Global Talk

This week Sheila and I have decided to do a blog series and answer the top 5 questions that people ask us when we tell them we are going to be tribal church planters. To see our responses click here.

If you want to dialog about about our answers please feel free to write. Have a great day!

Paul

As we were packing for our faith adventure in Venezuela, our friends Evan and Michelle stopped by and really motivated us to “pack light”. They said again and again how they traveled for weeks in Europe with just a small backpack of belongings. And they had to say it repeatedly because we kept questioning them, because we wanted to be sure we had all possible contingencies covered. We were definitely doubters!

But they eventually convinced us that they never missed anything they left behind, and traveling was much easier with a light load. We were not an easy sell, but we truly packed light!

So I awoke the next morning thinking of how ‘un-light’ my current life is. Literally, my house and garage are full of things never used. I wanted to – and still want to – toss, toss, toss. I’ve become enslaved to my possessions, and I want to break free!

Similarly, we pack our lives full of activities that enslave us, that keep us from spontaneity and personal interaction. Think of the freedom we’d have, if our schedules were not full to the hilt, to respond to impulses and perhaps even to the Holy Spirit. “Let’s have somebody over!” “Let’s see if we can find someone who wants to go to the beach with us!” “I wonder if that person has enough to eat?” “She seems lonely – let’s invite her to lunch.”

Some of the best models of simple living I’ve run into are the young couples in the Grace Group that meets at our house – only half of them have televisions, they seem to be purposely striving for SMALL rather than LARGE living quarters, and they make time to get together outside of “official” gatherings like church and Bible studies. Of course, we’re talking pre-children here…but still, there’s a principle to be learned from these young wise ones:

Pack Light!

Jesus said "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

I was sad to see that He didn't mention grandchildren! 'Cause that's where we're "counting the cost" of going to Venezuela! Tayvan will probably be walking by the time we get back. And, truthfully, grandkids are probably the reason we didn't sign up for a longer stint.

Having said that, though, I want to be clear that I don't believe Jesus is talking about Betty and me in the quote above. When he speaks of leaving one's family for the sake of the kingdom of God, I don't think he means going away for a couple of months. I believe He's talking to the many believers who have been forced, in many cases, to leave their families because of their belief in Christ, or who, like the Apostles He's talking to in this passage, have physically left their families to devote their lives to following Him.

In our short previous trips to Venezuela, however, we have indeed found that the principle of receiving "many times as much" is alive and well. For a small investment of our time, we've been blessed with a growing "family" who we are excited to visit whenever we can. There are some who call us "Mom" and "Dad", and many others with whom we have a spiritual connection that transcends our differing cultures and languages.

We thank God for the devotion and dedication of the workers in Venezuela who are presenting the gospel and nurturing the new believers. And we thank Him for letting us be a small part of relating the gospel to people who are spiritually ripe and ready to receive it.

Tom and Betty Berglund

Written: Sun, 13 Jan 2008

Hello Everyone! It’s a warm blue day here In Mwanza TZ. It’s taken forever, but after months of work and preparation, I have finally arrived. I'm so excited to be here. I have no idea what God has instore for me here, but i can only ask that He would work through me, as well as change me and mold me. I’ll try to give a brief recap of all that has happened in the past month, up to now.

On Dec 26, I left my Job as a clerk at the Bi-Mart pharmacy to start packing for my trip. The plan was to leave Wed, Jan 2 for New York, where I’d meet with the staff at AIM (Africa Inland Mission) and go through a pre-orientation before flying straight to TZ. Well, things become a bit more complicated Monday before I left when I got a call from AIM. They told me that Kenya was going through an intense time of political unrest and sporadic violence. Because many of the short-termers were flying either to, or through Nairobi Kenya, this made things a bit dicier. I flew out Wednesday to New York for the Orientation and met with the other short-termers who were also going out to different parts of Africa, as well as the amazing staff of AIM. After Going through the orientation, we decided to fly myself home on Friday Jan 4. I would then fly from Eugene on the 6th, and bypass Nairobi, and fly straight into TZ (though a bit more expensive). I came home Friday and with the help of my family finished the rest of my packing on Saturday, then flew out the next morning Sunday. I should also note, that AIM either redirected all the Short-Termers who were going through Kenya, or postponed their mission to make sure that they would not be put in any possible danger.

I flew an hour from Eugene to Seattle with no trouble. Then the red eye from Seattle to London which was a very long flight (alcohol + stupid parents + crying babies makes for a very long red eye flight). Then another red eye from London to Dar es Salaam TZ (capitol), and then a little hopper from there to Mwanza (second Largest city in TZ) on the shores of lake Victoria. I was picked up from the Airport by Bob Jeffers, and taken to their place in Mwanza.

Right now, I am staying at Bob and Esther Jeffers’ Guest house for the first 3 weeks of my trip. Here I will be taking a crash course in Swahili at a local international language training school. Considering that my only D in high school came from my Spanish class, we’re hoping that that’s not indicative of my time here… I have a wonderful local instructor who is also a missionary here with another Church. So for right now, I’m resting and learning here in Mwanza. It was a bit of an adventure the first couple days here. When I arrived, my bags, didn’t… They were able to locate them, but for about 4 days, we didn’t know when or if my bags would show up. But God is good, in the details, and faithful. We picked up my Bags yesterday!…and they’re not leaving my sight for a long time. The Jeffers’ have been wonderful in helping to orient me and begin to explain the culture to me, which is so different than anything I could ever have expected.

In a couple weeks, I’ll move down to Kahunda, about 5 hours west of here with the Anderson’s and begin my stay there for the next 6 months. I really don’t know much about what all is entailed with my stay there yet. I met with the Andy and Margaret Anderson a few days ago as they just recently arrived here. It looks like I’ll be doing some teaching in their secondary school (teaching in the primary school’s is in Swahili, then in secondary school’s it’s in English). And then, whatever other things they need me to do, I’ll do. They’re involved with much of the island ministry there, so I’ll be helping Andy and Margaret out in whatever way they needs me.

I look forward to keeping you all back home updated. For now my Laptop has internet access, and we’re working to keep that up once I actually leave for Kahunda. Feel free to write and keep me updated about all that’s going on at home, I love reading your emails!

My thanks again, for all of you who have made this God ordained trip possible. Continue to pray me, I appreciate your prayers so much. Pray that I would imbibe the Swahili training, and that I would continue to learn and adjust to the culture here. Pray that this would be a time of stretching and growing in God. Pray also that God would open my eyes to what He would have me do, and to keep me flexible.

I love you and miss you all

Your local Monk in Africa

Geoff
Manton

We love hearing what God is doing in the hearts of people around the world! Here at the New Tribes Missionary Training Center we have a daily opportunity to receive updates from missionaries who are working with unreached peoples. Following is an excerpt from a missionary describing the fellowship of a group of brand new believers:

"So, what are the church meetings like? AMAZING! You know what is different about us and these people? They don't live in a dichotomy like we westerners do. They are more holistic in their thinking and in their living. Why? Because they live in communities. They cook together, work together, sleep in bamboo houses that are 2 feet apart...which means that every one knows what is going on in every house. There is no escape of accountability. There are no nice and neat little compartments to shove the parts of our lives in that we don't want our fellow church members to see. Everything is out in the open. As they meet in church it is just another important part of this new life in Christ...not THE main part. As they apply the truths that they learn, they are applying them fresh to their lives and not putting them through our western grid and sometimes the result is quite refreshing. An example...We have taught the people that God is everywhere. We have taught them that he loves it when his children to talk to Him and to praise him for the things that he has done and for the things that He is doing right now in our lives. We have now taught them that is why we meet together...to encourage one another and to praise his name for things he has done since the beginning of the world through...well, this past minute! So, as they meet to pray and praise...we often can't tell the difference between the two! They don't bow their heads and fold their hands when they are praying...they often look up and talk because he is right there...or they just start talking to all of us, telling what the Lord did that week to show his mercy or grace in their lives and then will end with AMEN! Why? Because as they are recounting for those gathered what the Lord has done and they are acknowledging that He is here among us! Almost every testimony or praise ends with..."It is like that, so I am giving you a big thank you Lord Jesus! Amen!"

Now most people will probably assume this is because their culture is different than ours. It is true that we have different cultures, but I think we could learn a lot from the way these tribal people interact with one another. I have been thinking a lot lately that we Westerners are growing further and further apart. I am not sure what started our independent, "I'm my own man/woman and I can do my own thing if it works for me." mentality, but I think it has gotten much worse and is continuing on the same trend.

With the invention of internet and e-mail, many of us don't have a need for real face-to-face interactions . We have so many virtual relationships that we have little time to invest in real live relationships that invite encouragement, challenge, and rebuke into our lives. Instead we come home from work, drive our car into the garage, and sit inside our house with our huge front and back yards with a fence all around our property. As we hide our emotions behind our computer while checking everybody's blog and Facebook page, our neighbor is so lonely and feels so purposeless that he is putting a gun to his head.

Is this what Jesus had in mind when He talks about His church? Does the life of an average American Christian exemplify how the Body of Christ should function? Do we view church on Sunday as the primary time that we function as a body or are we reaching out during the week to those who are lonely and hurting in our body? Are we going to church with a consumeristic mentality--trying to see what we can get out of it (whether we're hoping to gain time with friends or spiritual encouragment)--or are we being intentional about being a blessing to someone else? When we do get together with other believers either inside church or outside church, are we encouraging, challenging, and spurring one another on, or are we simply satisfied with talks about the weather, intellectual discussions that never change the way we live, or worse: gossip. When we shy away from the deeper conversations that penetrate our hearts and lives, we lose out on the true fellowship we could experience and we perpetuate a "Lone Ranger" mentality of the Christian life that is in direct opposition to how the Body of Christ should function.

I'm writing this as a challenge to all of us, me included, to evaluate how our virtual relationships may be impeding the deep, face-to-face relationships that I believe are in alignment with the Biblical model of the Body of Christ. Hopefully this made you think. If you have comments, please write.