We Interrupt This Blog Series...

OK, Old people, listen up.

That was the theme of the conference I was just in. Not the official theme. But definitely the theme that came through to me. I found it amazingly ironic to be in a room of mission executives where I felt like a new kid on the block and listen to 20 something leaders tell the oldsters that they’ve missed it. In fact, they expressed that missions is like an impenetrable wall. They’d love to learn from our experience, but we don’t seem to care. Our message? “Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you in a few weeks. Oh, and by the way, NO, we aren’t interested in a creative approach.”

It was also interesting to hear the response from the leadership in the room. My favorite question had to be one posed to a church leader of an emerging church that has started 14 churches in a closed country in three years by itself because the agency it has a relationship with told it that was impossible and to forget it. The question posed was, “SO, what if all churches did what you have done? Wouldn’t there be incredible duplication of efforts?” The implied answer was that God created agencies to avoid that problem. :) On Yahoo there is an emoticon for LOL that would work better here.

Actually, I found myself crying as I watched a video clip of young people at Urbana telling the camera what they would tell agency executives if they had the chance. The theme was, “We’re out here. We have passion. We want to change the world!”

What made me cry was the thought that I started into missions with a passion to reach lost people with the message of Christ. I specialized in bridging cultural gaps as a missionary to connect with people and be able to share what I know with them. Now, as an agency leader, I hear voices telling us we have missed connecting with a whole generation right here at home. In their voices I heard a longing for a connection.

At the Mission Exchange annual business meeting the chairman of the board did a skit with people from the audience. Of course there were no young leaders present. This was a business meeting for members. He asked for anyone under 35 to represent Paul and Barnabas and Titus. Then anyone under 40. Then anyone under 45. Finally he took people under 50 to speak for those young leaders. He got three older men to be Apostles and elders. He read the story of Paul coming to Jerusalem to answer questions about his work and then with no preparation asked these mission leaders to act out these parts and interviewed them about the upcoming meeting. I was sitting there trying to figure out the point of this when it dawned on me. OH, this is to show that what we have heard here is nothing new. New leaders have been stretching old leaders from the beginning of the church, so we really shouldn’t get too worried about what we have heard. We were young once too. They’ll come around and it’ll be OK.

Maybe they’re right...

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Oh, and BRAVO to the leadership of The Mission Exchange for bringing young and old together for that dialog. That deserves a link. http://www.efmamissions.org

I'm a Runner - Chapter Four

If at First You Don't Succeed

Fast forward one year and we are back from our second mini-marathon with fresh aspirations of becoming a runner. It happened again. The crowd of 30,000 plus runners, the excitement, seeing people running and thinking, "Man, if he can do it..."

This time I knew enough to know that I would need some help and inspiration. So I took out a subscription to "Runner's World" and began to read about running. Their suggestion for people like me was to start by running for a minute and walking for a minute. Or two. Or three. You know, whatever you can handle. And maybe start with city block and work your way towards a half a mile goal. We live in the country and one constant is telephone poles. So I decided to run past one pole and walk past two and work my way up. Now, the photo above is not me. Maybe when I drop 30 pounds. It is a screen saver that I used to inspire myself as I started running. Note the long empty road ahead...

So I took the advice that I read, along with coaching from Laurie, and increased the running to walk ratio until I ran my first half-mile, my first mile and finally my first 5K distance. For me that took several months. But what a tremendous sense of accomplishment each time I ran a little bit further! I didn't worry about speed so much. OK, honestly when December hit I decided that while running was fine and dandy, the wind in the country wasn't. So I took a hiatus until the end of January and began working to be ready for the May 4 race. I was up to the 5K distance by mid April, so I felt pretty sure I could at least finish without walking! This would be my first organized sporting event ever with real live spectators who weren't all directly related to the participants.

We got a hotel in Indy the evening before the race, picked up our packets and tried to get to sleep that night. Early the next morning in the hotel lobby, where I had gone for my free breakfast, I met another runner. He asked me which corral I was in and I said I was running the 5K. "Oh," he snorted, "That's not even running!"

Well, now, I hadn't put in all those miles to let that get me down. And really, that's how it goes, whether it is running or any other worthy thing, somebody is likely to say something, well, insensitive.

Funny things that happened. We got down to the staging area early and were standing in line for the Porto-potty when the PA announcer said, "Runners, remember to attach your timing chip to your shoe with the plastic tie that was in your packet." I looked down and NO TIMING CHIP! I had left it in the hotel. Since the 5K start followed the half-marathon start, I had just enough time to run back to the car, drive to the hotel, pick up the chip, drive back to a much farther away spot, and run back to the start line. I figure all that running was about 5K!

I'll share how I did in my next post. But here are a few lessons learned in the year prior to my first 5K.

• It really helps to have a coach when you are trying something new and challenging. Somebody who has done it before to provide knowledge and inspiration. For me that was the magazine and my wife, not in that order!
  
  
• There's just a lot of slogging involved in any worthwhile goal, but it is worth it.



• Don't listen to the naysayers.



• Start with what you can do and move on from there.

Whether it is running or becoming more active in missions, those things hold true. (I told you I was going to relate this to my passion for missions) I think in the church we sometimes set the goal so high that people just don't try. They see the missionary as someone they could never be. But I believe God calls every believer to be a "missionary." That is, one who is on a mission. I think we have a hard time finding coaches to show us how to do that, and I think we are not short on naysayers. But if we start simple and work our way up, the slogging that is involved at times is worth it, especially when we see the results!

I'm a Runner - Chapter Three

Reality Check

Well, my conviction lasted a full week. That was how much time Laurie took off from running following the race. After her recovery time following the half-marathon had passed we went for a run together.

Now, when you listen to the stories of marathon runners you might hear them talking about hitting the wall. I'm not sure what that's all about, but around the one tenth mile mark I started panting. By one and a half tenths of a mile (hey, it's the truth!) I said, "I gotta stop." Suddenly all the reasons why I had sworn I would never run again in my life came rushing back to me in a moment of clarity. It was one of those "what was I thinking?" moments.

Now, I've never been immediately identified as a runner by people in the street. If you look at the photo of me at my daughter's cross-country meet, you'll figure out why. So all I had to do after my stab at running was look in the mirror and the truth was evident. I didn't look like that guy on the cover of the running magazine. So what was I thinking?

This is where it gets interesting. I've wanted to write about my running experience before this, but never found the appropriate forum. I've wanted to write about it because my move from non-runner to runner was a major shift in my life for the good. I find tremendous satisfaction doing something that isn't easy, but that brings great fulfillment on a number of levels. At the same time, all my adult life I've been involved in missions, first as a missionary in Honduras and now working out of Indiana. Missions is also something that is not easy but that brings great satisfaction on multiple levels and has real significance on a grand scale.

I'm going to give away my central reason for starting this "I'm a Runner" series of posts. Here it is. I've begun to see some real parallels between how I became a runner and how I might convince others to share in this passion of mine for missions. I hope to stimulate some dialog while sharing my story, so don't be shy about posting a comment or two.

OK, back to our story. It only took one week to see my running ambitions shattered. So how did I come to write this story about being a runner? Well, it has a lot to do with the fact that when I stopped, my wife kept running. More on that next time.

I'm a Runner - Chapter Two

A Moment of Glory

So how did I go from a childhood of negative running experiences to a guy who ran 3.3 miles last evening after a busy day at work just for the fun of it? I mean, if you think about it, they use running for punishment in school. "OK, everybody, just for that, take a lap!"

It happened in a moment of glory. Well, that's maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but my entry into the ranks of "runner" does point back to a singular event that took place in May of 2003.

It was 6:30 a.m. and Laurie and I and our daughter were driving through downtown Indianapolis looking for a parking spot somewhat close to the starting line of the 500 Festival Mini-marathon. This was to be Laurie's first race in twenty years, almost to the day,when she ran a full marathon in Cleveland, Ohio.



We drove through the downtown area, filled with runners dressed in T-shirts of every imagineable color and design, running shorts and shoes, and of course, a race bib with their number on it. It was a crisp morning and there was electricity in the air. There was a sense of something about to happen. Anticipation. Streets were blocked off. Someone was on a PA welcoming runners to the 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. There were news helicopters hovering overhead, for crying out loud. Our daughter leaned over the seat and said, "You know mom, I'm kinda proud of you!"


This was a new world to me. I've never been mistaken for an athlete. But there was such energy in the air as 30,000 plus runners came together for a half-marathon and a 5K race that by the end of the day both our daughter and I had determined that we were going to run next year in the 5K race. We had a whole new take on running. It wasn't just something hard that Laurie did all the time any more. As I looked around I saw every age and body type pounding out the miles in a display of athletic exuberance. I wanted to be part of that! This was something that I could do too!

So this then was the beginning of something new for me. Besides being fun to write about, and hopefully to read about as well, the story of my becoming a runner also has a direct connection to my passion for missions. Missions is viewed by many as that odd thing that some Christians do that has little to do with their life. But just like me and running, I think that everyone can find excitement and fulfillment in getting active in missions. But just like discovering running was for me, what I have to say about missions is probably way different than what you might expect, or at least what you've heard in the past.

I'm Tim Rickel and I'm a Runner

That's how I introduced myself in chapel at WGM last Tuesday. I took that phrase from a feature in each "Runner's World" issue that comes to our house which features different celebrities or corporate personalities and their story about running.

I've been thinking about my running and how it applies to what we are doing at WGM. So, I am going to dedicate several posts to talking about this facet of my life. In case you don't believe I'm a runner, I present the following picture as evidence. It is my bib number from this year's 500 Festival 5K run in Indianapolis. And a copy of "Runner's World" which I will refer to in my story of how I became a runner.

Chapter One - My running history

Running didn't come naturally to me. My earliest memory of running comes from age five when I ran into my neighbor's barn and my head connected with a piece of farm equipment that was right at eye level. After I came to I realized you can get hurt running.

Then in third grade we had a race in the gym at recess. I beat everyone sprinting, even the fastest girl. It was a short-lived moment of glory. When we picked teams for kickball I was still one of the last ones chosen! Athletics were never my strong point. Especially after I got glasses in fifth grade!

In high school my good friend, Terry, convinced me to run with him at 7 a.m. in order to get in better shape. We both lived within a few blocks of the high school track. Well, that lasted about a week. As we pounded around the track; me trying to keep stride with his longer legs, I decided I could be still sleeping rather than feeling out of breath this early in the morning.

My next run in with running, (pardon the pun), was in college gym class when we had to run an 11 minute mile to get a passing grade. As I ran the final two tenths of a mile, feeling completely like I was going to die, I decided I would never again voluntarily run unless it involved lots of money or really good food. And I held to that until 2003. But that's for the next post.

My sisters Beth and Becky and me in college

Beginning and Ending and Points in Between

In the past two weeks I have attended a funeral service and a wedding. Makes you think a bit about life. The funeral was for a lady who worked for many years at headquarters and retired the same year that I started with WGM, 1985. So I had never met her to my knowledge. But I found myself in the position of representing WGM in that service and saying a few words to honor her life given to ministry through her accounting abilities at headquarters.

It's interesting how most people pass through life without acclaim or fame. It was a privilege to honor Wilfa Moorman and to inform her grandchildren who were present about the international impact her life had as part of a worldwide team reaching into many cultures with the good news that Jesus offers them new life and an eternity with God. Most people at the funeral had no idea that Wilfa was a force for the gospel on the international scene.

I related how when Dr. Steury operated on a Maasai warrior in Kenya, his teammate Wilfa was freeing him from the concerns of filing taxes so that he could focus on the ministry there. Or when Harold Harriman was opening areas of Bolivia to the gospel message, Wilfa was making sure the mission maintained sound fiscal accountability here at HQ, something that helped keep the Harrimans on the field. I shared that urgent prayer was needed for the Harriman's son, Hubert, who as a young boy had a serious knee infection, Wilfa was part of the team in Marion that got on their knees and prayed in help for this missionary kid who would one day be president of the mission. Finally, I shared that if it is possible to be surprised in heaven, that likely Wilfa was surprised as men and women from Kenya, Bolivia, and other points around the globe approached her and thanked her for being part of the team that brought the good news to their village, resulting in their being in heaven.

Then, at the other end of the life cycle, I attended the wedding of a missionary kid to a preacher's son. In that ceremony, this young couple expressed their desire to be used of God in their life together. The ceremony was thoughtful and packed with expressions of their love for each other and for God. I wondered what will be said in another 60 years or so about their contribution to the kingdom.

I guess the point of all this is that we each have the opportunity and the mandate to be part of winning the world for Christ. Each of us has a mission, custom tailored by God for us. I'd love to hear how that is working out in your life. Have any reflections that you would care to post here as a comment to this blog entry? I'd love to hear from you.

June Ministry Update

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: I pressed the money in her hand while fighting back the tears. It was all I had on me; just $4.00, but it represented half a day’s salary in this place. This woman, who looked much older than me, but who was undoubtedly younger, had just lost her 25 year old son. In this place of cold hard reality, he had made a deadly mistake. While digging through garbage in the dump just outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras for food to eat and plastics and cardboard to sell to recyclers, this young man had found a bottle of pop. There is no water at the dump so he opened the bottle and drank it. It wasn’t pop, it was poison and in a matter of minutes he was dead.

I told his mother I would pray for her and for her son’s children as well. Her grief-stricken face held no hope. Most people in this place know no hope. Just mind-numbing work full of danger from disease, violence, and a poisoned environment. The life expectancy at the dump is forty years, a desperate reality for 1,000 people, including 250 children who live in the dump.

Along with the national church, WGM is reaching out to these people by providing free education for the children, with a hope that with education we can save them from this hell on earth. And by introducing them to Jesus we can save them from an eternal hell without Christ. Their parents are willing to let them come to school part of the day if we pay them something to compensate the loss of income to the family. These children earn a dollar a day digging through the trash. The norm in this place is for girls to sell their bodies starting at age ten. That is if a garbage truck doesn’t back over them as they scramble to get the choicest morsels as it is dumping its load of garbage. That is unfortunately part of the hard reality of this place.

Nothing has quite effected me like the Tegucigalpa dump. I didn’t even know this existed in the years I served as a missionary in Honduras. Now I know. The Honduran pastor and his wife who pour out their lives in this place left good paying jobs in faith when they learned of this place and dedicated themselves full-time to rescuing these children.





Mendoza, Argentina: I sipped mate, a hot drink made from a local herb mix and shared amongst friends, while my friend who lives and ministers there led a Bible study with Daniel and Maria, two new followers of Jesus Christ. Daniel is in the highest economic levels of Argentine society, working with international investors in the economy. We were in their beautiful home enjoying their gracious hospitality as we studied God’s word together. We were studying Luke 11 where Jesus tells the people he will give them no sign except the sign of Jonah. Daniel commented, “I’ve don’t know the story of Jonah.” So we went to the book of Jonah and read the whole story. We spent another hour discussing it.

These two stories from my travels to our fields of Honduras and Argentina are vastly different with one common thread. Both people at the top echelons of Argentine society and in the dumps of Honduras will go to an eternity without Christ unless we do something. Spiritually, they are equally needy.

Of course, we all have people all around us who don't know that God knows them completely and loves them so completely that He gave his only son so that whoever believes in Jesus can spent eternity with Him. Who will help them understand what that means?