Serving In Two Worlds

The week of April 14th through the 21st found Karen and I traveling to the state of Washington for orientation with Action International Ministries. After arriving in Seattle by train on Monday morning we ventured out onto the downtown streets which have a similar hilly slope to San Francisco. Having three children that work for Starbucks, one of our first stops was the original Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971. Like much of the downtown area the store has a turn-of-the-20th century feel to it.

Several purchases and pictures later we toured the famous Pike’s Place Market. Hundreds of booths and shops fill this building with a strong multi-cultural flavor. Definitely the most entertaining vendor was the fish market. Perhaps you’ve seen them on the Today Show or Good Morning, America. After a purchase is made, the workers will chant back and forth and then toss the crabs, salmon, or lobster to one another. Periodically they’ll toss a stuffed fish to an unsuspecting customer who squeals with fear, then delight.

Did you know that lobsters molt, shedding their skins several times a year? They actually grow a new shell underneath the one they are shedding. But lobsters after they have molted are very vulnerable for a time, as their shells are so soft they are unable to move very fast or defend themselves with their claws. As we make the transition from Sr. Pastor and wife to ACTION missionaries we feel a little like molting lobsters. We’re shedding the comfortably familiar for a new role and calling. It’s a time of vulnerable transition to the future. The week of orientation with the ACTION staff is designed to help prepare us. They were fitting us with the “new shells” we will be wearing.

Without question the highlight of our week was the privilege of being hosted by Doug and Margi Nichols in their home. Doug & Margi are two of the most Christ-like people I have ever met. Many of you have been touched by Doug’s life and ministry. He seems an amazing man to hear him speak and tell the stories of his life. What I found is that he is all the time exactly what he seems in public, a Jesus follower who is alive to the needs of others and ready to serve them in any way that he can. Margi is a great match for her husband and a wonderful hostess. An added treat was getting to know Walter Jesperson, Margi’s father, and a former missionary to China, who lives next door to them in a private residence. He is 94 years old and full of stories of God’s provision and grace in pre and post-World War II China.

We found the entire ACTION staff ready to serve us in whatever way they could. The week was taken up from Tuesday morning through Friday with a steady stream of presentations. They instructed us in the ACTION protocols and practices for how to handle finances, prayer letters, and e-mail accounts. They also gave some orientation to cultural adaptation and language learning. In addition, we did personal interviews with the ACTION board and shared our testimonies and call to ministry. All of this culminated in an interview on Friday afternoon with the encouraging news that we had been officially accepted as ACTION missionaries! It all feels a little bit more real now.

In between sessions and during meals we spent time getting to know the other missionary candidates. There were two other married couples, three singles, and a husband-missionary, previously with a different missionary organization, who’s pregnant wife was home in the Philippines on bed rest. I wish that I had the space to tell all their stories. Let me tell just one. Bob Oakes is fifty-three years old and a divorcee of almost 20 years. He came to Christ at age 46 after the tragic death of his only son. Previously Bob was an agnostic and oblivious to the needs of the poor. His conversion set him on a course of serving the needy and he hopes to be in Africa before the year’s end.

We have our feet in two worlds right now. I continue to serve as Sr. pastor in transition and Karen works four days a week at Kable and serves as the Learning Ministry Team deaconess. We are also spending time preparing for Africa. We covet your prayers. Pray that God would raise up a strong support team by December. Pray for God’s help to whittle down a long to-do list of new computer skills to learn. Pray for grace to put our possessions and affairs in order. Pray for God’s protection for our children and us. Pray for wisdom as we study to better understand the task of missions in Africa and that God would continually fill our hearts with the love of Jesus. Pray for our church family—especially our leaders and staff—as they make many adjustments and sacrifices and seek God’s guidance for the future.