National Missionary Convention

The first National Missionary Convention met in Springfield, IL in 1947 and the 60th was held this year in Cincinnati, Ohio. For Greta and me is has always been a chance to meet long-time missionary friends and folk who have supported our work over the years. This year's convention was no different except it is getting larger every year. Over 6000 people attended the Cincinnati convention and there were about 700 different booths and displays from missions, mission agencies and mission related works all over the world.

We enjoyed having lunch with John and Anne Blackburn at a near-by English tea house. The Blackburns have worked in China for several years and are moving to the new team in Verona, Italy, so we will be serving them as their Field Coordinator for Team Expansion.

A lot of our time was spent at the Team Expansion booth meeting with friends, supporters and people interested in missions. Every year we make dozens of contacts at the convention with people who are interested in serving in missions. We try to connect them with the right place and type of work for their interest and talents.

Our Pictures of Verona, Italy

Verona Italy

Copy the link below and paste it into the address line of your internet search engine. Then click on the "Watch Show" link just above the picture. Let me know what you think. As time goes on, we will add other shows.
The Coliseum in Verona, at right
is 2000 years old and still in use.



http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=photoserver&p=hopewell&AID=4950804&Pres=Y

Going Home Again

I think it was Thomas Wolfe who wrote a book of stories he called "You Can't Go Home Again." It is a theme that has occurred to me several times recently as I have talked with missionary friends about culture shock and the problems of adjusting to a new culture. Most people know that life will be different when they move to Africa or even Europe, but the are often more culturally shocked then they return home.
This past week-end Greta and I attended and I gave a dedication sermon in the first church we served as Minister just after graduating from Bible college - The Slate Valley Christian Church located on a winding country road north of the little town of Owingsville in Bath County, Kentucky. It was 1960, we were 22 years old and just out of college.
While not much has changed in this "Little Church in the Valley", everything is different, and so are we. So while I think Thomas Wolfe was right, you can't go home again, it sure is nice to try. Some old friends are gone, passed away or moved, but a surprising number are still there. One lady was a teen ager then and played the piano for the church is now a retired school teacher, retiring after 31 years of teaching. One of the church elders, whom I thought was much older then, is still there, still an elder and looks much the same. Others have changed so much I could not recognize them at all and we had a lot of fun guessing who was who.
It was also inspiring to see the church still thriving. It is not a "mega" church or even a "big" church. There were about 70 people there for the Sunday afternoon program. The little sanctuary was actually crammed. Everyone was happy to see the beautiful new stained glass windows, new carpet, church furniture and other projects they had completed and were there to dedicate to the glory of God. Probably most heartening was the large number of children. The church was established in 1898. If they keep going like they are, they can celebrate 200 years in 2098.

Out of Hungary

Yesterday, Sept. 27th, started with a two hour train ride into Budapest and then a 30 minute taxi ride to the airport. Greta hadn't been on a train for more than 20 years, so it was a pleasant way to start the day. Hungary is a bread basket country, so the train took us through some beautiful country. There were many quaint towns and cities, but the most impressive part to an old farm boy was the seemingly endless stretches of flat, fertile farmland. Most of the crops were harvested and the fields were fall ploughed to be planted in the spring. But we did see large combines working. Corn and sunflowers seem to be the major crops, but we also saw fields of hay and pumpkins - it seemed they were grown for the pumpkin seeds so our major league baseball players have something besides snuff to chew during ball games.
We were visiting Joska and Sandi Temesvary who live in a small village of about 700 people called Nagycsepely. Joska and Sandi joined Team Expansion earlier this year and we were helping them get their program set up.
There is usually a Catholic and/or Reformed church in every little village, but like much of Europe, few people - far less than 5% - are practicing their faith.The Reformed church just down the street from their house is dying and Sunday attendance is almost always less than 20. Joska has found that it is the same in almost every village and town in the Lake Balaton region. My impression, however, is that there is a spiritual hunger here and a ripeness for revival. Many Reformed pastors see the "handwriting on the wall" and are looking for help. They realize that it is likely impossible to "reform" the once reformed churches, but want to get involved in new church plants out of what might be left as these congregations drop off one by one. Joska took us to a local Baptist church that is very anxious to be involved in church planting in the area. Pastor Albert (picture at right) wants to build a partnership with Joska and others who will plant conservative, Biblical and largely nondenominational churches in the most needy, unchurched towns and villages of the Balaton Region. Joska and Albert could count 25 or more towns and villages needing such work where there would be no competition with existing churches. Lake Balaton is one of the largest natural lakes in Europe and has long been a tourists site. It lies southwest of Budapest and the little village of Nagycsepely and the towns surrounging it are on the south shore of the lake.
Joshka and Sandi are true "pioneer missionaries." They have bought a smell home in Nagycsepely and are working to renovate it. During our visit, they had not yet put in a heating system even though it is already quite cool and winter is rapidly approaching. They need our prayers as the build relationships with neighbors and local church leaders with a view to planting churches in the region.

Visiting Romania

Romania takes me back to childhood when we worked our small Kentucky farm with horses, milked cows, kept chickens and pigs and grew most of our food in our garden. This week, Jen Lotter took us to see one of the tourist spots near here - The Bear Cave in Ciscau. The cave was discovered in an excavation project about 30 years ago and has been developed into a tourist spot. By comparison it can't hold a candle to Kentucky's world famous Mammoth Cave, but it was impressive with lots of beautiful formations. It is called Bear Cave because it was a den for the now extinct cave bears of Europe. The cave was strewn with the bones, one complete skeleton that looked like the bear lay down to sleep and did not wake up.
The north part of Romania is an extension of the Hungarian plains with miles of flat fields. Unfortunately many of the fields still lie fallow after the fall of the Communist regime. Many people have reclaimed their smaller holdings of private land, but do not have money to buy modern farm machinery. So they can only cultivate and plant small strips of land using what they have. The fortunate ones have a horse or two and can farm small plots. We saw corn being picked by hand and tied into shocks and people digging potatoes with a hoe.
Jenny Lotter and Kelly James are our missionaries here. Jen is a physical therapist and works with handicapped children in several facilities that have a place she can work and then out in the villages among the Roma Gypsy people. Kelly James is still in language school but will work in a school for Gypsy children. The ultimate plan is to establish churches among the Roma people and train local leaders for the churches. Team Expansion works in partnership with Remember the Children and People to People, agencies that are working with orphaned and abandoned children. They also have been trying to help the Gypsy communities start churches and build schools. They asked for our help in the church planting work. Here Jen is talking with a Gypse lady confined to a wheel chair, trying to help her with some simple tasks. The language is still a challenge, so we need to pray for Jen as she tries to minister to these people.

Ancona and Verona, Italy

One of the first impressions that Italy gives in almost any city we visit is that Italy is old. Castles, old walls and forts date back to the time of Christ and before. Buildings testify of architecture and building techniques that have not existed for hundreds of years. Yet the cities are of full of life and youth. New highways and building cranes testify of growth and progress. There are walls and castles built in the Napoleon era and beautiful parks where the Team Expansion Ancona team often goes to jog and spend time in prayer and meditation, praying over the city of Ancona.
Greta and I are standing in this park with the city in the background and the two Casey boys, Harrison and Jacob, playing on the park grass. From this spot, Jason and the Ancona team often pray over the city of Ancona where they are making good progress in their work to establish an indigenous church. The team has been working in Ancona for seven years and have been praying for "breakthrough". If Jason, the team leader's feeling is correct, breakthrough may be very near. Join us in praying for that blessing.

Verona - Target for next year

The second part of our trip to Italy was to visit Verona, the city that calls itself "The Gateway to the North." Matt and Angie Crosser are to lead a new team to be located in Verona next year. They will be joined by John and Ann Blackburn and April Houk. The Blackburns have served in China for several years and April is currently working in Haiti.
Again we were impressed by both the age and vibrancy of the city of Verona. An ancient wall is still a prominent feature of the city and along with the Roman era coliseum, it attracts many visitors to the city.
We spent most of two days in Verona with the Crossers. We looked at an excellent language school the team can use for team members who need to learn Italian. Then we spent a great deal of time looking at various areas of the city that could become the site of the new church plant. Matt and Angie have led several survey trips to the city and will make at least one more trip before returning to the US for a period of home service. Its strategic location as "Gateway to the North" and its relative openness to the Gospel are just a couple of reasons Verona was chosen as the site for the next Team Expansion church plant effort in Italy. For more information and news and some great pictures of Verona, click on the link in the Links box in the right column.

Our Travels in Europe

Greta and I are on a month-long trip to Europe visiting missionary teams who work with our mission agency, Team Expansion. Our first stop is Dublin, Ireland, and the home of Paul and Abigail Steiner. It is easy to forget just how beautiful Ireland is. Dublin and the fields and farms surrounding it are always greener and the Irish Sea bluer than we remember from the last visit.
This trip we are making Dublin the hub for our various trips to Kosova, Italy, Hungary and Romania. We will try to keep something coming as we move around during this tour. We are deeply indebted to Paul and Abigail for opening their home to us and allowing us to camp out there between trips.
This post is coming after we have already visited Kosova, where we attended the opening of the new American High school, organized and staffed through the work of the Chesnut family. The school will be staffed by teachers from churches in Cincinnati, Ohio and Northern Kentucky. All classes will be taught in English. It is designed to be the finest English school in Kosova. The event was important enough that the city mayor of Pristina, {population 600,000} the capital, came to cut the ceremonial opening ribbon.
As the school grows and prospers, it will become a big feather in the hat of our workers in Kosova where levels of education are very low.

Youth Camp Again

When we were younger, Greta and I often went to camp for as many as three weeks a year. We also did came several times in Africa. A few years ago we decided that camp was for younger people and we did not go to camp for many years. Then a friend called and talked us into being the camp missionaries at a camp called Wonder Valley Christian Camp located near Salem, Indiana. He was the dean for a week of camp for fifth and sixth grade youth. Reluctently we decided to try it again. We were assured we would just be the camp missionary and would do a one hour missions presentation once a day. We would have our own private room and bathroom and could participate in any other activities as we wanted.

This year, the first week of August was the fourth year we have attended this camp. Another week of hot August days days of almost 100 degree heat, campfires, hikes, games, even helping build solar ovens to bake cookies in the afternoon sun - it was hot enough to do that.

We have found this camp and this age group surprisingly refreshing. They are of an age that they are eager to learn and are able to learn quickly. Using some age appropriate videos and materials we were pleasanatly surprised to be able to teach them rather lofty mission ideas such as "What is a people group?", an "unreached people group", or the now famous "10/40 window". Through a simple memory idea, we were able to teach them the five major world religions. We called it the THUMB. So, the five religions are Tribal, Hindu, Unreligious, Muslim and Buddist. By the second or third day, all we needed to do was give the "thumbs up" gesture and they would recite the five major world religions. I know lots of adults: preachers, elders and church leaders who do not have good mission information. At the end of the week we had a "Bible Bowl' type quiz and were amazed at how much information the children had learned.

These children are the church of the future. Greta and I feel honored to help in the formation of their minds towards good missions planning in the church. These children already know that the church is spending 95% of its "missions" money on the parts of the world that are already largely Christian and the remaining 5% on the parts of the world that have no way to find out about Christ or the church. Our hope is that they will help change the way the church today does missions.

Even an inexperienced fisherman knows that if you want to catch fish, you must go to a place where there are fish. Why is that the church finds it difficult to understand that if we are to reach the lost, we must go to where the lost are living?

This is Africa

A few years ago, Greta and I were invited to join friends for a visit to East Africa. The trip involved a conference in Mombasa, Kenya, on the Indian ocean and then a trip into the Great Rift Valley to a mission station and then to Masai Mara Game Reserve. It involved a long drive into the wilderness, and an overnight with a missionary family in as remote location as I had ever seen. At the time I said I used to think I was a missionary and had lived in some wild places, but this family took the cake.
The next day we drove to to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. From the moment we left the mission compound, we began to see some amazing animals. When we entered the park the animals were abundant beyond imagination. We had not driven 3 miles along a trail until a male lion sauntered out of the bush and walked by our vehicle as if it/we did not exist. He was the "king" and knew it. We saw most of the "big" game that day; lions, elephants, hippo, zebra, giraffe, cape buffalo, cheeta --literally thousands of animals, except the rhino.
When the lion walked by, everyone was trying to get me to roll up the window for fear of being attacked by the vicious beast. Some hours later, as we were about to leave the park, we came upon a herd of cape buffalo resting quietly some distance off the road. Our missionary guide began to tell us that these big cows, not the lions, were the most dangerous animals in the area and that more people were treated in the mission clinic from buffalo attacks than from lions. Buffalo are "just mean" he said. I took his word for it with a grain of salt until I saw this video on YouTube. Here is the link. Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

My Country

I am unabashedly patriotic. I love my country and am proud to be an American. I fly the flag proudly and still get a bit choked up when they play or sing our National Anthem. I have lived in other countries long enough - over 23 years in Africa- that I appreciate the blessings of being a citizen of the United States. At the same time I try not to be the "Ugly American". Having lived in other countries and having friends from literally all over the world, I appreciate and respect other countries and cultures and understand their national pride.
This Fourth, Greta and I went out looking for fireworks displays and found one at a town a few miles outside of Louisville where we live. I like the small town fireworks displays. The big crowds such as the million or so who attend the now world famous "Thunder Over Louisville" turn me off. It was pleasant to sit back and watch the "Rockets red glare" and reflect on what it all means to me as an American. God bless America!

My Name is Hezekiah

It is not often that life forces us to face our own mortality and it is not one of the favorite subjects of blogging as I see it, but sometimes our own imminent death forces itself on us. Last September I was diagnosed with Melanoma, a dangerous and often deadly form of skin cancer. I was told at the time that if it comes back a second time, there might be little they could do about it, so a spot was removed from my right hand and I went through a series of chemotherapy treatments, the last of which nearly killed me. Then early this month, June, they found melanoma in a lymph node under my right arm which necessitated a second surgery from which I am still recovering--all of this to say that I was forced to consider the very real possibility of the end of my days. As a pastor and preacher of the Word for more than 50 years, I had presumed to help others through similar situations and have officiated at many funerals. Is it now my turn?
I don’t want to be morbid about this and my kids will likely fuss at me, but it has been a valuable experience. I have had time to think and even plan. I can’t imagine how one would do all this is the few split seconds before a head-on car crash or a massive heart attack.
Anyway, long story short, earlier this week my surgeon reported that of the 19 lymph nodes he removed from under my right arm, only one was infected with cancer and that the CT/PET scan they did of my whole body, showed that only that one lymph node was infected with cancer. That has now been removed, and as far as the doctor knows, I am cancer free. So I feel a bit like Hezekiah, the king of Israel whom God gave 15 more years of life – 2 Kings 20:5-6. And I have a new and stronger appreciation for prayer.
After getting the disturbing news that my cancer had returned, I sent out a prayer letter by Email. I requested the elders of our church to pray for me according to James 4 and began to receive assurances and promises of prayer from people all over the world. I believe the Lord has heard those prayers as he did that of Hezekiah. So I am praising the Lord for his goodness and grace to another undeserving soul.

How Long Will You Do This?

A good friend came by the office this week to visit and talk. He is the associate minister of a local church and has recently accepted the position of senior minister of a large church in a nearby town. He was surprised to see the numbers of people involved in the Team Expansion home office and to hear about the variety of things we do to recruit, train and help field missionaries be healthy and successful. After touring the office he asked me, “Wayne, how long do you see yourself doing this?” My reply was easy, “As long and the Lord will allow me.” My friend laughed and told me of another friend who says he will retire when God forces him to retire.
I cannot see myself playing golf every day. In the first place I could not afford the green fees. But I could enjoy more fishing than I have done recently. The last time I went fishing was with our grandson in Texas, fishing for the tiny perch in the little stream that runs through the green belt of their sub-division.
I really do enjoy the work I am doing. Every day, through the “magic” of internet technology, I talk with missionaries literally all over the world. I get to be involved in their lives and ministries. I help them with their problems, encourage and pray for them when they need it. Sometimes they need to be prodded or simply be held accountable. God has taught me a few things over the years, sometimes through the school of hard knocks my grandmother talked about. While lessons learned the hard way usually stay with you, there is no need for a young or new missionary to be knocked around like I was if I can help them avoid it.
There is a young school teacher tutoring a family of missionary children in what we call a “sensitive” Muslim country in Eastern Europe. She has had a difficult time recently. She had to have oral surgery to care for an infected tooth and so could not talk for weeks. Unable to talk, she could not teach the missionary children. AND, dentists in Eastern Europe are not as well trained or equipped as US dentists and she had to trust the best one she could find. Not long after that, she got a bad abscess that had to be opened and was on antibiotic IVs for several days. Through the “magic” on the internet I could be there for her with prayer and encouragement. I could even put her in touch with best dentist I know to help guide and advise her through this experience. She is still there, teaching the Missionary Kids and making it possible for an effective missionary family to do their work. Because of their combined efforts, there are the beginnings of two churches in a small, backward Muslim country in Eastern Europe. I am happy I could help a little. I know of former missionaries who came home when faced with problems like hers. It may be because no one was “there” to help.
So, perhaps I should do more fishing, but I enjoy what I do every day too much and feel it is too important to stop until the Lord tells me it is enough.

Family

We had a Meece family reunion last week in California. We were all in Santa Barbara for our granddaughter's graduation from Westmont College. The family had not been together since 2002 and some of the little ones were too young to remember, so for them, it was the first family meeting ever. Westmont College is a fine Christian school and we are all proud of Jackie. She got her degree in History and hopes to work in a historical museum.

In the picture at the right, she is with her fiancé, Micah Ralston. They plan to be married next June. The graduating class wore scarves made from Kente cloth made in Ghana, West Africa. The president of the class is from Ghana. I had lots of fun telling the students the meaning of the cloth, how it is made and about Ghana.

The Kente cloth they wore was of particular interest to Greta and me because we lived in West Africa for almost 25 years and have visited Ghana many times. Kente cloth is largely associated with the Akan peoples who are from Ghana, but have moved and settled all over West Africa, taking their culture, and their Kente cloth with them. The cloth is woven on narrow hand-made looms in narrow strips about 3 to 5 inches wide. The strips are sometimes sewn together to make wider material for robes, table cloths, bed covers or wall hangings. The various colors and patterns with black, yellow and green being the dominant colors, reflect Akan beliefs, history, events and other aspects of their society.

A family reunion is just the kind of event that would inspire a special pattern in Kente cloth. So this event will be remembered and cherished by the Meece family for the rest of our lives.

We often forget the meaning and importance of Family. We forget that family is a precious gift from God. When He made Adam and Eve in the Garden, His instructions to them were the foundation for home and family. "What God has joined, let no man take apart" was spoken of Family, not just husband and wife. I don't know how the Akan people would design a cloth for this event, but I know it would be special. Our family will weave it into the fabric of our memory and hold it precious for many years. We will also pray that as our family grows and changes we will find ways to celebrate the important events and find ways to remember them. Our family tradition has almost always been to share a meal together. Just before this picture was taken, we had shared a meal at a nice restaurant on State Street in Santa Barbara, California. Who knows where the next reunion will take place or when. We would like for it to be soon.

Praying For Our Missionaries

When our missionaries visit the home office, we always try to give them a good meal, debrief them, let them tell us of their work, ask a lot of good questions and them we pray for them. We all gather around them, put our hands on them or on each other in a kind of prayer chain of contact and pray.

Somehow there is just something special about the Biblical format of laying hands on someone and praying for them. For many of our people it is the highlight of their time with us. We always take a picture and give them a copy. It is one way we can feel that we are sending the out properly.

We pray every day for our missionaries in some way, and a group and individually, but I try never to miss the group prayer and "laying of of hands." I get a blessing from it too.

Doing Church

Josh Furnal is a Team Expansion missionary in Ancona, Italy. This week he sent me an update about their coffee house ministry and some of the people who attended. Then he made this comment and I asked and received his permission to use it.

"These are the same people that I mentioned in my prayer update last month where we got the chance to talk about some significant things concerning Christ and faith. Before they left last night, they invited us to join them tonight for dinner so we can continue the conversations that were started then. I want to ask you to pray for us today as we go and sit around their table and discuss what it means to be a follower of Christ.
I’m discovering that the conversations we have with people here must be weighed equally, if not more than, their conversions. For it is in our eating and conversing together that “church happens.” When the eating together ceases or is prohibited, the church ceases to exist. For it is for the gathering that the covenant was created and the mission carried out. We are gathered locally, dialect by dialect, feasting on the Bread of Life. Everyone is to bring something to the meal, its their gift. All are invited to come and eat. And according to our story, the Host will come again to dine with us. He has left his Spirit to guide us in the way of bringing quality to the table. And so, we continue to meet and eat until that day comes, showing others, preparing others to leave a seat at the table for the Host, who graciously provides our daily bread. I was always taught not to lean on the table during mealtimes. But those seated around the table lean forward, not to just engage one another in conversation, but they lean forward in anticipation for the Host’s coming. They lean forward, not out of fear, but with delight. We finish each meal raising our glasses to life and to each other, “L’haim!” Hoping that maybe next time, we dine in the New Jerusalem. The meal is not confined just to my table or yours, but we delight in taking the meal to our neighbor’s table, being their guest, enjoying their hospitality, and sharing our gifts with them, blessing not only them but their families and friends. So in that sense, we are not only for the gathering round the table, but also for the scattering into the city, into the lives of our neighbors, to share, to bless, to eat, to drink, until He comes. In love, we do this together."

I think Josh is on to something here. It sounds a lot like what happened in Acts 2:46 when Luke says of the Jerusalem church, "They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." There seems to be no way that the typical Christian congregation can do church like this. Not much of what is described in Acts or Ancona occurs in the typical church communion service. Perhaps this is why I love church pot-luck dinners and fellowship suppers. There is something special about Christians eating together. It's a universal thing that I have experienced in North America, Europe and Africa. People love eathing together and when Christians eat together a special kind of "church" happens.

Getting Started

I'm new at this and a bit confused by it all. Had you asked me a few months ago, "Do you blog?" I would have wanted to know, "What is a blog?" Let me explain. I am 69 years old and my wife, Greta, and I have spent most of our productive lives - 23 years - working as missionaries in West Africa. I remember manual typewriters, rotary dial phones, out houses, drawing water from a well and I know from experience where milk comes from. So, while all this is new to me, I do understand the value of being able to share my thoughts with a wide audience and at the same time, learn from the ideas and thinking of others.
I am a missionary, a second and third culture person. I speak a bit of bad French and know enough of one or two African languages to get into trouble, but not enough to get out. So my heart language is missions and reaching the world with the message on Christ. However I do have other interests and many other concerns. So I hope my friends and passers-by who read this will feel free to share their thoughts, ideas, suggestions and arguments - friendly ones of course.
I work for a mission agency named Team Expansion, in Louisville, KY. I am the Field Coordinator for Team Expansion workers in Europe and Africa. I am a "missionary to missionaries." My primary responsibility is to help our missionaries stay on the field and be successful. I am a coach, mentor, advisor, encourager and, when necessary, critic to some wonderful people who have moved far from home, learned a strange language and culture so they can bring the message of Christ to people who have never heard it. I work with teams in Ireland, Italy, Kosova, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Ghana, Angola, Uganda and Tanzania. Eventually I will visit each team in person, so I get to travel a lot.
My wife's name is Greta. Next year we will celebrate 50 years together. We have always had what I call a "mutual ministry". We work at it together. She helps me keep track of our people, communicate with them and often makes trips with me to help minister to missionary women and children.
As time goes on we will share some of our experiences with you - past experiences as well as current ones. I look forward to sharing with as many as possible.