DMM: PBJs, Milk, and Jake

 Psalm 25:14 The LORD confides in (reveals His mysteries to) those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

I am thinking a lot lately about how Jim and Elisabeth Elliot went to the mission field in the 1950's. With the few attempts at contact with the tribal focus of the Aucas, the 5 men (Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the others) met their Lord and Saviour. And all they got to share, before the spears were launched, which took their lives? A few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

We know from the subsequent history, that though these five men were martyred, it was Rachel Saint (Nate Saint’s sister) and Elisabeth Elliot whom God used to "break open" a pathway for the gospel to penetrate to the hearts of the Auca Indian tribe.

A few PBJ sandwiches, 5 martyrs, and two women. In the great stories we shall all rejoice in around the throne of Jesus one day, the mysterious way in which God oft times uses the inconceivable for the advancement of His glory, the story of these five will be one of multitudinous chapters therein.

Many a missionary launch was secured by those impacted at this kind of love and radical obedience for the glory of the One who initiated the only true and first love. My husband and I are one of those of whom this story impacted to serve among M*u*slim UPGs.

Milk

William Borden set sail for an unreached Muslim people group in northwest China. In the 1920's, William was one of the leaders of the Student Volunteer Movement which had also impacted his own life to become a sent one to the ethne. To the dismay of many in upper society, William was from the privileged tiers of the Vanderbilts, Gettys, Hearsts, and of course, his own family wealth of the Borden Dairy family. 

A note from Bible.org...

In 1904 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, graduated from a Chicago high school a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. Traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe gave Borden a burden for the world’s hurting people. Writing home, he said, “I’m going to give my life to prepare for the mission field.” When he made this decision, he wrote in the back of his Bible two words: No Reserves. Turning down high paying job offers after graduation from Yale University, he entered two more words in his Bible: No Retreats. Completing studies at Princeton Seminary, Borden sailed for China to work with Muslims, stopping first at Egypt for some preparation. While there he was stricken with cerebral meningitis and died within a month. A waste, you say! Not in God’s plan. In his Bible underneath the words No Reserves and No Retreats, he had written the words No Regrets.

Pre-field equipping, along with goodbyes were fresh on the mind of one yielded to go to the "ends of the earth". With the clear thought of the reality of a most likely one way course which lay ahead, for most missionaries of that era, he set sail. Christ was worth every bit of this cost. This great mystery of how God uses the inconceivable for the greatness of His glory, again, was played out in the life of William Borden.

"No reserves, no retreats, no regrets"... 

Jake

Jake and M** met at a Perspectives Course in 2009. Jake had just lost his first wife to cancer. As he walked through that grief process, the Lord rekindled a passion to recommit his life to Christ, at all levels. A friend suggested he explore what God is doing in history past, and to discover what still needs to be done for God's glory to be declared and demonstrated among the ethne.

M** had been a single parent for most of her kids' growing years.  M** was very faithful to walk with Jesus, as well as to cast vision for UPGs. Her role as the Perspectives Course on World Christian Movements coordinator led her to yet another semester of classes. 

Jake and M** met and married in 2009. In 2011, they sensed God was leading them to be ones who are sent. Jake, had amassed a highly comfortable lifestyle, complete with loads of accumulated possessions. Having considered the great gain of following Christ, no matter what the cost, they set their course. They joined Beyond in 2011. We took them on a survey among the UPGs which they subsequently came to minister among. 

Jake and M** had spent their first 2 years, 2013-2015 with us as their DMM Hub coaches and trainers. They spent another bit of time strengthening their language acquisition and were then ready to land and live in M/BGees UPGs from 2016- 2017.

More traction they were able to make for the launch of cascading movements to Christ was due to the laser focus and faithful trust in the Father to do so.Traction for training, coaching, and further development of local Indonesian partners was something which we observed them to do well. 

And yet, after just one year in pocket there, with few else in that small missionary community who have committed to alignment of all that they engage in for the launch of movements, the Lord would take Jake home. Again, another mystery. 

This is where prayers come in....we are believing God to raise up 100 new recruits to Beyond for DMM focus among UPGs in the next year alone. Would that God launch a ripple of eternally impactful affect from the home-going of Jake?  

In all of this, the reminders of Jim Elliot's words echo..."He is no fool to give what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose." Amen and Amen. 

DMM: Spiritual Climate Change Among UPGs

DMM: A Strategic Vision-Spiritual Climate Change Among the UPGs

A dream. A realized promise of God’s kingdom reality, nearer at hand. There is a thin line between the not-yet-has-been and all-that-has-been-promised in God’s plans.

At the recent Women2Women DMM Level 1 Training, I found the norm of my experience of facilitating these trainings for field women among UPGs to be the case this particular week.

The Lord has instructed me to be tightly strapped into His command center, otherwise, this whole effort is a complete bust. Is this not the true posture, no matter what we are engaged in? As relates to my personal experience of walking out this kingdom reality during these trainings, I am awakened at usually crazy hours to worship Him, draw near to His heart, and listen.

After the first full day of the weeklong training, I awakened to greet the 2^nd day of five. The first day found there to be a bit of a needed bridging of the seeming gap between those who originate from M*sl*m background who now serve among the same or similar UPGs. They seemed a bit reserved. Understandably. We were a mix of 11 nationalities,  a few MBBs, 46 total field workers serving among some of the most intense UPGs in the world. Several have lost dear loved ones while serving among these UPGs, for the sake of God’s fame and renown. A few of them had been kicked out of the their initial UPG due to their efforts. Understood.

This morning of the 2^nd day found me in the back of the empty bathtub in my hotel room in worship in preparation for the day’s training times. Immediately, God brought to mind the dream I had chewed upon just prior to this moment.

A Dream:

A group of us, as glory bearers, drove to a hill country region in a 1960’s version Volkswagen Van. We encountered difficult twisting switchbacks in order to reach a remote village. In that village, we stopped at a designated house on a hill. In that house sat several followers of Christ. They sat isolated in their faith. They felt alone. They felt as though no one understood them. They had                                                              not been out and no one had come in.

We asked them to come with us. There seemed to be a palpable fear, disdain, and distrust toward us as outsiders. (I want to pause and say that perhaps the word here is how the West is hindered by these rarely corporately confessed feelings toward the intense M*sl*im UPGs.)

Further, as we searched for our van, for some reason, it was difficult to find.

After we were able to locate the van, we all hurriedly piled in. Once we drove away from that home, we could not find a road out to others. All of the roads had been washed away. Huge gaps now stood as chasms between those who bore the message and those who still needed to hear.

That is when I awoke. As I dialogued with the Lord in regard to this dream, the Lord simply impressed upon me to wait for Him to reveal the meaning of that dream.

During worship together in the first session of the 2^nd day, the meaning of the dream was revealed. As we worshiped together, a few of the MBBs in the room were standing together. At one point, as we were free to roam around the room for worship, as we felt led, I felt the Lord impress upon me to stand directly behind this group, to lift my hand in prayer over them.

At the same time, B*, the worship facilitator seemed to have been sensing the same thing. She moved us into a time of worship in a powerful Arabic song. I don’t speak Middle Earth, as most of us in that room could not. I happen to know the One who does, fluently. The God of the nations does. That is really all that matters.

As we sang, one by one, without any prompting except the leading of the Holy Spirit, everyone in that room gathered around the Middle Earth MBBs. Just then, I believe something broke in the heavenlies. From then on…we were one, for this moment in the fabric of time, for the purposes, which God wants to bring to fruition among the ethne, for His glory. Prophetic? Perhaps. Was this a word (of many words from those who have longed for this occur, and most importantly, for the many whom are serving with their very lives for many many many years) for the launch of anticipated, promised movements to Christ, for God’s glory? For sure, He reveals the needed glimpse.