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Act 1:8 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

Before 2020, the compound would have been filled with the energy of thousands of high school students. They would have filled the expansive brown soccer field, their laughter echoing across the grounds, or sat diligently in classrooms, absorbing knowledge and experiences vital to their growth — they would have been busy learning, playing and just being normal. However, COVID-19 brought the closure of schools for these students, and the onset of civil war in the fall of that year meant that those schools never reopened. Classrooms that had once been filled with students became home to thousands of individuals and families displaced by war. 

In 2023, I had the opportunity to visit this school compound in the northern town of Shire, in Tigray, Ethiopia with a small team of other missionaries on a “vision trip.” The purpose of this trip was to see what we could do to alleviate some of the suffering that had gone on in that region. When we first arrived at the school compound, it was filled with tens of thousands of residents who had come from the western regions of Tigray – just like 17 other elementary and high school facilities in the area. Children were running around, some unaccompanied by parents; mothers carried malnourished babies; all were waiting in desperation for food aid that would offer them sustenance. Teens who were supposed to be finishing high school stood leaning against the fences, looking lost – maybe in their memories of the sounds of gunshots and the smell of gunpowder in the hot desert. 

Among these internally displaced persons, stories of trauma, horror and hurt are normalized, but the physical toll is unmistakable. Many people have not received any medical care for years. Some try to ease their pain with locally sourced herbs and traditional remedies. However, in many cases, illness grows worse, and some have passed away from illnesses that are easily treatable. 

Last month, I returned to the Shire community, along with a team of 17 healthcare professionals, armed with 40 boxes of medication, all ready to provide much-needed healthcare to the community. When we arrived early Monday morning, the local health clinic compound was filled with patients who had heard about our arrival. It was overwhelming, but we knew that God had called us to extend his love and mercy. Doctors, nurses, dentists, counsellors and surgeons readied themselves to do what they could – to use the gifts, the training and the time that God had given them to serve the needs of those that God had placed before them. 

Within a week, we treated about 2800 individuals with a wide range of physical and mental health concerns. Every evening when we heard the reports, we were beyond belief at what God had done in those few days. People who had had no health care for years received surgeries, counselling, dental work, and medication. In an area that has traditionally been very closed to the Gospel, 45 individuals decided to come to Christ just because of the love they had poured on them. On the fourth day, after receiving eye treatment, glasses and prescription medication, one older woman came to me and 

said, “You (the team) are the sign of light and ብርሃን ሆነልኝ (light has come to me).” Another told me, “Your (the team’s) presence is a sign that we have peace. I believe there can be peace in this country.” Although we left knowing that the need was much greater than what we could address in one week, the experience gave our team members a bigger vision to continue working to meet the community’s needs. 

Jesus spoke about providing for those who are in need of food, shelter, clothing, or medical care, and His life demonstrated the importance of showing love and compassion to others, especially in times of crisis or suffering. We humbly request your prayers and support as we plan future trips and support to this and other communities in need of God’s love. 

Finally, I want to leave you with these reflection questions: 

How does your faith manifest in your actions in responding to community needs, locally and globally? 

In what ways has God called you to embody His words in Act 1:8, within your community or in the broader global context, as we are continually surrounded by those in need of his love and grace?

One of my earliest memories as a child is getting lost in the Right House department store at the Brantford Mall. One minute I was clinging to my mother’s skirt, the next lost in the circular racks of dresses that I soon discovered weren’t attached to a pair of maternal legs. 

A moment of terror, until I was found. As I got older with children of my own, I would write my name and contact number on little forearms, in case of unexpected separation. In essence, in case my child runs off in a moment of tantrum, excitement, chaos or wonder, or whose parent gets distracted for a second, if this little one is found, I am claiming them. They are a Callaghan, they belong to me and I do (usually) want them back. 

I thought about this in light of our Father. See my Father doesn’t write with sharpie on my arm, but has marked me by His blood. He inscribes His covenant on my heart. As Paul describes, “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of the human heart” (2 Cor 3:3). 

What is even more astounding, is that that He has not only placed His mark upon me, but He has engraved my name upon Himself. Isaiah 49:15,16,“ Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are continually before me.” I am blown away by the depth of His love, His redeeming claim of me. My inheritance is in Him, not because I deserved it, but simply because I belong to Him. 

The irony is the longer I live in this world, the less I recognize it, the less I belong. And to be honest there is anxiety in navigating a world where I feel turned around, often unable to understand the times (perhaps that is just getting older) where things that were always certain things, are now unsure. It is, as I reflect, not unlike the feeling of being lost in the back of the Right House. But the more lost I feel in this terrestrial space, the greater comfort, greater joy, greater humility, greater assurance, the greater and bolder desire to share, the simplest and yet most profound truth that matters when one is lost, and that is, to whom I belong? And I belong to Jesus. 

Brooke Ligertwood – I Belong to Jesus (Dylan’s Song) (Live)

There is written in the Book of Life

And on the palm of Jesus’ hand

In the story of redeeming love

There I recognize my name

On the day I chose to trust in Him

When I turned from death to life

He was waiting with a robe and ring

And now I can testify 

I belong, I belong

I belong to Jesus 

He is my rock My strength, my song

Yes, I belong to Jesus 

When it’s clear the world is not my home

Or if I forget it’s not

May He turn my eyes upon Himself

So it’s Him for whom I long

When the brokenness of sin surrounds

When people fail and leaders fall

Still, the Lord will be my hiding place

I am safe upon the rock 

For I belong, I belong

Yes, I belong to Jesus

He is my rock

My strength, my song

Yes, I belong to Jesus

Yes, I belong to Jesus 

Everything the Father gives

Everything that Jesus paid for

Is my inheritance

All because I belong to Him

Anything the world could give

Anything that Earth can offer

Has no comparison

All because I know 

That I belong, I belong to Jesus

Imagine life without Jesus. Seriously, try. 

I had occasion to chat with some teen boys in December that left a deep and lasting impression. They had come to Central for Christmas dinner – the one organized for the community by Dave and Barb Rogelstad. The amount of work that went in to pulling that off was astounding. Dave and his team not only source and serve dinner, but gathered donations and gifts from Brantford businesses for our guests, did the set up and clean up, handled invitations and co-ordinated with social services folks. 

Remarkable. 

I’ve talked to Dave about this. The idea behind the enormous effort, is to show Christ’s love, to plant seeds in hearts, to be gentle and giving to people in difficult circumstances. In other words, to shine light into the darkness. 

Anyway, back to the teens. 

They were friendly and cheerful and open. 

I suspect in day-to-day life they would be more guarded. But here they seemed relaxed, and I think that had a great deal to do with the immediate environment. 

They were welcomed, there was nothing asked of them. They were cheerfully served a full dinner, and dessert. There was ice cream, candy canes, and the promise of a parting gift. People smiled at them and engaged with them, served them. They had been made aware that the congregation would welcome them again should they want to return some Sunday morning. 

Imagine life without Jesus. 

As we stood off to one side after dinner and chatted, I became aware that in their day-to-day world casual violence seemed to be the norm. It was just a thing that one suffered or engaged in depending on the circumstances. 

I asked about school, where did they attend. One young man, without blinking an eye, told me he was unable to go to school because he was under a restraining order to keep a certain distance from another student. He didn’t take this as a point of pride or embarrassment. It was just what was. 

In their world, the phrase “Jesus Christ” is simply an expression of dismay or surprise. It carries no other meaning. Life is defined by the passions of the moment. Restraint, like every other behaviour, is employed only when it serves the self. 

Like all human beings, deep down they were, to quote C. S. Lewis, “a bundle of self-centred fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies and self-conceit.” And they live in a world where the spirit of the age, the zeitgeist, roars around them in a vortex of confusion, twisted messages, and self-centred appeals to keep them blind to Truth. 

I became profoundly aware talking to them that, but for our Lord, there go I. 

Imagine life without Jesus. 

There is no peace. No assurance you are loved. No eternal hope. There is no light in the darkness. 

I gather from today’s pervasive social media, that “do what you will,” is the mantra of society, and that the highest good is achieving, regardless of cost, an unbroken string of worldly success. 

Imagine life without Jesus. 

Back in 1952, when his father was dying, the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas wrote: “Do not go gentle into that good night … rage, rage against the dying of the light.” 

When I consider his lines I am tempted to despair, to rage against the dying of the light in the world today. 

But I would be wrong. It is a false premise. The Light is not dying. In fact, “the light shines in darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” John 1:5. 

Will one of those teens dare to come to church one day. Maybe, maybe not. But I know this, the folks serving dinner and smiling let their light shine before others. And that memory is a seed, it is something God can work with to counter the darkness surrounding them. 

Allow me a commercial break as a member of the Missions Committee. 

As we approach the Missions Weekend, May 4 and 5, you will encounter a strong focus on local missions. You’ll hear from members of community organizations the committee has researched and connected with. 

What they do is help people in the name of Jesus; meet them where they are. That’s what shining a light for Christ looks like, and where trust in God enters our efforts to win souls. 

“And I will lead the blind

in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them.”

Isaiah 42:16 (ESV) 

So here is the challenge: 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

It’s early on a Saturday morning in February. I don’t tend to enjoy having to be somewhere early on a Saturday morning. My preference is to sleep in a little and do some quiet reading. But on this particular Saturday morning, I have to be at Bethel Reformed Church on West Street by 7:45 am and I’m even looking forward to it. 

I park and walk into the building right on time. As I enter the large multi-purpose room where I shared breakfast with this group the year before, I rehearse a mental checklist to make sure I brought all my tools. I have my computer, adaptor cords to connect to the TV, my Bible (it’s actually an e-reader this year … I hope it doesn’t glitch), and I remember my planned topic of conversation: “His grace toward me” from 1 Corinthians 15:10. 

Entering the room, I see the familiar faces of John (the father of an old friend) and a new-ish friend of mine, Dave Van Kooten (Director of Mentorship for Organized Kaos). We greet each other and Dave introduces several others who have also arrived early. The Organized Kaos Mentors Breakfast doesn’t start for 15 more minutes, but people who work in the trades are often early risers. 

I set up my computer, sit down at a table, and start to talk shop with several of these Organized Kaos mentors. One of them, who remembers from the previous year that I’m a licensed Tool and Die Maker, shows me an intricately machined metal coupling—its specific use is classified. We talk about it.  

As twenty-or-so mentors trickle in and find their seats around the tables, we all settle into each others’ company. There is a level of understanding between me and them, as tradesmen, that these mentors don’t always have with pastors. We pray over breakfast, eat as we talk, and then hear some news and updates from Shawn Stuart (Executive Director/Founder at Organized Kaos) and Dave, the in-house pastor for Organized Kaos. Then it’s my turn to stand at the front of the room. 

I know that these mentors care about their students. They teach them trades as a way to show them Jesus and I want to encourage them. So, after I introduce myself to the group, we begin by reading from 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” After explaining the meaning of grace as help I don’t deserve, I ask,  “How has this help felt for you?” We talk. I ask, “What difference has this help made to you?” We talk again. I explain Paul’s openness to the churches about the forgiveness he experienced (he persecuted the churches, 1 Cor. 15:9), about meeting Jesus (1 Cor. 15:8), and about his life’s work with God (1 Cor. 15:10-11). They see how their students need to hear this from someone who understands them—someone like a fellow tradesman. We talk some more before it’s time to go. 

I hope I can encourage them again next year. I love that we at Central support this ministry. We have mentors from our church family serving in Organized Kaos and we’ll get to hear from Dave Van Kooten as our speaker at the Missions Weekend on May 4th and 5th. 

We often think of the call to missions as a long-distance call, but it always starts with a local call. Organized Kaos is one of those local calls for us at Central (www.organizedkaos.org).  

Writing about every Christian’s role in missions, John Piper said, “There are three possibilities. They can be goers, senders, or disobedient” (Brothers, We are Not Professionals, 196).  

Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John are even more clear, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).  

Central family, the question isn’t if God is sending you, it’s where.  

And now is the perfect time to start figuring that out. 

I have previously told of some of my adventures while we were living in Northern BC. As much as I enjoyed the beauty of where we lived, we didn’t move from Ontario to Hudson’s Hope to admire the scenery, even though we were surrounded by it! We went to minister to the people of that town. People are people no matter where they live. Places like Hudson’s Hope exist because of Hydro, logging and ranching interests. I met a few who had moved there because it was at the end of the world or close by!

We had a difficult time in the end before we finally returned to Ontario. However, during that time we sought to continue to minister as much as possible and to live above our circumstances. I was working at a gas station and got to know a number of people. Men like Jim who was a rancher and a truck driver. We became acquainted and after a time he said that he would teach me how to drive if I got my air brake certificate. Much to Jim’s surprise, I told him one day that I was ready to drive truck. He was stunned but the next time he stopped for fuel he told me to be ready to go trucking!

It was a winter afternoon when he pulled up at my door and I jumped into his truck. We set out to Chetwynd where there was a pulp mill. I was to drive the truck home because it was much easier empty. So, on the first trip, he set the ground rules. He knew I was a minister, so he warned me “No preaching!” I said fine. A few minutes later he started telling me what his beliefs were (which were an interesting amalgamation of several ideas). Then a while later he said, “So what do you believe?” Well, talk about a wide-open door! So, I went through it and succinctly shared with him the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I would like to say that Jim came to know Jesus, but I can’t and as the winter logging season gave way to spring, Jim stopped trucking for the most part and I eventually lost contact with him. That summer we returned to Ontario.

As churchgoers, we often tend to pigeonhole people. We have pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and laymen, to name a few. The reality as committed followers of Jesus Christ we are all participants in His mission. Jesus said: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God…for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43). In another place He tells His disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) Mission work belongs to all of us.

I often remember one of the first Christian songs I learned back in Scotland: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give unto thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!” It came from the story of the early ministry of Peter, Acts 3:1-10. As Peter and John were at the temple, they met a beggar who was seeking alms from them. Peter had nothing to give, such as was the circumstances of the early believers, but he had the Good News and he ministered to the man in a miraculous manner.  Now you and I might not be able to heal someone like Peter did, but we can share the Good News with people that we meet. Turn negative circumstances into positive allowing God to use you no matter where you find yourself.

Learn how to share your testimony in a minute or less. Memorize some key Bible verses that will help turn someone’s attention to the Word of God. Jesus will use you wherever you are.