Are We Almost There Yet?

Remember when you were a child riding in the back seat of your parents’ car on what seemed like a never-ending trip? Nothing to do except poke your sibling or keep asking, “Are we almost there yet?” You kept repeating that question until your dad said, “If you ask that one more time, I’m going to stop the car and...” Soon another feeling would overwhelm you and another phrase was uttered over and over again, “I’m bored”, until that was no longer allowed.

Variety can challenge us and make our lives more exciting. Missionary life by nature is diverse because of the cultures, languages, idioms, and local customs. For those of us near the equator, December celebrations are spiced with temperatures that stay in the low 100’s F for weeks, while our supporters back in the States shovel snow.

During 2016, for both Vicki and me, boredom was not in our vocabulary. She ventured out further than she has ever gone not only in her formal education, but also in helping those who struggle in life or were stuck in a holding pattern not knowing how or where to land safely. In her recent preparation for lectures, on communication, given at a state university, she was insightful and inspiring. 2016 gave Vicki and me a variety of opportunities to speak to married couples in hotel hideaway atmospheres. These were far from boring as many discovered they weren´t alone in trying, at times, to make sense of matrimony.

Never in our 40 years of missionary ministry, have we been involved in a developing church that is drawing such a variety of folks into her congregation to better know Christ. At one end of our spectrum, we have believers who are doctors working on their PhDs, psychologists, banking professionals, and university professors. Jumping over to the other end of this comparative gamut are those who can’t find a job, struck down by poverty, and homeless, feeling hopeless. All are drawn to meet in praise, worship, and the preaching from Scripture. When I speak to our congregation, I see the expressions on their faces. It brings a mix of joy and sadness knowing that some can defend their hope within (I Peter 3:15) while others continue searching in places where they will not find it.

Monotony was not felt at any time while working construction on three building projects. Each job site had something new and different. With fresh excitement, I made friendships for a lifetime with our Christian brethren in novel interior towns as their simple church buildings were built with innovative concrete and steel re-rod calculations. The most outstanding “something new” was the conversion of one of our bricklayers. At the end of the six-month construction, Silvio, his wife, and their two children began attending our church. Their thirst for and understanding of the Gospel is captivating! And then throughout the next months, each member of Silvio’s family publicly shared his or her trust in Christ!  

So… are we bored? Nope! Are we almost there yet? Nope. Hang tight; we’ve a ways to go!

                                                                                                                          by Tim Reiner

                                                       Tim and Vicki Reiner  http://inafarplace.blogspot.com.br/

Baptist Mid-Missions . P.O. Box 308011 . Cleveland, OH 44130-8011 USA . (440)8263930

Baptist Mid-Missions of Canada . 110 Garnet St. North . Regina, SK S4R 3S5 . (306)775-2001

www.bmm.org/give/