What I wish "Pastor Dan" Knew about Missionaries by Daniel Kihm

What I wish “Pastor Dan” knew about Missionaries:

For 8 years, I served as Senior Pastor of Maple Grove Church of God, in Anderson.
For the past three years, I have been serving as a missionary through Global Strategy, based in the Netherlands. My wife and I did not enter this career change lightly, nor naively. But I have been shocked at these 7 realizations, which I wish I would have known while I was a pastor in Indiana. I humbly request that you read these and take them to heart, and secondly that you share this list with the members of your missions committees.

1. Stress
I completely understand the stress of pastoral ministry. But I have been shocked at the stress of missionary service. According to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory, which measures stress and its impact on our bodies, a score of 200 indicates a 50% chance of major health breakdown within the next two years. Veteran missionaries routinely score 600-700 on this inventory. The average score is even higher (800-900) in the first year on the field. This is absolutely crazy, and not a healthy way to maintain life! And yet, in our three years on the field, I can readily attest to these scores being accurate.

2. Re-Learning how to preach...through a translator.
Even as a kid, English came easy to me. Spelling, vocabulary, literature: some of my favorite school subjects. I used to analyze little words in crafting a sermon. Should I say ‘grand’ or ‘majestic?’ I wanted my congregation to understand what I was thinking. I honed my skill as a preacher for 17 years before becoming a missionary. And as a missionary, I found that I had to re-learn how to preach. Everything I said would be translated. And everything I said would be interpreted through different cultural lenses. One example: I tried to encourage them that my sermon was almost finished by saying, ‘Don’t worry. I’m rounding third and heading for Home.’ Then I had to spend the next several minutes giving them a primer on baseball so that they were not thoroughly confused. Even the most seasoned preachers are reduced to beginners’ level overseas.

3. Balancing ministry with connecting with supporters
It is pretty normal for pastors or church secretaries to contact missionaries asking for an update, a newsletter article, or asking for “just a quick video to share next Sunday with the congregation about ways we can pray for you and your people over there.” And yet, missionaries struggle trying to connect with, and appease, supporting churches while simultaneously doing the ministry they were sent to do. As a pastor, I wish I realized this as I recall times of contacting a missionary and giving them similar requests. It’s not unreasonable to give such requests to missionaries, but timelines and deadlines need to be flexible.

4. Languagelearning
In addition to learning a new culture, and the history of individuals, congregations and new countries, there are ministry tasks. In addition to ministry tasks, there is family life and all the joys that come with having a small child in a foreign environment. :-) In addition, though, missionaries are faced (often) with learning a new language. Studies show that for someone who is bi-lingual, it’s not that difficult to pick up a third language. However, it’s no secret that most Americans only speak English. Thus, learning a second language (sometimes even a second alphabet) is difficult. Especially for grown adults who are no longer in high school. This is no small task, and yet is critical for missionaries to understand and communicate the Gospel with the people whom they serve.

5. What to share in a Facebook world??
Family, friends, and ministry partners want to know what a missionary’s life is like. They want to hear ‘success stories’ and fulfilled prayer requests. And yet, missionaries struggle to share just enough so that supporting churches feel up-to-date, but at the same time not too much lest they reveal personal

information or condescending information in a world where everyone has Facebook and reads blogs. The people whom missionaries serve are people, not projects. Sometimes that severely limits what can be shared in social media, or even in other forms of communication.

6. Constant stress of fund-raising.
In addition to ministry and “life,” missionaries have to be on social media, and send out newsletters and blog posts, in order to connect with present and future ministry partners. This stress does not end when missionaries leave for their field of service. It is constant and never-ending, especially in a world where global economies fluctuate, and donors sometimes cease giving because their own budgets are getting tightened, or there is a change in lay or pastoral leadership.

7. Absence from family and friends, especially during holidays.
I am not trying to equate missionaries with military men and women who are stationed around the globe. One key distinction is that they are literally living in harm’s way, while many of us missionaries reside in more peace-filled lands. But we share feelings of separation from home: separation from families, friends, communities that speak our native tongue and appreciate the same customs and traditions with which we are familiar. Pray for your missionaries during any and all holidays. Pray for their families as many of us try to connect via Skype. But as we all know, as amazing as Skype and FaceTime are, it’s not the same as being able to hug your mom, grandma, or grand-child.

About the author:

Daniel & Christy Kihm serve with the Three Worlds team in Europe/Middle East, along with their daughter, Sofie. The Kihms will be on Home Assignment in the US (January-June 2017). If you have interest in hearing about their ministry, please contact them at kihms3w@gmail.com. They are actively seeking new financial partners in ministry as well, so if your congregation is looking to support additional missionaries, please keep them in mind. Additionally, you can follow their ministry on both Facebook & Twitter: @Kihms3w. 

The Making of "Us" by Audrey Weiger

The Making of “Us” by Audrey Weiger

“You fear that which you do not know.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Three Worlds Team in Europe and the Middle East entered into a partnership to help German Church of God congregations ministering to refugees. They brainstormed ways to make this partnership happen and decided to connect Glamorgan Church of God in Calgary, Canada, to the Bad Segeberg Church of God in Bad Segeberg, Germany.

“Some refugees have lost everyone in their family before coming here,” Christy Kihm explained in an introductory seminar for the Canadian group. She and her husband, Dan, and their daughter, Sofie, Three Worlds team members in the Netherlands, drove down to Hamburg to meet the Canadian group to help prepare them for the week ahead. The Kihms work with several churches who have large populations of refugees and are also adept at navigating cultural differences and challenges. They presented the full picture of the ministry that the Three Worlds team is doing in Europe and the Middle East, and gave some context for the interactions the Canadians would be having in the coming week. Having the context is critically important before entering into a situation. The Kihms made sure that the group was set up, as much as possible, to learn and understand.

“Even a simple, ‘Do you have siblings?’ question could throw someone into a downward spiral,” Christy continued. “Not all of them are here for the same reason, so if you see someone shutting down when you ask about a particular topic, move onto a different topic. Food is usually a safe topic, and it’s a good place to start.”

It wasn’t just the Canadians who were preparing for the week. Some refugees were very skeptical, but trying to keep an open mind. After they met, they realized how many connections they had, and deep friendships started developing. I was so impressed with how the Canadian group dove into those relationships — asking questions, playing games, dancing, and getting to teach the refugees and Germans how to play baseball. You could see the walls of skepticism and fear coming down as they played billiards and learned words in each other’s languages.

That Thursday the church gathered for their third culture night of the week. It was the Syrian Night. We had had the German and Canadian Culture Nights already, where Canadians, Syrians, Iranians, Afghanis, Germans, and Americans were all in the same space to learn from each other and to share about the things they love. Jan Anton, one of the leaders of the Arabic church, stood up to give greetings, “We have a mountain of grief in our hearts, but even so, we want to celebrate with you tonight. But first, we prepared a special film for you to see.”

We all trudged up the stairs into the sanctuary space of the more than 50-year-old building. The projector buzzed, and immediately we were caught with images of Syrian cities in their splendor and glory. Beautiful fountains, sculptures, high-rise buildings, and smiling faces captured our attention. This was the pre-war Syria that our refugee friends knew. Pictures of hundreds of people wearing Santa hats and huge Christmas trees at the center of Christmas celebrations were rolling before our eyes, and in the background the Arabic version of, “Angels we have

heard on high,” was playing. By the third time through the chorus, everyone was singing, “Gloria, in Excelsis Deo.”

Suddenly, pictures of the beloved Syria changed by war started scrolling. The very images that we had just seen with beautiful celebrations and moments of such tender joy, were now filled with bullets and rubble. Collapsed buildings covered the streets with militia behind barricades, and the Syrian anthem played solemnly in the background. Many of our Syrian friends stood up and began to sing, and a German carpenter sitting to my left began to cry. He was unashamed to show how he felt for his friends; to allow the sadness to wash over him in that same mountain of grief. At that moment, I looked around; there was barely a dry-eye in the whole congregation. Grief and longing are such a part of the human experience that they are intuitively understood across culture, age, gender, and language.

As we all walked, watery-eyed, downstairs again toward the food and celebration awaiting us, we saw friends hugging each other, comforting each other, and extremely brave souls (Syrian, German, and Canadian) opening themselves to each other. One of the Canadian women on our trip sat with several Syrian grandmas at a table. They had said it was a hard day in Syria, showed pictures of grandchildren still back in their homeland, and smiled a smile that was laced with deep sorrow.

“The Calgarians got to witness how we actually cry and laugh and sometimes mourn and often eat, dance and celebrate together as ONE group. This is very exciting because it takes away the fear of the unknown, which leads to so much conflict in this country.” said Frank Bonkowski, pastor of the Bad Segeberg Church of God.

With so much fear and misunderstanding as the backdrop, it’s difficult to expect an outcome that would promote unity and understanding. But getting to know someone can have that affect on a person. They’re not the “other,” they become part of “us.”

In one story we heard, a young man had owned an electronics shop and in walked the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He liked her instantly, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day. He was a muslim, and she was a Christian. And she knew her faith was everything to her and was unwilling to give that up, even for a charming shop-owner. In Iran, one is not allowed to proselytize for the Christian faith, so she knew it was pretty impossible that he would become a Christian.

One day, she wore a little gold cross at the end of a chain around her neck, and four muslim men interpreted that as her trying to make converts to the Christian faith. They went to attack her, not realizing that the shop-owner would come to her rescue. He fought them off, and has a scar where he was stabbed in his right hand to prove it. After that, she decided to get to know him a bit better. He was introduced to Jesus through her, and did, in fact, become a Christian. They were married, and then had to flee the country because of their faith.

On the Sunday that we were with them, they were both baptized in the lake just down the road from the church. She came up out of the water, and began to cry. I could overhear one German, who knew them well, say, “This is such a dream for her.” The moment was so sweet and tender. One older German man, who had been teaching them German for the previous 4 weeks, was asked to say the blessing over their baptism. The couple call him, “Papa.” And he himself has been transformed by knowing this young couple, becoming more gentle and generous than he

ever thought possible. It is true that the Christian faith community can be one’s family. And the symbol of this couple’s baptism was not lost on the community in Bad Segeberg — a new start, a fresh beginning, a new family, a new “us.” Not only in faith, but for their life in Germany as well.

Many times the impact of this kind of mission trip can be very difficult to quantify. After creating such deep friendships in such a short time, it can feel like ripping a bandaid off a wound when it comes to saying goodbyes. Those friendships start to heal cracks in each of us we didn't even know we're there — a gap in understanding, or a perspective that was missing. And suddenly, with the separation, we see our lacking and at the same time feel more whole and have more compassion than before we met. After spending a week with others unlike ourselves (and yet eerily similar to ourselves) it can reveal to us our own brokenness and flawed perspectives. It can also provide a powerful platform of experience from which to speak to our own circles of influence upon return home. Sometimes, this sort of trip can be a catalyst for other events in the life of the local congregation. Sometimes, the ripple effects of the encouragement and learning (on both sides) are not realized until years later. But one thing is certain, each person was changed by this experience. The unknown became known, and the “other” became part of “us.” If only we would have the grace to extend our sense of welcome further. I am hopeful that the broader church can still do this. 

New 3W Missionaries: Introducing the De Franciscos

We are very excited to announce that Alejandro and Carmen De Francisco are joining the 3W Team to serve as missionaries to Spain, as well as assisting us in Europe and the Middle East. The De Francisco's will be starting the Church of God in Spain and planting a congregation in Madrid. They have a vision to plant a network of healthy, self-sustaining, self-replicating congregations across Spain. Along the way, they will be raising up and training leaders for these congregations and making sure this network of churches will be fully integrated into the fellowship of the Church of God across the region. The De Franciscos will also serve across the Europe and Middle East region as the Three Worlds team’s consultants for healthy church plants.

Alejandro was born in Cuba, growing up as an atheist under Cuba’s communist regime. Carmen, born into a devout Jehovah’s Witness family, grew up as a Sandinista in Nicaragua. Their paths crossed in the 1980s when both received university scholarships to study in the Soviet Union, he for a degree in physics and mathematics and she for a degree in Russian language and literature. The couple eventually sought political asylum in Spain, where Alejandro’s father was living, later immigrating to Miami in the United States in 1991.

For the next ten years they served in that church as lay leaders, growing in faith. Alejandro found enormous success as the art director of the Latin American edition of PC Magazine and later PC World. But in 2001, God brought a new calling, one that caused them to leave everything behind to plant a Hispanic church in Tampa, Florida, alongside Oak Grove Church of God. And so Alejandro and Carmen stepped out in faith into what has now been fifteen years of planting Hispanic churches throughout Florida, including ten years on staff with Florida Church of God Ministries.

As Global Strategy missionaries, you ca support them and the church-plant in Spain by giving now online at http://chogglobal.org/living-link-donations/#defrancisco. You can also mail a check to Church of God Ministries, Box 2420, Anderson, IN 46018, with De Francisco, Project # 42.10097 in the memo line. To learn more about the ministry of the De Franciscos and how you can support them financially and in prayer, contact Debbie Taylor at DTaylor@chog.org or 765-648-2129.

The 6 Toughest Adjustments for New Missionaries

The life of a missionary can seem very exotic and exciting.  It often is; but it is also one of the  most stressful jobs in the world.  What could possibly be stressful?  Try this:  Constant fundraising pressure, low salaries, never being able to just live in your own language, being on the road constantly, dealing with cultural differences, watching your children have challenges in foreign school systems, separation from family and loved ones, living or traveling in high-risk locations where danger is always present, the pressure to prove you are worth the money to your donors, constant high-intensity people interaction (across cultures no less), and relentless Spiritual Warfare.  These are just some of the examples that make being a missionary, a very hard job. High rates of depression, spiritual dryness, marriage problems, and dropping out of missionary service can be attributed to these factors.  It is far different than visiting a country for a few days, weeks, months, or even a couple of years.  It alters your life permanently and changes you and your kids forever.  

But there are 6 particularly difficult things about the job that require a maximum paradigm shift for new missionaries; especially couples.  Being able to make the adjustments to these six different ways of living can mean the difference between staying on the field and leaving prematurely and burnt-out--even horribly wounded.  

1) No routine is the new routine   

We often get asked, "What does your typical day look like?"  That question is usually as impossible to answer as "Where are you from?"  Nothing is less routine than the life of a missionary.  We could be doing ministry one day, traveling to mission-fields the next, catching up on budgets and paperwork another day, and communicating with donors on yet another day.  We could be hosting a group for a week or two on end, or stuck at the offices of foreign governments trying to get our paperwork straightened out.  Then there's the constant need to update through newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype so that donors feel like they know what you are doing.  Once every few years, we have to completely upend our life and spend 6 months or a year on the road visiting a different church in North America every 4 days or so.  It never stops.  Life is never routine on the mission-field for most missionaries. Your life of predictable, comforting routines is over.  

How to survive #1:  We have to give up hopes of normalcy.  For most of us, it will never happen. Life is always chaotic and unpredictable.  The highs will be high, the lows will be very low.  And it will always be like that.  So, a life of mini-routines has to be established.  It could mean always trying to have dinner as a family (when at home), or taking a predictable family vacation together at a set-time every year.  Exercise, quiet time, and meditation/prayer will be vital to keeping sane. But overall, the expectation for the normal life has to be dropped.

2) It’s not a job for individuals; it’s a family job.

For some people, it's important that they are viewed as an individual that is a successful professional in their own right.  But being a married missionary means that my job and "my career" becomes "our job" and "our career."  The amount of things that have to be done are too much for one person, and your life and work are interwoven and overlaps in hundreds of ways.  One of you may have to always do the newsletter and social media, while the other plans the logistics of a work-camp.  Then you both have to host the work-camp and that could involve or displace your children!  The couple will always be linked to each other and viewed as "one unit."  We even call missionaries, "units," because you are never really hired as an individual.  You are always a couple, indeed a whole family (if kids are involved) that will be doing the job together.  

How to survive #2:  Understand that this is not the job for you if you need space from your spouse and want to be a professional in your own right.  Unless, you have very separate jobs, which is very rare, your life will have to be integrated with that of your spouse.  Make sure that specific job duties are clear and play to each others' strengths.  Learn to communicate extremely well as a couple and make sure that you find ways to give each other space, even if that space is severely limited.  

3) Your communication as a couple will grow or decline exponentially on the mission-field.

Being a missionary can be very hard on marriages.  The success of the missionary couple will often come down to how well the two communicate with each other.  Everything has to be processed:  the ministry, the fundraising, the managing of finances, communication with the home office and supervisors, how to raise the kids internationally, and many other things will test a couple's ability to make decisions and plans together.  The pressure of this will either give you a very close marriage based on excellent communication or will break down the couple's friendship and communication.  You will get much better or much worse at communicating as a couple.  

How to survive #3:  Work on your communication skills and develop your emotional-intelligence (E.Q.).  Personality assessments can be extremely helpful in understanding the many subtle differences that you and your spouse may have.  And make sure to pray together and for each other.  

4) It’s always a sacrifice:  You lose a lot!  

Yes, you do get to have some pretty exciting experiences and have a front-row seat to what God is doing in the world.  But as a missionary, you lose a lot.  Salaries are low, your family will be far away and may be very bitter that you are choosing to raise the grandkids overseas.  You may never fully fit-in to your home culture again (if you are long-term), and your children will not have the same affinity for your home country as you do if they genuinely grow up on the mission-field. Neither is it a glorified job, or even one that people will understand very well.  Your physical health may take a real hit from the constant high-level of stress.  And your health may never be normal again.  

How to survive #4:  Remember the quote from Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."  We don't do the job for glory, safety, or comfort.  We do it because we have a call to serve God; and there is a high cost to that call.  Being a servant is not glorious or showy.  And Nobody should expect it to be easy. You truly lay down your life.  

5) Whatever your weaknesses are;  the mission-field exposes them quickly.  

Are you a worrier, over-confident, temperamental, prone to anxiety, sensitive to temptation, have anger-management issues, dependent on security, co-dependent on someone, afraid of suffering and sickness, lazy about spiritual disciplines, in a shaky marriage?  Whatever your weaknesses are, it will be quickly exposed on the mission-field and Satan, plus the stress of the job, will continually poke your sensitive spots.  You will need to go through a massive process of refinement, or you will succumb to your weaknesses over time.  

How to survive #5:  Make sure that you are a self-aware person. Honestly, identify your strengths, weaknesses, and ask others to help you to honestly see yourself.  Take personality assessments, and reflect on the things that have tripped you up in life.  Counseling can be very helpful.  Pray that God will reveal to you areas where you need guidance.  

6) The nebulousness of the job

How do you measure success on the mission-field?  Usually people want baptisms, converts, or exciting projects like feeding the poor or helping orphans ("more photos please!")  But many of us do not have jobs that can be so easily quantifiable.  Furthermore, some of us are called to sow, others to water, others to reap the harvest.  God decides that; we don't.  For many people, the nebulousness of the job becomes a very stressful part of the life.  "Am I really making a difference?" "Have I achieved enough?"  "Was today productive?"  "What if my ministry doesn't last or the new Christians don't make it?"  "What did I do today that shows I am making a difference?" "What about all the things I do that don't make it in the newsletter?"  "Will anybody know or care?"  Especially for those coming from corporate jobs where targets and goals are so easily measurable or jobs where tasks are clear and routine, the missionary life can be a killer.  

How to survive #6:  For most missionaries, the job is always out of our control and tasks and success can be very random.  "Success" is truly hard to measure and it's all God's work anyway.  It is not a job for people that need that kind of constant affirmation and public validation.  One has to take the job in faith that God is using your sacrifice to make a difference in the Kingdom.   And the question becomes, "Do you have a call?" Not a mystical, spiritual voice from God appearing, but rather, is something in you making you feel like this job is something you must do.  That you won't feel released by walking away from it?  The answer needs to be "yes," or you are in real trouble.  

Before you dive into missionary life, think about these 6 paradigm shifts that will require difficult adjustments. If you are already on the mission-field, hopefully this essay will help make sense of why it can feel so challenging and how to respond.  Most of us would not give up our experiences as missionaries for the world (literally).  But, it truly is a call and a sacrifice.  Be wise, alert, and humble and you can not just survive, but thrive.  

Is Christian Persecution/Genocide Real?

Is Christian Persecution as bad as some are saying world and is Christian Genocide really happening?

The short answer is "yes."  We are currently living in a time of global Christian growth, but also of ramped up Christian persecution.  A 2011 Pew Forum study found that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world with problems in 130 countries (The U.S.A. is not one of them, sorry to disappoint).  In the Middle East, the number of Christians has dropped to just .06% of the World's total.  That is a 20% decrease in the last 100 years in an area that was once the center of Global Christianity before it shifted to the West. In the world today, there is both Hard Persecution and Soft Persecution.  Both make life very difficult for Christians.

Hard persecution entails blatant attempts to kill, torture, and extinguish Christians and their churches.  In some countries, like North Korea, this has been going on for decades.  The persecution is brutal and an entire family and all their relatives will be wiped out if one Bible is found hidden in a home.  Christians in North Korea are killed or languish in the world's worst and most brutal prison camps.  "Genocide" is a strong word, but ISIS in Iraq and Syria have a scorched earth policy.  Unlike Al-Qaeda, they decided that they would establish a Caliphate that ruled by terror intentionally and that meant wiping out other religions and Islamic sects.  Christian communities are being decimated in Iraq and Syria.  

The bombing of Christians in South Sudan is both anti-Christian and ethnic.  We see the same thing in northern Nigeria.  Pakistan and Bangladesh are both places where Christians are routinely attacked violently just for being Christian.  There are many cases of Hard Persecution currently around the world.

But there are also places that are much more subtle in their way of persecuting Christians.  It may involve making it near impossible to open churches, or keep buildings open.  It may be changes in laws that make it hard to register Christian communities.  In some countries, you may not be considered employable if you are a Christian.  "Christians Need Not Apply" can literally be found on the door.  Just earning a living can be difficult in some of these countries if you are a Christian. Or Christians may be spied on or monitored at all times.  Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and surprisingly, even Western Europe have places where things are intentionally made difficult for Christians.  Try opening a church, getting a building permit, registering a denomination, opening a bank account etc.  It can all be made very difficult in these countries where the goal is to eradicate Christianity under the world's radar.

India is currently an example of a country that practices both Hard and Soft persecution.  Under Prime Minister Narenda Modi, India is passing laws making it more difficult for Christian missionaries to enter the country.  Not adverse to stoking Nationalism, Modi encourages (or looks the other way) as fundamentalist Hindu groups plan the complete eradication of Islam and Christianity.  Overtly, there are Christian villages, churches, and pastors routinely attacked throughout the country.  India's many religions have co-existed remarkably harmoniously in the world's largest Democracy, but that is now being challenged and Christians are targets.  

As for the United States, what Christians here are experiencing is a loss of privilege and blind-trust in their intentions.  That is not the same as Christian persecution.  As one who has spent times in truly persecuted communities around the world, it rings very hollow when Americans claim that they are oppressed.  Even in England things are more difficult for churches.  All American religious groups have tremendous freedoms and options, and that is thankfully preserved because of its clear separation of church and state.  It is these other nations where church and state co-mingle and create persecution and kill the dynamism of religion where persecution truly exists.  Other countries should be so lucky as to have America's "persecution" problems.  

Believe it or not, civilizations (even Western Civilization and its secularism) owe a lot to religion.  The persecution of Christians or any other religious group does not help the world.  While that is a subject for another day, what is clear is that many innocents are being hurt, terrorized or killed. Christian persecution is real and it is a danger to the world entire.  It behooves Christians to never themselves be the ones doing the persecuting and stand by those that are persecuted.  

The Rise of Trump, Populism, and Global Political Chaos

As of this writing, it looks like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be the most likely nominees for the general election for President of the United States.  Maybe not.  Regardless of whether these two make it to the general election or not, there will be plenty of people that feel angry, left-out, and as though politics has failed them when the eventual winner is announced.  That much is inevitable.  The bigger, more nuanced (and thus ignored story) is that our ever-integrating, globalized world is becoming more complicated than our simple, slow-moving, non-progressive political governments can handle.  Whether it is the well-established countries like the United States, Germany, or the U.K., or transitioning emerging nations like China, Brazil, and India, or marginalized laggards like Iran and North Korea--globalization is presenting problems that our political systems cannot solve rapidly.  What we do have is anger, the internet, and media.  In many ways, the rise of Donald Trump exemplifies a global problem.

In my 2006 book, "Passport of Faith" I wrote the following:

"Each period of hyperglobalization demands a radical amount of change and adaptation.  New world orders form that seemingly connect the world together.  In these periods, people and governments turn to religion, nationalism, and ideology to help them cope with change....this can be a counteraction to globalization." (p.277)  

I wrote that the most likely visible symptoms would be: Islamic terrorism, poor economic choices by global powers (Europe, the United States, and China), shaky alliances, great power rivalries, an extreme divide between Rich and poor, and nationalism (p. 271-278).

Today, 10 years later, all of this is visible, whether through the continued expansion of ISIS, the stock market collapse in China, the E.U.'s anemic growth and political turmoil, renewed rivalries between the USA and Russia, the huge wealth gap between rich and poor everywhere, and the rising nationalism visible in places as diverse as Hungary, France, India, China, and the United States.

TRUMP AS THE MODEL OF POPULISM

All of this may best be exemplified by Donald Trump, a billionaire who openly flaunts gaming the political and financial system.  He bought politicians and took advantage of America's huge corporate welfare state through generous bankruptcy laws.  A Republican, he has mostly espoused Democratic political ideas in his life and still today, he  does not model conservative moral values through his language and behavior, has little awareness of religion, and is capable of changing his position on most any subject even within a single interview.  None of this matters, however, because he challenges the political system promising that the regular man will take back control of the government (and thus be able to find easy solutions for this complicated, fast-changing, globalized world).  That is populism, and there are variations of Trump in Turkey, France, the Netherlands, India, and many other countries.  They promise and overthrow of the current order and promise a return to happier times.  They are vague on solutions, but convince the people that it can be done.  That is enough for them; forget the contradictions. They look the other way because it feels good to be validated.

What Trump, ISIS, and many other individuals and movements have are not coherent ideas or actual solutions, but cheap mass communication.  It is now easy to promise a perfect Islamic Caliphate (or a United States that closes its borders to its biggest trading partners but somehow stays wealthy), to a large group of people around the world and you can develop a following.  If the Republicans had not started with 19 candidates, and were a party based on conservative political philosophy as opposed to populist ideology, Trump would not have made it far in the political race.  His actual positions and ideas are totally incoherent and don't really consistently represent anyone but Donald Trump himself.  But because the party has become a source of constant anger, the  most effective, angry communicator with the most air-time was inevitably going to come in first.  Compared to Trump, other potential populists looked boring.  

What quickly happens is that the anger and promises of solutions become more important than the actual logic and plausibility of what the populist is saying.  Consequently, Trump can suggest insane things like cutting off trade with China and Japan (two countries in severe economic turmoil that actually bring a lot of profit and even open factories in the United States), or deporting millions of people (which would not only be logistically impossible and economically damaging, but would be an national and international embarrassment).  You can hold competing views that cancel each other out:  "We should get out of the Middle East.  I said it was a mistake."  "I will bomb the hell out of ISIS."  You can even behave poorly by making fun of a disabled-person, make jokes about menstruation or killing members of the free press."  In Trump's case, you can even talk about "Making America Great" while suggesting things that would trample on the Constitution.  None of it matters.  What matters is guaranteeing a simple solution:  "You will have high wages" (even though the global economy has fundamentally changed).  "We will win all wars and never face terrorism ever," (even though it's impossible to actually stop random acts of terrorism).  "We will never have to be dependent on immigrants ever again" (even though borders can never really be completely guarded, and immigrants create start-ups, start businesses, and do jobs locals won't do. A lack of immigrants is actually the greatest pre-cursor to the downfall of a civilization).

A Need to Adapt to Seismic Shifts

The problem is that neither China, India, the United States, the European Union countries, nor ISIS, nor any other political movement in the world will be able to truly respond to the 21st Century challenges without a massive amount of painful adaptation.  China is in an economic free-fall.  The government of the Chinese Communist Party will play the part of Trump and increase military tensions with its Asian neighbors, create show-trials and purge its wealthy, and call on the people to love China above all else.  Modi will do it through Hindusim and prejudice.  ISIS through the promise of a new golden era of the Caliphate.  U.K. leaders may do it by leaving the E.U.  Hungarian leaders by building a fence around the entire country.  Greek leaders by embracing Marxism.

But populism reduces problems to a level so simplistic that it is useless.  The reality is that China is in trouble and has to get beyond simple manufacturing and create a domestic market that consumes instead of saves.  Furthermore, China will have to learn to compete with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and other nations that are going through the same transition into cheap manufacturing that led to their rise.  There is no easy solution. Neither the USA nor China can prevent other countries from wanting what they have.  Neither is it a zero sum game (China wins-USA loses).

Brazil and India, like China, are going to have to respond to the political demands of the emerging wealthy and middle-class that globalization has created.  Because the more upward mobility there is, the more the citizens demand their governments to open up in transparency and efficiency.

The United States will have to re-invent its economy so that local communities drive innovation and commerce, while government pays off its two credit card wars, rebuilds the nation's infrastructure, and reforms the financial system.  It also means, Americans are going to have to self-educate themselves, develop new skills, go to trade schools and self-invent jobs that can't be outsourced to computers, robots, or cheap labor countries.  It will be painful because this is a seismic shift.  Be wary of the populists who tell you that it is as easy as voting for a Democrat, a Republican, for Islam or Evangelical Christianity, or for Marxism or hyper-Capitalism.  Sorry no easy answers that avoid personal responsibility and community effort.

What should the Democratic and Republican debates have been about?  Alternatives to traditional university, the danger of weak infrastructure, the challenges and benefits of automated jobs and robotics,  the role of taxation in a Democracy, the new forms of manufacturing that are emerging in America, the need for educational reform to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset:   These are issues that deal with actual adjustments that need to be made in the 21st Century.

Instead, we get simplistic discussions that demonize immigrants, calls for more expensive wars, calls (from Hillary Clinton) for more of the same, and belligerence toward our greatest trading partners.  None of this deals with the core issues, none of this will help the people who believe they are being saved and heard.  Politics (especially under the baby-boomers), is now extremely dualistic, hates nuance, and views cordiality and working together with contempt.  Until this generation that grew up immersed in counter-cultural cynicism is truly dis-empowered, there will be lots of room for Trumps, Clintons, and Palins.  

A Bumpy Road Ahead

Because the United States is inherently entrepreneurial, shockingly self-reflective, and addicted to problem-solving, fifteen years from now, the United States will have re-invented manufacturing, dominate in global trade, and punished and shamed its populists.  But for now, the US, Europe, China, India, and many other places around the world will be addicted to easy answers and choosing one incomplete side over the other incomplete side.  In an age of extreme democracy where Facebook users make up one of the largest "countries" in the world and where hatred and simplistic thoughts can be globally transmitted in a second, the irony is that the long-term solution will only come from the bottom-up, when individuals demand more of themselves, thus demanding more of their government representatives.  The problem is not really Trump.  The problem is us.

A Tribute to Sharon Skaggs

The longer I live, the more I think life boils down to two things:  strength of character and love.  

We lost our Mom suddenly and unexpectedly this past week, and more than anyone I have ever met; Sharon Skaggs exemplified these two things.  Her strong character meant that she was exactly who you thought she was, and who she said she was.  There was no disparity between the public Sharon and the private Sharon.  The kind, graceful, gracious, smiling Sharon that you saw in public, was exactly who she was behind closed doors.  And as far as love is concerned, she had no enemies and showed love to all equally regardless of their status.  Sharon, unlike most of us, was who she needed to be every day in the exact same way. 

Although she was a baby-boomer, born in 1947, she was really more like someone from “the Greatest Generation.”  She shunned showiness, she cared not for material things, she prized loyalty and consistency, and she didn’t know “rock” from “roll.”  She missed Woodstock, but she was born on a different farm in South Dakota to very godly Germanic farmers who believed in hard work, godliness, and keeping true to your word.  There was no bragging or pursuing success for personal gain; it was all about serving others and doing it with a smile.

Sharon’s smile may be the thing most remembered about her.  She was always smiling to everyone equally.  It was a big, beautiful smile that her daughter Jamie inherited.  The above picture (taken by Keli Oldham on Sharon’s last trip to Egypt) is perhaps one of the only photos you can find where she was not smiling.  She never complained about anything, including the loss of her husband to cancer in 1993, and she was always an optimist.  That optimism would serve her well working with troubled youth in Washington State at a ranch, or as a missionary for 10 years in Cairo, Egypt enduring the chaos of the Sadat assassination in 1981 and many other trials that would come her family’s way.  She raised two children, Byron and Jamie, to have the highest moral integrity, and she blessed people throughout the five continents that she traveled and worked in throughout her life.  

She was an administrative genius.  She was great with numbers and excellent at administration—especially dealing with complicated, detailed issues.  These skills helped her rise in the Church of God mission-agency to the highest levels where she worked until she retired.  Sharon was a wealth of knowledge on extremely complicated matters having to do with the CHOG’s international work.  There were complicated histories, numerous policies, the challenges of dealing with different governments and red tape, and yes; an infinite amount of church politics to navigate.  In addition to that, there were lots of numbers and accounts to master and difficult people to work with.  The reality of all of that was hidden behind the warm smile and the unflappable external demeanor.  The amount of knowledge regarding the Church of God’s international efforts that has now passed away along with Sharon is staggering.  It is lost knowledge and it is not replaceable.  She knew THAT much!  One of the most knowledgeable people on the subject of the International Church of God just passed away and she was so humble, some think she was never anything more than an administrator.  

I honestly do not believe the mission-agency would exist if it were not for Sharon Skaggs.  There were years upon years in which she put in infinitely long work-days beginning at 5:00AM and leaving at 12AM.  For years, she was the first to arrive and the last to leave the office.  We worried that she was literally working herself to death.  We had to beg her to slow down for fear of losing her.  The stress was extremely intense, in what is already one of the most stressful jobs in the world.  Very few people knew about all she endured and the amount of time and effort she made to keep things running in difficult times.  It was often  a very thankless job, but she never expressed bitterness or sought recognition.  When she was finally honored upon her retirement, she had to be tricked into it and was surprised to find both Jamie and Byron there to celebrate her decades of hard-work.  How much did those years of extreme stress age her body, I now wonder?  And how many said “thanks?”  

Perhaps it’s a moot point, because Sharon could never take a compliment.  Like her parents, you did what you had to do, and you didn’t seek recognition.  But she certainly could give compliments.  From troubled youth, to hurting widows, to everyone in between—Sharon was a smile, a friend, a non-judgmental comforter.  She was drawn to service, even in retirement.  At Children of Promise, she was an administrative miracle worker—as always.  She loved to volunteer at the Park Place Church of God food pantry, and upon moving back to the Pacific Northwest, she was already getting put on mission-committees and finding places to help others.  She couldn’t sit still. She had to help others and be useful.  

 Fortunately, she made some key international trips in her final couple of years.  We were able to spend two holidays with her:  one in Ireland and one in the Greek Isles.  Both times, she loved being able to sit back and let us do all the planning and work.  She deserved it.  Little did we know that this would be our last time with her on holiday.  She also was able to see Byron and his family in Egypt as well as visit her dearest friends in Cairo.  Once again, who knew that it was a farewell?  

For us, the loss is huge.  Sharon was the fourth member of our family.  No matter where we lived:  Hong Kong, New Haven, Berlin, the Black Forest—she found a way to be there.  Every birthday and anniversary remembered, every accomplishment celebrated, every grandkid loved to the extreme.  She was our biggest fan; providing the unconditional love that children need from their parents.  After her husband Russ died, she poured her life into work, but it was always her family that mattered most.  Her parents, her in-laws, her brothers and sisters, her kids and grandkids—she would drop everything to tend to their needs.  They were her pride and joy.  Her last Facebook post was of her grandkids.  How very appropriate and unsurprising.

I noticed that it’s hard for anyone to talk about Sharon without talking about themselves.  That's because she always made the conversation about you, your accomplishments, what made you special.  She was the embodiment of humility.  But to say she was a simple farm girl misses the complicated life that she led.  It was her strength of character and her love that made it all seem so simple, so modest, so humble.  Only those who knew her very well knew the extent of her experience,  talents and genius.  It was not a theoretical knowledge which can easily be gained from books:  it was concrete knowledge borne from massive international experience.  

That knowledge was most apparent when she helped hurting missionaries—which was her true passion.  Book knowledge and academic knowledge were nothing compared to the intimate knowledge that Sharon brought regarding life on the mission-field—the way it actually is, not the way we imagine it to be.  Many deeply wounded people found their healing in conversations with Sharon.  Whether it was the pain of losing a parent while serving overseas, or having problems adjusting to a difficult foreign culture, or missing your favorite American food—nothing was belittled by Sharon.  Yes, she knew the intricacies and complications of mission-fields, but she will be most remembered for understanding the intricacies and complicated lives of missionaries and those who live and work overseas.  Yet another treasure of hers that we have now lost, and will not easily be replaced.  

I’ll never forget when I first met Sharon.  She was intimidating, believe it or not.  Her husband Russ was in the final stages of cancer and Sharon was dealing with it all with such dignity, class and grace I was completely stunned.  There were times I would actually watch her, completely speechless, and in complete awe of her strength in that situation.  I had just nursed my own mother through cancer and was reliving it through Jamie’s experience, and here was this woman, Sharon, who was completely in control.  I’m sure there was, crying and breaking down—but I never saw that.  I saw her 100% committed to the task at hand—carrying for her dying husband and her family.  It took me years to feel comfortable around her after that impressive display.  She was on another level.  

Of course, in time, she did become my mother and filled that enormous hole in my life.  I’m sure she knew she filled that, although we never talked about it.  I liked to tease her, especially on Facebook, about her meth addiction, her penchant for cocaine, her drinking, and her stints in rehab.  It was all irony, of course.  She was the most controlled, disciplined person any of us had ever met.  And she was the most dependable person we ever met.  Mom.  

We just received mail from her here in Germany.  She sent it the day before she died, most likely.  It was filled with things we needed, things she was helping us with, a Time Magazine for us with Angela Merkel on the cover (and a note), plus a personal card—the contents of which will remain cherished and private.  That is what I will miss the most, how she was always there.  How after my parents were long gone, through death or geographically removed from my life—she stepped in and became the parent I needed daily.  I will miss how committed she was to her grandson and how she played the role of the only constant relative he had in his young life.  I will miss how natural it felt to have her in our home, in our family, in our life.  But what I will miss the most is watching her relationship with Jamie.  How close they were, how much alike they are, what great girlfriends they were to each other, and how they shared the same sensibility, talents, personality, and smile .  Their friendship was so much fun to watch and she was so very proud of Jamie.  I cannot imagine them apart.  I do not want to imagine them apart.  That is what hurts me the most.

Of course, life for Sharon was never the same since Russ died.  But there was never an ounce of self-pity or acting lost.  My only comfort is that her separation from him no longer exists.  That the stresses, trials, and disappointments of this world no longer matter.  She leaves a massive hole in our lives that will never be replaced.  Ever.  There was only one Sharon.  So graceful, so kind, so very serious, and so quick to smile.  She is our beloved mother who earned that title not just biologically or through marriage, but through love and character.  She lives in us and is with us always.  And although she could never take a compliment, I pray that her ears are ringing today with this eternal message:  “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Well done, indeed.  We will love you always.  

Remembering Sharon Skaggs

Sharon E. Skaggs

January 9, 1947 – January 8, 2016

Sharon Elaine Skaggs passed away unexpectedly in Salem, Oregon on Friday, January 8, 2016. Born to Ed and Marilyn Gossen on January 9, 1947, she lived a full life characterized by her service to others. Sharon grew up on a farm in South Dakota and, after graduating from Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon, financially managed The Double K Ranch, a non-profit organization providing alternative care to troubled teens in Washington State. From 1981 - 1991 she and her family lived in Cairo, Egypt serving the church community throughout Egypt. She was a loving caretaker and primary support for her late husband in his battle with cancer from 1988-1993. After his passing, Sharon continued serving others, working in missionary care through Global Missions (now Global Strategy) of Church of God Ministries in Anderson, Indiana. She served in many roles including Living Link Coordinator, Director of Personnel and head of Finance and retired in 2011, having served the organization and the greater church for 30 years. Sharon served on the Children of Promise Board of Directors for 15 years.  She also served on the staff of Children of Promise for much of 2015.  Even in retirement, Sharon was actively involved with the local food pantry and traveled internationally as a volunteer for Children of Promise.  Sharon recently moved to Salem, Oregon to be closer to family. She had already begun to serve in another local food pantry and anticipated more international travels.

Sharon is preceded in death by her husband, Russell Skaggs, parents, Edwin and Marilyn Gossen and in-laws, Wilbur and Evelyn Skaggs.

She is survived by her son and wife, Byron and Jennifer Skaggs of Cairo, Egypt and daughter and husband, Jamie and Patrick Nachtigall of Badenweiler, Germany as well as three grandchildren, Jonathan and Aubrianna Skaggs, Marco Nachtigall, five sisters and brother, spouses, sister-in-law and numerous nieces and nephews.

 Occasions to celebrate the life and legacy of Sharon Skaggs:

Memorial Service: Saturday, February 6,1:00 pm at Mt. Scott Church of God, 10603 SE Henderson Street, Portland, OR

Memorial Service: Monday, February 8, 1:00 pm at Park Place Church of God, 501 College Drive, Anderson, IN; Visitation following in Bessie Byrum Lounge

 Cards for the family may be sent to: 1416 Cunningham Ln S; Salem, OR 97302 USA

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial gifts to the organizations Sharon loved and to which she committed her own time and resources:

 Children of Promise

P. O. Box 2316, Anderson, IN 46018 USA

Online giving: http://www.echildrenofpromise.org/

Park Place Church of God

Designate: Park Place Food Pantry

501 College Dr, Anderson, IN 46012 USA

Global Strategy, Church of God Ministries

Sharon Skaggs Memorial Contribution – for the sending of new missionaries

P.O. Box 2420, Anderson, IN 46018 USA

Online giving: https://cgm.formstack.com/forms/cgm_gm_single  (drop down menu at bottom)