Painting A Powerful Point Of Contact

Painting A Powerful Point Of Contact

Dear Missions Family,

My family and I greet you all in the WONDERFUL name of JESUS CHRIST and are BELIEVING that God is doing a wonderful NEW THING in your life.  Many people I know had a very difficult year.  In many ways last year was quite literally a “storm year” for us.  After serving for twenty years in Africa and later in Europe we were unable to secure visas to remain in Portugal. It was a difficult transition back to the United States with our two children but it has also been a blessing for so many reasons. Topping last years challenges was Hurricane Michael and all of its devastation for us and many others.  However, this year God is definitely DOING A NEW THING in us and with our ministry TOGETHER! We are still recovering from the storm but we have seen God faithfully provide.  We definitely serve a God who makes RIVERS flow out of DESERTS!  He delights in making a WAY in the WILDERNESS!

The Lord has connected us to NEW PLACES and PARTNERSHIPS that are truly amazing.  One of these new partners is the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS).  SAMS missionary heritage is truly awe inspiring and for those of you who know how our ministry has been welcomed across all denominational lines you will know how truly satisfying this is for me to be part of this Anglican missionary society. One of the first invitations we received as a “Missionary Bridger” has been Santiago, Chile through missionary Chris Feuillade.  God willing, this April my daughter, Charity, will join me in Chile where I will be working for nearly a month doing evangelism.  This will culminate with the painting of a large wall mural.  As a working artist many of my paintings have been transformed into various products such as prints or coffee cups but this will be the first time I have taken one of my paintings to such a large scale.

Creating A Huge Point Of Contact/ Wall Mural

Why would you want to take a wall in Santiago and transform it? For me I think of this large outdoor painting being like Paul’s prayer cloth (Acts 19:11-12) except much bigger.  The Book of Acts records that the Apostle Paul sent them to people with sickness and oppression and they were cured.  My highest intention would be for my art to become like that in God’s hands.  Through God’s grace, art has the power to change the onlooker and transform the room or space it occupies.  I have been humbled and thankful each time someone has reported how, through experiencing the art, they had a great sense of PEACE.  This is why I covet your prayers for this art project.  I not only have to believe God for the finances to operate in Chile (scaffolding, supplies, airline tickets etc.) but I have to believe HIM for the TRANSFORMING MESSAGE.  You and I are just  messengers.  HE is the MESSAGE.

I am asking YOU to help us with this project.  It is not often you have the opportunity to create a landmark or a public work that has the power to inspire and transform a corner of our world. Think of it… YOU with US by God’s grace have the potential to take a graffiti bombed wall and so clearly share the message that Jesus Christ wants to touch and bless the lives of the Chilean people!

TOGETHER we are bringing HOPE, JOY, SMILES, and MIRACLES, in the name of Jesus.  Write US TODAY!  Let us know how to be praying for you and please consider sending  your BEST love GIFT to meet this project’s budget and for us to be able to continue this vital soul saving ministry.

Your friends in Christ,—Joshua Ben King

A No Naansense Blog!

I have started making baked Naan Chips, sprinkled with garlic salt and Old Bay Seasoning.  They are so super crispy and tasty that even my “discerning” kids love them!  The best part (besides no MSG) is that our constant consumption of Naan benefits our refugee friends here in Indonesia.  It is one of the very practical ways that we can help.  As I sit here to blog, crunching on these chips, I begin to think more deeply about bread. This type of flatbread goes by many names such as Roti, Chepati, Pita, Lavash, Matzah, Tortilla, and the list goes on.  It is a daily staple the world over  – ingrained, if you will, into the fabric of every culture.  Is it any wonder, then, that during Jesus’ ministry on earth, he identifies himself as the “Bread of Life?”  John 6:32-33  Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”   If a meager piece of bread has the ability to satisfy our hunger, imagine how much more,  Jesus – the True Bread from Heaven, has the power to meet our every need and satisfy our every longing from today and forever! 
Somos Misioneros

Somos Misioneros

If you are an American in Honduras, everyone assumes you are a missionary. This assumption is based on the thousands of people who come down here to serve every year. Building, teaching, giving in attempt to gratify our Lord. This implication means that when people see the tall blond girl walking around they know that I came to their country as a missionary too. Once I was visiting my friends church and obviously stuck out a bit. The Pastor spotted me in the crowd and asked me to come up in front of the church and preach. On the spot and probably being the least qualified person to preach in the room I simply thanked the church for their hospitality and for serving the lord.

I sometimes think that the view of missionaries the Hondurans have is incomplete. They often may not recognize that they are in fact missionaries (and potentially better ones) than we are. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands us to go to all peoples everywhere and make disciples. He does not command this to some but to all. If you are truly a Christian, then you must also be a missionary.

 

Two weeks ago, a couple of us went on an excursion with a local church. We rode horses deep into the mountains to visit some families in a small community 2 hours away from the nearest town. One of the woman who lives there makes the journey every Sunday on a mule to worship with the church. Our group brought some food for the families and held a worship service in the woman’s adobe house. The Pastor delivered a message and we all sang as the breeze blew through the open doorway. As I sat there singing in a foreign language so far away from place of birth I was struck by the thought of how we do not do this in my home country. In the US where we almost all have cars and supplies to share, we barely even go visit our neighbors. But the Hondurans do, they will walk incredibly far to share with both loved ones and strangers. They are missionaries. 

Last week some of the teenagers from our children’s home held a concert. They have a band that practices for hours every week and writes their own songs. Each song that they write is a praise song written to glorify God. These youths, who have faced so much adversity in their past, held the concert to share the love of God they have found with others. They are missionaries.

While you can go halfway around the world to be a missionary you don’t have to. If you are loving and serving people in the name of Christ then it doesn’t matter where you are. You are a missionary.