ONE 2015

Tangible Love

Interserve Australia

contents

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Interserve’s visionLives and communities transformed through encounter with Jesus Christ.

Our purposeTo make Jesus Christ known through wholistic ministry, in partnership with the global church, amongst the neediest peoples of Asia and the Arab World.

We are a global fellowship of Christians dedicated to serving amongst the peoples of Asia and the Arab World. As followers of Jesus, we reach out to the most marginalised – physically, economically and spiritually – and commit to serving alongside them with His love.

In places where life is hard and the church is young, persecuted or under-resourced, we seek to be instruments of reconciliation, restoration and healing for individuals and communities. Responding to the needs of our local partners, we thoughtfully deploy people with skills and experience to work within locally-led initiatives. Our work is sustained by prayer and by high-quality pastoral and financial support structures.

Our faith is expressed through word and deed with humility and loving kindness, confident in the love and grace of Jesus for profound and lasting transformation.

Interserve Australia is a member of Australia’s Missions Interlink and the international Micah Network.

Interserve is a Child Safe organisation.

www.interserve.org.au

04 Reflections on Tangible LoveLoving others because Christ first loved us

06 Tangible LoveThe clearest signal of our desire to honour God

08 God the Master CraftsmanThe four short months that changed my life

1 0 Second chancesHope becomes a reality for an isolated mother and son

1 1 Love made completeAn Interserve Partner writes, ‘I met Jesus the other day…’

1 2 Abi’s storyThe blessings of belonging to a community of faith

1 4 Postcards from the HimalayasStories of healing and grace

1 6 Book Reviews

1 7 New initiative: When Women Speak

18 Introducing Bijoy & Premi Koshy

Credits: Thanks to all who contributed to the making of this issue.Primary sources of news and information: Our own correspondents.

Photos: Interserve Partners and On Trackers, except where indicated – thanks to all. Photos do not necessarily relate to articles for sensitivity reasons. Cover image: Cheryl Emms.

Editors: Kaitlyn Gaudion, Esther Adams (go@interserve.org.au). Special thanks to Yvonne Evans.

Design: Les Colston, Urban Zeal

Go is the magazine published twice a year by Interserve Australia. Interserve material may be freely reproduced with permission from Interserve and acknowledgement to Interserve; permission for use of non-Interserve text and images should be obtained from the original source.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes in this magazine are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright 1978 by the New York International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Opinions expressed in Go are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Interserve. ISSN 0256-4726.

Many of us across Australia have been deeply moved in recent weeks as Libby has visited and shared the stories of an ordinary Christian caught up in God’s tangible love. ‘Tangible’ means ‘able to be touched’. Libby’s stories reflected the firmly grounded and touchable love of Jesus extended to her and through her in often messy and confronting circumstances. This edition of Go continues the theme of ‘Tangible Love’ as we explore the many ways God manifests his love through the lives, actions and words of Interserve Partners, On Trackers and CultureConnect workers amongst the peoples of Asia and the Arab world.

Our first article reminds us that such love is only possible because Christ first loved us. Moreover, the purpose of this love is to point to Jesus, not ourselves. God’s tangible love involves risk and sacrifice, as it did for Christ. The story of giving blood to save Abi from dengue fever complications is a poignant reminder that the ultimate shedding of blood by Jesus is what saves us all from eternal death.

Such extraordinary love is foolishness to our human way of thinking; a theme which is touched on in the article ‘God the Master Craftsman’ where tangible love is demonstrated in many creative ways. Other articles expose how demonstrating tangible love involves engaging with those who are not always considered loveable: those with disability, who experience chronic disease or who are deeply troubled. To love so tangibly, demonstrating Christ, is not a merely human endeavour. It must flow out of a deep relationship with Christ. Ryan Shaw’s book Spiritual Equipping (reviewed in this edition) is a very timely reminder of this.

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We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Bijoy Koshy as Interserve’s incoming International Director. Bijoy is no stranger to many in the fellowship and we are grateful during a season of great change in mission to have such a godly, wise and very experienced brother leading us. Bijoy has contributed an article on page 6.

With Bijoy taking up the role in May, we also farewell Dr Paul Bendor-Samuel as our outgoing International Director. We give thanks for Paul’s strong, courageous and visionary leadership over the past 12 years. Paul has been a great encouragement to Interserve Australia, personally engaging, willingly supporting and frequently praying with us through many challenges.

We are excited about the upcoming release of Naomi Reed’s new book (also reviewed in this edition) and we encourage you to come to one of the events in the Unfolding Grace tour as Naomi shares the stories of God’s work through Interserve Partners in the last 25 years.

Our prayer is that through all of these stories of God’s tangible love being manifest through ordinary Christians that you too will be encouraged to respond to the world’s need and God’s call to serve.

Christine GobiusNational Director

When I think of the concept of ‘tangible love’ I think of my Nan. She passed away a couple of years ago. What I remember most about her was how her life was characterised by a quiet, joyful, servant heart. Even until her last waking moments, she was knitting little booties for the neonatal intensive care unit. She knitted hundreds of those little booties and toys for the babies. She even made tiny hospital gowns for the premature babies. She never got up on her soapbox to ‘go tell the world’ (though she did need one to reach the wool for those booties), yet her motivation for doing these things was never hidden. Unlike her tea (white, no sugar, three dunks of the tea bag please) her faith was strong. Her faith was simple yet deep. She had Jesus and that’s all she needed. She loved Him. Her servant heart and gentle character spoke volumes about God’s love to me and those who knew her.

Nan’s life displayed tangible love. In thinking about tangible love, these prevailing thoughts come to mind.

Tangible love is made possible because Christ first loved us

Nan’s seemingly endless and unconditional love for others was a reflection of Jesus’ love for her. It wasn’t until I made a personal decision to follow Christ with my whole life, and experienced this love that conquers all, that I understood how one could make love tangible without expecting something in return. Now, I know that the source and strength to make love tangible is a response to the love God has lavished on us: that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Moreover, I have found that as I grow in my faith and walk closer with the Lord that it grows more natural to live a life characterised by tangible love. My prayer echoes Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thess 3:12).

Christ’s love compels us

There was a time when Christ’s love was so tangible it was overwhelming. There was a little old lady in a hospital in Kolkata, India. She looked downcast when I walked in the room. She had lost all her fingers as a result of leprosy. I was filled with compassion for her, a love that was not my own, but Christ’s love.

I wrestled in my mind for a moment, then I looked into her eyes and took her fingerless hands in mine. It was the first time I had touched a person with leprosy.

reflections on

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Emily is an Interserve Partner, currently preparing to serve long term in a very difficult part of Asia. She hasn’t left yet, but her journey began a long time ago. Here she reflects on Jesus’ call to make His love tangible in the world, and on the people and challenges she’s met along the way.

Tangible Love

Meg’s photo of Grandma/Mum knitting by Tim Regan (used under Creative Commons 2.0)

Although I didn’t know a word of her language, as she told her story our hearts connected and her eyes welled with tears. Love was tangible in that room.

I was compelled to reach out that day and take her hand. That day, 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 took on new meaning for me: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again”.

Tangible love accepts risk and sacrifice

Tangible love is an expression of agape love, which by definition is unconditional and self-sacrificial.

Whenever we love in tangible ways, there is some sort of sacrifice, whether it is time or money that could have been spent in other ways. However, for those called to serve the Lord overseas, counting the cost of following Jesus can be much more. For some it can mean losing your life because of and while loving in tangible ways. This became the story for Tom (surname withheld) in Central Asia. His wife, Libby, has also counted the cost, yet in the midst of her loss continues to live her life as a living sacrifice for God’s glory.

As my husband and I prepare for serving the Lord overseas we have grappled with the concept of risk and sacrifice. We have chosen to leave our well-paying jobs and comfortable home to live in one of the poorest and least developed nations in Asia. In fact, when my passion started to come alive for this country, it was home to the fourth most persecuted church in the world. It was this church’s ‘counting the cost of following Jesus’, this acceptance of risk and possible sacrifice that enlivened my heart to pray for this nation. I admired this faith that had counted the cost, and this people’s conclusion that choosing to love Jesus was worth it. I desired that my faith would grow strong like theirs and that one day I could serve the Lord alongside them.

Perfect love casts out fear

People ask me whether I have thought about the sacrifices we have made in our decision to serve in a developing nation or whether we fear for our safety or health. In this journey we have considered many potential situations and our response to them. We are also aware that our decisions affect others, and that our families are also making sacrifices over which they have no control. When we are faced with these questions, we choose to follow

Jesus and His plans for us. When we focus on Him and his love for all people, our fear of risk subsides because “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) and “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7).

We know that we can trust Him because of what we have already seen Him do. We have seen Him protect us, direct our paths and do the impossible in our lives. He is faithful. We remember that God does not promise that we will be ‘safe’, but He is good and promises that He will be with us (Is 41:10, Matt 28:20, Heb 13:5). We know that our eternity is secure in Him. We have come to peace in our decision to follow Jesus and to make His love tangible among the neediest people in the world. We pray that our families will be filled with the same peace, and that they also fix their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

Tangible love points to Jesus

Demonstrating Christ’s love is not possible in our own strength. Rather, tangible love is Christ loving through us. It is a sustainable love because its source is eternal. Christ’s love never spoils, fades or runs dry. Tangible love isn’t motivated by trying to earn approval, favour or forgiveness from God. Nor does it expect to be loved in return. We love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19).

As I reflect on tangible love, my desire is that my whole life is lived as a living sacrifice to the Lord in response to God’s great mercy and reflecting His love (Rom 12:1). May the way that we live out our lives be a beacon, a lighthouse, that points to Jesus wherever we are and in whatever circumstances we are in. This, to me, is tangible love.

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Tangible Love

Meg’s photo of Grandma/Mum knitting by Tim Regan (used under Creative Commons 2.0) Emily greets older Indian lady

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Tangible Love:

by Dr Bijoy Koshy, incoming Interserve International Director

the clearest signal of our desire to honour God

“I don’t want to draw, I hate Art”, the student muttered rebelliously to his teacher. Though well known to all his teachers as difficult and sometimes just unlovable, this teacher refused to give up on him. Three years later, Robert, now in secondary school, once again stood in front of his previous Art teacher. “Mrs P”, he said, “I have been having bad dreams and felt in my heart that I should come and see you for help”. With the same patience that had characterised her relationship with Robert years earlier in Primary School, the teacher led the boy to put his trust in the person of Jesus Christ. Time and again, and not just with Robert, she influenced the lives of the children she taught. The children who came into contact with her heard of the love of Jesus and experienced that same love in her classroom. Here in this classroom they came face to face with Love that could be touched, experienced and was real. Tangible love.

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It is this Love of God that should characterise the lives of everyone who belongs to Interserve. This is the love that Jesus demanded of Peter by the Sea of Galilee – “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” (John 21:15) At the core of our organisational life should lie the ability to answer that question of Jesus in the affirmative.

Discipleship is one of our elements of purpose as an organisation. At the heart of Discipleship is a love and passion for God and His Kingdom, above every other love. The Biblical narrative, however, always sets individual discipleship within the context and framework of a community. Just as the evidence of our love for God is the demonstration of our love for each other, so also the evidence of true discipleship (both being and making) among our individual members is the presence of real community in the life of the fellowship. If we find it difficult to work with others or tend to criticise others far too quickly, then we know nothing of Calvary love

(in the spirit of the book If by Amy Carmichael). One look at the life of Jesus should convince us of this. The sinners, the ‘rejects’ of society and the failures of the world found themselves (paradoxically) most comfortable in the presence of the One who was always effective and in whom was no sin found. Our discipleship, while driving us to excellence and holiness, needs to understand how to encourage those who fail, be available for those who struggle with sin and be compassionate towards those who miss the mark.

Discipleship and Community Life lead almost naturally to the other elements of our organisational purpose – Partnership and Serving the Church. Discipleship and community confer on us an agenda that is bigger than our narrow and sectarian understanding of purpose. They give us the security that comes from our identity of belonging to Him and to each other. Sure of who we are organisationally and driven by a Kingdom agenda, we are able and ready to give ourselves away in service and collaboration.

In the last few months, God has clarified His purposes for us as a fellowship – Discipleship, Community, Partnership and Serving the Church. But these are outcomes of the Love of God in our lives. Tangible love is the clearest signal of our desire to honour God in who we are and what we do as an organisation. God’s call is also our challenge today. To fulfil the elements of our purpose, we are reminded that we are to operate in the love that we have received – the love of God that enables us to love Him and our fellow community members.

The love of God enables us to love Him and our fellow community members.

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A month and a half into my time in South Central Asia, standing by my door ready to go to work and looking at the snow covered trees and the crisp blue sky, I knew, with a heavy certainty, that my life would never, could never, be the same again. My whole view of the world had shifted. I can’t put my finger on what exactly prompted the shift but the epiphany was profound and would endure through a range of experiences.

In the weeks and months that followed, I was evacuated twice to different cities. My little house was rocked by a bomb blast and gunfire reverberated all around my compound. I heard stories of fellow workers gunned down. I saw my long-term colleagues grapple with the death of friends and the genuine security threat it heralded, but more so, with the implications of having to leave as all non-essential personnel were evacuated. What would happen to the men and women they employed? What would happen to local families? What would happen to the people being served through various projects? What would happen to their friendships? The minds and hearts of my colleagues were for the people they love and serve.

I was privileged to see some of the work being done. I visited a hospital that had served the country through some incredible regime changes. Not only had the hospital brought healing to thousands, locals were equipped and

God the Master Craftsman:

Before I headed off as an On Tracker for four months, I was told that the experience would change my life. I smiled and nodded; it was just for four months…

empowered to take over the hospital’s management. I had seen groups of women meeting together in homes learning, for the first time, to do basic mathematics and to read. I saw hope and dignity in their eyes as they, too, were empowered to use their gifts and talents to run their own businesses and help their families. I saw university students and professionals alike learning to speak English and engaging with global issues in a country that had been sheltered from the outside world for years. I heard stories of prison ministries and classes on hygiene and parenting. Work was being done amongst counselors and psychologists to help a generation traumatised by years of war and by the mistreatment of women in particular. This is just a sampling of the work being done.

“I don’t understand. I heard that none of you get paid. You are volunteers. You leave behind your comfortable lives in the west and come here to work with us. Why would anyone do that?” It was a question one of my students asked me and it was a sentiment I heard echoed in various ways. After the second evacuation and when I settled into the new city where I would see through the remaining two months, I had the opportunity to run literature circles with a range of professionals and businessmen. Together, we studied a graded version of Les Miserables. It was fascinating to see them grapple with

An On Tracker’s ref lections

“I don’t understand ... You leave behind your comfortable lives in the west and come here to work with us. Why would anyone do that?”

the extraordinary acts of kindness and forgiveness and grace as presented in the text. Self-sacrificial acts of grace were considered ‘utter foolishness’. It made no sense to them whatsoever and yet there was something undeniably life-giving about not only the actions but the people practising it. Why do people do this? Because they are compelled by a greater love.

I imagine it was primarily this love which made it difficult for some of the long-termers to leave. Ultimately, this love comes from above and since our trust is in a God who is not swayed by circumstances, we can rest assured that He will complete the good work He has begun.

In addition to the tangible love I saw being practised by our brothers and sisters, I was honoured to get a little glimpse into the incredible and powerful way God works in us and through us in the world that He loves. The way God protected His people during a bomb attack targeting believers was incredibly humbling and awe-inspiring. Little moments of apparent serendipity illuminated God’s hand, such as the fact that I could stay in country to see out my four months since I am a teacher and a teacher was needed in another city when people were being evacuated. Even the fact that I studied philosophy, arguably one of the most useless of degrees, opened doors to have conversations with people about the problem of evil and sin, grace and forgiveness, the nature of God and other powerful and fruitful concepts.

Although it is hard for me to see it, since I am living it, one of the startling things about my experience there was the reaction of long-term workers to the very fact that I exist. I know that sounds strange and it is strange for me, but you see, I was born in South Central Asia and the emotional connection is still there. My family left when I was two years old and came to Australia. How this all came to be is another story; a story that again illuminates God as a master craftsman of destiny.

As I grew up and saw year after year of war and, later, of oppression as girls were forbidden to go to school, I felt so incredibly privileged to have the indulgent opportunity to study for the pure enjoyment of studying – for the intrinsic value of learning. There was a very real sense that my life could have been so very different. It was encouraging for me to be back in my birth country, to see the genuine progress being made and the years of love and toil that brothers and sisters had poured into the country. There was an understanding too, though, that much remains to be done. The country still has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, especially amongst women. While the rate of children in school has risen markedly, there is much to be done within the education sector.

The love that has been modeled for me by long-term brothers and sisters over there; the love for the locals and the country that in some sense is mine; and the incredible life-giving love that I have experienced from above, all compel me now to explore ways to serve long term in this place.

The author served On Track with Interserve in South Central Asia.

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Sarah* is mother to a nine-year-old boy with a physical disability. He is unable to walk steadily on his own without a walking frame. But Sarah is reluctant to let him use the walking frame as it would mark him out as a ‘crippled’ person. Sarah has struggled to come to terms with her son’s condition and holds on to the hope that he could be totally cured one day. As a result, Sarah carries him in her arms wherever they go, causing her stress and exhaustion.

Sarah and her son live alone in the city with no connection to family or friends. Her husband is in prison and they are far away from family support.

There is neglible government assistance available, and schools can refuse

a child enrolment because of their disability. Not

only does Sarah need to manage her son’s therapies by herself, she

lives in constant fear of debt collectors. In a society

where marriage and children are upheld as every woman’s

happiness, Sarah is ostracised by those who were once her friends

and by strangers who throw insults

Second chances

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves

the alien, giving him food and clothing. … Fear the LORD your God and serve Him.” Deuteronomy 10:17–18, 20.

In a culture where conformity is almost necessary for survival and the competition for resources is instinctive, those who are different, weak or suffer from misfortune are quickly marginalised and cast off without the hope of a second chance, compassion or love. But because of people who fear our God and wish to love as He loves, hope can become a reality and transformation a daily part of life.

*Name has been changed

The author is a psychologist who recently served On Track with Interserve in East Asia.

Image from iStock Photo

when they see her son struggling to walk upright. There were many days when Sarah would lock herself and her son at home, avoiding any contact with the outside world and not knowing when or how relief might come.

By chance, Sarah heard about a group of local Christians who had set up a resource centre specifically to support children with disabilities and their parents. This group, in turn, has been supported by the work of Interserve Partners.

Sarah reluctantly attended one event. She was overwhelmed by the support, love and understanding shown to her. For the first time she didn’t feel despised or discriminated against. Gradually Sarah started to smile more, chat with other parents and, most importantly, enjoy her relationship with her son. As Jesus’ love surrounded her, she began to see her son for his strengths rather than his disabilities.

It would be so wonderful for Sarah, and for the people ministering to her, if this was where her story ended. But the road ahead is long and at times very uncertain. Sarah will need to continue to struggle against battles both from without and within. I feel privileged to have had the chance to share, in a very small way, a part of Sarah’s life and the lives of those who continue to minister to her.

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“This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10–11

I met Jesus the other day. He asked me to come with him to see a man who was sick – dying maybe. A man who couldn’t walk anymore, who had pressure sores 12 cm wide across his spine, who people forgot to feed and whom no one wanted.

The room smelt revolting and I hesitated but Jesus walked straight in. He was carrying food for the man and he started by straightening up the room a little and giving the man something to eat. Jesus thought about me too and gave me some surgical gloves and a face mask.

Jesus had invited me because I am an expert with 17 years’ experience working with people with disabilities. But I had never seen anything like this before. Aside from disagreeing with the diagnosis the man had been given, I didn’t know what to do. I was utterly helpless.

But Jesus knew what to do. He began changing the man’s dressings and the man’s sodden bedclothes, something he came every two days to do. He started to clean the man’s wounds, taking away the old skin that had been replaced by new. And in between hisses of pain, the man in the bed asked him questions about the story he had just read in the Bible Jesus had given him. Jesus listened and answered him gently. I couldn’t always follow the answers because my language is sometimes a bit inadequate.

Jesus finished his work with fresh bandages. He asked me if I could do anything and I could see that he loved this man he served. I said I needed time to think and we left.

Of course it wasn’t really Jesus I was with. He was actually a rather short, dumpy 50 year old with a murky past. I know him and his wife well since they took us, foreigners, under their wing. We laugh a lot together and drink tea. But that day all I could see was Jesus, and that man in the bed could clearly see him too.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

The author is an Interserve Partner in Asia.Image courtesy Walt Manis

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Celebrating a rare ‘day off’, my Saturday was interrupted by a desperate call for blood donors for “a six-year-old girl who was dying from dengue”. The phone calls and emails started and donors began giving blood. Others were on standby. Prayer calls went out – to the local community and further afield – as Abi’s condition remained critical.

Who is this little girl? Abi’s family are Christians who moved to our strict Muslim area just two years ago. Her father worked for a car sales company, who tried to get him to do dishonest things. Instead he resigned, and just a month ago he and his wife started a business here in our city. They had limited contact with the broader Christian community in this city governed by sharia law and felt very alone at this terrible time. Far from extended family and familiar home surroundings, they stood watching their little girl slipping away from them.

Friends of the family kicked into action and Abi’s parents were astonished as strangers came and went from the hospital, donating blood to a little girl they hadn’t met. They heard of people they didn’t know who were praying for them and their local friends surrounded them and kept vigil with them, coordinating donors and updating information.

On Sunday evening, the fifth day, Abi went into a coma. Her parents asked for her to be transferred to the large provincial hospital where there were more facilities in the Intensive Care Unit. Such a transfer in itself would take a toll on Abi’s failing body and more prayer calls went out to more people unknown to the family. Pray for a safe transfer … pray Abi can make the trip … pray the doctors at her hospital will agree to transfer her … and so it went.

“Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!” The words came from the small six-year-old girl who had already been sick for four days. What became devastatingly clear was that Abi had dengue haemorrhagic fever, and had now gone into shock. Her parents had been watching her deteriorate but, like so many of their friends and neighbours, they had no familiarity with the early signs of the disease. Knowledge of these symptoms would have told them that this was not the ‘normal fever’ so commonly experienced in this tropical land. Knowing this information can mean the difference between life and death.

Abi’s story

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As an acute care nurse, I knew that Abi’s chance of surviving medically were about zero. From information received it seemed she had septicaemia, was in shock and her vital organs were failing. From my experience her chance of surviving would indeed require a miracle.

Well, the miracle happened! I cried as I translated the message on my phone that came through the next morning. Expecting that I would hear Abi was now with Jesus, instead I was reading: “Praise God last night Abi was successfully transferred to [the main provincial] hospital. The transfer went well and her condition has begun to improve. She has been calling for her mother and requested food. This morning there will be a result from an X-ray of her lungs and it is hoped that today she can leave the ICU area”.

My husband and I, with our director, were privileged to visit Abi a few days later and hear in more detail the horror and relief of this family’s journey over the past week. Abi’s mother wept as she explained the depth of their agony, the two times Abi was misdiagnosed and how it was not until she felt Abi’s icy body one morning that she knew her child was dying and the health providers finally realised what was happening and began resuscitation.

Abi herself was awake when we visited but had not walked for 10 days. She was discharged to bed rest at home a week later and finally after three weeks of illness was able to walk and return to school.

Abi remembers our hospital visit and still talks about it, and the family has just recently returned to their home city due to work circumstances. The evening before they left they came to our house to share a meal and to say goodbye and once again to say “thank you”. This whole experience has been a blessing to Abi and her family through her recovery and the sense of belonging to a large

community of faith that exists in this city where our faith is actively opposed and believers are often discriminated against and persecuted.

It has also been a joy and blessing to those of us who walk alongside the local church in its varied forms of expression here. Thank you to those of you who prayed for Abi and her family, and for the calls to prayer that we send out from this land. Please be encouraged that your prayers are so often answered, even though you may not always hear the results.

We especially say “thank you” to the One who lovingly gave healing to Abi and who has given us the honour to serve in this amazing place with all its joys and challenges.

The author is an Interserve Partner in South East Asia.

From my experience, her chance of surviving would require a miracle.

Basanta* is a young woman (aged 26) who lives in a very remote part of the hilly western region. She has grossly deformed hands and feet; she had been aware of changes in her limbs for 13 years but did not know where to go for help. She heard on FM radio a description of her disease and a phone number to contact. Not having learned to write, she recorded the number on her phone. When she contacted the number, she learned of a mobile medical camp being held. She was helped to this camp where she was told about leprosy and her need for long-term medication and good care of her limbs to avoid further damage. Leaving her family and all that was familiar, Basanta travelled hours and hours by bus to reach the hospital. That was just a few days ago. Since then, along with medical treatment and care, this beautiful young woman has taken the opportunity to begin to learn to read and write, her pencil held by a stump of a finger. Sometimes a teacher is able to visit the ward. Other times, fellow patients use their spare hours reading to those who cannot read or helping them to learn to write their name and the alphabet. She also is enjoying the fellowship meetings held for patients.

Postcards from the Himalayas

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Some months back I had the privilege of visiting a leprosy hospital with one of the counsellors, Helen*. I was so moved by meeting these patients that I had to share.

There was another man (aged 53) – I did not catch his name – who also came from a very remote area. He had a below-the-knee amputation due to disease. His three daughters are all married and have left his home; only his wife is waiting for him there. He came seeking help as he realised that although he had only a ‘sore’ on his foot that he continually damaged, it could be leprosy. Even now, in phone calls to his wife explaining that he had an amputation, he did not speak the dreaded word ‘leprosy’ so as to avoid the stigma and exclusion people with this disease still often experience. He smiled gently as he explained that he had some land that he could pay others to work now that he was not able and that he had a hand-turn sewing machine and could earn some income that way. This man’s face beamed as he shared all this with Helen this morning.

Astha* was seated on a wooden stool on wheels from which she was carefully spreading the sheet and folding the quilt as she made her bed. Her leg had been recently amputated below the knee. Wounds and damage, occurred because she had no sensation of pain due to the disease, could not be healed. She was missing her three-year-old daughter, who was being cared for by her sister. How would she cope when she returned to her home in a big town on the plains south of the mountains? It is hot and very wet at this time of monsoon. Her home is a small room and water floods in during storms. Although the family has lived there for a long time, they do not have any paper of ownership. She uses a neighbour’s toilet that is some distance away and the nearest tap is at another neighbour’s. Her husband, also a sufferer of this disease, earns a meagre salary as a rickshaw driver and Astha tends a very small vegetable patch. She related that through all these struggles she has a growing faith in God that gives her great peace. Helen gently placed her hand on the bandaged stump of Astha’s leg and prayed for good healing and trust in God to provide for her future.

1 5*Names have been changed

From a Partner in Nepal

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Title: Spiritual Equipping for Mission: Thriving as God’s Message Bearers

Author: Ryan Shaw

Publisher: IVP Books, 2014

ISBN: 0830836721

Book review by: Karen Davison

Available from Koorong (print and ebook) and other Christian bookstores

Ryan Shaw is involved in cross-cultural ministry and in equipping others for mission. He has written several books and other publications.

Although I’m often sceptical when picking up books by American authors, I was drawn by Shaw’s focus on the spiritual life of the ‘message bearer’. As Tom Lin says in his introduction, “One of the most urgent and strategic issues in the mission field today [is] nurturing the spiritual life of the missionary”. The recent history of mission has placed a great deal of emphasis on the task of evangelism. Many ‘message-bearers’, both in the cross-cultural context and in our churches at home, are focussed on the task of making the gospel known but are neglecting the importance of growing their own inner spiritual life. Ultimately, they will be ineffective in their task, claims Shaw.

“The Great Commission is a spiritual work, not merely a strategic one. It’s effectively served through spiritual people, full of the Holy Spirit, obedient to Jesus, consistently tending the garden of their inner life.” In this book, Shaw explores 10 ‘Spiritual Keys’ that are the inner-life characteristics of effective and thriving message-bearers.

This book should be read prayerfully, with time to reflect on each area. I liked the emphasis it places on deepening spirituality, whilst remaining very grounded in Scripture, the cross, and the task of ‘message-bearing’. I found it challenging and at times confronting, yet also practical and encouraging. This is a timely and relevant read for all ‘message-bearers’, at ‘home’ and in a cross-cultural context.

Title: The Plum Tree in the Desert: Ten stories of faith and mission to inspire you

Author: Naomi Reed

Publisher: Authentic Media, due for international release in July 2015

Book review by: Rose Dowsett

Available from Interserve Australia

I smiled, I cried and I marvelled, but most of all I found myself moved to thanksgiving to the Lord as I read through these absorbing stories. Here are flesh-and-blood women and men, authentic in their honesty about the cost, as well as the privilege, of living for the Lord Jesus in some of the hardest of hard places as far as sharing the gospel is concerned. Yet all are able to testify that God is faithful – and that He is building His Church even there. It is the Lord himself who is the central character in this book. Naomi Reed writes superbly, capturing the human stories with warmth and integrity and the divine story behind them all with thoughtful faith. It’s a book to inspire – to pray, to reach out lovingly to those of other cultures and faiths and to commit our lives wholeheartedly to the Lord’s purposes in world mission today. Read it – with heart and mind and life tuned in to whatever the Lord may say to you!

The Plum Tree in the Desert was commissioned by Interserve International Director Paul Bendor-Samuel to give a glimpse into the stories of the last 25 years. It will be launched through a series of events to be held around Australia in 2015, where Naomi will share her experiences in researching and writing these stories. For more information, see interserve.org.au/unfoldinggrace

When Women Speak…

We are seeking to raise US$80,000 to launch this

pioneering initiative and invite you to partner with us.

There are several ways in which you can be involved.

Please help us turn this vision into reality!

To find out more go to whenwomenspeak.net

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When Women Speak…A colloquium to explore the place of women’s voices where Christianity, Islam and missiology meet.

Women’s voices are often unheard and unreported; and their place can be controversial. In Muslim culture it is typically the woman’s role to preserve and pass on faith to the next generation, yet most approaches to mission in these contexts are distinctly gender-blind. Christian women scholars and practitioners have a unique ability to speak into this gap but they are surprisingly under-represented in missiology journals and writing. This has tangible implications for reaching women through cross-cultural mission.

When Women Speak is a pioneering venture that seeks to create a space for women to share and debate their work on Mission, Women and Islam.

It will begin with a Colloquium in September 2015; bringing 21 highly respected women scholars and practitioners to Melbourne from regions including Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. This initial, invitation-only gathering will publish a book and launch a network of women whose combined voices will be better enabled to shape mission strategies through scholarship and practice.

A partnership between Interserve Australia, Interserve International and Melbourne School of Theology

Introducing a new initiative

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This is indeed a historic moment in the life of our fellowship. In 1852 a group of women were led to found a mission to work among the marginalised women of India. One hundred and sixty three years later, this mission, which is now fully internationalised, will be led by an Indian.

Bijoy worked as a General Practitioner in the Indian Army for 13 years prior to joining Interserve in 1994. Two years later he was appointed National Director of Interserve India, which grew in size and diversity during his 10 years in the role. Bijoy served on the international faculty of the Haggai Institute and on numerous national

Bijoy & Premi Koshy

boards including Chair of the Indian Mission Association, possibly the largest national mission association globally. In 2006 he joined the Interserve International Leadership Team in the role of Regional Director for the Americas and North Pacific, and then, in 2013, he became Regional Director for South Asia.

Bijoy is married to Premila, who has 25 years’ experience as a primary school teacher and teacher trainer. Premi set up the first homeschool system in India to help rural mission workers. Together with Bijoy she has mentored dozens of young people and exercised an effective family and marriage counselling ministry. Bijoy and Premi have a daughter, Anisha, and a married son, Rohan.

Interserve has recently completed a wide-ranging review of its purpose, leading to a renewed calling to the peoples of Asia and the Arab world. We rejoice in the growth of the Church, even in the most challenging of situations, and will serve with the Church as it participates in the mission of God. We commit ourselves to growing as disciples of Jesus Christ in community. We will make disciples to serve as co-labourers in God’s transformation of all spheres of society and we will catalyse partnerships for mission.

As we rededicate ourselves to this task, we rejoice in the provision of Bijoy and Premi, and we ask you to pray for them as they prepare to take on this role.

Interserve International is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Bijoy Koshy as its next International Director. Dr Koshy will succeed Dr Paul Bendor-Samuel in May 2015, when Paul steps down after 12 years in the role.

Introducing

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Enquiries can be made through:

Interserve AustraliaTelephone 03 9729 9611Freecall 1800 067 100info@interserve.org.auPO Box 231 Bayswater VIC 3153

NEW WEBSITEinterserve.org.au

For enquiries about serving with Interserve or CultureConnect, please contact:

ACT & New South WalesContact: Karen Davisonnswact@interserve.org.au

Queensland & Northern TerritoryContact: Ben Snareqldnt@interserve.org.au

South Australia & Western AustraliaContact: Jenny Goddard sawa@interserve.org.au

Victoria & TasmaniaContact: Matt Waltonvictas@interserve.org.au

CultureConnectContact: Andrew Schachtelcultureconnectdirector@gmail.com

Interserve Internationalwww.interserve.org

Prayer MeetingsYou are invited to join one of our prayer groups. Everyone is welcome. If you attend on a casual basis please phone as circumstances can change.

Monthly prayer notes are available, please contact us to receive these. info@interserve.org.au

New South Wales

Campbelltown: 4th Thursday of the month, 7.30 pm. Contact Tom Reeve: 02 4626 8212

Central Coast: UPLINK 3rd Thursday of the month, 7.30 pm. Contact Greg & Amanda Harris: 02 4368 1572 / gandaharris1@gmail.com

Epping: 2nd Saturday of the month, 3.30 – 5.00pm. Contact Stephen & Elizabeth Cox: 02 9869 3937 / stephen.cox2121@gmail.com

Hills-Blacktown: 1st Monday of the month, 7:45pm, Kings Park. Contact Michael & Katy Brierley, 02 8604 7568 / mkelephant83@gmail.com

Lindfield: 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm. Contact Marion Stanbridge: 02 9416 2655 / stanbridge2@bigpond.com

Lower Blue Mountains: 2nd Thursday of the month, 7.45pm. Coordinators: Colin & Sue Wellings: 02 4725 2001

Penshurst: 3rd Saturday of the month, 3.30 - 5.00pm. Contact Allan & Christine Mao: 0433 310 765 / allanrmmao@gmail.com

Wagga Wagga: 3rd Thursday of month, 7.30pm. Contact John & Sally Padgett: 02 6925 0929 / padgetts@bigpond.net.au

Wollongong: Combined missions group. 3rd Saturday of the month, 3.00 – 4.30pm. Contact Mrs Gina Cahill: 02 4228 4146 / pcgc_56@hotmail.com

Queensland Mount Gravatt East: 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm. Contact Graham & Beth, 0432 963 464

Toowong: 1st Thursday of the month, 7.30pm. Contact Fay or Ann Backhouse: 07 3371 8249

South Australia Second Sunday of the month, 3pm. Contact Aileen Pike: 08 8296 4083

Victoria Bendigo: Contact Ian & Nancy Cutlack: 0402 130 718 / icutlack@bigpond.net.au

Geelong: Contact Matt Walton: 0400 802 869 / vicoffice.isa@gmail.com

Mitcham: 1st Saturday of the month, 9.30am. Contact Howard & Betty Barclay: 03 9872 6675

Share & Care: 3rd Thursday of the month, 1.30pm. Contact Matt Walton: 0400 802 869 / vicoffice.isa@gmail.com

North Balwyn Prayer for Nepal: 4th Thursday of the month, 8pm. Contact Peter & Ann Oldland: 03 9857 8768 / peteroldland@yahoo.com.au

Nunawading: 3rd Friday of the month, 7:30pm. Contact Kathy McCarthy: 0437 080 602 / kathyfmccarthy@gmail.com

Western AustraliaNorth: 2nd Saturday of the month, 8am. Contact Bill & Bev Rowlands: 08 9345 1672

South: 3rd Saturday of the month, 8am. Contact Jan Thompson: 08 9364 6862

West: Last Sunday of the month, 3pm. Contact Fay Gaunt: 08 9384 4910

All details correct at time of printing

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the first time today, your opinion matters

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read it, we’d like to know what we could

change to make it easier for you to read.

Please take a few minutes to fill in this

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interserve.org.au/gosurvey

Tangible Love appealThis year we want to shout from the rooftops about our passion for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus through wholistic mission. ‘Tangible Love’ tells our Partner’s stories of how word and deed working together (wholistic mission) establish trust, build hope and opens the door to the gospel.

Having been called to the hardest places, to do the work of Jesus amongst the most marginalised communities, our Partners are literally bringing sight to the blind, freedom to the captive, proclaiming good news to the poor. We want to open the doors and invite more Australian Christians to respond to God’s calling on their lives.

If our faith is to find its voice beyond our immediate community, then we need to increase our capacity to send and support new workers. This is where the Tangible Love appeal hits the road.

Here’s how you can help:

Pray – Ask God to raise up more workers for the harvest field (Matt 9:37). Pray for enabling for Interserve staff, walking alongside these workers. If you would like to pray regularly for Interserve workers, we invite you to subscribe to the monthly Prayer Notes. Yes, please send me monthly prayer notes by mail by email

Give – Please consider making a special gift to help us send and support more workers. If God has given you a heart for a particular region or ministry, please tell us what that is. We will direct your donation towards supporting that area.

I enclose a donation of $

Please direct my donation to

Serve – Prayerfully consider how you can allow Jesus’ love to become more tangible in your own life. God does extraordinary things through an ordinary Christian’s willingness to follow Him. If you have questions about cross-cultural service in Australia or overseas, we’d love to chat with you. I would like to talk with someone about cross-cultural ministry. Please contact me.

Encourage – Do you know someone who you could encourage to consider cross-cultural ministry?

Contact details

Name D.O.B / /

Address

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Giving details

I enclose a cheque for $ (Payable to: Interserve Australia Inc)

Please debit $ to my credit card

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Please return completed form to: Interserve Australia, PO Box 231 Bayswater Victoria 3153ABN 12 041 298 204 INC: A00257041

Interserve Australia is committed to protecting your privacy. Any information you provide is stored and used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You can learn more and also pray, give or subscribe securely online at interserve.org.au

Naomi with Iris in Malkangiri 2014

ACT Book Launch 11 July | WA Interserve Encounters 1 August | QLD Interserve Encounters 8 August

TAS Global Challenge 15 August | VIC Interserve Great Day Away 22 August | SA Interserve Great Weekend Away 28-30 August

I N T E R S E R V E . C O M . A U / U N F O L D I N G G R A C E

Naomi Reed is one of Australia’s best-selling authors in the Christian market. She is also

a returned Interserve Partner! At the end of 2012, Paul Bendor-Samuel, International

Director of Interserve, commissioned Naomi to write a new book, telling stories of faith

and mission, over the last 25 years, in Asia and the Arab World. Naomi said yes to the

project immediately and travelled to meet Interserve Partners who had served in the

Arabian Peninsula, South East Asia, North Africa, the Central Asian Republics and the

Tibetan Plateau.

The stories were powerful. Each Partner described their struggles of service, including

seeing death in the raw, being held at gunpoint, living through attempted rapes, being

forced to leave the country, witnessing the murder of their colleagues, and more… but

within all of that, they spoke powerfully about the goodness of God, of his mercy and

kindness, and what it means to persevere and trust him, even when it seems too hard. This

is a book for everyone.

In 2015, Naomi will be the keynote speaker at six major Interserve conferences around

Australia, sharing talks from 2 Corinthians 4 on the theme of God’s unfolding grace.

So we’re not giving up. How could we!

Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Message)