A great explanation of the vision for transformational education

A lot of people have wondered how making an education system can be missions. In Missions Frontiers, an article called "Discipling Africa through Higher Education: A proposal for an African Christian University" explains why education is such a critical need if we are ever to see a significant percentage of Africans transformed by the Gospel. While Dr. Turnbull's approach is to implement it in one working university, we are working on a model that can be reproduced in any number of schools. Click here and start on page 16.

God is our refuge and strength

When I tell Christians I travel to Africa, Nigeria in particular, I am surprised by how often they comment something like, "Isn't it dangerous? You shouldn't go over there." I don't know how to respond to these attitudes that I must be really brave or foolish; I don't think either is a factor in my travel. And if it is, what do you say about the Apostle Paul's decision to go to Jerusalem when God had told him plainly he'd be arrested there? Not to mention all the places he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked ...

What I do is nothing in comparison. I'm more nervous at airport security than I've ever been in Africa, where people go to great lengths to welcome us. The really brave Christians today are the ones who live in North Korea, Somalia, Iran ... their lives and families are on the line every day for their faith.

Yes, when I go to Africa, there's malaria and waterborne diseases to guard against. Yes, there is violence. It has ethnic, territorial, and religious aspects to it. Expatriates usually aren't involved, but terrorists have bombed a lot of churches there. So I do ask for prayer for the safety of my friends in Nigeria, and for my team when we go out. But I don't see why that should be a reason not to go, if hundreds of thousands of my brothers and sisters can live and worship there.

"I can't believe your parents let you go over there" is another expression I get. But it's my mom who told me that safety anywhere is an illusion. After all, any car ride could be our last. The only security anyone can really have is in the Rock of Ages, in whom there is no such thing as danger.

My soul rests in God alone.
My salvation is from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress--
I will never be greatly shaken.
How long will you assault a man,
would all of you throw him down,
like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place.
They delight in lies.
They bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly. Selah
My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him.
He alone is my rock, my fortress.
I will not be shaken.
With God is my salvation and my honor.
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people.
Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Surely men of low degree are just a breath,
and men of high degree are a lie.
In the balances they will go up.
They are together lighter than a breath.
Don't trust in oppression. Don't become vain in robbery.
If riches increase, don't set your heart on them.
God has spoken once; twice I have heard this,
that power belongs to God.
Also to You, Lord, belongs loving kindness,
for You reward every man according to his work.

--Psalm 62 

     

Please pray for my colleagues traveling

Please pray for George and Ray as they work in Nigeria with writers. Pray for the writers to have the time and energy, on top of all their many responsibilities, to make good progress in writing. Pray for the Lord to draw more writers of His choosing to work with us. Pray for wisdom in clarity in the process of developing Health and Life Management curriculum. Pray for the Lord to bless their time together with spiritual growth and fruitfulness. Finally, please continue to pray for peace in Nigeria.

Struggles continue, but so does encouragement

We've been frustrated the past few weeks being unable to communicate with Christie in Nigeria. Electricity has been down most of the time all over Jos, internet is more unreliable than normal, and her phone is broken. So it's hard to know how the implementation of our programs is going, if they have everything they need, etc.  So I am very grateful she was able to join us for our Skype prayer meeting today, if only for twenty minutes before her connection dropped. But we need so much more.

Claude and Anthony also shared an exciting way we (TEN3) may be able to minister to local churches here in the US with seminars on the same things we teach our African partners - how transformation comes as we learn to obey all of Christ's commands (not just the ones our culture values). I'd love to be able to do this, as a way of being involved in the culture where we reside and hopefully strengthen our ability to reach out to Africa as well.

Anthony is tentatively planning a trip to Cameroon in July, followed by time in Nigeria in August. It would be really good if I could be starting my six-month stay in Nigeria about that time, so we could work together with EICSI on getting an accredited two-year degree started. That's something that the school and TEN3's programs both need. Please pray that if it's the Lord's will, Anthony's trip will work out and mine will coincide with this seemingly great timing. But He knows better than I when I need to go, and so most of all pray for Him to provide in the time and way that He desires to use. We commit all these hopes and "maybes" to Him, as He works out His glory within our broken plans and chaotic circumstances.

By faith ... but how?

You know that whole faith-and-works paradox in the Bible? If you grew up in a good biblical church as I did, then of course you do. Ephesians 2, we're saved by grace through faith alone and not of works. James 2, that faith will produce works if it's real. A fundamental.

Somehow the fundamentals of faith can take our whole lives to get down. My Dad and I have asked each other through a number of confusing life decisions, "Does faith mean 'wait on the Lord' and don't try to help Him, or does it mean do what you can, be diligent to knock on doors and trust the Lord will open the right one?"

This confusion occurs all the more in ministry. For instance, George, a member of TEN3's curriculum department, is to go to Nigeria to work with writers for three weeks starting May 20. He has the funds to go, the time seems appropriate, and we really need this face-to-face time with them. However, George wisely does not want to go alone, as the circumstances would likely put him one-on-one with females, which is a bad idea in ministry.

Solution? Send Ray, the other available member of the curriculum department, with him. The problem was that Ray didn't have the funds. He sent out a letter to supporters to make the need known, but there wouldn't be enough time to process any gifts that came in before his ticket would have to be purchased. So we had to make a decision--we could front the money from an organizational account if he could get the donations in later to reimburse the account. But we had to make the decision before we would know if that money would come in.

So why not have me go with George, or with both of them? Well, these married folks can only stay away a few weeks at a time, whereas if young, happily single I could stay for months at a time, writers could come see me once a week or so and we get much more done together. Though I have enough funds in my ministry account to make such a trip work, SIM has enough experience to know a long-term missionary shouldn't exhaust all her funds for a short-term venture, so I'm waiting for my monthly support to build up.

Which brings me back to the faith question--is it a double standard to front Ray's money in faith that it will come in, but for me to have to wait until money is actually coming? I don't think so, because there's no distinct answer to this in the Bible--it's different for every situation. Sometimes God works in a big "Stand still and see the power of the Lord" way; sometimes He works through our day-and-night toil that seems to bring little fruit. God is growing in us a mature faith that can both act and wait, and a heart that is close enough to Him to know which He wants today.

A poem I wrote four years ago

This Cup

Forcing myself, Never Good. Enough.

“Save!”  atonement “Come.”

All I have been screams for dear life,

  for everything I grasped, that is not life.

The Savior continues to quietly beckon.

This boldfaced acceptance of my death--

Gulp down the pain, remembering His. . .

Dying. Drink. -(poison) A reckless release

to unseen hope (medicine)- Finding. Life.

--is a risk that I cannot afford not to take.

“No more my will,  but what You will.”

All this, that I may imbibe of the new

marriage covenant, a regular sacrifice;

slammed with intensely bitter waves

tossed upon the richly sweet fluid.

As I accept the momentous cup

from Your bleeding hand

that took it first

and filled it,

I want

the faith

to not

just

drink,

but quaff the full;

To partake of all of You. 

Trying

Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted. To be honest I'm weary; lots of stuff going on. The one that's really draining my work now is the fact that my cat has been ailing for two months. He stopped eating, and has been in and out of the vet several times. He gets better, and then stops eating again. Poor little guy has been diagnosed with renal problems, diabetes and hepatic lipidosis, in addition to suffering from constipation and a cold in the last few weeks. These things are supposed to be treatable, so I began syringe feeding him in hopes he would recover. It's been quite time-consuming and emotionally draining, and I still don't much know what to do, except to pray and try my best to comfort him. Fortunately, my family and colleagues have been understanding and supportive. God gave me a very sweet gift in Chocolate, one that has been very dear to me these past twelve years. This chance to take care of him intensively is a gift as well; and I commit my responsibilities, to my cat and to my job, to His hand whose wisdom will not fail in these trying circumstances.

Ok, ministry news. I am very excited to say that we have started training about twenty school representatives to begin using our Computer Training Outreach in their schools. I still need to finish the conversion to Puppy Linux; I have three chapters left in Computer Essentials. Hopefully Spreadsheet Essentials will be a simpler transition. At least OpenOffice Light works in Puppy, so I don't have to change to completely different office program instructions!

Also, we're tentatively looking at sending George and possibly Ray to Nigeria for three weeks this May to work with the writers. I'm hoping about then to be looking to buy my own plane tickets go to go for a longer term. As we say in TEN3, Deo Volente (God willing).