Europe 2

I called my friend Josh last night and chatted with him for a long time about missions in Europe specifically Western Europe.  There are more Christians in Congo then in all of Western Europe.  I found this interesting because so many people seem to want to go to Africa on mission trips when that really is not where the plentiful amount of the harvest is.  I am not saying some are not called to Africa, but it is something to really be prayed through- are we just sending and going there because they are cute people and respond well to us?  In Italy for example (which would be a sweet place to be a missionary haha) there are 60 million people.  Of those, only 250,000 are evangelical and of that number 150,000 are immigrants (we don’t even know how many of these are actually Christians as with all statistics) so do the math that is .17% of Italians are Christians.  We flood the country for spaghetti and site seeing yet Josh only crossed paths with 26 missionaries in the entire country.  Every country is different like Germany for example has more Christians, but Spain, France, and England are very similar to Italy.

            Building relationships is the key to a successful ministry in European missions; making most callings not a short-term calling.  There are two major barriers for the missionaries and just believers period in Europe.  It is not so much the lack of missionaries, but just the extreme rebellion against organized religion.  Most young Europeans think all religion is like the Catholic Church and seeing how corrupt the church has gotten, want nothing to do with it.  Another major barrier is like America they are primarily very well off and do not see their need for a Savior.  “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”  Revelation 3:17 I am praying so hard for the nations of Europe along with America that we would all set our minds on things in the light of eternity and live for what really matters.  See the emptiness and nakedness that we are in with out Christ.

            I think for the 3^rd graders I will have a slide show with maps and pictures and try to creatively present the information to them! I am going to make cut outs of each country of Europe and write on it the percentage of Christians in the country and attach candy and challenge them to pray for their country.  I will let you know how this all goes! J 

            I went to the passages exhibit today and was blown away! It was so cool to see how sovereign God has been in getting the Bible into our hands today.  I am so much more thankful for every precious word I read out of it now.  What a gift from such a loving father!  I was mesmerized at the end, when they had an electronic map that would light up somewhere in the world that the Bible app was being downloaded.  It had a counter that like our national debt continuously climbed in the amount of times the Bible had been downloaded.  This was a much more encouraging growth! lol I sat a watched it for a long time and Vivian pointed out that Asia never ever lit up.  This broke my heart as I looked at the literal darkness over the large area.  I guess somebody is going to have to take them this light to them! J hehe

            Bible study has been going really well.  We have been going through 1 John and exploring many questions with them.  I find so much encouragement from the positive outcomes every week.  It goes to show how faithful God is when we are faithful to step out boldly to do what he has called me to do.  I do not want them to feel like a project and have been so excited that most of the girls have been coming to another Bible study I do every Friday morning for all high school girls!

            I am feeling very called to go to Kazakhstan sometime in the future.  I have a little cousin from there and have done a report on them once and lately I have been waking up with the nation on my heart.  I have sent out for some contacts in the country and have a couple of people I plan on interviewing with respect to that area – my aunt, uncle, and a cousin- who have all been, a missionary (if I can find one), and AJ Kalmykov who was a missionary in Russia which is very similar to Kazakhstan.  

Europe

            The missionaries of Calcutta are showing me more and more the importance of living the life of the people you are trying to minister to.  They live the lives of the poor like in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  They chose poverty because they realized that their lives were nothing and “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,” as Paul would word it.  I remember hearing how important it is to have a job as a platform on the mission field like Paul was a tent maker because first off we can support ourselves and second off we earn the respect of the people.  The more submerged missionaries get into the culture, the more people will respect us.  If you sit around all day while everybody is at work they might wonder why you are in their country and maybe even find out you are a missionary and thus close their ears to what you have to say.  We have to just go in and love on and build relationships with the people.  In my opinion, we must understand their lives before we can fully do this.  If we are tired from a long day at work, that is one more thing to relate with each other about.  If we plant our lives in their country- especially if we raise our kids the and just do life they will see we are here to stay and we have more of a chance of them listening to the good news we have to tell them.  

            This week I skyped with a friend named Cristina who lives in Rome, Italy, and is Australian and Italian.  She is a new believer and is so so on fire for Jesus! Here whole life is a crazy mission trip all over the place and she is kind of a hippy haha She has the most awesome testimony and is a very precious friend to me! I talked to her a lot about the 3^rd grade thing I am doing and she had a ton of great insight for me.  She is going to skype the kids for the Australian week!  She filled me in on the spiritual climate of Europe, and then I will call my friend Josh for information on the missionaries and need for missionaries in Europe.  Josh is currently in Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, but has done lots of mission work and just finished the two-year Journeyman program with the largest mission organization in the world – International Baptist Mission Board. (IBM)  He spent his two years of ministry in Rome, and actually was the one to lead Cristina to Christ. J He has a huge heart for and has studied Europe especially Western Europe a lot.  I know that they really lack guy missionaries in the whole world, but specifically in Europe.  Both of my friends have been all over Europe so they are great resources.  I have talked with him about it all a lot before, but this time I am going to actually write it down so I can talk with the 3^rd graders about it.  I am going to concentrate on those two things- the spiritual climate and missionaries in Europe and try not to use a whole lot of numbers and boringness.  I am looking for creative ways to present the information.

            Christianity- primarily Catholic is on the fall in all of Europe.  I read on the Internet about this 39 year old in Ireland who said he doesn’t know anybody that goes to church.  The trend of going to mass on Sundays continues, but it is basically just the age group of 60 and above and will soon literally die off.  These mega, old, beautiful churches are becoming more and more empty.  My friend Cristina says the only reason the ones that do go, go is to be saved like a check off the list.  They very much have a work for salvation mindset.  They need to realize that Jesus is the only way to heaven!  They also do not read the Bible and believe it can only be interpreted by the priests which is not Biblical- it is much better for us to read it on our own.  They tend to focus too much on things that aren’t Jesus and worship a lot of idols like saints- Peter and then absolutely love and pray to Mary.  She was an awesome woman because of her faith, but they think she is because her son died for our sins’ and thus she should be praised.  Cristina passionately pointed out that lots of people have lost their sons, hers just happened to be the Son of God!  And he came back from the grave so she has it easier then a lot of strong mothers whom lose their sons!  The younger generation rebels against religion because they don’t want to live by rules and there is a strong spiritual oppression. Cristina being Italian has obviously spent more time in Western Europe, but had some to say about Eastern Europe also.  They have bigger communities of Protestants than Western Europe does, but still mainly Catholic with all the same problems. 

An update for all you academic people reading my blog...

I just want you guys to have an update on some other stuff I am doing related to this study so here ya go.. J

            The third graders at my school learn about culture and all the different continents through the year.  On Friday I met with the third grade teachers to talk about teaching their students about different missionaries, mission organizations, and whatever else I come across for each continent they learn about.  The first continent is Europe so I am excited to look into that and see what I am going to teach and how I will present the information to the kids- presentation, skype a missionary, field trip, game… 

            I have been doing a Bible study once a week with International students at my school and it has been a crazy learning experience.  These six girls, one Chinese and five Koreans, come from completely different backgrounds then all the other students at OCS.  This summer God gave me a heart and discernment for them and how much they need a safe place just to ask simple questions.  They come from atheist families and are thrown into the palace of the Bible belt with a bunch of kids who know all the answers and a lot of hypocrisy and they just don’t get it.  Their parents have lived their entire lives with out God and are completely fine, so why do they need God?  I have been shocked with questions nobody has answered for them.  One girl is here for her 4^th year and I think more than 5^th year in the U.S. asked me- “What is sin?” and “People say ‘Jesus loves you!’ but what does that even mean?”  I cannot believe nobody has answered these questions for her yet.  I have been going through 1 John with them and going all over the Bible from there.  I have been showing them simple verses that we can sadly get sick of hearing but they are new to them! They answer so many questions for them. I feel like Moses in being unequipped and unworthy for the task, but I am just following God and trying to be like Mother Teresa - a pencil in God’s hand in doing what he has called me to do.  I am “finding my Calcutta.”  God has brought the nations to me and they are hungry.  Someday, God willing, I will go to them, but for now I thank God every day for the different mission fields in my life and especially this one.

            I paid my deposit last night for a trip to Ecuador this spring.  I am excited for more chances to share the gospel and to experience a new culture. Some juniors and seniors from my church are going to go down there and do a beach week camp like we go to every summer.  We are doing ours for three church youth groups of different towns in Ecuador. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the Ecuadorians my team, and myself.

            I made an awesome contact today!  Her name is Vanessa Najera. The missions department at my church hired her to help point 12-28 years old girls who feel called to missions find where God might be leading them, aka me! J I met with her today and we talked for hours about our testimonies and calls to missions.  She is already so much help! I am so thankful she is in my life.  She works right next door to OCS at HHBC and is excited to help with this study, my Bible studies, and figuring out where God is calling me- college, degree, country… She just graduated from OU and was very involved in the International community and also has contacts of Jesus lovers at Colorado University which are the two colleges I am praying about so she will be so much help! I cannot get over how I excited I am about her.

            I am still working through Finding Calcutta and hope to finish it soon.  I will blog more later about that book! J

Clay in the Potter’s Hand - Jeremiah 18

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day…” Acts 22:3 In the documentations of the days of Paul’s ministry we get to see how useful being Roman and a highly educated Jew came to him on countless occasions. God has equipped every single one of his children for the things he wants us all to do.  We are just clay in the potters hand.  Just like at the end of Exodus we see God’s calling to the skilled artists to work on his temple.  “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship…” Exodus 31:3 It makes me ask the question- what has God equipped me with and what is he calling me to do?  In Finding Calcutta, Poplin briefly mentions how English is the official language that unites missionaries around the globe.  As I travel the world I often take for granted that it is not impossible to find English speakers everywhere I have been.  I once heard that if a person were to know Chinese and English that one could talk to one out of every two people in the world.  English is my heart language! That is one thing God has already equipped me with and I have been able to use in countless ways for him.  I have done ESL programs in America along with Nicaragua.  People all over the world want to talk to me simply because I am an American and speak English.  They want to learn English mainly because it is the international business language just like being Roman in Paul’s days.  Jesus came at a perfect time so while so many were under the Roman empire so the gospel was spread rapidly.  Now English seems to be a gospel spreading language.  He has equipped Americans with wealth to take the gospel places and also education.  My Christian education has equipped me in many ways also.  I am prepared for many things this world may throw at me.  Paul was educated under the Billy Graham of that day.  Paul was able to use his education to convince many people of the truth of the gospel.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10