EnterMission - Rob Wegner

Bringing the Future into the Present

My friend wrote me this morning and mentioned a post from a couple days ago about the village of Kalavai.

"I woke up this morning remembering the quote:  'From a village of sadness, to a village of joy.'

That is what God wants for the whole world. That is the Kingdom of God."

That hit me like a freight train this morning.

The Story behind the quote is here...

Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

May God find us facing this direction today.

May God find us working with Him bringing His future into the present.

"...(the) biblical apocalyptic is all about God’s future breaking in to the present, seen in glimpses, known above all in Jesus, and best expressed not in abstract theology or even in preaching but, yes, in genuine and visionary art. Apocalyptic, both in form and in biblical content, is not about the denial of the present creation, but about the overcoming of its sorrows and the realizing of its promise. Apocalyptic is the key to understanding, and re-expressing, the beauty of God."

                     NT Wright, Apocalyptic and the Beauty of God

I disagree with N.T. on one point. I don't think this future is best expressed in art, but in the work of God's people through the local church in places like Granger, Monroe Circle, Thirumalaigiri, and Kalavai.

Kalavai Colony Community Center

You've heard of MC3, Monroe Circle Community Center. 

Get ready for KC3, Kalavai Colony Community Center. 

KC3 promises to be a catalyst for even more dramatic transformation among the low caste people in Kalavai.  This short video captures the moment of origin and the vision for the future.

 

KC3 in Kalavai from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

Come to Kalavai

Take a few moments for a photo-journey to the low caste village of Kalavai.

Kalavai colony is one of the focal points for our Community Transformation initiatives.  The change in the last six months alone is remarkable.  One local high caste Hindu leader described it this way,

"This village has been transformed from a village of silence and sadness to a village of joy."

GCC teams will be back here in a few short weeks, building homes, providing conversational English training, and beginning the ground work on the Kalavai Colony Community Center.  Read the full story here and here.

(For full screen viewing, click the video below, and then click on the four arrows pointing outward in the bottom right hand corner.)

Salem Visit Slideshow and an Epiphany worth 29 hours & 9,000 miles

We're back! 

After about 29 hours of travel, we arrived in our driveway a little after 11:00pm last night.   As we climbed out of the vehicle and walked to the front door, the first thing Whitney said to me was,

"Dad, our house is ten times bigger than the homes of the people in the villages we visited.  Can you believe it?"

That comment alone was worth the 29 hours of travel.

I've been uploading photos all day. 

Over the next few days, I'll share a few photo slideshows, so you can get a better view of and feel for what we experienced the last few weeks.

We were overwhelmed by hundreds of messages and prayers that constantly flowed to us from you during the trip.  Words can not express our gratitude.

Enjoy the pics from our visit to the village of Thirumalaigiri, outside of Salem.  If you haven't had the chance, you can read about our visit here.

(By the way, if you move your mouse over the show below and click it,  you'll notice a box at the bottom right hand corner with four arrows pointing out.  If you click that it, the show goes to full screen mode.  Much better for your viewing pleasure.)

Micro Enterprise Update: Agape Water Service

The Bike Wash from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

Micro Enterprise Update: Agape 2 Wheeler Service Station

The Bike Shop from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

I Miss My Boy (and Girl too)!

Elle White, our friend and video genius, is house-sitting/dog-sitting for us while in India. She just made my day with this little video.  Elle, you are the best.

FLC: Final Session

Family Life Conference Final Session

The Pastors and their wives in their own words.

My wife is all the time smiling at me, laughing, and hugging me every other minute.  Everything is upside down!  This is the first time we experienced real joy in our marriage and family.  Pastor Sam

These two days will never be forgotten in our entire lives.  These days ave been the greatest days in our lives...ever."  Pastor George Victor

"Before I knew that I should not create conflict in my marriage, but I didn't know how to stop it or overcome it.  Now we know how to resolve the problem before it starts and how to overcome it after the conflict."     Pastor Dan

Before when I would teach on "the family" at church, my wife would say, "How can you teach this when you don't live it?"  I was a  hypocrite.  But, these two days has restored our relationship.  I have repented and ask my families forgiveness. Now, we will be living what we are teaching.  So, the entire church can follow our example.                        Pastor Nirmal

Thomas's wife, "Before when we had disagreements, we would quarrel, we would never solve it. So, it 2was silence.  Then, the process would repeat over an over again.  Now, the last two days, we have found a way out of this decades old problem.  We can finally really communicate, after all these years.  It's amazing."                                   Vinolia, Pastor Thomas' wife

We have been married for 14 years, till today, we have never been alone with my wife like this.  We feel like this is the honeymoon we never had.  In the past, our disagreements would drag on and on. Now, we have a process, it is so easy to discuss the issue and move forward.            Pastor Stephenraj

We have only one room in our house.  That room is our bedroom, kitchen, and living room.  We have never been alone with in our entire lives. We have had more time to talk intimately in the last two days, than the entire last 13 years.  These two days have been our honeymoon. We've had more heart to heart connection in 2 days than in the previous 13 years.  We have talked and talked and talked, our hearts and minds are experience a new oneness that we did not know was possible.                           Punitha, Pastor Abuwanin's wife

We don't want to leave. Can we all just stay here?  In all our years of marriage, we have not experienced this kind of freedom in our marriage.  In the past, every significant disagreement turned into an explosive situation marked with anger.  For the first time in our marriage, these last two days, we've been able to discuss points of conflict in a loving and helpful way.          The Professor

The last two days have opened our eyes.  I am feeling so sad, that we have wasted so much time in the last six years on fighting and sleepless nights.  Thank God for this opportunity.  We will live well from here on out.                                           Thamilselvi, Pastor Solomon's wife

Previously, I have prioritized my church over my family.  This was a constant source of conflict. When my wife would confront me, I would preach at her from the Bible and tell her to repent.  Now, I realize, that I have been thinking of my life in boxes only, ignoring how God's Kingdom includes my family. Now, I see family is more important.  I will cut back the hours to create more time with my wife and family.   I have to give my box mentality and live the Kingdom life, seeking God first not only in church ministry, but in my family.                                                 Pastor Samuel

Our time together ended with an oath, a renewal of vows.  Beautiful. 

First, the men.

Then, the ladies.

Then, together.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:24-25

These pastors and their families have the potential now to become one of the brightest lights for the Gospel in Tamil Nadu.  As other families look on and say, "How can we have that kind of love, grace, and Oneness in our family?" 

The answer is simple, "Jesus."

FLC: MUKAM YELLEM PAUL!

Family Life Conference Day Two

Mukum Yellem Paul!  

In Tamil that means, "Your face is full of teeth!"  In other words, "That's the biggest smile I've ever seen!"  It's the Tamil way of saying, "You look so happy that your going to burst!"

Pretty much, that sums up the last two days. 

A major component of the FLC was not only teaching about healthy family life, but providing space to experience it.

Virtually everyone of these pastors admitted they have never taken a day off with their family.  If they did, they wouldn't know what to do. 

Virtually everyone of these pastors admitted they have never spent an evening alone with their wife.  If they did, they wouldn't know what a "date" looked like.

We showed them what romance looks like!

Raj and I hoped the the pastors, as their families and our families spent time together, would see what an engaged, loving husband and father does with his wife and kids during a Sabbath day.

Each day, we provided a few hours in the afternoon, where we modeled a day off for the families, enjoying nature, playing together, talking, laughing, and just plain relaxing.

One afternoon, we took them to the local lake and nature preserve.  We ended up having the World Championship Paddle Boat Contest: US vs India! 

I provided navigation and the girls were the horsepower.  The girls have a competitive streak ( I wonder where they got that from?)  We took gold, although I think Bruce and his buddies went easy on us.

The kids loved the playground.

Michelle and the girls provided leadership for crafts and games with the kids and did an OUTSTANDING job.  The activities they provided drew the creativity out of the kid, broke down barriers, and created real community.

I was so proud of them I just about pulled a muscle.

  

We started all the sessions with the entire family involved.

We sang Camp Adventure Style. In other words, worship as an aerobic exercise. We played games and danced like fools. 

The "touch the tongue to your nose" game was a big hit. Our girls showed off their mad skills.  Many of the people were convinced this was a uniquely American skill, until Abuwanin stepped out of the crowd.

If you're wondering if "having fun" can have an impact for Christ, listen to this observation one of the pastors made at the end of day two,

In India, as husbands and wives, we won't reveal our love to our children. We won't hug, touch, or speak words of love in front of the children.  These things are considered private.  However, we will have arguments in front of them. We must go against our culture in this. Why would we show our anger, but not our love?  If we don't come together to express our love as husband and wife before our children, how will they know the security that only comes in knowing that Mom and Dad are One in Love?  We must change our culture for Christ.

When he said that, my face was full of teeth. MUKUM YELLEM PAUL!

 

FLC: The Lid Came Off!

Family Life Conference Day One

Session 2: God's Order for a Pastor's Relationships

I delivered a simple message based on Ephesians 5-6, where Paul sketches out for us a snapshot of the various "orbits" in our "relational system." First, at the Center, the Sun, is the Lord Jesus. The next relational orbit is marriage, husband and wife.  Then comes the orbit of children and finally, the church.   God's order: Jesus, spouse, children, church.

When asked, "What is the typical order of "orbits" in the relational system for the pastors in Tamil Nadu?"  For a few moments, I noticed a strange silence at the table discussion groups.  Then, a sudden shift: a very heated and difficult exploded at one table.  Raj drew out that conversation and invited the whole group in.

What was the source of the conflict?

By show of hands,  Raj surveyed the spouses and 12 out of the 14 wives in the room said, "The average pastor's priorities are exactly the opposite: Church, Children, spouse, Jesus."   

Ouch!   

I basically threw the hand grenade in the room.  Raj, the discussion leader, was left dealing with the flying shrapnel.  

To put it lightly, the lid came off in this session.  The covered up complaints came out.   Pretty scary stuff. But, these pastors are providing leadership for almost 600 churches. Literally thousands of families are watching their example.  The stakes are high.  So, we went right ahead and entered the tunnel of chaos.  

After that survey, the awkwardness in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife.  You could see the pastors squirming, some undone and some furious. Raj handled the situation like a skilled surgeon with a scalpel.  I love the openness of the Tamil people.    The discussion that followed was filled with a lot of emotion, but all in grace.

As is usual with conflict, the men were quick to say, "Hey, there are two sides to every story!  We feel that the real conflict lies in a clash of values.  Many pastor's wives are followers of Jesus, in that they trust him as Savior, but they have not surrendered to Him as Teacher and Lord, letting him shape and instruct every area of life."  

One pastor confided to me privately, "She sees me doing good to those who persecute me and says, 'Don't be foolish. These people are only setting a trap for you.  Will you walk straight in it?  Don't waste your time on those fools.' I am seeking only to live out Jesus words to bless those who curse you, yet she opposes me.  What am I to do?"

Almost every couple reported similar conflicts in values around various issues.  

What started as a session on God’s order for relationships, quickly turned into a heart-rending counseling session with 12 couples simultaneously. I’ve never been a part of anything like it. The level of trust and vulnerability was astounding. The combined wisdom was penetrating. The ministry was coming from every direction.

Tonight, the ladies and gents are working in separate group to develop a conflict resolution process that they can use as a baseline.  Tomorrow morning, each group will present.  Then, their work will be combined into a tool for conflict resolution.  Each couple will have time them to find a quiet place for them to talk and begin the conversation in a whole new way.

A session that started with friction and heat, ended with smiles and laughter.   One of my favorite sounds in the world is the fully-bellied laugh of the Tamil people.  Their philosophy, "If you're going to laugh, laugh until it hurts."  Whenever I hear it, I know I'm hearing a bit of what Heaven sounds like. Today that laughter was the sound of hope.

Then, we moved from laugher to worship, prayer, and then finally, tears.  A mutual confession of sin filled the room, there were many tears of regret followed by forgiveness and grace.  The Spirit of God moved in ways that are almost indescribable to me.

Whole new possibilities for oneness opened up today.  The points of conflict are far from resolved, but a profound new hope for healing and intimacy in these families exists and thousands will follow. 

Today felt like the New Testament in every. We were living in Acts 29, writing the Story.

In addition to all the above, there was plenty of time for singing (camp style!), games, cricket, projects and crafts for the kids, great food, and plenty of hang time. But, I think I’ll actually save that stuff for another post!