Torch, Fall 2001

Two books were critical at this time. The first, Another Hand on Mine , is the story of Dr. Carl Becker, a medical missionary in the Africa Inland Mission. The second was Daktar , by Viggo Olsen, a medical missionary in Bangladesh. God confirmed in my heart that I was to be a medical missionary. Even before I applied to medical school, I was certain that was what God was going to do in my life. Wife: We were married after our first year of medical school. We went on to finish medical school. We did our internships and then served three years in the public health service to pay back scholarships we had been given through medical school. Then we completed residencies. During that time we had our five daughters. It was a very long process. I had no idea when I started how long it would be. But we kept the goal in front of us. I find the more that I know Him and His power and the more that He conforms me to the image of His Son, the more sure I am of two things. I am more sure now than ever that He is a good and loving God and that He wants my very best. And I am more sure than ever that I want to take His Word to those who have never heard. Husband: It was our family’s privilege to serve in a Third World country for nine years. We worked in a closed country—a restricted access nation. You may not enter the country as a missionary. We entered on our medical credentials. We operated a hospital and clinic serving about 30,000 patients a year and ran a literacy work. Both add value to the country. Both provide a ready means to obtain visas and to exercise compassion and build relationships with people. Wife: As we were preparing for the field, one of the most frequent comments we heard was, “You’re not going to take your daughters there, are you?” I was never sure how people expected us to answer that question. But, we said, “Yes, we are going to take them with us.” The second most common comment was, “You’re both doctors and your husband’s on the faculty of a medical school. You could be making a lot of money. What are you going over there for?” We heard that from Christian brothers and sisters as well as those who did not know the Lord. What is it that makes a person leave a potentially lucrative career, a career in the United States, to take God’s Word to one of the poorest countries in the world? It is a person who understands who God is and who they themselves are. Husband: We entered a primitive setting with no electricity. We had a telephone in the village, but that broke down and the next closest one was three hours away. We came to a very small group of missionaries with no functioning team. At first it was overwhelming. We spent more than 75 hours per week in the clinic. But God provided teammates, time to train nationals to help in the medical work, and teachers for our children. It was difficult, dry ground. But we are praising God that the church is taking a foothold in that place. This article is about intimacy and relationship. As I made myself vulnerable when I shared with that crazy Christian girl in those early days of our relationship, I would think that I was going out on a limb. It was possible that I would see that limb sawed off behind me and the relationship would end. Yet, as I made myself vulnerable, I’d find her out on the limb with me. We were in the same place. Are you willing to put yourself in a vulnerable spot in your relationship with God? Are you willing to be a servant unto all that you might gain the more? It is easy to be attracted to be a doctor or a lawyer or a businessman for God, but he’s not looking for doctors and lawyers and businessmen. He’s looking for servants—vulnerable servants. It is a lie that God wants us to have comfortable lives. Modern Christian doctrine goes something like this: God wants me to use my talents so that I can get a college education, so that I can get a good job, so that I can make a lot of money, raise my kids well, and live happily ever after. Does that sound familiar? The problem is that is not in the Word of God. God says, “I want to have a relationship with you that has no restricted access areas.” There is to be no place in our lives hard for Him to penetrate. Seeking to know Him, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings means He is the focus, not me. Unleashing the power of the Word of God gives life to dead men and women and children. God’s choice servants are brought closest to Him through suffering. Intimacy will lead you to Him. And then He’ll lead you where He wants. Our prayer for you is that you and your family will enter into that intimate relationship with Him. Fall 2001 / TORCH 15 T