[amc] Fwd: News Around the World - March 2011

 

       Mennonite Mission Network

News from around the World

March 2011

 

This newssheet includes excerpts taken from recent mission worker

letters and reports to help you stay in touch with what is happening around the world.

 

Anna and Joe Sawatzky, South Africa (p.12, Mosaic)

In January, the Sawatzkys wrote about a 10-week discipleship class at Harvest Time Ministries: “We studied the parables and stories of Jesus and discerned the characteristics of a disciple. Each evening we had a memory verse that went with that week’s characteristic. On one memorable evening, as the light dwindled outside and the candlelight that lit the room became more prominent, each person stood in turn and shouted in Xhosa, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

 

“Some time after, we received this Facebook message from a young woman who had recently begun coming to church and had participated in discipleship class: ‘On my way from work, I passed by a street vendor with a 1-month-old baby, who was crying. I tried to just look and go on, but I couldn’t. I went back to the lady and asked to hold the baby. She told me that her little daughter had colic and that's why she was crying. The mother said she was just waiting for the people to buy so she could get 20 rand to pay for medicine. I looked at the few packets of chips and some biscuits the woman had to sell. I had 20 rand that I thought I would use to buy food for my 1-year-old daughter. I gave the street vendor the20 rand I had. In the process, I remembered one of the scriptures we studied in the discipleship class where Jesus was telling a story about a widowed woman crying for justice, and the Judge [Luke 18:1-8].  

 

‘This also reminded me of the time my mother was a widow with five children and without a job at that time. She sold produce on the street for a few months. I was still a little girl with no clue of how to pray. I would hear my mother praying and shouting and singing, and eventually her prayers were answered. This I have learned so much at church. I am not good at the Bible, but I remember very well the scriptures that we have studied.’

 

“This young woman says that she is ‘not good at the Bible.’ It’s true. In spite of a lifetime of attending church, she has not been given much scripture. Yet she took what she knew and made it real. Her words remind me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:24: ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.’ Knowing the Bible well means nothing if we do not act on the words. Shaping our lives around the words we do know, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God – that is what the Lord requires of us (Micah 6:8).”

 

Elijah Martens, China (not featured in Mosaic)

**Because of security issues, please do not post on a bulletin board or a website, reprint, redistribute or forward electronically.**

In January, Elijah wrote: “As far as I know, I am the first MMN worker to be placed in Fuzhou. My role here with Mennonite Partners in China is two-fold. Primarily, I am an English teacher at two local universities. My second role is working with local churches in a variety of ways. I find myself in the somewhat surprising position of being the leader of an English Bible study, a leadership role that has been quite challenging, but also quite exhilarating for me. An MPC colleague and I attend a small Chinese church that consists almost exclusively of high-school students.

 

“Pastor Zheng has an exciting vision for the church in Fuzhou. The Chinese church has typically been a refuge for those who feel somewhat excluded from society, but pastor Zheng has organized outreach programs designed to appeal to students. The idea is to build a strong body of youthful, educated Christians, and then to use them as catalysts for further evangelism. Over the past few months, we have been witnesses to the success of Pastor Zheng’s new program as we watched the Sunday morning service we attended regularly swell to bursting, forcing a change in location and multiple services.

 

“The Chinese government has historically had an unfriendly relationship with the church, but that is changing. Our two partner pastors, Zheng and Sun, both push the limits of the government’s tolerance, but they are adept at avoiding too much conflict with local authorities while still aggressively pushing the church’s agenda. Experienced MPCers often comment about how the church in China moves at ‘China Speed,’ and over the past few months, I have certainly seen what they mean.

 

“Foreigners in China are somewhat more restricted in our missional opportunities. We must be careful not to allow too much Christian rhetoric to enter into our teaching, or universities will be put in awkward positions by complaining students. Nevertheless, I have personally witnessed several new Chinese friends take the step of committing their lives to Christ. It is a marvelous and humbling experience. 

 

“One particularly moving experience for me was accompanying a group of friends from our English fellowship on a Saturday afternoon trip to a local orphanage, where we put on a performance for a group of handicapped orphans. I will forever remember the smiling faces of the children and the boundless energy of my Chinese colleagues.

 

“MPC has big ideas for Fuzhou. There are plans to bring more teachers here, and to bring some Mennonite families here over the summer to participate in a variety of youth camps. Several local church people are also beginning the process of applying to Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which should help bridge the hemispheric divide.”

 

Jenna and Peter Liechty Martin, Northern Ireland (p. 36, Mosaic)

Excerpt from an article Peter wrote for the January issue of the Methodist Newsletter: “In mid-September, we stepped off the plane at Belfast City Airport. It can be a bit awkward as newcomers in a strange land. Friendly faces from home are replaced with unfamiliar faces, not to mention unfamiliar voices. Navigating new roads can be overwhelming, when everyone else seems to zoom by with purpose and destination, while you are unsure of your next move. Although we speak English, the accents are sometimes so thick that we are embarrassed as we ask others to repeat themselves (sometimes more than once).

 

“But I have not even touched on many of the practical necessities newcomers face. ‘Where is the nearest hospital in case of an emergency?’ ‘Where am I going to live?’ ‘Who will be my friends?’ For us, these challenges have been greatly lessened by the many people who have generously offered their welcome, and have readily been available to answer our questions. We have often wondered what it would have been like if we had arrived with nowhere to go, or no work to do, or did not have anyone to help us along the way. For many newcomers to Northern Ireland, these are the circumstances they find when they arrive. We are inspired by the work of EMBRACE, which helps encourage churches and individuals to provide a warm welcome to the stranger in their communities. We look forward to working alongside EMBRACE in the coming years. EMBRACE is a group of Christians from different denominations working together to welcome and integrate newcomers to Northern Ireland (people seeking asylum, refugees, migrant workers) and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

 

“We are also working with Edgehill Theological College’s Reconciliation Programme that aims to facilitate churches in their vocation of reconciliation and integration. Our work for the next two years is made possible through the sponsorship of the Methodist Church in Ireland and Mennonite Mission Network. For some, Mennonites might be familiar, as North American Mennonites have had a presence in Northern Ireland for many years. On our second night in Belfast, we began to recognize the work of Mennonites who came before us.”

 

Janie and Neal Blough, France (p. 37 Mosaic)

In January, Neal wrote: “There is a backlog in manuscripts in our publication series that are not moving forward as quickly as desired, and the Paris Mennonite Center is exploring the option of finding a seminary intern to help. The center’s website continues to be updated on a regular basis. In 2010, there were 79,486 visitors who viewed 390,427 pages.

 

“Several European Mennonite friends have mentioned that the majority of European Mennonite theologians now publish in French. This indicates a shift from either German or Dutch, which is a little-noted but significant change that has taken place in the last 20-30 years. One could argue that the long-term presence of Mennonite Mission Network (and Mennonite Board of Missions) in France and the Paris Mennonite Center have helped to contribute to this shift. Since only 4 percent of the world’s Mennonites are now in Europe, it is important to see our presence in Europe as a partnership that can continue to have an impact on European Mennonites. The fact that English has become the European language also means that the Paris Mennonite Center can have an impact in Germany and the Netherlands, too. A presence in Paris allows us to relate not only to the French Mennonites, Evangelicals, Protestants and Catholics, but also to believers and seekers in French-speaking Africa and Canada, as well as Germany and the Netherlands.”

 

David Shenk, Ecuador (p. 51 Mosaic)

In February, David wrote: “Over the past month, I’ve continued to adapt well to life here, and with each passing day, I feel more integrated into the church community and the broader Quito community. Learning, growing and being challenged are common dynamics of daily life here for me. Here are some of the happenings from the last month:

• At the second youth group meeting, I taught pizza-making and we had a competition. Four groups of three people were in charge of making their own pizza with my help. At the end, we judged the pizzas (the most creative, the tastiest, and the most aesthetically pleasing). 
• On the farm, we sold our first 50 chickens to buyers. I had my first experience processing poultry. Although butchering, de-feathering and gutting chickens isn’t enjoyable, I feel that as someone who consumes meat, it’s very important for me to experience this process. We have also begun to build a greenhouse on the farm.
• In last month’s peace education workshop, I had the opportunity to play guitar and teach the kids three songs. I also worked with the older kids during the workshop about friendship, and had a great time accompanying many of them to their houses in the back of a packed-full pickup truck.
• A Colombian refugee lady, whom we visit weekly, was badly beaten in the street. She is slowly recuperating from a broken vertebra and the emotional stress of the event. This is the third time she has been beaten since she arrived in Quito. We believe she is being targeted by members of an armed military group from Colombia. These groups sometimes cross the border and continue to persecute refugees even here in Ecuador.   
• I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using my bike as a means of transportation around the city as well as exploring on two wheels some of the wonderful parks.

 

“As you may have noticed, life here is full of extremes. For me, it’s been really important to enjoy and be thankful for the good times so I don’t get too bogged down in the difficult moments when mourning is necessary. Please continue to keep in your thoughts and prayers those who are mourning here, and for me as I continue to accompany them. Also pray for peace in Colombia and for wisdom and compassion on the part of Ecuadorans as they feel the stress of continually receiving refugees.”

 

Drew and Mary Ellen Robinson, Mongolia (p.15 Mosaic)

In January, Drew wrote: “Saran, our Mongolian ‘daughter,’ had been praying about inviting her whole family to her church in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar, so they would all hear the same message and be able to talk about it together. I called Saran to let her know that our whole family was going to Ulaanbaatar to meet Caleb [the Robinsons’ 12-year-old son who attends boarding school in India] when he came back for Christmas break. I told Saran that the Lord had put a certain topic on my heart when her pastor asked me to preach while our family was in the capital. When Saran heard what I said, she felt peace that this timing was of the Lord. So I had the privilege to preach in her church when her family made their first visit to a Christian church. They seemed to really pay attention to all that was shared. Afterward, we went to a new Indian restaurant in town. It was so great to have them come to church and then all eat together.

 

“Later, we had Saran’s closest sister, Enhee, come and spend the weekend with us. We are trying to have personal time with our friends before we move back to the States in May. I should add that both Enhee and Saran have always been like ‘my little girls.’ [Drew served in Mongolia for three years before Mary Ellen joined him and they became workers with Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network.] When I first moved out to the countryside in 1992, Enhee, 8, and Saran, 6, were my neighbors. While Enhee was with us a few weekends ago, she said that she was interested in going to church with us. I sat there like a knot on a log, but I was shoutin’ ‘Hallelujah!’ inside. When Mary Ellen went with Enhee to the bus station to head back to Ulaanbaatar after our time together, Enhee told Mary Ellen that our church ‘suited’ her. We have been praying for that family for quite some time, and it is so encouraging to see the Lord stirring their hearts and wooing them to himself.

 

“From now until the time we depart in May, things are going to get hectic. Many things need to be packed up, or sorted and sold. We are looking into returning on the Trans-Siberian railroad to Moscow, and then on to Germany and England to visit some of our friends in these places.

 

“Thank you for your faithful prayers and please continue with the following requests:

·        Pray for household salvation of Saran’s family. (Her mother’s name is Oyun, and she is the key to what happens in this family.)

·        Pray that things will go smoothly as we plan, pack and prepare for travel back to the States.

·        Pray that Caleb will find his place at Hebron (the boarding school in India) and prosper this semester.

·        Pray that we will have a good closure to our time here in Mongolia.

·        Pray that we, especially the children, will have a good adjustment to life back in the States.”

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