Nori Kun 1

Ask Dr. Steadman 2

Akwaya 2

Off the Map! 3, 4

Kirov Square 4

What Will You Do? (Part 2) 5

Baptis t Wor ld Miss ion Edit ion 5, Volume 1

January 2010

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

MK DIGEST Nori Kun

by John Himes (Japan)

C o n n e c t i n g a W o r l d o f M K s

"Konnichiwa!" (Hello!) We are missionaries in Japan. We live on the northern island of Hokkaido now, but we used to live in Yokohama. It has three million people, but only one Protestant church for every 17,600 people. That means we had to work extra hard to tell people about Jesus Christ, be‐cause there are very few Christians in Japan.

When we met Nori, we lived in an apartment with just four small rooms. Nori and his mother, father, and little sister moved in above us on the third floor of our apartment building, and he soon became fast friends with "missionary kid" Paul. The two boys, along with "Shu" and "Mitsuru" were inseparable. They loved playing baseball, "catch the gob‐lin" (tag), squirt guns, "Nintendo" computer games (called "Famicon" in Japan, short for the English word "family computer"), and many other games together almost every day.

On Sundays, the boys would always walk together to Sunday school with us at Konandai Baptist Church. There they enjoyed many wonderful Bible stories, especially the ones about Jesus, Who died on the cross to save us from our sins and rose again from the grave. One day Nori bowed his head in Sunday school and trusted Jesus Christ as his Sav‐ior. How happy he was to find out that he was going to go to Heaven someday!

Nori wanted to be a good Christian, so along with Paul, he always stayed over for the wor‐ship service. How happy he was when he got permission from his "Otohsan" (father) to get baptized! That meant he could show everyone how he loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him, and he could become a member of our church! One Sunday after the service, all was ready, and Nori was finally baptized. The whole church was happy for him!

However, all was not well in Nori's home. His mother and father started fighting a lot. One time Nori's daddy threw a flowerpot at his mother, all the way from their apartment on the third floor! Nori and his little sister were worried—what would happen? I remem‐ber a time Nori sat on my lap and wept for a full 15 minutes, worried so much about the future.

One day the worst Nori could think of happened. His mother and father didn't want to live together anymore. His mother moved away with his little sister. Would he ever see her again? Worse yet, Nori's father announced that they were moving, all the way up north to live with Grandfather and Grandmother. He would have to leave his apartment, his friend Paul the "missionary kid," and his Japanese friends. He would also have to leave the church where he learned the Bible, learned to follow Jesus, and had many other friends, brothers, and sisters in Jesus Christ.

Nori did move, and we haven't heard from him since. His father told us he would give us their new address, but he forgot. We know there is at least one good church in Nori's new town, and we hope he is going there. But one thing we know—we will see him in Heaven someday! We are glad we came to Japan as missionaries. Aren’t you glad you can tell people about Jesus?

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Jesus Is the Reason for the Season!

MK Digest Page 2

Jeremie Dodeler (France): How many missionaries with BWM are MKs?

We currently have 25 MK missionaries!! Our desire at BWM is to see God’s will being done in the lives of each of our MKs. As we pray to the Lord of the Harvest, we are trusting He will send many of them into His work through BWM. We are always thrilled to see the ministry of missions being carried out generation after generation.

Shemaiah Abdnour (China): What do you think "from faith to faith" means in Romans 1:17?

Great question! Though there are debates as to the meaning of the phrase, my personal opinion is that it means beginning from faith and leading unto faith. Albert Barnes in his commentary explains it this way, “ It is designed to express the idea that God’s plan of justifying people is revealed in the gospel, which plan is by faith, and the benefits of which plan shall be extended to all that have faith.” Salva‐tion is by faith, and sanctification is by faith. We have a positional righteousness by receiving Christ by faith and a practical righteousness by walking with Christ by faith.

David Woodring (Vietnam): How did you first become a Tennessee fan?

Being born in Kingsport, Tennessee (100 miles northeast of Knoxville), I was brought up with a great appreciation for Volunteer football. During my high school years, I enjoyed following the

team and have made it my sports college of choice since then. Southeastern Conference football is the best, and I hope Tennessee is on the way up in its program under its new coach.

Be sure to send your questions to:

mkdigest@baptistworldmission.org

"Have you been to Akwaya? We told people about Jesus there. I was with my Mom and Dad. It was beautiful there. The weather was

w i n d y and rainy. We had a great time in Akwaya. We stayed with Pastor Felix, and we did Bible school with the children there.”

Akwaya by Autumn Yeiter (Age 8)—Cameroon

We woke up the next morning with full stomachs, full bladders, and only a memory of the lions. I remember thinking to myself how very different that spot seemed in the daylight. I took a new look at Linyanti, a place which had cast its spell upon me, both because of its history and its present charm. This is the very place Livingstone spent two years trying to find. This is the place that gave him hope that the interior of Africa could be opened up to the Gospel. This is the spot where I first experienced real Africa with all its ancient splendor and intrigue.

Our proficiency at setting up and taking down camp had improved each day as we became more familiar with the location of all the equipment and the procedures involved. I was now fully acclimated to life in the bush and was loving it more every day. I could now understand why my father, with his many responsi‐bilities and pressures in his city ministry, so loved an occasional retreat to the bush. I took one last glance at Linyanti before we set out west on what my dad called an “experiment.”

He proposed setting a course toward the source of the Okavango Delta with the idea of crossing it at its northernmost extremity and then traveling south through Ngamiland, thus circumnavigating the swamp. It was an experiment for several reasons. First, my father had never traveled west of Linyanti. Second, our map showed no roads or trails in that area. It was in fact, just 3,000 square miles of empty space on the map and without detours it appeared to be a distance of about 180 miles. Finally, it necessitated a commitment to reach our destination, for we wouldn’t have enough fuel to backtrack. The desert area west of the delta was the bushmen country of the nineteenth century. It is the spot where many early maps placed the scale of miles and other descriptive information because it was oth‐erwise a big, blank space. It was a dry, hot, unexplored, and largely unpopulated area. The people were known as the Damaras in the north and the Namaquas in the south. Few snapshots of missionary history afford a greater example of selfless devotion in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances than the largely unknown work of the missionary brothers, Christian and Abraham Albrecht, and Johannes Seidenfaden, who were the first to blaze a trail to the Namaquas in 1805. One historian wrote, The following excerpt from their own pen demonstrates the almost insurmountable obstacles these pioneer missionaries faced. Robert Moffat called their work a “bold, self‐denying, and dangerous enterprise” which led them to premature graves. (Labours & Scenes, p. 54)

The Senior Trip of an MK (based on actual events)

by Kevin Brosnan (South Africa)

PART SEVEN: Off the Map!

MK Digest Page 3

We were not merely separated from our friends, but could get no assistance from any human being. If we had not been able to believe that it was the will of the Lord that we should go to the Great Namaquas, we could not have gone through such fatigue and labour. (Du Plessis, pp. 113‐114) We were never in our lives so perplexed, to think what we should eat or drink, as we have reason to do at present; … [We] must rejoice when able to get just a drink of water, which is mostly brack or saltish. …In this place, which is called Bushman‐country, there is as little water as there is grass to be found. One must hunger and thirst, and be in continual danger of being devoured by wild beasts, or murdered. (Labours & Scenes, p. 57)

Their journey was an exceedingly trying one, and only men of the truest devotion and the most undaunted courage could have successfully accomplished it. But the Albrechts and Seidenfaden were built in a heroic mould. (Du Plessis, p. 113) One native sought to dispirit the trio with these words, “You will find in this country plenty of sand and stones, and a thinly scattered population, that always suffers from want of water, and lives under the scorching rays of a cloudless sun on plains and hills roasted like a burnt loaf.” (Du Plessis, p. 115)

Abraham Albrecht died from illness in 1810. Christian Albrecht’s wife died in 1812 of illness. Their mission station was attacked by Afrikaner in 1811, the infamous outlaw who later became a trophy of grace. His raid reduced to ashes a work which had impacted hundreds of lives. We followed the river road as long as possible, enjoying hippos, elephants, herds of impa‐las, crocodiles, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, and other African animals all along the way. This seldom‐visited area contained some of the largest herds of elephants and antelope we had yet seen. We even came upon a herd of buffalo which slowed our progress for a

while. The bush was thick, making it a bit difficult to find a spot to camp for the evening. My father zigzagged through some brush to find an ideal spot for our evening camp. He had no sooner turned off the engine than an enormous bull elephant, a big tusker, popped out of the bushes directly in front of us. We were obviously blocking his path to the river. He stood directly in front of our vehicle looking at us through the windshield. Even if my father had restarted the engine, he was too hemmed in to make a quick exit. We had no choice but to sit tight. It was another one of those unexpected, unwelcome, unpreventable, memorable moments. Just what is this elephant going to do? He looked as if he was used to getting his own way.

Read the next issue for the continuation of Derek’s story!!

MK Digest Page 4

PART SEVEN: Off the Map!! (Continued from Page 4)

Every winter in January, my family and I go to Kirov Square in our city to see the ice sculptures. It is a big event for the Russians, especially on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. A lot of people are at Ki‐rov Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve to ring in the New Year. In early December, skilled workers, using chainsaws and iron tongs, extract the ice for the sculptures at a cove on the nearby Angara River. Once the ice is transported to the Square, experienced sculptors wield chainsaws, blowtorches, pickaxes, and other tools to transform the ice into the desired form. The usually vacant Square is suddenly filled with sculptures of reindeer, igloos, seals, carriages, Eskimos, and all sorts of different works of art. Although many sculptures are presented, my entire family agrees that the gigantic ice slide is definitely our favorite.

Kirov Square by Ashley Jackson (Age 12)—Siberia

MK Digest Page 5

Many years had gone by since

David sat alone in the fields as a simple shepherd boy, but the time passed rapidly, if not always easily. David, of course, had been shocked when he was anointed by Samuel as the future king of Israel. Since he had been clearly shown the will of God for his life, he expected things to proceed quickly and naturally. There were days when everything seemed to be going well. He was in‐vited to play the harp for Saul and was often in the royal courts. He had good food, and he didn't have to sit by himself with the sheep too much anymore. Sometimes though there were days when nothing seemed easy or right. As a teen taking provisions to his brothers at his father's command, he was ridiculed and called proud and dishonest by his own kin! Neither the king nor anyone else thought that he had the makings of a warrior. David had been faithful, though, in protecting the sheep, and God hon‐ored his skill‐building faithfulness. David was a warrior, and fight he did, not for himself, but for God's glory!

Again, things began looking up. As a conquering warrior, David won the hand of the king's daughter in mar‐riage. It did make sense for the fu‐ture king to marry the current king's

daughter, didn't it? Son‐in‐law to the king, successful in battle,

loved by the people—David's resume was looking good! He was so successful, however, that King Saul himself began to be jealous of David. The cycle turned down again for David. Twice Saul threw a spear at David, yet God allowed him to es‐ cape. David's best friend and the king's son, Jonathan, con‐vinced Saul that David really was on their side, and Saul was pacified for a time. A short time later, how‐ ever, Saul sent troops to David's house to capture him as he slept. Once again God pro‐ tected David, al‐lowing him escape from the deadly clutches of his enemy. Saul's rage and jealousy was like a tornado following David—it brought death and destruction to everything in his path. David responded to this rage, however, in a godly manner, refusing to harm God's anointed, but choosing instead to wait for G o d ' s hand to move. God rewarded him, g i v i n g tremendous blessings. What can you learn from David's life? When you seek to follow God's will for your life, remember that the path is not always easy nor is it necessar‐ily the way that you would have chosen. There will be difficulties, apparent u‐turns, hills to climb, and rivers to ford (sometimes literally). Remem‐ber, though, that when you feel confused or weak, God is still faithful to His Word: When we are weak, He is strong.

What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (Part 2) by Buddy Fitzgerald (Peru)