an overwhelming opportunity

I have been invited to participate in a very unique trip in the month of May.

The destination is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

I have been asked to be apart of a team that is going to conduct two, five day biblical sexuality seminars. Both would occur in eastern DRC. The team will composed of some amazingly talented and skilled individuals with vast experience of working with abuse, trauma, etc. We will largely target pastors and church leaders for this conference. We will have several general sessions for the entire group on God’s plan for marriage, a biblical theology of the family, sexual purity, AIDS, and sexual abuse. We will then break up into smaller teams who will teach more targeted sessions on sexuality to four different groups: youth/singles, women, pastors and elders, and married couples. Having several teams and breaking our audience down into smaller groups will allow us to make the sessions more interactive. Considerable time will be allotted for questions and answers and personal application of the biblical principles presented.

Needless to say, I'm humbled.

Why sexuality in the DRC?

While DRC does not yet have the staggering HIV rates of several other African countries, this is rapidly changing. According to the World Health Organization, “the DRC is facing a large-scale growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.” It is estimated that in some regions of the DRC 20% of the adult population is HIV+. This has primarily come about through heterosexual promiscuity and prostitution. Often promiscuous husbands who become infected come home and infect their wives. Woman in the DRC (and much of Africa) are typically treated as vastly inferior to men. Domestic violence perpetrated by husbands is wide spread in east Africa, and is widely reported among Christians, including pastors. In the last decade DRC has experienced the deadliest military conflict of any country since WW2 (see online Time Magazine article--http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198921,00.html).

Roughly four million have died directly or indirectly in the past decade due to military conflict.

As an extension of this conflict, for the past several years rebels have systematically tortured women through rapes so brutal that they develop fistulas (a condition in which there is a rupture of the walls that separate the vagina and bladder or rectum) and become incontinent. According to a Newsweek online article (www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15704030/site/newsweek), these rapes are epidemic in eastern Congo where we will be going. Women experience wide spread abuse in various forms, causing the World Health Organization to state that in the DRC gender based violence “is the greatest threat to women’s reproductive sexual health and emotional well-being.”

In June of 2006, DRC had it first free multi party elections in the history of the country. While rebel troops still control portions of the country, and wide spread atrocities, particularly rapes, are still taking place, there is relative stability at this time giving unprecedented opportunity for ministry. The good news is that roughly 80% of the population identify themselves as Christians and are largely open to Christian teaching. The Christian church in the DRC has been a positive and powerful witness during very dark times. A recent Christianity Today article entitled “Hope in the Heart of Darkness” (www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/july/10.22.html) describes the powerful witness of the church in DRC in the face of horrible suffering and evil.

Very few of the pastors and Christian leaders in the Congo have had any formal training and their greatest need is for basic training which will enhance their ministry. This is particularly true in terms of sexuality education from a Christian perspective. Due to cultural constraints, it is very difficult for African leaders, especially those who have had no training, to address issues of sexuality, in spite of the fact that these are among the most pressing problems.

Please keep this opportunity in your prayers.

Thanks

Josh
Phoenix, AZ

searching through high mysteries

It is the glory of kings to discover life secrets, and it is the glory of God to conceal them.

There is something that I love to do when I lay in bed at night before drifting asleep. After sorting out my thoughts and events of the day, saying my prayers and thinking about the girl I'll marry someday, I begin to think about the high mysteries. You might ask, what are the high mysteries?

Good question.

The high mysteries are closely connected with my prayer time, but distinctly different in many ways. During my prayer time, this is my enjoyable time to connect and chat with God about life. I share my joys, frustrations, issues, doubts, fears. I praise and worship Him in song and thought. I listen for His calm voice. We simply just chill together and it is good.

When pondering the high mysteries, my mind movees from chilling to shear wonder. Wonder that is not limited to the stars, sun or any distant galaxy. This is a different level of wonder.

God, who are you? You are forever. You have no end. Both of those statements do not make sense in my head. There is no analogy to make things easy. You understand me, but I don't understand me. You created me.

You are mysterious. But You are not just mysterious because You lurk in the shadows and hide from me. You do not hide, but You are everywhere. Your glory and wonder is displayed for me to see no matter where I turn. You have revealed Yourself in beauty of nature and the structure of the Text.

But I still struggle with this High mystery.

My mind drifts and tries to sort through these ideas, but it seems impossible. There is so much in life that I cannot explain or understand.

But I find comfort knowing that I do not have to understand this high mystery to talk with You or for You to love me. You are there. You listen.

So, it is now time to end this blog and get some sleep. I will pray, think about the woman of my dreams and then ponder the high mysteries.

Josh
Phoenix, Arizona