Charity Begins at Home

“Why do you want to go to the other side of the world? There are poor people / people who need ministry right here in Idaho/Oregon/Washington/the United States. Why not stay here and do ministry?” After questions about life and culture and ministry in Thailand, these are the most common questions we get. Why not care for our own people and their needs? Charity begins at home.

When I was doing Youth Ministry and Campus Ministry and people talked to me about Missions, that was usually my response too. I have always thought of Youth Ministry as being like “Domestic Missions”. I haven’t really changed my mind about all that. I think sometimes we make overseas mission work sound more holy than domestic ministry. It isn’t. Just because we’re getting involved in foreign ministry doesn’t mean we think it’s somehow godlier. And ministry to our own is not less important. Jesus was pretty specific about telling us that we need to care for the poor and downtrodden. He wasn’t very specific about which poor and downtrodden. 

We’re trying to be straightforward in asking for support from people in our quest to minister to the people of Thailand. But I feel like I need to make a disclaimer here: if you already have a habit of giving to ministries and outreach here in the States, we don’t want you to stop. We don’t want to take money being given to someone else. If, however, you aren’t involved in supporting a specific ministry, please consider us. Please.

In the Great Commission, Jesus talks about making Disciples of all nations. At the beginning of Acts, he speaks of sending his disciples to Jerusalem; where they live, the people they see every day. He talks about Judea; the people of their culture, but in the wider countryside. He talks about Samaria; people of a somewhat different culture, but who are still close by. Then he throws in the “uttermost parts of the world”; which is pretty much everywhere else. Every one of these groups is supposed to be touched with the Good News. Every one of them is supposed to be given the hands and feet of Christ. He didn’t place any kind of hierarchy of importance or blessedness. He doesn’t like one better than another. But he does want them all to be done. 

For whatever reason, the Holy Spirit has placed it in our hearts to go to an unreached people group eleven times zones away from where we are now. We have been called to share with and care for a people in that “uttermost part of the world”. That same Spirit has placed in some of your hearts to partner with us in this; to be a blessing to a people you might never meet. “Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2).” 

We’re ready to be sent; to the uttermost parts of the world.

Keep to the Code

A little over two years ago, I preached a sermon about lessons learned from Captain Jack Sparrow. It included several points; you determine who you are, aim high, wait for the opportune moment and seize it, never apologize for who you are, keep a sharp eye, and keep your sense of humor. But perhaps the most important lesson to take from Captain Jack Sparrow is the last one: Never give up.
 
Persistence is all the more impressive when the odds are clearly against a person. From the time of the mutiny aboard the Black Pearl to the time Jack regained control of his ship, ten years passed. An entire decade. Sure, he may have taken some detours, but he always returned to the goal of getting his ship back. With patience and a bit of assistance, Jack succeeded. And through this he shares the most important lesson; never give up on what matters most to you.

I have to confess, there are times when we have a little trouble with that last point. 

If you’ve been following this blog for very long, you’ve realized that we’re preparing for overseas mission work. We’re selling off unnecessary possessions, learning all we can about the culture and the language (hence the blog title), telling everyone who will listen about what we hope to be doing, interacting frequently with the Thailand team we hope to join and with our pre-field coaches, and trying to raise up people to support us in prayer and in finances while we’re there. We have many people who have agreed that they want to come alongside us in this venture. 

Okay, honestly, we’re not losing hope. No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it. And we feel your prayers being lifted for the people we hope to soon be serving, as well as for us and for our support. We feel the excitement that many of you have for our missionary journey. Many of you have said how passionate we sound when we speak of our impending work in Southeast Asia. But the most difficult thing ahead of us at the moment is waiting. 

We had been hoping for this coming August for several reasons. We want to get through Language School and begin working as soon as possible with the team in their new area. We had hoped to be there before the new school year starts for the boys. Now, it seems like it might not be that soon. We’re thinking more along the lines of October for a Survey Trip, and after the New Year for our deployment. But who can guess what God’s time frame might be? (Hopefully, not an entire decade…) In order for us to begin planning our departure, our funds need to be at 80%. In order to purchase our tickets, we need to be at 90%.

We know that God is behind this whole thing, and that God will get us there exactly when he wants us there. We know that what seems insurmountable to us is nothing to God. And, like Captain Jack, we’re not giving up on what matters the most to us. 

We’re thankful for the many of you who are standing beside us, who also sense the hand of God in this. With patience and a bit of assistance, we will succeed.

The World is My Parish

Our dishes keep breaking. Every week or so, one more of them ends up being dropped or damaged. Plates, cups, glasses; we’ve lost some of each. We still have enough to get by, but we’re wondering how soon it’ll be before we don’t have enough for a full dishwasher load.

We’re hoping this is a sign, some “still-small-voice-ish” way of telling us we’ll be departing soon. God doing away with stuff we don’t need, getting it out of our way. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves every time we hear another crash. We can leave behind our broken dishes. We’re far more concerned with broken lives. 

The trafficking of human lives is a strange thing. Sometimes it’s done out of greed; parents want more stuff. Sometimes it’s done out of necessity; the family simply cannot afford to feed and care for all their children. Sometimes it’s done out of family loyalty; the child might even agree in order to help financially. And sometimes it’s done out of faith; agreeing to be used and exploited in this life for the hope of a better next life. But no matter what the motivation, it leaves behind a wake of human wreckage. 

Often the family will begin to worry and realize just what they have done to their child. Often the child will escape with nothing left of who they were. They’re left with picking up the broken pieces of a life tragically misused. 

Caring for these is only part of what we hope to be soon doing in Thailand. Pioneers is committed to planting churches. We will be working with the team meeting people and introducing the Gospel to them. These won’t be the kinds of churches we’re familiar with. We’ll likely be meeting in homes or other small places; worshiping, learning, and discipling. Loving the people and showing them Jesus. 

John’s Gospel records the Great Commission this way, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” “The Church is and always has been about mission. That we are sent and how we are sent are equally important. Jesus has it in his heart and mind that we go in both word and deed to proclaim the good news of the Gospel: that Jesus Christ is Lord and has been raised from the dead. All our going must correspond with the way he came. (Jon Brown, "Words of Hope" Devotional, April 14, 2012)."

And in case you’re wondering, we’re all ready to go anytime. It’s a matter of when not if. Every day our hearts break more and more for the people of Thailand. Every night the boys pray for the funds to come in soon so that we can be in Thailand soon. We have been chatting at least once a month via Skype with the team we hope to join.  We’re learning the culture, learning the language, and learning of the challenges we will be facing. We’re planning to head off on a survey trip this coming July, and we intend to be there full-time by August of this year, but we need your help to accomplish that goal. Please consider partnering with us in this ministry.