I watched as walls of hatred and animosity crashed to the ground

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Monika

by Amy, Bible School for the Nations student

YWAM Bible School for the Nations outreach It was our last day in Central Asia. I looked around at my three teammates and our twelve students, amazed at what a privilege it was to teach in this condensed discipleship class. Our students were from three central Asian people groups where persecution of Christians is very real.

These students set aside their ethnic differences and schedules to come together and be discipled for one month. Some of the students were only months-old in their Christian life. Three had been baptized just weeks before. Our small Bible School for the Nations (BSN) outreach team had walked into an incredible Spirit-charged atmosphere, fresh with new life and thick with the reality of religious persecution.

The week had been everything we prayed for. Our teachings on Identity in Christ and Spiritual Warfare were well received. In fact, they were completely new concepts for many of the students. Earlier that morning, as my team prayed for the day, God brought to my mind the verse from Revelation 22:2. “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

The verse didn’t seem to have anything to do with what we were talking about. Still, I wondered what God was trying to say. So we prayed about this verse, asking God His plans for our new friends and the people groups they represented. Then we headed downstairs for our final teaching of the week.

The students were as engaged as always in class time, even when it took more than our two translators to communicate a difficult word or phrase. They asked good questions and shared deep insights. One of the topics was intercessory repentance, the biblical concept where one person prays on behalf of his nation, repenting for the sins of his ancestors, as Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 1:6.

The three people groups represented in the classroom that day had all received grievous wounds at the hands of the ethnic majority in their country as well as neighboring minority groups. Generations of pain and hatred had been creating walls of hostility between them. Though the students loved and respected one another as individuals, the idea of forgiveness on behalf of nations was a new concept.

Intercessory repentance became very personal very quickly, as one by one the students fell to their knees at the front of the classroom.

At first I watched from the side of the room, amazed at something I barely understood. As an American raised at the end of the 20th century, I have never had reason to harbor bitterness toward other nations or people groups. No one has ever hurt my family. I have never experienced ethnic hatred. But something drew me into the group, and I found myself on my knees beside my new friends, doling out handfuls of tissues as they cried. As they laid face down on the ground, crying out in repentance on behalf of their nations, something amazing happened. Centuries old grudges crumbled down. With every hug a person from one ethnic group gave to someone from another ethnic group, thick walls of hatred and animosity crashed to the ground.

Suddenly, I understood Revelation 22:2. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

God is in the business of healing individuals, but He is also in the business of healing nations. Even people groups that do not yet have the full Bible in their language are experiencing the healing for their nations that God promises in Scripture.

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

A gift from an orphan

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Monika

by Tim, University DTS student

Joshua’s eyes lit up as I blew up the bright balloon. When I handed it to him, his face glowed with joy. He could finally join the other kids at the orphanage who had been throwing balls back and forth!

Joshua is unable to play with the other children because a muscle disorder keeps him confined to a wheelchair. Before coming to the orphanage, he had been left outside on a cold day by his foster family. His feet became so frostbitten that the caretakers at the orphanage feared part of his foot would be amputated. They prayed for him and God miraculously healed his feet!

Because the balloon was light, he had the strength to play catch with me. He tossed the balloon, and I chased it all over the room, leaping and spinning and falling dramatically to the floor. He crowed with delighted laughter, some of the most joyful I’ve ever heard.

I’ll never forget the experience of showing Joshua the love and attention of our Father God. I gave him a gift that day, but he gave me one as well.

The Artist

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Monika

Xu Guan's painting

by Luke, University DTS student

Yesterday, a piece of artwork at a market caught my eye. I stopped at the artist’s shop in the alley to admire it and talk to the artist, Xu Guan. Xu Guan spoke great English. In fact, he was even from the city we were planning to visit next. He told me about the inspiration for his art–his family and spirituality. We talked for a while and I told him I’d be back to purchase his print.

Today, my friend, Jerry, and I went back to find Xu Guan’s alley-way art shop. I wanted to purchase the painting from him, but I also wanted to talk to him some more. What he said about his spirituality was intriguing. We have to be careful about the way we talk about God here–we’re not free to evangelize here in the same way we would be in most other countries. But there’s nothing stopping us from having a discussion, learning more about what they believe or telling them about our beliefs when they ask us.

“I’d like to know more about Xu Guan’s family,” Jerry said as we walked. “And I think it’s important that we ask him about his personal beliefs. I wonder if he already knows God?”

We wove our way through the twists and turns of the small, back alley streets. Fifteen minutes later, we opened up on an intersection at Xu Guan’s shop.

“You came back!” Xu Guan cried, waving to us. A smile stretched across his face, ear to ear. He was holding his baby girl and his other young daughter clung to his leg. Xu Guan’s wife stepped outside, too. Jerry and I looked at each other and grinned, both thinking the same thing. What better way to get to know about his family than by having them all right there?

When I made it clear that I would purchase the painting, Xu Guan relaxed and chatted with us a little more. We talked about his daughters and his wife. Then he showed me more of his amazing paintings. He pointed out the symbolism and stories behind the art. The paintings were about so much more than what they first appeared.

At that moment, I felt so strongly that Jerry and I needed to pray with this artist, his family, and their business but that I should wait for the right timing. I examined a painting by a farmer friend of Xu Guan’s. It was a picture of an annual Chinese celebration where the children send off lanterns for their deceased relatives, to pray for them and invite them to celebrate.

“Do you pray?” I asked Xu Guan.

He paused for a second so he could understand my question. “Do you mean, in church?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

He told us that in his home city he used to go to a Catholic church and he would pray to God there. I was encouraged to hear this. I still wasn’t sure what he truly believes or understands, but I knew this was an open opportunity for us to pray for his family and to show them that God cares about them. So I asked Xu Guan if it would be OK if we could pray with his family to bless them and their art business.

“Yes, yes!” He smiled.

After we prayed, Xu Guan and his wife continued saying, “Xie xie, xie xie” (thank you, thank you). Their children waved goodbye to us as we left. I carried the painting I bought from him and we walked back through the twists and turns of the alleys.

I can’t wait to hang it on my wall back home. Not only is it a beautiful piece of art, but it will always remind me of Xu Guan and his family.

Teaching at Local Children’s School – YWAM DTS outreach

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Monika

by Luke, University DTS student

The other day, I asked a teacher a question. “Could we help you teach English to your class?”

“Oh of course! However you would like. You are very welcome!” she said.

Teaching at Local Children’s School - YWAM DTS outreach And so today, Jenn, Jerry, Maria and I brought our lesson plans to school. We couldn’t wait to meet the eager students. They’re all between the ages of 3 and 6!

Here, people are seen as an economic resource, more valuable for what they can produce or do. Individuals don’t receive a lot of attention. Kids are loved more if they perform better in school.

We wanted the children in our English class to know that they were important and valuable no matter what they are capable of doing. So we centered our lesson plans around teaching identity and personal and family value. Prepped with paper and crayons, we were ready to draw self-portraits, learn each others’ names, show photos of our own families at home, and sing English songs. And of course play!

The moment we arrived at the school, the kids waved and smiles lit up their faces. I felt so happy to be with them.

“I’m Luke,” I said. The rest of my teammates introduced themselves, and we learned the kids’ names as best as we could.

self-portrait - Teaching at Local Children’s School - YWAM DTS outreach Then I sent a picture of my family around the class and taught the kids how to say “mom,” “dad,” “sister,” “brother.” I wish I could learn new words as quickly as these kids did.

Jenn followed up with a rousing song of “head and shoulders” and a game of Hot Potato. The funniest song was something involving various animal noises. (Did you know animals make “different” noises here than at home?) It was so much fun to watch the kids jump and dance around. They had so much joy!

When they made their self-portraits, I was impressed with how they used different colors to express their individuality. They all had such unique portraits. I taught the class how to “high-five” to celebrate a job well done. They really enjoyed that one!

After class, we met some of the parents.

Teaching at Local Children’s School - YWAM DTS outreach “I’m so happy to see you spending time with my son,” one of the moms said, in flawless English. “It’s good for him to interact with foreigners.”

It’s difficult to express the joy that we all had there today. The kids were all so excited and they were hopeful for us to come back again. We will see them next week! Unfortunately it will be our last time there, but there will be more groups like us to follow. The people who hosted us in this city are looking forward to partnering with this school as well.

Please pray for this school, these kids, and for many more Christ followers who love kids to come and love these kids here!

The moment my heart beat with God’s (part 2)

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Monika

By Jen, University DTS student (read part 1 here)

Our team leader encouraged us to spread out into the train station and “take a risk with God” as we met people, His treasures. You could even say we were “treasure hunting.” Back home, we had prayed for the people we would meet here. When we prayed, one of my friends had a picture come to mind of a blue cast. I wondered if during this “treasure hunt” we would meet anyone with a blue cast.

As my friends and I waited for the train to come, a man approached us to ask for money. I turned around and my eyes must have widened a bit. There, on his left arm, was a blue cast.

My heart started that familiar rhythm again, you know the one: when everything else fades to the background and a spotlight finds you in that scene, at that moment, and time stops.

“Can we pray for you?” my friend, Jeremiah, asked. He must have felt the time-stopping spotlight, too.

YWAM University DTS - Asia outreach But the man hurried away.

He must not have understood. We looked through our dictionaries and figured out how to ask him in his language. The man was not hard to find. “Can we pray for you?” Jeremiah asked again.

Again, the man left. But this time we couldn’t find him.

Half an hour later, we were approached by another beggar with an infected foot. We didn’t have money for him, so he, too left. I wasn’t going to let him go so easily. You see, time stood still again, my heart in my throat.

The angry infection on his foot looked so painful, and the dirty street would do nothing to heal it.

“I’m going to ask to clean his foot,” I announced.

Armed with some first aid supplies, my friends and I set out to find him. He was in a corner, still begging for money but being ignored by everyone who passed by. With the help of a translator, I asked him if I could clean the wound on his foot.

“I want to just cut it (my foot) off,” he said, cleaning the sore with an antiseptic wipe. “It will only get worse. I’m trying to get enough money for the operation.”

YWAM University DTS - Asia outreach We prayed with him and I felt the presence of God with me. Again, all else faded to the background and it was just us there, loving this man with the love of God. I prayed that God would heal him so he wouldn’t lose his foot. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that a crowd had formed around us. People were even snapping pictures.

I realized my hands were sweaty and I was shaking a little bit. What is happening to me? I wondered. What’s happening in my heart?

I thought about the man with the cantaloupe, the man with the blue cast, and now this man with the wounded foot. I continue to feel like I cannot do enough to show these people the love of God.

The rhythm in my heart is still changing from what it was, it is still beating with God’s.

L-O-V-E.

The moment my heart beat with God’s

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Monika

By Jen, University DTS student

DTS students at the market We’ve been in the city for a couple of weeks now, and so much has happened in my heart already. Of course everyone who travels will say that. But I certainly didn’t expect my heart to pound out such a loud rhythm of love for the people here.

One of our first days, we went sightseeing to immerse ourselves in this new culture. Being here is like nowhere I’ve ever been. Instead of letters that form words I might eventually recognize, I see characters drawn everywhere. I don’t know if I’ve seen the same one twice yet.

It’s hot and the air is thick with exhaust, dust, and the smells of nearly 20 million people living in one city. By mid-afternoon, we were ready for a break. I sat near the side of the street and people-watched. Several people ate fresh, juicy cantaloupe on a stick as they walked by. Some stopped to throw away trash in a bin near me. After each person threw something away, a man fished through the bin to find it. He ate whatever was left or pocketed some treasure that he could sell or trade later.

“This man deserves so much more than other peoples’ waste!” I thought. That’s when this pounding rhythm in my heart grew louder. I couldn’t ignore it.

I found the vendor who sold the bright orange cantaloupe and bought one. When I gave it to the man, a wide smile stretched across his face. He looked giddy, like he couldn’t contain his delight.

There are more than a billion people in this country. It’s easy to look at that number and wonder what giving one stick of cantaloupe to one man on one street could accomplish. But I know in that moment, the juicy cantaloupe refreshed this man, brightened his eyes. In that moment, he felt like he mattered. Maybe today he doesn’t remember the foreigner who gave it to him, but I know I won’t forget. Because in that moment my heart beat with God’s heart and the sound it made was L-O-V-E.

* To be continued *

“We are still in shock.”

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Monika

photo by Elijah Caleb Tan

In Iwaki, Japan, fears of radiation poisoning from the nearby nuclear meltdowns scattered neighbors and frightened away business.

We went to Iwaki for a week to work alongside a relief organization. We cooked, washed dishes, cleaned, and did anything we could to serve. That week, we felt one of the many aftershocks from the earthquake (it measured a 6.7) but we learned that these are not the aftershocks that are hardest to overcome.

Iwaki’s once bustling port has been empty since March. The fishing industry has taken an especially hard hit, leaving family-run businesses scrambling to survive. People hope the rumor that ships will return this month is true.

Driving along the coast one day, we passed a high school that is now too damaged to allow students inside its doors. At a bend in the road, our friend pulled over the van where a vendor sold ice cream and cold drinks.

“Let’s buy something from this man,” he said. “His store was destroyed by the tsunami and he’s trying to earn money to rebuild.”

We kept driving through Iwaki, into a ghost town of a neighborhood. So many empty, ruined homes. It was the first neighborhood to be evacuated because of the tsunami. And once the danger of tsunami had passed, it was evacuated again because of the radiation scare. All that remained now was a machine moving bricks from a demolished home’s foundation. A home where a family used to live. It was surreal. We wept thinking of all those who lost family and everything they had known. We prayed for these families as we kept driving through the area.

Our last night in Iwaki, we helped to cook and prepare a barbecue on the waterfront. Five hundred people from the community gathered for food, music, to visit with friends and neighbors, and to feel a sense of safety in community. For some, it was a reunion with friends they hadn’t seen in months.

“I wanted to stay to help my friends clean up,” a young mother at the barbecue said. “But I have two young children so I stayed in the Philippines until we were out of danger from radiation.”

“Thank you so much for helping us,” another mom who had just returned to Iwaki said. “We have been humbled to see how many people from all over the world have come to help.”

“It isn’t the financial strain that is difficult for us,” she continued. “It’s the emotional scars we can’t overcome. Nothing is normal for us anymore. We are trying to move on with our lives, but it is very hard. We are still in shock.”

Earthquake!

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Monika

by Gayle, outreach team leader

I was sitting on the roof, talking to the young couple on our team, when the building started to sway and shake. We were in Iwaki, Japan, when the earthquake hit. This one “only” measured about 6.8. It shook us up a little (pun intended, especially if you know my husband) and made for another one of those memorable outreach experiences.

Iwaki Sunset - YWAM Madison outreach to Japan

Iwaki Sunset - Photo by Zach / Sudachi.

Our goal in Iwaki was to simply “love and serve” by working alongside a disaster relief organization that has been here since the earthquake and tsunami devastated the area in March.

We prayed, cleaned, hauled stuff, washed dishes, washed chairs, cooked, moved soggy furniture, played with children, prayed for the sick and for the sad-hearted, and then repeated it all again the next day. It was a privilege to work alongside those who have been doing this for months without a break.

“Thank you for serving us,” they said, as we packed our things to move on to Tokyo, our last stop on this 3-nation tour. “We’ve hosted many teams these last few months, but you are truly the best we have had!”

Before we leave Iwaki, we have one more big event — a barbecue for 500-600 people on the waterfront of Iwaki’s formerly busy port. I am so proud of our team that they were obedient to God’s direction to simply love and serve!

Treasure Hunting at English Corners & Visiting an Orphanage

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Monika

KFC -- English corners in Asia

After our week in the mountains, we came back to the city and have been “treasure hunting.” Instead of hunting for a pot of gold or a pirate’s hidden booty, we’re searching for people, God’s treasures, in the city. We start by praying and asking God to give us a message for someone. The message is often something simple, like Jesus loves you. Or God wants to be near you. Sometimes it’s very specific. Once we have the message, we go into the city and look for the person we should give the message to. As we watch people go by, we ask God who to talk to, who to share the message with.

It’s not hard to get someone’s attention or to find someone here who wants to talk to us. (It’s pretty obvious that we’re not from around here. We’re getting used to being stared at everywhere we go.) Many young people and businessmen hang around fast food restaurants, hoping to meet Westerners to converse, practice their English, and learn about Western culture.

One of the people we spent time with on this “treasure hunt” is going to visit one of the house churches we’ve worked with. And we invited two others to join us for a meal and games this weekend. Our friends here will be able to stay in touch with these people after we return home.

Playing with kids at the orphanage - YWAM Madison Asia outreach

Yesterday, we visited the orphanage. Most of the children at the orphanage are severely handicapped. And many are in the orphanage because of their handicap.

The children were so happy to see us and play with us as they were able. One of their favorite activities is brushing their teeth! Hygiene, especially dental hygiene, isn’t really practiced here. One of our friends donated toothbrushes and toothpaste to keep them healthy. Another friend donated vitamins to help supplement their diets that lack sufficient nutrients from fresh food.

We also sang songs, looked at books, ran around with those who could run, and brought them fruit to eat. But what the kids enjoyed the most was to simply sit with us and hold our hands.

Even though we couldn’t converse with the kids, we knew it was significant for us to be there. We wanted them to know they are valuable and worth someone’s time. We wanted them to understand, even in just a small way, the love that God has for each of them.

Thank you for praying for our team. We believe that this outreach is just the one of many more to come. We’ve seen new opportunities open up for us and for future teams.

photo credit: Ian Sand (top), Monika Allen (bottom)

How a nation can change with a hug

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Monika

by Dominic, Discipleship Training School student + Phos House resident

Sunset in the mountains. Photo credit David Woo.

We’ve been in the mountains for a little over a week, sharing what we’ve learned about God with this group of university students. Some are new Christians, some are curious seekers, and others have grown up with the knowledge that they or their parents could be jailed for their belief in God. We’re in a “closed nation,” which means that these people are risking their own freedom to meet together and learn about God.

I’ve only known these students for one week, but they are like family to me. Each of us has opened up about our own lives and experiences. We talked about forgiveness today. According to the culture here, it is very rare to share with someone else about any past hurts, especially anything that could reflect poorly on one’s family. But here we are, learning vulnerability and humility with each other.

Grace, who is getting married soon, talked to our discussion group about her childhood. Her brother sat beside her and listened as she spoke. Grace took her brother’s hand in her own and began to pray. Tears ran down her face as she poured out her heart to God. She thanked Him for bringing her family closer together this week.

When she finished praying, she looked up. “I’d like to do one more thing,” she said. “Even when we were little, I never hugged my brother. I want to do that now.”

Grace’s brother stood up as if he has been waiting for this moment his whole life, and they embraced for the first time either of them could remember!

It was so touching to see this family begin to come together. It made me think that if a moment like this could be multiplied by millions–billions–what a different nation this would be!

A nation is transformed as its individuals and families are transformed, as broken relationships are mended and as reconciliation takes place. After watching this brother and sister reconcile years of differences between each other, I had so much hope for the rest of this nation.

Please pray with us that God will continue to reconcile families together.

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