International Ministries

Transitions

Last week I sent the following note to missionary colleagues, as one of our own lay in a hospital bed, in a coma. Our friend passed on to Glory the next morning, and we rejoice for her, while we mourn our loss—and her family’s loss—of her presence. 

I have just left the bedside of a friend and much-loved coworker. I sat by her and watched life ebbing away, knowing that in just a few hours or so she would no longer be with us here on earth.  We’ve all prayed for a miracle over the past 14 days; no doubt God is performing one, but not quite in the way we had pictured. We know for sure that she is in His everlasting arms, and that brings some measure of comfort and help. 

As I sat by her bed tonight, I thought about the transitions that life brings; some we’d prefer to not experience, yet they are inevitable parts of the process of life.  How do we cope when these unforeseen, unplanned and often untimely transitions occur? What do we do when a loved one is snatched away prematurely, as it seems will be in this the case? How do we understand who God is in these circumstances that are beyond our control? 

“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.” Psalm 71:20-21 

It is in His Words, like these, that we receive our hope.  In the midst of our pain and suffering, He is there, our rock, our comfort and our strength.  

In addition to relying on the truth of God’s Word, we rely on the body of Christ. I have seen this truth in action as the family of our dying friend has been surrounded by loving, caring friends and coworkers who have brought food, funds and prayer for the last 14 days.  

Transitions, expected or not, are nonetheless a part of our lives. Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “In my times of fear I don’t wrestle; I nestle!”  Drawing close to the Lord and Master of our lives allows us to experience His continual shelter and protection.  Undoubtedly, we will continue to pray for the husband, three daughters and sons-in-law of our dear friend. Even as we do, we will face our own transitions and the need to draw on the only strength that can sustain us—His Divine outpouring that is abundant and individually designed for you and me. 

I pray that whatever you are facing tonight—discouragement, loneliness, despair, loss, depression, anxiety, financial distress—that the Lord God Almighty will provide what you need and bring that “balm in Gilead” to refresh, renew, restore, and heal you as you cling to Him and all that you know to be true. 

Bless you, my friends, JoAnn

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Happily Exhausted!

“Happily exhausted.” Did that phrase ever garner comments when I posted it on Facebook! The post was made at the end of a long three weeks of travel, meetings, community assessment, training on HIV/AIDS… did I say meetings and travel…? We visited several small communities remotely located throughout Papua New Guinea.

Made me think about just what I meant by those words: “happily exhausted.” Well, the “exhausted” part is really easy to define. I was downright tired and longing for my own bed! My feet hurt, as did many other parts of me, and my mind was reeling with memories, ideas, new tasks to accomplish…all as a result of this three-week trip!

But what about the “happy” part? I think of the incredible contacts I made with the local missionaries and the men and women who are community and church leaders. The relational interactions were rich and meaningful. The possibility of working together in the future colored the thought of those new contacts with anticipation and promise. The dialog was so fruitful; we intentionally listened to the leaders—our new friends—about their felt needs, and then we shared with them ways AGWM’s ministries could possibly partner with them to meet these needs. Excitement was palpable in those dialogs!

Then there was the team of AGWM missionary associates that accompanied me: Andy and Robin of Sustain Hope, and Kayla of Global AIDS Partnership. Although relatively new to these AGWM ministries, they jumped right in with enthusiasm and skill, building relationships, listening, sharing, showing…. And I must admit that I fully enjoyed each of them as my traveling companions on this long and physically wearying trip!

Happily exhausted. I was involved in something about which I am passionate—doing “best practice” in preparation for compassion ministries: listening to the local people to learn their felt needs and finding ways to partner with them. This work perfectly aligns with my personal core values, as well as the expressed core values of Assemblies of God World Missions. And I was mentoring new missionaries in this kind of work, watching them blossom and do it themselves! All of it was so emotionally rewarding. It’s all Kingdom work, done for our Savior!  I could not help but sit back and find that I was “happily exhausted.”

So, when was the last time you felt “happily exhausted?”

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What’s In Your Closet?

A couple days ago a friend and I chatted about the annual ritual of moving winter clothing to the closet and putting the summery things away. I told her that I no longer bother with the ritual; I travel so much throughout the year and go to so many different climates that I need all of my clothing available for packing at a moment’s notice!

Made me think about what’s in my closet. Well, not just the slacks, tops, skirts, sweaters, shoes (my favorite!)… but about spiritual things, and about having all I need for any given situation.

When I’m going to the tropics—which I dearly love!—I never pack a sweater, but I sure do bring a raincoat or umbrella so I’m protected from the afternoon downpours so common to such regions. When I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (Kenya) to help with fund-raising for HealthCare Ministries, I did not bring my heels—rather, sturdy and specially constructed hiking boots were on my double-socked feet, and I was in full cold-weather gear. But when I’m speaking at a missions service, out come the suits and my favorite dressy shoes. Then there’s the trips to communities where women are expected to dress most modestly; I make sure the garments I pack will be non-offensive and appropriate, rather than super stylish.

By the way, I just returned from warm and humid Papua New Guinea, where four of us (two from Sustain Hope and two from Global AIDS Partnership) did community assessment with village leaders, many who do not know Christ; doors are open for more help and ministry. But the first stop on that trip I spent a couple days at North Central University in chilly Minneapolis, meeting with college leadership and students. Talk about being ready for widely varied situations!

Okay, so what does this have to do with spiritual stuff? Well, it’s all about preparation, understanding the “climate” and having inner preparation to live, to respond, to react—to make decisions with God’s insight.

I am intrigued by the biblical reference to the “men of Issachar.” The descendents of Issachar (son of Jacob and grandson of Isaac) were said to understand the times and know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). The warriors of this tribe chose to stand with David rather than King Saul, even when that meant hiding in a cave with him and waiting for a yet unseen grand and glorious victory. 

Today we can be like them, understanding that in our cultural climate God is seeking true worshippers who hold to His unshakable truth and who value what He values and work toward what He mandates. That might mean choosing the rough and narrow road rather than the broad way where the majority travels, because of our seeing His “big picture” of eternal things. So what do we need to access from our spiritual closet that enables that kind of living in every situation? I’m always clad in His robe of righteousness, so He helps me to live like Him, to look like Him. Then the shoes prepared for taking the gospel of peace to wherever He leads. The helmet of salvation provides wisdom for choices in day to day life, discerning what is His way from what is the popularly accepted way. If I am going to be authentic in this world—no matter what country or community—I first must be clothed in Jesus’ style and prepared with Jesus’ mind. And where can I obtain these great garments and accessories? Daily go to His Word and His feet for fresh outfits and a new outlook!

The “all season” spiritual closet is there for us; all we have to do is make the right choices, and wear what He has provided for us.

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The Life of an International Ministries Missionary

What does the life of an International Ministries (IM) missionary entail? When one thinks “US-based foreign missionary,” it may seem an unusual label. Yet it is far from an ordinary life.  It is a life filled with mobility, diversity, jet lag… and a great deal of fulfillment.

Speaking as an IM missionary, I can attest that part of global outreach is crisscrossing the world to bring the training and resources requested by our field missionaries and nationals.  It means that in one month I may be on several different continents.  For example, I just returned from Turkey and will turn around and head to Africa.  Just prior to that I was in Haiti. After Africa I’ll head to Europe. Mobility. It is a necessary part being an IM missionary.

The upside? Well, you certainly see the world!  After recent meetings near Ephesus, I walked through the ruins of that once great city where Paul walked and where John was supposedly buried. I get to shop in all sorts of wonderful places, sampling some of the best coffee in the world and eating all sorts of wonderful delicacies.  I meet amazing people all the time and experience rich and diverse cultures. I love seeing the body of Christ worshiping and serving all over the world.

The downside? Travel is expensive, so that means raising quite a lot of money to do our ministries.  With all of the travel restrictions these days, it means long security lines and lots of waiting in airports. It means sitting through meetings half awake, or, as I often say, living in a constant state of jet lag (which excuses a lot of my absent mindedness, if nothing else). When things like volcanic ash “happen,” travel plans can be completely upended, with cancelled flights or being stranded somewhere for many days.  For married persons with kids, it means a lot of time away from family, often with more nights logged in hotels and on overseas flights then at home.  And then there’s the people; we meet so many wonderful people where we minister, but we often don’t get to see them again after helping to connect them to a church in their land.

I believe it’s a wonderful privilege to be an IM missionary! The upsides far outweigh the downsides! (But if you want to know how to pray for me and other IM missionaries… well, just read the paragraph above; it will give you a few ideas.)  We get to provide tools and training that help a young minister become more effective; assist with mobilizing an entire community toward better health; bring needed medical care or preventative training on HIV/AIDS; minister to persons with addictions; train individuals to use media for evangelism and reaching the unreached; provide insights and skills to improve agriculture and feed a community….  All are wonderful resources offered by the various International Ministries!  

Any small inconvenience is worth the effort in seeing the Kingdom of God advanced.

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What is an International Ministry?

What is an International Ministry anyway? It could mean a lot of things, but for Assemblies of God World Missions it has a specific meaning related to how we serve our missionaries, nationals and those who need the Lord. 

A military person once told me that it takes about eleven services to fully equip a soldier for active duty. If you can visualize a fully dressed sergeant on the front lines of battle, think about all the gear he would have—the boots and uniform, the helmet, the belt with all the bullets, grenades, the water canteen, flashlight, utility instrument, GPS, communications piece and the gun. Well, I’ve probably missed some, but that gives an idea of all that goes into making sure that this person has all that he or she needs to be effective on the front line of battle.

I think this analogy fits well for the services offered by the International Ministries of AGWM. HealthCare Ministries, the Center for Ministry to Muslims, Life Publishers, Global Teen Challenge, Global University, International Media Ministries, Royal Rangers International, and Network211 are examples of these ministries. Other more specialized ministries are Global AIDS Partnership, Pediatric Rehabilitation for Children with Disabilities, Collegians in Third Culture Transitions, Sustainable Community Development, and partner ministries like Convoy of Hope and OneHope.

All of these ministries offer to come alongside our missionaries, national churches and nationals to equip them where they may need assistance—compassion ministries outreach, evangelism through media or Internet, discipleship training, theological training, drug rehabilitation, campus ministries, children’s ministries and training to equip the church to reach the Muslim world.

None of us possess all the tools, gifts and talents needed to touch the world for Christ and to minister with complete effectiveness. With International Ministries being ready to assist, we don’t have to do it all on our own. As a team, putting hands and hearts together, the world can more effectively be won for Christ.

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Giving up my small ambitions

I sat and watched young people streaming to the altar during the recent World Mission’s Summit* in Cincinnati, committing to give a year of their lives to missions, and I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing down my cheeks. Funny how, after all these years of being a missionary, I am always moved to tears when I see someone respond just as I did so many years ago…. “Yes, Lord! I’ll go. I’ll give up my own ambitions and lay everything on the altar to follow You.”   

That’s what I thought I was saying, anyway—but, really, what does that mean? Laying down my ambitions? When I answer that question now, my one and only ambition is to be what He wants me to be.   

I am single and, yes, the idea of a husband might have been an ambition… but would it have been a profitable one if it were “my ambition” and not His? I might have preferred to be a city girl and not live those many years in the jungles of northeast Congo, but the irony is that I thrived there; I learned so much that I never could have if I’d not been out of my comfort zone.   

Laying it all down isn’t sacrifice; it is, in fact, gain.  It is the only secure place to be.  It is where joy and fulfillment are found.  I am so glad that I followed my Lord and His plan rather than taking some self-idealized journey that never could have perfectly suited for me. How well He knows me! 

While in Cincinnati I looked at those young lives, so full of energy and passion, with so many dreams and so much potential… and all I could say was, “Thank you Jesus!”  Just as He knew what I needed for my life and had a roadmap laid out in front of me, the Psalmist say He began that for each of them while they were still in the womb.   

Wow. Over 800 young lives ready to impact the world for the Kingdom…and I say, “Look out, lost world…. Here they come! The darkness and demons should be trembling!”

*Check it out: http://worldmissions.ag.org/details3.cfm     http://theworldmissionssummit.ag.org/media.cfm 

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Christmas…for those who have not heard

I was sitting at a traffic light the other night, admiring the Christmas decorations on the old court house in our town, and I thought of the far-reaching effects Christ’s birth and resurrection on my life–spiritually, emotionally, physically, politically, and socially.  I remembered witnessing God’s amazing impact on a life while recently teaching in the war-torn Republic of Congo; there I saw that, through the pain, heartache and struggle of all of these horrible years, the believers’ faith and hope in God sustains and strengthens them, and His joy is evident in their lives.

Reflecting on the love, grace and strength that knowing Christ can bring, I have to wonder what insights, creativity, and Holy Spirit-led direction we will possess in the coming year,  allowing us to reach those who have never even heard the name of Jesus. Knowing what I do about His amazing ability to affect every aspect of my life, I really want that for “everyone… everywhere.”

With over 3 billion who have not yet received an adequate witness of the Gospel, it will take some wide-open thinking, Spirit-led strategies and pioneer volunteers who are willing to lay it all down.

I believe the year ahead will be the most exciting yet as God takes us to a new level in reaching the world for Him, seeing His far-reaching impact on more men, women and children.  Hey, if you want to be a part, give us a call! 

Have a wonderful Christmas!

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