Connecting the Past with the Present

This week we have had significant and encouraging conversations with five different Pastors and Mission Champions from New Brunswick. For three nights we were privileged to sit under the powerful preaching of the one (now 86 years old!) who pastored Ruth during most of her years in Moncton (serving with Child Evangelism Fellowship Atlantic Provinces) before she went to the Philippines. The churches that the pastors lead have all been long-term partners spanning the decades of our cross-cultural ministry career. (Spending time with another friend/missions champion yesterday delayed our getting this blog updated, ha.)

While spending time with a pastor and missions committee member in Saint John, we were reminded that it during their 1981 Faith Promise Missions Conference that Ruth and I, both participating but representing different missions, sensed God’s direction toward becoming co-workers. That happened immediately after the conference, before we went our separate ways (Laura to Hampton, Ruth to Moncton), as a Forest Hills friend invited us for lunch at the old “Ponderosa.” As we chatted, I mentioned God’s direction toward the Philippines and asked for prayer that God provide me with a co-worker. God “spoke” to Ruth (unknown to me at the time) and the rest is history.

God used these five people at different times plus several dozen more to cast the vision to their congregations encouraging them to join our support team to proclaim Christ to the next generation living in the “uttermost parts of the globe,” specifically the Philippines and Uganda. Although our hearts are still very much in the work we have seen God begin in both of these countries, we also sense God’s leading to begin putting down roots here in North America. With that comes the question of how to engage the next generation—and adults—and point them to Christ. Our interaction with these five friends deeply encouraged us that, although it is not feasible to teach Biblical Values in schools like is being done in the Philippines and Uganda, God can still make ways to connect and share God’s love and truth. As Ruth and I continue to adjust to North American culture, we have been stimulated by these people and others to ask God for eyes to see what He sees and to be available for however we can be “salt and light.”

God’s Kingdom Advances Despite Armed Conflict

Although forgotten by the media for the most part, the war in South Sudan continues to end people’s lives, separate families, force citizens to flee as refugees, and bring unimaginable suffering to all. So it was amazing to receive an upbeat report from the Scripture Union National Director of South Sudan. He reported that between April and September, Scripture Union had impacted more than 9,000 children in South Sudan and Refugee Camps in northern Uganda.  Most of the children were in schools!

Of added interest to us, were reports that about 81 volunteers were trained to teach the Biblical Values curriculum in schools and seemingly all of them are now using that training to share God’s truth with children/teens, either in schools or churches!

Here’s excerpts of a few testimonies that were included in the report:

A certain William wrote: “In my Primary 6 class of 53 pupils, I have seen a lot of changes. I began with the Truth book and in the midst pupils begin to speak the truth. Most of children learned to speak the truth among themselves and to everyone in the school compound. I have seen God is doing amazing work in the lives of children in school through SU program. I also taught both the Truth and Honesty books in a Sunday School. Most of the children don’t lie to me or their parents."

From a refugee named Rose – “In the school I’m teaching, students like fighting but thank God after teaching VOICE for six weeks, they stopped fighting. Some said they hated the [enemy tribe] but now they have forgiven them because of VOICE program which encouraged them to forgive through the songs and the scriptures from the Bible.”