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We Soon Learned That the Gospel Is More Effective If It Is Accompanied by Putting the Teachings on Caring for One Another Physically and Emotionally Into Practice

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We Soon Learned That the Gospel Is More Effective If It Is Accompanied by Putting the Teachings on Caring for One Another Physically and Emotionally Into Practice We soon learned that the gospel is more effective if it is accompanied by putting the teachings on caring for one another physically and emotionally into practice. The response has been huge. When people feel loved they become more and more drawn towards the message and therefore to the One the message is about. – Peter & Esther SERVING TOGETHER SERVING TOGETHERTOGETHER A CHRISTIAN BRETHREN WORLD MISSION MAGAZINE • VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 6 • DECEMBER 2016 Trends in World Mission Bravo Hotel Calling Our Mission Journey Walking and Working God's Way AMT is a service agency facilitating the involvement in world Volume 17 • Issue 6 • December 2016 mission of churches of Christian Brethren in Australia. ISSN 1443-2390 Publisher AMT Editor Andrew Chan Production Andrew Chan This Issue Graphic Design Steve Byers Editorial 3 Printer Kingswood Press Bravo Hotel Calling 4 Our Mission Journey 8 Walking and Working God's Way 12 Serving Together is a bi-monthly publication as a service In Everything Give Thanks 16 to churches of Christian Brethren and their missionaries. Encounter Short-Term Mission 18 © Australian Missionary Tidings (AMT). No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written Donald Clive Adams 22 permission. Unless otherwise specified, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version Keeping Track 23 © 1978, 1984, International Bible Society, used by permission Frontlines 24 of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Contributors are permitted reasonable liberty within the boundaries of a biblical, evangelical Christian faith, and opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or AMT or Christian Brethren assemblies. SUBSCRIPTION SERVING Australia (GST included) TOGETHER Bulk Bundles $26 A CHRISTIAN BRETHREN WORLD MISSION MAGAZINE • VOLUME 17 • ISSUE 6 • DECEMBER 2016 Individual $30 Overseas Airmail Trends in Asia/Pacific $40 Elsewhere $45 World Email Version $18 Mission How to Contact AMT Australian Missionary Tidings ABN 11 000 761 571 PO Box 565, Bravo Hotel Calling Mt Gravatt QLD 4122 Our Mission Journey Phone: 07 3219 1800 Walking and Working God's Way Fax: 07 3216 8399 Email: [email protected] Cover Web: www.amtglobal.com.au In this issue we continue our series on Trends in World Mission. Gifts AMT asks that 8% be added to gifts to cover operating costs. If nothing is specified, the policy is to deduct an amount of up to 8%. 2 ServingTogetherDecember2016 LET’S COMMUNICATE BETTER Editorial by Andrew Chan I look around a coffee shop a better understanding work when they don’t need on special occasions like during lunch and what of what it means to to be there, or drinking Christmas or significant do I see? I see a worrying communicate effectively regularly after work in bars birthdays. Depending trend. A number of patrons with oral communicators in with ‘mates’ (or alone) on the previous family are staring at the screens ways which are culturally when they have partners relationships, this may be of their smartphones or sensitive and most likely to or families waiting for very intentional, and that tablets, possibly reading a reach the hearts of targeted them? The dynamic of the is also tragic. But for those link from Facebook where communities. I couldn’t nuclear family of the West of us with healthy and some blogger is bemoaning help but think that what is not easily grasped by the positive family bonds, let the ubiquitously observed the western world — the extended families of an us continue to hold them fact that an increasing ‘literate’ and ‘educated’ Eastern background. Many dear and foster ongoing number of patrons in world that we all-too-often migrant families from Asia, communication with one eateries or at home are just take for granted — needs for example, even though another. We know that with staring at the screens of is to understand that how they have been in Australia technological advances the their smartphones or tablets we communicate on a for several generations, world is much smaller and instead of talking to each day-to-day basis may not still maintain strong links people can be much closer other over a meal... I cannot be the healthiest for us in with the mother country than ever before — let’s throw the first stone, as that the long term. It may also through correspondence not take that for granted will be hypocritical, but I’m impede evangelisation of with and travel to visit and let the pace of modern just saying that as a society our immediate neighbours. relatives and friends. They life run rough-shod over we need to (re)learn the art In Jesus’ day, as also still also participate in cultural us. Let us strengthen of communication, be that happens in most native activities with new friends neighbourly bonds so that face-to-face talking or at communities today, of similar ethnicity in there are fewer instances least through grammatically truths, lessons and history Australia. It’s encouraging of lonely elderly folk who correct text, and not just are passed down orally, that many are sharing these are discovered in their via SMS abbreviations and memorised as stories and experiences with their dilapidated homes months emoticons. sometimes committed western friends, and some or even years after they to song. also marry cross-culturally. have died. I’ve been reading Harry Box’s ‘Don’t Throw The home is supposed What saddens me is how This Christmas, make an the Book at Them: to be a place of peace, many people today have effort to (re)connect with Communicating the purpose and promise, a an attitude of ‘we have our a loved one or neighbour, Christian Message to fortress of safety, security own family now so we’ll do especially if he or she doesn’t People Who Don’t Read’. and solitude. So why our own thing’, and they know the true meaning of I highly recommend this are people in the West may not see their parents God’s great gift to man in book to anyone who wants spending longer hours at and other relatives except His Son Jesus Christ. ServingTogetherDecember2016 3 BRAVO HOTEL CALLING by Fiona Emery “Hotel Delta, Hotel Delta, Bravo Hotel calling. Do you have any traffic?” Does that sound like a foreign language to you? These were the radio call signs of our village location and our mission headquarters, respectively, and this was how we communicated with the outside world for many years while we served in PNG. We had three radio schedules a day where we could check in, the last one for the day being at 6:05pm for 20 minutes. No email, no internet, no satellite or mobile phones. Outside of that time, we were on our own — medical emergencies, security problems, whatever, had to wait till morning. As you can imagine, there were some very long nights. OK, I can hear you saying, “What century were you living in?!” Admittedly it was last century, but only Literacy is the key 30 years ago! How far and isolated areas. Some of and it is exciting to see the toddler and five-year-old we have come in the last what I will be highlighting way God is working. both being carried on the couple of decades. may have been happening shoulders of villagers. Back in many places already, When we arrived in PNG then, the tribal children When considering trends but for tribal missions, in 1986, we flew in a 185 hiked two hours to go in world missions, major developments in technology things are really starting to Cessna to a tiny airstrip to the local school and definitely have to be accelerate. ‘Where have we in the Eastern Highlands, most didn’t go much past discussed. Most of our been?’, ‘What is happening and then hiked three hours Grade 3. The literacy rate NTM ministries around the now?’ and ‘What do we see to the village, with my in general was extremely world, and particularly in as future trends?’ are the baby being carried in a low in the outlying areas, PNG, are in quite remote questions being asked here, string bag (bilum) and my and possibly in most of 4 ServingTogetherDecember2016 Back pack Seth, 1986 Hiking into the tribe in 1986 Hiking into Simbari with Joel, 1986 PNG. Many missions and realized that we would need organizations had ventured to be on the field for most, into the highlands, with if not all, of our adult life in some successes, some order to get the job done. misconceptions and some mistakes, but the work was In just a couple of decades, very slow. Let me just say the present-day trend in here what admiration I mission has seen a move have for the pioneers who toward short-term mission went before, the many trips being a popular individuals who braved alternative for young treacherous conditions, people. This is a great way malaria and the like, to for young people to be try to reach the people of exposed to mission work PNG, often with little or and the needs on the field. Precision landing no support. Even when Young people spend their challenged to do mission them to maturity, in a we arrived, 30 years ago, summer holidays visiting a work, going on to train and much shorter time frame the process of learning the mission field and working return to the field. We still than we could ever have tribal language, creating on a project. This can need those who are serious done 30 years ago. With an orthography and then be a help to missionaries and committed to mission the advent of computers, a literacy program for an on the field.
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