Seeds of Change...

It’s the day after Easter, and I’m walking in a place that may seem strange to some – the Herrnhut Cemetery. It takes less than 5 minutes to get there from my house, and upon entering, I am immersed in history, in stories untold. (To the left is the path up to the Herrnhut Cemetary and the Prayer Tower)

Names and dates greet me as I go from stone to stone: Mathilde, 1875 .…Johannes, 1902….Heinrich, 1913, Amelie, 1930. Interestingly, my mind goes back to last week, to the stories that were told by the Staff and Students from our Fall Discipleship Training School. They have just returned from the international outreach part of their DTS, and they bring with them accounts of lives touched – the orphanage they worked in, the Ethiopian tribes they worked with, the almost forgotten African village tucked away in the corners of India that they searched for and found.

Why the connection between the Herrnhut cemetery and the DTS? Because while I was walking through that graveyard as well as listening to our students and staff, I heard the future. I looked at those headstones and wondered at the countless number of lives that were touched, and when I listened to those 10 teams report back, I thought the same. These staff and students carried with them seeds – seeds of the hope that was within them, their relationships with Jesus. They planted their seeds, not always with knowing how they will grow, but trusting they will produce much when God brings them to life.

I wish you could have been here last week during the report back time for our DTS – I would have even saved you a seat! As with every school, the stories are not always full of easy passage, but I see and hear God’s hand in the lives of those who go, stories from staff and students who gave up their known way for a season. (To the right - the report back by the team leader of the Chad/Cameroon/Ethiopia team)

We had 10 teams this year, which encompassed 95 people on the field in 12 countries: Chad/Cameroon/Ethiopia, Ghana, India/Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Israel, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Thailand. They left on their outreaches in January, and thankfully (though we had a few tense moments with several teams, i.e. having to emergency evacuate one team from their location because of attacking rebels), all returned safe and sound.

And with stories. I recall the Ghana team and how they didn’t have an overabundance of finances, but were able to raise 5,000 Euros (about $7,800) for a project they were working with. I think of the somewhat strange story from the Israel team about one of the ministries they did – digging graves. That may sound unusual, but they told us that this was the one cemetery in the whole region where Christians, Jews and Muslims could be buried together – one island of peace in the midst of an area in vast turmoil. (To the right: The report back from our China team)

The stories go on! But, above all, I walked away with the reminder that what you and I do by supporting these teams impacts not just their lives, but the lives of hundreds of others. The seeds of change have been planted, and the stories remain to be told, in your life, in mine and the lives of those in the nations.

(Click the video below and listen to the Nepal team singing!)