The Journey Deepens

The Journey Deepens.
Do you need help along your missions journey?

These weekends help prospective missionaries explore what it is like to be a missionary, discover whether a missionary or sender role is God’s fit, and connect with mission agencies. This is for high school seniors, college students, young adults, mid-lifers, baby boomers – anyone willing to explore becoming a missionary.

Each retreat of 50 participants and 10 missionaries from multiple agencies is highly relational with extended worship, small group discussions, personal reflection and much prayer. Discussions include guidance, finances, singles/families, etc.

In spring and summer 2009 the dates and locations are:
- Apr 24-26 near Chicago, Illinois at the ITeams conference center
- May 29-31 in Dallas, Texas at Wycliffe Bible Translators conference center
- Jun 26-28 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the WEC conference center

The Journey Deepens is presented by Finishers/MissionNext and co-sponsored by ACMC, Caleb Resources, Perspectives and the U.S. Center for World Mission. Here are comments from those who came to one of the nine previous retreats:

“The retreat helped me focus my passion into reachable goals. Maybe I can’t leave for the field tomorrow but I can pursue what will prepare me now for what God has in the future.”

“You should be aware of some items that were lost. We lost our fear of being missionaries. We lost our pride and entitlement to be comfortable. We lost our rights of security and safety. Most important, we lost our preconceptions of what we thought God had for our future and discovered a new direction.”

“This weekend gave me a clearer view and vision for what I would like to do and how I can get there. It brought people into my life to help me along the journey in many ways.”

See the online promo video http://www.thejourneydeepens.com/ret_video.asp. Come with an open heart -- willing to connect with God, with one another, and with a missions agency. Meet others and compare maps on the journey. Discuss your compass with missionaries and missions coaches who have traveled this way already.

At this retreat you will not be overwhelmed with overchoice!
Here’s some of the subjects that will be covered:
I feel a pull from God to the nations. What should I do next?
Which of my gifts and interests could I use in another culture?
How can I deal with school loans?
What’s involved in raising prayer and financial support?
How do I discuss missions with my family and my church?
If God leads me to stay and send others what would that involve?
Registration is now open. Because space is limited please register soon or ask for more information via www.thejourneydeepens.com.

May God unfold all He has for you and through you!

ILM # 7: “I believe China will be . . .”

“I believe China will be the largest mission sending country of the World.” This phrase was recently said by a church pastor in China.

You can watch an amazing 5 min film here: http://www.omnitube.org/china-on-mission.html

From a church leader in China: “there have been so many people who have invested in us (China)--referring to the mass amount of missionaries over the last 40 years. We want to return this blessing to the World and be the largest mission sending force in the World.

The church is big in numbers, but it is young. It is lacking in depth. Who will train them? Who will provide the structure for them to do well? OM has a significant role to help do this. You (OM) will have many Chinese who will join your fields in ministry.

Seven Emphases for OM in China
1) Minorities (55 major minority groups in China)

2) Mobilization (Back to Jerusalem Movement--100,000 Chinese Christians being mobilized, but how will they go?)

3) Mentoring

4) Marriage (there are many problems with marriages in China. We hope to help meet some of these needs.)

5) Mercy (with the recent earthquake we helped. We hope to help in the future to meet the physical needs of people.)

6) Marketplace (our desire is to see many ministries be self-supporting in China through business.)

7) Migrants (there are 10 million people heading from China to the rest of the World. Also, 1 million people a month going from the country-side into the cities. We want to help these people settle well in their life transitions.)

PRAY: for the people of China and the Body of Christ there.

Do you know of anything else God is doing in China? Please send it my way.

ILM #6: Simple exercise for your devotional time.

Today at ILM we started the morning with worship. Then we took 20 minutes to reflect on the following. I found this very healthy for me to do. Perhaps you would like to take this idea and use it in a small group, church setting, or for your personal devotions.

First, why reflect? It helps us become who God created us to become and stop Satan’s grip on us.

What are you struggling with? (remember many struggles are not of flesh and blood, but are spiritual.)

How is the enemy trying to stumble, immobilize and trap you?

It it through an unresolved relationship or a challenging circumstance?

Are you being . . .
        . . . swallowed alive by disappointment, disillusionment, self pity?
        
        . . . engulfed by the flood of anxiety, inadequacy, fear?

        . . . swept away by selfish ambition, pride, covetousness?

        . . . torn apart by anger, bitterness, envy, lust?


What is the enemy’s lie?

What is the LORD’s truth?

Promise from the LORD: Our help comes from the Lord, the make of heaven and Earth.

ILM #5: OM has a medical boat on the border between DRC & Tanzania

Did you know OM South Africa has a boat?
On the border of Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania there is a 15 meter (49’) long boat boat Lake Tanganyika which is in use for medical ministries. Here is the need: in the last 10 years 7-9 million people died from many illnesses. “We have been praying for a medical boat to meet some of these needs,” says a leader in the movement. It is a long God story of his provision. It is worth 2-4 million South African Rand and we purchased it for 12,000 Rand or about $1000. Praise God for this, and please pray for this ministry as we start meeting the physical and spiritual needs of people around Lake Tanganyika. Here is a picture of the lake.

ILM #4: 2 Unreached people groups quickly begin mission involvement after coming to faith

Zimbabwe: All we hear is death and doom. Yes, please pray for this land. Recently we started a work among an unreached people group in Zimbabwe. Many people were reached and came to faith in Jesus. They wanted to Chad to another unreached people group which was about 4600km (2800 miles) away. They desired to go BECAUSE no one else wanted to go. They could not imagine someone not going to tell this Muslim people group about Jesus. The people did not have money and were willing to walk this distance to tell people how God changed their life when they met Jesus. Within two weeks some money came in for plane tickets for this long journey.

A least-reached people group reaching another least-reached group in Africa.
The least reached group in Southern Africa is the Biaya (sp?) people group (bushman). There was no church and no known believers. After 2 years of a missionary couple being there among these people about 80 people came to know Jesus. We went in to meet many and found them between 5-7AM some men were praying with tears for the nations around a World map. (imagine--after just 2 years from coming to faith).

Now, these are very poor people (bushmen). They saved money to participate in what God is doing around the World saying, “We don’t know how to get this money to Tanzania, but God has put this country on our hearts. Can you help us give this money to missionaries there?” This happened again and they sent money to India. This happened again as they gave money to workers in Zimbabwe upon hearing of the lack of food. Then they sent someone to be a missionary because they wanted to be part of what God is doing. What is happening in Southern Africa is like that of the book of Acts!

ILM #3: Pro Christo Mission merges with OM South Africa

Pro Christo Mission (Southern Africa based national mission organization) merged with OM on Jan 1, 2009. This is 100 new workers welcomed into OM. This partnership began with a simillar heart and vision and friendship between the two missions. Welcome Pro Christo we look forward to partnership in the Gospel in the years ahead.

Much of their ministry in Southern Africa is based around a school model much like OM India:
Childrens education in the morning & adult literacy in the afternoon. On Saturdays it is a health clinic. Then it becomes a church and a discipleship center to send out workers.

ILM #2 A closed country with a Global Heart

“When people come from America to serve with us for a short time, we love hosting them! We love to see them grow in the LORD and leave with these things: some great ministry in the country, a chance to grow in their faith, prayer, a vision for the country, and a vision for the whole World.”

I (michael) love this perspective as so many times missionaries have failed to be big hearted because they are focused ONLY on “Church planting” or some other activity. They are just focused on what God has “called” them to . . . or the people group to whom they have deepest on their heart.

This leader repented from this thinking and has just an open-ness to serve anyone around the globe in the name of Jesus Christ. If you would like to know who this is, contact me directly and I can tell you more of this wonderful meal I shared with this brother.

PRAY: for all Christian workers around the globe that we might be concerned the World not JUST our niche. May we be people of prayer, vision, growth, ministry, and with Jesus Christ as the center of who we are.

International Leaders Meetings (Brazil) #1

I’m sitting under a street lamp in a remote resort hotel outside Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the next couple days 300 ministry leaders from 90+ countries gather. They are all serving with Operation Mobilization. Most are not from North America (I was riding on a bus today for 4 hours from Sao Paulo and I was the only American among the 14 people--10 nations were represented in our little bus).

What is their purpose for gathering? Let’s find out together as I write. I hope to go through what I see and talk about. Pray that God guides me in my conversations, observations, and as I talk with others.

Tonight over dinner I sat with a Brazilian brother, named G-------. He spent 2 years in Western and Central Asia. Then a Swiss-German woman who speaks Dahri sat across the table from us. Before I could get a word in they went back and forth in Dahri for 5 minutes. I was confused and just sat there in awkwardness. Then they kindly returned to English. G------ has a deep passion to see Brazil GO to the least reached part of the World.

He said, “Michael, there are obstacles too--we are an emotional and outgoing people. We love relational ministry, but we are also some of the first ones who want to go home when it is hard. And let me tell you, Iran and Afghanistan is hard.”

PRAY: Brazilians would GO to the least reached parts of the World and that my brother G------- is equipped in the work God is calling him to do. What is your call?

Give up your small ambitions; come with me to save the World. -- Francis Xavier

what is your missions cul-de-sac?

A friend of mine was in Singapore recently where a church with 1000 members. 500 went on short-term missions last year. They could not find 1 person who would go for 3 months or even longer. This is a missions cul-de-sac.

What is your missions cul-de-sac?