'To Reach a Hidden People"

Courtney
Christian
Mission
FORWARDING AGENTS: Rich & Mary Ann jenks / P.O. Box 2053 / Salem, OR 97308 / (503) 6 5 3 - 0 6 9 I
FIELD ADDRESS: Mike & Linda Courtney / P.O. Box 900 / Kitale, Kenya
Vol. 7, No. 1
We conducted a Food-For-Work pro-
gratn early in the year, usually
attended by 500-700 people per day
We celebrated Trevor's 10th
birthday on March 8, 1985.
January 1986
Linda participated in several
mobile clinics throughout the
year and assisted with an ex
tensive immunization program.
In Mav, Mike went with
Justin Svlvestre and Mike
Schrage to survev a new
area in Uganda.
Mike did much teaching and
leadership traini-^g during
the vear.
We were very pleased to
have soon- to- be- a-
Doctor Eileen O'Shaun-
nessy -from Minneapolis
come to work with us
during the summer.
Baptisms at Kasei in July.
We celebrated Laura's
8th birthdav on Sept.
2, 1985.
In August uie went by
helicopter to Taraket
Mountain for mobile
clinic and preaching.
In October Mike began
preaching at a new
iocation--Ngoron.
The highlisht of November
uias the three-night preaching
trip to nearby mountains
with our co-workers, Justin
Sylvestre and Mike Schrage.
The men camped on a different
mountain each night.
COURTNEY CHRISTIAN MISSION
P. 0. Box 2053
Salem, OR 97308
Research/Horizons
P. 0. Box 2^27
Knoxville, Tenn 37901 :
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Mike was privileged to
baptize 14 men at
Ngoron in December,
just a few days before
the celebration of our
Lord's birth.
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Permit #505
Salem, Oregon
/
'CONFESSIONS of a SANCTIFIED WORKAHOLIC
- by Linda Courtney, R.N.
Missionaries, by definition, are busy
people. It is hard for me to recognize that
rest has value in and of itself. It is not the
same thing as "laziness." Facing so much
physical and spiritual need on the mission
field, I haveaverydifficulttimeseeing"non
productive" activity as valuable. To read a
"fun" story to my children, or sew for an hour
seems selfish. To simply sit and enjoy the
sun and God's beautiful earth for 15 minutes
is "positively sinful!"
I think ~ often about the investments
people have made in my life; the professors
and instructors at Bible College and Nursing
School, my parents, Sunday School
teachers, our supporting churches. Be
cause of this investment, I feel compelled to
produce, produce, produce! Every mission
ary sermon I ever heard in my life comes
back to haunt me as I remind myself that the
time is short, the harvest is plentiful, the
laborers are few (I am one of the chosen
ones!), the fields are white, work, work,
work!! And I feel compelled and driven. And
I wonder why I become depressed, why Iam
so tired, why I sometimes hate this work.
And I begin to see God not as a loving father,
but as a wrathful task-master.
I can't go on like this. Eventually
something snaps and God in His love
reaches down into the very deepest
caverns of my being, plucks out that
piercing shard of my bloated ego and
unrealistic aspirations and with a firm,
disciplinary hand, crushes it into a thousand
pieces. And I'm left with nothing but the
reality of His love and the affirmation that He
made me for His glory, not for the things I
can accomplish and the sacrifices I can
make. And what makes mejust sit and weep
is the realization that I have been so busy
doing things ~ good things ~ that I haven't
taken the time to be still, to glorify Him. In
my rush to "save" Africa, I've lost sight of my
primary purpose on earth.
Many of us on the mission field have our
priorities so confused. We have used the
Great Commission as a license to become
"sanctified workaholics." Where do we get
the idea that we are so absolutely
indispensable, so valuable to the Lord that
we must sacrifice our health, family well-
being, and spiritual growth to the demigod
of overwork? The same Jesus who said, "Go
ye," also said, "I will give you rest." and "You
will find rest for your souls." Many of us are
so impressed by our own importance and
the urgency of our "call" that we are not
willing to sacrifice the time necessary to
allow God to give rest to our souls.
Rest must be important, for the Gospel of
Mark alone records some 35 times when
Jesus rested, retired to a "lonely place," or
"departed Into a mountain to pray." He had
such a short time here on earth. Why didn't
He spend every single waking moment
(54) healing, teaching, and meeting the needsof
the masses?
2 BURNOUT AND DEPRESSION
Burnout is defined as "that condition of
severe depression in which one's physical
and mental resources become depleted." In
his book, Now I Kriow Why I'm Depressed,
Norm Wright says that there are times which
may predispose to the development of
depression and burnout. Itwill usually come
in the midst of or following a long period of
unbroken labor. We develop unrealistic
expectations for ourselves, our families, and
our co-workers. When these expectations
are not met, it creates more anxiety. We
begin to look upon rest as "frivolous" non-
activity.
How many of us have known missionaries
who are proud of the fact that they just don't
have lime to take a day off? They are too
busy, too dedicated, too indispensable. The
work would fall to pieces without them. The
Lord just couldn't carry on without their able
assistance! And the agonizingly sad part of
it all is that they can't see that they have
become dogmatic, short-tempered with the
nationals, unyielding, obsessive, and have
lost their objectivity and sense of humor. Or,
often overworked missionaries become
cynical and unresponsive to the needs and
feelings of the people with whom they work.
They have lost their dedication and compas
sion. They just don't care anymore. We
would dearly love to ship them off some
where for a couple weeks of vacation ~ for
their own good and the good of their work.
WHY REST?
For many of us, our work has become
bondage. "Sit quietly and evaluate the
normal level of your intensity. Are you
'always on the go?' Does it give you strokes
(boost your ego) to have people say you're a
workaholic? Is it hard for you to be quiet, to
be at ease, to be alone and still?" (8, p. 178)*
Most of us pass very lightly over Day
Seven of creation. It is no big deal. God just
rested. But why did God rest? Washetotally
exhausted from His previous six days of
back-breaking labor? I doubt it! God made
rest. He felt that it was important enough to
spend one entire day of the creation week
just resting.
We, as missionaries, must take time to
step back from our work and co-workers, to
take an objective look at what we are doing
and how we are accomplishing our task.
We need to take the time to be creative.
Many missionaries do only one thing
missions. Everything they read has to do
with missions or church growth. They
wouldn't dream of reading purely for
pleasure. They have no hobbies, don't
engage in any recreational pursuits, and
can't converse intelligently on any subject
other than missions.
We need to take the time to affirm and
support our co-workers who may be
desperately in need of a pat on the back.
Often we get so wrapped up in our own work
that we don't notice the struggles or hurts
another person is experiencing. If we are so
busy that we don't have time to minister to
v.'A ' * .
: ,w-'- 4
Linda distributing new suits to Kasel
students.
the needs of our co-workers, then we are too
busy.
We need to take time ~ to make time to
communicate with our families, with
ourselves, and with God. I appreciated so
much what one of our board members once
told me. He is a preacher, and periodically
he leaves for an entire day to be alone with
God, just to listen to what the Lord has to say
to him, away from the clamor of church and
family.
HOW TO REST
In our work in Kara Pokot, Kenya, we oc
casionally use a helicopter because of the
inaccessibility of some of the areas. For
every hour of flying time, the pilot tells me,
the helicopter requires about one hour of
"down time" for repair and maintenance. It
has been my observation that most human
beings (especially missionaries) also
require "down time" for rest and renewal,
away from the daily stresses of our lives.
In our family I have been granted a
privilege which I treasure. It is the ability to
call a halt whenever I see the need. If I feel
that one of us is getting buried beneath
unusual stresses, or is losing objectivity and
having difficulty dealing with the daily
hassles, I can request a period of "down
time." It may bejust a morning on Mt. Elgon,
a few days change of scene in the small
town of Kitale, a journey to the "real world"
in Nairobi, or a couple days in a game park.
We make a point of taking a break even if
it isn't our regular vacation time for four
reasons; (1) To re-establish our relation
ship with God, which has probably been
neglected during the stressful time. (2) To
re-establish our relationship as husband
and wife. (3) To spend intense, quality time
with our children, who have probably also
been neglected and shoved aside for "more
important matters." (4) To re-evaluate and
analyze our objectives and where we are
going in our ministry and family life.
Time for rest and restoration doesn't just
"happen," unless you count the time when
the river was flooded and we couldn't go
home for a month, or the week we spent
waiting for car parts. We must see time for
rest as a "priority." It usually must be
scheduled ahead of time and then not
usurped for more "urgent" matters.
Rest is a physical and psychological
necessity. Rest is a spiritual necessity. God
made rest. And He gave rest to mission
aries so that they might be better fitted to
fulfill the Great Commission.
'See Bibliography on page 20
Bibliography
continued from page 2
1. "Fit for the King." Virtue. Jan./Feb. 1981.
2. Hammersmark, Judy. "I Was a Once-A-
Month Witch." Virtue. Sept./Oct. 1980. Vol.
3. No. 1.
3. Hansel, Tim. When I Relax I Feel Guilty.
Cook, 1979.
4. MacDonald, Ruby. "12 Ways Every
Woman Can Be Beautiful." Virtue. March/
April 1984. Vol. 6, No. 4.
5. Michaels. Jane. "Here's to Your Health!"
Redbook. April 1980. Vol. 154, No. 6.
8. Omartian, Stormie. Greater Health God's
Way. Sparrow, 1984.
7. Sailhammer, Paul. "Man Alive!" Family
Life today. March 1963.
8. Swindell. Charles R. Strengthening Your
Grip. Word, 1982.
9. VanderVeer, J.B., M.D. "Handling Stress
Biblically." Virtue. Jan./Feb. 1981. Vol.3,
No. 3.
10. "Walking; The Exercise for the Non-
Athletic." Virtue. March/April 1981. Vol.3,
No. 4.
11. Wright, H. Norman. Now I Know Why
I'm Depressed. Harvest House Publishers,
1984.
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exercise: lAiVJID XD-HIE
RELUCTiftiMnr M I SS I OBSJiARY
By Linda Courtney, R.N.
A pre-dawn grayness was Just beginning to light the sky when my
husband placed two cold feet against ray back and with a mighty shove
propelled me to the first agonizing, cold moments of "warm-up"
exercises which precede the more strenuous aerobics that I have been
trying to make a part of my early morning schedule. He says he does
this because he loves me. At 6:15 a.m., I have my doubts! But 45
minutes later, after half an hour of exercise and a shower, I sit down
with my Bible and a cup of tea and find it a little easier to believe
that he does indeed have my health, happiness, and ministry in mind.
I hate to exercise. I am not by nature a "physical" person, and
will do almost anything to avoid walking around the block. But during
this term on the mission field in western Kenya, I have discovered
that regular exercise has had an important impact on my ministry; both
to my family and to the Pokot people among whom we live.
PHVSICAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
Most of us are familiar with at least some of the physical
benefits to be derived from regular exercise. In her book Greater
Health God's Wav. Stormie Omartian lists some of the possible
consequences of not getting enough exercise:
"Back problems, poor posture, overweight, overeating, bone
disease, insomnia, chronic fatigue, varicose veins, high
cholesterol, frequent headaches, hypertension, heart problems,
digestive problems, stiff Joints, aches and pains, poor
circulation, depression, and arthritis." (14, p. 87)
Recent studies have also indicated that we could add to her list
menstrual cramps and symptoms associated with Pre-menstrual Syndrome.
The most beneficial type of exercise is called "aerobic"
EXERCISE AND THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY Page 2
exercise. This is any activity strenuous enough to increase the heart
rate to a "training" or "target" level for a period of at least 15
minutes approximately three to four times per week. It could be
running, brisk walking, swimming, a fast game of tennis, squash, or
raquetball, or just plain chasing your kids.
Running is a good exercise which requires no expensive equipment
or membership in a sports club. Running could be a problem, however,
depending on the area in which you live and work. In our remote bush
area of Kara Pokot, people run for only three reasons: (1) Someone
has just died and they are running from the body, lest the same fate
befall them. (2) They have just heard that the Turkana tribe across
the mountain are coming again to steal our Pokot cattle. (3)
Something free is being given away and they want to get in on it. A
missionary running would certainly create some excitement.
Missionaries working in cities often have access to sports clubs
with facilities for squash or tennis. Not only are these games
beneficial physically, but they also allow him to take out his
aggressions on his fellow missionaries (or spouse) in a socially
acceptable manner! Supporting churches and boards please note: The
fee for membership in a sports club is a good investment for the work
you support. It should never be looked on as a "frill." Exercise can
be as vital to the successful ministry of your missionary as the
education which prepared him for that ministry.
There are now many aerobic dance programs available on audio
cassette and video tapes which appeal to women. There are even
several programs using contemporary Christian music. (20) This form
of exercise is not only physically beneficial and fun. but has the
added advantage of privacy--the exercise can be done in the seclusion
of your own bedroom so you don't have to sweat in front of strangers!
EXERCISE AND THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY Page 3
PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
Depression is one of the most important weapons in Satan's
arsenal. This seems to be especially true in the life of the
missionary who already has to deal with the pressures brought on by
living in a different culture and without the supporting framework
created by family, friends, and churches.
For several years before coming to the mission field, I taught
Lamaze Childbirth Classes in the States. One class always included a
lecture on the causes and cures of postpartum depression. It is
interesting to note that the most effective cure for Primary
Postpartum Depression is, first of all, sufficient rest for the mother
(difficult for some mothers with babies who can't seem to sleep longer
than two hours at a stretch); and secondly, adequate physical
exercise. I was surprised to note in my studies that exercise is the
most commonly mentioned treatment for most other types of depression
as well.
One explanation for this might be found in research done by Dr.
Otto Appenzeller of the University of New Mexico. He has found that
the nervous system releases hormones called catecholamines during
strenuous exercise. It is also known that these hormones are low in
people suffering from depression. It is therefore surmised that the
release of catacholamines is responsible for the relief from
depression that many people experience after beginning an exercise
program. (19, p. 122)
In his excellent new book. Now I Know Ulhv I'm Depressed. Norm
Wright describes the seeming paradox that exists between depression
and exercise:
"When you do less, you begin to think of yourself as inadequate.
EXERCISE AND THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY Page 4
lazy, and worthless. A good reason to become more active is to
challenge those ideas; by being more active you create evidence
that you are not like that... Usually the more you do, the better
you feel. It also provides a helpful diversion from your
depression by distracting your mind from unpleasant thoughts... It
is a paradox with depression that when you are depressed you need
to do more to gain more energy." (19, p. 109)
Exercise not only can be a treatment for depression, but also an
inoculation against it. Regular exercise will help to establish
healthy disciplines in our lives. A person who is able to discipline
himself in exercise will also be able to discipline himself in other
areas of his lifelike getting that quarterly newsletter written that
is four months overdue!
In our own lives and ministry here in Kenya we have found
exercise to be an excellent stress reducer. When we are in the middle
of a very stressful, tense situation, there is nothing better than to
get away for an hour or so, unwind, and gain a fresh perspective.
Exercise is nature's best tranqui1izer. It is good for your blood
pressure, your heart, your stomach lining, and has no bad side
effects.
SPIRITUAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
Lately, I have begun to place increased importance on Paul's
admonition to the Corinthian church that their bodies are temples of
the Holy Spirit. You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body." (I Corinthians 6:19, 20 NIV) .
Obviously, Paul was not speaking here about physical exercise.
Nevertheless, I think it is true that a missionary's body is a tool of
EXERCISE AND THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY Page 5
ministry, and he is going to miss many evangelistic opportunities if
he lacks the physical stamina necessary to take advantage of the
situations the Lord provides.
Our work in Kara Pokot is a good example. We live in a very
rugged, mountainous area. I believe that much of the growth the Lord
has given in this work is due to the fact that Mike is able to spend
long, hot hours hiking on those mountains to reach people living in
isolated areas. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is great, but some of the
"hidden people" will only be reached by a missionary who recognizes
the importance of his physical health as a tool for his ministry to
unreached peoples.
Another important spiritual benefit I have found in exercise is
that walking, running, or exercise to Christian music can give me an
opportunity for solitude and communion with God, away from the noise
and distractions of my home and work. When I follow exercise with a
time of prayer and Bible study, I feel that I have made a great start
to a wonderful day. Exercise also helps me get my eyes open for that
time of Bible study--a hard thing for a person who formerly couldn't
bear to say, "Good morning," and who never wanted to see another human
being before 10 a.m.!
SO HOW DO YOU DO IT?
If you are like me, your problem is not how or when to exercise,
your problem is motivation and discipline. In order to get the most
benefits from exercise, you should schedule specified times for
yourself, at least three times per week. Ideally, these exercise
periods should be an hour long, but even 20 to 30 minutes is
beneficial. Begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up of slow, stretching
exercises. Follow this with a minimum 15-minute period of more
EXERCISE AND THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY Page 6
strenuous exercise. Then finish with a 5-10 minute cool-down of less
strenuous activity.
Schedule your exercise time. Tell someone else about it who will
check up on you. Trying to squeeze it in at various times during the
day creates an inconsistency and tends to work against discipline. If
you don't make room for exercise in your schedule, you won't have room
for it. Don't wait to see if you feel like it. Believe me, at 6:15
a.m., I never feel like it!
But if you can't even get yourself to begin with this much, start
small. Just take a walk--every day. And if it takes two cold feet
against your back to get you to do it--great! Be thankful that the
owner of those feet loves you and cares enough about the quality of
your servanthood to be an unpopular person at 6:15 a.m.
'To Reach a Hidden People"
1
l(
Courtney
& Christian
Mission
FORWARDING AGENTS: Rich &MaryAnnJenks / P.O. Box2053 / Salem, OR 97308 / (503) 394-3958
FIELD ADDRESS: Mike &Linda Courtney / P.O. Box900 / Kitale, Kenya
Vol. 8, No. 2
August 1986
KASEI, SPRING 1986
NO CURTAIN CALLS, PLEASE:
LEAVING THE MISSION FIELD GRACEFULLY
We are leaving the mission field. Not permanently; we will just
be taking an extended furlough for a few years until our children
finish secondary school. This has been our plan for a number of years.
But now, as our departure date looms near--only a few weeks away--we
begin to think about what effect this action will have on our lives and
on the lives of the people with whom we have worked.
Leaving will not be easy. As we prepare to leave what has been
our home and work for the past several years, we look back to the
examples set by other missionaries who have left the field. Some have
left with good feelings, a sincere regret to be leaving, and have been
applauded by those on the field for a job well done. Others have left
with deep bitterness, a revengeful attitude, and strong feelings of
.persecution. _ .
The major problem, as I see it, is that we tend to become
possessive of the work, particularly if we have been on the field for a
number of years and have seen the church grow from infancy. Because of
this possessive attitude, we lose our objectivity. We make it
difficult for the Lord to work in the lives of the people. We see them
as "our people" (our children). We want to solve their problems for
them, rather than letting the Lord work through them to solve their own
problems in their own way.
We believe that we know what is best for the pe
have been with them since the beginning. We have st
through their hardships and growing pains. It is dif
ourselves on the back and point out to ourselves and o
have suffered for the people and the work. When
"helpful suggestion" about how things might be i
insulted and feel obligated to point out to them how
beginning, how far we have come, and how much we have
people and the work.
ople because we
ruggled with them
ficult to not pat
thers how much we
someone makes a
mproved, we are
bad it was in the
suffered for the
If we see the work as God's from the very beginning, then it is
easier for us to remember that we are servants of the Lord and are not
in this business for our own ego gratification and lofty aspirations.
What we see as our years of "sacrifice" is really only a heartbeat of
time in God's eternal plan for these people. If this is our attitude,
it will be easier for us to leave when the Lord leads us in that
direction. We can willingly turn the work over to other servants
without looking over their shoulders and criticizing or trying to
maintain a place for ourselves in the hearts of the people, even though
we are thousands of miles away.
Can we leave Kasei painlessly? I don't think we will be able to.
These people have wrapped themselves tightly around our hearts. But
they belong to the Lord, not to us. This is God's work, not ours.
schoo
home
shift
Sunday January 19, 1986
Kasei
It was a cold, wet, January night in Seattle.
A storm was kicking up waves on Lake
Washington and spraying them over the
floating bridges, making driving a miserable
business. I was in my final year of nursing
several of my classmates and I were heading
the "old floating bridge" after the evening
Veteran's Hospital.
While we were busy chattering about "problem patients," traffic came to
a stand still. We soon noticed a small hatchback car lying on its top
in the lane ahead. The driver had obviously not been able to negotiate
the tight curve in the center of the bridge,and had hit the cement wall
at an angle, causing the car to flip. A fellow student nurse and I ran
quickly to see if we could help. A large crowd had already gathered;
everyone maintaining a distance from the car. No one had bothered to
find out if anyone was hurt. I soon discovered the driver, a young man
about 19 years of age, upside down inside his demolished vehicle. I
tried to find a pulse, but couldn't. A young doctor from the VA
Hospital came running up and knelt beside me. He pronounced the young
man dead.
It was midnight when I finally arrived at home. I flipped on the light
and for the first time looked down at my hands. They were covered with
blood and tiny, glistening shards of glass. I spent the rest of that
night thinking about the injustices of life: people who die young or
unnecessarily, good people who are wronged and cheated, children who
suffer, people who are hurt because of the wickedness of others.
night. There have
perform. Sometimes
imes when I want to
black and white, r
omeone would come ri
11 ^he "bad -guys . " -
there isn't a white
times they die. Go
unjust situations,
n't have all the ans
cumstances. But I
been other times
I want to cry
go back to those
ight or wrong,
ding along in a
Butin real- 1-i f-e
hat in s ight.
od people--Godly
It doesn't seem
wers. I stand
know the One who.
It has been twelve years since that
when I've had unpleasant tasks to
out, "IT ISN'T FAIR!" There are t
happy days when everything was
Injustice was wrong and very soon s
wbit^--h.a..-and wxjeak -vengenanceon-a
the bad guys sometimes win and
Innocent children are hurt and some
people--have to go through hurtful,
right. It isn't fair. And I do
perplexed before many of life's cir
has the answers.
In a few weeks we will be leaving Africa. I
that I am frightened about returning to Amer
live and cope with life here, and the United
like a foreign country; an alien culture,
where we plan to live and what we plan to do.
wrote down the answer to those questions and
1ive at the place where the waves of the bru
worId wash up on the shores of God's love and
goal is to remain so in tune with God's heart
can ma
don't mind telling
ica. I have learned
States now seems to
Many people have asked
Several months ago
here it is: I_ want
ised and broken of
tender healing mercy.
cry to the world that
ike use of my life to touch and heal the 1ives of others
you
to
me
us
I
to
th is
My
He
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