Free Day on Thursday

    The congress organizers were very wise in planning one free day in an event that lasted an entire week. Sunday evening had primarily been a fantastic welcome filled with pageantry unlike anything I have ever seen in honor of the King of Kings!

  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with activity from morning ‘til night. It was nice to know on Wednesday evening that we could take it easy the next day.   There had been the opportunity early in the week to sign up for mission related activities or sight-seeing on Thursday. Some were close by and some were further away and covered a variety of price ranges.

  I would have enjoyed doing a mission related project because I knew that Brian and I were planning to stay for three days after the congress to do some sight-seeing.  Judd, Doug’s son, planned a family-outing right in Cape Town. All of us had seen each other a little bit but we had not spent time together as a family so I obviously was pleased that the opportunity finally presented itself. We were in three different hotels.  Judd said we should meet at 10:30 at the one closest to the convention center.

  Even without an alarm clock I had been waking each morning at 6 am. I would get up and get dressed and go down and have breakfast. Brian would follow a little later. There were several little tables for two that were side by side. I would usually sit at one of those and engage someone else at a neighboring table in conversation.  Many of the guests at our hotel were congress participants but not all. If they weren’t congress participants, they were quite curious about who we were and why we had gathered.

  Thursday morning I slept until 8 am! When I went for breakfast, the area was more crowded than usual and I sat at a little table way over against a wall. When going through the line to select my breakfast I saw the tall South African pastor with AIDS who had given his testimony. I told him I appreciated what he had shared. I went back to my little table and became absolutely overwhelmed with God’s grace in my life from protecting me from so many of the atrocities I had heard about during the week—human trafficking, AIDS, being displaced because of natural and man-made disasters, persecution, ignorance, etc, etc. I felt completely unworthy of the good life with which I have been blessed. I became more than just a little misty-eyed. I wept. When I started back to my room I hoped nobody would notice that I was visibly upset. However a maid met me in the hall and gave me a very sympathetic look. I stopped and put my arm around her and said, “I am so happy.” She smiled and obviously understood. When I walked in the room, Brian was on his computer. He also could see I had been crying and gave me a quizzical look. I said, “Why me?”

    “What’s wrong, sister?” I told him God has been too good to me. Brian asked what prompted my emotions and we talked about how incredibly and undeservedly blessed we are.

  When we got to the hotel lobby where we were supposed to meet the rest of the family we heard another example of God’s marvelous grace.  There was a young man who Judd knew that was of mid-eastern ethnicity. This young man was quite a story-teller and was telling a group several “getting- through-airport” stories. Most of them had to do with his ethnic appearance and the fact that he was formerly a member of the radical military group. Judd asked him if he could give a shortened version of his testimony. He was raised in a proud Muslim home. This young man did everything he could to be a very good Muslim. He did not find contentment and begged God to make Himself known to him. When in prison for political reasons he had a dramatic conversion experience like I’ve read about but never heard in person.  It was spine-tingling. My testimony of being raised in a Christian home in the USA will never give anyone chills. . .but I’m grateful for God’s grace which dramatically saves some and graciously protects others.

  It was awhile before our family outing began.  While sitting there in the hotel lobby Jeanie (Doug’s wife) and I talked to one of the ladies on the same communications team as me. She is an English and French professor at Gordon College and attends the same church in South Hamilton, MA, as Doug and Jeanie. She grew up in St. Louis, attended DePauw University in Indiana. She was raised in a mainline denomination but never heard the gospel. While at DePauw she spent a year abroad at the University of Lausanne and became friends with a daughter of the late Francis Shaffer. When she heard the gospel for the first time she knew it was different than anything she had ever heard previously. She became a Christian by Thanksgiving of that year and had the opportunity to be discipled at L’Abri. Yet another example of God’s amazing grace!

  Our family outing finally began and we went to a fort called the Castle of Good Hope that is one of the oldest buildings on the cape of South Africa built in 1666. We saw some military re-enactments and took a tour of the grounds. Part of the fort included a prison and a torture chamber. Each morning just prior to the Bible exposition, the passage to be studied from Ephesians was read aloud by a member of the drama team. A prison cell was pictured on the big screen behind the stage. It was interesting to be in that tiny, centuries-old prison cell and think of the world-wide and eternal influence Paul had during his confinement.

 From the fort we walked through a part of downtown and saw some open air markets. We saw several beggars. Local tourist information and congress information encouraged us not to give them money but to give to local charitable organizations.  We had lunch at an ethnically diverse location—Kentucky Fried Chicken. J There were some pieces left over in our bucket so I carried them to give to the next beggar we encountered. It wasn’t long ’til we saw two beggars on a bench. I gave them the bucket which included a loaf of bread. The woman told me over and over, “I love you to Jesus, I love you to Jesus.” I told her I loved her to Jesus, too. 

  Our downtown walk included a visit to an Anglican church where Desmond Tutu had presided. It was the only church which allowed both blacks and whites to worship together during apartheid. Beautiful cathedrals are so conducive to worship.

  The parliament building in Cape Town is beautiful and is surrounded by large and gorgeous gardens. The trees, grass, flowers, and plants were lush. The birds were different than we see at home but they had squirrels which had been imported from the US. They look just like the ones we have running around in our yard on High Street!  The afternoon was spent leisurely. We stopped at a coffee shop for something to eat and drink. On our way back to the hotel we walked through another open air market, the Green Market, that has beautiful jewelry, tapestries, and wood carvings. It was a very pleasant afternoon with Doug, Jeanie, Jessa, Judd, Joji, Brian and me.



"I love you to Jesus" all because of KFC!

L to r; me, Jessa, Jeanie, and Joji--Doug's sister, daughter, wife and daughter-in-law at the gardens surrounding the parliament building in Cape Town.



This man's conversion experiece is similar to that of the Apostle Paul.



World Faiths

   I mentioned John Piper's message the other day and the fact that he addressed the importance of the meeeting currrent societal problems and the need for" people saved." I wasn't as clear as he was in saying the two must go hand in hand. We cannot neglect one for the other. We must address homelessness, hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc but he said we must remember to claim the gospel as well. If people don't accept Christ as Savior their eternal suffering will be much greater ithan any suffering they are currently experiencing here on earth.
      
 Libby Little, the window of a recently martyred missionary to Pakistan gave a testimony following Piper's talk. Her husband and 9 others went into a remote part of Pakistan only available by foot. They went to do medical work. Little called his wife 2x a day for one minute. She read notes from the brief comments he made. After completing the medical work, the team started to return home. The entire team was killed. Afterwards someone presented her with some notes from her husband's Bible. He had been asked to deliver devotions to the group which on their trip. It was obvious that he had cared for physical needs to aleviate people's current pain but he had also delivered the gospel while in that remote area. What a powerful testimony.
 
When Mrs. Little finished her testimoy I noticed a fairly loud "moaning" sound. I thought it sounded as though it was meant to be disruptive. I assume security would take care of it quickly. I found out soon afterwards that it was a Muslim man just experiencing deep sorrow for the lostness of many of his people. Apparently several people surrounded him and prayed for him.

John Piper and me.

  I wrote in my notes that day that I yad noticed delegates who came in wheel chairs, with walkers and a blind man being led by another.
 
  There is defitely more to be said about Wednesday's activities but I can harly hold my head up any longer sitting here in the Abu Dhabi airport. It is time to try again to get as comfortable as possible in a molder plastic chair.

Reconciliation

Ned and Robin Kiser and me in the chairman's office.

The topic for the second day of the congress was reconciliation. The Bible exposition was done by Ruth   of Costa Rica. She emphasized the words dealing with time—you “were” dead in sins, but “now” you are alive in Christ. The second chapter of Ephesians also talks about the “one new man instead of two.” The session which followed dealt with examples where reconciliation was needed—in countries where there has been civil war, in places were human trafficking is very prevalent, etc.

  I believe I already mentioned that there was very effective use of video, dramas and creative dance. That morning a video was shown which depicted young boys being forced to become soldiers at very young ages; a creative dance at the beginning of the session depicted incredible discord and the same group presented an image of beautiful harmony at the end of the session. A Jew and a Palestinian were on the platform together giving personal testimony of the reconciliation that Christ provides for people of nationalities/ethnicities that traditionally hate each other. The message conveyed that morning was powerful.

  During some of the free time, I went to the chairman’s office and helped Ned and Robin Kiser (formerly of Huntington) with some of the constant minu of details that need to be cared for throughout the week. Ned was one of the “point men” on Doug’s behalf. He was constantly on the move. Robin cheerfully handled the never ending mundane tasks such as folding and stuffing, writing names on name tags or placards, making sure rooms for Doug’s appointments were properly prepared, etc, etc.

  I had met a gal that day named Sandy Smith from Quebec who was instrumental in a prayer request I had later in the week.

  I also mentioned earlier that I went to the multiplex session in the afternoon on the environment. That was considered one of the areas of reconciliation that should be important to evangelical believers. God created two things before the Fall—family and work in caring for His creation. During creation he pronounced everything that He had made as “Good.”  Its our job to keep it that way, or in many cases to help restore it.

  The time and praise and worship was incredible. After two days of 5,000 participants being together we were definitely worshipping as one body!!!

 The regional focus that evening was on the Middle East. It was great to hear reports of how open the church is in Iran. On our flight down here, the airplane captain pointed out the lights of Tehran as we flew over it. Based on what I remember from 30 years ago, I was surprised to hear how open that country is to the gospel.  However, in many of those countries persecution comes with salvation.

  The global issue was HIV/AIDS and human trafficking.  A tall white South African pastor talked about his experience with AIDS. A beautiful, passionate woman from Zambia told of her work among HIV/AIDS patients in her country. The pastor acknowledged that the church is sympathetic to AIDS patients who have “accidentally” contracted AIDS through unclean needles but are generally quite judgmental to those who got the disease through a promiscuous lifestyle. He acknowledged that by the grace of God his life has been transformed. Such testimonies side by side helped people like me to realize that no matter how a person became ill or became a victim, they need Jesus. The Zambian princess closed in the session in prayer. She prayed first in her native language and then in English. Her praying was powerful!

  The evening session was closed by reciting the Lord’s Prayer simultaneously in many languages and then singing the Doxology.  I loved the celebratory praise early in the evening and equally loved the older hymn to finalize our time together as believers.

   Later in the week we heard about a group of Portugese who formally went to some Nigerians and asked for forgiveness from decades ago regarding slavery. We also heard to reconciliation between two men at the congress where animosity have been present for a long time.

Abu Dhabi

This is the second largest mosque in the world. It is still under construction. It is huge and beautiful.

   Brian and I are heading to Abu Dhabi today. We left the retreat center this morning at 6 am to head to the Cape Town airport.  I’m sorry to leave such a beautiful country and this place where I’ve experienced some of the highlights of my life. Once again the sun was brilliantly flooding the valley where we spent the last three nights. Those very nice accommodations were courtesy of a generous Christian couple who have supported the third Lausanne congress since the initial planning to come to Cape Town three years ago.

   Abu Dhabi is the capitol of one of the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf.  The website said it is crime free (because of severe punishment if caught) and has 24/7 bus service from the airport to the city. One of the newest, largest and most beautiful mosques in the world was recently constructed in Abu Dhabi. The outside is made of Italian white marble and is supposedly even more beautiful at night than during the day. We have a 9-hour lay-over from mid-night to 9 am so we are hoping to take advantage of a night time tour. A young Christian lady we met at the congress, Kavita Mathews, lives in Abu Dhabi and agreed that it is safe and beautiful to visit the Arab city at night.

Session Summary 3

SESSION SUMMARY

“LOCAL LEADERS IN THE GLOBAL CHURCH”

DATE/TIME: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 2:00-3:30 pm (14:00-15:30)

SUMMARIZER:  Connie Potter                          

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE/PROBLEM: Well trained local leaders are instrumental in being hands and feet as mission agents.

KEY POINTS:             Biblical basis for developing local leaders—Mark 3:13-15 and II Timothy 2:2

PRESENTERS: Paul Joshua, Bangalore, India; Yamile Santos, Argentina, South America; Duncan Olumbe, Kenya, East Africa

SYNOPSIS OF THE SESSION: Paul Joshua talked about significance in leadership: the spirituality of leadership—being with Jesus; all true authority is derived from God; leadership is not about position but exerting wholesome influence. Spiritual leadership should result in healthy polycentrism, cultural pluralism and multiple patterns.

Yamile Santos presented a case study of leadership training which started in her home. As the opportunities for leadership training continued, schools with curriculums were developed. At the heart of the training was instilling conviction, imparting knowledge and understanding, and then the ability to live out those two things.

Duncan Olumbe discussed some tensions which are potential concerns especially for young emerging leaders. Higher education may cause a concern for the leader in terms of being globally aware vs. locally relevant; credibility may be an issue between a well-known leader in a highly visible locale vs. an unknown leader in an obscure location; transferring leadership from older leaders to younger leaders needs to be handled with care.

TAKEAWAYS

Attendees gathered in groups of 4-6 to discuss the following questions:

What is significant  (+ve & -ve) about your leadership? What changes will be required if you follow Christ’s model?

Do the new realities of the church resonate with your experience? Does it make sense from where you are? If yes, explain. If not what do you see?

If you follow through with the three recommendations made, what would it look like on the ground where you are?

What are the implications for the world church as she works together in God’s mission?

A question and answer time followed the group discussions.

Session Summary 2

Session Summary 2 is included below.

SESSION SUMMARY

“CALLING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BACK TO HUMILITY, INTEGRITY AND SIMPLICITY”

DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 11:00-12:30 pm

SUMMARIZER:  Connie Potter

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE/PROBLEM

1--The main problems facing the church are not from the outside—they are from God’s own people.

2—A “different” gospel is rapidly growing in nations and denominations.

3—Christ redeemed both men and women.

KEY POINTS 

1--Idols among God’s own people—the idol of power and pride, the idol of popularity and success, the idol of wealth and greed.

2—The prosperity gospel focuses on material possessions, physical well-being and success in this life; Scripture is often manipulated to promote that false message.

3—God calls and gifts women as well as men. The gifts of all are needed to reach all.

PRESENTERS: 1--Chris Wright,

    2--Femi Adeleye,

    3--Elke Werner

SYNOPSIS OF THE SESSION

1--Chris Wright discussed the idols that tempt Christian workers. He presented Scripture which showed that all three “idols” were present in both Old and New Testament. The antidote for the idol of power and pride is repentance in humility; for popularity and success is integrity; for wealth and greed it is simplicity.

Jesus faced the same temptations in the desert but resisted using the word of God. The Reformation in Europe centuries ago was necessary because of the same three idols. The world-wide evangelical church should take the lead in cleaning up idolatry in our day and age.

When Jesus preached repentance it was to religious leaders. We need a radical return to the Lord through Humility, Integrity, Simplicity—HIS.   

2—Misinterpretation of Scripture misleads some to believe that Jesus came to make us rich rather than take away sins; overlooks that giving is primarily a form of worship; portrays Jesus as rich; overlooks the needs of others.

TAKEAWAYS

A call to a time of personal reflection and repentance. The three presenters and Brenda McNeil Slater, emcee for each morning session, led the congress participants in a responsive prayer of repentance.

Session Summary 1

Writing sessions summaries was my job. Included below is one of four which I did.

SESSION SUMMARY

“DISCERNING THE WILL OF CHRIST FOR THE 21^st CENTURY WORLD EVANGELIZATION”

DATE/TIME: October 22, 2010, 11:00-12:30 pm

SUMMARIZER:  Connie Potter

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE/PROBLEM

Where is the church not present? What are we going to do about it? After 2,000 years there are still people who don’t have access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that’s just plain wrong!

PRESENTERS: David Yoo, Paul Eschleman, 5 participants (*see below)

KEY POINTS 

Assumptions in setting global priorities: 1) All elements of strategy must have a scriptural foundation; 2) Taking the gospel to all nations is the only part of the Great Commission with a completable dimension; 3) Taking the gospel must go where churches are not present; 4) No country of the world is exempt from the sending or the receiving of the Gospel 5) Faith must be demonstrated—it is hollow without demonstration.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SESSION  

Eschleman stated that Scripture translation is our number one priority. It is impossible to do ministry without a Biblical foundation. Many statistics were presented to congress participants regarding the number of people groups with no or limited printed Scripture. A “new” method of evangelism, resembling what was done before the printing press was invented, is called the Oral Story Bible.

*Two young ladies involved in Oral Story Bible teams in sensitive areas told of their experiences of evangelizing via story-telling. Both have seen many come to know Jesus Christ and share the Gospel with others as a result of communicating the message of the Bible through stories.

 Eschleman also reminded congress participants that evangelism must remain a priority in ministry. It must not be pushed aside. It must be delivered with the right platform in order to be received. Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists make up half the population of the world. We must reach out to these people with acts of love and prayer.

*Two gentlemen gave testimony of their witness to Muslim scholars mullahs, imams and sheiks resulting in converts.

Eschleman’s final point was to present information and hand-outs identifying the UUPGs—Unengaged & Unreached People Groups. After explaining the printed information he asked congress participants two questions: 1) Why haven’t these groups been reached with the Gospel? 2) How could your church or organization work with a local partner to launch an effort toward one of these people groups? Time for table discussion was granted. Eschleman reported that the number one answer to his first question is, “I didn’t know.” “Now you know,” he responded! Fortunately, much progress has been made in that area in the last five years. A call for written commitment was issued. Eschleman said the four minutes allowed for the response may be the four most important minutes for millions of unreached people concerning their eternal destiny.

 TAKEAWAYS

1.      A DVD--The classic JESUS film in 8 languages

2.      A DVD--The Story of JESUS for Children and Magdalena, which portrays God’s love and affirmation of women, also in 8 languages.

3.      Flash drive—many congress resources including the latest resources and information on the top 2,000 unreached people groups.

Big Game Day

   The sound of howling wind on a thatched roof must have been the perfect sedative. I slept so soundly last night! I awoke early without an alarm and went for a walk again. This time I went a different direction up the hill. I met some workers in the vineyard and they explained the pruning process in order to produce great grapes. I found a trailhead with a topographical map and would  have loved to have headed up the small path. I knew there wasn't time so I headed back to the beautiful buildings where we are staying.
 
After breakfast all 12 of us loaded up again in 3 cars to head to a game reserve. It took two hours to get there. The scenery along the way was just beautiful. I love mountains and these are unlike any in the US that I have seen. I've been to just a few locations in Europe and they remind me most of what I saw in Ireland.      

   Some of their larger vehicles were big enough to accommodate all of us. The guide immediately reminded us that he could not promise how many or what variety of animals we would see. No sooner had he made the disclaimer than we saw two elephants and two cape buffalo! Our guide, Timothy, told us that elephants do not like cape buffalo. The explanation wasn't really necessary. It was obvious by their behavior. Kind of funny to watch. The half day trip also included good close-ups of hippos, rhinos, a giraffe, lions, zebras, elands (a kind of deer) and lots of springboks (the national symbol.) We really hit the jackpot!
 

The buildings in this valley are all white and so clean and well kept. Notice the thatched roof (in the first picture) which I mentioned. Our safari party was a happy group as you can see in the second picture. I didn't have to use the zoom to get the lions up close--and there were no bars or cages. Tonight we had pizza upstairs in a cozy common area right near my room.

  I took several pictures when we returned "home" since Brian and I are leaving early tomorrow morning.

To the Ends of the Earth

 Today was filled with some of the most beautiful scenerey I have ever seen. We drove into Cape Town this meenorning and went up on Table Mountain. It is so imposing! There was a two hour wait to ride the cable car so we just enjoyed the scenery from the road. The beautiful blue sky and the warm, breezy day made it ideal to be outside.
  We headed south and drove along the coast enjoying gorgeous points and bays all along the way. At Simon Town, on the east side we also saw penguins. After a nice lunch (and a phone call to wish my mom a happy birthday) we drove further south to Cape Point. Every time we sing "to the ends of the earth, from the depths of the sea" I will remember today's trip. The wind, as typical, was very strong when we were at the very southen most tip of Africa.
  Rajan Mathews led us in a short vespers service on the way down in which we praised God for His great creative power. We sang, "It is Well With my Soul" and recalled that that song was written as a result of a tragedy at sea. The version of "Psalm 100" which was popular during  the Jesus movement days was also part of our impromptu, intimate worship time. We had prayer and concluded with The Doxology.
  The stars were so clear as we drove back "home." Brian picked out the Southern Sun.

I read a biography of Nelson Mandela prior to coming on this trip. I had really hoped to visit Robben Island where he spent 27 years in prison. Time won't permit that but I could see the island from the side of Table Mountain.

  It's been a very fun, full and beautiful day!!  

Beautiful morning

   No alarm clock was needed to wake me this morning after six hours of sound sleeping. Normally I like eight hours but I felt awake and alert so I didn't need to make a decision beween getting sleep or taking a walk. I put on my walking clothes and walked downstair quietly so as not to wake anyone else. The big doors in this old house were bolted shut so I slid the levers aside and turned the big knobs. Nothing budged. Then I saw the deadbolts which required a large skeleton key were solidly secured. I was afraid my "escape to freedom" had been derailed. Alas, the third door was unlocked!!!
 
I headed up the hill past the beautiful white buildings we visited yesterday afternoon. The  sun was just coming up between two mountains and was brilliant. I love to see a valley light up in the morning as the sun continues to move higher in the sky. We are in the midst of vineyards and it is spring here. Everything is a beautiful green.

 As the congress proceeded last week, we were reminded that we were on a mountain top experience. This morning I had my own mountain top experience. I did't get all the way to the top of the mountain but I walked to the end of the road where a large pool collects water from the mountains. Black hoses and troughs were all around it to ensure the vineyards are well watered.
 
I climbed up on some rocks and had my own praise and worship time. The sun clearly determined which direction was east so I was able to point in the right directions when I sang, "shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus is Savior of all, Lord of heaven and earth."

 My Grandpa Birdsall frequently quoted Psalm 1 and I loved hearing him recite it. When Eric was a baby I memorized it and repeated it over and over while walking back down the dirt road this morning, "he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."  That's the antidote for not forgetting a mountain top experience--figurative or literal.

  I didn't take my camera this morning but above is a picture Stacia took last night in our thatched roof "hut" while I was trying to catch up on blogging. From the picture I took of her, you can see it is a very nice place. The buildings and the grounds are gorgeous. It's definitely different from any place I've visited previously. Breakfast is supposed to take place real soon. We are on African time (similar to Birdsall time.)

   We are going back into Cape Town today to go to Table Mountain and then down further on the cape to see penquins. I've looked forward to these trips. Most of my African experience thus far has taken place in a large convention center and in a modern hotel and the two blocks between them which involved crossing a 6-lane highway via an overhead walkway--not the typical image I had of Africa as I was growing up. I'm very excited to get out and do some of these Cape Town touristy activities.

Why it Happened

 My last post which was probably rather boring just told how the congress was organized. Now I will tell you why it was held. The purposes were reinterated last night at the closing session. They were 1) to proclaim the uniqueness of Christ and the truth of the Gospel, 2) to identify the key issues the church should address in this generation, 3) to develop partnerships among evangelical organizations , 4) to introduce many new initiatives among evangelicals. I certainly feel that the first two purposes were met and it will be interesting, as congress organizers agreed, to see what develops in the last two areas. Many reports and position papers will be forthcoming in the next couple of months as study groups continue to meet.

 Pastor Jim Schwartz, told the Great Commission Committee at our church, First Missionary Church in Berne, IN, that the way mission organizations cooperated when he was in Haiti many years ago, was a direct result of the two previous Lausanne congresses.

 I mentioned in a previous post that Os Guinness powerfully told us on Monday morning that if we were not convinced of the uniquness of Jesus and the truth of the gospel that we may as well go home right then. Fortunately, we did not go home and our distinctives as evangelicals continued to be reinforced throughout the remaining days. In the exposition on Ephesians 1 that morning, Ajith Fernando, stressed that the gospel is a matter of proclamation--not just presence. He said that sometimes people quote St.  Francis of Assissi and say to "preach the gospel and use words 'if necessary.'" He said anyone studying the life of St Francis would soon realized that he used lots of words. The gospel needs to be proclaimed!

 The multiplex session I went to that afternoon was entitled "People at work: preparing to be the whole church."  The church needs to be reminded that the workplace--where people spend so much of their time--needs to a place where our faith is practiced and proclaimed. (Jerry White, a good friend of Marilyn Muselman's, was a panelists. I did not get to meet him that day but did meet him later and told him of our mutual friend.)
 
That evening in the celebration of God at Work, the suffering church was recognized. A beautiful hymn of reconciliation was sung in Urdu by a gal from Pakistan. I met her later in the week and an older man who was with her said, when I asked, that he knew Merle and Gloria Inniger. I'll provide names when I get home and sort out much of cards I collected. That was one of the really fun things about the congress--finding people with common connections through people or events. :) What a great "forever" family!

 Very unfortunately, 300 delegates from the fastest growing nation on earth (I'll let you guess and confirm it when I get home) were not able to attend the congress due to governmental restrictions. A special time of prayer was held for those disappointed brothers and sisters who did everything right plenty of time in advance. It was a meaningful time when we realized that we missed brothers and sisters even though we may not know them personally.



A



 That night we also heard a very touching testimony by a young Korean lady who has lost both parents--one directly related to persecution for the gospel. She has a deep desire to go back to the north to her people and share the gospel with them. Personal testimonies were a real highlight throughout the congress.

Ajith Fernando in his exposition of Ephesians 1

Several of the members of the praise team. You can see that they represent several nationalities and ethnicities. They led us in lots of joyful praise as well as much deep worship.

  A couple of nights there were very special tributes to "remember your leaders" and "imitate them." Billy Graham convened the first Lausanne Congress in 1974. I remember hearing about that congress at the time--during the Jesus movement here in the States--and thinking what a great idea and event. What a wonderful video tribute to the man who, for the last 50 years, has been the name most associated with the evangelical movement.

I didn't realize how late it is--11:40 pm here. I want to get out and take a walk in the morning on the beautiful grounds here at this rural location. We'll see whether sleep or exercise wins. :) It was so nice to have a nice, long phone conversation with Neil this evening. I'm so glad for communication in the 21st century!!!!

How it Happened

   The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was the largest gathering of evangelicals. I say " was" because it is already over. The internet problems which plagued the congress were a direct attack. More about that later. Due to the power of prayer and the right people in the right place at the right time, the problem was fairly well remedied. Still, the system was overloaded and I found it so slow and frustrating that I just stayed off so others could use it who really needed it.

 

This morning we left Cape Town and headed north and east of the city and we are in a beautiful retreat center. I hope to spend some time recording some of my experiences and recollections while they are still fresh in my mind. This new little computer came in quite handy. Even though I didn't use it for internet connection, I was able to take notes in word documents each day. I felt so "cool" with my little netbook.

 
Each day started with the Celebration of the Bible. All conference participants had been encouraged to follow on-line Bible studies in the book of Ephesians. I was able to do all of the studies and enjoyed each one as I did them and was so glad during the congress that I had done them. There was an introduction each day to the study with praise, worship and prayer followed by a drama or video and the verbal reading of the passage for the day. The inductive Bible studies were excellent and were done by a different Bible teacher each day representing different parts of the world.

 The second session of each day was organized as such--the first two days the theme was "The Gospel." The first day the specific topic was truth and the second day was reconcilation. The next two-day theme was "The World" the topics were world faiths and priorities; the last two days the theme was "The Church" and the topics were integrity and partnerships.

 Lunch came after that second session. "The feeding of the 5,000" took place two times each day. At noon everyone received a box lunch with a sandwich, a drink box, a piece of chocolate, cheese and crackers and chips or dried fruit. Dozens of tables were set up and all three floors of the large convention center and people ate everywhere--standing in doorways, sitting on steps, finding lounges with tables, etc. It was always quite a sight to see people at meal time. I ate my meals in a variety of places with many different people. I did not attend the conference as part of a delegation so I was not meeting or "regrouping" with anyone during that time. I had a lot of interesting conversations over meals. :)
 
The afternoons were spent in smaller groups. There were at least four multiplex sessions in the early part of the afternoon that were meant for participants to "comprehend, contextualize and commit" to what they had heard in the morning. Those sessions were held throughout the convention center and nearby hotel. I felt I gained at least two very practical ideas to take home with me. Following those multiplex sessions, the participants had the chance to get in even smaller groups for dialogue sessions. There were a total of 90 of those sessions with very few repeats. There were a couple that were so popular early in the week that they were repeated--but not many.  With so many options, it was often difficult to decide which sessions to choose.

 Supper was served similarly to lunch--dozens of serving tables were on all three floors of the convention center. Rather than a box lunch we were handed a plate and we served ourselves smorgasbord style. I was just amazed each time at how effeciently the meals were handled for such a large number of people. I thought the meals were good. I'm sure it was difficult to satisfy everyone's taste but I didn't hear complaints.
  
 Each evening was a celebration of God at Work in the World and Through His Church. Different sections of the world were featured each night as well as different types of ministries. Question and answer times, video, drama, creative dance, music, testimonies, etc were used to communicate how God is at work in those evening meetings.
 
The music was a very big part of a gathering of Christians such as this. A 15-member praise team representing many nationalities led praise and worship prior to each of the three large sessions that were held daily in the great hall of the conference center. It didn't take long for all of us to start moving and singing like our Latin American and African brothers and sisters!!!

 

I was with these four ladies in a multiplex session on Tuesday dealing with the environmental crisis, the gospel and Chrisitan witness. They represented South America, Africa, Germany and Trindad/Tobago. The young gal to the far right was a very sharp young student from Tobago. One of her professors was on the panel. I had a conversation at breakfast with one of the other panelists. It wasn't until the end of our conversation that he told me he was a panelist. At the session he was introduced as SIR John Houghton, a physicist from Wales who is very highly regarded internationally for his research on global warming and its impact. It was very interesting to hear this topic addressed from an evangelical perspective.

In addition to all that was planned by program committe, there were many other gatherings that were held during meals and in the late evening after the sessions. Many of those meetings were by mission organizations, alumni groups of colleges and seminaries, special interest groups and regional groups. A daily newsletter kept participants informed of when and where those meetings were held.

A film festival was held late each evening. I fully intended to go to at least a couple of them but never made it. They had the world premier of the preview on Monday night of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" from the Chronicles of Narnia. I thought it wasn't until Tuesday. I'm really sorry I missed that one.

Just Gets Better

Brief overview of sessions. Monday's topic was Truth. Carver Yu from Hong Kong and Os Guinness of the UK confidnetly reminded us that as evangelicals we firmly stand on Jesus Christ as the ultimate truth!!! Bible exposition eacch morning based on the book of Ephesians has been great with some of the best Bible teachers in the world. John Piper was outstanding this morning as he spoke with great passion, excitement and yet, humbly delivered the message on the third chapter. He directly addressed the subtle schism that has been in some of the undercurrent about the two camps of thought--social responsibility and the eternal destination of souls that are without Christ.
I had my first official responsibility in reviewing a session this afternoon on ministering to scattered peoples. I learned a new word--that "issue" is now referred to as diaspora--people groups that have been dispersed from their home lands. We have it right in Berne--Mexicans who help to harvest the fall tomato crops and Japanese working with Key Fastener and FCC. We have mission fields at our doorstep. Very interesting and practical session.
Tomorrow is a free day and Brian and I plan to spend time with Doug and his wife, Jeanie, son, Jud, and his wife, Joji, and daughter, Jessa. It's late and two of Doug's tremendous staff are ready to lock the office. I wanted to take at least little time when I thought the internet usage might not be quite as demanding.
  My note taking has been quite thorough. I just haven't had opportnity to communicate as well as I had hoped. I have thought of family and friends so often and things that I thought many of you would like and find interesting.
Love from the tip of the African continent!

The Difficulty of Getting on Line

The Third Lausanne Congress on Evangelism is just great. I am enjoying being here, interacting with people from around the world, hearing great speakers, musicians, etc. The internet use here has exceeded even what was used a few months ago during the World Cup. There are internet cafes, all participants were supposed to have wi-fi access each day except during the three main sessions per day. I am currently in Doug's office and hooked up to a cable while many others are having supper. I will try to be brief because I am obviously low man on the totem pole in this office.

  Since pictures are worth a thousand words I will try to post them and possibly catch up on comments later on. Doug "larger than life" on the big screen as he introduces one of the members of the Lausanne Board of Directors, Lindsey Brown, at "Welcome to the Table." Table Rock is the largest landmark in Cape Town and all 4,000 participants are seated at tables of 6 when in the main sessions. It is a very effective way to engage all the participants in the congress.

Overwhelmed!!!

To say I am overwhelmed would be an understatement. I took a walk today by myself in a city at the southern tip of Africa!!! I soaked up the sun and "the Son" in my own personal time of worship as I try to deal with fighting a cold. I came to the conference center early to watch thousands of participants as they arrived representing every continent. I've tried not to be a name dropper but it is so interesting to watch Doug as he navigates this huge convention center. He is top dog and I am so proud of him.
  I had supper tonight with people from Botswana, Columbia, Romania.
  The drums are pounding outside this office and I want to get out and absorb it as we prepare for the Opening Celebration. It promised to be a grand spectacle to remind us that we are a universal body of believers.

1st day in Cape Town

This amazing, energetic group of young South Africans greeted us as the airport. It reminded me that, as Becky Inniger, once commented, I am "terminally white." These people have rhythm just oozing out of them.

Doug just happened to be at the entrance to the Cape Town International Conference Center (CTICC) as Brian and I got off the bus. It was great to see him.

This is the Sessions Summary Team of which I am a part. It is going to be an interesting group. Jane, in the green jacket, has been a big help to me in finding on-line information about the sessions I will be attending so that I can get a preview and have an idea of what to expect.

The "feeding of the 5,000" just took place. That was amazing. I wish you could now hear the "call to worship" with 20 local Christians singing and dancing!!! What will heaven be like? Being here has sure whetted my appetite!

In Cape Town, South Africa!!!

This is my reason for the trip--coming to Cape Town, South Africa. Brian and I left Kiev yesterday afternoon. I sat by a real nice young gal named Anna Sudakevych who is also attending the Lausanne Congress. She saw me reading a copy of Christian Century, the magazine Janet now works for, and started a conversation with me. There were several of Brian's friends, part of the Ukrainian delegation, also on that plane.
It took 5 hours to get to Abu Dhabi, UAE. I knew when in Kiev I didn't look like Ukrainians. I really knew when in Abu Dhabi that I didn't look like I belonged there.
When we boarded the plane for Cape Town I sat beside a fellow from France named Jacque Nussbaumer. He is from the eastern part of France, near Switzerland, and knows he had an unce who had 11 children who came to the US. Jacque is also attending the congress; Brian was a few rows behind me and he was with 3 Irish delegates to the congress. One of them works for Taylor University in Ireland.
That was a 12 hour flight!!! There was one 1 1/2 stop in Johannesburg but we couldn't get off the plane. I was able sleep most of the way. How nice to finally arrive at our destination. Cape Town has a beautiful airport. There were signs everywhere indicating that the World Cup had taken place here not too long ago.
We were told to look for signs welcoming us to the Lausanne Congress. They were very prominent and a welcome sight. Shuttle buses are running all day today from the airport to downtown Cape Town to the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC). While waiting to load the bus we were entertained by a very lively group of young black Africans singing, playing instruments and dancing.
Almost immediately after Brian and I got off the bus we saw Doug. Brian and I went inside to complete our registration. What an army of volunteers and what great organization!!! We then walked to our hotel two blocks away. It is a very easy walk and right down by the waterfront. The sun is shining and it is in the mid 70s--a beautiful day.
I needed to be back at the convention center for a meeting of the Sessions Summary Team on which I am a part. I have special security access number on my ID tag which allows me behind the scenes. The security is very tight and we have been warned that it will be even tighter when the congress starts tomorrow.
The team is composed, except for our leader, of all women. Except for one gal who was born in the Ivory Coast and now lives in London, all of us are from the US. One, a gal with Jews for Jesus, lives in Santa Monica, CA where my son, Mark, lives. Another is the personal secretary for Vonette Bright, wife of founder and first president of Campus Crusade for Christ.
There is a very exciting atmosphere in the air as hundreds of delegates are pouring into the city today. I think I will close for now and go and find other members of Doug's family who I know are here.

3 Great Days in Kiev

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were absolutely beautiful days in Kiev. Brian and I walked and walked and walked all over the city and had occasional train or bus rides to help us get across town a little more quickly.

"The City of Golden Domes" is the name I would give to Kiev. St. Michaels, St. Andrews, St. Sophia and the complex of buildings that belongs to a Ukrainian Orthodox are just beautiful.

We went out to eat as a Ukrainian smorgasbord so I could sample several foods at one time. I selected a cabbage salad, bortsch (soup with beets and cabbage, a cabbage roll and a desert that was similar to dumplings with cherries. The salad was my favorite.

I was able to see Beau play in two soccer games, and Cathy's girls play once. Jack played the guitar for me the other night when I washed dishes. Brian and I folded his most recent prayer letter and stuffed them in envelopes. It reminded me of Saturday nights when we used to help our dad prepare the Sunday morning bulletins. Oh how we enjoyed the smell of the mimeograph fluid as he carefully cranked out page afer page in the purplish blue ink!

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Brian and Cathy speak Russian with their friends, co-workers and neighbors. Some of you know how I love to explore big cities by myself. I didn't venture too far when in Kiev. There is a nice big park right across the street from them so I walked in the park and around the paramater of the park but otherwise I stuck pretty close to Brian.
We had lunch at McDonalds the other day. I asked what it was like to arrive in Moscow 20 years ago and not know the language or the city. He said it was an adventure! It was an adventure for me to follow him with his skill in language, customs and knowing his way around.
Some observations: The old, historic part of Kiev is beautiful! The newer part built during communism is bland and boring. The young people--those who don't remember or never lived under communmism--are very trendy in their fashions--tight jeans, fashion boots, fitted coats, glitzy purses, I-pods and cell phones, hair color and styles, etc. There seems to be little or no anti-smoking sentiment there. So many people smoke! I was surprised at the number of high end cars--Lexus, BMW, Mercedes Benz. The traffic is terrible. It is not racially diverse like many big cities. I saw 2 blacks and some Asians. The Ukrainians have a definite look and I knew I probably really stuck out as :(
Kiev has been home for Brian, Cathy, Brooks, Masha, Tory, Beau and Jack for 18 years (after 2 years in Mowcow). There hearts are there. Brooks is now living in Austin, TX, Masha is going to school in Washington D.C. and Tory is going to school in Houston, TX. I'm so glad I was finally able visit them after all the times we've enjoyed having them visit us.

It's a beautiful day in Kiev!

  Brian woke me up this morning after Cathy and the boys left for school. Sure enough, I had jet lag. I couldn't think what I should do to get cleaned up and dressed. Eventually it happened.

  Even before we headed outside I noticed it was a beautiful day with bright blue sky. With just a bit of chill in the air, my jacket was enough. A slight breeze caused leaves to skit across the streets. We walked through the botanical garden across the street from Brian and Cathy's apartment to get to the train station. A fairly large hill made me feel like I was hiking in Colorado. Brian warned me that the escalators here are long and fast. Was he ever right!!! We literally hopped on one and went down, down down and then got off that one and on another and continued to go down, down, down at a speed that will make anything back in the US seem like I'm standing still. When we boarded the train, it was crowded and there was nothing to hold onto. I firmly planted my feet but when the train took off I lunged into the man next to me. 

Long, fast escalators!

  Our first destination was Kiev Christian Academy. It is housed in a part of a building used as a boarding school for deaf children here in Ukraine. It's not very fancy but Brian said there's a lot of love and good education taking place inside. It is picture day so everyone looked real nice. Brian and Cathy introduced me to several faculty and staff and, since it was time for a short morning break, Beau and Jack introduced me to several of their friends. Three senior girls are thinking seriously of attending Huntington University next fall. I invited them now to spend their fall break next year with Neil and me in Berne.

  Brian and I took their Colts blue van to a shop to have some work done on it. From there we took a nice walking tour of the main part of the historical and cultural part of the city. After a phone call to my "tech support" (my daughter-in-law, Jeni) perhaps I'll be reminded how to get pictures on this blog. My learning curve is pretty slow. That's all for now. (Added a couple of hours later--Jack was the first one home from school and he was able to help me insert the pictures. It's so handy to have young people around to help us techno "wanna-be"s. Thanks, Jeni and Jack!!!)

We saw three beautiful cathedrals today. All of them had gorgeous gold domes that glistened on this bright, autumn day. This is St. Andrews Cathedral. It's not the biggest but its position on a hill makes it very noticable.

Yours truly standing on the bluff above the Dnepr (pronouced knee-per) River. In the background is a monument to Vladimir Svjatoslavovich (say that real fast three times!) He "Christianized" Ukraine in the 9th century.

In the Air

   The beginning of my international trip started at Fort Wayne International Airport Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm. Apparently they don't have too many people that check in for international flights. I checked my baggage all the way to Kiev, Ukraine, as Brian suggested. In the security line with my shoes, belt and watch already removed I was told that I did not have a proper boarding pass. I collected my carry-ons from the bins, including my shoes, belt and watch and returned to the check-in counter. The agent noticed my destination and realized she needed to print some additional papers for me.
  Once on the plane, the pilot informed us that the air conditioning was not working. He encouraged us to keep the shades closed so the cabin would not get so hot. I've been very pleased that I seem to have "outgrown" motion sickness that used to plague me everytime I flew. I had not taken Dramamine but was wearing the wrist band with the pressure point. I checked the pocket on the back of the seat to make sure it contained a bag. Because it was such a short flight, the bag was not a necessity but I was sure glad to get inside the terminal at O'Hare and feel the cool, moving air.
  Several very lean people were wearing Chicago Marathon t-shirts imprinted with 10-10-10. I called Neil and he had just completed his participation, for the 10th time, in the Hilly Hundred bicycle event in southern Indiana. It was a great bike riding weekend for him.
  The flight from Chicago to Munich, Germany was a long one. I was in the very middle seat of a group of five in the midde of the plane. There were German men on both sides of me who slept most of the time so I never got and moved about. My knees got so stiff! It was nice to see the Alps out the window to the south of Munich.
  The flight to Kiev was not yet posted when I arrived in Munich so I didn't know which gate to go to.
While walking around I saw the Chapel/Meditation Room which displayed symbols outside for Christianty, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and a few other major world religions. I went inside and found a small room with an illuminated floor and walls. In the centerof the room was a barkless tree trunk on which many messages had been inscribed. I took out my Bible and read John 1:1-5 and Acts 4:11 & 12 and meditated on them.
My flight was finally posted and I went to the gate wishing very much that I could go to sleep. The flight was only 2 1/2 hours to Kiev but I got a very good nap.
   I noticed when we landed that construction workers at the airport were wearing heavy coats. It was very easy to get my luggage and no problem going through customs. Taxi drivers were immediately offering to be of assistance but Brian's "taxi" was the one I wanted. I got out hooded sweatshirt to put on under my jacket.  Fortunately I also brought gloves and a headband. Brian and I headed straight for a soccer game between Kiev Christian Academy and a local Ukrainian school. KCA won 1-0. My nephew, Beau, looked great out there on the field. My knowledge (or lack thereof) keeps me from saying more about that game.
  I've had supper with the family, met several of Brian and Cathy's co-workers, and had a phone conversation with Neil. It's just 3:30 pm on Monday, Oct 11 in Berne but 10:30 pm here. Brian has instructed me to go to bed and told me I will get up and have a full day tomorrow.

Doug

Let me introduce my brother, Doug.

Our parents, Roger and Mary Lou  Birdsall, moved to Boise, Idaho, after graduating from Huntington Seminary and Huntington College in 1950. Two years later I was born; 15 months later, Doug arrived with a "belated bang" on July 5th. This picture was taken on Doug's 50th birthday during our Birdsall family reunion in Estes Park, Colorado. If you look closely, you'll see that his shirt is embroidered with "I'm 50" which I gave him to commemorate his arrival at the half century mark. I'm so pleased that I can be part of Cape Town 2010 which has been Doug's primary focus for the last three years.  

Getting Ready

Only 24 hours til "I'm leaving on a jet plane" and I'm trying to learn how to blog. Nothing like waiting til the last minute. Thank goodness for my son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Jeni, who are patiently working with me while Liam, Kate, Owen and Zane play unattended.

 

This is basically a test to see if I've learned what they've tried to teach me. Please stayed tuned for more interesting travel information in the next three weeks.



 This is me on this wonderful little travel-convenient computer.