any human being and only a relationship with a loving Savior could possibly bring comfort and peace into their lives. My heart was broken.
While many of them are not at all children, they are children, even babies, in their minds, and I am reminded of verses such as Matt. 19:24, “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these;’” and Psalm 8:1-2, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth…From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise;” and Matt. 18:5, “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” As my heart breaks for them, I have grown to love these handicapped people of Garbage Village in a new way—as blessed children created by my God; the same God who created me and everyone and everything.
Lastly, my time here includes involvement with the international community church. Jon Wommack, my two roommates, and I run the church’s youth group of about 26 kids—I absolutely love these kids! They are from all over the world and are a joy to be around and get to know. I also lead a high school girls’ small group which is just starting up. I’m very excited about what this Bible Study has in store for the girls, and for me as well! Pray that the Lord will use me to reach these teens for Him, to be there for them in the ways they need, to be a good example, and to have the wisdom I need to effectively lead them as Christ would have me do. I have started teaching 5th and 6th grade Sunday School (which is actually on Fridays). I really enjoy these kiddos, too!
My sister, Brianna, is on her way back home from her time this year doing outeach work in Abu Dhabi and India. She swung by Egypt en route to visit me for about 3 weeks! I have so enjoyed her being here—I had not seen her for 9 months and it will be another 10 before I see her again. We have had a great time together and got to go see the pyramids! She will be home Oct. 17th.
All the things I do from teaching to tutoring to Sunday school, youth group, and Garbage Village are very stretching for me. I had an opportunity to speak for the chapel service at the international school, and will be speaking at the youth services. I’m definitely learning to depend on the Lord and trust Him in all these opportunities; prayer for strength to face the tasks of each new day, a sensitive spirit to what the Lord would have me do and say, and listening ear to hear His guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much for all your prayers and support and may the Lord bless you!
Sincerely,
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* An unexpected encounter
The past couple weeks I have been in Springfield, MO for my pre-field orientation as a new missionary associate. I met Cathy in the parking lot of Applebees after eating with a few fellow young MAs-to-be. Cathy actually approached us first—asking for money. I wish it had been as beautiful a situation as Peter and John at the temple gates when Peter said to the crippled man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ…” and he walked away jumping and praising God. Things certainly did not go as smoothly with Cathy, yet we poured our entire evening into her.
Cathy, a young homeless woman about thirty years old, revealed that she had been through a lot which led to her being on the streets, that she had trusted the wrong people and “got burned.” One of the saddest parts Cathy shared with us was that she felt worthless—she said all people think she is good for is “cheap sex with filthy men.” I think she enjoyed being able to vent to a few people who actually cared for her as she expressed her situation and struggles with us for quite awhile—even after realizing she was not getting much money from us. The hurt and pain this homeless woman experienced every moment of her life broke my heart. The worst part of Cathy’s situation is that she did not have the strength of the Lord in her life to get her through, or His morals and statutes to hold herself accountable to. In fact, she blamed God for her situation.
When we breifly spoke of Christ with her; she would not accept what we had to say. Then she took over the dialogue explaining that she had "tried" God before, and He did not change her situation, so there was no point in Him. We realized that what she meant by “trying God” was not at all Salvation nor surrender to or trust in Him. Cathy had “tried God” in the sense that she just thought God should fix her situation if He was really God and really loved her, with no action or commitment on her part. If God would give her a good, successful, and meaningful life, only then would she serve Him. We explained Christ’s true love and true Message to her, but she would not accept what we said. Our friend, fully sober as far as we could tell, ended up cursing in frustration towards God and to us for our faith in Him. Since she was so wound up, we thought that at this point after our lengthy conversation with her, the best thing to do would be to calm her down, offer to pray with her, and leave. She calmed down and we did offer to pray with her which she gladly accepted—initially. As we were beginning she suddenly changed her mind walked away in a rampage.
It was a difficult and unexpected encounter. And her words about my Lord stung. In my time with Street Hope at college I never experienced such a reaction to Christ—I encountered Muslims on the streets of Dallas that were more receptive and respectful towards the Gospel than this woman, and I never encountered someone who refused prayer. It was hurtful—I hurt not for myself, but for Cathy, and for my God whose heart I know breaks for this woman.
The positive side of this is that Cathy, this woman who consumed our entire evening, encountered some genuine love and concern. We did not have much time left so we decided to spend that time to pray for Cathy. We went back to the grounds we were staying at and prayed together specifically for her and her situations over the next hour. In addition to many things related to her struggles and situation, we asked the Lord to soften her heart, to remember and think about the Message we shared, and that the Lord would strategically send others into her life to show her He truly does care.
* What to Do When I Don't Know What to Do
With the end of my stay in Egypt approaching all too quickly, I have been overwhelmed with whirl of thoughts and emotions—sadness, anxiousness, love, homesickness, passion, plans, worry, peace, fear, trust, job, grad school, family, friends, and the list goes on. I was talking with a precious friend today about this place in life I find myself. Though I am going back to all that is familiar, it is like staring into an abyss of unknown. For the first time in my life I cannot see what lies just around the bend. It is frightening, but I trust God. And yet in the midst if my unshakable faith, anxiousness pervades my person. A few moments ago while thumbing through an old notebook a loose paper fell out. As I read this paper I had written at the age of eighteen I had entitled, “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do.” I was overwhelmed and a rushing wave of emotion and peace came over me. How timely this old paper was to my life! Perhaps it was coincidence, but I believe it was God answering my prayers of “What on earth am I supposed to be doing with my life next?!” I thought I would post this old paper I found:
Well, I was planning all along to write about my missions trip to Thailand this summer that completely changed my life, and about our job as Christians to reach to lost for Christ, but
I have completely changed my mind.
No one would guess, but my life has been in a tizzy since I left for college last year. I have been a mess between my changing passions and desires, and what degree I want pursue among several minor health scares and concerns, the “freshman fifteen,” and trying to find and follow God’s will in the midst of it all, and other things I won’t dare go on about.
In the chaos of my confusion I did not know what to do, finding myself at a scary place stuck between the lightheartedness and carefree days of girlhood and high school (though I did not view it like that at the time) and adulthood—not knowing where on earth life was taking me, or even where I wanted it to take me. Yet one thing is for sure: this time in life is here and speeding by without giving me a chance to think about it, and I have to hop on board this wagon or else...!
There are a lot of young people my age who probably never felt that way—who may have known, or thought they knew, where they were going or what they wanted. And if not, were content with the adventure of not knowing. What I am getting at is not what to do when you are stuck between childhood and adulthood, but to reiterate the lesson I have all heard time and time again of what to do when I do not know what to do.
My mom recently gave me a CD of a sermon that entitled just that—“What to do when you don’t know what to do,” which actually proved to be of little or no help to me whatsoever. At the same time, it gave a little truth that has been so comforting at times. The speaker talked about Joseph and all the trials he went through, and gist of it was that through it all, “God was with him.” That has been a source of encouragement to me to know that no matter what, God is with me.
But I am going to be honest; I thought, “Well, that’s great to know that God is with me through my confusion and seemingly aimless wandering—but so what?! What does it matter if God is with me but isn’t doing anything? So what if God is with me but I’m still miserable, in the depths of despair, and feel the entire universe and all who are in it are out to eat me alive, and I’m doomed to whither away in the utter depths of the dungeon of hell on earth with no ambition in my life!” Ok, a bit of an overstatement.
That is when I decided to go to my Bible and see what it said in relation to being in God’s will and what to do when I don’t know what to do or, or feel like I’m wandering aimlessly through life. I came across so many blessed scriptures. I don’t have any great words of wisdom or knowledge to share of my own so I will let God's Word do it for me.
Prov. 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight.
Phil. 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Rom. 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Is. 58:11
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.
At the same time, though God is all-powerful and does not need our help, we cannot use these verses as an excuse for being idle but we need to be proactive :
2 Peter 1:10-11
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Cor. 9:6
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
I’ve learned that not always knowing where in life I’m going or what I need to be doing is okay, if I simply trust God to lead me and guide me, and that in all things, God works for the good of those of love him. So I’ll close with another common verse we all know:
Jer. 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I need to let the Divine have the driver’s seat, and enjoy the ride. It just may take me to where I truly want to go.
Well, I was planning all along to write about my missions trip to Thailand this summer that completely changed my life, and about our job as Christians to reach to lost for Christ, but
I have completely changed my mind.
No one would guess, but my life has been in a tizzy since I left for college last year. I have been a mess between my changing passions and desires, and what degree I want pursue among several minor health scares and concerns, the “freshman fifteen,” and trying to find and follow God’s will in the midst of it all, and other things I won’t dare go on about.
In the chaos of my confusion I did not know what to do, finding myself at a scary place stuck between the lightheartedness and carefree days of girlhood and high school (though I did not view it like that at the time) and adulthood—not knowing where on earth life was taking me, or even where I wanted it to take me. Yet one thing is for sure: this time in life is here and speeding by without giving me a chance to think about it, and I have to hop on board this wagon or else...!
There are a lot of young people my age who probably never felt that way—who may have known, or thought they knew, where they were going or what they wanted. And if not, were content with the adventure of not knowing. What I am getting at is not what to do when you are stuck between childhood and adulthood, but to reiterate the lesson I have all heard time and time again of what to do when I do not know what to do.
My mom recently gave me a CD of a sermon that entitled just that—“What to do when you don’t know what to do,” which actually proved to be of little or no help to me whatsoever. At the same time, it gave a little truth that has been so comforting at times. The speaker talked about Joseph and all the trials he went through, and gist of it was that through it all, “God was with him.” That has been a source of encouragement to me to know that no matter what, God is with me.
But I am going to be honest; I thought, “Well, that’s great to know that God is with me through my confusion and seemingly aimless wandering—but so what?! What does it matter if God is with me but isn’t doing anything? So what if God is with me but I’m still miserable, in the depths of despair, and feel the entire universe and all who are in it are out to eat me alive, and I’m doomed to whither away in the utter depths of the dungeon of hell on earth with no ambition in my life!” Ok, a bit of an overstatement.
That is when I decided to go to my Bible and see what it said in relation to being in God’s will and what to do when I don’t know what to do or, or feel like I’m wandering aimlessly through life. I came across so many blessed scriptures. I don’t have any great words of wisdom or knowledge to share of my own so I will let God's Word do it for me.
Prov. 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight.
Phil. 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Rom. 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Is. 58:11
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.
At the same time, though God is all-powerful and does not need our help, we cannot use these verses as an excuse for being idle but we need to be proactive :
2 Peter 1:10-11
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Cor. 9:6
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
I’ve learned that not always knowing where in life I’m going or what I need to be doing is okay, if I simply trust God to lead me and guide me, and that in all things, God works for the good of those of love him. So I’ll close with another common verse we all know:
Jer. 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I need to let the Divine have the driver’s seat, and enjoy the ride. It just may take me to where I truly want to go.
* Heart for Missions Speech
This is a speech I gave a couple years ago. Funny how I would change/add to this bit after a having another year's experience overseas. Anyway, here's what I said:
There is a child in Africa who is starving and rotting in filth, whose father is dead, and whose mother is dying of aids. All this child wants is to know there is something/someone greater than his circumstances that is watching out for him and loves him. Yet he does not know where/what to go to—all he knows to do is to try to please the gods of his tribe through disturbing, unfulfilling religious practices, always living in fear.
There is a little girl, about 9 years old, in India whose father sold her into captivity where she lives a slave—as a child prostitute. And there are thousands of little girls living in the same situation in Congo, Indonesia, and many other countries. No one truly loves them—they are alone.
There is a Burmese woman enslaved in Thailand where she is forced to prostitute herself daily. There are millions and millions of people around the world who live in such seemingly hopeless conditions that our western mentalities cannot begin to fathom—all longing for something or someone to hold on to, to give them meaning in life, to give them hope. Yet the majority of these people are forgotten.
As a cross-cultural missions major, I feel very strongly about this issue and I feel a heavy burden for these people—to reach them, to show them love, that they are not forgotten, and that there is hope, both in this life and especially in the eternal life that is to come.
You see, I believe that there is a heaven and a hell, and upon death believers in the Jesus Christ will go to heaven while unbelievers are damned to hell. While there is a huge mission field even in our own neighborhoods; in America, the information is readily available to all people in this country. Every individual has the opportunity to research the different religions and weigh the evidences of each and decide for themselves what they choose to or to not believe. However, how may one choose whether or not they believe in the Jesus Christ when the Gospel has never been presented to them?
According to Joel Watson, the missions chairman at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 67% of our world’s population are considered "un-reached people." Many of these people are living in what seems hopeless conditions, searching for something of truth to hold onto, something to give them hope for the future. I believe that the comfort and hope they need can be found in a belief and even a relationship with God if they choose to embrace it.
As Isaiah chapter 61 says, "God gives beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, peace for despair, and strength for fear." Yet these people remain un-reached. Why are the majority of those with any kind of religious faith, not just the Christian faith but people of all religions, not going out and presenting the hope and joy they have found to the lost and hurting people of the world? Why are Christians isolating themselves in the Christian community, only participating in Christian activities with Christian friends, not getting out of the four walls of their church? I do not believe this is acceptable religious practice.
Christians are commanded to go, to get outside the walls of the church and reach out to the people who need it the most—which are not other Christians, but those who are not believers both in our nation and other nations where is the Christian message is not heard.
Matthew chapter 28 says, “Go and make followers of all people in the world...and I will be with you always, even unto the end of this age.” There are people who need to hear the message of a powerful, loving God, people who need to be shown love, and Christians are called to an active faith and an active sharing of that faith. In John 4:35 Jesus uses an analogy when He says, “Do you not say, ‘Four more months and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” We can learn from Jesus in Matthew 9:35, “When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to His followers, 'There are many people to harvest, but few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that He will send more workers to gather His harvest.'”
We are innately selfish beings—but one thing we are all capable of, regardless of religious faith, is love, and through of love comes compassion. Reaching people of other countries and cultures with the Gospel is not standing on street corners in third world countries preaching at people—how does that show love? How can Christians convince others of God’s love and the Salvation and freedom available through Christ simply verbally, without action? We cannot. Love is a verb, and Christians are commanded to love. 1 Peter chapter 4 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another...each one should use whatever gifts he has to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
People of other cultures need more than to be told the evidence of why one believes what they believe, they need to see the evidence. Reaching the hurting people of the world with the Gospel is about servitude, about meeting peoples’ needs, about showing them compassion—it is about showing them God’s love, about showing them what they can have through faith in Him. It’s about getting your hands dirty and meeting people where they are.
Mark 10:45, “For even Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve;” and 2 Cor. 1, “The Father of compassion and the God of comfort; who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” --That may be doing village work in Indonesia, it may be going and hanging out outside the whore-houses and building friendships with the women enslaved in Thailand, it may be holding a crying child at an orphanage in China, it may be handing out food to hungry people in Africa, it may be inviting someone to a missions crusade, but ultimately, it is about living out and sharing one’s faith in Jesus Christ to people, giving them hope for eternal life in Christ for them to accept or reject, while impacting peoples’ lives for the better in the process.
Like I said, reaching out to the people of other nations who have not heard the Christian Gospel is truly about meeting people in their culture where they are at, not expecting them to conform to our culture. One thing easy to get caught up with in missions is confusing cultural norms with spiritual principles, and many try to import our cultural customs into other societies as part of salvation. A speaker I once heard from India told of a Christian church in India her family pastored. This church was evangelical Christian, yet the women still sat at the back of the church and kept their faces covered, like in the Muslim mosque. This has nothing to do with being a Christian believer or not, it is simply cultural.
According to Richard Zanner, some important things one must remember when going on a cross-cultural missions endeavor include:
Understanding one’s role as a servant
Taking the time to learn the culture
Adjusting to the new cultural environment and identifying with the people
Affirming a call to serve
Not forgetting the ultimate goal of presenting your faith to the people
What I ultimately believe is that there is joy and peace, satisfaction, comfort and strength to get through trials in life, hope and assurance for the future, and love that is found in a personal relationship with the God who created the universe—and I have found that and am not content to sit within the four walls of my church and not share that love and joy with the suffering people of nations who have not heard of this faith that has the power to change lives and ultimately provide eternal life in heaven.
My personal burden for cross-cultural missions stems from an unexplainable love and compassion for other people and my motivation for reaching them can be summed up in a passage from Romans Chapter 10:
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'... Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
This is what I believe.
This is why I believe it.
This is why I have a burden for cross-cultural missions.
There is a child in Africa who is starving and rotting in filth, whose father is dead, and whose mother is dying of aids. All this child wants is to know there is something/someone greater than his circumstances that is watching out for him and loves him. Yet he does not know where/what to go to—all he knows to do is to try to please the gods of his tribe through disturbing, unfulfilling religious practices, always living in fear.
There is a little girl, about 9 years old, in India whose father sold her into captivity where she lives a slave—as a child prostitute. And there are thousands of little girls living in the same situation in Congo, Indonesia, and many other countries. No one truly loves them—they are alone.
There is a Burmese woman enslaved in Thailand where she is forced to prostitute herself daily. There are millions and millions of people around the world who live in such seemingly hopeless conditions that our western mentalities cannot begin to fathom—all longing for something or someone to hold on to, to give them meaning in life, to give them hope. Yet the majority of these people are forgotten.
As a cross-cultural missions major, I feel very strongly about this issue and I feel a heavy burden for these people—to reach them, to show them love, that they are not forgotten, and that there is hope, both in this life and especially in the eternal life that is to come.
You see, I believe that there is a heaven and a hell, and upon death believers in the Jesus Christ will go to heaven while unbelievers are damned to hell. While there is a huge mission field even in our own neighborhoods; in America, the information is readily available to all people in this country. Every individual has the opportunity to research the different religions and weigh the evidences of each and decide for themselves what they choose to or to not believe. However, how may one choose whether or not they believe in the Jesus Christ when the Gospel has never been presented to them?
According to Joel Watson, the missions chairman at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 67% of our world’s population are considered "un-reached people." Many of these people are living in what seems hopeless conditions, searching for something of truth to hold onto, something to give them hope for the future. I believe that the comfort and hope they need can be found in a belief and even a relationship with God if they choose to embrace it.
As Isaiah chapter 61 says, "God gives beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, peace for despair, and strength for fear." Yet these people remain un-reached. Why are the majority of those with any kind of religious faith, not just the Christian faith but people of all religions, not going out and presenting the hope and joy they have found to the lost and hurting people of the world? Why are Christians isolating themselves in the Christian community, only participating in Christian activities with Christian friends, not getting out of the four walls of their church? I do not believe this is acceptable religious practice.
Christians are commanded to go, to get outside the walls of the church and reach out to the people who need it the most—which are not other Christians, but those who are not believers both in our nation and other nations where is the Christian message is not heard.
Matthew chapter 28 says, “Go and make followers of all people in the world...and I will be with you always, even unto the end of this age.” There are people who need to hear the message of a powerful, loving God, people who need to be shown love, and Christians are called to an active faith and an active sharing of that faith. In John 4:35 Jesus uses an analogy when He says, “Do you not say, ‘Four more months and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” We can learn from Jesus in Matthew 9:35, “When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to His followers, 'There are many people to harvest, but few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that He will send more workers to gather His harvest.'”
We are innately selfish beings—but one thing we are all capable of, regardless of religious faith, is love, and through of love comes compassion. Reaching people of other countries and cultures with the Gospel is not standing on street corners in third world countries preaching at people—how does that show love? How can Christians convince others of God’s love and the Salvation and freedom available through Christ simply verbally, without action? We cannot. Love is a verb, and Christians are commanded to love. 1 Peter chapter 4 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another...each one should use whatever gifts he has to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
People of other cultures need more than to be told the evidence of why one believes what they believe, they need to see the evidence. Reaching the hurting people of the world with the Gospel is about servitude, about meeting peoples’ needs, about showing them compassion—it is about showing them God’s love, about showing them what they can have through faith in Him. It’s about getting your hands dirty and meeting people where they are.
Mark 10:45, “For even Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve;” and 2 Cor. 1, “The Father of compassion and the God of comfort; who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” --That may be doing village work in Indonesia, it may be going and hanging out outside the whore-houses and building friendships with the women enslaved in Thailand, it may be holding a crying child at an orphanage in China, it may be handing out food to hungry people in Africa, it may be inviting someone to a missions crusade, but ultimately, it is about living out and sharing one’s faith in Jesus Christ to people, giving them hope for eternal life in Christ for them to accept or reject, while impacting peoples’ lives for the better in the process.
Like I said, reaching out to the people of other nations who have not heard the Christian Gospel is truly about meeting people in their culture where they are at, not expecting them to conform to our culture. One thing easy to get caught up with in missions is confusing cultural norms with spiritual principles, and many try to import our cultural customs into other societies as part of salvation. A speaker I once heard from India told of a Christian church in India her family pastored. This church was evangelical Christian, yet the women still sat at the back of the church and kept their faces covered, like in the Muslim mosque. This has nothing to do with being a Christian believer or not, it is simply cultural.
According to Richard Zanner, some important things one must remember when going on a cross-cultural missions endeavor include:
Understanding one’s role as a servant
Taking the time to learn the culture
Adjusting to the new cultural environment and identifying with the people
Affirming a call to serve
Not forgetting the ultimate goal of presenting your faith to the people
What I ultimately believe is that there is joy and peace, satisfaction, comfort and strength to get through trials in life, hope and assurance for the future, and love that is found in a personal relationship with the God who created the universe—and I have found that and am not content to sit within the four walls of my church and not share that love and joy with the suffering people of nations who have not heard of this faith that has the power to change lives and ultimately provide eternal life in heaven.
My personal burden for cross-cultural missions stems from an unexplainable love and compassion for other people and my motivation for reaching them can be summed up in a passage from Romans Chapter 10:
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'... Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
This is what I believe.
This is why I believe it.
This is why I have a burden for cross-cultural missions.
I could not stop for death--my interpretation
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
--Emily Dickinson
Part of life in any society seems to involve avoiding death. Death is mysterious, often feared, and very few people ever want to die. Emily Dickinson confronts this mystifying aspect of life in her poem #712, “Because I could not stop for Death.” The speaker of this poem reflects Dickinson’s view of death—she does not fear it, realizing it is an inevitable part of life. Dickinson depicts Death as a gentleman coming for the speaker to carry her off in his carriage to immortality. Throughout the speaker’s journey from death to immortality there are many genteel symbols representing aspects of life, giving the journey through death a sense of quiet gentleness and serenity. Thus, Dickinson portrays death not as the absolute end, but as the beginning of eternity.
Though many may struggle with death, it is indeed inescapable for each individual. In the opening lines of the poem the speaker introduces Death: “Because I could not stop for Death— / He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). Even in the beginning of the poem, however, Dickinson provides the glimpse of hope in life after death by saying, “The Carriage held but just Ourselves— / And Immortality” (3-4). In this opening stanza Dickinson conveys that death will inevitably come for all, but it comes to carry us into immortality. Dickinson is confronting the truth while conveying a hope for the future.
The speaker describes Death with two pertinent words that set the tone of the poem and provide Dickinson’s ultimate portrayal of Death. These words are kindly and civility—“He kindly stopped for me—” (2) and “...I had put away / My labor and my leisure, too / For His Civility—” (6-8). These crucial words show that Death is like a gentleman taking a lady on a carriage ride. He comes not in terror and destruction, but in kindness and gentility. Ultimately, this poem reveals that Death does not come as a dark and evil subjugator, but as a mere facilitator that escorts one’s soul to the underworld of immortality.
In the speaker’s journey with Death, she passes by a series of three images. These images represent various stages of life and the passing of time: “We passed the School, where Children strove / ...We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain— / We passed the Setting Sun—” (9-12). The speaker is watching her life pass by in this stanza; the children playing represent her coming into the world as a child, the fields of grain represent her life as an adult, and finally, the sunset at the end of a day represents the end of life—death. One may go deeper in interpreting Dickinson’s use of symbolism in the sunset for though the sun sets and ends a day, it will indeed rise again, bringing a new day; so also will it be with death, according to Dickinson, for as it ends one life it is the beginning of a new immortal life in eternity.
In this poem, the terror and fear of death are objectified by the image of a kind and civil gentleman who gracefully facilitates one’s journey to immortality. In the final stanza the speaker confirms the element of hope in immortality introduced at the beginning: “Since then—‘tis Centuries—and yet / Feels shorter than the Day” (21-22). This poem suggests that Dickinson viewed death not as grim and fearful, but peaceful, calm, serene. It also suggests that Dickinson possessed a profound understanding of the human psyche’s negative conception of death, which she cleverly and precisely confronts. Dickinson’s poem ultimately portrays that at one’s appointed time, death is inevitable; however, it is not the end or even a sting, but a process, a journey to a life that is forevermore.
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
--Emily Dickinson
Part of life in any society seems to involve avoiding death. Death is mysterious, often feared, and very few people ever want to die. Emily Dickinson confronts this mystifying aspect of life in her poem #712, “Because I could not stop for Death.” The speaker of this poem reflects Dickinson’s view of death—she does not fear it, realizing it is an inevitable part of life. Dickinson depicts Death as a gentleman coming for the speaker to carry her off in his carriage to immortality. Throughout the speaker’s journey from death to immortality there are many genteel symbols representing aspects of life, giving the journey through death a sense of quiet gentleness and serenity. Thus, Dickinson portrays death not as the absolute end, but as the beginning of eternity.
Though many may struggle with death, it is indeed inescapable for each individual. In the opening lines of the poem the speaker introduces Death: “Because I could not stop for Death— / He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). Even in the beginning of the poem, however, Dickinson provides the glimpse of hope in life after death by saying, “The Carriage held but just Ourselves— / And Immortality” (3-4). In this opening stanza Dickinson conveys that death will inevitably come for all, but it comes to carry us into immortality. Dickinson is confronting the truth while conveying a hope for the future.
The speaker describes Death with two pertinent words that set the tone of the poem and provide Dickinson’s ultimate portrayal of Death. These words are kindly and civility—“He kindly stopped for me—” (2) and “...I had put away / My labor and my leisure, too / For His Civility—” (6-8). These crucial words show that Death is like a gentleman taking a lady on a carriage ride. He comes not in terror and destruction, but in kindness and gentility. Ultimately, this poem reveals that Death does not come as a dark and evil subjugator, but as a mere facilitator that escorts one’s soul to the underworld of immortality.
In the speaker’s journey with Death, she passes by a series of three images. These images represent various stages of life and the passing of time: “We passed the School, where Children strove / ...We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain— / We passed the Setting Sun—” (9-12). The speaker is watching her life pass by in this stanza; the children playing represent her coming into the world as a child, the fields of grain represent her life as an adult, and finally, the sunset at the end of a day represents the end of life—death. One may go deeper in interpreting Dickinson’s use of symbolism in the sunset for though the sun sets and ends a day, it will indeed rise again, bringing a new day; so also will it be with death, according to Dickinson, for as it ends one life it is the beginning of a new immortal life in eternity.
In this poem, the terror and fear of death are objectified by the image of a kind and civil gentleman who gracefully facilitates one’s journey to immortality. In the final stanza the speaker confirms the element of hope in immortality introduced at the beginning: “Since then—‘tis Centuries—and yet / Feels shorter than the Day” (21-22). This poem suggests that Dickinson viewed death not as grim and fearful, but peaceful, calm, serene. It also suggests that Dickinson possessed a profound understanding of the human psyche’s negative conception of death, which she cleverly and precisely confronts. Dickinson’s poem ultimately portrays that at one’s appointed time, death is inevitable; however, it is not the end or even a sting, but a process, a journey to a life that is forevermore.
Road Not Taken--My Thoughts
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost
In Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” lies the beauty in that it lends itself to a variety of interpretations. To me, however, this poem represents the potential influence, power, and consequence of each decision I make in life, and how the outcome of my choices are not revealed until after I have lived it. “The Road Not Taken” is an inspirational poem that encourages self-reliance, thinking for oneself rather than following a more popular path that others may go, and realizing the impact one decision has on the direction and outcome of one’s entire journey called “life.” Frost metaphorically depicts a truth in articulating what each human soul faces at various crossroads as one creates his individual journey of life, and relays that the road one chooses—the individual decisions he makes—is what ultimately shapes one to be who he is.
Each person has experienced crossroads at many points in his life—some are the more minor daily choices, others are the bigger choices such as what faith we choose to believe, who we marry, what degree we pursue, among countless other life-altering decisions. Regardless, each choice affects our future and where we ultimately end up. Frost’s speaker in this poem relays the permanency of our choices in that they will determine what crossroads we encounter later: “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, / I doubted if I should ever come back” (Frost 14-15).
When faced with big decisions we often wonder, “How do I know what paths to take in life?” or “How will I know I made the right decision?” These are the questions the speaker of “The Road Not Taken” faces: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could” (Frost 1-4). In saying this, Frost successfully, articulately, and beautifully captures the essence of what the human soul experiences throughout life has one faces his many life-altering decisions—his crossroads in which he must choose one path or another.
Ultimately, Frost depicts that every living person is a traveler, shaping his own life’s journey through each path he chooses at various crossroads. “The Road Not Traveled” clearly demonstrates Frost’s belief that it is the road one chooses that makes each individual who he is: “Two roads diverged in a wood and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference” (Frost 18-20). In saying this, Frost conveys the individuality, uniqueness, and adventure of each person’s life if he chooses to make his own decisions, to be bold—to take the road less traveled as that will make a difference in one’s future, in what he ultimately becomes.
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost
In Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” lies the beauty in that it lends itself to a variety of interpretations. To me, however, this poem represents the potential influence, power, and consequence of each decision I make in life, and how the outcome of my choices are not revealed until after I have lived it. “The Road Not Taken” is an inspirational poem that encourages self-reliance, thinking for oneself rather than following a more popular path that others may go, and realizing the impact one decision has on the direction and outcome of one’s entire journey called “life.” Frost metaphorically depicts a truth in articulating what each human soul faces at various crossroads as one creates his individual journey of life, and relays that the road one chooses—the individual decisions he makes—is what ultimately shapes one to be who he is.
Each person has experienced crossroads at many points in his life—some are the more minor daily choices, others are the bigger choices such as what faith we choose to believe, who we marry, what degree we pursue, among countless other life-altering decisions. Regardless, each choice affects our future and where we ultimately end up. Frost’s speaker in this poem relays the permanency of our choices in that they will determine what crossroads we encounter later: “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, / I doubted if I should ever come back” (Frost 14-15).
When faced with big decisions we often wonder, “How do I know what paths to take in life?” or “How will I know I made the right decision?” These are the questions the speaker of “The Road Not Taken” faces: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could” (Frost 1-4). In saying this, Frost successfully, articulately, and beautifully captures the essence of what the human soul experiences throughout life has one faces his many life-altering decisions—his crossroads in which he must choose one path or another.
Ultimately, Frost depicts that every living person is a traveler, shaping his own life’s journey through each path he chooses at various crossroads. “The Road Not Traveled” clearly demonstrates Frost’s belief that it is the road one chooses that makes each individual who he is: “Two roads diverged in a wood and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference” (Frost 18-20). In saying this, Frost conveys the individuality, uniqueness, and adventure of each person’s life if he chooses to make his own decisions, to be bold—to take the road less traveled as that will make a difference in one’s future, in what he ultimately becomes.
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