Back to Africa

Translated into English from Hausa, it means, “Western Education is Sinful.”  But the dreaded words, Boko Haram has come to mean something far more sinister to the local Christian populations of northern Nigeria. This radical Islamic faction has acknowledged their objective to attack police, military and Christian institutions in order to mandate complete Sharia law in that part of the country. As a result, they have openly admitted responsibility for most of the repeated bombings during the past year that have taken the lives of thousands of Christians in the region.

Reading all this in the March 10 issue of World Magazine (http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19236) on the first leg of a trip that is taking me to that very area of Nigeria might make you think I should simply turn around and go home again. But instead, I head out today with clear confidence that God is also strongly at work in that part of the country and despite the recent incidents, I can be no safer than in the center of His will.

This is my first overseas trip representing Wycliffe Associates (http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/ ) in my new capacity of promoting organizational development among national Bible translation agencies.  In this case, it will be the NBTT—Nigerian Bible Translation Trust. When I arrive in Jos on Friday, I will spend the next five days interviewing various NBTT leaders to learn what organizational barriers are keeping them from effectively tackling the huge job of Bible translation in their country.  With over 500 languages native to Nigeria, only 22 have completed Bibles and another 100 that have only begun a translation process.  That means there are still some 356 of languages left to be translated so that people might have God’s Good News in an understandable form—the largest number of any country in Africa.

I will do my best to share what I learn along the way—so keep posted on this blog for further updates.

Sample map showing which people groups have the Bible (green) or
the NT (yellow) or nothing at all (red)

As I board my United flight for Frankfurt and then Abuja, Nigeria, I must tell you about some of the “cool tools” I am carrying with me. Hopefully, these things will facilitate greater effectiveness for our national ministry friends. First, are a set of colorful maps provided for me by Global Mapping International (http://www.gmi.org/) that show each of the Nigerian language groups color coded according to their scale of evangelization as determined by the Joshua Project (http://www.joshuaproject.net). 

Taking it one step farther, my friend, Marv Bowers of ILS International (http://www.ilsinternational.net)   has spent the past 48 hours refining another set of fantastic maps of Nigeria just for me that not only show language sectors needing translation, but are also geo-coded so that I can display them on my iPad by means of a special app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/avenza-pdf-maps/id388424049?mt=8) that will also show my actual GPS position superimposed on the map. 

Finally, my briefcase has got several copies of a brand new Organizational Capacity Assessment Matrix that I will be trying out for the first time on this trip. Thanks to a neat partnership with Lisa Price, a student at Benedictine University getting her Masters Degree in organizational behavior and her advisor, Tiffany Yates, we’ve designed a new tool that should significantly aid in organizational capacity evaluation for any national ministry.

So, armed with all these “tools of the trade,” and most of all, with the faithful prayer support of a whole bunch of friends like you, I feel ready for this eight day trip and look forward to how I can add my little bit of encouragement to our Nigerian brothers and sisters who daily face such challenges as those of Boko Haram.

Sharp Contrasts

This past week, we have been shocked with the tragic news of two incidents in the Middle East that resulted in the unwarranted death of innocent people. The first, and most publicized, the massacre of 16 villagers in southern Afghanistan by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. The second, happening just three days earlier in the Kurdish province of Iraq, was the execution-style shooting of American teacher, Jeremiah Small, by one of his students, eighteen-year-old Bayar Sarwar.

A shot of Yousiff & Alia Matty taken
during my visit to Iraq in 2006

This second incident happened in the city of Sulaymaniyah in a classroom of the Classical School of the Medes, a project of my good friends, Yousiff and Alia Matty. All of my eight years at Partners International involved helping to fundraise for their impressive vision of building three K-12 schools in northern Iraq utilizing the renowned international classical curriculum.

As I reflect about these two incidents, I see amazing similarities in the actions of the perpetrators.  For example, both…

-          Acted totally alone

-          Used guns firing at point-blank range

-          Obviously reached an emotional breaking point resulting in their violent actions

-          Acted out in the open in front of others, not secretively or clandestinely

-          Resigned themselves to their subsequent fate (Sgt. Bales gave himself up afterwards while Sarwar turned his gun on himself, taking his own life.)

But it is the sharp contrast of the victims’ families’ reactions that leaves me most impressed.

In Afghanistan, the cry is for revenge. Regardless of the just punishment Sgt Bales will receive, I will not be surprised to hear in the next few weeks that the spirit of revenge has spilled over into other incidents of Afghans wanting to get even by somehow hurting other innocent Americans.  Whether or not you blame local culture or Islamic religious tradition, the fact is that wanting to get even for such an act of unwarranted killing is simply built into our human spirit. It is tragic, but it is human, and we can sort of understand that.

In Iraq, however, the response by Jeremiah’s parents stuns both us as it did the local population. Instead of venting their anger on Sarwar’s family, they instead offered a public forgiveness. As World Magazine reports:

… most remarkable was the reconciliation evident between Small's family, who are Christians, and Sarwar's, who are Muslims. The shooter's father, Rashid Sarwar, apologized to the Smalls for the killing. The teacher's father, Dan Small, said, "We do not have any hatred for the family of the student who killed our son." At one point both men embraced. (http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19280)

The Smalls choose to have Jeremiah’s body buried there in Iraq announcing to all, “We give you our son.” This action speaks volumes to a Middle Eastern culture that understands it as a strong symbol of respect for their culture. Not only does it leave a bond between the Small family and the Kurds, but it will be remembered for years as an act of love and care.

What a shame this positive ending to such a tragic event has not been given more media exposure that portrays the sharp contrast to the other events in Afghanistan. I know our world could certainly benefit from this powerful example of the human reconciliation that is possible from God-reconciled and transformed hearts.

Meanwhile, Back On The Home Front. . .

I’ve been reminded this past week that not all of the impressive activities going on in the mission world these days are happening on the “front lines.” 

Since last Sunday, I’ve had the privilege of being the keynote speaker for a mission’s conference at a church celebrating its centennial anniversary. The Western Springs Baptist Church (WSBC) is located in the first tier of suburbs just west of downtown Chicago. I came prepared to impress folks with my latest PowerPoint presentation on the state of the mission world. I did not come prepared to become impressed instead by the amazing stories people have been sharing with me about the historic mission involvement of WSBC.

For example, I’ve learned that this church. . .

Some famous WSBC pastors including Lloyd Fesmire (left)
and Billy Graham (right)

• ·         Was the first place that Billy Graham pastored right after he graduated from Wheaton College back in 1943.
• ·         That his successor, Rev. Lloyd Fesmire, made the weekly, Sunday evening radio program “Songs in the Night” a huge success. It can still be heard today on Moody Radio.
• ·         That George Beverly Shea, who was the great baritone soloist for Billy Graham crusades, not only attended this church, but also dedicated the pulpit used for many years as a memorial to his father.
• ·         Among the many illustrious missionaries supported over the years was the Newman family who served in Irian Jaya and whose tragic death in a plane crash was made famous by Don Richardson’s book, Lords of the Earth.

If that isn’t enough, WSBC was also one of the first churches that supported my parents, Art and Helen Lewis, when they became missionaries to Portugal in 1951. (I was just one year old!) Years later, Anita and I came to this church in 1978 after joining Mission Aviation Fellowship and have been supported by these friends ever since—a total of 33 years!

But what is even more impressive than all of these great historical facts is the continued enthusiasm for missions at WSBC--something I have witnessed here this entire last week.  From Sunday morning services to Saturday evening banquets, and multiple meetings in between, it has been so refreshing to see an entire church body—children included—so engaged with the cause of building God’s Kingdom around the world.

What a great reminder that the exciting stuff happening out there on the front lines of missions simply does not happen without a home-base commitment like I have witnessed this week at WSBC!

Associating with the Associates!

This week, I’m writing this blog from Orlando, Florida where I’ve been invited to participate in the semi-annual board meeting of Wycliffe Associates.  Although I’ve known about WA for years, the past few months of starting to work with this mission in a part-time consulting capacity has given me a new appreciation for the amazing way they are impacting the world for the cause of Christ.

Not to be confused with Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) ,the organization that raises Bible translation funds in the US, or the Wycliffe Global Alliance, the international network of Wycliffe groups or SIL (Summer Institute of Linguists) the cadre of professional linguists who do a lot of the translation work, or even the Seed Company, the more recent newcomer that mobilizes indigenous, grass-roots Bible translation teams, WA is actually an independent organization, that is fully dedicated to support all of the above.

Co-located alongside WBT on a beautiful pond-filled property generously donated to the mission, WA has become second to few in its ability to mobilize volunteer men and women into second-career ministry work. Every year, some 3800 men and women (mostly over 55) all across the US become engaged in one way or another with WA, a huge number of whom will actually travel overseas to teach school, construct a new facility or install a generator. On top of that, WA raises virtually all of the funds necessary for these stalwart volunteers to accomplish their task—some thirteen million dollars worth!

Since my friend and former MAF colleague, Bruce Smith took over the CEO reigns of WA, this ministry has generated not only enough capacity to respond to the needs the various Wycliffe groups mentioned above, but now has room to spare for other national, indigenous church organization that are committed to translating God’s word into a language that needs it. As a result, WA has five full time Area Directors managing over 160 projects in their respective regions of the world.

One noteworthy example was last year when WA volunteer specialists installed over 70  satellite communication devices in places like Nigeria giving remote, national translation teams affordable, daily communication with their language consultant specialists in other parts of the world. University professor, Dr. Roger Morhlang, shared with me how this simple improvement alone has literally shaved months and maybe even years off of the Old Testament project he is consulting on with one of those Nigerian teams.

What will my role be with WA? To explore the organizational development needs of the most needy indigenous translation agencies and then mobilize some key professionals from among those 3800 volunteers who can provide training and coaching for those that can use it.

I wish I could share more of the stories I heard in the meetings today,  but I trust that this quick report stimulates you to learn more about the significant, behind-the-scenes efforts Wycliffe Associates is performing in the world of mission endeavor today.  (Check out http://www.wycliffeassociates.org/)

A New Season of Ministry

This blog has been silent too long!

But the silence has not been reflective of a life that has been still and static.  Far from it! The past few months have been an amazing experience of watching God at work crafting new opportunities and relationships for Anita and me so that now, we see ourselves emerging into a new season of personal ministry.

One of the best experiences a few months ago after stepping down from my CEO role at Partners International, was to accept the challenge of a friend to sit down and write out a new personal mission and vision document. “Whatever you do,” he said, “be intentional about pursuing what you’re both passionate about and good at doing. Say ‘No’ to everything else.”

Following that advice and then watching God open up unexpected doors of ministry involvement, I find myself launching into a ministry of “advancing servant partnership networks in the global Christian community.” I’ve labeled my endeavors Servant Link. 

Already I have coaching and consulting opportunities that will help national ministry leaders:

·         Build greater capacity for their ministries through organizational development training

·         Create greater effective use of strategic resources such as mission aviation and IT services

·         Start using exciting new ministry technologies that utilize social media for evangelism and discipleship

·         Receive biblical stewardship orientation that could create a whole new era of local fundraising.

As a ministry foundation for Servant Link, I am happy to announce Anita and I have just been accepted by OC International (www.onechallenge.org) as new staff members. This will allow us to work out of our home office, continue receiving personal support donations through OC while becoming part of a team of highly gifted men and women known for their passion of promoting partnership in missions.

As we venture into this third chapter of our ministry career, I’ve decided to make this blog a window into the mission world.  My personal goal will be to have a regular, weekly blog post with a brief presentation of the most interesting and/or exciting thing I’ve heard about recently happening in the mission world .  My hope is that this can become a means for all to share in the global adventure that is occurring as God’s servants faithfully pursue His Great Commission.

Under His wings,

Jon

Thanksgiving Power Lunch

What image comes to your mind when you think of having a “power lunch?” Maybe two yuppie businessmen negotiating stock investments as they chow down French Dip roast beef sandwiches? Or perhaps two women executives at an upscale sushi bar making decisions on the next corporate merger?

I’d like to suggest a new image to consider—Thanksgiving dinner! 

Thirteen times in the Psalms we find the phrase “give thanks to the Lord.” Every single time, however it is coupled with the encouragement to remember—to recall the great and wonderful things God has done in the past that give us reason to thank Him today.  Some of those Psalms go on for thirty or forty verses, enumerating instances of God’s faithfulness throughout the history of Israel.

What struck me today as I read Psalm 105 was the connection between remembrance and strength. “Seek the Lord and his strength,” the psalmist says in verse 4. The next verse explains how to do that: “Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered…” I’m not sure I have seen that link before, but the very act of remembering God’s actions in the past gives strength to face the challenges of today. This was dramatically illustrated in I Samuel 30 where David and his men despaired over the capture of their wives and families by the Amalekites at Ziklag. So bitter were his men over the incident that they were ready to stone and kill David. But then, the story tells us, “David found strength in the Lord.”  I’m positive that strength was the result of remembering the many times God had helped them face and overcome equally trying situations before. Armed with those recollections, David had the strength to muster his men anew and pursue the enemy until every single loved one was rescued.

At our breakfast table this morning, Anita and I strolled through a list of memories from this past year—from highlights with grandchildren to a significant and unexpected career change last summer. Through all of it, however, we sensed how God has been at work in each circumstance. Today, as we face new directions for our lives and future ministries, we stand firm in our Christian faith, finding strength and power for tomorrow in these important reminders of God’s faithfulness in the past.

So here’s a little formula to think about as you approach the rest of this day of celebration: T à R à S or THANKFULNESS leads to REMEMBERING leads to STRENGTH.

I hope as you sit down with family and friends at your Thanksgiving meal today, as we will in a few hours, you will take the time to go around the table and have each share what they are thankful to God for during this past year. I’m confident that simple little exercise of remembering will result in everyone being strengthened with renewed power to face the challenges of today and beyond.

You’ve got to admit, that makes Thanksgiving the ultimate “power lunch!”

Under His wings,

Jon

Taking Responsibility

Refection #1 from my West Africa Trip

Sometimes I wonder if one reason for our global economic crisis is so that non-Western, national ministries can be weaned off of financial dependence on places like the United States.

If so, I think I started to see the effect of that very thing during my recent trip to West Africa.

Most of the time when I visit grassroots ministries in developing countries, there is always the discussion about lack of adequate funding for various projects. Usually the discussion ends up with the question of when a greater increase in money from America can be expected so that local ministry can continue.

This time, however, I did not hear that sort of question. Instead, I witnessed testimonies from church planters in northern Ghana praising God for how they were now able to fully support themselves thanks to the two bullocks and plow that had been made available to them three years before.  Land in that part of the country is readily available, but farming the dry, crusty ground is not easy—especially if you have to hoe it all by hand. But, with a bullock-powered plow, a single farmer can cultivate five times the size field for the same effort turning his work into a viable, profit-making enterprise.

 The stories we heard from a dozen or so couples all indicated that as a result of being self-sufficient, they were now able to spend adequate time leading several church-planting cell-groups in surrounding villages. One couple had started work in seven different villages—all places that were predominantly Muslim.

In a similar way, speaking with the leadership of the Evangelical Church of Gambia, I was encouraged to hear one of the key priorities of this national denomination is to help each pastor in the whole country become a successful businessman in order to fully support himself and not be dependent on the local church or foreign handouts for survival. In one case, we met a young man who with the aid of a digital camera, computer and printer, was doing just that with a thriving photo studio business thanks to a micro-enterprise loan received a couple years before.

I don’t think any of this get’s us as Americans off the hook in terms of our responsibility to share our wealth with the rest of God’s people around the world. But, how refreshing it is to hear such stories and to think that maybe there is a new day dawning of national organizations taking on themselves the responsibility for financial sustainability of their own ministries.

Jon