Stories

Following the Leading of the Holy Spirit

I was back home in Trinidad in 2016 for furlough when my eldest brother suffered a massive heart attack. Before that furlough, so many changes had taken place over a short period of time in my ministry and I was physically and mentally exhausted! Spiritually, I felt as if I was drying up. I was in survival mode.

When the time came to buy my airline ticket, I felt as if I needed to be at home for longer than 10 weeks, as is the policy guideline in my organisation. Inside I wished that I could be in Trinidad with my family, my home church and my friends for a whole year, but I knew that was not realistic. I kept asking God why I felt this way. I rationalised that it was my weariness. Yet, there was still a very strong impression in my spirit that I should be at home for five months.

Six days before I was due to leave for home, I was called to attend a meeting with our leadership team. Their decision was that I would only be allowed 10 weeks of furlough, after which I had to return to the field. Their concern was about setting a precedent that would make it difficult to adhere to the policy in the future. I completely understood their concern. By nature I am someone who would generally go with the flow. However, in this particular situation, even though I didn’t understand the reason, I felt in my spirit that I needed this time to be with my family in Trinidad.

The only option left was for me to end my work with the organisation. That would allow me the time I felt I desperately needed to be with my family. Also, it would not open the door for difficult situations in the future for our leadership team with others who might want to have a longer furlough.

I had a wonderful time with my loving family and friends. One of my nephews was getting married while I was at home and we were all excited about this.

Then just two weeks before my return date, my eldest brother, who had no history of any serious health problems, had a massive heart attack and passed away.

I had the opportunity to ride with my brother in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. And by God’s amazing grace I had the opportunity to lead him in a prayer of repentance on his death bed in the hospital, before he slipped into eternity.

I don’t know how I would have been able to handle that news if I had not been there. Following that strong leading the Holy Spirit made it possible for me to be there, and it also gave me the peace to leave my family and return to the field.

-Christine, 2018 Germany LMC Alumna

God Sees Us and Cares for Us

A few years ago Lety’s eyes fixed on little Camila in the Mexico City migratory station. Earlier that day, before she entered the station, Lety remembered praying to ask God to allow her to listen to Him, to depend on Him, and to see Him among her immigrant friends. Suddenly one of her co-workers asked Lety to help her team–a team that would be working with children. There were lots of children and there were not enough volunteers.In her heart she was dealing with a lot of uncertainty about her ability to work with small children. She really didn’t feel like she could do that–should she say no? While not very convinced, Lety remembered what she had prayed–“God, please help me to depend on you and to see you among the immigrants.”  When she walked through the door, there was a small little girl, all alone, hunkered down in a corner, withdrawn and her eyes focussed on the floor. It was Camila, a little six-year old girl, whom the children referred to as “the girl who was alone…”

Lety approached her, extended a hand and said, “Camila, would you like for me to be your friend?” Looking at the other children playing with the other workers and seeing her approval, Lety gently insisted, “Let’s play!” Immediately, Camila took Lety’s hand and together they joined in the children’s games. While the different activities were going on, Lety asked Camila questions to get to know a little more about her. While at first she didn’t say much, when she began colouring, she also began to open up and tell her story. There was a man who took her and threatened to cut her legs off if she said anything to anyone. Her mother was in the United States and her grandmother in El Salvador…

It was hard to imagine how Camila, a tiny six-year old girl, must have been feeling about what was going on in her little world.

It was then that Lety realized that her uncertainty that day about what she could or couldn’t do paled in comparison with all that little Camila was facing. It was also at that moment that God reminded Lety that in the midst of the greatest uncertainty, as our faithful heavenly Father, He loves us and has good things for us, and He also loves and has good plans for Camila.

Lety, 2015 Costa Rica LMC Alumna

Why Did You Wait So Long to Tell Us?

Several years ago, Dennis Cochrane was translating for one of the highland languages in Papua New Guinea. He was sitting this day with his language helper and they were translating one of the gospels. His language helper was very enthusiastic about helping Dennis. Day after day as they were working to get God’s book into his language, the work was very intense work for the helper who had never set at a desk or done any studies before. But, his enthusiasm for the story kept him hard at work.

One day Dennis noticed that his helper had seemingly lost interest and his mind was somewhere else. Dennis noticed that he seemed to be looking out of the window past him, absorbed in his own thoughts. Finally, Dennis asked if there was something wrong? The helper told him that he’d been gazing out of the window at the cemetery on the other side of the valley. Then he abruptly asked Dennis, “Did your father know all this stuff about Jesus?” He said, “Well yes, my father knew about Jesus.” “Did your grandfather know about Jesus?” “Oh yes, he did too. As far back as I know my forefathers knew about Jesus.” His language helper replied, “My father never knew about Jesus. And all my forefathers never knew about Jesus. Why have you been so long coming to tell us this?”

David Cummings, a long-time LMC alumni

Who Is Your Enemy?

Matthew 5: 43-45 «You have heard the law that says: Love you neighbours and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.»

It was at midnight on October 30^th 2013, when Augustin received an emergency call in Chad. Terrorists had captured the Northeastern Nigerian town of Mubi, a Muslim dominated city. They killed as many as they could, burned down all the church buildings, raided all the banks, broke into the prisons and freed all the prisoners. This chaos provoked an exodus of people toward neighbouring Cameroon. Even worse, the countries are separated by the treacherous Mount Mandara Mountains.

It took two long days to find the group of 120 Christian students who were lost in the mountains, trying to get to Cameroon. When Augustin finally reached them, he could not believe all he heard from these very courageous young men. They had been walking for three days, drinking and eating anything they could find along the way. The next day was Sunday, and Augustin thought it was right to have a worship service. He spent the whole night trusting God for a message, realizing that with what these people had gone through and seen, a simple display of knowledge wouldn’t do. They needed words from God to heal their broken hearts. He began reading Matthew 5:43-45, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Emmanuel, one of the students, interrupted with a striking question: “Why should we pray for people who intentionally attacked us, burned our properties, and killed our families?” Augustin realized he had no idea what these guys had gone through. All he could say was to remind Emmanuel and his friends that he was not the author of these words and perhaps the best thing they could do is to go to Jesus in prayer for answers. They reluctantly ended the service with Emmanuel’s questions roaming in their minds.

The long journey took one day and two nights, passing through several villages—no one was willing to share food or drink with them. At last, they reluctantly stopped in what was obviously a Muslim community of shepherds. It was almost 5 pm. The women were busy preparing dinner for their husbands who would be returning home after tending to their cattle all day. The traveling group was obviously very week, thirsty and hungry. These ladies jumped up to give them water and the food they had prepared for their hungry husbands–even the milk they had to sell for their subsistence. They watched the students eat and drink all they had, with smiles on their faces.

That evening, during their time of thanksgiving, Augustin returned to Matt 5:43-45, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” After completing the reading, Augustin asked: “How many Christian villages did we cross on our way? How many of them gave us the care we needed? (None!) Who really is our enemy?” With full stomachs, all the young students knew Muslims are not their enemies. Satan is.

Matthew 5: 43-45   «You have heard the law that says: Love you neighbours and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. »

-Augustin, 2014 Cameroon LMC Alumni

A Head of Lettuce

During the time Cameron Townsend* was directing the work in Peru, he was committed to carefully reporting to the government all that his team was doing in the country. Through these contacts he became close friends with the president of Peru.

One day, Townsend said to his coworker, Dave, “I want you to meet me at the president’s office. We have an appointment there with him.” When Dave arrived to the presidential suite, waiting outside his office was Townsend sitting there with a head of lettuce on his lap. Dave recounts how embarrassed he was seeing his director alongside of all the other diplomats and officials, all carefully dressed in their pinstripe suits carrying leather briefcases. They finally went in and Townsend greeted the president, handing him the head of lettuce. The president took the lettuce and in a very cordial atmosphere Townsend reported about the work.

After the interview, Dave confessed to Townsend how embarrassed he felt sitting next to him with this head of lettuce on his lap and even more when he gave it to the president. Very calmly Townsend replied, “Dave, don’t you understand? He is my friend. That’s what friends do – they grow vegetables in their garden and give it to their friends. So that is what I did. Besides Dave, I want you to remember that they can never accuse me of bribing the president with a head of lettuce.”

David Cummings, long-time LMC alumni

*Cameron Townsend was the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators