My Desk Blotter

During much of the 1980's we were employed full time in secular vocations. Anyone who thinks the ordinary working man or woman works "9 to 5" is not yet of age for a full time job. Everyone other adult knows that our "full time" jobs are very intense not only in terms of our time, but our emotions, and our the intellectual challenges we face in the workplace. Keeping our Christian witness on the job is one of the great priviledges and challenges anyone can face.

The last three years of my secular employment in the US, Neil and I were in the process of making the transition to missions. We were involved in ministry in the local church and been recognized as clergy by our governing body, but we continued in our regular jobs until the time was right to go overseas and serve. At times I felt a great tension inside between my need to give my all where I was living and my anticipation of the ministry that lay ahead. An accountant from Boston who loves theology, reading, teaching and fine dining, does not easily make the move to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. The idea was daunting and in truth, "pushed the envelope" of my sense of what I could and could not do.

God did not, of course, call us to do what we can in our own strength accomplish. He called us to what we can in His strength accomplish. So, for the last three years I had a note jotted on every page of the blotter on my desk. It was the simple quote from Thessalonians, "Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it".

It has been one year and two weeks since we arrived in the US in the midst of many uncertainties. It has been 20 years, to the day, since we began our orientation in Madang, Papua New Guinea. If you had asked me 20 years ago if I thought I would be able to survive, much less thrive, in PNG for two decades, I would probably have said "No". If you had asked me a year ago today if I thought within 12 months I would be revising the Book of Jude so Neil can bring it to our coworkers in a few weeks time I would have said, "Maybe. If the Lord wills it so".

The path has not always been easy, smooth, nor clear but it has been His path. He knows where He is taking us and He knows the way to get there. I am confident He can take us all the way home.

Faithful is He who called us. He is doing it.

More than 5000 Served!

I remember when McDonald's reached the "more than one million served" mark. That was back when the stores were glass and the arches were really high. It reminds me of a conversation that Tony and I had the other day that gave me a perspective on the Mesem translation I had not previously had.

We were going to the Boy's Club, of course, and he was spinning a basketball in his hands. I was telling him about some revision I had been doing in 1 John and how at times I feel like this has been a very, very long race. I joke that we are in "mile 34 of a marathon". I was just really feeling very weary and I confess, I am not the best at juggling translation, itineration, and two other outside ministries all at the same time. Tony's comment to me was, "Mom, did you ever think of how many people God can save among the Mesem?". I said I had, because "There are 5000 Mesem people". He had one of those, "Gee, isn't she thinking?" looks and put it in perspective, "It's not just the Mesem now, Mom, what about their kids who get saved through the Bible and all who come after".

I am slow or what? He was completely right of course. The English Bible has been revised many times over as has that of every major language. However, had Tyndale and Wycliffe not translated....well where would we be today? Generations are affected by this work, not just those who live to see the first completed New Testament.

Tony is in PA now and Neil is out visiting churches. I'll go back to 1 John with a renewed sense of purpose.
Blessings, Kathy

God's Boast

The Continued History of the New Testament among the Mesem People

I've been reading an excellent book called "The Gospel According to Job". The author has many wonderful lessons learned from Job but the one that struck me today was that Christ did not pay enough to outweigh our sins. It's not as though He paid just a bit more than our sins cost. He paid so our sins are forever eradicated. Job's point for all the pious platitudes of his friends was that he had a Redeemer. There are many chapters of the book of Job dedicated to religious people trying to justify Job's misery and suffering. If there was a reason he deserved the suffering he had, then they were a bit more righteous than he was, they were a bit more deserving of God's blessing and protection. As good at their reasoning sounds, defending God for being "fair", they did not understand that Job was the man of whom God boasted.

Ah..what does that have to do with the Mesem people? Why do the Mesem live with so little help, so distantly removed from medcine, roads, and the availablity of scripture? What have we done that we merit the blessing of having scripture in our languages, having trained pastors who can read, having the means to make decisions about how much effort will be put into reaching the lost? Is it because we are just a little better? I think not.

What amazes me still is the Mesem men and women who live every word of the Bible they understand and do so without hesistation. If they understand it, then they live it. I believe these are the ones of whom God boasts.