Dear Friends and Family,
Forty years ago I was pining away for the love of my life, the beautiful Soumountha, whom I would not see for six months, courtesy of the US government’s decision to turn me into a “Rice expert”. They’d sent me to study at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, The Philippines. Sou and I were tacitly engaged, but I didn’t have money for a ring when I left Laos on my $80 per month salary. Within six weeks of my return we were married on the front porch of her sister’s house. It truly was one of the good, respectable, things I’ve done in this life, the day I married that 22 year old war widow, and adopted her young son, Toto (Tony). My good friend, and covenant partner, Sonny Weimer, had the sense to marry the love of his life, Darlene, the same year. To celebrate the 40th year of our common good fortune he bought us, and our mutual friends, Bill and Joan Norton, first class tickets on the most luxurious vacation of our lives; a ten day Alaskan cruise, rail, and bus excursion. Horror of horrors! My reputation is in tatters. I had to buy a suit in order to eat. Alas! Camel shirts would not qualify me for the formal dinners. http://www.missionreports.com/anniversary_marriage It was the trip of our lifetime, something we could never have done on our own, and we will be forever grateful. From June 13th-23rd we were in paradise. “Oh la’ la’ Francoi”!
1re·spect·able (ri-ˈspek-tə-bəl) adj. 2. decent or correct in character or behavior.
I don’t how many times I have been singled out and told how much people “respect” me for what I am doing. (Primarily, it is related to our care of orphans and separated children) I’ve been called a “Great man of faith”. (What kind of insanity would cause a person to take on the care of thousands of orphans with no guaranteed support?) It’s not that I don’t appreciate the compliments it’s just that I am always uncomfortable in responding to this, because I know the realities of my heart. Allow me to explain:
Forty-one years ago this summer, during the Vietnam War, I was studying the Lao Language in a small Laotian Provincial Capitol, in the middle of nowhere, named Vang Vieng. There were three people in our class, and it was an intense, listen and repeat, eight hour per day, six day a week, two month long training program. In order to calm my addled brain, I picked up a book from our training director’s house; Carl Sandburg’s, “Lincoln”. I was hooked. For the next 15 years I couldn’t read enough about Lincoln and the American Civil War. As I read the book I remember thinking, actually praying, “I’d like to be a man like that!” but then I read about his political defeats, the deaths of his children, his lack of popularity, the terrible burden of the Civil War, the tormented life of his wife, and I recanted. “God, I’m not sure I want to pay the price?” Now, I’m certainly no Lincoln , but something flashed in my mind. “There is nothing in me like that. I don’t have that strength of character, that intensity of focus; goodness does not emanate from some innate virtue, but I can choose those actions”. In other words, goodness, faithfulness, and determination do not flow naturally from my carnal heart. I am, in my normal self, kind of a “Jerk” (Quit saying, “We already knew that!”), but I can choose to care, focus, and do good, even though it’s, in a sense, forced. Does that make any sense? The upshot is, though I’m not respectable, I can become respectable because I chose to do respectable things. In a way, maybe I’m a “phony” yet, I believe that positive action, in the face of a void of natural emotion, or even contrary feelings, is in reality something which flows from the Spirit; faith. Make sense? In fact, popularity may be the biggest enemy of faith. I gotta pull out the soapbox. “Screeeeeeeeeeech!” Up we go!
Jesus was popular, for 30 years. ”And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Lk 2:52) He was respectable, but then he got baptized in the Holy Spirit and all those homeboys “led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.” (Lk 4:29b). As long as he was a ‘good boy’ and stayed in the carpentry shop, everything was fine. But when he started ministering in the power of God, all hell broke loose. It is really comfortable in the carpentry shop. But that’s not where we belong. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! (Matt. 10: 24-25) Jesus wants his kingdom expanded and that requires some specific social activities as requisite to fruitful ministry. In John 15 Jesus is talking about reproducing His body, the church! Fruit, by definition, carries the seed, and the seed reproduces that from which it came. We are Christians! We must be reproducing who we are; more Christians, which results in churches, the body of Christ! The question is; how can this be done effectively?
The key to our Cambodian success? Titus 3:14 “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” In other words: “Find the urgent need, meet it in Jesus name, and you will be fruitful!” This will result in fulfilling John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” The key to getting what we need is fruit, and fruit is one thing. More believers! More believers produce more believers. What is the key to more believers? Meet urgent needs! Here is what we’ve been doing in Cambodia this past month.
If you are an orphan or separated child the urgent need is a loving home: http://www.missionreports.com/new_orphan_kid
If you are naked the urgent need is clothing: http://www.missionreports.com/clothes_distribution
If you are thirsty the urgent need is safe, sanitary water: http://www.missionreports.com/santa_rosa_jun09/index.html
If you’re a stranger, a refugee from a cyclone in Bangladesh , you need someone to send help: http://www.missionreports.com/bob_bangladesh_09
If you’re hungry? The urgent need is food: http://www.missionreports.com/food_distribution_jun09
If you are sick? You urgently need healing. http://www.missionreports.com/mike_callan
If you are in jail? You urgently need a visit, hope, and some care: http://www.missionreports.com/prison_ministry
Most importantly, If you are lost, separated from the Lord, you urgently need Jesus: http://www.missionreports.com/teaching_baptism_jun09/index0002.html
Social work done without the name of Jesus being central, in my opinion, offers little other than temporary comfort. Humanitarian organizations love to mention Matthew 25: 31-46 as justification for just doing good deeds and claiming it is the work of God. But they miss the central point. John 25: 40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” The key is “My brethren”. If you are not doing what you do to create, or bless, “brethren” then it is not done according to the wishes of God. Jesus defines what he means by brethren in Matthew 12:49-50 “And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” Social work (meeting urgent needs) in the name of Jesus is the most powerful world changer on this earth! I’m done! Back with the box. “Sliiiiiiiiide.
“FYT”? There were about eight sheets of newsprint poster paper written in Cambodian covering most of the front wall of the church. Now, I read Cambodian one letter at a time and hope to figure out a word after several seconds of study, so I was curious about the three letters “FYT” and asked, “What do they meant?” The dozen or so young leaders looked at me like I was a heretic. “Don’t you know? You gave us the name!” It means ‘Foursquare Young Tigers!’ That’s who we are, and it takes too long to write it in Cambodian.” These ‘Tigers’ are tearing up our turf. They emerged out of a Music Concert Evangelism Grant we received from the Foursquare Foundation led by our General Supervisor, Long Khit. In the eyes of the world they are far from respectable. They don’t care. They are Spirit filled! Everywhere they go they leave dozens of directionless young Cambodians focused and filled with the power of God. They are the progeny of our Church/Home system and moving so fast that they split into three teams. They teach for three days in one place and hit 24 separate locations last month. They heal the sick, cast out demons, (This one particular young man was brought to them in chains. The authorities would not let him travel without the chain because he would suddenly go ballistic and start attacking people. He’d been to several shaman and came out of an animistic tribe. The orphans started praying and within a short time he was free. After three weeks he’s still free) http://www.missionreports.com/castout_demon_fridaynight They feed the hungry http://www.missionreports.com/soupmix_jun09 , and bring people into the kingdom of God . Peter and the elders finally decided to just sit back and watch. In fact Peter (our national church president) issued an order toward the end of the month: “No old person can go teach in their meetings!” http://www.missionreports.com/youth_revival_pursat
T’was a great month. Thanks for all you do! Have a wonderful July!
Blessings!
Pa Thom (Me, Ted)
And those still do’in all the work,
The Cambodian FCOP Team,
Ma Sou,
Josh and Michelle Ferguson
Kris Warner
Bob and Christal Hollandsworth
Ryan Brown
