Meet the Missionaries

It was almost 20 years ago that I met Phil in Moscow. We were just teenagers. He had come from California and I from Hawaii, but we ended up together in a Moscow flat with few other missionaries in 1991. At that time Russia was in in huge transition. Communism had fallen and their whole world was turning upside down. When I first got to Moscow you'd get 30 Rubles for a dollar. Five months later it was 1100 rubles for the same dollar. The Mafia ran everything, including the black market. Initially it was Snickers and Pepsi but later got into seedier thing. Crime was exploding. Muggings and robberies were common. Burglaries were so frequent that there was a market for bolting steel doors. I'd never seen a corpse on the street till I was in Moscow. It was like the wild west and Phil and I were both just kids with a passion for the Lord and a taste for adventure. In other words we were missionaries.

My life would take me back to Hawaii and Phil to California, but Phil would marry and shortly return to the mission field; this time to Hungary.

Phil met and married his lovely wife Joy before they moved to Hungary close to 15 years ago. They adopted a beautiful Hungarian girl (Niki) and had three more children (Karina, Judah and Hannah).

Phil leads worship and is a gifted evangelist so He and Joy were initially church planters. Later he served as an assistant Pastor. Eventually they took on the excellent work of the Bible College here in Vajta. In 2007 Phil stepped in to Pastor the Calvary in Budapest when Pastor Greg Opean asked him to. The church, Golgota Chapel Budapest, continues to grow and play a vital role in the city. They minister to well over 1000 people a week and, I was just told by their media guy that, their services are downloaded over 8000 times per week. He's one of the few pastors I know who has to have two midweek services just to fit the folks in who are coming to hear the Word. The church also has a much needed and well used ministry to the homeless in Budapest. It is a truly active church. Phil also oversees the Calvary Chapel church plants throughout this part of Europe and even into Africa. God has really blessed the Metzgers in all they do.

Paul told Timothy (1 Tim 4:12-13), "Let no man despise your youth, but be an example in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity, encouraging the believers with teaching." Phil and I may not be the "youths" we once were all those years ago in Moscow, but he sure has taken these words of Paul to heart. He is an example for others who want to serve the Lord.

Please pray for the Metzgers and the ministries they oversee. Consider supporting them in your giving. Also check out the different programs they offer at the Bible College. Pray about a semester or a summer here on the mission field. It will change your life.

Missions

There is a passage in the Old Testament that I think of when considering missions. It is from 1 Samuel 30. Some Amalekites had raided and captured David's whole village, burned it with fire and took everyone's family captive. David and his men pursued them, but after 100 miles in four days and some men became so exhausted that they couldnt go on. They set up camp and stayed while David and the rest went on to catch the Amalekites and conquer them. David recaptured all the families and all the stuff but when they returned to the camp where the others were waiting some of David's "worthless" guys said, "They did not go with us to battle so we're not giving them any of the spoil. Just give them their families and let them leave" (30:22). This was harsh and would have caused a division in David's ranks. David responded to these guys, "No way. We are all brothers and God gave us this victory. Those who fought will share in the rewards with those who guarded the supplies" (30:23-24). This principle became a rule in Israel, that those who go and those who stay share alike.

I believe this sheds some light on the principles of missions. Like David's men, there are some who go and some who stay. Some can't go out on the mission field. They have to set up camp and guard the supplies. Their job is to protect the resources of those going into battle. Others are sent out and supported. It is much easier for some people to pick up their life, hop on a plane and serve in an unreached area. This used to be me. I loved going out and the adventure of faith. It was easy too. Now that I am a little older, things have changed. I have a family and responsibilities to a church body back in Hawaii. This trip we have taken to Hungary has been great but not without a huge effort. A family of 7 just isn't as mobile as a single guy or girl. Nevertheless we came. The only way we were able to was that there was a group of people who stayed by the supplies back home. We have been supported by faithful people back home. According to our story in 1 Sam 30, those folks back home will share in all the rewards in heaven for the souls who have been touched or saved in our ministering here. By the way, thank you for your continued faithfulness in giving. Only heaven will display all the rewards you have wrought by your generosity.

Let me encourage you to be faithful if you are a "stay by the stuff" person. Just as David's men's hearts surely went with him, though physically they couldn't, you should go in your heart too even if physically you can't be out there. Protect the home base, support your local church, continue praying and giving to those who have gone out.

For those who have gone out, be sure that you don't despise those back home. Don't judge them for not being able to go. Don't dismiss their faithfulness to watch over the supplies. Share the rewards of your exploits for the Lord. If you have gone out with the Greater David and won souls, then rejoice with those who couldn't go.

What are you? Are you sent or a sender? If sent, than engage the battle on the mission field. Preach and pray like souls depend on it. They do. You are engaged in a serious fight for captive souls and God has promised victory. Are you a sender? Then stay faithful by the stuff. Keep your heart in the fight and continue to be the supplier that God has made you. You will be richly rewarded. "As his part is who goes down to battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies, they shall share alike."

Meet the Missionaries

Missionaries are some pretty awesome folks. I knew this before our trip out to Hungary but being here has given me a chance to meet some great families. One of them is the Langes, Paul, Jeanette, Sierra, Sean and Jake Bear.

Paul and Jeanette Lange have been here in Europe for nearly 20 years. Along with Phil Metzger, who pastors Calvary Chapel Budapest, Paul helps oversee a lot of the practical stuff on the ground. And these are some grounds too. The campus and castle are huge and the property has a large staff just to run things smoothly. Paul does a good job with it. I think of Paul as a quintessential Calvary leader. He has an easy way about him and a relaxed management style. He lets the Lord run the show. For example, one day I wouldn't make my class so I let him know and asked if that was alright. Paul just said something like, "You do whatever you need to so long as your students know the book of Hebrews at the end of the semester." The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. I think Paul facilitates that well. In addition Paul is a rock solid bible teacher and communicator.

Paul's wife Jeanette is an awesome woman. She and Keren love to hang out whenever they can. Actually it was Jeanette that took Keren for the ultrasound to find out we were having a boy (the state of the art equipment was masked by communist era service so they waited all day at the hospital...thanks Jeanette). Jeanette is actually Swedish, but you wouldn't know it. She doesn't have an accent at all. She seems to have a knack with languages as she is conversant in Hungarian (a cruel and harsh language to learn indeed). With Paul originally form Michigan and Jeanette from Sweden, these guys can handle the cold. Jeanette is also in high demand as a speaker for women's fellowships all over Hungary. She is a great encourager and really ministers to the ladies.

We always appreciate their kids Sierra (16) and Sean (12) who are awesome, smart and respectful. But the one kid we see most is Jake Bear. Jake and my boy are the best of friends. They are always together riding bikes, throwing sticks, digging holes, running around or causing some havoc around here. Missing Jake is going to be one of the hardest parts about leaving for Little Bud.

Over the past year Paul and Jeanette have had some extremely difficult health issues. One of Paul's lungs collapsed a while back and the treatment and recovery has been tough. Jeanette had knee surgery with major complications and is scheduled to do the other one pretty soon. Pray for them. It has been a tough year for these guys but they continue to shine as great examples to the staff and students here.

I love missionaries, but this is the great dilemma about meeting them; you miss them when you're gone. Keren and I will be leaving soon part of heart will left back here in Hungary. There'll be a hollow spot in our hearts but...well take the Langes home with us in there.