Bruil Zimbabwe Nepal Fam. Asia Italy Brazi . B qu Z,Ur z ·ml tW , Nep, 1•ra11 i F rar f\..SH I talf-sia 'l'I 1a1 t atb Thf\i Su _,, 11 Sri I HERALD C THE Colombo's Chiltl,811 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .. THE BRAZIL TEAM 0 An eye-opening experience ....................................................................... 6 Cover illustration by Anthony Viney THE ACTION TEAM CO-ORDINATOR Steve Woolcock, organising the next Action Teams................................ 8 A YEAR OUT A challenge to all young people ............................................................... 8 N THE CARCASSONNE FRENCH TEAM Life and language ..................................................................................... 1 0 DOUBLE TAKE Taking another look at some of the issues this month ............................ 11 THE CARCASSONNE FRENCH TEAM T Clowning in Carcassonne .... ...... ... ......... ..... ...... .................. .... ...... .... ..... .. 15 THE ZIMBABWE TEAM and a church was born in Esphezini ........................................................ 1 6 THE LILLE FRENCH TEAM Total Commitment .................................................................................... 1 7 E THE NEPAL/THAILAND TEAM Teaching in two cultures ........................................................................... 18 CALL TO PRAYER Updating the Prayer Guide ..................................................................... .. 1 9 N fe!~ ! :;:t~~! Tw'f: rtr!~'t~;! .............................. ................... 2 Q IN VIEW News from home and overseas .. .... ...... ....... .. .................................... ........ 22 BETHEL BRIDGE Linking communities in Nepal ................................. ................. ......... ... .... 23 T The BMS shares in mission with: Albania Angola Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria El Salvador France Hungary India Indonesia Italy Jamaica Nepal Nicaragua Portugal Sri Lanka Thailand Trinidad Zaire HERALD PRICES 1994 Zimbabwe Bulk Church Orders If you order the Missionary 1S Herald through your church magazine secretary, the cost of a year's subscription (which is ten issues) is £3. 70. Individual Orders If you order the Missionary Herald directly from BMS you also pay for postage and packing, and the cost of a year's subscription (which is ten issues) is £7 .40. Overseas subscribers pay the postage and packing rate applicable to their location . October 94 [IJERA.LD HERALD BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY There is no substitute for first-hand experi­ ence. No amount of talk, description, mis­ sionary visits or audio-visual aids can take the place of actually visiting another coun­ try to "do" mission. For 75 years BMS Summer Schools introduced successive generations of young people to mission. There many heard the call to go overseas and others went back to their churches as enthusiastic sup­ porters and ambassadors of world mission We never thought we'd through the BMS. Times change. Young people are not learn so much ... content just to hear about mission, they want to get involved. They long to show ach year, on four continents, BMS Christ's love in action. They are no longer 28:19 Action face the challenge of prepared to wait for tomorrow to be Christian service and witness. accepted as responsible enough to play a They find it tough, they meet opposi­ full part in the life of the church. They are tion, they shed tears, they laugh, they Eare depressed, they cry and they sing. But they tired of being described as the "church of stay with it and are loved and accepted by people tomorrow", seeing themselves as part of from such different backgrounds. Christ's living, active body today. And they see the fruits of their work. How So for five years the BMS, through its many young people in Britain can say they have helped to plant a new church? The Zimbabwe 28: 19 Action Team programme, has been team can. making it possible for groups of young peo­ Most of all, they learn so much. "We went feel­ ple to work in overseas situations along­ ing we would be giving a lot and helping people in need. We never thought we'd learn so much side national Christians. They've done and come home so rich." evangelism, church-planting, teaching and Are we surprised that our young people have so social work. They've worked with street much to offer? Are we surprised at their Christian kids, old people and the down-and-outs. maturity? And are we ashamed at the way we push them on to the sidelines of our church life? And through it all they have surprised Young people are people, not a different species themselves as they have realised how of human being but full members of the human much they have to offer. They have devel­ race. oped skills they never knew they pos­ Christian young people are Christians, not rele­ gated to an inferior part of the church but an inte­ sessed. They have grown in confidence and gral part of the whole, the Body of Christ. They deepened their faith. ■ have a valuable, responsible and refreshing role to They've surprised us too by their maturi­ play in the work, worship and witness of the ty and their understanding of the situations Church both locally and worldwide. We need only look at the reports in this maga­ in which they have been working. It zine from BMS 28:19 Action Teams for 1993- remains to be seen whether any of them 1994 to see how true this is. Many of our British will return overseas as long-term mission­ Baptist churches now have first hand experience of aries. Certainly they are already making a the teams: "We were most impressed," said one church after a visit from one of the teams on tour difference at home as they offer refreshing in the UK after working overseas for six months. new aspects of mission to the churches. October 94 IIJE R.ALD HERALD continued "I am writing to express the from page 3 appreciation of so many people for the way the group has worked here. The young people were well briefed and had pre­ pared their material thoroughly. "They excelled themselves with sketches, slides, prayers and songs. It was a much­ needed spiritual shot in the arm for many of us who, at times, feel jaded with the 'normal' round of support for BMS. The members of the team are a credit to the BMS and to their Lord. I would recommend a visit from such a team to any church or school." Colombo's C ne of the hardest through prostitution. We "Although we "It was impossible things about leav­ worked with some of the 2,000 came from ing Sri Lanka was children in Sri Lanka who are not to fall in love leaving behind the involved in child prostitution, such with these grubby street kids of some as young as three, and different 0Colombo. There are thousands sold by their parents to tourists backgrounds, children with smiling of street children in Sri Lanka, for as little as £4 a night. there was so and although the situation is It was impossible not to fall faces and bright hardly like that of Brazil, it is a in love with these grubby chil­ much to gain great problem. dren with smiling faces and from our eyes," said the BMS Cinammon Gardens Baptist bright eyes. They were all so friendship. " Church is in the heart of warm and friendly and eager to 28:19 Sri Lanka Colombo. It is in one of get to know us and look after the wealthiest 4 us in this often strange and team. areas of the capi­ scary island. tal city, and at Initially communica­ the same time in \ ., tion seemed to be a an area of great \ problem, because poverty. j ~ the childr~n didn't Amongst · speak English and the sprawling ...._ when they talked to houses and us in Tamil and I grand offices live ' Sinhalese, we would some of Sri Lanka's smile and feel slightly poorest people, whose W' left out of the joke they all home is the streets. Whole '- seemed to be having at our families sit out on the streets expense. It wasn't long before with nothing to do all day but we could ask in Tamil and beg. The luckier ones have the Sinhala what their names were, resources to set up small stalls but this wasn't much good - no selling peanuts or mending one has the same name and the shoes, while others earn money names were all very long and for drugs, arrack and daily food complicated. It seemed hopeless October 94 [IJERALD HERALD but eventually we did learn scratched each other with. The Far left: Coconuts pro­ their names and they learnt first time they had a doll to vide a refresh­ ours. play with they didn't know ing drink for As our Sinhala improved we what to do but found great Becky and Sara. delight in pulling off its arms were able to talk more but we Left: The team really learnt the importance of and legs and dangling it from a in saris - cross­ non-verbal communication. We piece of rope hanging from the ing cultures. would play clapping games and ceiling. swing the little ones around, At the pre-school, one of our climb trees with them and just jobs was to show them how to sit on the streets with their clean their teeth. It became the families, cuddling the babies, highlight of the day. Many had and playing with the little chil­ completely rotten teeth and had dren while their mothers would never used a tooth brush share their food with us. The before. Every morning when we generosity of many Sri Lankans arrived at the school they never ceased to amaze us. would make signs with their In Colombo our main role fingers wanting reassurance that they would be able to clean their teeth that day. It took two of us to supervise this task as children would eat the tooth­ paste and want to come back for another go. ildren After morning school our contact with street kids was far from over.