July 1, 2008 - When and Where

***********No Clifnotes. Micah riting about future assignment possibilities*******

As I opened my eyes last night between worship songs, from my perspective point up on the stage with the rest of the worship team, I could see people filtering in. There were many new faces, and yet many familiar faces were missing. Extra chairs had to be brought in from the back to aaccommodate The next song started, the eyes closed once again. Amongthe new faces were some of guys that I have been playing soccer with for the past year and a half. One whom had come to some of the youth events, but never to a Sunday service. As we came off the stage, Diogo started to preach. The message was one of those that seemed to fit perfectly with where the church is currently. A church with many new faces, and with many familiar. A church starting to realize it's potential, and believe. And that beliefis on many levels. For some, it is believing that there is a God, who sent His son, that they might live. For some it is believing that God will see them through their times of need, their dark hour. For some, it is the expectant beliefof a miracle. the same type of bbeliefthat preceded many of Jesus's miracles of the four Gospels. For others, the belief that God is about to use this church greatly in this neighborhood, and that their contribution here, today has eternal consequences. And for me, the belief that God knows exactly what He is doing, and the work that we helped to start here, will continue long after we leave.

"After we leave." It's never been a question of "if" we'd leave, but "when." And when I'm talking leave, I'm not thinking of a temporary absence. Simply a ministry that is interrupted here and there by furloughs and trips back to the United States. But rather 'leave' referring to when we to let stand on it's own, that which we have had the privilege to help to start. Leave for good. It's been in the back of our mind since the day we arrived. Our departure has strategically been part of the plan since day one. The question was simply when. And that answer is increasingly becoming clear.

Clear when I look from the stage at the head of Marlon bowed in prayer. Clear as Wesley leads worship from his keyboard behind me in a spirit of humility and dedication. Clear when I see where Rosiane has come from and the person that she is growing into. Clear when I see Andressa pray. These have been the people that I have most invested myself in these past few years. And it has been an honor to watch them mature personally and spiritually. To watch this God of the Bible step out of the pages of a book, and show Himself real and trustworthy in their lives. To watch them trust themselves to His plans. It has been an honor. But with this honor has come another question. One that has been increasingly calling attention. Is this still the best use of Marla and I? Or is there somewhere else that has a greater need?

These questions have little to do with our feelings, or a lack of love for the people we serve. We love where we are at. We love the people, we love the church, we love the neighborhood. Here we have created a home. Here we have people we can trust Samara with. People who stand in line for the chance to baby sit her. When we go to our little grocery store, the clerk takes her in her arms to play with her as we do our shopping (and is even mad at me when I leave her at home). The guy in the fruit and vegetable store, the lady that sells meat shiskabobs, the guys at the corner everything store, they all love her, and ask about her. I love my soccer ministry. The guys that I have gotten to know. So many times we pass these groups of guys all huddled together in the dark of the night when they turn around and say "Oi Micah, todo bom." I have to look at just about every guy on the street between the age of 8 and 30 just to make sure I don't know him. Because I don't want insult those whom I do know, by not saying hello. We love it here. We are comfortable here. The questions mentioned above don't have to do with feelings, we are dealing with strategy. When? Where?

These questions of 'when' and 'where' are not ours alone. In a real sense, they are very related to the mission in general here in Brazil. When OMS arrived here in Brazil over 50 years ago, they started with a fourfold strategy.
1. Evangelize the people
2. Put together those evangelized people in churches
3. Train Brazilians to lead those churches (this includes theological education: aka a seminary)
4. Partner with those Brazilian churches and church leaders to do new works

And to a large extent, God has blessed OMS greatly in accomplishing the first three here in Londrina. People have been evangelized. Churches have been started. We have 7 churches in this city alone. Under it's own strong leadership the Brazilian denomination that OMS started is starting to do well. The seminary continues to produce quality pastors. While all these good things are happening it is important to note that, there is still a need for evangelism here, still a need for more church bodies, still a need for a greater number of trained leaders. But the question we as a mission have been facing here lately is, are there places with greater needs here in Brazil. And the answer to that is overwhelmingly YES.

I think that it is coming time that we start concentrating more on the fourth part of our strategy...partnership. A week ago Marla and I had a meeting with the president of the denomination together with his wife. And we asked them to help us with the decisions of "when" and "where." To decide together where could the denomination best use our missionary family to help to accomplish the expansion that it desires. The vision to see more people won to Christ, and new churches planted in less evangelized areas. Two possibilities were discussed. And in a few hours Marla, Samara and I will start a 16 hour bus journey to investigate more in depth one of those two possibilities.

The name of the city is Criciúma, and it is in the state of Santa Catarina where we currently have no churches at all. There is already a Brazilian couple that has started this pioneering work there about 6 months ago. We'll be visiting them, asking questions, getting to know them as well as the city and the work that they have started. All with the likelihood that we could be returning there to work next year. We would ask for your prayers as we go. That we'd ask the right questions, and that God would speak to us, laying clearly before us the path that we are to walk. Also please pray for little Samara as we go. We think she starting to get another couple of teeth, and has already started the cold that usually accompanies these new little white presents.