Thank you so much for praying for our trip to Suriname. As expected, it was an incredible trip. Let me share about some of what we saw, learned and experienced. First, a little history about the people group our team is working with.

Suriname is a former Dutch colony. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the Dutch imported African slaves to work on the many sugar and coffee plantations. Over time, groups of these slaves began to escape into the jungle regions of the southern part of the country. These escaped slave groups were called Maroon Tribes. Slavery in Suriname was outlawed in the late 1800′s. The Saramaccan Maroon Tribe is the largest of these groups with a current population of about 25,000. The Samaraccan live in 63 villages scattered along the Suriname River. There are a few Christians, mostly the result of the Moravians. However, most of the villages remain unreached and continue in their animistic belief system. The only way to reach these villages is by boat or by flying into the area in small planes. It is one of the remotest places I have visited in a long time.

The Every Nation/Summit Church Suriname Team has moved into one of the remote Samaraccan villages and is in the process of setting up their housing, learning language and culture and simply learning how to survive in the jungle. I was so impressed with the progress they are making in all three areas. They are some really amazing people. I don’t know too many people who would give up the American way of life to live in a South American jungle.

The team has partnered with a Samaraccan Christian who has an incredible vision to reach his own people. I have met many national church planters over the years. I have only met a handful that have what I would call a God-sized vision for their own people. This man falls into that handful. My conversations with this man were strategic, refreshing and exciting. I look forward to helping our team and my new friend in an advisory role.

I love it when I see a good plan come together. (anyone remember that line from The A Team?) I am convinced that something big is about to happen through this team in Suriname and their partnership with the Samaraccan Christian. I sensed that the timing is right, that all of the plans are coming together, that there is a strong synergy and that we will soon be hearing of new believers being baptized and new churches being started and so on. I believe that there will be a church within walking distance of all 63 villages within the next 3-5 years. Now, that’s the makings of a great trip!

If you want to learn more about Team Suriname the read their page here on the Every Nation site.

Below are a few more pictures from my trip.

Thanks so much for going with us through your prayers. God blessed our time in Suriname. Now, we have the work of praying and supporting this amazing team of folks who are on the front lines doing the stuff!

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

This was the boat we took up river. We hauled a load of supplies including a water tank, food for a month, solar panels and batteries and a couch! The trip took us 5 hours.

Riding the boat upstream. We had other passengers for a bit.

We ran across this 8-9 foot Red Tailed Boa Constrictor as we walked through the village one day.

This is what the housing in a typical village looks like. The small structure in the middle of the picture is an idol house where offerings are left to appease the various spirits each particular village is concerned about.

Members of the team installing solar panels on their main house. Most villages have a generator which runs during the evenings only.

This is a typical view along the river. The only mode of transportation for the Samaraccans is by canoe. There are flights in small planes but the Samaraccans can’t afford them.

This was the view from my hammock every morning. Great view of the river. Yes, I slept in a hammock, outside. We bathed in the river too.

One afternoon about six months later I saw my friend again. He had changed jobs so our paths had stopped crossing. My friend walked up to me and said this:

“Eric, I don’t think I want to be a Christian anymore.”

I looked at him with amazement and asked, “Why?”

He pointed at me and said, “Except for you, every Christian I know hates Muslims.  That’s not right.”

I looked at my friend with compassion and said, “No, that’s not right.  We need to talk.”

Can you imagine how I felt?  There were so many emotions flowing through my body and soul when he said that.  Anger.  Rage.  Frustration.  Pride.  Condemnation.  Confusion.  Sadness.  Love.  Love?

Yes, love.

What drives us as Christians to hate Muslims?  Is hate even the right word?  Do we really hate them?  Maybe we are just afraid?

I don’t think hate is the right word.  At first I did.  The more I thought it through, the more convinced I became that hate is not the right word.  Fear is the better word.  We are afraid.  We are fearful of what we do not know and do not understand.  Our fear is like a dry sponge, soaking up every drop of compassion and love we might otherwise have.  The result of fear looks a lot like hate, at least from my friend’s perspective.

Fear is defined as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by the anticipation or awareness of danger.  Fear implies anxiety and usually a loss of courage.  Note that the definition does not suggest the presence of actual danger.  There is either anticipation or an awareness of danger.  In other words, sometimes fear is unfounded because there is actually no danger.  We simply anticipate danger because of our misunderstanding or ignorance.

Paul had a thing or two to say to young Timothy about fear.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  2 Timothy 1:7

Where does fear come from?  Does it come from God?  No.  God’s Spirit in us is a Spirit of power and love and self-discipline.  Not fear.

Paul was telling Timothy to not be afraid.  He was telling Timothy to be bold, to have courage, to trust in the Spirit that was in him, the Spirit of God.  We must do the same.

John put it this way:

“God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”  1 John 4:16-18.

Did you see that?  “Perfect love drives out fear.”  In this verse the words “perfect love” refer to a love that is mature, not lacking boldness or confidence and therefore not hampered by the insecurity or anxiety characteristic of immature love.  Perfect love is a complete love.  It is God’s love.  God’s love is a love that first loved us even though we were sinners.  The presence of fear means that our love is incomplete.  It means that we are trusting in ourselves and not in the Spirit of God.  This is serious stuff.

Jesus talked about this very same thing:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you:  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.  He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus redefined who is to receive our love.  All people, even those who are our enemies or who persecute us, are to be the recipients of our love.  This also includes those we are afraid of, no matter whether or not our fears are grounded in reality.

The word “perfect” that Jesus used is the same word that John used when he described “perfect love.”  It is a love that is complete.  It is a love that is mature.  It is a love that is fully developed.  It is the love of God.

So now is the time to ask the tough questions.  Would my friend include you in the exception or the majority, as he saw it?  Are you driven by fear or by love?  Are you drawing people to the Kingdom of God through your love or are you driving them away because of your fear?  Perfect love drives out all fear.  Ask God to remind you of the perfect love that He first gave to you.  Now ask God to help you love ALL people through the love that He has placed within you.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)

One day I was contemplating this passage. I was probably preparing my thoughts for a wedding I had been asked to officiate. Anyway, as I thought through this passage another verse came to my mind:

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 ESV)

This is where the different perspective took over. I began to read through 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in a completely different way:

God is patient and kind; God does not envy or boast; God is not arrogant or rude. God does not insist on his own way; God is not irritable or resentful; God does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. God bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. God never ends…

I like that, a lot!

Of course, such a future can be and is often limited by our vision of such. If we are unable to see a future where poverty has been eliminated, then we will do little to see that poverty is eliminated. If we are unable to see a future where there are no longer sex slaves or any other kind of slaves, then we will do little to see that slavery is eliminated. If we are unable to see a future without war, then we will never pursue peace. If we are unable to see a future where there are growing, multiplying, transformational churches among every people group on the planet, then we will do little to see that this happens.

Prophetic imagination is something we need to embrace within the kingdom of God. It is something that needs to be learned. We have been taught that things will get worse. We have been taught that things can’t change. Isn’t that just what the powers want us to believe? Have we not been assimilated into the system by thinking this way?

Walter Brueggemann says it like this:

We need to ask not whether it is realistic or practical or viable but whether it is imaginable. We need to ask if our consciousness and imagination have been so assaulted and co-opted by the royal consciousness that we have been robbed of the courage or power to think an alternative thought.

Realism must surely be a tool of the enemy, a tool that is used to keep us from dreaming of a better day, a better way. Realism is not “Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven!”

We, as followers of Jesus, seeking first the kingdom of God and the righteousness/justice that reflects this kingdom, must learn to think differently. We can no longer accept the answers that the powers and systems of this world give. We must think of alternative paths; paths that lead more and more to the ways of Jesus instead of keeping things the way they are. We must learn to have a prophetic imagination.

The future is worth dying for.

The future is worth living for.

The currency that buys the future is love.

Therefore, when the world says to hate, I will love.

When the world says to fear, I will be bold.

When the world says to kill, I will bring healing.

When the world says to steal, I will give.

When the world says to take revenge, I will forgive.

When the world says to fight back, I will surrender.

When the world says to destroy, I will restore.

When the world says to take up arms, I will plant a garden.

Most will think me naive.

To them I offer a smile and a kiss.

Because, I have seen the future.

The future is worth living for.

The future is worth dying for…

-EG

The entire article by Swanson can be downloaded in pdf here:

Nine Game-Changers for Global Missions by Eric Swanson

The training is for one week. We have twenty lessons, all from the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells us to make disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and by teaching them to obey all that he, Jesus, had commanded. This is why we focus our training on the teachings of Jesus. Ten of the lessons come from the Sermon on the Mount and ten come from Jesus’ parables. The material is something we are really proud of and we have already seen it have a great impact on the church planting movement!

The ladies who come to the training are very poor. They would never be able to pay their own way to such a training. Most have a very limited education. They are able to read but were not educated beyond the elementary school level. It is almost unheard of for ladies like this to have an opportunity to receive this kind of training.

Did you know?

For only $80.00 you can sponsor one of these ladies! Because they ladies are very poor, we provide this training for free. We pay for their transportation to and from the training site. We pay for their room and board for the week as well. Again, there is absolutely no way that these women could attend such a training as their average family income is less than $1.00 per day.

Will you help? Will you sponsor one of these ladies?

To donate, go here and give to the India category under the Projects drop down menu. Or, you can mail a check to the following address with India Training listed in the memo line:

86% of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists do not personally know a Christian.
- Center for the Study of Global Christianity

If we can trust the numbers at Wikipedia, that’s more than 2.5 million people. Why is this so? Well, the problem is that we Christians seem to be huddled up and not in close proximity to the world’s Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Take a look at the picture below. See the light? That’s where the Christians are. See the dark? That’s where the Christians are not.

When a farmer plants her field she sows seed in every area. She doesn’t pour the seed out in one corner and walk away. She knows that if she wants an abundant harvest she needs to scatter the seed. Only then will the seed be able to germinate and grow into what it was meant to be.

The reason more than 2.5 million Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists are living in darkness is because most of the seed of the gospel is isolated from those who need to experience the good news of Jesus and his kingdom. When there is light, the darkness goes away. We are the light. Run to the darkness…

I like the introductory quote to Carpernter’s series:

God has a heartbeat for missions that we see throughout the pages of scripture. John 1:14 may sum it up best, ”And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” May our hearts beat for the spread of the gospel as God’s does!

I look forward to reading through this series and plan/hope to share new insights here with you.

Advanced and primitive. When we compare our culture to another we often say that ours is advanced and theirs is primitive. What does it mean to be advanced and who gets to decide this?

Civilized and uncivilized. Who gets to decide what it means to be civilized? We, in the West, have the capacity to kill millions of people through our nuclear arsenal and smart bombs and such. Is that civilized?

Developed and underdeveloped. What does it mean to be underdeveloped? Who gets to decide this? Aren’t we just judging other cultures in the areas we excel while ignoring the areas where we are weak?

Religious and superstitious. Every culture has religious and superstitious elements. To call one culture superstitious while ignoring the superstitious elements in our own is monoculturalism.

As you can see, a simple examination of the language we use when talking of other cultures can test our level of monoculturalism. If we want to be the cross-cultural ministers that God has called us to be we must learn to look at others through a lens that does not make these kinds of differentiations. We must learn to look at others as God does.

* much of this information is adapted from the book, Anthropology for Christian Witness, by Dr. Charles Kraft.