Yes!  I finished the book last night – a one day read, because I just couldn’t put it down.  I especially liked the story about the Lamas who heard of “the God who loves”.  They found one verse and put it on their wall but knew nothing more.  So they waited until one of the Lamas brought back a bible.  Then, the Lord led Gladys and her friend to the Lamas.  They let her in, which is a no-no, for women were not allowed.  She preached Jesus to these men.  Later on, the place was bombed by the Japanese and she never knew what happened to the Lamas.

I do think she was a true apostle (little a).  She went out to China with nothing, trusted God to meet her every need, preached the gospel, taught the converts…her passion was to go where ever Christ had not been preached.  Through many dangers and deprivation she entrusted her very life to the Lord, just like the original Apostles.

I have added her to the list of people who have effected my life in a deep way.  Thanks for bringing her up RT and Stunned. 

She was a true apostle of the faith.  She went to China, shared the gospel, drew the new converts together to teach them…now that is true church planting!

Jim and Carole, it is wonderful to have you back and I pray God used your vaycay to refresh the both of you.

…pk

PK is the new/current major voice here, obviously for good reason. Since he’s come on board, I’ve trashed everything I’ve written on our planned topics because he is-

just-so-much-better-than I.

I suppose it’s a first among equals thing.

The beauty is that this topic comes during SGM’s major “missions” fund-raiser month.

SGM’s new strategy of turning “mission Sunday” into three consecutive “missions Sundays” was a bright move on their part.

PK’s posts were brighter.

Thank you, my brother!

PK, do you think it’s possible in the foreseeable future to chose a gravatar and stick with it?

Send your email requests to carole@sgmrefuge.com to see a new gravatar of the tanned and rested Jim & Carole. My smarta** face has received more than enough airtime.

I sat down one morning in august, snapped 3 pics from my web cam, and picked the most jadedly amused/sarcastic-looking of the three.

Go figure….

I’m in sales by trade, but I don’t sell the amazing Carole anything.

That’s your job 

I’m thinking that Ellie, Gracie, and Canary could seal the deal.

She’s worth seeing…

I’m armed, and somewhat dangerous (on a good day), so don’t sweat the whole pic on the internet thing…

I promise to wear a decent shirt this time around

I banned ombud.

I’ll explain tomorrow-he/she has one chance to come clean.

Let’s not forget our first encounter, when, after being backed into a corner, ombub/fort knox, whatever, told us that this was all a game to him/her.

I’ll provide the pertinent link, and ask ombud if “they” want to play fair.

What a wonderful story of God’s grace!

Maybe you should change your name to Barnabas? 

My heart is full after reading this thread.

73K Bibles in two weeks!

I must re-post this portion-

Before he ended, he told a last story:  a young teacher at a school came up to him for a Bible.  He admitted that he had no idea how to become a believer in Jesus.  My friend opened the Word to him, shared the truth of the Gospel with him, and he was saved that day.

The Great ComMISSION!

Your observations hit the spot.

Here’s what’s funny-Grudem’s priority is not to move your heart.

He trusts God to do that.

Another amazing story, and GOD BLESS THE GIDEONS!  I was away from home at one time, years ago, far from God… when in a hotel room’s nightstand drawer was the scriptures, courtesy of the Gideons.  It gave me wonderful and lasting comfort that night, a time I would later recall and know it was one of the matches in the fire of my testimony.

Now that’s missions, folks, right here in the U.S. of A.

And then, to hear that this 75 y/o RT speaks of partcipating in a 73k amount of copies of God’s precious scriptures sprinkled in a country other than his own… that’s driving me to my knees in thankfulness, and a sense of being on holy ground in the wake of such a testimony.

RT you made my month, and perhaps year!

I’m praying for that imam and those students and that teacher!

Praise God and His magnificent power and glory that can save and call ANYONE out of darkness.

To Christ be the glory!

…pk

Today in worship we had a member who works with the Gideons speak for a few minutes.

He, (75 yo retired Army Colonel), had just come back from a two week trip to Africa, where he was able to distribute, with his other friends, 73,000+ Bibles.  He talked his way into a Muslim school, made friends with the imam, and was allowed to hand out God’s Word to all the students and teachers.

Before he ended, he told a last story:  a young teacher at a school came up to him for a Bible.  He admitted that he had no idea how to become a believer in Jesus.  My friend opened the Word to him, shared the truth of the Gospel with him, and he was saved that day.

I feel so sad when I learn, reading SGM missiology, that these sorts of trips do not bear…what is the term….lasting fruit?  What a waste of this man’s time and $$$ !!!  I wish we had just waited until one of our pastors could go, instead, and got the local church up and running, first.  God certainly cannot be counted on to provide discipleship for his Bride, can he?

Amen to that, PK! 

Great comments above, especially this:

“With Harvey’s, I understand what he is saying, but it seems so much more complicated, with too many bullet points and outlines to remember, unless you are an apostle and have the gifting to sort it all out.  If I were still a SGM member in good standing,  Harvey’s missiology would actually discourage me from wanting to be involved in the SGM version of missions, as I might screw it up, not that I would be allowed to participate anyway.  It’s just another area where I need to trust the leadership to know what’s best and not worry myself about such hard things.  Yikes.”

That’s my primary concern, I believe above everything else: this obsession with doing the formula correctly, even if you happen to make it into the elite club.

This is not the church, by any stretch of the imagination, and it needs to stop.

thanks again,

…pk

My dear sister, thank you for sharing that story.  I’d say I want to be like that woman when I grow up, but I haven’t the courage.  (Yet.)

Stunned
and impressed

He is merciful and good!

…pk

What a beautiful story.  A woman working and suffering in obscurity for the sake of the Lord – and you got to buy her lunch!  How special!