Motivation

I have a question for you - what gets you out of the bed in the morning? The easy answer of course is that annoying alarm clock or maybe your kids jumping into bed with you. I am asking you though to dig deeper than the easy answer. Why do you do what you do? Do you wake up each morning excited about what the new day might bring? What is your motivation? What is your inspiration? I came across this quote recently and it stopped me in my tracks...

Is what you are living for, Jesus worth dying for ~ Leonard Cohen

I have been struggling recently. I committed to becoming a career missionary, of moving to Indonesia for the foreseeable future. It doesn't take long after making a commitment like that for the doubts to start. I could stay here in the US and live a "normal" life. That desire is so strong sometimes.

It is amazing to me though how the Lord meets me even in these doubts. I recently picked up and reread the book Seizing Your Divine Moment by Erwin Raphael McManus. I also recently read for the first time the book Radical by David Platt. Both reminded me that Jesus has given us as Christians a radical call - one that is difficult and not safe. Both said almost the same thing about how we tend to think that the being in the center of God's will is the safest place to be, when instead it should be the opposite. God didn't call us to an easy life but one of adventure and one of danger. McManus reminded me that each moment in every day could be a divine moment. Sometimes it is so easy to get so busy that we miss those moments God puts in our lives. Platt also reminded me of the needs in the world - those that are unreached and unengaged and those that are dying every day because of the need for clean water, food, and healthcare. Platt speaks passionately about how the church in American has stood by for far too long and not used our blessings to reach and bless the world. I would strongly recommend you pick up these books!

So what is it that motivates me? What is it that gets me out of bed each day? As a nurse who spends her days (ok actually nights since I work the night shift) taking care of others it is easy for me to feel drained. So I recently read the book Called to Care: A Christian Theology of Nursing for my devotional time. The section I keep coming back to talks about the motivation for providing nursing care. It says, “We love because He first loved us. (I John 4:19). The contrast between gratitude and duty results primarily in a difference in attitude and approach. When you care out of a sense of gratitude for what God has done for me, you can view the patient as a person of great value, worthy of my respect, interest and attention. When you care out of a sense of duty, the patient becomes an object. You do what you have to do and get out.”

Then my pastor said something recently in his sermon from II Cor 5:14 that dovetailed perfectly with what I had been reading. He said (paraphrasing here), “ Living the life Christ calls us to requires more than a sense of obligation or duty. It requires a love that compels us and without this love that compels us, we lose the joy.”

Through these doubts the Lord has met me and encouraged me. The call has been renewed. My motivation has been restored. I would challenge you to spend some time looking at what the Lord might be calling you to do. To ask yourself the questions David Platt asks on page 18 of his book. Do you really believe Jesus is worth abandoning everything for? Do you really believe that Jesus is so good, so satisfying, and so rewarding that you will leave all you have and all you own and all you are in order to find your fullness in Him? The book also issues a challenge. Five steps and one year devoted to a Radical Experiment. I am doing it next year. Will you?

I challenge you in this season of thanksgiving as you reflect and give thanks for the blessings in your life to think about how God might be asking you to use those blessings to reach the lost of this world and bless them. This video might just challenge you to take a fresh look at your life. I know it did for me. (For those reading this in your RSS feeder or email you may have to click on the "read more" link to the blog to see the video).

October Days to Remember

There were two exciting and refreshing events for me in October that I wanted to share with you.

First I had the chance to get together with Donda. She serves at Bethesda Hospital helping to coordinate the MedGo program. We had never actually met except via email and Facebook, but those who have served at Bethesda Hospital have a special connection and when we finally met it was like we had known each other for forever. She spent the month of October traveling around the US including a visit to the Seattle area. We spent the afternoon seeing some of the beautiful sights of the Puget Sound, including leaves just starting to change colors, which is something that doesn't happen in Indonesia. I had a great time catching up on news and people at the hospital and speaking a little Bahasa Indonesia. All in all it was a great afternoon with lots of laughter!

Donda and me at a local park

The second event was a chance to get away for a Be Still Retreat weekend in Oregon. For those that aren't familiar with Be Still Retreats they are a chance to unplug from the world for awhile and spend some time focusing on your relationship with the Lord and the spiritual disciplines. They take that unplugging from the world seriously as no watches, alarm clocks, cell phones, or computers are allowed (they wake you up with singing and flowers in the morning instead). It is amazing how relaxing it can be to just unplug! For example, from early evening on Friday until after breakfast on Saturday you are not allowed to speak with anyone to practice the discipline of silence and solitude. It is amazing what you notice when you are quiet! Lots of time studying the Bible, worshiping, and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors including a chance to lay out under the stars made this a refreshing weekend. It was also special that my mom was able to join me, which gave us a chance for some great talking time. All in all it was a relaxing and refreshing time!

November is off to a fun start as well because as you read this I am actually in Mexico. (the benefits of technology and scheduled posting!) This is a long talked about, dreamed about, planned and saved for vacation with all three of my sisters. We are spending the week together to celebrate my youngest sister's graduation from college and recognizing the fact that I will be leaving soon we are storing up some fun time together. I will post some pics from that trip when I get back.

Partnership Development

Money... it is never an easy topic, especially in these economic times. I have hesitated to bring up this topic on my blog. I do however have a very specific need and goal right now that I want to share with you. 

Let me back up a minute though because I know I have a variety of people reading this blog. Some from different faith backgrounds and others who are only generally familiar with the term missionary and what that entails. So let me cover a few basics to help get everyone on the same page. 

I am in the process of partnership development. Some may be more familiar with the terms deputation or support-raising. For those not familiar with any of these terms, this is basically a process in which missionaries develop a team that will partner with them in prayer and financially while they are serving.

So why the change in terms you might ask? It is because of the shift in focus and direction. The old model had most of the focus on what the supporter could do or give to the missionary. This shift in focus is a reminder that in reality this relationship is a partnership, one that involves supporters and missionaries working together to accomplish their part of the Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20).

Right now I am in the process of partnership development and raising the financial support I need to reach my goal of returning to the ministry in Indonesia. I cannot leave for Indonesia until I have commitments for 100% of my support and all of my outgoing expenses funded. This means I need to have commitments for $3,500/month and $18,500 for outgoing expenses. Right now I have commitments for 23% of monthly support and 11% of my outgoing support.

Here are a few answer to frequently asked questions I get about support raising and the process. 

So what is support and why do I need to raise it? Support are the funds I will need to meet my financial needs while I am serving in Indonesia. The hospital there will not be paying me a salary. This means I need to raise the funds to cover my living expenses (food, rent, utilities), ministry expenses, travel, medical/evacuation insurance, retirement, and social security, etc. I also need to raise funds for outgoing expenses which includes training, language school, and setting-up my house. This process is different from some mission organizations and non-profit companies who pay a stipend or salary to their employees. 

Who gives and why? Family, friends, and churches give to help meet my financial needs. People give for many reasons. Many churches give out of a sense of vision and mission to accomplish the Great Commission -- taking the love of God to the nations. For individuals, it usually starts with a relationship. Many partners give out of a sense of gratitude to God for what he has done for them through Christ. Others give out of a sense of obedience to the call in 1 Corinthians 4:1 to fulfill our stewardship of the gospel. And many partners have a strong sense of passion to see the gospel spread among certain people groups, such as the people of Indonesia. Finally, some want to support a certain type of ministry such as providing medical care to those in need.  

A Year of Blogging

It is hard to believe but I started this blog a year ago this month. In that time the blog has been visited almost 1100 times. So I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the year.

In that time there have been a total of 20 posts. The top five read posts were:

1. Why WorldVenture
2. Counting the Cost
3. Officially Appointed
4. Birthday Celebrations
5. The Question of When

The blog has been read by people in twelve different countries. This includes the United States, Madagascar, Indonesia, Canada, Russia, Malawi, Germany, Philippians, Bolivia, Faroe Islands, Guinea, and Malaysia. For some of the countries I can imagine my friends reading the blog. The others I wonder how and why you stumbled across this blog? Feel free to comment and share!

Finally it is fun to see how most people read the blog - the number one referring site is Facebook (by about 100 to 1). Others include my email newsletters and some read the blog through an email or RSS subscription.

I have had fun chronicling my thoughts over the past year. It is even more fun to imagine where I will be and what will have happened by this time next year. Lord willing I will be posting from Indonesia!

MedGo

In the past, I have talked a bit about my job description (you can read that post here if you missed it). One of the activities that I think I will find the most challenging and exciting is working with the MedGo program. MedGo is a relatively new program the hospital has started to train, mentor, and disciple young Indonesian doctors and nurses as they prepare and serve as medical missionaries. Originally the program focused on doctors but has expanded to include twelve nursing students. Seven of those students recently graduated and are beginning their internship year serving in the different areas and departments of the hospital. In early 2012 they will also spend two months studying at a nearby Bible school. Following this internship year and in partnership with other organizations these young nurses will begin serving as missionary nurses at a number of locations throughout Indonesia. Fluent in the language and culture they are able to reach out and serve in many areas others cannot go. There they will build bridges and share the Good News by providing health care to those in need.

My involvement with the Medgo program will occur as I teach and help with practicum at the nursing school and hospital, giving me daily interactions with these students. All students at the nursing school attend a small group weekly Bible Study. In the past, I have served as the leader of one of these groups and I imagine that I will do so again, giving me the opportunity to disciple my small group of students. After graduation these nurses have committed to serving with the MedGo program for three years including the internship year at the hospital. I will continue to work with them as they transition from school to working as a nurse and then go out to serve throughout Indonesia for two years. Hopefully I can help to mentor and care for them as they care for others. Most importantly I hope to lead by example as a I serve as a missionary nurse.

Yanto

So I wanted you to have the chance to meet one of these young nurses and hear his story. This is Yanto.

He was born and raised in Nias, a small island off the west coast of northern Sumatra. His hopes and dreams collapsed on the day his father died. This deep disappointment dragged him into despair. He began seeking occult power by contacting a witchdoctor who could teach him black magic. Yanto believed someone had used black magic to cause his father’s sudden death. Hatred drove him to try to take revenge on this enemy.

His mother felt sorry for him but Yanto was beyond her grasp. There was nothing she could do but she kept on praying for him. Amazingly, despite the turbulence in his life Yanto did manage to finish high school.

In 2006 one of his relatives urged him to travel to far off West Kalimantan (province where Bethesda Hospital is located) to become a policeman. Off he went with great hopes for a brighter future in a new place. He quit drinking and smoking and expected to be accepted for training as a policeman. However, life in the new place was hard on him. Four times he failed the entrance exam to become a policeman. This situation forced him to think more seriously about his life; its purpose, his failures and the hatred which was rooted deep in his heart. In desperation he meditated on a Bible verse given to him by an evangelist: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). For the first time in his life Yanto realized his need to have a Savior. Giving up all the witchcraft and hatred which he had brought with him from Nias Island, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Being a new person in Jesus, Yanto stopped pursuing his dream to become a policeman. Instead, he prayed a lot and patiently waited for God’s guidance for his future. In 2008 Yanto applied to study at Bethesda Nursing Academy and was accepted. Through spiritual nurture provided by this institution Yanto has learned more about God and has grown spiritually. He clearly understands that God can use him to serve others through the nursing profession.

Being one of the twelve students in the MedGo Commission’s Missionary Nurse Scholarship Program is a unique blessing for Yanto. It has helped him and his family to cope with their extreme financial limitations due to the death of his father. Most importantly, his mother has accepted Yanto’s decision to become a missionary nurse, an unfavorable career choice to most Indonesian parents. 

MedGo 2011 Class at Graduation from Nursing School

Please be praying for this group of seven new nurses as they begin their three years of service as missionary nurses. Pray also for the five students who are just starting their senior year. Finally be praying for me as I prepare to help with this program. While I am very excited to work these young men and women I know there will also be many challenges.

Why WorldVenture Part II

As promised here is the second part to why I am serving with WorldVenture...

First, a little history on the organization. The following was copied from the WorldVenture web page. You can read the longer original version here.  

World War II was raging, but there in Chicago, on Monday, May 24, 1943 about 50 Baptist pastors and other concerned people gathered in Chicago. And they prayed. On through the afternoon they discussed their concerns and they prayed. There, on their knees in prayer, they took a step of faith. The Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society was born, incorporated seven months later, to assist churches in sending, funding, and caring for missionaries. In time, the organization came to be known as CBInternational, and now, WorldVenture. The first 10 years, ending in 1953, became known as the Ten Miracle Years. Beginning with no personnel, no fields and no funds, the organization grew to 300 missionaries on four continents. After six decades of ministry, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have come into the family of God - a result of the faith of those early 50 who prayed. Thousands of churches have been planted and church leaders equipped. Many around the world have been touched by our acts of compassion. Today, with more than 500 missionaries in more than 60 areas of the world, WorldVenture is still expanding the harvest, taking the love of God to the nations. It is our vision to see people of all nations transformed by Jesus Christ through partnership with his church.

I realized that I might need to back up a bit for some of my readers. I frequently get the question (like again at work this week) what exactly is WorldVenture? The official version (as copied from their web page) is that "WorldVenture is people. A network of partners working together with a shared vision to see people of all nations transformed by Jesus Christ. WorldVenture exists to assist churches in global ministry. To accomplish this, we do many different kinds of work -- from evangelism and church planting to medical, educational, agricultural, and relief and development work. Most any skill or occupation can be utilized in WorldVenture's global ministry." But what exactly does that mean? It means that they help churches send, fund, and care for missionaries. 


As part of the sending process, I as a missionary with WorldVenture have gone through an extensive application process that involved recommendation by my church, a lengthy application, writing of a doctrinal statement, and an interview with a committee. To help prepare me to serve to the best of my abilities I will complete training and reading assignments before I leave. Some of these are required for all missionaries serving with WorldVenture and others were specifically recommended for me based on where I will be serving, my job description, and issues identified during the application process or interview. You can read a lot more about that in this blog post. 

The funding process is one I will have to tackle in another blog post.


I mentioned in my blog post earlier this week that one of the reasons I have chosen to serve with WorldVenture is because prayer is an integral part of the organization. The other is because they are known for their care of their missionaries. I experienced this first-hand when I became sick in 2004, as I explained in the post earlier this week. Another more recent example happened during my application interview. I was asked how I planned to take care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually while I was serving, as my ministry will be stressful at times caring for the needs of others and because of its remote location. I didn't have an answer for them then, so coming up with a plan became a growth goal that I needed to complete before I left. You can read more about that process and my plan in this post. 


In closing, WorldVenture is not perfect - no organization is because we are all imperfect people. That said, after 60+ years many organizations find it hard to keep up with all the changes and find themselves slowly dying. That is not happening at WorldVenture - they are doing their best to keep up with the changing world and are coming up with new and exciting tools and programs. One of the ones I find most exciting is the Journey Corp program. The easy description of the program is that it is a Christian version of the Peace Corp but in reality it is so much more. Watch the video below or check out the web page for more details.




Beautiful Things from Journey Corps on Vimeo.

Why WorldVenture Part 1

It is not uncommon for me to get asked the question "who?" when I tell people I will be serving with WorldVenture. Others say oh I have heard of "World Vision" and then I have to correct them and say no that was WorldVenture. So I thought it might be a good time explain a little bit of my history with WorldVenture. The second part that I post later will give you a little history of the organization, explain more about the role WorldVenture plays in my life and some of the exciting work they are doing around the world.

I am not sure I can actually say I chose WorldVenture originally. I know that the first time I headed to Indonesia in the summer of 2000 as a college student I had some paperwork processed and an interview with someone but I really don't remember many of the details. They were the missions organization for my home church in Oregon and also the organization that helped start Bethesda Hospital, so it seemed natural that I would choose to serve with them. 

That relationship deepened though when I wanted to return to Indonesia for a planned stay of 2 years (that ended up being 2 1/2 years). At WorldVenture this is called a mid-term assignment, which is longer than a short-term assignment but not as long as career assignment either. There was paperwork, an interview, and once approved books to read and training to do. Through this journey several people from the home office in Colorado walked alongside me and prayed with me. I think that was one of the reasons WorldVenture felt so right - there was rarely a conversation etc that didn't end with time in prayer.

It was when I got sick while serving in Indonesia though that their true worth became very evident to me. For starters because I was serving with them I had international health insurance that paid for care in Malaysia and Singapore in search of a diagnosis. In the end we still didn't know what I was sick with then but we knew I would benefit from some time in the US to rest and try to find a diagnosis. I was a little over a year into my two-year stay and instead of just telling me I should quit and come home they walked through that long and scary process with me. They supported not only me but also contacted my church to make sure they understood what was happening and that the organization was available if needed. They then supported my return to Indonesia a month later and provided the resources and assistance I needed to readjust back to Indonesia.

After coming home in late 2006 from my third trip to Indonesia I attended a Renewal Conference in early 2007 as part of the debriefing process. Renewal Conferences are held annually in Colorado near the home office and all US staff as well as any missionaries in the US at the time attend. Because I had served short and mid-term I had been in contact with only a few of the staff at the home office and had never visited, so I assumed when I arrived for Renewal Conference that I would know very few people. It didn't take long though for me to realize how wrong I was. There was always the initial awkwardness of trying to sneak a look at each others name badges and then the the look of recognition would come into their eyes and they would recall a story or prayer request I had shared in my one of my monthly updates. It felt like I was welcomed into a family that I had long known about but had never met.

It was during this conference that I first felt the plan of going to grad school and then heading back to Indonesia long-term come together. I shared this with one of what WorldVenture calls Mission Coaches. According to the WorldVenture web page "Mission Coaches exist to help discover a person's passions and gifts and then together discern whether WorldVenture and a person are a good match and whether there is a place for that person." That sounds like a big job description but in reality they do their best to walk alongside a person who is interested in serving as a missionary. I assumed this missions coach would file my info away and we would talk again in a few years because grad school would take me at least two years and I hadn't even started yet. Instead over the years I received regular emails and phone calls asking how they could pray for and with me and discussing what God was doing in my life.

So as grad school wrapped up and doors seemed to again be opening for my return to Indonesia letting WorldVenture know seemed like a natural choice. You can read some of my very first blog posts to find out what happened next here and here. Stay tuned for more to be posted the end of this week.