teamwork part ii...expounding on the teaser from the last entry
Hello teammates......
I recently married an Asian lady. However, before bringing her back w/me in Jan., I solo traveled. The best adventures run on flex----& spontaneity is the best way t’ roll. So, I was ready when a vague impression hit…..that refugees from the “a” country might be in a megacity. Arriving there late one (Wed.) night at the hub, I got a cheap place. Although I’m very slow to say, “God told me….”, the impression intensified. What if I was wrong & God’s best was for me to stay where I’d been? Read on. You’ll likely agree that it wasn’t a fig newton of my imagination. But, if going to that megacity was imperfect obedience, He used it!
Ya never know what teammates God will bring. Recalling an Aussie contact who’d often mentioned a believing refugee woman living in that town, I contacted Bill. He introduced us via WhatsApp. “G” is originally from the “p country”, (directly east of “a”). She knew of no refugees from the “a” community residing there, but within a few hrs, had made contact w/one of their leaders, who quickly facilitated our planning a social! I promptly packed & moved close to the bleak housing project where they live. Across town, G & her family hosted me for a prayer meeting that (Fri.) night & plans began taking shape for the following day.
That (Sat.) morning, we bought & boxed $250 worth of food bought on 3x the bang of what a buck can buy here. From 2-4 p.m., G & her 2 sisters shared a meal while our guests described their sorrows. As families left, we gave the food, along w/small monetary gifts, to each. What joy to see refugees serving refugees!!!....Like Daniel (also a refugee engaged in Kingdom service), our situation is irrelevant. God wants to bloom us in whatever “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) that each is moving through.
We can’t solve their profound problems, but we CAN offer little rays of hope….the likes of which have been known to spark movements! More Kingdom bang for the buck than lighting up buildings, which could close permanently w/another pandemic.
That Tues. night, I taught English to some young men, ages 14-25. When asked to teach the next day, I asked them to select a “leader” to streamline communication. Providentially, they picked B, a man of peace (Luke 10:6) & very much the leader they declared him to be. He’s 18. His little brother, Z, is now 15. B loves him well. He’s chosen to offer good reports about their parents despite near certainty that they were killed by the regime. Not sure what I'd do.
We hung out at least 3 hrs every day & the lessons continued wherever we went. Although refugees in every sense, the teenagers among them were teenagers, complete w/the tomfoolery & horseplay seen in the halls of any high school. It felt like hope to see how kids are kids, even in the deep marrow of crisis. On the last day (Sunday), I told them that I had a 5:30 meeting. They asked “where?”. I told them “Church”. They invited themselves! Upon meeting the pastors, they were invited to join the Church’s home school, which offers quality h.s. degrees…..provided that they learn English & the local language. Very handy that my wife has taught ESL professionally. We still teach them English 3x weekly on WhatsApp, but only B & Z now attend. She thinks that Z will be adequately fluent in 3 months! Anyone interested in teaching English via WhatsApp? Pls contact me. Approx. 30 other refugees want to learn.
B started asking spiritual questions that desperate people in the other Abrahamic religion ask……like, “Why does God hate me?”……I told him the entire world is defiled, but God loves him. Avoiding theological deep weeds, I put him in contact w/R, whose Jesus dream (refer to the 5/16 and 7/4 entries) is weightier than my “wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:26-31) at this point. I told R…..”If he asks u something u can’t answer, tell him to ask me.” So, R has gone from a passive recipient of our ministry to being on the team! The Spirit has also been using this bro in other anointed ways around his people.
B & Z are technically illegal. It’s a mystery how they survive. He knows I can’t solve their problems. However, I have committed to paying their very modest rent. The important thing: Involvement in their lives so that they have a bit more hope…..We actually CAN take our money to heaven by blessing others. Small gifts, otherwise stranded in the material realm, undergo something of a resurrection & are catapulted into the spirit realm when offered in Jesus’ Name. (Matt. 10:42) Whatever you think of the budget cuts, know that refugees are also impacted. The time is now. The global Church must return to its roots. We’d do well to study the history of community formation in the early Church beginning w/Acts 2:42-47…..instead of relying on governments, NGO’s & secular humanitarian assistance.
……The video below is of Emmanuel Jal, whose powerful message & song pays tribute to British aid worker, Emma McCune, who rescued him. At age 7, he was forced to join the Sudan People’s Liberation Army…….Yeah. 7…….In many ways, an exemplary humanitarian, she was very complex. She was the wife of an even more complex African warlord. Although unlikely that Emma McCune was a believer, she was a heroine to the many kids she saved. Despite her mixed record, this song energizes me & I hope it energizes you! May the Church rise to the occasion presented to us!
Ya never know what teammates God will bring. Recalling an Aussie contact who’d often mentioned a believing refugee woman living in that town, I contacted Bill. He introduced us via WhatsApp. “G” is originally from the “p country”, (directly east of “a”). She knew of no refugees from the “a” community residing there, but within a few hrs, had made contact w/one of their leaders, who quickly facilitated our planning a social! I promptly packed & moved close to the bleak housing project where they live. Across town, G & her family hosted me for a prayer meeting that (Fri.) night & plans began taking shape for the following day.
That (Sat.) morning, we bought & boxed $250 worth of food bought on 3x the bang of what a buck can buy here. From 2-4 p.m., G & her 2 sisters shared a meal while our guests described their sorrows. As families left, we gave the food, along w/small monetary gifts, to each. What joy to see refugees serving refugees!!!....Like Daniel (also a refugee engaged in Kingdom service), our situation is irrelevant. God wants to bloom us in whatever “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) that each is moving through.
We can’t solve their profound problems, but we CAN offer little rays of hope….the likes of which have been known to spark movements! More Kingdom bang for the buck than lighting up buildings, which could close permanently w/another pandemic.
That Tues. night, I taught English to some young men, ages 14-25. When asked to teach the next day, I asked them to select a “leader” to streamline communication. Providentially, they picked B, a man of peace (Luke 10:6) & very much the leader they declared him to be. He’s 18. His little brother, Z, is now 15. B loves him well. He’s chosen to offer good reports about their parents despite near certainty that they were killed by the regime. Not sure what I'd do.
We hung out at least 3 hrs every day & the lessons continued wherever we went. Although refugees in every sense, the teenagers among them were teenagers, complete w/the tomfoolery & horseplay seen in the halls of any high school. It felt like hope to see how kids are kids, even in the deep marrow of crisis. On the last day (Sunday), I told them that I had a 5:30 meeting. They asked “where?”. I told them “Church”. They invited themselves! Upon meeting the pastors, they were invited to join the Church’s home school, which offers quality h.s. degrees…..provided that they learn English & the local language. Very handy that my wife has taught ESL professionally. We still teach them English 3x weekly on WhatsApp, but only B & Z now attend. She thinks that Z will be adequately fluent in 3 months! Anyone interested in teaching English via WhatsApp? Pls contact me. Approx. 30 other refugees want to learn.
B started asking spiritual questions that desperate people in the other Abrahamic religion ask……like, “Why does God hate me?”……I told him the entire world is defiled, but God loves him. Avoiding theological deep weeds, I put him in contact w/R, whose Jesus dream (refer to the 5/16 and 7/4 entries) is weightier than my “wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:26-31) at this point. I told R…..”If he asks u something u can’t answer, tell him to ask me.” So, R has gone from a passive recipient of our ministry to being on the team! The Spirit has also been using this bro in other anointed ways around his people.
B & Z are technically illegal. It’s a mystery how they survive. He knows I can’t solve their problems. However, I have committed to paying their very modest rent. The important thing: Involvement in their lives so that they have a bit more hope…..We actually CAN take our money to heaven by blessing others. Small gifts, otherwise stranded in the material realm, undergo something of a resurrection & are catapulted into the spirit realm when offered in Jesus’ Name. (Matt. 10:42) Whatever you think of the budget cuts, know that refugees are also impacted. The time is now. The global Church must return to its roots. We’d do well to study the history of community formation in the early Church beginning w/Acts 2:42-47…..instead of relying on governments, NGO’s & secular humanitarian assistance.
……The video below is of Emmanuel Jal, whose powerful message & song pays tribute to British aid worker, Emma McCune, who rescued him. At age 7, he was forced to join the Sudan People’s Liberation Army…….Yeah. 7…….In many ways, an exemplary humanitarian, she was very complex. She was the wife of an even more complex African warlord. Although unlikely that Emma McCune was a believer, she was a heroine to the many kids she saved. Despite her mixed record, this song energizes me & I hope it energizes you! May the Church rise to the occasion presented to us!
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