Lutheran Brethren World Missions

Delicious Water

“Everything you have told us has come true. You have never lied to us”. These were the first words spoken to us by an elder of one of three villages in which we oversaw the installation of wells due to the generous giving through the Advent Conspiracy project of Bethesda LB Church in Eau Claire , Wisconsin . And then the chief spoke up, saying, “Our thirst has been quenched”. Dan (LBIM missionary) took this opportunity to share the story of the woman at the well and the eternally thirst quenching water offered by Jesus. Can you imagine a better introduction to a village that you want to minster to?

My two sons, John and Grant, and I had come to Chad from Bethesda LBC to join Dan in the process of overseeing the installation of these wells and meeting with these communities. We were helped in this process by a LB Chadian missionary and a local well technician. At one of the villages, prior to the well, the villagers were either walking 30 minutes each way for water or drinking dirty pond water. One local elderly man who could not walk that far to get water said he had been sick for years due to drinking bad water. He had already noticed the difference in his health after drinking the water and said that he felt “delicious”. This term surprised us at first, but after seeing the warm, dirty water they drank most of the time, this cool, clear water would be like eating a warm double chocolate cake with raspberries and a scoop of ice cream. “Delicious”.

The well that was replaced in another village had been an open well. A little girl accidentally dropped her bucket down the well. A young man went down the well to bring the bucket back up. He was exhausted when he reached the top, slipped and fell 40 meters back into the well and died. As a result, nobody was comfortable using the well, and so they had to walk 30 minutes each way with their buckets and jerry cans.

The need for wells is great in Chad . It is hard to explain all the blessings these wells will bring to each villagers’ life. In addition, the credibility these gifts bring our own missionaries cannot be counted. Each village had to come up with a portion of their own funds for the well, which is a very wise thing Dan insisted on. At each village we would sit on mats and discuss how important it was for the village to start a fund, with each villager to contribute to, used to maintain and repair the wells in the future. They would form a committee with a well manager, a treasurer and secretary and sometimes have two people for each position to keep everyone accountable. It was exciting to me that these same committees could be used for forming farm cooperatives in the future.

It was a bit hard to justify spending $2,500.00 for my ticket. Was it really worth it? Shouldn’t we have just given the money for more wells? After struggling with this for the first week, we no longer thought it was a waste or unwise. Bethesda LBC adopted this people group years ago, engaging ourselves in the support of ministry among them. We are convinced that we ourselves had not fully adopted these people until we met them personally, and spent time talking and eating with them while sitting on their mats. All three of us look forward to our returning to Chad someday. We have fallen in love with these people and our visit and the funds spent were a wise investment. Dean Hansen

A Time and Place Such as This

People say: “Stuff happens”, “Just do it”, “That’s life.” This is what God says: “I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11), “My ways are higher than your ways…” (Isaiah 55:9), “You have been placed here for such a time as this…” (Esther 4:14), “My purpose prevails…” (Proverbs 19:21), “What I have planned, that will I do…” (Isaiah 46:11).

As our family reflects on the divine providence of God in our lives, we are blessed and at peace because of it. We see how God has orchestrated the occurrences of our lives for His good purposes. And as Proverbs 3:5 reminds us, we are learning to trust God more, and we are learning to lean less on our own understanding, but rather to continually acknowledge God and His providence, knowing that He will indeed direct our paths. Rejoice with us in how God brings us to the places and through the times of our lives for His glorious purposes!

God planned and purposed for us to return to the United States this year for a medical leave, to attend to some concerns for one of our children. We wondered at the time if it was necessary as it would pull us away from ministry in Chad . We now see that it was for the best; that the medical/psychiatric attention was not only a huge blessing but will enable us as a family to continue this ministry together.

God has planned and purposed for us to welcome a new member to our family. Shortly after we arrived home in the States, we discovered that Rachel was pregnant! This event defied the scope of medical logic, and so was a big surprise. Claire Mireille was born to us on the 19^th of April. “Claire” means “clear” in French. “Mireille” is another French name meaning “miracle”. And so we are blessed with this “clear miracle” from God. God purposed to place us in the United States for this time of pregnancy and delivery, as we were able to have access to good obstetric care, something not easily found in Chad .

God planned and purposed that while on this home leave we would be able to visit multiple North American congregations, share about the Lutheran Brethren ministry in Chad and be blessed by this fellowship. And God purposed that Dan would be able to work alongside LBIM director Matthew Rogness, assisting him with matters concerning the mission in Chad .

God has also purposed that Dan take a trip to Chad for the first two weeks of June, along with three men from the Bethesda Lutheran Brethren congregation in Eau Claire. While there, they will be visiting unreached communities and overseeing the installment of three wells in villages that currently have no good source of drinking water. We pray that this open door to these communities will lead to further contact and opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus, the source of water that gives eternal life.

God is leading us next to France where we will spend the 2010/2011 academic year in French language learning. We are doing this because as we return to Chad we will be engaging more in a partnership ministry with our Chadian Church , the EFLT. This partnership will include providing assistance to the Chadian Lutheran Brethren congregations in enabling, training and facilitating the sending and supporting of Chadian missionaries among the unreached people groups of Chad . Much of this engagement will, by necessity, take place in the French language.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support of the ministries of LBIM as you continue to rejoice with us in God’s providence.

Dan

Cameroon 2010 Mission Team

Where do we start to describe to you the trip God took us on to Chad and Cameroon this past January? Let us start by praising His holy name for the glory displayed as we traveled along. This was revealed to us in countless ways as the 16 Americans journeyed to the other side of the world in His service. We are thankful for the prayers offered on our behalf as God provided for us each step of the way.

We were blessed by extravagant hospitality along the way. Steve and Janice and their family helped us both coming and going, graciously accommodating us at the Welcome Center.

Photo: Chris Priestaf After a day of border crossing and bus travel, we arrived at the Baptist Mission in Maroua, Cameroon. God treated us to sightings of roan antelope, giraffes and monkeys along the way. There we met up with the evangelism director for the Cameroon LB Church, and sketched out a schedule for the week ahead. Another day of travel with a brief stop in Kaele and we arrived at the Catholic Mission in Yagoua, our home for the week. We toured the Martha Adair Hospital, visited the border crossing at the Logone River and turned in for the night. The next morning we split up and worshipped with three different LB congregations. Pastor Chris Priestaf, Zachary Schroer and Scott Skelton were invited to bring the message.

Sunday afternoon we visited the mission points and set up clinic in the old hospital. We were pleasantly surprised that there was now an administrator of the hospital and they had laid in a supply of medications. An ophthalmologist had been doing cataract operations there of late and he kindly volunteered to help in the low-vision clinic with Vicki and Mike Braaten. We evaluated and treated many of the church pastors and elders and translators who would be working with us in the days ahead as we organized ourselves into triage and lab, medical, vision and pharmacy units.

The team God had assembled was good humored and diverse. Each member seemed both essential and sufficient for the work at hand. We were impressed at how God coordinated our time with His church in Cameroon to bring almost two hundred people to the Lord and plant two new churches in the Yagoua area during our visit. This, despite our lack of language skills in French and Masana (except for Allison and Solveig).

God allowed us to serve hundreds of people in the clinic setting as well, including a number of extremely ill children and adults. In addition to addressing their medical needs, we were able to pray with many of them. God demonstrated time and again how He was sufficient when we felt hopelessly inadequate.

Although many were served in the clinic and touched in the new church plant areas, we saw countless others who were not. The Cameroon CLB plans to carry on the Lord's work there using medications, supplies, and evangelism tools we left behind, powered, of course, by the Holy Spirit. We felt strengthened in the Lord by our brothers and sisters in Cameroon as they felt strengthened by our presence. Please continue to pray with us and our leaders as we seek to discover our part in His work. Noel Johnson

Getting to Know the Kittelsons

In 1986 while serving Pilgrim Lutheran Brethren Church in Mentor, Ohio, the Lord moved our hearts to seek out the opportunity to serve Him in Taiwan, sharing God’s love with the Hakka Chinese. We are pleased, honored, humbled and thankful to be missionaries in Taiwan these last 22 years. We believe God has placed us here to specifically touch those Hakka who are not reached by ways, methods and activities of the traditional Church in Taiwan. We have served in many locations since our arrival. At present, we partner with members of Victory LB Church, Hsinchu, to develop ministries that would particularly interest and encourage the Hakka in outreach.

For someone who may not know us and our life in Taiwan , one question that might be asked is, “Who are the Kittelsons, really?” If you asked a member of Victory LB Church, a person we are working with, or a member of the community this question, what would they say? These are some of the responses you might hear.

They are a couple who speak the Hakka language.
Yes, we can speak Mandarin Chinese, and normally foreigners just use Mandarin, but we primarily use Hakka for our life in Taiwan. Often the first question we ask is, “Do you speak Hakka?” To us the use of this minority language helps us identify the Hakka around us, endears us to them and often opens the door for friendship because we have bothered to learn their heart language and have entered their culture.
They sing and play Hakka music.
Through the years, we have gathered and become familiar with many types of Hakka music. We have specifically learned traditional and contemporary songs, melodies, lyrics, and instruments that we then use for evangelism, discipleship, and worship. With this music, we share the gospel with new friends and express our faith and worship among the Hakka believers. God has taken something that we have an interest in and enjoy in life, and has made it a part of our ministry.
They are people who pray with and for others.
As we become friends with people and understand them, their life, beliefs and needs, we seek to bring these things before God in prayer. In our visiting with people, before we depart, it is customary to take time to pray for their needs and to ask our Heavenly Father to bless our friends, those who know Jesus as well as those who are still on the way. It may happen at a prayer meeting, but it may also occur during a chance meeting on the street.
They enjoy being among people.
We strive to be people who become acquainted with those who live and work in the community. As we live in our community (shopping, eating, relaxing and exercising) we get to know the people around us and they get to know us as well. With these relationships, God opens the doors to share the gospel with our friends and acquaintances. Ministry among these people is our life.

We pray in all these things that the Lord will use who we are and what we do so people around us may see Jesus and understand His love. May God receive all the glory, may many come to accept this love of Jesus, and may God’s Church grow strong among the Hakka in Hsinchu.

Mike and Delores Kittelson

Another Language

We are pilgrims on the road to our heavenly home. Sometimes in Chad , sometimes in the United States … And this year, our Father has sent us to Albertville, France. He has us here to learn French. Kirsten and I (Marcos) are in class three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, and I think the professors plan for us to study another three hours at night. The kids are in on the act, of course. The three oldest are in public school, with Lucas (12) in middle school about a mile away, while Hans (10) and Betsy (3) at a pre-K to 5^th grade school just around the corner from us. Katie (2) is in our language school’s child care for most of the day. They are all in full immersion in French, and the Lord has answered all our prayers regarding their schooling situations. Each one has the teachers and classroom situation that is just right for them. We will be here until July of 2010, when we plan to return to Chad, well equipped with French.

French will be vitally important as we continue to broaden our ministry partnership with the Lutheran Brethren Church of Chad. We, Lutheran Brethren missionaries from North America, have been assigned the role of pioneering ministry to previously unevangelized peoples of Chad. These important first steps to expanding God’s Kingdom in Chad need to be followed up by Chadians taking the gospel to other Chadians. They will be the ones to take the Good News of Jesus to every corner of their country and beyond. They, however, need to be called, trained and sent. We can have a role in this process, which is why we need French.

You see, when we first arrived in Chad, we learned Chadian Arabic first to better communicate with our people group. Though this choice brought us closer to the people we wanted to reach, it, paradoxically, distanced us from our Lutheran Brethren brothers and sisters, who by and large do not speak Arabic. French is their common language. Knowing French we will be able to speak with and encourage lay people, evangelists, pastors and even the President of their synod. Lutheran Brethren International Mission is seeking to catalyze the LB of Chad to answer God’s call to send workers into the harvest fields of Chad. As the Church responds to this part of their God-given mission, we can be there to walk along side them. Again, French will be indispensible for this.

All this does not mean that we have abandoned our church planting and translation work among our people group. We will continue these, and our new-found knowledge of French will help us in these ministries as well. Primarily, French will be very useful as we continue translation work. We want to increase the involvement of our people group in the translation of the Bible into their own language, and most of the training and resources available to them are in French. Knowing French can help us work more closely together. Translation ministry inevitably leads to literacy, and in Chad that means dealing with the government, which primarily works in French. In addition, French will help us as we work with other Christian groups in Chad, like the Jesus Film project for Chad, who share our goal of making Christ known throughout Chad.

Thank you for your prayers and support during this important time.

Marcos

Reading the News Backwards

One of the best pieces of cultural advice that I picked up during our first few years of ministry here in East Asia came from an older lay pastor and his wife. I no longer remember what the main subject of our conversation was on that particular afternoon, but I do remember a brief, off-hand remark that the husband made about how to read newspapers and listen to news reports in our new host country, which happens to be closed to traditional mission work: “You have to read the news backwards,” he commented rather matter-of-factly. “If there’s a front-page article about a good wheat harvest in a particular northern province , that probably means that a famine has been going on there. If there’s a feature story about the harmonious relations between this minority group and that majority group in one particular region of the country, it probably means that those two groups have been fighting each other recently.”

I’ve put that little tidbit of advice into practice many times since then. It has, on the whole, served me quite well—and not only when reading local newspapers! Many “news” items appearing on western news websites, I’ve discovered, are best read “backwards” as well. Take some of the typical fare being served up on my home page (www.yahoo.com) recently, for instance: “Episcopal Bishops OK Prayer for Gay Couples”—“Butler Lashes Out at Aniston Romance Rumours”—“Obama Wearing Mom Jeans?”—“June Video Game Sales Drop Sharply.” What do headlines such as these say about our own culture back in the US ?

There is another sense, though, in which I have increasingly come to “read the news backwards” since our family moved to this East Asian country more than a decade ago—a way of reading unfolding events that has much more to do with my long, uneven journey toward a deeper, calmer faith in Him than with my more recent forays into a healthy journalistic skepticism. In my day-to-day work as a director overseeing the ministry of about 170 cross-cultural workers in this country, I’ve recently received news—by email, by phone, by Skype, by instant messaging—of dear friends losing their full-term baby, of a godly brother in ministry being arrested and sentenced to a year of prison labor for “disturbing the public security,” of colleagues having to flee or hide from deadly ethnic rioting occurring on the streets outside their doors, of co-worker after co-worker being denied visas to work and study among the unreached peoples that they love, of brothers and sisters in Christ facing life-threatening accidents and illnesses. How am I to view this seemingly relentless onslaught of overwhelmingly tragic and discouraging news? On the surface, it would appear as if we are losing the battle—as if we might just as well pack our bags, move back home, and stick to harmless, gossipy news about the latest scandal, the hottest new styles, and the coolest new electronic games.

But when I look again at these recent events with eyes of faith, with a deeper vision honed on a growing confidence in the God who has been relentlessly (and successfully) pursuing sin-sick humans for millennia on end, I see something very different happening around me in this country. I see seeds of life being planted that will never be uprooted. I see co-workers and colleagues being painfully, lovingly, tenderly equipped for significant future ministry. I see an all-knowing Supreme Commander carefully, deliberately repositioning his crack troops for the next major offensive on enemy-held territory. I see the ruler of this present darkness baring his fangs, raging in murderous desperation as peoples and territories that he has owned for centuries upon end come increasingly under redemptive, divine assault from every direction.

When I see this way, I see truly, knowing without the slightest hesitation that we are indeed on the winning side. Knowing that nothing can possibly happen to us, His deeply cherished children, that He is not capable of turning--somehow, someway—into an opportunity or an occasion for displaying His glory, for working some new, unforeseen blessing into our lives, for drawing a world of lost, desperate people all around us steadily and inexorably to Himself. The battle indeed belongs to the Lord.

Joel

Bethel Team Goes to Chad

We, the Bethel team and hundreds of people at home in our congregation, Bethel Lutheran of Fergus Falls, had been praying for this very moment. We parked the Land Cruiser at the entrance to a village. The four of us, Pastor David Foss, Matthew Rogness, Eric Ewan and I, along with Missionary Dan who acted not only as our contact with this village, but also as our interpreter, stepped onto the sandy ground to be greeted by the villages “Man of Peace”, whom Dan had met and befriended. It says in the Bible that a Christian should seek out a “man of peace”, a man of influence with an openness to spiritual matters, and work through him to ultimately reach a village. Before we arrived, the “Man of Peace” had spread the word of our impending visit. Many men of the village stayed home that day to meet us, instead of going to their fields, where they would have been busy cultivating and planting since it was the beginning of rainy season. We felt well-received.

The “Man of Peace” invited us and ten men from the village into his mud brick home where he served us tea and freshly butchered chicken over rice. We then went outside to a thatched roof gazebo next to the mosque. About thirty more men of the village joined us and we all sat down. Dan explained the reason for our visit mentioning that God had laid a love for their people on our hearts. Dan also said that we wanted to meet them and learn more about them. When the men heard this, they smiled and started discussing something amongst themselves. Finally, an elderly gentleman spoke. He introduced himself as the chief’s representative and stated that the men of the village felt like only God could have sent us to them. He also said, “How else could you have found us?” We agreed--we had come from half-way around the world, drove 6 hours into the African bush, crossed the river in a dugout canoe, walked 2 miles and then rode in a vehicle for another 10-15 miles on a bush road and arrived in the village. Indeed, God had orchestrated this special meeting.

After that endearing exchange, we began to ask our questions, one being, “What do your people value?” Their answer was 4-fold. “Peace; we just want to do our work in peace.” They mentioned that in the village’s history, no one had ever taken the life of another. “Health; could you build a hospital for us?” To this we replied that we were just there to learn about them and that we’d continue to pray and see where God was leading us. “Education; we need two more teachers and 2,000,000 francs ($4000) to build a school.” Again, we said that the purpose of our visit was solely to visit with them and learn more about them. They followed our response with these comments. “Historically, our people have been very influential, politically. Years ago, we were offered education , but we turned it down. Now, we realize what a mistake we made in declining their offer. Because of this, we as a people, have been left behind politically, and no longer have the influence we once possessed. Now, we realize how important education is and we desire it greatly for our children.” Currently, there is one teacher in our village, however, there are 150 students. “Hospitality. We value the relationships that we have with each other. We greet those people around us and expect to be greeted by them.” These people were so gracious, eloquent, and had such a strong community.

When we were finished asking questions, we thanked them for spending time with us and receiving us so warmly. They responded by saying, “You must really care about us. You have quit your family and quit your country and come here, and sat on the mats with us and spent time with us. This means so much to us. Please, don’t let this day be a waste. May our relationship with you continue in whatever form God directs in your hearts.”

These unreached people had surprised us by their warm reception of us, their gracious hospitality, and their openness. God had certainly prepared the way for us, and for that we’re grateful and excited to see what he has in store for Bethel ’s relationship with this people group in the future.

The Gospel and a Cup of Green Tea
Two years ago, we left our home in Minneapolis and headed East…as in FAR EAST. Unsure of much except for the fact that God had clearly led us here, we embarked on an adventure of faith, learning, and humor in a land filled with bullet trains, high tech cities, old style farm homes, and some of the sweetest people we had ever met. Japan surprised our family, and it’s fair to say that by the stares we received, our family also surprised Japan!

Different religions and peoples fascinate me. Reading history, for me, is like reading short stories about people from various cultures with different ideas about life. Then, in the Bible, I read about Jesus, His creation and His purpose for our lives. On my trip to Taiwan though, I found that in spite of cultural differences, Jesus' mission is the same.

In Africa I got used to ways of living unlike life in the States. When I went to Taiwan I experienced some of those same differences. For instance, since there is little contrast between my skin color and an Asian’s (as compared to that of my Chadian friends), I didn't expect to stand out as much as a foreigner. But I did. Also, tasting different foods was fun (and I loved eating lots of rice again).

I hadn’t thought about Buddhist temples though. There I smelled the incense, saw the food set out for the gods and watched people worshipping idols – that was hard for me. As I watched a man bow to a statue, I felt so sorry for him: he was lost and blind. But I felt that Jesus loved him like He loved me and that He wanted that man to worship Him.

Then with Christian believers I listened to Mandarin hymns. I thought to myself, “I'm with a people I've never been with before. I can't understand what they’re singing. Yet, Christ is here." We praised and glorified God together: that was a wonderful feeling. I also got to know some ladies in the church through their Bible study. The women took turns giving their testimonies and most asked for prayer to be a witness to their unbelieving family members.

One reason these meetings were so exciting is because my family's work in Chad revolved around seminary training. But I've always wondered what the day-to-day lifestyle of a church-planting missionary was like. Joining the missionaries here in their Bible studies, visits, talks with friends and neighbors, and even shopping, helped me to understand a bit more about their mission. It was fun to try and help when I could, especially in taking care of the children to give the parents time to study or attend meetings.

In Taiwan I saw God's love and care for His children and their work in every circumstance. I also noticed a difference between the customs and lifestyles of the Taiwan missionaries and our missionary friends in Chad . But I also saw the same love for Jesus, the same committed spirit, and the same purpose: to bring eternal life to people different from themselves. I saw what a wonderful privilege it is to serve the Lord and to be a witness to the Chinese people.

I spent the last two weeks of February on a medical mission trip to Chad, Africa. This was my second trip to Chad as I was a member of a mission team from our church that went last year. I lived with my friends, Dan and Rachel, in their village in southern Chad where they have a home and are missionaries. Our congregation, Bethesda LBC, Eau Claire, WI, has adopted these people. We have prayed for them and over the past six years we have been able to fund the drilling of a deep well for clean water, buy and distribute mosquito nets to everyone in the village and fund and help build a modern grain storage building. We have also had medical missions. The medical needs of the people of Chad are great and the care that we can provide is minimal but important.

This year people stood in lines in 115 degree heat for hours in order to be treated. We ran clinics from early morning until the afternoon when the heat became too much to bear. We were never able to see everyone who wanted to be treated. Before we called the clinics off for the day, we made sure that everyone who was seriously ill was seen. There were many cases of malaria and various parasites, but what I found the hardest to see were the babies who were dying of malnutrition even though adequate food was available. I was told that this often occurs because of fatalism in the parents, believing that they cannot alter what will be. I believe that this fatalism is related to the Islamic beliefs of the people but I also began to wonder if the parents lacked the margin in their lives that is needed to nurse an ill infant to health. The people eke out a living through farming and herding but they are living near the edge of starvation. Women in villages where no well is available must spend hours each day walking miles to the nearest town with a well or to the river to carry water back to their families.

Last year all of our clinics were held in Dan and Rachel's village itself but this year we travelled to some neighboring villages. I was surprised to note that there seemed to be a lot more malaria outside of their village and also more dehydrated children with dysentery. These people were also more trusting and less superstitious than their neighbors. I could not help but wonder if these differences were a result of Bethesda's prayers and the provision of accessible clean water and mosquito nets. Outside of their village, I saw many children who wore strings of amulets to try to ward off evil or disease. I saw many people with scars on their bodies where local 'healers' had cut them with red hot razor blades to cure the pains that they had.

It was once again a joy to be used by God in the lives of these people. Any medicines that were given out brought temporary cures but we were also able to pray for spiritual healing in the name of Jesus. The people knew that we had come because we loved God and were followers of Jesus, His son. I hope that more of our churches will consider adopting a people group. It will make an eternal difference.

I had the privilege of preaching at two Lutheran Brethren churches in Garoua, Cameroon on November 9, 2008. At the first service I sat on the platform next to Pastor Robert Goyek, President of the CLB in Cameroon. Before stepping into the pulpit, I turned to President Goyek and asked, "Do they usually stand for the reading of God's Word?"

I noted a hint of surprise on his face, as if to say: Who wouldn't stand to hear the Word of God? How could one possibly sit, when God Himself will be speaking to us?

Of the many things that impressed me during my brief time in Cameroon, the one that surfaces most is the respect and reverence I found among the people there for the Word of God. And not only in the churches. We visited people's homes--bare compounds with a thatched-roof hut and a few chickens and a little wooden bench, which they offered us to sit on. We asked them through our translators whether we might share some Scripture verses with them. Many of them responded: "How can we refuse to hear what God has to say to us?"

When we opened our Bibles, they understood the forthcoming words were not from us or from other people, but from God. (Can you imagine your neighbors responding this way, in their homes? And then thanking you for bringing them a "good Word from the Lord"? Only one way to find out...)

My final night in Garoua I rode in a pickup bed with a Cameroonian Lutheran Brethren pastor after an evening tent service. In broken English he explained his desire for an English Bible. I listened over the noise of the engine and the wind, squinting at the dust billowing behind the truck as we bumped and bounced along. I had brought only one Bible, my original preaching Bible, which I'd started using in seminary. Its worn, maroon-leather cover had been held many times and in many places where I'd preached God's Word to listening ears. This Bible had traveled with me from Fergus Falls to Sioux Falls to Eugene, Oregon. It joined the Navy with me and went from San Diego to the Persian Gulf aboard an aircraft carrier and two destroyers. My Bible flew with me by helicopter from ship to ship. I'd preached to Marines from this Bible in Okinawa and near the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan. It was exposed to salty sea air on the beach at Naval Station Mayport, Florida and to fresh summer air at an outdoor service three months earlier in Mayville, North Dakota. I was fond of my traveling, preaching Bible. We'd been through a lot together. But how many other Bibles did I have at home and in my office at church? Next to me, my Cameroonian brother was hungering for one Bible in English. I had to take a few deep breaths before removing the Bible from my shoulder bag. A friend with a Swiss Army knife excised one page from the Bible for me, a page listing my earliest preaching events and their dates. The dedication page, significantly, was still blank. So I took out a pen and dedicated it to Pastor Nira.

I left in Cameroon a Bible that was precious to me. What I brought home, however, is even more valuable. My heart moves with fresh respect for God's Word. And my soul stirs in newfound humility for the God who breathes His Word across the nations.