From the monthly archives:

May 2008

Partnership Tanzania

by sockacoach on May 12, 2008

“It was a good sharing on the ministries that are on-going at this little village of Lugala in Tanania. But still, this is just another one of those stories of missions. What’s the big deal? There are tons of needs around the world and this is just another one. Anything else, let the pastor, the church board or the missions committee worry about it. Missions and Africa is just not the cup of my tea. I have much to care about in my life already.”

Then it seems that this presentation is more than a sharing on a missions project.  God is actually challenging us with the following question: what am I currently doing as a Christ follower in terms of making disciples of Jesus Christ?

On the surface, this seems to be just another missions project. When you reflect deeper into the birth of this project, it is not simply a missions project. It is a project of a disciple of Jesus making disciples of Jesus. Do this sentence sound unpolished, rough but familiar? Oh, yeah. It is the motto of Mosaic Baptist Church. “disciples of Jesus Christ who are moved to help others becoming disciples”

Bob Meinschenk, who came out with this project as the chair of his church’s outreach, has shown us what it is like when one truly lives out this motto. He is neither the pastor in charge nor higher ups in the hierarchy. He initiated a project to the higher ups and the birth of Partnership Tanzania took shape. He did not wait for directives from someone else in the church to initiate a project. Yes, I know. He is the chair of outreach and that should be his job. Then I also know that many chair on many church committees will not do anything unless directed by the pastor.  

With a 5 year commitment to this project, a village is literally being built.  With this, there comes the realities of making disciples of Jesus Christ. For those people who are involved in Bob’s project, they have slowly evolved into disciples of Jesus Christ as well. In 2007, a hostel for visitors and teachers is being built, 200 mosquito nets were distributed to protect lives, maize were distributed to families with HIV/AIDS victims, 10 heifers have been purchased to build a quality herd, 55 young people attend school ofr the first time, and a micro credit fund has been approved. Disciples of Christ take the gospel into action. Bob is making disciples of Jesus Christ through this project.

What is also amazing of this project is that only 3 cents per dollar is used to cover the cost of transferring funds and minimum costs in Tanzania. All contributions go directly to support the fore mentioned projects. What a story!

I hope that one day your story will be told in the style of Bob Meinschenk. It is because he holds true to our motto. If I am a part of Mosaic Baptist Church, what am I currently doing as a Christ follower in terms of making disciples of Jesus Christ? Am I living out the motto of our community?

Watch video. 

 

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Radical Adventure of Dennis

by DennisWR on May 11, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings! I am thankful for this opportunity to share with you what’s been going on in my journey of life recently.

Last November, God led me across the continent to a land called Kenya, to be His hands and feet serving the orphans and widows in a rural community. At the same time, God used the opportunity to shape me and mold me, asking me to search deeper in His heart by following His calling towards missions. After months of prayers and deep reflections, by the grace of God, I was excited when I found out about an opportunity to join Adventures In Missions in their World Race Mission. I applied and have now been accepted! I plan to leave October 1, 2008.

The World Race involves going to the four corners of the earth in 11 months and working alongside the local churches and missionaries in various ministries. We will be doing everything from earthquake relief work to church planning projects. My ultimate desire is to bring hope to the hopeless, give a voice to the voiceless, and shine a light into the darkness.

Throughout this adventurous journey, I will blog about my experience and keep you updated with my ministries abroad. Please visit my blog at dennisho.theworldrace.org and subscribe to receive update alerts. You can also visit my teammates’ blog and offer your words of encouragement as we embark on this pilgrimage together.

This mission is very overwhelming for me and I know I cannot do this alone. Your partnership and participation, through prayer and financial support, will truly be a blessing and honor. I am specifically asking for 15 people who will commit to pray for me each day until I return. Please email me if you are interested. Also, I must raise a total of $13,800 USD to cover travel and living expenses for the entire 11 months. I calculated that if 42 people gave $30 USD each month or a one-time offering of $330 USD, then I would meet my goal! You can make donations at any time, starting now! To donate online, please go to my blog at dennisho.theworldrace.org and select “Support Me!” button on the left-hand sidebar. This will lead you to a secured web page to make your donation.

If you prefer checks, please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions. Please do NOT include my name in the memo section of the check. Including the enclosed response card will provide all necessary information to AIM. All donations should be mailed to Adventures in Missions, P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. Adventures in Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization in the United States. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the discretion of Adventures in Missions and that the gifts are non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Gifts may be tax deductible for US Citizens; please consult your tax advisor.

To all my Canadian supporters, I’m sorry to inform you all donations from Canada are NOT tax deductible at this point in time.

I am very excited about how God will use me and what He will teach me through this experience. I hope not only to be a blessing to those I serve, but also to you. Thank you so much for taking your time to read this letter and prayerfully considering being part of my ministry!

Blessings,

Dennis Ho

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An attempt to know the poor

by Philthevoid on May 10, 2008

money clip and coins

This past thursday, after work I was walking on Wellington Street West in downtown Toronto. It was about 7:20pm and I was on my way to meet a friend at a four-star restaurant. As I was walking down the street a man modestly dressed approached me and stopped me on the street.  The sidewalks were clear and I stood there apprehensive about his intentions, positioning one foot back slightly to prepare a defensive stance for a lunge out of instinct (too much streetfighter2 training). He said the following:

“Excuse me, sir. I don’t mean to bother you, and I rarely do this but I could really use some help. You see, I’m out of work, am from out of town, and recently suffered an accident that has kept me out of work. I work in construction, but since I hurt my ankle I have not been able to work. I was kicked out of my apartment and now I’m sorry to say, homeless. I hate having to do this, I’m not a panhandler – all I’m trying to do is gather up some money so I can get something to eat. Any spare change you can give me would be really appreciated.”

In Toronto our homeless problem is pervasive. If you spend 10 minutes downtown walking the streets you will run into the homeless, guaranteed. Whether they are panhandling in front of Tim Hortons or sleeping on city grates, they are everywhere.  I recall maybe 3 years ago, I was approached on multiple occassions by the same homeless person on McCaul street walking to Vicky’s house. One time the man approached me twice within the same hour and didn’t even realize it. The man shared a similar sob story as the man that approached me last week. I was a big skeptic back then, and I still am. I wonder if these homeless beggars who share their stories are for real or are just looking for a cash grab. Three years ago I listened to the story, but looked for opportunity to cut the conversation off so I could walk away. I never gave money or ever truly gave my ears to the man. I wrote the man off as a waste of time.

Last Thursday, as the homeless man stood there in front of me, something came over me. I started examining the man, and I felt compelled to do something. The man was dressed modestly in a faded collared shirt under a black sweatshirt. He was wearing black jeans and worn-out construction boots. He was clean-cut and had stuble on his face. He had a slightly crooked smile and olive eyes. He was articulate and humbled in his tone.

I asked him where he worked and where he was living. I heard his voice tremble in self-loathe. “I’m out of work because of the accident, and my agency has not been very helpful so I’ll be looking to get a new one soon. Right now, honestly embarassed to say, in a number of homeless shelters… I know I can get work, I just need something to eat to get me through the next couple days.”

Usually I could just walk by a homeless man without regard and I would tell them “sorry, I have no spare change”.  This Thursday I was called to act. I told him I could help him and reached into my pocket. That day I had some change in my right pocket from my Tim Horton’s Coffee run of $2.55. In my left pocket I had my engraved moneyclip with a $10 bill and a dinner receipt from a previous night’s outting with friends. I reached into my left pocket and gave him the $10 bill.

I handed him the bill and he was taken-aback. Usually homeless I’ve seen are usually pan-handling for change not bills. He stammered in his words “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.” I extended my hand, and he didn’t know how to respond. I held it out-stretched and said: “My name’s Phil.” He paused for a moment and then grabbed my hand with a timid handshake and instantly I felt the frozen touch of a man who’d spent too much time on the streets. I have poor circulation to my extremeties, and my hands are pretty chilly normally. From all my years in a corporate setting, I can count the number of hands I’ve shaken that actually felt cool to me. From shaking this homeless man’s hand, I could tell he had spent a significant amount of time outside. I could tell he was authentic in his need. He didn’t tell me his name. I told him “goodluck” and he said “thank you, thank you”.

I’m not sure what came over me that evening. I didn’t think about the Irresistible Revolution or the community we are looking to create. I just saw a man who looked honest enough and who’s story seemed to fit together. He didn’t seem like he wanted to swindle me. So I responded my best to get to know his story a little better and do what I could to extend help and a warm touch his way.

Whether the homeless man is an addict and is going to use that money for drugs or alcohol, I cannot be sure. It is an apparent reality for many of the homeless, and I can only pray that God knew what He was doing when he put that homeless man in front of me.

Shane Claiborne stressed the importance of getting to know the poor just as Jesus did. Jesus had no home and spent much of his time with the poor and needy, offering miracles to spread the love of God. Can’t we do the same?

Yes, I think, yes, we can.

 

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Remember me in your prayers

by Janet on May 6, 2008

Friday, May 2, 2008

I never really considered mission work or evangelism as what I was capable of doing. I was always hesitant and nervous to leave out words if I shared the Gospel. So I didn’t even consider going to Urbana. But after going there simply because my church needed people and they were willing to subsidize, I discovered the importance of unity. Uniting with other brothers and sisters in Christ and that we are ONE. I also learned a lot about cross cultural ministries especially AIDS in Africa. Once again I didn’t know what actions to take.

Coming back to Canada, God continued to speak to me through a sermon which was really inspiring. The pastor told us bluntly the reason why many times we are like the priest or levite in Luke 10 who passes by the Jew without helping them is because we don’t step into their territory and actually see their need for ourselves. It is not until we become like the Samaritan who actually walked over to the laying Jew will we see their need and have compassion for them. Jesus commanded, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (v.27)

After taking an evangelism course and participating in a few random evangelism visits the following months, I fully believe and saw that God sends people to reach out to His lost children. They act as links in a chain which when linked together brings these people individually to Christ.

God has slowly instilled a passion and yearning to see those around me come to Christ. Now’s the time I go and see for myself the needs of others in this world and to share with them the Good News.
Graduating this spring, I’ve been thinking about what God has in store for my next stage in life. I finally got the motivation to step out and commit to go overseas on a short term missions trip when Cedric Wai from MacCCF emailed us to see who felt the call to go this summer. After much thought and prayer in mid-February, the group which started out as ten, became three, who committed to go. As we prayed about the place God is preparing us to go, each of us felt similar places. In the beginning, I leaned towards China. Later as I read about the need in Africa, my heart also felt the burden for that place. It was amazing to learn that the others on our team either felt the calling for China, Africa or both! In the end Cedric, our team leader, felt it was Africa. This is not to say that God can’t use us anywhere else. We knew wherever we went, God will still approve and that it would still be a life-changing experience for us.

We started looking into organizations mid-March. Our first approach was Missionfest. I remember the day we could go was the very last day for the event. There was a huge snowstorm and I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to make it. I’m so glad God brought us there safely. We didn’t go thru many organizations due to our limited time frame but the two that stood out the most to me were SIM and OM. Both seemed like a reliable organization that has experience sending people on trips. After contacting many organizations and seeing if their availability matched ours: Africa, August 08, we finally kept in touch with SIM.

I am extremely excited for this trip because we realized after our first meeting that it isn’t mainly humanitarian ie. water filtration. There will be ministry work there, we will be doing devotions and praying together everyday! On top of that, they have an xray department. I definitely want to check that out. At this time a lot of preparations need to be done. Vaccinations, finances, meetings, learning about their culture/various religions, French! But what I really hope and pray is that I will live thru the three weeks in a new and non luxurious environment. It pretty much is pioneer style. I hope my stay won’t be a drag there. =/

Janet Wong from Rosewood Baptist Church

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An Open Letter to the North York Life Group

by sockacoach on May 6, 2008

Bamboo

Dear group,

Thanks so much for your message, or should I say “sermon” on last Sunday. It is such an encouragement to see what God is doing to you both as a group and as an individual. Thank you for your candid sharings that inspire me in my own faith walk towards Jesus.

Phil: your video is the best thing from all my church years at SMCBC, RBC and now Mosaic Baptist. This is a precious gift that you have brought to us.
Vince: thanks always for your “brute strength” in getting things done regardless how much hard labor youhave to put into it. A good job in officiating the Jesus meal.
Felix: wow, first time speaking. I expect more in the future. Your dancing is good but your sharing is even better.
Shuk-ka: you are not just “OK”. Your creativity and artsi-ness are coming out. Keep going with the guitar thingy.
Kwong: thank you for your candid sharing. I hope that you will stay more in T.O.
Bonnie: you have climbed another mountain or slay another ‘giant’. You were calm and confident in leading the prayer; perhaps, the secret lies in the fact that no one is watching. Well, leading prayer could be your gift to Mosaic Baptist.
Lon: what more could I say? Thanks for your leadership in pulling this together.

Well done. Looking forward to more of this from your group!

**********************************************
However; I do have some uneasiness when you called yourself the “jook sing” group. Yes, I know. I used this phrase as well. Yes, I know that you meant to describe your group identity or even want to bring in a bit of humor. I am not saying that using this phrase is biblically incorrect or wrong, but my “uneasiness” brought me to further reflections and the following is the result.

First of all, “jook sing” is a derogatory phrase to describe second generation Chineses born outside of China and grown up in a local dominating culture that is not Chinese. He/she is raised in a world of two cultures. Because of this, he/she is not deep into either culture. What is more, he/she may not be totally accepted by the natives of either cultures. As a result, the parents label him/her as a “jook sing” – someone who is not able to fit in totally with either of the two cultures from which one grows up. The “jook sing” is looked upon by his/her home culture as a ‘lesser’ person.

For example, “how can a Chinese do not know one’s own language?” is often heard in many of the Chinese families living in Canada. Though I am not a “jook sing”, I suspect this kind of sayings reinforce the ‘lesser’ person mentality for the second generation Chineses living in North America. It dims their confidences, adds on confusion in their identity searches when growing up, and most of all, limits one’s dream and calling especially when the second generation Chinese is a Christ follower.

As a first generation Chinese parent, I have never called my children “jook sing”. I do not want them to carry extra baggages and confusions as they are growing up in an already difficult world. Of course, since I am not in the strictest sense a “jook sing”, I may totally miss the point in writing this. However, deep inside my soul, I do believe I am the real “jook sing”. I speak English with an accent, I have forgotten many of the Chinese words, I am not too thrill with having Chinese food all the time, I do not share the many Chinese ways of thinking, and I am not totally accepted by the world of Caucasians. I am a ‘wandering soul’ without a true home in either the western world or the Chinese world. I am a ‘lesser’ person according to the standard of the native cultures. I am already defeated. I wonder if the born and raised in Canada ‘jook sings’ do share my feelings?

Secondly, by using the label ‘jook sing’ can serve as a deterrent to those who do not consider themselve as ‘jook sing’ to join you. We have finally shred the label ‘Chinese’ on our church names but why replace it with that of ‘jook sing’? Yes, I know it is easier to gather people. I have used it in my meetup thingy. Then I do think that God is using this ‘jook sing’ character of you (and I, if you consider me to be one as well) to be able to reach out to two cultures. This is not a coincident. Our parents are limited in reaching out to one culture; that’s their calling. But we do have the contextual benefits and gifts to reach out to both cultures. I have always challenged many of you to think: why would God want you to live in this time of history – as a Chinese born and living in a western society? What can you do with this uniqueness?

I do believe that you are special – never a ‘lesser’ person.
I do believe that you are loved by and belonged to Jesus – a pilgrim whose true native home and culture is in the kingdom of God.
I do believe that you are gifted to carry a special assignment on earth – a mission that only you, not your parents can do.

Finally, I do believe that we are called to make Mosaic Baptist Church a temporary home for us to live out the above abundant life until the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Therefore, perhaps we should forever say goodbye to the phrase ‘jook sing’ – at least it is not going to be on our lips.

Your fellow true ‘jook sing’ (one last time),
Ka

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Irresistible Revolution

by Philthevoid on May 6, 2008

As requested, here is the little video presentation we put on for the Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDxV5YT4gT8

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Bone Marrow for Carolyn or Anyone in Need

by DennisWR on May 4, 2008

Hi Mosaic,

This is my first blog and I know I will have more to come. So stay tune!

This pass week, Across U-Hub held a press conference for Carolyn, a 37 year old woman, who has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia 16 months ago. She went through chemotherapy, but only in remission for one year. The Leukemia is back and she will need a bone marrow transplant to survive this time.

With modern technology, it is very easy and simple to test for a bone marrow match. All they need is 4 Q-tip samples of your saliva. That’s it! If there is a match, the matching donor will donate stem cells through stimulated peripheral blood donation and NOT a bone marrow aspiration i.e. no surgical procedure needed.

If you want to help in this cause, you can CLICK HERE

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