Hot Topics

I sat in Dr. Peed’s office yesterday catching up on life over the past few months and just chatting about different thoughts till our discussion turned to some of the issues that are affecting global ministry in general and specifically in our own denomination. Since then I’ve been wondering what are the topics that needs wrestling with by missionaries, nationals, and those "back home". So I bring the question to you. What do you think is a missions related subject the needs to be brought to the table of discussion?

Insights from Taylor

These are two quotes that stood out to me while reading Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secrets:

Come unto me and drink. Not, come and take a hasty draught; not, come and slightly alleviate; not come and slightly alleviate, or for a short time remove one’s thirst. No! "drink" or "be drinking" constantly, habitually. The cause of thirst may be irremediable. One coming, one drinking may refresh and comfort: but we are to be ever coming, ever drinking. No fear of emptying the fountain or exhausting the river!
-Hudson Taylor from a June Letter

One I used to try to think very much and very often about Jesus, but I often forgot Him. Now I trust Jesus to keep my heart remembering Him, and He does so.
-Hudson Taylor

Memories

Sitting in front of my computer typing away makes China and the rest of the world seem so far way. I believe, I know, God is at work around the world but I feel disconnected from what is happening. It's hard to believe that two years ago I was at small rural high school in China’s Sichuan province. The experience was amazing and I was blessed by it. Today I choose to share some pictures and remember where I was:


If you think of it, pray for Fran Strong, the organize of my trip, is currently in China on his fifth visit.

Four Thousand Words

New Friends

My English is horrible, what if I've messed these students up for life?


The Great Wall

Struggle to Pray

Jesus to the Nations was exciting yet discouraging at the same time. There were so many organizations and mission fields represented. Hearing the stories of what God was doing was so good but there was such a sense of need and support. Just the number of groups asking for prayer overwhelmed me. The number of groups, people, countries to pray for fills me with dread of failure. My response to the stress is to avoid praying for things, which is horrible and not logical. Does anyone else have that struggle? I get so upset with myself about it too that I want to hide my head in the sand. I guess I can take encouragement from that kid on the beach with the thousand of starfishes…throwing back what he could.

Talking with a rep from…I don’t even remember what group she was from, the subject of prayer came up. It was good for me to hear her say that in the face of all these noble organizations it is important to prayerfully select the one or two. Shortly after that I was visiting the OMS table and saw a 30-day prayer guide for China. I think I can do 30 days…baby steps, starting today. Today’s focus is:

The Resurrection of the Church*. In 1949 the number of Protestant believers was less then one million. Today there are about 50,000 churches and groups legally meetings as well as countless house churches. The number of registered, adult Protestants is nearing 20 million. Almost everyday a new church opens. Praise God for his hand on the Chinese church and China’s recent history. Praise God for the faithful Chinese believers and for there costly witness. May God continue to pour out blessing on the Chinese.

*From the OMS publication Pray for China by Tony Lambert

April is Here

I think I slept through most of March, I blinked and it was over. With the new month comes a new book and a new country focus. The book is less about missions and more a focus on Hudson Taylor’s life. I finished it last month after a good friend suggested I read it. I totally agree with her that it is worth reading.



Last weekend made to Halifax’s 8th annual Jesus to the Nations convention. The two speakers were great. Both had a good balance of humor, insight, and challenging. I’ve been reflecting on the services and sessions throughout the week. Once I’ve processed I will share. Only downsize was there was three book tables and I bought more then I should have.

It's in a Book, a Reading Rainbow

I’ve start the book of the month, it is on loan to me from Dr. Peed. I’m only part way into the first chapter but I came across this quote from James Engel that really stood out to me:

North American Christian commitment to world evangelization is in sharp eetrenchment. Unless there is an intervention by God leading to across-the-board willingness in churches and agencies to cope with changing paradigms and realities, North America will become a secondary force in the world church.

I had to read that a few times before the whole meaning began to sink in. Questions Engel’s statement has me asking are:

1) If North America became a secondary force who would be the primary force?
2) Would it be such a bad thing if North America became the secondary force?
3) If change is to happen what and how would that look/work?

What are your thoughts on the subject? I have no answers just theories and ideals. Many finishing the books will help solidify my thoughts.

Three Thoughts and an Introduction

Intentions and reality are two different things; this blog is a prime example. My good intentions were to blog twice a week all month or at least weekly. Hell should be well paved…if the saying is true. Next month I’ll be more bloggernessee.

1) Last week I received an email from Selinda requesting prayer for Doc and Pat Taylor. Friday the 16th two men broke in and burglarised the place while they were there. Selinda has posted the prayer request on her blog.Yesterday I received an email from the Taylors also explaining what happened and requesting pray.

2) Japan was chosen as "country of the month" because Robin White was scheduled to share at my home church this past Sunday, which he did. Earlier this month he posted a book review on Will Ferguson’s Hitching Rides with Buddha. I loved the section about language issues:

"…like many Westerners, I also get confused by "human" (ningen) and "carrot"(ninjin), which once caused a lot of puzzled looks during a speech I gave in Tokyo on the merits of internationalization, when I passionately declared that "I am carrot. You are a carrot. We are all carrots. As long as we always remember our common carrotness, we will be fine." On another occasion I scared a little girl by telling her that my favourite nighttime snack was raw humans and dip."

3) The JW’s got it right! Well, maybe not everything right but they do seem to have some things about missions right. Over the past year I’ve enjoyed getting to know Andrea’s Adventures through her blog. Last week I read her post on Jehovah Witnesses in Japan. If the facts are true, should Christians (and GP, my denominations missions department) be more focused on Japan? Or is there another solution? After hearing how the budget for a missionary to Japan one of the church members asked me "wouldn’t it be better just to send Japanese churches the money?" What do you think?

Another New Feature

And to the Ends of the Earth has a guest author. Once a month (when it fits his schedule) Dr. Peed, professor of global ministry at Bethany Bible College has offered to write something ministry related. Below is his first article.

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Memories of Zambia, advertised as "the warm heart of Africa," come back to me every time about this time of year. Instead of snow, ice, and strong winds, this beautiful country is experiencing almost daily rains and temperatures in the 20s and 30s (C). While missionaries there my wife Marilee and I soon discovered that it was "tough" being a missionary, but, somebody had to do it!! There we were, "suffering for Jesus," in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet while our friends back home shovelled away. And not only was the weather different but, more related to the reason we were there in the first place, there was plenty of religious, cultural, and social diversity surrounding us.

Most of us who are passionate about global ministries say we value diversity. After all, none of us want to be called intolerant or arrogant or narrow-minded. These are especially cancerous in the life of the cross-cultural worker. Yep, we talk about being diverse, but how intentional are we about developing this trait in our lives? For example, how often do we take opportunities to "stretch yourself" culturally by seeking out and developing satisfying relationships with people who are ethnically different from us? Do we stay up on international news? Do we go to ethnic eating establishments? The list goes on.

Early on in our ministry in Zambia my wife and I had to decide either to embrace diversity and push ourselves out of our ethnocentrism or withdraw into our own worlds and become ineffective in our ministry. As best we could we opted for the former. Intentionally we tried to be people of diversity. I encourage you to make this choice also.

For Christ and His Kingdom,
Dr. Bill

Idea Postponed

Back when the purpose and concepts of this blog were still just a thought, I got this idea (that I thought was great) to do interviews with people some how connected to the country of the month. For January I thought interviews with two Bethany grads, Rachel and Jessica, who had done their internship in South Africa would work well. So far Jess has been a challenge to get a hold of. They are out whenever I call. But I was able to get a hold of Rachel the first night and had a wonderful conversation. She agreed to be my very first interviewee. We got caught up, shared about our lives, talked about the college days and our futures. It was very fun and I got three pages of notes out of it. And the sit on my desk waiting to be put into some coherent order.

Tomorrow begins a new month with a new country but I would still like to share the insights these girls gained from the experience. So someday there will be neat thoughts and such from their experiences in South Africa.

Tsotsi

Tsotsi n. thug, gangster, hoodlum

I have struggled to write a decent explanation of this movie. I made the mistake of reading two other synopses first. Their words are far superior. The official website says:

Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto - where survival is the primary objective -TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.

The movie is rated R and defiantly not forever one. Another downside, for some, is that the movie is subtitled. These two factors aside the movie is worth seeing. It is about hope, redemption, and second chances. To see the fullness of change you have understand the world Tsotsi comes from. In the face of his harsh reality the whole story is beautiful. At first I wasn't able able to say that. The night I saw it I was disappointed and a little distressed. I have thought about the story since. It now holds hope I missed the at first.

The South African National Anthem

During a campus social at EWBC in 2004, students, staff, and missionaries shared a bit about their home country and sang their national anthem.

This is the South African's:

Beat the Drum

Beat the Drum follows the journey of a young Zulu boy in search of his uncle. It is a reflection of a culture dealing with the devastating affects of the AIDS epidemic while showing both the misconceptions and shame families and villages are facing. I first heard about the movie on my internship. It was being shown in Swazi high schools as an educational tool to open discussions on the subjects of sex, AIDS, and abstinence. At the time we were unable to get a hold of a copy. I was surprised this Christmas on my flight home when given the option to watch the movie. I found it beautiful. Just seeing the African country side, hearing bits of Zulu, and watching the story unfold was a joy. It is not the fast paced cinematography we are used to from Hollywood, somewhat predictable, and half the movie is subtitled. If you can handle those "downsides" I say it is a worth watching, if you can find somewhere to rent it.

Insight

Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs. I again realized that we were not different people with separate languages; we were one people, with different tongues.

Nelson Mandela
Long Walk To Freedom

More Talking and New Features

I want to thank everyone who joined in on the "Yes Lord, Send Me" discussion. The lack of single men in global missions is a growing concern and as Matthew pointed out a reflection of men’s church involvement in general. I wonder if the emphasis is put on compassion ministries and orphans outreach gives the impression that cross-cultural ministry "woman’s work"?


Two of the new features I am adding to And to the Ends of the Earth is a missions book of the month and a country focus. Links can be found on the sidebar (it took me awhile to figure out how to make them look right. I did a victory dance when I was done. Not really but I thought about doing one). January’s book is Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. I am about half thr the book. It is long but worth the read. I have been challenged and inspired. Before the end of the month I hope to share a few thoughts and insights I have gained. During my flight back to Halifax I sat next to a young boy whose family was moving to South Africa. We chatted about what he thought it where they would live and what he thought it would be like. It brought back fond memories of my internship in the near by Kingdom of Swaziland. I got an email from a Swazi friend asking how my Zulu was. I must sadly say horrible. I think I could still say yes. During that same flight I was able to walk the South Africa film Beat the Drum, the journey of a Zulu boy for truth. It was these little things and reading of Mandela that lead to my decision that South Africa would be January’s country focus.

Yes Lord, Send Me...

LarkNews headlines read:

Teen seeks missions assignment where women don't wear clothes

Oh how this article made me giggle. In different missions classes the topic would come up on the general lack of men and specifically single men in most missions organisations. We talked about how missions magazines put more male pictures to portray an image that missions is a manly thing. Of all the suggestions this never came up. It might boost the percent of single males on the mission field. Somehow I cannot see it being adopted, yet for those interested I know of a country or two….

What do you think the reason for the lack of single guys going overseas and is it possible to change the trend?

New Day, New Look, New Blog

After a four-month hiatus "Journey on the Other Side" is being reborn. For me it is more than a name and layout change. Over the year in Japan this corner of cyber space gave me a place to chronicle the adventures and share pictures. When I returned in August I wasn’t really sure what should be come of this blog. Then an idea began to form, of a blog that focused on cross-cultural ministry cultural anthropology. A place that would help keep my love for global missions alive while generating discussion on the subject. I am not 100% sure what this should or will look like. I have a few ideas we’ll see what comes. For now welcome to:

And to the Ends of the Earth

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

-Jesus