Engage Magazine – A Global Magazine of the Global Church of the
Nazarene – Wednesday, 8 January 2014 – Recent Articles
Missionary profile: Brian and Jill Tibbs
Brian and Jill Tibbs are missionaries in South America, having
served in Arequipa, Peru, for five years. They are relocating to Quito,
Ecuador, in March 2014. Brian is director of Extreme Nazarene Ministries, a
ministry that partners with the South America region to plant churches using
North and South American singles with calls to serve as missionaries.
Brian and Jill have three children: Jana (8), Andrew (5) and
Megan (3). Previously, they served in Argentina from 2006-2008, and Guatemala
in 2005.
Engage: How did you first recognize God’s call to be involved in
missions?
Brian: When I finally got serious about my relationship with God
and trying to live the principals in the Bible, God spoke to my soul and told
me I was to be a missionary. I ignored Him
for at least a year. When I finally
admitted to myself that I was called, I pleaded with God, I offered deals, I
pledged money, I said I would go when I retired… I even fought with God about
the logic of it. But when I admitted to myself that I loved God, He basically
won the fight and I capitulated.
Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your
present assignment?
Brian: I most enjoy seeing the 20-something generation roll up
their sleeves and share the love of God without expecting anything in
return. And when God blesses that, we
get to watch the Kingdom of God expand and subsequently watch the population of
hell shrink. I have been so incredibly
blessed to see that personally many, many times over in the church I planted
with a team of 12 young people in 2012-13.
Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in
carrying out your work?
Brian: Any time you stir up trouble for Satan, you should expect
to be attacked back. Spiritual warfare
is a very real and scary thing. That is
hands down the biggest challenge to Kingdom expansion work. I could count hundreds of stories of people
who accept Christ but later fall away because of the lies told them by their
own family, friends and neighbors. There
are countless stories of evangelism teams getting lost, equipment breaking down
right before the altar call, entire teams of people getting ill with bizarre
illnesses right before huge events, etc.
We’ve had two men in their 30s and 40s be removed from key roles in huge
events due to genetic predisposition to blood clots. Blood clots - really?
Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment
that has happened in your current assignment.
Brian: June 19, 2010 we had Nick Vujicic (Australian-born man
without arms or legs) do an evangelism event in Arequipa. When he did the altar call, over 6,000 of the
12,000 that came that day accepted Christ as Savior.
Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God (and
your family, if applicable) in the midst of the demands of missionary service?
Brian: Within Extreme we have adopted a tradition to rise
corporately at 4 a.m. to pray for two hours every Tuesday. It doesn’t matter what city we serve in, we
are all expected to observe that time of solitude with our Lord. I personally also spend many mornings early
in prayer (5:30 a.m. usually). I also do
a different Bible study each week focusing on different Scripture that
interests me or that I feel led to understand better.
To stay connected with my family, I try to spend quality time
with each member alone at least every two weeks. I take my wife and my two daughters
(separately) out on dates and I take my son out on different adventures. That seems to work really well to keep us
together and connected.
Engage: What are the rewards of what you do?
Brian: Honestly the rewards are mostly eternal. And that’s good enough for me. I’m just a visitor here on this blue
ball. But if I had to pick one thing,
I’d say the satisfaction of seeing people make real changes for the
improvements of their own lives and that of their families is pretty rewarding.
Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that
you have come to love or embrace?
Brian: I love big lunches now.
Peruvians eat soup, then a mountain of rice and potatoes and the main
course for lunch. I also love the warm
greetings. Peruvians ALWAYS greet with a
handshake (for the guys) and a kiss (for the ladies) and some kind words. The greeting isn’t rushed – it’s important to
the relationship.
Engage: What do you like to do for fun?
Brian: I really only plant churches and I guess you could say
that’s fun to me. In the rare moments
that I can peel away, I do like to go to the beach – the waves have a powerful
calming effect.
Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn
about you?
Brian: There are no pastors, missionaries or other full-time
ministers of any kind anywhere in my family history. I come from a long line of
business-owners. So it’s odd to my family
(and to myself) that God called me.
Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a
possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment?
Brian: If God is calling… you must obey without delay. If He’s not calling you, just sit tight; it’s
not for you.
-------
Damascus Nazarenes reach out to community by Gina Grate
Pottenger
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? - Romans
8:35 NIV
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. –
Romans 8:28 NASB
As the Syrian government’s military and the opposition forces
have sliced and diced the country into areas they control, millions of
civilians have been caught in the crossfire. It has been a time of severe
hardship and turmoil for believers and nonbelievers alike.
The members of the Nazarene church in Damascus awaken every day
to death and danger. While no one from the church has been killed, they are
afraid. The neighborhood where the pastor lives, and where the Nazarene school
is located, has been shelled multiple times.
But they cling ever more strongly to peace in Jesus Christ. And
they are reaching out to people in need, regardless of their religious
background. The church has registered 2,500 families, of which only 100 are
associated with the church.
Every month the church tries to give each family on their list a
package of food (and sometimes blankets, mattresses, and medicines according to
need). The families attend a gathering with an inspirational message. The
families are now in different groups, and the church conducts 12 gatherings
each week in order to distribute aid.
The church also hosts a medical clinic which is open three times
per week, seeing an average of 50 people every week.
The Nazarene school in Damascus managed to enroll 193 students
in spite of the constant uncertainty and violence plaguing the community. This
is only about 40 fewer than their normal enrollment. But due to the economic
instability at the moment, most families cannot pay the tuition for their
children. So Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) has provided a grant,
along with NCM scholarships, to help the students attend the school.
A new student named Elia joined the third grade. He cried in
class almost every day for the first few weeks because he is afraid when he
leaves his parents in the morning that he will never see them again. The
teacher began to tell Elia how he could put his trust in Jesus and pray for
protection. It took some time, but with the help of his teachers and the
encouragement he gets from the chapel services, Elia can now get through the
day without fear crippling his ability to study and play with his new friends.
He is learning how to trust in God during fearful times, and that is making a
big difference in his life.
In Aleppo, the Nazarene church continues its gatherings even
when there are electricity outages. They are helping 15 or so of their families
with food staples and soap. They also used money from their tithes to fund one
man’s surgery to remove a tumor.
Please pray that during this time of uncertainty and pain, that
God will continue to bring great good and work His will among the people of
Syria. Ask for courage, perseverance and resourcefulness for our brothers and
sisters. Pray that God will provide for all their critical needs, and that they
can continue to multiply what they have to help others.
-------
Ask the missionary: Most pressing need by Shelly Miller
Question: What do you believe is the most pressing need in the
mission field today? -- Jimmy Claros
Answer: When I first read this question, my mind was really
racing. What are our most pressing needs? We are surrounded by great physical
needs, particularly in Third World Countries—clean water, education, human
trafficking, etc. Even in Westernized and “wealthy” countries there are needs,
but they differ greatly from our needs in the Third World. However, I think
that there is one thing that really underlies all things and is probably the
major need no matter where your mission field is—whether it’s in Africa, Asia,
South America or the USA.
In my opinion, the greatest and most pressing need we have on
the mission field today is making Christ-like disciples. It is the mission of
the Church of the Nazarene: [to] "Make Christ-like Disciples in the
Nations." Here in Madagascar, we talk about it all the time. It’s also our
mission for Madagascar: Making Christ-like disciples in Madagascar and beyond.
The question is, is it really happening? I would wager to say that it probably
is not.
Here in Africa, we battle many things, but AIDS is one of our
greatest challenges in the church and outside the church. The HIV/AIDS
infection rate is no different inside of the church (the whole Christian
church, not just the Nazarene church) as it is outside of the church. AIDS is
spread almost exclusively in Africa through heterosexual, sexual activity. Of
course, rape is also a serious problem in Africa and a common method of
transmitting HIV/AIDS. What does this mean? Are we (the general Christian
church) grounding our people in the Word? Are we teaching them what the Bible
teaches about life situations, promiscuity, marriage, sex, violence toward
women and love? Are we teaching that the Bible ALWAYS trumps culture?
Many years ago, I was sitting in a district gathering while Rev.
Harry Maluleke, who is the newly appointed Field Strategy Coordinator for the
Africa South Field, was preaching in his usual wonderful, fiery way. He said
something that I thought was very profound: culture is man-made, not God-made.
We tread too carefully around culture and some things aren’t bad, but some things
must be completely eradicated—not only in Africa but all over the world.
It is no different in other parts of the world. The problem may
not be AIDS, but it could be spousal abuse, divorce, drugs, promiscuity,
apathy, greed, excessiveness, etc. Some countries in Africa have as many as 82
percent of the population claiming to be Christian, but the HIV/AIDS infection
rate, crime, drugs, rape, etc., is through the roof. Is this really true? Is 82
percent of the population truly born again? Are Christian churches grounding
their members and people in the Word of God and what God says? I would wager to say, no. And this is not a
problem unique to Africa.
There is no simple method of execution for discipleship. We work
at it almost daily here in Madagascar, too. We disciple small groups, large
groups, one-on-one, and sometimes we find ourselves banging our heads against
the wall. Sometimes we feel we have made great progress with someone only to
discover a moral short-coming in their life or that they suddenly fall away
from the church, God and Christianity completely without much explanation other
than their foundation seemed weak. I am sure we are not unique in this
experience. Any missionary, pastor or leader around the world could probably
give examples in their own ministry of such great “let-downs”. It is
frustrating and demoralizing for us as ministers, but we also have to release
these experiences and let God take control from there before the frustration
defines us. A frustrated minister is never an effective minister.
I do not know what the answer is to making truly grounded,
Christ-like disciples. Small groups are a great way to go—investing heavily in
the lives of a small group, hoping that group will then, in turn, go out and
disciple another small group. My husband works very hard with a small group of
young people here in Madagascar, and we are seeing progress, but also
set-backs. We try new things, new methods, ask other local missionaries what is
working in their churches, etc. There is no magical answer for every single
world area, as the problems of one world area are different in another, but we
carry on and we try as this is the Great Commission we have been called to.
The fact remains, all missionaries everywhere in the world need
prayer support of Christians everywhere in the world. We need the prayer
support of our sending churches in our home countries (which for us is South
Africa), we need the prayer support of people we have never met, people with a
heart for missions and all people who love God. Our task is huge, and so is
everyone’s. Christians are called to make Christ-like disciples in the nations,
and this is not a command just for us missionaries. How is that working in your
mission field where God has placed you? -- Rachelle (Shelly) Miller is married
to Ronald and is the mommy to Abigail, Malachi and Elijah. Shelly and Ronald
have been Specialized Assignment Missionaries on the Africa Region since early
2010 and have served in both Swaziland and, currently, Madagascar, where they
are the country’s mission coordinators and also overseeing the Madagascar
Street Kids Center and NCMI, church growth, leadership training and child
sponsorship amongst other things. They love where God has placed them and love
the people and the ministry in Madagascar.
-------
Patients in Papua New Guinea get new hands by Erin Meier
Seeing patients without a finger or two is pretty common in
Papua New Guinea. Many folks lose them
in injuries with bush knives, or chop them off themselves as a sign of grief
when a loved one has died. At times, we
see folks have amputations of part of their leg as a result of a cancer or a
chopchop (machete) injury. Up until
today, I didn't know that there were so many people with missing arms in the
area. They lose their arms the same way
they lose their legs - from machetes.
Some were sorcery victims, another a rascal chopped him in the market,
others were from fights with family or enemies, but most got chopped and have
been living without the use of one of their arms for a number of years.
Dr. Larry Hull is a retired orthopedic surgeon who has been a
friend of Kudjip for years, volunteering here numerous times and offering his
expertise many times over the years.
Recently, he brought Dr. James Ham to us. James is an emergency room doctor in Hawaii
who is exploring ways to help out in the developing world and he introduced us
to the LN-4 Hand. The hand is made by
the Ellen Meadows Prosthetic Hand Foundation, which seeks to help folks in
developing countries get a practical prosthetic hand at low to no cost.
We put up signs and made announcements to our patients that
prosthetic hands were coming. We invited
physical therapists and surgeons from neighboring hospitals to come and learn
how to fit patients with the hand and to see how the hand works. We initially were supposed to get four hands,
and we weren't sure if we could even find four patients who needed them. Instead of four patients, there were over 27
people with their name on the list to see if they qualified for a hand. James was able to bring 12 LN-4 hands to
Kudjip and in a few hours, we had more patients than he had hands for.
After a few minutes of explanations, we had patient with new
hands. When asked what they wanted to be
able to do with their hands, they talked about writing, swinging a bush knife
and gardening - just basic household activities for them. We got some props and started seeing how it
might work. There is still some tweaking
that can be done, but we had some happy patients with new hands when James and
Larry left. Thanks for helping our
patients in this way.
-------
Video: Too dark
After Pastor Vipul responds to a call for prayer in the middle
of the night, a business man closes his club and now attends a Nazarene
church.To download this video, click here.
<iframe
src="http://medialibrary.nazarene.org/media/too-dark/embed_player?iframe=True"
mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen"
webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="400"
allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" height="225"
scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe>
-------
Contact Information:
Director: Verne Ward
Executive Editor: Daniel Ketchum
Managing Editor: Gina Pottenger
Assistant Editor: Mandie Schaper
Assistant Editor, Africa: Amy Crofford
Website technician: Darryl Bennett
Engage magazine
The Church of the Nazarene
17001 Prairie Star Parkway
Lenexa, KS 66220 United States
Phone: (913)577-0500
Fax: (913)577-0861
E-mail: engagemagazine @ nazarene.org
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment