Summer 2010

Thoughts on the Road II

In the second chapter of Mark's gospel there are some important instructions on how we go about proclaiming of the gospel. In this chapter we find the story of the crippled man whom Jesus both forgave his sins and restored his health. Then Jesus calls Matthew. Matthew does what new believers in Africa nearly always do: in their excitement over the new thing that is happening to them, they eagerly introduce their family and friends to this Jesus who they are so attracted to.
Matthew's celebration gives Jesus' opponents the opportunity to expose why they think Jesus is a fraud. But He seizes it as an occasion to teach about true righteousness.
For the scribes the righteousness formula was: repent + ceremonies + obey their laws. The folly of all that is, there is no transforming new life within, there is no living relationship with God and there is no compassion for the neighbor. Following their formula there is none of the newness that Jesus talks about in verses 21 & 22.
In West Africa some evangelicals have expectations much like those of the scribes: The sinner must 1) publicly repent, 2) cut relationships with the sinners and 3) obey church rules. If you are able to do this formula and maintain the expectations, then we can baptize you and you will become one of us. And, don't forget, even if you are successful at doing all this, we will always be there to police you.
In contrast to this, Tim Geddert in his commentary on Mark says- "Jesus offers forgiveness without ceremonies, he offers fellowship with people who have neither publicly acknowledged their sinfulness nor visibly cleaned up their lives. He calls people to follow him, and in so doing their lives are transformed". Authentic righteousness has to do with right relationships with Jesus, right relationships with others who are accepting Jesus and right relationships with God.
In the W. Africa communities where we have outreach this is the model we are using and it is bearing fruit. Part of the reason why we have a long list of invitations from villages to come and share the gospel has to do with using this mode of evangelism. There are villages where some of evangelicals have been asked to leave, but for us the door is wide open. And it's no surprise; people who wish to hear the gospel are not asking to be insulted. They have no desire for pharisaic confrontation. They value a gentle, supportive offer for a relationship with God, something far better than their current knowledge and relationship with Him.

When I share with other Christians that I am a missionary in W. Africa it is interesting to observe their reactions. Nearly everyone I talk to is supportive, encouraging and interested in hearing about the work, the people, the climate, the political situation, cultural colors and just plain African missionary stories.
As the interchange winds down there is sometimes the spoken or unspoken blessing on the work and suggestion that 'its fine if that is what God is calling you to do, but as for me God is calling me to be faithful right here in North America. I have not been called to that kind of life in some distant part of the world'.
That scenario has given me food for some contemplation. We go busily on with life in North America, yes, doing Kingdom work but mostly concerned about the comforts, conveniences and pursuit of the American dream. At the end of the day we have a somewhat shaky satisfied feeling that we are faithful to what God is calling us to do and be.
I know He has called me to Africa but that call grew out of a mandate. Mandates are not optional. A mandate is something we are obligated and compelled to do. The mandate Christ gave to all disciples for all time is that we are to go into the entire world sharing the gospel and inviting everyone to become disciples of Jesus. Faithful followers of Jesus don't have the option of not doing that.
Why is Jesus mandating his disciples to take the gospel to every tribe and nation? I can think of two very solid reasons-

1. It is God's design that everyone has the opportunity to know and confess that He alone is God. His desire is that everyone everywhere would bow their knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
   
    
2. It is what Christ modeled for us, His followers. Simply put- if Jesus did it, we need to do it. He left the comfort zone of heaven and came into the world of darkness, pain and even death. (See Heb. 2:9-3:6 & Phil. 2:4-8) His expectation is that his disciples should do the same: Leave their comfort zone and go into a place where there will likely be opposition, persecution and possibly even death. As we proclaim the gospel under duress and discomfort people will be drawn to Jesus our model. The gospel was forged under persecution and suffering and it is most authentically understood when it is proclaimed under those circumstances. People are more receptive to the gospel when they are faced with difficulties, problems and opposition.
   
    

It is interesting to ponder the interplay of suffering with both the telling and receiving of the gospel. If that relationship is there (and I am convinced it is), it does make one wonder why we invest so much time and money into finding ways of evangelizing as an easy, fun, painless and comfortable Christian diversion. Jesus never mandated that we should have the comfortable, well heeled life most are pursuing. In fact, quite the contrary is predictied. (See Mark 10:29-31; John 12:24-26)
It is true that the vast majority will not be called to go to another continent, but that doesn't relieve us from being involved in overseas mission. It takes ten wage earners to support one overseas missionary. Do the math and you will see that just in the Mennonite church alone we should have a virtual (army) of people going out to share the good news of our Messiah.
When I return to visit North America and travel around visiting Christian communities I sense a significant level of anguish, even guilt at the incongruity of our affluence and our material driven lives on the one hand and the mandate of Christ to be messengers of a very different Kingdom on the other.
Beryl F.

Traveling Thoughts

As I go scootering across the country my mind and eyes are mostly focused on the highway the next 100 yards ahead of me. While it is vitally important to be doing that, at another level I have time to contemplate and ruminate about life in general. More specifically my thoughts go in the direction of my vocation as a missionary and where my heart is- West Africa.
So, from time to time you are going to find these ruminations on my blog in this format. I invite your comments and perspectives on these insertions (and anything else you see on the blog).
On this trip I am doing a study of Mark's gospel. Accompanying that study I have the Mark volume of Believer's Church Bible Commentary by Tim Gaddert. It is truly an inspiring book. I appreciate Gaddert's many helpful insights and some of my themes in these columns grow out of his comments.
Thanks, Beryl F.

Lancaster to Salisbury

The first leg of my journey has taken me from my brother in law and sister's place in Lancaster to Salisbury, Pa. very close to the Maryland border. It is beautiful Applachian countryside with many well kept Amish & Mennonite farmsteads in the Casselman River Valley. I was a guest of the Mast family and they kindly gave me use of their cabin in the woods on their farm. It is a quiet spot with a panoramic view over the surrounding hills and valleys.



Sunday morning I attended two services including Oakdale Mennonite where I was able to share a bit about the work in Guinea Bissau.



Early tomorrow morning, Monday, I set out for the central W. Virginia town of Webster Spgs.



I will likely make another post from there.



Beryl

So Long Bisssau; Hello Pa.

On Thursday, May 27th I boarded a boat in Ziguinchor, Senegal for an overnight ride to Dakar. Upon arrival in Dakar the next morning I went to the airport to meet Jessica Mengle who was arriving to spend a week with the YES team in Catel. Jessica is a trainer for YES from Harrisburg, Pa. Once I got her on board the returning boat to Ziguinchor I was free to get an early morning flight to Dulles, finally arriving in Harrisburg, Pa. and greeted by my sister Anna Mae Weaver.

While I am in the U.S. Bob & Anna Mae Weaver are my primary hosts. They spare nothing to see that my stateside stay goes well and they help me to get done the things I need to do while in North America. (Not to mention Anna Mae's wonderful cooking!)

These two weeks while I am in the Lancaster area are filled with Dr. appointments, check-ins with EMM and preparation for my travels to the West coast. I leave on that trip June 11th. You are invited to follow my travels and read my goofy commentary as I two-wheel my way west on a Yamaha Majesty 400 scooter.

If you want to know a whole bunch more about our work in Guinea Bissau go to WJTL Radio website and click on West Africa School Project. Lisa Landis, one of their DJ's spent a couple weeks with us in Gambia and Guinea Bissau. There you will find several photo albums and videos about the Mennonite mission in those two countries.

You can also listen to a follow-up interview Lisa did with me to be aired on WJTL Wed. June 9th from 9-10 am and Thurs. June 10th 7-8 am. Both interviews can be called up online at WJTL after those dates.

There you have it! Proof that I actually reached the West Coast of the U.S. at Manzanita, Oregon. Now I am ready to start the trip back to Pa.

This is the evangelical Protestant church I attended on July 11, one week after Sunday, July 4th. I knew we were in trouble when the preacher, bounding up to the pulpit flashed on the first power point slide: Old Glory!

He said he wasn't able to finish his July 4th message so he was continuing it for today, the 11th (by popular demand, we were told). I learned some interesting things about God from his message: 1) God miraculously defeated the superior British forces through Divinely appointed rain storms and fog, 2) He provided Godly, Spirit-filled men to write the Constitution based on the Bible, 3) He brought the French army in on just the right day to join the Continental Army to finally defeat the British at Yorketown.

But oh my, how far we have strayed from this Godly heritage! It behoves us, we were told, to elect Godly men and women to positions of highest power to once again bring America back to God! Lots of luck!

A couple other things I took note of: A deacon read some verses from John 5 including these: " Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out- those who have done good to life and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned". The deacon told us the we really won't be judged by what we do, (in direct contradiction to the scripture he just read) but that we will be judged according to our faith in Jesus. OK. And secondly, the median age of the audience was 71.5 years (my estimate).

Well, anyhow, God bless them.

My route through central and eastern Montana followed the Musselshell River, the track also taken by Lewis & Clark 200 years ago.

You wouldn't guess it from this picture but the temperature riding the scooter was 43 degrees this morning as I cleared the last canyon of the Rockies and came out into the nearly treeless and rolling praire of Eastern Montana.

All over Montana they have this anti-meth campaign going on. Graphic murals proclaim the evils and sorry plight of those who get into meth.

As I had a look over this 1963 Rambler American my imagination was playing a video of my good friend and former teacher Elton Moshier extolling the merits of the Rambler.

Highway US 12 through Harlowton, Montana.

One of many Hutterite Colonies that cover thousands of acres in Big Sky country.

The sad story of Manifest Destiny in the American West.

Bridge across the Musselshell River SE Montana.

Progress comes to Melstone, Montana. They now have a wooden tractor. The engine is still in R & D.

An upended massive self propelled combine thrown from its trailer into the roadside ditch on a lonely stretch of rural highway in E. Montana.

This school building once served a large community of homesteaders at Vananda, Mont. But the Depression Years and the Dust Bowl decimated the population. Now all is quiet except for the wind blowing over the prairie.

The BSNF locomotives moving wheat cars through SE Montana.

Rosebud County Courthouse, Forsyth, Montana

The Yellowstone River at Forsyth, Montana.

This is the evangelical Protestant church I attended on July 11, one week after Sunday, July 4. I knew we were in trouble when the preacher bounding up to the pulpit and flashed on the first power point slide: Old Glory!

Ground squirrel.

Pinyon jay.

American bald eagle.

A cast of a dinosaur footprint. Lucky for me he didn't mash my scooter key.

Whether one choses to think these formations were sculpted in 10,000 years or 100 billion years seems inconsequential when one sees these sights and stands in awe of God who created such beauty, majesty and power.

Vernon Hege feeding the steers.

Saffola on the Hege farm near Salt Lake City.

Two of the Hege girls with part of the rabbit family.