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This month: Back in sunny England -
Missionary work reprieve - Pastors
for Portugal
Back in sunny England
On 16th July I flew out to Spain to take part in a BMS short term
mission.
We landed at Malaga airport and, after meeting our hosts, were driven to
the apartments where we were to stay while visiting the Malaga Media Centre (MMC).
The next day, we were given a tour of their facilities as well as being taken to
the 'Springs of Life' retreat in the Spanish countryside, which entertains
numerous groups of Christians each year, helping them to grow in their faith.
Helped by the great humour of the group, the day flew past and we found
ourselves crawling - absolutely shattered - back to bed!
Early on Sunday morning (18th July), we drove to Algeciras for the
three-hour ferry ride to Morocco. Our MMC hosts were our tour guides on a
two day trip to find out more about the people we hoped to be meeting in Almeria.
Again, the time went by extremely quickly and we soon found ourselves on the
ferry and headed back to Spain to get to work.
We attended a training day on 21st July in Algeciras, meeting the others
making up the three shifts and learning more about what we would be doing.
We also learnt some phrases of Moroccan Arabic, which we said so many times that
one member of the group once sat bolt upright in the middle of the night and
started reciting them in his sleep - much to the amusement of his roommate!
After a morning of listening and learning, we got on a coach and started
out for Almeria, where - from the next day - we worked in the port, distributing
Christian materials to people in the cars driving through on their way back to
Morocco.
Our BMS team was split into two shifts which would be covering the
mornings’ work.
We were then relieved by the Brazilians, who worked through the afternoon
and handed over to the four Americans who made up the night shift.
Our morning crew worked in three two-hour shifts, alternating between the
port and the distribution centre, where we made up the packs to give out.
The routine kicked in immediately and the days seemed to fly by, with
never a moment of free time - except after one late lunch, we managed to get
down to the beach and up to the 'Alcazaba de Almeria'.
Each evening we took part in the devotions, held in the hotel’s wine
cellar. In addition, there were small group sessions as well as our own
team time, which we held before the daily devotions, hearing each other's
testimonies and talking over the experiences of the day.
In the time we spent in Spain we all worked hard, serving God with sweat
and laughter as we stood in the sun. The temperature started at 27 degrees
Celsius when we arrived at the beginning of our shift and reached 37 degrees
Celsius by the time we left.
The group gelled extremely well and surprisingly quickly, making our time
together seem even shorter, yet giving the illusion that we had been there a
long time and had known each other for years.
I learnt a lot about myself during my time over there and a lot about my
faith.
At the end, we were all sorry to leave. We were pleased to have
been part of the project even though most of us had had doubts at some point.
We brought back some great memories and left behind not only another team
who would take our place over the next week, but also the seeds of faith that
had been planted by the packs we had distributed.
The work in Almeria is still going on, as well as in several other ports
along the Spanish coast, reaching the Moroccan Muslim community through
literature and evangelists stationed inside the port. The project is
constantly in need of support through prayer to help get the Christian message
to those who would otherwise never get to hear it.
So, a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped me to get out there. I had
an amazing experience and one that I most certainly will never forget!
By Anita Buttle.
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Missionary work reprieve
According to Sri Lankan media sources, a controversial bill, aimed at
prohibiting certain types of proselytising in Sri Lanka, has failed in the Sri
Lankan Supreme Court. BMS World Mission has welcomed the decision and
expressed the wish that ‘communities of every faith in Sri Lanka will live in
peaceful tolerance of one another’.
The private member's bill, presented by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a
party comprising Buddhist monks opposed to the possible loss of Sri Lanka's
Buddhist identity, is known as the ‘Prevention of Forcible Conversions of
Religions Bill’.
It was ruled to be inconsistent with Sri Lanka's constitution. The
ruling, on 17th August, stated that the bill, which focused on the prohibition
of 'forced conversions', could only be enacted in law if supported by two-thirds
of parliament and approved by a popular referendum.
Christian groups working in Sri Lanka have been fearful that this bill,
if passed into law, would prohibit much of their development work, because of
the loose definitions of what constitutes 'forced conversions' - which could
have left the way open for anti-Christian sentiment to find legal expression.
While the JHU bill has been defeated, another bill, proposed by the Sri
Lankan Ministry for Buddhist Affairs, may have more profound consequences for
Christian evangelists and aid-workers. The ‘Act of Safeguarding Religious
Freedom Bill’ states that: ‘no person shall convert or attempt to convert or aid
or abet acts of conversion of another to a different religion’. This bill
supposedly has the support of the Sri Lankan Cabinet. The proposed laws
come against the backdrop of continuing violence against Christian churches and
individuals in Sri Lanka.
The BMS director for mission, David Kerrigan, commented that Christian
aid or mission in which force or material allurement were employed, “does not
reflect a responsible attitude to mission today. In all its guises, we
seek to avoid any dependency relationship occurring.”
BMS World Mission will continue to work with partners in Sri Lanka as
long as it is legal to do so and has recently given a substantial relief grant
for work in the north of the country to rebuild houses and resettle displaced
families. The money was allocated to families regardless of their
religion.
From BMS World Mission News.
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Pastors for Portugal
 Keith and
Barbara Hodges, BMS volunteers in Portugal who work at the Baptist Theological
Seminary in Queluz, near Lisbon, spent August visiting two young people's camps
to present Portugal's current need for church leaders. They hope that the
country's future ministers, evangelists and mission workers were at these camps.
The seminary's programme is also being heavily publicised in Baptist
churches across Portugal. As well as being urged to support prayerfully
the work being done, churches are also being asked to inform the seminary of any
potential candidate for ministerial training.
As the seminary's dean of students, Keith counsels and assesses would-be
students and encourages local churches to support the students.
A large number of the present student body are in debt to the seminary,
which has limited resources and cannot cover these arrears.
So, Keith is asking students' home churches to provide better local
support and encouraging each student to seek part-time employment - not an easy
task in Portugal, and even then, part-time jobs are not well paid.
Keith has been teaching Old Testament theology to six students - Nuno,
Ismael, Pedro, Orlando, Celeiro and Celestino - over the last year. Next
term - which begins in October - Keith will also lecture on the theology of
worship and adoration.
Barbara's role is one of student-listener, office assistant, kitchen-help
- and ‘dean-supporter’.
Elsewhere at the seminary, Dr Glenn Watson has completed his time as
Principal, with Paulo Pascoal becoming acting Principal for the 2004-05 academic
year. It will be the first time in the seminary’s history that this role
will be salaried instead of being undertaken voluntarily.
Keith and Barbara, who first worked with BMS in 1971, are now one year in
to a three-year period as volunteers in Portugal.
Please pray:
* That many young people in Portugal will be led by God to do his work.
May they receive support from their churches to study for the ministry.
* For solutions to be found to seminary students' needs; for God's provision.
* That, as they encourage others, Keith and Barbara will be encouraged in their
varied work at the seminary.
From BMS World Mission News.
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