April 2008

by Victor Wall

The International Community of Mennonite Brethren is a global church that exists today thanks to North American mission endeavors that span more than 100 years. Today the U S. Conference is one of 18 national Mennonite Brethren conferences in IS countries. Being part of this international community helps us think and act globally and holistically.

THE WORLD OF ICOMB

Looking for a quick overview of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren? This map highlights the world according to ICOMB.

by Lynn Jost and Arthur DUck

In 2004, the International Community of Mennonite Brethren adopted a shared confession of faith. Two members of the task force that worked on this global document reflect on the value of such theological statements and the unique contributions that an international confession of faith brings to our denomination.

17 VOICES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

The MB Herald and Christian Leader posed two questions to Mennonite Brethren leaders around the world: What do your members appreciate most about being Mennonite Brethren? Whats the most important thing your conference has to offer brothers and sisters around the globe? Heres what they have to say.

18

PLENTY OF HARVESTERS

An interview with Delphin Kapay

Meet Delphin Kapay, a visionary young leader of the Congolese MB Church In this interview with Andrew Siebert of the MB Herald, Kapay's passion for missions and global partnerships is evident.

[ f r om t h e ed it o r]

T HI S MONTI! OUR FEATURE DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS TIlE

International Commun ity of M ennonite Brethren and is a joint project of the Christian Leader and the MB Herald, the English-language magazine of the Canadian M B Conference Herald editor Laura Kalmar initiated this special project five months ago, and I ap preciate her taking the lead in making it happen.

The impetus for this ICOMB focus was an informal lunch meeting hosted last fall by Victor Wall, the ICOMB executive secretary. Victor attended the October joint meeting of th e u.s. Conference Leadership Board and the Canadian Conference Executive Board th at La ura and I also attended. He asked if the three of us could sit together duri ng a meal to discuss ways in which our two North American publications could share more ICOMB-related news with readers.

What I re mem ber most about that lunch conversation was Victor's excitement and pass ion for the globa l church. It was contagious and persuasive. Victor's enth usias m stems I think. from personal experience. Thanks to his work with ICO M B, Victo r has the privilege of traveling among the 18 conferences worldwide that are pa rt of our inte rnational family of faith. Anytime you experience for yourself the beauty of the multicultural body of Christ Jesus, you are enriched and yo u wa nt to share this with others. The global Mennonite Brethren church benefits imm ense ly from Victor, an executive director who travels among us, telling us about one another

Victor's commitment to the global church is personal in another sense. Victor is from Parag uay's German-speaking Mennonite Brethren Conference, and his fam ily's story intersects with a part of the Mennonite Brethren story that has always fasci nated me. Between 1928 and 1947 Paraguay opened its doors to Mennonite immig rants from Europe and North America at a time when virtually all other doors we re closed to them.

Victors grandparents and parents, who fled Communist Russia via Harbin, China, were among these immigrants. Many of the Russian refugees were penniless and received help from European and North American Mennonites as well as Mennonite Central Committee. The generosity that the larger Mennonite family showed to the Russian refugees illustrates the blessing of belonging to a worldwide community, says Victor. I hope that our special ICOMB coverage and the news stories from around the globe included in this issue will give you a new appreciation for the fact that you are part of a worldwide Mennonite Brethren church. -CF

> QUOT ABLE

"Evety day across our country, Christians pray for the opportunity to serve those in need The results of this STD survey show us one possible answer to that prayer There aren't many outreaches that can touch 20 to 25 percent of the people both inside and outside of our churches' walls. I sense in this survey an incredible opportunity for Jesus-followers to reach our broken world with God's story of redeeming love." -Ten Oxford in a ChristianityToday com article posted March 17, 200 8. concerning a recent study reporting that at least one in four teenage girls and one in five adults nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease (SID).

> UP & COMING

• April 18- 19-U.S. Conference Leadership Board meeting and MB Leadership Summit Denver. Colo.

• July 23-25 - National Pastors' Conference, Wichita, Kan.

• July 25-27 -U. S Conference convent ion. Hillsboro. Kan.

Connie Faber EDITOR

Myra Holmes ASSISTANT EDITOR

Elaine Ewert GRAPHIC DESIGNER

MANDATE The Christian Leader \l SSN 0009 - 51491 is publi shed monthly by the U S Con ference of Mennonite Brethren Churche s The Chris tian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Bre thren members an d churches of the eve nts activit ie s decisions and iss ues of thei r den om ination. and to instruct. in spire and init iate dialogue so members will aspire to be faithful di sciples of Christ as understood in th e evangelicaVAnabapti st theological tradition

EDITORIAL POLICY The views expressed in this publication do not ne cessari ly represent the pOSition of the Christian Leader the U S Conference Leadership Board or the Mennonite Brethren Church Sc ripture referen ces are from New International Vers ion unless otherwise noted The editors invite freelance article submissions A SASE must accompany articles

READER PARTICIPATION The editors invi t e readers to share their thought s and opinions on topiCS relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church using letters to the editor and Forum essays Letters to the editor should be brief- 3oo words or less- and on one subject. Lette rs must be signed and include the writer's city and state Letters will be edited for clarity. appropriateness and length Letters will be published. as space allows unless marked - Not for publication : For um i s open to members or attendees of Mennonite Brethren churches Essays should not exceed 800 words, and should include the writer 's name, addre ss. home church and OCcupation

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POSTMASTER Send addre ss changes to the Christian Leader Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 67063 Periodicals postage paid at Hillsboro Kansas

A story worth telling

Baptism celebrations tell the story of obedience, submission

When Jesus asked John to baptize him in the Jordan River, the baptizer was at first incredulous, but he soon got the picture. Jesus' baptism was to be a story. Once upon a divine time the God-man set an example for all who would choose to believe in and follow him. They would be willing to fulfill all righteousness no matter how long the list of reasons that it really wasn't necessary or that it was inconvenient and embarrassing.

that a church of 200 members likely recorded not more than four baptisms and more likely less. What was not reported was whether those celebrations were children of present members or not. The truth is that "biological growth" can result in a modest number of baptisms all by itself.

Usually it is thought that baptisms are a great indicator of church growth. Let me try another idea: What if we viewed baptisms as an indicator of church health? I recently read an article about another evangelical denomination that argued that baptism, not buildings or

budgets, is the best measure of church health.

I am not convinced that membership and attendance are the best indicators of health, even though it seems right to expect that healthy churches will demonstrate both qualitative and quantitative growth. What baptisms tend to demonstrate is whether churches are celebrating the addition of newborn Christians or adopting sheep from other folds.

Jesus did not need to be forgiven of any sin, and so there was really no need \Vh,lt baptisms tend to demonstrate is whether churches Jrc celehrating the add it io n of newborn Christians or adopting shecp hom other fold s . \Vh en th e facilities team h ..l s to fi1lthe tank Jnd mop up the floors yet again , som ethin g good is happening. to experience a public demonstration of his own confession, repentance and cleansing. But he wanted to tell the story of his obedience and submission to his heavenly Father. And he wanted it to be clear that publicly symbolizing being cleansed of sin and entering the family of God was ordained as a core conviction practice by none other than the one who inaugurated that same family of faith. Now this is a story worth telling.

Ever since the early days of our particular family of faith, we Mennonite Brethren have agreed that personal faith in and comminnent to Jesus as Savior and Lord are pictured in the water baptism of believers. And beyond the "entrance into the community of faith" understanding, we have included in our version of these stories the "washed clean" and "death and resurrection" pictures.

Small wonder the family and friends of those being baptized gather around the water for a spiritual celebration. Small wonder cameras are rolling and the congregation can't keep quiet. Small wonder wet faces wear radiant smiles, and holy hugs are exchanged. This is a story worth telling.

So why is this relevant for us? It's because we are struggling to have reasons to fill the baptism tank. The Bama report on American evangelicals indicates that the majority of our churches recorded zero baptisms last year, and that where baptisms were celebrated it took about 50 members of a local church to precipitate each one. That means

When the facilities team has to fill the tank and mop up the floors yet again, something good is happening. New believers are telling anyone and everyone that they have accepted God's forgiveness and are committed to following Jesus and growing to be more like him. And they are choosing to announce this by following the example of their newfound Jesus. This is a story worth telling.

It is an accepted and celebrated reality that newly planted churches are the most effective at precipitating baptisms. They do this because of their individual and corporate passion to live like Jesus wants them to and to do what he asks them to. They intentionally prioritize partnering with the Lord of the church to seek and to save the lost. They simply live by the belief that if this is what Jesus says he came to do, it will be their dream come true to join him in that adventure.

So pray for our church planters and the emerging spiritual families they are shepherding. They are on assignment at mission outposts in winds that are blowing hard against them. Pray for Don Morris, our Mission USA executive director, as he casts the vision and facilitates these holy initiatives. And pray for more chances to fill the tank. This would be a story worth telling.

> READERS SAY

The conflict between the ancient and the contemporary While reading the March of the Leader, two articles highlight recent trends within American religious circles . One suggests the re-emergence of ancient disciplines that are energizing 21st century congregations. The other describes the tension between people within the Mennonite Brethren denomination, between those who find meaningful worship experience through traditional worship and those who enjoy a more contemporary atmosphere with praise and worship music

George Barna's survey findings validate my suspicions. As MB congregations are moving further away from a historical connection with their Anabaptist heritage, they may be hindering their ability to present the gospel to a postmodern world.

In Church Next , Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry, Eddie Gibbs, professor of church growth at the School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, writes about the post-boomer population and gives a warning: 'Their spiritual awareness is triggered by symbols and rituals both ancient and relevant. If the Christian church fails to rediscover its own rich heritage, created in preliterate societies, it will find it increasingly difficult to hold a generation shaped by a postliterate culture."

Though I belong to the baby boomer generation by birth, I feel a closer connection with the postmodern generation, derived largely through personal experiences. According to Gibbs, the postmodern generation (and I) are not interested in listening to people who presume to have all of the answers. Rather, they (and I) want to meet people who have a transforming relationship with God.

Rose Buschman's column, "Do I really need a heart transplant?" reflects our denomination's inner conflict between the ancient and contemporary. Her conversation with a conference leader reflects similar experiences of others and myself within my congregation. These experiences affirm the need for greater sensitivity by our leaders and the need to carefully consider the spiritual needs of our constituents. whether they are long-time believers in Christ or newcomers.

If meeting genuine people of faith and being available to spiritually hungry people in the postmodern world suggests a return to ancient spiritual practices, so be it The heart of the matter is not the style of worship or ritual that we prefer, but rather a sensitivity to God's timing and plan to be effective witnesses within our community.

Paul D. Penner Hillsboro, Kan.

The editors invite readers to share their thoughts and opinions on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church using letters to the editor. Letters should be on one topic, not exceed 300 words and include the writer's name and city. Letters will be edited for clarity, appropriateness and length

Spreading truth in politics

I appreciate the comments Rose Buschman made about being politically correct (February "On the Journey") Sometimes it seems that Christians are more concerned with having the right political views than having a Christ-like artitude to even their fellow believers. In this election year, Christians should not permit themselves to become part of the demonization that is sure to happen during the election. There are going to be many half-truths floating around that we need to be careful about repeating, making sure that they are true.

Alvin Dick Mt. Lake, Minn.

Public worship services inadequate

I offer the following opinion in response to Rose Buschman's column "Do I need a heart transplant?" (March 2007). No, there's nothing wrong with your heart based on anything said here. However I believe it again brings up problems or inadequacies with public worship service in evangelical and Anabaptist settings these days. Unfortunately public worship is equated with the "song service" that generally is felt to be the worship and is supposed to bring the congregation into an emotion and spiritual readiness to receive the sermon, generally a teaching based on several verses of Scripture.

Absent are any formal Scripture reading programs or reading or recitation of formal doctrines, and communion is practiced infrequently. Prayer is generally one prayer offered by a leader. It is the providing of these elements (Scripture reading, personal and corporate prayer. music that is traditional and/or contemporary, the sermon/teaching, recitation of doctrine, frequent communion reminding us of the gospel and our identity in Christ) that to me provides for a truly spiritually nourishing experience in public worship for the believer.

It also deemphasizes the completely predominant dependence on worship music style and the importance of a super sermon as the criteria on how "good" the service was, all of which become sources of contention if they don't meet expectations.

It is for this reason that although I continue to attend an Anabaptist service. I also particularly enjoy attending another service where all of these elements of public worship are employed I think addressing these issues in our public worship services is our responsibility in "feeding the sheep."

James Penrose Bakersfield, Calif

Making a difference Lumeya leads team in follow-up trip

work team traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo with Nzash Lumeya of Fresno, Calif., in January as a follow- up to urneya's earlier visit The group visited Kinshasa, Kikwit and Kafumba, bringing to the inland churches the kind of mutual encouragement, says Lumeya, that Paul speaks of in Romans 1:11.

Team members were involved in teaching a module to some 200 people connected with the Missiological University Center in Kinshasa, a school founded by Lumeya. The courses taught included survey courses on church history and the Old and New Testament, an introductory missions course and one on African culture and religion. "A medical doctor who is in this program expressed his joy," says Lumeya. "Now he is receiving tools that are enabling him to answer his divine call Candidates are excited that Bible training courses are back into local churches."

Part of the team worked with local bench-makers in Kikwit and Kafumba. Benches are needed for some 100 schools in the region. Team members determined what tools will be needed to streamline the bench -making process. The team brought school supplies, which were presented to officials by Maleghi Lumeya, a congressman in the national government and Lumeya's brother

In the Kafumba area , the North American volunteers focused on three areas: worship, health and farming. Some 400 people attended church services where 30 recommitted themselves to the Lord and three made first-time salvation commitments.

Medicine was given to local dispensaries , and medical team members were a resource to local medical personnel. Five bicycles were given to four villages to enable farmers to transport produce to market. The team reports that Missionary Aviation Fellowship- DRC is donating the cost of transporting shoes, clothing and medicine donated by the Kinshasa churches to the pygmies in Bandundu province. Two evangelists will distribute these gifrs.

The team consisted of a Califomia pastoral couple, a medical couple from Fresno and a group from JARON Ministries (Jesus Ambassadors Reaching Out to Nations), based in Fresno Another visit is planned for July.-from a report by Nzash Lumeya

Glanzer inauguration slated for May

Glanzer inauguration initiates Te centennial celebration

The May 9 inauguration of Jules Glanzer as the 13th president of Tabor College marks the beginning of the college's centennial celebration. Glanzer's inauguration is scheduled for 7 p m in the Tabor C ollege gymnasium with Leonard Sweet as the keynote speaker. Glanzer succeeds Larry Nikkel, who retired Dec. 31.2007 after serv-

ing the college as president since 1998. Glanzer. who started his new assignment Feb I is a 1974 graduate of Tabor College and a 1978 graduate of MB Biblical Seminary. Fresno. Calif In 2000 he received a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary. After serving as a pastor in the Mennonite Brethren and Evangelical Covenant denominations for nearly a quarter century. Glanzer became dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary in 2001 . He and his wife. Peggy. have three children. all of whom are Tabor College graduates

Sweet is the author of more than 100 articles. 600 published sermons and 30

books. most recently The Gospel According to Starbucks (200 7). He also serves as a professor of evangelism at Drew Theological School, Madison. NJ . and the Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox Evangelical Seminary Portland Ore • a role that began while Glanzer was dean at the seminary

Other inauguration weekend events include the Centennial History Dinner Saturday evening. a Sunday late aftemoon community-wide reception for Glanzer at Hillsboro MB Church prior to the spring oratorio concert by the Tabor College Concert Choir and Community Chorale. - TC

Kenyan Mennonites work to rebuild peace

As an eerie calm returns to Kenya, Mennonites in the country work to rebuild peace and trust. Violence broke out along tribal lines following a disputed election in December, leaving about 600,000 people displaced and over 1,000 dead. An agreement signed in late February ended the political standoff.

Forty pastors from five different tribes and denominations met in midFebruary for a peace-building seminar at the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Eastern Mennonite Missions, a mission agency supported by Mennonite Church USA, sponsored the seminar.

"It was very helpful to us as pastors," Caleb Owuonda says. 'We are committed to networking together to find solutions to sticky community problems-like the rebuilding of trust between landlords and tenants in a climate which has driven many in mixed neighborhoods from their homes."

Reports from Kenya Mennonite Church leaders and representatives from the Maasai community of Olepolos indicate the congregations have had a good witness during the post-election crisis. When members of minority tribes fled to the Mennonite church in Olepolos for protection, the church

assisted all peoples regardless of tribal backgrounds, despite negative community reaction. Similar reports have poured in from other KMC dioceses.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before in our beloved country," says Philip Okeyo, general secretary of KMC and bishop of the Nairobi diocese. 'We are all grieving and in shock."

One congregation that hadn't been able to meet for several weeks resumed services in February. Just a month afrer machete-wielding thugs interrupted the morning service at Mathare North Mennonite Church to demand money, about 100 people packed the simple structure on the edge of a Nairobi slum, belting out "God is so good!" in five different tribal languages.

EMM is also distributing emergency food and blankets for displaced persons.-EMM reports

NIKKEL APPOINTED

Larry Nikkel, Hillsboro, Kan., has been appointed to the board of directors for Mennonite Mutual Aid, an Anabaptist stewardship organization. Nikkel recently finished his tenure as president of Tabor College, the Mennonite Brethren college in Hillsboro, where he served since 1998. He is a former president and CEO of Mennonite Health Services. He and his wife, Elaine, are members of Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church. Nikkel replaces David Faber, who served the maximum 12 years on the board . Paul Quiring of Fresno, Calif., also represents the Mennonite Brethren on this board -MMA

MB LEADER DIES

Sowlollu Solomon, 57, the current secretary of the Governing Council for the Mennonite Brethren Church in India, died unexpectedly in Pennsylvania March 1. He was in Pennsylvania to earn a doctoral degree in theology at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale. Solomon had served as a pastor and church leader for 32 years, including various leadership roles in the conference and at MB Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad. Since 2004, he served as vice-principal and director of peace studies at the college. He was also the MB Church in India's elected representative to the Mennonite World Conference in 2003. Solomon's wife, Vasanthamma, two sons, three daughters, two grandsons and one granddaughter survive. The family is planning for burial in India.-MWC

Bush sees MEDA at work fig .hting malaria

APresident George W. Bush witnessed the progress in the battle against malar.a in Tanzania during his African trip in February, Mennonite Economic Development Associates-a key player in the fight-celebrated the distribution of its three millionth anti-malaria net/voucher in the country. MEDA is an association of Christians in business committed to addressing human needs around the world through economic development programs MEDA is the Tanzanian government's

logistics manager for Hati Punguzo, an initiative that promotes a unique public-private partnership that provides Tanzanians with subsidized vouchers to purchase insecticidetreated mosquito bed nets (ITNs) at very low cost. Through the initiative, MEDA has helped to create a network of more than 6,500 retail outlets nationwide, where previously the life-saving nets were not available. Research suggests that six lives are being spared for every 1,000 nets sold. During a stop in the town of Arusha,

Bush visited the Meru District Hospital where pregnant women at the clinic receive the vouchers to obtain an ITN. The president also toured the net-making factory of A to Z Textile Mills, the only manufacturer in Africa to produce the life-saving, long-lasting insecticide net, which MEDA distributes through Hati Punguzo. Bush launched the five-year, $1.2 billion President's Malaria Initiative in 2005. The program aims to cut malaria-related deaths by half in 15 African countries. - MEDA

., ,..,.w. are truly a global denotnnership known as the Community of Menn o nite Brethren - ICOMB for short. Like statistics? As of 2007 the global Mennonite Brethren church numbers 290,397 members spe aking as many as 50 languages in 1,873 congregations that are organized into 18 national conferences in IS countries. Lots of numbers and the most important is the number one. We are a global commu nity that hope s to transcend ethnic, cultural and language barriers to celebrate our oneness in Jesus Christ as we make and grow his disciple s.-CF

We lcome to our incredible international family

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF Mennonite Brethren, commonly referred to as ICOMB, is not a response to globalization Rather, globaliza ti on is highly instrumental for a church that's always existed worldwide In its desire to be faithful , IC OMB, like its sp iri tual forebears, senses a call to be a movement of Jesus, the church, the Holy Spirit and mission

What does ICOMB stand for?

Harvest. North Ame rican mission endeavors haven't been in vain. Prayers delivered to the throne of God , missionaries sent, money spent, tears shed , li ves sacrificed, churches, conferences and boards praying. listening. discerning. deciding, convincing and motivating others - all these are being returned through ICOMB. Here is the tangible and visible harvest.

ICOMB is an expression of praise to God - a thanksgiving offering on the al tar And Mennonite Breth ren churches from across North Ame rica are invited to celebrate, "reaping with songs of joy" (Ps 126:5)

Internationality. The Bible is international, and so is the church God thinks and acts globally (John p6) Christ's church, with its international character, can do no different. As humans, caught up in ourselves, we have a local, provincial focus that gives us a sense that the world is revolving around us and our loved ones This Babel syndrome causes us to move within our own small world

ICO MB is a call to overcome this kind of provincialism and think and act like God does - globally and holistically, embracing all peoples. Frontiers become bridges, cultural differences become resources, countries become launching pads for mission, differences keep us humble.

Unity. Christian unity is at the center of our Lord's prayer (John 17). The Pentecost syndrome reverses the Babel syndrome. As the Holy Spirit moves powerfully amongst its people, women and men come closer together learning to live out their spiritual oneness in Christ As brothers and sisters from around the world, we share a common heritage. ICOMB calls us to live as family. This is the way to be convincing witnesses to those outside the church (John 13:35; 17: 21 ).

What does ICOM B want?

To be obedient Spirituality and scriptural insight go hand in hand. With more obedien ce comes greater theological insight. IC OMB invites churches to read the Bible anew from a relational perspective What does the Bible teach on marriage and family relationships, on relationships

within a local congregation? Don't we need a fresh look at Scriptu re in a time when we are fragile in long-term relationships? Moreover, what can we learn from the New Tes tament about intemational, cross -cultural, and inter-conference relationships?

To be faithful. Follow ing Christ is best done together That holds true for individuals, local churches, conferences, even denominations. How can we motivate each other to be faithful? Dare we hold each other responsible in our desire to be Christ-like - even beyond our local, national, cultural borders? ICOMB would like to encourage this kind of courageousness.

Being faithful also means being missional. God has poured so much mission energy into our churches around the world. ICOMB wants to make sure this potential is not getting rusty or being lost.

To become strong. This is a biblical mandate (Eph 6:10). Healthy churches will manifest their faithfulness in discipleship and evangelism They11 also contribute to strong conferences .

Healthy leadership and sound biblical theology are key. ICOMB thinks in both directions Our beliefs ought to be biblically grounded Our confession of faith and its commentary (to be published in early 2008) are instrumental for this purpose. Other priorities include leadership development, and connecting schools and the church more closely

What does ICOMB do?

Living faith is incarnated in good works ICOMB combines belief-including hearing. knowing, seeing, dreaming, thinking, talking-and doing How? Through a global history writing project, through bringing belief and life closer together, through celebrating God's faithfulness (at the 150th anniversary of the MB church in 2010), through freeing the mission energy in our worldwide fellowship. Vision and action must start locally and become global.

Mennonite Brethren have strong roots and much reason to look confidently into the future. Trusting in God's faithfulness and thinking globally, ICOMB is harvest-oriented, just like Jesus was Our DNA is a holy, missional, entrepreneurial spirit . Next time you walk into church, remember you're part of an incredible international family!

Victor Wall is executive secretary of [COMB and lives in Paraguay.

eWorld of I

PAN"MA (600)- The M8 church in

ofthe438MB

you might not hear fact, more than 25 d are spoken in North American MB church services, includ ing Spanish, German, Chinese, French and Punjabi.

The U S and Canadian conferences to operate togethe r under the umbrelJa of the General Conference of M8 Churdlestor more than 100 years, until dfilestiture-In Canada and the U.s still rtnert.ther to operate three im tagenties: International, MB Bib Seri\[paw.a(llfthe MB Historical CornmissfQO; ', ' :J.

PORTUGAL (40)- WIth only 40 members t his is one of the smallest MB confere nces In the wor ld.

,

COLOMBIA

( , , Panama is an outgrowth of MB miSSionary 1, worldI') C-olombta among the Choco peop le Amencan MBs began a mlssl?n. In This tribe did no,t the the northern part of Colombia In • Colombia and 1945. The conference now h.as 1,700 , between the tWo members and 42 congregations (!OOtlfnes. When Me missionaries were no

lon9!l"allowed in Colombia around 1960, a ""Itufal anthropolo9ist, and visited Panamanian villages t.n what was referred the "nont tnfssionarY' apptCiach - a method tf\at :«aS: mucp mot& .5ensltive t<>cultura1 praoticeS!a,\d dist,lnqtves of tf)e:people.

URUGUAY

.

*-----

BRAZIL (6,OOO)- Brazil is the largest Latin American countly. It's also the only one with Portuguese as the offici al language, and is one ofordy a few Portuguese -speaking countries yAth MB churches (besides Portugal and Angola)

Fora time Brazil had two MB conferences, one German and the other Portuguese As ac:GUlturation of the German -speaking other differences subsided, the merged in 1995 to form the Convention of Evangelical Mennonite J3tethrenChurches. lt now has more than 6,000 meJTlher:Sin40 churches and some 20 church proje(:ts.The conference supports '!)riiS$iO(lar1c!S itiEastTimot,

ANG01.A

lqqre than Mennonite'1lrethren11 A"9Q1a s'<:atter$i th.ougt.Qut.4?

PARAGUAY

Brethren Church jn Para9-.uay after the govemment IhVlted Belm3!)"speaklng

there are 9 MB congregations InhoSRftabie In the interiOr In<>Oruguay, with some 200 once referred to as the !'greeh hell:' ., the.ir presence In Peru In two .(U $peclaun v eges mem bers. \ All M it'M 1",\1 • , 1 II il'Iissf9ncirie5--\'Vorkeq In,the giV;fM<'> tI1ein b.y includihg due to l'tIi'e " exemption lIita!YiServk:e, and freedom rl v f99Q 1t."'i to ope r own sdi'OOIs and exercise y S:thelrreligion There some 4,600 Mennonite Mlwork is in the Brethren members in two and tM ding <>f tQe e! Ofi;EI current ICOMB executive secretary, VIctor Wall, t he e:riJ,VjSn.aJtit?a$$ad0f,tO nada Is from Parct9uay an MBMSfhtetha*ij Mennonite

t..EAOER

GERMANY (8,OOO)- Mennonite Brethren, or those who have some Mennonite Brethren connectiOns or identity in Germany, are scattered into !MnY different groupings, belonging to various organization s and conferences or independent congregations Some are the res ult of missionary acti vity by MBs in North America; many have migrated to Germ any from various regions of the former Soviet Union They often have strong Baptist connections because of their earlier history Today there are three separate MB conferences in Germany

AUSTRIA

(416) - N",,,,

75 percent of Austria is Roman Catholic. The Mennonite Brethren Church in Austria is called the Mennonite Free Church. A "free church" designates a church that's not supported by the state Membersof free churches consti tute only about .3 percent ofthe population.

INDIA (93,992) - ln October 1890, Abraham and Maria Friesen became the first Mennonite Brethren foreign missionaries, leaving their native Russia for Nalgonda, India They served In India for 19 years. Today, the Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church in India is one of our largest conferences with more than 90,000 members, 840 congregations and 214 pastors

The periodical, Erntefeld (Harvest Field), which was begun by the Friesens in 1900, was later published in Russia and was the first officially supported periodical by Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad opened in 1920, providing education that empowered many of India's Dalits (communities marginalized and dehumanized by the caste system)

JAPAN (l,888)- lhe Japanese MB Conference consi$tS of 24 churches and several stations Christians constitute less than one percent of the population Mennonite.&ethl'en have taken the lead in nf$CjUrce deve1opment, worklngwlth other denominations in produci ng Christian education materials and conducting leadership training. They now have their own Evangelical Biblical Seminary, as well as a Christian camp. And there's a new consciousness developing about Anabaptism and a commitment to peace. *Indicates a there's an Official 110MB confer.nee.lndividual Me churches can be found In MQre than 20 countrJesrinciuding ThaUand,'Mexico, Burkina FasOt1mctmmlbla. There'ar.rn'Oratbar,t 290,000 Mennonite Brethren aIGand

Humbly discerning together

Why international theological reflection is so important

WE BELIEVE THAT A CONFESSION OF FAlTII IS VERY important to the life and witness of Mennonite Brethren congregations around the world. It is so important that we spent three years working with five other Mennonite Brethren to write a global MB confession of faith.

But we have to admit that others do not share our personal convictions about the value of such theological statements In Brazil, Arthur hears statements like: "Denominational labels are irrelevant I join a church because I feel good there . My concern is not for confessions or doctrines. If the worship style is OK. I feel this is the place God has chosen for me ."

In the U S , Lynn hears: "What is the value of a confession of faith that is accepted only selectively? Where's the structure to hold people accountable to what we claim in our confessions? "

A confession of faith is a human statement that seeks to capture the essence - the creative imagination-of the biblical text as it applies to our own context A confession summarizes key shared convictions It helps describe distinctive characteristics that unite the church as well as distinguish us from what all Christian believers claim

Those of us who belong to the Mennonite Brethren church do so because we accept the inspiration of Scripture and the illumination of the Holy Spirit in our interpretation A confession humbly recognizes that we together can discern the Spirit's illuminating wisdom better than we can as individuals, local congregations or even regional associations.

Confessions of faith change as the context in which we live changes The first Mennonite Brethren confession of faith was accepted in 1902 and served both the church in Czarist Russia and the new congregations in North America. By 1975, North American Mennonite Brethren recognized that new interpretation and emphasis were needed for a new generation. New language was used, and new forms were chosen

The 1975 confession was disseminated to the emerging national churches around the globe that had been spawned by Mennonite Brethren missions Most national conferences simply translated the North American confession into their national languages. Some, notably Japan, followed the lead of their founding missionaries and wrote confessions that addressed contextual issues (idol worship) and reflected particular theological influences of the founding missionaries (dispensational theology)

The U.S. and Canadian Conferences revised the North American confession of faith in 1999. Language had changed and more inclusive expression was needed. New issues had emerged, notably new medical breakthroughs affecting the beginning and end of life and religious pluralization within our own neighborhoods . C hurch practices regarding the cel -

W.ebration of the Lord's Supper had become more relaxed and no longer conformed to old confessional statements.

This process coincided with a conversation among global Mennonite Brethren about our shared beliefs, and in 2004 the International Community of Mennonite Brethren adopted a shared confession of faith (See sidebar.) This year a commentary and study guide on the ICOMB confession is being released in up to 10 languages, with the request that congregations in all 18 national Mennonite Bre thren conferences study the material sometime during a 16 - rnonth pe riod.

We see great value in this international confes sion of faith.

Addressing the confessional issues of our international body together speaks of the unity of Christ's body worldwide. Unlike the Muslim use of the Quran, Christians assert that the authority of the Bible lies in its expression in the words and lives of the followers of Jesus. Writing in seven different languages gives wimess to the complexity of expression. For example we wanted to emphasize that the church is counter-c ultural. Menno Joel of India agreed with the concept. but insisted on rewording the phrase since Christianity is regarded as a belief that is foreign and anti-Indian

An international confession identifies the issues that are shared by the church in all places at one point in time. The ICOMB confession has two primary foci. The first section addresses the question "How does God work in the world?" with a narrative of God's creation. human alienation from God and from others. and God's re-creation. The story of God 's actions represents an Asian and African approach to theology. The second section answers "How do Mennonite Brethren respond to God's purpose?" by describing five core values regarding the church. The 1999 North American confession influenced this section.

An international confession speaks with prophetic insight to the otherwise

leOMB launches global Bible study

ASimultaneous Bible study for the global Mennonite Brethren church will be launched in the fall of 2008 using the book "Knowing and Living Your Faith." a commentary on the International Community of Mennonite Brethren 2004 Confession of Faith

'The vision is for churches in the 18 Mennonite Brethren conferences around the world to engage in Bible study during the 16 months (September 2008 to December 2009) with the ICOMB confession of faith as the curriculum." says Victor Wall ICOMB executive secretary. 'The study is an appropriate lead -up to the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren Church in 2010 since Mennonite Brethren along with other Anabaptists. see their identity as students of the Word of God ."

The dozen writers for the ICOMB commentary and study guide come from Japan . India Congo. Brazil. Paraguay Colombia Canada and the United States Translators from several languages have been at work in past months The German and Spanish translations have been completed; the French. Kikongo and Lingala translations will soon be ready. The book will also be published in Portuguese Japanese Telegu and possibly Russian. Kindred Productions. the North American MB publishing ministry. will release the English version in late spring.

At its 2006 meeting in Colombia. ICOMB directed that the project be undertaken in cooperation with MBMS International, the North American MB mission agency. At that session ICOMB appointed as editors Elmer A. Martens and Peter J Klassen both of Fresno. Calif Martens is a former president of MB Biblical Seminary. and Klassen historian and author. has taught at California State University of Fresno. Fresno Pacific University and MB Biblical Seminary. The vision for such a book came from MBMSI personnel as a way of strengthening the unity of Mennonite Brethren around the world

Wall invites congregations in Canada and the U S to begin their study by September 2008. While congregations can use the 120-page book for a I2 -week study the editors recommend a six to nine month study Details on ordering will be forthcoming .- ICOMB

more limited insight of each national or cultural expression of the church. As we meet sisters and brothers from outside North America, we discover that they are concerned about issues that we overlook or discount as optional idiosyncrasies.

For example, international Christians have boldly confronted the 1993 North American decision to open the Lord's Supper to unbaptized believers. Comments from the international community on national loyalty have opened our eyes to the danger of putting too much stock in national loyalties when we recognize that our governments might call us to take up arms against brothers and sisters in other lands

An international confession humbly bonds us together. We recognize that we read the Bible from our own perspective. We need our sisters and brothers worldwide to understand God's revelation more fully. The distinctions among first, second and third world persons fall away because we are all before the cross at the same level.

We hope that this article serves as an invitation to North American Mennonite Brethren to take seriously our bonds with believers of all nations. We need to consider the observation of Victor Wall, the executive secretary of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren, that North American

Mennonite Brethren have "a rather high level of hesitance to accept a Confession of Faith as binding for a congregation or for the individual."

Victor adds, "It seems to me that a confession of faith that is not binding will not have a strengthening effect, nor will it serve us well as a basis for mutual accountability. It will remain a document good only for group study and similar activities."

The international confession reminds us that to discount the authoritative word of the Holy Spirit illuminating the church worldwide is a dangerous move. Just as individual believers are called to submit their own interpretative insights to a local body, so national associations of churches submit to the larger body. Authority is based less on our willingness to accept it and more on the spiritual conviction that God has called us into a single body.

Arthur DUck is director of Faculdade Fideles, a Mennonite Brethren educational institution in Brazil. Lynn lost is academic dean and associate professor of Old Testament at MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif

How the ICOMB confession came to be

We, Lynn and Arthur, met in Abbotsford, BC, in 2002 at the last gathering of U S and Canadian Mennonite Brethren in the General Conference configuration . We missed almost every session of that convention doing something we found much more interesting: writing the new ICOMB Confession of Faith Representing the larger language groups of the Mennonite Brethren world family - French, Telugu, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German and English - seven of us were assigned to write a confession that could be shared by the global MB family

After the openirig prayer and before introductions were complete, Takashe Manabe of Japan held up the 1999 Canadian and U S Confession of Faith and said, 'This is a fine confession for Northern and Western believers It is full of statements and theology. But for those of us from Asia and Africa , this confession is lacking We express our theology in a more biblical waythrough stories." That opening statement shaped our conversations in Abbotsford and our later writing in Germany.

The International Community of Mennonite Brethren first addressed the question "What do Mennonite Brethren around the world believe?" in 1997 while meeting in Calcutta, India in conjunction with the Mennonite World Conference Assembly . In October 2001 ICOMB commissioned a seven - member confession of faith task force to write a summary of MB convictions . The task force met in 2001 and began the process of surveying existing confessional materials and considering the primary questions which Mennonite Brethren face worldwide . The task force presented the first draft of their work to ICOMB July 29, 2002 ICOMB directed the task force to circulate the revised draft to all 18 national boards of faith and life and to the conference periodicals . The task force met in Bielefeld, Germany, in 2003 to prepare a report to the ICOMB delegates meeting later that year in Zimbabwe. Translations were completed and circulated to member conferences . Delegates meeting in Paraguay in June 2004 ,

heard from each of the national conferences, and all of them endorsed the confession of faith as proposed

The purpose of the common confession is to guide national conferences in formulating confessions specific to their own cultures and to define Mennonite Brethren positions for national churches that have inquired about joining the denomination

As the ICOMB project was nearing completion. another international Mennonite body was also considering a means to express common beliefs In 2002 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Mennonite World Conference members debated the MWC Shared Convictions, a proposal that reached final form in Pasadena, Calif., in 2006 . In the interim, denominational conferences were invited to comment on the proposal. Mennonite Brethren requested that the wording of the fourth conviction be revised to include the following words : ' We accept the Bible as our authority for faith and life " For us it was important to include mention of biblical authority and the international Anabaptist church agreed.-LJ AD

Voices from around the globe

The MB Herald and Christian Leader posed the following questions to Mennonite Brethren leaders around the world : What do your members appreciate most about being Mennonite Brethren? What's the most important thing your conference has to offer brothers and sisters around the globe? Here's what they have to say

• Our members most appreciate our attachment to biblical teachings and interpretation, as well as the promotion of fellowship between the conferences on an international basis We're strong in the area of service and peaceful within our conference and churches.-Hemtes &mgon &corizo, Panama

• What we appreciate most about " Mennonite Brethren is the possibility A', the rest of the body of Christ while and sharing our Anabaptist values Of evqel- « ism, peacemaking, holistic undemandinJ9Isalvaticn and leadership as service. What • .dn.<c" offer to otber conferences' is our brothelhoo4.- & walldng together in the midst of • praying one for the other and , wbere possible, constructing relationships whicb will allow us to: "'" mutually support each othet.-Gesar Garcia, Oolembia

We have much appreciation for 1be fact that we're- a global worldwide family. We also appreciate the fact that we're a Christ;.cenieted, community of faith based on biblical ptiJlJ:jptes' and a missionary communi1}t dependent on tlit work of the Holy Splrit As known for our cordiality, hospitalitY and great' and loving hearts Our conference offers its infrastructure in order to provide bridges and contacts to other churches .-Oscar Peralta , Paraguay (CEIPHM)

• One thing our members appreciate is our long and rich church -tradition and past learning experiences that can guide us We also appreciate the strong missionaty work that's been done and is still being done by the Mennonite Brethren church A third thing we appreciate is the fact that the Bible is still a very strong foundation . We offer the experience of stable and consistent work among our churches. Also, we live and work in a multicultural context and have had many positive experiences we can share with our brothers and sisters around the world. - Theodor Unruh , Paraguay (VMBGP)

,

• The people in our family of churches deeply appreciate it when they're unmistakably loved by pastors who teach God's truths directly from the Bible with clarity and relevance They also find joy and nourishthe vibrant music/worship of corporate celebration . Perhaps the greatest gift we could give is to welcome and appreciate our brothers and sisters around the world as partners in the Great Commission . In recent decades, we 've been more intentional about $fatting jiew churches and we've noted that it's the most " e!fective way to make a real kingdom growth difference . As we 4iscover principles that can cross cultural barriers, it would be a joy to implement them together - Ed J;Joschman , United States

, • As Anabaptists, our worldview and theology uniquely position us to witness to the truth of Christ and , share-the gospel with our skeptical, bumt-out-on -church canadian society As evangelicals, we carry a strong sense of mission 'Put together we appreciate our evangelical Anabaptist heritage. What we have to offer is an entrepreneurial spirit and many successful business people who are interested in assisting various parts of the " world Plus, many chutches are interested in fellowship and involvement with others in our global family . We also ' have Bible scholars and other professionals with overseas experience who would love to teach or coach.David Wiebe, Canada

Plenty of harvesters

Congo's mission director talks about global partnerships

Oelphin Kapay is moderator of the Congolese MB Church (CEFMC) and head of the mission department for the conference He teaches at Centre Universitaire de Missiologie, an interdenominational mission school in Kinshasa started by Nzash Lumeya, who currently teaches at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif As a protege of Lumeya , Kapay is a visionary with many disciples, known for his inteUigent and engaging preaching. In addition to leading a local congregation, he travels widely, most recently to Kazahkstan in 2006 for the Global Mission Fellowship of Anabaptist related churches. Andrew Siebert, of the MB Herald, interviewed Kapay about Congos role in global partnerships.

Since your visit to Mennonite World Conference assembly in Zimbabwe ZOO3, you have had a vision for Congolese missionaries reaching the world. Can you explain your motto: «The Lord is waiting for Congolese missionaries"?

In Congo we have people with vision, but we don't have the finances. I think that many other conferences around the world have money and vision, but not people.

I'm just looking how we can join together and reach people groups in the world

Why is it easy for Congolese missionaries to reach va rious parts of the world?

In the Middle East and the "40/70 window " (focusing on all of Europe , the Caucasis, North and Central Asia, including Siberia and China), North Americans are often seen as colonialists or even spies.

W.The people have wars to rem ind them why they shouldn't coll aborate with the West But Africans don't have this coloration Th ey're li ke a q uestion mark to many around the world People don't kn ow why Afri can s are visiting their land. What do they really want ? What message do they have? So Afric an miss ion aries can use this situation , this leeway, as an opportunity to tell people about Jesus , his love for them , and hi s way to salvation. Also , Congolese people are known for the ir hi gh level of cultural adaptation

In Kazakhs tan, pe ople came to ask for a picture of me saying it was the fi rst time meeting an African person . They needed to know more about my background, the reason for my trip, etc. I used this opportunity to challenge some people about missionaty vis ion

If North America n s want to get involved financially with your outreach effo rts, w h at should they do?

If North American s want to help us, they can reinvigorate CEF MC' s financi al potential by first discussing with CEF MC leaders how (funding a project) will be helpful to our vision and send ing a written copy of that discussion to th e mission off ice . Th ey can also collaborate directly with CE F MC leaders who share the same vision for financia l susta ina b ility

Though there have been some problems in the past, Congolese missionari es who use Western resources now must send reports to the mission office, the executive committee and the genera l assembly. This way there is a system for accountability in place wi th feedback to Western sponsors

You are curren tly p reach ing from Matthew U:Z9 -30, where Jesus says «Take m y yok e upon you and learn from me for m y burden is light. " What can North Americans learn abo ut «taking on the yoke" of working with their Con golese brothers and sisters?

The first thing all of us need to understand is Jesus' lordship in our lives and in the church . The Lord is calling us to work for him and not for ourselves, relatives, ethnic or business groups We need to collaborate to reach the interests of the Lord and his church and not those of our own Nobody can say th at he is Christian and refuse to work for the Lord. Evety time we encounter problems working together it is more because we are working for our own interests Only the Lord's interests can unite us ; our own can only divide us.

H ow does t he In te rn ational Community of Mennonite B rethren playa role in t his partnership?

ICOMB can help organize international missionary teams to reach the 10/40 and 40/70 world Conferences can bring resources together and IC OMB will direct those resources to mission needs ICOMB can also help deepen relations hips between confe rences or churches. For greater impact, ICO MB membe rs ca n en courage miss ion agencies to coordi nate thei r efforts in the same field

Friendly "invasion" targets teen girls

Beautiful Unique Girl tour sweeps Central and Southern Districts

They crossed the border in late January and methodically made their way through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas, leaving in their wake hundreds of teen girls who will never be the same

Fortunately, the invasion was friendly The Beautiful Unique Girl team came at the invitation of Mennonite Brethren pastors

and youth leaders, among others, and was sent by Family Life Network, a multicultural Christian media production agency associated with the Mennonite Brethren churches of Manitoba Although BUGirl teams have toured in Canada for several years , this was their first foray into the U.S.

At each stop, the BUGirl team of four young women hosted pajama parties for teen girls, designed to counteract negative cultural messages with promises from God's Word "We want to change the way these girls perceive themselves," says Eric Boorman of FLN . "God thinks they're wonderfu1."

Beautiful Unique Girl tour features award winning singer Amanda Falk (center! .

The team transformed t he meeting space at each stop into what one youth leader calls a "teenage funky bedroom," complete with shag carpeting and lava lamps. Junior and senior high girls came dressed in pajamas and equipped with pillows for a fourhour event that included pizza, manicures, popcorn and chocolate fondue. Award-winning musician Amanda Falk offered miniconcerts and messages about the value God places on each girl.

That message was important because girls and women in North America are bombarded daily with negative messages about their value and beauty. " It is a constant battle for women," explains Denise Heizelman, youth leader from Buhler, Kan , "because even if we are the beauty queen or the cheerleader, we think there's something wrong with us . I think it is so important that we understand that God created us and he loves us just the way we are."

A sampling of youth leaders from stops along the tour indicates that the positive message was well-received. They report that the events were full of both laughter and tears. Christine Quiring, Henderson, Neb., notes that girls were attentive and quiet during Falk's messages and music - no small feat in a room of teen girls. Barb Harrington, Huron, SD, says, "We came out of there knowing we are children of the King."

Abby Faul, a teen participant from Harvey, ND, says, "It was truly an amazing night, and I know personally of one life that was drastically changed because of it." She says it was "reassuring" to know that other teens "are going through the same stuff as I am and are living their lives for God."

At Henderson . Neb .• a good number of the girls attending were from Grace Children's Home. a residential facility for troubled or abused teens. Pastor J Edward Epp says. "For them to know and understand that there's a God who knows them and that loves them and wants the very best for themit was absolutely critical that they went."

Henderson youth leader Christine Quiring says that, while it may be difficult at first for girls with such traumatic pasts to believe that they are beautiful and loved by God, "the seeds are planted."

body LIFE

The BUGirl pajama party proclaimed their message at 12 MB churches in the Central and Southern Districts, hitting Harvey (ND) MB Church; Salem MB

Church. Bridgewater. SD; Grace Bible Church , Gettysburg, SD; Bethesda Church, Huron SD; Community Bible Church, Mountain Lake, Minn.; Millard Bible Church, Omaha. Neb.; Henderson (Neb.) MB Church; First MB Church, Wichita. Kan .; Com (Okla.) MB Church; Buhler (Kan.) MB Church; Parkview MB Church. Hillsboro, Kan.; and Cornerstone Community Church, Topeka, Kan

Some of the churches hosted more than one pajama party, such as Buhler MB, where junior high and senior high girls had separate events, or Huron, SD. where 127 girls and women packed out two community-wide events at the Souled Out Center, the youth ministry of the Bethesda church.

Most churches report no problem filling the seats - or pillows - at the pajama parties; Henderson MB pulled an ad from the local paper when they overshot the 3S-girl minimum and reached capacity at 60 Grace Bible Church, Gettysburg, turned the pajama party into an overnight slumber party at a local retreat center. which extended the positive interaction

Girls-only pajama parties tend to strengthen relationships. and the BUGirl events were no exception. Leaders report

that the fun atmosphere and the universality of the message had a way of bringing girls together. In Harvey, ND. the event drew girls from six different schools, several denominations. IO communities and all levels of social status. but all were on common ground during the event. Youth leader Linda Prince notes how unusual it was to see the most popular girl in the high school in the same room with a girl known as a social outcast. "Barriers fell away," she says.

Many of the host congregations were introduced to Amanda Falk and the BUGirl concept at the National Youth Convention in Anaheim, Calif., in spring 2007. Falk provided music for the convention. and a condensed version of the pajama party was offered as a workshop option.

Falk has released two albums through Avante Records, a division of Family Life Network, and has earned numerous awards in Canada, including a 2006 Juno award, comparable to the U S. Grammy. But it wasn't her fame so much as her character-and that of the other team members-that made an impact. Teen participant Abby Faul says Falk was "just like us." Leaders comment that the team members, while young and "fun:' enough to connect with the girls,

BUGirl pajama parties typically include snacks like a chocolate fountain and manicures. The Winnipeg-based ministry is planning a second U.S. tour.

demonstrated deep spiritual matu rity. One leader called that combination "magnetic."

Chuck Taylor. youth pastor at Buhler (Kan.) MB Church. echoes that sentiment. saying that after seeing how girls connected with Falk and BUGirl concept at Anaheim '07. hosting a BUGirl event was "a no-brainer "

Youth groups hope to reinforce the positive message of the pajama party in both formal and informal ways. Russ Claassen. youth pastor at Com (Okla.) MB Church. says he hopes to make similar girls' nights and guys' nights a regular part of their youth ministry.

Many plan to reinforce the beauty and value of girls in informal ways. Linda Prince hopes to continually weave that message into her interactions with girls at Harvey MB; at a recent small group meeting. for example. she passed out tiaras Renee Kirby. Gertysburg. says that she11 be more sensitive to specific needs and vulnerabilities as she talks to the girls in her group. and that those who attended the BUGirl event will have a common language to remind each other of their value.

The BUGirl team plans to cross the border again in fall for a West Coast tour; MB churches will again undoubtedly be among their stops. According to Eric Boorman. FLN hopes to send BUGirl to every state in the U S. and expand the ministry with a permanent U.S . BUG irl team. targeted for 2009. He points ou t that the U.S. represents a much larger popu lat ion

base than Canada. with a clear need for the BUGirl message. 'There are a lot of girls that we need to be in front of. " he says Judging by the responses from this Midwest BUGirl tour. MB youth groups in

the U.S. would welcome further such "invasion" by the Canadians. Details about the West Coast tour and future U.S team will be posted on the BUGirls Web site. www.bugirl.com. as they become avail-

Join OMI on a 2·3 week person.to.person international mission experience. James Nikkel-DMI Director

To learn more, contact OM I: phone: 604 859 6267 f mail : dmi@mbmsi.org web: www m bmsi.org/dmi Disciple Making International 302-32025 George ferguson Way Abbotsford, Be V2T 2K7

note that all am ounts are presented in Canadian doIlalS.

Please contact the office for the US ministry support amount. Campaigns may be added, rescheduled or cancelled based on partidpant response. Assistance grants may be available for some campaigns

ec 6

On

call

Providing emergency care opens doors for pastoral couple

Six years ago when Dave and Linda Prince moved to their new pastorate in the small town of Harvey, N D. , they couldn't have imagined that a good portion of their ministry would eventually happen in a moving ambulance.

But when the couple decided last March to take emergency medical technician (EMT) classes and to then join the area's volunteer ambulance service, they took a crucial step, the Princes realize now , toward reaching out to people they would have otherwise never met

The decision wasn't completely out-ofthe-blue for Linda, who had retired from a nursing career about a decade before to begin homeschooling their two boys,

Zachary and Adam When both boys started attending Harvey High School soon after the move to town, Li nda began tutoring at Harvey High as a way to keep using her teaching skills and to invest in their school.

But she admits that doing EMT work in a town of fewer than 2,000 residents was a more daunting idea at first than tutoring had been. "I was compelled to do it, but 1 was scared, and 1 thought it would be really difficult to work on people that 1 knew," she says

Eventually she became friends with a paramedic who convinced her to give it a try.

Linda and Dave chose to pursue ambulance service as way to connect with and fulfill a need in the communirytogether.

'They had a lot of ambulance people in outlying areas and surrounding communities, but they had a real need for people here who live in Harvey for in-town medical emergencies," Linda says .

Dave says, "We also recognized that the one source of our connection to the community was through the boys and the school. With both of them leaving (for college), not only would it leave an empty nest-you know, what are we going to do with ourselves - but also, how would we continue to connect with the community?"

Dave says that he also realized they needed a way to relate with a different segment of the community. "I was seeing the same nonchurchgoers all the time, and there

were getting to be fewer of them ," he says. 'This was a whole new opportunity to meet different people."

Linda adds, 'We don't have farming backgrounds, so we have a little bit of a barrier to overcome in relating to people from our community, because it's all agriculture."

With these challenges in mind, they enrolled in the ttaining course together, intending to both become EMTs. Both completed the course work. Dave opted to become an ambulance driver while Linda completed the training and testing to be an EMT Basic. Other levels of

ambulance service in their area include first responder, EMT Intermediate and paramedic.

and things and can't respond as readily. Our schedules are just a lot more flexible ."

The number of emergency calls to which they can respond varies from week to week "There was a stretch of about two weeks where there were no calls, and that was good," says Dave. But in contrast, a recent couple weeks held four or five calls . "You can never predict emergencies," Dave says

While reasons for emergencies vary, transfers are the most frequent calls, says th e couple. "Our little Harvey Hospital

a switcheroo, because in ministry, Dave's the pastor and I'm the support," she says "In the ambulance service, I'm doing the patient care, and Dave is more the support.

"I love having him be my driver, because we have a rapport and a trust, and I know I can rely on him Not to knock the other drivers, but he's my favorite."

Dave returns the praise. " I always say when I meet the patient that they have the best possible care - not that I'm biased," he says with a laugh

He also agrees with her assessment of

"I "('eing the the time .... Thi" WGS a whole new opportunity to meet Jitferent peop1c.'"-Dave Princ e

Soon after they jumped into their probationary service in April, Linda found that she loved EMT work so much that she began to miss nursing as well. The director of nursing at the local hospital hired her "on the spot" and Linda returned to nursing after being retired for 12 years.

Beyond her nursing work at the hospital, having her registered nursing license in North Dakota also allows Linda to do advanced emergency procedures as an EMT without having to do further training to become a paramedic .

'i\n RN is a level above a paramedic," she explains. "I can start IVs and do heart monitoring - all the things that a paramedic cando."

As volunteers, Linda and Dave are "on call" 24 hours a day but can tum off their beepers anytime they want and respond only to the calls they choose. They respond together whenever possible, Linda says. But whether it's one or both of them, the Princes have been able to offer a substantial amount of time to the service over the last year.

"In the summer, we ended up doing quite a number of runs, because a lot of our EMTs-either their husbands or themselves-are employed in an agricultural setting," Linda says "So they're out in the fields

doesn't have all the resources that sometimes patients need," Linda says , citing examples such as MRI scans, surgery or cardiac care " I would say that probably our most common call is transferring a patient to Minot or Bismarck."

Another type of patient transfer is also common. "We have a senior-dominated community, 65 or older," Dave says. 'They1l not feel well, and not feel like they Can get to the hospital by themselves, so well transfer them "

Other emergencies include overdoses, gunshot wounds from hunting. major motor vehicle trauma and farming accidents, Linda says. But she has felt prepared to handle whatever call she has faced, she says.

"I feel like because of my nursing background, nothing has really fazed me that much, " she says. "I worked the surgical leu as a nurse , and I also worked labor and delivery."

Dave is similarly comfortable in his supporting role as a driver and says he probably won 't pursue the training and testing to become an EMT. "Every now and then I think about it, but then God reminds me of my limitations, " he says . "Driving is fine ."

Linda says it's special for several reasons to have Dave as the driver "It's kind of

their role reversal. '1\s a pastor, I'm somewhat expected at times to take charge and make decisions," he says '1\s a driver, I'm just there to serve.

"It's an opportunity to show (the community) that I'm a real person and just there to help," he continues. "It's good for them to see a pastor getting his hands dirty."

That goes not only for the patients they serve but also for the individuals they work alongside in the ambulance.

"It develops rapport-they see that I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to support them and what they're doing and what they're passionate about," Dave says . "Hopefully then, that opens the door to what I'm passionate about "

Linda says it's thrilling to offer not only the physical help she loves to provide but also a praying spirit, a listening ear and, sometimes, spiritual guidance . "I think God is using us to be an encouragement to (the patients) as they're searching," she says . ' We can communicate to them, in a nonthreatening way, the message of the gospel and just live out the faith.

'They might not have talked to us just knowing us as Pastor Dave and Linda," she adds . "It's an honor to serve the people this way." - Laura Rhoades

Boys march to manhood

Fresno congregation involved in commun i ty men t o ri ng program

It's getting late for a school night It's time to tum off the music and shut down for the evening, but 25-year-old Terron Nolan can't get the neighborhood boys to leave. The five preteen and teen boys have spent another Tuesday evening in the "Dream Room " at Whispering Woods aparttnent complex in Fresno, Calif. They are part of March 2 Manhood, a Bible study, mentoring and leadership training program envisioned by North Fresno MB Church pastor of discipleship and outreach Loren Dubberske and led by Nolan, an intern with the congregation.

North Fresno is located in the same neighborhood as Whispering Woods, a large, low-income housing unit with over 1,500 residents , at least one third of them children NFMBC has had an ongoing relationship with Whispering Woods for the past 10 to 12 years, but when Nolan came on board last fall the relationship took a new turn. Dubberke asked the Whispering Woods management if they would supply an aparttnent for the church's new intern in

excha nge for his working with some of the yo uth at the complex

The ma nage ment agreed an d Nolan, affectionately know n as T J, moved in and set to work . Nola n is a Fresno State graduate with a degree in graph ic design who bri ngs experience working in urban renewal with Americorp and a passion and vision for how role models can change lives.

The complex management not onl y provided an apartment for Nolan b ut also offered a fo rmer storage room for his use with the youth. The kids pa inted and decorated the space and dubbed it the "Dream Room ."

Sensing that a great number of children lacked male role models an d remembering that research indicates that even one statement from a positive role model can make a differe nce in a child's life , Nolan and Dubberke hand-picked five boys and began March 2 Manhood The boys were required to tum in an application and to have their parent's approval before making a commitment to the Tuesday evening program.

The five students are involved in an

ind uctive stu dy of me n of the Bible, such as David, Dani el and Eli jah. Men from the North Fresno cong regation have been paired with boys for tri ps and outings. The boys have ta ken a fish ing trip unde r the tutelage of an expert fisherman from the church and attended a Fresno State football game where they had front row seats courtesy of a church family They not on ly saw a winning football game but also walked onto a college campus for the first time. A recent Saturday trip to the mounta ins gave some boys their first opportunity to see snow and to go sledding and tubing and have snowball fights.

Twelve-year-old Dempsey Malcolm says that the best thing about coming to March 2 Manhood is "talking with TJ ." His friend, Angel Ruiz . nods in agreement but says that learning about God is the most important thing to him

Because so many students asked to join March 2 Manhood, Nolan offered another evening activity to include more studentsan art class . North Fresno supplies the materials and the talents of Jim Lindberg to teach sketching to a group of students, ages 8-13. Lindberg encourages the students to sketch everything they see in their environment and Nolan reports the students have made good progress in a short time

The students' work will be on display at North Fresno this month "The display will not only provide a chance for (the students) to feel pride in showcasing their work but also provides a bridge between the church and community as students will want to ask their parents to come to church to view the display, " says Nolan. The art class was very popular and Lindberg is now teaching another series of lessons.

Meanwhile, the March 2 Manhood students are continuing their Bible study until the end of schoo\, focusing on the life of Christ, and are looking forward to a spring camping trip to the mountains. Over the summer Nolan will form a second March 2 Manhood group He hopes that the students in this first group will take some part in leading a study of their own or mentoring new students who come into the program. - Lori Belden Pope

Angel Ru i z and Dempsey Malcolm enjoy spend ing t ime wi th March 2 Manhood director Terron Nolan.

We welcome and appreciate your generous support of Mission USA.

Please send you r donation to:

Mission USA U.S. Conference PO Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 67063 Note "Mission USA" on the memo line

To see more ... come to know HIM!

Christ Community Church on the rise ... Sioux Falls, SO

8 people recently baptized

30 people sign as charter members March 2

February average attendance is 75 compared to 32 last year

Arst child dedication service in February

Guest Sunday is April 27 - last year this was a big day

Can you help us? It's an investment in eternityl

MB churches commended for contributions

Organizations aid Hmong families homeless from fire

In the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2007, a fire ravaged a Fresno, Calif., apartment complex, home to 13 Hmong families Many of the families lost everything either from the fire or the resulting water damage. As low-income families, replacing household and personal belongings would be difficult. This problem was solved thanks to the efforts of a variety of agencies, including two Mennonite Brethren congregations . Fresno is home to about 40 ,000 Southeast Asian refugees, and for about 15 years FIRM - an acronym for Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries-has served this population. Many of these families originally came to the Central Valley as refugees because they assisted the U.S. during the Vietnam War. Following the fire, FIRM, whose mission is "sharing Christ's love to build communities of hope with new Americans," partnered with three other local organizations to form the Hmong American Relief Committee. Each organization took three or four families to help after the fire. The Red Cross, Fresno United Way, Fresno County, the City of Fresno and local school leaders also joined the Hmong American Relief Committee in helping to support and relocate the fire victims

College Community MB Church member Stan Friesen, founder and former board member of FIRM, as well as Sara Fast, FIRM Mentor Program coordinator who attends Butler Ave. MB Church, Fresno, appea led to their respective congregations to assist FIRM in helping to care for the 65 refugees left homeless by the fire .

Butler Ave. MB Church is located near both the fire damaged apartments and the hotel where the families were temporarily housed. The church opened its doors as a centrallocation to host evening meals for almost two weeks following the end of Red Cross services. Several congregations, including College Community and Butler, helped in providing these evening meals .

The Butler Church's Lao/Khmu congregation, under the leadership of Phone Keo Keovilay, was particularly instrumental in helping to provide a welcoming place for the refugees to eat their meals. The Lao youth helped set up each evening and talked in English with the Hmong children who came with their families for meals. Several evenings Pastor Keovilay helped to form a bridge between the communities by praying for the meal in the Lao language, which many of the Hmong people can understand, says Sara Fast.

In the weeks following the fire , church members provided financial gifts as well as donated needed items. Gail Newell, a physician from College Community Church, had recently acquired a restaurant building that she hoped to renovate for a women's health center. Instead of selling the restaurant furnishings at auction, she and her family offered them to the 13 families, who at her invitation arrived with their vehicles and chose which furnishings they could use .

Several weeks later, at the culmination of the drive to restore the homes and belongings of the families, a Thanksgiving meal was held at a local Fresno community center. College Community, as part of their Thanksgiving food drive, presented each of the families with a substantial box of culturally appropriate Southeast Asian food items, including a Southeast Asian pumpkin. Hmong American Harvest Church generously donated a turkey for each of the families .

After sharing a Southeast Asian mea\, the 13 families thanked the firemen, the Red Cross and those who had assisted them in re-establishing their lives Fresno City Council President Blong Xiong, the first Hmong elected official in Fresno, recognized the Butler and College Community Churches with commendations from the city for the contributions they had made to help these families reestablish their homes - Lori Belden Pope

Members of Butler Ave. MB Church serve dinner to Hmong families left homeless by an apartment fire.

Board hammers out purpose statements

Leadership Board concludes work with consultant

When the U S. Conference Leadership Board met in February, a significant agenda item was to wordsmith two purpose statements - one for the denomination and the other specifically for the Leadership Board - and supporting statements. Crafting the statements was among the final tasks in which Rick Stiffney, CEO of Mennonite Health Services and a consultant, led the Leadership Board. At the conclusion of the Feb. 15-17 meeting, the board strongly affirmed Stiffney's yearlong work with them in strategic planning

As the Leadership Board worked unde r Stiffney's guidance at refining earlier drafts of the two purpose statements, crafting a statement for the Leadership Board proved to be the easier task . The board concluded that the U.S. Conference Leadership Board is "committed to leading the mission, linking the teams and serving the family "

While the Leadership Board agreed on the basic points to be emphasized in a denominational purpose statement, coming up with the exact words proved challenging. After extensive discussions and revisions , the board came to agree on a purpose statement that says: ''The U.S. Conference partners as one family with one Lord, in one mission for the transformation of individuals families and communities."

The two purpose statements as well as the U.S. Conference identity statement, statement of core convictions and a list of denominational ministry goals will be reviewed by about 24 denominational leaders at the U.S. Conference Leadership Summit, to be held April 18 in Denver. Colo. The MB Biblical Seminary. MBMS International, MB Foundation, Tabor College and Fresno Pacific University lead staff member and board chair, district ministers, district moderators, Leadership Board members and U.S. Conference staff will participate in the summit. Following the summit, the Leadership Board will revise the various statements as needed. The final vision statements, denominational identity state -

ment, statement of core convictions and ministry vision will be reported to U.S. Conference convention delegates this summer and will be communicated via the USC Web site, brochures and other printed materials

While much of the February board meeting was focused on strategic planning, the Leadership Board also took action on several agenda items . The board appointed individuals to the national Board of Faith and Life, pursuant to their acceptance; approved a plan to update the conference Web site and approved revised memorandums of understanding for those ministries the U.S. shares with Canada : MBMS International, MB Biblical Seminary, Kindred Productions, the Historical Commission and Board of Faith and Life

The Leadership Board also heard staff reports, considered the process to be used for filling various board vacancies, received a ministry overview from MB Foundation president Jon Wiebe, reviewed planning for three upcoming events - the National Pastors' Orientation, Leadership Summit and U.S. Conference convention - and discussed future events. including plans in 2010 for celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren church.Connie Faber

Palm Village is a "Continuing Care" community, so the right level of quality residential living is available at one location.

Begin a refreshing and simple life by calling Jim Dueck to schedule a tour of the beautiful Palm Village campus.

Indian \Nomen celebrate

MB Biblical Seminary sends five to celebration

The MB Women's Conference in India celebrated its 50-year Golden Jubilee Jan. 10-13, 2008 in Jedcherla, Mahabubnagar. The celebration, with Psalm 126:3 as its theme, included dancing, singing, reports, testimonies and sermons on evangelism, church history and social action. Activities began early each morning and often . went late into the night. The Mennonite Brethren Church in India is the largest Mennonite Brethren conference in the world with over 350 congregations, and several thousand women took part in the celebration.

Five women from MB Biblical Seminary's Fresno, Calif., campus joined the celebration to affirm the progress, celebrate the success and support the work of this growing group of women in India. The group was led by Delores Friesen, professor of pastoral counseling, and included Christian ministry student Wendi Mooney and marriage, family, and child counseling students Jennifer Brazil, Amy Janzen and Erin Bader.

Attending the event was a complete immersion in foreign language and culture. Travel to and from the conference was conducted on hectic highways full of pedestrians, buses, oxen, motorcycles and cars. The conference was held in the Telugu language under a large multicolored tent.

Sunday the Indian women served communion, and a hymn familiar to the North Americans was sung. However among all the differences, the MBBS representatives say they found spiritual connections in the beau-

tiful, friendly faces of the Indian women and the bonds of Christian sisterhood.

Erin Bader says the most humbling and precious moment of her trip was the morning when several thousand Indian women gathered under the tent to have the North American visitors pray for them. 'They put our hands on their heads to be prayed for, and they were so beautiful," she says.

The five North American women say the most important elements of their experience in India were the relationships they built. They visited with women at the conference, spent time in people's homes, toured a local hospital and interacted with Shamshabad Bible College students and faculty, which included leading in their chapel and sharing in counseling classes.

Upon their return to Fresno, the group shared memories of their trip during a weekly seminary chapel service. 'We're on a journey of faith together," said Friesen. "Seeing the fruit of their hard work and dedication was a magnificent testament to their faith. "

Lynn Jost, MBBS academic dean, agrees. "MB Biblical Seminary faculty have a rich relational international network for learning. With mission experience in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia, we at the seminary are expanding our curricular instruction to include global learning opportunities. We want to partner with academic institutions, particularly those with MB roots and connections, to enrich learning for all students."-Laura

A. Thiessen

Wendi Mooney (left) and Amy Janzen (right) visit with women from the MB India I Women's Conference.

by Rose Buschman

The legacy lives on

Researching family story reveals God's leading

As I write this, I am sitting at my brother's dining room table in British Columbia, Canada. The table is strewn with various handwritten or typewritten documents, old photos, family genealogy booklets, two computers, one printer, several coffee cups and an empty pop can. I have come to work with my brothers and sisters to collect as much information as we can

differ, I just list each person's memory (properly identified as to whose it is) and then let the reader decide just how it all happened.

We are also trying to collect any memories that we have of what our parents told us about their early lives, especially in the Ukraine and Siberia. I know that my father told of long winter months of starvation (1922?) when they only had a few potatoes to eat. They foraged in the nearby fields and woods for anything edible. If it had not about our family. My aim is to compile and write the story of the David and Katharina Friesen family.

Both of my parents were immigrants to Canada. Mother came in 1924 as a 10c; we collect information) am le a rnin g th at we d o n't all ha ve th e memories of any given event. So I'm llklkin g it a point t h at when we differ , I just list each person 's me mory . .. a nd then let th e re ;.lder decide just how it al1 happened .

year-old girl from a Mennonite settlement in the Ukraine. Father came as a 12-year-old boy in 1926. His family of five was part of a small group of 200 people (out of a population of over 13,000) the communists allowed to legally leave from the Siberian Mennonite district known as Bamaul. My mother's family eventually settled in southern Manitoba; Father's homesteaded in Northern Saskatchewan They met as students in Winkler, Man., at Pniel Bible School. Dad sang tenor and mother soprano in a mixed quartet that ministered in many churches and at religious functions.

Going through old pictures and documents brings up many memories, some more clearly than others. My siblings and I are ttying to pool our memories of the various places we lived as a family and of the experiences we had there. Ten years ago I went back to the first house we had in the Frazer Valley (which my parents built themselves) and found that it was still there with some improvements and addirions

So was the small creek that ran by the edge of our property where my brothers and I played. One brother remembered how he ttied to fish for a small salmon that showed up in the creek. He used a string tied to a pole-but no hook., He was only four years old! We had a plank that we walked on to cross the creek. Now there is a nice footbridge built over it.

As we collect information I am learning that we don't all have the same memories of any given event. So I'm making it a point that when we

been for the Mennonite Central Committee food supplies that arrived from North America, he probably would have starved to death. Mother's father had a flour mill. He would grind other farmers' grain and then receive a small portion of the flour back as payment. This, together with what their farm produced, kept my mother's family fed.

My father was a lay minister and so the rules of conduct for us children were sttict. Father said that we had to be held to a higher standard because he was a preacher and leader in the church. For me that meant that as a 14-year-old I could not wear pedal pushers like the other girls at church did when our youth group went on an all-day picnic to a nearby park. I left the house in a skirt, but changed at the park into a pair of pedal pushers one of my friends brought. Rather defiantly I wore them home. Dad was not pleased. However, I learned that day that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

For over 25 years my father produced and preached on a 30minute German radio broadcast, Botschaft des Friedens (Message of Peace). Now 18 years after his death we still hear comments from time to time about how much his weekly broadcasts meant to his listeners. So his legacy lives on.

My brother remembers an incident while Dad was still alive where he stopped to pick up an old man walking at the side of the road and offered to take him home. He asked the man if he ever went to church. The man said no. "But I listen to mass on radio every Sunday morning." he said. 'There is this old preacher who has this great mass and I never miss it. It's so good." He didn't know that the person driving him home was the "old preacher who said the mass."

As we work through the many documents and memories, it is humbling to realize that it was God who led my parents through the many stages of life. They have gone on to their eternal reward, but their legacy lives on in the lives of their children and the many other people they influenced throughout the years.

BAPTISM/MEMBERSHIP

Sanger, Calif. (Grace Biblel - Shay Northrip , Nahshon Northrip. Ashton Northrip and Timbrah Northrip were bapt ized March 9

Gettysburg, SD (Grace Biblel- Todd and Sandy Oster and Joanna Gi l kerso n we re bapt iz ed and rece ived as members Feb 10 Bob Gi lke rson and Kend ra Want were also received as members

CELEBRATIONS

Newton, Kan. (Koerner Heightsl- The congregat ion will ce lebrate its 50th ann iversary May 31 -Ju ne 1 Scheduled events include a pastor"s reception , shar in g time, children 's act ivities , meals, a program featuring past and present congregat ional musicians, combined worship, group photo and commu ni ty program

EASTER EVENTS

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl-Families participated in a self-guided worship pathway on Maundy Thursday and Good Fr iday Families began the path t ogether, then children kindergarten through grade five took a separate, age-appropriate path before re-joining adults at the end Childcare was available for chi ldren under age five.

Littleton, Colo. (Belleviewl-A round - the-clock prayer vigil was hel d for three and a half days before Easter Sunday.

Capitola, Calif. (Shorelifel-Easter plans included a brunch and egg hunt, followed by worship

Bakersfield, Calif. (The Bridgel- The congregation was encouraged to fast from something, not necessarily food, for the 40 days of Lent, in onder to focus on worship and repentance. Evening services were held every day March 17-21 An Easter sunrise service was held in the congregation's yet-unfinished worship bu ild ing

Topeka, Kan.(Cornerstone Communityl - Breakfast, a prayer of blessing and an egg hunt preceded the Easter serv ices.

Enid, Okla. -Th e Pal m Sunday service had a yo ut h focus , wi th a sermon by yo uth pastor Travis Schmi dt on ""Cloaks and Bra nc hes ," ' and an exp lorat ion of the mean ing of Palm Su nday by yo uth

Clovis, Calif. (College Commun ityl - Vo lunteers hosted Easter break fas t in their hom es.

Fresno, Calif (North Fresnol -Ch il dren expe ri enced an interactive path of the last eve nts of Jes us' l ife, includ ing stations depict ing his arriva l in Jerusa lem, the Last Supper, th e Garden of Gethse mane and his death and resurrection The ch urch hosted a commun ity-wide "Easte r Eggstravaga nza " March 2

Sanger, Calif (Grace Communityl-A brunch was he l d on Easter Sunday FELLOWSHIP

Fresno, Calif. (BuUerl-A "Great Mom 's Escape" retreat for mothers of children high sch ool age and younge r is planned for Apr il 18-2 0 A men 's retrea t is planned for April 25-27. The Spa ni sh - language congregation hosted a dinner ce lebra ti ng love and friendsh ip Feb. 16. A new college and caree r group began Feb 10

Bakersfield, Calif. (The Bridgel-A women 's event April 4-5 was bi lled as a time to " learn to be your husband 's biggest cheer leader." Jin i Rob ie, pastor"s wife at South Mounta in Community Church, Drape r, Utah, was the speaker.

Fresno, CaUf.(Mountain Viewl-Men planned a "Man Camp" April 11-13. Rex Morton , vicar of Golde rs Green Parish Church in London, was the speaker Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-A mother/son night was held March 28 Women learned to write memoirs during a recent ''Ladies' Night to Create" gathering Women could also br ing other craft projects to wo rk on

Sanger, Calif. (Grace Communityl-Seniors held a 51. Patrick 's Day potluck March 18

Eugene, Ore. (North Parkl- The church regular ly hosts fami ly-oriented events called "Dinner and a

Mission school lost to fire

The Post O ak Mis sion School, a landmark for the C heyenne people located near Lawton, Okla , and on the sam e 20 acres as Post Oak MB C hurch , caught fi re Feb 24 · The school was built in 1947 and used as a school until aro und 1954 Although the fire was contained and no one was inju red, many in the Post O ak congregation attended the school and view this as a great loss , says Post Oak pastor Leonard Presley. It is assumed that wind gu sts that reached 54 mph blew down th e south wall of th e Q uonset building next door and caught the old, brick schoolhouse on fire The local newspaper reported that "the bri ck building illuminated the night like an aged, b ric k jack-o'-lantern "

Movie." The movie based on the life of Esther, "One Night with the King, " was the March 14 selection. Hillsboro, Kan. - Women were invited to "Chicks, Chat and Chocolate" March 8

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol - Two groups from the chu rc h meet regu l arly at local Starbucks: Collegeaged adults gather for fellowship on Sunday mornings betwee n services, and another group gathers to discuss Do nald Miller"s book Searching for God Knows What on Thursdays

Huron, SD (Bethesdal - Men went on a one-day "Guy Thing" retreat March 8 Rod Anderson , church planter from Sioux Falls, SO, spoke on the theme, " On a Mission from God " Power tools were given as door pr izes

Reedley, CaUf.-Seniors age 75 and older, widows, widowers and singles were invited to a "Senior Appreciation Dinner " March 2.

Denver, Colo. (Garden Parkl-Senior adults exchanged Valentine cards at a luncheon Feb. 19. A family game night was held Feb. 17.

Marshall, Ark. (Martin Boxl-A potluck Valentine 's banquet was held Feb. 17 as a fundraiser for an upcoming mission trip to Mexico

Kingsburg, CaUf (Iglesia Agua Viva, KingsburglThe Spanish-language congregation prepared a Mexican meal for the English - language congregation Feb 11 Proceeds went towand a mission trip to Mexico.

MINISTRY

Weatherford, Okla. (Pine Acresl- The church choir made plans to travel and sing April 4-6 at various venues, including New Hopedale Mennonite Church, Meno, Okla., a memorial in Oklahoma City, Okla., and a pr ison in Hinton, Okla The choir also served at a food bank A "Missions Think Tank" March 6 provided an opportunity to "dream about how the congregation can change the world "

Kingsburg, CaUf.-About a third of the congregation participated in a short-term mission trip to Mexico March 15-22 The team planned to add an addition onto the house of a church planter Another group from the church planned an Easter week vacation Bible school at an apartment complex in their community, with games, crafts, a scavenger hunt and an egg hunt centered around the message of Christ's death and resurrection

Shafter, Calif. - A team of 34 youth and adults went to Mexico for a short-term mission trip March 15- 21. The congregation was invi t ed to submit letters of enc ouragement before the trip, which were distributed th roughout the week

Wichita, Kan, (Firstl - A youth team of 50 st udents and leaders served at Ch ildren's Haven Intern at iona l in Reynosa, Mexico, the week of March 15 Th e congregation participated by selecting a child and pu rchasing items to meet specific needs.

Huron, SO (Bethesdal - A team of vo lunteers traveled to Warrenton, Mo , Ma rch 9- 15 t o work wi t h Child Evangelism Fellowship.

Inman, Kan, (Zoarl - Wome n visi ted a loca l seniors' home, then had lunch together at a res taura nt Feb 14

Marshall, Ark, (Martin Boxl - Th e cong rega tion is working with a community outreach mini stry , "Servant's Heart, " to reac h youth and ch ild ren, as well as battered women and fami li es in need On Super Bowl Sunday Feb 3, attendees were asked to donate $1 00 to feed the hungry through the loca l Ministerial Alliance

Fresno, Calif, (The Grovel-Attendees passed out chocolate hearts door -to -door on Va lentine 's Day as reminders of God 's love

PROCLAMATION

Bakersfield, Calif, (Heritagel - Apologists Dale and Jonalyn Fincher were guest speake rs Ma rch 2 Randy Friesen , general director of MBMS International, was the guest speaker fo r a mission emphasis weekend Feb 23 - 24.

Bakersfield, Calif, (Laurelglenl - Ma rch 1-9 was a mission emphasis , including Southern Baptist missionary Dwayne Hughes as guest speaker, a showing of a new film by the producers of the JESUS Film and a concert of prayer.

Fairview, Okla,- Terry Hunt, pastor of Bushtown MB Church, Lenoir, NC, was the guest speaker for a Bible Conference March 9-11

Enid, Okla,-Ed Boschman, U S. Conference executive director, was the guest speaker for services March 2, and for a March 3 Leadership Launch Din ner, a time to mark a transition in church leadership

Marshall, Ark, (Martin Boxl-District minister Tim Sullivan was the speaker Feb. 24

Eugene, Ore, (North Parkl-Larry Martens, past president of MB Biblical Seminary, was the resource person for a Church Life Conference Feb 22 - 24.

CHURCH news

Cordell, Ok la, (Biblel -Feb 17 was a miss ion emp hasis Sunday Thi s follows the ch urch's patte rn of foc using on miss ion every third Sunday.

TEACHING/NUR TURE

Sanger, Cali f , (Grace Commu nityl - The orga niza t ion Jews fo r Jes us presen te d "Christ in the Passover" Apr il 6 to he l p atte ndees ap prec iate t he Jew ish background of Chri stian co mmun ion

Bakersf ield, Calif, (Lau r elglenl-A four -l esson wo r kshop des igned t o help peop le discove r th eir sp ir itu al gift s and ways to serve was offered Sunday morn ings in March

Yale, SD (Bethell-A wo men ' s Sunday sc hoo l class was recently challe nged t o secre tl y do so meth i ng ki nd for someone Attendees are encouraged to submi t a se lf- add ressed, stamped and sea led enve lope wi t h f ive current prayer req ues t s In one yea r , th e enve l opes w ill be ma il ed back as a rem i nder of ho w God has answe red praye r.

Balko, Okla (Crossroads Biblel - The congregation is usi ng a DVD ser ies cal l ed "Dr ive Thr u Hist ory, " which gives a quick overv iew of wor l d and Chr istian history, on Sunday evenings

WORKERS

Hesston, Kan, -Pastor Steve Toews is on sabbat ical through early June Lar ry Thompson is preaching in his absence

Littleton, Colo (Belleviewl- Tamara Glessner has res igned as part - ti me ch il dren's pastor , effective Aug 1

WORSHIP

Sanger, Calif (Grace Communityl - A regular Sunday even i ng prayer service began March 2.

Clovis, Calif, (College Communityl- The youth cho ir from House of the Gospel. a Slavic MB congregation in Fresno, Cal if , prov ided music Feb 24. The choir rehearses in the Clovis faci lities each week

Enid, Okla,-Each of the various church boards , councils and ministries was highlighted du ri ng worship services in February

YOUTH

Huron, SD (Bethesdal - Yo uth from the community and thei r pa r ent s were invi ted to " Caffeinated Comedy " Ma rch 29 Comedian Jonathan McKee was the gues t speake r.

Fresno, Calif, (North Fresnol- Yout h partic ipa t ed in a long-distance bicycle t rip from Santa Cr uz to Morro Bay Ma rch 15-20

Olathe, Kan, (Community Biblel- Yo uth part icip ated in a 3D -h ou r fast Feb 23-24 to ra ise mo ney and awa reness for world hunge r Proceeds supported Wor l d Vision

DEATHS

AGEE, VERNA LOUISE, Reedley, Calif., a member of North Fresno MB Chu rch, Fresno, Ca lif , was born Feb 1, 1922 , to David and Agnes Friese n Nikkel in Shafte r , Ca li f , and died Oct. 11, 2007, at th e age of 85 On June 30, 1946 , she married Jo seph Agee, Jr., who survives She is also survived by one son, David and wife Dian na of Shafte r; two daugh ters , Joann and husband Ron Fast of Fresno , and Lynette and husband Greg Huber of Visa lia, Cal if ; one sister, Wilma and husband Bob Suderman of Reedley, eight grandch il dre n and nine great -grandchildren

EDIGER, LOTTIE, Enid , Okla., of Enid MB Church, was born Nov 9, 1912, to Abe and Katie Braun Warkentin near Joes, Co lo , and died Feb 14, 2008, at the age of 95 On Dec 5, 1935, she married Dave Ediger, who predeceased her She is survived by th ree sons, Lou is and wife Judy of Medford, Okla ., Loyd and wife Marlene of En id, and Richa rd and wife Jill of Atlanta, Ga ; one sister, Martha Voth; brother - in- l aw Dan Ediger and wife Alma, and six grandchildren

FAST, JOHN WESLEY, Reedley, Calif., former MB pastor, was born April 10, 1909, to John and Tena Siemens Fast at Corn, Okla ., and died Feb. 8, 2008, at the age of 98. On July 8, 1934, he married Bertha Gossen He is survived by three sons, Howard and wife Lois of Hillsboro, Kan , Wilbur and wife Mary of Marysville, Wash., and Dennis and wife Conn ie of Reedley ; one daughter, Lois and husband Brian Vogen of Milpitas, Calif ; two brothers, Harry and wife Pauline of Blaine, Wash. , and Calvin and wi fe Fanny of Tomball, Texas, nine grandchildren and 18 great -grandch ildren

Fresno congregation honors missionaries

Nonh Fresn o MB Ch urc h , Fresno, Calif., honored mi ssi onaries who serve d a total of 96 years in Brazil during its mission emphasis month Jan . 27Feb . 17. Left to right : Pat Klassen served with her husband, John, for 37 years, primarily in education an d married George Tindall folJohn's death James Wiebe served with his wife, Loi s, in church planting for 33 years and ma rried Eli a na follo wi ng Lois' s death Don and M a rie Faul were involved in

church planting for 21 years Not pictured are Hans and Frieda Kasdorf, who served for five years with the MB Board of Welfare Guest speakers for the mission emphasis month i ncluded Victor Wiens , MBMS International resource person to Ponuguese speaking peoples ; Tim Bergdahl, former missionary in Pakistan and MBMS International administrator, now a pastor in Madera, Calif ; and Keith Phillips , president of World impact - North Fremo

GUNGOLL. JAMES HOWARD, Enid, Okla , member of Enid MB Church, was born May 28, 1937, to Henry and Thelma Gungoll in Enid, and died Jan 16, 2008, at the age of 70 He married Linda Aggas, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Steven of Santa Barbara, Calif , and Timothy and wife Deborah of Enid; one daughter, Christina and husband John Lepore of Brussels, Belgium; one sister, Catherine and husband James Hughes of Broken Arrow, Okla ; one brother -i n-law, James Finnegan and wife Claudia of Enid, an,d three grandchildren

JANZEN, MARLENE, Enid, Okla , member of Enid MB Church, was born May 4,1918, to Peter and Eva Regier Cornelsen in Enid and died Feb 26, 2008, at the age of 89 On March 31 , 1940, she married Clarence Janzen, who survives. She is also survived by one son, Jerry and wife Loretta of Enid; one daughter- in-law, Helga Janzen of Enid ; one sister,

Doris and husband Willard Bartel of Enid, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

KESSLER, ELROY, Kingsburg, Calif., member of Kingsburg MB Church , was born March 5, 1918, to William and Lydia Kessler of Anamoose, NO , and died Feb. 26 , 2008, at the age of 89. On May 6,1945, he married Rosella Graumann, who survives He is also survived by two sons, El and wife Nancy of Kingsburg, and Scott and wife Tammy of Tacoma, Wash ; one daughter, Nancy and husband Lon Spero of Elk Grove, Calif.; one brother, Gilbert of Martin, NO; one sister -in-law, Ginny Kessler of Aberdeen, SO, four grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

MAYS, ALLEN, Enid , Okla , member of Enid MB Church, was born April 30, 1919, to Ora and Mary Hiebert Mays in Beaver, Okla , and died Feb. 1, 2008, at the age of 88 On Sept. 19, 1940, he married Esther

Church plant holds charter service

Christ c ommunity Church, a church plant in Sioux Falls, SO, supponed by Mission USA and the Central District C onference, held its chaner membership service March 2 Over 80 people attended , with 30 forming the chaner membership "Chaner membership is a historical milestone for the church which will mark its anniversary for years to come," Says church planter and pastor Rod Anderson . "Those who united with the church on that day are some of those who have been committed to see the church reach the community for Christ "

According to Anderson, the day was

MB FOUNDATION

marked with teaching from Acts 2 on the growth of the church, emphasizing that God adds to the church when preparation becomes a necessity, people become a priority, prayer becomes a reality, possessions become a commodity and praise becomes an inevitability The service also included communion and the commissioning of a member planning to go to Nicaragua for a shon-term medical mission . A time of fellowship, with cakes to encourage celebration, followed the service Eight people were baptized the previous week in preparation for the chaner membership Sunday.- Christ Com munity

A Representative position is being added in both our Hillsboro and Fresno offices This person will represent MB Foundation programs and services to individuals and mini stries throughout an assigned constituency The Representative will encourage charitable giving through current giving, estate planning and lifetime gift plans Will also provide cus tomer service in all other areas of the Foundation's ministry.

Qualifications :

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Demonstrated ability to communicate

• Aptitude for detail work

• Desire to learn and grow

• Eagerness to promote MB ministries and causes

If interested, send a resume to: Jo n C Wi ebe , President MB Foundati on PO Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 6706 3 jwiebe@mbfoundation .co m

Ediger, who predeceased him Aug 10, 2005. He is survived by his son, Roy and wife Rosalie of Enid; one daughter, Edna and husband Marvin Isaac of Colorado Springs, Colo , four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

NICKEL, BREAWNA JENISE, Corn, Okla , member of Corn MB Church, was born March 10, 1989, to Tim and Arleta Nickel in Weatherford, Okla. , and died March 10, 2008, at the age of 19 She is survived by her parents, one brother, Bryce ; grandmothers Jean Ediger and Donna Nickel, both of Corn ; grandfather Louis Ediger of Medford, Okla , and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

SAWATZKY, EDWIN, Corn, Okla , of Corn MB Church, was born March 28, 1919, to Peter A and Agnes Penner Sawatzky near Corn and died Feb. 26, 2008, at the age of 88. On Sept. 18, 1953, he married Beatrice Friesen, who survives He is also survived by twin sister, Agnes of Corn , two sisters-in-law, Donna Friesen of Newton , Kan , and Claudia Friesen of Hilliard, Ohio , and many nieces and nephews

THIESSEN, FRANK, Marysville, Wash , member of Birch Bay Bible Community Church, Blaine, Wash , was born Aug 16, 1920, and died Feb 29, 2008, at the age of 87 He married Josephine, who predeceased him He married Lucila, who survives. He is also survived by five children and their spouses, Larry and Miriam Thiessen of Frisco, Texas, Sharon and James Tuck of Fresno, Calif , Wesley and Jill Thiessen of Fresno, Karen and Lee Wheeler of Cayucos, Calif., and Randy and Belva Mays of Idaho Falls, Idaho; two brothers, Ed and Mervin; four sisters, Anne Workentin, Verna Johnson, Erma Smith and Tanya Bach , nine grandchildren and 19 greatgrandchildren

UNRUH , HELEN MARGARET, Enid, Okla , of Enid MB Church, was born March 18, 1924, to John J and Eva Buller Thomas in Alfalfa County, Okla , and died Jan.16, 2008, at the age of 83 On Aug 17, 1947, she married Karl S Unruh, who died Feb 24 , 2008. She is survived by one son, Darrell and wife Kathey of Enid; three daughters, Patricia and husband Jim Schroeder of Norman, Okla , Cynthia of Fort Lupton, Colo., and Karol and husband Warren Anderson of Fort Lupton ; one brother, Alvin Thomas of Miami , Okla ; one sister, Louise Finke of Texas , eight grandchildren and nine great - grandchildren

UNRUH, KARL 5., Enid, Okla , member of En id MB Church, was born Oct. 30, 1923, to Gerhard B and Anna Schmidt Unruh in Harvey County, Kan , and died Feb. 24, 2008 , at the age of 84. On Aug 17, 1947, he married Helen Thomas , who predeceased him Jan. 16 , 2008. He is survived by one son, Darrell and wife Kathey of Enid ; three daughters, Patr icia and husband Jim Schroeder of Norman, Okla ., Cynthia of Fort Lupton, Colo , and Karol and husband Warren Anderson of Fort Lupton ; one sister, Rubie Reimer, eight grandchildren and nine great -grandchildren

Thinking about the end

Death of a parent broadens a son's perspective

Many years ago I read Stephen R. Covey's classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I don't remember much about it anymore, but one concept that stuck with me is the idea of «beginning with the end in mind." The author wrote about setting goals and writing mission statements in order to stay focused on what you want to achieve in life. At the time I read the book, I even tried envisioning the end of my life in order to ask questions about how it went: Did I live in a way that was meaningful? Did I spend my time on worthwhile things?

with a bad form of cancer. She has a positive attitude about the battle ahead but is also realistic that the end might come sooner rather than later. What is confounding, though, is that those close to her don't want to talk about it. She tries to level with them about the possibility of death and the need for their help and support. But they just wave her off and say, «Oh, youll be all right." This provides another capsule of our times. People don't want to deal with the tough questions about life . Did I have a positive effect on those around me? Did I stay strong in my faith?

1'\ow 1 don't have to look very lar to sec

the golden years:

That probably r\ ,; young life to stretch out. ahead.

ment ,

old

retir

J ge and 1h ..1t tinal thing I don'llike to think ahollt

. seemed weird to do as a 25-year-old, but r think it was insightful. Considering my goals from a future perspective made it easier to discern worthwhile activities from those that weren't.

Now that I've lived more than half my life it should be easy to think about the end. It's a lot closer than it used to be. But trying to look ahead can still be challenging. Maybe being closer isn't so great. As a young man, life seemed to stretch out endlessly ahead. Now I don't have to look very far to see the golden years: retirement, old age and that final thing I don't like to think about.

But I have been thinking about it, partly due to the recent death of my mother. This wasn't unexpected since she was in her 80S and had been struggling with poor health. Yet the event was still a jolt. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Being forced to think about the end is probably one of those blessings in disguise. It certainly isn't something our culture spends much time on these days. People don't seem that interested in beginning with the end in mind. Today's culture is into excessive fads that can be obsessed over for a few months then abandoned in favor of the next big thing.

It amused me last year when this happened with a song I liked. I'd heard it on the radio a few times and thought, that's kind of cool. A while later the song became a huge hit. After several months of this everyone who'd loved the song earlier was saying it was actually lousy and way too overplayed That just did me in. It's a perfect example of how much the popular media and passion to be trendy influences the changeable opinions of the public.

On a more serious note, not long ago I read a troubling piece by a young woman diagnosed

e -

and death and the purpose of human existence. That's why our culture is caught up in the distractions of entertainment and materialism. With that stuff taking all our attention, we don't need to think very much.

Lately I've been reflecting on the last year of my mother's life, when she wasn't doing well. I carried a lot of concern and sadness for her during that time, wondering what to do for her and how she could get better. When she declined further in early 2008, the daily needs and health issues became even more pressing.

Then the call came in February that Mom's breathing had become labored and the end was near. When I went to sit with her, the feeling that came over me was surprising. I seemed to snap out of the maintenance mentality I'd had for a while and sensed a larger perspective.

I said to her, ''You did a good job, Mom. It wasn't always easy for you, but you hung in there and kept the faith. You raised your kids to be responsible and have good values. You lived in the glare of being a pastor's wife, which was hard on you at times. But you never lost your desire to serve God. You did well, Mom. You made it."

I don't know if she heard those words, but they sure affected me The end can definitely broaden a person's outlook. Many activities and worries begin to seem superficial in light of more important things such as building relationships, serving others and growing in the faith. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but thinking about the end can help us look past the silly stuff to see what really matters.

The full-length mirror

Looking

Wat ourselves

in the context of a global community

hat is one of the first things you do when you walk into church? Do you, like me, often take a quick look in one of the mirrors strategically placed near the entrances? Depending on which door I use, I can take advantage of a full -length mirror and view myself from head to toe, or I can check my appearance in a wall mirror that lets me see my head and shoulders.

Victor Wall , in his article on page 10, suggests that we

often we L.S. '\lennonitc Brethren don't sec ourselves ve ry completely. \\'e are Llsing :1 h;.md - held minor rather than the ful1-length minOf provided by our community o! faith.

worldwide family of God to help us see ourselves with the kind of clarity that comes with a full -length mirror. A full -length mirror allows me to see with ease all of myself - nothing is left out and no parts are missing. Only when we North American C hristians look at ourselves in the context of a global community of faith can we see the beauty of the complete body of Christ. It is important to understand and appreciate that it is the think "full-length" when we arrive at church. Victor says, ''Next time you walk into church, remember you're part of an incredible interna -

tional family " The fact of the matter is, I think too often we U.S. Mennonite Brethren don't see ourselves very completely We are using a hand-held mirror rather than the fulllength mirror provided by our global community of faith . Sometimes we are so involved with what's happening in our local congregations that we forget that individual Mennonite Brethren congregations are part of something larger The fact is, local MB congregations belong to one of five regional U.S. Mennonite Brethren conferences, and local congregations also partner together as a national U.S. Conference So there is a national community to which we belong.

Victor challenges us to broaden our sense of family beyond our national borders - to go from the hand-held mirror to the full-length one The international family that Victor speaks of is more than 290,000 Mennonite Brethren believers in 1,873 congregations that worship in at least 50 languages. It is a community of 18 national MB conferences in 15 countries and one in which the progeny have outgrown the initiating North American church. The national conferences in India and Congo, for example, number more than 100,000 believers each, surpassing the North American total of not quite 62,000 - 25,000 in the U.S and 36,830 in Canada

Given that Victor is the first executive secretary of ICOMB, it is only natural that he would urge us to think often of our Mennonite Brethren brothers and sisters around the globe After all, that's his job. But I suspect Victor is suggesting something more when he challenges us to keep in mind that we are part of the global Mennonite Brethren church . I think he's talking about allowing our participation in the

diverse parts of Christ's body that make the whole.

Sometimes we North American Christians are so comfortable with the way we do church, read Scripture and interact with our culture that we view them as the right or only way of doing or thinking about something. But when we recognize the importance of evaluating our faith in the context of the global Christian community, we are better able to think critically about how we express our faith.

Let me finish with a story that helps me understand the joy of seeing our complete selves. Every time the young man walked into Becky's home, she noticed he would sneak a look in the decorative mirror hanging on the wall and sometimes strike a quick pose. The young man, from a U.S. inner city, was a student in the urban discipleship program that Becky and her husband lead.

Just how much the fun-loving young man enjoyed mirrors became apparent to Becky the day she went with him to the doctor. They were escorted into the examining room, and the young man immediately saw the room's full-length mirror. He clowned around for a time and then said to Becky with a grin, 'Tve never seen myself whole before "

To see your whole self from head to toe is a joy. So is realizing that Christ has made you truly wholehealed and restored . When we North American Mennonite Brethren expand our view to include the global MB community, we see the body that transcends ethnic, cultural and language barriers and that joyfully celebrates our oneness in Jesus C hrist. -CF

--

Clearing HOUSE ---

Church

Associate Pastor: The congregation at Cornerstone Community Church , Topeka , Kan , is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor specializing in youth ministry. Applicant will have an evident and enthusiastic passion for the Lord The successful candidate will provide leadership and oversight for youth ministry as well as adult ministries A detailed job description can be found on our website at www comerstonetopeka com. Please send resume and three references to: Cornerstone Community Church, Attn: Diane Baysinger, 7620 SW 21st St., Topeka , KS 66615 or fax: 17851478-9711 or email: officelClcornerstonetopeka comll/ll

Pastor of Community Transformation: The Bridge Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif. , is seeking an associate pastor that will focus on small groups and community outreach. We are looking for a person with a missional focus to help transform our members to transform the community of Bakersfield. A detailed job description is available upon request. For more information, please email careerslClthebridgebiblechurch com Resumes may also be sent to careerslClthebridgebiblechurch.com 12/21

Lead Pastor: Good News Fellowship, located in Ferndale, Wash , is a Mennonite Brethren church of approximately 200 attendees with a heart to reach their community for Christ. We are seeking a qualified lead pastor to serve as part of an effective Elder Team that provides leadership in all areas of pastoral and congregational care. Visit our website at www goodnewsfellowship org prior to emailing your resume to searchteamlClgoodnewsfellowship.org and look for the Good News Fellowship Pastoral Candidates link, or you

may send your resume to GNF Search Team, P.O. Box 1733, Ferndale, WA 98248. 12/71

Senior Pastor: Kingwood Bible Church, a Mennonite Brethren congregation in Salem, Ore., is seeking a Senior Pastor who can grow our congregation and help us reach out to the unsaved in our city Kingwood is a congregation of approximately 100 members and is located on the west side of Salem Besides the senior pastor position, we have one full-time youth pastor, a part-time Childrens' Ministry coordinator and a parttime church office secretary We seek to grow our church through evangelism and discipleship At least six years experience as a pastor is preferred. Mennonite Brethren background/ordination is also preferred, but not required If interested, send a resume to : Dave Davis, co-chairman, Pastoral Search Committee, 2225 Dorchester Drive 5., Salem, OR 97302; phone 503581-9507 ; E-mail davyactslClaol.com. A packet of information on our church and the surrounding area is available upon request. 14/121

Youth Pastor: Bethany Church in Fresno, Calif., is seeking a strong leader who is passionate about students, grades 7-12. Resumes can be sent to Bethany Church, attn : Youth Pastor Search, 9161 N Maple Ave Fresno, CA 93720, or officelClbethanychurchonline.com. 14/121

EVENTS

Wanted: Fr iends of Koerner Heights Church If you have ties to Koerner and would like information on the 50th Ann iversary Celebrat ion to be held May 31June 1, 2008, please contact us: 320 N Meridian, Newton, KS 67114, phone 13161 283-5696, e- mail frontdesklClkhcmb.org or online at www khcmb org

TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES

Ten Thousand Villages is Canada's largest retailer of unique, fairly traded products from around the world, with 50 locations across the country. We are starting our search for a new Chief Executive Officer to help carry forward our mission to provide vital, fair income to artisans in developing countries

You will be highly skilled in managing people , fmances and processes within a dynamic and complex retail environment. As our organization continues to experience rapid growth, we offer committed professionals the distinct opportunity to make a difference through Fair Trade.

Candidates must demonstrate an active Christian faith and a commitment to pacificism. This position is based out of New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada.

Interviews are likely to be held in late April - early May 2008

For further information, contact Hazel Douglas at our recruitment consultants, Oxford HR, hdouglas @ oxfordhr.co.uk and www.oxfordhr.co.uk

WOULDN'T IT BE NICE IF YOUR INDIVIDUAl RETIREMENT ACCOUNT (IRA) COULD BE USED TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF GOD'S KINGDOM?

Mennonite Brethren Loan Fund is now offering Term Certificates for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) ! You can now assist MB churches through a Traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA investment. A partnership with GoldStar Trust Company allows the investor to set up an IRA with GoldStar and instruct them to invest in a MB Loan Fund certificate. While you earn interest on your certificate, we are able to make loans to churches that are expanding their ministry.

You too can be part of transforming lives!

"I want to be a good steward of the money God has given me [and for] my money to be used to promote Christian values, help society, and return interest to secure the future of my family I like the fact that my money is going to help others come to know Christ:'

MARK KRIGB A UM , MB Loan Fund IRA Program Investor Fairview Mennon ite Brethren Ch ur ch in Fairview, OK

CONTACT US TODAY

at (800) 551-1547 o r visit u s online at www.mbfoundation.com to find out more information ab o ut how to open an IRA, invest with MB Loan Fund, or obtain an Offering Circular and Purchase Application & Agreement.

Hillsboro, Kansas 800-551 -1547

Fresno, California 888-339 -8845

www.mbfoundation com info®mbfoundation.com

Lef.u$. fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and pgrf.ecfer of our faith, . the joy set before him endured the croSs, scorning Its shamB l ._'.

Rt flown at the right hand-o! the throne of'God.

Hebrews 12:2'"

Table of Contents

All photos by MBMS International Staff and Team members except as

MaMS International Spring 2008

Editor in Chief Randy Friesen

Managing Editor Carissa Brey Youssef Graphic Design Mission Control Creative

MBMS INTERNATIONAL VISION Holistic church planting that transforms communities among the least reached

MBMS INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY Mobilizing churches through intentional discipleship in experiential mission that contributes to holistic church planting.

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

· Unreached people

· Holistic church planting

· MB theology and fam ily

· Prayer

·The Word of God

· The Great Commission & the Great Commandment

OFFICE LOCATIONS

INTERPERSONAL VALUES

· Dependency on Jesus

· Risk·taking Obedience

·Transforming Community

· Relational Integrity

· Celebration

Western Canada (International Office)

302-32025 George Ferguson Way. Abbotsford. BC V2T 2K7

P: 604.859.6267 F: 604.859.6422 E: mbrnsi@mbmsLorg

Western USA

4867 E Townsend Avenue. Fresno. CA 93727 5006

P: 559 456.4600 F: 559.251.1432 E: fresno@mbmsi.org

Central Canada

1310 Taylor Avenue. Winnipeg. MB R3M 3Z6

P: 204.478.2690 F: 204.654.1865 E: winnipeg@mbmsi.org

Midwest USA

7348 W 21 Street Suite 116. Wichita. KS 67205

P: 316.729.6465 F: 316.722.8632 E: wichita@mbmsLorg

Eastern Canada

236 Victoria St. N. #3B. Kitchener-Waterloo. ON N2H 5C8

P: 519.886.4378 F: 519.886 6308 E: waterloo@mbmsLorg

CONTACT INFORMATION

TREK: Luke Ha idle (Iukeh@mbmsi.org]

DMI: Phil Harris [philh@mbmsi org]

LONGER TERM CHURCH PLANTING TEAMS: Ray Harms-Wiebe [rayhw@mbmsi.org]

GIVING: Selwyn Uittenbosch [se/wynu@mbmsi.org]

DAILY PRAYER GUIDE: Ann Zauner [annz@mbmsi.org]

COllMT'lMG tt,e COST I of MISSION

I had an interesting conversation with a young man coming out of a worship service recently He asked me what I thought about witnessing with our bodie s. When I looked puzzled , he explained he was thinking about getting a tattoo with a picture of the cross , a heart and Scripture . He wondered what I thought of this idea. I asked him if he had checked out the Bible on this topic. He assured me he had read the relevant scripture on tattoos and cutting from Leviticus 19 : 28

Afte r a pause I said the kind of ' marks ' on people that impress me are the ones Paul wrote about when he said, 'I bear on my body the marks of Jesus' (Gal 6:17) When he took off his shirt everyone could see the results of the 39 lashes he received on five separate occasions, the prison floggings, and the times he was beaten with rods: all of this for sharing the good news of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ That's living life on mi ss ion for a price His passion was to " know Christ and the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so , somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead " (Phil 3 :10,11).

eOlIHT'IHG tt,e COST' (If MISSION

We 've been sharing stories of courage and faith from the persecuted Church at our Celebrate Mission Nights across North America this past year. One of our church leaders , in a region of SE Asia , has experienced consistent harassment from local authorities. This man was the first follower of Christ in his village. When he shared his faith with his wife she opposed him However, when she saw the transformation in her husband's life over the course of weeks, she too chose to follow Jesus. Together they led three other neighbors to Christ before the secret police heard about their beliefs and arrested the husband. As they led him away he said to his wife, "Don't stop sharing the good news of what Jesus has done for us".

(continued)

family to Lithuania and Tillman took an assignment in Turkey. Both moved their families at great personal cost into challenging mission assignments focused on strengthening first generation churches.

Now ten years later, Tillman left behind a widow and several children. When Tillman ' s wife Suzanne was interviewed by the Turkish media she declared that her family had forgiven those who had taken her husband ' s life. They could forgive because Jesus had forgiven them. Turkish news commentators said that one statement did more to advance Christianity in Turkey than 1,000 years of Christian missionaries. At what cost? The cost of a husband and a father

"Our prayer is that we will be encouraged to more faithfully follow our Leader in mission... "

His wife continued to lead their church and now the church numbers several hundred people . They have also planted churches in ten surrounding villages When she met with me she had tears in her eyes and asked us to pray for her husband who has served seven years of a 15 -year sentence of hard labour for following Jesus.

I've also spent time with Christian survivors of torture in SE Asia , the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. They also bear on their bodies the 'marks of Jesus'. Mission comes with a price, and sometimes that price is physical. The world will try to make its mark on us. Are we willing for it to be more than ink?

And what does all of this mean for those of us who " count the cost" of mission from the West?

Last April , news of Tillman Geske 's martyrdom in Turkey circulated. We heard from Christoph Haegele who serves with us in Lithuania. Christoph and Tillman had studied theology and missiology together in Switzerland . After graduation Christoph took his

I wondered whether Tillman's sending mission received emails or phone calls criticizing their lack of " risk management ." Is martyrdom still an acceptable outcome of mission or is it perceived as a failure?

We too are counting the cost of " holistic church planting amongst the least reached ." We are inviting our supporting churches and constituency to count that cost with us For some the price will be financial, for others it will be through prayer and for still others it will be to go .

We ' ve focused this issue of Witness on the price of mission amongst the least reached. Our prayer is that we will be encouraged to more faithfully follow our Leader in mission, who "for the joy set before him , endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God ," (Heb 12:2) •

'HG for tt,e PROMISr

Duan 's Story

bL aDel pughtel' PaIL

J)UaIl, BaP a,Uand _ new believers in Th .

God gave me a deep burden to pray for my husband and relatives when I became a Christian I experienced the amazing love of Jesus and wanted everyone to know Him As excited as I wa s about Jesus, my decision to follow and love Him would cost me

My husband , Rapin , was very upset with my choice to become a Christian and began to persecute me hoping I would stop following Jesus He beat me He boiled water to throw on me but changed his mind He sent me outside to

I decided to go to The House of the Lord, the church where I had be come a Christian. That night as I prayed I committed the life of my husband and daughter into the hands of God I decided to stay at the church that night but couldn ' t sleep I just wept and prayed. I told Jesus I was willing to give up my life for my husband's

I told Him that He could take my life in the place of my husband ' s ; just as Jesus gave his life for us I wanted to follow the Bible when it says to forgive those who persecute you So I forgave my husband completely for everything he had done to me As I was praying I was very sad with everything but I knew God came to c hange the lives of my family, not to destroy them. So I prayed for my family in faith, believing God would answer my prayers I wept and prayed until I fell asleep It was a peaceful sleep , almost like nothing had even happened.

The next morning, I woke up and wondered what I should do I listened to some people talk about sleep with the dog which was very frightening and dangerous . Reading my Bible or any Christian literature was forbidden by him, so I took my

"I also... encourage you to love God with all of your hearts, because... we have

been

given

this life to live for Jesus"

fasting and praying I had never done this before so I decided to do it I fasted from everything - water, food , even my own saliva I wanted books to work where I read through the New Testament in a month because I was so hungry for Jesus. Soaking in God's word was my strength It preserved me my husband's persecution

Throughout these times, I had faith that God was protecting me The first time I slept outside, God woke me up in the middle of the night to pray. So as I prayed I asked God to change Rapin's heart. After two months of praying , Rapin came to me and said, "If you are going to be a Christian, you have to leave the house for good. We are going to get separated " I told him that I couldn't stop being a Christian because I was a child of God He got a slingshot and started shooting hard balls at me until I left the house

Jesus to know how serious I wa s about seeing Him change my family I wanted to do whatever it took As I continued to pray, I heard this voice telling me to go home. I knew God would work everything out and He gave me strength to get through the day Later that day , I decided to follow the voice of God and go home

As s oon as my husband saw me he was happy and apologized for everything that had happened He also promised he wouldn ' t beat me anymore and that I could be a Christian - for two months. If in these two months everything in our family changes, then he would become a Christian too Things went fairly well after this until Rapin started drinking alcohol very often and speaking badly about God Once , when he was

P£RS[V[RIHG for tt,e PROMIS[

(c ontinued)

In the morning , everything had changed. The fear of God had entered Rapin He c ame to me crying and asked me to take him to my church so he could confess all his sins and become a Chri stian Now he loves God so mu c h and wherever he goes he wants to tell others about Jesus

Duan participating at a local Kid's Club

drunk , he planned to burn down my church and kill the Christians there But whenever he tried to carry out hi s pl a n s , something would happen to stop him I ju st k e pt pray ing

Finally, God reve aled His miraculous power to Rapin On that day, my hu s band was drinking a lot and scolding me for beli ev ing in Jesus and saying bad things about God. Then , he found my Bibles He took them, threw them out the window , took the gas from our scooter and poured it over them He tried to light them on fire I started praying and pl eading with God to be slow in His wrath towards Rapin . I prayed that instead of pouring out his wrath , God would pour his love over Rapin.

It was about 6pm and there was not a cloud in the sky. When Rapin tried to light the Bibles on fire , the wind blew harder than I have ever felt before Rapin was finally able to light the Bibles on fire but just at that moment rain poured from heaven and put out the fire Rapin was startled but his heart was still hard He went into the house, collected all of his amulets and idols, grabbed a gun and sat outside waiting for God to come down so he could kill Him. In his exhaustion, he eventually fell asleep I stayed awake and continued to pray for him.

I ju st really want to encourage you , my brothers and sisters , to persevere in following Jesus. Even though we will face hard things , I encourage you to persevere as Jesus did on the cross for us. Focusing on Jesus and His sacrifi c e will help us get through everything , no matter how hard it may be. I also want to encourage you to love God with all of your hearts, be c ause I know we have been given this life to live for Jesus Trust and ha ve faith in God! All the promises of the Lord are true, and He will bring them all about. I am praying that God will give you deeper faith and help you to be steadfast in your love to Jesus. God bless you! •

Sin ce Duan and Rapin s hared their sto ry with us , they have encountered seve re spiritual w arfare MBMSI missionaries in Tha iland w rite : " We know God has a hold on Rapin's life He lo ves Jesu s very much and wants to follow J esus w ith all of his heart, soul, and mind. The othe r da y he came over to our ho use and told us that he wa s almost killed the previous night He is the head c he f at a restaurant and recently had to fire some of his fellow employees for very valid reasons These employees returned and surrounded him carrying knives and guns There were more than ten of them against Rapin They fully intended to kill him but were unable due only to God 's protection!

God Is using Rapln and Duan to build his Church In Thailand but the enemy Is frequent ly attacking them. Join us In praying for spiritual and physical protection around Rapln and his family. Pray that God will give Rapln endurance, perseverance, and Joy In the midst of this all. We want to proclaim the freedom of Jesus over this family. If you would like to post prayers for this Thai family on our prayer forum, please visit our website at www.mbms/.org; prayerforum.

Martyrs Mirror by Thieleman J Van Braght is a record of the path of the early martyrs. The price of their lives , limbs and blood were a gift they gladly gave to preserve what they believed to be a pure faith and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

H[R[ I AM; lIS[ M[

Erin's Story

This place isn ' t so very different from where I grew up The climate adjustment has be en a little difficult , but I don ' t even notice the accent anymore. And I' ve c ome to love a few of the traditional recipes as much a s I love the ones my Grandma makes My family is far away, time spent with them is rare and precious , but friends make this place feel like home.

More than 200 million Christians around the world suffer because of their faith. Yet most North Americans never hear their stories. In Their Blood Cries Out, Paul Marshall reveals the reality of this present day persecution , revealing what we can do to help the se brothers and sisters in Christ.

Fox 's Book of Martyrs is a Christian classic describing the heroism and martyrdom of countless believers Passionately written , it tells the dramatic, true stories of men , women and children who gave their lives for the sake of Christ. This book begins with early church history and goes up to the beginning of North American foreign missions in the early 1800's.

"I had considered the cost and was ready to leave family, friends, and familiarity so that I could go tell people... about the love of Jesus."

In 2000 , a visiting missionary challenged me to c ommit my life to serving God in His global mission. Sin c e th e n I have wanted nothing more than to be a part of God 's plan for th e nations , which is how I ended up here in Abbotsford , BC.

Ok, s o th e c limate I' m trying to adju st to is " rain " , the accent I've (almost) acquired is " west coast " and the recipes I love are " paska " and " rollkuchen ". But for a small -town Northwestern Ontario girl who grew up thinking "Mennonite" was just another name for "Amish", Abbotsford felt somewhat foreign at first .

When I as ke d God to let me serve Him eight years ago , I had con s id e re d the cost and was ready to leave family , friend s and familiarity so that I could go tell people living in mud huts about the love of Jesus I never imagined He'd ask me to give up those same things to stay in Canada. I still hope to "go " one day, but for now , it is a pri vil ege t o s erve in MBMSl ' s international office I am grat eful th at my work supports missionaries and tran sformin g initiatives around the world.

You too might wonder whether " counting the cost " in mission makes sense if you are working in an office, teaching in a classroom or driving a tractor All God asks is that we give Him all we have and are - and invite Him to walk with us each day. Following Jesus daily is living on mission! •

QursrlONING GOD

Ying 's Story

should they be in the hospital? They should be playing and running around

For another part of the program , I went to visit an indigenous group. We didn ' t take a shower for three days. There was no toilet. The weather was very cold and we slept on the ground with no bed. We worked hard all day moving rocks to build a wall and handing out clothes, milk and Christmas gifts It was the best time in my life.

Ying (center-left) and three girls from the TREK Mexico team

This past year has been confusing. I arrived in Canada last fall to participate in the TREK program and was assigned team leader to Mexico. But when the time came to leave, my visas had not come and my team left without me. We prayed for the visas to come but, after awhile, I settled into ministry in Canada thinking this is where God must want me

Two months later, my visa arrived and TREK leadership decided I should still go to Mexico. At first I didn ' t understand why I had to go. I wanted to be in Canada. Many of the ministries I was involved with challenged me and I loved them Why did God allow my visa to come two months after my team? Why did God do this?

When I got off the airplane, I went to work immediately

The Mexican people were very nice and the culture was beautiful but I still questioned God Then , just the other week , my team and I participated in the HADIME program, a youth mission training program.

During the program , we had the opportunity to do outreach everyday for a week. One day I went to the hospital to pray for kids with cancer. It was very hard for me I was so sad The kids were just so young Why

My heart was impacted How often do I complain to God? My eyes were opened to the people around me who had nothing. But in my life I have Jesus no matter what. In Mexico, or anywhere I am, Jesus will be with me. I felt like Jesus whispered to me, " Do you remember, you promised me you would serve me! " Yes , I had promised God when I was 12 and even though it is very hard I will do it I do not have to be afraid or worry about being in Mexico! My heart is changed!

Ying has been lea rning to follow Jesus at the Life Center in ChonBuri, Thailand alongside our MBMSI church planting team Her story is one of many amongst Thai yo ung people who are finding Christ and then being mob i lized to rea c h out to others with this good news She is an expression of the global outreach vis ion of the emerging Thai national church. •

TREK Is a shorter term cross cultural mIssIon experIence For InformatIon on thIs program, chec k out our websIte at_.mbms/. org,ttrek. Please contInue to pray for Ylng and the TREK team as they serve In MexIco through June200B.

If you would like to Join the MBMSI prayer team and help cover our teams with prayer, please visit our website at www. mbmsl.orglprayer or contact Carlin Welnhauer at Irllnw@mbmsl.org

Katie Housek on a summer ACTION miSsion in Mongolia

WIlliNG t, DI[

Kat/e ' , Story

Lying awake praying , the question came to me clearly and distinctly. "Are you willing to die for me and my kingdom? " At 3:00am God ' s query was not a surprise. The Lord had placed the thought of ' what does it mean to give Him everything' on my mind for some time Lord, you know that you have all of me, I responded. You made me, gave me anything I have - take it ; use it! The voice came again, " I want you to be ready And I want you to make a will."

In October of 2006, I attended a ' Celebrate Mission Night' and heard Randy Friesen share of the tragic death of Curtis Loutes , a young man planning to work and serve in Mongolia Randy asked us to pray for others to take Curtis' place That night I heard the Lord calling me to go share Jesus with herdsmen and their families in remote areas of Mongolia I felt God's desire to move in a powerful way in this country!

The Lord revealed to me that prayer would be the legs of this journey The importance of prayer has been seared indelibly into my mind as I have seen the power of prayer and the results of faithful and humble intercession. James 5 :16 says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective! I made a commitment to spend time in prayer and to raise all the prayer support I possibly could before heading out on my summer mission.

Last spring, as I prepared for my trip, I began to understand a little bit of what it means to count the cost when serving Jesus and just how much Satan is opposed to obedience and prayer In February, my Mom broke her back and suddenly I had two jobs: horse trainer and ranch mom I had to get up at 6 a.m. to do chores, make breakfast, milk cows, get my brother and sister off to school, care for Mom , and keep nine people fed . I was exhausted, often falling into bed at midnight Frustrated , I asked God why He had allowed this - there seemed to be no time for preparation and seeking Him . His assurance washed over me. He was in this , preparing me

As my times of prayer intensified, I began to experience spiritual attack. It started subtly, often in little things, distracting me, demanding my time Another tactic the enemy used was doubt- was I really supposed to go on this mission, had I heard God correctly? Again, the Lord faithfully battled these doubts and fixed my mind resolutely on the call He had given. I was determined to follow Him to Mongolia no matter the cost.

When God moves, Satan often has a rebuttal. One day I was riding a colt for the second time and without any warning , she exploded , snorting and bucking I was thrown off and she continued bucking, stepping on me , and kicking my arms When I was able to stand up, I

WilliNG to 01£

(continued)

walked back to th e house where I passed out on th e kitch e n fl o or.

I wa s pretty sure that my right arm wa s bro ke n I couldn ' t lift anything and was in severe pain. On th e way to th e doctor, I prayed. Fath e r, I know you have called m e to go to Mongolia and you know that if my arms are broken I won ' t be much use Please heal them. The pain began to subsid e and with deep sense of peace I walked into the X-ray lab

" You have the stronges t bones I have ever seen, " the techni c ia n told me when the X-rays were developed " You ' ll be sore for a while and have scars, but there are no bones broken ." Within three days , I was back to training , very thankful for God ' s gra c e and protection

Somehow , thin gs for the summer began to come together Suppli es were ordered and details began to fall into pla ce. I had missed quite a bit of work t a king care of my Mom so once again I came before the Lord , laying down my concerns for finances God gave me an incredible sense of peace that He could provide everything I needed . This was His idea and His plan . Several days before I was to leave, I felt God i mpressing upon me to give part of my savings to two people who were going on mission ' s trips this summer.

I took a deep breath and wrote the cheques , believing God could still supply all of my needs The next day in church , an older gentlem an c ame and asked me if I had all the finances I nee de d I replied that God had not brought it all in yet. He s a id by the end of the day, it would be there He made several phone calls gathering all the rest of the support and more than was needed! God ' s faithfulness again superseded anything I had be en called to lay down or give up!

Three days before I wa s to leave , the en e my c ame after me again I was going for a run and a friend asked to come along so we ran the short route instead of my normal one through the pastures As we finished our run, I began to have trouble breathing It was apparent I was having an anaphylactic atta ck , the first ever in my life My dad called the ambulan ce right away and I remember lying on the floor as my breathing s topped , feeling a pea c e and excitement to be seeing Je s us so soon

God was working behind th e sce nes thoug h. An ambulance attendant , who lives only a few mile s down the road , came immediately with oxygen.

(continued on nex t page)

"Father, I know yo u have called me to go to Mongolia an d you know that If m) arms are broken I won't be much use Please heal them. The pain began to subside and with deep sense of peace I walked into the X-ray lab .•

(continued)

The only paramedic able to administer Epinephrine was not on call, but was at a neighbor's house and had his full medical kit with him. By the time the ambulance arrived, I was already improving. If I had run my normal path, I would have been several miles away from anyone when the attack hit. I believe God allowed these things to happen to make me stronger in Him and to prepare me for what was to come .

Finally we arrived in Mongolia! Our team started each day with worship and prayer - sometimes for hoursbefore we began to trek We asked God to lead us to the people He had prepared for us. At every turn God proved His faithfulness and the Holy Spirit continually led us to people who were hungry to hear about Him! The whole experience was intense physically, mentally, and spiritually. Exhausting - but amazing - the strength of the Lord was so real and His joy so beautiful.

On the last day of our mission , my greatest test arrived The team drove a jeep back into town and I followed riding our packhorse cross -country. Not long into the ride I was joined by a Mongolian on horseback We conversed with sign language and I shared my lunch with him. After riding together for about an hour and a half, he began making inappropriate gestures. When I rebuffed him , he attacked , pulling me off my horse.

I immediately asked the Lord to cause people to pray and intercede on my behalf. We fought, the Mongolian grew angrier and angrier. I was not afraid . The Lord guided me through every moment and I felt a deep peace. After some time , I felt the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear " run " I managed to get on my horse and

galloped as fast as I could! My horse grew tired , and my assailant caught up with me I was exhausted and my attacker easily pushed me off my horse. " Chase his horse away " , the Holy Spirit whispered. So I did The man looked at me and then at his horse , and took off after the horse I breathed a prayer of thanks , took a gulp of air, and began running towards a little house I could see in the distance . Immediately, I was overwhelmed by God ' s protection and faithfulness His presence was so real ; His peace so complete

Back in the capital and unable to sleep , I sat alone reading my Bible. The Lord led me to Psalm 20 " May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May He remember all your offerings and regard with favor your sacrifices. May He grant you your heart's desire . .. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer with the saving power of His right hand! "

" Write down all of the sacrifices you have made to come here " The l.ord whispered to my heart I did It filled the length of a page. " Now write down your petitions on the other side." So I did that too. And it was just as long, including things like spiritual growth for the new Christians in the valley , healing for families we had encountered , and the salvation of my attacker

Again, a deep sense of peace covered me like a blanket. God seemed to say "I am faithful, and I will continue to work here after you leave. I have heard your requests! " For the first time since the attack, I cried -healing tears of joy, and thankfulness to my Savior!

I returned home with a new sense of what it means to labour in prayer, interceding for a people and a nation I have learned what it means to count the cost and fully rely on Christ. I have also gained a deep conviction that I am loved by God beyond all understanding. This is alii need.

This s ummer a short-term mission team is returning to M ongolia to share God 's transforming love . Join in praying for them. You can also financially support this team through project number C7729 •

AMAttlT'OBA FAMilY UPROOT'S

After training as a family, we flew to Thailand eager to build relationship with Operation Second Wave (02W). The team was incredibly welcoming but the culture shock still overwhelmed us at times. It was especially hard to know how to help our children adjust to a new way of life But, by the grace of God , they too have grown in faith praying for our neighbours and singing praises to God

cblldren i and their twO Jason, Tra.c 4 will return 6 and KriJl&, , Riley, , thiS sprmg home to Manitoba

As a little girl , I loved the story of God calling Samuel into His service I excitedly informed my mom that one day God would call me too. On August 19, 2007 God did exactly that as my husband, children and I attended Westside Community Church. I was reading the bulletin and my eyes were drawn to a request from Phuket , Thailand Two missionary families needed temporary school teachers for their children

My husband Jason and I discussed it and the call was clear - we would go As we reflected on the previous year, we saw that God had been preparing us for this part of our faith journey Certainly it was a leap of faith to relocate our family and it definitely would have been easier to stay home, but we believe God calls us to be risk takers and living sacrifices (Romans 12 : 1)

To prepare for our time in Thailand , MBMSI provided training for our family We learned our primary goal should be to worship God so that everything we do can overflow from our relationship with GOd. We learned about suffering and trusting God with all areas of our lives. One can never regret trusting GOd. We also learned that as God guides us in a specific direction , we can expect to experience testing We need to then hang on to what God has spoken If we persevere , we will see God ' s promises fulfilled

A few weeks after we arrived, difficulty and suffering visited our family Jason had a small " fender bender " with a motorcyclist Although the motorcyclist had only received minor cuts, her husband was quite upset He began to daily harass us even making physical threats against our family. Despite our fear and uncertainty, we could feel God was with us. Our team , local church and community back home surrounded us with prayer

We devoured God's promises in Scripture, especially Psalm 140 We did not give in to worry or fear but rather trusted God to protect us We learned the value of praying aloud as we asked for protection, as well as physical and spiritual healing of the other party

We have learned that spiritual warfare is real. We are no longer quick to dismiss things we cannot see.

I have also found I am able to surrender more of my life and my children ' s lives into God's hands Satan tried to drive

Tracl emalled recently to share that Krlna has just accepted Jesus an a that their family Is rejoicing at how Go Is working In all of their lives through their short-term service to Thailand If you would like Information on how you can serve through short-term missions, please visit our website at _.mbms/.orgj gps or contact John Best at johnb@ mbms/.org.

us home early with this accident but we trusted in God to be glorified through it all. We will . " , stay obedient to God ' s calling. To Him be the honor and glory forever! •

Paul Dyok MSl

Lead Team Member care, lJIB

&SUFF£RIHG

" Go d whisp ers to us i n our plea s ures, speaks in our co nscience , but shouts in our pains. "

C S Lew is

God ' s Word provides us with much teaching on s uffering Deep down , I know I am to suffe r for Christ , and I am to want to suffer for Christ. But today , in our current reality as believer s in No rth America, do I reall y believe this? What moti va t es me to suffer? How do I know when I'm suffering? What IS s uffe ring , in light of all we North Americans have?

Let's start with Mark 8 : 34 -35 " Th e n , ca lling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you

wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up yo ur c ross, and follow me . If you try to hang

God has given us emotions so that we will feel emotional pain , just as he has given us nerve endings to experience physical pain.

There are also verses teaching us everything we do here on earth is intended to prepare us for eternity We are to view all suffering in the light of eternity . Rewards are God 's idea God's Word teaches us to earn rewards ; eternal rewards He promises us rewards for faithfulness

Hebrews 11 : 26 - He thought it was better to suffer for the s ake of Ch rist than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward .

Leviticus 25 :18 - If you want to live se c ure ly in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations

Worldly accomplishments and satisfaction will provide us with no rewards at the judgment seat of Christ! All believers will be judged according to 1 Corinthian s 3 : 11-15 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already

"Worldly accomplishments and satisfaction will provide us with no rewards at the judgment seat of Christ!"

have - Jesus Christ

Anyone who builds on that foundation may u se a variety of on to your life, you will lose it But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. "

We are called to become more like Christ, experience pain and suffering , give up our rights , and follow God in total obedience In s tead of avoiding pain and suffering, we are taught through God ' s Word this is the way to glory

Suffering is many things physical pain, being i n the world but not of the world , a lack of relations hip with others and with God, a lack of recognit ion by the world , investing in eterna l rewards that cost us per sonally, emotional and mental pai n, experiencing phys ic al persecution because of Christ

materials - gold, silver, jewels , wood , hay, or straw But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done The fire wil l s how if a pe r son 's work has any value If the work s ur vives, that builder will receive a reward

But if th e work i s burned up , th e bu i lder will s uffer great loss Th e builder will be saved , but like someone barely e scaping through a wall of flame s. So i n this light of eternity, here are a few reasons fo r suffering (ne x t page ) :

God wants us to suffer! 1 Peter 4:19 So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you."

Suffering makes us more like Jesus. Rom. 8 :29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters ."

Suffering helps us to comfort others.

2 Cor 1:3 -4

• He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others "

Our thoughts move toward eternity & heaven through suffering. Romans 8 :22-23 •... for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering We, too, wait with eager hope f or the day when God will gi ve us our full rights as his adopted children •

Suffering develops endurance. James

1 :2-4

• when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow•.. •

Suffering purifies us. 1 Peter 4 :1-3 So then, since Christ suffered phys ical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. Fo r if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have fin ished with sin ••

Suffering matures our faith. James

1 :2 -4

• when t roubles come your way, consider It an opportunity for great joy.•. you will be perfect and complete, needi ng nothing. ·

Through suffering we become more like Christ; we are drawn closer to God; and we are pr omised great rewards in eternity! It 's worth it! •

At the age of 22, Todd Burke arrived in Cambodia and spent twenty months there as a teacher, speaker, and leader Many considered him a " true living apostle " as he embodied the example of Jesus into his daily life As the war in Cambodia intenS i fied , he and his wife were forced to evacuate Phnom Penh two weeks before the nation fell to the communist Khmer Rouge Anointed for Burial documents this experience and s hows the power and presence of "God" in his life and in Cambodia at a most crucial time

Note : All Scripture references are NLT

"The conve rs ion of a soul is th e mira cle of a m oment; th e manu fa c ture of a sa int is the ta sk of a lifetim e." The turbulent a nd triumphant i ncidents in the life of th e s hepherd-k ing David illu s trate that truth most clearly Author Alan Redpath brings David to li f e in The Making of a Man of God and dem ons trates how God shapes those who are respons i ve to His love, eve n through times of trial and despair Alan Redpath (1907-1989) left a pOSition as an accountant to an swer God 's call to preach the g ospel.

Brother Andr ew be li eves tha t t he mos t cr it ical is su e faci ng Chris t ia ns today is t he need to spread God 's word regard less of the cost a nd writes a com p elling book ab out it calle d Is Life So Dea r ?

ADA'IG£ROUS [OV£

I am a Christian Muslim woman. Th e re is no othe r way to say it . It is difficult to describe what it ' s like . Believing Jesus is dangerous for many of us in the Middle East I am a Believer but if you were

to meet me and follow me around for a day you probably wouldn ' t know it I go to the mosque with my family I pray five

me to th is story of Jesus Free forgiveness! I could not believe it Everything I ever learned about God told me that a price had to be paid to earn paradise But that night I understood that Jesus paid the price for

"But the more I tried, the harder it became. Something was drawing me to this story of Jesus."

me

I continued to listen to these broadcasts and wrestle with questions Then one day, with times a day I utter words only Muslims use But these rituals mean nothing to me now that I know Christ

I came to know Jesus through a radio broad c ast

As a Muslim I heard a lot about Christians but never understood what they believed I have always thought of myself as an enlightened person so listening to the radio show was supposed to merely provide education

The speaker shared about God pursuing us through Jesus and about the free gift of salvation I tried to rationally process these ideas and look for how the s e Christians had it all wrong . But the more I tried , the harder it became Something was drawing

sudden clarity , I sensed the power of Jesus and of tru e freedom I' ll never forget the moment I gave my life to Jesus On my knees beside the kitchen table , I surrendered to His incred i ble gift.

It was painful for m e not to tell anyone about this important moment but it is not custom here for a woman to make a dec ision without the approval of her husband It has bee n three years and it is hard I constantly pray for my husband - in fact , I love our five daily prayer times more than I used to because I can talk to Jesus freely about my family My husband doe s not understand this person of Jesus or the gift of forgiveness , yet This gift of Life was free but the Relationship comes with a cost. I am a Christian with a Muslim home. This is my price for following Christ

This August the fourth Arabic Women's Conference will be held in Egypt. Please pray for the women who attend this conference, that they will be transformed and that their families will experience the power and love of Jesus Christ through them.

This story illustrates one reality of loving Christ in a Muslim country Two long time MBMSI missionaries, passionate about reaching the Arab world with the transfo rming truth o f Jesus Christ, focus their ministry on rea c hing the Arab world across North Africa, Europe and th e Middle East. They do this through radio, television , conferen ces and dis cipleship material Jo in us in praying aga ins t the strongholds that hold so many people in darkne ss ac ross this region of the world.

Three years ago a vision was impressed on the heart o f this missionary woman - to develop and hold a c onferen ce specifically for women. This conference helps women gain self-respect, lead a healthy lifestyle, accept and love their husbands unconditionally, and to make lasting, positive changes in their lives as they follow God.

The cost to attend this confe rence is only $35. If you would like to sponsor women to attend this conference, please email Lewiza at lewiza@hotmail.com or send your donation to project number C0543 .•

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