February 2003

Dear Friends in Christ,

We live in confusing times. Just in Nepal alone, on Sunday, January 26, the Chief of the Armed Police, a force that was especially set up to counter the armed insurgence of the Maoists, was assassinated, along with his wife and a bodyguard, about two miles from where we live. Along with other residents of the country, we were bracing for an escalation of the violence that has already killed more than 5,500 people in the past fourteen months. Four days later, the government and the Maoists declared a cease-fire. We are hoping against hope that this time a lasting peace would hold, and everybody will come to the table and work out their differences through dialog. Then on February 4, a Reuters news article quoted Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca commenting on the cease-fire "Maybe this is a reason for hope but the fact of the matter is it's a deteriorating situation." She went on to say that the United States is giving $12 million to "help the government of Nepal have enough force to bring the Maoists to the table." Maoists came to the table, but "the situation in Nepal is really not looking very good," she added. These are confusing times.

Add Iraq, North Korea, Palestine, the loss of Columbia, and an assortment of local and personal difficulties to these happenings and we know we live in confusing times.

It is at times like this we need to get back to the basic reasons why we are here. During our morning devotions, we came across the message to the church in Ephesus (Revelations 2:1-7). Busy doing good works they lost their love for Christ. We wonder whether we are making the same mistake, trying to carry out our mission and in the struggle to stay true to the theology, we may have distanced ourselves from the love we have for our God and the source of all good in us.

We have been praying to get back to the basics and find a firm foundation for our mission service. We have settled on the idea that mission service is a form of worship. We do not have the idea well developed yet, but wanted to share what "mission as worship" means to us and how it can guide our attitudes towards mission activities in these confusing times. More important than that, we want to hear your ideas and comments and to ask you to pray for us. We are not asking or planning to apply this idea to anyone other than ourselves.

Our mission service starts when we respond to the call to worship. As in worship, we never bring God to our mission field, but join God where He has been already working. We join in the worship where people with different traditions are brought together in the common worship of God. No one is more worthy than another to participate in worship, yet each is called to worship God according to the measures given to us. All of us must repent our sins to approach God and hear the words and see the glory of God. As in worship where the Word of God is preached, God's truth must be proclaimed in every mission field. We also must accept that God's word can and does get pronounced in many creative ways. Just as the preachers have to struggle with the Word, we must struggle with the way the gospel comes to life through our relationships and lifestyle. What we actually do in the field is our response to the Word, as forgiven sinners and as Spirit-led servants. You get the idea. What we would like from you are your own reflections on this metaphor and other Biblical foundations that will help us keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and his commands to guide us through these confusing times.

As many of you already know, our church, the PC(USA), is going through another cycle of budget cutbacks and the efforts to deploy missionaries to bring salt and light around this confusing world is severely affected. May we humbly ask you to pray individually and as congregations and consider increasing your support for the church to respond to the partners' requests for missionaries? The staff at the Worldwide Ministries Division is doing their best to prayerfully carry out the stewardship responsibilities well in order to earn the praise of the master and His will to trust the Church with more.

"Faith Factor ECO Support" Account #051790

The 2002 General Assembly urged all congregations to make special contributions in order to build back the number of long-term mission personnel, which had been reduced during the budget cuts of April 2002. This "Faith Factor" ECO account ("ECO" stands for "Extra Commitment Opportunity") has been established to receive these contributions. Funds donated to this account will be used to recruit, place, train, and support new mission personnel in 2003 and beyond. Through this support, the PC(USA) intends to increase the number of people serving in PC(USA) international mission as rapidly as possible.

PC(USA) congregations can pledge and send contributions through the normal channels. Individual gifts are accepted at: Central Receiving Service, Section 300, Louisville, Kentucky 40289. Please include on your check the project number and name: "Faith Factor ECO Support" Account #051790. Put this information in a cover letter and send a copy of the cover letter to Marian McClure, Director, Worldwide Ministries Division, 100 Witherspoon St. Louisville, KY 40202. Make your check payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Haejung is spending two hours a day at a United Mission to Nepal hospital, the Patan Hospital, "playing" with God's little children. Some are patients at the new pediatric wing built with the donations from the Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver, Colorado. Others are the siblings and children of patients who have to stay at the hospital because their parents are patients there. She is well on her way to reclaim her name in Congo, "Mama Haejung," but here she is simply known as "auntie."

Simon is continuing to search for opportunities to share his skills and compassion, but learning to be patient until the timing is right. At the moment, he is responding to any request for help, big and small, knowing that God speaks in mysterious ways. This Sunday, he is going to visit a rural hospital in Okhaldhunga district, approximately 100 miles east of Kathmandu. It's a 20-minute flight in a light plane followed by a three-and-half-hour hike. What a luxury compared to the 12-hour road trips Simon used to make in Congo for the same distance! Pray for Simon's health and that the four day visit be an occasion of service to our Lord.

Keep your eyes fixed on the truth in these confusing times.

Haejung & Simon

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 166