A Simple Necessity

(Paula)
I just realized this weekend; as I sat in my yard, behind several tables of my worldly possessions hoping someone would come and take it all away, that having yard sales is a Biblical principle. In the New Testament it tells how first century Christians sold their possessions and gave to the poor and the Church. Even today the occasional story of some radical young Christian getting rid of everything they own is told to the astonishment and head shaking of more seasoned believers. I mean, you have to be really super spiritual or nuts to feel called to do something like that. Right? It's hard to wrap your mind around the thought of anyone doing such a thing, isn't it?

I'll admit I'd probably be right beside the "Rich Young Man" who couldn't part with his stuff when Jesus told him to give it all away and follow Him. It's hard to go through the things that I've accumulated over the years. A lot of my stuff has sentimental value to me. So I can relate to the guy. Often in sermons the poor fellow is condemned for his unwillingness to obey and love of worldly pleasures and possessions. He's made out to be a terrible wicked evil person. After all, this was JESUS, God of the Universe Incarnate Himself talking to him. Duh, no-brainer. Right? I don't think so. How many times have we heard a word from God and not been willing to do what He told us to do? But even though the young man failed miserably that day because he wasn't at a point in his life where he could recognize God's voice, I'd like to think that maybe later in his life he sought forgiveness and was able to obey that command. It gives me hope.

Back onto the subject: There I was this weekend smiling and telling people as they asked for my prices that the way my yard sale worked was that if they wanted it, to take it and if they felt like leaving a donation of any amount, I'd appreciate it but they really didn't have to, just please take the item. The reactions varied from skepticism, laughter and amazement to one guy actually becoming disgusted and angry that I wasn't demanding a price. Come to think about it, there's some correlation to how people react to the gift of salvation in that. Hmmm.

Once I got the stuff out of the house and into the yard, I no longer cared about it as much and it was rather liberating and fun to get rid of it. And that's when it struck me; those early Christians were just average people like me holding big yard sales. Man, I would have loved to have gone to their yard sales. (Can you imagine how valuable their junk would be now? What deals! But I digress.) They were getting rid of their junk so that they could be freed up to do what the Lord wanted them to do. I'm trying to get rid of stuff because I don't need the baggage to do what the Lord wants me to do in Brazil. Giving away or selling your possessions is not as super spiritual as it sounds, it's just a simple necessity. Who knew that Christians are called to hold amazing yard sales?

Movin' Right Along...

Well it's hard to believe that we've been back from Brazil for almost a month already. Notice that I didn't say we'd been home that long because we haven't. It's been a whirlwind. We'd only been home a week and a half before it was up to Toledo for our church conference. It was good to make new friends and touch base with old ones as well as putting faces to some of the names I've heard over the years. But the really exciting thing was being notified that two slots had opened up for the Tropical Agriculture Class at ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) in Fort Myer, FL the next week.

Those of you on our regular mailing list will remember that we had wanted to go to this training course and that the Lord had marvelously provided the means for us to go but that the May class was already full when we went to register for it and we had to be put on a waiting list. Well, as soon as we got home from Toledo, it was pack the bags and hit the road again. Isn't it funny how it sometimes seems like God isn't doing anything with you for so long that it just about drives you crazy and the next thing you know, you're running your legs off trying to catch up with everything He's doing?

So I can hear you asking, "What is ECHO?" and "What was it like?" Echo is a Christian organization whose mission is to teach missionaries and other overseas aid workers how to fight global hunger by showing them how to help improve local farming practices by using readily available resources. They also run a World Seedbank. Check out their website or better yet if you find yourself in Florida go for a tour. (http://www.echonet.org)

It was way cool. They had set up several areas to simulate various tropical farming conditions: Arid, semi-arid, etc; they had even built a "mountain" to demonstrate temperate zone farming. It was all very beautiful and all of the plants were edible or otherwise useful. I think one of the most interesting set-ups was the "Urban Area". There they demonstrated how to do roof top gardening using recycled tires, pop cans, old carpet and packing peanuts just to list a few of the more unexpected gardening materials utilized. There were even a couple trees growing in tires there! The only soil used was what was on the plant's root ball when they transplanted it. It just blew my mind that plants could thrive without dirt.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the way the instructors never made a distinction between teaching about agriculture and sharing God's Word. One instructor likened composting to when a person is saved; both processes regenerates "waste" in order to bring about new life. I had never thought about agriculture as a way to illustrate God's Truth before. How awesome is that?

Appropriate Technologies was a fun exploration of ways to use what you have to make the things you need. This was recycling to the nth degree. Did you know you can actually run power tools with a bicycle or purify water with sunlight or sand? We learned to make an oven with a cardboard box and foam rubber!
By the time the course was over I couldn't wait to come back home and start trying out some of the techniques I had learned.

We can see how much of what we learned is applicable to use on the field, but are not quite sure yet what we will implement in our work at Belo Horizonte or in the Amazon. We are praying for clarity.

The need now is to prepare for our return. We must decide what we'll keep/take, keep/store and how to get rid of the rest. Our house needs a new owner, shipping needs arranged and a multitude of other concerns. Pray that we stay focused and pressing forward!

The Journey Back to Familiar

For those whose lives are too hectic and harried or who are just too impatient to read anything more than a couple of lines:

Randall and I got home from Brazil on Wednesday. We had a good time. The Lord is really moving down there and we can’t wait to return. Hopefully we’ll be going back in July/August. All depends on God’s timing and us selling the house and getting our vistas.

For everyone else:

The Journey Back to Familiar

Last year Randall and I read “The Dream Giver” by Brian Wilkerson. We found it to be so encouraging that we decided to offer a study on it in the fall with our small home group, (very small as there were only four of us with the occassional guest popping in). But we enjoyed it. Anyway, the book starts with an allegorical tale of a guy named “Nobody” who lived in the land of “Familiar” who had a “Big Dream”; that someday he would become a “Somebody”. It goes on to chronical his journey into “ The Unknown”. Very early on he has to leave his “Comfort Zone” and finds that the world is a great big strange and sometimes scary place. But I’m not writing a book review here. If you wnat to read “The Dream Giver”, I highly reccommend it. If you don’t, well that’s up to you.

But in this journey into missions that Randall and I have embarked upon there are many parallels to that story. Guess that’s why we found it so helpful and encouraging. We have had to leave our “Comfort Zone” many times over. This latest time involved going to a strange land that we never imagined we’d be going to until suddenly we were buying the plane tickets and packing our bags. They didn’t speak our language, their food was different (but incredibily delicious) and their customs were not the ones Randall and I grew up with. Even the night sky was different: I never knew the Orion Constellation could be viewed upside down.

So if you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning you have learned of some of our adventures in Brazil. It is a wonderful wild country of beautiful people. They seem to do everything they do with their whole heart and gusto. Being hugged and kissed like a long lost relative on the first meeting took some getting used to, at first.

Portuguese is abit tricky to learn especially when you throw in regional dialects. But most people love to help you try to get it right. Dr.Tom Russell often says “we should take every opportunity to celebrate our achievements no matter how small” and boy, do the Brazilians love to celebrate. Smiling, clapping and giving the thumbs up for us even getting one word or phrase right and when it comes to birthdays and anniversaries - the whole community shows up to help celebrate, sometimes more than once.

But Brazil is not a perfect place. There are areas that foriegners shouldn’t go or if they find themselves in such areas they should keep their mouths shut and let their native friends do all the talking. Prostitution is legal there and the basic “Human Rights” that we in America have taken for granted for years are not always observed; depending on whatever the government official’s mood is on any particular day.

But after two months of doing life in Brazil, we began to aclimate to the culture. I’ll admit I was beginning to feel more and more at home, still awkward and unsure of myself, but not afraid to venture out on my own either. Niether of us speak the language very well but at least we weren’t totally dependant upon our hosts. We made friends and were beginning to find ways to minister to them. We began to see glimpses of what God’s Will is for us. HE is really doing GREAT things in Brazil and we are so blessed to be a part of it. And so it was with sadness that our time there ended, for now.

One part of me said,”It’s too soon. It can’t be over yet.” While another part said,”Whew I’ll be glad to sleep in my own bed again and have the things that make home, Home, around me again.”

The first thing I noticed upon arriving in New York was a tremendous sense of relief. Ok so the trip back was not the best experience in the world and just knowing that we were almost done with it was a releif. But it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Everywhere people were speaking English. I had never realized just how much the ambient buzz of human activity affected ones feeling of well-being. It was wierd. Maybe it was just NYC but no; the feeling continued into Columbus. The houses were different, the air was different, even the sunlight was different somehow. I looked at familiar sights as if seeing them from an outsider’s point of view, for the first time. No longer was the “Land of Familiar” familiar. It was like a strange new place that I’d only visited in my dreams or something. Nothing was the same as when we left two months ago. Well it doesn’t help that we left in the dead of winter and were returning at the height of spring. But even that familiar change of seasons seems different somehow. I guess the best way to describe this feeling is like when you first wake up from a deep sleep and don’t quite know where you are or if you’re even awake or not. Disorientation doesn’t quite fit. It’s that and something more. Maybe it’s because I’m not the same person and the me of Now is actually looking at the Land of Familiar for the first time.

Thoughts on Coming Home

I'm sitting here as worship is starting to kick off, listening to familiar tunes with unfamiliar words. This morning, around the world, believers everywhere are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the day the gates of Hell were forever destroyed, and God confirmed His authority over all things for all time. Hallelujah!

Within an hour of the completion of this service, Paula and I will be on our way to the airport to start our journey back to Ohio. And while that is where I have resided for 36 years, I no longer feel I can call that "home" anymore. I am just a wanderer in this life now, always headed for my "home" with Jesus when my time here is completed.

Matthew 8:19-20 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Paula and I have been called by God to serve Him, and an early attitude of my heart has been to go where-ever He draws me. At this time, we are convinced that He has called us to Brazil. The works that are starting to bring fruit here will sweep through Brazil. I have already witnessed how God has changed lives here, and the fire He has given young believers to reach out to more of the unreached people here with the Gospel of God's redeeming love.

A place has been prepared here for our abilities, talents and gifts. I lay all that I have at His feet, in submission to His calling. Nothing has or ever will catch God by surprise, and I can know that He has it all under His control. We return to the States, knowing that our time there will be finite, for we MUST respond to His calling to return to Brazil to fulfill the purpose He has for us here.

Thank you for your prayers. Pray for the work here and that we will withstand all attacks that Satan would launch to inhibit the work or our return.

God Bless each and everyone of you!

Reaching the Amerindian

Until now we’ve related to you our experiences as we have visited Brazil, but it sure doesn’t seems to be related to evangelical mission work. That is, the teaching and preaching of God’s saving love and redemption of lives through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the unsaved masses of a remote group of people.

I want to challenge your view of mission work. What does it mean to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations?” (Matt 28:19) It has been said many times that the mission field begins right outside your front door. How we live our lives with the people we spend all our time is the greatest witness.

Reaching the indigenous Amerindians in the Amazon can be a delicate undertaking. By federal protection laws, direct, unsolicited evangelism of the Amerindian is strictly forbidden. So how can we reach them? To talk with these people, you MUST be invited to speak to them BY them. One avenue that Tom Padley and his team have found came from learning more about their quality of life. The tribes that live along the Amazon river depend on that river for just about everything. After a short time of observing a daily ritual, a pattern emerged. A resident of the village will come to the waters edge with a load of cookware to be washed. After rinsing it out and setting it on the bank to dry, the person would wade farther in and continue to wash themselves. A little downstream, there may be an ditch that drained some of the waste from the village into the river. Of course, they are careful to drawn water from UP-river for village use. But what about the next village DOWN-river? Or how about what has been done at the next village UP river? The tribal people are not ignorant of this, and know that the river water may cause sickness, so they find clean water sources elsewhere. Sometimes this source is over an hour’s walk away, deep into the jungle. Imagine scheduling two hours in your day just to retrieve the water you will need that day for cooking and drinking? Yet this is exactly what these people do.
So Tom learned what was involved in drilling fresh water wells. Through churches he has been partly responsible for raising up in the more metropolis areas, he raised the funds to purchase the drilling equipment. The word was spread that there was a “gringo” willing to assist the Amerindian in establishing a fresh water well at their village. Soon he was invited to do just this in a village a couple days boat ride into the jungle. Tom took a team upriver and over the course of several days was able to drill a well and provide a village with a safe, close water source. The chief asked Tom why he was willing to do this, and Tom told the chief that it was the overwhelming love of God that compelled him. This made the chief curious, because the gods he knew of were usually angry and vengeful types. He asked Tom to tell him more of this compassionate God. And just like that, a door was opened for Tom to witness, in love, to this village chief of the redeeming love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all the wrongs he had ever done. In time, the chief was converted and had Tom and other members of the team teaching the men and women of the village.

This is why we work to provide a quality of life service to the Amerindian. Meeting a physical need now allows their hearts to be open to hearing about the REAL need they have spiritually for the grace and love of our God. Just as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. He first addressed her physical needs and quality of life, then introduced her to the Water of Life.

Potential area of ministry

Brazil is an interesting country. The cities are large with all the modern conveniences we take for granted in the states such as safe drinking water, electricity, efficient sewage treatment, multiple restaurants and grocery stores and reliable healthcare. However the further one travels from these centers of civilization, the less available such services become. Even in Nova Lima, we have had drainage/septic tank/ sewer line issues, water shortages and power outages all in the last two weeks. Lashmani, malaria and dengue fever are a constant threat. And that is just outside of the third largest city in Brazil.

In the outlying areas living conditions become primitive. Drinking water is any water one finds, toilet facilities is often an open pit in the ground or the nearest available tree, healthcare is folk remedy at best, non-existent at worse and food is only what one can catch or grow on his own.

Part of IAM’s mission is to minister to the tribal peoples of the Amazon, by digging village wells to provide safe drinking water. But so much more could be done to help these people to learn to care for themselves. By introducing proper drainage and sewage disposal/treatment, teaching them more efficient farming practices using readily available, low impact, high yield sustainable resources and health education. But in order to teach others one needs the proper training.

It is IAM’s vision to expand our ministry into the area of sustainable technology and farming practices. To that end, Randall and I have been asked to look into taking an Introduction to Tropical Agricultural Development course at Echo in Fort Meyers, Florida. we would do this while we are back in the States in May, before moving here on a more permanent basis.

Echo is a christian organization that focuses primarily on providing agricultural information and training to overseas workers and also operates a World Seed Bank with the goal of helping to alleviate world hunger. Check out their website for more in depth information and serving opportunities.

Once the Brazilian get a taste of what can be done with the resources God has given them, it is IAM’s prayer that some of them will catch the vision and attend Echo’s more in depth training courses.

Randall has estimated that in order for us to attend this training will cost around $1,400.00 total including travel, food and lodging. If it is the Lord’s will that we go to Echo and get this training, we believe the means will be provided. Please pray for His will to be done and consider whether you could help make this a reality.

Brazilian Dentistry Pt 2

(OK, I've kept you waiting long enough…)

The weekend passed. Sunday was another beautiful worship service in Tom's home. James led in several songs that we knew, so Paula and I were able to sing along in English. The rest of the day was relaxful.

Monday morning, at 10am I returned to the Dentist's office for my root canal. Dra. Barbara was all ready for me right on time, so we walked back to her examination room. I had mentioned to a friend of mine (who is a dental assistant) that I didn't really dread the actual procedure, just the time I was going to have to sit in that darn chair with my mouth stretched open. She suggested to me that I take my iPod with me and listen to some music to help pass the time. I showed my iPod to Dra. Barbara and she smiled, nodded and asked what I was listening to. I had decided to listen to my collection of Billy Joel (by-passing "Pressure" if it came on), but she had not heard of him. I put the ear phones in and she started her work.

Those of you who have had a root canal know something about the procedure. If you have NOT had one, (bless you for taking care of those white pearlies), I don't think I can adequately describe it. I CAN say that the anesthetic was excellent, and only a couple times did I feel a little twinge. Dra Barbara did a wonderful job, and said I took it all very well. After about an hour and 15 min, it was pretty much done. She packed the area with a temporary packing that actually wore down quite quickly. Going back out to the receptionist, I was set up with another appointment on Thursday to have Dra Sophia cap the tooth.

All in all, it was not a horrifying experience. Even after a few hours, I felt no aches or pains. The temporary packing kept flaking away and it was somewhat annoying, but that was the worst of it.

On Thursday, Dra Sophia cleaned out what was left of the packing, and cleaned the area rather thoroughly. After filling the hole, she told me that the work was more than she could do right then and would have to take a mold (or two) to get a crown made. This she did rather deftly. In a week I will have a new prosthetic tooth.

I talked with Dra Sophia some more this time. She had worked as a dental assistant in Sydney, Aus for awhile, and that was when she decided to become a full dentist herself. She has also visited the states, having spent some time in Chicago and New York to attend conferences and training on different dental techniques. I also learned she is a believer in Christ, attending an evangelical church locally. She invited me and Paula to come to a home group she attends, which I look forward to attending.

In my opinion, the dental work here in Brazil is just as competent as any I've ever gotten in the states. From what I understand, the Brazilians focus quite heavily on dental care, thinking that it will lessen some of the medical needs later in life. Therefore, it is VERY affordable. All the work I've had done will cost less than $500, but the quality is superb!