Intro by Dale Russell
Don’t you just love it when God creates important connections? Such was the case this past fall as we were made aware of a potential blog contributor whom we had not met. To make a long story short, it was one of those friend of a friend connections that might make you wonder the outcome. I have yet to communicate with Barney other than emails, but we will change that soon. What I did not realize was the value of having a stranger review our website, mission and vision, and give an opinion. What follows is his assessment of what you and we do. Many thanks to Barney Wiget as he has expressed interest in doing more and we are grateful!
____________________________________________________________________________________
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
We call this the “Great Commission,” because it’s both great and the mission of Jesus into which he invites us to join him.
Disciple making is a lifestyle choice for everyone
The disciple-making mandate is one of the final, if not most important things Jesus taught his original twelve (minus one). He obviously had no intention of his movement dying at the end of one generation. It’s equally clear that he never intended this directive to be a one-off or a “Mandate for Missionaries” only (that is, the professional kind). Disciple making is a lifestyle choice for everyone who signs up to follow Jesus. He expects all his disciples in every century to make other disciples.
Albeit long distance, by connecting prisoners with orphans, Visions of Hope has launched a brilliant and creative means of making disciple-making disciples. Their vision is as inspired as it is hopeful. It both accepts Jesus’ invitation to join him in his mission to reach others and it reaches beyond the timeworn boundaries of nation, culture, and age. What they do is clearly in keeping with the “all nations” component of the mission.
Opportunity to see beyond their present circumstances
Though Americans tightly locked in cells and the Ugandan children sheltered in their orphanage have little access to the wider world, VOH brings together these two couldn’t-possibly-be-more-dissimilar worlds for a mutually beneficial exchange. And both have an opportunity to see beyond their present circumstances and experience the blessings of God while acknowledging Jesus as the Star of the unfolding divine story.
The work of VOH ingeniously connects the dots between American inmates with African orphans. Nearly 9000 miles apart, an prisoner and a Ugandan orphan pass God’s love back and forth between them for maximum enjoyment.
His power and presence are available to disciple makers
Jesus promises to be “with” all those who make his commission theirs. His power and presence are available to disciple makers such as the VOH staff and the prisoners who correspond with the African orphans. This is what makes it a “Co-mission,” one in which Jesus collaborates with both disciples and disciple-makers.
There are good ideas and God ideas. Visions of Hope is a God idea.
Barney Wiget