I

I
Unpacking Your Bags
WHEN we go back to Tibet ..This phrase began
many wistful sentences as my wife and I were com
pleting our Bible college preparation for the mission
field. But, alas, when college ended, the door was
closed by the political takeover of Tibetan country by
the Red Army of China. Looking for alternative fields
of service, we were challenged by Thailand and the
vision of thirty unevangelized tribes in the northern
hill country bordering Laos and Burma.
We had assured our supporting churches that in go
ing to Thailand we were committing ourselves to
long-term service and not looking on it as a stepping-
stone to return to Tibet. As our work began among the
tribes we found that, in spite of good intentions, we
shared the yearning of our fellow laborers for reo
pened doors to China. In the early years of tribal
evangelism in Thailand nearly all the workers were
displaced missionaries-people who had worked, or
planned to work, in China or Tibet. "When China
opens up again...." entered frequently into conversa
tions.
Hot tropical nights under mosquito nets increased
the longing for the cool slopes of the Tibetan moun
tains remembered from my boyhood. Persistent rejec
tion of the gospel in what was at first an unresponsive
tribal field caused us to look enviously at the "greener
pastures" of mission fields where multitudes were
coming to Christ.
Discouraged, physically ill, and exhausted, I sat on
a hot, dusty bus and train ride across northern Thai
land en route to Chiang Mai. A medical evaluation
there would determine whether we would remain in
Thailand. The word "burnout" had not been invented
yet, but that was what I was experiencing. It was
largely the stability and spiritual strength of my wife
that had kept us on the field. Now the medical verdict
I was about to receive would determine whether we
would stay.
In Chiang Mai I experienced the refreshing touch of
others who loved our Lord. I was invited to attend an
interdenominational retreat where the speaker, a
Bible college president from Canada, would give a
message which was to transform my outlook. He
spoke on the theme, "Unpacking Your Bags."
He told of a missionary returning to Canada after
being widowed on the field in West Africa. She and
her husband had labored for many years and their
tor January 4. 1987
I
I
By GARLAND BARE
efforts were blessed with a large and vital national
movement to Christ. She was an accomplished
speaker and writer. After burying her husband among
the people for whom he had labored, she returned
sadly to North America for a furlough. Fully intend
ing to return to Africa to carry on the work, she was
shattered to discover that she had a medical condition
requiring prolonged therapy in her homeland.
Our speaker saw this as a wonderful opportunity to
utilize her talents as a guest lecturer in missions at
the college. She agreed to the plan and was enthusias
tically welcomed by the Bible college faculty and stu
dents. The joy soon turned to disappointment, how
ever, for the missionary failed to adapt to her new
surroundings. She was irritable and critical of others.
She railed at the "shallowness" and "worldliness" of
the college students. Students were heard to say, "If
this is how missionaries become, I don't want to be
one."
The experiment was a failure and the president
sadly faced the prospect of terminating her appoint
ment. He spent some days in prayerful preparation
for the day that he would call her in and notify her of
her dismissal. Then he noticed an abrupt change in
GARLAND BARE is a physician associated
with a Christian family practice group in Lin
coln, Nebraska. He also serves on the medical
staff of the University of Nebraska where he
was medical director of the University Health
Center from 1978-1981. Dr. Bare is an elder of
the Douglas Street Church of Christ and serves
as a director of the College-Career Christian Fel
lowship and Nebraska Christian Evangelizing
Association. Dr. and Mrs. Bare served as mis
sionaries to Thailand from 1951 to 1974. Mrs.
Bare, the former Dorothy Dyson, graduated
from Lincoln Christian College in 1950, and
Garland is a 1951 graduate. Dr. Bare's premedi-
cal training was at Wheaton College and he re
ceived his medical degi-ee from the University of
Illinois Chiang Mai project. Early years on the
mission field were spent in evangelism and
Bible revision work. Later the Bares conducted
a medical and hostel ministry.
(13) Page Thirteen
her attitude. She had transformed to a loving, outgo
ing, and patient person and was filling the role envi
sioned for her at the college.
The president called her into the office and inquired
as to what had caused the positive changes. "I am
kind of embarrassed to tell you this, but ever since I
came here I have kept some of my bags packed and
ready for the day when my doctor clears me to return
to Africa. Then one day last week I realized what I
was doing to myself and others. I went to my room and
unpacked my bags. Here I am, completely committed
and content for my service to God in this college."
From the retreat I returned spiritually renewed for
the work among the tribes. I "unpacked my bags," and
dreams of Tibet and greener pastures faded in the joy
of a twenty-year ministry among Thailand's hills.
In the years since, I have been reminded many
times of the need to unpack the emotional baggage.
Circumstances have led to many transitions and
places of service which we would not have chosen.
Each time we are reminded to "unpack our bags" and
%
plunge into servanthood in our present surroundings.
We do not look to the other side of the fence for God
turns the grass green under our feet.
The apostle Paul is the classic example of one who
learned to unpack his bags. He says, "I have learned
to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippi-
ans 4:11, New International Version). In the following
verse, he added, "I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation." He would have
chosen to devote his ministry to his own Jewish peo
ple, but he unpacked his bags among the Gentiles. His
choice would have been to freely preach the gospel
from city to untouched city. Instead he unpacked his
bags behind prison bars.
lb the restless minister nearing the end of the two-
year honeymoon period in your present ministry; to
the college student looking eagerly to distant horizons
of service; to the discouraged missionary in your
seemingly barren fieldI would encourage you to un
pack your bags and watch God turn the grass green
around you.
The
Mailbox
Letters regarding the contents of the
magazine will be considered for publica
tion in "The Mailbox" unless specifically
marked "not for publication." Published
letters may be shortened to meet editorial
requirements. Letters must be signed,
but names will be withheld upon request.
Come to GripsI commend you on
your leading editorial in the Novem
ber 9 issue, "Have You Had Your
Miracle Ibday?" It covers the essen
tial ground quite well, and is tell
ingly put.
Some of us should very much like
to have you more often come
squarely to grips in this manner
with the pressing religious errors
and issues of the day.
I plan to commendably mention
your editorial in a forthcoming edi
tion of The Banner of Truth.
-Fred 0. Blakely
Highland, Indiana
Promotion Needed Amen, Amen.
I have read with enthusiasm the
article, "Marketing of Jesus," (Octo
ber 19) by C. Norman Noble.
I was trained in photography and
its related applications to newspa
per, and having operated a studio for
thirteen years and doing my own PR
work, gave me a background for do
ing PR within the church. Most of
my time has been connected with es
tablishing new works and therefore
most of my efforts have been inside
the congregations in the forms of
posters, outdoor signs, newsletters,
and bulletin inserts.
About ten years ago we began a
new congregation and in the second
year a campaign of newspaper ad
vertising was used similar to the
style mentioned in brother Noble's
article at a cost of $1,000 for the
year. The sad part was we stopped it
because the people thought nothing
was happening because visitors did
not break the door down to get right
in. The fact was that everywhere we
went knocking on doors the people
(Continued on page 23)
Page Fourteen (14) CHRISTIAN STANDARD
Those Who Stayed
BEFORE you leave for the mission field, there will
always be a good reason not to go. After you get to the
field there will always be a sensible, logical reason for
leaving." These words of wisdom came from my
mother, herself a veteran of many years of mission
work among the Tibetan people.
Our experiences in Thailand brought these words to
mind many times, for again and again we were faced
with the question, "Should we stay?" Health prob
lems, discouragement, homesickness, rejection, and
opportunities of service elsewhere all caused us to re-
examine our commitment to Thailand. We experi
enced the heartache of seeing colleagues come out
filled with enthusiasm, only to leave the field de
feated and discouraged within a very short time.
As our years of tenure on the field lengthened, I
became, at one point, smug and self-righteous toward
those who turned back. Then came the time after
more than twenty years in Thailand that a family
health situation caused us to join the ranks of those
who did not stay.
In the years since our return from foreign service I
have had the opportunity of interviewing many who
have stayed in the work for many years. At the 1984
National Missionary Convention I asked several long-
term warriors to list their reasons for staying. Most of
the answers received fell into three categories: call,
conviction, and commitment.
"Above all Fm committed to bring
honor and glory to Jesus Christ and
He told me to go."
Call Some mentioned their call as coming predomi
nantly from the realization that Christ's commission
to evangelize the world applies to all Christians.
Others listed a sense of personally being set aside for
missionary service, often at an early age.
Isabel Dittemore recalls having felt called to be a
missionary at age five. Harry Scates of Brazil de
scribes "a certainty that I was called by God to be a
missionary at age eleven." At age seven, while sing
ing, "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go," my mother
for April 5, 1987
By GARLAND BARE
states that she was overcome with the conviction that
she must be a missionary.
ConvictionA bedrock conviction that Jesus Christ
is the only hope of salvation for the world and that
without Him men are lost, was listed frequently as a
motivation for staying on the field. Dean Davis of
Zambia stated it succinctly in these words, "The needs
of people for the gospel-f/iey are lost!"
CommitmentThis was the most frequently stated
reason for remaining on the mission field. Four areas
of commitment were mentioned often.
1. Commitment to Christ's lordship. Dean Davis
stated this eloquently, "Above all Fm committed to
bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ and He told me
to go. No matter the cost or the response I must tell
others of Him. This has sustained us through any and
all difficulties. To lose sight of this would have sent us
packing many times. Nothing else can sustain
through the tough times."
2. Commitment to the people among whom one
serves. One who wished to remain anonymous stated,
"(Staying on the field) meant being able to communi
cate with the people to the point of identifying with
them and sharing their lives ... the people with whom
one is working become family and the location where
one is working becomes home."
A few missionaries have carried this commitment to
the point of becoming permanent residents and even
citizens of the country in which they serve.
Ruth Smith wrote us that the island of Mindanao
had become her home and the Christians there her
true family. Her wishes were fulfilled when she died
and was buried on Mindanao. One of the highest com
pliments I ever received was from a Thai friend who
said, "You have become so much one of us that I keep
forgetting you are an American."
3. The commitment and support ofothers toward us.
Don and Jessie Summers who have worked many
years among Native American tribes in Washington
State wrote that a major factor in their continuing in
the work was the "prayers, love, support, and friend
ship of hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ." In
our darkest days in Thailand we were sustained by
the knowledge that 200 people in the States had
(309) Page Thirteerr
promised to intercede for us daily. How encouraging it
was to get an occasional letter assiiring us that the
prayers were continuing.
The support of spouse and/or family was mentioned
often as vital to continuing the work. One stated,
"Unity with and support of my wife and children kept
me on the field." Sadly, encouragement of fellow mis
sionaries was seldom mentioned as an important fac
tor.
4. Christ's commitment to those who fulfil His com
mission. Most long-term missionaries attest to the re
ality of His, "Lo, I am with you always." Some have
stated that only when all their other props were tEiken
away, could they fully experience the sustaining grace
of God. The years of seeing promises fulfilled and ex
periencing the comfort of the Holy Spirit form a
strong bulwark against giving up.
It would be a mistake to conclude that it is always
desirable to have a prolonged stay in the same loca
tion. Some of God's greatest saints have pioneered in
numerous locations. The apostle Paul seldom stayed
very long in a particular place. Instead he explored
new areas for Christ on two continents. The late
Vernon Newland preached Christ enthusiastically in
China and the Philippines. Then he returned to the
United States and established several ministries
which still honor his memory as they serve Christ.
Some who are still among us have established beach
heads of light in many dark areas. Edgar Nichols has
been a missionary to Tibet, India, Hawaii, and
Ghana. Madonna Burget has ministered effectively in
Africa, India, and Central America.
On the other hand, some who stayed in one location
may have stayed too long. A young Asian Christian
once told me, "The missionary, hfr. , has
outstayed his effectiveness. He is hanging on through
sheer stubbornness. If only he could graciously step
aside now and let the national leaders develop, we
could really grow." The goal of the Western mission
ary should be to work himself out of a job and hand
the reins on to national leaders. Unfortunately, in
some of the more difficult fields it takes a lifetime or
more to plant a viable work.
For places like these we praise God for, and honor
those who stayed. We also thank Him for those who
pioneer and move on.
Dr. Garland Bare serves in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Page Fourteen (310)
Meditatioos
As human beings, we are prone to forget.
We forget birthdays, sinniversaries. Calendars
mark the birthdays of famous people and holi
days so we can't forget them. While living in the
Los Angeles area, my wife and I did all the
things most tourists do including a walk down to
Hollywood and Vine Streets to see the stars on
the sidewalk, placed there so we wouldn't forget
the famous personalities.
Jesus knewthat as human beings we would be
prone to forget. He instituted the Lord's Supper
and asked that we remember Him around His
table. We look back to the cross to see His sacri
fice for us, and we look forward, proclaiming His
death till He comes again.
This table is faithfully prepared and spread for
us each Lord's Day, and it is both a privilege and
a blessing to us to be present.
"My dear children, I write this to you so that
you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we
have one who speaks to the Father in our de
fense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is
the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only
for ours but also for the sins of the whole world"
(1 John 2:1, 2, New International Version).
Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the
whole world, but there are billions around the
world who have never heard about Jesus and
His sacrifice for sins. They have no table spread
for them each Lord's Day.
As we come together this morning, we need to
examine ourselves and the contribution we are
making to insure that those who have never
heard might one day have a table spread for
them to remind them of Christ's sacrifice for sin.
Dennis Reid
Morogoro, Thnzania
CHRISTIAN STANDARD