Hughes News #33

Dear Friends,

Like the last few and the next few months, the biggest news from Moldova regards our Russian study. After having health problems the first part of January, our teacher was able to resume lessons three weeks ago. Those three weeks of lessons went very well and we have completed our first textbook! Several recent conversations in our new language were encouraging to us. Our competency in Russian is not where we want it to be, but it is getting there!

A friend of ours allowed me to speak about Moldova in an elementary chapel via Skype. One parent wrote: “[My daughter] has talked and talked about the things that you shared! I think that is the most that I have heard about something that she learned at school or at least close.” We have no idea how the Lord will work in these young hearts, but we are thrilled and humbled to be able to invest in their lives. Another chance to minister came from a missionary friend here in Moldova. We visited their church and I preached for him.

We are thrilled to be planning for our first visitor from the States! Having finished high school in the fall, our nephew plans to spend two months with us beginning in mid-March. This is a chance for us to mentor him and for him to seek the Lord’s will for his future. Since we do not want our study to suffer, nor his time here to be wasted, we certainly desire your prayers for wisdom.

For Prayer:
1. Us to make progress in Russian
2. A family to work with us here
3. Preparation for our nephew’s visit

For Praise:
1. Our Russian teacher’s health is much better.
2. We were able to tell a group of elementary kids about Moldova!
3. Jacob was invited to preach at a missionary friend’s church.

In His service,

Jacob and Viola Hughes

Safest Place to Be?

“The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”  Have you ever heard this statement in a message?  I have heard it several times and have always agreed with it.  However, a missionary questioned this statement in his recent prayer letter.  He got me thinking:

Was John the Baptist in the center of God’s will when he was beheaded?

Was James in the center of God’s will when Herod killed him with the sword?
Was Stephen in the center of God’s will when he was stoned to death?
Was Paul in the center of God’s will when he received “forty stripes save one?”
Was Paul in the center of God’s will when he was beaten with rods?
Was Paul in the center of God’s will when he suffered shipwreck?
Was William Carey in the center of God’s will when his wife Dorothy died?
Was William Carey in the center of God’s will when his second wife Charlotte died?
Was Adoniram Judson in the center of God’s will when he was imprisoned for 17 months?
Was Hudson Taylor in the center of God’s will when his wife and five of his children died?
Were John and Betty Stam in the center of God’s will when they were beheaded?
Were Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian in the center of God’s will when they were murdered?

It seems that the only thing we can answer to the above questions is “Yes.”  Each of these people was in “the center of God’s will” when something bad (or “unsafe”) happened to them.  How do we reconcile what we see from history with this phrase that is so often preached?

1. Bad things happen to people in God’s will and out of God’s will.

I remember hearing this phrase in connection with a story about a missionary.  As the story goes, he and his family left for the mission field.  Because of the frequent threat of poisonous snakes, the wife became more and more worried for the safety of her children.  She eventually convinced her husband that they should leave the field.  After returning to the States, one of the children was actually bitten by a snake just outside their home.  In her haste to get the child to the hospital, the mother backed over another child with the car.  Both children died.
This illustration was given to show that “the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”  If this story is true and if God allowed this to happen because of the family’s disobedience, then it should be a lesson to us about disobeying God.  However, equally horrifying things have happened to people who were obeying God and who were (as far as we can tell) in the center of God’s will.

2. Being in God’s will does not guarantee safety on this earth.

I believe the phrase in question is dangerous because it plants the seed in our minds that if we follow God, we will be safe.  In other words, good will happen to us instead of bad.  In other words, life here on earth is better if we are in God’s will.  While it is always better to follow God’s will, it will not always seem better here on earth.  Often, doing what we want will be safer or better for this life.
If a believer takes this mindset (being in God’s will = safer life on earth), their faith will be shaken when bad things come.  They might question whether they really were in God’s will.  They may keep trying to be in God’s will, but bad things may keep happening.  Eventually, they may conclude either: 1) It is impossible for them to be in the very center of God’s will and they simply give up trying, or 2) There is no God and they may turn their back on Him completely.
Do I think this one phrase drives everyone to these conclusions?  Certainly not.  As I mentioned before, I do think it can plant a dangerous seed in people’s minds.

3. Safety is promised for believers after this life.

A believer’s life is not an exact replica of every others’.  One believer may live a life relatively free of hardship and trials while another seems to have nothing but those things.  We must realize that the safety that is promised us is not for life on this earth, but for our eternal life in heaven.  It is there that we will experience no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.  Until then, things might be very . . . unsafe.

Hughes News #32

Dear Friends,

Learning another language does not provide much exciting material for an update. However, we understand the importance of this phase of our work despite its monotony!

Being away from our families for the holidays made us appreciate it even more when Moldovan friends from church included us in their celebrations. The week of Christmas we were invited to two homes and New Year’s Eve we visited another. We enjoyed the fellowship, learned more about Moldovan history and traditions, and tasted some Moldovan holiday dishes.

We had not planned to have a Christmas vacation from our language lessons, but a two week break became necessary when our teacher had some health problems. During the extra time we were able to study on our own as well as tackle a few other projects. Although she is not completely better, we have been able to resume lessons. We are thankful to have such a dependable and punctual teacher.

Over the last few months we have seen that the time and money to maintain our website were worth more than the few advantages the website gave us. Having a blog allows us to keep our information on the internet while costing us much less time and no money. If you are interested, you may find it at lighttomoldova.blogspot.com. In addition to posting our updates there, we plan to write other articles from time to time. Thank you for your prayers to the Lord on our behalf. May God bless you!

For Prayer:

1. Our Russian teacher’s health
2. Us to make progress in Russian
3. A family to work with us here

For Praise:

1. Moldovan friends had us over during the holidays.
2. Our teacher has been well enough to resume lessons.
3. We are still excited that the Lord allows us to be here!

In His service,

Jacob and Viola Hughes

"Tie your shoes and pray for the Hughes."