Week 6!

Hello! Well this week I bit the bullet and paid my outreach fees! That is a load off my shoulders! Thank you so much to those that gave toward my support. I really couldn't do it without you. If you still feel lead to give, write a check and give it to my parents and I will make sure it goes towards another classmates' tuition. There are still a few of the students who need quite a bit more money to go on outreach. The nice thing is that when you give an amount in USD in is almost doubled in NZD! Please search your hearts and pray about it. Contact me if you have any questions.

In lectures this we are learning about the history of missions and what it is to be a missionary. My whole concept of what a missionary is has been shaken and expanded this week. It is a lifestyle rather than something you do. God was all about missions! Even though he made the Jews His chosen people, His plan was always to redeem ALL NATIONS back to Him. He wanted to bless Israel so they in turn could bless the nations but they didn't see that. Instead they only saw God blessing them because they were chosen. God wanted Israel to be the go between the nations and God. Israel was the only nation that could show the way to God! Instead they blundered it. They became ethnocentric. Once God realized that Israel wasn't getting it, He sent Jesus and now the church is the go between. Except like the Israelites we aren't doing such a good job! We need to be "world Christians" instead of just Christians. I learned about God's word, God's world and God's work. There are many passages in the Bible about telling every nation about Him. Matt 28:16 "Go and make disciples of all nations.." Isa 49:6 "I will make you a light to the nations.." ect. There are 2,200 verses in the bible about God's heart for the nations. That is obviously important to God so it should be important to me. In light of that I look at God's world. There is a area of the world called the 10/40 window between 10 and 40 degree latitude where 88% of unreached people live and where only 2.4% of missionaries go! How crazy is that! This area includes 1.3 million muslims, buddists, hindus and tribal peoples. Therefore, we have a responsibility to act. I went but there are other ways you can help. You can pray for countries, send and support others going, go yourselves, welcome those internationals in your own community and mobilize others to rise up and go to the nations. Who will join with me?