Storying Week- By Brita

What a blessing it was last week that my parents came to spend time with our kids so that I could be in class!  The kids had a blast and I learned about a valuable tool to use on the mission field.

God could have chosen to just give us the law and that's it.  He could have just given us a list of do's and don'ts.  But he didn't. What he did give us is a story.  A story that follows through all of history with one purpose.  Not only that but he made us to learn through stories, to enjoy them and even to crave them.  The tradition of learning through orally told stories has been around since God created man.  Storying is still the way that many people groups around the world still pass on information. 

I was able to tell Acts chapter 3

 Last week I was able to be in class to learn how to take a portion of scripture and craft it into a story that is told accurately to convey what the theme of the passage is, told in a natural way, using commonly spoken language for today.  The acronym we used was 

BONA
B- Biblically accurate
O- Orally reproducible
N- Naturally told
A- Appropriate to the culture

It's harder than I thought it would be.  The temptation is to end up basically quoting the passage straight from scripture.  But that ends up sounding less like a story and more like reading scripture.  It was a challenging week!  We each learned 4-5 stories and at the end of the week told the story for everyone on campus in a set of 20 stories spanning from Jesus's baptism, through his death and resurrection, to his return.  It was incredibly powerful and real to hear Jesus's life told in this way.

Josh told Act 8:1-8 and 8:26-40

Most of the world is oral or only a functional literate- meaning they can read for necessity but they really learn orally.  What a blessing to have yet another way to explain the gospel and the truths of the bible. 

Here is the whole bible storied from beginning to end by Matt Papa.  This story is better than any blockbuster movie.... and it's reality!  Enjoy!

Mexico Update

I love to tell the story of when we were about to be parents for the first time.  I was 22 years old, had one semester left before I graduated in engineering and knew being a parent was a big deal!  So I did what seemed most logical to me.  I talked to people that had been parents.  I read a variety of parenting books.  If I was going to be dad, I wanted to be prepared.  So I read books and took lots of notes.  The things I learned were fascinating!  You need to be firm with your child yet loving.  You need to be consistent every time.  Sometimes you need to just let your child cry.  Yes. Yes. Yes.  I got this.

Not only did I want to be a good father, but I wanted to be a godly father.  I wanted to lead my children to know who God is, who man is, why there is sin and death, and how God displayed His ultimate love and justice at the cross.  I wanted them to know that God is not distant but very personal and only a relationship with Jesus will lead to eternal life.  So I studied the character of God and what it means to be a good father.  It all makes sense.  I'm ready.

When Daniel was born in 2002 I was overjoyed!  He was a precious tiny amazing little person that I was holding in my hands.  During those first two days in the hospital, I remember him crying maybe once.  I could see that all my studying was paying off.  I was a good parent.  But  something very strange happened the night we brought him home.  Everything I had read about and studied for became a reality.  It was no longer theory.

So as if it was yesterday, I remember sitting on the couch with Brita holding this precious little person who was screaming louder than I've ever heard a person scream.  I was firm and loving with Dan letting him know that it was not okay to be screaming now.  We were very consistent with diaper changes and feedings, and we even let him cry for a while.  And yet all of my research and studying was just theory.  When it came time to actually put into practice what I learned, it became very obvious some things would be helpful and some things would not.  At that moment on the couch, we would've done anything to get Dan to stop crying.  We both look at each other and said "what in the world are we doing?"  Somehow he made it through that night.

As a reflect back on that time in our life, I am thankful for the time I spent studying and reading about being a parent.  But none of that was a substitute for actually doing the work of parenting.

The same is true for missions.  We are spending two years training to be long-term missionaries.  We study hermeneutics, Biblical theology, missionary attrition, teams, conflict, systematic theology, how to cross cultures, contextualization, all while seeing our utter need and dependence on Christ.  This is absolutely needed.

However, until you actually go to the field, this is still theory.  That is why one week every month we go to northern Mexico.  We are seeking to plant churches in villages that do not have access to the gospel.  This is where the theory meets the reality.  We are so privileged to do the work we are being trained for!

Below you will find pictures from the last two trips.  We are continuing to disciple R and his family.  We are continuing to work with other families in the village ML.  The work at time seems so slow, but we are faithfully going month in and month out to serve ML.  We are not the lords of the harvest, God is.  He WILL accomplish His purposes.  Jesus has other sheep that are not of this fold. He must bring them also, and they will listen to His voice.  So we go with prayer, humility, a desire to serve, and the only message that can save.  Completely, fully, joyfully, eternally save.  It really is good news!  Please remember to pray for ML and the 90 people there in northern Mexico.  Thank you!!