earthen vessels, East Africa, and the gospel

Occasionally, when I’m not sure where my wife is, I find her with the church children. Somehow, they can sense that she was once an elementary teacher or just that she likes children. I took these pictures of Laura in her element recently (click the image to enlarge):

We have been told that the best strategy for winter travel would have us schedule meetings in the South. For various reasons, we haven’t been farther south than Springfield, IL, for church meetings until February 26 when we visited Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Cincinnati, OH. (Yeah, depending on your definition of South, we haven’t been there yet). Thankfully, this has been an exceptionally mild winter in all the places we’ve traveled.

We met Pastor Strassner at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church on a previous trip. On this visit we shared our presentation DVD and I preached for their morning worship service. The congregational signing was planned to coordinate with my sermon from 2 Corinthians 4. We were blessed to spend the morning reflecting on God’s glory in the advance of the gospel.

We traveled even farther south to join Faith Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond, VA, for their services on March 4. I spoke in each of their meetings that day. They responded very positively to what is happening in Tanzania. The best man in our wedding is currently a member of Faith Memorial. Needless to say, we enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with his family.

Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, recently visited Allen Park for a luncheon and discussion with local pastors and seminary students. Pastor Mbewe’s church is involved in training and sending men to plant churches in several countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. We were glad to have the opportunity to pick his brain.

He was asked what advice he would give to anyone  interested in serving the Lord as a missionary in Africa. He gave two points: visit and listen.

1. Visit Africa. Since we can’t learn everything about a place through TV and the Internet, we’ll need to see it in person to understand what the real challenges and prospects are.

2. Listen to Aficans. Since we will never understand African culture as an insider, we Americans are not the best authority on what a Christlike believer looks like in Africa. Fruitful ministry partnerships between Africans and Westerners must involve humble two-way conversations where the Scripture and the culture are carefully considered.

Good advice. In my opinion, these points would be just as helpful if extended to any mission field.

We have found that our personal meetings with pastors have been a generally positive experience for a few reasons. The meetings themselves have been a unique opportunity to hear about what God is doing among his people. Also, we are seeing that these initial meetings are usually focused on technical discussions about missions and philosophy of ministry, a good preparation for church presentations where the pastor can speak confidently regarding us and I can highlight the common ground between our work and the church we are presenting at. Our meeting with Faith Baptist Church in Oconomowoc on February 19 was one that came about and was benefited by an earlier meeting with the church’s pastor. I gave my presentation, took a few questions, and preached for their evening service. Then, we joined the congregation for a fellowship meal following the service. Being at this church also provided the opportunity to catch up with college friends–a small often overlooked perk of pre-field ministry!

We have a full week ahead of us. We return to Detroit today, February 20. I will have a pastors meeting, house work, and research to keep me occupied. Laura’s baby shower at Inter-City Baptist Church is Thursday evening. We will then be attending the church’s couples retreat and leaving from there to spend a day with Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Cincinnati, OH, for a ministry presentation and fellowship.

Next month will mark the end of our first year of pre-field meetings.  I would never have guessed a year ago that pre-field ministry would move so quickly and pleasantly. Since the most recent trip to Tanzania involved planning for life in Africa, it seems that what remains to be done in the States is more like a sprint than a marathon. As we begin this stretch of pre-field ministry, here are the praises and prayer requests that come to mind:

1. The next few months will require a number of decisions regarding the transition from pre-field to field ministry. The variables that will affect our plans include the birth of our baby, the time it will take us to move out of our current home, and the progress of our financial support. Please pray that we will be sustained through the last leg of pre-field ministry and begin our first term well prepared.
2. We are grateful to have people praying for the health of Laura and the baby.
3. Please pray for our safety as we start racking up miles on the road again. We have been recently reminded that safety in travel is nothing to take for granted!

As I left Africa, I found myself wanting to return soon. So, I think the trip was a success! Discussions with Rob and Dan were very profitable. One purpose in meeting there was to help manage the current transitions in the ministry. One aspect of this transition involves teaching in the Bible Institute. Dan will be taking on more teaching responsibilities as Rob has shifted away. And for my part, it was exciting to have my name put on the schedule, beginning with  course notes I will be helping to revise by the end of 2014. This trip has also reminded me, however, that there is quite a bit of Swahili and culture yet to learn before I can contribute in that way.

I am returning to the US with a good list of things to do and acquire before we make the move to Africa (a second purpose for this trip). Being on the ground in Tanzania helped me confirm what it will mean for us to live and serve there.

And, last but not least, if you are reading this, it means I’ve returned safely to Detroit. Ironically, I’ve safely flown over 18,000 miles in the last two weeks. Laura, on the other hand, was involved in a train accident on her way to Springfield, IL, to visit family this past weekend. By God’s grace, nobody in the accident was seriously hurt; Laura and the baby are quite well. The first two cars derailed when the train struck an 18-wheeler. This is a reminder that safety does not ultimately depend on our effort to avoid apparently dangerous situations.

Thank you for your prayers. I plan to get some pictures from my recent trip online in the near future.

We traveled a short distance to Calvary Bible Church in Ypsilanti, MI on Jan. 22. We participated in a discussion on Bible Study in Sunday School, worshiped the Lord during the morning service and through participating in the Lord’s supper, and Matt presented the ministry in Tanzania in the evening service. We had a wonderful time meeting with fellow believers at Calvary. The church encouraged our hearts by being sincerely interested in us and in the work in TZ, by asking outstanding questions, and by spending a special time of prayer specifically for our requests. God blessed us through the ministry of his people as we sought to be a blessing to them!

We headed back to Delafield, WI for the weekend of January 15 to spend time with Lakewood Baptist Church, one of our newest partners. We presented our ministry to there back in June, so they invited us to come and worship with them and to meet many new friends that we had missed or who were not currently attending LBC in the summer. Matt and I had a wonderful time fellowshipping with the people of Lakewood during several opportunities for interaction. We also participated in their “Missions Sunday,” along with their other missionary family Josh and Rachel Roberts. We were greatly encouraged by the interest and knowledge that the people of Lakewood showed us in what God is calling us to do in Africa. We also appreciated their sincere desire to be godly ministry partners with us. Matt and I were asked how they as a church can help and support the ministry in Tanzania, and to us personally as we minister there.

This week is Inter-City Baptist Church’s annual prayer week. It represents our belief in the importance of devoting ourselves to prayer for our own spiritual well-being and the mission of the church. Spending more time with other believers in prayer never fails to be an encouragement to me. I’m sure this has to do with spending so much time thinking about God’s character and goodness towards us.

One purpose of prayer week is to begin the new year in dependence on God. With that in mind, I’ve provided below an outline you could use to pray for missionaries. This particular outline is adopted from the one we used this week.

Pray for the Proclamation of the Message:

• For opportunities to communicate the gospel (Col 4:2-3; 2 Cor 2:12; 1 Cor 16:9)
• For clarity in communicating the gospel (Col 4:4-6; cf. 2 Tim 2:22-26)
• For boldness in communicating the gospel (Eph 6:19-20; cf. Acts 4:23-31)

Pray for the People Involved in the Mission:

• That God would send out more workers to communicate the gospel (Matt 9:37, 38)
• For success and safety for those who communicate the gospel (2 Thess 3:1-2; Rom 1:8ff)
• That they would remain pure, fit for service (Phil 1:27; 1 Pet 2:12)

Pray for the Places in which they Minister:

• For the political and societal structure to be conducive to communicating the gospel (1 Tim 2:1-7)
• That they would encounter circumstances that facilitate gospel proclamation (1 Tim 2:1-7)
• That they would encounter circumstances that facilitate gospel proclamation (Phil 1:12)
• For the gospel to spread into unreached areas (Mark 16:15; Matt 28:18-20)

Pray for the Progress of the Mission: Souls Saved and Churches Planted:

• For the salvation of the lost as the gospel is proclaimed (Rom 10:1; John 15:7-8, 16)
• For God to remove the hardness of hearts (Eph 4:18; Acts 16:14)
• For God to open people’s eyes to understand the gospel so that they may turn from darkness to light (Acts 26:18; cf. 1 Cor 2:14)
• For God to draw people to Himself (John 6:44)
• For the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11)
• For God to grant people repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 2:25-26)

P.S. A friend posted this outline in the form of a bookmark here. May I also recommend an excellent sermon by Mark Minnick on the subject of prayer and missions available in the SGI archives: “Forward on Your Knees” (mp3).

Our new year started off with an excellent Student Global Impact Conference. The theme, “Not Ashamed of the Gospel,” was timely and well-treated by the speakers. Needless to say, it was personally encouraging for both of us. I’d highly recommend checking out the recordings and notes online at missionsmandate.org/sgi (once they get them up there).

We anticipate this year to be an eventful one for us. Our meeting schedule resumes on the third Sunday in January and does not slow down much before Baby Gass is due. There are good things ahead! Our prayers have been focused on preparations for what is coming–parenthood, moving out of our current home, and starting our first term on the field. Here are a few specific praises and prayer requests:

1. Matt will be in Tanzania for 3 weeks beginning the third week of January. This will provide opportunity for all of our teammates (with the exception of Laura) to meet together. We’ll be discussing ministry and I’ll be getting a start on our transition to Africa. Please pray that this will be useful for all of us. Among other things, I hope it pushes us through the last part of our pre-field ministry.
2. Over the last week of January and the first week of February, the Bible Institute will be in session. Please pray that students will deepen their faith through the biblical teaching and continue to sharpen their gifts for serving the Lord.
3. Other upcoming events in Tanzania include meetings between Rob, Dan and the Tanzanian pastors. They will be discussing the details of the next church plant as well as some other significant issues. Please pray that God will give wisdom to the missionaries and the pastors involved in these meetings.
4. In the last general session of this past SGI Conference, Pastor Doran suggested that we do not realize how deeply our own culture has undermined our boldness in Christian witness. Being overly concerned about others rejecting the gospel should be just as foreign to us Christians as the strangest African custom. But for most all of us, we are too comfortable with avoiding clear gospel conversations. Please pray that we would continue to uproot our ingrained tendency to love ourselves more than sharing the truth about Jesus Christ.