The Great Commission

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19 & 20 (ESV)

"The nations are not gathered in automatically. . . the earth's families will be blessed only if we go to them with the gospel." John R. W. Stott (from an address given at Urbana 76)

The President's Missionary


Justo Rufino Barrios had a problem. He had big plans for reform when he became president of Guatemala in 1873. He believed the Catholic Church and the aristocracy whom it supported were the reason for the poverty and illiteracy of the people. For the good of his people, he started public schools, instituted civil marriage and nationalized much of the church’s property. But the people trusted their priests more than their government and his reforms were constantly being blocked.


 


He expressed his frustration one night at a dinner with close friends. Mrs. Frances Cleaves, wife of an American businessman from Boston, suggested an interesting solution. “Mr. President, have you ever considered the expediency of having an Evangelical Church started in Guatemala as a counter to clerical interference? It would at least divert the attention of your opponents and keep them busy.”

President Barrios thought it was a brilliant idea. He asked Mrs. Cleaves to contact church authorities in America to ask for a missionary. The request eventually reached the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. But Guatemala was a tiny country and didn’t have millions of lost souls like China and Africa. After months of delay, the Board finally decided to send John Clark Hill to survey the country to see whether conditions justified devoting resources to a mission there. But Mr. Hill was preparing to go to Ningpo, China for a ten year term. He was in the midst of applying for visas, selling his home, packing all his possessions, arranging to ship them and for passage for his family. He was determined to finish his preparations to move to the Far East before taking a side trip to a different part of the world.

The delay irritated Guatemala’s president. He needed a missionary. So, on a scheduled trip to New York, he visited the mission board offices. He guaranteed safety and support for a new mission and demanded that Hill be ready to leave when Barrios returned from a short trip to Europe. The board agreed, and a few weeks later the president returned to Guatemala with a missionary in tow.

Mr. Hill’s assignment was to consider the need for a mission and report back. Instead, he fell in love with Guatemala and stayed for five years. In spite of opposition – he needed body guards at first - he was able to start an English speaking church, eventually followed by Spanish services. He started printing tracts to distribute on the streets. He also established a school where President Barrios and his officials sent their children. He was blessed to see a number of converts.

Justo Rufino Barrios probably didn’t get exactly what he was looking for, but Guatemala got a thriving Protestant presence and the Gospel was spread. More missionaries came; other churches and organizations established missions. They spread out into the rural areas. Hospitals, a seminary, more schools, a university, a printing press, and lots of churches were established. The Bible was translated into Mayan languages. The president brought a missionary to strengthen his government, but God had a different Kingdom in mind.



This story is based on an account written in 1946 by E.M. Haymaker in “Footnotes on the Evangelical Movement in Guatemala.” Haymaker replaced Hill when he left, and based his account on interviews with the people who were there with President Barrios and Mr. Hill. You can read more about the historical mission in Guatemala in my father’s book, Miracles at Midnight.

The Trek

Students labeled with truth to combat a lie they believe about themselves

Today’s story comes from Joshua and Rose Barta in the Twin Cities area. They are on Campus Staff with Destino, a Cru ministry.
Our time with Destino students in the mountains of Colorado gave the opportunity for  risk, adventure and taking steps of faith that have the potential to change a students trajectory for the rest of their lives.
We spent most every waking hour together; sharing meals, joys, hurts and the story God is writing for each of us (Ephesians 2:10), one of our values being, ‘high risk, high growth.’ It can be scary sharing deep and vulnerable parts of our lives, we all fear being exposed, ‘if people only knew our greatest struggles.’ Yet taking risks can set us on a path to rich personal growth. And that is exactly what we witnessed the Lord do in each of our students’ lives!
Jonathan, a student from the University of Minnesota, joined us, a neat surprise as he was not able to be very involved this past year because of school and family obligations. He is the oldest of 3 and part-time caretaker to  the younger two. He’s also the first in his family to go to college, and has a very quiet personality. We knew his participation, especially vocally, would be a huge step of faith for him. Yet this young man was fully engaged all week, and each day we challenged him to speak up more and more, because we knew he had much to offer his fellow students. 
All teaching and discipleship during the week was done with great intentionality leading up to the final day… “The Trek” experience. Here students were pushed to extremes physically, mentally and spiritually. We asked each student to identify one lie,  an “I am” statement they often believe about themselves and tape it to their back. For example, mine (Joshua) would be “I am not a good leader.”   Part way through the morning students began to grow weary, becoming hunched over, and even frustrated. The beauty is that this is part of them experiencing The Trek to its fullest. You see, the lies we believe about ourselves weigh us down and hold us back in many ways, which can disguise the greatness of the gospel.  After a grueling hike through the woods we ushered students into the “Holy of Holies” where a wooden cross stood tall as a beacon of hope among a cluster of giant boulders. Sitting on boulders provided some needed physical rest but this pales in comparison to the gospel rest they would bask in moments later. Our staff team began to walk around and literally cut off the  hindrances we had placed upon them earlier; large stones duct taped to hands and feet, 6 foot logs, and bunches of sticks fastened to arms and legs. We see this as a Holy Moment, a gospel experience that they will hold onto for years to come.
We closed the morning circled around a large bolder. One by one each person stood upon the rock and screamed at the top of their lungs the truth from God’s Word that combats the lie they so easily believe. One student yelled, “I am a beautiful child of God!!!” Not only did we feel each word, but heard them echo off the surrounding mountains. During those minutes my heart raced as I imagined what Jonathan was feeling on the inside; wondering how he might climb the rock to declare the truth of God’s Word. The word that says God is for him, never against him, and has an incredibly beautiful plan for his life! The image of Jonathan stepping out in faith onto that rock will forever be etched on our hearts.

Joshua and Rose serve in God’s Kingdom in the Twin Cities area, believing Him for the hearts and lives of the next generation of Latino and Hispanic college students who will become world leaders. 
They ask that you pray for Jonathan and the others they will step back onto campus with in August for the fall semester.

New Shoes


This story was told to me by Beth Hicks in the Philippines.



     On my first visit to Ozamiz City, in the Philippines, I had a new pair of hiking boots with me. The day before we left, the Lord impressed upon my heart to give these boots to a young man that served us in the kitchen each day. Honestly, I was nervous about doing that because I didn't want to make him feel ashamed. But I knew I was supposed to give him the boots, so I took them out and asked him to try them on. Of course, they fit perfectly. When I told him he could have the boots, he cried and I didn't know what to do. He told me he had prayed for two years for a good pair of shoes. He lifted his foot and showed me that the bottom of each shoe had a large hole. My heart broke, but at the same time I was so thankful that I had those boots to give. I was sad that I didn't have a pair for everyone. This young man eventually completed his degree and now works as one of the top accountants for Shell Oil Company.




      The people here really need good shoes, especially the children, they are one of the greatest gifts they can receive. Most have never been taken to a store so that they can choose a new pair. So we started buying a few pairs of shoes at a time until a box could be filled for them. Over the years our family, friends and church family have become partners in our "New Shoes for the Philippines" drive each year. As the shoes are packed we pray for each pair and the person that will receive them. When the boxes arrive at Happy House around Christmas each year, we put them out as if they were on display in a store and the people are allowed to choose a pair.



Rick and Beth Hicks have been ministering with Salvation and Praise Fellowship (a.k.a. Happy Church) for 18 years. God has called them into full time ministry in Ozamiz City, Philippines. The Salvation Praise Fellowship has an orphanage, deaf school and elderly home that they support.

Please pray for God to give them opportunities to disciple new believers and share the Gospel, as well as for financial supporters for the ministry.