Called Out

I had an amazing privilege yesterday. I visited a post-WWII memorial (here WWII is called "The Great Patriotic War"). It's at the site of a former village called Khatyn (ha'-teen).

You can see the whole story of Khatyn by visiting this website: http://www.khatyn.by/en/

To make a long story short, the Nazi Army invaded Khatyn after a popular German soldier was shot not to far away. As far as anyone knows, the inhabitants of Khatyn had nothing to do with the attack. But, someone had to pay for what had happened. So, the army invaded the small village and herded everyone into a shed. They then set fire to the shed and burned nearly all of the towns inhabitants alive. If anyone tried to escape the fires, the German armies shot them. A horrifying scene to be sure. Yet, Khatyn is only one of many of these such stories throughout the Belarusian country-side.

It's really pretty incredible. In WWII, 2.23 million Belarusian people died. That's roughly 25% of the population at that time. (Which follows a roughly 7% population loss in WWI.)

The pictures above are just a few of the memorable images. The upper right image simply gives the facts of all that happened. The image of the statue follows the following story:

The only adult witness to the Khatyn massacre, a 56-year-old village smith
Joseph Kaminsky, also wounded and burnt, recovered consciousness late at night
when the fascists were already gone. He had to suffer a hard blow, though. He
found his injured son among the corpses of the fellow - villagers. The boy was
fatally wounded in the abdomen and totally burnt. He died later in the arms of
his father.

The final picture, of the eternal flame, is another symbolic area. The three trees represent the 3 out of 4 that lived after the war giving honor to the one who died in the battles.

To put what I experienced there into words is nearly impossible. So, I don't think I'm going to bother to try. But, I definitely wanted to share a few images with all of you back home.

Things dealing with the class I'm teaching are going quite well. I am having an increasing level of substantive conversations outside of class as well. To even begin to write here about them all, would take more time than I have to spare.

Please continue to pray as my time here closes. Your prayers are making a tremendous difference. I know that you're willingness to send me here is making a Kingdom impact!

-Ben

Well, I'm going to head to bed in a moment, but I thought I'd make a quick update.

First, the pics below are of a tragic memorial near by. Apparently in 1999, the had a thunderstorm here which is a really rare thing. Thunder. Lightning the whole deal. This little memorial is at the top of the steps that lead down to the Metro (subway). What happened is that there was this concert-type of deal in the park (thousands in attendance), and then the thunderstorm came in an unexpected way. It totally freaked people out. They ran every which way. If I have my info right, 50 people were trampled to death in the subway tunnels. Incredible story, really. The first picture is of the little memorial they have set up. The second picture is harder to understand, sorry. Right next to the memorial are a few steps they've built, and those are large metal roses that are laying on the steps. It's really pretty cool in person. Thought I would share.

I'm into the home stretch when it comes to my time here. I spoke at two churches today, and both went well. It was great to be able to share that time with each of those churches. I also finished writing the final exam for the class I'm teaching, so that's good as well. I had to have it finished by tomorrow morning so it could be interpreted.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my time here, but I am definitely looking forward to coming home. Three weeks is a long time to be gone. I miss you all!

I'll post more as the week goes along.

Your prayers are lifting and supporting me. Endless thanks to all of you!

-Ben

Here's another picture of the monument that I mentioned below.

 

Well, I promised I'd eventually get to post some pictures. So, here are a couple of some things that I see pretty regularly.

In the upper left is a building that right now is serving as a simple store. I don't know if it was ever anything other than that, but that's what it is now. But, the art work above the door is pretty impressive. It's all carved out. Definitely a soviet influenced image. The church is a Russian Orthodox church down the street from my hotel. Very pretty. Most of Minsk was destroyed in the bombings that took place during WWII. The lower right is a picture of a couple of buildings that have been restored to their pre-war state. They are a couple of but just a few in the whole city that have architectural influence that pre-dates WWII. Most of the other ones are religious in nature. The lower left is a picture of the "Hero City" monument that is also just down the street from my hotel. I see it every day. Minsk was one of a handful of cities that Stalin labeled as a hero city following the war. This monument is a tribute to that. You can also see a political billboard in the corner. An election is coming soon here. You pretty much only see advertisements for the president and his party. That is one of their billboards.


Alright, I’m going to try to give a little update about how things are going. But, I must warn you, I also have some thoughts that are heavy on my mind. I also want to write about those. The update may be short, but the thoughts most likely will not be.

Things are going extremely well. I’m enjoying the class more and more, and I think the students are as well. We’ve begun to have some passionate discussions and dialogues. It’s beautiful to sit back and watch extremely sharp young men and women discuss, debate, and process practical things when it comes to youth ministry. I am impressed with the beauty of the heart as it moves the principles of Scripture into the realities of life. It’s really a beautiful process. One that I think brings great honor and delight to our Father.

I’m gaining an increased appreciation for the work of the church. Is there anything more honoring than followers of Christ racking their brains, stretching their thinking, and moving themselves into uncomfortable places all in the hopes that the redeeming love of Christ would bring about undeniable change in their culture?

I’m grateful that I have the privilege of being a part of a community that values this work. It’s really matters. The sore knees from praying, the dog-eared pages of the Bible from reading, the stretching conversations where we engage in passionate discussion . . . they’re all worth it. It’s beautiful, and I think the name of God is honored by the process.

I had the privilege of attending a concert-like event last night called the “haroshki”. I’m not sure that’s how you would spell it, but that’s how it sounds. So, it’s probably the correct transliterated form. To write it in Russian would require letters and symbols that I still can’t understand. Learning the language has been even more difficult than I could have imagined.

The haroshki is a Belarusian folk music and dance performance. I know, I know. For many of you, that sounds about as exciting as watching Olympic Curling (which I’m sad to admit that I have now done. I’m embarrassed to admit that I think I actually understand it. It’s still Olympic shuffle board if you ask me.). But, it was really, really good. I’ve posted a picture, but pictures just can’t capture the excitement of the dance, the beauty of the music, and the detail of the costumes. I honestly think it was as entertaining and as exciting as going to a Hawaiian luau. The energy of the music was extremely high. It’s folk music and dance, so fun and humor are a key element. What struck me is that the representation of the 16th Century is more upbeat and exciting than the reality of today. We oftentimes think about in the reverse in America.

I think God is honored by beauty. He created it, after all. And I’m stunned by how often we stifle the beauty of His creation. I’m not just talking about nature. We all know that, as people, we’ve handled our world in such a way that doesn’t always honor the beauty of the created. But, I think of other types of visual beauty, and I’m astounded by that as well. The costumes that were worn at the haroshki were truly beautiful. Ornate and detailed. I know there weren’t necessarily made to honor God, but when I saw them, I thought, “God, thanks for making the colors of our world so beautiful. Thank you that you’ve made us in such a way that we can enjoy what you have created.” However, there is so much more than physical beauty in the world. The music last night was fantastic. I was stunned by the ability of the musicians. But, that’s another beauty that we are very familiar with. I’m learning to love and appreciate inner beauty, that which cannot be seen with the eyes and automatically identified with the harmonics of the ears.

I had a conversation with a young women yesterday. I don’t have the time to tell her whole story, but she’s from South Africa and now is living here in Minsk. She doesn’t really know why she’s here. She doesn’t really know where she’s going in life. And, we began to talk about that. She’s thinking about a lot of really “practical” options for her life. As she shared her thoughts with me, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of beauty in her words. There was no passion, no excitement, no love dripping from her words. Everything she said made so much “sense” in one way, but lacked resonance in another. So, I asked the only question I knew to ask, “what do you love?” And then, a smile drew across her face and beauty began to emanate from her lips. “Art.” She’s an artist. She loves to paint with oils. And as I sat there and listened to her, I was stunned by the beauty of her heart as it poured into words.

“Why don’t you become an artist?”

“There’s no money, no future in that.”

And the beauty left. The smile was gone. The heart silenced. And, I it seemed like the worship of the Father that had been taking place grew dim.

We talked for a bit, about creation. I really think God likes what He created. After all, He said it was “good”. I don’t think He’s crazy about what’s happened to all that He created, but that’s a different matter.

“What if God created your love for art? Your words drip with worship as you speak about the beauty of it.”

“I don’t know.”

“What if God created you with passions and strengths and abilities? Would His desire be for those to be lost to the world of the ‘practical’?”

“Probably not.”

“Think about the sense of taste. It doesn’t have a terribly practical function. There are things that are extremely healthy for me, that I can’t stand the taste of. Likewise, there are things that I love the taste of, but they aren’t really that healthy for me. Taste isn’t that practical. It seems like it’s mostly for our enjoyment. To celebrate the beauty of the creation of God. Perhaps, your love for art is appropriate worship for the creation and beauty of God.”

“I hadn’t ever thought about that.”

“I was taught something earlier this year that I can’t seem to forget. Wasted strengths are like sundials in the shade.”

Isn’t worship in many ways the celebration of the beauty and magnificence of God? These days, I’m seeing His beauty all around me. Certainly in the snow-tipped pine trees. Certainly in a sun-rise. Certainly in a well made meal. But, also in the conversations we hold in pursuit of God. Also, in the gifts, talents, and abilities in others. Also, in the words we say and write.

Beauty.

It’s all around us, really.

The scriptures would say,

The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. 

I’ve discovered a new piece of heaven here on earth. It’s kind of like a liquid chocolate, except it seems even better. My Russian isn’t real sharp, but I think the label roughly translates to: “God’s Chocolate Sauce: Improving Coffee and Manna since Mt. Sinai”. It’s scary how good this stuff is in coffee and tea. I’m going to have to see if I can find a can in a market some where before I head home.

Teaching is going fairly well. To make use of the extra time that I’ve been given, I have chosen to elongate most of my sessions and include a few group projects. I had so much material that I had wanted to cover in 5 days, it’s kind of a blessing that I now have 10 days to teach it in.

I do wish it were easier to communicate back and forth. Though I believe that our time together is beneficial, I love to facilitate discussion amongst the group. The need for a translator I think some times prevents me from catching the nuances of what is taking place in the room. But, I knew about this challenge when I signed up for this adventure.

My schedule is quickly filling up. I counted while in the shower this morning. In the course of my time here (nearly 3 weeks total), I will teach a minimum of 43 times. That’s assuming I’m not urged to speak anywhere else. The astounding part is that all of those teaching sessions come within a span of 14 days! Churches and ministries here are eager to have me come and teach in one of their gatherings. I’m really not sure what’s up with that. Apparently, they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. 8^) But, it keeps me busy. It ensures that I don’t have enough idle time to get myself in trouble.

Went to the hotel restaurant on my own last night. It was my first foray to get something to eat (McDonald’s doesn’t count. Saying Big Mac is not a cultural experience.) With my English/Russian dictionary in hand, I managed to order for myself some chicken, rice, steamed veggies, bread, and a Coke. It wasn’t pretty, but I wasn’t hungry when I finished. I guess that would qualify it as a successful trip.

I got to see some ministry that is happening on a college campus today. Totally underground. Totally illegal. Totally inspiring. We did some contact evangelism, which just isn't "allowed" here. We really didn't try to hide it or anything. I took a pic with the group, but I'm not going to post that for the public to see. I got to hear a 18-year old girl say about the threat of punishment for sharing her faith, "I'm not afraid." Man, I'm so pumped about ministry like that!

When I was travelling back to the hotel, I began to think about the history of the church. You know, it's done quite well when it's been persecuted in the past . . .

Could some of our issues in the American church be that we've gotten to lazy without any "resistance"? I don't know if I believe that or not. It's just a thought.

Have you ever thought you were doing alright, and then find out that you were much more in need that you thought you were?

Just last night I had the privilege of being invited for dinner to the home of an American missionary. They actually invited another missionary couple who lives in the same building as them to join us. Five of us in all. Dinner was fantastic. She made ham with pineapple, fried rice, green beans, fresh slice veggies, and bread. Almost like being at home, so that was a nice little change up. She also made these bars for dessert that are made with honey and something else. Mmmmmmm.

Anyways, they asked how I was adjusting to the time change. And, I said that I was doing well. Wasn't really feeling any sort of ill effects. Sleeping fine. Waking up fine. I felt like I was doing great.

The night moved on, and I returned to my hotel around 9 p.m. or so. I proceeded to watch some Olympics that I can't understand (this is becoming a bit of a normal thing for me. I got to watch that American gal wipe out live. That was pretty sweet.), and then I played some games on my laptop. I entered into some sort of solitaire induced haze, and before I knew it the clock had rolled around to 1 a.m. So, I finished what I was doing, and got ready for bed.

I didn't need to set any sort of alarm, because breakfast is open until 10 a.m., and I never sleep that long . . . famous last words.

I awoke to world ready for some breakfast only to realize that I missed out. Not by a little bit, mind you. But to an extent that is quite uncommon for me. It was after 1 p.m., and I was still tired. I'm not sure, but I think I may have slipped into a liver induced coma. Fortunately, I've found, the body has defenses for such things, and it is only temporary. The scary part is that I could have gone back to sleep right away. I didn't for fear I would die.

I got to try Lebanese food tonight. I'm not entirely sure what I ate. I thought it was going to be chicken, but it came out in little tubes, like sausage. Not sure what I think about that. While eating it, I chose to believe it was some other meat than chicken because that seemed like a better option. Chicken shouldn't come in tubes. In any case, the taste was pretty good (a nice little spice to it), and it came with french fries (always a safe choice). There was also a cole slaw type salad (basically, cabbage with mayo) and pickles. The pickles I particularly enjoyed. They were kind of a cross between a dill pickle and a sweet pickle. Strange, I know, but quite tasty.

That's all the more exciting it got for me today. Due to my propensity to slumber, I didn't get a chance to take pics. I'm going to see a couple of friends of mine tomorrow who are missionaries here tomorrow. Perhaps a photo or two will come then.

Thanks for praying! They're giving me a lot of rest! 8^)

-Ben

I want to thank you for your prayers. I know they are making a difference.

After completing my second (of ten) days of teaching, I feel like I'm beginning to build a rapport with the students. I'm told this is no small feat. The male students in particular have a history of being rather critical of their instructors. I can totally understand where they would come from on that front. After all, who am I to come as an instructor? (I have to admit, I've shared that thought more than once when thinking about my presence here.)

One of the benefits of not knowing the language is that I can pay attention to the non-verbal aspects of their questions and statements while waiting for the translation. I've been noticing that their questions are turning from a tone of testing of me toward genuine questions.

I also have enjoyed opening teaching and dialogue on worship today with the students. We have engaged in some great conversation!

Tomorrow is going to be a huge day of curriculum preparation for me. Your prayers are still coveted!

I love to read the posts that you're leaving. They are very encouraging to me. Perhaps this weekend I'll be able to get out and take some interesting pictures. I would love to share with you what I am seeing.

Blessings to you all!

BTW - the liver returned at lunch today. More or less the same, except with potatoes. I have to admit, I'm not entirely sure that it's liver any more. The texture doesn't match what I've been told in the past. If I don't watch out, I may get used to eating whatever it is. 8^)

Have you ever encountered something in real life that only existed in books or dreams? Have you ever had your eyes opened to the realities of the world we live in?

That was me today.

Today was the first day of teaching, and I’ll give you a quick update about that before I move into the really striking portion of my day. Since the Belarusian culture is slightly less demonstrative and expressive than what I am used to experiencing back home, it’s hard for me to know how things are going so far. I know now what some of our African-American brothers and sisters must feel like when they come to preach at a church like ours. :^P

A couple of the teachers that were supposed to be here backed out in the last month or so. So, I found out today that my teaching requirements will be a little more extensive. I thought I was teaching a one-week course, two times. I found out today, that I will be teaching the same students for the whole time. (Half were supposed to be taught something else this week.) So, I have only half of the material I need to be fully prepared with. I definitely could use your prayers on that front.

I think my favorite interaction came toward the end of my final session of the day. I had spent some time talking about Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs. I pretty much just laid out the theory. When I finished teaching the theory, I asked, “What does that have to do with youth ministry?” The very first response: “I was wondering the same thing.” When I laughed to the response, it relieved some tension in the room. We went on to talk about how having an understanding of people is tantamount to being able to minister, etc. A great dialogue really, but a humorous exchange.

I also tried liver for the first time. I didn’t want to. Unfortunately, I have more dignity and self-awareness than your average 5 year old. (At least I did today.) No tantrum or scene ensued. So, I ate it. All of it. It was cut into small pieces and was in some sort of gravy like sauce served over rice. Turns out it wasn’t too bad. I’m not asking for the recipe, but I’ll eat it again if it’s served. Which it probably will be.

On to the inspiration portion of our show. I’m going to warn you right now, this may be long. I was just so struck.

I mentioned yesterday the living history here. I had the privilege to go on a driving tour of Minsk with Sergei, the Bible College director. He’s lived in Belarus his whole life, was a graduate of the Bible College, and then planted 2 churches before returning to run the college. As we traversed the city, seeing building after building bearing the fingerprint of Stalin and the Soviet regime, we talked about life about ministry and about the realities of the culture here. In some ways similar to ours, in other ways so different. Over the weekend, I’m hoping to be able to take some pictures of the large monuments that have been set up since WWII. I’ll post them here if I can. Very interesting.

We got to talking about the church, and a vague reference to illegality was mentioned. So, I jumped at the opportunity to ask a direct question. “What is it illegal for Christianity to do here?” To make a long story short, it is illegal to witness in public. No preaching. No handing out spiritual tracts. No overt evangelism of any kind. First offense: fine. Second offense: a week in jail. I didn’t ask what happens from offense three and on, I assumed punishment escalated. A church meeting with less than 20 people isn’t legal. I don’t know that I fully get this one. But, a church plant with 10 or 15 people isn’t legal in ANY case. Once a church has 20 or more, they can apply to be registered with the government. The government may or may not grant them their registration. Punishment for offense? Similar. Fines and then jail time. And then he said it. A phrase that will echo in my ears for a long time. With his awesome accent, “Eh, what are we going to do, stop ministry?!?”

Perhaps those words will ring a bit if I give you some background. His wife’s father spent 19 years in prison because he was an open Christian. Age 20 to age 39. Gone. Not that nothing positive happened in the prison, but he paid a high price for his faith. No offense kept him imprisoned other than his faith.

Now I think about these students I’m getting to know. Being here, I’m out of my comfort zone for sure. Who wouldn’t be? But, am I really that courageous? That’s a word that should be reserved for these young men and women. There is a passion that drives them in the face of adversity that is absolutely beautiful.

-Ben

Well friends, I have safely and successfully arrived in Minsk, Belarus with very few incidents.

I'm staying at a nice hotel, the Hotel Yubileiny, that seems to be situated in a neat spot in the city. I have yet to go exploring, but it appears that there are a few things to see nearby.

I am already struck by the living history here. It is estimated that anywhere from 25-35% of the people in Belarus were killed during WWII, as most of this territory fell under Nazi terroristic control. In fact, a great deal of the buildings here in Minsk were built in the 1950's or later due to the absolute destruction and devastation that took place.

I am obviously a tourist to all who see me, yet I've had nothing but pleasant interactions with people. They have been very patient with me!

You know, I'm tempted to write about how comfortable I feel here in the middle of this culmination of a nearly 2-year process. But, I would be less than honest if I wrote that.

As I boarded the plane in KC on Monday, I was experiencing a mixture of fear, doubt, worry, sadness, eager anticipation, excitement, courage, and intrigue. A feeling not like any I've ever had before. I think perhaps those first few steps onto the plane were the most difficult of this whole process. Maybe I'm just wierd, but that's the way it was. I nestled into my plane seat next to young business man, and we started a simple conversation. After a few moments of silence, I heard an ominous phrase . . . "I've never been nauseous on a plane before." Though my brain raced with a thousand different things that could possibly go wrong over the next 2 hours, my thoughtful preparation was fortunately in vain. The pronouncement was all the more exciting it got. Some quality time spent with an iPod and my favorite music served me well in calming my nerves and refocusing my purpose.

I found the Atlanta and Paris airports to be relatively easy to navigate, even though I needed to change terminals and had to re-check my bags in Paris. The flight into Minsk was uneventful, particularly for me, as I slept roughly 90% of the time. And I found proceeding through customs to be a breeze. I think the customs agent was amused with me. I really didn't know what needed to be declared, and there really wasn't anyone there who could help me . . . so, I declared almost everything, right down to my Sports Illustrated. Perhaps that was a bit much, but better to be thorough than lacking. We had a nice little laugh.

Once arriving, I enjoyed my first authentic Belarussian meal. I think they call it a "Big Mac". It seems they have a local chain of restaurants here named "McDonalds". I know, I know, big adventure. I then settled in for a brief night of reading, playing a couple of games on my laptop, and trying to watch the olympics on local TV. Needless to say, the latter of the pursuits produced the least fruit.

Today is a travel recovery day. Reading. Preparing to teach. Sleeping to adjust my body to the proper time clock. I will spend some time today with the academy director and the national director. That should be fun.

I hope to be able to post here often. It seems like I will have the chance. This has probably been too much detail, but it's your fault for reading this far. 8^)

Be praying for the things I will teach. Pray that I might be a blessing.

Much love,

Ben

I have to admit, it seems like my time has just been flying by lately. So, I apologize for not getting on this blog deal like I want to. Hopefully, that will change soon.

As many of you know, I fly out on Monday, February 13th for Minsk, Belarus. I will spend the next couple of weeks teaching young Belarussian pastors about ministry.

It's really a daunting task for me. It's such a huge responsibility. I will share some things I have learned from God and from experience in the hopes that I can inspire, encourage, equip, and empower some Belarussian pastors as they reach and love their country for Christ.

I'm also quite excited about all that I will experience while I am away. Fair warning here, I probably will be talking about all of this a fair amount when I get back. So, if you don't want to hear about my trip, avoid me at all costs. 8^)

While I am away, this is going to serve as my hub for information. I'm supposed to be able to access the internet from the academy there, so I'll try to keep those who want to be kept in the loop, in the loop. I'm taking a dig cam with me, so hopefully I'll be able to drop some pics on here as well.

As always, I covet and appreciate your prayers for me and for Sarah while I am away. Pray for peace. Pray for protection. Pray for God to work in a mighty and powerful way.

-Ben