October 15, 2003
Edition
Issue 33
Let’s Fish
Bible Fellowship Churches
sharing resources to evangelize the world.
A place for the exchange of ideas on short term
missions projects and local outreach. "Come, follow me," Jesus said,
"and I will make you fishers of men."
All responses can be sent to
office@bfcbom.org
Current and past issues can be found on the web at:
www.bfcbom.org
look in Let’s Fish, Archives
Greetings from Allentown!
- Team
Building Idea
- YES You Can Still Come!
- Feed Back
- Trips in the works
(updated weekly)
- RWR Registrations
Filling FAST!
- Nelson’s Short-Term
Nuggets
- Final Thought
-
Team
Building Idea
The BOM offers a course CULTURE LINK designed to
give your Short Term leadership some valuable tools in properly preparing your
team for ministry. We are now making appointments for the 2004 ministry season.
One suggestion: START EARLY! Your short term plans and team
should be well in place six months before you leave. Here is an axiom:
Poorly or hastily planned short term trips
produce poor results.
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- YES You Can Still Come!
The Short term Symposium is a very practical way for you
to learn from the successes AND mistakes of the 2003 short term mission season.
We would love to have a representative of EVERY BFC church
missions trip from the 2003 season as well as the future leaders
for 2004.
Time:
This Friday at Blandon BFC
Cost:
$7:00 dinner included.
YOU MUST register today
at office@bfcbom.org.
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- Feed Back
Hi Dana,
I was interested in joining this symposium. I had been scheduled to return from
Guatemala on the 17th, at 10.00
p.m. As is
apparent I did not go on this short term missions trip
due to unscheduled situations that arose. However my son Tom and Anastasia Webb
did go. I feel that the questions that you have listed and debriefings are very
helpful.
This is the fourth year in a row that members of the New York Bible Fellowship
Churches have gone, and we have found it very rewarding for both the people
(children) in Guatemala, and those that have gone to serve.
Since I will be picking them up when they return on Friday night, I was
wondering if the information from that symposium could be passed on to us,
along with an outline, so we can talk and debrief those that have gone again
this year. This is also a first time experience for some of the volunteers that
went this year, and I would like to encourage more of the young people to go. I
hope all goes well Friday, I will be praying for you guys.
In His service, Hans Waldvogel
FBFC Holmes, NY
(The
make up of the symposium will probably not be conducive to print or recorded
form. A good alternative is item #1 above.)
Dana;
No
one from Thompson can make the short-term symposium this weekend - however,
could you pass on the message that the youth (and leaders) of the Thompson BFC
are keenly interested in participating in a missions project this summer. We
would appreciate any information on suggested projects, or if any planned trip
would want to join together with our group. Anyone wanting more information can
contact myself. Thanks! Dennis Spinney
(Yes
we will make this desire known! Nelson Randolph is attempting to coordinate
short term ministries for next summer. Keep your eyes focused on Let’s Fish. We will keep you all up to date!)
Write me. I love e-mail!
office@bfcbom.org
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- Trips in the works
(updated weekly)
The Board of Missions is keeping statistics of all short
term missionary trips (both by teams and individuals). As you can see the 2003
trips are quickly coming to an end (we have had nearly 50 ministries this
year!). Please register your 2004 trips as soon as they materialize. WHO, WHAT, CHURCH, MISSIONARY, COUNTRY, and DATE.
Contact:
office@bfcbom.org
The
statistics for 2003 –
There
were 56 short term trips by 27 different BFC churches!
Aug. 30 -
Dec. 1 Pastor
Carl & Charlene Cassel in Kenya, Carl to
teach at Moffat College of Bible and Charlene, hostess at Kijabe
Motel.
Oct. 9 - 17; work trip to Guatemala (Mi Refugio). Building skills
sought. Several from the BFC mid-Hudson churches are planning to go -- elder
Hans Waldvogel (Faith BFC, Holmes, NY) is the contact person hwaldvog@jhmc.org
Trips highlighted need our
prayer support RIGHT NOW!
October
26-Nov. 5 Cedar Crest to Kosovo Work and ministry.
November
12-29 Sandy Wolfinger and Nancy Lorusso to Tanzania
2004
June
12-18 Paris Prayer Conference all invited!
Don’t forget to
register your 2004 trips!!!
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- RWR Registrations
Filling FAST!
November 14-16
BOM Missions RWR
This
annual work/study weekend sponsored by the BOM is for high school and post high
school young people serious about knowing God’s will for their life and the
possibility of career missions. This weekend fills up quickly so register early
on line at:
www.bfcbom.org/RWR.htm
Missionary
Craig Tress from Australia
will be with us for the entire weekend!
Registrations
are already coming in!
Don’t
miss out!
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- Nelson’s Short-Term
Nuggets
Fourth
Quarter NFL History
Last week on Monday evening I could not sleep, so I got up
and began to watch the Monday Night Football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and the Indianapolis Colts. In the late fourth quarter Tampa
Bay was ahead 35-14 and it looked
bleak for the Colts and their head coach, Tony Dungee,
who had formerly coached the Buccaneers. Then the announcer mentioned the
amazing statistic that no NFL team, no team, had ever come back from a 21 point
deficit to win a game with less than four minutes to go. At
least until this game. The Colt’s quarterback Payton Manning caught fire
late in the game and would not be denied. After two onside kicks the Colts tied
the game with just seconds to go, and in overtime, were able to kick a field
goal and win the game 38-35. Now what does that have to do with short-term
missions? Sometimes God works in our lives over a period of time, and all of a
sudden, lets us know that we are to be doing something for him, something so
exciting that others cannot understand what or why we are acting as we are. I
would have never guessed what God had planned for my life but over the last
four years he has patiently guided me just like Payton Manning guided his team
over the last four minutes of Monday evening’s game. Someone asked me recently
how things were going and if I was enjoying my new “career!” While the Monday
Night game was exciting beyond compare, guiding the Colts to victory over the
Buccaneers doesn’t hold a candle to being where God wants us to be and doing
his work!! Maybe God has a late fourth quarter victory in mind for you, why
don’t you get in the game??
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- Final Thought
I am
including a letter below that I received this morning as I was writing this
week’s Let’s Fish. I want you to read it carefully because it emphasizes
several critical issues:
1.
We live in an extremely dangerous world.
A short term trip overseas is not an adventure trip for
your youth group. Taking Americans overseas always includes risks. Risks I
believe are worthy of taking for the Kingdom
of God but NOT for an exciting
youth activity. If you simply want adventure, go to Disney World, eat exotic
foods at EPCOT, but please DON’T go overseas.
I left for Morocco
with a group of college girls just days before the Iraq
war. It was not the time for Americans to be arriving in a Muslim world. We
knew the risks, the girl’s parents knew the risks, and the University knew the
risks. We went with a sense of purpose, ministry and resolve.
We
were sobered because of the impending war. Listen carefully; the world today is
just as dangerous. YOUR TEAM MUST GO WITH THE SAME RESOLVE!
2.
If you do not have a praying support team
at home, don’t go!
There are things in my life I will never forget! When our
team held hands and prayed, we had a sense of desperate need. One could see the
deep concern on the faces of dads and moms. As I watched families say goodbye,
I saw hugs that lingered longer than usual because of the great safety
unknowns. The final words I could hear being repeated at each family circle
were “I love you and I will be praying for you”.
We
were sobered because of the impending war. Listen carefully; the world today is
just as dangerous. YOUR TEAM MUST GO WITH THE SAME RESOLVE!
Now read the letter and pray for Tony and Joanna Murrin,
and pray for your upcoming trip!
I
wanted to send out a prayer request and an update on the situation here in Bolivia. While it's true that we
have frequently had social unrest here in Bolivia in the last few years, we
are presently in one of the worst episodes to date. I will try and give you a
little background to help you understand what has brought us to our present
situation.
Bolivia is a country rich in
natural gas. The government has done studies and wanted to export that gas to Mexico and the US. Since we have no seacoast,
that gas would most economically be exported through Chile. More than 100 years ago Bolivia lost their seacoast to Chile and there has been no love
lost between the two countries since. People began to protest the exportation
of gas through Chile. Then they changed to say
that they did not want to see the gas exported at all. We westerners think, why
not? Wouldn't that provide income for the 2nd poorest nation in the western
hemisphere? Unfortunately, it probably would not. Years of corruption have
taught the people here in this country that promises usually turn out to be
just that - words. Rarely in the history of our nation have the poor people
benefited from anything of this nature. Their fear is that our one great
natural resource will be exported and depleted and there will be no gas left
for Bolivia. There are other complaints
that enter in, but this is the main one at present.
About
4 weeks ago numerous protests and roadblocks began up on the altiplano near the city of La Paz (about a 7 hr. drive from Cochabamba). At one point campesinos were blocking roads that had many tourists
trapped for over a week. The government sent a military escort to guard the
rescue convoy, which turned violent in a small town called Warisata.
5 people were killed in clashes there when the campesinos
ambushed the military forces. There are always differing versions of every
incident and it's hard to know what to believe. The campesinos
say that the military opened fire, and the military say that the campesinos did. That was the beginning of the outrage of
the people.
Since
that time roadblocks and protests have escalated, especially in La Paz and the city of El Alto. La Paz is situated in a canyon and
El Alto (Bolivia's third largest city) is up
on the altiplano overlooking La Paz. El Alto is the gateway to
the city of La Paz. 6 days ago campesinos, the central labor union and other groups
totally shut down the cities of La Paz and El Alto. There have
been violent confrontations in El Alto between civilian protestors and the
armed forces and police. Yesterday alone there were 26 people killed and nearly
100 wounded (mostly from gunshot wounds) and the government has declared a
state of siege in that city. Today things have moved down into the main city of
La
Paz and there has been some looting.
Here
in Cochabamba there have been marches and
demonstrations, mostly confined to the downtown area. Today things were
supposed to escalate here as well and they have somewhat. We had people stay
away from town as there were reports of confrontations and tear gas. The
director of the Quechua radio called to tell us as foreigners to stay home. He
had witnessed a foreign nun trying to walk through a blockade and she was
insulted and harrased. If they treat nuns that way,
(here in a country that highly respects them) then the rest of us gringos
should probably just keep our noses at home. We are safe in our home up on the hill, behind locked gates with a pretty decent supply of
food should it be needed. Our people have instructions to stay home and
maintain a low profile.
The
governmental response over the last weeks has been basically to ignore the
situation and hope that people would get tired and go home. They keep calling
for dialogue, but that hasn't resolved much in the past. Things only get put
off for a few months and then we start all over again. Many of the opposition
groups are now calling for the president to resign. He gave a speech this
afternoon saying that he would NOT resign. His vice president went public today
saying that he did not agree with the president and the way he is handling this
situation. Things don't look good. The coca growers are beginning roadblocks in
the lowlands and many have come into the city of Cochabamba to begin blocking streets
here. The government says it wants to dialogue, the cocaleros
say they won't talk until the president resigns. So we have a stalemate.
Meanwhile
the poor country is suffering immeasurable losses and hardships. Many people
earn enough only to support their family for that day, and when strikes and
protests shut things down, they have no where to earn their daily bread. It's
beginning to cause desperation on the part of some, and rightly so.
Please
pray that we might find a peaceful solution for this conflict and that it will happen
soon. Thanks for standing with us.
We
were sobered because of the impending war. Listen carefully; the world today is
just as dangerous. YOUR TEAM MUST GO WITH THE SAME RESOLVE!
Most of all, Keep
Fishing!
Dana
A
cooperative effort of the churches of the BFC
to win the world for Christ
Your
response is always welcome at:
office@bfcbom.org 610 398-8776
www.bfcbom.org
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