Resources for Missionaries and Wannabe Missionaries

by | Jul 24, 2018 | Health, South Africa

Three Resources for you:
The Call is not Enough:
In this first article, Ryan writes: “I had a psychotherapist a few years ago who I often brought personal issues of meaning and vocation to.   I remember him saying, “The need does not necessitate the call.” In essence, he was saying that the existence of an issue in the world—be it social, political, humanitarian—does not mean a certain individual is called to engage it or help solve it. The unique ways in which we are each made informs how we are designed to be in the world, how we are meant to live and serve. And just as the need does not necessitate the call, the call does not necessitate the readiness. Or put differently, even when we are we called, it doesn’t mean that we are prepared to go. The call is not enough.”

Why Missionaries Nee to Know their own Wounds

The second article deals with wounds…and, indeed, the need to deal with our wounds.

From the Inside Out by Ryan Kuja:

And…Ryan has also written a book: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Reimagining-Mission-Recreating/dp/1532616392/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527779893&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=ryan+kuja

LEAD Report: December 2017 to July 2018

by | Jul 23, 2018 | Health, South Africa

Since our last report, Louise and I have
trained in the following areas.
December 1-3, 2017: George – 20
participants
February 13-18, 2018: St Mark the
Evangelist – 27 participants, including the 7 leaders trained in September
19-20 2017 who assisted in this training
February 22-25, 2018: Johannesburg – we
trained 23 previously Strategy trained participants in the second of the four
modules called Foundations
March 9-11, 2018: Cape Town Youth Leaders –
26 participants
March 16-18, 2018: Klerksdorp (cancelled
just prior to planned training)
March 20-May 4, 2018: deputation in USA
May 16-20, 2018: Natal – Strategy 14
participants
                                                 
Rooted in Jesus
June 12-14, 2018: Namibia – 4/5
participants (one participant had to leave after one day’s training)
By invitation of, and fully funded by,
Bishop Mouneer Anis, Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa:
June 25-29, 2918: Gambela, Ethiopia – 26
participants
July 3-6, 2018: Cairo, Egypt – 12
participants
Louise has created a contact email database
on the My Anglican website to help us keep in touch with those we have trained.
A lot of follow-up work is done in between trainings in which participants
receive various resources to help them implement the training, namely videos,
Bible Studies, different disciple-making manuals, various articles on disciple
making, and so on. If we find something that may be helpful, we pass it on,
like the recent Thy Kingdom Come Prayer Initiative. We also coach and encourage
participants from time to time asking for feedback and questions and stories.
When we do receive emails in return, we answer them promptly according to what
is addressed.
We have also been trying to settle into our
new home and community and have been actively engaged in our own local parish,
St Augustine’s in Villiersdorp.
Disciple making requires a huge paradigm
shift for many of our trainees that involves modelling, life transformation,
multiplication (making disciples who can make disciples), community or
people-centred focused ministry rather than church-based programs, changing
priorities, and every member ministry. The training is based on what we believe
is Jesus’ model for disciple making using the Gospels as a basic platform. It
includes a 60-Day Study on the Life and Ministry of Jesus that encourages the
trainee to read through all four Gospels.
Investing in the lives of a few, with a
view to creating active disciple makers, takes time and a lot of personal effort.
It took Jesus three to four years. In an age of instant everything and quick
fixes, this initially appears to be a problem. Quality is often overlooked when
the focus is on quantity.
Some of the responses to our coaching
questions have revealed that many participants are extremely busy. One
participant told us that he did not have time for regular prayer and Bible
reading, much less personal retreat time, as he served on various committees
and guilds, was responsible for several churches, and was engaged in further
theological studies by extension, among other things. We counselled him to
prayerfully consider his priorities.
We have been encouraged by some forward
movements, such as the case with St Mark’s second training where previously
trained participants trained others with our assistance. Johannesburg was also
the first to host the second module Foundations. Participants in Natal were so
thrilled with the Strategy material that they are in the process of translating
it into Zulu. Namibia has asked us to come back to train again, using the 4
trained participants, but in the more rural areas in the north and, perhaps,
southern Angola.
We have noticed that when the Bishop of the
Diocese is involved in the training the participants tend to be more motivated
to implement the training. We saw this yet again in Cairo with Bishop Mouneer.
Participants in Gambela implemented what we were training even during the
training! Participants seem to be more motivated when their leaders show
personal interest.
A lack of funds needed to pay for the
training manuals, our travel, and our board and lodging costs seem to be a
problem for some Dioceses.
Since our deputation trip to the US, we
have managed to raise enough funds for a 4X4 vehicle and for fuel for the trips.
(Many thanks to our US ministry partners!) When possible, we camp in
inexpensive parks or camping grounds close to the training, or stay with
friends, family, or parishioners to try to cut down on living expenses. We are
also working on the manuals to see how we can cut down on printing costs as
well. Louise and I will be part of a two-day revision of both Strategy and
Foundations with the J-Life leaders early August.
We still have 13 Dioceses left in which to
train participants in Strategy. Those already trained are being encouraged to
a) implement the material personally, b) begin planning a second training in
which they train other trainers in their Diocese with our help, and c) begin
planning to be trained in the second module, Foundations. It is important to be
trained in all four modules if one is aiming at a permanent shift in the manner
in which disciple making ministry is done.
We also hope to be offering training in
Rooted in Jesus in the near future, as it is a very useful resource in the
process of making disciples.

Sermon preached at St Augustine’s Villiersdorp

by | Jul 23, 2018 | Health, South Africa

I had the honour of celebrating the Eucharist at St Augustine’s Villiersdorp this past Sunday…here is a copy of the sermon I preached.

2 Samuel 7:1-14a    Psalm 89:20-37    Ephesians 2:11-22    Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Building God’s House
I love reading the Old Testament…because it
helps me understand the New Testament so much better! So much of understanding
the New Testament is dependent on our understanding the Old Testament.
Take our reading for this Sunday as an
example. Here the great king David announced his intention to build a house for
God to the prophet Nathan. The prophet thought it was a good idea and gave the
king the thumbs up. But that night, the Lord revealed to Nathan that this was
not to be…in fact, rather than have the king build God a house, God was going
to build the king a house…an eternal dynasty of kings! And one of these
kings would build God a house…
Now, of course, we all know that it was the
great king Solomon who built a house for God…a Temple so marvellous that people
came from all around just to look at it.
But, like with so much of the Old
Testament, there is something greater here than what first meets the eye. God
had an even greater kingdom in mind…a spiritual kingdom that would encompass
the globe in its entirety, whose King would be His very own Son. A Son who would
also be a descendent of David.
We see the same double application in our
Psalm for today, Psalm 89. At first glance it seems clear that the psalmist was
talking about king David…which, of course, he was…but once we know the bigger
fulfilment of this prophetic word, we realise that the “first-born Son”
destined to be the “mightiest king on earth” would be greater than David.
The genealogy in Matthew testifies to the
fact that the royal line of David ended with Jesus…after the destruction of the
Temple in AD 70, all the genealogical records of the Jews were destroyed. Since
then, no one can claim to be a descendent of David with any degree of
certainty. So Matthew presented Jesus as the fulfilment of the covenant
promises God made with David. His is the kingdom that will continue before God
for all time…His royal throne is the one that is secure for ever…and He is the
Son who would build and, indeed, is building the house of God…but unlike
Solomon and the ecclesiastical and political leaders of His time, Jesus is
building this house with living stones.
And to this day Jesus is still building this
house…but He is using us, His Body, His Church, to build it. So, in a sense,
Jesus is building the house of God by working with and in and through the
living blocks of the house.
Now, we see the beginnings of this house in
the Gospels. While the ecclesiastical elite of the day were to be found in the
synagogues and in the Temple, Jesus was found walking in the fields, on the
lake shore, in the market places, in the towns and villages…you would find Him
wherever the people were. You see, the synagogues and the Temple had entrance
restrictions…no lepers, no prostitutes, no tax collectors, no sick folks, no
sinners, no foreigners (especially not Samaritans!)…but the house Jesus was
building was to be open to all.
And the reason for this is quite
simple…this house was built on compassion…mercy, grace, love, forgiveness…
When Jesus looked at people, He did not
first look to see if they measured up to His standard…in fact He knew that no
one measured up to His standard! What Jesus saw when He looked at people were sheep
in desperate need of a shepherd.
You see, Jesus came to break down dividing
walls…the walls of hostility…walls that kept people out of the house of God…walls
that created two exclusive subsets out of the one human family: insiders and
outsiders.
In fact, the house that Jesus is building
is one that exists for those outside. The Church is the
only organisation in the world that exists for those who are not members.
As far as Jesus is concerned there are no
such things as divisions in His house…no Jew nor Gentile, no male nor female,
no slave nor free…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Is it not tragic then that we, who claim to
be followers of Jesus, are all too inclined to do the exact opposite…to create
divisions, to build walls, to keep outsiders out and insiders in, to feed fear,
distrust, prejudice, and general hostility that separates individuals,
communities, and even nations. Rather than imitating the one who came to bring
peace and unity between us and God and between other people and us, we imitate
the ones who oppose Him and His kingdom. The self righteous, the proud, the
arrogant…those who esteem others less than themselves…those who – to use Pam’s
story of the village divided by a river – break and smash bridges rather than
build them.  
Sometimes these divisions are serious and
quite obvious. Divisions based on ethnicity, or on language, or on
socio-economic differences. But more often than not, these divisions are more
subtle…
The great apologist, Lesslie Newbigin once
said that spiritual renewal will only happen when “local congregations renounce
an introverted concern for their own life, and recognize that they exist for
the sake of those who are not members, as sign, instrument and foretaste of
God’s redeeming grace for the whole life of society.” Think about that for
a while…chew on that for a moment. (REPEAT).
If we want spiritual renewal in our
church…our community…our village…our country…we really need to stop engaging in
navel gazing. Why are we here? Why do we exist as a church? How are we like the
one we call Lord and Saviour?
Our Lord’s final command to His followers
was rather simple.
Be a community that creates followers of
Me. Tell other people about Me. Live your life in such a way so that those who
don’t know Me will see Me in you.
We call this command the Great Commission.
Wherever you go in the world, make disciples of every people group, make them
part of My house, train them so that they will obediently live out the
Christian life, and never lose sight of the fact that I am right there to help
you do this.
Most believers know these verses found in
all four Gospels and in the opening chapter of the book of Acts. Some have even
memorised them. Others have discussed them in committees and sub-committees and
sub-sub-committees…and have pondered on what it might look like should we ever
actually do what Jesus commanded us to do. We love to talk about evangelism…we love to talk about making disciples…and we love to find the many
reasons why we are not able to engage in either one of those activities…
Think on this: If I said to my sons when
they were little, “Go clean your room”…I did not expect them to return after a
while and say, “Dad, we memorised what you said to us. You said, “Go clean your
room.” We can even say it in Greek and in Hebrew. And we have also invited a
group of our friends around so that we can discuss what it would look like if
we actually did clean our room.” (Thanks Francis Chan!)
No! They wouldn’t do that because they knew
better than that. They knew that they ought to do what they had been told to
do. So why is it so different then when Jesus tells us to do something?
Jesus said, if we truly love Him, we would
obey His commands. Why do we call Him Lord if we do not do what He tells us to
do? Why do we say we follow Him when in actual fact we do not walk as He
walked…we do not imitate Him…we do not follow His example?
Dearest beloved brethren, why are we here?
Why are we here in Villiersdorp? Do we, as a church of Jesus Christ, exist only
for ourselves? Are these gorgeous stone walls here to keep others out? Or are
we perhaps here to bring them in? Now there’s a novel thought…are we here to
break down the very obvious divisions here in Villiersdorp? Are we here to make
a dent in the wall of blatant polarisation?
Are we here to build God’s house or our own?
May the Lord grant us the wisdom and the humility to answer that question
honestly.
Johannes van der Bijl © 2018-07-17

Gambela and Cairo

by | Jul 11, 2018 | Health, South Africa

We left Cape Town International Airport three hours later than scheduled. Ethiopian Airlines at their best. Consequently, the transfer at Bole International Airport in Addis was rather interesting…we had to apply for a visa, claim our bags, and walk around to the Domestic Airport as there were no transfer vehicles available at that hour…only to be told that we could not proceed to the waiting area by the only security person in the building…and there was no where to sit there other than the floor. After speaking to one of the Ethiopian Airlines check-in people and explaining that we had a connection to make, the security person let us through. But we still had a very long wait for the plane to Gambela and not a coffee bar in sight.
When we finally arrived at Gambela airport, our ride was late. She had lost her spectacles and after she found them, she got stuck in the mud as she tried to leave her compound. Ah, the simple life in Gambela.
We were greeted like long lost family…folks started coming to greet us with gifts of eggs, aubergines, a chicken, cold fizzy drinks, a beaded gourd, and other food items…and our students came to love on us, hugging us, holding us, and calling us their mother and father. Louise wept like a child.

The next morning I preached at St. Baranabas. There was much rejoicing…singing and dancing…oh, how we have missed our Anuak family, but boy were we exhausted after the (long) service!

The following day, we started to train trainers in how to make disciples. All the students, first through third years, were present together with priests and lay leaders who lived close-by.

It was such a blessing to be back in the classroom…to be with the folks we love so dearly…to share with them the wonderful material we have discovered since being absent from them. Ah, the Lord is good.

Then the great event itself! The first graduation of St Frumentius’ Anglican College! Our babies were graduating. What an emotional roller coaster for us all. This was what we gave our lives for…and nearly lost my life for…but ever drop of sweat, every struggle, was well worth it.

The training continued until Friday.
Here we are with most of our students.

I had also blessed a tribal marriage in the meantime…a first for me. The English teacher had also joined us and we spent Saturday getting to know each other. What a wonderful retired missionary still giving her all for our Lord and His kingdom! Sunday, I preached at St Luke’s, a Nuer congregation. Again, many tears and much laughter. We left for Cairo that afternoon.

Our flight to Cairo was late as well…for someone who is a stickler for punctuality, this is a bit of a bother. When we arrived, we could not locate our ride to the Diocesan Guest House. We waited an hour as we did not want anyone to miss us, but finally gave in a took a taxi. Just as well…we found out the next day that the driver had got the days wrong! Driving in Cairo at three AM is interesting. This city really does not sleep!

We met up with our dear friends from South Carolina, now serving with SAMS with us at the Cathedral, Kerry and Cynthia Buttram. We had two full days with them before starting the disciple making training on Wednesday. Bishop Mouneer was present throughout the training…only the second bishop to show such interest and solidarity with his priests! We had a marvellous time and they were so thrilled with the material! Pray for them, as this is a very difficult area in which to live as followers of Jesus!

Cairo airport was quite an adventure, to say the least. Going through security with a pacemaker can be rather interesting when no one understands what you are trying to say. But the most, dare I say, entertaining part was when a fight broke out in the security line as we were about to board the plane. A woman was attempting to knock a man senseless with her shoe. I don’t know what he did to her, but it must have been pretty bad for her to lose it like that. Needless to say, we were delayed once again.
Our stop in Addis was wonderful. We spent time with very dear friends, CMS Missionaries, Roger and Lynn Kay. They went out of their way to spoil us rotten.


Louise with Lynn and Roger at Cape Point earlier this year.

We also got an opportunity to say farewell to Rosemary Burke, also with CMS, as she returns to England to wait on the Lord for her next assignment.
Our plane bound for Cape Town…wait for it…was delayed as well. But adding insult to injury, when we arrived in Cape Town, our bags were not with us on the plane. There were quite a number of very disgruntled fellow passengers, especially those with connecting flights! But, I must say, they did get our bags to us in Villiersdorp the very next day…actually just before midnight. So, alls well that ends well.

We are back home now, trying to catch up with emails and life in general. A dear family friend was killed shortly after we got home in a car accident. We are all still in a state of shock as he was so young and leaves behind his young wife and two beautiful daughters. Please keep them in your prayers as they try to move forward.

Thank you once again for your love, encouragement, and support. Thank you for being our partners in the Gospel!

Hugs, love, and blessings.
Johann and Louise

Those Who Have Nothing Share Everything

Those Who Have Nothing Share Everything

by | Jul 5, 2018 | Honduras

From the time we are tiny little children, we are told to share.  Moms and dads, teachers, and grandparents encourage us to share some of what we have with siblings, friends, and, sometimes, “starving children in…” The Bible exhorts us to share all throughout the old and new testaments.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

Often, we are sharing out of abundance.  We have a bag of candy and give a few pieces to a friend.  We have clothes we haven’t worn in a long time (or no longer fit) so we give them to a charity.  We have a couple of $1 bills in our wallets, beside the $10s and $20s, so we give them to the homeless person on the corner.  We pledge money to the church, working towards fitting a tithe into the family budget.

What does it look like when we just share?  Not out of abundance but out of love?  It looks like this:

Little Alex Eduardo just graduated from kindergarten.  He got the award for being curious!  He also got a gift of an airplane, some cars and signage to go with it.   Pamm Ferrand, from the Atlanta team, was walking by as Alex was playing and he handed her the above items.  “It’s a gift!”  Pamm checked several times that afternoon to see if he wanted them back.  “No, it’s a gift!”  Our kids don’t have many of their own toys and Alex only received one toy for his graduation.  Yet, unbidden, for no particular reason, he shared it with Pamm.

This is actually pretty common at the Children’s Home.  Just a couple days ago, a child casually shared part of his small pack of Smarties with me.  Candy is a real treat for the kids.  No words, just a couple of Smarties offered up.

This leaves me speechless.  I imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life threatening illness like CF.  I am certain I would hoard any medications I could get my hands on to ensure MY child had what he needed.  I am equally certain it wouldn’t occur to me to share the meds that were otherwise out of reach.  And yet, that is what she does.  She shares out of love and trusts in God to provide. The most touching example of sharing happened twice in June, by the same person.  There is a student, Andrea (center), at our school in Flor with cystic fibrosis.  Dr. Ann Von Thron and Joseph Klosik (right) have become involved and are able to find CF parents in the US and pharmaceutical companies to donate meds and more sophisticated and effective equipment to help Andrea.  Her mother, Reina (left), is overcome by the love and generosity shown by anonymous people in the US.  As she thanked Joseph and Dr. Ann, she explained that there is only 1 doctor in all of Honduras who treats CF and meds are expensive and often impossible to get.   So, despite her own very limited resources and a child with CF, she shares the meds with other families with CF children.

My experience in Honduras over and over again is that those who have nothing share everything.  If they have 2, they give you 1.  If they have only 1, they give you half.  It makes no difference if you are poor or wealthy.  They just share because that is where their heart is.

 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34