Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000134S
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00:00 (triumphant music)
00:22 - Hello and welcome 00:22 to Jesus for Asia NOW. 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood and my husband, John, 00:26 is here with me today. 00:27 We have a story 00:28 that I think many of you 00:30 will find inspirational. 00:32 Hello, love. 00:33 - Hi, darling, how are you? 00:34 - I'm good. 00:35 I'm really looking forward 00:36 to sharing this story 00:37 with our viewers today. 00:38 - Yeah, it's a beautiful story. 00:40 - Where shall we start? 00:41 - It's about a couple 00:42 that have gone to Thailand 00:44 as missionaries. 00:45 - Right. 00:47 - And that doesn't sound really unusual 00:48 except for the fact 00:49 that they are retirement age. 00:51 - Right. 00:52 And how they got there is a little unusual. 00:53 - [John] Yes. 00:54 - Because they got there- 00:55 - Because of their children. 00:56 Yeah. 00:57 (Natalie and John laughs) 00:58 - So where should we start in the story? 00:59 Should we start with their kids? 01:01 - Yeah. 01:02 - So many will remember 01:02 Jonathan and Hannah Hill. 01:04 - Yes. 01:05 - [Natalie] Who do our videos from Thailand. 01:06 And they have actually provided us 01:07 the videos 01:08 that we're gonna be sharing today. 01:09 - [John] Yes. 01:10 - [Natalie] And the couple 01:11 that we're talking about 01:12 are Jonathan's parents. 01:13 - Exactly. 01:14 So Jonathan 01:15 decided to live in Thailand permanently. 01:19 And he met his wife over there, 01:22 and they got married, 01:23 and they are foreign correspondence. 01:25 - Right. 01:26 - So Jonathan and Hannah 01:27 got to go and interview 01:28 and video and profile 01:30 Jonathan's parents. 01:31 - Yeah. 01:32 Which is awesome. 01:33 - Yes. 01:34 - We're gonna start out with a video 01:36 from Faith Camp in 2021. 01:38 - Yes. 01:39 And Jonathan and Hannah 01:40 were in Thailand. 01:41 - Right. 01:42 - And his parents were at Faith Camp 01:44 there in Idaho. 01:45 - Right. 01:46 - And we invited them to come up 01:47 and share what their plans were, 01:50 how they saw God leading them. 01:51 - Right. 01:53 - And while we were having a video call 01:54 with Jonathan and Hannah, 01:56 who were in Thailand. 01:57 - Right. 01:58 - So let's watch that video now. 01:59 - Okay. 02:02 - [Jonathan] Hello. 02:04 - Hello. 02:05 So nice to see you. 02:08 - This is the mother and father of Jonathan. 02:12 Yeah, Jonathan's. 02:14 So what's special about your parents? 02:16 Are they supportive of your ministry, 02:19 of you being missionaries? 02:21 (Hannah giggles) 02:22 - Yeah, they are. 02:25 Actually, no, they are a lie. 02:27 (everyone laughs) 02:28 - Actually, it's flipped. 02:29 Usually the parents influence the children, 02:32 and our children were so mission driven 02:34 they influenced the parents. 02:36 (everyone laughs) 02:37 - They influenced you to do what? 02:39 - To go to Thailand. 02:40 - So you're going to Thailand? 02:42 - So we have been to Thailand. 02:44 Actually, the first call that we received, 02:47 actually the doors closed for that in 2017, 02:50 we were ready to go then. 02:52 And we wondered what are we gonna do now, 02:54 we don't have a call to go to Thailand, 02:56 but our hearts were still there. 02:57 The Lord was working on our hearts 02:58 and we still had the sense 03:00 that he wanted us to be there. 03:01 So we decided to go. 03:03 And in 2018 I quit my job 03:06 and we got our house ready to sell. 03:08 We sold our house in January, 03:11 the end of January, 2019. 03:13 And in the midst of a very tight window 03:18 of snowstorms, 03:19 we left in February of 2019 03:22 and spent 15 months in Thailand. 03:24 Going there, expecting that when we were there, 03:26 the Lord would open doors for us 03:29 to a specific call. 03:30 So we started to learn the language 03:32 and went to Bangkok. 03:33 We spent, we raised our boys in the country 03:38 and the farthest thing from our minds 03:39 was to live in a big city 03:41 with 12, 13 million people. 03:45 That was quite a culture shock for us. 03:48 But we learned how to do it 03:50 and it was surprisingly comfortable 03:52 to live in that city for that long. 03:55 In February of 2020, 03:58 we got a very specific call 03:59 to go to a school in western Thailand 04:01 to provide an agriculture work program 04:03 for the students, 04:04 as well as to grow food for the kids. 04:08 - Oh, sorry. 04:10 - So this specific call came in February, 04:13 guess what happened in March? 04:16 Covid happened and everything shut down 04:17 in Thailand. 04:18 Very tight. 04:20 They didn't want us leaving our homes, 04:22 except to go buy food 04:23 only one person from the household. 04:25 - Jim was committed to 10,000 steps a day 04:27 and we had a room 04:28 that was less than 400 square feet, 04:31 and he did it. 04:33 (audience laughs) 04:35 - [Jim] It was a little bit like 04:35 being in a prison cell, 04:37 walking back and forth. 04:40 But I did it and it was a blessing. 04:43 - Amen. 04:44 - So we were feeling pretty useless 04:48 in Thailand at that point. 04:49 Our son, Jonathan's older brother, 04:52 Josiah, 04:53 is a pastor in Michigan. 04:54 He was going to be ordained last year 04:57 so we wanted to come home for that. 04:58 So we flew home in May of last year, 05:00 thinking that Covid, this little thing, 05:03 is gonna blow over in a couple months 05:04 and we'll be able to go back to Thailand. 05:06 As well, 05:07 we all know that didn't happen. 05:08 And like we had a retirement visa that expired 05:11 and the Thailand Adventist Mission, 05:14 who called us to this school 05:16 in western Thailand, 05:16 was going to provide for us 05:18 a work permit, a visa, 05:19 that would go along with that. 05:21 So while they were processing those visas, 05:24 until, I think it was like February, 05:26 and the process of getting those visas, 05:29 we thought hearing all the news from Thailand, 05:30 'cause the Covid numbers over there 05:32 are exploding, 05:33 that the government offices 05:34 would be shut down, 05:35 the process, the visa, materials, 05:38 and that it would be delayed. 05:40 We got word from the Thailand Adventist Mission 05:43 the day before we came to Faith Camp 05:46 that our visa was approved. 05:47 - [Audience] Amen. 05:49 - Amen. Amen. 05:50 (audience laughs) 05:53 - I wanna appeal to you folks, 05:56 'cause my approach to all of this 05:59 has been one of great reluctance. 06:02 When we first started coming to Faith Camp, 06:04 which was the very first one, 06:06 because of the influence of our oldest son 06:07 who was determined he was going to go 06:09 and he had his own truck 06:10 and he was gonna go there by himself. 06:11 Him as well, "Mommy, we should go." 06:13 (audience laughs) 06:14 And there's only been one Faith Camp 06:16 that we've missed. 06:18 And coming to Faith Camp, 06:19 we didn't think we would ever be missionaries. 06:22 We were sure we could never be missionaries. 06:24 What did I have to offer 06:25 to the mission field? 06:26 All these people that go over there, 06:27 they're so talented, 06:28 they can do so many things, 06:29 they can build all kinds of buildings 06:31 and I can't do any of that. 06:32 Over the years of coming to Faith Camp, 06:34 our hearts began to change. 06:35 And then so, 06:37 well maybe we could, 06:38 but I don't know what we'd do. 06:40 And then we received that call 06:41 and we started to get ready to go. 06:43 So now we're about retirement age. 06:47 I'm 64 years old, 06:49 gonna be 65 soon. 06:51 And we're still determined 06:52 to go to the mission field. 06:53 But that spirit of reluctance 06:55 came over me yesterday, too. 06:56 John came to me and said, 06:57 "Jim, would you like to come up 06:58 and share what's going on for you folks?" 07:02 I said, "No. 07:03 (audience laughs) 07:05 Sir, I don't think 07:06 we really have much to share." 07:07 And he appealed to me a couple more times, 07:09 and I said, "No, I don't think so." 07:11 And he was kind to me and he said, 07:13 "Okay, well I'm not gonna force you." 07:16 Well then we had a dear sister come 07:17 to us last evening. 07:20 She got down on her knees in front of us. 07:23 Not to beg or plead, but she says, 07:26 "Jim, I have a problem. 07:28 I heard that you were asked to come up front 07:31 and you said no." 07:32 She said, "There are people here 07:34 who need to hear your experience." 07:36 And she singled out 07:38 people who are retirement age, 07:39 whether you're getting ready for retirement 07:41 or you've already retired 07:43 and may be thinking that 07:44 you're too old, 07:46 or you're at a stage in your life 07:47 where you're not going to be useful. 07:50 One of the things 07:51 that's particularly true about Asia 07:52 is they have great respect for age. 07:56 So you have an opportunity for influence there 07:59 that you don't have here. 08:01 And even if you're old enough 08:03 or physically challenged enough 08:05 that you can't do 08:06 what you used to be able to do, 08:07 it doesn't matter 08:08 because there are all kinds 08:09 of younger people over there 08:10 who can work. 08:13 We're going to a school 08:14 with over a hundred kids 08:16 and we're supposed to develop a work program. 08:19 So we don't have to worry about that. 08:21 - So you don't have to work? 08:22 - No, I will work, 08:24 I will work hard. 08:25 But I don't have to do it all myself. 08:27 - Yeah. 08:28 - But I won't work, 08:29 and that's because I have Parkinson's. 08:32 And even though I have Parkinson's, 08:34 it's very slowly progressing, 08:36 and if I go, Jim can go, 08:38 and Jim can be an influence. 08:40 And regardless of Parkinson's, 08:42 we each have an influence about us 08:45 that we share. 08:47 And so I can be a spiritual influence 08:49 and an example, 08:51 even though I may not be able to function 08:52 like I once did. 08:54 God doesn't need people to do things, 08:57 he needs willing hearts 08:58 so he can do things. 08:59 - [Audience] Amen. 09:02 - Another reason that we could 09:03 cling to for reluctance 09:04 is something that happened 09:07 about six weeks ago. 09:09 Our son, Daniel, 09:11 was the one who initiated 09:14 coming to Faith Camp one. 09:16 He spent quite a bit of time 09:18 working for Jesus for Asia 09:19 and spent a couple of tours in Africa 09:22 and also did some touring 09:24 in other parts of Asia. 09:26 He got married about four years ago 09:29 to a very lovely lady, 09:32 who has been a godsent for Daniel. 09:35 He had been so lonely 09:37 and now his eyes just shine 09:41 because he has a wife. 09:44 Rebecca was diagnosed with breast cancer 09:47 that's metastatic to bones and her lungs 09:51 six weeks ago. 09:52 Daniel has mentioned to us 09:54 how important it has been for him 09:57 for us to be close by, 10:00 to give him support. 10:02 We don't know what's gonna happen 10:05 but we know God has a plan. 10:07 Our visas just came through this week 10:09 and it's like a big shock to us that it happened. 10:12 And to be honest, 10:13 we're not ready to go 10:15 but we will go when God opens the doors. 10:19 And we'll trust him 10:20 that he will take care of these situations. 10:22 - So you can pray for us 10:24 that God would make a shining light 10:25 on our path, 10:26 that we wouldn't have no doubts 10:27 about when and where to go. 10:30 - I think we're done. 10:31 (everyone laughs) 10:33 - So this was filmed in the summer of 2021. 10:37 - Right. 10:38 - And now we have films of the summer of 2022. 10:42 They've gone over there. 10:43 So we're gonna go and join them. 10:45 And actually it was Jonathan and Hannah 10:47 that went and filmed this just recently. 10:49 - Okay. 10:51 (gentle music) 10:58 - I was a parent of three boys 11:00 and you're supposed to raise your children 11:02 and teach them all the things 11:03 they need to know, 11:04 and instead they would go to the church library 11:08 and check out mission books. 11:10 And they taught us about missions. 11:12 That led us to Faith Camp, 11:14 which is a whole missionary-oriented experience. 11:18 In 10 years of Faith Camp, 11:19 we found ourselves in the mission field. 11:22 - For us, 11:23 it was a long process of moving us 11:26 from a place where we thought 11:27 we could never go, 11:28 to the mission field. 11:29 What do we have to offer 11:30 to a mission anywhere in the world? 11:33 To considering the possibility 11:36 that maybe we could do something. 11:38 Then being asked to go. 11:40 And then thinking, 11:42 "Oh no, 11:43 we have to decide now." 11:47 And we went and visited, 11:48 and decided that, 11:50 "Yes, this is a possibility." 11:52 And at the end of our lives it's like, 11:56 it would be nice to be able to do something 11:58 for the Lord's work 12:00 before we're too old that we can't. 12:03 So the Lord moved us in that direction, 12:06 step at a time. 12:07 And it took quite a number of years to do that, 12:10 for us to come to the point 12:11 where we're actually willing to go 12:13 to a far away country and leave home. 12:16 And I'm so glad we did. 12:18 (gentle music) 12:22 When this gentleman, Pastor Lusik, 12:24 found out that I have a background 12:26 in agriculture, 12:28 and actually the very first call 12:30 for us to come to Thailand 12:31 was to do agriculture at a school, 12:35 his eyes lit up and he said, 12:36 "Oh, you could do that at this school!" 12:39 What was anticipated in asking us 12:41 to come and do agriculture 12:43 was to help the school financially, 12:45 to provide food for the kitchen 12:46 so they don't have to purchase 12:48 as much of the food that they feed 12:50 the kids who are here. 12:51 This particular school 12:52 has about a hundred students, 12:54 sometimes more. 12:56 And 50 students that are boarding students, 13:00 so those eat three meals a day. 13:03 The other thing 13:04 is to establish a work program 13:05 for the kids 13:07 so that they can earn some money 13:09 toward their tuition. 13:11 And we will fund that 13:12 with donations from folks in America. 13:17 The tuition is very low here 13:19 so kids can make a significant impact 13:22 on their school bill 13:23 if they had an opportunity to work. 13:26 And it also teaches them some life work skills 13:30 that I think are very important 13:31 in the process of education. 13:34 If you read Spirit of Prophecy 13:36 about education, 13:38 having a work program 13:39 is a very important part 13:40 of the education process, 13:42 not just having 13:43 (music drowns speaker out). 13:46 (gentle music) 13:48 - So my goal when we came to the mission field 13:52 after I knew I had Parkinson's, 13:55 was simply that by my choosing to be here, 13:57 Jim can be here. 14:00 And my husband can work in the fields, 14:01 he can help in the school, 14:02 he can have a significant impact. 14:06 And my job is simply to stay well, 14:09 to stay well enough and healthy enough 14:10 that he's able to be here 14:12 and I'm able to be here. 14:14 (gentle music continues) 14:18 Teaching is just my heart. 14:20 I homeschooled our boys 14:22 and I did Saba school for years. 14:24 So I'm helping with the Saba school 14:26 in our church here at the school. 14:28 I go to the English classes, 14:30 I was asked to by the English teacher 14:32 who knows her grammar and her pronunciation 14:35 but isn't conversant, 14:37 doesn't really have conversational English. 14:40 So I'll go and just listen 14:41 and every now and then 14:42 she'll say, 14:43 "So when do you use this word or that one? 14:45 And how do you say this 14:46 and how do you say that word? 14:47 And class, I want you to listen to her read this." 14:50 And just to improve the English speaking skills 14:56 of the children. 14:57 And get to know them. 14:59 It's been really special. 15:01 Other than that, 15:02 we learn about projects that are needed, 15:04 things that are needed at the school, 15:05 we were able to have a well dug 15:08 that's still being finalized and processed. 15:12 We're talking about doing some improvements 15:15 on the school building and the heat 15:17 so the students don't suffer so much 15:19 when it's hot. 15:20 The man that called us here, 15:22 we asked him what his vision was and he said, 15:24 "Just live your life. 15:26 Just be a Christian. 15:28 Just being an influence." 15:30 So that's what we're doing. 15:32 (gentle music) 15:36 - That's the key thing 15:38 that she said right there at the end. 15:39 - Mm. 15:40 - That when they were going there, 15:41 they asked the gentleman, 15:43 "What do you want us to do?" 15:45 - [John] Mm. Right. 15:46 - And he said, "Just live your lives." 15:47 - [John] Yes. 15:48 The reason he says that, 15:49 is that there's not a lot of 15:50 Christian witnesses in that area. 15:53 - [Natalie] Right. 15:53 - Actually in all of Thailand, 15:55 and much of Asia. 15:57 Very few people actually know a Christian. 16:00 - [Natalie] Right. 16:01 - And then even if you become, 16:02 let's say for instance, 7th Day Adventist, 16:04 there's not a lot of culture, 16:07 Christian cultures. 16:08 So they don't really know 16:08 what that really means 16:10 to be a Christian, 16:11 to live a Christian life. 16:12 You know, what do you do on the Sabbath? 16:14 What do you do with certain things, 16:16 like your husband, your wife- 16:18 - [Natalie] If there's a difficult situation. 16:20 - Exactly. 16:21 - Your relationships with people. 16:22 - How to handle that, 16:23 how to treat others. 16:24 That type of thing. 16:26 - How to to connect with God, even. 16:27 - [John] Yeah. Absolutely. 16:28 That influence, that example, 16:31 is more important than we think 16:36 and so valuable. 16:37 - Yeah. And that was really insightful. 16:40 You know, to say "just come and live." 16:41 - [John] Yes. 16:43 - Because sometimes we get focused on, 16:44 we'll come and, you know, 16:45 grow this or come and whatever. 16:47 - [John] Do something physical. 16:48 - Yeah. 16:49 But the importance of living as a Christian, 16:53 you know, is- 16:54 - [John] Way underrated. 16:55 - Yeah. 16:56 - And that's what's beautiful about Thailand, 16:58 is that a lot of people retire to that country. 17:00 It's beautiful, 17:01 it's less expensive. 17:02 You can live very well on a normal income, 17:05 which would be difficult 17:07 to live on here in America. 17:08 And yet, just living there, 17:10 you can go to any number of cities or towns 17:14 and you'd be the only Christian 17:15 in that entire town. 17:17 You would be a witness just by living there. 17:20 - So we do have another part to the video. 17:23 So let's watch that now. 17:24 - [John] Sounds good. 17:25 (gentle music) 17:29 - [Jim] Well, one of the things 17:30 that's really nice about 17:31 this particular country, Thailand, 17:33 and it's true in many other places as well, 17:36 it's that there's a great deal of respect 17:38 for people who are older. 17:40 - And so the things that you say 17:41 have great import'. 17:44 And people sometimes act 17:45 on words that I speak, 17:47 not realizing the impact I was having. 17:49 And later they say, 17:50 "Oh, thank you so much for saying this." 17:52 And it's like, "I said that? 17:55 You did what?" 17:57 And it was a good influence, 17:59 but there's a significant influence 18:02 you have when you're older. 18:03 - And also, people who are older 18:06 have tend to gather skills along the way, 18:08 people skills, 18:10 other kinds of skills 18:11 that can be used, 18:12 can be very useful to the Lord 18:14 in the mission field. 18:15 (gentle music) 18:20 - Being older, 18:21 it's a little bit harder 18:22 in terms of just functioning 18:24 with day-to-day living. 18:27 My case is special 18:29 because I have Parkinson's. 18:31 But I would have Parkinson's in the state, 18:34 so it's not like it would be any easier 18:36 to deal with my Parkinson's in America 18:38 than it would be here. 18:40 - So the urgency for us has been, 18:43 let's go so that we can give to the Lord 18:49 whatever useful years we have left. 18:52 You know, we both understood that 18:54 as her Parkinson's progresses, 18:57 I will have more and more of a caretaker role. 19:00 But while she's relatively independent 19:04 and can do the nuts and bolts of life stuff 19:08 behind the scenes 19:09 so that I can work 19:10 at the school, 19:11 we'll do that as long as she's able to do that. 19:15 When she needs more care, 19:17 then we'll have to seriously consider 19:19 having extra care here for her 19:22 so that I can continue to work 19:24 or we'll have to go back to America. 19:27 Well, we'll leave that in the Lord's hands 19:28 and Jesus may come before that happens. 19:31 (gentle music) 19:37 - One of the challenges 19:38 when we decided to come to Thailand, 19:40 other than my Parkinson's, 19:41 was that our daughter-in-law 19:43 was diagnosed with cancer 19:46 and that was a pretty life changing event 19:48 and pretty traumatic. 19:50 - [Jim] The early stages 19:51 it looked like it was very serious 19:53 and that she might even die 19:55 within less than a year. 19:58 And I felt really bad 20:01 about leaving the country 20:04 when our son was going to be facing 20:06 that potential. 20:10 Because every time that we went to visit him, 20:12 he would tell us how glad he was 20:14 that we came to visit. 20:16 And I know what was in the back of his mind 20:17 that he was facing a challenge. 20:20 So that was really hard to tell the Lord, 20:23 "Yes, we will go, 20:26 even though this is the case." 20:29 Since then, thankfully, 20:32 things have gone very well with her treatment 20:35 and she's not cancer-free at this point, 20:38 but she has made significant progress 20:41 in getting rid of the cancer. 20:43 - She was real clear 20:44 that she didn't want us to stay behind for her. 20:49 And it's a long battle. 20:50 Cancer is kind of a chronic situation 20:53 that takes a long time 20:54 to deal with it, 20:55 to recover or not. 20:57 And we committed her 20:58 to the Lord's hands 20:59 and he's blessed so far. 21:02 (gentle music) 21:10 - That's just beautiful. 21:12 You know, when the family can say, 21:14 "We understand the call that God has on your life." 21:16 - Yeah. 21:17 - [Natalie] You know, 21:18 even though they'd like them to be there. 21:20 - Yeah. 21:21 - [Natalie] And we just praise the Lord 21:22 for family that can see 21:24 God calling their family 21:26 and still say, "Go." 21:28 - They get the concept 21:29 of what we're trying to do. 21:31 - Right. 21:32 - When they heard God's clear voice, 21:33 this was an opportunity 21:34 they had to make that decision 21:35 so was that testing decision. 21:37 But you can see the joy on their face 21:39 now that they're over there. 21:40 - Like Jim said in the video basically, 21:42 "We wouldn't do it otherwise. 21:44 We're glad we came." 21:45 - [John] Exactly. 21:46 - And so the joy in service 21:48 is something that sometimes we don't see 21:51 on the other side of the obstacles 21:52 or on the other side of the trial. 21:54 We don't see that joy that will come 21:57 through serving others. 21:59 - Yeah. 22:00 But you know, everybody needs a purpose. 22:01 Everybody needs a reason. 22:03 And we need a place of service 22:05 where we feel like we can be contributing 22:08 to the Lord's work. 22:09 A lot of people think, well, you know, 22:11 people over a certain age 22:12 are not able to contribute in the mission field. 22:16 - Yeah. It's not true. 22:18 - It's just not true. 22:19 Maybe in the past when the mission work 22:21 was really, really torturous 22:23 or really physically demanding, 22:25 but you can go and live in these countries, 22:27 some of these countries 22:29 more easily than you can in America. 22:31 - Right. 22:33 - It's less demanding to live in certain countries 22:34 than it is to live in America. 22:36 The only factor that's really blocking 22:38 a lot of people from going, I believe, 22:40 is the unknown. 22:42 We just don't know what it's gonna be like. 22:44 - Right. 22:44 - And so that's a fear 22:46 that each one of us has to work through 22:48 to find our meaning. 22:49 But they had to step out by faith 22:51 and spend time over there 22:52 before they received the call 22:55 to full-time ministry. 22:56 - Right. 22:57 - And so this is the 22:58 putting your feet in the water. 22:59 And this is an amazing time 23:00 that we're living in, 23:01 that you can do that. 23:02 You know, a hundred years ago 23:04 it would take six months 23:05 just to get over there. 23:06 - Yeah. Long boat ride. 23:08 - Yeah. 23:09 And now it's just, 23:09 you can get there in a day. 23:10 - [Natalie] Right. 23:11 - And so, 23:12 the world is much smaller 23:13 and it's much more accessible. 23:15 - Right. 23:16 - And so there's opportunity for everybody. 23:18 - Now we do have another part of the video. 23:20 - [John] Okay. 23:21 - So let's go ahead and watch that now. 23:22 - [John] Okay. 23:23 (gentle music) 23:27 - We lived a year in Bangkok, 23:29 and as horrible as I thought it would be 23:31 to live 13 million people as neighbors, 23:34 it was really okay. 23:37 But this time when we came back in October, 23:40 we've been on the border by Myanmar, 23:44 and it's much more agricultural 23:45 and rolling hills and beautiful. 23:48 And I grew up on a farm, 23:49 it feels like home. 23:51 (gentle music) 23:54 - When I was in my later years 23:57 of my job 23:58 before I actually quit, resigned, 24:00 so that I could get things together 24:03 to sell our house and come over here, 24:04 I would often tell people that, 24:06 'cause they would ask me, 24:08 "When are you gonna retire?" 24:09 And I'd say, "Well, I'm not, 24:10 I'm not going to retire. 24:11 That's not part of how I'm gonna live my life." 24:15 You know, all the things that I've seen 24:17 have sort of anchored this point that 24:19 people who retire and don't engage 24:22 in some useful activity 24:25 will wither away and die. 24:26 So I don't want to ever 24:29 sit in a rocking chair on the porch 24:31 and watch life go by. 24:33 I want to be involved. 24:34 I wanna be doing something useful. 24:37 And you know, 24:38 when I don't have to depend on a paycheck, 24:40 then I can depend on the Lord 24:43 to provide something for me to do 24:45 that'll be useful to him 24:46 and to his children on this earth. 24:49 (gentle music) 24:52 When you come to a place that's brand new, 24:54 that's different, 24:55 where the culture is different, 24:56 you have to adapt. 24:58 And that does create some difficulty 25:00 for older folks. 25:02 But it doesn't need to be a huge difficulty. 25:05 You just accept what is different 25:07 and learn to work with it and move on. 25:11 The other thing 25:12 that's somewhat difficult, 25:14 is adapting to different climate. 25:16 It's much warmer here 25:19 than where we used to live 25:20 in Washington State. 25:22 And you know, 25:23 one of the things, for me, 25:25 is great benefit about that, 25:26 is that I don't really have to worry 25:28 about being cold anymore. 25:30 That's really nice. 25:32 (Jim laughs) 25:35 But for some, it's difficult to adapt, 25:37 and you know, 25:38 if you're thinking, 25:38 if someone is thinking about 25:40 being of service to the Lord somewhere, 25:42 that's something to think about. 25:45 In addition to seeking 25:46 where is the Lord leading you, 25:48 I don't think the Lord's gonna lead anyone 25:50 to a place where they can't adapt, 25:53 because that would be a failure experience. 25:55 I don't think that's what God wants for us. 25:59 So if he's leading you somewhere, 26:01 you're going to be able to adapt to it. 26:02 So I think that mindset is important, 26:04 but I think it's also 26:06 a way to discern 26:07 how is God leading you 26:08 if there's particular climates 26:10 that you know absolutely 26:11 that your body can't handle, 26:14 that's not where you look for God's leading, 26:16 you look somewhere else 26:17 that has a more conducive climate. 26:19 (gentle music) 26:23 Those folks who are considering, 26:24 in their retirement years, 26:27 coming to the mission field. 26:29 The thing to think about is, 26:30 the Lord wants all of us 26:33 to be active in service for him 26:35 no matter what our age 26:36 or station in life 26:37 or how much money we earn or don't. 26:41 There's always some place 26:42 where he can use us in his service. 26:44 And we need to cooperate with him 26:47 so that he can show us where is that. 26:49 - Being where God wants you to be 26:51 is the best thing it is. 26:52 And if that happens to be in America, 26:54 that's wonderful. 26:56 But if you hear him calling you to another place, 26:59 go. 27:01 Don't stay behind. 27:04 Don't frustrate his plans for your life. 27:06 And I'm not even sure 27:07 that I'm here for mission, 27:10 for other people, 27:12 as much as for myself. 27:14 There's a lot of growth that goes on 27:16 when you're outta your comfort zone. 27:18 A lot of dependence that goes on 27:20 when you don't have 27:21 a whole swarm of friends to turn to. 27:24 And God speaks in clearer ways. 27:27 Or maybe I just hear better. 27:30 (gentle music) 27:38 - I would like to invite you 27:39 to pray for Jim and Irene Hill, 27:41 and for the beautiful children 27:43 that they're serving at that school. 27:45 And if you would like to be a part of their work, 27:47 please contact us 27:48 at Jesus for Asia, PO Box 1221, 27:52 Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315. 27:56 Call us at (423) 413-7321 28:00 or visit our website 28:01 @jesus4asia.org. 28:04 May God richly bless you 28:05 until we see you next time 28:07 on Jesus for Asia NOW. 28:09 (triumphant music) |
Revised 2022-10-31