Stockers' Stories

This article, written by Perry & Brenda Jansen, was printed in the SIM publication Intercom.  We will be working with the Jansens at Partners in Hope in Malawi.

“Grace” was a new patient to Partners in Hope recently. She’d seen several doctors over the last few months for pain in the front of her chest, which worsened with swallowing. With sores in her mouth and symptoms of a fungal infection in her esophagus, no one had even suggested that she might have HIV. But she was HIV-infected. What is still surprising to us, though we’ve seen it many times before, is that she was happy to hear the news. Grace said, "This is my best day.” She clearly meant what she said. I’ve given this news to hundreds of people over the last eight years, and it still surprises me ... inspires me, really. To face such a serious diagnosis with hope and anticipation is part of what moves me to do more. Grace is on her way to feeling better, and living better and longer, because of what God allows me and all the Partners in Hope staff to do. What a privilege!

I am planning to focus on community development in Malawi, but I will spend some time working with Malawians to find out what they really need, and what they are willing to work with me on, and maintain on their own.  Otherwise, something like this could happen:

"South African pastor Fourie Vandenberg tells of leading a mission trip to the north of Namibia. The first thing the team noticed in the local kraal (Village) in which they were staying was that the women had to walk every day to a well with a huge heavy bucket on their heads to fetch water..
`We immediately decided to do something about it.'
Within two weeks flashy new water pipes were delivering water to every little hut in the kraal.
Within a week after the installation of the plumbing the villagers removed all the pipes and piled them politely on the out skits of the kraal.
When Fourie asked why they had plundered the plumbing and undone all their hard work, the Namibians explained that it is customary for the women to walk to a well with other women sharing their experiences about life. Carrying heavy buckets on the head while chatting with friends:`It's not a bad thing: it's a good thing.'
When the walk to the well was taken away and life was made `never so good,' life was really made ever so difficult."

(So Beautiful. Leonard Sweet, David C. Cook Pub, 2009, pp 102)

(I found this reference at http://worldmissions101.blogspot.com/) 

-Dean

What would this country look like if the HIV infection rate were the same as it is in Malawi?  In this month's prayer letter we've put together a way to see what your family might look like if you were typical Malawians.  It is now available at

http://stocker.with.sim.org/images/stories/Newsletters/stockerprayerletterOctNov09.pdf

Thank you for praying,
Dean & Penny

Just a few weeks ago, we were marveling that God's people had already contributed more than $20,000 toward this ministry.  Since that time, the amount has grown to more than $40,000!  It's exciting to see more than half a tank on our "gas gauge." 

Many thanks to everyone who has given, and to God who calls His people to contribute to His work. 

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off."

(Acts 13:2-3, NIV)

Thus was born the commissioning ceremony.  We were commissioned for missionary service by Blackhawk Church last weekend.  After we shared God's calling on our lives with the Ambassadors' Club, Francis and Susan from the Impact Ministries Team prayed God's blessings over us and our future ministry.  

Our September prayer letter is filled with pictures from our recent trip to Florida.  It is now available at

http://stocker.with.sim.org/images/stories/Newsletters/StockerPrayerLetterSep09.pdf

We would like to invite you to Blackhawk Church in Madison this Sunday September 27th at 10:30 AM in room 205A, where we will be speaking about our ministry and we will be commissioned for missionary service.  (Although we know that many of you are out of state or even overseas.)

We've had several experiences on this road trip that have been good practice for going to Malawi.

First, there are the snakes.  We had the pleasure of helping a friend scare a poisonous snake out into the open so he could hack it into pieces with a shovel.

Then, there are the lizards.  There are geckos everywhere, sometimes even in the house.

And yesterday we walked for miles in 88° and 90% humidity.

I got my first speeding ticket in twenty years.  It was 1:00 in the morning, and I had just entered yet another construction zone in Indiana.  The signs all said "Speed Limit 45 While Flashing."  And none of them were flashing.  Then suddenly I was passing one that WAS flashing.  I quickly dropped out of cruise control, which I always set for 2 - 3 mph above the limit.  And that's when the beautiful red & blue flashing lights appeared: 68 in a 45 zone.

I wanted to argue--"You don't understand!  I never speed!  I didn't realize that the construction speed limit was in effect!  I was already slowing down, and I would have been at the legal limit if you had just given me a bit more time!" But I really didn't have a reasonable defense.  I was clearly breaking the law, the law was right, and I was clearly at fault.

As I waited impatiently for the patrolman to write out my ticket, I realized that I was living a parable.  I had just been praying for people I know who haven't yet trusted Jesus with their lives.  And now I sat going over the same arguments that they may one day have:  "You don't understand!  I didn't realize!  If you had just given me a bit more time!" And yet I knew that I was clearly at fault, and although I didn't like the judge's verdict, I knew that it was just and that the penalty was well deserved.  

I am forever grateful that Jesus has paid my penalty, and that one day I won't get what I deserve.

We've just completed our first week of "virtual school."  It's been a bit difficult attending school while on the road, but we're getting by.  And the kids have enjoyed the field trips--where else could you take two field trips during the first week of school?  We're doing a lot of math and history, because there wasn't room to pack the supplies for science, art, or language arts.  And the public libraries we've been using probably wouldn't take kindly to our music lessons.  We'll have to play catch-up on the other subjects when we get back home. 

We are now 2000 miles into our Southern road trip.  We left on Tuesday of last week, which was quite an eventful day:

8 AM: Penny took and passed her certification exam, and is now officially a Family Nurse Practitioner!
10 AM: Tazelaar & Jolie got their last round of immunizations before we go to Malawi!
5 PM: We attended an orientation where we got to meet the kids' new teachers for this fall at Wisconsin Virtual Academy!
1 AM (ok, technically that's not on Tuesday) : Dean was cited for his first moving violation in twenty years (more on that another day)!
2 AM: We arrived in Ohio at Dean's parents' house, the first stop on our trip.

We have enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and stopping by SIM's USA headquarters in North Carolina.  Tomorrow we will be speaking at Trinity Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs, and we will be sharing with three more churches in the next four weeks.