The staff of the missionary agency, where I was the receptionist, was often called upon to join in the prayers for those who were departing to minister on the foreign field. More often than not, we were asked to pray for those who seemed to be stuck between their calling and the demands of family and other unresolved issues. Our missionaries were expected to raise their own funds; they themselves had to approach individuals and churches to appeal for support. They were advised strongly to wait to leave until they secured adequate start-up funds and a reasonable emergency account that would float them if their supporters failed to come through as promised. Finances were almost always a big issue for those stepping out for the first time and without a doubt a cause for prayer.
One day the staff gathered to pray for one couple in particular. They knew they had been called to go, but they had to contend with both disapproving grown children and their squeamish parents. Furthermore, they were still underfunded as their date of departure drew near. As we laid hands on them and prayed, I felt led to make mention of the fact that the servants of the Lord will face trouble in the world but Jesus has overcome the world. It follows anyone who believes in Him will become an overcomer, too. Well, the more I prayed, the more carried away I got until a vision formed in my mind. I saw so clearly that overcoming the world is like rising with a hot air balloon, just driving up, up and away, far above all the oppressions of the earth that drag us down, keep up bound, prevent our answering our calling and fill us with worry and concern.
It was not a frivolous vision, but, instead, a sound analogy of God’s intentions for His people. He does lift us up. And the higher we lift up our praises and thanksgiving, the higher we float above the negative influences in life. Going for a hot air balloon ride became firmly etched on my “Things-to-Do-Before-I-Die” list and never diminished in the ensuing twenty or so years since that prayer time in the headquarters of the missionary agency.
Oddly enough, as much as I wanted to go, I was totally taken aback when our daughter in Albuquerque suggested that we do that very thing during our planned visit with her and her family over the Thanksgiving holiday. As often as I had gazed longingly at the balloons floating over Franklin on balmy spring evenings, I didn’t know how to prepare for actually being up there myself. Would it be terribly frightening? Would the whole trip be wasted as I sank to the floor of the basket to calm my fears? Would I become dizzy? Or sick to my stomach? What if Phil reacted negatively and we had to land early in order to tend to him? What if something went wrong? What if the balloon blew out a seam and ceased to inflate? Or a cable broke? Or a storm blew in and carried us way off course?
Hey, wait a minute!! My desire for going up in a balloon was birthed during a prayer for overcoming. And here was my opportunity to experience that very thing. As I talked down my anxieties, I began to the thrill to the moment. And it proved to be the single most amazing event of our lives. Our balloon arose just as the sun did one morning. We floated above the ground in such peace and quiet I can only describe it as a holy hush. Except when the whoosh of the heated gases shifted the altitude or the course of the balloon, it was as if we were suspended above everything that is dirty or ugly or noisy and held in the grip of cottony purity. There was very little sense of movement though, traveling at a speed of about thirty-five knots per hour, we skimmed the surface of a river and climbed to a height of 8,500 feet. We scared a flock of geese seeking shelter under a bridge and sent them honking through the skies. We awakened the dogs and chickens in a little rural community. We waved to children boarding their school bus and, hopefully, cheered up the lady dragging an outsized trash container to the curb. In landing, we disturbed the rest of the sandhill cranes that were all nestled in the grasses of an open field. Though we observed, we were truly above the everyday life beneath us. The noise, the routines, the chores, the responsibilities belonged to someone else, while we owned the solemn sublimity and crisp air of our lofty space.
If that is what overcoming means, that is how I want to live my life. To view the dullness and stress of all life’s “gottas” as belonging to some other realm, while my reality is above in surreal quietude and supernatural peace. After all, the Word says that we live and move and have our being in Him. In Him, we are high and lifted up. Our lives, though often rocked by trauma on earth, are in essence above all the world can do to us. We belong to the realm that glides gracefully through all that evil intends. We are as much a part of God’s covenant as the morning sunrise! And His mercies are new every morning!
WIM’s vision statement is discipling the nations to reach the world and one of those steps is to evangelize and disciple the lost with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, one of WIM’s core values is Mentoring.
As Leroy Eims says, “Every believer in Jesus Christ deserves the opportunity of personal nurture and development.” But so often, we are so busy with church programs that we neglect the process of effectively discipling leaders who can themselves disciple others into maturity and fruitfulness.
All too often we neglect the young Christian in our whirl of programs, church services and fellowship groups. And we neglect to raise up workers and leaders who can disciple young believers into mature and fruitful Christians.
“True growth takes time and tears and love and patience,” Eims states. There is no instant maturity.
As one of our missionaries said: “Discipling is more than just having a study with someone. It means being willing to spend time with people – on different occasions and for hours at a time. It also means sharing with them along the way our own experiences, failures, rejections and teaching them from our life experience in ministry, as well.”
Another one noticed that Eims pointed out, “although sometimes we think it is more efficient to do all the work ourselves, it is more fruitful to invest the time upfront to disciple others to do the work of the ministry, so that together, you can accomplish much more for the Kingdom.”
The Lost Art of Disciplemaking has been one WIM’s training materials for many years. If you have not read it, or if it has been some time since you have, we want to encourage you to take advantage of this very useful tool.
“Best conference ever!” This sentiment echoed once again at our 2019 WIM International Conference. Over 87% of our missionaries attended this year, making it our most-attended conference yet. The theme this year was “Reconnect, Refresh, Retool,” placing a focus on Jeremiah 31:25, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Each day provided everyone in attendance a chance to do just that.
The event kicked off on Sunday with dinner followed by a night of reuniting and worship. The days that followed included times of learning, fellowship, fun, and great food, of course. On Monday, the ladies had a special lunch and activity which mirrored the conference theme. Tuesday was a day of leisure for attendees to spend the day at Schlitterbahn or touring the San Antonio area. Wednesday provided more opportunities to retool via breakout sessions, and Thursday concluded the conference with worship, awards, and communion.
Various WIM members and guests spoke on several topics, including the need for willing and tough workers, Biblical storytelling, stewardship education, and many others. The conference was truly a blessing to all in attendance and everyone could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to everyone who participated, to the generous sponsors, and to our Heavenly Father for making this event so successful.
Each year, the WIM staff hosts new and prospective missionaries for a week of learning, growth, fun, and fellowship. Of course, there is always lots of delicious food, and this year was no exception.
Thank you very much to H-E-B, Las Palapas, Sue Saur, and the WIM staff for helping make this year’s orientation and training week an amazing success! God bless you all!
If you are interested in attending our next orientation and training week and would like to learn more about it, click here.
The world (and the Church) has never quite known what to do with you. Not quite fitting in the box, and not quite wanting to. The crazy one who fell in love with a wild, crazy, dangerous God. The one who so often feels silenced, invisible, because when you speak you’re told to be quiet. A still small voice calls you way out beyond where the waves break, and the world calls you crazy for it. You, the wild one who prefers a wild, raging ocean that sweeps you off your feet to a smooth sea where the swimming is safe. You live life climbing mountains, chasing adventures with God as your guide. You live wholeheartedly, not taking the easy road, and because of that your mountains and valleys feel so much higher and lower than the others’. You, the one who can’t stay still, give in, or let go of your calling; it’s too much a part of you, as is the God who gave you it.
Wild one, I see you. You’re not invisible. You’re not forgotten. You’re not better off staying silent. Too often the only options we see are to shut you in, shut you out, or shut you up but just because that’s the way it is, doesn’t make it right. We need to hear you, and if the Church is a little scared at first, that’s okay. Find your people, the ones who cheer you on, instead of predicting that you’ll fail. I promise they’re out there, and God will lead you to them eventually; it just might take some searching. You are not bound to be silenced wherever you go. Give grace, but don’t settle for less than what God is calling you to. If that makes the Church a bit (or a lot) uncomfortable, that’s okay. It’s not your job to keep them comfortable, but to live courageously.
With Love,
Relentless
Dear Church,
I know you see them, the ones who aren’t happy to just sit in the pews on Sunday mornings and then go home. They want to start new ministries, not join old ones, and so often it’s easier to place labels on them or to say, “We don’t have a place for you here,” rather than support them in their callings. It’s certainly easier than facing the fact that although they make you uncomfortable, they don’t make God uncomfortable, and maybe the fact that you’re so uncomfortable with them and the callings He’s given them, means it’s your heart that needs to change, not them. Chances are, God hasn’t put you into their lives to try to crush the life out of them and keep them quiet. The fact that you’re uncomfortable doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a hold of their hearts, doesn’t mean He’s not calling them, doesn’t make them bad, and maybe, if your biggest fear is being uncomfortable, something needs to change, and it’s not them.
Church, like it or not, you do have a place for them, but it’s a place that’s left empty when you decide to either kick them down or kick them out. I promise they’re not trying to start anarchy; they just do things a little differently sometimes. Church, I know they’re not perfect and their mistakes often seem huge. Frankly, most people aren’t trying hard enough in the first place to mess things up too badly, and, well, these ones aren’t having that particular problem. If you watch them fail while having the ability to help though, that’s on you, and their failures are not the cue for you to walk out and give up on them. Church, what if we stand behind them instead of rooting for them to fail?
Church, your God is the same as theirs; the God of the still, quiet waters is also God of the raging ocean. It’s not one or the other, but all of us, together and maybe, in them, you can see a side of God that you’d never seen before. Maybe the fact that your walk with God looks like a quiet, stable sea while theirs looks like a raging ocean, going (seemingly on a whim) to wherever God calls, doesn’t make you a better Christian than them.
Church, I know you see them, the ones who ask to be sent out, but you’d prefer they’d be less outspoken first. Church, they’re not worth less because they don’t fit into human boxes, because they can’t stay in the pews. God has their hearts too, and it’s not your job to try to crush their enthusiasm into common sense; that so often comes later. Yes, they’re wild, and yes, they’re not what you’d expect (or want) them to look like, but whether or not you like it, they are there, they will make a difference, and you do have a place for them. After all, this is the Body of Christ we’re talking about, and if you’d prefer these ones not be a part of it, then that’s something to take up with Him, not try to deal with yourself by cutting these wild ones off. Church, it’s not your job to try to break them into what you think they should look like, what you think their calling should be; chances are, you’ll end up breaking their hearts in the process. You have the choice to put them down or to stand behind them. Church, treasure your wild ones.
A Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Posted: September 26, 2019 by WIM Leave a Comment
Written by Ginger Rogers.
The staff of the missionary agency, where I was the receptionist, was often called upon to join in the prayers for those who were departing to minister on the foreign field. More often than not, we were asked to pray for those who seemed to be stuck between their calling and the demands of family and other unresolved issues. Our missionaries were expected to raise their own funds; they themselves had to approach individuals and churches to appeal for support. They were advised strongly to wait to leave until they secured adequate start-up funds and a reasonable emergency account that would float them if their supporters failed to come through as promised. Finances were almost always a big issue for those stepping out for the first time and without a doubt a cause for prayer.
One day the staff gathered to pray for one couple in particular. They knew they had been called to go, but they had to contend with both disapproving grown children and their squeamish parents. Furthermore, they were still underfunded as their date of departure drew near. As we laid hands on them and prayed, I felt led to make mention of the fact that the servants of the Lord will face trouble in the world but Jesus has overcome the world. It follows anyone who believes in Him will become an overcomer, too. Well, the more I prayed, the more carried away I got until a vision formed in my mind. I saw so clearly that overcoming the world is like rising with a hot air balloon, just driving up, up and away, far above all the oppressions of the earth that drag us down, keep up bound, prevent our answering our calling and fill us with worry and concern.
It was not a frivolous vision, but, instead, a sound analogy of God’s intentions for His people. He does lift us up. And the higher we lift up our praises and thanksgiving, the higher we float above the negative influences in life. Going for a hot air balloon ride became firmly etched on my “Things-to-Do-Before-I-Die” list and never diminished in the ensuing twenty or so years since that prayer time in the headquarters of the missionary agency.
Oddly enough, as much as I wanted to go, I was totally taken aback when our daughter in Albuquerque suggested that we do that very thing during our planned visit with her and her family over the Thanksgiving holiday. As often as I had gazed longingly at the balloons floating over Franklin on balmy spring evenings, I didn’t know how to prepare for actually being up there myself. Would it be terribly frightening? Would the whole trip be wasted as I sank to the floor of the basket to calm my fears? Would I become dizzy? Or sick to my stomach? What if Phil reacted negatively and we had to land early in order to tend to him? What if something went wrong? What if the balloon blew out a seam and ceased to inflate? Or a cable broke? Or a storm blew in and carried us way off course?
Hey, wait a minute!! My desire for going up in a balloon was birthed during a prayer for overcoming. And here was my opportunity to experience that very thing. As I talked down my anxieties, I began to the thrill to the moment. And it proved to be the single most amazing event of our lives. Our balloon arose just as the sun did one morning. We floated above the ground in such peace and quiet I can only describe it as a holy hush. Except when the whoosh of the heated gases shifted the altitude or the course of the balloon, it was as if we were suspended above everything that is dirty or ugly or noisy and held in the grip of cottony purity. There was very little sense of movement though, traveling at a speed of about thirty-five knots per hour, we skimmed the surface of a river and climbed to a height of 8,500 feet. We scared a flock of geese seeking shelter under a bridge and sent them honking through the skies. We awakened the dogs and chickens in a little rural community.
We waved to children boarding their school bus and, hopefully, cheered up the lady dragging an outsized trash container to the curb. In landing, we disturbed the rest of the sandhill cranes that were all nestled in the grasses of an open field. Though we observed, we were truly above the everyday life beneath us. The noise, the routines, the chores, the responsibilities belonged to someone else, while we owned the solemn sublimity and crisp air of our lofty space.
If that is what overcoming means, that is how I want to live my life. To view the dullness and stress of all life’s “gottas” as belonging to some other realm, while my reality is above in surreal quietude and supernatural peace. After all, the Word says that we live and move and have our being in Him. In Him, we are high and lifted up. Our lives, though often rocked by trauma on earth, are in essence above all the world can do to us. We belong to the realm that glides gracefully through all that evil intends. We are as much a part of God’s covenant as the morning sunrise! And His mercies are new every morning!
Recommended Reading: “The Lost Art of Disciplemaking,” by Leroy Eims
Last Updated: September 9, 2019 by WIM Leave a Comment
WIM’s vision statement is discipling the nations to reach the world and one of those steps is to evangelize and disciple the lost with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, one of WIM’s core values is Mentoring.
As Leroy Eims says, “Every believer in Jesus Christ deserves the opportunity of personal nurture and development.” But so often, we are so busy with church programs that we neglect the process of effectively discipling leaders who can themselves disciple others into maturity and fruitfulness.
All too often we neglect the young Christian in our whirl of programs, church services and fellowship groups. And we neglect to raise up workers and leaders who can disciple young believers into mature and fruitful Christians.
“True growth takes time and tears and love and patience,” Eims states. There is no instant maturity.
Another one noticed that Eims pointed out, “although sometimes we think it is more efficient to do all the work ourselves, it is more fruitful to invest the time upfront to disciple others to do the work of the ministry, so that together, you can accomplish much more for the Kingdom.”
The Lost Art of Disciplemaking has been one WIM’s training materials for many years. If you have not read it, or if it has been some time since you have, we want to encourage you to take advantage of this very useful tool.
World Indigenous Missions International Conference 2019
Last Updated: July 31, 2019 by Misty Fraker 2 Comments
“Best conference ever!” This sentiment echoed once again at our 2019 WIM International Conference. Over 87% of our missionaries attended this year, making it our most-attended conference yet. The theme this year was “Reconnect, Refresh, Retool,” placing a focus on Jeremiah 31:25, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Each day provided everyone in attendance a chance to do just that.
The event kicked off on Sunday with dinner followed by a night of reuniting and worship. The days that followed included times of learning, fellowship, fun, and great food, of course. On Monday, the ladies had a special lunch and activity which mirrored the conference theme. Tuesday was a day of leisure for attendees to spend the day at Schlitterbahn or touring the San Antonio area. Wednesday provided more opportunities to retool via breakout sessions, and Thursday concluded the conference with worship, awards, and communion.
Various WIM members and guests spoke on several topics, including the need for willing and tough workers, Biblical storytelling, stewardship education, and many others. The conference was truly a blessing to all in attendance and everyone could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to everyone who participated, to the generous sponsors, and to our Heavenly Father for making this event so successful.
Another Successful Orientation & Training Week
Last Updated: September 26, 2019 by Misty Fraker Leave a Comment
Each year, the WIM staff hosts new and prospective missionaries for a week of learning, growth, fun, and fellowship. Of course, there is always lots of delicious food, and this year was no exception.
Thank you very much to H-E-B, Las Palapas, Sue Saur, and the WIM staff for helping make this year’s orientation and training week an amazing success! God bless you all!
If you are interested in attending our next orientation and training week and would like to learn more about it, click here.
To the Wild Child (and the Church that doesn’t know what to do with them)
Last Updated: July 31, 2019 by Misty Fraker Leave a Comment
Written by Annaliese Myers. Original post appears here.
Dear Wild Child,
The world (and the Church) has never quite known what to do with you. Not quite fitting in the box, and not quite wanting to. The crazy one who fell in love with a wild, crazy, dangerous God. The one who so often feels silenced, invisible, because when you speak you’re told to be quiet. A still small voice calls you way out beyond where the waves break, and the world calls you crazy for it. You, the wild one who prefers a wild, raging ocean that sweeps you off your feet to a smooth sea where the swimming is safe. You live life climbing mountains, chasing adventures with God as your guide. You live wholeheartedly, not taking the easy road, and because of that your mountains and valleys feel so much higher and lower than the others’. You, the one who can’t stay still, give in, or let go of your calling; it’s too much a part of you, as is the God who gave you it.
Wild one, I see you. You’re not invisible. You’re not forgotten. You’re not better off staying silent. Too often the only options we see are to shut you in, shut you out, or shut you up but just because that’s the way it is, doesn’t make it right. We need to hear you, and if the Church is a little scared at first, that’s okay. Find your people, the ones who cheer you on, instead of predicting that you’ll fail. I promise they’re out there, and God will lead you to them eventually; it just might take some searching. You are not bound to be silenced wherever you go. Give grace, but don’t settle for less than what God is calling you to. If that makes the Church a bit (or a lot) uncomfortable, that’s okay. It’s not your job to keep them comfortable, but to live courageously.
With Love,
Relentless
Dear Church,
I know you see them, the ones who aren’t happy to just sit in the pews on Sunday mornings and then go home. They want to start new ministries, not join old ones, and so often it’s easier to place labels on them or to say, “We don’t have a place for you here,” rather than support them in their callings. It’s certainly easier than facing the fact that although they make you uncomfortable, they don’t make God uncomfortable, and maybe the fact that you’re so uncomfortable with them and the callings He’s given them, means it’s your heart that needs to change, not them. Chances are, God hasn’t put you into their lives to try to crush the life out of them and keep them quiet. The fact that you’re uncomfortable doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a hold of their hearts, doesn’t mean He’s not calling them, doesn’t make them bad, and maybe, if your biggest fear is being uncomfortable, something needs to change, and it’s not them.
Church, like it or not, you do have a place for them, but it’s a place that’s left empty when you decide to either kick them down or kick them out. I promise they’re not trying to start anarchy; they just do things a little differently sometimes. Church, I know they’re not perfect and their mistakes often seem huge. Frankly, most people aren’t trying hard enough in the first place to mess things up too badly, and, well, these ones aren’t having that particular problem. If you watch them fail while having the ability to help though, that’s on you, and their failures are not the cue for you to walk out and give up on them. Church, what if we stand behind them instead of rooting for them to fail?
Church, your God is the same as theirs; the God of the still, quiet waters is also God of the raging ocean. It’s not one or the other, but all of us, together and maybe, in them, you can see a side of God that you’d never seen before. Maybe the fact that your walk with God looks like a quiet, stable sea while theirs looks like a raging ocean, going (seemingly on a whim) to wherever God calls, doesn’t make you a better Christian than them.
Church, I know you see them, the ones who ask to be sent out, but you’d prefer they’d be less outspoken first. Church, they’re not worth less because they don’t fit into human boxes, because they can’t stay in the pews. God has their hearts too, and it’s not your job to try to crush their enthusiasm into common sense; that so often comes later. Yes, they’re wild, and yes, they’re not what you’d expect (or want) them to look like, but whether or not you like it, they are there, they will make a difference, and you do have a place for them. After all, this is the Body of Christ we’re talking about, and if you’d prefer these ones not be a part of it, then that’s something to take up with Him, not try to deal with yourself by cutting these wild ones off. Church, it’s not your job to try to break them into what you think they should look like, what you think their calling should be; chances are, you’ll end up breaking their hearts in the process. You have the choice to put them down or to stand behind them. Church, treasure your wild ones.
With Love,
Relentless
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