Final Post

It has been nearly six months since Ann and I left Mozambique.  Our 15-year plan turned out to really be a five-year plan as the plans of man....well.....they aren't so reliable.  It is clear that we will not be returning and we have many more questions than answers about our time there but at the same time, we know we were faithful to His call on our lives.

We will continue to search our 'what is next' through prayer, reading, study, and seeking.  We are not at this time inclined to return to overseas service.

But regardless, it is time to end this blog since this particular journey has ended.  I offer the following summation:

1.  Our Call was real, it was specific, and it was for a purpose we may never fully understand.     The reality of that Call has never changed.  It was for Mozambique, and there was urgency in the Call but just as quickly as it came, it was removed.
2.  It was truly a privilege to work in Mozambique for the time we did and to work side-by-side with our dear Mozambican brothers and sisters.  We were given a love for them that was not something we could have ever generated in our own hearts.
3.  Blessings came from the most unexpected places as did the challenges.
4.  The things we thought would be hard turned out to be very easy or even not needed, whereas the things we thought would be easy, turned out to be hard and in some cases impossible.
5.  We were privileged to have the most incredible team of people who went with us, stood by us, prayed for us, sent us notes, called us, hosted us, visited us - the graciousness of God's people is beyond measure.  We could never say 'thank you' enough.
6.  With great gain comes great heartbreak.  But our life experience tells us that God will help us to remember the good with great joy and to cast aside the dung, for life is always full of both and we gain character from both.  Kind of like the movie - wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off.
7.  God loves us and is with us in the good and the bad.  When our hearts break, his heart breaks, for He has walked the same roads as us through His Son.
8.   God is less interested in what we 'do' than I had ever realized.  When we arrived in Mozambique, He was already there and to think that we are 'bringing something' is really kind of silly.  He allows us to participate in what He is already doing.  Everything has to come from being WITH Him, from being open to that leading from deep inside that comes from that Pure spirit deep within us that is His presence.  At 58 years of age, I know so very little of the things of God, for they are in many ways unsearchable and unknowable - but I can know Him and there is great peace in that.
9.  Sometimes the things we do in our compassion and strength are not the things that God would have us do.  Sometimes they even do harm rather than good because of our own frailties, insecurities, and presuppositions.  People need to see the love of Christ in our eyes and our actions.  Our money, our time, our lives are of little help if people cannot see Christ in us. Like those in the medical profession, perhaps we in ministry should also take the vow to 'do no harm' as a guiding principle.
10.  Lastly, we know that God will finish what He has started.  For we believe He is who He says He is.  May we learn how to simply 'be' with Him and trust Him.  There is no other way that makes any sense.

Thank you for standing with us.  May His name be praised and His will be done - on earth as it is in Heaven.

Much love,

Dave and Ann


"Hear O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give to your today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy 6:4-7


"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  "Love your neighbor as yourself."  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  Matthew 22:36-40


May we love Him.

Book Recommendation

I don't recommend a lot of books on the blog, even though I tend to read quite a number of different ones.  One of the better ones recently that I recommend is "Bad Religion" by Ross Douthat.  It is more or less a history of 'religion' in the United States since about World War II, although it reaches back quite a bit.  It is current and ties a lot of things together in a thoughtful way.

Personally, to me, it reads a lot like my life....yup, did that, and that, went to those, attended those, yup - watched that, as I would kind of shake my head at some of my foolishness.

The subtitle is 'a nation of heretics' or something like that so if you are easily offended or so entrenched in what you think, maybe you won't like it - because not too many come off unscathed.  But if you wonder about Penn State, you wonder about the increasing division in the country, you wonder about the decline of America, or maybe you are one of those who sees the parallels between America and pre-exhilic Israel - this book will give you some things to think about.

Fundamentally it is a call back to orthodoxy - or at least that is what I got out of it and that has been kind of in our hearts through this 'dark night of the soul' we have been going through.

Maybe I could start a line of jokes:  "If you think that you have all the answers - then you might be a heretic" - Sounds like the old 'you might be a red neck' jokes.

Anyways, it's a great read that emphasizes the mysteries of the faith:

"What defines orthodoxy from heresy....is a commitment to mystery and paradox...."  Maybe that will 'wet your whistle' along with the quote below that I was surprised to see in a church bulletin last Sunday.

It's available on your ibook / kindle, etc. for a very reasonable price.

Blessings.

Dave

"Thus orthodox Christians insist that Jesus was divine and human all at once, that the Absolute is somehow Three as well as One, that God is omnipotent and omniscient and yet nonetheless leaves us free to choose between good and evil.  They propose that the world is corrupted by original sin and yet somehow also essentially good, with the stamp of its Creator visible on every start and sinew.  They assert that the God of the Old Testament, jealous and punitive, is somehow identical to the New Testament's God of love and mercy.  They claim that this same God sets impossible moral standards and yet forgives every sin.  They insist that faith alone will save us, yet faith without works is dead.  And they propose a vision of holiness that finds room in God's kingdom for all the extremes of human life - fecund families and single-minded celibates, politicians and monastics, queens as well as beggars, soldiers and pacifists alike."  Ross Douthat, Bad Religion

Team, Leadership, and Lady Vols Softball

When we returned to the States from Mozambique, we landed in Knoxville, Tennessee because that is where we had some things we needed, that is where the ‘family minivan’ was, and it gave us wonderful access to three of our four daughters.  It was our safe place as we processed and prayed through this unexpected life change.  Knoxville was also where we met and started our lives together some 38 years ago, where we both attended college, and where we became Christians, providing a familiar place and truthfully, a place we could just “be” for a while.

One day on a lark, we were driving by the University of Tennessee (UT) and saw a sign that said “Lady Vols Softball game TODAY.”  (Women’s sports at UT are known as “Lady Volunteers [Vols] with the men’s sports being known as “Volunteers.”)  We looked at each other and said ‘why not?’.   This was completely out-of-character for me (not so much for Ann who loves sports!) as I have never been much of a sports fan and my experience in ‘team sports’ is limited to a couple of years of ice hockey in middle-school.  

We entered the softball stadium and sat down.  The team came out laughing and smiling, appearing relaxed and confident as the game started.  The pitcher’s smile of pulled me in and then everything seemed move in a slow motion I can’t explain.  She walked to the outside edge of the pitching circle as her team tensed.  Placing her left foot on the circle, I could sense her entering ‘her groove’.  The intensity of her concentration only increased my own.  She stepped up to the white line; turning her head sideways as she rotated the ball in her hand; lining up as she would everytime in a disciplined process that blocks out all distractions as she made her final mental preparation to pitch.  (To quote the movie “Utopia” - See it, Feel it, Trust it (SVT)).  When the moment was right, she fired that ball with a speed I didn’t think was possible with a softball.  STRIKE - with the batter looking around as if she had no idea what had just happened. Wow, I was hooked.

The entire team responded to each pitch as if it were a choreographed ballet.  It was beautiful to watch as in unison they would all step forward with the pitcher as she threw the ball. With each pitch, with each play, the team encouraged one another.  The catcher looked to the coach, who provided direction.  It was clear that the coach was ‘in charge’ yet the team was functioning as ‘one’ in an orchestration that had clearly been drilled and planned out before the first pitch.

But, then I moved my focus to each player and saw the excellence and unique gifts brought by each of these talented ladies.  With each player I saw the same intensity of focus and yet, relaxed in who they were on the team, knowning their role, not trying to ‘one-up’ their team mates.  The unity of purpose was inspiring.   

When errors happened (not often!), the team didn’t blame but came together and would encourage the errant player, affirming their importance to the team, building them up.  When good plays happened they would draw together as a team and celebrate the success.  Fun in excellence.  When players became tired and were replaced, the team affirmed the leaving player as well as the new player and the focus on the task at hand would continue.  

The training and work happened before the game, but with the game in play, the coaches were there to affirm, to correct, and to make small changes, but the outcome was clearly in the hands of the team.  When a player made a mistake or perhaps dropped a ball, the coach would pull them aside and there would be an intense time of instruction while at the same time, you would see the coach gently patting the arm of the player.  You could see the great affection the coach had for each player, whether batting, striking out, dropping balls, or catching seemingly impossible balls.  It didn’t matter, they were the coach’s girls and although excellence was expected, there was no question that each girl was important as a person.  Many say this was the reason for Pat Summit’s incredible success in UT basketball, because even in her incredible intensity, each player knew in their hearts that Pat loved them in an unconditional way as she drove them to excellence….because she did.  You cannot fake that kind of love and there is tremendous power in sincere love, not for the purpose of receiving something back, but because you truly love.  (1 Corinthians 13)

From that first game, we have made it a point to attend as many home games as we can and we listen to many of the away games via the Internet.  The team has become ‘our lady vols’ and we feel like we know each one of them, even though they have no idea we are even there.  I envy that they have experienced such a positive team experience and pray that they will take much from this experience as they enter into life after college.  I celebrate their ability to have fun in the intensity of what they do week after week.  I find joy in each player’s uniqueness and how together, they have built a team personality that is one of the best in the nation.  I admire the skill of the coaches to work with this team of young ladies with full hearts and how they allow each to express their individuality within the context of a larger group with a common goal.  It is magic to watch.

The team has a habit that I think probably drives the coaching staff and the fans crazy.  Although the team is amazing, sometimes they seem to play to the level of the opposing team.  In one case, we watched them play a non-rated team from a small college in Ann’s hometown.  Our girls had just come off a difficult weekend against a SEC team and now were playing what should have been an easy game.  The other team came focused as they knew they were playing against one of the best teams.  That team played well and were ahead of our ladies, two - nothing.  I wonder how often we do that in our own lives - play to the level of our opponents?... 

But here is where leadership comes in.  Before the fifth inning, the coaches did some serious motivating in the dugout.  I don’t know what was said, but I imagine it was along the lines of ‘enough already, where is my team?  Go out there and do what I and your fans expect you to do…’  I have no idea but everything changed.  The intensity changed, the pitching changed, the hitting changed, and before we knew it, the game was over 8-2.  

I have seen team and how it can work.  It is based in love, working towards a common goal, with each sacrificially giving his or her all for the team, and in that, encouraging each of the team members as they reach for individual excellence, but in concert with the others to reach a commone goal.  But crucial to lasting success is leadership that exercises genuine caring (love), where direction, discipline, and doting are part of encouraging individuals to be the best they can be but not at the expense of the team not being the best it can be.  There are great spiritual lessons in all of this.

Book I refer to is on the right in this photo.

I just finished an interesting book on leadership called ‘Leadership and Self-Deception’ by the Arbinger Institute.  It’s an easy read and talks about being ‘in the box’ and ‘out of the box’ and it rings so true of my life before missions as well as my experiences in mission.  The bottom line of the book is that we need to see people as people, with families, spouses, dreams, interests; that we need to respond to those times when we know we should be doing something to help others instead of deceiving ourselves with why we shouldn’t (or rationalizing why we don’t have to) and then ascribing blame to justify why we are not doing what we know ‘darn-well’ we should be.  If we are blaming or self-justifying, we need to consider that perhaps we are the problem and we are in the midst of self-deception, where we lose all perspective.  I have been on both sides of this fence and cringe as we cry out in song, ‘change my heart oh God….’

The secret may be to see people as people of value, not units, resources, departments, men, women, black, white, yellow, republican, democrat, churched, un-churched - but rather, people of value.  We are each wonderfully and gloriously made in His image.  Being on team should not mean sacrificing your identity or uniqueness.  We need to value diversity and the richness it brings, just like we see in our Lady Vols, who we see as Ivy, Ellen, Melissa, Raven, Lauren, Ashley, Tori, Madison, Hannah, Kat - precious young ladies at the beginning of a new phase of life where we pray God will lead and direct.  Wouldn’t it be something if we could all get on God’s team and together submit to His coaching?  In this case the song is “wouldn’t it be loverly…” 

We have so far to go in this game we call life as we continually fight the battle to lose ourselves and gain the whole world.   As we all try to work on the various teams in our places of employment, our schools, our churches, and our families, may we regard others as better than ourselves, as people of value made in the image of Christ, as people better than ourselves.

Ann at prayer walk station

This day, our Sabbath, we were privileged to spend four hours together on a prayer walk where we were able to walk in isolated woods to specific locations to consider Grace, Adoration, Stillness, Surrender and Rest.  We poured out our hearts, knowing that we are His children, and we simply need to ‘Be’ as he heals our wounded Spirits and accepts our worship, our surrender, our praise and repentence.  It was truly a time of renewal where we stopped to ‘be’.

Be still and know that I am GOD

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE

It is a state of ‘being’.

With love,

Dave and Ann

When I doubt His love, I hold to His wisdom.

When I can’t understand His justice, I cling to His mercies.

When I wonder about His faithfulness, I cherish His grace.

When I fear His sovereignty, I bow to His holiness.

In that, my heart can rest.

Verdell Davis

[Note - this blog was actually written some weeks ago; just never got around to posting it...]

Worth Reading - Vanderbilt discriminatory non-discriminatory policy

As many of our friends know, one of our daughters and sons-in-law work with CRU at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, raising and mentoring future Christian leaders.  You may not know that they have been embroiled for some time in a new policy established at Vanderbilt that I tend to describe as the discriminatory non-discriminatory policy.  I have followed it through video feeds of meetings, articles, and it has the potential to be one of those land-mark kind of issues.

The issue is even being discussed at State-government levels here in Tennessee as folks begin to understand how it discriminates against faith-based organizations.

I was greatly moved this morning reading this write-up that explains CRU's decision to not agree with the policy, despite the difficulties it will cause for them.  It is a great devotion and clearly articulates the Christian message - lives transformed through Christ.  It's not an intellectual assent to Christ, but a radical transformation from the inside-out.

Here is the link.

http://cruatvanderbilt.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/so-why-are-we-as-cru-at-vanderbilt-continuing-to-have-faith-based-leadership-requirements/

I will write more in the coming days as I have good news on the expansion of the church planting work of Mozambique into two new areas - one of them a goal we established over four years ago that is coming to fruition.  I am awaiting promised pictures.  One of these areas is a difficult work where a different kind of discrimination occurs.   We so take for granted the precious freedom we have to worship in America.

Strength through hardships, persecutions and difficulties....

Blessings this day.

May we be 'real' today....whatever that might mean in your context.  The world notices.

Dave and Ann

or as the apostle Paul says:

"That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

Something for Nothing

In our personal devotions this morning we were discussing the significance of Good Friday.   We also discussed the rapid change in Jesus’ life from Palm Sunday to death on the Cross less than a week later all those years ago.  

There are four events associated with Thursday:  the washing of the disciples feet, the Last Supper; Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer, and the betrayl of Jesus by Judas.   Each of these events were significant as Jesus gently shared with his hand-picked band of disciples what was to come.  His example of humility and tender care was demonstrated the practical washing of the disciples feet, dirty and sore from travel.  It was love by example.  Then came the agony of prayer as he ‘was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death’ as he relented His will to the Father’s.  It was only the previous Sunday when Jesus came into Jerusalem a victor to the praise of the people on Palm Sunday, only to be betrayed and reviled by the same people a week later as the Messiah they longed for was not the Messiah they expected as their reality was skewed.  I think the only time you can be virtually sure you are in error is when you are marching with the masses, moving with voices of the culture.

We tend to see the world through our own reality filters and often put way too much confidence in our perception of reality.  The people wanted a Messiah, but their reality was skewed and the Messiah they received was so much more, canceling the impossible burden of being ‘good enough’ to be loved and accepted by a Holy God.  They wanted the military leader who would lead the mob in rebellion, like we see across the world, time and time again ultimately leading to ruin, war, cruelty and calamity.

Even in the world’s failing political dramas, we look for a messiah to provide for our every need, to enforce some sort of flawed man-made reality of ‘fairness’, as we seek to find our salvation in governments, leaders, systems, agencies, religious institutions, etc.

Our realities are skewed because we are incapable of seeing how all the pieces fit together as an infinite God ‘hovers over the waters’ (Genesis 1).  There is a plan that far exceeds anything we can see or imagine.

The human condition seems to be to 'want something for nothing'.  We see it in the headlines every day in one form or the other across our culture and across the world.  We see it as we hear the debates of ‘fairness’ - whatever that might be (and certainly 'fairness' is about as subjection a term as there is).

Well, God has met that condition by truly doing all the work - we can receive an abundance we cannot fathom or contain.  Instead of complex rules and regulations that we cannot possible fulfill, He has made a way to receive God’s favor through Jesus’ death on a cross; this is the way we can receive the peace that surpasses understanding through a simple recognition of our lost and selfish state, and seeing that there truly is a God who loved us enough to give us a choice: to believe, or not.  

The expection?  Repent and believe - that’s it.  With that will come a life-time of transformation as we trust in Him.  It’s like receiving everything, for virtually nothing.

I wonder if Jesus came today, would the religious of today - would we recognize Him because of our need to appear pure on the outside, yet resisting the cleansing power of relationship with Him, that power that transforms us through and through.  May we all be  “real,”  whatever that might mean in the context you find yourself.

Sunday marks that blessed day, He is alive; He is risen; it is finished.

May God’s presence touch your heart and soul this special weekend as we celebrate receiving eternity for virtually nothing because God knew we were incapable of receiving it unless He did it all.

Thank you Lord.

Celebrate Sunday for He is risen.

Dave & Ann

“...Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  John 7:37 - 38

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”  John 20:30 - 31

Peace in the Storm

We continue to adjust to no longer being in Mozambique. As many of you have discerned, there is more ‘story’ to the story but basically God used a ‘storm’ to speak to us clearly, that our time of service in Mozambique had come to an end. It was comforting to hear a voice of peace in the storm. We spent many days questioning what we heard because we didn’t want to leave Mozambique. In the end, we realized that there is a ‘story above the story’ as God’s Spirit moves and accomplishes His purposes in ways that are “the secret things of God” (Deut 29:29). As in all storms of life, it isn’t the storm, in fact the ‘story’ really has no importance other than whether we will choose to trust Him to take us through it, or not….Do we trust Him, ...or not? Is He in control, or not?

The book of Ezekiel begins with a storm (“I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light”) and yet, after a time of waiting in the midst of the storm and a discouraging time in Ezekiel’s life, God raises him up (“As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”) What comfort there is in serving a God, who is with us in the midst of the storms of life, and who speaks to us in ways that challenge our comprehension and full understanding but yet ring true in our hearts.

We freely admit we returned to the States depleted and heartbroken but at the same time full of God’s peace - that we had accomplished that task He had set forth before us and that our part in His story in Mozambique was over. We went to this beautiful land without expectations, agenda, and complete openness to whatever He might lay out before us. We were blessed with the precious work he did set for before us, making disciples through the Village Church Planting program. And now this work continues forward in the capable hands of the National Church as it should. Independent not dependent.

This philosophy is what we had always loved about OMS, that the first thing is the first thing, lives changed through the transforming power of an encounter with Jesus; teaching and making of disciples; that the sons and daughters of a nation are the ones most able to win their country for Christ (Matt 28). All else pales in comparison to this transforming encounter with our Creator. What a privilege to witness this transformation that is not accomplished through the work of men, but rather through the work of God’s Spirit, one soul at a time.

We have been in, what I would describe as, a time of recovery and adjustment, trying to exercise, walk, read, pray as we seek God’s direction for our ‘what is next’. But the message is to rest and recover and this time will hopefully culminate in April when we meet with others in ministry to brainstorm and discover avenues for continued service.

We were walking on a trail to a waterfall in the Smoky Mountains, one that we have walked many times in our lives. A part of the trail went through a large area that had been devastated by tornados last year and only recently reopened. As we walked through this storm-ravaged area, I could sense God’s presence (as I often do when ‘in nature’) as He gave us an object lesson on how He makes our paths straight through the storms of life and has a place he is leading us towards. How much easier to walk His trail than to forge one of our own through the tempests of life. As we stopped at the wonderful falls and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water and the dancing rainbows in the spray, how could we not trust Him who created all of this? HIs ways are not our ways but we know that as His children, he wants to give us bread and not stones, that he wants to hold us in our trials and despair and to come to him as children come to a loving parent. What peace there is in this walk with Him!

As we left the beauty of the forest, we had to stop and wait for two snakes (Eastern ribbon snakes) passing across the trial. After having experienced a precious time of God’s presence, I was almost afraid the snakes were going to turn and speak to us! The temptations of life never stop, the whisper of our enemy never ceases and it is ours to walk around and pass - to not stop and engage him. His goal is to kill and destroy and we see the evidence of his destructive work all through this fallen world.

A beautiful day that did much to restore us and revive us. On the drive home, we had to stop because of an horrible and sudden thunderstorm accompanied by massive amounts of marble-sized hail. It came out of nowhere as most storms in our lives do. We took refuge in a small store at the foot of a mountain, drinking coffee and sampling fudge. Peace in the storm.

May all of us walk that path that He has prepared before us - it is as real as the one we just took through the tornado flattened forest. It is the path we need to desire to walk, for it is the path of peace and the path prepared for us from the beginning.

As the hymn says, Only trust Him, Only trust Him...

With love,

Dave and Ann

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deut 29:29

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed…” Ps 107:29

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 15:26 as Jesus encouraged his disciples.

E Letter

We've received a number of notes that seem to indicate that some of our friends did not receive our email newsletter that occurred time-wise between our last two blog postings.  So, we are including the bulk of that text below, although updated a bit.  Yes, it is true that we have left Mozambique and are presently state-side.  This was a sudden change but we realize God is over all of our plans and steps, all are ordered by God  May you be encouraged by realizing all that has been accomplished.

Milestones  

March 2012 Village Pastors Graduate from the rural training centers.  This is the first graduation at our extension seminary sites.  Thirty students will graduate, thirty more will graduate in August 2012, and 10 will receive certificates of participation.  Many of the student pastors have already started churches and some of those churches have planted other churches to the 4th generation.  Over the last 4 years, these students have studied and received guidance and discipleship from their training pastor.  Now the training pastors will start new training centers in other unreached areas, thus expanding the Village Church Planting (VCP) program.  May God provide all that is needed to saturate these rural areas with churches. 

February 7, 2012  classes began for the 3rd year at the Maputo Biblical and Theological Seminary.  We are especially thankful that the VCP training and the foundation year of our Maputo seminary are essentially the same, bringing standardized theological instruction to all of Mozambique.  Our Maputo seminary students planted 23 new churches this past year!  All of the seminary educational focus, whether at the Maputo seminary or the village training centers is focused on pastoral training, church planting and multiplication.  Xavier (professor at the seminary) told us that when the students received the training, they said "we have to do what we have been taught for the Glory of God" and the fruit was 23 new worshipping groups.  Only God can receive the glory for this!

February 2012 marks our 5 year anniversary of service.  During the last 5 years, we have labored to develop 14 rural training centers, each training men and women to plant and pastor churches in unreached village areas under the guidance of the OMS 'Into Africa' program.  Simultaneously, we endeavored to develop a young denomination, Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva, to have a 'Great Commission' heart.  This has been a monumental effort and came with tremendous struggle and sacrifice and would have been impossible except for the Lord's provision.  One of our long standing goals was to push into the Niassa province with VCP.   A new training center will open in Niassa in mid 2012. Thanks be to God.

Reorganization, Redirection and Resting in God's Hands

We have spoken before of the OMS Mozambique reorganization.  In times of war, changes in strategy, personnel and equipment are used to bring a fresh assault.  In missionary work, we are in a full war.  We have fought many battles and continued forward as God gave one victory after another.  But, make no mistake, the battles have been costly.  At this time, OMS has decided with an intentional strategy to reorganize our Mozambican team and work.  Let us all support this plan with prayer.

We have been asked to move into the overall Village Pastoral Training for the Portuguese speaking African countries.  We are praying about this expanded role now and will be speaking and meeting with our South Africa and US partners over the next few months to understand the logistics and specifics of such a change.  This is not an obvious or easy decision for us and we need to know we have God's Call to move in this direction.

The Mozambique Village Church Planting (VCP) work will remain partnered with the OMS partner denomination, Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva.  After these years of modeling, assisting and discipling, we have released the management of our work to the Mozambicans we have trained.  We think the evangelism and church planting work will continue to grow and thrive as it is God who has chosen this time for us to release the work.  Cover this change of command with prayers of protection and provision.  The Wesleyan Church has come along side to lend support during this transition with logistics related to the Jesus Film and coordination and selection of new areas for the training centers.

As our days in Mozambique have come to an end, we wish to thank you all for standing with us so faithfully.  We are now praying for the green light to accept the expanded role with OMS South Africa or other roles within the world of OMS.  Please pray with us.  A change in country and work is not easily done lest the Lord direct the way.  We hope to have something concrete to share with you very soon regarding future missionary assignment.

We remain thankful for our support team of individuals and churches.

Prayer Needs:

Pray for wisdom and vision to discern the next step to take in ministry.  We have many decisions to make in the coming weeks.  May all that we do bring honor to God.

Pray for protection and guidance for Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva as they step out and step up to reach their country for Christ.  They will now partner independently with the Into Africa project and move toward a ministry partnership with OMS.  This is a big step for OMS and for PV.

Cover our field team with prayer during the months of February and March as many events and changes are occurring.  

The first graduations of the Village Pastoral training will take place in the north of the country, the Maputo seminary began it's 3rd year on Feb 7th.   

For now, we are resting in God's hands

Love,

Dave and Ann

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

More Praise

One of the things that we and many of our friends have been praying about for a very log time is a 'real job' for our third daughter.  She graduated from the University of Tennessee and worked in her field for one month before being laid off in the economic collapse.  So, after three years of surviving on whatever, she just started what we call a 'real job' that includes benefits.  And, she gets to move out of her college apartment!  We have been so encouraged by Lynsey's strength and forbearance in these difficult times.  We were blessed to swing through Knoxville for mother's day and celebrate this good news with her.  She has always been a special joy in our lives and we often refer to her as our 'neat kid' because she is, well...really a neat kid, well, young lady now.  More nicknames in future blogs!

Thank you for praying.  Thank you for this answer to prayer that relieves us so as we make our final preparations to return to Mozambique.

Please continue to pray about our shipment.  We still are baffled by the apparent inability to ship personal effects over to Mozambique because of Homeland Security requirements.  So many people tell us, oh yes, we can do that, only to say latter, 'no, we can't because of homeland security requirements.'  Crazy crazy times.   We are continuing to pack, trusting God in even this mundane but necessary task.  We are baffled.  How can any small business even survive in the face of something as simple as this?  We may be going back a whole lot lighter than we thought!

Photo is of us on mother's day with our 'neat kid' as we left her apartment to walk to church.  What a wonderful day it was.

Dave and Ann


"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.  Show the wonder of your great love..." Psalm 17:7
 

A Great Sermon

Last weekend we were blessed to celebrate Easter with daughter Allison and Son Byron in Greenville, SC.  Byron is on staff with Summit Church and we always enjoy attending this outreach church in Greenville.  I was particularly moved by Sunday morning's sermon as it brought a perspective that I'd not heard before.  It was built around when Jesus exited the tomb those years ago and the stone was rolled away, there was no one there waiting.  He had promised he would arise, people had heard it, but they just didn't 'get it'.  We struggle in that same vein today in that in our finite understanding, we often just don't 'get it' as the finite meets the infinite.  But by the Grace of God, go I.....May we all 'get it' this day.

Anyway, I was really moved by the teaching and thought some of you might enjoy it if you have 30 minutes or so and want to stream it.  I wish there was video included so you could see the passion in Pastor Jason's eyes and his style.   Here is the link:

http://www.summitupstate.org/sermons/outsiders-a-study-through-luke/luke-241-12-easter-outsiders-pt12

We had a great day celebrating Christ's resurrection, spending time walking around the lake at Furman University with Al and Bryon and just continuing to enjoy spring.  And of course, Allison is a cook beyond belief and we had a fantabulous Easter meal.  God is good to us.....all the time.....

Blessings.

Dave

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.'  But he answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'" (Matthew 28:38-40, NKJV)

God's world is simple in a magnificent way

After several months of travel, we arrived yesterday back at the cabin where we are beginning our preparations to return to Mozambique.  (My plan is to do a blog on statistics in the coming weeks).   As we drove south from Pittsburgh, the world became greener as we moved into spring.  The brown has turned to green and the Ornamental Pear trees, probably my most favorite tree, were moving from the white blossoms into their beautiful green; I had worried I would miss this favorite part of spring but God blessed us with this wonder of his creation as we drove south.

Ann said something as we traveled back to the cabin that was quite profound:

“God’s world is simple in a magnificent way”.  

It just rang true with me.  The Gospel is simple; God’s requirement for us to simply believe in Jesus is quite simple; our reliance on Him totally is quite simple; and the concept that He loves us beyond measure - well, it is quite simple. And yet, he can take us through the toughest and complex trial, by simply trusting Him.  And the beauty of the spring, the consistency of the spring flowers, the summer skies, the fall colors, and the purity of the snow.  Simply beautiful and a testimony of His love for us.

Life can be extremely difficult and there are no promises that things will be easy - it is a lie that we want to buy into but it just isn’t scriptural.  But armed with simple child-like faith, we see his mighty hand move in the most difficult situations as to the One who spoke things into existence, our most complex problem is, well, simple.  As Jesus says, “Trust in God, trust also in Me...”  It’s that simple!

We were greeted at the cabin by a beautiful patch of daffodils, attesting that spring is truly here.  I remain so thankful that we have this beautiful place of respite and once again, we are able to do devotions sitting on the porch viewing a world that cries out to the existence of a Holy God.  This one picture is of the sun burning through the cloud.  

I have begun to study the Book of Acts again as we prepare to return to Mozambique.  This precious book is rich with the history of the early church and God’s working to protect and establish His church.  I cannot study this book without feeling a sense of awe and even though I’ve taught through this book many times, it never gets old and I see new truths each time.

Tomorrow, we hit the road again to speak to the students at Mount Carmel School in Kentucky.  When I look at the map, it appears to me you can’t get there from here, so we are assured of a beautiful drive through the Appalachian Mountains.   We will then return for a couple of days before heading over to the Raleigh-Durham region to meet some friends from Idaho who will be consulting at Duke University hospital.  

We are praying earnestly for God’s direction on our preparations for returning to Mozambique.  We have quite a bit things we need to take back to Mozambique, more than we can check as baggage.  Even if we could, the theft problems in Jo-burgh are severe and we have learned from experience that one should minimize luggage going through that airport.  More times than not, our bags have been broken into and things removed at that airport.  Air cargo eliminates that problem and while it was exceedingly easy to ship from Mozambique to here, we have found it virtually impossible to ship air cargo from here to Mozambique because of Homeland Security regulations.  We have called numerous Freight Forwarders who initially say “sure” and then call us back later to say it is impossible.  The requirements are intense and while maybe a business can eventually get approved to air ship, the individual can’t.  South African Air told us they would receive a $25,000 fine if they accepted a shipment from us since we are ‘unknown shippers’.  So, our deadly audio bibles, wedding dresses, baby blankets, medical supplies, and keyboard can’t go!  Incredible to me but then again, when has government involvement in anything ever made it better?  Opps, is that a political comment?; I don’t think so - has nothing to do with politics - just government.  It all seems horribly anti-business to me.

Pray with us; we may just send some things by boat, but then we have to deal with long time frames and getting things through the port in Maputo can be very problematic and expensive.  We need to resolve this quickly as it is time to purchase our airline tickets but we are stalling until we know where we ship from.

A seemingly complex problem that is, well, simple to Him!

Make it so, dear Lord!  This is our prayer today; may we follow your leading - not our ways, but Yours!

Dave & Ann

“Did not our hearts glow within us while He was talking to us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32 (Berkeley Version)

Japan - opportunity to help through OMS

In my last blog, I mentioned our friends Donn and Daisy who are OMS missionaries to Japan.  We, like you, have watched with horror the incredible events happening in Japan.  This old world that we live on is a dynamic and changing place and the more we think we (as humans) are in control, the more it seems life demonstrates that we really aren't.

And of course, because of my 'before missions' life, I have watched with fascination the nuclear problems, never believing that with all the safeguards and design redundancies, that such a thing could happen.  Again, we think we humans can control every eventuality - we can't.   We do the very best that we can to plan but in the end, we depend upon faith, whether it be in our government, our leaders (be nice if we had some), our technology, and our desire that nothing should change (it does!).  There is only one place you can put your faith and trust with confidence.   Our time here on earth is but a vapor and their are no guarantees. Tomorrow a comet could crash through the atmosphere changing everything we consider as normal.  Peace only comes through trusting in a God who loves us and who is not limited by time, knowing the beginning and the end all at the same time.  We have the promise of eternal life and the peace that surpasses all understanding as we work together to do what we can to make this world a better place.

The following is from our friends living outside of Tokyo as of today:

Donn and I went to bed early last night and were sleeping when we were
jolted awake by a strong aftershock that we heard later was centered in
Yamanashi prefecture, near Mt. Fuji.  The shaking was so severe that we
scrambled out of bed to throw on some clothes and go outside, but the
shaking stopped before we got that far.  We continue to speak, "Peace
be still" to the shifting foundations of this nation in crisis, as
Jesus did to the winds and the waves in the midst of a storm, and to pray
against fear which is contributing to the crisis here.  The following was
posted on one website:


JAPAN EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION
"Please refrain from over-stocking supplies 
"Food and supplies are selling out from the stores in the Tokyo
Metropolitan area, however this may cause in running short of supplies for
the worst stricken areas. Japanese government has announced that there are
enough supplies in stock. Please act calmly with patience." 
Panic buying continues to be a big problem.  One of the other missionaries
said she saw one woman buying four or five loaves of bread (Japanese-style
loaves, of course), and some of my students said the stores were out of
toilet paper.  Some shelves at the grocery store we visited yesterday were
completely bare.  
Although totals are changing constantly, here are some figures recently
posted:
"About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity
in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the
government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water. Tens
of thousands of people were missing. 
"Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for placecountry-regionJapan at
Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will
likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region
hit by the quake and tsunami." 
Please continue to pray with us for power/water/gas to be restored to
these homes soon and for the missing to be found.  


People have been asking, "How can we help?"  The following is
part of an email from Joel Silverman at OMS Greenwood:


"We are getting a lot of inquiries and questions with regard to the
OMS response to the Tsunami in placecountry-regionJapan. We have set up
project account #404180 for all donations. These donations will be used
for relief of those affected by the disaster. The exact use of these funds
will be forthcoming as we assess how we can best help the victims and
effectively witness for Christ among those suffering. As usual we want to
coordinate through our church partners in country-regionplaceJapan." 


The Nuclear crisis continues to be a huge cause for concern as all workers
were removed briefly from the building today because of escalating amounts
of radiation being released.  However, they have since returned.  Please
continue to pray for this crisis to be brought under control, as well as
praying for peace for the families of Japan missionaries who are in the
States and very concerned about their loved ones.

Lord, in our limited capacities, we have a hard time understanding the tragedies that occur across this world.  We see this tremendous problem in Japan and it overwhelms our understanding, yet every day in the cities within our own borders, as well as across the world, great tragedies continue to happen where man, without God, and in his own self-centeredness, perpetrates great harm to others.  A world without Christ is actually a hopeless place.  Come soon Lord Jesus.

Please guide the relief workers and thank you for the resources good people are bringing to bear on this horrific event.  We need Your help, the organizations responding need Your help, and the people of Japan need You and Your help.  Help us oh Lord.  Amen.

Help to Japan through OMS:

One Mission Society
Japan Relief - #404180
PO Box 1648
Monument, Co 80132-1648

Dave and Ann

The disciples asked Jesus in the crisis of their own age: "...what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?


Jesus answered: '...for many will come in my name, claiming, "I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginnings of birth pains.... for there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again....


Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come...."


Matthew 24