Autobiography of the Life of Hudson Taylor

As you may have noticed on the blog, we have been reviewing several books and posting them under our "What We Are Reading" tab above.  Please take note: we are not book reviewers by profession, nor do we think of ourselves as well-read book critics.  We are just reading some interesting books and wanted to write about them and share them with others.  With that said, here's our latest installment in the "What We Are Reading" series.

This is the story of Hudson Taylor who in the early part of the 19th century founded the China Inland Mission.  He details much of his preparatory work in prayer, fasting and preaching prior to leaving for China and then goes on to explain how the China Inland Mission began.

This autobiography of the Hudson Taylor's life has been an extremely challenging read and not so much because of the use of difficult language but because of the faith that he demonstrated through prayer.  This book is filled with example after example of God providing for himself, his family and his ministries at just the right time and in just the right manner for Him to receive all of the praise, glory and honor.  Early in ministry Taylor decided to not receive a set salary so as to have to depend upon the Lord for everything that was needed.  And he recalls in vivid detail how the Lord worked all things together for His glory.  I am grateful for men like Taylor who were recklessly abandoned for the cause of Christ and the Gospel.  It is both encouraging and humbling to learn of his efforts and of his faith. 

Notable Quotes:
"I believe we are all in danger of accumulating—it may be from thoughtlessness, or from pressure of occupation—things which would be useful to others, while not needed by ourselves, and the retention of which entails loss of blessing."

"In the study of that Divine Word I learned that, to obtain successful labourers, not elaborate appeals for help, but, first, earnest prayer to God to thrust forth labourers, and, second, the deepening of the spiritual life of the church, so that men should be unable to stay at home, were what was needed." (After this the Lord provided 24 people to help him to begin the China Inland Mission.)

"The great enemy is always ready with his oft-repeated suggestion, "All these things are against me." But oh, how false the word! The cold, and even the hunger, the watchings and sleeplessness of nights of danger, and the feeling at times of utter isolation and helplessness, were well and wisely chosen, and tenderly and lovingly meted out. What circumstances could have rendered the Word of God more sweet, the presence of God more real, the help of God more precious?"


From Amazon.com

Thankfulness

It's Thanksgiving week, y'all!  Even though Thanksgiving is not formally on the calendar as a Haitian holiday, we are going to be celebrating big!

In the spirit of thanksgiving, let us just share our thankfulness list with you.

We are thankful...

 

1. For our salvation in Jesus Christ.  Without Him, we are nothing.  "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

2. For marriage.  We are going on 10 years now and have never been more grateful for the gift of marriage!  August 9th, 2003 was pretty much the beginning of the best thing EVER. :)

3. For our lovely baby girl who will be turning 6 next month!  What a joy it has been to watch Kilee grow up.  She is precious beyond words.  You can read more about her story here.

4. For our sweet baby boy who recently turned 3 years old!  He is a wild, fun, loving little fella and we count ourselves so blessed to be his parents.  You can read more about his story here.

5. For our precious families in the USA.  We miss you terribly, and we are so thankful for you!  Thank you for understanding our call to go to Haiti and supporting us, even though it means being further away from our old KY home.

6. For our Highview church family at home in Louisville.  Thank you so much for your support of this mission in Haiti.  We are grateful for you!

7. For our Crossings family.  It is impossible to put our joy in serving with you for the past 10+ years into words.  Know that we love you and are endlessly humbled and thankful for your investment in our lives.

8. For our new family here at Baptist Haiti Mission.  Thank you for welcoming us with open arms!  We look forward to what the future holds!

9. For sweet friendships.  You all know who you are!  Thanks for being such wonderful friends, especially across the miles.

10. For Skype.  To be able to talk to friends and family at any time via video is pretty stinkin' amazing.

11. For mail!  We LOVE Thursdays when the MFI plane flies in.   

12. For the natural beauty of Haiti.

13. For bug spray.  Let's just say that there are a few gazillion reasons why bug spray is important in Haiti. 

14. For good-smelling candles.  When you live in a country as "fragrant" as Haiti, it's nice to have a couple pumpkin spice candles on hand.

15. For clean water to drink.  We are so blessed to be able to go to a water cooler in our home and get fresh water.  Everyday, we see children walking long distances carrying jugs of water on their heads so that they can have safe drinking water.

16. For the opportunity to homeschool my kiddos.  Since the kids don't know the Creole language yet, and we live too far from a private, English-speaking school, we are blessed to be able to homeschool.  This has given us an opportunity to be involved in what the kids are dealing with as they adjust to the new culture, while getting them out in the culture to experience it alongside us.

17. For a steam mop.  Yes, I know it's weird to be thankful for that, but when you live up a mountain where it's jungley and wet all the time, you can't mop your floors with a regular mop because it will NEVER dry.  Thanks for the steam mop, Mom and Dad!  Merry Christmas to me.

18. For faithful prayer warriors that continually lift up our family and the country of Haiti.  Thank you for praying.  We so desperately need people lifting us up to the Lord as we strive to do His will here in Haiti.

19. For the church.  Lord, grow and mature your church and its leaders here in Haiti, we pray!  Help us to be faithful in our mission to equip and strengthen the church to reach lost souls here in this country.

20. For the Word of God.  Thank you Lord for showing us Your mercy, Your majesty, Your will, and Your Holiness in the pages of the Bible.  What grace!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

Building New Relationships

This week has been a good one.  We have had two families at the mission from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.  They were definitely a blessing for many people here at the mission but also for us personally as they brought along their wives and children.  Monica and the kids had plenty of fun times with them.  The men were both doctors so they served in the hospital here at the mission while the ladies and kiddos worked around the mission doing some cleaning, painting, and gardening.  We are enjoying getting to meet so many new people as they come here to serve the people of Haiti! 

We are continuing to take Creole lessons with Wilner and are beginning to build relationships with some of the Haitians that work here at the mission because our creole is starting to come along.  One of the guys working here at the mission has a daughter who is 6 years old.  He has been sharing with me this week that his daughter has been sick with a high fever and didn’t want to eat.  Throughout the week he had made plans to bring his daughter to the mission to have her see a doctor.  Fortunately she was able to see a doctor here at the mission at very little cost to the family, but she needed some medicine that couldn’t be bought here at the mission pharmacy.  He hung his head when he told me that he didn’t have the money to buy the medicine down in Petionville (a town not far away) and I asked him how much the medicine would cost.  He told me it would cost around 45 Haitian Dollars, which equals around $6.00 US.  Typically we have a policy of not giving money out to anyone because it can be easily abused and lead to dependency but I checked with some of the missionaries who have been on the field longer and they said it would be fine to help him out, but to do it in a way that preserves his dignity and offer to pray with him for his daughter.   Later that evening, I had the opportunity to talk with him and I handed him the money (that would barely buy a value meal at a fast food restauraunt) and told him (in my broken creole) I know how it feels to have a sick child and I hope that this money can help make his little girl feel better.  His eyes lit up and he responded by saying thank you, thank you.  What he did next blew me away.  He led my by the hand over to where he had stored his bag for the evening and pulled out a worn novel and in its pages he kept 5 pictures.  One picture was of he and his wife on their wedding day and the others were of his two daughters.  He held out one of the pictures of him with his daughter and said, “Ou ka gen sa.” (You can have this.) I was shocked, he was wanting to give me one of the precious pictures that he kept with him at all times.  His selflessness was humbling.  I asked him if I could pray for him and his daughter and we did.  We shook hands and I headed home reflecting on what had just happened.  The rest of this week has been filled with updates on his daughter and time spent talking about our children.  As I reflect on our circumstances I am confronted continually with the gulf that exists materially between myself as an American and so many of the Haitian people. I realize that I have much to learn from their selfless, giving hearts.

Blessings in Boxes

This last week has been extremely encouraging for the Bidwells. Many of our friends and family from back in Kentucky took the time to send us care packages! It is like Christmas in November!! Some of our friends who were coming into the country even brought several bags of tools, food and office supplies! Our kids have loved the glow sticks, the balloons and the candy (maybe mom and dad did too!). Monica has definitely enjoyed all of the fall-smelling candles and decorations that many have sent!
As I sit here this morning reflecting back over this last week I am once again encouraged and affirmed that the direction we are heading is what the Lord has for us. It is encouraging to know that we are a part of a body that has many parts and that rejoices together as the Gospel goes into all the nations (1 Cor 12). Thank you for being a huge part in the Bidwells being in Haiti.
-Scott