July Prayer Letter - I have arrived!

June 12, 2015 - It is 3:39am and I’m currently at the Dubai International Airport awaiting my final flight to Johannesburg. The 14 hour flight from Seattle to Dubai went well, though I didn’t really get much chance to sleep since I was in the middle of the middle row of seats.  I think my next flight is supposed to be a window seat, which would be wonderful!

My emotions are rather confused at the moment with excitement about leaning to live and serve in South Africa mixed with sorrow after saying good bye to my parents and aunt yesterday. Driving away from my home of the last twenty some years is very bittersweet.  Although I may return there in a few years, it will never be the same because I will be changed.

Once I arrive in Johannesburg later today, I should be met by someone from the university for the ride into Mafikeng (about 4 hours).  I’ll finish this letter off over the next few days as I know more about my situation there.

June 14, 2015 – I arrived safe and sound at O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg on the 12^th and even my luggage arrived with no complications.  The university sent a driver and van to meet me and bring me to Mafikeng and the ride was quite exciting as we traveled at speeds of up to 140 kilometers/hour on two lane roads!   I did utter a few prayers along the way and thankfully we arrived without incident.

Currently, I am staying in a two bedroom bungalow on the university grounds just a few yards away from the small animal clinic.  Although I’ve unpacked and started to settle in, I may end up moving to a 2^nd story flat in a nearby neighborhood when one becomes available.  This bungalow is nice from a safety point of view (it is within direct site of the university’s 24hr guard shack), but it is a bit noisy as there is a busy road close by and I can’t really open the blinds because of all the people walking by. 

The house is furnished with basic furniture and kitchen supplies, but yesterday I went shopping with Mrs. Emery and started getting some the other things I’ll need (cleaning supplies, hangers, laundry soap, food basics, etc).  I have quite a list of items still needed and should cross off quite a few tomorrow when we travel to Klerksdorp about 2 hours away.

Dr. Emery and I also started the car buying process yesterday and will continue looking tomorrow in the larger towns of Klerksdorp and Lichtenburg (1hour away).  At this point it looks like the Hyundai i10 is the front runner and hopefully I can get a 2013 or 2012 model so there will still be some warranty remaining. 

Church today was a pleasure and I was remembered (from my visit last year) and greeted warmly by many of the members. 

June 16, 2015 – Yesterday the Emery’s took me into the much larger town of Klerksdorp; a 2 hour drive from Mafikeng.  They had several appointments there and we also wanted to look at the vehicles available there and do a bit of shopping in some of the larger stores.   The Lord truly blessed our search when we found a 2009 1.4L Honda Jazz (Honda Fit in the US) that was just at my price limit.  It has much better acceleration than the i10 and is just a bit larger to better accommodate future teams.  It even has air conditioning, power windows and locks, and an axillary port for the stereo so I feel quite spoiled compared to my Chevy Aveo at home.

The difficult part, was figuring out how to pay for it.  I had hoped they could just run my debit card, but apparently cannot use debit/credit cards for such large amounts.  Eventually we settled on wiring the money to the Emery’s South African account so they can do and EFT transfer for me.  I can’t wait to get a bank account settled here so these type of things won’t be such a big deal in the future.

Today is Youth Day so it is a national holiday and no one is open so it was a good chance to just stay home and finish settling in.  I enjoyed a long lie-in (slept in) and then took a leisurely walk around campus.  In the afternoon, I washed and found places for everything I purchased in Klerksdorp such as baking sheets, food storage canisters, a mixing bowl, etc.  This evening, the Moreos (pastor’s family) have invited me over for dinner.

My address here for mail is PO Box 5041, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa.  It can take several months for mail, especially packages, to arrive and the mail is somewhat unreliable so please do not sent anything valuable.  If sending packages, please mark the contents as “gift” on the customs slip to reduce the customs fees I have to pay here to pick up the package. 

I look forward to sending you more stories next month!  Until then, please pray for safety and energy as I travel to Kenya for a conference next week.  Please also pray that all the final details needed to settle in here (bank account, internet connection, phone, TV, etc) go smoothly when I return and that I will be able to start working at the clinic soon.

June Prayer Letter - Honor/shame Gospel

(Written in May - I'm now home again briefly)

 Hello from warm, sunny North Carolina! I’m finishing up my training here at the Center for Intercultural Training and it is a privilege study with such a great group of missionaries.

One key aspect of study is how I can present the gospel in a manner that makes it relevant to those in South Africa.  Assuming that everyone will get the same things out of the gospel message and that there is only one way to present it will seriously limit its impact. When you think of the gospel message, how would you explain it?  Something like this explanation I pulled off the internet?

“The gospel is the message that God will give us pardon from our sins and eternal life with Him in heaven, if we will turn away from our sins and turn to Him, accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord.” - Greg Laurie

Of course, there is much more to it, but the key components here are our sin/guilt and the forgiveness/pardon we can now receive because Christ paid the penalty for our sin on the cross. That is a great example for those of us in North America and Western Europe and it strikes home for us.  In other cultures, however, it may not resonate as well because guilt isn’t really something they experience deeply.  I know that sounds strange, but it is true.  Many other cultures (Asia, Latin America, and Southern Africa) are more likely to feel shame than guilt. A third cultural response is that of fear (much of Africa), but I’m not going to address that today.

Guilt is more common in individualistic cultures and is the feeling of knowing we have done something wrong and we usually seek justice or forgiveness to rectify the situation.  Shame, on the other hand, arises in more community driven cultures and is the feeling that we are wrong/bad. Shame can only be rectified if we can restore our honor before the community.

So, if a guilt/forgiveness gospel is unlikely to resonate with those I will be serving in South Africa, is there a better way to present it?  Thankfully, God in his wisdom has addressed all three views in the Bible.  Here are few highlights of a shame/honor presentation of the Gospel by Jayson Georges in The 3D Gospel.

“God has existed for all of eternity in full glory and honor. He is an honorable King, a Father who provides for the entire family… To magnify his glory, God created the world and spoke life into being. From the ground, God created Adam and Eve, crowning them with honor and glory... As God’s children, they lived under God’s name.”

“But Adam and Eve were disloyal to God. They forfeited divine honor to pursue a self-earned honor. Their disloyalty to God created shame, so they hid and covered themselves. Moreover, their sin dishonored God. God lost face. Because Adam and Eve brought shame upon everyone, God banished them from His presence to maintain His dignity.”

“As descendants of Adam, we inherit their original shame. Then our own defiled and disloyal heart increases shame. This shame shapes our identity and behavior. Sin (i.e., abuse, anger, gossip, boasting, racism, violence, war, etc.) is largely the false attempt to cover shame and fabricate honor... Having lost our spiritual face, family, name, and status, our life is a perpetual effort to construct a counterfeit honor… Our shame causes disgraceful conduct and dishonors God.”

“Though He was eternally glorious and honored in heaven as God’s son, Jesus became a lowly human being in order to save people from shame. His miraculous healings and radical table fellowship restored dignity and honor to marginalized people.”

“But Jesus’ ministry threatened the earthly honor of established leaders. So they responded by shaming Him, publicly and gruesomely. Jesus was arrested, stripped, mocked, whipped, spat upon, nailed, and hung naked upon a cross before all eyes. He faithfully endured the shame and broke its power. The cross restored God’s honor and removed our shame”

“God then publicly approved of Jesus’ shame-bearing death by resurrecting him to glory. Jesus now sits at God’s honorable right hand with a name above all others… Those who give allegiance to Jesus will receive a new status. Their shame is covered and their honor restored. People must renounce games of social manipulation, status construction, and face management to instead trust fully in Jesus for new status… God exchanges our old status as unclean, worthless, and inferior outcasts for the status of pure, worthy, and honorable children…”

“Upon Jesus’ return, unbelievers will be stripped of all worldly honors and banished to everlasting shame; while believers will receive crowns of eternal honor as God’s glory fills all creation”

The first time I read this (please check out the book for the fuller version) I was overcome by this whole aspect of the gospel that I had never appreciated.  The Bible actually talks about shame and honor much more than it does about guilt and forgiveness.  When we present the gospel in a way that reaches the heart of those we serve, rather than in a way that speaks to our culture, then God will receive even greater honor and glory.  Please pray that God would drive the truth of this honor/shame gospel deep into my heart so that I can better minister to those I will soon meet.

To take a quick test to see if you think in guilt/forgiveness, honor/shame, or fear/power visit www.honorshame.com.  Another source of information on this topic is www.jacksonwu.org.