A story about my life as a missionary in Thailand.
I came home from Thailand with a desire to dig in and get to work. I knew I’d be home for a while, and wanted to make myself useful. At the time, HarvestChurch was holding “Gatherings”: meetings held during the week, in which there is no formal plan; if you’ve got something to give, you just go up and share it. At one of these meetings I ran into Pastor Ron Ashley; it was good to see him again after so long! For many years of my life he was my pastor. And It was under his shepherdship that I heard the call to missions.
After the service I asked him if he needed any help. He’s been a stone mason for as long as I can remember, and that seemed like a trade I’d like to learn. He gave me a call a couple days later and said yeah, sure, come on. So, off to Hattiesburg we went, where there was a job working on a hotel. I didn’t yet know what a “mud man” was, but I quickly found out!
While working with him, he told me that he was going to Kenya in February 2007. There is an orphanage there, and he was going to build some cabinets for them and do some itenerate preaching. He’s known the folks at this orphanage since 2000, when Pastor Ron met John Garang at the Bungoma Bible School in Kenya.
Well, A couple weeks ago I saw Pastor Ron again. The youth group at our church held a Dinner Theatre to raise funds for summer camp. And since both their sons-in-law and one of their daughters were participating, Pastor Ron and Mrs. Lynn came to the show. We sat at the same table, near the back. A couple of days before, I heard about the fire at the orphanage; it destroyed the entire home. But thank God, no one was hurt. While we were eating, I asked Pastor Ron of the situation. Since there was not enough time to tell the whole story, he got my E-mail address instead. Here’s what he sent.
An E-mail from John Garang to Ron Ashley
Dear Pastor Ron,
We thank God for you pastor and your prayer pastor. We receive the 400 you send to us and we pay all school fees in waymarks pastor. We love you pastor. The cost of fire nobody no pastor. Just we see smoking around the house and the childern say fire, fire. And nothings we can do, because already got power insid the house pastor. The plan we have to trust God for new house for us and childern pastor. We take same of the childern to my mother-in-law pastor. We are praying God for the needs of us. No where we can go now in these situation. We love you and pray for you, we need your prayer and you come and see what happened to us. And now no ways even, to take them back to Sudan pastor as we told you, we give it to God forever. Nothings we can do about it. Let God help us now.
Thank you pastor Ron
We love you
JOHN & TABBY
John and Tabby Garang run an orphanage in their own home for children from the Sudan. These kids are basically refugees from the tremendous turmoil of the land. There’s infighting and civil war rampant, and it’s been that way for many years. The children of the Sudan have known nothing but war their whole lives. And this sweet couple have decided to save as many as they can.
The E-mail and photo I received from Pastor Ron, explaining the situation
Jon
Meet John Garang. John was taken from his village in the Sudan on the Nile River when he was 14. He was told that he would be working on roads. He was inducted into the warfare. The Sudan has been in the middle of civil war for a generation. He fought and killed to survive. He was placed over a troop of lost boys and raised to the rank of Lt. After some years, he stepped on a land mine and was disabled for a period of years. He was sent to Nairobi, which is in Kenya, for further treatment. After his recuperation, he was attached to the Sudanese Embassy and later reinducted as a Liason Officer {procurement of supplies}. While on a mission in Uganda, he passing by a crusade held by Bungoma Bible School in Kenya. He was saved and he left the army and went to Bungoma Bible School. This is where we met in 2000. Our hearts were knit immediately. As I returned recently, the Lord told me that he had an assignemt for me to accomplish. I knew John was a part of it but I did not know the particulars. I spent most of my time there teaching and preaching in the Bungoma area, but on my final two days, they carried me to there area of the country. The Lord has entrusted 30 Sudanese children to John and his wife Tabby. They don’t have material goods but they have faith in God and He is faithful to supply their need. My mission is to raise support for them to accomplish the work that God has given them. They have 30 lives, ranging in age from 6 mo. to 18 yrs. These children represent the future of the Sudan. The Gov’t in their country is Muslim and repressive but they are being given a life apart from the repression. John and Tabby are raising these children with the love of Jesus. They need our help. Please feel free to share this burden with any one who will listen. God bless you in His service.
Ron
We are going to Kenya in November to help this orphanage rebuild. I showed these two letters and the picture to my sister, and she asked the question everybody should have: sure, you’re going in November, but what about tonight? Where are these children going to sleep? What are they going to eat? They need help immediately, and there’s none to be found. If you would like to offer support for this orphanage, shoot me a line and I’ll get you in contact with John Garang. Christian service is more than just praying: sometimes it’s going, and always it’s giving.
~Jonathan
June 10th, 2007 · Permalink · Back to Top · Comments (0)
I had no idea how many people are hurting; no idea how many people are in need of help. I was naive, or simply turning a blind eye. They’re right there, in my day-to-day life. At my job, in my home, at my church. How many people can it be? It seems that there’s an all-out assault on the Body of Christ, and we’re sitting around taking it.
I had lunch with a friend today; I wanted to talk to her about a mutual friend of ours who has been living for the world. But we ended up talking mostly about her life and all that’s going on with her. She needed that today. And who wouldn’t? When you’re going through the fire, there’s nothing like a good friend to talk to, to let you know that it’s going to be all right and that you’re going to pull through. God’s not done with you, yet!
I was so happy to be able to speak with her today, but on the way home I began to see the vastness of this situation. Nearly everyone around me is going through a tough trial. A lot of people need our help. We have small groups at our church, and the one that meets at our house is nearly full of hurting people. There has to be a solution.
Being a missionary, I tend to associate my ministry as one being overseas-only. I’m also a volunteer in my local church, yet it’s like I’ve somehow separated that portion of my service from my “real” job. But we have to understand that America is the mission field, too. Your church is the mission field. Your job, your home, the gas station … all mission fields. There are hurting people everywhere. Can we differentiate between the folks we’re “called” to reach and the folks we’re close enough to reach?
God says we’re to reach out to those around us. I’m reminded of what Oswald J. Smith says: “The light that shines furthest, shines brightest at home.” You’re not going to be truly effective in the “uttermost parts of the earth” until you’re effective in “Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria”. You can’t have the duality of a passion for the lost souls of the nations of the world, and no remorse for the lost souls of your hometown. We have to reach out to those around us, too.
~Jonathan
June 3rd, 2007 · Permalink · Back to Top · Comments (2)
I’m frustrated. How hard would it be for a local to do my job? How much effort would it take them to go on the street and win souls in their neighborhood, rather than me? Do I have to fly to the other side of the planet to do their job for them?
There’s one of two reactions people will make to this: either that I’m tired of being a missionary and am only looking for an out, or that it’s time to come up; it’s time for the church to do her job. For the sake of argument, I’m going to ask you to assume the latter.
Now, If I were a betting man, I’d say there’s not one place I’ve traveled where there wasn’t a plethora of churches already established. That’s okay; you have to learn missions somewhere. But the real meat of my job hasn’t been realized. I’ve not yet preached to people who have had no light available to them.
I don’t want this anymore. I can’t bring myself to take my supporters’ offerings and go to a village where there are already Christians who should be doing what I came there to do. Is there still a place for missionaries there? Yes, of course. I’m just talking about me, here. There are folks overseas in towns that are more thoroughly churched than my hometown in America and that are in the perfect will of God for their life. I’m not saying we should all pack up and move to the 10/40 window.
But what I am saying is that’s what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes frustration comes right before your time is up in a certain environment. My frustration, however, isn’t concerning my physical locale; for me, it’s a clear change in the direction of my entire ministry.
That’s not to say I’ll never go back to Thailand or Brazil or any other thoroughly-churched country, either. I don’t know when this is going to happen; I don’t think it will be tomorrow. God usually leads me way out ahead of when the time is right for me to make the jump. But He does that for a reason. It’s the same reason the frustration is there: I’m not ready for it. I’m frustrated because I know there’s a change coming up, and I haven’t done nearly enough praying for it.
~Jonathan
May 29th, 2007 · Permalink · Back to Top · Comments (0)
At prayer this morning, this song came up in my heart. It defines the direction our church has been focusing lately. But I feel it needs some background explanation.
Mark 8:34–35 (KJV)
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
At prayer meetings lately, Pastor Chuck has been emphasizing our need to follow God’s perfect will, to do exactly what He wills for us. It is in this light that this song emerged. It’s very simple, with a traditional tune:
Willing to obey,
I’m willing to obey,
Even to death on the Cross.
Show me the way,
And I’ll do as You say.
I’m willing, no matter the cost.
And that has certainly been my prayer today!
~Jonathan
May 3rd, 2007 · Permalink · Back to Top · Comments (6)
Yesterday, as I stood among the reeds and the whistle of the wind and the softly falling rain,
I pondered the subject that I wouldn’t otherwise be so privy to this locale under differing circumstances.
Yesterday, as I listened to the song of the Mocking Bird and watched the Swans gracefully paddle across the pond,
I was filled with delight and awe at the splendor of God’s creation. “Just one more minute; I promise.
”
Yesterday was the day I first exerted so much effort, first gave my whole body as a living sacrifice,
And yet, gained much more than I bargained for in return.
Yesterday I died.
~Jonathan
April 26th, 2007 · Permalink · Back to Top · Comments (5)
Burn this feed.
