I survived the week of celebrations! Actually, it wasn’t a matter of survival. It was a lot of fun! It was a good week of reflecting on all God has done and seeing Him glorified. Because really, it’s all about Him. Missions is all about God. We’re just privileged in joining Him in seeing unreached people groups reached.
Pastor Appreciation Luncheon
I was in waitress mode at the Pastor Appreciation Luncheon. That also means I was right there to hear the guest speaker Gracia Burnham.
Years ago, after serving for 17 years as missionaries in the Philippines, Gracia and her husband, Martin, were taken captive by a militant group while celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a resort.
For over a year they hiked over rough jungle trails as their captors attempted to evade the Philippine military. Food was limited. Sleeping conditions were reduced to a rice bag laid on the jungle floor. (See the picture below!) Creature comforts did not exist.
Finally, on June 7, 2002, during a rescue attempt by the Philippine military, Gracia, though wounded, was rescued. Tragically, Martin was killed during the gunfight. Since that time, Gracia has shared her testimony of the faithfulness of God. She has also authored two books which I would strongly recommend: In The Presence Of My Enemies, and To Fly Again.
75th Anniversary Celebration
It was in the spring of 1942 when Ethnos360 began as New Tribes Mission. Paul Fleming, one of the founders wrote: “It seemed that the Lord had pushed us into something, and we were confident that no man started new Tribes Mision. The Lord brought it into existence in spite of us. We had no funds, no organization behind us. We were just a group of fellows who desired honestly to give our lives for Jesus Christ. We were a group of young men with nothing but faith.”
The fledgeling mission moved forward in faith and watched God do the impossible.
Last Friday, at the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Ethnos360, we celebrated the contributions and sacrifices of those early missionaries, we celebrated what God has done over the past 75 years, and we looked forward to what God will do over the next 75 years. If you were able to join us, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you weren’t able to attend, it’s not too late to watch it online at ethnos360.org/75.
And now life goes back to normal — whatever that looks like!
Thank you for partnering with me to see unreached people groups around the world reached with the gospel.