Launch

What could you do that would be exciting, thought-provoking, a little scary, tiring and fulfilling all at the same time?


I just returned from Launch, my official orientation for long term missions, held at the CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship) office in Indianapolis. During those two days reality began to set in for eight of us, who are the new recruits that God has called to the mission field.

During Launch I learned more about the four strategies used by CMF to reach people for the Lord. These strategies include:

• Church planting - the  main strategy in Turkana, Kenya where I will be going
• Globalscope - international campus ministry
• Urban poor - work in slums and urban centers in many countries including Kenya
• Marketplace ministry - used in closed access countries

We are a diverse group of new recruits and there is at least one of us representing each of the strategy areas listed above. It was great to learn more about CMF and the other strategies and to meet many of the staff at the Indianapolis office.

  

We spent time talking to our area directors and the mobilization team to learn about training we needed to complete and books we should read and study before leaving for the field. We received our budgets and learned about support raising. We discussed our different personality types and how knowing this can help us interact with our teams on the field in positive ways. We practiced our presentations that we will make to churches and mission boards when raising support. We got our pictures taken for our support materials and spoke with the communications team about those materials. This list is not even inclusive, but you get the picture that we were very busy. The great thing was that the Lord was present with us and we know He will always be there along every step of the journey.

The thing that impressed me the most about this training was that I was able to see the "fellowship" that truly exists among the CMF staff and missionaries. I know this is the "right fit" for me. I am so excited to be a part of God's plan. 

God's Plans are Perfect

At the end of November I met with CMF employees and discussed possible opportunities for long term service with them. About a week later I met with one of their missionaries from Kenya who is in the US on furlough. By the end of that week I had received permission to apply to CMF and plan a vision trip to Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya in January. That meant that I had less than 30 days to plan a trip....or should I say, I had less than 30 days to be faithful and trust that God was in control of this trip. I did not have time to question or research much about Kenya. I did not have time to worry or over analyze anything about this trip. It is not really typical for me to be this "out of control" (as I was just reminded of by my Myers Briggs test results and Psych evaluation). However, I knew that this was God's trip and He would guide me and allow me to experience what life would be like in Kenya.

The airport in Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya. There is a runway to land on.

All my travels went smoothly and the first week of my trip I was able to join the short term group from two churches in Colorado who were there building a school out in the bush (desert) at Kakimat. It was great for me to experience being a part of this group, especially since all my short term missions trips have been with medical groups. I really enjoyed getting to know them and working with them on the school. Their commitment to the people and students in Turkana is incredible. It extended to donations of school supplies, sponsoring children to attend school, and buying school uniforms. They also helped the local economy by not bringing sandals from the US for the children, rather buying sandals made from old tires right there in Lodwar.

Picking up the shoes "ordered" earlier in the day.

The 10 members of the group from Colorado were also joined by Prosper, a pharmacist from Tanzania. He was friends with the group leaders and was invited to join them on this mission trip.  It was really interesting to talk to him about his mission experiences and life in Tanzania and to see him interact with the Turkana kids.

Prosper is wearing the blue hat and tan shirt.

He is helping lead the kids in a song.

Prosper had never been to Turkana before and his family and friends had concerns about him going there on a mission trip. While I was in Nairobi many people seemed to question me about why I was going to Turkana. I did not fully understand this until I talked to Prosper and to the missionaries about this. It seems that Turkana is not really considered part of Kenya, by the rest of the people of Kenya, and the area is rather discriminated against. I think that is the best way I can describe it. I am sure there is more to it than I even began to understand during my short time there, but sadly there are people who asked me "why" I was going to Turkana not in a curious way, but more like "Why in the world would you ever want to go to Turkana or even live in Turkana?"

Turkana women in traditional dress.

This made me sad and made me realize that this is the place that I believe God wants me to serve with Him.  I also came to realize that this would be much harder than I could have ever imagined. The people of Turkana have endured many droughts and hard times. They have seen a lot of relief come to the area from many different NGO's (non- government organizations, secular and religious) and often that relief was needed. However, the people have become very dependent on the relief and have not understood the benefits of development that could help empower them to do for themselves and not just wait for the next relief truck with food to show up.

One of the CMF farms,  helping people understand and experience development through Farming God's Way,  with irrigation water provided by solar powered pumps for the wells.

 During the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training that I attended last fall, I learned that the hardest places to do CHE are the places where the people are already dependent on relief from the NGO's. It was rather discouraging to come to the realization that Turkana is that type of place. I know that I will not be facing this challenge alone. It will be God, me and many others working together to make a change. It will also take a lot of prayers and I need you all to begin praying for this area right now. Pray that those who have the vision for development and CHE continue to be encouraged and that this knowledge will multiply as we also spread the love of Jesus and the hope that we have in our loving God. He loves everyone, including the people of Turkana. 

While in Kenya I was able to learn a lot about missionary life from the perspective of a missionary who has lived and worked in Turkana for over 16 years  (Gene Morden) and from a newer missionary who has been in Turkana for 3 months, but was in Kenya previously as an intern for CMF (Eric Pitts). It was great to just sit and listen to them talk about anything and everything, from the frustrations of the city electricity being out more than it was on (I will need a generator) to Eric's feeling that the people of Lodwar were finally starting to accept him. He was really happy that I was there and could take over the label of  "newbie" even if just for a few weeks. 

Gene in the "grocery store".

Eric and the aquaponics system. I think he added the fish this week.

There were many things that made life in Lodwar seem "normal", from being able to speak English while shopping in Lodwar and ordering food in the restaurant, to watching TV shows and movies on DVD's and Netflix while eating popcorn. Other things were definitely different, such as driving on the opposite side of the road and vehicle while, dodging potholes, people, piki-piki's (motorcycles), goats, sheep, chickens, more people, more potholes, more piki-piki's, more chickens, more goats and the speed bumps and other vehicles. I must say that going 4 wheeling in the desert was also a new experience, especially during a rain storm. It was also a great experience to worship with the Turkana people in 2 different services. I love to hear their singing and praising of God.

Worshiping together in Kakimat on the 6th.

Worshiping together in Lodwar on the 13th.

At the produce market.

Flat tire.....I got a little scared when they put the jack right on the sand to raise the vehicle!

This is a rather good and non crowded area of the road!

Had to take one of the vehicles in for service at the Lodwar Toyota. 

Turkana baskets. I will be buying a few.

When Gene initially asked me what my expectations were for the trip I honestly told him that I had none. I really wanted God to show me whatever he wanted me to see and that was fine with me. It worked out well and I was able to experience so many aspects of life and meet so many people associated with CMF and some from the local government and other NGO's. We met with a veterinarian from Somalia working with Veterinarians without Borders and another Turkana business man with a heart for development. Each of these people seemed interested in following up with me when I return to Turkana.

So at this point I have to remind myself and you all that I have not been accepted by CMF. I should get the news by the end of next week. I had my interview and Psych evaluation on the day after I returned from Kenya.  In my heart I know that God planned this trip and allowed me to have such great experiences for a reason. I choose to believe at this time, it is because I will end up in Turkana. But if this is not the place or the group, I know that what God allowed me to experience is not without reason. I stepped out in faith and allowed God to be in control of this trip and it was awesome. I am so glad that He allowed me to see Turkana and to meet so many wonderful Turkana people. God's Plans are Perfect.

Seeing camels all over became common and normal.

Patience

"Don't mistake God's patience for His absence. His timing is perfect and His presence is constant. He is always with you!" 

If you know me, you know I am not a patient person. Sorry! I'm continuing to working on that, but you will need to keep praying for me. Do it now, please!  :-)   Over the past few months I have been wondering about God's plan for my life and when he would let me in on it.

At the end of November I met with members of Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) in Indianapolis. I had met some of their employees and missionaries at the various meetings I attended during November and I felt God was leading me to that group. After talking to them and learning about possible opportunities,  I met with a missionary serving in Kenya, who is home on furlough. I learned that it would be possible for me to do a vision trip in January. So, with less than a month of planning I will travel to Kenya on January 1st.




I will be going to Turkana in the northwest corner (west of Lake Turkana).  I will spend about 2 weeks learning as much as I can about the people and their culture and how God could use me to work with Him in that area. I hope this will be the place I will end up serving and the group that I will work with. I have started the application process with CMF, but I am not guaranteed acceptance. I have been praying about all this and I hope that you will continue to pray also.

Please pray for:

• God's blessing on the missionaries and Kenyans I will meet, let me not be a burden to them
• For me to always show God's love through my interactions with everyone I will meet 
• For me to have patience as I learn about a new culture and experience new languages 
• For me to be still and listen to God as he lets me know of His plans for me in this place
• Safe and on time flights, I have short layovers in Washington and Zurich
• Timely arrival of my luggage
• Minimal jet lag and good health during the trip, there is an 8 hour time difference
• Peace for my family at home while I am gone
• For my CMF application

Thanks so much. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Shannon

Conferences, prepositions and Gilly

Conferences are great. We come back enthused and ready to conquer the world, but it can be hard to talk to others who don't share our enthusiasm. However, I've heard more than one speaker say:

We should never apologize for being excited about Jesus!

So, no apology and I am going to share with you a few things about the prepositions "with", "for", "to", and "upon" as they relate to missions.

In Community Health Evangelism (CHE) we talk a lot about working "with" the people and not doing "for" or "to" the people. In other words, ask them about their needs, help them discover the assets available in their community and let them work out the solutions. This empowers them, creates ownership, and decreases their dependency on outsiders. 

This is a radical approach to missions. It makes us reevaluate the way we have done things in the past, admit our mistakes and consider how we will do things differently in the future. It is great to see how things are changing in missions.

In a similar way, I have been reminded that I need to live my life so that I am working "with" God and not "for" God. After all, He is God. He doesn't need me to do a check list of things "for" Him. He wants us all to be "with" Him and He tells us He is "with" us in this work for the Kingdom. How often do we forget that?

 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  
(Psalm 46: 10-11)

So when you think about being "with" God, have you ever considered being "upon" His shoulders? I hadn't, but how much more "with" God could we be than "upon" his shoulders. The words below are not from a famous conference speaker, but from a 10 year old boy named Gilly who will soon be on the mission field in Kenya with his parents. Each month he shares his thoughts in their newsletter and this month his words really spoke to me, so I asked his mom if I could share them.

"I want to be one of the best missionary kids I can be!  I’ve felt God laying His hands upon me, pulling me up to safety, lifting me upon His shoulders to let me see the world. Thank You, Lord for all Your love."    -Gilly
  
I thank God for the gathering of Christians who are passionate about missions and who don't apologize for being excited about Jesus. I thank God for the chance to listen to, learn from and share with people from all over the world. I thank God for the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones. But most of all I thank God for Gilly who helped me see what being "with" God looks like. He is going to be a great MK!

If you want to know more about the Griffiths' Mission check out their blog at  Griffiths' Mission.

Pray for the Missionaries

Do you support a missionary? Have you ever read a prayer letter from a missionary? You are reading my mission blog now, but have you read others? Do you have Prayer Cards from missionaries stuck on your bulletin board?  This is my prayer board with missionary letters, cards and notes to remind me who and what I need to pray for each day.  

I want to ask you to pray for missionaries all over the world. They need prayer as they work for the kingdom in the areas where God has “sent” them. They also need prayer when they gather together to worship, share what God has been doing through them and learn from each other.

During the next two weeks there are two large missionary conferences in our area. The Global Missions Health Conference is in Louisville and the International Conference on Missions is in Indianapolis.  Your prayers will be needed as many missionaries and future missionaries come together at these conferences. Pray for safe travels and good health while we attend. Pray that we will learn much from each other. Pray that we may network and make connections that can help advance the kingdom. Pray that everything we do will be for God’s Glory. 

Check out the Prayer Room upstairs at Lincoln Hills. You can see where the missionaries we support are located and read their prayer letters and pray for them. 

^“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18)

Prayer and Support

Missionaries need a lot of support and sometimes it can be hard to ask for support. I know that everyone primarily considers support to mean money and that is needed and an important component. However, this also includes, moral, logistical, communication, and re-entry support. 

There is one important component of support that hasn't been mentioned yet. Prayer! It is likely the most important support need of every missionary. Spiritual battles are fought everywhere daily and we must pray for missionaries and Christians everywhere. Using Ephesians 6: 10-20 is a great way to do this. The Armor of God is powerful.

 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."  Ephesians 6: 18

Right now I want to give you the opportunity to support me through prayer. I need prayer for God’s leading to the right mission agency, area of the world, people group and program. Please join me in this adventure and it will be incredible what God can do through all of us. 

Job Opening

I was recently reminded that even in this tough job market, there is someone who is hiring. He has job openings all over the world and He needs your unique background, skills and personality. But you really don’t even need to relocate; sometimes He brings the job right to your neighborhood.

Of course I’m talking about God and it was nice to be reminded of this. He calls all Christians to be involved in his work. It’s not enough to become a Christian and keep what we have learned to ourselves. It is our responsibility to share. It is our job!

Not everyone is called to leave their family and home and that’s alright. God still needs you to be a missionary. He may bring the people to you and need you to do it right where you are.  At Lincoln Hills we have committed to partnering with Endeavor Ministries to work with the Somali Bantu refugees living right here in our area. This is a wonderful opportunity that no one should miss. Every day, we should pray for,  look for and use the opportunities that God provides to share our faith. Imagine what could happen if every Christian did this.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”  1 Peter 3:15