If God would grant us the vision....

"If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ." 

We just finished reading the old book “Through Gates of Splendor” by Elizabeth Elliot.  It is primarily composed from the diaries of the 5 men slain by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in January of 1956….much better than the movie, by the way.  

It was kind of eerie reading the men’s thoughts as they made their secret plans to engage the Auca’s of Ecuador and hearing the first hand accounts of the events that led up to their martyrdom.  The words from Nate Saint on page 176 especially struck me and I wanted to share them here, as a challenge to us all to consider those who are still unreached and unenaged. 

On Sunday afternoon, December 18, Nate Saint sat at his typewriter to tell the world why they were going—just in case. In speaking these words he spoke for all:  

As we weigh the future and seek the will of God, does it seem right that we should hazard our lives for just a few savages?  As we ask ourselves this question, we realize that it is not the call of the needy thousands, rather it is the simple intimation of the prophetic Word that there shall be some from every tribe in His presence in the last day and in our hearts we feel that it is pleasing to Him that we should interest ourselves in making an opening into the Auca prison for Christ.  

As we have a high old time this Christmas, may we who know Christ hear the cry of the damned as they hurtle headlong into the Christ-less night without ever a chance.  May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was.  May we shed tears of repentance for these we have failed to bring out of darkness.  Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha.  May God give us a new vision of His will concerning the lost and our responsibility.

Would that we could comprehend the lot of these stone-age people who live in mortal fear of ambush on the jungle trail…those to whom the bark of a gun means sudden, mysterious death…those who think all men in all the world are killers like themselves.  If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.  May God help us to judge ourselves by the eternities that separate the Aucas from a comprehension of Christmas and Him, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor so that we might, through His poverty, be made rich. 

Lord, God, speak to my own heart and give me to know Thy Holy will and the joy of walking in it.  Amen.

Important May News

Dear Friends of Mission Surge,

I wanted to send you this email in order to ask you to please pray for the following present needs.

First, please pray for our partners ECCI and Coram Deo as they work together in Italy later this month.  Pastor Jerry will be leaving in weeks and is still $1000 short of his budget.  If you are impressed to help with this need, please do so as soon as possible.  Learn more and/or give here:  http://www.missionsurge.com/ecci-1-1

Next, I want to ask you to pray for me, and two others, as we travel to Asia in June to teach house church leaders and pastors there.  It is going to be a busy and intense trip and we covet your prayers for our efforts there.

Then, I want to remind you of the opportunity to support a partner in the Dominican Republic monthly.  If you, your Sunday school class, or church would like to partner with this faithful pastor, I would love to hear from you.  He needs approximately $800 a month to support his family and work.  There would also be opportunity to travel to the DR and work alongside him. If this interests you, your small group, or church please let me know.

Finally, I mentioned recently the need of a Pakistani Christian family I have encountered.  The family fled Pakistan and moved to Malaysia in hopes of being granted Asylum. They have been denied and are now stuck in Malaysia with expired visas.  They must pay a fine and return to Pakistan by the end of this month.  It will cost roughly $2700 to meet their needs.  Let me know if you are interested.  

P.S.  Mission Surge will be setting up a booth at the Mississippi Home Educators Association at MSU in Starkville later this month, as well as at the International FIRE Conference in Atlanta, GA.  Please pray that God would connect us to many during these two opportunities.  Many many things are developing in our work and the needs and opportunities continue to grow.  Your prayers are more important than you realize.  Please, please pray for the work of Mission Surge as often as you will!

In Christ,