Scotland May 2011: Day 5

May 23, 2011

“Britain better prepared for volcanic ash that may reach UK airspace later this week.” – Headline, The Washington Post

8:00 a.m. Breakfast.

We woke up this morning to the commencement of what is predicted to be hurricane like winds.  No sweat. God’s in control.

As we go through our morning devotions, I am reminded by Anthony of a statement that we heard from Rodger last night, a young man that works closely with David Black.  Actually it’s his son-in-law. (Surprised?)  Anyway, he took us aside and told us that the meeting we had the first day that we were here, where he was one of the fourteen people in attendance, was really special to him.  Elder Jerry stated at the outset of the meeting that we were “tickled” to be there just for those fourteen people. Further, if God had sent us all the way from New York and had us go through the headaches that we encountered in travel just for those few people in that room that day, then it was all worth it.  Rodger told us that when he heard that, it was like a confirmation from God that we had been sent there by God just for him.  Talk about leaving the ninety-nine for the one!  That small gesture of appreciation of our brief presence in his life spoke volumes to all of us.  I misspoke last night when I said that today was the beginning of our real work.  God’s real work had already been done.  I suspect that Rodger was already on fire for Christ but now, as Anthony put it, he was like a lion in cage ready to be loosed for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Anything that happens from here on out on this mission is just icing on the cake.

10:30 a.m. Looking out of my window, just as I finished the last sentence above, the winds have calmed somewhat and I hear birds chirping.

11:00 a.m. Wind has picked back up as we head to Glasgow to have a business luncheon.

12:00 Noon. – We arrive in Glasgow at Destiny Church close to Cathedral Square, not after some circling of the city. Got a little lost. We actually were right in front of the church a few minutes early but then made a couple of left turns too many and then some more left turns and we wound up in front of Cathedral Square again about 10 to 15 minutes later.  We were actually following someone, Chris Jewell, one of the Inverclyde Christian Initiative leaders that became our host for this mission trip.  God does have a sense of humor.  Just a little reminder of who is really in control.  I am thinking “Really? I think we finally got it.”

Anyway, were greeted by Gayle. She is a Christian interested in bringing other Christians in business together for networking.  She together with Chris J. set up this panel discussion to help her small community think of new ways to come together as Christians in the business community to help others.  Even with the Hurricane speed winds she manages to attract about 15 or so people to her gathering.  Oh yeah, she is also a mother of five with a puppy and a husband.  And I am thinking “Really? Okay I think we got it.”

After a brief lunch, Gayle ushers us into the panel area where she has a long table set up for us to speak from. Across from the table is about three or four rows of chairs that probably seats about 20 people.  She basically filled up her venue. She introduced us one by one and we each gave about a 5-6 minute testimony. Anthony actually cut his short to about 2 minutes because Elder Jerry’s bio takes up about 20 minutes in and of itself, which he had to cut down.  (He managed to fit it into 10 minutes.)  We were all impressed.  (Like I said Anthony is a sweet and attentive person with a really tender heart.  His wife didn’t pay me to say that either.) By the way, Gayle is one most polished moderators that I have ever had the pleasure of watching.  She very masterfully got us through our bios and went on to Q&A and managed to host the entire event in an hour and a half, just long enough for her guests’ lunch break. Remember this is a luncheon at the start of the work week.  Further, in that time, the panel was navigated through some very thoughtful questions.  The base question that Gayle wanted us to address as a group is “How do we live out our faith in the workplace?”

A few nuggets that I took away:  One is continued admiration for my team members. Although, each of them has had very high powered positions in their professional life, not one has let themselves be corrupted by self importance, power or money. Further, they had such a love for Christ that they were willing to take a stand on moral and ethical dilemmas even if it meant some personal cost to them, big or small:

Anthony:  it’s the little things that count, even when no one else is looking or would ever discover them. Lie a little bit to gain an advantage over adversaries? Record a little more time here and there with reporting billable hours?  Nope. Not interested.

Steve:  gave up the pulpit to go into the business world because that’s where he felt God calling him. He knew that God would somehow use him more effectively in the business setting. I am sure that was hard to do, although he would never admit it. Within his first week of his first job, though, he led a few of his coworkers to Christ. Although he didn’t say it, I think God gave him a simple reward for his simple obedience.  As additional reward for his obedience, God gave him favor with his last employer for 27 years, moving him around to many different positions because he committed to accept the job on a long term basis on the condition that his employer passed a brief 2 year probationary period in which they proved their commitment to principles that he thought matched his Christian faith. He is now retired with a peace about his initial decision to go into business. (Because God does have a sense of humor, we are guessing that God was just training him for something during his 35 year business career and his retirement will be more like a sabbatical.)

Darrell: told his company on day one that he was a Christian and not to call him on Sunday because that was time for his God, his wife and his children and the body of Christ.  The first weekend after he started working, his bossed received complaints about his miserable Sunday work ethic.  Guess what? His boss did his work for him. He has had favor in unexpected ways since then.  Not always without some cost though, as he is very careful to point out.

Karen: although she will swear that she is not a tough person, she has had to suffer through death threats because of her commitment to honesty, integrity and fair justice. You wouldn’t know that from seeing her on this trip, she has such a peace about her, the Laughing Lawyer that she is.

Elder Jerry: gave up very lucrative career prospects to spend more time serving the Lord.  Went from managing as many as 27 people in his professional career to managing one, himself, which in many ways may be harder, given that the most his bosses could do to him was give him bad reviews or at worst fire him.  With God, the word fire has a much more significant meaning.

The other nugget that we took away was that the people in that room really wanted a biblical basis to back up their business decisions and were committed to represent God in the right way in their everyday professional life. This was a great opportunity for them to meet and network with likeminded people in their area.  Chris J. later told us that he thought the meeting was gentle but effective. He himself had made several connections that would help further various ministries that he was either involved with or aware of. He was also already looking to mentor a woman that he’d never met before with how to better manage a café that she was using to help give teenagers an alternative to clubs. Chris J.’s church ran a café bookshop.  Sound familiar?  Think East Harlem.

3:00 p.m. We split into two teams.  Elder Jerry, Anthony and Karen head off to a small impoverished community in Glasgow with two local missionaries from America. Not sure they were feeling it.  Steve and I went off together with Chris J., first to see a printing press plant and do a little shopping for his very first granddaughter and then to meet some crazy missionary.

4:00 p.m. Steve and I began our meeting with this daft (Scottish) former missionary, Trev. about some crazy idea that he has about helping local women in Ghana manufacture soap from their indigenous Shea tree, the proceeds of which would keep them from having to sell their children into a human trafficking network, in which 7-10 year-old boys were sold to fishermen who would throw them overboard to un-snag their nets (most died within 6 months of service) and in which the girls would be sold into the sex trade or some other form of slavery. (Trev reported that the United States State Department published a report that establishes that 12,000 people a year disappear from this area in Ghana due to trafficking.)

In addition to that nonsense, this Trev fella was looking to train the boys at The Haven in the soap manufacturing process and in doing so help them with vocational training along the way with the ultimate goal of reinserting them into the job market.  Apparently, in all this crazy thinking, he had gotten the Minister of Narcotics in Ghana to team up with The Haven to learn from their faith based program and use it as a catalyst for some real change in Ghana. The Haven graduates would presumably spend some time in Ghana training the government how to run a Teen Challenge type of program.  Further, this crazy missionary guy had gotten local schools to provide the right type of vocational training to The Haven.  This guy was also talking about connecting Nepalese tree farmers using sustainable methods with impoverished Ghanaian tree farmers who were just trying to save their children and with former drug addicts from Scotland.  Absolutely crazy.

Boy was I feeling it though, so much so that I asked the crazy missionary/soap farmer to repeat his nonsense for the benefit of Elder Jerry, Anthony and Karen when they later joined us. By the end, we were all feeling it.  What was that contagion?  Was it the smell of the soap that he gave us to sample? Was it the wrapping that we all felt? Was it the glint in Steve’s eye, who just earlier that day showed us a video of the Mars Incorporated principles, which highlighted sustainable farming methods in the cocoa manufacturing process while at the same time helping impoverished communities begin to enrich themselves with a sense of purpose and their humanity? Was it our excitement of the prospect of seeing first hand this coming Wednesday The Haven manufacturing process at work?  All of the above. There is not a doubt in any of our minds that God’s hand is at work here.

7:00 p.m. Trev, that very sane person with a very sane vision with a heart for missions left our team for dinner but left us with some crazy thoughts of our own.  In my mind’s eye, I see Anthony headed off to the U.N. as soon as he gets his hands on the State Department Report.  Karen is close at his heals with all the fire power that she has learned in 17 years as a prosecutor at her disposal. (Watch out. Did I say Steve was tough?  Karen dented our car earlier today and only broke a fingernail.)  Elder Jerry is thinking about one of our elders back at TSC and his Nigerian contacts. I am probably the only cautious one there. I am thinking that I bet I can help raise $670,000 over three years to help this cause.  Steve, well, retirement was a nice thought. Sound familiar?

8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. We head out to the Teen Challenge Bus to help minister.  We wound up being ministered to…

Debbie, now 35, showed up on the bus.  She is currently going through the Teen Challenge Program.  She was one of the people who gave their testimony in Port Glasgow last night.  My first impression of her was that she looked like a normal person in her right man. As I began to talk to her, I realized that she was. She wasn’t supposed to be in town but she was on compassion leave because her mother was ill.  Still she found the time to give her testimony last night and then to minister on the bus tonight.  And minister she did and then some.  Even tough as nails, Laughing Lawyer, Karen was seriously struggling to hold back her tears by the time Debbie finished.

While Debbie was on the bus, two people that she knew from her past life of addiction boarded the bus with us.  The first person, Tracy, a woman, was completely floored when she saw Debbie.  Tracy had to sit down.  She could not believe how good Debbie looked and sounded.  Then, Steven, who had once saved Debbie’s life by rushing her to an emergency room came on the bus, he was equally shocked.  The night he saved her, Debbie was smoking heroin and had overdosed.  (She later told me that was the first time that she didn’t try to kill herself and she almost died.)  Jamie had testified earlier that he only went on the bus to talk to people in their right mind. Now Tracy and Steven were experiencing that with a truly God filled right-minded person who was once not in her right mind.  The vision of Debbie alone spoke volumes to them. Tracy allowed Elder Jerry to pray for her soon after that.  I know Tracy will soon be in her right mind, she left the bus raising “The Cross and the Switchblade” in the air shouting back to us that she is going to finish the book that she had only started reading that day because her T.V. unexpectedly broke.

Debbie later ministered to my heart as she told me about her history while freely quoting Scripture and walking me through Bible passages, explaining what they meant to her.  I sat listening in unbelief as I tried to picture Debbie in the same state that Tracy was in when she left…

When Debbie was 17, she owned a clothing store. She was very talented.  Then her father died and she began smoking heroin after someone laced a joint with it. She thought she had the flu at first because she kept smoking it but didn’t know what it was.  Later, she became addicted to it and began sinking deeper into an unhealthy and violent relationship with the guy that first laced her joint. (Ironically, the same guy was saved from death by Steven.  I pray that they both will eventually have the same testimony as Debbie.)  Part of her dependence on drugs and the relationship had to do with the fact that the authority in her life disappeared.  It also had to do with the fact that she was born with Spina Bifida (a hole in her spine) and Cerebal Palsy that affected her left foot that knarled her toes. (She showed me a photo of her foot.) She walked around for 35 years with terrible pain.  At some point after her near death experience, she found the Teen Challenge Bus and got on.  She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior this past August, all because someone took time out of their day to show her that she wasn’t just a junkie. Rather she is a precious child of God.  She can make clothing, quote Scripture, sing, write poetry, preach, etc.  She has the ability to inspire through the joy and peace that she has found.  She is not ashamed of the Gospel.  She made sure that we all heard that. Since she has been saved and going through rehab, the Lord has completely taken away her pain.  And her toes are miraculously starting to uncurl after 35 years. I saw the picture.  (I only spend time to highlight the life of Debbie not because her story is any more miraculous than the others that the Teen Challenge ministry has touched.  I highlight it because only this morning I prayed that God show me how to really believe in the miracle of healing because I so want to be able to pray healing over Chris’s eye (separated retina) but if I have to be honest, I was afraid because I thought  “if it doesn’t work, will I somehow damage Chris’s faith?”)

The Lord is restoring and has restored all the years that canker worm has eaten up in Debbie’s life. She now has hope and restored vision. Once Debbie finishes rehab in a couple of months she plans on going to Bible school to really ground herself in the Word. I expect great things in the future from her life. But tonight…tonight Debbie has already achieved a great work in furtherance of God’s kingdom.  She strengthened my faith in exactly the way that I asked God to strengthen it and I am absolutely certain that she has strengthened everyone else’s on that bus in exactly the way that they petitioned God. It happened in the way only God can orchestrate and it happened all because someone believed that Debbie wasn’t’ just a junkie and was crazy enough to go out on a cold Scottish night to tell her. Sound familiar?  It should, they got their crazy idea from one daft man that had a similar crazy notion to put himself in harm’s way just to tell some gang member that “You could cut me up into a thousand pieces and lay them in the street, and every piece will still love you.”  The craziest thing of all is that this daft notion is why I am sitting here writing this in the middle of a hotel lobby when I should be sleeping.  If you have read this far, I hope that I have somehow communicated and infected you with this crazy heart of God.  If not, just wait until we lay hands on Chris and pray that God will absolutely heal him. Like I said, I am expecting great things…

Scotland May 2011: Day 4

May 22, 2011

Day 4: Wow!  Time flies when you are having fun.

8:30 a.m. Breakfast.  We slept in today.  Sunday is our day of rest.  Nothing big scheduled. Jerry is scheduled to preach at Greenock Elim, Pastor Fraser’s church. Then we head to the Haven for lunch.

10:30 a.m. All suited up, Elder Jerry in tie and Karen in pearls, we all pile into the car to drive to Greenock Elim.

10:35 a.m. We arrive at Greenock Elim.  We could have walked but it was raining and we didn’t quite know where we were going.  The church building that Greenock Elim uses for services must be at least a hundred years old. Glad we dressed up.  As we walked to the building, we were greeted by Jim, one of the members. Although the structure was imposing, the members were very casual and very warm.  As we entered, we met others, some in ties, while others were wearing jeans.  Actually, Elder Jerry was the only person in a tie.  Inside, the church was one big hall with vaulted ceilings and rows of chairs set up in the center.  At the end of the hall, there was the pulpit with band instruments and the elements for communion.

After greeting everyone in the church one by one, we were lead into a back room where the praise and worship team and Alistar, the senior elder met with us.  Alistar is Pastor Fraser’s father-in-law.  Everybody seems to be related somehow.  The lead singer is Alistar’s son and the other worship leaders were local volunteers.  I recognized Alan, one of the local high school teachers who hosted the last mission team in Greenock.  It was good to see him again.  We all felt very at home. There is a Scottish joke that says “When Americans are introduced to each other they ask each other’s names but when Scots introduce themselves, they don’t ask each other’s names because they already know them.”  There is definitely some truth to that. But in this instance, there was something more.  We felt very familiar to the people in that small room this morning and they to us. It quickly became very evident that we were in fact related. We were part of the same body of Christ.  We had a short intimate prayer and praise and worship time in that small antechamber before the service started and when we worshipped, we worshipped as one.  Later, during the main praise and worship, the same Spirit that filled that small back room filled the bigger hall and our family just got that much bigger.

After the worship, we had communion together.  It was a beautiful moment.  We sat in silent meditation as the bread (real bread) was passed around and without any further direction we took the bread in our own time at the Spirit’s leading.  Next, the wine (real juice) was passed around in silver (real sterling) communion cups.  Again, silent meditation and we partook at the Lord’s leading.  (Although Anthony and I had to check with each other to make sure that we were not being rude.  As an aside, I have come to learn just how sweet and attentive a person Anthony is.  This was only one of many instances of that.)

After partaking of communion, Elder Jerry began but rather than going immediately into the sermon, he introduced the group and had a short prayer then he introduced Steve to give his testimony.  Steve was great.  Steve is a tough as nails Southerner but in that moment, he made himself vulnerable for all of us.  He spoke about an experience where he had an opportunity to minister to a friend in a tragic situation after the death of his friend’s ten year old son some years back. Steve’s tenderness just shined through and you can see God’s heart as he began to well up with tears as he recounted the story. Tough as nails though, he continued and then recited poem about  “using the dash” referring to the dash between dates that you often see on tombstones, like 1931 “–“ 2011 (Pastor Dave).  The issue that the poem addressed is that it is not so important what happened at the bookend dates 1931 and 2011 but how you use your life in the period indicated by the dash.  “How will you use your dash?”

Elder Jerry then delivered a message on the person of Jesus and his infiniteness. I believe he really blessed the saints with a word of encouragement about the sovereignty of Jesus Christ in our lives.  At the end of the service we sat in silent prayer, opening our hearts to Him. There was a beautiful peace in the room.

This is supposed to be missions but there is no end to the ministering that God is doing in my own heart.  Wait. This is exactly what a mission trip is supposed to be about. Jesus himself said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34, English Standard Version)

2:00 p.m. After service we headed up for Church, that is lunch at the Haven and we received more than our share of nourishment for the day.  David Black hosted our team and regaled us with an exquisite lunch that we will remember for a long time to come.  He honored us as guests but treated us like family.

We initially sat in his parlor where he began to recount the history of the Haven and his ministry.  I could not do justice to his story if I tried.  He has a rich family history.  He really is related to most of the people that we met.  He can most easily be described as the current patriarch of a family with deep evangelical roots with a deep commitment to his community and a heart for the downtrodden among them, the addicted and the outcast.  That is what the Haven is, a place of retreat for broken lives to begin healing. It is simply amazing how much he has given of his life and his home to others. His door is always open. In some cases, he has invested years into young people’s lives. Suffering with them through their failures and rejoicing with them in their triumphs.  He truly exemplifies the two greatest commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind [and] You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39, ESV)

What struck me most about his testimony is that he started this ministry late in his life when he was very comfortable and really almost reluctantly took on this burden. He was 42, exactly my age today. I kept thinking of Steve’s words: “How will you use your dash?”

After hearing his testimony and breaking bread together, we were able to witness first hand some of the fruit God produced through his work at the Haven. He introduced us to some of the people that went through The Haven program.  One young man, Jamie, has such a heart for God. He is working full time and taking a correspondence course on the Bible.  He hopes to go to Tanzania to minister.  During his addiction, which was related to alcohol, he tells us that he sought out the Teen Challenge bus just because he just wanted to sit and talk to people that were in their right mind. Next we heard from, Luisa. I wasn’t able to hear her testimony, but the team told me later that she was a young woman who had been addicted to heroin and meth, so much so that her newly born daughter had to go through detoxification.  When I saw her, I had no idea.  God had totally changed her countenance.  She didn’t look like the monsters that those drugs have the power to turn people into. She was from my vantage point normal and in her right mind.  I expect that many people will be blessed by her.  While Luisa was giving her testimony, I had an opportunity to talk to William, who has been my pen pal for the past few months, since I was here in November.  He is studying computer now and he is finishing the program and on his way to Indonesia to do short term missions for three months.  He once wrote me that he cannot believe that God is using a person like him to help others.

I pray that David Black writes a book. His testimony blessed our group in a way that I pray will challenge us for a lifetime. (If he does, one request, that his wife Jean, who also keeps the financial records for The Haven, includes the recipe for her meringue pie. If he doesn’t then Karen will.  She was in heaven.  She was just taking note after note on her iPhone like a school girl. I don’t think she will ever be the same.)

6:00 p.m. The team heads back down to Greenock to the evening service at Strothers Church, an off shoot of The Brethren and Elim denominations that David Black’s [great-]uncle founded and which David Black’s cousin now pastors. We didn’t have the pleasure of hearing her preach because tonight she asked a local school teacher to preach the word.  After more worship, we listened to another anointed message on building up the Church through love.

8:00 p.m. Impromptu, David Black invited us to Port Glasgow to worship with them in yet another ministry founded by Roy, which is either is cousin or his uncle.  (Afterwards, Anthony commented that he has never sung so much in one day.)  We heard three testimonies and I was asked to share a testimony as well.  When Elder Jerry asked me, I said yes not quite knowing what I was going to say but I was just being obedient.  How could I refuse after being fed so much during the day? Plus I had so many examples of courageous men and women to lead me, my team members, Andrew, the elementary school teacher at Strothers, The Haven graduates, David Black, William, Jamie, Luisa. I spoke on fear and how God delivered and continues to deliver me from that.  I believe God blessed someone in that room. “How will you use your dash?”

11:00 p.m. We returned to the hotel and retired for the night.  Tomorrow the real work starts. Like I said, not much planned today. As we retire for the night, I sense the still child like excitement amongst all of us as to how God will use us.  Thinking about today as I doze off to sleep I remember what Anthony said to me earlier, most of these men are the progeny of David Wilkerson’s call to New York.  David Black and all his peers had read Cross and the Switchblade in their youth and were changed by it.  And the fruit we are witnessing today all stems from that first act of obedience by a man of slight stature stepping out of his comfort zoned in Pennsylvania. I always thought of David Wilkerson as uniquely mine because he was from America.  But he was equally a spiritual father to so many around the world, the evidence of which was manifested in the fact that our team seemed to be fully co-opted into a really, really, really big extended family that is the body of Christ.  Almost scary.  On a personal note, I think I have a slightly better understanding of David Wilkerson’s vision.  He used his dash well.  I am challenged. How will I use mine?

Haiti Can’t Wait

It’s been a year since the earthquake devastated Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Moved by the story of Haiti, singer/songwriter Scott Zacaroli with Micah Wilshire perform a touching piece along to photos by Brad Guice and Aaron Robinson. Times Square Church will be sending four i61 and OnCall Teams to continue ministering to those effected starting next month. Check out the 2011 Trip Schedule to find out more and to register!

Thank you to Jeremy Medoff and Corra Films for putting this beautiful video together and sharing it with us!

Christmas Prayers for a War-torn World

Waking up on Christmas morning I was always filled with anticipation of the stocking (an Aussie football sock) that would be sitting at the end of my bed, stuffed with all sorts of goodies..! Without fail, I would pluck out my new supply of socks & undies, enough “chewy” (chewing gum) to last until next Christmas, and all those other nic nacs that seem to have stocking stuffers written all over them. Before long I would be off to wake up my older brother & sisters to help them discover what was hiding in their stockings. The problem was they weren’t as excited as me at 4am… Each year I learned the same lesson — the Christmas spirit begins at different times of the morning for my family. Next order of the day was to get ready for Church. It is Christmas tradition in Australia for churches to hold a service on Christmas morning, often with carols and a message centered around the birth of Jesus. My dad was a pastor, and so for the Buxton family, gifts would have to wait until after we got home from church. As I child I couldn’t quite understand why I had to wait so long to open my gifts, meanwhile all my friends bought their Christmas presents to church to show everyone. It’s only now that I can appreciate the importance and priority that my parents gave to worshipping and honoring Jesus on his birthday, especially before we indulged in the gift exchange that seems to be the center of most Christmas celebrations today.

This year I woke up with another kind of anticipation… My wife and needed to rise at 7am, giving us just enough time to Skype my family in Australia before they went to bed after a long Christmas day. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I was able to see my loved ones this Christmas, including the newest addition to our family — Ellyse Rose Evans, my niece of only 3 weeks!

I then began to think about the Christians all around the world celebrating Christmas with their unique traditions and customs. Some on the beach, others in the snow; some in the comfort of their own homes, while others on the battlefield. For many it is a time of peace and joy, but for some it is a time of persecution and fear.

This reminds of my visit to Iraq in Septmeber of this year. I really did not know what to expect and boy was I suprised. The city of Erbil is arguable the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Located in the Mesopotanian plain, Erbil was home to the ancient Assyrian Christians for centuries, before it was ultimately conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who took control of the entire region of what is known today as modern Kurdistan. Today, Kurdistan is an autonomous region in Northern Iraq, bordering Syria, Turkey and Iran. Though now it is experiencing a rare season of peace and economic growth and development, this has not often been the case. Throughout history the Kurdish people have been the subject of intense persecution and suffering, whether it be from without (surrounding countries), or from their own government, like the evil regime of Sadaam Hussien.

Towards the end of my trip I had the privilege of visiting a small town in the north of Iraq, about an hour from its border with Iran and Turkey. This town called “Soran”, I would come to learn, was almost completely destroyed by biological and chemical bombs from Sadaam Hussien during the 1980′s. As a result there is a huge population of widows, orphans, and now refugees, fleeing the pursecution that is now taking place in neighboring Iran. But despite the tragedy of the past & the challenges of the present, God is beginning to do a wonderful new work in the hearts of this hurting community. In 2010, three missionary families moved into this community of 20,000 people, and only a few known believers, to begin a ground-breaking work under the umbrella of the humanitarian organization, “World Orphans”. Above is a video highliting the beginings of a bright future for Soran and other parts of Northern Iraq!

As you celebrate Christmas with your family and friends, I want to encourage you to remember to pray for Iraq and the many regions of the world still suffering from war.

Happy Christmas!

Jordan 2010: A Day in Jordan

On route to Iraq I stopped in Amman, Jordan, for the day. It proved to be a great opportunity to visit with pastors & leaders that were serving both in Jordan and Gaza. Jordan is home to more than one million Palestinians, most of which have now obtained Jordanian citizenship. There are also several thousand Iraqi refugees that fled to Jordan for asylum during the Iraq war. It was quite a change after being in a huge city like Cairo, where poverty was visible all around. Jordan is less than a tenth of the population of Egypt and has a literacy rate or 90% compared with Egypt, which stands at a striking 50%! As we drove from the airport into Amman you could also sense that there was much greater affluence here too; with beautiful homes and BMW’s everywhere. I have to admit however, in my opinion; the Egyptians are much better drivers. Despite what felt like many near death experiences in Cairo, they were much better at weaving their way through traffic & negotiating the round-a-bout with greater efficiency.  I say all that because just 100 yards from our destination our car clipped the mirror of an on-coming car… it was quite a thud, and let’s say both cars needed new mirrors.  Of course, it was the other drivers fault!

Now, our first order of the day upon arriving was lunch…! Let me tell you, the food in this part of the world is absolutely delicious, especially when it is home cooked. We enjoyed a traditional Jordanian feast of rice, chicken, salad and yogurt. Of course I can’t forget the after meal coffee, similar to an espresso but with the ground coffee beans still remaining at the bottom of the cup. It was quite potent, though they assured me it was a mild brew, none-the-less it did the job of waking me up for the series of meetings that awaited me.

There is much I would love to say about the precious time that I had meeting with the pastors and leaders here in Jordan but I can’t… I’m sure you will understand. It was truly a humbling and moving experience to hear the stories and share with those who are to this day, risking their lives to share the Gospel with those who don’t have the freedom to discover & experience the Christian faith.

After another incredible meal, this time Lebanese, we made our way to the airport to catch the 1am flight to Erbil, Iraq. I can’t begin to tell you how exhausted I felt from all the travel! I was asleep in no time once we got on the plane, but the 2 hour flight was just a tease… all I could think about was a bed. We landed in Erbil and sailed through immigration, believe it or not being a Westerner, especially American, works well in your favor up here in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Once they saw that I had a Green Card they just waved me through. My companion from Egypt, however, needed to go to another desk to get a visa stamped in his passport… go figure!??!

We were picked up by an Iraqi born British man, who I would later hear has become a hero of the faith here in Iraq. He took us straight to a lovely guest house and after of brief chat together I collapsed on my bed… the only problem was that it was 4am and I needed to be awake again at 8am. But it didn’t matter; I was just excited to be here in Iraq and couldn’t wait to find out what the next few days would hold.

Tim

Egypt 2010: Coptic Cairo & The Garbage City

My last day in Egypt was spent visiting Coptic Cairo, in particular the famous Cave Church & the Garbage City.  The Garbage City is a Coptic section of Cairo that is basically the recycling factory of Cairo’s garbage, only the recycling is done in people’s homes! As we drove through the streets you could see piles of garbage ready to be sorted, while storefronts operated as warehouses for the latest truckload of delivered garbage. In the midst of all of this refuse you see children playing in the muddy streets, while the men sit around drinking tea and playing cards. And of course there are the cats rummaging through the junk… cats are just everywhere here in Egypt! Our teams in the past have been able to reach out to the children of these garbage streets & I pray that next month God will allow the coming OnCall team to continue to serve them & show them how precious they are in God’s sight!

Amged, my incredibly skilled driver, then managed to negotiate his way through the narrow streets & past a gated checkpoint. One minute we were in a junk yard, the next minute we were in paradise. I found myself amazed as we drove up the winding street that takes you to the “Cave Church”. In fact this dead-end street is dedicated to several Coptic churches that are built into the side of an overhanging cliff. We stopped by the largest and the most famous cave church, which seats up to 3,000 people. As you listen to how it began & the stories of survival in the midst of the unbearable Islamic oppression you can’t help but stand in amazement.

After a quick trip downtown to do a little souvenir shopping & enjoy some great Turkish coffee, Amged & I made our way to KDC, the largest evangelical church in Egypt. It was Sunday night and they had guests from Brazil leading the service. It was quite a treat for me as the worship & message was in English. This church of 7,000 is one of the largest and most influential churches in the entire Middle East. Earlier in the day I had the chance to meet with the Missions Director to discuss ways that we can get involved in reaching the Arab world & some of the most unreached people in the world.

My time in Egypt had now come to an end but there was one more thing I desperately wanted to do… sail down the Nile River. It was almost midnight, but I had heard about these sail boats that you could hire for about $10 an hour, it even included your own helmsman. So here I was on this 30 foot sailing boat all alone with an Egyptian helmsman that spoke zero English… but it was perfect! The night was cool & a soft breeze gentle pushed us along as I laid flat on my back gazing at the stars.  

Good night Egypt, I hope to see you again soon!

Egypt 2010: Cairo – The Essentials!

I was able to see Cairo properly today (Saturday), well at least from the tourist perspective! To my surprise it’s a massive city of 20million people, which was obvious as I peered out the window when I flew in. My first impressions gave me the feelings of an ancient, yet sprawling and fascinating city, with the bustling energy of New York. I spent the day with Ps Ehab, who has hosted three teams from TSC that have served his Lighthouse ministry in reaching out to the Sudanese refugees through acts of compassion.  We started the day, however, by visiting the African Hope School, which has over 450 students, primarily from war-torn Sudan whose families have fled and found refuge in Egypt. I met the new director of the school who happened to be an Australia, who grew up in the same city that I did. We both share so much in common, including wives named Sarah & parents that served as missionaries in Papua New Guinea!! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the school in full swing. I managed to stop by the school kitchen and witness the cooks preparing the students a hot breakfast, thanks to the support of ChildCry. An OnCall team will also be serving the African Hope School next month by providing medical screenings and basic treatment of every student.

I then got the chance to quickly visit the Cairo Museum & of course, the great Pyramids. It definitely was a breathtaking experience that left me thinking about all the great men and women of the Bible that had stepped foot on this same ground and like me, gazed up in wonderment at these incredible Pyramids. After being told by a good friend that I had to go inside a Pyramid, I lined up outside where we eventually warned that no-one could go inside because they had lost electricity and there was no light. I was rather disappointed until they said that they would still allow people to enter as long as you had a flashlight. So I managed to convince the security guard that my cell phone had a flash light and in I went — Praise God for the iPhone and its dodgy flashlight app!  I have to admit it was just hilarious crawling through the tunnel in pitch darkness, taking photos every so often in vain hope of capturing something somewhat important. At least I can say I went in!

Ps Ehab and I then went for an early dinner for some really delicious Egyptian tucker! It was a great time to relax and talk with him and hear about the journey that God is taking him on. In August he moved his family from New Jersey to Cairo to live and serve fulltime in reaching the poor. His is another inspiring story of a family completely surrendered to the will of God and to serve those who have no helper. We look forward to serving alongside him & the Lighthouse ministry with many more short term trips!

The Middle East 2010: 42 Hours

I’m not too sure how much blogging I’ll be able to get done the rest of my trip. I’ve had a ridiculously long couple days with little sleep, beginning Friday 1am with a 4hour drive from Pune to Mumbai Airport and then two consecutive flights; first to Bahrain and then to Cairo. After checking into the Madi Hotel which oversees the Nile & the Pyramids (fancy that), I was picked up by a friend of TSC to visit the local Church. Most churches have Friday & Saturday services as that’s the weekend here. From church we went out for a bite to eat & then back to the Hotel for some much needed rest! If my memory serves me correct, I think I was awake for 42hours straight!   

Tim

India 2010: Hell’s Beauty Parlor

It has been almost impossible to get the images out of my mind after returning form the Red Light District yesterday. Once again, we enjoyed a late start to the day, spending some much needed time in the morning to pray & rest. I knew that I would need to allow the Lord to prepare my heart before we went into the Red Light. Only a month earlier I had walked through the Red Light District in Amsterdam with Treg McCoy during a visit with Stepahn from Teen Challenge Netherlands. It was an overwhelming experience, at every turn my heart was seared by utter depravityof human sin — you just can’t leave faster! Now, here I was about to walk back into this same atmosphere, but this time I knew that behind closed doors innocent young girls were being violated, abused & enslaved with seemingly no hope of escape! This is Hell on earth.

We drove right into the heart of downtown Pune, where it feels like Canal Street in downtown Manhattan, only 3 times populated with rickshaws instead of yellow cabs. So many streets were blocked off due to the festival of Ganesh, the elephant god, but we finally made it to the building where the beauty parlor is located. It’s a modern looking buidling  about 1o stories high and is home to severl NGO’s, including the Bill Gate’s foundation. The buidling feels empty and cold as you make your way up to the 3rd floor… you pass down a few dark hallways & then you’re there. The moment I opened the door to the beauty parlor it was as though a light was bursting forth. The bright green and white walls & modern decore of the room was a stark contrast to the grey concrete hallway outside. There were a few girls inside laughing and hanging out, waiting for a turn to get their eyebrows waxed. Surely these girls had not come from the bustling street below… they look far to happy and relaxed. I walked to the barred windows and you could see the girls lined up waiting for the next customer. I could barely look, it was far too depressing, especially after entering such a beautiful room. It was great to just sit down and observe the beauty palor in action, caring and pampering the girls, who pay a fraction of the price for the same treatment elsewhere. Sheila, who oversees the ministry will often take time to go visit each brothel, talking with girls and brothel owners, often spending 3 or 4 hours at a time. Sadly, the girls are only able to leave for 15-20mins at a time before their owner gets suspicious. The moment we entered Glenda & Barbara jumped right in to hugging & playing around with the girls, you could see how much they appreciated the affection they were being shown. Oh, and I was totally shocked at how much they liked to get their photo taken. But just like clockwork, one after the other their cell phones would ring & it was time to go… a customer was on their way & you could see it in their eyes, their brief moment of reprive had ended. I was time to get back to work. I sat down in denial, I just couldn’t believe that these young girls would now be lining up downstairs. My heart sank as they walked out the door and I suddenly realized why the burning passion for this work was so alive in people like Sheila, Glenda & Barbara. This was hell on earth, and you just know that the only hope for these girls is the love of Jesus, I just never would have that it would look like a beauty parlor.

We then spent some time in worship and intercession for the ministry that God is raising up here. It’s not an easy work. Not only is it a terribly oppressive atmosphere, but there are very real threats that exist. Sheila has already been confronted by a brothel owners, threating to kill her if she continues to share Jesus with the girls that come to the salon. She won’t shrink back though, even though it’s a risk to her husband and young children. I left feeling overwhelmed, but it wasn’t a heavy feeling. As long as there were women like Sheila willing to stand firm and shine the light of Jesus in the darkness, then there was hope for these girls. Praise God, He proved to me that His love is stronger!

In the evening we caught up with Pastor Predip & the family of Nepalese workers that God has brought together to serve this ministry. We decided to visit the new flat that they had just begun renting to function as a transition home for the girls that want to leave the brothels. After we had taken a tour of the 2-storiedd flat you could almost envision it filled with the same girls I had seen earlier in the day. It has a large kitchen & open lounge area, a room ideal for vocational learning, 4 bedrooms, an outside garden & courtyard, and space for a live-in family. Please pray for speedy process of all the necessary permits that still need to be approved, as well as for wisdom for the leaders invloved, especially as they negotiate with lawyers, government officials and whilst developing a progam for the transition home.

This morning we leave for a village about 1 hour outside Pune, where we are exploring the possibilty of purchase a large piece of property to develop a home, hospice & educational center for the women & children that have graduated from the transition home and are ready to take the next step in beginning a new life in Christ.

It will be nice to see a bit of the countryside while we’re at it.. I hope to check back in before I leave for Egypt late tonight. If not, the next entry will be from Cairo. Please the team here in India in your prayers, and now Sara, a Mt Zion gradute from Germany, who will be flying in Friday accompany Glenda and Barbara for a couple more weeks. 

God Speed — Tim

India 2010: Two Women On A Mission

You can never be sure how your day is going to pan out when you’re in India. It was refreshing to begin the day slowly and get oursleves settled in and adjusted. Even though I will only be in India for a few days, the two wmen who I traveled with, Glenda Hampton & Barbara Tarnoff, will actually be staying here for a few weeks. So after a sweet time of prayer & worship together, we made sure the Indian phones had new SIM cards and the internet & Skype connections up and running. It’s so important to your safety & sense of security to get things like this sorted out when you are visiting a foreign country like India.

Midday rolled around and I we left the hotel to visit with Pastor Raju from Pune Faith Community Church (PFCC). Instead of taking a rickshaw, Glenda & Barbara decided that the journey was short enough to do on foot. So off we went walking the streets like true locals. Despite not having the clearest of directions we managed to find our way through a few back streets to the church – with the help of a few friendly locals, of course! You know, one of the first things you notice when you are in India is how hospitable the people are. They cannot help you enough & are so welcoming to foreigners, it doesn’t take long to feel at home here. I must say after only a short time here I have been so impressed by the courage, determination & passion that these to women have here in India. Their love for the people & their desire to see the kingodm of God advance in one of the darkest places on earth is truly inspiring!

Upon arriving at PFCC we were greeted by the church administrator, Biju. It was a special surprise for me, as met Biju during my first visit to India in 2003. He took us on a tour through the newly constructed multi-purpose church facility, showing us the sanctuary & the school classes that are used during the week to educate local children, many of them from Hindu backgrounds and whose parents couldn’t otherwise afford to send their children to school. We spent time sharing with Pastor Raju & his lovely wife Leena, who have served as Pastors of PFCC for 27 years. What a wonderful vision they have for the community and it’s a true blessing to have them provide spiritual oversight to the work that is going on in the Red Light District.

In the evening we had a dinner with Pastor Predip & the team that God has raised up to serve in the Red Light District. It was a great time of fellowship, and of course, chowing down on some great Indian food (my wife would have been jealous!!).

Tomorrow we head into the Red Light District to see the beauty salon in action… I’m not sure what to expect…!?? I have to admit that inside I’m a little nervous, but I know that God’s love is greater.. His light shines brighter!

Tim