Reminders from the Mission Field

So I'm another year older now, but so grateful - for life, health, family.  I don't feel older.  I may look older, but I'm one of those people who can honestly say I feel the same as I did on the day I got married.  How long that will last, I'm not sure, but I'll take it while I can!

I've been living in Papua New Guinea the last few weeks as I was slowly but surely reading another missionary story by Don Richardson called Lords of the Earth.  An incredible story of sacrifice and martyrdom for a tribal people that did not know the Lord.

Amazingly, on Sunday, the pastor called up a missionary to give a quick report and where was he from but Papua New Guinea!  I felt like I was listening to Don Richardson himself giving the update. He brought books with him from another fellow missionary named John Wilson.  I quickly ran up and grabbed one of them.  I started it last night and already can't put it down as now I know the characters in the book as they all follow from the book I just finished.  Everyone knew each other, all the missionaries, all the nationals.  So inspiring.

At night, with the children, we are reading the autobiography of George Mueller.  We had read a biography about him years ago, but it is so interesting to read it again, but this time from Mueller's own perspective.  All these books point to the same lesson - these people relied on God for everything.  In addition to that, they relied exclusively on His Word.  They didn't have shelves and shelves of commentaries.  They only had the Bible.  And it was enough.

In so many cases, these authors give example after example of instances where things just don't make sense, life doesn't go the way they hoped or planned, yet always, looking back, God was at work, using everything for His good.

I read in Nehemiah a few days ago about the Israelites again.  Nehemiah recalls their whole story and their whole timeline of events from the crossing of the Red Sea to the golden calf, to the manna in the desert.  He recounts their disobedience as well as their times of turning back to God.  I wonder if Nehemiah is recalling it as much for his benefit as for the people he's saying it to, to remind himself that God is good, even if it doesn't appear that way sometimes.  He says,

"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, all all your people since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.  Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly."

At this point in the story, Nehemiah doesn't know how it is going to end.  I feel like he is one of those missionaries, stuck with at tribe of  people from Papua New Guinea, not necessarily seeing fruit from all the hard work amongst the stubborn Israelites.  And he says, "Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.  And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins.  They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress."  (Neh. 9:36-38)

Nehemiah, who has seen God perform so many miracles and has heard about all the miracles possibly even before he was born, still is in distress.  He sees himself and his people as a slave.  He sounds a little discouraged!  The missionaries I've been reading about also fell into great times of depression, as did their wives, and distress, wondering sometimes how they found themselves in the middle of nowhere, among a people that didn't want them there.  They saw many conversions, but so many left to go!  So many still slaves to their religious fetishes and not enough missionaries to go around!  We, too, though we have been given much, are still not out of the pit and find ourselves crying out, "We are still slaves!"  I don't want to say I'm in great distress as all things are relative, but sometimes I feel like I am.  It's taking too long!

Yet, the missionaries stories, always end up telling a story of God's faithfulness.  Nehemiah recounts God's faithfulness all along as well.  I can tell of God's faithfulness.

This past Thanksgiving weekend was a great time to recount together as families and, later on as our family met, about all the things God has done for us, all that He has brought us through.  We can only be like the missionaries, Nehemiah and the Israelites and recount the stories, trusting God for the end result.  Maybe that's why I love reading those stories so much - they are great reminders to keep the hope alive.  God is at work.