We Love Our Church!

We love our church family at Manteno Church of the Nazarene!  Though our last (for now) Sunday worshiping with this community has come and gone, we go to the mission set before us as members of this family of faith.  Thank you for all the support and encouragement you have graciously and abundantly showered on us as we begin our journey toward Ecuador.  May God's richest blessings be poured out on this faithful family of Christ-like followers!  We look forward to staying in touch while in Ecuador.

NILI Student Testimonies

Hear from several students and some of the staff of the NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute) program.  Hillary and I begin serving as volunteer staff members with this program in Quito, Ecuador toward the end of this summer.  We are excited to be a part of shaping the spiritual experiences of the students who will be coming through the program over the next year!

Homeless Disciples (not Radicals)

Our moving truck, outside our
former residence in Bourbonnais.

          This past Ash Wednesday I (Ian) preached a sermon where I encouraged our congregation at Manteno Nazarene concerning the fast many of us were about to engage in during Lent.  I spoke of how we sometimes get pulled by the extremes of spiritual compromise and spiritual radicalism.  I said we think the only way we can guarantee that we're not being compromising in our faith is to go to the other extreme and become "radicals"--the ones who, for instance, go serve as missionaries to Africa.  I encouraged our congregation to think of spiritual disciplines--like fasting during Lent--as the balance between these two extremes of compromise and radicalism.  I said: "The path of the 'compromiser' is marked by compromise; the path of the 'radical' is marked by radicalism; but the path of the 'disciple' is marked by discipline.  I know God doesn’t want 'compromisers,' but I’m not sure he wants 'radicals' either.  I think he wants disciples.  And to be a disciple is to engage in discipline."

          Well, I still believe this is the truth, but that was about two months before the Lord began to make it clear that he wanted Hillary and I to take what some might call a rather 'radical' step.  As you know, we've been called to serve as missionary volunteers in Ecuador.  We have accepted this call, and are well underway with preparations to leave for our mission field at the end of this August.  The most recent preparation we've made has left us homeless.  Yep, you heard right, we've already moved out of our house, packed our stuff up in storage, and are now staying with gracious friends and then later with family while we finish up work and try to save and raise support for our upcoming departure.

          So have we become "radicals"?  Have we left the path of discipline for the path of radicalism?  No, I don't think so.  I think we're still just trying to live as disciples, engaging in the disciplines that mark the life of disciples of Christ.  The greatest discipline all Christians engage in, however, is the discipline of obedience, and whether or not our obedience looks 'radical' to anyone else is really none of our concern.  Hillary and I are obeying the clear and confirmed call we've received from the Lord to go to Ecuador.  This is not radicalism; it's discipline.  Our only agenda is to be faithful followers, faithful disciples of our Master, Jesus.

          We want to thank everyone who has supported us thus far in helping us pursue the calling we've received.  We especially thank our family at Manteno Church of the Nazarene for their tremendous support and encouragement.  We thank God for your sacrifices, which are helping make us able to follow where our Master is leading us right now.  We are thankful to have received a calling that we simply cannot meet without the support of the church.  To be dependent upon other disciples of Jesus is a true blessing!  May we all embrace the discipline of obedience... whether that leaves us homeless or not. :-)