Inspired by others
01/31/2020
Before you are small tents in which young men and women use as they go across the various nations, visiting those spots who receive them as a missional team to serve for 3 weeks or so. They offer help in a myriad of ways. Construction, youth groups, work projects, teaching students, reaching neighbors or the lost, loving on children– supporting, encouraging, believing, and assisting with fresh hands and hearts. This location above is an annual stop on the way through of Africa. It is in Kenya, specifically southeastern Kenya in a region called Massai land. A well known tribe historically because of their renown hunting and fighting skills.
Caring for an overlooked, neglected tribe.
The reason for Masaii land stopover: The young man pictured here left South Africa 18 years ago with a desire to share the good news to this infamous tribe, and disciple the Massai so that their lives could be turned around with Jesus in the center. He has developed a number of tribal men and families under his mentorship in his effort to give them new skills for sustainability. The young lady is his wife of 3 years and comes from our community if Jeffreys Bay. She met him on one of the journeys passing through to serve his ministry. Incidentally, in the background in the above pic, is their kitchen. They live in a large tent and one day hope to make an actual proper dwelling.
My visit with a friend to this missionary couple and to connect with one of our teams doing work projects at the camp.
The living room where life-changing dialogue happens.
Where incoming teams gather to eat, fellowship, discuss, and make plans. I was fortunate to have a goat cooked over the fire pit during my stay (I heard the lucky goat bleating as they started to prepare him) ((he did not taste like chicken)).
With Jesus in the middle of the relationships, teams have dramatically improved the camp, influenced the Massai, as it becomes an eco-friendly touring spot for the adventuresome and other mission groups to reach the Massai.
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Another example of who the teams “carefully” visit is an Indian couple who had their lives turned around for Jesus about 10 years ago. Their hearts are for neglected children, so they chose to build a school (still under development) and reach out to the families of the adversarial Hindu in India. They are allowed in the region because they teach their children–and they do it by telling stories from the Scriptures, praying, and more.
Driving toward hostility
They drive an old scooter every day, rain or shine, 40 minutes away with their young son because it is safer for them not to live where the school is.
The teams go to encourage, fellowship, help with personal needs, but we are not allowed to go to the school. It will just increase the hostility toward them.
At our house when they visited Jeffreys Bay 3 years ago
Kalyn and I have a plan to join two others to visit them in India in May this year, to hear their stories, and prayerfully encourage them through some difficult things they face. As you can imagine, sharing words with them is holy ground.
Keep in mind, the intention for the discipleship training in Jeffreys Bay, and even the short-term mission teams that go out, is to refresh and serve those who are sacrificing in many ways to make Jesus known.
There are many places for the teams to visit in the Philippines, Bali, China, Russia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Croatia, Macedonia, Jordan, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon, Zanzibar, Serbia, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Nepal, and many more. In each are individuals and families making a difference for Jesus in significant ways. Our intention is to spiritually, physically, and emotionally support them. People on the field in a foreign land love the visits from our teams.
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Ready for more.
In June, after 7 years of impacting individuals and families with Jesus power, Oliver and Rhoda felt a stirring and a call to another region of Malawi. We were invited to commission and celebrate. Just as important, we challenged their new leaders to continue the work of Jesus to love those who, like us, are undeserving. To teach them the power of receiving forgiveness, and giving forgiveness–because of challenging relationships, we must do that every day to have our hearts right.
Converted Muslims now stepping into the leadership of a movement to make Jesus known through the power of the gospel in Malawi.
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At the end of November Kalyn and I were invited to a large group of workers who work on the large scale farms of produce in South Africa. This particular area had 25 married Zimbabwean couples in their larger workforce. The couple asked for help in their marriages as they, like millions, had migrated from their homelands in search of gainful employment, so they could send money home to their struggling families.
Asking for help can be a brilliant idea.
Kalyn and I shared for 3 days from our hearts and experience to a very vulnerable group of believing Zimbabweans. Struggling with insecurities, with strife at times, with anger, with jealousy, and other things, they were so receptive in the need to put Jesus first in each of their days, and practically how to put Jesus right in the middle of their marriages. We felt something of us go into them as they responded.
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Moving forward…
For Kalyn and I right now, in many spots, South Africa is the home front. K and I have had opportunity to spend significant time with various leaders of churches and ministries. As a result, they invite us into their circle of community to share on issues of the heart, that always leads us toward the mandate of Jesus: “to forgive” those who have offended us in a real way as we live out life in the community of church.
In October Kalyn and I shared at the All Nations Global Gathering for those working missionally in the nations to essentially: disciple the locals from the nations into the power of the Good News.
A call to ready ourselves for 2020 vision and beyond
To “Bloom”
Throughout the nations its people are troubled by oppression, social injustice, and inner turmoil. Many are in the streets at risks to their lives protesting what they have seen. Others are fleeing for the hope of a better life. Desperate people desiring a new reality. Jesus changes everything–even for those living in a hostile or persecuted country. Forgiveness, Hope, Purpose, Significance, Peace. He continually invites the troubled who are impoverished or affluent into a new life. That transforms our normal into a surprising spiritual reality. The Father’s intention is for each of us to “bloom where we are planted”. Because He is absolute Lord of our circumstances.
Things are changing from the east to the west, and the north to the south. As Kalyn and I have discovered, our vision is too small and needs to be on His trajectory where Jesus leads us. With His agenda. He changes everything. He rules and reigns, to our surprise, over the nations–and significantly, in each of our spheres.
“It is our time!” is the call of Jesus’ church.
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Seeing that “after credits” have become in vogue,
I thought to offer some:
The Massai still have a rite of passage where a teen-age boy is to become a man. For that he must spend 3 months in a wilderness area living off the land–i.e hunting wild game for his sustenance.
A young, wild Massai in the making?
No, rather our grandson, Sullivan
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Perseverance is a must for those committed to the mission field.
Surprisingly, this was photographed inside a missional family in the Middle East. R-i-g-h-t, our granddaughter, Sophia, dragging her younger sister, Hope, from room to room–just for the pleasure of it???
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In the field there are also natural adversaries that missional people must avoid. For us in Jeffreys Bay, we breathed a sigh of relief when we saw that the local authorities were addressing potential danger:
Sorry, could not resist.
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As every parent knows, those in conflict do not always listen
