Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Minorities Report

"You are the first foreigners to ever
come to this village."

It seems fairly insignificant, but consider the impact of that statement. The first. And it wasn't said once last week, but multiple times as we scoured the rice pattied countryside on dirt roads to remote villages. Our tour guide, Howie, is from an ethnic minority tribe himself and had only known of these villages for a short time. He happened upon them en route to a different destination. Amen.

I expected to feel the weight of oppression and evil in these villages. I didn't. I expected to be overwhelmed by the weight of being the first light-bearers to enter these villages. I wasn't. I expected the locals to be skeptical of us and run the other direction. They weren't and didn't. I expected the worst and found that I was overwhelmed by hope. Our students will set foot in these villages in the spring, and I'm hopeful that continued relationship will spring up. You and I will pray for these villages, and I'm hopeful for movement of the Holy Spirit. Evil practices will continue in these villages and I'm hopeful that Light will overcome the darkness.

-Jennifer

Monday, November 22, 2010

A Change of Conversation

Recently it occurred to me how often we sit down as Christians at a dinner table and God isn't mentioned once.  What are we talking about?  What's more important that a Savior who gave up everything for us and continually pursues all of us in the hopes that we'll love Him back?  What's more pressing than lost souls or hungry children?  God's heart breaks every second for these things, but somehow we're too busy with carpools and perpetual dieting and what to buy so-and-so for his birthday that we forget to discuss things like poverty, injustice, or the fact that we live in a world where 50,000 people die daily having never heard of the name of Jesus.  We're missing it!  We are missing it.  Is it possible that maybe it's time for a new dinner topic?
I hope that as you do life and community with those around you that you would have hard conversations and dig deep into the heart of God.

-Jennifer