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On a recent farm call, I was introduced to a visitor (a Christian foreigner) and 
one of the farmers told that the foreigner was a good man – if only he would
become a Muslim then he would be fine. I asked the farmer why the foreigner
should become a Muslim and he replied, “So he can pray to God!” “He already
prays to God” I replied. Then I asked the farmer a leading question: “Can you
think of any reason this foreigner would want to become a Muslim that would
benefit him over being a Christian believer?” There are quick and easy answers
to that question for Muslim evangelists, but the farmer said he would think
about it and we would talk again the next time I came to his farm. I look
forward to that.

Reflecting on the question I asked, however, I wonder – was I insinuating  that a valid reason for being a Christian was personal benefit? Was I to some degree preaching Christ because it benefits me and do I desire others to become like me so as to share in the benefits?

Serving in the mission field does not necessarily mean leaving your country and travelling to some 3rd world country, bringing your “foreign” culture and clothes with you, preaching from your own variety of theological background and asking people to repeat the same words that you did when you became a Christian. It’s not necessarily helping others to memorize your “Christian phrases” and to mimic your style of worship.

We can tend to preach a type of Christianity that satisfies ourselves. Living in other cultures and places with mind-sets very different than ours (and I presume in North America too) we risk reaching a point when we put our head on the pillow and look back over the day and can identify moments when we showed other people that they were wrong. We can tend to spread a gospel that makes us feels right and other people wrong! We may corrupt Jesus’ teachings by promoting a Christianity that makes ourselves feel comfortable and yes, maybe even a little superior.

I used to think that a goal of my Christian faith was to make me feel good  and to help me live in such a way to increase my understanding and give me ways to improve myself and be satisfied with growth in spiritual knowledge and action. I was, however, forgetting that the central message of Christianity is abandonment of self!

Preaching the Gospel rarely leads to fairy tale endings such as a whole village turning to Christ. Spreading the good news is not simply telling an emotional or romantic story about some poor humble guy had nothing else to do but live a moral life and then give it up for some sinners. It is not primarily a means of self-improvement. It’s not a ‘Once upon a time’ and ‘lived happily ever after’ type of guarantee.

Two months ago, something happened that challenged my view of mission work
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The following is a Sierra Leone Missions update from Conrad Van Dijk, taken from our Sierra Leone e-newsletter.

"This trip was a journey of faith and we tried to live out Proverbs 3: 5 and 6  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and he will make your paths straight” The Lord surely blessed us and allowed us to get a lot accomplished, for which we are very thankful... (Please click below to read the rest of this post).
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Here are some of the highlights from the latest Hope for Nigeria Newsletter. For the full newsletter, see our Overseas Missions page.

Hope for Nigeria is working together with the Mennonite Brethren Charity Organization of Nigeria in the organization and operation of successful poultry operations for beginning poultry farms in Nigeria. Our ultimate goal is to portray Christ’s loving by helping the poor people of Nigeria in this material way.

In early November, Charles and Dennis, together with their wives, traveled to Nigeria to visit the four farms and meet with our contacts in Nigeria. We inspected the existing farms, and Dennis gave training sessions in basic bookkeeping. The farms have become profitable, and the loans to the farmers are being paid back. However, some improvement was needed in the record keeping, both to satisfy our government’s requirements, and for the farmers’ own benefit in managing their new businesses.

Charles and Dennis also met with Dr. Gbenga Idowu of the Christian Veterinarians Nigeria organization. Dr. Idowu has been invaluable in providing direction, advice and oversight for the farmers. It was good to meet with him and discuss the current issues affecting the project in Nigeria. Two of the farmers have switched to raising layers, and Dr. Idowu had a lot of valuable insight to share with us on raising layers and producing and marketing eggs in the Nigerian setting.

On the ground in Fugar, the Mennonite Brethren Charity Organization (MBCO) oversees the poultry projects, and some members are the first to participate as chicken farmers. By operating their own chicken farms, they in turn can train and oversee other local farmers who are in need of an income to help them out of poverty. Our role in the project is to provide the members in Nigeria with advice, direction and funding. We are excited about this project, but we cannot
maintain this work alone. We need willing participants to provide funding, advice, and other material aid. We earnestly solicit your prayers, advice, and generous donations for this worthy project.

If you want to receive regular updates from the Hope for Nigeria project, contact us to have your name added to the email list.

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