Category: From the Blog

Last week was my most exhausting one since coming to the island in September.  School was so children were coming to my house asking for tablet, game, or story at about 8:00 in the morning instead of 3:00 in the afternoon when they usually show up.  This and the fact that there was more than one group of kids meant an afternoon nap was mandatory 🙂

Last week is a blessing because I was able to connect with so many children, but the large number meant my connection wasn’t very meaningful.

On any mission field you will interact with individuals who truly want to know more about Christ, and people who are just interested in what’s being offered.  In my case there are some kids who come to learn more about Jesus, while most are just interested in juice or tablet time.  Sadly this is just a fact of life so my first inclination is to accept everyone, but eventually the people there just for the juice greatly hinders my ministry to those who truly want to learn.

Last Friday a little boy came over and since things were too loud on the porch we came inside for a Bible story.  As the story talked about where we would spend eternity I asked the boy where he would go when he died, his response was, “I would go to Hell.”  “would you like to know how to go to Heaven” I asked, and he nodded.

At that moment as I opened my Bible other kids started getting bored and decided to walk in the house distracting him (I don’t lock myself in the house when a child is there with me), the moment I got one out another would come demanding tablet time or juice.  Eventually we retreated to the very back room (making sure every door was wide open) for a place of solitude but kids followed us there…some wondering what was going on, others asking questions or wondering when it was their turn for tablet.

Thankfully that little boy did accept Christ but in that moment I realized how larger groups of kids on the porch meant deeper ministry was almost impossible.

Much of my ministry with kids up till now has involved Bible teaching, but also emphasized administration or crowd control…that sort of thing happens when there are twelve kids on the porch 🙂  But this experience and others has created a yearning for a ministry built on discipleship or mentoring young people.  In other words instead of twelve you have two or three which allows the connection and teaching to be deeper (my focus is on explaining the Gospel instead of keeping them calm).

This has resulted in two things

1. Sending away the kids who only care about juice or tablet for a few days
2. And inviting kids who I know are truly interested in knowing more about Jesus to visit me more

A few days ago it occurred to me that part of my American mindset about ministry was actually hindering God’s work on the island.  This probably isn’t just about my being American, but I approach the ministry opportunities of life with an efficiency focus that pursues a full day of ministry.

The goal of my efficiency is six to seven hours of ministry beginning at 1:00 in the afternoon (morning is set aside for sermon-prep, discipleship material, education, and writing).  Ideally this means my only break between 1:00 and getting home from a Church service at 8:30 would be supper.

Now there’s obviously nothing wrong with wanting to serve the people of Barrouallie for six-hours a day.  But my focus on efficiency and ticking things off a to-do list means unplanned ministry opportunities are looked upon as interruptions.

One of the big relationship development opportunities here is offering cold-water to people.  Some of them sadly don’t have access to it, and being in a town where temps are in the eighties every morning, hydration is very important 🙂  Upon arriving in September I would grab these chances to get to know people’s names, introduce myself, and develop a friendship.  They responded by making my house a daily spot for refreshment.

This week I had a particularly frustrating day, the kind where you just feel completely unmotivated to work and get very little accomplished.  Late that afternoon two sisters came running up the steps with their brother asking for cold water.  I quickly brought out three glasses and a large bottle of water, and then instead of sitting down and chatting with them walked inside and closed the door.

Then to make matters worse….I locked it behind me

My main reason for this was getting something productive done before the day ended, but children are also known to enter the house if the door isn’t locked and of course it’s almost impossible to be productive with a curious child nearby

Looking back on that moment I realize just how selfish and unloving my actions where.  Yes there are moments when privacy is needed, but locking people out of the house so you can get work done isn’t how you accomplish missions.  In fact it’s and easy way to destroy an outreach into the culture.

The thing is they weren’t just there for water.  There were many places to get a cold drink for free, but they willingly chose my home because I was something different.  In a way they yearned for what I used to offer along with the water

1. A Bible Story (with card that they could hold in their hands)
2. A game on the porch
3. A listening ear
4. And loving acceptance

With the click of the lock I could have easily destroyed all of the work in building Gospel bridges just so a few things could be ticked off a list.

I’m not saying there isn’t a need for privacy, there are reasons why the door should be locked….but efficiency isn’t one of them.

May God help me remember that the interruptions of life are massive opportunities for ministry.  And when people come to my porch the best thing I can do is close the computer, turn off the phone, and along with water give them Biblical truth that refreshes their soul.

At around 6:00 last night a teenage boy came by the house, and when I came to the door, quietly asked for something to eat.

This is actually a normal occurrence in Barrouallie since children come by multiple times a day asking for food, but I (on the encouragement of missionaries and Vincentian Believers) won’t give it to them unless they earn the food in some way.  This is because the island has a culture of asking for things (even if you don’t need them) and then expressing shock when they aren’t provided for free…I even had a young lady tell me after being given free cooking oil it wasn’t ENOUGH cooking oil!

Because of this I am doing my best to create a new culture in the children who come by to visit in the afternoons.  Food or other rewards is earned by good character (juice and tablet time are given out for free) so a peanut butter sandwich, and at least three pieces of bread are given out as rewards to the best behaved kids.

As the boy stood there on the porch I was honestly conflicted because part of me wanted to give him more food (he had a piece of bread earlier) and another part felt like he had been given enough for one day.

To make the matter harder there were very good arguments for each point

1. If I didn’t give him food the I was being heartless, If I did give him food then it may become an enabling relationship (instead of working for food he will just come to Mr. John)
2. If I sent him away hungry then it wouldn’t illustrate the Gospel because God gives Grace, if I did give him food then that may be the only reason he obeys or respects me (just for the food)
3. If I didn’t give anything it would strengthen the philosophy that food isn’t given out for free, if I did give it then the kids next day would say (why did you give him food?

In a way the grilled-cheese sandwich I made him last night was at the same time one of the most loving things (because I fed him) and unloving things that I could have done.  Because now instead of working for money so he can buy food this teenager will probably come to get another sandwich.

The bottom line is it wasn’t a decision where right and wrong were clearly defined….some may feel one view is the only correct one, but I promise there are individuals who hold the other side just as strongly

Last nights experience came back to me this morning as I read articles about whether or not Syrian refugees should be accepted by the US.  To be honest both sides of this issue have very good points.  Those who are for the acceptance or refugees remind us we are to show others the love of Christ, while those against it believe many of these refugees will carry out a terrorist attack like the one in Paris.

I’m not going to tell anyone what to do in this situation because there is plenty of that going around already.  Instead it’s my opinion we should take a step back and think seriously about this decision, because the right and wrong path may not be as clear as they seem.

Kevin DeYoung wrote one the more insightful articles on this subject yesterday saying

The issue of immigration—both for those inside the country already and for those wanting to get in—is bound to be a pressing political, international, and humanitarian concern for many years. We need Christian writers, thinkers, pastors, scholars, and activists to be a part of the conversation. My plea is that the conversation reflect the complexity of the situation and goes beyond the familiar dichotomies of love versus hate, inclusion versus exclusion, and fear versus compassion. There are too many important things, and too many human lives, at stake to move quite so quickly from solid Christian principles to simple policy prescriptions.

Though my story about the hungry boy is a poor illustration of the refugees struggle, I believe it points out the fact that we shouldn’t be so quick to make this a black and white issue.

Last night I was reading from Dr. Albert Mohlers new book “We Cannot Be Silent” (which is awesome by the way) and came across a quote that seemed especially appropriate in the light of recent ISIS attacks in Paris.  He is actually referring to Homosexual or same-sex marriage advocates in the quote, but it could easily be applied to terrorists as well.

can anyone doubt that part of the problem, in what some people have called the culture war, is that one side is prepared and organized and determined, and the other side is just gradually beginning to wake up?

After Friday night when six separate attacks took place at the same time in strategic locations it’s obvious that ISIS (or the Islamic State as they prefer) has a definite battle plan, and is already carrying it out.

The scary thing is these terrorists are laser focused on one goal. To create a worldwide Muslim religion that is led by a Caliph (leader) who is a direct descendant of Muhammad. This is done by killing everyone who don’t agree with their views, including other Muslims.

Now as frightening as that may be, what really worries me is when the focused organization of ISIS is compared to Christians who most of the time deal with secondary issues (myself included most of the time sadly).

Think about it, what were we talking about last week?

Red Starbucks Cups

Meanwhile terrorists are creating elaborate plans to take lives!

Now please understand I’m not saying that we should all start stockpiling weapons and preparing to defend our homeland.  Instead it’s time for us to wake up, realize we are in the middle of a war, and admit we are losing badly.

Some may say “well the Islamic State isn’t about to attack America!”  Okay lets just say we aren’t in direct war with ISIS, do you know who we are in war with?

1. The Homosexual agenda
2. Attack on personal liberty on College Campuses
3. The Transgender movement

Want to guess how many of those wars we are losing?

I am convicted by the fact that I’ve allowed excuses to lull me to sleep while opposing groups have organized themselves.  But the good news is as Christians God forgives our mistakes.  The important thing is to wake up and admit we have slept through a culture war.

With most of you I spent hours Friday night refreshing my twitter and facebook feeds in horror as we learned more about the terrorist attacks in Paris.  The more I read the more it burdened my heart for those people.

At the same time there was encouragement as individuals around the world sent encouraging messages, prayers, and shows of solidarity with the French people using social media.  The hashtag #prayersforparis dominated over the weekend and a huge amount of facebook users changed their profile pics with an overlay of the french flag (please forgive me for not doing so, can’t figure out how for some reason)

This isn’t the first time we have seen social media sights used for this purpose following a tragedy, and won’t be the last. There is no doubt in my mind the people of Paris are encouraged by individuals all around the world standing with them.

The question is, what do we do next?

One thing the Lord has been convicting me about lately is in situations like this some retweets, hashtags, and changing my profile to defend a particular cause is the extent of my involvement.  And while bringing attention to the need is a good thing, it is only the first step towards a solution.

In other words, we mourn and weep over the loss.  But then we wipe the tears out of our eyes and ask, “okay what are we going to do about this?”

Before getting into what I personally believe we should do about the problem, let me tell you what we shouldn’t do…..we shouldn’t flood facebook or twitter with articles defending our views on the situation (refugees should not be allowed in the country, or such a small amount of Muslims are actually violent we shouldn’t treat them all like terrorists).

Now as your getting ready to type that angry comment please hear me out.

I’m not saying there isn’t a place for education following these attacks.  The problem is sending these articles or pictures is just too easy.  Just like typing a hashtag isn’t enough to fix the challenges of ISIS, clicking share on a website isn’t going to do it either.  Instead sharing articles is another first step which leaves us with the same question “what are we going to do about it?”

In my humble opinion the answer is to become students of the worlds culure

As an American who lives in foreign Countries I experienced firsthand how living in the US had given me tunnel-vision so to speak because I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about what was going on in the rest of the world.  The joke Australians tell is when American news programs share news from around the world it’s what we (the US) are doing around the world 🙂  This focus on local and national news from the media means it’s OUR RESPONSIBILITY to learn more about what’s going on in the world.

Using Paris as an illustration the Lord has challenged me to start asking some hard questions about what happened there.

1. How did this happen?
2. Why didn’t the focus on surveillance following January’s attack do anything to stop it
3. Why is ISIS referring to France as the central power of Europe?
4. Why does France refuse to refer to them as ISIS?
5. What does this have to do with the attacks in January?
6. How is this going to affect our relationship with other Countries?

The point is we must go past the hashtags, filters, and easy share articles in order to create a working view of our own on what happened Friday night, and how it affects the world moving forward.

1. By reading in-depth articles online
2. Studying the history of ISIS and Islam
3. Getting books that discuss the growth of terrorist attacks
4. Following websites or newspapers from other Countries that share events from their perspective

So go ahead and keep using the #prayersforparis hashtag

And change your profile picture

Share those articles

Even write a post or two if you feel like it

But once the tears have dried up, understand you and I need to become students of whats happening in other cultures before it enters our own borders.