Stories

What’s happening in Ethiopia

March 11, 2012 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

25 years ago Ethiopia was a closed, Communist nation. Christianity was illegal. Now Ethiopia is open to the gospel and it is spreading like an unquenchable fire. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers, well, not so much.

While we were in Ethiopia, Kay and I had dinner with a Campus Crusade for Christ short-term STINT team. I learned of this exciting video where Seth shared these opening remarks.

Watch and enjoy!

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/38076449 400 225]

God has chosen now as the time for Ethiopia from Tim Casteel on Vimeo.

Thanks to Tim Casteel for publishing and to Karin Tome for alerting me.

Your small part in Thailand flood relief

November 8, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

I had a small part in flood relief in Thailand. You can have a small part also. Many small parts can make a huge difference.

Several of our Thai staff have flooded homes and submerged cars. I heard yesterday of 5 flooded homes and 7 submerged cars. Yet these staff are engaging every day in helping others. They deliver drinking water. They distribute food. They help carry evacuees’ belongings to safety.

Kay and I ask you to help the helpers.

Help replace household goods. Help replace cars. Help the helpers as they help the suffering.

Pray.

Give.

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Let’s Help the helpers.

Our small part in Thailand flood relief

November 5, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

House after house passed by. There were shops with signs like Coffee Today. But no one was serving coffee today in the Coffee Today shop. And no one was living in the houses.

We were floating down a flooded street in northern Bangkok. Our team of volunteers was being towed about 5 miles to a Student Center and church. Thousands of dollars worth of furniture and equipment was submerged in 5 feet of water. If we got them out soon, they could be salvaged and cleaned. Otherwise, they would be rusted junk.

These were the inflatable boats that several MinistryNet conferees had purchased and brought as baggage to Thailand. When we arranged the purchase of the boats, we never imagined that we would get to use them to help with flood relief.

Yesterday, 10 of us took our day of no meetings to join in the flood relief efforts. Kay really wanted to help, but she was needed to help register conferees as they arrived throughout the day. We drove through Bangkok traffic about 2 hours to the far north of Bangkok city, to the place where the flood waters from the north have surged past the levees and flood gates designed to protect Bangkok.

We were part of iServe, the opportunity sponsored by Campus Crusade to serve the people of Bangkok during this crisis time. We served by meeting boatloads of evacuees as they reached dry land. We would help them out of boats. We would carry their loads with them to where taxis and other transport could take them to live with relatives or to evacuation centers.

The evacuees were so kind and appreciative. They were the ones who could only bring a few of their possessions. And they were appreciative of us.

Later in the day, we inflated the boats and climbed in. We were joined by several others who wanted to help. We roped our selves into a caravan of inflatables. Two boats with gasoline engines towed us. For an hour and a half, we passed flooded houses, submerged vehicles, and swamped businesses.

It was a sobering experience. We passed people in creative, homemade “boats”. Pieces of styrofoam lashed together with plywood on top carried several people. Ice chests sealed shut and taped together supported two people. Inner tubes with a plywood deck was piled with personal possessions. Some walked through waist-deep water with a small bag of groceries held high — food to feed their family who was living on the second floor of their flooded house.

Thailand is known as the land of smiles. This flood has not stopped Thais from smiling. All along the way, Thai’s greeted us with smiles and waves.

We spent several hours carrying furniture through chest-deep water, up stairs, and onto the second floor. The water is not expected to reach the second floor. Since there was not a third floor, we did the best we could.

Tired, wet, and out of time before darkness fell, we journeyed back over an hour to our vehicles. We would be able to go to a nice hotel, take a warm shower, sleep in a comfortable bed and wake up to a MinistryNet conference . The Thais we met would try to find a place to sleep and wake up tomorrow to begin again trying to find a way to make life work for them in the midst of this flood.

My prayer was that the God of all mercy and compassion would flood Thailand with his mercy. I prayed that God would make known his name among this nation. I was glad that we were able to have a very small part in providing inflatable boats, in helping people carry their loads, and helping one of only 4,000 churches in this country save some of their furniture. As I stacked soaked chairs, I prayed for those who would sit in the chairs in the coming months.

More photos are available here.

A change in direction

August 28, 2011 by Keith Seabourn 4 Comments

This morning, I read Matthew 10. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

I reflected on the life I have found by losing my own ambitions and plans.

I am a 5th generation native-born Texan. My great-great grandfather was born in the Wylie area of Collin County, Texas in 1853. His father had moved from Tennessee.

I am a 4th generation product of Mesquite, Texas. My great-grandfather Sam Seabourn moved to Mesquite. I graduated from the same Mesquite High School that my mother and father did. I married my high school sweetheart, also a 4th generation product of Mesquite, whose parents also graduated from Mesquite High School.

Until leaving for college, I had only lived in two houses and both were on the same piece of land. Kay had lived in one house on two pieces of land (her dad jacked up their house and moved it when their land was turned into a shopping center).

To say we have anything but deep roots in one place is a shallow statement.

But 40 years ago, in September 1971, when I was a junior at Texas A&M University, the God of the universe re-invaded my life. He reminded me that he had a call on my life. He reminded me that he wanted me to follow him with everything I am.

And that began an amazing journey that continues to this day.

The journey led us out of the engineering and school teacher roles we were preparing for, and into the role of a cross-cultural ambassador of the King of Kings, called a missionary. That began a journey that led us to leave our Texas roots for Nigeria where we lived for 15 years. That has led us through 6 passports filled with visas and stamps from 33 countries on 4 continents.

It started when a fellow Aggie student stopped by the Law Hall dorm room I shared with roommate Steve. It was a hot, humid September afternoon in the Brazos valley. As we sat on my bottom bunk and the springs squeaked every time I uncomfortably shifted, Frank shared the gospel with me using the Four Spiritual Laws. I told him I had accepted Christ as a young person through the influence of my parents and my church. Then Frank asked me, “So, if you were to die today, are you sure you would go to heaven.” I must have given him a somewhat acceptable answer, but also a somewhat confused one. My ongoing struggle with areas of sin robbed me of confidence that I was right with God.

Without missing a beat, Frank asked me “Would you like to make the wonderful discovery of the Spirit-Filled life?” We shifted into Campus Crusade’s famous blue book. As Frank walked me through these basics of the Christian life, for the very first time in my life I understood that following God was a step of faith. I understood there were Christians who lived by their own strength and Christians who lived by the Sprit’s strength. I understood spiritual breathing, how to deal with the sin in my life and how to see the life of Jesus flow through me by the power of his Spirit.

I still remember the visual image of that afternoon. My dorm room had a closet. A naked light bulb hung from a cord. As Frank shared the truths of the Spirit-filled Christian life, it was just like walking into my dark closet and switching on the light. Illumination. I could see. Everything made sense. God had prepared a path for an abundant, joyful life as his child. That afternoon, for the first of many times in my life, I invited the Holy Spirit to fill me with his overflowing presence.

Frank met with me weekly for follow-up Bible study. With his encouragement, I joined a Leadership Training class. I joined Frank in going door-to-door talking to other students about Jesus. I wrote letters to Kay, by then my fiance, explaining what I was learning. She, too, began walking daily in the power of the Spirit.

I was hooked by seeing my life transform, by seeing Kay’s life transform, and seeing the lives students change right before my eyes.

Now, 40 years after that September afternoon, I cannot imagine a different life. I wanted a job as an engineer in a big company. I wanted a vacation home. I wanted my own airplane. God wanted me to represent him to people in need. God wanted me to use the technical abilities he had given to help millions of people hear about his love through the Jesus film, through the internet, through mobile phones.

I am amazed that God uprooted a 5th generation Texas boy from a small suburb of Dallas and has given me such a privileged life. It all started on a September afternoon in 1971 in a dorm room when I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me with his power.

And I am eternally grateful.

Revisiting Japan and the earthquake

August 22, 2011 by Keith Seabourn Leave a Comment

I’m sitting in Tokyo’s Narita airport as I write this. The last time I was here was March 11th and Kay was with me. And together, we experienced the massive earthquake. (Click here to read the story again.). Thousands died. Over 4,000 are still missing. Extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Significant accidents at nuclear power stations.

But there is more to the story. So, on this revisit to Tokyo, I’ll share some of the amazing things that God and His people have seen happen.

In the days following the tsunami, a team of 8 Japanese Campus Crusade for Christ staff and students went to Tohoku to help. Tohoku is a region in Japan where the gospel is slow in spreading. It is an area where they do not want to accept Christian volunteers. They shun off the volunteer efforts from churches too. A member of the team wrote:

Despite these obstacles, and through the prayers of many, we are thankful we were able to have this opportunity to be close to them, cry and laugh together with them and encourage them. And, of course, all these are possible because dedicated leaders and the Kesennuma Bible Baptist Church members have been sowing seeds in this neighborhood, which resulted in good relationships built up.

Those whom we have met told us to come again. For people in Tohoku to say, “please come again”, they are not saying it to be polite, they really meant what they say. To be able to earn the trust of people in “closed” Tohoku in just 4 days is only by the grace and the work of GOD. The local pastor was overjoyed and said that he has more families to visit from now onwards.

When I visited and helped the last house during this trip, I asked if I could pray for blessing for this household. The elderly lady said, “Yes. Thank you.” She kept saying thank you repeatedly. With tears, she said, “Just when I felt I was going to go under…” When we were cleaning her house, she acted strong. But I felt that she had been pushing down her feelings of pain and distress. We were able to give her daughter a copy of the Manga Search (manga Knowing God Personally booklet).

A little later, another team worked in a nearby area. They were able to store supplies at the local church. A team member reported:

A house owner whose house had been cleaned by an earlier team heard about the supplies at the local church and went to pick some. One of our team members helped her carry the stuff back home.

The home owner was so thankful for the help from the earlier team and kept talking about it with tears in her eyes. Our team member took the opportunity to say, “God loves you, and has kept you alive and provided help for you. When I face difficult times, God helps, encourages and comforts me. Through a simple prayer, you can invite God into your heart. Would you like to pray a prayer to invite Him in?“ The home owner said, “Yes” and they prayed together!

When the earlier team heard this good news, we all shed tears of joy. The Lord has opened doors in mysterious ways and sent us there in His exquisite timing. As we witness the work of His hands, we can’t keep from praising Him.

Our amazing God uses all things to draw people to himself. Do we view everything as opportunities to tell people of God’s love?