This blog is a compilation of articles highlighting my two years as a missionary in Suriname from October 2008(January 2009 arrival on the field)-October 2010. If you have stumbled upon this blog for the first time or have only taken a quick glance at a post or two and want an understanding of the whole experience I encourage you to begin from the very first post and move forward. I feel your reading of my thoughts, experiences, joys, disapointments etc is as good as any method to get a feel for the awesome time to minister among the Aukaan people in South America.

I have been writing and will continue to write for the veritas network www.theveritasnetwork.org, a website comprised of individuals who blog on various topics from a Biblical Worldview. I encourage you to check it out.

Saying goodbye: hope, joy and the family of God

A fitting way to end it. So was my final night in Godoholo, Suriname. After nearly 14months doing ministry and living life in the well-known Aukaan village on the upper Tapanhoni River, the last goodbyes, embraces, poignant words and sincere expressions of gratitude were given on a most edifying and God-glorifying occasion. And oh yeah.…It was an absolute blast of a time.

During the months preceding my departure, I had been planning exactly how I wanted my final night in the village to be spent. Of a joyous and fun-filled evening, there was no question. A big party was going to be in the mix. Exactly how it would be done, what the content of the program would be…well I didn’t figure all that out until about 10 P.M Tuesday October 12 –when the party was over.Despite logistical uncertainties such as how much food to buy, how many people would actually show up, would the village have electricity, everything went unusually smooth. I had concerns about whether or not non-Christians would come and how “Christian” the fesa “feast”/party would be. Well, the party was 100% Jesus.

Members from the congregation wrote out a program that was full of worship music, reading of scripture, testimonies and dancing. Our second song was a bold mockery of the traditional village healer called the "bonuman. I knew some of the village leaders who had no regard for Christianity would come as I had invited them and who would stay (at least out of respect for me). Sure enough, they came, with many others who have yet to set foot in the Church but who heard the Gospel message, saw the Holy Spirit working and who I know witnessed the Joy of the Lord. I later felt conviction and regret that I was concerned the party might be “too Christian”. Praise God it was! What a lesson for Mr. Missionary.

At the scheduled starting time there were about 10 people there and I was consequently discouraged that perhaps only a handful would even come. Well, we started singing worship songs, the same ones sung acapella every Sunday assisted only by one tambourine. But as the minutes passed by people filed in. A majority stayed on the outside fringes watching but hesitant to be a part of “church”. People gave the most loving and emotionally-stirring words, especially those whom I was closest to. Various people came to the front, sang, presented gifts, preached the message of Christ boldly. I was excited at the opportunity to speak in front of such a big group. It was by far the biggest audience to which I had the chance to “preach”. I gave my sincerest gratitude to the people for allowing me to live with them for that time.

My words of thanks were anything but a pretense to reality –the Aukaaners of Godoholo were generous, hospitable, warm and welcoming. I can’t recall a day without receiving at least one free meal from somebody. Little kids would shout my name out and give me hugs whenever I passed by. You realize why the Bible says the poor are blessed in God’s eyes. Prior to my departure, villagers made laments about my leaving and incessantly posed the simple and yet painfully difficult question: “when are you coming back?” When it came my time to speak I projected what was on my heart. I answered the question of my return as a segue into the deeper and preeminent issue of death. The truth is only God knows when or if I will return. Tomorrow may never come. I may return but you may be dead. My going back to the U.S. can be perceived as “death” in a loose sense if I never get the chance to come back to Suriname and we never meet again. This, then is a rather sobering occasion… unless of course, you’re part of the family of God. Unless, you know Jesus as your savior. Only if you have sincere hope for the life eternal. I gave them the Gospel message. Jesus calls you to come follow him and offers to free you from what you fear most and from which you cannot escape. If you are part of God’s family there may be sadness, but not the kind of those who have no hope.

I exhorted them to not turn their heads the other way and ignore an offer of hope they’ll find nowhere else. There were plenty of “amen’s” from believers in the village who knew full well, even if the worst possible scenario were to occur, death, we know we cannot be hurt by the eternal and absolute second death. We'll meet again regardless! You often wonder what becomes of a message, preached without a microphone, interrupted by kids playing, babies crying and even hindered by my own fit of coughing. But the Word does not return void as we know.

I feel my message was very symbolic and representative of my ministry in Godoholo. I had many opportunities to share the Gospel message, to get to the root cause of why people won’t come to Christ and why others do. The Holy Spirit must do the work in changing lives. A missionary’s role is to bring the Word to them. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ. Romans 10:17 God is good. He blessed my two years as a journeyman and my one year, 9 1/2 months on the field. It will be exciting to see either in this life or the next what fruit was borne of my truly short time working among the Aukaan people.

My prayer for the boys

God calls men to be leaders. The Bible presses the need for Christian men to lead their families as well as His Church. Throughout the World, in the Christian Church we see men taking a back seat and women frequently put at the front fulfilling a role they were not made to fulfill. Some of this is done out of reluctant necessity and some a reflection of cultural egalitarian principles. Whatever the cause, churches lacking male leadership are invariably weak.
I wrote an earlier article titled: What’s your advice? about the unfortunate and heartbreaking circumstances of Aukaan women and their unbelieving, unfaithful and unrepentant husbands. A typical Aukaan woman in our church is young (in their 20’s or 30’s) and has a number of children along with her unbelieving man. She comes along with all her young kids to church each Sunday. In this groups is a significant number of young boys (13 years and younger). Nearly every one of Godoholo’s Christian women were saved after they were already with their husband. They often lament of how things would likely be different if they were Christians before they already lived with their man. But things are the way they are. Praise God for his revealing himself to them and bringing them out of darkness -unlike their ancestors before.
The boys in Church have been raised hearing the beautiful life-changing, life-saving Gospel message. These youth have the amazing privilege and responsibility to choose and follow Christ as men or to turn their back and follow Satan. Unlike their fathers, heathens without knowledge of Christ, they are without excuse. These Aukaan boys see how their fathers live….and conversely how their mother’s live. I know statistics show how boys, a vast majority of the time, follow in their father’s footsteps. God made young boys with a desire to emulate their fathers. Boys will take on habits and qualities as well as faults. The father is invariably the primary male role model for his sons.
It’s a tough crossroad to be at. As an outside observer, a grown man with a clear and Biblically determined perspective who can weigh the options and logically choose what path the boys should take. They see the righteous and love-filled lives of their mothers and their lust-driven, dishonest and deceitful fathers. They hear the message of truth weekly, joyfully worship at church and see (albeit a few) examples of Christian men and the good lives they live. They see young men who don’t fear God, seek only wealth, women and whatever fame or reputation they can get and are only angry, discontent and unfulfilled. Jesus: why wouldn’t you?
But I’m not these boys. I hope they’ve see me as an example to follow, but I know I’m also a white-guy outsider and by virtue of being foreign, am both placed and judged in a completely different category as a man. I don’t know the pressure that comes from the unbelieving majority of males whose long-standing concept of a man is blatantly non-Biblical. I don’t know what its like to have a father who would scoff at going to Church and tell me its only for women and kids and incongruous to true Aukaan masculinity. I don’t know what goes through their heads when older males pass by and contemptuously smirk at the youth worshipping.
Moreover, I know that statistically that outlook is bleak. Boys in America predominantly follow their fathers into belief or unbelief as well. And the cultural weight is nowhere nearly as heavily pressed against males to follow Christ in the U.S. as it is on Aukaaners. But I do know after leaving his disciples astonished to such a degree as to prompt them to say: “well then who can be saved?!” in response to his sobering, seemingly hopeless statement that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God Jesus answered saying, “with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible”.
Amen. And So I take full solace in Jesus’ words. Even if the circumstances were every bit of what I would consider ideal, the truth is it’s still impossible without God to ever be saved. God has shown himself to the generation in Church now and has transformed their lives. He did the work there and I have faith he will do it with the young boys who will become men. They have been blessed to be raised in Church, heard the Gospel and have seen the diametrically opposed lives between the saved and unsaved. I often consider and imagine the magnitude of even a handful of young male Christ-followers and the impact they’d have on their unsaved brothers. Additionally, they’d be the leaders the Church needs. It’s my hope…and my prayer for these boys.

The ridiculously pagan "broko day"

Prior to immersion into a new culture, you somehow have a generalized notion that the holidays you celebrate are universal. However, you soon discover Christmas is not only treated as profanely as Tuesday @ the workplace but that there are apparently "other" holidays appropriate for partying like a rockstar. This last week, for eight days the Aukaan community in which I live celebrated what is known as brookodei (pronounced "broko day"). I haven't figured out why the misnomer has stood (should be "broko week") but nevertheless no one seems to have any qualms with the erroneous designation.

Brookodei is simply put, another Satan-glorifying, demon-summoning, fear-filled week for Aukaaners. For many, the week is simply a cultural tradition and this group is content at spectator status. For kids, it is somewhat of a cultural indoctrination. There's music, beverages, food and dancing. Additionally, there are a number of spiritually-dark practices which children are conspicuously seen at the forefront. These kids, not fully comprehending what they're doing entails but all the while subtly learning and respecting pagan traditions under an auspicious, rowdy environment. For adults, brookodei is vastly important to their well-being; "doing it right" means everything.

The celebration and its style has a unique African feel. The most ostentatious, garrish and ridiculous outfits are donned. There isn't a color on the spectrum absent. The brighter the outfit, the better. I couldn't resist laughing at the attire of the men. Every category of hat you could contrive from beanies to cowboy hats, bright pink sport coats, traditional sashes, gold chains and oversized dollar-sign belt buckles. Not a soul in the village had a complete and respectably-matched wardrobe. The women, as they always do, had better taste than the men. Their colorful and unique hand-sewn skirts matched their coresponding headwraps. Shame was absent and everyone wanted their picture taken. From my cultural standpoint, the most incongruous and undignified poses were rocked (i.e. Frowning, turning sideways to put emphasis on their rear end).

Humor set aside, what is the reason for celebrating brookodei? Well ancestor veberation (worship) is fundamental to the Aukaan animistic religious system. The week involves countless forms of appeasment to the deceased. Keeping ancestral spirits content and subdued is a constant concern for the living. A malevolent, vengeful spirit can wreak havoc on the village- bringing even death. While I didn't witness every day of the brookodei festivities, a few included taking sugar cane and pulverizing it with a wooden, baseball bat-sized pestle to produce syrup to be offered to the dead. An old wooden boat contained the sugar cane and a group proceeded to hit the cane in unison while singing in eerie rhythmic succession.

On another day men went upriver to cut firewood for the dead. Their return was highlighted by reckless driving antics in their motor boats. They spun in circles, curved around bends and then filled their boats with women who danced and sang while daredevils pulled stunts such as jumping from boat to boat. The atmosphere was in one sense simply ridiculous and seemingly harmless, but a closer look brought to light not only the spiritual state of the villagers, but exactly who these festivities honored.

The village generator ran all night long as people danced in a house set aside to hold dead bodies for viewing. An abundant amount of food was cooked and "thrown away"-prepared for the deceased of Godoholo. Alcohol was poured out as a libation at ancestral shrines. Moreover, men spent the entire week walking around in a drunken stupor, consuming some of the most potent, sinister liquor I've ever seen. Dances by the women were sexually-provocative and behavior lascivious. But what caught my attention more than anything else was what I didn't see in the faces around me: joy. There was plenty of shouting, hollering and jumping but peace was conspicuously absent. An underlying unease about the future pervaded all of brookodei.

As a follower of Jesus, it's not a mystery why things were this way. The "ancestors" receiving praise and honor are nothing less than demons. The food, alcohol and various gifts are not received by those intended eternally-condemned souls. Talking with Christian brothers and sisters in Godoholo, we had to laugh and comment on the fact of dogs, rats, roaches and ants getting a good meal from the thrown-away food. All the practices failed, and continually fail to alleviate a deep, dark and entrenched f fear of sickness, curses and death. I have often discussed with the villagers why it seems the ancestors, whether or not they were "good" or "bad" while they lived only threaten and bring terror.

But as often is the case here, light shined in the Midst of darkness. As I taught a Bible study during the middle of brookodei, I was blessed to see the redeemed from Godoholo come hear the Word of God and testify to how Jesus freed them from the slavery of Satan.

I rejoice to see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, victor over sickness, death and all the principalities and powers of Satan displaying his omnipotent power saving those whom he chooses to reveal himself. Now that is a reason to celebrate.

where my writing's been

If you've been following my blog, you see I haven't been posting as frequently on jungle j man. This is because I am (as of july) part of a blogging group called the veritas network; a website geared towards college-aged students that addresses a wide spectrum of topics from a Biblical perspective. I write at least two a month. I sure enjoy it and if you've enjoyed reading my articles you probably will top. This month for instance is an entire month devoted to topics on sex. Good scandalous stuff we're addressing. The address is theveritasnetwork.org

God's gonna destroy that place!

Your individual identity in a regional sense is incidentally only fully realized when you reside somewhere outside your home (whether city, state or country). In the Suriname interior I'm often designated the "American boy" and even more inclusively as a "baaka" (foreigner). It happens when you are the sole white person in a village of 3,000 black persons. As so often exists, associations are invariably tied to stereotypes. Did you ever meet Michael Jackson? Do you know Obama? With maroons, and their understandably narrow worldview, opportunities to educate them (among other things) of the vastness of the U.S. In proportion to their country.

On a smaller and less aparent scale, my identity among other Americans (who for the last two years have been most exclusively southerners) including my own team here in Suriname is affectionately "California boy". Now being a Southern Baptist on the west coast my entire life, I never realized how southern Southern Baptists are. I haven't met many CA SB's outside the state itself. It's funny and occasionally somewhat confounding the types of responses I get relating to my home state. They have southern Baptists out there? Are there even Christians in that place (in jest mind you)? More often, the topic of conversation when referencing California is one of condemnation and postulating God's impending judgment on the state for its wickedness.

The American's worldview, broader than the maroon's would consider the Obama and Jackson questions pretty ridiculous. But by the same measurement, do I appeal to California's prodigious population (37 million people as of 2009). California has some of the largest evangelical congregations in the country, countless Christian institutions, and has produced many influential Christian leaders and movements. Men such as Rick Warren and Francis Chan are from the Golden state. The first Billy Graham crusade was in CA. But in defense of the opposition, California rightfully carries a reputation for many ungodly movements, institutions and individuals ranging from decadent Hollywood to the homosexual bath houses in San Francisco and the Free Love movement of the 1960's.

Afte close scrutiny of everyone else, and as the protagonist of my position, I incidentally placed myself in my own test and was found to have failed the broad spectrum test as well. The Netherlands, due to a national reputation of wickedness and depravity has been a personal scapegoat - fully deserving of God's wrath. And just like CA, evidence does exists to support my position. When the Aukaan pastor of the Church in my village showed me pictures from his trip to Holland and responded to my inquiry of the existence of Churches there, I was incredulous. Really? Even Pentecostal ones? Not just Dutch Reformed with a meager and dying congregation comprised of 90 year-old ladies? He said yes. There were a number of them he saw. Later, I was shocked by my own nearsightedness and ignorance. Even a nation epitomizing godlessness, hedonism, depravity; one who shamelessly promotes countless forms of detestable behavior, who legalizes prostitution, child pornography and yet has legislation deeming spanking one's own child a criminal offense. Christians: Even real ones?

After reflection on God's. Righteous judgment and Biblical accounts on the subject I inevitably came to the best know example: Sodom and Gomorrah, in Genesis 19. These two cities were unfathomably vile and wicked as to stir God's destructive wrath. Not since the flood had such an evil place existed. As we know Abraham pleaded with God until the number was brought from fifty to ten righteous people for whose sake he woluld not destroy those places with fire. Take some time and reflect on our above examples. There are undoubtedly more than ten righteous individuals in CA and as was brought to my attention, some in Holland as well!

Make no mistake, the wickedness in our world is increasing and our two regions of focus are shameful frontrunners. God detests sin. His perfect, Holy nature cannot tolerate it. Why then doesn't God send that impending destructive earthquake that's gonna send that left-leaning state in the heart of the Pacific? When is Holland gonna get its due?

How did father Abraham, a man called God's friend, placate the Almighty? He appealed to his immutable and just nature.

"Then Abraham approached him and said: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing -to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the judge of all the Earth do right?" Genesis 19:23-26

And although God couldn't find ten, yet he still sent two angels to rescue the righteous man Lot and his immediate family and in spite of initial doubt (he hesitated at the angel's urging and his sons-in-law did not even believe).

God is withholding judgment on Earth for the sake of those made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus shows us this truth in the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13.

Not only is God withholding judgment during this present state of grace on Earth but he acccepts all who genuinely repent. Psalms 51:17 beautifully illustrates this: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not. Despise."

Jonah preached (at God's command) against nineveh and the entire city repented in sackcloth and ashes. And as we know God didn't exact the judgment he threatened.

In conclusion, we've established God is a Holy God, one who detests any and all forms of sin and who will bring righteous judgment to every soul from creation to the last day at the appointed time. Furthermore, he withholds wrath prepared for the wicked for the sake of the elect on Earth today. He is pleased with and desires earnest repentance more than earthy
destruction and eternal damnation.

A thorough understanding will hopefully change your perspective of the existence of evil and specifically large populations full of wicked people today....it did mine.

A fitting tribute to my tools

There are few places on Earth that will test the craftsmanship, quality and overall durability of your tools to a greater degree than a humid tropical jungle climate. You learn shockingly fast what lasts and what ends-up in the trash pit or burn barrel. While there is little personal gain one receives for praising inanimate objects, I have long felt indebted to my tried and true partners of primarily petroleum and metallic make-up whose assistance I have counted as invaluable during the last 18 months. And although I have not contacted the companies who manufacture the following items for the possibility of receiving a payment fitting for endorsing their products, I do not consider the following pro bono promotion to be a fruitless and frivolous endeavor. I’ve made an ascending list and description of what I have chosen as six of my most useful tools and a brief description of each.


#6 Nalgene water bottle. This guy has been everywhere with me because….well you can’t live very long without water -and as my primary source for the containment and consumption of H2O it was been tested and proven faithful. As a Christmas gift Charles bought me a splendid additional attachment: a coffee filter. You pour grounds in this micro-screen cap attachment, add boiling water, agitate for four minutes and enjoy. Nalgene, I tip my hat to you my faithful friend.

#5 Leatherman Skeletool. The contemporary pocket-knife of today is no longer a one blade, 4 inch stainless steel whittling instrument. Many have multiple functions and various gadgets; but most of which the owner quickly discovers to be superfluous. The skeletool is lightweight with a stainless steel serrated blade, an interchangeable flat-head/ philipps screw driver option and a set of pliers with plenty of torque. I use the Leatherman from everything from peeling an orange to clipping and splicing electrical wire. Skeletool, you are cutting edge; always there when needed.

#4 Petzl Tikka Headlamp. While not earning a bronze, silver or gold, this illuminator carries much more than a token blue ribbon. This tool has been imperative in every sense of the word out here. The hands-free lighting is found to be no more appreciated than when everything besides your light is pitch-black. And when you are filleting a seven-pound peacock bass @ 8 p.m, every bit of your right and left arms and hands is needed. Furthermore, this headlamp is an LED: exceptionally bright, peerlessly efficient and durable. To get an idea, with everyday use, the same three AAA batteries lasted from February to May! Petzl LED, The darkness that surrounds something I only know from afar.

#3 Olympus Stylus Digital Camera. If ever there existed a perpetual test to validate the claim of waterproof 10 ft, shockproof 5 ft, than we (Taylor and Charles also have similar models of the same camera) are ready to take a stand in defense of this claim. Any given boat trip we’ve been on involves nearly all our equipment either getting splashed, soaked or submerged. The most thrilling videos and pics such as climbing up steep rapids or screaming down a zip-line inevitably end with the camera getting both banged-around and submerged. A camera any less durable would have been long gone. Olympus, if I go down to the greatest depths or ascend to the lofty heights….you will not fail to yield tangible evidence to show everyone later. 

#2 Clark Jungle Hammock. When nighttime comes in the jungle, finding a comfortable place to lay your head is vitally important. And there’s no place you’d rather not be than on the ground. I could make a list of 1,000 dangers and nuisances from stinging red ants to relentless rain storms that make a hammock necessary. Furthermore, mosquitoes and various other nasty insects will find you if you lack a mosquito net. The Clark Jungle Hammock covers both those bases and so much more. It can be rolled up and conveniently stuffed into a built-in enclosure sack. The expedience of the hammock is important when you’re always moving from place to place as I have been. There is a custom-fit tarp that can be fastened and strung-up as to keep the user completely dry in the worst of downpours. My appreciation for this jungle hammock has only grown with time. Clark, you have been my evening place of repose; thanks to you, my sleep has been sweeter, deeper and a whole lot longer.

#1 Blackberry Pearl. You might be surprised by this choice… of maybe not. This handheld wonder takes first place in function and value- no contest. Only two months prior to arriving in Suriname, the primary cell service provider for the country had a number of cell phone towers constructed forever changing the dynamics of the Aukaan people. I have internet access, email, and even Skype. I use my phone everyday, have consistent contact with my family, friends and my team here in the country. Technology is no more appreciated than when you reside in a remote area. The Blackberry keeps me up on what’s going on in the world through the news, facebook etc. Honestly, having this phone has made being away for such a long period of time much less difficult. Blackberry Pearl, you’ve made the world a much smaller place and brought so much of it to me.

So perhaps this tool tribute post will give a bit of an idea which physical possessions are of the greatest value out here in the Amazon. The products mentioned have earned my wholehearted stamp of approval. If you decide to purchase any of the above be sure to reference me as honest, genuine freelance sales rep who would gladly appreciate any amount of a monetary payment for my sales work. 

Giving your all, using your gift

Most Christians you meet will often be quick to agree that God gives us gifts, talents and ability to further his Kingdom. Jesus emphasized on numerous occasions in the Gospels how “it’s to the Father’s Glory that you bear much fruit -fruit will last” (John 15) and described in a vivid and quite frankly fearful parable what will happen to us who “bury our talent” (Matt 25:25). Being in a foreign country among an impoverished people group you continually see basic human needs that remain unmet because there simply aren’t those with the money or ability to alleviate whatever suffering is present. While the causes of poverty usually involve multiple factors and the methods of ameliorating it are even more complex, being able to help with physical needs in whatever way possible goes far…and it points people to the hope that is Jesus.

Well, this last week I was privileged to see firsthand two men taking a portion of their vacation time, spending their own money and coming to the Suriname interior to use their gift to further our Lord’s Kingdom. Stephen Malone and Gary Poppe, dentists from Tennessee and Kansas, respectively, visited six villages in five days, instructed and assisted in pulling the teeth of numerous Aukaaners free of charge. For those of you who are not familiar with the Maroons of the interior, this might sound like a drastic or perhaps even extreme procedure. Pulling teeth? What about a good cleaning, a few fillings or even a root canal? I’ll be honest, what immediately came to mind as analogous to our present scenario would be a doctor coming to amputate the limbs of patients to prevent death from gangrene. In all actuality, the moderately morbid comparison is not too far-fetched. Of course, there’s a lot more functionality with a mouth devoid of a tooth or two than your body devoid of a right arm.

When one looks at the dental health of Aukaaners, they are without fluoridated water, regular dental check-ups, and critical oral hygiene habits. For most, their teeth are so decayed as to cause intense pain that cannot be alleviated until the bad tooth is extracted. For these people, the only solution they know of and hope to receive in order to find relief is for someone to pull the bad tooth/teeth.

What was awesome about Gary and Stephen coming here was that they didn’t pull most the teeth. They were here primarily for training two Aukaan Christian guys: Baa’ Henne and Baa’ Kenneth to do the procedure. Hene and Kenneth did an excellent job and have definitely earned the trust of their own people. Gary and Stephen used their gift, one that most of us (including Charles, Taylor and I) don’t possess, and as the circumstances demonstrated, was much needed and by the Aukaaners of Suriname. The one-week trip these men took had a huge impact that will resonate much longer than a few days in July.

Meeting the physical needs of people usually precedes their desire for Spiritual ones. When talking with people here, they often associate our ministry with the “teeth doctors” who came in such-and-such a year. I know people’s receptivity to the Gospel will increase as they see Love being the motivation behind the dental work. Praise God for men like Gary and Stephen who have vastly furthered the ministry in the interior by using their gift of dentistry to bear fruit –fruit that will last.

A surprise confrontation from the skeptic

People have often asked me if meeting and/or interacting with another American or even another white person for that matter is perceived as a positive occurrence. One would think, in light of the fact that I live alone in a village in which there have been stretches as long a month-and-a-half with no interaction with someone besides the resident Aukaaners that I would jump at the sight for a chance of conversing in my native tongue. The reality, I have learned, is quite the contrary. There is typically, what I guess you could so eloquently categorize as three “white people” groups you meet in the interior of Suriname. The more common two: Peace Corps volunteers and European Tourists from France or Holland are generally somewhat risky because one doesn’t know there perception of missionaries- which is unfortunately often negative and with Europeans, the whole language guessing game: not knowing exactly where they’re from, both of us not sure if we might be proficient in the other’s language and to what degree they understand and speak English (which is more often than not, pretty well). With Peace Corps, it’s a real grab-bag. You might find a guy like a friend we have who is a born-again, evangelistic and down-to-Earth or you might get a liberal, pluralistic, feminist who sees you as someone destroying the beautiful and harmonious indigenous culture. The third group, one to which a degree of suspicion reaches its pinnacle and an encounter, as I just found out yesterday can be downright confrontational: an anthropologist.

When Joe white man shows up in your village while you’re having a conversation with the native inhabitants you’re naturally caught a bit off-guard; not being sure what to expect from this unavoidable, impending interaction. But you know you’re in for a lively debate when, after formal greetings and the divulging of your purpose being here your newfound antagonist makes this statement: “You’re a missionary…well I guess you and I are working against each other.” That’s right, that’s what the guy said. And this gentleman, presently working on his PhD brazenly began to question me in a flagrant display of academic pretentiousness my purpose for being here and my beliefs. This dialogue eventually covered more topics on ethics, theology, history and various sub-categories that I knew little or nothing about than I have ever participate in. I wish I could have recorded the entire “session”.

“Stan” as we shall call him posed questions such as follows: What is faith?, Who is God?, Why does this supposed loving God sent people to a place of torture and punishment? Is there is such a thing as sin? How can you profess there to be only one truth? Why is there suffering? Is God just?

Now keep in mind, Stan wasn’t asking these questions without premeditated knowledge both on the subject and support to refute a “Christian” answer. He had an incredible amount of head knowledge you’re apt to find within the intellectual circle. I realized early on, I would need a pen and a few spare ink cartridges to check-off the reading list this guy had compiled. He made it clear early on how he saw my work as culturally-destructive, ungrounded in truth, and pernicious. I remembered what Jesus said to his disciples about not worrying beforehand what to say because The Father will give you wisdom which your adversaries will not be able to refute contradict.

When quoting the Bible at one instance early on, Stan interjected stating: “Don’t use the Bible to defend your Christian position! Will a thief’s own testimony be valid in his own defense or are witnesses necessary?” Now I have, especially in the last two years really developed a passion for apologetics. I love to read books defending the faith and I also am interested in what authors and individuals who oppose Christianity have to say. As the dialogue continued, I began to appreciate this opportunity. Stan had an agenda and he was undoubtedly trying intimidation as a means to his perceived victory.

As Christians, it’s vastly important we know how defend our faith. Books such as the Case for Christ and the Case for Faith and Mere Christianity can go far to help you in this realm (They did for me). Now Stan invariably questioned every widely accepted set of truths out there. His field studies cultures and he seemed to have an obscure cultural example to contradict every “universal” out there. I brought to attention that there are generally accepted truths that span all cultures in regard to morality: murder, adultery, respect for the elderly, theft are a few examples.

Evidently, what Stan was trying to do was shock and stump me with the unusual and exceptional. I prayed many times for the Lord to give me wisdom to answer this belligerent skeptic After having a discussion that usually involved him doing most the talking I was able to bring a couple key points up that he cleverly side-stepped but could never answer me head-on. The biggest one, involving the spiritual presence in the village, namely the existence of demons he simply said doesn’t apply to his work. He knew acknowledging the spiritual realm opened up a big can of worms. He dismissed the Aukaaner’s widely held beliefs and plainly stated that he has a hard time accepting anything as fully and completely true. He questioned the existence of what is sin but yet freely labeled what he believed to be evil or wicked. How can you categorize evil when you haven’t established anything as being right or wrong? Clearly, there were too many holes created with his conviction-less belief system.

So, how does a man like this live and find his meaning? Well, when your stance is positioned as is Stan’s, you question everything, accept anything and oppose nothing. Your beliefs are as follows:

-You live by a set of ethics and morality which you can select, adopt or discard at your pleasure

-You’re principles and evidence necessitate acceptance of a “higher power” or “spiritual force” but he has no role in your life whether to judge, love, or guide. You are in no accountable to him.

-You can’t stand people who belief something with their whole heart and accept many of their core beliefs on faith but you eventually realize you can’t oppose them, it would contradict the very core of your life philosophy.

We ended our two-hour long discussion with him being much more subdued, amiable and reflective mood. His closing remarks being that it’s a good thing that I’m doing what I believe in and being sincere in it all. It’s the extent of what he could say, there’s no room for condemnation when truth is non-existent in your belief system. And although, from my standpoint, I don’t believe “being sincere” constitutes anything as right or true… (who can you find out there more sincere and zealous than an Islamic suicide bomber).

Then again, that’s why I’m a missionary and the Jesus I serve doesn’t accept any god, moral code, or philosophical state outside of him because He is Truth.

His Greatest creation

My family’s, and incidentally my new home in CA is a town called Alta Sierra in Nevada County, a place notable for prominent environmentalism and generally liberal-minded people. There are no shortage of individuals who promote legalizing Marijuana, refuse to purchase groceries in plastic or paper bags and who are apt to hold a protest now and then. Many of these voice their often radical and unconventional views on government, the environment and social structure with bumper stickers. The most ubiquitous I’ve seen is tolerance-geared COEXIST in which each letter is a representation of a respective religious group.

In our family, viewing a coexist or a like-minded bumper sticker initiates a sort-of political and religious apologetic discussion about the contradictions and ridiculousness of such notions. About a week ago, after shopping with my mom two related bumper-stickers on a particular car really fired me up and got the wheels in my head turning. The statements were as follows: “Make Love…Not more!” and “Stop Overpopulation”. Upon my viewing I began my own series of arguments and rebuttals against those statements. I was able to ultimately break-down the source and overarching thought of what was written but first, a few thoughts.

First-off one of the primary reasons and logical intentions of Sex was for procreation. For this misguided environmentalist bent on everything being “natural”, I can’t think of anything more unnatural than the many methods of birth-control necessary to stop a clearly natural occurrence. Even an atheist understands this as being important for existence. Look at the state of Europe now with birth-rates so low that there are not enough children born to replace those who naturally die. In countries such as France, the government is giving handsome incentives for larger families. Secondly, the World is not in danger of overpopulation. How much open space do you see when you travel…a lot. I believe in what God said to Adam to increase in number and to subdue the Earth. And if the population grew unabated, I believe the Lord would do what was necessary for his creation to live.

I believe in what God commanded Adam, the first human to do … ”to fill the Earth and to subdue it.” Does that mean excessive waste, materialism, and environmental negligence?....Of course not. I believe we should care for the Earth, things such as alternative energy and recycling are great, and necessary. I think it’s terrible what happened in the Gulf with oil spill. Adam’s sole job, given by God was to tend to the Earth God had made.

I believe these points to be valid and good arguments but what I saw at the root of all this was that the statement claimed children are not a blessing, not welcome and do more harm than good. I believe if that’s your perspective, you don’t understand God’s will in his purpose for the creation of the Family. Moreover, it is quite frankly a very selfish way to live. By reading the other bumper stickers and understanding an environmentalist’s thought, they see humans as the enemies and destroyers. They exalt creation and falsely ascribe to it as possessing the same inherent value as Man. They are practicing a contemporary form of pantheism and ultimately by exalting the creation over the creator they are idolaters in every sense of the meaning.

And what they miss more than anything else is that crowning creation and pinnacle of his work was mankind. He created them with a soul and to do what no other form in creation did or could ever do: to Love and to be in communion with God. We are “worth more than many sparrows” as Jesus said in the beatitudes. The Greatest commandment was first: to Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength and the second was like it; to love your neighbor as yourself. You are worth more than any tree in the forest or bird in the air or fish in the sea.

I hope you take time to reflect and conceive the magnitude and beauty of God’s greatest creation: You and I.

A longing fulfilled

After nearly 17 months in the country of Suriname and a notably nerve-racking month leading up to my departure in which it was uncertain if I would be coming home as late as 48 hours prior to departure I am in my parent's home in Alta Sierra CA relishing the strikingly cool spring temps and thoroughly enjoying all the comodities of the United States of America. But most importantly, being with my family and in community with friends I haven't seen in such a long time will be true joy.

Hope deferred

So this last month or so has been one of most trying and difficult for me in regard to the suspense created from my incompleted stay paper situation. At the moment, with three weeks to the day which I am supposed to be leaving for a short vacation to the states, the invaluable necessary piece to get back into Suriname(whatever it is exactly: a stamp, a slip, a signature) is absent. Since discovering in March of last year after Me and Taylor's first extended stay that when we arrived in Suriname on January 6th we were given (unknown to us and apparently the IMB personnel who worked on our visa situation)a two month stay and were expected to go back to the states and then return. The country of Suriname had inacted a new Law sometime in the fall before we came.

Well, going back to the states was the last option we hoped to have to take. So with a few key connections in the city we were able to contact a man who would help us in so that we would not have to go the U.S. We began working on fixing the papers to go to the country of Guyana to spend a short time with another IMB couple that same month. As you can guess, with only a matter of days before we were suppposed to go, that planned trip had to be cancelled.

With an approaching regional prayer retreat planned in June we spent a good three weeks working with our Suriname connection "Kirk". We turned in every required document, had every Passport, birth certificate etc and were searching for what seemed the most simple of documents: some official receipt showing our paperwork was submitted and would allow us entry back into the country. Well, working with Kirk as we discovered was far from simple. As the day to leave neared we couldn't get a hold of him to save our lives and did not know until a day before we left if we would actually be leaving. Well..we went and came back without encountering any problems -no thanks to Kirk.

In October one of my best friends Chris asked me if I would be in his wedding party. I was honored by the proposal and after prayer decided in December I would be heading back to CA in May. I bought a $1,200 ticket from Paramaribo to San Francisco (a ticket to SAC was almost twice as much!) in early January. My supervisor brought to my attention the need to get my incomplete stay paper situation squared away. No need to worry right? I've got over five months. To make a long story short, two weeks ago I was back at square one...and working things out with Kirk again.

Nearly a year later and I'm still seeking the evasive piece that will allow me back into Suriname legally. This past week had be calling Kirk nearly everyday and him postponing and deferring my requests for every reason possible. Needless to say, I've had to fight the threat of constant anxiety, suspense, discouragment and despair.

Despite what seems to be a pretty bleak scenario, I have not lost heart or given up. I feel the Lord wants me to go and I know if it is his will I will be leaving on May 21. Philippians 4 has been the comfort God has given me: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which passes all undestanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I've taken solace in these words and put everything in the Lord's hands with complete peace...oh yeah and I am hoping and praying it works out! If you happen to read this blog before I post a verdict as soon as I know then pray with me for this situation.

In Proverbs it says: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Hoping to get a little from that tree.

Funny questions for which you have no answer

Well I got quite a few positive response from my blog "How you Know you live 4 degrees north of the equator" and i see the typcial viewer of this blog enjoys the peculiarities and cultural nuances -or you just like to hear how the weather is. lol

So I thought I'd post a blog along similiar lines pertaining to funny questions you don't have an answer to.

Okay Mr. American; learned gentleman, young, cosmopolitan and adaptable, ready for anything. So you think you've got everything settled now with your flexible and open world view. You've been living in a foreign culture nearly a year-and-a-half. By now, nothing thrown at you should stump you. However, there are certain recurring questions posed by your people group that you have been asked a thousand times and yet they always leave you..well without an adequate answer. I listed ten I could think. interesting enough, they all fit into the food or family category.

1.)"In America people don't eat the head of the fish??!!" I can't believe that. It is the best part!

2.)You're parents only had three kids? only three? Why?

3.) "So people in the U.S. don't eat the bones of the chicken? It wouldn't be good manners for me to do that?"

4.) "You're how old and you don't have a wife yet?"

5.)"You don't eat rice at every meal?!" "I can't imagine that. I couldn't do it."

6.)"They have laws that would prohibit you from killing certain animals for food?"

7.)"Why would it be illegal to have more than one wife?" You would go to jail for doing that?!"

8.)The breast part of the chicken is my least favorite part, I have to have bones in mine. The best part is the neck.

9.)Why wouldn't you take a woman here in the village? (Somehow all my thoughtful and reasonable answers never seem to suffice to satisfy them)

10.) "People don't eat chicken's feet in America?" If someone cooks up a chicken, that is the first part I'll take!!"

What's your advice?

So here’s the scenario: She’s 23, has two young boys ages 3 and 2, she became a Christian about a year ago, she lives in a house in the village and attends Church regularly and has a desire to grow in her faith and knowledge of the Word. In addition, she has a husband whom she began to “live with” (marriage as we understand it as a legal union and an intended lifetime commitment doesn’t exist in traditional Aukaan culture) four years ago. This man “has” three other women (wives in a very loose sense) who live in different villages along the river. Our woman of focus understands fully that her man is openly promiscuous and a blatant adulterer. He will shamelessly call out at other women in his wife’s presence without hesitation in public. The traditional Aukaan culture fully accepts his lifestyle. She doesn’t see him for extended periods of time and doesn’t know when he’ll come to see her. Whenever it pleases him, he will call her to come see him where he works and stay for perhaps a week or so and then she will return to stay alone in the village. She herself does not sleep with other women because she desires to live the Christian life. She understands the sad reality of her situation but she fears the possibility of contracting an STD or even AIDS.

Scenario number #2: She’s 38, has been a Christian for over 15 years now and has five children. She began to “live” with her “husband” before she was saved. She is active in Church and prays diligently and seeks to follow the Lord closely. She discovered just a few years ago that her husband had taken another woman in the village where they currently reside and has five additional children with her. The relationship between the two women is contentious on nearly a daily basis. Our woman of focus is always suspecting that her husband is heading to a different part of the village to sleep with this “other” woman or give her money. There are often encounters in the village in which the “other” woman will curse her or threaten to fight. There are frequent heated arguments with her husband who is a man open to the Gospel who has even begun to come to Church. Even for him, the family situation is not black-and-white. He does have a responsibility to provide for all of those 10 kids and two wives but there is unceasing strife, unrest, discontentment and jealousy. Our believing wife often asks me to pray for God to give her patience as she has endured much. Furthermore, all five of her kids witness all that goes on and the impact it has on them undoubtedly unhealthy.

Not just hearing, but seeing firsthand stories like this has troubled me many a day in Godoloho. I have even on occasion been shoved into a “mediator” and counselor role. So I’ll prompt you to answer: what’s your advice?

Well….devoid of any advanced degree in marriage or family canceling and at the moment no personal marital experience from which to draw wisdom I went to the only place I knew: God’s Word.

I Peter 3:1-2

“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”






I cannot imagine how trying it must be to be where these women, and many others like them, but I hope when you get a chance, pray for them and pray that the lives they live will display Jesus so that their husbands will come to know the savior – the only way for any true life change to come about.

How you know you live 4 degress North of the Equator

I have always been a guy who loves weather and topics on the subject have and continue to fascinate me. Both my Grandfathers were farmers and from my experience being around them, understand how and why climate and other weather-related phenomena sparked their interest. I guess it’s in my blood. When journaling, I’ll often document the weather for the particular day. So after well over a year and especially after experiencing 12 full months in the jungle I thought I’d give a few of my observations pertaining to the statement: How you know you live 4 degrees North of the Equator.

Here are a few…

1) The words ice, snow, shiver and season do not exist in your people group’s language.

2.) Any given day could by any other given day of the year. (The temps vary so slightly that a season concept is non-existent.

3.) The sun is always intense and always hot even when the temps aren’t.

4.) You can get sun burned in <10 minutes.

5.) You have to search far and wide to find sunscreen in your country’s capital city.

6.) You have never worn the only sweatshirt you brought from home.

7.) The temps have never dipped below 67 degrees.

8.) You woke up freezing cold and checked the thermometer to see the display show 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

9.) You hung your black shirt out on the line in the morning and pulled a fully dry brown one in the afternoon.

10.) Your clothes will decay at an alarming rate.

11.) You never assume or have confidence that it won’t rain.

12.) Fully cleared grass and other plant growth can be over 6 feet high in a matter of a month or so.

13.) People are shocked that a time of year exists where you live in which it is so cold you cannot swim or wash in the rivers.

14.) Intervals of rain are consistent enough that for 80% of the year water caught from the sky is sufficient for all needs.

15.) You’re always sweating and as a consequence, you’re always washing clothes -and you don’t even think of wearing yesterday’s shirt today. lol
16.) You are always perspiring and have broken into a sweat at any and all of the 24 hours in a day.

17.) The season concept is painstakingly difficult for your people group to understand.

18.) If you cook it today, you better eat it before today ends.

19.) Ants: unfathomable both in number and variety. Every one of them is armed to the teeth.

20.) You’ve never had a need for chapstick or any type of lotion.

I could go on for a while but I felt twenty reasons would suffice to give you a little idea climate-wise from a 15 month veteran jungle man.

A few questions with Basiya Otmar

On a cool and sparsely-clouded February morning I had an awesome opportunity to sit down and talk with a local village leader and acquaintance named Basiya Otmar. Otmar, whose wife is Saa Bea (read “Saa Bea’s story”) has a family, in which a number are believers and so he has ostensibly heard the message of the Gospel. As I sat down and watched him build a thatched hut in his large garden there ensued a deep and insightful dialogue on marriage, the Bible and Aukaan culture. I made an effort to remember as much as I could of what was said between us. What was discussed helped me better understand the average Aukaaner’s perspective worldview.

Otmar: Ryan, there was a guy a while back who told me a lot about the Bible and read the stories and I’m telling you that I would become a Christian if it wasn’t for the fact that believers have a problem with a man having more than one wife. Why is God opposed to that?

Me: Well…there are plenty of reasons why: For starters, in the beginning God made Adam and Eve, male and female, Jesus reinforced that as being the way God intended it to be from the beginning.

I then went into how men had or chose to take more than one wife including some of the Holy men of God in the Old Testament but you see the magnitude of strife it brought on them.

Otmar: Yeah, yeah I understand that. It’s not an easy thing to manage. It takes skill and a wise man who knows what he’s doing. But let me tell you something, I was one of 21 kids by my father and five of his wives but I was the only child of my mother. If my dad had only had one wife, he would have only had one child! Look what a problem we have on our hands then.

This evaluation of this phenomena by Otmar and his perception that having only one child in a family was a serious problem put into perspective how truly different the views of family and child rearing are in Aukaan culture. I had to laugh considering Otmar himself has nine children by his only wife. I wanted to tell him how there are plenty of women who bear enough children to make up for cases such as his own mother.

Me: Otmar you know quite well how every woman is jealous of any other woman with whom she must share her man. You also know you can’t love each one the same.

This question was initiated by his bringing to my attention the case of one particular man in Godoloho who has four wives and lives harmoniously with all four. He told me they all go to the planting grounds together and each will cook a particular dish and bring it to him without quarreling. (I later found out from another source that one of the wives had left him so clearly there were a few false assertions concerning his situation)

Otmar: True! You can’t love all of them the same, no doubt about that. But that’s where you find out how who has the smarts, wisdom or shrewdness to make everything work well. You must deceive each one of them so they each feel that you love them the most. Each one must believe they are your favorite.

Me: Yeah, but I find it hard to believe you can successfully carry that out. It will become quickly apparent who is more favored by the way you treat each one.

Me: Otmar, what about adultery and mistresses by so many men here? I know because men tell me all the time how they sleep with women besides their wives. I also know how they expect complete faithfulness to their husbands in that regard. Is this so?

Otmar: Absolutely. That’s how it works and those are the expectations.

Me: Don’t you see how there is a double standard here? You know the majority of these women with whom men are unfaithful are married to a man somewhere and someone’s wife is being unfaithful when men do what they please.

Otmar: hmmm. Yeah. (There was a sort of confident indifference to my observation- his acknowledging the discrepancy but knowing change wasn’t anywhere in the future nor was any effort going to be put forth by a reality so advantageous to himself)

Me: Otmar, You yourself have only one wife and a good one at that (his wife is Saa Bea, a strong believer, see “Saa Bea’s story” –one of my earlier posts) and you’re a valiant defender of polygamy so why don’t you take another wife yourself?

Otmar: Well..I have nine kids and providing for another woman and additional kids would be tough right now.

You can see how lame his own defense in relation to his antecedents for support of polygamy was. He didn’t use any arguments such as status, masculine dominance, or pleasure. I later talked to another Christian woman from church who told me quite plainly that Saa Bea wouldn’t take it. She’d leave him and/or fight with the rival. Truthfully, Otmar knows how a good, faithful wife is not a given and Saa is just that. He benefits from her Christian morality and belief in being faithful to one man despite his own unbelief.

This discussion was too good and it was the proper time to bring up how Saa Bea had been miraculously healed with the whole village being a witness to it including himself. Saa Bea had told me how Otmar acknowledged a miracle but still didn’t accept Jesus but I wanted to here from his own mouth his take on it. His response was what I expected but all the while so powerful and gave a clear glimpse into the hearts and minds of so many Aukaaners regarding the Gospel.

Otmar: Yeah Ryan, Bea was sick and paralyzed for two years and she was in fact, healed instantly. “They” (numerous villagers) refused to believe it really happened but it did.

Me: So it was a miracle then?

Otmar: Yeah.

Me: So Otmar you know how your wife continually refused help from the witch doctor and she called on Jesus’ to heal her despite everyone else rebuking and cursing her for doing so. You see how Christ’s power was what did it.

You have see with your own eyes how the God we worship has amazing power and might so the only question I have for you is this: Why don’t you become a Christian?

Otmar: Well…Ryan, you see our people brought these set of beliefs from Africa, they stayed with them as they were on plantations as slaves and they carried them as they came up the river to where we are today.


Otmar’s response was simply stated and surprisingly brief. It didn’t explain details and expound on the sanctity or effectiveness of the Aukaaner’s religious practices over others’. However, Otmar’s shockingly succinct response told abundantly more than the few words he spoke. What it said was: I don’t need any justification for why I or my people group believes what they believe. I hold fast to these beliefs because that’s how we’ve always done it and I’m not turning my back on that despite evidence of truth outside of it-even within my own family. Otmar’s “testimony” is representative of many Aukaaners in the interior and it gives a small glimpse into the hearts of the lost in Suriname. But praise be to Jesus Christ our savior for those who see God’s power, do believe and ‘produce a crop 30, 60 and even 100 times what was sown’

A blog of thanksgiving for the New Year

In the remarkable and emotionally-stirring story of the Rich young man in Mark 10, a story that left the Twelve disciples in vexed wonder; a story in which the young man who fell on his knees before Jesus genuinely desiring to know how to find eternal life, and one in which it isn’t difficult to see ourselves in place of that man, Peter said to Jesus, “we have left everything to follow you!” And to this Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mothers or fathers or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields- and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” We all read the same gospel stories and there are those universal lessons which we all understand. But there also exists some aspects of a story: a certain phrase, a moment or reaction, a particular word that may mean more to us at a specific time in our life.

I’m confident most who read this passage see the splendid promise at the end: eternal life. It is undoubtedly the paramount promise given to us by Christ, the ultimate reward for all believers. But what precedes this promise is another, one for our life here on Earth. Jesus says we will receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers children and fields…). So as 2009 comes to a close and it marks my one-year anniversary since arriving in Suriname, I have found it the proper time to share with you from my heart about how the Lord has blessed me with “a hundred times as much in this present age”, notably, my Suriname family.

I have put much thought into writing this blog for a while because the gratitude and thankfulness has long been on my heart and mind. My supervisors (out of respect for their position of authority but not in any way an appropriate description of the relationship which is undoubtedly family-like) are absolutely awesome. They have been a blessing to Taylor and I from the very moment we met Charles a year ago on a sultry January morning in Paramaribo and Brittany five months later at our annual prayer retreat. Their three kids: Ethan, Caleb and Abigail have blessed the two “uncles” as we were given the endearing designation after we had known them no more than two days. I am thankful to God for them and all they have done for me.

When committing to be overseas in a foreign country for two years, who will be your supervisor is of critical importance to how your term will pan-out. I could write pages of all the exploits and outright adventures we’ve been through as well as awesome experiences with sharing Christ with the Aukaan people alongside Charles. But what I want to get across is how Charles has exhibited the highest virtue attained by a great leader: leading by example. I cannot recall anything he has asked us to do that he himself hasn’t done. We’ve storied together with our people group, we’ve told testimonies on the radio. He’s handed us the microphone on live radio and asked us to tell a Bible story extemporaneously. We’ve hauled a boat up a seemingly impassable rapid and camped out countless nights in the jungle with all the bumps, bruises, sore feet, oppressive heat and occasional plague-like swarms of insects. We have seen him with Brittany and the kids in the home and seen what and how Biblical, Christ-like marriage and fatherhood look like. In the interior, Charles is highly respected among the Aukaaners and our direct association with him has benefited the ministry in Ditabikii and Godoloho. Charles has challenged us in so many ways in our present lives as well as the near and far future. One day as we were doing a morning devotion Charles posed the question as to how did David’s mighty men slay giants. We pondered this for a few moments until Charles answered us saying that David himself had slain a giant. This lesson being that leadership is of upmost importance and that men will only summon the amount of courage and inspiration that their leaders are willing to display.

Brittany has been an incredible blessing to Taylor and I. She has shown an uncommon level of hospitality and thoughtfulness both in the city and the interior. While in the interior she frequently sends us out care packages with treats we love and new snacks we haven’t yet tried. In the city, we are treated to delicious homemade meals with their family. This has brought us to the obvious conclusion regarding our preferred cuisine in the city: the Shirey’s house.:) Even while in the interior Brittany would call us to see how we were doing, if we needed anything sent and for prayer specific prayer requests. She would often give us a verse she felt the Lord wanted us to hear. All this makes us feel every bit a part of the family. It makes being overseas feel surprisingly far from foreign.

Sharing about our ministry, sitting around the table both in the city and the interior has furthered my belief and gratitude that Jesus promise of a hundred times as much in this present age has been and is being fulfilled in my life. And for this I am thankful.