April 22nd, 2009
As you read this I am well on my way, along with twelve other members of the church, to Pecs, Hungary. This is the second mission trip to work with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries Glen and Clista Adkins at the Gandhi School where we will, in part, teach English to the Roma youth.
Roma is a term I was not at all familiar with ten or so years ago, but then I started reading about the Romani people in mission’s related writings. Loosely defined Romani people are an ethnic group whose origins can be traced back to South Asia, into India, and for a thousand years have lived dispersed throughout Europe, particularly Central and Eastern Europe. In Hungary, as in most places, they are called gypsies because at one time it was mistakenly assumed that the Romani came from Egypt. The term “gypsy” has a pejorative connotation and historically until present day they continue to be victims of violence and persecution. During World War II they were a target of genocide by the Nazis. In 2008 Italy has singled the Romani out for registration.
Imagine growing up and being told that because of your ethnicity, your culture or your looks you are of lesser value. Last year several of our church members, during free time, went out to eat in the city wearing t-shirts with the Gandhi School emblazoned upon it. They were ignored by the restaurant. There association with gypsies labeled them.
Our work will, in part, be to not only strengthen and encourage the work of the teachers by assisting in teaching English, but communicate that Romani do count, they are loved, there is a future and it can be good. It will also be a time for us to share with them the importance of making good choices in the midst of adversity. The most important choice, of course, is to know that God first chooses us, each of us, gypsies, Romas, Americans and Hungarians.
What a wonderfully liberating thought: God chooses us! In John 15:16 Jesus says to his followers: “I chose you.” When we recognize that since the very beginning of creation when the breath of God set the world spinning we are a decision of God. This sets us free from the choices others make that threaten to bind or limit us.
Of course we do not have to go half way around the world to minister to and love gypsies. There are gypsies among us. What choice will we make to set another free? Thank you for your prayers as we work, minister and love alongside our neighbors in Hungary.
Peace be with you,
Greg
April 2nd, 2009
…bread, of course. For most of us bread is both abundant and taken for granted. Except for the annual threat of a snowstorm which rarely manifests, grocery store shelves are filled with bread of numerous (countless?) varieties.
Store bought bread, however, tastes…store bought. That is why I like baking bread. Baking bread can be both fun and frustrating. Like most anything homemade, the ingredients are important, and not just what goes in, but how much, how long, etc. One of the things I like about making and baking bread is that the mixing and kneading is done largely by hand. Observing the dough’s feel and texture is most important.
Once bread is all mixed and kneaded you leave it alone and wait for the yeast to do its work. It may take an hour, or two, but slowly and steady the dough rises and the loaf takes shape. It is then ready for the hot oven and soon the kitchen is full of the yeasty smell of fresh bread! (don’t you wish this blog was scratch and sniff? Go ahead, lean into the monitor – you know you want to!)
The best part of fresh baked bread is not in the making or the baking, but the breaking. Even better, is when you can break bread with people you love. Many Saturday evenings, if we do not have church commitments, Amy and I (and sometimes the boys when on the rare occasion they are home) will sit in our back yard and share fresh bread alongside olive oil for dipping. We also enjoy baking bread to share with friends and neighbors.
Baking and breaking, a beautiful movement of life in God.
There is so much dumped, added and mixed into our lives - good and bad and indifferent – that exceeds our control or understanding. We live our years mixing it all together, kneaded and being kneaded, shaped and formed by the very hand of God. And then come those times when nothing seems to be happening; stillness and quiet, solitude and perhaps a touch of loneliness. Like yeast in dough, however, these can be our most formative moments, when our true shape is being revealed. Then the ovens! The trials, the testing, and the enduring.
Easy analogies in the writing, but we are well aware that living is no waltz across the dance floor. How is God shaping you? How about the church?
Furthermore, how do we see our life being shared? Like bread divided among people you love, so it is with our very lives. Life is best when shared. It cannot, in the end, be hoarded away thinking that we live for ourselves alone. Our sharing is not merely among those we love, but even, perhaps especially, among those we don’t – our enemies, those different from us, the strangers, the poor.
Through the ages the poor and the least of these are disdained and disregarded for not having enough bread; for not working hard enough; and so on.
Imagine living up to the vision of Christ: the city on a hill that cannot be hidden! God has made something wonderful in each of life and our wonder is best and fully realized when we share it with others. No wonder Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to yeast mixed in flour – abundance comes in the sharing.
Thanks be to God that you have allowed me to share my life with you and you with me.
Peace,
Basic French Bread
- Dissolve 1 packet of yeast in 1 ¼ cup of warm water
- Tablespoon of melted butter
- Tablespoon of salt
- 4 cups of flour
Mix first three ingredients. Begin adding flour one cup at a time until the dough is elastic enough to be kneaded. When kneading the dough it may be necessary to add more flour (humidity and heat affect amount). After kneading for approximate 5-10 minutes place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with towel. Allow to rise for 1 ½ or until it has doubled in size. Punch the dough down and divide into half. Knead each half and shape as a small French loaf (about 12 to 18 inches). Score the top several times and allow the loafs to rise for another hour or so. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With one egg white, gently brush the top of each loaf before placing in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy!