www.engagemagazine.com August 5, 2015 Issue #99
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RECENT ARTICLES:
Video: A New Story by Nazarene StoriesPastor Vania thought she would never serve in ministry again after her husband passed away at age 34. But accepting the pastorate at Itajaí, Brazil, Church of the Nazarene, has given her a new story.
Video: A New Story
By Nazarene Stories
Pastor Vania thought she would never serve in ministry again after her husband passed away at age 34. Vania shares how accepting the pastorate at Itajaí, Brazil, Church of the Nazarene, has given her a new story. Pastor Vania is the first woman to be ordained in the Church of the Nazarene in Rio de Janeiro.
Missionary profile: Nick and Laurie Kietzman-Greer by Engage magazine
As physical therapists, Nick and Laurie Kietzman-Greer have served as volunteer missionaries in Santiago, the Dominican Republic, on the Mesoamerica Region since 2011. Their son Daniel is 1 year old. They shared about how God is using them to serve people in amazing ways through their gifts and skills in healing.
Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your present assignment?
Nick and Laurie:Honestly, it is a great pleasure to be able to participate in God’s plan for healing in the world. To know that God has equipped us through mentors, pastors and educators, sent us through the prayers and financial support of both strangers and close friends, and prepared the way for us by allowing folks in the Dominican Republic (DR) to accept and invite the gifts we have to offer is truly a blessing to us. How great is our God!
One affirming example came during a conversation with the director of the physical therapy department at a local university a few months after arriving in the DR. We mentioned that we would be available to support the physical therapy department if there was anything she felt we could help with. With only four years of experience in the clinic and no experience teaching, we did not assume that this would be a large part of our ministry. God had other plans, and that day Margarita asked us to join the curriculum committee to revise the entire program for the first time in eight years. This truly was a sign of trust and welcoming on her part since the revision is a large project. It was as if she had been planning this all along, and evidence of how God prepares the way.
Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work? Share any relevant stories to illustrate this.
Nick and Laurie: The profession of physical therapy has challenges in many areas to be at a level of practice that empowers therapists to more autonomously treat patients. One barrier is the lack of a unified voice, in the form of a professional organization. A direct cause of the dispersed efforts that therapists have made at organizing is directly related to the exodus of trained professionals from the country, leaving for economic reasons. In the clinical rotation class I teach, about seven to eight in 10 of the students have aspirations of leaving the Dominican Republic after graduation. When 80 percent of the new graduates are leaving, it is difficult to maintain a base of dedicated professionals who can organize and lobby for better standards of care and an improved work environment for the therapists.
Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment.
Nick and Laurie:Honestly, it is a great pleasure to be able to participate in God’s plan for healing in the world. To know that God has equipped us through mentors, pastors and educators, sent us through the prayers and financial support of both strangers and close friends, and prepared the way for us by allowing folks in the Dominican Republic (DR) to accept and invite the gifts we have to offer is truly a blessing to us. How great is our God!
One affirming example came during a conversation with the director of the physical therapy department at a local university a few months after arriving in the DR. We mentioned that we would be available to support the physical therapy department if there was anything she felt we could help with. With only four years of experience in the clinic and no experience teaching, we did not assume that this would be a large part of our ministry. God had other plans, and that day Margarita asked us to join the curriculum committee to revise the entire program for the first time in eight years. This truly was a sign of trust and welcoming on her part since the revision is a large project. It was as if she had been planning this all along, and evidence of how God prepares the way.
Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work? Share any relevant stories to illustrate this.
Nick and Laurie: The profession of physical therapy has challenges in many areas to be at a level of practice that empowers therapists to more autonomously treat patients. One barrier is the lack of a unified voice, in the form of a professional organization. A direct cause of the dispersed efforts that therapists have made at organizing is directly related to the exodus of trained professionals from the country, leaving for economic reasons. In the clinical rotation class I teach, about seven to eight in 10 of the students have aspirations of leaving the Dominican Republic after graduation. When 80 percent of the new graduates are leaving, it is difficult to maintain a base of dedicated professionals who can organize and lobby for better standards of care and an improved work environment for the therapists.
Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment.
Nick and Laurie: After about two years on the field, we realized we really missed our Christian couple friends and the encouragement they used to provide in our lives in the States. Immediately after recognizing this need and praying over it, God provided another young missionary couple with whom we fellowshipped regularly. Their Christian friendship supported and encouraged us as we found renewed joy in our ministry. God poured into us, so we could pour into others.
In 2011, we took a trip to Nagua, in response to a Nazarene pastor’s request for support in their accompaniment of a 7-year-old boy with visual and physical disabilities. The nearest rehabilitation services are two hours away from Nagua, and even the travel is an unaffordable cost for Mateo’s family [name changed] of seven living in a zinc roof, three-room home. The church had already shown excellent efforts with Mateo, having lobbied and won his inclusion in school this year. They also facilitated a motorcycle ride to get him to school, because he cannot walk independently.
We spent a morning at school with Mateo, and found him sitting in his chair without a pencil, staring down at the desk. However, when individually directed, Mateo responded to class work at rates quicker than his neighbors. For recess, Mateo normally was simply moved outside the classroom door to sit at his desk. We had some fruitful discussions with the teachers, who expressed the extreme need for special education teachers, and responded well to suggestions for increasing Mateo’s class participation. (See video of Nick evaluating Mateo’s gait.)
Back at Mateo’s house, we worked on gait training with a donation of loft strand crutches from Creighton University. To our relief, they fit him well and he loved them! We felt extremely blessed by Mateo’s responsiveness, and the eagerness of his siblings, mom and pastor to participate in a written physical therapy program we left behind. On our way out of town, his mom reported that Mateo told her he planned to walk to church that evening!
A year later, we heard from the Work & Witness director that Mateo was walking to school without crutches and able to play with his friends. We give thanks and praise to God that through physical recuperation of strength and increased participation with his peers and family, Mateo was also able to have other psycho-social needs met as well.
Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God and your family in the midst of the demands of missionary service?
Nick and Laurie: Since our son’s birth, it has been much easier, out of sheer necessity, to focus on family since he’s an active guy. He is truly a gift from God, bringing joy and laughter into our home every day. On hot summer weekends, we often seek out somewhere with air conditioning in the afternoons, including of course, the ice cream store.
Focusing on both marriage and spiritual growth feels even more crucial to be mindful of in our current situation, both because we work together and because we are away from many of the communal spiritual practices that were beautifully available to engage in in our home churches in the U.S. We realized pretty early on that for us, attending a church outside of our sociocultural and educational background meant that we had to get serious about cultivating the individual part of our spiritual walks even more. We constantly schedule our week to make sure that we both get personal devotional time and marriage check-in conversations.
Engage: What are the rewards of what you do?
Nick and Laurie: We are satisfied as we work to honor our call to utilize the talents God equipped us with as physical therapists to care for others by fostering better standards of care and quality of education. We love participating in God’s kingdom come here on earth in this holistic way.
It is especially encouraging to see the level of care and compassion that the students provide to patients improve from the beginning of a semester until the end. It is so rewarding to guide students in new perspectives on their patients as they navigate the societal, cultural, economic, spiritual and psychological factors influencing their health.
Another rewarding ministry activity is organizing a conference for rehabilitation professionals (COTFOL – Congreso para Ortesistas, Terapeutas FIsicos, Ocupacionales y de Lenguaje). After almost a year of planning and organizing, it is truly rewarding on the day of the conference to see and hear how 100’s of professionals are growing and learning in their ability to more effectively provide compassionate care.
Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace?
Nick and Laurie: The professional meetings here are much different. Although we achieve what we hope to, the meetings are much more informal and always start with 10-20 minutes of greeting each other and getting updates on everyone’s lives. Work feels far less stressful because of this.
People are so open to prayer here. We love the fact that in any given meeting or conference, it is not uncommon for prayer to be part of the opening. With someone’s permission, it is very acceptable to pray in almost any environment in the Dominican Republic. In fact, when you talk to people, sometimes their greetings or goodbyes are interwoven with prayers and hopes of good will.
Since the second largest Dominican city is Washington Heights in New York, many people have family and friends in the USA. Perhaps for this reason, we have found that many people are very interested in the U.S. culture and seem to especially enjoy the U.S. movies and Major League Baseball. With this understanding, it has been easy for us to connect with people who at times are giving us news about our own country we haven’t heard yet.
Nick is in love with running in the mountains here. He is from eastern Nebraska, where there is not much elevation, so appreciates God’s creation in every trail he runs.
Engage: What do you like to do for fun?
Nick and Laurie: Nick enjoys distance running in the Jacagua mountains and playing soccer when time permits. Laurie loves inventing new healthy desserts and seeing what she can grow to eat. We love playing with ever-changing Daniel, watching him grow into a servant of God.
As a family, we try to get to the beach about once every 2 months to relax and disconnect from city life. Likewise, we enjoy being in nature, usually hiking and the occasional snorkeling trip. Finally, hanging out with our Dominican and international friends has been a source of great fun and helps counter culture shock.
Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
Nick and Laurie: Despite having a long-term, development approach in our main ministries in physical therapy education, we want and cannot help responding to the immediate needs that literally show up at our front door. Every day around 8 a.m. Simon (10) and David (8) ring our doorbell looking for support. We share milk and crackers, and find other small ways to respond to their spiritual and developmental as well.
Nick enjoys fixing things just about anything, from the hot water heater to logistical scheduling. He is a problem-solver at heart and feels resolution when problems are figured out.
Prior to moving to the Dominican Republic, we lived in community with two nuns and a Christian brother in Kansas City as part of the extended community of the Holy Family House. We learned a great deal about faithfulness in daily spiritual devotionals, serving our neighbor and systemic issues that lead to poverty.
Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment?
Nick and Laurie: Language learning is extremely important. It is hard to get much done without it, relationally or practically, and lack of ability to connect probably also contributes to more extreme culture shock. Learn as much as you can before arriving!
Likewise, cultural orientation is important upon arrival to the field. Without a good understanding the cultural context and history of the country, it is difficult to understand the needs of the people you hope to serve.
Spend time in discernment and truly know your call. Being firm in your call allows you to handle stress better as it inevitably arises in another culture.
Identify and develop the gifts and talents God has equipped you with as much as possible before coming to the field.
Read More
Nepali JESUS Film team encounters desperate father by Nepal JESUS Film team
Many people may think that JESUS Film ministry is only about traveling to new areas in the world to show people a movie about Jesus and then invite them to accept Christ into their lives. Yet, it is so much more. Not only is it about discipling new believers and planting new churches, but God uses JESUS Film teams in all manner of ways as they encounter people in their moments of need. For instance, in Nepal, a team helped a young boy who was very sick, as one of the team members writes below.
In 2011, we took a trip to Nagua, in response to a Nazarene pastor’s request for support in their accompaniment of a 7-year-old boy with visual and physical disabilities. The nearest rehabilitation services are two hours away from Nagua, and even the travel is an unaffordable cost for Mateo’s family [name changed] of seven living in a zinc roof, three-room home. The church had already shown excellent efforts with Mateo, having lobbied and won his inclusion in school this year. They also facilitated a motorcycle ride to get him to school, because he cannot walk independently.
We spent a morning at school with Mateo, and found him sitting in his chair without a pencil, staring down at the desk. However, when individually directed, Mateo responded to class work at rates quicker than his neighbors. For recess, Mateo normally was simply moved outside the classroom door to sit at his desk. We had some fruitful discussions with the teachers, who expressed the extreme need for special education teachers, and responded well to suggestions for increasing Mateo’s class participation. (See video of Nick evaluating Mateo’s gait.)
Back at Mateo’s house, we worked on gait training with a donation of loft strand crutches from Creighton University. To our relief, they fit him well and he loved them! We felt extremely blessed by Mateo’s responsiveness, and the eagerness of his siblings, mom and pastor to participate in a written physical therapy program we left behind. On our way out of town, his mom reported that Mateo told her he planned to walk to church that evening!
A year later, we heard from the Work & Witness director that Mateo was walking to school without crutches and able to play with his friends. We give thanks and praise to God that through physical recuperation of strength and increased participation with his peers and family, Mateo was also able to have other psycho-social needs met as well.
Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God and your family in the midst of the demands of missionary service?
Nick and Laurie: Since our son’s birth, it has been much easier, out of sheer necessity, to focus on family since he’s an active guy. He is truly a gift from God, bringing joy and laughter into our home every day. On hot summer weekends, we often seek out somewhere with air conditioning in the afternoons, including of course, the ice cream store.
Focusing on both marriage and spiritual growth feels even more crucial to be mindful of in our current situation, both because we work together and because we are away from many of the communal spiritual practices that were beautifully available to engage in in our home churches in the U.S. We realized pretty early on that for us, attending a church outside of our sociocultural and educational background meant that we had to get serious about cultivating the individual part of our spiritual walks even more. We constantly schedule our week to make sure that we both get personal devotional time and marriage check-in conversations.
Engage: What are the rewards of what you do?
Nick and Laurie: We are satisfied as we work to honor our call to utilize the talents God equipped us with as physical therapists to care for others by fostering better standards of care and quality of education. We love participating in God’s kingdom come here on earth in this holistic way.
It is especially encouraging to see the level of care and compassion that the students provide to patients improve from the beginning of a semester until the end. It is so rewarding to guide students in new perspectives on their patients as they navigate the societal, cultural, economic, spiritual and psychological factors influencing their health.
Another rewarding ministry activity is organizing a conference for rehabilitation professionals (COTFOL – Congreso para Ortesistas, Terapeutas FIsicos, Ocupacionales y de Lenguaje). After almost a year of planning and organizing, it is truly rewarding on the day of the conference to see and hear how 100’s of professionals are growing and learning in their ability to more effectively provide compassionate care.
Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace?
Nick and Laurie: The professional meetings here are much different. Although we achieve what we hope to, the meetings are much more informal and always start with 10-20 minutes of greeting each other and getting updates on everyone’s lives. Work feels far less stressful because of this.
People are so open to prayer here. We love the fact that in any given meeting or conference, it is not uncommon for prayer to be part of the opening. With someone’s permission, it is very acceptable to pray in almost any environment in the Dominican Republic. In fact, when you talk to people, sometimes their greetings or goodbyes are interwoven with prayers and hopes of good will.
Since the second largest Dominican city is Washington Heights in New York, many people have family and friends in the USA. Perhaps for this reason, we have found that many people are very interested in the U.S. culture and seem to especially enjoy the U.S. movies and Major League Baseball. With this understanding, it has been easy for us to connect with people who at times are giving us news about our own country we haven’t heard yet.
Nick is in love with running in the mountains here. He is from eastern Nebraska, where there is not much elevation, so appreciates God’s creation in every trail he runs.
Engage: What do you like to do for fun?
Nick and Laurie: Nick enjoys distance running in the Jacagua mountains and playing soccer when time permits. Laurie loves inventing new healthy desserts and seeing what she can grow to eat. We love playing with ever-changing Daniel, watching him grow into a servant of God.
As a family, we try to get to the beach about once every 2 months to relax and disconnect from city life. Likewise, we enjoy being in nature, usually hiking and the occasional snorkeling trip. Finally, hanging out with our Dominican and international friends has been a source of great fun and helps counter culture shock.
Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
Nick and Laurie: Despite having a long-term, development approach in our main ministries in physical therapy education, we want and cannot help responding to the immediate needs that literally show up at our front door. Every day around 8 a.m. Simon (10) and David (8) ring our doorbell looking for support. We share milk and crackers, and find other small ways to respond to their spiritual and developmental as well.
Nick enjoys fixing things just about anything, from the hot water heater to logistical scheduling. He is a problem-solver at heart and feels resolution when problems are figured out.
Prior to moving to the Dominican Republic, we lived in community with two nuns and a Christian brother in Kansas City as part of the extended community of the Holy Family House. We learned a great deal about faithfulness in daily spiritual devotionals, serving our neighbor and systemic issues that lead to poverty.
Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment?
Nick and Laurie: Language learning is extremely important. It is hard to get much done without it, relationally or practically, and lack of ability to connect probably also contributes to more extreme culture shock. Learn as much as you can before arriving!
Likewise, cultural orientation is important upon arrival to the field. Without a good understanding the cultural context and history of the country, it is difficult to understand the needs of the people you hope to serve.
Spend time in discernment and truly know your call. Being firm in your call allows you to handle stress better as it inevitably arises in another culture.
Identify and develop the gifts and talents God has equipped you with as much as possible before coming to the field.
Read More
Nepali JESUS Film team encounters desperate father by Nepal JESUS Film team
Many people may think that JESUS Film ministry is only about traveling to new areas in the world to show people a movie about Jesus and then invite them to accept Christ into their lives. Yet, it is so much more. Not only is it about discipling new believers and planting new churches, but God uses JESUS Film teams in all manner of ways as they encounter people in their moments of need. For instance, in Nepal, a team helped a young boy who was very sick, as one of the team members writes below.
On top of the hill, surrounded by the green forest facing the snowclad mountains to the north, our JESUS Film ministry team visits a new area in Nepal. We see the people doing their daily work in their fields or at home making bamboo baskets which could be sold in the local market. We saw a house near the forest area with a man sitting outside making bamboo thread. The house is completely made of bamboo. The pillars are of bamboo, the walls are of bamboo and also the roof is of bamboo. They place bamboo on the roof, spread a sheet of plastic over it, and put a bamboo mat over the top, binding it all with bamboo thread. It becomes very strong.The house owner was Gurung. He asked us why we were coming to his house. We slowly gave our introduction, talking about how we had come to share with him about Jesus through a film. There was no hint of hostility as we talked about the gospel. We discovered Gurung has a wife and two children. His son had been sick for several months. He looks very thin and weak as if he has no blood in his veins. His hands and legs are swollen. Gurung went to the witch doctors for help and began feeding him different herbal plants. The boy did not improve. The parents feared they would have to take him to the hospital. The family produces enough food grain for their needs but has no source of money. He tried to borrow money from neighbors and friends but found they started avoiding him.
He explained he needed a great deal of money, mostly for the travel, since they live a great distance from a hospital. The travel expenses will be more than the treatment costs. We completely understood what he was saying and knew it to be true.
We gave him counseling from the Word of God. We prayed for the needs. The Lord provided a pastor from another village to help. This pastor is a dairy farmer and sends his products to the town with a hospital daily. He agreed to provide the needed transportation. At the hospital, the boy was diagnosed with jaundice and was feeling better within two weeks. Gurung came back to the church with his son and expressed his gratitude, asking what he could do for the church. The pastor told him, there is no need to do anything for the church, just give your heart to Jesus.Read More
Reflecting Christ: Compassion by Howard Culbertson
Compassion. What a wonderful word to describe Jesus! Several times, the Gospels report that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” Gospel writers also wrote about Jesus weeping over Lazarus’ death (John 11:35) as well as over the waywardness of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41).
Jesus was “moved in His spirit” by a weeping woman (John 11:33). Out of compassion, He wanted hungry people to be fed (Mark 8:2-3). He cared about lost people, saying to repentant ones, “Your sins be forgiven” (Luke 5:20). When Jesus encountered hurting people, He acted in compassionate ways. Clearly, compassion is a basic quality of Jesus’ earthly life.
What does that mean for us? Well, if we are to carry out Jesus’ Great Commission in a Christ-like manner, our cross-cultural missionary efforts must overflow with compassion. That does not mean simply doing stuff labeled “compassionate ministries.” Sadly, we can actually run such programs without being very compassionate. As incredible as it may seem, promising rookie missionaries sometimes bomb out because they do not exude the tenderness, mercy and kindness we call “compassion.”
For missionaries, compassion must be more than a feel-good buzzword. A century ago Teddy Roosevelt said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” That thought should shape the trajectory of world evangelism efforts even though Roosevelt was not specifically addressing his words to missionaries. In a time when trash talking seems the norm, global missionary work must radiate something entirely different.
Not long ago, the sarcastic sentence “I think you have mistaken me for someone who cares” became a popular one-liner. The cold insincerity of that remark reminds us that compassion must be more than an external act which missionaries put on as needed. If missionaries would truly imitate Christ, they must open their hearts to Him and allow His compassion to flow through them.Read More
"Do not let the world squeeze you into its fungus" by Jonathan Phillips
In Romans 12, when Paul urged the believers, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold," English language readers know he doesn't mean they should prevent the world from squishing them into some fungus. But what happens when you translate dual meaning words or phrases into another language? Especially when dealing with theological concepts?
In the past few months, I have become more involved in the ministry of literature development in Romania. That doesn't mean that I'm translating books myself. Instead, it means that as literature coordinator, I assign tasks to skilled Romanians who function as translators, editors, and proofreaders.
When I receive a translation back from a translator, I read through it, next to the English original, making sure the translator understood the meaning of the English. This is called the "content edit," which is best done by a native English speaker who knows Romanian. When I'm done, I forward it (along with any suggestions for correction that I've made) to a Romanian editor who makes sure that it sounds right in Romanian. Finally, when the editing stages are complete, it is given to a proofreader to catch any grammatical or punctuation errors. The layout can then be done, and then it can be published.
While doing the content edit there are three main things that I am especially looking for.
First, I am making sure that the Romanian translator understood the English original. Even the very best translator can get lost in a complex English sentence, misinterpret an English idiom, or miss a biblical allusion. (This is also why Google Translate will never take the place of a skilled translator!) Here are a few examples -- not to make fun of a translator -- but to show how difficult translation is.
“Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold” was translated as “Do not let the world squeeze you into its fungus.” Yes, mold is a type of fungus, but not in this case!
A “novel experiment” was translated to mean an experiment about books.
In one case “sentence” was referring to the grammatical structure, but it was translated as a verdict (like a death sentence).
The “age old problem” was translated as the “old age problem.”
I was really confused at one particular translation. The word “quest” was translated as the Romanian word for “visitor.” Then I realized that the translator had seen flip-flopped the tail on a q for a g, turning “quest” into “guest.”
Second, I check theological terminology and biblical references. Sometimes a translator will translate a Bible verse quotation from English rather than opening their Romanian Bible and inserting the passage in Romanian. Other times, verses aren’t directly quoted, but alluded to, such as the least of these, my brethren. The Romanian translator may not be familiar enough with the English Bible to know that is a reference to Matthew 25.
There was one book in which the author relied exclusively on the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. In fact, this author devoted a whole paragraph to the fact that one verse began with the word “therefore.” However, no such word begins the Romanian equivalent, so that paragraph had to be drastically rewritten in order to make sense to Romanian readers. In the same book, the author often used the NIV translation “sinful nature” for the Greek word “flesh.” The translator had translated the author’s words “sinful nature” into Romanian, without realizing that it is making reference to the biblical word “flesh.”
Nazarene authors tend to use the “Christian perfection” and “perfect love” in the way John Wesley intended, with “perfect” meaning “complete” rather than the now-popular notion of “without mistake or flaw.” The Romanian language has two words. “Perfecțiune” is the “perfect” that means “without mistake,” whereas “desăvârșire” is the word used in every Romanian translation of the Bible to mean “complete.” This second word is the term we want to use in our books, but often a translator unfamiliar with biblical terminology uses “perfecțiune,” which conveys a completely different meaning to the reader.
Third thing I look for is the appropriateness to the Romanian context. Some translators feel that they need to translate exactly what is in English, even if it doesn’t make any sense to Romanian readers. While it is important to remain as close to the original as possible, it is also important to convey the author’s original meaning, even if the form is different.
A book of children’s ministry activities published in Romanian in 2001 says “You will need mini marshmallows and a microwave oven.” Hardly anyone in Romania had a microwave in 2001, and you still can’t get mini marshmallows here. This wasn’t adapted to the culture. Even though it was translated, it was useless, especially with the words “you will NEED” which implies no substitutions.
One book used the illustration of something like “everyone enjoys a good baseball game.” Well, that may be true in America, but not in Romania. So, by changing the word “baseball” to “soccer,” we kept the author’s original meaning.
Of course, I could go on about other examples, but I think these give an overview of the types of things that the editing process serves to catch.
We gave him counseling from the Word of God. We prayed for the needs. The Lord provided a pastor from another village to help. This pastor is a dairy farmer and sends his products to the town with a hospital daily. He agreed to provide the needed transportation. At the hospital, the boy was diagnosed with jaundice and was feeling better within two weeks. Gurung came back to the church with his son and expressed his gratitude, asking what he could do for the church. The pastor told him, there is no need to do anything for the church, just give your heart to Jesus.Read More
Reflecting Christ: Compassion by Howard Culbertson
Compassion. What a wonderful word to describe Jesus! Several times, the Gospels report that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” Gospel writers also wrote about Jesus weeping over Lazarus’ death (John 11:35) as well as over the waywardness of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41).
Jesus was “moved in His spirit” by a weeping woman (John 11:33). Out of compassion, He wanted hungry people to be fed (Mark 8:2-3). He cared about lost people, saying to repentant ones, “Your sins be forgiven” (Luke 5:20). When Jesus encountered hurting people, He acted in compassionate ways. Clearly, compassion is a basic quality of Jesus’ earthly life.
What does that mean for us? Well, if we are to carry out Jesus’ Great Commission in a Christ-like manner, our cross-cultural missionary efforts must overflow with compassion. That does not mean simply doing stuff labeled “compassionate ministries.” Sadly, we can actually run such programs without being very compassionate. As incredible as it may seem, promising rookie missionaries sometimes bomb out because they do not exude the tenderness, mercy and kindness we call “compassion.”
For missionaries, compassion must be more than a feel-good buzzword. A century ago Teddy Roosevelt said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” That thought should shape the trajectory of world evangelism efforts even though Roosevelt was not specifically addressing his words to missionaries. In a time when trash talking seems the norm, global missionary work must radiate something entirely different.
Not long ago, the sarcastic sentence “I think you have mistaken me for someone who cares” became a popular one-liner. The cold insincerity of that remark reminds us that compassion must be more than an external act which missionaries put on as needed. If missionaries would truly imitate Christ, they must open their hearts to Him and allow His compassion to flow through them.Read More
"Do not let the world squeeze you into its fungus" by Jonathan Phillips
In Romans 12, when Paul urged the believers, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold," English language readers know he doesn't mean they should prevent the world from squishing them into some fungus. But what happens when you translate dual meaning words or phrases into another language? Especially when dealing with theological concepts?
In the past few months, I have become more involved in the ministry of literature development in Romania. That doesn't mean that I'm translating books myself. Instead, it means that as literature coordinator, I assign tasks to skilled Romanians who function as translators, editors, and proofreaders.
When I receive a translation back from a translator, I read through it, next to the English original, making sure the translator understood the meaning of the English. This is called the "content edit," which is best done by a native English speaker who knows Romanian. When I'm done, I forward it (along with any suggestions for correction that I've made) to a Romanian editor who makes sure that it sounds right in Romanian. Finally, when the editing stages are complete, it is given to a proofreader to catch any grammatical or punctuation errors. The layout can then be done, and then it can be published.
While doing the content edit there are three main things that I am especially looking for.
First, I am making sure that the Romanian translator understood the English original. Even the very best translator can get lost in a complex English sentence, misinterpret an English idiom, or miss a biblical allusion. (This is also why Google Translate will never take the place of a skilled translator!) Here are a few examples -- not to make fun of a translator -- but to show how difficult translation is.
“Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold” was translated as “Do not let the world squeeze you into its fungus.” Yes, mold is a type of fungus, but not in this case!
A “novel experiment” was translated to mean an experiment about books.
In one case “sentence” was referring to the grammatical structure, but it was translated as a verdict (like a death sentence).
The “age old problem” was translated as the “old age problem.”
I was really confused at one particular translation. The word “quest” was translated as the Romanian word for “visitor.” Then I realized that the translator had seen flip-flopped the tail on a q for a g, turning “quest” into “guest.”
Second, I check theological terminology and biblical references. Sometimes a translator will translate a Bible verse quotation from English rather than opening their Romanian Bible and inserting the passage in Romanian. Other times, verses aren’t directly quoted, but alluded to, such as the least of these, my brethren. The Romanian translator may not be familiar enough with the English Bible to know that is a reference to Matthew 25.
There was one book in which the author relied exclusively on the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. In fact, this author devoted a whole paragraph to the fact that one verse began with the word “therefore.” However, no such word begins the Romanian equivalent, so that paragraph had to be drastically rewritten in order to make sense to Romanian readers. In the same book, the author often used the NIV translation “sinful nature” for the Greek word “flesh.” The translator had translated the author’s words “sinful nature” into Romanian, without realizing that it is making reference to the biblical word “flesh.”
Nazarene authors tend to use the “Christian perfection” and “perfect love” in the way John Wesley intended, with “perfect” meaning “complete” rather than the now-popular notion of “without mistake or flaw.” The Romanian language has two words. “Perfecțiune” is the “perfect” that means “without mistake,” whereas “desăvârșire” is the word used in every Romanian translation of the Bible to mean “complete.” This second word is the term we want to use in our books, but often a translator unfamiliar with biblical terminology uses “perfecțiune,” which conveys a completely different meaning to the reader.
Third thing I look for is the appropriateness to the Romanian context. Some translators feel that they need to translate exactly what is in English, even if it doesn’t make any sense to Romanian readers. While it is important to remain as close to the original as possible, it is also important to convey the author’s original meaning, even if the form is different.
A book of children’s ministry activities published in Romanian in 2001 says “You will need mini marshmallows and a microwave oven.” Hardly anyone in Romania had a microwave in 2001, and you still can’t get mini marshmallows here. This wasn’t adapted to the culture. Even though it was translated, it was useless, especially with the words “you will NEED” which implies no substitutions.
One book used the illustration of something like “everyone enjoys a good baseball game.” Well, that may be true in America, but not in Romania. So, by changing the word “baseball” to “soccer,” we kept the author’s original meaning.
Of course, I could go on about other examples, but I think these give an overview of the types of things that the editing process serves to catch.
A few weeks ago, I visited a Christian bookstore in Bucharest. I wanted to buy some resources for the theological library of European Nazarene College’s Romanian Learning Center. I was glad to see that excellent resources had been translated into Romanian. But as I flipped through the pages, I saw that they lacked theological editing. Allow me to explain by sharing what I found in two of the books. In one Bible dictionary, the term that was used for “justification” isn’t the biblical term. Instead, they used the legal word because it looks most like the English word. The same dictionary used the word for “mystery” that conjures up images of Sherlock Holmes or murder mystery stories instead of the biblical word used for divine mystery. The other book was one on Christian perfection. Since it is rare to find Wesleyan resources in Romanian, I was glad to see that this book had been published, that is, until I realized that throughout the entirety of the book, the word “perfection” was translated incorrectly. The translator used the term which means sinless perfection instead of completeness or wholeness.
After that visit to the bookstore, I began to really think about what Romanians are reading. These aren’t simply grammatical or spelling errors. I can live with those (although I’d rather not!). Since someone was in a hurry to translate and publish a book and skipped the theological editing stage, it means that the spiritual development of potentially thousands of Romanian Christian readers will be formed using language that isn’t biblical, which, in some cases, paints a very different picture of God and Christianity.
Literature development is a ministry that includes more than simply translation. It also includes the important stage of theological editing, to make sure that what the author intended to say is what the translation conveys to the reader. Here in Romania, we have the potential through literature to impact a much larger number of Christians than our relatively small church membership. What message do we want to convey?[Jonathan Phillips is a graduate of Eastern Nazarene College and Nazarene Theological Seminary. He currently serves as a missionary in Romania.]Read More
From tragedy to triumph: Shelter opens for survivors of human trafficking by Carol Anne Eby
On her knees in a living room in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, surrounded by a family devastated by tragedy, Rondy Smith heard what she described as a heavenly voice in her spirit.
Rondy and the family had been praying together for God’s direction on how He wanted to bring beauty from the ashes of the family’s violent loss.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’” Smith says. “It was a ‘holy ground’ moment and all present felt as if they should remove their shoes.”
That moment in May 2014 led to the surprising answer to Smith’s long-time prayers that God would provide a peaceful, safe and beautiful place of refuge in Nashville for women and girls who have been rescued from human trafficking.
It had been a long journey to this confirmation of God’s plan. God had laid a burden on Smith’s heart back in 2011 to establish a shelter for survivors of human trafficking. During the following three years, along with many volunteers and supporters from her congregation at Hermitage Church of the Nazarene, Smith laid well thought-out plans for such a venture. Rest Stop, standing for “Restore Survivors, Stop Oppression” was born.
God smiled upon the venture and good things began happening. Volunteers planned an initial gala to raise seed money for the venture, and $70,000 was raised. The next year the second gala brought in $140,000. Hermitage Church has a diverse congregation. Nurses, counselors, doctors, lawyers and accountants all came forward to offer their services.
Because of Rondy’s connection with Come to the Fire ministry, she had seen the result of extreme prayer efforts, and so she said, “We are going to have a prayer team.” The Lord brought names to her mind, and her 12 prayer warriors were chosen. She says, “They have prayed through every obstacle and rejoiced through every victory.”
For 13 years, Rondy had served as senior associate pastor at Hermitage Church and from her office window she looked out at Treemont, a beautiful mansion on 11 acres sitting next to the church. It was for sale. She thought of that Scripture, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. . .” and she thought how wonderful if an earthly mansion could be provided to help these who many might view as the dregs of society to be restored to their Heavenly Father’s image. However because of finance and other issues, those dreams of acquiring Treemont did not seem to be developing.
Then in February of 2014, tragedy struck. A well-known and beloved couple, long-time members of Nashville First Church of the Nazarene, was murdered in their home by a bomb explosion. Another tragedy occurred the next day when the son-in-law, also well known to the church and community, was arrested as the murderer.
After that visit to the bookstore, I began to really think about what Romanians are reading. These aren’t simply grammatical or spelling errors. I can live with those (although I’d rather not!). Since someone was in a hurry to translate and publish a book and skipped the theological editing stage, it means that the spiritual development of potentially thousands of Romanian Christian readers will be formed using language that isn’t biblical, which, in some cases, paints a very different picture of God and Christianity.
Literature development is a ministry that includes more than simply translation. It also includes the important stage of theological editing, to make sure that what the author intended to say is what the translation conveys to the reader. Here in Romania, we have the potential through literature to impact a much larger number of Christians than our relatively small church membership. What message do we want to convey?[Jonathan Phillips is a graduate of Eastern Nazarene College and Nazarene Theological Seminary. He currently serves as a missionary in Romania.]Read More
From tragedy to triumph: Shelter opens for survivors of human trafficking by Carol Anne Eby
On her knees in a living room in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, surrounded by a family devastated by tragedy, Rondy Smith heard what she described as a heavenly voice in her spirit.
Rondy and the family had been praying together for God’s direction on how He wanted to bring beauty from the ashes of the family’s violent loss.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’” Smith says. “It was a ‘holy ground’ moment and all present felt as if they should remove their shoes.”
That moment in May 2014 led to the surprising answer to Smith’s long-time prayers that God would provide a peaceful, safe and beautiful place of refuge in Nashville for women and girls who have been rescued from human trafficking.
It had been a long journey to this confirmation of God’s plan. God had laid a burden on Smith’s heart back in 2011 to establish a shelter for survivors of human trafficking. During the following three years, along with many volunteers and supporters from her congregation at Hermitage Church of the Nazarene, Smith laid well thought-out plans for such a venture. Rest Stop, standing for “Restore Survivors, Stop Oppression” was born.
God smiled upon the venture and good things began happening. Volunteers planned an initial gala to raise seed money for the venture, and $70,000 was raised. The next year the second gala brought in $140,000. Hermitage Church has a diverse congregation. Nurses, counselors, doctors, lawyers and accountants all came forward to offer their services.
Because of Rondy’s connection with Come to the Fire ministry, she had seen the result of extreme prayer efforts, and so she said, “We are going to have a prayer team.” The Lord brought names to her mind, and her 12 prayer warriors were chosen. She says, “They have prayed through every obstacle and rejoiced through every victory.”
For 13 years, Rondy had served as senior associate pastor at Hermitage Church and from her office window she looked out at Treemont, a beautiful mansion on 11 acres sitting next to the church. It was for sale. She thought of that Scripture, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. . .” and she thought how wonderful if an earthly mansion could be provided to help these who many might view as the dregs of society to be restored to their Heavenly Father’s image. However because of finance and other issues, those dreams of acquiring Treemont did not seem to be developing.
Then in February of 2014, tragedy struck. A well-known and beloved couple, long-time members of Nashville First Church of the Nazarene, was murdered in their home by a bomb explosion. Another tragedy occurred the next day when the son-in-law, also well known to the church and community, was arrested as the murderer.
The couple’s home was one of two on a beautiful 25-acre plot. About a month after the tragedy, the husband of a staff member at First Church sensed God was asking him to urge his wife to talk to Smith, as they were friends and fellow colleagues involved in several compassionate ministries. Knowing the family of the deceased couple needed to dispose of the property, and knowing Rest Stop needed a location to house the survivors, he thought this might be the perfect solution.
After two months of prayerful waiting, the family met with Smith. During the prayer time together, all were assured that this was God’s plan for Rest Stop’s new home.
The family felt this would be a fitting tribute to their parents, who had such compassionate hearts. Their mother especially was the epitome of restoration. She followed the model of Biblical hospitality, believing survivors were to be loved, redeemed and restored. Her daughters laughingly remarked, “We never knew who might show up at the dinner table: someone Mom might have met at Walmart or a soul she knew needed to be loved.” Her life had been dedicated to mentoring women. She organized a group in her church called “Saturday Sisters,” where women’s issues and problems were dealt with, and her home was always a respite for the down and out. Surely, she is smiling from heaven as her home, now named Good Hope Farm, is being readied for occupancy.
It took a year, almost to the day, from that initial prayer meeting to close on the property, but on May 8, 2015, this was accomplished, and now Rondy and her crew of volunteers from many different denominations and organizations are working tirelessly to ready the property for occupancy. The doors will open on August 15 to the first four occupants, with room to have eventually 16 women. It will be the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee, set apart just for human trafficking victims. In the beginning, End Slavery Tennessee will be the provider of occupants.
During their two-year residency at Good Hope Farm, the women will have every need taken care of: housing, food, clothing, medical, dental, vision, therapy, education gaps and job training, in order that they will be completely independent at the end of their stay and can take their rightful place in society. Smith has worked closely with Magdalene Ministry, established in 1997, serving women who have survived prostitution, addiction, and life on the streets.
After two months of prayerful waiting, the family met with Smith. During the prayer time together, all were assured that this was God’s plan for Rest Stop’s new home.
The family felt this would be a fitting tribute to their parents, who had such compassionate hearts. Their mother especially was the epitome of restoration. She followed the model of Biblical hospitality, believing survivors were to be loved, redeemed and restored. Her daughters laughingly remarked, “We never knew who might show up at the dinner table: someone Mom might have met at Walmart or a soul she knew needed to be loved.” Her life had been dedicated to mentoring women. She organized a group in her church called “Saturday Sisters,” where women’s issues and problems were dealt with, and her home was always a respite for the down and out. Surely, she is smiling from heaven as her home, now named Good Hope Farm, is being readied for occupancy.
It took a year, almost to the day, from that initial prayer meeting to close on the property, but on May 8, 2015, this was accomplished, and now Rondy and her crew of volunteers from many different denominations and organizations are working tirelessly to ready the property for occupancy. The doors will open on August 15 to the first four occupants, with room to have eventually 16 women. It will be the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee, set apart just for human trafficking victims. In the beginning, End Slavery Tennessee will be the provider of occupants.
During their two-year residency at Good Hope Farm, the women will have every need taken care of: housing, food, clothing, medical, dental, vision, therapy, education gaps and job training, in order that they will be completely independent at the end of their stay and can take their rightful place in society. Smith has worked closely with Magdalene Ministry, established in 1997, serving women who have survived prostitution, addiction, and life on the streets.
Rest Stop partially follows Magdalene’s ministry model, in which 72 percent of graduates after two and a half years are clean, sober, off the streets and gainfully employed. Smith hopes the same outcome for Rest Stop graduates.
Smith also plans for Good Hope Farm to eventually have a similar kind of business venture as Magdalene Ministries, which developed Thistle Farm Enterprises. Thistle Farm manufactures beauty and food products, and also operates a café called Thistle Stop.
“I hope that the two ministries can collaborate by us supplying raw materials such as herbs and honey for Thistle Farm beauty products as well as jams, jellies and other food products for their café,” Smith said. “This seems very possible with the 25 fruit trees on Good Hope Farm as well as the bee hives already established.”
A recent boost to the support of Rest Stop came on May 5 with The Big Payback, sponsored by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Community Foundation “oversees more than 1,050 charitable funds providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors and non-profit organizations,” according to a press release. On the 5th for 24 hours, people were encouraged to donate to their favorite non-profit, and though the Foundation did not match dollar for dollar, they gave incentives for giving. Rest Stop received $15,000 in donations as well as an extra $3,000 for prizes won in different categories. Rest Stop staff worked around the clock to keep Rest Stop in the public eye, and it resulted in financial success.
Smith also plans for Good Hope Farm to eventually have a similar kind of business venture as Magdalene Ministries, which developed Thistle Farm Enterprises. Thistle Farm manufactures beauty and food products, and also operates a café called Thistle Stop.
“I hope that the two ministries can collaborate by us supplying raw materials such as herbs and honey for Thistle Farm beauty products as well as jams, jellies and other food products for their café,” Smith said. “This seems very possible with the 25 fruit trees on Good Hope Farm as well as the bee hives already established.”
A recent boost to the support of Rest Stop came on May 5 with The Big Payback, sponsored by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Community Foundation “oversees more than 1,050 charitable funds providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors and non-profit organizations,” according to a press release. On the 5th for 24 hours, people were encouraged to donate to their favorite non-profit, and though the Foundation did not match dollar for dollar, they gave incentives for giving. Rest Stop received $15,000 in donations as well as an extra $3,000 for prizes won in different categories. Rest Stop staff worked around the clock to keep Rest Stop in the public eye, and it resulted in financial success.
Rest Stop Ministries is now a 501c3 organization. Again, God worked in a miraculous way. Smith didn’t realize she needed a politician among her volunteers, but a city councilman in her church expedited the process in a timely manner. Although it is now registered with the government as a nonprofit organization, the ministry will always be closely aligned to the church.
“It is the church’s business,” Smith said. Although she has stepped down from the staff of her local church to assume the duties of executive director of Rest Stop, she has not left ministry. She just has a new congregation, a new location, but the same message that never grows old: HOPE that rescues, redeems, and restores.
Tags:
human trafficking [2], sex slavery [3], slaves [4], slave [5], women [6], girls [7], trafficked [8], Nashville [9], Rest Stop [10], Good Hope Farm [11], Hermitage Church of the Nazarene [12]Read More
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“It is the church’s business,” Smith said. Although she has stepped down from the staff of her local church to assume the duties of executive director of Rest Stop, she has not left ministry. She just has a new congregation, a new location, but the same message that never grows old: HOPE that rescues, redeems, and restores.
Tags:
human trafficking [2], sex slavery [3], slaves [4], slave [5], women [6], girls [7], trafficked [8], Nashville [9], Rest Stop [10], Good Hope Farm [11], Hermitage Church of the Nazarene [12]Read More
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