Boxing Day (Trinidad)

     If one looks on the average calendar here in the U.S., they will probably find that December 26 is known as Boxing Day (Canada). In my experience, most people’s knowledge of this holiday stops here. I myself, had no idea what this is about, assuming that it has something to do with the sport. However, in this last assigned issue of The Other Sheep, I learned what Boxing Day is really about.

     After going through her standard description of Christmas in the missions field, Ruth Saxon, who served in Trinidad, mentioned that that country also recognizes the holiday. Apparently, on boxing day, one is supposed to “box up” his or her Christmas leftovers, and proceed to give this food to the needy. Why do we not do that in the United States? This is an amazing idea!

     I think that this is certainly a case where we in the U.S. can learn how to “do” Christianity better from observing the practices of those to whom we are evangelizing. Christmas is all about God choosing to live in solidarity with His creation and showing us how to live as His people, from His Kingdom. I can think of no better way to commemorate this than to serve others and try to restore creation to that perfection it once had.

     One of the main critiques of missions has been its ties to colonialism. Missionaries have been perceived as trying to spread American ideals more than the Gospel. Furthermore, this version of the Gospel has been called a highly Americanized version, not always allowing Christianity to become incculturated and to carry the story of the people who convert to it. However, it is important that we allow cultural customs to have a voice in how Christianity is practiced, both for the people we are evangelizing to, but also that we might learn from them, and grow together with them in our understanding of the Lord.

     And so ends my reports on The Other Sheep. It has been a very interesting read. I think of all the things I learned while reading this publication, one of the main lessons has been to not be too quick to judge others and condemn them for their shortcomings (or what are at least currently viewed as short comings). 

     Throughout the publication, there have been many articles that I thoroughly enjoyed, why others left me wondering how such a story could ever be written, much less published, without severe backlash and public outcry. The answer is, of course, that such things were not viewed as wrong in that day. I am sure that when this generation’s exploits are examined in the future, they will wonder similar things about us. Everyone makes mistakes, and it is far easier to identify those mistakes when looking back on them. Instead of judging, we should learn from the past so as to not repeat those same mistakes and to help us identify where we may be going wrong ourselves.

Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

     In the past few issues or The Other Sheep that I have read, more and more of the stories have concerned Christmas. In this issue, there was one story in particular that really struck me. Though I am not sure it has much to do with observing missions in history, it was an excellent reminder of why we send missionaries in the first place.

     In this issue, Elva Bates wrote about the missions efforts in the KaShewula area of Swaziland. She talked about their services and how she hoped they would have a more permanent missionary stationed there, but then went on to discuss her interactions with the children’s Sunday school class. On Christmas Sunday, she asked the class if any of them knew what Christmas was - none of the children did. I do not consider myself an overly sentimental person. Many times people will say that if something does not make you cry, you are cold hearted – I almost never have visible emotional reactions to such things. However, reading this statement absolutely broke my heart.

     The article goes on to mention that they gave gifts to the people there – balls for the children, aprons and handkerchiefs for the women, and ties for the men. Bates mentions that these may be the only gifts those people got for Christmas, but I believe at least those children received something far greater, the knowledge that God loves us enough to come to the world and live among us. In class, we have talked a lot about missions is and what constitutes success. Though the full answer is not this simple, I believe a good starting place for defining success is if those with whom missionaries come in contact leave that encounter with a greater knowledge of God and His insatiable love for us.

Blog Post 12 April 22 2013 September 1969

"Love Can Be Practical"


         Okay, just so everybody knows, I was ten years old in 1969. I am so old! It was refreshing to read an article in The Other Sheep, that actually had a story of missionary work within the United States. Not sure if I missed other articles in the paper on missions in America, but I think this is the first one I have come across. With that said, it is a story about a young college student form North Western Nazarene College, who finds out that a church called Douglas Mexican Church in Arizona disparately needs an overhaul of their church, as in major construction. They talk about how they are going to paint the outside of the church and put new carpet and wood paneling for the indoor project. I remember the days of "wood paneling'" that was the craze of the 60's and 70's. I still see it in some rooms of older churches built around the 70's. It just reminds me of being a kid. So, the Bisbee church of Arizona, is going to help the Douglas church and although I think its good that the construction is needed, I wonder if it was the best way to spend the money. Granted, it was all college students that helped this project and all the work was for free but I wonder where else the money could have been used. As we read in countless articles in The Other Sheep, throughout the years, the money from The Other Sheep was primarily used for over seas missions. Here we find a group project and I suppose it was well worth it, to fix up the Douglas church because the students became really close and had so much fun doing the construction project. They got to sing Christmas carols and also conducted a service at a church too. The supplies, like paint and the "wood paneling" were donated from a company in Oregon too. Businessmen donated air conditioners and other construction articles. I think this article was trying to show us that missions can be in our own back yard.

         Overall, I liked The Other Sheep, it had a tendency to be corny at times and it was always positive in the stories. We got the news in a most positive way, never knowing if the missionaries got along on missions and that there was no arguing among the other missionaries. We never got to hear of the bad stuff that goes on behind the scenes. I think that is due in part of the times in that it was written, In the early days it was an almost make believe America, that "every thing was swell" and "gee Mr.Wilson," type mentality. I would have liked to read more of the personal struggles that went on with the missionaries, especially those who were married and had children over seas. What was it like for them to sacrifice everything to go and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a people who never heard of him before? Therefore, I think that The Other Sheep was necessary for the church of the Nazarene's mission. The newspaper raised a lot of money for the missionaries to go to safe and dangerous countries around the world and it did give us information on how those missionaries were doing. I noticed towards the 1950's and up, the newspaper was getting smaller and that the request for missionary money also dropped significantly. Color photos were used for the covers of each month which I thought was cool too. I enjoyed reading The Other Sheep. Amen!

Blog Post #9 March 25, 2013 September 1954

"There is a Light in the Valley"


        I really enjoyed this story. The story takes place in the Philippine Valley. There is a tribal group called the Igorots and they live in the Philippine Valley, they are known to the people who live around them as pagans. They practice witchcraft, trial marriages, and blood sacrifices. Some of the tribes still go headhunting. They believe if one of their babies dies, they think that ten people should lose their lives. If an adult dies, then it is decided on how many should lose their life based on the decision of the tribe. It doesn't  say who will lose their life but I know that I would not want to be their next door neighbor. The Nazarene missionaries have been witnessing to them and many are becoming believers. This is a good sign, for the tribe who is living in unhealthy living. The Igorots sacrifice pigs for their ancestors and many other animals are used in the celebration. The story goes on to say that, many would hear the message of Jesus and would come to the altar call and give their lives to Christ. The next night more would come. I particularly liked how the person who wrote this story, Frances Vine, described the Igorots. She says, "Our Nazarene chapel is sending out the gospel in an effort to dispel the dense spiritual darkness. At last we are seeing definite results in the salvation of these precious souls." She didn't call them the derogatory word, "heathens" she called them, "precious souls." To me I think that's how we must as Christians approach people who do not believe in Christ and many who are living in darkness, who still practice witchcraft and sacrifices. She uses metaphors to make her point. One man in the tribe prayed and fasted to ask God to come into his life. He prayed all night seeking Him. She said that, "the light broke through," as to mean the light has finally broken through the darkness of the jungle in a spiritual way. I think this story reflects many stories in Dana Roberts book called, Christian Mission, in that many tribes in Africa never heard of the Gospel. IN chapter 6 of her book she writes about how (my favorite missionary) St. Patrick loved the people who he would try to convert. Also in Chapter 6, she writes about a missionary named Bernard Mizeki, and how he converted many Shona tribal people to Christ.

The Ropes of Salvation

Something that has been weighing on my mind as of late is the question, “What good does a missionary do if there are no conversions in his or her career? If there are no conversions, are they actually a missionary at all?” The article I read for the final blog post seems to sum it all up nicely.

               

A farmer was attempting to free his boat from the ice and pull it up onto the shore, but a floating piece of ice hit the boat and carried it and the farmer down the icy stream. A neighbor saw what had happened and instructed everyone in that town to lower a piece of rope over the bridge that crossed the river at intervals of two to three feet, because they did not know where the farmer would pass. When the farmer and his broken boat drew nearer, he grabbed the nearest piece of rope and was pulled to safety. This is what missionary work is like.

               

There are never any guarantees that a missionary’s work will be directly successful. Sometimes it takes a little while for the message to sink in. Take Mr Asuncion for example.

               

Mr Asuncion and his wife had gotten into a bad accident; he had lost one foot and the other foot was badly damaged. He lay in a hospital bed and waited to get better. During that time, a friend of his from the same town came to pray with him. There was the first rope of salvation.

               

The second rope was let down by the author and several friends. They too prayed with the Asuncions because the first prayer had helped so much. After this, many more ropes were lowered, but none taken. Finally, after a long while, Mr Asuncion and his wife came to know Christ, and were ecstatic in their newfound faith.

               

I’ve learned through this project (and class) that missions work is so much more complicated than what it is made out to be. Generally in church services where we have missionaries as guest speakers we get to hear about the conversion rate and the poverty and how even though these poor people suffer so there is eternal hope for them. But that is all that missionary work is. It’s a complex dynamic of organizations working together, a person being so devoted to their cause that they’re willing to give up life and limb for a God they cannot see. Missionaries are ready to face these threats because they know that even one rope lowered can encourage a soul on, or lead him to Jesus right then.

Medical Missions

To begin, this post is not for the faint of heart. If you’re squeamish, don’t read this.

               

In the Wahgi Valley in New Guinea live a people known as the Kudjip. The Kudjip number about one hundred thousand, and six nurses, two medical assistants and several “doktor-boys” are assigned to help them all with their medical care. The doktor-boys run small aid posts through the valley.

               

The first task of these officials is to educate the people in basic health care. The people of the valley apparently love the white bandages the missionaries provide to them, so they will frequently arrive with small sores so they can decorate themselves with the bandages. However, when a person is really ill, they wait until the patient is nearly deceased and then come to the clinic for help. But if the relatives realize the person they brought is unlikely to recover, they won’t let the ill person stay in the clinic, but take him back home where they sacrifice pigs  to appease the evil spirits that are making the person ill. Because of that practice infectious diseases are spread quickly and easily.

               

One of the other problems among the Kudjip people is the lack of hygiene. They don’t use soap and water (which doesn’t sound too bad) but rather cover themselves with pig fat to keep warm.  But they won’t wash off the old and dirty pig fat before applying new. This can lead to all kinds of serious infection, and scabies are common in that area. WARNING: DO NOT GOOGLE SCABIES.

               

Violence is common, and superstition is a way of life. Pregnant women go into the bush and make little houses for themselves where they stay until the child is born. There’s no sterile environment so infantile and maternal mortality rates are high. The tropical climate is rich with malaria and tropical ulcers, and the banana leaves the people use as bandages only help provide a dark, warm, moist environment for bacteria to grow. Without the medical mission work, many more people would still be dying of things that are quick fixes and lives would go to waste.

Some Stay True

In any country where there are different religions, opinions, and beliefs, there are certain pressures to maintain the expected lifestyle of one’s peer group. Breaking the norms of a social group, especially religiously, can have dangerous effects and cause someone in that group to walk away from their newfound faith. In Christian mission, this pattern is exceedingly well known and recognized, as reflected in the article “Some Stay True”.

               

A little boy arrived at the hospital with a possible broken neck from falling out of a tree. Happily, he only had a tender neck and a bump on the head. However, the doctor recognized the little boy’s mother. Her name was Christina.

              

The doctor was working when Christina was brought into the hospital, just having delivered and with many injuries. She is described as “a heathen woman, dirty, unkempt, with witch doctor cuts crisscrossing her abdomen, red mud all over her, vomiting profusely the black, sickening medicine concocted of roots, crushed beetles, and what not, that the witch doctor had given her…” Her condition declined rapidly and the doctors and nurses didn’t know what to do for her except put her on an IV and pray. Then they began to operate.

I’ll spare you the gruesome details because it gets gross and I don’t know how many of you have tender tummies. But she pulled through the surgery, and after several days of uncertainty, the woman began to recover. A week later she told the doctor, with tears in her eyes, that she had chosen Christ and she knew her sins were forgiven. She then chose her new name; Christina.

               

She had remained a Christian in this place of witch doctors and magic and superstition for eight long years and was still growing strong. Christina appears to be the perfect example of the influence that medical missions can have on individuals, and how some Christians make a true life-long commitment to Christ.

Miracles

To have faith as small as a mustard seed is to be able to do anything through God who gives a person strength. This includes performing miracles, something which was once common. Nowadays, things are different and it’s not as common to see a miracle.

So then, what is a miracle? Simply stated, it’s a “surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine”. When speaking about miracles, it is mostly medical miracles with think of and from that definition, the question can be asked, “Why don’t we experience miracles anymore?” Perhaps it is because we know so much about the human body we take modern medicine for granted.

For example, there was a story in the “Notes and Quotes” section that talks about answered prayer requests. The one answer to prayer that struck me was about Mrs Elvin Douglass. Mrs Douglass was pregnant and she had an Rh negative blood type, meaning the makeup of her blood is absent of the Rh antigen. Without getting too scientific and geeky, having an Rh negative blood type can potentially kill the mother if the child is Rh positive. Luckily, Mrs Douglass and her child survived and were both in good health. It was stressed that Samuel Francis Douglass was born “perfectly normal and healthy in every way.”

Today, we have certain medicines that prevent death due to Rh negative blood. It is a commonplace practice to utilize these drugs now, and we just call that science. Does that mean that a miracle does not occur, or do we just call that something else? I believe that miracles still occur because we have those things now that make medicinal practices so much safer.

Backstory

Often in these blogs there is a bit of the story missing. This includes essential details to the understanding of the story, like the background as to where certain people came from or the outcome of the narrative.

Considering context in a reflection of a passage is extremely important, and this article we see mostly backstory, expressed in two biographies.

The article tells of two young men who became reverends through the mission in Gazaland, Portuguese East Africa. The first of the two was named Simon Machava, who is described as “one of the wisest, most sincere and godly men” in the mission. He brought many people to the Lord in his time as pastor and teacher, and he was instrumental in leading his heathen mother to God. He has made himself a very influential and important part of his community.

The second man is Timothy Mucavele, whose tale parallels that of Joseph in the bible. In that part of Africa it was required that natives carry certain forms of identification, but Timothy forgot to take his tax receipt and pass with him when he went out. When he was asked for it and couldn’t provide it, the police arrested him and sent him to work for a Portuguese farmer. This farmer didn’t like Timothy’s upbeat attitude and constant praises to God, so the farmer gave him difficult work to do. This didn’t stop Timothy from worshipping his God. Soon the farmer asked Timothy to explain why he was so happy all the time, and after Timothy gave his testimony the man made him overseer of all the natives in that section of the plantation, a position Timothy held until the end of his six-month sentence.

These two men had powerful stories that the author thought it would be important to share. Because of the information on the two new reverends, we can see that the placing of certain responsibilities on their shoulders was not done without thought. It was also nice to see more than just a simple announcement of someone becoming a pastor in Africa, and that in fact the context of these stories was just as important as the stories themselves.

Finally

Four months of a class is so much longer than it seems.  It does not matter whether the class is boring or interesting, heavy or light, early morning or late afternoon: I am always amazed by what I have learned when I get to the end of a course.  This one is no different.  Of course, this topic happens to be the intersection of my two great academic interests, which certainly lends itself to an easy absorption, but I feel like I have a strong footing in Nazarene mission history. 

That being said, I almost laughed out loud when I came across the article I’m blogging about today.  For much of this class, the underlying question has been that of how missionaries are really supposed to work in the ever-evolving world.  We understand that Christianity is not our religion that we are bringing to them, it is a global religion that is owned by everyone who wants a piece.  We have also discussed topics like the merits (or lack thereof) of intentional living without direct evangelization.  So, it was pretty hilarious to me to come across an article (a “Guest Editorial” by the Administrative Assistant of the Department of World Missions) that basically says everything we (or maybe I) have drawn conclusions on (like sometimes building relationships is more important than making converts, or intentional living is just as much missionary work as preaching) are completely wrong. 

This author lays out three questions in which he sets up factors in missionary work that I believe are not diametrically opposed- you can have both exist at the same time.  However, because of the way he sets up, there is no room for both to be victors.  This is rather problematic.  The three “battles” are:

1.Dialogue vs. Conversion: Apparently, “Dialoguers” believe that simply building relationships is the best way to be a missionary.  On the other hand, those interested in conversion are actually good missionaries who want to save souls. 

Come on guys!  We can dialogue and convert!  These two are not mutually exclusive!

2. Presence vs. Proclamation: So, presence is the idea of living a Christian lifestyle among non-Christians.  Proclamation is formal preaching.

Shouldn’t we be able to be present in a way that “proclaims” our faith?  Yeah. I think we can.  And if you’re chosen to be a missionary in this way, your mission work shouldn’t be discounted.

3. Humanization vs. Redemption: Humanization, the author claims, is freeing people from the terrible oppression too often faced by our brothers and sisters (famine, poverty, under-education).  Redemption is, in a short description, “getting right with God.”

Again I say, can’t we do all of these things?  They are not mutually exclusive, and, indeed, I think they are all mandated to us. 

This was an interesting last issue to be able to examine.  It was good to be able to think critically about the kinds of issues and still see them from a perspective of 40 years ago.  In the 70’s, missionary practices were really beginning to swing around thanks to a developing consciousness of the effects of colonization as well as the effects of globalization.  These ideas have only continued to develop and refine themselves into the missionary practices we see in use today. 

Imperfect People Serving an Imperfect World

     The March 1970 issue of the Other Sheep was by far my favorite to read! It was not only because it now had color photos or an updated format, but it was because the writing style and themes were different too! When reading all of the other issues, I got the impression that the missionaries were talking about what they did for the people in the country they were serving, but not what they people did for them or taught them. I think that learning from the people you serve is so important; it cannot be just a one way relationship. One article I particularly like was called "What Africa has done for me" and it went as follows:

   

                  I came to Africa to teach, but I have been taught in return. I came

                  to lead, but I have been led. I came to Africa to show, but I have 

                  been shown. I came to Africa to give, but I have been given to. Africa

                  has given me a greater appreciation for my Church heritage. Africa has             

                  taught me that life is more than "meat and drink". Africa has shown me the 

                  resilience of human spirit. Africa has shown me that the church is more 

                  than brick and mortar.  Africa has illustrated to me that the Christian faith is  

                  related to every aspect of life. Africa has proven the power of simple faith.

                  Africa has shown me the real meaning of self-sacrifice. 

     I really liked this part because if a missionary does not learn just as much, if not more, from the people they are serving than they are teaching the people, something is wrong. The second part of this article I thought was very interesting was a section called "Missionaries are Fools".  This article was about a conversation between a missionary and a person from area where the missionary was trying to witness. All I have to say is that this guy had a lot of courage to say this to the missionary's face. I think they the man actually made a valid point. The man called the missionaries fools because they go in and try to teach these people who have never even heard about Jesus before, and after the service expect them to remember and understand everything they said. He said "You are fools because you gave them no literature to explain your religion, to help them understand what you are talking about." He went on to say that "you Christians" have been there for 100 years and have converted very few people to "your Christ". He said that "we Communists" referring to himself I am assuming have been there for only 10 years and yet there is not one person in that country that had not heard of Communism. When I was reading this I was like, "Wow this guy really let this missionary told him how he thought it was". I am not fully agreeing with this man, but I think he did raise important issues. Missionaries, though they will never be perfect, must be aware of the need of the people around them. Making sure that when they preach the Gospel, they have hand outs as well for them to look at on their own. 

     As I conclude my last blog post, I just wanted to say that I have learned that missionaries no matter how much they prepare, will never be perfect. They will not always say the right things, make the right choices, or preach so that thousands receive salvation. I have learned that being a missionary takes patience and a humble heart. One must able to be flexible and willing to learn from their mistakes. Though we are imperfect people serving an imperfect world, if we trust in God to lead us and guide us, we will become better Christians and servants of God and others.       

                            

A Cinderella Story

It reads like a fairytale. I suppose that makes sense as it is the boys and girls page of the January 1969 edition of The Other Sheep. The parallels between the story of Joyce and Cinderella are amazing. Enter a young girl, described as beautiful, however home is not a wonderful place. Instead of an evil step-mom and sisters, she has two parents who run an illegal gambling and alcohol business from their home. Joyce is sent on errands in the dark of night, similar to the many demands placed on Cinderella. When home she retreats to her room, curls up in bed and falls asleep. Though she's not sleeping in front of the fire place, the picture is the same as the one painted of Cinderella. Things are not going well. Enter the beautiful, white carriage, or, in Joyce's case, the beautiful, white tent. There, she hears about Jesus. This grand tent doesn't leave, and Joyce keeps going back. Suddenly, her father, too, comes to these events. His life is changed; he repents and begins living his life for Jesus. Joyce's life begins to change, however, the story is not over, for Prince Charming has yet to come. Joyce continues to seek the Lord, and just as Cinderella was given glass slippers and a chance to go to the ball, Joyce is given a scholarship and an opportunity to attend a Nazarene College. There she meets her prince, but instead of dancing off into the moonlight to become a Prince and Princess, they marry and go on to become pastors of a Nazarene church in Africa, where they live happily ever after. This is the grand Nazarene fairytale of Joyce, and it is one that slightly makes me chuckle.
Throughout this entire experience of reading, The Other Sheep, there are times when I've questioned the reality of the stories. How romanticized are they? The question that then follows, is how much can these missionaries romanticize their experiences before they harm their message? After all, the story of Joyce is intriguing and at the same time paints a beautiful depiction of the redemption power of Christ. However, not all girls in Africa will see that restoration in their families, and if they do, certainly not all of them will go off to college, meet a boy and become a smiling pastor's wife. With the way this story unfolds, it almost seems as if this happy ending is a thing belonging only to Nazarene fairytales. Will the impression become that Jesus only saves characters in stories? Or is telling stories in such a way helpful in presenting the gospel?
This blog is supposed to be somewhat of a conclusion. We have worked through The Other Sheep, following various missionaries, getting caught up in their stories. Over time the areas of work have expanded, the look of the magazine has changed, the language has become less offensive. However, something has remained the same. They keep telling stories. Stories are powerful. They move people. Yes, sometimes the fairytale method of telling these stories seems a bit silly, but why do we tell fairytales? We don't simply tell them to entertain people; they have lessons behind them. Jesus told stories too. When people questioned Him, He answered with stories. The missionaries in this magazine have shown the importance of story, as they speak of taking time to step into the stories of others, and be with them. Yes, it is important to balance a fairytale like story with lessons of truth. Following Christ is not easy, being a missionary is difficult, but when one chooses to do so, they are entering God's story. So maybe as missionaries we need to keep telling stories that people may then enter into God's great story.

September 1959 The Year I was born

It seems that 1959 was such along time ago! Actually it was 54 years ago, I know this because that is the year I was born. Wow! I am getting old. So reading through, "The Other Sheep" I was excited to see what was going on in the year 1959, you can obviously see my bias for this year. I noticed how short the newspaper was getting, and that the cover page was in color. The articles were not as frequent as in other issues. I think this happened because subscribers were watching TV, and reading larger newspaper that had access to more information, so less people were relying on, "The Other Sheep" as their only source of what was going on in the world. I liked this article because it showed even with the technology of that time, people in Africa were still very poor. A woman was pregnant and members of the tribe had walked a very long distance to seek help from the missionaries. It was late at night and the missionary had a truck, the missionaries names were Mr. and Mrs. G. H.Pope. They drove back to the village only to find out that the baby had already been born. It was premature, Mr. Pope drove the couple to a hospital near by. However the baby died. The last paragraph though struck me as kind of odd that they would call these people this word. on page 11 it says, "We were saddened a few days later to learn that the little one didn't make it after all, but we were glad that we had done our best to get the mother and child to the hospital. It was just a small part of out Christian witness. One more heathen family has felt the warmth of Christian friendship." It goes on to say that hopefully they will receive our message of Christ and become our friends. I would not want to be friends if I knew they were calling me a heathen. The word "heathen" sounds so criminal, doesn't it? I know that it means a lack of knowledge or believing in God. It could also mean that they are uncivilized and enlightened. I think in 1959 the choices in how they called unbelievers should have been considered, and that a new framework on what to call believers would of been better.

Could You Spare a Little Donkey Milk? What?

September 1964

I thought I heard of everything there is to know considering my age. Well, maybe not everything. I did not know that donkeys have milk. What did you say Ronan? Yes, I said that donkeys have donkey milk. I suppose it makes sense because this donkey in the story had a baby donkey. Fernando is a young kid from Chile and is trying to figure out how to make some money for his "Alabaster Box" I did not know what that was either so I had to look that up. An Alabaster Box can be used to put money in it and give the money to the church or the poor. He thinks up the idea for people to give money to him for a cup of donkey milk. Its 1964, didn't they have soda or something? Wasn't Mountain Dew around then? He asks his father for permission to sell the donkey milk to the neighborhood. Some woman gave him fifteen cents for a little cup of donkey milk. It says in the article that soon the whole street was drinking the donkey milk. One big happy family! Okay, the part I laugh about is the fact that Fernando would walk down the street and people would actually be waiting for him to milk the donkey and then give the person the donkey milk to drink. Its donkey milk people. I know Fernando was trying to fill up his Alabaster Box for God, and he was doing a great mission. I just can’t get the image of people waiting for Fernando to milk a nasty donkey, and then serve them this delicious drink. Of course Fernando was doing an admirable thing and in fact at the end of the story he not only fills one Alabaster Box but he fills three Alabaster boxes. How cool is that? He marched down the center aisle and presented the three boxes to the pastor at his church one Sunday afternoon. Got Donkey Milk?

A Personal Gospel

"You will never really reach them until you do it in their own language."

As I read the January 1964 edition of The Other Sheep, I was struck by this quote. Spoken by an anthropologist to a missionary couple, this quote completely altered the missionary practices of these particular missionaries. Instead of ministering solely through English they began to learn the language of the people and called on indigenous Christians to become the primary speakers. They invested in audio recording in the people's own language. They began to allow the gospel to speak to the people in the way they spoke to each other. In doing all of this, these missionaries made the gospel more personal.
This may seem straight-forward, obviously you need to use the people's native language to reach them. However, it is easy to simply seek to minister in English, especially today where almost everyone speaks at least some English. However, the gospel was never meant to be contained within a particular culture. Preaching in English in a community where deep, personal conversations take place in a different language separates Christianity from the personal. That is not the nature of Christianity. Jesus did not come to form an elite religious group that people can admire from afar. Jesus came to mend the relationship between God and His people. Jesus died that we might draw near to God. Christianity is meant to be personal. How can we communicate that with others if we do not bring the gospel into the personal spheres of their lives? The missionaries in this article realized this, they saw that though the people may have understood English, when they were in their homes speaking to each other, they spoke another language. Instead of pushing the matter and continuing to preach in English, as that is all they knew, they humbled themselves. They asked people in the community for help, realizing that God speaks more than English.
I realize that this blog is for a history class, but the theology presented in this article is something I cannot ignore. One of the most beautiful aspects of Christianity is that it is a relationship. That the God of the universe desires to be intimately involved in the lives of the people He created is incredible. We cannot take that aspect of Christianity away from people. If we are to invite people to embrace this relationship, than we need to step into their personal lives. We need to embrace their languages, we need to step into their hurt, we need to enter those places that are so culturally foreign to us, understanding that God transcends culture and that His gospel is meant for all.

Changes in the Other Sheep

The issue of "The Other Sheep" I read today was very.... underwhelming to be honest! There were no super crazy stories, or any incredible missionary updates. One huge difference that I saw in this monthly issue was the format! I know I mentioned this last blog post, but it has changed even more so since the last issue! Now there are lists of the missionaries birthdays, and 10 question quizzes about your local church (fun stuff, right?!) There are also many more pictures: pictures of the missionaries themselves, their kids, their churches, and the other workers that help the missions run. There is the missionary children's page which is dedicated to showing pictures of the missionary's children, and a "Meet your missionaries" page which told the story from the missionary couples on how they met and about their callings. There was a prayer chart with lists of prayer requests from different parts of the world, and lists of answered prayers to give updates to those who had been praying. Lastly there was a page called "The Honor Page" with a first prize ribbon in the corner of the picture. This page was to "give special recognition to churches on our mission district which have achieved the honor of full self support". Lastly, there was a Juniors Page separate from the childrens page to be able to reach the older children.One thing I did notice is that in two of these articles it talked about a woman pastor and  a woman missions president! I had not seen that very much in the earlier articles, and was happy to see that in this issue! One article talked about a "lady pastor" and how well she was doing in Guatemala, and about Mrs Gordon T Olsen who was the President of the Nazarene World Missions Society. I think it has been really cool to see how much the style of the issues has changed! It has become much more interesting to read!

Conviction and Manipulation

The question of “calling” has been on my mind a lot lately.  What exactly is a call?  What if you don’t feel called?  Can you still serve in ministry?  Can you be guilted or manipulated into feeling a call?  What happens if you get “talked into” a call? 

It was particularly interesting, then, that this issue of The Other Sheep featured (on its very first page!) an article titled “Needed—Doctors!”  It, basically, was an article for recruiting.  It used language meant to entice young doctors into the mission field because “A healing ministry was such an integral part of [Jesus’] redemptive program.”  Now any good Nazarene would see that as some pretty strong language.  I am sure that this article was not written in order to guilt, but rather to “convict” (which we all know is really just a fancy Christian word for guilt) medical professionals. 

My problem is that I was so “convicted” by this article that I seriously thought “Wow! I should have become a doctor!”  While it would be super awesome to carry the skill set necessary to become a doctor-- that certainly is not in my gifting!  I think this is a problem because sometimes we ask people to fit into molds they cannot fit into and then say that they are not really needed on the field. 

Is any of this making any sense, or is it too tangential?  Maybe if I clairify my main points (with bullets!), I can save this blog post.

• Manipulation into a call isn’t a good way to do things
• Sometimes literature like this can seem manipulative
• Many people who are called don’t fit into traditional missionary molds
• We should respect everyone and love Jesus!

Okay, that last one I threw in for fun because it’s true.

This was a mess, but it’s a part of a bigger dialogue going on in my life right now, so you’re all just going to have to deal.

Not so Silent Night

In our readings for class, we have been going through Dana Roberts’ Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion. One section of this book is devoted to a list of criticisms about missions. Much of this section was devoted to the subject of colonialism, including intellectual colonialism - which is when a group of people wishes to change a foreign cultural practice to be similar to that of their own country.

In reading this issue of The Other Sheep, we were asked to pay attention to any times when such criticisms were either being demonstrated or shown not to be accurate. Unfortunately, as I was reading, the one article that blatantly stuck out to me was a confirmation that these critiques have merit. One article, about a group of missionaries in Cuba at Christmas time, seemed to suggest that the author did not understand the culture and disproved of any other way of celebrating the holiday than her own.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve. The author’s family was attempting to sleep, but was kept awake by the noise from the house next door. Cubans, like many Latin Americans, begin Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve, anticipating midnight – the traditional time of Christ’s birth. That switch to Christmas Day is the focal point of the party, followed by a few more hours of celebrating prior to sleep. However, the author was saddened at the thought that here it was Christmas, and all these people would still be asleep come daybreak. Admittedly, part of her issue, was with the drinking that invariably went on during these parties, but the alcohol is by no means the point of the celebration. Even so, she seemed focused on the party as a whole in her musings on its regrettableness.

In doing missionary work, I believe it is important not to condemn cultural practices without first understanding the meaning behind them. Though Christians should certainly speak out against sin, there are times when things might not be what we thought. On the other hand, learning and participating in cultural practices that are not un-Biblical, may enable us to better communicate with and reach the people of that culture.

Non-American Nazarene Missions

I was excited as I began reading the December 1950 issue of The Other Sheep, to notice - for the first time in this publication – a mention of a non-North American missionary. One of the missionaries to Guatemala wrote about a recent preachers’ retreat, at which the guest speaker was another missionary from Greece. I found it quite interesting to read about this man and see how non-North American missionaries were perceived by their American peers.

Rev. S. D. Athans had apparently been in the ministry for forty years prior to this retreat, and had spent much of this time among Spanish-speaking people. He had even previously been to the area twenty-seven tears prior. Throughout the article, his ability to speak Spanish and the way he chose to translate both his message and the songs they sang were highly praised. He had been asked to speak, at least in part, due to his knowledge of the language, as they did not wish to use a translator; however, by the time these meetings were done, the article’s author found Rev. Athans’ use of Spanish to be greater than any “poetic charm.”

As the article went on, I learned that this man was an excellent preacher, whose sermons were “meaty” and noticeably of the Spirit. He was also reported to have excelled at choosing songs, which were called an inspiration. One of his times of teaching was even on the use of sacred music. However, the thing that really struck the author was the man’s personality. He was said to be excellent with children, even gathering a group of children at the airport and teaching them a song and John 3:16 while waiting for his plane home.

Though the article was not long, I was very glad to see a beginning of non-North American missionaries being mentioned in this publication. I have previously mentioned on this blog that some of the earlier missionaries had expressed doubt that other peoples could govern themselves spiritually. While I realize that this man was European, the recognition of missionaries from any other location seems to me as though that lack of trust in other people’s abilities may have been starting to dissipate.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always harm me

Language.  Words.  These are things that never really dominated our discussions in class, but that always worked as a kind of behind-the-scenes agent.  We have, obviously, decried the use of words like “heathen” in favor of terms like “unreached peoples.”  This is in effort not only to put away the language of the civilizing mission, but also to cleanse ourselves of any wrong done previously.

I suppose I had always assumed that by the 1950’s we were done with that kind of language.  By the 1960s, surely, we had put it away.  That was the era of civil rights!  Feminism was around the corner.  Didn’t Americans know better by then?  Weren’t mission practices (and, by sheer association, mission terms) evolving?  Hadn’t those things been fixed?

Apparently not.  This is the one entry where I have been directly told that if I needed direction it would be best to write about Africa (or somewhere else—I can’t remember right now), but the choice remains ours.  This is also the one time where I will not be writing about Africa, but I will, instead, be looking at the language of this issue as a whole.  Of course, the caveat should be made that “the past is a foreign country—people do things differently there.”  The language used was conceived of in a time before the idea of political correctness existed.  However, this exercise is intended largely to examine past missionary practices in a critical light, so that is what I intend to do.

The first bit I will take is from the “Juniors” page.  The missionaries are writing from their children’s perspectives when they say, “There are many little Haitian boys and girls who come to our church.  We feel very sorry for them because they do not have very much.”  The idea that children care so deeply about the material possessions of their friends is odd.  I doubt that their very young (from the picture, none of the missionary children look above the age of seven) children take much note that their friends do not have good shoes.  The adults feeling sorry for these children?  I would believe it.  Children inspire a special kind of sympathy.  However, the idea that the missionary kids feel bad for them?  It gives the article an unintended tint of uppityness.  After all, if children cannot ignore differences among each other, who can?

I’m already running long here, so I will only take one more example from this issue.  The word heathen is used in an article written by a South African missionary.  I guess this is what really grabbed me and told me to write this.  I mean, it was the early 60s!  This was no time of great colonialism!  And still!  This word was used.  It honestly is very hard for me to believe.  I’m very interested to know at what point the word was really dropped out of (at least official) usage in proper publications such as this one. 

There are several more examples of language that could easily be considered “harmful” in this issue, but I am severely restricted in length, so they will have to be left out.  Language is such an important part of human communication, it is surprising to me that it was not understood to be possibly counterproductive until so recently.