Washington DC:

I had to fly to Washington to get our visas taken care of. I wasn’t really looking forward to going:it was expensive, should have been unnecessary (if we had received our letters of invitation in time), and a huge stressor because I didn’t know if we were going to be able to get our tickets in time. I was arrivingat 11:30 am in Baltimore, and the embassy closed at 1 pm – I had no idea how I was going to get there in time to do anything. I knew I had to take the train from Balitmore to Washington, and that the train would arrive at 12:40. I was thinking about either taking the bus, renting a bike, or running the 2-3 miles to the embassy. Anyway, I spent almost the entire morning praying about what I should do (bus, bike, run etc.), and God never gave me a clear answer. I was really confused about that, until I got to Baltimore and my friend said that he skipped work that day and could actually pick me up. Praise God… I was able to get all of our visa applications in and get a money order before the office closed down. The money order was actually another testimony. I walked over to a bank, and they told me that they don’t do money orders, but the convience store next to them did, and at a cheaper rate. So I went next door and stood in line for a while. Finally, it was my turn, and as I handed the cashier the credit card, he told me that they only took cash. I asked him who on Earth carried $200+ dollars in their pockets, then remembered that I had just preached at a church in Arkansas and they took up a cash offering for me. It ended up being just enough (and like $3 more) to get the money order. Praise God – He thinks of these things way before they become a problem.

Anyway, I had an amazing time reconnecting with my old friend. We even got to go to a baseball game and I got to go to the Holocaust museum. Wow… That impacted me, but not in the way you may think. The museum was 4 stories. I went through three floors (4th, 3rd, and a special exhibit in the basement for those of your who are familiar with it), seeing the horror, pain, suffering, and extreme injustice that was done to the Jews. I went through an exhibit specifically about propaganda and how the Nazis were able to take the Germans from a place of respecting Jews to a place where Jews were dehumanized and treated worse than animals; a scourge on the Earth that needed to be destroyed. However, what bothered me the most was a lack of Christian response. Protestants for the most part didn’t do anything and many ministers endorsed Hitler from the pulpit, while Catholics did protest, but only against the inhumane treatment of the mentally disabled. Even Jews that converted to Christianity weren’t safe, and few people resisted Hitler’s treatment of them. As I passed exhibits of shaven hair, pictures of starved concentration camp victims, and mockups of the gas chambers, my mind struggled with itself as if I were a privileged non-Jew in 1930’s Germany:

I have to do something

What? If you would have said anything, the Nazis would have done the same to you.

I have to do something

You? You may be able help one or two now, but you’ll lose your life and reputation. You can do more in the future if you’re quiet now.

If I don’t do anything now, I won’t do it at all. I have to do something.

Maybe it was God who put them in that position for their disobedience. Millions of Christians know what following Jesus looks like better than you do, and they’re doing nothing. You wouldn’t want to help if God put them there, would you?

But maybe I was put here to help. I have to do something!

How about you just support legislation or other country’s efforts?

Just so my conscience will be soothed while I ignore my neighbor who is hurting? No. I have to do something.

You’ll be beaten, tortured, and starved. You’ll throw your life away for nothing.

I would rather lose my life trying than live with myself afterwards if I saw and did nothing. I must do what I can.

I felt the exact same way about Africa. Even if I can’t do much, I have to try. Even if I’m throwing away my life, I couldn’t live with myself after seeing the need and choosing not to help. Then I reached the 2nd floor and there was a list of 10,000 names of people who helped the Jews. I read testimonies of Denmark and Italy, and church communities in France who helped the Jews in their area and insured the survival of over 90% of the Jews in their areas. There is hope. In the midst of darkness and hardship, there is hope. There is a chance. And in the middle of great evil, the good shone even more strongly. Christians of that generation, like ours, had the choice between a comfortable life with a good job and rich friends, and a life of action, bringing attention to the plights of the needy and making friends with the people others think are unlovable. Will we, too, stand in silence while people are dying, physically and spiritually, around us? Will we also continue to tithe and help with stacking chairs, only to ignore the greater commands of love and mercy to our fellow brethren? Will we leave the problem of the poor on our street to the government and the problem of Africa to another generation? Just because you can’t change the world doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to the one or two people in need that you interact with everyday. The Christian calling isn’t for Presidents, senators, or CEOs, but ordinary people who, through the power of God, can make an extraordinary change in the lives of others around them. It is so much more important to reach out to your friends and the people you interact with than it is to tithe (and let the church reach out) or support missionaries (and let them reach out).

As with many of the other notes I’m writing here, this note isn’t directed specifically at anyone. These are my thoughts and feelings written down so that I remember them. You just have a chance to join in J. I struggle so much with what’s written above. I have to consciously and constantly remind myself that my work as a missionary isn’t my work as a Christian. Sure, doing administration, setting up church meetings, and planning evangelisms contribute to the church and bring glory to Christ, but my work as a Christian isn’t any of these things. It’s compassion on the people no one cares for, it’s discipleship of the people around me, it’s being available in the midst of someone else’s emergency.