A Life in Mission

“Its hard to do anything but wait, when there’s no other option!” I added. I was talking with Gary and Wendy at the lunch table. Earlier that Sunday Pastor K had come by so we could discuss some things regarding 2CBN. He was one of the 2CBN board members, but he hadn’t been able to come for our earlier board meetings because of his job at the Union Office. He was able to come on Sunday and so we had arranged for a meeting with all the board members that were able to come, which was going to be most of them. However, Pastor K was the only one that actually came! Here in Africa you can’t expect the same things as we do in the US! We discussed many things regarding 2CBN that we had already covered with the rest of the board members. We spoke of the volunteers that were interested in being a part of 2CBN. We had been made aware that video equipment in Kenya is a hot item and many Kenyans are dishonest, and that we needed to take precautions and keep an eye on the equipment so it didn’t grow legs and disappear! We realized the need for someone who was reliable and trustworthy who could help instill in the volunteers the values that are needed in true dedicated service to the cause of God.

“I think if we can get someone from another country such as the US who has these values and can come and direct the operation and watch the equipment… someone like Daniel who has the knowledge about media, this would be a good thing.” Pastor K also saw the importance for someone to come to oversea and direct the project. Gary responded, “Well if you can find a wife for him then he might come!” Needless to say, I was a bit surprised to hear him say this, although I had to admit to myself that in the past times I had gone overseas, I often found myself lonely and immersed in the culture. Now being immersed in a foreign culture isn’t bad by any means, but after a long time without seeing any fellow Americans that I could relate to, I would begin to wish there were other people from the West that I could relate to. Although if God led me to stay somewhere for a extended period of time, as a single person, and without other Western individuals to relate to, I would be willing to do it. But currently God had me working for MissionTV and I didn’t see Him leading anywhere else, except for short term projects like the one with 2CBN.

Gary went on to say how it would be a good place for a young couple who could live in a house with the volunteers and where the studio could be located as well. We had found such a house, and it had seemed to be a perfect opportunity, but when Gary and I had gone to see it the previous Friday we realized that it was right off the end of the runway of a nearby airport, where planes were always flying in. We realized that this presented some significant challenges of sound proofing, along with the possibility of doing lots of work, sound proofing and blocking up windows, and then still hearing the plane noise! Another factor was the amount of the room available for an actual studio space… It was not unworkable, but quite limiting. So we had started looking at other options. After considering some other options we knew that in the long term having a house where we could have a studio in part of it, and house volunteers in another part would be ideal because this way they wouldn’t have to worry about transport to and from work and having to deal every day with all the hassles of traffic jams! So this still being our long term plan Gary mentioned the possibility of having a couple to watch out for things at the studio keeping the project on track, and offering spiritual leading for the volunteers.

If this was God’s plan for me, then of course I was willing. But something was definitely missing! As many nice girls as I knew I still didn’t know which one God had for me. (still true!) I have seen some people wait until their mid 30s or till 40, but I was unwilling to wait that long… However I knew that I wasn’t qualified to choose for myself, God had to choose for me. And in this I had to be content to await God’s timing. Also God had given me a specific burden for documentary storytelling through video, showing the needs of the mission field, especially the unreached fields. If I were to settle down here in Kenya, then this would remain a dream for me, and it would remain undone here in Africa until someone else felt the burden and picked it up.

I thought of the time when I was talking with Gary about what the needs of Africa were. There were many projects in Africa ready to launch, but I didn’t know exactly what was holding them back. He said that he just needs the right people to come to be pilots, to be nurses, and media people. I realized that the need was huge. And of course coming to work in Africa is not without challenges, but I saw that there was a big need for the right people. People that God impressed to go were needed. Some had come, and had been more of a challenge than a help to the people who they were there to assist. I knew that we didn’t need just anyone who wanted to come for these projects across Africa, we needed the exact people that God wanted to use for the job. And yet I knew that time is short and so I prayed that these people would come soon.

I knew that even though I might get lonely when I went to the mission field, there was still work that had to be done. For me to avoid that work or to become focused in seeking to gratify my desires would be selfish. I knew that it didn’t matter how I felt, God still expected me to answer His calling, which was to seek and save those souls lost in the darkness and to inspire others to do the same. For now I decided I would make this my focus and even though I had wasted His time in the past, I would attempt to make best use of the time that He had given me to work alone.

I prayed that God would provide someone for this 2CBN project to direct the program who had proven himself honest, and who was more mature than I spiritually. Whether this person was to come from a foreign country or to be found here in Kenya, I prayed that God would make it clearly evident that it was His choice.

“What do you think about the Mayan calendar and 2012?” The young lady asked in broken English. I realized that this was definitely a Divine Appointment. She was sitting on the aisle seat with one seat in between her and my window seat. No one came to sit in that seat, and so we had started to talk. She was from Italy and headed to Kenya also, to help with something at a library there. In talking with her I realized that she didn’t know too much English, but realizing that Spanish is quite similar to Italian I sometimes fell back on the few words I know in Spanish to get a point across or to ask a question. She asked me what I was doing in Kenya, and when I mentioned mission work she asked what denomination I was. I told her that I was Seventh Day Adventist. Asking her what she was I learned that she was Catholic. But she said she knew a little about SDA, but didn’t know much about what we believe and how it compares with Catholics beliefs. So I explained to her about some of the things that we believe starting with the things that we have in common, then explaining some of the differences and how we take the Bible as supreme authority. I gave her some glow tracts I had and she read them right away, then continuing conversation. I knew that somehow God had arranged that we were both on the same flight sitting in the same row, with no one in between us!

I answered the question carefully explaining that I wouldn’t be surprised to see something happen this year, but quoting Jesus where he said that if possible even the elect would be deceived. I them pointed out how almost all of the world’s religions are all looking for some bright shining one to appear to them. “This is a reason that we have to be careful” I explained, “because Satan would love to take advantage of this, and the Bible says that he appears as an angel of light.” “Ok, I don’t think that 2012 is going to be the end of the world” she said. “Yes you may be right,” I answered, “but I don’t think we have much time left in this world just the same.” I went on the explain how Jesus said that there would be wars and rumors of wars, and famines and pestilence and floods. And he said that all these things are just the beginning of sorrows. I told how the word in Greek for sorrows is actually the same word used for the contractions of a women giving birth. The contractions come more and more often with increasing frequency, the same is true as the end of time comes closer. We definitely are seeing an increase in natural disasters, and wars and the things that Jesus predicted. This all points to the fact that the time left on this world is very short and now is the time to study to know what is truth. If we wait, we may wait too long.

When we finished talking I leaned back in my seat to rest. It had been a long day and the night before I hadn’t got much sleep either on the plane from Atlanta. That plane was just stopping in Amsterdam before continuing on to Mumbai, India. I thought about the lady I had met just before boarding in Atlanta, and how that was a divine appointment too. I could see that she was Indian, but I asked her where she was going anyway and she said she was headed to Mumbai. So I told her I’d been to India and we got to talking… I talked a little about the need that there is over there, being careful because I figured that she was probably Hindu. But come to find out she was Christian! I was surprised! It’s not many random people from India that I’ve met in airports and such that are Christians! This is rare! She said that disciple Thomas went to India in the early Christian days, and she believes that she is a descendant from some of those that he converted… So I started sharing my burden for the unreached in India and how they have no opportunity to know about Christ. She replied saying that she didn’t think that God would necessarily send someone to hell because they didn’t have an opportunity. This seemed like an unusual point of view to me… I acknowledged that there was some truth there, but that we need to do our part, because Jesus commanded us to tell them. She mentioned also about how sometimes things can be difficult and sensitive working among the Hindu people. She lives in the US with her husband who is from the US. She said, “Well I do my part, I send my tithe so they can hear.” I affirmed that that is good, but I pointed out that she has an advantage that I don’t have. She knows the language, and she knows the culture and is able to relate to the people in a way that I can’t. So I tried to just encourage her to do what she can to reach people there using the background that God has given her. I pray that God will continue to lead her in that direction.

I woke up when one of flight attendants came by and gave me my meal. I had requested vegetarian meals and they brought the special meals before they went down the aisle with the regular meals. We were getting close to our destination of Nairobi, we were about an hour and a half out. After eating my meal I saw the sun was beginning to set. The bright saturated colors permeated the west sky as the sun began to sink behind the horizon. I looked at the flight info again and saw that we were getting closer to Nairobi. I realized that I might never see my Italian friend again, and suddenly I felt I had to talk to her about another thing that made the Adventist message special. I had already talked to her some about the Sabbath and how we take the Bible as supreme authority in everything. But I felt that I needed to talk to her about the message God has given the Adventists for this time. So I turned to Revelation 14 and started to explain the three angels’ messages focusing on the last one and how at the end of time God is going to have a people who keep all 10 of the commandments. “God has sheep in many folds,” I explained, “but He’s given the Adventists a special message to bring people back to the Bible”. Then, realizing that the ten commandments that she knows are different than what God wrote on Sinai, I turned to Ex 20, and started to show her the ten commandments from the Bible, explaining that there was a change back hundreds of years ago, and that that’s why her Catholic Bible isn’t the same. She was happy to learn, and so I suggested that maybe when she gets back home that if she wanted we could arrange some kind of Bible study so she can learn more. All at once I realized we were landing! I had been so focused on the conversation that I didn’t keep track of how close were were getting. We taxied in from the runway, and came to the gate but before parting God impressed me that I should pray with her. She had asked me about prayer earlier and I realized that she may not have seen anyone pray before like we pray. So I prayed with her asking God to guide her as she studies and that He would reveal to her new truths from His Word. “Amen”, I said, she crossed herself, and then we parted to disembark the plane.

It’s Divine appointments like these that make working for God worth it! It’s so fulfilling to talk to someone and know that the words you speak are not your words! When God speaks through you, it’s an experience like nothing else! Don’t miss out!

It’s hard to believe that 2012 is already here! This is a year that some predict many kinds of events will happen. The Mayan calendar, astronomical observations, and many other things are factors in what some people believe will happen in 2012. As Christians we know that the end is near by watching the signs marked out in the Bible. “Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:4-8 We see wars and rumors of wars, we see nation rising against nation, we see famines and pestilences and earthquakes just as Jesus described. The word “Sorrows” there at the end is used in Greek to describe the contractions of a woman about to give birth. The contractions come in more frequency and more often. Jesus is saying that the same thing is going to be at the end of the world that wars and famines and pestilence (sickness and disease) and earthquakes will happen more and more often. Have we seen that? Yes we have! Just in the recent years we’ve had huge disasters such as the earthquakes in Sri Lanka and Japan, and the chaos that resulted from the nuclear spill. There are people dying of hunger many places in the world, and it seems there’s always some new sickness coming out… Jesus’ words are being fulfilled!

And yet… we have a work to do. Jesus commanded us to “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19 God expects us to take the good news that Jesus died so we could have eternal life to the world! Some people will say, “Well, I’ll just stay here at home and get a job and send money for the mission work.” God doesn’t need our money! He already has all the money in the world! If He needed money to fund his work, He could just create it! He needs us to totally surrender to Him! But he can’t make us do the work He has asked us to do. He can only give us the commission and hope that we will choose to do it. He won’t force us. It’s against His nature to force anyone against their will. So it’s up to us to choose to take the good news about Jesus to all our fellow human beings. There are so many that have had no opportunity to hear. Many in overseas countries would accept Him if someone would only go and tell them about Him. As you read this many are dying without having an opportunity to hear about Jesus. It’s time that we do more than simply send our money to missions. There is a huge lack of people willing to go to these far reaches of the earth where there are whole people groups who are totally isolated from Christianity.

At the same time as we see this need for willing workers in the mission field, our time is running out. There is very little time left as Matthew 24 is being fulfilled. We must work quickly while it is yet day, for the night cometh when no one can work. It’s time to realize the necessity of wholehearted work in fulfilling the Gospel Commission among all nations and people who have never heard. We must do something about it! If we wait for the rocks to cry out then not only will we miss our opportunity to be a part of God’s work, but we will also miss out on salvation! Now is the time to do everything that we can to share Jesus with others! We must not delay!

Soon we arrived in Hapur. We first met Mr. Cornelius Kisku who is the treasurer for the Uttar Pradesh Section of the North Indian Union. Soon they showed us to the guest room. It was a nice room, but it wasn’t like the one that we stayed in at Delhi. I felt more comfortable that it was closer to Indian standards. It had a tile looking floor with two beds, and a typical Indian bathroom, with a shower in one corner. It was on the headquarters campus, so it was in the walls around the perimeter. Pastor Sing was the President of the Section, and he asked us to come to his house for dinner, as well as Mr. Kisku, and after worship we would go over the plans they they had made for our stay.

After Israel was finished sharing worship thought, we got right into the plans for our week that we would be in Uttar Pradesh. Sing and Kisku went over their plans, and after making a few modifications we had it finalized. We would be visiting one village Tuesday, then the next three days we would stay in a more remote part of the state and visit three different church groups there. Then we would return to Hapur on Friday, and spend Sabbath there, then making another overnight trip on Sunday and Monday to two more remote areas. Each of these places we would hold a worship service, and then give out the Bibles.

The next morning left for the first place. We made our way across these backcountry roads that provided a shortcut to the highway. In some places the roads were surfaced with laid bricks, in other places they were simply gravel, or even dirt. We wheeled our way on roads through the back country fields, and through small neighborhoods, with houses right out next to the road making it feel like an alleyway. Sometimes we slowed to a stop to cross a deep bump. I enjoyed taking pictures of all the sights, many of which I had not yet seen. We were driving with both Pastor Sing and Mr. Kisku this day, and soon I started up a conversation with them. I asked some questions about North India, as I didn’t know very much yet. I asked about this look that I noticed as soon as I got off of the train station. What did it mean? Mr. Kisku explained that it didn’t underly suspiciousness, or distrust, it just showed this curiosity. These people in North India are a very curious people, and when they see a foreigner they want to know why they were here? what things did they have? what is this person like? This was a good explanation, but the look that I saw in their eyes when they didn’t see me was something I thought could give me a little glimpse into their lives. I would watch more to see if I could learn more about this… We soon stopped by the side of the road close to a stand where a man made fresh juice to sell. Everyone except the driver got out of the van, and I realized that with the door open it made a good opportunity to get video of traffic and people and things. I got my video camera out and enjoyed getting the traffic, going by, and an occasional ox cart. When Mr. Kisku came back to the van I was taking pictures of the sights, and then I noticed a boy looking in the window! He was looking at my camera like he’d never seen one before. When I looked at him he got this smile on his face, and then tried to say something to me. I couldn’t understand what he said, and soon he left. Mr. Kisku said that this is what he meant by the curiosity of these people. Soon the man that was at the stand brought me a glass with lime juice in it. I drank down the sweet juice with enjoyment.

Soon we made it to the church where a few people had gathered in anticipation of our visit. This was close to Sanjay Sing’s area. He is the one who Jon interviewed in India two years before, who had 1300 church members, where less than half of his members had Bibles, and he had only 5 songbooks that he would take with him where ever he went to worship! His is only an example of the limited resources that most of the Bible workers face. Many of the Bible workers face the same challenges in their work… Within minutes there were many people coming from all directions, as they heard that we had come. It was the middle of the day, and it was during the week, so there were fewer people than would have come for a regular Sabbath service. We went inside and began having song service as people gathered. I took pictures and video of the church, and the people as Israel gave the worship message. Soon it was over, and they brought the Bibles in to disperse. We took pictures of each of the recipients receiving their Bible. They were so thankful to have their own Bible and songbook. After giving them each a Bible and songbook, I got several interviews with the Bible workers that were there, and then we left to return to Hapur.

The next day we left to visit another area which happened to be where Sanjay Sing lived with his parents. We met on the front porch of their home, and once again had a worship service, and passed out the Bibles. The way these people received the Bibles and how happy they were to have their own Bibles and songbooks was amazing. I knew that I would really enjoy these next few days as we took this trip.

I sat on the couch, eating my breakfast of chapatis and fried potato. I had been able to download the almost finished version of “I want this city” by Jon with Pastor Doug Venn. Now I had a chance to watch it. I was amazed how everything came together to create a strong story line, and an incredible picture of a Mission that had so little resources, and are yet doing everything they can with what they have.

It was Sabbath morning, and we had just arrived on the train the day before. As soon as I finished breakfast, I headed over to the auditorium for the church service there at the Union headquarters. It was the International Women’s Day of Prayer, and so the service was given mostly by the women. It was a very good service.

“Do you want to watch Jon’s video now?” I asked Israel. We were back at the room now, enjoying the Sabbath afternoon. He agreed, and soon we had watched the whole half hour episode. “Those needs in Thailand are sure incredible.” I stated. “But here in North India it’s the same story.” I continued. I went to find my Sabbath School lesson, and read the figures for the North India Union. “It says there’s 204,000 Adventists. But there’s 668,000,000 people!” I got out a calculator and did some quick figuring. “That means that there’s one Adventist in every 3,220 people! That’s quite a figure!” I was struck with the realization of this, seeing that this was in fact a huge mission field! I hoped that my stay here would be able to help in some way to show this staggering need to the people in the Western world.

“It looks like I have pink eye!” I told Israel as I came out of the bathroom. I had pink eye for about a week or so a few months before when I was in Tennessee. But now as I saw the pink in the corner of my eye, and the puss, it looked like I had it again. The truth was that neither Israel or I had been feeling that good during the last few days. Israel had gotten some kind of headcold, and some trouble in his stomach, and I seemed to be getting the same cold and congestion as well. It was probably some strange Indian strain of a common cold. I knew that if I had pink eye when I went to fly home in just over a week, that they would probably not let me fly… I prayed that it would pass quickly. I had done some research before on alternative remedies for pink eye, and one I found was colloidal silver. I had just happened to pack some in my suitcase before I left thinking that it just might come in handy. Now I began using the dropper to put drops of it in my eye. As I had been feeling worse that evening, I decided to take the MMS that I had brought with me as well to get rid of this bug. I guessed that if I took it at morning and evening that I would probably soon be feeling better.

The next day I saw Natalie on Skype, and Israel and I were able to voice chat with her for some time. We talked about plans regarding Jesus for Asia in India, and Jon even left off his editing briefly and joined in by the end. It was good to talk to them again, although it was strange to talk to them from the India side. God worked out the expenses of staying at the Union, and we didn’t have to pay anything! The next day was Monday, and Israel went to the Bible Society to get the song books. We needed 1000 of them to disperse with the Bibles. By afternoon he was back, and we left for the Section headquarters in Hapur. I enjoyed the ride, riding in the back seat of the JFA van. It was a bumpy ride as the roads had many rough spots. I saw more of Delhi as we drove. I saw wealth, and deep poverty. At one point we passed a hill, and I noticed that there were trucks driving on it. I asked Israel about it and he said it was a garbage pile. It was huge, it could be seen for miles.