I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
Matthew 25:35
May 2019: Welcoming the Stranger and Loving the Neighbor
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June 2019: Bondage
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:9
“They aren’t dying because they are sick. They are dying because they’re being mistreated.” Yohana spoke these words to a gathering of religious leaders, rights activists, and journalists at a memorial service and press conference at the office of the Evangelical Christian Church of Timor in Indonesia. Yohana didn’t say much - she speaks a Timorese language, not Indonesian - but her tears spoke volumes. A year earlier, Yohana’s 21-year-old daughter, Adelina, died in Malaysia. Adelina had been a domestic worker whose employers made her sleep on a veranda with their vicious dog. Neighbors eventually reported the case. Finding Adelina’s arms and legs covered by infected wounds, the police rushed her to a hospital where she died within a few days.
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July 2019: Unless
The earth is God’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalm 24:1
The Institute of Intercultural Studies and Research, a long-time Global Ministries partner in Chiapas, Mexico, works with people in villages and communities, learning together how the death of the forests means more than the loss of trees. Every breath that we have ever breathed has depended on the oxygen processed by billions of leaves around the world. The food we eat comes from the soil enriched by those same leaves, naturally composted over hundreds of years. The forest habitat is home to creatures and to many humans who depend daily on the medicines, food, and fuel produced by trees.
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August 2019: Ministry in Zambia
One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. Galatians 6:6
It is such a joy to be serving in Zambia and teaching for the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) University. I am challenged by some chronic problems - no reliable Wi-Fi for the classrooms, a needy library, one old copier that is not dependable, and a decaying water supply system - but we are succeeding. I arrived last winter to teach church history but have been drafted to teach African church history, research skills, theology, and missiology. My wife came a few months later to support the university library and has found other challenges in the computer lab and in the stacks.
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September 2019: Holistic Health Care
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Matthew 10:8
The road to the village of Motara in East Timor is a virtual mud-bog during the rainy season. When we pull up at 9:00 AM for a mobile clinic dozens of patients have already gathered. Moms and young children make up the majority but there are elderly men and women too. Two Clinic Immanuel staff and a government doctor unload several boxes of medical supplies and start consulting. By the time the clinic is over more than 60 patients will have had the opportunity for health care they otherwise wouldn’t have had. This clinic is a collaborative effort between Clinic Immanuel and the Timorese Ministry of Health.
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October 2019: Steps Toward Peace
They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4b
In early 2017, over 10,000 former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla fighters disarmed and demobilized as a result of the December 2016 peace accord. Thus began a long and challenging reentry process for many of them who had been part of the rebel army for most of their lives.
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November 2019: Comfort in Our Troubles
Praise be to God, the God of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Last year, the Forum for Development, Culture, and Dialogue (FDCD) in Lebanon began implementing a winterization project in Syria in partnership with Global Ministries. FDCD received many urgent requests for assistance in the areas of Aleppo, Hama, and rural Damascus as Syrians were preparing for a harsh winter. While food supplies are always an enormous need, families were very concerned about the cold winter ahead and the health of the household, children specifically. This is due to the fact that there are few organizations focused on helping Syrians prepare for winter. We planned to distribute 500 sets of children’s clothes, 400 blankets, and 200 heaters, assisting over 1000 families as colder months approached. FDCD also provided assistance to volunteers helping in distributions, extending the impact of the project.
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December 2019: Thapelong, Cabbage, and the Divine
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11
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January 2020: Si Dios Quiere - Finding Time to Rest
God said, "I will go with you. And I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14
I immediately fell in love with the Dominican Republic and its unique blend of Latin and Caribbean cultures. Beautiful beaches, lively music, warm hospitality, and God at the center of everything. A common farewell includes “si Dios quiere,” for example “if God wants it, I will see you in the morning.” I have always been comforted by this aspect of Dominican culture.
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February 2020: Diversity and Dignity
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.
Matthew 19:13-15
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March 2020: Holy Waters
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Matthew 3:15
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April 2020: A Safe Port
Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
I John 3: 18
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May 2020: Healing a Community
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Jeremiah 17:14
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June 2020: After the Struggle
I can do all things through God who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
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July 2020: Amidst Uncertainty
Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8
With the current pandemic-stay-at-home-quarantine situation, I find that some days I am incredibly annoyed by the smallest of things. An entire day can be turned upside down by a simple gesture over digital communication. Yet on other days, I feel ‘productive’- practicing a new skill, reading a book, cleaning out my email inbox, or doing my laundry by hand with the courtyard hose.
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August 2020: Replace Anxiety with Prayer
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
If there’s one thing I learned during seven years as a pastor among the Timorese people, it’s that prayer is a simple, effective way to cope with anxiety. They take their cue from St. Paul. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul admonishes, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6)
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September 2020: Sharpening One Another
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another. Proverbs 27:17
In 2020, the world is frayed. COVID-19 influences every aspect of our public, private, and professional lives. Groups of people who have never faced structural challenges now find themselves constricted for the first time. Those who have found themselves jumping over hurdles to survive are beginning to see that those hurdles are getting taller each day. Many regions affected by COVID-19 lack essential resources such as medical supplies, hospital bed availability, and staple foods. Misinformation runs rampant, and a lack of following safety precautions threatens local stability and livelihoods, especially for those people who already face disadvantages in society.
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October 2020: Healing Presence
God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29
As I walked into the Dzake Clinic, I was greeted by patients waiting to be seen. I took my seat at the triage table and checked in my next patient. He was a beautiful 12-month-old named Samson. His grandmother brought him in because he had been vomiting and was not able to eat.
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November 2020: Apapachar
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24
Apapachar is a word that comes from the culture of the Nahuatl people of Mexico. It means to give gentle attention or make someone feel special through words or actions: literally “to caress with the soul.” When we receive a special blessing, we say that God has apapachado us.
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December 2020: Who are the angels?
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2: 13
Just as the baby Jesus and his parents fled from King Herod’s wrath, millions of refugees and asylum seekers around the world seek security and protection in a foreign land. In this season, we remember those who must flee their homeland because of threats of violence, persecution, and death. Who are the angels who will watch over their perilous journey? Where are the wise men and women who will thwart the evil powers?
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