Women in Mission 2018 - “Mission in Today’s World”
What
a flying start to the 2018 Women in Mission day. The MAF plane landed at the
Hastings Aerodrome on Friday with Bridget as the pilot. Visitors were welcome to
have a ride and look over this mission aircraft.
We
started Saturday morning at Onekawa Bible Church with Paula MacFarlane who said,
“The Battle is the Lord’s.” The walls of Jericho fell and David beat Goliath - both
seemed impossible as did her idea of being on the mission field. It took years
from when her husband and she got married thinking this was their direction in
life. Finally as a doctor, alone and her
children all grown up, she got to the hospital in Nepal.
Esther
Jenkinson put her whole trust in the Lord as she and 25 other young people arrived
in PNG for a six week Interface programme which focuses on mission and culture.
She discovered that words can have such different meanings in the language of
tribal people groups. Being able to clearly share the Bible using a chronological
approach, is an effective tool amongst these tribes. Learning and living with
experienced missionaries was a highlight.
Marven
Harkness, having spent most of her life in Singapore with OMF International, shared
her reflections on returning home to NZ. “If you trust God to save you for
eternity you can trust him to lead you here on earth.” Returning home there was
an ending and saying goodbye to something she loved and a time of transition
before a new beginning and this has taken time. This was a real challenge to us
here in NZ to take care of our returning missionaries.
After
a refreshing morning tea and photos, we heard from Eleanor Major, a school girl
who went on a short term mission trip to Samoa. She found fellowship and quiet
times really cemented her faith in God. Having to share in a group, practise
and prepare drama and songs with other young people had a huge impact on her
life. Coming back she has been challenged in her life’s direction.
Sherrilyn
Grainger is heading off with SIM (Serving in Mission) to Sicily in 2019. Her
mission adventures started 11 years ago in Uganda and now the need of African
refugees in Sicily has captured her heart. These refugees have much time on their
hands and have often come to worse conditions than they have left in their
homeland. Sherrilyn & Deane hope to
offer a welcome acceptance and God’s love amongst the trafficking and horror of
the sale of human body organs and crowded chaos of the refugee camps in Europe.
Humour
and laughter describe Clare Doorey. She brought us this cheery story of living
among 165 million people in Bangladesh, to living in Dunedin, the contrasts of
the call to prayer 5 times a day among the 90% Muslim society, where showing
your ankle when climbing into taxi was offensive, to the new NZ culture where
gender is now optional and Christianity and modesty are hard to find. Bringing teenagers
back into our culture is challenging.
Lisa
Johnson went to Indonesia, describing how God uses ordinary people like herself
to help and encourage others as they work on the mission field. Being able to
share the story of Vanny and Julia, 2 young single women she met working among
the unreached tribes Indonesia, Lisa was
so challenged by their courage as they stepped out to share the gospel in this
extraordinary place.
Kate
(Asia) “God answers prayer.” The massive contrast between the desert and lush
green rivers, the description in Psalm 1 was so real where she lived. She
asked, “Who are those we care for and disciple?” Reflecting on carrying buckets from the
bathroom to the garden, she asked, “Who are we watering and where are their
roots growing?”
After
a yummy lunch and fellowship time we came back to hear the last couple of
ladies. The day seemed to go so fast. Lan and her daughter Gabrielle have come to
live in NZ from Vietnam. Lan is in the process of learning English so her
daughter translated with clarity and ease. The Vietnam War and hatred and
distrust of Americans had a massive impact on the world view Lan had of white
people. This has been transformed by a faith she now has in God and his love
for all people. Now living in New Zealand she is discovering a different culture
and getting to know, trust and rely God for all she needs.
Bridget,
the MAF pilot, described how the puzzles of her life have fitted together bringing
her to join MAF. She has just finished her training and as they travel to more
destinations than any other airline in the world she could be in any remote
place in the planet in the next year. We were so excited that she could fly the
MAF plane to Hawke’s Bay to be part of an amazing day of seeing how great our
God is, and what mission in today’s world looks like.
Maria
Wharrie