Friday December 18, 2009
Derek noted that in World War Two prison camp movies like “The Great Escape” they always need the most unlikely specialists to help them achieve their task. One man happens to be an expert forger who has accidentally memorized every watermark on Nazi credential papers. Another man had a previous job turning old newspapers into authentic-looking German officer uniforms. Yet another is an expert in engineering tunnels which happen to be dug with rusty teaspoons. Still another can make a two-seater airplane out of used pipe cleaners. Ridiculously unbelievable, said Derek. Or so he thought until he met our team.
An electrician, a heating specialist, a stage lighting engineer, a landscaping designer, a man who can unplug any drain, a fine woodworking craftsman, a sheetrock and plaster wizard, a physician-missionary-photographer, a skilled accountant, a journeyman writer, veteran tilers, skilled brick-layers, seasoned carpenters, a team of Young Turks flexible, eager, and strong who can go anywhere at anytime and do sinew-straining, spine-cracking labor with an endless supply of energy and pluck. A natural leader of a construction manager who knows them all, and places them in positions where they can shine the brightest. Unlikely? When you consider that they didn’t know each other before they began working on the project and that there was no comprehensive plan in selecting them for the task, one could say the odds were ridiculously unbelievable.
That’s how the Holy Spirit rolls.
Today was a day of Celebration. Troy Blankenship and Neil Phillips took a train down from Cardiff to tour the chapel and to rejoice with us in the good work. The tasks were relatively few in number, but each one added a surprisingly brilliant sheen and luster to all that had been done before. Outside, Steve and an increasing number of Outside Boys finished laying the bricks that walled in an Eden-like array of beautiful plants. The design which Becky Anderberg had crafted so meticulously back in Oklahoma finally arrived on a truck in the form of a twelve foot vinyl banner, and as the sun began to set, it was attached to a plywood backer and hoisted into place on the solemn gray-green stone wall under the front windows. Spotlights at the wall’s base set the scene ablaze as the night fell.
The copper plaque from the previous church, heavy with the dead weight of old tradition, was removed and a shiny gold-hued one was screwed into the wood in its place Derek even lost a little blood turning the screwdriver himself). This plaque was designed by Derek’s bosses, Peter and Mark, and praised God for the love and dedication of the 24 American workers sent by Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma in December 2009 as they remodeled the church for its new launch. We all took photos of the plaque and were moved by the sweetness of the kind gesture. Allen was grateful that Buddy wasn’t the only one who got a plaque this trip.
Inside, Ken and the Lighting Team placed stage lighting on the high copper bar suspended from the ceiling. Floodlights were set on the stage to illuminate the back wall. Lonnie put the finishing touches on the pulpit designed exactingly to fit Derek’s body specifications and placed it in its proper place. Scaffolding was dismantled, skips were removed, rental equipment was returned, floors were swept, and wood was polished.
For perhaps an hour, the team wandered around in a spirit of elation, hugging and congratulating each other on what they had all achieved, giving glory to God. Some stood or sat transfixed, staring in wonder at the total effect of the warm, intimate, and inviting mellow-bright earth tones of the Worship Center.
Eventually, the Okie-Welsh coalition broke up into clusters and grabbed the take-out food of their choice, meeting back at the Worship Center at 8:00 p.m. The Okies presented Derek with “Ignite” a Mission History of Henderson Hills, and each member of the team signed one of the tools they donated to the church. Then they settled back into the new chairs and enjoyed the first sermon preached by John Derek Rees in the Sanctuary of Capel Gomer. The service closed by Derek praying in Welsh and Allen praying in English. Everyone lingered for awhile, not wanting the spell of the entire week to be broken. Finally they slowly drifted out into the bitter night.
We knew deep within our chilled bones that what we had accomplished here was bigger than all of us. We were continually flowing in a spiritual synergy that was outside ourselves and yet radiant within us. We were uplifted by the prayers of the saints. We saw the Holy Spirit move in ways that we did not expect to see in our days.
All missions are special in their own ways, but this is one we will remember. This is one we will celebrate in our hearts for years to come.
Tomorrow, we have planned a day of relaxation and refreshment. Our Welsh friends will join us as we tour and shop the Swansea Market and as we visit the Mumbles – a touristy strip of stores that look out over a broad crescent of tidal oceanfront beach. Then at 4:00 p.m. we will depart the Dragon Hotel bound for the Bristol Airport Holiday Inn. Dinner and bed follow and then a Sunday morning shuttle to the airport bound for home.
Will the freak blizzards striking southern England and the Newark area disrupt our travels?
It doesn’t really matter. Wherever we are stranded, and whatever long delays we face, we have already bonded into a single unit. We are a family in the best and highest sense. And as a family, whatever comes our way, we will simply use it as an opportunity to spend time together and to reminisce about our time in Wales. And to celebrate.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wales December 2009 -- Conclusions
Thursday December 17, 2009
Today’s entry focuses upon putting the finishing touches upon a masterpiece. Derek and Allen yesterday brainstormed on strategies for a forthcoming mission here in July. The possibilities are exciting. But implied in that brainstorming session is that this current mission is so successful that it doesn’t need much more coordination on our parts. And this mission has been overwhelmingly successful. It has achieved all its goals and more – much more.
In terms of the morale of the team and connecting with the people of Capel Gomer, today was a conclusion. We have formed continually sweeter and deeper friendships throughout the week. We loved Elain’s servant’s heart as well as the playfully combative and acerbic façade which thinly covered her thoughtful, sweet, and loving nature. We came to treasure Iestin’s basic decency, and Allen particularly loved discussing the deep things of theology with Iestin -- that is, when Allen could keep up with him.
But tonight the two cultures merged at the Christmas party the Welsh prepared for the Okies. The food was great and good Welsh fare – sandwiches, tasty desserts, Welsh cheeses, and even Laver Bread (Welsh seaweed) with cockles. The two groups physically merged into four teams competing against each other in answering a mixture of Welsh and Okie trivia questions composed by Derek, Matthew (Derek’s brother), and Allen. There was all the requisite wild shouting, hooting, cheering, debating, and laughing that you would expect from a family at a Christmas game. And a family is what we had become. After the game, Derek formally thanked us for giving him one of the finest Christmas gifts he’s ever had – a springboard to launch his new ministry. For every perfect gift, he said, comes down from the Father of Lights. The lights are indeed bright in Wales during the Advent this year.
In terms of work, the Worship Area has been completed in all its glory. Aaron and Bryan worked on the woodwork trim. The carpet was laid today and Derek was the first to step onto the completed stage – to much applause in an impromptu ceremony. Several of the men, including Danny Tengram had labored tirelessly for days trying to get the baptistery unclogged which is under the stage. Tommy Weathers finally combined with Danny and conquered the beastie, winning the cheers of their fellow laborers. Three or four Welsh people can now be baptized – the clog was the only thing holding them back. Who says hard physical labor has no spiritual consequences?
Stephen Wilson and his hard working Outside Crew (including Joshua, Blake, and Michael) finally got the dirt and the bricks they needed and erected the scaffolding in the front. By the end of the day the brick-walled garden space to the right of the entrance was completed and the black earth placed within it, yearning to nourish the greenery Steve was planning on planting there tomorrow. On the far side of the frontage, another bricked garden space was half constructed, the bricks forming a rectangle perhaps two feet tall. The Young Turks manning the scaffolding (including Gavin, Ethan, Brady, and Jonathan) were doing their high-wire acrobatics including scraping and painting the window sills, and especially important, painting the two feet tall metal “Capel Gomer” letters. The copper letters had so tarnished to a dark chlorine color that they were all but invisible against the green and gray stone of the building. Allen and Derek had lobbied for the letters to be painted a bright red. Jamie Howell (visiting for the day from Edmond, Oklahoma by way of a mission position in Cardiff, Wales), Kelly, and especially Elain were convinced that white would look best. It was an all-girls united front. Tough coalition to beat. When the scaffold boys painted one letter white and another letter red, it was obvious that white was the winner. Even Allen and Derek conceded the point, albeit grudgingly. So much for inerrant leadership. Elain did not gloat too much. Well, yes she did.
The scaffold boys eventually moved their traveling road show indoors where they worked on the inside walls and at the end of the day erected a long copper bar which will serve as a mounting platform for the stage lighting. Special honors goes to Jonathan Roth, whose inspired selection of lighting for the stairway has generated rave reviews. It looks like a series of long, thin silver rods hung as if on a descending circular stair, each with a bright glowing cube at the end. Crisp, contemporary, elegant. Special honors also go to Ethan Shuler who has acted as Allen’s personal computer Yoda. Twice the blog has been lost into the techno-void and twice Ethan’s Geordi LaForge-like skills have saved the text – or at least some of it. Without Ethan, Allen may well have slipped into e-depression.
In the Upper Room, Kory and Tim continued to create items in no time at all as if by magic. The three-section portable stage was painted black, the doorway was framed in wood and painted lemon cream color, and the coffee bar was so finished it was pressed into service during the Christmas party. In the kitchen, the Ranneys completed their tiling and the grouting of the backsplash along the sink counter, and it changed in color from a slate gray to a rich panoply of earth-toned yellows, tans, and browns. Tom King and Ken Roth continued their lighting wizardry, installing ultra-modern LED ceiling lights in the Pastor’s Office.
Caleb is a great leader. He gives the people to whom he delegates authority the freedom and flexibility to shine, and yet he holds them accountable so they can shine. He has a sweet, informal demeanor, but no doubts the “Get-Er-Done” Type A personality or the sharp teeth just behind the kind and gentle grin. Who in the world wouldn’t want Caleb to be their boss? You can’t develop the kind of love and loyalty people have for him by just handing them a monthly paycheck. His people would build a wall and then walk through it for him. Or spend their free time working for him a third of the way around the world in a country they never dreamed they would visit.
Today was the conclusion of another kind. Allen always wants to be doing evangelism on mission trips. He wants the Welsh to be drawn to Christ by the acts of love Christians perform for them. In the back of his mind, Allen had given up hope that this mission would be much of an outreach to the rank and file Welsh because of the “Construction” nature of the trip. We have spent most of our time with Christians – with each other and with Derek’s church members. Then the photographer showed up. He had most of us outside wielding various tools in front of the camera, making “Jazz Hands” and singing “Oklahoma.” David and especially Kelly Ranney starred in one series of photos, seated upon sawhorses with our construction team striking silly poses behind them. A second series of photos featured the scaffold boys leaning comically over the railings (with Jonathan’s legs dangling spastically in the air) and starred Gavin as the lead singer, leaning painfully over the edge of the railing with his torso in mid-air. He sang into the microphone of a paint brush. The final set of photos, featured Derek and two “construction” workers carrying a heavy carpet on stage in the Worship Area while Allen walked the opposite direction in the foreground carrying a hammer and – wait for it – a crude wooden cross made of two by fours. A little surrealistic. And weird. And creepy.
Later, a reporter did a phone interview with Derek, then Caleb, then Allen. The story is apparently big news in Swansea. It will be featured in the Saturday edition, which is the most popular day of the week for circulation. It seems Allen’s frustrations about limited evangelism on this trip were premature. Lots of the Welsh people will learn about the acts of love that Christians are performing for the Welsh people. We pray that they may be drawn into the church to see the craftsmanship and stay to connect with the Lord who created wood and stone and light. And them.
That indeed would be a Conclusion -- putting the finishing touches upon the masterpiece that is each man and woman, each boy and girl in Wales.
Today’s entry focuses upon putting the finishing touches upon a masterpiece. Derek and Allen yesterday brainstormed on strategies for a forthcoming mission here in July. The possibilities are exciting. But implied in that brainstorming session is that this current mission is so successful that it doesn’t need much more coordination on our parts. And this mission has been overwhelmingly successful. It has achieved all its goals and more – much more.
In terms of the morale of the team and connecting with the people of Capel Gomer, today was a conclusion. We have formed continually sweeter and deeper friendships throughout the week. We loved Elain’s servant’s heart as well as the playfully combative and acerbic façade which thinly covered her thoughtful, sweet, and loving nature. We came to treasure Iestin’s basic decency, and Allen particularly loved discussing the deep things of theology with Iestin -- that is, when Allen could keep up with him.
But tonight the two cultures merged at the Christmas party the Welsh prepared for the Okies. The food was great and good Welsh fare – sandwiches, tasty desserts, Welsh cheeses, and even Laver Bread (Welsh seaweed) with cockles. The two groups physically merged into four teams competing against each other in answering a mixture of Welsh and Okie trivia questions composed by Derek, Matthew (Derek’s brother), and Allen. There was all the requisite wild shouting, hooting, cheering, debating, and laughing that you would expect from a family at a Christmas game. And a family is what we had become. After the game, Derek formally thanked us for giving him one of the finest Christmas gifts he’s ever had – a springboard to launch his new ministry. For every perfect gift, he said, comes down from the Father of Lights. The lights are indeed bright in Wales during the Advent this year.
In terms of work, the Worship Area has been completed in all its glory. Aaron and Bryan worked on the woodwork trim. The carpet was laid today and Derek was the first to step onto the completed stage – to much applause in an impromptu ceremony. Several of the men, including Danny Tengram had labored tirelessly for days trying to get the baptistery unclogged which is under the stage. Tommy Weathers finally combined with Danny and conquered the beastie, winning the cheers of their fellow laborers. Three or four Welsh people can now be baptized – the clog was the only thing holding them back. Who says hard physical labor has no spiritual consequences?
Stephen Wilson and his hard working Outside Crew (including Joshua, Blake, and Michael) finally got the dirt and the bricks they needed and erected the scaffolding in the front. By the end of the day the brick-walled garden space to the right of the entrance was completed and the black earth placed within it, yearning to nourish the greenery Steve was planning on planting there tomorrow. On the far side of the frontage, another bricked garden space was half constructed, the bricks forming a rectangle perhaps two feet tall. The Young Turks manning the scaffolding (including Gavin, Ethan, Brady, and Jonathan) were doing their high-wire acrobatics including scraping and painting the window sills, and especially important, painting the two feet tall metal “Capel Gomer” letters. The copper letters had so tarnished to a dark chlorine color that they were all but invisible against the green and gray stone of the building. Allen and Derek had lobbied for the letters to be painted a bright red. Jamie Howell (visiting for the day from Edmond, Oklahoma by way of a mission position in Cardiff, Wales), Kelly, and especially Elain were convinced that white would look best. It was an all-girls united front. Tough coalition to beat. When the scaffold boys painted one letter white and another letter red, it was obvious that white was the winner. Even Allen and Derek conceded the point, albeit grudgingly. So much for inerrant leadership. Elain did not gloat too much. Well, yes she did.
The scaffold boys eventually moved their traveling road show indoors where they worked on the inside walls and at the end of the day erected a long copper bar which will serve as a mounting platform for the stage lighting. Special honors goes to Jonathan Roth, whose inspired selection of lighting for the stairway has generated rave reviews. It looks like a series of long, thin silver rods hung as if on a descending circular stair, each with a bright glowing cube at the end. Crisp, contemporary, elegant. Special honors also go to Ethan Shuler who has acted as Allen’s personal computer Yoda. Twice the blog has been lost into the techno-void and twice Ethan’s Geordi LaForge-like skills have saved the text – or at least some of it. Without Ethan, Allen may well have slipped into e-depression.
In the Upper Room, Kory and Tim continued to create items in no time at all as if by magic. The three-section portable stage was painted black, the doorway was framed in wood and painted lemon cream color, and the coffee bar was so finished it was pressed into service during the Christmas party. In the kitchen, the Ranneys completed their tiling and the grouting of the backsplash along the sink counter, and it changed in color from a slate gray to a rich panoply of earth-toned yellows, tans, and browns. Tom King and Ken Roth continued their lighting wizardry, installing ultra-modern LED ceiling lights in the Pastor’s Office.
Caleb is a great leader. He gives the people to whom he delegates authority the freedom and flexibility to shine, and yet he holds them accountable so they can shine. He has a sweet, informal demeanor, but no doubts the “Get-Er-Done” Type A personality or the sharp teeth just behind the kind and gentle grin. Who in the world wouldn’t want Caleb to be their boss? You can’t develop the kind of love and loyalty people have for him by just handing them a monthly paycheck. His people would build a wall and then walk through it for him. Or spend their free time working for him a third of the way around the world in a country they never dreamed they would visit.
Today was the conclusion of another kind. Allen always wants to be doing evangelism on mission trips. He wants the Welsh to be drawn to Christ by the acts of love Christians perform for them. In the back of his mind, Allen had given up hope that this mission would be much of an outreach to the rank and file Welsh because of the “Construction” nature of the trip. We have spent most of our time with Christians – with each other and with Derek’s church members. Then the photographer showed up. He had most of us outside wielding various tools in front of the camera, making “Jazz Hands” and singing “Oklahoma.” David and especially Kelly Ranney starred in one series of photos, seated upon sawhorses with our construction team striking silly poses behind them. A second series of photos featured the scaffold boys leaning comically over the railings (with Jonathan’s legs dangling spastically in the air) and starred Gavin as the lead singer, leaning painfully over the edge of the railing with his torso in mid-air. He sang into the microphone of a paint brush. The final set of photos, featured Derek and two “construction” workers carrying a heavy carpet on stage in the Worship Area while Allen walked the opposite direction in the foreground carrying a hammer and – wait for it – a crude wooden cross made of two by fours. A little surrealistic. And weird. And creepy.
Later, a reporter did a phone interview with Derek, then Caleb, then Allen. The story is apparently big news in Swansea. It will be featured in the Saturday edition, which is the most popular day of the week for circulation. It seems Allen’s frustrations about limited evangelism on this trip were premature. Lots of the Welsh people will learn about the acts of love that Christians are performing for the Welsh people. We pray that they may be drawn into the church to see the craftsmanship and stay to connect with the Lord who created wood and stone and light. And them.
That indeed would be a Conclusion -- putting the finishing touches upon the masterpiece that is each man and woman, each boy and girl in Wales.
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Crescendo
Wednesday December 16, 2009
So the big moment came today about 9:15 a.m. The two great leaders of the Welsh Baptist denomination, Peter and Mark, came to visit us at Capel Gomer. Everyone was standing tiptoe on pins and needles, except for Derek who seemed like he was rolling around in a vat of pins and needles. Would they like the work we had done? Would they see the vision that Derek had cast for us and that we had followed with such initiative and creativity? And would they officially approve of the idea of us removing the oaken pews?
Derek and Allen greeted the men on the sidewalk as the Worship Center crew quickly cleared the last items from the stage. Allen led the men on a tour, first of the outside and the foyer, then of the Worship Center, and finally of the bathrooms, kitchen, and the Vestry or “Upper Room”. In each area, they received a brief overview of what we had achieved, and then met the craftsmen who explained the fine details.
Peter’s and Mark’s demeanors quickly turned from politeness, to graciousness, to respect, to admiration, and finally to awe. A sweet humility flowed over them as they began to praise the workmanship and thank the workers. They marveled at the lighting system, they expressed delight at Buddy’s ability to begin resuscitation of the gas heater, and they became awestruck at the stage. They walked along examining the floor with smiles on their faces. They sat in the new padded chairs. And in a truly historical moment, Peter (a woodcraftsman himself) mounted a ladder and joined the construction crew, wielding and a hammer and a pair of pliers on the back wall, stage left. As they inspected the upper room, everyone poured in from their various workstations to see what the judgment might be.
By this point, the two men were almost too moved to speak. Both had been on the brink of tears a number of times. At last, Peter spoke. The speech, though impromptu, was amazingly polished. It was so eloquent that a summary cheapens it, but there were no tape recorders, so all we can do is reconstruct it as best we can.
He thanked us profusely for our investment in resources, time, talents, and spiritual gifts and that he was deeply honored to be with us this day (even though our crew of 24 crazy Americans felt that we were the ones honored that such important dignitaries would come visit us at our worksite). The Welsh Speaking Baptist churches, he said, were in a state of disheartenment. There had been no new such churches planted in Wales in 72 years. Capel Gomer was to be a new venture, a fresh breath that would perhaps lead to a second wind for the country. He said that he and Mark felt that our construction efforts were a confirmation from above that they had made the right choice in selecting Derek Rees to begin this great work, and that we could never know what an encouragement we were to them.
We applauded. Then at Caleb’s suggestion, we held hands in a circle as Derek led us in prayer. Peter and Mark chatted amicably with many of our crew, and we all went outside for pictures of them, our whole team, and those members of Capel Gomer who were present.
And what about the pews? Peter and Mark agreed wholeheartedly that the new chairs were a perfect match in their contemporary style. Derek could sell the pews! But that was just the beginning.
Peter and Mark wanted a plaque to be engraved in Welsh and placed in a position of prominence describing the contributions of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and the 24 Americans who served Capel Gomer on her behalf. And they wanted someone to document the achievements of the team on video (Dr. Randy Juengel volunteered to do so.) And they wanted to send reporters from the local newspaper to report the big news as a means of promoting Capel Gomer and its charismatic young pastor. And they wanted to partner with us on future ministries. And they wanted to make our work at Capel Gomer a focal point at the next National Baptist Assembly in order to encourage all the churches in Wales that God had not forgotten them, but was calling even people from across the ocean to aid and comfort and bless the brothers and sisters of Cymru – of Wales!
A “Crescendo” in music is when there is a gradual increase in force or effect, leading up to a climax. The visit of Peter and Mark was a Crescendo. It confirmed that God has anointed Derek and Capel Gomer for a great work. It reassured Allen that his calling to lead mission teams to Wales was not a mistake or a fluke. It crowned the high acheivements of our entire December Construction Mission. It gave us all a magnificent sense of relief and a delirious sense of joy.
Music is a metaphor for spiritual harmony. We have felt that spiritual harmony undergirding and flowing through all our actions here. It wasn’t necessary but it was sweet of God to give us such an obvious crescendo.
Tonight we celebrated by going to an upscale family owned Italian restaurant. But tomorrow is another working day. Pray that the music keeps flowing us along.
So the big moment came today about 9:15 a.m. The two great leaders of the Welsh Baptist denomination, Peter and Mark, came to visit us at Capel Gomer. Everyone was standing tiptoe on pins and needles, except for Derek who seemed like he was rolling around in a vat of pins and needles. Would they like the work we had done? Would they see the vision that Derek had cast for us and that we had followed with such initiative and creativity? And would they officially approve of the idea of us removing the oaken pews?
Derek and Allen greeted the men on the sidewalk as the Worship Center crew quickly cleared the last items from the stage. Allen led the men on a tour, first of the outside and the foyer, then of the Worship Center, and finally of the bathrooms, kitchen, and the Vestry or “Upper Room”. In each area, they received a brief overview of what we had achieved, and then met the craftsmen who explained the fine details.
Peter’s and Mark’s demeanors quickly turned from politeness, to graciousness, to respect, to admiration, and finally to awe. A sweet humility flowed over them as they began to praise the workmanship and thank the workers. They marveled at the lighting system, they expressed delight at Buddy’s ability to begin resuscitation of the gas heater, and they became awestruck at the stage. They walked along examining the floor with smiles on their faces. They sat in the new padded chairs. And in a truly historical moment, Peter (a woodcraftsman himself) mounted a ladder and joined the construction crew, wielding and a hammer and a pair of pliers on the back wall, stage left. As they inspected the upper room, everyone poured in from their various workstations to see what the judgment might be.
By this point, the two men were almost too moved to speak. Both had been on the brink of tears a number of times. At last, Peter spoke. The speech, though impromptu, was amazingly polished. It was so eloquent that a summary cheapens it, but there were no tape recorders, so all we can do is reconstruct it as best we can.
He thanked us profusely for our investment in resources, time, talents, and spiritual gifts and that he was deeply honored to be with us this day (even though our crew of 24 crazy Americans felt that we were the ones honored that such important dignitaries would come visit us at our worksite). The Welsh Speaking Baptist churches, he said, were in a state of disheartenment. There had been no new such churches planted in Wales in 72 years. Capel Gomer was to be a new venture, a fresh breath that would perhaps lead to a second wind for the country. He said that he and Mark felt that our construction efforts were a confirmation from above that they had made the right choice in selecting Derek Rees to begin this great work, and that we could never know what an encouragement we were to them.
We applauded. Then at Caleb’s suggestion, we held hands in a circle as Derek led us in prayer. Peter and Mark chatted amicably with many of our crew, and we all went outside for pictures of them, our whole team, and those members of Capel Gomer who were present.
And what about the pews? Peter and Mark agreed wholeheartedly that the new chairs were a perfect match in their contemporary style. Derek could sell the pews! But that was just the beginning.
Peter and Mark wanted a plaque to be engraved in Welsh and placed in a position of prominence describing the contributions of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and the 24 Americans who served Capel Gomer on her behalf. And they wanted someone to document the achievements of the team on video (Dr. Randy Juengel volunteered to do so.) And they wanted to send reporters from the local newspaper to report the big news as a means of promoting Capel Gomer and its charismatic young pastor. And they wanted to partner with us on future ministries. And they wanted to make our work at Capel Gomer a focal point at the next National Baptist Assembly in order to encourage all the churches in Wales that God had not forgotten them, but was calling even people from across the ocean to aid and comfort and bless the brothers and sisters of Cymru – of Wales!
A “Crescendo” in music is when there is a gradual increase in force or effect, leading up to a climax. The visit of Peter and Mark was a Crescendo. It confirmed that God has anointed Derek and Capel Gomer for a great work. It reassured Allen that his calling to lead mission teams to Wales was not a mistake or a fluke. It crowned the high acheivements of our entire December Construction Mission. It gave us all a magnificent sense of relief and a delirious sense of joy.
Music is a metaphor for spiritual harmony. We have felt that spiritual harmony undergirding and flowing through all our actions here. It wasn’t necessary but it was sweet of God to give us such an obvious crescendo.
Tonight we celebrated by going to an upscale family owned Italian restaurant. But tomorrow is another working day. Pray that the music keeps flowing us along.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Comedy
Tuesday December 15th, 2009
OK so the joke goes something like this: There are these 16 Americans in the middle of the big city of Swansea, Wales, see, and they are each carrying these padded chairs on their heads walking along like in a parade. So a Welsh couple walks by and says to them (Pick One):
a) Three chairs for the Americans: Hip Hip Hooray!
b) Gotta have a sit as you are taking a walk, do ya?
c) Raiding a furniture store is it? Can you get me a sofa?
d) Taking the chair of your department out on the town, then?
e) All of the above.
It is a joke, but it really happened today. And the answer is e) -- at some point, someone said variations of all these jokes as we walked through the cold, dank streets late on a dark gray cloudy afternoon. How did we get into this comic mess?
Well it all starts with tomorrow. At 9:00 a.m. Derek's two bosses, Peter and Mark, the leaders of the Welsh Baptist Union (the equivalent of the President and Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention), are scheduled to meet with Derek and our team at Capel Gomer to assess how the Construction Mission is going. If all goes well, we hope they will give Derek permission for us to remove the pews and continue the remarkable transformation of the Worship Center. In preparation for tomorrow, we all want the Worship Center to look its best. It is not finished yet, but in two working days, the Deacon Box has been removed, the side pews have been stored away, the pulpit dismantled, and a brand new stage has been added from wall to wall. All the original oak facade has been recrafted so that it looks like it was always this way. The walls and floors have been cleaned and polished, and new padded chairs of a contemporary fashion have been placed where the first few pews stood only two days ago.
Our hope is that when the leaders enter, they will be overwhelmed by the craftsmanship, but even more by the vision of a church with the flexibility to meet the needs of people where they live.
So back to the chair parade. A few of the men stopped at intersections and sat down waiting for the light to change -- mainly for comedy's sake. We wondered if this would start a new Welsh tradition where every walker carries his own chair upon his back. Each of the chair paraders used his own techniques to transport the chairs. Stephen Wilson used the "Bullwinkle Moose" technique wearing the chair as a hat with the legs pointing skyward like two pairs of steel antlers. Allen balanced four chair backs on his own back like a quadruple-plated armadillo. Most of the others (including Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathon Roth, Bryan Brewster, Aaron Peterson, Gavin Hart, Ethan Shuler, Tommy Weathers, Blake Ranney, Michael Cross, Buddy Hatchell, and Tim King) wore the chairs like titanium-spiked shoulder ribbons. Randy Juengel followed the parade flashing his camera like a papparazzi while Kelly Ranney provided running commentary -- running, that is across the street dodging cars as they sped by.
Aristotle defined "Comedy" as "that which ends happily." No matter what the Welsh Baptist leaders decide, this mission seems destined to end happily. The evening ended that way with all of us dining and laughing at the Varsity Pub, and giant room of flashy American culture, including a tacky spinning disco ball in the shape of one of a child's jacks. We were even joined for dinner by members Derek's church, Iestin, Elain, Erian, and Llinos. We bathed in the glow of light-hearted fellowship and of jobs well done.
And what jobs! The whole team reveres the Worship Center craftsmanship of Lonnie Hamman's heros: Aaron Peterson, Bryan Brewster, Danny Tengram, Tommy Weather, Buddy Hatchell. Their stage is so elegantly designed that the new sections flow seamlessly into the old without a flaw. Upstairs, the team of Kory Millard and Tim King quietly built another stage -- a small portable one for more intimate events. Jonathan Roth dangled on the top of a fifteen foot ladder scraping and painting for so long that he lost the feeling in his fingers. Brady Juengel actually shed blood in his pursuit of glory, leaving bright drops on the stair steps yesterday. Tom King transformed dull '50s style ceiling orbs into bright stylish 21st Century showpieces. Stephen Wilson began building the walled gardens of Babylon on the church frontage and Buddy Hatchell perhaps trumped them all -- by receiving an actual plaque of honor from the Swansea firefighter fraternity -- the very distinction they give to their most esteemed colleagues as they retire. It was a beautiful plague engraved Welsh dragons battling infernal flames. Almost as cool, they let him play with their remote controlled emergency extension ladders. What a sweet lifetime highlight for Buddy. What a happy ending of the day!
Aristotle would be proud!
OK so the joke goes something like this: There are these 16 Americans in the middle of the big city of Swansea, Wales, see, and they are each carrying these padded chairs on their heads walking along like in a parade. So a Welsh couple walks by and says to them (Pick One):
a) Three chairs for the Americans: Hip Hip Hooray!
b) Gotta have a sit as you are taking a walk, do ya?
c) Raiding a furniture store is it? Can you get me a sofa?
d) Taking the chair of your department out on the town, then?
e) All of the above.
It is a joke, but it really happened today. And the answer is e) -- at some point, someone said variations of all these jokes as we walked through the cold, dank streets late on a dark gray cloudy afternoon. How did we get into this comic mess?
Well it all starts with tomorrow. At 9:00 a.m. Derek's two bosses, Peter and Mark, the leaders of the Welsh Baptist Union (the equivalent of the President and Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention), are scheduled to meet with Derek and our team at Capel Gomer to assess how the Construction Mission is going. If all goes well, we hope they will give Derek permission for us to remove the pews and continue the remarkable transformation of the Worship Center. In preparation for tomorrow, we all want the Worship Center to look its best. It is not finished yet, but in two working days, the Deacon Box has been removed, the side pews have been stored away, the pulpit dismantled, and a brand new stage has been added from wall to wall. All the original oak facade has been recrafted so that it looks like it was always this way. The walls and floors have been cleaned and polished, and new padded chairs of a contemporary fashion have been placed where the first few pews stood only two days ago.
Our hope is that when the leaders enter, they will be overwhelmed by the craftsmanship, but even more by the vision of a church with the flexibility to meet the needs of people where they live.
So back to the chair parade. A few of the men stopped at intersections and sat down waiting for the light to change -- mainly for comedy's sake. We wondered if this would start a new Welsh tradition where every walker carries his own chair upon his back. Each of the chair paraders used his own techniques to transport the chairs. Stephen Wilson used the "Bullwinkle Moose" technique wearing the chair as a hat with the legs pointing skyward like two pairs of steel antlers. Allen balanced four chair backs on his own back like a quadruple-plated armadillo. Most of the others (including Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathon Roth, Bryan Brewster, Aaron Peterson, Gavin Hart, Ethan Shuler, Tommy Weathers, Blake Ranney, Michael Cross, Buddy Hatchell, and Tim King) wore the chairs like titanium-spiked shoulder ribbons. Randy Juengel followed the parade flashing his camera like a papparazzi while Kelly Ranney provided running commentary -- running, that is across the street dodging cars as they sped by.
Aristotle defined "Comedy" as "that which ends happily." No matter what the Welsh Baptist leaders decide, this mission seems destined to end happily. The evening ended that way with all of us dining and laughing at the Varsity Pub, and giant room of flashy American culture, including a tacky spinning disco ball in the shape of one of a child's jacks. We were even joined for dinner by members Derek's church, Iestin, Elain, Erian, and Llinos. We bathed in the glow of light-hearted fellowship and of jobs well done.
And what jobs! The whole team reveres the Worship Center craftsmanship of Lonnie Hamman's heros: Aaron Peterson, Bryan Brewster, Danny Tengram, Tommy Weather, Buddy Hatchell. Their stage is so elegantly designed that the new sections flow seamlessly into the old without a flaw. Upstairs, the team of Kory Millard and Tim King quietly built another stage -- a small portable one for more intimate events. Jonathan Roth dangled on the top of a fifteen foot ladder scraping and painting for so long that he lost the feeling in his fingers. Brady Juengel actually shed blood in his pursuit of glory, leaving bright drops on the stair steps yesterday. Tom King transformed dull '50s style ceiling orbs into bright stylish 21st Century showpieces. Stephen Wilson began building the walled gardens of Babylon on the church frontage and Buddy Hatchell perhaps trumped them all -- by receiving an actual plaque of honor from the Swansea firefighter fraternity -- the very distinction they give to their most esteemed colleagues as they retire. It was a beautiful plague engraved Welsh dragons battling infernal flames. Almost as cool, they let him play with their remote controlled emergency extension ladders. What a sweet lifetime highlight for Buddy. What a happy ending of the day!
Aristotle would be proud!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wales Mission December 2009 -- Convergence
Monday December 14th, 2009
I have monitored an ant hill for hours, watching the almost mystical machine-like precision of the ants as they went about their various tasks like cogs in a mound shaped wheel. Each had a single task it relentlessy pursued and yet not one strayed outside the strict parameters of the collective effort. Three strained together carrying a green stem. A parade of soldiers marching from the other direction never touched them. Dozens of others gravitated toward the center hole, foraging and scouting without ever crossing paths or crossing purposes. When one encountered the sudden danger of my stamped foot, the entire colony seemed to spring into action together as one as if controlled by an unseen force watching from on high. I have often wondered what it would be like to encounter the hive mind. Now I have seen it: it is the mind of Christ.
When we began our adventure we were a rag-tag band of 24 disparate individuals who did not even know each other's names. But that was a lifetime ago. That was Saturday.
Our travels were remarkable mainly because everything went so flawlessly. No one was late to the airport. We all had our passports. The planes took off with minimum delays. The flights were smooth, even luxurious -- some of us even had three seats in a row upon which we could recline as we crossed the Atlantic. The bus was awaiting us upon our arrival in Bristol which was a first for us. The bus was spacious and new and the driver friendly and efficient. We even stayed a bit ahead of schedule as we toured some sites on Sunday. There were, however, a few major glitches.
First, three of us almost missed our flight From Houston to Newark. We all mistakenly assumed that We were all on the same flight which was to depart many hours later. But as a nearby gate was boarding for Newark, David and Kelly Ranney noticed that they were supposed to be on board. Right now! A panic ensued as everyone feverishly began to clamber for their boarding passes to check the gate and flight times. Of course, several of us were shopping deep in the bowels of the airport so footfalls and phone calls were cast to contact them so they could check their boarding passes. The three made their flight and were enthroned in shoeshine chairs waiting for the rest of the team as we arrived in Newark, but there were still some anxious moments.
But the anxiety only resulted in an amusing story. Less amusing, however, was the moment we all shared as we tried to pass through immigration in Bristol. We knew that we were not to mention that we were associated with a church or a mission or we would be expelled from the country. We had even been told by a seasoned Baptist missionary on the ground that with the restrictions being so tightenend by the British government and with so many of us going, that he thought at least some of might not make it through. Allen Rice was particularly worried about this and he had been for weeks.
The real trouble started when a young immigration official began interrogating Tim King trying to pressure him into admitting he was with a religious group. But Tim kept his cool. Next, the official made Allen come forward all the way from the back of the line. Perhaps five minutes of interrogation followed that would make Jack Bauer proud. But Tim and Allen were allowed to pass through, and after them, the rest of the group was permitted to pass without real comment. It was not an altogether stressless moment. But God was faithful and Tim was graceful under pressure.
We had a huge breakfast at a pub which kindly opened just for us (we were seated before the chefs arrived to work). It was an old boathouse with walls like castle fortifications and crossbeams like masts of galleons. It was truly marvelous. Frank Wheeler said he had to keep reminding himself that it was not a Disneyland version of a Welsh pub -- it was real. We spent an hour touring the great ruined monastery of Tintern Abbey, all giant gray stone and holy mists fast by the flowing Wye River which cuts through the sheer limestone cliffs of the deep Wye Valley. The structure is a monument to medieval craftsmanship and to the God they revered. We gloried in the abbey and revered Him too.
Then on to the broad-shouldered triple-moated towers of Caerphilly Castle where we ran smack-dab into a "Medieval Market" which gave the ancient site the kind of circus-like liveliness it must have had in the 1200's when it was completed. There were leaning walls, motley fools, and chainmailed knights for our wonder and amazement. Not even chill winds or a brief spitting rain could dampen the large crowd's spirits or ours.
The next stop was Swansea and the glittering Dragon Hotel where we were met by Derek Rees and his childhood friend and fellow churchman, Iestin. Derek is the 23 year old first time Baptist pastor of a new church -- the first Welsh-speaking church plant in the last 75 years of Welsh History! It is also the only Welsh-speaking evangelical church in Swansea. Ever. There were many bright introductions, animated conversations, and and even a few hugs as the team was finally completed. We ate at a brightly lit pub called Witherspoons where we were accosted and entertained by a drunken Welshman with a booming voice like a tiger's growl. Then we made our way to Capel Gomer where Derek cast his grand vision of what Capel Gomer could be as a beacon of light for Swansea and all of Wales. The team received the vision and merged it with the rainbow creativity of their spiritual gifting:
Kelly Ranney saw a small hole between the kitchen and a fellowship Hall and saw a doorway. Within 24 hours it became a doorway in large part to the leadership of Kory Millard, whose quiet demeanor was usually only broken whe he playfully denied he was a professional construction supervisor. Caleb McCaleb, Construction Team High Commander, assigned the grand task of the Worship Center to Lonnie Hamman whose intensive standards of able craftsmanship drove his team into what seemed to be an ever-increasing pace and fervor as they removed the deacon box, pulpit, and side pews and replaced them with a stage with an ornamental oak facade that made it seem like been in place since the church's foundation was founded. Randy Juengel envisioned an outdoor patio were there stood a stone landing at the base of moss-covered stairs like a bad seventies shag carpet. Tom King put in a fashionable pair of lightning bolt-shaped track lighting assemblies in the curch entryway which advanced the tone to the 21st century back from the sixties -- by which I mean the 1860's. Buddy Hatchell by faith alone willed a utilities truck to appear fifteen feet away from him so a man could consult him on the Byzantine mysteries of British gas and electrical systems. We saw a gray box-like frontage of bland charcoal concrete and Stephen Wilson envisioned the gates of Eden. Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathan Roth, Blake Ranney, and Michael Cross became a blur of muscular arms and testosterone-powered legs as they lifted, carried, set down, lifted and re-carried a forest of pews and piles of bricks and lumber. Everyone soldiered on in their labors of love, growing stronger in their morale as they went and sensing that their labors of love were part of a bigger picture they could glimpse briefly out of the corners of their eyes when they stooped to catch their breaths or to munch a slice of pizza.
We began a lifetime ago as a ragtag band who did not know each other's names. In one day on the job, we moved in inexplicable harmony, sensing a direction from on high and a wondrous synergy in our spoken and especially in our unspoken actions. Like a Convergence. Like a tribe of ants emerging from the mound of faith and common experience.
I have monitored an ant hill for hours, watching the almost mystical machine-like precision of the ants as they went about their various tasks like cogs in a mound shaped wheel. Each had a single task it relentlessy pursued and yet not one strayed outside the strict parameters of the collective effort. Three strained together carrying a green stem. A parade of soldiers marching from the other direction never touched them. Dozens of others gravitated toward the center hole, foraging and scouting without ever crossing paths or crossing purposes. When one encountered the sudden danger of my stamped foot, the entire colony seemed to spring into action together as one as if controlled by an unseen force watching from on high. I have often wondered what it would be like to encounter the hive mind. Now I have seen it: it is the mind of Christ.
When we began our adventure we were a rag-tag band of 24 disparate individuals who did not even know each other's names. But that was a lifetime ago. That was Saturday.
Our travels were remarkable mainly because everything went so flawlessly. No one was late to the airport. We all had our passports. The planes took off with minimum delays. The flights were smooth, even luxurious -- some of us even had three seats in a row upon which we could recline as we crossed the Atlantic. The bus was awaiting us upon our arrival in Bristol which was a first for us. The bus was spacious and new and the driver friendly and efficient. We even stayed a bit ahead of schedule as we toured some sites on Sunday. There were, however, a few major glitches.
First, three of us almost missed our flight From Houston to Newark. We all mistakenly assumed that We were all on the same flight which was to depart many hours later. But as a nearby gate was boarding for Newark, David and Kelly Ranney noticed that they were supposed to be on board. Right now! A panic ensued as everyone feverishly began to clamber for their boarding passes to check the gate and flight times. Of course, several of us were shopping deep in the bowels of the airport so footfalls and phone calls were cast to contact them so they could check their boarding passes. The three made their flight and were enthroned in shoeshine chairs waiting for the rest of the team as we arrived in Newark, but there were still some anxious moments.
But the anxiety only resulted in an amusing story. Less amusing, however, was the moment we all shared as we tried to pass through immigration in Bristol. We knew that we were not to mention that we were associated with a church or a mission or we would be expelled from the country. We had even been told by a seasoned Baptist missionary on the ground that with the restrictions being so tightenend by the British government and with so many of us going, that he thought at least some of might not make it through. Allen Rice was particularly worried about this and he had been for weeks.
The real trouble started when a young immigration official began interrogating Tim King trying to pressure him into admitting he was with a religious group. But Tim kept his cool. Next, the official made Allen come forward all the way from the back of the line. Perhaps five minutes of interrogation followed that would make Jack Bauer proud. But Tim and Allen were allowed to pass through, and after them, the rest of the group was permitted to pass without real comment. It was not an altogether stressless moment. But God was faithful and Tim was graceful under pressure.
We had a huge breakfast at a pub which kindly opened just for us (we were seated before the chefs arrived to work). It was an old boathouse with walls like castle fortifications and crossbeams like masts of galleons. It was truly marvelous. Frank Wheeler said he had to keep reminding himself that it was not a Disneyland version of a Welsh pub -- it was real. We spent an hour touring the great ruined monastery of Tintern Abbey, all giant gray stone and holy mists fast by the flowing Wye River which cuts through the sheer limestone cliffs of the deep Wye Valley. The structure is a monument to medieval craftsmanship and to the God they revered. We gloried in the abbey and revered Him too.
Then on to the broad-shouldered triple-moated towers of Caerphilly Castle where we ran smack-dab into a "Medieval Market" which gave the ancient site the kind of circus-like liveliness it must have had in the 1200's when it was completed. There were leaning walls, motley fools, and chainmailed knights for our wonder and amazement. Not even chill winds or a brief spitting rain could dampen the large crowd's spirits or ours.
The next stop was Swansea and the glittering Dragon Hotel where we were met by Derek Rees and his childhood friend and fellow churchman, Iestin. Derek is the 23 year old first time Baptist pastor of a new church -- the first Welsh-speaking church plant in the last 75 years of Welsh History! It is also the only Welsh-speaking evangelical church in Swansea. Ever. There were many bright introductions, animated conversations, and and even a few hugs as the team was finally completed. We ate at a brightly lit pub called Witherspoons where we were accosted and entertained by a drunken Welshman with a booming voice like a tiger's growl. Then we made our way to Capel Gomer where Derek cast his grand vision of what Capel Gomer could be as a beacon of light for Swansea and all of Wales. The team received the vision and merged it with the rainbow creativity of their spiritual gifting:
Kelly Ranney saw a small hole between the kitchen and a fellowship Hall and saw a doorway. Within 24 hours it became a doorway in large part to the leadership of Kory Millard, whose quiet demeanor was usually only broken whe he playfully denied he was a professional construction supervisor. Caleb McCaleb, Construction Team High Commander, assigned the grand task of the Worship Center to Lonnie Hamman whose intensive standards of able craftsmanship drove his team into what seemed to be an ever-increasing pace and fervor as they removed the deacon box, pulpit, and side pews and replaced them with a stage with an ornamental oak facade that made it seem like been in place since the church's foundation was founded. Randy Juengel envisioned an outdoor patio were there stood a stone landing at the base of moss-covered stairs like a bad seventies shag carpet. Tom King put in a fashionable pair of lightning bolt-shaped track lighting assemblies in the curch entryway which advanced the tone to the 21st century back from the sixties -- by which I mean the 1860's. Buddy Hatchell by faith alone willed a utilities truck to appear fifteen feet away from him so a man could consult him on the Byzantine mysteries of British gas and electrical systems. We saw a gray box-like frontage of bland charcoal concrete and Stephen Wilson envisioned the gates of Eden. Joshua McCaleb, Brady Juengel, Jonathan Roth, Blake Ranney, and Michael Cross became a blur of muscular arms and testosterone-powered legs as they lifted, carried, set down, lifted and re-carried a forest of pews and piles of bricks and lumber. Everyone soldiered on in their labors of love, growing stronger in their morale as they went and sensing that their labors of love were part of a bigger picture they could glimpse briefly out of the corners of their eyes when they stooped to catch their breaths or to munch a slice of pizza.
We began a lifetime ago as a ragtag band who did not know each other's names. In one day on the job, we moved in inexplicable harmony, sensing a direction from on high and a wondrous synergy in our spoken and especially in our unspoken actions. Like a Convergence. Like a tribe of ants emerging from the mound of faith and common experience.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 8
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
This last day on our mission revolved around Rhiwbina Baptist Church -- Henderson Hills'
new partner in ministry. Rhiwbina is what I call Henderson Hills Wales -- like us, they are an Elder led, Calvinistic, Non-Cessationist Baptist church located in the affluent northern suburb of the large capital city. We went to the church early so Dustin, Nikki, and Troy could rehearse before they led the worship service. Allen taught the fifth and last lesson of the "Seasons" series to our team, since Troy was busy leading the worship service.
The worship service was sweet. They sing the type of songs we sing. They exercise more charismatic gifts in their worship than we do (like speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues) but they are very doctrinally correct in everything they do. I admire the freedom they have to let anyone speak -- and yet those who wish to speak seem to tell it to an elder who decides if it is appropriate or not -- so there is order in the service as the Apostle Paul commands. Brilliant! Still, it might be harder for us to adopt that approach in a worship service attended by 1500 people or so. They all seem very comfortable with each other as if they have all been worshipping together for many years without a lot of turnover or a wild influx of growth. There is a sweet, family feel to the place. And they are much more informal than we are -- my friend Alan James preached in shorts! I admire that. The last time I wore shorts, Dennis announced through the microphone that I had forgotten my pants. I still think he was just jealous that my bare legs look better than his!
After worship, we all went to a church-wide barbecue and met many of the church members, including Derek's mum and dad. When the barbecue was over, we had four hours to do what we wanted, so we caught two taxis down to Cardiff bay, had some great hamburgers and fries, and some rich Northern Welsh ice cream. We took taxis back to the church. Allen prepared for the teaching session, enlisting Deah to do a little art project for him as an illustration of the lesson, and Troy and Dustin prepared to lead the worship before the teaching time.
Dustin and Troy led worship with their usual excellence, and Allen taught a two hour workshop on techniques of growing FLOCKs spiritually and as a result, numerically. The church was very gracious in their reception of Dustin's leading worship and in Allen's teaching.
After that, things went too fast. Allen, Deedee, and Deah said a goodbye that was too quick because their ride to the Etap (the gracious Elder Paul and his lovely wife Marla) were ready to go. There were quick hugs, whispered words of affection and encouragement, and then the team that had bonded so quickly and so deeply was sundered. For now.
Dustin's plan was to lead the remainder of the team to the Bristol Holiday Inn Airport to spend the night with a flight back to the U.S. in the morning. Gavin got an opportunity to remain with Troy to work with some of the other young missionaries. He had planned to leave tomorrow, but now he will stay in Wales another 20 days or so. He stopped by the Etap to hug Allen, Deedee, and Deah goodbye. As for the Rices, they will stay in Wales for one more week touring all the parts in Western Wales they haven't visited before. They plan to spend at least two days of their vacation with their new friends, Derek and Matthew.
Thus ends a great week. As momentous as every minute of every day was for the whole team, the mission deserved a climactic conclusion as great as its first four Shakespearean acts. But that would have resulted in even more tears and even more sorrow. Maybe it is better this way.
Adieu, adieu, dear friends, and forever more than friends. Parting is such sweet sorrow. But the sorrow is already passing away and we shall relive the sweetness with every chance encounter this side of Heaven.
Allen
This last day on our mission revolved around Rhiwbina Baptist Church -- Henderson Hills'
new partner in ministry. Rhiwbina is what I call Henderson Hills Wales -- like us, they are an Elder led, Calvinistic, Non-Cessationist Baptist church located in the affluent northern suburb of the large capital city. We went to the church early so Dustin, Nikki, and Troy could rehearse before they led the worship service. Allen taught the fifth and last lesson of the "Seasons" series to our team, since Troy was busy leading the worship service.
The worship service was sweet. They sing the type of songs we sing. They exercise more charismatic gifts in their worship than we do (like speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues) but they are very doctrinally correct in everything they do. I admire the freedom they have to let anyone speak -- and yet those who wish to speak seem to tell it to an elder who decides if it is appropriate or not -- so there is order in the service as the Apostle Paul commands. Brilliant! Still, it might be harder for us to adopt that approach in a worship service attended by 1500 people or so. They all seem very comfortable with each other as if they have all been worshipping together for many years without a lot of turnover or a wild influx of growth. There is a sweet, family feel to the place. And they are much more informal than we are -- my friend Alan James preached in shorts! I admire that. The last time I wore shorts, Dennis announced through the microphone that I had forgotten my pants. I still think he was just jealous that my bare legs look better than his!
After worship, we all went to a church-wide barbecue and met many of the church members, including Derek's mum and dad. When the barbecue was over, we had four hours to do what we wanted, so we caught two taxis down to Cardiff bay, had some great hamburgers and fries, and some rich Northern Welsh ice cream. We took taxis back to the church. Allen prepared for the teaching session, enlisting Deah to do a little art project for him as an illustration of the lesson, and Troy and Dustin prepared to lead the worship before the teaching time.
Dustin and Troy led worship with their usual excellence, and Allen taught a two hour workshop on techniques of growing FLOCKs spiritually and as a result, numerically. The church was very gracious in their reception of Dustin's leading worship and in Allen's teaching.
After that, things went too fast. Allen, Deedee, and Deah said a goodbye that was too quick because their ride to the Etap (the gracious Elder Paul and his lovely wife Marla) were ready to go. There were quick hugs, whispered words of affection and encouragement, and then the team that had bonded so quickly and so deeply was sundered. For now.
Dustin's plan was to lead the remainder of the team to the Bristol Holiday Inn Airport to spend the night with a flight back to the U.S. in the morning. Gavin got an opportunity to remain with Troy to work with some of the other young missionaries. He had planned to leave tomorrow, but now he will stay in Wales another 20 days or so. He stopped by the Etap to hug Allen, Deedee, and Deah goodbye. As for the Rices, they will stay in Wales for one more week touring all the parts in Western Wales they haven't visited before. They plan to spend at least two days of their vacation with their new friends, Derek and Matthew.
Thus ends a great week. As momentous as every minute of every day was for the whole team, the mission deserved a climactic conclusion as great as its first four Shakespearean acts. But that would have resulted in even more tears and even more sorrow. Maybe it is better this way.
Adieu, adieu, dear friends, and forever more than friends. Parting is such sweet sorrow. But the sorrow is already passing away and we shall relive the sweetness with every chance encounter this side of Heaven.
Allen
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 7
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Yesterday at the Swansea castle plaza in the city centre, if it had been viewed straight down from above, it would have looked like a graceful minuet: Allen talks to the Welsh guy named Justin (who yesterday in the blog he referred to as Dustin) about Evolution and Creation. Jerry joins them, then so does Derek who gets into a long theological discussion arguing for the existence of God. “Billie” meets Allen, and then she meets Deedee, Nikki, Shannon, and Brian. Allen and Deedee go off to chat with Billie, eventually taking her to get some chicken McNuggets at McDonalds. Nikki and Shannon follow from a distance to offer prayer support and to make sure Allen and Deedee are safe. Then they follow Allen and Deedee into McDonalds, pretending they don’t know them, but offering encouragement and prayer on the down low. Brian and Jordan Deah are offering prayer support back in the plaza. Dustin and Gavin are discussing cultural and religious issues with a number of people in the plaza. Derek leaves the conversation with Justin, but Jerry remains to talk with him about theological issues for a long time. At some point Gavin joins them. Later, Justin is so much more convinced about the existence of God, that he makes five arguments in a row for the existence of God and the benefits of Christianity. That leaves little for Jerry and Gavin to say for the moment, since Justin is making all their arguments for them.
It would have taken a truly great mind to have organized such an intricate dance (and many more steps and twirls I did not see or remember). In fact it did take a great mind: God’s. But this team from the first few days has been unusually bonded together, moving, praying, and laughing in harmony.
Last night we decided to debrief at 11:30 p.m. in Dustin and Gavin’s tiny room again. Seven of us crammed together and were shortly joined by four others, making a grand total of eleven. It was like jumbling clowns chaotically into a clown car. Except it was funny. I mean side-splitting hilarity until after 12:30 p.m. Eventually we went to bed and arose tired and achy but eager to see what lay before us in our last day in Swansea.
Troy’s lesson began with a gigantic video screen playing the star-spangled banner to fireworks and traditional 4th of July images. Troy stood at the back with Allen looking over the 100 high school and college students who had all forgone the holiday with their families. Swept up with the patriotism and the sweet sentiment of the moment, Troy privately cried. He really loves these young short term missionaries working so earnestly to assimilate as much of Welsh culture as they can.
We left a bit early and took the train to Swansea, stopping off for lunch before the action of the day began at 2:00:
Prayerwalking and City Mapping --Dustin, Brian, Jerry, and Matthew went off to the high hill just above the Capel Gomer to pray and explore possible ministry sites among a middle class, primarily Welsh-speaking population. Nikki and Shannon were to do the same thing in the large, thriving city centre, but got separated from Allen and Deedee and prayed for them the whole time. Derek, Gavin, and Jordan Deah headed in the direction of the bay area called “The Mumbles” to do the same thing. Allen and Deedee went to the plaza to meet with Billie again. As soon as they could, they steered her out of the noisy plaza area where there was an all day dance competition guaranteed to shatter the eardrums with a powerful rave or disco beat.
When they got her to a quiet pub several blocks away, Deedee mentioned to Billie how she wished Jordan Deah was with them, because she has particular insight to Billie’s problems. Billie reversed her position of the previous day, saying she would permit Jordan Deah to speak with her, since she is the daughter of Allen and Deedee whom she somehow trusted. But by then, it was too late to go find Jordan Deah. Except her group happened to walk by that same pub only a few minutes later. Coincidence? No. God had told Jordan Deah that she would be needed with her parents after all, and instead of heading straight to the Mumbles, she had convince the boys to help her find the parents. Still, they could have wandered down any street, and Allen “just happened” to look through a distant window as they passed by in less than a second. Derek and Gavin continued to the Mumbles, where they spent some time collecting American memorabilia so they could wear it playfully before the team when they returned.
Now about Billie: she is a 21 year old woman who has been trying to hide her sins from anyone she knows. For some reason when the team asked if they could pray for her, she took Allen and Deedee aside, broke down crying, confessing her sins for the first time. She is a heroine addict deep into the addiction. She panhandles and turns tricks every day to feed her heroine habit and that of her pimp boyfriend who beats her if she cannot get enough money for their fixes by evening time. In the last few days, he took a jagged piece of broken glass and slashed it down upon her head. She blocked it with her forearm which as far as we could tell is broken, deeply gashed, and infected. But she gets no treatment for it, because her pimp fears he will go to jail for his crime, so he threatens to beat her if she gets medical attention. So she walks the streets with her arm festering to the point that it stinks of rot.
Billie hates her life, and wants to be clean so she can do some good for just one person before she dies. We spent an hour and a half yesterday and two and a half hours today explaining the Christian scheme and the Plan of Salvation. But we spent a lot of that time explaining more fundamental things which she didn’t know because of the evil world she lives in. Things like it wasn’t ok that her stepfather had brutally raped her. She had complained to her boyfriend about the matter, but he had just called her a whiner and told her to shut up. We told her it wasn’t ok that her boyfriend sent her to other men so he could get a piece of the profits. At first she was outraged that Allen called her boyfriend a pimp, but by the end of the second day, she finally spoke the truth aloud. We told her it wasn’t ok to keep living like she is now, hoping things would get better somehow. We told her that if the wound didn’t kill her, her pimp, her Johns, or her heroine addiction would. We told her it was either choose Jesus or choose death. It is true for all of us, but for her it is much more immediate.
What was her response? Ignorance of the Truth, at first, then Denial, Confusion, a deep sense of Guilt and Wretchedness, a growing understanding of the Truth, and finally a growing commitment to change her life. Despite the horrible things she has done in her life, and the even more horrifying things done to her, there is a sweetness in Billie and a heroism to yearn to be a good person in a world where she has never seen one. She did not make a decision for Christ today, even though we offered her a chance to do so. But she knows the Truth now in a way she never heard of it before. We gave her local contact information for a good church just a mile from her house where she could go to be saved, get clean, get medical attention, and find safe haven from the horrific abuses of her pimp. She wanted our team to say a week or two and help her out of her troubles, but we have done all we can do for her. She has to make the next move for herself. She has knowledge of the Truth now and a fighting chance where she never had one before in her life.
We think she will make it. We feel God called the team to Wales in large part for her benefit. The whole team served her in various ways. And we benefitted from getting to know her and to be her friend.
The last part of the evening was spent in The Cottage Pub in Cardiff eating great food and having Granny Apple pie for dessert.
Since it was our last meal with just the eleven of us (our team , Derek, and Matthew), we made a toast together. The Apostle Paul stated that as Christians we are aliens in this world and countrymen of Heaven. The Welsh word for “the Welsh” is “Cymru” pronounced “Cumree.” It means “Countrymen.” As Countrymen of Heaven, we clinked glasses and intoned the word “Cumree.”
It was a poetic finale to a graceful minuet.
Allen
Yesterday at the Swansea castle plaza in the city centre, if it had been viewed straight down from above, it would have looked like a graceful minuet: Allen talks to the Welsh guy named Justin (who yesterday in the blog he referred to as Dustin) about Evolution and Creation. Jerry joins them, then so does Derek who gets into a long theological discussion arguing for the existence of God. “Billie” meets Allen, and then she meets Deedee, Nikki, Shannon, and Brian. Allen and Deedee go off to chat with Billie, eventually taking her to get some chicken McNuggets at McDonalds. Nikki and Shannon follow from a distance to offer prayer support and to make sure Allen and Deedee are safe. Then they follow Allen and Deedee into McDonalds, pretending they don’t know them, but offering encouragement and prayer on the down low. Brian and Jordan Deah are offering prayer support back in the plaza. Dustin and Gavin are discussing cultural and religious issues with a number of people in the plaza. Derek leaves the conversation with Justin, but Jerry remains to talk with him about theological issues for a long time. At some point Gavin joins them. Later, Justin is so much more convinced about the existence of God, that he makes five arguments in a row for the existence of God and the benefits of Christianity. That leaves little for Jerry and Gavin to say for the moment, since Justin is making all their arguments for them.
It would have taken a truly great mind to have organized such an intricate dance (and many more steps and twirls I did not see or remember). In fact it did take a great mind: God’s. But this team from the first few days has been unusually bonded together, moving, praying, and laughing in harmony.
Last night we decided to debrief at 11:30 p.m. in Dustin and Gavin’s tiny room again. Seven of us crammed together and were shortly joined by four others, making a grand total of eleven. It was like jumbling clowns chaotically into a clown car. Except it was funny. I mean side-splitting hilarity until after 12:30 p.m. Eventually we went to bed and arose tired and achy but eager to see what lay before us in our last day in Swansea.
Troy’s lesson began with a gigantic video screen playing the star-spangled banner to fireworks and traditional 4th of July images. Troy stood at the back with Allen looking over the 100 high school and college students who had all forgone the holiday with their families. Swept up with the patriotism and the sweet sentiment of the moment, Troy privately cried. He really loves these young short term missionaries working so earnestly to assimilate as much of Welsh culture as they can.
We left a bit early and took the train to Swansea, stopping off for lunch before the action of the day began at 2:00:
Prayerwalking and City Mapping --Dustin, Brian, Jerry, and Matthew went off to the high hill just above the Capel Gomer to pray and explore possible ministry sites among a middle class, primarily Welsh-speaking population. Nikki and Shannon were to do the same thing in the large, thriving city centre, but got separated from Allen and Deedee and prayed for them the whole time. Derek, Gavin, and Jordan Deah headed in the direction of the bay area called “The Mumbles” to do the same thing. Allen and Deedee went to the plaza to meet with Billie again. As soon as they could, they steered her out of the noisy plaza area where there was an all day dance competition guaranteed to shatter the eardrums with a powerful rave or disco beat.
When they got her to a quiet pub several blocks away, Deedee mentioned to Billie how she wished Jordan Deah was with them, because she has particular insight to Billie’s problems. Billie reversed her position of the previous day, saying she would permit Jordan Deah to speak with her, since she is the daughter of Allen and Deedee whom she somehow trusted. But by then, it was too late to go find Jordan Deah. Except her group happened to walk by that same pub only a few minutes later. Coincidence? No. God had told Jordan Deah that she would be needed with her parents after all, and instead of heading straight to the Mumbles, she had convince the boys to help her find the parents. Still, they could have wandered down any street, and Allen “just happened” to look through a distant window as they passed by in less than a second. Derek and Gavin continued to the Mumbles, where they spent some time collecting American memorabilia so they could wear it playfully before the team when they returned.
Now about Billie: she is a 21 year old woman who has been trying to hide her sins from anyone she knows. For some reason when the team asked if they could pray for her, she took Allen and Deedee aside, broke down crying, confessing her sins for the first time. She is a heroine addict deep into the addiction. She panhandles and turns tricks every day to feed her heroine habit and that of her pimp boyfriend who beats her if she cannot get enough money for their fixes by evening time. In the last few days, he took a jagged piece of broken glass and slashed it down upon her head. She blocked it with her forearm which as far as we could tell is broken, deeply gashed, and infected. But she gets no treatment for it, because her pimp fears he will go to jail for his crime, so he threatens to beat her if she gets medical attention. So she walks the streets with her arm festering to the point that it stinks of rot.
Billie hates her life, and wants to be clean so she can do some good for just one person before she dies. We spent an hour and a half yesterday and two and a half hours today explaining the Christian scheme and the Plan of Salvation. But we spent a lot of that time explaining more fundamental things which she didn’t know because of the evil world she lives in. Things like it wasn’t ok that her stepfather had brutally raped her. She had complained to her boyfriend about the matter, but he had just called her a whiner and told her to shut up. We told her it wasn’t ok that her boyfriend sent her to other men so he could get a piece of the profits. At first she was outraged that Allen called her boyfriend a pimp, but by the end of the second day, she finally spoke the truth aloud. We told her it wasn’t ok to keep living like she is now, hoping things would get better somehow. We told her that if the wound didn’t kill her, her pimp, her Johns, or her heroine addiction would. We told her it was either choose Jesus or choose death. It is true for all of us, but for her it is much more immediate.
What was her response? Ignorance of the Truth, at first, then Denial, Confusion, a deep sense of Guilt and Wretchedness, a growing understanding of the Truth, and finally a growing commitment to change her life. Despite the horrible things she has done in her life, and the even more horrifying things done to her, there is a sweetness in Billie and a heroism to yearn to be a good person in a world where she has never seen one. She did not make a decision for Christ today, even though we offered her a chance to do so. But she knows the Truth now in a way she never heard of it before. We gave her local contact information for a good church just a mile from her house where she could go to be saved, get clean, get medical attention, and find safe haven from the horrific abuses of her pimp. She wanted our team to say a week or two and help her out of her troubles, but we have done all we can do for her. She has to make the next move for herself. She has knowledge of the Truth now and a fighting chance where she never had one before in her life.
We think she will make it. We feel God called the team to Wales in large part for her benefit. The whole team served her in various ways. And we benefitted from getting to know her and to be her friend.
The last part of the evening was spent in The Cottage Pub in Cardiff eating great food and having Granny Apple pie for dessert.
Since it was our last meal with just the eleven of us (our team , Derek, and Matthew), we made a toast together. The Apostle Paul stated that as Christians we are aliens in this world and countrymen of Heaven. The Welsh word for “the Welsh” is “Cymru” pronounced “Cumree.” It means “Countrymen.” As Countrymen of Heaven, we clinked glasses and intoned the word “Cumree.”
It was a poetic finale to a graceful minuet.
Allen
Friday, July 3, 2009
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 6
July 2nd & 3rd, 2009 Apparently Comedy is an Evangelism technique. And so is Food. On Tuesday July 2nd and Wednesday July 3rd, we were trained by Troy (on Sowing and Reaping) and took the hour-long train to Swansea. On Tuesday, we were so boistrous and so funny asking and answering trivia questions out loud and commenting upon everything, that we engaged two different Welsh passengers in our merriment. A young lady, Cath, taught us how to shout out a Cornish-Welsh chant at rugby games -- similar to "Boomer Sooner" -- but in this involves the words "Oggi" and "Oy." The conversation turned more serious as the young man told us of his personal sorrows including being about to move from his family and friends to be with his girlfriend and his child. The funny bit is that the other team of Okie missionaries (also trained by Troy) on the train were high school and college kids who couldn't understand why we could talk to each other and be so loud, since apparently they are trained to be quiet, avoid looking American, and blend in. When one young man told his leader, "They are talking. Why can't we talk?" He was told simply, "Go to sleep!" Ok, so we are a bad influence on Okies even in Wales. We all went Prayer Walking around Derek's Capel Gomer (Gomer Chapel) radiating down to the city center. Allen, Deedee, and Brian got caught in the pouring rain without raincoats (except the noble Brian loaned his umberella to Deedee) so they got soaking wet. Allen enjoyed the experience so much that he began cackling and praying for it to rain harder. He sang the Christian song "Let it rain, let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven." God was faithful: it did rain harder precisely at that moment. The bad news was that at that exact time in the city center an indigent man was screaming at the sky for the rain to stop. So Jordan Deah began praying for make the rain stop. Of course it rained harder. "My fault," Allen confessed later. Tuesday night we all met a pub at the end of the day (along with Derek and his brother Matthew -- who incidentally was in Edmond last summer with Troy) to debrief and we all were all so sleep deprived and exhausted that we thought everything anyone said was more comic than 1000 Robin Williams plus 2000 Jim Gaffigans. Honestly, I am not sure we have ever laughed so hard. Ever! Wednesday, we went back to Swansea and the real Sowing started. Allen and Jerry chatted with a twenty year old Welshman named Dustin who felt that Christianity couldn't be true because of Evolution. Allen found out the man wanted to learn more Welsh and introduced him to Derek, the Welsh-speaking pastor. Allen left but Jerry stayed and the conversation got more animated. One of us was approached by a 21 year old woman we will call Billie who was begging money for clearly dubious reasons. We said she could have the money if she would tell them what they could pray for her about. She began to cry and to confess to two of us about some very significant problems in her life -- things she said she had never confessed to anyone before. They took her to lunch, counselled with her and agreed to meet with her Friday July 4th to see if they could be of anymore assistance. Allen, Deedee, and Dustin had the rare privilege of having an authentic Welsh family meal as the Welsh Elder Alan and his wife Carrie invited us (along with Marla, Elder Paul's wife), for Welsh lamb with homemade mint sauce, laver bread (a spinach-like seaweed) with cockles (tiny ocean crustaceans), various steamed vegetables, and two Welsh desserts (Marla's seemed to have a bit of a Sri-Lankan flair -- that is her birthplace). The team met after 11:00 p.m. to debrief, but that has not happened yet, so you will have to stay tuned for more information and stories. For now, you will just have to make due with Evangelism through Comedy and Food. Oh, Comedy and Food! Allen |
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 5
Wales Mission Group with Derek Rees, Summer 2009
The first Welsh-speaking church to be planted in Wales in 75 years!
(Click photos to enlarge.)
Wednesday July 1, 2009
Our first official day on the mission field was our best day in Wales ever. Ever! We began with Troy's good teaching on the evangelism season of "Plowing." Then we met Derek Rees, the pastor our team is assigned to work with. He is a 23 year old gentle giant of a man at once imminently likable and vivaciously visionary. You aren't sure if you want him to be your "Best Friend Forever" (Jordan Deah's words) or if you want to "Follow him to storm the gates of Hell" (Allen's words). Or both. Either way, it would be So Much Fun! He is a man who has a love for life nearly as great as his love for Jesus.
Derek led us to grab a lunch on the run (Gregg's again) and then to the train platform heading toward Swansea. The train was 75 minutes late, so we ate on the platform and the ten of us celebrated "church" together clustered around a hard wooden bench on the bustling, high-pitched whistling, engine-roaring, concrete slab, discussing the chapters of the book of Acts we have read so far. It was a sweet time of bonding with our new friend and leader.
Just as sweet was Charlotte, an elderly lady of grace who the ladies convinced to sit next to Deedee. A great amount of love ensued as Deedee, Nikki, and Shannon coaxed from Charlotte the story of her life. By the end, Nikki was convinced she should write Charlotte's story into a best-selling novel. Charlotte was a Scottish child evacuated from Britain during he bombing of World War Two. She joined the Royal Army, keeping the secret from her "mum" until it was too late. She met the love of her life, a Welshman, in of all places, Egypt. They married, had children, devoting much of their energy to caring for a daughter with a serious neurological condition. Charlotte was returning from a holiday her husband insisted she go on as a mental break from caring for their daughter. All Charlotte could think about was returning with great joy to see the love of her life, her husband of 34 years. Our ladies let Charlotte know that they were devout Christians, and Charlotte suggested she herself as a Christian in the way she whispered words of encouragement, especially to Nikki. As Charlotte parted from her three new friends, some of our ladies blessed the moment with holy tears.
We took an hour long train trip to Swansea, walked to Derek's church, and took pictures on the church steps, dodging workmen as they carried lumber on their shoulders into the worship area, which they defended like home turf. Our team burst out into thundering applause as Derek crossed the threshold. It was a historic event. Our team was a witness to a great moment in the Church History of Wales. The first Welsh-speaking church had been planted in Wales in 75 years! Derek moved to Swansea only yesterday to physically and spiritually reconstruct a dead church. Today was his first full day to visit his new ministry. And we were there.
One Hundred years ago, evangelicals sparked a revival that converted 100,000 souls to the faith and rocked the world. Since then, much of Wales has been controlled by Liberals uninterested in biblical doctrine. Derek is a new generation that is a throwback to the pioneers of revival in Wales. A new day had dawned and the Welsh dragon is rising from his own ashes.
We went to a large second story room in gentle decay and disarray, sat in a circle on the dusty dark tiles and prayed for Derek. And Prayed. And Prayed. We prayed for Derek's physical, emotional, and spiritual life, his new building, neighborhood, and city and his future congregation. Some of us laid hands upon him as we prayed. We fought dozing, we ignored cramping, and we went numb from the floor crushing upward against our tailbones. And we prayed. It lasted more than an hour, seeming like nanoseconds, blending into eternity. When we were done, we had merged into a single entity with twenty arms and legs.
The rest was a delirious blur -- Prayerstrolling through Swansea city centre and its markets, Derek using his pastoral authority to force us to become dairy addicted to Joe's marshmallow flavored ice cream, and conversing and cackling over dinner. At the train station back in Cardiff hour later, Derek's parting felt like a surgical removal of a vital organ. Why can't he stay at the Etap? Why can't we adopt him right now as our legal brother?
The nine of us crammed into Gavin and Dustin's tiny room, occupying every square inch of every bed and chair. We had the sweetest most unified "debriefing" in the history of debriefings. We all feel we are part of something great, even historic, like witnessing day one of the founding of the the church at Antioch. And the guiltiest part is that we are having the time of our lives. We are giddy for God. The delirium can't last, of course. Missions have a way of taking one wild turn after another. But what a group! What a ride!
Allen
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 4
Tuesday June 30, 2009
Today was designed as a transition between connecting with Welsh culture through “tourism” and connecting with the Welsh people in the mission field tomorrow. We all stayed up late last night bonding in various ways. Everyone but Allen went to a disorienting and somewhat disturbing movie, while Allen went to the Etap Hotel to write yesterday’s blog entry and to take care of some fiscal matters for the team. Jerry and Gavin took a midnight walk down toward Cardiff Bay. Others had long talks in their rooms. No one went to bed before midnight and a few of the younger more adventurous types went to bed at 4:00 a.m. (by which I mean Gavin ).
The good news is that the team had been told to sleep in a bit. We breakfasted at 9:00 a.m. and walked to Cardiff Bay by about 10:00. Cardiff Bay has undergone perhaps the most remarkable renovation and renaissance in Europe. It has been transformed from a rotting, dingy wood-plank dockyard to a grand crescent of soaring modernist hotels, museums, shops, and restaurants all done in a nautical theme, with roofs that curl back like sails round bellied with the wind.
We slipped past a gate that was probably supposed to be locked and ventured to the end of a wooden dock, peering out into the broad bay which is the lifeblood of the Cardiff heart. We meandered the fashionable shopping district, briefly venturing into this shop or that, and we concluded our wanderings by visiting a Cardiff Port Museum and a Norwegian Chapel. We ate Asian cuisine for lunch at “Wagamama” a restaurant Shannon promised would be amazing. She more than kept her promise. Brian opened our meal in a prayer of sweetness and grace for the second time this trip.
Discussion at our meals has become the best part of the mission so far. Allen usually asks a question everyone is to answer, and the answering process becomes a broad window opening out into personal reflection and group discovery. Today the question was, “What individual person, place, or thing in Wales has been the most relevant to you so far?” The idea was to get us to synthesize and crystallize our collective experiences before we began the mission proper. For Brian, it was the rich spiritual tradition and the undeniable sense of “holy ground” at Tintern Abbey. For Nikki, it was the warm spiritual encounter with Malcolm and Jackie at St. Fagan’s Outdoor Museum of Welsh Life. And “Lush,” the scented soap shop. For Shannon, “Lush” and other girlie shopping experiences was more about a personal connection she had made with the shopkeepers. One lady had even hugged her. Another lady touched Jordan Deah’s face in an act of friendly intimacy. A general consensus was that it was the Welsh people that had made the deepest, most enduring impression so far. Except perhaps for the impact we were making upon each other, especially around the dining table.
After lunch, Allen and Gavin bought books teaching them the Welsh language and continued tutoring each other as they walked. Brian even joined in the language lessons. As we turned back toward the Etap Hotel, Jerry led us to a delightful park running parallel to our course and we walked its paths for awhile, meditating upon its gardens and the city’s propensity for surprisingly likeable postmodern art (which for many of us is an art form which seems usually incoherent and pretentious). Of particular power was a the iron face of a statue-of liberty like lady whose face was half-buried on the beach. She was a memorial to the merchant sailors who had died in various wars at sea. Her metal edges were decorated with crosses and tokens of remembrance, like the fence-line surrounding the Murrah Bombing. Jordan Deah noted that her gently rusting insides were rusty wet with rain water the color of blood.
Arriving at the Etap when we did was another divine appointment. From the minute we entered the hotel, it wasn’t four minutes until Dustin and Troy arrived from different directions. Dustin had arrived about two hours earlier than expected because his transportation links (of planes, trains and automobiles – i.e. busses) lined up perfectly like a solar eclipse. He came down from his room, having just finished a much needed but brief nap. Troy Blankenship, or Baptist Missionary partner on the ground here in Cardiff, came in doing nine things at once, as he always does with more grace than most people can do one thing. The 100 college-age Okies had arrived from across the pond in two waves, and one of the busses had broken down. After he finished correcting the mini-crisis, he took the time to meet each of our team members and give us the broad outline of our schedule for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
After Troy left, we went back to Cardiff City Centre, gawking and shopping since this was our last opportunity to see the town for this tour. Allen and Dustin parted ways with the rest of the team who all went to “Lush,” the now legendary scented soap and general foofoo shop. Well, Jerry somehow avoided the shop. Wise man. Then the whole team went to the City Road district, a kind of “Epcot Center” of a street where every shop and café is richly international – Libyan, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Egyptian, Arabian, Albanian, Vietnamese, Sudanese, and so on seemingly forever . They went to an Indian Restaurant and the topic of conversation was “The ideal FLOCK/Sunday School Class that would meet my needs.” The twenty-something singles (Brian, Shannon, and Nikki) mentioned how after the beloved, able, and shepardly Jamie Howell goes away to Wales in September, they long for a more mature married couple to lead their FLOCK so that the men of the class could have a shepherd that was a man and the women could receive nurturing and counsel from a woman. They also wished the church could somehow make the singles ministry at Henderson Hills a the standard of excellence among other metro churches.
Allen and Dustin went to Rhiwbina Baptist Church to chat with their Elders (and Troy) about their ideas concerning Church Growth (a topic the Elders had specifically asked them to discuss). After a sweeping two hour discussion, Allen and Dustin left with a sense that we had forged a strong partnership with a sister church and with brothers in Christ. They filled us with pizza and hospitality, and we parted with hugs and a sense of exhilaration. The Elders decided to make Allen’s forthcoming Sunday night meeting with thirty or so church leaders into a church-wide event where anyone can come who cares to come. Their reasoning for extending the invitation to all was a wry “Allen is not the heretic we thought he might be.” Allen simply responded that “Clearly, you haven’t gotten to know me well enough yet.”
Tomorrow is the beginning of our hitting the mission field. After a training session, we are to go on a train to Swansea City Centre and help a young twenty-something pastor help establish a new Welsh-speaking church he is just starting up. We are so excited we can’t see straight. Well, that may also be caused by the haze of “Lush” scented soap continually wafting through the air like a force field around our team.
Tomorrow the real adventure begins. Stay tuned to this channel!
Allen
Today was designed as a transition between connecting with Welsh culture through “tourism” and connecting with the Welsh people in the mission field tomorrow. We all stayed up late last night bonding in various ways. Everyone but Allen went to a disorienting and somewhat disturbing movie, while Allen went to the Etap Hotel to write yesterday’s blog entry and to take care of some fiscal matters for the team. Jerry and Gavin took a midnight walk down toward Cardiff Bay. Others had long talks in their rooms. No one went to bed before midnight and a few of the younger more adventurous types went to bed at 4:00 a.m. (by which I mean Gavin ).
The good news is that the team had been told to sleep in a bit. We breakfasted at 9:00 a.m. and walked to Cardiff Bay by about 10:00. Cardiff Bay has undergone perhaps the most remarkable renovation and renaissance in Europe. It has been transformed from a rotting, dingy wood-plank dockyard to a grand crescent of soaring modernist hotels, museums, shops, and restaurants all done in a nautical theme, with roofs that curl back like sails round bellied with the wind.
We slipped past a gate that was probably supposed to be locked and ventured to the end of a wooden dock, peering out into the broad bay which is the lifeblood of the Cardiff heart. We meandered the fashionable shopping district, briefly venturing into this shop or that, and we concluded our wanderings by visiting a Cardiff Port Museum and a Norwegian Chapel. We ate Asian cuisine for lunch at “Wagamama” a restaurant Shannon promised would be amazing. She more than kept her promise. Brian opened our meal in a prayer of sweetness and grace for the second time this trip.
Discussion at our meals has become the best part of the mission so far. Allen usually asks a question everyone is to answer, and the answering process becomes a broad window opening out into personal reflection and group discovery. Today the question was, “What individual person, place, or thing in Wales has been the most relevant to you so far?” The idea was to get us to synthesize and crystallize our collective experiences before we began the mission proper. For Brian, it was the rich spiritual tradition and the undeniable sense of “holy ground” at Tintern Abbey. For Nikki, it was the warm spiritual encounter with Malcolm and Jackie at St. Fagan’s Outdoor Museum of Welsh Life. And “Lush,” the scented soap shop. For Shannon, “Lush” and other girlie shopping experiences was more about a personal connection she had made with the shopkeepers. One lady had even hugged her. Another lady touched Jordan Deah’s face in an act of friendly intimacy. A general consensus was that it was the Welsh people that had made the deepest, most enduring impression so far. Except perhaps for the impact we were making upon each other, especially around the dining table.
After lunch, Allen and Gavin bought books teaching them the Welsh language and continued tutoring each other as they walked. Brian even joined in the language lessons. As we turned back toward the Etap Hotel, Jerry led us to a delightful park running parallel to our course and we walked its paths for awhile, meditating upon its gardens and the city’s propensity for surprisingly likeable postmodern art (which for many of us is an art form which seems usually incoherent and pretentious). Of particular power was a the iron face of a statue-of liberty like lady whose face was half-buried on the beach. She was a memorial to the merchant sailors who had died in various wars at sea. Her metal edges were decorated with crosses and tokens of remembrance, like the fence-line surrounding the Murrah Bombing. Jordan Deah noted that her gently rusting insides were rusty wet with rain water the color of blood.
Arriving at the Etap when we did was another divine appointment. From the minute we entered the hotel, it wasn’t four minutes until Dustin and Troy arrived from different directions. Dustin had arrived about two hours earlier than expected because his transportation links (of planes, trains and automobiles – i.e. busses) lined up perfectly like a solar eclipse. He came down from his room, having just finished a much needed but brief nap. Troy Blankenship, or Baptist Missionary partner on the ground here in Cardiff, came in doing nine things at once, as he always does with more grace than most people can do one thing. The 100 college-age Okies had arrived from across the pond in two waves, and one of the busses had broken down. After he finished correcting the mini-crisis, he took the time to meet each of our team members and give us the broad outline of our schedule for tomorrow and the rest of the week.
After Troy left, we went back to Cardiff City Centre, gawking and shopping since this was our last opportunity to see the town for this tour. Allen and Dustin parted ways with the rest of the team who all went to “Lush,” the now legendary scented soap and general foofoo shop. Well, Jerry somehow avoided the shop. Wise man. Then the whole team went to the City Road district, a kind of “Epcot Center” of a street where every shop and café is richly international – Libyan, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Egyptian, Arabian, Albanian, Vietnamese, Sudanese, and so on seemingly forever . They went to an Indian Restaurant and the topic of conversation was “The ideal FLOCK/Sunday School Class that would meet my needs.” The twenty-something singles (Brian, Shannon, and Nikki) mentioned how after the beloved, able, and shepardly Jamie Howell goes away to Wales in September, they long for a more mature married couple to lead their FLOCK so that the men of the class could have a shepherd that was a man and the women could receive nurturing and counsel from a woman. They also wished the church could somehow make the singles ministry at Henderson Hills a the standard of excellence among other metro churches.
Allen and Dustin went to Rhiwbina Baptist Church to chat with their Elders (and Troy) about their ideas concerning Church Growth (a topic the Elders had specifically asked them to discuss). After a sweeping two hour discussion, Allen and Dustin left with a sense that we had forged a strong partnership with a sister church and with brothers in Christ. They filled us with pizza and hospitality, and we parted with hugs and a sense of exhilaration. The Elders decided to make Allen’s forthcoming Sunday night meeting with thirty or so church leaders into a church-wide event where anyone can come who cares to come. Their reasoning for extending the invitation to all was a wry “Allen is not the heretic we thought he might be.” Allen simply responded that “Clearly, you haven’t gotten to know me well enough yet.”
Tomorrow is the beginning of our hitting the mission field. After a training session, we are to go on a train to Swansea City Centre and help a young twenty-something pastor help establish a new Welsh-speaking church he is just starting up. We are so excited we can’t see straight. Well, that may also be caused by the haze of “Lush” scented soap continually wafting through the air like a force field around our team.
Tomorrow the real adventure begins. Stay tuned to this channel!
Allen
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Day 3
Monday June 29, 2009
Today was remarkable for unexpected adventures.
All we were supposed to do today was to find common ground with the Welsh people by savoring some of their most beloved sites. We did tour Cardiff Castle, a Roman stronghold and an 11th Century Norman Fortress, but in the 1800's it became a Disney-like fantasy castle built decades before Disney was born, and funded by the richest man in the world, the coal magnate, the 3rd Marquess of Bute. We also walked the streets of downtown Cardiff (City Centre) and toured the Welsh Folk Museum at St. Fagans -- a gigantic compound containing original buildings reconstructed on site from all of Welsh history, including a pre-Roman Celtic Village, (complete with bee-hive shaped circular huts), and from the 1800's a tannery, cornmill, and blacksmith shop. Oh, by the way, it also had a castle with breathtaking sculpted gardens and a series of lilly pad pools.
But all of that turned out to be tangential. Here are the highlights of some unexpected encounters:
Jordan Deah Rice was hit between the eyes with a bumble bee.
Nikki Clark and Shannon Richardson found a really hot Welsh guy of Portuguese descent working as a tour guide in a 17th-Century chapel. They ran to fetch Jordan Deah, because he was more her age. His name was something like Joao (pronounced "Zhow" which Shannon could remember because his good looks reminded her of the word "Wow!"). They struck up a playful conversation with him. Soon the entire rest of the team were hanging out in the chapel with Joao. Then we all took our picture with him as we stood and sat in the "choir" of the chapel. And to our surprise (and Shannon's prompting) we all sang an entire stanza of "Amazing Grace." In the midst of much silliness and flirting, it was a surprisingly powerful spiritual moment. The words to that opening stanza are familiar enough to be disarming, yet profound enough to change a human heart.
Jordan Deah climbed a tree, sawed off to a stump about half-way up, and wouldn't come down after a photo session.
Jerry Beasley, Nikki Clark, Brian Booker, and Allen Rice had a delightful conversation with an elderly Welsh couple, Malcolm and Jackie, who were on vacation from western Wales, visiting the Welsh Folk Museum. Malcolm has experienced a lot of bad health of late and was happy to be alive every day after a series of heart attacks. Like many Welshmen, Malcolm is justifiably proud of being a part of a Welsh men's choir. When he heard that Nikki was a talented singer, he dreamed of having her sing with his choir the deeply spiritual song, "Ave Maria." Later, as the conversation moved from choirs to the churches in which choirs often performed, the team got to hear Malcolm speak of his steady Christian faith and his faithful church attendance. He mentioned attending the largest church building in his west coast town one Sunday, and the only people in attendance were the Anglican priest, himself, and one other member of the congregation. It was embarrassing to him, so he went back to attending his rather small (but much larger populated by comparison) church. It was sweet to hear Malcolm to be so open about his Christianity even in a time of great struggle in his life, especially as transparent as he was before four American strangers. As we parted to catch our bus, we all shook the couple's hands, and Allen encouraged him to "Keep the Faith, brother!" This discussion was especially encouraging because Malcolm's wife, Jackie, did not seem to be a believer (though she was certainly in no way opposed to the notion), so between the four members of our team and Malcolm there was a bit of relationship evangelism going on at a supposed "tourism" site.
By a divine appointment, as we all walked down the main street of the shopping district (Queens Street), Gavin Hart happened to run into some student missionaries he served with last summer. They greeted one another with joy and chatted for awhile, while Nikki and Shannon convinced Deedee Rice of the spiritual need to visit a scented soap shop.
While Jordan Deah was sitting innocently on a moving bus, a rose bush slapped up against a barely opened window ten feet off the ground and a fragment flew through the air of the bus about five feet, ricocheted off the side of her head and lodged in a tangle on the back of her curly hair. We dislodged it, took pictures and shrugged our shoulders, reckoning the event as par for the course for Jordan. Man those briars were sharp!
We started to dine at a particular pub, but Deedee wisely pointed out how hot it was inside (Wales is experiencing a bit of a heat wave -- in the 80's Fahrenheit today!) so we went to an air conditioned cafeteria that had more food options than we could work our exhausted minds through. We felt the restaurant was perhaps a divine appointment when the lady in front of us could not quite pay for her meal with her daughter and her granddaughters. We discreetly made up the difference with a simple "God Bless You."
At dinner we discussed what it was like to connect with the surprisingly open, friendly, talkative, and likeable Welsh. Nikki called them simply "Okies" and the analogy seemed to fit. Everyone chatted about their experiences of meeting with Welsh folk the last two days and about general guidelines on being God-dedicated in our encounters but still permitting the Holy Spirit to demonstrate humility, gentleness, and an ability to listen more than preach -- as a means of manifesting Agape Love.
The evening concluded with another divine appointment. As we were leaving the cafeteria, a twenty-something (?) lady walked quickly up to Allen and asked "Are you on Mission?" Allen, being dull, did not understand her clearly and so she continued. "I heard you all talking about God, but I wasn't trying to overhear." "That's OK," we said. She seemed so cheerful and eager to talk with us about overhearing our conversation about God, that Allen felt prompted to ask, "Oh, so are you a Christian, then?" "No," she replied, "I am Nothing." We laughed and patted her. "You're not Nothing," we said. "Nobody's just a Nothing." The lady continued her sweet, chipper conversation with the ladies a few more moments, and then parted as if she were a friend of more than two minutes acquaintance. She seemed genuinely delighted that friendly, loving people were talking about God.
Unexpected adventure indeed!
That's how it is here. The watermelon fields seem warm and mellow and ripe. We don't know if we are to plow or sow or water or reap or vintage but we are truly enjoying the sweet fruit of interaction with a great people and a people of great hope.
Tomorrow we tour Cardiff Bay. Dustin Loehrs arrives after lunch and later tomorrow night; he and Allen are to chat with the Elders of Rhiwbina Baptist Church about our experiences with Church Growth. Mainly we want to learn from them how they have been so prodigious at planting churches. We hope to deepen that friendship and partnership that we have already established between our two churches.
That's what is on the agenda. But you always have to be on the lookout for God -- He has a way of breaking through even the best-laid plans and of arranging every now and then an unexpected adventure! Or two!
Allen
Today was remarkable for unexpected adventures.
All we were supposed to do today was to find common ground with the Welsh people by savoring some of their most beloved sites. We did tour Cardiff Castle, a Roman stronghold and an 11th Century Norman Fortress, but in the 1800's it became a Disney-like fantasy castle built decades before Disney was born, and funded by the richest man in the world, the coal magnate, the 3rd Marquess of Bute. We also walked the streets of downtown Cardiff (City Centre) and toured the Welsh Folk Museum at St. Fagans -- a gigantic compound containing original buildings reconstructed on site from all of Welsh history, including a pre-Roman Celtic Village, (complete with bee-hive shaped circular huts), and from the 1800's a tannery, cornmill, and blacksmith shop. Oh, by the way, it also had a castle with breathtaking sculpted gardens and a series of lilly pad pools.
But all of that turned out to be tangential. Here are the highlights of some unexpected encounters:
Jordan Deah Rice was hit between the eyes with a bumble bee.
Nikki Clark and Shannon Richardson found a really hot Welsh guy of Portuguese descent working as a tour guide in a 17th-Century chapel. They ran to fetch Jordan Deah, because he was more her age. His name was something like Joao (pronounced "Zhow" which Shannon could remember because his good looks reminded her of the word "Wow!"). They struck up a playful conversation with him. Soon the entire rest of the team were hanging out in the chapel with Joao. Then we all took our picture with him as we stood and sat in the "choir" of the chapel. And to our surprise (and Shannon's prompting) we all sang an entire stanza of "Amazing Grace." In the midst of much silliness and flirting, it was a surprisingly powerful spiritual moment. The words to that opening stanza are familiar enough to be disarming, yet profound enough to change a human heart.
Jordan Deah climbed a tree, sawed off to a stump about half-way up, and wouldn't come down after a photo session.
Jerry Beasley, Nikki Clark, Brian Booker, and Allen Rice had a delightful conversation with an elderly Welsh couple, Malcolm and Jackie, who were on vacation from western Wales, visiting the Welsh Folk Museum. Malcolm has experienced a lot of bad health of late and was happy to be alive every day after a series of heart attacks. Like many Welshmen, Malcolm is justifiably proud of being a part of a Welsh men's choir. When he heard that Nikki was a talented singer, he dreamed of having her sing with his choir the deeply spiritual song, "Ave Maria." Later, as the conversation moved from choirs to the churches in which choirs often performed, the team got to hear Malcolm speak of his steady Christian faith and his faithful church attendance. He mentioned attending the largest church building in his west coast town one Sunday, and the only people in attendance were the Anglican priest, himself, and one other member of the congregation. It was embarrassing to him, so he went back to attending his rather small (but much larger populated by comparison) church. It was sweet to hear Malcolm to be so open about his Christianity even in a time of great struggle in his life, especially as transparent as he was before four American strangers. As we parted to catch our bus, we all shook the couple's hands, and Allen encouraged him to "Keep the Faith, brother!" This discussion was especially encouraging because Malcolm's wife, Jackie, did not seem to be a believer (though she was certainly in no way opposed to the notion), so between the four members of our team and Malcolm there was a bit of relationship evangelism going on at a supposed "tourism" site.
By a divine appointment, as we all walked down the main street of the shopping district (Queens Street), Gavin Hart happened to run into some student missionaries he served with last summer. They greeted one another with joy and chatted for awhile, while Nikki and Shannon convinced Deedee Rice of the spiritual need to visit a scented soap shop.
While Jordan Deah was sitting innocently on a moving bus, a rose bush slapped up against a barely opened window ten feet off the ground and a fragment flew through the air of the bus about five feet, ricocheted off the side of her head and lodged in a tangle on the back of her curly hair. We dislodged it, took pictures and shrugged our shoulders, reckoning the event as par for the course for Jordan. Man those briars were sharp!
We started to dine at a particular pub, but Deedee wisely pointed out how hot it was inside (Wales is experiencing a bit of a heat wave -- in the 80's Fahrenheit today!) so we went to an air conditioned cafeteria that had more food options than we could work our exhausted minds through. We felt the restaurant was perhaps a divine appointment when the lady in front of us could not quite pay for her meal with her daughter and her granddaughters. We discreetly made up the difference with a simple "God Bless You."
At dinner we discussed what it was like to connect with the surprisingly open, friendly, talkative, and likeable Welsh. Nikki called them simply "Okies" and the analogy seemed to fit. Everyone chatted about their experiences of meeting with Welsh folk the last two days and about general guidelines on being God-dedicated in our encounters but still permitting the Holy Spirit to demonstrate humility, gentleness, and an ability to listen more than preach -- as a means of manifesting Agape Love.
The evening concluded with another divine appointment. As we were leaving the cafeteria, a twenty-something (?) lady walked quickly up to Allen and asked "Are you on Mission?" Allen, being dull, did not understand her clearly and so she continued. "I heard you all talking about God, but I wasn't trying to overhear." "That's OK," we said. She seemed so cheerful and eager to talk with us about overhearing our conversation about God, that Allen felt prompted to ask, "Oh, so are you a Christian, then?" "No," she replied, "I am Nothing." We laughed and patted her. "You're not Nothing," we said. "Nobody's just a Nothing." The lady continued her sweet, chipper conversation with the ladies a few more moments, and then parted as if she were a friend of more than two minutes acquaintance. She seemed genuinely delighted that friendly, loving people were talking about God.
Unexpected adventure indeed!
That's how it is here. The watermelon fields seem warm and mellow and ripe. We don't know if we are to plow or sow or water or reap or vintage but we are truly enjoying the sweet fruit of interaction with a great people and a people of great hope.
Tomorrow we tour Cardiff Bay. Dustin Loehrs arrives after lunch and later tomorrow night; he and Allen are to chat with the Elders of Rhiwbina Baptist Church about our experiences with Church Growth. Mainly we want to learn from them how they have been so prodigious at planting churches. We hope to deepen that friendship and partnership that we have already established between our two churches.
That's what is on the agenda. But you always have to be on the lookout for God -- He has a way of breaking through even the best-laid plans and of arranging every now and then an unexpected adventure! Or two!
Allen
Mission to Wales, Summer 2009: Days 1 and 2
Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28th
Our journey began in a way that would seem quite usual for the Twenty First Century: Everyone coming from every direction.
Out of nine of us, only three of us (Allen Rice, Deedee Rice, and Gavin Hart) left together at 10:25 a.m. from the Oklahoma City airport. We were joined in the Houston airport by Jerry Beasley who ran up and was at the end of the line to board the flight to New Jersey. So four of the nine of us were finally together.
The Bad News: While Deedee was running to catch the New Jersey flight, she re-injured her leg. The day before, she went to the emergency room and had her leg scanned to see if it was a blood clot (General Rule: It is not a good idea to carry around a blood clot if you are about to go on a flight lasting seven hours.) The medical professionals determined she did not have a blood clot, but they never told what she DID have, other than excruciating pain. So running to get a Coke fix (yes and I do mean CocaCola), was not the best idea in physical therapy Deedee ever had.
Still, we landed in New Jersey without incident, and thanks to Deedee’s bum leg, we got to zoom along in one of those trams across the long expanse of airport hallways. WHEE! On another note, Allen decided NOT to slice open the top of his head on a sharp piece of jagged metal like he did here in March. I am not sure why he declined this time – the last time was so much fun. WHEE!
The New Jersey flight to Bristol was perhaps the most turbulent we have ever seen. Jerry said it was like a ride at Six Flags. At the craziest, most gut-jerking moment, Allen cackled in glee, raised his right arm like a bronco buster and souted out : “YeeHaw, Ride’em Cowboy!” To a lady named Kim from Wales who was sitting on the same row, this seemed an unusual gesture.
Once in Bristol, we met with three other members of the group (Brian Booker, Shannon Richardson, and Nikki Clark) who had arrived by train from London after touring Edinburgh, Scotland. At that moment, Jordan Deah Rice strolled up and joined the group, having arrived at the Bristol station on a separate train by way of London, Romania, the Ukraine, Russia, and Moldovia (where she had narrowly avoided tragedy when she was apprehended by some corrupt and libidinous Moldovial policemen -- don’t ask).
Finally eight of the crew were together with the ninth, Dustin Loehrs, scheduled to arrive in two more days, on Tuesday afternoon. The Exhausted Eight explored the towering, mystical ruins of Tintern Abbey, and 12th-Century Welsh monastery (pictured upper right), and then toured the grand edifice of Caerphilly Castle, a broad-shouldered monument of grayish brown stones which looks like Tolkien dwarves carved millennia ago within a triple circle of moats and lakes.
We checked into the Etap Hotel in Cardiff City Centre and walked to a nearby Welsh pub called “The Cottage’ where we sampled the simple fare such as Welsh Crawl (a lamb stew) Welsh rarebit (which, sadly, was soggy and bland) and some excellent meat dishes. We topped it all off by sharing a granny caramel apple pie smothered in custard.
Better than sharing our delicacies was when we shared our hearts. Each of us answered three spiritual questions which required courage and transparency: 1) What, if any, was your religious upbringing,
2) What has God been teaching you in the last few years, and 3) what inspired you to come on this Welsh journey? There were tears, and sweetness, and bonding.
Then we returned to the Etap, exhausted, but at Peace. What a rich, deep way for strangers to begin a journey together. This level of openness and depth is very unusual for the Twenty First Century!
Allen
Our journey began in a way that would seem quite usual for the Twenty First Century: Everyone coming from every direction.
Out of nine of us, only three of us (Allen Rice, Deedee Rice, and Gavin Hart) left together at 10:25 a.m. from the Oklahoma City airport. We were joined in the Houston airport by Jerry Beasley who ran up and was at the end of the line to board the flight to New Jersey. So four of the nine of us were finally together.
The Bad News: While Deedee was running to catch the New Jersey flight, she re-injured her leg. The day before, she went to the emergency room and had her leg scanned to see if it was a blood clot (General Rule: It is not a good idea to carry around a blood clot if you are about to go on a flight lasting seven hours.) The medical professionals determined she did not have a blood clot, but they never told what she DID have, other than excruciating pain. So running to get a Coke fix (yes and I do mean CocaCola), was not the best idea in physical therapy Deedee ever had.
Still, we landed in New Jersey without incident, and thanks to Deedee’s bum leg, we got to zoom along in one of those trams across the long expanse of airport hallways. WHEE! On another note, Allen decided NOT to slice open the top of his head on a sharp piece of jagged metal like he did here in March. I am not sure why he declined this time – the last time was so much fun. WHEE!
The New Jersey flight to Bristol was perhaps the most turbulent we have ever seen. Jerry said it was like a ride at Six Flags. At the craziest, most gut-jerking moment, Allen cackled in glee, raised his right arm like a bronco buster and souted out : “YeeHaw, Ride’em Cowboy!” To a lady named Kim from Wales who was sitting on the same row, this seemed an unusual gesture.
Once in Bristol, we met with three other members of the group (Brian Booker, Shannon Richardson, and Nikki Clark) who had arrived by train from London after touring Edinburgh, Scotland. At that moment, Jordan Deah Rice strolled up and joined the group, having arrived at the Bristol station on a separate train by way of London, Romania, the Ukraine, Russia, and Moldovia (where she had narrowly avoided tragedy when she was apprehended by some corrupt and libidinous Moldovial policemen -- don’t ask).
Finally eight of the crew were together with the ninth, Dustin Loehrs, scheduled to arrive in two more days, on Tuesday afternoon. The Exhausted Eight explored the towering, mystical ruins of Tintern Abbey, and 12th-Century Welsh monastery (pictured upper right), and then toured the grand edifice of Caerphilly Castle, a broad-shouldered monument of grayish brown stones which looks like Tolkien dwarves carved millennia ago within a triple circle of moats and lakes.
We checked into the Etap Hotel in Cardiff City Centre and walked to a nearby Welsh pub called “The Cottage’ where we sampled the simple fare such as Welsh Crawl (a lamb stew) Welsh rarebit (which, sadly, was soggy and bland) and some excellent meat dishes. We topped it all off by sharing a granny caramel apple pie smothered in custard.
Better than sharing our delicacies was when we shared our hearts. Each of us answered three spiritual questions which required courage and transparency: 1) What, if any, was your religious upbringing,
2) What has God been teaching you in the last few years, and 3) what inspired you to come on this Welsh journey? There were tears, and sweetness, and bonding.
Then we returned to the Etap, exhausted, but at Peace. What a rich, deep way for strangers to begin a journey together. This level of openness and depth is very unusual for the Twenty First Century!
Allen
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Mission to Wales (Summer 2009) Informational Meeting
You want to know a little more about Henderson Hills Baptist Church’s Mission to Wales? Thinking about joining us sometime? Maybe this summer?
Come to an informational meeting on Thursday April 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Henderson Hills Baptist Church Middle School Room. Our guest speaker will be Troy Blankenship, our mission partner on the ground in Cardiff, Wales. Troy (originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a brilliant teacher and visionary missionary who has come all the way from Wales and is excited to share with us. He wants to give you a taste of Wales and of his highly successful, "anyone can achieve it" strategies for touching the hearts and lives of the good people of Wales.
Allen Rice and Dustin Loehrs will be leading another mission team in late June/early July and God may want you to come along. It also appears that Allen and Dustin will be leading a number of these mission trips in the future, so even if you cannot go in June, come and see what the excitement is all about since we have this rare opportunity for Troy to be in town with us.
For those of you who want a little Background:
Summer 2008 -- Allen Rice believes he gets a call from God to come back to southwest England and Wales as some sort of missionary. This comes as quite a shock!
December 2008 -- Allen and Dustin Loehrs establish important mission partnerships with people on the ground in Cardiff, Wales, especially the highly gifted Troy Blankenship.
March 2009 -- Allen and Dustin led their first team of eight people to make connections with the people of Wales. According to the team who went, it was a time of sweet spiritual growth and a great success.
Late June-Early July, 2009 -- Allen and Dustin are going to lead a larger team (perhaps comprised at least partly of twenty-somethings) on a mission back to Wales.
The Future? -- God and the sky are the limit!
Allen
Come to an informational meeting on Thursday April 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Henderson Hills Baptist Church Middle School Room. Our guest speaker will be Troy Blankenship, our mission partner on the ground in Cardiff, Wales. Troy (originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a brilliant teacher and visionary missionary who has come all the way from Wales and is excited to share with us. He wants to give you a taste of Wales and of his highly successful, "anyone can achieve it" strategies for touching the hearts and lives of the good people of Wales.
Allen Rice and Dustin Loehrs will be leading another mission team in late June/early July and God may want you to come along. It also appears that Allen and Dustin will be leading a number of these mission trips in the future, so even if you cannot go in June, come and see what the excitement is all about since we have this rare opportunity for Troy to be in town with us.
For those of you who want a little Background:
Summer 2008 -- Allen Rice believes he gets a call from God to come back to southwest England and Wales as some sort of missionary. This comes as quite a shock!
December 2008 -- Allen and Dustin Loehrs establish important mission partnerships with people on the ground in Cardiff, Wales, especially the highly gifted Troy Blankenship.
March 2009 -- Allen and Dustin led their first team of eight people to make connections with the people of Wales. According to the team who went, it was a time of sweet spiritual growth and a great success.
Late June-Early July, 2009 -- Allen and Dustin are going to lead a larger team (perhaps comprised at least partly of twenty-somethings) on a mission back to Wales.
The Future? -- God and the sky are the limit!
Allen
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A Description of the March 2009 Wales Mission Trip
An eight person team (comprised mainly of college-aged students and twenty-somethings) went to Cardiff, Wales for an eight day mission designed to:
1) Train the team in certain evangelism techniques specially designed for Western Europe,
2) Enable the team to interact with the people of Cardiff, sharing cultural experiences, and
3) Encourage the team to dialogue with Non-Christians about the Christian faith.
One team (Dustin Loehrs, Jessica Clark, Jamie Howell, and Nate Byford) focused upon students at Cardiff University and the other team (Allen & Deedee Rice, Jonathon Wyckoff, and Zack Deck) focused upon the richly international "City Road" district. Both groups were able to share Christian truth to a number of people who were surprisingly approachable given the traditionally rocky soil for Evangelism in Western Europe. The trip was a "maiden voyage" for at least one return trip in late June 2009 and perhaps many more to follow. All eight team members judged the trip to be a great success, filled as it was with real cultural and spiritual growth.
Allen Rice
1) Train the team in certain evangelism techniques specially designed for Western Europe,
2) Enable the team to interact with the people of Cardiff, sharing cultural experiences, and
3) Encourage the team to dialogue with Non-Christians about the Christian faith.
One team (Dustin Loehrs, Jessica Clark, Jamie Howell, and Nate Byford) focused upon students at Cardiff University and the other team (Allen & Deedee Rice, Jonathon Wyckoff, and Zack Deck) focused upon the richly international "City Road" district. Both groups were able to share Christian truth to a number of people who were surprisingly approachable given the traditionally rocky soil for Evangelism in Western Europe. The trip was a "maiden voyage" for at least one return trip in late June 2009 and perhaps many more to follow. All eight team members judged the trip to be a great success, filled as it was with real cultural and spiritual growth.
Allen Rice
Friday, March 20, 2009
Day Six (March 20, 2009)
Today was just different. We worshipped in a different way -- not by Dustin playing guitar and leading us in worship singing, but by all of us drinking hot beverages at a two-story Starbucks. We were locked out of the Tredegarville Church, so Troy took us to one of his favorite places of alternate church. I must admit, the flavor was better than in traditional worship. Troy led us in our last lesson -- this one on "Local-Global" Agriculture. The teaching was as rich and sweet as my Chai Latte. While in the Starbucks, the group met David, a local Christian associated with Calvary Chapel who encouaged them and exchanged e-mail addresses with them.
After an hour, Troy left to go perform a funeral, and the team hit Cardiff City Centre for some lunch and shopping. Many of us bought Welsh flags, mugs, etc., and Jonathon bought a very creative hat. You might say it was a daffy, dilly of a hat. Allen forced us all to have some Welsh cakes, which most people seemed to think were tasteless and mediocre at best (though Jaime pretended graciously to enjoy them). Then the team split up and went their different ways.
Allen and Deedee walked a great distance so Deedee could see the old grand church which had been turned into a supermarket. They imagined it being re-activated into a church and how that would effect the three nearby communities. Along the way, they practiced Prayer Walking/Plowing for Dummies.
Nate, Jaime, Zack, and Jonathon got to have a conversation with an advocate of Hare Krishna. He kind of preached to them without letting them get much time to respond, and when he found out they were Christians and were warming up to give him as good as he gave, he pretended to get a call on his cell phone and fled. Jonathon and Zack met a Moslem man who invited them into his home for a bit of tea. They engaged in a good conversation before they had to go. Jaime met a new Christian friend at coffee shop and they hoped to meet again if Jaime returns in June.
Dustin and Jessica had a spiritual conversation with a Moslem taxi driver who was a captive audience.
We all met back at the Etap Hotel at 6:30 p.m. and had our last debriefing. We gave Troy a thank you card for his leadership and his kindness to us and he expressed his warm appreciation to the team. Then Allen and Deedee ordered a pizza delivered to their room so they could crash after a long week of moving too fast, while the rest of the team ventured out into the night with Troy.
Zack went to give his presentation on Aerospace Engineering to the British version of the ROTC. The rest of the team went to meet their Malasian friend Devon for a meal and an evening together.
Much later in the evening, many team members plan to go out and help distribute 6000 bottles of water to club goers in need of hydration -- and spiritual conversation. They will no doubt stay up too late as young people tend to do.
But tomorrow we leave the Etap Hotel at 10:00 a.m. to take a tour of Caerphilly Castle and Stonehenge, and to head to the Bristol Hotel for a brief sleep before we arise too early Sunday morning for a long series of flights back to Oklahoma.
Troy made each of us answer two questions:
1) What did you take away from the week, and
2) What will you tell your friends and family about this tour?
The answers varied widely, but the net effect is that everyone felt that their worldview had changed -- their view of seeking God intensely for every minute of every day, their view of Evangelism as a daily life practice they can take back to their own worlds, and their view of each other as this integral interrelated pieces of a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
May we as a church one day impact Wales the way Wales has already impacted us.
Allen
After an hour, Troy left to go perform a funeral, and the team hit Cardiff City Centre for some lunch and shopping. Many of us bought Welsh flags, mugs, etc., and Jonathon bought a very creative hat. You might say it was a daffy, dilly of a hat. Allen forced us all to have some Welsh cakes, which most people seemed to think were tasteless and mediocre at best (though Jaime pretended graciously to enjoy them). Then the team split up and went their different ways.
Allen and Deedee walked a great distance so Deedee could see the old grand church which had been turned into a supermarket. They imagined it being re-activated into a church and how that would effect the three nearby communities. Along the way, they practiced Prayer Walking/Plowing for Dummies.
Nate, Jaime, Zack, and Jonathon got to have a conversation with an advocate of Hare Krishna. He kind of preached to them without letting them get much time to respond, and when he found out they were Christians and were warming up to give him as good as he gave, he pretended to get a call on his cell phone and fled. Jonathon and Zack met a Moslem man who invited them into his home for a bit of tea. They engaged in a good conversation before they had to go. Jaime met a new Christian friend at coffee shop and they hoped to meet again if Jaime returns in June.
Dustin and Jessica had a spiritual conversation with a Moslem taxi driver who was a captive audience.
We all met back at the Etap Hotel at 6:30 p.m. and had our last debriefing. We gave Troy a thank you card for his leadership and his kindness to us and he expressed his warm appreciation to the team. Then Allen and Deedee ordered a pizza delivered to their room so they could crash after a long week of moving too fast, while the rest of the team ventured out into the night with Troy.
Zack went to give his presentation on Aerospace Engineering to the British version of the ROTC. The rest of the team went to meet their Malasian friend Devon for a meal and an evening together.
Much later in the evening, many team members plan to go out and help distribute 6000 bottles of water to club goers in need of hydration -- and spiritual conversation. They will no doubt stay up too late as young people tend to do.
But tomorrow we leave the Etap Hotel at 10:00 a.m. to take a tour of Caerphilly Castle and Stonehenge, and to head to the Bristol Hotel for a brief sleep before we arise too early Sunday morning for a long series of flights back to Oklahoma.
Troy made each of us answer two questions:
1) What did you take away from the week, and
2) What will you tell your friends and family about this tour?
The answers varied widely, but the net effect is that everyone felt that their worldview had changed -- their view of seeking God intensely for every minute of every day, their view of Evangelism as a daily life practice they can take back to their own worlds, and their view of each other as this integral interrelated pieces of a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
May we as a church one day impact Wales the way Wales has already impacted us.
Allen
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Day Five (March 19, 2009)
Day Five, March 19th, began with the team meeting at 10:00 a.m. and debriefing about what happened yesterday. Our time of worship and teaching followed. Troy taught us the 4th part of the series: after Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping, comes "Vintaging." Our team did not seem as fatigued today.
Everyone except Deedee went to a Kurdish Restaurant and had a meal that was both great and large. Then we went our various ways to our chosen fields.
The City Road Team (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) went three different ways. Deedee skipped lunch with the team and met again with her ladies in the Tredegarville Church. Her Zimbabwe friend was so happy to see her that she hugged Deedee and wept. Deedee seems to have formed one of the deepest, most intimate friendships so far. Deedee was helping to move around some chairs and did not get to say farewell to her friend as she left which grieves Deedee, since they are not scheduled to meet again.
Jonathon, Zack, and Allen hung out with the international mix of young men in the church basement who meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 to play pool and ping pong. Jonathon and Zack spent time with a young man (from Africa, I think -- Nigeria?) at the piano. Jonathon also got to talk with some men waiting to play pool. Then they left and went back to the park on the far north of the City Road district. To their surprise, no one was there -- anywhere --on the park benches.
Allen stayed, trying to develop deeper relationships with several new Muslim friends from many different countries whom he has met in the Tredegarville Church basement -- guys he calls his "Basement Boys." His goal was to get them to talk about Islam and, hopefully, Christianity. In order to do so, he felt he had to at least try to play some ping pong with them, which he had avoided like the plague the first day. Allen has played ping pong once since the 1960's. These guys play for several hours twice a week. Allen gave it a try and was able to win the first game (thus controlling the table), and he came close to beating his first challenger in the second game. This qualified him to continue talking with some of the men. He was delighted to talk with one young man named Malik from the Sudan (who sounded exactly like Will Smith) about the political and religious troubles in Darfur. Even better, he got to talk to Hussein, the young Somali who had seemed a bit antagonistic toward Christianity two days earlier, and to whom Allen had explained the God and Human nature of Jesus Christ. Allen borrowed a technique Troy taught us and asked Hussein to explain Islam. Along the way, he also got Hussein to explain Jesus's role in the Koran. This caused a discussion, mainly articulated by Hussein with occasional tips from Allen, on how Christians view Jesus -- that he was God who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Just when Allen was about to explore the Plan of Salvation with more clarity, Hussein was interrupted and left with the interrupter for a smoke break. Allen was deeply frustrated how close he came to really planting the seed of the gospel, but had to remind himself that he is only here to do what God specifically wants him to do -- no more, no less. Still, Allen (at an emotional level) remains greedy of Hussein's soul and of all the "Basement Boys." He wishes he had more time with them -- like every day!
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) went back to the Welsh pub they had such success at previously. This time, there was no real connection with the patrons there. They did, however, connect with the waiter who they suspect they were there to minister to. Dustin thanked the man and gave him his first ever tip, even though he has worked at the place for quite awhile. The man was amazed and touched. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Later, the group linked up at a pub with Eva, a Polish lady that they had met at the university a day or two earlier. Jaime and Jessica stayed quite awhile with her. Meanwhile, Dustin and Nate hurried back to the Etap Hotel for the evening's debriefing.
Forming a Friendship with Rhiwbina Baptist Church
After the debriefing, Allen, Dustin, Deedee, Troy, and later, Jaime, met with an elder from Rhiwbina Baptist Church with whom Troy, Dustin, and Allen had met in December. His name is Alan and he brought with him his lovely wife. None of the other elders could make the meeting, which is sad, but Allen was somewhat relieved because he feels a deep friendship for Alan (even though they have just met twice before) and with Alan being the only representative from his elder board, the meeting quickly became a light-hearted, relaxed, "just us friends" kind of event.
The Welsh Alan again offered for the American Allen to preach and Dustin to lead the worship service, either on Sunday June 28th or Sunday July 5th -- to be determined later. The Welsh Alan also asked the American Alan to speak with perhaps 30 Welsh churchmen about Henderson Hills' experience of growing from 300-400 to 3000 attendance in only about 16 years. The American Allen wants the Welsh Alan and the other Welsh elders to discuss with him and Dustin their largely successful (and by American standards remarkable) experiences in church planting. This could help HHBC in fostering its Stillwater campus.
All in all, the time with the Welsh Elder Alan was encouraging and delightful as always. His lovely wife was even more of a marvel, because of her heroism and faith in battling through some difficult times at present, and because of her stunning testimony about how she and Alan came to the faith.
So What is Coming Up for Tomorrow? The University team gets to meet with Devon, their Malaysian friend who is taking tomorrow off from work and will host them on a tour all day. Allen is going to be looking for his "Basement Boys" at the nearby Tertiary College where some of them go to school. Jonathon and Zack are probably going meet again with their African shop owner who they have gotten so close to that they have helped him move his merchadise to a storage area behind his shop as a random act of kindness. Zack is also going to give a lecture to the local chapter of the British equivalent of our ROTC on the topic or Aerospace as a university major and a career. And many of us may join a local ministry which hands out 6000 bottles of water to people who are leaving clubs, bars, and pubs late at night. They might need the hydration -- if you know what I mean -- but the ministry provides an opportunity to explain the random act of kindness in the context of Christian Agape Love.
So where do we stand in general as we are coming to the end of our mission here in Cardiff? I think for many of the team the more relevant question is this: How soon can we come back?
Allen
Everyone except Deedee went to a Kurdish Restaurant and had a meal that was both great and large. Then we went our various ways to our chosen fields.
The City Road Team (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) went three different ways. Deedee skipped lunch with the team and met again with her ladies in the Tredegarville Church. Her Zimbabwe friend was so happy to see her that she hugged Deedee and wept. Deedee seems to have formed one of the deepest, most intimate friendships so far. Deedee was helping to move around some chairs and did not get to say farewell to her friend as she left which grieves Deedee, since they are not scheduled to meet again.
Jonathon, Zack, and Allen hung out with the international mix of young men in the church basement who meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 to play pool and ping pong. Jonathon and Zack spent time with a young man (from Africa, I think -- Nigeria?) at the piano. Jonathon also got to talk with some men waiting to play pool. Then they left and went back to the park on the far north of the City Road district. To their surprise, no one was there -- anywhere --on the park benches.
Allen stayed, trying to develop deeper relationships with several new Muslim friends from many different countries whom he has met in the Tredegarville Church basement -- guys he calls his "Basement Boys." His goal was to get them to talk about Islam and, hopefully, Christianity. In order to do so, he felt he had to at least try to play some ping pong with them, which he had avoided like the plague the first day. Allen has played ping pong once since the 1960's. These guys play for several hours twice a week. Allen gave it a try and was able to win the first game (thus controlling the table), and he came close to beating his first challenger in the second game. This qualified him to continue talking with some of the men. He was delighted to talk with one young man named Malik from the Sudan (who sounded exactly like Will Smith) about the political and religious troubles in Darfur. Even better, he got to talk to Hussein, the young Somali who had seemed a bit antagonistic toward Christianity two days earlier, and to whom Allen had explained the God and Human nature of Jesus Christ. Allen borrowed a technique Troy taught us and asked Hussein to explain Islam. Along the way, he also got Hussein to explain Jesus's role in the Koran. This caused a discussion, mainly articulated by Hussein with occasional tips from Allen, on how Christians view Jesus -- that he was God who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Just when Allen was about to explore the Plan of Salvation with more clarity, Hussein was interrupted and left with the interrupter for a smoke break. Allen was deeply frustrated how close he came to really planting the seed of the gospel, but had to remind himself that he is only here to do what God specifically wants him to do -- no more, no less. Still, Allen (at an emotional level) remains greedy of Hussein's soul and of all the "Basement Boys." He wishes he had more time with them -- like every day!
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) went back to the Welsh pub they had such success at previously. This time, there was no real connection with the patrons there. They did, however, connect with the waiter who they suspect they were there to minister to. Dustin thanked the man and gave him his first ever tip, even though he has worked at the place for quite awhile. The man was amazed and touched. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Later, the group linked up at a pub with Eva, a Polish lady that they had met at the university a day or two earlier. Jaime and Jessica stayed quite awhile with her. Meanwhile, Dustin and Nate hurried back to the Etap Hotel for the evening's debriefing.
Forming a Friendship with Rhiwbina Baptist Church
After the debriefing, Allen, Dustin, Deedee, Troy, and later, Jaime, met with an elder from Rhiwbina Baptist Church with whom Troy, Dustin, and Allen had met in December. His name is Alan and he brought with him his lovely wife. None of the other elders could make the meeting, which is sad, but Allen was somewhat relieved because he feels a deep friendship for Alan (even though they have just met twice before) and with Alan being the only representative from his elder board, the meeting quickly became a light-hearted, relaxed, "just us friends" kind of event.
The Welsh Alan again offered for the American Allen to preach and Dustin to lead the worship service, either on Sunday June 28th or Sunday July 5th -- to be determined later. The Welsh Alan also asked the American Alan to speak with perhaps 30 Welsh churchmen about Henderson Hills' experience of growing from 300-400 to 3000 attendance in only about 16 years. The American Allen wants the Welsh Alan and the other Welsh elders to discuss with him and Dustin their largely successful (and by American standards remarkable) experiences in church planting. This could help HHBC in fostering its Stillwater campus.
All in all, the time with the Welsh Elder Alan was encouraging and delightful as always. His lovely wife was even more of a marvel, because of her heroism and faith in battling through some difficult times at present, and because of her stunning testimony about how she and Alan came to the faith.
So What is Coming Up for Tomorrow? The University team gets to meet with Devon, their Malaysian friend who is taking tomorrow off from work and will host them on a tour all day. Allen is going to be looking for his "Basement Boys" at the nearby Tertiary College where some of them go to school. Jonathon and Zack are probably going meet again with their African shop owner who they have gotten so close to that they have helped him move his merchadise to a storage area behind his shop as a random act of kindness. Zack is also going to give a lecture to the local chapter of the British equivalent of our ROTC on the topic or Aerospace as a university major and a career. And many of us may join a local ministry which hands out 6000 bottles of water to people who are leaving clubs, bars, and pubs late at night. They might need the hydration -- if you know what I mean -- but the ministry provides an opportunity to explain the random act of kindness in the context of Christian Agape Love.
So where do we stand in general as we are coming to the end of our mission here in Cardiff? I think for many of the team the more relevant question is this: How soon can we come back?
Allen
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Day Four (March 18, 2009)
Day Four was the best yet for most of the team. The day started as usual with Dustin leading us in worship and Troy teaching us a lesson in the series -- this one on "Reaping" what has been Plowed and Sowed. The team was quieter and more subdued, partly from our growing sense of fatigue. Still, Troy's teaching was insightful as always and the team eventually woke up enough to have some excellent responses from almost everyone.
Troy let us go each group to its own way and he left to pray for us. Then it was up to each group:
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) went to an English pub near the campus and immediately struck up a conversation with a man in his early twenties standing in line behind them. His name was Devon (pronounced like "Steven") and he was from Malaysia. Devon's friends joined the group and great discussion ensued. Devon's friends left and Devon stayed with our group. All four members of the group saw a number of opportunities to bring up spiritual issues, but all four felt in their spirits that the time was not right yet. Nevertheless they spent the whole day with him and he asked to see them again -- he has Friday off and wants to give them a grand tour of Cardiff. This is the deepest friendship and strongest connection that any of us have made so far. The team was greatly encouraged after a couple of days of less fruitful attempts at connection. Jessica was especially encouraged, saying that each day was getting better and better. Nate wondered aloud if he could come back here again on mission in late June/early July.
The City Road Group (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) had lunch together at an Arabian restaurant named "Sahara" in an Arabian tent in the back of the building. They ate lunch sitting on a long but amazingly comfortable divan as all the other patrons around them smoked from hookahs. Pretty exotic. After lunch, the group went three different directions.
Jonathon and Zack walked about four miles over to a park at the far end of the City Road district and had long conversations with two different men. The first was a World War II veteran who was an admitted "Humanist, Socialist, Agnostic." They engaged in a spiritual conversation with him, including getting his opinion of why Christianity has dwindled to such a great degree in Britain in his lifetime. The second man they talked to was a Muslim man who not only has been to the U.S., but specifically mentioned (without being asked) that the main place he has been is Edmond, Oklahoma! Divine Appointments indeed.
Later, Jonathon and Zack went back to the Tredegarville Church and jammed for about 30 minutes with two other men, one of whom they had met the day before.
Deedee went back to the Tredegarville Church after lunch and again spent time with the ladies. Today was special for her because she got to meet again with Zimbabwe lady who had wept the day before recounting her immigration horrors and as an added bonus, Deedee got to meet with the lady's daughter! Deedee was so delighted the rest of the day seemed anti-climactic -- especially since she joined Allen after 3:00 p.m. (a little joke).
Allen had a lighter day than the climactic peak of the previous day, but it was probably a good thing since he did not seem to be firing on all his cylinders anyway. He did get to make two new friends at AJ's Coffee Cafe, including Katherine, a Welsh lady who is a returning student at the Tertiary College across the street, majoring in Accounting. She has an Italian husband and is learning the language in order to get to know her in-laws better. Allen teased her that she, a Brit, was addicted to coffee, and Allen, an American, is addicted to tea. Allen introduced Katherine to Deedee and the three chatted pleasantly. The three agreed to spend time with each other again if they ran across each other in the next couple of days. Allen's other new friend is James Lee, the surprisingly young owner of AJ's. He spent twenty minutes or so with Allen, teaching him more Welsh, and referring him to Mimosa, a great Welsh restaurant in the Cardiff Bay area the Team was going to that night.
The Whole Team met back at the Etap Hotel and left at 5:45 p.m., taking a couple of taxis to the fashionable Cardiff Bay area. Troy had decided to let the team postpone their normal evening debriefing until 9:30 a.m. the next morning. Instead the group decided to go to a musical entitled Mary Poppins. Jaime had first expressed interest in this, but it was Zack who had gallantly pursued the idea, even doing web research to determine costs and showtimes. The group tried to go to the Welsh restaurant Allen had heard about, Mimosa, but were ejected because they did not have a reservation. So they went to an excellent Italian restaurant nearby. When the meal was over the group only had ten minutes to flee the 2-3 blocks to the theater house. They fled as Allen paid the tab, took a taxi back to the hotel, and composed this daily report. I thank God that this duty has set me free from two hours of a live musical production.
All in all, the team is more and more filled with confidence, and more importantly, a sense of God's direction. We are more united as a team and more open to approaching strangers in ways that seem graceful, natural, and loving. Everyone keeps talking more about what God is showing them about themselves, how He is growing them up, than they are about their mission contacts with the people of Cardiff, which is itself going surprisingly well.
We are looking forward to what the next two days bring to us, especially as we pursue contacts we have already made with people -- Deedee's Zimbabwe lady friend, The University Group's Malaysian friend, Devon, and Allen's church basement boys, for example. Keep praying for us. We are all undergoing deep spiritual strain, but we are praying that the muscle development will be worth it, not to mention the value of the heavy lifting itself.
Allen
Troy let us go each group to its own way and he left to pray for us. Then it was up to each group:
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) went to an English pub near the campus and immediately struck up a conversation with a man in his early twenties standing in line behind them. His name was Devon (pronounced like "Steven") and he was from Malaysia. Devon's friends joined the group and great discussion ensued. Devon's friends left and Devon stayed with our group. All four members of the group saw a number of opportunities to bring up spiritual issues, but all four felt in their spirits that the time was not right yet. Nevertheless they spent the whole day with him and he asked to see them again -- he has Friday off and wants to give them a grand tour of Cardiff. This is the deepest friendship and strongest connection that any of us have made so far. The team was greatly encouraged after a couple of days of less fruitful attempts at connection. Jessica was especially encouraged, saying that each day was getting better and better. Nate wondered aloud if he could come back here again on mission in late June/early July.
The City Road Group (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) had lunch together at an Arabian restaurant named "Sahara" in an Arabian tent in the back of the building. They ate lunch sitting on a long but amazingly comfortable divan as all the other patrons around them smoked from hookahs. Pretty exotic. After lunch, the group went three different directions.
Jonathon and Zack walked about four miles over to a park at the far end of the City Road district and had long conversations with two different men. The first was a World War II veteran who was an admitted "Humanist, Socialist, Agnostic." They engaged in a spiritual conversation with him, including getting his opinion of why Christianity has dwindled to such a great degree in Britain in his lifetime. The second man they talked to was a Muslim man who not only has been to the U.S., but specifically mentioned (without being asked) that the main place he has been is Edmond, Oklahoma! Divine Appointments indeed.
Later, Jonathon and Zack went back to the Tredegarville Church and jammed for about 30 minutes with two other men, one of whom they had met the day before.
Deedee went back to the Tredegarville Church after lunch and again spent time with the ladies. Today was special for her because she got to meet again with Zimbabwe lady who had wept the day before recounting her immigration horrors and as an added bonus, Deedee got to meet with the lady's daughter! Deedee was so delighted the rest of the day seemed anti-climactic -- especially since she joined Allen after 3:00 p.m. (a little joke).
Allen had a lighter day than the climactic peak of the previous day, but it was probably a good thing since he did not seem to be firing on all his cylinders anyway. He did get to make two new friends at AJ's Coffee Cafe, including Katherine, a Welsh lady who is a returning student at the Tertiary College across the street, majoring in Accounting. She has an Italian husband and is learning the language in order to get to know her in-laws better. Allen teased her that she, a Brit, was addicted to coffee, and Allen, an American, is addicted to tea. Allen introduced Katherine to Deedee and the three chatted pleasantly. The three agreed to spend time with each other again if they ran across each other in the next couple of days. Allen's other new friend is James Lee, the surprisingly young owner of AJ's. He spent twenty minutes or so with Allen, teaching him more Welsh, and referring him to Mimosa, a great Welsh restaurant in the Cardiff Bay area the Team was going to that night.
The Whole Team met back at the Etap Hotel and left at 5:45 p.m., taking a couple of taxis to the fashionable Cardiff Bay area. Troy had decided to let the team postpone their normal evening debriefing until 9:30 a.m. the next morning. Instead the group decided to go to a musical entitled Mary Poppins. Jaime had first expressed interest in this, but it was Zack who had gallantly pursued the idea, even doing web research to determine costs and showtimes. The group tried to go to the Welsh restaurant Allen had heard about, Mimosa, but were ejected because they did not have a reservation. So they went to an excellent Italian restaurant nearby. When the meal was over the group only had ten minutes to flee the 2-3 blocks to the theater house. They fled as Allen paid the tab, took a taxi back to the hotel, and composed this daily report. I thank God that this duty has set me free from two hours of a live musical production.
All in all, the team is more and more filled with confidence, and more importantly, a sense of God's direction. We are more united as a team and more open to approaching strangers in ways that seem graceful, natural, and loving. Everyone keeps talking more about what God is showing them about themselves, how He is growing them up, than they are about their mission contacts with the people of Cardiff, which is itself going surprisingly well.
We are looking forward to what the next two days bring to us, especially as we pursue contacts we have already made with people -- Deedee's Zimbabwe lady friend, The University Group's Malaysian friend, Devon, and Allen's church basement boys, for example. Keep praying for us. We are all undergoing deep spiritual strain, but we are praying that the muscle development will be worth it, not to mention the value of the heavy lifting itself.
Allen
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day Three (March 17, 2009)
Day Three (March 17th, St. Patrick's Day) began just like the day before with rising at 7:00 a.m. or so and eating breakfast. Like yesterday, Jessica did not eat breakfast with us, because she apparently doesn't do breakfast. And for the first time, Jaime did not wear green--ironically, this was St. Patty's Day. We independently read more of the book of Acts for an hour or so and walked to the Treadergerville church where Dustin led us again (sweetly and passionately) in worship and singing. By the way, Dustin has been doing a superb job organizing this tour and keeping things running.
Troy taught us another brilliant lesson -- this one on "Sowing," which is a sequel to yesterday's lesson on "Plowing." He left the team alone for awhile (while he, with his servant's heart, made us all cups of tea!) and we did a little Bible study together. When he returned, we all stood in a circle and prayed aloud (all at once) for the person on our left: it was like speaking in tongues in English. Then he gave us our marching orders for the day, which was to seek "People of Peace" -- that is, those who providentially seemed willing to engage in rich conversation.
The day was much more successful for most of the mission team than the day before:
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) wandered through generally empty shops (it was another nice day outside so all the people were outdoors) trying to connect with folks and then eventually focusing upon the outdoor areas themselves. Their attempts to connect were successful on a number of occasions:
Dustin got to pray for a man!
Jaime was very comfortable talking with a number of people in an outdoor setting.
Nate and Dustin made a connection with a group of Brits by asking them to explain the rules of Rugby.
Jessica was much more comfortable talking with a group at a typical English pub in Cardiff City Centre. They were all wearing giant green felt St. Patty's Day tophats. Some of the Brits had perhaps a taste of some Irish Guiness. An Irish girl in the group had perhaps a taste of several dozen Irish Guinesses. But they were as eager to talk with the University group of missionaries as they were to talk to them. They had a splendid cultural exchange! This was very encouraging, especially to Jessica, who has found the way to talk openly to people a little slow and daunting at times.
The City Road Group (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) started out their day at the Treadergerville Church.
Deedee got to talk one on one with a refugee woman from Zimbabwe who shared with Deedee her horror stories on trying to get into and remain in Britain with her daughter. She wept and Deedee bonded with the lady.
Zack and Jonathan got to hang out with a large group of international teenagers in
the church basement who had come to play billiards and ping pong. These men were from all over the world: Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, India, Kenya, and many more countries. One young man even began to ask Jonathan questions about Christianity, but the man had to leave abruptly when it was his turn to shoot some pool.
Allen went crazy talking to as many as 6-7 of these international young men at once, usually about American culture or the culture of their countries or American movies or British accents, or the flavors of tea, or the failures of Bush's international policies, etc. But the big moment for Allen came when a young (somewhat hostile) Somali Muslim asked Allen about the nature of Jesus Christ. Allen explained the nature of Jesus being both Son of God and Son of Man by pointing to a nearby new friend (Tariq) who was Welsh on his mother's side and Libyan on his father's side: Tariq is both son of Wales (when he wants to relate to the Welsh) and son of Libya (when he wants to relate to the Libyans). It was an analogy that provided many fruitful minutes of spiritual conversation, both with the young Somali and others standing around. Allen was so incredibly high after that encounter that he was in an extraverted daze for the rest of the day.
Zack and Jonathan had a chat with a mechant in an African shop who expressed frustration at feeling the British gave preferential treatment to the British and Western Europeans over other immigrants. For example, he pays more to rent his shop space than other merchants around him. Zack and Jonathan promised to come back and chat with him later this week; so they established a connection with him.
After the evening's debriefing, Allen stayed at the hotel to write up the day's events in the note you are now reading while Deedee and Jaime went with Troy to a Persian pre-New Year's celebration featuring some Zoroastrian culture. Meanwhile, Zack, Jonathan, Nate, Jessica, and Dustin went to a quirky little club/restaurant called Milgi's (featuring an actual yurt or hut in the back). This is the once a month "storytelling" night where people bring musical instruments and take turns singing and telling uplifting stories to the delight of others in the club.
Needless to say, the Lord has all of our attention and we are moving in harmony with Him, with each other, and with the good people of Wales -- moreso that we could have hoped yesterday after hitting a spiritual brick wall and moreso in many cases than we had a right to expect after a month of mission work in a Western European setting, let alone just two days at work in humble little Cardiff.
Keep praying for us. As much as God has done so far, we suspect He is not done with us yet.
Allen
Troy taught us another brilliant lesson -- this one on "Sowing," which is a sequel to yesterday's lesson on "Plowing." He left the team alone for awhile (while he, with his servant's heart, made us all cups of tea!) and we did a little Bible study together. When he returned, we all stood in a circle and prayed aloud (all at once) for the person on our left: it was like speaking in tongues in English. Then he gave us our marching orders for the day, which was to seek "People of Peace" -- that is, those who providentially seemed willing to engage in rich conversation.
The day was much more successful for most of the mission team than the day before:
The University Group (Dustin, Jessica, Jaime, and Nate) wandered through generally empty shops (it was another nice day outside so all the people were outdoors) trying to connect with folks and then eventually focusing upon the outdoor areas themselves. Their attempts to connect were successful on a number of occasions:
Dustin got to pray for a man!
Jaime was very comfortable talking with a number of people in an outdoor setting.
Nate and Dustin made a connection with a group of Brits by asking them to explain the rules of Rugby.
Jessica was much more comfortable talking with a group at a typical English pub in Cardiff City Centre. They were all wearing giant green felt St. Patty's Day tophats. Some of the Brits had perhaps a taste of some Irish Guiness. An Irish girl in the group had perhaps a taste of several dozen Irish Guinesses. But they were as eager to talk with the University group of missionaries as they were to talk to them. They had a splendid cultural exchange! This was very encouraging, especially to Jessica, who has found the way to talk openly to people a little slow and daunting at times.
The City Road Group (Allen, Deedee, Jonathon, and Zack) started out their day at the Treadergerville Church.
Deedee got to talk one on one with a refugee woman from Zimbabwe who shared with Deedee her horror stories on trying to get into and remain in Britain with her daughter. She wept and Deedee bonded with the lady.
Zack and Jonathan got to hang out with a large group of international teenagers in
the church basement who had come to play billiards and ping pong. These men were from all over the world: Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, India, Kenya, and many more countries. One young man even began to ask Jonathan questions about Christianity, but the man had to leave abruptly when it was his turn to shoot some pool.
Allen went crazy talking to as many as 6-7 of these international young men at once, usually about American culture or the culture of their countries or American movies or British accents, or the flavors of tea, or the failures of Bush's international policies, etc. But the big moment for Allen came when a young (somewhat hostile) Somali Muslim asked Allen about the nature of Jesus Christ. Allen explained the nature of Jesus being both Son of God and Son of Man by pointing to a nearby new friend (Tariq) who was Welsh on his mother's side and Libyan on his father's side: Tariq is both son of Wales (when he wants to relate to the Welsh) and son of Libya (when he wants to relate to the Libyans). It was an analogy that provided many fruitful minutes of spiritual conversation, both with the young Somali and others standing around. Allen was so incredibly high after that encounter that he was in an extraverted daze for the rest of the day.
Zack and Jonathan had a chat with a mechant in an African shop who expressed frustration at feeling the British gave preferential treatment to the British and Western Europeans over other immigrants. For example, he pays more to rent his shop space than other merchants around him. Zack and Jonathan promised to come back and chat with him later this week; so they established a connection with him.
After the evening's debriefing, Allen stayed at the hotel to write up the day's events in the note you are now reading while Deedee and Jaime went with Troy to a Persian pre-New Year's celebration featuring some Zoroastrian culture. Meanwhile, Zack, Jonathan, Nate, Jessica, and Dustin went to a quirky little club/restaurant called Milgi's (featuring an actual yurt or hut in the back). This is the once a month "storytelling" night where people bring musical instruments and take turns singing and telling uplifting stories to the delight of others in the club.
Needless to say, the Lord has all of our attention and we are moving in harmony with Him, with each other, and with the good people of Wales -- moreso that we could have hoped yesterday after hitting a spiritual brick wall and moreso in many cases than we had a right to expect after a month of mission work in a Western European setting, let alone just two days at work in humble little Cardiff.
Keep praying for us. As much as God has done so far, we suspect He is not done with us yet.
Allen
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