“Us” Training “Them” To Reach “Them”
The words, “us” and “them”, are quite interesting, especially in the context of missions. Throughout church history Christians within one culture group have sent missionaries to other cultures. Probably the 1st New Testament model of this was Paul the Jewish believer in Jesus Christ being sent to various gentile groups. In like fashion you have sent us, Rick & Kim (USA citizens), to them (Hondurans) to be missionaries. More specifically, you have sent us to the Honduran youth culture.Our modern times have given rise to a phenomenon called youth culture. Many say that it started in the USA in the 1950’s with the “baby boomers” exploding into adolescence and having there own music, “lingo”, hang-outs, and for the first time their own economic market catering to what they wanted. Every generation of youth in the USA since then had its own unique “twist” of youth culture. Now, our electronic age (with cable television and the internet) has contributed to this youth culture phenomenon sweeping the globe. Countries where teen-agers had been just another age bracket to the main-stream culture are now forming their own music, fashion, “lingo”, etc… their own youth culture. The kids in Honduras, like the kids in the USA, have their own “hang-outs”, their own dress styles, their own vocabulary, their own music, and their own set of values. And, just like in the USA, the youth culture can be very segregated from the main-stream culture. It is to them -this Honduran youth culture- that you have sent us.
The goal of every missionary should be to raise-up those from the host culture to carry-on the ministry. The 1st century missionary, Paul, invested his life into Timothy, the young man. Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy reads, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Here we see the Christian faith passed along 4 generations of believers starting with the “missionary to the young man” relationship. Following this model… Kim and I are investing our lives through discipleship into Honduras youth who are reaching others, who in turn will reach even more.
You are receiving an exciting report of a new group of Honduran youth who are being discipled in the Christian life of faith. Last spring, our Honduran foster daughter (Michell-age 18), lead 2 of our new neighbors to faith in Christ. (Remember: we moved into a new rental house last March) These 2 new believers, Jaime and Jairo, began to go with us to the city-dump throughout the summer to hand-out food and water. After several weeks of going with us I challenged these new believers to share their testimony of their new relationship with Christ, or to pray publically giving thanks for the food. They respectfully declined asking me to teach them how to do so. Their request lead to the formal organization of a new disciple group for them, but also includes my 2 Honduras foster sons (Kevin & Jimmy), and 5 other new disciples who come with a fellow missionary friend. We have been taking them to church and we have been teaching them the basics of the Bible, but more than this we are working a plan to teaching them through “on-the-field” experiences how to pray, how to share their personal testimony, how to present the Gospel story, how to lead someone else to faith in Christ, and ultimately they will know how to lead a discipleship group of their own. Already others want to join the group, but we’re not interested in growing this group right now, but, rather in training this group of youth to reproduce (or multiply) their faith in the lives of others with a long-term goal of growing the Kingdom of God. This is youth to youth ministry that is the goal of our missionary work; this is the vision of YFC, “… to communicate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to every young person.”
