YWAM Kona Blog

Dan Baumann's Story From Prison

AUTHOR: GRANT KURILI — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:23:31 GMT

God’s love is a beautiful thing. But what are the lengths we would go to to spread God’s love? Is there a place we won’t go or a person we won’t talk to? Even if it’s the darkest place or the hardest person?

Dan Baumann and a friend spent two weeks in Iran doing missionary work. Leaving the country and remembering all the great times they had with the Iranian people, they were stopped at the border.

Six hours after giving their passports to the border guard, a man came back to tell them there was a problem with the passports and they needed to come with him immediately. Wondering what could be wrong, they hesitantly agreed to go. They were almost home-free. What was stopping them?

Dan was separated from his friend and taken into a room in a government building where he was beaten for six hours. When they were finished, they took him into a basement, gave him prison clothes, and threw him in a cell.

He was utterly hopeless. The only thing he could depend on was God’s character and the idea He might provide a miracle to get him out of prison.

The next day, a man took him into a room. It was dark and bloodstains covered the floor. The man who brought him in began beating him relentlessly. This happened day after day, week after week, until one day, God challenged Dan to love the man who was beating him.

He said, “Dan. Ask me what I think about this man.”

Dan replied, “Okay God. What do you think of this man?”

God opened Dan’s eyes, showing him how He saw this man. He began to speak about how much he loved this man from the beginning and how much he loved his family.

“Love this man,” He said.

In the middle of one of his beatings, Dan stood up from the floor and said to the man, “If you’re going to beat me every day for the rest of my life, let’s become friends.”

“What is your name?” he asked as he stretched out his hand for a handshake.

A look of confusion came across the interrogator’s face, and he cautiously looked around the room. Eventually, he reached his hand out and said, “My name is Razok. I would very much like to become friends with you.”

That was the last day they saw each other. Not long afterward, Dan was set free.

If we step out in radical, unexpected acts of Godly love, we can change the world. How can you love your enemy today?

Were We Born Into Sin?

joel@uofnkona.edu (Joel Rogers) — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:20:40 GMT

The red words in the gospels are underlined by pure blood that was spilled to show a way out.

When I look into my 4 month old daughter’s eyes, I see nothing but purity, innocence… hope. But she was born into the same world as you and I, a world where daughters are trafficked and sons are killed in wartime and peacetime. In the Bible, Genesis paints a picture of a cursed earth that we must toil and die and return to as dust. Only the most sheltered life could see a world without suffering and sorrow.

So if we are destined to die, how are we destined to live?

Did God set us in a trap – condemned to sin and punished for our humanity? Is He the “mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass” like Jim Carey’s line in the classic comedy BRUCE THE ALMIGHTY?

What else is in the picture that the Bible paints for us?

Did Adam have to eat that fruit? Are we stuck in sin? Do we have to stay there? Where is the light on this dark canvas?

JESUS

Surely the only man to never sin wouldn’t suffer himself would He? The red words in the gospels are underlined by pure blood that was spilled to show a way out. Jesus didn’t suffer because of His misdeeds or some whim of the “Almighty Smiter”. Man’s choices to sin again and again, generation after generation had triggered a landslide of consequences for humanity and the earth we live on.

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 22:42

In Jesus’ last hours before captivity and execution He chose the hardest road. He accepted the plan of redemption so that we as mankind can make a new choice – to chose to accept Jesus. To accept His forgiveness for our wrong and hurtful choices and accept His gift: taking the consequences and punishment we deserved so that we can live with Him forever.

But how can heaven be paradise if it is full of humans who will always sin?

In the book of Jude is says that He “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy”

“Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” (John 8:11) to the former prostitute – and the same to the lame man he healed at the pool of Bethesda.

Would a good God say “sin no more” if that were impossible? Would a good God create a world that was always destined to suffer the consequences of sin and burn in a fiery eternal punishment? Would a good God stack a crushing weight on your back and say “walk!” without giving the strength and means to do what He was commanding?

We can live a pure life. We can see paradise – because He is good and He said it is possible.

Sin is or has been a reality for all of us – but I don’t believe it has to be our future. Our choice remains our choice. Jesus paid the price to make that happen.”

Do you ever wake up with words like this emblazoned into your mind? Do you scribble it on a pad and go back to sleep or lay awake wondering what it is for? Is it an article… a sermon… a song? If any of this sounds familiar you are a writer.

Creativity is planted inside of us but not all cultivate those gifts. Consider taking a season to find out why those words, images, sounds or whatever creative bits of inspiration are coming your way. Find out how to grow your creative skills and intuition as you become a lifelong learner. That is what our 3 month Creative Media & Communication Course is about. Take a season to explore with us.

5 Things Your Missionary Kid Wants to Hear

KAYLA NORRIS — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:16:58 GMT

What was it like growing up as a missionary kid? Many parents have asked me that over the years, and I haven’t always known what to say. We’re this elusive tribe that quietly takes up a majority of the mission field, but what would we say if we had the chance? These are five (of many) things your missionary kid wants you to know. To know more, all you need to do is ask.

1. I’m Not Normal.

When Jesus announced the Great Commission to the disciples, I doubt they imagined the children of those who would “go into all the world.” However, the nature of missions from then to today is that people cross the borders of cultures and countries, and have families along the way. That’s exactly what happened in my family. My two oldest brothers were born in New Zealand, the next in Hong Kong, and I was born and raised in Hawaii.

As a result, I never really knew what it meant to be nationalistic for one country. In history class in Kona, I learned about the cruel British stealing the freedom of the Colonial Americans. Then I’d go home to hear my dad explaining the brutality of both sides of the war. It was impossible to take sides in debates—both cultures were a part of me. Even children who grow up in the same nation as their parents, yet in a multicultural place like a YWAM campus, will not have the same loyalties or traditions. As a parent, you have the opportunity to embrace their complexity, all facets of it.

2. I’m Normal

There comes a point when a missionary kid can get tired of feeling like a weird combination or novelty. Even though your child might think completely different than you, at the end of the day, your child is still exactly that: your child. They want a place to belong and call home, not a zoo cage to be studied in. They want to be loved, listened to, and looked after. Even though their cultural identity influences how you do that, it doesn’t mean you forget they’re still your child, and their identity needs something even more permanent than culture.

3. Let Me Feel What I’m Feeling

For most of my life, I was the poster child for optimism. Wherever we traveled, I was stoked. If it was the Outback of Australia to see my uncle’s farm, I couldn’t wait. If it was to the Midwest of America for my parents to staff a YWAM course—I was all in. Some of my fellow missionary kids weren’t as optimistic about getting dragged across the globe, but I loved it. All this traveling is what makes an MK rich in understanding and experience.

But in high school, I discovered that the many little losses over time need to be grieved, too. Acknowledging those losses with your children, communicating when it is hard for you too, and bringing these burdens to God is vital to transition well as a family. “What do you miss about… ?” should not be a dangerous question. God “heals the brokenhearted” (Psalm 147:3) and is not intimidated by tears. All the change is an opportunity to grow closer not only to God, but to your family. All you need to do is start the conversation.

4. Keep Me Close

One of the things I valued most growing up was that I was included in what my parents were doing. Even when I heard my dad’s story about “God is the God of ice cream” a hundred times, I still loved to be sitting in class seeing how God was speaking to students. My mom invited me to share and always introduced me to the people she was serving. That meant the world.

My parents didn’t just keep me close physically, but spiritually, too. When my parents were invited to be on staff of a DTS in the American Midwest, they didn’t say yes without talking and praying with us first. At eleven years old, when we prayed I pictured a house with a tree covered in red leaves at the front. That year, I had my first real autumn, in that very house. Being included in the decision empowered me, gave me confidence that I could hear God for myself, and I felt connected to my family more than ever before.

5. Release Me.

We YWAM Kids formed a bit of a gang growing up. Like any gang, we had common complaints that usually turned into jokes. One was that no one knew who you were were until you mentioned one word: your parent’s name. For some of my friends, they got sick of it. Me? I got so comfortable with slotting into the slipstream of my parent’s fame that I didn’t know how to continue a conversation when people didn’t know my family. It was only when I moved out of home that I started to get a sense of my value outside people’s expectations of me.

Missionary Kids often get the specific gifts and talents of their parents and carry on the family legacy. However, your child also has something unique that God “fearfully and wonderfully made” in them (Psalm 139:14). Their purpose may look completely different than yours — and you get to release them to be who and where God calls them, even if it’s where you least expect it.

Life on Mission

Laura Giesbrecht — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:14:10 GMT

When I was a young girl, I dreamed of changing the world. I yearned to travel to distant countries, investing my time and energy into people whose legacies would outlast me. I aspired to one day look back when I was old and gray, and see how God moved heaven and earth to fulfill his purposes in and through me. Since then, I have married my husband, Andy. Though it may look different now, it is in this new context of marriage that the Lord has done his deepest and most powerful work on our lives as we have lived on mission. It amazes me to look back and see the places we’ve been, the miracles we’ve witnessed, and the world-changing operations we’ve gotten to play a part in.

I would like to share with you a bit of what it means to live our lives on mission, why it is important, and how we can do that as individuals and in marriage. By doing so, I hope that it will encourage you wherever you are. I don’t believe God will choose to work through each of us in the same way, nor do I claim my path has been perfect. What I hope to do is encourage you where you are to look to our Creator and reflect on the journey He is leading you on.

What

The first question that comes mind is what? What does it mean to “live on mission”? To live on mission is to intentionally pursue a specific trajectory or purpose in life. It is to aim the course of our lives toward a certain goal and align our thoughts, passions, and pursuits with that end as our focal point. For example, I have two main goals in life: to fall more in love with Jesus daily, and to change the world. They shape my ambitions, how I spend my time, and what I view as success.

I must be honest in this, though. When I think of today’s world-changers and globe-shakers, I don’t normally think of marriage as being a means to that end. What comes to mind instead are the strong, persevering individuals who vigorously chase the ambitions the Lord has put on their hearts. These men and women stand out from the crowd, strive for nothing short of excellence, and are willing to sacrifice the social norms to relentlessly live their lives on mission. I would like to challenge my perception and propose that we can each live our lives on mission, regardless if we are single or have been married for fifty years. Each of us can choose, to align our lives toward a specific goal. In doing so, we begin the wonderful adventure of living on mission and engage with the purposes we were created for.

Why

The thoughts surrounding what it means to live on mission trigger a second question: why? Why do we live on mission? The answer is simple: we live on mission because it’s what we were created to do. We were made to bring glory to God and we do so by living in His purposes. As children of God, we are called to be in this world, but not of it. We live with an acknowledgement that the things of this world are not our end goals in life. We never want to become so fixated on this world that we neglect to see other opportunities the Lord has placed in front of us. When we keep in step with the purposes God has for us, we will find all that the world so desperately craves: safety, security, and comfort. By surrendering our methods toward obtaining these things and focusing our attention on Christ and his purposes, we find all that we had hoped for in the first place, but to God’s glory instead of our own.

How

The final question that comes to mind is how? How do we live on mission? The “how” will look different for each person, but there are a few things that stand out as common ways to stay engaged in a life on mission. The first is this: to live on mission, we must learn to be confident in who God is and what He says. One may argue this is easier said than done, but I would like to propose that it’s actually simple. It does, however, require time and intentionality. To be confident in who God is, you have to get to know Him personally. Spend time with Him and His Word, get to know His purposes and ways, what He has done for mankind since the beginning, and reflect upon what He has done in your life. This builds in us a sense of confidence and trust in Him and His Word, so that when He asks, “Want to go on an adventure with me?” we hear Him and can say, “Sure, let’s go!”

In more recent years, I have come to realize how critical this is. I will argue that Andy and I have some of the best family and friends surrounding us. They support us in all of our endeavors and offer wise and trustworthy advice. Be on the lookout for others—young, old, single, married, Christian, non-Christian—who are set on a life-giving trajectory, and keep them close. There will be days when you feel discouraged or unfocused. Having a community of world-changers around you will provide support when you are at your lowest.

Be willing

Once again, this sounds too simple to be true, but when we have confidence in who God is and what His Word says, we can trust that when we are willing to pursue opportunities He presents, He will not let us down. He will plant in our lives further opportunities to pursue His purposes and give us provision to be able to do that. I can guarantee that things will be different than what you plan, as God often has bigger plans for us than anything we can come up with. He knows the desires of our hearts and wants to use those for His glory. He can only do that if we are willing. So just say yes, give Him the opportunity to prove himself to be faithful yet again, and see what our God will do.

Having a purpose for what we do has shaped even the seemingly insignificant decisions Andy and I make on a daily basis and has challenged us to reflect upon whether or not we are living on mission. It has expanded the range of our perspective past the mundanity of our to-do list and has allowed us to keep in the forefront of our minds the bigger picture of God and what He is doing in the world. Most importantly, it has given us the courage and confidence to trust in the Lord and say yes to the opportunities He places in front of us to glorify Him. Nowadays, I no longer dream of changing the world. Instead, I truly believe we are.

Letting Go of Fear

anp95@mac.com (Adair Purner) — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 00:01:12 GMT

As a ski racer, I sustained many injuries to my neck. The more injuries I had the more timid I was to race. I had a fear of falling. This fear most certainly held me back from my full potential in the sport. It shaped me to be a tentative skier—despite my natural competitive and fierce personality on the athletic field.

Finding Healing from Chronic Pain

anp95@mac.com (Adair Purner) — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 02:54:40 GMT

In 2015 I made the decision to withdraw from college and apply to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Kona, Hawaii. This decision certainly did not come lightly. I had a plan. A plan to venture on the socially acceptable path of life—school, career, family. When I left school I was nervous and totally out of my comfort zone, yet completely filled with peace for what was to come.