However, I think the term missionary increasingly describes our role accurately. In fact, we need to embrace the role of missionary and strive to understand its implications. I especially think so after reading the recent resignation letter of one of our missionaries.

In his letter, he described all that was wrong with his church and community. His children were the object of threats at the local school and they didn’t have any Christian friends or activities such as Awana or youth group. After one year, his wife still had no friends. After not being served for several years by Village Missions, the church had declined doctrinally. He listed a litany of problems including doctrinal problems, opposition from the chairman of the board and his wife, an uninvolved board, and women in leadership.

I feel for this Village Missionary and family and the unbelievably tough conditions they encountered on their first field. Perhaps it was a poor placement on our part or perhaps we shouldn’t serve this field at all. We have pulled missionaries off fields that were uncooperative and antagonistic to missionaries.  There are places where regrettably we must, in the words of Jesus, “shake off the dust from your feet.”

Yet, would a missionary expect to encounter anything better than the reception this Village Missionary received? Does a missionary expect a reception with open arms? Do we expect to find correct doctrine and mature, godly leadership? I just met a New Tribes missionary whose co-worker was executed by Communist guerillas. Although extremely difficult for him and his family, he persevered because he knew that this was part of being a missionary.  No sacrifice was too great to advance the cause of Christ.

Missionaries tailor their expectations and approaches to the culture they serve. A missionary in a Muslim country will be very circumspect about sharing Christ. In Africa, he or she will be aware of the possibility of civil unrest and mob violence. In Japan, a missionary will be aware of the need for patience and very slow relationship building. In the United States and Canada, we must be aware of doctrinal decline and often extreme carnality even within the church. 

A missionary knows that he or she is in for a fight. We know that Satan does not relinquish territory easily. We must be “as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves” in addressing the problems we encounter. We take joy in the ability of God to conquer in the most difficult of situations. We know that we bring the only message that will rescue people from sin and hell. We persevere without tangible results. We are missionaries!

Are the United States and Canada mission fields? The experience of this missionary and family certainly suggests that our two countries are.  A recent article in USA Today began, “Olympics fans heading to Vancouver might want to visit a vanishing cultural treasure while they’re in Canada — local churches.”  The percentage of Christians is in decline in our two countries in contrast to Africa, Asia, and South America where the number of Christians is growing exponentially. The above mentioned field will now have no Gospel witness and that church will hasten its tumble into doctrinal confusion. The death of rural churches advances like a deadly plague across our land.

Only missionaries will be able to minister effectively in our post-Christian countries. They will embrace Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:11  

They will follow in the long and noble line of missionaries who traveled far from family, endured a hostile reception, risked their lives and often gave their lives for the cause of Christ. As they persevere in the most difficult of situations, they will manifest the life of Jesus.

1. The decade has involved a series of man-made and natural disasters. Early in the decade, we experienced 911 and now at the end of the decade the earthquake in Haiti has occurred. We experienced two major economic downturns, several earthquakes, a tsunami, several hurricanes and typhoons, several new diseases, and an ongoing conflict against Jihadist Muslims. The decade seems to be remarkably in tune with Mark 13:8.

Yet in spite of these terrible events, it appears, at least to me, that the human race has been remarkably unaffected. One would think that these constant, powerful reminders of our frailty and the finiteness of our resources would remind us of our need of the Infinite God. I have not observed any significant turning to Christ, at least in the United States and Canada. Perhaps Christians have deepened in their walk with Christ, but the signs are subtle at best. It would be interesting to hear from Village Missionaries and others as to what they have observed in their local communities.

2. The decade saw a dramatic change in our relationship with Stonecroft Ministries. In the United States, in the budget year ending in June 2000 we received $1,684,621 from Stonecroft, approximately half of which was the Christmas gift. Giving declined to $410,000 in the budget year ending June 2009 and then was eliminated in the current fiscal year. Although we still pray for one another, clubs are no longer hearing about Village Missions and we no longer have a Stonecroft representative on our board. These changes have been painful and involved great heartache for both organizations. I am thankful for the continued giving to Village Missions Canada on the part of Stonecroft Ministries Canada.

3. The two previous developments have caused me to reflect in wonder and praise to God over His provision in the past decade. In addition to the financial pressure from the above two developments, we have experienced escalating pension and workers compensation costs. I just received word of yet another dramatic increase in our pension cost. The new churches we have served in this last decade have generally required increased financial investment on our part. How is it possible, then, that we ended our last fiscal year with a surplus and are in the black six months into the current fiscal year? Perhaps there is more evidence for a deepening Christian commitment than we generally realize. Beyond that, we have observed firsthand a miracle of God.

4. A fourth significant development has been the challenge of providing adequate health coverage to our missionary family. I discussed our Health Plan in a previous blog. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, health care costs have risen 131% over the last decade. The monthly cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance coverage is $1115. The last ten years has required constant adaptation and innovation on the part of our Benefit Board to hold down costs and provide adequate coverage. After some painful increases in the early part of the decade, we have been able to balance the plan and hold the premium of $950 a month for the last three years.

5. In these last ten years, we have fine-tuned our purpose statement and communication. Our purpose statement is, “Village Missions exists to glorify Jesus Christ by developing spiritually vital churches in rural North America.” We distilled that even further with the tagline, “Keeping Country Churches Alive.” We developed a new logo that better expressed the reality of who we are and what we do. With the development of the new logo, we also created new brochures and banners, as well as a redesigned magazine called Country Matters. We also created three new videos plus some offshoots of those videos. Thus, no longer able to depend upon Stonecroft to get the word out about Village Missions, we ramped up our communication in several ways.

6. Over the last ten years, we have seen the apparent continued decline of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Our video, “They Are Not Forgotten” gives a face to the decline in rural communities. This decline has been measured by several statistics and it is seen in the prayer requests sent in by Village Missionaries. Many more requests deal with symptoms of a societal breakdown that once was reserved only for the inner city. In the last ten years, we have prayed for broken marriages, terribly dysfunctional home life, people battling with addictions, and even anguished requests (mine included) for our own children. Ministry to hurting people is challenging and uplifting as we see people find hope and forgiveness in Jesus.

7. We have seen the rise of technology related ministry. Recently, I kept people informed on my Facebook page and on my blog about the Village Missionaries who were in Haiti. We just finished a pilot program called Pastor’s Roundtable in which Village Missionaries connected with each other visually and audibly while a mentor discussed leadership issues. We’ve changed to web based monthly reporting in Canada and hope to do so soon in the United States as well. We’re finding that an increasing number of people are learning about us on the web and are making inquiries about serving with us or are donating through PayPal.

8. The change in the office in Canada is a significant development that is still in process as I write this. It has been delayed by the difficulty we have had in obtaining banking privileges. When fully implemented, Roy and Lennie Adrian will handle depositing and receipting while the Dallas office (ISC) handles all the background accounting. I am rejoicing that we have at least reached the point where someone contacting Village Missions Canada will communicate with someone who knows something about the Mission! Already, we have significantly improved communications and the accuracy of receipting. Along these lines, the Board of Village Missions Canada has clarified my responsibilities with the adoption of a service agreement with Village Missions US.

9. Over the last ten years, we have expanded our ministry cross–culturally. God has done a mighty work through our approach on our Hispanic field in Avenal. We trust that He will do the same thing in the Navajo Nation as we now serve two Navajo churches, one in Arizona and one in New Mexico. The independence of the local church, the ability of a missionary-pastor to devote full-time to ministry, accountability and support, and the approach of “Preaching the Word and loving the people” I believe will translate very well into the Navajo culture as it has in the Hispanic culture. Pray that the Lord will lead the right couples into our ministry.

10. The final development in the last ten years has been increasing challenges in recruiting and retention. Over the last ten years in the United States, we accepted 93 couples/singles into Village Missions, not counting Associates. We lost 143 couples/singles through retirement, resignation, or dismissal. As a result, our total number of fields has declined although just recently the number has risen in both countries. Increasingly, Bible colleges are eliminating their pastoral departments and encouraging their graduates to go to seminary. Although worthwhile, seminary graduates generally have enough debt to make it difficult for them to serve with us. In addition, most schools emphasize the mega church ministry in spite of the fact that the vast majority of churches are small. An extremely exciting development in the past ten years has been the development of schools at our fields, led by Contenders Bible School at our field in Machias, WA. Fields in Camano Island, WA and New Gloucester, ME have also started Bible schools. We are also grateful to Peace Haven ministries for their support of missionaries who need to regroup.

Perhaps some of you have had the experience of climbing a mountain. It can seem strenuous at certain points but you just keep plugging away on the trail. Then, at the top, you look back and are amazed at territory you have traveled. That’s what this look back has done for me. Remembering the challenging times along the trail, I am amazed at what God has done and how graciously He has provided for Village Missions in the past ten years. If the last decade and the start of this decade is any indication, God will allow many challenging trials to occur in our personal lives and the life of Village Missions. Yet Jesus will continue to build His church through this ministry until that unexpected time when He calls His church home. May that time come soon!

You can see pictures and read about our visit at my Facebook page (even if you are not a member of Facebook).

Doug McGraw

Here is a link to a TV interview with Village Missionary Ken Wagstaff after he returned home from Haiti.

Village Missionaries Terry and Martha Major from Pierceville KS, Village Missionary Ken Wagstaff from Andover, ME, (click on the link and type in their name) and Village Missions’ Board Member Doug McGraw (from Pierceville) are in Haiti as part of an eleven person team planning to put a roof on a church outside of Carrefour.  The team is located in Carrefour–this earthquake is being called the Carrefour earthquake because it was so close to this city.  All of the members of the team are okay.

 The team was working with Dr. Andre J. Louis who is with Independent Christian Alliance .  Terry had been in Haiti for the previous week speaking to a pastor’s conference.  Attendance last Sunday numbered over 1300.  This organization is located in Carrefour, which was only 6 miles northeast of the epicenter of the quake.  Dr. Louis has visited Pierceville regularly since 1973—this is the first time a work team from the church has visited Haiti.

 The earthquake occurred at 4:53 pm EST.  Terry and Martha Major had been in Haiti for the previous week as Terry preached to a pastor’s conference.  Other members of the team had arrived in Haiti about noon.  Please pray for their safety, for the safety of the congregation, for opportunities to minister and be used by God, for their families at home, and for the people of Haiti.

 Terry Major has been able to post to his Facebook page.  Here are his postings:

From before the earthquake:  (From first to last–will keep updating this site)

 1/7/10 First preaching last night went well. Headed back for the morning teaching session. the weather is wonderful – sunny, 75 degrees with a breeze! We’re not missing Kansas at all with its ice and snow! God is good – thanks for praying for our ministry here.

 1/8/10 Finished my last teaching session and had dinner of rice & beans with fish. One more preaching assignment tonight and a brief “sermon” on Sunday and I will be done with the preaching part of my trip! Warm here in Haiti – wish you were here?

1/9/10 Finished our parade to the ocean for baptisms – what enthusiastic worship! It is now 80 degrees and we are glad to be home in the shade. four people prayed for salvation last night after my final message! Praise the Lord for using His Word through me.

1/11/10 Finally back in internet contact. Quiet day of recovery from Sunday celebration. There were one thousand three hundred and forty people in church! It was crowded and a rich blessing to experience. Our team is coming in tomorrow morning and we will begin the projects on Wednesday. Pray for safe arrivals and work!

 After the earthquake:

1/14/10 10:16 PST We are back in internet contact! Hallelujah!! We are safe, well fed, lots of water, no serious issues we have to deal with. We have been able to stabilize Andre’s house/office and help with medical needs around us. No one is hurt at the house, but there are houses down around us. Thanks for praying. We hope to have Magic Jack contact with everyone soon.

 1/14/10 1:07 pm PST The engineer is here looking over the house. He says if we put 2 by 4s under the jacks we put up the house should be fairly safe. We will be getting the lumber as soon as possible and moving forward with the roof project, too, if possible. God is good.

1/14/10 5:05 pm PST The suburb where we are located is not as destroyed as the report says. A house across the street collapsed and killed one. Two or three houses near the church were destroyed. Most houses have some damage, but we don’t know that they will be destroyed. The engineer says that he can save Andre’s house, which is good news.

 1/14/10 5:10 pm PST It is now night. We just had another aftershock, small, but still unnerving. Pray that we will be able to get inside the house and put the timbers in place with the jacks to stabilize the house. We need God’s strength and power to persevere in this battle to save Andre’s house.

1/15/10 3:30 pm PST Internet is finally back up and running. It is now night. We had two pretty strong jolts this AM, but nothing since. No more serious damage, PTL. The engineer came this AM and is sending his men in to brace up the perimeter of the house, so we are now unemployed! We don’t mind. Three of the team went 60 miles west this afternoon to see the damage and all of the churches and schools were either damaged or destroyed. No lives were lost, but many close calls. We will go to the beach tomorrow for R&R and maybe some clean up around that area. We are hoping to work on a church out there that was damaged by the flooding of the hurricane last year for the first part of the week since we can’t do any more work around here. God has blessed our labors thus far and we want to be a blessing as long as we can and do as much as we can. The airport is open, but if we try to leave early and something happens we may be here until the middle of February, so we will go with our scheduled leaving times on Friday.

Thanks again for all the prayers. It is a blessing to wake up in the morning – before daylight – to the praises and prayers of the Haitian believers as they worship the Lord! Pray that many hearts will be open to salvation as the pastor’s preach in these gatherings that are believers and nonbelievers. One of our team’s oldest daughter recommitted her life to the Lord as a result of this experience – it makes the trip worthwhile to see people come to the Lord.

1/15/09 6:00 pm PST The men who went west said that they saw no front-end loaders for cleanup or rescue/police or Red Cross; no one non-Haitian. There was a lot of destruction there, too, two churches totally destroyed and two schools; two damaged fairly badly. We saw army helicopters going overhead, so something is going out.

Clarification Posted 1/16/10: So far, the church has survived the earthquake and the many aftershocks. Other churches and schools in the area have been destroyed. Doug told Saundra that damage in their area is similar to damage from a tornado—one house undamaged and the house next to it destroyed. A man died in the house across the street. The team has ample food and water.

1/16/10 7:00 pm PST From Terry Major: The new church is the second floor of the old church and we were on the second floor when the quake hit. We went to the open area between where the pulpit is and where the balcony will be eventually – a temporary roof over the congregation. There are tall pillars on the sides going up where a roof will be someday and they are what swayed in the quake all around us. We didn’t get off the building until after the quake was over. if the pillars had broke we don’t know what might have happened, but He protected us and gave us a witness, too.

Another 5.8 quake centered west of us where some of the team went to see the damage – and it was great all ready, so we chose not to go to the beach because the roads were already in bad shape.

We had water and electric trouble and were ready to call Samaritan’s Purse for help, but after a season of prayer God gave us the victory in restoring all things and we are doing okay.

Church will be outside tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM. We will meet in the church courtyard and so need to start early before it gets hot. We will not have a lot of time for us to share they say, but it will be a wonderful day of praise.

Six people who spent the night in our courtyard prayed for salvation this AM; 7 in another courtyard, so we are rejoicing in God’s goodness in taking this tragedy and using it to build His church.

We need to check with the embassy on Monday as we are hearing a lot of problems in getting out. We want to stay until Friday to help in any way we can—especially secure a “campsite” for Andre and his staff. (His wife is going to get evacuated as she hurt her back in the quake on the stairs getting out of the house, first of the week.)

Thanks again for the prayers of support. God is working in us too. We will never be the same again.

1/17/10 1:30 pm PST Good day so far, but the water pump has given out so there will be no more clean water. We will go to the airport in the morning and evacuate so that all the resources Andre has can go to his staff and people.

1/18/10 4:00 am PST The sun is rising. No new tremors, which is good. Trying to find another car for transport to airport. Leaving ASAP. Pray for these dear people and the long struggle to normalcy they face.

E-mail From Saundra McGraw: Brian, you may have gotten the word that the team is trying to get to airport as I write, and will wait for a way to get out. Please pray for safety, and Andre’s wife’s priority to get out today. she is in a lot of pain with her back, as she fell trying to get downstairs during the EQ, (and had a back issue before). They feel they have done all they can to help now, and need to conserve the resources he has for those in his care. Thanks, Saundra

‘They are standing on the tarmack waiting in a long line waiting for a military seat. Praise God. They got to the airport earlier than I expected.  Saundra

1/18/10 4:45 pm PST Just received word that Terry Major and the rest of the team arrived safely in Orlando, FL from Haiti and are now rebooking flights home.

1/18/10 5:50 pm PST From Terry Major on Facebook: We are in Orlando, only took 5 hours to get through Haiti evacuation. We will catch a flight in the morning and be in Pierceville by 9 PM (Denver at 3). It is so good to be back in the good old USA! Thanks for your prayers – keep them going for the people of Haiti and esp. Andre as he helps people exist and move forward.

1/20/10 6:45 am PST We are safely home in Pierceville and so appreciative of all your prayers for us. All of the team is home except for Steve who had a two day drive up from Miami to NC. Keep Pastor Andre and his work in your prayers.

At the close of Paul’s great letter to the Romans, he sends greetings to, by my count, twenty-six people by name as well as several other household members and at least one church.  Some are familiar to us such as Priscilla and Aquila, who Paul describes as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life . . .”  We learn little tidbits about some, such as Mary, “who labored much for us.”  Others like Phlegon are simply sent a greeting.  We don’t know how Paul knows them.  Together they form a wonderful network of individual believers, families, and churches advancing God’s Kingdom in Rome.

I have been Executive Director of Village Missions for nine years now.  The greatest privilege of this position, besides simply serving God, is learning of the wonderful network of individual believers, families, and churches that advance God’s Kingdom through Village Missions.

I think of the dedicated Village Missionaries who pour their lives into a rural community in order to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As I write this, on my second monitor is Jeremiah Knoop’s web page.  Jeremiah, son of Village Missionaries Frank and Lynette Knoop, and his wife Elizabeth serve in a new field in Scotia, NE.  He writes about his first baby dedication with humor but also with obvious dedication to the glory of God.  You can read Jeremiah’s blog about his first baby dedication by clicking on this link.  What a joy to know that God has led such a couple to serve with Village Missions.

I think also of Gary Horton, who serves our Canadian field in Weston, Nova Scotia.  He told me the other day on the phone that he was “nailed straight,” a Maine expression that means extremely busy.  He was “nailed straight” because the Lord had given him the privilege of leading several to the Lord.  Here is his report of the opportunities he has had:

Three weeks ago a missionary serving in Romania visited our church just before he was to return to his field.  He stayed at a B&B owned by a couple that attends our church.  Shortly after his return to Romania, he found that his Aunt Beatrice had had a stroke and was in the hospital here.  He called the folks that he had stayed with and asked them if they would let me know so I could visit his Aunt.  Kathy and I went to the hospital and found she was unable to talk but could understand when she was spoken to.  I held her hand and asked if she could understand me.  If she squeezed my hand that meant yes.  If she did not squeeze my hand that would mean no.  I then gave her the plan of salvation and asked if she understood.  She squeezed my hand.  I asked if she wanted to pray to ask for forgiveness and accept Christ.  She squeezed my hand.  After I prayed, I asked if she had prayed with me.  She squeezed my hand for a long time.  Meanwhile, another lady in the bed next to her was listening.  She, too, was recovering from a stroke.  When I asked her if she would like to receive Christ she said, “Yes.” so I was able to lead her to Christ, too.  Five days later, the Lord took Beatrice home.  I received a call from a lady that does not attend our church a few days ago.  She attends another church some distance away but she heard me speak at a Christian Women’s Club meeting three years ago.  She asked me if I would visit her niece.  She has a 21-year-old daughter near death from anorexia and she felt the Lord wanted her to contact me about seeing this young lady.  She was adamant that God wanted me to do this.  I agreed to go to the hospital where she was receiving potassium because they were afraid she would have a heart attack.  When I got there, her great aunt met us and went to get the young lady’s mother.  They were very afraid that she would get agitated and have a heart attack but she agreed to see me.  She knew nothing about the Bible or Jesus but after answering her questions for an hour, she prayed with me to receive Christ.  Her mother had been sobbing the whole time I talked with her daughter and after we prayed, I asked her if she, too, would like to ask for forgiveness and be saved.  She was shaking and crying as she sobbed, “Yes” and she prayed to receive the Lord, too.  When we went out to the lobby, the aunt met us and we shared the wonderful news with her.  When we left the hospital all three were weeping and holding one another in one of the most tender and loving moments!

How I thank God for the privilege of serving Village Missionaries!  You can see a video of Gary and Kathy Horton taken when they were serving a field in Maine here.

Carole and I have also been privileged to meet several people who attend churches served by Village Missions.  I think of the couple we met at Lake Tapps, WA, saved for less than a year, and recently baptized.  You can view pictures of the Lake Tapps visit here.  We could sense their desire to live for the Lord.  On the other hand, we met a couple at New Gloucester, Arnie and Doris, who had been married for sixty-three years and were married by Miss Clark!  Arnie, eighty-three years old, is enrolled in the Bible Institute being sponsored by the New Gloucester Bible Church!  By the way, what a joy on that trip to meet the Maine missionaries and see the retirement homes!  You can see pictures and read an account of my visit to Maine here.

I have also talked on the phone and have visited several people who give to Village Missions.  I continue to be impressed by their sacrificial giving and their interest in Village Missions.  We regularly receive reports in the office of new people who have been led to donate to Village Missions.  Often our donors will send in a note of encouragement telling us something of their situation, sharing a Scripture verse or two, and assuring us of their prayers on our behalf.  A young boy named Andrew sent in $29.10 with this note:

This is my tithe from my 4H goat.  I would like you to use it where you need it the most.  Thank you.

What a blessing to me to learn how God is at work in a young man’s heart!

Then there are the District Representatives, staff in the office, and, of course, our board members.  All working and praying to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Together they seek to develop spiritually vital churches in rural North America.  How thankful I am for the privilege of seeing first-hand His work!

May we all be “nailed straight,” focused and working hard by God’s grace to keep country churches alive!

A caption of one of the pictures reads:

Peggy Emhoff, left, and Juanita Wickstrom start making dinner for the Nile community and the rescue and emergency workers helping with the landslide on the west side of the landslide on State Route 410 in Naches, WA. The Nile Valley Community Church became a gathering point for those west of the landslide, and volunteers cooked spaghetti, garlic bread and dessert for workers as well the rest of the Nile community. (AP/SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic)

You can read about the slide and see pictures here.

Vicki Turner sent this update to Lisa West:

Hi Lisa,

I wanted to personally let you know that we are doing better here and thank you for your prayers!  Our power came back on yesterday about 2:00 and that was a HUGE blessing!!  We could get warm again and it really cheered everyone.  We still cooked up dinner for people but it wasn’t as many as we would’ve had without the power, so now we have leftovers to share.

But we had 150 or so come for the community meeting at 5:00 and had some good reports.  Since the county declared this an emergency situation there are funds coming so DOT workers are working hard on the Nile Loop Rd. to get that built up where there was damage & flooding, and that will become the new “highway” for winter anyway.  That connects our end of hwy. 410 with the hwy. below the slide so we can get to Yakima again.  They said last night it might be drivable by tomorrow or Thursday, so that’s a big praise too.  They’ll have another community mtg. here tonight to update us.

The front page picture of the Yakima Herald shows Rebecca, from our church, by her house that was lifted up 15 ft., taking things out of it since it was condemned by the county, as well as her parents’ house next door (they’re also in our church).  I’ll have them on the prayer list.  We can’t get to them yet to help, but hopefully soon.  They have another home up here that they’re staying in.

Gary’s heart procedures are scheduled for next Tuesday, so Lord willing we can get there.  Thanks so much for your concern & prayers, Lisa!!

Please pray for the Turners and the Nile Valley Community Church as they minister during this time. Pray also for Gary as he undergoes a heart procedure this Tuesday.

What has been our experience?

Village Missions saves money for our churches with a self-funded plan and can tailor our coverage to minister more effectively to our missionaries. However, the premium we need to charge to remain in the black ($950 per month per missionary family) is high. Our premium is out of reach for some of our poorest churches, and we supply financial resources to help them. The Congress will have to do a lot more than demonize insurance companies to bring down costs.

The premium is broken down into several components. The bulk amount covers medical and pharmacy costs. We also pay for life and disability insurance. An ever-increasing piece is stop-loss insurance for large medical claims. The stop-loss trigger was once $60,000. We have raised the level to $160,000 in an effort to lower the premium. However, that means we absorb the first $160,000 of medical expenses. Stop-loss insurance accounts for our biggest single cost (average $14,000 per month) other than actual medical and pharmacy payments. We pay a company to administer the medical bills (T.P.A.) and a consultant to advise us on structuring our plan. All the above are part of the needed pieces to maintain a working health plan.

In managing our plan, we have four main goals. First, we want to provide the best coverage possible to our missionaries. Of course, we balance this goal against our second goal of reducing the premium to the lowest possible level for our churches. Our third goal is to do as much as possible to encourage healthy lifestyles and engage in preventative medicine. Our fourth goal is to provide health care that contributes to our purpose of developing spiritually vital churches in rural North America.

What do we do to support these four goals?

First, under the tireless leadership of Dr. Larry Malewiski, our Benefit Board tries to develop coverage that meets missionary needs. We can’t do everything given the cost but we do everything we can. When a missionary experiences a serious health problem, managed care starts. We have hired a company (MRC) that guides the missionary through the health care maze and makes sure he or a family member receives the best treatment. If warranted, missionaries will receive expert care at Centers of Excellence throughout the country. Often Dr. Larry personally intervenes to provide direction and support.

But we also must manage costs. The Benefit Board, sometimes in anguish, balances premium costs versus deductibles, out-of pocket expenses, and covered procedures. Fortunately, we have a Helping Fund that provides additional support for missionaries burdened by medical or other emergency expenses. Our health care consultant, B.C.N.W., has worked hard to enroll all our missionaries in health networks (P.P.O.) that negotiate reduced costs for medical care. It has been a huge undertaking to find P.P.O.’s in many of the rural areas we serve. The Board examines overall costs to look for savings. For example, they changed our Pharmacy provider to save money and improve service.

We also work to fulfill our third goal of preventing illness. All preventative care such as an annual physical is covered at 100%. At our staff conferences, we have conducted blood screening as well as encouraging a healthy lifestyle. I benefited personally from a blood screening that discovered a high PSA level. We will try to continue such programs, if we are able to resume staff conferences. We encourage missionaries to take responsibility for their own health.

Fourth, we must advance our goal of developing spiritually vital churches. Currently, without our plan missionaries with pre-existing conditions could not obtain coverage or would have to do so at much higher rates. In addition, families with a large number of children (we have several) would be forced to pay much higher rates. Even the Christian plans, Medi-Share and Samaritan Ministries, for example, do not accept people with pre-existing conditions. Simply put, we could not supply anywhere close to the number of Village Missionaries without having a plan that covers every missionary.

A few years ago, we noticed that the poorest churches, the ones most in need of our help, could not afford our plan. We developed a way that these churches could have leadership without putting a huge drain on our resources. We call it the “Sliding Scale.” Churches initially do not have to pay the entire premium based on their General Fund offering. Then as offerings increase with effective leadership, the amount the church pays increases according to a scale. The Sliding Scale enables us to continue keeping country churches alive.

Village Missions has one of the few successful self-funded plans among Christian organizations. Besides the provision of God, this is due to the cooperation of the churches we serve, our missionaries, and the tireless work of our Benefit Board. Some churches perhaps could find a lower premium for health insurance based on whom they have as a missionary but they recognize they are helping provide coverage for the entire missionary family. Their generous spirit enables us to continue this plan.

The Benefit Board will monitor changes made by the Congress. Whatever changes are made, we will make sure that our Village Missionaries in the United States have the best coverage possible. We have experienced difficult challenges in providing health coverage for Village Missionaries. I hope that Congress doesn’t make the situation even worse.

Kennedy knows that he is dying and asks the Pope to pray for him. In this remarkable letter he appears to assess his life. Looking back on his career he writes,

I want you to know, your Holiness, that in my 50 years of elected office I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I’ve worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination and expand access to health care and education. I’ve opposed the death penalty and fought to end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and have been the focus of my work as a U.S. Senator.

Perhaps reflecting on less savory aspects of his private life, he speaks of the role faith has played in his life.

That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured and provided solace to me in the darkest hours. I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my past.

Mindful of the huge disconnect between Catholic teaching on abortion and his own support of abortion, his advocacy of health care apparently includes access to abortion but,

I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health field and I’ll continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone.

At the close of his letter Kennedy assesses his life as a Roman Catholic. He writes,

I’ve always tried to be a faithful Catholic, Your Holiness. And though I have fallen short through human failings I’ve never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith.

I think it is fair to say that the Senator wanted more than prayers on his behalf. This is a man facing eternity, not sure of his eternal destiny, asking for help from the man he thinks is best able to help him. You can read the full text of his letter here and the text of the Pope’s reply here.

Such is the despair and uncertainty of anyone who thinks he or she must earn their way to heaven. Have I done enough? Has my good outweighed the bad? Does my second half of life outweigh my first half? And the unvoiced question on Kennedy’s part, but clearly between the lines of his letter, “Will my support of the murder of countless unborn children be overlooked in light of the other political good I have done?”

The message of the Bible is terribly discouraging to anyone in any religion who would seek to go to heaven by trying to live a good life. You can’t do it. You might as well try to jump across the Grand Canyon as to try to earn the favor of God.

Jesus once was asked to summarize the requirements of God. If we can meet these requirements, then we can earn passage to heaven. Jesus said,

37And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (NASB) Matthew 22:37-40

The Bible makes clear that none of us measures up to this distillation of God’s requirements. We can fool ourselves by ignoring them or by inventing a less rigorous God but any of our efforts at escaping their implication will not help us when we actually stand before God. Paul makes it clear in his great letter to the Romans:

9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” (NASB) Romans 3:9-12

We chaff at this impossible requirement from God but it is actually a great act of mercy that enables anyone anywhere to be sure of an entrance into heaven. Romans 11:32 (NASB) reads, “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” It is mercy we need, not a forlorn hope that somehow our good behavior will outweigh our bad.

God makes known a wonderful and sure way to know forgiveness and heaven in His Word. It is a way that has nothing to do with our efforts and everything to do with His mercy and grace. It is the way that is wrapped up and solely sufficient in the person of Jesus Christ, who was punished for anything and everything that would keep us out of heaven on the cross. Read the clear promise of Scripture:

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together £with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (NASB) Ephesians 2:4-10

Only God knows whether Senator Kennedy had the faith that rests in the finished work of Christ on the cross as the basis of acceptance before God. Tragically, from his letter, it appears that he did not. How I pray that everyone who reads this would find grace and mercy in Jesus Christ and not cling to the inevitable failure of their own merit before God!

If it were just one clear, unmistakable line to be crossed, Sanford might not have ruined his marriage. But this gross sin, like all others, undoubtedly started in easy crossings of lines that seemed dotted rather than solid. Sometimes we don’t realize we’ve swum into a riptide until we’re pulled out to sea.

As one, however, who was caught in an actual riptide, the analogy has even more power.

For those who may not know, a riptide or rip current, is a strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline, typically through the surf line. What did I learn from being caught in that “strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline?”

First, I was overconfident in my ability to avoid danger. I grew up on Long Island and often swam in the ocean. Although the signs warned of a strong riptide, I thought I was an experienced ocean swimmer and could overcome any difficulty. My overconfidence led me to ignore the warning signs and overlook the danger. I soon was in big trouble. Further, I was not in as good a shape for swimming as I thought I was. I was much younger when I swam on Long Island! Much younger!

Pastors or any Christians for that matter are foolish to be overly confident in their ability to avoid serious sin. After mentioning a litany of things to which the Israelites succumbed, Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul warns us in verse I Corinthians 10:14 to “flee from idolatry.” “Fleeing” is the response of someone who is not overconfident in his or her ability to withstand temptation. Paul warns Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 to “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Many Christians and perhaps even pastors today seem to be living life as close to the precipice as they can. They justify their behavior in the name of Christian liberty and anti-legalism. But my swim in the riptide taught me how easy it was to be smug about my ability to avoid danger.

Second, I learned that a riptide is deceptive. From a distance, you can see the riptide. Reading the warning sign as we approached the beach, I glanced up and saw the area of murky water that indicated its presence. But once in the waves, I lost track of where it was. One dive under a large wave and suddenly its powerful current had me in its grip.

I don’t believe David ever thought about the potential consequences of his sin with Bathsheba. His reign, his testimony, his family would never be the same. He would experience a time of terrible spiritual drought (Psalm 32; Psalm 51). Having that stolen time with Bathsheba seemed so good, so desirable, so deserved for a king! As Gov. Sanford experiences the wreckage of his marriage, the devastation of his children, the ending of his political career, and the “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” will he think his sin was worth it? Hardly! Just like a riptide, sin can be deceptive in its ability to deceive and destroy.

Third, it is harder, much harder to get out of a rip tide then you think. Olasky quotes the standard rule for escaping a riptide. He writes,

The riptide analogy: “If you’re caught in one and try to swim directly toward shore, you’ll just tire yourself out fighting against the riptide’s power-and you might drown. But if you keep your head and rely on God’s providential limiting of the riptide’s breadth, you’ll know that by swimming parallel to shore you can escape the water’s pull and make it home safely.”

I suppose that is good advice and about the only thing you can do when caught in a riptide. But by the time I was in the riptide, I was already tired. I did not seem to be making any progress swimming parallel to the shore. Further, the riptide was taking me further out and I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to swim back from such a long distance away. I made the stupid decision to try to swim toward shore. Unless you’ve been there, you don’t realize how powerful the impetus is to do the wrong thing.

So it is with sin. David was even willing to commit murder to cover up his sin. He tried everything he could do to avoid its consequences, piling sin upon more sin. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, He withdraws the sense of His guiding presence. It’s amazing how spiritually stupid we can quickly become! Succumbing to sin, we can quickly set in motion a series of poor decisions that brings us close to the point of drowning.

Fourth, my family was completely unaware that I was in danger. Sarah and Caleb were initially nearby, but soon the riptide pulled me quite far away from them. Carole was watching from shore, but watching them and not me. None had any idea that I was in danger!

We can hide the spiritual danger we are in from those closest to us, especially if they are not on the lookout for that danger. We have a word for it-compartmentalize. We can live in a secret world of sin and function reasonably well as a husband, father, or even as a pastor. We had better give our family permission to ask us hard questions and account for unusual behavior.

Well, I’m writing this article, so I must have survived the riptide. It brings me to the final lesson I learned from a riptide in Florida. Always swim where there is a lifeguard present! As I tried to swim toward shore without making any progress, I noticed that the lifeguard was looking in my direction. In fact, he had left his perch and was standing at the edge of the water looking intently at me. I had a choice at that point. I could keep trying to swim in my own strength or I could call out for help. Realizing I was in danger and not wanting to reach a point of total exhaustion, I waved for help. Almost immediately, another lifeguard swam up to me wearing fins. He had stationed himself in the riptide for just such a foolish swimmer. He told me to grab his shoulder as he swam me to shore. I tell you, it was a good feeling to stand on dry land!

The best thing is to stay entirely away from the riptide of sin. It is also good to swim with a lifeguard present. A lifeguard is someone who will hold you accountable and will not be afraid to ask you hard questions. I was embarrassed that I needed help swimming in the ocean but I needed help nonetheless. The lifeguard asked the necessary but embarrassing question. I do my best to avoid the riptide of sin but I also have an accountability partner who can ask me tough questions.

I appreciate Olasky’s analogy of a riptide. I’ll leave it to others to speculate on the state of Sanford’s walk with the Lord and whether he is repentant or not. But from my own experience I know that a riptide is nothing to fool with and you can certainly get into deep trouble in a riptide of sin.

Consider, Travis, the groom.  Travis grew up in a godly Christian home, a farm family in eastern Washington.  In High School Travis became convinced that God was leading him to some type of vocational Christian ministry.  Acting upon that conviction, he applied and was accepted at Moody Bible Institute.  God soon directed him into pastoral ministry and then, more specifically, into rural ministry.

I met Travis when he was in his junior year and John James and I were representing Village Missions at the annual Missions Conference.  Travis was interested in learning more about Village Missions.  The chair of the Pastoral Department, Dr. John Koessler, highly recommended him.  We had just changed our policy about accepting single young men.  Believing that God was leading him to Village Missions, Travis applied and we accepted him.  We assigned him to serve an internship of one year with Village Missionaries Tony and Kathy Pinkham, serving in Kettle Falls, WA.

Consider now Jennifer, the bride.  She is the daughter of Village Missionaries Steve and Lisa Rief.  She felt from an early age that God wanted her to be the wife of a Village Missionary.  But where was he?  In High school she patiently waited upon God.  Each year at staff conference at Cannon Beach, as I addressed the teens and challenged them to become Village Missionaries, she would be one of the teen girls that would say, “But we have to have a husband that wants to be a Village Missionary!”

Jennifer attended Ecola Bible School and still she waited.  Even at Ecola, none of the guys wanted to be a pastor.  Feeling that being a pastor’s wife was what God called her to be, she waited.  There was even a rock on the beach and Jennifer would go there, sitting on the rock, reading her Bible and praying.  Jennifer’s rock was not the rock she sat upon but the Rock of her salvation.  She cast herself upon that Rock, believing that if He had called her to that role then He would provide for her.  Would He?

Tony and Kathy Pinkham arrived at Cannon Beach in June 2008 for what would be our last staff conference for at least some time.  Travis stayed behind in Kettle Falls.  But as Kathy renewed ties with the Rief family at staff conference, and specifically Jennifer, she thought of Travis.  She mentioned Travis to Jennifer and he soon began to e-mail her.  They continued e-mailing and then met in person last September.

Now this young couple was standing in front of the congregation entering into the marriage covenant, led in the ceremony by Jennifer’s dad, Steve.  Their kiss, after Steve pronounced them husband and wife, was their first kiss.  They had waited until that time.

It was a holy moment and tears ran down my cheeks.  Holy, because it was before the body of Christ, faithfully ministered to by Village Missionaries over the years, and specifically by Jennifer’s parents, Steve and Lisa, since 1995.  Holy, because godly parents had raised them both in homes where Christ was preeminent.  Holy, because both were obeying God’s call to serve as Village Missionaries.  Holy, because both had waited upon God with trust and perseverance.  Holy, because we in the congregation powerfully glimpsed how much God cares about our individual lives, how much He cares about His church, how much He cares about marriage as the picture of His church, and yes, how much He cares about calling young couples to the great task of keeping country churches alive.