World

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Unreached Peoples

You may have noticed my new little widget on the sidebar here. It shows a photo of an “Unreached People of the Day” along with a few facts to inform your prayers. If you click on the photo, the link takes you to the Joshua Project website, where you can learn more. Joshua Project is a ministry that seeks to highlight the ethnic peoples of the world with the fewest followers of Jesus.

When Pete and I talk about missions,  we are often asked about the phrase unreached peoples. “What do you mean, unreached? My neighbor here is unreached. He never goes to church. I don’t need to go anywhere—there are plenty of unreached people right here in my city.”

This type of confusion is what happens when mission researchers (who can be rather geeky at times) interact with the general public.

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Operation World, a Prayer Almanac

Last week I wrote about how prayer is the first thing we should think about when faced with a world in need of a Savior. Then the obvious next question is, what should we pray for?

The Bible gives us some great suggestions…

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt. 9:37-38)

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you….” (Matt. 5:44)

“I urge… that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Tim. 2:1-3)

ow2010-bookThere is another resource that helps us know exactly how to pray for the world. Operation World is a prayer almanac. It lists every country on earth, along with the kind of information we need to target our prayers effectively: What are the dominant religions? How many believers are there in this country? What people groups live there? What about their politics, economy, education? What specific issues should we pray for? Continue reading →

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Pray and Do Not Lose Heart

I was reading the news yesterday morning when I stumbled across a story about two Somali girls , aged 15 and 16, who were dragged off the street, accused by radical Muslim rebels of being spies, prohibited from seeing their families, and then—in shock and in tears—publicly executed.

I can’t get their deaths out of my mind.

Maybe it’s because we have two girls, who used to be teenagers. I see their faces superimposed on the CNN photographs.

Maybe it’s because it’s such a horrific story. So senseless. So evil.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been praying for God to break my heart for the lost and the hungry and the hurting.

There’s nothing I can do to help those two teens. I don’t know if they knew God or not. Had they ever had a chance to learn about Jesus?

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Get Radical

radical-book-coverAre you happy with your life? Are you blessed? Are you pursuing the American Dream of a good job, a nice family, and a home filled with everything you need, and a bit more beside?

Even with the economy the way it is, most of us still hope that things will improve in the future—that we’ll someday be able to have that house-with-the-picket-fence and all the trimmings.

We love to read verses such as “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it” (Proverbs 10:22) and, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We hear sermons about verses like this; we repeat them to others. As God’s children, we delight in the truth that they apply to us.

But what about some other verses…

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What Shall We Then Eat? (Part 3)

A while back, I posted a couple of blogs about eating responsibly—“What Should We Then Eat?” (Part 1 was about eating to be healthy, and Part 2 was about eating with the environment in mind.) Today, I’d finally like to finish this mini-series with “Part 3: Eating with a Social Conscience.”

Here in the U.S., it’s easy to forget that our food choices have a global impact. A quick trip through the market can remind us. There are bananas from central America, coffee from Kenya, and apples from Australia. Tropical species (such as chocolate) have to be imported. Out of season produce is grown in the southern hemisphere and flown north so we can eat oranges all summer and grapes all winter. All in all, when it comes to food choices, we’re pretty spoiled.

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Missionaries Worth Your Support

Everyone knows about organizations such as World Vision and Compassion. How many people are aware of The Seed Company, and Alex and Laura Crum?

Every so often I come across a ministry that I believe is worthy of support, but is not well known. Perhaps they’re small, or working in a part of the world that can’t be publicized. Or perhaps they’re just starting out, as this young couple is, and could use a helping hand.

Of course, I realize that there are thousands of places to give your financial, prayer  and other support—Pete and I can’t afford to support all the ministries we’d like to, either. We wish we were wealthy, just so we could give away more money. Giving is so much fun!

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Reading about Missions

Summer is coming to a close, and a lot of our friends are back from their short-term mission trips. I’ve always been supportive of short-term missions (see my daughter’s post about them), but lately I’ve wondered. Did these missionaries make a difference? Did God change their hearts? Did their trips improve the lives of those they went to serve?

Our friend Bob works for  Partners International, one of my favorite cross-cultural ministries. He has compiled a list of mission books that he recommends. The first two, Serving with Eyes Wide Open, by David Livermore, and When Helping Hurts, by Corbett and Fikkert, address my questions about our short-term mission efforts. I can’t wait to buy and read both of them.

Bob discusses these and other mission books on his blog. Because I know and respect his opinions, I highly recommend his list to you.

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A “Memorial Stone” from 1992 – Part 2

One and a half weeks ago I wrote about the idea of memorial stones—tangible reminders of God’s faithfulness. Last time I posted the first part of a story from 1992. Today I’d like to share the second and third of three related events that happened quite a while ago, but which still feed my faith today. Be sure to especially notice God’s sense of timing.

If you remember, it was October, 1992. Pete had been invited to a mission conference to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, that included representatives from every Latin American nation….

Having finally made it to Costa Rica, we were proceeding smoothly through customs when the inspector decided that Pete’s large box full of used, donated floppy diskettes looked too valuable to allow in without paying duty (and going through the attendant red tape.) Our limited Spanish was simply not up to explaining that the materials were used, had no commercial value, and were vital for providing computer backups during the international conference we were about to attend.

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A “Memorial Stone” from 1992 – Part 1

Last week I wrote about the idea of memorial stones—tangible reminders of God’s faithfulness. Today I’d like to share the first of three related events that happened quite a while ago, but which still feed my faith today.

It was October, 1992. Pete had been invited to a major mission conference to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, to provide technical training for the attending missionaries….

Our whole family [Pete, myself, and our two elementary school-aged daughters] got up at about 4 a.m. for the hour-long shuttle ride to the airport. We arrived at 5:30 for the 6:45 flight. As we collected our luggage, we suddenly realized that Pete’s black computer bag was not among the suitcases. That computer was rather critical to the success of a trip that was mainly technical! Yet, there was simply no time to go back home and get it.

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Leaving Your Comfort Zone

Misty2Ahhh. My own bed. My own pillow. All my stuff, just where I left it. Familiar food in the fridge, a choice of clothes in the closet, and an extremely disgruntled cat demanding to be catered to. I’m dead center in my comfort zone.

After two back-to-back trips, one to Arizona and one to Puerto Rico, we’re finally home after more than three weeks of almost solid travel. The trips were great, but it sure feels good to be back.

My husband and I love to travel, and try to take advantage of every opportunity to do so. But that’s not true for everyone. One of Pete’s college roommates made it to the ripe old age of 22 having never left the state of California.

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