And there we were, Lyle and Terry,
Nancy and Frank, four American mission volunteers in the mix,
plus Sharon Secor from First Presbyterian Church in Fargo, who
presented a donation to build a dental clinic for the hospital.
Five white faces in a sea of African Christians. All of us beneficiaries
of the missionaries’ legacy. And the work continues: African
and American Christians working side-by-side in partnership, helping
the college make the transition into a university, securing scholarships
for those studying for the Christian ministry, expanding the pastoral
care and counseling program, installing wireless Internet connectivity
to the global village, and building a dental clinic.
We all felt the presence of those early missionaries as we remembered
their Christian service 100 years ago. On January 8, 1900, missionaries
started a famine relief camp for orphans and the aged, and cared
for victims of a smallpox epidemic. Within a month, 80 patients
had been cared for and over 200 people had been fed each day.
They built hospitals, schools, and churches, and we were there
to celebrate—to celebrate their dedication and the work
of the Holy Spirit.
All of you who support the mission work of the church, this is
your Christian service as well. Thank you for the money you put
in the offering plate, and thanks for giving for the mission appeals,
for the Sunday school children who learn about serving God in
distant lands, for work camps and study projects, and thanks for
remembering the “Great Commission” in sermons and
minutes for mission. We are God’s church, the church universal;
together we share the good news of God’s love made known
in Jesus Christ. Thank you for making it possible for us to participate
in such an amazing story.
Yours in Christ’s service,
Lyle and Terry Dykstra
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 335 |
