It’s been a few days since my Asian Adventure. It was a great trip – a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. Now that it’s over, I thought I’d share my highlights of Korea and Cambodia.
The Music Made Me Think of Heaven.
One of the first emotional experiences I had in Korea was singing in Korean and English. Both languages were projected as we sang familiar songs. It was amazing how they blended together. I can imagine what Heaven will be like when all people, nations, and languages join in singing praise to God. Maybe only then will music reach its intended purpose to fully glorify God.
Laverne Rodgers & Jack Baskin
Missions Is Worth Every Cent I Ever Gave.
The Global Meeting of the BBFI was a unique conference. It was like a Missions Conference, but on the Mission Field, Most of the speakers and, I think, most of the attenders, were missionaries. We heard from all around the world the amazing work of God through missionaries. The passion and hard work was encouraging.
I got to meet some great missionaries. I had lunch with Laverne Rodgers, missionary to Japan for 66 years. He hasn’t had a furlough in 30 years. He’s buried two wives in Japan. He has given up so much for the Lord, but is ready to start his 13th church. I talked with Jack Baskin, missionary to Korea. He has been such an inspiration to pastors and missionaries.
What I did not expect was the appreciation shown to American pastors and churches. Back in the 1950s, BBFI missionaries were sent to spread the Gospel and start churches. These churches are now sending their own missionaries to places American missionaries cannot go. Especially the Korean Christians expressed their thanks for sending them the Gospel. These churches are seeing revival.
My continued trip to Cambodia was the opposite. It has only been the last 20 years since American missionaries have been to this country. Churches are small and most do not have a Cambodian pastor. But one day, we will look at Stephen Benefield, Michael Carlyle, Forrest McPhail, and my brother, Dick Burdine, as the pioneers who brought the Gospel to Cambodia. One day, a great harvest will result from seeds sown now.
The Border of North and South Korea Highlight Problems in our World.
My experience at the border of North and South Korea was thought provoking. People risk their lives to leave North Korea because of the hard conditions. I suppose there is no other place in the world that better shows the difference between dictatorship and democracy. The same race of people with the same language and history live in opposite conditions.
These nations are still at war. While we were there, Kim Jong-Un threatened an attack but didn’t carry it through. He is even threatening a nuclear attack against America.
The world is becoming a fearful place. The Bible promises that wars and rumors of wars will increase as we get closer to the coming of Christ. Yet, we are not to live in fear. We are to live in the confidence that God is still in control. We should never give up on our calling to spread the Gospel.
People Are Lost & Hopeless Without Christ.
While in Cambodia, I was able to visit a Buddhist Temple and walk through the ruins of Angkor Wat, dedicated to Hinduism & Buddhism. I witnessed people bowing to images of Buddha, offering food and money to their gods, and hoping that a statue or dead man could help them. It is bad enough that many of these people are poor. But their hope is in a man-made object.
People in the U.S. are also hopeless without Christ. But it isn’t as noticeable. Americans worship money, prestige, sports, celebrities, and many other things that will let them down. But only Jesus will help us for today and for eternity.
I had a great time in Korea and Cambodia. I learned a lot about our world and the work of Christ. I met some wonderful people. But as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, ‘There’s no place like home.’
You can read daily blogs of my missions trip to Korea and Cambodia at: Asia Adventure – My Missions Trip 2016