Iron sharpening

"Dude, all of your posts have food on them! Is that what missions is all about?"

So wrote a friend of mine last night on my Facebook account, where I've been posting the more social side of the work that I do here.

In actuality, food can prove to be a very significant part of how ministry is done. A review of the gospels finds Jesus often in the company of others taking a meal and using the opportunity to share some spiritual insight.

In Brazil (as in many other countries), relationships are built around meals together. And for Brazil especially, relationships will determine how effective you find your ministry.

As I prepare to leave later tonight, I am grateful for many people with whom I've shared a meal, a car ride, a conversation over coffee. Because it is in these contexts where I am able to learn more about South America ministry.

Yesterday, for example was a national holiday. Because of the timing, I wasn't able to schedule any meetings beforehand. But I was invited out to lunch with longtime friend, Tadashi Suzaki. Tadashi is the reason I wrote "iron sharpening" as the heading for this post. Tadashi is pictured in white on the right, below. We are pictured together here with his wife, Claudia and some of their very best friends.

(Click photo to enlarge)

Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Tadashi blessed me with the opportunity to not only share memories from the past, but to also see the current situation in Brazil, socially, economically and spiritually. As this holiday Monday lunch was followed by coffee and coffee followed by dessert, and dessert followed by hanging out at a new shopping center, followed then by dinner, we spoke together about vision, about restoration, about leadership, about boundaries, transitions, partnership, JEMS' future, as well as the future of the Holiness Church.

This wasn't what Brazilians often call "batendo papo" or shooting the breeze. These were thoughtful and informed conversations that will enable me to better develop how JEMS SA may best work in collaboration with our ministry partners here.

And the reason the time with Tadashi was different was because it wasn't a superficial 15 minute conversation. It was - let's see - he picked me up for lunch at 1pm and dropped me off at my homestay at 11pm - 10 hours of conversation. Not all directly one-to-one, but shared with others in our group.

What a blessing to be able to be sharpened by a person I respect and whose friendship I value.

This morning (Tuesday) I am packing my bags, getting ready to come home. Thank you for your prayers over the past few weeks. I suspect that I will arrive home and sleep for 24 hours! But I will be preaching this coming Sunday, so there is yet much to do.

I leave tonight at 11:55pm and arrive at LAX (via Miami) at 10:55am on Wednesday!

God bless you!