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A Place of Peace

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“I think you guys must have a much easier time living for God than I do. Whenever I come to this church property I feel such a peace and calmness. There is a different atmosphere here. Then when I go back home or out on the street there is so much agitation or temptations…”

This is a translation of a discussion I had with Sammy yesterday. We have a “discipleship” meeting once a week, when we talk about life. I was telling Sammy about our dream of having a set-up where we can have course for a week-end, or a week, or a month, where people can come and see God, and have fun, and move forward in their faith.

Sammy’s response of how he feels peace here is an answer to our vision, patterned after the Celtic Way of Evangelism. We can feel it too. You come through our gate and onto our property, if just feels different.

Thank you, Jesus.

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The Marabá Church Building Project.

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We have started this project up again. We tried to get in by the end of last year, but we did not allow for the storms of the rainy season. Now we would like to bring this building to lock-up so we can use it.

This video is for people who have been thinking, “I would like to invest some more money in God’s Kingdom. I wonder where would be a good place?” It is also for people who would like to pray with us, and those who would like an update on past investments.

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What is God Saying?

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Do you ever wish you could hear or understand God better? I often wish Jesus would just show up beside me and I could just ask Him whatever I am thinking about. Clyde and his family are planting churches about a days journey the other side of Altamira. Last week we were together at a leadership meeting. I was praying for Clyde and I saw a kind of vision. “I see you splitting wood, and throwing kindling on a fire in order to get it burning. Once it is burning good enough you will be able to move on.”

The next day, as Clyde was taking me to the airport, he told me about what happened the week before. “I made a fire to bar-be-que a big fish.
I invited Poli (the Brazilian church-planter he is working with) and his family for lunch. The fish cooked through on the one side, so I turned it over on the coals. Then I saw that I had used too small of kindling. The coals were almost burned out. I told Poli, ‘I should have used bigger firewood. Now I have to rebuild this fire. I think God is talking to us through this example. We need to invest more in the people we are working with so we can establish churches that will last, and will stay hot over time. We need to get bigger blocks of wood burning, not just some kindling.'”

I find God often speaks random words of encouragement. In my morning devotions I would like to hear God tell me how to heal my family from sickness, or how to help the neighbours with miracles. Instead God often seems to say things like: “Just keep going. This is not a sprint. You are doing a good job. Take a break. Keep watching for Me today. I’m proud of you.”

Here are a few things I have learned about God talking to us:

  1. God talks to prophets with dreams and visions.
  2. God talked to Moses face to face, directly and not in riddles.
  3. The least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the greatest Old Testament prophets.
  4. Angels long to look in on these things.
  5. Jesus talked clearly to His disciples. It often takes awhile to understand.

9 As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man | | | |

“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you like, but you can only spend it once.” Lillian Dickson, missionary.

Lillian Dickson’s Story

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What Motivates Me.

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What motivates me to be a missionary? Why would I live with Deanna and our four daughters in a dangerous neighbourhood? Why live in a foreign country? Why live thousands of miles from family and friends? I can think of five reasons:

  1. I feel sincerely sorry for non-Christians. God wants as many people as possible in heaven. One day it will be too late for many people.
  2. God saved me when I did not deserve it. Others were faithful to pray for me, and to “love me back to God.” I want to help others find God.
  3. There is so much senseless suffering on this earth. When we suffer as Christians we gain eternal rewards. When non-Christians suffer, no rewards. God wants to ease suffering, give hope and He wants to do it through us.
  4. People back home are standing with us in a team effort. This motivates us to work hard to be as effective as possible with our time and resources.
  5. My main motivation on the short list this morning is selfish. Have you ever really liked or respected some public celebrity enough that you wanted to be like that person? Have you ever thought you could be friends with that person if life somehow brought your paths together? We get to work with Jesus. Our challenges at “work” are His challenges. He “shares” stuff with us, about how to do things better. He promises to cover for us if we get it wrong. He promises huge, mind boggling rewards if we get it right. He encourages me every morning, and often throughout the day. God is as proud of me as I am of my children: maybe more…but that is the limit of my imagination. There is nothing I would rather do than be a missionary.
So…who wants to join the team?

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One Day It Will Be Too Late For Many

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I remembered what a friend in the Yukon once told me, “I cannot believe in a God who does not have mercy.” 
This is faulty reasoning because while we can choose what we believe, we cannot choose what God is like. He created us. He wants relationship. He is communicating with us. One day, the Bible warns, it will be too late for many people. Our option to choose eternal life in heaven will be over, and many people will be extremely sorry.

This morning I read the following text from Number 14. 

39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the LORD promised. Surely we have sinned!”
 41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the LORD’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”
 44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

In this story the Israelites were apparently very sorry. It sounds like they repented. It looks like they stepped out in faith believing in a merciful God.
  • It was too late for these Israelites, though they had many chances up to this point.
  • It was too late for many once God closed the door of Noah’s ark.
  • Jesus says there will be a lot of deep despair on judgement day. It will be too late for many people.
  • Not believing this does not change anything. The Bible says this will not be a good enough excuse.
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Fifty Years Old

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Our neighbours gave us a big squash. Deanna made a pumpkin-pie-birthday-cake. Each candle represents 10 years. Twenty years ago all I could think about was getting married. I could not have imagined the blessings God had in store for me between then and now.
Thank you for wishing me a Happy Birthday. I am so grateful for our friendship.
Warmly,
Rick Bergen.

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Xingu Mission Brazil

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Several years ago we began a process of becoming an organization / association of semi-autonomous, de-centralized mission bases. Our goals remain the same: “…North Americans and Brazilians working together to form a sustainable church planting movement to the remote people of the Amazon Basin.” It became clear as we expand into this vast wilderness region we need to give as much freedom as possible to local teams, while still requiring enough accountability to have confidence that we are all representing the Mission in a legal and healthy way.

To find this balance we meet together formally twice a year. After months of living and working far apart from each other it feels very good to encounter our other team members again, and to encourage each other forward in the Lord’s work.

NOTE: We had a time of “blessing” prayer as Jim and Sharon Stevenson, and Tim and Betsy Kubacki are moving on in their journey to follow Jesus wherever He leads. Both of these families will be very missed here in Brazil, for their wise council and for their friendship. Jim and Sharon are returning to Canada, where Jim will continue to serve as an XMC mission board member. Tim and Betsy are joining SIM in Angola, a Portuguese speaking country in Southern Africa which is recovering from a devastating civil war.

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Marabá Board Meeting

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Marabá Board Meeting

Every year we need to have at least one formal board meeting to meet the requirements of an active registered organization in Brazil. We need to give a formal report of our bank account, projects and plans. I feel so blessed to be working with the team below. Four other board members who were unable to be present at this particular meeting are Clenildo and Angelita, Nira and Abilene.

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How do you build foundations for a good marriage?

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What if you come from a dysfunctional home? What if your parents, your relatives and your circle of friends all have less than good marriages and friendships? What if you don’t know who your dad is, or if your stepdad’s mom has to come and rescue him because your mom beats him up too often? What if you crave good friends, and long for a husband and a family who will love and respect you, but you don’t have any models? The soap operas on tv which are blaring all day in your house model worse relationships than you are experiencing. We pray for God to intervene. We have also come up with a few practical ideas.
1. We model a good relationship. The neighbourhood youth cannot believe we have a “date night”. Dating is for illicit activity, not for married people. Yet, the possibility that you could date your spouse even after you are married does sound appealing.
2. Deanna is doing a Bible Study with these teen-age girls based on a book called “I Kissed Dating Good-bye”, which talks about the results of recreational dating and the path to the longed for lifelong partner/lover/friend. It is the most popular Bible Study we can remember.
3. When our new church building is functional one of the first “programs” we would like to host is a series of Marriage Workshops”, for the adults in our neighbourhood. We are hoping to create a pleasant environment, have the youth serve some delicious snacks, and to teach some basic ideas about how married people can get along together.