I was sitting here in one of the classrooms waiting for the next class, and a group of the graduating students got together just to pray.  My heart was really challenged to hear these young lives, so committed to the task that Jesus left for us!  

Considering what the world might deem “special people,” they might not make the cut, but I have to think that God has a HUGE smile on His face right now as he heard their pleas of faith.  He LOVES it when we trust Him.  They prayed for safety, for wisdom, for provision and direction, just like any other believer might pray.  But where we might be praying for “provision and direction” regarding one task we face, they are looking at entire life and culture changes for themselves and their families… some of the will face it TWICE – once in the national culture and again when they enter the tribe and see their goal accomplished.  It was the overwhelming “impossibility” of what they face that made theirs prayers “special” to me.

As I sit here I see people (including my own daughter and her husband and children) headed to the absolutely most remote parts of the world.  I doubt if the image they have in mind today as they pray will look like what actually transpires, somehow it never does, but they ALL have been prepared with the latest “cutting edge” training available.  Their instructors have literally hundreds and hundreds of collective years of experience and the countries where they will serve have experienced consultants that will help them out along the way.  Like the Apostle Paul did with the church in Thessalonica, these godly mentors have shared not just the technical aspects of language and culture learning, but “shared their very lives with them.”  (1 Thess. 2:8).  What a joy Jeri and I feel to be a part of what God is doing in and through them… and YOU SHARE A REAL PART of that joy!!  Thank you so much.

One of the graduating students shared this morning about the concept of the blessings of serving God. It was thought provoking, so I want to share it with you now.

I think you would probably agree with me that our “street” definition of God’s blessing is “the absence of worry from trial or troubles. When things are going well economically; When we are enjoying relationships without conflict; When the world looks “rosy”, we say that we are blessed. But is that what we find in the Word of God? I know we LIKE it when things are going without problems, but listen to what several “blessed” writers in the New Testament have to say…

James says we should… “consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,” (1:2)

Peter echoes the same idea. “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1Pe 1:6,7

 Paul repeatedly touches this connection of God “blessing” us with troubles and trials. “But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love. Rom 5:3-5

Do you see that?  Assuming of course that it is not because of my own foolishness, I’m supposed to dance for joy when I find my self in difficult circumstanses.  Ok, I’m not sure I’m going to go out and dance in the street when things aren’t going smoothly, but I hope I can rest quietly in it knowing that God is absolutely sovereign, and is working out my suffering for His eternal purpose. He is isn’t He???

Want to see what we have given our lives to do?  Here’s a short (3:35) video about the training program Jeri and I are part of. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdfga0volA

I guess you never know just how the Lord will lead in your life.  MANY years ago, I worked for a beekeeper, and in the process learned how to manage hives from their start to the honey processing at harvest.  Then I gave my life to Christ and became a missionary never thinking twice about what I had learned.  Except for a couple of attempts to catch a swarm in Mexico, I never really looked back.  Now that we are back here at the MTC, someone who knew of my background wondered if I would help him get started in beekeeping.  One thing led to another, and tomorrow night we start an evening class here at MTC on the basics. 

Then two days ago I received an email from Mexico regarding the same thing.  Some of our dear friends and former students are looking at starting honey production as a source of income.   Meanwhile I’ve been brushing up.  A LOT has changed… fortunately there is also a LOT of help available online. 

Pray that the Lord would lead me to the best videos, and sources of help for both these classes…  and that the bees, which arrive in April will survive.

Eduardo Melendez and Ramon Murillo (former students in the training in Chihuahua) undertook the task of intensive survey work among the Seri, Yaqui and Mayo people groups. Eduardo’s main sentiment at the end of the trip was that he wanted to become more than one person to fill the needs he saw as they traveled. There is still a great need in many of the tribal dialects in Mexico for the Word of God. Please pray with us for the Lord to raise up more laborers.

At the present time we have four families on their way to Mexico to help meet those needs.  Three of them plan to join the work in the next year.  Please pray for them as they make their moves to Mexico.  The immigration laws in Mexico are once again changing and all involved have to learn ANOTHER new system.  We are grateful that God continues to leave the door open. 

While you’re at it, pray for the Mexican students also preparing to go out.  It’s thrilling to see how God pulls diverse cultures together to form a team to His glory!

So what happened?  Did the missionary rush into the house and stop the beating?  Did she call the authorities and report the incident?  What do YOU have done?  How do you decide what to do when you are caught between what you know to be morally wrong, and the possibility that what you do may hinder people ever hearing the gospel or maybe even your future ministry? 

Here’s what this missionary did…

…After hearing repeated slaps and crying from the obvious beating in the house next door.  The missionary wife stood up and said to her husband… I just can’t sit here.  I HAVE to do something.  So she marched out in the street and headed for the house.  She got to the street in front of the house still not knowing what she would do.  She ended up just standing there, unable to go in and unable to go home.  What a feeling I would have had, knowing I HAD to do something but not knowing what to do, and not knowing how it would affect my ministry in the future.  As she stood there, other people came out and made the man stop beating his wife.  It wasn’t till later that they learned the REST of the story. 

It turned out that the villagers were embarrassed by the foreigner being the only one to intervene, and that is why they stepped in.  They later learned the term for what that missionary had done.  She had stepped in as the “savior” in the situation.  Without really being able to do anything, she had demonstrated the heart of Jesus in standing for right.

I have heard a LOT of these stories over the years, and not all of them end nicely.  It reminds me of the tremendous ministry of you who intercede in prayer for missionaries.  Through prayer you are more effective than if you were physically present in the situation.  God gives wisdom to those how ask.   Please continue to pray for those involved in standing between as the “savior.”

It’s evening, you’re sitting in your house and you hear a heated argument coming from the house about 50 feet away.  It swells and you hear a smack and a woman begins to cry… then you hear another, and another.  NO ONE seems to be moving.  The entire rest of the village seems to be oblivious to what is taking place.  What should YOU do?  Do you just sit there and do NOTHING?  Your understanding of the language and culture are still limited at best.  If you go, will you be in trouble with the tribal leaders?  Is this an issue for “family” only?  You’re an outsider… what could you possibly do?  Yet you are the ONLY representation of Eternal God that these people have.  We are to “always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.”

As our students heard this TRUE story, their minds and hearts were deeply challenged by the need to be constantly abiding in Christ and allowing the Spirit of God to give you His mind, His answers.  These are NOT comfortable times, but cross cultural missionary work is not about the missionaries comfort.  It’s about being a light house on the reef that guides the lost into the safety of Salvation.

Stay tuned for THE REST OF THE STORY.

I just listened to David Jeremiah share on Gideon… he shared the following poem that he wrote about facing struggles in life.  It was a blessing to me so I want to share it:  Hope it is an encouragement.

Lord it’s easy to want my success to honor and lift up your name;

But I’ve learned from your Word you can bless, all my failures,my loss and my shame;

All around me are people in need, who think life is not treating them fair,

They’re not looking for sermon or creed, but for some to genuinely care.

When I’m hurting and start to complain, when I’m lost and don’t know what to do;

Help me take a new look at my pain, as a way to bring glory to you.

So I give all my troubles to you, right now it’s all I can do.

Through my brokenness shine your light through;

 Lord I give all my troubles to you.

]]> http://blogs.ntm.org/virgil-holt/2012/08/20/tests-trials/feed/ 0 http://blogs.ntm.org/virgil-holt/2012/08/13/for-heavens-sake/ http://blogs.ntm.org/virgil-holt/2012/08/13/for-heavens-sake/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:32:01 +0000 Virgil and Jeri Holt http://blogs.ntm.org/virgil-holt/?p=275

…WHAT ARE THE HOLTS DOING?”

I have always struggled to communicate just what is involved in training “cross cultural” missionaries.  This morning in our staff meeting we watched a short 4 minute testimony from some church planters that went through the course here not that long ago.  It was a HUGE encouragement and challenge to us.  We hope it helps you understand our ministry a bit more.  Here is the link:

http://usa.ntm.org/content/mission-videos-and-mission-photos/152/get-ready-go

One of our consultants from Mexico came by the other day, and I was asking how some of our former students were doing.  I was thrilled to hear about Eduardo Melendez, one of the students we had a part in training in Mexico who is now translating scriptures into the Trique language.  

Eduardo his wife Veronica and their two children came into the training from a small church in the Ensenada area of Baja California, Mexico (south of California).  They had very few resources to live on and things got even more complicated when Eduardo had appendicitis, and then a terrible abscess after the surgery.  Their two children stayed with us for several days while he was in the hospital.  The Lord sustained them throughout the training program due in no small part to the faithful prayer support of that small church in Baja.  During their training there were some who doubted if he and his family would ever succeed as missionaries.  But it is the LORD that raises up workers and prepares them. 

Eduardo proved us all wrong!  He always seemed to be a people person, and even when learning the very difficult language of the Trique, spent hours working with them hoeing weeds in the fields.  We were thrilled to hear the other day that he not only has passed his level tests for proficiency in the language, but is deeply involved in translating lessons and scripture into the Trique language.  Please continue to pray for Eduardo, his family, and the rest of the Trique team, that they might soon all be able to plant a church among this unreached people group.