Appreciation

I want everyone who prays and supports us to know how much we appreciate you. I grew up in and around missions. I believe most missionaries are worth more support than they get. It is a hard job and you give up a lot of relationships and security to do it. I am not asking for more support, God blesses and takes care of us. Our faith is in Him.

What I want to say is I have also spent 10 years of marriage living the “normal” life. I know that financially speaking it is much more difficult. Month after month going to a job you often don’t love to pay the bills so you can do it again is stressful. Marriage is hard, life leaves you little time for it. Kids are busy with sports and their school always has an event or a conference. We may have to give up some comforts but God gives us an awareness of being secure in Him. I believe it is an extra grace in the midst of giving up a lot.

As a missionary you can get the idea that money comes easy and people at “home” should just step up and help you. You can think of how much easier life would be if you just had a job. Maybe other missionaries won’t relate but I find these to be untrue mental battles I face. I remember being in Ywam before living the normal and struggling more with this. I have met missionaries over the years that don’t understand this. We need to be thankful that we get to live the life we do, to have the pleasure of knowing each day we are working with the Lord.

I think going out as a missionary you have already abandoned yourself to the sovereignty of God. It helps you deal with the insecurity each month wondering if the money you need will come in. I find it is harder to accept I am worth the money then it is to trust God to bring it in.

The truth is we are all missionaries but Melissa and I have the privilege to live on a foreign field. We want to tell all the missionaries in Albany, Kansas City, Boston, Corvallis we love and appreciate you. We know you go every day to jobs in a non Christian environment, you deal with co-workers who live by a different spirit. You deal with the mundane, you sacrifice as much as we do. Thanks for your dedication, your love, your commitment to your community that needs Jesus. Thanks for your witness. Keep going, keep fighting the fight. God is worthy.

You and I both live to the Glory of God. We exist to bring Him pleasure and to have relationship with Him. As we abandon ourselves to Him together I look forward to growing in partnership, growing in communication, growing as a missionary.

I know your money is hard earned and time is precious. We want to be faithful to invest your money in our education. Learning culture, learning language, growing together as a family spiritually so we can be ready for the step that is quickly approaching.

The time is at hand, we are seeking God and I know we are stepping into His purpose and His plans. God is going to use us together to impact the poor and hurting of Brazil one kid, one elderly person, one prisoner at a time. Whatever good we have done is as much a ministry of yours as ours.

 

Thanks, God bless

Hard day an early blog

Yesterday was the first truly hard day we have had. I honestly felt like quitting. Maybe that’s a good thing, now maybe God can start using me. We have all been off a bit since returning from Campo Mourao and yesterday seemed to be the culmination of some feelings mixed with some bad experiences. One thing, we almost lost Juliah, Melissa and Daniel would have been seriously hurt. A motorcyclist who wasn’t looking when he pulled out was heading straight for them. My brain froze and I only managed to scream in English, if you know me well you know I never get excited enough to scream.

I think we are nearing the end of our first season and honestly if you look at life finishing well is one thing very few people do. We as people rarely end things on a high note. Most missions boards have you go out for a 3 year term, 1 year language learning (normally a school, but we have learned the term for my style is “barefoot” and it is used) and 2 years of service somewhere. We are about to start the 2 year portion.
We know God is putting it on our heart to engage on a more daily basis the poor and simple people.

Yesterday our heart especially Melissa’s was highlighted once again. A family of Guarani came by asking for food and stuff. It was a lady with 3 kids, one a baby. They were as dirty as could be and without shoes. Melissa couldn’t sleep last night thinking about them. It was a reminder at the end of a hard day, that is why we came, where we are going, why we are learning a new language, why we are going through more paper work, why we ask people for support and how incredibly blessed we are.

My parents are going to be here in just over a week. They have offered to match money for a car up to $2,500. We are content and thankful where we are at but believe it is time to ask for help. In July we will be transitioning from language and culture learners to more full time missionaries. Not having a car has helped us get to know neighbors, been good for health and increased our practice of Portuguese but we are going to need one for more consistent ministry. Walking eats up a lot of time and energy, so does riding the bus.

If you can help with a car please let us know. If you are going to donate through shepherd’s staff tell us how much please. In this case getting cash here with my parents would go a lot further. If we know what donations are going through the shepherd’s staff process we can borrow it or something so my parents can bring it. If you are in the Albany Corvallis area and can give a cash donation in the next week let us know and we will put you in touch with them.

I don’t like asking for money, I much prefer to simply let God do what he will do but He led us to ask before we came and I believe He is asking me to ask now. Please consider this in prayer.

Love you all, we are very blessed and in lack of nothing. This would simply be a freeing step into entering more fruitful ministry and keep our children a bit safer.

Pray as I go to the prison today and tomorrow we have our free lunch at the church again. Pray as in the next couple of months we are looking at a couple opportunities. We think we know where God is leading us but need to wait and see if it comes together over the next month or two. Pray as we think in the 5-10 year range God will lead us to the very far, Tribal South America, Africa who knows.

Ben and Family

Wow 2 weeks can go fast

Much of out time is still spent learning and surviving a new culture. It can be pretty boring in the day to day. Get up, eat breakfast, start cooking lunch, eat, get kids to school, go buy more food, pay bills, repeat. Without a car little things take a long time and way too much energy. All of the sudden we got a little break, thanks Calvary Corvallis, and went on a family outreach to Campo Mourao. It spurred about 1.5 weeks of busyness.

It was great to get a taste of our future ministry. We went to Campo Mourao to help with Caminho Melhor a children’s ministry in a poor neighborhood. It is a great opportunity to touch kids through a Sunday morning program that includes Bible trivia, memory and of course a lesson. 50-80 kids come weekly, they are broke up into 2 teams made up of about 4 groups each. It is a growing ministry and certainly the type of ministry we want to do in the future. It really doesn’t end with the kids or the Sunday morning program but is an inroad to the families.

Saturday a group was at the Calvary property participating in Patmos Desperta(wake up). A weekend program similar to YWAMs Nikko. It is intended to help Christians understand the times we are living in and the importance of taking our faith seriously. I (Ben) helped them do work projects in the community with people the Caminho Melhor ministry had us connected too. Earlier in the Day I remodeled an entry door to a much smaller size. When the Patmos students were painting and cleaning houses I put the newish door on Tereza’s house, more about her in a minute.

		Patmos VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Sunday we helped with CM, we got to meet, play and talk with many different kids. They were really attentive during the program, a very amazing feet in poor communities anywhere. They learned about Joseph and how God redeemed evil for good. Then we played dodge ball with them. There were close to 50 kids there, a low number according to the workers, and yet discipline wasn’t a problem. Very exciting.

		Caminho Melhor VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

That night we got to go to a circus with Junior, Delinda, their kids and Briza. Circuses are always better in areas with loose litigation laws and kids in need. People will do crazy things for money. Even had a pregnant lady swinging 40 feet in the air by her neck from a rope. Spiderman swung even higher standing on a small rope. Then we had 5 guys including a young teenager in the ball of death.

		Circus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Monday I did some repair work on the Caminho Melhor Building. Melissa and I took the opportunity to go visit Tireza the lady who’s house needed the door. It was really exciting. She was around 65 or 70, didn’t read and hadn’t been a Christian long. She told me she had been given a bible many years ago. About 10 years ago her son became a Christian and eventually she followed. Now she is learning to read so she can read her bible. It was so cool as she showed us her notebook and the words she is learning.

After spending time with some friends Tuesday, Pastor Diego and his wife Aline we returned home Wed. They took us to an awesome little restaurant. The city of Campo Mourao is like someone dropped Corvallis in Brazil and mixed it with the Midwest.

		Outside the Cathedral in Campo VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Friday I was back to the boys prison. We have been able to start a group in the prisons halfway house. Only a few boys go there, I think there are 9 living there. It is really nice to sit on couches and visit with them in a more free environment as compared to the sterile rooms inside. We also had a great time with a group inside we started with a couple weeks ago. The original group seems to be closed to us. We are experiencing new resistance there from the psychologist, she seems to prefer people who say all religions are the same. Apparently 3 exceptionally bold Christians say some stuff they don’t like. Pray God will use whatever time we have left or keep the door open, we want His will.

Saturday was lunch again at the church. When I walked through the favela there were a lot of people out. I invited a large group of kids while one grouchy lady glared at me and told me to go away. I finished inviting them anyways. Towards the end of lunch a couple of those kids came. They ate but were very guarded, quiet and left without much interaction. A couple minutes later another boy came. A bit later a little girl came and asked for 4 to go. A few minutes later she came back and asked for 6 more. Melissa followed her out to the street and called me over. Apparently the whole gang of kids had came down together but were afraid to come eat. The boys had tested the water while the rest hid around the corner. Then the girl got brave and grabbed the 4 then returned for more. We didn’t get a good count of the kids but there was a bunch. Very cute, very dirty, very sad. It amazes me in the midst of a country that has had such an economic revolution and the emergence of a middle class that there can be such hurting and poverty.

Thanks for praying, we love and miss you all. It was great to have a couple weeks with a taste of normal missions to keep us pressing on, learning language and to live as a family here. We sense God opening doors for us to minister a couple years with something like Caminho Melhor, pray for us. We still want to one day go where the gospel is less preached and may yet do a school of frontier missions with YWAM, but after what amounts to 4 years of training and transition we see a couple year season of serving on our horizon.

		Great kids VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Lyon Family

A problem of faith

As we approach our first year living on the field as missionaries we realize we will soon enter a new season as I shared before. This has me thinking more as I go to CIAAD the boys prison, we prepare lunch on Saturdays and anything else that comes up. What prevents us from seeing success? What keeps us from trying things? Why do we tend to expect defeat and a lack of response?

Ultimately the question is about our own faith. Do we believe the Gospel can completely transform a person? It is easy to believe that a nice middle class person can accept and add Jesus to their life (though in a way it is more amazing). However when we hear a testimony of someone saved in prison or rise out of hard circumstance we consider it amazing.

We recently heard about a cousin of Melissa’s that had much stacked against her in life. She is now seeking God and expecting in faith to go on a missions trip to China. She is continuously seeing God provide as she seeks to please Him. Melissa herself should have wound up in a much different place based on the worlds standards. The truth is many people all of us know have seen God do great miracles of change.

The problem is we forget our own testimony. We don’t share it with others. We go to church to hear teaching and get smarter but we forget to share what God has done. We need doctrine but we need the balance of testimony. We need the passion that comes from seeing God change lives. We need to give opportunity for people to hear where we come from not just where we are.

I never want to quit worshiping and marveling at what God can do when he takes a sinner and turns them into His own child. I want to marvel no less at the subtle outward changes and deep unseen changes of the middle class than the drug addict. In the midst of marvel and worship I want to learn to expect the great, the impossible, I want to expect God. I want my faith to grow beyond setting my expectations low to avoid disappointment to having no expectations but excitement to see what God will do.

This last week at CIAAD we met a group of teenagers living in the prisons half way house. It is an exciting possibility in the midst of a sad reality. We also shared with a large group of younger boys. All desperate for us to pray for their families. Much less tough, showing the emotions of being separate from moms on their faces.

At lunch on Saturday, we fed men, women, and children from very desperate circumstances. I walked through the favela with Tim asking people to come to lunch. Angered that parents raise their kids to live that way. Melissa and I tried desperately to talk with a couple women and some kids. The kids went in to play, we still couldn’t get the women comfortable. In fact when I asked if Melissa could pray for them the one women looked frantic and told me if she didn’t pour anything on her head or do something strange. (The weirdness of so many churches in Brazil is several blog posts of material. I’ll just say I recently heard of chicken’s getting filled with the spirit, prophesying in tongues while the rooster interpreted. This was from a mainstream denomination.)

As Melissa and I approach the next 2 years as the time to switch from adjusting to culture and living as a missionary family to practicing ministry. The question becomes do we not just believe in God, believe the gospel can change a few lives or do we expect Jesus and His cross to transform communities? To transform family histories in the favela, the lives of boys in prison, our own hearts. Will we operate in duty and religion or with true expectant faith?

Do we, me, Melissa, my kids, you, my church truly believe that God can and will change lives. Our we going to move from belief and hope to great faith?

Progress

The nature of progress is an interesting thing. Sometimes it feels fast and you realize it is slow. Sometimes it seems like it is non existent or in reverse and you realize it is actually rapid.

Saturday, I had the opportunity to realize a little. We did another lunch for the hurting of our community, it was our most successful numerically speaking and probably had the most truly down and out so far. I got the chance to share a few of God’s truths with 3 different groups. The first and second were groups of 2 and 3 men from the favela and the third was a group of children. I was able to share a few of the words of Jesus with them in Portuguese. I had a few corrections to my grammar and verb tenses by the Brazilians with me but everyone understood what I was saying. For me this is a big deal.

As a missionary you leave your church and move to a new country because you want to share the gospel with people. You want to make a difference and discover you are useless because you can’t order a cheeseburger without pickles. Language is huge.

Later that day Warren and Sheri Yoder arrived at our house. We had spent the previous weekend with them at a retreat for Calvary Chapels in Brazil. It was great but how much more refreshing is it to have friends here we have known for more than 7 months. Warren was the first person to hire me in the cabinet business and they were mentors for us in marriage and life. Don’t blame them for our problems, we did that. Today we went to Paraguay with them and some new refreshing friends KaKa’ and Lillian. He is Brazilian and she is Norwegian, they are planting a church in Priah Grande. We had Chinese food.

After the retreat we feel the Lord is speaking to us that it is time to begin practicing more ministry. Not that we haven’t done any but that he is going to begin building us into the ministry he has for us. We feel this is going to be the beginning of a new season. We still have kids, the poor, and possibly vocational training on our heart. Not to mention we still feel our future points to involvement with the less reached. Pray we have wisdom as we close in on our first year in Brazil, our first year as full time missionaries and what we believe to be a turning point from full time learners that do a little ministry to full time learners that do more ministry .

Love you all,

Ben and family.

Paraguay VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

For love or for Lord?

Recently reading through Revelation and now through 2 Corinthians I am challenged in my view of missions and evangelism. So much current thought is on building relationship in hope that one day we may see that person come to the Lord. I am a big proponent of building relationship and even a bit of patience in the presentation of the gospel. I am challenged though to be certain the gospel is at the forefront of those relationships.

In the book of Revelation when I read without thought of eschatological meaning I see heaven greatly concerned with man. I see plagues poured out on man that man would repent and worship Christ as LORD. This makes me pause. So much of our efforts are concentrated on wooing the targets of our friendship evangelism into “accepting” Jesus. A loving benevolent God who wants to make you feel better for your sin.  How does this add up, I fully believe in a loving Lord who absolves our sin. However I read in 2 Corinthians of a Lord who brings sorrow and regret for our sin that we might be made glad through repentance.

It was clear reading Revelation wars, plagues, drought, death is meant to bring repentance. Whether or not the bowls, seals, trumpets and like are poured out now or in the future they have in intended purpose of bringing man to his knees. Unfortunately in the end it appears it fails with most. Ultimately it takes judgment and hell to bring man to his knees. Perhaps Christian universalism is gaining ground because we have embraced acceptance over repentance, friendship over lordship?

Galatians shows us this isn’t lacking love but in fact is love. Discipline is love. God allowing man to taste a portion of the judgment they deserve in order to bring them to Him versus pouring out the fullness of His wrath, how could this be anything but pure love? What else could hold back the anger of a holy God?

How do I put this into practice. First, it is only God who can pour wrath to bring repentance. This means it is not by any means my job to berate people with their sin and drive them to repentance. My job is to point out the death their sin brings and offer them hope. To recognize conviction is beautiful, it offers the opportunity for redemption.

Second, I can not build relationship in hopes of avoiding confrontation. The Gospel is inherently confrontational. It pits man against God with man being the problem. Therefore your new friend is part of the problem, where hopefully you are now a part of the solution. 2 Corinthians tells us we can not be yoked to unbelievers because we have nothing in common. I am not to go down the street and watch soccer to make new soccer watching buddies. I am to go down and build relationship in hopes that they repent and become disciples. Without relationship who will follow up with them?

Third I must share the same love God has for ALL men before I have attempt to point out their need for repentance. God is love. It is His love that gives all men the opportunity to repent. It is his love that sent Christ to the cross, His love that he went to the cross. If we don’t share that love for the one whom we preach repentance we are just arrogant. In fact, we are only different because the blood covers all our sin. God, without the blood, would see only the ugliness of my heart. My covetousness, my lustfulness, my self centered actions, my anger and so on and so on. I must be fully aware of how far short I fall, realize God’s great love for me and let that turn my heart to love for those around me. I can't attempt to love the whole world, I am not God, but I can love my family, my church, my neighbors.

We need Christ as Lord, He loves us and gives us opportunity for that. In the end we are rewarded with His friendship, love, and even adoption into His family. This is the reward for repentance, for indentured servitude, this is the result of making Him Lord. If we don’t make Him Lord of our lives, and preach His Lordship we miss the thing that cleans us, revives us, gives us eternal life now.

As a new missionary I needed reminded of this. My job is to be a full time ambassador of Christ, His love, His kindness, His compassion on the poor. The only hope for their lives however is His Lordship.

I still fully believe the church need to become more loving, more active, more compassionate, more accepting but it needs to do it without diminishing the lordship of Christ. Also I recognize we are living in culture where the law has been applied the way my kids put butter on bread, messily and too much. The challenge is to preach HIs lordship without piling the burden deeper. Repentance is easy.