Don't Panic

That's what I keep telling Chuck: we can't panic. We've discussed whether or not we should move our retirement savings right now, but I say, that's reacting in panic. I confess I FEEL panic, but I know I can't act in panic. Just ride this out and after things are calm, then we'll consider our options and make changes if necessary. Let's not panic.

The Indigenous Church again

<---We are working in Kacgae to establish an indigenous church among the San.

I'm sure you've heard the old proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime. That's kind of the principle behind the indigenous church. I read an article in Time magazine some weeks back that illustrates the principle of "teaching a man to fish." Or rather, it illustrates what happens when you FAIL to teach a man to fish. [This is in Time, August 18, 2008, the same issue where the interview with Rick Warren appeared.]
On page 34: "In Ethiopia, 4. million people are at risk, and 75,00 children have severe acute malnutrition. Nearly a quarter-century ago, an outright famine led to Live Aid, an international fund-raising effort promoted by rock stars, which produced an outpouring of global generosity: millions of tons of food flooded into the country. Yet, ironically, that very generosity may have contributed to today's crisis. "Over time, sustained food aid creates dependence on handouts and shifts focus away from improving agricultural practices to increase local food supplies. Ethiopia exemplifies the consequences of giving a starving man a fish instead of teaching him to catch his own. . .Why bother with development when shortfalls are met by aid? Ethiopian farmers can't compete with free food, so they stop trying. Over time there's a loss of key skills, and a country that doesn't have to feed itself soon becomes a country that can't."
On page 35: "Why do we get aid so wrong? Because it feels so right. 'The American people,' says U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto, 'are simply not going to sit tight while they see children dying.'" [emphasis mine]

What is true of food aid to the starving is also true of "aid" that American churches send overseas for the spread of the gospel. Thousands of American Christians are sending "fish" to the lost and dying in Africa because it's so much harder to teach them to fish.

Home from Alaska

We just got back from Alaska on Tuesday evening. We visited 4 churches in 5 days and cooked our African stew twice. We drove just about a thousand miles. We enjoyed seeing God's creation and God's people; we've already made one more trip here in Oregon since arriving home, so we're still moving.

God has truly been good to us and we remain committed to Him, first of all, and to His work as well. One thing that we talk about a lot as we drive down the road is our vision for the Bible College in Botswana. We read a lot of books. . .I read out loud while Chuck listens. The more I read, the more I am convinced that there is no work so enduring as the establishment of indigenous churches. I've seen what happens when missionaries carry the burden of the church on their own shoulders; any missionary who is indispensable is probably carrying the national church on his/her shoulders.

John Bueno, our missions director for the Assemblies of God, quoted something a couple of months ago in one of our publications, and I can't remember where he said he got it from (I think it was a traditional African proverb): he said, "If you want to travel fast, go alone; if you want to travel far, go together." Too many missionaries only see the value of traveling fast.

Robbed

My computer was just stolen at the Seattle Airport. Our flight from Portland was delayed for nearly an hour and our connecting flight to Sitka didn't wait for us in Seattle; the plane was still at the gate when we arrived breathless, but the door was already shut. We had to re-book, and then we had to figure out how to get hold of the people in Sitka to let them know we'll be there at 11 PM instead of at 6 PM. I sat down next to Chuck while he called information to get the Church's number and then called to inform them of the change of plans. I was vaguely aware that the guy on the other side of me got up, clicked his briefcase shut and left. After Chuck was off the phone I reached to get my book out of my computer bag, which I had put on the seat between me and the stranger. My coat was still there on the seat, but the computer bag was gone! What a sick feeling. Brand new. . .we bought it in August.

The police came, but obviously, they don't hold out much hope. I could not give them a very specific description of the guy because I barely noticed him--I was concentrating on Chuck's phone call. This kind of stuff really shakes me up. . .I guess I'm no different than the next guy. Where's my joy?

Money, money, money

As Margaret says, it all takes money! Not just solar panels, but everything. There may come a day, though, when solar panels are actually cheaper than petroleum products; scary, but it could happen.

We are sitting in the Portland Airport right now waiting for our flight to Seattle, and then on to Sitka, Alaska. This will be a whirlwind trip: 4 churches in 5 days. Tomorrow evening we'll cook our African stew in Sitka and tell them about all that God is doing in Botswana. At the crack of dawn on Saturday we'll board a plane for Anchorage, and by nightfall on Saturday, we need to be in Glennallen. After the morning worship celebration in Glennallen, we'll drive all the way to North Pole. . .not the North Pole, but the town of North Pole, AK. We'll share our ministry with the people there on Sunday evening and then hop in the car and drive all the way back to Anchorage to cook African Stew again in Anchorage. The fun just keeps on coming!

We do this to connect with God's people and report what He is doing among the nations. . . specifically in the nation of Botswana.

Solar Power

Maybe this doesn't seem like a post that belongs in a missionary blog, but it's just something that I've had on my mind a lot recently: I think solar energy could be put to use even for cars. I've been trying to get the attention of car makers and solar panel manufacturers, but it's hard to get anybody to take me seriously.

Could not solar panels be incorporated into the body of a car? And couldn't the car run on a battery large enough to hold 12 or more hours of charge? I know this might not be a good solution for places like Seattle, where the sun seldom shines, or Fairbanks, where the days are very short during the winter. But we don't all buy the same kind of cars, anyway.

More good news from Botswana

Since May of 2006 we have been trying to get Assembly Bible College registered with the federal government of Botswana. "Registration" is similar to what we would call "accreditation" here in the U.S. The application was submitted in December of 2006, and yesterday we got this e-mail from our colleague Pat Mahar in Botswana:

Two members of the Tertiary Committee stopped by the Bible School yesterday and delivered a Draft Registration Certificate (which is temporary, of course). We are now offical and legal! PTL!! Of course, we have to start meeting the recommendations that they've given us. The new kitchen is the first big pressing issue. We are well on our way...

Thought you'd like to rejoice too.

Pat

Pictures

I posted pictures on facebook of friends we've been connecting with as we travel. Most are in Oregon, but a few scattered throughout the country. Here's the link:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1994&l=28369&id=1463262232

Behavior matters

Behavior matters, though. My righteousness is not based on my behavior, but still my behavior matters. Jesus tells me in Matthew that I should let my light shine before men so that they may see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven. So, you see, my good works are the light by which my friends and acquaintences see the Father; if I shine my light brightly, they get a clear, honest picture of Him. If my light is dim or if it goes out, they can't see the Father at all or they get such a dim view of Him that they disapprove!

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, my righteousness does not depend on my behavior, but somebody else's salvation may depend on my behavior.

My righteousness or His?

A lot of Americans assume they know what the Bible teaches about righteousness, but I wonder how many really do.

I think most Americans assume the Bible teaches that we have to be good, avoid sex and alcohol and beating your wife. They think the message of the Bible is, if you're good enough, God will declare you righteous and you get to go to heaven. But that's not it.

What the Bible does teach is that every human being that has ever lived has fallen short of "good enough" to go to heaven. But since God really wants us to go to heaven, He fixed it so that we could go to heaven because of Jesus' righteousness and not because of our own. The main message of the Bible is not "what I have to do for God so that He will love me" but "what God did for me because He loves me."

Who moved Sunday?

Who put Sunday at the end of the week? You know, in South Africa you can hardly find ANY calendar that has Sunday at the beginning of the week: they all start with Monday. Here in the U.S., almost all the monthly calendars have Sunday at the beginning. But I kind of like to use those weekly planners and I can't find a one that has Sunday as the first day. And many of them even cram Saturday and Sunday together at the end of the week; as missionaries, Sunday is our busiest day and that's the day where we need the biggest square for writing stuff in.

This is not a religious dogma for me: it's just a matter of avoiding confusion. My eyes are used to seeing Tuesday in that third square, you know, and Saturday in the last square. Whose idea was it to change the order of the days of the week?

Books

Chuck and I are reading a book called "Visoneering" by Andy Stanley, son of Charles Stanley. It's great! It's old enough you might be able to get it at the public library. . .no need buying every book you might ever want to read if the library has them.

Something else I highly recommend is the series by Alexander McCall-Smith called "The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency." The first book in the series is named (co-incidentally) The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency! The whole series is set in Botswana, as a matter of fact, right in Tlokweng mostly, and that's where our Bible College is. McCall-Smith is a British man who taught at the University of Botswana for several years. The books are down-to-earth and light-hearted; an outsiders view of Botswana, to be sure, but still a valid view.