THE JOY OF THE MISSIONARY CALL

Senator and friend, Marguerite Nyagahura with our foster son, Gabe

There were many privileges the Lord gave us during our season in East Africa.  One of the greatest ones was joy in our friendships with the African people with whom we served.   We had a few furloughs where we returned to the United States wounded by religious charlatans.   We know missionaries whose return to the United States came during a season of wounding that created Afro pessimism and spiritual bitterness.   Yet, in our departure from Africa’s Great Lakes we had an immense sense of fulfillment.   The institutions we labored to build were stronger than our charisma.   They endure.   Also, our friendships blossomed.   Those we shepherded blessed us.   We are immensely grateful.

            Our missionary calling is a unique spiritual gift.  We believe to be a missionary is to be one sent from one’s earthly home by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of making disciples and developing churches.   That call means over time we become a cultural insider who is never completely at home.   Thus we’re prophetic in holding leaders accountable while pastoral in building institutions that bless coming generations until the Lord returns.   This calling is from the Holy Spirit.   It is never about economic power, race, or national origin.  Only a few will hear a missionary call.   Yet, the call is never restricted to those from certain earthly privileges.

            We believe all cultures need missionaries in their midst.  We observed that over time the missionary vocation became a great source of social strength in East Africa.   Our heritage not only developed churches.  We built schools and scholarship programs.   We counseled diverse national leaders.  We helped the poorest of the poor and most vulnerable.

            Our family believes our new call is to serve the Diaspora from Africa’s Great Lakes who are in North America.  We believe we are doing what missionaries always do.   The Lord is leading us to new niches that most do not see.   A typical weekend for us involves going to social functions of Diaspora in Chicago.  Sometimes we know someone at the function.   Yet, sometimes it is simple beginning introductions.

            We usually say these words, “We are very thankful for the 19 years the Lord gave us as adults in East Africa.   He put a missionary gift in our heart.   We believe we are still to be missionaries even when we return to the USA.”

     

Paulin Byusa, Ame Ishimwe, Joseph Masengeshu, Joris Manzi at Commemoration

       Then spiritual magic happens.   We are met with smiles.   We are met with stories.

            “I went to a missionary school.”

            “A missionary sponsored me and found a scholarship for me to study abroad.”

            “A missionary baptized me.”

            “A missionary performed my wedding.”

            “A missionary prayed for me (or my child, nephew, niece, grandchild, etc…) when I was sick and I was healed.”

            “A missionary counseled a difficult situation in our community and brought unity.”

            “A missionary kept my mom safe during a season of turmoil and strife.”

            We are immensely thankful for such a heritage.   Yet this heritage is not one to hoard.   It calls us to see new community needs, and initiate.   In the process we make many mistakes.   Yet, God’s grace goes far beyond our failings.   Thus the Lord is glorified.

      

      In April as Rwanda faced the month of mourning the tragedy of the 1994 Genocide we sensed it was time to pastorally initiate a commemoration.  As it closed a few Diaspora told us thank you.   The Chicago Rwanda Genocide Memorial would not have happened without a missionary in the Diaspora midst.

            We then spoke something that our missionary elder statesman once said to us.

            “Don’t give me any honor for this.  It was just a missionary thing to do.   The honor needs to go to the Holy Spirit which called us.   All this call is about is discerning when the community has a need that can only be met by an outsider understanding enough to initiate.

            You can be a missionary too.   You are away from home.   America needs you to be a missionary to them.   You will return to your African home someday.  When you return go as a missionary.   Be a Holy Spirit inspired starter.”

            To one thankful Diaspora mom we said, “Again this is no big deal.  It is just a missionary

Diaspora kids - Christian, Zam, and Aisha sharing a meal in our home

call.  The Holy Spirit may call your children to be missionaries too.  If so, bless your children in that call.”

            This is pure missionary joy.  We empathetically understand these old missionary words generations upon generations have repeated, 

 "I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your family are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other (2 John 1:4-6, The Message with a little tweak.)"

THE PRIVILEGES OF CITIZENSHIP IN THIS WORLD AND THE ONE TO COME

This may be sobering, but in 2013 at the age of 46 is the first time I’ve ever paid income tax in the United States.  It is a privilege for which I am thankful.  My kids go to good public schools, the police don’t stop me at road blocks to work a bribe, and I’ve never driven in and out of a pot hole in the USA as big as my car.   Paying taxes for such privileges seems quite just in the big picture of humanity.

            It is not that I’ve never paid taxes.   Uganda and Rwanda both had Value Added Taxes that ran in the 17% range.  Also, many of the goods that we purchased that were imported into East Africa such as fuel, vehicles, and items of basic hygiene (such as toothpaste) required customs taxes at the borders that increased their value by 30 to 100%.   The taxes we paid in Uganda and Rwanda were one of the reasons that during our season in those nations our COLA (Cost of Living / Loving Adjustment) rating put living in both capital cities at about 50% more expensive than most cities in the American Midwest.

            Thus it felt like a mysterious season of both fear and thankfulness as I spent a few days calculating my income taxes this year.  Before moving to East Africa my income as a college student and associate minister / pastor was too low to pay income taxes.  While living overseas we qualified for the foreign earned income exclusion (ranged from $70,000 to $90,000 during our tenure), and with a growing family that created numerous deductions we never crossed the income threshold that would have required for us to pay USA income taxes.   (Somewhere between $90,000 and $120,000 of annual income from 1993 to 2011.)

            As I went through Turbo Tax this year I watched the income taxes to pay number calculate a somewhat scary number.  Then I reached the point of entering two dependent children attending college (Sophia and Caleb), and saw the number plummet to the point of receiving a generous tax refund.   My spirit soared.  I fell back into African vernacular and screamed, “Hoo Yee (Hooray!)” with my hands in the air.

            Then I reached the next step of calculating my Illinois state income tax.   It was a remarkably simple process, and I eagerly waited to find out what tax refund the generous state of Illinois would give me.  Instead Turbo Tax kept telling me I owed state income taxes.   I thought surely this must be wrong.   I redid my state taxes three times, read and re-read Illinois tax law; and then finally relented.

         

   The Federal government would give me a generous return.   The State of Illinois would take a sizable portion.  My kids go to good public schools, the police don’t stop me at road blocks to work a bribe, and I’ve never driven in and out of a pot hole in the USA as big as my car.   Paying taxes for such privileges seems quite just in the big picture of humanity.  A few days after paying my Illinois income taxes I voted for the first time in a local Wheaton School Board Election.  It felt right to have paid taxes and then cast my ballot for who I thought could best lead our community.   I’m thankful for the privilege.

            A few weeks ago and old friend of mine from graduate school at Abilene Christian University called.   I had not heard from him in years.  It was a delightful conversation.  He asked some questions about our beginning ministry and we shared the hopes for Great Lakes Fellowship (for news and photos of the Rwanda Genocide Commemoration in Chicago check out http://allafrica.com/stories/201304240142.html and https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151315461541364.1073741827.650346363&type=3.)

He asked how we were doing financially.  I shared that December giving had been fabulous.   Yet our monthly giving is down about 70% and we’ll shortly run out of savings.  He decided to send a portion of his tax refund to us.   We’re very thankful for such friends.

 Paulin Byusa, Ame Ishimwe, Joseph Masungenshu, and Joris Manzi

I thought a few others may be now getting a refund, thanking God for the privileges of life in the USA, and considering a way to generously share in God’s blessings.  If you would like to support our family’s ministry to the Diaspora of Africa’s Great Lakes in North America please send a check to 

Ignite Church Planting
P.O. Box 189
Schererville, IN 46375 

Online contributions can be made at http://www.ignitechurchplanting.com/donate.html
By clicking the "Donate" button you will be taken to a secure site on PayPal where you can give your donation.  Please use the 'Purpose' field at the top of the form to designate your gift: Jenkins - Multi-cultural Church 
Thanks for sharing with us in the privileges of citizenship in both this world and the one to come.

Mungu akubariki (May God bless you),

Dave