As I continue to process the issues mentioned below, I feel compelled to be an advocate for a group of M__s from RHCC.
The CAMEL team.
This group has been in 3 countries where one must be cautious about what is said in communication, so as not to jeopardize their presence to a hostile government. For this reason, I don't write any names, or spell out the countries.
However, I'm starting to lose sleep over their need for their home church to rally behind this entire team who went out the same year we did!
The Creasmans have been pretty straightforward in our journey:
As originally planned, we’ve had two years of language and culture learning in mainland China (‘97-99), and then settled in for a long term investment in Singapore to be used in strengthening and building Chinese Christian leaders here. Not just for the sake and strength of Singapore’s churches and pastors, and missionaries who are based here, but for their strategic role in influence over this region due to Singapore’s spiritual and financial resources, heart for the world and multi-lingual schooling.
For our fellow laborers The CAMEL team who are now in their 3rd country and 3rd language, their direction and journey has not turned out as originally hoped or planned. These diversions have been entirely out of their control.
When they went out as a team (3 families and 4 singles) in 1997, it was a remarkable achievement for our church: sending an ENTIRE team to an unreached people group.
Among them were former RHCC youth ministries leaders (Junior High Pastor) and administrators. Bright and gifted, they had developed a heart for the world early. Somewhere along the college years, and the missions pipeline of potential missionary small groups and missions retreats, and leading short term teams from the church we confirmed their calling to make a career in bringing the Gospel to the most unreached peoples in the 10/40 window. As a church we excitedly envisioned this team following the inroads our short term trips had made over a few years. We had "adopted the Kaz_ks" and RHCC short term teams had helped establish the first known Kaz_k church. Subsequent visits had made it seem to us as if Rolling Hills Covenant Church instrumental in seeing the Gospel preached and a thriving church established among a people where there had previously been none.
This was not to be the case.
I will not go into the details here, but as I remember it, due to their being “discovered” for their “covert” work in evangelism, their visas were not renewed after a few years. I think they were asked to leave the country on short notice, with a black mark against them so that they can not return. In turn, they relocated to a similar people group in Uzb_____, with clear leading from the Holy Spirit about where to move, and even which apartments to rent. However, during this term(s) they were in a political situation where ALL foreign non-profit workers were denied visa renewals and had to move their families out of a second country.
Fraught with opposition and conflict and uprooting and challenges, they have had to pull back, pull out, sort out, regroup, reconcile, hear from God and set out once again more times than any living missionary I know. And there’s a whole team of them! There have been marital issues, health emergencies, team strife and discord on top of the political opposition.
Lesser men and women might have given up, feeling like many do after facing such trials, “Well, we gave it a go, we did our best, perhaps God is directing us through these hardships to turn our hearts back toward home, and find a new path.” Heaven knows how many missionaries have set out at the beginning to invest their lives long term and our now back safely in their motherlands. It’s also pretty safe to say, that any of those missionaries who have returned would be the first to acknowledge the tremendous tenacity and commitment and sense of calling it has taken for this group of people from RHCC to stick with it.
I'll post more later, but this is a good start! Let's not forget them! They need our prayers and support as much now as ever!!
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