TWO MINUTES IN TAIWAN...

SEEING WITH GOD'S EYES...Tera van Twillert, OMF Taiwan 2008

She grew up in the south of Taiwan in a poor family. When she was 18 her father sold her into prostitution. It took her 6 years to work herself to freedom. Now she is in her fifties, a grandma, still in the same profession.

She needs to make 5000 NTD a day. This is just to pay off the interest, for the amount of money that she borrowed from illegal banks. Her debts are ever increasing.

She is a Christian, but doesn’t dare to pray, let alone go to church. Knowing so clearly that she is ‘living in sin’.

She started to work in a Tea Shop 10 years ago after her husband passed away. He left her with a huge debt and with two children still in school. She saw no other way.

She hopes that in her next life, she won’t need to be a prostitute.

All of them are ladies who work in Wan-Hwa’s ‘red light’ district. Some work in Tea Shops, others as street prostitutes. Their ages range from around 30 up till 70! They work to provide for children/parents/grandchildren, to pay off debts, to earn a living or just because this has been the way of life for over 20 years. It used to earn good money, but it is no longer that easy. Many are single mothers, widowed or divorced.

When we started to reach out to them three years ago, we had no idea how to go about it. But the Lord, who called us, faithfully guided and encouraged. We went out with fear and trembling, but came back with joy, realizing that God was more then eager to help us.
Here some of the lessons we have learned.

Not Alone
When the Overseas Missionary Fellowship gave green light to start, it was on one condition. For safety reasons, I was not allowed to go out on my own. First it felt like a restriction, because there was no one to help, but when God provided the workers it became clear how important it is to work as a team. The women appreciate the variety of workers, their different characters, backgrounds and gifts. Each one is an example of what it means to love and follow Jesus in real life. The women have many needs. When they come to our activities it is good to have enough workers to give personal attention.

Building Trust
Our first approach was ‘street work’, visiting them while they are standing outside waiting for customers. We thought of different gifts we could give them. For example, mooncakes, sticky rice dumplings, Easter eggs, Christmas cards, warm buns in the winter and fans in the summer. Gifts make it easier to strike up a conversation and express love and respect. We also prepared suitable evangelistic material. Over time we learned who appreciates the magazines. It is a way to provide positive input into their lives.

However what is more important than giving, is receiving. Learning from them, their experience, the challenges they face, how they keep going under such pressure. There is a temptation to give advice, to want to help them ‘get out’. But this profession has not been their first choice and there are many reasons that keep them ‘in’. Only through understanding what keeps them ‘in’ will we be able to speak into their lives with the love and wisdom of God.

Listening to their stories helped to appreciate and respect them (For example, I learned that they know more about sacrificial love than I do). This builds trust. Relationships of trust are the best bridges for the gospel. We do a lot of small talk, just enjoying them, spending time with them. At the same time it is important to be aware that they are ‘at work’ and to respect that. For example, discretely move on when they spot a customer. This keeps the door open for the next visit.
Of course some of them give us a cold shoulder. But we keep reaching out to them, even when they reject us, or the gospel. People test our motivations. Are we only there to preach or do we really care.

Watch out for ‘God already at work’
As far as we know, no other Christians were going into this area to share the gospel. That doesn’t mean though that God has not been at work in their lives. When God calls us, He goes before us and we should expect to meet people prepared by Him to receive the gospel. When we saw God at work in someone’s life, we invested more time and prayer in her, working alongside with what the Lord was already doing.

Pray for God given opportunities
We do a lot of praying before and after street work. Asking the Lord for opportunities, to talk with them privately, to pray with them, to show love in some practical way. After street work we share information of what we heard/discerned and then intercede for them. Remembering names and details of what they shared, shows that we care.

An example of a ‘God given opportunity’
It hadn’t been easy to befriend the ladies waiting outside the Teashops for customers, but with this hot weather it was even harder. Most of them where staying inside, enjoying the air-con. So we prayed that God would open doors and He did.

When we met Fiona she was sitting on a motorbike outside her Teashop. Her face covered with a thick layer of make-up to conceal her true identity. She had seen us before, yet not dared to greet us. “Are you Christians?” As we got talking to her we discovered that she was a Christian herself, but too ashamed to go to church. One day she invited us to her home and a friendship grew. Now we meet once a week for Bible study and she comes regularly to the Sunday service in The Spring. She is growing stronger in the Lord. Her big desire is to ‘no longer depend on men’ for her income.

Beyond street work
Another God given opportunity was getting to know a Christian couple who run a little restaurant in the area. They were willing to host our first Christmas Party. It was a step of faith after only one year of street work. We invited Rev. Yan from the Church of God’s Love to share the message. He has a lot of experience reaching out to ladies from this background and he had given me valuable advice in the past. He brought a team from his church. Beyond our expectation 20 ladies came, enjoyed the party and heard the gospel. Ever since we organize monthly evangelistic Tea Parties with the help of this church. The program includes; singing, a message from the Bible and/or a testimony, time for prayer, food and a little gift to take home.

As the work grew we felt the need for our own meeting place, which God gave us in January 2008. We call it Pearl Family Garden. Once a week we offer a free lunch. The women enjoy the good food and being in a safe place where they can be themselves. They stick around after the meal and we have many opportunities to pray with them, read the Bible or just give them uninterrupted attention. Others come individually during the week for prayer and Bible study. It is all still in the beginning stages, but we can see Pearl Family Garden in the future being used for Sunday worship, classes for those who want to learn new skills, etc. This week for example, we invited someone to talk about AIDS.

"As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18)
We are greatly encouraged that the ladies are willing to come to our activities and I believe it is because we have first gone out to them, to meet them in their world. There we learn about their needs and what kind of activities will be a blessing and help to them.

How many people around us, will never come to church unless we first make an effort to enter their world? Jesus left us a great example. He went to the places where the people were and spoke into their lives. All that He said and did was full of grace and truth. People were drawn to him, even the worst sinners.

Most of the women we meet in Wanhua are sincere Buddhists. They don’t feel free to come to a Christian meeting, but they feel drawn by the love expressed. Then they are willing to listen to the truth about God. They need time to discover for themselves that Jesus is also their Savior and Lord.

RE:CALL TAIWAN

RE.CALL:
2 a : to call back b : to bring back to mind
c : to remind one of 3 :restore, revive

RESPONSE:

A few weeks ago, (after 4 years) I started drawing again. It was not because I thought it was about time, or it might be fun or at the request of anyone in particular. I have never been the kind of artist that creates Art for Art sake...I believe my Art is inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit. It always comes as my heart's response to something God has set there. As I mentioned in a recent post, my heart has been broken for the girls, young women and even the men trapped in the bondage of the sex-trade/human trafficking industry in Southeast Asia. The above artwork is an attempt to draw others into their story...in hopes that we will one day in the power & name of Jesus...put an end to this evil. It is my prayer that we would respond as Jesus does~
(Isaiah 61:1-3)~

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair..."

RE:MISSION....

(1 Tim 4:11-16~ The Message)
"Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use. Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don't be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation"

This passage should resonate with all of us as followers of Christ. We are the redeemed people of God...His "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do". We have all been uniquely gifted to fit and serve as a part of the Body of Christ. A people on mission with God. Recently, I have sensed the Holy Spirit wanting me to marinate my heart in these verses...to remember and apply them. Over the last 4 months we have watched God provide, heal and restore in so many ways. The confusion of the sudden RE:mission of God's call to serve in Asia is turning into a deep peace and trust of His sovereignty. There is an awareness that this road He has us on is not about the destination as much as it is about the journey...our abiding with Him and through Him. As we rest in Him, He is planting us firmly into His love and strength. More than ever we feel this burden for Southeast Asia..."our hands still to the plow..."But for now, we wait...we pray...we worship...we love and walk humbly WITH HIM...right here where we are...

Husnick Spring 2009 Update:

Dear friends~

It's hard to believe it has been 3 months since we returned from Taiwan! We apologize for not sending an update sooner...life has been a bit of a whirlwind since we returned. Thank you so much for your love, patience, support, and prayers.
The last few months have really been a focused time of helping our daughter Chelsey get the support and resources she needs to eventually make the transition to a college environment. We are so proud of her for all the hard work she has done.
These last few months have also been a season of much prayer, revelation, and healing. We are so thankful for the body of Christ and the love and support you all have shown us during this time. Though we are left with more questions than answers, we are trusting God's sovereignty and timing. As the dust continues to settle in our lives, we are more certain than ever that God has not revoked his call on us to cross-cultural ministry. Our hearts still burn for the mission of spreading the Gospel to Asia with love, compassion, & justice.

A Quick Family Update:

*Mike continues to seek employment while furthering his education in matters of business, career transition, missions, and social justice. He is also been helping the GEBC sponsored refugee family navigate some immediate needs. Mike is also enjoying a study on the life of Joseph.
*Dawn has been working on recert classes for her Medical Assistant Certification while serving creatively when she can at Glen Ellyn Bible Church.
*Chelsey continues to work hard keeping up with her studies and will graduate from Wheaton North High School May 23rd! Way to go Chel! She is also actively involved in her youth group and practicing her driving skills with great determination.
*Sammy is enjoying school and has developed a real hunger for knowing more about Jesus.
*Amanda & Joe continue to make plans for their August wedding as Amanda finishes up her junior year as a Communications Major at Northpark University Chicago.

We will keep you updated on how the Lord leads us. Can we ask that you continue your prayers for God's direction and provision for our family?

Thank you all!

In His grip~

Mike & Dawn and family

Streets I Feared to See

We recently had the privilege of meeting with some of the leadership of "servantworks: The Well" ministry. As they shared the stories of the women they minister to in the red light district of Bangkok Thailand...our hearts were wrecked.

You see, each year thousands of women and girls from poorer towns and villages in Thailand flock to cities like Bangkok and Pattaya to work in bars, gogo bars, brothels and massage parlors. Some are sold outright by their families as slaves, where they may end up locked in closed brothels. Others are sent by their families to work in the lucrative tourist sex trade and return the majority of their incomes back home. Some have children of their own that they are hoping to give a better life. But in far too many cases, that dream never comes true.

In the New Testament book of John, Jesus met a woman who, according to the tradition of his culture, was worthless. Not only was she an outcast Samaritan, but she was in a sense the town prostitute, moving from man to man. Jesus showed this woman her true value. He spoke with her with respect, and offered freedom from the inner emptiness that drove and was fed by her behavior. She was so excited to meet someone who brought her past to light in an affirming, non-condemning way that she went and told her whole village about him.

The Well is a Christian ministry in Thailand under Servantworks and other partner organizations. Its purpose is to love Thai bar girls and sex workers in the same way that Jesus loved that woman and others like her; to help her see and experience her true value as a creation by God, and to help her, her family and village indeed find their dream of a better life. The Well provides counseling, training, job development and other services to women and their family members.

I also found this poem on their website that really spoke to my heart:

Streets I Feared to See

The Streets I Feared to See
I said: "Let me walk in the field."
God said: "Nay, walk in the town."
I said: "There are no flowers there."
He said: "No flowers but a crown."
I said: "but the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din."
But He wept as he sent me back,
"There is more," he said, "there is sin."

I said: "but the air is thick,
And fog is veiling the sun."
He answered: "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."
I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say."
He answered me: "Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they."
I pleaded for time to be given.
He said: "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town.
He said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"
Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine
The streets I had feared to see.

George MacDonald (1824-1905)

A DIRTY REACHING HAND?

Many have asked for a TEAM-Husnick family update...this post is not that...just some scattered thoughts from my own heart (Dawn) as I process the last year.
My illustration at the top of this blog (the dirty reaching hand breaking through a wall) is the visual expression of the tension growing in my soul. The desire to break beyond the walls of my self-absorption, chaotic circumstances, discouragement, and fear...to join Jesus' in His redeeming work in the world. To reach out and get "my hands dirty" expressing the love & healing touch of Christ in the hurting world around me.

Our unexpected return from the mission field of Taiwan (due to a family illness) and the challenges we endured there...have left me dazed to say the least. Feelings of failure, confusion and lonliness have plagued me at times. It has been of season of deep reflection as well as repentance. God in His kindness has revealed my hidden sins of pride, self-reliance, self-righteousness & fear. There was also a face that haunted me...the face of a special 2 yr old Taiwanese orphan (I will call Ping) that I would take care of at the HIV Orphanage. Many remember the post I wrote three years ago about my encounter with Jesus and the homeless man while I was working in the ER. I had a similar experience with Ping the last time I saw him...
Sweat dribbled down my cheeks as we climbed the steep stone stairway to the 3rd floor of the orphanage. The children shook with excitement as they saw us enter the playroom. There sat Ping alone on the floor smiling & rocking back and forth as I approached him. I bent to reach for him and in that moment, something happened that I will never forget. I became completely frozen. A fear I cannot explain grabbed me. He had open sores on his arms and I was afraid to 'touch' him. In the split seconds as my mind was trying to sort through my surprising fear, I heard another missionary ask for one more volunteer to go on a field trip with the older kids. I touched Ping on the head & said, "I will go". My missionary co-worker scooped Ping up as I walked away with the others. Tears swelled my eyes as I sensed that I had not only failed Ping, but I had failed my Lord. Jesus' words from Matthew's Gospel echoed again in my mind:
"For I was I was sick and...you did not look after me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me".
It was Jesus I encountered again that day.
As we drove away from the Orphanage, I remembered where my fear had come from. My son & I had just recovered from 3 months of struggling with intestinal pin worms and I was terrified to 'catch' something again. In my 12yrs of working in the ER, I had NEVER been afraid to 'touch' someone. Not ever! The shame of that day humbled & crumbled me.
As Spring arrives and ushers in new life all around, signs of God's grace and healing are emerging as well. There is a deep restoration from within and I am learning to trust in Christ's power alone. That His perfect love is casting out my fears and His power is made perfect in my utter weakness. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. Now, more than ever...I long for an opportunity to reach out & touch the world as He 'touched' me...even in all my un-touchable-ness.

ER JESUS: HOMELESS SCHIZO?

A HOMELESS SCHIZOPHRENEC?

In my years in the ER, I saw Jesus daily doing His Kingdom work in and through a group of His followers. It was a true expression of the church. One day stands out beyond all the others and left me radically changed forever. It was the day I saw Jesus face to face…

‘Give us hearts as servants’…was the song they were singing as I left the church service heading off for my second 12 hour shift in row. Weekends in the ER can be absolutely brutal! I was physically and emotionally spent as I walked up to the employee entrance. The sound of ambulances and an approaching medical helicopter were telltale signs that I would be literally, hitting the ground running.

“Dawn…can you lock down room 15?” yelled out my charge nurse as I crawled up to the nurse’s station. (When someone asked for a lock down it was usually a psychiatric or combative case). Two security guards stood outside the room, biceps flexing like bouncers anticipating a drunken brawl. My eyes rolled as I walked past them into the room to set up.

The last lock clicked into place as the masked medics arrived with Joe strapped and restrained to their cart. The hallway cleared with heads turned away in disgust at the smell surrounding them. They entered the room and I could see Joe with his feet hung over the edge of the cart covered with plastic bags tightly taped around the ankles. The ER doctor quickly examined Joe while we settled him in. The medics rattled off there findings in the background with Joe mumbling in harmony right along with them. The smell was overpowering as they uncovered his swollen mold encrusted feet. After tucking him in and taking his vital signs, I left the room to tend to my other 10 patients-a-waiting.

Returning to the nurse’s station, I overheard the other Nurses and Techs arguing who over would take Joe as their patient. In addition to the usual lab work and tests…the doctor had ordered a ‘shower’ complete with betadine foot scrub, antibiotic ointment and non-adherent wraps. The charge nurse looked in my direction, “Dawn will you please take Joe? Please? You don’t have to do the nasty foot scrub-just give him the sponge in the shower”. I agreed and made my way to gather the supplies and waited for the security guard to open up the hazmat shower.

As I waited with Joe, the numbness of my busyness was interrupted by an overwhelming sadness. I watched Joe…restless and mumbling incoherently to him-self through his burley scruff of a beard and stache. His eyes were hidden behind his ratted curly shoulder length mane. This poor shell of a man had no one to love him. I wondered about his past and what happened to bring him to this hopelessly empty place? No one in the ER that day really looked at him and no one wanted to touch him. They wanted to ignore him and his broken life. But as much as I tried…I could not. I was drawn to him.

The smirking security guards helped me walk him to the shower as bits and crumbles of life on the street fell in a trail behind us. As we entered the shower room I set out the shampoo, soaps and towels like it was a 5 star hotel. I felt in my heart that for at least 10 minutes, this forgotten man would be treated as a king. I thought for those 10 minutes he would see the love of Jesus. I set down the foot sponge and decided that I would do the gentle-betadine foot scrub by myself as soon as his shower was finished. I called the stock room for two large basins and a chair.

When Joe was finished in the shower I pulled back the curtain and walked him to the ‘throne’ of warmed blankets and the two basins set on the floor beside. As I knelt at his feet, my heart broke and stomach turned as I gently picked up his swollen rotted feet. Most of his nails were black and curled over the top of his toe. The skin was rough, broken and oozing puss. Tears streamed down my face while my gloved hands tenderly sponged the brown soap over his wounded feet.

The room was quiet as the once mocking security guards, started to help by handing me towels. As I padded the last foot dry, I looked up and for the first time Joe’s eyes locked into mine. For that moment he was alert, aware and weeping as he quietly said “Thank you”. In that moment, I was the one seeing Jesus. He was there all along, right where he said he would be.

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”
…`Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' And the King will tell them, `I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:35-40)