For the kingdom of heaven is like...

 

"Fields of Plenty" by Cortney Haley

In these hectic days before our departure I wondered what image I might post as a symbol of preparations for this mission trip. Among a host of other last minute tasks, Tom and I have been scurrying to get the upcoming commentaries edited for our GoTell site. We just finished the Gospel lection for our second Sunday in Cambodia: the parable of workers in the vineyard. “Workers in the Vineyard” is a good metaphor for our mission and work together with the Cambodian Methodist pastoral leadership to tell the Gospel story in Cambodia.

What truly caught my imagination, though, was the graphic for this story and its title: “Fields of Plenty”  by Cortney Haley for www.gotell.org. I guess most Americans associate Cambodia with the nightmare of the killing fields. I know that’s been my primary association and frankly I’ve been nervous about visiting a country with such horrific events in recent history. So I offer “Fields of Plenty” as a new association, more fitting for current possibilities, descriptive of the beautiful country I am told we will experience, and an apt symbol of God’s ripe harvest there.

Last Sunday I attended Grace UMC in Springfield, MO where I was visiting family. I had never been to this church before and didn't know anyone there. One of the hymns we sang, also totally new to me, seemed to have nothing  to do with the rest of the service. But I knew why we sang it--just for me! It was like a word from God blessing me personally as I prepare for this trip to the other side of the world:

As a fire is meant for burning with a bright and warming flame,
So the church is meant for mission, gving glory to God's name;
Not to preach our creeds or customs, but to build a bridge of care;
We join hands across the nations, finding neighbors everywhere.

#2237 in The Faith We Sing; words by Ruth Duck; music from The Sacred Harp, 1844

Tom Rand teaches Bible the storytelling way

In 2009 our friend Tom (The Rev. Dr. Thomas Rand to be proper) came to GoTell for a consultation. He was to be part of a mission team going to Cambodia; his specific responsibility was to teach Bible. He thought biblical storytelling might provide a meaningful methodology. His intuition was richly rewarded. Tom taught Bible through biblical storytelling with amazing results. The people of Cambodia are storytellers par excellence and took to biblical storytelling like ducks to water, as the saying goes.

This is a picture of Romeo del Rosario who serves as the Country Director for the United Methodist Church in Cambodia. As Country Director, Romy is administrator and supervisor of mission programs with a team of workers that includes Cambodians and eleven UMC missionaries from around the world. He is also the District Superintendent in two provinces and teaches at the Cambodian Methodist Bible School where GoTell will travel in September 2011 to teach biblical storytelling.

Romy came to the U.S. this spring and to Ohio in April. We spent two days with him learning more about Cambodia and planning our educational program. We felt truly blessed by his presence and expertise as a missionary and we had great fun, too. One restaurant where we shared a meal played a lot of 60's music and we all had a delightful time remembering those wonderful songs. We look forward to seeing Romy again--next time in Cambodia!