The Walk Out

 

It's Monday morning. As I lay awake on the floor under my mosquito net, I think about what life would be like on Monday morning in the United States. People would be waking up, showering, drinking coffee and getting ready for the new work week. My Monday morning is very different than that.

 

I crawl out from under my mosquito net and look around. It is still dark with just a hint of pink in the east. I do not know what time it is, as I never look at my watch. I am on the porch of a simple house, an elevated wood floor and no walls, where I slept with 10 other people. They are all up, rolling up there mosquito nets and packing up their blankets. They are from different villages and walked here for a three day discipleship training. It finished last night with a church service that ended around midnight.

 

I am in the village of Nuevo Lamas. It used to be called San Francisco but last year they were registered as an official indigenous community and changed their name.

 

I walk down to the river. It is a Shawi custom that when you wake up in the morning you go to the river and wash your hands and face and brush your teeth. I stand in the calf-deep crystal clear water and take in my surroundings. The river winds off, lined by massive trees. In the distance, the mountains glow pink in the sunrise. Yes, this is definitely not a typical Monday morning.

 

After a light breakfast of chicken soup, boiled plantains and a bowl of chicha (boiled corn drink), we are ready to head out. We have an 8 mile hike.

 

We arrived on Thursday by canoe. We were bringing food and supplies for the training and it was not possible to carry them in, so we had to use a canoe. But the river was very low and we ended up pushing the canoe most of the way. At one point, one of the Shawi pastors I was traveling with looked at me and said, “Is the canoe bring us or are we bringing the canoe?” We had a good laugh.  It didn't rain while we were in the village and the river had dropped more. Now we are walking out.  

 

As we settle in to the hike and the sweat begins to pour, I begin to reflect on the past three days.

 

The three day training was for new believers. Over 40 people attended. I, along with three Shawi pastors, taught the course. The truth is they taught most of it and I told Bible stories. We started at 8am and went till 5pm with a break for lunch. In the evening, we had church service from 7pm until 11 or 12pm.

 

Meeting at the church in Nuevo Lamas

The highlight of the weekend was the session we did on Biblical marriage. It was very culturally appropriate and included ideas like, treating your wife with love and respecting your husband. They had never heard such teachings. Traditionally the husband orders his wife around and the wife yells at her husband and kids. Unfortunately, violence in marriage is common place. The idea of a peaceful, loving marriage was something they were all very excited about. When the topic turned to sex, it became very interesting. They all began to laugh with embarrassment as it is a topic they had never talked about. Sex education does not exist in the jungle. With lots of laughter, the pastor explained that there are biological and emotional differences between men and women. The conversation became more graphic than I will share here but one young, newly married man came up to me and whispered, “This is so good, I never knew any of this.”

 

Suddenly on the trail in front of me the pastor steps on a log and from underneath jumps out a four-foot snake. I am startled and jump back. The pastor looks at it and tells me not to worry, as it is not dangerous. We pass it and continue on. I have learned that when the Shawi say don’t worry then I shouldn’t worry, but if they are worried then there is a good reason. Like on Saturday night, after classes in the afternoon, we walked to a nearby village to visit with some new believers. We sat in their house and talked together as everyone was drinking chicha. It was a good visit as we talked about life and encouraged them in their new faith. But we got a little long winded and found ourselves walking back to our village after dark. It is Shawi custom that at sunset you walk to the river and take a bath. Since we had arrived late, we found ourselves bathing in the dark. It was the most beautiful bath ever. Standing in the dark, cool water, looking at the sliver of a new moon, watching the lightening flash in the distant mountains, it was breathtaking. But then on the walk back from the river, the pastor in front of me suddenly stopped in the trail and pointed his flashlight at a small red and black snake in the trail. “Be careful hermano,” he said, “It is poisonous.” He looked around for a stick to try and kill it. By the time he found one, it had already slithered off into the jungle.

 

Back on the trail, we arrive at the village of Santa Rosa. As we walk through the village, I look at the new church building and think of how God is moving throughout this whole area. Four years ago there were no believers in this entire area. A pastor had been visiting Nuevo Lamas (San Francisco) and was so excited to share with me when two families had come to faith in Christ in that village. A small church was planted and we began discipling the new believers. They began to share their new faith with neighbors and friends and family. The good news spread slowly at first but then, this past year, it picked up steam. Today there are five new church plants within an hour walk of Nuevo Lamas.

 

Passing through Santa Rosa we come to my favorite part of the hike. A long stretch of trail that is on a cliff overlooking the river. Here the trail is wide and dry and lined on each side with massive virgin growth trees. The towering trees shade the trail, making the hike very enjoyable.

 

I reflect again on the past few days and I remember the church service Friday night. We invited those who needed prayer to come forward and an 11-year-old girl came forward holding a baby. Through an interpreter she asked for prayer for the baby, stating he was abandoned and sick. After the service ended, I asked more questions about the baby. The mother of the baby was a single mother of three. She “found a man” and they decided to live in another village, leaving the children behind. Unfortunately, this story is common in the culture. It is a big sacrifice to care for a child and a man that marries a single mom will often tell her to leave the children behind. The children often end up with a grandmother but others are left to die. The next morning I took a closer look at the baby in the daylight. He was around one-year old and had some kind of skin problem as there were sores all over his body. He was malnourished and his arms and legs were skin and bones. He was lethargic in his movements and I was worried. The 11-year old girl was feeding him handfuls of rice. I asked who was taking care of the children and they said that the other kids were with the grandmother but she was too old to take care of a baby so the 11-year old, his aunt, was taking care of him. They also said the grandmother was trying to give the baby away to anyone who would take him, so they encouraged me to just take him. I informed them that I could not just take a random baby and walk out with him. But I promised to look for a solution. As I walk along the trail I pray for the baby and I pray for a solution. As I pray I examine my heart and find that I have become desensitized to situations like this. The truth is, I have seen other children like this. We have been able to help some, others we have not. I pray for God’s help to not be desensitized to the pain and suffering all around me. Renew my passion for the hurt. Give me your heart.

 

We come to my least favorite part of the trail, fording the Porotuyacu River. Everyone waits for me take off my shoes and socks as everyone else is barefoot and then we wade out into the dark and murky water. The water is ladened with sticks and sunken logs, making the crossing slow. The worst part is that the trail is not straight on the other side of the river and we have to cross and then walk through the water about 200 yards downstream to pick up the trail again. Fortunately the water is low today and only comes up to my thighs.

 

Crossing the Porotuyacu

On the other side of the river we cross paths with Abram, a new believer. He asks where we are coming from and we explain we are returning from the training. He is visibly disappointed as he normally comes to the discipleship but said he did know about it. I explain that we put an announcement on the radio for all to hear. He tells me he doesn’t own a radio. Communication is hard in the jungle.

 

We finally arrive to Nueva Arica, where I parked my truck. I still have a two hour drive on a dirt and mud road back to Yurimaguas. Some of the believers climb into the back of the truck. I will drop them off in their villages on the way back to town. I start the truck and the clock says 9:07am. Yes, this is definitely not a typical Monday morning, but I praise God that this is where He has called me to be. What an honor it is to see His mighty works first hand!

 

 

All your works praise you, Lord;
    your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
    and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Psalm 145:10-12

Beauty in the Chaos

 

Recently, Alberto, a Shawi pastor we work with and a friend of ours called to see if we had room for he and his family to stay with us for a night or two while they were in town.  This was not an unusual request on his part, he and his family have stayed with us many times before.  Two years ago when we lived in a village for a short time, we stayed in his in-laws house.  Ever since then, if we're available, they stay with us when they come to town.  He and Josh are good friends and they have 3 children about the same ages as ours and the kids have always enjoyed playing together.  

When they first began to stay with us, his wife and children were very timid and unsure of our ways.  As time has gone on, they've grown quite comfortable here.  While we do enjoy them visiting, there are still several cultural differences that sometimes are hard for my neat and tidy personality to handle.  For example, Shawi do not eat the skin of grapes.  They peel them with their teeth and spit the peel on the ground.  Same with apples.  In the village, no big deal.  In my house, kinda disgusting.  Eating only in the kitchen is a rule for my children, but a foreign concept to them.  Needless to say, when they leave, we find fruit peels on the floor, mixed in with the toys, and even behind the bed.  

Toys are another challenge.  They aren't used to our toys and enjoy playing with them when they're here.  I'm glad they enjoy playing, but putting one thing away before you get out another is also a foreign concept (although my kids aren't great at that one either!)  Needless to say, after one night, the house is a mess.  After 2, well, it required Lucy and I to take deep breaths this last time.  

But after they left, I stood back and examined the condition of my home through a different lens.  I was grateful that they are comfortable staying here in spite of our differences.  Not only have they gotten accustomed to our strange way of showering (they even enjoy a hot shower now when they're here!) and taking out the trash (Alberto loves to help meet the trash man when he's here), but they've become comfortable in my home, and there is a real beauty in that for me.  

You see, in the beginning, they were such timid guests.  But now they're comfortable and it's like family is visiting. (Although they still do not like sitting at the table to eat.)  Since the whole family was in town last time, I thought they might want to eat something special as a treat for dinner.  I asked them if they wanted to order rotisserie chicken (a local favorite) or get fresh fish from the night market and fix for dinner.  They chose fresh fish.  Josh wasn't able to be home that evening (and he does our fish buying) but they were willing to do the shopping and help with the cooking (because Josh does that too and I still don't know how to clean fish!).  So, we spend the evening in the kitchen together.  Them teaching me to clean and prepare fish, me teaching them how to light the stove and use the sink!  Our evening was full of laughter and my heart was full of joy.  You see, even though we've lived here over 4 years now, only Maggie is a big fan of fish (my fault because I'm not either so I don't fix it!).  But my kids put smiles on their faces and sat down to a dinner of Shawi fish soup (some kind of fish with whiskers I'd never seen before boiled in water with a bit of salt and cilantro).  We all laughed as we made jokes about eating the eyeballs (a delicacy to some) and how little meat was left on their bones as compared to ours.  My kids not only enjoyed the fellowship but decided they liked the meal as well. 

 

So as Lucy and I began to pick up the house the morning after they left, our hearts were full - full of love for our friends and gratitude for friendships that transcend cultural differences. 

To live Christ

Security patrolling in Yurimaguas.

Philippians 1:21

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

This is a well know verse. Many people have it on their walls or on a coffee cup. But how many people believe it? How many people live it out?

We are today on day 90 of our quarantine and it has not been easy. The city has been on military enforced shutdown and curfews. Most people here live day to day, and not working for 90 days has taken its toll. Many people are struggling to meet basic needs. If a family is in need they can hang a flag on their house indicating the need for help. 

Flag demonstrating need.  (Photo credit: Ryan Rivetto)

We have started working with local pastors and believers to reach these people. To date, with the help of our teammates Ryan and Rebecca Rivetto, many generous donors and the kids at the children's home, we have assembled and handed out over 400 bags of food.

Packing food bags

One of the pastors living out Philippians 1:21 is our friend and neighbor. We buy our propane from him and one day he told me of the needs he'd encountered while delivering propane during quarantine (he has a special pass since his services are considered essential).  He began using the proceeds from the propane sales to help needy families. I told him we wanted to help also and since that time we have been working together. He has worked tirelessly visiting the sick and elderly and helping with food and medicine. He contracted COVID-19 and he and his entire family became sick. During his self-quarantine, he came down with dengue fever.  After five days of high fevers, he had to be admitted to a local clinic for re-hydration. He also had his motorcar impounded by the police while trying to help an elderly neighbor get to the bank (his special pass did not allow for such assistance, only deliveries). Yet he hasn’t stopped. The best part is his desire to share the gospel. As a result of his efforts 40 people have come to Christ!  He is continuing to follow up with and walk through difficult times with these new believers.

While delivering food bags, he has come across additional needs. This is the story of a man with COVID-19 and his crippled wife. Upon delivering the food, he learned of their needs.  Since becoming ill, the husband hasn't been able to work and buy diapers for his wife.  She is also confined to a bed which consists of wooden boards on a bed frame. Learning of the need for a wheelchair and hoping to receive financial assistance from local believers, the pastor posted a picture of the woman and her need on Facebook.  Many people shared the post but he received little response in terms of financial assistance.  The response he did receive though was surprising and beautiful. He began to receive phone calls from around the country of people who were willing to donate wheelchairs they were no longer using, some having belonged to family who passed away due to the virus.  Two chairs were shipped from the next closest city, one was delivered to her, the other will be delivered Monday to a young man crippled in a motorcycle accident.  A woman from Yurimaguas also reached out after having seen the picture, not with a wheelchair though.  She was touched that this woman didn't have a mattress on which to lay and donated one. She invited the pastor to come to her store and pick one out to deliver to the family.   She donated bedding and other good as well. 

Praying over the blessing of food.

This pastor inspires me. I know Christians here in Yurimaguas that are hiding in their houses in this time. Scared to go out, afraid of contracting the virus. Yet perfect love casts out fear. We can choose to hide in our houses in fear protecting ourselves and our families or we can choose to love our neighbors even if it brings a personal risk. But if we really believe that to die is gain then we have nothing to lose. 

Quarantine Life

I am leaving to buy fruit. It is much harder these days to buy fruit then it used to be. The market is closed and surrounded by police barricades to keep people out. It is impossible to get within two blocks. And so to buy food you have to go hunting. I put on my face mask to drive. It is illegal to be outside of your house without a face mask. It has been interesting since most people do not own masks and do not have the money to buy them so they have resorted to making their own. Some are just simply an old shirt tied around their head and others have taken cloth and sowed their own, complete with ear loops. They are quit pretty, made with flower patterns. I even saw a sewing shop selling them for 4 soles.

Not two block from my house I pass the bank. The line to get in is two blocks long. It is only 6:50am and it does not open for another hour and ten minutes. The people are in line to receive their emergency relief money from the government. Most Peruvians live day to day. Making just enough money today to buy food tomorrow. Most have been two weeks without work and things are getting tough. The government is stepping in and giving 380 soles to families living in poverty. It is about $110. Not much, but an average family can eat for a month on that so it is a huge help.

I pick my way downtown. The police and military are everywhere. They are letting people drive around because it is legal to leave your house and buy food before 10am. Curfew is 4:00pm. If you are outside of your house after that you can be arrested. So far 4000 people have been arrested in Peru for breaking quarantine laws.

Downtown I meet Elvis. He works for the mission. Our motorcycle has broke down and he is looking for parts. This is difficult because all the part stores are closed. The only option is to knock on the doors of the part stores looking for one where the owner lives there as well. With luck he will open the door and sell you parts, although it is a risk as it is illegal.

I finally make it to the fruit stand. It is disappointing. He has some fruit but it is all the same as was there two days ago. It looks old and rotten and there are flies all over. I buy the last mandarins and he promises that more fruit will arrive today. That is what he said two days ago.

Life is hard in quarantine but I do not want to complain. As of this writing there are only around 1000 cases in Peru. The quarantine seems to be working at stopping the spread. The government is doing a good job controlling it and helping the poor. Still life is different, very different. But I am thankful that we have food to eat and we are safe. I trust that God has a plan for this too. What else it there to do but trust?  

Jungle Technology

A couple of years ago I began recording Shawi worship on my phone.  There were new church plants at the time and they were asking for help. When these new churches would meet they were unsure what to do. Can you imagine a group of new believers meeting together? Most do not know how to read or own a Bible and no one knows hymns or worship songs.  So one evening Lucy and I recorded a Shawi pastor and his wife singing a handful of worship songs and then the pastor gave a short message encouraging the new believers. We combined the content with some Spanish songs I had and began distributing it on USBs and SD cards. Here in the jungle most of the people own battery powered radios and all the radios play USBs or SD cards so it made it easy to distribute the music. The new churches could now meet, listen to the pastor’s message and worship along with the music. And they loved it.

From there it began to pick up steam. I continued recording music and messages in Shawi and they continued to ask for more. Many of the believers sit around after dark or early in the morning and listen to worship music on their phone. I often have people give me the SD card out of their phone so I can take it back to Yurimaguas and load it with worship music from my computer.

Yes the Shawi have phones. That is the world we live in now. There are more people in the world who have mobile phones than there are people with access to a flushing toilet. Technology is cheap. Toilets are expensive.

Thanks to Maple City Chapel we were able to purchase an awesome tool while back in the states, a pocket WIFI device. It is essentially wireless internet but you control the content. Now instead of swapping SD cards they can log onto the device and stream or download content directly from it. It is full of worship music, the Jesus Film, messages, and the Bible both in text and audio. The content is in Shawi and in Spanish.  Right now one of the devices is in a remote village two days up river where new believers gathered together to celebrate New Year’s. It is cool to think about all these new believers that are getting access for the first time to the Bible, or sitting around late at night watching the Jesus Film.

Anyway, I just learned the neatest part of the story this past week. About a year and half ago I was in a village for a church inauguration. A pastor from a remote village who rarely comes to town was there. He speaks very little Spanish and since my Shawi is not very good, I did not have much of a relationship with him. But he is faithful to visit other churches for events such as the inauguration and he always walks. He began to sing that night and it was really good. I had never heard him sing before so I recorded the song he was singing. The song was over 20 minutes long but sounded great so I added it to the content that I distribute. Since that time I have passed the song on to more than 50 people, have shared it with others, and listened to it in church gatherings. Hundreds of people have heard the song.

Last week, one of the guys at the discipleship center was listening to it over and over. I asked him to translate it and he began to tell me the meaning. Most of the songs are taken from an old Shawi hymn book and so I now recognize many of them and even understand some of them but when he began to translate it, I realized it was not from the hymn book. I asked him where the song came from.

He told me that the pastor singing the song had a dream one night. In the dream he could see himself in front of the church singing this song. Then God told him to write down the song and sing it to the churches where he visits. So the pastor woke up at 4:00am and wrote the song. It is a powerful song about God’s love for us. It has a message for men, women and children. It talks about a wide range of things and quotes scripture. It is a 20 minute sermon, put to song, given by God.

I was floored by the message. It was powerful and moved me. But then I thought about how God had orchestrated everything. He gave the pastor the song, he had me record it and now it has gone out and hundreds have heard it. And thanks to the pocket WIFI devices, hundreds more will hear it.

Only God can orchestrate such a beautiful thing. Only God can take a pastor of a small church in the middle of the jungle and use his voice to impact hundreds of people. Only God can give me the tools to distribute His message without me even knowing! He is sovereign and He has an amazing plan.

As Job said:

I know that you can do all things;

No purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Job 42:2

The Box

I was headed back to San Francisco, for very exciting reasons. Four of the new believers in San Francisco have been coming to the discipleship center for training. One of the things we teach is that the training they receive is not just for them, but they need to return home and share it with their neighbors. So I was excited the day they called and said that they had been sharing Jesus with a nearby village and some of the people have come to Christ. Then they asked if I would visit for the baptisms. What a great reason to head back.

The journey starts with a two-hour pickup truck ride. So I went to the truck stop to get a ride. I arrived at 11:30 because the road is under construction and only open from 12:00-12:45 during the day. I found a seat and waited as the truck filled up with passengers and cargo. I waited and waited and started to get frustrated and nervous. I had a plan to meet a pastor at 2:00 and we were going to walk two more hours together to San Francisco. It was now 12:30 and the truck driver was still loading the truck. Someone had bought rebar, which comes in 30-foot-long bars, and was trying to tie it to the pickup bed. If we did not make it onto the road by 12:45 it would be closed until 8:00pm, effectively canceling my trip.

Many times we are delayed for a purpose. Our plan is not necessarily God’s plan. And this was the case for me as I saw a hearse pull up to the truck stop. They pulled a simple wood coffin out of the back and loaded it in a truck. And then out of the front climbed Jose, a friend of mine. Jose is one of the disciples that regularly attends trainings at the discipleship center. He lives in a distant village and is new in the Lord. I jumped out of the truck and asked him what was happening. He could only respond that his uncle had passed away.  We only had a moment as now both trucks were running and the drivers were waiting. So instead of asking him details, we prayed. When we finished tears were streaming down Jose’s face. It is a rare thing to see a Shawi show such emotion. I knew his heart was broken.

Then we climbed in and took off. Jose’s truck in front of mine. When we got to the road it was 12:47 and it was closed, but after some negotiating with the guard, he saw the coffin and let us through. For the next two hours we followed that truck down the bumpy dirt road. The coffin did not fit in the truck bed so it was hanging out the back, tied down with some rope. As we drove I prayed for Jose and the people in his village. And I began to think about the coffin, a simple wood box. It’s destination: three hours in a truck followed by four hours in a dugout canoe. Then carried to a cemetery out in the jungle where it will be buried and marked with a wooden cross. Ten years from now the wood will rot away and the wood box will be forgotten. But that is the same for you and me. We will die. Our bodies are destined for the wood box. And although it might be marked with stone instead of wood, it will still be forgotten. It all seems so permanent.

It was with those thoughts that I finally got out of the truck. I was late but the pastor was waiting for me with a pleasant surprise. He had brought a boat and said we could go half way by boat before walking. The river was too low to go all the way. So we jumped in the boat and 30 minutes later arrived at the village of Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa is a very exciting place as a year ago there were only 5 believers in the village, but today there are over 30 and they have appointed leaders and are building a church. The leaders have been coming to the discipleship center for training. One of the new believers invited us to his house for lunch before we continued walking. There I was able to visit and get to know him and his family over a bowl of fish soup.

Then an amazing thing happened! After lunch we walked out of his house to see that the river had risen two feet during the 30 minutes we had spent eating. Although it was sunny where we were it must have rained up in the mountains. Praise the Lord! He provided water and we continued on in the boat. Many of the believers in Santa Rosa decided to join us and climbed in the boat, with 15 people we were riding low. The old boat was full of cracks and holes and was taking on water as fast as we could bail, but we made it to San Francisco safely.

Church Service in San Francisco

After dark service began. They asked me to speak so I told the story of David being anointed by Samuel. I told them that just as God had chosen David for the task of king, God has also chosen them for the task of sharing his gospel. The service went until midnight. We sat around and talked and drank chicha until 1:00am. Then we all fell asleep on the porch of a house. At 4:00am one of the guys woke up and grabbed a guitar and for an hour they all sang hymns and prayed together. What an amazing way to start the day.

After chicken soup for breakfast, service began again. They asked how many were planning to be baptized and 4 people raised their hands. Praise God! These 4 people were trusting in God because the believers in San Francisco were sharing their faith. Then they asked me to speak again. I told the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.  I explained that as followers of Christ their job is to be as Philip, obedient to the Lord and sharing the good news. Then I gave a simple invitation and 6 people received Christ. Afterwards we all walked down to the river and 10 people were baptized.

Baptism in the river

After service I started the long trip home. The river had dropped overnight and we spent more time out of the boat pushing then we did in the boat. It was so slow that some of the people walked and actually arrived before the boat. Then I jumped in the back of a pickup.

All wet and squished between plantains and boxes of papaya for two hours, my thoughts returned to the box. Our bodies are destined for the box, but our souls have a different destiny. That destiny is also permanent. And this weekend the destiny of 6 people changed.  God changed their eternity.

I returned home at 7:00pm, tired but full of joy. Praising God for what He is doing in, around, and through San Francisco. Praising Him that He is calling the people and through His mercy, changing destinies.

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call.  

-Acts 2:39

The new believers coming forward to declare their faith.

Rethinking Discipleship

Discipleship is hard. It is not easy to take on the challenge of walking beside younger believers and guiding them. And I am the problem. I am North American. I want to institutionalize discipleship. I want a program with a curriculum and when someone completes the program, boom, they have been discipled!  But life does not work like that. Discipleship does not look the same for all people.

We currently have 2 groups going through discipleship.  After having such a great response from the first group and their desire to invite more people, we decided to start a second group for 2 reasons.  First, we don’t want the newcomers to miss out on any of the material.  Secondly, our first group bonded really well: sharing, encouraging one another, and studying together after class.  We desire for the disciples to have this comradery and support amongst each other and felt it would be good to keep the groups small, so last week we had the first session with our new group, 10 men and 5 women.

The main part of what we do is tell Bible stories, beginning in Genesis, and let them respond to the stories. We ask questions to engage them and get them to think critically. It is supposed to be like a small group where everyone is invited to participate. But last week did not work out that way. I would tell a story and ask the questions and everyone would just stare at me. No response. I pushed and prodded and begged but nothing.

Then one of the men asked if we had a guitar. We do not but we borrowed one from a believer that lives nearby and as soon as the guitar showed up, they started playing and never put it down. We would hear them singing and playing at 11:00pm and then again at 4:00am. We also found access to a Shawi hymnal and had copies made. So each of them asked for a copy of the hymnal and they loved it.

I began to look at the hymns and realized something. They are awesome, each one has a beautiful message.

One of my favorites reads:

Come let us rejoice

We will work for God

All glory to Him

For Him we will live

For Him we will die

I was learning something. Maybe my idea of a cut and dried curriculum is wrong. Maybe we need to be more adaptable with discipleship. To some people the stories are powerful, to others the worship, to others the fellowship. Jesus’ command in Mathew 28 is to: “teach

them to obey everything I have commanded you.” But he never said how. Maybe I should take a fresh look at how we do discipleship.

The point really hit home for me on the last night. During that evening’s church service, I asked each person to share for 3-5 minutes about something they had learned during the week. I was expecting a Bible verse or some thoughts about the stories but instead many shared a song.

Those who did share a verse said it was their first time ever sharing something publicly and admitted that they were very nervous. Most of them were between the age of 17-23 and so this was a completely new experience. One them even admitted that he had never opened a Bible before this week.

The point is this: Do not get caught up in traditional methods. Disciples are not made in a classroom. We are all commanded to make disciples and I believe discipleship needs to be centered in God’s word but let us also remember that discipleship is life, eating together, living together, working together, mourning together, celebrating together and worshiping together. We all have a role in completing the great commission.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.