Take a Missions Moment in Brussels Belgium:

Jeanne and I were recently in Brussels, Belgium teaching a course on Contemporary Missions History. The photo is with three of our students from Malaysia, Sweden, and France. The course we taught was part of the MTh program. We so enjoyed teaching this course because of eager and caring students which made our teaching an enjoyable experience. Continental Theological Seminary students come from more than 30 different countries.

After the course was finished, we were blessed by Roland and Judy Dudley, the President of CTS, who allowed us the use of their Speed-the-Light car. (These cars are provided by the youth of the Assemblies of God. In this way, they participate in the ministry of missionaries in their districts.) Jeanne and I drove to Amsterdam to meet friends we had met while teaching in Suriname in November - Joop and Rianne Klein Haneveld, both medical doctors. They desired to go to India on a mission's trip. What a privilege for us to be able to share with them places, friends, and opportunities in India. As a result of their trip to India in January we were able to rejoice with them in their good report of New Life Assembly in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, where the church continues to experience great growth. Life comes from "Life"! Missionaries Earl and Arlene Stubbs pastor this great church of 6,000. It was interesting that Joop and Rianne's church in Amsterdam is also called "New Life". These are wonderful people who have become great friends.

In mission's life, saying good-bye is pretty much a constant. We had to say good-bye to family and friends to go to India. Each time we have left our special friends, they have said with tears, "Jim, it is really hard to be your close friend, you become such an important part of our lives and then you leave; we have to now learn how to live without you being a part of us."

However, we have made many friends all over the world. Many of these have become like family. We dearly miss our Pastor friends in India. We remember them in prayer each day. Our correspondence is limited in that we don't want to unduly involve ourselves in the work or lcoal issues. So we pray for them and the great churches they pastor!

By the way, I hope you are praying for missionaries. In a soon coming blog I will talk about "How to pray for Missionaries."

Our trip to Amsterdam was followed by continuing onto Germany and visiting Barbara and Jochim Gutermuth in Gettorff which is near Kiel. Their daughter Merlin, now nearly 25 years old lived with us in India until they adopted her at three months old. She is a beautiful young lady and is preparing to enter medical school to be a doctor. It was great to see them after fourteen years and renew our love and friendship.

Hienz and Zita Guennewig

Our son Jonathan was an exchange student in Emmerich in 1991-92. Hienz and Zita Guennewig were exchange parents for Jonathan. They are great people with fun, loving spirits. They demonstrated love and care our son and now to us and have become great friends.

So many of you have prayed for us and loved us through these many years of missions work. We thank you! We are so glad for your demonstration of loving God by aiding us in our love for the nations and efforts to participate in reaching the lost. God bless you!

“Rescuers Needed"
Proverbs 24:11-12

Bruce Crandall is a real American hero - a recipient of the America's highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. He earned it. On November 14, 1965, Major Bruce Crandall flew a Huey helicopter assigned to lift troops into Ia Drang, which was to become known that day as the "Valley of Death" that day. His mission of delivering troops was accomplished. But soon he realized the plight of those troops - 450 American soldiers - were hugely outnumbered by 2,000 enemy troops. Major Crandall began flying into that Valley of Death to bring out the wounded and bring in ammunition. Before the day was over, he had flown for fourteen hours straight - 22 flights barraged with enemy fire. He used three different choppers; two were too damaged to continue. One officer said, "Without Major Crandall, our battalion would almost surely have been overrun." Crandall simply said, "They knew we would come if they needed it no matter what." That's heroism.

Another officer in the Valley of Death that day bottom lined their heroic rescuer's work this way: "If he hadn't come, every man there would have died." That's always the way it is with rescue. If the rescuer doesn't come, people will die. I don’t know about you but I am so glad the “rescuer” came. Jesus came and died for me, loved me first, called me to Himself, forgave all my sins, redeemed me, paying the price for me, and delivering me from darkness and bringing me into His wonderful light. Then living in me. Wow! He has done this not just for me, but made provision for the whole world! The whole world! Every man, woman, boy and girl, from every nation, tribe, and tongue across the face of the earth.

When you hear sermons about "witnessing" or "evangelism" or "sharing your faith," you probably don't think, "I may be the difference between someone living or dying." You are. Here's God's clear command in Proverbs 24:11-12. It's our word for today from the Word of God. "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will not He repay each person according to what He has done?"

God gave His Son so we could be rescued from an eternal Valley of Death. He's not interested in our excuses for not telling the people we know about the Christ that their eternity depends on. We're so scared of what might happen to us if we dared to tell them about Jesus. We should be much more afraid of what will happen to them if we don't tell them. God uses some sobering words to describe the lost people around us. In His own words, they are "staggering toward slaughter." They are "lost" according to Luke 19:10. "Condemned" (John 3:18). "Without hope and without God" (Ephesians 2:12). And in II Thessalonians 1, they are those who will be "punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord." That's people we know. It won't happen because that's what God wants. He sent His Son to take their hell. But they can't reach for Him as their Rescuer unless someone explains what He did for them. Someone they know. Someone in their world - like you. Really! Just like you, who feels weak and not strong, who sometimes doubts and lacks great faith, who faces daily needs and problems, thinking, “I need so much help myself.” Yes, that is me as well.

We may think we're not responsible, but if you know a lost person, God holds you responsible and will, in God's own words, "hold you accountable for his blood" (Ezekiel 3:18). We may think we're not capable. That's what Moses thought. And God says to you what He said to him, "I will be with you ... Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say" (Exodus 3:10, 4:12). You're just God's glove. He'll put His hand into your life and your influence and your personality, and He'll do through you what you thought you could never do. You're just God's glove.

Last year on the fourth of July, my dear Sister Rose Lee died. I just came from a visit to my oldest brother, Carson who has been given about three months to live. My reflection today may be greatly influenced by this. Yet, friends of ours, family members, coworkers, fellow students; they are, whether they know it or not, in the spiritual Valley of Death. God has put you in their world to help rescue them. Would you tell your Commander, "Lord, I will rescue the dying, whatever it takes, because You did!"

The only alternative is we look into the face of our Lord, our Saviour, our soon coming King, the commander and Chief of all of Heaven and say, “NO, no, I won't speak, I won’t tell, I won’t share you, the very source of life and hope - God’s free gift of Eternal Life. I really do believe that Jesus is coming soon, today, more than ever there is a sense that I want to say "YES, yes I will tell about the most wonderful gift ever given, the greatest hope ever known. I will tell in order to rescue the perishing."