He is Risen Indeed!

Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; He has risen! Luke 24:5-6

Hi <<First Name>>!
Greetings from the Ozarks of Missouri...

We're already on the home stretch here in Missouri.

Our last class is Simple Living where we go out into the woods and live for 16 days. We have a low weight and volume limit and must take everything out at once without coming back for more supplies. We will be living in a structure like the one pictured above, which we'll cover in thick plastic.

There's no refrigeration and very little electricity (which is provided by solar panels and batteries), but there is running water. We'll also be learning practical skills like chainsaw safety, small motor maintenance, butchering, knots, and basic plumbing. One of the primary focuses is team building.

We'll have the opportunity to practice humility, prefer others over ourselves, and work through conflict. All this will prepare us for the field. We've planned for many months as a team and are looking forward to it!

Springtime in the Ozarks

It's warming up quickly here in the Ozarks. Beautiful blossoms are popping up throughout the countryside. There was one random day of snow but the weather is hovering around the 70's and creeping up to the 80's rapidly. Initially we were concerned about the cold here but now we feel like we hit a seasonal sweet spot.

Teaching put into Practice

Gamaiel has had the opportunity to teach (adult) Sunday school twice at church. It was a good opportunity to put word-for-word lessons into practice as we were taught in our Maturing Church class. That class also emphasized the need to be lifelong learners and that discipleship is a lifestyle. Our actions and behaviors will be under constant scrutiny by the people we hope to reach with the gospel. One quote that we've come across a few times here is "they read people like we read books", which refers to how well tribal people can read the emotions and intentions of others. We can't fake the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Into the Buddhist Mind

In March we took a fascinating single evening class called "Into the Buddhist Mind" where our instructor walked us through the mindset of a Buddhist and why reaching them with the gospel of Jesus Christ is so difficult. He explained why a young Buddhist man would say "I don't think" and why the Buddhist is taught to never ask questions. In addition we also got to eat a delicious Thai meal prepared by his wife. We were all deeply impacted by this class and highly recommend it.

If you're interested in having this class taught at your own church please respond to this email and we'll put you in contact with the instructor.

Honor and Shame

Another class we finished recently was Honor and Shame. We learned that in the West we tend to relate to a guilt and innocence paradigm. We are guilty before God and can only be proclaimed innocent through the work of Christ on the cross. A feeling of guilt tends to drive a person to want to take action in order to make things right. In other cultures this message of guilt and innocence doesn't hold as much impact as that of being elevated from a state of shame into a state of honor (shame tends to drive a person to hide or lash out). The Bible of course contains both themes and focusing on one at the expense of the other doesn't do the message justice. We were taught these distinctions through The Global Gospel by the author himself.

Becoming Members of Ethnos360

We've gone through Membership Orientation and expect to become official members of Ethnos360 on May 1st. As we head home we plan to meander through the states visiting Rebecca's family. We'll be home before our next newsletter.

Pictured above: Us with our mentors, Matt and Starr who served many years in Mexico.

Los Niños

Quick update on the kids. They are both getting really tall. They're doing well with homeschool and love playing outside most of the day. They come home with cool rocks, shells, and sticks. Isei even found a turtle shell in the lake. Now that it's warming up they see squirrels, all sorts of birds, snakes, and lizards. They make forts, climb trees, and swing on ropes. What a fun place to live for a few seasons!

Praises

Our training here has been going exceptionally well.
We have been in contact with a few potential teammates.
Many of our fellow classmates from Radius have made it safely to their destinations.
We have developed many friendships here in Missouri with students, on-campus staff, and our local church.

Prayer Requests

For our time in Simple Living - that we would be humble learners, put others before ourselves and joyfully take on the challenge of living in the woods for 16 days
For our future teammates and supporters
For current Radius and Ethnos360 students to continue faithfully
For health and safety as we travel through the US and back home to Ventura
For our future people group in Mexico - that the Lord would prepare their hearts and minds to receive the gospel

<<First Name>> - thank you so much for praying for us. We are so thankful for you. We would love to pray for you too. Please email us your prayer requests by replying to this email.

CONTACT:

Our shared email address: gamznbecz@gmail.com

You can view old newsletters and more on our website: www.gamznbecz.com

Would you like to keep up with Missions in today's world?
We recommend reading the Radius Report.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.