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From Swimmer to Ambassador in N. Korea

December 6, 2019

Dr. Stephen Yoon: From Swimmer to Ambassador in N. Korea!

By Bill MacLeod

 

Dr. Stephen Yoon lives and works in North Korea with his wife, Joy, and their four children as part of the IGNIS Community, an international NGO that aids in the healthy development of North Korean Children in the realm of medicine, Health, and Education. They live in the capital city serving in the Pyongyang Medical University Hospital.  We were privileged to welcome Stephen when he spoke to Pastors and leaders here in October, and we learned so much about the people and country the Lord’s called them to for which to many of us is shrouded in mystery. We look forward to his returning as our plenary speaker this January. Here’s an exchange we had as he reflected on his life in light of our One Body, One Voice, One Mission theme…

 

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Stephen: It was my senior year in high school. My mother has just passed away from cancer, and I was seeking God’s calling upon my life. My friends and I were gathered together for a special event, and the pastor asked those of us who felt called to serve God overseas to stand up and walk to the front. Thinking that my friends would join me, I immediately stood up and started walking towards the front, but to my dismay, my friends did not follow! But I knew that night that God had a special calling upon my life, and I dedicated my life from that point onward for his full service wherever he would call me.

 

Bill: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

Stephen: Initially as I received my ministry calling, I thought that God would use me as a professional swimmer perhaps in nations that were not open to traditional mission’s work. But then as I was praying, I sensed that God was calling me to do something impossible. What is impossible, I thought. Studying! As an athlete I had never focused on my studies before, and what more impossible than to go into medical missions, I thought.

 

Soon afterwards, I moved to the U.S. as a foreign student. After learning English, I began my undergraduate studies in pre-medicine. There I met my wife. She had a calling for North Korea. As a South Korean who grew up under the post-Korean War, anti-communist era, North Korea was never on my radar. It was actually through her that our entire family ended up serving in North Korea.

 

Bill: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ” as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

Stephen: As Ephesians 6:12 states, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of the spiritual realms”, likewise one of the greatest spiritual strongholds over the Korean Peninsula is the stronghold of division.

 

Rather than fighting this stronghold face-on, our calling as followers of Jesus is to walk in the opposite fruits of the Spirit, in particularly stepping forth in unity. As a result, ministering as a united community is a powerful witness in North Korea. In a land that is riddled with division and conflict, living in peace with one another despite our weaknesses speaks of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness to those around us.

 

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do how see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry?

S: In North Korea, circumstances actually require us to live and work together in community. This means living in the same home and sharing the same space with our teammates. It can be challenging working among teammates from different cultures and backgrounds. Even figuring out what to eat for dinner is not a simple task. And since none of us are perfect, challenges and conflict can arise, but it is the way in which we handle these circumstances that demonstrates love, forgiveness, and grace to the North Korean people. We are called to be one as He is one. It is through our oneness that others will know that we are from the Father.

 

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry?

S: I experience oneness with the Father and the Son when I am in the center of His Will for my life. Following God’s calling is not easy. In fact, sometimes it is extremely difficult. I have been led into isolating circumstances, areas of conflict, and suffering. But as I learn to depend fully upon the Father and be washed in the blood of His Son, the more I experience oneness with God.

 

God has called our family particularly to the ministry of reconciliation. As 2 Cor. 5:17-19 explains, we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. In a divided nation, amongst divided people, we have been called to walk forth in reconciliation where there is conflict and misunderstanding. But I feel close to the Father’s heart in the midst of these challenging circumstances because I can identify with how Christ has reconciled us. The ministry of reconciliation requires sacrifice. We play the role of a bridge, and as a result, we get stepped on and trampled on. But ultimately there is joy in following the Father’s heart and calling upon our lives. It is rewarding as we see small glimpses of hope in the midst of conflict, understanding in the midst of confusion, and peace in the middle of conflict and division.

 

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

S: My greatest desire is for people to catch the vision of living as ambassadors of reconciliation. This is especially true for North Korea and the Korean Peninsula, but it is a calling that we all have no matter where we are or with what ministry we are involved in. God is calling us to walk forth as peacemakers, bridge connectors, and ambassadors for His Kingdom in areas of conflict and misunderstanding.

From Dropout to Developer

November 27, 2019

From Dropout to Developer

by Bill MacLeod

 

He grew up in Uganda unable to attend school because of financial hardship. Today, our friend, Dr. Michael Badriaki, is the program director of Lancaster Bible College’s Master of Arts in Ministry, but his story started on the African continent. Born in Kenya and raised in Uganda, Badriaki credits his parents as examples in overcoming adversity and suffering. If his name sounds familiar to you, it is because he has taught at George Fox University/Portland Seminary and guest taught at Multnomah University/Multnomah Biblical University, served with Medical Teams International, and he led an entire workshop track last year related to the book he authored, When Helping Works. He told us his unique story when we caught up with him recently, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back this year as a Plenary speaker at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020!

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Michael: As far as I can recall, as a child growing up in Uganda, I became consciously aware of God when my parents and relatives invoked the name God as the divine being who is trust worthy, all knowing, all powerful in the ebb and flows of life. The ebb and flow of life itself continued for our family as we got sick, we got well, we found jobs, the jobs ended, we celebrated together, we grieved together. Dropping in and out of school was part of life, and education was very inconsistent. From a place of a lack of resources and unable to go to class, I was compelled by the New Testament to proclaim the good news of Jesus in our community out of no expectation of gain but in obedience to God alone.

B: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

M: The Lord and His Holy Spirit used the bible (1 Corinthians 9: 16), numerous godly people who invested in my life in spiritual, relational, missional, financial and material ways. Particularly, God has used my wife, daughter, my parents, sibling and close friends. These people have prayed for me, loved, mentored and discipled me (1 Thessalonians 2:8). My mentors have also encouraged, supported, and counseled me to wisely explore all the ministry opportunities that have come my way. As an expression of my faith and my love of sharing about the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, I would visit Makerere University in Kampala so often that people thought I was a student, even though I was a high school dropout. While of conveying the message of the gospel with university students, I met a man named Keith Thompson. Keith came to Uganda as a missionary to Uganda from the United States and served at my home Church. Keith and I got along very well, and we built a strong relationship. However, I never told Keith about my education need for the fear of being stigmatized further and primarily because God had given me a newly found joy with sharing the gospel at Makerere University. In a short time, Keith self-discovered my education situation and needs through his own inquiry. Eventually I had to tell him, “Actually I am a drop out. I want to go to school but I don’t have the money.” I remember the look on his face, he was devastated and he said, “Look, Michael, if there is anyone who has a bright future and is gifted, anyone who wants and deserves to go to school, it is you.” Two days after that he brought his missionary support money, enough for a year’s worth of school, and he said, “I cannot live with myself if I don’t give you this money, let me know if you need more and anything else.” This money was his missionary support money. He was giving and investing because of love for a friend, neighbor, and brother in the Lord. I love sharing the good news, participating in God’s mission as everyday spiritual disciplines because I find meaning and purpose in doing so. The Lord has also given me love for learning, education and teaching as a ministry. I love working with students, ministry leaders and practitioners which is what I am honored to do in my current job.

B: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ Jesus” (from Gal 3:28) as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

M: Galatians 3: 28 is a powerful and timely portion of scripture because it tells me that ONLY Christ’s love, forgiveness of my sin and His grace are the reason for outcomes of being “One in Christ Jesus”. Being “One in Christ Jesus” is not about my worth, but the beauty of “… Christ in me, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Because Christ is in and Lord of my life, then I belong to Christ and other followers of Christ who are members of the body both locally and globally. (Galatians 3:29) The problem arises when people try to achieve oneness without the totalizing and holistically transforming power of the Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross.

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do you see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry? 

M: I see this truth at play in contexts where Christians faithfully and responsibly proclaim and enact the gospel instead of other ideologies. In my view, Paul set the stage by contextually starting the chapter with a clarion call and a clear focus on division in the body of Christ concerning spiritual gifts as a theological and spiritual warfare issue. Contextually, the lack of unity and oneness in the body of Christ is first and foremost a matter of spiritual war evidenced in idolatry. While addressing the apparent conflict over spirit gifts, Paul reminds his audience, “You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.” (1 Cor. 12:2) Just like division over spiritual gifts, the lack of unity and diversity in the body of Christ is a spiritual warfare issue. Paul’s words are still pertinent for the church around the world today. What are the mute idols, pagan gods and unbiblical ideas we tend to rely on in our attempts to seek unity and oneness? It is sin that corrupts our inner desires, our decisions through which outcomes of divisions emerge in the body of Christ. (James 4:1) But the gospel in a believer’s soul is the solution that brings oneness “… because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16)

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry? 

M: Being one with Christ began the moment the Holy Spirit convicted me about my state as a sinner and when I received Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. From then onward, the Holy Spirit who is in me and Christ through the word of God, have caused me to abide in Christ. (John 15: 1-17) The trinity is fully involved in the life of a believer so that a Christian who is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Since I am reconciled to the Lord, I am also a participant in God’s mission and Christ’s saving life on a daily basis (Rom 5:10). I believe that my oneness in Christ is a reality in both the now and the not yet experience of the Kingdom of God.

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

M: My hope is that attendees at Mission ConneXion will be encouraged to know Christ and Him crucified. I believe that people will be encouraged to live meaningful lives because of the gospel.

Oneness Outside the Saltshaker

October 23, 2019

Becky Pippert – Oneness Outside the Saltshaker

By Bill MacLeod

 

She is known as the author of the book with the catchy title: “Out of the Saltshaker”, but Rebecca Manley Pippert did not start out life immersed in cultural Christianity! Quite the contrary, she discovered Jesus almost by accident. She has been discovering Him ever since as her observations, writings, and speaking engagements have led her around the globe encouraging believers to experience the Living Christ all around us, engaging a world that exists outside the realm of faith. I am so glad to have her voice as a plenary speaker this January! Curious to learn about her perspective on the Oneness of the Body of Christ led us to get better acquainted through this recent interview. Perhaps, as I did, you will find some similarities in your own faith journey…

 

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Becky: I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. I would have described myself as a wistful agnostic. I sensed something was missing: a longing I couldn’t name, an ache for something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I hoped there was a God, but I had lots of unanswered questions.

 

In my search for meaning I explored other religions and other philosophies. Everything I read left me unsatisfied. Yet I had never investigated Christianity, nor read one page of the Bible, because I assumed that having been raised in North America, I already understood it.

 

Then I read two books that changed my life. The first was the novel, The Fall, by Albert Camus, a French atheist existentialist who convinced me that I was a sinner. That may sound an odd conclusion to draw from reading an atheist author, but his unflinching analysis of the human heart was so devastating that it erased any possibility of my becoming an optimistic humanist! Yet Camus had no answers to explain the good we do see.

 

I then came across a book by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. Lewis introduced me to the landscape of Christianity, and he sparked my interest in the Bible.  I began reading the Gospels and found myself captivated by Jesus. Ultimately, I surrendered and committed my life to Jesus Christ right before I went to University — to my parent’s deep shock! But by God’s tremendous grace, one by one every member of my family became followers of Jesus. But it took a while!

 

Bill: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

Becky: Because I wasn’t raised in faith, I had a real sensitivity about how Christians talked about faith to skeptics. I found myself offended by some of the approaches I saw very well-meaning Christians use. So, I began looking at how Jesus talked about faith. I was struck by his tremendous compassion and love for people – how he showed respect by listening carefully to people – and roused their curiosity in faith by asking brilliant questions. He treated no one as an evangelistic project yet he shared the gospel with great creativity. I started to put all that into practice myself. Then after getting my M.A. in English, I was invited to become the InterVarsity staff worker at Reed College! (and Whitman and Willamette). I began teaching the students how to put the Jesus Way of Witness into practice – and oh my, the fruit we saw!

 

Bill: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ Jesus” (from Gal 3:28) as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

Becky: That Jesus was willing to become human, while still remaining divine – for us and for all salvation. Imagine it! Jesus actually showed us what it means to be truly human. He demonstrated that we must not be ashamed of our inadequacy and human limitations – because we’ve been created to be God-dependent – not self-sufficient. What a difference that makes in life and witness! To know that God is delighted to use us just as we are – with the questions we can’t answer – with our fears – with our weaknesses. We just need to remember what the Lord said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect through your weakness.”  So, as I’ve learned to abide in Christ and to consciously practice his presence throughout the day – it’s made all the difference.

 

Bill: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do you see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry?

Becky: Without question my experience of the ‘one-ness’ of the Body of Christ has been God’s great gift of allowing my husband and me to minister round the world: throughout the Global South and recently living for 7 years in Europe – which is considered the most resistant continent on the planet to the gospel. We have learned so much from Christians worldwide and have been so humbled to see their sacrifice and commitment to Christ.

 

Bill: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

Becky: My prayer, above all else, is that all of us would fall hopelessly in love with Jesus in a whole new way.

How Do You Live Dead?

September 9, 2019

Dick Brogden Our Live Dead “ONE”…

By Bill MacLeod

 

We can’t wait to welcome Dick Brogden as a Plenary speaker this January. Growing up in Kenya and spending 27 years as a missionary planting numerous churches, he and his family are now moving from Egypt to Saudi Arabia living out the “Live Dead” movement he started. It is based on the example of Jesus, who showed us how to live dead—not with dread but with great gladness.

 

We recently caught up with him to talk about our theme for 2020: “ONE ~ One Gospel | One Church | One Voice | Be the One!”

 

Bill: When were you first aware of God working in your life? What age were you and what were the circumstances?

Dick: My parents were godly missionaries.  I remember sitting in a little African church at about 7 years old and after my father finished preaching and gave the altar call, a response to give our all to Jesus, I turned to my Kenyan friend – Jimmy Baraza – and said to him…. “I’ll go if you will go!”  And we went to the altar together to give our lives to Jesus.

B: What did the Lord use in your life primarily to call you into the ministry you lead now?

D: When I was 16, I walked out of the dorm of my boarding school and looked up at the glorious heavens, for my school was located on the great Rift Valley, far from any light pollution and the stars were startling.  Seeing the glory of God in the heavens (Psalm 19) and knowing in my spirit that if the heavens so declare the glory of God and there is no language where their speech is unknown….how much more should God be glorified by the crown of His creation: Every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  God used the stars to call me into missions with a focus on unreached peoples.

 

B: What has touched you the most about being “One in Christ Jesus” (from Gal 3:28) as you have grown in your walk with Him and carried out your ministry?

D: The realization that no mission agency, no nationality, no person can complete the great commission outside of unity with the body of Christ.  I have a deep desperation therefore to fight for unity in the body of Christ so that the gospel might be preached to every people, so that we can all go home – eternal life, united with Christ, united forever with no schisms.

B: As you consider Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 12:12-27 about the “one-ness” of the Body of Christ, how do you see this truth playing out as you fulfill your ministry?

D: Certainly not in uniformity.  The beauty of a unified body is in our differences.  I see oneness played out in the inter-dependence we have on each other BECAUSE we are different.  My experience in Sudan is that need fosters unity across the body of Christ.  I need to honestly come to terms with my limitations and weaknesses, to honestly admit that I need others, before I will lay down my preferences for the great good of unity.  Unity in the body is costly, we have to lay something down in order to take it up.  We are not willing to pay the cost of laying something down unless we are driven by both the need AND THE BEAUTY of unity.

 

B: In John 10:30 the Bible speaks of Jesus being ONE with the Father, but in John 17:11, Jesus says that we should also be ONE with Them. When do you most experience oneness with the Father and Son, as you carry out your life and ministry?

D: While there is a beauty in corporate worship, a union of the whole with the Godhead, I most experience unity with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in my quiet abiding times with Him.  Morning prayer walks, Bible reading with a cup of Chai, evening sessions singing old hymns at the piano.  In those simple and extravagant times when I am my beloved’s and He is mine…and His banner over me is love.

B: What would you desire attendees at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2020 come away with as a result of your participation and expression?

D: A desperation for the simplicity of JUST HAVING JESUS.  A hunger for Him and only Him.  A longing for His presence and to spend extravagant daily time with Him.  A commitment to abiding with Him all day long.  An understanding that our most sacred ambition is actually not to be a missionary, but to be with Christ…which is far better. (Philippians 1:23 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far)

 

In addition, Dick will also be challenging us at Leadership ConneXion 2020 on Friday, January 17th with: “John 15- Abiding in Christ in a Disciple-Making Context” – a must for all leaders.  Register / Learn More here.

Would YOU have pressed on?

September 9, 2019

Lay-Mobilizer Impact – Part II

By Bill MacLeod

 

Last Month we be brought you the story of Jeff Reed (“Ordinary Lay-Mobilizer – Remarkable Impact”) who, with his wife, had started the “GO Group” which has been raising up and sending out college students from the Portland-Vancouver area since 2012.  When they could not go on the field themselves, they took that burden/passion and channeled it into this mobilizing effort.  The ‘push-back’ they received from spiritual realms included job loss; seasons of under-employment; the unexpected and tragic deaths of their parents, his brother, and eventually Jeff’s wife Lori – all within a span of six years. But how did these circumstances impact their two kids’ lives?  Today, both Tim and Megan Reed are on the mission field.  Megan is a missionary nurse serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua, Indonesia. This is her story…

 

Bill: How did you initially “hear” the Lord’s call on your life?

Megan: At seven years old I felt very strongly that God was calling me to be a medical missionary in Asia. I grew up in a very missional family and I think the strong focus on sharing the good news of Jesus no matter where you are had a significant impact on my life.

 

B: How did life’s hard situations impact you and your thinking and faith?

M: I once heard a sermon that said that God uses the hard things in our lives to mold us and to take our weak hearted, soft will to follow God and strengthen and harden it until you have an iron resolve to follow God regardless of the circumstances. The hardest situation came a mere five months after I finally left the USA for my first mission assignment. I got a call from my Dad to tell me that my Mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I really wrestled with what to do. I had worked hard to get to the mission field and now I was contemplating going back to the USA only a few months into my first assignment. Hard experiences have helped me to draw closer to God, to realize just how little strength I have and how much I need to depend on God’s strength in order to do anything. God’s grace and perseverance deepened my faith because God is faithful, loving, gracious and good in the midst of, in spite of, and because of hard things. He wastes nothing.

 

B: Did your career choice (nursing) come out of your early family experiences?

M: I have always loved people, loved science, loved to help and to help others especially. I think these combined to motivate my career choice. That, and I always felt God called me to medical missions, I just later narrowed down the branch of medicine based on my personality and preferences.

 

B: What did you see in or learn from your parents during these formative years?

M: Humility, perseverance, prioritization of a walk with God and sharing the good news about Jesus no matter where you are and no matter what your “job” is. I saw deep love for God in their lives and an intentionality about keeping their faith integrated with their life.

 

B: Was the vision always clear for you, or did you doubt His direction during any of the time growing up, etc.?

M: God’s call on my life was always clear and always like a fire shut up in my bones. I did go through a season where I was going through the motions of Christianity, but I wasn’t really walking with God. God used and redeemed that and has used it many times to help me to share the good news with people who have grown up religious but have never had a real walk with God. They can relate to my story.

 

B: How did your Mom’s passing impact your trajectory in the past, present, and looking to the future?

M: My Mom’s passing both did and did not have a profound impact on my overall trajectory. I actually struggled quite a bit in the decision to come back from the mission field after only being overseas for 5 months. I had worked for almost 20 years to get to the mission field and now I had to go back. However, her death has opened up doors of relationship because those I serve have suffered a lot of loss, especially of close loved ones, and it gives a common bond and a common platform. It has given me more compassion but also more drive to share the gospel with a more concrete reality of the fragility and brevity of life.

 

B: Do you have any advice for others who may be wrestling with God’s call to missions on their lives?

M: If you are wrestling with God’s call to missions on your life, I would say this: learn to be more impressed with your God than your circumstances. God will guide you, but first you must really know him, not about him, and you must know his Word. Out of this will flow so many things you need, to follow his call on your life. It will help you stay grounded in sound theology in times of suffering and testing, it will help you survive and thrive in the hard and dry seasons, and it will help you return to the right source – Christ – when you are overwhelmed. God is faithful to guide. All you must do is intentionally walk with him and he will guide your footsteps. One of my favorite verses is, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.”  If you don’t quit, you can’t fail. Put the boat in the water, God will shut doors, but he will also get you through hard times.

 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in attending the GO Group, email GoGroupPDX@gmail.com to find out the location! Please let others know of this opportunity to meet and pray together.

Ordinary Lay-Mobilizer – Remarkable Impact

July 2, 2019

Ordinary Lay-Mobilizer – Remarkable Impact

By Bill MacLeod

Jeff Reed works as a Security Architect for Cambria Health Solutions. He came on my radar around 2012 after he and his wife, Lori, had formed a mission mobilization fellowship called the “GO Group” aimed at raising up and sending out college students from the Portland-Vancouver area. Their journey into missions was not typical, or easy. I recently caught up to interview him after not being in touch for several years. This is his story…

 

Bill: When did you first sense a call to missions, and what did you do about it?

Jeff: My wife Lori and I began pursuing service on the mission field in 1980, shortly after we were married.  We went to the leaders of our church at the time, and our pastor said that we must plant 2-3 churches in the U.S. before we could go to the mission field.  We submitted to leadership and when it was our turn to be launched, we were sent, but there were no funds.  We were diligent. We saw one young woman give her heart to Christ, before our church closed it down. We eventually were led to move to Portland, Ore.

 

B: What life setbacks did you face even as you continued to pursue the Lord in missions?

J: Yes, I was unemployed Jan 2003 to June 2004.  We were a single income home throughout these events.  From June 2004 until October 2005 I lived 2 hours away by car from my family to make ends meet. I was able to afford to come home every 2-4 weeks depending on finances. Then these events took place:

  • My Dad passed away in February 2009 and dementia symptoms set in for my Mom by 2011.
  • My wife Lori became ill in Oct 2014 and by May 2015, she is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
  • In August 2015, Lori’s parents are both killed in a car accident.
  • After chemo, radiation, and other treatments, on August 18, 2016, my wife Lori passes away.
  • The very next day, my own brother suddenly passes away from a blood clot to his lungs.
  • May 2018 – my mother passes away

 

B: Have you experienced friends pulling away as you went through these hard things?

J: Those whom we knew were close, have stayed close.  Some who were closer to my wife, have withdrawn a little which seems right and normal, though it was still somewhat painful in its own way.

 

B: How did these major life events impact your kid’s lives?

J: My daughter Megan and son Tim grew through these events to more clearly know the way of the Cross.  It has clearly been a struggle, but neither of them have waivered in pursuing what God has called them to. Today, our daughter Megan has been serving as a Wycliffe missionary nurse in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea since January of 2015. In June 2018 our son, Tim, left to begin his work and training at JAARS (Wycliffe) in North Carolina.  He returns in July before going to Papua New Guinea to begin work as a missionary pilot/mechanic in a couple of weeks. They are fulfilling the dreams for missionary service Lori and I had when we first began our married life together.

 

B: What has been the “fruit that remains” (John 15:16) results from the “GO Group” through all of this?

J: Besides our own 2 kids; from 2012 to the present, the GO Group has sent out between 17-20 individuals to the following countries: Brazil, Kenya, Thailand, Scotland, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, China, Afghanistan.

 

B: Is this typical in your experience?
J: While 2-3 people per year having been sent to 13 countries over a 7-year period does not sound like many; when you consider this is a ‘random’, unpublicized group that people only hear about through “word of mouth” that meets in different homes on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 6:30pm, led by those who are, in some cases, laboring cross-culturally here locally, we are amazed at what the LORD has done!  God is always faithful!

 

B: Finally, what would you say to those who may have felt a strong “calling” to missions but, do not have a supportive network with whom they can share and pray with over these longings?

J: Please join us on the 2nd Saturday of the month (ie., July 13th, August 10th, Sept. 14th etc.) and Email us at: GoGroupPDX@gmail.com to find out the location! Please let others know of this opportunity to meet and pray together! Finally, please understand that God has not changed because He cannot change. Trust what He has told you, no matter what you see and feel. God will take care of your circumstances!

The Incredible Story of Jake and Mitsuo

June 11, 2019

The Incredible Story of Jake and Mitsuo

by Bill MacLeod

He was born in Stayton, Oregon to parents who loved Christ; read the Bible daily and took him to church and Sunday school – but he was not interested. After graduating from Madras High School, he eventually joined the Army. He volunteered to be part of a secret mission that led to a bombing raid over a foreign city, parachuting out of his plane when it ran out of fuel, only to be taken captive when he landed behind enemy lines.

The guards in the prison camp tortured him and the other prisoners and as he watched some succumb to their mistreatment, his hatred for them grew. In solitary confinement he wondered what made people hate other members of the human race, and what made him hate them? For over three years he was interred in this POW camp and one day, after about two years, one of the guards gave him a Bible. He read it through from cover to cover several times until he came to Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 Finally, he understood the faith he had been brought up with but had never been able to grasp; surrendered his life to Christ and began to forgive his captors. He soon began to treat his captors with respect and found that they, then, in turn reacted in similar fashion. Fourteen months later, the war ended, and he was released from prison. He returned to the USA with a deep desire to attend Bible college to become a missionary – in order to return to the land of his captivity armed this time with the gospel. He wrote of his experiences in a gospel track entitled: “I was a prisoner of Japan”.

In a different part of the world, another man was being prepared to go to war, also as an airman. He rose up through the ranks and earned the position of commander. His big moment came when he was put in charge of a great attack utilizing 423 aircraft that was very successful. Two months later he led another major attack. He became a hero in his country, but as the war continued, people forgot what he had accomplished, and he was demoralized.  He miraculously escaped the bombing that ended the war in the city where he had been just the day before.

Called upon to testify after the war at trials for some of his own military for war crimes, he was filled with revenge and was convinced that his people had been mistreated at the hands of their captors just as his people had mistreated their prisoners. He was surprised to meet his former flight engineer who had been taken captive but had not been mistreated. In fact, his friend told a surprising story of a young lady whose missionary parents had been killed by their country’s soldiers, but who had returned to minister to them with the deepest of love and respect during their imprisonment. Not too long afterwards, he was at a train station in his country when he was handed the pamphlet “I was a prisoner of Japan”…

The prisoner of war from Stayton, Oregon, was Jacob “Jake” DeShazer, who had been part of “Doolittle’s Raiders” over Japan, finally finding Christ in a Japanese POW camp before WWII ended.  The commander was Mitsuo Fuchida, commander of the air attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941; who found Christ as a result of reading Jake DeShazer’s pamphlet “I was a prisoner of Japan”, then also searching the Scriptures to see if it was true…after having missed the bombing of Hiroshima by one day…

Jake returned to Nagoya, Japan as a missionary where he served for 30 years with his wife Florence; and Mitsuo became an evangelist preaching in the US and Japan, and writing three books, including one about his conversion entitled “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary”. The two men whose love of Christ overcame their hatred and revenge, became close friends and led evangelistic meetings throughout Japan where many followed Christ.

I never had the privilege to meet Jake DeShazer personally, but I did interview him by phone before his death in 2008. Mitsuo passed away in 1976. Their stories are among the most incredible to come out of WWII. Never underestimate the power of the gospel to transform lives!

Do Prayer + Mission Connect?

June 11, 2019

One person who is convinced the two are inseparable is Dennis Fuqua, Director of International Renewal Ministries (IRM) known as the prayer summits. For some years he has led the efforts of Prayer ConneXion, but he’s also a recent addition to the Board of Directors for Mission ConneXion.  Here is what he shared recently about this unique ConneXion event, coming May 17-18…

No one is “against prayer.”  It is just that there could be so many more who really are “for” prayer! 

Would you like to experience a greater confidence that your prayers are right in line with God’s will?  Do you attend a regular prayer meeting that is okay, but not as powerful as you think it could be?  Did you attend Mission ConneXion, received motivation to “do more” in missions, but you are not sure just what that might be?  You know you want to be engaged in God’s work around the world, but can’t pack up and move?

Prayer ConneXion 2019, an official event of Mission ConneXion, is designed to be a place “Where prayer and mission connect.”  Whether you are an experienced pray-er, the leader of a prayer team, or have just sensed a need to grow in prayer, attending Prayer ConneXion 2019 will help you be encouraged and challenged to be more engaged in God’s work through prayer.

Southwest Hills Baptist Church will host this year’s event.  It will take place Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, May 17-18.  Josh White (pastor of Door of Hope, Portland) and Rick Elzinga (recently retired pastor of Southwest Hills Baptist) will be the two plenary speakers.  Both of these men have not only developed significant prayer lives but have helped others do the same.  In addition to these two men, there will be twelve practical workshops presented by experienced prayer leaders throughout the greater Portland area.

Go to https://missionconnexion.com/prayer-connexion-2019/ for more information or just register here.  Registration includes two plenary sessions, two opportunities for workshops, and Saturday lunch.  During the weekend, there will be as much actual prayer as there is talk about prayer!  Groups of 10 or more get a 50% discount.

Hope you can experience how prayer and mission connect!

Is TJD for You?

April 1, 2019

By Bill MacLeod

 

Vickie was working for The Walt Disney Studios when she was prompted to take the 15-week, Perspectives course at a church near her home outside LA. She had spent over 30 years in positions focused on leadership and business development, strategic planning, technology, research and development, innovation, and creativity. Feeling a hunger to know and do more for Jesus, she registered for a weekend retreat that promised to help her identify next steps in her journey. After The Journey Deepens (TJD) weekend retreat, her life changed.

Today, Vickie Warren is the ceo of MissionNext, formerly The Finishers Project, which offers “Pathways to connect God’s people with options to serve”.  It is also the parent organization of The Journey Deepens.  For over 11 years now, The Journey Deepens has been helping guide hundreds of people just like Vickie into their next assignment.

Mission ConneXion has been privileged to partner with TJD every year since 2012 because with 60% of its participants finding their place in missions within 3 years of going through a TJD weekend, they’re the best group we know to help people discover their own unique onramp to missions. Here’s what others have said of their experience.

Here’s how a TJD weekend works:

  •  Attendees are divided into small groups of 6-8 people each and each group has two cross-cultural experienced missionaries as coaches.
  • There are 4 plenary sessions, each one dealing with a particular topic, followed by a 1/2 hour time for each person to be alone with the Lord to process what they have just heard.
  • Then they come together in the small groups for an hour to talk through what they have heard, ask their questions and learn from the coaches. These groups are the ‘heart and soul’ of the weekend.
  • The four themes covered have to do with:  1) Spiritual preparation for missions service, 2) Your next role in missions (Goer, Sender, Mobilizer), 3) Prayer (a Concert of Prayer is used to model and engage in prayer for the nations), 4) Spiritual warfare.

Like Vickie, you may be in a career that is completely satisfying to you, “being Jesus” in your work environment. You may also wonder, like Vickie, if the Lord could use your career skills and experiences in an environment that is completely dedicated to the furtherance of the Gospel, and the Great Commission…and not known quite how to proceed. The Journey Deepens Portland 2019 weekend is April 12-13!  If you would like to register, click here.

What can you lose?

Are You Seeking Fresh Vision?

March 19, 2019

In his book, Fresh Vision for the Muslim World, veteran missionary to the Middle East, Mike Kuhn, offers an alternative response to the current conflicts of the West with the Muslim world that goes beyond the response of confrontation offered at the state and political level. Jesus’ approach to the Samaritan woman was similar to the reaction of Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliot to the Waorani people who had killed their husbands in Ecuador in 1956.

 

They did not seek to vindicate their husband’s deaths upon these Stone Age enemies, any more than Jesus desired to bring harm to the hated and despised Samaritans. Mike posits that, like them, our response ought to be motivated by the incarnation – passion that Jesus Christ receives His rightful place of glory among the peoples of the Middle East.

 

Mike Kuhn grew up in N. Carolina, married his wife Stephanie in 1983, and for 22 years they lived in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. His ongoing friendship with believer from an Islamic background has continued to influence him both in those relationships and in his understanding of God’s heart to draw all peoples to Himself.

 

Mike will be our speaker at Crescent ConneXion on March 22-23, 2019, at Village Baptist Church, along with our friend, Fouad Masri, who is returning after helping us launch Crescent ConneXion in 2012. Even if you are not seeking fresh vision, please join us!

 

To register and/or learn more about this special two-day conference, Loving Your Neighbor from the 10/40 Window…click here.

By Bill MacLeod

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