The Mission Link

We're going places!!!

2007-07-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

Come visit us at themissionlink.wordpress.com and see what's new!

Young Whippersnappers, Part II

2007-07-26T12:25:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Salt Lake City, Utah, where I was working last weekend at the Youth Unlimited Convention. About 850 high school students from the US and Canada were there, worshipping God, learning about the Christian life, and having fun.

CRWM was there to challenge and encourage these young whippersnappers to think and pray about missions. We did everything from hand out Japanese 5 yen coins as “missions mezuzahs” to make balloon animals to lead seminars on the history of God’s love as seen in missions. We talked with leaders about CRWM resources for their youth groups, and we connected with kids who had questions about short-term missions opportunities.

Talk about energizing! These teenagers had energy like you would not believe, and there was never a dull moment. Many agreed to read a free book that we offered (The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn), and many agreed to pray for missionaries. They asked good questions about missions, and they were willing to get to know us a little. What a blast!

Were you at Convention?

Leave a comment and let us know what you thought about it. Hope to hear from you soon!

PS - Did I mention the toilet paper gun? Or the name-the-flying-monkey contest?

Meet the SMP 2007 participants!

2007-06-01T13:41:00.001-04:00

Get to know the seven young people who will be spending their summers in Eastern Europe, Mali, and Mexico!

Would Jesus eat a Tarantula?

2007-04-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

What do you think? Would Jesus eat a tarantula?

Our partner teacher in Cambodia, Jim Triezenberg, recently wrote that two of his students brought him a Cambodian delicacy to try - fried tarantula. One of the goals of those who work cross-culturally is to build relationships of trust with the people he or she is living with so they can eventually share the gospel with them. A good way to build relationships is to share food together. But this was a big, hairy, eight-legged arachnid! Being the experienced cross-cultural worker that he is, Jim reluctantly took a bite of one of the legs. It was crunchy and tasted a little like crab meat. So he ate the whole spider.

When I lived in Nigeria, I ate a few things most North Americans might consider somewhat unappetizing. One time I stayed for a week in the village of one of my high school students. The whole village was very poor and there wasn't even a corner grocery, let alone a Wal-Mart Superstore or Applebee’s, to be found. The people ate whatever they could hunt or grow themselves. Needless to say, that week in the village I ate a number of things I had never even thought of eating before. I sampled monkey, gecko, and bat. The bat they fried whole. It wasn't bad. You pick it up by one wing and tear some meat off the breast. Tastes like chicken - no kidding! I've also had monitor lizard, snake, and fish eyeball soup.

Maybe you've been on a missions trip and eaten some pretty strange things. Maybe your mom cooks some strange things sometimes. Would you eat a big, hairy tarantula if it meant you’d someday be able to share the gospel with your friends? What would you do for Jesus? What wouldn't you do?

Here's a recipe from one of our missionaries in Haiti that many of us in North America might like. You can pour it over your tarantula if you'd like!

Creole Sauce
(Sòs Kreyòl) Haiti
STEVE AND KIM HOLTROP
Serves 4-5
2 tablespoons oil
1 tomato, diced
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 1/2 cups water
Salt to taste
Put oil, tomato, tomato paste, green onions, garlic,
and water into a pan and cook for 2 minutes,
stirring constantly. Add the bouillon cubes, cloves,
pepper, parsley, Tabasco, and thyme. Cook for
2 more minutes then add the water and salt,
cooking uncovered for 20 minutes. Once sauce
has cooked you may add Little Meatballs (Ti Boul
Vyan). Slice 2-3 onions in rings and add them just
before serving. Serve over plain rice.

You can find more recipes like this in our new cookbook, International Cuisine ... from the Ends of the Earth. To find out how to order your copy go to our website, www.crwm.org and click on Resources (http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwm_cookbook.cfm).

--Bill Thornburg

offerings . . .

2007-04-06T23:28:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday, at our weekly building prayer, we heard a poem that got me to thinking . . . in the poem were two (seemingly unrelated) images, and yet those images jumped out at me, and were immediately juxtaposed in my mind . . . the first was the widow, fully abandoned to her love of God, gladly, even joyfully, giving up her last pennies to the work of God. The second was the image of Judas, who we know as the traitor, the "bad guy", the antagonist of the Easter story. Judas, with his thirty pieces of silver. He sold out the Son of God for an amount that, from eternity's perspective, was ultimately far less significant than the widow's meager offering. So grievous was Judas' error that as soon as he realized what he had done, he went and hanged himself, overtaken by despair.

At the prayer meeting, one of my colleagues requested prayer for this weekend's offering, one of many that supports the ministry that we do both in this building and around the world.

And I started thinking . . . wondering about myself, living in the wealthiest nation in the world, and whether I am more similar to that widow, gladly offering up every last bit of myself to the work of God, or if I am more like Judas, selling out the most significant Person in my life for a temporary mess of pottage that will be worth absolutely nothing to me once I realize the significance of what I've done . . . the former attitude leads to life; the latter to death. but I'm afraid that, far too often, I am more like Judas than like that widow.

I heard a line in a Michael Card song years ago that was both chilling and convicting . . . "(that) we rob our brothers by all that we own" . . . just who am I robbing when I spend money on trinkets like more cd's, a newer car, chocolate for the kids' easter baskets that isn't good for them anyway? And why does it seem to take so long sometimes for me to realize that there's nothing in this world that won't leave a bad taste in my mouth, or leave me desperate to shed the "silver" it has gained me once I realize that I've given up the One Thing that really matters?

God gave us His greatest Offering. He gave us the Son He so loved, literally breaking off a piece of Himself to save rebellious, rotten, tight-fisted people like me.

Jim Elliott once said that "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot earn." Conversely, I am too often a fool, trying desperately to hold on to what I cannot keep, blind to the treasure I stand to gain if I will only open my tightened fists and release the silver and gold and everything else that will be burned up like dross in the light of eternity.

This Resurrection Sunday, what is God asking you to offer up to Him? It may not be about money (though I doubt that there are many people reading this who could not part with more money than they are letting go of right now), but after all, if we believe that our world, and every aspect of our lives, belongs to God, then we are called, I am certain, to offer "something".

God help us to not be so distracted by the jeers of the bystanders mocking what seems to be a meager gift, or the clanging of silver coins on the Temple floor, that we miss hearing His call to offer our hearts, our lives, and every part of us to His plans and His purpose.

are you a teacher? or do you just play one on TV?

2007-03-30T09:24:00.000-04:00

We have tons of teaching opportunities for this summer, and for the 2007-2008 school year.

Hurry!

2007-01-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

Quick! Apply now for SMP! This is your last chance - applications are due on Friday. Wouldn't you rather spend your summer in Beijing than in Burlington? Or how about Guadalajara instead of Grand Rapids? Come on...

have you ever wondered . . .

2007-01-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

. . . how a summer spent serving God and learning more about His kingdom might change your life? Listen to what some of our past SMP participants have said:

“I got a sense of how powerful [God] is because I got a sense of his worldwide kingdom firsthand instead of just hearing about it.” (Eastern Europe team member)

“When we spent time with the brothers and sisters of this country, we had language barriers, but God’s love has no boundaries and we were able to communicate through love and actions.” (Chris Kim, SMP Japan 2006)

"What a phenomenal program! Anything else I could have done this summer would have been a waste of time in comparison." (Crystal Bootsma, SMP Niger 2006)

"What is clear through this experience is how much God has been faithful, not only bringing us through these past two months, but also affirming us in our plans for future long-term cross-cultural work." (Stephanie and James Van Straten, SMP Nigeria 2006)

“I was weak, but I was strong because God was with me all the time and He was there to give me the right words. He strengthened me to accomplish what He wanted me to do. Not everything went smoothly, but I truly can say that God has really blessed the team, the whole entire trip, and myself this summer." (Kana Ashida, SMP Japan 2005/2006)

“My life will not be a series of short-term mission projects that give me a temporary spiritual high. Instead I need to learn to consistently grow in my faith in my day-to-day routine.” (Megan Venhuizen, SMP Eastern Europe 2004)

“I went to Africa with the hope that God would tell me where he wants me to spend the rest of my life while I was there. I realize now that that was a rather large request, and is one I no longer see as important as I did before.” (Victoria Ross, SMP Nigeria 2005)

So what do you think? Can you see yourself in Asia, Eastern Europe, Japan, Mali,or Mexico this summer? We are excited to see what God will do throughout the world this summer. Will you be a part of it?

2007-01-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

a quote from John Piper's amazing book, Don't Waste Your Life:

God is closing in on some of you. He is like the "Hound of Heaven" who means to make you far happier in some dangerous and dirty work. Missionaries and ministers of mercy don't come from nowhere. They come from people like you, stunned by the glory of God and stopped in your tracks. Sometimes it happens when you are going in exactly the opposite direction.

so what do you think? do YOU have a story about how God is "closing in" on you? We'd love to hear about it!

Brett and Sara Nelson were part of our
Summer Mission Program in 2005, travelling
to Nigeria and to Eastern Europe.
They suspect that God is closing in on them, and so
they are working on walking in His direction.

Heaven in St. Louis

2007-01-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

22,000 young whippersnappers. That’s who I spent New Years Eve with.

It was crazy. I’m now back from Urbana 06, and it’s time to reflect on the experience. Here’s what it was like: heaven.

I better explain what I mean by that. You know how in Revelations 7 it says, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

That’s what John saw in heaven. And that’s what Urbana was like. We sang in Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Swahili, and English. There were Urbana attendees from 140 nations, every state in the USA, and every province and territory from Canada. Worshipping in this diversity was one of the best parts of Urbana. The beauty in the faces of those worshipping around us was positively heavenly.

Did YOU go to Urbana – in 2006 or 1976 or any other year? We want to hear YOUR stories about your Urbana experience. Leave your comments here! Happy New Year – to all of the whippersnappers out there, young AND old.

PS

2006-12-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

you can now post comments without having to register/sign in! so please talk to us . . . we are lonely and we need to hear from you!
:-)
lorraine
for the mission link team

Young Whippersnappers

2006-12-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

So apparently I’m the “Young Whippersnapper” here at CRWM. At our agency Christmas party last week, some clever colleagues of mine handed out the first annual “Wemmie Awards.” I received a lollipop as big as my head and an award for being the “Young Whippersnapper” in the office.

As such (and since I’m not so far removed from my own college days), I really enjoy the part of my job that involves hanging out with college students and talking to them about missions. My official title is Placement Coordinator, meaning that I work on the recruitment and placement for new missionaries with CRWM. The recruitment side of my job had me at colleges all over the US and Canada this fall, and it will also land me at Urbana 06 in just a week – a gathering of 20,000 young whippersnappers all considering God’s call in their lives.

What would it look like if all 20,000 Urbana attendees decided to leave the lives they know behind and serve God in a radical way? What if they all decided to work in urban missions in North America? What if they all decided to live amongst people blinded to the Gospel, like Christ did when He came to earth? What if they all decided to work for justice and peace in their corner of this world? What if? What if YOU heard God calling you to do the same? Now that’s something to think about.

So here’s to all the young whippersnappers out there…and to what can be learned from them.

The only way?

2006-12-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hi all . . . I'm Lorraine. Think of me as "the one with all the questions". I am late posting this, so I am just going to jump right in . . .

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."--John 14:6

I was at a missions conference last weekend, and, as is often the case these days, much of the discussion centered around pluralism and postmodernism. I was quite taken aback, however, when one of the speakers quoted several "mainstream" evangelical leaders who have stated publicly that it is possible for people to go to heaven without having ever heard about Jesus.

Now, I believe that our God is a big God, and I'm not here to argue about the possibility of some rare exception. As someone who spends my workday serving the "goers", though, I am definitely interested in the question that this speaker raised--that if people DON'T need to hear, then why would God choose to have us go and tell?

Romans 10:14-15 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

It struck me that, although God is capable of making Himself known in any way that He chooses, He has chosen to use "clay pots"--people like you and me--to spread His gospel to the ends of the earth.

Now I'd really like to hear what YOU think. A few questions for you to ponder:

>>> Is salvation our job, or God's job? (hint: that just might be a trick question)

>>> In this pluralistic society, how do you respond to those who say that we are "narrow- minded" in saying that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Are you personally comfortable making that assertion?

Pix from Nigeria (riots and missionaries)

2006-11-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

The violence between rival "Christian" and "Muslim" factions in Nigeria hurt civilian life
This is a house that was vandalized in the Jos riots.

Welcome's the word. What would you like?

2006-11-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, someone invited you to it. I mean, who stumbles on a mission agency’s blog, right? Well however you got here, the scoop is that five Christian Reformed World Missions staffers decided to ask for an office blog.

I’m Mariano, the communications guy. Since I started a year ago, some pretty cool things have happened here at work. For example, remember that whole whoopla with the Danish cartoons featuring Mohamed in a less than favorable light and all the protests from the Muslim world? On our side of the globe, I had to set up TV interviews with our local TV station, WOODTV 8, newspapers in Michigan and Iowa, African news sites, etc. Why? It turns out that in some areas the incident was used as an excuse to riot against Christians and westerners. One such place, was Northern Nigeria where CRWM has the Dykgraafs and the Van zees, two seasoned missionary couples.

Anyhow, the bad part of the story is that several Christian Churches and mission compounds were burned to the ground. The good side is that our missionary couples evacuated the field to go to Abuja and arrived unharmed. Once they returned they found sympathetic government leaders willing to let them work on rebuilding Churches and a peaceful community. So I guess it gets exciting around here once in a while.

On to formalities, generally I won’t let the blog get this long, but being as it’s the first, I’m going to hold you for a bit longer. So, the contributing fab-five, and my views on their contribution, are Kathryn (the Great), in charge of recruitment; Trish, a specialist in all things Canada and church relations; Lorraine, who knows the dirt on corporations and the reason behind every “ism” in social activism; Bill (Wahala), who lived in Nigeria for 17 years and knows the fine art of cooking fish-eye soup and dung beetles; and me, the resident Mexican and communications geek of the bunch.

Basically, in this post I hope to start a conversation with you about—drrrum roll: whatever you want. Write, email, comment, etc. Tell me what you want me to talk about. What did you always want to know about missions but were afraid to ask? Or, better yet, what do you know about missions but are afraid to say?

To encourage you to keep looking, I hereby promise to keep posting interesting pix from around the world, and an occasional video to pique your interest. By the way, the ugly dude pointing to his homeland on the map is me.