Getting There is Half the Fun
It all began with The Odyssey. I consider myself a fairly savvy traveler and travel shopper, but I certainly received a surprise on this trip. (Fact: I've never seen any cheap flights to Harrisburg, PA, the home of ABWE. The closest economical alternatives are Baltimore - 81 mi., Philadelphia - 107 mi., and DC - 123 mi.) I thought I found a bargain on a flight from Sacramento to Chicago to DC on a route and airline that I'd flown before. What I got instead, was The Great American Odyssey: Sacramento to Phoenix to Austin, to Nashville to Chicago to DC going and DC to Chicago to Phoenix to Burbank to Sacramento returning. That meant, for example, that on the eastbound leg, I left Grass Valley about 3 AM for my 5:50AM flight and arrived in DC about 11:30 PM - about 1 hour late. But hey, it beats Odysseus’ 10 years or the Israelites’ 40 years by a long shot and I did get to add two cities – Austin and Nashville – to the list of places I've been … if airports count. And I arrived with all of my luggage … undamaged, no less! J Seriously though, The Odyssey was really the only wrinkle in the entire trip.
The Aircraft Carrier actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I got a good deal on an economy car through Hotwire for the drive to and from Pennsylvania (see, you didn't think I could spell it, huh!). After I collected my baggage, I marched myself over to the rental agency and learned that my tiny, thrifty little car had bal-looned into The Aircraft Carrier (some folks call it a Ford Grand Marquis), the only practical mode of transportation they had left in their inventory. I lumbered south to the first rest stop and called it a night. God had provided me a cavernous "bed-room" in which to spend the first night of my trip. I would wait until the light of day to enlist a har-bor pilot and charter a fuel tanker or exchange The Aircraft Carrier for something more man-ageable for my navigational skills and my budget.
Missionary Bumper Crop
The annual ABWE Candidate Seminar, held the week before the M.E. Conference, culminated in the appointment of 85 new missionaries — the largest crop in ABWE history. The new appoint-ees to career service stayed over for the M.E. Conference.
One of the regional groups of new missionaries. Copyright © 2006 James Dockery ABWE, Inc.
Passport Photos
You would have been rolling on the floor in laughter. I could too ... later, but at the time I failed to see the humor in it: two photographers with perhaps 40 or 50 years of experience between us spent hours trying to get a few pic-tures out of a "simple" point-and-shoot camera and print them!
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she might have been asking me. Actually, this is one of several fun snapshots Rick Craige took during his portrait sessions. ... and you thought missionaries were fuddy duddies! Copyright © 2006 Rick Craige ABWE, Inc.
As the junior photographer at the conference, I received an "easy" assignment. I was to use a specialized "point-and-shoot" camera to take passport photos for any missionaries who wanted them, then print the pictures with a port-able printer designed to quickly produce prints exactly to passport specifications. With a few minutes of training, I was ready for my first vic-tim, er customer. No worries. Even dummies can use a point-and-shoot cameras.
I took that as a personal challenge.
For starters, I had trouble getting the subject's head centered and the right size in the view-finder. Then things really got frustrating. Neither I nor Jeff could figure out how to get the images to print. I spent hours tinkering with the camera and printer, downloading and scanning the manual, and even called technical support. All to no avail. Julie, where are you when we need you?! (Julie, the department secretary who usually takes passport photos at the office, was in Colorado taking an intense summer class with Focus on the Family.)
Finally, in desperation one of us asked our boss, Ben. "You have to lock the picture before you can print it," he responded without hesita-tion. See! ...and you didn't think bosses knew what they were talking about, did you?
After completing my hair transplant, I printed the passport pictures for the patient ABWE mission-aries who held out to the end.
Party Crasher
It's a good thing I'm invisible behind my camera; otherwise I might have been really self-conscious, surrounded by hundreds of women! I was the only male at the tea Mrs. Jo Beth Loftis gave for ABWE missionary women during the conference.
Beth maintained her poise even though I was shooting over her shoulder during her solo. Copyright © 2006 ABWE, Inc.
Well, OK, I didn't exactly crash the party. The Hearts Refreshed tea was one of my photo assignments for the day and the ladies were gracious enough to pretend that I wasn't there.
In fact t hey shared some really funny stories that had everyone laughing about their mission-ary experiences. I'm sure I was blushing for the one about the automatic toilet in Japan.
A few women, including Beth, also presented short, inspiring messages.
But I thought I had been transported to heaven when I stood in the midst of these Godly women as they sang a verse of a song acapella. The only experience that would give that a run for its money in my book is being in the middle of a stadium for a Promise Keepers conference as tens of thousands of men pour out their hearts to God in song.
Ordinary People; Extraordinary Faith
They look like you and me. And like us, they’re subject to health problems, doubts, danger, financial challenges, and everything else. Missionaries are ordinary people with extraordinary faith.
Each day of the conference Dr. Michael Loftis, President of ABWE, and his wife Jo Beth presented numerous Bomm Awards to missionaries who have served with ABWE for 35 or more years. The Bomm awards are named after Edward and Miriam Bomm, early mission-aries with what was to become ABWE. They served in the Philippines and were taken cap-tive, along with all of our other missionaries, by the Japanese and held in POW camps until the end of World War II. Edward Bomm subse-quently served as treasurer of ABWE.
One couple stood out in this year's presenta-tions. Dr. Lincoln (Link) and Lenore Nelson were presented a presidential citation for serv-ing as medical missionaries with ABWE for over 50 years! They are the third couple to serve more than 50 years with ABWE. Dr. Nelson is still practicing medicine and looked like he could still whip me in a cross country race with his shoe laces tied together.
But let me tell you a little more about some of the missionaries I met, was inspired by, and learned from during the conference:
Beth
Beth served as a short term missionary in Eastern Europe before being appointed as a career missionary this summer. I believe she is a graduate of Cedarville University, in Ohio.
Beth is also an accomplished flutist. Copyright © 2006 ABWE, Inc.
Beth was one of several impressive missionary women who spoke during the ladies' tea hosted by Mrs. Jo Beth Loftis.
What impressed me most about Beth was the incredible spiritual maturity she exuded.
Doctor Coril Curtis-Warmington & Ms. Marian Stewart
At first they might strike you as "the odd couple." "Doc" is shorter and rounder. Marian is tall and thin. Doc. has a large, thriving medical practice in Jamaica. Marian, if I recall correctly, had only recently completed an advanced degree in hos-pital administration.
Doc's soft-spoken, lilting Jamaican speech is at first hard to understand. Marian, though Jamaican, spent many years in Great Britain and is probably easier for Americans to understand. Both simply glowed with joy and enthusiasm.
Doc and Marian pose with Dr. and Mrs. Loftis. Copyright © 2006 Tom Kilpatrick ABWE, Inc.
Apparently the duo is wearing a path in the clouds between Jamaica and Harrisburg because they had been to PA only a few weeks before the M.E. Conference to attend ABWE's Medical Missions Interface Update on Jungle Medicine and Surgery. Marian summed up her experience at the medical conference this way: "This forum served to affirm the calling that God has on my life. I feel an almost tangible change – a transformation in me – as I saw with clarity the missionary path that the Lord has laid before me – 'this is the way, walk ye in it.'"
I was fortunate to sit at their table one morning and hear just a part of their life stories, their calling, their hearts. They gave me one of their newsletters. Here are a few excerpts that particularly grabbed my heart.
Doc shared this story: "As I sat during a break, talking to a retired nurse who served many years in Africa, Liberia and especially Togo, my heart broke and tears ran inwardly when she shared that an African brother and sister, while sharing with her their gratitude for the love and care of the ministry, expressed a concern: 'Are there no Black Christians?'"
Marian observed, "How frivolous are our daily concerns when there are millions who suffer such abject poverty of body, soul and spirit; debilitating diseases; rampant infections, grotesque deformities – and all compounded by the fact that they are on their way to an eternity in hell. ... we were encouraged to maintain our focus always on winning souls to Christ, to share the love of God, to evangelize, disciple and plant churches – otherwise, we would be merely 'working to send very healthy people to hell' (Dr. Jack Sorg)."
John Graham, India Tribals In Ministry
John is an emigrant from India who now works as an aircraft mechanic in Texas. He was a pastor in India, but didn't feel that he could communicate with Americans well enough to continue preaching in the US.
Instead, John formed his own missionary agency, India Tribals in Ministry, and, along with his wife, supports ITiM and its indigenous pas-tors evangelizing tribal groups in the area around John's former hometown in southern India. ITiM can support several indigenous pas-tors for the same cost as one western mission-ary. Furthermore, almost all materials and sup-plies are purchased in India to save even more money. Also, the indigenous evangelists are of course fluent in the required dialect(s) and are already assimilated into the culture they're trying to reach for Christ.
John and ITiM evangelists will be partnering with ABWE and its missionaries to reach tribal groups in his part of India.
Ruthanne Raiche, RN
ABWE International Healthcare Ministries
I first met Ruthanne in the fall of 2005 at the ABWE headquarters during the ADEPT (ABWE's Digital and Electronic Presentation Training) training. She impressed me immediately with her gentle, thoughtful spirit.
Ruthanne Raiche Copyright © 2006 Rick Craige ABWE, Inc.
I didn't learn until the second week of the train-ing that Ruthanne is struggling with an as-yet-undiagnosed but extremely painful and debilitat-ing condition she contracted while serving as a nurse in Africa.
It was great to see her again at the conference, though Ruthanne now spends much of her time in a motorized scooter and has to take such powerful pain medication that she can no longer drive. Unfortunately, she is also losing a size-able percentage of her monthly financial sup-port. Despite all of this she continues to serve in Pennsylvania in the International Healthcare Ministries department. For as long as I've received her newsletters, Ruthanne has closed them with "Serving a Wonderful Savior." The subject line of her September newsletter quotes I Thes. 5:18: "In everything give thanks." Ruthanne preached a sermon in that line and continues to do so as she soldiers on, unswervingly "serving a wonderful Savior."
Will you join me in praying for Ruthanne?
Tom Kilpatrick
Tom is somewhat of a legend in our group of volunteer photographers. He has traveled to over 40 countries photographing ABWE mis-sionaries, projects, and events. When not on assignment for ABWE, Tom teaches photogra-phy at two colleges in Tennessee and leads tours to Israel as well as photo tours to other destinations.
Softspoken and easygoing, Tom is so well liked by ABWE personnel that it was nearly impossi-ble to walk across the college campus with him. It seemed as if we'd make it only as far as the first missionary before he would have to stop and catch up on events, their ministry, their fam-ily, etc. since his last photo shoot with them. What a wonderful commentary on this humble servant with a camera! Oh, and he just happens to be an exceptional photographer; his work is easily National Geographic caliber.
Tom served at the conference even though his wife had succumbed to a long and painful battle with cancer only six weeks before. Hopefully the sentiments and prayers of ABWE personnel and volunteers started the healing process for his grieving.
If I'm lucky, I'll get to go on an ABWE assignment with, and learn from Tom.
