Monday, January 24, 2011

Worship


“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is.”

“God’s worldwide purpose is to gather joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe, and tongue, and people and nation.”


Both these quotes are hanging on the wall of our Wycliffe classroom. How often do I do something at church or in the community because I feel obligated to serve? How often do we, in the US, get so focused on doing things and forget it is out of honor and worship that we should serve. There is nothing wrong with helping in children’s ministry, vacation bible school, the church choir, volunteering at a food bank or the countless other ways we can serve. But what I forget is, what God really wants – us. Time with us and He wants our worship.

Last week I found out that a dear friend of mine does not have much time left on earth, because she is losing her battle with cancer. My first response was- I am going to miss her, her family is really going to miss her, she is such a blessing to those around her and she will soon be gone.

My second thought was, now that we are going into missions and ultimately going to move to Tanzania, far from all our friends and family, how many more times am I going to get news like this via email or Facebook? How many times will I not have a chance to say goodbye? How many funerals will I miss? I also know the Lord our God carries us as a man carries his son. (Deut 1:31). God will carry us through those times.

The next thing that God gave me was a beautiful image of my friend being greeted at the gates of heaven by all her family and friends that went to heaven before her. Then I saw her jumping with hands raised as she was singing and worshiping God, with a whole and new body.

I was reminded that this IS the reason that we, as a family, are moving to Tanzania. We will be helping with the translation of the Bible into 9 related languages. This way, many more can read and hear God’s word in their own language, can enter into a personal relationship with God, and can one day worship at the throne of God!
---Chris

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday Equip Training Update


It is still chilly here, but our children braved the pool anyhow! In any case, with highs around 70, it is much warmer than PA! ;-)

We have now completed our third full day of training! It is going fast. It has been very practical, covering topics such as an overview of the Bible Translation Process, the Biblical basis for seeking prayer and financial partnerships to support missionaries, Spiritual Warfare, and how Wycliffe determines how much money we will need to cover our living costs in Tanzania.

As a part of the Spiritual Warfare teaching, it was highlighted that a primary desire of Satan is to see relationships disrupted or destroyed. This is true in any relationship- whether it is with friends, between spouses, or your relationship with Christ. In retrospect, it is obvious. But it is very helpful for me to think of it this way.

We have also had wonderful times of worship each day! A great quote is: ‘Missions is not the purpose of the church, Worship is!’ In our busy lives, we don’t often take the time to worship. This time has been very refreshing!

Some of the topics are very specific to our becoming missionaries. But many of the topics and experiences would be beneficial to anyone. We are very blessed to be able to participate in this training. Thanks to all of you who are praying for us during this time and to those who contributed to make it possible for us to attend!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Jan 12, 2011 Update

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Christ. The picture above is of Luke building snow forts in the snow today! :-)

Another story from my trip to Tanzania- While I was in Musoma, I had a chance to meet lots of people, see around the town, market, and the translation center. There were times when I was very excited and other times when I felt overwhelmed. On my last full day, I went to church with one of the missionaries. Everything was in Swahili, so I didn’t understand a thing. :-) At some point, the missionary whispered the verse references to me so that I could read the passages the pastor was preaching on. One of them was Philippians 4:4-7. These are verses I know well, but needed to be reminded of them on that day- in that place.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heats and mind in Christ Jesus.”

My response? Ok. I get it! I spent the rest of the service giving my anxious concerns to God and resting in his peace. God spoke to me through a pastor preaching in a language I didn’t even understand! Maybe you have worries or concerns that are consuming you. If so, I challenge you to memorize and meditate on these verses. May God’s peace guard your heart and mind!

This weekend we (our whole family) will be traveling to the Wycliffe Offices in Orlando, Florida for two weeks of training. Christine and Keith will be in classes during the day. The children will be with tutors in the mornings so that they can keep up with their school work, and then have various activities in the afternoon. We are all really looking forward to it.

Praises:
-          For providing the financial resources for our training in January.
-          For you- our wonderful friends and family! We have really appreciated your questions about how it is going and your prayers for us. It has also been great to catch up with old friends. Please let us know what’s going on in your lives and how we can pray for you as well.
Prayer Requests:
-          Pray for our health and safety as our family travels to Florida and that we will make the most of our training.
-          Pray that we grow closer as a family as a result of this trip and the training.
-          Pray that God will continue to meet our financial needs and that God would continue to strengthen our faith.


This picture is of Nikki, playing school and telling us about Tanzania. ;-)