One World Mission Blog: April 2007

The Road Home

Today we're preparing to head back to San Jose. I'm here in the bungalow answering emails, packing, and updating you all back home. Norman and Barrett are out spending some one-on-one time.

One of the things we've tried to make a focus of our missions ministry at CCJ is missionary care. Missionaries are often sent to the field with little or no training or financial support. We just kind of toss them into the foreign field with a policy of "sink-or-swim." Scary. And then once the missionaries are out of sight, they're out of mind. We're trying our hardest to take a different approach. Time and care from folks back home is a huge investment in the ministry of those we send to the field. Although cash goes a long way out here, contact from home goes even further. So Norman and I have tried to go all out to maximize our time with Barrett and Amy and Maili and Makena.

Yesterday we had the chance to work together as a team while the orders "forward," "stop!" "back," "stop!" "left forward," "stop!" "get down!" "right forward!" "high five!" we're shouted at us from the guide at the stern of a raft as we plunged through rapids on the Rio Pacuare. Nothing builds a team like working hard and playing hard together while depending on each other to get to the end of the trip, team intact. On this river, not everyone makes it to the end all in one piece. But, thankfully, we did.

In June, another ministry team from our church will come to Puerto Viejo to serve and support the work Barrett and Amy Cruce are doing in this community. We'll help with construction projects at the skate park and possibly around town and hold English as a Second Language clinics at the local high school. Barrett and Amy are doing an incredible job of using all that they've been given to make disciples of Christ here on Costa Rica's east coast. They're doing an incredible job and we at CCJ want to do all we can to get in on what God is doing in and through this family.

MRN-Joe Novelo

Pastor Joe Novelo began working in full-time ministry in 1987 as an officer on Youth With A Mission's Mercy Ships. In the past 20 years, ministry has taken him to 50 different countries.

After six years at sea, Novelo enrolled in a California Bible College and graduated with degrees in Theology, Youth Ministry, and Cross Cultural Missions. He and his Brazilian bride, Edilma, moved to Florida in 1996 to work as Missions Pastor for a local Calvary Chapel.

Six years later the Novelo's founded the Missionary Resource Network, a ministry dedicated to providing resources and logistical services for missionaries worldwide.

Edilma (translated: "Jill") Novelo began working with YWAM in her native Brazil at the age of 17.Her main focus in those early years was the Eastern Amazon. In following years, she pioneered domestic mission work along with an international base in Guyana which still exists today. Jill is fluent in three languages and is able to identify with multiple cultures. She has a passion to serve and see people grow in their faith. Jill currently serves as a teacher in women's ministry at her home church.

The Novelo's sense God's call to move to and minister in Brazil. They are praying for God's timing in the sale of their home. When that happens, they will begin to develop a medical riverboat ministry in Belem, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River. They will be working with Marine Reach, a sub division of YWAM.

Missionary Resource Network is currently involved in ministering to missionaries with focus on the Caribbean, South and Central America. MRN ministers to 75 missionaries in 17 different countries specializing in shipping containers to these destinations. Eight containers plus approximately 50 smaller shipments (i.e., cars) are sent per year. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are the destinations of their next two containers.

Captain Zero Found

"Where have a seen you before," this dude well into his fifties asked me yesterday as Norman and I walked to Barrett and Amy's house.

"I've been here a couple of times," I said. "I'm a friend of Barrett."

The man introduced himself as Patrick. Norman and I spoke with him about our relationship with Barrett and Barrett's relationship with our church. And then Patrick, his eyes flashing, started to rant about the church and money and his love and respect for all religions. He spoke of Buddhism and that moved the conversation onto the topic of Vietnam. At that point, I made the attempt to establish some kind of commonality by asking when he was in Vietnam--my dad was in Vietnam, too.

"'67 through '68," was his answer.

"My dad served in the Marines in Vietnam those years," was my reply.

"I'm Captain Zero," was his answer to my reply.

"I was just getting ready to ask you that," I said.

I really was. Captain Zero is a surf cult figure. There's a book out called Looking for Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker. Old school surfers know of the book.

Patrick lives in a tent in the woods not far from Barrett and Amy's house. He came down to Costa Rica for a three week surf expedition and never went home. He's originally from New York. He's a drop out. Not a high school drop out (as far as I know), a life drop out. He's indulged that fantasy people have to just run away and disappear. He's Barrett's neighbor. He lives in a tent in the woods. His proposal for ending the world's problems is the government nuking the world with a giant E-bomb. The "E" stands for the drug "ecstasy."

Barrett get's to share Jesus with this man and many like him that come here to drop out; disappear.

God has used Barrett's life as school to prepare him for ministry here in Costa Rica. Barrett grew up as a missionary kid. He fell in love with surfing. He became good at it. Barrett makes friends easily. He served in the Navy. He became a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. He and his family served in their home church. He became a leader in his church. He loves to surf. He loves to see people come to faith in Christ. What should he do? Is it possible to live a life where his passion to be a dad, to see people come to Christ, teaching God's principles for living, surfing, and making friends all intersect? Would God want someone to live such a life?

Absolutely. So figure out how God wants to do that with you. Then do it.

Here in Puerto Viejo

Norm and I arrived here in Puerto Viejo safe and sound. The trip between San Jose, where we landed and here is amazingly scenic. Amy and the girls welcomed us with open arms and hot bowls of a local fish stew whose name I can't pronounce but it has to do with "all the stuff you is included that you find dead on the road." But in Spanish, it sounds much more appetizing.

The city water here has been cut on and off lately due to drought. The Cruces had water all day up until the moment of our arrival. Poor Amy was left with a pile of dishes her guests dirtied and no way to wash them. Girls hate that.

The place Barrett set us to stay is a group of cabins, like bungalows. All shiny wood, ceiling fans, porch with a standard issue hammock, and mosquito netting. How tropical is that?

I was terrorized the first part of the night by a mosquito. I'm like a mosquito magnet. It was like a stealth mosquito. I couldn't hear it, but I felt every one of it's air assaults on my life. I retreated to the cover of my mosquito net. But somehow the mosquito, the sneak, was trapped in the netting with me. We were locked in a wrestling match to death. Only one of us was going to live through the night.

I let him come to me. And when he was good fat, slowed down by the weight of my blood, I struck the death-dealing blow.

I emerged from that net the victor; the sheets stained with my blood.

Since we're two hours behind our normal time zone, our bodies were letting us know that we were way past due for our coffee fix. Suffering in the mission field can be like that. We lack the normal comforts of home. Thank goodness the hotel had a batch of my beloved black brew ready in the lobby. I decided not say anything about my coffee jones to our missionary hosts.

Running water always seems to be available in tourists accommodations. It's those that actually live here, like locals and missionaries, that tend to go without. But they go without while smiling. Go figure.

Costa Rica Bound

We're catchin' a swoop down to Costa Rica today. Norman Jaeger and I leave from Ft. Lauderdale this morning and will meet Barrett Cruce, a missionary sent from our church in San Jose, Costa Rica, this afternoon. We'll drive five or six hours trip will take us through some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever experienced. We'll ride through mountains and rain forests to the Atlantic Coast and then drive south to Puerto Viejo, Barrett and Amy Cruce's new hometown.

Consumerism=Worldliness

Here's a piece written by Dr. Larry Taylor that should challenge your thinking. Very appropriate thoughts on Compassion Sunday.

Worldliness is much more than avoiding smoking cigarettes or attending R-rated movies. Worldliness is consumerism. Society changed radically from the rural pre-industrial and pre-scientific era into an urban, industrialized culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The industrialization of the occidental world in turn has led to the information age of the 21st century, which is also driven by consumerism. In both the industrial age, and in the more recent information age, the entire economy of the western world is predicated upon ever-increasing production of goods, which in turn relies on ever-increasing consumption of those goods.

Read the rest of this article at The Word in Focus: Consumerism

Young Muslims in Turkey Murder Three Christians | Christianity Today

I pulled this quote from the online version of Christianity Today today.

The Turkish press reported Thursday that four of the five young men arrested for the murders, all 19 to 20 years of age, admitted during initial interrogations that they were motivated by both "nationalist and religious feelings."

"We did this for our country," an identical note in the pockets of all five young men read, Channel D television station reported. "They are attacking our religion."

According to the newspaper Hurriyet, one of the suspects declared during police questioning, "We didn't do this for ourselves. We did it for our religion. May this be a lesson to the enemies of religion."

In a demonstration against the Zirve Publishing office in Malatya two years ago, local protestors had claimed its publishing and distribution activities constituted "proselytism" among Muslims and should be closed down. Turkish law, however, guarantees the right to engage in religious evangelism if it does not contain proven political motives.

The three Christians were found tied hand and foot to chairs at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the liaison office of Zirve Publishing in Malatya's Niyazi Misr-i district. Their throats had been cut and their bodies marred by multiple stab wounds.

Read the rest of the article here at the source: Young Muslims in Turkey Murder Three Christians

Please Pray!!!

This prayer request came in from Far Reaching Ministries today. As you read this, please take a minute to pray. The folks at FRM, both stateside and in the foriegn field, have been close friends for years.

Urgent Request:

Please pray as we have just received word that the LRA has attacked, killed and kidnapped some people in Anzara, a town right outside of Nimule.

Pray for Vicky Bentley and James Olal as they will be traveling to Nimule in the next few days. Pray for their protection and safety.

Jeremy Camp-Compassion International

This Sunday is Compassion Sunday. Please view this message from Jeremy Camp.

Compassion in Jesus Name

Too Small To Ignore

Since this Sunday is Compassion Sunday, I wanted to put up a few posts about this phenomenal minisitry lead by Wess Stafford. His book was one of the best books I read last year. Too Small To Ignore - Why Children Are the Next Big Thing by Wess Stafford is interesting and his story shook me.

Stafford is the director and CEO of Compassion International. His book tells the story of his life from growing up as a missionary kid in West Africa, being sent away to a boarding school that was a living hell of physical and sexual abuse, to arriving in America as a teenager to grow up and become the leader of one of the most effective and reputable Christian Aid Organizations in the world.

I had no idea that this book was going to be such an incredible read. I'm really surprised I hadn't heard of it before last summer. It's challenged my thinking, maybe made me a little smarter, and even made me cry.

Me.

Cry.

Get the book. See how what Satan did to destroy a young life was used by God to save multitudes.

Maybe God will do the same with your life.

Calvary International Fellowship, Nairobi, Kenya

The following was lifted from Ed Compean's blog:

Wow, we asked for prayer for the outreaches we had planned in partnership with Youth With a Mission and God has delivered! The outreaches are going well, God is adding to His church and the youth of Calvary International Fellowship are fired up to share the gospel with boldness. For all this we thank God and give Him all the glory.

As a fellowship we have been praying about how to reach deeper in Githurai and God is answering! The sexual immorality and resulting sexually transmitted diseases are astounding in Kenya and across Africa. So we rejoice that God is bringing a Christ centered HIV/AIDS seminar to Calvary International Fellowship to minister into Githurai this July. As if that was not enough, God also put it on the people at the Jesus Movie to come do an outreach with us in August.

It's going to be a busy winter (for us south of the equator) but clearly this is an answer to prayer. God is giving us favor with the village chief and Calvary International Fellowship's landlord for these outreaches. For now, we need specific prayer for a sound system to use for these events and capability for establishing a monthly movie night at the church.

Source: Calvary International Fellowship

Cruce Update

Barrett and Amy Cruce left Tequesta, Florida, a couple of years ago when they sensed the Lord leading them to Costa Rica. Their home church, Calvary Chapel Jupter sent the Cruces, including their two daughters to Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica's Carribean coast to serve with Alternatve Missions to oversee projects including youth outreach through a cafe and skate park and setting up house churches.

Below are a few excerpts from a recent newsletter.

Hi everyone, First of all, we want all of you to know how happy we were to see so many of you while we were home.

Before we left, I had spent some time with Mike Wuhrman, our neighbor and part of our house church, training him on how to study, prepare and lead the house church in our absence. He and his wife are both Christians but have not had any type of church to attend for many years. They have been very excited about the opportunity to study the bible and fellowship with other Christians and Mike stepped up to the plate to lead while we were gone even though he had never done anything like that in his life. He did a great job and we were able to continue with church for the entire time we were gone.

Right now, the house church is about half older youth and the other half un-churched N. Americans. We had an awesome time the first week as we studied about divorce and God's original intent for marriage. We got into some pretty heavy discussion about sex and the consequences of sex outside of marriage.

This is a huge issue in the lives of the youth here as they are faced with it in one form or another every day. It was awesome for them to get a biblical perspective on it and it was one of the most animated discussions we have had to date.

Ronnie McGlocklin [who ministers with the Cruces], leads the Spanish speaking church, married a couple that has been living together for the past 15 years. Ronnie began a small bible study for adults that took place while the kids were meeting. One week when my parents were visiting, my dad sat in with us on the bible study. In the middle of Ronnie's bible study, my dad stopped him and asked him if the two ladies that were sitting in with us had ever prayed to receive Christ. Ronnie stopped, asked them and was told no. He then changed course, explained the gospel and asked them if they would like to follow Jesus. They both said yes and prayed to receive Him right then and there. Well, the older of the two, Adriana, began volunteering to help with the children soon after. A few months later, when the Spanish house church began, she began attending with her husband Rodolfo who was not a Christian. As he has continued to come each week, it has been incredible to see the changes in his life as he is now out telling people that they need to change their lives and follow Jesus. During all of this, we assumed that they were married because they had been together for so long and had three children. One day, they came forward to Ronnie and told him that they believed that they needed to get married not only in order to do what was right but to set the right example for their children. Two weeks ago, Ronnie performed the ceremony and made it official.

We have really enjoyed seeing God work as he has used the kid's program to bring families into relatioinship with Him, getting them plugged into the house churches and actually serving in our ministries.

After all was said and done, we are going to be baptizing five people from the English speaking house church and two or three from the Spanish house church on Sunday, April 1st, followed by a celebration party. As we talk about what it means to follow Jesus in word and deed, it is so exciting to see people getting it and wanting to follow him in such a way that marks their decision and makes it public.

Please be praying for the following:
1. Two weeks ago we implemented the AWANA's program (OANSA in Spanish) as the core curriculum for the children's program at the local elementary school on Sundays. We now have a total of five locals in leadership roles (mostly a result of the House Church program). We are really looking at the possibility of turning over the entire children's program to local control sometime between the end of this year or the middle of next year.
2. Last weekend, I spent five days traveling with four of the older youth from the skate-park and our house church (Downer, William, Dexter and Jordan). I took them across the country (about 10 hours) to the Pacific side so that they could compete in the national surfing circuit contest. Please pray that God will give me wisdom in everything that I do and in every decision and relationship. It is such a fine line between actually helping and feeding into the dependency cycle that a lot of these kids are hooked on.
3. Davis is one of the older youth (19) that has been involved with the skate-park from the beginning. He is very nice, polite, helpful and has faithfully attended all of the Friday night activities (movies, bible studies, etc&). Davis comes from a family that is Jehovah's Witnesses. Davis was also attending the house church up until about two months ago. He was told that he either needed to stop having anything to do with us, the skatepark and the house church or he would be disowned from his family and kicked out of his house.
4. I've written about my friend Lance in the past. His mother recently died of cancer and he is having trouble dealing with the grief. He's not a Christian, but I can't remember the last time I saw someone so close to making a decision without being able to cross the line. We have had many good talks and I while I believe that it's only a matter of time, he is still looking. Lance is taking off for the next 3-4 months to Indonesia and other places in the far east. Please pray for his safety both physically and spiritually. He will be assisting a team of doctors in relief work in addition to surfing some pretty heavy reef waves. Please pray that God will bring other committed Christians into his life and that Lance will finally take that leap into the waiting arms of Jesus.

Please continue to pray for God's favor on us and our work. Please pray that he will provide the people we need to continue on.

Reasons for Going into the Mission Field: #2 You Should Go Because the Need Is So Great

2) You should go because the need is so great.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." (Matt. 9:37-38) Ever since Jesus first spoke these compassionate words, the supply of workers in the fields of soul-harvest has always been horribly low. But today the need is the greatest it has ever been in the history of mankind. Remember, Hell is not just for the weekend! More people are alive today, and more souls are at stake, than the total number of people who have ever lived on the face of the earth in all of human history! This simply means that we can populate either Heaven or Hell by our obedience or our laziness. There are over 2,700,000,000 people who have never heard the Gospel at all, and there are only 5,000 to 7,000 missionaries worldwide, working directly with these totally unreached groups of people.

That means there is approximately one missionary for every 450,000 of these people! There are over 16,000 different and distinct cultures and people-groups - even whole countries, where not one single church is in existence.
There are 7,010 distinct living languages, and 5,199 of them still have no Bible or Scripture translations available in their own language!
Do these figures move you at all? Does it matter to you that an estimated 80,000 unsaved people die every day (approximately 3,333 every hour...55 people every single minute!) to face the judgment seat of Christ?

HT: Last Days Ministries

Labels: Keith Green

Reasons for Going into the Mission Field: #1 Because Jesus Has Told You To Go

Dan Ohkerling inspired me to blog about Keith Green about six months ago. This is the beginning of a series of posts on this blog borrowed from Last Days Ministries, a website set up by Melody Green, the wife of the late Keith Green. Keith Green wrote the article a few days before he and two children died in a plane crash. (link)

1) Because Jesus has told you to go.

"Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15)

With these words, Jesus made it clear exactly what His disciples were to do - they were to spread His teachings in His name, preaching salvation unto the ends of the earth. (Rom. 10:18) If you consider yourself a "believer", then you must consider yourself a "disciple" of Jesus - no less called and chosen than the very first 12 apostles. There are no such things as "1^st class" Christians and "2^nd class" Christians - every believer is called to spread the Good News about Jesus to those who have not yet heard. Jesus' command is definite and clear - it is His great mandate, His "Great Commission" to the soldiers in His holy army. We must go, because our great General has commanded us to go.

Labels: Keith Green

Heartbeats from the 'Hood

Check out Urban Youth Impact's blog.

Urban Youth Impact is an organization with the West Palm Beach inner city as it's mission field. This organization is making an incredible impact in one of America's most dangerous inner-city neighborhoods.

Link to Heartbeats from the 'Hood

CC Chatt's Mid-east trip blog/journal

Check out the Team Compassion Blog for a great journal of CC Chattanooga's recent mission trip to the Middle East.

2007 Send the Message Conference

2007 National Conference Key Note Speakers

Danny Lehmann

Danny Lehmann lives in Hawaii with his wife Linda and two sons, Daniel and David. He directs the Youth With A Mission ministry in Honolulu, and is also the YWAM Hawaiian Islands Director. He is involved in training and sending out young missionaries to the Pacific and Asia regions.

While a surfer in California, he was confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the beach, and shortly thereafter was converted to Christ. After a few months of rehabilitation and growing in the faith at Shekinah House (an outreach of Calvary Chapel- Costa Mesa), he began to share his faith on the beaches and streets. He assisted in planting a church (Mission Christian Fellowship) and founded The Land, a Christian community emphasizing evangelism and discipleship.

Phil Metzger

PHIL METZGER is the director of Calvary Chapel Bible College and Conference Center Europe located in Vajta, Hungary. In addition to his teaching responsibilities Phil oversees Calvary church plants throughout Eastern Europe, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Phil is originally from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa where he served in the youth ministry. Phil has been on the mission field for 10 years. He served as a missionary in Moscow, an assistant pastor at a new church plant in Esztergom, Hungary, and then planted and pastored two Calvary Chapels in Kaposvar and Sarbogard, Hungary. Phil and his wife Joy have four children: Niki, Karina, Judah and Hannah.

Britt Merrick

Britt Merrick grew up in the Santa Barbara area helping his Dad shape surfboards for the family company - Channel Islands Surfboards. After committing his life to Christ in his early 20s, he started teaching Bible studies to local surfers in the small beach community of Carpinteria, CA. In 1998 the Lord led him to start leading Reality, the college group at Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. Britt was the pastor of Reality for seven years and through this ministry a church was planted in Isla Vista, CA, then the Lord led Britt to plant and pastor his own church in Carpinteria in September of 2003. Reality Carpinteria's heart is for community transformation, church planting, (most recently in Los Angeles and Stockton, CA) and international missions. He can be heard on the radio in Southern California at KWVE 107.9 FM or you can check out his messages at www.jesusisreality.com. Britt currently lives and pastors in Carpinteria with his wife Kate, son Isaiah, and daughter Daisy.

Gary Kusunoki

Prior to becoming the President and Chief Executive Officer for Safe Harbor International Relief in May of 2006, Pastor Gary Kusunoki served as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Rancho Santa Margarita for more than 15 years. He has had a long career of serving people, ranging from police work to international relief and development.

Michael & Pam Rozell

The Rozells are a living testimony of how God has taken two broken vessels and remade them into His design. The move of the Holy Spirit has combined Michael and Pam's artistic and musical talents into a "one flesh" ministry. They have stepped out in faith - surrendering their worldly successes for true success: to spread the love of the Father and to encourage others to run the race set before them.
Michael's evangelistic style, clever wit and humor - together with Pam's contemporary inspirational vocals - will lead you in worship, powerfully drawing you into the grace, power and presence of our Lord.

John Michaels

The founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Spring Valley, Pastor John Michaels has been in the ministry for nearly 25 years. Calvary Chapel Spring Valley was established in May of 1986 with the goal of impacting the world for Christ, even while the initial membership was still in the low twenties. But Pastor John nurtured the flock, grounding them in the word of God, praying, teaching and evangelizing. Soon CCSV grew, and grew, now ministering to over 3,000 attendees weekly. But is has always been more than a local ministry. John Michaels has a heart for missions, frequently stating that "Missions is not a ministry of the church, it's the ministry of the church."

2007 National Conference Guest Worship Leaders

Terry and Nancy Clark

TERRY CLARK is best known for his music ministry, leading the listener to intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father, and his life has been a process of developing that communication. Inspired by his own broken life which was transformed and restored, his songs reflect a one-on-One personal conversation that God desires with each of His children.
"More than ever the Body of Christ is recognizing its need to know God and his heart. If we ignore the inner cry for intimate communication with God, we become hard of hearing, unable to recognize His voice when He speaks to us."
This focus on worship has been the basic ministry for both Terry and his wife Nancy through their recordings and live appearances as they travel full-time proclaiming the clear gospel of Jesus Christ.

Robin & Tracy Shelley: still going...

The Shelley's are working hard, building relationships, and spreading the vision the Lord has laid on their hearts. They're doing a great job. Check out their blog to read about their journey. They've posted some great pictures of their trip also.

I can't wait to see how their blog looks once they get into the field.

Link to Robin & Tracy Shelley: still going...

why we do missions...

Song is by The Ambassador, video footage from "The Passion of the Christ".

HT: Chris Goeppner. Thanks for posting this.

College or the Mission Field

Young people are faced with the decisions that will determine the course their lives will run. The difficulty is the college aged are filled with energy and enthusiasm, but little life experience. They don't know much. It hardly seems fair. Follow the link to this article to read about a guy faced with decision to complete college or to obey God's call to the mission field.

When David killed Goliath, God told him to bring, his staff, a sling, and five smooth stones with him. What if David had not listened to God and had also brought along, a sword, spear and armor, just as a logical backup plan of course. The logical thing would have been to not fight Goliath in the first place. But David trusted God. Now, I'm not saying that college is bad. But, I am saying, college should not be used as a backup plan. God's plan is perfect and trustworthy, and when we say we believe that, it becomes our responsibility to make our faith real and prove that we trust Him.

link to full article...

What would you do?