Fort Wayne Bible College - Vine / Light Tower Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

Page 33 text:

Summer Missions: No Typical Story It's not that I have anything against cities, you un- derstand. It's just that once you've seen one big city, you've seen them all except for a few different monuments here and there. But the countryside . . . that's another story! The people of the Philippines refer to their small towns out in the country not as 'towns' but as 'barrios'. So after spending three weeks in relatively large cities, my partner, Ginny, and I were met by Miss Margaret Shick, a seasoned missionary of five years, who would be our director for the next two weeks. After loading our luggage into an open pom boat, we were on our way to the most educational and eye-opening experiences of d , 53129 . I ' in our entire trip. By pom boat and foot, we worked our way up the coast, presenting 12 programs in the small churches scattered along the way. We even enjoyed hik- ing over the mini-mountains to the various churches further inland-it was a great way to see the countryside and to get a fantastic tan! Finally at the farthest point of our journey up the coast, we were deposited into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Huegle, who work with a small church among the Manobo tribes people. Our two days with the Huegles were meant to be a vacation but we were able to present one program at the local church. After the service was completed, the pastor gave an altar call, and to our utter amazement, 20 people came forward and prayed! We were absolute- ly stunned . . . until Bert informed us later that all those who came forward were the regular aisle-walkers. Not resistance, but this easy cooperation intended to please the missionaries, looms as a hindrance to discipl- ing believers. Another aspect of the Huegles' varied ministry is their medical work. Neither have had any formal train- ing, but the unavailibility of qualified medical personnel and the poverty of the people move them to distribute medicine and injections to save the lives of some of the people. They do not know what the consequences would be if they were discovered, but they feel the needs deeply and are willing to take the risk involved. Many people came each day for medicine, some with skin ulcers, children with sores on their heads, older people with bad coughs-just about anything. It was a good oppor- tunity to talk with the few who knew snatches of English and to show them that we were concerned about them. The one case that stands out most vividly in my mind is a small boy who had had a very bad cough for six months. His father had taken him to a witchdoctor who had tied a tiny bag around his waist to ward off the evil spirits. Mr. Huegle told the father that he would pray for him if the bag was removed. Imagine our surprise when the father immediately and willingly removed the bag! Once again I was impressed by the confidence plac- ed in the missionaries and the responsibility such cooperation demands. The second day I was with the Huegles we all went to Zamboanga City where their six year old daughter was to begin school. Her parents had gradually prepared her for that day, so that rather than dreading her day of departure, she was anticipating it! It was a situation which was well worth seeing firsthand, for it is a controversial area of missions. Those two days were the fastest two days of our summer missionary work. Although they were meant to allow us to rest after our strenuous activities, there was something greater to be gained from our time with them-the realization that there is no typical missionary story, for every missionary must adapt to the needs of his people. by Sue Boyer

Page 32 text:

Pete and Todd Play Basketball To Share Christ ' '... Power is perfected in weakness. This par- ticular spiritual truth became an exciting reality in my life as the Venture for Victory basketball team traveled through Africa this past summer. In the course of six weeks, thirty games. and fifty basketball clinics, I began to understand just what Paul was saying in II Corinthians l2:9. None of the eleven Ventury for Vic- tory team members were tremendous ball players, remarkable singers. or professional speakers, but I soon recognized that extraordinary talent is not a necessary requirement for serving Christ, or for spreading the gospel. No matter where we were playing-Ghana or Rhodesia. city or village. school or playground-the people responded to God's working in their lives through us, Over one hundred Africans accepted Christ, and many more desired the Bible correspondence course that we offered, Day after day we. as a team, realized that God was using us for His honor and glory-to br- ing people to Himself. When one of us missed a lay-up or kicked the ball out of bounds, or hit a wrong note during a halftime song, we rejoiced in our confident assurance that the claims of Christ were being shared despite any of our human shortcomings. Truly, the times that we recognized our weaknesses were the times when the power of Christ was most evident, and spiritual victories were seen. Three weeks after I got back to America, I received a letter from a young Ghanean man with whom I had the privilege of sharing Christ. The salutation of his letter said, Dear brother in Jesus Christ. Just reading that letter was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, My thoughts drifted back to those African towns and villages. Sure it wasn't always fun eating donkey meat or rice with curry. And the living accom- modations weren't always what we wanted. But the peo- ple were friendly. open, interesting, and most of all, in need of the Savior. I rejoice in the fact that God can even use basketball players to share the gospel. Gaining a brother in Jesus Christ means infinitely more than receiving a silver trophy or a blue ribbon. tlvlatthew 6: is-:ii by Todd Habegger 2 f 1 . 4. I S.. i f . ' ' 6 3... .i., . 9 -6' 0. . ,vx ...,, Q 'tw 7' J I lr , Y I I I xi lli ,', I ,hifi fl I .4 'fv 'Euh 1 6 , 'i , we rw s . s 1 ' 5 sn . L : g

Page 34 text:

Missions Conference Asserts Jesus Is Lord Since l97l the Fort Wayne Bible College and the First Missionary Church havejoined in a great missions conference to help keep in focus the world-wide out- reach of the Church. Missions Conference '73, Jesus is Lord. helped FWBC think clearly about the im- plications of the Lordship of Jesus. Dr. Mariano Di Gangi, North American Director of the Bible and Medical Missionary Fellowship, open- ed Missions Conference with four days of expository preaching. A relined speaker who pastored the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church, Dr. Di Gangi is remembered especially for the Biblicism ofhis messages. From England for the next two days of Missions Conference came Rev. David Stuart Briscoe. Presently the Assistant General Director of Torchbearers. pastor ofThc Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and president of a radio and tape ministry called Telling the Truth. Inc.. Rev. Briscoe soon won the attention of FWBC with the exuberance of his preaching. His messages from selected passages in the Psalms built well on the groundwork laid by Dr. Gangi in focusing on the theme Jesus is Lord. The final day of Missions Conference Rev, Pius Wakatama, a native of Rhodesia, now completing a Master's in Mass Communications, and James Harmon, a Nigerian pastor studying at Bethel College, gave living testimony to the validity of missions. These main speakers were supplemented by six missionaries from around the world: Rev. Gerald Steele. Brazil: Rev. John Bontrager, Nigeriag Rev. Ralph Brandenburg, Dominican Republicg Miss Geraldine Gerig, Sierra Leone: Miss Mary Paulus, Nigeria, and Rev. John Blosser, India. Each service benefited from spirited congregational singing and the variety of good special music. Steve Walley's chorus Jesus is Lord was enjoyed all week. Students were encouraged to stop for a few minutes of intercessory prayer in the chapel on their way to or from the display and cafe area. Again this year the displays reflected creativity and hard work. Visitors entered into the worlds of the Apostle Paul and William Carey and then moved via slides and tapes into the modern world of missions, A bookshop offered literature and tapes on missions. Morning offerings, a total of Sl,050.60, went to kick-off the SMF project of raising 55,000 to purchase a van for the Jamaica Theological Seminary.