Is It All Going To Be Worth It?

Finding value in letting go of expectations
By Brianna Wilcox

There is one word that petrifies many of us to the point of complacency—sacrifice. Fear drives us to ignore, hide, or run from what commitment, determination, and selflessness long to offer. We are so afraid of what we will lose that what we might potentially gain is but a fleeting thought. Unfortunately the “what ifs” in life take precedence over the joy of fulfilled dreams.

A year ago, when Chris (pictured with me above) came to volunteer at the organization I worked for in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, you could not have found two more different people. He is a boy. I’m a girl. He is 16-years old, and I am 25. He was painfully shy and quiet. I never meet a stranger and honestly, have trouble shushing my mouth. He loves computers and I find them quite alien. I was in charge of all the technical crew, which is ironic because I am one of the least gadget-wise people I know. Chris wanted to get involved, so he came to speak to me. As I was talking to him, he stared at my feet the whole time! He mumbled his way through our conversation, and as he left, I realized that I would have my work cut out for me. Month after month, as we worked together, I challenged him to reach out, make friends, and invest in a discipleship group.

By the end of this past August, Chris was the only person in Northern Ireland who remembered my birthday. He presented me with a card (which I treasure) and we spent half an hour reminiscing about the past year. We laughed as he recalled how I sat beside him until he was completely finished filling in a form to join a discipleship group. He quickly turned the conversation to a serious note and quietly said, “By the way, I never thanked you for that. Being a part of that group and learning more about the Lord was so new and exciting for me. Everyone says that I’m a different person. I don’t get it, but they say I have changed. I am signing up for the mentorship program this September. I’ve never had a Christian guy to talk about the Lord with. None of my friends are Christians. Thank you.”

Halfway through this year of service, I really questioned if I was making a difference. I tried to find a conclusion to that question based on the evidence around me. It was difficult for me to leave the people I love back home, a great job, and a church in which I was growing, in order to volunteer with Exodus Ministries. I wanted proof that all my sacrifice would be worth it. A few days into my search, the Lord showed me that I was trying to switch roles with Him. My job was purely to love others well for His glory. It was up to Him as to the effect that might have. It was selfishness that drove me to want to see the rewards of my labor. I told him that I would be faithful in my job and let Him carry on in His (as if He needed my permission)! How freeing that was.

Hearing how Chris had grown was by far the greatest birthday gift I have ever received. It was unnecessary, but beautiful to see the benefits of living a sacrificial life.

Peru Disaster Relief

The devastating earthquake of August 14th struck Peru, leveling cities and leaving thousands of families homeless. Thank you for your generosity toward our brothers and sisters in Peru as their country faces this tragedy. In less than six days, you completely filled a 40-foot container with supplies that were shipped to Peru on September 4th. After receiving over $120,000 in donations, we were able to purchase tents and blankets, and fill the container with the following items:

Tents -- 619
Cots -- 4
Air Mattresses -- 12
Blankets -- 1,079
Tarps -- 7
Towels -- 313
Sheets -- 39
Clothes -- 2,009 pieces
Shoes -- 1,200 pairs
Lantern/flashlights -- 19
Battery packages -- 10
Food items -- 392
Detergent -- 23
Sleeping Bags -- 8

Chuck and Sue Duby and Todd Sprinkel of Hope Force International stand in front of a full container just before the doors were closed. Hope Force oversaw the volunteer effort receiving donations throughout the week.

Fighting the Real Enemy

FSM team helps young man find his worth in Christ
By Keith Ellerd

This summer I had an amazing opportunity to help lead a group of 19 high school students on a trip to Peru. The highlight for me had to be meeting Enrique. He spoke some English and told me that he had seen me earlier that day when we performed a drama skit at his school. I asked him what he thought, and he said, “The skit was about Jesus. I used to be a Christian, but now I give glory to Satan.” I said, “In the skit that you saw this morning, Jesus died for those who are lost. Do you realize that was for you? Do you believe that you are that important to Him?” He shook his head no. I was able to talk with him for the next twenty minutes or so about God, Satan, redemption, love, prayer and religion. He said that he didn’t like religion and was real surprised when I told him that I didn’t like religion either. We were able to talk about relationship with Jesus as opposed to just living under religious rules and traditions.

I asked him to go home and ask God that if He were real, his heart would be made tender to who God is. For the next two days our team consistently prayed for Enrique.

On Saturday, Enrique and I continued our conversation and I asked him if he had prayed about God making his heart tender. He said that he did. I told him that the whole team had been praying for him for the last two days. He was happy when he heard that. I asked him what Satan offered him, and he couldn’t give me an answer. I told him that Satan was defeated, is the author of lies, and was deceiving him now. He listened intently and processed what I was telling him. I told him that God had a plan for his life. I told him that he was a natural leader, that his peers followed his leading. Rather than leading them down the wrong path, God was going to use his life to lead people towards Him.

He talked about being disappointed by Christians in his life—calling them hypocrites. That led to a great conversation on elevating people in your life to places they have no business being elevated to—that God is the only one who will never let us down. I asked him if I could pray for him, and he asked me if he had to close his eyes. I told him he didn’t. When we finished praying he committed to following Jesus.

The conference for the evening was just finishing up. Enrique and I walked over to where the band was playing. Though he was still a bit hesitant, it was so great to watch the students and other leaders embrace him. They loved him really well that night. It was an incredible privilege to be God’s hands and feet in Enrique’s life.

Finding the Next Step

By Fletcher F. Maynard III

At 29, I just left my career as a C.P.A at Ernst & Young, LLP where I have spent the last four years of my life in their assurance and advisory business services division. I am beginning the next chapter of my life this fall at Columbia International University’s seminary and school of missions.

As one might imagine, a career shift like this typically doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The fact that I sit here today is the culmination of many influences. However, it was my experience in Comas, Peru this past May with 14 of my wild-eyed Inversion friends that really started to accelerate this reality. While the “So What?” of that trip would inevitably mean different things for each of us who went, we all knew that our lives could not possibly be the same after that week in South America.

God didn’t show me the rest of my life—He just showed me the next step. I think that’s how He works much of the time. For me personally it meant getting my application finalized for a particular missions training institute with a least-reached church-planting group known as Christar. At this training institute I spent two intensive weeks learning about other world religions. The next step? Columbia International University. Their seminary and school of missions is highly regarded, and they offered a great degree for somebody with a secular background like myself.

I’m of the conviction that God uses short-term experiences like Peru, for instance, to open our eyes, to break and grip our hearts, and to even show us the next step. For some, that may mean shifting careers. For many others, it may mean just a renewed vision of how big God is and what He’s doing in other places around the world.

Not Our Family!

Escaping comfort of suburban life gives family a trip of a lifetime
By Eileen Griffin

God chose to take our family, and, despite our shortcomings and inexperience, use us to minister to His people in Comas, Peru. Our God had direct intention for every new friendship, every conversation, every nail pounded and every child hugged. I am so grateful God does not exclude the imperfect and slow learners. Our job as a family was to remain open to His will and follow His direction, even if in baby steps.

In Comas, I watched my children, Nicole and Taylor, reach out to young children, the sick and the elderly. Whether it was a soccer game or face painting or praying in homes, they shared Christ’s gospel message of love by both word and action. My husband, Bud, received the title of honorary “Peruvian.” He worked in sync with local countrymen building a small home from rubble. Probably more significant was the soul connection between men, despite a language barrier, connecting through Christ and His message of redemption.

People! The Griffin family just doesn’t do that kind of thing! Not out loud, anyway. I found myself riding in a crowded van through dirt covered hillside roads each evening. We were armed with our Bibles, prayers, and a bodyguard as we prepared to visit the sick and lonely. I just sat in a surreal frame of mind thinking, “I just don’t do this kind of thing.” But really, this is exactly what Christ has called me to do in the Gospels—to share the good news of Jesus Christ our Savior. Maybe God was calling our family to “live out loud”—to take a chance on Christ and share His message.

It was absolutely amazing to see Christ’s work in action in the hearts of people we met as strangers and came to know as brothers and sisters in Christ. I think I may sound like a religious fanatic, but I was simply a firsthand witness to God’s work in action. The fact that He took a handful of ordinary folks from Nashville and dispersed them in Peru along with a fairly solid language barrier, yet continued to work through us, is a miracle in itself.

Fellowship Team Leads Marriage Retreat In Russia

Healing and hope brought to struggling marriages
By Larry Kayser

Russia surprised me. I was surprised by the mix of beauty and darkness. By the monochrome colors of high rise apartments in Moscow. By the magnificent and ornate churches built in a country that for nearly a century denied the existence of God. By the old, hot, cramped and slightly scary Aeroflot jets that take you from Moscow to the far reaches of southwest Russia. By the old, yellow diesel van that carried us into the Caucus Mountains to a small town called Karachaevsk.

Russia is a land where divorce and alcoholism walk hand-in-hand. Many of the women who attended the family camp have experienced serious physical abuse at the hands of fathers, uncles, brothers or husbands. They have lived in an often cruel, male-dominated culture. I was told that if a man did not have another woman outside of his marriage that he was not respected, and in fact, was considered to be a weak man. Into this culture the Lord allowed our team to come and speak about the biblical picture of marriage.

Early in the week the men were critical, argumentative, and unteachable. There were frequent disagreements and arguing among the men themselves. But as each day came and went, we began to see God slowly open the men’s hearts.

When Friday arrived, approximately 20 couples gathered and we began to share with them the biblical picture of oneness in marriage. After a couple of hours of teaching and discussion we gave them their first assignment to work on as a couple. My wife Anne and I watched from the front of the room as couples began to look at each other, to speak honestly and gently with each other. We slowly noticed some tears that began to flow, but mainly we saw them trying to listen to one another. By day’s steps of growth, and new insights gained for nearly all of the couples. One woman, Nadia, realized for the first time, that they could speak of difficult things without fear, anger or shouting. Another surprise.

The next morning, Anne and I met with a local pastor and his wife. For several years they have labored leading a small church in Karachaevsk, a church that continues to try and grow in the stubborn, rocky soil of a community dominated by Islam. This young wife and mother cried as she spoke of her fear when her husband left their home, her fears that he would be arrested, beaten or killed by Muslim extremists. She spoke of her need to be heard and encouraged by her husband. He tenderly described their conversation from the night before. They talked of forgiveness and confession. They spoke of ways they could learn to love each other. Finally, this young pastor looked at us and told us in his best, broken English, “We have never spoken together in this way, my wife’s heart opened up to me for the first time. I understand what you are saying to me.”

Maybe that kind of love could become a pathway for Christ to be known in this often harsh, male-dominated Muslim world.

Out of Africa

Fellowship couple leads at African Marriage conference
By Dian Belbeck

We arrived in Africa eager to see what God was up to—how He would show Himself. We were ready to catch glimpses of His glory. And as is always true, He does not disappoint. Surprise, yes—but not disappoint. ALARM had scheduled a marriage conference in Nanyuki, a few hours from Nairobi, inviting pastors, their wives, and staff. Although the couples all live within a few miles of one another, they arrived with more than miles separating them in many cases.

The week spent sharing our lives with our fellow believers in Nanyuki was unforgettable. They described themselves as being baby birds, their mouths wide-open, hungry and wanting to be fed. Dan and I can close our eyes now and recall the faces of these newfound friends—family indeed. There is Danson, the young liaison pastor who would hardly leave Dan’s side. There is Lucy, his wife, pregnant with their second child, asking me to pray for her that to love her husband and his family (from another tribe), even when they shun her. There is a room full of small groups, learning how to be courageous enough to share hurts, anxieties, victories, and defeats—praying with and for each other. There is David, tearfully confessing that his teenage son was using drugs, asking how to love and encourage him while showing him the truth concerning his choices. There is a whole group of ladies, looking at pictures of our family, laughing at grandchildren’s shared antics and a son’s chocolate wedding cake. All these things happened in the context of God’s call for His people to build strong, biblical marriages—shored up and encouraged by fellow believers, endeavoring to live out the call to faith arm-in-arm.

When you see Dan and I on campus or around town we may look the same. But we are different, deep inside, because we have left a piece of our hearts in Africa. We bear testimony that our God delights in WOW-ing us, filling our lives, and causing us to live Beyond Belief!

Clean Drinking Water in Leitnhom, Sudan

After years of drinking brown, dirty, disease-infested water scooped out of a hole in the ground, our friends in Lietnhom are finally drinking clean water. Until May, Lietnhom, with a population of over 30,000 people, did not have a single water-producing well. Their only sources of drinking water were a river where the village bathed and washed their clothes, and a hole they had to stand in to retrieve their water. Now, there are three operational wells servicing the primary and secondary schools, the village and the ALARM compound. Your faithfulness in giving has brought clean drinking water to Sudan. It is saving lives and bringing hope!

Bringing Hope to Ukrainian Orphans

Brokenness prevails in the midst of hopeless situation
By Suzy Goodman

What do you imagine when you hear the word “orphan”? Do you picture something like the set of Annie? When I have shared my pictures of the Ukrainian orphans from my trip with Hope House International, I have found some of the responses quite interesting, such as, “I was surprised that the children looked so normal, like children just playing on a playground getting ready to go home to their moms and dads.” Others seemed surprised by the beauty of the children. I admit that when I visited some of the orphanages, I was filled with these same thoughts. How could these beautiful children be left to live behind these walls? I longed to know if they had any brothers or sisters there with them because it comforted me to know that they were not alone. Then I was reminded that these children are not alone, that our Father in Heaven loves each one of them. Possibly, for some of them, living in an orphanage is much safer than where they had lived before. In some cases, these children are the products of alcoholism and drug abuse. In other cases, their parents found that they simply could not afford to keep them and had surrendered them to the state.

Some of the younger children had very playful spirits and were very excited to have us come to love on them for a short time. One such child, a little boy about 2-years-old, played “peek-a-boo” with me around a tree. This simple game brought laughter and joy to both of us, breaking through any language barrier. Other children clearly had broken spirits through circumstances that we could only imagine.

I looked at the children’s clothes and realized that they were wearing whatever they were able to get for that day. More than likely, they were dressed better than usual for the company that had come to visit them. Some of them were fortunate enough to have received shoes or sandals that fit for that day, while I saw that the toes of other children would hang uncomfortably over the ends of their sandals, or their feet would actually bulge in the shoes. Some children only wore one sock while others were fortunate enough to wear two.

Many of the younger children had blue spots of medication on their skin to combat impetigo that seemed prevalent and is highly contagious. Cleanliness was an issue. Many of the children were very small due to lack of nutrition. And yet, their eyes were bright and their smiles were full of excitement as we danced with them, sang with them, played with them and gave them gifts, including the socks donated by so many from our church. And in the midst of it all, they heard about Jesus and His love for each one of them. The younger children smiled. The older children often walked away because the reality of their life situation had broken them. Their hope was lost.

Before I even left on this trip, the Lord brought many opportunities to share my faith and excitement with strangers. Others that I met who have gone on mission trips shared my excitement. Even after the trip I cannot stop talking about it. I have had many opportunities to share my faith with people through the pictures. I have heard from some people that they have the desire to adopt and that has allowed me to help them get information to begin their search. This has been a blessing that never stops!

Student Journeys Into Muslim Territory of Russia

Team spends week ministering to teenagers
By Spencer Prosen
Our destination was Karachaevsk, which is in the Caucus Mountain region of Russia near the southwestern border. This area is 95 percent Muslim and extremely poverty-stricken. Families are torn apart because fathers are either leaving their families or dying. The teens of Russia are losing any example to live by, and have a very small concept of our Christian God.

The few Christian believers I came in contact with were among the strongest I’ve ever met. We were dangerous people to be associated with because this region is one where missionaries, and those who support them, are thrown out or arrested when found. These people, fully understanding the consequences, gladly took us into their homes.

In this Muslim territory, works are thought of as the means to salvation, and the real concept of grace was impossible to communicate, especially with the language barrier. God’s presence helped us push through these difficulties.

As a teen, I felt unprepared and ill-equipped, but I begged God to speak through me. One young man I met named Anton was unlike most of the campers. He was older and had lived a hard life. He accepted Christ at the family camp two years ago but is uncertain about how to live for the Lord.

At one point in the middle of the week the entire camp hiked up a mountain nearby, which included a beautiful waterfall. Anton and I talked for most of the walk about our different, yet similar stories. I was honored to pray with him at the top of the mountain. Back at camp our team learned that the guide who took us up the mountain had heard about Christ, but was not a believer. With the language barrier it would have been impossible to approach this man. Anton volunteered to talk with this man about Christ, and in the end was able to bring him to the Lord. As a man who fought the battle daily he kept the faith and was victorious!

We saw countless stories of God’s love for His people in Russia. Despite the poverty and hardships we encountered we saw Him glorified through their lives and their love for one another.

Connecting Globally

By Brian Petak, Global Outreach Pastor

One of the words we’ve used to describe our Global Outreach strategic focus this year is “Connect.” We want to connect as many people as possible in relationship with another person somewhere else in the world, in the name of Jesus, through one of our ministry partnerships. God uses these relationships to get us to think beyond ourselves.

The pictures you see on the front cover and along the bottom of each page represent our “Connect: Picture Project.” We took over 200 pictures of our Learning Center kids to various places around the world, and connected them with another child. Our Fellowship kids are now praying specifically for these kids from around the world!

The stories you read in this edition of Beyond Belief represent several of the mission trips we’ve taken this year. And just as I was able to connect with James Baak (pictured above) in Lietnhom, Sudan last March, almost 150 people from Fellowship made significant connections with people all over the world in 2007. Read these stories of connecting—and experiencing life Beyond Belief...