(At Left) The Arabic sign for “Nasrani” (those who follow the Nazarene) being scrawled on homes where Christian inhabitants are given the choice to convert or die. This apt comparison is a chilling realization. Much of the world downplayed Nazi atrocities until it was too late to act on behalf of victims.
Is it any wonder . . . that we can watch news reports of children being dragged from bombed out rubble or hear evidence of escalating atrocities on the other side of the world while dispassionately eating an evening meal, then switch to the ball game as if nothing happened?
Such experiences are so commonplace you may have stopped reading already. We are so easily inoculated against feeling anything about these tragedies to which most of us are not connected. But when you have friends and colleagues who are living through this horror it becomes quite another matter. I feel responsible for each of the following . . .
As ISIS brutalizes its way across Iraq, executing male Christians and enslaving Christian females, one of our Entrust staff reports their shock and dismay at multitudes of Christian refugees lining the streets in the Kurdish region which is under siege. I ask about their exit plan, assure them we will help in every way possible, and pray it will not become suddenly relevant.
Deciding whether a staff member should follow through on training scheduled for the Ukraine just a few months ago as Russian troops moved in (it was postponed: subsequent events underscore this as the correct choice, but we are praying for our partner mission that is on the ground there).
Whether it would be safe for staff members to fly into Iraq a few weeks ago for a family camp which brings Muslim background families together with Christian background families in a gently evangelistic setting. Camp was not canceled, our staff participated, and by all reports everyone felt safe despite the turmoil a few miles away.
Ebola spreads across Africa as we watch the news and fear for a staff member whose family, including a host of adopted war orphans, resides at ground zero in the country of Sierra Leone. They respond that one of the reasons for Ebola’s spread is that when a family realizes the victim has something more than the flu, they are usually taken by motorcycle, sandwiched between a driver and a caregiver, effectively infecting both during that trip. The children are under enforced isolation in a house until, hopefully, the infection raging around them ceases.
A State Department travel alert for Thailand, where we do training and plan to send future staff members. Do we need to re-evaluate? What happens following the imminent death of the ailing king should clarify the situation considerably.
Longtime missionaries in SE Asia are taken into custody and accused of spying. Unbelievable, but these are the realities of serving in a country hostile to Western Christianity. While they do not serve with Entrust, is this the risk our staff entertains by going there?
With many of these situations, we must continue to assess and evaluate the dangers and safety of our staff and partners on an ongoing basis.
What can God’s people in the US do?
- Pray fervently.
- Be aware. It would totally immobilize us if we took to heart all the tragedy happening each day around the world. Yet, our fortunate circumstances give us the responsibility to make ourselves aware of what Christian brothers and sisters are going through, the risks they take to proclaim their faith.
- Look for ways to be involved. Your support of Nancy and me at Entrust (and many other mission efforts) helps us deploy gifted servants who reach out to needy regions around the world. “To whom much is given . . .”
- Strategically choose to reach beyond the blessed, comfortable, hermetically sealed context of living in the US. Reach out, be informed and engage with the messiness of much of the world while listening heart to heart. I heard a commentator say, “Not many countries in the world have the luxury of two friendly neighbors to the north and south and nothing but fishing to the east and west. We do not have to worry about missiles being lobbed over our borders.”
Please let us know how we can
be praying for you.
Thank you for your
partnership with us and with Entrust!
You
can also send gifts to:
Entrust, PO Box 25520, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5520
Attach a note “For David and Nancy Goodman, M125”
Office: (719) 622.1980
Entrust, PO Box 25520, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5520
Attach a note “For David and Nancy Goodman, M125”
Office: (719) 622.1980
