July 2003

Telling the truth about Jesus

Dear Friends,

It’s been a while. I saw many of you during my visits to Seoul and the States. The return trip from Louisville to Kathmandu was a character builder. Saturday morning 6:30 local time I left Louisville for Chicago, then on to Los Angeles, Seoul, Bangkok and finally to Kathmandu, arriving at 5:30 p.m. local time on Monday. Total duration was 54 hours with 28 hours of flying time. I thank God for arriving safely, and the luggage also made it through all those connections.

It was mainly a trip to check on my health and to discuss our work with the folks at the Presbyterian Church Center. All the test results came out normal and I returned with another year’s supply of medications and doctor’s permission to do fieldwork for another year.

Kathmandu is very hot and humid these days, reminding us of our days in Singapore. We are well into the monsoon season, which gives reprieve, albeit temporary, to the heat and the dust. The rains bring other problems, such as muddy runways at rural airports and turning side streets into muddy, impassable paths. Also, the snow-capped mountains are all hidden by the clouds, until early September.

Haejung and I have been reflecting quite a bit on what Christian mission is, in general, and on our mission in particular. Six years in the field brings up more questions than answers. We have come to believe our mission is “to tell (live) the truth” about God and Jesus. In fact, the mission of every Christian is to tell the truth about Jesus in words and deeds.

How does an accountant “tell the truth” about Jesus? This was my question six years ago as we offered ourselves in mission service. As I gained experience in the mission field, I became acutely aware that not everyone has the privilege (or the burden) of seeing the financial consequences of our mission work. The gift of the Spirit given to me through my training and work experience is to “tell the truth” about the stewardship of the resources entrusted to us. Many, even some of us in the mission field, think that stewardship is limited to the technical aspects of funds management and accounting for funds. In reality, management of mission funds also includes fundraising, disbursement, and reporting policies that reflect the key values held by the organization. Can we justify anything less than total transparency, especially when we are trying to “tell the truth” about the holy and compassionate God and the Jesus, the God incarnate?

Information regarding the sources and uses of funds in the mission field often brings out different approaches to mission. Since 9/11 this topic has been discussed even in secular presses, especially as it relates to mission work in environments hostile to Christianity. I am asked often to design financial control systems to maintain transparency and accountability. Transparency refers to clear and open ways of disclosing the source and use of funds, while accountability deals with questions such as whether the funds were expended for intended purposes, and whether they were used as efficiently as possible. Thus, a good accounting system necessarily reflects the goals of mission, the way we do mission, and the truth of Jesus that we want to live. Whether it is the compassion of God, justice of God, or sovereignty of God all shown through Jesus, the truth must not be compromised. Organizations pursuing their own self-interest, such as governments, can justify “secrets” for greater good. Can those of us working to reveal the hidden secret, the “truth about Jesus,” ever justify secrecy about what we do and how we spend resources, before God and people?

I mean neither to preach nor to lecture, but to share the spiritual and moral struggle some of us have to face and pray about during the course of our days in the field. We ask for your prayers, and hope you can share your wisdom and experience with us. I also hope this letter reveals the uniqueness and additional requirements of Christian mission—that we must reveal the “truth of Jesus" not only in the ends but also in the means of our work.

Sometimes it is easier to do some of the work myself, rather than working with and through Nepali colleagues, but we need to reveal the truth that Jesus valued human beings rather than accounting systems. My priority is to work with Nepali colleagues to share technical knowledge while demonstrating that they, not the work, are the primary reason for our presence in Nepal. At the same time, I insist upon the “accountability” Jesus demanded of us rather than accepting opaqueness or less than honorable behaviors based on “cultural sensitivity.” I am also aware that our society is not free of these struggles; American corporations and political entities hardly come out clean, but are saved by some individuals who struggle to tell the truth. Some of my colleagues, missionaries and nationals, tell me that I am too idealistic, but I do not apologize for maintaining some idealism in our mission work, as it keeps me closer to the “truth of Jesus.” Confessing our sins and enjoying the grace of forgiveness starts with the struggle, so we find joy in the struggle. I hope to share periodically some concrete examples of telling “the truth about Jesus” and how others see the truth and come to accept Jesus.

Our second son Kevin is coming next Saturday, July 19, to visit us for three weeks. This is the first opportunity for us to see any of our children in the mission field. We look forward to sharing the time together. Our invitation to all of you remains open. Also, John will be on his mission trip to Paraguay from July 19 for two weeks. Please remember all of us in your prayers.

See you in cyberspace next month.

Truthfully,

Simon & Haejung

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 166