THE GOSPEL OF PEACE
mbmission.org
Winter 2018
Witness Winter 2018
Contents
FOUNDATIONS
The Cry for Freedom.................................................4
FOR PEACEMAKING
Peace to this House..................................................6
EDITORIAL
Editorial: Foundations for Peacemaking..................2
By Randy Friesen
Black and White......................................................10 September Rain.......................................................12 Hope is Louder........................................................13 Ribbons of Grace.....................................................14
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Staff Editor-in-Chief......................................Randy Friesen Managing Editor............................... Mark JH Klassen Layout & Design.................................. Darcy Scholes Illustration & Design............................. Colton Floris Writing & Prayer Mobilization.................Nikki White Media Team Lead.................................Larry Neufeld Circulation & Administration..................Ann Wiebe
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Cover photo by Sean Fast in Paris Printed in Canada
Five hundred years ago in Europe, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, many of the early Anabaptists were challenging society to embrace Christ’s teaching to love one’s enemies. Michael Sattler was actually taken to court by local magistrates in Germany over this issue, because he had applied this outrageous command to the invading Turks. In advocating for a loving posture toward the Turks, Sattler became an enemy of the state. For this act of scandalous love, he was burned at the stake. I’ve wondered how loving our enemies today influences how we live on mission in an age of terrorism and fear. How is proactive peacemaking connected to our proclamation of the Gospel? When I was in Northern Iraq recently, I had the opportunity to meet a leading Muslim scholar from the region who was taking steps toward following Jesus. He told me that it was the peace of Jesus that was so attractive to him. However, he also admitted to feeling pressured by those around him and by doubts within, and he feared sliding back into Islam. We had the opportunity to pray together several times and he experienced deliverance, healing and peace in the Name of Jesus.
How is proactive peacemaking connected to our proclamation of the Gospel?
As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14, “For he himself is our peace.” Biblical peace is more than the absence of conflict or the negotiation of a compromise settlement; it is solely based on the person, work and presence of Jesus. We recently hosted a Muslim business leader from the Middle East in our home for a week. We had met months earlier on our travels and I invited him to visit us in Canada. Before he even arrived at our place, he texted me, saying, “I want to talk to you about my home in heaven and peace within.” A week later, that man left our home saying that he was now praying to Jesus.
Biblical peace is solely based on the person, work and presence of Jesus. I believe there are many who live in conflict around the world today who are desperately looking for peace within and without. Are we effectively proclaiming the Gospel of peace? Peace with God and with one another is a prominent theme in the New Testament. In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul says that through Christ, God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). However, he makes this statement in the context of several foundational building blocks of peace, without which, peacemaking will not produce lasting spiritual fruit. These building blocks are audacious statements that challenge our western worldview to its core. Paul asks his readers to see differently in three critical ways: 1. Biblical peacemaking requires that we see reality differently than the world around us. Paul says, “What is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Elsewhere, he writes, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). We have an enemy, but it’s not people, contrary to what the news may be telling us! Defending our personal rights and freedoms is not our highest calling. Paul says over and over again that his suffering for the Gospel is producing life in others (2 Cor 4:11, 12, 17) and bringing glory to God. When this world is not the ultimate reality, we can live with eternal values as well as trust in God’s ultimate justice and judgment of sin.
2. Biblical peacemaking also requires that we see people differently. Paul says, “From now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Every person is created in the image of God and, as such, has value and worth. Jesus died for us that we might live. From the very first days of the Early Church, the followers of Jesus would rather die as martyrs than organize armed resistance against the oppression of the Roman state. The Gospel confronts the endless cycle of revenge within the shame and honour culture by willingly suffering and forgiving the other. We are called to live this Gospel, not just talk about it! Peacemaking requires that we see the eternal value of every person regardless of culture, class, gender, education, or religion. If we demonize the other, we only justify our violence towards them. 3. Biblical peacemaking also requires that we see ourselves differently. Paul says, “We are therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Jesus himself has commissioned us as his ambassadors to live and share his message of reconciliation. Peace with God and with others is now available in Christ. In him, we are a “new creation; the old has gone the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has entrusted us with a message that will transform lives, families, communities and nations. Whatever conflicts we engage, whether racial, religious, political or economic, we must understand their underlying spiritual origins and focus on the provision for peace that God has already secured on our behalf. When we see reality, people and ourselves differently, we too will be peacemakers in the way of Jesus. As I travel and meet with church leaders around the world, I am encouraged with the many ways the Church is living this mission today. I trust that the stories in this issue of Witness will encourage you to embrace your role as a peacemaker. Let’s continue to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.
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THE CRY FOR FREEDOM MIDDLE EAST
We hadn’t done anything, but we were there with them. Standing close enough to feel their grief. So close that our tears fell on each other’s shoulders while they shook. These were no longer just stories. These were people. Friends. Precious friends. We were at a peace camp in northern Iraq, a region that has seen some of the world’s most brutal atrocities in recent years. The camp gathered together young people from different backgrounds to share their stories and their desires for peace. But God had something even more amazing in mind. On the second day of the camp, there was a talent show when participants were given opportunity to get to know each other better by sharing their gifts. One of the North Americans sang a song, an Iraqi told a joke, and some of the Yazidis performed a dance.
He spoke openly about the horrors of war that he and his family had experienced. But everything changed when Amar, a young Yazidi from a nearby refugee camp, approached the front to read a poem. It was brutally honest. He spoke openly about the horrors of war that he and his family had experienced, how Muslim extremists had invaded their village and forced them to escape to a nearby mountain. Many fled barefoot, the trails scorching their feet as they ran towards safety. Amar had climbed the mountain twice, carrying his family members who were not strong enough to make the journey. They waited for days without water, without food and without hope. Those who remained in the village were either killed or captured. Others died on the mountaintop from exhaustion and dehydration. Those who survived ended up in refugee camps within the borders of their own country. White tents lined up row by row, separated by dusty trails. Thousands of tents. Thousands of people. Thousands of sad stories. 4 | witness
By AK
As Amar shared, his face was marked by grief. Upon finishing his poem, he looked into our eyes. The room was silent. The talent show was over. Then he told us that, just a few days earlier, his friend had received a message from the extremist forces demanding an exorbitant ransom for the return of his sister. “What should I do?” Amar asked. His question hung in the air. No one answered him. He turned to those of us from North American and asked again, his voice getting louder, “What do you think I should do?” One of my co-workers, Dan, rose to stand next to Amar. He addressed the group, explaining that there was very little at that moment that any of us could do to change the situation. But he also said that he believed in a God who cared, a God who hears the cries of the oppressed. He asked Amar if we could cry out to God on his friend’s behalf. As we circled around Amar to pray for this missing girl, many of us in the room began to weep. Dan felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to proclaim freedom into this situation and to cry out in a loud voice. He warned us all so that we would not be shocked. From the depths of his soul, Dan cried out: “Freedom!” It was deafening. Seconds later, a young man echoed the cry from the back of the room: “Freedom!” The emotion in the room was palpable. The hope was real. We invited others into the circle, those that also had loved ones who were still missing or known to be kidnapped by extremist groups. More than half of the people in the room stepped forward while we offered fervent prayers to God on behalf of their suffering. There were many more tears as the circle tightened. Brothers and sisters of different nations stood shoulder to shoulder.
As the prayer time came to a close, one of the young Yazidis at the back of the room presented a large white poster board inscribed with a message that he had just written:
hugged, a sense of hope and love filled the room. People were once again moved to tears and their hearts yearned for peace like never before.
“Dear Christians who have come from long distances away to plant peace flowers in our lands, we do welcome you on this land. We like sharing thoughts with you. You are a piece of us now and we are the same to you.”
For those of us in the room who were praying and asking God to reveal himself to these people, the presence of God’s Spirit in the room was unmistakable. In the midst of all the darkness and pain in this region, God was shining his light. The Prince of Peace had come to show the way.
What happened next was even more amazing. One of the participants stepped forward to address the group. His name was Habib and he was an Iraqi Muslim. His own family had been refugees twice and found themselves attending a peace camp the year before in a neighboring country. Moved by what his family shared with him about their experience, Habib was eager to participate in this peace camp, in a country that he still calls home. He said that he had something to say specifically to Amar and the other Yazidis in the group. “I am a Muslim,” Habib began, “and I am sorry for how my people have treated you. We have allowed extremist groups from within our midst to persecute you and torture you. We have ignored you in your plight. As an Iraqi Muslim, I want to ask your forgiveness for what we have done to you.” The impact was immediate. One of the Yazidi men approached Habib and embraced him. As the two men
GET INVOLVED Pray for the peace of Jesus to be brought into conflict zones around the world. Ask God to open doors among the least reached and to send out more of his ambassadors who will boldly declare the message of peace and freedom in Christ. As you pray, be willing to be the answer to your prayers and be ready to follow the Prince of Peace into a world of conflict and need. For more information about getting involved in peacemaking or providing financial support for peace camps in conflict zones, contact your local Mission Mobilizer at 1.888.866.6267.
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PEACE TO THIS HOUSE NORTH AMERICA
“I often feel more like a spectator than a church planter,” says Daniel (all names have been changed to respect privacy). For the past few years, he has been church planting with the C2C Network among First Peoples in North America. But most of the time, he hasn’t felt like he’s been in control of the outcomes of his ministry. “I haven’t come up with any original idea or smart thought. I just show up and watch the Spirit of God at work.” And what is the Spirit of God doing? A lot. One day, while Daniel was distributing food to those in need, he met a woman named Emily. She had an injured foot, so he took the opportunity to pray for her. “I could tell right away that she was very appreciative and responsive,” Daniel said, “so I asked her if she would like to hear more about how to pray to Jesus and hear his voice.” Emily invited Daniel into her home on the reserve, where she lived with her boyfriend, Chris. The two of them lived in a very small and run-down place, which was situated within a larger communal living facility on the reserve. “When I stepped foot into their place, it was obvious that they were heroin addicts. There were needles everywhere.” Even though it was painful for Daniel to see their living conditions, at the same time he felt very welcomed in their home. Chris was equally as warm and friendly as Emily. As Daniel began to share a story from the Bible, the couple listened attentively. But as they listened, Chris opened the door of their room into the hallway, so that others in the facility could come and go as they pleased. “Emily told him to shut it, but Chris insisted on keeping it open.” As he continued to tell the story, it became apparent to Daniel that people were coming to the room to buy drugs from Chris. “Some of them would look around, see me, and ask what was going on, but Chris would just tell them, ‘We’re reading the Bible and learning to hear God’s voice.’”
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By Mark JH Klassen
As bizarre as it seemed to Daniel, he also felt very privileged to be there to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel and the presence of Jesus in that place. At the end of their time together, Chris suggested that Daniel come again in a few days. At their next meeting together, Daniel focused on the story of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15). “It was during that story that Chris encountered God in an amazing way. He was instantly transformed.” With the door still open, Chris began telling everyone who was nearby that this Jesus was better than heroin! Suddenly, the couples’ room became a hub for Gospel proclamation on the reserve.
Suddenly, the couples’ room became a hub for Gospel proclamation on the reserve. At the next meeting, more people showed up and Daniel led them through a reading of the Woman at the Well (John 4). In the middle of the story, a young man entered the room and said, “I’m hurting. Can you help me?” (In the language of addicts, it clearly meant that he wanted heroin but couldn’t afford it.) Chris immediately gave him what he wanted. Then the young man looked around the room and asked, “Is this a safe place?” Chris and Emily assured him it was, and so the young man proceeded to prepare the drug and take it right as the others continued to discuss the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. That young man came to the next meeting, but not for heroin; he came for the story. Eventually, he came to faith in Jesus. Since then, the group has continued to grow and multiply. That young man and six others from that group have started other house churches, or faith circles, as they call them on the reserve.
For Daniel, it’s clear that Chris was the man of peace that Jesus talked about with his disciples. Daniel takes the words of Jesus seriously in Luke 10:5-7: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them… Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” God used Chris in a powerful way to host Daniel – the Gospel messenger – in that context. And Daniel was amazed at how natural the process was: “It was all very indigenous, and peaceful. It was completely on their terms. I just watched Jesus come into that room and meet those people as they were.”
“I just watched Jesus come into that room and meet those people as they were.” Daniel noticed three simple keys to how the Gospel took root and the Church was born in those meetings on the reserve: “The door was open. It was a safe place. Jesus was there.” “It’s that simple,” Daniel concludes. “Wherever you’re going with the Gospel, God is preparing people to receive you as the messenger. But you’ve got to be prepared to be a person in need, to make yourself vulnerable, to go in humility. That’s what Jesus is saying in Luke 10. The person of peace cares for you and provides for your needs. They become your advocate. It takes away the unhealthy power dynamics in the relationship.” In the case of Chris and Emily, Daniel was also reminded that the people of peace then become the new messengers of the Gospel. “They were the insiders that opened the door for others in their context on the reserve. They were the new laborers, raised up from among the harvest, allowing the Gospel to speak and transform from within.” Daniel has enjoyed watching the Spirit at work among First Peoples. He’s often been surprised: “God has taught me to expect the greatest results from the most unlikely places.”
The C2C Network Joins MB Mission By Randy Friesen After several years of processing the big idea of having the C2C Network join MB Mission, the Canadian Conference of MB Churches gave their final vote of affirmation on November 1, 2017 at a Special General Meeting in Abbotsford, BC. It was a good example of the community discernment process that we see in the Book of Acts when the apostles and elders declared, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us...” (Acts 15:28). The vote passed with a strong 85% majority. I want to express my thanks to everyone who prayed and invested in this process. There have been many people who gave their input along the way with counsel and engaged us with many important questions. We are grateful for an involved and supportive constituency. Together we are stepping forward in faith in the direction that God is calling us. We are most excited about the high level of passion and commitment that we see in both our Canadian and US MB Church Conferences. We believe that this merger anchors us securely in our MB family and also links us to a much broader kingdom network. Together, we are committed to One Mission – local, national and global. We want to see churches everywhere embracing this vision to equip everyone to share the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations. We continue to ask for your prayers as we work together to effectively merge our agencies and align our systems. Although we are adding North American church planting to our global work, we will be keeping global MB Mission donations separate from the donations received for domestic church planting with C2C. Please pray that in all things we would be faithful, humble and wise as we serve Jesus and his Church in the days to come.
To learn more about C2C and their church-planting initiatives across North America, go to c2cnetwork.org
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But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility‌ His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Ephesians 2:13-17
BLACK AND WHITE THAILAND
My grandfather was a shaman, a witchdoctor. As animists, we believed that our lives were controlled by spirits. But because a shaman could control these spirits, my grandfather gave one to my mother. He told her that, with the spirit’s blessing, she would have a perfect life – always fed, safe, loved and at peace. He promised that the spirit would make her beautiful and desirable, and she would never be lonely. It didn’t work. All of the good things that my grandfather promised her – none of them came to pass. My mother struggled to cope with all of the pain and difficulty in her life. She did not feel special, except when the spirit spoke to her, or through her.
By Napaporn Uawongyart
When I was a young girl, I had such a severe stomach ache that I thought I would die. My mother was frightened, so she dedicated me to the same spirit. Immediately, my pain went away. After that, the spirit began to speak to me and tell me that I too was special. The spirit would whisper to her, “No one loves you as much as I do.” And I believed it. I started to think that no one but the spirit could be trusted. I avoided making friends. Instead, I poured my energy into academics; I excelled and won many awards. Again and again, my name would be called over the loud speaker at school, announcing my success. This became my only source of self-worth. I graduated and went on to university, believing that I would succeed there as well.
I started to think that no one but the spirit could be trusted. I did not know that the announcements had been heard throughout the neighborhood. A missionary living nearby heard my name so frequently that he sensed the Holy Spirit telling him, “Pray for that girl!” I would not meet this man for two years. But, because he prayed, my life began to change. My success turned to failure. In university, I failed an exam for the first time in my life. I wondered why the spirit was not helping me anymore. I became depressed to the point of considering suicide. During that time, a young Christian who had befriended me saw my distress and offered to pray for me. I had always avoided accepting his invitation to go to church, afraid that it might anger the spirit. But now I was desperate. Did I dare turn to Jesus and defy the spirit? Who was stronger?
Napaporn at seventeen years old 10 | witness
“God, if you are real,” I prayed, “then make five red cars pass by.” A few minutes later, five red cars drove past. I was not convinced. This city is full of red taxis, I reasoned. So I added, “God, if you are real, now bring five
red motorcycles!” Within minutes, I watched as five red motorcycles drove by. I decided that maybe I should give God a try! As I prayed to Jesus, there was a war inside my brain. At first, I cried. Then I couldn’t stop laughing. I felt chains being cut off of me; the dark spirit was gone, and I was free. In wonder, I kept asking, “Who are you?” That night in my room, as I surrendered to Jesus, I felt as if a warm waterfall of love was pouring over me. I could hardly even move my limbs.
For the first time in my life, I felt at peace. I even felt that peace when I went to tell my mother that I had chosen to follow Jesus. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace. I even felt that peace when I went to tell my mother that I had chosen to follow Jesus. I knew it would be a confrontation. When I told her, the dark spirit reared up in my mother and she began to curse me, and even struck me across the face. Three times, she hit me. But I knew it was the evil spirit, and the Holy Spirit told me not to fight back.
had God allowed this? My heart was plagued by dark doubts and an inconsolable grief, and I struggled with my faith. Then one day I found myself in a conversation with a pastor who, like me, came from an animistic background. I told him my story, and he asked me, “Did your mother ask for her body to be burned?” “Yes,” I replied. “Also, she left instructions for all of her idols and amulets to be burned along with her.” When I said this, the pastor smiled widely. “She did that for you!” he exclaimed. “According to animist beliefs, this is what must be done to prevent the dark spirits from passing on to the next generation. Your mother believed she was saving you. It was her faith in Jesus that made her do this!” My heart was once again flooded with joy and peace. I thought to myself, the spirits promise a perfect life, but they are liars. Only God works all things together for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Today Napaporn is a pharmacist, running her own research company for herbal medicine and cosmetics. She also teaches high school chemistry and is a frequent guest lecturer in university. She currently attends the Ang Sila church in Chonburi along with MB Mission global workers, Ricky and Karen Sanchez.
“You and I are over!” I spoke to the spirit, “You no longer have authority over me!” “You are right,” the angry spirit growled through my mother, distorting her voice and contorting her face. “We cannot be together. You and I, we are black and white.” I fled to my room to pray. All through that night my mother paced about the house, threatening to commit suicide because I had converted to Christianity. I prayed that she would not die until she came to know Jesus. After my graduation, I married the young man who had led me to Christ, and for ten years I continued to pray for my mother’s salvation. Then one day, my mother called and told me that Jesus had revealed himself to her through a vivid dream. “I met Jesus and he showed me the heaven!” she told me, describing how he had appeared to her barefoot and dressed in very ordinary clothes. Still, I was uncertain. Had God finally answered my prayers? Was she saved? A month later, she gave me an expensive gift: a golden cross. I couldn’t believe it! It was as if she were saying to me, “Here, wear this instead of an amulet.” I felt happy, sure that her encounter with Jesus must have been very real. It was the last time that I saw her alive. Two months later, my mother was murdered. I was shocked. Why mbmission.org | 11
SEPTEMBER RAIN EUROPE
“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, reconciling us to himself through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“I was kneeling before Jesus Christ,” Ashraf told me. “He was standing there, right in front of me, looking at me. He was full of love and peace, and I was completely overwhelmed! I couldn’t speak, I just cried and cried. ‘Don’t ever leave me,’ was all I managed to say to him. When I woke up, my pillow was wet with tears. I knew it was so much more than a dream. I had really met Jesus.” As the tears began to stream down Ashraf’s cheeks, the autumn rain was streaming down the windows outside the coffee shop where we were sitting. On that cold September day, I held a hot drink in my hands, feeling like I had been cold for months, enduring a summer that had never really arrived. But now, the cold did not matter. At last, my friend Ashraf, had decided to follow Jesus. The coffee shop was getting busier and louder, but we were oblivious. With our Bibles open, we continued to talk earnestly. We had been reading through the last half of 2 Corinthians. I rejoiced to apply these words to my new brother in the Lord: “If anyone is in
By SF
Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, reconciling us to himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Ashraf reminded me of how he had come with me to church, and how we had heard about the fruit of the Spirit. I had told him that day, “If you accept the Holy Spirit into your life, God makes these things possible.” That had been the moment of his decision, and God had been true to his word. “My wife once told me that she wouldn’t leave me if I become a Christian. She wants our family together. As a Muslim, she should kill me when I tell her of my conversion. But I think when I tell her, she will come to church too!” As we lingered in the warm coffee shop, Ashraf talked about how he would soon tell his wife about his decision to follow Jesus. “She has already noticed a difference in my life,” he said. “Now, she will know that it is Jesus who has changed me into the man I have become!”
HOPE IS LOUDER UKRAINE By Nikki White
The explosions and gunfire are deafening, the streets littered with fragments of painted walls from kindergartens and schools. That is everyday life in eastern Ukraine. After three years of war in this region, the collapsed economy has left hundreds of thousands of people displaced, unemployed and unable to provide for themselves or their children. Many have been injured or killed, and the fighting goes on. However, in the midst of the clamor of artillery, there are sounds of hope. “I thought that there were no good people anymore,” says Nelya. “But then I saw these Christians going weekly to the frontlines of the war zone to help.” Nelya, along with her daughter and younger sister, began attending Bible studies at the church in Ocheretino because of the compassion and courage that they witnessed. Their gratitude is louder than any gunfire. Sergei’s family was displaced by the war. When invited to a gathering of over a hundred Christians from six Ukrainian MB churches, he had not yet made a decision for Jesus. But he knew that these churches had been among the first to respond to the suffering in eastern Ukraine, providing food, clothing, medicine and the Gospel of peace. As he watched twelve others be baptized into this community of faith, his heart melted. “Here is water,” he said, “what can hinder me?” And Sergei was immediately baptized, with an explosion of rejoicing that would drown out any artillery.
camp for families in crisis, and together with her husband, Lesha, laughed for the first time in years, as their family won a prize in one of the games. “It was a moment of victory,” says Tonya. “Not just for us as a family, but for everyone.” In 2017, Maxym and his wife Anya spent three months in North America for a time of further resourcing and training with MB Mission. The ministry of New Hope Center continues, transforming social ethics and relational dynamics in families, teaching the vocational skills needed to thrive in the midst of chaos and celebrating the Prince of Peace. “The center is a place where music is playing,” says Maxym, “And there is a sound of children’s laughter.” It does not sound anything like war inside those walls. It sounds like victory.
GIVE Get involved with providing help to various ministries in Ukraine, including church planting, war zone relief, and the New Hope Center. Please go to mbmission.org/donate and reference project #C0701, Ukraine Ministry.
Because hope is louder than war. “Tonya came to us broken and defeated,” says Maxym Oliferovski, director of the New Hope Foundation in Zaporozhya and leader of MB Mission in Ukraine. “She had an abusive, alcoholic husband and two children with severe behavioral problems. She had no hope left.” She came to the New Hope Center, which provides mentorled group homes, family services and job training for at-risk orphans who age out of the state system. There, Tonya began to hope again. She and her family attended a summer
Maxym and Anya Oliferovski
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RIBBONS OF GRACE CANADA
After serving with MB Mission in Central Asia for seven years, Ruth and her family returned to Canada in 2016. Last week, my daughter, Abbie, and I spent a couple of hours repairing some broken pottery. Mine was an earthenware serving platter – an anniversary gift from my husband when we still lived in Central Asia. Abbie’s was a white ceramic moose that had made the trip back to Canada last year. Both items had been damaged in our travels. We glued the pieces together and then highlighted the cracks with pretty colours and patterns. Yes, we highlighted the cracks. We were inspired by a Japanese art technique called Kintsugi which takes broken pottery and repairs it with powdered gold, silver, or platinum mixed with lacquer. Each crack, break, and chip is highlighted with ribbons of gold. The finished products are truly stunning. I love this concept of treating breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. The end result is a work of art that is even more beautiful because it was broken.
By Ruth Braun
fill those cracks and crevices. We admitted that it is in our brokenness that God’s light and love shines through most clearly. Abbie’s moose and my platter reminded us of the journey that God had taken us on over the past year. Our Heavenly Father has been making us into works of art that are even more unique and beautiful because of the ribbons of his grace flowing along the places where they have been broken. When we had finished repairing our pottery, we put them in the cupboard and nearly forgot them. I didn’t know at the time that God had more to teach us through them. During our transition back to Canada, I have been encouraged by the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
As my daughter and I repaired our sentimental pieces of pottery, we talked about some of the areas in our lives that also felt broken, chipped, or fragile as we have transitioned back to Canada. We talked about how hard it was to say goodbye to our home and our friends in Central Asia. Some of the wounds and fractures felt beyond repair. Many of our hopes and dreams for our ministry in Central Asia were left unfulfilled.
Some of the wounds and fractures felt beyond repair. Abbie and I helped each other to think of ways that God has been mending those broken places in our hearts. We were reminded of several good things that have started to
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Abbie repairs her moose
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” However, there are still days when my yoke feels heavy and ill-fitting on my shoulders. There are days when it feels like I am walking in slavery more than I am walking in freedom. For me, the battlefield is often in my mind. I worry about the opinions of others: Will people think that I am a failure because I came back to Canada? I place unrealistic expectations on myself: I should feel more at home by now. I should be further along in this transition journey. I need to hurry up and find my new mission and purpose here in Canada. These pressures and expectations that I put on myself feel like a heavy yoke on my back. At a recent Bible study, we talked about the story of Israel and how they had lived in slavery for so long that, even when they left Egypt, their inclination was still to live like they were in bondage. They were always working, doing, producing, and performing. For so long, their value had been based on the quantity of their labor. But God, in his mercy, instituted the Sabbath as a gracious gift that would help to break the chains that remained in their minds and hearts. The essence of the Sabbath was to cease, to stop striving, and to trust, which was extremely difficult to incorporate into their slave mentality. God knew that to experience freedom, they needed to practice the discipline of freedom.
He was walking beside me, feeling every hurt, wiping every tear, gently removing those illfitting yokes and replacing them with his rest. I knew that I needed to practice the same discipline. I needed to stop picking up those heavy, ill-fitting yokes that God never meant for me to carry, those lies and expectations that weighed me down and kept the cracks in my life from healing. As I spent time with the Father, I came to realize that the only way to prevent myself from putting on the wearisome yoke of slavery was to already have the light and easy yoke of freedom in place. And that right-fitting yoke was God’s truth. If my mind and heart were filled with God’s truth, there would be no room for the lies and
Ruth’s symbol of God’s grace false expectations. God did not think of me as a failure. He wasn’t pressing me to heal faster or to have this new season all figured out. Rather, he was walking beside me, feeling every hurt, wiping every tear, gently removing those ill-fitting yokes and replacing them with his rest. As God’s truth settled into my heart, I wanted to make something tangible to represent this, something that would remind me to choose the discipline of freedom every day, perhaps a collage of Scripture verses, worship songs, promises from God, truths that targeted the areas of bondage and struggle in my mind. Then I went to the cupboard, looking for my repaired platter. As I took it into my hands, it was like God whispered to my heart, “Yes, the platter is repaired, but I’m not done with it yet.” As I’ve taken the time to add various truths to this porcelain canvas, this platter has become not only a symbol of God’s grace and restoration in my past journey, but of his truth and strength today and his hope for tomorrow.
PRAY Please pray for Ruth and her family and other global workers like them who are making international transitions. To stay in touch with prayer requests from our workers around the world, subscribe to our Daily Prayer Guide at mbmission.org/pray
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