Month: May 2005

And one more…

This is from Phil Humbert serving in South Africa.

Dear Friends and Family,
“For I am not ashmaed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for Salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ Romans 5:16-17
Greetings once again from South Africa! It’s good to finally find the time to send out another letter, and I hope that this letter finds you doing well. We’ve just recently returned from our week off in CapeTown, and what an unforgettable experience that was. It was a great week of relaxing and exploring some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Thank you for your prayers during this time! Our team really had a wonderful time during this week, but in the end I think we were all ready to get back HOME! Also, while we were in CapeTown we got the opportunity to visit a ministry which is in it’s beginning phases. The ministry is called ‘Monte Cristo’, and was funded and started by a fortune 500 buisness man from California. They own a tract of land that I believe is about 250,000 acres off the side of a mountain, which they will be converting into a camp, retreat, seminary, and conferece center. It was exciting to see their vision, and we got to spend a couple of day s with them before heading to CapeTown. We also had the opportunity to visit some local youth ministry outreaches. One of these outreaches was at a youth pastor’s barber shop. He converts his shop into a safe place for kids to come in off the streets on a friday night. There was a DJ, people were break dancing, group games were played, and there was a message shared from God’s word at the end. Let me say I have never experienced anything like that before, but it’s not something I will soon forget!!
We have just started our next learning posture, which is the ‘inviting’ posture. In this posture we are looking at what is God’s invitation for all people, and also how we can be inviting in our lives as Christ followers. During this time we are reading through and studying the book of Romans and the other Epistles, as well as reading a book entitled “A New Kind of Christian” by John McLaren. So for the next several weeks we will be diving into these things and exploring the idea/concept of what it means to live a ‘tasty’ (inviting) life.
Let me catch you up to date with my local ministry involvements! First, I must be honest in saying that I have not gotten involved in the children’s home/safehouse. I felt challenged by God and some of my leaders here to really invest my time and efforts into developing relationships with the local street kids/homeless. This is such a challenge for me, because it stretches me in ways I have never been stretched! I find it extremely difficult to relate and even communicate with these kids. There is a huge language barrier and obvious cultural differences. At this time I really feel called to just BE with them, to spend time with them, and make efforts to get to know them better and learn their stories. I’m still serving them meals once or twice a week in the evenings and setting up soccer games to play with them, but my biggest desire is really to just BE among them. Please pray with me that I would better understand these kids and that I would s omehow be able to relate to them.
I am still involved at the university here with one of my american team mates(Deric). We are currently going to the university on Wednesday afternoons and meet with a small group of students. This time has primarily been focused on sharing our stories and encouraging one another through fellowship and discussing challenging biblical topics and processing through them together! It’s been awesome to see some of the friendships and relationships that have developed as a result of this time. Also, Deric and I are still involved in the volleyball program as well, and have been able involve some of the guys from the team in our discipleship time!
Currently I am working on putting together a VBS type of event for the young kids in the local area here. I’ve still got a lot of work to do in preparing for this, but I am excited about it as I know this is something that God has placed on my heart since I have been here.
As always I would like to leave you with a couple of interesting South African facts:
1. They didn’t have Television in South Africa until 1978….The frist TV show that aired in South Africa was Dallas!
2. Our elevation here in Pretoria is roughly the same as Denver, almost a mile high!
3. Pretoria is the ANT capital of the world….At least I am convinced of this!
Please Pray For:
-Our team: Everyone has been getting sick lately- me being the most recent victim!
-My time with the street kids, developing relationships
-Our upcoming reflection weekend; June 10-12- Drakensburg Mountains.
-Thienus, a young guy that I just met…..He is really seeking the Lord right now, but just needs encouragement!
There is so much more that is happening here that I wish I could tell you about. Just know that God is doing some pretty amazing things in South Africa and I am so blessed to get to be a part of His work! Once again I just want to say how thankful I am to have such an amazing group of friends and family in my life! Your prayers, encouragement and support are such a huge part of who I am and what I do! Thank you!!
In His Hands
PHIL <>< Romans 15:5-6 106 Emily Hobhouse Ave, Pretoria North, South Africa 0182 012-546-9893

Another ministry update

This one comes from Amy and Elijah Brown. Elijah is now working on his PhD in Edinburgh.

Dear Family & Friends,
We hope all is well with you & yours. We’re pleased to say that Edinburgh is now breathtaking! Cherry blossoms are a personal favorite, but it’s the culmination of pleasant scents & beautiful pastel colors that are enough to pull anyone outside, despite the weather still being a bit chilly, windy & wet – the 3 Scotland Staples! Praise the Lord for color! Plus, it occurred to me since the last I sent out a newsletter, that Scotland is an island! J So Elijah & I discovered that ‘oceanfront,’ though deserted & not the prettiest that is out there, is a 40-min walk from the apartment! Very nice!
I have had a wonderful first two and a half months. It has been the most refreshing, yet simultaneously fairly near to the most stressing time in my life (taking into account that 25 warrants not much life experience). Maybe bewildering is a better word. And as it were, I have far fewer answers now than I did prior to coming, but all the same, I can testify to pervasive peace in the midst of elusive means. God’s been more than generous with miracles in our lives, and the current is no exception.
The BIG news is that Elijah’s been upgraded from a Masters to a Ph.D. student!!! Praise God for His continued provision! This not only saves at least ½ a year of living expenses in Edinburgh, but saves Elijah the task of having to write a 15,000 word Masters dissertation, as now he GETS to work on a 100,000 word Ph.D. thesis! J (terminology backwards from the States). But the real bonus… it saves us $17,000 off the overall schooling bill! The Univ. of Edinburgh is set up so that their Ph.D. students only pay for the first 3 years. So the upgrade means this previous year’s tuition has now been credited towards Ph.D. work, leaving us with only 2, not 3 more that come with a price tag. Amazing answer to prayer.
I’m going to address the topic of study, with the disclaimer that a future email will better answer the subsequent questions of ‘oh, that’s interesting, but… why?’ or ‘what exactly are you going to do with that?’ Don’t feel guilty (though I doubt you would), I myself had those questions.
THE DEGREE – Ph.D. in Christianity in the Non-Western World
THE THESIS topic – Development of the Southern Sudanese Church in Refugee Camps & Among the Internally Displaced
So that will be the crux of Elijah’s life for the next two years!
I, on the other hand, have been less than successful in finding employment. And three weeks ago as if from above, I knew that, as absolutely of a financially wretched time to know, I was supposed to start writing a manuscript for a book the Lord had laid on my heart. So I’ve given myself to the topic of “Dating God: Finding Your Ultimate Love Before Your Right Love.” This has been quite the task for me, but enlightening & a joy & I’m hoping to be able to wrap it up in a month or two if we don’t go clean broke before then. If you want to know how it is we are going to support ourselves, refer to paragraph two, it’s all in there.
One of the most delightful things E&I have gotten to experience in these few months was the discovery of a Gaelic (native Scottish language on the verge of extinction) church service. We figured we’d stand out a bit, but thought for one Sunday ‘why the heck not’. So we picked a week and suited up for our 30+ minute walk just in time for all of heaven to come pelting down. We arrived a drenched, odorous mess, & they still hugged & kissed us all the same. The Gaelic language is beautiful, but it was their music that transcends foreign listeners to some unknown mysterious ‘celtic’ haven. The closest comparison that we can afford is the Sacred Harp music in the States (mainly Alabama). Both are non-instrumental, both have a lead ‘caller’ or ‘pronouncer’, and in both the voices raised follow what seems to be no identifiable melody, but roughly blend into a ‘calling’ harmonious empowering message, whether the language is your own or not. After the service the fellow! ship with these believers was priceless. They were precious people & the experience comes highly recommended.
One other bit of exciting news is that on the same day that Elijah & I ‘discovered’ the beach, we also discovered… Asda!! Better known in the States as Wal-Mart! Now for you non-Wal-Mart lovers out there, I would like for you to know that when faced with the option of buying a bottle of saline at any other store for $8 (£4), or at Asda for $2 (£1), maybe you can try to understand our excitement. And it only got better when we walked outside & saw 3 buses in a row funnel up to Asda’s entrance! We can bus to Wal-Mart! Now that is exciting! We have a trip planned at least twice a month from here until we leave!
Our last, but certainly not least bit of exciting news is that 6 weeks from now, we are privileged to be hosting family visitors! Elijah’s parents are flying out for 12 days, June 28-July 9. We are already crossing the days off the calendar & making all kinds of fun plans. Pray for them as they prepare for the trip.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” Eph. 3:20-21
We love you all dearly,
Elijah & Amy
Elijah & Amy Brown
6 ½ Waverley Park
Edinburgh, EH8 8EX
UK

Mission Request

Since today is Slam day at the paper – and I haven’t had a chance to do much reading or blogging today, I thought I’d share the following e-mail with everyone.

May 31, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When our pastor and his family returned last summer from a mission trip to Siberia, my heart was deeply moved by their stories of the many Russians who came to know Christ as a result of their ministry. I felt God speaking to my heart about missions, but I said nothing. Instead, I prayed that if He wanted me to serve, I would receive a personal invitation from the mission team leadership about future trips.
Imagine my excitement when Brother Mike Harkrider asked if I would pray about traveling to Russia this summer! My husband David and I both felt God calling me to Siberia to teach the children of Dalmotovo about Jesus. There are 14 members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Temple who plan on going to Russia June 29 – July 13.
Will you spend a few minutes praying for our trip? Ask God to lead us, and pray that we would be willing to follow. Ask Him to protect us and to help us with the logistics of such a huge undertaking. Pray for the hearts of those we will meet and minister to, and ask God to soften and prepare them to hear His Word. Finally, ask God to provide for our financial needs. Funds are unexpectedly slow in arriving, but we know God is faithful.
Thank you for your love and your prayers. I will report back to you on how our prayers have been answered. God is good! I’m excited about what He will do.
His,
Pat Rutland
Immanuel Baptist Church
1401 West Central
Temple, Texas 76504
254 773-2147

My sister Kara, my “Adopt-a-Sister” Kathryn Shindoll, her father Ron Shindoll, and my best friend Matt Lehmann are all going on mission trips this summer and I would ask for you to support each of them in prayer and financially if possible too. Kara will be going to China and the rest will be going to Russia. If you’re interested in supporting any of them financially, please let me know and I’ll be sure you know where to send the donation.
God bless.

Run with the Devils

Texas Monthly has a great article on a trip down Devils River in Texas this month.
Even the beginning is quite intriguing:

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, take a trip down the Devils River. You are not welcome there. If you so much as set your big toe on the river’s privately owned banks, you are likely to be arrested, hauled down to the Val Verde County courthouse, and prosecuted for trespassing. You may even be shot at.

None the less, I’m totally inspired to buy a kayak and make the two day trip down the river. Anyone interested?
Unfortunatley, you’ll have to buy a subscription or pick one up at a store in Texas to read the rest. But I always say, for Texas Monthly it’s worth it. Great design, good articles — and all about Texas. Can’t get much better than that.
They also have a fun ethics quiz on Tom DeLay.
He may be crooked – but they still love him in Sugar Land.

Bono: in conversation with Michka Assayas

Brian Bailey has a quick review of Bono: in conversation with Michka Assayas. Bailey is the Web Director at Fellowship Church and has been blogging lately about his vacation to Florida.
But he gives a quick preview of the book (which I’ve been meaning to track down and read – come on Belton Public Library).
He gives an interesting quote from Bono…

Coolness might help in your negotiation with people through the world, maybe, but it is impossible to meet God with sunglasses on. It is impossible to meet God without abandon, without exposing yourself, being raw.

How often do we try and wear our sunglasses into the presence of the Almighty?

The death of Capt. Waskow

The Belton Journal has run the following piece from World War II correspondent numerous times in the past and since we’re not a daily paper, that can run it today, I thought this would be the next best place to honor our fallen soldiers, including Belton’s own Capt. Henry T. Waskow.
The piece was originally run on the front pages of newspapers across the country and The Washington Daily News devoted its entire first page to the column — not even a headline, just solid text.
The paper was completely sold out that day.
There is another war now, and have been others since, and The Belton Journal continues to reprint the Waskow piece once in a while, as a tribute to Belton men and boys who have been killed in wars of this century, ranging from privates to generals.
Actually, Ernie Pyle wondered about this piece; he thought maybe he was “losing his touch.”
Henry Waskow was a 1935 graduate of Belton High School, attended grade school at Hay Branch and Wiltonville.
He attended Trinity University in Waxahachie, paying his way with his “Guard Money.”
He highwayed it back to Belton every Tuesday to make the guard drill.
Guardsmen were paid $3 for every drill they attended.
Waskow taught school two years before Co. I was mobilized in November 1940.
Belton’s Waskow High School bears his name as well as Henry T. Waskow V.F.W. #4008 Hall located at 2311 S. Pearl.

AT THE FRONT LINES IN ITALY, January 10, 1944 – In this war I have known a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as beloved as Capt. Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas.
Capt. Waskow was a company commander in the 36th Division. He had led his company since long before it left the States. He was very young, only in his middle twenties, but he carried in him a sincerity and gentleness that made people want to be guided by him. “After my own father, he came next,” a sergeant told me.
“He always looked after us,” a soldier said. “He’d go to bat for us every time.” “I’ve never knowed him to do anything unfair,” another one said.
I was at the foot of the mule trail the night they brought Capt. Waskow’s body down. The moon was nearly full at the time, and you could see far up the trail, and even part way across the valley below. Soldiers made shadows in the moonlight as they walked.
Dead men had been coming down the mountain all evening, lashed onto the backs of mules. They came lying belly-down across the wooden pack-saddles, their heads hanging down on the left side of the mule, their stiffened legs sticking out awkwardly from the other side, bobbing up and down as the mule walked.
The Italian mule-skinners were afraid to walk beside dead men, so Americans had to lead the mules down that night. Even the Americans were reluctant to unlash and lift off the bodies at the bottom, so an officer had to do it himself, and ask others to help.
The first one came early in the morning. They slid him down from the mule and stood him on his feet for a moment, while they got a new grip. In the half light he might have been merely a sick man standing there, leaning on the others. Then they laid him on the ground in the shadow of the low stone wall alongside the road.
I don’t know who that first one was. You feel small in the presence of dead men, and ashamed at being alive, and you don’t ask silly questions.
We left him there beside the road, that first one, and we all went back into the cowshed and sat on water cans or lay on the straw, waiting for the next batch of mules.
Somebody said the dead soldier had been dead for four days, and then nobody said anything more about it. We talked soldier talk for an hour or more. The dead man lay all alone outside in the shadow of the low stone wall.
Then a soldier came into the cowshed and said there were some more bodies outside. We went out into the road. Four mules stood there, in the moonlight, in the road where the trail came down off the mountain. The soldiers who led them stood there waiting. “This one is Captain Waskow,” one of them said quietly.
Two men unlashed his body from the mule and lifted it off and laid it in the shadow beside the low stone wall. Other men took the other bodies off. Finally there were five lying end to end in a long row, alongside the road. You don’t cover up dead men in the combat zone. They just lie there in the shadows until somebody else comes after them.
The unburdened mules moved off to their olive orchard. The men in the road seemed reluctant to leave. They stood around, and gradually one by one I could sense them moving close to Capt. Waskow’s body. Not so much to look, I think, as to say something in finality to him, and to themselves. I stood close by and I could hear.
One soldier came and looked down, and he said out loud, “God damn it.” That’s all he said, and then he walked away. Another one came. He said, “God damn it to hell anyway.” He looked down for a few last moments, and then he turned and left.
Another man came; I think he was an officer. It was hard to tell officers from (enlisted) men in the half light, for all were bearded and grimy dirty.
The man looked down into the dead captain’s face, and then he spoke directly to him, as though he were alive. He said: :”I’m sorry, old man.”
Then a soldier came and stood beside the officer, and bent over, and he too spoke to his dead captain, not in a whisper but awfully tenderly, and he said: “I sure am sorry, sir.”
Then the first man squatted down, and he reached down and took the dead hand, and he sat there for a full five minutes, holding the dead hand in his own and looking intently into the dead face, and he never uttered a sound all the time he sat there.
And finally he put the hand down, and then reached up and gently straightened the points of the captain’s shirt collar, and then he sort of rearranged the tattered edges of his uniform around the wound. And then he got up and walked away down the road in the moonlight, all alone.
After that the rest of us went back into the cowshed, leaving the five dead men lying in a line, end to end, in the shadow of the low stone wall. We lay down on the straw in the cowshed, and pretty soon we were all asleep.