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Staff Reports
Reports of recent Trips and Work by Godspeed Missionary Care
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Staff Missionary Reports
Reports and Experiences of the Godspeed Staff
" - and seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind
was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He
came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass
by them - "
Mark 6:48
Dear Friends of Godspeed
Going where Jesus had sent them - the disciples found
themselves working to maintain way against a strong headwind -
it was dark, and they were tired.
Been there? Rowed that? I have felt on occasion over these
past six months that while the directions were clear, the work
was wearying and the blisters were building. We can identify
with those disciples, and with the many missionaries we see
who themselves are buffeted about as they obey Christ's
directions for their lives.
Our own most recent voyage to the other side of the lake
began this past March, when we found that we would have to
move from the parsonage we had been allowed to call home for
the previous six months. God provided a house for us in a
small town near the Chesapeake Bay, but the actual move had
to be sandwiched in between previously planned trips to Moscow
and South Africa in March through early April.
Multiple opportunities to speak to churches and organizations
filled up the rest of April, while May found me in New Orleans
(annual meeting of the Christian Medical Association
Psychiatry Section), both of us in Texas (family visit), and
then to Kiev and Yalta, where we were to deliver seminars to
two groups of Ukrainian missionaries. Due to a death in her
family, Karen had to return home almost immediately after we
arrived in Kiev, leaving both of us far apart and dealing with
tasks separately that we best could have dealt with together.
Once reunited in early June, we had two consecutive trips to
Ohio followed by a trip to Indiana to speak at a reunion
conference for more than 500 missionaries. July saw us back
in Texas, then to Atlanta, then to Indiana once again. We
are now home, and finally accomplishing those unpacking and
arranging duties that transform a house into a home.
In the midst of all of the going and rowing described above,
it was also decided that we should relocate the Godspeed
Missionary Care office. Pending finding larger space to
allow room for an increase in our administrative and clinical
staff, we felt it most practical to move the office to our home.
With the help of Nehemiahian
Ministries (they provide construction, design, and
renovation services for missionary facilities) we were
able to finish out office space next to our home. Although
the location is new, our office phone numbers and mailing
address are unchanged.
And just where was Jesus while all of this was going on?
Unaware? Certainly not! Just as in the passage in Mark, He
was watching our journey, even in the darkest hours of the
night. The "fourth watch" speaks of those early morning hours
from 3 to 6 a.m. Jesus did not sleep, did not rest after His
time on the mountain in prayer; He was observant of the
disciples' situation in the boat, just as He is aware of
ours. Then comes that most interesting phrase: "He intended
to pass by them" J.B. Phillips translates it nautically:
"intending to come alongside", but all other translations make
it clear that Christ purposed to go past the disciples' boat.
Even though Christ was aware of their situation and
intentionally went toward them, He did not go to them. Why?
Why not go and give them supernatural strength to row on?
It seems that there are times when God's answer to our
struggles is to reveal who He is, to let us see more of His
power. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on water, would
they not think, "If the One we serve has this much power, then
we should have no fear, if we are where He has told us to
be!" Yet, their response was not reassurance, but terror, as
they did not recognize Him. Their "hearts were hardened" as
they were more caught up with what they were going through
than Who was directing them, watching them, and revealing
Himself to them.
The past six months have provided the joy of seeing God at
work in so many people, in so many places. Yet, I too have on
occasion become so absorbed in the immediate situation that I
have missed seeing God at work. I have often been frightened,
confused, discouraged, and have had doubts, in spite of being
in situations where God was revealing Himself. But He has been
gracious, and has come and calmed the storm time and time
again, even when I have been so caught up in the circumstance
that I did not recognize Him. It is my prayer that I will be
more aware of Him, of His power, and of His presence.
For those of you who might not have received reports about our
fieldwork, many of them are available on our web site,
www.missionarycare.org,
under the
Reports from the Field section. We thank God for His working
through our web page to allow the dissemination of information
to so many; the Godspeed web site is now averaging 60,000 "hits"
per year, and Evangelical Missions Quarterly listed it as a recommended
site for missionary medical and counseling information. You
can also find out about our schedule and other important current
information on the "Mission Alert" section of our site.
Speaking of schedule, our next several months are less hectic,
although we will be busy:
- September 19-24: Montgomery, AL; Frazer Memorial UMC
Annual Missions Conference
- October, dates tentative: Bogota, Colombia; we have
been asked to visit missionary families working in
that beautiful but troubled country
- November 19-28: Singapore and Malaysia: Working with
several groups of missionaries and pastors serving the
Indian population in those countries
- December 1-5: Waxhaw, NC; Annual PTM conference of
Barnabas International
Our praises are many, our needs few. Karen and I are very
grateful for those of you who have joined with us in the
Godspeed boat, and are tugging on the oars alongside the
Godspeed staff. And we are very thankful to God for all those
He has allowed us to meet and serve on the various shores
where He has sent us. We covet your prayers for us, and for
them.
Godspeed,
Barney, for Karen & the Godspeed Team
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