On the birthday of Cesar Chavez

To honor the birthday of civil rights worker Cesar Chavez, I'm posting the Farm Worker's Prayer that he wrote:




Show me the suffering of the most miserable,
So that I may know my people's plight.
Free me to pray for others,
For you are present in every person.*
Help me take responsibility for my own life,
So that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others,
For in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience,
So that I can work with others.
Bring forth song and celebration,
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow,
So that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice,
For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us,
So we can change the world.

*If I had written the prayer, I would change this part to read, "For every person is Your creation, made in Your image." Otherwise, I think it's an excellent prayer.

Deconstruction: only the beginning

Dear Fellow Deconstructing Christians,

It's true, there are a lot of us who have been in a process of deconstruction in our journey with Christ. But this is only the beginning. A lot of us can sense that the deconstruction is unto something. Just as the Exodus was not an end in itself, but unto something else. God doesn't only want to bring us out, He wants to bring us in.

When He tears down that which isn't of Him or from Him (both individually and corporately), it is because He wishes to build something of His design (the kingdom) in its place. There may be a phase of disorientation in this process, but it will not last.

Jesus said of us,"My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me." We will continue to get clarity as we continue to hear His voice and follow it obediently. We can't follow a Shepherd we can't hear. We can't run with a vision that we cannot see (Hab 2:2). I believe it is so vital that we be a prophetic people, to have eyes that see and ears that hear, especially in the difficult and challenging seasons of transition. With Moses, I pray for us, "I would that all God's people were prophets." I pray He give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to understand (Mt. 13:15-16).

God has a dream, and I really want to partner with Him to see His dream fulfilled. So I pray, "God, sensitize my heart to You that it would no longer be dull. Give me eyes that see, and ears that hear. I am completely dependent on You and Your guidance. How else can I partner to fulfill Your desire, Your purpose, if You do not teach me?"

This is just the beginning. I am very excited about the future. Can you feel it?

Yours Truly,
Sarah

Shocking, I know.

Ok, I am going to quote a pastor from an institutional church. Right here. On this blog.

So, here goes:

"How did Jesus's message of the gospel: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' get watered down to 'Come with me, and let's go to church.'? Our meetings our great, but they aren't what it is all about. This is not what Christianity is about. This is not why Jesus died, so that we could all come to church."

Pastor Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Redding, CA.

Ok, I guess it's not that shocking since he happens to be saying things I obviously already agree with. I believe that Pastor Bill is right and we've confused (or substituted) our church activities for the kingdom of God. But who am I to say that? Preach it, Pastor Bill!

Was Jesus a Terrible Leader?

Jesus would flunk out of most modern "Christian" leadership training courses. Jonathan at "Missio Dei" does a great job pointing this out in a post called "Jesus was a terrible leader". Jonathan says:

Jesus was a terrible leader, in the short run. He wouldn't get a job in today’s church marketplace. Think about it. He spent three years with 12 people. He talked to a lot of people but his primary focus was on twelve people who didn't always get a long and didn't always get it.

"Where's the growth" people would ask? "How are we gonna pay the bills" others would say, albeit quietly in from the other side of the room. "This guy just doesn't seem to get it."

Then, Jonathan concludes poignantly:

I wonder if those in leadership will someday follow the model Jesus developed. He followed His Father’s voice to transform the lives of twelve ordinary people.

Follow the voice of the Father... act like a servant, not a leader... pour your life into people... give up everything for those people. Perhaps its not the best paradigm for "church leadership", but it seems to be "Jesus leadership".

(This post was written by Alan Knox on his blog The Assembling of the Church. I just copied and pasted it here. Hope that's ok, Alan.)

Unconventional review of The Forgotten Ways

In The Forgotten Ways, Alan makes a pretty solid biblical case for organic systems of ekklesia rather than institutional systems of ekklesia (which he convincingly explains as a particularly western cultural development). Not only that, he uses both the first century church (ancient example) and the Chinese church (modern example) as a basis to investigate the difference in fruit between institutional systems of ekklessia and organic systems of ekklessia.

I ran a little experiment a while back with a post series called "Diversity or Dogmatism" to see what others thought. I realized that what we needed was a clear articulation of the differences between 'institution' and 'organic' and a clear articulation of biblical principles (non-negotiables) vs. cultural methods (negotiables) of ekklessia. I believe Alan's book provides such an articulation, and I highly recommend it.

I have not been comfortable with the institutional, pastor-centric, sermon-centered model of ekklessia for several years now. Not only do I fail to find this model in the scriptures, I also feel that it has seriously handicapped the development of disciples, and the maturing of the body of Christ in western Christianity. (Largely because it reinforces passivity and consumerism in the 'audience', Greek dualism, and sometimes co-dependent relationships between core leaders and the congregation instead of interdependent relationships between everyone, who all have spiritual gifts to exercise together in kingdom mission).

I do not mean to alienate others with my stance and my convictions. I merely wish to communicate openly and honestly about my journey out of western cultural forms (institutional) and into God's original (organic) design of ekklesia. I am completely committed to people (and the relationships I have with other believers, whether in or out of institutional forms of ekklessia). While at the same time, I am totally uncommitted to cultural forms that I feel are less than effective.

Can God move within the institutions and is He? Yes. But I do believe that we limit Him, and the ability of His followers within those methodologies. And therefore, I do believe there is a better way. Hirsch uses both the first century church and the church in China as examples of organic systems that have tapped into the latent Apostolic Genius* of the Church, and therefore set the foundation for the other five fold ministries found in Eph 4. Both of these examples have experienced phenomenal multiplication, and an incredible expansion/spread of the gospel. We do well to learn from them, and we can. The book examines many western groups who have begun to transition into or start from the organic model.

But I fear that we are so accustomed to our barrenness that we have accepted it as the normal state of affairs. In the west, our church growth is largely from 'switchers' rather than new converts. (And when we opt out of the system all together, western believers assume it's because we are not content with the 'product' of institutional church. Can we please move beyond a consumerist mindset?! Some of us are not happy with barrenness, or minimal results. And we don't expect different results from doing more of the same. Nor are we committed to cultural methodologies of church that are not found in scripture. Rather, we desire to get on with the business of extending the kingdom of God). Barrenness is not a normal part of the Christian life. And I pray that God shake us out of our complacency, out of our resignation that "this is always how we've done it" and "this is just how it will always be." I refuse to accept the status quo (especially when the results are less than stellar), it's just part of my gifting. ;)

*Apostolic Genius is the term Alan uses to describe the unique energy and force that imbues phenomenal Jesus movements in history. Some of it's elements are: missional-incarnational impulse, disciple making, apostolic environment, organic systems, and communitas. (A lot of these words require more definitions - so just read the book for clarification!) :)

Cyclical Learning

Over the years of following Jesus, I've begun to discern a pattern of cyclical learning in the life of being His disciple. There are things that He teaches me and speaks to me and I "get it" to a certain degree, so I begin to "live it" to that degree of understanding.

The mistake I have made in the past is to think my first (or even second or third) exposure to a truth is the arrival point in my life for that truth. Not so. I realize now that when I think I "get it," often, I'm only ankle deep and my understanding is yet merely shallow. Jesus patiently revisits the revelation/truth with me and He takes me to a deeper understanding, and therefore a deeper practical outworking of it in my life. We revisit the same truths over and over in a cyclical pattern, just going deeper each time. From ankle deep to waist deep, and hopefully to complete immersion.

So the life of the disciple never ceases to include a steep learning curve, as the learning is cyclical (rather than linear). For me, Jesus is taking me deeper now in the area of Hellenistic dualism vs. Hebraic holism in how I approach life with God. He is challenging me to the core, and I love that. I embrace His correction as I know it only draws me deeper into Him.

Really and Actually Reformissional... Yes!

So, I've finally gotten around to ordering Alan Hirsch's "The Forgotten Ways" and have started reading it. I can't put it down!

Alan, Brother! So wonderful to read your book! It's a huge encouragement to me as it confirms so many things God has been depositing into my heart the past five years, and the book is bringing these things into greater clarity and understanding. What a gift to the body of Christ Alan is! (Consequently, this book has made me realize that I really must finish reading Don Slater's "Consumer Culture and Modernity".)

Regarding the statistics, Hirsch says:

"In fact, the church is on the decline right across the Western world, and we have had at least forty years of church-growth principles and practice. We can't seem to make disciples based on a consumerist approach to the faith (tweaking the "ministry mix" to try to attract people). We plainly cannot consume our way into discipleship. All of us must become much more active in the equation of becoming lifelong followers of Jesus. Consumption is detrimental to discipleship."

I say, Jesus is not a product, but a King. We didn't sign up for the kingdom of God to consume spiritual services, but to give our very lives in yielded obedience to the King.

The Best Easter Post

A friend in Germany recently lost his firstborn who was born prematurely. Him and his wife have been on my heart and in my prayers these past weeks. And then, on Easter Sunday, I read this post, and it too brought me back to what's really important. I so easily get distracted by so many things. I so easily take for granted so many things. Life is so precious, so fragile, and sometimes so short. Thank you Lord for your kindness in the midst of pain and heartache.

Funny Starbucks Parody

Bill parodied the Starbucks shut down (for retraining purposes) in this funny post. But it comes with a warning from Bill: "Warning: This is satire. All religious people with no sense humor leave this blog now while there is still time!"

We Are the Church

This is part 1. It is inspiring for me to watch because I see all these people who are in my spiritual family. Not only am I going to be in heaven with these folks, we are all participating in the same kingdom mission here in the earth. Cool. :)




This is "I Am the Church Part 2". (I posted part 1 a while back). On a related note, there is a great discussion going on at Kingdom Grace in the comments under her post "Mini-church Done Badly?" (a post on house churches, but the discussion encompasses more than that and includes a lot of good insights from a variety of commentors).

What's Happening?

In light of the Carlyle Group's recent bankruptcy, something is afoot. Since the other major economies of the world (such as Europe and China) are dependent on American consumption, the state of affairs in this nation have global, far-reaching impact. There will be strong motivation on the part of these other nations to shore up our crisis. But what will happen? I don't know... but I'm paying keen attention to this.

Dan posted a series called Banking on God and asked some good questions regarding how the people of God will respond to the possibility of extreme economic hardship. He asks, how can we prepare, if that ends up being the case?

On Knowledge... part 2

"Ultimately, the Lord is unlikely to ask us, “Were you right?’ rather than, “Were you faithful to the truth you knew?” This latter question has to do with faithful following, the life of a disciple."

I think this was my favorite part of Len's post, as it challenged me to be what I say. I look back and see how I have failed at that for so many years. (Especially since I might get revelation, but would go spout it out before it was completely worked out in my own life and walk. So I only saw in part, but ran with it anyway from a position of certainty.)

The One we're following said, "Do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher. And you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." (Mt. 23:8-9) Apparently, there's little room for knowledge (or the prophetic, for that matter) as a tool of power or status in God's kingdom. His kingdom is the anti-thesis to 'empire' and its value system. (Last shall be first, servant is greatest, etc. etc.)

This is something I've been learning about these past 3 years: patience to work out what I hear and be obedient to it in my own life first. Perhaps it's better to be the prophetic word than to give one. (Well, both are important I guess).

Paul transferred knowledge through explicit methods of teaching, but he also said, "imitate me as I imitate Christ" (another way to say that might be: "follow my following" or "obey Him as I obey Him"). That's a powerful way to 'teach' as well!

Transfer of knowledge is good, the formation of Christ in us is better (not that they are mutually exclusive). Obedience has to do with Christ being formed in us. And as Christ is formed in us and in our obedience, I believe it inspires others to 'follow our following.'

On Knowledge as Power, Enlightenment and Modernist Thinking

Len over at Next Reformation posted something so good I wished I had posted it. :) I've posted my favorite bits here, but you can read it in it's entirety here if you want. (The words in parantheses are mine).

"...and I chimed in with a favorite quote: “God help me always to seek the truth.. and protect me from those who have found it” attributed to Sir Thomas More. Later I got thinking about the connection of knowledge and power; these two are inseparable in the modern world, as Foucault and others pointed out. Those who have knowledge tend to use it to strengthen their own positions, and to impose their will on those “down the ladder.” Yes.. the whole issue connects with colonialism, the Enlightenment (and I would say modernism in general), and is through those grids to models of leadership and change.

...Brueggemann reminds us that fidelity (relationship, commitment to love) is far more important than certitude. Certainty is highly over-rated, and is the favorite bastion of every brand of fundamentalism, whether expressed in politics or religion...

Ultimately, the Lord is unlikely to ask is, “Were you right?’ than, “Were you faithful to the truth you knew?” This latter question has to do with faithful following (obedience), the life of a disciple.

...But certainty, in times of rapid change, becomes a commodity we seek. In times like these, we look for those who seem to know where they are going, even if they are only spouting yesterday’s truth. When everything that can be shaken is shaking, we look for solid ground.

...The imaginative saint knows that mystery is as important as knowledge, and that to worship is to bow before a God who is totally Other. We learn to honor the questions as much as the answer, because to be a disciple is to be a learner - one who is on a journey from the known, to the unknown.

In recent years we in the western church have been enamored with certainty, and related, with propositions. As a writer, I understand the passion for words. As a lover, I am intimately acquainted with their limits.

The dominant ways of knowing were one with the dominant culture. Epistemology was translated into an ethic. Since our primary way of knowing has been objectification, the direct application of power, inevitably our culture thrives on violence and oppression. Violence against women, against the poor, against our environment, against those who are too different from us. Heidegger’s calculative thinking versus meditative thinking fits here. The root meaning of “objective” is “to oppose.”
But what if knowledge has less to do with individual mastery and more to do with openness and community? I remember Edith Schaeffer’s words,

“A completely new work would never have been possible if we had not been uprooted in every way, and if in that uprooting we had not decided to pray for God’s solution and leading every step of the path as it wound through unknown territory.”

(All of this isn't about relativism. Jesus is the absolute Truth personified. But I don't think anyone's cornered the market on absolute truth, as no one has a total and complete revelation of Jesus.)

I really like Len's insights into knowledge as a form of power and his connection with colonialism. Having been a student of relations between the global north (first world) and the global south (third world), he is absolutely right to connect the Enlightenment modernist period with it's colonial history. I've been thinking a lot about empire lately and this post was refreshing. What do you think? Any thoughts on Len's post? I'd love to hear what anyone else's impressions are...

We Want to Be Your Hands, Lord

HT: K-Bob
This is "I Saw What I Saw" by Sara Groves

Turning Points

Having returned from my local library, I'm enjoying "Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity" by Mark A. Noll. I was drawn to this books as I believe we are on the cusp of just such a turning point in the shared story of believers/disciples of Jesus. Here are some quotes (italics and bold are added by me, and I've added a couple comments in parantheses):

"Notwithstanding the way that the Nicene Creed represented a charter of liberty for the church over against the empire, the more obvious reality after 325 (or even 312) was that a decisive corner had been turned in church history. Once Constantine began to act on behalf of the church, and once his successors began simply to assume that imperial rule had something to do with the church, the church had left behind the conditions of its first three centuries. Those conditions had underscored the church's existence as a pilgrim community, not at home in any part of the world, since the power of the state could be turned at any moment to uproot believers, propel them into exile, or disrupt the regular order of worship and Christian service. Even if active Roman persecution was rare and even if local Christian communities often developed considerable stability in the pre-Constantinian era, the ever-present truth was that believing communities could hope for no permanent security in this life... In this sense, Nicaea bequeathed a dual-legacy--of sharpened fidelity to the great and saving truths of revelation, and also of increasing intermingling of church and world. [And not in the missional sense, but in the sense of absorbing the values of empire: power, status, control, the insatiable desire to build impressive stuff. Ya know, mixture]. The monks who in the fourth century began to trickle out of "Christendom" into the desert or on to lonely mountain peaks, were one response to what had happened at Nicaea. They were, in effect, saying that it was necessary to create some distance from Christendom in order to find Christ." [Boy, I can relate to that!]

Some relevant verses: Mt. 8:20, John 5:44, John 18:36, Mt 7:14

Really? Reformissional? Er.. um - No.

Sick. (Shaking head in disbelief). The book's title is misleading, this is empire-building as usual. The picture is misleading too as the book has little to do with prayer or Bible reading... although it is all about one man (and his initials are MD). :)

Closed Doors

All joking aside, the internship with ICG fell through and YWAM Seoul has no vacancies. So, we figure that door is closed. Another NGO doing work on North Korean issues responded positively to Shane's intern application, but nothing is confirmed. And housing is pretty expensive in Seoul. Anyway, Shane is probably going to go the dissertation route instead to satisfy the requirements of his program. For more gen-x humour, go to Despair, Inc. Cracks me up!

Living out 'incarnational' Christianity

I read some interesting examples from a variety of different groups/churches and how they are "living out" incarnational Christianity. One group in Tacoma is 'being church' as a social expression of community that is rather natural and organic. Having come from institutional models, they describe their shift from attractional church to incarnational church (bringing the church to the people rather than bringing the people to church).

This was similar to what we were involved in while in Calgary at the university campus, but on a much smaller scale. Our Christian friends from various churches in Calgary just didn't get us (thankfully, this didn't negatively impact any of those relationships). So we followed Jesus out of the four walls and 'left the building' (as they say) to live as incarnational Christians in our context and started with unbelievers. They came into the kingdom without any preconceived notions about what it means to be the church and incarnational, organic church was so natural to them (postmoderns just don't function well in modernist institutions). For people like me who were raised in the church, it's not so easy.

So I was encouraged to hear about this group in Tacoma called Zoe and identified with (and am learning from) their heart and their journey. I especially appreciated these three questions they ask themselves:

1. Is this ministry empowering believers to a shared life in the real day-to-day world?
(Awesome! This is a great question!)

2. Is this ministry empowering believers to partner with people who are affiliated with other denominations as one body in the real day-to-day world?
(Yes! We are one body!)

3. Is this ministry lightening the load of fellow-disciples by enabling and encouraging a less fragmented way of living where church ministry and everyday life can become one and the same?
(Yes! Holistic approach; faith and ministry as a way of life rather than a series of projects!)

Cool!!!

(More stories/examples of living out incarnational Christianity can be read here.)

Shared inheritance

The other day I heard some stories I had not yet been told. They were the stories of three Christian martyrs of the Roman period. These three individuals had the possibility of avoiding martyrdom (through personal connections, loopholes in the legal system, and such), but instead embraced their sentences. These stories really impacted my spirit as I heard them and I remembered Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance... fixing our eyes on Jesus..." These three individuals are in that cloud of witnesses, along with so many others throughout history. They are connected to us, and we to them. We are part of their story, a continuation of their story (Heb 11:40). What we do in this generation is of import.

These martyrs in history did not die to defend information. From my perspective, they lived lives of inspiration, of deep intimacy with God. The collective memory of who we are as Christians (and those who have gone before us) is so important. And only when it is breathed on by the revelation of who Jesus is, only then does our identity and purpose really become clear. These martyrs are in that cloud cheering us on, exhorting us with Paul to fix our eyes on Jesus. They had a revelation of Him that inspired them to such a depth of love, even unto death for Him. I am so honored and inspired to participate in their inheritance, and so profoundly humbled by it at the same time.

What Inspires... What informs...

I am becoming aware of a real push-and-pull struggle in this season of my life (perhaps my age has something to do with it - just coming into our own, approaching mid-30s). At once I am pulled in one direction and simultaneously pushed in another. I am pulled by the Spirit of God to live an "inspired life" that is both animated by Him, and where He is the goal, the purpose, the reward. This relationship, this shared journey with Him, this conversation with Him equals the source of inspiration, the very source of vitality and fullness, and the impetus for everything else which I do. On the other hand, I am pushed by social mores, social pressures, the status quo culture to lead an "informed life." Informed by tradition, informed by my circumstances, informed by the goals and values of the dominant culture around me. I was reading in the Starfish Manifesto (an online book available for free download) and appreciated the following insights:

"Here is an anatomy of the process of inspiration. See it is as a waterfall that cascades down five steps like this:

Intimacy...Inspiration...Information...Tradition...Faded memories

Intimacy (with God) is the spiritual place, the source of inspiration. When you draw near to God, who is Spirit, he promises he will draw near to you. This is where God reveals secrets, plans, agendas, in the place where you and he whisper together like friends. And in this place of intimacy, when he whispers, “I love you,” you faint.

Inspiration is a fresh droplet of revelation, supernatural knowledge from God in the form of visions, insights, pictures, etc. When the revelation “I love you!” hits you, you cry.

Information is empirical data; sound bytes. You read or hear: “God loves you.” And all you do in response is nod. “Good to know!”

Traditions are frozen information, the collective memory of a people. When you recite John 3:16, you frown. “Yeah, that’s what they say.”

Faded memories occur when you have moved so far away from the source of inspiration, God-stuff appears to you like disconnected puzzle pieces that may make you feel warm, but will have no effect on you. You hear: “God loves you,” and you smile and reply: “How sweet!” and order another ice cream. An actual bombshell of inspiration has become an irrelevant piece of hearsay.

Humans basically have one key choice to make in life: to live an inspired life or an informed life. To choose not to be inspired by God means to choose to be inspired by man – and drown in all that human information, tradition, or be trapped by circumstances, the Status Quo stuff. This is a safe guarantee to miss the original goal of life altogether. And there is something worse than that: to be inspired by the one thing that mankind without God is inspired most by: Mammon."

I find Jesus to be so subversive in the cultural contexts of His day (both among religious Jews and among the gentiles/Romans). He did not and could not fit within anyone's status quo. He baffled everyone as he walked unrestrained by their traditions, their expectations, and their understanding of Him.

I am a disciple of Jesus, learning to follow in His footsteps (as unpredictable as this journey has been, He is consistently taking me lower). Jesus lived an inspired life. He lived as a man in right relationship with God - inspired by the continuous stream of revelation that flowed from being in perfect communion with the Father (Jesus said He only did what I saw the Father doing, only spoke the Father's words, etc.) And He shed His blood to reconcile us back to God so that He would be "the first among many brothers" who had that same sort of communion with God. Every day I find that this is the goal of life - to be fully reconciled (nothing holding back, or getting in the way of intimacy) with my Father. As I behold Him as He truly is, and not the image I have made Him, nor the image anyone else has made Him, I am transformed in a very real way into His likeness. Yes, this caterpillar is quietly becoming a butterfly in some little cocoon hidden away, waiting to emerge as an entirely different creature...

Thanks, Deb!

A few thoughts from Deb Hirsch from the CMA Organic Movements Conference. 7 Obstacles to Engaging in Mission:

1. Distorted view of Jesus: I fear that a lot of Christians are not seeing Him clearly. We see Him in our own image. We try to tame Him or domesticate Him. But when we follow a sanitized, cleaned up Jesus, then we become like that: tame and sanitized.

2. Distorted views of self: The foundational identity that we need to live out is that we are disciples. Churches are full of Christians, but there are not a lot of disciples. Christians believe, but disciples follow.

3. Distorted views of others: We need a paradigm shift from focusing on people’s negative behavior. The primary truth is that people are created in the image of God. When we look at other people, we recognize that this person, no matter who it is, in some way reflects my God.

4. Distorted views of love: Romantic notions of love do not cut it in the mission field. It’s “fun” to get out there and have a romantic notion of the being out there. But real sacrificial love is what is needed to sustain mission. “To know love one must know pain.”

5. Distorted views of the world: Where you stand determines what you see. Too many of us keep ourselves cocooned in our safe lives and houses. How can we respond to the needs of the world if we are not out looking for them. To understand the pain of a city, you have to go to where the pain is. We have to move out beyond where we are to see the pain.

6. Distorted views about money, consumption, and status: We have also been seduced by consumerism– the alternative religion of our day. Sociologists say consumerism has become the “new religion.” This is the greatest competitor to Christianity, yet we don’t see it because we live amongst it.

7. Distorted views of the family: We have become captive to the construct of the nuclear family as the ideal family structure. We have set this up as an idol. This is not a biblical notion of family. The biblical notion of family is very inclusive– households– many, many uncles, brothers, sisters, parents. The kingdom is a big inclusive family.

HT: Kingdom Grace

Waiting

My husband is almost finished with his MA. Completing a six-month internship is the final requirement for the program. It looks like we may be going to Seoul, South Korea so that he can intern with ICG (Int'l Crisis Group), an international think tank whose Seoul office works mostly on research and advocacy for North Korean Human Rights. We are also considering volunteering (as ESL teachers) with a Christian ministry that works directly with North Korean refugees to try and give them skills to help them adjust to life in South Korea. Luckily, (or luck has nothing to do with it), our friends at Mission Bellingham connected us with the YWAM base in Seoul. We were able to apply for family housing with the Seoul base since we both did a DTS (Discipleship Training School) back in 1997. Apparently, once a YWAMer, always a YWAMer. If our application is accepted, they will provide us with low-cost housing for the length of our stay. Nothing is finalized, we are waiting for confirmation both from ICG and from the YWAM housing base. So we wait...