Open School Session
(OTWARTY ZJAZD SZKOŁY)
(24-26 October 2008)
We wept together, we laughed, we prayed and we talked with one another. We were full of sadness, we were surprised, and we were astonished. All these things touched us during the last Open School Session, and gave a powerful dose of encouragement to be fully devoted in service to our God – to serving by bring people for His glory.
We were surprised, when Robert (Mission School) shared such statistics: 80% of foreign missionaries are sent to Christian areas, only 2.5% of missionaries are going to areas where people have no access to the gospel – which represents 27% of the worlds population.
We were very surprised to learn that statistics show that Christians in Mongolia and Lebanon are sending most of all missionaries - if one looks at the ratio of the number of Christians in these countries compared to the number of missionaries being sent out (222:1 in Mongolia and 295:1 in Lebanon). As far as abortions go, the ration of women to the number of abortions being performed is 1:7 !
We were thankful to the Lord when we were informed that evangelical Christianity is increasing 2 times faster than Islam.
The sadness came as we heard from Magda (student of Mission School) who told about her missionary journey to Khakassia in Russia, when she shared about the situation in Russia: out of every 4 men, one is addicted to alcohol and/or drugs, one sits in prison, one works in the military/police, and only one is working in a normal job!
In Khakassia, the situation seems much worse amongst its 60 thousand Khakass population. In addition many are given over to various spirits, whom they try to appease by various sacrifices.
We thanked God for the New Testament translated into the Khakass language (Michal, who participated earlier in this translation project, organized that mission trip.) However, we were sad to hear about division among the small local community of believers in Khakassia.
We laughed a bit about Robert’s and Mietek’s adventures during their journeys through Moldavia and Gagauzia. They surprised us as they told stories of customs they encountered in some local churches. For example, the forbidding of wearing wedding rings because it is wasteful decoration, or the forbidding of men wearing ties because it indicates Hell. But the encouragement came through hearing how they were able to share the Gospel in parks, museums, prisons, in bars, and in a rehabilitation center for alcoholics. We were thankful to God for those who trusted in Christ as a result of this mission trip. It was encouraging too to learn that the Gagauzi people – a Turkish language nation in Moldavia -- are coming to God and are even starting missionary trips to Turkey.
We wept, when Jurek from BSM spoke and showed films of Gypsy housing developments in Ukraine. It is hard to believe that, in the 21st century and only several kilometers from our border, people live in worse living conditions than cavemen. They live in wooden boxes surrounded by heaps of garbage. Thank God that He has people He sends to go to those kinds of places with assistance and who are sharing the Good News.
We were informed that of the 6300 currently alive languages, about 3000 still need translation. Even more importantly, there are about 1.2 billion people in the world who aren't able to read; so first it is necessary to teach them to read, and as well create a written form of their language.
As we listened to a polish „tentmakers” report from his ministry in Afghanistan, we were thankful to God for what is happening there. We heard how young Afghans are finding the True God, about a new church in Kabul, and about several young men who attend there. It was a little horrifying to realize how dangerous it is to live there, always needing to be cautious and on alert. It was sad to hear about the extreme poverty of the people, and that the main export of this country is opium.
Daniel astonished us by his courage – wandering and hitchhiking through Iran this summer. Iranians did not understand this manner of traveling. They tried to convince him, and even drag him, to the bus station. We heard about the great hospitality, kindness, and the passion for mountain hiking among Iranians. It was sad to hear that these people (they are Shi'a) worship different holy people tombs, also that the world's biggest percentage of opium addiction is in Iran, generally smoked by everyone.
Such was the weekend of the Open School Session for us.
Some more photos …
