The MAF Blog: Worldwide Pulse

Posts Tagged ‘wife’

An Unlikely Gift Exchange

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by Natalie Holsten |

Today, in the name of ministry and relationship building, I got a massage.

Me with Lina and her daughter

My neighbor, “Lina,” has been asking me for weeks if she could give me a massage. She and her husband and their young kids live in a rambling shack beside our house. Over the years, the MAF families in our neighborhood have befriended them, given them work, and helped them with medical bills.

“Please, Ibu, let me do this for you,” she begged. “You’ve done so much for me, and we’re so poor, and this is the only way I can repay you.”

Years ago when I envisioned myself doing missions, I pictured myself in Africa somewhere with a group of half-naked children gathered around me as I told Bible stories with a flannel graph, or maybe teaching English somewhere to a group of college students. But lying on a mattress on the floor with an Indonesian woman vigorously rubbing lotion into my tired arms and legs? Never would have imagined it.

There was something about being on the receiving end that didn’t set right. I felt like I needed to be the one helping her. But I knew that by allowing her to do this for me, I was helping her feel she had something to give to me.

And it truly was a help to me. After months of recurring stomach issues, I have been feeling worn down to a nub, wasted, exhausted. During the hour and a half she spent kneading my weary body we talked––about her relationship with her husband, about the house they’re hoping to build, about her kids, about my upcoming move. Silently I prayed for her.

Lord, bless this woman. Bless her and her family––especially her frail little boy––with good health. May this woman find You as she searches for the truth.

MAF Monthly Podcast, June 2011

Posted on: June 6th, 2011 by MAF |

MAF President and CEO John Boyd talks about many things including MAF missionaries and how they share the Gospel beyond their “normal” jobs.

Subscribe to the MAF Podcast on iTunes »

Nothing is Too Small

Posted on: May 27th, 2011 by Between the Verses | 1 Comment

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. …” – Matthew 6:26a

My mouth is swollen upper lip to eyeballs, plumping up my face like a beaver. My six-year-old son asked me this morning, “Mommy, are you going to stay in your jammies and not go anywhere today?”

“Um, why? Should I stay home today?”

“YES. You should NOT go anywhere today.”

Gee, thanks. I’m still not too sure I am thankful (yet) for finally getting some dental work done. My dental graces were pretty worn out from that pesky number 13 which endured seven dentists in four countries, months of infection, and two root canals before resulting in a jaw-bone infection and eventual extraction. My post-field check-up in September resulted in recommendation for about $4,000 more in dental work for my tragic mouth.

I hemmed and hawed about the cost. I wondered about the wisdom of spending that kind of money on teeth, especially when we had other needs. My husband needed dental work, and the kids had a few things done, which would all cap our insurance. So I waited. December came and went, and our insurance started over. I decided I should at least take care of the missing filling and the cracked tooth that needed a crown.

As the rest of my needed work nagged at me, and with our departure for the field looming in two months, I began to feel convicted. I trusted God in quitting my job, selling all we had and moving to a desert land. I trust God to protect our kids and our family. I trust God for provision in our support needs. I trust God for needed prayer. I trust Him for our home, food, and clothing. So, why have I not trusted Him for my dental work? Doesn’t He care even to my last tooth and replacement? And nothing is too small for Him. What is the cost of dental work to the Creator of the universe?

“… Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26b

My crown was finished up, and I went to pay my portion, “How much do I owe?”

“You have a credit on your account.”

“What?” My eyebrows shot up as I clutched my checkbook.

“Your last payment was before insurance was billed. You have a $21 balance, but insurance hasn’t been billed for this one yet, so you should have a bigger credit when that clears.”

Thank you, God, that you care enough to convict me in my unbelief. Forgive me for thinking anything is too small to bring to You. I can’t wait to see how You will meet the rest of healing and restoration to my tragic mouth. For with You, God, ALL things are possible.

Love,
Beaver Face

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? – Matthew 6:30

Tears and Hope

Posted on: May 24th, 2011 by Rebecca Hopkins | 1 Comment

I wished my 9-month-old daughter had taken her nap. Now I was trying to get home from the store as fast as I could with her screaming in the back of the car, refusing to be comforted. My Indonesian friend was sitting next to me, even more concerned about the screaming than I was. She’d never seen either of my kids quite this upset. I wondered if she thought I was a bad mom. When we got to her house, she quickly got out of the car, and I sped off to my own house, unnerved and overwhelmed.

A week later, my friend told me she was glad her child wasn’t the only one who loses control sometimes. Her 3-year-old son—about the same age as my son—has a disability. He hits his head on the floor if he gets overwhelmed or doesn’t get what he wants, which is hard to figure out since he only knows a handful of words. My friend’s in-laws blame my friend for her son’s slow development and behavioral issues. Her marriage, which was arranged, is in shambles. And my friend admitted that she often can hardly stand her son; her love is renewed for him while she watches him sleep peacefully. My friend’s load is heavy and painful and often seems hopeless.

My friend also told me that she wishes she could have a new heart, one that isn’t full of sin and anger. She wishes God would forgive her. She yearns for a relationship with Him. I shared with her some verses, telling her that God wants those things too. I prayed with her, begging God to turn her sorrow into dancing. Then I thanked God for turning my daughter’s tears into an opportunity to share hope with a friend.

How about you? Has God ever used an uncomfortable situation that you’ve been in and turned it into an opportunity for Him?

Opposite World

Posted on: May 17th, 2011 by Rebecca Cannon |

I take a moment to grab a drink of water and glance out the window to watch my kids playing with our new neighbors in the humid heat outside. Tears stinging my eyes, I praise God for new friends. The boxes are still piled high and they need to be unpacked quickly––before things get even moldier than they already are. I chuckle to myself, realizing that I haven’t even flinched at the mold I found on my daughters’ puzzles (or everything else). Coming from the high desert in Southern Colorado, mold was at one time a foreign concept to me––as foreign as driving on the other side of the road, another thing I do daily without thinking twice.

Come to think of it there are lot of things I’ve come to accept as a normal part of life that were unfathomable to me before my first overseas living experience six years ago. I live in relative peace with the geckos that live on my walls, the cockroaches that crawl into my shoes, and the mosquitoes that attack me when I step out the door. I’m not startled or offended when my neighbors block off the street to hold a (rowdy) wedding. I’ve even learned how to keep a straight face when my senses are assaulted in the local market.

I’m often struck by the craziness of this lifestyle, of living so far outside my home culture that I have been known to refer to it as living in “opposite world.” Truly, it does feel like everything is the complete reverse of what I thought was “normal.” And yet, I’m beginning to feel quite comfortable in this new world I’m living in. How can this be?

I think the main reason I’m finding it so easy to slip into this new home is the people. We’ve been welcomed with open arms by nearly every Indonesian we’ve met. So far, it feels like we’ve been mostly on the receiving end of all the help––even though we thought we were coming here so we could help them!

It’s rewarding to be out there, as my husband is, flying the airplane and being directly involved in saving lives and carrying the Gospel to unreached people. But I believe it’s even more rewarding to find ourselves helpless and dependent on the kindness of God’s children here in Indonesia. We suddenly realize how dependent we children of God are on one another. We simply couldn’t be here without our national friends’ help. This is the Body of Christ at work––at its best––and I’m daily humbled to be a small part of it.