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.